-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Horizon Zero Dawn |OT| The Land After Time
- Thread starter shinobi602
- Start date
- Status
I'm past the half-way point and it's getting clear what it's actually all about.
Excellent excellent world building, everything is further reinforced. Some aspects had a nice touch of horror to them.
One of the better open areas in the game is the north-west with its
I'm following the story but can't wait to play around more in that area.
Excellent excellent world building, everything is further reinforced. Some aspects had a nice touch of horror to them.
Hearing the tapes of the various desperate stands, how ever-growing armadas is taking over the world in record time, how the bots feast on biomass and bloodbaths...
One of the better open areas in the game is the north-west with its
sandy dunes. Just endless vistas and what feels like hundreds of gameplay opportunities in every direction.
AudioEppa
Member
That's how I play 😂😂 Got no time for strategy. Playing on Easy + Slow mo hits and dodge. Repeat that process for success!
Freezasaurus
Member
So my inventory is packed with stuff I've been picking up. Should I be looking to sell some of it? I can't possibly have a use for all of it, can I?
GGNKovalski
Member
Anything that JUST says "Sell to Merchants" (or something like that), sell.
Not necessarily. Some parts like Watcher Lenses are used for buying outfits.
Haloid1177
Banned
26 hours in, 51% done. Gonna marathon the final seven story missions and clean up a little around the map and then transition over to Zelda. This is such a special game though.
Lys Skygge
Member
This game is so damn good. I just fought my first Stormbird today, and I was grinning from ear-to-ear throughout the entire fight. The fights in the game give me the same exhilaration as a Souls game!
Freezasaurus
Member
Haloid pls. If it's so special why are you rushing through it?
Allonym
There should be more tampons in gaming
1.) Melee Combat
- Horizon's most glaring flaw is its close quarters combat. In most instances, players will engage enemies at a range but enemies in Horizon are swift, suitably intelligent and can rapidly close on a player leaving them with no option but to evade and counterattack. Also, some enemies are very resilient and can deplete an unprepared players resources and armaments forcing them to rely once again on melee attacks. What's here is serviceable but something akin to Bloodborne/Dark Souls would be fantastic in a sequel, where there are parries and linkable attacks beyond the standard light and heavy attacks. I'm not asking for Nioh or DMC levels of depth.
2.) Weapon Variety
- The weapons in Horizon are good but the number of archetypes is underwhelming. I expected with Guerrilla's pedigree there would be a greater ensemble of arms but I was left disappointed by the fact that we're left with 3 types of bows, slings, ropecasters and tripcasters. It would've been cool to uncover and wield ancient yet futuristic shotguns, sniper rifles, rail guns, flame throwers, rocket launcher, tesla gun, thermite launcher, remote mine layer, netgun. These things could be given a cosmetic makeover to fit in thematically with other tribal weapons. In addition to the ranged weapons, a better choice of melee weapons is welcome - a warhammer, axe, longsword, polearm. Weapons should be able to be modified as well.
3.) More Machines
- I like the variety we have now but more types would be appreciated. I felt that there were too many passive types of machines. I'd like to see some insect based machines like Praying Mantis, Hornets or Beetles. I was bummed there weren't any machines based on a Ankylosaurus, Stegosaurus, Spiked Lizard, Chameleon/Frog, Gorilla, Bears or Wolves. Not too many complaints here because the aren't many flaws. Even a anthromorphic machine would be super dope, a machine trying to kill you with a beam saber and smart gun would be a helluva battle.
4.) Command Machines
- Once a machine has been overridden, you should be able to give it directives like distract, attack, defend etc. The player shouldn't be limited to just either mounting or having the machine follow. This is just a minor way to enhance and add greater depth to a fun mechanic.
5.) Scale Large Machines and the Environment
- I'm expecting many of, if not all the machines in this game to return but I'm sure they'll be other, larger machines added in subsequent games, it'd be a cool mechanic to scale enemies to avoid detection and fighting them directly. This could be accomplished by latching onto them or using a grappling hook. Hopefully they'll be machines so large that other, minor machines live on and perform maintenance on them. It'd be a relationship mirrored by fish and birds eating parasites off of sharks and rhinos respectively.
- Like Link, it'd be awesome if Aloy could scale mountains and trees as well. This isn't an attempt to mimic Zelda but it's an opportunity to implement a great idea and have it mesh well with the game thematically. Exploration and trap laying is the name of the game in Horizon so there's nothing incongruous about its potential addition. Also, sometimes it's confusing knowing what can and can't be climbed and eliminates the "oddly colored" handholds in the game (when they're present). That's just a preemptive addressing for those who may be quick to claim "oh no, copying Zelda".
