I figured I would create a thread to discuss this game, rather than doing so in the FRIDAY thread where it will get lost...
As stated in the the FRIDAY thread...
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I'm enjoying it a lot so far. The actual gameplay, that is...the story and the universe haven't really grabbed me yet, but the combat is very enjoyable. I like mixing fast paced ground combat with the flight mechanics and the weapons are all very satisfying to use. It sort of reminds me of a combination of Destiny and maybe a mass effect game. Lots of loot and customization. Tons of guns that you can equip or salvage to craft new parts and weapons and a lot of customization options for your javelins.
So far I've been going on private expeditions, but the javelins each seem specialized for the most part so I can see squad play being important as the challenge ramps up and enemies get harder. For my first new javelin I picked the colossus. The heavy suit...it just matches my play style best. I'll unlock a new one at level 8...I'm a level 4 right now.
I played a little freeplay this morning, but only briefly...had to get my daughter to swim class. It was fun, but I did lose some time due to what must have been server issues. I had to closeout the game and reload in order to get into the freeplay zone. This is to be expected for a new release, but I really hope they get it sorted out before retail release on 2/22.
I'd be really interested to see what players who tried out the demo and public beta think. It seems so much better to me than what was previously described.
Didn't realize it is already out for those that shelled extra bucks on the Origin Access Premier program.
Is the game really that Solo-friendly?
How fast paced and/or fun is advancement/progression in the game?
Premier access is an interesting thing. I was very much against it at first, but it's really a good value. A basic release these days is $60. With premier you get early access to all the new releases and a library of almost 200 games. You do not need to buy the games separately, so based on my buying habits, I'm definitely saving money with it. It's only $99 for the whole year, so if I only buy two new releases, I've already saved money...
Anyway, I've enjoyed solo play, but I'm very early in the game. It is unquestionably designed as a coop squad based experience. I think once the difficulty ramps up, squad play will be very important. It is also encouraged as you get more experience and better quality loot when playing with a team.
So far, progression seems very reasonable. It is not grindy at all.
The gameplay mechanics are very good. The combat and action is very enjoyable and the weapons feel great. Dashing about in the air and on the ground is pretty awesome...however, the game is really held back by uninspired and repetitive mission design. I'm still very early on in the game, but so far the missions have all more or less been very much the same. Go here, kill group of bad guys and collect artifact. Go there kill group of different bad guys and activate device. Go there kill a group of different bad guys and rescue missing researcher, etc. The same mission type for each faction...I hope these branch out as you get deeper into the game.
Finally...the story...for a Bioware title, so far its a big disappointment. I care nothing for the characters, the universe or the plot. I just want to jack back into the world to fly around and kill things. So, I guess thats good, but still...doesn't feel like a Bioware title and this is a big letdown.
...oh, and load times between missions and the main base, the forge or social areas can be painfully long. They need to try to optimize this in order to cut the wait down. Otherwise, no server issues for me other than that one episode I had very early on.
Your impressions mirror what I've been reading online, Jarhead. Combat is good, but missions suck and there are long and frequent load times. Same complaints I had after playing the demo, too.
Come on Bioware, sort it out - I'm going to want something to play in about six months when I'm done with The Division 2!
My son plays this now and seems to be very engaged. I was happy when he decided not to play fortnite. I will have to keep an eye on this one with a view to limiting time on it. There are certain kinds of games which demand your time 24/7. I am afraid this may be one of those marketing wonders?
Well, like all online looter shooters it will certainly encourage grind - although at the moment I'm not sure there's much to grind for...
Haven't jumped on it yet, but I played the Demo.
To be honest, at the moment I'm putting my hopes in Division 2. What I played of Anthem was alright but... I don't know, there was something about it that just felt a bit lacking.
From what I've been reading online, seems like there's a few things to iron out anyway so even if my friend group do vote Anthem, I doubt it'll be anytime soon.
I dumped 10 hours into it this weekend. I still really love the gameplay and combat. It doesn't really feel like a grind. I am able to level up easily every two, sometimes every single mission so progression is fairly steady and reasonable.
Again, the thing holding this game back is everything else, but the actual combat. It's rare that gameplay is so enjoyable while the in between stuff stinks. The story, the interaction with NPCs at base, etc. It really drags the experience down and makes everything outside of actual missions drag and feel like a chore. I'm afraid this stuff will end up killing the game and keep it from becoming a very popular franchise.
