The future of Outcast?

[Zaxx]

I was a bit afraid before playing the remake because Second Contact is really not much more than a graphical facelift to a game that feels outdated in a number of ways compared to modern action-adventure titles. I love the game but it looked to me that modern graphics would create dissonance with the old gameplay that would overall hurt the experience but to my surprise it really didn't.

Sure, the game feels old in a number of ways but it's interesting to see just how this genre got dumbed down over the years in a modern context compared to Outcast. The handholding, the objective markers, the run of the mill missions, all the loot visible on your map, the lack of puzzles, the somewhat dodgy world building and immersion etc. and well, these are all problems Outcast doesn't really have. Even with the new, more helpful map it's super immersive to ask around in order to find talans and really the game is like "here, you're in an alien world, we'll give you a lot of information but you have to figure out things for yourself" and that's just ♥♥♥♥ing great. That's where the game manages to shine even in a modern context.

Also, Second Contact is kinda innovative in one regard: it really proves that you don't need an Assassin's Creed AAA budget to make an open world action-adventure game. Not being AAA but rather "middleware" like the games from Piranha Bytes or Spiders has the benefits of letting the developers get away with stuff they simply could not get away with in the AAA space like the lack of handholding.

For this, I hope that if there is ever an Outcast 2 (and I really hope there is because the potential of this world is huge) the design of it will stay true to the original game in the sense that the sequel's improvements won't be about handholding but rather about giving more depth to the gameplay and a bigger variety in player choice. That's where the future of Outcast is, that's where it can offer a different - and to the core gamer, a better - experience than an AAA action-adventure game.

[Zaxx]

Ursprungligen skrivet av Alex626:

Ursprungligen skrivet av Totems:

All fans can participate in our "Planet Adelpha" christmas giveaway on YouTube to catch a glimpse of the future and improve your personal Outcast collection:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnmxoReLNu0

Why always German on Belgian? Outcast's management main fault was the loss of the US market. And now they do that again. So English is a first priority.

It's Planet Adelpha, a very old German fansite, it's not official.

[Samogon]

I know, Planet Adelpha is a fan site. But there's no official English website with community. The first PR materials were also published on non-English websites, first videos were in German or French languages. I can understand it's due to the devs can't speak English. But I can't understand how this is possible in the 21st century? No proper PR materials because you don't speak English? You can hire a translator, you can hire English community manager, especially when you have a publisher. Or attend to courses, if we only have a low-budget option.

[Zaxx]

I think Outcast Universe is pretty good and I have a strong suspicion that it's supported or at least encouraged officially:
http://www.outcast-universe.com/

[PlanetAdelpha]

Indeed they're a great Outcast source. Officially supported fansites and community leaders in contact with the developement team:

http://www.outcast-universe.com/ (English)
http://planet-adelpha.de/ (German)
http://www.outcastii.info/ (French)
http://universo.outcastspain.com/ (Spanish)

[netshaman]

I would love to see this game in VR !

[Samogon]

Ursprungligen skrivet av netshaman:

I would love to see this game in VR !

It would be your scariest nightmare! Unity graphics.

[Tosh]

I am not sure I want to play it in VR (I am prone to VR sickness so moving around would suck for me) but I would love to just stand in one place in Shamazaar and look around. To me the graphics are beautiful. To each his own, I guess.

[Samogon]

If Outcast SC was made with CryEngine, it would be beautiful. At least UE4. Even the first materials made on FreshEngine looked better. But Unity graphics is from past century.

[netshaman]

Ursprungligen skrivet av Alex626:

Ursprungligen skrivet av netshaman:

I would love to see this game in VR !

It would be your scariest nightmare! Unity graphics.

Why ?
You think that actual graphics for the game are crap ?

[balnazzard]

I honestly dont understand the complaints about Second Contacts Unity graphics either....while the game ofc isnt up to modern day triple A titles, aside from ugly character animations and in some cases, the character models themselves, the game looks quite nice imho.

Overall the graphics are not the problem in this remake....that's the one thing Appeal invested the most and the result is good imho, apart from formely mentioned animations.

There are so many other things you can complain about this remake, but imho the graphics are the last on that list.

[Epero]

Ursprungligen skrivet av balnazzard:

I honestly dont understand the complaints about Second Contacts Unity graphics either....while the game ofc isnt up to modern day triple A titles, aside from ugly character animations and in some cases, the character models themselves, the game looks quite nice imho.

I agree.

[netshaman]

Ursprungligen skrivet av Epero:

Ursprungligen skrivet av balnazzard:

I honestly dont understand the complaints about Second Contacts Unity graphics either....while the game ofc isnt up to modern day triple A titles, aside from ugly character animations and in some cases, the character models themselves, the game looks quite nice imho.

I agree.

I agree too !

[Tosh]

Ursprungligen skrivet av Alex626:

If Outcast SC was made with CryEngine, it would be beautiful. At least UE4. Even the first materials made on FreshEngine looked better. But Unity graphics is from past century.

Sorry but Cry > UE4 > Unity is just not true. All three engines use modern rendering techniques, the rest comes down to art direction and production.

[Samogon]

Ursprungligen skrivet av Tosh:

Ursprungligen skrivet av Alex626:

If Outcast SC was made with CryEngine, it would be beautiful. At least UE4. Even the first materials made on FreshEngine looked better. But Unity graphics is from past century.

Sorry but Cry > UE4 > Unity is just not true. All three engines use modern rendering techniques, the rest comes down to art direction and production.

So that only proofs they invested less efforts in graphics and asset quality than a volunteer team made into community-driven project so that the game looks like 2006 title. Either bad engine or bad art direction and management. Both ways are bad.

http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/9/8116/polar_evening_on_Adelpha.jpg
http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/9/8116/Frozen_Cave.jpg

[Zaxx]

Ursprungligen skrivet av Alex626:

Ursprungligen skrivet av Tosh:

Sorry but Cry > UE4 > Unity is just not true. All three engines use modern rendering techniques, the rest comes down to art direction and production.

So that only proofs they invested less efforts in graphics and asset quality than a volunteer team made into community-driven project so that the game looks like 2006 title. Either bad engine or bad art direction and management. Both ways are bad.

http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/9/8116/polar_evening_on_Adelpha.jpg
http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/9/8116/Frozen_Cave.jpg

Honestly if that looks better to you than Second Contact then there is something very wrong with your eyes. :)