Octopus Overlords

Blood Dragon had it as well.

hepcat wrote: Tue Nov 14, 2023 3:30 pm Yup, the meat tossed into a base strategy is my go to in ALL the Far Cry games that have it.

Not the meat. The meat was fun, but not nearly as broken as what you could do in Primal. You could craft bombs (clay containers of herbs/chemicals/etc) that would have various effects, one of which was the 'berserk bomb' that would make affected enemies attack each other. You could also possess an owl. It served as your 'binoculars' for marking enemies, and there was an upgrade that let you use it to drop bombs. You could simply get near an enemy camp/settlement, go into stealth, drop a berserk bomb, wait a minute, then drop another, then go in and kill the one surviving enemy. Perfect, 100% stealth capture, every time.

It was so brokenly powerful that it nearly ruined the game for me until I made myself stop using it.

That's what it reminded me of when you said, " I made myself TOO powerful by taking the decks that allowed me to cause enemies at a distance to go nuts and attack their friends. "

I started a new game when I bought the expansion a little over a week ago. On my first playthrough I did a silenced pistol infiltrator with the cyberware that made all my attacks non-lethal. I challenged myself to knock everyone in each mission out either by non-lethal stealth take down or silenced (non-lethal) pistol. Tried to go with no kills at all.

This time I'm playing a bloodthirsty, stealthy knife thrower, and holy hells is that fun. I sneak up around the corner closest to the group and toss a knife into the skull of the closest person (or the most powerful if there's a skull enemy), and it drops them. If they go down but don't die (sometimes it's my poison that puts them down), I make sure to toss a knife into their head for good measure. Even when I first started I focused all my skill points into the knife tree and at level 5 or so I was hitting for over 100 points. Now that I'm level 50, I routinely hit for 1200-1600 damage with a single throw, and have hit for over 2400 with a headshot crit from hiding. On bosses, which I thought would be a problem, if I hit a stealthy headshot I usually blind them, giving me the time for another head shot or two while they stagger around. If they're not dead by then, I've already gotten all three of my knives back and I rinse and repeat. I've started trying to wipe out an entire outpost/mission before they notice me. Every once in a while I'll mix it up and step in with my toxic gorilla arms or even a shot or two from Overwatch before I move in.

Still loving the game and I haven't even gone out looking for Evelyn yet. But I *have* cleared out all the missions for every fixer I can find at this stage of the game, including all cyberpsychos, El Capitan, Wakako, Dakota, and retrieved the Basilisk for the Aldecaldos, as well as all the yellow mini-missions I find on the map.

I'm now about a dozen hours into my new game. It's been almost three years since I seriously played the game but still I thought I'd be remembering more than I am now. I just went through a sequence of missions that I have no recollection of doing at all before. Well, that's good in a way, I'm able to enjoy the game more.

Meanwhile, even decades in the future, they still can't forecast the weather worth a damn:

My second playthrough i ended up using more melee weapons. Once I had this in my hand I could charge into any group and get full penetration.
The gold baseball bat is pretty effective too, especially with a melee skills build.

Nothing worse than getting into a brawl, and one guy on your side is just dicking around.

lol. Pan Am's look at his Uranus line.

I finished Phantom Liberty last night. Overall it was....fine. Part of it I think is that while playing PL it made me realize that I'd probably played enough Cyberpunk 2077. Which was good, but I'm not sure that I needed more. And part of it is that Phantom Liberty is so dark and "gritty" that it sometimes verges on self-parody. Like I get that cyberpunk (generally and Cyberpunk 2077) is gritty, but like sometimes it feels like..."Character X goes to get change. What is change, though, when it comes down to it? On the way to get change he was attacked by someone he'd wronged in the past, and was crippled forever. Then he kicked a puppy. Then he had haunting nightmares of the past. On top of that...he got the wrong amount of change."

Partly may be colored by the last mission of Phantom Liberty ("Somewhat Damaged") which I think is easily the most annoying mission / sequence I've ever played in any RPG ever. You're just wandering around a base doing fetch type tasks ("You need to shut off server A! Oh wait, there's no power, so you need to walk over to place B to push a button to shut down Server A!") And on top of that monotony, while you're doing that you have to periodically hide from a killer robot that will jump out from time to time and insta-kill you if you get too close to it. Plus it can insta-kill you while you're in action sequences involved in pushing buttons. And you can't fight it. God damn that mission was annoying. You'll only have to do that if you make a specific set of character choices though, at least.

The game does also give you an additional ending for the base game depending on the choices you make in Phantom Liberty. You'll never guess, but the new ending is dark and gritty.

