Red Dead Redemption 2 - now available on PC

[DeepOcean]

Anyone that tried mods for GTA V, how easy is to mod Rockstar games? Those games are imploring for a harder non popamole difficulty mod, is that even possible?

 

[AwesomeButton]

AwesomeButton I do agree when we are talking about missions, but I mean the open world outside of missions. There is actually stuff to do in Red Dead compared to Witcher 3. I'm really enjoying the free roam aspect currently, hunting, sneaking about and stealing stuff.

I agree, and I missed that in Witcher 3. I used to spend time just sightseeing in Toussaint and I actually wished I could engage with the game world more, apart from missions.

BTW, I just realized something: the character Arthur Morgan has a number of similarities with the character Max Payne (from Max Payne 3). I mean the way he is written.

 

[Alienman]

AwesomeButton I do agree when we are talking about missions, but I mean the open world outside of missions. There is actually stuff to do in Red Dead compared to Witcher 3. I'm really enjoying the free roam aspect currently, hunting, sneaking about and stealing stuff.

I agree, and I missed that in Witcher 3. I used to spend time just sightseeing in Toussaint and I actually wished I could engage with the game world more, apart from missions.

I mentioned this earlier in the thread but it still applies (15+ hours into the game) and that is that Rockstar has been real stingy with money rewards. Upgrades and such cost a lot. So you actually have a real reason to hunt/rob if you care about your companions and your camp. It just comes together real nice in the game - doing stuff outside of missions and actually get rewarded for it, a first for Rockstar

I just hope it continues so the game don't go crazy and suddenly hands you a huge wad of cash. The maximum amount of dollar I have owned so far is about 300 dollar, and I spent that like the pleb I am on making my trusty cattle revolver a true beauty.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Without spoilers, I've already seen that this game has both its parody of a "strong independent woman" and its parody of a crossdresser among its minor characters.

 

[Vault Dweller]

There could have been more "game" to it, but I guess this would have turned out even more expensive than what the interactive movie cost, if they wanted to maintain the level of production values consistent.

I don't think it's a budget issue as I'm comparing it not to Fallout but to Witcher 3 and Horizon Zero Dawn. The Witcher 3 has a similar setup: huge, very detailed open world, horse riding, flavor activities, hunting using senses, tons of NPCs with unique dialogues, etc but Red Dead 2 has 25% of the Witcher 3's gameplay, if that.

https://venturebeat.com/2018/10/26/the-deanbeat-how-much-did-red-dead-redemption-2-cost-to-make/
^ some budget estimates

What gameplay is that exactly? The fact that you can wander off for hours and hunt etc is much more than you can do in Witcher 3. Witcher 3 is nothing outside of talking, doing missions and playing Gwent.

I'm glad you asked. Here is a list of things The Witcher 3 has that Red Dead 2 doesn't:

- character abilities (even Call of Juarez: Gunslinger had them so it's not just an RPG thing)
- more complex combat system (sure dodge rolling was stupid but overall TW3 had different attacks, magic signs, potions, and bomb; Red Dead 2 has extremely basic gunplay inferior to above mentioned Call of Juarez)
- meaningful armor and weapon crafting; so far you can only do cosmetic upgrades such as wood stock and engravings that don't affect the weapons in any way even though the game calls for an upgrade system out of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
- the above mentioned crafting system is tied to hunting so hunting is both important and meaningful; here the only thing I can do with the skins and body parts so far is to decorate the camp and get better satchels to carry more things, but even after 6 hours of playing I can't get any satchels done because I didn't do some random activities yet like upgrading the medical wagon twice.
- an actual dialogue system, so I get to pick the lines I want to say
- choices within quests

 

[Makabb]

- character abilities (even Call of Juarez: Gunslinger had them so it's not just an RPG thing)

RDR 2 is not an RPG, it's a GTA type clone which is an action game in open world (it's not an FPS either like Call of Juarez)

- more complex combat system (sure dodge rolling was stupid but overall TW3 had different attacks, magic signs, potions, and bomb; Red Dead 2 has extremely basic gunplay inferior to above mentioned Call of Juarez)

TW3 combat is horrible, you roll spam and spam 1 button to fast attack

meaningful armor and weapon crafting;

Again never part of the GTA because it's not an rpg

- an actual dialogue system, so I get to pick the lines I want to say

Same thing as above

- choices within quests

and again


VD, GTA games are not RPGs !

