So I was playing it all night. If you like Ark you'll probably get something from it.
It seems a conceptual nightmare of a clusterfuck but it works somehow. 3 hours in and I lost count of the elements of games it takes.
No one could successfully sue the developers because it takes a bit from every single game ever made.
All the elements don't really match, but I get the sense the developers really, REALLY know their video games! You can't have this many mechanics put into a somewhat functional game without knowing why they worked in the first place.
The exploring doesn't match the building... the pals don't match the world... the tech tree doesn't match the crafting... the mining doesn't match the fighting.
Nothing in this game makes ANY sense whatsoever. But it's fun.
It's Ark dumbed down just enough to make it fun, and after being out for a week is already less buggy than ark after 10 years to boot.
Mechanics in ark that were terrible (arks controls and interface are simply fucking painful) actually work here and while they're still not great, they aren't simply abysmally pathetic.
After an hour I had a hut built and 4 pals tamed... 10 hours in ark and you have a foundation and a campfire after dying 80 times to raptors trying to tame a single dodo.
I still don't understand why they've gone Farcry 5 for the world graphics and Pokemon Stadium for the pals.
I'm looking forward to a mod that turns the pals into somewhat realistic looking dinosaurs.
I really like Ark despite all the problems I have with it, the payoff is worth all the god damn pain... palworld so far has been mostly payoff, little pain.
No, the game isn't perfect, or a must buy. There were a few problems with clipping and glitching out NPC's, but it was a bit of fun, and I am looking forward to seeing where it goes.
If survival craft isn't your thing, Palworld won't t be, and it would be a waste of the purchase price. Keeping in mind I had the game gifted to me, I could be a little easier on it that I otherwise would be, but IF I paid 30USD, I certainly wouldn't feel cheated.
Palworld: Gotta catch 'em all!
-
pixel
- Posts: 5270
- Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2016 3:09 am
Re: Palworld: Gotta catch 'em all!
Goes to show how far a game can be carried by solid gameplay. Rust felt like a schizoid nightmare, and the Ark devs were overwhelmed or didn't give a shit.
I'm glad that Palworld is doing well. They doing the whole slapdash early access cash grab while at least starting with a competently built game. Even if it's an aesthetic fever dream.
I'm glad that Palworld is doing well. They doing the whole slapdash early access cash grab while at least starting with a competently built game. Even if it's an aesthetic fever dream.
-
ian
- Posts: 4325
- Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2016 2:36 am
Re: Palworld: Gotta catch 'em all!
I think that's just it, it may be a little slap dash, but it is competently made. And I can see why it's sold eleventy million copies in 2 weeks.
The game has a bit for everyone which is why it's selling so well. You wanna explore a beautiful world? Just do that. You wanna build mansions and massive platforms everywhere? Go for it.
You wanna get in fist fights or gun fights with various animals or even people in the world? Not a problem. And do you like watching digital pocket electric animals and creatures fight for you? you can do that too.
If something bores you or pisses you off, just do the part that's fun.
Tonight I was flying a bird around into areas I shouldn't have been exploring and fighting round the world! I was having great fun having my ass handed to me learning exactly what I could and couldn't get away with.
My friend who bought me the game was hatching eggs and building bases. We occasionally met up and did a boss fight or a dungeon together, and then went back to what we have the most fun with.
The game has a bit for everyone which is why it's selling so well. You wanna explore a beautiful world? Just do that. You wanna build mansions and massive platforms everywhere? Go for it.
You wanna get in fist fights or gun fights with various animals or even people in the world? Not a problem. And do you like watching digital pocket electric animals and creatures fight for you? you can do that too.
If something bores you or pisses you off, just do the part that's fun.
Tonight I was flying a bird around into areas I shouldn't have been exploring and fighting round the world! I was having great fun having my ass handed to me learning exactly what I could and couldn't get away with.
My friend who bought me the game was hatching eggs and building bases. We occasionally met up and did a boss fight or a dungeon together, and then went back to what we have the most fun with.
Hugh Man!
-
ian
- Posts: 4325
- Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2016 2:36 am
Re: Palworld: Gotta catch 'em all!
So after 150 odd hours I was done with the game, but recently there's been some big changes.
There's more to see and do and catch and a lot of the bugs and glitches have actually been fixed.
Aside from a new handful of pals, which I haven't seen all of because the update was so major it was worth starting again from scratch, the pathing has been improved and pals (both mine and wild) get stuck on and in stuff a lot less frequently now. When I first started playing you had to build bases very specifically to avoid a lot of pals getting stuck all the time. Now I've only had a few things get stuck in the biggest clusterfuck of a base I could possibly manage.
my favourite Pal hardly ever knocks bosses through walls anymore (once so far, and it clipped itself back into the world immediately).
A few good hours in and I haven't fallen through the ground or gotten stuck exploring once.
They're actually doing early access well so far.
They're making the game play better, and adding more content, which is what you actually like to see from a developer who chooses to go for early access.
And even though a lot of the glitches I liked because they often worked in my favour are gone, I am glad they are being removed as the game appears to be actually getting to the point of a finished product.
