#epic isometric

[venusmages]

I always love hearing about other people's D&D games and I was wondering if you had like a method for how you plan out your sessions? In a slump rn myself so looking for some inspo lol

ok so i need to get better at this again (depression made me a way more 'seat of my pants' DM) BUT i basically lay out a "timeline" of main story points the party will eventually hit, and place "questlines" there. Essentially like a tree of quests and their progression in a videogame. This is NOT always detailed by any means but it helps me get a linear view of what's going on. If you run pre-made modules, this is the book stuff. My current game started out this way before I went "I like doing this myself" and went completely off the rails.

Then I go into the main details of the questline. Stuff like where it is, if there's going to be new lore introduced, the actual contents of the quest itself and it's requirements, etc. My players and myself are big on RP, so I also try to always make sure the quest will have interest for Story or Character reasons. If it doesn't directly push the plot in a major way, will it still give the party interesting interactions with each other and npcs? Are there going to be any new threads for some of the game's mysteries?

Then I also ask what in the questline is going to play to the party's habits and strengths. I admit this is WAY looser, and again kind of wraps around into "what would be cool RP for them" - but for example; knowing an encounter with nobles will give our noble-born artificer some additional lore, since he understands the city's politics.

After that, I do sometimes "script" certain lines of NPC dialogue or location and item descriptions. Stuff I'll be narrating that I want to make sure has a certain weight to it, or to flow well. You might not need to do this if you speak succinctly, but I find my brain stutters when trying to describe scenery on the spot, so it usually helps to write it. After that I make the session from there!

For me that usually includes picking out "splash screens" for the conversation backgrounds in our game, drawing new npc portraits if I have the time (it started because some of my players have aphantasia/some former players were new, so I drew PC and NPC portraits to make RP easier to visualize - then it just became the Only Way I Want To Do It Now LOL), and making maps. I use Epic Isometric for my maps, highly recommend. I get most of my splash screens from Art Station, but I have to say obviously that's unwise if you're streaming a game. Same goes for using pre-existing art as character/NPC art -- I know myself and other artists don't care if someone uses our stuff for their home game that no one's ever gonna see. I plan to release some of my portraits in packs one day free of use though.

Here's the RP Backdrop kind of splashscreen I use in R20 (but you can make one in FVTT too, I've done it) and an Epic Iso map I threw together (the party tokens were drawn over Epic Iso assets. If you join their discord people make community edits constantly. I'm currently working on a project to color all the released decor assets)

[dndsettingsinfo]

Distant Outpost [68×53] by Epic Isometric

[listochik9]

isometric art test (never finished)

never finished it and probably won't ever. Original creation date: January 8th 2022 (at 4 am, what???)

[andromedasummer]

Good morning, today im going to pirate 5-7 videogames made by small indie game devs who are heavily dependent on sales 😚✌️

in WHAT world is the sims 4 or fucking crusader kings 3 an INDIE GAME

[txttletale]

i mean, i think you're maybe underestimating what can be put in a prompt. like, just as an example, here's something i found on one of those insipid 'how to write good AI prompts!' listicles:

now i think we can all agree this isnt very good art. it is boring and uninspired and vapid and any points of interest such as impossible architecture were added by elements fully outside the artist's control. however, there are a lot of direct and specific choices here! 'high fantasy', 'epic', and 'digital art' as ai prompts are serving as very specific statements about the intended look of the piece and, yes, what it intends to invoke and express emotionally.

these images are profoundly different from the ones you would get from saying (to borrow elements of the other prompts in the listicle) 'Medieval German castle, isometric pixel art, 64x64, digital art, forest in the background, deer in the foreground' or ''Medieval German castle, architectural rendering, photorealistic, artificially illuminated, soft warm evening" & the reason for that is not random AI variance but the intentionally selected language of the prompt. again, none of the choices here are interesting, but i think it's just wrong to say there are no choices. and of course deciding to not embellish your prompt and just ask the ai for 'Hot Dog' instead of 'Hot Dog with mustard, realistic photo, 4k, national geographic cover, pulitzer winning' is in and of itself a deliberate choice to let go of the reins!

