[TIPS]: Shadowrun Returns: The Redmond Barrens

• You get the same amount of karma whether you kill the Ork Halloweener leader or not.  I suggest letting him go since it reduces the risk of you taking further damage.
• Having Etiquette (Security) will help you avoid either a $100 bribe or doing a bit of running around when you talk to the cop at the crime scene.
• Make sure to complete the "protect the market" secondary objective BEFORE you investigate the crime scene, or you'll end up having to do it alone vs. with Jake.

[TIPS] Shadowrun Returns: Down And Out

• Your character will always have a pistol in this scene, no matter what your character creation options.
• Your character also starts with
• Doc Wagon Basic Trauma Kit
• Basic Medkit
• (2) Fichetti Concussion Grenades
• (2) Fichetti Frag Grenades
• The grenades in particular will be useful if your character is bad at ranged combat.
• Sam Watts also has two Frag Grenades in his inventory.  His Strength isn't bad so he can chuck it a good distance.
• You will not have any spells, but you will have totem abilities (assuming you have a totem).
• The oil puddle directly south of your start can summon a friendly water spirit.
• The boxes north/northwest of your start contain a Basic Medkit.

[TIPS] Shadowrun Returns: Character Creation and General Tips

All of these tips apply to the campaign that ships with the game, "Dead Man's Switch".  To see my review for the game, click here.

Character Creation

• Your character will be going through a lot of combat scenes early on.  It'll make your life easier if you have good combat skills early.  You'll be running into a lot of Karma very quickly, so you can always go your specified route later if it's not combat focused.  For example, if you're planning on being a decker with some rifle proficiency, upgrade your rifle/ranged combat/body stats before you start the game, then level your decking skill later.
• It's at least a few hours until you do any decking, and even then the first time you use it it's nearly impossible to fail even with poor statistics.  Later on good decking can pay off, but you'll often have a competent decker available to you anyway.  In general, I'd advise against making decking a priority for your main character.
• Focus on combat and dialogue upgrades on character creation.
• Specialize in one or two weapons.  Since you can only carry at most three with the right upgrades, you really don't need to  be good at more than two.
• Your very first mission will be using a pistol no matter what and you won't have access to any spells, so it might not be a bad idea to be at least somewhat competent at ranged combat.

General Tips

• Get Charisma 4 as soon as possible.  It unlocks many dialogue options through the game.  A score of more than 4 isn't necessary for the purposes of dialog. 
• For Etiquette, Street and Security are most useful at the beginning of the game.  After that, Shadowrunner and Corporate can net you some more cash in the mid game.  Academia and Gang are basically worthless.
• Better cyberdecks make a big difference.
• Pretty much all weapons are viable at all ranges.  It's very rare that combat takes place at the super long ranges where weapons like the shotgun would be handicapped.
• Speaking of which, shotguns feel like the best weapons in the game.  The only weapons that beat out their damage output are rifles on full auto, which is very inaccurate.
• Shaman spirits can make combats a lot easier for you, but certainly are not required to do well.
• Overwatch is done with the ability you currently have selected when you activate Overwatch.  Thus, activate Overwatch with your best ability (e.g. burst fire over single shot) available.
• No matter what your build, you will likely want to get a Body score of at least 6.  Your main character is the only one who cannot be revived by teammates if they get downed (it's an instant mission failure if you are knocked out) and you don't want a lucky 2% long-range shotgun burst fire taking you out and forcing you to restart.
• If you end a combat and the scene isn't immediately about to end, heal up!  You can use health even when not in combat by going to your inventory, selecting the medkit and selecting the person to heal.
• Don't be afraid to use the consumables on the shadowrunners that you hire.  The next mission they will have all new gear anyway.
• Look at your potential runners' gear carefully.  It changes mission to mission.  The street samurai who was packing a shotgun and an AK last mission might have a pistol and an SMG this one.
• Don't underestimate the buffs, especially Haste and Aim.  Aim is especially good when combined with a high damage, low accuracy ability like the rifle's "Full Auto".
• Magical accuracy is often different than hitting with a gun.  A troll hiding behind cover might be a 50% hit with a pistol but a 95% hit with a willpower spell like Mana Bolt.
• You CANNOT heal "Drain" damage from casting a spell before the cooldown is complete.

