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[EvilRoy]

Dabbling in Skyrim

So What's the quickest way to level up restoration skill in Skyrim and what are the best healing spells?

No joke find a trap, or a damage spell with AOE, hurt yourself and then heal yourself over and over.

I can't remember the best spell but honestly if I remember they're all kind of gated. You kind of get what you get as it comes unless the dlc changed it.

 

[BrawlMan]

Played some Transformers Devastation after reading @Gordon_4 post in one of my forums. Despite being a budget title, there is a lot of love and care put in this game. It may be Bayonetta 2.5 style combat, but it works and has plenty of its own unique mechanics that diverse it from other Platinum titles and action games. I find Devastation's use of the stance system better here than in DmC's (2013). Transforming in to a car/18 wheeler/T-Rex is so cool and doing in and out of combos is amazing and something only Platinum has the finesse and skill to do. If you do not have this game, buy it from a second hand store, because Activision no longer holds the right to games of Hasbro IPs. Devastation got de-listed from digital stores back in 2017. Check out this guide for combat mechanics for those interested.

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[Dirty Hipsters]

Played some Transformers Devastation after reading @Gordon_4 post in one of my forums. Despite being a budget title, there is a lot of love and care put in this game. It may be Bayonetta 2.5 style combat, but it works and has plenty of its own unique mechanics that diverse it from other Platinum titles and action games. I find Devastation's use of the stance system better here than in DmC's (2013). Transforming in to a car/18 wheeler/T-Rex is so cool and doing in and out of combos is amazing and something only Platinum has the finesse and skill to do. If you do not have this game, buy it from a second hand store, because Activision no longer holds the right to games of Hasbro IPs. Devastation got de-listed from digital stores back in 2017. Check out this guide for combat mechanics for those interested.

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I got it way back when it was a PS+ freebee. Fun game, but the whole crafting and inventory system was stupid and pointless and should have been scrapped.

 

[BrawlMan]

I got it way back when it was a PS+ freebee. Fun game, but the whole crafting and inventory system was stupid and pointless and should have been scrapped.

The loot and lite RPG elements did not add much. Even at Max Stats for all of the Auto Bots, you still die in about 2 or 3 in Magnus or Prime difficulty. It was fun leveling up weapons and add stats to see their unique elemental effects, but once you knew what worked best, you will usually stick to set of weapons you've upgraded fully. Either selling the rest, or not using any weapons below B grade. Whoever decided not to program selling weapons in a bulk and instead one of a time needs to be slapped silly.

 

[Piscian]

I'm currently finally sitting down to play Persona 5, royal specifically. I never really gave this one a fair shot because where as Persona 4 starts off as a low-key murder mystery and talks you into caring about the characters and tricks you into loving grinding, Persona 5 starts off like your nephew screaming at you about the new Pokemans "OOOOOH MY GOOOOOD BAM ANIME THEIVES THIEF ROOOCKSTARSSS!". It's just kinda loud, artistically speaking.

After giving it a few hours though I got pretty hooked so I'm locked in now. Unfortunately I had no idea Royal was this like massive expansion so I bought that and started over last night. I'm just trying to fast-forward to the end of the first dudgeon where I left off.

 

[Kyrian007]

Dabbling in Skyrim

So What's the quickest way to level up restoration skill in Skyrim and what are the best healing spells?

EvilRoy is right, you level it up by using it... but don't overdo it. Powerleveling any skill will destroy a character in Skyrim. Your overall level increases as you level up skills... and so do the levels of the enemies you will face. Powerleveling healing to 100 won't do you any good if you are still hitting with a sword skill of 15 but the draugr in a dungeon are spawning at Scourge or Deathlord levels because you powerleveled healing.

The best (not fastest, but best) way to level a character is to solve problems like that character would. If you aren't playing a thief, don't lockpick or pickpocket... that sort of thing. Its best to pick one primary and one secondary skill in Magic, offense, defense, and support. But rather than cheese the level, just play using those AS solutions as you play the game naturally. Don't forge 100 rings to level up your blacksmithing... do so if you need to sell some stuff for some cash, or if you want a better sword. But be sure that you are also stopping to go out and get raw materials by questing for it, so at the same time you are not overleveling smithing by comparison. It is the best way to play, and the most fun too. Its easy to go to a dungeon at level 1, find a single low level opponent, and stand there and let them pound you until your heavy armor skill is 100. But the result... the next time that character is in a dungeon, he will be spawning enemies that have so much defense and health compared to that characters relatively weak offense skills that the game is effectively broken. Both will just stand there tanking damage from the other that can't possibly kill them. It makes the combat such a chore that most players would give up.

