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Just got into this game and since i have a week off, have already played like 10 hours since Thursday. I'm starting to max my diving items, and am a day or two after the jellyfish festival, as a marker of where I am. Overall it's fantastic but I have some brief thoughts, I hope the creator of the game might find this at some point if they're searching around, but either way had some thoughts:  1) The harpoon and guns feel fantastic. It's really fun to harpoon fish, and netting a bunch of fish at once is super fun too. The only problem is that the Large Net Gun is one of the cheapest guns to upgrade and is also something you always want to have on you. At the risk of being hyperbolic, I think it's obvious that the net guns should be their own class of gun. That would also mean you could have various nets, and it could be like pokeball types. That would own. Also true of melee weapons. From day 1 you should be have one non violent weapon and one damage dealing weapon. Again, this offers a ton of opportunity to customize all of these options. The end result of how few weapon/guns you can carry in the water is that it's easy to feel a little forced to bring certain things. The UV light comes to mind. The net gun comes to mind, though of course you can specify that loadout if you expect to fight a boss... still though, it just feels clunky and kind of bad. I get that you can use the charm to avoid the UV gun enemies, but cmon dude. You're wasting a slot to get rid of these lame impediments to getting places. That's fun at first but once you've done it a few times, just give us a way to avoid them permanently if we want. 2) The taxi cab belugas in the sea people town are cute in practice but suck rear end in reality. The animation to board one takes forever, you can't even park it outside an establishment (it just goes away) and it inexplicably costs money? The creator of the game seems to have a bone to pick here, which is why the dialog goes out of its way to say that of course you would pay for the services of the belugas. Sure. I am all in, but make it a pass which costs a chunk of change but then you get permanent or monthly access. Cut the animation to board one by 90% (or even better, let the user set that as a preference in the bell interface) and have some way to have your beluga either chill outside waiting for you when you enter a building, or if morality is the issue, have the user auto-call a new beluga when they exit a building if one was active entering that building. 3) I love the idea of predatory fish, and they are really fun in the beginning, but just get annoying as hell 90% of the time later. The game seemingly tries to fix this? In the sense that your diving suit is more camouflaged the better suit you have, I guess? But it's barely mattered in my playthrough. You constantly get attacked by trashy predators and if you don't want to use your ranged weapon (if you even have one, you probably have a large net gun because you can't have both) then you are forced to use your harpoon gun and then immediately toss their garbage fish corpses out of your inventory, which is wasteful and strange. Predatory animals should recognize a higher ranked predator when they see one, as the inhabitants of the hole get to know how scary you are. I mean, poo poo, you're basically a god who wanders into the hole and mass murders and captures half the animals there. As you increase in suit depth level, it should give you the optional ability to auto-deter predators up to a certain level. Huge quality of life change imo. 4) Music service integration would be incredible for the soundtrack, but obviously not a priority. I would bet that most people turn off the music eventually. There's just not enough of it for it to be a primary source of tunes. 5) It would be fantastic if, during boss fights, Dave could engage some kind of plot device that let him move a lot faster in the water, and shoot faster, and make your bullets infinite. Then you could speed up the pace of the battle quite a bit, which would be fun. Or it could be kind of a Bullet Hell kind of thing? Just a thought. The combat in Dave the Diver is pretty bad and easy, which is maybe the thing I like least about it, but there's no real reason it has to be this way; an expansion could add more dynamics to fighting other than just dodging some predictable af things, do the boss gimmick, repeat like 2 or 3 times because bosses are tissue paper in this game. Overall, absolutely love this game and will definitely either beat or 100% since I'm off work for over a week. e: oh and btw the bones of this game are incredible; an expansion which overhauls the minor QOL and weapon issues, and adds a bunch more content would be godly. Please do that. A more involved story would be great as well. This game is like playing a much less scary Subnautica; I have bad thalassophobia (despite being a surfer for 20 years, weird one...) so I can't even really play Subnautica without freaking out. I feel like there's nearly endless potential to make this title one of the best indie games in years if the expansion is treated right. Seriously, the format of this game has so much potential that a AAA studio should be kramering in to offer to partner and increase the scope of this title. Taima fucked around with this message at 15:44 on Aug 27, 2023 |
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Aug 27, 2023 15:27
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| # ¿ May 17, 2024 01:20 |
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Hwurmp posted:The top-tier Hush Dart is more useful in the late game imo Oh snap(per)! That's a hot tip thank you, I'll keep that in mind. It would be great if we could have one non lethal and one lethal for both the melee and ranged weapon types. Hwurmp posted:The top-tier Hush Dart is more useful in the late game imo That's fair but maybe they shouldn't be... it's analogous to the issue games like FF7 have where you just kind of... have to fight weak things all the time, or move around them deliberately, both of these options are boring imo
Taima fucked around with this message at 15:41 on Aug 27, 2023 |
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Aug 27, 2023 15:38
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Ahh ok good shout on Nexon. I appreciate all the help yall! Is there any reason to stock multiple dishes during a sushi evening vs. just having a single 1x of each dish and doing auto supply? I don't get that mechanic at all. There must be something more to it because if you can just do 1x auto supply, what is the point of even having a button- just auto supply everything? Also there are a few dishes that are very profitable AND use relatively low grade fish (like the tropical trio or whatever), does it make sense to stick to those types of dishes? It feels a little boring. And I would hate if a sushi place only stocked a couple of options. But I can't really see a downside? I just finished the "fight" with the huge zombie dude, this game owns. I just unlocked tuna and that's been really fun. Bluefin is my favorite sushi by far; I lived right at the beach in Santa Cruz for about 10 years (just moved away to Seattle last fall) and we were a bit too far north for native bluefin but every few years the water would be right and we would have a long fall season of buying fresh, never frozen bluefin off the docks. Incredible memories. Taima fucked around with this message at 17:51 on Aug 28, 2023 |
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Aug 28, 2023 17:48
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That's a good point regarding dishes that make several with one set of ingredients, good call. New Questions, hah, sorry to blow y'all up. I just came into 12 days of PTO that were randomly scheduled so I didn't have time to plan a vacation or anything (plus my wife is still working as usual) so I'm just kickin it and playin some Dave (and probably Starfield...!) 1) The game got significantly harder everywhere and I'm curious why or how, is it because I unlocked the ice world? The game was pretty easy so I have no real issue with it, just curious. It feels like literally everything is rougher- much less oxygen spawns, much more aggressive sharks, less spawning of tools nearby to where those tools are required. It kind of intrigues me, does this mean the endgame and postgame will get difficult? That would be pretty great, as my one real issue with the game before now is that there as no difficulties and until I unlocked Ice World it felt impossible to lose at anything including bosses. 2) It seems like maybe the ice world mineral veins need you to upgrade your knife instead of spawning a pick nearby? I never saw a pick in the icy area, but maybe one could be brought down from the main area? Or yeah- is the knife upgrade the only way to reliably do this? 3) I have enough rizz to get to Platinum Cooksta, but my Max Taste is only at 180/250. I assume this is just the tastiest dish you've ever served, but drat, 250 feels like a lot? The best route I have right now to accomplish this is to level up bluefin or yellowfin Ootoro, but that would take a LOT more tuna. It takes 10x Ootoro to raise the taste to 205, so it would probably have enough Taste Factor at say, level 7-8, which would probably require like 60-100 more Ootoro. That's just so much otoro though. Days of getting lucky with spawns and using all of your drone charges. Is this really the best way to accomplish this goal? 4) Can you upgrade how Dave performs as a server? Right now my staff are so dope that all I do is clean up dishes? lol IcePhoenix posted:This was always kind of funny to me because of how completely counter to Bancho's mantra around cooking it is. 100%! It's not just about the principle of it either, it shows a major weakness of the sushi game in general. The concept of omakase is just... not there. The whole point of a high end sushi joint is to have the freshest, highest quality fish, while maintaining a good variety. That's why at a really expensive sushi restaurant, you're usually not just ordering rolls or whatever. You're letting the chef take you on a journey based on the poo poo they found at the market or their vendors, that morning. And it's always several fish being used. That's definitely what bancho would get up to if given the chance. Maybe there's a penalty for serving dishes too frequently or something, that would be the easiest way, or... just make the sushi part better? What about minigames that determine the quality of the dishes? Omakase style serving what's good in that moment? Right now there is zero reason not to focus on a small amount of hilariously good dishes like some kind of sushi Mcdonalds and then just calling it a night.
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Aug 29, 2023 16:19
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Arsenic Lupin posted:I'm really sad that you don't get a bonus for variety. I do it anyway, because my little imaginary people would be sad at eating only ootoro even if they are too introverted to show it. The major problem, for me, with putting dishes as opposed to sushi on autopilot is that you quickly run out of condiments. Ah, yeah- re: condiments, sounds like you get some more later in the game? My hires do all the busy work including making the wasabi. My sides and drinks are: beer, tea, wasabi. And I have staff perks for all three so far, so I literally just do nothing (pick up dirty dishes only) while the sushi game runs. That is another bit of a weird quirk of the game btw. Pouring beer and tea just loving sucks. I don't mind the minigame, it's... ok? The tea one is fun enough. The beer one is alright but feels a little random to me so far. But it just takes SO loving LONG to serve a drat drink in this game. In the mid-early game the restaurant throws so many drinks in your face that you literally cannot fulfill them all while still serving all the food sometimes. Then, when a staff member gets the skill to pour drinks, they pour the drink in like 2 seconds. They also move 9 times faster than my fat rear end. So far I haven't found a way to make Dave a better server and its just bizarre how it works out. Just sit around and clean up dirty dishes and nothing else, dope. Btw can you set the menu in the morning, then go dive in the evening and have Bancho run the sushi place without you even being there? Hwurmp posted:You can't, but some employees can learn to clean up Well, poo poo. lol Taima fucked around with this message at 16:42 on Aug 29, 2023 |
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Aug 29, 2023 16:39
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Ooh word I don't think I have been given that option yet. That's cool. I have got some mayo from the ice zone. Or is this something I can do and just missed? In terms of where I am in the game, I just got introduced to Marlin and got the email announcing the festival in 3 days. Btw I really enjoy how random the staff hires are and it makes me wonder if some of the shittiest-looking hires are actually secretly the best. I have Maki at level 7 and she has loving 470 cooking skill LOL Unfortunately no one has good Procurement which might be something important to get? My highest procurement so far is 250, idk if thats enough..? Taima fucked around with this message at 16:45 on Aug 29, 2023 |
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Aug 29, 2023 16:43
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Alctel posted:It's really important to look at peoples max stats on the hiring menu (I think the only time it appears) as some ppl have crap initial stats but grow into monsters Thanks for the tip that is good to know. That's also the only time they tell you about their unlockable skills; they never show it again. Super loving weird decisions. drewhead posted:There is only a finite number of staff available, hire everybody. I think there are 21 staff total in the game. Anyone not working in the bar should be sent on dispatch (go to waiting room -> details -> dispatch) DAILY to get condiments. Even if they have a low procurement value and only return with one item... that still one free item per day. Once you have hired a hand full of staff just hanging out in the waiting room you'll be floating in condiments. I was told that staff soaks up money even if they aren't being used, is that not true?
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Aug 30, 2023 15:30
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Btw I love that one of the central plot points is that Dave is fat and also a diver, that's funny and I can actually relate as I was an overweight surfer at one point and let me tell you, wetsuits reveal all. But I feel like they take it a bit far. I am not offended at all by the caricature, but for example Dave gets winded and it makes him a terrible server. He flails around helplessly while your squad does everything, and does it faster than you. I get it, he is fat, he can't do things, but that's just like... not fun? Why is the goal to have Dave do nothing while the restaurant is open? Is that enjoyable? Even stranger, the game has this whole thing about being self sufficient and succeeding through hard work. Then at the end of the day you can pretty much just go take a shower while the sushi event happens because Dave is apparently a hot mess who can't do anything no matter how hard you try.
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Aug 30, 2023 18:15
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Epic High Five posted:Dave isn't lousy at everything at the restaurant because he's overweight, he's lousy because he's a diver who has never worked in one before. Two of my best employees are a velociraptor and a ninja, because they have experience serving and despite the former at least being a more considerable barrier to good service than being a bit on the jolly side. Grinding wasabi so that he has plenty of thinking time to ensure payroll is timely and accurate is exactly what I would have him doing in real life too. Hmm, well Dave starts off as a really bad diver and then becomes a good diver. Basically the entire game is becoming good at things, so idk. And I can't really relate to your position that grinding wasabi and doing nonexistent payroll is the fun thing that the people want. Totally respect your opinion though and honestly a little jealous that wasabi and standing around is what you want out of the sushi minigame, and at the end of the day it's fine and doesn't really affect my fun factor. This game owns. Arsenic Lupin posted:Am I paying salary to staff? I've been reluctant to hire more than 2 cooks, 2 waiters, same in branch, 2 dispatchers. I don't know what I'm talking about but for what it's worth I researched this point and people on reddit were saying that all employees draw salary
Taima fucked around with this message at 13:43 on Aug 31, 2023 |
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Aug 31, 2023 13:40
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Awesome man, Sounds like my opinion isn't very popular which is good to know. Hey btw I'm curious- I just "beat the game" I think? I killed Yawie, that's the end right? Is there anything I should know at this point in the game, now that I'm in post? I didn't speed run through but beat the game a few days before the end of October. The pacing just seems weird because even as I was beating the game, I was still receiving what felt like large, game changing additional mechanicsc and that part of the game wasn't close to finishing. Nor am I that close to getting the highest Cooksta rating (I think I have one left but not sure). Is that normal? Also this is a random question but where the heck are the tuna? In the lead up to the tuna event there were tons, which I assume is how the parties work- you get much improved odds during that period- but I literally haven't seen one tuna since then. That slot appears to be occupied by Marlin now? What am I doing wrong? Taima fucked around with this message at 14:30 on Sep 2, 2023 |
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Sep 2, 2023 14:27
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Hwurmp posted:Have you finished the marlin festival? I have for sure! I think maybe I'm just bad at finding the tuna schools. Also I might be making this up but it seems that if a special fish has spawned, there is usually at least one of them in the hold of the yellow ship. So far it's been pretty consistently true for me, so I guess I was just missing one of the better spots. Taima fucked around with this message at 15:32 on Sep 3, 2023 |
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Sep 3, 2023 15:19
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| # ¿ May 17, 2024 01:20 |
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I also read that you can zone into another area like the shipwreck, zone out, and it resets the chance to spawn so that's a slightly less scrupulous way to make them appear too apparently.Hwurmp posted:
This in retrospect is one of the weirdest decisions in the game for me. Have you ever played Persona? In that game it's all about maximizing your days to achieve the greatest number of goals. Feeling like your time matters is cool and fun. I think the developer intended Dave to have a similar mechanic/feel. The game acts like it wants you to use your time wisely in every way possible. It feels like in the end, the dev couldn't make the game work like that (for whatever reason) so kind of wussed out or gave up on the time management aspect. So we have a game that is suggesting you do things that don't actually matter. As a result, if you play the game efficiently like it clearly entails you should, you can beat the game way, way WAY before the pacing of the mechanics are anywhere near the same stage. As a result you are pretty much penalized for doing the efficiency thing that the game suggests as the right way to play. If there is an expansion for this game I would really wish for them to expand the story, and at the same time, tie those mechanics more tightly into the story and make it flow better. And they should make it crystal clear how much time you have to accomplish things (and how important those things are) which is something Persona nails perfectly by having calendar deadlines for story sections. That way you know how long you have to gently caress around, and it's measured in longer stretches of time, not just [3 days until a fish party and if you do well, you are punished by racing ahead of the story beats]. I guess the more I think about it all I'm saying is that Dave needs to either lean way into the efficiency poo poo, in which case they could learn a shitload from the Persona franchise because they are currently making mistakes that are already mechanically solved, or they should make it Stardew Valley and stop even acting like efficiency matters Still like an 8.5/10 game for me and with a good expansion that could be approaching 10/10 territory. I've mentioned it before but the bones on this game are ridiculous. Some games are masterpieces and they use all of their constituent parts to achieve the best version of that vision. Dave the Diver is already a great game, but the sheer potential is off the charts. Anyways this is probably the last I'll talk about this unless you/someone want to talk mechanics more. Just really really enjoyed this one and hope the devs somehow read this someday. Taima fucked around with this message at 15:54 on Sep 3, 2023 |
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Sep 3, 2023 15:32
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