Game News ATOM RPG released on Steam Early Access

[Hapax Legomenon]

I remember seeing this a few months ago and thinking: why is the title "ATOM RPG: Post-apocalyptic indie game," why not just ATOM? We can tell it's an indie post-apocalyptic RPG by looking at the Steam tags, you don't have to put that on your title.

I'd pick this up if it were called simply ATOM, but as it is, "ATOM RPG: Post-apocalyptic indie game" is indicative of problems that are very likely all over the design process and development, which prompts me to stay away from it for now.

So consider changing that title and good luck, Atomboy.

 

[Atomboy]

Underrail felt like Metro: Fallout to me, so I guess this is just the Eastern European way.

Fix'd. But yeah, socialism.

It also heavily depends on how many confusing civil wars you lived through as a child. If too much - you're gonna make a Jagged Alliance 2 unofficial sequel.

Damn. It looks good but I don't have time to try the EA release.

One complain: From what I've seen on utube there is a lot of "Next" in dialogues. I know that the dialog text view is small but maybe it is possible to reduce the number or "Next" dialog ((choice)).

One question: How is the C&C implementation? I don't expect Fallout but do the quests have palpable consequences?

Thanks.

Oh friend, "next" pisses me off too But i don't know Unity, and the guys that do say this is the best we've got right now. We also have this rule "action descriptions and npc/hero speech cannot be on one page" so that's a habit too late to give up and it multiplies the nexts by the thousands!

A few observations about the game

1. The voice over in the intro video is just terrible, you can barely understand what the narrator is saying;
2. Writing is quite hit and miss, and really needs some competent editing;
3. Your character is part of yet another bunker tech cult, but unlike the BoS, he goes out on a rescue mission... alone, with no armor, with no equipment of note, sits around a camp fire with no weapon at hand;
4. The goddamned camera, no zoom out, too close to the character, doesnt allow to see surroundings;
5. The jornal at the start talks about the possibility of some terrible mutated monsters that might or might not be terrorizing the country side, but then the first enemies you encounter... all over the map, are mutated giant animals, be they rats, bees, wasps? mutant ants, etc... mutants everywhere, no mystery here. Also these animals supposedly mutated in 20 years?
6. I dunno, it just all feels like its a bit amateurish, i like the art style and setting but thats it.

Hey! Thanks for the numbered structure! Here we go! 1. The Jimmy from his bottle that devoured the world in murr minutes really does sound quite outlandish, but come on! The guy is good in general, especially when the video's sound doesn't muffle him. I'd pay money to re-enact the Dark Knight plane scene with him! Some fine tuning may be in order, but we love it anyway! 2. that's a constant thing we've got. Like even now the text is going through it's third Russian and fourth English revision! This one is gonna get good and it's a promise. 3. Now that really sounds like a weird thing a bunker society would do... WINK WINK!!!! (I'm winking because questioning the quest is going to come up later in game). 4. More camera controls are coming! Also, try pressing HOME. Some people liked it better that way. 5. That's actually a lore thing. If you'll talk to enough people, you'll get intel that this amount of mutated critters is a new thing for the locale. The mutants are traveling somewhere through the map, and they are doing it in great number, starting shortly from Morozov's disappearance hmmm... WINK WINK! "Also these animals supposedly mutated in 20 years?" to this I cannot reply without spoiling stuff.
And 6... just give us some time! We're constantly getting better! Cheers!

Good to know you guys are on top of things. Underrail is a good example of a game that kept getting better after being released in beta form, hopefully its something you guys will emulate.

Underrail's model really kind of fits what we have in store. We're also going to add to EA in chunks. First chunk is hopefully coming before X-mas. Gonna be 2-3 big quests, and maybe one of the empty locations is gonna liven up. Then our Kickstarter backer's quests. Then the storyline in chunks. Then more locations. Then we vanish for a while to make the final piece, test it and BAM! Atom! Full retail version 2018! #Release #Gamergate #IndieDev!!!

 

[Atomboy]

I remember seeing this a few months ago and thinking: why is the title "ATOM RPG: Post-apocalyptic indie game," why not just ATOM? We can tell it's an indie post-apocalyptic RPG by looking at the Steam tags, you don't have to put that on your title.

I'd pick this up if it were called simply ATOM, but as it is, "ATOM RPG: Post-apocalyptic indie game" is indicative of problems that are very likely all over the design process and development, which prompts me to stay away from it for now.

So consider changing that title and good luck, Atomboy.

