Disco Elysium Pre-Release Thread [GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Latro]

For some of us, a repetitive number optimization system as the central mechanic is primary, indeed essential, to what it means to be an RPG.

I... I just had a breakthrough

My favourite game isn't, in fact, a RPG. It's... it's... Kerbal Space Program... which is... a bunch of crude graphics built around a repetitive number optimisation system

I think I need to go lie down

finally, we have reached truth

disco e. shall be safely deposited into adventure gaming and never bother true RPGs again

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

For some of us, a repetitive number optimization system as the central mechanic is primary, indeed essential, to what it means to be an RPG.

I... I just had a breakthrough

My favourite game isn't, in fact, a RPG. It's... it's... Kerbal Space Program... which is... a bunch of crude graphics built around a repetitive number optimisation system

I think I need to go lie down

But it does have rocket powered exploding things; therefore RPG.

 

[Terenty]

For some of us, a repetitive number optimization system as the central mechanic is primary, indeed essential, to what it means to be an RPG.

I... I just had a breakthrough

My favourite game isn't, in fact, a RPG. It's... it's... Kerbal Space Program... which is... a bunch of crude graphics built around a repetitive number optimisation system

I think I need to go lie down

finally, we have reached truth

disco e. shall be safely deposited into adventure gaming and never bother true RPGs again

What if Disco Elysium did have some shitty combat thrown in there just to tick a box would you consider it an rpg?

 

[Prime Junta]

But it does have rocket powered exploding things; therefore RPG.

RPG maker

 

[fantadomat]

For some of us, a repetitive number optimization system as the central mechanic is primary, indeed essential, to what it means to be an RPG.

I... I just had a breakthrough

My favourite game isn't, in fact, a RPG. It's... it's... Kerbal Space Program... which is... a bunch of crude graphics built around a repetitive number optimisation system

I think I need to go lie down

bank accountant....rich one to boast.

 

[Egosphere]

Near the beginning of the game, there's a scene ... it's more bittersweet than hopeless, ... it gives me shivers and moves me to tears. The profoundly sad tremolo in the post-rock-like song in the background just deepens the impact of that last bit. I sit there, thinking: what the fuck has just happened? .. How is this possible? Why did a skill check .. squeeze some tears out of me?

So this is my question: how is this possible?

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

back in my days we were fighting in video games not clicking on menus

pay no attention to the menu clicking behind the curtain.

 

[Terenty]

back in my days we were fighting in video games not clicking on menus

pay no attention to the menu clicking behind the curtain.

What is this, the first twine game?

 

[toro]

Prime Junta Let's make it real.

If you don't post in this thread - after this post - until release then I will buy the game and prove it.
If you post then I will pirate the game ... and prove it.

Deal?

Deal.

madman posted

he has no self-control

pirate bay it is then

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Look, the real question for DE to solve is quite simple - can it keep the player engaged with slow-paced, passive and repetitive gameplay throughout a 50 hour game.

Traditional RPGs have incredibly varied gameplay. You get periods of repetitive problem solving (inventory management, minigames and so on), you have periods of passive reading and inbetween all that, you get periods of fast-paced combat. Scrap all that and you're left with what? Age of Decadence CYOA elements deservedly got a lot of praise, but they were balanced out with brutal combat system. Does anybody want Vault Dweller to make AoD2-visual novel edition, where all you ever do is juggle skill points to pass skill checks? Thought so.

Numenera went over the top with complicated dialogue mechanics, fancy dice rolls and checks running under the hood, but playing it felt like playing a sudoku with graphics. And I have yet to see one example of what Disco Elysium does differently, other than it has a better premise for a sudoku with graphics.

Far as I'm concerned, all of this looks like potentially a tremendous point&click adventure, but I have serious doubts whether you can marry a point&click adventure with inherent aimlessness typical of open-world non-linear RPG.

 

[Grauken]

Does anybody want Vault Dweller to make AoD2-visual novel edition, where all you ever do is juggle skill points to pass skill checks? Thought so.

I would be up for it, if it were less railroad-y

 

[Abu Antar]

This all depends on the writing and how predictable the story is.

Numenera's writing, world and characters were dull. Funnily, the "dreams/visions/whatstheirname" had good content.

 

[Prime Junta]

Far as I'm concerned, all of this looks like potentially a tremendous point&click adventure, but I have serious doubts whether you can marry a point&click adventure with inherent aimlessness typical of open-world non-linear RPG.

