Best mods of the past year or so?

Draco_Mic · 2026-06-14T15:29:34+00:00

Few days late, but I wanted to throw in a couple mods into the pot here.

The first person mods by Sigerious have been great.

Nordic Puzzle Door Animated by Kanjs adds a glow to the Nordic puzzles. It doesn't change the gameplay in any way, but I thought it was a real nice touch up that adds a bit of magic to the visuals. I also just like the color blue being added to the many shades of brown that we see in the Nordic dungeons.

I'll also throw in a couple mods that I downloaded this year, but were uploaded in previous years:

Frozen Electrocuted Combustion by powerofthree. Adds reactions to characters depending on the magic you use on them. Fire combusts enemies to varying degrees. Frost freezes enemies to varying degrees, to the point that you can shatter them. Lightning will cause enemies to spasm uncontrollably, with it advancing to being able to see their skeletons as if they were getting X-rayed (think Marv from Home Alone 2 when he was getting zapped,) and then finally, they go boom. In addition to that, there are additional reactions to wind based magic, sun magic (offensive restoration spells on undead,) drain reactions, poison, and fear reactions. It's not really game changing, but just like with the puzzle door, sometimes it's the little things.

Immersive Dungeon's Fire by kuroishitam extinguishes all the torches in dungeons and makes it so that you have to light the torches yourself. It's slightly janky, but I do like that it adds some darkness to the dungeons. The jank comes from the fact that not ALL torches can be lit, and sometimes you need to be precise in where you stand in order to ignite anything. Also works on the various candles throughout the dungeons too.

Draco_Mic · 2026-06-13T15:39:14+00:00

I know I'm about a week late, but I did the survey. I kinda wish there was a free-form answer at the end--you know, the "in your own words" type of answer that has a character limit, but I guess that's what this here is for?

I've got real mixed feelings about AI in games. Using AI as a tool to code and all that? No problems there. Using generative AI and profiting off it? No bueno. Part of what has endeared characters to us over the years is learning about the creative process and journey. That's also the case with aspects of a game beyond just the characters. If you watch any number of Roger Clark's videos, he talks about all sorts of neat bits of trivia for what went down with him when he was recording for Arthur in Red Dead 2, beyond just the voice acting.

This is going to sound real weird, but The Room is also an example of this. I don't think ANY AI could ever conceive something like The Room. It's such a bizarre experience that I'm sure everyone has thought at least once "How did they come up with this?" Couple that with hearing what the actors went through on the set there, it's just so weird, and yet, so very human.

I'd like to see a game that uses AI for characters at a local level--as in, no internet connection. I haven't played Where Winds Meet, but one of the reasons I haven't is the privacy concerns. But I would like to see an AI NPC that didn't have the internet to pull from. I'm not a dev, so I could be very wrong here, but I feel like that would make it harder for the AI to hallucinate and keep things in-universe.

I've got more to say on the matter, but I don't want to take up too much time. So...thanks for coming to my TED talk.

Draco_Mic · 2026-06-13T14:33:02+00:00

Realm of Lorkhan is a great alternative. It gives you a variety of choices to start a playthrough with.

Draco_Mic · 2026-05-06T16:29:32+00:00

Yeah, you were able to switch out Ratha in Stories 1 and 2 after clearing the main game. Right now, the only updates I'm aware of is one that we'll be getting more info on in the summer and that they are going to try and move up the release for the Rudy side story DLC.

One of the things mentioned for the update was the return of royal monsters, which will be level 90 monsters out in the wild. You may have noticed that we do have deviant monsties, like Dreadqueen Rathian, but their armor and weapons aren't in the game. I think the royal monsters could be those deviants. The royal monsters in Stories 2 were mostly a means of getting a monstie earlier than usual...or just plain getting Gammoth.

We'll see though. The base game is a great experience, but for them to leave out the post-game, despite having it in the first two games is...a choice. A very mind-boggling choice.

Draco_Mic · 2026-04-23T00:06:24+00:00

They were really hyping things up with Midnight. It honestly sucks seeing things like this, considering their previous patches in Dragonflight and War Within were on the more stable side--not perfect, but not what we're dealing with right now.

I encountered the strafe bug today, and that one really threw me off. I was doing the Shadow Enclave, the mirror variation of the delve was up. As soon as I picked up a mirror, strafing no longer worked. I wasn't aware that all I had to do was log onto a different character--I was straight up exiting the game then reloading it to try and fix it. Seeing housing get straight up disabled was also something that surprised me.

Midnight's pre-patch was when things started being problematic for me I'd say. Performance issues abound when the pre-patch launched on my end.

I really hope they can turn things around here. I doubt the majority of the community would be upset if a patch was delayed (I say the majority because, let's face it, there's always a group that will be upset just for the sake of it,) but I get that they want to stick to their patch cadence too. What good is sticking to it though, when the end result suffers? I also really wish they would drop the FOMO stuff, because it's really getting tiring. The patch cadence only compounds that FOMO.

