Shadowrun Shadowrun Returns Pre-Release Thread

[Rake]

It is far from meaningless because it's at least something that changes it from a pointless and boring steamrolling slog into something that's simply fun to play.

Fallout then? I'm more than ok with that.



EDIT:Ninja'ed by Tron

 

[m_s0]

I can live with crap writing and linearity if the game is combat-focused. The mods are the only reason to get excited about this anyway.

 

[Roguey]

First off, Roguey is a dirty liar (as if that wasn't obvious). The game has an easy/normal/hard/very hard difficulty setting.

You mean Mitch is a liar, since I quoted a post he made four months ago. I wonder what made them change their minds...?

documentation is horrid and stats are oblique as SHIT

Awful. I'd like to know what exactly the difficulty modes change so I can know whether or not to start on hard or very hard. Though I assume I can access this info with the editor.

 

[Jackalope]

Why are people bashing this game before it's even out? Just wait a few hours and play it. Or don't play it. But enough with the soggy handkerchiefs, seriously.

 

[Zetor]

Why are people bashing this game before it's even out? Just wait a few hours and play it. Or don't play it. But enough with the soggy handkerchiefs, seriously.

Welcome to RPGCodex!

BTW, about SRR being #1 on steam... isn't that because of all the preorder + backer people activating their keys en masse?

 

[Brotherman Bill]

7.3 on ign meh

Would you have preferred for the game to appeal to IGNtards?

 

[Humanity has risen!]

Darth Roxor

I'm curious about how combat-heavy this game is?

More combat than talky-talky, suffice to say. You essentially have only one "social" skill, and just about everything influences combat, so... There's plenty of talky-talky to offset the fighting, though.

Also, regarding the neuxcom comparisons. What I like the most about the combat in this game and what sets it apart from neuxcom is the array of options it gives you. Since xcom was basically all about going tile-by-tile and setting up overwatch like mad and then just pointing at stuff and shooting. Meanwhile, in SR you can actually neatly diversify your attack force to at least give some flavour to combat. Drop some buffs/debuffs/spirits with a shaman, activate the drones on your rigger, mark dudes for higher %TH with the decker, go BANZAI with the adept. It's at least... cool, if not particularly 'deep', so to speak.

And since I've just posted a general list of stuff I liked, might as well bomb what's bad:

Not enough hot cyberspace action, deckers feel subpar and have nearly not enough stuff available to them in combat, documentation is horrid and stats are oblique as SHIT, resource management is non-existent, most dialogues are rather biowarian, bare minimum of exploration, bare minimum of side quests, silly typoes, a few skills don't seem to work at all, even when mercs die on a run they are available again in the "shop", short and generally easy, character development could use more work.

So yeah that's basically it.

So it's very Vogel-y, like I said. Very simple grid-based combat, biowarian dialogue, little use of skills, even mercs dying and being available again in the shop is something he has done since Geneforge 3... like I said, Jeff Vogel does some things better in his games, such as exploration, side quests, making a lot more cohesive content. But it might be unfair to compare the two since he has 20 years of experience making the same type of game with constant refinements (though he went the Bioware way with Avandon).

Anyway I'll be able to try this today. I still have very fond memories of the SNES game so we will see. Maybe also they can improve when like Vogel they have made many sequels.

 

[thesisko]

Why are people bashing this game before it's even out? Just wait a few hours and play it. Or don't play it. But enough with the soggy handkerchiefs, seriously.

Welcome to RPGCodex!

BTW, about SRR being #1 on steam... isn't that because of all the preorder + backer people activating their keys en masse?

AFAIK the Steam Top Sellers are based on revenue.

 

[Roguey]

Would you have preferred for the game to appeal to IGNtards?

They use the full scale when they're not reviewing AAA titles. It was a positive review, the reviewer mainly disliked the linearity, lack of NPC personalities, and repetitive Matrix gameplay.

 

[Humanity has risen!]

I don't think the Matrix could ever be fun, because they're never going to have much resources for it, and in the end it's never going to be anything but a convoluted abstract mini-game.

 

[pusheax]

BTW, about SRR being #1 on steam... isn't that because of all the preorder + backer people activating their keys en masse?

Supposedly top game should generate the most money.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Can you explain?

Well, let's put it this way. When you take a bunch of street samurai, you can always expect just about the same thing. You will shoot people and you will whack people and I guess throw some grenades every now and again. Street samurai are full-combat blokes, and they don't offer anything else. Fairly predictable, in a way.

Riggers and shamans, however, add a bit of a gamble. Activating the rigger's drones basically gives you 2 more dudes to control, just that they are less sturdy and have less firepower. But the drones can access vents and flank enemies, do hit'n'runs or go ahead as bait. The shaman conjures spirit, both from the environment, if spirit links are present, or from consumable fetishes. But each turn the spirit has a rising chance of breaking free and either vanishing altogether or rebelling and going on a rampage.

Then you also have the decker, who can access Matrix terminals and fight ICPs in cyberspace, all TRON style, digging up dirt that you can later exchange for additional funds or karma. But the decker is generally pretty shit in combat, so you kinda offset the post-run gains by adding combat difficulty.

