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Conglomerate 451 - procedurally generated cyberpunk dungeon crawler

Strange Fellow

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Messages
4,040
Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
I feel like the quality of dungeon crawls has very little to do with the layout and a lot to do with combat and loot design.
Depends a lot on the type of crawl, but I'd say clever level design adds to a game irrespective of whether it's supposed to be a pure combat gauntlet or a more balanced affair. That map Grauken posted is just sad.
 

Infinitron

I post news
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Messages
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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
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1022710/announcements/detail/1607138209242886292

Update 0.2.5 is OUT NOW!
27 JUN @ 5:02PM - 1C_GEORGE

cfa392b6567e3e08a29af358c22d602006dd1325.jpg

Greetings everyone,

We've just released our new early access update! This time we bring you two new rooms (one in the Anthill and one in the Sanctuary) and a new type of missions - the special missions - which are based on environment interactions and different goals. And as always, we've included some bug fixes and improvements to the current build. Please see below for the full list of what's new in this update.

Changelog v0.2.5

NEW CONTENTS:
  • Added two new rooms (one in the Anthill and one in the Sanctuary)

NEW FEATURES:
  • New Special missions: now there is a new kind of mission. Special missions are based on environment interactions and different goals.
  • Inventory: now it's more clear when the squad has a quest item

MAJOR FIXES:
  • Improve the enemies pathfinding algorithm
  • Fixed the random issue that caused a mission to complete automatically when it started

MINOR FIXES:
  • Fix camera for the Bodyguard weapon
  • Fix the reflections in the Sanctuary
  • Fix the elevator in the Hive
  • Fix the flying weapon issue (for real, this time!)
  • Now the critical hit text no longer overlaps with other texts
  • Fix the scroll list in the SPUs extracting screen

BALANCING:
  • Shield regeneration balanced: 50 points -> 250 points.

QUALITY OF LIFE:
  • In the options, now you can invert the axis of the freelook command using the mouse
  • Changed the crate's icon
  • Now during the cloning, the cost of Mutations and Mastered skills is more clear

Thank you!

https://steamcommunity.com/games/1022710/announcements/detail/1607138209285511501

Update 0.3.0 just got released!
9 JUL @ 12:09PM - 1C_DAN

cdb0971ce777bf0b79a35f14af54f6b3f293e425.png


Hello everyone,

we just relesed new update that adds new conent, nex features and also fixes bugs reported by you guys as well as doing some balancing.

Early Access Build 0.3.0

NEW CONTENTS:
  • Added the Director's Office, in the agency menu
NEW FEATURES:
  • Agency Drone: now the squad has a Drone that follows the agents during the mission. His task: transmit to the headquarter the live streaming, but you can also update it with illegal software.
  • Nark: now you can trade with the Narks, in the city, to rent illegal software for you Drone!
  • Lifeine, new currency: made with human DNA, Lifeine is an illegal currency, used to buy special services and illegal stuff.
  • Diplomatic: a mysterious woman, known as Diplomatic, can contact the player to propose unofficial missions. But why? When? Who knows...
  • New HUD: a total rework of the HUD during the mission. Because, you know, now the mission is showed by the Drone's camera.

MAJOR FIXES:
  • Now the Void Area skill has the correct effect when upgraded.
  • Now equipping a SPU will no longer cause a wrong calc for the statistics at the start of the mission

MINOR FIXES:
  • Improve the camera shake when an Agent is hit
  • Fixed the issue that caused a double text on the screen for the DoT (Damage over Time)
  • The Mark effect tooltip now is correct.
  • Now Clarisse will stay in position also if a player will stay 3 hours on the Main Screen.

BALANCING:
  • Shield regeneration balanced: now the regeneration effect is 75% of the total shield value.

https://steamcommunity.com/games/1022710/announcements/detail/1607139567641865034

Update 0.3.5 is now available!
15 JUL @ 4:03PM - 1C_GEORGE

01af87160f53fc88b3bc0b77e5c59a7f06221601.png

Hello everyone,

The new Early Access update has been released! This time we’ve added two new features, the Cyber Graveyard and the After Life Technology, and as usual bug fixes reported by you and some gameplay balancing.

Early Access Update 0.3.5

NEW FEATURES:
  • Cyber Graveyard: you can now visit the list of the “retired” Agents from the Agency main menu. The option works also with the characters that died before this build release!
  • After Life Technology: now you can unlock the After Life Tech from the Cloning Research Center. It allows you to bring back to life the dead Agents.

