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[#Phonepunk#]

It may sound silly but i find it heart warming reading through the emails sent by all those (fake) people i've been helping.

yeah ive been ignoring them. decided to sit down in a safehouse and read through my emails and interviews.

the lore in this game is fascinating. i really like the emphasis on Ancient Egyptian religion. the concept of the Death Stranding is very fascinating, a cool mesh of sci fi and spirituality. the "everyone has his own beach" concept is really neat, kind of similar to something I read in the Tibetan Book of the Dead, positing that every individual's experience of the afterlife is unique. cool stuff to ponder...

 

[Mista]

I guess when there are a few more done we can start one but nobody should feel rushed, I'm just gonna build some roads and stuff.... still have to find Conan.

Want me to tell you where you can find him?

 

[treemk]

Has anyone successfully received a supply request? I'm assuming I'm waiting for a real player to deliver in real time, so I'll probably check back tomorrow. Does it give you a notification once it's delivered?

 

[Wink]

Yeah, this has to be my GOTY. I was holding on to Sekiro for the top spot, because that was my favourite Miyazaki first playthrough of any of the games he directed (which I all love), but I've now put 52 hours into Death Stranding, I'm only in episode 5 and it keeps on giving. I've seldomly felt as much in control of my journey in a videogame while also being masterfully guided along an intended progression and told a story in the most AAA way possible. The rhythm I fell into of discovering a new area, spending some time there falling into the loop of building up infrastructure that will help with side content (which is providing rewards so many different ways, lore, trinkets for customisation, actual tool upgrades) and moving on as soon as the surroundings become a bit too familiar is proving so satisfying. Soon as I think I have it all figured out the game throws new challenges at me that I'm thrilled to have to solve, not just in terms of conquering a new area. It also started to dole out side content that made me have to rethink my standard approach to side missions in areas I've already built up and thus making me realise that all the trials I had to overcome to get to have that familiarity with parts of the map and tools I've gathered along the way now pay off for those new approaches necessary. Episode 5 is a real treat and I'm sure if I'd watch any of you go through it you'd make completely different choices. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a videogame.

 

[Mista]

Has anyone successfully received a supply request? I'm assuming I'm waiting for a real player to deliver in real time, so I'll probably check back tomorrow. Does it give you a notification once it's delivered?

Yeah. You don’t get them as notifications though

You have to check safe houses or settlements to see if there’s a supply request among the orders

 

[bender]

Just got to the weather station which I think still puts me in Episode 2. Despite aspects I love about the game (the online implementation of shared constructions, the "this is how a road gets made" alteration of the world based on common paths, and the dense amount of systems), it just hasn't clicked with me yet. I've been doing all the side content so maybe that's burning me out. As interesting as the locomotion being affected by terrain and cargo load are, I'm not sure I'd call it satisfying. I also think it lacks a rewarding sense of discovery. And as much as I love seeing other players constructions in my game, that takes away some of the struggle the game offers but maybe that's not the point. Beyond the weather station, I've found little need to be on foot (ditching the trike for a stolen Mule transport. The jump button and wonky physics let you conquer just about any terrain and as long as you carry a PCC you can always recharge. Maybe this changes as you progress on, but vehicles feel like a disservice to other tools (ropes, ladders, power legs) at your disposal.

The delivery order reminds me of Burnout Paradise except instead of every intersection being a starting point, you only have a handful of connected locations to go back and forth from. I guess that makes sense from a narrative standpoint and I have seen some new destinations via the player request system, but it feels really limited. I just keep coming back to the feeling that this beautiful world is underutilized.

Randomness:

-The scale of the world feels really small compared to what is displayed on the map of the US.
-The main character names really bug me for some reason. Everything feels too on the nose.
-I might be reading into this too much, but it's odd that outside of Fragile, you only ever talk to holograms and you have a fear of physical contact. Maybe there is a narrative payoff.
-MGS5 Cows being used as delivery bots is a nice touch. As is your powered legs.

edit: That seems super negative. I really appreciate how different of an approach and how dense with systems Death Stranding is. I just wish I enjoyed it more.

 

[-Arcadia-]

So, bikes can’t outrun BTs.

With my grenades somehow also getting knocked out of my hands, I ended up triggering my first voidout.