Apparently CDPR isn't quite finished tweaking the game just yet.

Tune in to REDstreams to learn more about Update 2.1

On December 5th, 2023, the same day Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition hits the shelves, we’ll release a free Update 2.1 for Cyberpunk 2077 and Phantom Liberty on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC, introducing new and hotly anticipated gameplay elements.

If you’d like to learn more about the update join us for REDstreams on December 1st, 4 PM CET on our Twitch channel. Our hosts, Amelia Kołat and Alicja Kozera (Senior Community Managers) will be joined by Paweł Sasko (Quest Director) and Monika Janowska (Producer) to talk about new features and changes.

We have a few nice surprises in this patch so don’t miss it!

Cyberpunk 2077 Gets Working Metro And More In Last Big Update

Between Cyberpunk 2077's big 2.0 overhaul and its lengthy Phantom Liberty story expansion, it might have seemed like the game’s developers were done with the open-world RPG’s three-year turnaround. But today CD Projekt Red confirmed that Cyberpunk 2077 will still get some big features in one last 2.1 update, including fans’ long-requested metro system for Night City.

Update 2.1 arrives on December 5 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC alongside the release of the Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition. During a livestream today, the game’s developers revealed it will include a fully functional metro, replayable car races, boss fight improvements, accessibility features, and other changes and additions. The metro system will include five lines, over a dozen stations, and the ability to travel in real time or fast-forward.

Update 2.1 will also bring a bevy of new accessibility features, from bigger font sizes and aim assists to colorblind modes and the option to turn off hacking timers. Car races will also become replayable to unlock discounts for better cars. Boss fights like the Adam Smasher encounter in the late game are getting improved to make them more challenging. He’ll now sport a Sandevistan like in the Netflix anime. And motorcycle handling will be fixed with new riding mechanics.

We don’t have the full 2.1 patch notes yet, which are likely to include tons more fixes, tweaks, and other new gameplay twists. CD Projekt Red is even promising a few “new secrets to discover” after the update goes live. If you thought you were finally done with Night City, you were wrong.

OMG! The ability to travel on a metro system in real time! Truly we live in a magical future.

But more seriously, isn't the quick travel system intended to represent Night City's Mass Transit? So this is just adding graphics for when you fast travel?

Will the update include extended interactions with Judy or Panam? Asking for a friend.

Moliere wrote: Fri Dec 01, 2023 2:23 pm Will the update include extended interactions with Judy or Panam? Asking for a friend.

They mentioned something about spending more time with romantic partners, but didn't want to get into any details because spoilers.

El Guapo wrote: Fri Dec 01, 2023 2:17 pm OMG! The ability to travel on a metro system in real time! Truly we live in a magical future.

But more seriously, isn't the quick travel system intended to represent Night City's Mass Transit? So this is just adding graphics for when you fast travel?

It isn't something I thought the game needed, but apparently it is something that a lot of players have been asking for since forever. The devs said that it was being added as a commonly requested roleplaying feature, not as a gameplay mechanic as such. If you're not into riding the subway/monorail/whatever, you can probably safely skip it (although there might be some easter eggs that you can only find by riding the metro, it seems).

They should add a full quest line down in the metro. Old tunnels..closed stations..perfect dark and spooky place for an extended quest to take place...maybe a train disappears totally or stops and you get off and left behind. Lots of material to use for a quest or two.

Cyberpunk 2077 2.1 patch notes detail new metro and romance hangouts

The last big Cyberpunk 2077 patch is around the corner, as CD Projekt Red provides a colossal set of notes for update 2.1 that hide some new details and flesh out previously mentioned additions like romantic hangouts, cats, and a whole lot more. There’s a lot to dig into that you’ll already have heard about, but some great new stuff, too.

First up, Cyberpunk 2077 update 2.1 is dropping on PC and all console platforms on Tuesday, December 5 at around 3am PT, 6am ET, 11am GMT, 12pm CET, and 10pm AEDT. So keep an eye out for an update on your respective platform for the open-world game at that time.

Between the comprehensive stream on Cyberpunk 2077 2.1 and the blog post on accessibility changes, we already know a fair bit about what tomorrow will look like for Night City, but that’s not all. Little teases about inviting your love interest for a hangout, and a better examination of how you can do more with motorcycles have been detailed, too.

Kind of glad I didn't put in more than a few hours on this a couple of weeks ago and then stopped, there is a lot of cool stuff dropping tomorrow and who knows what else in the future?

Speaking of the 2.1 patch notes...