MAJOR FIXES:
  • Fixed the Dispose Agent command and the Gamepad error

MINOR FIXES:
  • Now if you are using the AutoMode at the start of the game to cloning the Agents, they will get the correct suit's color.
  • Skipping the cinematic sequences will no longer show the text on the screen
  • Fixed some parts of the Sanctuary map

BALANCING:
  • Small balancing for the Cyber Limbs bonuses

QUALITY OF LIFE:
  • The game will show a message when you reach the Reputation to unlock a new Area
  • Mutations are now shown in the Character's Sheet
  • Now the stats value is shown in the hacking and in the SPUs extraction screens
  • Now you can check the tooltip by holding the shortcut skill button
  • Added a divider between the character actions in the combat log, to improve the text legibility

https://steamcommunity.com/games/1022710/announcements/detail/3266717385293387998

Update 0.4.0 is now live! Drugs have flooded the city of Conglomerate!
29 JUL @ 4:39PM - 1C_DAN

61baeb8fe819c0df89662dbc996bb350312afcd0.jpg


Hello everyone,

DRUGS have arrived to the city of Conglomerate! Meet with shady drug dealers throughout the sector 451 and buy drugs that can be used during combat in order to improve your stats and gain special abilities just watch out for the addiction and intoxication leading to mental disorders...

Early Access Update 0.4.0

NEW FEATURES:
  • Drugs! In the city, now you can meet a drug dealer, to buy drugs. You can use them during combat, in order to improve your stats and gain special powers. Using drugs DOESN'T count as an action in your turn, so you can use as many drugs as you want BUT...
  • Intoxication and Disorder: ... drugs mean intoxication and the intoxication will bring your character in a world of mental disorder. So... be careful!
  • Detox Center: If a character develops a disorder, you can heal him using the Detox Tank (you need to unlock them using the Healing Technology Researches)
  • SPU(s) Vendor: In the city, you can meet an SPU(s) vendor, where you can buy or sell the rarest SPU(s)
  • Difficulty Levels: Now, creating a new game, you can select 3 different difficulty levels (Easy, Normal, Hard). The already game in progress will be converted in Normal
  • Effects Stack: now different effects from different sources (i.e. Cyber Limbs and Skill Effects) that add bonus or malus to the same stats will stack together

MAJOR FIXES:
  • Fixed the navigation in the option/controls page with the GamePad

MINOR FIXES:
  • Added some missing strings

BALANCING:
  • Rebalanced the Healing Credits cost

QUALITY OF LIFE:
  • Seizing the opportunity of working on the Disorder System, we rework from scratch also the Pain and Trauma System. Now you should find fairer
  • Now the final missions rewards and the other rewards are separated. This means that if the player will fail a mission, he will save all credits, techs, and lifeine found in the crates until that moment
  • Now you can disable the Gamepad Rumble in the options menu
  • Now the SPU(s) have different names: you should find more easy using them
  • Improved the Hacking tutorial texts
 

Abu Antar

Turn-based Poster
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Messages
13,584
Enjoy the Revolution! Another revolution around the sun that is. Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Update 0.5.0 is now out!
14 AUG @ 12:15PM - 1C_DAN
652b81a3136d6c69fd6ab4c31e1c486cf3d643be.png


Hello everyone,

we got a new update for you filled to the brim with new features, options character, fixes, balancing and much more!

Without any further ado here is the changelog:

CONGLOMERATE 451 - Early Access Build 0.5.0

NEW FEATURES:
  • Hack Enemies: now, from the radial menu during combat, you can choose the action "hack enemy" in order to hack the enemy systems!
  • Hack Doors: now if during a mission you will find a locked door you will have two options: finding the key or the mechanism to open it OR try to hack the door.
  • NEW CHARACTER: Binary! She is a battle-hacker.
  • New Perk system: we have heard you and... we worked on the perk system. Now every character has a Rank (from 0 to 3). Every time the character will gain a new Rank, he will receive also a Perk. So... stop double perks, stop same perks on multi-character. From now, a perk is a real reward!
  • Special Ability: now every character has a different special ability!
  • No more skill points: linked to the new perk system, we rework from scratch also the skill upgrade system. There are no more skill points: to upgrade the skills, you need just the currencies.
  • New unlock system for the characters: now the characters are unlocked by the Reputation, and not by the researches.
  • New AIM System: now, targeting a specific enemy's body part will have different consequences.
  • ALL MUTATIONS: finally, every part of the research center is completed. Now you can unlock everything, also all mutations!

