#I love the mechanics of factions in oblivion

[lichposting]

This happens when you follow me btw

[l3rking]

I've put about 100 hours into Starfield so far and as much fun as I'm having, I can't wait for the mods to start rolling out. Once the tools release I might even try my hand and learn how to do it.

I would love to see some modders take a crack at difficulty and immersion. Maybe I'm just S.T.A.L.K.E.R.-pilled, but this game has the bones to really flesh out more in-depth mechanics like:

Make afflictions and meds/food more impactful (afflictions hardly do anything)

Add afflictions like thirst/hunger/energy (sleep is literally just an XP bonus and all food/drink are pretty much just worse medpacks)

Weapon and Equipment degradation and repair (divisive but I like the idea of patching up bullet holes in my spacesuit)

Stricter carrying capacity

Inventory overhaul (weapon/ammo limitations mostly)

Harder hitting AI.

More rewarding Outpost investment and streamlined Cargo Linking

Companion "quick commands" (i.e. don't shoot, stay here, return to ship, etc.)

General price increases for all vendors across the board to promote crafting, smarter commerce, and running mission boards

On-The-Fly crafting options (let me prepare simple food w/o having to go to a kitchen)

More deterministic rewards from higher end missions and enemy outposts. (legendary and higher rated weapon/equipment drops are almost completely nonsensical)

Evil companions. I hate that the Crimson Fleet is the only faction that aren't fukin cops or a super corporation and all the companions are such bootlickers if you do decide to join the Fleet (they are objectively the most fun faction)

It's not lost on me that the general appeal of BGS games is the power fantasy, and I'm haven't had this much fun with a BGS game since Oblivion, but without any real endgame challenge I'm finding myself getting bored quickly. That's almost always solved by a new playthrough tho. But that trick only works a handful of times (cough...cough...skyrim).

[wispstalk]

what would your ideal TES6 game look like, if you had total control over the story and writing? hope you feel better soon! :^)

oooh well i won't preach to the choir but how satisfying would it be to tie the entire writers' room to their chairs and force them to do justice to portrayals of indigenous cultures and popular uprisings, lmao. but many smarter folks than I have said much on that topic... suffice it to say the right-center politics of the last game would be OUT.

I'd like TES6 to involve a resistance against the Thalmor, possibly like 50 years or so after the events of Skyrim. Long enough for some significant cultural and infrastructural impact to set in. And I'd set it in either Elsweyr or Valenwood because I think those could be beautiful settings that would be a change of pace from IV and V, and because both cultures are done so dirty by the narrative.

The theological stuff is a weakness in my writing but both of those settings would also provide a framework to explore the religious aspects outside the framework of the Imperial cult.

also, crucially: i LOVED hearthfire. that is the shit i do like. crafting and puttering around and living out little mundane domestic fantasies. If there was a ruined city, like Kvatch or Winterhold, it'd be great to have some questline in place to help rebuild it.

and lastly I'd definitely want some kind of game mechanic in place where you actually have to run the faction if you take over as head. It wouldn't have to be super complex but it would make all the faction quests feel a little more impactful imo. Like in the Oblivion fighter's guild you periodically can tell Modryn Oreyn to focus on either recruiting or gaining contracts and I'd love to see more of that.

[myfandomscollide]

I wish the Elder scrolls leaned into the player character, as ambiguously motivated more. I want to roleplay an evil character and be rewarded in game in story based on my choices. I loved the Dawnguard questline in Skyrim and the Shivering Isles in Oblivion because of that capacity in a main quest line. Not every player wants to play a goodie two shoes fix it hero. I want my character to carve its way to the top in game and be rewarded in that capacity. I want a legitimate self controlled storyline that will offer a player the agency to play their own way regardless of morals. I never wanted nor cared to play the civil war quest line in Skyrim because it never offered a satisfying experience in the exploration of a character rising to rule over the entire map while simultaneously letting the player set the terms of their own system of governance. I know it's hard to incorporate the mechanics in a diegetic way without it becoming granular in the game but it needs to be explored.

I know this, to me, is mostly to have the unbound freedom to usher in a way of life that revolves around the worship of the Daedra, or to completely flip the status quos established and let other factions rise to prominence that wouldn’t have the capacity from the start. I suppose that’s why I enjoy the Dark Brotherhood so much because it’s a taste of what more could be had if the developers wanted to stray away from a safe, caring protagonist. We need more evil options in games!

One thing that bothers me about the Elder Scrolls community on Tumblr is their tendency to want to get rid of all the evil lore and characters in the game.

There’s plenty of evil lore like Aylied and Dunmer slavery, the creation of vampires, Pelinal’s genocide, racism against refugees, etc. Plus characters like Arondil, Naris, and Harkon.

The immediate response of a lot of TES fans on Tumblr is that this lore is bad and should be retconned or that the developers are bad for including it.

But if you remove all traces of evil and cruelty from the games, then who is left for a good character to kill and hate? The game would become a psychopath simulator where the only people left to kill are all innocent.

We need evil characters so that wet have people who are satisfying to fight and kill. Without evil characters, good characters would be destined to fight wolves and crabs forever.

We need more evil characters- not less! The more evil characters there are in the game = the more moral the player can be and the more justified our kills are.

[argisthebulwark]

babes how do we fell about the dark brotherhood? the very first time i played Skyrim i just rolled with it because i didn't realise i could kill Astrid instead and just did what she told me, fell in love with all the members and was happy as larry, even though i didn't like killing defenseless npcs. also Sithis can choke his whole premise is dumb, but i mean ok :D and all the next plays I always get rid of the brotherhood but it gives me... mixed feelings.......

i didn’t do it for my first few playthroughs because i remembered not liking the brotherhood quests in oblivion lmao. it was life altering when i learned that i could kill astrid. kinda wish they built that mechanic in for the other guilds in skyrim - an opposing faction, the ability to ruin them, etc. just because i think it would be cool. i always had the hardest time with vittoria’s wedding mission so before modding became available to me i just. quit there lol. i have a hard time when i go with destroying the brotherhood though because i really don’t like the penitus oculatus guys. 

sithis sucks but the dark brotherhood has some real hot dudes. arnbjorn is big and i want to be held by him. cicero is delightful and messed up. i think the dark brotherhood questline would be a lot more interesting if you got to choose which members of the brotherhood you saved from the fire, like obviously each dragonborn is going to have different relationships with different assassins. 

am i just salty because i love gabriella and arnbjorn and want to save them??? who knows. 

[emblazonet]

Everything I Hate About Skyrim

Disclaimer: I legit don’t care if you love Skyrim. You’re entirely correct to love a thing you love! Please, continue to love it!

If you don’t want to read hate, please do not peek under the cut. I’m just shedding the whine from my system to move on with my life.

Cathartic negativity under the cut:

To begin at the beginning, the intro sucks and is long and chaotic and irritating and I can’t tell anyone apart and I hate it.

The dragons are small and unimpressive and I’ve always been disappointed by them.

Skyrim tries to be too gritty but it’s a fucking TES game; it tried to create moral complexity somehow by making everyone an unlikeable asshole. Greeeat. 

THE UI. WHY IS THE UI SO TERRIBLE. SkyUI is the only thing that made the game playable for me. 

The graphics were kinda lame even when the game came out, why was the palette so dull

Magic is so boring and pointless and nerfed to fuck and back. This is actually so huge it could be its own rant, but magic in Skyrim sucks and the devs should feel an amount of regret, damnit.

I mean, it’s an action game pretending to be an RPG

Fucking everything is dungeon delving even when it shouldn’t be; see also: The Bard’s College.

BARDS. You know what’s cool? Bards. Music. Solving things in noncombat ways. Exploring lore. Guess what the Bard’s College teases but never fucking delivers? Yeah. WHY BOTHER WITH IN GAME LUTES IF YOU CAN’T HAVE MAGIC MUSIC. Fuckers.

Literally nothing is satisfying because it’s too easy, it’s just a power fantasy with all fluff, no substance

They did nothing creative enough with their viking-esque Nords to interest me at all

The game gives off this hypermasculine vibe that I never got from Morrowind or, frankly, even Oblivion

I hate the physics engine, not because I hate laughing at terrible glitches—look, I howled as hard as anyone when I realized what giants could do—that’s not the problem. The problem is that I feel like the physics and the way the engine is built is so clunky that I find interacting with the world frustrating and immersion breaking. The mechanics of the game and deeply unsatisfying to me, and that’s not something any mod can fix. (Which is why, though I love Requiem in theory, I end up not playing Skyrim anyway. I just hate being in the world.) There’s a sort of lagginess and a kind of barrier to every action you take. I felt this in Oblivion too, but Oblivion was less offensive to me.

I hate the engine so much I will never take a look at Skywind, despite loving the music & concept art and having a great respect for anyone who embarked on that venture.

What’s the point of perks? What’s the point of classes? They basically annihilated the fun of character creation. Never forgive.

Some of the voice acting is downright terrible.

The world feels really small

I don’t really care for any of the factions. I have no emotions, apart from mild ‘ugh’, about most of them. The civil war plot I played through once and never again, because I frankly hate both sides. The Thalmor are one-dimensional villains. In general, faction questlines are short, easy, disappointing. (I had some fun with the thieves guild but. still.)

Skyrim’s not as good as Morrowind, nyah.

Anyway, good thing in 2020 Morrowind is more playable than ever thanks to its incredible modding community and also the fact that it was a super cool game out of the box.

This has been a completely arbitrary and entirely personal rant, brought to you by an Amber that is somewhat dreading TESVI.

[lavenderlight]

1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 31, 33, 34, 35, 36, 39, 40 >:)

Ahdgkhh okay here we go!!!

1: Which TES games have you played?

All 5 main series games, ESO, and Blades!

2: Favorite TES game?

Oblivion........ like the other games have traits I like more, but also cons. Like... if I had to pick a game to just play with only the Unofficial Patch, it’d be that one.

3: When and how you got into TES? I was at a game store with my brother and we saw Oblivion with all these award “amazing game” stickers on it on clearance. So picked it up. I wasn’t impressed right away (remember picking dark elf tho) so put it down. My bro played it and said “omg you have to get out of the tutorial dungeon that sucks but the rest of the game is so good!” So I made a bosmer and did and there rest is history. TES has been a special interest of mine and a big comfort series for a decade now!  4: Favorite race Bosmer! Dunmer are a close second though. Thanks Morrowind. 5: Favorite province Valenwood........... love it............ Cyrodiil too because I’m basic. 6: Favorite character Ahdjgh hard to pick because there are so many! Off the top of my head, Dagoth Ur/Voryn Dagoth, Indoril Nerevar (what a shock, I know), Serana Volkihar, Glarthir, The Adoring Fan (don’t @ me), The Jemane Brothers, Marcurio, really all the characters from ESO’s main quest and the ending side quests who help you 😭😭. 7. Favorite faction

Thieves’ Guild, minus Skyrim’s. Skyrim’s Thieves’ Guild was awful eww.

8: Which province you would like to live in

If the lore and history and stuff weren’t a thing, Summerset because it’s aesthetic and has nice beaches. Realistically, probs Cyrodiil because I’m basic and I like how it’s a melting pot of various races and cultures!

As much as I love Valenwood, wouldn’t be able to handle the Green Pact

9: Which deity/deities would you worship?

Dibella - because I like how she’s the divine for the arts, and actual true love and beauty in the world (feel like she’s the divine most likely to say gay rights and trans rights). That vibes with me.

Makes me sad that both in the games and in the fandom, she’s reduced to “ha ha slutty sex goddess”. 

10: Favorite Divine

Dibella because see above.

11: Favorite Daedric Prince

Oh boy... hajdg I love Daedra (except Molag Bal - eww)!!! So it’s hard to pick. Just rapid fire listing some favs: Sheogorath, Meridia, Azura, Barbas (does he count?), Hircine... 

12: Favorite enemy

Dagoth Ur

13: Favorite dungeon

Hmmm, I feel like I’m forgetting some, but I enjoyed Nocturnal’s trial dungeon in Skyrim because I like sneaking and it was all based on that.

14. You have awakened and you are a Cliff Racer. What do you do?

Hunt and kill anyone who dares to step outside Seyda Neen lol

15: What would you do if you contracted vampirism?

C u r e

16: What would you do if you contracted lycanthropy?

C u r e

17: Are there any characters you have crushes on?

Not rly because I’m ace.

 If so, who?

18: Favorite Great House

The Sixth House. The Tribe Unmourned. The-

Honestly all of them are whack and have... issues. When I played Morrowind, I didn’t join any of them lol. Telvanni is at least entertaining and very out there which makes them cool. So I guess them?

19: Favorite TES music

Ahaha... I sold my soul to Jeremy Soule... I have so so many... :’)

“The Road Most Travelled”, “Peaceful Waters”, “Stilt Sunrise”,  “Auri-El’s Ascension”, “Sunrise of Flutes”, “Harvest Dawn”, “All’s Well” “The Streets of Whiterun”, “Secunda” (this is one of my all time favourite video game songs!), “Sovngarde”, “One They Fear”

Then from ESO which has other composers too: “Northpoint Nocturne”, “Moth, Butterfly, and Torchbug”, and “Grazelands Dawn�� (mostly because it’s a remix of “The Road Most Travelled” 🥺)

Oh, and this song from the Morrowind dlc because the remaster of “Nerevar Rising” from 2:54 onward. (which how could I forget “Nerevar Rising”? Ugh it gives me feels! The Oblivion and Skyrim main themes are very near and dear to me too)

Also really enjoyed this song from Clockwork City - captures the melancholy vibe and I like the clock noises in it.

20: In your opinion, what is the scariest thing in TES?

I can’t stand spiders so anytime anything having to do with them shows up... I play with mods that remove them and in ESO,  I have a list of dungeons and places to avoid. If I have to do one, I make someone go with me and kill them for me lol.

The Lighthouse Quest in Skyrim was also mega spooky. As for lore, soul trapping and the Soul Cairn really freaks me out! I can’t bring myself to use soul trapping because it bothers me :( I headcanon that when a soul gem runs out of charge, the soul is freed because it’s the only way I can sleep at nigh leave me alone lol 21: Favorite main quest Morrowind, hands down. I will infodump and discuss that game’s plot forever. 22: Favorite side quest

I really like the Daedric Shrine quests, they’re always fun. Also love the silly little short quests like in Morrowind when you have to help the guy get his pants back, or in ESO where you gotta find the lost dog in Valenwood and pet it.

Oblivion has loads of side quests I loved... the missing dunmer painter, Hackdirt, that quest with the ladies who are killing men, the Floating Bowl quest... the mystery at Chorrol Castle....

23: Most frustrating experience in a TES game

I get mad any time the sneaking mechanics in ESO don’t work like the main games. Because I always play an archer-thief lol.

That one fabricant machine puzzle in Tribunal.... oh man........ I had to look it up.

And also the final boss for Clockwork City was annoying. Don’t go to the Clockwork City!

24: Funniest experience in a TES game

Other than moments intended to be funny, I sometimes laugh whenever I miss a jump and end up dying from fall damage. It’s so ridiculous.

Dagoth Ur’s “What are you doing?!” when you first attack the Heart always gets a chuckle out of me too. He sounds so... upset and disappointed in you? Lol

25: Most badass moment in a TES game

The ending to ESO’s main quest was a rly big power fantasy moment for me.

Also more mundane, but I felt really cool and powerful when I got to the point in Morrowind where I could one shot kill cliff racers lol

26: Saddest experience in a TES game

The ESO side quest, “The Soul-Meld Mage” in Coldharbour. After that one, I had to step away for a bit.... man. It hurt my heart and I still feel so bad. That was a case in the game where I really felt impacted by how cruel and awful Molag Bal is. Like I *knew* but that quest played with my emotions and made it personal.

