What are you Playing Now? Volume XIX: The New Beginning of the End of the Middle

[Hurlshort]

Finished Outer Worlds 2. I put a lot of hours into it, I'd say about 50, and I felt like I searched most corners to get content done. There were some collection quests I didn't finish, but the story stuff was good and I liked what happened to all my companions. It was a fun universe to explore. I'll probably wait for some DLC before playing again. It felt bigger and more epic than OW1 and Avowed, so that was good.

Now I'm playing Xenonauts 2, which just released Milestone 6. This makes the game feature complete. The next milestone is full release, so I'm planning on trying to get through a whole campaign before that drops. I've only lost 1 soldier so far, and that was due to a bad explosive throw. Lesson learned, propane tanks go boom.

[Katphood]

Still playing Elden Ring. Farmed two Bandit's Curved Swords in 20 minutes. Lucky me? 

Now to choose the proper Ash of War...

[Hawke64]

I have finished Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness. It is a party-based CRPG with RTwP combat in a fantasy setting. While the writing is uneven and the combat is simple (not based on an existing system), there is enough roleplay, QoL features, and some interesting gameplay systems to make the experience enjoyable. There is also delightfully little bloat allowing for a completionist playthrough of a reasonable length of 30-40 hours. 

The review which was longer than the character limit on Steam and GOG (there are no spoilers but it is long) :

Spoiler

To start with, the combat and character development system. As mentioned, they were developed specifically for the game and are not an implementation of an existing ruleset. There are several vastly different classes, races, weapon types, and abilities. The number of the latter is low for non-casting classes, though most classes have various non-combat abilities, such as picking or forcing locks, unique to them. It is also possible to multiclass and create a full custom party, though the latter must be done at the start of the game when the player might not be familiar with the systems well enough. 

The locations are of a reasonable size, large enough to enjoy exploration without feeling overwhelmed. Considering that there are no quest markers, the map markers are quite helpful (e.g. the quest says to look for Wilgo at the Market Square and there is something called Wilgo's house), though the fact that not all quest items are present before the related quest is started is frustrating (in particular, sand available in only 2 spots). As an example, when asked to find a specific mushroom, I was able to determine the location from the quest description, but not the exact item position while the item itself was hard to differentiate from the numerous similar ones - the mushroom "stored" within a giant flower. Another consequence of the absence of quest markers is that if a quest item was missed, it is time-consuming to backtrack and check everything. A small but welcome thing is an actual Journal where one can write in plain text any information they desire, though it does not help with the above-mentioned issue. There is also a day-night cycle which mostly determines the availability of merchants and, occasionally, the enemy spawns in the wilderness. 

The companions are largely helpful (their skills are automatically used for checks) and unobtrusive, with some of their quest lines running throughout the game, though there was too little character development for most of them. While they express themselves more often during the main quest, they do not have a strong connection to it. However, some choices can lead to them leaving the party permanently. It should be noted that there are party-wide experience and perks based on 2 separate meters of Coherence and Diversity, the higher the meter, the more perks are active. Still, considering that the companions who are not in the active party do not gain experience, one might prefer to keep the same party for the most of the game. 

The variable quality of writing, in terms of lore, plot, and specific dialogues, is very noticeable and jarring. Some of the options, however, are quite amusing and might lead to interesting outcomes. Many main and side quests have several possible ways to resolve them, including declining on the spot and most NPCs are possible to kill. However, in some cases the roleplay is restricted and the game blocks progression if certain story-critical NPCs are killed prematurely (infinite guards are spawned at the party's exact location). It is not the most elegant solution and placing explicitly antagonistic NPCs in front of the player and expecting them to survive is puzzling. Regarding children NPCs, they are not possible to attack, but the ones related to quests do not encourage stabbing them in the face, so one might not notice this discrepancy. 