MAJOR FIXES:
  • Fixed the bug that rollbacks a mastered skill to a normal skill after an upgrade.
  • Fixed the invisible hotspot in the Sanctuary.
  • Fixed the negative duration during Diplomat's missions.

MINOR FIXES:
  • Now there is a light inside the Elevator.
  • Improve the quality of the reflections and the ambient occlusion.
  • Now there is no more smoke from the Sentry's guns.
  • Improved some tiles in the Sanctuary.

BALANCING:
  • Rebalanced the Drone Software costs.

QUALITY OF LIFE:
  • Battery icon: now the battery has a specific icon on the map.

We will be at GAMESCOM - Hall 10.1, Booth A20!
14 AUG @ 4:03PM - 1C_DAN
403750040408c6624b8611fbc376fce1822d2569.jpg


Hello everyone,

we are taking Conglomerate 451 on the road to attend Gamescom and presenting the game to you'll as well as the media. We are bringing with us some very cool merch that we will be giving away there so make sure to stop by our booth, grab a drink, play the game, win some merch and chat with us :)

Hall 10.1, Booth A20!

Looking forward to see you there!
 

Infinitron

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Messages
97,505
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
https://www.rpgwatch.com/articles/conglomerate-451-gamescom-preview-491.html

Conglomerate 451 Gamescom Preview
by Joost "Myrthos" Mans, 2019-09-10

banner-1541.jpg


Conglomerate 451 is a roguelite first person cyberpunk dungeon crawler that is made by Runeheads, who are also responsible for Fall of Light. In the game you play the head of a special agency and you are asked by the government of Conglomerate city, to restore order in sector 451, by defeating the corrupt corporations in that sector.

The game has two modes that you can play: a story mode and an endless mode. In the story mode you follow a story, by means of missions that takes you to four different districts in the city, each with four different locations that are unlocked in sequence, which result in 12 different locations. At the end of each district there will be a boss fight. When all four bosses have been dealt with, you get to play a final mission with a final boss.

In the endless mode the missions and the dungeons you visit in those missions, will be procedurally generated,so you can continue playing for as long as you want.



As with all roguelites, combat is a very important part of the game and in this case you, as the head of the special agency, get to send out a team on missions. You get to build that team and in this case you get to literally build it, as the team is made of human clones that are created in a special pod. During the creation process you get to select the name, looks, class , skills and the DNA mutations of the clone. The DNA mutations that are available to you depends on research that you initiated in this area, before the creation of the clone. You can't research every possible thing, so you have to make choices during the game about what topics you want to invest your research in. One of the things you most probably need are regeneration pods that increase the chance to heal your clones as any damage they incur doesn't heal by itself and sending wounded clones into the field means sending clones that are weaker.


Each mission will have an objective that needs to be accomplished. This objective is different in each mission, but in the part of the game that I was shown, it was a simple mission to kill everyone. A mission is divided into two parts. First there is the city, which is not procedurally generated. You can explore the city and interact with NPCs. You can buy drugs that the clones can use and software, which can be used for drones, which can go on a mission as well. You can also hack one of the terminals, which is accomplished by completing a mini game. If you succeed to complete that mini game, you can unlock one of the perks that the console has to offer, like unlocking all doors in the dungeon you are about to enter. You need to complete the hack in a certain time as any access is continuously scanned. If you take too long the enemies are alerted and will unlock one perk against you, like them becoming more powerful, or locking your map, so that it becomes useless. To successfully hack a console the character who is doing the hack needs a hacking skill.

The effect of the weapons of your clones can be modified by placing special items that you can extract from devices located in the city, on your weapon. These items can have different effects and the amount that can be placed on the weapon depends on the level of the weapon, but ranges between two and five.


The second part of a mission is combat, which is turn-based. In the fight you can try to hit specific parts of the body of your opponent. If, for example, you hit the legs of an opponent, you could immobilize that opponent. There is also a combo between skills possible, like a skill that marks an enemy and a second skill that needs a marked enemy, which together can do quite some damage. This can also be done by different squad members, so the combo can be completed in one turn. There are in total 30 different types of enemies you get to fight in the game, so there should be sufficient variety.

During combat you can also hack enemies, and when they have a cybernetic implant, sabotage that implant. If someone for example has cybernetic eyes, you could make that character blind. The success of such an action is based on your hacking skills.

Whenever a character has very low health, a check is done at the start of the character' s turn and when successful the character will be able to join combat again or otherwise the character will die. And as the game has permadeath, you want to prevent that from happening when it is one of your clones.

