Kenshi - open-ended sandbox RPG set in a desert world

[PorkyThePaladin]

Holy shit, I tried playing this and I have no idea how you guys got into it. The beginning learning curve is so freaking boring.

I understood the core concept of the game (sandbox, no preset storylines/questlines), but generally, you need some kind of robust world mechanics if there aren't going to be quests/stories. Dwarf Fortress or Nethack would be good examples of this.

I start game 1 in Kenshi, spawn in some dead-ass town. There's like 3 people in it that I can talk to, none of them have anything interesting/pertinent to say. A bunch of ruins. Ok, so I run outside the town. Run around for miles, absolutely nothing out there. No animals, bandits, nothing. Finally ran into another town, just as dead as the first one. Quit.

Game 2, another dead town start. Go outside, run into a group of bandits or whatever who immediately attack me, 12 on 1, and kill me.

Game 3, de ja vu, another dead town, run outside, empty space.

Aside from that, the camera is so terrible, reminds me of early 2000s 3D rpgs (Neverwinter Nights, Dungeon Siege, etc). Half the time you are playing the game, you are fighting with the camera.

Must be missing something.

 

[Deleted Member 16721]

You're definitely missing something. You're not some chosen one like in KCD where you can kill everything you see with rags and a wooden stick. You have to find ways to earn money to buy better gear, hire recruits and survive the harsh world you're plunged into. The game is "make your own adventure" not talk to people to do quests. Start by mining some copper or stealing stuff and selling it for profit. Join the Shinobi Thieves so you have a fence. Hire some recruits so you can handle shitty bandits with their primitive weapons and armor. Explore the world and figure it out. For fucks sake play the game and actually EXPLORE IT. Half the fun is figuring it out. Once you do you're on a path you will remember forever as some of the greatest incline RPGs have to offer. But you have to actually, ya know, play the game. Learn it.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

Holy shit, I tried playing this and I have no idea how you guys got into it. The beginning learning curve is so freaking boring.

I understood the core concept of the game (sandbox, no preset storylines/questlines), but generally, you need some kind of robust world mechanics if there aren't going to be quests/stories. Dwarf Fortress or Nethack would be good examples of this.

I start game 1 in Kenshi, spawn in some dead-ass town. There's like 3 people in it that I can talk to, none of them have anything interesting/pertinent to say. A bunch of ruins. Ok, so I run outside the town. Run around for miles, absolutely nothing out there. No animals, bandits, nothing. Finally ran into another town, just as dead as the first one. Quit.

Game 2, another dead town start. Go outside, run into a group of bandits or whatever who immediately attack me, 12 on 1, and kill me.

Game 3, de ja vu, another dead town, run outside, empty space.

Aside from that, the camera is so terrible, reminds me of early 2000s 3D rpgs (Neverwinter Nights, Dungeon Siege, etc). Half the time you are playing the game, you are fighting with the camera.

Must be missing something.

This game is pretty much Mount and Blade CRPG edition, altho Mount and Blade has smoother learning curve.

 

[Black Angel]

Holy shit, I tried playing this and I have no idea how you guys got into it. The beginning learning curve is so freaking boring.

I understood the core concept of the game (sandbox, no preset storylines/questlines), but generally, you need some kind of robust world mechanics if there aren't going to be quests/stories. Dwarf Fortress or Nethack would be good examples of this.

I start game 1 in Kenshi, spawn in some dead-ass town. There's like 3 people in it that I can talk to, none of them have anything interesting/pertinent to say. A bunch of ruins. Ok, so I run outside the town. Run around for miles, absolutely nothing out there. No animals, bandits, nothing. Finally ran into another town, just as dead as the first one. Quit.

Game 2, another dead town start. Go outside, run into a group of bandits or whatever who immediately attack me, 12 on 1, and kill me.

Game 3, de ja vu, another dead town, run outside, empty space.

Aside from that, the camera is so terrible, reminds me of early 2000s 3D rpgs (Neverwinter Nights, Dungeon Siege, etc). Half the time you are playing the game, you are fighting with the camera.

Must be missing something.

This game is pretty much Mount and Blade CRPG edition, altho Mount and Blade has smoother learning curve.

I haven't bought Kenshi, but this is right, I think. In M&B you can always go to Tutorial section and train there, or do some siege skirmishes from the main menu. When first beginning a playthrough, you can always go to the nearest training field, too. Dunno if Kenshi has any of that, and I doubt it looking at the videos and screenshots.

You're not some chosen one like in KCD where you can kill everything you see with rags and a wooden stick.

Eh, you can't do that in KCD. Not until you train your ass until all your stats hit max, take all the perks, and master all the moves..... or use exploits.

 

[Payd Shell]

.You're not some chosen one like in KCD where you can kill everything you see with rags and a wooden stick.

