Coelacanth

Coelacanth, miesiąc temu

I believe it. There was a steamcommunity post last year detailing all the cut content. I believe some of it has been added back through the patches (I only played through the game once, around launch).

To me the tadpole consequences is the most egregious, as the whole system and decisions connected to it feel so hollow when they end up not mattering at all.

Coelacanth, miesiąc temu

I don’t know if it’s been culled by now in patches, but when I played there were still lines by the narrator talking about the consequences and “if you do this, there’s no going back” regarding the brain worms. All lies, it turns out.

I have no clue why they cut it, but having it actually impact your potential choices and your endings would be thematically appropriate and make for fun and difficult gameplay choices, I would have thought.

The lack of consequences for the brain worms - and lack of rewards or even mentions for abstaining! - was part of why Act 3 soured me on the game quite a bit. Come on, not even a silly achievement for not using any Illithid power all playthrough?

Coelacanth, miesiąc temu

My first thought as well.

Coelacanth, miesiąc temu

I’ll wait for some more performance reviews and maybe even a few patches, but this sounds promising. Was looking forward to this game so I’m glad it seems like it delivers.

Coelacanth, miesiąc temu

They get to sell it again.

Coelacanth, miesiąc temu

Those are my thoughts as well, though I’ve only had the chance to play a couple of matches so far. When I heard about the concept it sounded cooler than it feels so far, but maybe I just need to get used to it. So far the gameplay loop hasn’t really clicked for me, and balancing the hero shooter aspects with MOBA stuff like farming and buying items hasn’t felt smooth, fluid or natural.

I do imagine - much like MOBAs - it’s more fun playing as a squad though. I’ve only done random matchmaking.

Coelacanth, miesiąc temu

I’ve only had the chance to play a handful of matches but I can echo those sentiments so far, I think. Another disclaimer though is that I’ve only played random matchmaking, not any premade stacks or squads.

The resource battle sets the gameplay experience apart from stuff like Overwatch or TF2 - and not really in a good way (so far). It does get very snowbally, but if it’s intended to be a team-oriented game like Dota it’s possible I’m not seeing all the intended catch-up mechanics. It does seem like whichever team gets the best start just wins on stats, which makes the quality of matchmaking impact your fun a LOT. Uneven teams lead to very boring matches. I’ve also run into the classic Dota problem of “finish plz” - where a dominant team farms kills outside your base instead of finishing the game.

All aspects of the game are clearly alpha though - and there is potential here. Like highlighted the map is great and I think the hero designs are good (both visually and mechanically). With both four abilities and four slots for active items the game looks to be making its niche complexity and high skill ceiling - much like Dota (unsurprising given Icefrog is designing this).

I also think the MOBA aspect of pushing and farming isn’t necessarily a bad concept as it does introduce a bunch of micro-objectives which drive player movements and create emergent gameplay. It just needs better balancing I think.

Coelacanth, miesiąc temu

I can see potential in the concept - needing to push and farm and take down neutrals or world bosses creates micro objectives and incentives for player movements and varied gameplay circumstances emerging from it. The shooter framing makes for a faster-paced style compared to Dota/League, and the ability and item system adds complexity and customization which increases the skill ceiling.

I think a big issue right now is balancing. The game is very snowbally and if there are catch-up mechanics in place I haven’t found them. So not losing the lanes is super important and whichever team builds a lead over the first couple of minutes tends to extend that into running the enemy team over. It also makes matchmaking and team skill gap a big problem (just like all MOBAs) since if you have a bad player they have a double negative effect: not contributing and feeding the enemies.

Apart from the aesthetic I do think the hero designs are pretty good (both in looks and gameplay) and the map has been pretty great - lots of traversal options and verticality.

I’ve had some decently fun matches today, but it’s a very uneven experience.

Coelacanth, miesiąc temu

I never played HotS but I played Dota 1&2 for many years. Recalibrating for Deadlock hasn’t been easy, despite being familiar with stuff like last hitting.

The farm thing is what stands out to me most, as you can’t really play passively if you feel like you’re outmatched skill-wise in Deadlock. In something like TF2 or Overwatch you can play more defensively if you feel disadvantaged, but here what will happen is you’ll fall so far behind on farm you’ll never be able to contribute.

The map feels too small and the pace too high, somehow, and 4 lanes seem too many. It’s been hard to feel like you can leave your lane and gank without opening too much of a vulnerability on your “home” lane. This exacerbates the problem of one lane getting stomped and that snowballing into an unstoppable victory.

