Gaming The Outer Worlds | 25th October release date

Annihilate Now!

...or later, I'm not fussy
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Everyone's saying it's Fallout but to me it's more Mass Effect crossed with Firefly. Bantering companions (always two), flying around your own spaceship, not really open world though you have plenty of freedom... there is even lift music!
This is good to know - I've never been a huge fan of Fallout games, but really want to play this.

Whats the combat like? From the trailers i'd say it looks a bit Borderlandsy? (though maybe I'm thinking that just 'cos its in space...)
 

Siorac

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This is good to know - I've never been a huge fan of Fallout games, but really want to play this.

Whats the combat like? From the trailers i'd say it looks a bit Borderlandsy? (though maybe I'm thinking that just 'cos its in space...)
Yeah, I thought to myself, more than once, that this game is in many ways a Borderlands that is actually fun. The enemies can be a bit bullet-spongey but I put basically zero points in combat skills so my character isn't exactly a space gunslinger. The AI is basic so it's not very challenging but there are fun mechanics: you can stop time for a short while - the ability has an in-universe explanation, it's quite silly -, you can improve "combat dialogue" skills so enemies will cower in fear or even run away when you shoot them, and there's a billion different weapons and mods, including science weapons that do wacky stuff like turning off gravity for a particular opponent. There are sneak attacks, you can snipe people from distance so that no one notices you, you can target specific limbs to cripple people or beasties... it's fun enough, if nothing groundbreaking.

I get the Fallout comparisons for the humour and all, and some worlds do have a post-apocalyptic feeling to them... but I spend a lot of time talking to my companions on my spaceship, it's always a difficult choice to decide which two to take with me, there's an absolute shitload of dialogue, you can hop from planet to planet and explore them while your companions are engaged in witty banter; really, all that reminds me of Mass Effect far more than anything else, despite the aesthetic.
 

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I really like it.

I hope it's successful for them and they get to turn it into a franchise because they've done really well first time round so I'm excited to see more.
 

VeevaVee

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Need to start this. Any tips for character creation from those who have started and perhaps wish they'd done something different?
 

Coxy

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Need to start this. Any tips for character creation from those who have started and perhaps wish they'd done something different?
Most important attributes are Int and Per - just pump them with the spare points.

Skills depends on what you want to do - but I find Stealth is the most important at the beginning (which puts points into sneak, hack and lockpick)

Game is incredible
 

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Need to start this. Any tips for character creation from those who have started and perhaps wish they'd done something different?
Leadership is pointless as companions are a bit crap in combat anyway. Persuade and intimidate should be #1 priority as they really help in dialog. Stealth is a bit useless in the game but you should still put points into it for lockpicking. Engineering is a good one to have too. For combat I'd say ranged is way better than melee.

Oh and play it on Hard, at a minimum.
 

shaky

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Need to start this. Any tips for character creation from those who have started and perhaps wish they'd done something different?
It's simple enough to respec your character in-game, so don't worry aboout it too much. You can experiment and change out what you don't feel is useful. It will cost you some credits but they are very easy to accumulate. I started by putting stat points into weapons but the combat isn't very challenging on hard level once you get decent equipment so I ditched them all in favour of stats that help in the dialogue and stealth aspects.
 

Kaos

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Need to start this. Any tips for character creation from those who have started and perhaps wish they'd done something different?
I just stuck everything into Handguns, persuade and lock picking. I’m basically a Han Solo/Mal Reynolds like space cowboy. Works well enough for me.

As already mentioned you can respec at any time so don’t be afraid of experimenting.
 

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The decision at the end of the first planet was a tough one

I switched to Edgewater at the very end cause Parvati convinced me. I was a little disappointed that I could convince Reed to step down so Adelaide could take over, though, as it made the decision a lot less difficult, essentially the best possible outcome. Up until then it really annoyed me that both had such negative impacts, which is better.
 

VeevaVee

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Most important attributes are Int and Per - just pump them with the spare points.

Skills depends on what you want to do - but I find Stealth is the most important at the beginning (which puts points into sneak, hack and lockpick)

Game is incredible
Leadership is pointless as companions are a bit crap in combat anyway. Persuade and intimidate should be #1 priority as they really help in dialog. Stealth is a bit useless in the game but you should still put points into it for lockpicking. Engineering is a good one to have too. For combat I'd say ranged is way better than melee.

Oh and play it on Hard, at a minimum.
It's simple enough to respec your character in-game, so don't worry aboout it too much. You can experiment and change out what you don't feel is useful. It will cost you some credits but they are very easy to accumulate. I started by putting stat points into weapons but the combat isn't very challenging on hard level once you get decent equipment so I ditched them all in favour of stats that help in the dialogue and stealth aspects.
I just stuck everything into Handguns, persuade and lock picking. I’m basically a Han Solo/Mal Reynolds like space cowboy. Works well enough for me.

As already mentioned you can respec at any time so don’t be afraid of experimenting.
Cheers guys! Will hopefully have a bit of time tonight.
 

