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I'm not big on modding these games, but even I would pretty much immediately install Bag of Tricks or Toybox (depending on game) and recommend everyone else do the same. There are hinky bits and out-and-out bugs that you might end up having to work around, so it's best to have the tools to do so.
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Apr 30, 2024 03:14
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Drakenel posted:Dunno who you think is going to be disappointed. Do whatever makes the game enjoyable and not frustrating. Most of us are here to see the narrative parts anyway.
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Apr 30, 2024 03:35
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the army system feels extremely undercooked as a mechanic, yes
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Apr 30, 2024 03:43
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It really is. Either you win with no losses or have a total wipe, there is no in-between. Some of the enemy army strengths are greatly wrong on the map, too. One "5" could be a ton of easily killed cultists, whilec another is a few small stacks of succubi who charm your army into killing itself. It can be fun to stomp stuff with various path specific units though
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Apr 30, 2024 04:36
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Drakenel posted:Dunno who you think is going to be disappointed. Do whatever makes the game enjoyable and not frustrating. Most of us are here to see the narrative parts anyway. Guilty! 
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Apr 30, 2024 04:51
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Here’s a tip from me about enemy generals with spells: Turn on auto-battle. Most of the time if you have numerical superiority you will win with minimal casualties and it doesn’t take yours or your enemy general’s spell capability. And if you lose you can run the battle yourself anyway. (Also set your crusade difficulty to story so you get tons of resources and recruitment)
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Apr 30, 2024 06:42
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Yeah the Crusade mode is something you can just one shot. It's not a particularly engaging system anyway.
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Apr 30, 2024 16:27
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Does crusade mode affects regular play, anyhow?
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Apr 30, 2024 16:43
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Gun Jam posted:Does crusade mode affects regular play, anyhow? Yes, I've gotten a few battlescape items (that have all been useless for me and promptly sold) from the geoscape component, and I believe that it will grow more significant in Act 3. Right now the game's still in training wheels mode. However, updates may be further delayed on account of 'what if Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, was leading enough guns and artillery to make Dwight D. Eisenhower think maybe this is a bit excessive.'  Only took them eight loving years to add a woman to the protagonist faction of the goddamn series. Also a new Endless Ocean game for the Switch coming out later this week. Cythereal fucked around with this message at 16:54 on Apr 30, 2024 |
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Apr 30, 2024 16:46
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Cythereal posted:However, updates may be further delayed on account of 'what if Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, was leading enough guns and artillery to make Dwight D. Eisenhower think maybe this is a bit excessive.' What game is this? I'm drawing a blank.
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Apr 30, 2024 17:42
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Lemniscate Blue posted:What game is this? I'm drawing a blank. Total War: Warhammer 3. A game I enjoy very much but am totally the wrong person to ever LP. The game got a new DLC today that finally adds a female character to the protagonist faction of the game. She's a great character, but still shouldn't have taken eight goddamn years.
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Apr 30, 2024 17:45
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Cythereal posted:Total War: Warhammer 3. But they have Cathay and Kislev leaders??? Unless you mean only The Empire
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Apr 30, 2024 22:58
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Nissin Cup Nudist posted:Unless you mean only The Empire I did in fact mean the faction that covers 80% of advertising, and 90% of the books, RPGs, and video games, for the setting as 'the protagonist faction.'
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Apr 30, 2024 23:07
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there are warhammer fantasy video games other than total war? (and not from the antediluvian period?)
