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teezzy

formerly 'deftones r cool'
Apr 19, 2019
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Speaking of square grids, a coworker of mine recently confessed her love of some PS1 RPG called Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure. I'd never even heard about it before. Love the sprite work though. Anyone familiar?


 

Durante

I <3 Pixels
Oct 21, 2018
3,835
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Interesting poll, I like that it now allows you to choose more than one option :p

There are so many square grid games that I'm happy with everything that's different, either hex grid or free movement. The latter can sometimes be a bit fiddly, but on the other hand it also feels really rewarding when you get just the right position for some maneuver.

Talking about free positioning, unlike the vast majority of N1 games, Phantom Brave uses it.
 

Taborcarn

Battle Santa
Feb 28, 2019
453
1,144
93
42
I got my first piece of unique magic armor in Pathfinder Kingmaker (meaning besides a standard +1) and it's quite something:



Of course it came right after I spent nearly all my gold on a +1 set of full plate for my tank, but I'll take the upgrade. The cleric can use the hand-me-down. And I just found it in some random drawer while surveying my newly-established town, not even in a dungeon.
 
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Arulan

Arulan

Lizardman
Dec 7, 2018
538
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I've been playing Trails in the Sky recently. With a few exceptions, I haven't kept up with JRPGs of the past decade or so. I've heard a lot of praise for this series, and so far it hasn't disappointed. I'm only in Chapter One though.



The highlight is without a doubt the world-building, specifically the NPCs and their dialogue. Throughout the course of a day, as you're advancing the story, the rest of the world keeps up. There may be new NPCs that have arrived. They will have changed location based on what is going on in their lives, and most importantly, their (new) dialogue reflects it. Essentially, the NPCs have their own personal stories going on independently of you.



The attention to detail of these world states comes into play in another remarkable way -- foreshadowing. Any major event or problem can often be seen in its early stages. If you're paying attention, you can actually see how a set of events develops into the climax that creates a quest. And sometimes it's hindsight that gives meaning to things you didn't give a second thought to.



The combat isn't noteworthy, though I find manipulating the turn-order an interesting part of it. It has positioning, but it's not meaningful. The music is very good. There is a good mix of inspiration from various genres. A lot of the characters are very easy to like. Estelle seems like a great protagonist.

Suffice it to say I'm really enjoying it.
 
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Dec 5, 2018
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Got a bit further on Baldur's Gate. Finished chapter 2 and then I realized I could still do the side quests from previous chapters so I've been doing that and exploring areas I had previously rushed through.
 
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Durante

I <3 Pixels
Oct 21, 2018
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Estelle seems like a great protagonist.
Estelle is the best JRPG protagonist, ever IMHO. I like Trails of Cold Steel well enough, but Rean is a significant downgrade compared to her.

Anyway, great to see you are enjoying it. The Trails in the Sky series is great, my only problems with it are the somewhat obscure easily missable sidequests.
 

Knurek

OG old coot
Oct 16, 2018
2,437
5,998
113
Arulan Please, please, please use the Voice Acting patch - it ads so much to the game (every story cutscene is fully voiced).
I was contemplating a replay just to experience the game this way, unfortunately it doesn't seem to handle hibernation all that well (CTDs the second you wake the system up), and as such it's not feasible to play the game on GPD Win. :(
 
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Routa

Non-Stop MMO Searcher
Dec 22, 2018
861
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Stgyian is launching September 26th for $30.

Cthulhu will rise from beyond the veil on September 26!

We salute you, Cult Brethren who impatiently wait for our eternal doom!

A date is set finally set for your visit of the town of Arkham. Mark September 26 in your calendars and start preparing your mind for the horrors lurking in the shadows. Please be warned that once Stygian wraps its tentacles around you, there is no going back...

Check out a trailer put together to celebrate that we finally know the day when the eternal doom arrives:


We also set a price that your visit will cost - $29.99 USD (24.99 EUR) and of course your soul (if you still have one).

Lasty we will be at Gamescom this year showing the game to both press and public. If you are attending, don't be a stranger and let's talk eternal abyss.
 
