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Mithross
Apr 27, 2011

Intelligent and bright, they explored a world that was new and strange to them. They liked it, they thought - a whole world just for them! They were dimly aware that a God had created them, was watching them; they called out to him, thanking him in a chittering language, before running off.

AkumaHokoru posted:

thats because epic brought out another crowdfunded game shenmue 3. people are pissed at epic with good reason.

It didn't just go to epic, they also announced at the same time that they would not issue refunds to people who do not want the game on epic. You can get it on PS4 instead, but that's it.

Completely unrelated, but has anyone tried Deck of Ashes? It's been popping up on my steam and I'm intrigued.

Mithross fucked around with this message at 04:45 on Jun 11, 2019

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beer gas canister
Oct 30, 2007

shmups are da best come play some shmups they're cheap and good and you like them
Plaster Town Cop
I kinda love Unexplored but an expected death on defeating the final boss killed my best run and I haven't summoned the will to go back since. Certain seeds are just BRUTAL. Also i suck at the puzzles.

beer gas canister fucked around with this message at 05:17 on Jun 11, 2019

Somfin
Oct 25, 2010

In my🦚 experience🛠️ the big things🌑 don't teach you anything🤷‍♀️.

Nap Ghost

Mister No posted:

Huh. I had no interest in MOTHERGUNSHIP because I disliked Tower of Guns so much. Might give it a go, though, that looks and sounds really neat.

As someone who actually quite loved Tower of Guns (from an idea standpoint if not from an actual execution one, the little sparks of brilliance and charm in it made up for the lack of consistent quality), I'm getting this fucker right the goddamned gently caress now.

girl dick energy
Sep 30, 2009

You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?

Mithross posted:

It didn't just go to epic, they also announced at the same time that they would not issue refunds to people who do not want the game on epic. You can get it on PS4 instead, but that's it.
From a business standpoint, that makes sense, they'd just hemorrhage money. From a PR perspective, yikes.

OutOfPrint
Apr 9, 2009

Fun Shoe

atholbrose posted:

Hmm. Unexplored 2 is up on Fig in a new kind of early-access stretch-goal/milestone format. The different look is striking, and they are definitely going for making it more complex.

The page mentions Steam keys so people are already complaining about Epic on the comments page.

I love the new art style, but I'm a little wary of the node-based travel. Unexplored's big draw was the incredible map generation, and this doesn't seem like it would mesh with that well.

And, yeah, EGS is a flaming shitshow of well-deserved bad press right now, and this seems like the kind of indie they'd scoop up.

goferchan
Feb 8, 2004

It's 2006. I am taking 276 yeti furs from the goodies hoard.

atholbrose posted:

Hmm. Unexplored 2 is up on Fig in a new kind of early-access stretch-goal/milestone format. The different look is striking, and they are definitely going for making it more complex.

The page mentions Steam keys so people are already complaining about Epic on the comments page.

It mentions Steam keys for the first game . For the sequel it just says "we will probably launch on one or more other platforms" and leaves it vague

Lunatic Sledge
Jun 8, 2013

choose your own horror isekai sci-fi Souls-like urban fantasy gamer simulator adventure

or don't?
I beat Void Bastards; I agree that the ending is kind of... abrupt? I expected one last big fuckening with the pirates, but my adventure for the last part was kind of uneventful. I'm thinking maybe there should have been a pre-made finale ship or something, bookend with the tutorial a bit

in the steam discussions, though, the developers did say they're moving onto "longer term support for the game" after they get some bugs / issues hammered out, so here's to hoping for more enemies / ship variety / etc. It is a very solid game with a very absorbing loop, though it does start to wear towards the back half--after some initial troubles dealing with zecs and patients, I don't think I had too many surprises

well, no BIG surprises, the first ship I boarded after seeing the ending had a feature I'd never seen before (I imagine this is a coincidence)



it would cycle through a bunch of random screens, mostly pertaining to sharing info with your cat who looks perfectly normal and is not a robot, it got a low key chuckle out of me

AkumaHokoru
Jul 20, 2007

Mithross posted:

It didn't just go to epic, they also announced at the same time that they would not issue refunds to people who do not want the game on epic. You can get it on PS4 instead, but that's it.

