A few more things . . . (Gaming)

by Korny , Dalton, Ga. US. Earth, Sol System, Thursday, March 09, 2017, 01:49 (2817 days ago) @ cheapLEY

I'm not sure if anyone will scroll this far down the page, but a few more quick thoughts:

Some folks do! ;)

I'm loving this game, but something about it has been bothering me about the way loot and the weapon and armor sets and upgrades work. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I think I finally realized what it was. It's that there are three tiers of weapons (I guess 4, if you count the Lodge Weapons) and three tiers of armor, but all but the highest tier basically go unused. The sets you can buy are somewhat limited at the beginning of the game, with only a few purples available in the Sacred Lands. That doesn't last long, however. Once you get to Meridian, which doesn't take long (unless you willfully make it take long), everything becomes available to you. Why would I buy a green or blue tier anything when the purple tier items are only marginally more expensive (besides the lower tier items having less ugly head ornamentation)?

I like that the higher tiered armors aren't hugely different than the other tiers. The Nora Protector Heavy, for example, provides a ten point Melee resistance increase over the Medium armor, and a second mod slot. Granted, a second mod can have a significant effect on your gear, but it won't make you invincible, but it's probably just a bit more forgiving towards a screw up on your end. I've made it pretty far in using mostly just the Nora Brave armor made by Teb, boosted with a Very Rare mod, and it gives me better stealth than my combat-oriented Nora Protector Heavy (that Hunter Chestplate). Pretty much all armor is viable in the game, which I actually like, even if there are obviously "better" armors in the game, each one easily obtainable if you hunt the right machine. Sammy has exclusively run the Carja Storm Ranger preorder outfit. It's not the highest tier of armor, but it makes her look like a bird.

In the grand scheme of things, it's not a huge issue, and it certainly doesn't ruin the game, but it really makes the weapon and armor investment systems feel almost inconsequential. Instead of a nice progression, I went from low tier gear to high tier gear very quickly and easily. I guess maybe that just allows it to get out of the way and allows the combat to really be the focus. But at that point, why have a progression of gear at all?

As a reward and incentive for fighting certain Machines, maybe... I dunno. Some people want to have two mod slots, and earning them (without a lengthy grind required) helps them feel a sense of progression? *shrugs*

On a more positive note, I find that I really like Aloy's little quips. I typically find it pretty annoying when the player character talks to no one in particular while wondering around, but I find that Aloy's lines feel natural and often add a nice little detail to the world. For example, when you pick up a plants, she sometimes has a little line about them. Mostly I don't notice, but I picked up one last night, and she just said, "Ew, sticky." It's subtle, but it tells me more about that world (even if it's obvious--some plants are sticky), but it also adds the sense of feel to the game, something you don't often get. She mentions the healing plants being a bitter, sometimes, too. I think it's a just a nice little detail that adds to the world, if only in a tiny way.

I like the little observations as well. She made a quip about snow once, then said something grim and poetic, only to say "well, that thought got dark pretty quick". It was neat, and made me chuckle. Consistent with the sarcasm that she shows throughout the game (she did grow up pretty resentful towards people, after all...).