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Abyss Odyssey |OT| A Warlock's Nightmare From Which I Am Trying To Awake

Seraphis Cain

bad gameplay lol
Yeah, I think if I have any complaint right now, it's that the game is too easy. On my run where I beat the Warlock, I came across a sword with 33 ATK that absolutely devastated most things I fought. And between having Kat, four health potions, a summon, and the soldier, it didn't really feel like I was in much danger of dying at all. Hell, I feel a bit silly now for using an expensive 3-respawn camp token a couple floors before the Warlock, since it was completely unnecessary and I could have put that money towards
unlocking Pincoya
. Of course, who knows how much more difficult the game might get once the community aspect kicks in and the Warlock changes form and new enemies are introduced.

I'm also not sure I like the leveling system, or at least, I'm not sure I see the point of it. With the max level being 70, and plenty of people already having beaten the Warlock at Lv. 10-15ish, I'm kinda left wondering what the point of leveling that high is right now. Unless the game gets drastically harder once the community aspect kicks in. But then that raises the question of what the game's going to be like for new players six months to a year from now. It all seems a bit confusing at the moment.

There's also another reason I'm not a fan of the leveling system, and that's replayability. I feel like the best rogue-lite/roguelike games don't have any sort of stats/progression that carries over between playthroughs at all, with the exception of something like Binding of Isaac's unlockable characters. Because with leveling that carries over between playthroughs, eventually you're going to hit a point where you're maxed out, and the game likely isn't even challenging anymore. Unless, again, the end-game of the whole community thing is that the game is balanced around Lv. 70 characters. But yeah, look at things like Spelunky or Isaac or Risk of Rain or FTL. The only things in those that carry over are unlockables, and because of that they're endlessly replayable.

I guess it just remains to be seen how much the community aspect is going to affect the overall difficulty/replayability of the game in the long-run. I'd absolutely love it if it ended up like Isaac or RoR or FTL, where every run through the dungeon is just as fun as the last one. But the game's going to have to get a lot more challenging by the time it's all said and done for that to be the case, I think.
 

ViviOggi

Member
Wow, wtf is going on with the down right stick shit on PC? Is that broken or? Because having an attack and interaction bound to the same stick is kind of bonkers. Who greenlighted that shit?

I can't interact with anything, fellas, you fucked up.

Interacting is R3 (clicking the right stick)

It's not optimal but unless you're playing with a hyper-sensitive $5 pad or something it should work just fine.

Yeah, I think if I have any complaint right now, it's that the game is too easy. On my run where I beat the Warlock, I came across a sword with 33 ATK that absolutely devastated most things I fought. And between having Kat, four health potions, a summon, and the soldier, it didn't really feel like I was in much danger of dying at all. Hell, I feel a bit silly now for using an expensive 3-respawn camp token a couple floors before the Warlock, since it was completely unnecessary and I could have put that money towards
unlocking Pincoya
. Of course, who knows how much more difficult the game might get once the community aspect kicks in and the Warlock changes form and new enemies are introduced.

I'm also not sure I like the leveling system, or at least, I'm not sure I see the point of it. With the max level being 70, and plenty of people already having beaten the Warlock at Lv. 10-15ish, I'm kinda left wondering what the point of leveling that high is right now. Unless the game gets drastically harder once the community aspect kicks in. But then that raises the question of what the game's going to be like for new players six months to a year from now. It all seems a bit confusing at the moment.

There's also another reason I'm not a fan of the leveling system, and that's replayability. I feel like the best rogue-lite/roguelike games don't have any sort of stats/progression that carries over between playthroughs at all, with the exception of something like Binding of Isaac's unlockable characters. Because with leveling that carries over between playthroughs, eventually you're going to hit a point where you're maxed out, and the game likely isn't even challenging anymore. Unless, again, the end-game of the whole community thing is that the game is balanced around Lv. 70 characters. But yeah, look at things like Spelunky or Isaac or Risk of Rain or FTL. The only things in those that carry over are unlockables, and because of that they're endlessly replayable.

I guess it just remains to be seen how much the community aspect is going to affect the overall difficulty/replayability of the game in the long-run. I'd absolutely love it if it ended up like Isaac or RoR or FTL, where every run through the dungeon is just as fun as the last one. But the game's going to have to get a lot more challenging by the time it's all said and done for that to be the case, I think.

Looking at the achievements - capture a level 10/25/40 enemy - there might be some sort of scaling? Could also just be that every type has a specific level though, one of those shadow skellington mini bosses I fought with my level ~16 GM was level 34.
Possibly new events and enemy types unlock once you've crossed a certain level treshold or fulfill other conditions. Like, I wouldn't surprised about an ACE Team game being flawed in one way or another, but a massive decrease in challenge just for leveling up (i.e. playing the game) is something I trust them to have seen coming.
 
"Wow, wtf is going on with the down right stick shit on PC? Is that broken or? Because having an attack and interaction bound to the same stick is kind of bonkers. Who greenlighted that shit? "


It's actually R3, the Right Stick button. Not pressing Down on the right stick. Why they chose that icon instead of R3, I have no idea.
 

Aselith

Member
Interacting is R3 (clicking the right stick)

It's not optimal but unless you're playing with a hyper-sensitive $5 pad or something it should work just fine.

"Wow, wtf is going on with the down right stick shit on PC? Is that broken or? Because having an attack and interaction bound to the same stick is kind of bonkers. Who greenlighted that shit? "


It's actually R3, the Right Stick button. Not pressing Down on the right stick. Why they chose that icon instead of R3, I have no idea.

Ah cool thanks!
 

repeater

Member
This thread piqued my interest in this game, it looks super cool. So are any of you guys playing this on console? And how demanding is the PC version, specwise?
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
Why is there not a FAQ in the OP?

If I die and become a soldier, he's like "I have to find one of those altars" but I did and I can't do shit. What do I do?

Sure would be nice to have the game explain how to play it.
 
Why is there not a FAQ in the OP?

If I die and become a soldier, he's like "I have to find one of those altars" but I did and I can't do shit. What do I do?

Sure would be nice to have the game explain how to play it.

you have to get to one of those "white" altars not the black ones with the warlock's mask
once you get on it you should rez automatically
 

ViviOggi

Member
I hate the mentality that games should outright explain everything from the get-go. Figuring out original systems, even if slightly obtuse is great, and so far I haven't seen anything in AO that should overwhelm the average videogame enthusiast. Put in a little effort, seriously.
 
You guys complaining that the game's too easy? It was too bloody hard for me in the beginning imo.

I was struggling quite a bit before I cleared it the first time, granted I didn't read up on the Advanced Mechanics guide before starting the game, which I probably should have.

The character movements felt sluggish. Turning to face enemies who've superior agility to you is a nightmare. The minibosses (which are a replica of your heroes with their movesets) were kicking my behind with their cheap curse attacks and super combos. Multiple enemies give you no quarter and no respite.

I really disliked multiple opponents for that reason, I was being tossed around repeatedly, air juggled ad infinitum by the cooperative enemies who do not suffer from friendly damage.

It took me 8 runs before I slowly picked up on the means to survive and another 2 more to finish the game with Kat, unlocking the Monk in the process. He turned out to be the easier character, and Picoya ended up the most OP of them all with her superior weapon reach.

They seriously gave you the most difficult character to use in the beginning lol.
 

elyetis

Member
You guys complaining that the game's too easy? It was too bloody hard for me in the beginning imo.

I was struggling quite a bit before I cleared it the first time, granted I didn't read up on the Advanced Mechanics guide before starting the game, which I probably should have.

The character movements felt sluggish. Turning to face enemies who've superior agility to you is a nightmare. The minibosses (which are a replica of your heroes with their movesets) were kicking my behind with their cheap curse attacks and super combos. Multiple enemies give you no quarter and no respite.

I really disliked multiple opponents for that reason, I was being tossed around repeatedly, air juggled ad infinitum by the cooperative enemies who do not suffer from friendly damage.

It took me 8 runs before I slowly picked up on the means to survive and another 2 more to finish the game with Kat, unlocking the Monk in the process. He turned out to be the easier character, and Picoya ended up the most OP of them all with her superior weapon reach.

They seriously gave you the most difficult character to use in the beginning lol.
Too early for me to juge it as too easy ( only had time for a single run... lack of save stop me from playing if I don't have enough time to finish it ).
But without reading any guide, only discovering about how to switch to a captured ennemy when I was 1 or 2 stage from the necromancer, I got to the necromancer in my first run ( and died by his hand ).

I could have been lucky when it comes to the stages difficulty, and I still died and became a soldier at least 3 times during that run. But all in all it did feel easier than I would have expected.
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
Haha, I just beat it with princess badass. I became lvl15 after beating the warlock, which I think was a multiple level up. I didn't even have my 3rd move yet and when I beat him I had 3 potions and a second form to burn through if I had to. Man she's so much better than Katrien it's ridiculous.
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
This game could really use some c-c-c-c-combo breakers. Sucks when you get juggled to death by 3-4 dudes with no way out. Co-op is almost mandatory in some situations. I get that is why they have the soldiers spawn when you establish a base, but that isn't always an option. Pop-up attacks would also be a godsend.
 

Tokubetsu

Member
Man some of y'all are getting really lucky with these weapon drops? 90% of the weapons I find in the world are the wrong type for Kat or I get to a store and the weapon is too expensive.
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
I hate the mentality that games should outright explain everything from the get-go. Figuring out original systems, even if slightly obtuse is great, and so far I haven't seen anything in AO that should overwhelm the average videogame enthusiast. Put in a little effort, seriously.
Why is it "great" to hide game mechanics? I mean I can understand it for stuff you discover in the world and everything, but no explanation of combat dynamics when you're often fighting off 4-5 enemies at a time? It doesn't even tell you what your special moves do, you just see an icon representing them and dick around with them. That is patently absurd. As someone who plays fighting games, and smash bros, I think saying this is part fighting game is rather ridiculous. Even Akira in VF is not as stiff as this.
 
Has anyone mess with the PC settings yet? Like the Binary files? I'm trying to get some AA without injectors. I saw a few things, but didn't have time to test. I did change the "MaxMultiSamples" to 8 and "MaxAnisotropy" to 16...Haven't tested to see what happens.

Any PC gaffers can chime in?
jAESSl1k2lsN8.jpg
 

Yuterald

Member
Messed around with the game for a bit. Ran the Abyss a few times until I died. Seems cool. Not used to the mechanics/controls yet. Definitely feels different compared to other 2D action titles. Yo, the OST is pretty chill though. The first town's track is total Zeno Clash II stuff. The ambient/unsettling track in that post-death space-like room is fucking awesome too. Love how the music changes when you're near an altar as well. Since Zeno Clash II, this composer has really set up shop in my audio space. Good stuff here.
 

garath

Member
little over 2 hours to decide if I want to grab it. Generally get games like this on super sale but it looks like something I can get behind for $10.

What are people using? Keyboard only? Keyboard/mouse? Controller? Just from first glance I'm thinking 360 controller.
 

ViviOggi

Member
little over 2 hours to decide if I want to grab it. Generally get games like this on super sale but it looks like something I can get behind for $10.

What are people using? Keyboard only? Keyboard/mouse? Controller? Just from first glance I'm thinking 360 controller.
360 pad for sure, especially since apparently keyboard prompts aren't even implemented at this point. I'm having a blast for what it's worth, maybe go the ruski way if you're uncertain (although it might not make a huge difference when you're not paying premium like us European suckers).
 

Briarios

Member
Yeah, I didn't get any crazy weapon drops last night - but I had a flaming katana for awhile, and that keeps me happy :D I think it was like 13 or 16 damage, so nothing insane. I made in through on my second try, but I had to use a camp to face the Warlock twice. I really liked that the conversation ws different the second time I fought him, as it gave a lot more backstory.

I don't think this game is for everyone, but I fully enjoyed it. I plan to go through multiple times, which it something I don't do on a lot of games. I'm playing on the PS3, by the way. I haven't had any issues except, my trophies didn't carry over to my account. That could be a PSN thing, though.
 

Vazra

irresponsible vagina leak
Im level 30. The more you level up the better it gets and it starts to feel like a traditional beat em up in terms of enemies dying quicker. This will probably change as the community moves with it and makes it harder but its good.
 

Nixonomics

Member
I've really enjoyed playing the game so far - once I got into a groove of canceling between specials, dodging enemy attacks, and I learned how to position myself properly I had a really good time. The combat has a great, 'fluid' feel to it. Some of the summons, like the Jackal, the combat skeleton (name?), and the cow (?) were really fun to play around with. I would love an additional mode or option to play exclusively as an enemy in the future (apart from the training room).

However, I think that the lack of difficulty is the game biggest issue right now. Once I got used to the combat I had no worries at all about failure. It was simply a matter of "do I really want to do this again tonight?". I actually beat the warlock 7 times in my first sitting with the game. I've only really died once - and that wasn't even due to combat, but instead a really long platforming section that I embarrassingly fudged repeatedly (fucking jellyfish platform bullshit). So much tension that is normally found in 'rouge-likes' has been removed due to the three life lines the game gives you (camp tokens, summons, soldiers). I was hoping the difficulty would scale and get more difficult as I gained more levels - and I did feel like my second battle with the Warlock was harder than my first - but my third, fourth, fifth, etc... Warlock battles proved that this wasn't true. I'm really curious what new content will be unlocked as more players beat the Warlock. I would love to have some new modes added - especially some type of challenge mode. I completed a self-restricted run last night where I only used the starter weapon and that even felt too easy.

I stuck with the Monk after unlocking him on my first attempt. Ended the night around level 47.

I also managed to grab the no. 1 spot on the PS3 leaderboards, but I'm sure that will change by the time I get home today. Oh well, king for a day.


qb6K0stl.jpg


Let me know if I bufu'd this image linking - junior members. /sigh
 

ViviOggi

Member
Do we have any info on what type of content will be unlocked by the community yet?

qb6K0stl.jpg


Let me know if I bufu'd this image linking - junior members. /sigh

You'll want to put larger images into quote tags (in addition to the img tags) so they scale. This one isn't that huge but it's always nicer to read.
 

ViviOggi

Member
Nightmare Mode coming for the next patch. Difficulty buff?
I hope it'll include tangible rewards and not just tweaked numbers. I've put in 7 hours so far, finished it with every character (twice with GM) and dabbled in coop (which is indeed way tougher than SP) and I'm not sure what the "endgame" is supposed to be. I'm not tired of it yet but as it stands there's not enough variety to warrant endless runs like in Spelunky, FTL and whatnot.
 
why can't i change it to 1440p :/


Also any general tips? Like i feel like im surviving mostly on luck. Enemies don't really have an easily noticeable pattern, and most moves are too fast for me to efficiently parry/dodge away.
 

Nixonomics

Member
Also any general tips? Like i feel like im surviving mostly on luck. Enemies don't really have an easily noticeable pattern, and most moves are too fast for me to efficiently parry/dodge away.

Make it a priority to keep all the enemies on one side of you. Getting surrounded usually ends in you getting wombo-combo'd. Air dashing is great for staying in control of the area. Use your normal attack as a poke, cancel into specials immediately after a successful hit. Be patient with the bosses, try to bait attacks out then punish them.
 
D

Deleted member 125677

Unconfirmed Member
oh wow, this game is good, like real, real, real good. Haute cuisine, crème de la crème, seins avec la crème glacée etc.


A couple of questions:

Should I start leveling up the hooded doode that I just unlocked or continue playing with my main gurrl?

Aren't you supposed to get some stuff when you kill the shopkeeper? I killed him, and all I got was a lousy achievement. :( I wanted all of his weapons
who am I kidding I love achievements

When jumping around enemies I tend to end up facing the wrong direction when I land, and it takes some time to turn. Is this avoidable when I git gud?

I can't seem to use the second special attack that I unlocked? I've mapped it to up, so something should happen when I press Y+UP. No?



Early impressions:

The combat seems very deep, thrilling and complex. Really rewarding, really engaging. I want to go on and on and on. Super fun to play.

I love all the Dark Souls inspiration in this game.

The game is really beautiful!
 

Vazra

irresponsible vagina leak
oh wow, this game is good, like real, real, real good. Haute cuisine, crème de la crème, seins avec la crème glacée etc.


A couple of questions:

Should I start leveling up the hooded doode that I just unlocked or continue playing with my main gurrl?

Aren't you supposed to get some stuff when you kill the shopkeeper? I killed him, and all I got was a lousy achievement. :( I wanted all of his weapons
who am I kidding I love achievements

When jumping around enemies I tend to end up facing the wrong direction when I land, and it takes some time to turn. Is this avoidable when I git gud?

I can't seem to use the second special attack that I unlocked? I've mapped it to up, so something should happen when I press Y+UP. No?



Early impressions:

The combat seems very deep, thrilling and complex. Really rewarding, really engaging. I want to go on and on and on. Super fun to play.

I love all the Dark Souls inspiration in this game.

The game is really beautiful!

For your questions

1) Level up the one you like more. I have Katrien Level 40 on PS3 wrecking shit and 20 on PC and Pincoya also at 20 or so. They are relatively easy to level up once you notice the magic of the 3 cancels for combos and escapes.

2) I didnt get anything from killing the Shopkeeper

3) Jumping and facing wrong direction its a thing of getting use to the movement to actually do the proper jumps

4) Make sure you mapped it up cause that should work fine.
 

Easy_D

never left the stone age
Nightmare Mode coming for the next patch. Difficulty buff?

Fuck yes! My biggest complaint is the difficulty, it's almost so easy now you don't need to properly learn the mechanics.

Edit: We broke the first piece of the mask. Apparently every 1000 kills, excited to see what's new. I think we should spoiler tag things like that though, for the sense of discovery! :D Odd, when I beat him yesterday, I saw that same piece fall off, does that cutscene trigger for everyone?

Also, you get an achievement for killing the shopkeeper. But the achievement makes no sense now that I think about it. I wish the Warlock's Journal was fleshed out a bit, you collected all the pieces pretty fast and it feels like there's a huge gap between the power displayed in the journal entries and conjuring up an abyss with demonic beasts in your sleep
 

Seraphis Cain

bad gameplay lol
From the dev on Steam:

Patching console versions is a complex process. We want to give them the support they deserve, but it will depend mostly on the amount of support of the respective console gaming crowd. If there's enough sales to justify the updates we'll include them.

FUCK. Welp, that was my worst fear when it came to getting the console version. And now I'm too late to get the PC version for $10. *sigh*
 

Tokubetsu

Member
Fuck yes! My biggest complaint is the difficulty, it's almost so easy now you don't need to properly learn the mechanics.

Edit: We broke the first piece of the mask. Apparently every 1000 kills, excited to see what's new. I think we should spoiler tag things like that though, for the sense of discovery! :D Odd, when I beat him yesterday, I saw that same piece fall off, does that cutscene trigger for everyone?

Also, you get an achievement for killing the shopkeeper. But the achievement makes no sense now that I think about it. I wish the Warlock's Journal was fleshed out a bit, you collected all the pieces pretty fast and it feels like there's a huge gap between the power displayed in the journal entries and conjuring up an abyss with demonic beasts in your sleep

Maybe everything in the game is a dream and the ending where everything resets and you get launched back to the start are the only real bits.
 

ViviOggi

Member
Edit: We broke the first piece of the mask. Apparently every 1000 kills, excited to see what's new. I think we should spoiler tag things like that though, for the sense of discovery! :D Odd, when I beat him yesterday, I saw that same piece fall off, does that cutscene trigger for everyone?

Where can I see this?

From the dev on Steam:



FUCK. Welp, that was my worst fear when it came to getting the console version. And now I'm too late to get the PC version for $10. *sigh*
You should have known!
 
D

Deleted member 125677

Unconfirmed Member
From the dev on Steam:



FUCK. Welp, that was my worst fear when it came to getting the console version. And now I'm too late to get the PC version for $10. *sigh*

You can probably still get it for much less than $10 via well known traders on this forum.
 

Nixonomics

Member
Do we have any info on what type of content will be unlocked by the community yet?

From the devs on their official forums:

"...Nothing gets disposed in between "boss masks". You might only miss a particular mask design if you ceased to play for a long period of time..."

and

"...the current state of the boss and display the corresponding changes in the abyss (i.e. introduction of new creatures)."

Leads me to believe the Warlock fight will be the biggest change to the game. I imagine different masks will give him different move sets. Apart from that all I could find was the introduction of new monsters into the abyss.

Thread found here: http://forums.aceteam.cl/index.php?showtopic=4267

Thanks for the image formatting tips too - just the type of info I was looking for.
 

Briarios

Member
From the dev on Steam:



FUCK. Welp, that was my worst fear when it came to getting the console version. And now I'm too late to get the PC version for $10. *sigh*

It would be nice if they did a Muramasa DLC sized expansion for the game down the road and included any PC updates with that. Then we could get some new content for a reasonable price & get caught up with updates, and they wouldn't have to go broke doing it. I'd be down with that.

Seriously, I've bought all the Muramasa stuff and it's been awesome.
 

Easy_D

never left the stone age
From the devs on their official forums:

"...Nothing gets disposed in between "boss masks". You might only miss a particular mask design if you ceased to play for a long period of time..."

and

"...the current state of the boss and display the corresponding changes in the abyss (i.e. introduction of new creatures)."

Leads me to believe the Warlock fight will be the largest biggest change to the game. I imagine different masks will give him different move sets. Apart from that all I could find was the introduction of new monsters into the abyss.

Thread found here: http://forums.aceteam.cl/index.php?showtopic=4267

Thanks for the image formatting tips too - just the type of info I was looking for.

To me it sounds like for each mask that breaks, the Warlock will have another phase during the final fight. Which explains why he's currently a joke, it's only his first form.
 

Easy_D

never left the stone age
Those combo videos are about twice as cool as my combos. When I only had one cancel I used to do an upwards grab, upward slash, cancel-roll forward and do two more attacks, I can probably expand on that combo with 3 cancels

A good defense helps a long way in the game.

Yep, if you time it right you can even reflect projectiles.
 

TunaUppercut

Neo Member
Interesting game so far. Now I've only played for a few hours and I don't have that much experience but Is it just me or is Pincoya seriously top tier in this game?
 
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