27: Favorite area/region

Valenwood from ESO. I spend all my time there, and sometimes go to Summerset or Vvardenfell lol.

28: Least favorite character

Vivec.

Also don’t like Maven-Black Briar. :I

29: In-game food item you want to eat the most

Sweetroll! 

Also this one recipe for a beef dish I found in Valenwood sounded good.  Maybe also the Sunrise Souffle mentioned in Skyrim?

30: If you could try skooma, would you?

No. Don’t do drugs, kids.

31: If you had the skills and resources to do a perfect cosplay of any TES character who would it be?

Probs Serana

32: Have you read any of the novels?

No, but I’ve been thinking about it!

33: Favorite class to play

Thief, or a thief-similar class like agent or rogue.

34: Which type of magic would you most like using?

Alteration seems the most useful for everyday life lol. But illusion would be fun.

35: Favorite weapon

I use bows all the time!

36: Favorite spell

Levitate from Morrowind - it’s so much fun to use!

37: Favorite artifact

Nerevar’s Moon-And-Star Ring. It’s cute lol and I like the lore behind it!

Also enjoy the Wabbajack because of how silly it is, and Dibella’s Brush of Truepaint.

38: You have awakened to find you’re in Tamriel. How do you react?

Because yeah I love TES but also the world of it is scary with gods and monsters constantly trying to kill you lol

39: Thoughts on ESO so far

I really enjoy the world and writing! But I’m still cranky over some moments where it’s an MMO and not a normal TES game :I

I also hate that we can’t have NPC companions.  You really gonna give me a clockwork nix-hound named Snuffler and not let me travel with him? For shame.

40: Character you’d most like to hang out with

Nerevar, because I’m very awkward and shy and bad at peopleing and I would hope he could teach me how to improve lol.

But to actually hang out and chill, Marcurio would be pretty fun lol

[foxyninjabear]

A Hacker’s Tale -  Chapter 1

Hello all! I’ve got something to show ya! I’m making a HermitCraft fanfic... if you couldn’t tell by the tags. If not, I have no clue how the heck you found this post xD But either way, welcome! This story idea has been floating around in my head for awhile, but I finally have it up and ready to roll! So without further delay, here’s my introductory chapter to my pride and joy of a nerdy story, A Hacker’s Tale!

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!: This fic is rated as PG-14+, so read at your own risk! There's swearsies, suggestive references, and LOTS of blood and gore! Be aware! 

_________________________________________

???

Seventeen minutes. That was how long she had been waiting at their planned meeting spot. Same time, same place, every single week.

Of course he was late.

The creeper lifted herself away from the wall she was leaning against. “C’mon, where are ya…” She muttered, before glancing around at the dozens upon dozens of people walking by in the hall. Her coal black eyes shifted from person to person, and she searched for a head of fiery red hair, to no avail. She groaned in annoyance, gritting her teeth. “Ugh…”

“Did you miss me that much?”

The green scaled woman heard the familiar voice behind her, and her shoulders stiffened. “Synth… you’re late. Again.” She stated, not turning around.

The male voice chuckled. “Hey, you know me, Coda. I like pushing your buttons.”

Coda rolled her eyes, turned around, and saw that apparently nobody was there in the first place. Her lips pressed into a firm line, and her brows furrowed. “...okay, dude, c’mon.” She said, clearly feeling bothered. “Just show yourself so we can get this over with.” She then pulled out a small stack of plastic, multicolored cards from a back pocket on her jumpsuit. “I lost the bet and I owe ya.”

Before her eyes, a taller man with fair skin and long red hair tied back into a ponytail appeared out of thin air in a flash of pixels. Like her, he wore a black and gray uniform with red accents, a pair of black boots to match. His piercing grey eyes locked with hers, a sly grin on his lips. 

"About time I get my deck back." He chuckled, taking the cards out of her hands. "Good thing you suck at poker."

Coda laughed and shoved Synth at the comment. "That's cuz ya cheat, you fucker," She laughed.

The ginger winked. "Hey, I don't cheat… I just find loopholes."

"Yeah… sure," The creeper replied sarcastically, chuckling. “You elegantly… expertly… carefully dupe everyone into giving you their shit.”

Synth let out a laugh. “Now that’s ridiculous.” He insisted. He was about to continue his sentence, only to be interrupted by a small ping. “Hmm?” He lifted his arm to look at his wrist, where what resembled a watch resided. On its small screen, an icon of a bell was ringing back and forth, signalling that a brand new message was there for him to read.

Coda raised a brow at the beep. “What’s that about? Is it that crazy ex of yours again? I told ya that if ya needed me to shut’er up, I would.”

A confused frown formed on the redhead’s face as he read the message. “Apparently we’ve got a mission… World hijack. Block A, Floor Seven, at eight thirty.”

Coda eyes went wider in disbelief. “A mission? Today? But it's our day off…”

Synth frowned even more. “There’s no one else available…” He stated, before turning off his communicator and sighed.

The creeper’s brows furrowed. “You gotta be kidding me...” Her shoulders then sagged, and she let out an irritated groan. “Dammit... I gotta cancel my date now…”

Synth’s eyes widened slightly in interest. “A date? With who?”

“A hot tub.”

The redhead smirked. "That sounds more like a party."

Coda rolled her eyes. "You're so not invited."

“Awww!” Synth chuckled, before clearing his throat. “But hey, think about it. This could be your opportunity to finally get promoted. Show that you have what it takes to be a Sergeant.”

Coda thought for a moment, pursing her lips. “...you have a fair point...” She replied. After a few seconds of silence, she then pushed herself off the wall and stood up with confidence. “Y’know what, fuck it, I’ll show ‘em!” Determined, she began to march off down the hallway. 

The redhead chuckled and looked on at the creeper as she strolled away. "What're ya waiting for, a red carpet?" Coda asked, turning around to face her friend. "C'mon, we're gonna be late!"

“Don’t worry, I’m coming,” Synth answered, shifting away from his spot on the wall and beginning to follow the creeper. “And we still have half an hour. It’s only eight o’ clock, after all.”

“The Hive has over a hundred floors, dude!” Coda stated, gesturing around her with her arms to emphasize her point. “And the floors are enormous!”

Fort Oblivion, or the Hive, as it was commonly called, was the Shadowbyte Army’s base of operations. It had been ever since the military faction was founded hundreds of years prior by Ecryptos, a hacker said to have unspeakable power. With over one hundred floors, countless amounts of soldiers flowed in and out of the fortress like bees, loyally serving their queen, or in this case, king.

“That’s what hacks are for.” Synth replied, before pointing over to a mechanical sliding door. “And elevators.”

The green creeper glanced over at the elevator. “...you’re lucky I like you.” She said as the mechanical doors slid open. “You’re such a smartass sometimes…”

The human just smirked as he and his friend got into the empty lift. “You’re one to talk,” He teased, pressing a button on the elevator's control panel. 

“Oh, shut the fuck up,” Coda shoved Synth and laughed, crossing her arms as the elevator closed and began to descend.

A few moments of silence passed after the descent started. It was then that another soft ding came from Synth’s communicator. He lifted his wrist to check it, and he let out a small groan of annoyance as he did.

Coda tilted her head to look up at her taller friend. “Now is it Vinnie?”

“Yeah…” He replied, a frown on his face.

“She’s still pissed at ya, huh?”

The redhead nodded. “Mhmm…” His lips were pressed into a firm line, obviously fed up with the situation.

Coda gritted her teeth at the thought of Synth’s ex girlfriend. “Bitch…” She muttered. “Why can’t she just leave ya be? You came outta the closet almost a damn month ago.”

“Correction: you dragged me out of the closet.” Synth pointed out as the elevator stopped and opened its doors.

The two friends stepped out of the elevator and into another bustling hallway of Shadowbyte soldiers and personnel. “That’s cuz ya needed a polite shove in the right direction.” She stated back as they walked side by side. “You couldn’t hide your secret forever, y’know. Eventually ya would’ve broke.”

“She would have been angry either way,” Synth said.

“Who fucking cares if she’s mad?!” Coda snapped, eyes angry and full of protective rage. “She’s just some self-centered lil’ bitch who can’t handle the fact that the hottest guy she ever dated turned out to be ace!”

Synth blinked at the outburst, but then he chuckled. “You think I’m hot?” He asked.

“No shit! Look at yourself dude!” Coda gestured to him dramatically. “You’re hot as hell!”

“I thought you said that to everyone…” The redhead tightened his ponytail as he let out another laugh.

“That’s cuz I don’t give a fuck who I hook up with,” The green creeper stated. “Y’know I’m fine with every gender of the fucking rainbow.”

A grin tugged at the corners of Synth’s lips. “So… if you could, would you hook up with me?”

Coda immediately stopped in her tracks. “What? Ew, fuck no!” She answered. “Dude, I’ve known you for years! Even before you came out, the thought of hooking up with ya was just…” She shivered in disgust. “Uggghh…”

Her reaction make Synth smile wider and burst out laughing. “Pffft!” He had to lean himself against the wall and clutch his stomach, he was cackleing so hard. 

“Dude, I’m serious!” Coda stated.

It took a moment for him to catch his breath, and once he did, he cleared his throat. “Hey, like I said before; I love pushing your buttons...!” A sly smile formed on the redhead’s pale face.

"Yeah, yeah,” Coda said, before she noticed a set of large metal doors. Above it read a single sign in bold lettering. Block Seven A. “Wait, we’re here?”

Synth stepped up to the door. “See? I told you we wouldn’t be late.” He said, and pushed open the door to walk in. 

The room was rather large, giving plenty of space for soldiers to work. A raised platform was at the end of the expansive space, giving access to a large monitor, currently blank and dark. On one side of the room, long racks of all sorts of weapons and armor ran along the walls, displaying everything from assault rifles to gas masks to swords. Massive sparring mats were conveniently spaced out evenly along the perimeter of the racks, allowing easy access to the large amount of hardware. On the other side of the room, a row of pixelated targets and training dummies lined the wall, waiting to be used.

Synth brushed off a bit of dust from his shoulder. “You think the Hive is so large now?”

Coda rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, shut up.” She said, surveying her surroundings. For a moment, she thought that she and Synth were the only people present. But then her gaze landed on a figure near the sparring mats. A short, pudgy girl with long brown hair sat cross legged on the floor, surrounded by countless papers with what appeared to be blueprints. She had a pencil grasped between her milky fingers, and was writing down on one of the sheets.

A that moment, the curvy girl glanced away from her papers and caught sight of Coda and Synth. Her thin brown eyes lit up, and she grinned, standing up to happily greet the new arrivals. "Ooo, you must be the Infantry soldiers!" She said as she pranced over to them, gesturing to their red-accented Shadowbyte uniforms. "My name's Sakura."

Coda looked the girl up and down. She appeared… almost too cheerful and peppy at that moment. Especially since missions were never exactly a happy time. "You… don't look like you're a soldier, not gonna lie." She said.

Instead of being offended, the brunette shrugged and laughed. "I know. I'm not exactly a soldier anyway." She then tapped a small cloth badge in the shape of a cog sewn onto her uniform. "I'm more of a hired nerd than anything."

Synth raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Ah, you're in the Engineering department. You operate mechs?"

Sakura nodded. "Mhmm!" She answered. "I operate mechs, make cybernetics, design machines, the whole nine yards." She counted off each thing she said by holding out a finger for each one. It was at that moment that one thing was very apparent to Coda and Synth; the short woman had a prosthetic left arm, intricate lines of redstone wiring spread throughout the whole limb.

Synth kept his gaze on her arm for a moment, before lifting his head up to look her straight on. "So do you know any of the other two people here?"

The brunette gave him another nod. "Oh yeah!" She pointed to a corner of the room, where two guys sat. One had bright blue hair and eyes, and the other had blonde hair and a pair of welding goggles. "The blonde one is Lucky, he's part of the Cyber division. He's going to be our go-to for information. The one next to him is Jazz, part of Special Ops."

Coda nodded. "So we're still waiting on three more people…" She said to herself.

"Yes, three," Sakura replied. "As far as I know, I'm the only mechanic, and we should be getting at least one medic. Not sure about the rest though-" She then fell silent, and leaned to the side to look past the two Infantry soldiers. Her signature wide smile reappeared on her face. "Oh, nevermind!"

The two friends glanced over their shoulders, and sure enough, there were two new arrivals in the block. A man with greyish-white hair and faded blue eyes had entered, closely tailed by a taller but younger male with dark brown eyes and black hair. Both had the typical Shadowbyte jumpsuit on, as everyone else did, but instead of them being mostly made of black fabric, they were a clean white tone accented with shades of red and grey. It was very apparent that those two were part of the Medical division of the Army. And Coda immediately recognized one of them.

The creeper flashed a smile towards the two medics. "Hey, old man!" She called, waving to the white-haired medic and getting his attention. "Still kickin' huh?"

The older man chuckled and waved back as he approached, the younger medic in tow. "It's gonna take a lot more than a zombie hoard to kill me, Coda." He called and held up his arm, which was wrapped in some bandages.

Synth glanced at his friend, then the man, and then back to his friend. “Wait… this is Grey, right?” He asked her. “You said that he was your mentor when you first enlisted.”

Coda nodded. “Yeah, he was. I was still in the Medical Division back then. Eventually I got transferred to Infantry.”

“That’s because she has zero patience,” Grey said. At this point, him and the other medic had reached Coda, Synth, and Sakura. “Staff Sergeant Grey, at your service,” He held out a hand for the trio of soldiers to shake.

Sakura was the first one to shake his hand. “Sakura. Sergeant for the Engineering Division.” She said, giving him a warm smile.

Synth was next as soon as the brunette let go. “Master Sergeant Synth. Infantry.” He introduced himself. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Coda.”

“Good things, I hope?”

The redhead shrugged and chuckled. “Eh, healthy mix of both good and bad.”

Coda elbowed her friend at the answer. “Hey, I don’t say that much bad stuff ‘bout him!” She stated, crossing her arms and pouting. “He was just-”

“Not letting you have any fun?” Grey finished, a half smile on his wrinkled face.

The creeper fell silent, and let out a frustrated huff. “Fuck you, Grey.”

“Missed you too, Coda.”

Sakura then spoke up. “Excuse me, sir…?” She asked. “Who is that with you…” She gestured to the other medic next to Grey.

“Oh, yeah, him,” Grey gestured to the quiet boy next to him. “This is Nix,” He said. “He… doesn’t say much, but he’s one of the finest kids I’ve ever mentored.”

The two Infantry soldiers glanced over at the medic. A small smile formed on his lips, and he gave a small wave, but no words came from him as a greeting. 

Coda nodded, tilting her head slightly. "Aight then…Word of advice though." She took a step closer to Nix, grinning slyly. "Don't forget to pay attention. If ya don't, you'll be coming back here in a body bag." She then walked away chuckling, leaving the teen's eyes wide and skin draining of its warm umber tone. His scrawny figure shrunk back in fear. He opened his mouth to say something, but only a single squeak sounded out.

Grey shook his head, pressing his palm against his forehead. "Some things never change..." He muttered to himself. “Ignore her, Nix. She’s always been like that.” He assured his pupil, making the color slightly return to the student's bronzed skin.

After leaving Nix absolutely terrified and walking some distance away from the group, Coda leaned up against the wall, arms crossed. Next to her, also up against the wall, was the guy with bright blue hair and eyes that Sakura had pointed out before, heavily focused on a small device in his hands.

“So you’re Jazz right? Special Ops?” She asked, glancing over at the soldier.

The blue-eyed man nodded, his gaze fixed on the gadget in his hands. “Mhmm.” He said. “You?”

