Is there really any strategy?

[Jimutt]

I'm thinking of buying this game. Kind of like the idea, but after looking at a couple of guys playing it I've got one major concern. Is there any strategy in the game really?

The few videos of actual gameplay that I've seen have mostly shown players running around with their squad in open fields while after a while getting attacked by zombies from all directions. Then they've had to find some sort of cover and then just sit here until all enemies are defeated.

What I mean is that to me it looks like the gameplay is pretty repetitive and there's not many situations where you can actually use a more mobile, dynamic "Breach & Clear" gameplay (as the title of the game suggests. Have I got this wrong (I probably could as I've not seen that much of the game) or is "Camp & Clear" a more suitable title?

[Hippyshake]

Originally posted by Jimutt:

I'm thinking of buying this game. Kind of like the idea, but after looking at a couple of guys playing it I've got one major concern. Is there any strategy in the game really?

The few videos of actual gameplay that I've seen have mostly shown players running around with their squad in open fields while after a while getting attacked by zombies from all directions. Then they've had to find some sort of cover and then just sit here until all enemies are defeated.

What I mean is that to me it looks like the gameplay is pretty repetitive and there's not many situations where you can actually use a more mobile, dynamic "Breach & Clear" gameplay (as the title of the game suggests. Have I got this wrong (I probably could as I've not seen that much of the game) or is "Camp & Clear" a more suitable title?

Nope. I'd say you're pretty much right on point. While I have upgraded a couple of weapons, and my guys have levelled a few times, I still haven't used any skills or upgraded...just haven't needed to. Haven't needed any med kits yet either. I threw a bomb once, though.

[Tr3VR]

later you do fight other servivors and then they throw diffrent zombie types such as ones that spit acid at you, so cover does come into play

[Abstract-Player]

Originally posted by Jimutt:

players running around with their squad in open fields while after a while getting attacked by zombies from all directions. Then they've had to find some sort of cover and then just sit here until all enemies are defeated.

This!

After playing one coop match and few missions in single player.. the game is all about running around on the streets.. kill some random monsters.. gather loot.. and do the missions. I needed just 2 times to open a door so far. There is nearly no tactic and null strategy. I found just 2 situations so far where I could flank enemies with half of my squad.. but this was even not needed. I threw just 1 bomb at all. I used medic packs only once as I rashed into a bunch of monsters. There is no need to use the special abilities, flares, grenades, mines and stuff. Just check that your squad always look to the monsters direction.. and let them shoot.

Weapon upgrades are nice ( maybe ) but I don't know if they are needed. The skills are nice too ( maybe ) but I don't know if the 3% or 5% bonuses will be really noticable.. and many skills you will not need ( for example different weapon specializations on one soldier ).

The game presents itself as some arcade shooter.. with nice tactic possibilities.. which nearly never come to use. The devs throw all the potential away.

And last but not least.. the game is full of bugs. The more I play.. the more annoying bugs I find. Coop is bugged like hell ( could play coop only 1 of 30-40 tryouts ), savegame issues, soldiers forget their commands, soldiers don't follow the leader, mission or map exits don't work, and and and..

This is no final game version.. and even no beta title.. this is early access at it's finest.


Edit: Now I'm in the Jupiter office building.. and there are a lot of doors. But nothing special. Just office next to office.

[ThePraetorian]

Zombies might not need that much strategy, sure.

Wait till you start running into human enemies. They'll slaughter you if you stay out in the open ;).

[Abstract-Player]

Okay, I'm on it!

[Aggroteck]

At the moment I'm level 8, and lost 5 members I total, the only thing I did was move all 4 of my guys simultaneously and focus fire on key targets, if things go wrong, back off and repeat.

Agreed with ThePraetorian, outside of losing 3 guys at once by being ambushed from all directions inside a building by a large group of zombies, the human enemies are a bit more annoying.
They stay in cover and they will hurt you, so far I had no issues taking them out by either walking all the way around and flanking them or tossing a grenade, molotov or any other AoE throwable in their general direction.