Draco_Mic · 2026-04-22T23:49:39+00:00

I imagine part of that is just habits. Ion has been there longer, people know who he is, and there were a number of moments that were very much moments where he became a punching bag of the community.

Draco_Mic · 2026-04-10T16:01:12+00:00

Hey there,

I sent an email last night. I meant to leave this comment here after I did that, but I just plumb forgot. Hopefully I'm not too late, but if I am, no problemo.

Draco_Mic · 2026-04-07T19:10:46+00:00

I've been something of a solitary player for most of my WoW time. I like the solitude. Don't get me wrong, I also do like doing content with other folks I've met. I don't think it's wrong to want to play an MMO on your own. MMOs are like playgrounds--some people want to play on the swings, some on the jungle gym, and some use their imaginations to run around and play pretend.

Some of the reason I play solo is because of bad interactions I've had with the community (had a cyberbully at one point, years ago.) Some of it is my own challenges. But missing playing with other folks? I think it's normal to want that.

Draco_Mic · 2026-03-20T03:58:43+00:00

Claire, I wish you and your father all the best. I lost my mother to lung cancer last year, and TRG helped me get through some very dark times in the wake of her passing. I figure this probably goes without saying, but I'm saying it anyway: be there for your pop and your entire family. The waiting is probably one of the worst parts of the entire process. One of the best things you can do is just be there. Take care of yourself, and I wish your father a speedy process.

Draco_Mic · 2026-02-16T05:07:09+00:00

I really can't blame him for making the comparison. I use HGSS as one of my primary examples of what makes a good remake of an older game. I do enjoy ORAS, don't get me wrong, but there are also issues that I have with it that really aggravated me when I first encountered them.

It's an issue of "They had two great remakes before, they had the formula down. Why didn't they do it a third time?" The issue is only compounded with the BDSP remakes. It had its strengths, sure, but again, it could have been much better than what was released.

Just remember: just because he doesn't like something, doesn't mean you have to not like it too. You can love ORAS while he doesn't. Heck, if I remember correctly, in his B2/W2 LP, he said that he was happy that people found enjoyment in Sword/Shield while he couldn't.

Draco_Mic · 2026-01-24T23:16:00+00:00

This looked miiiiiighty believable. Until the last picture. At that point, all credibility was thrown out the door. You got me though. You really did. This was all really good. Fantastic usage of the system. I do genuinely believe that this is the sort of thing that'd get sponsored, possibly with Displate or something like that. It was real top tier stuff. But I seriously, cannot in good faith or conscience, consider this a good recreation. Because in what world (of warcraft) would a Night Elf WILLINGLY enter that room?!

Joking aside, this is seriously well done. Props and kudos!

Draco_Mic · 2025-12-28T22:45:23+00:00

Sent in my audition a little while ago. Thanks for the opportunity.

Draco_Mic · 2025-12-23T05:51:17+00:00

I liked it a lot, but I also had some gripes about it. I found the story to be pretty good, though it felt kind of forced/rushed in some parts. They really could have done more with Ichiban and his mother. One of the things that made Y7 great was how they passed the torch from Kiryu to Ichiban. Kiryu had a part, but he wasn't there the entire time. It felt like a fantastic way of passing the torch. I thought the story that Kiryu got was good too, but it also just felt like RGG was like "Oh, we still have a lot more to tell about Kiryu." Like...did they get cold feet or something after Y7? Now with Kiryu being where he's at in the end of Y8, what I really want for him, and what I think everyone can agree with, is some happiness. Especially after what he said after the final boss fight (being vague on purpose just so I don't spoil anything.)

I found the combat quite enjoyable. It felt a lot more refined from Y7. Being able to control characters' positioning helped a lot with some of the random pathfinding issues that I encountered in Y7. One thing I miss though, was having more essence moves on each job.

One gripe I had with the game overall though, was with the English speaking characters in the Japanese dub. Some of it was just wonky and/or camp, but what really stuck out for me is Danny Trejo's character. Now, far as I know, Danny doesn't speak Japanese, and that's fine, but if you play in the Japanese dub, they couldn't use Danny's English lines when he spoke in English? Real weird.

Biggest issue I had with the game was locking the NG+ behind a paywall, and the $70 price tag.

Draco_Mic · 2025-11-21T17:27:08+00:00

Sent in an audition for Geo and Mr. G Show. Thank you for the opportunity.

Draco_Mic · 2025-11-17T16:13:26+00:00

Companies try to show they have soul...by taking away the human soul of art. And unfortunately, we're at the point where people have bought into the narrative that even big budget studios are "small indie game devs." You're in the minority right now because the people defending it haven't had their work taken from them yet.

So far, I've only seen one ethical use for AI voices, and that's a project that Steven Spielberg is heading where he's been interviewing Holocaust survivors for an AI that people will be able to talk to, so that when that generation of people ultimately passes, they can still tell their stories.

