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Indie Citizen Sleeper - Narrative RPG set on a space station by the developer of In Other Waters

Grauken

Gourd vibes only
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Transhumanism and cyberpunk have often been at odds with each other. Transhumanism is about how technology will uplift mankind. Cyberpunk is about how it will fail to do so and will lend itself to new dystopias.

I see transhumanism more as an offshoot that grew out of cyberpunk. When CP came onto the stage man-machine interfaces and virtual realities were all the rage, but most cyberpunk was just about slightly modifications or upgrades of the human template, where transhumanism went kind of beyond it with more extreme changes and how that would impact societies. Hence lots of cyberpunk takes place in a still recognizable near-earth future, where lots of transhumanism takes place in far future space operas with the whole galaxy as the stage.
 

Absinthe

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Well they draw heavily from the same wellspring and both concepts can factor into each other, but the overall perspective tends to be different. A lot of transhumanists tend not to like cyberpunk much, and consider it edgy shit for surly teenagers, but transhumanism also often comes off as unwilling to accept the kinds of problems that cyberpunk tends to paint into stark relief. Not to mention a lot of cyberpunk will question the loss of humanity in surrendering your thinking to machines while transhumanism celebrates the machine consciousness as the evolution of the human, opening up amazing new possibilities.
 

Grauken

Gourd vibes only
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A lot of transhumanists tend not to like cyberpunk much

While I mostly agree with your other sentiments, here we have to make a distinction between writers and readers/those that call themself transhumanists or one of its offshoots and for whom it has become almost like a belief system. Writers like Stross, Watts, and some others for example have written transhumanist science fiction that is every bit as dystopic as the best cyberpunk and they usually regard the readers who would love nothing more than life in a transhumanist future very critically. That said, in general, transhumanism comes off as more upbeat or less bleak than cyberpunk. I don't think I've read any cyberpunk that's not a dystopia at the same time
 

Absinthe

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Fair enough, and there's definitely room for variation, but that sort of perspective conflict I described does exist. Also, there are cyberpunk stories about finding your own happiness amidst a dystopian world but the dystopian elements are pretty much part of the genre.
 

fantadomat

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Infinitron can you remove that kwan retard from this thread,would prefer to talk about the game and not read pages of his idiotic retardation that have nothing to do with the game
 

fantadomat

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That said i finished the game. It is not a bad storyfag game with some sjws shit in it. The worst part is that it seems like the main quest is kind off bugged or maybe unfinished. Because i finished all the side quests and decided to stay on the station,but the game just ends up still going on but with nothing to do in it. Also it is pretty small,i finished it around 5-6 hours.
 

tripedal

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Feb 22, 2015
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Ultima Thule
Played it. Not bad, I like the vibe and aesthetics. Comparisons to DE are pretty misguided, CS doesn't have either the humanity or the sophistication (technical and political) of DE. Kinda fizzles out toward the end.
 

Dodo1610

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I finished it yesterday and though I really liked the art and writing the soundtrack is really elevating the whole experience. Sadly the resource management becomes trivial after a few hours. Despite it's issues this was one of the rare examples where I wish that there was more content instead of being glad that it over. So therefore it's already one of my favourite games of the year.
 
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That said i finished the game. It is not a bad storyfag game with some sjws shit in it. The worst part is that it seems like the main quest is kind off bugged or maybe unfinished. Because i finished all the side quests and decided to stay on the station,but the game just ends up still going on but with nothing to do in it. Also it is pretty small,i finished it around 5-6 hours.
How much SJW shit? Are we talking "I've got to check these boxes to placate the corporate overlords"-level or, "we need a final solution for the straight, white male question"-level SJW?
 

fantadomat

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That said i finished the game. It is not a bad storyfag game with some sjws shit in it. The worst part is that it seems like the main quest is kind off bugged or maybe unfinished. Because i finished all the side quests and decided to stay on the station,but the game just ends up still going on but with nothing to do in it. Also it is pretty small,i finished it around 5-6 hours.
How much SJW shit? Are we talking "I've got to check these boxes to placate the corporate overlords"-level or, "we need a final solution for the straight, white male question"-level SJW?
They are a bit fluent,like being able to run away with an ex soldier and his adopted kid,which is pretty strange since you play as some kind of robot thingy that doesn't have clear sex. But generally it is pretty ok.
 