Completely unrelated, but has anyone tried Deck of Ashes? It's been popping up on my steam and I'm intrigued.

They managed to not mention steam at all for the kickstarter but now there was no need for the kickstarter because epic decided it wanted a game after fans made sure the game could be made... if the game didnt reached posted status can they still slam the chargeback because at this point everyone who helped finance the game got hosed. (i guess they can give people the game on epic but people donated because it was steambound) shenmue 1 and 2 being on steam means epic is just putting their dick in the pudding and not bothering to hide it.

AkumaHokoru fucked around with this message at 11:21 on Jun 11, 2019

Alkydere
Jun 7, 2010
Capitol: A building or complex of buildings in which any legislature meets.
Capital: A city designated as a legislative seat by the government or some other authority, often the city in which the government is located; otherwise the most important city within a country or a subdivision of it.



Lunatic Sledge posted:

I beat Void Bastards; I agree that the ending is kind of... abrupt? I expected one last big fuckening with the pirates, but my adventure for the last part was kind of uneventful. I'm thinking maybe there should have been a pre-made finale ship or something, bookend with the tutorial a bit

in the steam discussions, though, the developers did say they're moving onto "longer term support for the game" after they get some bugs / issues hammered out, so here's to hoping for more enemies / ship variety / etc. It is a very solid game with a very absorbing loop, though it does start to wear towards the back half--after some initial troubles dealing with zecs and patients, I don't think I had too many surprises

well, no BIG surprises, the first ship I boarded after seeing the ending had a feature I'd never seen before (I imagine this is a coincidence)



it would cycle through a bunch of random screens, mostly pertaining to sharing info with your cat who looks perfectly normal and is not a robot, it got a low key chuckle out of me

If you're squeamish, do not take a close look at the seat of the reprogramming chair next time you're in one of those. :gonk:

Also I thought I had a fuckton of regulator ammo at about 800...

My biggest complaint about the ending was that it was entirely predictable. Well executed but you could see it coming within five minutes of seeing the intro/post tutorial cut-scene.

Terminally Bored
Oct 31, 2011

Twenty-five dollars and a six pack to my name

AkumaHokoru posted:

They managed to not mention steam at all for the kickstarter

Sivek posted:

the backer "what platform do you want your game on" specifically asks for ps4 or steam, so lol.

AkumaHokoru
Jul 20, 2007
That's hosed. they say they aren't offering steam keys to backers either forcing them to wait out the exclusivity period as well cant there be refunds/reports over bait and switch? epic didn't even exist as a platform when this game was funded by backers.

Captainsalami
Apr 16, 2010

I told you you'd pay!
As god as my witness, I will never download the epic launcher, ever, no matter the game. Also that seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Too Shy Guy
Jun 14, 2003


I have destroyed more of your kind than I can count.



Got this one from the developers, and I'd say it's very much a wait-and-see Early Access case unless you need to brawl zombies right this second.



1. Nova Drift
2. NEO Scavenger
3. Streets of Rogue
4. Razenroth
5. Void Bastards
6. MOTHERGUNSHIP

7. Infected Shelter



There are plenty of ways to fight in games, but there’s something unique about side-scrolling brawlers. Bunching up 2D enemies to pound on in the corner, scooting a few pixels up to avoid an attack, or jump-kicking bosses to death all hold special places in my heart. We’ve come a long way since Double Dragon and Final Fight, though, and titles like Infected Shelter are trying to mix things up with new mechanics layered over classic gameplay. In this case, it’s a promising start, but the folks behind this one will need to make the most of their Early Access period to see their vision realized.

Hey, guess what? It’s a zombie outbreak again. Don’t worry too much about the details, just know that you’ve got a camp to expand and a lot of ground to cover to do it. As either a rock star lady or a wheelchair-bound fellow and his nurse (with more characters to be added later), you’ll head off into the wastelands of society to battle both the undead and the brutal military forces trying to expunge anyone who’s not with them. Along the way you’ll find plenty of weapons and supplies to keep you on your rampage, as well as permanent upgrades and new items to unlock once you reach base camps. And if you can get far enough, you might get a little insight into what happened to your blighted world.

