StaceyPowers

OK, we've purchased some ingredients and starting with most important things in the books. The being, of course, the alcohol! So I'm getting ready for some Stimpacks, Skooma and Radaway. We're Also making Nuka Cola Quantum.

So, I actually made the pudding from the Skyrim cookbook this weekend. It was quite good.

Another continuity thing that may make you laugh (or cringe) ... I found out recently that there's a quest branch where it is possible to kill Leliana. But she is always alive in Inquisition, and reportedly the "Maker brought her back" if you chose to kill her =D

I'm afraid I've not the foggiest. I would like to say all of Thedas, but I don't know what the policy is on Paladin/Mage Chapters outside of Ferelden. Keeping in mind, per a link in another thread about DA, there was no intention to make any more games with this property so the developers may not have thought to apply it to anywhere else. 😞

Holy crap, I did not know this was an option. I'm playing through my second playthrough right now, and my first as a mage. I had no idea that one's actions as the Grey Warden could actually free the Circle.

~~SPOILERS FOR DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS BEGINNING IMMEDIATELY~~
Toward the end of Dragon Age: Origins, you come to the realisation that the only way to defeat the Archdemon is for a Grey Warden to slay it and die in the process. This is another reason why their recruitment is so secretive and selective. Had Duncan not died this information would've been clear sooner, but due to the tumultuous events of the game, it's not until you meet with a Grey Warden much later where you have to decide if either you, Alistair, or if Loghain lives through the Grey Warden ritual you can choose to put him through, sacrifices themself to fight the Archdemon.
The game pushes Alistair sacrificing themself, and presumably Loghain for martyrdom, so your character can live on, but I felt it appropriate I give myself in sacrifice so Alistair can rule as is his duty. Roleplay aside, my character - a Mage of the Tower - had given their life, and in doing so, had given the Mages of the Tower full autonomy. No more Paladin influence, thus ending the tensions that somehow occur in Dragon Age: Inquisition less than a decade after the events of Origins. And I thought the peace between the Great and Second World Wars was shortlived.
This is also ignoring how the expansion Awakening does things. Several events are retconned (such as, err, my character's death), which should've been a harbinger of how BioWare are going to handle RPG continuity going forward. I've linked this a few times in the past but here's my write-up of the expansion, detailing some other issues I had.
~~END OF SPOILERS FOR DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS~~

But that's what I want to know. Can you make a "SPOILERS" warning, and tell me the ending you got?
 
EDIT: Oh, I see you did this int he other thread.

And I'm autistic too, so I can relate 🙂

DA II is actually my favourite. But I totally get where you are coming from, and in a general sense, I agree--ME does work much better as a series. And on the whole, I tend to choose to think of the DA games as independent titles set in Thedas, if that makes sense, as I find that frames them better than thinking of them as part of one long saga.

How do you feel about the Chantry in Dragon Age? I find it quite aggressive and controlling, but was surprised when my brother told me recently he didn’t see it as an extreme organization at all.

First of, who are "they" and it that's true, prove it.
 
 
As far as I'm aware, the dev's of ME: Andromeda did a piss poor job on the facial design and animations in general, not just on the Asari. So, again, unless you have some proof that that was on purpose, then that is just you wearing your tin foil hat again.
 
 
Let me ask you something. If what your saying is true, give me an instance of something that happened within the design characteristics of a game that you claim to be "political" in it's motivation when you agree with said political bias. Or, in those instances, is that just the "creative liberty" of the people who developed the game? Politics by nature is driven by one's own opinion, and since there is no way that every person who inserts this so called political motivation in a game or movie ect sides exactly with you, there must be an occasion whare that has happened and you agree with it. Otherwise, the only plausible explanation is that you're just not mature enough to accept not everything is made for you and have to lash onto this "politics" excuse to justify how you feel because you don't like to admit that you disapproval is routed through you own, selfish wants and desires.
 
You see, my theory is you, for example, don't like the inclusion of woman you don't deem attractive enough, but don't want to admit that because you know it's misogynistic, so the inclusion of such characters becomes "political". However, you'll deem Ellie being gay in TLOU "creative liberty" because that doesn't bother you, even though, especially in TLOU 2, the writing has a strong social/political bias that the game is not shy about expressing through it's writing. Despite what I said, I would still describe Ellie's sexual orientation in TLOU as creative liberty, but there's no sense in denying the dev's make thier stance on the issue of LGBTQ rights very clear through the game, especially in Part 2.
 
