Underrail: The Incline Awakens

[Parabalus]

There are several places in the game where it feels more influenced by Planescape than Fallout (petitioners outside Tchort Institute for example) and Styg does pull it off.

Also how the fuck do I beat Coil Spiders on Dominating? Greater Coil Spiders see me instantly once I'm in range even with over 100 effective stealth, and a single attack from them one-shots my pistoleer.

The standard Underrail tactic of killing them before they act applies. GCS are a particularly egregious example since they reliably one-shot you unless you dump equipment, and have high Init.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Tesla Armor - Underrail Wiki (stygiansoftware.com)

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Also, part of me really wants energy emitters for fist and sledge hammer weapons.

Edit: Or infused leathers do extra effects on combat gloves.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Trashos]

Coil Spiders

In addition to what was said above, doors. They can't break on through to the other side open doors.

the time limit is barely even there

Well, why is it there at all then? As far as I can see, they will be setting me various goals. Why couldn't the attacks be scheduled right after goals achieved? That would have been the obvious and respectable thing to do.
Anyway, "barely there" doesn't tell me much. How long is it?

I have always ignored every single radio call for help and did whatever I want.

Won't I get fired? The wiki says I will.
https://www.stygiansoftware.com/wiki/index.php?title=Expedition_without_you

 

[Trashos]

There are several places in the game where it feels more influenced by Planescape than Fallout (petitioners outside Tchort Institute for example) and Styg does pull it off.

t's a bit of a trade-off compared to the deliberate sparsity of the original. A lot of it pretty obviously takes from the Recent RPGs Tradition of lots of narration, lots of elaborate characterisations, and it can weigh you down. But where it surprises is that there are a few places where the writing is genuinely good and gripping - most notably with little Todd later. That entire sequence would be insufferable and indulgent, but it becomes incredible due purely to the writing.

I actually had complained about the sudden change in writing at the Institute too. It was not bad, but I prefer it when UR lets its atmosphere and the environments do most of the talking.

One thing I have raved about in the past is that UR can say a lot with little writing. It is very impressive when it does that. Now, writing-wise it starts looking like everything else. Anyway, we will see how it goes.

 

[Ghulgothas]

Oddity XP may be love or hate as an alternative to Classic XP, but I think it's ingenious as a means for narrative conveyance. Especially for a game that has little-to-no books/text logs/lore journals outside of quests (and Expedition).

 

[BING XI LAO]

Judging by these replies I guess finding Coretech's agent in the sewers, without hacking (which means you have to get through the Spider Cave), is not something you'd necessarily manage at level 12 although I did manage to kill one GCS with a lucky molotov fear plus using aimed shot plasma pistol.

Is there any crucial electronic-resist gear to consider before that lategame Lemurian one? A standard Galvanic vest with 24%/7 doesn't look up to scratch. Looks like the good old 'just don't get hit' Sprint plus Quick Tinkering plus molotov will work though.

 

[Tigranes]

There are several places in the game where it feels more influenced by Planescape than Fallout (petitioners outside Tchort Institute for example) and Styg does pull it off.

Also how the fuck do I beat Coil Spiders on Dominating? Greater Coil Spiders see me instantly once I'm in range even with over 100 effective stealth, and a single attack from them one-shots my pistoleer.

I just mostly-finished game with pistolero and they were an issue but not huge. You know where they are, so I'd start combat outside sight, cast Haste, move into aimshot Plasma crit, move out, use incendiary grenade if necessary e.g. groups of enemies.

Trashos It's really not a big deal, you're just getting yourself worked up into vast imagined stress over it. If you want to argue that it's a bad design decision, I agree, I don't see why it's there at all. In terms of how it impacts your actual playthrough - it doesn't.

 

[Tigranes]

I have always ignored every single radio call for help and did whatever I want.

Won't I get fired? The wiki says I will.
https://www.stygiansoftware.com/wiki/index.php?title=Expedition_without_you

I'm not sure what data points exist on getting fired solely due to not helping out with the radio calls. I know I never bothered couple times on Hard, and it was fine; couple times I went back once to plink a bit.

 

[Parabalus]

Judging by these replies I guess finding Coretech's agent in the sewers, without hacking (which means you have to get through the Spider Cave), is not something you'd necessarily manage at level 12 although I did manage to kill one GCS with a lucky molotov fear plus using aimed shot plasma pistol.

Is there any crucial electronic-resist gear to consider before that lategame Lemurian one? A standard Galvanic vest with 24%/7 doesn't look up to scratch. Looks like the good old 'just don't get hit' Sprint plus Quick Tinkering plus molotov will work though.

There's also ?7? Goliathuses in that Coretech quest as an extra treat if you didn't bring a jackhammer or equivalent.

There are several places in the game where it feels more influenced by Planescape than Fallout (petitioners outside Tchort Institute for example) and Styg does pull it off.

