Bay 12 Games Forum

Seeing as how the pre-order is now up on Steam, (it's coming out on the 20th of this month) I feel like this game deserves a page.

Transistor is Supergiant Games' follow-up to Bastion. Not a sequel of any sort (as far as I've seen) but a separate story about a woman named Red who wields a weapon called the Transistor - the awesome-looking sword in the pictures, as you have probably already gathered.

The game features a strategic combat system that revolves around the ability to stop time and execute a series of actions instantaneously once a recharging bar fills up. The art looks very similar to Bastion, which is a plus in my book, there will be cool voiceovers throughout just as there were in Bastion, and the song in the trailer of the steam page really makes me want to buy it already.

It looks really pretty, and they did a fantastic job with Bastion, so I have real high hopes for this one. What do you guys think?

I just recently picked up my copy of the game on the 20th, since I pre-ordered.

Played far enough to conquer the two first temples, and I've got to say, I'm VERY satisfied with how it's played out so far. The intro gameplay where you run around completing quests before the main plotline hits was amusing and not at all that boring to me. The rest of the plot has been rather like the rest of the Legend of Zelda games - a bit uneventful. But the true spirit of the game is not in the incredible storytelling - it's in the retelling of the ageless legend, and the addicting puzzle/action gameplay.

So let's get on to that, shall we?

The combat and controls are GREAT, especially considering that the Wii is infamous for it's failure of control. Although the wii remote can be a bit finicky as far as targeting when using ranged weaponry such as the slingshot, all you have to do is aim the remote towards the screen before you prepare an item, and this issue ceases to exist. The sword rights itself automatically in combat, and I rarely noticed any problem with swinging it around. It'll pretty much follow your movements without a hitch.
Using the sword to slay your foes is the best part of the game, though.

Enemies in Skyward Sword are not like most of the beasts you've seen in the older games. In this game, they're less like things that get in your way, and more like foes that you have to defeat. Sure, the bats and the slimes will go down with a few quick swings of your blade, but the creatures that are armed will actively defend themselves from attack. You'll have to find their weakness and exploit it with a few well-aimed slashes to get them to go down.

The puzzles are hard to judge, because everyone has a different experience with them. I got stuck on one of the simpler puzzles for about an hour simply because I wasn't looking well enough. But with a logical mind and a bit of perseverance, I have no doubt that anyone can overcome them without much frustration.

There are a few other things that make this game stand out as well. Instead of a horse, this time around you'll be riding a Loftwing - a giant bird. The controls are easy to get used to, but the flying is hard to master. In order to catch some of the other fliers in the sky (especially the ones carrying rupees), you'll have to have some serious control and good timing. I'm yet to intercept one of them.
Besides flying around, you'll also want to be landing in different regions to collect the many items and bugs in the game. The collectables you find can be used to upgrade all of your gear - you can turn your little slingshot into a scattershot weapon, or make your shield tougher so it can take more punishment. It seems that almost every special item you collect can be upgraded somehow, which is a very fun prospect.
The bugs that you catch with your handy bug net (once you buy it from Beedle's shop ship), can be used to enhance potions, making them many times more useful than they usually are.

Oh, and did I mention the visuals are gorgeous? This is, in my opinion, the best looking Legend of Zelda game yet. They seem to have combined the cell-shading style of Wind Waker with the less-toony character models of Twilight Princess, and the results are brilliant. I don't usually hang about and make a big deal out of game graphics, but the folks who do the art for the Legend of Zelda games have really outdone themselves.

All in all, it's a jam-packed, great addition to a legendary series. I hope that any and all Legend of Zelda fans out there enjoy it.

I find myself getting tired of the fact that each race has a different armor size, and if the armor isn't the right size, it won't work.

How can I change the races so that they all use the same size armor?

We all know that Happy Thoughts make fortress life much easier.

Mainly, they prevent Tantrums.

So, I'm here to ask, what line of code gives Dwarves happy thoughts? Is there a way to change what gives them happy thoughts? Can we make it so that Dwarves become ecstatic when a Noble dies or a Baby gets launched from a catapult? (I don't know if that's possible, but we can dream.)

Is there any way to change what events make Dwarves happy?

So... I built a few wooden traps and sent out my noob animal trainer to catch a live animal. He succeeded... in caging a live rat.

For a second, I was thinking, "Sweet! War Rats!" but then, I ran into a problem.

I told him to "train tame small animal." He drags the cage with the rat in it over the the kennel, but then complains "needs unrotten item." I checked the rat, and, sure enough, it was alive, not rotten.
Now I have a cage with a rat in it that is completely useless.

So, a few questions.

-Can I tame rats?
-If so, what am I doing wrong?
-If I can't tame rats, how do I tell my stupid animal trainer/trapper to catch something else?
-How do I get rid of the rat in the cage?
-What is a good creature to train? (I know about dogs, already, I just have none.)

Any other information that might be useful, please post.

I have been conducting some !!SCIENCE!! within DF's testing arena, pitting two humans against each other with different skills.

More recently, I have conducted this test -

Human 1 - Adequate Ability in Everything, Equipped with Iron Longsword.
vs.
Human 2 - Competent in Dodging ONLY, Equipped with nothing.

H2 wins. H1 managed to score a few hits with his sword, but these attacks weren't enough to stop his enemy, and H2 dodged most of them with ease. After a while H2 joint locked his foe, broke his arm, which caused H1 to give in to pain, and then he kicked his face in until he died.

So... is Dodging skill that godly?

I'm hoping some people are willing to do research and figure out if certain skills can make a godly peasant adventurer (or at least one that stands a chance).

Fleeing from bogeymen once again.
I was giving them quite a run for their money, but they were simply everywhere, and I couldn't get away from them forever. Eventually one of them would get close enough to hit me, and they would slowly dish out minor wounds to me as I ran on tirelessly.

I wasn't going to survive - I knew that much.
Then I ran into a Cougar. I expected to have my face torn off by the big cat and the bogeymen combined. But I was suprised to find the Cougar tackle the nearest bogeyman to the ground and start trying to rip his arm off. (It was because I was a werewolf.) Of course, bogeymen practically don't feel pain. Within the next few moves I received several messages announcing the bogeyman smashing the cat into a bloody pulp.

I really bad leaving my new friend to die, but now I had a chance to live.
I ran on, aided by another group of creatures - badger boars. (whatever those are.)

Of course, they didn't stand a chance either. I'm pretty sure none of them survived.
But I kept running.

Eventually, the various wounds began to slow my speed, encouraging the bogeymen to pepper me with more injuries.
I took one bad hit to the lower body, and my guts were damaged. I immediately started retching, which slowed my pace greatly.
On my last legs, I threw myself into the nearest body of water, hoping they wouldn't follow. They did, dealing wounds that crippled me so badly that I had scarcely the strength of an energetic fluffy wambler.

I dragged myself onward, still moving as fast as I could.
But it wasn't fast enough to escape the fact that my doom was already decided. My lungs had been seriously damaged in the deadly trek, and after I time my lifeless body fell to the ground - suffocated.

One day I will have revenge on those demons of the night... I will fight for the memories of the creatures that fought for me - not because they had to, but because they were trying to protect a friend. They fought and died for me. One day an adventurer will fight beside them against the bogeymen... and be victorious.

Or at least I hope so.

Post something if you like.

Ever done this before?

It really can be a blast, giving your allies nicknames and changing their job name as well.

I change the occupation name of all my companions to "Meatshield."
Then I usually give them some wierd nickname in the hopes that they'll use it and people will think their parents were very interesting.

Any better ideas for names and such?