How do I kill giant enemy crabs?

Question

I'm playing Genji: Days of the Blade and am enjoying real-time weapon changing and the historical accuracy of these large-scale battles in Japan. The only problem is that early on in the game, this giant crab suddenly bursts out and begins attacking me without warning. As much as I would like to engage in diplomacy with this gargantuan creature, the game offers me no such choice; it seems that I have been forced into a corner, and that the only way to escape is to slay the creature with my trustworthy blade.

However, my attacks straight from the front aren't doing as much damage as I would like them to, and before my mind can comprehend the beast, the one who is slain is not this monster, but myself.

How do I kill the giant enemy crab? Is there a specific weapon that helps me defend myself better? Perhaps a pattern to its movements I had not realized? I have not done much research into the behavioral patterns of giant crabs, so, in spite of how realistically the game portrays them, I am unable to predict the creature's actions.

A picture for reference:

What a brutal time period this must have been...

Answer

You must attack its weak point for massive damage!

To expose the weakpoint on the Giant Masho Crab, you first want to destroy its pincers and afterwards his 'skull-face', revealing its Mashogane crystal, for heavy damage. Also, you can use Benkei's fully charged R1+Triangle to knock the crab over on its back and jump on it with Yoshitsune to "attack its weak point for massive damage" with R1+Square

During the battle, you want to avoid getting hit by his pincers or his charge attack, and also avoid the Masho Generals.

Now, for the (small) Masho Crabs, the easiest way to defeat them is to use Shizuka's wide sweeping attacks to get lots of Mashogane pieces, or to use Yoshitsune's Aerial Juggle Trick (Jump, Circle, 'Aerial Combo', repeat).

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Should I play a “build” of a character my first time through in Diablo 2?

Question

I've never played Diablo 2 all the way through before, so I decided to install it on a netbook and start playing it. I'm not an expert when it comes to action role playing games. I've only played Diablo, Diablo 2, and Torchlight for short periods of time. I only expect to be able to put in 3-4 hours a week due to other time commitments.

If it helps in making the decision, I'm playing a Paladin (I tend to play a mixed magic/strength character in most games), and I'm playing solo.

Should I try to follow a character build guide or just play through and figure things out as I go?

Answer

I'd recommend just playing. It will likely be more fun since you will be discovering as you go and building up the skills you enjoy (even if they aren't the most powerful), and many builds are likely min/maxed for level 99 with top-tier gear, something you are unlikely to hit at 3-4 hours a week.

Now that you can reassign your character's abilities, you can always re-spec to a particular build later on if you so choose. However, bear in mind that you can only do so once per difficulty without special items.

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I am playing with a necromancer in Diablo 2. What is the recommended skill points distribution for hell difficulty?

Question

I'm playing with a necromancer (84 exp) in hell difficulty with the following skills:

• skeleton mastery: 20 (for revived monsters stats)
• corpse explosion: 15 (for quick cleaning of small monsters pack)
• bone spear: 20 (main attack)
• bone spirit: 20 (for bosses)
• 1 skill point for the rest, coupled with a +6 all skills from various items

Somehow, I get the impression that even moderate level monsters are not killed fast enough, even when using lower resist or decrepify (the latter has the nice effect of slowing down enemies and is the most used spell).

I didn't found any updated guide for hell difficulty (for patch 1.12 or later), is there a better combination of skills/spells?

Answer

I've referred to this for my source on necromancer skills: http://classic.battle.net/diablo2exp/skills/necromancer-curses.shtml

Lower Resist decreases an enemies elemental resistances and Decrepify decreases their physical resistance. Unfortunately, bone spells do magic damage, so I don't think either curse improves your bone spell damage (as Grace Note pointed out). They are only useful for your minions; Lower Resist helps your skeletal mages and Decrepify helps your skeletons. Also, if you are using Revive then those minions will do more damage when you use those curses (most monsters don't do magic damage).