I really wish they had added procedurally generated gigs, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards. Maybe in the sequel, if there ever is one.

The 2.1 patch is heftier than I expected. It weighs in at 81.45 GB on GOG.

jztemple2 wrote: Mon Dec 04, 2023 3:08 pm who knows what else in the future?

The future seems like it will hold a sequel, but 2.1 is as far as they're taking the current game. Given how long the support tail for The Witcher 3 has lasted, I wouldn't be surprised to see some further bug fixes or minor QoL polish, but I don't expect anything beyond that.

After a turbulent 3 years, CD Projekt is done making Cyberpunk 2077

CD Projekt Red has confirmed Cyberpunk 2077’s patch 2.1, due Tuesday, Dec. 5, will be the last major update to the game, closing the book on one of the most controversial game development processes of recent years.

Community director Marcin Momot referred to the update on X (formerly Twitter) as “one more patch,” and a spokesperson for the developer subsequently confirmed to IGN that “Update 2.1 is meant to be the last big update.”

The core CD Projekt Red team in Warsaw, Poland will now turn its full focus to the next game in the Witcher series, codenamed Project Polaris, while a new studio based in Boston is spinning up development on Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel, Project Orion. A slide in a recent CD Projekt investor update showed a huge increase in the size of the team working on the Witcher game to around half of CD Projekt’s development staff following the release of Phantom Liberty. The reduced Cyberpunk 2077 team now includes “devs in transfer,” presumably to work on other projects. (Another big project, the remake of the first Witcher game, is being made externally.)

Loot drops during my morning Dogtown Barghest rampage seemed a bit more generous than before. When looking at the map, I noticed there are dozens of NCPD scanner events all over the city. I don't know if they are new or if the patch reset the old ones.

I completed the Phantom Liberty main story line today, although there are still some loose ends to tie up in Dogtown. I'm interested to find out whether there will be some follow-on consequences to the decisions I made along the way.

I finished up my FemmeV Netrunner run this morning, but still didn't get what I'd consider a happy ending. Does the game have any actual happily-ever-after endings? There's only one way to find out (short of looking up ending spoilers), so I immediately started a new game, with the Nomad start and the goal of figuring out what the polar opposite of a Netrunner build looks like. I'm thinking a Sandevistan, a katana, throwing blades, and maybe finally figuring out how to use ricochets with power guns.

And I'll be making some different choices along the way (sorry Songbird).

I haven't finished the game yet, but I did dive hard into the expansion content over the weekend. Holy cow is it good. The only negative is the performance in certain parts of dogtown. Even with a 7700x and a 3080 it's gets a bit dodgy. I'm sure if I turned of ray tracing it would be fine, but hells no. One day I'm just going to melt my eyes with an OLED and this game. The visuals are just freaking nuts.

Max Peck wrote: Mon Dec 11, 2023 1:32 pm I finished up my FemmeV Netrunner run this morning, but still didn't get what I'd consider a happy ending. Does the game have any actual happily-ever-after endings? There's only one way to find out (short of looking up ending spoilers), so I immediately started a new game, with the Nomad start and the goal of figuring out what the polar opposite of a Netrunner build looks like. I'm thinking a Sandevistan, a katana, throwing blades, and maybe finally figuring out how to use ricochets with power guns.

And I'll be making some different choices along the way (sorry Songbird).

Happy endings are definitely few and far between. For V I think the only ending that I would consider happy is if you go with the Altecados (sp?) at the end - that may or may not be contingent on being a male V that romances Panam.

In my Phantom Liberty playthrough Judy got a fairly unambiguous happy ending - probably contingent on her not being romanced by V.

And...that's about it.

El Guapo wrote: Mon Dec 11, 2023 1:47 pm

Max Peck wrote: Mon Dec 11, 2023 1:32 pm I finished up my FemmeV Netrunner run this morning, but still didn't get what I'd consider a happy ending. Does the game have any actual happily-ever-after endings? There's only one way to find out (short of looking up ending spoilers), so I immediately started a new game, with the Nomad start and the goal of figuring out what the polar opposite of a Netrunner build looks like. I'm thinking a Sandevistan, a katana, throwing blades, and maybe finally figuring out how to use ricochets with power guns.

And I'll be making some different choices along the way (sorry Songbird).

Happy endings are definitely few and far between. For V I think the only ending that I would consider happy is if you go with the Altecados (sp?) at the end - that may or may not be contingent on being a male V that romances Panam.

In my Phantom Liberty playthrough Judy got a fairly unambiguous happy ending - probably contingent on her not being romanced by V.

And...that's about it.

