Set in Washington D.C., the game takes place 7 months after a deadly virus was released in New York City and the nation has become a shell of its former self. While the virus has been contained, its effects are most evident in the devastated streets of the nation's capital where survivors cling to hope and struggle to rebuild. Enter The Division, a unit of civilian sleeper agents who now must work to stop enemy factions from completely taking over the city ? and ultimately, the nation. As a universally-regarded seat of power, if D.C. falls, the nation falls. With civilians helpless and fearing for their lives, players will be the last line of defense in preventing the total collapse of society. [Ubisoft]
Set in Washington D.C., the game takes place 7 months after a deadly virus was released in New York City and the nation has become a shell of its former self. While the virus has been contained, its effects are most evident in the devastated streets of the nation's capital where survivors cling to hope and struggle to rebuild. Enter The Division, a unit of civilian sleeper agents who now must work to stop enemy factions from completely taking over the city ? and ultimately, the nation. As a universally-regarded seat of power, if D.C. falls, the nation falls. With civilians helpless and fearing for their lives, players will be the last line of defense in preventing the total collapse of society. [Ubisoft]
This inaugural GDC Main Stage presentation, The Developer’s Journey, starts at 12:30 PM PDT in the Moscone Convention Center’s West Hall next Wednesday, March 20th — but get there (or tune in) early, because at 12:10 the pre-show starts, and it features a special Dreams performance!
The Developer’s Journey will focus on finding inspiration over the course of a game’s development cycle, from its earliest conception through its development, to dealing with the fallout from the release and the post-release content. After the presentation opens with a special musical performance generated in Media Molecule’s upcoming creativity-fueled title Dreams. Media Molecule’s Siobhan Reddy will break down how Dreams helps unlock players’ creativity in unprecedented user-generated detail.
From there, Hello Games’ Sean Murray will discuss how his small and unlikely team created one of the most ambitious and anticipated games of 2016, No Man’s Sky. He’ll then detail how by 2019, through determination and love, they built to record player numbers and sown positivity amongst their most negative detractors. This candid and open discussion will show the power of focusing on what you do, rather than what you say, in the face of adversity.
Finally, veteran game developer (and top-rated GDC speaker) Laralyn McWilliams closes out the presentation discussing how her teams have found resolve and inspiration in stressful environments. Laralyn will describe how she has stayed optimistic and motivated through unforeseen challenges using proven and inspiring tools and techniques.
The hope is that this multi-speaker Main Stage presentation (open to all GDC Conference and Expo+ pass holders) will inspire attendees and offer practical insight into creative challenges and opportunities unique to the game development community.
For further details on the Main Stage presentation and all the other fantastic GDC 2019 talks, check out the GDC 2019 Session Scheduler. There you can begin to lay out your GDC 2019, which takes place next week (March 18th through the 22nd) at the (newly renovated!) Moscone Center in San Francisco!
Bring your team to GDC! Register a group of 10 or more and save 10 percent on conference passes. Learn more here.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 03-18-2019, 01:30 AM - Forum: Lounge
- No Replies
Epic’s Tim Sweeney addressees privacy concerns for the Epic Games Store
Epic Games head Tim Sweeney has popped into a Reddit thread to address concerns that the Epic Games Store client was showing sketchy behaviors by poking around into unnecessary files.
Most of the accusations brought up by the thread are unfounded, though Sweeney notes that one file accessed by the Store should only be done after a user opts into the feature and will be changed in the future. Both Sweeney and Epic’s VP of Engineering Daniel Vogel address the uses for the specific files called out in the thread, offering a somewhat unusual, transparent look at how the storefront interacts with the machine running it.
The original author of that thread agrees that the accusations are born out of “amateur analysis,” analysis presented alongside a conspiracy theory while raising concerns that Tencent’s minority stake in Epic means the store reports private data to the Chinese government, a conspiracy theory Ars Technica says Sweeney has had to refute several times in the past.
This time around, Sweeney notes that he’s happy to see more and more PC players poking around into and analyzing what their software is doing, but that it’s important that fact remain separate from wild speculation when that does happen.
