Vault Dweller
Commissar, Red Star Studio
![Developer](/forums/smiles/titles/developer_flag.png)
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2003
- Messages
- 28,038
My impressions:
- the game looks good, the visual design is superb
- the UI is way better
- combat looks good, seems too easy but let's hope it's just for the demonstration purposes
Now about what's been shown:
- The area is very corridor-like and reminds me of the IWD 2 maps. Linear, with pockets of events here and there, almost to the point of being too cluttered with "random" events.
- Some events aren't very logical, C&C seem forced
Why would the trader refuse to trade with you and make a profit? Why would the sick woman ask you to kill her, if she can pop some pills and get better? A dying person is one thing. A sick person who can be easily healed is another. You don't kill someone who has a migraine, for example, even if they beg to be shot. Why would the raiders let you pass instead of jumping you?
It seems that some events and places where designed to let you use your skills (brute force here, animal empathy over there, medical here, etc) - i.e. events driven by the desire to let the player use skills and show reactivity everywhere.
- Sheep conveniently placed next to the mines remind me Shadowrun's conveniently placed solutions. The comment that you can just run through, trigger the mines, take damage and then get healed is just ... There are few things that I hate more than traps and mines that hit for 5 points of damage (like the NWN2 traps).
- the unguarded ramp conveniently placed next to the camp is silly. Placing a guard there and letting you to take him out silently (or failing and losing the element of surprise) and then attack would be something. Going up the ramp, completely invisible to the semi-blind men and dogs and taking your time to pick targets, is kinda meh. So, the choice is between rushing through the main entrance or passing the player's perception check and going up the ramp?
- the radio seems to be a way for the NPCs to talk to you from far away, to make sure that you find them. "There is a dying woman in aisle 4, please stop by for loot and xp". Did her husband have a radio too? If yes, why didn't he reply? If he knew that she was dying and asking to kill her, why would he attack you? Why wouldn't he ask you why and let you try to explain? His dramatic entrance, guns blazing and shit, was pointless and served absolutely no purpose (other than to show the "consequences" of your actions and let you loot his clearly useless gun).
- the 'encounter begins' text is very JRPG like, and so are the flashing damage numbers that belong in RT clickfest games like Diablo 3, not in a TB game with a textbox.
- the descriptions are great and evocative but the louspeaker humor was silly and unnecessary.
Necessary disclaimer: I'm not saying that the game is bad or that the entire game is like that. I'm merely commenting on what's been shown.
- the game looks good, the visual design is superb
- the UI is way better
- combat looks good, seems too easy but let's hope it's just for the demonstration purposes
Now about what's been shown:
- The area is very corridor-like and reminds me of the IWD 2 maps. Linear, with pockets of events here and there, almost to the point of being too cluttered with "random" events.
- Some events aren't very logical, C&C seem forced
Why would the trader refuse to trade with you and make a profit? Why would the sick woman ask you to kill her, if she can pop some pills and get better? A dying person is one thing. A sick person who can be easily healed is another. You don't kill someone who has a migraine, for example, even if they beg to be shot. Why would the raiders let you pass instead of jumping you?
It seems that some events and places where designed to let you use your skills (brute force here, animal empathy over there, medical here, etc) - i.e. events driven by the desire to let the player use skills and show reactivity everywhere.
- Sheep conveniently placed next to the mines remind me Shadowrun's conveniently placed solutions. The comment that you can just run through, trigger the mines, take damage and then get healed is just ... There are few things that I hate more than traps and mines that hit for 5 points of damage (like the NWN2 traps).
- the unguarded ramp conveniently placed next to the camp is silly. Placing a guard there and letting you to take him out silently (or failing and losing the element of surprise) and then attack would be something. Going up the ramp, completely invisible to the semi-blind men and dogs and taking your time to pick targets, is kinda meh. So, the choice is between rushing through the main entrance or passing the player's perception check and going up the ramp?
- the radio seems to be a way for the NPCs to talk to you from far away, to make sure that you find them. "There is a dying woman in aisle 4, please stop by for loot and xp". Did her husband have a radio too? If yes, why didn't he reply? If he knew that she was dying and asking to kill her, why would he attack you? Why wouldn't he ask you why and let you try to explain? His dramatic entrance, guns blazing and shit, was pointless and served absolutely no purpose (other than to show the "consequences" of your actions and let you loot his clearly useless gun).
- the 'encounter begins' text is very JRPG like, and so are the flashing damage numbers that belong in RT clickfest games like Diablo 3, not in a TB game with a textbox.
- the descriptions are great and evocative but the louspeaker humor was silly and unnecessary.
Necessary disclaimer: I'm not saying that the game is bad or that the entire game is like that. I'm merely commenting on what's been shown.