It’s very possible all these problems diminish with good team play, though. This might be one of those games you can’t enjoy properly without organised team play and active voice comms.

Coelacanth, miesiąc temu

I never played it so couldn’t tell you, but if you want to try out and tell me how it compares I can toss you an invite.

Coelacanth, miesiąc temu

As someone who hadn’t even heard about Monday Night Combat until you brought it up, I’d love your take on how they compare after you’ve gotten some games in. Looking it up they do seem to have overlaps.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

I think both things can be true at the same time. 30h of gameplay off a $20 game is a very reasonable proposition. At the same time, not managing to translate the procgen core mechanic into - if not infinite then - better replayability is absolutely a flaw. Some will see the procedurally generated content part and hope for something to sink hundreds of hours into, so it’s a fair warning.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu (edited 2 miesiące temu)

I’m only a few minutes in, but one thing I’m already noticing from the gameplay: proper ammo types being looted like 9x19mm FMJ (as opposed to “Pistol Ammo” reported from a previous build). Good sign.

EDIT: The visuals are stunning and it’s promising how well they’ve captured (and built upon) the stellar atmosphere of the originals. I love hearing the designers emphasise loneliness, desolation and fear - all essential to the magic of STALKER. I do hate the immersion breaking video game compass at the top. Hopefully it can be turned off.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

I think it looks pretty good. Intrigued about what they said about the AI, I think that’s one of STALKER’s strengths - A-life and not only the combat AI but the way the world feels alive and dynamic. If they nail that - along with the atmosphere - they’ll have a great product, even should it turn out the story is mediocre.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

Very cool. I still haven’t gotten to play it, but I’ve heard good things. Hope they find success with their newly founded studio!

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu (edited 2 miesiące temu)

Reminds me of the old Dota 2 closed beta days… Good times. Also on an unrelated note, if anyone has a spare invite my DMs are open.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

I remember playing Dota 1 and 2 in parallel for a while because so few heroes were in the beta and I wanted to play new hotness like Ember Spirit. Fun times.

Quitting Dota has been great for my mental health, though. But I guess I’m at least curious enough about what the frog is cooking to risk getting addicted to something new.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu (edited miesiąc temu)

EDIT: invite received, deleting steam ID for privacy

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

Accepted.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

Looking forward to trying it! Dota is not for everyone, but I’m excited to see what the frog is cooking. He’s a very talented game designer.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

Sent you a friend invite to be able to send you a playtest invite. Remember to pass it along in the chain.

Coelacanth, miesiąc temu

You need to accept the friend request for me to be able to invite you to the playtest.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

I’ve said it many times before but Letho would be my pick. Very nuanced character, big protagonist energy, CDPR original content so they don’t have to worry about lore as much. Also an even better character than Geralt if you want to really lean into the morally grey side of the Witcher universe.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

I definitely see parts of it - at least narratively - but I think having Ciri as a full protagonist poses a lot of problems. Either you have to explain away her powers somehow - or you lean into it and end up with moving away from the Witcheriness. You’ll have no Witcher senses, no potions, no signs and instead have a bunch of magic (not to mention teleportation and time travel).

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

That’s fair. I think - behind a new customisable Witcher protagonist - Ciri is most likely simply because of name recognition and the value it carries into promoting the game.

My talk of Letho is only a personal pipe dream.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

Letho is too cool to be killed, such a great character in my opinion. Plus he took care of Yen, you know, and he had his reasons - even if he got a bit naively manipulated. Loved the conversation with him at the end, sharing a drink.

The unbroken continuity is cool, though I think very few things carry over all the way from 1 to 3? I know there is the tattoo, probably something else too.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

I can’t speak for the other, but in my opinion the Woolsey Uncensored version is the best way to play FFVI.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

Great tip, I’ll look into it for my next playthrough!

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

OWB is probably the best one on balance, but I do love Lonesome Road. Some of those levels are so cool and the atmosphere of pure desolation is chefs kiss.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

I remember the DM tools and custom campaign multiplayer being fantastic, but I don’t remember too much of the actual story. What I do remember is hating the restriction of a single follower, as the party banter is one of my favourite things in this type of games.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

Yeah I had pretty much the same experience. BG2 was my favourite game at the time (it’s still up there) so I was incredibly hyped, but it felt flat in comparison.

