Tyranny + Bastard's Wound Expansion Thread

[Mychkine]

On the RTwP nature of PoE and Tyranny combat system, I cannot help myself thinking that a lot of systems shared by those two games would be far more interesting and manageable if the games used a continuous turn based system similar with ToEE for instance. Engagement rules would give actual feedback on how many ennemies your tank blocks and give time to actually think around the resistances and immunities, while permitting those to have a greater effect, ala early POE, without everything turning into a mess. So, I've got a question : does building oneself a robust autopausing scheme that makes for an acceptable substitute to a CTB system improve the game ?

 

[ilitarist]

The thing is, Tyranny only does one thing well - the C&C. This has been symptomatic of the new RPGs in general, they just do 1 thing well (sometimes barely).

It's not like classic RPGs do a lot of things well. Most RPGs have everything on barely acceptable level. It's a tradition for Obsidian game to have good writing and lots of mechanics that turn out to be useless and excessive, PoE1 might be the only exception with its higher difficulty really requiring all that crafting and consumables to be used. Bethesda RPGs have big detailed world, good graphics and uneven but generally acceptable OK everything else. Arcanum has bad combat, bad graphics and questionable art direction, writing is all over hte place... But it has style, great music and atmosphere, nice worldbuilding, some living world things - and that's enough to earn a place in many hearts. Rare classics that don't have anything shitty in them are maybe Fallout 1 and Baldur's Gate 2.

Tyranny has good C&C, better than usual writing, more or less original world and characters. Combat is boring and quickly becomes too easy but other things are passable. Enough to fondly remember it.

 

[Loostreaks]

How is it less bloated in the micro department when you have to keep track of a bajillion cooldowns? Cooldowns are MMO cancer.

You don't have to spend half the time you spend with each encounter by scrolling through dozens of spells/abilities/etc. Tyranny has fewer, but more distinctive and synergetic abilities, plus you can customize them to your build/party.
And pgs are traditionally poor when it comes to resource management, PoE per encounter/rest system fails miserably here.

Rare classics that don't have anything shitty in them are maybe Fallout 1

Now that is funny.

 

[TT1]

I dont know whats happening, but Tyranny official website is down

http://www.tyrannygame.com/


Seriously, Paradox? Already?

 

[Luckmann]

I dont know whats happening, but Tyranny official website is down

http://www.tyrannygame.com/


Seriously, Paradox? Already?

Unsurprising.

 

[Roguey]

Well the twitter account's still active.

 

[fantadomat]

Well the twitter account's still active.

Well maybe Kimberly should keep to making plushies instead of writing.

 

[Anomander Rake]

I'm still undecided about playing Tyranny because no sequel means the game interrupts in medias res

 

[Luckmann]

I'm still undecided about playing Tyranny because no sequel means the game interrupts in medias res

I still advise playing it because it does some things well, but narratively and in terms of reactivity it's a fucking mess, and the ending makes little sense anyway, so don't let that bother you - anything a sequel could pick up on would be all kinds of fucked in various ways.

 

[Lacrymas]

While I appreciate the use of Latin, in medias res is a specific term used for the beginning of a work, not the end. I've never seen it refer to the end and I can't find any references to it being used like that. Regarding Tyranny, the point of playing it is too see how different the first acts can be with the different choices, otherwise it's obviously rushed in the end, the art book shows 2 more acts that aren't in the game.

 

[Tigranes]

The ending is pretty idiotic on all counts, but that shouldn't be the reason not to play.

(The reason should be that it's a mediocre game)

 

[Anomander Rake]

Thanks to three of you for the replies. I will give it a thought

Edit: game abruptly interrupts, that's why I used the expression "in medias res", it's like if the ending was in reality the beginning of a new act.

 

[Erebus]

I'm actually fine with open endings like this (I've only completed the game as a Rebel and as an Anarchist). Just because your hero clearly has many more challenges ahead of him doesn't necessarily mean those stories have to be told too.

My main problem with the ending is what comes just before. The third act of the game is rushed and disappointing.

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

Thanks to three of you for the replies. I will give it a thought

Edit: game abruptly interrupts, that's why I used the expression "in medias res", it's like if the ending was in reality the beginning of a new act.