[REVIEW] Shadowrun Returns: Review

Shadowrun Returns released yesterday after over a year in development.  The Kickstarter launched on April 4, 2012 and ended up receiving over $1.8 million.

Background

The world of Shadowrun is actually based on a role-playing game that's been around 1989.  Set in a dystopian cyber-punk future mixed with Tolkien races and magic, it's one of my favorite settings.

There have been three previous game releases:

• Shadowrun, released on the SNES in 1993 that was a mixture of action and role-playing, with a stronger emphasis on role-playing
• Shadowrun, released on the Sega Genesis in 1994 that was also an action/RP mix but with more of an emphasis on action.  My personal favorite and it also has fantastic music
• Shadowrun, released on the PC/Xbox in 2007 and was very loosely based on the RPG universe

Let's talk about the game

The new game, Shadowrun Returns, is a top-down, isometric, turn-based RPG/action game.  It plays and feels very similarly to Fallout 1 and 2, or for a more modern example, XCOM.

You spend your time in the game transitioning between "role-playing" and "action" segments.  In the RP mode, you wander already, talking to people, collecting clues, purchasing equipment, etc.  In the action segments you face off against street punks, corporate security, and even hostile life forms from another dimension (no spoilers here!).

Everything is done on the top-down/isometric map, so there's no cutscenes or anything else that will take you away from your characters.  Conversations are done through dialog trees.

The action is definitely worth nothing.  Every character has a certain number of "action points".  AP can be used to move or use abilities.  Certain powerful abilities (firing a gun on full auto, casting a massive fireball, etc.) require more than one action point.  Everyone on one side goes before the other.  Who goes first is mostly

You start the game off receiving a call about an old runner friend who's been murdered.  He's recorded a video to be played on his death, asking you to find out who killed him and avenge him in exchange for a cash payout.  You head to Seattle and begin your investigation, which takes you from the slums of Redmond to high-security corporate facilities and everything in between.  Along the way, you make some friends, help some people in need, and occasionally have to make morally ambiguous decisions.

The skill system in the game is very important to explain.  There are no "classes" in the game- you can choose to be a mage, shaman, adept, decker, whatever you'd like.  It just takes points invested in the appropriate skill (e.g. summoning, decking, shotguns).  Of course, being a jack-of-all-trades makes you weaker in any single category.  You gain skill points (called Karma in the Shadowrun universe) through the completion of objectives, like helping a stranger out, finding a critical clue or completing a mission.

Before you embark on a "Shadowrun" (a mission) you can recruit up to three other runners.  Some will work with you for free for plot reasons, but most expect cash.  In combat, you control all four members of your team, and have to learn how to put their strengths together into an effective team.

Overall:
7.5/10 with just the main campaign
8.5/10 with additional content (assuming fans put out more campaigns)

Summary

Pros

• Extremely flexible skill system- build any character that you want
• Strong writing and dialogue
• Interesting combat options and abilities
• Gritty, engrossing universe
• Fleshed out content- even the side missions feel very complete and are not just tacked for filler

Cons

• The campaign that ships with the game, "Dead Man's Switch", is short.  I completed it in 11 hours.
• Ultimately, both combat and RP scenes are very linear.  There's always just one possible ending, and your decisions often feel like they don't matter all that much
• Unlocking new dialogue options through having the appropriate skill or attribute level often has minimal effect
• Inability to save during a scene can make bad luck with the dice frustrating, or if you run into a bug and are forced to restart
• Minimal explanation of core game mechanics (cover, karma costs, critical chance)
• Weapons feel incompletely balanced
• Moving around between fights in a scene can be tedious since you're stuck in turn-based mode

[TIPS] Skyrim: Volskygge animal puzzle

At a certain point you can't pass a gate without triggering four animal totems in order using levers.

