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Everything in Synthetik is great except for the bosses, which are absolute dogshit The plane and final boss are literally some of the worst boss design I have ever seen in any game, ever
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Dec 3, 2020 19:32
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megane posted:Everything in Synthetik is great except for the bosses, which are absolute dogshit The game would've done better if it'd leaned into its strengths instead of doing whatever it was trying to do with the current bosses. It would've been better with Metal Gear Solid style bosses where it's got a gimmick but you're still using the same skillset that you've been developing in the regular game. Regardless, play Synthetik. Game very good.
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Dec 3, 2020 19:37
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Yeeeeeaaahhh it is pretty bad. The ultimate update apparently adds another, even more final, boss. Yay?
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Dec 3, 2020 19:37
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Bosses aren't that bad, when you learn how to beat them. The ones people have problems with are basically Step 1 - get in their face to avoid fusion fire, Step 2 - dodge secondary attacks while filling them with lead.
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Dec 3, 2020 19:41
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It's been awhile since I played, but I remember the plane boss being literally impossible to dodge during its "strafe while firing machineguns" attack, if you hadn't taken at least one faster-walking-speed upgrade. Is it still like that? And then of course if you get the plane in NG+ then you're just completely hosed, but that's NG+ so whatever.
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Dec 3, 2020 20:25
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:It's been awhile since I played, but I remember the plane boss being literally impossible to dodge during its "strafe while firing machineguns" attack, if you hadn't taken at least one faster-walking-speed upgrade. Is it still like that? No, bosses with fusion fire can't hit you up close so against the plane boss if you start by dashing up and to the side then you can get close enough to it that it won't be able to hit with with that attack. If you do get hit by the fusion fire though then it'll slow you down and you'll have a very bad time unless you have something to bail you.
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Dec 3, 2020 20:30
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the UI and menu navigation was pretty janky with a controller so it will be interesting if they've managed to clean it up for consoles. Also I remember it running not the best for a while so it will also be interesting seeing it ported to the Switch. Cautiously optimistic.
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Dec 3, 2020 20:50
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poemdexter posted:Picked it up on switch and going in blind. The tutorial house is a godsend because I would have never known about some of the weird interactions with items without it. I finished the Past first try, but I have no idea if that's even difficult. Decided to play the minesweeper game and didn't realize they delete your backpack when you start. 
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Dec 3, 2020 21:01
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echoing the "Synthetik is fanastic, play it" All the bosses (except for the arena masters gently caress sniper master) are pretty much pattern checks and understanding how to use dashes properly. Some classes also struggle more than others if you don't get certain upgrades vs plane and aren't practiced at the fight. The current final boss is a real fucker though and requires a strict understanding of what kind of weapons/item combos you need to bring ahead of time to murder it faster than it murders you. Also gently caress the Disco room, kills more runs than the actual final boss.
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Dec 4, 2020 00:36
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I've never actually died to disco room, but I have died because of disco room -- some genius decided to place it right before the final boss and have all the hazards keep running until you engage the boss, meaning you probably go into the shittiest fight in the game damaged and with all your cooldowns already blown.
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Dec 4, 2020 00:46
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The arena masters are actually the best fight because you can immediately pick off the most dangerous one with an alpha strike to the head, as opposed to every other boss that you have to slowly chip down because they're all some variety of angry geometry with no head. Disco Room and Harrier are pains in the rear end but I find you can generally mitigate them if you prioritize movement upgrades over everything else. Speed is life anyway, the faster you move the faster you can get to a new safe spot and pause to take another shot.
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Dec 4, 2020 01:03
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Arena Masters are the worst because it means you didn't get slime boss. Even as the buggiest boss in the game (in multiplayer) it was the key to breaking the game wide open in terms of a run. Especially if you had some scaling weapon on hand, or just wanted a shitload of money. Game is good that any of my gripes are kinda just 'drat wish this part was a bit better' rather than entirely deal breaking.
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Dec 4, 2020 01:14
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megane posted:I've never actually died to disco room, but I have died because of disco room -- some genius decided to place it right before the final boss and have all the hazards keep running until you engage the boss, meaning you probably go into the shittiest fight in the game damaged and with all your cooldowns already blown. You can actually exit the disco room without triggering the boss as long as you don't go too far in. It will let you use the ammo crates and wait for cooldowns to recharge.
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Dec 4, 2020 06:42
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poemdexter posted:Picked it up on switch and going in blind. The tutorial house is a godsend because I would have never known about some of the weird interactions with items without it. I finished the Past first try, but I have no idea if that's even difficult. Playing on PC (keyboard, without any problems as far as I can tell) and I also beat the past first try so I am pretty sure it is not remotely difficult.
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Dec 4, 2020 13:57
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ngl I wanted to like synthetik but its not fast enough for what it is in a lot of ways and some of the mechanics are hot dogshit like jams and reloading
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Dec 4, 2020 14:40
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Bind "Eject" to the same button as "reload", and that part feels much better.
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Dec 4, 2020 14:51
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Reloading actually owns and jams...well, my main class is Heavy Gunner so I love jams. 
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Dec 4, 2020 15:44
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I haven't played Synthetik yet but if you like that I can recommend Neon Chrome, another twin stick roguelite. It's a rough around the edges indie but I enjoyed it enough to beat it.
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Dec 4, 2020 16:08
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Soulash live anew, with a future yet to be illuminated anew as the past several months have been A Something---But Still~ https://wizardsofthecode.itch.io/soulash/devlog/201883/soulash-v05-living-world quote:Greetings fellow gods!
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Dec 5, 2020 14:11
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Anyone here got any advice for Slasher's Keep? I dig the game a whole bunch, but I constantly feel like there are secrets that the game isn't telling me. Also edit: If anyone can recommend a streamer or YouTuber that plays the game with some skill I would love to see them do it. The only videos I've really found is Northernlion and, love him though I do, he kind of sucks at this game and it's quite apparent. MussoliniB fucked around with this message at 00:37 on Dec 7, 2020 |
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Dec 6, 2020 22:29
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I'm not great at it and have only put in a few hours, so this might seem pretty obvious. But as soon as you think you are getting in over your head, dump your poo poo in the chute and get yourself killed. Starting with slightly better gear and skills each time seems to be required. Some of the rooms that trap you in with spikes from the ceiling are easier if you can aggro a few of them out into the hall before going in. It's an interesting game, but I haven't got past the first boss yet. Edit: apparently there's a skill that lets you block and later deflect projectiles, which would be a massive increase in urvivability. I'm guessing some of the other ones are just as vital, like life leach and stuff.
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Dec 7, 2020 02:16
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I have a few wins now in Slasher's Keep so I'll try and dispense some wisdom that I wish I would have known earlier: On death, you lose 25% of your levels, stats, and cash. So long as you make even modest progress in each run you'll gradually grow stronger. Maggots/Roaches are actually a good source of healing if you see them scuttling about. The only things you can ingest that will harm you are rotten food and raw spiders. The cooked spiders you find over the fire pits also heal. Use the your item sack. Booping enemies into spikes/pits/explosive barrels is an instant kill and lets you punch way above your weight. You can both craft and disassemble weapons at a blacksmith. This lets you reclaim hilts/shafts/gems in the event that you find a way stronger blade/head. Speaking of smithies, they spawn on odd numbered floors. Even numbered floors will have a merchant. The first floor is the exception to this rule and has neither. The item sacrifice shrines only like magical (green quality) items or better. Putting regular junk on them will cause you to incur damage. There is some degree of favorable scaling when it comes to experience. In practice, this means that first floor enemies are still worth killing. Speed running earlier floors and racking up a massive exp multiplier is an easy way to stay ahead of the curve after you've died on a higher floor. Health potion quality is tied to your level. Potions that drop are upgraded every five levels, so scouring those early floors can pay off in a big way. Two skills to watch for are Deflect and Golden Tongue. Deflect allows you to block projectiles while Golden Tongue makes the first item from any merchant free. You only really need one point in these to incur most of their value, though deflect does scale the chance of bouncing a projectile back at a foe if that's your game plan. There's plenty more junk I could write here, but some of it is spoilery and this post is long enough as is. Feel free to post if you have anymore specific questions.
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Dec 7, 2020 02:30
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Finally beat Crown Trick after my third attempt on the final boss. My take: it's a solid B+ game. My initial positive feelings have worn off a bit. The good: * Nice art style * Really nice UI, especially with things like skill ranges, descriptions * Fairly tight gameplay, not a lot of fat * Tactical combat is very very good * The shops are useful and neat * You can complete a dungeon run in less than an hour The meh * The metaprogress isn't wonderful. Unlocking more items and some passive traits? Cool. Straight-up boosting stats? You literally HAVE to die in order to use Soul Shards and boost, unlike a game like Dungeonmans where you can spend Proofs of Stremf *on the same character*. Not the best. * Music is serviceable at best, not memorable * There's no coherence to the overall dungeon design. It's literally just a series of rooms and exploration simply doesn't matter. That makes it feel like *just* a sequence of combat puzzles which... well, it's not bad, but it's not my favorite thing either * Items aren't particularly useful. They're OK. The bad * The random dungeon modifiers are just bullshit. Some are way, way easier to deal with than others. Like what's worse: you get a random elemental debuff if you stay in one tile for 4 turns, OR - in a game with no passive healing or regeneration - you can no longer heal or refill your elixir between floors. (And instead start with +2 elixirs, when normally you would get +6 between levels PLUS full heals.) Wow. * Weapon balance is really stupid as a result of most things not being able to attack on diagonals. It makes diagonal weapons (Swords, Axes) godly by default, and weapons like Dual Blades - which can only hit one tile ahead of you - worthless, since anything that allows YOU to hit without being hit is inherently S tier. * Boss balancing is also bullshit. Some bosses are so easy that if you play right, you can pretty much not get hit at all (the monster, Neptune). Others like Poseidon, chess Vlad, and the final boss, have things like unblockable attacks, massive heals, massive multi-summons, and other things that you have to be just super lucky to avoid.
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Dec 7, 2020 03:22
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This is dumb but I can’t stand the controller bindings for the pc port of shiren and there appears to be no way to use anything but pre-sets.
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Dec 7, 2020 15:13
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Every once in a while I remember that Vagante exists, and I wish it was a better game.
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Dec 7, 2020 16:55
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zirconmusic posted:Finally beat Crown Trick after my third attempt on the final boss. My take: it's a solid B+ game. My initial positive feelings have worn off a bit. I got to the point where you unlock the hard mode and bounced off of it for all of the reasons you describe. The game, on paper, is pretty good but the balance is pretty awful. Even the passive relics range from 'good' to 'actively worse than not picking it up' - even within the same rarity and type. Some times I'd just pick the relic that didn't actively hurt me, which is a lame reward choice. The metaprogression was 'the bad' for me. There are so many passive boosts and mechanics locked behind it that it diminishes the validity of each run. In my case, it even compounded with one of the terrible dungeon modifiers - I got saddled with a curse (I can't remember how but I didn't actively pick it) that made it so that damage would reduce gold and the metaprogress currency, and then had chess vlad wipe out all of my money. I got nothing from that run and almost quit, but stuck it out for another couple more runs.
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Dec 7, 2020 17:06
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alarumklok posted:damage would reduce gold and the metaprogress currency I'm sorry what? If I ever got that dungeon modifier I'm pretty sure I'd abandon the run immediately, the risk is too great otherwise.
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Dec 7, 2020 17:18
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You don't really save up metaprogress money so it's basically just threatening what you've accomplished that run. But yes, it was utter BS.
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Dec 7, 2020 17:42
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My winning run had the mod that reduces enemy break armor (but halves stun time) plus the one that gives you a negative status if you stand still too long. Those aren't that bad. Same with the corpse explosion one. Actually, I think the money one isn't terrible either, you just need to be smart about when you spend it in shops. (I had a run recently with that mod and made it to the final boss.) The lol combo on my winning run was, right before the final boss, a cursed chest that converts damage to gold/soul shards before hitting your HP. I had over 1000 of both, so it was like having 10 extra life bars and I never needed to touch my elixir.
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Dec 7, 2020 18:11
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The money shield is fine (even good if you avoid spending money), it's the fact that it guts metaprogress that's stupid. It consigns that run to either winning or getting zero progression because you're obviously going to take all the damage if you lose. If your run isn't great and you get it, you're not going to win AND you're not going to get anything out of it.
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Dec 7, 2020 18:22
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Speaking of gutting metaprogression, Gungeon’s policy of not giving you credits on the special runs you have to pay credits for always irked me. I can’t believe I played 100 hours of that game before I realized I didn’t like it.
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Dec 7, 2020 18:30
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bees x1000 posted:Speaking of gutting metaprogression, Gungeon’s policy of not giving you credits on the special runs you have to pay credits for always irked me. I can’t believe I played 100 hours of that game before I realized I didn’t like it. this of all things was what got me to use cheatengine for the first time just so I would always be able to play gun game whenever I wanted. it was incredible that they made a legitimately fun mode and then forced you pay for every run in addition to making that mode drop no money, so not only did it interfere with unlocking more items, you would also inevitably have to go back and farm money in the default mode if you wanted to do more gun game runs. those devs were fantastically afraid of their product being too much fun.
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Dec 7, 2020 18:45
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bees x1000 posted:Speaking of gutting metaprogression, Gungeon’s policy of not giving you credits on the special runs you have to pay credits for always irked me. I can’t believe I played 100 hours of that game before I realized I didn’t like it. I feel this so hard. I got it a couple of months ago and I enjoy the feel so much (not a big fan of twin stick shooters in general, only usually try out the roguelikey ones) but now it's another one of those games to me that I just wish wasn't even a roguelike at all because I love how it plays but can't stand its progression.
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Dec 7, 2020 18:53
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as always the solution is to just not have metaprogression
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Dec 7, 2020 18:54
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IronicDongz posted:as always the solution is to just not have metaprogression But then how will developers drive up those player engagement numbers without artificially padding out their games?
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Dec 7, 2020 18:56
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I think achievement-based alternative class/race/whatever unlocks are fine because it doesn't impact the balance of each run in any way, gives you something to work towards while you learn the mechanics of a game and keep eating dirt, and gates more advanced classes behind some play so you don't get overwhelmed trying to play the Seventeen Mechanics Juggler on your first run.
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Dec 7, 2020 19:02
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ok but what if I'm experienced at RLs and want to play that from my first run. what if I want the options available to me, and people who don't want to play something complex can just choose the simple stuff at first on purpose instead of having no choice still better than straight statistical upgrades tho
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Dec 7, 2020 19:10
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Metal Meltdown posted:
Thanks, this was really helpful. I'd figured out some of it, but a lot was new - I didn't realize that you could disassemble items! I think part of the answer might just be getting more dps, but do you have any tips for beating the first boss? I've had ~3 runs now just stall out on it.
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Dec 7, 2020 19:39
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RIP ZEEZ
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IronicDongz posted:ok but what if I'm experienced at RLs and want to play that from my first run. what if I want the options available to me, and people who don't want to play something complex can just choose the simple stuff at first on purpose instead of having no choice Oh yeah I think the value of such a thing is debatable, but there is debatable value. I love short term goals in games, for example, while the rest of those things I probably don't care about. Statistical upgrades as metaprogression is a weird hangover from the RPG wing of game design that's percolated into every single genre, and really has no place in roguelikes. It actively harms the delicate balance that keeps an RNG-based genre built on difficulty fun and enjoyable.
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Dec 7, 2020 19:49
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Just have there be a toggle to unlock all bonus classes/races or whatever.
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Dec 7, 2020 19:51
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