Profile for Delicious Vlish
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Displayed name | Delicious Vlish |
| Member number | 627 |
| Title | His Mighty Tentacle |
| Postcount | 1104 |
| Homepage | |
| Registered | Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
Recent posts
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| Author | Recent posts |
|---|---|
| The Fall of the Cryoan Empire in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
|
written Thursday, November 30 2006 11:34
Profile
Maybe it is... It just feels like it is entirely to easy to have all of the perks of shaping with none of the downsides usually associated with it. Low hit points, dramatic skill investments, all of the dedication that used to belong with making a really good shaper. You wound up with really strong creations and it payed off big. In echange for personal weakness, your army had a great deal of strength. Now, with a measly 2 or more points in magic shaping, you can create an army of wingbolts that will utterly smash anything in your path. And you don't even need to spend those skill points. You can get all your points from items and still come out with plenty of levels of magic shaping to make said wingbolts even better. This was a really good thing I thought at first. Now, after a couple of times though, it is easy to see that this ability gives to much to some classes and, well, takes away from others. You can play a shaper type character now and never once add to shaping, and still have the sort of creation army that can and will win the game for you. You can have your cake and eat it too. Godlike indestructability AND an unstoppable army of creations. Previously, it was either one or the other. Agents offered Godlike power, and shapers offered Godzilla like creations. Now, the two have merged leaving no downsides, no weak spot, no thin place. It obviously wasn't intentional, and I sort of saw a bit of balance problem in the beta, but I did not see the full effect until now. In order to be really good at something, you had to give up something, at least that is how it was. There was the Guardian, which on higher difficulties was the challenge character, fun to play with for tactical purposes, like the Hunter Guardian. There was the Agent, who was arguably, well, a devine being. And the Shaper. Now, well, the line is blurry. You can use an infiltrator or a servile to make a perfectly serviceable and quite powerful shaper type. But this is reduntant, because the servile comes out miles ahead from the infiltrator really. By endgame, the cost for magic skills is leveled out by better hit points, combat skills, higher starting physical stats, etc. The Warrior and the Shock Trooper are redundant as well, overlapping far to much. With the shaper skill boosters, neither class really needs to add to shaping skills, so the Warrior edges out the Shock Trooper for slightly cheaper combat skills. I played both a Warrior and a Shock Trooper right up through to the end of the game and they are, for all intents and purposes, the exact same character, who is ideally better off letting items boost their shaping skills and saving their skill points for other things, simply because a few extra levels on a creation makes no difference at all really. For all out melee, A Servile can trounce the Warrior with no effort at all. Magic is the great leveler. With cheap blessing magic at higher levels, a Servile has better combat skills than the warrior. Better to hit, better armor, better damage, better physical and magical protection, all things the warrior can't muster because of high skill cost. So the warrior, really, has become redundant. You can make a better character for combat with another class. And the shaping skills, being average or poor, do not reflect in this decision because both classes can in effect, shape equally because of the changes made. So the servile wins out for cheaper magic skills. Which leaves the Servile and the Lifecrafter as the two character classes that are optimal. Both have the same capicity for magic, but one shapes, and has low hit points, and the other melees, and has oodles of hit points. With these two classes being the strongest classes, for all intents and purposes, you can further blur the line between servile and lifecrafter with items, but you can not make a lifecrafter more servile-like. Lower hit points and combat skills hobble the lifecrafter from full potential. So, the Servile can have it all, literally, while the Lifecrafter still has to live with a few glaring weaknesses. Therein lies the neutering... Or at least the cheapening of the shaper as a character. There is no longer a reason or a need to have those weaknesses, you can have it all. You don't have to accept the weaknesses to have all of the power. A servile with a pair of cryodryaks and a wingbolt or two is just as powerful as a lifecrafter with the same creations, and holds an edge because of hit points and probably better magical damage. And of course the servile will have better magical skills, he doesn't need to pump anything else really. While a lifecrafter on the other hand should be pumping his shaping skills. What is the point if playing a shaper if you don't pump those? Although technically you could ignore your shaping skills and get what you need through items, and pump magic skills out of the wazoo to support your creations. But if you did that, might as well get the hit point and physical melee stats of the servile. Make sense just a little? -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| The Fall of the Cryoan Empire in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
|
written Thursday, November 30 2006 09:34
Profile
I believe that the servile's ability to apply damage directly either through magic or melee gives them a distinct advantage over the lifecrafter and his creations. I also believe that the absurdly high number of hit points tilts the game in the servile's favour. The only thing that really matters in this game is magic skill... Just as before in the three previous games. Creations, the ability to create, that is just gravy. Both the servile and the lifecrafter are fairly equal in terms of magical abilities, however, the servile gains turtle mage status and becomes rather indestructable once you know what you are doing. Indestructable like killing Shaftoe before you are level 20. Or clearing the Circle of the Dryak in your early teens. With the new AP system, there are to many things that slip past your creations, and the lifecrafter does not have enough life. There are a million little factors. My point is, lifecrafters have some glaring weaknesses to go along with their moderate strength. (Strength that any class can have by the way, with no real investment) The servile, where is the weakness? -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| The Fall of the Cryoan Empire in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