¹ of course, i think there's a great argument to be made for using AI to create landscapes precisely because you want these points of interest, but there's no reason to believe this listicle writer was doing that

[fridge-reviews]

Warhammer 40K Mechanicus - Blast Review

Developer: Bulwark Studio Steam Deck Compatibility?: Verified Rrp: £22.99 (Epic), £24.99 (Gog.com, Humble and Steam)

Once more we step foot into the universe of Warhammer 40,000, this time though rather than being a space marine or a hired gun we take on the role of being a member of the Mechanicus. With this game we also depart from the first person view point and instead see things from an isometric view as we command units. In this game the enemy you face against are the Necrons, for those not in the know think… technologically advanced (and I mean advanced even for the 40K universe) undead, it’s actually more complicated than that but if I were to cover that this review would be over twenty pages long.

In many ways this game plays similarly to something like X-Com, where you pick what missions you wish to go on. You won’t be able to go on all of them though as some have a time limit to them. Speaking of time limits, this game has an interesting risk and reward mechanic. You see as you explore the various ruins you raise the awareness of the Necrons to your presence. The faster you go the less of them you’ll be facing but you may also miss some rewards that taking a quick detour could have gained you.

The combat is turn based in nature which makes sense for these kinds of games, a real time battle would be very difficult to win, especially since you are usually outnumbered (and often out gunned too). Between the missions you get to customise your tech-priests making them more specialised, though doing this requires a resource called blackstone that you will attain as you play.

If you’re into Warhammer 40k this is a very good offering, it worked really well on the Steam Deck and provided some real challenge in the later stages of the game. Hell, I’d recommend it to anyone who likes a good strategy game not just those into 40K.

---- If you’d like to support me I have a Ko-fi, the reviews will continue to be posted donation or not.

[liesmyth]

As a certified #jock do you have any home workout tips? I got to get back into a gym but in the meantime I have a barbell and dumbbells at home but no bench or rack, and I don't want to die in an embarrassing self-inflicted accident

I DO!!! Ok, you might know this but reddit is a goldmine for exercise tips; I really recommend the r/bodyweightfitness wiki, and the FAQ over at r/xxfitness (women-centric, nb/trans inclusive) that has an excellent routine rec page for intermediates & beginners.

PERSONALLY. I love love love Caroline Girvan on youtube, my quarantine workout buddy. I think she's since moved to a paid app, but her workout programs are still up. They are actual programs, with a progression scheme etc; she demonstrates exercises and modifications in the videos; and they're pretty tough depending on the amount of weight you use. They helped me not only keep but also grow muscle mass during lockdown, with just an adjustable dumbell set (I swear I'm not being paid to say this) and they're quite fun, with timed reps, supersets, bodyweight exercises etc.

Each program is 10 weeks, 5x weeks (but you can take it at your own pace) and it includes 1 full body workout, 1 cardio / HIIT / circuit training day, and 2x lower body + 1x upper body or viceversa depending on the week. I'm probably making it sound harder than it is, just check out these playlists:

Epic 1 // Epic HEAT // Iron Series <<< these are the ones I've personally done, but there's a LOT more on her channel. I recommend different weights for lower and upper body if you can swing it, and you'd probably want to modify the exercises to incorporate barbell work where you can manage it - like for lunges and rows - maybe bridge chest press from the floor if you feel up for it?

Fun alternative! If you don't want to follow youtube programs is bodyweight-centred programs? Again I rec bodyweightfitness above, they have loads of resources for recommended progressions for stuff like pistol squats or push-up variations etc. Or work on explosiveness doing jumps dumbell cleans, lunges work etc. I feel like you can build a pretty decent upper body progression program even without a bench doing floor presses and maximising what weight you have doing single-arm stuff (like, one dumbell holds stready, the other arm presses) or playing around with isometric exercises and so on.

If you want to unlock next level home workouts you could also get a kettlebell / abs wheel / other deadly instrument. I HOPE THIS HELPS!!

[epicisometric]

This is how I draw all of epic isometric, Its all in a traditional sketchbook with pencils. join the patreon and download like.. 5 years worth of content. 

We have built up a community of isometric map enthusiasts that are all super active. I release 4 sets of icons and maps per month.

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 6/13/2023

very games-centric week

listening

this opening bit samples bowie's life on mars and sounds like a piano cover of a half-remembered but still beloved childhood anime. like the kind you had a set of two VHS clamshells for but only episodes 4-6 and 10-12. it goes on the "lofi beats to data and entry to" playlist. spotify

-

reading

fallow week

-

watching

the folks at waypoint games, formerly vice's leftist games vertical, BOUGHT THE BRAND FROM VICE and are rebranding as remap. i wish them all the fuckin best and i hope they succeed but i feel like we have maybe six months of this before one of them goes literally bankrupt from a doctor's visit bc healthcare is such a fuckin nightmare in this country. im simply not excited for starfield. i am not interested in corporate nasa

anyway i enjoyed their commentary, excited for compulsion games' southern gothic action/adventure spellcaster South of Midnight

neutrally optimistic about obsidian's Avowed, bc i do love obsidian but i do not love sword and sorcery rpgs

there's airships in microsoft flight simulator so i may genuinely buy one month of gamepass to try that out

capcom's path of the goddess looks fucking gorgeous but i have never played more than half an hour of a capcom game and i expect i never will. is this topdown? is this isometric? what the fuck is the gameplay mode??? who could FUCKING say

also there's a new jersey fallout 76 expansion coming at some point. in real life i hate atlantic city and i don't really how know this will look or play differently from point lookout. i don't know if i want to play a much-reviled cash cow mmorpg just to get postapoc jersey lore. if this leads up to 5 being set in nyc im going to be real pissed off. go somewhere DIFFERENT. there are DIFFERENT PLACES on the east coast!!! blease

-

playing

viddy game can consistently turn my brain off enough that i forget im moving cross country in two weeks and can forcibly relax my body for twenty mintues at a time between packing boxes. so there's been a lot of pomodoro-ing, or my version which is: pack until i get so anxious i physically cannot pack anymore, go have a snack, go play twenty minutes of a video game, and then go pack until i am on the verge of a panic attack again. this is not healthy but all my books are packed. all of these were free on epic at some point btw which is why i own them

the first time i played Airborne Kingdom, i lost track of time and beat it in one sitting in eight hours. the second time i played Airship Kingdom, i replicated that exact experience. i have allied with all the kingdoms and have like two hundred souls on board but am not QUITE selfsufficient enough to take on the northern/artic sea DLC. stay tuned. soundtrack in this thing is great.

bounced VERY hard off Close to the Sun, a bioshock-lite i put about four hours/three levels into. a huge gilded age cruise ship where the science has Gone Wrong would normally be catnip to me, but the game did brutally kill the player character's sister in front of me in an unskippable cutscene so we're done with that game now THANK YOU. it is very slow, which i do like in a game that gives you this much stuff to look at, but there is no gamma control. this game is so fucking dark. i played it in a dark room with no lights and it was still too dark.

pinged off the typing exploration game Epistory despite its charming art, bc fast and accurate typing is something covid has taken from me.

rediscovered Carcassone (online) which is great bc i love Carcassone and own a physical copy of the board game but no one else in my life loves it. tile-building countryside-building game, seconds to learn, etc. thank you board game review even though there are no meeple in their natural habitat (the board) in this picture

-

making

it's gonna be putting things into boxes for the forseeable future (the next week) and then living out of them for a while (the next two weeks after that)

[chaosintheavenue]

Wasteland 3: First Attempt, First Opinions

So far, I've played through the first mission up to the point of meeting the Patriarch, so I'm not very far in at all. Also worth mentioning that I'm coming at this from a Fallout background and currently have zero familiarity with Wasteland specifically.

My squad so far is these two!

I'll introduce them properly as characters further down the line once they have a bit more actual lore, but suffice to say that they're iterations of half-baked Fallout characters and will inevitably develop Wasteland AU versions over time.

First impressions:

Regarding the gameplay, turn-based combat isn't something I'm used to, but I definitely prefer it over live combat in this isometric game style

I have tried and failed to play the classic Fallouts in the past, with that mostly failing because I struggled with the overall clunkiness of the game and combat system. If anyone else in the same boat is considering trying Wasteland, it's way easier to control!

So far, things have been heavy on gore in both actual imagery and verbal descriptions. Whether this is a positive or negative to you, I think it's at a level that warrants being aware of

I haven't encountered any confusion due to not being familiar with the previous Wasteland games yet. Feels like the game expects that from the audience and gives you a blank-ish slate to start from

Mini screenshot dump:

The initial menu screen is epic.

The tutorial really takes itself seriously.

Purely took this screenshot for my own reference because the item looks incredibly similar to some Fallout chems.

[kimolisai]

Using Bing Create with the prompt: A (((futuristic))) game concept art of tropical Caribbean village, with dramatic and cinematic lighting, isometric, 3D Game Cinematic Feel, Epic 3D Videogame Graphics, Intricately Detailed, 64 Megapixel Resolution, Dynamic Lighting, Unreal Engine 5, CryEngine, Trending on ArtStation, HDR, 3D Masterpiece, Unity Render, Perfect Composition

[dndsettingsinfo]

Lich Manor [68 × 53]

[chronomally]

Here is a long-ass review about Gamedec but tl;dr I've been having fun and I recommend it if you like media like Shadowrun, Fallout: New Vegas, The Sinking City, and The Matrix; as well as cyberpunk, transhumanism, and detective stories (and don't mind a little bit of jank in your games)

I'm surprised by how much I've really been enjoying Gamedec. It's an isometric point-and-click and a lot of aspects of it remind me of the Shadowrun games and Fallout: New Vegas, including the "influence" system that allows you to take certain actions or unlock certain dialogue options based on unlocked specialties, information gathered, and relationships (positive or negative) you've developed with other characters

The main game play involves hopping between different video games and solving crimes as a video game "detective" ("gamedec" = game dectective) and I've been quite impressed with the amount of thought and design put into each of the games your character enters. You gather clues and use them to make deductions (that may or may not be correct), and you can also assist (or not) the characters you meet in each video game as you progress through your assigned case. I've seen a similar design (re: the deductions) in Frogwares games like The Sinking City and Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments, so it was exciting to try out a similar mechanic myself. There aren't a ton of (visual) character customization options (which is pretty standard for this genre), but I always appreciate a game that allows you to set your appearance and gender/pronouns separately (it's been nice to be able to play a feminine-looking character that still gets addressed as "he" and "sir")

Admittedly, the game can be a bit janky, which I think was the major contributor to its pretty low critic rating. The original game studio is Polish (I believe, based on the names they selected for certain characters and the fact that the game takes place in a cyberpunk version of Warsaw), and it seems like as you get further in the game, there was less and less quality checking re: translations (certain lines are missing words, poorly translated, or appear to be missing entirely). Also, considering certain interactables are only highlighted when you're standing fairly close to them, I dislike that the game doesn't contain a feature that allows you to highlight all potentially interactable items on screen; maybe I'm being nitpicky, but I feel like this is a pretty standard feature in most modern point-and-clicks. On a somewhat related note, it's not always clear where you can and can't walk; sometimes the game takes a second to respond or dislikes where you've clicked, and sometimes you just...can't walk to that spot

To be honest, I'm not very good at judging moral choices in video games vs. Moral Choices in Video Games (TM) but I thought that the game offered a fairly wide variety of ways to settle cases and play your character. You're generally free to be money-hungry, job-focused, compassionate, or a dish out Code of Hammurabi-style justice as you see fit. The first case deals with graphic themes (there's a comment with more detail about this on their DoesTheDogDie page) and I don't think the resolution options are quite extensive enough, but in general there doesn't seem to be a "right" answer to a lot of the things that are going on, especially as you progress further through the game and begin to unravel the larger mystery that links together the cases you've been solving

Overall, like I said, I've been really enjoying this game, to the point that I'm kind of surprised and almost disappointed that I'd never heard of it. I got it for free through Epic Games a while ago and I'm glad I finally sat down to play

[popcultureoverdosed]

Remembering what was Lost: My Dragalia Lost Experience

My time with Dragalia Lost wasn't as long as I wished it could be. I knew about the game since its launch, but my low quality phone at the time made it almost impossible to play. It felt like a tragedy since the concept of forging bonds with dragons pulled me in like everyone else. It wasn't until the fall of last year I played the game consistently after upgrading my phone. For a while, it seemed like I found my daily routine. I'd login every day for daily challenges, linger on the main menu to hear my units chat it up, fall in love with adventurer stories, and bob my head to epic boss music. All was going well until news of the end of service struck the community.

To say we were all shocked is a huge understatement. An important part of our lives was about to join the graveyard of forever lost video games. With news of Dl's impending doom, I was forced to reflect on my experience with the title and came to a surprising conclusion: Dragalia Lost is easily one of my favourite games of all time.

I don't usually talk about video games on this blog, but Dragalia Lost holds a special place in my heart for being the most fun I've had with a mobile game. It hit all of that boxes that other gacha games struggle to keep up with.

It's impossible to talk about DL Without mentioning Daoko. Whether players are chilling on the home screen, slaying a deadly boss or summoning beloved units, Daoko's pop vocals are bound to be heard. Even some of the instrumental tracks are remixes of her other songs. Her songs fit the game perfectly as they invoke the feeling of a light-hearted and fun-filled adventure. The pop score helps DL stand out from other games which usually use European orchestral music. It gives the game an oddly fitting contemporary atmosphere. Ryusei Toshi and CRASHER remain iconic tunes that gets players into the thrill of a good ol' boss battle.

While on the topic of the sound department, the English voice acting deserves special mention. Ocean Productions was in charge of the voices and that makes DL an incredibly rare case of a Canadian dubbed anime game. Each voice was a breath of fresh air that fit the characters like a glove. Special mention goes to Brian Drummond as Zhu Baije, Tabitha St Germain as Althemia, Richard Ian cox as Ranzal, and Mark Oliver as Hawk.

My only complaint is that the English audio lacks fully voiced dialogue. That could've gone a long way to making the game more immersive.

Pokemon TCG artist Naoki Saito brought his A game with the art design. Most of the characters have highly rememberable designs done in a vibrant pop art style. Character portraits were always a delight to look at due to how much they popped out on the screen. Each adventurer has a unique appearance highly distinct from each other and full of personality. The fun expressive style really added to the Saturday morning cartoon feel of the game. The user interface also has a nice sleek look to it that made navigating menus anything but a chore. While the chibi graphics can seem overly minimalistic at first, that simplicity prevents the game from feeling dated and instead gave it everlasting appeal.

It may seem disingenuous to review a game without mentioning gameplay but there's not much I can say in that department. DL's isometric action RPG style made it stand out from other games on the market even with its very limited attack system. It wasn't the most immersive combat system I've experienced, but it always kept me back for more and never left me bored.

