The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

I only recently finished this game after getting it for free from the GoG site. Initially I was thinking of doing a playthrough for it but since one of this games strongest strengths is it's story (and because Astalnar already did one), I decided against it. Instead I thought I'd do a review! This game follows the adventures of Geralt of Rivia, a "witcher" (monster hunter) of some repute, during a time of crisis for the land of Temeria as someone is going about killing all the kings in the region.

Suffering from magical amnesia might seem a little convoluted but it actually works well here as you slowly uncover more of Geralt's past as you play through the game. As a fan of the TV series (I haven't read the books, nor played the first game) Geralt and everyone in the world around him are portrayed wonderfully. The locations and environments are well detailed and fun and at times scary to explore.

Michal Zebrowski's Geralt is still the best version for me. :P

At the end of chapter 1 you are given a choice between two ways to continue. I've played through both and while you still go through the same maps as the alternate path, the story and plot points are quite different, barely coming together again at the end of the "tree". 

As expected of an RPG, there are many side quests to help gain XP, gold and other resources for crafting and there are three mini-games to break up any tedium from the main plot in the form of QTE brawling, arm wrestling, and my favourite: dice poker. I also quite like the potion system in place, which I'll bring up again in a later MMO Design post.

What I don't like? Well, for starters there is no epic or memorable music. It's just... ok? Even Neverwinter Online, which isn't really known for good music, has my wife humming the main tune every now and then - and she doesn't even play the game! The combat in Witcher 2 can also be quite challenging until you get used to Geralt's hit and run design, and all the abilities he has at his disposal. Perhaps most annoyingly, it suffers from Save Game Glut - where your saves are always put in a new slot. Each game session of mine would therefore begin with a few minutes of clearing some of the old ones out.

It's a pity that those things slightly ruin an otherwise good game. I still recommend it though, and give it four out of five silver swords. If you are only planning on playing one "path" (or are the type to only play through once) then consider it a three and a half silver swords instead.

MMOs: Fame and Influence

[Part of my MMO Design Folder]

Astalnar asked yesterday how to make quests feel like quests while still remaining useful to the players no matter how many or few quests they do? This is part of my answer. The other part being the removal of levels.

Gold (and other collectable currency from enemies) has been a main stay of adventure games for a long while now, but I think it's time for it to go.

There are a few reasons why I want it gone or phased out, the most basic being that sometimes it just doesn't make sense that you find a bunch of coins on every flying rodent, flaming snake, and sometimes crazed chickens you kill. Really? If you lived in a world where everything eats your currency, you'd think that people would look into changing what it is made from. Secondly, farm bots are annoying pieces of scum that stain the very soul of the planet but they are encouraged to exist through the often repetitive nature in "harvesting" gold.

But it's so shiny!

Instead, I'd like to see it replaced by Influence and Fame. Yes I've talked about it before (but the idea has been a little more refined now), yes it's another "currency", and yes there could still be pay walls but at least this one would make more sense. I know I'm pretty outspoken on getting rid of levels too, but Fame will require a level tracker. In fact it would require a level tracker per "zone" in the MMO world, meaning someone can be very famous in their home town but relatively unknown in the next village over. You gain fame by doing quests in the region. You LOSE fame if you don't do quests in the region (every day maybe). It is a fleeting thing after all.

Influence will also need to be tracked per zone as each level of fame gives you some level of influence in that area, and influence will be the main "currency" you have to purchase goods and services from NPCs. Everyday you start at your maximum level of influence for your level of fame. No need to go farm it. Once spent it is gone with no way to recover it until the next day ticks over at which point you will again have the maximum influence for your fame again (in that region). This also means you cannot "save up" influence and if you want to get that pricey mount or use the expensive repair shop, you have to earn it.

What about trade to other players? Sorry, barter system only. I'm a big fan of the barter system actually as it increases player interaction, and will take it over the non-personal automated trading posts most games offer any day.

Quest wise this still sounds like its mandatory to do all the quests - well not really, unless you are a completion-ist. You just have to do the ones you like in the zones you like (the ones that give whatever gear you are after) to build up enough influence there. I'd definitely want to see item deterioration too which means that after gaining the ultimate suit, you cannot just sit on your laurels as eventually they will be destroyed.

What do you think? Is it a step backwards or a step in the right direction? I'm eager to hear how you would improve it.

Hearthstone (Beta): Put your heart in the cards Yugi!

 The wars in Azeroth are over. Now they just play cards.

