Mythos patch quick thoughts.

With the recent Mythos patch, I decided to log in and check out the changes. I logged in with my level 14 Bloodletter and started looking around. The first very noticeable things are guild names and icons above most characters. It’s nothing major, but also nothing obnoxious, which is good. I have used the free respect the patch provided, putting points in a PBAOE ability that seems very effective so far. In addition to some solid damage, it also summons a tornado of sorts, slowing all enemies around it. I’ve only run a few quests so far, but everything still seems sharp and attractive. Mythos is one of those games that’s fun to just load up and play around with for an hour or so, and each patch continues to improve it in very meaningful ways.

People in general chat seem to be excited about hardcore mode (you die your character is gone) and elite mode (hard mode basically). I have yet to try either out, but I know in Diablo 2 hardcore mode certainly added a sense of desperation to major fights, so I might give it a try in Mythos as well. The patch notes also mention something called “Zivia’s Puzzle Box”, which is hopefully a horodric cube-like item to transform gems into more useful versions. My bank is overflowing with chipped gems of all sorts. Guess I’ll have to do a quick search about that soon.

If anyone is looking for a Diablo-like game, I highly recommend signing up for the beta. The game is very stable and a good time even in this unfinished state.

Holding Pattern.

Dear snow, thanks for that four hour drive yesterday. Nothing like leaving work early, at 2pm, and finally getting home at 6pm. That was awesome…

On to a happy topic, gaming, I find myself in somewhat of a standstill. Currently I play EVE, WoW, and a bit of Puzzle Quest and online Poker. I have PotBS on my computer, but little draw to play it. NWN2 MotB is there, but I’m waiting for the 9000 series of graphics cards to come out from Nvidia before I return to that game. Same delay issue for getting The Witcher, or returning to LoTRO. I’m a bit burned out on Civilization 4, done with EQ2, done with Sword of the New World. Mythos is still there, but I just never find myself loading it up, and when I do, I find after about 30 minutes I’m done with it once again. Due to the 180 many people are pulling with Tabula Rasa, my interest has been raised, but I think I’ll wait a bit more before jumping in. Some people report boredom setting in after level 15ish. I have little interest in Hellgate:London, not sure why, but it just does not seem that appealing right now. Still waiting for WAR, and maybe AoC.

I think that about covers it. I know I’ll be playing Fire Emblem after Christmas on the Wii, but who knows for how long. I only play WoW about 5 hours a week, and EVE 4-10 depending on what’s going on. Basically I’m waiting for something to come along and really grab me, to make me look forward to loading it up regularly and being entertained each time. Hopefully WAR is that game, but with all the crazy stuff happening in the gaming world, I’m not betting the farm on that one. Anyone else find themselves jumping from game to game is small spurts, just stuck in a holding pattern?

Mythos update.

I’ve been playing a good bit of Mythos lately, my main character is at lvl 14, a human bloodletter, and overall it’s been very enjoyable. The graphic style is very nice while being very easy on hardware demands, and the sound adds very nice squish and smash noises without being overly annoying.

The big draw of the game of course is the item chase, bashing everything in sight in the hope of picking up some nice gear. Mythos does a great job with items for two reasons; it is very flexible in what you can use, and it has a large variety of item levels.

You are only limited in what items you can use by three base stat requirements; strength, dexterity and/or wisdom. That’s it, no classes, no weapon skills, none of that. At level 14 I’ve already gone through a wide variety of weapon setups, from sword/shield, to a big two hander, and currently duel wielding an axe (Sunder) and a mace (some green with nice stats). Anytime you find something that is an upgrade, you throw it on and have at it. The big advantage of this is that very few items that you find of good quality will not be an upgrade for you, as you can use almost anything. In previous games of this type, it was all too common to get a great rare drop that you could not use for one reason or another, and often-times trading proved difficult. This is simply not the case in Mythos.

The other item related thing Mythos does really well is in its expanded range of item quality. The levels, in order, are white/blue/purple/green/teal/orange (I think, never seen an orange item). I think I’ve seen in chat of people talking about red items as well, but I’m not sure where they fit in. The point is with that wide range of item qualities, most dungeon trips yield an upgrade or two, and if you really get lucky and pick up some green or teal, it’s a good high. Even a blue at level 14 can be in upgrade over a purple or green if it has the right stats, or might simply be higher level than your current stuff. It’s a constant carousel of gear switching, and a game like Mythos relies on that to keep you motivated.

All that said, Mythos is still in beta, and it shows in a few areas. One is the enemy variety, and how it is used. With the limited number of enemy models, basically almost every dungeon uses close to all of the enemy types, meaning all dungeons and quests look the same, or very similar. I’m sure (or at least I hope) this will be changed in future updates, but currently it’s the main reason Mythos to me is a 30-45 minutes at a time game, and not something I really get into. The above complaint also applies to the dungeon textures. The ones currently in the game are fantastic, but more variety is needed.

I’m sure I’ll talk more about Mythos as I get my character into the 20s and beyond, but so far so good, and thanks again to Bildo for the beta key!

Mythos beta, and more NWN2

Ah what a weekend. Redsox in the world series, Patriots 7-0 and blowing everyone out, BC ranked #2 in the country, the Celtics season about to start with the new big three, and the Bruins… well I think the Bruins have started playing, rumor has it hockey is back on. It’s a great time to be a sports fan in the New England area. Everyone jump on the bandwagon!

Back to a topic most readers here actually care about, it’s been an interesting weekend of gaming. I played a little Mythos thanks to Bildo, and I must say it’s not half bad. The graphics are very decent, although nothing groundbreaking, the sounds is on point, and overall the gameplay is good in a ‘break your mouse from clicking’ way. It’s nothing earth shattering, but it’s a decent Diablo clone. If I have one grip with it, and this might be improved in time, is that the game is limited in your character choices, with only three races and three classes. I found myself wishing for the distinct variety that Diablo provided, but like I said, hopefully they expand on that and add some more choices. The item balance also might need some work, as I had a few drops that were WAY above my current gear at the time, and when I got them they made the next few levels trivial. While it’s really nice to see that uber item drop, it does ruin the next hour or so in terms of challenge. Bottom line though, the game is certainly worth trying if you are a Diablo fan looking for some quick action, and from what I saw its bug free and runs very well, no graphic errors or lag.

In NWN2 news, I’m currently a few hours into act 2 in the original campaign and really loving it. Without spoiling anything here (I hope), I really have to say the trial part was great. It featured tons of interesting dialog choices, twists and turns, and some really great voice acting. A very unique experience in gaming that was very enjoyable. The story itself has really picked up, and the quests are well written and full of tough choices. The game makes it very easy to role play a good guy (like my Paladin), a neutral keep everything balanced character, or a more evil ‘in it for me’ type, both in terms of dialog choices and actual ways to complete quests. What I have found most interesting is that I am really enjoying sticking to my character, and trying to always be lawful and good, even if sometimes those choices don’t seem like the ‘best’ way to solve a problem. It puts the party into some tougher situations, and perhaps does not always lead to the greatest rewards, but it adds a great deal of immersion seeing realistic reactions from the game world when you always try to play it straight. It also makes me want to go back and play an evil character just to see how the different choices effect the overall game. For anyone reading this who has not given this game a try, I HIGHLY recommend it. Even though it has some technical issues, the gameplay and story more than make up for this.