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 What is Transistor? Transistor is the second game by indie studio Supergiant Games. They made their debut with Bastion, a story-driven isometric view action-RPG where you must discover the truth behind an apocalyptic scenario. Transistor is a story-driven isometric view action-RPG where you must discover the truth behind an apocalyptic scenario. Well, at least they're sticking to what they know. In any case, while some may see Transistor as a Bastion clone, I consider them two separate games altogether. In Transistor the details of the combat and upgrade systems are very different from Bastion's, ranging from weapon selection and actual fighting, even if Bastion veterans will feel like they've seen some of this stuff before. The story of Transistor unfolds little by little, but unlike Bastion, it is told almost in a circumspect manner, never quite stating outright what was going on. Since much of the lore is hidden behind game functions, the narrative lends itself to a lot of theorizing about the whos, whys, and ifs. Why LP this game? Bastion has already been LP'd by Chip Cheezum (check it out in the Archives), but Transistor is another game that people should check out. The gameplay elements, soundtrack, voice work, and story are all top notch, if needing a bit of a polish here and there. It's a game worth playing. This LP aims to go through the story, and show off everything (or at least, almost everything) the game has to offer. How is the game being LP'd, and what are the thread rules? Rather than do voice commentary, which I feel would interrupt the game's atmosphere, I opted to do subtitled commentary explaining game mechanics as we go. At points I'll also make one or two personal observations about the game. There is only one thread rule: no spoilers!                                              Functions derived from contact with Subjects. Trace data encrypted in Functions. User access granted for Subject file data.                  Limiters remove restrictions on the Process but improve User access permission to Functions. Encrypted comments detected in source control. User access granted for Process file data.          
Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 20:03 on Apr 26, 2015 |
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Nov 30, 2014 06:13
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 03:23 |
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Ah, this game. Wanted so much to like it as much as Bastion, but the fighting had been made worse with the turn () function. Which was a shame because the active/passive system was inspired.
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Nov 30, 2014 07:36
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I still liked it, and didn't get quite so stuck by being bad at it like Bastion. Though I did manage to kill stuff in Time 0 well.
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Nov 30, 2014 08:20
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I never finished the Cheezum LP for Bastion because I just didn't find the game interesting. This, on the other hand, looks like it has a very neat setting crammed to the gills with flavor. It doesn't hurt that I'm also digging the hell out of the soundtrack. Voiceless Red-head Ex-Singer with an Intelligent Weapon bent on Revenge? This is gonna be fun.
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Nov 30, 2014 08:23
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to be honest i'd have a hard time saying that this or bastion is better than the other because they both do things really well in their own way. the setting for this is definitely my favorite of the two, though.
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Nov 30, 2014 08:26
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This setting is very, very cool. I've no problem putting it up on equal footing with Sebastian.
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Nov 30, 2014 09:21
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Is the video link not working for anyone else?
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Nov 30, 2014 09:39
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Captain Bravo posted:Is the video link not working for anyone else? Won't load for me, yeah.
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Nov 30, 2014 09:57
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Huh... Polsy isn't loading up at all. I didn't make a link to YouTube on the image up there... I'll make small Youtube and Polsy icons for the links later. For now, you can watch the first episode on YouTube here. Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 10:07 on Nov 30, 2014 |
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Nov 30, 2014 10:04
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it worked for me earlier so i think polsy is just loving up right now.
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Nov 30, 2014 10:08
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This game is currently 25% off on Steam and about 40% off on EU PSN (presumably also on NA PSN though I can't check that). You should get it. You should all get it. Transistor is a gem of a game.
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Nov 30, 2014 15:00
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Honestly, I was a bit disappointed with this game after Bastion. The story and presentation are amazing, but the combat just feels lackluster. Bastion is solid fun even if you take the plot out, Transistor wouldn't hold without it.
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Nov 30, 2014 15:14
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Yeah, I liked the turn() mechanic but having to run around helpless for several seconds every time you use it felt really terrible.
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Nov 30, 2014 18:58
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Sindai posted:Yeah, I liked the turn() mechanic but having to run around helpless for several seconds every time you use it felt really terrible. Yeah, it'd be really neat if the game had something that addressed this, like, oh, say, a skill that could be installed as an upgrade to other skills to allow them to be usable in Turn() recovery. ...and gave it to you very early on in the game. Okay, me being dickish aside, while Turn() is hella cool and arguably a main selling point of the combat system, Transistor is also a Real Time Action game whenever you're not using Turn(). You shouldn't really be using Turn() all the time, for that exact reason; you'll spend a lot of time vulnerable and it can suck. But if you do want to play a Turn()-heavy style, the designers have thrown you a bone with the Jaunt() skill. Breach(Jaunt()) was always a staple of mine.
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Nov 30, 2014 19:55
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Well yeah obviously I used that for the whole game because it helped a bit, but only being able to use one or two skills was still pretty terrible. I honestly think removing that mechanic altogether would have improved the game. If that meant buffing enemies a little to compensate, that'd be fine by me.
