Great game, too short

[ElderSpacer]

I agree those that done feel it's too short. I'm also one that does all side quests, explores everything in maps to find hidden lot etc, so that adds to my time. I'm only about halfway through already and feels I've just about got my monies worth(except in terms of proper ultra-wide support).

I guess it can be relative. Sure it's not as big as say Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption 2, etc, but those are games with unusual breadth with a major budget behind them, so that's not a fair comparison.

Then you get these games as service cr@p games like Assassins Creed Odyssey. Great game(though sitting on top of a money generating scheme) but it was just WAY too large(for me). I've still never finished it. There were other factors that made the large world not work for, but just all goes the everything being relative.

[thearmourofGod]

L7 @ 14 hrs and havent finished emerald vale

no hud, no help, thorough exploration 

4 uniques

supernova

 

Edited November 12, 2019 by thearmourofGod

[Force58]

On 10/29/2019 at 10:04 PM, BionicKitten said:

That's pretty much it. Beat the game not long ago, expected much more. Still a great game but I can't help feeling dissatisfied and disappointed. I imagine there will be more to come of course. But that didn't feel like a full game. 

The most important thing here, whether you believe the main story was too short or not, is if you had fun.  If you did there's really nothing to discuss from there.  We can compare TOW to other games from here until the end of time but it won't make the main story any longer.  I'm having a ton of fun so far and think I have less than 9 hours in so far.  I noticed a lot of back and forth between folks arguing about whether a game is a "real" RPG or not and it started getting personal.  Everybody needs to chill, TOW is an original IP that plays like Fallout and is a hell of a good time.

[xSean]

While I still enjoy Bethesda's RPGs, they aren't really all that complex and their base games are usually broken messes. They tend to rely heavily on community mod support to fix the issues in each game.

Outer Worlds is more comparable to games like ME1 -- a team size that isn't too large and a game that is more focused in scope. In that regard, Outer Worlds fits with that level of time-to-complete, which for me was around 40 hours, and that was with doing everything and finding all unique items. If you choose to just rush the main story, then of course you'll be disappointed, hell, Fallout 3 can be beaten in just 15min if you really try.

There's also the matter of replayability as choices can actually matter in Outer Worlds and the writing is significantly better than what goes into the Bethesda RPGs. I'm just waiting for a patch to fix a few things before I start a new run, but with bugs specifically, there's really not many. On the other hand, if this were to be Skyrim pre-update2, I would have already come across a myriad of issues (which I did back when I played Skyrim in that state).

 

Though now that Outer Worlds is complete and released, a sequel / expansion should be easier as the bulk of what's needed is done -- the universe, lore, base-gameplay, and tone. Anything new would have that solid foundation to work off of, and they'll be going in with much better funding.

Edited November 12, 2019 by xSean

[Masticator]

I'm trying to figure out where people are saying the game is too short. If anything, it's too long. I have the same problem I have with most open world games, too much to explore. I get bogged down exploring everything and lose interest in the story. Even great games like Witcher 3 have the problem of being too long, which means I have only finished that game once.

 

I have no idea how long I've played since EpicGames launcher seems to be a pile of crap, it shows 3 hours, but I'm surely over 24 hours played. I'm still trying to get quests done on Monarch. There's far too many quests in this game. Monarch alone is taking a long time to get through. I've gotten used to not exploring everything and concentrating on quests, but the sheer number of quests means it still takes a long time.

 

anyone who says the game is too short is high on crack. Good game, but I still feel it's missing something. I love the humor, and it's probably their best humor in any game, but I feel like something is missing.

[Starwars]

I have many, many problems with this game but I never felt like it was particularly short or anything. Of course, I didn't expect anything like NV or any other open world game because... well, they said that's not what it was going to be beforehand.

Good length for a game as far as I'm concerned.

[thearmourofGod]

just finished the Vale again and didnt slow or speed play, but, did all quests and explored all areas

though, i did fast-forward many of the conversations and only looted locked containers/doors and enemies i killed

9 hours

the “short game” pitch is rejected

 

[Masticator]

After actually finishing the game I can see where some of the too short comments come from. I felt like Byzantium should have been bigger with more quests. I felt Monarch was dragging a little because of the sheer number of quests, but Monarch is about right. I was thinking there were several planets left to explore because of the system map, but those are only for show it seems. So the game did turn out shorter than I expected when I was in Monarch.

