XCOM: Warspace Mod

In this article I will be discussing a specific mod for XCOM which for me has greatly improved a lot of the features and made the game a lot more fun and engaging not to mention challenging. For those intrested in installing and running the mode I will include links at the bottom of this article. Please note I cannot provide technical support for this mod I am merely discussing my experiences with it.

One of the first changes you will notice at the start of the game is modifications to health and damage. The sectoids now start with 4 health rather than 3 but your weapons have been improved to reflect this.  Your grenades will do 4 damage so can still be used to 1 shot sectoids, and your rifles have had their damage upgraded respectively. Although I can't say specifically how (the mod creator is vague on the details) the AI really doesn't make 'stupid' moves. An example of this would be floaters using their 'jump' ability and leaving themselves in open ground, with this mod they always seem to jump behind hard cover. With the AI overhaul there also comes another new feature for the'zombies' in the game, if you don't put a zombie down fast enough they in turn will die and spawn another Chrysalid for you to deal with.

Another nice feature is the skills tree's have been re-designed for all classes, for example the sniper now starts with squad site rather than head shot. The heavy has now gained the assaults ability 'flush' which forces an opponent to move from cover. This feels like a very good fit for your heavies and I have been a lot more keen to take them based on this ability. Another change is your troops are slightly less prone to dying, how ever the down side is you can end up with a solider being injured for 30+ days. This may seem harsh but it forces you to change up your line up regularly and your managing your soldiers becomes a real issue rather than having your super line up trash everything.

Another big change is shooting down UFO's is a lot more of a challenge even the basic scout UFO's require at least 2 Interceptors to take down. You will need to spend funds dismissing your shops and hiring new ones if their damage is to high so you're always ready for an attack. Upgrading your ships becomes a high priority as does using the 'buffs' such as dodge and aim on your ships, something i never found a need for in the un-modded version.

The changes I have outlined above can't quite do justice to how much of an improvement this mod has brought to the game. If you have completed classic ironman and feel that the random number generator on impossible is just to dull, I highly advise you look into this mod.

Official Warspace mod page:http://xcom.nexusmods.com/mods/18

Official Warspace discussion thread:http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/808571-warspace-extension-discussion/page-17

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Midnight launch of Metal Gear Solid Rising: Revengeance

 

 

On Thursday 21^st February, the legendary Hideo Kojima – creator of the Metal Gear Solid series (and other notable works) attended a launch for his latest masterpiece, Metal Gear Solid Rising: Revengence. He was joined by Yoji Shinkawa, who is responsible for the amazing artwork for the game.

I had never been to a midnight launch before Thursday night, I suppose I’ve never wanted a game that badly before. But when I found out that the man himself Hideo Kojima would be there, just an hour’s drive from me – nothing was going to stop me!

After having arrived at around 9.30pm I spent about 15mins trying to find the GAME store itself before I finally arrived. I had read on twitter that only the first 200 would get to meet Hideo, so at this point I was totally freaking out and praying that I would get to meet him. When I got to the till and was presented with ticket number 185, I did have a small nerdgasm!

I then joined the queue outside, in the cold. None of us had any idea, or had any kind of warning that we would have to stand outside. It was clear from how some were dressed that not many were prepared for such adverse conditions. After 20 minutes I couldn’t feel my hands, my feet, or anything else for that matter.

I asked the security guard if we were going to have to stand outside until midnight, but he said only until 10.00pm (it was already 9.50pm). He also said that we could go and grab some food then come back, which I gladly obliged.

When we finally got to go inside I was so far at the back of the queue that I couldn’t see or hear the Q&A session going on. It seemed totally disorganised to me, there was a large tv screen above the queue which they could have easily used to stream from so that the others at the back could see what was going on. But all we could do was stand and wait.

Eventually at midnight the queue started moving at a minimal pace. But an employee at GAME came to deliver us some bad news, Hideo Kojima changed his mind about signing autographs and will only be taking pictures. Not only that but all pictures can only be taken by the cameraman inside and not by yourself.

Since we had all been waiting so long (and in the cold for most of it) this left many fans disappointed. Some people had brought other Metal Gear games, posters and such to be signed by Hideo Kojima – so this news really damped the mood. I told myself that I wasn’t going to let this get me down, to be honest just meeting him was enough for me.

When we were finally allowed inside the store I couldn’t believe that he was standing less than 2 meters away from me. I caught Yoji Shinkawa’s eye so I waved at him, and he smiled and waved back at me. I got to the front of the till, paid for my game then joined the queue to take a picture with them. Hideo handed me the game, and Yoji gave me the specially designed steelcase.

I finally got to meet my gaming hero, and this is something I never thought would happen. I hope that Hideo visits the UK again in the future, it would be nice to get my game signed next time. If you want the chance to meet him, I suggest following him on twitter @HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN.

