Community MetaSteam | April 2020 - A Disaster Report From Raccoon City

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xxr

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Also, I want to make it clear that I'm not attacking you. This is a very friendly community and I don't want to sound nor be hostile to anyone :).
Haha, no worries. I'm on the same page. It's an interesting topic and I'm always curious to hear other people's perspective. :pleasedblob:

We're not talking half-health but moving past the previous phase. It makes a lot of sense considering you've already beaten it and any more than that is dull repetition.
For sure, but isn't this distinction completely arbitrary? They might as well remove the phases and keep a persistent health-bar throughout the whole fight and it would still be the same fight; it just wouldn't be as clear when you entered a new phase. The health bar is practically divided into three parts.

It's about learning enemy patterns and forgetting about them once the encounter is done. You don't become better at playing your character, at mastering the skills you have. Just at this very thing. Now there is always an element of memorization, but for instance From's games have become especially and guilty of this. Some bosses even have feints and fake-outs just to throw you off an animation's wind-up so you have to memorize that too instead of fluidly reacting to what you see.
Hmm, not sure I'm following here, because in Sekiro you do learn how to handle fights overall after fighting specific enemies, Not only do you get better at overall timing, but you'll learn mechanics such as mikiri, lightning deflect, grab attacks and sweeping attacks, which are "global" mechanics that are useful throughout the game.
 

Swenhir

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Haha, no worries. I'm on the same page. It's an interesting topic and I'm always curious to hear other people's perspective. :pleasedblob:
Thanks, I'm glad and relieved. These things sometimes feel like bad blood brewing :p.

For sure, but isn't this distinction completely arbitrary? They might as well remove the phases and keep a persistent health-bar throughout the whole fight and it would still be the same fight; it just wouldn't be as clear when you entered a new phase. The whole boss' health bar is practically divided into three.
I don't think so because phases corespond to a change in mechanics/behaviors of the boss. I see it almost as it being a different entity altogether. To me there is a fail state where if you don't overcome the mechanics/phase, then you have to do it again. Once you pass it, you move to the next one without needing to prove what you've already done before.

Not sure I'm following here, because in Sekiro you do learn how to handle fights overall after fighting specific enemies, Not only do you get better at overall timing, but you'll learn mechanics such as mikiri, lightning deflect, grab attacks and sweeping attacks, which are "global" mechanics that are useful throughout the game.
True, but those mechanics aren't that "global" because for each there is a timing associated to each enemy's animation, and very often you can't read and react to it sight unseen. You need to memorize each enemy's pattern, which just ticked me off when mixed in with the tedium of needing to jump through so many hoops just to try again.

To me, good animations are ones you can react to appropriately without knowing their outcome in advance. It's about animation fundamentals such as anticipation. For example, with HK that dash animation we mentioned the other day makes it really clear what is about to happen. Sekiro makes that really impossible with bizarre motions, frantic sequences and attacks that have very minute wind-ups - when there is any. There is also very little leeway to improve and build on your mistakes inside the same fight. No, you have to die, and go through the tedious run back just to try again.

In Sekiro and later Souls games, you learn each monster's tells. The game isn't really designed around you being able to read and react to them correctly the first time. It expects you to die and "learn the fight". The first Dark Souls allowed you to do that and it felt awesome.

That being said, I want to acknowledge that for the spirit of deflect and the mikiri, you are right. Those are mechanics that translate across all creatures and that would feel amazing if the game didn't have the animation problem I mentioned earlier. The mikiri counters are ridiculously satisfying to see unfold.
 
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fantomena

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Might pick up Crash Team Racing on Xbox One X. It's on sale and I don't have PS Plus anymore and I have no interest in paying for PS Plus for just 1 game (despite Crash Team Racing is a ton of fun) when my Xbox Gold will last till summer 2022.

Wish it was on PC, but there's no sign of the PC version and Im not sure if it will happen since the game is on all consoles already and it will be 1 year since the release in about 2 months.
 