Cliffhanger is the term. It has enough of an ending to be worth playing all the way through, though, even if the last act is rushed. If you like reactivity/C&C heavy RPGs with interesting world building, it's absolutely worth playing. I liked the writing but others are... less positive. The two DLC packs also help flesh things out, especially tales from the tiers.

In another thread someone used the term CYOARPG and while it was meant to be derogatory, I think it's a great description of what something like Tyranny brings to the table.

 

[Roguey]

Tyranny's ending is perfectly acceptable with the patched side-with-Kyros option.

 

[yes plz]

Act III is still p shit but, yeah, the 'side with Kyros' ending is a decent-ish ending for the game.

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

Tyranny's ending is perfectly acceptable with the patched side-with-Kyros option.

The ending itself is fine whether you stay loyal or not, although for the other endings it really does beg for a sequel.

But act 3 is so clearly rushed. You have four encounters and that’s really it. Why are Ashe and Nerat and Bleden Mark and Tunon all dropping awesome artifacts with reputation meters when you never have a chance to use them? Why is there a whole edict panel when you only have a couple chances to use them? It’s unfinished.

I liked Tyranny a lot—enough for three playthroughs—but Feargus pillaged its budget to make POE and it shows.

Let me put it this way: act one is great. If the rest of the game offered that level of choice, both in terms of the narrative and how you approach problems, I would call it a truly great RPG (combatfags would still disagree but there’s no pleasing everyone). Act 2 starts to have some glaring flaws: every dungeon is the same repetitive oldwalls garbage and some parts of the main quest get railroady. Compare the Stormlands, where the setting is fleshed out and the big quest has multiple solutions, to earthquake central where most paths railroad you with Cairn. They clearly spent a lot more time on some of these places than others.

As for act three, I think the content that’s there is very strong, especially the trials, but you really feel the lack of what’s not there and it makes the game feel like it was wrapped up in a hurry.

I’m replaying right now with the DLC and I can say that Tales From the Tiers adds a lot in terms of the pacing. Getting random encounters on the map—both combat and CYOA sequences—makes the game feel more fleshed out. Maybe my read on the end will feel different but I’m betting the game will still feel incomplete.

As I’ve said before, though, if the biggest complaint about a game is that there’s not enough of it, that’s a high quality problem.

 

[2house2fly]

Tyranny's ending is perfectly acceptable with the patched side-with-Kyros option.

It's perfectly acceptable anyway, there's nothing wrong with "but that's a tale for another time". Act 3 is way too anemic, but the DLC helps there at least

 

[Roguey]

Tyranny DLC came across to me as pretty garbage tbh. A main quest that only makes sense for the rebel path, more Oldwalls, pandering companion quests, lousy Alex Scokel writing.

 

[yes plz]

The actual Bastard's Wound content of the expansion felt like something they came up with just so they weren't charging people for the companion quests alone, which were obviously restored content cut from the original release. As for the companion quests themselves they feel kinda pointless because nothing really changes due to them -- whether you made Verse more ruthless or more human or if you got Barik out of his armor feels meaningless because there's no content afterward to reflect those changes. There's not really any reactivity towards any of it, even their ending slides are mostly the same.

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

I haven't gotten to the bastard's wound stuff yet, except for Barik asking permission to find a way out of his armor, but the Tales from the Tiers random encounters definitely add to the experience. I was not expecting them to be any good as it seemed like a pointless addition.

 

[Lacrymas]

"More ruthless or more human", lol. Once I finish MM6, I might try Tranny with the DLCs and stuff, to see what both Kyl Von Kull and FreeKaner are on about. Not holding my breath, though, I might get severely bored by the abysmal combat or atrocious writing before long.

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

"More ruthless or more human", lol. Once I finish MM6, I might try Tranny with the DLCs and stuff, to see what both Kyl Von Kull and FreeKaner are on about. Not holding my breath, though, I might get severely bored by the abysmal combat or atrocious writing before long.

I mean, if you didn’t like it before, I’m pretty confident you won’t like it now. At the end of the day these are marginal improvements.

 

[Lacrymas]

Oh, okay.

 

[Sranchammer]

Hey all - just want to say I am liking the game so far, moreso than ELEX. It took some time to used to the combat but it was fun once my strong female character improved her magic skillz.

9.2/10 GOTY