It still needs a little bit of work, and a little bit more to do long run, but a fun slightly janky game has become a fun less janky game in 5 months.
They even raised the level cap, and now there's more wacky things to build late game. It used to be level 50 and I was enjoying it until 48 where it started to feel grindy. I had run out of things to do and the last 2 levels were all grind, no fun. Now that there's more to explore and lots of stuff I'm not familiar with, I'm sure I'll be able to get to 55 without actually running out of fun stuff.
I don't even know how to get to new areas yet, but I'll work it out through trial and error.
(I've only looked up a single thing in all my play time so far) With Ark I had to spend 400 hours reading each time to do any given thing in it.
If they keep it up, the game could be finished in a year or so.
There's more to see and do and catch and a lot of the bugs and glitches have actually been fixed.
Aside from a new handful of pals, which I haven't seen all of because the update was so major it was worth starting again from scratch, the pathing has been improved and pals (both mine and wild) get stuck on and in stuff a lot less frequently now. When I first started playing you had to build bases very specifically to avoid a lot of pals getting stuck all the time. Now I've only had a few things get stuck in the biggest clusterfuck of a base I could possibly manage.
my favourite Pal hardly ever knocks bosses through walls anymore (once so far, and it clipped itself back into the world immediately).
A few good hours in and I haven't fallen through the ground or gotten stuck exploring once.
They're actually doing early access well so far.
They're making the game play better, and adding more content, which is what you actually like to see from a developer who chooses to go for early access.
And even though a lot of the glitches I liked because they often worked in my favour are gone, I am glad they are being removed as the game appears to be actually getting to the point of a finished product.
It still needs a little bit of work, and a little bit more to do long run, but a fun slightly janky game has become a fun less janky game in 5 months.
They even raised the level cap, and now there's more wacky things to build late game. It used to be level 50 and I was enjoying it until 48 where it started to feel grindy. I had run out of things to do and the last 2 levels were all grind, no fun. Now that there's more to explore and lots of stuff I'm not familiar with, I'm sure I'll be able to get to 55 without actually running out of fun stuff.
I don't even know how to get to new areas yet, but I'll work it out through trial and error.
(I've only looked up a single thing in all my play time so far) With Ark I had to spend 400 hours reading each time to do any given thing in it.
If they keep it up, the game could be finished in a year or so.
Hugh Man!
-
ian
- Posts: 4325
- Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2016 2:36 am
Re: Palworld: Gotta catch 'em all!
Apparently, one of the newer updates has removed throwing pals to summon.
I haven't played in a few months, but that's basically game breaking for me.
There's always a risk early access will have something to fuck it up before the final build is released. And by the game changing how combat works entirely I think it will be unplayable.
See, a core aspect of my combat style is, or rather WAS, using my pals to suit what I needed. Whether it was putting them between an enemy and myself while I reloaded or tactically retreated, summoning to bait enemies into traps and range of weapons or simply using the pals as distractions or backup while I did the important stuff, being able to put a member of my team exactly where I wanted was a huge part of what I liked about the game.
Now apparently all you can do is summon them all by your side.
I'm not tempted to ever come back to it in this state because hurling things off cliffs and into suicide missions was half the fun.
I MAY come back to the game one day if I hear about it being restored to what it was, or if there's a mod that fixes what has been taken, and I sure hope people who start playing now will have fun with it, but I simply can't if this change sticks around.
I haven't played in a few months, but that's basically game breaking for me.
There's always a risk early access will have something to fuck it up before the final build is released. And by the game changing how combat works entirely I think it will be unplayable.
See, a core aspect of my combat style is, or rather WAS, using my pals to suit what I needed. Whether it was putting them between an enemy and myself while I reloaded or tactically retreated, summoning to bait enemies into traps and range of weapons or simply using the pals as distractions or backup while I did the important stuff, being able to put a member of my team exactly where I wanted was a huge part of what I liked about the game.
Now apparently all you can do is summon them all by your side.
I'm not tempted to ever come back to it in this state because hurling things off cliffs and into suicide missions was half the fun.
I MAY come back to the game one day if I hear about it being restored to what it was, or if there's a mod that fixes what has been taken, and I sure hope people who start playing now will have fun with it, but I simply can't if this change sticks around.
Hugh Man!
-
Hawq
- Site Admin
- Posts: 7718
- Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2016 7:45 am
Re: Palworld: Gotta catch 'em all!
Yeah that was cut a bit back after the Pokemon people got really pissy, which always seemed stupid to me, the extra 5 levels of unlockable bits & the large not really boss's but maybe similar to semi boss npc's you can find to get more skill points for unlocking things are a nice touch & I found out earlier do indeed respawn in the world. Biggest pain is getting the bits unlocked to set up a production line as the new top end materials need to be forged in something it seems you need to kill a tower boss to get plans/parts for (forget which exacty atm) even with things turned up to lvl quiker its a pain & it seems unkillable for now, at least without more grinding my guy & pals
-
Hawq
- Site Admin
- Posts: 7718
- Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2016 7:45 am