The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition - Obsidian's first-person sci-fi RPG set in a corporate space colony

[IHaveHugeNick]

Playing as a diplomatic thief (basically sneak, hacking, lock picking, persuasion)

This is actually somewhat interesting, because nowadays virtually every review & gameplay video I've seen mentions this same exact play style.

I believe I already mentioned this too. Stealth builds get the best out of the game.

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

respectfully disagree. in supernova you either play stealth or play dead, and i didn't feel enriched at all by the experience. i actually dropped the game after a quest or two on monarch, couldn't stand it anymore.

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

You guys are the ones taking crazy pills. The game is awesome. Maybe you just secretly hate successful devs and people enjoying RPGs. You probably also hate RPGs if you don't like this game. Grow up. Adapt or be left in the dust. You're all too rigid. Weirdos.

Damn, I could swear I have heard this all before back on No Mutants Allowed back during the release of Fallout 3.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Scylla is the best looking one, true. That skybox.

Ridiculous that it's also the least used one.

It's a small asteroid under ongoing terraforming. It would be silly if they packed it with human settlements or something.

 

[LudensCogitet]

You guys are the ones taking crazy pills. The game is awesome. Maybe you just secretly hate successful devs and people enjoying RPGs. You probably also hate RPGs if you don't like this game. Grow up. Adapt or be left in the dust. You're all too rigid. Weirdos.

Lol. I literally said I was the one who felt like I was taking crazy pills. What baffles me is the complete contradiction of my experience by the apparent experience of others.
I would genuinely like to enjoy this game. Tim and Leonard have been (and still are) some of my heroes for the work they've done.

Allow me to attempt to illustrate:

The quest to sober up Nyoka. This quest is part of the main story line and a way to get a new companion, so it's fairly major.
First of all, getting a hangover cure is a pretty contrived quest, but that's not a huge point.
Here's how the quest went for me:

1. Nyoka says she needs Caffenoid pills.
2. I go to the dispensary and talk to the lady.
3. She says Nyoka can't have any more Caffenoid pills.
   
4. She also literally tells me (a complete stranger) that she has a key to the storeroom and that there is a computer terminal upstairs that controls how many drugs people can have.
5. I walk upstairs to the terminal, hack it, up Nyoka's limit, go back downstairs and get the Caffenoid.
6. End of quest

Now, I also had enough intimidate to force her to give me the pills through dialog, and I may even have had enough lock-picking to open the storeroom.

In Fallout 1, in contrast, I would have been told to fuck off by the dispensary lady.
Then I could have intimidated her (if I had the skill),
or I would have had to look around the building and maybe notice the computer terminal and try to hack it (if I had the skill),
or maybe try picking the lady's pocket (if I had the skill),
or I could have searched around town and asked about Caffenoid and whether anyone knew where to get some or how to get into the storeroom.

But in TOW, 0 thinking was required to both advance the main story line and get a new companion. It may have even triggered a level up, I can't remember specifically, but it sure happens often enough.
The most I could have done was decide the scent of the air as a breezed through this, because I had 2 - 3 separate major options for completing the quest open to me without even planning for it, and it took 5 minutes.

 

[LESS T_T]

A long interview with Justin Bell and his audio team, pretty detailed explanation on various aspects of audio design: https://www.asoundeffect.com/the-outer-worlds-sound/

Obsidian Entertainment’s The Outer Worlds — now out on PS4, Xbox One, and PC — is a first-person RPG set is an alternate future where megacorporations are in the business of colonizing and terraforming distant planets. It’s not an easy endeavor; space is full of alien threats and vigilante justice. The player has to navigate the complex associations of various factions and his/her choices change the path of the narrative.

Building an alternate future in a distant part of space opens the flood gates of creativity. Anything is possible and everything needs a unique sound — all the explorable locations and the inhabitants and all the tech and weapons needed to survive there. Here, audio director/composer Justin E. Bell and his sound team share details on how they crafted the ambiences of key destinations on Terra 2 and Monarch, how they designed the weapons and combatants (from living creatures to automechanicals), their approach to UI sounds, implementation, music, and more!

• Creating a Unique Sounding Sci-fi Game
• Creating Location Sounds
• Designing Weapons and Varying Attacks
• Creating Combatants and Creature Sounds
• Designing UX/UI Sounds
• Designing the Dialog System
• Audio in UE4
• Sound Teams’ Favorite Bits

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

respectfully disagree. in supernova you either play stealth or play dead, and i didn't feel enriched at all by the experience. i actually dropped the game after a quest or two on monarch, couldn't stand it anymore.

I played full run on Hard with sciency guy using plasma rifle and then half a run with stealthy sharpshooter and found it much better experience at least. Most maps are build for it and you can metagame the shit out of things. One good trick is using TTD to rob people blind and open up alternative paths, like you can open up route to Byzantium straight away without paying Gladys.

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

so the game has shortcuts? suddenly two worlds became the best game ever?

 

[Riddler]

Except for the Codex, all I'm really seeing is praise for TOW. Not only that, the praise they are giving it is exactly what I would want TOW to be. If I wasn't playing it myself I would be even more excited for it than I was before release.

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills here, because the game just doesn't seem to be the good things people are saying it is.

Every quest seems like equally generic dialogue choices, a shootout, and a fetch away from completion. No skill / perk / attribute / equipment choice seems to make a difference. The writing is flat. My character has no compelling reason to do anything.

Yet people are saying the opposite.

Baffling.

Well, the user score on Meta critic is steadily going down and the PC one is lower than Greedfall. Not sure that counts as a ringing endorsement by the general public.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

and the PC one is lower than Greedfall.

Greedfall wins again

 

[Deleted Member 16721]

Lol. I literally said I was the one who felt like I was taking crazy pills. What baffles me is the complete contradiction of my experience by the apparent experience of others.
I would genuinely like to enjoy this game. Tim and Leonard have been (and still are) some of my heroes for the work they've done.

Allow me to attempt to illustrate:

The quest to sober up Nyoka. This quest is part of the main story line and a way to get a new companion, so it's fairly major.
First of all, getting a hangover cure is a pretty contrived quest, but that's not a huge point.
Here's how the quest went for me:

1. Nyoka says she needs Caffenoid pills.
2. I go to the dispensary and talk to the lady.
3. She says Nyoka can't have any more Caffenoid pills.
   
4. She also literally tells me (a complete stranger) that she has a key to the storeroom and that there is a computer terminal upstairs that controls how many drugs people can have.
5. I walk upstairs to the terminal, hack it, up Nyoka's limit, go back downstairs and get the Caffenoid.
6. End of quest

Now, I also had enough intimidate to force her to give me the pills through dialog, and I may even have had enough lock-picking to open the storeroom.

In Fallout 1, in contrast, I would have been told to fuck off by the dispensary lady.
Then I could have intimidated her (if I had the skill),
or I would have had to look around the building and maybe notice the computer terminal and try to hack it (if I had the skill),
or maybe try picking the lady's pocket (if I had the skill),
or I could have searched around town and asked about Caffenoid and whether anyone knew where to get some or how to get into the storeroom.

But in TOW, 0 thinking was required to both advance the main story line and get a new companion. It may have even triggered a level up, I can't remember specifically, but it sure happens often enough.
The most I could have done was decide the scent of the air as a breezed through this, because I had 2 - 3 separate major options for completing the quest open to me without even planning for it, and it took 5 minutes.

Dude. There is very little difference in the 2 scenarios. Not every quest needs to have a million figure it out yourself options. What you described from TOW is still incline. You could pickpocket the lady, pick the door lock, had to hack the computer and so on. That is incline my friend. So what she tells you about the computer? It wasn't a major quest despite being part if the main quest. No big deal.

 

[Dishonoredbr]

Well, the user score on Meta critic is steadily going down and the PC one is lower than Greedfall

Metacritic User Score is literaly useless. Even trash lik FO76 has 10/10 and good games 1/10. It's retarded. Open Critic is way better than Metacritic because it take in account all reviews across all system instead putting PC with 14 reviews then ps4 with 50+ then Xbox with 30. They let retarded journos but at least it much better than "Epic bad" 1/10 and "Obsidian good. Bethesda bad" 10/10.

 

[LudensCogitet]

Lol. I literally said I was the one who felt like I was taking crazy pills. What baffles me is the complete contradiction of my experience by the apparent experience of others.
I would genuinely like to enjoy this game. Tim and Leonard have been (and still are) some of my heroes for the work they've done.

