Primal

I'd be all for it.

I laugh too, but some people just can't stand not being efficient. Then there are people like me, who screw around. The two groups are best kept far apart.

At 6? Over 22 I have two SO-strength (or better) yellows in everything that takes them, and enough attacks to make a difference, so yeah SKing up is fine then. Before that it gets dicey.

I feel the same way as OP when it comes to sidekicking up, sometimes. If my character is 25 and they're getting SKd up to 49, it's fine, but if they're level 6 and stuck with two attacks and a nigh-useless armor, the only thing I feel like I'm doing is leeching. A high-level team is quite likely to be fighting at least oranges, which means I'm seeing red and purple and mostly whiffing. I've only run into that sort of situation a few times, and I can tell you I quit them all soon.

I agree that stories where the plot just happens, and the main characters could've been there or not, can be kinda frustrating. However, unlike Sam and like others, I do actually enjoy mysteries that are never actually explained, that leave you to piece together the clues for yourself (or not).

My favorite movie is The Usual Suspects, which I like because it had me fooled the entire time. No, it doesn't fool some people, my mom figured it all out 5 minutes in, but it gets most and I applaud it. I just love the idea, like Z_I said, that all the clues are given to you, and it's up to you to figure them out; so many movie-going experiences just have you sitting there having it all explained, that it's refreshing (to me) to be expected to respond. Notice that in that particular movie, nothing is really truly resolved, it hints strongly at some things, but how much of it is just more misdirection?

I'm afraid CHV, by the nature of its storytelling, doesn't do a very good job at impressing me. I mean no offense to the writers, honestly, they're hamstrung by having to write stories in such an open kind of way to fit every character running them. The stories do not suck, but resolving them is quite linear (with a couple of exceptions, and those are just swerves) and never to my knowledge involves mere subterfuge. This isn't an adventure game, where you have to piece together clues yourself, it's an action game, where clues are dispensed after you're allowed to beat up the right person. Nor are you allowed to solve anything without fighting. That's probably the game's greatest "failing", in that we're only allowed to fight like Batman, not detect like him. It's just not that kind of game.

I do enjoy The Radio, mainly because it's never made clear you're not just hearing things. I've not run Television.

Oh, thanks for pointing me to The Path. Will download it and check it out, I get in the mood for mindbending sometimes.

Sounds good to me. Carnies are my favorites.

I agree with Nethergoat (et al) for once in that respect, Freakshow have never been "easy xp" for me, certainly no easier than other factions. I consider them fairly standard. Dropping their reward to less than standard does not sit well with me.

Wow. Welcome back.

Only thing special I'm doing is turning my TA/Archery to the dark side, A/TA will work a lot better for her. Otherwise PP this go round doesn't have much to offer me. Everyone who's changing colors is just doing so as-is.

Now, when GR hits, that's when I foresee some new characters popping up.

Considering I've heard that same argument for years from dozens of people, I'm guessing there was more to it than just that. In lots of posts? Perhaps some colorful language? Otherwise it seems a little much.

Why was he banned?

I command you to

WISE FWOM YOU GWAVE!

...and rescue my daughter. Don't forget that part.

Those tool tips pointing out that IOs are optional have zip to do with "casual" or "hardcore". The tips are just reassuring players that if the system sounds like something they don't care to deal with, they don't have to. Assuming that because someone takes an interest in crafting they're "hardcore", takes a pretty big leap. "Casual" does not necessarily mean "I'm aggressively apathetic and refuse to lift a finger or read a thing" and beats me where this idea came from. The basic info is right there in the IO descriptions, including what's required, and a piece of salvage will fall into your lap after a few fights, so I daresay even someone who pops in for a mission a month might spare a few seconds to mentally put the description with the salvage and then the cartoon light bulb comes on with a ding.

So the whole playerbase is hardcore I guess. Except for that one guy, but he quit last year anyway, didn't even make a thread about it.

This thread is chock-full of people who are usually the last victim in the horror movie. The monster has raged and slaughtered, but there's always the one guy who jumps in front of the weapon/machine/angry mob/whatever and says "Wait! It's just misunderstood! If we can just give it a hug, try to understand it!"

Then the monster yanks his spine out, or claws off the top half of his head, and the weapon/etc. is finally used. Hugs. Credits.

Ranged character of some kind. Had a decent weapon, but it was single-target and I just got chewed to bits by swarms of enemies, only AoE I had was that poison-poot power. I'd see a single enemy, shoot it, and then have 10+ on me, no matter what. Beats me what I was doing wrong, if anything. Uninstalled, wasn't all that fun to begin with, kinda generic except for the jokey stuff.

Man I couldn't stand Dungeon Runners. Tried it for a couple of hours, got dead sick of getting swarmed by a dozen enemies after shooting one that was all by itself, and then potion-popping for the barest chance of survival. Rinse and repeat. Infuriating.

Samuel_Tow, if you ever pick up Sacred 2, I'd advise turning off the voices. Fine game, but the characters will occasionally complain about game mechanics or address the player directly. Most people think it's funny as hell, but you don't sound to be one of them. My favorite is "Ugh, can we remove animals from the spawn tables please?" but there's also "Come back, you're worth experience!" if something runs, and if you leave the Seraphim standing idle, she's apt to say "Hey, I've waited centuries, what's another hour?"

I too have a very early character with a look that simply doesn't exist in the tailor anymore. Specifically the Glowing Eyes, that face has been changed (for the worse imo) since the original. I went in several months ago to update something, and found that trying to do anything other than hit the "Back" button screwed everything up. Reset didn't work.

Character is a Fire/Storm Controller, but recoloring her fire for her first slot simply isn't an option. There's nothing that can be done about this really, it is how it is.

Do you fear the Penance Stare? *adds a notch*

PK was, or at least was earlier, using the name Westley. AKA The (latest) Dread Pirate Roberts. Although wasn't that Wesley?

I believe that's PK's actual name.

In truth, I agree with you, and like I said, it's part of the reason I don't go up against large-scale enemies. The concept of a martial artist, as practiced and hardened as she is, going up against a robot 20 feet tall and just exchanging blows is patently ridiculous. She wouldn't, no one would. But in this game, the only alternative is...getting someone else to do it with her. Lord, it gets ludicrous once you start thinking of it like that.

So don't. The game as designed is not a simulator, a what would you do scenario. An action-RPG like this that's concerned about making sense would give you the temporary firepower to take it down, or a trapped room, or give you a hint about the antenna on its head that's receiving commands and if you wait on a certain rooftop til it passes by just under you.... We do get some temp powers here, occasionally they're even tailored to the threat you were just assigned to go after, but it's relatively rare.

This game is simple, and pretty simple-minded: damage things til they fall over. Personally I stretch my imagination past the breaking point to play Naturals. You let it stop you or you just grit your teeth and overlook it. Lord knows you're not the only one thinking how stupid it sometimes gets.