Underrail: The Incline Awakens

[ArchAngel]

So what you are saying is that it is a realistic representation of the real thing.

Not at all. The entire act of fishing is reduced to clicking a button on an almost completely static game object, an extreme abstraction, and you get bites far too often and too quickly to be even remotely realistic.

An incredibly low success rate when you do get bites isn't particularly realistic either, despite what one might assume. It's not uncommon out on the lake or river to pull in several fish in a row, and this requires only baiting the hook properly and experience handling rod... neither of which have much of anything to do with "dexterity." It's all a matter of experience. Someone's arthritic grandpa who couldn't thread a spaghetti noodle through a hoop earring could most likely still handle a fishing rod just fine.

Basing fishing success arbitrarily on Dexterity because it's "the stat that seems like it should go along with it" to such an extent that if your DEX is 5 you'll almost always fucking fail, while if it's 7-8 you'll almost always succeed, is clearly absurd.

Funnily enough, I've seen not a soul complain about this other than myself.

You missed my point. RL fishing is as boring and mind numbing as can get. So is in this game. (I am talking about average fishing, not one where you got access to multimillion equipment)

 

[Blaine]

Designing areas with realism in mind at the expense of gameplay is a mistake commonly made by amateur designers. You're essentially telling him to stay amateur.

If not crowding merchants and quest-givers into a clearly staged set piece with a quick travel node inches away for the convenience of people with poor attention spans is what "amateurs" do, then I certainly prefer amateur design. In fact, this entire game was essentially designed by amateurs and I prefer it to professional work, so in a very real sense you're quite correct.

You missed my point. RL fishing is as boring and mind numbing as can get. So is in this game. (I am talking about average fishing, not one where you got access to multimillion equipment)

No, I didn't miss your point. It's one of the most common points anyone can possibly make about fishing in a computer game.

It's also way off the mark. Fishing in real life need not be boring, and is in fact far less boring than fishing in this game (and in most games). I doubt you've ever fished a day in your life. Some people also think that walking or hiking in nature is boring, that camping is boring, etc.

 

[Excidium II]

Just found out this game has attribute checks, took 'em bloody long enough to show up. Shame it seems it's just for flavour. Was a very [Intelligence] check too.

 

[Blaine]

There's an Agility check early on, for some hidden Mindshrooms.

In fact, few if any of the attribute/skill checks to gain access to Mindshrooms have anything to do with psi or Will. They instead tend to be related to stealth. If you have high stealth and some hacking you can pop by Junkyard and Camp Hathor for a relatively snappy 14 Mindshrooms.

 

[Excidium II]

There's an Agility check early on, for some hidden Mindshrooms.

In fact, few if any of the attribute/skill checks to gain access to Mindshrooms have anything to do with psi. They instead tend to be related to stealth. Indeed, if you have high stealth and some hacking you can pop by Junkyard and Camp Hathor for a relatively snappy 14 Mindshrooms.

Huh, where? I got 8 agility but don't remember crossing that.

 

[Zetor]

The agi check is climbing over some rocks in the tunnel connecting two of the Omega stations. There are a few similar agi checks later on the game, as well (two of them in Deep Caverns can be quite useful for avoiding a ton of pointless combat)

Speaking of which, there are some combined stat/skill checks in the game too; I remember using [Intelligence/Intimidation] to scare the crossbow guy hiding out with his two pet rathounds at the beginning of the game.

killed him anyway, gotta get that sweet loot

 

[Excidium II]

The 8 agi check is climbing over some rocks in the tunnel connecting two of the Omega stations.

Speaking of which, there are some combined stat/skill checks in the game too; I remember using [Intelligence/Intimidation] to scare the crossbow guy hiding out with his two pet rathounds at the beginning of the game.

killed him anyway, gotta get that sweet loot

Interesting, for me it only showed as an intimidate check. I have 7 int and 0(5) intimidate.

 

[axedice]

I agree fishing needs a rework, my psykers with high biology suffers =(

 

[Inf0mercial]

The two single skill checks i know are an early one to grab shrooms in caves of outposts and a intel check in rail crossing that always makes me frown at how retarded a character who fails that check must actually be, are there more around?

How many are in the game total?