There are also missions in the game that you do not have to play, where you can send one of your clones on a special mission. It will go there and after some time it will come back, with perhaps some injuries, but hopefully also a successful completed mission.


As mentioned before, any damage that your clones receive will not heal by itself. There are two types of permanent damage statuses: pain and intoxication. Pain will grow every time the clone loses HP. When the HP is at a certain level, the clone will suffer a physical trauma at the location where the pain is felt. Failure to heal the trauma will make it permanent, resulting in, for example, losing an eye, a leg or an arm. Treatment needs to be done in a regeneration pod, which can be made available when it is researched.

Intoxication is caused by using drugs. In Conglomerate 451, drugs are like what magic potions are in a fantasy game, which can boost the statuses of the clones. However, using too many drugs, might lead to a mental disorder, which can also become permanent when not healed properly. This can only be accomplished when the detox tanks have been researched and unlocked.



Your research department plays an important role in the success of completing the missions. Next to the regeneration and detox pods, you can also research advanced technologies which unlocks new features and powers. Depending on your research you might even reach a point where you get to research afterlife technology, which allows you to bring back lost clones, by restoring the memory of that lost clone in a new body. An analogy with Altered Carbon was mentioned by the developer that showed me the game, with the difference that in Conglomerate 451 they don't have a disk in their neck.


Runeheads are creating a game that mixes roguelite with a story and with several RPG elements. If I go by the current reviews on steam, which are mostly positive, they must be doing something right.

Conglomerate 451 is currently in early access at the moment and is scheduled for release later this year. It is estimated that the game could be finished in about 40 hours, but they plan to make another scenario available with an extra 10 hours a few months after the release of the game.
 

Infinitron

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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
Interview: https://www.gamereactor.eu/we-hear-about-cyberpunk-roguelike-conglomerate-451/

We hear about cyberpunk roguelike Conglomerate 451
Developer Moreno Lovato talked to us at Gamescom about the concept, which is going to be a challenge for players.

Conglomerate 451 is a cyberpunk dungeon crawler with a punishing permadeath system, and at Gamescom we spoke with developer Moreno Lovato about the concept, which he told us is utilising the current popularity of cyberpunk themes.

"Conglomerate is a dungeon crawler with roguelike stuff inside," he explained. "We also have permadeath, and it's about managing your agent as a director to defeat the bad corporation in the future."

We also asked about the two sides to the game, since it's not always high-stakes dungeon crawling in this harsh world:

"In the combat, especially with the permadeath, it's very hard for the player because they constantly live with the fear of losing their character, so we wanted an area and a stage where the player can just slow down and think the strategy for the game, so we wanted to divide [...] the game into two parts."

You can check out the full interview below. Is this a good approach to the cyberpunk style?
 

Infinitron

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Messages
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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
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1022710/announcements/detail/1593635108396199698

Biggest update yet 0.6.5 is now out + 15 % OFF + future price change!

87935b3d4a78d3b2310f9768bd274e594861cef1.gif


Hello everyone,

we just released our biggest update yet. 0.6.5 brings tons of new features, improvements, fixes, quality of life improvements and of course balancing. There is also a 15 % discount that will last until 23rd of September. Lastly, we will be increasing the price at the end of September so there has never ever been a better time to get the game! The changelog is quite long so without any further ado here it is:

Changelog v0.6.5:


NEW FEATURES:
  • Boss Fight: now, when a corporation has low Influence, you can try to attack and defeat his boss (NOTE: in this build, we're adding only one boss; in the final game you will have a different boss for each corporation).
  • New Enemies: 15 different new enemies added to the game.
  • New Areas: the Forge and the Deep are added to the game.
  • New Districts: the harbor district is added to the game.
  • New SPUs: now the SPU are procedurally generated; also, now an SPU can be inserted only in three different slots (choosed between the six total slots) - NOTE: if you have an SPU in a forbidden slot in an old save game, you will find it removed the first time you will launch the game - you need just to insert again in a legal slot.
  • New SPUs minigame: now, to extract an SPU you will face a new minigame (as always, the difficulty of the minigame is based on the character's stats).
  • Random Effect during the mission: now every time you will enter in an Area during a mission, there will be different modifiers and effects active.
  • Imperfect Cloning Technology: now, every time you will clone an agent, the clone will be slightly different; he will have different stats and a different special ability. The cloning technology is not a perfect science.
  • New mission selection: now selecting a mission is more quick and easy.
  • New agent switch menu: now switching agents before a mission is more quick and easy.
  • New room in the Hive: now in the Hive there is a new room.
  • Secrets zones: [CLASSIFIED INFORMATION]


MAJOR FIXES:
  • Now the effect "Damage increase until guarded" is working correctly.
  • Improve the game's performances in the Districts.


MINOR FIXES:
  • Improved the readability of the Door's Hacking in the Anthill.
  • Now the enemies character's sheet shows correctly the Mark Resistance and the Hacking Resistance stats.
  • Now the agent character's sheet shows correctly the Special Ability.
  • Now if an enemy is in dying status and you will hack him, he will not wrongly come back in combat.


BALANCING:
  • All enemies have been rebalanced and redistributed along the Areas.


QUALITY OF LIFE:
  • Now if you reach the enemies from behind, you will always ambush them.
  • Now when you will unlock a new clone, there will be an exclamation point near the button in order to report it to you.
  • Now the cloning center will show you how much Reputation you need to unlock a new clone.
  • Now using the Shield regeneration and the Skip turn button during combat will no longer ask you a confirm.
  • Now the enemies tooltip also show you the currently active effects.
  • Now at the start of the game, if you choose "automode" to clone your first agents, the "back to the main menu" button will be highlighted.
  • Changed the mouse cursor for the hotspots.
  • Changed the outline for the hotspots.

https://steamcommunity.com/games/1022710/announcements/detail/1595888090485985065

Update 0.8.0 is now available!

Added: new area, more enemies, tips on loading screens, bug fixes, re-balancing and more!
bf8553766c1082969016b2c8f7408e077d3b5730.jpg


Hello everyone,

The new update has arrived and it’s full with new content and features for you! This time we bring you a new area - The Spire, four new enemies, and as always some major and minor bug fixes. We’ve also added tips in the loading screens so you can get some useful advice while waiting for the next scene to load!

You can find all the new additions and fixes in the changelog below:

CONGLOMERATE 451 - Early Access Build 0.8.0


NEW CONTENTS:
  • A new area is now available: The Spire
  • 4 new enemies


NEW FEATURES:
  • Tips on the loading screen


MAJOR FIXES:
  • Fixed the enemies movement in the city (Harbor zone)
  • Fixed the chance to have a mission without enemies spawned in the Hive area
  • Fixed the camera position for the SPUs mini-game


MINOR FIXES:
  • Now the hotspots outline is turned off during combat


BALANCING:
  • Now every area has 25% of chance to not have penalties
  • Agent skills (normal and mastered) are rebalanced
  • Reputation needed to unlock areas is rebalanced


QUALITY OF LIFE:
  • Now Skill's special effects have different icons if they are good or bad


Enjoy!
 

Pope Amole II

Nerd Commando Game Studios
Developer
Joined
Mar 1, 2012
Messages
2,052
So it looks like nobody is going to take one for the team?

I've reviewed it on my channel. During the spring, I think. At that moment, it was in the early-early pre-alpha condition - almost no content and no balance. All in all, it's just a darkest dungeon clone that for some reason poses itself as a dungeon crawler.
 

Infinitron

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Messages
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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
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/10/08/conglomerate-451-early-access-review/

Premature Evaluation: Conglomerate 451

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Premature Evaluation is the weekly column in which Steve Hogarty explores the wilds of early access. This week, he’s taking on the faceless organisations of Conglomerate 451.

Conglomerate. Even the word sounds sinister, like it might throw a burlap sack over your head and bungle you into the back of a blacked out minivan, then pop you in the temple with a silenced pistol and throw your corpse out in the street in front of your mother’s house. Whether it’s the militaristic association of the glottal “cong”, or the overcast bleakness of the central “glom”, from start to finish the whole deal exudes a menacing kind of energy. Of all the words that I know, which is literally dozens, “conglomerate” is the one that seems the most up to no good. If I had a son and I wanted him to grow up bad, I would name him James Conglomerate and only let him watch business news.

Conglomerate 451 is a cyberpunk dungeon crawler set in a futuristic world containing, presumably, no fewer than 451 different conglomerates. That is both a frankly terrifying number of conglomerates to have to contend with, as well as antithetical to the tendency of conglomerates to, well, conglomerate. It is a turn-based, grid-based, clone-based, squad-based strategy management game, in which you command a small crew of genetically engineered super soldiers in an attempt to destabilise and undermine an inclement neon city’s autocratic league of corrupt companies. The action unfolds in the manner of Dungeon Master and Legends of Grimrock, with your team of three expendable vat-grown clones afflicted with some miserable condition that prevents them moving diagonally or less than 15 feet at a time.

