PC RPG Goodness.

Grizzly_Addams

So it was my birthday and I could not come up with an answer for my wife about what to get me, I am coming off of wow (been about 2 months) and besides Street Fighter IV I haven't played anything worthwhile.

So with my bday loots I managed to secure the following:

Logitech G15 keyboard (to replace a Z-Board)
The Witcher Enhanced
Elder Scrolls IV GOTY
Drakensang
NWN2 Gold
Titan Quest Gold

So 2 questions.

It seems as though even the best sources for G15 related lcd applets and mods are very scarce in content. Is it just not as widely embraced as I thought?

Secondly, which game should I tackle first? I started Drakensang played for about 5 hours but would be willing to switch. I also recently got Dawn of War 2 and figure I can pick 1 of the fantastic RPGs to play alongside the DoW.

Dashui

I'd say tackle The Witcher first. After that, Drakensang!

Mumblyfish

The G15 LCD is pretty useless. It's rare to find a game that has a single LCD application. Rarer still to find a game that officially supports it. Rarer still to find an application that doesn't just present information that is already present on the HUD. Rarer still that you would prefer looking down at the LCD screen for this information rather than at the HUD.

I use the LCD screen as a clock, so that I can tell the time while in a full-screen application.

Defenders of the LCD have told me that it's a good idea, but unsupported and badly implemented. I'm more inclined to believe that it's just a bad idea.

But that's not why the G15 is great! Open the keyboard profiler and you'll find a comprehensive macro program that's very easy to get to grips with. This is fantastic for many games, such as badly designed RPGs where equipment swapping is possible, since you can create a macro function where a single G key can press multiple hotkeys to swap equipment, press a hotkey to use an ability, then press the hotkeys to swap back. I'm in the process of installing Drakensang right now, and if I understand the game mechanics correctly, the G15 could be exceptionally useful for a plate-wearing battlemage, since you can easily make a macro to swap all your heavy armour for light armour, cast a spell, then swap back on completion. It's also useful for games where you might find yourself creating so many binds that it is hard to remember what key does which. For example, Valve's recent games, in which you must create a repeating bind for every single remotely amusing voice command* or you are not having the maximum possible amount of fun. Remembering which of your three dozen keys activates which voice command is a snap when bound to the G panel.

Ignore the LCD and give that G key application a look.

*Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough to know you got a pretty mouth! Long enough

Johannen

You will enjoy neverwinter nights the least of those games, so save that one for last. The Witcher is meant to be fantastic so give yourself a boost and start with that.

My friend has a G15 and he uses it for FPS games to have ammo on there as well as time and things like that. It's not greatly useful unless you want to have a super PC and you want to check the temperature and running speed and stuff. Although I don't know how to set that stuff up.

Toxic Pickle

Well if you're already playing Drakensang, why not stick with that? It's a pretty good PCRPG and from what I understand has quite a few hours of gameplay (I've heard 80 hours+). I'm likewise playing this game and have been enjoying it quite a bit.

Whenever I finish or get bored with Drakensang, I think I'm going to give Witcher Enhanced a go, as I've been hearing so much goodness about it. Still, I'm not sure about the logic in halting the play of one good PCRPG just to play another.

korodullin

I'd say Witcher then Drakensang. Oblivion will likely end up sucking you in for weeks and weeks and weeks. I spent over 80-90 hours on the game, and I don't even like it.

Oh, you're already into Drakensang? Yeah, I'd finish that first.

Mumblyfish

Oh, Oblivion?

Google for the Elder Scrolls Nexus and download as much crap as you can find in the humour and god items categories. Make an explosion spell with maximum radius and zero offensive power. Fly around on a unicorn, shoot watermelons out of your eyes at civilians, then launch their corpses into the stratosphere with your Asshole Physics spell. You might have dozens of hours of fun arsing around with the weird and wonderful mods available, which is far preferable to the dozens of hours of tedium playing the game "as intended".

