The in app purchases are entirely cosmetic. The shop is set up to be really player friendly, though. For example, item prices and currency amounts match, and there aren’t any bonuses for buying more at once. You can even buy up to 200 stash tabs with regular in game gold.
There isn’t an option for local LAN play as far as I know.
Cosmetic or not, it provides them an incentive to want to keep you online for multiplayer, so they're probably not in a rush to add a feature like LAN that's just plain better for the customer to have.
How much demand is there for LAN play, though? The friends I would want to play with are cities and states away, so we couldn’t use LAN even if we wanted to.
The demand for LAN skyrockets to 100% as soon as it isn't profitable for the developer to run a server for the game anymore. LAN (or private server, or direct IP connection) games can be played via low-latency VPN when there is no official infrastructure for the game anymore. Devs like to pull out the excuse that LAN isn't used very often for why it doesn't get implemented, but it's a dishonest answer. It does take development resources to build, and playing with official online infrastructure is in fact the path of least resistance, but the death of that infrastructure is inevitable, and even when it's running, you can run into an issue like Helldivers 2 is right now where it just isn't reliable. If you want to omit the feature because most people never use it, you may as well design cars without seat belts or air bags. Grim Dawn and Titan Quest will be playable in multiplayer indefinitely into the future, because they have LAN.
ARPGs have basically been live games since Diablo 2 and only gotten farther down that route ever since.
If it is at the point where the developer can no longer justify maintaining the master servers, the game is (generally) dead as a doornail and the “100%” demand is a very small number.
I always prefer to have the option to do whatever I want with a game. But I fully acknowledge stuff like LAN mode for a live game is something that only benefits a small subset of players and is very much about “What happens after we have all lost our jobs?”.
Its the same reason that any studio that claims they will make all the DLC free or remove the DRM or whatever before they shut the doors are, at best, naive. And most likely lying. Because that is the farthest thing from a priority when you are trying to rip the copper out of the walls before you get called in for your layoff.
For me, it's a stamp of forced obsolescence on a game that didn't have to be. If they don't want to put in LAN, they can offer the server binaries, and people can and will figure it out if it's an option. But let's be real; the reason it isn't there is because it creates a dependence on them that helps them sell you more stuff. I'm okay with them trying to sell me more stuff. I'm not okay with them destroying the longevity of a game to get there.
Its not “forced obsolescence”. Its about there being limited time and resources involved in any project. And stuff like this is very specifically about making sure the game will still be viable for the people who still want to play it after the project/company is over.
The Internet so any metaphor will immediately lead to anger but: It is good practice to document processes and design decisions so that someone who comes after you can understand them. And yes, there is an argument for “job security” if you are the only person who understands how the backup server works. But it is not “job security” to slack a bit on properly documenting and filing that information because you have a million and one other things to work on.
And a lot of the “We need LAN/offline mode in case you go out of business” can feel a lot like “So… we need you to make sure that this will work if we fire you tomorrow”. Yes, a good developer will do that (because it really does reduce support burden down the line) but that is not going to be your priority when you have other deliverables or stuff you actually enjoy working on.
The server can, and often does, shut down when the business is still around. Nexon is still around, but Warhaven is going away. Ubisoft is still around, but you can't play The Crew anymore starting in April. I know that there are limited time and resources involved in any project, but I also know they should have spent those resources on making a product that will last, especially when their competitors in V Rising or Titan Quest II managed to do so. This is forced obsolescence, whether they intended it to be or not, but they almost surely intended it to be.
So… the problem is they should just make better games? Really?
Also: While I have a LOT of fucking issues with ubisoft and insist they have the resources to keep those content servers up (if not the multiplayer servers) for games like Splinter Cell that used DRM models that involved streaming game logic, they also aren’t killing the latest and greatest games. The Crew 1 is shutting down in April (apparently, hadn’t heard). That is a 2014 game that very much underwhelmed and has had a sequel for 6 years now.
While it is possible that the Uplay client is where EVERYONE is… anyway. SteamDB says The Crew has 21 concurrent players right now steamdb.info/app/241560/ and peaked at 76 in the past six months. I don’t think all that many people are going to be impacted by shutting down the servers.