Also how the fuck do I beat Coil Spiders on Dominating? Greater Coil Spiders see me instantly once I'm in range even with over 100 effective stealth, and a single attack from them one-shots my pistoleer.

I just mostly-finished game with pistolero and they were an issue but not huge. You know where they are, so I'd start combat outside sight, cast Haste, move into aimshot Plasma crit, move out, use incendiary grenade if necessary e.g. groups of enemies.

Trashos It's really not a big deal, you're just getting yourself worked up into vast imagined stress over it. If you want to argue that it's a bad design decision, I agree, I don't see why it's there at all. In terms of how it impacts your actual playthrough - it doesn't.

I'd agree with Trashos, in that the native attacks don't really add anything, they're just tedious. Not like the system adds anything, it just incetivises you to gut the natives sooner rather than later.

 

[Yaz]

Judging by these replies I guess finding Coretech's agent in the sewers, without hacking (which means you have to get through the Spider Cave), is not something you'd necessarily manage at level 12 although I did manage to kill one GCS with a lucky molotov fear plus using aimed shot plasma pistol.

Is there any crucial electronic-resist gear to consider before that lategame Lemurian one? A standard Galvanic vest with 24%/7 doesn't look up to scratch. Looks like the good old 'just don't get hit' Sprint plus Quick Tinkering plus molotov will work though.

You can also use Dragon Poison knives versus them. Thought Control can also disable their Psi like the Dragon Poison. Stealth melee build can use Pneumatic Leather Gloves to repeatedly disable them or outright kill them with Expose Weakness. Builds with Mercantile can get 80/90% Electric resistance through crafting even without the Tesla Armour, although that one isn't too hard to get, as well. If you're rocking Metathermics you can fish for one shot kills with a Sniper/Plasma Pistol and there's also Vanishing Powder Grenade if things get wonky. Greater Coil Spiders also don't resist a lot of Fashbangs, so there's that, as well.

 

[Yaz]

I'd agree with Trashos, in that the native attacks don't really add anything, they're just tedious. Not like the system adds anything, it just incetivises you to gut the natives sooner rather than later.

I think that's more of an individual thing. Sometimes mowing down natives on the beach is fun. But if it isn't your thing definitely do pirates. You can, after all, complete the Expedition with every single NPC in the Black Sea dead.

 

[Trashos]

the fuck is your malfunction? it's a resource for you to manage

Well....

I hate time limits

...let's see if you can draw your own conclusions.

 

[Trashos]

normie, you do not know what the time limit is, noone here has answered my question about how long it is, answers about the consequences of failing it are contradicting between player experience and wiki, and you still claim that *I* am "on top of it".

Objectively, you are the retadred one. I do not mean to be rude.

 

[Parabalus]

normie, you do not know what the time limit is, noone here has answered my question about how long it is, answers about the consequences of failing it are contradicting between player experience and wiki, and you still claim that *I* am "on top of it".

Objectively, you are the retadred one. I do not mean to be rude.

Tbh it's not really a time limit, more like a personnel limit. How does the game even calculate the deaths when you aren't there?

When you join the pirates and kill the Aegis patrols they die real quick afterwards though.

 

[Tigranes]

I mean, I think the statement "time limits in RPGs are often done dumbly, and the Expeditions timer is opaque & involves tedious gameplay & could easily have been cut" is quite obviously true. It's not good design and doesn't improve the game.

It's a separate statement to say "the time limit in Expeditions is really stressful and has a really negative impact on my experience" - which I would say is bollocks. (Not that I think trashos is going that far, I think he just wants to know?)

 

[Trashos]

It's a separate statement to say "the time limit in Expeditions is really stressful and has a really negative impact on my experience" - which I would say is bollocks. (Not that I think trashos is going that far, I think he just wants to know?)

I am saying that too. When I have a time limit, I try to do things fast. I do not enjoy anything much. Not knowing what the time limit is just makes it worse.
As a matter of fact, the reason why I am only playing Expedition now (while I bought it on release to support the team) is because I heard about the time limits.

So it is both a design issue and a personal issue. But let's not act as if I am weird or sth, a lot of people are complaining about time limits in RPGs around the web. And if, say, Kingmaker has the argument that its system needs time limits to make sense, here the decision is incomprehensible.

 

[Tigranes]

It's a separate statement to say "the time limit in Expeditions is really stressful and has a really negative impact on my experience" - which I would say is bollocks. (Not that I think trashos is going that far, I think he just wants to know?)

I am saying that too. When I have a time limit, I try to do things fast. I do not enjoy anything much. Not knowing what the time limit is just makes it worse.
As a matter of fact, the reason why I am only playing Expedition now (while I bought it on release to support the team) is because I heard about the time limits.

