📹 Blakeyrat's Videos Thread (Robots in the News et al.)
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If you liked CONSORTIUM (you didn't):
Ah, that's the one where I got stuck because there was no apparent way to get to the bad guy I was supposed to attack, and I never got around to looking for hints.
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That's the one where I was bored to tears because it's the talkiest of all talky games, and then it introduces a few game mechanics that looks like they might be fun (FPS stuff with guns and action), then it turns out the game ends before you EVER ONCE GET INTO A FPS SEGMENT THE ENTIRE GAME IS JUST JIBBER JABBER TALKING BOREDOM TALKING OMG SO BORING.
... anyway, you can see how the video turned out unwatchable.
I will say this for it: "free" is the appropriate price.
EDIT:
You're the only other person on my friends' list who's played it, hahaha.
Goddamned, that's 46 minutes of my life I'll never get back.
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"free" is the appropriate price.
I'm pretty sure I got it from the game gifting thread, so yeah, free.
the game ends before you EVER ONCE GET INTO A FPS SEGMENT
There was a weapons training segment, but I wouldn't necessarily say it was fun. I haven't played it since September, so my memory is a bit hazy, but IIRC there's no way to "win" that segment; the enemies just keep coming until you walk out of the training room. And the amount of ammo you can have is so limited that it's hard to stay alive. Or something like that.
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There was a weapons training segment, but I wouldn't necessarily say it was fun.
Well me neither, but at least it was A GAME instead of just picking dialog tree options.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjAKGVLFNk4
Is the world ready for a shitty ripoff of Hotline Miami with graphics drawn in MS Paint?
No.
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Urja.
The Store page says stealth and strategy are important aspects of the game, neither of which you were using. Your "press buttons and see what happens" approach was definitely Doing It Wrong™ for this game. Would it be a good game if you played it the way it's meant to be played? I dunno, but I don't think your attempt was really a fair evaluation.
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My videos are NEVER a fair evaluation, are you new here?
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It turns out there's a help button on the main menu which explains the game and is white-on-white. (You can BARELY see it in the extreme top left in the first few seconds of the video.) I honestly didn't even see it until I was editing the video afterward.
But hey, this game developer made his bed by releasing this game with an awful first-play experience, and now he has to lie in it. The gameplay mechanics and controls are utterly non-self-explanatory, and he neglected to add any kind of tutorial. I make no apologies for that.
Maybe next time, he'll try play testing the thing before releasing it.
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My videos are NEVER a fair evaluation
This may be the truest thing you've ever posted here. ;)
releasing this game with an awful first-play experience
Fair enough.he neglected to add any kind of tutorial
Yeah, but be honest; you would have skipped it anyway.
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Yeah, but be honest; you would have skipped it anyway.
Meh. I do about half the time.
But that's not the point. If I can play a game like Saint's Row IV (to pick an extremely random example) which is 50 times more complex than Urja and it doesn't require any tutorials or usage of the Help button, then what the fuck is Urja's excuse? Just lazy developers. Which also explains why instead of getting $10 a pop for it like the developers of, say, Undertale or Banished, he's getting a tiny percentage of the 30 cents I spent on it.
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he'll try play testing the thing before releasing it.
It's the age-old problem: People try to act as play-testers while knowing intimate details about how the game works, so they never get a glimpse at a first-play experience.
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If I can play a game like Saint's Row IV (to pick an extremely random example) which is 50 times more complex than Urja and it doesn't require any tutorials or usage of the Help button, then what the fuck is Urja's excuse?
OTOH, SR4 is a TPS and follows the conventions for TPS games; anybody who's played any TPS can sit down and start playing SR4, at least enough to get through the early stages and start learning whatever little things make it not just a reskinned generic TPS. Urja is a different sort of game, possibly sua generis (I dunno; I've never seen any similar game, but I'm far from familiar with every indie game out there), and has completely different game play. It has some FPS-like characteristics, but if you approach it as just another FPS, you're not going to have a good time.
This, of course, makes it all the more important to have a decent tutorial. This is the game's obvious failing, not that it's a bad game (maybe it is; maybe it isn't), but that they didn't put enough effort into the first-play experience.
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I want a device that can temporarily remove my memories of a specific thing.
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OTOH, SR4 is a TPS and follows the conventions for TPS games; anybody who's played any TPS can sit down and start playing SR4, at least enough to get through the early stages and start learning whatever little things make it not just a reskinned generic TPS.