“Coda. Infantry.” She answered. A small ding then sounded from her communicator, and she glanced at her wrist. The time was eight thirty; exactly when the meeting was supposed to start. And there were still only seven people of the byte present.

Coda frowned, feeling annoyance bubble in her chest. “There’s only seven here… we’re missing the damn leader.” She growled. “If anything, they should at least be on time.”

“Don’t worry,” Jazz spoke up, not removing his focus from his game. “She’ll be here soon.”

The creeper raised a brow at the Special Ops soldier. “She? Who’s comin-”

The blue eyed gamer cut her off, holding up a finger. “Ah, hold on! I’m almost at the next level!”

“Jazz-”

“Shhh!” More beeps and boops and blasts from the gaming device.

Coda’s patience was wearing thin. “Oh, for fuck’s sake!” But before she could rip the gadget out of Jazz’s hands, she felt two hands wrap around her arms and pull her away.

“Okay, come on.” Synth said, calmly dragging his angered friend across the tiled floor, away from the current object of her rage.

The creeper glared up at the redhead. “Synth, c’mon man!” She squirmed violently to try and get out of his grasp. “Get off me!”

The soldier shook his head. “Not until you calm down, man,” He stated back. “Your temper gets you into trouble. You know that, right?”

Coda huffed, and gave up trying to escape her friend’s grip. “Yeah… I know.” She answered reluctantly. “...you can let me go now.”

Synth chuckled, and removed his hands from her arm. “There you are, m’lady.” He joked, brushing his hand off on his red and black uniform.

The green-scaled woman rolled her black eyes, turning away from him and crossing her arms. “Yeah, yeah.” She said, obviously salty. She glanced over at Jazz, who was too wrapped up in his game to have a single care. “Is Jazz ever gonna put that brick down?” She asked after a moment of quiet.

The redhead snickered and shrugged, shifting his focus to the blue eyed soldier leaning against the wall. “I don’t think he will, no,” He laughed. “That thing might just be the death of him one day.”

Coda burst out laughing, but tried to hold it back. “Pffft!” Her attempt to try and stop her chuckle only worked for a moment, and she then let it sound from her mouth. “Probably, yeah.” She said while laughing. The funniest part to the two of them was that Jazz was so absorbed into his game that he didn’t even hear the two talking about him.

A few moments later, their giggles died down into silence between them. “...have you heard of the name Nightingale?” Synth suddenly asked his friend.

Immediately, Coda recognized the name. According to word spread around the Hive, Nightingale was one of, if not the best Special Ops soldier in the whole Shadowbyte Army. She was especially known for her reputation as an incredibly skilled sniper, which explained her high ranking of Sergeant Major. But outside of missions she was put on, she was rarely ever seen. In fact, most of her existence was shrouded in mystery.

The creeper shrugged, but nodded. "Yeah, sorta." She answered. "All I know is that she's like a ghost around here. Why you ask?"

"I'm quite certain that she's the one we're missing."

Coda blinked. "...wait, what? You sure?"

Synth nodded. "Mhmm."

"...you wanna bet on it?"

The redhead raised a brow, but he grinned. "What did you have in mind?"

The green creeper smirked back. "Whoever's right has to buy the other person lunch when we get back." She then held out her hand and spat on it, before holding it out for him to shake. "Deal?"

Synth laughed. "Deal." He then spat in his own palm, before firmly grasping his friend's hand and shaking it. "And you know you're gross, right?" He let go and pulled a silk handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe his hand off.

Coda raised an eyebrow, her smirk turning mischievous. “What, y’mean like this?” Before Synth could respond, she then disappeared in an array of static, only to instantly reappear latched onto him as if he were giving her a piggyback ride. She snickered and dragged her tongue across his freckled cheek, immediately letting out a cackle as her friend shrieked in disgust.

“Coda! Get off!” He scrambled to get her off his back, but the creeper only laughed more and latched on tighter. After drawing the attention of almost everybody else in the room, Synth eventually teleported a few feet away, causing Coda to fall to the floor with a loud thunk.

Coda groaned and leapt to her feet. “Oh c’mon!" She lunged to where Synth was, only to grasp at open air as he activated an invisibility hack and disappeared. She heard him let out a relieved chuckle behind her. "You mother-"

“I presume everyone’s here?”

Everyone in the room turned to face where the new voice came from. A tall woman with ebony skin and black curls stood in the doorway, donning a standard black and grey Shadowbyte jumpsuit with purple accents, signifying her position as a Special Ops soldier. A long, jagged scar stretched across one of her dark eyes, most of it hidden from sight with the leather eyepatch she wore. But with or without her nasty battle wound, her respectable title, or her surprising height, her gaze alone was cold and intimidating enough to make anyone stop in their tracks.

Synth, who had now reappeared, let out a chuckle and nudged his friend with his elbow. "I guess I won the bet." He said.

Coda tore her widened gaze from the woman as she strode into the room. “Wait… that’s Nightingale?!” The creeper whispered harshly to Synth.

“Mhmm. That’s her.” He replied. “What, are you surprised? Jazz and I told you she was a woman...”

“Ya didn’t tell me she was smokin��� hot, though!”

Synth covered his lips with a single finger. "Hush now, Coda. You wouldn't want her hearing that, would you?" He teased. "Besides, she's coming this way." He nodded his head in the sniper's direction, and indeed, she had her dark eyes set on Synth and Coda.

The redhead gave the woman a nod in respect as she approached. “Ma’am,” He greeted, holding out his hand for her to shake. “Good to see you again.”

Nightingale returned the gesture and shook his hand. “You too, Synth," She said. "And please, Angel will do just fine.”

The taller male chuckled, still holding the woman's palm. "But how would I be a gentleman then, ma'am?" He asked playfully, before lifting her hand up to press a kiss against her knuckles.

Angel rolled her eyes, letting out a small laugh in return. "Charmer as always, Synth," She pulled her hand away and rested it on her hip. "And I'm guessing the one next to you is Coda?"

As the creeper felt her heart skip a beat, her taller friend nodded, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Yes ma'am. This is her, in the flesh."

The ebony woman turned herself to face Coda, and she gave her a nod. "Synth says that you're pretty skilled at hand to hand combat. One of the best in your rank. Specialist, if my memory serves me correct?"

Coda, as flustered as she felt, put on a sharp-toothed smile and nodded. "Yes ma'am. That's me." She answered.

The corners of Angel's lips pulled up into a slight grin. "Well, let's hope you live up to your reputation." She turned to Synth and smiled wider, although not much. "That goes for you too, Synth."

The redhead chuckled. "Yes, ma'am." He responded, and watched the woman walk away, presumably to inform the rest of the byte about the mission.

Coda then slowly craned her neck upwards to face Synth as soon as the woman was out of earshot. “Since when did you and her know each other?” She whispered, demanding an explanation.

“I’ve worked with her before on many occasions,” The redhead stated simply. “Mostly on World hijacks. As stern as she is, she’s damn good at what she does.”

The creeper glanced back at Angel, who was striding up to the front of the room. “She sure is good… I can agree with that.” She still couldn’t get over how attractive she thought the woman was, even if she appeared to be in her late thirties, maybe even her early forties. A well-toned body, pretty face, full lips. It was as if she were the embodiment of a beautiful night itself-

“You thirsty again?” Synth’s chuckle snapped Coda out of her thoughts and made her cheeks heat up. However, as he opened his mouth to speak again, Coda bent her elbow and jammed it into his gut. "Ow! …alright, I deserved that."

"Ya think?"

"Okay everyone, listen up!" Angel stated loud enough to capture everyone's attention as she stepped onto the raised platform at the front of the room. "Our job today is to capture the target World, right here!" She gestured her hand to the massive screen, which had now turned on and had an expansive view of a single World, encased in several large translucent blue spheres. Firewalls. "Now, who's the Cyber soldier here?"

Almost everyone's gazes shifted to Lucky, who's figure went from already timid to extremely nervous. He gulped, and shyly raised his hand. "M-m-me, ma'am…" He squeaked.

His meek reply was only just enough to get the sniper's attention. "Alright. Can you pull up the information on this World? Anything you can find."

"Y-yes ma'am." Lucky nodded, and slowly left his corner to step up and onto the platform with Angel. He tapped the screen a few times, and a translucent keyboard appeared before him. The blonde them typed away at his console, glancing between that and the monitor. "Okay… s-so this World has received the latest known Update. And it's been around for a little over a month now."

Angel nodded slowly. “And its name?”

“Uh...” Lucky tapped away some more, eyes darting back and forth. “It doesn’t have a registered name, but it has an admin authority listed. Which is…” He then blinked a couple times, before biting his lip. "Uh oh…”

Coda raised an eyebrow. "What? What is it?" She demanded.

The shorter male timidly looked back at the creeper now eyeing him expectantly. "Th-the admin authority is listed as W.E.S." He gulped. “W-World Exploration Society.”

Almost every other member of the group grimaced at the name. The World Exploration Society was the bane of the Army’s World hijack operations. If a World had W.E.S. as its admin authority, it meant that it had at least twenty inhabitants working fulltime to make that World eventually livable and safe for the general public. Which also meant that there was at least twenty more ways that the mission could possibly go wrong.

“...well shit.” Coda said, pressing her lips into a firm line. “This is great. Just fuckin’ great.”

Sakura’s dark brown eyes shifted to the creeper. “Well… it could be worse.” She replied, trying to be optimistic.

“How the fuck could this be any worse?”

The brunette flinched slightly at Coda’s response, but she continued. “We… we could be going on a suicide mission...?”

“As far as we know, this is a suicide mission.” She retorted, leaning her face closer to Sakura’s, an irritated sneer on her lips.

“Hey, ladies,” Angel asserted, getting the pair’s attention with her stern and annoyed tone. “Work together here instead of going at each other’s throats.”

A new voice then spoke up. “M-ma’am…?”

Everyone turned to see who it was, and Lucky had his hand raised. “M-maybe if we try to figure out who’s in that World… w-we could make a plan of attack easier.”

Coda locked her jet black eyes with the blonde’s. “And how would that make anythin’ easier?”

"Well… we would want to know who we're going to encounter, right?" Sakura explained. "We could get an advantage if we knew who we're up against."

Angel pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed in irritation. “Alright… Just get the list of names for the group members assigned to the World. Understood?”

The blonde nodded rapidly and saluted. “Y-yes ma’am! I-I will!” He squeaked, before heading over to his corner to type away once again, pulling up holographic screens and monitors.

The Special Ops soldier turned to face the rest of the party under her command. “Until he gets the information we need, you all can go to your own devices.” She gave them all a strong salute, standing tall. “You’re dismissed.”

Everyone else gave her a salute back, before dispersing around the room. Coda looked over at the large sparring rings, and she shrugged. She figured that while they waited for Lucky to finish his research, practicing combat wouldn’t be so bad. Plus, she had heard rumors that there were some new weapons to test out.

“Hey, dude,” She said to get Synth’s attention onto her. “Wanna spar?”

The redhead looked over his shoulder to face his friend, and his grey eyes lit up in interest. “Yeah, sure,” He answered. “Real or fake weapons?”

Coda let out a chuckle. “Do I look like a wimp to you?”

“Don’t you remember the last time we used real ones?” Synth asked. “You nearly took my head off with that mace you had.”

“Oh, c’mon man!” She whined. “I won’t send you to the infirmary this time!”

“That’s what you said last time… and the time before that. And the time before-”

Coda huffed and raised her hands. “Aight, aight, keep ya pants on!” She stated. “But I’m still gonna get weapons for the mission, cuz right now I got nothing. And I suggest you do the same unless ya wanna be beaten to a pulp.”

Synth grinned a bit and gave a single nod. “Then shall we?” He gestured to the massive array of weapons and armor on the wall next to the sparring mats, and jokingly held out his arm for his friend to grasp.

The green creeper rolled her eyes and smiled, before wrapping her arm around his. “You’re so proper, it’s borderline annoying.” She chuckled as they walked arm in arm across the room.

“What can I say? A fine lady such as yourself needs to be treated with the greatest amount of respect.” The redhead winked at his fellow soldier.

She let out a snort of laughter. “You got the fine part right.” As soon as the two got to the massive wall of weapons and artillery, they let go of each other and went off on their own to find their desired gear.

Coda gazed at the variety of melee weapons as she slowly walked past them. Spears, daggers, staves, maces, swords. But a wide grin formed on her lips once she saw a beautiful and shining battle axe made of dark steel perched on the rack. Bold red accents ran along the edges of its two large blades and long handle, making the heavy weapon much more menacing. Just how she liked it.

“Oh hell yeah!” She eagerly made her way to the battle axe and ran her fingers along the cold metal, before grasping it with both hands and lifting it off the rack. “Come to Mama!” She turned to glance over at Synth. "What'cha picking out?"

The redhead carefully slid a long, elegant black steel sword off its perch on the wall. "This," He answered, holding it up for her to see. "You getting a gun?"

The green creeper pursed her lips in thought. "I probably should…" She said back, before lifting her heavy weapon over her shoulder with one hand and beginning to browse the next section of artillery, mostly consisting of firearms and miscellaneous weaponry, like smoke bombs or garrote wires. After a few moments, she shrugged and decided on a couple of pistols. They weren’t the most powerful guns, but they would do in a pinch.

She knelt down and tucked one of the handguns in the side of her boot. “Hey, while you're over with the training weapons, grab me one of the axes, will ya?” She called out to her friend as she concealed her weapon with the hem of her jumpsuit pant leg.

“I’m way ahead of you,” Coda heard Synth answer. When she looked up, she saw that he was already holding two synthetic weapons in his hands; a battle axe for his friend, and a longsword for himself. “Now, think fast.”

Before she could respond, the redhead sheathed his fake blade and then threw the fake axe, sending it spiraling in Coda’s direction. “GAH!” The creeper jumped to her feet in surprise, and instinctively held her hand up. Right as the large weapon was about to smack her in the face, the axe came to a sudden halt in midair and remained there floating.

“Synth, what the hell?!” The creeper cursed out her friend, demanding an explanation.

Synth only grinned and laughed. “I’m just testing your reflexes, that’s all,” He cooed, striding over to one of the sparring mats. “Making sure that you’ve actually been practicing telekinetic hacks.”

Coda huffed and gritted her teeth as she grasped the hovering axe. “Fuck you, man,” She lifted her weapon up over her shoulder, and she walked over to the opposite side of the large mat. “Anyway… Ya ready?”

Synth twirled his sword in his hand, standing tall. “Ready,”

Coda’s grip on her training axe tightened, and she grinned. “On my count.” She stated. “One…”

Both friends adjusted their stances, preparing for the brawl about to ensue.

“Two...”

The creeper felt her heart pumping, loving the adrenaline rush through her body. Her sharp-toothed smile grew wider at the feeling. It was a feeling that thought she was timeless. And she couldn’t wait to actually go out and fight in the field head on against the enemy.

“Three!”

The two soldiers then rushed at each other, weapons poised and ready to strike. Coda was the first to make a move, swinging her large axe in a large arc at Synth’s torso. Though Synth quickly leaned to the side and dodged the attempted blow, before making a quick swing of his own with his sword.

They kept swinging back and forth, dodging and blocking each other’s strikes, using teleportation and speed hacks to their advantage. As violent and hasty as it appeared, it was almost graceful. The two had gotten sparring down to almost an art form, after all. Maybe training side by side for years was starting to take its toll; actually landing a hit on one another was proving to be more and more difficult with each fight.

It wasn’t until after several long, neverending moments that one managed to land a blow on the other. Coda and Synth’s weapons clashed against each other, and the creeper managed to send the human’s sword flying out of his hand and across the mat. Seeing her chance, she swung her axe at his feet and knocked him onto the floor.