As a brawler, Infected Shelter starts off from a very simple foundation. You have light attacks you can mash for basic attack chains, and a heavy attack to cap off a chain or just do bigger damage. To evade attacks you can jump or roll, and attacks in mid-air can let you hang there like an anime character to beat on aerial foes. That’s pretty much it for combat variety until you pick up a weapon, but there are dozens to choose from and always a handful on every screen you reach. You can cave skulls in with shovels and maces, hack foes up with swords and chainsaws, gun folks down with rifles and shotguns, and even grab severed body parts to slam into other body parts.

The developers didn’t stop there, though, adding entire skill, gear, and item systems over the basics. You can have up to four skills at a time that run on cooldowns, things like summoning lighting storms, meteors, or allies. Your base weapon and outfit can be swapped out for others with randomized stats, anything from boosted resistances to special effects when you’re running or eating food. And then there are pets to help you fight, relics that provide new passive effects, and randomized brews that grant randomzed effects. This is where the roguelike influence is the clearest, in the huge mashup of items and resources you’ll find during runs, and unlocking exotic new tools like fire swords and ice chainsaws to enhance your rampages.

Unfortunately, the roguelike influence doesn’t extend much further than that at the moment. Your runs are mostly linear affairs, with a few side rooms and shops to stop at as you continue your inexorable left-to-right flow. The rooms themselves might be different but the environments and enemies are mostly the same, and it seems that you’ll always stop at the same bosses and mini-bosses on every journey. This can work for some roguelikes, but generally ones where there’s more variety to the combat. There’s certainly a lot of factors to the combat here, but at its core you’ll be mashing X, X, X, Y and doing the same canned executions on the same enemies every time you start up a new character.

Is it fun? Yeah, as long as you’re not entirely burned out on the zombie scene. The art style is bright and cartoony, and while the sound design is still lacking in some places it punches up the combat pretty well. Combat feels a bit light and floaty but I can’t deny the satisfaction of cleaving through a whole squad of zombies with a chainsaw. It’s just that right now, runs are going to feel pretty samey outside of different weapons and skills appearing along the way. You can’t get insane builds going like you can in other contemporary roguelikes, so hoovering up relics and agonizing over outfits doesn’t really have the same impact. It feels like all the pieces for a rollicking good brawler are here, they just need to be remixed and punched up to hit that must-play level. Until then, though, you’ll get your fill of zombie murder here.

User
May 3, 2002

by FactsAreUseless
Nap Ghost

This is probably grounds for lawyering of the class action variety.

Ragnar34
Oct 10, 2007

Lipstick Apathy
Hades update! New God, new boons, balance changes, miscellaneous tweaks of varying weight.

I have high hopes for Hermes' keepsake. The other Olympian god keepsakes seem a little pointless to me as they are now, so Hermes is now my favorite just because it feels like it actually does something.

Ragnar34 fucked around with this message at 23:41 on Jun 11, 2019

andrew smash
Jun 26, 2006

smooth soul

User posted:

This is probably grounds for lawyering of the class action variety.

you need to demonstrate damages to successfully sue somebody. People are disgruntled because it's lovely and dumb but there aren't any damages. If you even got it in front of a judge and said "they promised me the game on platform A and delivered the game on platform B" they would hear "they promised me the game ... and delivered the game ... ". Unless epic subsequently leaked the credit card info of everybody who downloaded EGS solely for this game to russian hackers nothing legally bad has happened because nobody is out any money.

User
May 3, 2002

by FactsAreUseless
Nap Ghost

andrew smash posted:

you need to demonstrate damages to successfully sue somebody. People are disgruntled because it's lovely and dumb but there aren't any damages. If you even got it in front of a judge and said "they promised me the game on platform A and delivered the game on platform B" they would hear "they promised me the game ... and delivered the game ... ". Unless epic subsequently leaked the credit card info of everybody who downloaded EGS solely for this game to russian hackers nothing legally bad has happened because nobody is out any money.

