Some thoughts on the crypt incursions

[phonon5891]

These are just some of my personal opinions and observations on the new incursions, especially the tier-2 crypt one.

Maybe it's just my age, but the crypt incursion stands out to me for all the wrong reasons.
1. It's way too dark -- I get that it's appropriate for the whole crypt/cemetery/graveyard theme, but right now it feels *too* dark -- it feels harder to navigate than deep forest caves, and that's the "darkest" "normal" biome in terms of overall textures.
2. Perhaps the darkness might not be that much of an issue if not for the textures and objects seemingly having too little contrast with each other in such a dark environment.
3. And even point 2 might not be too much of a problem if not for the fact that the whole area just feels too cluttered -- too many fences, coffins, and trees to bump into. (Also super annoying for ranged chars)
4. There seems to be not much of a difference in mob spawn rate between extraction and hunt type incursions -- is this intended? High spawn rates are good for hunts, but quickly gets very tiresome for extractions.
5. In addition to all the points above, the crypt extractions are especially un-fun because, unlike extraction missions in *all other incursions* the ores do not light up in the crypt ones. Spelunker potions don't help either. So often I'm forced to run around avoiding enemies and objects while placing torches and bombing things left and right while keeping an eye out for small black triangles with blue dots amidst the darkness. It really sucks the fun out of the incursion, and to me it feels more like a chore than the "dynamite fun time" it usually is in other incursions.

Sorry just had to rant after spending half an hour trying to find one last ore vein to summon the bat swarm boss.

[King Dedede]

The trick I learned with crypt incursions early on is that it's better to use the map for navigation rather than the screen itself. The ore deposits come in blue and red squares and they stick out against the grays and browns of the map. It's not a perfect solution, but I'm hoping that we get another pet that lights up a larger area in the future.

[Fair]

Yea, some adjustments are definitely needed on the colors of the crypt incursions. Hunt incursions spawn rate do increase as you kill more enemies, while extraction it stays the same.

In my testing, I learned that there can be a huge difference between monitors. So I guess that is why a lot of bigger budget games have the gamma/brightness calibration in the beginning :)

[Elphame_Gold]

I am on a low budget setup, and I must say, I find zero difficulty in spotting the nightsteel ore nodes. They even seem to stand out quite a bit. I suppose all of the above mentioned points from the OP i would be inclined to disagree with.

Point 1: personally i find that the level of darkness encourages a certain pace. I am not a fan of games built solely for speed running, and seeing a game encouraging taking the time to properly place torches a nice touch. Slowing down, and not "wishing it was already over" goes a long way. If somebody is in such a hurry to be done with the incursion, they shouldnt be in it anyways. I dont mean that directed at anybody in particular, just an general statement. The darkness is quickly nullified via torches, and i feel that each torch illuminates a really nice area. I like slowly making my way through a mining incursion, and finding all the shiny bits! xD lol

point 2: I will agree with this somewhat, although i think its more to do with just how darkness is handled in this game. But as touched on in point 1, once an area is illiminated, the contrasts feel pretty nice imo. Its that grey area between light and dark that can seem a touch off.

Point 3: for my response, I'll assume youre referring specifically to the graveyard incursion. I will first admit that i'm aware of how objects can hinder a rangers playthrough, but i dont actively play ranger much, so i dont experience them personally. In terms of aesthetics though, I think the graveyard biome is absolutely stunning, and a very nice addition to the game. It really highlights all the things i could imagine, and delivers new resources while doing so. I also love that you have to actively participate in the incursion if you wish to gain access to not only nightsteel, but deadwood. Im a bit of a builder, and having a new building palette has really given me some new build ideas.

point 4: Fair already responded, but yea i noticed that as you progress the hunts get pretty chaotic.... in a good way. In regards to the quantity of mobs during mining missions, i personally think they are at a good level. Again as i mentioned, not a fan of speed running, and without mobs to not only slow you down, but to make you actually stop and engage in a thrilling combat, all you'd be doing is running around as fast as you could, snatching up ore, and fighting a boss. The enemies are a really fun aspect of the game, and they keep you engaged in the moment. 10/10 for sure.

Point 5: Ok and for the nightsteel, as i mentioned, just seems easy to spot. Its such a splash of color that even when it pops up on the edge of the screen, it really grabs my attention. I was unaware of the map trick though, that sounds pretty nice. Not much to say on this other than i think spelunker effect would be pretty nifty.

I realize all of these are very subjective opinions, so not trying to discredit anybody, just my two cents for what they are worth lol.
______________________________

OK now for my own "rant" of sorts. lol

Weapon locks for villagers, would love to see them only restricted from accessing the newest top tier weapons. Specifically the carapace dagger i would love to let my villagers use.

the first 3 bosses from the deeps you can allow, but sage and grit seems to be off limits. I noticed the slime glaive is allowed though, but not the slime greatsword (side note would love a normal sword version of this)

other thing of note:

Blood Essence. Because of the weapon restrictions, theres really no need for blood essence other than the initial like.... 35? thats needed to craft the new weapons... which you pretty much get from your first boss kill. the night razor (which its stack size went from 20 down to 4, for enchanting purposes i'd imagine) requires 5 each, so 20, and then 3 other weapons.... 15. that totals 35 unless im missing something. And since they are restricted from villagers, youll never need them again unless you somehow lose your weapon, i suppose... so another 5 for a back up.

Ultimately, this makes the nightsteel mining runs a matter of just mining up the ore and leaving before the boss. No point in fighting the boss at this point because blood essence is pointless.

Perhaps another need of this essence would be helpful?

[phonon5891]

Originally posted by Fair:

Yea, some adjustments are definitely needed on the colors of the crypt incursions. Hunt incursions spawn rate do increase as you kill more enemies, while extraction it stays the same.

In my testing, I learned that there can be a huge difference between monitors. So I guess that is why a lot of bigger budget games have the gamma/brightness calibration in the beginning :)

This is an excellent point. My current display is IPS, and is in general "darker" than my older TN monitors. However, IPS/VA displays are generally better at color accuracy, so my concern about lack of contrast stands. I suppose that means one solution would be to have an in-game gamma/brightness slider under the graphics settings. I tried adjusting these directly from my monitor, but found that it led to the rest of my OS being too bright.

The map trick *should* be useful, but as I populate the area with torches to be rid of the darkness, I add more and more yellow dots to the mini/map, cluttering it up and making it harder for me to notice the ore veins/nodes.

And before I forget, another thing that bugs me is that we have four damage types right now, but AFAIK only ranged has no weapons that pierces blocks. Melee has reaper scythe, magic has dredging wand, summon has vultures (among others). Closest that ranged gets is the cannon (which is kinda meh late-game) and the desert bow (pierces mobs but not blocks). Maybe introduce some ammo that has some block-piercing ability, but only mediocre damage output? It would be useful in the crypt incursion, with so many projectile-blocking objects there.