Unless you totally focus on them and skills that synergize (see my sidenote), Bone Spear and Bone Spirit are ineffective because they do not scale up in Hell difficulty. However, Bone Prison and Bone Wall do. Also curses and revives scale up because they are based on the strength of monsters in Hell.

For a summoner, playing heavily to revive is a good plan. Look at some revive necromancer guides, this being a short example: http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=707530. I recommend maxing Revive and Iron Golem, so that you have plenty of summons to work with and a golem for killing monsters to get that first revive. I also think you're better off replacing Bone Spear with Bone Prison and Iron Maiden. Then you can lock monsters in with your minions and have them damaged by both their own attacks and your minions, while boosting with other curses you have. Iron Maiden has the nice property that an increase in skill level increases the damage taken, not the spell radius like many other curses. Bone Spirit is appropriate to some extent for helping your Iron Golem take down monsters, but certainly not worth focus.

Sidenote: To get an idea of how much damage a pure bone necromancer does, I'm in Hell difficulty with my necromancer right now using an all bone build, around level 76, roughly these skills (I can update values tonight when I check):

• Teeth: 10 (about +6 with items)
• Bone Spear: 20
• Bone Spirit: 20 (about +4 with items)
• Bone Wall: 10
• Bone Prison: 20
• Some other misc. skills

And I only do over 3000 damage per spirit. That's very little in Hell difficulty.

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How can I reliably activate vocal Star Power in Rock Band?

Question

I'm new to Rock Band (played Guitar Hero a fair bit though), and I'm having trouble activating star power consistently using vocals. My screaming is apparently not loud enough or something. I seem to have to whack the mic against the furniture (or my Wiimote) to get it to detect me trying to activate it, and even then it doesn't always work. In Guitar Hero, I can press a button to activate it, but that's apparently not the case in Rock Band.

Anyone have any bright ideas for a more foolproof method?

Answer

You don't need to shout into it - just any loud noise when there isn't meant to be singing. Maybe hold it near the drummer :P

In all seriousness, I usually just hit the mic too.

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Tips for activating vocal star power in Rock Band?

Question

I'm new to Rock Band (played Guitar Hero a fair bit though), and I'm having trouble activating star power consistently using vocals. My screaming is apparently not loud enough or something. I seem to have to whack the mic against the furniture (or my Wiimote) to get it to detect me trying to activate it, and even then it doesn't always work. In Guitar Hero, I can press a button to activate it, but that's apparently not the case in Rock Band.

Anyone have any bright ideas for a more foolproof method?

Answer

You don't need to shout into it - just any loud noise when there isn't meant to be singing. Maybe hold it near the drummer :P

In all seriousness, I usually just hit the mic too.

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How can I get a lot of iron with non-excessive effort?

Question

While iron isn't very rare, it is needed for a lot, especially if you want to build a structure out of it, build long railways or something like that.

What should you do to find/get a lot of iron with non-excessive effort (an inital effort for a good long-term solution is good though)?

Answer

Some tips:

1. Mine in the southwest quadrant (positive x and z), twice as much ore there (explanation)
2. Become familiar with depths, see this guide. Iron lives under the sea level.
3. Don't branch mine: don't listen to that guide, or this answer. Since you're looking for iron, I suggest trying caves.

The "mathematical analysis" is seriously flawed, because you're not looking to get every single ore in the block. Instead, you want to get as much ore as possible per second. This means that you need to see as many "fresh blocks" as possible per second. Let's look at one statement made in the analysis:

Not bad. With every 2 blocks destroyed (or 8 seen), we get 3.7% iron. Halve that to get the value of one block, which is 1.83% iron per block. That means for every 54 blocks of stone we mine, we'll get 1 iron ore.

