peaks is not a fast game

[schrodinger_s_kitten]

I've seen more than one person angry/annoyed/whatever other word, english isn't my first language, at the dlc holds for not being fast or something, so I wanted to offer my own perspective on the game! I'm also sleepy and emotional atm, so perfect for pissing ppl off on the internet yeah? \lh

now, not saying peaks isn't a good speed game or that it's not speedrunnable. st in 9 minutes has shown us it is, and the speed tech – not even, just the advanced movement tech is insanely fun. but at its core, in its learning curve, I don't think peaks is a fast game.

I think, much like real-life climbing, peaks is slow and tense.

nowadays, with 160h in the game, having completed tempest, having 100%d the dlc, having started on achievement-hunting, I'd say I'm pretty good at the game. not a speedrunner, but I have a pretty okay understanding of the mechanics. and the way I face new peaks is still the same: slow and tense gameplay. my heart still pounds, my hands still sweat, as I assess the next jump, as I remove a rope I tell myself I don't need now because I'll need it later, as I take the leap i've practised while roped but knowing I could still fall. I still stop after each big leap, even if I know what comes next like the back of my hand, just to gather my bearings, to adjust my grip, to make sure I know where my momentum goes.

peaks is slow and tense. I remember climbing ymir's shadow for the first time, how, even as I risked and greeded out on bounds and skips, there were piss-easy jumps I roped just because I was afraid. I remember like all the dlc peaks like it was yesterday (I finished dlc like 2 weeks ago), stopping when I couldn't see the path instantly, looking all around me, picking up the spyglass and zooming into the rocks to better see shadows indicating holds I'd not seen immediately (looking at you grainne spire), putting down a rope and hopping/swinging around to see if there was anything around the rocks I couldn't see from where I was.

the new holds are a reflection and supplementation of that, imo, and even break that flow. cracks are meant to be taken slowly; I like them a lot, my fave holds tbh. volumes are meant to be done fast but I'm too bad at them to use them for speed boosts so I do them slowly lmao. but volumes and pinches and the long pitch hold sections are meant to give you tension, for you to hurry tf up bc if you don't you know you won't be able to hang on for long enough.

so yeah pretty good stuff. just a defence from my perspective of peaks being a slow, tense game in the process of discovery. it becomes fast as you familiarise yourself with each level and understand the movement and what risks you can take confidently. hell, when I first started on tempest I took an hour for every new kilometre, and after a ~25-hour grind I summitted it with a 2h13min time (most of it was spent on the last km, as were 30 of my ropes). by the end of the grind I was getting to the icicle gauntlet at ~15 min.

there's my thesis: peaks is a slow game. it's slow, tense, and intense. what're your folks' thoughts and experiences? :)

[serkalk]

One thinks then acts while playing Peaks. People first act then think in most of the adventure and action games.

[schrodinger_s_kitten]

Originally posted by serkalk:

One thinks then acts while playing Peaks. People first act then think in most of the adventure and action games.

that's one thing, isn't it? peaks is a platformer though, and platformers are a lot more varied in their approach

[Ninjaboy5056]

I started reading this expecting to rebuttal with how Peaks is both a fast game and a slow game depending on where you are in the learning phase for each individual mountain, but you already covered that and I agree. I'm in full agreement that learning the larger mountains is super tense and slow-paced the first time around. I have a ton of memories of taking my time with stressful jumps that left a pit in my stomach, especially on St. Haelga, that I can now do fairly consistently.

I've still never reached the summit of Solemn Tempest without the safety harness, but I went from two separate attempts that took me 7-8 hours to an attempt where I had to deal with Wally that only took me about five and half. I'd argue the DLC does a great job at boosting your confidence and skill. Some of my favorite DLC climbs are the ones that force you to not use your crampons and you can go very fast on those after some practice.

Most of the new obstacles are fun and fair, adding variety and challenge to these climbs. I want to argue that you can be really fast on cracks if you leap at them dead on, stopping your excess momentum and maintaining your balance, but I use a decent amount of chalk on DLC climbs, so I'm not certain anymore. Either way, Peaks of Yore is fantastic and I'll always love it.

(I was going to go on a tangent about real life climbing and how free soloing is something climbers only do after they've climbed mountains hundreds of times and know the optimal safest route that almost always does not involve jumping or anything like that, (from my understanding, jumping and stuff like that is its own thing that some climbers don't like because of how dangerous it is), but I don't think I know enough about the field to discuss it in detail).

[schrodinger_s_kitten]

Originally posted by Ninjaboy5056:

I started reading this expecting to rebuttal with how Peaks is both a fast game and a slow game depending on where you are in the learning phase for each individual mountain, but you already covered that and I agree. I'm in full agreement that learning the larger mountains is super tense and slow-paced the first time around. I have a ton of memories of taking my time with stressful jumps that left a pit in my stomach, especially on St. Haelga, that I can now do fairly consistently.

lmao you summarised my whole essay so well I write way too many words /lh

Originally posted by Ninjaboy5056:

Some of my favorite DLC climbs are the ones that force you to not use your crampons and you can go very fast on those after some practice.

I knowwwwwww I love them tooooooo!!! it's such a fun challenge to remove a major tool!!

Originally posted by Ninjaboy5056:

I want to argue that you can be really fast on cracks if you leap at them dead on, stopping your excess momentum and maintaining your balance, but I use a decent amount of chalk on DLC climbs, so I'm not certain anymore.

you prolly can but I'm not good enough at them to do that lmao I'm only just starting to get good at volumes

Originally posted by Ninjaboy5056:

(I was going to go on a tangent about real life climbing and how free soloing is something climbers only do after they've climbed mountains hundreds of times and know the optimal safest route that almost always does not involve jumping or anything like that, (from my understanding, jumping and stuff like that is its own thing that some climbers don't like because of how dangerous it is), but I don't think I know enough about the field to discuss it in detail).

same I know ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ abt irl climbing, I was just drawing the vague parallel bc it's clear peaks takes inspiration from it :p

[A Mongoose]

Peaks can be played at any speed, but part of the fun in the base game is that it never stops you from going fast. Meanwhile, a lot of the obstacles and challenges in the DLC require a slower, more delicate approach. Read: not going fast.

I see what the DLC is trying to do, but it's not what made me like Peaks so much. I'd much prefer to have shorter but very technical courses featuring the new holds, where said slower, more delicate approach is actively encouraged.

Courses like Seaside Tribune or the first two arctic courses. Could make a Boulders of Yore DLC.