Coda pressed her boot against his chest, resting the edge of her synthetic weapon on his neck. A mischievous but tired smile danced on her lips. "I...I think I won." She said in between labored breaths.

Synth coughed, but grinned back as his friend moved the axe away from him and lifted her foot off of his torso. "About time." He said, before sitting up and holding out a hand, which Coda properly grasped to help him up. “You’ve gotten pretty decent with that handling that axe. I remember when you could barely hold one of those.”

The creeper rolled her eyes, managing to finally catch her breath. “That was when I first met ya, dude,” She chuckled. “Almost ten years ago! I was still a twig back then! Now I literally bench press you like it’s nothin’!” She lifted the training axe over her shoulder. “Plus these things are a lot lighter than the actual weapons.”

“His point still stands.” Angel’s voice caught the two friends off guard. They turned, and saw that she stood a few yards away, with a familiar blank expression on her face. “You did good.”

Coda felt her cheeks heat up a bit, and she gave the woman a nod, clearing her throat. “Thank you, ma’am.”

A small moment of silence passed, and then the creeper felt a hand on her shoulder. “I… think I’ll leave you two alone for a bit.” Synth said, making his friend look up at him in confusion. “Get to know each other a bit more.” He winked, a playful glint in his eye. At that moment, she immediately knew what he was trying to pull.

Coda gritted her teeth in irritation as he walked off, presumably to interact with the rest of the team. She glanced back at Angel, who’s expression remained pretty much the same. “Uh… so you’ve heard ‘bout me? From Synth?” She asked, in an attempt to try and make conversation. Internally, she was growing frustrated; normally this wouldn’t have affected her so much. Why did Angel have to be so pretty?

The ebony woman nodded as a response to her question. “I have. He talks about you quite a bit, actually.” She said. “I’m presuming that you’ve known each other for some time?”

The creeper internally sighed in relief at how the feeling of butterflies in her stomach began to fade. “Yes, we have,” She answered. “We met a little after I finished my training and officially became enlisted. About ten years ago.”

Angel raised an eyebrow slightly. “So you’re about twenty eight?” She questioned. “That’s quite young to be a Specialist. Most reach that title in their thirties.”

Coda chuckled. “I’m not most people,” She replied. “And neither are you. There’s so many rumors about ya I can barely keep track of which ones are legit and which aren’t.”

"Oh?" The sniper tilted her head a bit. "And what would these rumors contain?"

The creeper let out another laugh. "Well… people say that you can empty a clip in the blink of an eye. Don't know how that started."

To Coda's surprise, something new glinted in Angel's dark gaze, though she couldn't tell what it was. "You don't trust the rumors?" She asked.

"Not really," She stated. "I know you're a good shot, but I doubt you can shoot that quick-"

Angel suddenly drew a gun off of her belt and aimed at three targets all the way across the room. Three loud shots sounded out, and the trio of targets exploded in a bright array of red pixels, before flashing white and returning to their original, untouched state. The sniper stood strong for a moment with her arm raised and smoking pistol poised, before calmly holstering it on her hip. “You believe the rumors now?” She asked.

Coda’s eyes were wide at what just occurred, feeling absolutely flabbergasted. “H...h-heh…” Her face began to feel hot as she blushed. She couldn’t even see the woman fire each individual shot, she was that quick. How could she have fired three bullets in the blink of an eye and have each one meet its mark perfectly? Aimbot? Speed? Haste? The creeper thought and thought, and drew nothing but a blank.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Angel snapped Coda out of her thoughts, before striding away and leaving the creeper flustered and shocked.

This woman would be the death of her.

"I take it the chat went a bit south?" Synth's voice sounded next to the green creeper, though this time it didn't make her jump. Her focus was still fixed on her superior's figure as she walked off.

"...how is she such a badass…?" Coda mumbled.

"I ask myself every day, Coda," The human replied, before patting her shoulder a couple of times. "Come on. I think maybe getting your focus on something else will snap you back to your old asshat self." He then led his friend across the room after wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Sakura! Is that thing of yours almost done?"

Sakura was near Jazz, Nix, and Grey, who had gathered around her to see what she was up to. "Almost!" She called, her back facing Coda and Synth.

The closer the pair got to the mechanic, the more curious she became. "What are ya doing…?" Coda asked as she and Synth were close enough to see what she was apparently working on.

The short brunette's thin eyes lit up, and she gave a warm smile. "I've been working on…" She then turned around to proudly hold up what appeared to be a small metal box with a single button on top. "This!" She stated proudly, before setting the box on the ground.

The green creeper eyed the gadget curiously. “Uh...What’s that…?” She looked back up at the brunette who set it on the floor.

"Just watch," Sakura said, before she pressed the button on the device. As she took several steps away, the metallic contraption began to unfold and expand with whirrs and clicks and hums. In a matter of moments, the final parts shifted into place, making a massive and powerful mech that towered over everybody else in the room.

Jazz's eyes widened in awe. "Woah…" A wide grin formed on his face, and he turned to Sakura. "Can I try it?! Please!!" He asked, repeatedly bouncing up and down where he stood.

Before the mechanic could respond, Angel calmly spoke up. "If you let’em in that thing, he’ll blow us up in five minutes." She called from across the room, soon approaching. "Don't let him near it."

The blue-haired soldier frowned. "Aww, please?" He begged his superior. "I promise I'll be caref-"

Only one quick glare at him was enough to silence Jazz. All of the color drained from his cheeks in a matter of seconds. "Y...yes ma'am…" He uttered.

Coda snorted as she held back a laugh. Even though she had known Angel for less than an hour, she was already growing a liking to her, and not just for her good looks or the fact that her heart skipped beats when she spoke to her. To her, the older woman was very admirable.

The ebony woman then shifted her gaze back to Sakura. "You can get back to testing your mech, Sergeant." She stated.

The mechanic blinked, but then smiled, before stepping up to the back of her creation and pulling two levers simultaneously to open what appeared to be the cockpit. Pulling herself up and into the mech, she laid down in the snug chamber and pressed a few buttons, and the machine whirred to life, a control panel with dozens of buttons and dials and levers lighting up as a result.

Grey's faded blue eyes widened slightly, impressed at the complex and beautiful piece of machinery. "I'll be damned…" He said, before looking through the windshield of the mech and at Sakura. "You made this by yourself?"

The girl nodded. "Yup!" She answered, her voice slightly muffled. "This is the latest model of what I call the Redstone Operated Shadowbyte Automaton. Or R.O.S.A. for short." The brunette patted the side of the cockpit. "Takes a lot to maintain her, but she's a beauty."

Synth eyed the mech with interest, specifically the guns. “Do you mind showing us it works?”

“Sure, I don’t see why not,” Sakura replied. “I’ve got to make sure the firing mechanisms work anyway, so I can show you those. Just don’t get in front of me when I do.”

The brunette grasped two lever-like controllers on her console, outfitted with several buttons and triggers. She pushed them both forward, and the mech swiftly moved across the floor to the small firing range, making soft stomps with every step. "Now, stand back!" Sakura called out as the automaton's two machine gun arms lifted. The submachine guns soon spun and whirred to life, and before anybody could say anything, a bright display of red hot plasma charges flew across the room towards the targets and obliterated them in an instant.

Jazz’s eyes lit up at the sight, and his jaw dropped. “Holy shit! That’s awesome!!” He exclaimed as the gunfire slowly ceased, and the mech’s operator exited.

A light blush spread across Sakura’s face at the praise. “Aw, it was nothing...” She answered, smiling shyly.

Angel then spoke up. “Don’t sell yourself short,” She stated. “You have a great piece of machinery here-”

Her sentence was cut off as she felt a tap on her shoulder and heard Lucky’s voice. "M-ma'am, I've got it…"

The sniper raised an eyebrow, and shifted her focus to the timid blonde now next to her. "What was that?"

"I-I've got it… I've got the names of the group members." He repeated.

Coda's eyes widened in interest. "Well, what're ya waiting for? Show us!"

With the seven other soldier’s eyes focused on him, Lucky began to sweat. “Y-yes, of course!” He answered, and rushed to the front of the room where the massive screen hung. After tapping on it a few times, the empty monitor then lit up brightly once he made a final tap on his wrist communicator. On the screen, over two dozen photos of different people popped up, each with their own sets of information and data pouring in.

Sakura’s jaw dropped at the sight. “Oh my goodness…” She said. “All of those people are in that one World?”

“P-possibly,” Lucky replied, and swiped his hand across the screen. The portraits then enlarged to show only one at a time, with their personal details next to the images. Both slowly scrolled by, displaying each member for a moment before moving onto the next. “But most likely… yes. They’ll likely all be on at the same time…”

Coda let out a huff. “Aw, shit… great.” She grumbled. “Now we’ve got more witnesses to take care of…”

Synth turned to the creeper next to him. “Unless we have the element of surprise.” He countered. “Even if there is that many people, they’re bound to be spread quite thin.”

“He’s right,” Angel agreed, stepping up next to the two friends. “We’ll need to be stealthy about this. As long as we stay below the radar, these guys won’t suspect a thing.” She kept her gaze on the profiles continuously scrolling by. “Besides, think about it... if we don’t kill them, we’ll have more possible soldiers to take in.”

The blonde Cyber soldier lifted his head up to face the sniper. “U-uhh… n-not to be rude, ma’am, but… a-are you sure they’d want to join…?”

“Like I said. Possible soldiers.” The woman repeated. “If some join, great. If not… that’s more for us to clean up.”

Grey's face contorted into a frown. "Being a cleaner isn't part of my job description. Or Nix's." He gestured to his student, who stood next to him awkwardly.

"Ya deal with blood and guts all the time, old man," Coda countered. "You have been for years."

"Exactly my point. I don't want to deal with any more than I already do."

The creeper huffed, crossing her arms. "It isn't that bad-"

"Hey," Angel stated forcefully, interrupting the two's debate. "Another day."

While the older male fell silent and nodded, Coda only got more defiant, even if she did respect the woman as her superior. "Why the hell not? Ya already-"

The team's leader flicked a finger in the soldier's direction, and a small burst of pixels erupted from the tip. No more sound then came out of Coda's mouth, although her lips kept moving as if she were still talking. Angel muted her.

"That's better," The sniper said, before turning her attention back to the other six members of the byte, completely ignoring Coda's silent bout of anger and frustration. "Now, where were we?"

Lucky hesitantly raised his hand. "W-we were talking about how we could get possible recruits from this World...?" He answered.

Angel nodded in the blonde's direction. "Good. You were paying attention." She said, and then turned to face Coda. “Unlike some people.”

The creeper could only respond by scowling and crossing her arms, appearing to have let out a frustrated grumble.

The ebony woman continued. "Anyway… with the amount of people residing in the World, there's bound to be someone who has some sort of hacking experience." She gestured to the massive screen of scrolling profiles. "If we can get more than one, then that's most definitely an added bonus."

Sakura raised her hand. "Ma'am, if I may ask… isn't there a way for us to tell if any of those members are a possible threat…? If they have any record of hacking in their files?" She asked.

Angel tapped her chin. "I suppose there could be a way to find out." She shifted her dark gaze to Lucky. "Hey, you able to check each of their backgrounds for anything iffy? Filter out which ones we need to look out for?"

The short blonde nodded. "Yes ma'am," He tapped the large screen, and a large translucent keyboard pixelated before him. His fingers flew across the console, tapping keys left and right. After a moment, the photos on the screen stopped scrolling, and zoomed out to show all two dozen profiles again. "Anything in particular you want me to search?"

"Check to see if any of them have military records, combat experience, maybe even records of hacking." She answered, shifting her gaze back to the group of profiles on the wall. "We shouldn't leave anything to chance."

Lucky gave another nod and set to work. Text spread across the screen as he typed, before disappearing as quickly as it appeared. Over half a dozen of the profile pictures then flashed a bright green, and expanded to only present themselves on the giant monitor.

"The first one is listed as Biffa2001…" Lucky started, expanding the photo furthest to the left; a man that appeared to be more machine than alive. The only flesh visible was his face, which was covered in countless scars. "He used to be a bomb tech in his home World's army, but was honorably discharged after…" Lucky then visibly cringed at what he read next, eyes wide. "L-losing over fifty percent of his body when trying to disable an IED… He had to get a specialized suit and prosthetics so he could walk again..."

Sakura blinked and bit her nails. "Oh gosh…" She muttered. “Please tell me it only gets better from here…”

Lucky shrugged, appearing uncertain. “I-I… I have no clue.” He replied, before typing once again and moving onto the profile next to Biffa’s. "Okay… This guy here is DocM77." Lucky enlarged the photograph on the monitor, giving a more detailed look at a creeper with visible metal cybernetics on his face. "Used to be a military scientist and mechanic before becoming an employee for W.E.S." The blonde blinked. "Nothing much else in his file other than that one of his experiments went wrong and he had to have a bunch of his body replaced with cybernetics."

Jazz, although not looking up at the monitor, spoke up as he continued to play his game. “You think that these guys would be more careful with their bodies,” He said.

Grey chuckled and nodded. “Good point, kid. Looks like the rest’ve had better luck though.”

"Next up… FalseSymmetry." The focus on Doc's photo shifted to the profile of the blonde woman next to him. "Former military commander, dozens of awards for valor and bravery. Left a few years ago to become apart of W.E.S." He tapped a few more times on his keyboard. "It doesn't say why she left though… as far as it looks, she was better off where she was."

"Everyone has their reasons," Angel stated. "But I doubt she's forgotten how to defend herself. Who's next?"

The Cyber soldier immediately followed her order and scrolled to the next member in question, a man with spiky brown hair and a missing eye, replaced with a mechanical one. "His name is Iskall85, according to his file." He answered. "Another military guy… Ooo, ouch…" He cringed at the line of text he was reading. "Discharged honorably after getting his eye shot out by a sniper. He literally never saw it coming, pun int-"

Angel interrupted him. "Lucky… next one." She said.

Lucky gulped and nodded nervously. "Y-yes, of course!" He then tapped his keyboard, making the view on Iskall's photograph shift to the next person. "This one is listed as… Mumbo Jumbo." He stated, gesturing to the photo of a thin man with black hair and a moustache to match. "Famous redstone engineer turned W.E.S. employee. He's pretty young, too… only twenty-three years old."

"He looks like a pipe cleaner with eyes," Coda's snicker caught the rest of the group off guard. Most turned to face her, and she had a smirk on her lips. "And yeah, the mute wore off finally. Ya can't shut me up forever." She then pulled out a small pack of gum from her back pocket and tossed a piece in her mouth, proceeding to chew and blow a pink bubble with it.

Synth raised an eyebrow at his friend, but decided against saying anything and looked back at the younger blonde. "But how is he a threat? Like she said… he doesn't appear to be that tough."

"He has a military record… s-sort of." Lucky answered. "Apparently a few years ago, he designed redstone machines and weaponry for a war going on in his home World. And they must've been pretty good, because he got a significant amount of compensation for making them."

"How much did he get?" Sakura questioned.

"Umm…" The blonde scrolled through the information next to Mumbo's photograph, before a single line of text highlighted and kept blinking on and off. "Woah… He got hundreds of millions of bits for the inventions he made!"

Coda's gum bubble burst loudly the moment Lucky finished his sentence. "Wait, what?" She asked, showing genuine surprise. "He's a multimillionaire? Why would he even be employed?"

Lucky blinked. "Wh...what do you mean?"

The creeper held her hand up and rubbed her fingers and thumb together. "Well, he has over a million reasons to not risk having his ass kicked in some untamed World. He has enough bits to retire and kick back."

