eXteel? Is that you?

[Khunvyel]

I know many say this game is more like Armored Core on PC and with multiplayer, but I haven't played those. However, to this day I miss a proper replacement for eXteel by NCsoft. Are there any former eXteel players who have picked up this game here and can compare it to some extent based on their personal opinion, please? :) Because looks can certainly be deceiving.

[Lord-Wolf]

Wow that's a name I haven't heard in a long time x) I played the game, was sad when it closed :/

What I could say compared to ExTeel is that this game has way more movement and flying for sure X)

[Sabi The Worst Player Ever]

Exteel was based on PS2 era AC to an extend while being simplified in many aspects (but in good way). Meanwhile DxM is more close to AC4/5, with greater focus on speed and aerial combat. This makes them wide different yet similar at the same time. But if you expect something very close to Exteel, it wont fit. DxM is however great game on its own. Oh and multiplayer here is 4 players max (2v2 and 1v1 pvp or 4 player coop) due to Switch roots.

I too would love to see Exteel 2 one day but probably we wont get anything like that.

[Mech_Monkey]

Used to play ExTeel as well, and I was hoping / looking for something for quite some time now.

Amor / compared to exteel, I think there is more customization here (it has been a few years, right?)
Weapons / somewhat similar I think, maybe a bit more?
Gameplay-wise / bit faster than exteel, more freedom of movement as @Lord-Wolf said
Online / this is down to preference, I am enjoying the coop part, have not tried the pvp, and according to forums, not a smart choice atm
Story / well it has some :D ... not great

+ you can customize your pilot
+ SP / coop missions with characters you meet during the story

Playing it regularly since the release. Still enjoying. I have to add, could be so much better, scan the forums and you will likely find the good and the bad. If you are expecting exteel, you will not be disappointed, more than a replacement for sure BUT - it has its own take on mechs, kinda. Plus, it seems they are open to suggestions...? We will see how far they are willing to take it.

But as a final word(-s) - I would not mind getting it on sale ;)

[[Slayer]]

Mecha is kinda niche itself.

[Gekan]

There are guys working on an exteel private server to bring the game back. They also have a discord.

[Khunvyel]

Thank you everyone for the answers! Those were very informative :)

Originally posted by Lord-Wolf:

What I could say compared to ExTeel is that this game has way more movement and flying for sure X)

Originally posted by Sabi The Worst Player Ever:

DxM is however great game on its own. Oh and multiplayer here is 4 players max (2v2 and 1v1 pvp or 4 player coop) I too would love to see Exteel 2 one day but probably we wont get anything like that.

Sounds like I will put it on the wishlist and wait for a sale. If the gameplay feel is similar enough, I wouldn't mind running co-op with my buddies just to revisit the experience a little.

The main reason what I liked in exteel was the speed and fluidness at which it was delivered, but also the combat mechanics themselves. Everything felt so streamlined, and the matches were exactly my kind of game, with rewards based on winner/loser but based on TIME and if you ragequitted during a session you got a fine :D So even on the losing team it paid to stay.

Originally posted by surprise_me D:

Playing it regularly since the release. Still enjoying. I have to add, could be so much better, scan the forums and you will likely find the good and the bad. If you are expecting exteel, you will not be disappointed, more than a replacement for sure BUT - it has its own take on mechs, kinda.

After you're done with the story, how much more content that prolongues the game's life is there? Or is it "replayability value" based on many difficulty ratings?

Originally posted by Gekan:

There are guys working on an exteel private server to bring the game back. They also have a discord.

So I've heard! I got my hopes also high for that one regulation that happened in the USA saying, that discontinued games are allowed to run for free on a single player machine or LAN environment. Not sure how much that piece of legislation has extended to a more international scale but if we're honest; there are still games that are played on private servers nobody other than a specific group of people have access to so those will never be found and shut down anyhow. But it would be a step in the right direction to allow games that are no longer serviced to live on publicly.

[Kai]

The special fx of DxM is sorta blinding as I lose track of enemy position way too easily... I wonder if maxing the graphics was a good idea when all these 'smoke' effect are cell shaded, and obstructs view, and every single flashing beam and waves that zooms by while you are trying to find your locked on target is a bit of a pain to handle, especially if you focus on close range combat between 100~200 range.

