Too much combat

[Mountain Man]

I like this game. The role playing seems pretty cool. But there's just too much combat. I don't know why developers insist on making their role playing games a relentless slog through one enemy after another. It's needless filler. I sometimes just want to explore an interesting location without having to battle a dozen enemies all within a few hundred yards of each other, especially when the difficulty is so ridiculously uneven. From one encounter to the next, I can never tell if I'm going to mop the floor with my foes, or if I'm going to be the mop, and then it's another reload and either try again or use my meta knowledge to avoid that encounter and come back later. It's just too much.

[Gregorovitch]

This is a valid critisism IMO - some areas the monsters are packed like sardines - the situation being exarcerbated by the fact that you get no XP to speak of and precious little loot of any note from most of these encounters.

The one thing that mitigates against this is getting good at fighting clever, i.e. defeating the mobs without losing any raw health which means you can just truck on through the areas without much trouble or hassle.

It also adds replay value since different party compositions will have different ways of fighting clever.

[Soulmancer]

I don't think there are too many encounters per-say, it's just that encounters are time consuming given that you have to issue specific commands constantly for all 6 characters. Otherwise they have a tendancy to just stand there and do nothing, auto-attack seems broken half the time.

[rn_archl0rd]

Many of the encounters can be avoided by sneaking past but some just can't be avoided as they are part of the quest. Think of it as practice for the ones you have to fight to complete a quest.

[Gregorovitch]

Just wanted to add that I felt this issue to be much more of a problem in the early game than later on. This is partly because it became overshadowed by how good the game becomes in almost all other respects, partly becasue I became much better at conrolling battles and winning without losing raw health, and partly because I got into the whole atmosphere of adventuring in dangerous places successfully in an ironman-ish style (meaning I'm too much of a wimp to play real ironman, but I played for as few reloads as possible).

[matthewheisler]

I'm kind of surprised I dont see too many reviews critisizing the writing. I also wonder why so many people say the writing is amazing. I think they just say it because they're astonished with themselves for reading and lots of words must equal good writing. Eh I wasn't moved by anything that was happening in this game. All I do is read, maybe that's the problem. I need fun from my video games. I just couldn't bring myself to plow through anymore Glanflalthang soulcrystal-gibberish past ACT 2. The combat was ok but yeah it got tedious. It's beautiful but there's a lot of grinding sameyness. Very little sense of reward for all the load screens, walls of text and copy paste battles. The game lacks a sense of humor too. Next time around they should up the fun factor.

[rn_archl0rd]

Originally posted by matthewheisler:

I'm kind of surprised I dont see too many reviews critisizing the writing. I also wonder why so many people say the writing is amazing. I think they just say it because they're astonished with themselves for reading and lots of words must equal good writing. Eh I wasn't moved by anything that was happening in this game. All I do is read, maybe that's the problem. I need fun from my video games. I just couldn't bring myself to plow through anymore Glanflalthang soulcrystal-gibberish past ACT 2. The combat was ok but yeah it got tedious. It's beautiful but there's a lot of grinding sameyness. Very little sense of reward for all the load screens, walls of text and copy paste battles. The game lacks a sense of humor too. Next time around they should up the fun factor.

Well you don't have to read all the stories associated with the gold named NPCs as they are not story related. There is humor in the companions' banter between themselves. And I suppose all the action RPGs and MMOs don't have grinding and repetitive battles. Exactly how do you define fun in today's action RPGs? Surely it is not by body counts based on your post. And were you moved by the stories in games like Diablo 3 and Dark Souls? Are you into instant gratification or do you have the patience to persevere to a climactic ending"?:

[ad]

^ This game is not supposed to be action RPG, but a cRPG.

And the problems with the encounters is that they are tedious and repetitive. A troll and five beetles, hm oh look two trolls and two beatles, oh boy, a troll, two beetles and a mushroom. How fun!

Game has several problems:
- bad encounter design
-too many loading screens
-simple quests
-boring loot
-visually the combat is a clusterfuk
-boring spells.

It looks good, and it reminds of the Infinity Engine games, but what it achieves is making me want to play THEM instead.

[ministrog]

Originally posted by sMull:

^ This game is not supposed to be action RPG, but a cRPG.

And the problems with the encounters is that they are tedious and repetitive. A troll and five beetles, hm oh look two trolls and two beatles, oh boy, a troll, two beetles and a mushroom. How fun!

Game has several problems:
- bad encounter design
-too many loading screens
-simple quests
-boring loot
-visually the combat is a clusterfuk
-boring spells.

It looks good, and it reminds of the Infinity Engine games, but what it achieves is making me want to play THEM instead.

1. the encounters themselves aren't so bad, it's just bad compared to the Souls series. I mean, if they removed the fog of war ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ and I saw the next encounter had 500 other mobs chained agro to it... I'd think twice before rushing in.

2. I have to admit, for a 2d looking game... it's loads far too long to be forgivable. So I agree.

3. Pick your poison; the writing was fine for my taste.

4. Granted I haven't looted every item in the game, I think they made "enough" uniques gear. Do note, spending hundred of hours in a game will make you VERY familiar with any number of items.