Juris gave me a beta key to this game a month back and I can see how it can become addictive. This online World of Warcraft themed CCG (collectable card game) is pretty easy to get into but will take pretty long to master, basically because you won't have all the awesome cards in your stable at the get go - You need to earn your way up. In the beginning playing against the NPC serves as a good extended tutorial while you unlock the various starter decks but after that you will need to go and face random opponents in Play mode who have a similar rank to yours. Despite it being pretty much a game board with slight decorative variants, there's not really much to look at other than the cards. That said, the graphics are pretty good regardless and the little touch of having the classic Warcraft (RTS) music and sounds to the game really add to the flavour for me.

There are still daily quests to do, believe it or not - despite it being a card game - though I imagine your main goal would be to reach Rank 1. There is no storyline to follow and no vast "multiplayer" beyond you and your opponent. In that regard it is a bit like chess, though you don't know what pieces your opponent has and it is quite likely they have things that can wipe you out really easily later on. Some people even just pay for better pieces I'd imagine. There is ofcourse, Arena mode which requires in-game gold to join (which you gain doing quests) where you and your foe build a quasi random deck each time to try even the battlefield. Winning enough matches (without losing 3 times) can give you better cards for your normal deck.

So... I guess it's like pokemon chess then, because you've got to catch them all? Anywho, if you like CCGs then this should probably be on your watch list. If you like WoW then maybe this will be on your watch list, but I suspect you should play WoW instead. Or go to that place where they're playing Hearthstone in WoW, then play Hearthstone like a true roleplayer. Haha! As a stand alone game it is pretty good. The very restricted chat options between opponents (unless they are on each others friend lists) is a good idea too. I'm guessing there are still some balance issues which is why it remains in Beta but otherwise it is a pretty complete game. I give it 3.5 out of 5 happy dwarves which isn't bad considering a) it's in beta, b) I don't like CCGs and c) I'm not into WoW.

For those who already play Hearthstone, Cogitationes Astalnaris has a list of recent nerfs you may want to check out.

What D&D Character are You?

You can blame Cogitationes Astalnaris for todays post. It's one of those online questionnaire thingos with a D&D twist. Must say it pulled an unexpected result for me though! Just for fun I put up what came second for some categories in italics.

I Am A: Neutral Good Gnome Ranger (4th Level) 

Ability Scores:
Strength-11
Dexterity-17
Constitution-10
Intelligence-11
Wisdom-16
Charisma-12

Alignment:
Neutral Good A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment when it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.

Runners up both by one point were Lawful Good and True Neutral, which are nowhere near similar.

Race:
Gnomes are in wide demand as alchemists, inventors, and technicians, though most prefer to remain among their own kind in simple comfort. Gnomes adore animals, gems, and jokes, especially pranks. They love to learn by personal experience, and are always trying new ways to build things. Gnomes stand 3 to 3.5 feet tall and live about 350 to 500 years.

In second place was the Human race. Guess they just don't live long enough?

Class:
Rangers are skilled stalkers and hunters who make their home in the woods. Their martial skill is nearly the equal of the fighter, but they lack the latter's dedication to the craft of fighting. Instead, the ranger focuses his skills and training on a specific enemy a type of creature he bears a vengeful grudge against and hunts above all others. Rangers often accept the role of protector, aiding those who live in or travel through the woods. His skills allow him to move quietly and stick to the shadows, especially in natural settings, and he also has special knowledge of certain types of creatures. Finally, an experienced ranger has such a tie to nature that he can actually draw on natural power to cast divine spells, much as a druid does, and like a druid he is often accompanied by animal companions. A ranger's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that he can cast.

There was no other class that scored remotely close to my Ranger score!

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus

Darklands: Jewel of Leipzig

This is part of The Darklands story.

After another run in with giant spiders (tough bastards), the team managed to catch a caravan to Frankfurt which saved some travel time, but their destination to find the Tarnhelm was still a fair bit away. After slaying some mercenary bandits, they once again heard the trumpets of the wild hunt but to their surprise they weren't the prey this night. Instead it was a strange Holzfrau woman. Unable to let this stand Stubborn (and by proxy everyone else) leapt out from hiding to confront her pursuers, a pack of four hellhounds who were laid low.

No in-game pic so I guess she looked like this?

They then came across the castle of robber knight Adolphus Schedel and tried to use the same robber-knight murdering tacting they used in the past. Unfortunately Adolphus had heard of this and when the team burst into his room he was waiting with a bunch of armored guardsmen. The team still saw victory through the difficult combat with Belghast slaying the robber knight, but Astalnar got axed to death in the melee.

