Would E:Legends or E:Mercenaries be the game for me?

MrWheeler · Post by **MrWheeler** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 11:19 pm

I'm looking for a beautiful and not unedifying pc game to help me deal with depression and grief without taking up too much time in a day. I need to work and I need to be there for my family. So I need the game to take me into an immersive world (make me forget my troubles for a while), awe me with beauty, give some time for moderately challenging original gameplay and some time to just enjoy the beauty of the world, and let me come back to my real world after an hour of play, feeling refreshed by it. It's surprisingly hard to find such a game.

From what I've been reading and seeing in 3rd party reviews, Evochron Legends or Mercenaries might be what I'm looking for. I read that Mercenaries has better graphics and generally more of everything, which makes me lean towards getting Mercenaries, but I also read that the AI is tougher in it, which makes me wonder whether Legends would allow for sufficient game enjoyment in less time.

If I play the demos for a while, I can make a good guess, but I could also come to the wrong conclusion, because there could be mods, cheat codes, etc. that would affect whether these games meet my criteria. You all have experience with these games, and the mods, and the time-saving tricks and the other secrets to success that affect every aspect of the gaming experience. What would you advise me?

Thanks very much in advance.

Onirim · Post by **Onirim** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 4:01 am

That's a gloomy post wheeler...

I would suggest mercenary since it's the only one I know. You can play solo, by yourself and your own thoughts or online with cool guys. Your choice and up to your mood. It's quite an immersive game and don't be afraid of AI.

Busch · Post by **Busch** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 4:37 am

Hello MrWheeler, and welcome to the game/sim and community!

Mercs is what grew up out of Legends, like Legends is what grew up out of Renegades. Legends is a lot less 'intense' (for want of a better word) than Mercs, but both have a touch of a learning curve for new pilot/players. There isn't an I.M.G. Quest in Legends, but there are two 'beacon' quests. One begins with the launch of a new profile. The other will take you to far away places. Same general universe as Mercs, but not much in the way of 'additional space' much beyond the known quadrants. Both have hidden items and locations, both have rather stunning vistas. It's a coin toss between the two, mostly. Legends is no longer really supported. Mercs has been the focus for the last few years, and has much more of a 'dynamic environment', imhyco. There are a few caveats and necessaries with each, but one is not pointedly led around by the nose by 'game specific' requirements. It's pretty much what you want to do within some pretty loose game structuring. Oh btw, R.T.F.M. - Read The Furnished Material. If you haven't already, start with the game instructions/readme file. Have fun and best of fortune!

P.S. Lots of helpful peeps in/on the MP servers... if you'd like.

Post by **Marvin** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 2:15 pm

While computer games can be a dandy way of taking your mind off your troubles, I find that most games contain some level of difficulty which, eventually, lead to frustration. Therefore, when I really want to forget the real world, I submerge myself in a good novel. Books, unlike computer games, require everything of the characters in the story and nothing of the reader (me).

Likewise, even Starwraith games usually (I say â€œusuallyâ€� because it isn't necessarily the case ... as is pointed out in the next paragraph) require the player to perform tasks which, especially for the novice, can be difficult ... to the point of frustration. Most of the difficulties can be alleviated by going on line and asking for assistance from other, more advanced players. But at least on particularly frustrating task can only be completed in private ... and that task can lead someone like me to suffer a mild case of depression (or, at the very least, drive me to distraction).

Luckily, there are mods to the game which maintain an acceptable level of immersion and interest while, at the same time, avoid those nasty places where frustration is likely to rear its ugly head. I am speaking of the two Hitchhiker's Guide to the Evoverse (H2GE) quests ... both of which involve a rather in-depth level of reading. The leading character in both stories is you (the player) ... a refugee who is driven from his home (Earth) by an invading force which threatens to obliterate the entire planet. You involuntarily becomes a pilot, drifting from one assignment to another for a certain guild (IMG) until, eventually, you team up with a robot who convinces you to search for something beyond the scope of most other quests. Something that, if not found, could lead the Evoverse to total entropy.

All this while remaining fairly safe from harm (or, at least, imminent death). And, at any time when you don't feel safe (when that feeling of frustration is building), you can log on to any populated server and get the help you need.

But Wait! That's not all! The best part is this: each of the H2GE quests has a walkthru ... a cheat sheet to guide you through all those mind-blowing puzzles which you otherwise need to figure out before you can decipher the subsequent passwords. And you can find both quests and the walkthrus at SeeJay's website.

