Profile for Synergy
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Displayed name | Synergy |
| Member number | 6292 |
| Title | Shaper |
| Postcount | 2009 |
| Homepage | |
| Registered | Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
Recent posts
Pages
| Author | Recent posts |
|---|---|
| The Fall of the Cryoan Empire in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Thursday, November 30 2006 21:16
Profile
Happy 900th, Vlish. I also wanted to add that in my experience, it was the Infiltrator who felt most powerful to me, with strong magic and average battle skills. I don't know what all the numbers say, but I think magic is the most powerful force in the game overall, and melee is next. Either combination of those two in the top two work especially well together, but somehow, the stronger magic of the Infiltrator felt more effective and satisfying to me overlall than the slightly stronger battle ability of the Servile. Why? Maybe it's because a Servile can only hit one thing at a time with what it does best. I think it is also because fairly low numbers in several Battle categories are effective. I have rarely missed hitting a thing with sword or missile in any game except with nearly wholly unboosted base numbers. Shock Troopers and Warriors...not sure what the appeal would be, but I do like the somewhat maligned Infiltrator quite well. I think a Magic/Shaping build (the missing sixth) would have been sickly powerful in its own right too, because again here, magic gives most bang for buck, and it doesn't take tons of shaping discount to make powerful builds effectively. -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| The Fall of the Cryoan Empire in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Thursday, November 30 2006 20:52
Profile
Sorry about that. All the difference one little unnoticed word can make. I can see why this would be disappointing. I don't have any previous GF experience to predispose me to any expectations or familiarity, so it was all new to me. -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| The Fall of the Cryoan Empire in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Thursday, November 30 2006 20:45
Profile
quote:Huh? Cryoa. Cryodrayks. Ur-Drakons. Eyebeasts. Not quite none stable. But I never once have used an unstable form apart from making one to see what they do. Not so fun when you can't save your pet for more than one outing. -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| The Fall of the Cryoan Empire in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Thursday, November 30 2006 20:22
Profile
Hmm, interesting discussion here. I am reflecting on how freaking tricky it must be to create a truly balanced game. I have played a game from beginning to end with every class except Warrior (I played half to two-thirds) and the Lifecrafter (which I am halfway through a game with at present, but played partial games several times during beta tests.) Bottom line gaming experience for me is I've had no problem making any type very successful. Some are just MORE successful with fewer frustrations than others. I made a very powerful Infiltrator and a very capable Shock Trooper. I love melee and magic ability and it's painful for me to sacrifice melee ability in the Lifecrafter. The Servile I just played was very effective, but I can't say it felt sickly more potent than say, my Infilatrator. The bottom line though, is that ultimately you almost surely have to make a couple creations at some point to do everything in the game. I see them as topping though. One can do virtually everything in this game as a singleton with some combination of strong magic and melee. Everyone but the Lifecrafter is capable of this. The Lifecrafter holds his own by virtue of having an army on his side, but when you are outnumbered, unless you hold far back, one hit by much of anything later in the game will take him out. Ultimately the Lifecrafter is the most vulnerable, I think. But I've had fun playing every build. If I were to have a complaint, besides the fact that the Lifecrafter doesn't feel as valuable for its special ability as it evidently once was, is that the game feels too easy, even on Torment. There were some truly nasty fights and areas which became altogether too manageable by the time the beta testing was done. I'm not that much a jock at these games, really. I think my instinct to do what it takes to optimize loot and XP, preferably as a solo PC, makes success inevitable. The deep analysis of class optimization is almost mute, in that strategy wins out over any gross advantage of any class. I still say magic is king in this game. It's the common denominator of how easy your game will be in my experience. -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| How many canisters... (spoiler needed) in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Wednesday, November 29 2006 21:37
Profile
Not sure what amount of green glowing canister use affects the endings, but I believe it's seven canisters used in the game which will make you beserk and lose dialog options and go straight into more fights. -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| Slartanalysis: Leadership in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Tuesday, November 28 2006 19:35
Profile
So here's a question. As a Lifecrafter, which do you suppose pays off more in the long run? Having maybe 3-4 creations with you most of the time and picking up more levels through higher XP earnings or just max out with 7 creations and make most battles a cakewalk? How many levels do you lose if you have lots of creations? -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| Storyline and Endings in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Tuesday, November 28 2006 19:26