The order is:
Snake
Bear
Fox
Wolf

[TIPS] Skyrim: Dwarven vs. Orcish armors and weapons

Dwarven weapons are better than Orcish weapons.
Orcish armor is better than Dwarvish armor.

Why this is the case I have no idea- in most fiction, it would be reversed (Orcs being more focused on attack than defense).

[TIPS] Skyrim: Getting past the final door/gate in Serpent's Bluff Redoubt

The last door in the Redoubt (where you kill the Hargraven) is only opened by a pressure plate.

The plate is in the same room, on the table below the gate.  Grab an object (hold the "search" button, which is the E key on the PC) and drag it onto the plate.  A corpse will do nicely.  That will hold the door open.

[TIPS] Shadowrun Returns: Overwatch

Overwatch allows your characters to monitor a certain area.  If an enemy walks into or performs an action in that space, you will automatically fire.  It's useful for holding a doorway and getting a vicious first strike on your enemies.

You can activate overwatch by pushing the butto to the right of your "action selector".  It looks like a ball with a semi-circle above it.  Make sure to set your facing correctly!

Note that overwatch is activated with your currently selected ability.  This means you should generally overwatch with your strongest remaining ability (e.g. burst fire, aimed short).

You can also overwatch with melee weapons.


For character creation and general tips for Shadowrun, click here.

[TIPS] Shadowrun Returns: The Hunt Begins

There appears to be a quasi-quest bug in this mission.  When you reach the room with the red stuff over the walls on the north side of the room, there are two soldiers in there.  As you kill them, a bug breaks through on the west and east sides of the room.  Then, after you kill them, sometimes nothing happens. No matter how many turns you wait, you can't find a way out of the room.

To solve this:  Have all your party members leave the room.  A bug will break out of the wall to the east as you leave the room.  Kill it, then go through the tunnel that it came from.


For character creation and general tips for Shadowrun, click here.

[TIPS] Shadowrun Returns: Preparing for the final assault on the Universal Brotherhood

While you are in the Telestrian manor, you can speak to Quoth for weapons, armor and cyberware and Algernon for magical supplies.

Note that when you talk to Harlequin and say "I'm ready", it will immediately send you into the mission without the chance to turn back.

You will need at most 6,000 nuyen to hire the last two runners  (it will be you, Harlequin and two of your choice) so feel free to use all of your extra cash above that.


For character creation and general tips for Shadowrun, click here.

[TIPS]Shadowrun Returns: Collecting the Sample

There is a little bit of a picture puzzle going on in the VP's room after he leaves.  There are five paintings and you need to open three of them to get the secret door open.

The paintings are:
Duty
Efficiency
Vigilance


For character creation and general tips for Shadowrun, click here.

[TIPS] Shadowrun Returns: Telestrian Industries

To unlock the elevator, you need to deck into the computer console in the room to the east of it.  You must battle through several rooms to finally reach the "elevator" control node.



For character creation and general tips for Shadowrun, click here.

[TIPS] Shadowrun Returns: "Wounded" status effect

One of the more confusing aspects of the Shadowrun mechanics is the "Wounded" status effect.  Whenever a character is injured, you can see "Wounded: #" as one of their status effects if you hover over them.  The number is the amount of damage they took from the LAST effect.

This is important, because healing only cures the last amount of damage.  So if you took a 20 damage shotgun blast but then a two damage weak pistol hit, it would show as "Wounded: 2" and healing would only heal two HP.

You cannot heal someone who has not been injured since their last healing (e.g. you could not heal the above character again for 20 HP).


For character creation and general tips for Shadowrun, click here.

[TIPS] Shadowrun Returns: The Universal Brotherhood

You need to damage your ID card before getting access to the offices.  Convince the receptionist to leave by telling her about Maria Mercurial signing autographs.  Get the keycard from the front desk, go to the cafeteria to the west and melt the card at the stove.  Then go to the man in the northeast room and hand him the keycard.  If you go to him before you melt it, he'll confiscate the keycard, but you can grab another from the desk again.


