Game News Underrail Dev Log #58: Environments Preview

[Goral]

Personally I would prefer if Styg would release a stand-alone expansion where playing through the whole thing again wouldn't be necessary and we could just jump to new locations right away. The game is already too big for its own good, adding even more content to it will further decrease the percentage of players who finished it.

 

[ArchAngel]

Personally I would prefer if Styg would release a stand-alone expansion where playing through the whole thing again wouldn't be necessary and we could just jump to new locations right away. The game is already too big for its own good, adding even more content to it will further decrease the percentage of players who finished it.

It is not about the end, it is about the journey. And journey is 10/10

 

[Goral]

It is not about the end, it is about the journey. And journey is 10/10

Having even more "dungeons" during your journey won't make the game better, it will only change the moment when you feel exhaustion and want to finish it (or quit) ASAP.

 

[ArchAngel]

It is not about the end, it is about the journey. And journey is 10/10

Having even more "dungeons" during your journey won't make the game better, it will only change the moment when you feel exhaustion and want to finish it (or quit) ASAP.

If you had fun time while playing it then it was time well spent.

Combat and exploration in Underrail is excellent so it does not really matter if end pays off.

 

[Trashos]

The game is already too big for its own good, adding even more content to it will further decrease the percentage of players who finished it.

I don't generally agree that the game is too big. It is awesome that there is so much to explore and so many cool quests. I will agree however that the final part of the main questline is too long (the Deep Caverns) for a first time player. It took me ~25 hours to finish it the first time. As I have suggested elsewhere, I think some part of the Deep Caverns should have been split and moved to side quests. This might have partially solved the issue with too few players finishing the game as well (I don't know the data, but it's not surprising given that the DC demand exceptional determination in order to figure out and finish).

 

[Goral]

Trashos
There is much to explore but there aren't that many interesting quests. Most are standard fetch/kill quests without any twist or interesting approach which makes them unmemorable. Exploration saves many of these quests but the later in the game you are the more backtracking you have to do and it's getting more and more boring. Deep Caverns though is an entirely different thing. It's just shitty, the most boring and tedious location I know in any RPG which I've written about in detail here: http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/inde...-incline-awakens.105387/page-150#post-4319112

And yes, the game is too big for it's own good. Take Foundry, it's a humongous location but there are literally 4 quests here. In this location alone the amount of backtracking you need to do is staggering and all of this for a fewer quests than your average Fallout 1 location (which are much, much smaller than Foundry even). That's not good game design, that's Bethesda game design. Or compare Core City with The Hub, both are big, both have tons of things to do but only The Hub is very well designed while Core City is just bloated with INSANE amount of backtracking needed (I thought it was insane until I've gone to DC) which spoils the fun.

 

[Black Angel]

Take Foundry, it's a humongous location but there are literally 4 quests here.

Huh? 4 quests? Let's see:

1. The murder mystery quest
2. The Oculus quest
3. Nicholas-Olivia relationship problem
4. Faceless-related problems
5. Kill Balor
6. Study the rock creatures
7. Fix Gloria
8. Kill the Beast

I guess you can say that the last 3 quests are actually one whole package, or that Fix Gloria doesn't count as one quest. But the thing about the Foundry, just like most of the side contents of Underrail (like Protectorate vs. Free Drones, the Oculus, Camp Hathor, etc etc) is that they're just that: side content. You're not obligated to do them, the main quests doesn't really involve them in any major way (and did so only by bringing your attention to them), but they tie-in nicely with the main contents and adds a lot to the experience. And I disagree they were mostly "standard fetch/kill quests without any twists or interesting approach that makes them unmemorable".

1. The Oculus/Oculites are THE best side content ever made in a cRPG. Especially the murder mystery quests, and there's a contrasts between them: the SGS murder mystery have you uncover who the murderer is, while the Foundry murder mystery have you covering for the murderer.
2. The Protectorate vs. Free Drones had a lot of twists upon them. There are no clear-cut good vs. bad between these two, and they both have their own goods and bads. The Protectorate gives genuine security, but at the cost of freedom, and the method they use achieve their goals is heinous (gas the drones). And while the Free Drones seemed to be the better alternative to the authoritative Protectorate (and would even listen to you regarding the needs of Rail Crossing for that train), they have a spy among them, and exposing the spy doesn't really solve the problem because it sow seeds of discord and distrust among the Drones as stated by the ending slide.
3. Camp Hathor relationship with the Rathound King, there are multiple ways to solve them, and even if you set up a truce between them, wearing the Rathound King's Regalia in Camp Hathor would have them mistaken you for the Rathound King and they'll start shooting at you. If you do this quest a certain way, the Rathound King will end up flee from his lair near Camp Hathor and appears in his lair in Deep Caverns.
4. In Foundry, you can start the murder mystery quest in more than one way, either by stumbling upon it, or meet the murderer herself. Between Nicholas and Olivia, you can choose to kill either one of them; or, you can report both of them after hearing either side of the offer. I do agree that the backtracking for the mines quest is still obnoxious, though, despite of the tweaks and patches they've done to make it less tedious. And yet, you can capture one of the Borer using a dog crate, and use it as a ticket to progress the last Oculus quest.

