Flux on 22/5/2015 at 08:54
Quote:
Solarix is a great example of a game that is being greatly supported post-launch. It's fantastic to see a developer standing behind their product and doing their best to ensure that players are having the best possible experience with their game. With two patches down, and more to come, we can only expect the game to get better and better as time goes on.
(
http://indiegames.com/2015/05/solarix_update_addresses_playe.html) http://indiegames.com/2015/05/solarix_update_addresses_playe.html
JohnnyTheWolf on 1/6/2015 at 13:37
So is the game worth it? Without a demo, I am reluctant to purchase games nowadays.
Solarix looks amazing on paper, but the footage I have seen so far does not seem very convincing, few websites appear to have reviewed the game so far and the developers, while civil, come across a bit defensive on the Steam forum. Hardly reassuring.
heywood on 1/6/2015 at 21:22
I think it's worth it.
There's a lot to like. The atmosphere is great. It looks very good. It sounds very good. The levels are unique enough from each other so that the game doesn't get repetitive and keeps you interested. The story is good and they reveal it slowly, which also helps to keep you interested.
It's an old-school stealth game at heart. The gameplay is very inspired by Thief, using predominantly light-based stealth. SS2 is also a clear inspiration, from the sci-fi horror feel at times, to some of the audio logs and characters. It doesn't suffer from excessive hand holding. It gives you enough direction & information to know how to proceed, including an overhead view of each area, but you don't feel like you are being led around by the nose.
So what's not to like? My biggest complaint is that the levels are large but fairly empty. The level architecture is interesting enough that you want to explore, but there is no reward for exploring and there are plenty of opportunities to get stuck on the geometry if you do. Another complaint is that it's too easy to sneak. The AI seems to have a very limited field of vision and isn't very smart. Supposedly the AI vision has been addressed in the first patch, making it a little more challenging, but I haven't had a chance to replay it and I've been hesitant to post a review until I can.
JohnnyTheWolf on 1/6/2015 at 22:00
So, would it be fair to call Solarix a standalone System Shock 2 fan campaign, on a newer engine?
I know this might sound like a weird question, but without a demo, I am trying to find a common frame of reference.
voodoo47 on 1/6/2015 at 22:40
no - as mentioned, it's pretty much Thief in the SS2 universe. check a bit of some youtube LPs if you want a small taste.
JohnnyTheWolf on 1/6/2015 at 23:26
Quote Posted by voodoo47
no - as mentioned, it's pretty much Thief in the SS2 universe. check a bit of some youtube LPs if you want a small taste.
I was under the impression that System Shock 2 was basically Thief with role-playing elements but without the stealth mechanics.
Vae on 1/6/2015 at 23:44
The Thief Universe and the System Shock Universe, exist independently...The Solarix Universe is inspired by the SS Universe, utilizing Thief gameplay mechanics.
Pyrian on 2/6/2015 at 00:17
Quote Posted by JohnnyTheWolf
I was under the impression that System Shock 2 was basically Thief with role-playing elements but without the stealth mechanics.
"(blank) was basically Thief with (blank) but without stealth" should be a meme.
Flux on 2/6/2015 at 07:28
Quote:
Supposedly the AI vision has been addressed in the first patch, making it a little more challenging, but I haven't had a chance to replay it and I've been hesitant to post a review until I can.
By default AI vision was as it is, exactly like in Thief 1 & 2 on
easy difficulty but some reviewers screamed off "OMG Blind AI" without even trying other difficulty settings. You know, to us, thief fans, this has never been a problem but to some, it can be. Sit in a corner in dark in Thief1&2, AI can come half feet near you, if your light-gem is dark, you are not visible, cool...So it seems "not cool=bug" to many, I guess. Yes, we were a bit defensive over forums at launch because a simple design decision on
easy difficulty has caused the game to be labelled as "buggy AI"
Now, in the second patch, everything AI related has been amped, making the game much more challenging.
I'm working on the third patch, another complaint was that patrol routes were always the same(Hence, we designed that way like in Thief, for the blackjacking joy). Now, we added randomization to some of the patrol points. Also, some complained about AI forgetting about you easily, again we amped this as well, making some of the AI more paranoid and persistent...
Thief mechanics aside, I think biggest rookie mistake we did was to not to
deny System Shock reference. Yes, that's one of our fave games, everyone knows. And at first, it felt good(ego I guess) to read the words "system shock vibes" in previews. But in the end, people's expectations were raised too high. Solarix can never be as
deep as System Shock or Deus Ex even if we release 100 patches, as simple as that.
But for example, when a site like Kotaku makes a positive preview and says "If Deus Ex was an horror game", it is such a phrase no publisher would miss the chance not to spread that news.
So, Johnny, I guess best would be for you to wait for a sale, by then you'll see more than 1000 "let's play" videos and many more patches and probably 50% off pricetag. I have a feeling that if you buy it now, you'll be too "observant" let's say, to enjoy it.
Gosh, I just said back in 2008, "Hey, I made some fan missions for Thief3, now, it would be sooo cool to make stealth-missions like this sci-fi environments, wouldn't it?", and that was it...how it all started.
Stealth+Sci Fi, that's it, I never wanted or wished to be compared to System Shock or Deus Ex, but when big gaming sites uses these terms, you get excited, human nature I guess...
BTW, some of you guys asked for non-drm version, I baked it and sent it to some shops, not GOG, though. Apparently, Solarix is not good enough for GOG, they rejected our label's offer.
henke on 2/6/2015 at 08:02
Flux, I like that you guys are still working on the game and tweaking it in patches. The faster crouch speed and easier knockouts definitely made it more pleasant to play. What I'd like to see the most from the AI is that they pause at both ends of their patrol routes, instead of just at one end. Also they could do with more of a intermediate searching/alerted state when they notice you, instead of going straight from 0-100. Tho I'm sure you've heard all this before and I guess it might be hard to implement at this late stage.