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May 1, 2024 00:07
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Box of Toys Today, alas, is mostly going to be a brief filler update. We start with a map I found directions to from a not-actually-random encounter.  Where there rests a set of elven notes and this fellow.   "Greetings, my name is Crinukh. I'm all alone here, so you may safely come closer." (He speaks smoothly, without the usual kobold hissing. Moving slightly aside, the kobold points to the carcass of a small animal on a stick roasting over the fire.) "Dinner will be ready soon." "Whoa! I've never met a talking lizard before! Well, back in the River City we had a real dragon. Are you a dragon too? Can you turn big?" "You flatter me, young lady. Many of my fellows would give up everything to become dragons. Some even entertain themselves with fantasies of already being such. But I'm proud to be what I am — a kobold, nothing more, nothing less." "Was it you who left me that note?" (The kobold shrugs.) "Of course. Who else could it be? I wanted to make sure you were interested in the information I can provide." "Who are you?"I genuinely don't know what purpose Crinukh is meant to serve in the game. He has a lot to potentially say and an extensive backstory, but I've never seen him be actually relevant to the story in any of my playthroughs. I'd guess that maybe he's tied to one of the paths I haven't played yet.  (Crinukh utters the word 'tolerant' with shocking ease, as if he is something other than the narrow-minded and savage subterranean beast you expect him to be. Kobolds are infamous for worshiping dragons and despising all other races, and few of them would even understand the concept of 'tolerance,' let alone subscribe to it.) "The crusade has many unusual friends — but even I haven't met anyone like you before. I'll be glad to see a kobold in our ranks!" (Seelah smiles amiably.) "Oh no, don't get me wrong: I have no intention of marching within the crusader ranks. Still, I hope that my humble assistance will be of use to you." "What do you want from me?" "I want nothing from you. I'm asking for nothing, I'm simply offering help. I sympathize with your cause, so I would like to provide whatever support I can, from time to time. Does that work for you?" (The kobold stops and looks at you expectantly.) "What's the catch?" "No catch. I am acting for wholly altruistic reasons, but my motives are something I would rather not reveal." (Crinukh turns his face to you and his wrinkles become more visible in the glow of the fire.) "We just met five minutes ago. Don't you think it's too early to expect complete candor just yet? As I have already told you, I am a friend of the crusade. You can choose to trust me or you can leave. I offer help and ask for nothing in return. So the question is simple — will you accept the claw of friendship from a stranger, or is your distrust stronger than your need for help?" "Thank you. We would appreciate any help."Well, no harm in being polite.  (Pulling out a small knife, the traveler carefully cuts off two strips of meat from the roasted hare. He throws one into his toothy maw, while graciously offering the other to you.) "A strange animal, for sure, but it seems edible. The energies of the Worldwound mask everything in illusion. Harmless-looking animals try to eat you for dinner, dangerous paths appear to be straight roads, and your enemies... sometimes your enemies can look like your friends." (Crinukh squints and looks deeply into your eyes.) "Have you ever been in a situation like this? First, you think a person is your friend and ally, but then the scales fall from your eyes, and you realize — they are actually your sworn enemy. So, you catch this person, you tie them up, and then you start thinking — how should you treat them now? Like your enemy? Like your former friend? It's hard to decide. What would you do if one of your friends turned out to be a traitor?" [Good] "Those who have lost their way must be saved. We need to help them return to the path of righteousness." "Did some cleric tell you that? And have you ever seen even one of those who 'returned to the path of righteousness'? Stop listening to others and use your head. We're not talking about children here. The decision to collaborate with demons is a little different from yanking on the family cat's tail. To make such a decision, a person would have to be a truly vile scumbag. Oh, just where do you people get this beautiful naivety from?" From not assuming that everyone is a rational actor who understands the situation in front of them at all times, mainly. "I'm not convinced." (The kobold shrugs.) "Was I trying to convince you? I was just stating my opinion. Then again, if we're discussing traitors — it's fortunate that betrayal is not reserved for mortals alone. Demons stab each other in the back far more frequently. The rumor is that there are at least two demon stashes within Drezen, filled with arms and supplies that were stolen by Deskarites from Baphomites, and vice versa. One of them is near the entrance to the fortress, while another one lies by the entrance to the Citadel." "It is highly suspicious that you know so much about these things." "Oh, that was pure luck. Kobolds must get lucky too sometimes, right? (Cracking his knuckles, Crinukh gives you an inquisitive look.) "I hope that when the time comes for you to make real decisions instead of hypothetical ones, your wisdom won't fail you. Just one bad choice can turn a revered leader into a disgraced pariah. I've seen it happen before. I lived through something like that — my tribe suffered a disaster caused by just one bad choice. Can you even imagine?" (The kobold squints sadly, his shoulders slumping a bit. With a sigh, he begins to talk.) "I don't like telling this story, but it might be useful for you to know it. Perhaps it will serve as a warning." "I'd like to hear your story next time." "Good luck. I believe you'll need it."Socrates was murdered by his peers, just saying.  