I'm not a lawyer and I assume you're not either. I do know that you have to demonstrate monetary loss to have a case at law. However you can have a case at equity to force a specific promised behavior. Anyhow, any member of the potential class that gives a poo poo could get a free consult and find out. If I were one of them I would. Could be securities fraud, could be breach of contract, could be misrepresentation. Who knows, but a competent lawyer would.

Edit: Think if you ordered a shipment to be delivered to an address where you have a presence, and the seller suddenly said nah gently caress you, you can come pick it up in Alaska. Like I said I'm not sure there is a case because I'm not a lawyer, but I do think it's lovely enough that talking to one for a free consult makes sense.

User fucked around with this message at 05:05 on Jun 12, 2019

Angry Diplomat
Nov 7, 2009

Winner of the TSR Memorial Award for Excellence In Grogging
I think the consulted lawyer is more likely to have a case against you for wasting their time than you are to have a case against Epic for being a slightly shittier than average company (or against a gamedev for legally selling distribution rights to EGS)

TooMuchAbstraction
Oct 14, 2012

I spent four years making
Waves of Steel
Hell yes I'm going to turn my avatar into an ad for it.
Fun Shoe
This kind of thing is why I view Kickstarter like loaning money to a friend -- I don't back anything where I'm not comfortable with the idea that I won't get anything back for my money.

poemdexter
Feb 18, 2005

Hooray Indie Games!

College Slice

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

This kind of thing is why I view Kickstarter like loaning money to a friend -- I don't back anything where I'm not comfortable with the idea that I won't get anything back for my money.

I view it as charity. I know the money is going to a "good cause" and if I get something out of it in the end, that's just a bonus.

andrew smash
Jun 26, 2006

smooth soul
I mostly use KS for RPG source books. The authors of those tend to treat it like a preorder system more or less. The ones that i've backed don't even reach KS until some or all of the design work is done and preview documents are available. crowdfunding money pays for editing, layout, full art, printing if they're doing that, etc.

pumpinglemma
Apr 28, 2009

DD: Fondly regard abomination.

Mithross posted:

It didn't just go to epic, they also announced at the same time that they would not issue refunds to people who do not want the game on epic. You can get it on PS4 instead, but that's it.

Completely unrelated, but has anyone tried Deck of Ashes? It's been popping up on my steam and I'm intrigued.
Even worse than that, the physical copy of the game they promised is going to be a DVD case with an Epic key inside. Really.

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe

PMush Perfect posted:

That's his scrotum. He's holding his balls.

Hahahaha ok that's incredible. I love it.

Too Shy Guy
Jun 14, 2003


I have destroyed more of your kind than I can count.



I guess this is the year I clear all the FPS roguelikes out of my backlog. Sorry if you missed this one being free on Epic and discounted on Steam last week, because it's really quite good.



1. Nova Drift
2. NEO Scavenger
3. Streets of Rogue
4. Razenroth
5. Void Bastards
6. MOTHERGUNSHIP
7. Infected Shelter

8. City of Brass



There’s a fair glut of first-person roguelikes around now, a far cry from when the field was pretty much Paranautical Activity and Ziggurat. Each needs to carve out a special place of its own, whether it be Immortal Redneck’s fast-paced vertical combat or Void Bastards’ methodical scavenging. City of Brass appears to find its niche with its unique setting and art style, a legendary Arabian city chock full of treasure and revenants. And while it does indeed have a fantastic look, it’s the combat that really stands out to me here. Using a clever mix of ranged and melee weapons with slow, powerful attacks, this one makes you feel like the baddest-assed whip-wielder since Dr. Jones or the Belmonts.

The City of Brass is said to hold untold riches and fantastic powers, but none who have plumbed its depths have returned. All the city’s inhabitants have been reduced to vicious, moldering revenants, lorded over by a cadre of genies. These aren’t the charming Robin Williams genies, nor even the questionable Will Smith genies, though. Most of them will trade with you if you’re willing to part with your treasures, granting you equipment, blessings, and other aid. But some would just as soon see you dead, and have all manner of mystical means to do the deed. And if the revenants and genies don’t get you, the shackled guardians preserving the curse on the city certainly will.