So it is both a design issue and a personal issue. But let's not act as if I am weird or sth, a lot of people are complaining about time limits in RPGs around the web. And if, say, Kingmaker has the argument that its system needs time limits to make sense, here the decision is incomprehensible.

Frankly, you don't know because you haven't actually played through. You're imagining that the time limit is going to have a huge impact. Or you personally just get so mega-stressed out about the very existence of a time limit regardless of how strict or impactful it actually is or not. But that's a bit like saying the very existence of nonlinearity bothers me so much that I prefer not to play the game unless I can be totally sure that I can finish every single quest. It's a personal quirk and not something enforced by the actual design.

A lot of people complain about shit like not having voice acting in RPGs, too. People tend to take an intergalactic leap when it comes to time limits and declare that it is the most stressful thing since tax forms were invented - except if those people actually just sat down and played the game without knowing there's a time limit, they would have fun and have zero problems.

Again, should the time limit even be there if it hardly even matters? I think it should be cut. Do I think it actually has a big detrimental impact on people who play, say, Expedition: Viking or Expeditions? Hell no.

 

[Ol' Willy]

It seems that one cuttlesnail > 3 death stalkers. I almost felt sorry killing poor bastard afterwards.

 

[Yaz]

Cute Snails are beasts in melee combat :D

 

[BING XI LAO]

I was tempted to let the Cuttlesnails attack me to see what they're like but knowing Underrail I guess it would be anal rape.

 

[Trashos]

People tend to take an intergalactic leap when it comes to time limits and declare that it is the most stressful thing since tax forms were invented - except if those people actually just sat down and played the game without knowing there's a time limit, they would have fun and have zero problems.

Well, that's the thing, for a lot of people time requirements are very stressful and I am one of those. Not panic attacks or anything, it just sucks the fun out of everything. The briefest way I can put it is that when you add time pressure to something challenging then it feels like work. My work is like that.

It was mentioned above that time is just another resource I have to manage, and technically that is true, but my brain does not process Time the same way that it processes other resources. And I know I am not alone in this, even if I cannot explain it clearly.

Yes, I am giving it a try. I expect that the stress is going to go away once I have played the Black Sea a couple of times and get a sense for it, but for now...

 

[Ol' Willy]

Killed Black Crawler recently. Top floor is easy with some traps, definitely not a problem. The biggie's lair is where the nightmare is. There the big fucker and two regular ones. It takes a while to spot them even with 13 PER, with 3 - not a fucking chance. More so, as you descend you can't initiate combat due to cooldown, and there's a good chance to be shanked instantly as there's no initiative rolls when you are attacked from stealth and enemies don't subscribe to attack cooldown idea. Bar that, there's one sweet spot right next to the entry point, little bit NW from it: run there, place one trap (works one time in ten, all others you are poisoned before you can do any of that) and wait - it's just one tile, and combination of bear trap, taser and flashbang gives you five turns to remove the fuckers behind the closest one and then work on the trapped fella. Some incendiary can proc fear and give you some more time due to enemy reluctance to get burned. Two traps would be perfect, but I wasn't able to place them.

All of this wouldn't be so egregious, but for some reason Black Crawler has insane Evasion and Dodge skills. Can you imagine several meters big scorpo actually dodging your attacks? I should be harder to miss him actually. All this endeavor was ten time easier with PSI build, where I couldn't miss and didn't bother with any traps altogether.

And for what it's worth? Fucking nothing. No oddities, and trash loot.

 

[ciox]

Killed Black Crawler recently. Top floor is easy with some traps, definitely not a problem. The biggie's lair is where the nightmare is. There the big fucker and two regular ones. It takes a while to spot them even with 13 PER, with 3 - not a fucking chance. More so, as you descend you can't initiate combat due to cooldown, and there's a good chance to be shanked instantly as there's no initiative rolls when you are attacked from stealth and enemies don't subscribe to attack cooldown idea. Bar that, there's one sweet spot right next to the entry point, little bit NW from it: run there, place one trap (works one time in ten, all others you are poisoned before you can do any of that) and wait - it's just one tile, and combination of bear trap, taser and flashbang gives you five turns to remove the fuckers behind the closest one and then work on the trapped fella. Some incendiary can proc fear and give you some more time due to enemy reluctance to get burned. Two traps would be perfect, but I wasn't able to place them.

All of this wouldn't be so egregious, but for some reason Black Crawler has insane Evasion and Dodge skills. Can you imagine several meters big scorpo actually dodging your attacks? I should be harder to miss him actually. All this endeavor was ten time easier with PSI build, where I couldn't miss and didn't bother with any traps altogether.

And for what it's worth? Fucking nothing. No oddities, and trash loot.

Yeah, it's times like this that Classic shines.
Oddity: defeat bigger and badder version of baddie? enjoy the same oddity that burned out ages ago
Classic: get XP as always, in fact, get a notable BONUS for defeating a greater crawler/spider/etc