Major Sadface

So...last night about 30 mins before midnight, something rather unfortunate happened to me on Diablo 3. I just put in my new graphics card, was all excited that pieces weren't missing from the floor, left for about three minutes and returned to find out my character had no money. I was hacked and had all my gold stolen. I had close to 200,000 gold and now it is all gone. Apparently this has been happening to a lot of people, which really sucks and is another good reason not to have constant online play. I never opened my game to the public. Some douchebag hacked in, stole everything and left. Funniest part is was he was in my "recently played" list, so I reported him. I don't even care if I get the money back, I just want him punished. Strange part is, I'm not even angry, I'm just really sad and disappointed. It feels like someone beat me up and took all my lunch money. So right now, I am Major Sadface:

So next time you hackers feel like stealing, just remember this horrifying image of despair. Maybe the thought of its existence will petrify you and stop you from bullying anyone else.

Fear the sadface.

Thena's Serenity Set

Another low level set I found: Thena's Serenity

Far Left - Staff

Thena's Companion - Shillelah
DAMAGE: 9 to 15
CHARACTER LEVEL: 8
+3 Intelligence
+12 Health
+10% Nature Magic Damage
+10% Chance to Find Magic Items

Middle Left - Boots

Thena's Tranquil Path
ARMOUR: 8
CHARACTER: Nature Magic 4
+5% Mana Regeneration
+5 Armour

+10% Ice Resistance
+10% Fire Resistance

Middle Right - Gloves
Thena's Soothing Touch
ARMOUR: 6
CHARACTER: Nature Magic 12
+22 Mana
Restores 2 Mana Per Hit
+12% Death Resistance
+1 to Nurturing Gift, Enveloping Embrace, and Feral Wrath

Far Right - Hood
Thena's Calming Gaze
ARMOUR: 18
CHARACTER: Nature Magic 16
+6 Intelligence
6% Mana Steal
+80% Armour
+1 to Summon Fortitude, Summon Might, and Summon Bond

Set Bonus - 4 Items
+8 Intelligence
+40 Mana

+10% Magic Damage Resistance
+2 to Summon Fortitude, Summon Might, and Summon Bond
+2 to Nurturing Gift, Enveloping Embrace, and Feral Wrath
+5 Armor

Trolls

I find them hilarious. I have not encountered anyone who has insulted me properly. It disappoints me. Of course I am not looking for people to actively make fun of me, but honestly, if you are going to insult me, comments like "you suck" and "losergamer" only encourage me to mock the poster relentlessly. I will never satisfy a troll by getting angry, so it's funny to watch them try. If you are going to insult me, do it right. Get creative or something. You won't get much out of me otherwise. I don't have feelings to hurt. Not for you.

Besides that, I am totally open to criticism. I can't get any better if I don't have any feedback. If I "suck", at least tell me why (and watch more than a minute of the video or you'll look stupid as hell) and what I could do to be better. This is a lot to ask of YouTube where half the posters are 13 year-old pricks who have nothing better to do than vent their flaccid, teenage frustration on a stranger, but I digress.

Act 2, Chapter 4 will be posted in a few hours. Chapter 5 is still in the making...I have a feeling this is going to be one of the last LPs I do on my laptop. I have a new graphics card for my other computer (Murphy, the Jet Engine), which should arrive Wednesday...ish. I may do Half Life 1 on the computer as a text LP before that happens (for my other YT channel). I plan on just marathoning it when I have a day off.

Cool Consistency Bro

All the other portraits for merchants I have seen/noticed so far have been the same...aside from this one:

 

Someone forgot to make his face fit in the little circle as well. Minor slip up of the developers...but it still made me do a double take.

Okay, Last Post about Diablo

For now...

