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Hey all! Salt and Sanctuary is a Metroidvania "Souls-like" developed by Ska Studios in 2016 for the Playstation 4, ported soon after to Steam. I'll be playing the Steam version because while I'd like very much to play Bloodborne I'm not quite rich enough to buy a system for a single game I'd like to give some kind of overview of Salt and Sanctuary to start with, but truth be told this is going to be a (mostly) blind LP. Other than a few experimental forays to get the hang of the controls and feel of the game I haven't played it before, and by the third episode (three hours in) I will have seen all the content that was not new to me and a fair bit that is. What I know/knew going in is this: 1. The game is a 2D Metroidvania (leaning on the Igarashi side of the scale) with combat and leveling inspired heavily by the Dark Souls franchise and its spiritual relatives Demon's Souls and Bloodborne. 2. It's rumored to be hard, especially if you're playing as a magic-user, which of course I am therefore doing. 3. It was made almost entirely by two people. 4. The opening areas of the game are okay but I really hope it gets better later on. Joining me in commentary is Fletcher, who goes by END ME SCOOB, and he's great. Check out his Sailor Moon: Another Story thread when you're done here if you haven't already. Now here's the tricky part. This is a blind LP and though you won't be getting candid reactions from me because we're recording commentary in post, I want my actual play to be natural, unspoiled first-time play. But Fletcher is doing some research on the side and I'm counting on him to make cryptic threats and make fun of me when I do something that will turn out to be stupid later on, so please post all the spoilers you want for him to read, JUST AS LONG AS THEY'RE SPOILER TAGGED so I don't accidentally read them. And err on the side of tagging more rather than less, because I can be quick on the uptake when I'm not supposed to know something. Other than that, feel free to mock my goofs and/or praise my awesomeness, and comment on whatever has already appeared in the LP so far. For purposes of neatness the first video will be in my next post. Once I've posted a few more I'll make an Episode list in this post, maybe with some cute graphics if I can motivate myself to make them.
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Jun 18, 2016 03:31
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 22:35 |
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Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXPP0CbbVKg Apologies for the audio quality on my voice, I'm in the process of recompiling the video to change the L/R balance. It's all audible and clear, though. Future videos will be better, this was my first attempt at a video LP.
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Jun 18, 2016 03:32
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It sounds like one of you choose to use cheese cloth instead of a pop filter, but it still sounds pretty decent. The dude panned hard to the right has the same vocal timbre of Ryan from Achievement Hunter, which I promise is a praise and not a criticism. I haven't made it past the first few moments, so I'll edit with my full feelings once I've finished the full hour-long video.
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Jun 18, 2016 08:09
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Mic feedback has been noted, by the way.
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Jun 22, 2016 01:06
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While I was kinda turned away because of the graphics, seeing the gameplay from the video made me decide I want to give the game a try. I'll wait for the summer sale to see if it gets any % off first though.
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Jun 22, 2016 06:11
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Whoo that game has some rough visual styling going on. I'm intrigued by the gameplay though! I wonder if the traps and challenges manage to get any of Dark Souls' cleverness later on, or if they're just trolly ha-ha-gently caress-you-nerd moments.
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Jun 23, 2016 01:00
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The traps are definitely avoidable. Despite some of my partner's playstyle.
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Jun 23, 2016 01:35
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Skippy Granola posted:Whoo that game has some rough visual styling going on. I'm intrigued by the gameplay though! I wonder if the traps and challenges manage to get any of Dark Souls' cleverness later on, or if they're just trolly ha-ha-gently caress-you-nerd moments.
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Jun 23, 2016 01:44
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Zanzibar Ham posted:While I was kinda turned away because of the graphics, seeing the gameplay from the video made me decide I want to give the game a try. I'll wait for the summer sale to see if it gets any % off first though. I have to agree, I was mildly interested in the game when I heard about it, but seeing some screenshots were a turn off. I might grab this on sale after seeing the video, the mechanics are very interesting.
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Jun 23, 2016 11:26
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END ME SCOOB posted:The traps are definitely avoidable. >:[ No but really, mea culpa, as we'll see in a few moments. Skippy Granola posted:Whoo that game has some rough visual styling going on. I'm intrigued by the gameplay though! I wonder if the traps and challenges manage to get any of Dark Souls' cleverness later on, or if they're just trolly ha-ha-gently caress-you-nerd moments. So far I'm seeing more in the way of just "ha-ha-gently caress-you-nerd" moments, but I'm inclined to forgive the game because I'm honestly uncertain how Dark Souls style clever traps would even work in a 2D side-view game. Generally if I can't think how a game might have done better with its premise I try to be kind with my criticism. Whether the idea of a 2D Dark Souls is inherently possible/worthwhile is certainly a valid and encouraged topic of discussion ITT, however.
