Good immersion/survival, or too cartoony?

[DarkLustre]

I'm debating over buying this. It looks a little like the Long Dark, which has great dynamics, but kind of hard for me to feel immersed in. What are your recommendations?

[Quillithe]

There's a better thread for suggestions here:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/753640/discussions/0/2967267880884158957/

I was mainly just mentioning games people think are similar to hint to OP that they might like Outer Wilds if they like Subnautica since they're....kinda....similar?

[Tr3m0r]

Postat inițial de DarkLustre:

I'm debating over buying this. It looks a little like the Long Dark, which has great dynamics, but kind of hard for me to feel immersed in. What are your recommendations?

I can relate to what you are describing with immersion and graphical fidelity and art style. I know how frowned upon it is to even mention immersion and graphics but it’s such like coffee shop elitism at its finest. I am a huge fan of immersion and enjoy watching digital foundry waxing over teraflops and pixels.

The game graphics are definitely serviceable and the art style is really nice. It’s not pushing any boundaries and it does intrigue me what an unreal engine 5 nanite and lumen remaster or follow up with path tracing could offer; one can wish. For me the reason many love the game come down to: story, pacing, sound, mechanics, and the intersection of how all the elements including the art style come together as a complete and memorable experience.

My only genuine recommendation as a lifelong gamer and old dude is to focus on the journey and not any specific goals. Think of it as a mindfulness application. This is more like a 40 hour minimum experience at its core. People and sites saying 20 hours don’t factor in how much people embellish their own “blind play through.” I got the DLC after I beat the game and I still am finding new areas and concepts left from the base game. I barely have a dent into the dlc and haven’t yet made my “gentle nudge” post on where to go after doing some very early preliminary things.

Hope this helps

[Quillithe]

Postat inițial de Tr3m0r:

The game graphics are definitely serviceable and the art style is really nice.

I'd add that the art style actually serves the game pretty intentionally - by most of the game being relatively low in detail it means that areas that are higher in detail are clearly marked as important, which helps a lot when trying to explore a (small) solar system.

There's always a tradeoff with detail, leading to all the ultra-realistic games needing to highlight objects because there are a lot of useless detail objects. But with the low detail here you can easily find important locations from orbit which is kinda critical.

[DarkLustre]

Postat inițial de Tr3m0r:

Postat inițial de DarkLustre:

I'm debating over buying this. It looks a little like the Long Dark, which has great dynamics, but kind of hard for me to feel immersed in. What are your recommendations?

I can relate to what you are describing with immersion and graphical fidelity and art style. I know how frowned upon it is to even mention immersion and graphics but it’s such like coffee shop elitism at its finest. I am a huge fan of immersion and enjoy watching digital foundry waxing over teraflops and pixels.

The game graphics are definitely serviceable and the art style is really nice. It’s not pushing any boundaries and it does intrigue me what an unreal engine 5 nanite and lumen remaster or follow up with path tracing could offer; one can wish. For me the reason many love the game come down to: story, pacing, sound, mechanics, and the intersection of how all the elements including the art style come together as a complete and memorable experience.

My only genuine recommendation as a lifelong gamer and old dude is to focus on the journey and not any specific goals. Think of it as a mindfulness application. This is more like a 40 hour minimum experience at its core. People and sites saying 20 hours don’t factor in how much people embellish their own “blind play through.” I got the DLC after I beat the game and I still am finding new areas and concepts left from the base game. I barely have a dent into the dlc and haven’t yet made my “gentle nudge” post on where to go after doing some very early preliminary things.

Hope this helps

I found your Nerdspeak intriguing. I hope you don't mind, I sent you a friend request. I might actually ask you for a vocabulary lesson if you accept. Fair warning.

[Bandy]

I know I <really> need to give this game a 2nd try, just saying, hoping I influence myself by posting, LOL...

[DarkLustre]

Postat inițial de Bandy:

I know I <really> need to give this game a 2nd try, just saying, hoping I influence myself by posting, LOL...

Lol, I was just posting about whether Control gets any better. People don't like it when you ask. You get people who just act like something is wrong with you sometimes. Be forewarned. But I think there is a problem when a game loses you right in the beginning. I think it's ok to say it.

[Quillithe]

Postat inițial de DarkLustre:

Postat inițial de Bandy:

I know I <really> need to give this game a 2nd try, just saying, hoping I influence myself by posting, LOL...

Lol, I was just posting about whether Control gets any better. People don't like it when you ask. You get people who just act like something is wrong with you sometimes. Be forewarned. But I think there is a problem when a game loses you right in the beginning. I think it's ok to say it.

I feel the same way about Control. I think it goes both ways - if a game doesn't offer something it's a bad sign, but sometimes beginnings can be misleading.

For example here sometimes people complain about a toy ship that's far harder to fly than the real thing and a lot of dialogue...when there's very little dialogue as such past the tutorial.