In my first run through as a FemV Nomad I got that happy ending with Judy even though Panem was kept in the friend zone. I liked the way that finished up. When I played as a corpo V I really liked that character but my choices put me in a bleak place. Well written but depressing as hell.

$iljanus wrote: Mon Dec 11, 2023 2:18 pm Well written but depressing as hell.

This. I actually dislike this approach. When I play a game, I often end up feeling somewhat linked to the character. Games that don't have a happy ending for "me" end up leaving a sour taste in my mouth. I was pretty bummed by the ending. Definitely hampers any desire to play it again. I'm read up on all of the endings. None of them would leave me feeling good.

TheMix wrote: Mon Dec 11, 2023 2:28 pm

$iljanus wrote: Mon Dec 11, 2023 2:18 pm Well written but depressing as hell.

This. I actually dislike this approach. When I play a game, I often end up feeling somewhat linked to the character. Games that don't have a happy ending for "me" end up leaving a sour taste in my mouth. I was pretty bummed by the ending. Definitely hampers any desire to play it again. I'm read up on all of the endings. None of them would leave me feeling good.

You would not like the new ending added by Phantom Liberty.

Yeah, that's the thing. I don't mind games not guaranteeing a happy ending depending upon your choices, but at times it felt like Cyberpunk / Phantom Liberty was really going out of its way to give depressing endings that were really not necessary given the choices made. Especially for the new Phantom Liberty ending - I get that there are inherent issues with the ending choice made available by Phantom Liberty, especially as to Johnny, but it really went over the top to make the ending depressing not only for V but for almost all of his friends too.

I prefer good endings..especially if Ive done nothing wrong during the game to deserve a bad ending. Like Mafia 2 always stood out to me..and ya Im gonna ruin part of the ending so stop reading if you plan to play it one day,,..I thought it was all fine then at the end they take your best friend off to kill him. This guy helped me the entire game game then they just drive him off to off him. So crappy. Ive hated that ending since..as you can tell I still do lol.

It almost sounds like you guys are playing a game set in a cyberpunk world, which are, in general, the most depressing of settings.

Yeah, bittersweet at best does seem to fit the genre.

In most cyberpunk stories (at least those I've read), the characters who get good endings are those that aren't dead, disabled, in comas, or otherwise far worse off than when they started. Oh, the villain/corp/whatever has been taken down, but everyone will have paid the price for doing so. The good endings are usually more about the bad guy getting what's coming than about the 'good' guy getting everlasting happiness.

Cyberpunk is usually about people who have been beaten down by an oppressive dystopian world/mega corporations/out-of-control capitalism fighting back and making a dent, not about retiring to the beach.

It seems oddly meaningful these days.

I though the most depressing endings were for the Vampyres. Eternal life of brooding and death.

It isn't like they didn't lay it out there for us, right from the get-go.

Anyone tried mods that allow frame generation on RTX 20 and 30 Series by emulation DLSS Frame generation using FSR3 frame generation?

Like this mod:

https://github.com/Nukem9/dlssg-to-fsr3/releases

I tried it. From around 70 ftp average now it is 110 fps average with FSR3 frame generation. I think this is good for gamers with CPU bottleneck since lowering the graphic quality didn't change the fps much for me without frame generation.

My PC has i5-9400 and RTX 3060 Ti.

Now this show that there is really no good reason for NVidia to lock RTX 20/30 series users from frame generation. They should let us use something like FSR3's frame generation. While it is probably lower quality compare to full RTX 40 series DLSS 3 frame generation, it is better than not having the option.

I finally started this a couple days ago and just got through the 'intro' leading up to the title screen...saved and put it down right after waking up in my apartment with a guest in my head. To say that I'm impressed so far would be a major understatement. The quality of writing, acting and storytelling is amazing already. I've been playing Starfield almost exclusively since release, so this is a dramatic change for the better in terms of world and story. There are things that I like about Starfield, but it already feels so lifeless in comparison to Cyberpunk.

I'm playing on the Xbox Series X set to Graphics mode...looks fantastic with the raytracing and no hiccups. The one big action scene so far (escaping with the Flathead) looked great and ran totally smooth, but time will tell if I stick with the best graphics locked at 30fps or switch to Performance mode and give up raytracing.

Now I just have to decide what route I'm going with my character... already leaning toward a stealthy netrunner, but haven't made a weapon choice yet (melee/blades vs small guns). So many choices already...

I beat the expansion AND the main game this week. I barely ever finish games so that's kind of amazing. There was still a ton of stuff I could do so I certainly will go back again at some point. Amazing how good it is now compared to when it came out.