Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds"

Is it just me, or does the inside of the geothermal plant in Emerald Vale look suspiciously like a Vault?

The very first glimpses of this game got the "Fallout in Space" tag. No surprises here, right down to the 50s style posters.

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Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds" Oct 29, 2019 5:12:09 GMT AnDromedary and iFoRias like this

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Post by Hrungr on Oct 29, 2019 5:12:09 GMT

Been puttering around on Monarch (for the most part) today when I wasn't trying to sleep off this flu :sick:

...

I quite like the environment design for this game, and the saturated colours, but especially on this planet.

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Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds" Oct 29, 2019 14:43:17 GMT

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Post by AnDromedary on Oct 29, 2019 14:43:17 GMT

Is it just me, or does the inside of the geothermal plant in Emerald Vale look suspiciously like a Vault?

The very first glimpses of this game got the "Fallout in Space" tag. No surprises here, right down to the 50s style posters.

It is very Fallout-y indeed. Sometimes a little too much so for my taste. As much as I appreciate the humor it's a little too much sometimes and hurts the world building quite a bit. In the very beginning, I thought the plotline of Edgewater would be that everyone was drugged or something (and maybe that will still be part of the main story, if so, I'll take back my criticism here) because most people in this game don't really behave like people but more like a punchline in a joke.

Like the guy in the bar how lost his hand, got it sown back on, now is in chronic pain but is super happy that he got a 5% discount to buy alcohol from the company to drown out his pain. While this stuff is mildly funny, it really messes with my suspension of disbelief. And this is just one case. Almost every email you read, every item description and frankly most minor characters (especially in the company controlled areas) are written like this. The only truly well written characters I have encountered so far are the companions and those that are part of the main story. Quite a few of the minor ones seem to come more or less directly out of the movie Idiocracy.

I realize this is just a matter of taste and Fallout applied this formula of over the top humor to the post apocalyptic setting for a long time but I would have preferred, if the Firefly vibe I mentioned above extended to the writing and world building. That series was also dealing with greed and corruption in the system and also was hilariously funny but it had more believable characters (even in minor roles). Obsidian used to be very good at this kind of subtlety as well. TOW so far is a bit much for my taste to be honest. Still very good and fun to play for sure but it's a little too much.

Last Edit: Oct 29, 2019 14:59:42 GMT by AnDromedary

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Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds" Oct 29, 2019 15:28:39 GMT

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Post by Iakus on Oct 29, 2019 15:28:39 GMT

Is it just me, or does the inside of the geothermal plant in Emerald Vale look suspiciously like a Vault?

The very first glimpses of this game got the "Fallout in Space" tag. No surprises here, right down to the 50s style posters.

I'm getting a mix of Fallout and Borderlands vibes

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Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds" Oct 29, 2019 16:01:08 GMT

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Post by dmc1001 on Oct 29, 2019 16:01:08 GMT

Oct 29, 2019 15:28:39 GMT Iakus said:

The very first glimpses of this game got the "Fallout in Space" tag. No surprises here, right down to the 50s style posters.

I'm getting a mix of Fallout and Borderlands vibes

Never played Borderlands so can't comment. I've heard it's fun.

Dead Reapers are how we win this.
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Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds" Oct 29, 2019 18:16:16 GMT

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Post by Kappa Neko on Oct 29, 2019 18:16:16 GMT

Oct 29, 2019 16:01:08 GMT dmc1001 said:

Never played Borderlands so can't comment. I've heard it's fun.

Borderland 2 in co-op was fun. The gunplay is very enjoyable. Especially the acid pistols and missile launchers. Decent variety of guns but limited amount of classes and no real character creator. Wouldn't have finished it on my own, however, just too repetitive. The writing is fun in a very stupid sort of way. Jokes range from hilarious to very cringy.

This is not a game series for RPG fans. It's a looter shooter with a crazy amount of loot and fun core gameplay mechanics that are fairly forgiving of goofing around. But like Farcry I'd be bored out of my mind playing by myself quickly...

I was just here. Where did I go...?

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Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds" Oct 29, 2019 19:50:13 GMT

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Post by Sweet FA on Oct 29, 2019 19:50:13 GMT

Is it just me, or does the inside of the geothermal plant in Emerald Vale look suspiciously like a Vault?

Yeah, labs and installations are the vaults in this game.

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Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds" Oct 29, 2019 20:31:57 GMT

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Post by Sweet FA on Oct 29, 2019 20:31:57 GMT

Oct 28, 2019 21:45:24 GMT CHRrOME said:

I'm about 40 minutes in, so far so good. I'm experiencing some discrepancies with the mouse, it's kinda weird. At times it feels like acceleration, but then it's not. Maybe it's framerate, I haven't actually checked if it's consistent or not with an actual counter because it feels consisten, might have to check though. Anyways, screen tearing is horrific though, without Vsync it's an absolute eyesore. Outside those technical problems, I like the game.

Art style and ultra colorful palette are nice and get the tone for this game going. The game is also pretty humorous, but without tryharding or telling dumb jokes, it's just natural.
I picked Hard difficulty level fearing Normal would be too walk in the park, I'm okay with that decision, and the character is a very "all around" type of build, I'll get into more roleplaying and meme builds for future playthrougs, for now I just want to get a feel of the game and try everything more or less so I can make a choice of what to do next for 2nd and later PTs. It's usually what I'd do with a game like this, since it's impossible to know what skills do what immediately and if they're worth it or not.
Not sure if the whole game is like this, but the Hub maps seem large enough, it gives a sense of scale without being a tedious immense map filled with garbage that never ends.

There's certainly something wrong with mouse functionality, I started off functional now no longer works in the menu screens and inventory, switched to controller now and I agree vsync is a must. However that said it's a fun game. As this is my first playthrough I'm just doing a Neutral, boring normal me morality role play, second run will be a ruthless bad guy role play, yeah definitely major dark side rp on my next run.

Update: mouse working now, but I still get the odd "malfunction" now and again.

Last Edit: Oct 30, 2019 4:52:04 GMT by Sweet FA

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Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds" Oct 29, 2019 23:13:21 GMT Hrungr likes this

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Post by bladefist on Oct 29, 2019 23:13:21 GMT

Reviews are looking good. Now I need them to do a Dragonage/Elder Scrolls type game and I'd crossover completely.

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Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds" Oct 29, 2019 23:21:30 GMT Hrungr, azarhal, and 1 more like this

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Post by Iakus on Oct 29, 2019 23:21:30 GMT

Protip: If you have the Robophobia flaw, it WILL trigger if you have SAM as a companion.

otoh, it does unlock a new dialogue option with it: "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

Last Edit: Oct 29, 2019 23:50:51 GMT by Iakus

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Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds" Oct 30, 2019 0:30:01 GMT

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Post by CHRrOME on Oct 30, 2019 0:30:01 GMT

I've came across the very first I think, big choice to make. I thought it was more or less clear, be a bit of a jerk and follow the overlords or be a more nice person. But now my companion brings up her piece of mind and now it's not so easy again. Well, shit.

RIP old BioWare - 1995-2016. I used to be a fan, now I'm just toxic.

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Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds" Oct 30, 2019 1:44:01 GMT

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Post by Iakus on Oct 30, 2019 1:44:01 GMT

Heh, I think I know the choice...

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Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds" Oct 30, 2019 1:52:07 GMT

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Post by Blast Processor on Oct 30, 2019 1:52:07 GMT

Oct 28, 2019 4:58:35 GMT BamBam the Destroyer said:

Encountered 1 significant plot bug (game thought companion was dead, when companion death was off)

Was it Parvati? I had that happen as well. The other bug I noticed was the stat debuff for Adrena Time or whatever not wearing off, a save and reload fixed it however.

Its never too late. LOL.

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Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds" Oct 30, 2019 3:48:05 GMT

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Post by BamBam the Destroyer on Oct 30, 2019 3:48:05 GMT

Oct 30, 2019 1:52:07 GMT Blast Processor said:

Oct 28, 2019 4:58:35 GMT BamBam the Destroyer said:

Encountered 1 significant plot bug (game thought companion was dead, when companion death was off)

Was it Parvati? I had that happen as well. The other bug I noticed was the stat debuff for Adrena Time or whatever not wearing off, a save and reload fixed it however.

Yup

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Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds" Oct 30, 2019 4:28:42 GMT Hrungr and AnDromedary like this

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Post by Sweet FA on Oct 30, 2019 4:28:42 GMT

I've already posted my Positive thoughts so In the interest of balance I thought I'd post some of my Negative's about the game.

Overall the gameplay is fun and entertaining and don't get me wrong there is some good writing but personally I'm finding the writing/characterization a bit patchy. Without spoiling things too much I'm thinking about some of the Companion Quests, I'm finding some of the stories rather weak and disappointing.

Ellie's Companion Quest: The Low Crusade

I really don't know what to think about this. Are the writers deliberately trying to subvert the character by making the character unsympathetic to make a wider societal point or is it just bad writing? I honestly don't know after completing this. In this story Ellie is revealed to be a former young socialite of the wealthy settlement of Byzantium who has run away from her privileged lifestyle and elitist snob parents to create a new life in the stars.

The writing just made me feel that Ellie was a spoilt little rich girl trying to get back at her over privileged parents by running off and playing pirate. As it went on I was thinking OMG who care's ?, just get this over with. It all came over as a bit childish and petty. Am I supposed to feel sympathy for her "plight" her "terrible burden" ? it just came across as rich people's problems. Get over it rich kid. I think Felix is meant to be the humble "poor boy" seeking mentor counterpoint to Ellie's independent "rich girl" wannabe rogue who doesn't need anybody.

In a squad game I believe it's important that the player has to have some degree of empathy with their squad mates, after completing this quest I feel like booting Ellie off the ship. If the characters are subverted too much the player will be repelled and end up playing solo.

Other Points

Weak side quests, filler, the game can stray into immaturity

There was actually a shy office girl likes street trader could our hero possibly tell him how she feels quest. Really are you f'ng serious, a f'ng "Date" quest!

Some of the games overall writing and story is very good, however some of the writing is really patchy and can sometimes descend into cringeworthy bloody awful stuff written by a thirteen year old. Numerous different writer's I presume, or perhaps in a moment of self indulgence somebody at Obsidian promised their kid they could have their own quest in daddy's new game. Honestly there are some real eye rolling moments, you know when you have that "really ?" feeling, those quickly press skip dialogue key/button in case of emergency moments. I think a lot of the banter and character quirks will get really old soon, the repetitive cow and paralytic drunk caricature Nyoka routine is already gratingly tedious, enough with the cows!

Last Edit: Oct 30, 2019 20:23:09 GMT by Sweet FA

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Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds" Oct 30, 2019 16:57:34 GMT

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Post by SirSourpuss on Oct 30, 2019 16:57:34 GMT

Oct 26, 2019 18:21:15 GMT Kappa Neko said:

Why the hell would you subject yourself to that borefest again, SirSourpuss ???

No, I have to stop the ~~Reapers~~ Kett! said SirSourpuss

No, SirSourpuss, you are the ~~Reapers~~ Kett said Kappa Neko

And then SirSourpuss was the ~~Reapers~~ Kett

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Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds" Oct 30, 2019 21:12:35 GMT via mobile

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Post by michaeln7 on Oct 30, 2019 21:12:35 GMT

Oct 29, 2019 14:43:17 GMT AnDromedary said:

The very first glimpses of this game got the "Fallout in Space" tag. No surprises here, right down to the 50s style posters.

It is very Fallout-y indeed. Sometimes a little too much so for my taste. As much as I appreciate the humor it's a little too much sometimes and hurts the world building quite a bit. In the very beginning, I thought the plotline of Edgewater would be that everyone was drugged or something (and maybe that will still be part of the main story, if so, I'll take back my criticism here) because most people in this game don't really behave like people but more like a punchline in a joke.

Like the guy in the bar how lost his hand, got it sown back on, now is in chronic pain but is super happy that he got a 5% discount to buy alcohol from the company to drown out his pain. While this stuff is mildly funny, it really messes with my suspension of disbelief. And this is just one case. Almost every email you read, every item description and frankly most minor characters (especially in the company controlled areas) are written like this. The only truly well written characters I have encountered so far are the companions and those that are part of the main story. Quite a few of the minor ones seem to come more or less directly out of the movie Idiocracy.

I realize this is just a matter of taste and Fallout applied this formula of over the top humor to the post apocalyptic setting for a long time but I would have preferred, if the Firefly vibe I mentioned above extended to the writing and world building. That series was also dealing with greed and corruption in the system and also was hilariously funny but it had more believable characters (even in minor roles). Obsidian used to be very good at this kind of subtlety as well. TOW so far is a bit much for my taste to be honest. Still very good and fun to play for sure but it's a little too much.

If you haven't reached the end, you might change your tune when you get there.

Let's just say that the Board MAY not be as evil as we are led to believe.

On a meta-level, I think the writers really nailed the whole "each faction has a sympathetic viewpoint" they were aiming for.

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Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds" Oct 31, 2019 1:29:18 GMT saandrig likes this

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Post by CHRrOME on Oct 31, 2019 1:29:18 GMT

I advanced further today and I think it's due to that choice I've made before, without spoiling let's just say that there's some reactivity due to what I did, like actual reactivity. That is very nice to see, because it's dull to see all your choices being impacted only at the end of a game.

Anyways, outside of that I have a question regarding the in game consumables. So you have your "heals" thingy button, but there're also different things you can equip in a "fast access quickbar", and I don't know how to cycle the "use" button from the heal item to the other equipped items. Is that even possible? I didn't find anything in the Controls menu regarding keys.

RIP old BioWare - 1995-2016. I used to be a fan, now I'm just toxic.

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Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds" Oct 31, 2019 3:17:24 GMT via mobile Hrungr and CHRrOME like this

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Post by michaeln7 on Oct 31, 2019 3:17:24 GMT

Oct 31, 2019 1:29:18 GMT CHRrOME said:

I advanced further today and I think it's due to that choice I've made before, without spoiling let's just say that there's some reactivity due to what I did, like actual reactivity. That is very nice to see, because it's dull to see all your choices being impacted only at the end of a game.

Anyways, outside of that I have a question regarding the in game consumables. So you have your "heals" thingy button, but there're also different things you can equip in a "fast access quickbar", and I don't know how to cycle the "use" button from the heal item to the other equipped items. Is that even possible? I didn't find anything in the Controls menu regarding keys.

It's all at once; use the Medical Inhaler = use every type of item loaded into it.
The Adreno is always there, but increasing the Medical skill unlocks more slots.

Add "Meat" and "Carbohydrates" items, it boosts maximum health and health regen, respectively.

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Obsidian's "The Outer Worlds" Oct 31, 2019 6:04:57 GMT Sweet FA likes this

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Post by Hrungr on Oct 31, 2019 6:04:57 GMT

Oct 30, 2019 4:28:42 GMT Sweet FA said:

I've already posted my Positive thoughts so In the interest of balance I thought I'd post some of my Negative's about the game.

Overall the gameplay is fun and entertaining and don't get me wrong there is some good writing but personally I'm finding the writing/characterization a bit patchy. Without spoiling things too much I'm thinking about some of the Companion Quests, I'm finding some of the stories rather weak and disappointing.