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Arkane PREY - Arkane's immersive coffee cup transformation sim - now with Mooncrash roguelike mode DLC

RoBoBOBR

Arcane
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The single most feature I want is really shorter loading screens, I won't replay this game for the DLC because of that, was too much.
tru dat. Prey was the first game i installed on SSD (and that really helped), for HDD loading times were abysmal.
 

polo

Magister
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I noticed laoding times were kind of not that short for SSD, but nothing really bad tbh. I can imagine those being shit in a HDD.
 

agris

Arcane
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Unfortunately, Ultima 7 was peak inventory management. It's only been downhill since then.
Really? I haven't played U7, but I thought Neo Scavenger did the best inventory of any RPG I've played. Based on 10 seconds of google image, U7's inventory looks similar?
 

agris

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...but I thought Neo Scavenger did the best inventory of any RPG I've played.

Didn't realize Blue Bottle was calling Neo Scavenger an RPG. I've had it since early 2013, but it's been a long while since I've played it.
It might stretch the definition, and calling it a hybrid RPG / adventure / survival sim might be more accurate. It certainly isn't narrative heavy and the gameplay focuses almost entirely on the interaction of your character with the environment vis-a-vis your items and skills. That being said, there is a story in the game and I really appreciated how understated it was. You had to pay attention to catch it, and if you did, it was intriguing. There are some NPCs and some CYOA-ish set pieces also.

I don't know the types of games you like, but if that sounds interesting, I highly suggest trying it again.

Also, for what it's worth, I hate crafting in games. It seems to encourage skinner-box action-reward cycles, and portends a drab itemization system where everything is same-y and +34% gear is trumped by +36% gear. But, crafting in Neo Scavenger is a lot like crafting in Underrail in that it is tightly woven into the game's mechanics and makes sense within the world.
 

Ash

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Crafting gets a lot of flak and in most cases rightly so, but why does everyone forget non-degenerate systems like that in Arx Fatalis! No skinner box encouragement there. It's immersive, logical, and fun.
 

Blaine

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Grab the Codex by the pussy
I played Neo Scavenger extensively, which is to say that I died constantly whenever a werewolf thing inevitably showed up... at least, that's what I remember most. I have the "early supporter" edition of the game in a download link in an email somewhere. I think I mostly played it during the open beta or whatever the equivalent was.

Crafting gets a lot of flak, and rightly so, but why does everyone forget non-degenerate systems like that in Arx Fatalis! No skinner box encouragement there. It's immersive, logical, and fun.

People tend to forget Arx Fatalis period, but I thought it was fantastic. Very atmospheric, good level design, excellent exploration elements, etc.
 

Jaedar

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Project: Eternity Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Pathfinder: Kingmaker
Crafting gets a lot of flak and in most cases rightly so, but why does everyone forget non-degenerate systems like that in Arx Fatalis! No skinner box encouragement there. It's immersive, logical, and fun.
I remember arx, but no crafting, aside from combining runes into spells, but that hardly counts.
 

Ash

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One example: Combine wooden pole with rope for makeshift fishing rod.

There's actually multiple facets of crafting, with typical crafting of everyday objects like the above, and also cookery, alchemy, smithing and more.

It's very natural, subtle and logical. Pretty much the height of crafting systems imo, at least as applied in the context of an immersive RPG. I like some gamey crafting systems too.
It probably just went unnoticed because it's pretty much all optional and not shoved in your face. Because it's
rating_prestigious.png
design.
I'm pretty sure there are older RPGs that share the same level of monoclism, but if there is it's just not coming to mind right now. Well, Ultima Underworld had it too but somewhat less elaborate. Same principles behind it though.
 
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Latelistener

Arcane
Joined
May 25, 2016
Messages
2,625
The inventory system in the first game is a nightmare.
It's just a list of items, and you had to scroll all the way down to find something you need. Even categories didn't help, since you'll have a lot of stuff in almost all of them.

51411
The second game was an improvement, but they forgot categories.

g2-inventory1.jpg
The third time they finally got it right (while doing almost everything else wrong).

gothic_3_2.png
 

fantadomat

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Yup,the third had the best inventory system in any rpg. Realistic inventory system sounds great until you play a little bit and it turn out to be a tedious shit. Earlier Geneforge games have terrible inventory system because of the weight.
 

agentorange

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Codex 2012
You're talking about two completely different types of games. There is no attempt made in Gothic to enforce any impression of resource scarcity on the player in the way that a semi-survival horror game like Prey or SS2 needs to. The difficulty is also not weighted on inventory management because there are other factors at work. You can carry as many healing potions as you want, yes, but you have to stop and allow a potion drinking animation to play out. It's still putting a limit on healing this way, just in a different way than allowing only a few healing items to be carried. You can carry as many weapons as you want, but you have to buy or find those weapons (in a far larger world than that of Prey, SS2, etc) which can then only be used when their skill requirements are met. It's a system that is optimized for the slow paced, open world nature of Gothic. But it wouldn't translate to the smaller, contained environments and faster gameplay of Prey. Prey is very similar in structure to the original Resident Evil, a relatively small but highly detailed area that the player traverses back and forth, and this makes it well suited for the tension that comes from having to make moment to moment decisions on what to bring with you or leave. In fact it would be better with an even smaller inventory or far less resources throughout the game in general.
 

udm

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Make the Codex Great Again!
And then, there is the thing with enemy variety, up until now everything was mimics, phantoms and ocassional corrupted shit. Hey a mimic!, hey a purple mimic!, hey that mimic is on fire!, hey that one is shocked...

I'm not gonna lie, this made me laugh IRL.
 

Ash

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'the fuck outta here. Decline-era ARPGs are shit (aside from Souls series, New Vegas, and Castlevania: OoE). Prey is decent but just doesn't qualify as a inclined success.

1997-2002 was the golden years of the ARPG and/or 3D RPG. System Shock 2, Deus Ex, Arx Fatalis, Morrowind, Gothic 1, Gothic 2, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Parasite Eve 2, Severance: Blade of Darkness, probably more.
 

fantadomat

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'the fuck outta here. Decline-era ARPGs are shit (aside from Souls series, New Vegas, and Castlevania: OoE). Prey is decent but just doesn't qualify as a inclined success.

1997-2002 was the golden years of the ARPG and/or 3D RPG. System Shock 2, Deus Ex, Arx Fatalis, Morrowind, Gothic 1, Gothic 2, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Parasite Eve 2, Severance: Blade of Darkness, probably more.
You do have some bad taste mate,for this disease there is no cure in this world.
 

Jacob

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Grab the Codex by the pussy
'the fuck outta here. Decline-era ARPGs are shit (aside from Souls series, New Vegas, and Castlevania: OoE). Prey is decent but just doesn't qualify as a inclined success.

1997-2002 was the golden years of the ARPG and/or 3D RPG. System Shock 2, Deus Ex, Arx Fatalis, Morrowind, Gothic 1, Gothic 2, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Parasite Eve 2, Severance: Blade of Darkness, probably more.
It's not as good as those, but I say we're improving, these new ARPGs are better than early mid 10s ARPGs.
 

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