Technology inclined?

I have finished Arcanum three times so far and every time I made a technology character. I had even wanted to try a magic one, but for me it always seems that techies are more interesting. Do you have the same "problem" or am I just mistaken and magic holds more secrets and amusement than mysterious blueprints and firearms?

I'm just interested in your personal opinion, so no need to argue about it and persuade each other

 

Magic is a lot easier. All you need is harm and teleport, maybe disintegrate if you wanna be 'that guy'.

 

I, too, prefer the technological route, having no interest at all in pursuing magick.

 

I prefer magick,the power one can attain through magick is immense.

 

When it comes to choosing a path, I prefer magic, for the reasons Dark Elf already stated. But when we're talking about game mechanics, both paths are very interesting in different ways. When you haven't tried them both, you haven't played Arcanum.

 

I prefer technology... I have yet to actually make a magic character...

 

I've played both and settled on Magic as my favourite. For all the reasons Dark Elf stated, plus the easier resource management and the ability to do a long and painful dungeon in a single run instead of going back to town to grab more heals (and so on and so forth)...

 

It's "teleportation" and "big boom" that does it for me...I'm a magepunk...can't help it. At worst/best, I'm a technomage.

 

I prefer the technological path, I always envision my character in priest robes with a long range pistol never actually shooting people but objects around them that would knock them out or cause obstructions.

 

I prefer a bit of both, Magical and the technological path. So if I am out of bullets, I will finish them off with a deadly spell.

 

I had always played mages, limiting myself to no more than 3 colleges each time (one is always convey). That way it had replay value for me because of the diversity between a mind-mage, a elemental mage, a nature mage, a necromancer, etc. I also never chose more than one of the powerful offensive colleges: force, black necro, or fire in a single game to keep it challenging and fun.

Recently I started a playthrough with my first tech character, a dwarf wtih magnus and loghaire as my companions (I had never done any of the dwarven, or technology inclined quests with my mages or tech followers, and my dwarf didn't do any magical quests or quests for the elves). This game has been my most satisfying yet due to its challenge. After level 10 my mages just walked through the game with no difficult encounters, last fight was a cinch at lvl 30. With this tech character I find myself reloading after deaths and trying to develop strategies for each encounter, far more exciting than shear power. And it really feels like an accompishment when I get to the top of a tech ladder. I don't think I will be returning to magic for a while, at least until I've made two or three tech characters to explore all the tech trees.

 

Hit the nail on the head there Wolfwood. I found myself having to actually use turn based combat for once during tech paths and usually finding myself devising plans.

 

That goes for me too. When I played tech, I always took Chukka or Sogg with me, just to carry extra bullets (I always invested in thievery so I could steal bullets. I once had Chukka lugging around some 15k bullets, I believe was the count).

 

15,000 gee, The most I ever carry around with me is 1,000. I have discovered that it really is not worth playing real time if you use Bronwick's gun or the tesla gun. Shame because I actually prefer faster paced combat even if archers look hilarious.

 

The Bedokaans are some godlike archers in real time. Yup.

 

I prefer turn based. I had one character where I spent the first several "months" of game time travelling around, getting skill points, become a better thief, and robbing stores of their bullets/batteries/fuel. That, and filch money and things to sell to them/other people.

 

Turn based for sure. The stupid non-turn based mode is lame and was added onto the game against the will of the developers if I remember correctly.

And I agree with the notion that technology is a bit more difficult to master the game with.

 

My first playthrough was real time with running around, making enemies surround me and then JOLT JOLT JOLT JOLT JOLT. Boy was that fun.

But after that all my games were turn based since it is simply superior. Real time is good if you want some quick action and turbo clicking, but the combat becomes totally mindless and tacticless without turns. Not to mention how real time is unbalanced in a technical way (most spells and tech items useless, you can run around an ore golem in circles, Bedokaans and those half-spiders half-women with bows shooting one arrow every twenty three minutes, etc).

 

I have played balanced Magic/Tech before, as part of a character concept. I know some aggressive stuff but never USED it, being a buff whore.

It's fucking hard to balance a character like that - I wound up playing Half Elf to make it slightly easier early on - but it's an absolute hoot, and I suggest that everyong try it at least once. Because damn, that's some fun shit.

"What? I can't shoot you? Then EAT HARM, Mutha-Fucka!"