EmersonPF

Why not just use the random name generator from ingame? Version 1.19undhungufunkle...

I would love to join! I love Dominions, but I mostly play single player, and usually don't get much beyond 20 or so turns. I've only ever played one MP game before, and I was the first one eliminated, so I think I still count as a newb.

I agree with a lot of what's up here already. I'd add a couple from my own experience to the list... Out of the Park Baseball - Everything that Football Manager is for soccer, OOTP is for baseball, minus the enormous European customer base. Portal - I'm terrified that the second one is going to suck, thanks to how awesome and truly inventive the first one was. Call it the "Dragon Age Effect." E

[quote who="Jrandom" reply="15" id="2920801"] Do you understand that to spawn off a bunch of franchises from a product, you need to have an epic experience with the first one? If you can't even get this one off the ground, then the others will just be throwing money down a hole.[/quote] Not certain about this. For example, Assasin's Creed I is generally regarded as a disaster, but the series is certainly doing well for itself now. Similarly, the first Tw

I've been playing Assassin's Creed II on PS3, and enjoying it, even though I'm usually not an "action game" kind of person. I'm finding it much less mindless than I expected, which is a good thing. Also been looking forward to version 2 of a mod for Europa Universalis Rome called "Reign of the Ancients." Once it's out, I'm sure that will eat some time. The previous version (1.16) changed EU Rome from an unplayable, boring mess to maybe my favo

Wow. I've been traveling so I just saw this news and read through the thread. Frankly, I'm stunned. I have a lot of games on Impulse, and have made it almost my exclusive platform for digital distribution purchases. That decision was largely because of my trust in Stardock as a company. However, I don't trust GameStop at all, and I'm a little worried about what this will mean for my digital games library a couple years down the line. It&#3

[quote who="Frogboy" reply="11" id="2914471"] But obviously it is annoying having people say the book is "horribly written" when it's obvious they didn't read it. I won't claim to be a world class writer by any means. But I consume books as a passion and feel pretty comfortable with the relative quality of Destiny's Embers. [/quote] As a snooty, sometimes-pretentious reader of a great many books, I can definitely say that Destiny's Embers is not poorly written

[quote who="gsitetfs" reply="15" id="2862353"]Now that Distant Worlds has been a success (I think, quite a lot of forum posters seem to have played it and have a positive view) maybe the developer can make it in 3D and also make the graphics better..[/quote] As someone who very much enjoys Distant Worlds, I have to say a big fat no to 3D. Why? Because it would ruin the game utterly. Sure, the battles don't look great in 2D, and the ships are all sprite-

I'd buy this game in a heartbeat, especially if the ship-design part was robust and meaningful.

hmm, I haven't really been beseiged yet (except once very early on, and they did indeed pile over the walls, but they also outnumbered me significantly so I didn't think much of it), as I've mostly been meeting my foes in the field. It's entirely possible that the siege AI is too gung-ho. To back off from my gushiness above, the AI is far from spectacular, but it is competent. That, to me, is "impressive" in an AI. It executes the basics of tactics well, and that's m

Just want to jump back in now that I've had some six hours to play in the last couple of days and say the hype, in this case, is deserved. Even on my two-year-old laptop (trust me, we're struggling) with the graphics all low and crappy, this is easily the best Total War yet. The AI is competent, the map is beautiful, the diplomacy is much improved, and the whole thing is just incredibly immersive. This one gets the stamp of approval, despite Steam. [quote who="marlow

Remember when Bioware was, like, the best game company ever? I miss those days...

I made the plunge and ordered Shogun 2 after skipping Empire and Napoleon. As a tbs fan first and foremost I'm quite excited. If it's half as good as RavenX says, I'll be happy as a clam.

No online multiplayer for me, but I would probably play a hotseat game now and again with my wife.

Just FYI, the poll results are showing up in pixels instead of percentages. At least for me (using Opera).

[quote who="Lord Xia" reply="1" id="2894850"]If anyone doesn't have Crusader Kings, get it. Wonderful game. [/quote] Seconded. Plus, you can learn the fundamentals and the ins and outs before Paradox releases CK 2. One really interesting feature (that I never used because I came to CK too late to own the older versions of the other games) is the ability to start a campaign in CK, export it to Europa Universalis II, export that to

[quote who="lbgsloan" reply="17" id="2894102"] NWN1 sucked; weak gameplay, weak story, graphics were pretty average. It was only the editor that kept it on life support. It wasn't until the Underdark expansion that the main game felt like a good cRPG, and by that point the engine had not aged well. NWN2 was much better, though it was plagued by serious bugs for quite some time.[/quote] I actually agree with this, even though its almost heretical to say in t

[quote who="fragieD" reply="2" id="2893332"]Why do such lists always miss out gems like Rollercoaster Tycoon?[/quote] Good point. Rollercoaster Tycoon gave birth to an entire sub-genre of city builders. Sure, 99% of those games were terrible, but RT certainly was not. Quite innovative, and lots of fun. Surely it deserves at least a mention.

Not every game I've played in the last few months, but the most relevant and recent releases. AT RELEASE: E: War of Magic: D+ Europa Universalis III, Divine Wind: C+ Hearts of Iron III, Semper Fi: B- Distant Worlds: B Civilization V: Incomplete (did not purchase) Mass Effect 2 (PS3): A NOW: E: War of Magic: C+ Europa Universalis III, Divine Wind: C+ (should be at least B+ after next patch,

[quote who="scratchthepitch" reply="22" id="2889707"]I have not tried DW, though I am familiar with SSI/Matrix. I recently downloaded and tried the Steel Panthers edition they offer, Steel Panthers:World At War, and the game is garbage. Great ideas very, very poorly implemented, as with the original. There is no AI, just very cheesy cheat codes. Basically the same as the original Steel Panthers with all the bogus unit tech details and cheats instead of a competent AI. From what I've seen abou

In theory I prefer large maps, but in practice I play more mediums and smalls, because of balance, challenge, and pacing.

Count me in as another person who absolutely loves loves loves DW. Why do I love it? For a handful of reasons: 1) In a world of 4X games that are all essentially the same as each other (build up as fast as possible and crush everything in your path), DW breaks the mold by being an unabashedly complex sandbox. I personally love that I can play the game without the goal of conquering the galaxy (I usually play with victory conditions turned off). It gives the who

Yep. It's in the options. There's a check box for "auto turn." Edit: Beaten to the punch.

[quote who="Fistalis" reply="1" id="2866448"] Since i'm already off topic and thinking about it. I would love to see a strategy game played ENTIRELY from the viewpoint of the ruler rather than the played out and bland top down mode. I mean you know you can give your troops orders etc but if you expect to command them you must actually RIDE OUT into combat. You only know what you actually see with your own eyes or what is reported to you... a disloyal advisor or general could cost you hug

Following... Thanks Heavenfall!