 

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2-D Survival Horror: Lone Survivor

The title says it all a 2-D survival horror game, as unlikely as those two words being used in the same sentence may well be, the statement holds true. Lone survivor's roots are definitely entrenched in the first Silent Hill games, from the feeling of dread the game instills to the hard to distinguish machine like noises that erupt from the creatures. 

The game itself finds you in control of medical mask wearing man who appears to be in his late 20's. You are tasked with simply surviving and exploring your apartment complex, unfortunately your sanity has been getting the better of you recently. There is no bar or meter to track your sanity only the sense that the world and the way your character behaves becomes stranger. You are able to take pills to try and alleviate these effects, but it's never clear how the pills will effect you.

Along with pills you have to keep yourself fed and scavenging for food becomes rapidly important and you often feel relieved at finding some edible food. As when times become desperate the hunk of rotting meat in your fridge starts to look a lot more tasty... 

The meat of the game is going to be running, hiding and occasionally fighting the twisted incantations of this world. The emphasis on shooting is really played down, you only ever have a hand gun and ammo is exceptionally rare. This ramps the tension up considerably as it's nearly always better to run or hide from the twisted apparitions that live in this world with you.

For those who scoff at the idea of 2-D game being scary I request you at least play the demo and wet your beak. I haven't experienced this feeling of claustrophobic dread created by the atmosphere  from horror games in a long time. For it to come from a small indie 2-D title is even more impressive.

Grab your head phones because you can play the demo online here: http://www.lonesurvivor.co.uk/demo.html

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Walls VS Mono Energy

 

Today's Scrolls video features a rather different kind of gameplay ! We wanted to have a bit of fun so we made a 'tower defense' style deck using structures - with the aim to see how long it would get to break through.

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XCOM: Classic Ironman Begginer's Guide

This article is meant for players who have completed and enjoyed XCOM: Enemy Unkown on normal difficulty but are having trouble stepping up into classic iron man. I myself have never played the original XCOM, and have had incredible difficulty going from normal to classic as the step up in challenge is quite steep. Hopefully with a few tips and help, you can survive your attempt and Classic Ironman Xcom and come out the other-side grinning for more.

Early Game Base Management

First thing's first, for your first Classic play-through I highly advise picking the US as your starting XCOM base. The reason for this? The reduction in cost to satellites. This is key for getting a strong foot hold and getting you cash flow going. Your first priority is to get as many satellites up as quickly as possible. There is no need to worry about rushing into the story mission or even researching the arc thrower. Take your time and get your satellite network up to scratch.Only ever launch satellites 1 day before your council report is due, launching satellites any earlier is a bad idea as you never know how the country's panic levels will look come the end of the month. Rush for carapace armor asap. Research alien materials first then carapace armor, you are going to need to get some experienced troops asap and the armor helps keep them alive to get to this stage.

Key Points:

• Get your soldiers kitted out in carapace Armour asap.
• Launch satellites 1 day before your council report is due.
• Try to dig to a steam node asap to get your power situation under control
• Don't worry about getting satellites coverage over an entire nation quickly just keep country's panic levels under control. 

Tactics In The Field

Now we get down to the meat of the challenge in Classic Ironman, the combat. There is a lot to learn here but I will try and cover the key points which will help your troops survive. Firstly BE PATIENT no seriously, take your time moving across the map running into enemy's after dashing into cover is never good and can often lead to casualty's  Move your selected solider to the max BLUE movement field, we don't want them dashing. By doing this you have options and don't end up with a solider stranded ahead of your squad staring down 3 sectoids. Regardless of cover he will die. Generally its always better to edge your troops in slowly and where possible in cover and finally leaving them in overwatch. 

Use grenades liberally, don't worry about them blowing up the aliens weapons, getting experience on your troops from the kills is far more useful than getting a few weapon fragments early game. 

Understand the cover mechanic, the cover is a perfect 180 degree/half circle arc in front of the cover being provided, so any shots coming from the side behind this half circle regardless of how slight will count as flanking. Full cover prevents your troops from shooting over it, they may only shoot round the side use this to your advantage to hide your troops from sight while moving them into position.

Amazing paint skills!

Key Points:

• Don't rush! take your bloody time and think about every action you take! Patience is key.
• Use your movement wisely, while exploring the map NEVER dash you will be punished.
• Use explosives as much as possible, spam grenades and launch rockets like there is no tomorrow.
• Get to grips with the cover mechanics and don't be afraid to fall back to better cover or hide a troop in full cover to move him into position. 
• To be hidden in full cover there must be 2 blocks of full cover either side of the one you are using to hide.
• Always leave your troops in overwatch when possible 
• Use troops in overwatch to cover your other soldiers who could be easily flanked.
• If moving your sniper try to leave them in overwatch with the pistol equipped where possible. 
• DON'T RUSH, TAKE YOUR TIME AND BE PATIENT.