ERYFKRAD

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That said i finished the game. It is not a bad storyfag game with some sjws shit in it. The worst part is that it seems like the main quest is kind off bugged or maybe unfinished. Because i finished all the side quests and decided to stay on the station,but the game just ends up still going on but with nothing to do in it. Also it is pretty small,i finished it around 5-6 hours.
How much SJW shit? Are we talking "I've got to check these boxes to placate the corporate overlords"-level or, "we need a final solution for the straight, white male question"-level SJW?
They are a bit fluent,like being able to run away with an ex soldier and his adopted kid,which is pretty strange since you play as some kind of robot thingy that doesn't have clear sex. But generally it is pretty ok.
Is there combat?
 

Ivan

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Jun 22, 2013
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California
gotta say I'm quite enjoying this "day-in-the-life" gameloop. I like how NPCs are gated by the menial jobs you can assign your time to. music has been a wonderful companion as well. having a much better time after I tweaked the scroll speed as well.
 

Wirdschowerdn

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https://www.gameinformer.com/review/citizen-sleeper/a-sleeper-hit

Citizen Sleeper Review
A Sleeper Hit
by Wesley LeBlanc on May 23, 2022 at 10:53 AM

Reviewed on Xbox Series X/S
Also on Switch, PC
Publisher Fellow Traveller
Developer Jump Over The Age
Release May 5, 2022
Rating Teen

When I booted up Citizen Sleeper for the first time, it immediately enthralled me with its premise. Its dystopian transhumanist pitch – surviving as a digitized consciousness of a human body implanted into a robot designed to work for a mega-corporation – is refreshing in the cyberpunk genre of games. Its slick, clean, and unique art style, coupled with its score, a Tycho-esque take on sci-fi beats, told me I was in for a good time, assuming the gameplay would click. And at first, I wasn't sure if it was going to because its early moments are overwhelming, with a barrage of new mechanics and systems defining the first hour. I was rewarded for sticking with it because all aspects of Citizen Sleeper, including its gameplay, had me hooked after that introduction. Seven hours later, I rolled credits on one of my favorite gaming experiences of 2022.


You awake as a Sleeper, a robot powered by a consciousness that belongs to somebody else. In this instance, it belongs to someone that owes mega-corp Essen-Arp money, and to repay that debt, their mind has been digitized and put inside a machine explicitly designed to work for them; that's the typical life of a Sleeper. You, however, have escaped, and the narrative of Citizen Sleeper begins there, unfolding as you learn to survive and thrive.

The story of Citizen Sleeper is simple: Evade Essen-Arp's bounty hunters who want to reclaim you while securing a future for yourself. Erlin's Eye, a space station that acted as my refuge before becoming my new home, is the backdrop of all this. I love how I became intimately familiar with the quasi-metropolis over time. Citizen Sleeper lovingly forced me to understand this space station as both a map for my objectives and a hub for deepening my relationships with its residents. To achieve this, I needed to complete various objectives aboard Erlin's Eye ranging from paying off one of these bounty hunters to live another day to affording medicine I desperately needed to heal my constantly degrading body.


How that, and nearly every objective, plays out is determined by a unique dice mechanic and its connection to your physical condition. Citizen Sleeper's primary gameplay loop is simple on paper: You're given up to six pre-rolled dice each cycle. The healthier you are, the more dice you get. A six-dice roll carries a higher chance of getting a positive outcome when attempting to do something like earn money or fix a ship. A lower dice count, like a two, comes with an increased likelihood of a negative outcome, which can be pretty detrimental in some cases.

I enjoyed how often this mechanic put me in the hot seat. Do I use a six-dice roll to guarantee a positive outcome for an objective I really need to complete, or do I use it on a job that will net me a lot of money because I need it to afford medicine to replenish my condition? And on that same note, should I use my one die on a safer task or risk it on something that could greatly reward me right now? These decisions colored my entire Citizen Sleeper experience. Some were so stressful, especially those that felt like life or death, that I needed to pause and put the controller down for a few minutes. The way the game's musical score amps up the stress levels in these situations was also devilishly delightful.

Citizen Sleeper uses these moments to take me through every throe of capitalism, which is the true antagonist in developer Jump Over The Age's story. When I first arrived, I struggled to make it through one cycle without feeling completely overwhelmed and unseen. I couldn't make money, so I was unable to buy food, which was necessary to keep my energy up. As a result, my health quickly worsened, and because of this struggle, I couldn't afford medicine. This built on itself until I hit rock bottom, which locked me out of one of my Sleeper's core abilities displayed on a sleek skills screen. I could only unlock it with an upgrade point, which is earned after completing main objectives. But, to accomplish that, I needed some great dice or at least multiple dice. With my condition in the dumps, getting either felt impossible.

cs5.jpg


Over time, I overcame these challenges. Little by little, I earned enough money that I could spend less time obtaining medicine and food and more on actually completing objectives on the horizon. By the end of Citizen Sleeper, I stopped thinking about money, and I was instead focused solely on helping the NPCs around Erlin's Eye that had become my friends and, in some cases, my family. I loved how this narrative arc felt personalized to me because everything that happened resulted from how I chose to use my dice over the dozens of cycles I lived through.