 

Ending can go by really quickly too if you have the tools to bypass all the combat aside from that mech (I had to fight it).

 

epic games launcher is showing 49 hours. A little bit was idle time while cooking my food yesterday, but most of that is play time. That seems buggy, doesn't seem like I played it that much, but maybe I did. 40+ hour game is about right where I want it. Which is also the length of Dragon Age: Origins, another great game. 40 to 50 is the sweet spot for me. Granted, I did a lot of exploring (a little less later in the game), and talked to every named NPC I could find and explored all dialogue options with no skipping dialogue.

[Mushashi7]

I've been thinking about why I felt this game was too short.

I rushed through the game on easy mode in 21 hours just to learn the ropes. My impression was merely based on the main story.
But there was also another element: Apart from other games Obisidian don't try to lengthen the game unnecessary. This gives you the option to advance in the game very fast.
I played AC Odyssey for a long while and discovered Ubisoft use every available option to slow you down. Everything is calculated and arranged so that you will have to use at least 100 hours on a play-through. That's not the case with 'The Outer Worlds' - which is a relief actually. But you have to be aware of this freedom given. If you can't slow your self down you will miss a lot of the game.
But playing games like Odyssey can be a mental trap, so to speak, when you decide to play other games.

Edited November 22, 2019 by Mushashi7

[Force58]

On 10/29/2019 at 10:23 PM, Madpaddy said:

If you explore and do the side quests companion quests and group standing quests its defo not short. Im on over 40 hours and im still not done.

Same here.  I have over 50 hours in and I think I'm getting close to the end mission, however, there are at least 25-30 other missions on my list to complete and half the planets to explore.  I've seen vids where people are speed running the game in 12 minutes.  That makes no sense to me, nor does it make sense to rush, if that's what people are doing during a normal play through.  I imagine a lot of people fast travel everywhere and just play the main missions.  If you do that you're missing out on the best part of the game, IMO.  My plan is to complete as many of the side and faction missions as possible before I end the main campaign.  My hope is I'll still be playing for at least another 50 hours.

[OpenSorce]

In hindsight... there's a shrink ray? Maybe I did rush through it too fast...

[Guest]

Second playthrough was 1 minutes shy of 58 hours. Skipped SubLight and science weapons entirely this time. Made a few decisions differently and got a different ending. Kudos to T&L for creating such a replayable game.

[Wormerine]

Game is too short!

 

 

[Ommamar]

4 hours ago, Wormerine said:

Game is too short!

 

 

But as the developers pointed out how many times did the person have to play through to figure out how to optimize that route to be able to get to the point where he could do that?  I think this game can be short or you can easily sink 50 hours into a  play through.  I did respect the developers reaction to watching that speed run.

[Force58]

On 11/27/2019 at 8:00 PM, Ommamar said:

But as the developers pointed out how many times did the person have to play through to figure out how to optimize that route to be able to get to the point where he could do that?  I think this game can be short or you can easily sink 50 hours into a  play through.  I did respect the developers reaction to watching that speed run.

The devs were really cool about it, but people saying the game is too short haven't played the game in my estimation.  When I completed the end mission I had well over 60 hours in.  I did complete all the side, faction and space missions prior to launching the final main mission, so that added to the time.  I'm pretty sure the folks doing the speed runs are playing the game for many hours figuring out how to cut time off before they post an actual speed run.    Even if somebody just did the main story missions I can't imagine it would be any less than 10-15 hours, and I'm talking a normal playthrough, not one where the goal is speed.  This game is all about character interaction and reading all the comm selections before deciding on one, reading all the logs and reports on the terminals, taking in all the NPC conversations, etc.  I guess people have to complain about everything these days, but to say this game is short doesn't make sense.

[Force58]

On 11/12/2019 at 9:03 AM, thearmourofGod said:

L7 @ 14 hrs and havent finished emerald vale

no hud, no help, thorough exploration 

4 uniques

supernova

 

Nice!!  I did my first run on hard but not sure I want to try supernova.  Have you lost any companions yet?   I head if one of them dies then that's it, can't be revived, is this true?

