Hi everyone !
I believe it's time I start making the detailed feedback I told about at the beginning
Here though it will just be an Introduction, like some sort of first throw or impression you see ... Here we go !
Introduction:
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So in overall the mechanics with special items (that show on the left of the screen) is kinda nice and functions really well. The only complain I would have about it is the fact that you have to press "use/open" everytime you want to pick them up and, even though it's not a big deal, one can easily forget about it and have problems. Especially since some of the special objects are flat sprites which can easily be missed if placed on tables or shelves.
As for Boss Slayer items it's also a nice addition that works quite well, some bosses become a cakewalk while some others become more bearable, for instance the Powerglove is quite hard without the slayer. Also, with a few exceptions, those items are easily identified in my opinion. Only problem is that it doesn't always inform you of what weapon is affected by the item and once you reach the Steel Mill the "Boss Slayer Found" message will remain active forever ...
Finally a quick mention of the Crystal Ball of Life, well the idea is interesting and its duration is quite good I believe it lasts 3 minutes and 20 seconds which is good. Although personally I don't have much use for it because of my gameplay style and the fact I find a lot of the atomic healths of the game so it never really does its job with me HOWEVER it's always a good safety to have whenever you're having a hard time avoiding attacks and are taking a beating then this thing is good to help you stay alive (along with allowing you to save on medkit use) and you can never spit on such things.
Now about the weapons. I'm always kinda sad when there's default DN3D guns but at least, contrary to Oblivion, we can have them different (will talk about it later). About the RPG it's weird that IMO we don't get much ammo for it, in overall (apart from boss rooms) we get more Devastator than RPG which is weird since the Devastator is really powerful, Also it still shoots rockets whereas the Trequonia site states that it's supposed to shoot laser rockets like in Oblivion (same for Devastator). Now the Slot 7 weapon is quite nice, I love its pick-up sprite, and it's an interesting mechanic to change the crystal inside it (it's too bad that we can't see the change on the sprite). So far I only got to use the default Pink gem which is already good, especially since you can spam enemies with it, and the Red gem which renders the weapon WAY more powerful and useful even though this time you can't spam enemies (a few shots will not apply the effect as long as the energy sphere is present). I can't mention the Cyan gem since I never found it in the current state of things :/. As for the alternate version I also like it a lot, very powerful and can hit lots of enemies at once although the only complain is how long it takes for the red balls to explode but timing does everything. Mention of the Devastator, it's nice to have the gameplay and power like in Oblivion back, and the new sound makes using it feel more powerful and satisfying than the Devistator from Oblivion, AND to top things up we get quite a lot of ammo for it in overall ! Still weird that the Trequonia site states it shoots laser rockets while in-game it still shoots rockets but that's just details ... Quick mention of the new kind of explosion of TripBombs, it clearly makes them more useful than in vanilla gameplay and also less broken or abusive than the Sonic TripBoms of Oblivion. However I don't know why but I almost never get to use them, also despite their power it still feels a bit underpowered against special enemies like the Grey Enforcers for instance. Lastly the UEPB-8000 ... YES, YES, FREAKING YES. I love that weapon
It's exactly the same as some of AMC weapons but even more abused >> not practical to use because of the charging time and how easily you can kill yourself with it but damn it's so powerful and satisfying to use, it's pretty much like a "portable-rechargeable-SmartBomb Launcher" and I definitely approve ! Also it sounds nice and satisfying. Finally it's weird but its pick-up sprite makes it look like the gun's chassis/body is based on a 1911's >_>
Also it's nice that the melee attack does more damage than normal, I tend to use it from time to time even though I don't necessarily need to save ammo, just sad that we can't have "quick-kick" to work but I guess it's disposable ...