Profile
I'm not quite sure how to put my finger on it, but the endings are the one part of the game that isn't satisfying to me. No matter what you do or how consistent or moral or clever or anything else you try to be, I wasn't left feeling very good or very appreciated for all my hard work and the world doesn't really become a better place in any notable way. The Trakovites have been around since GF1? -S- [ Tuesday, November 28, 2006 19:26: Message edited by: Servile Synergy ] -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| Creations Analysis, Part II in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Tuesday, November 28 2006 19:21
Profile
Nice work, Slartucker. And just to reiterate experiental perspective, cryoas are great about 3/5 or a bit more through the game. Some time in Chapter 4 I found they stopped hitting very reliably. Maybe this could be countered with more Dexterity? The Kyshakk, which you originally called lardy but have shown to be effective in your tables, I've had good experience using. They do great damage, but not magical creations, as you point out. This is why a mixture of creations is usually best. My most successful game with creations involved using a mixture of fire creations: cryoas, drayks, kysakks, and drakons — and magic creations: artilas, vlish, wingbolts, and an eyebeast. I can't imagine keeping a Chapter 1 critter around for more than three chapters or so and having it be as effective as something newer, but that's what we're still testing to determine, eh? I can't see sacrificing leadership and mechanics for so long while one pumps one shaping magic and then intelligence just so one can have a long-lasting first tier creation. It makes the game frustrating and redundant and you have to remember all the things you missed the first time through areas if you have low mechanics or leadership. So, for those of you disciplined purists who DO truly focus just on shaping at the sacrifice of so much else, how does it really play out, and how fun is it? -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| Do You Feel Lucky? in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Monday, November 27 2006 23:30
Profile
Hmm, it appears Luck has little or nothing to do with it after all. I had Luck of 1 when I got both the Cloak (from the same Consumed Fyora who drops the Fyora Charm) and in the Abandoned Docks, I got a Thadskin tunic about the same time. I played all of Chapter 1 with 0 and 1 Luck to no ill effect so far. -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| Storyline and Endings in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Monday, November 27 2006 20:40
Profile
Like most science-fiction, the anachro-fantastic futuristic world of the Geneforge looks pretty bleak no matter what the hell anyone does. -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| Slartanalysis: Leadership in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Monday, November 27 2006 20:27
Profile
OK, I just replicated the Lethos encounter as described. I wouldn't have thought to play it out in that sequence. I got like 27 XP for telling him I worked for General Crowley and he better let me pass. I got more than that and a Girdle of Insight for killing him. Seems like a no-brainer to me, as it doesn't contribute to my reputation either way either. -S- Brr...Seattle has just been hit by a small snowstorm followed by a deep freeze tonight. The roads are wicked treacherous. The Cryoas would be right at home. -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| Slartanalysis: Leadership in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Monday, November 27 2006 16:45
Profile
So, I tried the Slartistic Cryoa Plan™ last night and played Chapter 1. I loaded all of my initial points into Fire Shaping up to level 7, and used the rest to bump Mechanics up two in order to repair the pylon in the walkthrough. In playing, I quickly realized how many places I couldn't go and things I couldn't do without more Mechanics and Leadership. You lose a big chunk of XP even in the walkthrough if you don't bump your Mechanics up a couple in order to repair the pylon. I am loathe to waste such perfectly good XP, but maybe Slarty's more purist and disciplined approach really pays off in the long run. After getting enough money to quickly forge my first Cryoa, I bumped intelligence up a couple more. That and leveling up eventually gave me three Cryoa to work with about 2/3 through Chapter 1. With three blue lizards and a couple ice crystals and one melee hit if necessary by my Lifecrafter, it is doable to take out the solo Battle Betas without getting anything killed. What started frustrating me was how many places I couldn't go, doors and locked or trapped boxes I couldn't open, and things I couldn't do, like the Master Thell quest and Burkes Spellcraft training. I got Leadership to 7 and Mechanics to 8 and got a lot more done and more XP and levelled up probably two or three times further than I would have without boosting those two in Chapter 1. I can't imagine getting a lot done without bumping them. What I don't know is which method is actually going to work out best in the long run. With enough Leadership, you are supposed to be able to not fight Lethos at the Cairn Gates, which I always do solo before bringing the caravan party up so I can get all the XP through the kills myself. Even with Leadership 7, I didn't get any other dialog options, only a fight...which I'd want anyway, because he drops a Girdle of Insight which is the perfect belt for a green Lifecrafter. But I am curious how much XP you get if you convince him to let you through instead, and what actually happens. I think I will replay Chapter One doing what Slart originally described and compare both at the end. Alo may be right about needing to boost the geek techs fairly early on to make it all work. But then again, I could have had a fourth Cryoa otherwise, I'm sure, if not five. -S- [ Monday, November 27, 2006 21:28: Message edited by: Servile Synergy ] -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| Cryoa (and Artila) are the new Vlish in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Monday, November 27 2006 16:27
