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@shagge said:

Random PC Game: Phantasmagoria is one of my favorite not-an-Endurance-Runs on the site. There's a great playthrough of the sequel as well.

Seconding this suggestion! I also recommend checking out all the other Random PC Game videos.

I really miss Dave...

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It's not a solution but if you click the "download" button and then the HD button it will play the video in your browser and that video player behaves correctly.

This works for me. Thanks!

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@lv4monk: @frodobaggins:

In the game's defense I'll say that the dev team has streamlined a lot of the common mechanics over the previous expansion. Gaze attacks (where you need to turn around to avoid) are always marked with a giant eye icon before the cast, AoE's that need damage to be spread throughout the team always have the pointy-arrow marker, attacks that need to be moved away from the team are marked with the glowy crystal, etc.

I don't know when you played @lv4monk but I remember earlier in the game's life a lot of these attacks had unique icons/markers, so it was sometimes difficult to tell what to do during encounters, which lead to a lot of "How did I die?" moments. Nowadays for all content that isn't Savage difficulty I've been able to run it completely blind and learn it as I go. I think once someone gets over that initial learning curve they shouldn't have too much trouble.

Most of the harder content is just an abundance of simultaneous mechanics, with fights occasionally throwing in one or two new things to learn while doing a dozen other things you've done before. Thordan's Reign EX is a great example. It was essentially a combination of mechanics that you'd experienced throughout the expansion (each Knight of the Round doing one or two things they'd done in their own solo fights), only this time you had to deal with multiple knights + Thordan in quick succession. I did that fight with friends completely blind (all of us) and we had a ton of fun learning it over the course of a weekend.

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@creme said:

Random PC Game: Phantasmagoria.

The only GB video you'll ever need.

This! It's the perfect date movie.

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I like to inject the caffeine directly into my bloodstream. But black is good too.

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@majormitch said:

@onlykris: @umhyuk: Thanks to you both for the detailed breakdown of Paradox games! I have been a big Civ fan over the years, and have always wanted to try Paradox's stuff, as I think I would like their games too. I've just never found the time (they appear to all be huge time sinks, is that accurate?), and also never knew where to start. I appreciate all your information, gives me a lot to chew on :)

Absolutely, you're very welcome! Since you've played Civ you'll definitely be familiar with how time sinky these games can be. It might take you awhile to fully immerse yourself, since you'll probably be spending your first few hours learning the game's mechanics, but once you've got a handle on it it's terrifyingly easy to fall into that "One More Turn" mindset.

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Stellaris (I haven't played any Paradox strategy games, and will start with an EU game or CK2... but how does Stellaris compare?)

Oh boy, a potential Paradox baby! I'll try my best to help. Feel free to ask more questions!

If you're new to the Paradox style of 4X games, I think Stellaris is a good place to start. While relatively new to the Paradox roster, and therefore lacking in features compared to the other games (which have a plethora of expansions and DLC to back them) Stellaris manages to include most of the key features that makes a Paradox game... well, a Paradox game. Someone diving fresh into Paradox 4X likely won't notice what's missing, and in fact might find the "simplicity" of the vanilla to be more welcoming than the smorgasbord that is CK2 and EU4.

To get a better understanding of what the game is about, I'll highlight some of the differences between Stellaris, CK2, and EU4.

Let's start with CK2, since its the fattiest tuna of the bunch. In CK2 the main "protagonist" (for lack of a better term) that the player focuses on is the current head of their chosen dynasty. Much of the game revolves around this character, which changes as time marches on, and a bulk of the choices the player makes is in service of improving this character. Since no single person exists within a vacuum, some of those choices branch out to include other characters - family, friends, allies, rivals, enemies, and so on. As a result, CK2 ends up becoming a strange hybrid of strategy and RPG, with an emphasis on simulating your own unique Alternate History sandbox version of earth. Its easy to get lost in your dynasty's story without worrying too much about what's going on in the rest of the world, hence why CK2 is often recommended as a jumping off point for those interested in trying out Paradox games.

EU4, on the other hand, is more traditional in its approach. The dynasty system is replaced with a government system, and the "leveling up" of character stats is replaced with various laws, tech trees, and resource management. That's not to say that CK2 ignores these systems entirely; rather, that EU4 focuses more on nations and less on individuals. As a result the win conditions here are more pronounced, the driving force of gameplay leaning more heavily towards empire building than it does character interaction. You can think of EU4 as a very complex version of Risk. Again, I'm speaking in broad terms, and its easy enough to decide to roleplay your nation much like you would your character in CK2 - and there are enough events and triggers with immersive flavor text to help you do so - but these features are not as robust and all-encompassing as they are in CK2.

As for Stellaris, it treads a middle ground between these two approaches. Emphasis is again placed on empire building, but here your "empire" takes on a personality of its own. The game encourages you to think of your empire as having a singular mindset, with its own unique morality and beliefs, and then pits you against other empires with conflicting, similar, or neutral beliefs. The Evil Slavers, the Galactic Peacekeepers, the Corrupt Businessmen, the Warrior Zealots - the races you encounter tend to fit into various archetypes that would be right at home in a typical sci-fi space opera. Empire management is more simplified than in EU4 (less resources to manage, easier bureaucratic and diplomatic management), and character interaction (between your various government officials, head scientists, military commanders, and planetary governors) is less fleshed out than in CK2. In its place are features and gameplay mechanics that can only fit in a grand space setting like Stellaris: alien abduction, genetic modification, robot uprisings, discovery of secrets left by long dead civilizations. I don't want to spoil some of the cooler events you can dig up, so I'll just say it gets pretty interesting!

Would I recommend Stellaris for newcomers? Sure! Would I recommend it for a Paradox veteran? That's a bit tougher. It's a solid game to be sure, and if you're a fan of sci-fi I'd absolutely recommend it, but if you were looking for another meaty Paradox 4X to sink your fangs into, it might be better if you wait for another expansion or two.

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I recommend you level one class to 50 before experimenting with crafting and gathering classes. That way every class below your highest level receives an XP gain bonus. As well, you'll have access to the higher level roulettes on the Duty Finder, which is a quick and easy way to get decent cash. Doing 2 or 3 roulettes will give you ample funding to quickly get any class from 1 to 20 in a very short amount of time.

When leveling your classes don't be afraid to buy gear from the NPCs to speed things along. Pre-20 gear is dirt cheap, and even after that it doesn't start to get costly until around 40. Keep in mind that you can re-use a lot of your gear between classes. For example, you can hold onto all the gathering gear you purchase and use that to help level up your other gathering classes. I also recommend that you purchase the appropriate foodstuffs to give yourself a cheap boost to XP gain and stats.

Make sure you're spending your Grand Company seals, either by raising your rank or by purchasing crafting/gathering manuals + cordial potions to grind through your levels. You never want to be sitting on max seals.

PS: Use retainers to store excess inventory. They're free, and you can always replace them later.

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