Lucky shrugged. "I… I guess you have a point." He then cleared his throat, before moving along to the next member, a creeper with coal black eyes and ruby red scales. "A-anyhow, this is PythonGB, a former military soldier. A decorated one, too; a lot of awards for bravery and skill, even some of the highest honors you can get. Left a few years ago to join W.E.S." Lucky then blinked in surprise. "Huh… and it says he's only in his early twenties, too. How did me manage to become so talented so young…?"

"Doesn't matter." Angel stated. "All that matters is that he has skills. And a lot of 'em."

The Cyber soldier nodded, slightly nervous. "T-true, ma'am…" He scrolled over to the next profile, of a blonde man decked out in an almost medieval style of iron armor. "N-next up is Welsknight. Also former military… he's a bit older though. Nothing much other than that in his file…"

"What about the last one? On the right here?" Synth asked, gesturing to the photo of a man in green armor, his face hidden by a massive helmet covering his whole head.

"Uhh…" Lucky tapped the monitor a few times, expanding the profile picture so it was the only photo on the screen. "Okay, this guy is…" He blinked at the name next to the image. "Eye-sumavoid? Egg-sumavoid? Ex-sumavoid?" After a moment, he just shook his head. "Nevermind… A-anyway, there isn't much on him, either, but it does say that he has a lot of experience with putting up firewalls around Worlds. And by the reviews he has, they're pretty good at keeping malware out."

Coda then took a step closer to the screen, arms crossed. "So… In total, we've got a scrawny redstone genius, two badass blondies, a wannabe turtle, a military child prodigy, and three cyborgs…" Her gaze was fixed on the monitor for a moment, before she turned away. "All of 'em with some sort of background that could make the whole mission fall apart… Great."

Grey's eyes focused on the eight photos. "Geez, with that many people with that kind of combat experience, that group sounds more like a rogue militia than anything else."

"Umm… I don't think they're exactly called that." Lucky corrected shyly. "A-as far as I know, each group hired by W.E.S. has the option to choose their own name. To make it easier to identify them."

The older medic raised an eyebrow. "Well… what do they call themselves?"

Lucky turned to the screen and zoomed it outwards, so all of the images could be shown at once like they had moments before. A single name in bold lettering was at the top of the cluster of photographs.

HermitCraft.

[zdbztumble]

“Chain of Memories” revisited

(NOTE: My only experience playing this game is with the remake for the PS2, and so all my comments, and all my memories, derive from that, not the GBA original.)

It’s been interesting, going through the Kingdom Hearts series again this year, to see lines of praise and criticism I wasn’t aware of before. In the case of Chain of Memories, I wasn’t aware of some of the objections made to this game’s story and gameplay. Apparently, it’s been faulted for abandoning the set-up at the end of KH I in favor of a completely new story, it established the series’ penchant for nonsensical mystery and needlessly convoluted plotting, and the gameplay is too divorced from the rest of the series.

I can’t say that I find the first and the third to be justified critiques. To begin with the third point, I really enjoy the card-based mechanic. It took me longer to get the hang of it this time than I remembered from my teenage years, but once I did, it was a lot of fun to play around with. If I have any complaints about the mechanic, it’s that the game becomes a little too easy once you unlock enough sleights and grow your deck to a certain size. By the time I reached the end of the second set of world cards, it was only boss battles that offered any real challenge. But I still enjoyed building decks and watching the sleight animation. 

As for the idea that the game abandoned the set-up from KH I - I just can’t see that at all. It’s stated more than once that Sora and friends came to Castle Oblivion on the trail of Riku and King Mickey, and until Repliku is revealed as such, he feeds into their feelings about that search. This game was also produced when KH II was already announced, and was conceived of as an intermediary title; even if it had deviated wildly from the set-up at the end of KH I, this would have been the place to do it.

And that is something worth remembering when assessing CoM - the state of things at the time it was made. It’s easy to look over the entire series, with all its strange naming conventions, egregious retcons, and neglected and abandoned character lines, but when CoM was made, there was only the one game, and an upcoming sequel. To think of CoM as a side game, was appropriate at the time, even with the impact it would have on KH II’s story.

However - with that said, hindsight has not always been kind to CoM, because the game did set trends that would end up metastasizing and bringing the whole series down. It did indeed establish the precedent of teasing future titles and stories with vague allusions, set-up without a pay-off. In this case, with KH II on the way - and the fact that KH II did pay off the teasing in CoM - the mystery made for an effective element in the larger series. But efforts to replicate the success of that mystery in later titles were often abysmal. A very similar story goes for this game’s attempt to have its cake and eat it too with the question on whether Sora would ever remember Namine - KH II found a way to pull that off in a satisfying manner that preserved a bittersweet and sacrificial element, but other games could never duplicate that feat.

This game also started to demonstrate the pacing issues that later games would make far worse. One aspect of the pacing was out of the developers’ hands - the loss of the rights to Tarzan cost them a world, and by moving Halloweentown up to fill the empty slot in the first set of world cards and sticking the 100 Acre Wood into the second, that set of world cards feels light and rushed compared to the first. But there are other pacing problems within this game. The ratio of cutscenes to gameplay is often awkward, especially with the need to pass through two sets of scenes every time you move up one floor. The repetitive nature of these cutscenes, with stilted dialogue covering things the player already knows, also emerged here, in a more pronounced way than in KH I that would only grow and fester.

I also found some of the leaps of logic more of a strain on credulity here than in the first game. To complain about logic in Kingdom Hearts is always going to be a little ridiculous, I know, but the first game did manage a better internal logic, at least up until the very end. It was a fantasy world’s logic, well freed from many normal constraints, but it held up. Some of the moves here, from Goofy’s deductions about memories early in the game, to when Donald and Goofy do or don’t appear in cutscenes, to Sora’s assumptions when he offers to let Namine wipe his memories, just didn’t hold water even internally, and that’s another trend that would worsen with time.

And then...there’s the villains.

Organization XIII has always been better as a concept and a collective than broken down into its individual components IMO. In this game - where it was still just “the Organization” - that collective is never truly dealt with. Its plans and its threat are the tease, the shadowy image on the horizon that will ultimately be addressed in KH II, its only representation within the game being Axel and Vexen. The villains here are a renegade faction within the Organization, and that faction is essentially only two members, Marluxia and Larxene. And I have to be honest - they just don’t work for me.

Playing through KH I again this year led me to finally love and appreciate Riku as a character, but no such change of heart happened with these characters. Axel and Larxene remain utterly repellent to me. I get that Axel is meant to be smug, and Larxene’s meant to be a sadistic bitch, but such characters tread a very thin line between being effective and compelling antagonists that enhance a story, or being insufferable black holes that derail a story. Both fall firmly in the latter category IMO, and the only reason they don’t do more damage is because of their limited screen time. As for Marluxia - I was shocked, playing through this game again, how little screen time he has, and how limited the build-up to him is. Couple that with his non-existent personality, and I really can’t believe that this guy was brought back in KH III, let alone the greater lore. This, of course, marks another trend began in this title - underwhelming and/or detrimental antagonists in black cloaks given one too many monologues.

There are also issues unique to this game, and in some cases to the remake of it that I’ve played. Summons are much more hit and miss than in the first game (Donald and Genie are essentially worthless in my experience), and not having some of them available for most of the story in a given world can get frustrating when you want to play with them but the game moves so quickly due to the ease of combat. Line readings in cutscenes are often awkward, and Sora’s teenage voice, while unavoidable, is incredibly distracting.

And there is one criticism I’ve seen of this game’s story that I have to agree with: the lack of a role for the Disney worlds in the story. I don’t always agree with the way this criticism is put. The fact that none of those worlds and characters are really there, and are constructed from fragments of memory, put some limits on what agency they could have in the larger plot. And I don’t object out of hand to the fact that this turns a good chunk of the game into covering old territory; the level design, world-plot tweaks, and battle mechanic all make it a unique enough experience from KH I. But while some of the Disney worlds tie in thematically to the larger story (Halloweentown and Neverland in particular stood out on that point), there was a huge missed opportunity to tie them into the actual narrative.

Consider this possibility: in each Disney world, there is a fragment of Sora’s memory - his memories of his past, before the first game - that is unlocked by completing the world. These could give us some backstory on his life on Destiny Islands, show more of his friendships, and give more detail on Riku and Kairi’s character - for example, Alice tricking the Red Queen (an excellent scene and character beat, BTW) could trigger a memory of a time when Kairi displayed similar quick thinking, early in her friendship with Sora. As the game goes on, these unlocked memories would become more distorted, with Namine gradually worming into them - first as a figure on the periphery, then co-existing with Riku and Kairi in their childhood, then ultimately replacing Kairi. This idea already exists in the game through dialogue - some of it quite well-written - but this would have been far more impactful IMO, and expanded the lore of the series in the areas that actually deserve it.

Now - that’s a lot of negatives, and you may be thinking right now that I became disenchanted with CoM after this play-through. But in fact, I didn’t. As I said, the flaws it has that became trends aren’t nearly as ugly here as they would become, and the flaws it has unique to itself aren’t deal breakers. And this game has elements that are executed so well, that they make up for nearly all of these flaws, and turn this game into what I feel - at least at this point, with more games to revisit - is the best character piece in the series. And the character in question is none other than our hero, Sora.

To begin with - even more than replaying KH I, replaying CoM demonstrates how far Sora’s IQ has fallen in recent titles. The Sora of DDD and KH III would have been slack-jawed and buggy-eyed, constantly baffled by the nature of Castle Oblivion, throughout the game. This Sora catches on quickly to how these projections of memory and people work, which is quite welcome. As in KH I, he is still clearly a childlike teen with a lot of zest and optimism, but he isn’t incapable of getting down to business, and he’s realistically triggered by setbacks and trauma.

And boy, does he come in for trauma on this game. If other aspects of this game suffer in their pacing, the slow build to Sora’s disoriented, lost, and broken state of mind when the truth about Namine comes out is fantastic in this game. The way Namine is revealed over time plays a big role in that, even if the player can see it coming, but the timing on when Sora shifts gears is wonderfully placed, the dual memory moment being a highlight. When he breaks with Donald and Goofy, it feels truly earned, and that dovetails nicely into the Destiny Islands story material. Prior to this playthrough, I actually remembered Sora going even darker - for some reason, I thought he was the one to kill Vexen. But the grim, even ruthless, look on his face when he defeats Axel and finishes Marluxia are enough to sell that having his mind scrambled leaves Sora in a dark place. I daresay that the angry and fragmented person he becomes over the course of the game should have been the model for Roxas’s personality...but my unpopular thoughts on Roxas are best saved for after I replay KH II.

It’s the breaking of Sora’s mind, more than any scheme of Marluxia’s, that really drive the conflict in this story, and Namine’s role in that as the reluctant breaker turned savior is quite effective. I can’t say she’s at the top of my list of favorite characters from this series, but she is a unique and engaging presence, who I’ll have more to say about after replaying KH II. The role Repliku plays in the story is even better IMO, even if clustering all his material in the back half of the game seems a poor pacing decision. I don’t know whether this was intentional or not, but the sheer level of vindictiveness and hatred that Repliku expresses towards Sora, and the reactions that draws out of him, were a great way to indirectly express any lingering fears or doubts Sora might have developed about his friend after the events of KH I. (Though one must ask why the real Riku didn’t appear in Sora’s memories of Monstro or Neverland.)

Lastly, we come to Kairi, who plays a significant role in this game without ever actually appearing in it before a clip during the credits. That Kairi, and Namine, serve almost entirely as objects for the hero to save is unfortunate, as is the fact that Kairi is more intrinsically tied to the heart of this game’s story than she is KH III’s.  But that said - at least she is relevant. I’ll also credit this game for, intentionally or not, showing how unhealthy a single-minded obsession on protecting and saving the “princess” can become.

Where Kairi’s role really comes home to roost is in this game introducing the phrase that Kairi is the most important person to Sora. That they were more than friends, and that they were bound together, was well-established in KH I, but the point is really driven home here, largely through Namine’s machinations but also in smaller details, such as the dialogue given over to the three friends on Destiny Islands. This side to their relationship is so stressed, and so central to this game, that I really can’t understand all the comments about KH III “finally” making it canon - Sora’s side of it, at least, has been so from Day 1 of this series.

The one missed note in this aspect of the plot is in the dialogue right before the final floor begins, discussing the fake memories. Just a word from Namine about how her fake memories held the power they did because they were built on truth, with herself grafted over Kairi, would have been nice. But even without that beat, it’s a wonderfully handled story element. I really can’t put into words how satisfying I find Sora’s arc in this game, or the fact that it actually is central to the game, the primary thread in its narrative, something that shouldn’t have to be remarked upon in a series with one central protagonist. For the strength of that arc, and the joy of the gameplay, I still give Chain of Memories high marks. It can’t compare to its predecessor for overall quality, but what strengths it has overpower so much else about it.

I suppose now I should revisit Reverse/Rebirth...the tax one has to pay in a proper re-visit before getting to KH II...bleh. 

[gaminginsteadofsleep]

Oblivion vs Skyrim

Skyrim is an incredible game and has improved a lot of things since Elder Scrolls IV, such as the gaming mechanics, graphics, exploration, and leveling. Even so, I feel like Oblivion’s questlines were unrivaled in their creativity, clever stories, and the balance of seriousness and whimsy. The Oblivion quest lines often surprised or went outside the box while Skyrim's seem to lack the same verve and were often padded with radiant quests. Skyrim is still a wonderful game and obviously a fan-favorite, but when comparing story lines for the factions, it often feels Oblivion outshines Skyrim.

Daedra vs Dragons (The Main Questline)

Personally, I can't say which main quest I prefer. Oblivion's main story starts off so strongly with prophecies and assassinations and culminates into an incredible finale and sacrifice. Skyrim starts off with a dragon attack and crescendos into an epic final battle. Both are fun, engaging, and make you feel like a true hero. While I'd say the Oblivion gates could be painfully repetitive, thats not enough for me to say Skyrim's main quest is better. Both are delightfully fun and show off the strongest story telling of the Elder Scrolls series.

The Fighter’s Guild vs The Companions

The only thing The Companions quest line has going for it is Lycanthropy. The rest of the quests are just clearing out the Silver Hand and Ysgramor's tomb, and neither were very distinct. Oblivion's Fighters Guild quest line, however, isn't the strongest either. The twist with the Blackwood Company provides a more interesting story and I love Modryn Oreyn's character. This could easily be seen as a tie between the two questlines but I personally think Oblivion has a slight advantage with the Fighters Guild story (although being a werewolf is hella fun).

The Mage’s Guild vs The College of Winterhold

These two questlines are probably about equal in story telling and it comes down to personal preference. Winterhold seens very short and straightforward while the Mages Guild is a bit more drawn out with visiting each cities location in the beginning. For me, I did like the Mages Guild better and felt the College of Winterhold could have had more to it. However, I think it this is a tie and depends largely on the type of quests you like.

The Thieves Guild Questlines

I think we can all agree that Skyrim's Thieves Guild Questline is disappointing, especially when compared to Oblivions'. In Oblivion, your character is part of a Robin Hood-esque Thieves Guild where you steal taxes to give back to the poor and tell the Imperium to suck it for abusing their power. The quests then have you steal seemingly unrelated, mystical items that all come together for one epic final mission in which you steal an Elder Scroll, using your previously stolen items to pull off your caper, and leading to a pretty interesting reveal at the end.

I can see why that would be difficult to top but Skyrim's Thieves Guild doesn't just lack the punch the Oblivion questline has, it also padded the story with radiant quests that repeat over and over. And if you don't know which cities count or how many you've done for each city, I imagine its a long slog. Why did they even think that people would like that??