Allow me to attempt to illustrate:

The quest to sober up Nyoka. This quest is part of the main story line and a way to get a new companion, so it's fairly major.
First of all, getting a hangover cure is a pretty contrived quest, but that's not a huge point.
Here's how the quest went for me:

1. Nyoka says she needs Caffenoid pills.
2. I go to the dispensary and talk to the lady.
3. She says Nyoka can't have any more Caffenoid pills.
   
4. She also literally tells me (a complete stranger) that she has a key to the storeroom and that there is a computer terminal upstairs that controls how many drugs people can have.
5. I walk upstairs to the terminal, hack it, up Nyoka's limit, go back downstairs and get the Caffenoid.
6. End of quest

Now, I also had enough intimidate to force her to give me the pills through dialog, and I may even have had enough lock-picking to open the storeroom.

In Fallout 1, in contrast, I would have been told to fuck off by the dispensary lady.
Then I could have intimidated her (if I had the skill),
or I would have had to look around the building and maybe notice the computer terminal and try to hack it (if I had the skill),
or maybe try picking the lady's pocket (if I had the skill),
or I could have searched around town and asked about Caffenoid and whether anyone knew where to get some or how to get into the storeroom.

But in TOW, 0 thinking was required to both advance the main story line and get a new companion. It may have even triggered a level up, I can't remember specifically, but it sure happens often enough.
The most I could have done was decide the scent of the air as a breezed through this, because I had 2 - 3 separate major options for completing the quest open to me without even planning for it, and it took 5 minutes.

Dude. There is very little difference in the 2 scenarios. Not every quest needs to have a million figure it out yourself options. What you described from TOW is still incline. You could pickpocket the lady, pick the door lock, had to hack the computer and so on. That is incline my friend. So what she tells you about the computer? It wasn't a major quest despite being part if the main quest. No big deal.

This is useful information to me, thank you. You are saying that you see no difference between applying your mind to understanding a situation and choosing how to proceed (limited by your previous choices) and choosing from a list of proffered options. I'm not being sarcastic, that is helpful to know. If that's what people mean when they praise player choice, etc. when discussing TOW it explains a lot.

Also, I'd argue it was part of my point, and criticism of the quest, that advancing the main story line and gaining a new companion was not a major quest. I'm not saying every quest needs to be like I described, nor that it needs a million options, but can you name me 1 quest in TOW that does require player thought rather than simple selection among equally viable options?

 

[Hot Coldman]

Wasn't gonna say anything, yes. What Fluent fails to consider was your last paragraph. Zero thinking required. All your options are in your face, presented by an option in the "diaogue box", and there is no more than just that.
You are not required to do anything than click your preferred option it's over.

 

[Deleted Member 16721]

Who cares though? Obviously you guys do but I don't. Games have progressed. They're not trying to stump gamers at every turn like the ancient games you worship. Back then that was the trend, today it is not. Games are for fun first and foremost. Is the game fun? That gets a resounding yes from me. Not having to suffer or think too much is incline because the game is still fun. There are still options present, more so than most RPGs especially first person action shooting RPGs.

 

[Hot Coldman]

Who cares though? Obviously you guys do but I don't. Games have progressed. They're not trying to stump gamers at every turn like the ancient games you worship. Back then that was the trend, today it is not. Games are for fun first and foremost. Is the game fun? That gets a resounding yes from me. Not having to suffer or think too much is incline because the game is still fun. There are still options present, more sothan most RPGs especially first person action shooting RPGs.

That's fine. Now go watch Die hard or whatever other crap media you consume.

It's not to convince you that your tastes are shit.
It's just to tell you what you said was wrong.

 

[Deleted Member 16721]

That's fine. Now go watch Die hard or whatever other crap media you consume.

It's not to convince you that your tastes are shit.
It's just to tell you what you said was wrong.

I'm not a prude or snobbish prick about stuff. I'm perfectly fine enjoying things for what they are. Sounds like you're just angry and bitter and can't enjoy new things.

 

[Riddler]

Well, the user score on Meta critic is steadily going down and the PC one is lower than Greedfall

Metacritic User Score is literaly useless. Even trash lik FO76 has 10/10 and good games 1/10. It's retarded. Open Critic is way better than Metacritic because it take in account all reviews across all system instead putting PC with 14 reviews then ps4 with 50+ then Xbox with 30. They let retarded journos but at least it much better than "Epic bad" 1/10 and "Obsidian good. Bethesda bad" 10/10.

1. I don't give a fuck about what consoletards think.
2. There are over 800 reviews for the outer worlds on PC.
3. Fallout 76 has a 2.8 rating.
4. If you looked at the actual user reviews you would be able to see that ToW isn't subjected to review bombing.

