Profile for Student of Trinity
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Displayed name | Student of Trinity |
| Member number | 3431 |
| Title | Electric Sheep One |
| Postcount | 3335 |
| Homepage | |
| Registered | Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
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| Author | Recent posts |
|---|---|
| Vezzedra help? in Geneforge 2 | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Monday, May 23 2005 15:59
Profile
No, that's not the one you want, since I don't believe it gives you any experience points. It will get you through the game and let you see some of the geography, if not the story, but it won't let you get stronger and beat things. If you hit shift-D, a command line box pops up. You can enter "Iwanttobestronger" and it will give you more experience. Repeat a few times, pumping Intelligence and maybe Magic Shaping, then make at least four decent creations (Vlish are great at this stage). Finish off ol' Vezzedra, then head south through Clawbug Canyon from the Road to Medab, and see how it goes. [ Monday, May 23, 2005 16:00: Message edited by: Student of Trinity ] -------------------- It is not enough to discover how things seem to seem. We must discover how things really seem. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Vezzedra help? in Geneforge Series | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
|
written Monday, May 23 2005 15:28
Profile
Well, a big part of your problem is your relatively high combat stats. It costs a lot of skill points for a Shaper to reach your levels of Melee, Missile, Quick Action and Parry, and you get very little bang for your buck. If you were a Guardian, by now you would be sitting around 10 in these four abilities, and doing okay. As a Shaper, you should have straight zeros in these four abilities, with the possible exception of Missile Weapons. The skill points you sunk in these areas, areas in which your Shaper will never excel, could have given you much higher Shaping skills, Magic skills, and Intelligence. You also should not have raised Mechanics so high -- there are many items available that boost it for you. (I'm assuming you don't have these items since you haven't mentioned any of the southern areas in which they can be found. If you do have several, then your Mechanics isn't actually out of line.) And it is actually not worthwhile keeping your three Shaping skills equal. Instead you should have picked one, and specialized in that type of creation. Magic is definitely my favorite choice, but some prefer Fire. You should have cranked Intelligence up to at least 8 or 10, giving you lots of Essence. You should also have raised Blessing Magic higher, and maybe Mental or Battle Magic (but probably not both). If you had done these thing, by now you should definitely have your small army of experienced Vlish, and be comfortably tearing things apart. As it is, you will be badly handicapped for a long time, trying to live down your poor skill point investments in combat skills and Mechanics. You may well want to scrap this character and start over. If you do want to keep struggling along, you should probably go South, then West, eventually heading towards Rising. There are some comparatively easier areas in that direction, which you might be able to beat. I don't really envy you the job, though: at this point your enemies may well be getting stronger faster than you are. You might also consider lowering the game difficulty level, or even using some of the cheat codes to boost your experience (as a way of 'undoing' your earlier unwise choices by getting more skill points). The fact that your Spellcraft is greyed out is weird. I don't understand that. I don't think that's supposed to happen under any circumstances. If you just don't have enough skill points to buy any Spellcraft, you should just not be offered the little "+" button next to it. Maybe there is actually something wrong with your game file. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Vezzedra help? in Geneforge 2 | |
|
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
|
written Monday, May 23 2005 15:28
Profile
Well, a big part of your problem is your relatively high combat stats. It costs a lot of skill points for a Shaper to reach your levels of Melee, Missile, Quick Action and Parry, and you get very little bang for your buck. If you were a Guardian, by now you would be sitting around 10 in these four abilities, and doing okay. As a Shaper, you should have straight zeros in these four abilities, with the possible exception of Missile Weapons. The skill points you sunk in these areas, areas in which your Shaper will never excel, could have given you much higher Shaping skills, Magic skills, and Intelligence. You also should not have raised Mechanics so high -- there are many items available that boost it for you. (I'm assuming you don't have these items since you haven't mentioned any of the southern areas in which they can be found. If you do have several, then your Mechanics isn't actually out of line.) And it is actually not worthwhile keeping your three Shaping skills equal. Instead you should have picked one, and specialized in that type of creation. Magic is definitely my favorite choice, but some prefer Fire. You should have cranked Intelligence up to at least 8 or 10, giving you lots of Essence. You should also have raised Blessing Magic higher, and maybe Mental or Battle Magic (but probably not both). If you had done these thing, by now you should definitely have your small army of experienced Vlish, and be comfortably tearing things apart. As it is, you will be badly handicapped for a long time, trying to live down your poor skill point investments in combat skills and Mechanics. You may well want to scrap this character and start over. If you do want to keep struggling along, you should probably go South, then West, eventually heading towards Rising. There are some comparatively easier areas in that direction, which you might be able to beat. I don't really envy you the job, though: at this point your enemies may well be getting stronger faster than you are. You might also consider lowering the game difficulty level, or even using some of the cheat codes to boost your experience (as a way of 'undoing' your earlier unwise choices by getting more skill points). The fact that your Spellcraft is greyed out is weird. I don't understand that. I don't think that's supposed to happen under any circumstances. If you just don't have enough skill points to buy any Spellcraft, you should just not be offered the little "+" button next to it. Maybe there is actually something wrong with your game file. -------------------- It is not enough to discover how things seem to seem. We must discover how things really seem. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Pure Crystal Shard location in Geneforge Series | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Monday, May 23 2005 13:12
