squid830: The second time I played a mega-cybered out samurai. I found it much easier the second time around - but that could also be because I knew what was coming from the previous play-thru, or possibly because I totally abused the access stash anywhere function" (which is just so damn useful).
Jarmo: Ok, finished
A Stitch in Time now.
The plot took a hit about halfway through (when you leave the city) and the rest of the game was pretty much a big long slaughterfeast. Being a decker wasn't all that fun after that, thankfully I had pretty decent SMG skills as well so it was all fine.
If I were to play again, I'd probably pick a magi, given how I always took (at least) one as backup anyway.
But I don't think I will any time too soon, time to thin my gog backlog a bit.
Yeah I agree with you on that one - I personally much preferred the "proper" shadow runs rather than that slogging through wilderness. I didn't mind that "Hard Target" mission for a change of pace, but the final bit did grate a bit. To be fair there are a number of games that have done similar things through the years, where they give up their basic mechanics for one final massive slog near the end.
I personally enjoyed the Prestige International missions much more than the Techmasters ones, which is another reason I'd prefer a non-decker character. I've got to hand it to the author though, putting in those extra decker-only bits - it's pretty rare for most UGCs to pay much attention to deckers.
Actually there's another UGC that's worth a shot for anyone who's bored of the other UGCs out there, or rather series of UGCs: the Antumbra series.
The first one is pretty short and only allows you to choose one of two runners to go with you, but it builds up the story which carries over into part 2 (although all parts are pretty much self-contained, and you can start from any of them).
The second one, Eclipse, is much better and longer, although it plays out more in a Dead Man Switch style (that is, you have a central base but you're basically "led" from one location to the next).
The third one, Corona, is by far the best. It's story design is closer to Dragonfall in that you can choose which missions to tackle first (you typically get a number to choose from), and to top it off your choices really make a noticeable difference in this one. Basically the runs you do are not just to build up your personal cash/weapons, but also your supplies and manpower for an upcoming defense - both of which are reflected in your base (as in how many supplies/people are around your base - pretty satisfying seeing it build up after every mission). You also tend to find new "free" recruits in most missions which you can then use for free in subsequent ones (you also have hireable mercs, but they're probably not worth it due to their cost).
All parts have decisions which affect events in subsequent parts - so although it would have been better for all three to have been in one package, this is pretty close. For the full experience it's probably best to start from the first, although if you find it lacking I'd recommend starting from the second as it's much better. It's also possible to start from the third if you really want to, but you'll be missing out some cool plot points (and potential rewards!).
All in all the Antumbra series are now up there with A Stitch In Time and Nightmare Harvest.