By all standards, this game seems to focus a ton on close combat as you don't seem to have a zoom in function that I've found yet for sniper rifles for 500~700 ranges, nor does shotguns up close and personal is that effective since the projectile spread too far away at the optimal range of 100, and being blinded by all the explosions up close.

And your own mech also blocks your lock on view apparently, there isn't a way to have a bigger FoV?

[Mech_Monkey]

Originally posted by Khunvyel:

After you're done with the story, how much more content that prolongues the game's life is there? Or is it "replayability value" based on many difficulty ratings?

Hmm, I acutally did some of the story missions again, but not exactly due to additional difficulty.

I spend most of the time in co-op, bosses, missions, mecha fights, exploration missions - those are mainly for loot with some additional mechanics.
This is, to an extent, similar to eXteel. Like was it last stand or something? 4 player coop mode ... In here, it is bosses, fight against NPCs, and already mentioned exploration missions.
Free missions in the SP mode can also be done with various NPCs as teammates (some you have to unlock) - you can bring those to online as well. These free missions are mostly for the quick credits, from my experience at least. Not that you need them, game does a good job at providing resources at comfortable pace.

Other than coop, a lot of time is spent customizing mechs. Colours / decals and parts, there is a ton of parts, enough I would say - but if Devs are reading this, we can always use more :-D ... + the mods for the actual parts. A lot of options for sure.

Maybe one more thing, as I said, I would not mind getting it on sale, but at the same time I do not regret buying it straight away (pre-order deal, -20 percent)

[Khunvyel]

Originally posted by Kai:

The special fx of DxM is sorta blinding as I lose track of enemy position way too easily... I wonder if maxing the graphics was a good idea

I know that pain kinda. For me, no matter if my machine can take it, I turn off motion blur, depth of field and anti aliasing by default including any kind of camera shake if possible. Not because I have motion sickness but I just dislike "losing control" of the view, and the only form of antialiasing that looks best is still supersampling. I still hope someone would come out with adaptive supersampling based on camera movement speed, it's about time :D

Originally posted by surprise_me D:

Hmm, I acutally did some of the story missions again, but not exactly due to additional difficulty.
Maybe one more thing, as I said, I would not mind getting it on sale, but at the same time I do not regret buying it straight away (pre-order deal, -20 percent)

I certainly will put it on wishlist for now when it's discounted. How much time did you spend on "completing the game" versus "currently going to exhaust the possibilities of customization?"
My question is not if it's grindy or anything. Similar to eXteel, I don't care if the game modes are repetitive as long as they are fun. I know, fun is subjective, but as an example to gauge it: I don't mind the age of a game when it comes to fun. I still whip out the original Unreal Tournament, or UT3 with friends, same with Master of Orion 2. Finding a proper replacement+upgrade for that proves to be quite the challenge. Alien vs. Predator 2 also owns a special place in my heart, alongside Jedi Outcast/Academy, same as Freelancer. Either the successors just aren't that good or the alternatives are woefully lacking (even Elite Dangerous, while being a potent Freelancer fix, still has some things lacking).

While I do care for game modes on principle because they make for the variety and the fun, sometimes the "journey" is what the fun is about too. If DxM can prolongue it's life similar to Unreal Tournament of just whipping out your Mecha and go exploding things with friends, that's really all there is to it, as long as the game mechanics and the playstyle don't leave me wanting :)

Just as it is now, I'm not sure or yet convinced if the content and the possibilities warrants the price tag.

[Exarch_Alpha]

I finished the game in 30 hours, and had plenty of fun. More than with Mechwarrior 5, which I didn´t finish yet.

It´s a bit grindy, yes, but I still enjoyed it.

[JustACorpse]

Originally posted by Exarch_Alpha:

I finished the game in 30 hours, and had plenty of fun. More than with Mechwarrior 5, which I didn´t finish yet.

It´s a bit grindy, yes, but I still enjoyed it.

Grind is fine if you are enjoying the grind. To that end it holds up pretty decently. I just hope that if they do a sequel, they keep what they have here and expand on it. Except the writing and several things related to the writing.