A run of City of Brass consists of twelve levels and a final encounter, split into four thematic areas. Each level is an impressively randomized crush of plazas, chambers, hallways, alleys, and balconies filled to the brim with traps and treasure. You need to reach the exit before time runs out and worse things get on your tail, but you should have enough time to explore for loot and secrets. The level layouts tend toward loops so even if you spurn your compass and wander off, you’re probably just taking the long way to your destination. The scenery is vibrant and detailed, and worth checking out because treasure could be secreted away on every ledge, shelf, and barrel in the city.

Exploration and collection is aided by your secondary weapon, a trusty whip. Right-clicking winds up a lash, which interacts with almost everything in the game world. Whipping enemies in the face stuns them, whipping treasure or throwables brings them to you, whipping rings lets you swing through air, whipping traps triggers them, and so on. Just like your primary melee attack it has quite a bit of wind-up once you click, but hits whatever you’ve got your crosshair on when it comes out so you can start the action and flick it onto your target like some kind of esports superstar. Your crosshair also very helpfully changes to indicate if you can whip something and what it will do once it gets in range of a target.

Coupled with your melee attack, the whip makes combat extremely tactical and a lot of fun to pace out. Normal foes can take two to three swings to kill, with larger ones taking more and shielded ones requiring specific tactics. You can’t swing fast enough to kill a whole group like that, but stunning with your whip and controlling distances around you can manage a group for you to whittle down. The environment is also a powerful tool, with traps you can push or pull foes into with special whip moves and throwables that are generally one-hit kills or utterly debilitating. I can’t think of another game where I spent so much time in combat interacting with the environment to such great effect, and there’s nothing like getting cornered by some hulking beast only to shove it into a bottomless pit.

You will need to watch out for those traps, of course, because they are densely-packed and quite lethal to you as well. Health isn’t too hard to get back, though, as there’s a genie who can heal you for a price and some gear items that help you restore your hearts. Once you get the cash flow going you can score all kinds of neat passive items and new weapons, as well as other bonuses like allied ghosts. Honestly once you get a feel for the pace of the game it’s not a difficult one, and I managed to beat it on my fifth or sixth attempt. The bosses were the biggest roadblock, mainly because each has a puzzley sort of gimmick you need to work out before you die. You do unlock difficulty modifiers as you play that can make the game harder, and there’s a full set of modifiers to make the game easier right from the start, so you can put the game right where you want it to be to have a good time.

There’s a lot to love about City of Brass, between the engaging combat, rewarding exploration, and vibrant setting. It took me a few runs to get a feel for fighting, especially coming off of more fast-paced FPS roguelikes. But once I did I really appreciated the deliberate pace, and how combat flows smoothly from one target to the next. The roguelike elements are strong here as well, with powerful mystery potions to quaff and a wide variety of items to unlock and use. Fans of the FPS end of the genre should not miss this one, and anyone looking for some thoughtful melee combat in their adventures should take the plunge as well.

juggalo baby coffin
Dec 2, 2007

How would the dog wear goggles and even more than that, who makes the goggles?


city of brass has been a favourite of mine i've tried to sell people on so many times

i feel like it should have got the buzz that void bastards has gotten, because out of the two games developed by former bioshock guys, city of brass has a lot more depth and content. void bastards is great but there are literally only 5 enemies types and a handful of environmental hazards, city of brass has a whole bunch of zones which all have new monster and trap types.

also one of the characters is a jolly laughing skeleton with a crossbow.

i'm really glad people are getting into A Robot Named Fight, its the other roguelike i've been trying to sell people on. it got overlooked cause it came out at the same time as dead cells, but to me robot named fight is the better game. it's more retro in its gameplay, but there's so much content, and the art style is fantastic, and theres a huge variety of zones and enemies.

