ELEX ELEX II - Jax is back

[Junmarko]

 

[Cpt. Dallas]

The Outlaw skill tree in E2 is pretty weaksauce, even compared to the other secondary faction (clerics) since they are on top of whatever you get in the primary faction. Does joining the Outlaws at least remove the 50% xp gimp when using chems?

 

[Cryomancer]

So far, why so few spells? For example, compare the Alb ice magic in this Elex 2. Only ice first, chain lightning, blizzard and charge. Only NoTR allows you to cast dozens of water magic based spells for G2. That so far seems like the greatest con of this game.

 

[Grotesque]

companion loyalty has any importance in the game?

 

[Ismaul]

I have a different theory about Piranha Bytes. That they're not really a "professional" studio anymore but basically a bunch of folks working on games in their own time when they feel like it.

Still doesn't explain why they didn't just reuse the better models of ELEX 1, for example Jax's face. His eyes aren't even the same color lol

This is mainly because of the lip sync program they use. Iirc its incompatible with the old models skeleton.


Although, the lip sync are technically impressive, the tradeoff it cost us is not worth it, you just have weird model with really good lipsync that drill into the uncanny valley

That would be a good reason to change models.

But the result is obviously a bad tradeoff. Good faces are more important than good lip syncing. I wasn't really annoyed at the lip syncing state in ELEX 1, par for the jank, but I haven't even run the second and I'm annoyed at the faces already. Jax went from badass to wimp lol, and all the other faces look prosperous.

Given how faces interact with lip syncing, I expect no mod will fix it.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

mod

:fabulously optimistic:

no mod tools are released, relies entirely upon modder reverse engineering and not enough people care about the game. At best it will get some small tweaks like ELEX got.

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

The combat is actually better than in ELEX, if only because of things like weapon timed blocking (that actually works and against pretty much everything) and sidestep. I fought a skulled forlorn on Ultra difficulty at level 2 and won with a one handed sword, because if you time your block right, you stagger it, and can knock it off its feet with the next attack and follow up with a power attack while its getting off the ground. So it actually feels more like an action RPG combat, with player skill playing a role. In ELEX, timed parry only worked against one handed humanoid weapons AND had minimum effects. Also, the fact that shields start off with limited damage reduction is great, they were completely OP in ELEX and made combat pointless.

Now, on the bad side, ELEX had too much dialogue for a PB game, and ELEX 2 continues this, and perhaps makes it even worse. The great thing about early PB games (Gothics, Risens) was that dialogue was really terse and to the point. In ELEX 2, fucking traders just wont stfu. They will engage you in lines and lines and lines of pointless dialogue before allowing you to trade. I don't know why anyone would think this is entertaining.

 

[Junmarko]

Would honestly just rather they return to the tank controls from Gothic 1 + 2. Can't stomach any of of this shite.

 

[Lyre Mors]

So after traveling with Ivan from the Berserker fort to the Morkon Grotto, I actually kind of find them to be a much more interesting faction than I had originally thought. So much so that I'll probably join them for my second playthrough someday. A death cult born out of a society of vault dwellers that enslaves and brainwashes people to join them? Cool concept for a faction, honestly. On top of that, they're not all just edgelord retards. There's a lot of kind and reasonable character around their base. I ended up liking Ivan a lot too in our cross-country hike. It was a good old "follow the NPC a far distance to discover a new faction base," with a number of cool little details.

Oh, and out of curiosity I was trying the circle-strafe method of fighting you have been mentioning, Roxor, and it certainly wasn't successful. Whether I was walking or running, the enemy would always close with me and lay the smack down. Makes me wonder if there's even more fucked up with your game than just the performance issues.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Whether I was walking or running, the enemy would always close with me and lay the smack down.

the enemy should come close, you are supposed to circle strafe around it at point blank

It doesn't work against everything, some niggas are more clever than others, even within those using the same models, so they must differ in AI routines somehow, but for example all raptor-types and all rat-types are completely powerless to circle strafing.

 

[Cat Dude]

Boring typical bald space marine character

 

[Mikeal]

Still better than hermaphrodites from JRPGs.

 

[lukaszek]

companion loyalty has any importance in the game?

i expect that some of them will kill you, other will not join the final fight. Not that it makes any difference

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Boring typical bad space marine character

nooo you can't just make your character a white guy with a typical military haircut!!!!

 

[Alienman]

I miss white guys with military haircuts.

 

[Steezus]

So what's the quick and dirty? Worse than glorious ELEX?

 

[Abu Antar]

I always play bald white males.

Anyway. I've been exploring off the beaten path, and found a few weapons that I am not remotely close to have the stats for.

I had a really funny "Gothic" moment. I was fighting one of those fireborn or whatstheirname. Way above my level, still cheese it with jetpack. Just as I defeat it, some other monster with a skull over its head appears. Run like a coward, end up in reavers nest. They are too many, and too strong. Run back and lure it to the camp. It kills all of them, I get the finishing blow on the beast, collect all the loot.

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

So what's the quick and dirty? Worse than glorious ELEX?

I am in too early to give a definitive evaluation so far, but quick summary after few hours playing:

1. Combat is better. It's more aRPG-like, player skill and timing play a role, you can fight harder enemies if you master it.

2. NPCs kinda talk too much.

3. Faces, models, and environment look worse than in ELEX for some reason, there is a discussion earlier in the thread on why that might be, but they do. But unless you are a graphics whore, I don't think it's such a big deal. Graphics whores probably wouldn't be playing PB games anyway.

 

[Abu Antar]

The thing about environments is that at times, it is butt ugly, and at times, it looks really impressive. And these places can be right next to each other.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Combat is better.

imagine being this wrong

oh wait its just porky

 

[rusty_shackleford]

how come nobody is mentioning the fact that there's just cooked food sitting around everywhere
is this a normal occurrence in germany?

"ah I'm out for my morning stroll in the forest. Wait, what's that I spot? A fresh, just-made bowl of Chili con Carne with nobody else around?! Delicious!"

 

[Abu Antar]

how come nobody is mentioning the fact that there's just cooked food sitting around everywhere
is this a normal occurrence in germany?

"ah I'm out for my morning stroll in the forest. Wait, what's that I spot? A fresh, just-made bowl of Chili con Carne with nobody else around?! Delicious!"

I'd eat chili con carne no matter where I found it. (It is funny, but what can you do?) It's something that exists in other games, too. Either you go with the retardation of it all, or you let it bother you.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

how come nobody is mentioning the fact that there's just cooked food sitting around everywhere
is this a normal occurrence in germany?

"ah I'm out for my morning stroll in the forest. Wait, what's that I spot? A fresh, just-made bowl of Chili con Carne with nobody else around?! Delicious!"

I'd eat chili con carne no matter where I found it. (It is funny, but what can you do?) It's something that exists in other games, too. Either you go with the retardation of it all, or you let it bother you.

I think it sticks out because there's so little for them to actually put as loot so they just filled areas with cooked food and potions.

 

[Raskens]

I've played Gothic 2, G1, Risen 1, Elex1 and I'm currently playing Chronicles of Myrtana Archolos. I've liked all of them (and would rank them in the order written above with the exception of Archolos which I haven't finished), but what PB game should I play next?

How does E2 compare to G3 and R2?

 

[Lyre Mors]

How does E2 compare to G3 and R2?

Much better than both of these, a little worse overall than ELEX 1. We didn't get the ELEX equivalent of Gothic 2 that I wanted, but it's still good fun. I'd put it in a similar quality category as Risen 1.