Also, having to hand over the Skeleton Key if you want to finish the quest is a tragedy.

The Dark Brotherhood Questlines

The Dark Brotherhood isn't quite as disappointing as Skyrim's Thieves Guild, but it does pale in comparison to Oblivion's questline for several reasons. First, the "twist" is pretty predictable and doesn't catch you nearly as much as Oblivion's "Purification" surprise or the twist with the Dead Drops. Is there anything as conflicting as Lucien Lachance ordering you to kill all your new found family and fellow Brotherhood members? Or when you're too late and discover Lucien already tied up and murdered for a misunderstanding? Skyrim's betrayal is a strong plot point, but easily forseeable and is right near the questlines end, anyway, lacking the creative twists and turns in Oblivion.

Second, the bonuses aren't as creative and lack the fun challenge that the assassinations had in IV. The only time Skyrim gives you much of a creative choice in murder is at the wedding. Otherwise the bonuses are pretty unimaginative, though they may add a bit more to the challenge.

And lastly, Oblivion had the wickedly fun Whodunit quest and nothing as delightful, clever, or ridiculous like it occurs for Skyrim's questline. What a shame.

DLC Content

Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn are fun, but I feel none of those could ever beat the Shivering Isles. From the Isles design to its quirky inhabitants, the DLC is teeming with vibrancy, and when you add in the excellent plot of Madness vs Order and your characters ascension to Mad-Godhood, did Skyrim's DLC even have a chance? Dragonborn is the closest in size and scope but it lacked the creativity and color of the Shivering Isles. Knights of the Divine is probably on equal footing with Skyrim's DLC quality but The Shivering Isles pulls its weight and makes Oblivion's downloadable content the winner this time.

In the end, Skyrim has a strong main story and profound improvement on technical aspects, but the rest of the questlines feel weaker in comparison to Oblivion. I hope that TES6 combines both excellent technical improvements and stronger story telling in all corners of the game.

What do you think of the quest lines for Elder Scrolls IV and V?

[garrus-vakkarian]

I'd honestly love to hear you talk about why Morrowind is so good. I've heard stuff about the ambiguity compared to the most recent games.

This turned out way longer than I intended, but I have a lot of reasons for why I love Morrowind. 

Note: I’m assuming that you know the base villain and plot of the game, or else these reasons might not make sense. 

TL;DR: Morrowind is good because I get to 1 hit kill a god and do drugs. 

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is a timeless RPG that has managed to infect nearly all its players with the worst strain of Nostalgia ever conceived, so, as a disclaimer, I will attempt to state my reasons without those Rose-Tinted Nostalgia Glasses™ that Bethesda initially released in the box. 

That said, Morrowind is an absolutely broken game - broken to the point of hilarity and frustration. It’s playable, but only barely, because if incessant crashing doesn’t turn you off (without convenient autosaves being a thing), the combat will.

Combat in Morrowind forces you to forget any modern notion of what combat with swords should be. You can get within an inch of your enemy and still miss your swing. In fact, it’s quite likely that you will die to a rat at level 1; a rat who you couldn’t hit even if you had a gun. 

The game makes you find and exploit whatever cheap tactic you find because your enemies will employ the same bullshit. For example, it is possible to be indefinitely paralyzed by some prick-ass bandit with an enchanted dagger, forcing you to watch helplessly as your health slowly fizzles away. 

More than that though, a lot of the base mechanics of the game are against you. Archery and Stealth barely work, running requires stamina (if you don’t have stamina, you miss your opponents, so get ready to walk everywhere), and magic doesn’t regenerate unless you sleep. 

Enemies are incapable of disengaging from you, nearly all crimes are noticeable by obscenely psychic guards, and entire factions will be locked off from you because you haven’t grinded your skills hard enough to match their “On A Scale from 1 to 100, You Must Be a 40 in Sneak Skill to reach the next rank.” 

The game makes you adapt to its ridiculous, bullshitery or else you’ll die horribly over and over again to the same idiotic nonsense that is rightly dated. 

But therein, between all those aggravated quick loads and nonsensical deaths, lies the true beauty of Morrowind. It does what few games do- forces you to bask in it’s alien, bizarre world whether you like it or not. 

You’re literally dropped into a world where the main method of transport is bugs, where there is a legally sanctioned murder guild, where racism and slavery are the norm, and you’re just expected to, well, get with it. 

It’s the uniqueness of its world that Morrowind strides the most at, and what it’s most famous for. The game, in its entirety, presents something new - whereas most elves are pictured as peaceful tree huggers, the dunmer are portrayed as a violent, hateful, xenophobic people who won’t hesitate to tell you off. 

And you will be told off. A lot. You arrive to Vvardenfell as an outsider, and the majority of people will hate you simply for being you, and it is up to you alone to amend that; to improve your own standing. That can be done either by joining guilds or performing quests.

Those themselves are where you’re really get into the nitty-gritty of the game, and it’s from there where you’ll meet the multitude of the game’s citizens and lore. 

Missions in the game are different from Skyrim’s, and to an extent, Oblivion’s. You will be forced to talk to people who hate you, just as you’ll be forced to read lines of scripture to answer riddles and puzzles. 

You’ll learn that by joining the Great House Telvanni, you can legally kill your rivals to gain their rank. (Telvanni law stipulates that if you kill someone and take their rank and holdings, the original owner wasn’t strong enough to hold them.) By joining the Tribunal Temple, you’ll confront a Dremora who wants to do -ahem- unspeakable things to your corpse. There’s even a quest where you transport a slave back to her masters, only to watch said slave be cut opened because her body is carrying drugs. 

On your questing and adventuring, you’ll meet a wizard who made female clones of himself so they could act as his daughters and concubines (at the same time), an orc who thinks he’s a khajiit, a nord who gives you the location of long lost treasure if you simply share a drink with him, a scamp who sells goods, an insane magister who hates men, and a whole host of other unique and fascinating people. 

To drive the in the point- the first major character you run into has a crippling crack skooma addiction. 

And throughout it all, as you wander and learn more about this world, you become the hero. You, who arrived as a shunned outsider, who died to a tiny rat at the beginning of the game, becomes the chosen champion of a Daedric god and a reincarnation of a hero, whose sole duty is to kill a false god and bring peace of Morrowind. 

Or so you’re told, because the real beauty in Morrowind, as you said, is its ambiguity. 

In Skyrim, you’re born into greatness. You’re the hero because you’re the dragonborn. Why are you the dragoborn? Because prophecy told said so. Why did prophecy say so? Because you’re the dragonborn, et cetera, et cetera. 

In Morrowind, you can easily say that you were chosen at birth to fulfill a prophecy stated by Azura (see; “an uncertain hero born to uncertain parents”), but evidence in the game allows you to argue to the opposite. 

While Azura’s prophecy was real (in the fact that a hero would end Dagoth and the Tribunal,) the who and why are arbitrary. It’s more likely that Azura kept throwing people at the proverbial wall until one stuck; she kept trying to find more and more heroes until one proved themselves strong enough to fulfill her own prophecy. 

You, through your actions, make yourself the hero. You employ the mantle of the Neravarine because your own trials and tribulations made you worthy enough to emulate Nerevar. 

But the ambiguity goes even farther than just the player character; ambiguity is in the world itself. The Dunmer and their Tribunal are the epitome of this; the Dunmer are as kind and warm as they are racist and aggressive. The Tribunal is as benevolent and generous as they are self-serving and ego-maniacal. 

You can argue that the main villain of the game is Azura for forcing political upheaval and change in a peaceful state, just as you could argue that the tribunal are the true culprits; who’s actions lead to the rise of Dagoth Ur and eventual normalization of a autocratic theocracy which violently subdued the unfaithful. Hell, I’ve even see people argue that the Dwemer are the real initial culprits. 

These conclusions are yours to make, just as it was always truly your choice to become the hero Morrowind needed. 

Or at least that’s how I see it. In any event, those are the reasons I like Morrowind. If you read this far, I love u, bc it’s hard to deal with my morrowind rambling lol

[hypexion]

Custom Cards: The Compleation Crew

Okay, I say “Compleation Crew“ but even if the conceptual lore aligned them all directly with New Phyrexia half of them would be at each other’s throats. So I guess it’s more the Compleation Collection. On to the cards!

Calix, Compleated Destiny G{G/W/P}W Legendary Planeswalker - Calix (Mythic Rare)

Compleated ({G/W/P} can be paid with G, W, or 2 life. If life was paid, this planeswalker enters with two fewer loyalty counters.) +1: Scry 3. Then you may draw a card if you control an Aura. -2: Create a green and white enchantment token named Binding Prison with “When this token enters the battlefield, exile target creature until this token leaves the battlefield.”. -7: You get an emblem with “Whenever an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, exile up to one target nonland permanent.”

4 Starting Loyatly

Okay, so I don’t think Calix will be Compleated, but you never know. His life ends with Elspeth’s, and according to Ashiok he might have some issues with that. Under the Machine Orthodoxy however, Calix would gain a new purpose. To spread the glory of Phyrexia to new worlds, perhaps even reweaving their fates to ensure victory.

Mechanically there’s not much to direct a Calix card, so I’ve gone for a grab bag of enchantment related effects. The plus is some strong filtering, while the minus is a lore-inspired Oblivion Ring effect. The ultimate is a simple but useful emblem that exiles stuff when you play an enchantment, which ties back to the Constellation ability world from Calix’s home plane of Theros.

Dovin, Vision of Perfection 2W{W/U/P}U Legendary Planeswalker - Dovin (Mythic Rare)

Compleated ({W/U/P} can be paid with W, U, or 2 life. If life was paid, this planeswalker enters with two fewer loyalty counters.) +1: Scry 2, then draw a card. -X: Create X 1/1 colorless Phyrexian Thopter artifact creature tokens with flying. -7: You get an emblem with “Spells your opponents cast cost an additional HH to cast.” (H can be paid with one mana of any type, or two life.)

5 Starting Loyalty

RIP Dovin Baan, killed in a dodgy novel nobody liked. He would have loved Phyrexia. How long the factions outside the Progress Engine would love him is another question, but his ability to find the flaws in any system would probably be worth the constant critique. Of course, since that would extend to aspects of New Phyrexia itself, Dovin’s presense could speed up the formation of a Machine Heresy, or any number of other splinter factions. New Phyrexia has many strengths, but unity was never one of them.

No one really knows how Dovin’s ability is meant to word as a card, so I’ve gone for a somewhat generally control-friendly package. The plus ability filters and draws cards (a little bit of a repeat with Calix), while the minus is more of a throw back to the Ravnica Dovin, but with a twist. These are Phyrexian Thopters! The ultimate calls back to the original Dovin Baan card, being a nasty tax effect that either slows your opponent down or drains away their life. Perfect for dealing with those pesky opponents.

Estrid, Imitator Agent 1{W/P}UG Legendary Planeswalker - Estrid (Mythic Rare)

Compleated ({W/P} can be paid with W, or 2 life. If life was paid, this planeswalker enters with two fewer loyalty counters.) +1: Return target enchantment card from your graveyard to your hand. If it’s an aura, you may return it to the battlefield instead. 0: Until end of turn, Estrid, Imitator Agent becomes a copy of another target creature or planeswalker, except she isn’t legendary. You may activate an additional loyalty ability of Estrid this turn.

4 Starting Loyalty

Sleeper agents are one thing, but surely improvements can be made. What if any friendly face could be concealing a knowing Phyrexian agent, who has usurped your ally’s identity? What if the search is never ending, as the infiltrator switches from face to face? And how many of Estrid’s masks now cover not just her own face, but those of other Phyreixans? Truly a nightmarish scenario worthy of Ashiok. But I’m sure it won’t come true. I mean, we’d never know if it did until it was too late, but it’s probably fine.

Again with a character who doesn’t have much to go on, Estrid does at least have a bit of an Aura theme. So the plus one regrows an enchantment, but will full-on reanimate it if it’s an Aura. The zero abiltiy is the real point of this design, however. Now Estrid can put her masks into action, in a way you’d use one - to hide your identity. Since she can become another planeswalker, she also gets an additional loyalty activation when impersonating, in order to make that option worthwhile. If I were to add another abiltiy, it would probably be a way to spread the copying love to creatures, either with a Phyrexian token that can copy other creatures, or an ability that just makes a creature a copy of another.

Nahiri, Enduring Will 1R{R/W/P}W Legendary Planeswalker - Nahiri

Compleated ({R/W/P} can be paid with R, W, or 2 life. If life was paid, this planeswalker enters with two fewer loyalty counters.) +1: Create a 1/1 red and white Elemental Germ creature token. You may attach an Equipment you control to it. -2: Nahiri, Enduring Will deals damage equal to the number of equipped creatures you control to any target. -4: Put up to two Equipment cards onto the battlefield from you hand or graveyard. They gain equip {R/W/P} until end of turn.

5 Starting Loyalty

I did it I compleated Nahiri. My agenda is advancing! The fun lore here is still that although Nahiri Gets Got and also compleated, the mental side of the process fails due to her Nahiri-ness and she runs off to mope and/or reassert her identity on Zendikar. She’s already a bit of a wildcard in canon, but this would add an extra layer of wildness.

Nahiri also has a solid mechanical identity to work with, specifically, equipment. Her plus is a callback to the New Phyrexian’s Living Weapon mechanic, but to reflect Nahiri’s independence from them, it makes a non-Phyrexian Germ. The minus two is Just Violence, powered by the general equipment theme, and is a bit of extra spice for the card. The minus four is less of an ultimate and more of a throwback to other Lithomancy-themed cards, both cheating out equipment and letting you cheat the equip cost. I’m sure this cannot possibly cause any gameplay issues.

Sarkhan, Dragon Engine 2{R/P}RR Legendary Planeswalker - Sarkhan (Mythic Rare)

Compleated ({R/P} can be paid with R, or 2 life. If life was paid, this planeswalker enters with two fewer loyalty counters.) +1: Creatures you control get +2/+0 until end of turn. 0: Until end of turn, Sarkhan, Dragon Engine becomes a 4/4 Phyrexian Dragon creature with flying, indestructible and “Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, proliferate.” -X: Sarkhan, Dragon Engine deals X damage to any target.

5 Starting Loyalty

Sorry Sarkhan fans, but it just lined up perfectly. Sarkhan is the Dragon Guy, Phyrexia has Dragon Engines, it’s not an opportunity to pass up. The Quiet Furnace’s newest, fieriest member is certain to cause issues for everyone. How long before the poor, impressionable newts start developing dragon features? Elesh Norn in shambles as she tries to stop the Machine Orthodoxy from grafting on “sweet dragon wings“ lest that cause additional Machine Heresy. Urabrask can now come in with the Darksteel Chair on dragonback. It’s carnage.

As the Dragon Guy, Sarkhan needs some dragon abilities. The plus one is the classic “fire breathing“ effect, spread to all your creatures for a touch of extra violence. The minus evokes powerful red spells, and all blasting your enemies with fire, like a dragon would. But to truly be Sarkhan, the card needed dragon. So what better than becoming a Phyrexian Dragon, with an on-hit proliferate effect? Truly it brings together the two sides of this design: Dragon, and New Phyrexia.

Yanling, Tears of Phyrexia 2{U/P}UU Legendary Planeswalker - Yanling (Mythic Rare)

Compleated ({U/P} can be paid with U, or 2 life. If life was paid, this planeswalker enters with two fewer loyalty counters.) +1: Target creature gets -2/-0 and loses all abilities until end of turn. -2: Create a 3/3 blue Phyrexian Bird creature token with flying and vigilance. -7: You get an emblem with “Whenever you draw a card, each opponent gets a poison counter.”