5. I can't disagree, haha. There's a limit to IE style graphics.

6. When I slowly leveled up Aloth, I was surprised at the choices too. Too much carbs (copypasta).

I think the main gripe for me is the amount of main quest line c***-blocking. The mobs are not just higher in stats, but come in far greater numbers. Then again, I may be salty for failing so many TCS attempts >.>

[ad]

I just cant undersrtand the loading screens. I mean i played Divine Divinity 1 not too long ago, and entering houses is seamless. Its a fifteen year old game almost.

[Mountain Man]

Originally posted by sMull:

I just cant undersrtand the loading screens. I mean i played Divine Divinity 1 not too long ago, and entering houses is seamless. Its a fifteen year old game almost.

It's the craptastic Unity Engine. I wish so many developers didn't use it, especially when the Unreal Engine exists.

Alternatively, don't waste system resources on a 3D engine when you're making what is for all intents and purposes a 2D game.

[TheGuitArcher]

Originally posted by Mountain Man:

I like this game. The role playing seems pretty cool. But there's just too much combat. I don't know why developers insist on making their role playing games a relentless slog through one enemy after another. It's needless filler. I sometimes just want to explore an interesting location without having to battle a dozen enemies all within a few hundred yards of each other, especially when the difficulty is so ridiculously uneven. From one encounter to the next, I can never tell if I'm going to mop the floor with my foes, or if I'm going to be the mop, and then it's another reload and either try again or use my meta knowledge to avoid that encounter and come back later. It's just too much.

Completely agree. You would think that if they were going to throw so many enemies at you you would get exp or loot but nah...just trash mobs with nothing useful. This is why I quit playing after 50+ hours just became a chore. Amazing music and world design though and I love me some old school crpg goodness just too damn grindy.

[Zenith]

Originally posted by sMull:

^ This game is not supposed to be action RPG, but a cRPG.

And the problems with the encounters is that they are tedious and repetitive. A troll and five beetles, hm oh look two trolls and two beatles, oh boy, a troll, two beetles and a mushroom. How fun!

Game has several problems:
- bad encounter design
-too many loading screens
-simple quests
-boring loot
-visually the combat is a clusterfuk
-boring spells.

It looks good, and it reminds of the Infinity Engine games, but what it achieves is making me want to play THEM instead.

Thanks for spelling it out so clearly. I'm going to wait for bigger discounts before buying. The encounter thing is definitely something I wouldn't enjoy.

[matthewheisler]

\

Originally posted by rn_archl0rd:

Originally posted by matthewheisler:

I'm kind of surprised I dont see too many reviews critisizing the writing. I also wonder why so many people say the writing is amazing. I think they just say it because they're astonished with themselves for reading and lots of words must equal good writing. Eh I wasn't moved by anything that was happening in this game. All I do is read, maybe that's the problem. I need fun from my video games. I just couldn't bring myself to plow through anymore Glanflalthang soulcrystal-gibberish past ACT 2. The combat was ok but yeah it got tedious. It's beautiful but there's a lot of grinding sameyness. Very little sense of reward for all the load screens, walls of text and copy paste battles. The game lacks a sense of humor too. Next time around they should up the fun factor.

Well you don't have to read all the stories associated with the gold named NPCs as they are not story related. There is humor in the companions' banter between themselves. And I suppose all the action RPGs and MMOs don't have grinding and repetitive battles. Exactly how do you define fun in today's action RPGs? Surely it is not by body counts based on your post. And were you moved by the stories in games like Diablo 3 and Dark Souls? Are you into instant gratification or do you have the patience to persevere to a climactic ending"?:

Oh you dont have to read the gold named NPCs stories? Is that because they are long and pointless and boring and happen far to often? Great writing. Good writing involves cutting out non esential information and making every word matter. Listen, when I walk into a tavern I dont need to be told "you hear the sounds of loud talking and dishes rattling and music" because I have speakers that are already playing the sounds. I mean they describe the scenery in the text when it's already being shown with graphics. Imagine a movie where a narrator is describing everything the character is doing as he's doing it? It's retarded writing. It's someone who cant edit and just wants to stuff a game with words.

I'm into instant gratification with video games since you asked. I want them to provide powerful blasts of delicious dopamine to my brain. "patience to persevere" sounds like a horrible way to describe an activity that is supposed to be fun. I'm already doing that with my real life. These type games can still be fun. I relished Divinity Original Sin because it remembered to not take itself so seriously and spare you boring ♥♥♥♥. PoE was like swimming through quicksand.

[Clarence Boddicker]

Guys I can only buy one(that's a lie) which do I get Divinity or Pillars?

[matthewheisler]

Originally posted by Mad Bank:

Guys I can only buy one(that's a lie) which do I get Divinity or Pillars?

Do you kind of chuckle at elf lore and soul-crystals and just want to have a good time? Divinity.

Are you dead serious about elf lore and soul-crystals and think tedium is a small price to pay get more and more of it? Pillars.