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mauman posted:Then prepare to be disappointed if Pool ever starts a G2 LP. I believe POOL IS CLOSED is a she. With that said though, hey - berryjon did it with Exile 2/3. I don't see why PIC couldn't do it with future installments of Geneforge. 
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Jun 21, 2017 04:14
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Epsilon Moonshade posted:berryjon did it with Exile 2/3 Because I am a madman who is mad, and had enough narrative leeway to justify Art in all three games. Geneforge isn't so accommodating. In fact, I'm pretty sure 4's protagonist was designed to have no connection to any of the other games.
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Jun 21, 2017 05:15
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I've been lagging behind for a while and finally caught up. Great job with the LP, PIC.
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Jun 21, 2017 07:51
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Do the Sholai actually pop up again in the later games? I remember mentions of Trajkov, but I don't recall actually meeting any of the Sholai themselves, or anyone who mentions them outside of him. Maybe it's just been too long since I played them.
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Jun 21, 2017 08:42
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theres a sholai diplomat in geneforge 5. can't comment on the other games though.
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Jun 21, 2017 09:01
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PurpleXVI posted:Do the Sholai actually pop up again in the later games? I remember mentions of Trajkov, but I don't recall actually meeting any of the Sholai themselves, or anyone who mentions them outside of him. Maybe it's just been too long since I played them. Basically it's a couple diplomats / representatives who say Trajkov was just one captain out of many and so the rest of the Sholai are working to form a little trading route with the Shapers.
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Jun 21, 2017 11:28
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Early Escape Welcome back! We're going to explore the first of several alternative endings today. This is what happens if you decide to just ditch the island and let the Shapers sort everything out. Goettsch and Trajkov are both alive, the Geneforge is intact, the working gloves are in Goettsch's possession, and all of the leaders of the 3 servile factions are also alive.   Everything starts as usual. One thing to note is that you are basically safe from wandering enemies until you pass the first two lines of landmines. Also, no mines are detonated by NPCs. (Some mines may be detonated by your own creations, but most are only triggered by your PC. The mines here are of the latter variety. They have a huge damage radius for some reason.)  One or two guards patrol the whole area, but they call reinforcements from these structures shortly after sighting you unless you manage to kill the alerted guard quickly. One of the patrolling guards actually drops a red spore baton, which is very useful if you take the southern path (which I'll show in this update).  There are a couple terror vlish up here! They have some useful consumables in their nest, though at this late stage, you shouldn't really need anything except maybe spore batons. And that's only if you've not been looting containers and poking around corners.   And there's another little vlish fight here just above the docks. There's a spore baton here, too.  We return to this northwestern structure. You don't need to visit this spot, but it offers some extra content.  The Sholai patrol does come through here, though, so make it snappy. The augmented Sholai are actually very strong. They will easily wreck you if you're not careful. It's not a bad idea to apply buffs after you clear the landmines. The regular Sholai warriors are stronger than their other appearances, but are mostly notable only for having higher HP. They don't have multitarget ranged attacks, unlike the wizards and augmented Sholai.   This place is just totally trashed.  So in our last update, you might have noticed that there was a lever that I didn't pull in the room with Vandrik's diary.  Game Text posted:The case contains jars and papers. The jars have been smashed and the goo which oozed out soaked into and destroyed the papers. It's a mess. So between the absolute wreckage in the hall and the mines in the antechamber, you know someone's been behaving very badly. Game Text posted:There is a servant mind hidden away in this small, dank room. It is in bad shape. It looks like some people have recently spent some time tormenting it with sticks and rocks. If you have mind nutrients left, you can feed this servant mind. Chances are that you're short, though, because you either already collected all of the nutrients and fed all the minds (including one we've not yet dealt with) or you didn't manage to find all the nutrients and ran out anyway! Feeding the servant mind yields this conversation: Game Text posted:You open one of your jars of nutrients and slowly tip the goo into the creature's mouth. While it tries to regain its strength, you clean and tend to its wounds as best you can.  "What is your purpose here?" : "I was made to watch over these docks. To keep track of numbers and goods and such and to look after things until the Shapers returned. I spent much of my time in their absence sleeping."Then the Sholai came, and I woke back up." "Tell me more.": "This was where they landed, at first, with their ships. I knew they were outsiders, and I had to kill them. But I was weak, and I was not given the capability to fight well. I sent our spies, tiny creations, to watch them, and I tried to develop strength and ways to fight them. But then they saw one of my spies.""One of them, called Varya, she came to me. She questioned me. She saw I would never help her. So she had her warriors beat me. She did not grant me death. She thought I might be useful later. "So they tormented me and left me unconscious. And I would have died were it not for you, mighty Shaper." "Varya is dead now." "It does not sadden me to hear it." "I have another question." Mind Strout looks up at you gratefully. "Yes, great Shaper? What now?" "Tell me about this area.": "It was a small dock. Supplies were landed here. This is where supplies destined for the research halls were taken. Then everything was Barred and closed."Now it is a ruin. There are guards, watching their boat. Very dangerous guards." "What can you tell me about the research halls?": "Nothing, I am afraid. I did not need to know about them."You get this next option if you've killed all of the Sholai here.  "Not so dangerous. I've been killing a lot them." "I am glad." "That's all for now. Thanks." "Yes, Shaper. Thank you, Shaper. I will try to restore myself." Now if you head south...  Game Text posted:There are even more mines blocking this pathway. They are even larger than the ones you saw earlier. These mines have red stripes on their sensors. This path will let you enter the docks and circumvent the bulk of the patrols, but you'll need to sprint for your freedom. Don't even bother with this area if you don't have a red spore baton. These mines do a poo poo load of damage.  Someone hid a clawbug canister back here for later.  You can make a dash for the docks from here.  Game Text posted:At the end of the dock, you find a small, wooden sailboat. It has several pairs of oars. It is a small craft, only large enough for a few people, and the mast is not even erected. If you leave... Game Text posted:You regretfully leave the boat alone. Your work here is not yet done. But you know, I'm tired of Sucia Island. It's a silly place. Game Text posted:You get onto the boat and release the rope. Then you grab the oar and push off from the dock. Everything seems pretty much the same so far, right?  Game Text posted:The Shapers know that Sucia Island was Barred, and that you were there. Their reaction is immediate. They seize you and shackle you. Then they put you on a boat and take you to the Shaper council. Given that we left Goettsch with the gloves, Trajkov probably finally broke their deadlock somehow and took them. Or perhaps one of the Sholai researchers discovered a way to either mend the damaged gloves Trajkov had, or... Who knows? The Protagonist posted:When Trajkov and his forces arrive on the mainland, the Shapers are unprepared. Even after the true depth of the threat becomes apparent, they are still slow to react. They can not believe that an outsider could do so much. Sucks for us! The Awakened posted:Back on Sucia Island, the various servile villages struggled to continue as best they could. When the histories of these turbulent times are written, they mention a few details about the minor players in this great drama: Not bad, Ellhrah!The Obeyers posted:When the wars began, Rydell realized that he could wait no longer. Though he knew that his Obeyers were supposed to wait on Sucia Island, he also knew that his creators were in trouble and needed help. Faith is rewarded with betrayal. The Takers posted:Trajkov was a man of his word. After he conquered the lands of the Shapers, he rewarded the Takers for their assistance. Lessons were learned, but the damage was irreversible. This is a decidedly noncanonical ending considering the rest of the Geneforge series, but it is a plausible one. Join me next time for even more Geneforge content. (This game is huge. Seriously huge. There's even something in the Docks that I'll show off later.) Bonus Death! As a goofy aside, this is what happened when Solution led off with a lie during the last conversation with Trajkov:  "I have read the book. You need to wear the special gloves and plunge your hands deep within the pool." Trajkov nods. "I had thought that your kind could possibly assist me. Now I see I was wrong. Goettsch read the book. So did my lieutenants who can understand your tongue. You are lying."You are trying to kill me. This, I will not tolerate. I will kill you. Then I will kill Goettsch. Then I will continue on my own. I am sorry, Shaper. Come meet your death."  Solution explodes into stuff! The end. POOL IS CLOSED fucked around with this message at 22:39 on Aug 20, 2017 |
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Jun 21, 2017 19:38
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[snip - added to previous update]
POOL IS CLOSED fucked around with this message at 22:38 on Aug 20, 2017 |
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Jun 21, 2017 19:59
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I like the "good" ending for the Awakened, they're canny enough to carve themselves a niche. Shame it won't last when all the Shapers are melted by Trajkov.
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Jun 21, 2017 20:14
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PurpleXVI posted:I like the "good" ending for the Awakened, they're canny enough to carve themselves a niche. Shame it won't last when all the Shapers are melted by Trajkov. The Obeyers really get the short end of the stick in this ending, which is kinda tragic. The outcome for the Takers is entirely in character for them, too. Interestingly, Goettsch isn't even mentioned here. The ending doesn't seem to change if you kill Goettsch, take the gloves, and then flee with Trajkov still alive.