Search this area carefully for this very interesting item.  More crusading.  So this is the fight that made me break out a mod called Toybox, the favored all-in-one do-anything general gently caress abouty super-mod for Wrath of the Righteous, and I did so because this fight is bullshit even on Story difficulty. Now, if it was just the incubi here, this fight would be tough but manageable for this army. The problem is, the demon general is a mage, and has the same kind of abilities Ageboya does, most importantly the single target nuke Scorching Ray. Scorching Ray is just as deadly in the AI's hands as it is in mind, and when I tried fighting this legit, the fights went very simply: my archer stack was annihilated in two casts, the footmen stack in two more, and any of the other troops the incubi themselves didn't get the general did. Four turns to wipe out almost all my progress and army buildup in crusade mode, with zero meaningful counterplay. There is no counterspell, no interruption, there's a few defensive spells you could get but I don't have any and God forbid you didn't pick a mage general. I am extremely not a fan of this kind of game design, where the player and AI have equally powerful tools, at least not in this kind of game. The reason is simple: the player has to win every time (more or less), the AI only has to win once. Now, getting wiped out here isn't the end of the world, but it does mean waiting for in-game weeks to rebuild an army. Effectively, if your main army gets killed in this game, either you commit to a massive expenditure of time recouperating or you reload. Now, the standard 'legit' way of dealing with a fight like this is to take advantage of the fact that the AI has no concept of overkill or conservation of resources and bring in one of those free event troops I have, split it up into a dozen armies of one unit, and feed them into this fight. They'll eat a Scorching Ray and die, and eventually you'll deplete the general's mana and can bring in the main army safely. But, well, I don't generally enjoy being challenged in video games. I do not take satisfaction or pride from improving my skills, I do not enjoy the feeling of overcoming a difficult obstacle, and I do not like knuckling down and trying to improve. I do not get good. I cheat, get mods to cheat, or stop playing.   Commander, urgent intelligence report concerning General Ageboya! Proceed, adept. Ageboya reports that the incubi position has been wiped out to the last. No friendly casualties. No casualties? How in the world... that was a formidable army! And how are you getting intelligence reports, anyway? You're not part of the chain of command. I'm a priestess of Desna. I was taking a tactical nap and had a vision of the battle. This is highly unorthodox... How did she manage it, Katarina? Her army was preparing to attack when a cloud of multicolored butterflies descended on the demons' position and exploded in violent torrents of fire all the colors of the rainbow. ... Praise Desna, sir. Praise Desna! Ageboya levels up again and gets more mana.  Nevi, my head hurts. That sorceress isn't even a cleric... She told you about the butterflies, huh? How in the world are we supposed to plan for tactical butterfly sappers? I don't think you do, Beth. Come up with a good plan, and laugh when it turns out to be unnecessary. This is another random side area. Impaled corpses mounted on trees are rarely a good sign.  Well, it does mean 'Experience points inside!' to do-gooders.  Surprise (or not), it's demons.  The miniboss is nasty, even on Story difficulty he tore a substantial chunk out of Sosiel.  Sosiel takes his armor.  Lann gets a new belt.  Ageboya meets a new enemy type, cavalry! Hellknights, for reference, are cavalry units - cavalry move fast and tend to be individually very beefy units.  We get an unremarkable trinket out of it, and I choose to call it a wrap here. We've finally made it to another major sidequest that will warrant its own update next time. The Crimson Path (this update) Incubi 6 Will o Wisps 2 Bandit Platoons 81 Cultist Platoons 266 Ghoul Hordes 28 Incubi Hordes 34 Minotaur Hordes 24
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May 1, 2024 01:41
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I always say to myself that I'll visit Crinukh again later in the game to see if he ever says anything interesting but then I promptly forget he exists. He represents (which I imagine is supposed to be) my least liked type of DMPC: Offers unconditional help and refuses to elaborate as to why, playing up the mysterious benefactor for no good reason. Go kick rocks. Who wedged you into this adventure.