There are very much arguments for games like Madden that have a two to three year life span (if memory serves). And that IS “planned obsolescence” but also… is kind of support for the game. Because just look at the old expansion pack model of FPS where a new expansion/DLC would splinter the playerbase drastically and run the risk of killing Battlefield or even frigging Starcraft. Keeping everyone on the same two or three versions works wonders at keeping the game alive (and is why they should just be live games with a new DLC every year but that is a different discussion).
We see similar with the various open world areas in Guild Wars 2 where the vast majority are ghost towns if they aren’t part of the latest DLC or event. And that is why Destiny 2 decided to disney vault their story.
But that is not the same as not dedicating significant developer resources to something that has 20 concurrent players. Moreso if the team/company is shuttering.
So… the problem is they should just make better games? Really?
No, the problem is that there's no reason these games should have to disappear except that they were engineered to. All games are worth preserving, even bad games, even old games. It doesn't matter that my friends and I were perhaps the only people in the world playing Rainbow Six 3 at that moment in 2014, because that game having LAN meant that we could still play it, and we would always have the opportunity to play it. The Crew, much to my surprise, actually found a substantial audience, and it is a different game than its two sequels, but now Ubisoft can force obsolescence in that game that people today are still enjoying in an effort to get them to buy one of the sequels. They shouldn't have to buy the sequels to keep playing, and more than that, they should be able to go back to the old game whenever they want.
When devs are already crunching 60-80 hour work weeks to launch a game and are increasingly worried about their studio being shuttered because they only have one or two fan favorite games in the pipeline? I don’t at all blame them for not taking the time to prioritize it to the 10 people who want to play the game three years after their unemployment benefits ran out.
Then they can't blame me when I buy from their competitors instead, who prioritized a critical feature in the development of their game. (And also, building the game this way is a larger drain on their resources than if they built it without the server requirement. They just want microtransaction dollars.)
Okay? Obviously you should buy what you value and if LAN support is a high priority, buy based on that.
The point I have been making is that preventing the 50 people left playing a game after ten years from continuing to play is not “planned obsolescence”. It is just the reality of software development.
It is planned obsolescence. I'm quite familiar with software development and its realities. They knowingly built a game that won't continue to function in multiplayer after the plug is pulled.
In any case, you and I aren't going to agree, but I take issue with their definition of "full offline" for the reasons we've already discussed, and I'm disappointed that the answer I found in this thread is that they're not interested in adding LAN to this mode.
With proton, it works flawlessly :) . I’ve been playing it for 2 years now.
There was a Linux version, but it didn’t work as good as the windows+ proton version. I don’t know if it’s still maintained or if it got improved since the 0.9 version.
And yet even with chat disabled, “Welcome to Last Epoch chat!” still pops up every time you change zones, as it has since day 1 of the chat function being forced on users, even users playing offline, sometime last year. And while a bug like that might be irrelevant, it captures the essence of the experience of playing the game perfectly: incompetence and thoughtlessness shine through absolutely everywhere, and nothing works the way it ought to.
I wanted to love this game, but it’s impossible. I’m pretty sure the devs have their hearts in the right place, but they’re not good enough to maintain a game of this type and scope. Even the graphics look like a $5 asset pack from the Unreal store.
Considering that the game is done in unity, the graphics looking like a $5 asset pack from the Unreal store sounds like praise to me, given that they have custom made all the models now.
It’s in a very good state, even with the bug you describe which is very low priority and I haven’t even noticed myself, the majority of people play online.
They have made a game that is objectively better than D4 in some areas, I think that’s pretty good for a small studio and saying they are incompetent and thoughtless just sounds like back seat driving to me.
1.0 is getting a "true offline" mode where there won't be any chat (and where a connection isn't required for server authentication). Personally, I quite like the chat and the sense of community it brings (apart from when it's filled with "D4 bad") but I can see myself wanting it turned off if the game gets much more popular and attracts a more casual playerbase.