I finished the game last night. I have to admit, in my frustration I was probably a little unfair to the game and the system, but my opinions still stand. My final thoughts on the story is that it is cheesy and clichéd, has epic cutscenes, has a neat little twist near the end and was way too short. When you calculate how long each act really took me, I'd say the game only takes about 6 hours to complete (if you don't backtrack, if you spend little time in town, if you don't die and if you don't wander around exploring). In fact, you could probably do it in less time. It's a little bit sad, but makes sense as in the real appeal to the game comes with the later, harder levels of Hell and Inferno. 

Co-op play is really the seller here, which I never expected. I hardly read anything about D3 before its release (probably should have since it may have eliminated some of my frustration...but maybe I wouldn't have bought it...who knows). I really enjoy it and I didn't think I would. I've been teaming up with a lot of my friends, which has made the game a lot more difficult (and chaotic). The story and details get a little lost, but it changes the game. It also makes all the encounters a lot more silly than when you're playing on your own.

In the end, I'll say it's a good game, it's worth a buy and has good aspects to it. Was it necessary to make? Probably 10 years ago when it was still fresh and welcome. Am I glad I have it? Yes. The story suffers, but the graphics, gameplay and co-op are way better. 

So no more complaining or analyzing it...back to my regularly scheduled blithering about Dungeon Siege.

Bored

So I'm going to take this opportunity to rant about Diablo 3, because I am pissed. I was going to wait until the end of the game to withhold my judgement, but I need to vent a little bit. I also seem to be the only person save maybe...one that seems to have negative opinions of the game so I apologize for my bitter old veteran speech.

Let me make this perfectly clear. The one aspect that REALLY gets my knickers in a knot is the ONLINE ALL THE TIME gameplay that Blizzard seems to think is necessary. This is bull shit. This means that if I want to play online, alone...as in single player without anyone else (if that wasn't already clear), I have to be signed in to my battle.net account and be logged in to a server 100% of the time. 1) The servers are always overloaded. 2) My internet connections sucks. 3) My laptop sucks. 4) Blizzard is a cash whore. OH DID I SAY THAT OUT LOUD? No you idiot this is text. God.

Seriously though, I can't play any session without the game lagging to the point where it is unplayable. The fact that I need a constant internet connection is not an asset. This means I can't play if I do not have access to the internet (to my knowledge). Maybe there's an offline mode, but I have not heard of one. If there was, I would have just set it to that in the first place. Not only that, once I add friends, they always know when I'm online, can see everything I do and there is no longer any anonymous activity. You have your full name up there 100% of the time. This is a problem for people with names like mine. I am the only one in the world with this name (again, to my knowledge) so I can't just add random strangers I know from YouTube and such without worrying about some creeper stalking me online. I see why this was done, there are good aspects to it, but this isn't going to stop trolls or people exploiting the system.

Now the actual game when I can manage to play for 10 mins without lagging out, getting disconnected, having the server go down or other stupid internet related problems, is horribly cheesy. I can't believe how cartoony it has gotten. Actually, scratch that. I knew it would get this way. Blizzard has a "style" now. We don't want dark. immersive, story-centred games. We want casual, silly games that makes Blizzard lots and lots of money! Yeah I get you're trying to appeal to a wider audience here Blizzard. I get that you want the game mechanics to be smoother and easier to understand (though I don't get why you had to hide away the option that allows you to take personal control over your skills and abilities). I get that you have the choice to take the story wherever the hell you want (no pun intended), but really, who did you honestly make this game for?

Think about it. After so many years, why make the game at all? For its fans. You didn't need this game for money. You have the World of Warcraft cash cow for that. So why make Diablo 3? I assume they wanted to appeal to that group of us that have a particular fondness for the game, but when the original developers of the game have long moved on...why bother? I'd almost prefer to be left with the masterpieces that they were. They are far out-stripped by a lot of games today. Games today have come a long way and...well they ARE much better. The games piss people like me off because I have a nostalgic love of the old games, and the new games do not meet the standards I have for the series. This is why I don't believe in remakes. I don't believe in continuing a series a decade after. It doesn't work for its fans. AND THAT IS WHY YOU MADE IT. Granted, there are new comers to the field. Well good for them. Make a new game. Keep the same universe if you want, but don't try to continue the story. Don't try pass it off as a continuation of the same series. TRY SOMETHING ELSE. This is why you were good in the past Blizzard.