Except, whenever you add a turn to your mineshaft your digging causes you to see the other faces of the same two blocks you just saw. So don't add turns - which is exactly what a branch mine does every 4 blocks. Furthermore, when you do find ore in your branch mine, you'll dig towards your other shaft, and this will let you see some blocks that... you already saw when you dug that other branch. If you're going to shaft mine, make it one long shaft at level 14.

So what about caves? How many "fresh blocks" do you see per second in a cave? Well... a lot. To get an estimate, I started a fresh game on normal, punched a couple trees, a couple stone picks, bunch of sticks, a sword. Found a decent cave system. Coal pretty quick, sticks became a bunch of torches, I hear groaning. Strategy? Run like a boss, place torches, look at ceilings, floors, nooks. Don't stand still. Found iron? Great: spot check for monsters, then mine it. (Don't mine around it hoping for more - 98% of the time there isn't/it doesn't spawn diagonally. Just move on.) Hit dead end? Go back, seal the cave shaft up with a horizontal line of cobble, so you don't go in again. I got 54 iron in 10 minutes of caving. And a lapis block. The guide says (I wouldn't trust the math) that I'll get that much in 21 minutes using branch mines. Caves are better. Also, cave mining is much more fun.

TLDR: go a ways SW of spawn, find a cave system, go deeper than sea level. Run through it placing torches.

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How do I defeat the Nanny Demon in DeathSpank?

Question

Combat in DeathSpank has been pretty easy right up to meeting the Nanny Demon, then everything falls apart. I can get maybe one justice attack off before those fireballs annihilate almost all of my health, forcing me and Sparkles to retreat or end up back at the outhouse.

What's a good strategy for dealing with the Nanny Demon? I'm level 11 currently; did I wander into this situation way too early?

Answer

I had a hard time with the Nanny Demon, too - I agree that it seems much harder than the monsters that came before her.

I don't remember what level I was when I fought her, but I think I was a bit higher than that. Not sure, though.

Have you tried keeping your shield up while the fireballs are coming? IIRC, even if you aren't facing them with your shield up you should still take little to no damage. I did a combination of that, and lots of running around.

It can also be best to play it safe - don't keep attacking her if you don't think you'll survive for much longer. You would be much better off drinking a potion (or maybe eating food, if your dodging skills are up to the task).

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How do i kill Aiushtha in DotA?

Question

I'm having trouble with Aiushtha the Enchantress?

The build which is really giving me trouble is the one where my opponent rushes the +25 intelligence wand. Then he goes for boots and perseverance. The first 8 levels are fine. When he gets to lvl10-12 I am no longer able to kill him. He does Base Damage + 90 every time he attacks me, around lvl 10 I'm still under 1,000HP.

I tried buying armor (+15) without success. What's more his many wisp heal quite quickly. I've tried sneaking behind him and unloading with little success, often leaving him at full hit points.

What's worse if he turns his staff into a sheep stick I'm even more behind.

I'm most concerned with 1v1 in the 10-12 level area.

-edit- I do notice the opponent running away to refill mana but usually he isnt gone long. Maybe i can play in a way to make him use mana repeatably without losing too much health and leave often? Maybe i should be less afraid of the ultimate or farm creeps instead of trying to kill her (or not far at all and only try to damage her?)

nevermore is one of my favourites, how do i kill aiushtha with nevermore?

Answer

Note: I haven't played DOTA in a few patches...

Enchantress biggest weakest are nukes because of her little HP
You said you enjoy Nevermore, your best bet would be too just stay out of her range during the lane, and just last hit appropriately...focus on not dying to build up your creep count (which gives you damage) at lvl 3-5 you could start using your long and mid range nukes to last hit+harass the Enchant, and disengage if she wants to fight. This will keep you at high health and her at medium, giving you a significant lane advantage (with three nukes all it takes is one good rune to kill her at medium life). When you do engage dont attack until you have used all your nukes, She has a move that slows you and if she decides to run you wont be able to chase if you attack her. If she ever procs her healing item, just back off and pop a clarity, then harass a litte more aggressively while its on Cooldown, this will force her to heal at well, giving you an EXP advantage.