With various narrative options in place, I could have ended up as terrible as the corpos I was trying to take down, but I didn't. I appreciated that Citizen Sleeper allowed for so many narrative branches because the more I played it, the more it felt like my own story. It would have been disappointing to end it pigeonholed into a set ending that didn't align with my actions. If I failed one story, I might see those consequences play out in another. If I succeeded somewhere else, I might open up an entirely new storyline that affects not just one character but also others I met earlier. Above all of this interconnectedness, I was especially blown away by how my in-game actions connected to Citizen Sleeper's themes, which, at its core, is a game about trying to survive under capitalism as an outsider.


In the end, though, Citizen Sleeper is less a critique of capitalism itself, which in its defense has been done countless times in the cyberpunk genre, and more an opportunity to showcase how those under its thumb persevere and succeed despite it. Its hopeful and inspiring message is backed by a branching, heartfelt narrative, and a great gameplay loop, making it tough to put down. Add in its enriching visual style and my favorite musical score of 2022 so far, and Citizen Sleeper is a game I'll be thinking about for years to come.

9

Hmm, it does sound intriguing. I wonder if this another sleeper hit after NORCO. Anyone playing this?
 

Ivan

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Jun 22, 2013
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Citizen Sleeper
strengths: atmospheric, nice audio (ambient and soundtrack).

Disliked the gameplay loop of ticking off chores to get to the stories. It reminded me of Spiritfarer in this regard and why I also dropped that game. The actual verbs the game provides you with which to engage with it were repetitious, didn't make me feel like the skill system/build system was warranted, and I also disliked how the writing told me how the PC was supposed to feel. I did like how the game pulls no punches when you a fail a quest. At the very least, I can say that each time the game told me I had failed a quest, it felt very organic and real/true to the setting. It didn't feel gamey like oh you killed NPC B so now you can't net your prize. The failure states were handled organically and I found them to be satisfyingly real.

It's a neat title with some nice ideas, some neat stories, but much of it was tucked away in a gameplay loop that I found stale, and boring the longer I played.

I'll see how I feel after giving it another boot to see if I stick it out, but even writing these words, I'm not excited to return to it, at least not like I was when I first booted it and was excited at the prospect of this being an RPG/or at least featured stronger RPG elements.
 

Rephyrnomicon

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May 19, 2022
Messages
47
I actually really enjoyed my time with this one, though I don't give a flying fuck about "wokeism" or whatever it is the average codexian retard is so afraid of these days.
 

cyborgboy95

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https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1578650/view/3347877220446060011
THREE NEW DLC EPISODES
Jump Over The Age and Fellow Traveller are thrilled to reveal that Citizen Sleeper will be receiving new story content via three FREE episodic updates, the first of which “FLUX”, arrives in July (date TBC). Episodes 2 and 3 are currently planned for release in October and early 2023 respectively, however dates are still to be confirmed.

THE ROADMAP
8a41c042c9c9128b1912e7a6233166dd00230827.jpg


EPISODE 1: FLUX
In the first episode, FLUX, pressures in the Helion system have brought the first ships of a refugee flotilla to the Eye. You will meet and help those that get on-station before the quarantine locks them out.

These episodes will tell a continuing story across all three updates, expanding on the wider narrative of the Helion System, the star system in which the Eye orbits. Each episode will also introduce new characters, the first of which we are revealing today: Eshe.

INTRODUCING ESHE
7dc158f64a9ebbaef2d003ecff1c4c5dc3979cbd.png


Eshe is a stubborn and driven spacer, whose fate becomes tangled up in that of the refugee flotilla which had begun to arrive at the Eye. Her story will ask the player to choose how to deal with a growing crisis that could threaten the entire station.
 

Infinitron

I post news
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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth

Citizen Sleeper's first free episode update, FLUX, arrives July 28th.

Pressures in the Helion system have brought the first ships of a refugee flotilla to Erlin's Eye.

They will need your help, Sleeper.

Episode 2 and 3 to release October and early Feb 2023 (TBC).