I don't blame you for being skeptical. It is a tall order and it will indeed be a challenge to keep the player engaged for 50+ hours, without the distraction and adrenaline rush you get from periodic combat to spice things up. As I've said before, I think that players who look for adrenaline rushes or tactical challenges won't like the game. There will be players who won't like this because they feel there isn't enough game in the game. Disco Elysium is a RPG of, by, and for storyfags.

Spoiler

The rest of you can GTFO of our treehouse.

 

[Zombra]

IHaveHugeNick

Pacing is definitely going to be a major question in a game with just two interfaces (exploration and dialogue-style interaction). But did you watch the trailers? Have you read any of the writing? If these guys can do anything, they can do compelling artistic cadence. You're not going to be arresting 10 identical pickpockets in a row and getting bored. I'm confident that most every new scene will be a distinct change of pace from the one preceding. I can be wrong, but I don't think it's possible that a work like this will have such a fundemental flaw in the basic structure as to be repetitive.

I find it astonishing that anyone could consider a dialogue-driven game, where every single scene is handcrafted and different from the one before, more repetitive than a "kill 200 rats, now kill 2000 goblins, now kill 20000 ogres" RPG.

And yes, I played a "talker" in AOD, avoided all combat, ignored gear progression, and couldn't put the game down.*
*Until an unforgivable flaw in the writing made it impossible for me to accept continuing.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Does anybody want Vault Dweller to make AoD2-visual novel edition, where all you ever do is juggle skill points to pass skill checks? Thought so.

I would be up for it, if it were less railroad-y

I made a couple attempts at a pacifist Merchant playthrough and it was honestly god awful boring. Although in fairness the character systems aren't suited for this sort of thing. If you dump all the combat stats and attributes, all your civil skills go through the roof so you're basically just clicking and winning skill checks all the time.

Zombra as above. Granted mine isn't a fair example because that was like my 7th playthrough so I already had everything figured out.

 

[Strange Fellow]

Yeah, if there's one thing that concerns me, it's the length. I don't doubt you can make a compelling walker/talker RPG without much traditional combat, but 50+ hours of one? That's an extremely tall order.

 

[Tigranes]

The conversation about RPGs is pretty pointless. The question is whether it's a good game.

I think I implied it in my preview, but my current stance is that at worst, it's a stylish adventure that lacks truly robust gameplay systems; at best, it manages to provide its own unique mix of systems. It's not going to give you a gameplay loop that you've seen anywhere else, though, which is why it's hard to estimate before people have played through it.

 

[Beowulf]

Far as I'm concerned, all of this looks like potentially a tremendous point&click adventure, but I have serious doubts whether you can marry a point&click adventure with inherent aimlessness typical of open-world non-linear RPG.

I don't blame you for being skeptical. It is a tall order and it will indeed be a challenge to keep the player engaged for 50+ hours, without the distraction and adrenaline rush you get from periodic combat to spice things up. [...]

Combat might be an adrenaline rush only if you play action RPGs like Twitcher 3, or the like. And then it's hardly tactical.
Tactical combat in RPGs is more of a puzzle. Especially the turn based combat.

Other than that, you shill this game pretty hard indeed.
But it looked like a interesting project right from the start. The near release surprised not only my, it seems.
Hope it delivers, because their vision sure as hell looks promising.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

Does anybody want Vault Dweller to make AoD2-visual novel edition, where all you ever do is juggle skill points to pass skill checks? Thought so.

I would be up for it, if it were less railroad-y

I'd actually be all for that too, as long as the combat was handled via dialog like Disco. It'd arguably work better for AoD's "You're not the big hero" idea than the current combat system which is fun but if you're playing a combat character you become an unstoppable murder machine not long after Teron. "And then our noble hero did run into a choke point on the map and proceeded to kill dozens of men as they moved up and attacked him single file". Fucking around with non-combat characters in AoD was where the real meat was anyway. Non-combat praetor and non-combat thief are a whole hell of a lot of fun, especially praetor.

 

[normie]

Look, the real question for DE to solve is quite simple - can it keep the player engaged with slow-paced, passive and repetitive gameplay throughout a 50 hour game..

my personal prediction/suspicion is that it will have a flashy, even overdeveloped start, as if accurate to all promises, but then fall off a cliff or wear increasingly thin as compromises in execution mount up from the lack of technical skill to pull it off in full intended glory or from implementing ideas that were not thought up with the same enthusiasm as the pitch was

a flawed poop diamond/10

 

[Prime Junta]

Come now, that hardly ever happens.

