Octopus Overlords

I gave these guys money in the Kickstarter because I wanted more Titan Quest.

Am I going to be happy?

Little Raven wrote:I gave these guys money in the Kickstarter because I wanted more Titan Quest.

Am I going to be happy?

As a big TQ fan, the only issue I have with the game is the general atmosphere, and I knew that going on. One of my favorite parts of TQ was the lovely landscapes, the beautiful vistas, the nicely realized seashore with the waves rolling in and out. Grim Dawn has none of that the world is indeed Grim. The graphics are well done, but the world is an ugly place without a lot of hope. It reminds me of Fallout 3, which I played the heck out of, but which is mostly gray and dead with a lot of reminders of the world that existed before that are now wrecked. (AIUI the TQ team's post-release research told them that the game would have done better if the world had been darker and grittier, and they've gone all in on that for GD.)

Other than that, it is more Titan Quest. Same gameplay, same gaming goodness.

msduncan wrote:Wasn't there a post-Apocalypse AARP also under development from kickstarter?

Do you mean this one:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/131 ... n-fortress" target="_blank

That's the only one I am aware of. And it is progressing well.

I don't think anyone really means post-apocalyptic AARP.

Hands-on from RPS:

While Torchlight 2 has done a splendid job of fulfilling most people’s needs for a classic aRPG, at the same time it remains a very breezy, light and cheery game. Grim Dawn is its aesthetic antithesis, far less immediately friendly or becoming. It growls at you, where Torchlight offered a warm hug. And as I’ve mentioned, it’s far more challenging. Perhaps, I’d argue, at this point a little too challenging.

...

Like I say, these are just balancing issues, most likely born of the team being so good at their own game they’ve forgotten that new players at the very start are going to need a bit of a warm up. Beyond this, absolutely everything is in place for a great action RPG. Right now this is early alpha, complete with bugs and all, so absolutely no judgments can be made for the long-term. In the short-term, it’s already shaping up as a properly challenging game in a genre that’s recently become perhaps a little over-user-friendly, and that’s a very welcome thing. Grim as it is.

J now feels better about finding the game hard.

I am too distracted by Neverwinter to take advantage of my alpha access right now.

I just got my invite to the beta

IceBear wrote:I just got my invite to the beta

I had to check KS, turns out I paid more for Beta so I guess I shall beta!

The email said beta in quotes, but the splash screen said alpha. Either way, seemed nice for the 5 minutes I played

I'm really curious about this game. Titan Quest had some things it did incredibly well -- a very large character creation variety (my favorite character used auras to attack and just ran around monsters until they died), a good loot system, and fantastic graphics. On the other hand, the lack of a random map generator and overall slow pace of the game left a lot to be desired. How is Grim Dawn in these respects? I'm especially interested in whether or not they have included a random map generator and whether the fighting is faster paced. Those should be obvious by Beta.

Fighting can be pretty chaotic, from what I've observed over-the-shoulder of alpha play.

Random maps were never on the table, but they were making the environment dynamically destructible, and the things you could destroy to create paths were intended to be randomized to allow some variation. That was gleaned from one of their video updates pre-alpha.

Butterknife wrote:How is Grim Dawn in these respects? I'm especially interested in whether or not they have included a random map generator and whether the fighting is faster paced. Those should be obvious by Beta.

Over the weekend I played a few hours of the current beta and went back to Titan Quest just to compare. They basically play very similar as you'd expect, but with Grim Dawn they've done an excellent job speeding up the combat a bit, cutting down on mouse clicks, and making the combat and feedback a lot more visually interesting.

The biggest drawback in comparison to Titan Quest is here there are currently only 4 classes to choose skills from instead of the multitude available in Titan Quest, but what's in the game now seems just as good if not better than the basic gameplay in Titan Quest.

Just saw they put this up for early access on Steam now if anyone that missed the Kickstarter is interested.

If you liked Titan Quest at all I think this one is a no brainer. The current Alpha is very polished and includes the first act of the game which takes most people about 8 - 16 hours to play depending on side quests. Still waiting on Acts 2 & 3, a 5th class, and more polish, but it's very playable now.