View the roadmap at: bit.ly/sleeperepisodes
 

cyborgboy95

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https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1578650/view/3368147857669143453
Citizen Sleeper Episode: FLUX is out now.
//WAKE UP, SLEEPER//
Episode: FLUX, the first free DLC episode for Citizen Sleeper is now live!

Simply update your game and you will be ready to go.

If you don't yet own a copy, good news - it's available at 20% off for a limited time!


//INSTRUCTIONS//
To begin, just head to the Greenway on a new or existing save file.

!!IMPORTANT!!
Episode: FLUX is around 1-2 hours long and intended for late game/end game play. We recommend playing it on an existing save with as much of the base game completed as possible.


//EPISODE: FLUX//
The first ships from a refugee flotilla have arrived at Erlin’s Eye. You will meet and help those that get on-station before the quarantine locks them out.

Episode: FLUX introduces a new overarching storyline that plays out across all three episodes, expanding on the wider narrative of the Helion System, the star system in which the Eye orbits.

4abd0d4dfa6769e690162af634df69fd82a1ac37.png


You’ll also meet a couple of new faces: Eshe, captain of the Climbing Briar, and Peake, the second member of the Climbing Briar’s crew. You will learn more about them as you work to get much needed relief to the refugee flotilla through the station’s quarantine.

4cdaae26b7749e71fe4aced52176bace50bd7934.png


//LAUNCH DAY STREAM//
Don't forget top join developer Jump Over the Age over on Citizen Sleeper's Steam page today from 10am as they stream and chat, covering the future of the Eye and the ideas behind the episodic content for the game.
 

Oropay

Educated
Joined
May 26, 2021
Messages
73
Finally got around to playing Citizen Sleeper, sans DLC. It's a very easy game. To me it seemed the dice rolls were weighted towards the high end (which can actually be kind of a problem, as you need low rolls for some activities unless you have specific specializations). The game is focused on atmosphere, created mostly by portraits and music, and to a certain extent, activities. My mind wasn't on violent dismemberment of my foes, because as others have noted, there's no embedded combat mechanic. Personally speaking, this absence is a relief from the monotony of most games I've played. Text and dialog is a large portion of the "game," and I imagine there are quite a few routes through the game depending on which dialogs the player fosters. There also seem to be interactions between questlines, with various combinations of questlines leading to various outcomes. In this way non-completionist players (me) can investigate that which they find interesting and skip that which they do not.

The main annoyances I found were the use of they/them, which I assume are used as gender neutral pronouns, and the fact that most of the character portraits look like fat niggers or women from the waist down. I don't usually complain about "woke" or "pozzed" aspects of games unless they feel hamfisted, and these felt hamfisted and awkward to me. I certainly don't mind a portrayal of a future in which human culture is quite different from our own (one might say evolved, used in the sense of change over time without a positive or negative connotation), but the trappings of grammatically incorrect pronouns substantially lowers the intellectual caliber of the writing and therefore the game as a whole, as it relies so much on the writing. Same with the character portraits: I wouldn't mind an exploration of the effects of domestication on the human species, an expected effect of which is loss of sex features / feminine androgyny as a whole, which is portrayed in the portaits, but absent more commentary, and taken with other aspects of the aesthetic, the androgyny on display seems to be for its own sake. The severe obesity portrayed in the portraits is also unrealistic, as most of the characters are supposed to be poor and of the lower working classes, working hard jobs like scrapping. Thus, the portraits come off as nothing more than a nod to fat acceptance and normalization, which is irresponsible from a health perspective.

The [...] verbs the game provides
Interesting you use that term. For me, Citizen Sleeper was vaguely reminiscent of the poorly named but unique Cultist Simulator, which also used the term verbs to describe very similar mechanisms. The 'clock' mechanisms were also somewhat similar. Is this a known design language in a niche subgenre of games, or does it perhaps come from table top games?
 
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Cpt. Dallas

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Keep on the Borderlands
How much SJW shit? Are we talking "I've got to check these boxes to placate the corporate overlords"-level or, "we need a final solution for the straight, white male question"-level SJW?

I've encountered at least two troons all up with the they/their business that makes the dialogue sound outright retarded. Lots of stronk sassy BIPOC wahmens. One blonde white male is a violent drunken douchebag, the other an effete wallflower.
 

Silva

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Jul 17, 2005
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Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
Adorable game. Writing is nice and on point, NPCs are captivating and the atmosphere is superb. Even the sim-light gameplay is interesting (a pity it gets easy too soon). Let's hope the devs (which consist in a single dude BTW) keep improving on the formula. I could see a heavier, King of Dragon Pass -like take on it blowing my mind.
 
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