Profile
quote:And for this, we, the beneficiaries of your devoted sleuthwork, duly thank thee. -S- EDIT: Manual spellcheck. [ Monday, November 27, 2006 20:37: Message edited by: Servile Synergy ] -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| Buying Create X skills in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Monday, November 27 2006 06:19
Profile
There is also: Specter Robe — Sentinel Groves-Brutal Wight-SW -or-Frostwood-Crypt Spectre (Kill)-SW - +15% Armor / +8% Energy Resistence / +15% Stun Resistance / +1 Magic Shaping / -10% Fire Resistance / +10% Mind Effects Resistance Creations Black Pearl Talisman — The Eye’s Road — Kill Gazer Aphorelik — +4% Armor / +1 Battle Shaping / +1 Magic Shaping Essence Chitin — Khima-Uss-SW-Experimental Rotghroth (Kill) — +22% Armor / +1 Fire Shaping / +1 Battle Shaping / +1 Magic Shaping / +5% Energy Preservation -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| Cryoa (and Artila) are the new Vlish in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Monday, November 27 2006 00:55
Profile
Hey Slarty, how's the Cryoa experiment coming? Still running them? I'm starting a new game as a Lifecrafter, and I'm going to do something along this line too, focusing on Fire Shaping and making some Cryoas ASAP. Did you forego Leadership and Mechanics at the beginning too? How does that work? There's so much you can't do early on without boosting them a bit at the start. -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| SYNERGY LIST: GF4?Where To Find Stuff And What It Does in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Monday, November 27 2006 00:48
Profile
Does that mean that earlier in the game, the three or so times you find a secret path that opens up, it has nothing to do with Luck either? Does anything affect finding those paths to caches? Has anyone found a secret area beyond Chapter Two? -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| sealed stone doors in Grosch in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Sunday, November 26 2006 23:56
Profile
I'm guessing you mean the doors up top in the Fens around Grosch? These are the doors the creations are let out "through" and they don't really open or go anywhere. The idea is that these are where Monarch sent his creations out to the surface, I believe. -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| Quessa-Uss in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Sunday, November 26 2006 23:48
Profile
Heh. I almost feel sorry for it, but if I had met it, it would be dead. On a positive note, I was happy to see that you CAN get into the door behind Kyryhk the Trakovite. It has another one of those hidden levers behind a nearby pillar. -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| Servile Battle Mage in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Sunday, November 26 2006 23:29
Profile
I just finished my Servile game. He hit 11 points shy of Level 44 and cleaned out everything. The Southern Sentinel in the Titan's Lair took two attempts. I had three freshly-minted cryodrayks with me. Mostly, he traveled solo, using creations only very briefly for the fights absolutely necessary: Poryphra Ruin, Breeding Pits, Northforge Warrens, Sealed Catacombs, Matala's Workshop, and Titan's Lair. I played Torment the whole way except fighting the Matala Golem, because it just became so freaking boring whittling away at it for a half hour to kill it. I wound up with lots of Torrent Gems (Madness Gems were weak compared to my own magic) and never used any of them. I tend to save up powerful stuff for a rainy day, but manage to survive fights hardly ever using any of them. I ran through Essence pods in the tough zones, but wound up with 40-50 of them by midgame. I focused only on Fire Class creations and used an Ur-Drakon or two for a few things at the end, and a couple drayks added on in the Poryphra Ruin when I took out the camp there late in the game. i was able to kill all the Shapers in the Northforge Warren: Miranda first solo, then everything except Alwan, then back to fiinish off Alwan. This took a few attempts, due to those nasty pylons Alwan cowers behind and all the creations he pumps out. Mental Magic was powerful, but I topped it at level 9. I think going higher with it would be even more effective. I had pumped up a bit of Healing (7-including Physician Charm +1) and Blessing Magic (8,) and could have done less on both of these. I rarely used batons, except some some Acid in the middle and some Reapers for fun in the end. Spine Shield damage coupled with about three items worn at any one time with Steel Spine enhancement along with frequent second swings due to high Quick Action with the Oozing, then Frozen Blade made for three to four damage numbers going up per hit on a target. Spine Shield was amazing...often returning 100% damage to the attacker, over 100 HP at times. Vampiric effect sounds cool, but blows in comparison. Better to use Ethereal Bindings on your sword for bigger draining effect (I think) and the Frozen Sword already drains. Spine Shield and spined armor make for a very damaging melee Servile. He could pretty much run through any mine or field pylon by late game. I was