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Arulan

Arulan

Lizardman
Dec 7, 2018
538
1,877
93


The Dragon and Princess




----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arulan Please, please, please use the Voice Acting patch - it ads so much to the game (every story cutscene is fully voiced).
I was contemplating a replay just to experience the game this way, unfortunately it doesn't seem to handle hibernation all that well (CTDs the second you wake the system up), and as such it's not feasible to play the game on GPD Win. :(
I watched a few YouTube videos of the Japanese voices, and I'm not sure how I feel about them. I actually had to stop myself and question whether any of the scenes had voice acting because thinking back I could hear/imagine their voices. The battle shouts may have influenced that though.
 
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Kvik

Crossbell City Councillor
Dec 6, 2018
4,149
10,267
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Downunder.
Arulan Please, please, please use the Voice Acting patch - it ads so much to the game (every story cutscene is fully voiced).
I was contemplating a replay just to experience the game this way, unfortunately it doesn't seem to handle hibernation all that well (CTDs the second you wake the system up), and as such it's not feasible to play the game on GPD Win. :(
I watched a few YouTube videos of the Japanese voices, and I'm not sure how I feel about them. I actually had to stop myself and question whether any of the scenes had voice acting because thinking back I could hear/imagine their voices. The battle shouts may have influenced that though.
To add towards Knurek's sentiment, playing the Sora Trilogy with the Evo voice patch will make you aware of how much effort XSEED went in localising the Trails series. The discrepancy between the localised text, and the spoken Japanese will give a certain nuance to how its meaning is ultimately conveyed in English. Even the most mundane conversation seems to have some character added to it. Think how excellent the relocalisation of Final Fantasy Tictacs for the PSP went, for example. This experience is a part of what makes Sora Trilogy is such a great series, even without voice patch. Only time will tell if this experience can be replicated by NISA for their Sen III localisation. Personally, I have a vote of no confidence.
 
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Arulan

Arulan

Lizardman
Dec 7, 2018
538
1,877
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I think I expected Hex Grid to be a little higher. The increase to adjacent sides has some nice advantages, such as avoiding the awkwardness of diagonal (range) on a Square Grid.

No Grid is well-suited to games with a lot of physics and environment objects, which is probably the reason for it in Divinity: Original Sin.
 

Ex-User (119)

Junior Member
Oct 19, 2018
1,100
7,597
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heres a few rpg's coming in the next few months that im highly interested in

Remnant

GreedFall

Everreach

Swordbreaker

Decay of logos

Eternal Radiance

also the devs recently announced at an event they will be releasing english translation for this in the coming months
 

Milena

Lost in VR
Jan 4, 2019
532
1,628
93
Everreach looks interesting and why did Steam never mentioned this to me?! A sci-fi RPG with fast paced action combat, story driven and with a female protagonist?! My weaknesses :face-screaming-in-fear:

Decay of Logos is also new to me, wishlisted for now, will see how it turns out.

Swordbreaker was already in my wishlist, not sure if I'll get it soon, though.

Remnant from the Ashes is an almost certain buy, pending good reviews.

And Greedfall is already bought, because I'm weak and 2game was giving a 20% discount on top of their normal one :lampblob:

Thanks a lot for the suggestions, The Queen!
 
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Gevin

Watch Madoka
Nov 16, 2018
1,046
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I started FF13-2 yesterday and the first few hours have been quite fun. Since I wasn't a big fan of Lightning in the first game I'm not missing her that much and the story seems intriguing (time travel is my weakness). The battle system is still good and capturing monsters is actually great.

Had a few issues with constant crashes but they seem to be fixed after disabling Steam cloud saves.
 

Routa

Non-Stop MMO Searcher
Dec 22, 2018
861
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I started FF13-2 yesterday and the first few hours have been quite fun. Since I wasn't a big fan of Lightning in the first game I'm not missing her that much and the story seems intriguing (time travel is my weakness). The battle system is still good and capturing monsters is actually great.

Had a few issues with constant crashes but they seem to be fixed after disabling Steam cloud saves.
Poor baby Lightning :blobclosecry:
 
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Arulan

Arulan

Lizardman
Dec 7, 2018
538
1,877
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In 2014 the community of RPG Codex created a Top 50 CRPG list. Not only is it a good reference for checking out CRPGs to play, but it directly led to the creation of The CRPG Book. They've recently updated and expanded it for 2019.

