RPG Progress Report

[Exhuminator]

Missed the heritage talk; I'm of German and French descent.

Is Ack getting married in England?

[Ack]

Is Ack getting married in England?

Ha, no. It's my stepbrother's wedding.

[Sarge]

I've got a tiny bit of French; not sure how much. Like maru, I've also got some native American, great-great grandmothers on both sides.

[Segata]

Mostly Scottish decent but some distant Native on my mom's side.

[Ack]

I'm now playing Might and Magic 6, which changed engines and is a serious departure from M&M 3-5. The change isn't bad, but it does take some getting used to, particularly since gameplay is now in real-time and no longer relies on the grid system of old. The tricks I learned in the good old days will no longer suffice, so I am learning a completely new system.

As a result, I find 6 to be much harder than previous entries, at least in the early game. Monsters around the starting town are weak but come in hordes that can quickly lay waste to your party, which has been downsized to only four characters. I still haven't cleared them all out, but I have at least managed to wipe out enough to gain a level and am currently pushing through my first dungeon. It's a tower overrun by goblins. I also have access to another, but a horde of vampire bats guard the entrance, so I can't make any headway.

My party is made up of Ack the Knight, Popo the Archer, Noise the Cleric, and in a party first, Marurun the Sorcerer. Good luck, guys, I hope you all survive. Except for Noise. He's gonna die a horrible death, I just know it.

[marurun]

I am totes magical. Thanks for noticing!

[MrPopo]

Are you enjoying those crazy photo realistic portraits?

[Ack]

I am totes magical. Thanks for noticing!

You're welcome!

And yes, Popo, but it's the looking around that really gets to me. Or the eye roll they occasionally give me. When all four party members give you a look like "not this shit again"... it's something special.

[Ack]

Ha, double post!

Anyway, in M&M 6, I'm now working my way through Goblinwatch in New Sorpigal. For those of you who haven't played this one, that's pretty much the first dungeon, so no, I'm not very far. My characters are roughly level 3, though Ack the Knight has been gaining experience faster since he has a higher survivability rate, so he may be closer to another level. Hey, I didn't realize bodybuilding was going to be quite so powerful. I'm now working to bring it to Expert level, because more hit points means more surviving in dungeons or in the field.

Speaking of surviving, I'm surprised at how quickly this game is willing to throw you up against a horde of enemies. I don't know what effects dying has; it seems to put me back at the start of the game with 1 hp for all characters, but I always reload my game instead. But there are tons of goblins and evil mages at the start. I've managed to wipe out most of the goblins around the town, but the mages have a camp, and I've only been able to pick off a few of the stragglers to give me a little more breathing room. Marching straight in there will definitely get my guys roasted.

Skill-wise, I've already talked about Ack's use of bodybuilding, and I also made sure he started with the ability to use shields to help further boost his armor. I've been boosting Popo's archery skill, and he has access to a Mind Magic school or something which lets me detect enemies on the map. Popo, as usual, you're hella useful. This is why I keep bringing you in these games. I also made sure you have access to leather armor and daggers, so you are a bit tankier than the mages.

The mages...well, they're weaker, but Marurun's ability to shoot out a flame arrow from his Fire Magic school is useful. I've also given you meditation for additional spell points and the Identify skill. Your brilliant insights into my gear lets me make sure I'm well-equipped, and I make sure to reward you with choice pieces of gear from time to time. Noise, you can heal with your body magic, and I also gave you meditation for spell points. You also have the Repair skill, because sometimes I break my stuff over goblins' heads. I like to think of it as Ack the mighty knight, Popo the fierce archer with some decent utility, Marurun the wise mage with more utility, and then Noise the seamstress sitting back and fixing the stitching in my boots.

Combat tends to work like this: I use Popo and Marurun to ping enemies from far away with Popo's bow and Marurun's flame arrow. This softens up some foes or lets me thin herds of weaker ones, which Ack then lays into once they're close. Meanwhile, Noise heals the more important members of the party(ie. everyone else) and gets knocked unconscious a lot. Poor noise. Maybe one day I'll give you a pair of boots too. But not right now. You don't deserve shoes yet.

[Xeogred]

27 hours into Xenoblade 2.

Can't decide if Pyra or Mythra is the best waifu.