surprised reading through the hint book to see a lot of options I've missed due to not having high enough Leadership at the right moment. I'm not sure how high it should be ideally. You can use gear to have it boosted five points by late game. Mechanics at 10 base bumps up to 12 through free boosts and gear boosted it to 19 by the end when necessary. I was left with 26 Living Tools extra at the end and I never once cast Unlock. You don't get XP for magically unlocking things. Mechanics could probably be left at 8-9 just as effectively, leaving one with a few more precious SP to distribute elsewhere. Leadership I'd race up to 6 in Chapter One, and up to 9 or 10 by Chapter Three and see how that serves you the rest of the game. I noticed that If I had higher Leadership, I could do things like convince the cryodrayk in Gesselin Freehold to not require me to kill the offending drayk in Khima-Uss, and I got like 62 XP, if I recall, for having used that dialog option. However, I was still given that quest from my first run-through dialog, and when I killed the drayk and came back, I also got the XP and loot for killing the drayk, and more reward and XP when I reported back to the cryodrayk. I also fairly easily killed the whole party of Drakons and rotghroths you are to send or chase away. I had to chase down and kill the Drakon before he escaped. More kills means more XP. A Servile can make it to level 44, which I could have done if I had one more kill anywhere. I'm curious if anyone can make it to level 45. You can get XP for having the Thads sent down "to clear out the road for you" next to Southforge Citadel, even after you've already killed everything in the zone. Leadership is good for extra XP, even if you're still planning on killing everything yourself. Stealth is a possible way to play the game, but you will get far less loot (and therefore money to spend) and less XP. You will be weaker. Being able to bludgeon everything to pieces as a Servile is fun and profitable. I still need to play a game with the revised AP all the way through as a Lifecrafter and see how satisfying that is. I never played a whole game as one yet. -S- [ Sunday, November 26, 2006 23:40: Message edited by: Servile Synergy ] -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| SYNERGY LIST: GF4?Where To Find Stuff And What It Does in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Sunday, November 26 2006 22:46
Profile
Oops, the cake is not magical. That was a mistake. It is, however, useful for one quest. Is that a running joke in every Geneforge game? There's even a cheat code to get cake. I always wind up with more Rotghroth fangs than Glaakh eyes, so it seems like the latter is going to be the limiter on Mental Focus Charms, but this is an argument for pumping Luck. It adds up to free Spellcraft. -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| SYNERGY LIST: GF4?Where To Find Stuff And What It Does in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Sunday, November 26 2006 21:12
Profile
I knew I forgot something in the game I just completed...to go back to the cells and kill the prisoners. This means you can make THREE Mental Focus Charms, in addition to the one you are given, for a total of four. That's crazy, but that's +4 Spellcraft alone right there. -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| SYNERGY LIST: GF4?How To Forge Stuff And What It Does in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Sunday, November 26 2006 20:48
Profile
The Gloves and Legs are useful as you mention, though I wind up using other greaves later. The Gloves I use till the very end, and the +1 AP Cloak when I finally can get it made, though you get it so very late in the game. Big whoop. Mostly, the anvil is useful for enhancing your stuff, and really, only the Ethereal Bindings, Steel Spines (try putting three or four of these on your stuff at once,) and Golden Crystals are significantly helpful to my experience. If I play again, I will not enhance any late game gear until I can use only these three enhancements. -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| SYNERGY LIST: GF4?How To Forge Stuff And What It Does in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Sunday, November 26 2006 04:38
Profile
I'm bumping this to make mention that the list is done, and I also want to pose the question: Do you think it should be possible to make things on the anvil if you have not yet read the recipe in the game? Do you follow this implied but violable rule voluntarily — or do you utilize what you can the moment you can, knowing what you know from the recipe list? -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| SYNERGY LIST: GF4?Where To Find Stuff And What It Does in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Sunday, November 26 2006 03:51
Profile
HELP: Please note any stat boosting gifts or training I have not listed. I think I may have missed listing one or two early in the game. HELP: Please note any Glaahk Eye locations, whether found or buyable. I missed one or two. -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |
| Quessa-Uss in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
|
Shaper
Member # 6292
|
written Sunday, November 26 2006 01:04
Profile
I notice on the Hint Book map that there is a little room off the NE corner of the duelling room where you face Salassar in Quessa-Uss. I can't find a way to open the door to it. Has anyone been in there? There is also a passageway between the Drakon meeting chamber and the lab it seem you can never actually enter either. -S- -------------------- A4 Items • A4 Singleton • G4 Items • G4 Forging • G4 Infiltrator • NR Items • The Lonely Celt Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00 |