Of all the bad things about the game, I think one of the worst and most baffling decisions is how respawning works (or doesn't). I've been watching people play on Twitch, and I see a lot of players spending a lot of time just staring at the respawn screen because you have to wait for a squadmate to do it for you. You can't crawl to a safe place. You can't even access a menu apparently. So if your squad are in a tight spot you can be waiting a long time before you can get back into the action. That's just terrible. Surely they'll change how that works.
This has been a recurring problem with Bioware games recently. The actual gameplay rocks, but apparently they feel indebted to their past glories as the giant of story-telling RPGs. Everything, every single bloody thing, has to be embedded in some sort of exposition, and when that happens the exposition had better be good.
But it isn't. Back in the days of KOTOR/Jade Empire/Mass Effect, Bioware did some great story-telling, but since EA took over they have gotten really bogged down in what appears to be writing by committee. All the story elements are just paint by numbers, and nothing really fits together to create a whole greater than the parts. SWTOR and ME Andromeda both suffered significantly from gabfest drag, and based on everything I have read the problem is even bigger with Anthem.
Not sure whether I will even try this game from what used to be my favorite game company by a clear margin.
Quote from: Huw the Poo on February 19, 2019, 07:29:07 AM
Of all the bad things about the game, I think one of the worst and most baffling decisions is how respawning works (or doesn't). I've been watching people play on Twitch, and I see a lot of players spending a lot of time just staring at the respawn screen because you have to wait for a squadmate to do it for you. You can't crawl to a safe place. You can't even access a menu apparently. So if your squad are in a tight spot you can be waiting a long time before you can get back into the action. That's just terrible. Surely they'll change how that works.
You do not have to wait for another player to repair or revive you. You can choose to respawn immediately. I'm not sure whether there is some incentive to wait or not.
https://www.bluesnews.com/s/197668/anthem-day-one-patch-details
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Day One Update Details
High level fixes
Improved loading times
Fixed many infinite loading screens
Fixed multiple challenges not tracking properly
A number of issues have been fixed that were causing players to disconnect or crash
Weapons and gear now have numbers present for modifiers
General Fixes and Improvements
Loot Reveal and Expedition Summary now correctly play during the end of expedition screen.
The gather party mechanic has been made more lenient in a number of situations
At the end of expedition screen players will no longer get stuck on "Recording Victories" or "Skipping All".
Game no longer hangs in Javelin menu when unlocking the second, third or fourth javelin
During the mission "What Freelancers Do" dying after killing Junkmaw & freeing Arcanists leaves you unable to progress, this has been fixed
Challenges now unlock for players at the correct levels
Fixed some camera issues during cutscenes
Legendary Contracts can now be accepted from the Social Hub contract board
Some enemies have had their shield values decreased
Loot now properly drops for players who are downed
The texture quality on the NPC Prospero has been improved
Final boss of strongholds now drop loot instead of only being shown on the end of expedition screen
Fixed the time outs on echoes and relics to prevent griefing and to handle disconnections properly
Players can no longer fall through the floor during the 3rd trial in the Fortress of Dawn
Completing the tutorial expedition will now show the correct Ranger appearance
After disconnecting, rejoining an expedition will now place you back into a squad if you were in one previously
Corrected an issue where players could not interact with each other in the launch bay in certain circumstances
Corrected an issue during the Mission "Bad Deal" where outlaws won't spawn, blocking progress
The start of expedition screen has been improved
Addressed a variety of situations where killing enemies does not properly progress world events
Opening a chest now increments Tomb of the Legionnaire progress for all squad members present
Scar snipers can no longer shoot through Storm Shield
Corrected an issue where players would get stuck on the end of expedition screen in some situations
Players will no longer get disconnected if joining the "Finding Old Friends" mission while the cinematic is playing
Addressed a number of situations where players can get stuck on the environment in the launch bay
Increased the damage of the electric status effect
Corrected an issue where the Shield of Dawn could be crafted with less materials then intended in some situations
The Platinum Mission feat now grants completion as intended
Status effects can more reliably be applied to Titans
Strongholds
Fixed an issue that would cause a Stronghold server crash after defeating the last boss
Temple of Scar - Players can no longer get stuck in the mined tunnel in the explosives room
Temple of Scar - Players can no longer be blocked from entering the explosives room due to fog wall