Be sure to use chicken early game to keep mana/ life in good shape so you dont have to leave your lane and get boots before her so you can chase when you go in for the kill. If she is rushing the +25 INT item, you should have a significant early-mid game advantage with items, big enough to kill her a few times and come out on top.

Non Nevermore specific tips:

• Nukes > Stuns when it comes to Enchant since attacking her will slow your hero.

• You usually have to kill Enchant in 2 bursts, 1 to get her to pop
  heal, then another to kill.

• At the start just last hit and attack her only when your creeps are there

• Keep good control of runes during early-mid game

• Use chicken so you dont have to goto town and heal (meaning you will always be gaining exp)
• Keep an eye out for Enchants chicken, your long range nuke means you can kill it without even going up ramp sometimes

Hope this helps and be free to comment with any questions

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How to start guide for RUSE

Question

I just installed R.U.S.E. that this weekend is free preview on Steam.

I tried to play the first game, but due to the fact that tutorial is still missing, I am a bit lost.

I suppose that I have to destroy the enemy base, but how? What are that buildings with yellow containers? What I should build first? And all the cities/villages I see around what are used for?

Can you please me write a 10-steps (or more if you like) guide to help a beginner?

Answer

Those "yellow buildings" are unclaimed supply depots. You need to create a supply depot and you can move the map around to get select which depot you want to use. Best use depots near your HQ to speed up cash flow. Cities are merely cover for various units and so provide a terrain advantage and that's all..and they add to the ambience of the map.

You can check out the official strat guide here. Google brings up alot of results to.

This is my beginners guide. RUSE like most RTS games involves acquiring resources, building stuff, then killing stuff. If you're interested in the quickbattles or multiplayer options this is how I got started.

1. Build a couple of Supply Depots. The faster you gain cash, the faster you can build. Pick ones far from the enemy so it's harder for them to over-run/destroy them.
2. You should have a RUSE card available so use "Blitz" to make the following happen alot faster. You want to collect supplies and establish bases ASAP.
3. Build Barracks. Build a couple of recons and send them out immediately...intel, intel, intel!
4. Build an Armor Base (Tanks) Start building heavy tanks. Put tanks near bridges, they're choke points, can make a good kill zone.
5. Build an anti-tank base. You can create anti-tank/anti-air batteries.
6. Build anti-air to protect your buildings
7. Build a few tank destroyers. Bundle them with your tanks. One supports the other in the face of other tanks. 8a. If you have spare cash. Do the upgrades for your tanks.
8. By this time you should have some cash, so build an Airbase and send out aerial recon deep into enemy territory. But watchout for their anti-air.
9. Create some heavy soldiers, (Rangers). (You will have to do "research" as it's an upgrade)

That covers getting started. Now lets start blowing stuff up!

1. Use a "Spy" Ruse card to find your opposition.
2. Target his supply dumps if they are near you. Starve the opposition of resources if you can. Or place light tanks along his supply lines, stopping the trucks is just as good.
3. Create some howitzers. These are good from a distance and support your tanks. Just keep them back from the frontline.
4. Send some tanks and harass a bit. get used to engaging.
5. Use a "Fake Offensive" RUSE Card to draw the enemy to another part of the map and expose resources.
6. Put your heavy troops in Cities or the woods as they have bonuses for ambushes and defense automatically.
7. I found that mid-way through a campaign, if the opposition gets alot of planes, you're in trouble, so build at least 4 combat fighters and 4 fighter-bombers. But recon areas before flying into them because anti-air makes short work of air-power.

You will keep getting RUSE Cards periodically (while your HQ is intact). I found I was using Blitz alot. When launching a major offensive into an area, use Blitz to get in there fast.

When you do multiplayer, it helps to have voice chat between you and your team mate. You can build multiple bases of the same type, like armor bases and barracks and this speeds up production.