Dragon1893

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Signalis looks very good.
It does.

Maybe to push the non-hardcore people?
Like I've never properly played FF7, don't get the hype and haven't played the demo. But the latest trailer had me excited.

From what I'm hearing this one is way too spoilerish but what I'm talking about isn't the trailer itself but people that have the game pre-ordered watching it. Why ruin it for yourself? I just don't get it.
 

xxr

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I don't think so because phases corespond to a change in mechanics/behaviors of the boss. I see it almost as it being a different entity altogether. To me there is a fail state where if you don't overcome the mechanics/phase, then you have to do it again. Once you pass it, you move to the next one without needing to prove what you've already done before.
At the end of the day, I think we're just seeing it differently. I'm still curious though, if this is any different in games like Souls or Bloodborne, where there are boss fights with phases but they aren't presented as such through the UI with red dots. ;)

Take for example first boss fight in Bloodborne, Father Gascoigne, which is an entirely different beast first phase vs. second phase but they're still within the same health-bar. Would there still be a desire to save in the middle of that fight because of that?

Even setting that aside, I don't think it makes much sense to save progress in the middle of any fight. These fights are meticulously designed for you to learn and master the whole thing, not just the specific parts. And it's fine to not be on board with that but I mean it's just the way they wanted to go about it.

The economy is also a factor here, since you'll start with refilled potions and other consumables whenever you re-try, which would make the boss fight even easier if you died and started from the third phase.

True, but those mechanics aren't that "global" because for each there is a timing associated to each enemy's animation, and very often you can't read and react to it sight unseen. You need to memorize each enemy's pattern, which just ticked me off when mixed in with the tedium of needing to jump through so many hoops just to try again.

To me, good animations are ones you can react to appropriately without knowing its outcome in advance. It's about animation fundamentals such as anticipation. For example, with HK that dash animation we mentioned the other day makes it really clear what is about to happen. Sekiro makes that really impossible with bizarre motions, frantic sequences and attacks that have very minute wind-ups - when there is any.

In Sekiro and later Souls games, you learn each monster's tells. The game isn't really designed around you being able to read and react to them correctly the first time. It expects you to die and "learn the fight". The first Dark Souls allowed you to do that and it felt awesome.

That being said, I want to acknowledge that for the spirit of deflect and the mikiri, you are right. Those are mechanics that translate across all creatures and that would feel amazing if the game didn't have the animation problem I mentioned earlier. The mikiri counters are ridiculously satisfying to see unfold.
Yeah, balance is key here. I don't think you can have the same enemies with the same attacks through the whole game, so they'll of course spice it up with different animations and different moves. I just mean the mechanic itself is still the same, but you'll have to learn how to use it perfectly for each enemy.

I mean it wouldn't be much fun, to me at least, if I could master all enemies by just mastering the first one. :p
 

Swenhir

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At the end of the day, I think we're just seeing it differently. I'm still curious though, if this is any different in games like Souls or Bloodborne, where there are boss fights with phases but they aren't presented as such through the UI with red dots. ;)

Take for example first boss fight in Bloodborne, Father Gascoigne, which is an entirely different beast first phase vs. second phase but they're still within the same health-bar. Would there still be a desire to save in the middle of that fight because of that?
From the top of my head, Eternal actually did that with its last boss! But the intent is the same, I think you get my meaning. It's not about health but about the point where a change in mechanics happens. It doesn't have to be systematic if the encounter is short overall, it's just being sensible about tedium. Most games do this, I don't really see why Souls games have such an aversion to not wasting the player's time.

Yeah, balance is key here. I don't think you can have the same enemies with the same attacks through the whole game, so they'll of course spice it up with different animations and different moves. I just mean the mechanic itself is still the same, but you'll have to learn how to use it perfectly for each enemy.

