KickStarter Encased - isometric post-apocalyptic RPG under the dome

[Infinitron]

https://presse.kochmedia.com/Encased-Theres-More-Than-One-Way-to-Play-An-RPG

Encased: There's More Than One Way to Play An RPG
Proteus effect: playing video games makes you a better person.

Last month, media outlets across the world previewed Encased; an upcoming isometric dystopian sci-fi RPG releasing on Tuesday 7 September 2021 developed by Dark Crystal Games and published by Prime Matter.

But beyond the praise for the gameplay, storyline and environment one thing stood out; almost everyone had played the game ‘normally’; out of over 100 articles, not one person had gone off-piste.

This might feel like a strange statement. After all, how else could you play the game and not get zapped in the first 20 seconds. This is where things get interesting: the developers - Dark Crystal Games – have added unusual gameplay styles (a few are signposted in the opening level) to give an entirely different playthrough. Some of these are:

• Setting your intelligence as low as possible
• Not talking to anyone and being permanently in the shadows
• Being a pacifist and only using non-lethal weapons
• Acting like a serial killer

There’s a new video https://youtu.be/sGwZsKd8LAo highlighting the alternative gameplay styles in Encased that’s been put together to accompany this story (you can download the video here: http://press.kochmedia.com/WUAIIMLSBO and you’ll find Russian and English subtitle .srt files here: http://press.kochmedia.com/IEMORYWEID)

So why did everyone, basically, act as themselves rather than role-playing an RPG? While some of this would be down to it being a first playthrough, there are more fundamental issues.

Dr Rachel Kowert - a psychologist specialising in our interaction with video games - says that almost all of us project our own personality when playing a video game; at least when it comes to RPGs.

“Our in-game avatars are often a means of experimenting with many possible ‘selves’, either as we are – our actual self – or an idealized version of ourselves. The characters we create in-game are very often closely related to who we are out of game.”

There’s also a personal development aspect to this too. Research at Stanford University's Virtual Human Interaction Lab found players who were helpful to NPCs in a video game were then more helpful to others in real life too. It’s called the Proteus effect and – yes – playing video games can make you a better person; other studies have produced similar results.

“There is an entire field of research looking at how digital role play in video games can impact how we think and behave out of game. For example, seeing a digital version of ourselves being successful in these spaces can become a catalyst for changing thoughts and beliefs we have about ourselves,” added Dr Kowert.

So is the converse true; if we play as evil characters or just run amok with a gun in a first person shooter, does that mean we become worse in real life. Thankfully, despite what some of the tabloids would have you believe, the answer to this is a firm no. The proteus effect only pulls you up; it doesn’t push you down.

So why did the developers put these alternative gameplay styles in the game if people don’t instinctively play them?

“We created Encased to not only be a totally entertaining game, but one that would provoke some thoughts in players too. From moral choices to problem solving, we wanted the player to use their imagination to play our their avatar in whichever way they wanted,” said Viacheslav Kozikhin, Creative Director at Dark Crystal Games.

“These are some of the reasons why we created all these extra possibilities. We’re aware not everyone will see them, but that’s part of the magic of RPG’s. It’s all about discovery and allowing players to explore a world in whatever way they want, rather than having a storyline-on-rails”

Encased, which will be a digital PC release on Steam, Epic and GOG, is currently in early access where users can experience all the first act and part of the second. https://store.steampowered.com/app/921800/Encased_A_SciFi_PostApocalyptic_RPG/

 

[Infinitron]

Weird: https://www.gamereactor.eu/video/569053/Encased+Dr+Rachel+Kowert+The+Psychology+of+Gaming+Interview/

 

[Jenkem]

If true, the 'alternate play styles' having their own endings makes replaying the game a lot more enticing than just rehashing the same story/scenarios w/ different builds.

 

[jackofshadows]

What they really mean is that at some points of the story chain you will see those short CYOA sections and will be able to resolve it depending on your skill set. That's it. I doubt that there will be even some branching, at least early on, based on what I've seen. Plus murderhobo and retard paths of course.

EDIT: Nevermind what I said. The listed "alternative playstyles" is what I think they have added to go beyond said CYOA-sections, as to compensate that railroadness. (didn't read the entire article first, just saw the trailer). It isn't a little (and perhaps there's more like psionic-related and/or lone wolf exclusive stuff) and an upgrade yet again over classic Fallouts formula but I'm afraid they're spreading too thin with this even if admirable approach. Better they had fleshed out game's mechanics more, worked on difficulty etc but I guess they went for reactivity instead.

 

[Wunderbar]

If true, the 'alternate play styles' having their own endings makes replaying the game a lot more enticing than just rehashing the same story/scenarios w/ different builds.

that sounds like AoD - "create a specialist character and get pigeonholed into a specific storyline".

 

[Infinitron]

The trailer only mentioned alternate endings for a character who kills everybody or never talks to anybody. It sounds more like something along the lines of the FO:NV Yes Man route to the endgame for players who broke all other options (except that the end is completely different instead of a different route to the same endgame scenario)

 

[cyborgboy95]

 

[cpmartins]

According to NerdCommando's last video, he got fired one month before the release date. Considering he was working on the underlying RPG systems, this doesn't bode well.

 

[Infinitron]

That happens to him a lot!

 

[fantadomat]

That happens to him a lot!

I am surprised that he is able to work on games,from his videos i have noticed that he is pretty much mentally unstable. What games had he worked on ??