You really don’t expect something like that to happen in the actual game. Any other game, the crazier stuff would all be in cutscenes, while your gameplay was safe and bog standard. Not here, though. It’s pretty astounding that you can just blow a massive crater in the game world.

 

[imsosleepy]

I am really curious what the budget was for this title because I dont think it was to huge or anything. I bet Horizon costed alot more. They got the engine, they build it in 3.5 years with a team of around 100 people and some guerilla help. And I'm sure their team is really effective and they had someone who had a clear plan from the beginning to end.

 

[Mista]

I am really curious what the budget was for this title because I dont think it was to huge or anything. I bet Horizon costed alot more. They got the engine, they build it in 3.5 years with a team of around 100 people and some guerilla help. And I'm sure their team is really effective and they had someone who had a clear plan from the beginning to end.

With all those celebrities? Are you kidding me? Must’ve been massive budget no doubt

 

[LokusAbriss]

Just got to the weather station which I think still puts me in Episode 2. Despite aspects I love about the game (the online implementation of shared constructions, the "this is how a road gets made" alteration of the world based on common paths, and the dense amount of systems), it just hasn't clicked with me yet. I've been doing all the side content so maybe that's burning me out. As interesting as the locomotion being affected by terrain and cargo load are, I'm not sure I'd call it satisfying. I also think it lacks a rewarding sense of discovery. And as much as I love seeing other players constructions in my game, that takes away some of the struggle the game offers but maybe that's not the point. Beyond the weather station, I've found little need to be on foot (ditching the trike for a stolen Mule transport. The jump button and wonky physics let you conquer just about any terrain and as long as you carry a PCC you can always recharge. Maybe this changes as you progress on, but vehicles feel like a disservice to other tools (ropes, ladders, power legs) at your disposal.

The delivery order reminds me of Burnout Paradise except instead of every intersection being a starting point, you only have a handful of connected locations to go back and forth from. I guess that makes sense from a narrative standpoint and I have seen some new destinations via the player request system, but it feels really limited. I just keep coming back to the feeling that this beautiful world is underutilized.

Randomness:

-The scale of the world feels really small compared to what is displayed on the map of the US.
-The main character names really bug me for some reason. Everything feels too on the nose.
-I might be reading into this too much, but it's odd that outside of Fragile, you only ever talk to holograms and you have a fear of physical contact. Maybe there is a narrative payoff.
-MGS5 Cows being used as delivery bots is a nice touch. As is your powered legs.

edit: That seems super negative. I really appreciate how different of an approach and how dense with systems Death Stranding is. I just wish I enjoyed it more.

If you dont focus on the story deliveries, you will get burned out fast. As many stated, you can come back later. There is just too much time to waste, trying to do all standard and retrieving deliveries first.

 

[whyman]

So, bikes can’t outrun BTs.

I’m pretty sure they can in most cases.

Spoiler: Gameplay tips

I was able to avoid BTs by driving slalom in their zones. Also if the tar gets you. A perfectly timed boost might help out.

 

[psorcerer]

So, bikes can’t outrun BTs.

With my grenades somehow also getting knocked out of my hands, I ended up triggering my first voidout.

You really don’t expect something like that to happen in the actual game. Any other game, the crazier stuff would all be in cutscenes, while your gameplay was safe and bog standard. Not here, though. It’s pretty astounding that you can just blow a massive crater in the game world.

Boosted bike easily outruns a BT.
The problem is that in a BT infested area there is a chance that you boost right into another BT. And that's probably what happened.

 

[-Arcadia-]

I’m pretty sure they can in most cases.

Spoiler: Gameplay tips

I was able to avoid BTs by driving slalom in their zones. Also if the tar gets you. A perfectly timed boost might help out.

Boosted bike easily outruns a BT.
The problem is that in a BT infested area there is a chance that you boost right into another BT. And that's probably what happened.

Probably. I got away with it just fine once, but the second time, everything just fell apart in half a second. I’ll try that tip if I ever get the tar again, thank you. I just assumed the bike was a lost cause and started running for my life, hahaha.

 

[-Arcadia-]

20 hours in, and I just hit Port Knot City (I really spent too much time doing non-story stuff).

Hear me out, please. I’m going to say something that sounds negative, then something super-positive.