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May 1, 2024 01:57
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Cythereal posted:I genuinely don't know what purpose Crinukh is meant to serve in the game. He has a lot to potentially say and an extensive backstory, but I've never seen him be actually relevant to the story in any of my playthroughs. I'd guess that maybe he's tied to one of the paths I haven't played yet. It may or may not surprise you to learn that Crinukh is also a backer NPC.
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May 1, 2024 03:00
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I think it's backer NPC and has basically no interactions except this one. Sounds like this particular backer really, really liked Avellone's various iteration of wise old woman and wanted to make their own, but kobold. Still better than Kaylessa.
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May 1, 2024 03:03
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We need to shut down Kickstarter until we figure out what is going on
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May 1, 2024 03:05
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idonotlikepeas posted:It may or may not surprise you to learn that Crinukh is also a backer NPC. Doesn't surprise me in the least. I figured he was just tied to one of the mythic paths I haven't played or some sidequest I haven't done. Good to know that he's just a backer NPC I never need to speak to again.
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May 1, 2024 03:06
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Turns out money isn't a replacement for writing skill or imagination. Who knew?
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May 1, 2024 03:07
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I can understand why someone would want their NPC to be cool and mysterious if they paid $5000 to have them included in the game, but really that's just an argument to not let them pay $5000 to include their NPC in the game. (Or, if you must, put a lot more guardrails around the offer.)
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May 1, 2024 03:13
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SettingSun posted:I always say to myself that I'll visit Crinukh again later in the game to see if he ever says anything interesting but then I promptly forget he exists. Crinkuh threw up all the red flags for me. Especially when he starts trying to debate you on moral flexibility, except he isn't, he's "just asking questions". No doubt that if you ever decide you might need additional power, like from say a pact with a Devil or something, Crinukh happens to know someone who can hook you up.
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May 1, 2024 03:13
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Szarrukin posted:I think it's backer NPC and has basically no interactions except this one. Sounds like this particular backer really, really liked Avellone's various iteration of wise old woman and wanted to make their own, but kobold. Still better than Kaylessa. If you come back after you take Drezen, he can relocate so you don't have to go to the middle of nowhere to get his (honestly rather blunt) cryptic comments about the next few arcs/major side quests. rastilin posted:Crinkuh threw up all the red flags for me. Especially when he starts trying to debate you on moral flexibility, except he isn't, he's "just asking questions". No doubt that if you ever decide you might need additional power, like from say a pact with a Devil or something, Crinukh happens to know someone who can hook you up. Honestly, he's not that complicated. He's got a generally capital-C chaotic and lowercase-g good view of the world. Everyone is an island that can't be put in a neat box, but you should still try and understand people anyway. After all, maybe everything you've been taught is wrong? Capfalcon fucked around with this message at 03:32 on May 1, 2024 |
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May 1, 2024 03:28
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i find myself really liking the concept, tbh. modern fantasy stories are weaker for the assumption that if you encounter a random mystical fucker who knows more than he lets on, he must be secretly involved in your story, and will ultimately reveal his true reasons when the time is right. no, sometimes there's just a mystical fucker dropping obtuse hints. you may safely assume he has a reason. he may have a better reason for refusing to share it with you than spite, but you will never know. feel free to ignore him and move on, but if you're in the market for obtuse hints, you know where to get them. you so rarely see a proper narrative wizard these days.
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May 1, 2024 05:02
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Crinukh is a backer’s character. I don’t think he’s ever relevant to the main plot. Cythreal and I have similar video game play styles. New demons- Incubus- demons of torture and perversity. Usually a male equivalent of the succubus lust demon in most stories, but a separate species in Pathfinder. This is the first time we’ve seen them, I think, though their offspring with mortals- cambions- appear in the early game.