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Jun 21, 2017 21:09
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I think it's assumed that given time to deal with it, Trajkov eventually either creates new gloves or finally succeeds in breaking Goettsch. Remember that Trajkov has the research facilities, more food production, more canisters, an alliance with the Takers and more minions. He's holding most of the cards in the stalemate.
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Jun 21, 2017 21:32
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MagusofStars posted:I think it's assumed that given time to deal with it, Trajkov eventually either creates new gloves or finally succeeds in breaking Goettsch. Remember that Trajkov has the research facilities, more food production, more canisters, an alliance with the Takers and more minions. He's holding most of the cards in the stalemate. Oh certainly. I just wish there was some explicit acknowledgement of the different scenarios. Then again there are so many different variations already that it feels a bit unfair of me to complain!
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Jun 21, 2017 21:38
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POOL IS CLOSED posted:
Shut up, Iolo. ... wait, poo poo, wrong LP.
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Jun 22, 2017 02:26
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Name? Job? Virtue?
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Jun 22, 2017 03:08
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POOL IS CLOSED posted:Name? Job? Virtue? Solution. Finding Solutions. Patience. 
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Jun 22, 2017 03:22
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Last name: Epsilon I kid, of course. It's just what I've always thought of.
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Jun 22, 2017 05:58
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Wow. Yeah, I'd regret running out on the island early, but it does a good job of not feeling spiteful there.
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Jun 23, 2017 03:06
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Glazius posted:Wow. Yeah, I'd regret running out on the island early, but it does a good job of not feeling spiteful there. Honestly it doesn't make much sense though. The player has clearly learned shaping skills in an incredibly short period of time and displays talents that are far beyond an apprentice. That should lend credence to their words.
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Jun 23, 2017 03:13
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Dirk the Average posted:Honestly it doesn't make much sense though. The player has clearly learned shaping skills in an incredibly short period of time and displays talents that are far beyond an apprentice. That should lend credence to their words. The Shapers don't like inconvenient notions. All they know is we went to a Barred island, took scifi nootropics they abandoned there, and then blamed our transgressions on "a foreign wizard did it." Their disbelief isn't totally irrational.
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Jun 23, 2017 03:17
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I want to let you know: thanks to this LP I'm now playing Avadon, and might grab Avernum while the sale's ongoing. Obligatory link to the super big bundle of Spiderweb games.
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Jun 23, 2017 03:21
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StrixNebulosa posted:I want to let you know: thanks to this LP I'm now playing Avadon, and might grab Avernum while the sale's ongoing. That's the best outcome I could ask for. 
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Jun 23, 2017 03:24
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StrixNebulosa posted:I want to let you know: thanks to this LP I'm now playing Avadon, and might grab Avernum while the sale's ongoing. I'm not sure if I'm sad or not that I've already got this bundle. I really should play some more of them though.
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Jun 23, 2017 04:37
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Epsilon Moonshade posted:I'm not sure if I'm sad or not that I've already got this bundle. Here is the obligatory link to the one Spiderweb game not in the bundle, then!
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Jun 23, 2017 04:46
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Just mainlined this LP. Tell me that REAL ULTIMATE MURDER is going to be shown. pleeeeeease
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Jun 23, 2017 05:08
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Remora posted:Just mainlined this LP. Tell me that REAL ULTIMATE MURDER is going to be shown. pleeeeeease We will definitely see the most important ending.