MrWheeler · Post by **MrWheeler** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 1:43 am

Thanks very much for the responses so far. I do love novels, but can't put them down after an hour, LOL, and that becomes a problem. Marvin, you are right that I was concerned about going to the game for relief but then getting more frustrated by it instead. Before I posted, I had read contradictory accounts of how difficult Evochron Mercenaries is to play, and what you all have said has helped me sort through it. I've also come across good discussions of how to overcome the specific difficulties.

Busch, I am very interested in what you said about Legends being less intense. That brings me to a related question, whether I should wait for another Gamersgate sale and get the complete package so that I can start with Legends and when I'm done with that play Mercenaries. One guy (http://www.gamersgate.com/DDB-ECP/evoch ... ack-bundle) recommends against this, because to his dislike the three games in the series all seemed to be the same one game; but someone else reportedly played them all and enjoyed that they were sequels. Would I be right to gather that the three Evochrons in the package would be analogous to (say) Freelancer unmodded, then a well modded Freelancer, and finally a very extensively well modded Freelancer? I used to play Freelancer, and I found that as the mods got bigger and better, more and more was added to the game, and the difficulty level increased. The advice often given to new players then was first to learn and enjoy vanilla Freelancer, then (ideally when they beat the game) they would find the harder and complicated modded versions less frustrating. Should I approach the Evochron games in this way to avoid the kind of frustrations that others have sometimes reported, if I expect usually not to have time to join a game server for assistance?

BTW, I really like what I'm reading concerning the various quests, and community support in general. Wonderful!

[Edited on 7-26-2014 by MrWheeler]

[Edited on 7-26-2014 by MrWheeler]

Nigel_Strange · Post by **Nigel_Strange** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 2:52 am

Mercenary is more graphically intense, and so if you are looking for beauty in a game, I would go with Mercenary. If you stick to safe, calm sectors, you can practice your flights, do local missions, find trade runs, without running into too much difficulty.

Mercenary and Legends have very different combat styles (for me, at least). With Legends, I would rely on the stealth generator and excals because the excals reloaded every 30 seconds, which was good enough to turn around and get ready for another volley.

With Mercenary, combat is more intense: the foes group together more, are tougher, and faster. Besides that, the excals reload after 3 minutes, making them rather unsuitable for serious engagements (more for the lone red who catches you in a bad moment).

They're both "sandbox" games, though, which means that you can do whatever you want, which I find to be very uplifting when the world closes in with its constraints. It also means you can engage in or avoid combat at your own discretion.

Anyway, I hope the real-life thing improves for you.

MrWheeler · Post by **MrWheeler** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 4:04 am

Thank you so much! I like the sandbox nature of the games too. I am very impressed at what I've seen (beautiful) and played (demo) so far. I'm glad to know that there's a great and manageable spectrum of difficulty levels within the games too.

I'm quite sure I'll be buying one of them, perhaps the set.

If I buy through GamersGate, or Steam for that matter, will they change the game installation or program files, so that in the future if I try to install or run on a replacement computer, it will make me verify again with GamersGate/Steam before letting me? I'm concerned about this because companies and web pages can come and go. Once I bought games through a (legit) game download site, and it later closed permanently, with the result that the installer would no longer work.

Post by **Marvin** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 5:22 am

I have a couple games courtesy of Steam and both of them install to a Steam folder. I have a third freebie game originally installed via Steam but, when the game crashed, I deleted it and downloaded/installed direct from the website ... which put the game into its own folder. Purchasing the Evochron set of games from Steam probably does about the same. Some players find, after buying from Steam, that updating and/or modding the game becomes unwieldy. If that happens, hold on to your proof of purchase and post your problem in the Technical section ... perhaps somebody will provide a solution.

Busch · Post by **Busch** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 2:28 pm

Not sure what the Gamersgate 3-game package that you are referring to contains, Mr. W. But if it contains anything Evochron-related (ie.: Evo-Legends, Evo-Mercs, Arvoch Alliance) you may wish to purchase as you are able. In my experience of the Starwraith 3D Games offerings, the game universe/background/environment, and some of the 'standard game' taskings are pretty much the same across the board. Which is what probably prompted 'the same game' sentiment/statement. I started out with Legends five years ago. Bought/played Arvoch Conflict and Renegades so I could 'understand' Legends better.