The RPG Codex's Top 101 PC RPGs





I think it's interesting to see where a lot of the CRPGs of the recent renaissance stack up, as far as their community's thoughts anyway. I certainly don't agree with all the rankings here, but it's a very solid list of (PC) RPGs if you're looking for new titles to play.

The Age of Decadence is the standout newcomer, with Pathfinder: Kingmaker close behind. There is no consensus of which Pillars of Eternity nor Divinity: Original Sin entry is the better of their respective series. There are a few standout Japanese RPGs present, namely The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, NieR: Automata, and Elminage: Gothic. Shadowrun: Dragonfall is clearly the favorite of the three recent Shadowrun RPGs. It's good to see Kenshi, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and Battle Brothers on there too.
 

QFNS

Plays too many card games
Nov 18, 2018
1,172
2,838
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The Age of Decadence is the standout newcomer, with Pathfinder: Kingmaker close behind. There is no consensus of which Pillars of Eternity nor Divinity: Original Sin entry is the better of their respective series. There are a few standout Japanese RPGs present, namely The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, NieR: Automata, and Elminage: Gothic. Shadowrun: Dragonfall is clearly the favorite of the three recent Shadowrun RPGs. It's good to see Kenshi, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and Battle Brothers on there too.
Fun list even though I vehemently disagree with several of their rankings. There is a lot of great games on that list.
Trails in the Sky FC made the list (#74), even if SC or 3rd are both better it's still good to see Trails on the list.
I would say that Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Pillars 2 are in particular being shafted by being tied to their good but not as good 1st parts.
And HELL YES. Shadowrun: Dragonfall is a goddamn great game that is sadly not nearly as widely known and respected as it should be. That game goes some places and is probably the best of the HBS Shadowrun games (Hong Kong is good also, but Returns is not great).

Still though if people are looking for RPGs to play, this list is a fun set with lots of older games represented.
 
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derFeef

Cthulhu dreams.
Apr 17, 2019
380
675
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I have not got into a good RPG for a long time.
I tried the Pillars, Divinity and their fellow similar games. They never stick with me for some weird reason.
I think most of it has to with time commitment and (what I think) not fun combat systems and not enough exploration?
Witcher 3 I did not like at all despite WItcher 1 being one of my favourite games. My enjoyment with the series declined heavily over time. W2 was okay but could not finish it and W3 I stopped playing after like 7 hours.

I like Outward well enough but I feel like I need a coop partner to fully enjoy it - and that I do not have.
Maybe I should go back to Shadowrun as suggested above. I liked my time with them.
 
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Alexandros

Every game should be turn based
Nov 4, 2018
2,669
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I have not got into a good RPG for a long time.
I tried the Pillars, Divinity and their fellow similar games. They never stick with me for some weird reason.
I think most of it has to with time commitment and (what I think) not fun combat systems and not enough exploration?
Witcher 3 I did not like at all despite WItcher 1 being one of my favourite games. My enjoyment with the series declined heavily over time. W2 was okay but could not finish it and W3 I stopped playing after like 7 hours.

I like Outward well enough but I feel like I need a coop partner to fully enjoy it - and that I do not have.
Maybe I should go back to Shadowrun as suggested above. I liked my time with them.
There was something special about Witcher 1, wasn't there? I haven't played W3 yet but I will admit that I prefer the first Witcher over the sequel.
 
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Milena

Lost in VR
Jan 4, 2019
532
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I feel that being invested with the characters from the books helped immensely with appreciating both The Witcher 2 and The Witcher 3.
Especially The Witcher 3 of course.

Anyway, I loved all three games, but The Witcher 3 takes the cake for me solely because of the personal emotional investment I had in the characters from the books.
 

EdwardTivrusky

Good Morning, Weather Hackers!
Dec 8, 2018
7,276
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derFeef Good call, post Outward in the Co-op thread! I don't think it's listed and there's a couple of people who have it here and may be up for some Co-Op!
 
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Routa

Non-Stop MMO Searcher
Dec 22, 2018
861
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In 2014 the community of RPG Codex created a Top 50 CRPG list. Not only is it a good reference for checking out CRPGs to play, but it directly led to the creation of The CRPG Book. They've recently updated and expanded it for 2019.