The implementation of skip tickets and auto-loop was a godsend for grinding and made it overall stress-free. I didn't have to waste hours of time just to upgrade a single character. Just hit the auto button and step away from the phone for a while. Seriously, more games need to follow this method instead of making maxing out units so tiresome. The Co-op raid battles also deserve special mention since it was so fun seeing strangers come together to beat a particularly arduous boss. There were several times I relied on Co-op to clear stages because the difficulty is no joke at times. This was especially true for the MARVELOUS final boss Xenos which can easily last half an hour. Now that's how you go out with a bang.

Last but certainly not least is the story. It starts off simple enough with Euden performing his princely duty of forming a dragonpact; the main draw of the game. Then the game added layers of complexity with Zethia's dark doppelganger and the King's sudden evil disposition. The carefree prince now has to save his kingdom from his treacherous family with an even greater threat looming in the background. The beginning of rbe story was a bit slow at first, but there were enough plot twists and burning questions to keep me fully invested. I so was not prepared for the time travel shenanigans and social commentary on classism/privilege the mid-game story brought.

And that's only what the main campaign brings to the table. Dragalia has several event stories that heavily build on the robust lore and characterization players love so much. Certain events like Faith Forsaken, Fractured Futures and Advent of the Origin even serve as epilogues to plot points made in the main story. I will admit that there were FAR too many beach themed events for my liking. This game had great slice-of-life moments but it'll be too soon if I ever see another beach adventure in a mobile game.

Finally, it would be irremissible of me not to mention the vocabularian localization provided by 8-4. Character dialogue is stuffed to the gills with personality and colloquialisms you wouldn't expect from this game at first glance. It's guaranteed you learned a few new vocab words after playing the game. Seriously, some of these characters talk like they eat thesaurus' for breakfast. That's when they're too busy spouting meme worthy dialogue at least.

Dragalia may be lost, but I'll never forget the incredible memories I made along the way.

[linuxgamenews]

Roadwarden gives you a chance to take on the medieval adventure

Roadwarden text-based RPG game gets a Demo for both Linux and Windows PC. Thanks to the almost mindnumbing creativity of developer Moral Anxiety Studio, a solo developer from Poland. Which is now playable via both Steam and itch. Roadwarden, the illustrated text-based RPG game from Moral Anxiety Studio. Which is due to hit the old dusty trail on September 8, 2022. Coming with support on Linux, Mac, and Windows PC. Today's release date reveal comes with an all-new teaser trailer. As well as an official Roadwarden demo now available for download on Steam and itch. Roadwarden blends aspects of high fantasy and medieval adventure. Also played up by a distinct isometric pixel art style. Blending mechanics borrowed from RPGs, visual novels, and interactive fiction. While Roadwarden tells the tale of an explorer hired by a powerful merchant guild. Along with the task of journeying to a mysterious peninsula to spread the guild’s influence. Offering over 40 hours of gameplay, dialogue choices that branch into hundreds of thousands of text lines. Along with slowly upgradable character abilities. Roadwarden is truly an epic and unique adventure since no two playthroughs are alike.

Roadwarden | Release Date Reveal Trailer

Key Features Include:

Explore & Change the World: Discover the secrets and face the test of a hostile fantasy world. Unveiling its uniquely sinister history

Grow With the Challenge: Create your own background story, personal abilities, and beliefs. Due to shape your personality and very own future as a Roadwarden

Classical RPG Attitude: Prepare yourself for an epic journey. Doing so as either as a warrior, mage, or scholar. All while you hone your character‘s traits. Such as how friendly, playful, or shocking, when facing various NPCs

Mysteries Unfold: Use your savvy and wiles when searching and drawing your outcomes. Due to learn the true nature of this world. Delve into exacting dialogues and side quests. Doing so with dozens of NPCs to gain their trust and support.

Roadwarden text-based RPG game will launch on Steam and GOG. Due to be priced at $10.99 USD / £8.29 / 8,99€ on September 8, 2022. Along with support for Linux, Mac, and Windows PC.