 

[deleted20220709]

DELETED

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Fun game, but the whole crafting and inventory system was stupid and pointless and should have been scrapped.

Insert this into most games with said systems.

OT: Finished Spider-man. I think the finale was a bit rushed, and Mr Negative kinda fell flat as a villain, but overall very satisfied with the game. A few nitpicks, it's annoying as hell when your gadgets don't work on bosses. WHY. You spend hours using them and all of sudden, you're reduced to "dodge, web, throw back projectiles, repeat". ESPECIALLY with Taskmaster. They could have easily done a Mister Freeze with him, but no. Just dodge, attack, dodge, attack as usual. It also think enemies with guns, and the jetpack guys, get WAY too common later in the game. I literally can't even see Spidey through all the lasers. You really are put into situations sometimes where you just can't avoid being hit by something. Especially when enemies attack you when they're not supposed to, such as when you're throwing something. Also MJ suuuuuuucks.

But again, loved the game. I can understand how people say this is the definitive Spider-man universe. Really want to play the Miles Morales one now, but I feel I'm gonna need to wait a year before I can play games again.

 

[happyninja42]

Insert this into most games with said systems.

OT: Finished Spider-man. I think the finale was a bit rushed, and Mr Negative kinda fell flat as a villain, but overall very satisfied with the game. A few nitpicks, it's annoying as hell when your gadgets don't work on bosses. WHY. You spend hours using them and all of sudden, you're reduced to "dodge, web, throw back projectiles, repeat". ESPECIALLY with Taskmaster. They could have easily done a Mister Freeze with him, but no. Just dodge, attack, dodge, attack as usual. It also think enemies with guns, and the jetpack guys, get WAY too common later in the game. I literally can't even see Spidey through all the lasers. You really are put into situations sometimes where you just can't avoid being hit by something. Especially when enemies attack you when they're not supposed to, such as when you're throwing something. Also MJ suuuuuuucks.

But again, loved the game. I can understand how people say this is the definitive Spider-man universe. Really want to play the Miles Morales one now, but I feel I'm gonna need to wait a year before I can play games again.

Yeah, all of those criticisms are what most people think about it. The good definitely outweighs the bad in that one. The MJ bits are really lame, but the rest makes you forget about them...until the next MJ sequence shows up.

And I would highly recommend Miles Morales. It's basically "like Peter Parker Spidey game, but different". They don't do a whole lot different, other than the obvious combat styles and gadgets changing a lot of things, but for the most part, it's the same game, just with a different protag and story. I loved the hell out of it. A lot would say "it's like the other game" as a criticism, but I mean, the game it's like, is a GOOD game, so I don't really care. More of the same, yes, but it's a GOOD same, so it's not an issue.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Guessing I’m done with the first half of Infamous Second Son, because I just got the respective trophies for collecting half of stuff. While the general loop of clearing districts is getting repetitive as-expected, I really appreciate how the game doesn’t force you into wasting time or resorting to a guide to find shards and whatnot. Neon powers look and feel incredibly silky smooth (would’ve loved to see how this game felt to play if it was designed with DualSense). Also really curious about the concrete power the game is teasing, since it just sounds...unexpectedly different. Hoping there’s more to it than what the D.U.P. showcases, which shouldn’t be an issue going by the other powers, skill trees.

That’s another thing I appreciate here: skill trees branch out naturally like an actual tree would, in that all the abilities gained happen organically without ever feeling like you’re missing out on one thing or another (well, beside karma-specific abilities which the game clearly delegates onto good or evil paths anyways).

A tree branch doesn’t go, “Ok...well, I only have so much air and water so I probably won’t grow over that way, but maybe I can go this way, even if it’s only a bit? Or should I grow this other way more down here? Hmm...decisions, decisions.”