 

[Hot Coldman]

That's fine. Now go watch Die hard or whatever other crap media you consume.

It's not to convince you that your tastes are shit.
It's just to tell you what you said was wrong.

I'm not a prude or snobbish prick about stuff. I'm perfectly fine enjoying things for what they are. Sounds like you're just angry and bitter and can't enjoy new things.

I can honestly say I am content with not playing many video games.
Besides, I play Sandy Petersen's CALL of CTHULHU *the RPG not the video game on mondays. AND I can do other things.

HOWEVER there are video games that I absolutely love, also newer ones, like Stygian, Age of Decadence, whatnot.

 

[Deleted Member 16721]

I can honestly say I am content with not playing many video games.
Besides, I play Sandy Petersen's CALL of CTHULHU *the RPG not the video game on mondays. AND I can do other things.

HOWEVER there are video games that I absolutely love, also newer ones, like Stygian, Age of Decadence, whatnot.

Stygian is good, yes. We can agree there. I'm saying I enjoy many RPGs of all shapes and sizes. I enjoy complex RPGs and also easier more casual ones. As long as they have real RPG elements I will usually be happy. But the game also has to meet my criteria. I don't want to play The Witcher 3 for example. No interest.

 

[Child of Malkav]

Wasn't gonna say anything, yes. What Fluent fails to consider was your last paragraph. Zero thinking required. All your options are in your face, presented by an option in the "diaogue box", and there is no more than just that.
You are not required to do anything than click your preferred option it's over.

I don't understand what you're saying about options being presented in a dialogue box and not being more than that.
If you played Fallout 1 and 2 and if you invested into speech, a speech option would appear during dialogue. Now, the only difference between FO1/2 and FONV (in dialogue) is that the speech option is marked as such in NV but not in FO 1/2. In the latter, you need to pay attention and read carefully but even then the option becomes evident as it's simply the best one from all the options, the one that gives the best quest resolution.
Also, if you have the skill, you have the option. If you have enough lock picking then you can simply unlock the door. Do you want a minigame for it? The same thing with hacking. Or if you have high strength, you can break/kick the door open. Etc.

 

[Nano]

Now Stick of Truth?
That was a real high brow RPG.

Obsidian's decline started with Dungeon Siege 3 nearly a decade ago and hasn't stopped since.

 

[Hot Coldman]

Wasn't gonna say anything, yes. What Fluent fails to consider was your last paragraph. Zero thinking required. All your options are in your face, presented by an option in the "diaogue box", and there is no more than just that.
You are not required to do anything than click your preferred option it's over.

I don't understand what you're saying about options being presented in a dialogue box and not being more than that.
If you played Fallout 1 and 2 and if you invested into speech, a speech option would appear during dialogue. Now, the only difference between FO1/2 and FONV (in dialogue) is that the speech option is marked as such in NV but not in FO 1/2. In the latter, you need to pay attention and read carefully but even then the option becomes evident as it's simply the best one from all the options, the one that gives the best quest resolution.
Also, if you have the skill, you have the option. If you have enough lock picking then you can simply unlock the door. Do you want a minigame for it? The same thing with hacking. Or if you have high strength, you can break/kick the door open. Etc.

Do you not see the giant arrow pointing you from A to B as you shoot a thousand bandits on your way to talk to a guy so you can talk to another guy?
In fact, this is kind of irrelevant to the fact that it is simply not my kind of game. It is game foremost and RPG second. A toddler could play this "RPG".

 

[Hot Coldman]

Yes, I like games, but I'm picky about any brain dead media. It is not something I generally enjoy in my free time. I liked Mass Effect 1 because I could pick on freaky aliens.

 

[Daidre]

Metacritic User Score is literaly useless. Even trash lik FO76 has 10/10 and good games 1/10. It's retarded. Open Critic is way better than Metacritic because it take in account all reviews across all system instead putting PC with 14 reviews then ps4 with 50+ then Xbox with 30. They let retarded journos but at least it much better than "Epic bad" 1/10 and "Obsidian good. Bethesda bad" 10/10.

Am I wrong or Open Critic does not have user reviews of any kind and deals only with "official" reviews from journos and some approved youtube "influencers"? And uses like/dislike ratio as its only unique site-specific metric?

Not the kind of data that makes me excited.