 

[Infinitron]

That happens to him a lot!

I am surprised that he is able to work on games,from his videos i have noticed that he is pretty much mentally unstable. What games had he worked on ??

Start reading from here: https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...ere-you-play-the-bad-guy.128798/#post-6254867

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

That happens to him a lot!

This... and that Darkest Dungeon clone with necromancer.
What are other cases?

 

[Infinitron]

That happens to him a lot!

This... and that Darkest Dungeon clone with necromancer.
What are other cases?

Just those two, I was comically exaggerating.

 

[cpmartins]

That happens to him a lot!

I am surprised that he is able to work on games,from his videos i have noticed that he is pretty much mentally unstable. What games had he worked on ??

He might be mentally unstable, but he knows his shit. I've used his builds on Underrail and Kingmaker and they worked as intended.
Anyways, I hope it doesn't suck because I really liked what I played of the game. At least the prologue, which they cut from the game.

 

[fantadomat]

That happens to him a lot!

I am surprised that he is able to work on games,from his videos i have noticed that he is pretty much mentally unstable. What games had he worked on ??

He might be mentally unstable, but he knows his shit. I've used his builds on Underrail and Kingmaker and they worked as intended.
Anyways, I hope it doesn't suck because I really liked what I played of the game. At least the prologue, which they cut from the game.

Functional builds are not that hard to do,the hard part is to be autistic enough to min max it. I am not in to that shit lol,using autists builds kills half the fun of the game for me. I like making me own character and zero fucks given about other

 

[fantadomat]

That happens to him a lot!

I am surprised that he is able to work on games,from his videos i have noticed that he is pretty much mentally unstable. What games had he worked on ??

Start reading from here: https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...ere-you-play-the-bad-guy.128798/#post-6254867

LoL so that butthurt tranny pope amole 2 is the commando. Geee makes sense now.

 

[Lyre Mors]

According to NerdCommando's last video, he got fired one month before the release date. Considering he was working on the underlying RPG systems, this doesn't bode well.

I thought it was strange that he had been hired onto Encased - a supposed hardcore CRPG - shortly after he made a video about Colony Ship where he ranted for nearly an hour about how terrible hardcore CRPGs are and how they need to not exist any longer. I wonder if this was a source of some conflict at his new place of employment? Either way, yeah, not a good sign.

 

[Sykar]

According to NerdCommando's last video, he got fired one month before the release date. Considering he was working on the underlying RPG systems, this doesn't bode well.

You should at least tag him if you want to tack smack about him.

 

[fantadomat]

According to NerdCommando's last video, he got fired one month before the release date. Considering he was working on the underlying RPG systems, this doesn't bode well.

I thought it was strange that he had been hired onto Encased - a supposed hardcore CRPG - shortly after he made a video about Colony Ship where he ranted for nearly an hour about how terrible hardcore CRPGs are and how they need to not exist any longer. I wonder if this was a source of some conflict at his new place of employment? Either way, yeah, not a good sign.

For the game or for pope?
Or maybe a good sign. Anyway we will see in 10 days.

 

[Lyre Mors]

For the game or for pope?

I'd say that having someone come in to tool around with your systems that late into early access is a bad sign in and of itself, let alone firing that person this close to full release. It's all very eyebrow raising in general.

 

[Jenkem]

According to NerdCommando's last video, he got fired one month before the release date. Considering he was working on the underlying RPG systems, this doesn't bode well.

he was a contract employee and the game ships in a month, what rpg systems need to be continued to work on? not that he would ever be dramatic about something or that '''''''''certain people'''''''' here wouldn't use this to further fuel their agenda

 

[jackofshadows]

a supposed hardcore CRPG

Where did you get this idea? My impression was the opposite of hardcore.

 

[agris]

That happens to him a lot!

Many such cases!

edit: even brilliant people can get fired if they can’t sufficiently integrate into a team, and especially when they cause a decrease in team cohesion. The exception we’re all intimately familiar with is when that brilliant anti-social person is the leader of said team. Final product may be good, but there will be bodies on the side of the road.

Skol!

 

[Jenkem]

here's the actual quote from the video:

"earlier in this month, at the beginning of it, I have rather suddenly quit my Encased gig....and so we just got into, uh well I had some conflict with the leader of the studio. He has decided to be very very rude to me in a public chat and y'know I am not taking no bull from anyone and I just couldn't care less! And I sorta, well, I'm not sure if I feel any shame, like logically speaking I understand that what I did was rather bad because you see it was like the month before release." then he goes on to talk about how it's a shame it comes out 5 days after WotR because "it's a 1/3 of [his] channel's income" and also releasing in the same month as diablo 2 remastered and gamedec

he continues saying he was demoralized by the release date: "I'm giving my best to make this RPG system nice...and you are giving me THIS kind of release date and you expecting loyalty after that?" says they should have delayed it another three months to not release near WotR and not worried about 'the haters' complaining about another delay or getting bad reviews from people tired of the delays.

quitting because he was butthurt about the release date but yeah people will tell you that he "got fired" because it fits their agenda....

 

[Lyre Mors]

Where did you get this idea? My impression was the opposite of hardcore.

I suppose that's what it's turned into now, but considering it was pitched as being heavily inspired by the likes of Fallout, the "hardcore" crowd seemed to be their initial target audience.

Check their original kickstarter campaign pitch if you need further citations.