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It’s a lesser-spotted genre that’s more often found hanging out in medieval fantasy environments, your treasure strewn dungeons and skeleton-buggered crypts and the like, but the ninety-degree angles of the rain-slick alleys and steel suspended walkways of cyberpunk dystopia lend themselves just as readily to grid-based adventuring. In fact, pretty much everything readily transposes itself from one setting to the other.

Magic spells become that vaguely explained techno-bio-wizardry that every cyberpunk future seems to have, with your soldiers able to zap and stun enemies with electrical attacks, hack into baddies’ brains to fiddle with their accuracy, and raise up magneto-shields in front of their allies. Potions become drugs, which your clone soldiers can become addicted to if they’re dispensed too liberally. One drug is called ‘crisps’ and removes all debuffs, for example.

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Gold is credits. Chests are hackable terminals. Instead of orcs and kobolds you’re battling criminal gangs with welding helmets and pointy hair and bionic limbs and PVC tights. Or private militias employed by the companies whose influence you’re chipping away at. Or humanoid robots in the thrall of a psychotic artificial intelligence. Or mutants who live in the irradiated sewers and can smear you in their glowing radiation juices. There’s hardly an original thought to be found anywhere in Conglomerate 451, but that’s alright, as the trade-off is a world that’s immediately comprehensible to anyone who’s ever glanced at a Bladerunner poster.

If there is a unique guiding principle to the game’s perpetually dark and wet world, it’s that shadowy unaccountable conglomerates are bad news, and that one day we’ll be able to 3D print new people at some unmentioned cost to our humanity. At your X-COM style base, of which you are the director, you can clone fresh soldiers to replace dead ones at the push of a button, imbuing them with the latest DNA modifiers and bionic limbs you’ve found inside of a cash machine or hidden under a bench during a mission. You can also send your clones off on their own automated, clandestine missions for some extra credits, as well as another currency, tech, which as far as I can tell is just credits with a different icon. Both are used to research new abilities for your base and your clones, such as regeneration and detox tanks to keep them alive a little longer.

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Combat during missions is politely turn-based, and the skills of your team generally tend to complement and lead into one another. One class of clone is tuned towards marking and stunning enemies, which in turn boosts the damage inflicted by a more assault-focused class. But for all its outwardly tactical notions, these encounters unfold at a snail’s pace. And not some kind of super-quick bionic snail from the future, just a regular crap snail.

Enemy shield and health bars can take an age to whittle down and battles typically devolve into picking the same two or three moves each round and repeating them until everyone on the screen is murdered. There’s a whole spreadsheet of stats and modifiers chugging away under the bonnet, and while you can do tricksy things like target individual limbs to inflict certain effects – shooting at an enemy’s legs to slow them down, for example – it’s never necessary to do anything other than blast away at the part of the body that’s most easy to click on in a given turn, or to follow the uncomfortably natural compulsion to always aim for the head. There are many parts to Conglomerate 451’s combat, but few of them hang together usefully, or in a way that provides a meaningful challenge.

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The juddery clunkiness of the game’s combat is carried through to broader issues with the user interface, which actively thwarts your efforts to understand some of the game’s basic mechanics. The different classes of clone each have names like Infiltrator and Binary, but no tool-tips to explain what their deal actually is. Instead it’s up to you to poke around their set of abilities in an attempt to divine their role in a team. Another example is how, in combat, the game optimistically expects you to weigh up the pros and cons of a never-ending range of inscrutable, fiddly debuffs. Many of these problems are being addressed in a series of fast arriving and significant updates, but some are baked right in.

Conglomerate 451 is a daunting and technical cyber-dungeon-crawler, but underneath all of its shiny PVC jumpsuits, neon signs reflected it puddles and hairless cloned men with dead, staring eyes, there’s just not much heart. Just endless cold, wet concrete.

Also, I’ve just looked up the etymology of “conglomerate”. It actually means to bring things together into a big ball, which makes it way more friendly sounding than the thing with the burlap sack and the murder. If I ever had a daughter and I wanted her to be ace, I’d call her Julia Conglomerate. Thanks.
 