 

[ciox]

For me, all the problems with Foundry would be relieved if there was better signage, as the area seems to have never gotten another art pass. With some signs you would probably know where you're going and where the shops or areas of interest are.
As for backtracking, I doubt most would care if it was just easier to navigate around (bigger maps with fewer transitions, game autosaving in a thread so you don't have to pick between long level transitions OR losing a lot of progress from shooting someone in town by mistake)

 

[Trashos]

Goral , I find many quests very memorable. As a matter of fact, I have been thinking that Underrail has exceptionally diversified and fun quests. Let's see:

Spoiler

- At GMS, looking for a way to use the turret against the bandits. Great design, afaic.
- At the battery recycling plant, using the remote control to guide the robot to its destination.
- The Abram quests at Junkyard. Giving information from memory, planting a bug, freeing a prisoner.
- The Silent Isle quest for the Black Eels, with the bilocation debuff.
- The showdowns at Junkyard and at the Black Crawler Camp. Always fun.
- The mazes at Rathound King's Lair and at DC.
- The "kill my wife and make it look like an accident" quest at Foundry.
- Mining in order to get the furnace at Foundry going. Now that's a job for real men.
- The Arena.
- Stealing the shield shipment for Gorsky.
- Defending the warehouse for Coretech and the Kill the Beast quest with the waves of enemies.
- The interview at Tchort Institute.
- Testing the chem weapon for Georgis.
- The mushroom forest in DC.
- The mutagen puzzle in DC.
- Using the dreadnought to kill burrowers in the Protectorate questline.
- The Gas the Drones quest is absolutely epic.
- Investigating to find Patrick Pierce's murderer.
- Catching hoppers for Big Bret, The fishing tour, Drinking for science. Kinda fun quests in a silly way.
- The Oculus quest.

Many of these quests are simple on the surface (go there and fetch something/someone), some are investigation-oriented , but the fact of the matter is that gameplay-wise they all have their twist. I am actually impressed.

I agree that the Foundry is a nightmare to walk around in, it takes ages to go from one end of the screen to the other. I liked the Kill the Beast quest, though.

EDIT: Yes, I have seen your criticism of DC, and to an extend I agree. I think it has a lot of good content, but bad pacing. I 'd cut the DC to a shorter duration, as I already mentioned.

 

[SausageInYourFace]

by the way, will this be the last big update to the game or will Styg still continue working on it?

 

[ArchAngel]

Goral , I find many quests very memorable. As a matter of fact, I have been thinking that Underrail has exceptionally diversified and fun quests. Let's see:

Spoiler

- At GMS, looking for a way to use the turret against the bandits. Great design, afaic.
- At the battery recycling plant, using the remote control to guide the robot to its destination.
- The Abram quests at Junkyard. Giving information from memory, planting a bug, freeing a prisoner.
- The Silent Isle quest for the Black Eels, with the bilocation debuff.
- The showdowns at Junkyard and at the Black Crawler Camp. Always fun.
- The mazes at Rathound King's Lair and at DC.
- The "kill my wife and make it look like an accident" quest at Foundry.
- Mining in order to get the furnace at Foundry going. Now that's a job for real men.
- The Arena.
- Stealing the shield shipment for Gorsky.
- Defending the warehouse for Coretech and the Kill the Beast quest with the waves of enemies.
- The interview at Tchort Institute.
- Testing the chem weapon for Georgis.
- The mushroom forest in DC.
- The mutagen puzzle in DC.
- Using the dreadnought to kill burrowers in the Protectorate questline.
- The Gas the Drones quest is absolutely epic.
- Investigating to find Patrick Pierce's murderer.
- Catching hoppers for Big Bret, The fishing tour, Drinking for science. Kinda fun quests in a silly way.
- The Oculus quest.

Many of these quests are simple on the surface (go there and fetch something/someone), some are investigation-oriented , but the fact of the matter is that gameplay-wise they all have their twist. I am actually impressed.

I agree that the Foundry is a nightmare to walk around in, it takes ages to go from one end of the screen to the other. I liked the Kill the Beast quest, though.

Not just quests. I liked many of the NPCs. Even after 2 years I can still remember so many of them (ok it helped a bit that I watched some Underrail streams on twitch in the meantime :D - but that says a lot about the game to me, not many games I enjoy watching after I played it fully and know everything about it)

 

[Diggfinger]

Personally I would prefer if Styg would release a stand-alone expansion where playing through the whole thing again wouldn't be necessary and we could just jump to new locations right away. The game is already too big for its own good, adding even more content to it will further decrease the percentage of players who finished it.