5 Starting Loyalty

Another out of the blue (ha!) compleation with Mu Yanling. She cries, perhaps for Phyrexia. Her tears are, of course, infused with Glistening Oil. She stands in silent vigil, with no one knowing if she has truly joined New Phyrexia. But with her hydromancy upgraded to also control the Oil, no one dares come close enough to ask. Not after what happened to the others.

Mu Yanling does have something of a mechanical throughline on her existing cards. This includes weakening creatures, hence the plus ability, and summoning creatures, therefore the minus ability. The ultimate, meanwhile, is a twist on the ultimate of Mu Yanling, Sky Dancer. Now instead of giving you lots of cards, she makes drawing cards into a win condition by itself. Perhaps she cries for your opponent.

Atropa, Root of Evil 1B{B/G/P}G Legendary Planeswalker - Atropa (Mythic Rare)

Compleated ({B/G/P} can be paid with B, G, or 2 life. If life was paid, this planeswalker enters with two fewer loyalty counters.) +1: You may put a land from your hand or graveyard onto the battlefield. If you do, you lose 2 life. -2: Target land you control becomes a 2/2 Phyrexian Element creature with haste and lifelink that’s still a land. -7: You get an emblem with “Whenever you gain life, each opponent gets that may poison counters.”

5 Starting Loyalty

Fanwalker time! Before compleation, Atropa was... well, no one was quite sure. Many believe that behind her cloak of flowing vines and deadly mushrooms is some sort of Dryad variant, but no one could be certain. Not without risking aliments only a dip in the Blind Eternities could cure. Jin-Gitaxis probably knows, but he won’t share it and risk the information getting out. It’s quite fascinating how Atropa has taken root in the Tangle, and her effects on Mycosynth could be vital for spreading the Great Work. Dryad, Elf, or otherwise, Atropa fits right in to New Phyrexia’s plans.

Mechanically, Atropa was created to be Evil Nissa. That was her original purpose, and so her cards reflect that. The plus one ramps you or revives a land at a cost, while the minus two is a mirror of Nissa’s land animation. The ultimate branches out a little, corrupting your life gain into pain for your opponents, with another poison-granting emblem. It’s the alternate win condition that keeps on giving!

Mazamat, Undeath Evolved 3U{U/B/P}B Legendary Planeswalker - Mazamat (Mythic Rare)

Compleated ({U/B/P} can be paid with U, B, or 2 life. If life was paid, this planeswalker enters with two fewer loyalty counters.) +1: Create a 0/0 blue Fractal creature token. Put a +1/+1 counter on it for each card you’ve drawn this turn. -2: You may pay up to X life, where X is the number of cards in your hand. If you do, draw that many cards. -8: You get an emblem with “On each of your turns, you may a spell of each type from among artifact, creature, instant and sorcery from your graveyard.”

6 Starting Loyalty

Fanwalker round 2. Mazamat is an ancient planeswalker, who sparked while defying death, become an exceptionally rare Spark-holding lich. Rather inconviently, the Mending's effect weakened her, leaving her trapped on her home plane. But after the Planar Beacon pull her to Ravnica, Mazamat has found the inspiration to solve the issue. In a case of a parallel development, she’s created her own compleation-esque process, allowing her to reanimate into a body that can hold out against her soul’s bining to her homeplane. It’s not a permanent solution, but it’s effective for what needs doing. While she tries to retain the “definitely alive“ look, the art would of course be after things go wrong and she’s looking like a techno-zombine.

Another mixed bags of mechanics, because “old woman refuses to die“ only provides the Muldrotha-style ultimate here. The minus two calls back to Yawgmoth’s Bargain, although in a restricted and so hopefully not broken form. The plus one makes token that scales based on the number of cards you’ve drawn in a turn, and it’s type adds a touch of flavour and a hint to Mazamat’s past. There’s only place she’d pick up a trick like that.

[dicecast]

D&D Cosmology (Homebrew)

   There are three realities, each of which is sub divided by 3, which in turn is sub divided by 3, because the multiverse loves that number...a lot.  Native of Planes other than the Material Plane are called Outsiders, who are defined by A) Being made of the essence of a plane B) Lacking free will C) being able to be summoned

Objective Morality: The fundamentals of the world

The objective world cannot be altered by circumstance or larger reality, these are absolutes in an otherwise fluid world.  It includes

The Outer Planes: These are the objective afterlives, based upon your morality, 9 major ones in total.  The rulers and desitiens of the realms are called Exemplars and they personify a certain morality.  Demons are always Chaotic and Evil, Archons are always Lawful and Good, Aeons are always True Neutral etc.  The Outer Planes are largely defined by The Blood War, the largest war in history between the Lawful Evil Devils, and the Chaotic Evil Demons.  Evil is far more powerful than good and could wipe out good in an instance if they ever unified...but they don’t. The Outer Planes are further divided but that is too nuanced to get into now.  Archons, Demons, Daemons, Devils, Raksha, Ashura, Asuras, Daevas, Devas, Angels, Celestials, Fiends, and Qlippoth are all examples of Exemplars

The Inner Planes: These are the elemental planes, which make up the fundamentals of reality itself, these elements define magic, alchemy, physics, everything.  The locals here are called Elementals, and they embody their concepts.  The world is divided by into 5 sets of 4 elementals combos, with void at the center making 21.  Earth, Water, Air, and Fire is one system.  Positive (healing), Negative (Decay), Light, Dark is another.  Time, Space, Ooze (Life), Ash (Death) is another system.  Void is the center of all, supposedly there was another system (Quintessence) but it was killed.  Fire Elementals, Void Elementals, Wood Elementals, Ash Elementals are all examples of elementals, not that clever.  Supposedly their is an Oblivion plane here but that doesn’t exist, I swear.  

The Middle Planes, these are rotating planes which move around the Material Plane like planets, they embody various concepts that mortals are obsessed with, like Dreams, Madness, War, Weather etc.  The Natives are known as Others

Subjective reality: Will Power and personality

This realm is define by personality and the inner psyche of mortals themselves.  Weird fellows.  

The Far Sphere , The Hedge, The Fae Realms: The Fae are strange mysterious entities who are tied to unhealthy patterns of human behavior, each type of Fae embodies an unhealthy coping mechanism.  Each of the 9 Courts is subdivided into Seelie and Unseelie versions, unseelie Fae are actively malicious and cruel while Seelie fae are….also actively malicious and cruel but wear a smiley face.  

The Near Sphere, A’lam Al-jinn: The “Hidden Realm” this is the domain of the Jinn, who are generally pretty cool, they act like more extreme versions of mortal intellectual thought.  There are 16 realms each based on a different terrain (Swamp Jinn, City Jinn, Rural Jinn, Tundra Jinn, Ocean Jinn, Mountain Jinn, Cave Jinn etc) none of which are necessarily good or evil.  It depends on the Jinn

The Spirit World: The realm of the spirits keep the multiverse running, but are changing, altering, and shifting creatures.  They are subdivided into 5 types, Transformation Spirits (Dragon Age), Preservation (Chinese Mythology), Evolution (Native American) , Destruction (Central Asian Spirits) and Creation (African).  Spirits are alien but but there is always a method to their madness.  The Wheel of Reincarnation is located here.  

Conceptual Reality

Reality is what we perceive it to be, existence by consensus.  It also seems the most repetitive of the worlds, with the same themes repeating themselves over and over again (Thanks Jung)

The Divine Tree: This massive spiritual tree is the realms of the Gods, and their Servitor...well servants.  Mortals can avoid going to the afterlife if they worship a god, and may dwell with their god or Gods for millennia, but even gods die and the soul will find their way to the next realm eventually.  Some argue that the tree isn’t actually a real tree, but a metaphor for some greater conceptual entity that we can’t understand, oh sweet lord Kabbalistic theology is so esoteric I can’t even.  Supposedly there are two other types of gods that exist, the 13 Elder Gods which embody Taboos and are locked away, and The Old Ones who seem to embody primordial fears and senses, but that isn’t true.  

The Color Wheel: Supposedly the 12 great colors have some sort of raw power that governs the world, but that is just dumb.

The Great Houses: Supposedly there are 4/4 types of entities that embody base assumptions, but really who would be dumb enough to believe that, I mean seriously now.

Relative Reality

Doesn’t exist, that would be fucking stupid, everybody knows relative reality isn’t real, it would ruin the whole 3 theme we have going for us, god why are people so fucking stupid…..but if it did existed

The Realm of the Primordials: Haven’t come up with a name for it yet, the Primordials were the co creators of Gods, but after a great conflict called “The Dawn War” they were overthrown and killed, with their realm neglected and abandoned now

The Realm of the Titans: The Titans used to rule over the Gods, but the gods rebelled and replaced them, the 13 Elder Gods

The Realms of the Dead: Ok, these ones we definitely know exist, but it totally isn’t relative I swear, that would just be stupid.  Reapers, Shinigami, Psychopomps aren’t relative, what are you talking about?

The Material Plane

Where all of the realms come together, the Material Plane is mostly made up of mortals, animals, Dragons, Giants, Mormons, Plants, Beasts, Undead, and Sylvans, the latter being personifications of the Material Planes and tend to be guardians of nature.  Most Mortals are either created by gods for a purpose (Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Goblins, Halflings, Gnomes, Bugbears) or were created by the “Seven Creator Races” strange entities who made a lot of animal themed entities.  Humans are a weird exception, they seem to just be animals who evolved to sentience which is why most other races see them as inferior.  Dragons were the very first mortals and the world exists for them, and Giants are the caretakers of the Material Plane (they don’t do a very good job).  There are 25 “ISlands of Time” which are special Material Plane PLanets created to embody a specific theme, but all of them are slowly merging

Sigil: The Single greatest city EVAR, it is the center of the multiverse and it is where the entire world mixes into one.  Governed by the 16 hilariously ineffective factions, this city is the most important and least competent entity in the world

The Transitive Realms

These realms are more places of travel than true realms, you use these to get around

The Astral Plane: A giant silvery ocean of existence, mortals and souls travel around this realm which connects the entire multiverse, but it is so vast that it is very hard to get around

The Ethereal Plane: The first place souls go to before they travel to the Realms of the Dead, this is like an alternative version of the Material Plane, a ghostly creepy realm.  

The Plane of Shadows: Made up of what we can’t quite see, this realm is a strange alternative version of the Material Plane that is shadowy, gloomy, obsessed with card games, and seems to be based on the Road Not Taken

The Plane of Mirrors: This realm is one of twisted altered possibilities, strangely enough  it is NOT an alternative of the Material Plane for some reason.  

Other Realms

For some reasons, not everything fits into this neat happy theme...but there time will come

Mundus: The home of strange entities called the Daedra, Eetra, and Aedra, these simultaneously alien but also deeply human entities claim to belong to an alternative morality that no longer exists

Faerie and the Shadowfell.  These two realms are where Fairies and Hags come from respectively, Fairies live off positive emotions, while Hags live off negative, but don’t mistake that for morality.  

Taterus: Supposedly a race of entities attempted to overthrow the Gods themselves, and were imprisoned, but they could come back at any point

Malfeas: Once Upon a Time, the Material Plane had special entities who guided and controlled it, called Protogenoi.  However due to some sort of accident (Gods did it) most of them were overthrown, with only Gia left.  The remaining Protogenoi were locked away inside the bowls of their leader and have since transformed into creatures known as Yozi, twisted world ending abominations of what they should have been.  Scholars have noticed how repetitive mythology seems to be, and are fairly certain reality itself is taking the piss.  

The Underworld: Some of those Protogenoi were actually killed rather than imprisoned, but because they are tied to the universe itself, they cannot die.  So their corpses created this terrifying realm where souls cannot rest, most Undead come from here

The Wyrld: The very edge of reality itself, this is a land were stories become real and the world itself shifts to accommodate the rules of drama.  Ruled by the Raksha.  

The Lying Darkness: wait...what?

The Far Realm: Seriously WTF, this alien eldritch realm is basically another multiverse entirely, and its very existence breaks ours and visa versa.  The creatures there are totally alien and likely as scared of us as we are of them.  

The Netherworld (Not sure about the name: This is the alternative afterlife of some alien mortals who don’t quite fit in, like Mind Flayers or Beholders.  Thing Purgatory from Supernatural

Eden: Once Fate existed and it was located here , but now lays in ruins.  

Zen-Mu: The realm of the 4 Houses.  Or possible the home of the primordials

Yu-Shan: THe home of the Celestial Bureaucracy, it is the home of the other 4 houses.  

The Dark Tapestry: I don’t know what that is?

The Deep Below: Before there was existence, there was water, and those waters exist outside the multiverse itself

Outsiders

Outsiders are the native creatures of the planse and they might resemble mortals in many way.  They have personalities, they think, they can even form relationships and have FEELINGS.  But they aren’t like mortals in one critical way, they lack Free Will.  Mortals can change their mind, have character arcs, and discover new perspectives, Outsiders cannot, they embody their plane.  So a Devil embodies Lawful Evil, they can’t not be Lawful and Evil personified.  A devil might save a person’s life or give money to charity but they cannot do so for its own sake, and a Devil will never act in a chaotic manner, Devils don’t spontaneously do things, everything they do is according to some lawful system.  Similarly, a Water Elemental is all about water, they can have a personality and goals, but it all comes back to water in the end.  

Summoning outsiders

There are three different ways an outsider can come to the Mortal World.  

Called Creatures: This is what happens with your basic “Summon monster” spell, a spiritual projection of the creature shows up, does some stuff, and then leaves after a set amount of time.  Short of incredibly powerful magics, Called creatures cannot be permanently hurt, they just go back home when killed or when their time runs out

Summoned: This is basically calling a creature but on a permanent basis, a spiritual projection of the being arrives on the plane and walks around doing stuff, it’s basically like they are here in the flesh.  Summon creatures when ‘killed’ don’t actually die, they just go home to their own realm, and are unable to be summoned again for 100 years.  Sounds great, except that summoned creatures are extremely susceptible to certain spells which can instantly banish them.  Against a summoned creature, with the right spells, you can basically instantly send them back to their home domain, no problem.  

Arrived Creature:  They are here, in the flesh, totally here.  This means no weaknesses, and much much more powerful than their reduced Summon form.  This is very rare, normally you need a special ritual to fully bring an outsider to the Material plane or a very powerful being to drag them here.  This makes them more powerful but if they die, they die for good.  Sometimes they can arrive via portals, which can be very scary if a whole lot of them arrive at once.  

Last Notes

Outsiders usually can’t come to the Material Plane without Permission and in large numbers, there are billions of them and they could easily conquer the Material Plane if they had half a chance.  But sometimes portals do open int oa new world, and that leads to a Planar Wars, the worse wars.

Oh wait, no, one last thing, the BLood War.  The Largest War in all time is between the Demons and the Devils.  Lawful Evil, vs. Chaotic Evil, this war is larger than any other conflict in history and threatens to destroy the multiverse some day.  If these two sides unified for even a day, they would take over the entire world.  

[believerindaydreams]

Ecstasy in Cosmogone Glossary

Some borrowed, some stolen, some invented, but I have enough odd words now that I need a list. (A warning: some of these don’t adhere to Failbetter canon.)

Aich’s alloy: copper, zinc and iron, useful for underwater work.

Apotheosis: Something, someday, will happen to London.

associative trails: Neath hypertext. 

Beloved blubber: when refined, the source of zee-butter, though zailors generally prefer it straight. Can be eaten either hot or cold, very popular condiment aboard the Clipper.

Blemmigan nectar: gods alone know, but it tastes awful. 

blood-letting: the mechanism which lowers your stats for incautious activities in SS. Also applicable for the consumption of Bottled Oblivion. 

bolegus-timber: mushroom wood. 