LESS T_T

Arcane
Joined
Oct 5, 2012
Messages
13,582
Codex 2014
Full release delayed to February, to make it bigger and better apparently: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1022710/announcements/detail/1661192277185534612

Bigger and Better - Full release shifted to February 2020!
Hello everyone,

You’ve all seen the recent changes that have come to Conglomerate 451 with each update in Steam Early Access. Your continued feedback has been the source of, and inspiration for so many of the changes, tweaks, and bug fixes that have been introduced since we first put this game into the hands of the community. Thank you for all your help!

We had planned to exit Steam Early Access in October 2019, however with your help, we’ve noticed many opportunities to improve existing gameplay, add new content, and update features to better serve Conglomerate 451 players. We want to come out of Early Access with a truly great game, so instead of releasing the full version we have decided to remain in Early Access for just a little while longer.

Right now we’re working on quality of life features, more loot, new collectables, and better rewards. Stay tuned for news about new bosses, Steam achievements, and story mode. We hope you’re going to be really excited for all this and more.

Below you can see the updated EA roadmap that will give you a better idea about what to expect and when:

40b3f00dbb7e7cdb0373a1a7d355a31dd82c1f55.jpg
 

Infinitron

I post news
Staff Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
97,505
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
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1022710/announcements/detail/1708488968120692371

We are leaving Early Access on 20th of February!

}early_access_exit.game ($_CONGLOMERATE451 [‘dungeon_crawler’] + ['roguelike']) = helloworld

0101b8da0222468a7d10a53bc80d11261fbf468c.png


OH YEAH, IT IS HAPPENING!

After a wee bit prolonged Early Access, we are almost at the end of the road, ready for the illusive version 1.0, coming on February 20th!

We are in the final starch, adding All Bosses + Boss fights, Localization, Steam Achievements, Story Mode Action Events and of course final bugfixing as well as polishing.

It has been quite a ride for us when we learned a lot from your feedback and actually decided to spend bit more time in early access to bring you a better experience all based on your invaluable feedback.

Are you ready?


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https://www.gamasutra.com/view/pres...o_Escape_the_Limits_of_Steam_Early_Access.php

Prague, Czech Republic, January 30, 2020 -- Today, 1C Entertainment and developer RuneHeads are excited to announce first person cyberpunk dungeon crawler Conglomerate 451 will exit Steam Early Access on February 20, 2020.

During Steam Early Access, RuneHeads released multiple updates to Conglomerate 451 introducing new areas, enemies, and corporation bosses, updating UI, and adding exciting roguelike features such as imperfect character cloning and randomized perks. On launch, Conglomerate 451 will be updated again with a patch fixing bugs and polishing features.

Conglomerate 451 digs deep into its grid-based, dungeon crawling RPG roots, offering players an incredible variety of technologies to explore and upgrade. Roguelike elements add weight to the smallest decisions, for your agents to make it out alive, they must leverage everything from hacking and equippable agent skills, to strategic use of tools developed by your personal R&D department.

Both 1C Entertainment and RuneHeads would like to reiterate that Conglomerate 451 is not an emergent AI bent on expanding the limits of the human vessel for its own unknowable purposes and that the game is completely benign to humanity in all ways.

As CEO of a special agency tasked with taking down the corrupt corporations that threaten sector 451 of Conglomerate city, you have access to technology that today’s top companies and governments can only dream of. From cloning to cybernization to DNA manipulation, your agents can be built from the ground up to fit mission needs.

Key Features:
  • Manage your resources - Make use of your own personal R&D department to research advanced technology, unlocking new features, powers and options for progression
  • More than just body mods - In addition to upgrading weapon and armor proficiencies, augment your body with interchangeable cyber implants that completely change your agent’s skills and utility
  • Pain and Trauma system - Even the smallest wounds can have a lasting impact. By taking damage in combat, agents risk generating permanent Traumas that will follow them between missions
  • Story or Endless Mode - It's your choice. The Story Mode brings you in a world filled by events and a war with corrupted Corporations and their propaganda. In the Endless Mode, the game will create endless content for you
  • Perks and Mutations - Your agents can acquire special skills (Perks) and obtain Mutations
  • Drugs and Disorders - buy synthetic drugs to temporarily empower your agents, with the risk that they develop Mental Disorders
  • Procedural cyber dungeons - Experience the dungeon crawling you love, mixed with future technology as you take on procedurally-generated dungeons and missions
  • If you die in the game... - Each mission could be your last thanks to agent permadeath. Consider every move, because if an agent dies in battle, they will be lost forever
  • Hack the world - Enter cyberspace mid-mission and hack your way ahead of the competition to get crucial intel and give yourself the advantage
  • Collectables and Achievements - find collectables around the dungeons and bring them to the Collector to discover the truth
For more information, be sure to check out the game on Steam and follow RuneHeads and 1C Entertainment on Twitter.
 