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Nov 30, 2014 20:06
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Fedule posted:Yeah, it'd be really neat if the game had something that addressed this, like, oh, say, a skill that could be installed as an upgrade to other skills to allow them to be usable in Turn() recovery. Really? I felt that the game was almost unplayable without Turn(); the enemies were just too fast/animation wind-ups for a lot of attacks too slow for attacking outside of Turn() to ever be feasible.
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Nov 30, 2014 20:09
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The game looks (and sounds) stunning, but it's definitely one of those things that are beyond me physically, Turn() or no Turn(). (So yay for an LP!)
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Nov 30, 2014 20:15
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if i remember correctly there's more than a few spots where turn() is basically required due to how certain enemies behave but they could have put in a little bit of a compromise where the player is able to use weaker versions of their skills when turn() is recharging or something. either that or like two of them are randomly blocked off for the duration. just some way where the player isn't entirely defenseless. i never had much issue either way, to be honest, because whenever i planned moves i would try to make them as effective as possible so i had the time to recharge.
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Nov 30, 2014 20:18
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Samovar posted:Really? I felt that the game was almost unplayable without Turn(); the enemies were just too fast/animation wind-ups for a lot of attacks too slow for attacking outside of Turn() to ever be feasible. Yes, Turn() is essential and straight-up required in some cases but that still doesn't mean you should do all combat in Turn(). Think of it like a combo finisher. There are fast attacks that are suited to general action-game use, plus you've got the Breach() skill, which you have right from the start of a fresh file, which removes the windup time of another skill when you use it as an upgrade. You can either use Turn() as an offensive measure, where you power it up as much as possible and deal hella damage, and either just run away afterwards or use a skill upgraded with Jaunt() as a stopgap, or you can use it defensively, doing most of your combat in realtime and using it when things get hairy to either quickly finish a foe or to just run away (or when it's safe to do so and you know you can survive the cooldown). Turn() itself has mechanics that reinforce this choice - most notably, if you use only a little of it, it recharges much faster, and if you use it up completely (by cramming an expensive skill into the last sliver of bar) there'll actually be a bigger delay before it starts recharging.
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Nov 30, 2014 20:35
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From what I can see in the video, Turn() is basically borrowing time from the future and compressing it for immediate use. And once Turn() is done, you have to pay back the time you borrowed. Am I right in thinking that you'll have the same number of actions whether you use Turn() or not, and the difference is in when and how you use them?
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Nov 30, 2014 20:43
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my dad posted:From what I can see in the video, Turn() is basically borrowing time from the future and compressing it for immediate use. And once Turn() is done, you have to pay back the time you borrowed. Am I right in thinking that you'll have the same number of actions whether you use Turn() or not, and the difference is in when and how you use them? ...sort of? What we've seen in the video is the bare basics of the system. There are some other intricacies that become available as more abilities are unlocked which obviously we won't be discussing now because of spoilers, and other little things that are technically active but haven't been shown yet or expounded upon in commentary. On the whole, though, you're right; using Turn() is basically borrowing some time that you have to pay back. I don't know if the time taken to do all the skills in a Turn() is exactly equal to the time taken to do them normally but somehow I wouldn't be surprised if the planning cost of an action is relative to its actual "cast" time. The biggest straight up benefit is that you can't be hurt during Turn(). However, things can still move (slowly) and enemies will get shifted around by stuff you do in Turn() and you'll have to account for that sometimes. There's other stuff too but I assume that'll all be shown in videos very soon. E: I noticed the Steam sale on Transistor also includes the Soundtrack, which is a must-buy if you're on Steam. The vocal tracks are up to what is rapidly becoming Supergiant's usual excellent quality, and the BGMs are pretty good too, though not as well suited to general listening as Bastion's since Transistor makes heavy use of variable mixes with tracks fading in and out all the time depending on whatever. Fedule fucked around with this message at 21:52 on Nov 30, 2014 |
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Nov 30, 2014 20:54
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Those animations are so unsatisfying, does she ever learn to swing her anime sword like a sword?
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Nov 30, 2014 23:04
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Victis posted:Those animations are so unsatisfying, does she ever learn to swing her anime sword like a sword? it's huge as gently caress compared to her and probably everyone else in the city
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Nov 30, 2014 23:09
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Agent Kool-Aid posted:it's huge as gently caress compared to her and probably everyone else in the city Yeah, that. I'm actually appreciative of the fact that she carries the thing around like it's heavy as gently caress and doesn't really know what the hell to do with it. It would look dumb as hell if she was swinging it around like it was weightless.
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Nov 30, 2014 23:16
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i definitely agree. it shows that she isn't exactly trained in things like that and even if anyone was i doubt they'd be able to swing it around like crazy. supergiant is pretty good at putting in little touches like that, and it helps the overall presentation.
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Nov 30, 2014 23:32
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Yes this obvious sword with a handle to swing with, I'll stab into the ground. Sometimes I'll ride my motorcycle holding it with one hand like Cloud Strife though. If it's just a dumb design decision that's cool, was just wondering if that changes.