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Jun 23, 2017 13:18
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Uncharted Territory We've got some more loose ends to clean up! Let's take another look at the Trajkov conversation. You have a few options here if you want to deceive him. First is the one I showed in my brief bonus update -- you can tell him to don the gloves and thrust his hands into the Geneforge, but of course, this ends badly. Trajkov isn't that naive. If you picked up Trajkov's damaged gloves, you can repair them yourselves. If you visited Goettsch, you can get a pair of fakes if you parley with him. Of course, you can also steal the real gloves from him. Here's the dialogue for giving Trajkov the fake gloves: "I have a pair of shaping gloves here." (Show fake gloves to Trajkov.) Trajkov's eyes light up. "Yes! At last! At last I have them. Hurry. Give them to me!" Then he takes a closer look. "Wait. Those look different from the original gloves somehow. What trickery is this?" "It must have been a trick. I'll see if I can find the correct gloves."or: "Goettsch has cleaned them and done some repair work on them. That is probably why they look different. They're the same gloves." (Lie. Give them to him.) The second option causes the scene to proceed as you saw, with Trajkov dying. The first option has him tell you to solve the problem.  Now, if you interact with the Geneforge, you'll get several options. Notably, if you don't have the right gloves in your possession, the game doesn't remind you. Vogel!  You can totally kill yourself here, so I hope you saved after you dealt with Trajkov. Without gloves, you'd get a game over:Suicide by Geneforge posted:The moment your hands enter the goo, it begins to fulfill its purpose. It shoots through your skin and inside you. It seeks out the tiny instructions deep inside you and begins to rewrite them, one at a time. The heat slowly crawls through your body. If you wish to destroy the Geneforge, a sufficient mechanics score will let you deactivate the four crystal pylons in the chamber. You can also try smashing the spirals, but I recommend against it! It's Only Critical If the Rods Touch posted:The spiral is heavily charged and highly unstable. You could shatter it, but the results would be unpredictable.  I'm not sure there's any safe distance from this explosion. It dealt multiple hundreds of damage to Solution even outside the chamber, though I didn't grab a screenshot of that. But let's move on from those misadventures for a bit. Here's the first of the areas we didn't clear:   Game Text posted:The weather changes with alarming suddenness. It is like you just walked into a wall of cold. One step, it was warm. The next, it was freezing cold. The sun still shines, but it has no effect on this frigid valley. Fortunately, Icewalls doesn't have environmental damage, but the area it leads into does. Joy!  This area is absolutely rotten with rogue vlish, submission vlish, terror vlish, and plated bug enemies.  If you'll notice, I've taken the liberty of adding two standard drayks (Rudje and Galaga Galaxia) and a battle alpha (Epsilon) to the party. The drayks do some serious work -- their ranged fire bolt attack is quite powerful, and their melee bite can one shot many enemies. Unfortunately, Solution's battle shaping skill isn't very high, so Epsilon isn't much good as a tank. Even so, the battle alpha's melee strike is quite powerful. The problem is that an alpha probably won't get many opportunities to attack, since they are incredibly slow.  Our terror vlish trio completely outclasses all the other vlish in the game. We created them near the start of what I'd call this game's third act, and they just own face. Terror vlish will win this game for you.  There are a few doors on this level which simply will not unlock if you already have an entry baton. If you retrieve the entry baton from the next area (West Workshop) and return here, though, the doors will supposedly open and release Sholai enemies. I didn't have the opportunity to verify this, and I'm reluctant to replay most of the game just to test it myself. If someone else can verify it, or if there's some interesting extra dialogue you know about, please share!  As you play through this zone, you might notice something odd. Namely that the enemies just keep coming. That's right, there are spawners around! ... Somewhere.  This doorway is the only passage to the West Workshop. The lever here has a strong lock on it, so unless you want to use up several living tools, I recommend searching for the key first.  This road leads you around the entire area.  Another sealed door.   The first spawner! If you show up here earlier, the numerous ambushes and waves of foes can be overwhelming. Use your strongest attacks and items to cut down enemy numbers and then hit the spawners as soon as you can. Bear in mind that the essence pools behind the spawners actually deal damage to your PC and party if you're too near!  Of course, there couldn't be just one spawner here.  That's right, there are five! At Solution's level and with these creations, the spawners and their rogues aren't terribly threatening. You can see that Epsilon is taking a real beating, though. Poor alphas just aren't great at this stage. Once you clear out all the enemies, it's safe to open the chest and steal the key. Game Text posted:You open this box, left behind by whoever created this deadly gauntlet of spawners. Inside, you find some frozen, broken tools and some used up pods. You also find a pouch. Then you can open the door to the West Workshop without wasting essence and living tools.   The area does merit a full exploration for experience and for this tucked away canister of "Dominate."   