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Jun 24, 2016 01:15
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzAF4tDI5LA Audio should be better in this video and it's all uphill from here. For the record, I've got the next video pre-made as well and will be working on the fourth this weekend. I don't want to commit to a firm schedule but my plan is to update this thread every 1-2 weeks as my schedule allows. The videos will all be about an hour in length, based on what seems to be the pacing of this game and my own preferences for video LP's of longer/soulslike games, which I personally enjoy watching for relaxation at night. I'm not a terribly funny person in voice but I at least know not to try to be, and Fletcher is purposefully working as a sounding-board and backup commentator despite his excellent sense of humor in his own LP's, and doing a fantastic job, so the LP will likely continue to have the more laid-back tone it's had so far. Fake_Kraid fucked around with this message at 01:37 on Jun 24, 2016 |
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Jun 24, 2016 01:33
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Probably just a slight word of advice, but it might be good to keep your video links somewhere in the OP (or in that general area). That way people that might be new to your thread can see the videos you've done rather than looking through your individual posts. Also when you inevitable archive this then I think only the OP will be archived.
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Jun 24, 2016 02:09
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Niggurath posted:Probably just a slight word of advice, but it might be good to keep your video links somewhere in the OP (or in that general area). That way people that might be new to your thread can see the videos you've done rather than looking through your individual posts. Also when you inevitable archive this then I think only the OP will be archived. Yeah, once I post my third video I'll do that, I'm gonna make some simple graphics for the links.
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Jun 24, 2016 02:10
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Because you brought it up, Doppelsoldner were landsknecht mercenaries who took positions on the front lines for hazard pay. It translates to "double pay man"
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Jun 24, 2016 04:24
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Skippy Granola posted:Because you brought it up, Doppelsoldner were landsknecht mercenaries who took positions on the front lines for hazard pay. It translates to "double pay man" They were also trained to use heavy crossbows and two-handed swords (the Zweihander or its predecessor, Bidenhander), and were on the front lines to break up pike formations to open holes that cavalry could exploit.
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Jun 24, 2016 04:51
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Fake_Kraid posted:It's rumored to be hard, especially if you're playing as a magic-user, which of course I am therefore doing. Whoever told you this is very very wrong, a magic user can break the game in half pretty easily.
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Jun 24, 2016 05:01
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Fake_Kraid posted:Yeah, once I post my third video I'll do that, I'm gonna make some simple graphics for the links.
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Jun 24, 2016 06:28
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Please actually edit your videos. There's no value in seeing you fail a hundred times on your way to the boss, never mind at the boss.
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Jun 24, 2016 20:53
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botany posted:Please actually edit your videos. There's no value in seeing you fail a hundred times on your way to the boss, never mind at the boss. Seconding this. There's not much point in having post commentary in the footage you're talking over isn't edited to cut out the chaff. e: Re:Dissidia. If you have a half-decent computer you can just emulate it with PPSSPP. Genocyber fucked around with this message at 18:39 on Jun 25, 2016 |
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Jun 25, 2016 18:23
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I won't be editing out all deaths because they're part of the soulslike genre experience, but I've already made plans to edit out future uninteresting ones, and I only die once in the next video. I'm also in the process of redoing the third video to address audio concerns before I post it, and future ones will be improved. Thanks for the feedback! EDIT: Unfortunately the major events of the past week have made my work on Facebook unusually busy this weekend, so I may not get around to posting video 3 until Monday or Tuesday. I'll make sure it's re-worked before I do. Fake_Kraid fucked around with this message at 00:47 on Jun 27, 2016 |
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Jun 25, 2016 23:57
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Are you still planning on fixing the R/L balance on the first video?
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Jun 27, 2016 00:11
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While I cannot speak for my partner, he now has the tools to remedy this and it'll probably all go live with video 3.
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Jun 27, 2016 00:40
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Fake_Kraid posted:I won't be editing out all deaths because they're part of the soulslike genre experience, but I've already made plans to edit out future uninteresting ones, and I only die once in the next video. You don't need to edit out the deaths, just the retreading up to those deaths (unless something interesting happens on the way).
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Jun 27, 2016 06:28
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Here's Episode 3 and with it the last of my confusion over earlier runs. Things get promising at the end and I suspect next episode will be fun to record. Before I post it I'll edit the OP to include a Contents section. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MSu8EynpDE Fake_Kraid fucked around with this message at 02:31 on Jul 1, 2016 |
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Jun 30, 2016 00:25
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So far so good! I dig the long-format episodes. Perfect for relaxing at the end of a long day
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Jun 30, 2016 05:14
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The "dinosaur feet" look of the Raptor Sabatons reminds me of my preferred leg armor from Dark Souls 2, the Looking Glass Leggings. I like to just call them "the Feet" because, well...
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Jun 30, 2016 07:45
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Audio levels are still all over the place. Your voices (especially yours, kraid) is too low against the background, so when there's action you're barely audible. Your intro-music is massively louder than anything else in the video.
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Jun 30, 2016 08:03
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Skippy Granola posted:So far so good! I dig the long-format episodes. Perfect for relaxing at the end of a long day Great, this is pretty much exactly what I had in mind with the pacing and tone. I do the same thing with ENB's Souls LP's. EDIT: retouched audio video is uploading now Fake_Kraid fucked around with this message at 02:04 on Jul 1, 2016 |
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Jun 30, 2016 15:02
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Yeah, not gonna lie, the latest episode is unwatchable for me. Can't hear you over the game audio when anything reasonably loud (like combat) is occurring.
