PZ's FC4 comments

[Dweller_Benthos]

Now, if they did a true open world post-apoc game like Rage was supposed to be, that would be pretty cool. I had high hopes for Rage and never finished it.

[OWGKID]

I would love to see official modding tools, but that would seem to be counterproductive to Ubi's financial model.  After all, they want us to purchase at least one, preferably several major titles each year, and all the DLC that goes with it so we each spend over $100 US.

Unfortunately modding would encroach on their profits, so I doubt we will see official tools any time soon.

They could have a subscription service which allowed you to pay for the tools monthly or a single license purchase. I believe CryEngine uses a subscription-based option only, according to Steam. Unfortunately, if the subscription to CryEngine is cancelled, the mod tools will be unavailable.

[PZ]

I hadn't thought of that - would be a good way for them to make more money.  I'd likely purchase the single license as long as they didn't throttle your ability to mod things.

[PZ]

I did all the Yogi missions last might, and I agree fragger, they are not interesting (never have liked the drug thing they introduced in FC3), and feel more like filler missions to drag out the game play rather than adding extra value to the game.  I understand that they introduce some of the syringes, but it seems like a lame way to do it - just my personal impression. I'm sure there are gamers that like that kind of diversion.

I also did a couple of Shangri-la missions, which were not as bad as I though they were going to be, but again, it seems like a completely different game than the main part of FC4, and for me, takes me completely out of the immersion of the main game.  I personally prefer the side missions in FC2 where everything was based in reality rather than fantasy or drugs because I never left war torn Africa.

One question though, I do not see any main mission icons on the map - right now there is nothing but side missions.  What do I need do to trigger the appearance of a main mission?

[Art Blade]

probably one "side" mission leads to the next main mission. I reckon it's the crazy arms dealer's missions you might have missed out on.

[mandru]

There were times I had trouble locating the next mission.

So what I started resorting to was something I found I could do in the map screen.

1. I would select the filter option and turn off all of the Locations (the map's remaining Question Marks and Place Identifier marks).
2. Then I would shrink map until only the tower markers, fortresses and outposts remained.

At that view level of the map the next mission marker should still be visible if you scan around the map to find it.

Once you've located it, mark it as a destination, go back to the map filter and turn restore the original settings.

Happy hunting.  ;)

[PZ]

I think Art might be correct, because I tried removing markers, but to no avail.  There must be something I need to do to get it to trigger.

I'll try an arms mission - see how that works  :-X

[Art Blade]

if it's not the arms dealer missions, it might be the fashion week missions. I had the same problem but I don't know which mission it was that allowed me to go on, I just went on 

[PZ]

I can't recall if I did any of the arms dealer missions (I thought I tried at least one), but I know I have not done any of the fashion week missions - thanks for the tip - I'll give it a go  :-X

[Art Blade]

good luck :) I remember that those fashion week missions go on in the North so it might very well be the "missing link"  :-()

[PZ]

My first one will be the one in which you can use the LMG - buzzsaw comes immediately to mind  >:D

[Art Blade]

only for the brave: use toothpicks instead.  :-()

[PZ]

  I think I'll go in with the odds stacked in my favor

[Art Blade]

A spoon, then?  :-()

[PZ]

spork  8-X

[fragger]

PZ, before you can do any Fashion Week missions you'll need to liberate the Kyra Tea Weigh Station outpost (in South Kyrat, on the river just north of the City of Pain). Just west of this is "Mr. Chiffon's" hideout. The building is always there, but you can't get into it until you liberate said outpost. After liberating, Chiffon's hideout will be marked with an elephant's head icon - you can then enter that building and meet him. Once you've visited him (and suffered through an unnecessarily long cutscene) the Fashion Week missions will then appear at their corresponding outposts - once you liberate them.

[Art Blade]

cheeky bastards. So you have to liberate outposts or you won't see the end of it.

[PZ]

Thanks fragger, I have liberated all outposts and forts - I must say those were the most fun, as were the propaganda centers or anything like them.  Those are my favorites of the open world missions.

[fragger]

Me too, PZ. The side missions are the most fun for me :-X

[PZ]

I managed top stumble into one of the main line Shangri-la missions - the one where you need to do three take-downs between being attacked by your former friendly ghost tiger. 

Although relatively easy to accomplish once you find a good hiding place from which to spring, I cannot say that it was loads of fun.  It was more like playing a different game altogether.  I was glad to be done with it.

[mandru]

PZ, I don't believe the mission you described was a true Shangri-La experience.  There are five Shangri-La missions and that mission doesn't check off one of the Progress screen marks.

I do have some thoughts on what the mission you described really was.

Spoiler

There's five sections to the Thangka (the picture you add to with each Shangri-La visit) in the Ghale home.  The mission you described was your encounter and killing of Yuma and it does not provide a section of the Thangka which relates the telling of the story of Kalinag which he related to an artist on his return to the Kyrat.

Yuma as seen through her notes to her underlings is obsessed with becoming the reincarnated spirit warrior Kalinag as if that were something that could be stolen or ceased up through force.  It's her underlings that have been directed to scour Kyrat's ancient ruins for artifacts or texts relating to Shangri-La at some great expense much to Min's chagrin.

To some extent her nosing around had caught the attention of the evil behind the corruptive forces that were attempting to subjugate Shangri-La and in turn that evil had found a way (through Yuma's lust for power and greed) to force entry into modern day Kyrat both at the prison Ajay had to escape from and in places that Yuma held the most power.  That alien evil was anxious to feed Yuma's obsession and give the her the impression that she was holding the reigns when actually she was the one with the bit in her mouth.

The other worldly demons inspired by Yuma's desires were behind the vision of the false Shangri-La.

The false companion tiger was far too weak.  When I fought it it only required one knife strike to bring it down and a respawning Kalinag to kill again and again.  Both of these examples expose the deep contempt held for the two companions that drove them out of Shangri-La.  But if they could get an Earthly foot hold and ruin the homeland of Kalinag so no true warrior spirit could ever rise against them there was a good chance they could once again retake Shangri-La and erase their previous failure.

In the end Yuma was no Kalinag and another son of Kyrat had stepped into and fulfilled that role.


Either that or I'm way over due for my nap and rambling on while nodding off here at the keyboard.  :-D

[nexor]

Have no idea what the hell you talking about mandru    :D

Spoiler

Only kidding  :lol
Maybe you hit it on the nail mandru, or you could be way off, either way it's a heck of a good story, and I will accept it    :-D

[PZ]

Indeed - really good story mandru  :-X

I didn't really know what to call it, but it reminded me of the drug haze environment of Shangri-la

[mandru]

Last night I hit the point in the game where I got to replay this mission again.  As my in-game skill has increased I found I quite enjoyed the free swinging grappling sequence in that mission.

As you are approaching to take Yuma you receive the cell call from Min where he expresses his annoyance at the expense Yuma is siphoning out of his treasury to pursue her exploration and research into ancient religions.  With Min's televised challenge revealing Yuma's location and the open dare to come and get her it sure seems to me that he is making every effort to tidy up his affairs, tie up all loose ends (or should I say loose cannons?) and pass the throne to a worthy predecessor.

Yuma hits you with a psychotropic powder based on one of the parasitic Cordyceps family fungi (as stated in the note located just outside the chamber where she ambushes you) and when you catch up to her again she morphs into a Kalinag who has little or no ability to defend them self against you.

Like I said.  She's no Kalinag.  ;)

[Art Blade]

pass the throne to a worthy predecessor

I don't think so.

Spoiler

He wants to pass it to a predecessor? I much rather believe he wants to pass it to a successor  :-D