Infinitron

I post news
Staff Member
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Messages
97,505
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
Released:





Trailer shows GOG but it's not on GOG.
thinking.png


https://steamcommunity.com/games/1022710/announcements/detail/1709616757507694262

Version 1.0 IS HERE!
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Hey guys,

the day that we all have been waiting for and striving for has finally arrived to our purple-lid doorstep! Conglomerate 451 is here with version 1.0 which concludes its Early Access cycle! We just to like to say couple of things to you - the community.

I'm Matteo - one of the two Runeheads developers. I'm writing this few sentences to say thank you to all players that helped us during these 9 months of Early Access.

It was a crazy journey: a lot of fun, a lot of work (a lot of nights working on the game, also), a lot of ideas that you suggested to us.

It was our first early access, we never did in the past. But we appreciated every single feedback, every single word you wrote us.

Sometimes it was really hard; we had some drawbacks (like when my PC died), but your passion and your enthusiasm for Conglomerate always helped us to keep going.

The game, in May when we started the EA, was a small seed. Now it's a mature title, with a lot of features and ideas.

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We really hope you will enjoy it as much we enjoyed chatting with you, listen to your suggestions and your amazing ideas.

So, thank you from both of us: you are breathtaking (uh, can I say that or there is a copyright? :D).

BUT, that's not the end of our journey! It's a start: we want to keep improving the game in the next months. There are other ideas we want to put into it, and more challenges we want to face.

Keep talking to us, giving your ideas: we always will answer you.

So keep in touch: Conglomerate City needs you.

Matteo and Moreno - Runeheads
Changelog 1.0


BALANCING:
  • Final game balancing


NEW FEATURES:
  • ADDED the Brightness option
  • ADDED trading cards, badges, emojis and backgrounds


MAJOR FIXES:
  • NOW turning off the V-SYNC will allow you to have more than 60 fps


MINOR FIXES:
  • FIXED and issue that turned off the map in the city after using the City Terminal
  • ADDED missing fonts in some languages
  • FIXED some minor issues in the localization


POLISHING:
  • Improved the lighting in some areas
  • Improved the quality of some enemies animations


QUALITY OF LIFE:
  • Now you can change the video option during a mission
  • Added the "Quit to Desktop" option in the Headquarter option menu


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Last edited:

Sykar

Arcane
Joined
Dec 2, 2014
Messages
11,297
Location
Turn right after Alpha Centauri
Anyone tried it yet? If not I might give it a spin during weekend and tell you about my first impressions, if anyone is interested. I am a sucker for Cyberpunk anyway so spending 15 bucks won't hurt too much even if the game will turn out to be a disappointment.
 

Grauken

Gourd vibes only
Patron
Joined
Mar 22, 2013
Messages
12,803
I'm interested to hear your feedback, especially if they've improved the level generation much
 

Sykar

Arcane
Joined
Dec 2, 2014
Messages
11,297
Location
Turn right after Alpha Centauri
Have not played the early access version so not sure I could give a proper comparison here. I can probably only tell you whether it is grating or non-offensive. I doubt it will be "good". Procedural level generation usually sucks.
 
Joined
Mar 3, 2010
Messages
8,879
Location
Italy
this game has all the right ideas and tools to be a great blobber, but it isn't. 3 men and 4 skills each is just too too too little to possibly have fun with. even the extremely minimalist darkest dungeon gives more. had it had 4-5 men per team i'd be here praising it as a good game, 6 or more as an excellence, but 3, just 3, is not enough for any noteworthy interaction, let alone basic tactic.
 

Sykar

Arcane
Joined
Dec 2, 2014
Messages
11,297
Location
Turn right after Alpha Centauri
this game has all the right ideas and tools to be a great blobber, but it isn't. 3 men and 4 skills each is just too too too little to possibly have fun with. even the extremely minimalist darkest dungeon gives more. had it had 4-5 men per team i'd be here praising it as a good game, 6 or more as an excellence, but 3, just 3, is not enough for any noteworthy interaction, let alone basic tactic.

Yeah saw that when I was taking a peak at the game on YT. Star Crawlers felt too limited already with just 5 abilities and a party of only 4. This? This is a joke. Probably a concession to consoles. They put in more efforts into graphics and presentation than actual gameplay. The procedural levels are as usual garbage from what I could glean.
 

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