Penumbra Reviews

[starrynite120]

I'm looking at buying penumbra and am wondering if the complaints about the hacking system have been addressed much. It seems to me its not a bad dlc, just some people just didn't like it mechanically. I know it has been updated to be better explained, I'm just looking for additional feedback on if it has been improved (or if you like it I wouldn't mind hearing why too).

[Bozobub]

Nothing has changed re: hacking. It is what it is.

I like Penumbra about 1/2 the time, when I use the Umbral Choir as a de facto "end game crisis". Playing AS them is silly; they're just too damn OP (and if you make a custom faction using the UC's main mechanics...ouch). Other than as a faux crisis, I don't use Penumbra at all.

In other words, I like it a lot BUT it's not to everyone's taste, nor me all the time ^^'. I imagine, however, that the UC would make a good AI "foil" for a game full of human players.

[Judge Cudge]

Let's put is this way, custom UC is periodically capable of beating custom Vodyani. And since custom Vodyani is roughly six times more powerful than a normal civ, a civ that can do that while invisible is quite strong.

That being said, Jesus Christ why haven't they nerfed custom vodyani?

[Bozobub]

ANY properly-made custom faction, unless made specifically as a "challenge" that's difficult to play, will be extremely strong relative to the "vanilla" factions.

[Mephisting]

Personally i like it.

Like you say most complaints were about the mechanic itself which aren't unfounded. While I enjoy them, UC can be a bit boring to play due to they lack of presence on the board, so that can clearly be a turn off for most. Additionally, complaints over the lack of information/feedback have attempted to be addressed, but I feel that a combination of bugs, UI glitches and so on left many with a bad taste in their mouth. I've gotten to learn about hacking through multiple play-through's with trial and error so i'm pretty comfortable with it, but some people just don't like i. I have a friend I play with who 100% falls into that category. Though one of my favorite things is the new science techs that really make gas giants highly coveted in my systems.

Overall its not something that I can easily recommend because there are real issues to be had with it, but none of it super dire. To me at least.

Edit: just to clarify, I never actually experienced many of the bugs specific to penumbra DLC itself. I had just seen quite a few reports from others.

[strike478]

I didnt liked last expansion so much.

[Judge Cudge]

@Bozobob yes custom factions have a high power level. But custom vodyani is on a whole different level. The best horatio sophon united empire riftborn and unfallen build are all around two to three times as strong as a base civ. And then vodyani sits alone on a yet higher peak getting turn 50 science victory on normal speed. Its roughly 3 times stronger than any other custom civ.

Its power not being noticed makes every other nerf I've seen a joke, as they were all done to worse civs.

[skunkno1]

I bought this expansion but lately I've been playing the game with it unloaded.

[Renesco]

Originally posted by skunkno1:

I bought this expansion but lately I've been playing the game with it unloaded.

Same, it adds so much busywork for little to no reward, and it keeps interrupting the flow of the game demanding that you go hack something

[Groo the one]

Hacking is cool, if you know how to make best use of it. Umbral Choir faction is op - same here - as long as the player knows what he/she is doing.

[strike478]

Originally posted by Groo the one:

Hacking is cool, if you know how to make best use of it. Umbral Choir faction is op - same here - as long as the player knows what he/she is doing.

Hacking has uses and new faction is good. Just I feel like it dramatically increases amount of things you have to do in your turn and usually with little perspecive of gain since its tug of war which is usually won by nobody.

[Judge Cudge]

That's definitely true, I would be fine if hacking was gutted and made unique to umbral choir, but had lessened strengths and stratified defences.

[strike478]

Originally posted by Judge Cudge:

That's definitely true, I would be fine if hacking was gutted and made unique to umbral choir, but had lessened strengths and stratified defences.

Yeah. Lots of work which ends in draw for 90+% of time. If Galactic Civilisation has something what Endless Space is missing this thing are spies. At least in GC2. No idea how cool the are now in GC3 but ill try to learn since GC3 is free.

[Bozobub]

If you route hacks properly, they actually succeed just about 100% of the time ^^'.

[GoodLife]

How does one route hacks properly?

[Bozobub]

NOT directly to the destination. Take a more roundabout route (add nodes to the path). This will make it easy to bypass traces, the #1 cause of failed hacks.