An amusing detail of the story is that most companions are explicitly bisexual as well as the one romanceable NPC (who is non-violently working on uncursing magical trees), while there are no other openly queer NPCs. Therefore, one can conclude that the story is dedicated to the strength, resilience, and the power of the chosen family of the LGBTQ+ community and cisgender heterosexuals are either incompetent or malicious. Speaking of the blood relatives, the only ones present are either distant, generally violent, or plainly trying to murder the PC, which might sound familiar to many. Admittedly, it is a rather generous reading of a generic (if occasionally self-aware) fantasy story. Considering that the nobility are largely written as unempathetic, unwise, and occasionally racist individuals, while the companions come mostly (except 2) from various lower-class backgrounds, it is safe to assume that there is some commentary on the income inequalities and generational wealth, even if the PC themselves can benefit from it. 

To continue with the LGBTQ+ representation, while the gender in the character creator is called "Sex" and limited to 2 options, leaving out intersex and non-binary persons, it is possible to create genderqueer characters, as the voice and portrait options are not restricted and it is possible to import custom portraits. There is also an odd dissonance between the absence of sexism in gameplay but presence in writing - the non-male characters do not have any penalties and are represented among the occasional adventuring parties met along the way, however, the NPCs (e.g. Instructor Abh at Deron-Guld) explicitly use "men" and "mankind" when talking about their people. One NPC uses the more appropriate "mortalkind" when talking about the local population. 

As the world or at least the kingdom where the story takes place is struggling with the curse of greed, there is a Greed system. There are 2 separate bars - one for the party and can go in both directions and one for the world and it can only go up as the story progresses (on a "Good" playthrough the main impact is the rising prices). The most noticeable flaw is that the direct way to increase the Greed level is via accepting quest rewards, but slaughtering and looting non-hostile NPCs does not anyhow affect it. There are also Reputation and the Idolised/Vilified axes. I assume that they affect something, but I've seen only 2 clear examples. 

Another generally well-implemented if basic system is the stronghold. There are several possible strongholds which availability is based on the PC's class, with the related questlines focusing on the class defining features (e.g. clearing a ridiculously large dungeon for the fighter-like classes and solving a puzzle for the arcane casters). The stronghold allows to keep all companions in one area and to invite various traders for easier access to their stock. 

The itemisation is generally decent - there is enough powerful equipment for diverse builds, the loot is plentiful but not overwhelming (the containers help with keeping the inventory organised), the items mostly make sense (wolves do not drop spears). To clarify, it is strongly recommended to obtain a bag of holding as soon as possible, as the loot is the main source of income, the ability to carry it all in one go makes the experience more positive, and the inventory size and carrying capacity of the companions are quite generous but limited (there are sorting options, including item type).

There is a minor issue with pacing - the first 3 chapters have very short critical path quests and a lot of optional content, while the later ones have mostly the critical path and stronghold (technically optional as well) quests. The final 4-level deep dungeon reminded me how much I appreciate Ukaizo. 

In terms of graphics and visual style, the game looks very generic but serviceable and one can be certain that the portraits were created by humans - the facial features on most of them are asymmetric or exaggerated. There are also bearded elves (!). Not all but most of the NPCs have portraits as well. In terms of visual area design, the main locations can be distinguished from each other, while forests and villages loot largely the same. The most positive aspect is the loading screens - they are unique and drawn in single-colour shades,  providing the first-person view for the locations. The pencil-like images of items look quite good as well. 

There is soundtrack, sound design, and partial voice-acting. I have not turned off either, though the quality of the latter did not seem high. 

In regard to the QoL features and accessibility, the controls are fully rebindable, there are difficulty options and several auto- and quick-saves (unfortunately, shared between the characters) and a high or unlimited number of manual saves, while the files themselves are of reasonable size (from 50KB to 1MB). It is also possible to highlight all interactive items on the screen and there are several triggers for auto-pause. The in-game manual is generally helpful and it is possible to see the tooltips for specific terms. Additionally, it is possible to mass-loot corpses, though not containers. While there is an ability to teleport to the quest giver after completing their quest and it is possible to fast travel almost from any point, thus cutting on the loading times, in a few cases there were NPCs waiting for the party on their expected route, so just fast-travelling out could lead to missing them. 

As for stability and performance, while the game did not try to monopolise my storage space (37GB), which is welcome, there were drops in performance, with the saving and loading times increasing as the story progressed, and there were occasional FPS drops, which I was able to resolve by restarting the game. The one side quest-related defect I reported via the in-game tool was resolved very quickly, so while there are issues, the developers do read the reports. 

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Hawke64

[kanisatha]

2 hours ago, Hawke64 said:

I have finished Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness. It is a party-based CRPG with RTwP combat in a fantasy setting. While the writing is uneven and the combat is simple (not based on an existing system), there is enough roleplay, QoL features, and some interesting gameplay systems to make the experience enjoyable. There is also delightfully little bloat allowing for a completionist playthrough of a reasonable length of 30-40 hours. 

The review which was longer than the character limit on Steam and GOG (there are no spoilers but it is long) :

  Reveal hidden contents

To start with, the combat and character development system. As mentioned, they were developed specifically for the game and are not an implementation of an existing ruleset. There are several vastly different classes, races, weapon types, and abilities. The number of the latter is low for non-casting classes, though most classes have various non-combat abilities, such as picking or forcing locks, unique to them. It is also possible to multiclass and create a full custom party, though the latter must be done at the start of the game when the player might not be familiar with the systems well enough. 

The locations are of a reasonable size, large enough to enjoy exploration without feeling overwhelmed. Considering that there are no quest markers, the map markers are quite helpful (e.g. the quest says to look for Wilgo at the Market Square and there is something called Wilgo's house), though the fact that not all quest items are present before the related quest is started is frustrating (in particular, sand available in only 2 spots). As an example, when asked to find a specific mushroom, I was able to determine the location from the quest description, but not the exact item position while the item itself was hard to differentiate from the numerous similar ones - the mushroom "stored" within a giant flower. Another consequence of the absence of quest markers is that if a quest item was missed, it is time-consuming to backtrack and check everything. A small but welcome thing is an actual Journal where one can write in plain text any information they desire, though it does not help with the above-mentioned issue. There is also a day-night cycle which mostly determines the availability of merchants and, occasionally, the enemy spawns in the wilderness. 

The companions are largely helpful (their skills are automatically used for checks) and unobtrusive, with some of their quest lines running throughout the game, though there was too little character development for most of them. While they express themselves more often during the main quest, they do not have a strong connection to it. However, some choices can lead to them leaving the party permanently. It should be noted that there are party-wide experience and perks based on 2 separate meters of Coherence and Diversity, the higher the meter, the more perks are active. Still, considering that the companions who are not in the active party do not gain experience, one might prefer to keep the same party for the most of the game. 

The variable quality of writing, in terms of lore, plot, and specific dialogues, is very noticeable and jarring. Some of the options, however, are quite amusing and might lead to interesting outcomes. Many main and side quests have several possible ways to resolve them, including declining on the spot and most NPCs are possible to kill. However, in some cases the roleplay is restricted and the game blocks progression if certain story-critical NPCs are killed prematurely (infinite guards are spawned at the party's exact location). It is not the most elegant solution and placing explicitly antagonistic NPCs in front of the player and expecting them to survive is puzzling. Regarding children NPCs, they are not possible to attack, but the ones related to quests do not encourage stabbing them in the face, so one might not notice this discrepancy. 

An amusing detail of the story is that most companions are explicitly bisexual as well as the one romanceable NPC (who is non-violently working on uncursing magical trees), while there are no other openly queer NPCs. Therefore, one can conclude that the story is dedicated to the strength, resilience, and the power of the chosen family of the LGBTQ+ community and cisgender heterosexuals are either incompetent or malicious. Speaking of the blood relatives, the only ones present are either distant, generally violent, or plainly trying to murder the PC, which might sound familiar to many. Admittedly, it is a rather generous reading of a generic (if occasionally self-aware) fantasy story. Considering that the nobility are largely written as unempathetic, unwise, and occasionally racist individuals, while the companions come mostly (except 2) from various lower-class backgrounds, it is safe to assume that there is some commentary on the income inequalities and generational wealth, even if the PC themselves can benefit from it. 

To continue with the LGBTQ+ representation, while the gender in the character creator is called "Sex" and limited to 2 options, leaving out intersex and non-binary persons, it is possible to create genderqueer characters, as the voice and portrait options are not restricted and it is possible to import custom portraits. There is also an odd dissonance between the absence of sexism in gameplay but presence in writing - the non-male characters do not have any penalties and are represented among the occasional adventuring parties met along the way, however, the NPCs (e.g. Instructor Abh at Deron-Guld) explicitly use "men" and "mankind" when talking about their people. One NPC uses the more appropriate "mortalkind" when talking about the local population. 

As the world or at least the kingdom where the story takes place is struggling with the curse of greed, there is a Greed system. There are 2 separate bars - one for the party and can go in both directions and one for the world and it can only go up as the story progresses (on a "Good" playthrough the main impact is the rising prices). The most noticeable flaw is that the direct way to increase the Greed level is via accepting quest rewards, but slaughtering and looting non-hostile NPCs does not anyhow affect it. There are also Reputation and the Idolised/Vilified axes. I assume that they affect something, but I've seen only 2 clear examples. 

Another generally well-implemented if basic system is the stronghold. There are several possible strongholds which availability is based on the PC's class, with the related questlines focusing on the class defining features (e.g. clearing a ridiculously large dungeon for the fighter-like classes and solving a puzzle for the arcane casters). The stronghold allows to keep all companions in one area and to invite various traders for easier access to their stock. 

The itemisation is generally decent - there is enough powerful equipment for diverse builds, the loot is plentiful but not overwhelming (the containers help with keeping the inventory organised), the items mostly make sense (wolves do not drop spears). To clarify, it is strongly recommended to obtain a bag of holding as soon as possible, as the loot is the main source of income, the ability to carry it all in one go makes the experience more positive, and the inventory size and carrying capacity of the companions are quite generous but limited (there are sorting options, including item type).

There is a minor issue with pacing - the first 3 chapters have very short critical path quests and a lot of optional content, while the later ones have mostly the critical path and stronghold (technically optional as well) quests. The final 4-level deep dungeon reminded me how much I appreciate Ukaizo. 

In terms of graphics and visual style, the game looks very generic but serviceable and one can be certain that the portraits were created by humans - the facial features on most of them are asymmetric or exaggerated. There are also bearded elves (!). Not all but most of the NPCs have portraits as well. In terms of visual area design, the main locations can be distinguished from each other, while forests and villages loot largely the same. The most positive aspect is the loading screens - they are unique and drawn in single-colour shades,  providing the first-person view for the locations. The pencil-like images of items look quite good as well. 

There is soundtrack, sound design, and partial voice-acting. I have not turned off either, though the quality of the latter did not seem high. 

In regard to the QoL features and accessibility, the controls are fully rebindable, there are difficulty options and several auto- and quick-saves (unfortunately, shared between the characters) and a high or unlimited number of manual saves, while the files themselves are of reasonable size (from 50KB to 1MB). It is also possible to highlight all interactive items on the screen and there are several triggers for auto-pause. The in-game manual is generally helpful and it is possible to see the tooltips for specific terms. Additionally, it is possible to mass-loot corpses, though not containers. While there is an ability to teleport to the quest giver after completing their quest and it is possible to fast travel almost from any point, thus cutting on the loading times, in a few cases there were NPCs waiting for the party on their expected route, so just fast-travelling out could lead to missing them. 

As for stability and performance, while the game did not try to monopolise my storage space (37GB), which is welcome, there were drops in performance, with the saving and loading times increasing as the story progressed, and there were occasional FPS drops, which I was able to resolve by restarting the game. The one side quest-related defect I reported via the in-game tool was resolved very quickly, so while there are issues, the developers do read the reports. 

Did you play with the expansion included?