Aliens: Dark Descent - real-time squad-based tactical action

[Fedora Master]

Who wrote those notes? Jeez, proof read your shit.

It is hard to proof read while under attack by xenomorphs!

Ooooh, Tindalos are French. I get it.

 

[Konjad]

Somebody explain to me why the marine refused to put the turret down. Give me a reasonable explanation.

Holy fuck that‘s games journalist levels of ineptitude, maybe just tune down the difficulty all the way down to story mode? You look like a 70 year old playing a video game for the first time in his life, what is your major malfunction? I‘m amazed you are able to turn on your computer without assistance.

He does have assistance. He calls his mom down to his basement to turn if on for him.

He doesn't actually have a PC, he plays games on PS5/Steam Deck.

 

[ciox]

Ain't nobody got time for that NewGame+ type shit. Not when the game balance is still "pistol: 1-1 damage", "pulse rifle: 1-2 damage".

Underrail style weapon system with 5000 different guns and uniques and crafting NOW!

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

I just want them to give you the ability to change squad order. Making you control the squad but have each soldier require his own line of sight for abilities is shit game design.
Especially when they keep putting the bloody recon in the back. Because as we all know, the best way to scout ahead is to stare at the back of your buddy's head all mission.

 

[ciox]

I just want them to give you the ability to change squad order. Making you control the squad but have each soldier require his own line of sight for abilities is shit game design.
Especially when they keep putting the bloody recon in the back. Because as we all know, the best way to scout ahead is to stare at the back of your buddy's head all mission.

They seem resistant to adding squad micro because the whole point of this game is the "smart squad system" that decides which order goes to which marine so you don't have to worry about it. So it may be over.

This autism is all we have:

 

[Gregz]

Lots of great assets in this game, but the direction is pretty shoddy. Bad writing and VA, limited testing, frustrating mechanics.

ADD does a good job of creating an Aliens-inspired 'action horror' atmosphere, but it doesn't give the player a very clear toolset to work with. That's probably by design, but if so then it's a poor design decision for a game. Being frustrated and watching things go to shit works as a movie, but not as a game.

 

[Tyranicon]

The smart squad system isn't very smart. Plenty of times I ended up in a sticky situation because I couldn't position my squad manually.

The blob-type squad mechanics is figured into the difficulty though. Game would be much easier with RTS-type controls.

 

[Zombra]

I love what I'm reading about the vague semi-automated controls, issuing orders and then the squad decides who actually does it. Far from being a downside. Sometimes limitations are what make a game great. Of course I haven't played it yet.

 

[Fedora Master]

The controls work fine, it's just people being autistic.

 

[Tyranicon]

I love what I'm reading about the vague semi-automated controls, issuing orders and then the squad decides who actually does it. Far from being a downside. Sometimes limitations are what make a game great. Of course I haven't played it yet.

The player character is actually a corpo exec sitting in an APC giving directions to the squad, so yes, it makes sense in-game that you can't micromanage to the degree of a omniscient RTS god.

For the most part it works well, and when it doesn't, well you can handwave it as a standard fuck up between poorly-trained grunts. Immersion!

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Exceptionally poorly trained. What sort of chickenshit outfit would put the scout in the back of the unit where he can't use his sniper rifle properly? The Colonial Marines aren't sending their best.


I've seen X-COM rookies and Imperial Stormtroopers with better tactical acumen.

 

[ciox]

It's not all about micro either, you could just be able to set formations and then do alright, probably, but you don't have that option.

Also if it's not about micro then you have to wonder why you're able to pause the game.
I actually found that an annoying option, since it screws the rhythm like RTWP always does, but also because there's not that much you can micromanage anyway. The slow-motion option was much more fun and immersive, even when you are only delaying the inevitable.
IIRC that was the default during development and promotion of the game, a "pause" which is actually just 0.0000001 speed was patched into the game at the last minute and set to be default.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

The smart squad system isn't very smart. Plenty of times I ended up in a sticky situation because I couldn't position my squad manually.

The blob-type squad mechanics is figured into the difficulty though. Game would be much easier with RTS-type controls.

Yeah, the game would become piss easy if you could micromanage the Recon, it is built around the blob mechanic.

The game is rather unique mechanically with the stress system and the hybrid stealth/action approach. People shouldn‘t hold the squad controls to the same standards as "normal" squad based tactics games, the way it works now is part of the package. No point in changing it.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

It's not all about micro either, you could just be able to set formations and then do alright, probably, but you don't have that option.

Also if it's not about micro then you have to wonder why you're able to pause the game.
I actually found that an annoying option, since it screws the rhythm like RTWP always does, but also because there's not that much you can micromanage anyway. The slow-motion option was much more fun and immersive, even when you are only delaying the inevitable.
IIRC that was the default during development and promotion of the game, a "pause" which is actually just 0.0000001 speed was patched into the game at the last minute and set to be default.