Also, generally the most important factor to take when measuring combat difficulty is whether you take a Mage with the heal spell to the run or not. Heal almost (almost) invalidates the existence of medkits if you are careful and crafty. They also have superpowerful nuke spells, but they eat all AP, so the mage requires proper positioning. And joke's on you if you miss the fireball and launch it straight into your d00ds.

 

[Chaotic_Heretic]

Can you explain?

Well, let's put it this way. When you take a bunch of street samurai, you can always expect just about the same thing. You will shoot people and you will whack people and I guess throw some grenades every now and again. Street samurai are full-combat blokes, and they don't offer anything else. Fairly predictable, in a way.

Riggers and shamans, however, add a bit of a gamble. Activating the rigger's drones basically gives you 2 more dudes to control, just that they are less sturdy and have less firepower. But the drones can access vents and flank enemies, do hit'n'runs or go ahead as bait. The shaman conjures spirit, both from the environment, if spirit links are present, or from consumable fetishes. But each turn the spirit has a rising chance of breaking free and either vanishing altogether or rebelling and going on a rampage.

Then you also have the decker, who can access Matrix terminals and fight ICPs in cyberspace, all TRON style, digging up dirt that you can later exchange for additional funds or karma. But the decker is generally pretty shit in combat, so you kinda offset the post-run gains by adding combat difficulty.

Also, generally the most important factor to take when measuring combat difficulty is whether you take a Mage with the heal spell to the run or not. Heal almost (almost) invalidates the existence of medkits if you are careful and crafty. They also have superpowerful nuke spells, but they eat all AP, so the mage requires proper positioning. And joke's on you if you miss the fireball and launch it straight into your d00ds.

So the combat isn't as shallow and banal as the new popamole xcom? Good to hear i am getting more and more about SRR with each of your posts.

 

[Roguey]

http://www.blisteredthumbs.net/2013/07/shadowrun-returns-review/

However, much like the character creation system, gameplay is pretty shallow. You are railroaded from one plot point to the next, your dialogue choices have little effect on events, and the few side-quests are dropped directly into your lap. This is not an open-world game. This is not Mass Effect.

 

[Infinitron]

Blistered Thumbs, what can you expect?

 

[Chaotic_Heretic]

http://www.blisteredthumbs.net/2013/07/shadowrun-returns-review/

However, much like the character creation system, gameplay is pretty shallow. You are railroaded from one plot point to the next, your dialogue choices have little effect on events, and the few side-quests are dropped directly into your lap. This is not an open-world game. This is not Mass Effect.

So Mass Effect is open world...and your dialogues have CnC... How can people be this and still function ?

 

[evdk]

Mass effect is open world? MOOHOOHAHA

 

[crawlkill]

Cyberpunk purists are worse than fantasy "Tolkien-is-God-and-nothing-else-is-allowed" purists.

What's a cyberpunk 'purist?' Cyberpunk is a pretty inclusive genre. Wanting to tell a story not flooded with fantasy elements doesn't make you any kind of a purist. It means you have some concept of a focused tone, which Shadowrun has always completely lacked with its kitchen sink attitude.

I'd love to hack together a Cthulhu Mythos setup--no supernatural races except as near-undefeatable gibbering menaces, magic only for the twisted servants of the Old Ones.

 

[Shaewaroz]

http://www.blisteredthumbs.net/2013/07/shadowrun-returns-review/

However, much like the character creation system, gameplay is pretty shallow. You are railroaded from one plot point to the next, your dialogue choices have little effect on events, and the few side-quests are dropped directly into your lap. This is not an open-world game. This is not Mass Effect.

That's a friggin knee-slapper right there.

 

[pocahaunted]

Not only can you fly from world to world, but you can even send probes into pretty much every planet. Definitely open world!

 

[m_s0]

http://www.blisteredthumbs.net/2013/07/shadowrun-returns-review/

However, much like the character creation system, gameplay is pretty shallow. You are railroaded from one plot point to the next, your dialogue choices have little effect on events, and the few side-quests are dropped directly into your lap. This is not an open-world game. This is not Mass Effect.

 

[Tommy Wiseau]

7.3 on ign meh

Would you have preferred for the game to appeal to IGNtards?

The reviewer found the game to be short and linear, so provided it's right on both accounts I see those as being valid points regardless of the source.

 

[Roguey]

So Mass Effect is open world...

Mass effect is open world? MOOHOOHAHA

I believe he meant to write it as "This is neither an open world game nor is it even Mass Effect."

Anyway looks like SR is further proof that one can't make a full featured RPG with 1.2 million plus an undetermined amount of self-funding in 15 months. Remember when inXile and Obsidian said they could with three additional months?

 

[Duraframe300]

I read it to the point where he wrote *even a gamer as experienced as myself* and then I just couldn't do more.

Douche

 

[Zeriel]

I really wish the save system wasn't so bad.

Dont trust the popamole media. If you don't suck, odds are you won't even notice it. And at worst you're gonna lose some 15 minutes of progress.

It's not the "you died, do this combat section over" that bothers me. I loved XCOM on Ironman. It's "you changed something in between missions, can't save changes". Just, seems really... backwards, I guess?

All of this is moot if the editor allows the ability to place autosave checkpoints wherever you want.