“In analyzing the results, it’s important to distinguish the normal from the abnormal; e.g. much of the commentary is over what the normal open-source Chromium embedded web browser does upon startup; and to separate technical analysis from inflammatory rhetoric, such as the insane claim that we’re a bunch of Chinese spies,” wrote Sweeney.
This thread, meanwhile, says that the Epic Games Store pokes around in a computer and enumerates running processes on a computer, accesses DLLs in directories for other applications, looks at Internet Explorer cookies, and stores hardware information. Another person in the replies points out that the Epic Games Store also makes a copy of Steam’s localconfig.vdf file if the competing storefront is installed on the same machine.
In most cases, those actions are perfectly innocuous and are used to feed data into things like an anonymized hardware survey or Epic’s Support-a-Creator program, explains a response from Vogel.
That Steam file is the one Sweeney says will be addressed in an upcoming update. The current set up has the Epic Games Store pull the localconfig.vdf file from Steam right away, but only uses it if an EGS user tries to import their Steam friends list into the Epic Games Store. It’s a remnant from the early days of Fortnite, Sweeney says, and one that was born out of the pressure he put on the client team to quickly roll out social features for the game early on.
“You guys are right that we ought to only access the localconfig.vdf file after the user chooses to import Steam friends. The current implementation is a remnant left over from our rush to implement social features in the early days of Fortnite,” wrote Sweeney. “It’s actually my fault for pushing the launcher team to support it super quickly and then identifying that we had to change it. Since this issue came to the forefront we’re going to fix it.”
Xbox One Exclusive Operencia Coming March 29, Pre-order Today
If you follow Xbox Wire, you might have heard about our new dungeon-crawler RPG, Operencia: The Stolen Sun coming exclusively to Xbox — and yes, that includes Xbox Game Pass! It is my pleasure to tell you that you’ll be able to embark on your quest starting March 29.
Operencia will be present at GDC 2019, so keep an eye out between March 18-22 to read first impressions about the game from your favorite gaming outlets. Wait, what’s that? You’re more of a hands-on person? We’ve got you covered. Visit us at the Xbox booth at PAX East at the end of this month to try the game and maybe leave with some exclusive swag! You can also catch a live stream on Thursay, March 14 from 11am PST – 12pm PST on Mixer.com/Xbox and Twitch.tv/Xbox.
As we prepare for launch, we invite you to join Jóska, your completely honest — and in no way untrustworthy — new ally in our story trailer above. You have plenty of catching up to do, so let the scoundrel turned reluctant hero fill you in.
The Sun King of Operencia provided radiance and light for all the land for centuries — but he’s vanished! And with him, all hope for the future of humanity. It’s your job — dare we say destiny — to get him back before everything withers and the land succumbs to darkness. This journey will lead you through places right out of Central European legends, like cursed castles, deep dungeons, and even a glimmering copper forest, as you desperately pursue the crumbs that lead to the Sun King, Napkirály.
Okay, this might be too much to put only on your shoulders. Don’t worry — you won’t be alone. You already know Jóska, and plenty of companions will join you to share that burden. For example, Mezey, a young and idealistic — maybe a bit naive — knight with a sense of purpose and a need to prove himself. Or Sebastian, a veteran warrior willing to do anything for his beliefs — maybe a bit too much if you ask Jóska… You’ll meet others along the way, such as an actual star walking the world in human-like form, a stonemason plagued by the burdens of her past, or even a member of the last members of the táltos order, shamans and witch doctors to Hungarian tribes of old.
And of course, there’s you, the youngest child of a humble farmer, who left the homestead literally following your dreams. Care to lead the way?
Operencia: The Stolen Sun arrives March 29 on the Xbox One family of the devices, Xbox One X Enhanced and with Xbox Game Pass. Keep up with game at OperenciaRPG.com and follow @OperenciaRPG through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Rapid-Fire Frame is 140 RPM (including intrinsic full auto), down from 200 RPM (they were previously 100 RPM, but due to the intrinsic full auto, actually had 200 RPM)
Reduced the ammo bonus of Machine Gun Reserves perk by half
Damage reduced against boss and miniboss combatants by 21%
Trace Rifles
PvE damage increased by 30%
Grenade Launchers
PvE damage increased by 25%
Reserve ammo increased on most Grenade Launchers
In most cases, Grenade Launchers gained three rounds in reserves, but this amount may vary based on the perks you have (Field Prep, etc.)