I'm hoping the game will increase in difficulty eventually or they have a new game + which increases it.





EDIT
Just finished the game, green and blue weapons/armour, nothing upgraded over 50% and did not need any strategy. Entire squad at level 11.

[Abstract-Player]

Okay.. my team did it.. and went back to main menu.

The humans are somehow less dangerous as the zombies. Some zombies are very fast.. they always move.. and in groups they can be dangerous. Not in the open.. but in dungeons. The humans mostly stay at spawning point.. they often don't move, even if you attack them in close combat.. they never use explosives or snipers.. often you can easy fall into their back because they don't only camp at their position, they also never turn around.

At map three or so I thought "now I get some good weapons.. now the game can start". I was thinking about the need to find med packs because we cannot buy / craft them. But a few hours later.. the game suddenly ended with a big boss.

I needed maybe 5 med packs at all ( only used with full-heal-ability of the medic, all with the big boss ). The other time I got healed in safe house or in the storage levels in dungeons. Non of my soldiers ever died.

About tactics and strategy: It nearly doesn't exist. If you go into fight.. just ensure that your soldiers look to the enemies.. and let them shoot until finish. If enemies come to close.. go back while shooting ( in command mode ). Upgrading your weapons is closest to strategy. And you need to mix your team. Best way is that every soldier has another weapon type.. so you will not run out of ammo that fast ( except SMG, you will always run out of SMG ammo even with just one weapon ).

The weapon upgrades, armor and stuff.. are somehow nice. Because you can check what you have found, compare it to your stuff, sort things out, upgrade your team. But as your soldiers become better and stronger.. the enemies become stronger at the same time. So there is no real benefit of using better stuff.

Skill trees are 90% unneeded. I was using the throwable explosive pack sometimes.. and the full-heal-ability of the medic a few times. Oh and sometimes in dungeons I was using the show-all-enemies ability of my sniper ( but it was never needed ).

I never used grenades, molotovs, flashbangs, flashlights.. or any other stuff like that. I have equipped all my soldiers appropriate their abilities.. but this was also not needed.

=

While doing a savegame at the last map.. I noticed a new command in main menu: Campaign -> Load savegame +. There is still the Campaign -> Load savegame button. Actually I don't know what the + means. There is just this savegame listed. With a #!##!## note. Maybe I can start over from scratch with a harder difficulty.

However.

I would play the game again. It's perfect if you want some fast action.. and the possibility to save + exit after a few minutes if needed.

And I will try coop more often. Communication is very very important here. Much more as in other games. If one player send his soldiers into death.. you are left alone.. with half of the team.. half of the weapon types.. half of the abilities. And the dead soldiers can respawn in safe house only. But it was very funny to coordinate the movement and attacks.

[Kendov]

my team: 2 mg troopers, 1 explosives expert, 1 scout (sniper). Leader and Medic are only ever useful if your people already get hurt and there was only one situation in my entire first playthrough where that happened, which was the last level of a dungeon which I went through for the great weapons. that aside, even against human enemies I managed my people to get through with scratches only. Then again, I'm the kind of guy who played even Bioshock Infinite like a stealth shooter, keeping to corners and sniping everyone.

Skills in my team, everyone gets the improvised bomb. free AOE damage is invaluable. save the grenades for when your free skills are on cooldown. 1st playthrough had one mg, went with 2 for the next because supression is the ultimate boss stopper. just keep him supressed with one, when that runs out switch to the other one and reload. Permastun. I also do a lot of manual tageting, such as sniper always targeting faraway high-damage enemies first. Tactics and battlefield strategies are not quite necessary for this game, unless you go for flawless. IMO there should be more punishment for just going in guns blazing.

[wk37781]

they could of gave us a turn-based option to switch to for more tactical options the game, with random encounters for a better replay ability