Okay, so now that I've had my rant (and feel only marginally better), what's good about the game? Well, I'll admit that the social aspect is one of the only reasons I'm still playing after all my frustration. It has given me the opportunity to play with people that don't obsess over being the best or getting all the greatest items. It has given me the opportunity to spend quality time with people that I haven't seen in ages. Most of all, it's just fun to talk about all the crazy stuff in the game, the cartoony and cheesy story and how epic the cutscenes are. Yes, the cutscenes, as always, are fantastic. Cheese aside, Blizzard really gets you interested in the cutscenes. They are well done, high-scale and all round enjoyable. You forget that the plot is one of the lamest, cliched stories ever created by humanity. I watched Act II's cutscene last night (yes I'm only on Act II of normal...see the above rant) and man was it good. had my attention.

The voice acting is all over the place. Some of it is great and some of it is EXTREMELY bad. The queen at the end of the first act is pretty bad and Cain sounds like he's voiced by a young guy pretending to be an old guy (though I shouldn't be so critical after hearing how bad my voice acting its). the music is wonderful. Say what you want about Blizzard games, but no one can say they have terrible soundtracks. I love the music in these games and I'm glad to see it's just as good as it used to be.

Lastly...the cheesiness kind of works for it. Once I get over the fact that this game actually scared the shit out of me when I was younger and many of the bosses were actually intimidating, it's super hilarious. I love the physics and how bodies just cartwheel through the air at the slightest provocation. Dropping chandeliers on demon's heads and crushing others with logs. I'm playing a wizard right now and I have to admit I enjoy zapping dudes. That, and I have a GOD DAMNED LASER. Everything is better with lasers. That and I giggle constantly at how chill everyone is about demons and the forces of Hell cropping up everywhere. The Blacksmith ends up needing help killing his wife at the beginning and right after he's all "time to get back to work...now where's that darned apprentice..."

Overall, the game angers me, but it has redeeming attributes. I will continue to play it. I already have plans for a Barbarian after my wizard so that's cool. I just really needed to get that out, mostly because the hype that that game is getting from my friends and the general gaming community is just so blown out of proportion. Need a bit of a counter-balance every now and then. In return, I will try to relax a little and just enjoy it for what it is....grudgingly.

Hmm...

I may need a new graphics card on my rendering and video production computer. It's powerful but...

So I'm playing on my laptop instead, which turns items pink and lags like crazy. At least the game is playable...and often hilarious. I'll have video footage for this...not a full LP, but lots of random stuff. Prepare for bodies to cartwheel majestically through the air in comical fashion.

Diablo 3

Well...I have a lot of mixed feelings on this one.

Sitting here waiting for it to install, and I honestly don't know what to think about this game. On one hand, it's super nostalgic for me. Diablo 1 and Warcraft 2 were two games I was extremely addicted to when I was about 7 or 8 years old. I played these games A LOT. I've always had access to video games (my parents were gamers themselves on all the old systems), but these were the first "grown up" games I played along with Dungeon Siege, Dungeon Keeper 2 and Myst. I never really got into Starcraft until Jr. High when I made some new friends. I also played a lot of Diablo 2 when it first came out.

On the other hand, I've had a lot of issues with Blizzard games. They have irritated me beyond all reason, have made some decisions that I have not agreed with, and made it extremely difficult for me to play even if I had 100% legitimate copies and accounts (long story behind a lot of those). I've also had a lot of major life events revolve around these games that have effected me both in positive and negative ways. Recently, they have been rather negative. Sounds strange, but it's all been normal to me. Regardless, I can't play Starcraft without immediately becoming frustrated, nervous or angry, I have no desire to play Warcraft 3 (and DotA and all its clones) for the same reasons and haven't touched Diablo 2 in three years.