Honestly, though, I feel like that's such a minor quibble to have - especially for a game still in beta. While Last Epoch obviously doesn't have the budget behind it that Diablo 4 or Path Of Exile has, I think it's done a great job of cementing itself as a worthwhile addition to the genre already. The developers have done a brilliant job of coming up with creative solutions to problems (both LE's own problems and problems that other games have suffered from) and I think they've laid a very strong foundation to continue to build upon going forward. The game is mechanically interesting, has probably the most interesting itemisation and by far the best crafting in the genre, and generally feels good to play.
I agree that the art style isn't as strong as Diablo 4, Path Of Exile or Grim Dawn, but I think it looks much better than a cheap Unreal asset - especially with the lighting overhaul in 1.0. And I'm glad that it isn't just another dark fantasy setting; as much as I love those kinds of settings (Grim Dawn's, especially), having the more lush, vibrant style of Last Epoch makes for a nice change.
It's not a perfect game by any stretch, but I think it's a very good game and I think it has a lot of room to grow going forward.
FYI the disable chat bug has been fixed for several months now. We’re also getting true offline mode with 1.0 tomorrow. I think the current version of “offline” will still be available, but I’m not certain.
Interesting, but the implementation feels a bit meh. This implies traded items are sub-par, right? Since you get better items if you join the faction that causes them to be non-tradeable.
Item drop rate, and chance for higher quality items will be higher. But that is to make up for the fact that you won’t have access to the entire aggregate market of drops. The highest tier item that can drop in solo mode is equivalent to the highest tier item that can drop in trade mode. But in solo mode your chances of actually seeing it drop for you are higher.
Just to be clear, which faction you choose does not impact who you can group with. Items that drop because you’re in circle of fortune will require that faction to use that item, but the base item drops won’t require either faction. You can even give items to party members that were present when the item dropped (like D3), or if you party with the same people often you’ll get special materials that will let you give them items even if they weren’t there when it dropped.
The whole system is a really creative solution to how to balance loot for both trade and self found players.
Just from this screenshot, it seems that good loot will drop more frequently if you choose to disable trading, to make up for the lost opportunities I guess.
As I understand it, the loot for the selffound faction is better in a sense that it’s what you want for your build (since you can customize your drops to an extent). On trade, you will also find good loot overall, but not necessarily fitting your build (so you trade it away, and buy the stuff you want).
Less complex than POE’s skill tree and gem system.
Enjoyable more complex than D3 and D4s trees.
Each base class has a passive tree, and each base class has 3 masteries. You can only master in 1 of the 3. Each mastery has its own passive tree as well. After a certain number of points in a passive tree, you unlock additional skills related to that class or mastery.
Each skill itself (max of 5 skills on the skill bar) had it’s own speculation tree. You’ll get ~20 points to customize how the skill plays (things like increased area of effect, cast speed, damage element type, etc).
There’s a lot of synergy between the skills, so you can specialize them in ways that make them feel very powerful.
Personally, it’s my favorite ARPG of the current generation. However it does feels a bit easy. I’m hoping they have it tuned towards getting people to end game faster to get more feedback during early access. I didn’t feel like I was where I should be in terms of difficulty unless I was in a zone 10 levels higher than me. Hopefully they narrow that gap by 1.0 and make it a little more difficult.
I picked this up over the summer, but didn’t get too far into it before spending some extended time away from my PC. Will be looking forward to checking it out next year.
I do hope they manage Steamdeck support by then – I remember it working okay when I tried it, but I think there was poor controller support.
I don't think the controller support is too bad from what little I've played with a controller, but it can feel pretty build-dependent. It's clear some skills were designed with mouse targeting in mind.
I've played hundreds of hours with mouse and keyboard, though, and I think it's shaping up really well. It already feels great, but with more content variety down the line it'll only get better.
Controller support has been solid for a while. The inventory/skills interface is eh but you can play pretty well with a good variety of builds. Agree with the other poster that mouse targeted skills are always going to be a problem.
I had been playing on GFN but put it on my Steam Deck recently and it plays great.
I can’t get it to really play at all on Steam #eck, though I’ve heard others do. Mine either doesn’t load or crashes soon after it does.
I haven’t had a chance to see if there have been any further controller improvements since the Deck is my only way to play it currently. I hope they continue to try to refine it. They definitely made improvements from how it started.
forum.lastepoch.com
Aktywne