Dude. I play video games like 80 hours a week. What the FUCK is a TPS?
Theater Puget Sound? Tacoma Public Schools? Temporary Protected Status?
I'm on page 4 of Google because I get to anything relating to video games, and it's this:
Skill Calculator for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! » ThePreSequel.com
Skill Calculator for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel characters. Choose one to get started!
The Pre-Sequel.
I think what you're trying to say is "third-person shooter", which I guess is technically correct when you're on foot, but I think most people would refer to Saint's Row as an open-world crime game. The difference is open-world crime games have vehicles you can enter and exit at any time. (And vehicle play is certainly not a third-person shooter.) Although Saint's Row IV is so goddamned ridiculous it kind of exceeds that definition, too. But the whole point of Saint's Row (III and IV at least) is to over-exaggerate the genre's tropes to the point of utter ridiculousness.
...
Anyway, ranting about you typing gibberish aside, the point is this: Saint's Row IV (without anything that can be explicitly called a tutorial) teaches you its own controls as you play, as all decent games do. Sure, a person who's never played a third-person-shooter might have a more difficult time getting started, but they will get started. Unlike with Urja, which is utterly inscrutable.
Urja is a different sort of game, possibly sua generis (I dunno; I've never seen any similar game, but I'm far from familiar with every indie game out there),
It actually sounded pretty clever once I figured out the goal. Too bad:
- There's no tutorials
- It's punishingly difficult (read the reviews on Steam)
- Playing it requires a knowledge of chess I don't possess (apparently some chess pieces "outrank" others? Go figure)
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It actually sounded pretty clever once I figured out the goal. Too bad:
There's no tutorials
Biggest fault, in my opinion.
It's punishingly difficult (read the reviews on Steam)
That's not necessarily a bad thing, though I probably wouldn't enjoy playing it.apparently some chess pieces "outrank" others? Go figure
I'd say "more powerful" rather than "outrank," but yeah. As well as having different attack modes. Attacking a queen before you've leveled-up (or whatever Urja's equivalent is) is probably not going to end well.
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That's not necessarily a bad thing, though I probably wouldn't enjoy playing it.
If nothing else, it's a fucking cliche in indie games right now.
I read a good article some indie dev wrote about it, I wish I could remember enough keywords to find it again. It's basically about there's a cabal of indie game players who hang out at indie forums, volunteer for play testing, and LOVE punishingly difficult games, and it's leading to a world in which ALL indie games are at all times punishingly difficult.
Not to say the developers aren't at fault for neglecting to put in a reasonable difficulty slider. But still.
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a world in which ALL indie games are at all times punishingly difficult.
[Insert generic "do not want" meme here.]
I play games to have fun and not think too hard. Games where you fail 200 times for every success are frustrating, not fun.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POGnevbmLa0
BoxesWithGuns, a.k.a. a terrible ripoff of Geometry Wars.
Also I feel like the bad techno music comes from a clip music CD, like I've heard it in 38 other indie games in the past...
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Overcast - Walden and the Werewolf
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqv9ulGOtDA
Pixel Heroes: Byte and Magic, a game I didn't utterly hate.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84AuCwvhkyk
Coin Crypt. Confusing Mess.
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I got a huge pog vibe out of that game. The idea of using coins for both currency and abilities is interesting.
I liked the visual style, but that game desperately needs a tutorial and better UX.
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I liked the visual style,
You did? I couldn't tell what the fuck ANYTHING was. The white cube is a skeleton, go figure.
I'm glad it prints the Xbox controls on the screen so people can see how demented they are. Using right trigger as "Ok"? Huh???
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#EAT VIDEO SUCKERS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax_-pgzUCDs
Fitz the Fox. It's like Super Mario Land, but somehow a lot more feature-bare and tedious to play.
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feature-bare and tedious to play.
It's funny how that happens with fox-related things on this forum...
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Hey, it's a nice simple game, kinda like things I used to do for my uni projects, it's probably just some kid's scratch freeware game...
EIGHT FUCKING EURO? Fox that shit.
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And a-fucking-gain:
Designed to resemble a game for a classic portable game system with simple game play, pixelated graphics, and a 4-color color pallet.
Dear game developers. Lame graphics and lack of innovative gameplay are NOT A FEATURE.
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Urja.
Catching up with your thread.
I was intrigued with this game, so I gave it a try.
It's actually pretty interesting. You are a pawn (press tab to see yourself). Left mouse button sucks energy out of other pieces. You can see your current energy in the upper left corner. Once this is depleted, you die.
Right mouse button charges energy up for a mortar shot. The mortar doesn't hurt enemies (nor yourself), but leaves them helpless for a few seconds, giving you a chance to suck their energy. Once you do, you can press space to posses their body (so, space is not a broken jump button).
Other pieces will leave you alone, unless you attack them or they see you attacking a piece stronger than you. Eg. blast a pawn, and no one cares. Attack the queen and you're dead meat.
So, the way you play this game is like an assassin. Suck up free energy laying around, then pick your target. Charge your mortar shot, then follow the target around. Once you see your opportunity, you strike and quickly suck its energy. Then, if you want, you can take over its body, giving you a better chance against more difficult enemies.
The goal is to suck dry all the other pieces (indicated by the number in the upper right corner).
I've yet to beat a level. I get one other piece or maybe two, but then stupid bishop comes along and recharges them. My strategy right now is to drain a pawn or some weak piece, then lie in wait for the bishop to come along and waste his energy reviving it. Then I strike and take over the bishop. Still haven't managed it, though.
So, is this a good game? Hmmmm.... it's an interesting prototype. But the game itself is very barebones. As you've seen, there's zero story, tutorial or any trapping you would expect to see in a game being sold for actual money. There actually is a help screen in the main menu, but no one's gonna click that.
I'd like to see a competent game made with these mechanics. It's a pretty cool idea.
EDIT: And I realize there was actually a big discussion about this already. Whatever. I blame Discourse.
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I read a good article some indie dev wrote about it, I wish I could remember enough keywords to find it again. It's basically about there's a cabal of indie game players who hang out at indie forums, volunteer for play testing, and LOVE punishingly difficult games, and it's leading to a world in which ALL indie games are at all times punishingly difficult.
Probably this:
Early Access, Difficulty Fetishists, and Driving Yourself Insane
BRACE FOR IMPACT I am always amazed by how little I am able to predict the game industry. The success of Steam Early Access (where devel...
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Seriously. For a buck or two, it'd be one thing, but for $10 you're competing with fucking Terraria, buddy. TERRARIA.
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Right mouse button charges energy up for a mortar shot.
I did that accidentally once, then never could figure out how to do it again.
Once you do, you can press space to posses their body (so, space is not a broken jump button).
That explains why it makes a jumping sound.
There actually is a help screen in the main menu, but no one's gonna click that.
Nobody can fucking see it. The button's white-on-white.
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Probably this:
BRACE FOR IMPACT I am always amazed by how little I am able to predict the game industry. The success of Steam Early Access (where devel...
YES.
Jeff Vogel's the best. He's like the indie game grandpa who's old enough that he just doesn't give a fuck anymore. As a result, his blog is about 57 times more insightful than anybody else in indie gaming.
I'm super tempted to play Witcher 3 as a result of his article (the current blog entry), but I can't get past the utter lack of character customization. I couldn't finish the first Witcher game because Geralt is a total douchebag, and I don't see any evidence that he's any better in Witcher 3.
And I don't really get the point of a Skyrim-esque RPG where you can't create your own character.
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I'm super tempted to play Witcher 3 as a result of his article (the current blog entry), but I can't get past the utter lack of character customization. I couldn't finish the first Witcher game because Geralt is a total douchebag, and I don't see any evidence that he's any better in Witcher 3.
And I don't really get the point of a Skyrim-esque RPG where you can't create your own character.
Agreed, fixed main character sucks, although I don't mind Geralt in particular. But it's the same shit as voice overs in the new Fallout. The more of a meaningful story you want to have, the more you have to lock down what your character is and acts like.
I miss the days when you could set INT to a minimal level in Arcanum and have all the NPC slowly explain things to you, have special dialogues, etc. That's a crazy level of effort for what ammounts to an easter egg.
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The more of a meaningful story you want to have, the more you have to lock down what your character is and acts like.
I'm not convinced that's true. I'm sure it's more DIFFICULT.
Since most games are ruined by railroading more than "your character has no specified gender", let's solve the railroading issues first, huh? It doesn't matter if you're Male Asian Shepard or Female Hispanic Shepard, either way Mass Effect 2 ruins the plot by railroading you into goddamned Cerberus. It doesn't matter if you're lazy default Nord warrior dude or bisexual lizard-woman mage in Skyrim, either way the Thieves' Guild railroads you like fucking mad into acting like a moron.