 

[Kitchen Utensil]

Eh, both are irredeemable shit as games.

 

[Vault Dweller]

<RDR2 is a reskinned GTA and shalt not deviate from the formula>

I'm not suggesting to turn it into an RPG, I'm merely pointing out that character abilities, dialogues, and choices are becoming more and more common in action games because they're a relatively easy way to improve gameplay within existing framework. Here's a quick example using the bounty hunter scenario above: the player gets a basic choice: to shoot the guy or take him alive using that painful scripted scenario. Bringing him alive gives you extra money and reputation. Nothing else is required and it's very easy to script (takes 10 min). Now I don't HAVE to suffer through that taking alive scenario and can play the game the way *I* want to play it. Would it improve the game or not?

meaningful armor and weapon crafting;

Again never part of the GTA because it's not an rpg

Except for there's plenty of crafting now only it's cosmetic (you can pretty up your guns but not improve their functionality even though the guns have stats like damage, accuracy, etc, 5 or 6 stats)

VD, GTA games are not RPGs !

And Dishonored games are? They have all the things I listed above: character abilities, different options in combat. dialogues, different objectives (kill the target or take him/her alive, for example), meaningful crafting, choices in quests.

 

[Grampy_Bone]

General Rockstar-ness of the game is irksome in many ways:

-Heavily relies on scripting during missions (can't catch people until they hit a scripted point)
-Minor stat/upgrade mechanics which lack much depth or gameplay value
-Every facet of gameplay is locked until you do a corresponding tutorial mission (fences, camp upgrades, loan sharking, etc)

Other things:
-Controls clunky AF. RDR1 was also like this though so I was expecting it.
-Aiming/shooting is generally tougher. RDR 1 (and most rockstar games) have poor shooting in general though
-Deadeye mode has gone from a win button to a big hassle that's annoying to use
-The masks don't seem to work and the bounty system is a pain. RDR1 didn't have this problem so it's a downgrade.

Still, I'll put up with a lot from this game since I'm a big western fan and they don't make enough western videogames. RDR1 also had one of my favorite stories of all time, and I'm normally not a storyfag.

 

[Oracsbox]

The comment section contains a lot of rage and butthurt.

 

[Belegarsson]

Playing this game kinda makes me... appreciate Assassin's Creed Odyssey. See a bunch of jars that are lootable? No biggie, walk through them, spam Y and get them all. New gear? Go check inventory. I only have 2 hours of gaming each day so it's better for games that don't waste my time.

Can't say the same thing about RDR2 so far though. Things like horse bumping into civilians and people threaten you is funny and a different kind of novelty, but this is exactly why a lot of game designers create means to "keep players from harming themselves", for example ACO slow down your horse upon entering a city. Had they keep the realism on the same level as Kingdom Come Deliverance and remove inconvenient fluffs that serve no purpose other than pissing you off, I think I'd have a better time playing RDR2.

 

[Jick Magger]

Another thing: guns are locked so even if you have money to buy a better revolver than the one you start the game with, you can't. You have to do some missions to unlock it, I assume. Not that I really need a better gun since so far I don't have any problems killing bandits and such, but it would be nice to have that choice.

Are all guns in the game in the store from the beginning and just locked till a specific story mission unlocks them? That's a GTA thing since GTA 3. You couldn't buy higher level weapons until you progressed through the story but you could loot it from cops, gang members, etc.

You can find certain guns in weapon boxes at certain locations in the game. I was able to find a pump-action shotgun at the farm of some religious cult, and it was unlocked to buy in stores immediately after. It is now my go-to weapon because it's pretty much the only gun I've had so far other than the mauser that isn't ridiculously finicky and awkward to use.

'Finicky and awkward' neatly sums up most of my play experience with the game so far.

 

[Abhay]

 

[Big No]

That's from a parody channel though.

 

[sullynathan]

Another thing: guns are locked so even if you have money to buy a better revolver than the one you start the game with, you can't. You have to do some missions to unlock it, I assume. Not that I really need a better gun since so far I don't have any problems killing bandits and such, but it would be nice to have that choice.