Game Text posted:This cave is freezing cold! The moment you step inside, you start to shiver uncontrollably. It's not half as cold as the frozen valleys outside. It's like a deep winter. This is one of the most dangerous environmental damage zones. We'll see the most dangerous soon. I hope you're excited! I sure am. It's a good idea to enter combat mode and remain in it for most of your exploration of this zone. I only exited combat in order to interact with levers and containers, which otherwise would consume Solution's AP and make this process much more tedious.  There are rogue cryodrayks all over the workshop. They're mobile walls of HP, but still susceptible to the terror vlish's fear effect.  Epsilon got to punch something to death! Unfortunately, battle creations are a bad pick for this area, as their resistance to magic damage is poor.  There really is a lot of good loot here, but as you've seen, you're going to end up with a mountain of consumables and vendor trash. Restoration pods, restoration spores, spore batons, jewel wands, and reaper thorns are really the only things that merit being picked up.  You can find a canister of "Create Thahd" up here. Seems a little late in the game to be making any type of thahd. Charged thahds just aren't helpful now.   This servant mind is still alive. It must have been bred specifically to withstand cold. However, the cold has been very cruel to it. It is covered with frost, and it seems barely able to think. "Shaper... I... cold... cold. I... cold." "I need your assistance, mind." "I... cold... cold." That seems to be all it can say. "I need you to turn off the cold." "Cold... cold. So cold... cold." That seems to be all it can say. (Leave it.) As you walk away, you hear it say, "I cold... cold. So cold... cold."So if the mind can't bring this place back to a reasonable chill, what can we do?  Game Text posted:This is the central chamber of the workshop. This is where the magical engine produces the overpowering cold that has been sapping your strength since you came inside. If you have the control rod, you can use it to easily deactivate the crystal spirals in this room, which ends the ongoing environmental damage and allows you to speak with the servant mind. I forgot about this during my run and piddled my way all the way around the zone before returning here and shutting them off. Don't be me! If you don't have the control rod, you'll either need a good mechanics score or a willingness to detonate crystals and run away. I recommend doing all this in combat mode while hasted and unencumbered in order to minimize damage.  There really is just stuff everywhere in these levels. There's much more vendor trash then there is money in the game.  Game Text posted:These rooms were servile quarters. They were built to provide a warm respite from the cold. However, the overpowering chill of the workshop now easily penetrates back here. Any serviles who tried to live here wouldn't last long.   In this storage area to the southwest, you can heal up with crystal lattices, examine tools the Shapers stored back here, and grab a canister of "Healing Craft." Now that's actually a good reward!  Crystal pots are important. Always give them a look.  I wasn't lying about circling the entire area first. Here you can get a decent look at the core of the deadly refrigeration station. Game Text posted:You have completely cut off the device's power. There is an immediate change. The stones are still incredibly cold, and they will keep this region frigid for some time.  With that done, we can walk right through this door and have a quick shot at the entrance. We're not done here yet, though.  Game Text posted:This book is an inventory of everything stored here. It ends with a long list of hastily written entries. When the island was Barred, everything of value was hauled out as quickly as possible, probably to try to get the stuff to safety before it spoiled.   "Shaper, I am Mind Stree. I am eager to serve you." "Why was it so cold in here?" "I made it so. The humans, the outsider, they came in and looted, and it scared me. I made the guardians, and I made it cold, so cold they fled. But then I was cold. So cold." "What guardians?" "The drayks. I woke them up. But they were smart, and wouldn't listen to me. But as long as they were here to protect, it was all right. If any are rogue now, I am sure they will obey a Shaper right away!" "What is left in the workshop?" "Very little. All of value was taken. Corata left some things. He wanted me to protect them. But the rest of value was mostly hauled out." "Who was Corata?" "One of the greatest, wisest Shapers on the island. He controlled the supplies. I answered to him. He was sure he would be returning soon and wanted supplies left for him."He never came, though. I am sad." "Can I have the supplies Corata left?" "Oh, I couldn't lower the defenses for you, Shaper. That would be wrong. Corata told me those things were only for him." "Oh, all right. Nevermind."or: "Corata is long dead, and I am here. As a Shaper, I command you to let me have those supplies." "I... I... I am sorry, Shaper. You are right, of course." It closes its eyes for a moment. "You will find it easier to get those items now." "What do you know about why the island was abandoned?" "Oh, I am not told things like that. I just keep track of vats and goo and such. I don't know anything about politics. I am just a humble and chilly servant mind." "That is all I need." "Yes, Shaper. Thank you, Shaper." Thanks to Stree, we can loot this western chamber and safely cross the hot platforms. Game Text posted:This small box only contains one item. It has been placed carefully on a pillow of velvet. It's about a foot long and carefully carved from ebony. You recognize it immediately.    This is a pretty nice robe for Shapers! This is the robe referred to in the records.  There's a Shaped blade in here, like the records said. And that's basically all there is to this zone! So let's return to the Power Station.  