Play against the AI first before running out and taking on humans, because humans will kill you alot faster and that is not fun after a couple of hours.

Prototype bases produce interesting stuff that basically is tougher and can kill lots of stuff. But only worthwhile once you have great supply.

I found that I was creating secondary HQ's to collect resources far away. This speeds up the cashflow, but you have to consider protection of it to.

The campaign is annoying with some silly story and plot. It ruins the game play for me, but some people think this stuff is worthwhile. I don't know why game designers do this because it's always (always) tacky dialog, and computer animated characters just make it look like a thunderbirds show.

There is heaps more to this game, and there are other (and better?) strategies to. That's the cool thing about RUSE. Pitting your strategy against theirs and adapting to the unpredictable.... have fun!!!!

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Final Fantasy 7: Have I lost Yuffie?

Question

Just after leaving the Golden Saucer (and finishing the battle in the jail with Barret) I went over the river heading towards Cosmo Canyon and found Yuffie in a forest while riding in my buggy. After playing in the forest and going through the special encounter with her a few times (happened every 3 encounters) I got her to the point where I asked her to come with me. I choose the wrong option by trying to name her instead of saying "let's go", then she disappeared and said she'd never join me.

Since then I've tried to get the encounter again in the forest while in my buggy but after more than 30 tries she hasn't shown up. Have I lost Yuffie forever? Is there another place I need to find her now?

Answer

You haven't lost her forever, but there are very specific places that she'll show up...if she isn't showing up in the one you've been encountering her in, maybe try one of the others?

Here's the wiki page with the locations (it also gives the correct answers):

http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Yuffie#Acquiring_Yuffie

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How to control a Helicopter

Question

I wany to know if some of you, pro gamers :D, know how to train controlling an helicopter. This because I love Battlefield P4F, but I still can't control an heli as I would wish. So, is there any free simulator (don't say FlightGear please) so that I can train, or is there any tutorials teaching the techniques?

Also, I can't use a joystick.

Thanks, Scorch

Answer

Ok I don't pilot plains and helicopters in games but I can recommend to you Microsoft flight simulator purely on the basis that there are tons of tutorials and guides for helicopters and plains which you can follow to help improve your flying skills in a very accurate physics simulator. In addition to this there are tons of websites that can help you with your flying skills even more e.g. http://www.hovercontrol.com/.

I hope this helps

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Is there a way to remotely determine asteroid field composition?

Question

It seems pretty time-consuming to have to check dozens of asteroid fields to find the type of ore I want. Is it possible to see what types of ore are available in asteroid fields without actually visiting them?

Answer

Yes, it's not just possible but also very easy.
Just use the Ore Map, job done!

Well, assuming some macrominer hasn't stripped the belt on you already. 8 )

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How do I complete the first mission of ArmA as a special forces operative?

Question

I've been trying to beat the first mission as a special forces operative destroying a convoy. No matter what I do I can't get through the mission. I've used my IED to pop the APC, I've shot trucks full of guys and I still get taken down every time.

Any tips for completing this mission?

Answer

If You're a good shooter: On the way to the convoy is a house. You can hide Your own convoy behind it and climb the ladder of the scaffold to the first floor. From here You can snipe the enemies down. However, this is very hard - most importantly, You have to be very quick as the enemies will locate You after a few shots.

You don't necessarily have to eliminate the whole convoy from this position - taking out at least some enemies might grant You a benefit for Your second wave of attack.

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Tips to complete Call of Duty - Modern Warfare 2 Special Ops and gain 3 stars

Question

I've completed the Campaign mode of Call of Duty - Modern Warfare 2. I want to complete Special Ops in the game. I'm stuck there in the pit itself. We have to complete the pit in 35 seconds to get the three stars. I was able to get 2 stars only till now, no matter how many times or how hard I tried. Can you give me some suggestions like Shoot from the Hip rather or shoot while running rather than aiming down.