The RPG Codex's Top 101 PC RPGs





I think it's interesting to see where a lot of the CRPGs of the recent renaissance stack up, as far as their community's thoughts anyway. I certainly don't agree with all the rankings here, but it's a very solid list of (PC) RPGs if you're looking for new titles to play.

The Age of Decadence is the standout newcomer, with Pathfinder: Kingmaker close behind. There is no consensus of which Pillars of Eternity nor Divinity: Original Sin entry is the better of their respective series. There are a few standout Japanese RPGs present, namely The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, NieR: Automata, and Elminage: Gothic. Shadowrun: Dragonfall is clearly the favorite of the three recent Shadowrun RPGs. It's good to see Kenshi, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and Battle Brothers on there too.
I've been trying to play through all these titles, though very slowly.

Edit: Oh, didn't even realize this was an updated list.
 
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xinek

日本語が苦手
Apr 17, 2019
738
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I have not got into a good RPG for a long time.
I tried the Pillars, Divinity and their fellow similar games. They never stick with me for some weird reason.
I think most of it has to with time commitment and (what I think) not fun combat systems and not enough exploration?
Witcher 3 I did not like at all despite WItcher 1 being one of my favourite games. My enjoyment with the series declined heavily over time. W2 was okay but could not finish it and W3 I stopped playing after like 7 hours.

I like Outward well enough but I feel like I need a coop partner to fully enjoy it - and that I do not have.
Maybe I should go back to Shadowrun as suggested above. I liked my time with them.
This sounds exactly like me. I played Witcher 3 and Divinity 2, and I thought they were fantastic. Everything was there -- great visuals, story, characters, etc. But I didn't have this compulsion to keep going back and playing. Dark Souls, New Vegas, and Skyrim were games that I thought about constantly when I wasn't playing and couldn't wait to get back to. But I can't really say exactly what the difference was! I started Morrowind and am struggling with the slowness and difficulty in the beginning, but it seems like it's one that I'll stick with. Definitely interested in Outward, too.
 

Alexandros

Every game should be turn based
Nov 4, 2018
2,669
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This sounds exactly like me. I played Witcher 3 and Divinity 2, and I thought they were fantastic. Everything was there -- great visuals, story, characters, etc. But I didn't have this compulsion to keep going back and playing. Dark Souls, New Vegas, and Skyrim were games that I thought about constantly when I wasn't playing and couldn't wait to get back to. But I can't really say exactly what the difference was! I started Morrowind and am struggling with the slowness and difficulty in the beginning, but it seems like it's one that I'll stick with. Definitely interested in Outward, too.
It might be a game's ability to draw you into its world. I know it's a buzzword but immersion matters a lot in RPGs and all the games you mentioned offer it in spades. Again, I haven't played Witcher 3 yet but Original Sin 2 isn't a particularly immersive game, its world doesn't have a strong sense of place. It might also be that in the games you mentioned you play as a character that you created, while in Witcher 3 you play as an already established character and in Original Sin 2 you directly control a full party.
 
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Le Pertti

0.01% Game dev
Oct 10, 2018
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lepertti.com
NWN 2 is on the list but the first one isn't? I would say the first one is better. I'm still nostalgic over the first one but can't remember anything from the second one.
 

Milena

Lost in VR
Jan 4, 2019
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Neverwinter Nights 1 was one of the most boring games I've played. Thinking about it, I'm astonished at the amount of will power I had back then.
Neverwinter Nights 2, even the base game alone, was much more enjoyable for me.

But yep, I agree with Arulan, it's on the list solely because of MotB.
 

Deleted member 113

Guest
Silk, a game inspired by titles like The Lords of Midnight, will be released next month:




The game will have a focus on trading and exploration, and it's designed by Chris Bateman, who was lead writer and designer on Discworld Noir, and who has worked in titles such as Ghost Master.

I'm curious: is anyone looking forward to it?