Profile
Ha! Congratulations! That actually makes sense in context, since Hoge is awfully jumpy in that episode. Maybe he didn't realize the Bulwark Inn doesn't do decaf. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| The artifacts (SPOILERS) in Geneforge Series | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Monday, May 23 2005 13:10
Profile
You can enhance both armors and both belts, but for some reason not the shields. I think you can enhance the two rings, but I'm not sure. Golden crystals are rated the best enhancement by the marketplace, though for melee Guardians a Reviving Crystal on your sword is too good to pass up, and a lot of Steel Spines on your other gear are excellent automated payback. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Pure Crystal Shard location in Geneforge Series | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
|
written Monday, May 23 2005 12:09
Profile
It could be I just didn't remember rightly, but it might be that the location of the Shard depends on whether you're a Rebel or a Loyalist. The dialogs in Khor's Deep have you pegged as one or the other -- they differ quite a bit depending on which it is. So perhaps the PSC location also varies, since if you're a Rebel but don't have enough leadership, you might never get into Hoge's bedroom, and the game might not want to lock you out of getting the Infiltrator's Ring in this case. (BTW it looks as though it must be possible to kill Hoge before you get to him in Khor's Deep, because the script shows the possibility of meeting Mooralas there instead. Presumably this is also why the death text mentions only that 'the master of Khor's Deep' has been killed. I tried awfully hard to nail Hoge in the Bulwark Inn with my Guardian and Alwan, using speed to rush over to him and hem him in behind his table so he had to stay and fight. Just didn't have the oomph to take him down, alas. Maybe a Shaper with a good squad of creations could do it.) -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Paradox of Technology and Jobs. in General | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Monday, May 23 2005 11:35
Profile
It's just that there are some very decent-paying jobs that don't require much book-learning. Lumberjacks, miners, autoworkers, steelworkers -- these folks can all make considerably more than university professors, even if they don't make as much as lawyers and doctors. But these jobs are dying out, and retraining can't usually offer anything that will pay more than half as much. The trickle-down effect on formerly affluent blue-collar communities that are losing more than half their income is severe. Whole ways of life are fading away. In the long run, if it's a matter of choosing whether or not my grandchildren will have to climb trees with chainsaws or grind coaldust deep underground, it seems not just inevitable but great that these dangerous jobs are becoming extinct. In the short term it's awfully tough on the highly skilled people who work very hard, and suddenly can't earn anywhere near what they're used to. They don't have to stay unemployed, but they are essentially doomed to being badly underemployed, compared to the careers they used to enjoy. -------------------- It is not enough to discover how things seem to seem. We must discover how things really seem. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Who's strongest in Geneforge Series | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
|
written Monday, May 23 2005 11:19
Profile
They are all okay in themselves, but in practice they are all pretty horrible, because they are uncontrolled. They would have to be incredibly strong to compensate for the tremendous handicap this puts on your whole party. And they aren't. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Who's strongest in Geneforge 2 | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
|
written Monday, May 23 2005 11:19
Profile
They are all okay in themselves, but in practice they are all pretty horrible, because they are uncontrolled. They would have to be incredibly strong to compensate for the tremendous handicap this puts on your whole party. And they aren't. -------------------- It is not enough to discover how things seem to seem. We must discover how things really seem. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Which Faction Has The Powa? in Geneforge Series | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
|
written Monday, May 23 2005 11:13
Profile
I'm not talking about those canisters. The Barzite-only canisters are different. There is a door in the West wall of Barzahl's audience hall, which only opens if you have a Barzite badge. There is no other way in the game to open it, even if you kill Barzahl and burn Rising to the ground. It leads to a set of rooms full of pretty decent gear, plus a set of six canisters that sit in pairs behind a series of thorn barriers. As you complete Barzite quests the barriers are gradually removed, allowing you to reach the canisters. The last pair are actually double-strength canisters, giving +2 (one in Spellcraft and the other in Melee Weapons, IIRC). These are the canisters that put the Barzites over the top, reward-wise. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Which Faction Has The Powa? in Geneforge 2 | |
|
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
