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I like when a lot of places were dealing with similar ideas around the same time in different ways. Plus we get some many games churned out that lack any novelty or curiosity that you can't even think of a funny label for em, just file them into their respective genre folders, that I appreciate when a little rat pack forms around some little offshoot concept.
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Oct 3, 2021 19:28
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The 7th Guest posted:Aeterna: Noctus is another Metroidvania I'm not sold on. I want to give it props for having hand-drawn animation for most enemies and the main character (as opposed to cut-out tweening), but the combat is unfortunately very stiff, and there's a lot of very flat level design... the screenshots show better theming and level design so I dunno why the opening area is so flat. Probably trying to mimic Hollow Knight, as this game ALSO has pins to buy for the map (and I bought a region map from the merchant and it didn't seem to do anything? Not sure if that was a bug or if I'm missing something). Thing about HK though is that seconds beyond the opening town you already have deep platforming and exploration in that game, here it's just flat each way to start off. I had Aeterna noctus on my wishlist so I decided to try the demo out. The backstory is pretty bland and the narrator voice acting awful. The combat didn't really draw me in either, so I'm pretty wary on actually buying it now. However I am gonna give Astlibra revision a try after seeing it in action now.
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Oct 3, 2021 19:44
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so when are we getting a Groundhog Day life sim?
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Oct 3, 2021 19:56
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bees x1000 posted:so when are we getting a Groundhog Day life sim? That’s Hitman.
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Oct 3, 2021 20:03
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bees x1000 posted:so when are we getting a Groundhog Day life sim? https://store.steampowered.com/app/1087500/Groundhog_Day_Like_Father_Like_Son/
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Oct 3, 2021 20:14
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TeaJay posted:I had Aeterna noctus on my wishlist so I decided to try the demo out. The backstory is pretty bland and the narrator voice acting awful. The combat didn't really draw me in either, so I'm pretty wary on actually buying it now. I have these demos left to try: Aspire, BIOTA, Crystal Project, Deep Rune, Dread Delusion, Endless Firepower, Fallen Aces, Forgive Me Father, Lil Gator, Perfect Tides, Rise of the Third Power, Strange Horticulture, Supplice, Teabat, Victory Heat Rally, Warp Soldier, Young Souls I'll probably play a couple tonight and then another big chunk in the morning. So far I've added The Bookwalker, The Case of the Golden Idol, Pompom, Glyph, Treasures of the Aegean, Lone Fungus, Haiku the Robot, Bat Boy, and Gastova to my wishlist after playing their demos. (Although for Lone Fungus it's probably going to depend on its MSRP)
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Oct 3, 2021 20:46
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I liked both Returnal and Deathloop but I'd say Outer Wilds is the best time loop game.
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Oct 3, 2021 21:03
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Mordja posted:Meanwhile Hyperviolent is more interesting, but very rough. For one thing, it runs like poo poo. It's other big issue is that the shooting feels very imprecise and floaty. It's odd...the game seems to have some immersive sim elements in that you're pretty squishy, very slow, and you're navigating a somewhat labyrinthine, space station environment, but there's no stealth whatsoever, a lot of combat, and, from what I can tell, no character upgrades or anything, though that might come later. It could definitely use a map. I'm not sure if it's in the demo, but one of the game's big selling points is that it's got sections that play like Descent, which I would like to see. Cool visual style to the whole thing tho. Oh yeah, one thing for Hyperviolent is that it definitely has A Look. I'm not quite sure how to describe it, in that the first person player sprites are highly detailed and animated, the monsters are more simplistic, around Doom-level, and the environments are polygonal and there's lots of coloured lighting which tanks the framerate. Any idea what exact old game it's trying to emulate?   
Mordja fucked around with this message at 21:59 on Oct 3, 2021 |
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Oct 3, 2021 21:55
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Palpek posted:I'm only wondering when the biggest studios start incoroporating it into their CODs and their rear end Creeds. Time Looping modern day storyline that continually prevents you returning to the Animus to actually play the fun part of the game 
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Oct 3, 2021 21:57
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finally decided to spin up To the Moon i guess standards for plot-heavy indie games were a lot lower ten years ago
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Oct 3, 2021 22:12
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I'm pretty ignorant of comics and marvel stuff so I had a feeling Kamala Khan was Ms. Marvel but wasn't positive. I'm playing the Avengers game on gamepass and they went from '"You're a girl who entered a contest" to "Now use your giant hands to climb up to the next area!" without much of a transition. It felt like they skipped a scene establishing her powers or something because I was asked to climb up to a ledge and her arms turned into huge ropy silly putty arms to pull herself up. Nothing bad but I just laughed when all the sudden my arms were gigantic and I was like 'oh right, i'm that super hero'. Game's good though! I probably won't be roping any of my friends in to play with me but so far the story has been neat.
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Oct 3, 2021 22:27
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Jerusalem posted:Time Looping modern day storyline that continually prevents you returning to the Animus to actually play the fun part of the game
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Oct 3, 2021 22:39
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Mordja posted:Oh yeah, one thing for Hyperviolent is that it definitely has A Look. I'm not quite sure how to describe it, in that the first person player sprites are highly detailed and animated, the monsters are more simplistic, around Doom-level, and the environments are polygonal and there's lots of coloured lighting which tanks the framerate. Any idea what exact old game it's trying to emulate?  However, I don't think the difference in pixels has ever been as big as in Hyperviolent. It looks like they overdid it and skimped a bit too much on those monster sprites.
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Oct 3, 2021 22:48
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but time doesn't actually loop because it's just a computer simulation using the memories of the protagonist. time doesn't loop for the protagonist because they lived a linear life and died, it only appears to reset for you, the 'player' in the future, because the simulation is rolling back to a known good state from before you broke it.
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Oct 3, 2021 22:50
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Palpek posted:Hmmm when you think about it technically all rear end Creeds are already time loop games because the lore is that when the historical protagonist dies you lose synchronization with his memory and he's just looped back before the death happened because that's not how the events unfolded in reality. Gonna call foul on that one unless you would consider all video game checkpointing a time loop since it's merely that in universe(particularly in Black Flag). Time has still passed linearly for the protagonist. Similarly, I wouldn't consider the framing device around the checkpointing for Prince of Persia time looping. edit: Beaten Hub Cat fucked around with this message at 22:59 on Oct 3, 2021 |
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Oct 3, 2021 22:51
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Ok, those are good points, I guess a proper time loop requires repeating a certain period of time while retaining something from the previous loop (even if it's just knowledge) and not just rewinding to a previous state. I think that the current wave of time loop realeases started with the growing popularity of roguelites in recent years and their tendency to let you play a (randomized) level again while retaining certain unlocks from the previous run to make the progress more tangible to the player. This gameplay model saves a lot of work on game assets and level design so it's an attractive idea to studios. The problem is that more story-driven games need a narrative explaination for that kind of thing and a time loop is perfect for it. Palpek fucked around with this message at 23:09 on Oct 3, 2021 |
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Oct 3, 2021 23:07
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Oxxidation posted:finally decided to spin up To the Moon Its a decent walking simulator game. It grew on me the longer I played it, and did enjoy the ending.
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Oct 3, 2021 23:09
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I had a prophetic vision of this tag and it was full of games that feature weird specific parts of time loop games, like either time, or loops, but no actual timeloops.
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Oct 3, 2021 23:15
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deep dish peat moss posted:I had a prophetic vision of this tag and it was full of games that feature weird specific parts of time loop games, like either time, or loops, but no actual timeloops. 
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Oct 3, 2021 23:26
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huh, I did not expect be answered so literally
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Oct 3, 2021 23:59
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The monkey's paw is swift and capricious.
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Oct 4, 2021 00:10
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jOvGjxM1xg https://store.steampowered.com/app/1766740/ChooChoo_Charles/ I guess it was inevitable that we'd get a knock-off Thomas the Abomination Engine game. Dunno about the gameplay but boy does it have a slick atmosphere.
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Oct 4, 2021 00:27
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Two Star games? Sounds about right. I love the way that the character that is the focal point of the game has no animation whatsoever for turning and just snaps to different angles.
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Oct 4, 2021 00:35
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I've been thinking of buying Deliver us to the Moon for quite a long time but decided to wait until I got a new video card. That was over a year ago and I still haven't been able to get one. Any idea how it will perform on a 970?
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Oct 4, 2021 00:45
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Hub Cat posted:Gonna call foul on that one unless you would consider all video game checkpointing a time loop since it's merely that in universe(particularly in Black Flag). Time has still passed linearly for the protagonist. All games with loss conditions that aren't permanent are time loops. New Game +, speed running, save and reload, etc. are the logic of the time loop. Making the time loop logic explicit narratively is a perfect fit for games which is why we're seeing a boom as the generation that grew up on Groundhog Day enters their 30s and 40s.
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Oct 4, 2021 00:51
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Sailor Dave posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jOvGjxM1xg But why
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Oct 4, 2021 00:54
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Orv posted:But why Streamers.
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Oct 4, 2021 00:57
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Fair point
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Oct 4, 2021 01:08
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fez_machine posted:All games with loss conditions that aren't permanent are time loops. New Game +, speed running, save and reload, etc. are the logic of the time loop. The narrative framing is what makes it a time loop, nothing is retained within a universe with traditional saving and loading checkpoint mechanics it is simply returned to a different state as if the latter events never happened. Any change that happens is external to the state of the game. New Game+ is different but I would argue it's simply a new different state with the same linear narrative. Edit: For arguments sake, would you consider replaying a video a time loop and if not what is the difference? Hub Cat fucked around with this message at 01:41 on Oct 4, 2021 |
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Oct 4, 2021 01:29
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Sailor Dave posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jOvGjxM1xg I admit, before I clicked the link I was expecting "Run from *thing* all game = spooky" barely above asset flip cash grab, and not "Your end goal is to craft a BATTLE TRAIN to kill the spooky train  "
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Oct 4, 2021 01:45
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Hub Cat posted:Edit: For arguments sake, would you consider replaying a video a time loop and if not what is the difference? The fundamental appeal of a time loop narrative is a pre-determined world that is mastered by an individual who knows that the world is pre-determined and can use their ability to replay the world to experiment, gain proficiency and knowledge, and eventually control their situation. The individual changes as they die or reach the end of the loop. the world doesn't unless it is changed by the individual. The logic of the time loop applies to the player as they are the one who retains knowledge over replays. In a platformer, for example, Mario dies over and over so that we, the players, can gain the proficiency to clear pre-determined challenges. In shooters, the quick save and quick load button allow the player to repeat sections endlessly to try different variations in order to surpass the challenge. In time loop media that's not a game it's the protagonist. The final cathartic scenes of Groundhog Day is basically a speed run of one day in Punxsutawney as Bill Murray does everything he could possibly do to improve the world in the time he has. The player not the protagonist being the time looper is why I say the logic of the time loop rather than the narrative of a time loop. We can watch a video but we don't acquire any ability to master or change the plot of Groundhog Day. We can understand it better, but not gain the same type of proficiency which is the pleasure of the time loop.
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Oct 4, 2021 01:56
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So im playing doom 2016 from the start and im trying to get all the secrets. Where the hell is secret 3? I can't find it.
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Oct 4, 2021 02:09
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No! Don't give up on original Doom!! Or do I guess, 2016 is pretty good, if extremely orange
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Oct 4, 2021 02:15
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BigRed0427 posted:So im playing doom 2016 from the start and im trying to get all the secrets. Where the hell is secret 3? I can't find it. It's in the middle of the level, in an area past the blue door. The first Praetor Token is on a ledge high above it. Jump down to the lowest level from there and look to your right; you'll be near a big turbine that has "TRI 9 C" printed around the top. There's a little gate under that turbine that leads to a lever, which opens up the secret. It's a throwback Doom area so it'll be obvious once it's open. 
Hwurmp fucked around with this message at 02:32 on Oct 4, 2021 |
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Oct 4, 2021 02:26
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fez_machine posted:The player not the protagonist being the time looper is why I say the logic of the time loop rather than the narrative of a time loop. The player is not beholden to the loop, your participation in the game is entirely voluntary and you have full control over the universe of the game, I can if I so choose load a later state or cheat etc. Within the Groundhog Day comparison, you would not merely be Phil but also God, it just doesn't work for me  .There is no Loop as I see it so therefore the player cannot be a looper. Hub Cat fucked around with this message at 04:31 on Oct 4, 2021 |
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Oct 4, 2021 03:19
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You could turn the vast majority of video games into time loop games just by changing the dialogue and making no changes to the gameplay, is I think the point. Videogames lend themselves well to time loop narratives because they're generally already structured like one.
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Oct 4, 2021 03:36
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In Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, is there any way to stop the game from fruitlessly trying to contact the no-longer-existing Blood Dragon Servers every single loving time I open the menu? It takes a good 10-15 seconds and is really loving annoying. Also, is there any way to tell the game to NOT loving switch from Fullscreen to Windowed mode just because I alt-tabbed?
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Oct 4, 2021 03:37
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Snake Maze posted:You could turn the vast majority of video games into time loop games just by changing the dialogue and making no changes to the gameplay, is I think the point. Videogames lend themselves well to time loop narratives because they're generally already structured like one. I don't disagree with that, I recognize the structural similarity. I just think calling everything a time loop is silly, it's a plot device or narrative mechanic. Stabbey_the_Clown posted:In Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, is there any way to stop the game from fruitlessly trying to contact the no-longer-existing Blood Dragon Servers every single loving time I open the menu? It takes a good 10-15 seconds and is really loving annoying. Hub Cat fucked around with this message at 04:09 on Oct 4, 2021 |
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Oct 4, 2021 03:48
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Snake Maze posted:You could turn the vast majority of video games into time loop games just by changing the dialogue and making no changes to the gameplay, is I think the point. Videogames lend themselves well to time loop narratives because they're generally already structured like one. Yes, this! It's the same reason why Visual Novels lend themselves to time travel narratives because if you're a completist you're already engaging in time travel by saving, playing to the end, and then loading and trying a different path. In fact, it's the explicit narrative of a few more meta-textual VNs.
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Oct 4, 2021 04:14
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 Strange Horticulture: What if Papers Please was about identifying plants with unnatural properties such as lockpicking and curing memory loss? A different take on the Deduction genre, I think Lucas Pope would be down with this game. Customers come in with a weird backstory and you are given a plant you need to find from your shelves to sell to them. Choose the correct plant and you'll get new pages to your plant manual, critical information for identifying the plants you have. Choose wrong and your Dread meter rises ever closer to a game over. Note that unlike Papers Please, there is no time limit, you can even leave to choose a destination on the map to see if you can find a new plant (based on clues you receive through letters, notes, and tarot cards) and the customer will just patiently wait for you even when they're pissed. So you can take all the time you need to make your guess. Sometimes the manual page will outright have a sketch of the flower that lines up perfectly with what it looks like on the shelf.. other times it just shows a part of the stem, or the underside of a mushroom (which you can't see), and you have to instead deduce via context clues. One thing I will say... this seems to be super linear. I don't think there's gonna be randomization of customers, so replayability is likely going to be pretty minimal unless they add a side mode or two to the game.  Deep Rune: In the burgeoning genre of "games only made for The 7th Guest", here is Deep Rune, a followup to Myth Bearer from JC Bailey which continues the design philosophy of the.. classic?? (not for everyone) DROD RPG and having a large game world where the gameplay loop involves deciding who to fight and in what order in order to keep yourself alive and keep leveling up. To give another example, the games like play like if Desktop Dungeon was a full world instead of single rooms. This one tries to go even more in an RPG direction than Myth Bearer by adding different classes to play as. This seems like a really tricky balance to nail, but playing as the Explorer class I had no issue getting to the end of the demo, only dying from a long fall in one room. Your weapons have durability, which you can repair with repair tools. And if you can find axes or arrows, you can attack enemies from afar without getting hurt. It's a simple setup that works really well, FOR ME. I fully admit that these games aren't for everyone. But Myth Bearer was a $2.99 gem, and this game is likely to be a similar cheap diamond in the rough when it releases on October 14th.  Crystal Project: This one's definitely interesting, despite the Minecraft look. A non-linear JRPG where you basically are dumped into the world, and after visiting the opening tavern/inn of the game, you are set free to go in whatever direction you want. The game has FFX-style combat with a turn order, and you have the ability to see what enemies plan on doing with their turn so you can plan accordingly. There is a job system, and you basically create-a-party to start the game from the basic classes, and then as you defeat bosses, you'll find crystals that give you new classes. The demo seemed quite substantial, and I felt satisfied after playing for a half hour, going into a grotto, licking a frog, and fighting a boss that gave me access to the Fencer class. Story? Well.. a character said they wanted to catch a bird, so I followed them into the cave. And then they hosed off, and I was just like.. alright I'll explore this area. That's about what you can expect. The game starts with a little poem basically saying "hey, this is not a story rpg. this is for just wandering around fighting and finding fun." a lot of chests litter the world and the Minecrafty world kind of works in one favor in that there's a lot of spots you can hop up on and climb to reach those chests. So exploratory whims are often rewarded. There are (not very deep) skill trees for the classes that you spend your job points on. The weird thing, and I dunno if this is intentional, but I couldn't access items during battles. Maybe you're not supposed to be able to? IDK. Seems like that'd punish a no-cleric party, but maybe I was just missing something.  Rise of the Third Power: This is the one I was worried about the potential minefield of "fantasy allegory for WW2"... the demo doesn't really cover that though, mostly covering a part of the game where you are trying to escape from pirates by stealing their ship. The most interesting aspect of the game is the combat, which gives the characters all a bunch of interesting and viable skills. My two main complaints are that the attacks seem like they don't do enough damage for how they seem to expect it to be balanced... and the visual presentation is a bit over-produced (as seen in the screenshot above). Almost as if they are desperate to show that they aren't using RPG Maker anymore (this is the developer of Ara Fell, once made in RPG Maker and then converted to a new engine in a remaster later on), they've swung a bit in the opposite direction by cramming in as many effects as they can, which results in a slower combat loop because characters have lengthy animations for their attacks and everything has to have a little visual effect or flair to it. Maybe something they can dial back on or have a setting to dial it down. The 7th Guest fucked around with this message at 08:13 on Oct 4, 2021 |
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Oct 4, 2021 06:12
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