No, that branch just fuggin grows, and gets fortified with the more light and nutrients (karma, shards) you attain, and the same happens for all of them eventually. It fits the theme of being a character with super powers perfectly, in that a lot of what you gain is guided by nature, not choice. If you’re keeping up with shard collecting it’s also really easy to fully upgrade pretty much everything as soon as you get the paths too. I love it.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Yeah, all of those are criticisms are what most people think about it. The good definitely outweighs the bad in that one. The MJ bits are really lame, but the rest makes you forget about them...until the next MJ sequence shows up.

And I would highly recommend Miles Morales. It's basically "like Peter Parker Spidey game, but different". They don't do a whole lot different, other than the obvious combat styles and gadgets changing a lot of things, but for the most part, it's the same game, just with a different protag and story. I loved the hell out of it. A lot would say "it's like the other game" as a criticism, but I mean, the game it's like, is a GOOD game, so I don't really care. More of the same, yes, but it's a GOOD same, so it's not an issue.

I've already expressed how much I hate MJ's sequences, but I also really just hate her character. The nosy journalist stereotype is just not for me, and her whole "stop worrying about me" shtick is fucking ridiculous when that dumb ***** not only puts herself in the most dangerous situations possible, but also always needs rescuing.

Oh I definitely wouldn't mind if it was just more of the same, but with that Miles flavor. But school just started and frankly I abhor paying full price for games, so it really will be a while before I get to the game.

 

[happyninja42]

I've already expressed how much I hate MJ's sequences, but I also really just hate her character. The nosy journalist stereotype is just not for me, and her whole "stop worrying about me" shtick is fucking ridiculous when that dumb ***** not only puts herself in the most dangerous situations possible, but also always needs rescuing.

The one fun MJ sequence is when you are directing Spidey to take down the goons in the exhibition. I will give that one props for being fun. More MJ missions like that would've been really cool

Yeah I never like it when the vanilla human ally for a hero, tries to say they can do all the other stuff just fine, and invariably get in trouble. I do think they can be helpful, but they rarely get utilized in a good way. My ideal scenario for a vanilla ally, not necessarily in a video game playing them, but just as a concept, is damage control. They KNOW the hero, know the kinds of things that will put them off their game, and work to mitigate it. An example I like to use, is the Spidey/Electro fight in Amazing Spiderman 2. The first fight. I think THAT fight, would've been a great moment, for Gwen to actually be useful. For her to show up, glance around as the first blows are thrown, SEE how vulnerable everyone is by standing on metal, have an "oh shit" moment, and start trying to move people away, by pointing out the very obvious danger....a danger they use immediately in that very scene. She doesn't have to get EVERYONE away, Spiderman being conflicted about saving civilians, and villains capitalizing on that is a classic tactic, but she could at least reduce the number of them. She triggers the exodus from the threat, using intelligence, but oh no! a woman with her child falls in the rush, and are stuck, and she can't get to them! What will happen! Well, Spidey will of course have to risk himself to save them, but it's not him trying to save 100's of people, and Gwen could actually contribute!

Using MJ like THAT would've been totally cool for me. Even if I'm not playing as her, though if I was playing as her, having it be where her challenges are things like "unlock the gate so the civvies can escape" or "platform while avoiding threats to get to the power box, to kill the power to weaken electro" or whatever. I don't have a problem with her being in danger, if the danger isn't of her own making. But I mean, if she's there, I have no issue with her trying to help, as long as her contribution is scaled to her capabilities, and feels earned and warranted. Spiderman has always had a theme of "we're stronger together, and the little good things we do to help each other, matter", so I think having her focus on doing the little things that can help tip the scales, is a good way to use a sidekick with no actual combat training/powers.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Using MJ like THAT would've been totally cool for me. Even if I'm not playing as her, though if I was playing as her, having it be where her challenges are things like "unlock the gate so the civvies can escape" or "platform while avoiding threats to get to the power box, to kill the power to weaken electro" or whatever. I don't have a problem with her being in danger, if the danger isn't of her own making. But I mean, if she's there, I have no issue with her trying to help, as long as her contribution is scaled to her capabilities, and feels earned and warranted. Spiderman has always had a theme of "we're stronger together, and the little good things we do to help each other, matter", so I think having her focus on doing the little things that can help tip the scales, is a good way to use a sidekick with no actual combat training/powers.