User
May 3, 2002

by FactsAreUseless
Nap Ghost

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

This kind of thing is why I view Kickstarter like loaning money to a friend -- I don't back anything where I'm not comfortable with the idea that I won't get anything back for my money.

poemdexter posted:

I view it as charity. I know the money is going to a "good cause" and if I get something out of it in the end, that's just a bonus.

Even loaning money to a friend is an implied contract. It might be difficult to enforce, but it exists and it can be breached and remedy sought. Charities can also be sued for not doing what they agreed to do as a condition of the donation. Kickstarter isn't either of those very common cases, so no idea and I hope someone somewhere consults a lawyer and finds out.

Equity-based crowdfunding is another matter. That's somewhere between lighting money on fire and buying scratch-off tickets, but at least the SEC regulates it.

packetmantis
Feb 26, 2013
I don't really get the ARNF hype. I tried it and it just seemed like a Super Metroid clone without the charm. Did I just not play enough?

Captain Foo
May 11, 2004

we vibin'
we slidin'
we breathin'
we dyin'

User posted:

Even loaning money to a friend is an implied contract. It might be difficult to enforce, but it exists and it can be breached and remedy sought. Charities can also be sued for not doing what they agreed to do as a condition of the donation. Kickstarter isn't either of those very common cases, so no idea and I hope someone somewhere consults a lawyer and finds out.

Equity-based crowdfunding is another matter. That's somewhere between lighting money on fire and buying scratch-off tickets, but at least the SEC regulates it.

lol

Mithross
Apr 27, 2011

Intelligent and bright, they explored a world that was new and strange to them. They liked it, they thought - a whole world just for them! They were dimly aware that a God had created them, was watching them; they called out to him, thanking him in a chittering language, before running off.

packetmantis posted:

I don't really get the ARNF hype. I tried it and it just seemed like a Super Metroid clone without the charm. Did I just not play enough?

I bounced he’s off it the first time, the second time I tried it I liked it better. I still don’t see myself spending dozens of hours on it, but I will probably fire it up from time to time.

doctorfrog
Mar 14, 2007

Great.

User posted:

Even loaning money to a friend is an implied contract. It might be difficult to enforce, but it exists and it can be breached and remedy sought. Charities can also be sued for not doing what they agreed to do as a condition of the donation. Kickstarter isn't either of those very common cases, so no idea and I hope someone somewhere consults a lawyer and finds out.

Equity-based crowdfunding is another matter. That's somewhere between lighting money on fire and buying scratch-off tickets, but at least the SEC regulates it.

Charles Dickens posted:

"Choose your bridge, Mr. Pip," returned Wemmick, "and take a walk upon your bridge, and pitch your money into the Thames over the centre arch of your bridge, and you know the end of it. Serve a Kickstarter with it, and you may know the end of it too,--but it's a less pleasant and profitable end."

I could have posted a newspaper in his mouth, he made it so wide after saying this.

"This is very discouraging," said I.

"Meant to be so," said Wemmick.

juggalo baby coffin
Dec 2, 2007

How would the dog wear goggles and even more than that, who makes the goggles?


packetmantis posted:

I don't really get the ARNF hype. I tried it and it just seemed like a Super Metroid clone without the charm. Did I just not play enough?

it starts out seeming like a fairly basic metroid clone, but there's a lot more to it than that as you progress. its like how the first run of binding of isaac is pretty simple, but it gets exponentially more stuff in as you go.

edit: its pretty mean to say its not charming though, it has very nicely done art, the music is great, the story about the robots fighting the meat monster is cute and heroic, and theres a lot of charming robot friends you meet along the way who help you out.

juggalo baby coffin fucked around with this message at 02:49 on Jun 13, 2019

doctorfrog
Mar 14, 2007

Great.

A Robot Named Fight sounds like it is infected with internet humor Boaty McBoatFace thing, so that and the thread's generally not talking about it put it outside my interest. On the ol' wishlist now, though.

juggalo baby coffin
Dec 2, 2007

How would the dog wear goggles and even more than that, who makes the goggles?


doctorfrog posted:

A Robot Named Fight sounds like it is infected with internet humor Boaty McBoatFace thing, so that and the thread's generally not talking about it put it outside my interest. On the ol' wishlist now, though.

yeah i didnt like the name at first because it sounded monkey chease but the game's nothing like that.

its about a peaceful robot world that gets invaded by meat monsters so they have to start making fighting robots again, and the name of your robot is Fight X, where X is the number of the run.