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Nov 30, 2014 23:35
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Actually with how well the rest of the character's attacks are animated, I could see her swinging it around and really showing how hard it is. My previous experience with this game is watching someone play about thirty minutes of it. It looked cool and good, but I just got tired of hearing Mr. USB-sword's incessant dialogue.
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Nov 30, 2014 23:38
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Victis posted:Those animations are so unsatisfying, does she ever learn to swing her anime sword like a sword?
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Dec 1, 2014 00:50
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So, about that bike. It's actually an anime and has a weird sword holder. Convenient, I know!
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Dec 1, 2014 00:54
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Question: How are the KB+M controls for this game, anyway? Now that I think about it, it seems like it's really suited for gamepads, with your four active abilities mapped to the four face buttons that are always in easy reach. From the videos it looks like you're using the 1234 keys to switch between abilities and LMB to use them. It sounds... kinda clunky, especially if you're trying to do it while moving outside of Turn().
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Dec 1, 2014 01:10
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Fedule posted:Question: How are the KB+M controls for this game, anyway? Now that I think about it, it seems like it's really suited for gamepads, with your four active abilities mapped to the four face buttons that are always in easy reach. From the videos it looks like you're using the 1234 keys to switch between abilities and LMB to use them. It sounds... kinda clunky, especially if you're trying to do it while moving outside of Turn().
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Dec 1, 2014 01:14
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Samovar posted:Really? I felt that the game was almost unplayable without Turn(); the enemies were just too fast/animation wind-ups for a lot of attacks too slow for attacking outside of Turn() to ever be feasible. This. I don't remember a situation where not using Turn() wouldn't have meant standing in place and getting wailed on during a 5 second wind-up animation for an attack that doesn't even kill anything. I cannot imagine playing this game not conducting combat entirely within Turn().
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Dec 1, 2014 02:11
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Yeah, for me the time between Turn() was just 'okay, now dash around the field with Jaunt, because realtime will kill you dead'.
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Dec 1, 2014 02:45
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Map Jaunt to a medium-long range function, preferably one with AoE (Spark is a favorite of mine). In the beginning of the fight, find the most annoying rear end in a top hat on the battlefield and use Turn(). Kill it dead. Then use your Jaunted function to defend yourself. If things go south, run behind a wall and attack it with the function. The AoE will go through a wall and hit the enemy. Do this until Turn() comes back up. Repeat. Alternatively, Bounce lets you hit enemies from behind cover as it will bounce off the walls and into the enemies. This game has balance issues in both directions, but they give you a wide toolkit to use. You are encouraged to experiment and you really, really should. I have never bothered to Jaunt around the field, with the exception of several gimmicky fights. That said, I didn't like this game as much as Bastion. Its customization somehow felt a lot more limited and its world was somehow not nearly as interesting. The few really cool parts of the settings are usually shoved off screen as fast as possible, which I thought was a real shame. And the other issue is that if you start to lose, chances are that you will keep losing. You don't have a potion as a panic button (though you can make one...sorta...) and certain enemy configurations basically require you to bypass their mechanics altogether with Mask unless you want to end up in Stunlocktown, population: you. Bastion had a similar problem, but it was only really prevalent when you used the god handicaps. It's somehow a lot worse in this game.
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Dec 1, 2014 08:33
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Like what you're doing with the subtitles. This is looking good. Though, your technique of just spamming crash without setting up combos and backstabs was getting to me.
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Dec 1, 2014 08:40
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Jenner posted:Like what you're doing with the subtitles. This is looking good. EDIT: The footage, which was originally meant to show Red's thoughts as subtitles rather than mine before I changed that, was supposed to show how the player/Red would learn to fight more effectively as the game went on. Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 08:53 on Dec 1, 2014 |
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Dec 1, 2014 08:49
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Fedule posted:I don't know if the time taken to do all the skills in a Turn() is exactly equal to the time taken to do them normally but somehow I wouldn't be surprised if the planning cost of an action is relative to its actual "cast" time. There's one thing where Turn() cheats for your benefit: if the function's planning cost is higher than the amount of cost left, you can still use the said function at the end of the Turn(), meaning you can squeeze in a ridiculously high-cost function with just 1 cost left or so.
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Dec 1, 2014 10:59
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Uhh, is that really a cheat? According to this post:Fedule posted:If you use it up completely (by cramming an expensive skill into the last sliver of bar) there'll actually be a bigger delay before it starts recharging. You end up paying the price for that high cost by Turn taking longer to recharge than if you'd left a little bar left.
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Dec 1, 2014 11:18
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Again, it balances out: you get a much more powerful turn that lasts longer. Not sure whether I'd call it a cheat either, as far as I can tell it's one of the few reasonable ways to deal with the bullshit New Game + will throw at you. But I will freely admit I didn't explore the combat system as much as I could on account of not really having enjoyed the gameplay that much.
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Dec 1, 2014 11:21
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 03:23 |
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Ah, that part was already stated, skipped over it, my mistake. As for the NG+ difficulty is concerned, there's a number of much better ways to cheese the hell out of the game regardless of difficulty but that's with a number of skills that haven't been mentioned yet.
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Dec 1, 2014 12:30
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