So in the end, Diablo 3 is a game I feel I need to play to come to terms with some past issues and I hope to have a little fun along the way. Problem is that I can't begin playing with a clean slate. It's impossible. This game's got a lot of baggage and weight to it, but I'm hoping that it'll be fun. Different people worked on this one, which concerns me, but I have no opinion thus far as I've only watched someone else play the beta.

I'm planning on playing a wizard first (the magic classes in these games have a special place in my heart). I'm also kind of playing that class out of spite (long story there that I'm not going to get into here) I'm really interested in Monk and Demon Hunter, but those will have to wait. Anyway, here's to a new chapter and a lot of fun times.

It is extremely unlikely that I will play any multiplayer games with anyone, but I may change my mind.

List of Challenges: Super Masochistic Edition

I originally wanted to use a list of 20 challenges for Dungeon Siege 2, but I narrowed it down to 12 to keep it simple and realistic for an LP. However, for anyone that wants it...

List of Challenges: 

SUPER MASOCHISTIC EDITION

1 Ridin' Solo (Have your main character solo all bosses, minor and major)

2 Brawl (All Melee)

3 Sober Up (No Potions) 

4 Sniper (All Ranged)

5 Silenced (No Spells)

6 Feelin' Blue (No Mana Potions)

7 Diversify (Multi-classed characters fight with non-dominant weapon)

8 Granola (All Nature Magic)

9 Power Down (No Magic Weapons - does not include spells)

10 Buzz Kill (No Powers)

11 Lost Mojo (No Magic Armour)

12 Bad Medicine (No Health Potions) 

13 Punch Cat (One character has no weapon/spell equipped)

14 Naked (No armour)

15 Cut Off (Do Not Spend Money/Sell Items)

16 Disco Inferno (All Combat Magic) 

17 A Little "Special" (equip all owned quest-related or special items)

18 Medieval (No Magic Items - of any sort including jewlery)

19 Cocktail (Must use a different mysterious chant every time you encounter an alter)

20 No Effect!

Some of these may need to be tailored to fit the skill sets of the player or based on the difficulty of gameplay. These may be more difficult on the first playable level. 

Eternal Grace Set

The eternal struggle.

Another one of the first sets that drops in the game. Not sure if this format is better than typing everything out...testing a few different options here.

Nature's Vigilance

The first set acquired in the game to introduce players to the idea of set items. Sorry I don't have the screenshots of the specs. I don't have individual shots of the earlier pieces because...I dunno the world was thrown out of orbit for a split second and my mind suffered a bout of dangerous inertia that altered my thinking capacities beyond recognizable levels. IT'S OKAY! That didn't even make sense to me. Nature's Vigilance!

Top Right - Boots
Vigilant Boots - Dryad Boots
ARMOUR: 11
CHARACTER LEVEL: 6
+4 Dexterity
+5% Health Regeneration
+4 Armour

 Bottom Left - Gloves
Vigilant Gloves - Dryad Gloves
ARMOUR: 5
CHARACTER LEVEL: 3
+4% Nature Magic Damage
+5% Mana Regeneration
+4% Lightning Resistance

 Bottom Middle - Armour
Vigilant Hauberk - Dryad Armour (I love the word "Hauberk." Sounds so bliddy regal)
ARMOUR: 20
CHARACTER LEVEL: 4
+4 Strength
+12 Health Bottom Right - Helm

Vigilant Crest - Dryad Helm
ARMOUR: 11
CHARACTER LEVEL: 8
+4 Intelligence
+20 Mana
+5% Death Resistance

 Set Bonus - Four Items
+20 Health
+15 Armour
+10% Lightning Resistance


 ...I always liked the bonus called "Death Resistance." I know it means "Death Magic," but I often think "well yeah...I sure as hell hope it helps me resist death or we'll have another Zed on our hands."