Upgraded to Mercs and Arvoch Alliance at the initial roll-outs of both. Haven't been the same since....

The greatest majority of mods for either Legends or Mercs that I've found and used, address features like morphing one's ship, HUD, environment (nebulas, stars, and asteroids - oh my!), sounds, and et cetera. Gotta pay attention to file types and locations thereof. And, there are several 'approved' quest package offerings, all of which are in addition to the I.M.G. quest in the game (just a matter of swapping out files). Each have a story to tell, and give a little different 'spin factor' within the Evo-verse's structure and lore. All of these quests work rather flawlessly, as do the vast majority of the other mod offerings. There are some really gifted and talented folk here, who've shared the fruits of their labor with the community. As for modding the game mechanics/software itself ... I'm convinced that Vice has a fairly firm grip on his intellectual property - pretty hard on game hackers and pirates as it is.

Cheers!

[Edited on 7-26-2014 by Busch]

Onirim · Post by **Onirim** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 1:39 am

Oh, How handy this is http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/ ... 072114.php

Busch · Post by **Busch** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 3:10 am

They must have been talking to the wrong 471 people...

:P:P:P

Procrastination by way of media use? No way! Doesn't happen here!

hehehe

MrWheeler · Post by **MrWheeler** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 11:55 am

Hi Orinim, thanks for the link to a thought-provoking article. I believe that good computer games and tv shows can be great stress reducers without becoming procrastination, though that is a common danger. I think it depends on how much time the media takes up. If it takes up too much time, then important things will be put off. I guess I started this thread because I wanted to avoid getting into another game that would make it hard for me not to spend too much time playing. This has sometimes been a problem for me in the past.

But now I've procrastinated getting into the game, so I think I'll have to fix that! (j/k)

So, I thought I figured out that I would go for Evochron Legends first, and Mercenaries later, but I can't seem to find any mod webpage for Legends. Is there one? Relatedly, if I ever need multiplayer help with a task/quest for Legends, is there still an active multiplayer server for it?

Busch · Post by **Busch** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 2:44 pm

Tackling Legends first is a great intro for Mercs, Mr. W. Check the Community Mods slice here in the sw3dg forum. Pretty much everything has been combined/commingled into this thread header for both Legends and Mercs. You may have to scroll thru a grunch of pages to find those Legends mods which are still 'active'. That I recall, pilots Warsign and Accountant have done some good Legends mod work. There are other artists/craftsmen, who's names I don't recall, who've also contributed their best efforts. The majority of the Legends mod files are *.bmp/*.jpg formats, whereas those for Mercs are predominantly *.png (which won't work with Legends - different graphics engine). There is/was a Legends Mods guide, as there is one for Mercs. I haven't checked, but it may also be available off the sw3dg web site, under legacy games (IIRC - the last time I had an opportunity). There is also a Legends Strategy Guide that's very informative.

I've not seen a hosted Legends game server up for several years now. Not since the community migration to Mercenaries. Every once in a great while, I've seen that some one has posted up a Legends LAN party, but I've seen nothing full-time as with those servers hosted for Mercenaries. [Mercs has the same option (LAN hosting), as does the Arvoch Alliance offering.]

Post by **Marvin** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 4:32 pm

Ditto what Busch said ... most everyone who played Legends has moved on to Mercenary. And, while the number of 24/7 servers has increased, AFAIK they all support EM.

Busch · Post by **Busch** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 7:08 pm

Mr. W., the last iteration of Legends was EL 1.288.010, should crank in at about 47,888 kb for the lot, and may be dated sometime around 3/12/2011. At least, that's the copy/date of the last iteration in my archive. The first iteration of Legends in my purchase was, IIRC, EL 1.028.XX, from some time around Thanksgiving 2009. I've also some few EL mod files archived. [A mere sampling of what I once had. Had a drive melt down, once upon a nightmare...lost a lot...

] If you're interested, I may have an opportunity to post up in the Mods slice. If there's sufficient interest, I may ask SeeJay to host them, as a single package, for a bit.

MrWheeler · Post by **MrWheeler** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 7:34 pm

Thanks, yes, I would appreciate that very much! I tried to find and download some mods, just to help me decide whether to purchase the game (I'm sure I would be using them at some point); and as you predicted, it was time consuming to find them, and there were some "file has been removed" type errors. Sorry to hear about your hard drive fail! I've been there too. Have a great day!