Control felt like a bunch of third person shooting with a x-filesish plot. Which would be great! If I was bigger into either style...

[DarkLustre]

Postat inițial de Quillithe:

Postat inițial de DarkLustre:

Lol, I was just posting about whether Control gets any better. People don't like it when you ask. You get people who just act like something is wrong with you sometimes. Be forewarned. But I think there is a problem when a game loses you right in the beginning. I think it's ok to say it.

I feel the same way about Control. I think it goes both ways - if a game doesn't offer something it's a bad sign, but sometimes beginnings can be misleading.

For example here sometimes people complain about a toy ship that's far harder to fly than the real thing and a lot of dialogue...when there's very little dialogue as such past the tutorial.

Control felt like a bunch of third person shooting with a x-filesish plot. Which would be great! If I was bigger into either style...

Exactly! You said my feelings exactly. I hate third person and the janky way she spins around, runs way too fast and is just to unrealistic is hard to get into. The plot is ok but I'm stuck trying to kill some dude with a red shield. Hey, can I message you? Don't want to get too off topic but maybe you can help me get into it with a few tips?

[Quillithe]

Postat inițial de DarkLustre:

Postat inițial de Quillithe:

I feel the same way about Control. I think it goes both ways - if a game doesn't offer something it's a bad sign, but sometimes beginnings can be misleading.

For example here sometimes people complain about a toy ship that's far harder to fly than the real thing and a lot of dialogue...when there's very little dialogue as such past the tutorial.

Control felt like a bunch of third person shooting with a x-filesish plot. Which would be great! If I was bigger into either style...

Exactly! You said my feelings exactly. I hate third person and the janky way she spins around, runs way too fast and is just to unrealistic is hard to get into. The plot is ok but I'm stuck trying to kill some dude with a red shield. Hey, can I message you? Don't want to get too off topic but maybe you can help me get into it with a few tips?

Oh? About Control? I'm not the right person for that - I got it free on Epic and really didn't get far before deciding it wasn't for me.

[ℌคᛕٱ๓ѻ๓คՇคՇค]

I played The Long Dark, and I played Outer Wilds. The latter is, how should i put it, the most memorable experience I've ever had in gaming. It's an incredible journey. Feel free to read my review here on steam. Buy it if you want to have your mind blown.

[NowThenGoodBad]

Postat inițial de Bobywan:

It's not survival at all.
It's a puzzle exploration game.
And as a big fan of the Long Dark myself, I love both art style and I would add that Outer Wilds is the best game I have EVER played in my long enough gamer career.
It's a game that must not be spoiled so I won't tell more. Just buy it, you won't regret it. :Hearthian_Wink:

I second this. 4 decades of gaming. I've played every type and genre. At first, Outer Wilds sat gathering dust in my library. However, when I finally started playing, each step of the game it got bigger and bigger. It's the type of game that leaves you with that longing for more but happiness that you got to experience it, like a phenomenal book/series or a stage in your life that it's time to move on from.

If they figured out how to expand the universe without taking away from the experience, that would be amazing, but if Outer Wilds stays as it is, I am grateful that I got to experience it.

[Evedel]

not good -- best

[DarkLustre]

These devs need to toss out their intro video and just post these comments. They will sell this game to everyone who reads them. I've never seen anything like this. I'm really so impressed.

[llama747]

Also, PSA, if you get the game, and you find yourself wanting a hint or confirmation about something ...do not under any circumstances go to the wiki for answers, you may think you are careful enough to avoid spoiling things you didn't want to spoil, you are wrong, lol. I have regrets. (There was something I thought was the correct path, but trying to do it was extremely frustrating, and I was only trying to confirm if I was doing the right thing and I should keep trying, or instead go back to looking for clues, and....)

[NowThenGoodBad]

Postat inițial de llama747:

Also, PSA, if you get the game, and you find yourself wanting a hint or confirmation about something ...do not under any circumstances go to the wiki for answers, you may think you are careful enough to avoid spoiling things you didn't want to spoil, you are wrong, lol. I have regrets. (There was something I thought was the correct path, but trying to do it was extremely frustrating, and I was only trying to confirm if I was doing the right thing and I should keep trying, or instead go back to looking for clues, and....)

I have an exception to this:

Sometimes, because of the businesses that I'm building and running, there can be weeks to months between when I play. I forget how to get places. A guide or wiki can help with that without spoiling anything. I'll only look up paths I've already found but forgotten.

What's really special is stumbling across a new way to get to places. I found a certain hole in a certain place which was super special to find. Prior to that, I had been taking a longer way to get places. I won't forget that one now!

I think that some of the paths to get places are super memorable, and it seems to be the most direct ones. For all other ones, unless I've traversed them enough times, it's helpful for me to look them back up after I've found them.

That's just me though.

I am avidly avoiding spoilers though because the lore buildup is just such a rare experience. (Finally started on echos of the eye, It's a very interesting turn in the game)