Answer

It's much easier with a co-op partner. When I did it, we split the targets between us in a predefined fashion so we had the whole run choreographed. I think aiming is necessary but only for a split second i.e. aim-shoot all at once.

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How can I use vending machines effectively?

Question

When they're first introduced, vending machines are pretty expensive compared to my cash on hand. Since these things can only sell items for their base cost, I'm not entirely sure how to use them to turn any significant profit.

What advantages do I get out of having a vending machine? How do I use them to make more money?

Answer

Since vending machines don't barter with your customers, chances to sell things via vending machines happens independently of customer / Recette interaction. (You can hear a 'kaching' sound whenever a customer makes a purchase, and this can happen in the same instant that another customer walks up to be helped; alternatively, it can trigger when a customer fails the roll to buy an item, in which case you hear the 'kaching' sound but no customer approaches Recette.)

In practice, you will sell more items with one display case converted to a vending machine than you would with just Recette at the counter alone. The principle here is you can sell more items, or you can make more profit per item. Individual preference for these may vary.

This means, among other things, that items with low prices (e.g."Price of Food has fallen") will be bought for their normal base price, selling the item despite the economic downturn for whatever category it's in.

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Are there any advantages to building a wooden house?

Question

What are the advantages/disadvantages making a minecraft house built out of wooden planks?

Answer

Advantages

• Wood is quicker to obtain than cobblestone, as you get 4 wooden planks for each wood block.

• Wood can be farmed (more easily than cobblestone can be), meaning you don't need to destroy the landscape to build your house.

• Transported as logs rather than planks, you can carry a lot more in you inventory (as you can 'expand' the logs into planks as you need them.

• Wood fits better with bookcases, chests etc. to give a more homely aesthetic.

Disadvantages

• Fire caused by lightning

• Creeper explosions will do more damage

• Fire caused by lava, expected or otherwise

• Farming trees can be tedious, especially if you have to spend extra time removing the branches from large trees

• Fire caused by your own flint and steel in a moment of carelessness

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How do you avoid bumping into players as a spy?

Question

Every now and then when playing TF2, I see a spy who seems to be able to stand right in the middle of a small group of enemies, whether in disguise or in stealth, and doesn't seem to have any problems staying with the crowd and not getting bumped.

However, it seems that when I (and the majority of spy players) are in a crowd of enemies in disguise, someone bumps into them and they are discovered. What are some good tactics for judging when a player is going to back up or suddenly turn towards you? What's a good way to avoid bumping into them without making obviously suspicious movements?

The moments I am most interested in are those times when you aren't ready to backstab anyone, and you want to wait until the group gets into a firefight so that you can more easily pick them off and escape... I don't seem to have too much problem moving in for a kill, just staying with the group without being bumped.

Answer

I think a key thing as spy is to avoid groups completely. If you reduce the chances to bump into someone then it will make life easier.

I think spies work best when they are trying to pick off the people at the back of the lines, whether it's people running from spawn, or engineers or people going back for health. Kill, cloak, hide.

If your in a situation where, when cloaked, your trying to get through a group of enemies, either following, or running through the front line to get behind the enemy, then I highly recommend jumping from side to side. Being able to reduce the area of possible contact with an enemy is the key.

When disguised there is a little bit of timing involved, as well as a clear plan. You need to look like you have a definite movement, nothing gives away a spy as someone just running around after another person. If you attack when they are attacking then it's easier to blend in and not look suspicious.

I do my attacks as spy in a forward motion. Cloak, get in behind the lines, disguise, decloak, run forward with the enemy attackers and attack. No matter the result, I push through to my team-mates, heal and resupply. Rinse and repeat. Obviously if your using the cloak and dagger or dead-ringer then it's different.

There is a huge slice of luck involved with tracking and pushing through as a spy as people are a little unpredictable and sometimes you just get unlucky.

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