Here's a gameplay video of the Kickstarter demo:
 

Deleted member 113

Guest
Looks like a combination of King of Dragon Pass and The Lords of Midnight. Or maybe just the latter in a different setting.
Yeah, it's inspired by both. :)

To quote the developers:

«Silk is a tribute to the late Mike Singleton, especially his groundbreaking 1984 game The Lords of Midnight. The engine used to produce the world of Silk has an identical design to the original ‘landscaping engine’ he designed, although it uses 2D assets rendered in Unity to create a more vibrant feeling wilderness with retro roots and a contemporary lo-fi vibe. Although all the fighting and besieging of the original is certainly going to be a part of this game.
Silk also includes more Elite-like trading and exploration - we're basically making Elite on the Ancient Silk Road. Additionally, the roster of Advisors is inspired by the Clan Ring in King of Dragon Pass. In that game, you can listen to the elders of the clan to decide what strategy to follow. In Silk, your roster of Advisors serves to offer you a set of up to four choices for every location and encounter. It’s like the party in a Japanese RPG except there’s no pre-scripted story — you decide which course of action to follow at every step of the journey. Our scripting language, SilkSpeak, is also inspired by OSL, the scripting language for King of Dragon Pass. »

It's a bit weird, in a good way, to see a game like this in 2019.
This kind of look and gameplay won't mean much to most RPG fans who weren't around in the early/mid-80's, so it's definitely a curious choice.
 

BlueOdin

Dec 3, 2018
995
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I should get Kenshi

Started And played a little bit of FFV over the past few days. Is alright so far. Not a fan of ATB. There are so many times where you do nothing but look at the screen for a few seconds and wait until a bar fills up. Even with battle speed at max.
Also the first FF I'm playing since XIII a few years ago. With the popularity the series has here I can now understand the notion why many want random battles to just be „mash confirm to attack“ because even with jobs unlocked there is not that much else I do.
Will stick with it because I like playing on a GBA SP. Also am relativ early still and a lot of reference V gets is because of the job system and I haven’t seen much of it yet.
 
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Dandy

Bad at Games.
Apr 17, 2019
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Sure I think about NWN as a whole, all the modules, RP persistant servers, expansions. In that regard nwn2 just isn't nowhere near .
I loved NWN so much for that. I was obsessed with the modding scene for it, and had it installed on my PC for soooooo long. I practically stalked the modders working on the Planescape and Dragonlance assets.

I played on many persistent worlds, and was making my own Ultima 7.5 module that really went nowhere other than a handful of areas and NPCs.

My favourite thing was a weekly DM'd campaign I played with for a few months. It was all centered around a thieves guild, so everyone in the party was a rogue in some way. It was all about a big heist. It was clunky as hell, and took forever, but I loved it. I ended up co-DMing it near the end in an effort to make it run more smoothly. Shame it sort of fell apart after the first big milestone was finished.

I've never bothered with the EE because the base campaigns are so bad, though maybe HotU was ok?
 

Routa

Non-Stop MMO Searcher
Dec 22, 2018
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Kenshi is the king of emergent narratives for me. The fact they are already working on a Kenshi 2...



The encounter where slavers started kidnapping my wounded soldiers who were resting is probably my most-loved moment in my recent memory of gaming.
 

Deleted member 113

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Kenshi is the king of emergent narratives for me. The fact they are already working on a Kenshi 2...



The encounter where slavers started kidnapping my wounded soldiers who were resting is probably my most-loved moment in my recent memory of gaming.
I'll have to give it a try. :)

That is, if I can get it to play OK.
Like I mentioned above, it's been years since I played it.

Earlier today, I installed it, and yep, some things never change.
I selected my resolution (1680x1050), and the game is clearly displaying at a different one, and cutting huge pieces of text from both the left and right side of the screen.
And, whenever I quit, the game freezes, and crashes.

I'm doomed to have problems with this game.
I bought the game in 2011 from the developer's website. I played a bit, and I remember stopping because of crashes.
Then, a few years later, the game launched on Steam, and I had to activate my previous CD key on Steam to get it there (which I did), but for some reason, in-game, the game wasn't accepting the CD Key that showed up on my Steam account/page, so I was unable to play the game without editing the registry, or some game file, to manually add my older CD Key.

Maybe for Kenshi 2 I'll have a playable experience. :grinning-face-with-smiling-eyes:
 
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Arulan

Arulan

Lizardman
Dec 7, 2018
538
1,877
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Earlier today, I installed it, and yep, some things never change.
I selected my resolution (1680x1050), and the game is clearly displaying at a different one, and cutting huge pieces of text from both the left and right side of the screen.
And, whenever I quit, the game freezes, and crashes.
Try Borderless Windowed mode. The Fullscreen mode was broken when I used it last.
 
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