|
written Thursday, November 30 2006 08:29
Profile
And this is why I've said that the shaper / lifecrafter types are hosed. Even during the beta, I said that all of the reasons to specialise in shaping are now gone because of creation costs and reduced skill levels. All of the prestige and glory of being a dedicated shaper is no more. For a moment, lets take a look at the Servile and the Lifecrafter. Both have roughly the same cost for magic skills. They are both average. Now, the Lifecrafter is frail and fragile. Many scripted encounters place him in the front of combat, including at least one or two nasty battles with drakons who can eat him with one chomp. The Lifecrafter really has NO need at all to add to shaping skills. No, really. With the items in the game, the Lifecrafter will be able to shape anything and everything if he is patient. So the Lifecrafter is free to bump up magic out the wazoo or work on geek skills. But why bother? The Servile can also shape pretty much everything in the game once the right items are found. Gets more health, has better geek skills, has the exact same magic costs, and gets an absurd number of hit points. Avantage here? Shall I even bother going in to a blow by blow analysis of other classes and how they compare to the Servile... Like, the warrior for example, the grand master of combat who has average shaping skills... Guess who comes out so far ahead on the raw power scale between the warrior and the servile... Guess who has more hit points, better armor, equal shaping abilities, better crowd control, better damage spreads, better to hit accuracy... Just make a guess. I didn't realise this during the beta. I was busy playing all of the different classes at different points of the game and had not managed to optimise everything yet. Guess who makes the best melee character? The best shaper type? The best mage? All of the power of the shaper class is neutered. All of the other classes are poorly optimised for what they are actually designed for. Anything they can do, the servile can do better. Magic, melee, shaping. Either through items, careful build design and skill point spread, or the raw power of magic to cover any thin areas. The servile class has no disadvantage, no weakness. No failing. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| Strategy Central -- Links to Useful Information in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
|
written Tuesday, November 28 2006 06:15
Profile
In all fairness, the battle magic servile and the mental magic servile are probably one in the same. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| Geneforge cheats in Geneforge Series | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
|
written Monday, November 27 2006 18:49
Profile
I have one. 'theyjustwontstaydead'. Fills the area with hostile shades, spectres, and undead. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| Servile Battle Mage in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
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written Monday, November 27 2006 08:21
Profile
One thing. The mobs are larger. Instead of a cryodryak and some cannon fodder, you face an army of cryos. And some cannon fodder. Eyebeasts with armies of rotterthingamajigs. It is a numbers game. Wands, crystals, etc, not enough of them in this game. Not enough supplies. You run dry way to quickly. There is a comparable number of supplies I think to match G3, but the sheer number of enemies have changed the dynamic. What was almost enough for G3 is petty and insignificant now. No where near enough. All of the higher level creations shrug off strong daze in a round or two. Strong daze does not feel as strong as it once was. Still good for slowing down the cannon fodder types to give you some breathing room. That, and strong daze comes way to late in the game. Regular daze starts wearing out entirely to quickly. Once you hit the Fens, daze is a dicey effort. Acid shower and running like hell is the best way to deal with wingbolts, which hurt like hell, resist dazing entirely to much, and resist your hard hitting magic assaults. Even more effective if you can slow them so you can stay out of reach of their deadly breath attack. Some of those wingbolts can hit you for over 200 damage a shot. (Which is why the shaper/lifecrafter class has nightmares) Also, some monsters regenerate way to fast. Magic, namely the lightning aura or acid damage, is the best way to wear stuff down. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| Servile Battle Mage in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
|
written Monday, November 27 2006 07:34
Profile
Well, acid shower, aura of flames, both are really good for softening mobs or even outright killing of cannon fodder foes. Essence orbs or lances is a great opening volley to soften up a pack. The servile still has the primary weakness of any melee character, the ability to process mobs. By hamstringing all of his foes, the servile holds a better chance of sucess. That, and there are some monsters that you just don't want to melee. Like spiny types. Batons kill one monster at a time, and still have their place. Some battle magic just makes crowd liquidation easer and less time consuming. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| Servile Battle Mage in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
|
written Sunday, November 26 2006 19:03
Profile
I have one roaring right along, just met with Alwan and is on his way to find the safehouse. Mech 12, leadership 8, no points invested in melee skills or str or dex. I bought 2 points in spellcraft before killing Shalia. Got lucky and got a Thahdskin tunic in the docks area. Hitting for about 60 or so damage with a steel sword. Blessed, I can crack 100 damage on a really good shot. Battle magic and mental magic are both at 4. No points in endurance just yet. Ice Bolt is doing about 80 damage a shot, a little more or a little less on some foes. Searer is leaving clawbugs at a sliver and killing them the next round. Observation note on dedicated build. NOT AN AGENT. Hit and run not needed. I can safely stand in the thick of melee and just lay waste. I take a few hits, but parry seems to block enough. Effective play style: Turtle Mage. Is it just me or do Serviles have some sort of resistance? I don't remember my warriors being this sturdy. Servile runs out of gas faster than an Agent though. I can only fire off four or five ice blasts before the green bar hits empty. And then I am forced to resort to stabbing stuff to death, which is not a problem. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| New Monster Info Pics in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