[Wormerine]

15 minutes ago, Force58 said:

Nice!!  I did my first run on hard but not sure I want to try supernova.  Have you lost any companions yet?   I head if one of them dies then that's it, can't be revived, is this true?

That's what the description says. As well as thirst, hunger meeter and limited ability to save.

[AwesomeOcelot]

First play through was under 18 hours, and I did a lot of side quests, 2 companion quests, and cleared a lot of the wilderness. Second play through was close to 16 hours, around the same side quests, but more of the companion quests, lvl 30. The side and companion quests were not fun or interesting. I felt like this is a quarter of a regular FPS-RPG or half the content of a FPS. There's not a lot of choice and consequence in the game either, it's very transparently false choice. Value for money is poor comparatively to say Mankind Divided, New Vegas, Bloodlines. I didn't need more locales, could even do with less, but I'd like more quests that are much better designed. It's clearly a shorter, AA game with a much smaller budget, development time was also really short.

[JFSOCC]

 I managed to beat the game in 3 days, though that was with me playing till deep into the night.

I completed every quest and task.

I too, thought it was too short. I did like how the open world was staggered so as not to be overwhelming (thank you Zero Punctuation) But Byzantine was a disappointment after the content rich monarch.

the inclusion of a Big Bad to defeat near the end, and a twist that came out of nowhere felt tacked on.

I wouldn't mind it if I there wasn't some overarching story to drive to a conclusion either. That's a Obsidian Staple and the strength of obsidian games in my opinion have always been in the opening and middle game. I could envision myself doing freelance work forever.

Playing on normal mode, the game was too easy (not that I mind that terribly, as I've never been too skilled)

I had some KOTOR:TSL flashbacks playing this game, especially near the end.

All in all, enjoyed my time playing it, especially because it was fair priced. I do hope to find more content in the future though, maybe an expansion that allows you to go to another colony, who knows.

-

On a side note, the flaw system needs to be reworked imo, as its almost never worth it, and during my playthrough I picked up a flaw that was outright damaging to my build because it wasn't clear that the debuff would be always on. (paranoia) And I'm not sure what the difference between armour types is. Heavy gives you a tiny debuff to stealth.

Spoiler

I was also pretty weirded out that after finding out what the retirement program entailed, that I could only take it up with my quest giver. I wanted to shout it from the rooftops, "Soilent Green is people!"

Instead I got to decide how I deal with the despicable quest giver, but not much else.

_ I went back to check and I did enjoy finding her corpse. That's a detail that could easily have been overlooked.

I never used the science weapons, as they seemed underpowered.

Edited January 10, 2020 by JFSOCC
added relevant info

[ComradeYellow]

On 11/17/2019 at 7:35 AM, Starwars said:

I have many, many problems with this game but I never felt like it was particularly short or anything. Of course, I didn't expect anything like NV or any other open world game because... well, they said that's not what it was going to be beforehand.

Good length for a game as far as I'm concerned.

If you dive right through the main quests with occasional side quests, it does sort of feel like it's on the short side.

It feels appropriately long enough if you actually take the time to scourge the side quests.

I was so engrossed in the plot and its sense urgency that I stupidly rushed through the first time, and it just felt like it ended way too soon.

Hopefully with several bits of DLC this will be corrected.  Which is why I'm gonna sit out another playthrough until a sort of "grand DLC edition" comes out.

Edited January 18, 2020 by ComradeMaster

[Gecon]

Why, the length was perfectly OK for me.

Its not a Baldurs Gate or something like that.

Making anything in a 3D game is substantly more work than for a 2D game, thus the overall game will be shorter.

The Outer Worlds has great graphics, so a Baldurs Gate length saga is not going to happen with that.

Its about SWKotOR in scope, which is cool. SWKotOR didnt looked this good.



What I find disappointing is for example the rulesystem. Its just too generic and flat. There need to be more real choices which result in more different characters, so we get more replayability.

For example, the weaknesses should be selectable at character creation, and you should only choose a fixed amount, not all of them or none of them. As they are now, they are just a way to cripple your character longterm.

Or alternatively, you can pick them at character creation, but you also get to pick special feats which are only available during character creation, and not later. Maybe depending upon your choices you feat choices at the later stages is also influenced. So you can for example pick a whirlwind attack at character creation if you accept a weakness, and you can later improve this attack but only if you picked it at character creation in the beginning. If you did not, you can only get a substantly weaker whirlwind attack instead. Maybe its limited to up to three attackers while otherwise theres no limit, and maybe you deal only 50% of your regular weapon damage, and can only raise it to 65%, while the guy who picked it at character creation starts with 75% and can upgrade to 90%. Etc. Stuff like that.

Another idea is a feat you can pick at character creation that gives you a fixed bonus to trickery skills that allow to raise your skill over 100 in the end, but will hamper your hitpoints.

So you really get a customization of your character going.

I liked very much that you can play a dumb character, though, that was AWESOME. I also liked you cannot raise your character attributes anymore later, as in other systems. Its a real longterm choice.


The Elder Scrolls is NOT a good example. TES games are frankly very empty. You have the main quest, and then you have the guild quests, and thats about it. All other content is pretty generic, repetitive, and low quality. Thats why personally I finish TES games pretty quickly.

[Thilog]

12mins eh.. I'd still be staring up at the sky 12 mins into the game.

What was waste of time and effort imo.  So what if you can skip and run through the entire game in 12 minutes.. He hasn't beaten the game.. he's simply gotten from one end of the line to the other.

My first playthrough was 42 hours, on my 2nd now and I'm seeing dozens of side missions I missed the first time around.  Must admit I do skip alot of the text.. but not so much on the missions I missed.  I'd like to see a speed run, where a person does every single mission, perfectly.  And kills everything, in each area as required, except using the various disguises etc.

Also didn't know you could even fly into the sun.. what's the point of suiciding your ending.. can't really celebrate that.

End credits cutscenes.. our valiant hero.. was burnt to a crisp and did't live happily ever after.

As for the game being too short.. if my second run takes around 50 hours.. together with the first, that'll be 92 hours.. a third run, documenting each mission, 1-30 levels.. probably another 50+ hours.  And maybe future playthroughs after that.  I'd say 150+ hours of fun isn't too short a gametime to worry over.  It's only as short as you want it to be.

Edited February 8, 2020 by Thilog

[Thilog]

On 1/10/2020 at 12:22 AM, JFSOCC said:

 I completed every quest and task.

the inclusion of a Big Bad to defeat near the end, and a twist that came out of nowhere felt tacked on.

I never used the science weapons, as they seemed underpowered.

I don't think you completed every quest and task.. or you'd know that the "big bad" can by bypassed. And you'd know just how potent the science weapons are.

[Insolentius]

The game might be short relative to the open-world monstrosities that are chock-full with pointless collectibles and repetitive missions, but it's by no means 'short' if you take your time exploring everything, talking to everyone (without skipping dialogue), doing every quest etc. I'm about 32 hours in, and I'm just about to lay siege on the Devil's Peak station with my newfound buddies from C3.

[voxman90]

The game has a few small locations (excluding the large Monarch). Moreover, we return to the same locations several times.

Not enough space, distance.

What is good in fillers? Each location is not associated with the quest, however, is able to tell a story, reveal lore, provide a unique gameplay situation, contain unique items.

The game has difficulties with unique items. At a certain stage, the content begins to repeat - the same weapon, the same armor. Unique things cannot be infinitely improved because of the price. Therefore, they also quickly lose relevance.

I am not saying that this is not enough. But this is enough for about two-thirds of the game.

There would be more locations in the game. Hephaestus. Or some other abandoned station.
The Tartarus - a prison planet, could be made more interesting. Not only as a final point, but as a location with quests. I don’t know if anyone played here, but remember the Chronicles of Riddick Escape from Butcher's Bay.

It may seem that I did not like the game, but it is not. I liked the companions, the plot, the combat mechanics (it’s just good), the variability like immersive sims, the game’s universe.

In this world, developers could tell much more stories.