What you said about the danger of her own making is so true. It really makes her come off as "I do what I want because I can" rather than "I'm risking my life to help people". I do agree with you, that one scene where MJ is actually collaborating with Spidey is the only one that came close to her being reasonable. She was at the exhibit not looking for trouble, she put herself in harm's way to protect others, and she did her best to make Spidey's stealthing about easier.

Although frankly I still think a sidekick role other than "guy in the chair" is unnecessary for Spider-man. Just.. let me be Spider-man please.

 

[Kyrian007]

The major problem with Skyrim is that it doesn't differentiate between support skills and combat skills. Being a master thief with high lockpick and pickpocket won't do you any good when your archery skill is 15 and your single handed is at 10. It is entirely possible to over-level yourself after a good dungeon run just by using the stuff you found for smithing, enchanting and alchemy, all of which supports your combat skills but doesn't make enough difference until they are really high in levels and never enough to compensate for lacking actual combat skills. Add to that that Destruction is an utter trap of a skill tree (every other skill tree levels damage with percentage numbers, destruction only lets you get higher damage and more mana intensive spells but no way to improve your already existing spells) that peaks in the mid levels and then just gets worse and worse until you need to unleash fifty high level spells just to kill a dragon.

I find it pretty weird that Skyrim inherited this problem from Oblivion, since Fallout 3 came out in between those two games and had the problem of level scaling pretty well in check.

Well, you call it a flaw, I say its a feature. To me it was fairly obvious that the developers didn't want players trying to cheese the system by spamming to level up skills. The "flaw" was just a penalty for "cheating." They wanted to punish a player for wanting a character to be a master thief, blacksmith, archer, and wizard.

I know how much that sounds like "they are punishing you for playing it wrong." Many gamers these days are of the attitude, "how dare the developers try to keep me from playing MY way." But I'll forgive Bethesda in Skyrim's case, playing the game Their preferred way makes it more fun and gives it a replayability that it doesn't have if you make the "uber character" with maxed out 100 in every skill. When you make UberDragonborn, you've done everything in the game. It is over when you win. If instead you make a warrior with decent blacksmithing skills... you can play it again as a squishy wizard and get a completely different experience.

But you are right, Destruction isn't properly balanced without mods.

 

[happyninja42]

What you said about the danger of her own making is so true. It really makes her come off as "I do what I want because I can" rather than "I'm risking my life to help people". I do agree with you, that one scene where MJ is actually collaborating with Spidey is the only one that came close to her being reasonable. She was at the exhibit not looking for trouble, she put herself in harm's way to protect others, and she did her best to make Spidey's stealthing about easier.

Although frankly I still think a sidekick role other than "guy in the chair" is unnecessary for Spider-man. Just.. let me be Spider-man please.

Yes I fully agree that PLAYING as someone not spidey, is less than ideal, IN a spidey game. Though I will give that game props for getting my hopes up midgame with Miles at the award ceremony. What I HOPED was going to happen was They would actually kill off Peter, like what happens in the comics with Miles, and for the second half of the game, we're now playing as Miles, who is having to learn this stuff as he goes along. They move time forward a bit, the city is going to hell due to amplified crime, and then Miles is bit, and takes up the mantle. I was SO psyched for that when I got control of Miles in that sequence. Sadly it didn't happen, but it was still a good game.

 

[deleted20220709]

DELETED

 

[happyninja42]

Guessing I’m done with the first half of Infamous Second Son, because I just got the respective trophies for collecting half of stuff. While the general loop of clearing districts is getting repetitive as-expected, I really appreciate how the game doesn’t force you into wasting time or resorting to a guide to find shards and whatnot. Neon powers look and feel incredibly silky smooth (would’ve loved to see how this game felt to play if it was designed with DualSense). Also really curious about the concrete power the game is teasing, since it just sounds...unexpectedly different. Hoping there’s more to it than what the D.U.P. showcases, which shouldn’t be an issue going by the other powers, skill trees.