I'm up to playing as Fight 102 or something.

TooMuchAbstraction
Oct 14, 2012

I spent four years making
Waves of Steel
Hell yes I'm going to turn my avatar into an ad for it.
Fun Shoe
The silly items in ARNF are present, but IMO not that common. Most of the items are pretty straightforwardly-named, like the Speed Shell is armor that increases movement speed and fire rate but decreases health.

I do think my favorite joke in the game is the Dive Shell, which a) lets you move freely underwater, and b) gives you a divekick move. I've yet to find a use for the divekick beyond falling faster, I just like that it's tacked onto an item that would otherwise be a very simple "you can go through water rooms now" upgrade.

EDIT: oh my god the projectile-size blessings stack.




vvv the Machine Gods can be completely ignored without detriment in my experience. I'm sure you can be more powerful if you know how to use them properly, but they're not remotely mandatory for getting strong enough to win easily. Frankly I view them as primarily just a source of lore.

TooMuchAbstraction fucked around with this message at 03:53 on Jun 13, 2019

John Lee
Mar 2, 2013

A time traveling adventure everyone can enjoy

I really like the idea of ARNF, but I can never get into it, because a significant part of the power curve of a run is the... allies? builders? shrines, I think? Big talky wall-mounted fellers.

You collect scrap in four flavors, and giving various amounts to these guys will give you... things. Items and such, presumably. But, see, most of the time, they take you poo poo and tell you to gently caress off. Fine, I suppose, no big deal. I've played games with similar mechanics. Dump enough trash into the bin and eventually something good will come out, right? Well, no. First of all, these wallguys often give you curses or boons or somesuch. A bit annoying to give up some resources and get a one-minute increase to attack speed (or worse, a one-minute reduction to attack speed), but hey, the resources aren't good for anything else. Except that sometimes they'll tell you straighforwardly what they're doing to you ("Your puny offering angers me! I curse thee with a temporary malus to attack!"), and sometimes they're not ("What is this? I curse thee!"). And it's the vagueness that'll really get you. I had a guy imply he randomized my items, not that I had many, but the screen showed all of them as the same? I gave all my scrap to one once and he told me was pleased and would give me back... an assortment of scrap. Which, besides being a weird reward for an assortment of scrap, didn't actually give me an assortment of scrap. My pockets remained empty, and I left, baffled.

After that experience, I decided to just look up information about them, to see if it would make me feel any better. Well, it didn't. It made me feel way shittier, and this cursed information is spoilered for those who wish to stay away, but I encourage all to read it and despair:


1. Each kind of shrine/crafting guy/wall-dwelling robot-thing has a special number that they love, which you are presumably intended to deduce over god-knows-how-many runs. They react better to gifts of scrap containing that number, in some various forms. Of course, there's four kinds of scrap, one kind found as regular drops from enemies and three rare kinds found in secret holes like they were missile powerups, so this information ends up immensely obfuscated, and
2. the guys aren't on any kind of random seed. A given guy, say Big Grey Orb Guy, will give the same random rewards("rewards," as in my ten non-boss-rush runs I never got any actual rewards), buffs, debuffs, etc., for the same combination of scrap, every time. Now, it's a long held tenet of mine that a game loses points for making it quite useful to keep a table of in-game information but not providing any in-game way to access the information, and this has gotta take the cake. Oh, you say if I give Green-Lights-Guy 21 grey scrap and 3 green, he'll always give me a follower and one red scrap? Better just jot that down in my notes here...


Note that the rest of the game is fine and dandy, it's just there's regular interaction with these vague, assholish guys who take your poo poo and hypothetically reward you, or worse, claim they reward you and don't. It's, IMO, a huge black mark, and I would love a mod or something that make it all a bit clearer, or fixed the things that appear to be bugs, or fixed the spoilered stuff up there.