Sepiche wrote:Just saw they put this up for early access on Steam now if anyone that missed the Kickstarter is interested.

If you liked Titan Quest at all I think this one is a no brainer. The current Alpha is very polished and includes the first act of the game which takes most people about 8 - 16 hours to play depending on side quests. Still waiting on Acts 2 & 3, a 5th class, and more polish, but it's very playable now.

I love Titan Quest so I'm going to buy this as soon as I get home. I've read about the game and I like the game setting and characters so I'm glad it's in a playable state. Would have bought it anyway at release so I don't have a problem with buying it a little earlier.

It also had me at "destructible environments"

Arise!!

So, I was sitting at my computer last night, overcome by the type of existential gaming ennui that seems to come my way more and more frequently these days. There are many excellent games on my PC that I haven't played and yet all I could do was stare at my library and not be in the mood to play any of them. I started computer gaming in the early 70s and over many decades of obsessive gaming since, I have always retained a great sense of joy and pleasure in playing computer games. Lately though, with so, so many good games flooding the market, I feel like I've become so spoiled with the many choices available that my mood at the time drives what I play. It's much harder to stay focused on a single game or two to completion. I'm not sure what this means, but surely it's not good.

Anyway, I was sitting there, not in the mood for anything at all, really, when Grim Dawn in my Steam library did a big update. I'd bought it really cheap on the Summer sale and was planning to let it sit until release so it could ripen like fine wine. But now it had just gone to release 20 and I thought, what the heck, I'll play it just a little bit to see if I like it and see how it's coming along.

And that's how I ended up sitting there at 1:30 in the morning, at level 10 on my Witchhunter and no desire whatsoever to go to bed, feeling the love of gaming once again. Yes, I love this game. If you loved Titan Quest then I think you too will love it since to me, it seems like a greatly improved version of that game. It has the same type of combo classing that TQ had and the loot and inventory is similar. If you played TQ you'll be right at home. Anyway, I'm hooked on this thing now and I hope that Crate is able to support it though many future DLC as planned.

And, at least my ennui problem is solved for now.

ColdSteel wrote:So, I was sitting at my computer last night, overcome by the type of existential gaming ennui that seems to come my way more and more frequently these days. There are many excellent games on my PC that I haven't played and yet all I could do was stare at my library and not be in the mood to play any of them. I started computer gaming in the early 70s and over many decades of obsessive gaming since, I have always retained a great sense of joy and pleasure in playing computer games. Lately though, with so, so many good games flooding the market, I feel like I've become so spoiled with the many choices available that my mood at the time drives what I play. It's much harder to stay focused on a single game or two to completion. I'm not sure what this means, but surely it's not good.

Oh. My. God. It's like looking in a mirror.

I'll have to check it out. Funded over two years ago and still in 'early access', eh? Any word on when it will 'release release'?

I'm waiting until they finish up the last act. This is very difficult to do but I don't want to get to a certain point where I can't continue until the game is updated.
Good thing my back log of games is full.

Ooh - back on my radar. I remember getting excited about this one.

Welp, part way through Act 2 now on my Blademaster (Soldier + Nightblade) at level 29 and I really do love the game. I haven't had any issues at all and the game has been a polished experience. It may be early access but as far as I can see it's in far better shape than most games that are released. Very, very glad I bought this.

MonkeyFinger wrote:Any word on when it will 'release release'?

That's a very good question. They're working on Act 3 now and I think the official release will be a while after they release that for EA. The next release build will include a new class, the Arcanist. Act 3 might be included in the one after that.

Still playing this. So far I have a level 34 Blademaster, a level 28 Saboteur and a level 22 Witchblade. According to Steam I have 71 hours into it over the past week. Yeah, I've been a bit obsessive I suppose but I've really been enjoying it.