That's why when you say stuff like this;
 
 
I don't believe you. Not only is it a contradiction as, like you said, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", so you can't have a standard that isn't anything other than you own. Building your hopes and expectations based solely on your own perceptions is not anything to be ashamed of anyway. We all do it, it's human nature.
 
However, it is not an excuse to be closed minded and ignorant. Like I said, I still read Ellie's sexual orientation as a creative liberty, mostly because I always see such things as a creative liberty. Even if, like I described in TLOU, there is at least some social/political purpose buried in creative pipeline, game dev's are 100% within their rights to design that creative pipeline exactly how they want, so even with a social/political message that is still very much creative liberty. So you see, I actually do stand for creative freedom, unlike those hypocrites out there who claim to stand for "creative liberty" when the truth is they're just using that as an excuse to attack inclusion they're not comfortable with and don't like being confronted with thier own prejudices. Sometimes I like the choices that are made, sometimes I don't and I own those opinions and never make stupid excuses for them and try to paint them as a general consensus to make myself feel better. I'd rather be wrong than lie. 
 
Ellie being gay, that's a creative liberty. Abby being more muscular than most men, that's a creative liberty. Thor being fat, that's a creative liberty. A Jotun being a young, black girl, that's a creative liberty. A character having a more natural looking, but arguably less attractive face, that's a creative liberty. The way the face's looked at launch in ME: Andromeda, that's a cock up.
 
The point is you have every right not to like it, that's your role as the customer, but just be honest with yourself why you don't.

A great example to answer your question is the newer AC games. The armor is realistic in its setting, but also available is fantasy type armor to break away from the reality whenever you want. I love that they have beautiful gear options to suit your mood. I mean, you can be some god-like entity, or a tricked-out warrior, or humble civilian garb. As far as character designs, I prefer diversity. It would be ridiculous to customize every character, but at least customize the protagonist would be the best option to suit your needs. Side characters just need diversity. I mean, what is the big deal? Is it a sin? Does every being have to look alike? Hell no is what I say. 

Honestly, it depends on the gaming universe itself. I don't really get drawn into this debate because it all depends on how the other characters look and if the design looks out of place in that game.

On topic and as a white, straight, cisgender male, the answer to the question "Do I feel underrepresented in video games?", is a simple and obvious no. Even if I did, when playing a game I much prefer to roleplay a fantasy, or "play as who I'm not" as it were. I think that's why I get drawn to games with female leads, like Tomb Raider and HZD.

They need to represent me more in games: a macho macho man. I eat spinach and get cannon arms, but little chicken legs. 

I present you with the Balamb Hotel.
 
 

Does anyone else here find that they tend to go on endlessly about gaming when talking to other people (not just here on the forum)? I have a hard time putting a lid on it, even when I know no one else is interested, but this could just be an autistic thing.

This concept makes a lot of sense. Kind of surprising I never saw anything like this until now.

I went through epal official website, and app via Google play store, what I saw there, was superb. At epal you get to stream live games, play online multiplayer with other users, watch anime movies as well, get interaction with other users, relationship advice and xD. Just so many things about this epal app which is limitless indeed. I am downloading their app this moment, thank you for sharing this wonderful epal platform here. 

One of the developments that's been a serious issue in the gaming industry is having to deal with a toxic community which we have had so much for so long now. Take a look at how toxic Fortnite community is which most people tend to walk away from as it's not a healthy community in terms of having your peace of mind. 
So, with all that being said, this community Epal ; if it offers what they quote to offer, it's definitely going to run over with lots of gamers looking for where they would have peace of mind and feel at home. 
Ps. Epal coming with an app of their own, is one sure way to making it very easy and user friendly to access the site/community. 

What do you personally want from VR? Mostly, I want an ultralight headset.

Not really sure why but I find that the optional content covers little things that wouldn't normally be covered in the main story but is an essential part of understanding what other events contributed to the plot developing in a certain way.

Yeah, each category that is unlocked you have to purchase the top one first in the row before you can purchase the one under it. I never did unlock all of the abilities in each row so don't start unlocking or purchasing everything in an entire row. Get what you feel you need and save some supplements for other tiers you unlock by finding the survival guides. 

Are there toxic messages you feel are still embedded in a lot of video games these days? What behaviours/beliefs do these messages perpetuate?

I wouldn't call them conclusions so much as just a summary of my subjective perceptions and experiences. I'll have to look up the games you mentioned to check out their POVs!

Third person: I'm floating over someone else's shoulder awkwardly as the world spins around me, a million miles from the action. And everything around me is so small and hard to see.
First person: I'm the person in the game, seeing through my own eyes, immersed in the action, and things look like they do in real life.