Last time, we left Mind Azzo alone because we didn't have mind nutrients. This time, we do! Let's feed the servant mind. Game Text posted:It is a slow, messy job. The creature starts out completely immobile. You need to scoop the food into its mouth, one tiny globule at a time. Eventually you are able to revive it enough for it to eat on its own. Having recently force fed an adult cat, I must imagine it's easier to do this when the creature you're trying to help isn't actively trying to resist (however feeble that resistance may be). "What sort of rogues are in this area?" "Inside the station, there are the shades. The Shapers made them to watch over and run the station. They were immune to the dangerous energies inside. But they are mercurial creatures, and they needed me to control them."Now the control is lost, and I cannot regain it." "How many shades are left?" "Your people left machinery to make new shades to replace the ones who dissolved. So there are many." Such automatic, magical devices for making creations have been forbidden by the Shaper Council for centuries. Such devices, if left unwatched, can cause much carnage. "I have another question." Mind Azzo is fully awake and alert, now. "Yes. Shaper? What do you wish?" There are four sockets at the base of the creature's stone berth. They are all empty. "Your crystals were stolen?" "They were taken by mischievous shades, and hidden. They did not like my influence, so they acted to remove it. Without them, I cannot control anything. Including, I should mention, the doors to nearby supply chambers."The missing crystals are black, multifaceted, and as long as your forearm. If you could replace them in my base, I could be of much greater aid to you." "Where are the crystals?" "I do not know. All I know is they are all nearby. The shades could not carry them far away." "What sort of things do you control?" "I control the defenses and shade spawner in the station. I control the doors. I control the conduits through which the magical power flows to and from the stones."I cannot make power spirals though, or repair them. That requires skilled artisans, of your kind." "That is all I require of you." (Leave) "Yes, Shaper. I will be here when you return. I hope."Well, on that note, let's head west to the Power Core.   Game Text posted:Only the largest and most important research centers have their own power stations. Sucia Island was one of the few that received this level of support. The Power Core inflicts the highest environmental damage of any area. It sucks! The only upside is that the shades here aren't that bad (at least they're not when you've got an endgame party). Just like the other areas, you should stay in combat mode while exploring around the Power Core. The entry way has grounded equipment that can help with your damage resistance if you're underequipped.  Game Text posted:Drained and damaged power spirals were brought to this room, where they were repaired and primed to receive energy.  Thanks, Galaga Galaxia! The drayks get to do some real work in this zone.  Here's one of Azzo's crystals. Game Text posted:The small box contains a stone. It is shaped like a long crystal, but it is black, like onyx. When you watch it, you think you can see tiny flashes of light under its surface. It is warm to the touch.  Mine shades are just everywhere. They have multi-target ranged attacks. Fortunately, once you prune their numbers here, there's little risk of ever being overwhelmed by shades in the Core.  The control key will let you shut off the power spirals. Otherwise, you'll have to rely on your mechanics score. Shut down every spiral if you can, as this will shut off the spawner platforms. North of this spiral crystal room is a smaller room, the apothecary, which I failed to screencap: Game Text posted:The power core has a large and well stocked apothecary. The dangerous and unpleasant environs must have been wearing on the serviles here. Fortunately, the Shapers cared for their creations. To some extent.  Game Text posted:This room was where the servile bureaucrats and record keepers did their important work.  Reaper turrets mean good ammo! This room has a grounding vest, which also grants energy resistance to your creations.   There's a canister of "Create Glaahk" here. Ur-glaahks are quite good!  These turrets are just an annoyance.  Game Text posted:Any sort of device for the automatic making of creations without direct Shaper supervision is illegal. It has been this way for many years. This device predates such directives. Keep shutting down the crystal spirals. This area is great for more backstory on the changes the Shapers implemented between Sucia Island's Barring and the present. It gives the player more context on what modern Shapers are like versus what the Sholai encountered here, and provides some motivation for resisting both Goettsch and Trajkov. Goettsch doesn't represent all Shapers; he was marginalized and dumped into middle management because he wasn't terribly smart and had a bad attitude. Trajkov is seeing the outcomes of old attitudes that have changed (and whose changes are reinforced with regulation) and judging the Shapers based on events that happened 200 or more years ago. Over the intervening centuries, the Shapers have managed to become more humane and more responsible.  There's another crystal here.  As you walk through one of the corridors approaching this core, you'll receive this message: Game Text posted:This corridor is very hot, and the ambient, uncontrolled magical energy is making you feel ill. You are getting close to the power core. That is an extremely dangerous place to be.  Game Text posted:This servile was running down this corridor, trying to get away from the deadly central core before it killed him.  The third crystal is here. Now you can use the key to open the shortcut back to the Power Core entrance! Let's blow this power spiral stand.  