KNOWN ISSUE: Starting ammo in PvE was reduced, this will be fixed in a future patch
Magazine perks and mods no longer affect ammo reserves
The Quick Access Sling mod can now be applied to any archetype; this change also allows it to be applied to the Mountaintop
NOTE: This change also fixes the Militia’s Birthright being able to slot the Backup Mag mod; this mod did not actually increase the magazine size on this weapon and was not intended to be applied to breech loaded Grenade Launchers
Rocket Launchers
PvE damage increased by 60–65%
Cluster Bomb
Damage reduced by 80%
This lost damage was moved to the Rocket Launcher’s main projectile
Linear Fusion Rifles
PvE damage increased by 10% (does not affect Sleeper Simulant)
Reduced aim assist
Removed aim assist bonus from Combat Sights scope
Fixed an issue where Queenbreaker had double the amount of aim assist
Two-Tailed Fox
PvE damage increased by 26%
One Thousand Voices
PvE damage increased by 25%
Wardcliff Coil
PvE damage increased by 115% against boss combatants and scaling up to 160% against weaker combatants
Black Talon
PvE projectile damage increased by 15%
Sleeper Simulant
Reduced ammo reserves (from max 13 to max 9 without armor perks or Masterwork)
Whisper of the Worm
Reduced ammo reserves (from max 20 to max 9 without armor perks)
Tyranny of Heaven
The Tyranny of Heaven Bow can now drop with randomized perks
General Weapon and Perk Fixes
Trinity Ghoul
Fixed an issue where Trinity Ghoul’s Lightning Rod perk sometimes did not activate on precision kill
Fixed an issue where the Arc effects from the Split Electron perk on Trinity Ghoul could be seen floating in third person
Improved the resolution for the decals on Two-Tailed Fox’s Cuddly Throwback ornament when seen in third person
Fixed an issue where the Last Word’s Laconic ornament did not display properly in third person
Cleaned up the animation of rounds cycling in the magazine for the Dreaded Venture’s Over and Done With ornament
Rapid Hit
Fixed an issue where Rapid Hit would activate twice on a Sniper Rifle precision kill
Fixed an issue where the timer for Rapid Hit x5 would not extend after another precision hit
Swords
Fixed an issue where Whirlwind Blade could not reach 5 stacks with certain perk combinations
Fixed an issue where Sword impact Masterwork damage was the same at tier 7 and tier 8
Fixed an issue where certain perk, mod, and Masterwork combinations would cause Sword perks to not function on Stryker’s Sure-Hand
Bows
Fixed an issue where Le Monarque would not always apply poison at longer distances
Le Monarque is now correctly on the Energy tab in the Collections screen
High Tension String perk description updated to correctly reflect that it “greatly increases accuracy”
Jotunn’s Charge Shot perk description updated with instructions for what to hold to charge up the shot
Fixed an issue where Dragonfly Spec was not functioning correctly under certain latency conditions
Fixed an issue impacting Izanagi’s Burden scope where FX from abilities or invading in Gambit would block visibility while aiming
The Long Shadow
Fixed an issue where the ATD Raptor scope did not highlight enemies
This fix caused another issue where the ATB Long Range scope will highlight enemies as well; this will be fixed in a future update
Fixed an issue where the random perk warning was not displayed on the tooltips for the random roll versions of Crimil’s Dagger and the Hero’s Burden
Memento Mori
