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

[IHaveHugeNick]

I'd say there's just too much xp and skill points, so it feels like there's no builds because you don't really have to specialize.

Let's say you cut total possible to gain xp to half or to 1/3, what real choices to specialize would you have? The damn perks are either useless, utility perks or general enough that any build would benefit from them. My experience is that the only two viable specializations are either melee or ranged. That's it.

You can specialize in Leadership, companions become quite OP at combat once you invest enough points.

 

[Hellraiser]

You can specialize in Leadership, companions become quite OP at combat once you invest enough points.

Fair enough, but I guess that's just like playing a Diablo 2 summonancer build, only with more involved dialog and no skeletons or poo golem.

 

[Fedora Master]

the game is just shit, it's got nothing to do with politics - it was made by faggy men and women

no women should be involved in the work dynamic of making video games, end of - though, and only maybe, if I was in charge, I'd perhaps entertain having them around in limited capacity as occasional office decoration to provide the environmental stimuli to increase the test production of the men developing the game via introducing the anxiety of sexual competition in the back of their minds, of course taking all the necessary precautions to nip all possibility of the henhouse effect of mixed sex work environments tainting the product

This guy gets it.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I stopped my first playthrough of this game about halfway through the story and didn't pick it back up for like 3 months. I was so excited when it was announced but it was really uninteresting. It felt like it was doing the bare minimum needed to be a fallout clone. Boring quests, combat and the fact that the game basically made you play anticorporation killed it for me.

Did the dlc change anything?

 

[TheDiceMustRoll]

I stopped my first playthrough of this game about halfway through the story and didn't pick it back up for like 3 months. I was so excited when it was announced but it was really uninteresting. It felt like it was doing the bare minimum needed to be a fallout clone. Boring quests, combat and the fact that the game basically made you play anticorporation killed it for me.

Did the dlc change anything?

The DLC is basically just more levels with nothing new or clever behind them. If the New Vegas add-ons are little adventure modules of fun that play around with the game's base concept, TOW's so far is Just Another Dungeon

 

[Major_Blackhart]

This is disappointing, especially considering how much I like Leon Boyarski.

 

[Sranchammer]

One of the most transformative gaming experiences I have ever had.

 

[kreight]

One of the most transformative gaming experiences I have ever had.

What, you became a tranny in game? Fucked a lesbian?

 

[Major_Blackhart]

I would love a relationship quest where you help the gawky one get the hot one, only to later learn that the gawky socially awkward one murdered the other one and is in reality a serial killer. And then you can branch things out from there:

1. Ignore it
2. Turn him in (several ways to do this, from planting evidence to getting him to confess, etc.)
3. Get him to turn himself in, claim it was an accident, etc. Or get him to commit suicide
4. Kill him and tell the girl's parents you avenged her
5. Help him destroy evidence and get more victims
6. Kill other women and blame him for them

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Just noticed this since it popped up on ytube.

 

[Aeschylus]

Wow, I don't think I have ever played a more mediocre game than this. Literally nothing about it stands out -- boring gunplay, dull world design, uninteresting loot, entirely one-note writing, uninspired and linear quest design. I usually force myself to push through to the end of most RPGs, but this one I just couldn't. Just the idea of opening it up again induced a feeling of dread in me. Definitely a new nadir for Obsidian.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Unfortunate. Surprising since this is Cain and Boyarski. But still not because Cain is essentially retired.

What did Boyarski run with this game? Did he make any lead decisions worth noting?

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

But still not because Cain is essentially retired.

What do you mean?
Could you elaborate?

Yeah definitely not a title I am not going to buy for even half price. Perhaps ten years from now when it is on a major discount, and then only if I can't get anything better. And I probably still would rather read a book.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

It's been rumored here that Cain has moved to Seattle with his husband and has settle into a part time WFH situation. Further rumors elaborate he's just settling into retiring completely. No idea if that's true or not. I think Roguey has more info. It's been posted in this thread before I think.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

It's been rumored here that Cain has moved to Seattle with his husband and has settle into a part time WFH situation. Further rumors elaborate he's just settling into retiring completely. No idea if that's true or not. I think Roguey has more info. It's been posted in this thread before I think.

Oh wow I didn't know Tim Cain was gay. I've watched a lot of his talks and stuff and never picked up on it.

 

[Latelistener]

What did Boyarski run with this game? Did he make any lead decisions worth noting?