At least I got enough bang for my buck with the multiplayer stuff.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

I like these posts, but I can not even remotely comprehend how you can juggle all the like one dozen games you play at the same time in your brain.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

More power to you, I just can’t relate. I can see going between one narrative game and a couple of non-narrative games. Sometimes you just feel like a game of Civ for example or whatnot in-between sessions of say Cyberpunk. But if I’m into one narrative I usually don’t feel like switching, and if I find something else I get sucked into I lose track of the previous one and don’t feel like going back. Juggling this many story games at once is crazy to me. It’s like carrying on 12 different conversations simultaneously. I know people exist that can do it, I just don’t understand how.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

I mostly play strategy games for enjoyment - and against the PC - so for me the slow pace of turn-based is perfect. I don’t like to be stressed when I’m playing something to relax. That’s why Civ is my go-to when I’m in the mood.

It doesn’t help that I also don’t have the hands or brain to juggle everything in an RTS. I’ve tried several and they look fun at a glance, but at the end of the day I can’t put out adequate APM to actually have fun with them.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

It’s a shame the writers and directors of The Frontier were so shit. The programmers did stellar job within the confines of that crappy engine and I’m still salty Xilandros fantastic vehicle implementation isn’t made available as a standalone (officially).

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

I haven’t thought about this game in many years. I only remember it taking so long to come out it became an early meme, and then finally coming out as a wet fart after all those years.

I played a little bit of this, and while it’s definitely still a work in progress, it actually feels like a cohesive game coming together.

I guess the mod is based on earlier leaked builds? I only took a glance at the ModDB page. Have you played the original? Is the mod any better?

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

I hope they’ll eventually release an official VR version. I don’t usually clamor for VR but this game seems so perfect for it.

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

Impeccable taste, DS1 Great Scythe has such a fantastic moveset. Is it your first time playing?

Coelacanth, 2 miesiące temu

I hope you’re enjoying it, that first blind playthrough is quite magical. First half of DS1 is just a masterclass in level design. No other game has made me so excited to find a shortcut.

Coelacanth, 3 miesiące temu

I haven’t read the design docs for Van Buren myself, were there enough in there to actually build a game out of or is this project more fanfiction and educated guesswork?

Coelacanth, 3 miesiące temu

Probably won’t do a complete playthrough using this, but would be fun to screw around a bit as Letho and live out my fantasy of him being the protagonist of the next Witcher game.

Coelacanth, 3 miesiące temu

I’ve been mainlining Esports Godfather, which is the surprise hit of the year for me so far. The title is nonsensical and on the surface it looks like it can’t be good, but it’s been so much fun.

It’s a MOBA-themed sort of deckbuilder/autobattler/management game - which sounds like a hot mess but plays so much better than you’d think. At least after you get over the initial information overload.

I wish the AI was a little smarter, but even with the game being a touch too easy it’s incredible how much fun it is. Loads of cards and heroes to build synergies with and rotating version rulesets keeping things fresh even within a single run.

At just €16 on Steam I’d easily recommend it to anyone with an interest in the genre, and there is even a free demo that covers the first couple hours of a run.

Coelacanth, 3 miesiące temu

I suspect uncapping FPS would break physics and damage calculations. FromSoft are fond of tying those to FPS.

I’m not surprised about the rest either, though they really should start getting criticized for it in my opinion. No DLSS in 2024 is especially hard to excuse.

Coelacanth, 3 miesiące temu

For sheer versatility you can’t beat PC, so that is going to have to be my choice. Having flexibility between KB+M and controller, having access to mods and tweaks and (typically) having a wider array of graphics/performance options to tailor to your preferences makes for an unbeatable package.

That being said (and it pains me to say this given my distaste for Nintendo), I absolutely loved the 3DS. The dual screens were cool, it had good ergonomics for me and a nice weight in your hands and there was something very satisfying in the mechanics of flipping it open or listening to the click as you slam it shut. It’s just a really nice device to use.

Coelacanth, 3 miesiące temu

Can we not go after one of the few good guys in gaming? Please? If you want to hound someone Nintendo is right over there.

Coelacanth, 3 miesiące temu

This is why the game lost me to be completely honest. I felt like the type of storytelling changed into more of a Sunday morning cartoon type vibe where the gang always wins and nobody ever dies.

There was a point during the story (probably Post-ARR through the beginning of post-Stormblood patch quests?) where it felt like there were actual stakes and risks of consequences and the lives of beloved characters were actually in danger and I loved that.

But instead more people seemed to come back from the dead than actually die.

Coelacanth, 3 miesiące temu

For sure. Will probably be even more likely if the Elden Ring DLC does really well and further propels FromSoft into a true mainstream household name.