Outer Wilds

[alex3d]

Apparently I'm not the only one. https://www.reddit.com/r/outerwilds/comments/byunts/after_failing_for_4_hours_to_reach_southern/&ved=2ahUKEwjzr_fkqI_nAhWGx4UKHZkACyIQrAIoAjAIegQICRAK&usg=AOvVaw0OjCdZnJi5yZVVtOjXbr6R&cshid=1579427014320

 

I don't understand why the devs don't want me to reach the Southern Observatory. The hassle and frustration are unbelievable. Confusing level design, the hole, the darkness, the jetpack making it impossible to land precisely, the constant falling, the jumping from elevator 1 to elevator 2 and whatelsenot. 

 

Edit. Made it after the, I don't know, 20th time or so. That wasn't fun at all. 

[Mogster]

I might be wrong, but once again I tended to find that if I was ever really struggling with a fiddly bit it's because I was trying something weird. Getting around in general wasn't a problem at all once I got used to the controls, and I definitely didn't have to deal with the frustrations you're experiencing.

 

Reaching the Southern Observatory genuinely only took me a couple of attempts if I remember correctly, once I'd figured out where to go at least. 

[JoeK]

Death feels very much similar as Darkest Dungeon to me. Obviously very different games, but both you have to kind of embrace your demise, get back out there and keep on plugging away. For some reason I find it a very addictive gameplay loop. Yet, I found that made something like Bloodborne completely impenetrable for me!

 

God knows what goes on in my mind!

[SharkyOB]

On 18/01/2020 at 15:15, alex3d said:

I'm totally frustrated. Why isn't there ANY support for players whatsoever? With oxygen and fuel almost gone I desperately try to drop into the White Hole satellite, but it's so freaking difficult to maneuver with DS4. So end I end up being dead once again and have to make my complicated way to Hanging City for the 20th time. Yes, there is exploration and yes my landings have improved. But I'm really angry and frustrated. Giving players quick save or fast travel options would have worked wonders. 

 

Reading your posts whining about it is giving me the same vibe.

[Kevvy Metal]

On 18/01/2020 at 15:15, alex3d said:

I'm totally frustrated. Why isn't there ANY support for players whatsoever? With oxygen and fuel almost gone I desperately try to drop into the White Hole satellite, but it's so freaking difficult to maneuver with DS4. So end I end up being dead once again and have to make my complicated way to Hanging City for the 20th time. Yes, there is exploration and yes my landings have improved. But I'm really angry and frustrated. Giving players quick save or fast travel options would have worked wonders. 

 

Fucking hell, talk about just not getting it at all. 

 

Only 8 pages long? for "2019 GOTY"?

Even though I'm kinda broken my rule of not going into rllmuk threads while I'm actually playing and enjoying a game because I don't want my enjoyment spoiled by the misery and horrendous takes... I've started this game and it's absolutely excellent! 

 

Has no one mentioned Mercenary / Damocles as an obvious influence for this? I can't be bothered sifting through the posts of people who launched it on Gamepass for 5 minutes then turned it off because "I keep on dying *tears*".

It's got that great thing of piecing together a giant puzzle all under a time limit type vibe. It's a walking simulator but instead of going straight forwards all the time, you go everywhere! As much as you can! I love it. 

[JoeK]

It's just the whole atmosphere and sense of discovery that's so wonderful about the thing. Going down a rabbit hole...deeper and deeper...to places you really didn't expect to arrive at is just fantastic. 

 

Also, standing at the top of a world, and looking directly at the sun as it goes super-nova does not get old.

 

Ever.

[smac]

40 minutes ago, Kevvy Metal said:

Has no one mentioned Mercenary / Damocles as an obvious influence for this?

 

No. If so, I'm in. Announced for PS4, right?

[Kevvy Metal]

Just now, smac said:

 

No. If so, I'm in. Announced for PS4, right?

 

I'm playing it on PS4 yes aye. 

I plays fine there, there's some I/O hitches as it looks like a unity game but hey ho! 

 

It's well cool though! Exploration up the wazzo in a small but dense star system! 

[smac]

Yeah, I saw the RPS preview ages ago and thought it looked cool, then.

[PeteJ]

I also love how the time loop empowers you to try some completely nuts manoeuvres without fear of ever losing progress. 

 

Last night I came out of the southern observatory will just a little time to go. I wanted to do some more exploring in the Hanging City (the map is very handy in letting you know if there is more to explore), so made the craziest leap you could imagine to successfully make it across. 

 

I've also had many insane flights where I've been darting around to see how far I can push the controls....which usually ends poorly but still fun. I laughed out loud when my ship crashed off white station so hard that all the controls went dead. A few seconds later I realised I had ripped the front off the ship so was drifting separately. With no way home it was quite a weird feeling watching and waiting for the loop to end. 

 

From feeling empowered to powerless all in the space of a few runs. 

 

The game is immense. It has totally and utterly grabbed me. Masterful! 

[Kevvy Metal]

1 hour ago, PeteJ said:

I also love how the time loop empowers you to try some completely nuts manoeuvres without fear of ever losing progress. 

 

Last night I came out of the southern observatory will just a little time to go. I wanted to do some more exploring in the Hanging City (the map is very handy in letting you know if there is more to explore), so made the craziest leap you could imagine to successfully make it across. 

 

I've also had many insane flights where I've been darting around to see how far I can push the controls....which usually ends poorly but still fun. I laughed out loud when my ship crashed off white station so hard that all the controls went dead. A few seconds later I realised I had ripped the front off the ship so was drifting separately. With no way home it was quite a weird feeling watching and waiting for the loop to end. 

 

From feeling empowered to powerless all in the space of a few runs. 

 

The game is immense. It has totally and utterly grabbed me. Masterful! 

I recently tried jumping from the moon back to the starting planet and could do it! Felt awesome  

[keptbybees]

I think I'm getting pretty close to the end but there are a couple of bits now that have stopped me going back after my last attempt:

 

Spoiler

Firstly getting into the Interloper (?) and finding the info there. I can land on the comet fine but I have got lost a couple of times on the maze inside and found myself going in circles, it is just annoying having to get to the comet then wait for the ice to melt to get in each time.

 

Secondly, getting through Dark Bramble. I know what I have to do but then I keep getting eaten by the Anglerfish before I get to the camp, I'll be going really slowly then do one small adjustment and get eaten out of nowhere. Funnily enough first time I went into Dark Bramble when I didn't know what to do I flew round for ages and away from Anglerfish and never got eaten. Now I'm trying to doing it properly and I can't get anywhere.

 

There are a couple of other things I need to do (Sun Station, Quantum Moon, the deepest cave on Ember Twin) but those are the main sticking points for me. It is just so frustrating for the time sink to get back to the same position. 

 

It's a real shame as, after a tough opening, I've really enjoyed the majority of my time with the game. The flying and general exploration are amazing and it is just those few fiddly bits that are holding me back from finishing.

 

[rafaqat]

On 18/01/2020 at 15:15, alex3d said:

I'm totally frustrated. Why isn't there ANY support for players whatsoever? With oxygen and fuel almost gone I desperately try to drop into the White Hole satellite, but it's so freaking difficult to maneuver with DS4. So end I end up being dead once again and have to make my complicated way to Hanging City for the 20th time. Yes, there is exploration and yes my landings have improved. But I'm really angry and frustrated. Giving players quick save or fast travel options would have worked wonders. 

 

Have to tried the match velocity button when trying to land on stuff.  It made things so much easier.  I did play it on Xbox though so a different controller but the DS4 isn't that different.  

There's some annoying bits when you try to rush things but gently does it generally. 

 

[Ketchup]

49 minutes ago, keptbybees said:

I think I'm getting pretty close to the end but there are a couple of bits now that have stopped me going back after my last attempt:

 

  Hide contents

Firstly getting into the Interloper (?) and finding the info there. I can land on the comet fine but I have got lost a couple of times on the maze inside and found myself going in circles, it is just annoying having to get to the comet then wait for the ice to melt to get in each time.

 

Secondly, getting through Dark Bramble. I know what I have to do but then I keep getting eaten by the Anglerfish before I get to the camp, I'll be going really slowly then do one small adjustment and get eaten out of nowhere. Funnily enough first time I went into Dark Bramble when I didn't know what to do I flew round for ages and away from Anglerfish and never got eaten. Now I'm trying to doing it properly and I can't get anywhere.

 

There are a couple of other things I need to do (Sun Station, Quantum Moon, the deepest cave on Ember Twin) but those are the main sticking points for me. It is just so frustrating for the time sink to get back to the same position. 

 

It's a real shame as, after a tough opening, I've really enjoyed the majority of my time with the game. The flying and general exploration are amazing and it is just those few fiddly bits that are holding me back from finishing.

 

This will relate to the second part of your content. You can actually move the ship without the little lights lighting up showing your direction. It takes just a tiny push and this will move you very slowly forward without your engines actually lighting up the place.

[alex3d]

On 20/01/2020 at 14:58, Kevvy Metal said:

 

Fucking hell, talk about just not getting it at all. 

 

Only 8 pages long? for "2019 GOTY"?

Even though I'm kinda broken my rule of not going into rllmuk threads while I'm actually playing and enjoying a game because I don't want my enjoyment spoiled by the misery and horrendous takes... I've started this game and it's absolutely excellent!  

 

Nice, I'm happy for you. That's the beauty of having a forum. We get to read different views. 

I'll write about my thoughts on the game a bit more in the coming days. In my opinion the game has noteworthy flaws. Who knows, maybe I'll change my opinion when I get to see the end of the story. 

[Kevvy Metal]

1 hour ago, alex3d said:

 

Nice, I'm happy for you. That's the beauty of having a forum. We get to read different views. 

I'll write about my thoughts on the game a bit more in the coming days. In my opinion the game has noteworthy flaws. Who knows, maybe I'll change my opinion when I get to see the end of the story. 

Hey, why not wait till then, then? 
 

Why be like EDGE magazine and review a game half way? 

[alex3d]

Because it's been a frustrating experience since I've started it? I'm sure most people would have already given up on it (as can be seen in this thread) and I'm actually not sure what a nice ending will do to my view on the whole game. The game's substantial flaws aren't related to its ending. 

[Orbital2060]

1 hour ago, Ketchup said:

This will relate to the second part of your content. You can actually move the ship without the little lights lighting up showing your direction. It takes just a tiny push and this will move you very slowly forward without your engines actually lighting up the place.

 

Spoiler

If this is about entering the last zone of the bramble, I just put the pad down for a few minutes until Id passed the Anglerfish. Didnt touch any of the controls at all after zoning in.

 

[JPL]

13 minutes ago, alex3d said:

Because it's been a frustrating experience since I've started it? I'm sure most people would have already given up on it (as can be seen in this thread) and I'm actually not sure what a nice ending will do to my view on the whole game. The game's substantial flaws aren't related to its ending. 

What do you think the flaws are? For me, the start needed a bit more explanation, a few of the puzzles were a bit obtuse and some of the time locked bits were a pain if you messed up and had to go again. Other than that though, I thought it was a brilliantly realised and very clever puzzle game. I can forgive its little problems, because of the originality of what they created.

[Kevvy Metal]

15 minutes ago, alex3d said:

Because it's been a frustrating experience since I've started it? I'm sure most people would have already given up on it (as can be seen in this thread) and I'm actually not sure what a nice ending will do to my view on the whole game. The game's substantial flaws aren't related to its ending. 

Sucks to be you then! 

[Kevvy Metal]

The unknown elements, the need to explore and the time loop elements are literally the entire point of the game. 

[alex3d]

1 hour ago, JPL said:

What do you think the flaws are? F

 

Will write it all down in a few days. 

[JPL]

Just now, alex3d said:

 

Will write it all down in a few days. 

Yeah, no worries. I’d love to hear why you’ve struggled with it so much. I didn’t have a clue what I was supposed to be doing when I first tried it, but a couple of pointers from the good folks in here and it really helped. It really is an excellent game once you get into the swing of it.

[Alan Stock]

I couldn't ignore Outer Wilds any longer after it picked up so many Game of the Year nominations so I bought it last week. Holy crap, what a stunner of a game! It's super orignal, exploration is at the forefront, the puzzles are clever and it's packed with wow moments. It's got heart too, from the soundtrack to the story.

 

If you're like me and have been put off playing this by the boring-looking gameplay and simple visuals, I highly recommend giving it a chance. What unfolds is an epic adventure of exploration and eureka moments, breadcrumb trails waiting to be uncovered and weird planets that will blow your mind. I played it every chance I got until I finished it yesterday and just wish I could forget it all and play it again. It's a sort of weird hyrbid of mystery, space adventure and puzzle game. The problem with hyping this game up though is that to sell its best moments is to spoil it. The best advice is to go in with as little knowledge as possible and just give it a whirl for a few hours. If you're not hooked by then, it's probably not the game for you.

 

Outer Wilds isn't afraid to just let you loose in the galaxy with your little ship and explore. You get direction from the hundreds of clues and locations around the planets, which will either leave you with questions you want to answer, or point you to somewhere new to check out. The freedom was very refreshing, especially on the back of recently replaying the Myst series (where you're plonked into a weird world with no clue what you're doing).

 

The game does have a few little flaws (as discussed in this thread) but they are very minor compared to how amazing the rest of the game is. These include a slow opening section, slightly wonky flight mechanics and some frustration with the final puzzles. But although there can be some annoying bits they are overshadowed by the sense of wonder, the epic scale and the sheer imagination on offer in Outer Wilds. It definitely deserves its 2019 game of the year nominations, don't let it slip under your radar like I did!

[Ketchup]

I love how inventive a lot of the achievements are. They really did just put things in cos they thought it'd be cool. In the documentary on another page they talk about how they simulate everything. But they only simulate the planet you are on for obvious technical reasons. This actually can cause issues though cos potentially you can be on three planets at once (you, your ship, your scope) and if you are on three planets then they all have to start up simulations to affect those objects. Which causes technical issues. One of their achievements was to actually do this but the publisher came back and said 'We can't have an achievement for trying to crash the game'. With the devs responding, why not,  thinking it's kinda a cool geeky thing. Sadly that achievement didn't make it in.

[Alan Stock]

Yeah I definitely recommend checking out that NoClip documentary on Youtube (linked a few pages back). The simulation side of this game is pretty amazing - in other games they'd just fudge it but in Outer Wilds they simulated all the gravity and stuff. One great example is the zero g training cave on your home planet. They didn't mess with the phsyics system at all when they made it, instead they put the cave at the core of the planet and all the gravitational forces around it just made it zero g naturally - how cool is that?

[JPL]

You know what? I’ve just realised I never had a single achievement pop while playing it. I must have been too wrapped up in it to notice.

 

Looks like I might have to play through it again.

[Pob]

3 hours ago, Alan Stock said:

I couldn't ignore Outer Wilds any longer after it picked up so many Game of the Year nominations so I bought it last week. Holy crap, what a stunner of a game! It's super orignal, exploration is at the forefront, the puzzles are clever and it's packed with wow moments. It's got heart too, from the soundtrack to the story.

 

If you're like me and have been put off playing this by the boring-looking gameplay and simple visuals, I highly recommend giving it a chance. What unfolds is an epic adventure of exploration and eureka moments, breadcrumb trails waiting to be uncovered and weird planets that will blow your mind. I played it every chance I got until I finished it yesterday and just wish I could forget it all and play it again. It's a sort of weird hyrbid of mystery, space adventure and puzzle game. The problem with hyping this game up though is that to sell its best moments is to spoil it. The best advice is to go in with as little knowledge as possible and just give it a whirl for a few hours. If you're not hooked by then, it's probably not the game for you.

 

Outer Wilds isn't afraid to just let you loose in the galaxy with your little ship and explore. You get direction from the hundreds of clues and locations around the planets, which will either leave you with questions you want to answer, or point you to somewhere new to check out. The freedom was very refreshing, especially on the back of recently replaying the Myst series (where you're plonked into a weird world with no clue what you're doing).

 

The game does have a few little flaws (as discussed in this thread) but they are very minor compared to how amazing the rest of the game is. These include a slow opening section, slightly wonky flight mechanics and some frustration with the final puzzles. But although there can be some annoying bits they are overshadowed by the sense of wonder, the epic scale and the sheer imagination on offer in Outer Wilds. It definitely deserves its 2019 game of the year nominations, don't let it slip under your radar like I did!

 

I've been playing this for a week or so and echo these sentiments. I've been scared to pop in here for fear of spoilers, but I'm starting to uncover lots of the story so feel a bit safer. I've explored most of the planets and stations but need to do lots more investigation of the sites near the sun. That said, the game has knack of revealing previously-hidden depths to places you think you've already rinsed.

 

It's such a refreshing game. Totally open yet focused, designed to let the player uncover everything themselves in a non-linear fashion, without me ever feeling like I don't know what to do. I've always got a big list of exciting leads to follow up on. The environmental puzzles are amazing and there's always such a great feeling when you unearth a secret or gain access to a new area.

 

I love the mixture of being an astronaut, and archeologist and a space adventurer caught in a Brannon Braga episode of Star Trek TNG. I've been wondering during the day what's going on with the story. There's so much more than initially meets the eye. I thought it'd be a quick 5-10 hour game when I first saw the amount of planets and their small size, but it's just so rich, and every installation requires new skills and thought processes.

[Benny]

The No Clip doc on this is great, though spoiler heavy so best watched once you've finished the game.

[matt0]

I've not really stopped thinking about Outer Wilds since I put it down, and with it getting included in so many best of lists I've been thinking about it a lot in the past month when I've been listening to podcasts or reading news sites.

 

It's peerless in its use of 3D space, the navigation, the beautifully intricate puzzle solving based around observing phenomena and teasing out the physical reality of the world you're in. A game which doesn't just invite the player to engage in true detective work, but manages to give them the framework to go about it in a completely non-linear manner for the entire length of the game. It's genuinely the best puzzle design I've ever seen in a game. A huge leap forward in terms of what anyone has attempted before.

 

On the other hand, does anyone remember that bit in Another World where you had to go through the tunnels, blow up the supporting pillar, do the platforming section to get away from the water, navigate through the interior of the dam past several one hit kill gun fights, do the promptless quick time event close combat bit, all leading to the moment where you have to make a split second timed gun shot to drop the lamp on the guards head where failure results in you having to do it all over again?

 

Also the Outer Wilds.

 

I just can't reconcile these two things. It's the absolute pinnacle of game design sat on the wrong side of one of my biggest red lines.