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picked up starcrawlers after seeing a post about the sequel and it's very good. nothing much more to add but I did not expect this game to draw me in so hard and I'm hyped for the next one.
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Dec 22, 2020 00:57
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So, unormal, my 6yo daughter is playing Sproggiwood again (she last played it when she was 2 and had fun running around placing pumpkin bombs). She has now made it far enough in to encounter Twinning Lampreys, and asked me to pass on this message: "I wish they would make a version of the game with the fish removed, because they're evil and mean and I hate them. Also a version with all the levels or all the characters unlocked right from the start."
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Dec 22, 2020 02:14
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Smart kid 😊 I loving hate those fish.
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Dec 22, 2020 02:38
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cannot argue, those fish are assholes feel free to tell your kid she's right, and smart 
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Dec 22, 2020 11:28
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Speaking of Jupiter Hell and Getting There as it does: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/811320/view/2945882680469529299 quote:It's been a bit longer than usual, but we're back to present you a new release of Jupiter Hell - 0.9.6 Terminal! This release features upgraded terminals, enhancements to hacking, stacking elemental damage, 20 new weapon/armor perks, revisited mod pack perk lists and more!
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Dec 22, 2020 21:40
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. You'll also notice that terminals now have more information about their options and the environment. We're also preparing everything for further expansions, expect at least one more top-level module!
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Vault of the Void seemed neat at first, but it hasn't grabbed me like StS did. It does a lot of cool stuff, but the classes feel a bit 'overengineered'. It was ok with the first class, but the second was a bit ridiculous when you'd have cards reading like 'Inflict 2 Future Strike thrice and 3 Shii twice, Opener: Echo Wall 1, Zen: Draw 1, Chain'. Shame as the deck builder aspect is a nice twist, plus mechanics like purge, but not a fan of the class design at all.
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Dec 22, 2020 22:22
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that second class is so fun though. you set up chain reaction explosions that clear all enemies in one go and completely gently caress up your next game as a different class when you completely forget how normal blocking works
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Dec 23, 2020 02:40
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I do agree that it has quite the learning curve when it comes time to actually figure out what cards do, but at the same time I always appreciate a digital game actually using it's digital space and coming up with mechanics that would be difficult or impossible to use in a table top card game. Maybe it would be better served by having twice the number of classes but the same number of mechanics? Spread out the stuff people aren't used to, but make sure every archetype gets something new.Mister No posted:that second class is so fun though. you set up chain reaction explosions that clear all enemies in one go and completely gently caress up your next game as a different class when you completely forget how normal blocking works I agree, the second class is my favorite. I love shii and delayed block both. Mithross fucked around with this message at 12:10 on Dec 23, 2020 |
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Dec 23, 2020 12:07
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There's two archetypes per class atm and they do play quite differently, so it's worth trying both even if your initial vibes on the class is off. Definitely agree the Enlightened has a bit too much keyword salad going on.
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Dec 23, 2020 15:37
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BexGu posted:Short mini doc series focusing on why a game ( usually a MMO / live service game ) died and/or shutdown. The one on Anthem and Marvel Heroes was pretty good. I did enjoy watching those videos but I quit in disgust after one of the videos was just a disguised ad shilling the MMO the dude was working on (Camelot Unchained). It was supposedly a video on the death of the Camelot whatever game but the video is "Actually the game rules and it's the best by the way I'm working on the successor, Camelot Unchained which is just as good!!!" That kind of shilling is the worst.
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Dec 23, 2020 19:39
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Kchama posted:I did enjoy watching those videos but I quit in disgust after one of the videos was just a disguised ad shilling the MMO the dude was working on (Camelot Unchained). It was supposedly a video on the death of the Camelot whatever game but the video is "Actually the game rules and it's the best by the way I'm working on the successor, Camelot Unchained which is just as good!!!" dark age of camelot fans are a devoted people
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Dec 23, 2020 19:41
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Jazerus posted:dark age of camelot fans are a devoted people I mean I understand that and would have just shrugged and been annoyed except he had to tie it into shilling Camelot Unchained which was clearly the real purpose of the video.
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Dec 23, 2020 19:48
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Mithross posted:I do agree that it has quite the learning curve when it comes time to actually figure out what cards do, but at the same time I always appreciate a digital game actually using it's digital space and coming up with mechanics that would be difficult or impossible to use in a table top card game. Maybe it would be better served by having twice the number of classes but the same number of mechanics? Spread out the stuff people aren't used to, but make sure every archetype gets something new. my favorite is the Corrupted Daughter of the Void, with its slow amplification over time. the only downside is taking 15 minutes a fight gets kind of old. the keyword popup for each class is overwhelming, but once you get to playing it it makes a lot more sense. i don't know the proper way to do it better, but like Shii is a full paragraph of text, but then you start playing and "oh if Shii is higher than their current HP they explode and spread it around"
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Dec 23, 2020 23:33
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Mister No posted:my favorite is the Corrupted Daughter of the Void, with its slow amplification over time. the only downside is taking 15 minutes a fight gets kind of old. I think my biggest problem with Vault of the Void is not really the gameplay or graphics, but just the half-assedness of it. It wants to both be a beep boop card game where there's nothing between you and the mechanics, but also actually bother with giving names for the characters despite them being completely detached from the actual game. The cards don't really represent anything about the characters and there's zero sense of personality and once you pick your character you have nothing to tie you to them. To use a term from elsewhere, there's no real fantasy. Why are you going into the Vault of the Void? Shrug. What is the Void? Dunno. The fights have small paragraphs to pretend to give them flavor but there's nothing tying them to anything else. They all just kind of exist in a vacuum. I know it's a weird complaint to have about a deckbuilder game, but Slay The Spire does it in a much better way.
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Dec 24, 2020 00:27
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not disagreeing cause i've noticed that too, but does StS really do that sort of thing better? i haven't played it since EA, but even there it felt like "pick a weird looking guy and go kill some heart thing" and anything i understood was just inferred.
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Dec 24, 2020 02:00
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Mister No posted:not disagreeing cause i've noticed that too, but does StS really do that sort of thing better? i haven't played it since EA, but even there it felt like "pick a weird looking guy and go kill some heart thing" and anything i understood was just inferred. If you don't read event text it can definitely seem that way.
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Dec 24, 2020 02:30
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For the starting class in StS the card unlocks seem to tell a story, as you go from "slightly creepy standard warrior stuff" to "full-on demonic" over the course of the first few runs.
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Dec 24, 2020 08:00
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Mister No posted:not disagreeing cause i've noticed that too, but does StS really do that sort of thing better? i haven't played it since EA, but even there it felt like "pick a weird looking guy and go kill some heart thing" and anything i understood was just inferred. The other two said it pretty well. The cards actually do a lot to give a sense of who the character is. They actually give a good feel for how they fight and their abilities and even a sense of who they are. It's all inferred but it's a lot more clearly realized. It's a lot of little stuff but it really adds up. For example, the fighter guy doesn't really defend himself, and often just takes the blows and accepts the injuries and uses it to strike through his enemy, and has demonic powers. I couldn't tell you anything about the Daughter of the Void in any sense, not even how she fights. There's nothing to really hook onto the imagination, or give you a clue. And yeah the event text helps with providing a sense of the feel of the world. I do feel like there could be more, but it has something, unlike Vault of the Void where there's... nothing. Like the Daughter of the Void is a great example because the name implies something but since there's nothing it just kind of falls flat and doesn't mean anything.
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Dec 24, 2020 09:30
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Jedit posted:If you don't read event text it can definitely seem that way. please don't iceberg theory slay the spire. plot might as well just be 'oh boy here I go fighting the flying donut again'
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Dec 24, 2020 11:29
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Kchama posted:I think my biggest problem with Vault of the Void is not really the gameplay or graphics, but just the half-assedness of it. It wants to both be a beep boop card game where there's nothing between you and the mechanics, but also actually bother with giving names for the characters despite them being completely detached from the actual game. The cards don't really represent anything about the characters and there's zero sense of personality and once you pick your character you have nothing to tie you to them. To use a term from elsewhere, there's no real fantasy. Why are you going into the Vault of the Void? Shrug. What is the Void? Dunno. The fights have small paragraphs to pretend to give them flavor but there's nothing tying them to anything else. They all just kind of exist in a vacuum. I know it's a weird complaint to have about a deckbuilder game, but Slay The Spire does it in a much better way. I really don't think StS makes any effort at building any kind of fantasy or world. It's completely a Gameplay Game. But maybe the classes feel more distinct and flavourful in StS, I agree. I don't think the developer of VotV should be criticised for "half-assedness", they post a lot of about their design approach, new features and a genuine want to make the game engaging and fun. I think if you want lore and worldbuilding you're looking in the wrong place....
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Dec 24, 2020 11:47
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perc2 posted:I really don't think StS makes any effort at building any kind of fantasy or world. It's completely a Gameplay Game. But maybe the classes feel more distinct and flavourful in StS, I agree. I don't think the developer of VotV should be criticised for "half-assedness", they post a lot of about their design approach, new features and a genuine want to make the game engaging and fun. I think if you want lore and worldbuilding you're looking in the wrong place.... Narrative and worldbuilding pulls double duty in games, by default. It can be good in the ways that all stories are good, but it's also good because it's just a mnemonic for remembering/internalizing mechanics more easily. I don't think StS is very interested in the first way at all, but does use the second better than VotV seems to.
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Dec 24, 2020 21:14
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Finally, they can build Momentum at last on UnderMine---the True Secret to anything remotely Isaac'ish in general~ https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/656350/view/5366567019622598085 quote:Happy Holidays peasants, and Merry Christmas Eve! Santa said you had all been good this year, so he decided to deliver the UnderMine update one day early! We poured a lot of hard work into this one and we hope you enjoy it. Kick back, put on a good cup of coffee, and enjoy the update. You deserve it!
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Dec 24, 2020 21:40
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Good gameplay is flavor. You get a better sense of the StS characters' personalities from how their decks are built, how their mechanics work, how it feels when their combos go off, and so on, than you would from hours of dialogue about their grimdark tragic backstories or whatever.
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Dec 24, 2020 22:29
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I've been playing The Ground Gives Way again and enjoying it. There's something about knowing each run is going to be very different that I really like, given there's no character building at all before you start dungeon crawling. I also like the rest and food mechanic and how it interacts with energy which you use to ID magic items and open stuck doors. Having two more resources in addition to HP and MP leads to a fun decision space.
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Dec 24, 2020 22:33
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TGGW is one of the greatest of the great---you can fashion it as a successor of escalation to Brogue and Forays into Norrendrin, or a thing unto itself, what is absolutely essential is that more projects assume the noble spirit and guise of it. High hopes for Dungeons of Everchange in 2021, at long last, as nothing else still comes to mind within these glorious wheelhouses outside the likes of Unexplored 2.
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Dec 25, 2020 01:12
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Any newer roguelikes to pick up in the winter sale? I've already got and enjoy Hades.
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Dec 25, 2020 01:15
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perc2 posted:I really don't think StS makes any effort at building any kind of fantasy or world. It's completely a Gameplay Game. But maybe the classes feel more distinct and flavourful in StS, I agree. I don't think the developer of VotV should be criticised for "half-assedness", they post a lot of about their design approach, new features and a genuine want to make the game engaging and fun. I think if you want lore and worldbuilding you're looking in the wrong place.... If you note, I didn't criticize any of that as half-assed. Don't be so defensive. I criticized the one part that I feel they half-assed in a way that negatively impacts my experience. They seem like they want world-building and a feel of a story, but the way they do it is basically as half-assed as it gets. The fact that they even try is the problem. If they DIDN'T have any sense of world-building or lore and it was just Beep Boop Mechanics Only, then I wouldn't say a thing. But they clearly trying it have it both ways and it hurts the product. Is it a critical flaw? No, not really. But it's a very obvious negative in my eyes. I, in fact, explained why I feel they build the fantasy. That "distinct and flavorful" part you mention is how you build a class's fantasy. The Slay The Spire cards show the characters actually doing stuff, and make it clear just what's happening. That's good. It builds the character's narrative. It is very much a Gameplay Game but it works to build an atmosphere and if you read the events, there's a world you can actually picture. It could do better, but not only are they trying but they're succeeding and making me want more. That's why I feel STS does it right. For VotV, they give you three characters, but I really couldn't visualize how any of them fight. There's literally zero art of them outside of the character select screen. Not even their own class cards actually show them fighting, instead opting for largely abstract pictures. The Daughter of the Void's cards are largely just purple-colored skulls and the like. I have no idea of anything about her and the game does nothing to imply or give me any hints to hang onto. It's substanceless and without any sort of flavor. That's why I say it's half-assed. It's done poorly, which is worse than not trying at all. megane posted:Good gameplay is flavor. You get a better sense of the StS characters' personalities from how their decks are built, how their mechanics work, how it feels when their combos go off, and so on, than you would from hours of dialogue about their grimdark tragic backstories or whatever. I do agree with this. You can do a lot with a little, and STS does that. Kchama fucked around with this message at 01:43 on Dec 25, 2020 |
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Dec 25, 2020 01:41
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Card Quest is a good example of inferring lore/flavor through mechanics. The classes feel incredibly distinct and fit the 'fantasy', despite it being a card game. Shame apparently the dev has 0 interest in ever doing a sequel, a bigger version of it would basically be my perfect game. Regarding the above post, agreed with VotV not quite nailing it - the rogue works ok, but not in a particularly original manner, as it's pretty much StS Silent + a combo meter. The other two really don't gel with me at all. Like comparing StS/VotV's 'monk' classes, the Watcher fits the theme with how you flow between stances, build up for a big combo via retain etc, make rapid attacks through recurring 0 cost cards etc, and the retain/scry keywords fit her theme of a meditative martial artist. VotV's one just feels kinda... off? Like I can't picture why most of the cards do what they do.
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Dec 25, 2020 21:20
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Kchama posted:If you note, I didn't criticize any of that as half-assed. Don't be so defensive. I criticized the one part that I feel they half-assed in a way that negatively impacts my experience. They seem like they want world-building and a feel of a story, but the way they do it is basically as half-assed as it gets. The fact that they even try is the problem. If they DIDN'T have any sense of world-building or lore and it was just Beep Boop Mechanics Only, then I wouldn't say a thing. But they clearly trying it have it both ways and it hurts the product. I feel the opposite. It's neat to see all the little bits and pieces of lore that they do have, and how the monsters escalate over time. The events and boss quotes lend to the whole idea that this is an endless loop, and that no matter what happens, you're going to be back, sometimes victorious, and sometimes not. The characters have been trapped in the endless dance for so long that they've even forgotten some of the steps, only to remember them on their journey back to the top. It's just a little touch and dash of flavor on top of a very strong mechanical game, and the game is much better for it. In my eyes, the epitome of dry gameplay that is absolutely fantastic is the board/card game Dominion. The gameplay is phenomenal, but I can't stand to play it because it's just so damned dry and mechanical. If all the StS cards were just "6 damage" "8 damage, draw a card" "channel a lightning orb" etc., then it wouldn't be nearly as fun to play. Because the cards have different names and art and those names and drawings fit a theme and influence strongly how the character plays, it helps the player to understand how to put the deck together and lets the player know what kind of character each of the different StS characters are. For instance, mechanically we know that Ironclad has a few things going. Exhaust is a major mechanic, with multiple cards that exhaust other cards, a power that draws cards when you exhaust, a power that makes all skills cost 0 and exhaust, and a card that makes block when you exhaust a card. Adding statuses to the deck is another mechanic, and one that synergizes with being able to exhaust cards, as you will then always have something to exhaust. In addition, there's a power that makes you draw cards when you draw a status, which makes them even less of a penalty to add to the deck. Then there are the self damage mechanics, ranging from self damage for lots of damage, to continuous damage every turn for card draw and more damage. And those synergize with giving strength on taking damage, gaining block on taking damage, and one card that deals damage and heals you, along with the starting relic that heals after each fight. But the way the cards are named and themed, you have a master swordsman with demonic power. He feeds off of corruption and self-sacrifice, getting stronger and more powerful even as he is draining himself of his abilities, memories, and health by exhausting cards and spending HP. We associate those things with demons, and so it becomes a nice shorthand for a new player to understand what this character is all about, and to embrace the HP loss that otherwise seems quite scary. The Silent, by contrast, is quick and agile, capable of putting out lots and lots of little attacks, using poison, defending amazingly well, and burning through the deck with card draw and discard mechanics that make her feel more agile. Where the Ironclad is a tank that breaks the enemy on himself and then eats them alive for more power, the Silent focuses on avoiding damage and killing the enemy with a thousand cuts or whittling them down with crippling poison effects until they keel over. It's good theming, and that little bit of lore does a lot of heavy lifting in making you appreciate the characters and their approach to the spire. The bits of enemy lore and things you learn about them as you ascend is also neat, and makes the game just that little bit more interesting as you progress.
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Dec 25, 2020 21:46
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i've been playing baroque. it's very baroque
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Dec 25, 2020 21:55
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StS does have some cute bits of lore. Like the set of +hp artifacts that are all fruit, with reference to how the spire has caused some sort of plant killing blight and so basic fruit items are rare artifacts. Or the alternative dialogue when you encounter Time Eater as Watcher. These are all very minor, but they're enough to hint at a wider, cohesive world.
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Dec 25, 2020 22:25
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The Colonel posted:i've been playing baroque. it's very baroque i'd get it but I'm very baroke
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Dec 25, 2020 23:03
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Pladdicus posted:i'd get it but I'm very baroke Merry Christmas! Dungeonmans Champion Edition 88E9R-4X964-3VH8K ARB8C-BCXWL-MQBCD L5GW8-CQ2JR-Q0I57 N38JJ-85TFC-BN2JA H4CWY-CZ4GM-6IVBN 8G0TD-K7M6W-57JV2 EQAAI-6MRRT-9ZQ6C K8YKM-JW746-DCPTX X7DI5-RQJBE-NP6TL 40KD5-W83AX-D3CKZ GV4BI-YB3BW-2DK9A Q6WDL-PAC2D-RTEY2 C2Y0B-NHZIN-GXLLI 0V4L3-NXVD3-2LFB0 M88IN-AKBBE-4JBNR 5KH5N-A8RH7-JEPY7 AEI2H-HBYAM-HXRBB WPBD0-GLPE5-05W5M RL4T4-PYNQH-9AWIM 9X9WL-DD6GA-HHH2T NGW2H-8P2C8-FPA6Q LB922-0RZYW-GYK76 0A28Z-8WQBA-C4AIZ VM235-I09PF-587YM PALWJ-5CBBL-Z4YY9 65KMG-KYCCK-N65HP R64R2-6FV3K-286M5 6ZJD0-MGB9M-MHLVA Pay2Lose DLC QHW35-29TED-GNKWR JR6T6-JAFY6-LZDN6 XFT20-IY8IG-5JLN7 ZX9J9-MM0IK-GWQ5B 66BAX-QK46H-WNVV0 YAAEJ-DFH2K-6A8JX H2CV7-BGAVZ-43X5E PRC77-CC6T0-NKP45 KZ4M0-VAD6Q-NW7RD T69DN-6JIRD-6W683 AFDC0-ELNYC-B5Q9F 4E3QD-0DBE5-T6QFI DBBQL-XXXCN-6DA2V KMPCQ-B5PCM-6YYY0 VKQIR-5CLLC-4FC66 IHC8X-PDZRX-EHJHJ DK556-INJII-CYTLV XHWRG-F4C8B-GVNL5 JC5G8-9HDAG-PNQEV R78DL-RRTV0-546PZ RY6XX-2KM0A-FBRD8 6B02B-MXQ0Z-9HIHP 5RKAW-52TBE-NFBTP B6E8A-W4JLY-BI322 LK2MH-0XRYC-TQ947 G4VHH-T4VMX-4KVVB LDZXL-7V6J5-Q3FWD 7MEKM-QEJE9-Y479Z Tangledeep S734L-Z1RC0-NG4M3
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Dec 25, 2020 23:07
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I know I'm a bit late to Synthetik chat, since my husband just got it for me as a present, but I would like to weigh in and say that Raider is the best class - not because it's the most powerful (it isn't), but because it stimulates the screaming bloodthirsty lizard brain in the same way as a dual-melee Steroids run in Nuclear Throne
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Dec 25, 2020 23:24
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madjackmcmad posted:Merry Christmas! quote:Pay2Lose DLC Likewise.
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Dec 25, 2020 23:31
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madjackmcmad posted:Merry Christmas!
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Dec 25, 2020 23:42
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Angry Diplomat posted:I know I'm a bit late to Synthetik chat, since my husband just got it for me as a present, but I would like to weigh in and say that Raider is the best class - not because it's the most powerful (it isn't), but because it stimulates the screaming bloodthirsty lizard brain in the same way as a dual-melee Steroids run in Nuclear Throne I've been liking breacher for that reason, but I'm a big "haha shotgun go brrrr" kind of guy
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Dec 25, 2020 23:43
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madjackmcmad posted:Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! I took the first one 88E9R-4X964-3VH8K
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Dec 26, 2020 00:26
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Arzaac posted:I've been liking breacher for that reason, but I'm a big "haha shotgun go brrrr" kind of guy Breacher is cool but I gotta have that double dash and invulnerability on dash. Love to parry a rocket-propelled grenade with my face and then kill a main battle tank with my 10,000 credit combat knife
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Dec 26, 2020 00:36
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| # ? May 26, 2024 16:30 |
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Angry Diplomat posted:I know I'm a bit late to Synthetik chat, since my husband just got it for me as a present, but I would like to weigh in and say that Raider is the best class - not because it's the most powerful (it isn't), but because it stimulates the screaming bloodthirsty lizard brain in the same way as a dual-melee Steroids run in Nuclear Throne I totally get this, but Breacher just does it so much better for this it makes me kinda sad. My effort post on raider comes from a place of really really wanting to like it! But yeah, this but with Breacher is my screaming bloodthirsty lizard brain moments in Synthetik. Or Riot Guard after prestige.' edit: like invulnerability on dash is nice but you just get so much free damage absorption and take half damage from all the things that can kill you (explosions, literally every DOT effect) that when you inevitability gently caress up and get hit it's a lot less punishing. The free plating and adren rush on a cd if you get low enough health has saved my rear end way too many times that I'm reliant on it unfortunately.  Probably why I have so much difficulty with the other class archetypes tbh.Evil Kit fucked around with this message at 00:54 on Dec 26, 2020 |
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Dec 26, 2020 00:47
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