What makes this game so much fun is all the layers of game here. First you have the normal content and quests to do. But then you have a class and skill system where you can combine any two classes and their skills to create a unique combination. I can't say strongly enough how much fun (and addictive) this element is. Especially since you can respec to tinker with your build. Then finally, after you finish the content, you have the final layer of doing boss runs to get better equipment and complete equipment sets. Or replaying on a higher difficulty to get better loot. And yes, this part is just like Titan Quest. It's a great system.

There's a brutal dungeon (Steps of Torment) in Act 2 that has the final two floors locked behind a door that can only be entered with a skeleton key that you get initially from a quest (along with the recipe to make another key). Once you enter, if you die, you can't get back in unless you make another key by crafting it from a rare crafting drop in another dungeon. Those last two floors are brutally hard and there's no point in even attempting the run and wasting keys unless you have geared up first with some pretty epic equipment. The mobs in those two levels are over-leveled and drop the very best stuff. This is an example of the cool stuff Crate's been adding. So far I think it's better than Titan Quest. I can't wait to see Act 3 and another 35 levels of skills for my characters.

I guess what I saying is that I think this game will have legs and is going to have a long run. It's not even finished yet and I already love it.

Awesome thanks for the report ColdSteel. I played through the whole of Act 1 back when the beta first came out and have a Level 17 Commando (Soldier/Demolitionist) and then played a bit more up to a Level 12 pure Demolitionist. I definitely enjoyed it and can't wait for the game to get finished up!

ColdSteel wrote:It may be early access but as far as I can see it's in far better shape than most games that are released. Very, very glad I bought this.

As a KS backer, I figured I should give it a go and see what my investing has earned. Even after only a few hours I absolutely agree with this sentiment - it's quite enjoyable early on (though I'd imagine the beginning has been fine tuned the most). While I don't know that I would go so far as to recommend purchasing an early-access game anymore (just because you never know what will happen), I'm very happy as a backer and I do think when it's released it's going to sell quite well.

I don't want to put a damper on a game I haven't played but I wonder about the selling well portion. It feels like I've been hearing about it forever. When it finally releases it will feel like it should already be in the ultra discounted bin.

That's why I finally fired it up over the weekend -- I feel like I've been waiting forever for the game to come out (KS ended in May of 2012). However, I do think it will sell well because the theme and gameplay really stand out. I mean, did you like Titan Quest? Diablo 3? Van Helsing?

Unless they decide to publish early without finishing the final areas of the game, I really can't imagine it won't selll. As I said, I only played about four hours of the starting area and I found it to be quite enjoyable. It didn't feel like more-of-the-same to me, and I think a lot of that had to do with the setting and theme. Yes, it has the basic underpinnings of Titan Quest in design (with classes, skills, loot drops, etc...) but it looks fantastic (art style and level designs). If this game comes out and it's a stinker, I will completely eat my words as they've absolutely fooled me.

I really like Grim Dawn too. Hadn't played in awhile and it appears they rebalanced things a bit, and its even more fun than before (some of the early quests were a little unbalanced in terms of toughness). Now i'd say the 1st Act is just about perfect in terms of balance.

I remember whispers of this one, but now that I have been reminded and done some research on this, I am really excited for it. Titan Quest was one of the games I sunk HUNDREDS of hours into, making one of every type of combination of characters, and doubling up on some for different specs. I hope they have a "TQ Vault" equivalent that eventually lets you store your loot in infinite space. Really looking forward to this.

At long last and with much excitement, we have released Build 29, making Grim Dawn content and feature complete! I have still not yet come to grips with the reality of this achievement...

they must have been putting in some overtime hours before the Xmas holiday....

final bugfixes and official release due sometime in February, but eh, close enough for me to play now.

Yep, I've started this, it plays great. Love it actually feels like you are hitting the creatures as well, none of this weak impact stuff.

This is on my wishlist. It's just not a high priority game (although it's on my wishlist, so...you know. I want it!) nor does it go on sale for crazy low prices.

I'm always happy when a game makes it out of greenlight/early access/beta hell.

A review based on the final version might be nice if anyone has the time and inclination.