Post by **DaveK** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 9:27 pm

If you just want the opportunity to fly around in a very beautiful universe, landing on planets and moons and exploring asteroid caves, learning how to jump through worm holes in blackholes or just going on a scenic tour holiday then I suggest EM. You can easily avoid combat or play around one on one until you develop a technique that works for you.

From how I read what you asked originally the procrastination issue is irrelevant to you - you're not looking to put off your recovery, but to have a means of chilling out so that you can function for those around you (family and work) whilst you grieve and look for closure.

I've played EL and then EM for several years and am still useless at combat - I can just about survive a one on one with a hostile NP - but I still find that there is more to do, discover, find, explain and research in the Evoverse than I can handle in my playtime (an aside to Iron man and PaulB: I haven't forgotten the cannon stuff - it's coming slowly!)

So get EM, avoid combat until you're ready. Get hold of the Hints&Tips Guide (beware of the spoilers) - it got hundred of pages of advice, comments and discussion gleaned from the forum about all things Evoverse!)

Busch · Post by **Busch** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 2:33 am

Well...all right! I'll see what may be done. DaveK's also written/published the Authorized Mercenaries Technical Guide. (Available, in current version, on/at SeeJay's web-site(s). Great background stuff on the science of the Evochron Universe, [all kinds of stuff, will fill all the squares on your dance card..

].... should you be at all interested.

Dave did a most excellent job on getting these pubs put together. The Mercenaries H&TG will be the October revision, as the latest edition thereof.

[Edited on 7-28-2014 by Busch]

Post by **DaveK** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 10:21 am

From post: 172108, Topic: tid=11552, author=Busch wrote:The Mercenaries H&TG will be the October revision, as the latest edition thereof.

[Edited on 7-28-2014 by Busch]

Thanks for the comments!

New version of H&TG coming soon - just being checked

SeeJay · Post by **SeeJay** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 7:45 pm

Hi and welcome.

Whatever you chose, you'll get all the help
you want from this community.

MrWheeler · Post by **MrWheeler** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 1:25 am

Thanks again for the above replies. Well, I'm trying to do the in-game quest in Legends, and getting frustrated. Using these forums, I was able to find the Y=-14100 ring around Erato 2, and I have 16 electrical supplies in one of my cargo bays. I've flown around that planet for what seems to be almost 2 hours, thinking it shouldn't take this long. Frustrating. The quest calls for "electrical units" -- is this different from "electrical supplies"? If anyone has a record of the steps of this quest, can they just tell me the next task in the list, the message I've been trying to get for the past couple hours? Thanks in advance.

Post by **Marvin** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 1:33 am

What's the exact quest message? Exactly?

Busch · Post by **Busch** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 2:03 am

Marv, MrW's doing the number one beacon quest (finding the lost sheep) mission in Legends. After the spawn-in intro paragraph, the specific directions reads: ...'next beacon - bring 15 electrical units in a single container to Erato II. I've (Scott Gerrrett) left the beacon on the surface of the planet on the same side as the nearby city along a Y elevation of around -14100 and it will not activate unless it detects those parts.' Possibly not searching near to 'the city' ? Or...not flying a particular frame ?

[Edited on 7-30-2014 by Busch]

Post by **Marvin** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:11 am

Well, since the planets don't rotate in Legends, then finding the beacon shouldn't be any harder now than it was when Legends was Vice's latest game. IIRC, the planet was a bit hostile to metal and would eventually eat through a ship's hull (or, maybe, that's another part of the quest). Either way, the easiest way to spot the beacon is from orbit, where it sticks out like a sore thumb ... only partially embedded in the ground. Otherwise, if it's the part of the quest where the beacon is in orbit, ask Denny. We always split up, him following the planet's ring going in one direction while I followed the ring in the opposite direction. Fifty-fifty chance ... and I always ended up taking the long way 'round.

MrWheeler · Post by **MrWheeler** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 7:30 am

I finally got it. First, I kept going around the planet at y=-14100, thinking it would activate, so I wouldn't have to watch the ground or radar. It didn't activate. Then I read that it was best found from orbit. I orbited all the way around twice and missed it, probably cloud cover. When I was about to give up, I noticed the purple dot, and found it. It didn't activate when I went near it. I sold the electrical supplies, bought them again from another planet, came back, and then found I had to go right up the the beacon before it would activate. Whew, but I got it.

Sorry for the trouble, guys. I hope you have a really great day!