|
written Monday, May 23 2005 11:13
Profile
I'm not talking about those canisters. The Barzite-only canisters are different. There is a door in the West wall of Barzahl's audience hall, which only opens if you have a Barzite badge. There is no other way in the game to open it, even if you kill Barzahl and burn Rising to the ground. It leads to a set of rooms full of pretty decent gear, plus a set of six canisters that sit in pairs behind a series of thorn barriers. As you complete Barzite quests the barriers are gradually removed, allowing you to reach the canisters. The last pair are actually double-strength canisters, giving +2 (one in Spellcraft and the other in Melee Weapons, IIRC). These are the canisters that put the Barzites over the top, reward-wise. -------------------- It is not enough to discover how things seem to seem. We must discover how things really seem. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Paradox of Technology and Jobs. in General | |
|
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
|
written Monday, May 23 2005 09:09
Profile
Short term economic trends can be very bad (or very good, but then we take them for granted and don't think about them), but they are caused by innumerable things. There does not appear to be any long term trend towards higher unemployment or underemployment. New industries emerge as old ones get automated out of existence. In the long run we're all dead, as Keynes observed; but I think our children are at least as likely to be better of as to be worse off. -------------------- It is not enough to discover how things seem to seem. We must discover how things really seem. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Pure Crystal Shard location in Geneforge Series | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
|
written Monday, May 23 2005 09:00
Profile
Okay, I could have sworn that on two previous playings I found one Pure Crystal Shard in the game, in Litalia's bedroom in Benerii-Eo. But now I just turned one up in Hoge's bedroom, in Khor's Deep. Did I hallucinate before, or is there some randomness about which ingredient you find where? -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Which Faction Has The Powa? in Geneforge Series | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
|
written Monday, May 23 2005 08:57
Profile
The Barzites have most to offer, because just like the Takers they offer all spells and creations, but in addition they give six excellent canisters that cannot be obtained in any way without joining Barzahl. The only things the Takers give you that you can't just take for yourself anyway are a Puresteel Soulblade (at a cost that makes it a doubtful bargain) and the company of a glowing Drayk (for a while). All the Taker canister rewards can be obtained by force. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Which Faction Has The Powa? in Geneforge 2 | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
|
written Monday, May 23 2005 08:57
Profile
The Barzites have most to offer, because just like the Takers they offer all spells and creations, but in addition they give six excellent canisters that cannot be obtained in any way without joining Barzahl. The only things the Takers give you that you can't just take for yourself anyway are a Puresteel Soulblade (at a cost that makes it a doubtful bargain) and the company of a glowing Drayk (for a while). All the Taker canister rewards can be obtained by force. -------------------- It is not enough to discover how things seem to seem. We must discover how things really seem. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Woah Crazy!! in General | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Sunday, May 22 2005 20:58
Profile
OK, for Thuryl, an even more basic tip: don't hang out in establishments that offer packs of lard. As a warning sign they are right up there with black flags and prominent spitoons. [ Sunday, May 22, 2005 21:01: Message edited by: Student of Trinity ] -------------------- It is not enough to discover how things seem to seem. We must discover how things really seem. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Capitalism ho! in General | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Sunday, May 22 2005 20:26
Profile
They just got so fed up with nailing vicious perps for mutilating poor, defenseless five dollar bills, and then watching them walk after their fancy-pants lawyers explained that it was only innocent perforation. So they fixed their wagon good. -------------------- It is not enough to discover how things seem to seem. We must discover how things really seem. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Vezzedra help? in Geneforge Series | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
|
written Sunday, May 22 2005 20:20
Profile
I guess you haven't hit the Dead Pass yet. It's in the Taker lands. I don't know where else you're meeting hunter ghosts, but I guess I've just forgotten about those earlier hunter ghosts. It has been a while since I played G2. A 22nd level Shaper with nothing but a single Clawbug is craziness. I'm amazed you've made it that far. You should have a good little squad at this point, something like half a dozen Vlish. What are all your attributes? (Strength, Intelligence, Magic Shaping, etc.) Have you been using your skill points efficiently? Your available Essence goes down if you make or evolve creations, but the only way your maximum Essence should ever drop is if you unequip an Intelligence-buffing item. Did you take off a Student's Belt or something when you hit level 21? Anyway, the percentage it shows when you miss is your chance to hit. I'm not so surprised that your Shaper's personal chance to hit High Vezzedra is low: Shapers aren't supposed to be good at combat. But a pack of Vlish ought to be making short work of the wretch, while your Shaper pops a beer pod and calls out encouragement from far to the rear. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Vezzedra help? in Geneforge 2 | |
|
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
|
written Sunday, May 22 2005 20:20
Profile
