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Torment: Tides of Numenera |OT| What Can Change The Nature of a Man?

Yup, that is what I want.

Same, I've actually knocked a few novels back to the pile because this is the world I want to learn about for the near future.

It's a bit of a pain in the arse that this comes out days before Zelda, but they'll be different enough for me to be able to treat this as reading time.
 
I kickstarted this way back when it was announced. When should I expect to get a code?

The early release code is already in your inXile account on their website. Many people are speculating that if you download it now, you won't have to download as much tomorrow (only the final update).
 

epmode

Member
I have a question about the backer portal:

I backed for a physical collector's edition. In the backer portal, I see several Steam keys. An alpha key, a beta key and something called a "Backer Edition" which I haven't redeemed yet.

Is there any reason I'd want to activate the backer key? I already have a Steam game called "Torment: Tides of Numenera" which I assumed would turn into the full game tomorrow.
 

Arulan

Member
I have a question about the backer portal:

I backed for a physical collector's edition. In the backer portal, I see several Steam keys. An alpha key, a beta key and something called a "Backer Edition" which I haven't redeemed yet.

Is there any reason I'd want to activate the backer key? I already have a Steam game called "Torment: Tides of Numenera" which I assumed would turn into the full game tomorrow.

I believe the beta key gets turned into a full game tomorrow if you already activated it on Steam. The extra backer key is yours to do what you will. I'd double-check to make sure, but I'm pretty sure I remember reading this.
 
So is this like Planescape but with more focus on combat?
Seems like less. Combat is turned based and only happens in specific "Crises" or certain other scenarios. From the little bit I played, you can talk your way around combat, and you can even talk to enemies during a fight
 

BearPawB

Banned
So if I have the early access one already on steam how will I know when it updates to the full version?

Should I install the ea version now and wait for an update?
 

The Wart

Member
The game provides the answer it leans towards but the point is
there are many things that that can change the nature of a man. The player decides what they think is the reason.

I mean, sure, kinda, but there is also a very literal, very obvious reason that the PC has changed relative to his past incarnations. Which kinda obviate's the games' ability to say anything interesting on the topic.

It's kinda like the Watcher's previous lives in Pillars. It is effectively a totally different character so why should the PC, or the player himself, feel emotionally invested in them?
 
Seems like less. Combat is turned based and only happens in specific "Crises" or certain other scenarios. From the little bit I played, you can talk your way around combat, and you can even talk to enemies during a fight

Wait, so this is true turn-based, and not realtime-with-pause? Wasn't the first game the latter?
 
Wait, so this is true turn-based, and not realtime-with-pause? Wasn't the first game the latter?
Turn based. Devs held a vote, turn based won.

Personally I think it's so much better than RTwP. I really disliked combat in Planescape, so turn based allows for a more measured pace, and gives you the options to talk with enemies for a turn, or interact with the environment
 
Turn based. Devs held a vote, turn based won.

Personally I think it's so much better than RTwP. I really disliked combat in Planescape, so turn based allows for a more measured pace, and gives you the options to talk with enemies for a turn, or interact with the environment

Wow, I'm suddenly much more interested. Yeah I don't like realtime-with-pause in my RPGs, as group combat is always about tactical considerations for me. I'll have to look into this game, it's been completely off my radar. Not exactly the best time to release a game though...
 

HK-47

Oh, bitch bitch bitch.
I mean, sure, kinda, but there is also a very literal, very obvious reason that the PC has changed relative to his past incarnations. Which kinda obviate's the games' ability to say anything interesting on the topic.

It's kinda like the Watcher's previous lives in Pillars. It is effectively a totally different character so why should the PC, or the player himself, feel emotionally invested in them?

Except it also applies to
his original self
...
 

Lister

Banned
Wow, I'm suddenly much more interested. Yeah I don't like realtime-with-pause in my RPGs, as group combat is always about tactical considerations for me. I'll have to look into this game, it's been completely off my radar. Not exactly the best time to release a game though...