I mean it wouldn't be much fun, to me at least, if I could master all enemies by just mastering the first one. :p
Entirely agreed on variety. And besides, I acknowledged earlier that memorization does play a part, it can't all be reflexes and reading the opponent. It's just that these games have become about memorization entirely. Nowadays, when you go against a boss in a From game, you contact your next of kin, store up all your souls and get a coffee and the tablet ready because you know this is your life now. You don't expect to be able to beat it first try, you know you'll have to memorize him or her.

It's not about mastering enemies, it's about becoming more skillful with your abilities, with the skill level demanded of the game growing higher and more subtle, involving these skills in ways you didn't anticipate. That's great combat design in my opinion and not one that relies on memory checks. You become better at what you do in the game and not just that one boss. That's what good bosses also are, again in my opinion. They test your skill, your understanding of the mechanics. And in those very rare cases, this elevation of the mechanics ties into the story and makes you feel what nothing but games can. They make you feel growth, change, the journey. It's not a boss, bur Brothers : A Tale of Two Sons's last part comes to mind.

Of course, bosses are much more than that. They are plot points, they are part of the story and the theatrics, the bosses' timing, location and surroundings, all of these are tremendously important. Those are elements From absolutely excels at. I just dislike their mechanical design. I also want to say that while I think their animation design is bad for combat, the personality they convey is great.

The thing I want to acknowledge though is that this is a case of different strokes for different folks. Some people love that, as is evident by these games' success. I just don't really like them being hailed as the end-all, be-all of both combat design and difficulty. They are built around specific design choices and I kind of hate seeing those being misrepresented, not to mention the rather unbearable way a vocal part of the fanbase can behave when it comes to criticizing objective flaws. Cough Camera.

Edit : For example, I should say that to me Doom Eternal's best bosses are the slayer gates.
 
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fantomena

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Dammit Im so tempted into getting VII Remake for my PS4P. The demo was so good and Ive never play VII before. And with the pandemic going on the PC/Xbox version might even get delayed further if work on them hasn't started yet.
 

texhnolyze

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Li Kao

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The only thing I have to say about the idea of checkpoints at a boss second phase making sense or not, is that Doom Eternal does it.
Depends entirely on the game and the boss I would say.
 

Dragon1893

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Dammit Im so tempted into getting VII Remake for my PS4P. The demo was so good and Ive never play VII before. And with the pandemic going on the PC/Xbox version might even get delayed further if work on them hasn't started yet.
You can always get the PC version when it's cheap, no need to double dip at full price. Maybe buy the PS4 version physical so you can sell it later.
The launch is a bit of a ckusterfuck btw, no wonder Sony decided to delay its games.

Speaking of long bosses, starting over with FFVIII's final boss was always a good time...
 
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AHA-Lambda

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The only thing I have to say about the idea of checkpoints at a boss second phase making sense or not, is that Doom Eternal does it.
Depends entirely on the game and the boss I would say.
I was extremely grateful for that checkpoint in the middle of the last boss personally
 
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bobnowhere

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Repeating my guesses from last month:

Gotta be at least one of Devil May Cry 5, Darksiders III, Islanders, Exa Punks or Obra Din. Adding Indivisible and Vampyr as it just ended on gamepass.
 

Li Kao

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Discounts, discounts everywhere.
I have to pass a will test on Tetris EGS now that I have a VR headset and the game is 13 bucks with Tim's money.
And Choice today ? Great.

Does Steam do Spring Sales ? I don't remember.
 

bobnowhere

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Fuck knew I should have bought Fallout 76 this morning on cdkeys, when they added it to a "daily deal" they increased the price.
It's far from perfect but I got a lot of fun out of it, doing quests, taking part in events, collecting plans to build my house, exploring etc... There are lots of stupid limits like how much loot you can store and how many objects your house can have though.

I built my house on top of a lead deposit so I could have constant lead for bullets but I logged in a couple of days ago for fun to see what was going on and it took me 5 reloads to find a world that didn't already have a building there. Great minds think alike!
 
