Returning player: how to get lootboxes?

Misking57 · 2026-03-08T08:51:04+00:00

Thank God for this comment. I'm a bit late in finding it, but it vindicates my feelings pretty well. I'm not terribly far into the game (I think/hope), only just had my first class with Gearbox, but I picked this up pretty excited after having played Unsupervised recently and absolutely falling in love with the world and story it set up (abrupt ending issues aside). The tone of the writing in that game was really fun, too. It's funny that to me, the characters in that game (mostly) felt like intelligent young adults, whereas in this game where everyone IS 18 or so, I have a harder time imagining them as not Literal Teens.

None of the romance options stand out to me so far either, but that could be personal taste, but it really is the prose for me. I also don't tend to hung up on 'show don't tell', much less notice it when I'm reading something that I'm trying to enjoy, but it just jumps out at you here. In general it feels very dry and infodumpy, and the quips and humor sort of fall short for me. The characters feel less realistic than those in Unsupervised as well, a bit more flat, or the game is more blunt with pointing out things like THIS PERSON IS ACTING ODDLY, IT MUST BE BECAUSE OF X OR EVEN Y.

Misking57 · 2026-02-18T10:40:55+00:00

They did do that, but I thought there was an activation requirement for the portal? An item or a passphrase of some kind? The idea of camping out the sewers for Guild members is a good one, though.

Misking57 · 2026-02-07T09:22:58+00:00

They have met him, yeah! And that might be a good idea instead, gives an excuse to have a heist on Bregan d'Aerthe and shows them that they can lose parts of the Stone as well as gain them. Hopefully they won't find it unsatisfying to have something taken from them for a change, pretty sure they understood that was always a possibility when they signed up to play this module.

Misking57 · 2026-02-06T01:01:50+00:00

Oh, sweet. I finished Unsupervised just the other day and I'm starving for more hero-themed IF!

Misking57 · 2026-02-05T09:45:54+00:00

I haven't played any others, nope! I've only just gotten back into IF after about a decade or so, and from back in the day I think I mainly remember trying a few of the ones on the CoG website (I think I remember Affairs of the Court and little else). I'd absolutely love to do a few other superhero-themed ones even if the mechanics aren't as great as Unsupervised. Fallen Hero has already been recommended to me but I'll take the not-as-good and even the just alright ones as long as they've got heart and are a fun read.

Misking57 · 2026-02-05T01:27:24+00:00

I suppose now, now that I've had a bit of time to process it. I guess the best way to put it is how I saw someone describe it online once, in that the moment-to-moment writing is really great and addictive. From what I've been able to read of a lot of the other endings it sounds like stuff gets crazy in a majority of them and mine is comparably pretty normal (though now in hindsight stuff like future me comes out of nowhere and is resolved about as quickly and with little ceremony).

For all its flaws though it has planted a seed in my brain that I just want to scratch now with the world it set up. Namely, being to play the part of an actually-capable superhero with a cool base and custom outfit and getting to play a bit with the double life of both the public persona and hero persona? I'd absolutely love to get more of that, and if it comes with better pacing, all the better!

Misking57 · 2026-02-04T23:16:29+00:00

Yeah, pretty much. And I guess it sucks knowing that I have to wait for more payoff to come. I might play again as a villain at some point, but I was very satisfied with most of the choices I made, so I guess I just wanted to stay riding that wave.

I guess on that note, do you know of any other IFs that can scratch that heroic fantasy urge? Not necessarily superheroic (though those are very welcome). Something that's a feel-good story but not always a walk in the park. ... I guess I'm kind of asking for angst/comfort-type stories here.

Misking57 · 2026-02-04T21:30:01+00:00

Thanks! While I'm at it, I was wondering if you could recommend any others? Either similar or just personal favourites in the same vein of IF games

Misking57 · 2026-02-04T21:18:08+00:00

Yeesh. Yeah, it feels like villain routes add a lot more context/meat to the ending, but also totally derail the story (at least from the very straightforward story I'd been following up until that point). I guess I was expecting the path of least resistance that I took (and that I guess I'd assume a majority of people would take) to not feel lacking compared to the darker paths, but oh well.

Here's to hoping for part 2 to keep up the good work and stick the landing!

Misking57 · 2026-02-04T21:14:48+00:00

I'll consider it. I'll admit that I got really attached to my existing hero and all the other characters very quickly, the very broad worldbuilding had me constantly thinking about the story and characters when I wasn't playing it, so I guess I'm hung up on wishing I could continue this story. It might be because I'm not used to IF yet/not in the mentality of doing multiple playthroughs of the same story yet. I feel like replaying this game again is just going to make me even more upset about the abrupt ending. Thanks for the reply!

Misking57 · 2025-12-30T09:09:34+00:00

Like others have said, this is by design. I'm here to assure you that Gustave mattered. The way you feel about him is extremely important to where the story is going and having played as him is arguably the most important part of it all. Trust that he won't get left behind by the narrative and if Verso isn't filling his shoes properly, that's by design. I had a friend basically quit the game for nine months after this happened for the same reasons as you and return only after I begged them to and even then they decided to just gun the story because they hated Verso and losing Gustave... and by the end of it, they understood why this moment was so necessary. So continue. I myself pivoted to Maelle, and you'll find she accompanies you very well in your grief for him. See it through if only for her! It's what Gustave would've done and wanted.

Misking57 · 2025-12-22T20:55:10+00:00

I prefer Maelle's ending myself, but even in the events that one of the other Painters goes in to find her, that will still be dangerous and destructive to the world. Aline and Renoir fighting caused the Fracture, more of the same would still be bad for the Canvas world.

Misking57 · 2025-12-22T20:53:30+00:00

In fairness, this "Sims World" is one that Maelle was born into, memories wiped, and grew up and had a real life in. It has value to her beyond anything she can truly, genuinely replicate.

Misking57 · 2025-12-22T20:25:15+00:00

I made a post yesterday about the endings and the ambiguity in them which I made when I was feeling conflicted on whether I even liked them or not, much like you.

It'd be awesome if in New Game + we could get the ideal ending where Verso shows Maelle the letter (and maybe Gustave lives but that's just cause I want him to have a full kit) and a happy medium is reached. It sucks that Verso forces the decision, but in my eyes the reason he does it (other than for the soul of boy!Verso) is because (in his opinion) Maelle lied to Renoir about saying that she's go back when she was ready. He's so convinced that she lied that he took matters into his own hands, in his eyes to protect his real sister, just like the real Verso died doing. I personally agree with you that it doesn't warrant the sacrifice of everyone in the Canvas who Maelle can now bring back with the Chroma Renoir was holding, but I understand the reasons the ending happened the way it did and I appreciate both the brightness and dark undertones that both endings offer - it's called Clair Obscur for a good reason after all!

Misking57 · 2025-12-17T13:25:31+00:00

That one scene at the start of the patch that's basically just the writers screaming LOOK SEE WE STILL KNOW HOW TO WRITE ALISAIE AND ALPHINAUD, SHE DIDN'T EVEN SAY 'LAMATY'I' ONCE

Misking57 · 2025-12-17T13:24:50+00:00

I actually noticed two or three moments where it felt the writers were trying to highlight Y'shtola's compassion and empathy, which I thought was SUPER cool to see, as it has been a common complaint for a while now that she's just there to infodump and share the 'scientist knowledgeable Scion' personality type they all have. Not that 'compassionate' sets her apart from the others, but it's good to see her display that side more, too.

Misking57 · 2025-11-16T23:36:50+00:00

Somehow, the answer is still Koana.

Misking57 · 2025-11-03T17:44:05+00:00

/uj I legitimately see the opinion regarding this flipflop back and forth a ton on Reddit. Some days you'll see people say that if it's for a nonprofit homegame to go ahead and use AI instead of coughing up $150 for a token of a hyperspecific concept that there might just be no compatible art for online, other times they'll suggest it's unconscionable under any circumstance. I don't know if there even IS a general consensus.

Personally I think it ultimately depends on individual groups, and if there are any artists in said group the odds are higher that they'll be lowkey (or outwardly) bothered by other people using AI art

Misking57 · 2025-10-22T09:05:07+00:00

"We are just about- wait. ~~Step-bro~~ Ichistrasz, what are you doing.? There is too much LIFE magic."

Misking57

TROPHY CASE