Are all guns in the game in the store from the beginning and just locked till a specific story mission unlocks them? That's a GTA thing since GTA 3. You couldn't buy higher level weapons until you progressed through the story but you could loot it from cops, gang members, etc.

You can find certain guns in weapon boxes at certain locations in the game. I was able to find a pump-action shotgun at the farm of some religious cult, and it was unlocked to buy in stores immediately after. It is now my go-to weapon because it's pretty much the only gun I've had so far other than the mauser that isn't ridiculously finicky and awkward to use.

'Finicky and awkward' neatly sums up most of my play experience with the game so far.

That sounds nice ,it at least means this new system is slightly better than their old system.

 

[cvv]

The comment section contains a lot of rage and butthurt.

Except for saying the same thing 3 times over it's a commendable video. One of the few journos that refused to fanboy the game and instead use critical thinking - at least a littlebit, the criticism is still VEEEEERY careful. After all even critically thinking journos don't want to be unsubscribed to oblivion do they.

 

[sullynathan]

Vault Dweller Would you have preferred if they went more into the rpg route?

 

[BlackAdderBG]

Another popamole trash AAA bubble is boiling to burst?

 

[AwesomeButton]

I'm glad you asked. Here is a list of things The Witcher 3 has that Red Dead 2 doesn't:

- character abilities (even Call of Juarez: Gunslinger had them so it's not just an RPG thing)
- more complex combat system (sure dodge rolling was stupid but overall TW3 had different attacks, magic signs, potions, and bomb; Red Dead 2 has extremely basic gunplay inferior to above mentioned Call of Juarez)
- meaningful armor and weapon crafting; so far you can only do cosmetic upgrades such as wood stock and engravings that don't affect the weapons in any way even though the game calls for an upgrade system out of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
- the above mentioned crafting system is tied to hunting so hunting is both important and meaningful; here the only thing I can do with the skins and body parts so far is to decorate the camp and get better satchels to carry more things, but even after 6 hours of playing I can't get any satchels done because I didn't do some random activities yet like upgrading the medical wagon twice.
- an actual dialogue system, so I get to pick the lines I want to say
- choices within quests

Yeah, while watching trailers of the game, one of the things that worried me was that this crafting system looks too varied to be actually meaningful, and it will end up being something like Farcry's crafting system. In this case I think there is no excuse for rockstar. You spend the money on all the assets, animations, coding, and then you do nothing to integrate the system into the rest of the mechanics. KCD, an immeasurably cheaper game to produce, had rings and jewelry which had effect on people's reaction to you, and multi-hundreds-million RDR2 doesn't have basic reactivity to player's outfits and customizations. Duh.

Except for there's plenty of crafting now only it's cosmetic (you can pretty up your guns but not improve their functionality even though the guns have stats like damage, accuracy, etc, 5 or 6 stats)

Improving weapons' stats through crafting may be going a bit too far in the gamey direction, purely from realism perspective. In any case if it had been possible, it should have been possible only with a few gunsmisths in the game world. Adding stuff like the player becoming accustomed to a weapon, similar to the horse bonding system (if that one itself has any impact), and thus improving the weapon's fire rate and accuracy, would have been nice as a middle ground between "realism" and "gamey".

 

[cvv]

Another popamole trash AAA bubble is boiling to burst?

Hopefully altho I'm not holding my breath.

To be fair if I was to choose between goofy and SJW-ridden AAA trash like Odyssey and this, I'd take RDR2 hands down. Sure Odyssey is probably more "fun" in the moment-to-moment activities but the NPCs and the silly world where half of the Greek army consists of women would eventually drive me crazy. The deification of Rockstar and cloying fanboyism for this game is unbearable but at least RDR2 feels like it's made for adults, unlike vast majority of the vidya market.

 

[AwesomeButton]

More specifically, for those adults who don't care about simulationist systems, but are nevertheless masters of two-three gempad keys combos.

 

[sullynathan]

Should've played Breath of the Wild

 

[TheHeroOfTime]

A metaphor of the reception that the game is having?

 

[BlackAdderBG]

All these resources and man-hours wasted for making simplistic game mechanics. Horses taking shit and having realistic balls. Does this game have any meaningful game system?

 

[Junmarko]

The deification of Rockstar and cloying fanboyism for this game is unbearable

Eh, kind of understand it - very similar to Valve. Industry giants who aren't complete sellouts, unheard of today.