Turn-Based Tactics The Lamplighters League - turn-based tactics in pulp 1930s setting from Harebrained Schemes

[J1M]

Paradox says The Lamplighters League sales were 'a big disappointment,' confirms recent layoffs at developer Harebrained Schemes:​

https://www.pcgamer.com/paradox-say...ent-layoffs-at-developer-harebrained-schemes/

The layoffs at Harebrained Schemes actually occurred a few months before The Lamplighters League was released.

The game starts with a small woman punching down a brick wall. If they aren't aware of how that suggests the game will treat the player they are very out of touch.

 

[Shaki]

The game is shit, but putting a price this high + adding the game to game pass at the same time, was a really stupid idea, that would result in bad sales even if the game was good.

 

[thesheeep]

The game is shit, but putting a price this high + adding the game to game pass at the same time, was a really stupid idea, that would result in bad sales even if the game was good.

I think Paradox realized the game wouldn't sell well at all - otherwise there wouldn't have been so many layoffs months before release.
Maybe they expected hype, but all they got was crickets.
Which makes the "who thought this was a good idea" an even bigger question.

Did anyone here actually try this? Try the demo? PCG seems to be saying "good but repetitive so bad" which is a confusing message.

I didn't try, but watched a few hours of streamers playing it.

It doesn't look like a bad game per se, but the UI is clearly lacking a lot of polish and information.
And as others said, it doesn't really add anything to the genre. It is a very "been there, done that" kind of deal.
Plus, I personally find the art style rather off-puttting and I haven't seen or heard anyone say that they love that art style, just many that are "okay" with it.

Not that games have to add stuff to a genre all the time, but if they don't, the question "why play this if I can just play X, Y or Z which I already own" becomes a very valid one. Especially with that price tag.
Other than the setting I don't care about, I don't really see a reason to play this over XCOM, JA3, Xenonauts, etc.

Something like Capes looks more alluring to me.

 

[Lemming42]

Did anyone here actually try this? Try the demo? PCG seems to be saying "good but repetitive so bad" which is a confusing message.

I tried the demo and it just doesn't do anything very well. The nuXCOM combat is about as basic as it's possible to get, and the real-time stealth is even worse. The two systems also don't feed into each other at all, they actively detract from each other. You don't really get to choose your own approach because the game arbitrarily limits your stealth abilities, but even if you did get to choose, you'd be choosing between boring 2AP combat and really bad stealth.

Basically, the game's problem is this:
- You don't want to get into combat because the combat is bad.
- Your only hope of avoiding combat is to remain in the real-time stealth mode. This mode is even less fun.
- Despite putting the real-time stealth system in, the devs don't want you to use it to the expense of the combat, so your abilities are restricted. Given that you have no idea how long any given level will be, you can't ration your abilities in any logical way, and the maps are designed around putting you in positions where you'll run out of stealth abilities fairly early on and be forced to fight for the rest of the map. So you start to wonder what the point of even having the real-time mode is when the game just decides you're not allowed to use it anymore after a certain point.
- You end up forced into combat. The combat is very barebones and doesn't match up to even casual nuXCOM-style games (think Chimera Squad, which has fairly simple combat but is way better than this). You then start to wonder what the point of playing the game even is.

The story and characters don't seem to be of any real interest either. Obviously the demo doesn't give a full picture, but I didn't really feel any charm from the setting. The characters you play as in the demo are all archetypes who are fine but definitely not interesting enough to be worth powering through the weak gameplay for.

I might pirate it at some point or get it on sale at an enormously reduced price, but there's no reason to pay what they're currently asking.

 

[Cyberarmy]

The game is shit, but putting a price this high + adding the game to game pass at the same time, was a really stupid idea, that would result in bad sales even if the game was good.

And at a time that filled with many high profile games.

 

[Van-d-all]

Judging by steam reviews, it's also front loaded as usual, and bugs keep pilng up with time.

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Did anyone here actually try this? Try the demo? PCG seems to be saying "good but repetitive so bad" which is a confusing message.

You can find my review of the demo on the page 10 ITT. TLDR: gameplay is weak.

 

[koyota]

The game is shit, but putting a price this high + adding the game to game pass at the same time, was a really stupid idea, that would result in bad sales even if the game was good.

I think Paradox realized the game wouldn't sell well at all - otherwise there wouldn't have been so many layoffs months before release.

Yep Pre-Sales being lousy and then In-Production Mock-Reviews generally being accurate (75%~ range)

Probably knew months ago this was not going to sale, so laid folks off, got it out the door bugs and all.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

The game is shit, but putting a price this high + adding the game to game pass at the same time, was a really stupid idea, that would result in bad sales even if the game was good.

I think Paradox realized the game wouldn't sell well at all - otherwise there wouldn't have been so many layoffs months before release.

