No way to respec? Have to restart?

[laagamer]

Howdy, everyone. I'm about 6'ish hours in, and like every new player, have discovered some of my build mistakes. Like, I didn't realize the amount of tagged skills. I never tagged a weapon skill. Ect.

Is there seriously no way to respec? That's a very...archaic...decision if so.

[Vince]

There's no way to respec, but you can still tag any skill you want without losing anything as it simply increases the current level by 2.

[laagamer]

Originally posted by Vince:

There's no way to respec, but you can still tag any skill you want without losing anything as it simply increases the current level by 2.

Thanks for the response. Having fun, truly I am, but I won't lie, I like having the option to respec and correct mistakes.

[nzguzzi]

Originally posted by laagamer:

Originally posted by Vince:

There's no way to respec, but you can still tag any skill you want without losing anything as it simply increases the current level by 2.

Thanks for the response. Having fun, truly I am, but I won't lie, I like having the option to respec and correct mistakes.

What build mistakes?

[laagamer]

Originally posted by nzguzzi:

Originally posted by laagamer:

Thanks for the response. Having fun, truly I am, but I won't lie, I like having the option to respec and correct mistakes.

What build mistakes?

I invested some TAG skills a little less than ideal when I first started.

[LDiCesare]

That doesn't mean your build is not viable. You may be able to do the game by just talking your way out of everything, but that does force you to play to the strengths and weaknesses of your character.

[TotallyNotEvilBean]

you can never go home again

[stadtpark-hartmut]

Nobody ever only does one playthrough with this game. It's a feature, not a bug.
You can do a playthrough on a long weekend. And with that foreknowledge, you do some more optimized playthroughs. Very likely 4 (or 7, if you want to see all endings; or want a run with every Heroic Ability)-

If you love respeccing and playing a 180h game, play BG3.

Colony Ship is more like 30-40h, but then you replay half a dozen times.

[laagamer]

Originally posted by stadtpark-hartmut:

Nobody ever only does one playthrough with this game. It's a feature, not a bug.
You can do a playthrough on a long weekend. And with that foreknowledge, you do some more optimized playthroughs. Very likely 4 (or 7, if you want to see all endings; or want a run with every Heroic Ability)-

If you love respeccing and playing a 180h game, play BG3.

Colony Ship is more like 30-40h, but then you replay half a dozen times.

I have news for you, friend. The vast majority of players never even finish a game.

Look at trophy percentages for anything you play.

[stadtpark-hartmut]

I disagree hard on that.

You buy an RPG that introduces "choices that matter", and then you remove the consequences of choice?

Don't make it a sandbox. Don't dumb it down. - It's a meta-game-puzzle in that you need experience / fore-knowledge for maximized builds, and fullest experience, and I like it that way.

Optimizing your build / min-maxing your lp and xp and loot in a game that has no random encounters or respawns, a game with absolutely fixed rewards, finding the most optimal way through the content (depending on what you are optimizing for) has been the draw to this game for me since Beta.

Even from a narrative point you want at least 4 playthroughs to see the slightly different sides of the coin (- I admit that that was done even better in Age of Decadence).


Edit:
Putting a sandbox mode on-top, so you can just play around with the system, once you are bored with the content: sounds like a 10th anniversary "Oldies-but-Goldies"-edition: releasing all tools once you no longer suport the game, so it can still have a life in the Mod-Community...

[Wrath of Dagon]

Once again I have to say these issues could be improved if the original combat demo was included as a stand alone combat tutorial. Not only would anyone completing it become an expert in CS combat, but it's an easy way to choose different build options and try them out immediately without going through the full game, at least as far as combat is concerned.

[Fletch]

Originally posted by Wrath of Dagon:

Once again I have to say these issues could be improved if the original combat demo was included as a stand alone combat tutorial. Not only would anyone completing it become an expert in CS combat, but it's an easy way to choose different build options and try them out immediately without going through the full game, at least as far as combat is concerned.

Interesting. Does that "original combat demo" still exist somewhere (have a link)?
I'd like to try it out to get a better handle on combat myself. Thanks!

[Wrath of Dagon]

It probably exists on the developers' computers, but since it hasn't been updated for current game systems it has not been available to public for quite some time, and it's been replaced by the current demo which is just the first chapter of the game.

[stadtpark-hartmut]

Just watch the tutorial videos.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/648410/discussions/0/3954784199557696314/

Everything else is specific to the combat you are trying. Not much sense in a specific "trainer demo", when you have problems with specific fights. Use your brain to find the best positions and moves.


Sometimes there are obvious solutions: e.g. you don't have high enough Ini to act first, and the enemy acting first throws an EMP - like in the "Warring Kingdom" quests / fight on the third "tower" on Maintenance Deck / ECLSS; or when you have to fight Cobra when she is sieging the Armory.

Solution; Equip Cloak Gizmo / Stealth Shield. - And Yes, you can have 4 of those by the time you do Warring Kingdoms: you can't have them all upgraded, but you only need to make that enemy "Wait" a single turn, so you can down him.

As for Cobra: use the stealth mission, get out and take her down (you can even distract the Robot if you bring a 2nd Char).


You hate that Six Banger Jack's crew throws a blinding grenade before you can take the guy down? EIther equip blind resisting helm (aka Welders Helmet; and yes, you can have 4 of those (at least Old ones), or you try using the same tactic as before).

Often positioning is key: like in the Smiles fight in the Factory, or the Robot fight in ECLSS. And there's always more than one solution: if you watch videos of other players, you will find that everyone has found their own solution.

Grenades are your friends: for the Smiles fight I usually use a Brain Disruptor and a Gas grenade for example. (And Smiles has a blinding grenade that you should / could use too).

And if you know that the enemy throws Smoke equip night viion (- like the Mission Control Side-Room Thugs).

If the enemy throws Gas, like the Return to Pit Court 2nd fight (the brewers): equip Gas masks... - it's not exactly rocket science.

[Wrath of Dagon]

The problem is trying to do a character build before you understand the system. Figuring out a strategy for a particular fight is a different issue. Btw, the tutorial videos should be linked from the game menu, not everyone will go to the forum before playing.