6.) Save Anywhere
- I'd like to be able to save anywhere (as long as there are no threats nearby) and make camp. Resting at camp will pass the time (which can be cool itself because maybe certain robots only appear at specific portions of the day) and regenerates health (not medicine). Here you cook food (which regenerates more health than raw meat), repair gear and weapons. I feel this lessens the need to pick as many curatives and will keep players engaged in the combat which is the main draw.
7.) Mundane Activities
- I love Horizon's combat as much as anyone but I'd like to just do things in the world that aren't missions or quests. I know the trials are there and they are great but something to break the repetition of combat would be nice. I mean actions like fishing, gwent-like card game, drinking, etc. These are just simple, optional things to pass time or make the world an more lived in so they don't add much to the game, but would be a nice little addition.
8.) Switch Shoulders
- This one is self explanatory really. It sucks being in a tight spot and having your vision obscured by some foliage or dilapidated building in the middle of an intense face off with a Thunderjaw, Stormbird or a pack of Ravagers + Shellwalkers & Watchers
9.) Board a Mech???
- I haven't finished the game yet, just a third of the way through but if a sequel features even larger prey maybe players could mount mechs and they'd still function the same as Aloy or whomever players have control of in the game.
10.) Swimming and Water Interactivity
- the smallest gripe. I just want water to register players moving through it. I know that Aloy gets wet but she makes no splashes or displaces any water when traveling through a body of water. I know the game is rendering and processing a ton of stuff so it makes sense why this was omitted but hopefully the sequel will be in PS5 where they have enough power to create suitable simulation. I'd like swimming to be streamlined and you can perform stealth kills from it, if approaching unsuspecting prey from underwater.
11.) Stealth and AI
- the robots are intelligent and aggressive enough...UNTIL you break sight and hide in a bush. That's fine but you shouldn't be able to pile a number of remains and corpses up and enemies still approach that bush haphazardly. Humans AI is more egregious because you expect them to use logic and reason and realize "hey, maybe I should probably shoot the shit out of that bush where my buddy's body is and where I heard a suspicious whistle attempting to lure me over". I think players should be able to dive below the surface of a body of water to escape line of sight should be implemented.
12.) The Camera
- the camera is great in most cases but becomes a hindrance when you're running away but trying to also see the Thunderjaw charging behind you so you know when to dodge. When doing this, you won't be able to see whats in front of you,so you're forced into a risky trade-off situation that both have shitty potential outcomes. I'd just like the camera to show more of what's in front of you or have the attack indicator blink only before an attack is about to hit you, not when an enemy is simply attacking,this way you'll know when you truly need to evade.
Well, that's my list. Feel free to tell me what you all think, whether you agree or disagree.
I think Guerrilla has all the talent in the world and I want them to be the first people to successfully combine a third person shooter with a deep melee component. It hasn't been done yet and I don't know why, although in my opinion Vanquish was the closet to merge the two worlds competently. Beyond that, I'm loving the game. Hopefully Guerrilla comes across this and implements some of, if not all of these things.
TLDR: HRZN2 Improvements:
1. Melee Combat
2. Weapon Variety
3. More Machines
4. Command Machines
5. Scale Machine/Environment
6. Save Anywhere
7. Mundane Activities
8. Switch Shoulders
9. Board Mechs
10. Swimming/Water Interactivity
11. Stealth/AI
12. Camera
- Horizon's most glaring flaw is its close quarters combat. In most instances, players will engage enemies at a range but enemies in Horizon are swift, suitably intelligent and can rapidly close on a player leaving them with no option but to evade and counterattack. Also, some enemies are very resilient and can deplete an unprepared players resources and armaments forcing them to rely once again on melee attacks. What's here is serviceable but something akin to Bloodborne/Dark Souls would be fantastic in a sequel, where there are parries and linkable attacks beyond the standard light and heavy attacks. I'm not asking for Nioh or DMC levels of depth.
2.) Weapon Variety
- The weapons in Horizon are good but the number of archetypes is underwhelming. I expected with Guerrilla's pedigree there would be a greater ensemble of arms but I was left disappointed by the fact that we're left with 3 types of bows, slings, ropecasters and tripcasters. It would've been cool to uncover and wield ancient yet futuristic shotguns, sniper rifles, rail guns, flame throwers, rocket launcher, tesla gun, thermite launcher, remote mine layer, netgun. These things could be given a cosmetic makeover to fit in thematically with other tribal weapons. In addition to the ranged weapons, a better choice of melee weapons is welcome - a warhammer, axe, longsword, polearm. Weapons should be able to be modified as well.
3.) More Machines
- I like the variety we have now but more types would be appreciated. I felt that there were too many passive types of machines. I'd like to see some insect based machines like Praying Mantis, Hornets or Beetles. I was bummed there weren't any machines based on a Ankylosaurus, Stegosaurus, Spiked Lizard, Chameleon/Frog, Gorilla, Bears or Wolves. Not too many complaints here because the aren't many flaws. Even a anthromorphic machine would be super dope, a machine trying to kill you with a beam saber and smart gun would be a helluva battle.
4.) Command Machines
- Once a machine has been overridden, you should be able to give it directives like distract, attack, defend etc. The player shouldn't be limited to just either mounting or having the machine follow. This is just a minor way to enhance and add greater depth to a fun mechanic.
5.) Scale Large Machines and the Environment
- I'm expecting many of, if not all the machines in this game to return but I'm sure they'll be other, larger machines added in subsequent games, it'd be a cool mechanic to scale enemies to avoid detection and fighting them directly. This could be accomplished by latching onto them or using a grappling hook. Hopefully they'll be machines so large that other, minor machines live on and perform maintenance on them. It'd be a relationship mirrored by fish and birds eating parasites off of sharks and rhinos respectively.
- Like Link, it'd be awesome if Aloy could scale mountains and trees as well. This isn't an attempt to mimic Zelda but it's an opportunity to implement a great idea and have it mesh well with the game thematically. Exploration and trap laying is the name of the game in Horizon so there's nothing incongruous about its potential addition. Also, sometimes it's confusing knowing what can and can't be climbed and eliminates the "oddly colored" handholds in the game (when they're present). That's just a preemptive addressing for those who may be quick to claim "oh no, copying Zelda".
6.) Save Anywhere
- I'd like to be able to save anywhere (as long as there are no threats nearby) and make camp. Resting at camp will pass the time (which can be cool itself because maybe certain robots only appear at specific portions of the day) and regenerates health (not medicine). Here you cook food (which regenerates more health than raw meat), repair gear and weapons. I feel this lessens the need to pick as many curatives and will keep players engaged in the combat which is the main draw.
7.) Mundane Activities
- I love Horizon's combat as much as anyone but I'd like to just do things in the world that aren't missions or quests. I know the trials are there and they are great but something to break the repetition of combat would be nice. I mean actions like fishing, gwent-like card game, drinking, etc. These are just simple, optional things to pass time or make the world an more lived in so they don't add much to the game, but would be a nice little addition.
8.) Switch Shoulders
- This one is self explanatory really. It sucks being in a tight spot and having your vision obscured by some foliage or dilapidated building in the middle of an intense face off with a Thunderjaw, Stormbird or a pack of Ravagers + Shellwalkers & Watchers
9.) Board a Mech???
- I haven't finished the game yet, just a third of the way through but if a sequel features even larger prey maybe players could mount mechs and they'd still function the same as Aloy or whomever players have control of in the game.
10.) Swimming and Water Interactivity
- the smallest gripe. I just want water to register players moving through it. I know that Aloy gets wet but she makes no splashes or displaces any water when traveling through a body of water. I know the game is rendering and processing a ton of stuff so it makes sense why this was omitted but hopefully the sequel will be in PS5 where they have enough power to create suitable simulation. I'd like swimming to be streamlined and you can perform stealth kills from it, if approaching unsuspecting prey from underwater.
11.) Stealth and AI
- the robots are intelligent and aggressive enough...UNTIL you break sight and hide in a bush. That's fine but you shouldn't be able to pile a number of remains and corpses up and enemies still approach that bush haphazardly. Humans AI is more egregious because you expect them to use logic and reason and realize "hey, maybe I should probably shoot the shit out of that bush where my buddy's body is and where I heard a suspicious whistle attempting to lure me over". I think players should be able to dive below the surface of a body of water to escape line of sight should be implemented.
12.) The Camera
- the camera is great in most cases but becomes a hindrance when you're running away but trying to also see the Thunderjaw charging behind you so you know when to dodge. When doing this, you won't be able to see whats in front of you,so you're forced into a risky trade-off situation that both have shitty potential outcomes. I'd just like the camera to show more of what's in front of you or have the attack indicator blink only before an attack is about to hit you, not when an enemy is simply attacking,this way you'll know when you truly need to evade.
Well, that's my list. Feel free to tell me what you all think, whether you agree or disagree.
I think Guerrilla has all the talent in the world and I want them to be the first people to successfully combine a third person shooter with a deep melee component. It hasn't been done yet and I don't know why, although in my opinion Vanquish was the closet to merge the two worlds competently. Beyond that, I'm loving the game. Hopefully Guerrilla comes across this and implements some of, if not all of these things.
TLDR: HRZN2 Improvements:
1. Melee Combat
2. Weapon Variety
3. More Machines
4. Command Machines
5. Scale Machine/Environment
6. Save Anywhere
7. Mundane Activities
8. Switch Shoulders
9. Board Mechs
10. Swimming/Water Interactivity
11. Stealth/AI
12. Camera
DirgeExtinction
Member
Oh, I thought vantage points were like somewhere you go to see more of the map or something. I saw a marker on the map, but didn't find anything when I got to that area. What should I look for?
Ancient debris will say only Sell for Shards
Watcher Lens for example will say Sell for Shards, Trade with Merchants
Dude, at my first one I thought the same thing. My first vantage point was a small mountaintop, and when I got to the top I said, "ok, cool, I guess this is a nice view?"
You have to look out for basically a purple interact-able item and scan over it. Remember that it can be anywhere in the circle and not necessarily at the icon point on the map.
I just found this out, but after you find the vantage point, check your collectibles list and there will be an extended reading entry that fleshes out the story of the vantage point entry a bit more (if you're so inclined to read it - this is what Primethius was talking about).
Man all this crazy
. Legitimately unsettling, and definitely unexpected. When I first listened to the one soldier's audio log I was like
propaganda stuff in the Grave-Hoard
"man what a cliched heroic solider," then you find out that those were just boiler plate lines being recut to send to his wife.... and they're doing the same to her messages too.
Psychological Intellect
Banned
GGNKovalski
Member
I'm not in front of my console atm (at work) but when you highlight an item there should be a spot that says "Used For" and under that is tells you what the item is used for. One of the things is "Sell to Merchants for Metal Shards." Those items are junk that you sell. Watcher Lenses say that but also "Trade with Merchants" (or something similar) which means they can be used to buy things
I wandered into a place I shouldn't (Ally even suggests turning back), but I kept going and ran into the nastiest Stormbird yet. I actually had to kill it twice because I had it almost dead and then rolled myself off a cliff.
While I was fighting it, a Bellowback, some Watchers, and a couple Longlegs showed up. Insane fight.
So I just walked into the hunter's lodge for the first time and read two redmaw glyph passages... But after reading the 2nd one, stuff doesn't make sense. I have a feeling the game bugged and spawned that text log too early. Nice spoiler of the quest line GG. This happen to anyone else?
MistBreeze
Member
Come on guys how far the game from 89 meta score? 
So close yet too far
So close yet too far
More_Badass
Member
Shared in the screenshot thread
Since it came up earlier in the thread, I threw the 2 images side by side with some fun info:
DriftingSpirit
Member
The dream is dead.Come on guys how far the game from 89 meta score?
So close yet too far
MegaSackman
Member
Wait a minute!! I was going to avoid the hunting lodge mission but out of curiosity earned three blazing suns in the first one and now now I understand what it's all about... game changer!!
Also, incredible spoiler in one of the books, I can't believe they didn't notice that.
Also, incredible spoiler in one of the books, I can't believe they didn't notice that.
MrOogieBoogie
BioShock Infinite is like playing some homeless guy's vivid imagination
Most of you playing this with HDR on or off?
This should be the game over screen.
But I did... and it got me killed
Chronospherics
Member
There are shotguns in the game. Forgot the name of the archetype but they do exist.
Don't disagree with you though, more variety would be nice for a sequel, but at the same time I didn't feel that this games weapon variety was lacking or 'underwhelming'. There's a lot you can do with the weapons and different ammunition types in the game.
I actual kinda feel overwhelmed when it comes to weapons in this game. After each battle I keep telling myself how did I forget about this and that weapon.
I didn't even get the shotgun you're talking about and didn't know there is one.
easily one of the best experience sources.
NoctisVsStar
Member
It's a sonicwave shotgun that removes components.
Weapon variety can also be solved with each robot dropping a weapon. For instance: thunderjaw drops the disc launcher.. have the sawtooth drop some fangs for a melee weapon and so on.
Seriously. It's like that 2nd book isn't supposed to spawn until after those events happen, yet it did. Kinda pissed about it tbh...
I hope so. Maybe at e3?
All I want for DLC is your own customizable mount that you can rebuild/repair instead of having to retame all the time.
Resident_UA
Member
On! Makes a huge difference even on my cheap HDR panel. Sort of like with FFXV, everything just pops more.
I'm having a lot of fun with the combat. I keep thinking about Dragon's Dogma and how much fun it was to fight the different types of enemies in that world.
I think it's because if Aloy had some magic and better meele options she would basically be a Strider (one of the best classes in any rpg period).
I think it's because if Aloy had some magic and better meele options she would basically be a Strider (one of the best classes in any rpg period).
ZettaiSeigi
Member
Guerrilla is a Dutch studio, so this is hardly an issue to them. LOL
Absolutely agree. Mounts are essential to me in other open world games because walking/sprinting on foot seems a tad tedious most of the time. But not in this game. I'd usually complain about the need to constantly stop to gather resources, but I never found myself doing exactly that in HZD. The world design is top notch.
One of my few minor gripes so far. This is obvious in towns as the camera is too close behind Aloy. I really hope they'll patch a setting later for adjusting this. But this is a worse in combat for me. I get motion sickness really easily, so doing plenty of dodges (where the camera tends to shake) is almost guaranteed to make my head hurt. Hopefully a setting for adjusting the camera could be patched later.
LOL, I did the same thing and also put blast wires down everywhere. He kept getting thrown down and I just wrecked him.
Im having trouble getting into the game, here is my salty bitch post after 3 hours or so.
Aside from the cunty matriarchs who will pitch a newborn out of the tribe, everyone is too fucking nice and sanitized, esp the mains. Roost is such a beta male, e.g. he is too timid to take something away from a six year old girl despite knowing it is probably dangerous. Alloy is running around trying to help people that wouldn't piss on her if she was on fire. I'm kinda of seeing where the US Gamer reviewer was coming from wrt Alloy making no sense.
The combat is good in a Tomb Raider sort of way, but the world is sooo videogamey and--for an open world game--really narrow. Sony paid 47 million for the game, which is cheap for open world and it shows: I ran into an invisible wall in the first hour; you can't climb on anything that isn't painted a immersion breaking yellow; nobody talks except exclamationized static quest givers; so many cheap to produce audio logs; easy to make detective vision 'mysteries'; zero character customization beyond decideing which bulbous native-chic armour to bury the character under; dialog choices that aren't choices; and no multi. It all seems so cheap, shallow, contrived, and safe.
I'd go play botw because it really does sound open world and much less videogamey, but I've never liked Link or save-the-princess stories and I'd need to buy a Switch--I kinda blew my video games budget getting this and a pro. oh well, at least I went physical. I always feel a bit better being able to trade a game I don't like in. Back to Diablo...diablo looks nice on the pro.
Aside from the cunty matriarchs who will pitch a newborn out of the tribe, everyone is too fucking nice and sanitized, esp the mains. Roost is such a beta male, e.g. he is too timid to take something away from a six year old girl despite knowing it is probably dangerous. Alloy is running around trying to help people that wouldn't piss on her if she was on fire. I'm kinda of seeing where the US Gamer reviewer was coming from wrt Alloy making no sense.
The combat is good in a Tomb Raider sort of way, but the world is sooo videogamey and--for an open world game--really narrow. Sony paid 47 million for the game, which is cheap for open world and it shows: I ran into an invisible wall in the first hour; you can't climb on anything that isn't painted a immersion breaking yellow; nobody talks except exclamationized static quest givers; so many cheap to produce audio logs; easy to make detective vision 'mysteries'; zero character customization beyond decideing which bulbous native-chic armour to bury the character under; dialog choices that aren't choices; and no multi. It all seems so cheap, shallow, contrived, and safe.
I'd go play botw because it really does sound open world and much less videogamey, but I've never liked Link or save-the-princess stories and I'd need to buy a Switch--I kinda blew my video games budget getting this and a pro. oh well, at least I went physical. I always feel a bit better being able to trade a game I don't like in. Back to Diablo...diablo looks nice on the pro.
Aspirations26
Member
Just decided to buy the sony X800D 4K HDR and oh my god it is game changing. The best game I have ever seen. HDR looks so damn good.
- Status