TK-42-1

I just use my g15 to figure out if something is hogging my system resources. that and a clock. sometimes if im not sober and listening to music while playing i'll use the media display to move around while in game.

Toxin01

I'd play Neverwinter Nights 2 FIRST, so it will seem less bad. IMO it's a B+ PCRPG, but from what I've heard all the games you listed are indeed better.

Germsrosolino

Man forget all that shit, and just play KOTOR.

Johannen

You should try and get your hands on Baldurs Gate I + II and their subsequent add-ons.

They are brilliant games and you really won't care about the graphics as they still look pretty good.

4rch3nemy

Johannen wrote: »

You should try and get your hands on Baldurs Gate I + II and their subsequent add-ons.

They are brilliant games and you really won't care about the graphics as they still look pretty good.

Yes.

Grey Paladin

^++;

Toxin01 wrote: »

I'd play Neverwinter Nights 2 FIRST, so it will seem less bad. IMO it's a B+ PCRPG, but from what I've heard all the games you listed are indeed better.

The original NWN2 is mediocre, but the expansion Mask of the Betrayer has one of the best plots since Planescape and enduring the campaign is worth it as to set up the stage for that epic goodness.

EDIT: To the original question, I'd start with Oblivion.

Dissociater

Of all those games, I think actually enjoyed NWN2 the most. I'm one of the few people that thought the witcher was terrible. Interesting concept, but I thought the controls and combat were horrible and I couldn't get past about 2-3 hours of the game before just getting fed up with it.

Elder scrolls I did play a lot of. It gets repetitive at the end but there's an awful lot to see and do.

I really liked titan Quest too, it's a hack 'n' slash, so you know what you're getting, but it's got pretty tight gameplay.

Haven't played Drakensang yet.

Renegen

Naa, start out with Betrayal at Krondor, it's free too.
Anyone who played it will tell you it's like 9 out of 10, or 10 out of 10. You get used to the graphics too.

Or start with Pong!

GoodKingJayIII

Wow, they made a PCRPG based off The Dark Eye? How did I miss that? That shit is going on my List.

Stormwatcher

Dissociater wrote: »

Of all those games, I think actually enjoyed NWN2 the most. I'm one of the few people that thought the witcher was terrible. Interesting concept, but I thought the controls and combat were horrible and I couldn't get past about 2-3 hours of the game before just getting fed up with it.

Elder scrolls I did play a lot of. It gets repetitive at the end but there's an awful lot to see and do.

I really liked titan Quest too, it's a hack 'n' slash, so you know what you're getting, but it's got pretty tight gameplay.

Haven't played Drakensang yet.

no u

Tim James

All those games are going to be pretty long and draining. There's no real easy one to start with. Just go play them.

Dissociater

Stormwatcher wrote: »

Dissociater wrote: »

Of all those games, I think actually enjoyed NWN2 the most. I'm one of the few people that thought the witcher was terrible. Interesting concept, but I thought the controls and combat were horrible and I couldn't get past about 2-3 hours of the game before just getting fed up with it.

Elder scrolls I did play a lot of. It gets repetitive at the end but there's an awful lot to see and do.

I really liked titan Quest too, it's a hack 'n' slash, so you know what you're getting, but it's got pretty tight gameplay.

Haven't played Drakensang yet.

no u

I tried to like it twice, both times I got about 2-3 hours in and gave up, it was terrible to me. It tried too hard to merge the action into an RPG and I thought it came off very badly. The non-combat stuff was fine, but nothing particularly striking to me.

El Fantastico

Renegen wrote: »

Naa, start out with Betrayal at Krondor, it's free too.
Anyone who played it will tell you it's like 9 out of 10, or 10 out of 10. You get used to the graphics too.

Or start with Pong!

LOL, I own the original CD but it has trouble running on any OS higher than Win95. Even DOSBox hasn't been much help in that.

Renegen

Works fine on my Dosbox. Because it's CD, you might have some trouble there. You need 2 virtual drives, one for C and one for the CD drive.