 

[barghwata]

Look, the real question for DE to solve is quite simple - can it keep the player engaged with slow-paced, passive and repetitive gameplay throughout a 50 hour game.

Traditional RPGs have incredibly varied gameplay. You get periods of repetitive problem solving (inventory management, minigames and so on), you have periods of passive reading and inbetween all that, you get periods of fast-paced combat. Scrap all that and you're left with what? Age of Decadence CYOA elements deservedly got a lot of praise, but they were balanced out with brutal combat system. Does anybody want Vault Dweller to make AoD2-visual novel edition, where all you ever do is juggle skill points to pass skill checks? Thought so.

Numenera went over the top with complicated dialogue mechanics, fancy dice rolls and checks running under the hood, but playing it felt like playing a sudoku with graphics. And I have yet to see one example of what Disco Elysium does differently, other than it has a better premise for a sudoku with graphics.

The reason why a visual-novel edition of AoD would be a terrible idea is because the game is quite lacking in ambition, the gameworld feels very empty, there aren't many characters or dialogue options and there aren't really many ways to solve problems since the game is completely on rails, a specialised character doesn't really have many options at all and a jack of all trades character is just not gonna work, so you just end up with a game where all you have to do is specialise your character and then breeze through it by choosing the few skill checks that fit your build.

DE is different for several reasons:

1- The scale and ambition of the game seem to be much much larger, which means there is a possibility that quests have several solutions for any specific build and that the game is less railroad-y (we'll have to wait and see).

2- The skill checks aren't simple success or failure buttons like in AoD, from what i've seen from the gameplay most skill checks aren't like that, many skill checks are activated automatically, much like a perception check in fallout, that give you hints on how to interrogate a person, or define what kind of first impression you give to people, but you'll still have to do the talking yourself, passing skill checks is more or less there to aid you, not to outright tell you what to say or do (like in AoD), it isn't that type of game where you can just specialise in a skill like persuation and ace every conversation all your way to the end.

3- The open ended aspect of the game indicates that it's much less linear then AoD, and i am not saying AoD is linear, it's just that you'll always go through the same events, interact with the same characters and teleport from location to location in the same order in every single run.

4- Appearently certain decisions you make and dialogue options you choose in a conversation can influence the difficulty of passing skill checks later, if you find yourself having to extract informations from someone you insulted just seconds before, it's gonna be harder to do it even if you have the skills for it, but i don't know how much of these type of situations will be in the game and i am looking forward to it.

None of this means that DE will 100% deliver on its promises of course, we will have to wait and see, and for now i still have alot of reservations about the game, and i have my doubts on whether or not a gamplay that completely depends on text and dialogue will manage to keep me interested for 60 hours or so.

 

[fantadomat]

Prime Junta Let's make it real.

If you don't post in this thread - after this post - until release then I will buy the game and prove it.
If you post then I will pirate the game ... and prove it.

Deal?

Deal.

madman posted

he has no self-control

pirate bay it is then

Yeah,i too was thinking of buying it,but junta fucked it up.

 

[fantadomat]

Funny thing is that two days before that i am on baptising,so i will be playing drunk as a drunk cop.

 

[Prime Junta]

4- Appearently certain decisions you make and dialogue options you choose in a conversation can influence the difficulty of passing skill checks later, if you find yourself having to extract informations from someone you insulted just seconds before, it's gonna be harder to do it even if you have the skills for it, but i don't know how much of these type of situations will be in the game and i am looking forward to it.

They are very common. Most (all?) of the major challenge-dialogues you can get during the first day have them.

I’ll list a few in a spoiler for the skeptics (srsly, these are spoilers so be warned, don’t read if you intend to play this any time soon)

Spoiler

In the autopsy, if you’re too confident about your conclusions too early, the checks for determining the actual cause of death will be harder. Conversely if you were particularly observant in the pre-examination they will be easier.

When trying to break Cuno, the crucial Empathy check will be easier if you’ve impressed him with your flashy cop skills or talked to Cunoesse, and harder if he managed to mindfuck you earlier.

Shooting the corpse down from the tree will be harder if you react to Cuno’s heckling, and easier if you take the right actions to steady your aim.

An important check in the conversation with Joyce Messier is way easier if you’ve internalised a certain Thought. Same for passing the Endurance check to examine the body.

The crucial checks in the conversation with the bookseller when convincing her to let you in the back are modified by intel you may have gathered talking to her daughter outside the store. That conversation also gives hints on what line you should take with her.

There’s more but that’s for starters. I’m not even including basic things like equipping a crowbar making it easier yo pry open a container.