Yeah, I didn't really want to go into talk about StarForce ... I have nothing G rated to say about it. When I bought Runaway, that was the first thing I went to look for.
I really want to know how much money goes into using a product like StarForce and if on a company's bottom line if it's worth it? You would think common sense would play into it somewhere and say, "Well if it wasn't making them money they obviously wouldn't use it ..." WRONG! A lot of companies suffer from so many Dilbert-based principles it is astoundingly amazing.
Oh - and WHO JINXED ME!? AS SOON as I advanced the story line, I started getting crashes about one in every four encounters at sea. Then I had my first non-sea crash shortly there after. Involved in the story line, there was a particular incident ....
All of a sudden I'm in the room but you wouldn't thought there was a storm and the house flooded. water up to my knees ... Then I look around and I see my doppleganger ... Looking up, I realized the game loaded one model on top of another model ... Oops. When I tried to leave I crashed the game. I had saved it JUST before there anyways, so after playing back through, this time I was on the OUTSIDE of the house ... Weird.
So the thing that getting to me I think, is that the missions seem ... well ... weak ... However, once again I have not PLAYED it long enough to advance through all the missions of a Country so please don't take my absolute word for it. As you go up in rank they are supposed to get harder, and I would imagine the Capture button has to be for more than advancing the main story line ... A lot of the missions up front are deliver this, pick up that, escort so-an-so ...
Next item to try:
I decided late last night that I would dork around with a saved game and see just how difficult it was to take over a town. I had managed to secure a Battleship (Class 1) from a French war patrol that was coming right for Barbados.
So with the save, I decided I would employ the use of the Cheat Codes to really make it interesting. I would load the Battleship full to the brim with the best cannons, full cannoneers, etc. and sail for La Vega to let loose on its small fort.
Now remember this is ONE Class 1 vessel. It's suicide, I know, but I wanted to test this out. I place my ship within adequate firing distance and let loose with bombs on the fort. They immediately start firing back ... Oh this is not going to be good ... I'm getting cut to shreds ...
Okay, let's reload ...
I enable GodMode and try again ... (Once again, just for kicks)
Takes me about 12 minutes of pounding the fort with bombs to destroy enough cannons to storm the fort. Second problem comes up: There are still 1200 troops to my 350 soldiers. My soldiers are creamed in an instant. And GodMode or not, try getting in ONE HIT when you are being stabbed at a rate of 12 blades a second ... It took me 10 more minutes just to get myself out of that
It says that once you blast the fort to smithereens, to start unloading grape shot into it to lower the number of men in the fort. I tried that, I couldn't fire at the fort unless I was in first person mode once I got the queue to land troops. So I of course tried it one more time the other way - Grapeshot until they were down to about 450 troops, and then Bombs. Grapeshot would destroy a single cannon for every 4 to 5 shots that I fired and would eliminate more than 150 men a shot IF the shot of course landed. However, I'm still being bombarded by over 60 cannons so this is NOT going to work in my favor ....
... So I capture the town ...
Now comes the interesting part ... KEEPING IT. Of course you get told that if you take the town, ALL nations hate you ... So I took it ... WTF!? EVEN THE SMUGGLERS HATE ME!? A-HOLES!!!! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blah:" border="0" alt="tongue.gif" /> - See if I supply them with slaves and chocolate again ...
The English kept sending war patrols directly at La Vega to try and take it. If it wasn't for me and the Battleship (now with GodMode off) we wouldn't have been able to keep it. La Vega's fleet was only 4 Class 5 vessels going up against Class 2 and a Class 1 Battleship. They would've easily blown through and taken the town again.
...So you need to start putting money into the town, to make barracks, improve the shipyard, make the people happy, get it to start making its own money, etc. etc. .... NOT AN EASY TASK - and one that will take time.
... So I guess the basic thrill factor is taking over the caribbean and holding on to the prize.
Mods please. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />
I really want to know how much money goes into using a product like StarForce and if on a company's bottom line if it's worth it? You would think common sense would play into it somewhere and say, "Well if it wasn't making them money they obviously wouldn't use it ..." WRONG! A lot of companies suffer from so many Dilbert-based principles it is astoundingly amazing.
Oh - and WHO JINXED ME!? AS SOON as I advanced the story line, I started getting crashes about one in every four encounters at sea. Then I had my first non-sea crash shortly there after. Involved in the story line, there was a particular incident ....
All of a sudden I'm in the room but you wouldn't thought there was a storm and the house flooded. water up to my knees ... Then I look around and I see my doppleganger ... Looking up, I realized the game loaded one model on top of another model ... Oops. When I tried to leave I crashed the game. I had saved it JUST before there anyways, so after playing back through, this time I was on the OUTSIDE of the house ... Weird.
So the thing that getting to me I think, is that the missions seem ... well ... weak ... However, once again I have not PLAYED it long enough to advance through all the missions of a Country so please don't take my absolute word for it. As you go up in rank they are supposed to get harder, and I would imagine the Capture button has to be for more than advancing the main story line ... A lot of the missions up front are deliver this, pick up that, escort so-an-so ...
Next item to try:
I decided late last night that I would dork around with a saved game and see just how difficult it was to take over a town. I had managed to secure a Battleship (Class 1) from a French war patrol that was coming right for Barbados.
So with the save, I decided I would employ the use of the Cheat Codes to really make it interesting. I would load the Battleship full to the brim with the best cannons, full cannoneers, etc. and sail for La Vega to let loose on its small fort.
Now remember this is ONE Class 1 vessel. It's suicide, I know, but I wanted to test this out. I place my ship within adequate firing distance and let loose with bombs on the fort. They immediately start firing back ... Oh this is not going to be good ... I'm getting cut to shreds ...
Okay, let's reload ...
I enable GodMode and try again ... (Once again, just for kicks)
Takes me about 12 minutes of pounding the fort with bombs to destroy enough cannons to storm the fort. Second problem comes up: There are still 1200 troops to my 350 soldiers. My soldiers are creamed in an instant. And GodMode or not, try getting in ONE HIT when you are being stabbed at a rate of 12 blades a second ... It took me 10 more minutes just to get myself out of that
It says that once you blast the fort to smithereens, to start unloading grape shot into it to lower the number of men in the fort. I tried that, I couldn't fire at the fort unless I was in first person mode once I got the queue to land troops. So I of course tried it one more time the other way - Grapeshot until they were down to about 450 troops, and then Bombs. Grapeshot would destroy a single cannon for every 4 to 5 shots that I fired and would eliminate more than 150 men a shot IF the shot of course landed. However, I'm still being bombarded by over 60 cannons so this is NOT going to work in my favor ....
... So I capture the town ...
Now comes the interesting part ... KEEPING IT. Of course you get told that if you take the town, ALL nations hate you ... So I took it ... WTF!? EVEN THE SMUGGLERS HATE ME!? A-HOLES!!!! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blah:" border="0" alt="tongue.gif" /> - See if I supply them with slaves and chocolate again ...
The English kept sending war patrols directly at La Vega to try and take it. If it wasn't for me and the Battleship (now with GodMode off) we wouldn't have been able to keep it. La Vega's fleet was only 4 Class 5 vessels going up against Class 2 and a Class 1 Battleship. They would've easily blown through and taken the town again.
...So you need to start putting money into the town, to make barracks, improve the shipyard, make the people happy, get it to start making its own money, etc. etc. .... NOT AN EASY TASK - and one that will take time.
... So I guess the basic thrill factor is taking over the caribbean and holding on to the prize.
Mods please. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />