The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition - Obsidian's first-person sci-fi RPG set in a corporate space colony

[Daedalos]

THis review is pretty great and right on the money

https://www.reddit.com/r/truegaming...uter_worlds_isnt_very_good_and_the_honeymoon/

Some highlights:

Choices - This is probably the best part of the game, but it still has issues. The way skill progression works, you can be REALLY good at several major things. Every encounter, whether it be through dialogue becomes a cakewalk pretty early on. It doesn't force you to make tough decisions about your character. I don't remember a situation where I couldn't convince someone to do something I wanted, even though I was simultaneously very good at long guns, pistols, engineering, and science, on top of speech. Making dialogue choices that align with your character is fun, but you don't have to work for it.

Overall, there just isn't enough "there" there. I don't need great combat in an RPG, but it's greatly missed when the RPG part of it doesn't pick up the slack. The armor, weapons, perks, skill system, consumables, mods, combat variety --- none of them are unique or interesting enough to facilitate roleplaying. You're never forced to make tough choices while roleplaying either, and the story isn't nearly good enough to make up for an Action-RPG that fails at both action AND roleplaying. I often wondered why I was even playing it. If I can't make a niche character, if the combat is bad, if it isn't challenging, if the story is passable at best...what's left? Not much. It's an odd mix of bad and mediocre for the most part. There's some great stuff that elevates it beyond being "bad" overall, but not by much.

I think the hype has created a bias where people feel comfortable or even compelled to praise it, but not to criticize it.

 

[DalekFlay]

I am at Monarch and used mostly 2 weapons - Plasma Rifle and Plasma Rifle with corrosive mod. Nothing lives past 2-3 shots, but it is usually 1 for non-Mega critters and any human enemy on Hard.

Well maybe you know some damage secret I don't. Mantiqueens take like 7-10 shots to kill on hard for me, with my best guns. Yes they are tinkered/modded up. The fights are still easy mostly because of enemy behavior and inhaler/bullet time, not because you kill everything super fast.

Drastically lower the amount of ammo and weapons you can find on higher difficulties. Make unique weapons stronger, and their wielders too (right now, they are pretty much on the same level as any other NPC). Put hard hitting weapons on hard to reach locations, good armor too. It would solve a lot of problems people are complaining about, like lack of hard boss fights, non rewarding exploration, difficulty being too easy, all of which would positively impact game atmosphere, and also prolong it for those who found it too easy and short.

I'd be for all these, but A) I'm not sure they'd make the game harder, and B) I'm not sure they're simple enough for a patch or mod without mod tools. My point is I don't think there are simple tweaks to enhance the difficulty, I think it's rooted in design.

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

I am at Monarch and used mostly 2 weapons - Plasma Rifle and Plasma Rifle with corrosive mod. Nothing lives past 2-3 shots, but it is usually 1 for non-Mega critters and any human enemy on Hard.

Well maybe you know some damage secret I don't. Mantiqueens take like 7-10 shots to kill on hard for me, with my best guns. Yes they are tinkered/modded up. The fights are still easy mostly because of enemy behavior and inhaler/bullet time, not because you kill everything super fast.

There’s another variable at play here: how many points do you have in your weapon skill? Enemies die a lot faster when your critical chance is at 75% rather than 25%. Especially with that 50% critical damage boost when you get the skill to 40, and the 20% aimed shot damage boost at 60.

The game is easy enough that you don’t really need to put skill points into ranged weapons, but it dramatically boosts your damage output.

 

[DalekFlay]

There’s another variable at play here: how many points do you have in your weapon skill? Enemies die a lot faster when your critical chance is at 75% rather than 25%. Especially with that 50% critical damage boost when you get the skill to 40, and the 20% aimed shot damage boost at 60.

The game is easy enough that you don’t really need to put skill points into ranged weapons, but it dramatically boosts your damage output.

My first playthrough I spread my points out pretty wide, assuming the game gave you too many like most modern RPGs. I did have 100 in long guns at the end though and the inmates in the final "dungeon" were still super bullet-spongey. I was mostly using the sniper rifle from distance with bullet-time headshots and shotgun up close. I had all the crit chance boosters. It really depended on the enemy though, a lot of them would die from one headshot but Mantiqueens? Fuck no, bullet-spongey as hell.

Note a lot of this might depend on subjective thoughts as to what "bullet-spongey" is. I prefer less hits both ways, i.e. enemies die more realistically in one headshot or a couple body shots, but I die quickly too. If pumping a whole clip into a Mantiqueen isn't bullet-spongey to you, then there's our problem.

Normal mode is a joke because you one-shot almost everything and they barely damage you at all.

 

[krilcebre]

Pistols only isn't THAT easy I must say. It's still not very challenging either tho.

 

[DalekFlay]

Pistols only isn't THAT easy I must say. It's still not very challenging either tho.

My current playthrough is a Han Solo style gunslinger freedom fighter and I don't feel like it's that different. Maybe that's because I leveled up handguns much faster than long guns though. I'm at handgun level 80ish around level 20 and it's killing things mostly as fast as my sniper rifle did. The plasma pistol that fires three shots is by far the best. The revolver sadly isn't that great.

 

[krilcebre]

Heh, that explains it because I'm only using the revolvers. :D

 

[aweigh]

best revolver is Lucky

 

[Darkwind]

The author looks exactly like I expected

Nah, just a masculine-looking fat woman. She's married https://twitter.com/requinegg/status/1095724953129893894

I WONDER WHY "SHE" IS "MASCULINE-LOOKING?" I DON'T KNOW. IT IS A MYSTERY.

Even Saturday Night Live use to take the piss out of trannies and androgynous weirdos. They wouldn't make this skit today in 1000 years. HATE CRIME!!1!1!

 

[Reinhardt]

Still no nude mods. This game is really dead.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

Still no nude mods. This game is really dead.

Only SJWs like the designs of the characters and SJWs do not know jackshit about game design (and modding) outside of knowing how to restrain the vision of those who do.

 

[eXalted]

During my playthrough I hacked everything, unlocked everything, killed almost everything, persuaded everyone. How are people doing multiple playthroughs? I don't have the feeling that I missed anything.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

During my playthrough I hacked everything, unlocked everything, killed almost everything, persuaded everyone. How are people doing multiple playthroughs? I don't have the feeling that I missed anything.

Masochism.

 

[Zer0wing]

During my playthrough I hacked everything, unlocked everything, killed almost everything, persuaded everyone. How are people doing multiple playthroughs? I don't have the feeling that I missed anything.

Different outcomes, different sides. But it's true that the game mostly stays the same and not worth early replay.

 

[Orma]

There’s another variable at play here: how many points do you have in your weapon skill? Enemies die a lot faster when your critical chance is at 75% rather than 25%. Especially with that 50% critical damage boost when you get the skill to 40, and the 20% aimed shot damage boost at 60.

The game is easy enough that you don’t really need to put skill points into ranged weapons, but it dramatically boosts your damage output.

My first playthrough I spread my points out pretty wide, assuming the game gave you too many like most modern RPGs. I did have 100 in long guns at the end though and the inmates in the final "dungeon" were still super bullet-spongey. I was mostly using the sniper rifle from distance with bullet-time headshots and shotgun up close. I had all the crit chance boosters. It really depended on the enemy though, a lot of them would die from one headshot but Mantiqueens? Fuck no, bullet-spongey as hell.

Note a lot of this might depend on subjective thoughts as to what "bullet-spongey" is. I prefer less hits both ways, i.e. enemies die more realistically in one headshot or a couple body shots, but I die quickly too. If pumping a whole clip into a Mantiqueen isn't bullet-spongey to you, then there's our problem.

Normal mode is a joke because you one-shot almost everything and they barely damage you at all.

I shaved off 90% of mega MANTIQUEEN hp bar wIth 1 charged sneak attack from a plasma rifle, with sub-30 weapon skills ON SUPERNOVA, same goes for dead-eye assault rifle I got later.

I did have maxed SCIENCE though

 

[DalekFlay]

During my playthrough I hacked everything, unlocked everything, killed almost everything, persuaded everyone. How are people doing multiple playthroughs? I don't have the feeling that I missed anything.

Played as pro-corporate first time, pro-freedom the second time. Also, as usual with these games, I tend to ignore/avoid things to leave them for a second go. I only did two companion quests the first time for example, and barely stepped foot on Scylla, and flat out ignored stuff like the Iconoclast quests after broadcast tower, the movie studio stuff, etc. Level cap of 30 means you can do very different quest stuff in each playthrough and still max out. If you do everything you can the first time though, then no, the pro-corp or anti-corp stuff isn't worth a second go right away.

 

[Sailor Woedica]

This is just totally fierce.

 

[ItsChon]

This is just totally fierce.

Now find a video like this where a woman who DOESN'T look like she's been hit by a train trys to make a character.

 

[Viata]

Well, this guy would hate it if he had long hair.

 

[eXalted]

All the SJW shit aside, the Parvati quest line was the worst written thing in the game. Actually can't believe that it was released in that form. Wording, pacing and all.

*killing robots and stuff* then suddenly, oh I feel something, look she wants to tell me something, oh look an envelope, oh look there is this other girl... oh ... geee. what should I do.. oh.... ah... okay, captain. Thank you.

Doesn't matter if it's lesbian, straight, or whatever the kids call it these days story. It's just so bad.

 

[Jezal_k23]

The Parvati stuf, she only asked me on the ship, for some reason, a place in which it felt appropriate at least. Turned out ok for me.

 

[RK47]

Pajeeti was hijacked lah. From losing her father and not knowing her mother into wow look at that Chinese prime ribs on display. It was ok until she sends me into an abandoned colony filled with killer reptiles to fetch desserts and buy clothes for her date.

 

[TheEntitledOne]

As soon as I saw what her personnal quest was about I just ignored her and every other companion. If the characters were written better I wouldn't mind, but they are too damn bland. Not even Bethesda bad, just boring.

How many of them are diverse at the end? I was very suspicious of the obnoxius doctor chick and the younger guy. The danger hair negress seemed like the most one-dimensional of them (hurr durr, I like booze and hunting x100).
I only bothered with the "priest" and the robot.

 

[eXalted]

)I only bothered with the "priest" and the rbot.

This. The others are an unbearable mess.

Priest was interesting and also I enjoyed watching SAM pee over the screaming enemies with that acid gun of his.

 

[CyberModuled]

As poor as Parvati's quest is writing wise, I still think Ellie holds the worst companion quest in the entire game because as utterly mundane as Parvati's was, there was at least a motivation of sorts. I seriously don't even see what the fucking purpose of Ellie

Spoiler

going to her parents and telling them she's still alive while asking you to act tough (Did she even give a reason as to why she wanted you to do this?) and then immediately getting pissed when they collected her life insurance policy for thinking she's dead while she never kept contact in any form. Then right after you're given the objective to fucking steal from them all the while the game practically makes you loosely tie in a "See, you need friendships in space" to it to make it seem like there was an actual purpose when she begrudgingly agrees.