That’s another thing I appreciate here: skill trees branch out naturally like an actual tree would, in that all the abilities gained happen organically without ever feeling like you’re missing out on one thing or another (well, beside karma-specific abilities which the game clearly delegates onto good or evil paths anyways).

A tree branch doesn’t go, “Ok...well, I only have so much air and water so I probably won’t grow over that way, but maybe I can go this way, even if it’s only a bit? Or should I grow this other way more down here? Hmm...decisions, decisions.”

No, that branch just fuggin grows, and gets fortified with the more light and nutrients (karma, shards) you attain, and the same happens for all of them eventually. It fits the theme of being a character with super powers perfectly, in that a lot of what you gain is guided by nature, not choice. If you’re keeping up with shard collecting it’s also really easy to fully upgrade pretty much everything as soon as you get the paths too. I love it.

Yeah the inFamous series of games are REALLY good. All of them are of good quality, to top tier, in my opinion. inFamous 1/2 are some of my favorite games of all time, hands down. The later installments, while not as engaging, were still as fun for me. I never recall having a bad time playing them. I REALLY hope Sucker Punch revitalizes the franchise sometime soon, as I would love more superhero games by them.

Damn I really need to buy those games at some point. I played them on a friend's account back in the day, well, the subsequent titles. *makes note to check PS store when he gets home*

 

[Casual Shinji]

I've already expressed how much I hate MJ's sequences, but I also really just hate her character. The nosy journalist stereotype is just not for me, and her whole "stop worrying about me" shtick is fucking ridiculous when that dumb ***** not only puts herself in the most dangerous situations possible, but also always needs rescuing.

My issue with MJ's character is that she comes across as the typical 'chip on her shoulder' strong female character, where she needs to be extremely snippy and judgemental against especially the protagonist in order to apear strong and capable. It makes her unlikeable and annoying, and you end up really not wanting Peter to end up with her. And Peter as a character has pretty great chemistry with almost every character he interacts with, except for MJ. And I know this is the two of them somewhat on the rocks, but I would assume the game wants me to root for them, and I really don't. Like seriously Peter, just go for Captain Watanabe. MJ certainly gets better as a character past the halfway point, but by then it feels like it's a bit too late.

 

[happyninja42]

I get that, but just as with Oblivion the system also acts as a punishment for people just leveling "wrong". I know a few people who had to take a break from Skyrim because they went off having fun with Alchemy and Blacksmithing, trying different weapons and spells etc. and suddenly they were faced with combat situations they really couldn't win even against normal bandits. So just as with Oblivion you could end up in the unenviable position of having a save in which you stonewalled against far superior enemies because you didn't laser focus your build from level 1 (though to be fair, Skyrim is a lot better at allowing freedom then Oblivion was).

Stopping the cheesers is all well and good, but this approach does so at the expense of the casual players who will change weapon based on which is cooler, not whether it is an upgrade for your 1-Handed build or not.

I never really had much issue with the level system versus your combat skills. Even when I nerfed myself by power leveling from crafting, it was pretty easy to work up a low combat skill fairly fast. When the skill is super low, it levels up quickly, so you can make up a lot of difference in just a few fights. Go fight some river crabs or other fauna for a bit, toss a few feats into the tree, and boom. Besides if you are that leveled in alchemy/smithing, the potions and gear you should have should easily help offset your wimpyness while you go have a comical training montage against yard trash for a few minutes.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

My issue with MJ's character is that she comes across as the typical 'chip on her shoulder' strong female character, where she needs to be extremely snippy and judgemental against especially the protagonist in order to apear strong and capable. It makes her unlikeable and annoying, and you end up really not wanting Peter to end up with her. And Peter as a character has pretty great chemistry with almost every character he interacts with, except for MJ. And I know this is the two of them somewhat on the rocks, but I would assume the game wants me to root for them, and I really don't. Like seriously Peter, just go for Captain Watanabe. MJ certainly gets better as a character past the halfway point, but by then it feels like it's a bit too late.

I did forget to mention that the resolution of their relationship conflict was suuuuuper unsatisfying. Very reminiscent of how Drake and Elena got back together in Uncharted 4.

Yeah, she really does not look good in their relationship. Feels like she's gaslighting Peter. "God, stop saving my life, I'm a strong independent woman".