Fixed Tyrant Mine so people that join the stronghold in-progress do not end up locked away from their team
Adjusted lighting in Tyrant Mine underwater section to make it easier to navigate to the exit
The Swarm Tyrant will no longer get stuck in the side cave entrances in some situations
Corrected an issue where players would spawn into different areas of the Tyrant Mine in certain situations
Gear and Weapons
After having 1st pilot unlock suit after tutorials, creating a new pilot and going to forge no longer causes load screen hang
Ice damage bonuses are now correctly applied on ice gear
Suit-wide bonuses from inscription are now functioning properly
Players can no longer salvage equipped items
Javelin specific gear and/or weapons are no longer able to be used on javelins they aren't intended for
Corrected an issue where in some circumstances Masterwork Components do not have any inscriptions
The Endless Siege Masterwork Autocannon no longer displays a damage increase of 0% in its tooltip
Javelins
The Colossus javelin is now able to activate its shield more quickly after using an ability or firing a weapon
The Storm javelin now reacts to getting hit when its shields are up
Fixed an exploit that allowed the Storm's ultimate attack to be used more times than intended
The Colossus javelin can now shield and revive at the same time
Interceptor Combo Aura has been increased in power and now has a damage over time component
Crafting
Non-Masterwork materials purchased from the crafting store now show as their proper rarity instead of incorrectly showing as Masterwork
Controls
Additional Mouse and Keyboard control improvements have been made
UI
Some conversations were not popping up the reputation points post conversation completion, this has been fixed
The squad screen now displays the correct information for each player
Fixed a number of issues where subtitles will no longer get stuck on the screen after dialogue has finished as often
Settings should no longer reset upon exiting and restarting the game on Xbox One
Motion blur can now correctly be turned off
The Electric Status Effect now shows scaled damage properly
An option has been added to hide the Squad Member HUD
The edge of the compass will now pulse to indicate enemy locations
A notification has been added in Fort Tarsis if a player's vault is at the cap of 250 items
On the "Repair the Strider" step of "A Cry for Help" the search radar has been adjusted to correctly lead the player to all 4 tools
Primer and Detonator icons have been added to all Interceptor gear
Corrected a user interface issue where a player's ultimate would show as available when it isn't
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on February 19, 2019, 11:43:22 AM
You do not have to wait for another player to repair or revive you. You can choose to respawn immediately. I'm not sure whether there is some incentive to wait or not.
Hmm, really? From what I've seen on Twitch (and my experience of the demo) anything of any importance always happens in "respawn restricted" zones.
Quote from: Huw the Poo on February 19, 2019, 01:08:11 PM
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on February 19, 2019, 11:43:22 AM
You do not have to wait for another player to repair or revive you. You can choose to respawn immediately. I'm not sure whether there is some incentive to wait or not.
Hmm, really? From what I've seen on Twitch (and my experience of the demo) anything of any importance always happens in "respawn restricted" zones.
It is true that certain story missions and contracts have parts where respawn is restricted, but free play and world events generally do not have any of these restrictions. I have never had any situation where I was caught in a restricted zone and had to wait for someone to repair my Javelin.
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on February 19, 2019, 01:53:49 PM
I have never had any situation where I was caught in a restricted zone and had to wait for someone to repair my Javelin.
I thought you were married. You're a lucky guy.
I know after ten years I get put in a restricted zone pretty often, and the wait on javelin repair is longer and longer each year.
^Sweet post.
She probably said "short and sweet".
Quote from: bobarossa on February 19, 2019, 05:18:31 PM
She probably said "short and sweet".
Half of that describes Gus.
Really anything halved describes Gus.
Your Mom thinks I'm cool.
Well, it's only $15 to sign up to the Origin service for a month and get to check this thing out. As much of a Bioware fanboi as I have already been, and as much pleasure as the company has given me, I at least owe them that.
About 2 hours in:
Skeptical I will keep the subscription after a month, but at least I'm going to play some more before the month expires. Flying is WAY COOL, but ... there's not much more that grabbed me. Visuals are nice, I guess. The shooter combat is OK, but not as good as Destiny, and the setting is utterly unengaging. I don't know who I am, why I'm there, what I'm trying to do, or why the other people in this base (which exists because reasons) are friendly to me and give me a mech to run around and do missions in. There's a vague back-story about how "freelancers" (what I am) used to be great heroes, but now they're not because reasons. Which doesn't explain why we have this base and what we're doing with it.