You place your crystals into the holes at the base. As each one enters the slot, Mind A220 seems noticeably more alert. "Thank you, Shaper. I am now partially restored." "Have you been restored enough to do anything?" "I am sorry, Shaper. I cannot do anything until I have all four crystals." Something about its voice makes you think it is not telling the whole truth. It will not meet your gaze. "You are bound to serve me. If there is anything you can do, do it now." It looks miserable. "I am sorry, Shaper. I want so much to be restored. I wanted to keep you having a reason to help me. Please forgive me. There is a way I can help you." It closes its eyes. You hear clicks from the nearby doors. "Now you can loot my home. Please continue to help me. I beg you." Leadership lets us intimidate Azzo into rewarding us even if we've only restored 3 of 4 crystals. The last crystal is actually in this area, but let's take our loot first.  Heck yeah, strength!  The cabinet has one of these babies.  Mass energize is a really nice spell that you can only use outside of combat.  Another canister of "Create Battle Alpha"! This is something of a misnomer, as these canisters will also unlock Betas. Sadly, you can't get Gammas.  Sometimes you might suffer on the road of righteousness. As usual, I strongly advise using combat mode to pass these tiles. Roid yourself up with haste and shield while you're at it.  Unsurprisingly, there are turrets protecting this last crystal. Those shades were real bastards. Or perhaps this is a spare!  "I have found some of your crystals." (Place them in the base.)The dialogue doesn't change much, so I've omitted some repetitive bits. "Thank you, Shaper. I am now restored. One moment." It closes its eyes. You hear clicks from the nearby doors. "I have deactivated the shade spawner inside. There will now be less chaos. I will begin repairs."  Since we killed Trajkov, most Sholai will immediately turn hostile. Game Text posted:This is an old Shaper obelisk. It is still legible:  We enter through two locked doors.  Game Text posted:The sight that greets you in the entry hall is morbid and unsurprising. Everything inside is fairly intact, just as it was when the doors were closed and locked. Fortunately, illumination isn't a real mechanic in this game. The withered turrets flanking the doorway aren't very strong.  Ah! Friends?    This place is in rough shape.  Shades have infested the whole lab, which is a bad sign.    The spectral Shapers can do some serious damage, but their defenses are even lower than the Agents'.  Don't let your guard down, though, because you'll frequently be ambushed by whole squads.  A control panel? Don't mind me, I'm just pushing every (unlabeled) button. There are six switches and they control sealed doors.  Check the mortars by the lab benches for some healing items.  Game Text posted:This was the core of this facility, where all of the most powerful and dangerous shapings took place. The sole shaping pad is surrounded by a protective stone barrier. Oh boy! It's a boss fight! We lowered the stone barrier by fiddling with the control panel. We also opened up a whole lot of other doors that we haven't checked yet. (Mostly that just unleashed more shades. Oh well!) Zavor isn't difficult at this stage. Unfortunately, by waiting so long to clear the Sealed Lab, we've really destroyed the difficulty curve. It's a shame -- this place has fabulous rewards for the brave.  The power spirals require 20 mechanics to disarm and aren't affected by the control rod. I don't think there's much point to detonating them. They take a long time to go off. I believe destroying them stops more spectral foes from spawning, but I haven't confirmed it. By the way, spectres are vulnerable to Terror (and to terror vlishes). Zavor runs away while we deal with his protectors.  We'll let Zavor find us instead of trying to chase him down. We have crypts to rob! Game Text posted:This is unusual. This research facility also had an adjacent mausoleum. Shapers don't usually like to have the dead so close to their work. It can have unpredictable results.  Battle magic isn't half bad. Solution has actually been making good use of magic in some fights. Multi-target offensive spells can really help you thin the crowds of foes you'll sometimes encounter.  Tek would be a threat if we weren't here with our murder crew.  This is actually one of the best weapons in the game. Solution doesn't usually have a weapon equipped because I like to make use of offensive wands and batons, but the passive bonuses on Tek's dirk are nothing to sneeze at.      Look at that. A pile of disgustingly good, free bonuses.  The downside to coming here earlier in the game is that if you don't have the Taker amulet, dealing with the Sholai will be tough, and the swarms of spectres in here will really ruin your day.  Someone had a serious problem.  Game Text posted:The book is a journal. It was kept by one of the head researchers here. His name was Zavor. It starts out dull but, as time passes, it gets more interesting and more incoherent. One interesting entry: Even the Shapers weren't immune to the mind-altering effects of the canisters.  This isn't that useful now...  But a canister of "Create Drayk" sure is!  Game Text posted:The book is a journal. It was kept by one of the more important research assistants. His name was Demel. Skimming through it you find an interesting entry:  I decided it was time to check out some new creations. Meet Old Grey Guy the Battle Beta!  Please also give a warm welcome to raverrn the Ur-Glaahk!  The top two unsealed doors have enemies behind them.  The third door has a canister of "Dominate."  Look who's back!  Old Grey Guy and raverrn pummel the unlife out of Zavor and Geokinesis finishes him off.  Zavor's band is pretty nice, and a lot of players choose to equip it.  To celebrate, we have a little disco party here in the Shaping chamber where Zavor was sealed. Now we've got some optional quests to clear up, including faction quests. POOL IS CLOSED fucked around with this message at 19:04 on Jul 4, 2017 |
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Jun 23, 2017 18:20
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Even more places I never saw when I played! I'm pretty sure I would've remembered the Icewall. How did I miss that?