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Jun 30, 2016 22:39
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The audio doesn't seem that bad to me, but maybe you already adjusted it? I might actually suggest turning up the brightness or contrast in game. Something a lot of dark soul's streamers/let's players did was turn up their brightness (or maybe I actually mean contrast?) in game to improve their recording. Yes it might look really awesome while you play but when you take dim mood lighting and throw youtube encoding on top of it sometimes all you get back is swathes of blackness. I haven't played the game though, maybe some of those cave walls are just plain blackness, but I'd like to imagine at a higher game brightness setting there would be be grey shadows. Your video is still more professional than anything I've ever done though. I really enjoyed episode two a lot. It had progression, learning, silly deaths, surprises, fire and lightning. I think the 2d nature of the game actually makes it quite watchable because there's no rapid FPS camera movement to give youtube's bitrate fits. Here's a picture of your video and how black youtube has made this particular section of cave (other caves in previous videos were much more detailed to my eye, but maybe the game is lazy in this spot?) 
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Jul 4, 2016 03:18
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namad posted:The audio doesn't seem that bad to me, but maybe you already adjusted it? Pretty sure that it's just actually that dark. S&S actually goes through with what Dark Souls 2 talked about doing but didn't - it really really wants you to use the torch, or make using/not using the torch a decision with actual consequences. There are a ton of dark areas in the game, with a decent number of places being actual total blackness if you aren't using the torch or some alternative source of light. If I recall correctly, that area isn't quite in the pitch blackness category but you won't be seeing detail without a torch, lantern charm, etc on.
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Jul 4, 2016 06:39
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Yeah, the game is massively black-tinted. I might have bought this myself during the Steam sale.
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Jul 4, 2016 06:51
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Torches can be bought cheap so the extreme darkness is more of an annoyance when it crops up.
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Jul 4, 2016 17:16
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namad posted:The audio doesn't seem that bad to me, but maybe you already adjusted it? Hey, thanks for the feedback! Yes, I already retouched the audio, and I'm glad it helped. Hopefully the newer videos will be good out the gate. As for the darkness, that is a bit darker than the actual game, but not a whole lot. It's also darker than the YouTube video appears on my screen, actually, so we might have different system video settings or monitors, but I'll try your suggestion for the next video and see if it helps, since I want the best experience for viewers. However, it may be a bit before the next video. I live on the East Coast and we're undergoing a severe heat wave at the moment, with nearly saturated humidity to boot, and I work outside, which means I'm basically coming home with heat exhaustion every day. I'll do my best to get the fourth video up soon but I don't want to make a hard promise on the time because I can't afford to burn myself out (literally or figuratively). I'd like to say that something will be up before next week, but if it isn't it doesn't mean I've given up the LP, just that I'm too wiped out from work to do it until the weekend.
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Jul 6, 2016 23:45
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You're allowed to say "my coLPer does not always line up with my schedule, which is why we started from a backlog". Proust.
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Jul 7, 2016 00:15
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I bought the game myself. Some parts of the game are in fact pitch black on purpose. I think I use lantern charm/torch more than you have been. No worries about the brightness though, leave it as is if you want. In dark souls a pitch black room makes no sense. In this game though you can use a torch for a second, see the layout of the room, put the torch away and keep playing. In 2d the ability to see is not actually as important as in 3d. So far I've played the game through the first 4 bosses on four different classes/playstyle eventually settling on playing as a greathammer strength and heavy armor brute through the first 6 bosses.
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Jul 7, 2016 08:17
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I like the art style, but I've been playing Ska games since Ye Olden Days, so I guess I'm used to their hosed up heads. Just bought this last night because the LP made a compelling case for me. I look forward to much salt in my life.
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Jul 7, 2016 17:15
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This isn't a bump exactly, and it's the last comment I'll make before the next content post, I just wanted to let everyone know the LP isn't dead. I've recorded the footage but it's been hard to edit because the heat has been brutalizing me every day. I'll have it edited this weekend without fail and record commentary with Fletcher as soon as he's free, so with any luck I should be able to post next week. Sorry for the delay, and for anyone else working in this heat, please be careful. Take breaks and drink lots of water. See you all next week! EDIT: Finally, video's exporting, I'll be posting it in just an hour or two. Thanks for being patient, everyone who's still going to watch this! Fake_Kraid fucked around with this message at 18:48 on Jul 30, 2016 |
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Jul 15, 2016 00:28
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Hey, everyone! Sorry for the awful delay, weather etc etc. Here's the new video, it should be more polished than previous ones. The next video will have a death counter, assuming I die, and I'll add the directory into the OP too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtdQxZcqbcw
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Jul 30, 2016 22:20
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 22:35 |
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Been waiting for this. Regarding magic, as long as your best fire and best lightning spells are roughly similar in damage, you really ought to use the Storm Ring and ditch the link. as long as you pay a bit of attention you can avoid taking damage from too much imbalance entirely, while having significantly boosted magic damage.
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Jul 30, 2016 23:05
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