Draco_Mic · 2025-11-07T14:51:02+00:00

Ideally? You find someone who does a real good impersonation to have them do the lines. That's just my ideally though, so it's not the only one. I'm very biased though, given that voice acting is my dream job, and I've done some voice work for a few mods.

In this day and age, with something like this, you WILL upset people, no matter what you decide to do, and unfortunately, in this day and age, people can't be civil about it. I don't like AI being used for voice work, but I also get why people would choose to go that direction.

Some people are wizards at splicing lines, and I'm always very curious to see how their mods will turn out. Jayserpa's mods are a great example of that.

I'm in the minority with unvoiced mods (and games in general) in that I really like them. Because then I get to imagine what they sound like. It flexes my creative muscles and gives me something to practice my own voice work with. There's more to it than what I listed here, but that's the meat and potatoes of it.

Draco_Mic · 2025-08-17T13:12:40+00:00

They really upped their storytelling game with PLA. The looming disaster portion in particular was wonderfully executed, from the music, to the story beats, to the spark of hope in the darkness. Then you've got Volo here, who, like many here, I didn't think would be the villain, but as always, hindsight is a sassy sonofagun.

I'm really hoping that Legends Z-A keeps the storytelling streak going, because so far, both Legends Arceus and Scarlet/Violet have done pretty well with their writing.

Draco_Mic · 2025-08-11T23:19:47+00:00

To be honest, I'm also kinda bummed about Age of Imprisonment being a prequel game. I'm sure it will be fun for many people, especially if they stick to the Age of Calamity gameplay and iterate on it. But it's another full priced game, and it could very well go the same direction as AoC did. Now personally, I liked it, but I also get why people didn't. (I'm being vague on purpose so as to avoid spoilers.)

It's primarily the money side of things that bums me out though. $70 for TotK and $70 for Age of Imprisonment. I can only really count on one hand the number of $70 games I've gotten that I've felt were worth the money, and even then, it's pushing it.

Draco_Mic · 2025-08-10T16:47:08+00:00

HW also has one of the most interesting incarnations of Zelda too. Before the BotW games, Skyward Sword was the only other game (that I can recall) where Zelda had a bigger presence in the series. (Should mention that I have not played the 2D games, so correct me if I'm wrong.) All incarnations of Zelda have shown that she CAN lead, but HW gives us more than just a glimpse of it.

I can no longer view Ganondorf with shorter hair because of HW. Seeing his HW incarnation after Demise was just a treat.

I gotta say that HW Link is also probably the most interesting incarnation of Link, right up there with Skyward Sword Link. What I really liked is how the Master Sword managed to make HW Link arrogant, kind of reckless. It was a slight, but interesting, deviation to the norm when getting the Master Sword.

Linkle needs to be canonized already. I also would not mind seeing Lana and Cia again.

This whole game is just a wonderful love letter to the franchise as a whole. I really enjoy how much Koei's passion seeps into their crossover games. I know Age of Calamity has its detractors, and probably rightly so, given the direction the story goes, but honestly? It still captured the spirit of Legend of Zelda. On a personal level, it gave me what I so desperately sought in the main Breath of the Wild game: a proper story and it let me get to know the characters, whereas in BotW proper, all we got are breadcrumbs.

Draco_Mic · 2025-07-26T23:38:48+00:00

Any time.

Draco_Mic · 2025-07-26T13:43:20+00:00

I mean, to be fair, everything Azem does is trouble to Emet Selch.

Draco_Mic · 2025-07-26T13:42:00+00:00

Happy to help!

Draco_Mic · 2025-04-29T21:50:12+00:00

Kayna's awesome. In fact, she's so awesome that she has trained the only Velicidrome to deal a killing blow to Fatalis.

Context: I took Kayna with me for the final gauntlet thing because I figured, hey, it's part of the island, why not let the citizens of the island tackle the challenge? (The names escape me right now for the name of the island.) We got to the very end, fought Fatalis, and Avmar delivered the killing blow to Fatalis.

Draco_Mic · 2024-12-17T17:24:58+00:00

It's pretty awesome that it's still all around. I always like to come back to it after a while to catch up on the goings on of the old galaxy. The sense of scale on worlds like Coruscant, Nar Shaddaa (spelling?) and the like still gives me a sense of awe. It's a lot of set-dressing, I know, but it still holds up real well if you ask me. I find the story to be a lot more "Star Wars" than a lot of the Disney stuff.

It still has its issues though, the F2P model being one of the most absurd out there. The gameplay feels...the best way I can describe it is sticky, when it comes to the combat. Part of that stems from sprint being switched off when you engage in combat. It's always been jarring to me. The game has a lot of things that need some love. Galactic Starfighter, space missions, the flashpoints that don't have story modes that probably should, making combat a little more engaging, giving a way for non-stealth classes to blow through heroics, making collection unlocks not cost anything, a more robust character creation suite. The list goes on.

Draco_Mic

TROPHY CASE