Calgary Flames: the Innocent Spy’s favourite hockey team. Not that he has any reason to mention this in 1895. 

cavern-tuna: what you feed mogs. 

Celestial Welshman: Arthur Machen. Bohemian author. 

change war: 1. One of SF’s first really good time wars, as recounted in various Fritz Leiber books. 2. the conflict between cats and snakes. 

chiropterochronometry: er, bats and timekeeping?

collop: slice of meat. 

comci: one of those artistic movements only defined by academics long after its flowering. Generally agreed to have been kickstarted by the Sickly Scotsman’s “The New Arabian Nights”, the definition brushes up against magical realism on one side, Chestertonian paradox on the other, and some kind of five-dimensional Lovecraftian horror on both. 

déjà vu: the subject of much vigorous wrangling at the University, where there’s a department attempting to ascertain whether it’s some sort of psychic occurrence, a temporary displacement with one’s reflection, or something else entirely. 

DDD terms: (permanent) death, dismemberment, drownification. Grounds upon which a Neath contract might reasonably be voided. 

(this is getting a bit long, more beneath the jump.)

driftweed: the Underzee’s most common variety of edible seaweed, eaten by vegetarians and very, very desperate zailors. 

duck tape: a dreadful anachronism. Made from zee-glue and Parabola linen duck. 

DXS: Department of External Services, the Innocent Spy's former employers. Seem to take on both internal and international missions without batting an eye. 

First City coin stamp: a joke. 

flectere: the art of mirrors.

flexion: what reflections call us.

fungal mint cake: highly calorific foodstuff, in much demand for Neath adventurers. Sufficiently hearty to ward off the effects of UP, for a day or so. 

freightage: the poor chumps indentured to private companies such as Iron and Misery, who transport the most boring of cargoes. Zee-coal from the Iron Republic, crates of mushrooms to branches of Harbour Provisioners, etc. So pathetic they travel in convoys, and no decent zailor will shame the profession by admitting they even exist. 

Grand Sanction: that which has enabled the Innocent Spy to live through a twentieth century with no space bats or immortality in it. The Phoenix Foundation is responsible for it, though the Spy doesn’t actually know that part.

geas: a bit like an oath, but with more punch and narrative interest to it. 

INCURSION: an unpleasant but not lethal random encounter in the Iron Republic.

Innocent Spy: current work-name for one MacGyver. Accidental time-traveller, brilliant engineer, and oh yes, also a spy. 

jati: borrowed from the Hindi word for caste, appropriated by Londoners to mean something more like untouchable. That which happens in London entirely outside of the Bazaar’s remit, and officially does not exist. Examples of jati would include driftweed sellers, anybody living in a terraced house, the chap who’s next-door neighbours with The Most Boring Man in London.

knitting: something the Innocent Spy does to make a jumper. Something the Herald does to upconvert Whispering Hints and Cryptic Clues.  

Kabulstan: a country in central Asia. Location of the Ammukash valley and the Mountain of Youth, better known to Neath inhabitants as Stone. 

Last Night’s pudding: the flaming pudding traditionally eaten twelve days after the first lacre-fall. Society folk rather look down at this; Dockers love it. 

late-reign: 1. anything that’s happened in the Neath since the Innocent Spy arrived, more or less. 2. for later historians, the fin de siecle period of the Traitor Empress’ reign. What precisely this entails is a matter of hot debate amongst the handful of academics permitted to study the matter. 

Lillywhite’s: the bible of cricket.

Literary Postman: Anthony Trollope, Society author and postal worker. His last public act before a graceful retirement to Nuncio was pressing forward the decimalisation of Echoes, making London’s currency minimally less terrifying.

Norton: those who would take a Liberty. The umbrella term for a loose association of anti-Fall ideologies, ranging from those who insist that London never left the Surface, to those who insist it’s fated to return. Originally referred to a number of activists from Spite who tried to bring the Empress to court, on the grounds that she lacked the legal authority to bring their street to the Neath. You can usually find one at the Square of Lofty Words. 

obscurity: 1. to posies and potential posies [every single PC], the most horrifying fate imaginable in London society, only undertaken by the maddest of Seekers. 2. to everyone else in London (of whom there’s rather a lot), an exchange in which one trades away a never-gonna-happen future of Making Waves in exchange for the safety of being Closest To a particular faction. This is how random zailors are closest to Dockers and so forth. 

The Penniless Archeologist: loosely based on Eduard Glaser, the Archeologist is a late-19th century Surface scholar attempting to find the location of the Garden of Eden. His map, a hundred years later, leads the Unimaginative Assassin to start investigating a mountain in Kubulstan...

posy: a more amusing and period-appropriate bit of slang for Persons of Some Importance than POSI. 

Phoenix Foundation: the Innocent Spy’s employers. Partly a do-gooding charity, partly an agency for plausibly deniable intelligence work. 

Pinksaw's Guide to Edible Fungi: exactly what it sounds like. 

quirks: the measure of a man.  

rat extract: Neath Bovril. 

red-handled knife: the Innocent Spy’s tool of choice. 

reflection: that which you see in a mirror. May occasionally be sentient. 

reppeljack: newly Fallen. Mildly offensive. 

ritual: the Herald’s all-purpose term for anything quasi-magical, esp. for her ship-keeping prayers to Stone, Salt and Storm. (She usually refrains from telling the Innocent Spy the proper names, both for safety and to head off arguments about how silly the proper names are.)

“The Sapphire”: Fallen London’s equivalent of “The Gem”. 

scintillack: that blue stuff that helps you shoot things.

secret sharing: a ritual to improve one’s stats, by offering up a secret to another party. Usually undertaken as a matched set, unless a Captain is involved (it is the duty of Captains to give, not to take).

Sickly Scotsman: Robert Louis Stevenson. Author, affiliation indeterminate (he notoriously cycled through Closest To on a regular basis.)

Slug and Mushroom: a terrible chain of pubs owned by Murgatroyd’s, found across the Underzee. 

solacefruit extract: sweet substance akin to stevia, usually used to flavour Darkdrop coffee.

speaking tubes: a piece of historical accuracy! How people at opposite ends of a steamship can talk to each other. 

Sporting Times: The name the Pink ‘Un is forced to trade under, in Fallen London.

suchenroman: literature dealing with Seekers. Only became popular in late-reign London, and even then only as penny-dreadful tosh, more illegal than red honey. Ironically, due to their confiscation on sight, one of the few forms of popular Neath literature available for Surface historians after the Grand Sanction. 

Surfacer: 1. Someone who lives on the Surface and has never seen the Neath. 2. A Londoner stupid or optimistic enough to keep insisting they’re going to return to the Surface, one of these days...

“Tasted on the wind”: depending who’s talking, either foretold or made a lucky guess.

telesthetic: what the Student calls telepathy, cos it sounds cooler. 

Tireless Mechanic: the Innocent Spy’s later work-name, after a number of as-yet undescribed events. 

travel slate: the thing the Herald chalks courses on for her shipmates to follow. 

trionfi: the Herald’s predictive tarot games, in which she studies the Hours.

tree-effigy: Guy Fawkes Day not being on anyone’s mind these days, there’s now a Neathmas tradition among the lower classes to make a flammable effigy of the Consort. Other popular candidates for the effigy are the Traitor Empress, especially hated zee-captains, and, if you’re feeling especially daring, one of the Masters. 

tynged: Welsh version of a geas.

Unimaginative Assassin: Surface name Murdoc, the Innocent Spy’s nemesis. 

Venderbight: that Tomb Colony I can never remember how to spell.

zee-code: something the Captain is constantly blathering about, and which may or may not exist. 

...huh, that was more than I expected. 

[etechwire-blog]

10 best free total conversion mods for PC

New Post has been published on https://www.etechwire.com/10-best-free-total-conversion-mods-for-pc/

10 best free total conversion mods for PC

Blockbuster games like DOTA, Counter-Strike and DayZ have are all connected by the fact that they started off as total conversion mods. These are labours of love created by code-savvy fans who one day thought ‘What would ARMA be like with zombies?’ or ‘How would Warcraft III play if I controlled just the one hero?’ 

From these little kernels of inspiration, a phenomena were born.

But we’re going to put aside those success stories for now, and look at the best total conversion mods that are still completely free. After years of work and hundreds of hours of development, these mods are so well crafted that if you squint just a little, you may just mistake them for full standalone games.

The ability to completely transform your existing game into an entirely new one using total conversion mods is yet another reason why gaming on PC is so good. So, as part of our PC Gaming Week 2018, here’s our pick of the best total conversion mods you can install and play right now for free.

1. A Game of Thrones – Crusader Kings II 

Released not long after Crusader Kings 2 itself, A Game of Thrones is not only a perfect fit for the mechanics of Paradox’s feudal grand strategy game, but hands down the best video-game set in George R.R. Martin’s blockbuster fantasy world.

A Game of Thrones may sometimes appear to be all battles and dragons and bad language, but really it’s a saga of political intrigue, scheming and Machiavellian plotting; who should be married off to whom, and for what gain? What would assassinating a certain lord do to your claim on their land? How do you clamber your way up the feudal ladder to get to the Iron Throne? 

Its themes meld perfectly with Crusader Kings II, and this mod realises George R.R. Martin’s world right down to the writing and the topographical lay of the land.

And yes, of course there are dragons… 

2. Enderal – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

One of the most polished total conversion mods ever made, Enderal could just about pass off as its own triple-A game. 

German developer SureAI (who also made stunning Oblivion mod Nehrim) pulled out all stops, writing and voicing tens of hours of dialogue (that arguably outdoes Skyrim’s oft-risible script), and painstakingly building a beautiful new world that offers around 100 hours of content.

Within Skyrim’s rather action-orientated engine, Enderal manages to find its own identity, and in many ways harks back to old-school RPGs; it’s tough, with a traditional levelling system, no fast travel, and slow pacing, while offering a powerful story that often ventures into darker, more mature territory than Skyrim’s mass-market take on high fantasy.

3. Gekokujo – Mount & Blade: Warband

Mount & Blade: Warband is the quintessential feudal sandbox, letting you create a character in a central-European kingdom and build them up into a roving mercenary, a heroic commander or, ultimately, a lord who answers to no one. You go about this through a messy, delightful mix of direct combat, RTS-like strategising, and RPG-like decision-making.

Gekokujo takes all that, and whisks it off to Sengoku-era Japan. The world map spans the entire Land of the Rising Sun, complete with major kingdoms, villages, cities, holdings, and lords for you to saddle up with (before, inevitably, betraying them). 

Weapons, armour, clothing and architecture are faithful to the setting, and a whole world of dialogue and events has been written to convincingly migrate the inimitable Warband formula to the Far East.

4. X-COM/UFO: Enemy Unknown – X-Piratez

The original 1994 turn-based squaddie alien shooter X-COM UFO: Enemy Unknown has been kept alive thanks to the OpenXcom Extended open-source project. Based on this, X-Piratez is a fascinating piece of punky fan-fiction set in the same universe, borrowing ideas and mechanics from the whole gamut of X-COM games.

Set in a future where the X-COM resistance was crushed by the alien invaders, X-Piratez casts you as a buccaneering crew of space-pirates, robbing settlers and plundering ships until the intriguing plot inevitably brings you into contact with greater threats. 

With its unique arsenal of makeshift weaponry, fresh tech tree and lowlife factions, it all feels refreshingly scrappy compared to the high-tech shenanigans of the mainline series.

5. Underhell – Half-life 2

From Black Mesa to Garry’s Mod, by way of Natural Selection, Half-life 2 has been the launchpad for several successful mods that went on to become fully fledged games. One of the ones that never made the jump, however, was Underhell.

Following a psychologically-spiraling S.W.A.T. operative who’s struggling to deal with his wife’s death, Underhell is part puzzler, part horror, part bullet-time shooter that’s thick in atmosphere and experimental storytelling. 

The action flows like a fever dream between a dreamworld, spooky home and vicious action, making Underhell stand alongside The Stanley Parable as one of the more artful Half-life 2 mods.

Sadly, only one of the intended six episodes of Underhell was ever made, with developer We Create Stuff’s priorities shifting to other projects in recent years.

6. The Dark Mod (Thief) – Doom 3

The Thief IP, once revered for its revolutionary stealth mechanics and level design, was run into the ground with the facile 2014 reboot. Luckily, The Dark Mod, a total conversion mod for Doom 3, is as fine a spiritual successor to the original games as you could ask for.

The Dark Mod eschews combat and action in favour of good old-fashioned stealth.

Stick to the rafters, extinguish candles with water arrows, and loot the rich and wealthy of a brooding steampunk city that’s somewhere between the worlds of Thief and Dishonored. The base mod (now standalone) is just the tip of the arrow, as it’s bolstered by hundreds of excellent community-made levels.

7. The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age – Medieval II: Total War

There’s no shortage of Middle-Earth-themed mods out there, but, like Gandalf at a Hobbiton pipeweed convention, this one stands tall among them. 

So complete and detailed is The Third Age – from Rohirrim shield crests to the city layout of Osgiliath – that seven years on, it remains the most popular LoTR mod for Total War. 

It’s spawned a slew of sub-mods too, including the relatively-recent The Third Age: Reforged, which adds new factions, animations and units.

As a sidenote, if you’re on the Total War: Warhammer battlewagon, check out the recently-released The Lord of the Rings: Rise of Mordor. It’s far from complete yet, but looks promising and could yet become the true successor to The Third Age.

8. Fall from Heaven 2 – Civilization IV

Staying on the theme of historical strategy games with a fantasy makeover, Fall from Heaven 2 is a superbly imagined swords-and-sorcery overhaul of Civilization IV.

It transports the history-spanning formula to a lore-rich fantasy world brimming with magic spells, Hero units (complete with properly designed models), demonic religions and its own arcane tech tree.

It’s not always easy for a total conversion mod to evoke a powerful atmosphere that really sets it apart from its base game, but Fall from Heaven 2 pulls it off with aplomb, thanks to an encyclopaedic amount of lore, and a soundtrack that immerses you in its faraway world of werewolves and wizards.

9. Fallout 1.5: Resurrection – Fallout 2

This one’s for the retro PC gamers for whom Fallout is a game of taking turns and isometric cameras – none of this pseudo-FPS nonsense. 

Released in 2016, Fallout 1.5 is a total conversion mod for Fallout 2 which crams a 25-or-so-hour chapter between the events of the first and second games, taking you to the post-apocalyptic wastes of Albuquerque, New Mexico (no signs of a drug-lab camper van out in the scrublands, sadly).

Fallout 1.5 is well-written and old-school relentless, which you’ll learn from the off as you’re beset by sizeable mobs of ghouls and rats. True to the spirit of the original game, Fallout 1.5 also throws some dark questlines and morally murky quandaries at you, so be prepared to have your Karma sternly tested.

10. The Nameless Mod – Deus Ex 

Another option for gamers of a certain vintage, the Nameless Mod takes Deus Ex’s cyber-noir tone of gravelly voices and shady conspiracies, and amplifies it. 

Set in a city that’s a manifestation of tribal internet forum culture, it’s a strangely apt game given the make-up of society today. 

Forum City is a place of lonely neon lights and zeal-maddened characters, weighed down by an air of constant paranoia that you must stop from spilling over into self-destruction.

What’s impressive about The Nameless Mod is how it manages to build on certain areas of the original Deus Ex; the AI is more responsive to your actions, and the story can pretty much split into two depending on your decisions, coming good on that bold promise that ‘Every Choice Matters’.

TechRadar’s fourth annual PC Gaming Week is officially here, celebrating our passion with in-depth and exclusive coverage of PC gaming from every angle. Visit our PC Gaming Week 2018 page to see all of the coverage in one place.