After taking out some anger on random thieves and another pack of wild hunt hell hounds, as well as running away from more Schrats trying to get into Ravanel's pants (maybe the same persistent Schrats as before) they team finally reaches Leipzig where Schulz Wenzel bids them farewell to return to his duties elsewhere. While in town they recruit "Jewel the Healer" a 25 year old nurse and crafter as well as pick up another bounty hunting mission for the local robber knight Wenzel Linck. Boy there sure are a lot of these clowns.

Darklands: The Beast of Luveh

This is part of The Darklands story.

The group agrees to help Sir Diepold to track the dragon so the team scours the area for a few weeks, slaying a few starving wolves and two robber knights who refused to lend aid to combat the greater threat (Ravanel is now an expert at the getting invited in, then killing them while they are alone thing). They also meet the priest, Kaspar of Zollern who is also assisting Sir Diepold. Ironically the idiot priest seems to be the one who woke the beast up in the first place.

Speaking of Sir Diepold, the next the team sees of him is near a destroyed town - his squad is dead and he himself is near death, basically giving out a laundry list of items and tips on how to face the dragon. Luckily for him, Belghast manages to patch him up. Unfortunately for the team, the laundry list is pretty much full of items they don't have and can't afford. Stubborn merely shrugs it off.

While musing on this dilemma, Astalnar spots the dragon and hurriedly the team follows it back to its lair where it rests upon a mountain of treasure. It took supreme self-control for the party to then escape while evading a firey blast, knowing that they couldn't face this beast yet (because I tried ten times and always got a total party wipe). Instead they headed on to the nearby city of Koln and informed the local government of the beasts location. Surely they were not the only adventurers out there, someone else could handle it.

This totally did not happen. Ten times.

Darklands: The Hunt is On

This is part of The Darklands story.

Uh oh.

Not long after the encounter with the witch does the party realize that "the Wild Hunt" (a supernatural witch allied group) is after them. Fortunately Astalnar finds an empty cave for them to hide from whatever that is and continue their journey West to Aachen in the morning. They come across a small hamlet called Burleburg where Belghast voices his concern that the inhabitants are actually satan worshippers. Ravanel confirms this by confronting the Schulz and he and a few cronies attack after admitting to it.

They are easily dispatched and as one was fleeing he yelled out that they would have their revenge South East of Goslar on April 13. That's a pretty long thing to just blurt out on the fly, and Stubborn openly questioned why in the world would they -want- to be there to experience whatever revenge was planned? Shrugging it off the team then set the hamlet on fire and then proceeded up a nearby hill where an evil altar had been setup by the satanists. Unfortunately nothing they do can destroy the taint so they decide to continue on their journey.

Soon they come across a blasted landscape with dug up cemeteries, poisonous rivers and acidic rain that damages their gear. Even the local robbers seem "friendly", easily disuaded from combat as if there's something else to be worrying about in these parts. Their fears are confirmed when they meet Sir Diepold Rumer and his knightly entourage. His group are hunting "the beast of Luveh". A dragon.

Darklands: The Source?

This is part of The Darklands story.

Back at the town of Goslar, Ravanel was tempted to simply call it quits but realized that by doing so meant her friends died in vain. Instead she decides to recruit a new party and given the recent mine closure it is easy to find a group ready for a more adventurous life. Joining her now are "Stubborn Sheep" a 35 year old labourer, "Astalnar the Sly" a 25 year old labourer with a larcenous past and "Belghast Aggronaut" a 30 year old labourer with some military background.

After purchasing some low quality gear from the local pawnshop with the remaining funds, the party decides to revisit the mines but find that the entrance has been blocked and they can no longer enter. Those firey Vulcar couldn't be natural though thought Ravanel, something must have summoned them. For a few days they scoured the nearby area, scaring off a pack of wolves by following Stubborn's advice of jumping and shouting and having to flee from some Schrat's (giant men) who wanted to mate with Ravanel.

That's how I read it anyway.

They even escorted some pilgrims to a nearby shrine of St. Mary before finally coming across a simple thatched hut with a blonde lady inside who ordered the party away. Ravanel thought this suspicious so the team advanced anyway and sure enough this woman turned out to be a Witch! After defeating her and her wolf minions they questioned her about her cabal and she said their next high sabbat would be on December 28, West of Aachen. Satisfied by this, Ravanel let her go and she disappeared into the forest, never to be seen again.

And by that I mean either the Schrats got her or Astalnar knifed her when no one was looking.