Aja on 15/7/2024 at 20:21
Quote Posted by vurt
Elden Ring. Replaying on PC, just got into the DLC area, visually i really don't like how the first area looks, but whatever, i still think it might be a good DLC from what i've heard.
Counterpoint: it's one of the most beautiful environments in any game ever.
Inline Image:
https://i.imgur.com/lLPLgwh.jpegvurt on 15/7/2024 at 20:37
Any game can be beautiful if you take a screen from the right angle, this game is no exception for sure, and especially so if the focus isn't really the area itself but the backdrop or some exception in the area. It's mainly a big field with yellow grass and "hologram" tomb stones. I do think it's the weakest area visually so far, i'd say it looks a bit boring or even lazy in comparison to other areas in the game.
Aja on 15/7/2024 at 21:17
I didn't cherry pick it; the game looks like that from nearly every angle. Sure, the opening area is a field, but it's a field with passages to like 10 different interesting places, most of which are equally beautiful.
vurt on 15/7/2024 at 21:22
you have probably explored more than me so i won't say it doesnt have areas that looks good, i would be very surprised if it hasn't. Its just that that field and the (few) areas i have checked out left me really unimpressed visually. I've given the area maybe 2h in total or so, so not a lot.
Renault on 16/7/2024 at 00:18
Aja kind of beat me to it, but yes, this game is amazing visually. I'm like 40 hours in, and seen just about every area. Some of the bosses are too difficult for me, but I'm enjoying just exploring around and checking out every little corner of the map. This game really could be a walking simulator, where you just travel around like a tourist and admire the pretty sights for hours on end. And there's a lot more of "how the hell do I get to this section of the map" than in the base game. The layout is not as straight forward, with lots of low/high elevation and secret caverns and passageways. It's frankly a joy to navigate.
That said, there are some areas that are huge and empty. Some regions I was asking myself "what's the point of being here?" You really rely much more on Torrent for the DLC than you do in the base game, just to get from place to place. I walked far more in standard ER, but you won't want to do that here. This really didn't bother me that much, but others may disagree.
Anyway, I killed 5 dragons yesterday, so it was a banner day. Maybe I'll actually finish this thing.
Aja on 16/7/2024 at 02:07
I agree about the empty space although I think the base game had a ton of it, too. Any time I was riding through some massive wide corridor or expansive cliffside I found myself wishing I could skip it to get to the actual level. But yeah, figuring out how to get to any given area on the map is a big challenge. I made it to the DLC's final boss without realizing it, and when I checked those "Which order should you beat the bosses" articles, I realized I'd only done maybe half.
I also am with you on the difficulty. In a game like Sekiro I was glad to spend a couple hours on a boss, but there are so many in Elden Ring that if you took that long, you'd never finish it. So I'm frequently resorting to summons, even with which it's still challenging, but they at least allow me to get by without having to memorize the 25-odd different moves of any given boss.
Thirith on 17/7/2024 at 06:46
I finished Thief 2's "Kidnap" level yesterday - after worrying that I might have to restart it. (Spoilers for Thief 2 follow.)
See, instead of kidnapping Brother Cavador I got the wrong guy and only noticed when I got to the exit and nothing happened. I should've known (or remembered) that Cavador is immune to gas arrows... This meant that I had to go to Site 5 (which is tightly packed with Mechanists and Watchers) to get him out of there. Not my favourite part of the level, or the game, but I just about managed to lure the guards from the top floor down to the bottom one by one, knock them out, and then climb up to the top floor without being spotted, knock out everyone and get out with Cavador... which was less about skill than it was about save-scumming, because Site 5 seems designed to be frustratingly hard. Anyway, I finally finished the level and have now got the "Casing the Joint"/"Masks" double bill to look forward to.
henke on 17/7/2024 at 07:27
Thirith putting Thief 2 details in spoiler tags
On TTLG
In 2024
A true gentleman.
Thirith on 17/7/2024 at 07:29
It's what Garrett would do.
(Edit: Also, having last played Thief 2 over a dozen years ago, I found that I remembered very few of the specifics of the game, so a lot came as a (relative) surprise to me. One of the advantages of getting older, I guess. :cheeky:)
Edit 2: What I'd definitely forgotten: how much some Thief 2 missions feel like puzzles rather than like more systemic, freeform Thief. There are more systems in place that push the player away from playing how they like and towards different, more specific playstyles. It's still more freeform than most games, and the wrinkles in the formula are generally interesting, but sometimes it's nice to just have a standard mansion to rob.
henke on 20/7/2024 at 01:45
Ok, I've been replaying Thief 2 as well, since that's what the cool kids are doing now. :cool:
And yeah the level design in modern FMs have certainly spoiled me to some extent. You walk into an office in T2 and it contains: a desk and a chair. That's it. An archive room? A bookshelf, a table, and maaaaaybe a scroll lying on the table? As always with world design, consistency is more important than quality, and you soon accept that this is just how this world looks and you get into it. I'm currently on the Ambush! mission, which has you sneaking across town, avoiding guards and skulking through appartments and over rooftops. It's great!
Also finished Resident Evil Revelations, which was fun. Kinda wanna play RE5 now, since that's the direct sequel to this and I never finished it back then.