|
written Sunday, November 26 2006 07:47
Profile
Anybody catch the part about alphas and betas coming from the same stock as serviles? And the loin cloth joke? I finally took some screen shots so I could get a close look at them, they dissapear in seconds. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| where did the humans " all outisders and shapers "came from in Geneforge Series | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
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written Sunday, November 26 2006 07:43
Profile
In G4 you find out that battle alphas and battle betas share the same stock as serviles. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| Shaping a Servile in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
|
written Saturday, November 25 2006 20:17
Profile
No. Next question. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| About this Dinitia person. in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
|
written Saturday, November 25 2006 17:59
Profile
D'oh, I was thinking of the freehold. Nevermind. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| Cryoa (and Artila) are the new Vlish in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
|
written Saturday, November 25 2006 17:50
Profile
Vlish are the new Jello. There is always room for Vlish. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| About this Dinitia person. in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
|
written Saturday, November 25 2006 17:11
Profile
It is not a person you are looking for, but a zone. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| Best Charcter in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
|
written Saturday, November 25 2006 17:07
Profile
Lather, rinse, repeat. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| Slartanalysis: Classes in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
|
written Saturday, November 25 2006 06:18
Profile
I think that with time, and some refinement, the Servile will come out as the Red Mage / Red Wizard of G4. Melee skills? Don't need them. Really. There are items that will boost your melee skills. Missile skills? A few points are worth having. Leadership could probably be kept at 8 and then rely on items. Blessing magic may be able to be kept at base. Items will boost it considerably. Mechanics is probably safe at 10 or 12. Mental magic out the wazoo, a couple of points in to battle magic and some items, and everything else in to physical stats. Int and endurance probably. Provided you get the right items, what you end up with: High health, hard hitting melee ability, reasonable buffing abilities, a decent energy pool, enough mental fireworks to scramble an entire colony of shapers, and no real weaknesses. With a couple of swap out items, you can shape anything really. I can not find a single drawback. You wind up with a long nosed terminator. Ideal gear is still up for discussion, but the Legs of the Tyrant are the first item up for mention. And you know, you could even skip out on missile weapon skills and just stick with swords... Sure, batons are powerful, but it is painfully easy to reach lightning aura and essence orbs as a Servile. Really, even though I haven't done it yet, it shouldn't be that hard to get 9/9 battle magic mental magic. You don't need jacked battle magic like the Agents of long ago, you just need an opening volley to soften up the crowd. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| Are Fyoras Cute? in Geneforge Series | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
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written Friday, November 24 2006 19:46
Profile
Hugging and or squeezing a Vlish will get you exactly what you deserve. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| SYNERGY LIST: GF4?Where To Find Stuff And What It Does in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
|
written Friday, November 24 2006 19:12
Profile
No reaper baton listed. I know I've found one, but can never remember where. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| Do You Feel Lucky? in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
|
written Thursday, November 23 2006 19:10
Profile
Thahdskin tunic is a random drop. Some times I get it, some times I don't. I really like it when I get it. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| G4 Beta testing stories (SPOILERS) in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
|
written Wednesday, November 22 2006 15:59
Profile
At first I thought the Doppleganger Vlish was a punishment meant especially for me and all my talk about Vlish being the ultimate creation. I was faced with my worst fear. Uber Vlish. I mean the real deal hardcore Godlike Vlish that shapers have nightmares about. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| G4 Beta testing stories (SPOILERS) in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
|
written Wednesday, November 22 2006 15:52
Profile
I remember early on in the beta I walked in to those Vlish infested woods. Good grief. In moments, I do mean moments, once the first few Vlish called for help, it was over. All my creations, toasted. Warrior, toasted. Went down hard and fast. I am really glad that Jeff made changes to enemy Vlish. Still nasty, but not instantly fantastically lethal. My servile got hosed to. And the Doppleganger Vlish in Thornton. Oh cripes. I am glad that Jeff toned him down. And the Hive Mind Vlish in the area with Trajkovite Dryak... Criminy! All these new Vlish, still no Tasty Vlish. Jeff had better get it right by G5. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| Slartanalysis: Creations I in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
|
written Wednesday, November 22 2006 14:08
Profile
I think the dialog bits where you are forced in to combat with your fragile lifecrafter in the front of your creations has turned me off from lifecrafters. Like when you have to deal with the drakons, and have to go fight whatsisname. The game script moves you and your creations to the arena, with you OUT FRONT. Poof. A couple of firebreaths later, you are burnt to a cinder. Or chomped. Oh the forged gene humanity. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
| What do I do with the DMG file? in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
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written Wednesday, November 22 2006 14:01
Profile
Stuffit went and left behind a GLARING backdoor opportunity with OSX, is riddled with bugs, and all kinds of security features. (Some of which we found out about during the beta no less) Apple went and gave them the bird by adding in built in compression utilities that offer better compression than anything stuffit offers. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |