Lorini wrote:I'm always interested in friends opinions but a picture is worth a thousand words so to speak so to find out if I would be interested in a game I always watch a video first, or at least enough of one to see if I would like the game.
Sometimes I watch videos in order to spoil a game and wipe it off my want list without spending a cent.
yup.
I have about 120 games on my steam wish list. I do the video watch thing for new games but never thought about doing it with my wish list. I just have to put aside to time to tackle it.
thnx for the idea.
Both sides of this discussion are valid. The fact is that written word, spoken word, and video are all useful, but each does a better job at conveying a different type of information. Written does a better job of summarizing ideas, giving a concise overview. Video does a better job of describing the content, showing rather than telling. Spoken word (generally over video) does a better job of communicating raw impressions and feelings in a less-edited format.
If you want to understand a game, watch a video. If you want an efficient overview instead of having to distill it from an hour's worth of viewing, read some impressions. If you want to be fully informed, do both.
Also if you know that certain people have similar gaming tastes to yours, their opinions can help move a game that's on the bubble for you to either one you'll want to try or one you can forget about, more so than a video can sometimes.
Well do you ever get the feeling that the story's too damn real and in the present tense?
Or that everybody's on the stage and it seems like you're the only person sitting in the audience?
Grifman wrote:
There are tons of NMS videos out there which would give you a very good idea of what playing the game is like. There's no need to rely upon some one else's written impressions if you have doubts either way.
The written word is generally more concise. And Blackhawk is very good at it.
Some of those gameplay videos are very long; not sure I have the patience.
But you have a point.
I'm with you. I can consume information way faster reading. The first 20 minutes of some of those videos are the setup screens. Argh!
I prefer to read reviews myself because I can read faster. My entire point was that if someone was on the fence after reading someone describe the game, THEN, go watch some videos. I wasn't trying to start a debate regarding writing vs. videos
Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions. – G.K. Chesterton
Grifman wrote:... I wasn't trying to start a debate regarding writing vs. videos
Like it or not, you've started a good debate.
And to continue, I'll just say that I avoid watching gameplay videos because doing so reduces the sense of discovery I have when I first start playing it, because I've already seen it. Probably a minor thing to most people, but I really enjoy starting a game for the first time, and experiencing it for the first time.
Reading about someone's experience doesn't diminish that.
"I've been fighting with reality for over thirty-five years, and I'm happy to say that I finally won out over it." -- Elwood P. Dowd
I think "discovery" is more of an issue in RPG's and shooters than in, say, simulations or strategy titles. I definitely want to see a sim played before I buy it because I'll get a sense of the graphics, flight model, performance, etc. And a complex strategy title (e.g. Europa Universalis, Civilization, Total War) is one you'll probably be starting over many times anyway, so getting your first visual impression from someone else's play won't ruin much for you.
It's pretty impressive, a lot of nice changes. I held off, luckily, from buying at the beginning but this is starting to look much more attractive now. I'm still wait and see though.
Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions. – G.K. Chesterton
Interesting updates. It looks more and more like Empyrion: Galactic Survival - mostly in terms of base-building. I still like Empyrion's "build everything yourself" motif. I'm glad they haven't given up on it, though. I've been waiting to see where this went before I bought it, despite the terrible - terrible - initial reactions.
Black Lives Matter
2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
I've been giving this a try since the newest patch.
For those of you who have played before, remember how there was always some waypoint/structure within about 2 minutes of your current location? Now? Not so much. I've barely found any outposts and structures. I haven't found a single temple either. They used to be all over the place too. I also have not found any of those beacons that you can hack with the bypass chips. Civilization is a lot more sparse in the latest NMS-verse.
I've also noticed that Pu is a lot more rare, at least on the planets I've been to. It also doesn't show in scans unless there's a big outcropping, so that's annoying.
This patch has been a bit frustrating. I think there are no good answers when it comes to this game.
I've been holding off on buying this game for two things mainly. Every screenshot I am seeing has this totally unreal pastel cyan-magenta hue, like the 4-color CGA palette from my, ahem, tender youth. I totally do not miss it and find these screens barely watchable. Secondly, or maybe firstly, the lack of a proper save system, which is apparently more like a checkpoint system or save locations, with a save when you reach the planet. But the screenshots for this new expansion are the first ones that I see with colors outside of the CGA palette, and apparently they messed with the save system with the permadeath thingy, so maybe they also changed it on the other end of the saving spectrum? So is it still CGA and using save-locations only?
Also, I am not sure I understand the reason for adding base building. I see how it is useful in for instance Subnautica, with its map that is lit 4-5km by 4-5km. But if the goal of the game is to move through a bajilion planets towards the center of the galaxy (which I gleaned trying to avoid spoilers as much as possible), and one is constantly moving to some new planet, why would one build a base and get land-based vehicles?
neofit wrote:Also, I am not sure I understand the reason for adding base building. I see how it is useful in for instance Subnautica, with its map that is lit 4-5km by 4-5km. But if the goal of the game is to move through a bajilion planets towards the center of the galaxy (which I gleaned trying to avoid spoilers as much as possible), and one is constantly moving to some new planet, why would one build a base and get land-based vehicles?
Because eventually you are done constantly moving forward. That gets old.
In regards to the save system, it has remained the same as it always has: the game saves every time you exit your ship, or you select one of the pylons at various discoverable locales on planets. It is never difficult to save the game, as long as you can reach one of these places. Now, it may also save in some other fashion, too, but those are the ones that I recall.
When I was a boy, I laid in my twin-sized bed and wondered where my brother was. - Mitch Hedberg
Reemul wrote:Yeah they totally redid the graphics for you, hence the delay in hearing anything from them for a few months...
Changing the palette <> "redid the graphics" fyi. And since their new screens don't looks like pastel crap, one may ask wonder it's a new in-game graphics option or just their new fake photo filter they've been boasting about. But nice try Einsten.
You aren't wrong. After being away from the game for about five months, I still feel like I've seen and done it all. I built a base, recruited some workers, been out collecting resources and upgrading my gear, but only because it's there, not because there's any story benefit in doing so. Hell, I can pretty much one-shot anything with my multi tool, but it's not as if there's any need most of the time. I still think it's pretty, though.
When I was a boy, I laid in my twin-sized bed and wondered where my brother was. - Mitch Hedberg
New Atlas Rising 1.3 is out. Given this and the prior updates and the fact that Humble Bundle has it for 60% off, I think I'll pick this up. All the added stuff from the updates is pretty cool, and I'm interested in the new alien race and what they've added to the story (supposedly 30 hours of game play there). I also think it's time to try out my Steamlink and play this on a nice big tv screen.
GENERATION
Increased variety in weather, planet and structure names
More base building parts have unique names
Prevented trees spawning on sheer cliffs
Improved object placement on slopes
Improved grass placement and density
Changed the default starting ship model
Regenerated galaxy to remove differences between survival, normal and creative game modes
Improved building distribution
Increased distribution of heridium deposits
Improved generation of beaches along shorelines
Repositioned player bases to accommodate generation changes
EXPLORATION
Improved balance of hazards between planets
Improved settings for hazard damage and strength
Reduce cave hazard recharge times
Added Shielding Shard to the starting player inventory
Limited the depth at which buildings can spawn underwater
GAMEPLAY
More tech available in tech shops
Balanced tech shop standing requirements
Standing lights have a proper name when you interact with them
Increased robustness of systems for locating buildings
Increased number and types of objects which can be scanned
Increased information available about scanned foliage and creatures
Improved planet resource lists
Craftable products now sorted by most recent use
Improved differentiation of weapons
Fixed pinning product recipes and technology guides
Continued story unlocked through abandoned buildings
Added interactions and dialogue options for many structures and characters
Overhauled secondary character interactions
TRADE AND FARMING
Alloys, farm products and new gas products now form separate branches of a larger craft tree
Added new valuable higher tier craft products
Added new harvester to harvest atmospheric gases
Added new trade specific products
Added new farmable “Star Bramble” plant
Added larger 4 plant hydroponic tray
Increased contrast between picked and unpicked resource plants to more easily tell them apart
Balanced priced of alloys, farm products and gases
Improved distributions of resources on planets
Improved scan ranges for resources on planets
Added scan markers on more smaller plutonium crystals to aid resource gathering
FREIGHTERS
Balanced freighter prices
Fixed collision on freighter bridge
Added freighter classes
Added ability to warp in your freighter
Fixed floating turrets on capital freighters
SPACE
Improved space heavy air
Added requirement to scan planets in order to reveal their names
Improved planet name display as you enter orbit
Fix for massive carve radius when mining asteroids
GALACTIC MAP
Updated galactic map UI
Improved galactic map controls
Improved star names gathered in galaxy map flythrough
Improved distribution of different coloured stars
Added interstellar scan events
STARSHIPS
Added ability to summon your ship from the quick menu
Refined ship reticules
Added new holographic cockpit HUD elements: mini map, pulse drive warning and target ship
Added new ship technology
Balanced space combat
Balanced ship weapons and technology
Updated ship weapon projectile effects
Updated ship hit direction markers
Improved flare graphics on ships
Improved loot containers dropped by AI ships
Improved effects on damaged AI ships
Balanced crashed ships broken slots and repair costs
Added a more convenient swap inventory button for moving items between new/crashed ships and storage units
Updated design of Atlas pass icons
Added ability to look around the cockpit when landed
Allowed player to remain in ship cockpit after landing
Improved spawning and distribution of AI ships
Improved ship altimeter
Added in-ship communicator
Added button prompt for ship zoom
Fixed a bug where your ship could become invisible by visiting the galactic map
Improved Pirate systems including the ability to negotiate or call in support
Added low flight mode
Improved landing code
UI
Divided options menu into several pages
Revised Journey page
New Gek, Korvax and Vy’keen medals
New medals for the merchant, mercenary and explorer guilds
Revised log page
Fixed animation on markers as they are removed
Improved binocular UI
Updated journey milestone icons
Overhauled discovery log
Added cardinal directions to compass
Added distance markers to compass
Fix for “redeem content” showing twice on Steam menu
New trade and product icons
Revised combat ship markers
Improved ship tracking arrows when flying away from targets
Overhauled conversation interface
GRAPHICS
Improved HBAO filtering around edges
Improved TAA handling of grass blade edges
Introduced depth of field effect during interactions
Added LOD meshes and imposters to various props
Fixed texturing on the buildable door
Reduced HBAO shimmer
Reduced shadow acne
Fixed artifacts with imposter shadows
Improved double-sided normals for foliage
Improved terrain texturing and texture blending
Improved grass colour blending and integration with terrain
Improved grass and leaf materials
Improved colour palettes across several biomes
Improved planet night skies
Fixed z-fighting on small glowing plants
Various graphics optimisations and fixes
Visual improvements to Atlas stations
Replaced all terrain textures with higher detail and quality variants
Added new higher detail foliage variants to several biomes
Upgraded textures on several cave props
AUDIO
Four new sets of soundscapes by 65 Days of Static
Reworked space combat audio
Reworked space explosions
Added new ship weapon sounds
Added weird biome soundscape
Added new music and sound effects for story mode
Lots of new UI sounds
Minor mix changes and optimisations
LANGUAGE
Various minor language fixes and improvements
Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions. – G.K. Chesterton
This is now out on GOG and on sale there at 60% off ($23.99). The changes listed above look good and I may finally bite on this game at that price. I just hope they've addressed the performance issues. Based on the patch notes, maybe they have.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
In the Atlas Rises story, the fabric of existence is starting to falter. A mysterious new interdimensional race have appeared. Glitches are causing ancient portals to activate. Our story brings a new context, quest system and branching narrative to No Man’s Sky. 30 hours of new story content. Double the lore and interactions of the existing game. Discover the truth behind the Abandoned Building logs, the World of Glass, the Sentinels, the redemption of the Gek, and the meaning of sixteen… After Waking Titan, Atlas Rises.
NEW WORLDS
The variety and visual quality of planetary biomes has been improved. Explore rare new exotic planet types as you journey toward the galactic core.
CRASHED FREIGHTERS
Discover and scavenge lost cargo from gigantic crashed Freighters on planetary surfaces.
Use the terrain manipulator to excavate buried resources in the region.
Complete Salvage missions for Guild rewards.
MISSION SYSTEM
Visit the new Mission Agent in Space Stations to pick up unique and rewarding new tasks.
Missions are constantly generated, and cater to all play styles (scanning, trading, combat and exploration).
New NPC guilds have been introduced, each with standing and objectives.
Build your standing with numerous NPC guilds and unlock more difficult, more rewarding missions.
INTERSTELLAR TRADING
New economic variables bring new depth to trading between star systems.
Star systems are now classed based on their economic strengths and weaknesses.
New trade goods have been added. Meet supply and demand by purchasing goods at a low price, and hauling them to economically favourable systems.
A tiered crafting system allows increasingly valuable products to be crafted by combining harvestable materials.
Gas harvesters have been introduced, allowing explorers to extract valuable elements from a planet’s atmosphere to use in crafting.
Combine crafted products to create increasingly valuable items that can be sold on the Galactic Marketplace.
New maintenance interactions have been introduced for all harvesting equipment, bringing more depth to farming, mining and harvesting.
ANALYSIS VISOR
Analysis Visors have been re-calibrated to show more information and offer better rewards for scanning.
Analyse resources before harvesting for to gain alternative resources from mining.
See more information about each discovery.
Scanning Flora and Fauna now yields increased rewards.
Specialised analysis visor upgrades can be equipped to further improve effectiveness.
TERRAIN EDITING
Transform the ground beneath your feet using the new terrain editing Multi-Tool enhancement.
Add or remove terrain to mould the landscape as you see fit, anywhere on any planet.
Choose from a number of materials, shapes and sizes to sculpt your unique creations.
Form terrain around your base to make it feel like part of the environment.
PORTALS
Ancient portals can now be activated. Revisit previous planets, others bases or jump randomly to new worlds.
Learn the language of portals by unlocking mysterious glyphs as you journey through the universe.
Interact with a portal and input a specific combination of glyphs to quick travel to a specific planet.
Share glyph combinations with the community to help others travel quickly to specific planets and points of interest.
SPACE COMBAT
A number of improvements have been made to space flight and combat.
Enemy artificial intelligence has been overhauled, and new difficulties have been added.
Ship manoeuvrability has been improved, bringing more skill to dog-fighting.
Devastating rockets can be equipped to ships and upgraded for even greater firepower.
A new HUD has been introduced to improve the experience of space combat. This includes a communicator, which can be used to advance mission steps, or even to hail pirates before they attack.
LOW FLIGHT
Atmospheric low flight assist now allows players to cruise above the terrain.
Low flight and improved flight control make in-atmosphere dog fighting more likely and exciting.
Warning: crashing into obstacles will cause damage to your ship. If your ship is destroyed, you’ll need to repair it before leaving the planet.
JOINT EXPLORATION
Glitches in the simulation have begun to appear.
Visualised by strange floating orbs, up to 16 players can see and communicate with one another, and explore the universe together.
While interaction with others is currently very limited, this is an important first step into the world of synchronous co-op in No Man’s Sky.
While interaction is very limited, VOIP (Voice over IP) allows proximity based voice chat with other nearby explorers.
Use portals to quickly travel to more populated planets, or to meet up with friends.
NEW SHIPS
New Class S ship designs have been introduced, and can be found roaming the galaxy. Interact with their owners to view, and offer to buy their ship.
Wealthier systems have more expensive, higher class ships.
QUALITY OF LIFE
Temperature measurement has been converted from Celsius to Fahrenheit based on locale.
Summon your ship from anywhere on a planet’s surface using your quick menu.
Specific Technology and Cargo inventories have been added to improve inventory management.
Playstation 4 players can now adjust their field of view via the options menu.
Jump between systems from the comfort of your Freighter. Just interact with the hologram on your bridge, and select a location to travel to.
Landing your ship no longer auto-ejects you from the cockpit. Take time to survey the planet before exiting.
Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions. – G.K. Chesterton
I am not sure if I could bring myself to go back to it. I enjoyed it when I played through from day one. I guess I should give it another play now to see how much it has improved.
Picked it up at long last. Excited to see what it's all about.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
ColdSteel wrote:Picked it up at long last. Excited to see what it's all about.
I'd like to see some impressions from folks who just got it and therefore are seeing the 1.3 update as part of the game they just got. I'm still on the fence
My father said that anything is interesting if you bother to read about it - Michael C. Harrold
jztemple2 wrote:I'd like to see some impressions from folks who just got it and therefore are seeing the 1.3 update as part of the game they just got. I'm still on the fence
I spent a bit of time tweaking the settings (FOV, graphics, etc.). My older NVidia card was running a touch warm until I turned off the ambient occlusion setting and now it's butter. Very happy with that part. Then I started up a game with the survivor mode setting to generate some tension and challenge.
Just my bad luck, I started out on a very cold planet with daytime temps about -59 C. Brrr. I couldn't really stay outside for very long without my suit failing. Fortunately there were a lot of little caves all over the place so I could warm up and recharge my life support. I only saw one hostile creature which was a kind of a coiled plant thing.
The hike to my ship was going to be really long and so I got stuff repaired and loaded up on some elements to recharge stuff and set out to find it. I found some caves to warm up in at first along the way and found some zinc to recharge my suit. I also found some fabricated shelters that had some power cells in containers outside which was very lucky because my life support charge had gone dead and I was almost a goner by that point.
later I found another site with some stuff stored out in the open and barely made it into a little rock shelter further on just before I died of exposure. I warmed up there and then set out again. Long story short, my life support ran out, my heating in my suit ran out. I couldn't find any more caves or depots with batteries so I finally died a horrible death due to exposure. I made it about half the total distance to my ship.
I'm definitely having a lot of fun with this so far. No bugs, glitches, lag or anything else bad to report so far. I'm going to start over now that I've learned a few things and hope my next starting planet is more environmentally friendly to newbs.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
I restarted and this time my beginning planet is burning hot. No caves at all on this world which makes excursions really much harder. I should have stuck with planet Hoth, I guess. I did finally make it to my wrecked ship and, after a struggle, got the thrusters repaired. Now I just need to figure out how to fly the thing and take a look around. I've found a few alien buildings/monuments so far and learned a word of Gek along the way. So far it's very fun but I'm still just trying to figure stuff out. I haven't done any of the main mission stuff, just the starting repair missions so far. The game's technology and graphics are impressive.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
No Man's Sky is on Steam Top Ten Seller's list this week!
Jesus said, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body."[Matt 10:28] God can totally destroy us.
Jesus also said, "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”[John 6:40] Eternal life is conditional.
His disciple John wrote, "Whoever has the Son has eternal life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have eternal life. [1 John 5:12] Eternal life is optional.
ColdSteel wrote:Picked it up at long last. Excited to see what it's all about.
I'd like to see some impressions from folks who just got it and therefore are seeing the 1.3 update as part of the game they just got. I'm still on the fence
Grabbed it for PS4 this afternoon. I was always interested in the concept, but the negative feedback kept me away. Heard enough good hints about this update, figured it's worth $20 for a used version.
Will report back later.
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
I am soooo glad I bought this. I've been playing it all weekend and it.. is.. awesome.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
I've been playing it again, too. I'm enjoying it a lot more than last time. Part of that was because I knew what it was going in, but there have been some real improvements. The in-game help is invaluable. The 'quest' that leads you around will ensure that you encounter a few vital bits of how-to as well.
I've still had a few bugs. It was a pain getting my key bindings to work. I had awful performance until I disabled the VSync in their menu and forced it on through the Nvidia control panel, which made a massive difference.
I've also BSODed several times, which almost never happens on my system. Hopefully that doesn't continue.
I bit on this one as well. I wouldn't normally even pull the trigger at 60% off, but the more I read, the more it sounded like the improvements made it a vastly different game.
I've had a blast with it so far. Right now I'm just faithfully following quest lines to get a good feel for the mechanics, but I can definitely see myself starting over at some point with Survival Mode.