I don't remember the crossbow guy check but i will be honest i tend to buy two grenades at the start of the game one to blow that fuck up and another for the 3 thugs, so i don't think i have actually seen their dialogue option in like 5 or more game starts.

 

[Excidium II]

The two single skill checks i know are an early one to grab shrooms in caves of outposts and a intel check in rail crossing that always makes me frown at how retarded a character who fails that check must actually be, are there more around?

I got this one:

Spoiler

 

[ArchAngel]

You missed my point. RL fishing is as boring and mind numbing as can get. So is in this game. (I am talking about average fishing, not one where you got access to multimillion equipment)

No, I didn't miss your point. It's one of the most common points anyone can possibly make about fishing in a computer game.

It's also way off the mark. Fishing in real life need not be boring, and is in fact far less boring than fishing in this game (and in most games). I doubt you've ever fished a day in your life. Some people also think that walking or hiking in nature is boring, that camping is boring, etc.

Fishing is not hiking or camping, don't strawman this. Fishing by itself is numbingly boring. At least in this game you lose few minutes to it, not hours like in RL.

 

[oneself]

You did exactly the right thing. Don't listen to these stupid assholes. They've been conditioned to play console action RPGs with trash-tier world-building.

Designing areas with realism in mind at the expense of gameplay is a mistake commonly made by amateur designers. You're essentially telling him to stay amateur.

Wouldn't say so. Since the other extreme is streamlining.

 

[circ]

Can I get some mentor locations niggas please?

I got Cryo Orb from Black Crawler mission outside shelf. Disruptive Field from some abandoned base southwest of Rail Crossing - where you gotta get a Strange Powersource bla bla.

Additionally got something (Thermo Destab or Exothermic Aura or maybe it was Enrage) from a locker just before the entrance into the Ratking maze. That one isn't set as I've gotten different ones with different chars but it's always a mentor.

Also got Proxy from CC doc shop. Maybe Enrage from Rail Crossing doc shop. Thermo or Exothermic from Foundry doc shop.

Really wants me some of dat mine type thing (Electrokinetic Imprint). I had Cryo Shield on the previous psi, where did I get that? Probably random drop. Implosion, Neurovisual Disruption whatever that is, Pseudo-spatial Projection and Psi-cognitive Interruption.

 

[Cyberarmy]

Can I get some mentor locations niggas please?

They are random, sometimes you can't even get a mentor, only friggin psi boosters...
Doctors always sell fixed mentors though and they upgrade their stock with better ones after progressing in main quest.

Spoiler

Got one from Balor's HQ in a table. It was Thermo(walking bomb of doom +700 heat damage!) though :/ East of foundry
Got Electro Imprint from Lurker base. South east of rail crossing.
Got fire aura from that crazy murder lady's bunker in foundry.
There was nasty science facility with coil spiders a bit south of foundry.

 

[Lhynn]

You did exactly the right thing. Don't listen to these stupid assholes. They've been conditioned to play console action RPGs with trash-tier world-building.

Designing areas with realism in mind at the expense of gameplay is a mistake commonly made by amateur designers. You're essentially telling him to stay amateur.

Pros have been under delivering for almost 2 decades now. You could say we have an industry of assholes that couldnt make a good game if their lives depended on it.
Layout making sense in an rpg is much more important than it being convenient.
Not that i get where that comes from, merchants at core city are at the same floor and they are usually very close by in settlements too.

 

[oneself]

Can I get some mentor locations niggas please?

They are random, sometimes you can't even get a mentor, only friggin psi boosters...
Doctors always sell fixed mentors though and they upgrade their stock with better ones after progressing in main quest.

Spoiler

Got one from Balor's HQ in a table. It was Thermo(walking bomb of doom +700 heat damage!) though :/ East of foundry
Got Electro Imprint from Lurker base. South east of rail crossing.
Got fire aura from that crazy murder lady's bunker in foundry.
There was nasty science facility with coil spiders a bit south of foundry.

I think there are some fixed spawns, because I got one at Balor's HQ table as well. But it is implosion.

Does implosion ignore % damage reduction as well or just the flat damage reduction? Because if its the latter, it is rather useless.

I'm doing more damage with TK punch than that thing on bladelings.

 

[Durandal]

You did exactly the right thing. Don't listen to these stupid assholes. They've been conditioned to play console action RPGs with trash-tier world-building.