As for "add-ons" and such, so far I haven't found the "Orb of Power" and "Level 3 Self-Repairing-Armor". Self-Repair Armor may sound gadget like since we get armor quite often in the game but sometimes you can take so much of a beating that having Lv1 and especially Lv2 is kinda useful since it's almost like a permanent damage reduction from enemies and trust me in that game it's something you don't want to spit on ! The level you find Lv1 on may be tedious to navigate but JUST for that it's totally worth it if you ask me (it's exactly what I thought when I found it for the first time along with its level "Just for that it was worth the trouble"). Then about the "Bridge Maker", as I call it, it works very well and it's quite a powerful item to get ! Once again, the level you find it in may be hard to find and navigate but in the end it's TOTALLY worth the trouble, maybe even more than Lv1 self-repair armor.The ability to create a, potentially super long, bridge can totally negate certain difficulties like "phasing platforms" or "Elevating platforms" and such. And it also allows to find A LOT of secrets, many of which are just ammo and atomic health but some allow to find other special items such as the Red Gem for instance. Only complain is that it permanently renders the weapon less practical to use against enemies since it temporarily creates obstacles, to tell you the truth once I reached Steel Mill I never used it as a weapon ever again. Now about weapon add-ons I got the chance to test them all and 1_ Pistol add-on is quite useful since it renders the pistol more efficient than without it just because of the given damage output and beefy sound, only downside is that you loose the ability to hit enemies from insane range with autoaim but once you reach Steel Mill it's no longer that useful especially because of the mild default damage. 2_ Shotgun add-on is quite useful as well, it makes most enemies and special enemies easier to fight thanks to the added damage and possibility to harm multiple enemies way more easily than with default shots. It also kinda improves the gun's effective range, and it can also fairly decently replace pipebombs if you don't find the add-on for them. It's also nice that the nuking effect doesn't trigger if we're too close BUT know that it's still possible to harm yourself if you close in on an enemy while the effect is occurring. 3_ Chaingun add-on is marvelously satisfying to use with it's ROF, sound and power even though ammo consumption becomes hard as hell to manage, personally I use it ONLY against bosses with maximal ammo count, otherwise I always feel like I'm wasting ammo especially since you get ammo for it NOT as often as for the shotgun. 4_ PipeBomb enhencement is quite nice as well, surely they're more dangerous to use but in the late game it's VERY useful since it can oneshot a Grey Enforcer and clear a room more easily. The default PipeBomb becomes really underpowered half-way through the game so that add-on is WIN. 5_ RPG/Devastator enhancement, well it's just the same thing basically although it doesn't render them more powerful, it's the only complain. Because although the Devastator remains well-balanced all along the game, the RPG however becomes a bit underpowered at some point and this add-on (unlike the PipeBomb one) doesn't help it :/ 6_ RPG/Devastator alterer is quite interesting to use ... very dangerous but quite useful since THIS however, unlike the previous add-on, is a clear power upgrade even though it's just indirect, "post-attack" damage. Also if you don't have the previous enhancement it kinda has a similar effect although it's WAY easier to hurt yourself with it.
Only ""complain"" about those add-ons is the fact that they don't visually affect the weapons but that's minor detail. (Like for instance we could see the Chaingun's enhancement chip inserted somewhere on the gun)
Now about CPU phases. I kinda like those for their originality, even though it always reminds me of AMC's VR hacking phases but more developed and expanded. Sometimes it almost feels like a small "puzzle-mini-game" based on timing your moves and orientation, that is if there's no freaking CPU trooper that follow you inside (level 4 ftw >_>). The hazards are okay in overall. My only complaints go towards Red Squares and Color-Changing Tiles. Red Squares just because I always disliked mandatory damage taking, especially when avoiding the damage is based on pure luck. At least when can neutralize them with special tiles but it's always too late IMO, the damage have already been done. And Color-Changing Tiles because of the fact yellow slows you down too much to my taste and then when it's red you're stuck for quite a while and for too long IMO (especially when a freaking CPU trooper followed you >_<). I HAVE A QUESTION though ... once or twice in the game when you solve a CPU phase you will get a message "This CPU doesn't provide useful services" or "Trash Data is useless) ... What does it mean ? Is it REALLY useless ? (a waste of time) or Does it mean we used it too soon ? or maybe it really does something but "elusively" ? In anycase, all things considered it's still a nice addition and kind of a breath of fresh air, """"relaxing""" moment whenever it happens.
Finally I like reuniting with the Made-In-Zaxtor feature of having enemies spawn to guide you to the next place, have symbols or numbers above doors and such just like in Oblivion but in a more balanced and exploitable way. Also the pattern of door colors is a nice plus Especially because the same pattern applies ALL THE TIME and it is this stability of the pattern that I like, If the pattern had changed in certain levels (like for instance Blue Door being locked while they're usually ALWAYS open) it would have been less appreciated. Only complain is THE CORE's freaking yellow doors not opening >_<
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Zaxtor, on 07 September 2017 - 11:10 AM, said:
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DNF #1
Duke 3D #1