Amorphous Abode
Apr 2, 2010


We may have finally found unobtainium but I will never find eywa.

https://twitter.com/team_d13/status/1138895066234310658

juggalo baby coffin
Dec 2, 2007

How would the dog wear goggles and even more than that, who makes the goggles?


John Lee posted:

I really like the idea of ARNF, but I can never get into it, because a significant part of the power curve of a run is the... allies? builders? shrines, I think? Big talky wall-mounted fellers.

You collect scrap in four flavors, and giving various amounts to these guys will give you... things. Items and such, presumably. But, see, most of the time, they take you poo poo and tell you to gently caress off. Fine, I suppose, no big deal. I've played games with similar mechanics. Dump enough trash into the bin and eventually something good will come out, right? Well, no. First of all, these wallguys often give you curses or boons or somesuch. A bit annoying to give up some resources and get a one-minute increase to attack speed (or worse, a one-minute reduction to attack speed), but hey, the resources aren't good for anything else. Except that sometimes they'll tell you straighforwardly what they're doing to you ("Your puny offering angers me! I curse thee with a temporary malus to attack!"), and sometimes they're not ("What is this? I curse thee!"). And it's the vagueness that'll really get you. I had a guy imply he randomized my items, not that I had many, but the screen showed all of them as the same? I gave all my scrap to one once and he told me was pleased and would give me back... an assortment of scrap. Which, besides being a weird reward for an assortment of scrap, didn't actually give me an assortment of scrap. My pockets remained empty, and I left, baffled.

After that experience, I decided to just look up information about them, to see if it would make me feel any better. Well, it didn't. It made me feel way shittier, and this cursed information is spoilered for those who wish to stay away, but I encourage all to read it and despair:


1. Each kind of shrine/crafting guy/wall-dwelling robot-thing has a special number that they love, which you are presumably intended to deduce over god-knows-how-many runs. They react better to gifts of scrap containing that number, in some various forms. Of course, there's four kinds of scrap, one kind found as regular drops from enemies and three rare kinds found in secret holes like they were missile powerups, so this information ends up immensely obfuscated, and
2. the guys aren't on any kind of random seed. A given guy, say Big Grey Orb Guy, will give the same random rewards("rewards," as in my ten non-boss-rush runs I never got any actual rewards), buffs, debuffs, etc., for the same combination of scrap, every time. Now, it's a long held tenet of mine that a game loses points for making it quite useful to keep a table of in-game information but not providing any in-game way to access the information, and this has gotta take the cake. Oh, you say if I give Green-Lights-Guy 21 grey scrap and 3 green, he'll always give me a follower and one red scrap? Better just jot that down in my notes here...


Note that the rest of the game is fine and dandy, it's just there's regular interaction with these vague, assholish guys who take your poo poo and hypothetically reward you, or worse, claim they reward you and don't. It's, IMO, a huge black mark, and I would love a mod or something that make it all a bit clearer, or fixed the things that appear to be bugs, or fixed the spoilered stuff up there.

you can win fine without ever using the shrines, they were a fairly recent addition, the base balance of the game doestn require them, you can just become very powerful if you exploit them right. also their talky window just has their special number on it in roman numerals

John Lee
Mar 2, 2013

A time traveling adventure everyone can enjoy

juggalo baby coffin posted:

also their talky window just has their special number on it in roman numerals

...Fair

Too Shy Guy
Jun 14, 2003


I have destroyed more of your kind than I can count.



I've got two roguelikes left on my list that I haven't started yet, and I'll be streaming them tonight if you want to see Sky Rogue and/or Domina in action: https://www.twitch.tv/goldplatedgames

(I know Domina is at best debatable as a roguelike, but my viewers voted on it so don't @ me)

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Thirsty Dog
May 31, 2007

doctorfrog posted:

A Robot Named Fight sounds like it is infected with internet humor Boaty McBoatFace thing, so that and the thread's generally not talking about it put it outside my interest. On the ol' wishlist now, though.

Also the problem I had with Dungeonmans!

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