The Outer Worlds Pre-Release Thread [GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Infinitron]

I don't know what a "Troika-style RPG" is, but one thing Tim & Leonard have repeatedly stated since even before the game was announced is that Outer Worlds has a "Fallout & Arcanum style and humor". There's something here that they believe they're bringing with them from the old days. Maybe we don't see it, or maybe the things they value in the old games aren't the same things you value.

 

[Tigranes]

Two of these companions sound like cookie-cutter SJWs

Felix -

"He’s a young, impetuous, brash kid who really loves fighting ‘the man.’ He doesn’t have a stable political philosophy beyond ‘smash the system,’"

Parvati -

“She doesn’t really fit in with the community, because it’s all about conforming and putting the corporations first."

And both women look so androgynous they could easily pass for men.

Tbh this reveal killed a bit of my excitement for the Outer Worlds.

A young rebellious male cut straight out of old school Hollywood & a woman that meekly conforms to social norms?! Boys, we found us a nasty SJW!!!!!!!

Honestly, I don't know why anyone even does these single-paragraph companion reveals. Their quality is dependent on the execution, not the high concept. Unless you have a clearly awesomesauce concept like a smack-talking skull that wakes you up in the mortuary, you might as well keep your mouth shut until release.

 

[Fairfax]

Maybe we don't see it, or maybe the things you value in the old games aren't the same things they value.

There's no mystery, they've already admitted Fallout was a fluke.

 

[Zombra]

I'm looking forward to being very underwhelmed with the rationales behind these people swearing lifelong servitude to the player character. I particularly liked the part about how they're super unified by their need to hang out with you.

It's so much better when companions have reasonable goals and eventually leave because those goals no longer coincide with yours.

 

[Yosharian]

And both women look so androgynous they could easily pass for men.

Tbh this reveal killed a bit of my excitement for the Outer Worlds.

I'm the opposite, Ellie looks much better in this reveal to me, and I never had a problem with Parvati. Not that I care that much about how they look, but there you go.

I couldn't care less about some stupid blurb someone wrote to describe their personalities, I want to see what they're actually like in-game before I decide about that.

 

[Yosharian]

I'm looking forward to being very underwhelmed with the rationales behind these people swearing lifelong servitude to the player character. I particularly liked the part about how they're super unified by their need to hang out with you.

It's so much better when companions have reasonable goals and eventually leave because those goals no longer coincide with yours.

Completely agree, I fucking hate that shit.

 

[PulsatingBrain]

It's so much better when companions have reasonable goals and eventually leave because those goals no longer coincide with yours.

I agree with you, but off the top of my head can't really think of any who do splinter away. Any examples?

I guess it kind of counts that you can do things that characters disapprove of in NV and they'll leave, like if you help the Legion too much with Boone hanging around, but it's not exactly the same thing

 

[Zombra]

It's so much better when companions have reasonable goals and eventually leave because those goals no longer coincide with yours.

I agree with you, but off the top of my head can't really think of any who do splinter away. Any examples?

I guess not, I'm just daydreaming.

There is Angela Deth in Wasteland 2, who gets called back to base after the tutorial zones, but that doesn't really count either.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

It's so much better when companions have reasonable goals and eventually leave because those goals no longer coincide with yours.

I agree with you, but off the top of my head can't really think of any who do splinter away. Any examples?

I guess it kind of counts that you can do things that characters disapprove of in NV and they'll leave, like if you help the Legion too much with Boone hanging around, but it's not exactly the same thing

quite a few of the characters in the mass effect series(1-3) eventually leave you and go their own way
wrex, kasumi, grunt, thane†, jack, miranda, legion, zaeed, samara, mordin, jacob
liara and ashley/kaidan also part ways and eventually come back also

 

[Trashos]

The presentation of the companions was mindblowingly boring. It shouldn't be possible to be so boring even if they focused on it. But there it is. Anyway, I wouldn't mind it if the companions are kind of empty. I 'd actually prefer it with the writers they have.

 

[Mr. Hiver]

As mindblowingly boring and as bland as those NPcs turned into companions are - they will fit perfectly with the rest of the game.

If only the devs increase the color burn effect on them it will be perfect.

 

[jf8350143]

I just want some companions that are not human(and dog).

 

[HarveyBirdman]

Are you ready for best-written RPG since Arcanum?

Xir oh xir, they sure do know how to split my sides! Such a fun, quirky, and intelligent sense of humor!

But it's not all fun and games! Here's what happens when the writers get serious. If Outer Worlds has NPCs half this good, then RPGs -- no, the video game industry as a whole -- is salvaged for at least a full decade. I have chills.

 

[samuraigaiden]

How about a parrot companion?

 

[Nano]

What about an owl companion?

 

[Wunderbar]

Reported for parrot harvesting.

 

[Yosharian]

Dear god that's awful

 

[santino27]

It's so much better when companions have reasonable goals and eventually leave because those goals no longer coincide with yours.

I agree with you, but off the top of my head can't really think of any who do splinter away. Any examples?

I guess it kind of counts that you can do things that characters disapprove of in NV and they'll leave, like if you help the Legion too much with Boone hanging around, but it's not exactly the same thing

quite a few of the characters in the mass effect series(1-3) eventually leave you and go their own way
wrex, kasumi, grunt, thane†, jack, miranda, legion, zaeed, samara, mordin, jacob
liara and ashley/kaidan also part ways and eventually come back also

Most left between games though. I'm not sure that's the same thing at all... and also, I think it was mainly just because Bioware wanted to introduce kooky new characters and then have dramatic returns.

 

[Zombra]

I think it was mainly just because Bioware wanted to introduce kooky new characters and then have dramatic returns.

You say that like it's a bad thing. Having some companions leave to make "room" for others is better than amassing a huge stable who all sit around at the inn waiting for senpai to pay attention to them.

 

[santino27]

I think it was mainly just because Bioware wanted to introduce kooky new characters and then have dramatic returns.

You say that like it's a bad thing. Having some companions leave to make "room" for others is better than amassing a huge stable who all sit around at the inn waiting for senpai to pay attention to them.

Again, it happened between games, not in game. I have zero issues with it in general, but my point was that the behavior rusty was describing in ME was not quite what you were talking about.

 

[Mr. Hiver]

How about a parrot companion?

Only if its a bland, boring human who identifies as a parrot as the only expression of his personality.

Which isnt that far from personality identifying as a pirate.

 

[HarveyBirdman]

I feel personally attacked.

 

[Jedi Exile]

You can turn into parrot in Risen 2. Best game ever!

 

[Terenty]

Again where is my Magnus, Virgil, Gar, Raven ? Yeah there werent a lot of interactions between your companions in Arcanum, but what was there was quite memorable and fun and with superb voice acting to boot. I want whoever wrote them to write everything for TOW

 

[AwesomeButton]

Are you ready for best-written RPG since Arcanum?

Xir oh xir, they sure do know how to split my sides! Such a fun, quirky, and intelligent sense of humor!

But it's not all fun and games! Here's what happens when the writers get serious. If Outer Worlds has NPCs half this good, then RPGs -- no, the video game industry as a whole -- is salvaged for at least a full decade. I have chills.

Narrative[ly challenged] designers are the norm at Obsidian. If you don't sound like a blithering idiot foaming at the mouth, they reject your resume and don't call you for an interview.