Drox Operative - Review @ RPGCodex

[Myrthos]

Soldak's Drox Operative has been reviewed by RPGCodex finding it to be a Diablo-like with a twist.

Overall, I enjoyed playing Drox Operative - especially experimenting with different ship builds and trying out all the different weapons this game has. There never was any moment where I thought the game was amazing, quite the contrary - sometimes its shortcomings became all too apparent after a long gaming session (such as the relatively slow movement speed considering the size of the gameworld, the lack of enemy variety, and a very unstructured difficulty/level progression), but for some reason, the game managed to keep me on my chair for hours at a time. I start a session to play a little, and suddenly, three hours are gone. I blame it on the fact that it's a rather solid ARPG that attempts something that has never really been done before - putting the player into the world of a strategy game with competing factions and letting him interact with them in any way he likes.

More information.

 

[Angelo85]

Very competent review. Another masterpiece in the long standing tradition of well researched, accurate and to the point reviews put out by RPG Codex for all of us to enjoy.

 

[ChienAboyeur]

a rather solid ARPG that attempts something that has never really been done before - putting the player into the world of a strategy game with competing factions and letting him interact with them in any way he likes.
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So it is a RTS game but it has to be a ARPG.

On one hand, every game that is going to be release is going to be a RPG.

On the other hand, this trend of seeing RPG in every game possible smells of desesperation: it shows that there are few RPGs out there, and that people are ready to compromize anything to try to increase that number.

 

[Dhruin]

No, it's not an RTS. Trying to push things out of the RPG genre into other categories that are even less accurate is just as desperate.

 

[ChienAboyeur]

Great argumentation there.

It is fairly easy to see all the strategical dimension in this game which is about taking and developping strategies to win a sector, strategies that have to be decided in real time.
Real Time Strategy, just as so many Paradox games are.

It is fairly less easy to see where the role playing is.

 

[TomRon]

Great argumentation there.

It is fairly easy to see all the strategical dimension in this game which is about taking and developping strategies to win a sector, strategies that have to be decided in real time.
Real Time Strategy, just as so many Paradox games are.

It is fairly less easy to see where the role playing is.

I disagree. Compared to games like Diablo, this is as much of an RPG as those are, the gameplay is much closer to your average ARPG than to a RTS like starcraft or Sins of a Solar empire if you want a space likeness. The RTS goes on behind the scenes, you're not controlling anything else than your spaceship, the only "strategy" part is what race you choose to help.

If on the other hand you define RPG as actually playing a role, more akin to the infinity games than Diablo, then no, Drox Op. is not an RPG. Neither is Diablo, Torchlight and a whole lot of other loot-fests. I tend to agree with this view, as those games are not what *I* look for in my RPG's. But it's still commonly accepted that even ARPG's are RPG's.

Drox Op. is absolutely an action RPG, not a RTS.

 

[Dhruin]

Great argumentation there.

It is fairly easy to see all the strategical dimension in this game which is about taking and developping strategies to win a sector, strategies that have to be decided in real time.
Real Time Strategy, just as so many Paradox games are.

It is fairly less easy to see where the role playing is.

If you'd like to point me towards those Paradox games where you play and control a single character only, I'll accept your "great argumentation". A Paradox game bears absolutely no resemblance to Drox other than the most abstract concepts and I'm afraid you've only further undermined your argument by raising it.

 

[rune_74]

Great argumentation there.

It is fairly easy to see all the strategical dimension in this game which is about taking and developping strategies to win a sector, strategies that have to be decided in real time.
Real Time Strategy, just as so many Paradox games are.

It is fairly less easy to see where the role playing is.

This is just stupid, lets be honest. that's like saying because we have to use strategy to win a fight in an rpg it's a turn based strategy game.

 

[ChienAboyeur]

If you'd like to point me towards those Paradox games where you play and control a single character only, I'll accept your "great argumentation". A Paradox game bears absolutely no resemblance to Drox other than the most abstract concepts and I'm afraid you've only further undermined your argument by raising it.

It is a game of number? Recorded. So it excludes any party based so called RPGs right? Or does it not?

Crusader Kings 2: you control one character at the time. My great argumentation is accepted or should I brace for evasive manoeuvers again?

 

[ChienAboyeur]

This is just stupid, lets be honest. that's like saying because we have to use strategy to win a fight in an rpg it's a turn based strategy game.

What is this about?

There is no role playing in this game. It is all about strategy.

That strategy might be involved in a RPG is possible. Like driving a car.

Secondary aspects of a game does not determine it as much as primary aspect.

The primary aspect of Drox Operatives is to strategize the victory in a sector, drawing from the various resources.

No role playing in it. Or you've to tell about it.

Depicting the strategy dimension is straightforward as shown previously. So piece of advice here: depict the role playing dimension.

 

[rune_74]

It has as much role playing as Diablo has.

 

[Dhruin]

It is a game of number? Recorded. So it excludes any party based so called RPGs right? Or does it not?

Crusader Kings 2: you control one character at the time. My great argumentation is accepted or should I brace for evasive manoeuvers again?

I cannot understand your first two sentences.

Re Crusader Kings, I haven't played it personally, but I suspect you are playing semantic games. Is your one character not a proxy for controlling an army? Seems unlikely to me the game features one character that single-handedly conquers Europe.

Re your reply to Rune74, then by your own rules, Drox is an action/RPG. The primary element is action. The strategy elements are tertiary.

 

[vurt]

The fun in games like these are loot and to see new levels, how does a new "level" look in a game that takes place in space - a new color in the background? seems dull.

 

[ChienAboyeur]

I cannot understand your first two sentences.

Re Crusader Kings, I haven't played it personally, but I suspect you are playing semantic games. Is your one character not a proxy for controlling an army? Seems unlikely to me the game features one character that single-handedly conquers Europe.

A proxy for an army? in CK2, the strategy applies to improve the standing of your dynasty.

In Drox operatives, the avatar is a ship, with crew in it and you can order your allies in war, peace etc...

So you neither single handledly conquer a sector in this game, far from it.

Re your reply to Rune74, then by your own rules, Drox is an action/RPG. The primary element is action. The strategy elements are tertiary.

Strategy is primary. Combat is dull in this game.Most of the times, it consists of keeping the weapon button pressed.

What matters the most is how get your path to victory by making the most of the various assets that are available.

Action RPG is a non sensical label and one could also craft a label like action strategy. Which would not represent the game fairly as it is more about strategy then combat.

There is no role playing in this game and by far, strategy is the dominant aspect in it.

 

[ChienAboyeur]

The fun in games like these are loot and to see new levels, how does a new "level" look in a game that takes place in space - a new color in the background? seems dull.

The fun in this game is that the universe operates on semi self sufficiency. You have to strategize your access to victory. Working on your stance toward the various protagonists is what makes the victory: you can go silent, bothering little and try to run out by instilling fear, you can go diplomatic, trying to ally the species (some are more likely to go along), you can trade like fast (when you do, you cant rely on a single customer as they spend their own money) Loot is secondary. You wont have time to examine your loot as the pace is fast. Most of you can do is to go for a determined developpment course and stick to the relevant looted items until victory is near enough to give you time and breathe in to look for the items.

 

[ChienAboyeur]

It has as much role playing as Diablo has.

Yep, that is why a term was coined for Diablo: hack'nd slash. Later, the scam action RPG came in.

By adding items that are not part of a category to that category, you simply extend the category that will include new items.

Nothing wrong in that but the consequences is that every item that fits the bill belongs to the category.

And it is usually not done as so called RPGers keep excluding games that fit the bill.

 

[vurt]

The fun in this game is that the universe operates on semi self sufficiency. You have to strategize your access to victory. Working on your stance toward the various protagonists is what makes the victory: you can go silent, bothering little and try to run out by instilling fear, you can go diplomatic, trying to ally the species (some are more likely to go along), you can trade like fast (when you do, you cant rely on a single customer as they spend their own money) Loot is secondary. You wont have time to examine your loot as the pace is fast. Most of you can do is to go for a determined developpment course and stick to the relevant looted items until victory is near enough to give you time and breathe in to look for the items.

Ah, thanks for the info