For character creation and general tips for Shadowrun, click here.

[TIPS] Shadowrun Returns: Family Debts

After you complete the battle, make sure to head to the north to pick up a Cavalier Frag grenade in a few pots, and a Force 4 Abomination Elemental Fetish in a grave to the east.

Note that you don't need to go immediately to the UB from the cemetery by talking to Jake.  You can head back to the Union first through the north gate.


For character creation and general tips for Shadowrun, click here.

[TIPS] Shadowrun Returns: The South Seattle Docks

Stuck at the docks?

First, try to get by the guard using some form of dialogue options (Etiquette: Security will work here).

Didn't work?  Try this:

1. East of the gate is a homeless man with a ladder next to him.  Take the ladder.
2. Talk to the streetwalker on the street corner south of the gate.  Get her to distract the guard.
3. After she approaches the guard, slightly to the east of him you will be able to use the ladder to cross the fence.

For character creation and general tips for Shadowrun, click here.

[TIPS] Shadowrun Returns: The Penthouse Suite

A couple things to note here:

• The room with the hellhounds can't be opened until after you get the passcodes off of Stevie J's body.  After you kill the hellhounds, there's still one more enemy in the final room, so make sure you have health or kill the last guy instantly.
• The gems that you can optionally find are in the southeast room (by the elevator) which becomes unlocked after you rescue Coyote.  There's a hellhound in there that will get to attack first no matter what.  However, you are healed after you find Coyote, so it shouldn't be a problem.  The gems are on the east side of the room, next to the washer/dryer.

For character creation and general tips for Shadowrun, click here.

[TIPS] Kvenel the Tongue combat suggestions

Kvenel the Tongue in the Volunruud dungeon is one of the hardest encounters in the game.  He dual-wields two frost damage weapons and is joined by a Draugr Scourge who summons a very powerful Frost Atronach.

Kvenel will pound on you with his standing dual-wield combo attack as well as a short-range dash attack.  All of his hits cause frost damage and slowing, making kiting difficult.

The Scourge, while dealing low damage on his own, controls the Frost Atronach which has an aura damage/slow effect as well as a very strong ice breath attack.

Tips:

• Kill the Scourge first.  It has relatively low health being a caster-type class (less than 1/4 of Kvenel's) and will also dispel the Frost Atronach.
• Bring Frost Resistance into this fight, for sure.
• Kvenel's melee attacks are very strong.  You can use a sword and shield to mitigate a lot of the damage, or just stay out of range.
• Remember that Kvenel slows on hit.
• Kvenel has a preference for staying in his cavern.  You can get him to retreat back in if you have a downed follower in the chamber, then shoot him with arrows or spells and leave the chamber.  Repeating this a lot can result in victory.  Note that if he is very close to you when you leave the chamber he WILL follow you.

[TIPS] Skyrim: Fort Neugrad Treasure Map

The map is not North/South, but in fact East/West.  The "top" part of the maps is actually to the east.

Put more simply- to reach the treasure chest, walk east of the fort until you hit the cliffs, and the chest will be at the base of the cliff.

[TIPS] Skyrim: Saadia won't follow you outside of the castle (Whiterun) walls

Just wait by the gate.  You don't need to talk to her, she'll pause for a few seconds before finally leaving Whiterun.  Then you can go out after she does.

[TIPS] Skyrim: Bleak Falls Sanctum door combination/code

From top to bottom:
Bear
Dragonfly
Owl

You can look at the Golden Claw in your inventory and you'll notice that it has the combination on it.

[GUIDE] COH2: List of infantry weapons by damage per second (DPS)

List of infantry weapons (excluding anti-tank) and their damage per second.

Calculated from ace4sure's formula here.

Stats pulled from here on 7/1/2013.

Notes:

• Some mechanic/stats are not included (e.g. accuracy increment, moving burst)
• Aim time is not included at all.

You may also be interested in Which infantry is the toughest (armor chart)?.