Because RTWP doesn't allow for tactics?? Common now.

RTWP allows for a depth of tactics that doesn't exist in turn based combat. It also allows for better combat pacing. You can have various different forms of encounters, and none will ever turn into an incredibly boring 10 minute excercise in mopping up.
 
Turn based. Devs held a vote, turn based won.

Personally I think it's so much better than RTwP. I really disliked combat in Planescape, so turn based allows for a more measured pace, and gives you the options to talk with enemies for a turn, or interact with the environment

I love having more turn based games on consoles. I'm all for a turn based revival. I think it would allow for cheaper games in terms of development budgets and, in turn, add even more games to the space overall. Console gamers need all the diversity they can get in their gaming diets.
 
Because RTWP doesn't allow for tactics?? Common now.

It makes it harder for me to concentrate on them, yes. I don't like having to worry about missing my turn or getting flustered by UI in the moment. Feel free to have your own preference, I have mine.

Reading back in the thread it sounds like there's not much combat in the game anyway. Not sure how I feel about that. I recently got into the Critical Role D&D videos and really like the conversational nature of that, but the combat is still the main course.
 

HK-47

Oh, bitch bitch bitch.
It makes it harder for me to concentrate on them, yes. I don't like having to worry about missing my turn. Feel free to have your own preference, I have mine.

Reading back in the thread it sounds like there's not much combat in the game anyway. Not sure how I feel about that. I recently got into the Critical Role D&D videos and really like the conversational nature of that, but the combat is still the main course.

Well this isnt a D&D game. Its a Numenara game. We have enough combat focused RPGs.
 

Lister

Banned
Turn based. Devs held a vote, turn based won.

Personally I think it's so much better than RTwP. I really disliked combat in Planescape, so turn based allows for a more measured pace, and gives you the options to talk with enemies for a turn, or interact with the environment

Well this isnt a D&D game. Its a Numenara game. We have enough combat focused RPGs.

I'm actually there with him. The main draw for me in CRPG's is the balance of combat, loot, exploration and story.

Now, I did enjoy the original Planescape too, and that was pretty low in combat as well, IIRC, so even though this seems lopsided in terms of my preference, it's likely hat the story and narrative agency will keep me happy. But yeah, I cna see how it could worry some.
 
thats... fine, whatever. But you implied that RTwP meant no tactical considerations, which is far form the truth.

I didn't mean to imply that, but turn-based helps me focus on the tactics. I know others have no problem with realtime-with-pause. I was just excited because it seemed like most of the previous swath of CRPG revivals were not true turn-based, so it's nice to see another one.

I wouldn't say I'm 'worried' about the level of combat per se; I really need to read more impressions or see some gameplay. Maybe I won't care if the story is good enough. But I'd say in general, having no combat in an RPG is like going to a bar just for the conversation.
 
There will be combat, just not a lot of it unless you specifically go looking for it, is my impression. Which sounds great to me. I had a blast with Shadowrun: Hong Kong which also significantly reduced the amount of mandatory enemy encounters.

Certainly preferable to Pillars or Tyranny which just throw in combat for the sake of combat.
 

SargerusBR

I love Pokken!
Seems like less. Combat is turned based and only happens in specific "Crises" or certain other scenarios. From the little bit I played, you can talk your way around combat, and you can even talk to enemies during a fight

Bummer. I never finished Planescape because the combat was really lacking. Seems like i'll pass this one for now, shame because the setting and story themes are really interesting.
 
Bummer. I never finished Planescape because the combat was really lacking. Seems like i'll pass this one for now, shame because the setting and story themes are really interesting.
I mean, the story and setting seems to be the focus here. If that interested you, why wouldn't you want to play it for those? Less combat doesn't mean bad combat.
 