Designing areas with realism in mind at the expense of gameplay is a mistake commonly made by amateur designers. You're essentially telling him to stay amateur.

Pros have been under delivering for almost 2 decades now. You could say we have an industry of assholes that couldnt make a good game if their lives depended on it.
Layout making sense in an rpg is much more important than it being convenient.
Not that i get where that comes from, merchants at core city are at the same floor and they are usually very close by in settlements too.

Designing the world first and the level after worked for Looking Glass Studios

 

[hell bovine]

You did exactly the right thing. Don't listen to these stupid assholes. They've been conditioned to play console action RPGs with trash-tier world-building.

Designing areas with realism in mind at the expense of gameplay is a mistake commonly made by amateur designers. You're essentially telling him to stay amateur.

Pros have been under delivering for almost 2 decades now. You could say we have an industry of assholes that couldnt make a good game if their lives depended on it.
Layout making sense in an rpg is much more important than it being convenient.
Not that i get where that comes from, merchants at core city are at the same floor and they are usually very close by in settlements too.

BG2 is year 2000 and has a very good city layout, in my opinion, without areas being connected by numerous passages, tunnels or caves. You can overdo it either way. Take for example the protectorate base: you leave the metro, trudge through a small tunnel, arrive on the opposite side and then get into the fort. Why couldn't the metro exit be aligned with the fort entrance? Is there any reason for this other than trying to simulate walking through a metro station?

 

[Eyestabber]

I really wish we could simply buy the damn fish. Fuck fishing!

 

[hell bovine]

But that's the point of a trolling quest.

 

[Cyberarmy]

Does implosion ignore % damage reduction as well or just the flat damage reduction? Because if its the latter, it is rather useless.

It doesnt sadly thus making it really useless late game. Even in "mid game" its only usefull if paired with proxy.


Edit: Proxy is a good finisher by itself btw, especially against lineds up enemies with really low cost.

 

[Zetor]

Can I get some mentor locations niggas please?

They are random, sometimes you can't even get a mentor, only friggin psi boosters...
Doctors always sell fixed mentors though and they upgrade their stock with better ones after progressing in main quest.

Spoiler

Got one from Balor's HQ in a table. It was Thermo(walking bomb of doom +700 heat damage!) though :/ East of foundry
Got Electro Imprint from Lurker base. South east of rail crossing.
Got fire aura from that crazy murder lady's bunker in foundry.
There was nasty science facility with coil spiders a bit south of foundry.

I think there are some fixed spawns, because I got one at Balor's HQ table as well. But it is implosion.

Does implosion ignore % damage reduction as well or just the flat damage reduction? Because if its the latter, it is rather useless.

I'm doing more damage with TK punch than that thing on bladelings.

afaik it doesn't ignore % damage reduction. Against bladelings you're better off with elemental damage -- or better yet, the basic thought control psi attack if it works on them, since it bypasses everything.

It's a useful skill, but only as part of an alpha strike / combo. TK Proxy, Premeditation (to deal with the massive psi / AP cost), Implosion, TK Punch, and your enemy is probably dead right there. Works well on a lot of endgame enemies, especially shielded plasma sentries and ~spoiler~.

 

[oneself]

Does implosion ignore % damage reduction as well or just the flat damage reduction? Because if its the latter, it is rather useless.

It doesnt sadly thus making it really useless late game. Even in "mid game" its only usefull if paired with proxy.

Fuck. I guess that is why people go metathermics. Their 70 actually seem useful.

It's a useful skill, but only as part of an alpha strike / combo. TK Proxy, Premeditation (to deal with the massive psi / AP cost), Implosion, TK Punch, and your enemy is probably dead right there. Works well on a lot of endgame enemies, especially shielded plasma sentries and ~spoiler~.

My dream of crushing deep worms effortlessly as been crushed.

 

[Cyberarmy]

It's a useful skill, but only as part of an alpha strike / combo. TK Proxy, Premeditation (to deal with the massive psi / AP cost), Implosion, TK Punch, and your enemy is probably dead right there.

Thats what I do mostly, against HP sponge enemies. I also use that "walking bomb" and relocate proxy for finishing move.

 

[Grotesque]

deep worms respawn?