Yep Pre-Sales being lousy and then In-Production Mock-Reviews generally being accurate (75%~ range)

Probably knew months ago, this was not going to sale, so just laid-off got it out the door bugs and all.

Poor sales performance of somewhat similar Miasma Chronicles might have been contributing factor to that decision.

 

[GreyViper]

They could have gone with new Shadowrun game instead, but hey I can respect them trying something different, it's just its not everyone's cup of tea. Could have catered to their Shadowrun or Battletech fans instead.

 

[Roguey]

They could have gone with new Shadowrun game instead, but hey I can respect them trying something different, it's just its not everyone's cup of tea. Could have catered to their Shadowrun or Battletech fans instead.

They could not do this. https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...-from-harebrained-schemes.146447/post-8711430

 

[Lord_Potato]

I wonder how long we'll have to wait for another Shadowrun game, now that the team that's been making them got gutted.

 

[ArchAngel]

I am even a bit pissed that M$ allowed this shit on Gamepass instead of some good games. Only few new games arrive on gamepass each month and they are of different genres. Players will usually only be interested in one or two of those. And if those are buggy shits why keep using gamepass?!

 

[HoboForEternity]

PDX's desire was for IP they owned/controlled.

Why didn't you go all-in on the World of Darkness you

we could have gotten turn based WoD RPG

 

[Oropay]

now that the team got gutted.

Since most of the "layoffs" occurred months before launch, I would imagine they were of temporary teams, not from the core of HBS. The poor performance of Lamplighters League is the fact that bodes the worst for more Shadowrun or Battletech games

 

[StrongBelwas]

Since most of the "layoffs" occurred months before launch, I would imagine they were of temporary teams, not from the core of HBS. The poor performance of Lamplighters League is the fact that bodes the worst for more Shadowrun or Battletech games

Or they realized the game was a complete stinker from their forecasts and were trying to minimize the losses until Paradox orders the headsman to swing the axe. 80% of HBS getting laid off would be a lot of temps.

 

[Roguey]

Since most of the "layoffs" occurred months before launch, I would imagine they were of temporary teams, not from the core of HBS. The poor performance of Lamplighters League is the fact that bodes the worst for more Shadowrun or Battletech games

Or they realized the game was a complete stinker from their forecasts and were trying to minimize the losses until Paradox orders the headsman to swing the axe. 80% of HBS getting laid off would be a lot of temps.

Posted here that the entire LL design team was let go. HBS had about 80 employees total and they were supposed to be working on two games. I noticed back in March that the guy who was supposed to be the lead designer of their second game was suddenly a designer on this one, so it looks like at some point they had to go all-in to get this one shipped.

 

[karoliner]

What a waste i just wanted a new BattleTech.

 

[JarlFrank]

I am even a bit pissed that M$ allowed this shit on Gamepass instead of some good games. Only few new games arrive on gamepass each month and they are of different genres. Players will usually only be interested in one or two of those. And if those are buggy shits why keep using gamepass?!

Don't buy gamepass, it's supporting an anti-customer business model (subscription service), no matter how low the price.

If you want to play games for free just pirate.

 

[Delterius]

PDX's desire was for IP they owned/controlled.

Why didn't you go all-in on the World of Darkness you

we could have gotten turn based WoD RPG

per wod curse rules it would have triggered the fall of the firmament

 

[ArchAngel]

I am even a bit pissed that M$ allowed this shit on Gamepass instead of some good games. Only few new games arrive on gamepass each month and they are of different genres. Players will usually only be interested in one or two of those. And if those are buggy shits why keep using gamepass?!

Don't buy gamepass, it's supporting an anti-customer business model (subscription service), no matter how low the price.

If you want to play games for free just pirate.

I cannot pirate on Xbox

 

[almondblight]

we could have gotten turn based WoD RPG

They were working on a horror RPG. I can only assume it got cancelled.

 

[cpmartins]

"Paradox will retain ownership of The Lamplighters League and other games developed by the studio. HBS will seek new publishing, partnership, and investment opportunities. "
Talk about getting absolutely shafted out of house and home.

 

[lycanwarrior]

Supposed Discord chatlog from a former HBS employee. Stated that the Paradox C-suite is to blame for this mess:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachme...1f67c54b8e0768f0c56997cf212bc002f9cc70f1dd7a&

 

[Roguey]

Okay that guy is a retard. Ebba was the worst thing to happen to Paradox, making them go from being in the black to in the red because she started spending money on projects like mad (many of which had to get cancelled). Paradox had, and still has thanks to this mess, serious cash flow problems. I understand Wester's perspective of "We spent $30 million on this already and you want us to spend even more?????" If he was the ghoul he think he is, he would have cancelled the project immediately when he became CEO. "Wahhhh this guy sabotaged us by... funding two more years of development."