That's an idea worth thinking over, I mean I didn't even remove the kickstarter thingy from the topic. Gonna give it some loving later on!
P.S. still, we're trying not to shift attention from the possible problems like some devs do. Because there may be problems. Like that time we thought the EA had no bugs, and turned out it had like 40 bugs. We fixed them up in a few days though! It's a rough journey, but it's fun and rewarding!
P.P.S. thanks and best wishes! We will deliver! It's gonna rock!

 

[Invictus]

Love Stalker, liked Wasteland and enjoyed Fallout so this looks right up my alley... the only deal breaker is Steam so once this hits GOG consider me a convert

 

[Mark Richard]

I remember seeing this a few months ago and thinking: why is the title "ATOM RPG: Post-apocalyptic indie game," why not just ATOM? We can tell it's an indie post-apocalyptic RPG by looking at the Steam tags, you don't have to put that on your title.

Probably because the original Fallout games were called Fallout 1 & 2: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game. Of course back in 97 most customers only had the text on the box to explain what these games were, and post-apocalyptic wastelands weren't well known in gaming, so a descriptive title was called for. The only purpose it appears to serve in the case of Atom is as a further assurance of the type of games it intends to harken back to.

 

[HeatEXTEND]

It also heavily depends on how many confusing civil wars you lived through as a child. If too much - you're gonna make a Jagged Alliance 2 unofficial sequel.

Jagged Libya/Syria: wtf happened™

Would play

 

[Hapax Legomenon]

I remember seeing this a few months ago and thinking: why is the title "ATOM RPG: Post-apocalyptic indie game," why not just ATOM? We can tell it's an indie post-apocalyptic RPG by looking at the Steam tags, you don't have to put that on your title.

Probably because the original Fallout games were called Fallout 1 & 2: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game. Of course back in 97 most customers only had the text on the box to explain what these games were, and post-apocalyptic wastelands weren't well known in gaming, so a descriptive title was called for. The only purpose it appears to serve in the case of Atom is as a further assurance of the type of games it intends to harken back to.

I considered that, and if that's really what they were going for, it's more brazen than clueless in that case. Either way it puts me off the game for now.

 

[Atomboy]

Love Stalker, liked Wasteland and enjoyed Fallout so this looks right up my alley... the only deal breaker is Steam so once this hits GOG consider me a convert

No Gog until middle to late 2018 I'm afraid... But it's happening! I think.

I remember seeing this a few months ago and thinking: why is the title "ATOM RPG: Post-apocalyptic indie game," why not just ATOM? We can tell it's an indie post-apocalyptic RPG by looking at the Steam tags, you don't have to put that on your title.

Probably because the original Fallout games were called Fallout 1 & 2: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game. Of course back in 97 most customers only had the text on the box to explain what these games were, and post-apocalyptic wastelands weren't well known in gaming, so a descriptive title was called for. The only purpose it appears to serve in the case of Atom is as a further assurance of the type of games it intends to harken back to.

Well the actual name of the game is ATOM RPG. Or ATOM: RPG sometimes... I just didn't change things in the post :D
Although a long title seems pretty awesome tbh. I wouldn't place INDIE there tho. More like ATOM: A Post Soviet Role Playing Game! But nope. We're ATOM RPG.

 

[Tyrion8338]

I really like art style of this game and post-apocalyptic setting in general so I have high hopes about this game...

 

[Atomboy]

I really like art style of this game and post-apocalyptic setting in general so I have high hopes about this game...

So do we!! No worries though, it's really improving daily. Like we added the brick as a blunt melee weapon just some 9 hours ago!! And started making the "Map tattooed on piece of human skin" item/object
WHY?
WHO KNOWS!

 

[BlackAdderBG]

Just got the game started and I agree with Kem0sabe, couldn't understand half the stuff the narrator was saying in the opening. Subtitles would help a lot.

 

[Atomboy]

BlackAdderBG hey hey hey! Thanks a lot for supporting our cause! While I can't say I'm 100% sure we will torture the guys who made the cut scene again to mix it a lil' bit more coherently, I can promise that there will be subs Can't say when, because now we're scalp-deep into the NY (or just after NY) update and all effort goes into making new quests!

 

[xipenec]

As EA as this is, char below shouldnt be an easy character to play.

str 1, end 1, cha 1
dex 11, int 11, per 11, luck 4

I tried breaking the economy with the pickpocket skill, see how its implemented and it wasnt needed. I was a fightin powerhouse.
Still pickpocket is broken. NPC let you do it twice because the counter reset sometimes for some reason.