Actually, you kind of are. There's mechanics and rules at play that only affect the player group and the world is entirely static until you do something. Nobody will defeat the Bugmaster or Cat-Lon, it has to be you. No faction warfare, either, because you need to fight everyone's battles for them for things to change.

You have to find ways to earn money to buy better gear, hire recruits and survive the harsh world you're plunged into. The game is "make your own adventure" not talk to people to do quests.

The world is neither harsh nor do you really write your own adventure because every playthrough is essentially the same. Do shit until you get better at it then look for new grinding opportunities, that's it. The only thing that's 'harsh' about Kenshi is a lack of documentation so you have to figre everything out by yourself. Which is fine, of course - more games should be like this. But don't go around pretending that Kenshi has any sort of difficulty to it. Travelling the world looking for things to beat up / being beaten up by is neither an interesting narrative nor engaging gameplay if that's all you're ever doing.

Once you do you're on a path you will remember forever as some of the greatest incline RPGs have to offer. But you have to actually, ya know, play the game. Learn it.

Again I have to disagree. At the end of my time with Kenshi, I essentially felt tricked. Yeah, I had fun with the game, but once it dawns upon you that the world is absolutely empty and there isn't anything exciting around the next corner one way or the other, that carrot on a stick turned out to be a turd on a stick with some orange paint on it.

 

[agris]

It’s carrot or stick, as in two ways to motivate (a horse); reward or punish.

 

[Shackleton]

It’s carrot or stick, as in two ways to motivate (a horse); reward or punish.

But carrot on a stick is a different expression, meaning to dangle the possibility of reward in front of somebody to keep them working at something they'd otherwise be inclined to stop.

The idea is you're dangling the carrot in front of the donkey so it's constantly walking forward trying to get it.

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

"carrot on a stick" and "carrot and stick" are two different expressions, with the latter meaning "you one time give the carrot as a prize, the other the stick as punishment".

 

[Major_Blackhart]

For over 200 days Cromarch (my PC) has lived in Mongrel. He, Beep, Hand, Garr, and Shryke frequently engage in murder raids into the Foglands now and have even explored into the Holy Lands and the desolation of Obedience. His hatred for Okran is no longer explosive and violent, but rather a simmering boil. He has plans, but after passing through the Holy Lands, realizes he needs to prepare himself even more.

 

[Orma]

 

[you know what time it is]

The game seems to be massively overhyped to be honest. Idea is nice and all, but execution is quite terrible. Especially if you factor in that other games came out while it was in-dev and did more with less.

 

[polo]

The game seems to be massively overhyped to be honest. Idea is nice and all, but execution is quite terrible. Especially if you factor in that other games came out while it was in-dev and did more with less.

Which ones? Rimworld?

 

[you know what time it is]

Which ones? Rimworld?

Yep, even without Rimworld in the picture it seems to be very barebones, combat aside (which is far from perfect anyway). If you gonna sacrifice your presentation and UX so much, might as well make up for it in depth, like DF did, but I don't find the game particularly complex or engaging, just packs of dudes roaming the land. I do like my hobo sims and story generators, but this ain't it.

 

[Arnust]

My squad! After fumbling around the desert trying to keep my dog from starving to death I finally made it to Hub and got a waifu and an old man to come with me.

 

[polo]

Looks like shit in spanish. "Sinnombre"

 

[Arnust]

Not really changing my faction name until I have something notable going on.

 

[Abu Antar]

 

[Dawkinsfan69]

guys i'm addicted to this please help my life is going to be ruined by this damn game

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

guys i'm addicted to this please help my life is going to be ruined by this damn game

Try the base building part of Kenshi; it should cure you of your addiction.

 

[Deleted Member 16721]

If by cure the addiction you mean inject with 1000 cc's of pure black tar gaming heroin, then sure.

 

[Dawkinsfan69]

That's where I'm at

i got the game yesterday and somehow I almost have 20 hours played

this is really really really bad

 

[Deleted Member 16721]

That's how I was, I played dozens of hours, 180 total, over the course of a few weeks. It's a really good game, and I barely scratched the surface of it - only explored a few biomes and just started building a real outpost before I shelved it. Don't worry, leave your life behind and enjoy yourself. You can only play Kenshi for the first time once.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

If by cure the addiction you mean inject with 1000 cc's of pure black tar gaming heroin, then sure.

To be sure, I still had fun when I ended the base-building phase of my Kenshi experience and returned to exploration. Still, once I had explored every biome, and uncovered as much of the ancient lore as was available to be discovered, my interest in further playing waned.

 

[polo]

I got kind of bored when my squad of 3 became almost invincible. I should start a new game or something.

 

[Lagole Gon]

That's a neat place.

Spoiler

Someone super cool probably lives there.