Fixed an issue where the Ace of Spades perk Memento Mori did not refresh when using the Hunter’s Marksman Dodge ability
Fixed an issue where Memento Mori was cancelled prematurely if the player sprinted
Note: These fixes make it so that reloading Ace of Spades no longer wipes Memento Mori on reload, but you can still refresh Memento Mori when reloading after a kill
Breech-load Grenade Launchers now have their own icon in the kill feed and obituary to differentiate them from drum Grenade Launchers
Trench Barrel will now activate on close range Ball Lightning attacks that cause the biped to lunge
Abilities
Titan
Reduced Titan’s max speed that can be achieved via use of macros on PC (aka reduced the effectiveness of “Titan Skate”)
Tuned the amount of Super gained from Code of the Juggernaut so the Super could not be used indefinitely
This now has diminishing returns (100% -> 30% energy back over the course of 15 kills)
Warlock
Fixed an issue where the Handheld Supernova did not properly render while invading in Gambit
Armor
Year 2 armor will now drop with a random stat package
Heavy
Restorative
Mobile
One-Eyed Mask
Mark duration reduced from 15 seconds to 8 seconds
Health no longer restores automatically, but restores alongside overshield
Can no longer be triggered while in Super
Khepri’s Horn
Increased class energy gain from Solar damage kills from 10% to 15% and reduced the cooldown from 2 to 1 second
Solar blast groundfollow now returns a second groundfollow back toward the player
Damage from groundfollow increased from 80 to 100
Damage from groundfollow is doubled in PvE
Vesper of Radius
Damage increased from 70 to 100
Damage is tripled in PvE
Sealed Ahamkara’s Grasp
Now procs from smoke bomb damage
Ursa Furiosa
No longer counts self-damage to Void shield when calculating how much Super energy to give back
Anteaus Wards
Fixed an issue where improved slide was not consistently applying with Anteaus Wards
Accessories Fixes
Cloth will now correctly interact with “chopper” Sparrows (examples: Gray Hornet, Warrior’s Steed)
Fixed an issue with Burnout Sparrow that would cause the Guardian’s hands to not always grip the handlebars
A shader from the Curse of Osiris expansion formerly named “Metallic Sunrise” has been renamed to “Mercurian Sunrise.” This was to resolve a duplicate name issue with a Forsaken shader, the name of which remains “Metallic Sunrise”
Fixed lens flare effects on several ship engines
Rewards
General
Power cap raised to 700
Powerful bounties may give only a maximum possible Power reward from the season in which they were acquired
Powerful bounties completed in Season of the Forge may only reach a maximum Power reward of 650
Iron Banner bounties from Season of the Forge have expired and been replaced
Ethereal Keys from the Last Wish raid now have a maximum stack size of 5
All keys above the stack limit of 5 have been removed
Destinations
Destination vendors no longer display a waypoint when holding enough materials for a reputation package
This was done as players now use destination materials for infusion
Crucible
Updated Valor and Glory emblems to track only the current season’s rank accomplishments
Previous seasons accomplishments have been added as Triumphs; all seasonal rank accomplishments will be tracked as Triumphs from here on
Vendors
Shaxx
Reprise seeded roll weapon for players to earn via Valor rank
Players who acquired the original version will be able to earn this weapon with random rolls from engram decryption without earning the Valor rank.
New emblem for players to earn from Triumph Completion
Reprise shader for players to earn from Triumph Completion
Players who earned the original will not need to re-earn this shader
New pinnacle weapon quest
Features Triumph completion step similar to Season 5’s the Mountaintop quest
Drifter
New seeded roll weapon for players to earn via Infamy rank
New emblem for players to earn from Triumph Completion
New pinnacle weapon quest
Features Triumph completion step similar to Season 5’s the Mountaintop quest
Zavala
Reprise seeded roll weapon for players to earn from Triumph Completion
Players who acquired the original version will be able to earn this weapon with random rolls from engram decryption without completing the Triumph
New emblem for players to earn from Triumph Completion
Reprise shader for players to earn from Triumph Completion
Players who earned the original will not need to re-earn this shader
New pinnacle weapon quest
Features Triumph completion step similar to Season 5’s the Mountaintop quest
Xûr
Has the possibility of selling Forsaken Exotics
Fated Engram does not have a chance for Forsaken Exotics; will be updated in a future patch
Black Armory
Lore items “The Black Armory Papers” are now guaranteed to drop upon successful completion of the Gofannon and Bergusia Forges
Fixed an issue where Black Armory Obsidian Accelerator items were not showing up at the postmaster if player inventory was full
Fixed an issue where Black Armory Obsidian Accelerator items were not stacking in player’s inventory; max stack size is 5
Fixed an issue where the Black Armory Key Mold quest was account bound, allowing only a single character to acquire it from Ada-1
Fixed an issue where Dreaming City chests were not providing Glimmering Amethyst for the Black Armory Key Mold quest
Fixed a bug where Spider would present an empty Lock and Key dialogue to players who’ve already completed it and obtained Izanagi’s Burden
Fixed an issue where the Black Armory Bow “The Spiteful Fang” was not awarding Black Armory Schematics when dismantled
Fixed an issue where Black Armory Rare weapon research frames were not counting toward Master Smith Triumph progression
Fixed an issue where the Black Armory Devotee bounty was not progressing when using reforged Black Armory weapons
Challenges
Fixed an issue where some daily challenges did not properly stagger, which resulted in players sometimes not having a fresh daily challenge at reset
Character Boosts
Fixed an issue where boosted characters were not getting their class-specific Swords correctly unlocked and available to pull from their Collection
Fixed an issue where boosted characters were not getting their class-specific emblems correctly unlocked and available to pull from their Collection
General
Fixed a bug where some players were in a bad state and blocked from obtaining Seeds of Light
Fixed a bug where player bipeds in the Tower would appear to stop loading gear (“Tron effect”) if too many players had their Ghosts out
Fixed an issue where pulling shaders from the Collection took longer than intended; shaders will now take 1 second to reacquire
Updated the Sturm “Relics of the Golden Age” quest step; Exotic engrams that auto-decrypt now count toward this quest step
Collections / Triumphs
Fixed an issue where players who completed the Season 4 “Forged in Fire” badge collection were not getting the associated Triumph “Forged in Fire” unlocked
Fixed an issue where players who acquired the “Cold Wind Blowin'” Emblem from the Drifter during Season 4 couldn’t reacquire the emblem from their Collection
Fixed an issue where “The Eternal Return” emblem wasn’t tracking Shattered Throne completions
Fixed an issue with the requirements of the “Relic Rumble” Triumph Nightfall challenge to repair broken functionality
The new requirement is: “Complete Nightfall strike ‘The Corrupted’ by defeating Sedia using no more than two Relics.”
Fixed an issue where the Dreaming City Triumph “Mint Condition” was not correctly unlocking for completing the Rift Generator public event with the relic never having dropped below 100%
Fixed an issue where the Exotic Ghost Star Map shell was not tracking chests in the Dreaming City
Fixed an issue where the “Senior Recruiter” Refer-a-Friend emblem was not correctly updating the number of referral completions
Fixed an issue where the Collection Badge counter was incorrectly listing the total number of badges available
Activities
Gambit
Activities hosted by the Drifter have been moved to their own sub-page on the Director called “Gambit”
Added Gambit Private matches for all Forsaken owners
Expect Gambit Prime Private matches on April 2, 2019
Overhauled how invader spawn points are chosen while also significantly increasing the number of invader spawn points for each map
Chances of spawning very near or in direct line of sight of an enemy Guardian has been greatly reduced
Changed the third round of Gambit to a Primeval rush sudden death; this will speed up Gambit matches overall and add a change of pace to the final round
The Primeval is immediately summoned
Player Supers/grenades/ability/melee are immediately filled, so both teams are on an even playing field
Super/grenade/ability/melee regen are increased for the remainder of the round
The Ascendant Primeval Servitor’s (meatball) spawn rate is no longer tied to the curse cycle and has been greatly increased
Idle Protection: Players who remain dormant for too long will not receive end-of-match rewards or Infamy points
Made adjustments to Blocker types by deposit tier
Small Blocker = Taken Goblin with less health than the previous Phalanx
Medium Blocker = Taken Captain with more health than the previous Knight
Large Blocker = Taken Knight with more health than the previous Ogre
Gambit Matchmaking
Teams are now always broken up when re-entering the matchmaking pool after a match
Previously, when a match ended, players who did not return to orbit would be sent back to the matchmaking pool together; this is no longer the case
This will greatly reduce the likelihood of re-matching against the same players and will give matchmaking an opportunity to find the best possible match
Infamy
Players can now earn Infamy points by completing Gambit Prime matches and bounties
Increased the Infamy point rewards for Gambit matches by 25 points
Gambit HUD
The HUD status bars now animate when returning from aim-down-sights
The Invader Portal Ready icon and animation on the status bar has been updated to be more pronounced and understandable at a glance
Triumphs and Medals
“Light vs. Light” can now be progressed by killing any Guardian (not just invaders) using a Super; this makes attaining Dredgen a less daunting task
The “First to Block” medal can now trigger once per round, previously it could fire only once per match
The “Fast Fill” Triumph time limit has been increased from 5 seconds to 7.5 seconds
General Fixes
Fixed an issue where post-invasion kills during Primeval phase weren’t giving the invader credit for healing the Primeval
Fixed an issue where VO lines indicating the high-value target was killed and that the high-value target got away will both play if the player kills the HVT just before it is removed from the arena
Fixed an issue where players would get the “Half Banked” medal every time they deposit Motes after they reached 38 Motes deposited
Fixed an issue where the “Taking Turns” medal fires when 3 different players invade instead of 4
Fixed an issue where a graphical error could be seen on a waterfall in Legion’s Folly
Fixed an issue where occasionally Drifter would tell players back-to-back that the other team has summoned their Primeval
Fixed an issue where, in a longer match after killing the Primeval, the Drifter reminded us that we needed to spawn our Primeval to win
Fixed an issue where the bounty “Block and Key” did not increment when a Large Blocker was sent that would summon the Primeval
Updated security policy and functionality so players who have been banned from competitive activities cannot access Gambit playlist
Crucible
Fixed an issue where healing during Crucible matches was taking away from a player’s overall damage on the PGCR screen
Last Wish
Smashed an issue where players would encounter frequent guitar errors
Eververse
Bright Engram
The season 5 Etched Bright Engram has been retired; in its place players can now obtain the new season 6 Notorious Bright Engram
Prismatic Matrix
The Prismatic Matrix has been retired; additional information may be found in This Week at Bungie—2/28/2019
UI/UX
General
Added a popup dialogue when opening bundles if you have a full inventory, noting that items will go to the postmaster if you proceed through the dialogue
Fixed an issue where Masterwork objective progress bars could display 100% when not yet completed
Fixed an issue where Legendary Masterwork items were not displayed as Masterworked when inspecting other players
Fixed an issue where Masterwork UI did not scale to fill ultra-wide monitors
Fixed an issue where the progress bar under Triumphs could sometimes show as complete when the Triumph was still in progress
Fixed an issue where transferring items using the Destiny app would consistently re-trigger Triumph notifications
Video: Check Out Car Customisation In The Latest Team Sonic Racing Trailer
In case you somehow missed the news, last October, Sega revealed Team Sonic Racing had been delayed until 21st May 2019. Since then, it has been slowly drip-feeding racing enthusiasts more information about the upcoming multiplatform release.
In the latest trailer, we get a look at the car customisation options in the game. You’ll be able to change your ride’s performance mods, the sound of its horn, the paint job and even add vinyls. Take a look below:
Customize your car any way you want it in Team Sonic Racing! Check out a look at the new parts, paint, and decal options, as well as some new footage from the game.
Sega has also uploaded a few other Team Sonic Racing videos. The first is part one of an animation based on Team Sonic Racing:
Team Sonic, Team Rose, and Team Dark face off at Wisp Circuit in this first of two parts of a special animation based on Team Sonic Racing! As usual, the diabolical Dr. Eggman seems to have his own plans – can the teams overcome his tricks, or will they find themselves more than a little distracted?
Big thanks to Tyson Hesse and Neko productions for their hard work putting this together! Keep your eyes peeled for Part 2, arriving late April 2019!
And the second is a remixed music track for Bingo Party:
Bingo Party returns with an amazing new remix in Team Sonic Racing! Talented chiptune artist TORIENA teamed up with Jun Senoue for an amazing new take inspired by the Sonic Heroes classic.
Are you excited to customise your ride in Team Sonic Racing? Tell us below.
Takashi Iizuka Confirms The Next Sonic Title Is Already In Development
If the video clips for Team Sonic Racing weren’t already satisfying enough, the head of Sonic Team, Takashi Iizuka, has confirmed the next big entry in the mainline Sonic series is officially underway. The announcement was made during a panel at SXSW Gaming 2019. Other than this, no other information is currently known about the new Sonic game and there’s no indication as to when Sega will reveal more about it.
The most recent Sonic release was the enhanced title Sonic Mania Plus in 2018. The lead developer, Christian Whitehead, has since gone on to form his own studio – Evening Star – with several other Sonic Mania team members. The most recent 3D title in the Sonic series was Sonic Forces, released on multiple platforms in 2017.
Are you looking forward to the next major entry in this long-running series? Tell us down below.
Playing Card Crusade made this reviewer crave pizza…because it called to mind a shared truism between the two. You know what they say about pizza, when it’s good, it’s great, when it’s ‘meh’ it’s still pretty good. Well the same goes for roguelikes, a crowded yet beloved genre for pretty much the same reason. Few of them will reach the heights of, say, Dream Quest or Slay the Spire, but that doesn’t mean the also-rans of the genre aren’t any good.
It does mean that their fun and inventiveness are relatively limited. Card Crusade is satisfying to play but also suffers from some mediocrities. It’s quick and light and the development cycle shows future promise, but as-is needs a skosh more variety and challenge to stand on its own merits. Criticism aside, I couldn’t put it down.
The setup: a tale as old as time, an adventurer travels ever-deeper into a ten-level dungeon to face a final boss. The map in Card Crusade is almost entirely cosmetic, with a simple tap sending the player character scurrying to that precise spot. Tap to open doors and treasure and wander too close to draw aggro of the hostile mobs, which will hound you down once provoked. Battles ensue, with a turn-based, energy-limited card system.
It’s standard fare, with block, energy and health resources working just as you’d expect, along with a pretty nice suite of status effects to spice things up. Each piece of equipment you pick up adds a card to your deck, which starts off trim but needs to bulk up quickly in order to power through the scaling difficulties of the lower levels. Early mobs of packs of dogs or swarms of horseflies are child’s play to clear, but later on Witches and Eyeball Monsters (I guess they can’t call them Beholders?) will present a stiff challenge.
Each room with an enemy also contains a chest, which presents one of two possible new cards. While there are unique classes with abilities and a class-specific starting card, the rest of the possible card pool is totally open. Anyone can use poison, magic, a crossbow, a ‘metallicize’ defense. So in terms of deck-building the game is rather generous and free-form, which gives it a relaxed, sandbox quality. I love this, because it means that failed runs happen because of choices along the way rather than loot. The downside is repeat runs feel samey.
Battles have an unusual tempo to them. Of course it’s always best to clear the field as soon as possible, but the game usually proceeds in bursts of activity, with some turns devoted to healing and survival while others see play of an especially strong card to eliminate a key foe. Here Card Crusade breaks with longstanding roguelike tradition and does not offer full healing upon level-up or floor clear, which means damage suffered becomes persistent. This is one of the game’s smartest choices, adding a sense of pressure while simultaneously rewarding clean strategy and play. It unfortunately also weights defensive builds more positively and taxes health-sacrificing ones further.
The enemies have a little more variety to their abilities and effects. Some multiply and fill the field, others passively buff themselves until they hit like a truck. Their move sets are all made available right from the get-go, making planning a must for efficient clears. Aside from battling and choosing loot, the game offers nothing else, so its appeal lives or dies on the merits of these alone. The battles aren’t especially difficult, but the enemy variety is nice and refreshing, and the health margins for making it to the final boss are surprisingly slim. If the game feels relaxing or ‘easy’ this is a side-effect of its deliberately generous, low-variance design.
It also has some nice flourishes to differentiate repeat plays. Yes, the classes all work differently, but there are also Shrines which offer an optional benefit and drawback. (The closest analogue I can think of would be the excellent Desktop Dungeon’s shrine & faith system). They might boost poison, healing, burning or health, but the shrines always take a toll. The exchange is mostly fair, well-balanced and most importantly of all, well-advertised.
That’s probably the most just assessment of the game as a whole, honestly: fair and as-advertised. It might get quickly solved if you’ve already blazed through Dream Quest, Meteorfall, Night of the Full Moon, Slay the Spire, and every other card battler out there, but it’s still got enough meat on its bones to be worth the price of admission. Diverting, a fun time-sink whose future updates will hopefully add more cards and classes, maybe even a hard mode for those of us ready for a bigger challenge. It is undoubtedly good reliable fun, but this rush is half-nostalgia and half-quality. Here’s hoping the game continues to improve and enrich itself.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 03-18-2019, 12:40 AM - Forum: Lounge
- No Replies
These Steam Games Are Free To Play All Weekend Long
If you're active on Steam, you're probably very familiar with Steam's free weekend sales, where a couple of games are given a free-to-play trial period for players who may not otherwise try them. This weekend's games have been announced, so let's take a look at what's free to play on Steam right now, as well as discounts for the games themselves.
Steam's latest free weekend kicks off with Two Point Hospital, a business simulation games released last year in which you play as a hospital administrator who runs a hospital--including designing the layout and hiring staff--with the goal of quickly curing patients of various made-up, comical illnesses. In GameSpot's Two Point Hospital review, critic James Swinbanks described the game as "modern and enjoyable," with "irresistible charm and wit."
"The exaggerated, cartoon look and relaxed approach to management make it inviting enough for most players, while the deeper aspects of its economy are enough to keep seasoned players engaged," he wrote.
Two Point Hospital is free to play now through Monday, March 18 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. It's a great time to give the game a try, as new items will be available in-game this weekend, and the second DLC, Pebberley Island, launches on Monday. If you like Two Point Hospital, the game will also be 33% off all weekend.
If you like digital collectible card games like Hearthstone, you'll probably like Faeria, which is also free to play on Steam this weekend. A cross between card game and board game, Faeria is a strategy game with a unique living board that you can shape into lakes, mountains, deserts, and more, creating your own unique territory (which allows for unique abilities) while also pursuing your opponent. All 300 cards can be collected in under 50 hours, according to Steam. Free to play through Sunday, Faeria is also 50% off at just $12.49 until Monday, March 18 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. The premium bundle is also on sale for just $28.56 (61% off).
Several developer tools are also free on Steam this week and through the weekend. Create the RPG of your dreams with RPG Maker MV, or make a retro-style pixel game using Pixel Game Maker. If visual novels are more your jam, then you can use (you guessed it) Visual Novel Maker to bring your story to life. And of course, they're all discounted to purchase this weekend: RPG Maker MV is just $20 (75% off), Pixel Game Maker MV is $63.74 (25% off), and Visual Novel Maker is $36 (40% off) until Tuesday, March 19 (you get an extra day with these).
For an even better deal, the Maker Series is available as a bundle for $76.14 (63% off), with several different packages and DLC for RPG Maker and Visual Novel Maker. Pixel Game Maker is still in Steam Early Access, so that software isn't part of the bundle and will continue to be updated.
While not part of this weekend's free-to-play Steam sale, it's worth mentioning that Dissidia: Final Fantasy NT's free edition is now available indefinitely on Steam. The RPG is a console port of Dissidia Final Fantasy, which traded turn-based action for real-time battles. In our Dissidia: Final Fantasy NT review, GameSpot's Alessandro Fillari felt the game faltered in many aspects, but did offer a diverse range of interesting characters, clever combat, and a charming story. Since it's now free to play, you might as well check it out.