I don’t really find the gameplay fun beyond anything of a pleasant hum in doing my deliveries, navigating terrain well, etc. I took a very long time to say this, so I could be sure.

The really interesting question, is why am I so hooked, then? Why is this game under my skin in a way that no other game this year has been?

I think it’s because this game is genuinely more an experience than a game. If Metal Gear, a game derived from 80s game design, is based around the concepts of adrenaline and challenge that permeated that era, this feels like something new, crafted for the modern era, that isn’t so beholden to arcade-era design and it’s need for immediate, base satisfaction.

Essentially it’s free to be more of an interactive experience, than what we would traditionally define as a game.

That is where it excels. It feels like it’s you in the game world, going on this epic adventure, facing and overcoming these hardships, learning about the fascinating world/story, bringing happiness to people, and working together with other players to build a better world for everyone. Someone’s about to tell me that’s every game ever, but these concepts hit harder here.

I think this is the source of the divorce between people who like Death Stranding, and people who don’t. Some want that immediate satisfaction (and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that); others love the journey, the feeling of the whole.

More than any other mainstream game I’ve played, this feels like an art film. Not really intended to be a great time at the theater, but an experience that leaves you with something meaningful.

I’m really glad I took the chance on it.

 

[nowhat]

I think it’s because this game is genuinely more an experience than a game. If Metal Gear, a game derived from 80s game design, is based around the concepts of adrenaline and challenge that permeated that era, this feels like something new, crafted for the modern era, that isn’t so beholden to arcade-era design and it’s need for immediate, base satisfaction.

It's basically tantric sex vs. a quickie in a bathroom at a bar. Both are enjoyable in their own right, and lead to the same result, but getting there is different.

(just as an analogy, I'm not suggesting we all go Sting)

 

[-Arcadia-]

It's basically tantric sex vs. a quickie in a bathroom at a bar. Both are enjoyable in their own right, and lead to the same result, but getting there is different.

(just as an analogy, I'm not suggesting we all go Sting)

...Sure!

I do get what you’re saying, though, jokes aside. There’s different ways to have fun, and different types of fun.

 

[Mista]

20 hours in, and I just hit Port Knot City (I really spent too much time doing non-story stuff).

Hear me out, please. I’m going to say something that sounds negative, then something super-positive.

I don’t really find the gameplay fun beyond anything of a pleasant hum in doing my deliveries, navigating terrain well, etc. I took a very long time to say this, so I could be sure.

The really interesting question, is why am I so hooked, then? Why is this game under my skin in a way that no other game this year has been?

I think it’s because this game is genuinely more an experience than a game. If Metal Gear, a game derived from 80s game design, is based around the concepts of adrenaline and challenge that permeated that era, this feels like something new, crafted for the modern era, that isn’t so beholden to arcade-era design and it’s need for immediate, base satisfaction.

Essentially it’s free to be more of an interactive experience, than what we would traditionally define as a game.

That is where it excels. It feels like it’s you in the game world, going on this epic adventure, facing and overcoming these hardships, learning about the fascinating world/story, bringing happiness to people, and working together with other players to build a better world for everyone. Someone’s about to tell me that’s every game ever, but these concepts hit harder here.

I think this is the source of the divorce between people who like Death Stranding, and people who don’t. Some want that immediate satisfaction (and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that); others love the journey, the feeling of the whole.

More than any other mainstream game I’ve played, this feels like an art film. Not really intended to be a great time at the theater, but an experience that leaves you with something meaningful.

I’m really glad I took the chance on it.

That’s the main things in the gameplay mate so that makes you enjoying it but you aren’t realising it maybe

Because there’s no such thing as you’re getting hooked doing the main gameplay mechanics in a game and you don’t find it fun

 

[VertigoOA]

After like two hours of first booting it up... what the fuck is this game and why does it fucking suck!?

Hopefully impressions changed. I’ve missed kojima’s movies but... not sure that’s enough. Don’t really care about the story either so much... just met the president...

i miss metal gear

 

[Cato]

After like two hours of first booting it up... what the fuck is this game and why does it fucking suck!?

Hopefully impressions changed. I’ve missed kojima’s movies but... not sure that’s enough. Don’t really care about the story either so much... just met the president...

i miss metal gear

It is not a game for everyone and it isok to not like it, or any other game.

But, when I got a short message that someone else had finished a road segment I didn't have resources myself to do,
my pe***r got so hard it could cut diamond.
I got hooked right there and then. That is when it went from 6/10 to 9.5/10

 

[VertigoOA]

It is not a game for everyone and it isok to not like it, or any other game.

But, when I got a short message that someone else had finished a road segment I didn't have resources myself to do,
my pe***r got so hard it could cut diamond.
I got hooked right there and then. That is when it went from 6/10 to 9.5/10

I’m gonna finish it. I play all Kojima games but he’s about due for a stinker.

the odd numbered mgs games were the great ones. So if that would effectively make this metal gear solid 6... which should put it in mgs2 and mgs4 territory... too crazy for its own good.

Too early to tell but I’ve played enough exploration games this gen to not be too excited.

his games aren’t too known for it, but Kojima games feature stellar gameplay ... I’d prefer it was like his previous games but whatever... that’s not what it is. Will give it a fair shake over the week.

I honestly hope they’re contracted by Konami to develop MGS in the future. I can hope...

it kinda blows my mind Sony gave him money to make a mailman video game with an astronomical budget. Craziness I tell ya!

 

[Mista]

I’m gonna finish it. I play all Kojima games but he’s about due for a stinker.

the odd numbered mgs games were the great ones. So if that would effectively make this metal geae solid 6... which should put it in mgs2 and mgs4 territory... too crazy for it’s own good.

Too early to tell but I’ve played enough exploration games this gen to be too excited.

Yeah, no. It’s okay to dislike it but it’s in no way a “stinker”

 

[Psykodad]

20 hours in, and I just hit Port Knot City (I really spent too much time doing non-story stuff).

Hear me out, please. I’m going to say something that sounds negative, then something super-positive.

I don’t really find the gameplay fun beyond anything of a pleasant hum in doing my deliveries, navigating terrain well, etc. I took a very long time to say this, so I could be sure.

The really interesting question, is why am I so hooked, then? Why is this game under my skin in a way that no other game this year has been?

I think it’s because this game is genuinely more an experience than a game. If Metal Gear, a game derived from 80s game design, is based around the concepts of adrenaline and challenge that permeated that era, this feels like something new, crafted for the modern era, that isn’t so beholden to arcade-era design and it’s need for immediate, base satisfaction.

Essentially it’s free to be more of an interactive experience, than what we would traditionally define as a game.

That is where it excels. It feels like it’s you in the game world, going on this epic adventure, facing and overcoming these hardships, learning about the fascinating world/story, bringing happiness to people, and working together with other players to build a better world for everyone. Someone’s about to tell me that’s every game ever, but these concepts hit harder here.

I think this is the source of the divorce between people who like Death Stranding, and people who don’t. Some want that immediate satisfaction (and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that); others love the journey, the feeling of the whole.

More than any other mainstream game I’ve played, this feels like an art film. Not really intended to be a great time at the theater, but an experience that leaves you with something meaningful.

I’m really glad I took the chance on it.

Perfect description imo.

The gameplay us samey and there is absolutely no challenge (hard mode) except for trying to get cargo to it's destination with as little rust as possible.

Yet it's highly addicting and still manages to be GOTY worthy due to the overall experience.

 

[nowhat]

Yeah, no. It’s okay to dislike it but it’s in no way a “stinker”

I can totally understand people not liking the game - my ramblings of the game on the previous page pretty much sum them up. Personally, the good so much outweighed the bad, but if you think the game sucks, then that's your opinion and I'm fine with it.

However, a "stinker". Even dismissing every mechanical aspect of the game, the tech is just outstanding. Just on pure technological merit, the game should be 7/10. I can't wait to see what HZD 2 (which will be a PS5 launch title - I'm calling it, you can diss me later if I'm wrong) will look like.

 

[LostDonkey]

Just got the Bola gun.

Many lols

 

[LokusAbriss]

After like two hours of first booting it up... what the fuck is this game and why does it fucking suck!?

Hopefully impressions changed. I’ve missed kojima’s movies but... not sure that’s enough. Don’t really care about the story either so much... just met the president...

i miss metal gear

Well, the game is about the following:

- Fixing your families problems (your Mother sends you on a journey that was too hard for an army)
- You have to take care of a child that is not yours
- Endless climbing and walking while carrying heavy shit
- Demons try to kill you
- Thieves are trying to steel from you and kill you
- You meet and have to trust crazy people
- You have an energy drink addiction
- Episodes of hallucinations (probably from too much Monster Energy)

All that to connect lazy ass people in their safe underground bunkers to a nation wide 5G network, like some kind of telecommunications technician. So they can watch Netflix in their pyjamas while you have to retrieve their shit. While fighting off demons and fucking up your knees from the heavy cargo on the way.

 

[GymWolf]

After almost 20 hours, finally a fucking cutscene that made me care a little about at least one npc (fragile).

Higgs was good too.

 

[Mista]

I can totally understand people not liking the game - my ramblings of the game on the previous page pretty much sum them up. Personally, the good so much outweighed the bad, but if you think the game sucks, then that's your opinion and I'm fine with it.

However, a "stinker". Even dismissing every mechanical aspect of the game, the tech is just outstanding. Just on pure technological merit, the game should be 7/10. I can't wait to see what HZD 2 (which will be a PS5 launch title - I'm calling it, you can diss me later if I'm wrong) will look like.

Well said but even on the technical side I find it worth more than 7

 

[GymWolf]

How do you post a video from your console?
Never done it .

i know it’s supposed to slow down when it’s raining but it’s choppy.
And if it’s normal, it’s a crappy effect.

Sometimes i have half-second slowdown in random occasion, but they are kinda rare so not really a problem.
And no, they are not related to BTs or rain, they are just micro-stuttering.

 

[nowhat]

Well said but even on the technical side I find it worth more than 7

Oh sure, if we were to only evaluate tech this surely would be 10/10. Decima is just incredible, and what Kojima Productions has done with the water is icing on the cake. Just that for the average reviewer "I don't enjoy the game at all but it looks amazing, 7/10" would seem like a reasonable conclusion. As an overall score, when it comes to tech it's 10+.

 

[GymWolf]

Seems pretty pointless honestly. I find myself avoiding it just so I don't have to remember where I left all my gear. It's really only used for traveling between maps.

Yeah fast travel is basically useless in this game, sam is always with some delivery on his back, if i can't transport some packages what is the meaning of fast travel? Just to move from a base to another without carring anything?

I used once and never touched again.

 

[Robhimself]

It is not a game for everyone and it isok to not like it, or any other game.

But, when I got a short message that someone else had finished a road segment I didn't have resources myself to do,
my pe***r got so hard it could cut diamond.
I got hooked right there and then. That is when it went from 6/10 to 9.5/10

Yeah, the Community part kickstarted my building-fetish.... Bridges, Towers, roads...

 

[GymWolf]

It’s far from unplayable, sometimes it’s worse than others.
I made a clip, I’ll upload it later .
But it seems it’s worst after a few hours of play.
Maybe it’s overheating after 6 or 7 h session (damn I’m addicted to this game...)
My point was to say the game is not as perfect (frame rate) as everyone says it is.
That’s all.

No game is perfect in the framerate department, no rdr2, no horizon, no gears 5, no halo 5, no nothing, you can always have a shitload of enemies, effect, explosion etc on screen and at least on console there is no such a thing like locked framerate, digital fuckery can say and test what they want but this is the reality, at least on console.

People use the word perfect for games with rock solid framerate 80% of the time, but it's not always locked 100% of the time.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

- Episodes of hallucinations (probably from too much Monster Energy)

you joke but i think this is due to the crystals, they seem to have a bad effect on mental wellbeing according to Lore (read the Interviews while in the private room). they are unaffected by the Timefall and apparently they tried to make shelters out of the stuff but it drove people crazy and suicidal.

Yeah fast travel is basically useless in this game, sam is always with some delivery on his back, if i can't transport some packages what is the meaning of fast travel? Just to move from a base to another without carring anything?

i was in Chapter 3 and realized I never used it and tried it out, found I had left all kinds of stuff undone in that first map, which is impossible to walk to/from where i was. so im over in that map doing a bunch of stuff and once i move on ill fast travel to the second map.

have yet to try it within maps but i bet there are some cool strategies you could use with thoughtful planning..

 

[FranXico]

Yeah fast travel is basically useless in this game, sam is always with some delivery on his back, if i can't transport some packages what is the meaning of fast travel? Just to move from a base to another without carring anything?

I used once and never touched again.

If you could use fast travel to deliver packages, wouldn't that actually fundamentally break the game?

 

[LaughingStock]

Something that bothers me is how i never had to worry about resources to fabricate gear. I can always build everything i want.
If i fast travel i never retrieve my old gear in the locker. I just build new stuff. My truck got stuck or was destroyed? Just build another.

This game needs an extreme difficulty mode.

 

[Endless Fluff]

Did they get rid of Monster with yesterdays patch? Or is it normal that it gets replaced with beer (because of the mission in chapter 3) and I just didn't notice it sooner?

 

[Robhimself]

Did they get rid of Monster with yesterdays patch? Or is it normal that it gets replaced with beer (because of the mission in chapter 3) and I just didn't notice it sooner?

That's supposed to happen. Nothing to do with the patch.

 

[Kagero]

20 hours in, and I just hit Port Knot City (I really spent too much time doing non-story stuff).

Hear me out, please. I’m going to say something that sounds negative, then something super-positive.

I don’t really find the gameplay fun beyond anything of a pleasant hum in doing my deliveries, navigating terrain well, etc. I took a very long time to say this, so I could be sure.

The really interesting question, is why am I so hooked, then? Why is this game under my skin in a way that no other game this year has been?

I think it’s because this game is genuinely more an experience than a game. If Metal Gear, a game derived from 80s game design, is based around the concepts of adrenaline and challenge that permeated that era, this feels like something new, crafted for the modern era, that isn’t so beholden to arcade-era design and it’s need for immediate, base satisfaction.

Essentially it’s free to be more of an interactive experience, than what we would traditionally define as a game.

That is where it excels. It feels like it’s you in the game world, going on this epic adventure, facing and overcoming these hardships, learning about the fascinating world/story, bringing happiness to people, and working together with other players to build a better world for everyone. Someone’s about to tell me that’s every game ever, but these concepts hit harder here.

I think this is the source of the divorce between people who like Death Stranding, and people who don’t. Some want that immediate satisfaction (and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that); others love the journey, the feeling of the whole.

More than any other mainstream game I’ve played, this feels like an art film. Not really intended to be a great time at the theater, but an experience that leaves you with something meaningful.

I’m really glad I took the chance on it.

You're thinking too much. You're finding the game fun and there's nothing wrong with that. For me, this is the most, " FUN" I've had in a game all year. When I'm not playing it, I'm thinking about how to get back to it ASAP.

 

[Holdfing]

Did they get rid of Monster with yesterdays patch? Or is it normal that it gets replaced with beer (because of the mission in chapter 3) and I just didn't notice it sooner?

I got my monsters back after a while. The beer has a limited stock, or there's a story trigger or something.

 

[cucuchu]

Loving the game so far but been busy so I didn't really get a chance to sit down and play it until last night. I'm at the part where you first encounter MULES and its a very different experience than anything else I've ever played. I dig it though and so far enjoy the strategy for plotting out my way to my destination and then negotiating the terrain and anything that comes up...

That brings me to my primary concern with the game. As time goes on and people build roads and infrastructure, it feels like the game will be far too easy. Does anyone know if there is a safeguard to prevent people from playing in a fully built up instance of the game?

 

[LaughingStock]

Loving the game so far but been busy so I didn't really get a chance to sit down and play it until last night. I'm at the part where you first encounter MULES and its a very different experience than anything else I've ever played. I dig it though and so far enjoy the strategy for plotting out my way to my destination and then negotiating the terrain and anything that comes up...

That brings me to my primary concern with the game. As time goes on and people build roads and infrastructure, it feels like the game will be far too easy. Does anyone know if there is a safeguard to prevent people from playing in a fully built up instance of the game?

You can play offline.

You only have access to other players constructions after you have reconected the area to the chiral network. And everything that's been built will be damaged by timefall over time. Without maintenance things break down and disappear.

 

[molasar]

Loving the game so far but been busy so I didn't really get a chance to sit down and play it until last night. I'm at the part where you first encounter MULES and its a very different experience than anything else I've ever played. I dig it though and so far enjoy the strategy for plotting out my way to my destination and then negotiating the terrain and anything that comes up...

That brings me to my primary concern with the game. As time goes on and people build roads and infrastructure, it feels like the game will be far too easy. Does anyone know if there is a safeguard to prevent people from playing in a fully built up instance of the game?

What you can do:
- play offline,
- timefall will deteriorate structures so you have to repair them yourself,
- you can remove structures,
- set the game to the hardest difficulty.

 

[Oddspeak]

I beat the game and am now doing stuff in the post-game. I really like it.

It goes without saying that production value is through the roof. It's a Kojima game, so of course it would be.

The gameplay is extremely fascinating, because I don't think there's any other open world adventure game that's this logistics-focused. You'd expect this kind of thing from a city building game or something. It took a while to realize, but the game's "challenge" comes not only from traveling over rough terrain, but also finding out how to streamline your routes for future deliveries. I feel like a lot of people complaining about "tedium" are probably those who never take any PCCs with them into new areas to build structures.

Hate BT encounters? You can literally skip them with ziplines or bridges. Hate going uphill? Ziplines. A wide river making vehicular travel impossible? Bridge (also, contribute to auto-pavers, you lazy bum). A big area with constant timefall fucking up your cargo? Shelter (you can stay under bridges too). Reach a prepper that's really far from the nearest distro center and you're low on health/stamina? Home base. Charging stations and postboxes are useful enough to be placed literally anywhere.

Death Stranding is basically an ambitious indie Kickstarter game that somehow got a $100 million budget and all-star cast.

 

[cucuchu]

You can play offline.

You only have access to other players constructions after you have reconected the area to the chiral network. And everything that's been built will be damaged by timefall over time. Without maintenance things break down and disappear.

What you can do:
- play offline,
- timefall will deteriorate structures so you have to repair them yourself,
- you can remove structures,
- set the game to the hardest difficulty.

Good to know, although I would still like to play online, just not in a fully fleshed out instance.

Sounds like timefall degrading/destroying structures over time solves the problem in of itself. I guess I'll still play it safe and try to rush through the game over the course of the next couple of weeks just in case.

 

[SlimySnake]

20 hours in, and I just hit Port Knot City (I really spent too much time doing non-story stuff).

you literally just finished the tutorial area.

 

[GymWolf]

If you could use fast travel to deliver packages, wouldn't that actually fundamentally break the game?

Well you still have to do the first travel to connect the place at the chyral network and you give a choice to the player, like for example i don't wanna use the fast travel for story mission but for some secondary shit with a lot of backtracking it would be useful.

I think that with a proper fast travel, some of the negative reviews maybe they could've been slightly different (sorry for the terrible english, i'm the fucking worst with past and future shit) and a little more positive, it's always better have a choice especially in a game with a non-ordinary gameplay thst can bore some people.

You have to trust players if you really think that your gameplay loop is ok and give them the choice to use or not use the fast travel.

 

[Bryank75]

Want me to tell you where you can find him?

Sure, just cover with a spoiler of course!

 

[GymWolf]

If you dont focus on the story deliveries, you will get burned out fast. As many stated, you can come back later. There is just too much time to waste, trying to do all standard and retrieving deliveries first.

You have to focus a little on secondary delivery to upgrade the best equips.
Of course you want to play the story mission because cutscene are the major payoff in this game, but you also want that fucking power legs level 3

 

[GymWolf]

Sure, just cover with a spoiler of course!

It's a sam specific delivery, not an ordinary one, so you can't miss if you do all story mission like me for example.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

Loving the game so far but been busy so I didn't really get a chance to sit down and play it until last night. I'm at the part where you first encounter MULES and its a very different experience than anything else I've ever played. I dig it though and so far enjoy the strategy for plotting out my way to my destination and then negotiating the terrain and anything that comes up...

That brings me to my primary concern with the game. As time goes on and people build roads and infrastructure, it feels like the game will be far too easy. Does anyone know if there is a safeguard to prevent people from playing in a fully built up instance of the game?

The roads and stuff only start showing up once you complete deliveries so it’s not like roads will just get built, they are more like rewards for putting in the hard work.