Styg already said the new content will be available from around mid-way through the base game. Also, you cannot access it after you entered Deep Caverns (luckily I have a save-game just before taking the elevator).
I'd rather have new areas make sense in terms of difficulty/story/setting rather than something you can "just jump to...right away".

I have an erection now, and I need release.

What he said.

 

[Diggfinger]

Additionally, Expanded Edition, or True Incline Edition, something in that regard

Underrail: ExpEdition

I prefer: UnderRail: InfiniDition

 

[FeelTheRads]

Also, you cannot access it after you entered Deep Caverns

Well, you can't access anything after entering DC. But what about after leaving DC? Last I heard, that was fine?

I have saves either way, but I don't particularly like the idea of going with a before DC save.

 

[ciox]

Going to the Black Sea after solving DC would be a New Game+ style stomp, maybe fun, but not really how the content is meant to be experienced. Might work if you gimp yourself by not using your best armor and weapon.

 

[Styg]

Going to the Black Sea after solving DC would be a New Game+ style stomp, maybe fun, but not really how the content is meant to be experienced. Might work if you gimp yourself by not using your best armor and weapon.

Maybe not completely so, there are some optional parts of the Expedition that are meant to be endgame challenges, especially on higher difficulties.

 

[ciox]

Going to the Black Sea after solving DC would be a New Game+ style stomp, maybe fun, but not really how the content is meant to be experienced. Might work if you gimp yourself by not using your best armor and weapon.

Maybe not completely so, there are some optional parts of the Expedition that are meant to be endgame challenges, especially on higher difficulties.

Are they gated so they only become available later or can you just go in there at your own risk? Either way it's nice to have a reason to come back later.

 

[Fenix]

If you do this quest a certain way, the Rathound King will end up flee from his lair near Camp Hathor and appears in his lair in Deep Caverns.

What the hell? Playing for years and didn't find that.

I'll investigate it in my final playthrough when Expedition be released.
Actually I like that kind of reactivity, and and already thought about that - what if all people you saved or somehow moved in the end formed some quest - like that guy at outpost M'Lan Ratula or how was his name, also that couple near burrower nest that you need Doctor to save him, and maybe someone else. ))

 

[ciox]

That reminds me how that's another thing that I still need to try even after 5 runs through the game.
I also need to do the Oculus and Free Drones questlines, before either my builds pushed me towards protectorate (guns) or I didn't bother with them and focused on other quests.

 

[Tygrende]

before either my builds pushed me towards protectorate (guns)

But there's nothing that would make Protectorate a much better choice for gun builds. Fraser does sell quite a bit of AP ammo, but it's not a significant difference. Even if you wanted to get the micro-shrapnel 7.62 blueprint ASAP, it would be faster to get it at the lurker base.

 

[ciox]

before either my builds pushed me towards protectorate (guns)

But there's nothing that would make Protectorate a much better choice for gun builds. Fraser does sell quite a bit of AP ammo, but it's not a significant difference. Even if you wanted to get the micro-shrapnel 7.62 blueprint ASAP, it would be faster to get it at the lurker base.

The biggest deal is always high quality crafting components for your build, another chance at getting them is always welcome.
And Fraser's loadout is pretty good if you have some Mercantile, which lately I do, also helps with point 1.

 

[AwesomeButton]

I saw monuments and what looked like fountains. This must mean this is pre-war architecture, or in other words, the player will have business on the surface.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

I saw monuments and what looked like fountains. This must mean this is pre-war architecture, or in other words, the player will have business on the surface.

That's possible, but let's assume for a moment that the surface is beyond uninhabitable. If that's the case then what are we looking at?
Quite possible it is remnants of Biocorp offices from BEFORE the Hollow Earth incident. If so, that might mean we get some more info on guys like Ezra and his partner who escaped the wrath of the Faceless, or might even meet the guy.
Or it could be remnants of Reformed Biocorp.
Hell, there might even be another lesser corp down there that never survived the wrath of Biocorp and you see its ruins.

 

[Styg]

Going to the Black Sea after solving DC would be a New Game+ style stomp, maybe fun, but not really how the content is meant to be experienced. Might work if you gimp yourself by not using your best armor and weapon.

Maybe not completely so, there are some optional parts of the Expedition that are meant to be endgame challenges, especially on higher difficulties.

Are they gated so they only become available later or can you just go in there at your own risk? Either way it's nice to have a reason to come back later.

They are either available off the bat or are unlocked in the regular course of completing the Expedition campaign. They don't require you to be a certain level or to have finished additional parts of the main campaign.

 

[Strange Fellow]

This will either be really really good, or it will turn out to have been really really mismanaged. I've been postponing my second playthrough for years, and it's still a ways off. Don't let me down, Styg!