The slow-down is always presented as the way the game should be played by default, while the pause is presented as an optional easy mode. I never got a different impression when playing the game.

The slowdown makes a lot of sense to give you time to deploy skills during combat, that‘s where micromanagement is needed.

 

[ciox]

Did I really misremember the default setting? Either way I couldn't find anyone that plays without pause, friends or streamers, so could have fooled me.

 

[Zombra]

So the game's problems can be fixed by "don't press F5/F9 the pause key"? Good. That sounds pretty good.

 

[Melmoth]

There are things to like about the game, but there is no gameplay progression after the first four hours or so. The weapon tree is barren and the skill tree is at least anemic. There is some enemy variety but I don't think the AI or behaviors present any kind of challenge.

I liked the presentation and some ideas, but the writing was idiotic. I think it will hold up better overall than something like Alien Isolation, because the mechanics are a little sturdier than the paper thin dioramas from that game and there's some kind of actual affection for the source material and ideas that bleeds through.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

So the game's problems can be fixed by "don't press F5/F9 the pause key"? Good. That sounds pretty good.

Zombra just play it, I am sure you will like it The way it works is, the settings have two options for the pause: "Slowdown", which slows time down just enough to strategically utilize your squads special abilities without requiring Korean level APM, while still maintaining urgency and pressure (ie. you still have to think on your feed and make fast descisions). The game is built with that mode in mind. It's not possible not to use it, since it automatically activates when you bring up the selection menu for special abilities.

The second option is a full pause, which is turned off by default and should be avoided.

ciox I don't have the game on my HD right now, but I'm certain it was the default setting.

There are things to like about the game, but there is no gameplay progression after the first four hours or so. The weapon tree is barren and the skill tree is at least anemic. There is some enemy variety but I don't think the AI or behaviors present any kind of challenge.

I liked the presentation and some ideas, but the writing was idiotic. I think it will hold up better overall than something like Alien Isolation, because the mechanics are a little sturdier than the paper thin dioramas from that game and there's some kind of actual affection for the source material and ideas that bleeds through.

Well yeah, I give you that. At the half-point of the game, I had the feeling that I already saw everything it has to offer in terms of mechanics, enemies, equipment and skills. It was still fun to use the available toolset with my increasingly powerful squad, but some additional enemy and weapons variety could have spiced up the end game. Definitely a lost opportunity, and although I enjoyed the game a lot, I kinda feel it overstayed its welcome a bit. I wouldn't have minded if it was 1 mission shorter.

Regarding the story: The game starts out great with what is basically "Aliens - the videogame" and I loved that it takes all its tropes from Cameron's movie. Unfortunately, again at around the half-point, the story turns into something more akin to Alien 4 in terms of crazyiness and outlandish ideas, if I had to describe it without going into any details. It wasn't enough to spoil my enjoyment of the game, but I was not a huge fan of that entire cult angle and some of the story aspects associated with it.

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Yeah the cultists were a mistake and the missions got really exhausting to slog through. Fuck that Montero level.

 

[ciox]

I think the Atmosphere Processor was around the point where fun was highest? It would have been fine if the game had a few more missions though, if nothing else I didn't get to use the plasma rifle that much.

 

[H. P. Lovecraft's Cat]

Have they patched out most of the game-breaking stuff yet or is this one of those games that will forever be a broken piece of shit?

 

[Konjad]

Have they patched out most of the game-breaking stuff yet or is this one of those games that will forever be a broken piece of shit?

I haven't completed yet, but I'm about 40% campaign progression and no bugs for me.

I am also having a blast. This is my second favorite game of 2023 after Boulder's Gate 3. I ignored it for so long because opinions on 'dex are rather negative, but decided to get it recently anyway and got hooked.

 

[H. P. Lovecraft's Cat]

I am also having a blast. This is my second favorite game of 2023 after Boulder's Gate 3.

This is solid intel. Thank you for your brave honesty. I shall be uninstalling the game now and placing you on ignore. God speed.

 

[Konjad]

I am also having a blast. This is my second favorite game of 2023 after Boulder's Gate 3.

This is solid intel. Thank you for your brave honesty. I shall be uninstalling the game now and placing you on ignore. God speed.

Thanks for the info, few retards have the bare miminum of modesty to at least inform about putting me on ignore so I can counter-ignore. Dog speed, H. P. Lovecraft's Cat

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

Have they patched out most of the game-breaking stuff yet or is this one of those games that will forever be a broken piece of shit?

They pretty much abandonded it like they did with Battlefleet Gothic, but to be fair, if you are not very unlucky you can complete the game without encountering any major bugs.

It's mostly ok although it should have received 1 or 2 more patches ideally. I think they never fixed some of the minor bugs, for example the icon overlays that show up after looting an ammo/health/sentry gun box will often not disappear and stay on the screen indefinitely. It's a cosmetic issue but still. It's a great game though.