I guess you haven't hit the Dead Pass yet. It's in the Taker lands. I don't know where else you're meeting hunter ghosts, but I guess I've just forgotten about those earlier hunter ghosts. It has been a while since I played G2. A 22nd level Shaper with nothing but a single Clawbug is craziness. I'm amazed you've made it that far. You should have a good little squad at this point, something like half a dozen Vlish. What are all your attributes? (Strength, Intelligence, Magic Shaping, etc.) Have you been using your skill points efficiently? Your available Essence goes down if you make or evolve creations, but the only way your maximum Essence should ever drop is if you unequip an Intelligence-buffing item. Did you take off a Student's Belt or something when you hit level 21? Anyway, the percentage it shows when you miss is your chance to hit. I'm not so surprised that your Shaper's personal chance to hit High Vezzedra is low: Shapers aren't supposed to be good at combat. But a pack of Vlish ought to be making short work of the wretch, while your Shaper pops a beer pod and calls out encouragement from far to the rear. -------------------- It is not enough to discover how things seem to seem. We must discover how things really seem. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Vezzedra help? in Geneforge Series | |
|
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
|
written Sunday, May 22 2005 15:25
Profile
If you're talking about those nasty ghosts in the dead pass, where the mysterious horns keep blowing and so on, they're just very tough. If you're still having trouble with High Vezzedra, do not go into the Dead Pass; it is out of your league at this point. Eventually you get powerful enough to waste the ghosts easily. But it's worth pushing yourself a bit to go through the propitiation ritual, in combat mode and on Speed, before you're actually high enough level to make the ghosts easy. That's because if you do that you can grab a good charm and a very nice sword in this area. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Vezzedra help? in Geneforge 2 | |
|
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
|
written Sunday, May 22 2005 15:25
Profile
If you're talking about those nasty ghosts in the dead pass, where the mysterious horns keep blowing and so on, they're just very tough. If you're still having trouble with High Vezzedra, do not go into the Dead Pass; it is out of your league at this point. Eventually you get powerful enough to waste the ghosts easily. But it's worth pushing yourself a bit to go through the propitiation ritual, in combat mode and on Speed, before you're actually high enough level to make the ghosts easy. That's because if you do that you can grab a good charm and a very nice sword in this area. -------------------- It is not enough to discover how things seem to seem. We must discover how things really seem. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| RWG in Richard White Games | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Sunday, May 22 2005 12:53
Profile
Nothing, of course -- plus shipping and handling. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| The artifacts (SPOILERS) in Geneforge Series | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Sunday, May 22 2005 12:30
Profile
They are scattered throughout the game. Some people tell them to you (e.g. Hawthorne). Most of them you find written in old books. Or you can just look at the hint book, or at the old topic posted by Drakefyre in this forum some time back. If you're looking here I expect you don't mind a spoiler, so: Recipe for a Geneforge 3 Artifact. 1 cup Demon Bile 1 cup Mandrake Tincture 1 shaped belt/shield/plate OR 1 platinum ring 2 rare special items First, combine the two liquids on an enchanted forge. Mix well to produce one pint of Purifying Elixir. Then combine that with the equipment item, to produce a Perfected Belt/Shield/Plate/Ring. Finally combine the Perfected item with the right pair of special items, and you have made yourself an artifact. Serves one. The pairs of special items, for the eight artifacts: Creator's Belt: Blood Poison and Deep Focus Orb Lightning Girdle: Solidified Flame and Perfect Drakon Skin Crystalline Shroud (it's armor): Crystal Fibers and Deep Focus Orb Emerald Chestguard: Deep Crystal and Demon Claw Essence Aegis (a shield): Crystal Fibers and Purified Essence All-Protector (a shield): Solidified Flame and Unmelting Ice Avenger's Ring: Demon Claw and Perfect Drakon Skin Infiltrator's Ring: Pure Crystal Shard and Purified Essence Guten Appetit. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Capitalism ho! in General | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
|
written Sunday, May 22 2005 11:32
Profile
Uh, Japan could not 'take' Hawaii, even if it held the entire market value of the islands in US Treasury Bills. That's the funniest darn thing about economics: no matter how much the talking heads might wish us to believe otherwise, economics can at best reflect reality, never prescribe it. -------------------- It is not enough to discover how things seem to seem. We must discover how things really seem. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| The Vlish Lord. in Geneforge Series | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Sunday, May 22 2005 11:22
Profile
Well, that's true. Vlish are the poster-things for the originality of the Geneforge world. But although Gazers are re-hashed beholders, I like the way Jeff has realized them. I like their big grins -- they look like they are enjoying being deadly floating monstrosities. And the ones that talk all have this eerily deadpan monomaniacal attitude that seems perfect for creatures with one big eye. You can tell that Gazers aren't really going to compete with Drakons for running any kind of organized society, because they are all just too demented. The Drakons just have to find them jobs that match their obsessions, and the Gazers will be happy. Except perhaps for Aye Eye, with its seapower and giant periscope ... it might actually pose a threat. I think I've guessed a G4 subplot. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |