ELEX ELEX RELEASE THREAD

[Murk]

I just want more jetpack related shit in Elex 2. Let me upgrade its recharge/energy tank; give me a faster on-ground movement, let me battering ram fuckers, etc.

The aerial attack was pretty dope, but gimme more.

 

[Ravielsk]

I can already hear the codex polesquad sharpening their pitchforks

Well, the pitchforks seem to be stuck in traffic so in the mean time I am going to prep them some tar for their torches. Another 12 hours on hard with the game have only highlighted more strange issues both with the game and the mod.
- For one the economy seems to be massively unbalanced. The amount of cash you need to get ammo and armors is massive but there are no good avenues to make that much gold without exploits. I get the impression that the economy was initially built around the idea that enemies drop their weapons as it has so many avenues for spending elexit but so little opportunities to make it.
- This also negatively affects ranged weapons as firing them has a direct cost as there is not much ammo to be found in the game world and on top of that most guns seem to be massively underpowered with or without the mod. For one the magazine capacities are stupidly small, most guns do not go over 20 rounds per clip despite having pretty much nothing in terms of damage. Seriously with 50 DEX and one level in ranged weapons skill I expect to not have to spend 2 clips on each random critter. Oh and also for some reason unless its a heavy gun they have pretty much 0 stagger abilities so the enemies can just easily close the distance pretty much regardless of size or speed(not that there are any slow enemies in Elex).
-The enemy variety in this game is just non-existent. I have no idea how but they managed to have fewer enemy types than Gothic 1. Animals all share the exact same behavioral pattern of lunging at the player and just spamming their one attack. Regardless of size or type they all do this and all are countered by the same tactic of relentless left clicking with your meele weapon(as those seem to have tons of stagger regardless of type or size). The only exception are giant enemies like robots or giants but only in the sense that they have a stomp attack or can fly away. Otherwise the enemies are essentially the same animal with different skins.
- Outlaw faction is just stupid. When I started the game I got the impression there might be something more to them than just "bandits on drugs" but as it turns out I was entirely wrong and they are just "retarded bandits on drugs". Their whole reason for being in the wastes is just "that they like it that way" and nothing else. Their faction specialty is even dumber as it is making their own ammo, which is just baffling feature as it implies that the vastly more advanced clerics do not make their own ammo for some reason or that Berserkers simply do not teach the mega advance art of making arrows. The whole faction is about bitching about rules and "muh freedom" yet the very first quests you get from them are to bring back order to their ranks. It seriously feels like the least amount of time and though went into this faction overall.
- The attribute and skill system are several layers of busted. For one without spamming the elex potions its more or less impossible to get the necessary skills without absolutely insane levels of farming. Cunning is the most busted one of them as the others at least factor into other stuff besides being just barriers to learning skills but cunning is literally just a means of unlocking certain skills(most of which are very situational and not worth taking without elex potions). Worse yet the game tricks you into putting points into as the description says it "increases social skills that allow you to convince others to and get what you want." yet there is not a single stat check that would check for my cunning value. The only thing the game ever checks is how many skill point I invested into any given skill category. Hilariously enough that means that my character who at this point has been able to take down giants and those Alb robots cannot intimidate people with his combat prowess because I have only 4 points in combat skills(mainly because of the step attribute requirements for each new level of any skill). The fact that so many things require a mixture of stats(so swords need dexterity or guns need strength) makes it difficult to focus on one stat exclusively as the the very least you need points in one primary stat and Constitution to even equip armors.

The more I play the more it feels unfinished and rushed. Again the questing and exploration remains great but the more I deal with the stat systems the more rushed the feel.

 

[Lord_Potato]

So, what you're saying is it's difficult to focus on one stat and minmax? Oh, the horror.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

It's not only about cunning, stats don't do anything in this game apart from being skill reqs.

Also, the only level on which Elex is better than first Risen (until the lizard parts) is that it's a bigger game with more stuff in it. It's also its biggest flaw, though, as everything became severely watered down.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

ELEX doesn't even have a character sheet, all you need to know about it being an "rpg"

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Well, its UI is a flaming trainwreck in general. Which, coincidentally, is another point where R1 shits all over other PB games and I have no idea how people have accepted what came after it.

 

[Ravielsk]

So, what you're saying is it's difficult to focus on one stat and minmax? Oh, the horror.

No its that the game directly expects me to min-max my skills but actively blocks me from doing so. The sheer amount of points needed to unlock certain skills and use some more powerfull weapons is insane. A basic Acolyte sword II requires 51 points in both strength and dexterity. Since the cost of each attribute point after 31 jumps from 1 to 2 that means getting those stats requires exactly of 122 attribute points, so without the skill that gives 1 extra point per level up its 13 levels invested in these two stat purely so that I can use a mediocre sword. And keep in mind that Elex Overhaul further increases these stat requirements so its even more of an investment. And as Zboj pointed out the attributes do nothing on their own so until I get that better sword or get a skill upgrade my damage remains static.

 

[Lord_Potato]

So, what you're saying is it's difficult to focus on one stat and minmax? Oh, the horror.

No its that the game directly expects me to min-max my skills but actively blocks me from doing so. The sheer amount of points needed to unlock certain skills and use some more powerfull weapons is insane. A basic Acolyte sword II requires 51 points in both strength and dexterity. Since the cost of each attribute point after 31 jumps from 1 to 2 that means getting those stats requires exactly of 122 attribute points, so without the skill that gives 1 extra point per level up its 13 levels invested in these two stat purely so that I can use a mediocre sword. And keep in mind that Elex Overhaul further increases these stat requirements so its even more of an investment. And as Zboj pointed out the attributes do nothing on their own so until I get that better sword or get a skill upgrade my damage remains static.

Str and dex are needed for many other things so the investment pays off. And in this game you'll be getting tons to stat and skillpoints. Can't really say anything about mods but you should not criticize the game for what modders did.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

TBH I found the harsh requirements and need to balance them (whether I get something that will bring more loot/money/xp later but remain cannon fodder or push for decent damage but lack in other departments) an OK part of the game. Although stats having no impact is definitely a huge decline. The real retarded part of skills/stats were the dialogue checks, because you'd frequently encounter them at a stage where you had absolutely no chance of meeting the reqs, unless you just went out to murder the entire world before starting any conversations. And then you learn most of them don't do anything, anyway...

 

[Ravielsk]

Str and dex are needed for many other things so the investment pays off.

Yeah genius that is not the problem here. The problem is that to just be able to use such a mediocre weapon I need to level up 13 times and consciously ignore anything else to get to a point where I can use what is essentially "starting sword+2". It pays off but only after those 13 levels are spent on those specific stats before that point in time its essentially the same as if you did not level up at all because your attributes do not dictate your actual damage output(or have such little effect on it that its basically imperceivable), the skills(which you cannot learn before a specific plateau) and weapons(which you cannot equip before a specific plateau) dictate that. Which in practice means that even if you can equip a weapon you will still not get proper damage output from it because you did not spend learning points to get the skill that boost damage. So unless you are specifically saving up those learning points after you hit 55 STR and DEX (as that is how much you need for melee weapons II skill) you still have to invest a level or two before your new weapon will actually any more damage than the previous one. So unless you have your playthough meticulously planned out from start to finish(which how could I or anyone else do playing the game for the first time) it actually costs 14-15 levels to use Acolyte sword II effectively(never mind the cost of getting the item itself). Those are 14-15 levels of nothing happening to your characters damage output despite you dumping points into a specific skill set.

And in this game you'll be getting tons to stat and skillpoints.

Yes, a lot when you tally them up at the end of the game. The does not change the fact that getting those 14-15 levels takes hours and produces absolutely minuscule change in my characters ability to deal damage. Not to mention me having to ignore everything else on my way to that plateau.

Can't really say anything about mods but you should not criticize the game for what modders did.

Also I made a mistake. The mod loweres the requirements for weapons, only legendaries have their requirements raised. So in overhaul the Acolyte sword II requires only STR 58 and 38 DEX, so in total 110 skill points. The point stands that even with such reduced requirements the game is still asking for too much of a time investment for what is essentially a minor damage boost(especially on higher difficulty).

 

[Haplo]

I mostly agree, but the damage boost really isn't minor. Particularly when you consider enemy DR and the fact that you might have dealt no damage at all before (or no damage before 4th swing in a combo).

 

[rusty_shackleford]

RPG character screen:

"""RPG""" character screen:

KNOW THE DIFFERENCE, IT MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE!

 

[adddeed]

Thankfully a badly presented and busy character screen with a shitty layout like th eone you posted isnt the only defining characterstic of an RPG.
Unfortntely you're a dumb fuckin moron.

 

[Cyberarmy]

 

[fantadomat]

you're a dumb fuckin moron.

Don't be a kwanophobe! It is racist to mock la creatula!

 

[Murk]

Elex's interface was pretty poop, so no argument there. Too consolified, though I did appreciate that the adjutor screen was a literal in game item that could be blocked by Jax's head. I know it's a "bad thing" but it cracked me up every time it happened.

PB games in general have at best "okay" interfaces, with Risen 1 being the best of the lot probably.

 

[cvv]

PB games in general have at best "okay" interfaces, with Risen 1 being the best of the lot probably.

PB games in general have hillariously fanfic, placeholder UIs. The only professional-looking one is in Risen 2 (probably R3 too but IDK, I've suppressed the memory of that game).

 

[HoboForEternity]

Elex's interface was pretty poop, so no argument there. Too consolified, though I did appreciate that the adjutor screen was a literal in game item that could be blocked by Jax's head. I know it's a "bad thing" but it cracked me up every time it happened.

PB games in general have at best "okay" interfaces, with Risen 1 being the best of the lot probably.

Gothic interface is a shot trough the heart if you are a hoarder like me.

 

[Murk]

R2/R3 *looked* fine but were obviously made for consoles and their functionality was not as great.

R1s was the most functional, IMO, regardless of appearance (tho it looked fine, too); and I liked the way looting auto-placed the window so that the 'loot all' button would be under your mouse.

It also let you consume items without an animation if you did it through the large character view -- great for mass consuming openables or things like apples/eggs for the STR bonus.

 

[gurugeorge]

Finally catching up to this. First impressions: it sustains a nice virtual world illusion and sense of presence (till characters open their mouths), and exploration is well-done in terms of environmental cues that lead you by the nose in a way that makes you think you're the first person in the world to discover this thing; also "quests" are given in a naturalistic way that induces you to keep track of them mostly in your head, which helps a lot with immersion.

Also, all games should have jetpacks.

Melee combat is painful though, but it always seems to be painful with PB games, at least at first. (Note to PB: melee combat in real life doesn't involve over-commitment on every single fucking strike - it's fast and agile, and you have to be able to turn on a dime until you find an opening, THEN you commit.)

Other than the console retardation, I'm liking it. It's certainly cured me of my recent Dungeon Siege obsession

 

[gurugeorge]

Hmm, nice bit of C&C:-

Spoiler

In Adessa, I chose the option to repair the Clerics' transmitter but plant the bug for the Outlaws, vaguely hoping to keep some sort of balance of power (I kind of like Darrell, and since he talks about them just wanting to stay informed, I do it). Later, the Clerics who were supposed to pick up an Elex payment (for some robits) that I'm couriering to them from Adessa, are ambushed by Outlaws, who expect me to give them the Elex. This angers my character ("I thought you were going to use the bug to stay informed about their movements, not slaughter them!"), so I kill the Outlaws and ensure the payment goes to the surviving Cleric. Then when I get back to town, the Cleric who gave me the quest lavishly praises me for my moral uprightness (meanwhile I'm squirming inside ).

Very nice. I wonder how this will affect my relations with the Outlaws (who I haven't really come into much contact with yet)?

 

[xuerebx]

Are you using any mods? I'm about to start my first playthrough and considering to use an overhaul balance mod which is the top rated mod on the nexus. I generally only play through a game once, so I'd like to have the best possible playthrough.

 

[cvv]

Are you using any mods? I'm about to start my first playthrough and considering to use an overhaul balance mod

Yes, get it.

 

[gurugeorge]

Are you using any mods? I'm about to start my first playthrough and considering to use an overhaul balance mod which is the top rated mod on the nexus. I generally only play through a game once, so I'd like to have the best possible playthrough.

I'm just trying it out now, main thing I've noticed is that the early weapons are a bit better and you get stunlocked/staggered less, which generally makes the early experience a bit less painful. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing in terms of the developers' intentions, but it's more enjoyable for me. From the description and comments, it also removes some of the cheese that's apparent in many criticisms/videos of the later game - IOW, early game's a bit easier, later game's a bit harder - but I haven't gotten that far yet. Again, I'm not sure if that comports with the developers' intentions - I suspect the game is supposed to have a "revenge" curve (masochist to sadist), where you're useless at first, then become OP. But smoothing out that curve is what the mod seems to be designed to do.

You can remove the mod (after unequipping) at any time, so it's easy enough to try out.

 

[cvv]

I'm just trying it out now, main thing I've noticed is that the early weapons are a bit better

Yes that's the point of the mod. Early game is improved because you can actually fight some basic stuff. And late game is less of a mind numbingly boring faceroll. The only problem is nerfing the elex potions, we've talked about it two pages ago, read it.