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May 1, 2024 06:08
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Honestly, as long as they're a large enough stack to not get one-shot you can generally just heal through the enemy general's scorching rays. Between having one version or another of a heal spell, and keeping the clerics adjacent, just use the archers as a lightning rod while you clear out the stacks. Yes, yes, this requires having a mage general, but as mentioned multiple times over that's just what the highly recommended thing to do is.
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May 1, 2024 07:50
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I'm mostly just annoyed that particular backer picked a kobold for their self-insert. Don't taint my favorite little guys with your armchair philosophy! 
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May 1, 2024 09:10
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I'm all for making kobolds more interesting and less one-dimensional but Crinukh does come off as a bit insufferable. That said, this Yeowch!!! My Balls!!! posted:i find myself really liking the concept, tbh. modern fantasy stories are weaker for the assumption that if you encounter a random mystical fucker who knows more than he lets on, he must be secretly involved in your story, and will ultimately reveal his true reasons when the time is right. is a good point. Not everything needs to be explicitly tied to the protagonist. Some people are just a bit weird. Maybe this dude is the equivalent of the guy on the subway who tells you random facts and then you never see him again.
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May 1, 2024 09:44
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And this shows ultimately why Crusader Mode kind of sucks. At some point, the army becomes little more than a meat wall for the General while they cause a localized apocalypse on the enemy ranks. It's great when you're the one causing the Apocalypse! Not so much when you're the one getting Apocalypsed.
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May 1, 2024 10:10
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Black Robe posted:I'm all for making kobolds more interesting and less one-dimensional but Crinukh does come off as a bit insufferable. But the problem is that it doesn't make sense. Like, you only know to come to that camp because someone slipped a note into your pack; but you're the general of a massive army, just randomly slipping stuff into your pack is a huge undertaking. So it's not unreasonable to think that someone who's gone to all that effort and is sticking around literally on the edge of hell to talk to you would have a deep interest in what's going on.
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May 1, 2024 12:26
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rastilin posted:But the problem is that it doesn't make sense. Like, you only know to come to that camp because someone slipped a note into your pack; but you're the general of a massive army, just randomly slipping stuff into your pack is a huge undertaking. So it's not unreasonable to think that someone who's gone to all that effort and is sticking around literally on the edge of hell to talk to you would have a deep interest in what's going on. And he does! He's very obviously referring to Nurah!
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May 1, 2024 12:41
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I looked through the script, and yeah he only has three categories of things to say: cryptic remarks about future or ongoing plots, explaining his convoluted backstory, and 'just asking questions' about your chosen mythic path. The only mythic path he approves of, for the record, is Trickster. He calls you a naive hippy if you go Azata, a brainwashed drone if you go Angel, a tyrant if you go Aeon, and things go downhill from there.
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May 1, 2024 13:07
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The only moral path is the worship of dragons 
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May 1, 2024 13:47
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One thing I will say for Crinukh is that there is a fairly strong theme in this game of characters playing against type in various ways, particularly when it comes to their species, and he definitely fits into that. (That's about the only thing I'll say for him, since I don't like his character much, but it's something.)
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May 1, 2024 15:40
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At least he's not Pun-Pun, I suppose. Or Kari the Kobold.
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May 1, 2024 15:46
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Cythereal posted:
Yikes. (especially considering things I've heard about treatments of kobolds in kingmaker). Cythereal posted:Now, the standard 'legit' way of dealing with a fight like this is to take advantage of the fact that the AI has no concept of overkill or conservation of resources and bring in one of those free event troops I have, split it up into a dozen armies of one unit, and feed them into this fight. They'll eat a Scorching Ray and die, and eventually you'll deplete the general's mana and can bring in the main army safely. Is the AI always this bad, or only on easy?
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May 1, 2024 16:41
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Who or what is Kari the Kobold?
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May 1, 2024 17:13
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Quackles posted:Who or what is Kari the Kobold?
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May 1, 2024 17:38
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NPC mods for Baldur's Gate 2 were a total disaster.
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May 1, 2024 17:45
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