11 in PER overrides gun skills to the extreme. Makarov has 98% to hit at the eyes at its max range of 8. Fires an aimed shot twice a round... Killed the whole gang hideout easy peasy. Guard with AK drops dead. I pick up AK and shrredd.
AK has CTH of ~80 to the eyes at its max range and the governening skill is Heavy Weapons which my char has whooping 33 of...

AI is as typical retarded. Whats worse is that not the whole gang triggers when you kill a guard.

This leaves quests and cnc. Second quest is 'find 5 mushrooms'. As helpful as it is for """exploration""", its pathetic, find something better.
Seen an [Int] check in dialogue that gave xp. Bunch of [Speech] checks.

This is not a SPECIAL implementation is it...

murderhobo

 

[Atomboy]

As EA as this is, char below shouldnt be an easy character to play.

str 1, end 1, cha 1
dex 11, int 11, per 11, luck 4

I tried breaking the economy with the pickpocket skill, see how its implemented and it wasnt needed. I was a fightin powerhouse.
Still pickpocket is broken. NPC let you do it twice because the counter reset sometimes for some reason.

11 in PER overrides gun skills to the extreme. Makarov has 98% to hit at the eyes at its max range of 8. Fires an aimed shot twice a round... Killed the whole gang hideout easy peasy. Guard with AK drops dead. I pick up AK and shrredd.
AK has CTH of ~80 to the eyes at its max range and the governening skill is Heavy Weapons which my char has whooping 33 of...

AI is as typical retarded. Whats worse is that not the whole gang triggers when you kill a guard.

This leaves quests and cnc. Second quest is 'find 5 mushrooms'. As helpful as it is for """exploration""", its pathetic, find something better.
Seen an [Int] check in dialogue that gave xp. Bunch of [Speech] checks.

This is not a SPECIAL implementation is it...

murderhobo

Howdy! The STR req for weapons as well as stat/skill balancing is not yet implemented, we're planning to overhaul the whole battle system with a single voluptuous update pretty soon. An AI specialist is starting work with us pretty soon, too.
As for the "get X of Y" quests we kind of kept them as an inside joke, because they remind us of the broc flower / xander root / gekko pelt quests and since they were test quests made to test out the whole quest and dialogue system. a remainder of the days we started conquering unity :D they are pretty frustrating, I agree, but there's a few nice quests waiting literally 10 meters away so don't mind them! Thanks for the review and enjoy your 1 str powerhouse while it lasts! END is gonna remain a dump stat tho so you won't have to change too much.

 

[xipenec]

Whats the point of releasing something playable if its not possible to give feedback? Rhetorical question.

The UI designer should be mercy shot in the eyes, he is mentally a potato. Holding down left mouse button to bring up a context menu while the right mouse button is not used is incomprehensible.
Inventory UI is shit. It literally take up 1/20 of the screen space so you better love scrolling past garbage barter stuff or worse - crafting trash.

Game crawls at the speed of a dead snail. Large areas have one exit area, like the bunkers outside for example. Unplayable without speed x3.

Game cannot into memes even
This should have worked

 

[Cosmic Bane]

Almost as bad as Fallout's barter GUI.

 

[Atomboy]

Whats the point of releasing something playable if its not possible to give feedback? Rhetorical question.

The UI designer should be mercy shot in the eyes, he is mentally a potato. Holding down left mouse button to bring up a context menu while the right mouse button is not used is incomprehensible.
Inventory UI is shit. It literally take up 1/20 of the screen space so you better love scrolling past garbage barter stuff or worse - crafting trash.

Game crawls at the speed of a dead snail. Large areas have one exit area, like the bunkers outside for example. Unplayable without speed x3.

Game cannot into memes even
This should have worked

Hey, we're all about feedback! Even now you've actually contributed to the game, since I doubt we'll pass up the opportunity of making a brat 1 bottle and tape contraption now that you've illustrated it so well :D
The UI and especially the mouse clicks are WIP, although we won't feel like we're giving a well enough nod to the Fallout series, without having you click through the items set in a line on a small part of the screen. Speed is a whole other issue though. We're playing with it, but not too much. Maybe better running before we're through with that mechanic... Hard to tell!

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

Underrail's model really kind of fits what we have in store.

 

[cherry blossom]

Is there or will there be an orthographic camera option?

 

[Atomboy]

Is there or will there be an orthographic camera option?

Is that the one that follows your char all around? We have that, just press HOME. Or were you thinking of something else?

 

[Infinitron]

Is there or will there be an orthographic camera option?

Is that the one that follows your char all around? We have that, just press HOME. Or were you thinking of something else?

The cherry blossom manifesto: http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/just-what-is-isometric.69829/