I know that it's supposed to turn into the full version tomorrow but once I installed it I saw no indication that it's early access. Usually its plastered all over the main menu that it's a version in development. I guest not in this case :p
 

Moff

Member
I know that it's supposed to turn into the full version tomorrow but once I installed it I saw no indication that it's early access. Usually its plastered all over the main menu that it's a version in development. I guest not in this case :p

it's not clear at all, which is why several people ask this on every page, me included
 

Zocano

Member
There will be combat, just not a lot of it unless you specifically go looking for it, is my impression. Which sounds great to me. I had a blast with Shadowrun: Hong Kong which also significantly reduced the amount of mandatory enemy encounters.

Certainly preferable to Pillars or Tyranny which just throw in combat for the sake of combat.

This is something that has been on my mind and this is probably the best place to ask this but are Pillars, Tyranny, and Wasteland very concerned about story/character interactions and telling intriguing stories through meaningful characters? I mean I know they're crpgs but I've been very skittish on trying them because of how much I didn't end up enjoying Divinity ( on top of just not seeing a lot of buzz about their stories and only seeing combat focused gameplay for wasteland and pillars).

I adore Shadowrun Dragonfall and think it has a really strong balance between good combat encounters and strong storytelling with meaningful interactions within that story. But with how little I hear about the other handful of crpgs that all came out around the same time, I never pulled the trigger on trying any others.
 
This is something that has been on my mind and this is probably the best place to ask this but are Pillars, Tyranny, and Wasteland very concerned about story/character interactions and telling intriguing stories through meaningful characters? I mean I know they're crpgs but I've been very skittish on trying them because of how much I didn't end up enjoying Divinity ( on top of just not seeing a lot of buzz about their stories and only seeing combat focused gameplay for wasteland and pillars).
Tyranny and Pillars are, not sure about Wasteland
 

Moff

Member
This is something that has been on my mind and this is probably the best place to ask this but are Pillars, Tyranny, and Wasteland very concerned about story/character interactions and telling intriguing stories through meaningful characters? I mean I know they're crpgs but I've been very skittish on trying them because of how much I didn't end up enjoying Divinity ( on top of just not seeing a lot of buzz about their stories and only seeing combat focused gameplay for wasteland and pillars).

I adore Shadowrun Dragonfall and think it has a really strong balance between good combat encounters and strong storytelling with meaningful interactions within that story. But with how little I hear about the other handful of crpgs that all came out around the same time, I never pulled the trigger on trying any others.

all of those games are a lot more story driven than divinity. Few people praise the combat and encounter design, though. that's where divinity shines the most.
 

Lime

Member
This is something that has been on my mind and this is probably the best place to ask this but are Pillars, Tyranny, and Wasteland very concerned about story/character interactions and telling intriguing stories through meaningful characters? I mean I know they're crpgs but I've been very skittish on trying them because of how much I didn't end up enjoying Divinity ( on top of just not seeing a lot of buzz about their stories and only seeing combat focused gameplay for wasteland and pillars).

DIvinity has a shit story, and Pillars/Tyranny/Wasteland 2 are nothing like it in terms of tone and writing.
 
DIvinity has a shit story, and Pillars/Tyranny/Wasteland 2 are nothing like it in terms of tone and writing.

Divinity is more of a sandbox for tabletop fantasy nerds, the story is awful even though the quests are actually quite good.

Pillars and more so Tyranny are pretty story focused. Tyranny is the closest thing to Planescape except for this, probably.

Wasteland ner.
 
I was going to grab this on day one but talks of performance issues on the PS4 has me really worried. Will wait for more information before grabbing it I think. Hope the day one patch improves performance :/
 
This is something that has been on my mind and this is probably the best place to ask this but are Pillars, Tyranny, and Wasteland very concerned about story/character interactions and telling intriguing stories through meaningful characters? I mean I know they're crpgs but I've been very skittish on trying them because of how much I didn't end up enjoying Divinity ( on top of just not seeing a lot of buzz about their stories and only seeing combat focused gameplay for wasteland and pillars).

I adore Shadowrun Dragonfall and think it has a really strong balance between good combat encounters and strong storytelling with meaningful interactions within that story. But with how little I hear about the other handful of crpgs that all came out around the same time, I never pulled the trigger on trying any others.

All those titles are more story-driven than Divinity: Original Sin. Having said that, I think Pillars of Eternity suffers from an uninspiring storyline and a cast of characters ranging from excellent to useless. There is also far too much mandatory combat encounters to my liking and other types of padding like the Keep which seems to be plucked straight from a mobile game. I played the game at release and have not played The White March so keep that in mind.

Tyranny is the game most alike to Dragonfall I would say. It is a relatively short RPG (30 hours), a small cast of core companions and an interesting storyline set in a very well developed universe. Only downside for me are the sometimes too frequent combat encounters and unimaginative enemy design, both visually and mechanically.

Never got very far into Wasteland 2 so I really can't tell you much about it.
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
The art design looks very dodgy. Character portraits are really poor.
Yeah it's aesthetically unappealing to me. From videos I've watched the sound production is also quite a bit behind Pillars. Seems shallow, I guess, but I actually have a few IE games unfinished and several untouched because I didn't play them back in the day, so I can play those of I want something that doesn't really meet modern production standards.
 

Zocano

Member
All those titles are more story-driven than Divinity: Original Sin. Having said that, I think Pillars of Eternity suffers from an uninspiring storyline and a cast of characters ranging from excellent to useless. There is also far too much mandatory combat encounters to my liking and other types of padding like the Keep which seems to be plucked straight from a mobile game. I played the game at release and have not played The White March so keep that in mind.

Tyranny is the game most alike to Dragonfall I would say. It is a relatively short RPG (30 hours), a small cast of core companions and an interesting storyline set in a very well developed universe. Only downside for me are the sometimes too frequent combat encounters and unimaginative enemy design, both visually and mechanically.

Never got very far into Wasteland 2 so I really can't tell you much about it.

Thank you for the quick replies, all, I was hoping for an at least somewhat detailed reply so thanks, Majesty.

Wasteland 2 was a game I backed in a spur of the moment but it was the mostly combat oriented backer footage kept me from jumping on it when I got my code for it (belated even moreso when I tried divinity coop with a friend).

I've still got Planescape to play through sitting on my desktop but I've been eyeing Numenera for a bit and will check it out... eventually. But the smaller cast comparison to Dragonfall is very nice to hear about Tyranny. I will try to get that sooner rather than later.
 

The Wart

Member
Except it also applies to
his original self
...

True, but it doesn't really mean much for the PC, which was my original point!

Anyway I'm happy with TB for this game because it seems easier to integrate special interactions like with the environment and mid-combat dialogue. You could do that with RTwP too I suppose but TB probably makes it easier to convey action space, so you don't just stab someone to death by accident before realizing you could have talked to them.
 

HK-47

Oh, bitch bitch bitch.
There will be combat, just not a lot of it unless you specifically go looking for it, is my impression. Which sounds great to me. I had a blast with Shadowrun: Hong Kong which also significantly reduced the amount of mandatory enemy encounters.

Certainly preferable to Pillars or Tyranny which just throw in combat for the sake of combat.

Which is why I prefer the quest xp focus in rpg design rather than also giving xp for defeating individual enemies.
 

Miletius

Member
I'm super excited. PC physical backer here, so while I'll dive in this week (time permitting) I'm also looking forward to goodies arriving in the mail sometime soon.

Early reviews indicate exactly the type of experience that I'm hoping to have -- with the notable plus that multiple play-throughs will be rewarding. PS:Torment has the problem that there really is only one correct way to play the game.
 
Wow, Lords of Xulima free with the game on gog. Heard good things about that game as well.

If Tides of Numenera somehow fails to deliver at least you will have an awesome back-up game! One of the better RPGs from 2014 and they're developing a sequel.
 
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