Summary

The advise and tactics I have outlined above may not be the best out there or the most efficient but they should hopefully let you sink your teeth into Classic Ironman mode and develop your own tactics.Classic Ironman is a step up, your troops are going to die, country's will abandon the Xcom project and you will feel under pressure constantly. Once you have managed to get a foot hold though everything will become much easier and victory shall follow.

Good luck out there guys and girls!
PATIENCE IS KEY

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A cult classic: Dungeon Keeper 2

 

 

 

Dungeon Keeper 2 is the sequel to the acclaimed Dungeon Keeper, which originally spawned from the great mind of Peter Molyneux before he left Bullfrog. The game has a huge cult following and is one of the few games which I can always go back to and play.

 

Dungeon Keeper 2 is an RTS game where your aim is to keep your dungeon heart alive and shatter your opponents. You take the form of a big floating hand which is used to control the many creatures in the game and build the dungeon itself.

 



 

You progress through the game with world domination in mind, there is a 3d map which is divided into regions – you can then click to decide which map to play. There are 20 main levels in the campaign, but you can also unlock other maps and mini games.



 

In the game there are different types of rooms which you can build to improve your creatures or resources. Some rooms such as a lair and hatchery, are mandatory, so that your creature has somewhere to sleep and eat.

 

The creatures in your command can be used to fight, research new spells, or be used as scouts and guards. They join your dungeon through a portal, which must be claimed by an imp. The size of the rooms you build also determine the kinds of creatures which your dungeon will attract. It is important to bear this in mind when you may be limited to a certain amount of space.

 

 You start off with four imps, which are used for digging, claiming land, mining gold, dragging wounded creatures around, etc. The imp is the most important creature for a dungeon keeper, as they are used to build everything. However, they burn your mana resources so it’s not a good idea to have too many at once.

 

It is also possible to torture an enemy creature until they defect to serve your evil cause. This will however cause problems if they have to share living space with evil creatures and they will become unhappy. If any creature is too unhappy with your overlord skills, they will leave the dungeon and never return. Therefore, you have to build separate lairs and hatcheries to ensure that all creatures are happy.

 

 

There are also undead creatures, skeletons and vampires. Skeletons are obtained by letting a prisoner die while held hostage in your prison (this won’t work if they are left to die anywhere else). Once the creature turns into a skeleton, they can then be dropped into the dungeon and will act as a normal creature. Skeletons have no fear, and so are useful for taking out fear traps (which are annoying and will scare away imps etc).

Vampires are creature by dragging a corpse into a graveyard. When a vampire dies, they will regenerate in the nearest graveyard. But if he meets a Monk, is level one, or you don't have any Graveyards, than he will disappear in a swarm  of bats and won’t come back.

 

A fun and also useful spell in the game, is the possession spell. This spell allows the player to possess a creature and see the world through their eyes and control their actions.  This can be used on imps for example, to dig up gold faster – or on a creature to use a particular ability.

 

 

There are also other game modes available such as multiplayer, skirmish and my pet dungeon. My pet dungeon is a sandbox mode where you can amass a huge dungeon and keep playing for as long as you want. You can then order enemies at any level you want, to charge in and attack – testing the strength of your dungeon. This is useful to see how quickly you can form a solid dungeon, or for just relaxing and building without pressure.

This game is definitely a favourite of mine, I hope to make a few videos soon to show how the gameplay and different game modes work. If I've sparked your interest in this game at all, I believe that you can pick it up from gog.com for next to nothing.


 

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Summons Vs Mono Energy

So lately we have been playing around with different Scrolls decks, but we both seem rather attached to particular ones. Hurr prefers to use the summons deck, a deck which starts off slow but once it has ramped like mad it is very difficult to keep up with. Durr on the other hand likes to use mono energy, a deck which has strong structures and a lot of removal, not to mention the synergy with Elders.

We played 3 games in total, 2 recorded by Durr and 1 recorded by Hurr. In second video which was recorded by Hurr, for some reason Durr sounds like a robot. Not sure why but hopefully it's not totally unwatchable!

 

 

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Gunstar Heroes: Manic Fun

Gunstar Heroes is one of the last games I really played on my Sega before moving onto the compact disc system of the Playstation. I still go back and play it every so often even now, it's fast paced manic fun. 

You can play as 1 of 2 characters, one has the ability to run and shoot, while the other has to stand and shoot but can shoot diagonally rather than just up, down, left and right. There are various power ups the modify your guns turning them into a short range flame thrower or homing bullets.

However the real fun comes when you get more than 1 gun power up as you can combine them to create powerful effects. Using the examples above if you combine the flame thrower with homing bullets. The flame that you shoot out detaches and chases enemy's around the screen!

The movement is a real joy in this game as well with the ability to jump onto walls and kick off them. You're also able to jump onto and kick enemy's or even throw them around the screen if you're close enough.

The bosses are massive and plentiful and the explosions flashy and generous this game is a great way to kill some time even by today's standards.

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