Hyena wrote:I remember whispers of this one, but now that I have been reminded and done some research on this, I am really excited for it. Titan Quest was one of the games I sunk HUNDREDS of hours into, making one of every type of combination of characters, and doubling up on some for different specs. I hope they have a "TQ Vault" equivalent that eventually lets you store your loot in infinite space. Really looking forward to this.

They do. He is called "The Smuggler" in this game.

I have to say that I am really impressed with how good the game looks with their budget and when they started making it. I know they recently hired another artist to flesh things out. Money well spent as it now looks fantastic and oozes atmosphere.

The game is excellent in this state and is ready to play. From what I understand it is content complete, they are just going to do a balance pass between now and release. If you want well-balanced, wait -- but if you don't care, everything is there and the game is very fun to play right now. Keep in mind that changing your build really isn't too hard, you can buy back your points spent on skills for a low price so if they rebalance you will probably be able to modify your character if they nerf your build between now and release.

I've got 51 hours in the game so far, and I intend on playing a lot more. If you liked Titan Quest, this game is almost completely a remake of that. Seriously -- design-wise they almost completely remade Titan Quest. It is better in some ways but don't expect it to feel any different. It has the same flaws as Titan Quest did -- relatively slow combat, a non-random world, and limited inventory space (for those of us who are collectors with altitis). The best way to describe the game is Titan Quest with guns and a Diablo 2 look.

That being said I'm really enjoying it. There are several game mechanics that I'm really appreciating -- primarily I love that you can attack by just holding down the mouse button, so I don't feel like I'm destroying my mouse. My current character is a rifle-toting Demolitionist who does almost all of his damage with default attacks, but pulls out grenades for the big stuff. You can multiclass but I'm keeping it simple for this guy.

If you are into items then this game has some really fun stuff. I very much like storing away the epic items and set items I'm finding for other characters, and I am enjoying upgrading the items I have with components. Components are a big deal in this game too - some of them give you extra skills so you can even make a build around a powerful component. They've added some other stuff that I'm just dipping my toes into as well, namely relics and crafting formulas. The game is built so that you can farm for gear if you are into that, or you can just play through normally.

I had forgotten that this was from some of the Titan Quest team and that it had a lot of similarities with that game.

Suddenly I'm very excited about it.

I've been trying to play it but it crashes reliably before I can even get out of the first area. Locks up my computer to the point I have to re-boot. So I guess I'll wait for the next patch.

GreenGoo wrote:I had forgotten that this was from some of the Titan Quest team and that it had a lot of similarities with that game.

Suddenly I'm very excited about it.

Steam says I have 74 hours in the EA version alone. I love it. It's basically a better version of Titan Quest. Much better. It's my favorite APRG by far. I predict this game will have legs.

Lorini wrote:I've been trying to play it but it crashes reliably before I can even get out of the first area. Locks up my computer to the point I have to re-boot. So I guess I'll wait for the next patch.

They've had 2 or 3 hotfix patches in the last few days so hopefully one of those fixes it. It not, you should post the problem details in the Steam forums so they can fix it for you. Does your Windows event log say the crash is driver related or something else?

Where do I find my Windows event log?

MS wrote:Open Event Viewer by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Security, clicking Administrative Tools, and then double-clicking Event Viewer.‌ Administrator permission required If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Path didn't work for me on7, but I typed "event viewer" into the Run box and got a hit.

First purchase of the sale.

Hit level 11 with an Occultist.

Feels very Titan Quest-y.

Having fun.

GreenGoo wrote:Hit level 11 with an Occultist.

Feels very Titan Quest-y.

Having fun.

And 1st Diabloesque.

It's got this whole Warhammer universe (or so I imagine) feel to it, with Diablo'ish horror and Titan Quest mechanics.

I actually thought it was more science fiction than fantasy before I bought it, but I was wrong. Not a bad or good thing, just a thing.

It actually kind of feels more like steampunk occult to me (with the guns, pistols and bombs). It's pretty cool, in any case.