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Eferis

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Does Steam do Spring Sales ? I don't remember.
They've been doing the Spring Cleaning event the past couple of years towards the end of May. I think it did coincide with a sale in 2018 but not last year.

Also, Tetris Effect is pretty amazing but it shouldn't be long until it's out on Steam.
 
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Le Pertti

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It's far from perfect but I got a lot of fun out of it, doing quests, taking part in events, collecting plans to build my house, exploring etc... There are lots of stupid limits like how much loot you can store and how many objects your house can have though.

I built my house on top of a lead deposit so I could have constant lead for bullets but I logged in a couple of days ago for fun to see what was going on and it took my 5 reloads to find a world that didn't already have a building there. Great minds think alike!
Yeah I think it can be fun! It's 10 euro on cdkeys so think it's totally worth it.

Yeah, that was totally expected.
Yeah I know, just hoped it would take at least a few days, wanted to wait and see till choice. I don't think FO76 is going to be in it but bbetter safe than sorry.
 

Alexandros

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You can always get the PC version when it's cheap, no need to double dip at full price. Maybe buy the PS4 version physical so you can sell it later.
The launch is a bit of a ckusterfuck btw, no wonder Sony decided to delay its games.

Speaking of long bosses, starting over with FFVIII's final boss was always a good time...
I feel that, if one wants to support day-and-date PC releases of all games, buying the console version at full price and the PC release on the cheap sends a very bad message to the publisher. If someone really wants to play it then by all means they should go ahead and buy it, but if waiting is an option I would definitely recommend skipping the console release and buying day one on PC.
 

PC-tan

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Some days ago there was a podcast of a german gaming magazine with two employees from CD Projekt Red.
CD Project Red is completely working from home now. The podcast guests said that their personal productivity has actually gone up because of no more meetings etc.
So maybe the can keep the planned release date (I personally also think that it is probable that Cyberpunk will be moved back).

Interesting titbit from the podcast: When CD Project Red moved their workers to home-office they actually shuttled roughly 700 workstations with Cyberpunk 2077 on them threw Warsaw in two days.

Link to the (german) podcast for those who are interested: Folge 81: So machen die Cyberpunk-Macher trotz Corona-Krise weiter
They have 700 workers at CD Project Red?
 

Bonfires Down

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Repeating my guesses from last month:

Gotta be at least one of Devil May Cry 5, Darksiders III, Islanders, Exa Punks or Obra Din. Adding Indivisible and Vampyr as it just ended on gamepass.
DMC 5



Or DMC HD Collection for that matter.

Or Resident Evil VII for that matter.
 

Li Kao

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It's on me for not having played Alyx or VR for weeks, but I didn't expect to be spoiled a monster design while opening PCGamer.
Not the end of the world, sure, but why do I browse this site...
 
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Dragon1893

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Damn, RE3's intro sure hits close to home. That first line from the reporter...
The beginning is fucking intense!
The dithering is a bummer, I was hoping it would look better in the final game.
Having a blast with it, nice that the classic outfit can be equipped right away if you want.
 
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Tizoc

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I think Rogue Legacy's main issue is that the base combat is underwhelming.
Your sword swing feels off for the main classes, and positioning against enemies can be annoying esp. if you end up colliding with them if you try to position for a sword strike.
Furthermore, too many upgrades. Way too many upgrades, it makes one's 'strengthening' come off incriminatal rather than a noticable boost, and the amount of gold needed is way too high and can become tedious if you don't manage to wrack up enough gold per run in the castle.

I like upgrading and leveling up and such, but a rogue-lite like Rogue Legacy needed to have lesser upgrades so that you can still match enemies and bosses even with a handful of upgrades.

Finally if you're someone who liked Spelunky for it being more SKILL BASED, then you may not like RL, which IMO is more stat based.
 

Aaron D.

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This looks fantastic.


Humble has it for $11 ($8 for Choice members).

Think I'm gonna bite after Monthly is revealed today.
 
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