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Jun 23, 2017 18:45
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PurpleXVI posted:Even more places I never saw when I played! I'm pretty sure I would've remembered the Icewall. How did I miss that? You really never need to enter that area.
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Jun 23, 2017 18:54
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You hit the emoticon limit in that post, unfortunately. You can work around that by uploading the  and emotes to lpix and then using img tags; I had to do similar for my Angband LP.
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Jun 23, 2017 19:33
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:You hit the emoticon limit in that post, unfortunately. You can work around that by uploading the Yeah, I'll have to fix it in a bit. I didn't realize how many emoticons I used! That's probably a crime. I've gone rogue!
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Jun 23, 2017 20:08
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POOL IS CLOSED, I see you've relearned that there's a limit on how many smilies will display per post. e;f,b.
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Jun 23, 2017 20:48
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POOL IS CLOSED posted:If you wish to destroy the Geneforge, a sufficient mechanics score will let you deactivate the four crystal pylons in the chamber. You can also try smashing the spirals, but I recommend against it!
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Jun 23, 2017 22:56
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MagusofStars posted:IIRC, if you have the control rod, you can use that to destroy the Geneforge without any hassles regardless of your mechanics score. I'll try confirming this later tonight, since I have a save right before that point. Logically you should be correct! The control rod is very useful in several zones, though most builds should have enough excess living tools that grabbing the rod later in the run shouldn't prove to be a big hindrance. e: What was I smokin'? That's right there in the "destroy the Geneforge" update.  Clearly I was befuddled by the Sealed Labs; the control rod doesn't affect those power spirals.Also, I think I've cleared nearly all the optional content. There does seem to be an ending bug and there's one optional quest mutually exclusive with another at midgame that I'll outline but won't be completing during this run. POOL IS CLOSED fucked around with this message at 02:57 on Jun 24, 2017 |
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Jun 23, 2017 23:24
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I was briefly useful!
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Jun 24, 2017 15:46
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One "I am new restored" and a few "socold" when it's probably not intended in the update.
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Jun 24, 2017 16:26
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Epsilon Moonshade posted:I was briefly useful! Xander77 posted:One "I am new restored" and a few "socold" when it's probably not intended in the update. Looks like I have a few more things to update!
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Jun 24, 2017 22:00
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StrixNebulosa posted:Here is the obligatory link to the one Spiderweb game not in the bundle, then! Thanks for that reminder; I hadn't picked it up yet.
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Jun 24, 2017 22:44
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Ooh, this continued! And now I am caught up again. Pool Is Closed, thank you and congratulations for finishing the whole drat game. Having read this I'm really keen to see more from the same series; I mean, I do own the games, but a small, demanding child ensures I will never have time to do them justice. In the meantime, very much looking forward to the Geneforge ending, which I would have voted for. P.S. to a Brit, the claim that "Glaahk" could ever be pronounced like "Glock" is bizarre. Maugrim fucked around with this message at 23:04 on Jun 26, 2017 |
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Jun 26, 2017 23:00
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I know I'll regret this, but how do brits pronounce "glaahk"?
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Jun 27, 2017 00:14
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Hey Maugrim! Thanks.  I'm guessing our friends across the pond rhyme it with "lack," but that's just a guess. Should have an update with optional content up tomorrow!
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Jun 27, 2017 00:19
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