They were both directors with Boyarsky also as a Narrative Lead. Essentially both did a good job I guess? As leads.

But you would expect this to be more of an auteurs work similar to Kojima or Levine, where directors control many aspects of the game personally.

This seems to be the opposite. There is very little that could tell you that they were involved.

 

[Roguey]

It's been rumored here that Cain has moved to Seattle with his husband and has settle into a part time WFH situation. Further rumors elaborate he's just settling into retiring completely. No idea if that's true or not. I think Roguey has more info. It's been posted in this thread before I think.

I've done some digging and Tim's current address is still near Obsidian. Robert has definitely moved to Seattle though. Seems likely they're divorced or have the weirdest long distance marriage.

Edit: On second thought, maybe not. The house that's listed as his current residence was sold just a few months ago and Robert was the previous owner.

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

They were both directors with Boyarsky also as a Narrative Lead. Essentially both did a good job I guess? As leads.

But you would expect this to be more of an auteurs work similar to Kojima or Levine, where directors control many aspects of the game personally.

This seems to be the opposite. There is very little that could tell you that they were involved.

That is what I expected when I heard that the two were working on the Outer Worlds. That this was some kind of passion project of theirs that they wanted to do for a while.
From what you all are telling me it sounds more like the two basically just put their name on this project just as Obsidian put "From the makers of Fallout New Vegas" on the advertisement blurb.
What did Cain and Boyarsky actually do on the project? Just leading others? No creative involvement whatsoever beyond perhaps an idea or a concept?

 

[Infinitron]

They were both directors with Boyarsky also as a Narrative Lead. Essentially both did a good job I guess? As leads.

But you would expect this to be more of an auteurs work similar to Kojima or Levine, where directors control many aspects of the game personally.

This seems to be the opposite. There is very little that could tell you that they were involved.

That is what I expected when I heard that the two were working on the Outer Worlds. That this was some kind of passion project of theirs that they wanted to do for a while.
From what you all are telling me it sounds more like the two basically just put their name on this project just as Obsidian put "From the makers of Fallout New Vegas" on the advertisement blurb.
What did Cain and Boyarsky actually do on the project? Just leading others? No creative involvement whatsoever beyond perhaps an idea or a concept?

Watch the documentary and find out: https://rpgcodex.net/article.php?id=11401
Also, you might find this interview from before the game's release interesting: https://rpgcodex.net/article.php?id=11113

It seems to me that Leonard Boyarsky ended up having a larger role on the game than Tim Cain (which might be contrary to the expectations of Codexers who consider him to be cooler than Cain and would rather blame the latter for the game not being good enough). He's also the one who is more regretful about the game's cut content, though.

 

[TheDiceMustRoll]

What exactly is the difference between a lead designer and a project lead?

Todd Howard was lead on Morrowind and Lead Designer on Skrim and FO3

 

[Butter]

A lead designer has to do work. A project lead just tells other people to do work.

 

[Roguey]

What exactly is the difference between a lead designer and a project lead?

Todd Howard was lead on Morrowind and Lead Designer on Skrim and FO3

Lead designer is in charge of handling designers and solely designers. The project director coordinates the entire project (design, programming, art, and so on).

 

[Fedora Master]

You guys still trying to dissect the dead horse, huh?

 

[TheDiceMustRoll]

You guys still trying to dissect the dead horse, huh?

The timing of the thread seems to be people picking up the game on steam, realizing that even discounted they basically paid for chicken noodle soup when they were promised consomme and then the thread quietly discusses the failure of the project to live up to its lofty marketing and pedigree. And one schizo usually comes in to screech about estrogen laced milk making the game bad or whatever.

 

[Latelistener]

That is what I expected when I heard that the two were working on the Outer Worlds. That this was some kind of passion project of theirs that they wanted to do for a while.
From what you all are telling me it sounds more like the two basically just put their name on this project just as Obsidian put "From the makers of Fallout New Vegas" on the advertisement blurb.
What did Cain and Boyarsky actually do on the project? Just leading others? No creative involvement whatsoever beyond perhaps an idea or a concept?

Doesn't feel like there was a passion behind it. I literally haven't heard anything good about it aside perhaps visuals.

And there was no creative force behind the game aside from those two that could possible make it better.

Sawyer and Gonzalez did a much better job. Sadly the first has burned out and the second left after New Vegas. This game will never achieve that status.