Tried Encased twice but got bored.

[Fei]

Just a warning for people who like CRPG(like me) but won't handle almost 2 hours of introduction.

Encased is well crafted, it's a game that was made with passion i can tell, BUT the rythm is just unbearable, the game tutorial/introduction is so anoying and so long that you need to convince yourself to keep playing, this is not how a game is supposed to start.
A game must first light a fire and keep it warm, but you can't light a fire from nothingness, The spark Encased lightened for me in the first 15 minutes estinguished herself under the laborious talk of the narrator, the pointless tutorial quest, doors and corridors after doors and corridors, the resonnating sound step of the NPC walking in empty rooms, and the lack of any music. (the camera is also very anoying to navigate)
Despite an interesting setting, and great art design the game didn't managed to keep me awake.

[Aachen]

The “pointless tutorial quest” sets up the conditions that govern the bulk of the game, so it’s rather far from.

Sorry that you didn’t get hooked by the game. It happens; sometimes a title doesn’t land with a person.

[Fei]

Originally posted by Aachen:

:Uranium: The “pointless tutorial quest” sets up the conditions that govern the bulk of the game, so it’s rather far from.

I know but i think there is a far better way than going from a NPC to another NPC for 45 minutes to build up the game lore.

[cool skill]

This is as false as can possibly be. There is no "must" light a fire for a game. Sure enough, there are good ways of opening any game with a design that offers>
- More action/less talk
- Exposition to the story without being bogged down in dialogue.
- Incorporates great tutorial with good information as a separate initial phase prior to the main game. With the tutorial information that can be turned off. And ability to bypass the tutorial altogether

Firstly, this game tutorial information can indeed be turned off. And the entire tutorial can be bypassed altogether right after registration prior to getting your initial armor and weapon.

However, none of the points of designing a game to be more action based is a necessary must for all games. As if some kind of rule on how all games must be designed. That is just not at all valid. But what is a 'must' is how the user approaches the game and user expectations. A user must approach and expect this game to be exactly what you're complaining about. It's not a valid complain because that is the expectation coming into the game and a perfectly legitimate design for the game.

A game can be designed in this way where it's much more slower paced. You start off as an employee. And go through all the tutorial stuff in Concord. And this same type of pacing can easily be expected throughout the whole game. Heavy dialogue with NPCs in noncombat areas, exploration and slower paced activities outside of combat. Lots of reading and more reading. The only 'must' is to approach the game expecting this.

When I bought this game on EGS (I don't own it here on Steam), I absolutely expected every single thing you're filing a complaint about. I expected to have to slow down and smell the roses. Not only I expected this type of slower pacing. It was actually what I was looking for and the only reason I found out about Encased. I was trying to find something where I might just walk into a town. Talk to a bunch of NPCs and explore around. Get some missions and some mysteries. Then go off and do something combat related or whatever. And explore around a world

So no. Not only does a game not must light a fire. It can be perfectly fine to be designed with more passivity. In a way that everything is just there whether you ever interact with it or not. Giving the user options on how they want to interact. So yes you are correct that this is a slower paced more passive style game design that requires the user to search, explore, and interact with NPCs. However, you are incorrect in claiming that it must be designed to be less passive and more active.

Yes I get sleepy or restless. In which case, I do take breaks from it. And this even includes taking breaks to play a round of StarCraft 2 or Overwatch or something fast paced. Then come right back to a slow and steady passive game like Encased.

If you haven't already, check out Atom RPG (with expectation of slow paced game play like Encased). It is also similar in pacing to Encased, if not slower. It has a starting tutorial section that actually got added to the game in a later patch after release. That tutorial section is pretty boring, but informative. Yet it can be completely bypassed by choosing an option at the very beginning to skip the tutorial and go to mission briefing. Or anytime during the tutorial you can exit to go to mission briefing. Then, once the game starts, you're basically walking around, searching. Followed by getting to a town and doing lots and lots of talking. Although, you do have the option to explore the outskirts of the town, and get into some minor combat encounters. But you will really need to go into town to progress the story forward. Both Encased and Atom are really passive RPGs. Where the user is simply interacting with whatever is in the surrounding, and going from there.

Wasteland 3 and Divinity OS2 are worth mentioning. As they may be a bit faster paced. Divinity OS2 I think really revolutionized combat with various damage types and combos. Wasteland 3 just has hands down the best combat interface and design. Along with excellently designed cover system. But the story isn't very good or interesting.

I would say Encased is the best option of these games. I haven't beaten the game yet. But after making my character and getting a bit deeper into the game, I'd say I'm already having a better experienced. But this is obviously as long as your intent is to play through whatever it is the game presents to move the adventure forward. Whether it be heavy dialogue, combat, or whatever. The game itself can be fairly passive and the user is interacting with whatever is there.

[misterbill5]

I agree that the beginning is a bit slow-paced, but still interesting and helpful for what follows. I am in Nashville now and there is plenty of action along with conversation and discovery. Overall, I am very pleased with the game, finding it well written, designed, and executed. It reminds me a bit of Underail and the comparison to Atom RPG is also right on. This is not an action game, and I think those who understand this type of game and enjoy that are going to really like it...

[Lethe]

the entire start could have been made a cinematic intro with some choices spread around like a CYOA book

[Zadok Allen]

This incredibly tedious opening level goes on for 2 f-ing hours?!! Okay, I'm done I think. I give up. I'm on my third attempt to play this, and was hoping the forums could provide some motivation to keep plugging away this time. I think I should like Encased based on my game tastes and past favorite games (I'm old enough to have a boxed copy of the first Fallout still sitting on the bookshelf behind me). But this opening level in the welcome station is so terrible that I keep running out of motivation to keep playing, quitting out after a 15 minute or so chunk of boredom, and then finding myself increasingly struggling to find the willpower to hit the 'launch' button until so much time has passed that I decide I need to start over if I want to make another go at at. Bailing now on try #3.

[EolSunder]

its an ok game like many games. The problem with Encased is that it really isn't a combat game. Most of the experience you gain in the game is gained by non combat. You literally can experience your way up to high levels simply by maxing out your reputation and talking skills without fighting anything. And gaining higher levels and gaining more perks then makes your combat super easy to kill the few foes in the game.

So, it isn't challenging even on the hardest difficulty if you know what your doing. Its great for what it is, a basic rpg type game with some fun stuff and major mechanic and leveling problems.

So you have a game where literally you can go to a high populated spot on the map and farm experience for days simply by punching npcs. Since doing most non combat stuff gives experience (even sleeping), that isn't a good game design. I know many games where non-combat is the focus of the game mechanics, and none of them are really great games.

[Garwain]

I kinda liked the tutorial at concord. When I started the game, I wanted to know more about this games world, the dome, and how cronus works - and the tutorial area provided that. For me it was less about introducing the mechanics and more about getting into the story, and the tutorial did that quite nicely.