Plus the load times are a real pain. Maybe that will get better a couple weeks out from launch.
A pretty large update hit today. It made some positive UI changes and drastically improved public matchmaking for missions. Definitely a step in the right direction there...however, still has some offputtingly long load times.
I have 12 hours in this and I'm about to unlock my 3rd Javelin. It's been a very pleasant distraction while I await the release of the DCS F-14.
Does the game run on Windows 7?
I noticed the requirements state you need Windows 10 (yuck), but I have been able to fully play the demo on my Win 7 rig.
Got the game and it works fine on my Win 7 rig.
I unlocked the Ranger as my first Javelin, I like its all-rounder capabilities and it seems like a good starter Javelin as well.
About 5 hours in now.
Unlocked my second Jav and the game starts to open up a bit more now.
I am having a blast!
The game does have some annoying things; teleport to group when falling behind is a big one for me. As well as the fairly long loading times. Also you cannot quickstart a mission when playing solo and running around in Tarsis, while you can in a fireteam.
But nonetheless I think its great game! Missions are fun, graphics and sound is awesome, flying is badass, combat system with combo's and elemental dmg features is fun.
Gunplay is not a sharp as in Destiny , but I guess Anthem should be seen more as a third person action game while destiny is a pure shooter.
Looking fwd to playing more.
Well, this game, while fun, certainly has its share of bugs.
I've had several disconnects during the Freeroam mode (which for some reason forces to you to "team-up" with other people), had the bug where at the end of the mission you get sent to the "Launch Bay" and cannot leave it without restarting the game, and had my Legion of Dawn edition items disappear and apparently also require a restart to get back.
It's still a kinda fun game, easy mode is truly easy (at least for me) and I can easily solo the mission with it.
I'd try out playing in a group but would rather avoid annoying randos.
Quote from: Tpek on February 22, 2019, 08:22:24 PM
Well, this game, while fun, certainly has its share of bugs.
I've had several disconnects during the Freeroam mode (which for some reason forces to you to "team-up" with other people), had the bug where at the end of the mission you get sent to the "Launch Bay" and cannot leave it without restarting the game, and had my Legion of Dawn edition items disappear and apparently also require a restart to get back.
It's still a kinda fun game, easy mode is truly easy (at least for me) and I can easily solo the mission with it.
I'd try out playing in a group but would rather avoid annoying randos.
One thing I can say is that playing public games is 100% absolutely the way to go. You get twice as much experience points for completing missions and killing enemies. You also get much better loot. Playing solo will be a major grind. Also, the way the system works, there is no communication really, other then with animations. No talking, no typing. I have had absolutely no negative experiences playing with other players. I am a solidly single player gamer. This may be the only game on the planet I prefer playing cooperatively.
Another nice update today. Some of the load times are noticeably shorter...some.
Also, matchmaking seems to be much better too.
18 hours in and still having a blast...story still sucks too...hard to believe this is the same studio that gave us KOTOR and Mass Effect.
Maybe we should get ourselves a Grogheads group running in the game then :P
EDIT: JH, How do you find the Colossus's gameplay style?
From what I understand the Colossus, while having a lot of health, has no shields that automatically regenerate (that is, aside from his actual shield :P), this seems to make things somewhat harder.
Quote from: Tpek on February 23, 2019, 11:24:29 AM
Maybe we should get ourselves a Grogheads group running in the game then :P
EDIT: JH, How do you find the Colossus's gameplay style?
From what I understand the Colossus, while having a lot of health, has no shields that automatically regenerate (that is, aside from his actual shield :P), this seems to make things somewhat harder.
We should totally get some group gaming going!
I like the colossus a lot. It was the first suit I chose after the intro mission. It's true that it doesnt have shields but it can soak up a crap load of damage. I dont think I've ever gone down in one. I think it also has the best assault launchers and weapons for taking out large groups of enemies, and for hitting powerful combos. However, I've grown to prefer the ranger.
The ranger also has a powerful array of weapons, is a lot faster and can stay aloft for longer. I think it suits my style of play the best.
I also have a sage suit, but I'm not really comfortable with it yet.
I do look forward to unlocking the interceptor. SPEED!