I miss the days when you could set INT to a minimal level in Arcanum and have all the NPC slowly explain things to you, have special dialogues, etc. That's a crazy level of effort for what ammounts to an easter egg.
They stole that from the 2D Fallout games.
And I still say "int" is a stupid stat. It's up to the player to decide how intelligent their character is; it shouldn't be a number the game engine tracks. That's retarded.
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And I still say "int" is a stupid stat. It's up to the player to decide how intelligent their character is; it shouldn't be a number the game engine tracks. That's retarded.
This is the first time I heard someone advocating against RPGs tracking mental stats. I'm not sure it would work.
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Well it's a role playing game. Some things that are used as "stats", like intelligence or charisma come from the acting of the person playing the role.
Now obviously that presents a problem when your role playing is limited to a dialog tree. So I totally get that.
But I still maintain it doesn't make sense in any environment where you're actually playing a role. When they were casting Forrest Gump, they didn't pick a real actor with an IQ of 70. They picked Tom Hanks and told him to act like his IQ was 70.
What would make MORE sense, if you use "int" to dictate how quickly spells are learned, call it something like, "magical affinity". Something separate from how intelligent a character is.
Someone mentioned Arcanum, it did something clever with its stats system, where each stat had a physical and mental component. So the physical component is, say, Beauty, and the mental component of same would be Charisma. Not really related, except earlier conversation reminded me of it.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5-LEY7OFSE
Deep Dungeons of Doom, there's a horrible mic hit less than 30 seconds in and yet I am too lazy to re-upload to fix it, so cope.
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This is your type of game I am sure:
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Hey that Hitler game got right to fucking business, hell yeah. No boring chatter.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ewlp2e0ya8o
THIS URL WILL SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE TURN INTO A VIDEO FOR CROSSCODE.
Which is a lame JRPG but at least has real-time combat instead of just menu selections, so there's that. Still talky as shit though, goddamned. Shut up and make with the video game!
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I want a device that can temporarily remove my memories of a specific thing.
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Deep Dungeons of Doom, there's a horrible mic hit less than 30 seconds in and yet I am too lazy to re-upload to fix it, so cope.
Since I already had this in Steam library, you inspired me to actually give it a try.
Agreed about controls. They have 4 fucking keys, yet you need both mouse and keyboard to play the game. What were they thinking!?
Then I got bit further into it, and I realized - this is a mobile port. Steam is a distant third or fourth platform. I installed it on iPad and yup - this is the interface it was designed for.
I disagree about technical aspects. I love both the pixel art graphics and the music.
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And I don't really get the point of a Skyrim-esque RPG where you can't create your own character.
It's a book-based game, so they kinda have their hands tied. Just like in a Harry Potter game, you expect to play as Harry Potter and save the world, not as some wimpy kid who attends classes and sees Potter once or twice.
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Well it's a role playing game. Some things that are used as "stats", like intelligence or charisma come from the acting of the person playing the role.
Now obviously that presents a problem when your role playing is limited to a dialog tree. So I totally get that.
But I still maintain it doesn't make sense in any environment where you're actually playing a role.
You're fighting a monster with a weak character, and you can't perform all the combat moves or hit as hard as you'd like. You're talking with an NPC as a stupid character, and you can't pick all the dialogue options that a smart character would have. There's little difference between these two scenarios that I can see.
I agree that mental stats play much more strongly into a "role" than physical stats. But then again, if you want to play the role of a smart witty character, then you just pump up your INT and CHA scores, and you're good to go. That's just how RPG-s work. The role you want to play is expressed through character stats you pick or roll.
If you were complaining about alignments, on the other hand, then you'd have a much stronger case, IMO.
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It's two icons. When the weapon one blinks, you hit D. When the enemy blinks, you hit A. If you hit the key too late you either do less damage, or take damage.
That's the ENTIRE GAME RIGHT THERE. THAT'S ALL THERE IS.
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It's a book-based game, so they kinda have their hands tied.
I understand it's based on a book. You're not telling me anything new.
I'm not saying they did it for no reason at all, or even a dumb reason, I'm just saying I'm not interested in that type of game. I don't get the point.
Tequila - Wikipedia
