ELEX - Gameplay Demo

[BrianOConnell]

Far too easy which is what I was referring to. Along with roll to win. I think I did see some footage from ELEX with some side-stepping and if so I might just have to impose a rule on myself to use that rather than rolling (like I did with Witcher 3). I enjoyed Risen 3 despite the lack of any real challenge but I don't think it was a return to their roots and I don't expect ELEX to be comparable to Gothic either. I do expect to enjoy it. It's all about how much really.

 

[NewDArt]

The combat was very fun, though, and satisfying. But yeah, I thought they had implemented scaling at first, once I saw that you could kill things like Dragon Snappers or Swamp Golems pretty much whenever you first encountered them. I don't think it was scaled, just simply too easy.

Probably a result of trying to reach a wider audience.

But I certainly enjoyed the large arsenal of powers - which is the best PB has ever been in that way.

 

[joxer]

Not sure why "hand placed" loot only is so important to people. I think hand placed loot makes a lot of sense, but I think random loot adds a lot of fun and sometimes depth to a game. I think games should have both. Hand placed only is a negative for the game IMO but not a big one.

Random loot usually adds unnecessary clutter in your inventory that's getting on your nerves if you can't find a trader to sell it.
In most cases it also causes savescumming/checkpointscumming - recent example is ME4 where a certain early chest will give you a superb weapon you cannot afford at that point, all you need is reload till you get the one you want (you don't want a superb shotgun, reload till you get a superb sniper, etc).

I can live with randomly generated gemstones, but when the loot mechanics is nothing but a slotmachine that can net you a jackpot, such game simply stinks.

 

[JDR13]

I think part of the balance issue is the companions. PB needs to return to solo adventuring.
I never liked having a companion all the time in the last two games.

I'd vastly prefer only having a companion for certain scripted sequences like in their earlier games.

 

[NewDArt]

IIRC, I did the vast majority of Risen 3 without a companion - and it was still a complete pushover.

But I agree that companions should be optional.

I just don't think PB "have it in them" to properly balance their games around demanding gamers anymore.

The last challenging game was Risen - and that was largely melee combat. Risen 2 was a mess - and Risen 3 was just too easy.

Seems they've lost their touch in that way - but I can live with it. I don't really expect ELEX to be particularly challenging.

It's not what I enjoy most about their games, anyway.

 

[Lemonhead]

For some reason I never played Risen 3. If I boot it up, what's the best experience? Hardest setting? Any must have mods?

 

[joxer]

Regardless of difficulty setting (I don't even remember now if there is a choice), the game is easy.
Well… Unless you're Angry Joe who can't get past early trashmobs trying to bore them to death with DarkSouls style dodgerolling.

I've played it unmodded, to me it was fun. I suggest keeping Bones as your sidekick for his hilarious comments.

 

[Deleted User]

For some reason I never played Risen 3. If I boot it up, what's the best experience? Hardest setting? Any must have mods?

Ultra difficulty + all DLC. That's it. Enjoy!

Note - You may die some at start, but as you adapt to the combat system + increase strength, the game will actually end up becoming too easy.

Oh, and I'd suggest turning down the difficulty when you fight certain "watery encounters".

 

[joxer]

Oh, and I'd suggest turning down the difficulty when you fight certain "watery encounters".

Wasn't that patched later? Okay, I can't remember any more what was bugged/patched and Deep Silver killed Risen 3 official forum so can't check my old posts there. But yes, at least to me the final sea trashmob was impossible in the release version until I dropped the difficulty for it. But the rest of the game is IMO easy at any difficulty.

 

[Deleted User]

I think part of the balance issue is the companions. PB needs to return to solo adventuring.
I never liked having a companion all the time in the last two games.

I'd vastly prefer only having a companion for certain scripted sequences like in their earlier games.

I disagree, and here's why.

I greatly enjoyed teaming up with them, their random comments and also the fact they could take a bit of pressure off you in combat.

The companion feature can work great, but it needs to be better balanced. For example, in Risen 3, your companion almost never goes down in a heap, even on Ultra difficulty. I can remember only the most difficult fights where there was really even a chance of the companion getting KO'd, and even then it was rare.

Also, make the companion a bit less likely to garner the enemy's attention for too, too long. While the enemy did turn to you if you ticked it off enough, a lot of times the companion could take too much punishment (see my first point) and take up too much attention of the enemies.

But I like the companions feature overall. It just needs a balance overhaul, IMO.

 

[Deleted User]

Wasn't that patched later? Okay maybe not I can't remember today, but yes, at least to me the final sea trashmob was impossible in the release version until I dropped the difficulty for it. But the rest of the game is IMO easy at any difficulty.

I ended up turning down the difficulty on the second one and beyond that. I don't think they are technically impossible, just a pain in the ass and really quite difficult on Ultra.

Funny you call them trashmobs, too. Would be nice if they do add something like that to at least give a decent reward. It could cough up a legendary sword or something.

 

[joxer]

Cmon first two are easy. It was the third one that is a MMOish bullet sponge and I just didn't have time for that bullshit - you should battle it patiently for hours as your hits barely scratch it. I did try to find some trick or strategy to use against it but no, it's silly drag-the-playtime filler, not fun, only annoying.
At least it was. I really don't remember if it was changed with patches.

 

[Deleted User]

Cmon first two are easy. It was the third one that is a MMOish bullet sponge and I just didn't have time for that bullshit - you should battle it patiently for hours as your hits barely scratch it. I did try to find some trick or strategy to use against it but no, it's silly drag-the-playtime filler, not fun, only annoying.
At least it was. I really don't remember if it was changed with patches.

The second one was difficult for me, IIRC. I just played it a month or two ago, so maybe they tweaked it in a patch. But after dying several times after long, drawn-out battles, I just said screw it and put it on Easy to kill it quickly. I hate dropping difficulty like that in RPGs but these battles were indeed annoying and really had no purpose.

Now, if they turned those battles into optional, "epic hunts" that you initiated by traveling to certain waters after hearing rumors, complete with some unique reward for killing the thing - a magical tooth, scale, fin, whatever - then it would actually be worthwhile.

 

[Deleted User]

Modern games are pushovers and much more about the "comfortable" experience of going from quest to quest - with the spectacle of easy combat in between.

More like cutscene to cutscene, it seems like. That's why I gravitate towards Piranha Bytes games, even their modern ones. They throw all that crap out the window and just give you a raw RPG that actually focuses on gameplay and doesn't try to be an interactive movie.

That experience is getting rarer and rarer these days, especially in action RPGs.

They continue to do their own, unique thing and not assimilate to appeal to casual gamers. ELEX may even be less casual than Risen 2/3 in some ways*. Angry Joe will continue to be angry at every PB release because of that.

* - Just one example, but an early preview from those unaware of how PB RPGs work talk about things like "the difficulty 'curve' being all over the place!" because they tried to kill a Swamp Golem at too low of a level.

That makes me smile.