Kaos

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The decision at the end of the first planet was a tough one

I switched to Edgewater at the very end cause Parvati convinced me. I was a little disappointed that I could convince Reed to step down so Adelaide could take over, though, as it made the decision a lot less difficult, essentially the best possible outcome. Up until then it really annoyed me that both had such negative impacts, which is better.
It’s not really the objectively best outcome considering Adelaide was revealed to be a bit of a psycho using human corpses to enrich her crops. So really the choice was between a heartless corporate scrooge or human harvester with a heart. I killed both though.
 

Coxy

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Leadership is pointless as companions are a bit crap in combat anyway. Persuade and intimidate should be #1 priority as they really help in dialog. Stealth is a bit useless in the game but you should still put points into it for lockpicking. Engineering is a good one to have too. For combat I'd say ranged is way better than melee.

Oh and play it on Hard, at a minimum.
Not really. Combat is stupidly easy in this game, but regardless with sneak you can get insta kills with a rifle (in sneak mode). Stealth puts points into lockpicking too which is essential. I agree about engineering though.
 

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It’s not really the objectively best outcome considering Adelaide was revealed to be a bit of a psycho using human corpses to enrich her crops. So really the choice was between a heartless corporate scrooge or human harvester with a heart. I killed both though.
Sounds reasonab... wait :lol:

Just arrived on the Citadel-ish ex colony ship. I really enjoy the game so far. Interactions between NPCs and companions are well done so far, they add personality to all involved. I also like the companions I have met so far well enough and am interested to learn more about them.
 
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Siorac

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It’s not really the objectively best outcome considering Adelaide was revealed to be a bit of a psycho using human corpses to enrich her crops. So really the choice was between a heartless corporate scrooge or human harvester with a heart. I killed both though.
Nothing psycho about that. A bit disrespectful to the dead, sure, but better than the living people starving to death.

What's awful is that if you decide to help her and doom Edgewater, she explicitly states she will turn away those coming to them for help because she can't risk having "corporate loyalists" in their camp. THAT was terrible.
 

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Nothing psycho about that. A bit disrespectful to the dead, sure, but better than the living people starving to death.

What's awful is that if you decide to help her and doom Edgewater, she explicitly states she will turn away those coming to them for help because she can't risk having "corporate loyalists" in their camp. THAT was terrible.
Yeah which was basically my point. After you make the decision you realize that both actually have very negative consequences and will result in at least one of the settlements being totally f*cked, and actually after she says that the "good" decision looks like the worse one, which I really liked. I think in the past games like this were always too black and white so I liked making a decision that had no good/bad outcome, both were a bit shit.

Which is why it subsequently annoyed me that I could then just convince Reed to step down and hey presto, everyone's a winner
 

Siorac

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Yeah which was basically my point. After you make the decision you realize that both actually have very negative consequences and will result in at least one of the settlements being totally f*cked, and actually after she says that the "good" decision looks like the worse one, which I really liked. I think in the past games like this were always too black and white so I liked making a decision that had no good/bad outcome, both were a bit shit.

Which is why it subsequently annoyed me that I could then just convince Reed to step down and hey presto, everyone's a winner
Well, even that supposedly ideal outcome is a massive compromise because it doesn't change the fact that the whole town is still basically indentured to Spacer's Choice. Or is that somehow not the case if Adelaide takes over?
 

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Well, even that supposedly ideal outcome is a massive compromise because it doesn't change the fact that the whole town is still basically indentured to Spacer's Choice. Or is that somehow not the case if Adelaide takes over?
True but the majority of people would probably be OK with that if they have power, walls and food to eat, right?

Anyway who cares, it's only a game :D I do like the level of dialog and choice in it, though, for sure.
 

Siorac

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True but the majority of people would probably be OK with that if they have power, walls and food to eat, right?

Anyway who cares, it's only a game :D I do like the level of dialog and choice in it, though, for sure.
I like it when I find it hard to just shrug and say "who cares, it's only a game" :)
 

Kaos

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Nothing psycho about that. A bit disrespectful to the dead, sure, but better than the living people starving to death.

What's awful is that if you decide to help her and doom Edgewater, she explicitly states she will turn away those coming to them for help because she can't risk having "corporate loyalists" in their camp. THAT was terrible.
Not sure I agree, personally I find it reprehensible to dig up corpses of loved ones to be used as plant food. The fact she seemed so casual and unapologetic about it did concern me too. But I suppose that’s the beauty of these choices - they’re subjectively grey.
 

Siorac

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Not sure I agree, personally I find it reprehensible to dig up corpses of loved ones to be used as plant food. The fact she seemed so casual and unapologetic about it did concern me too. But I suppose that’s the beauty of these choices - they’re subjectively grey.
Well, I'm more than happy to be used as fertiliser after my death. I can do some good and be useful from beyond the grave. And if any of my organs are still useful at that point to anyone, take them! I certainly won't use them anymore.

Now, the way Adelaide handled the entire business was, erm, concerning to say the least. I do not rule out that she is in fact a somewhat psychopathic narcissist on some sort of crusade. At the end, I still felt it to be the better choice than the entirely inhumane nature of Spacer's Choice. But it's by no means a simple choice and as you say, that is a good thing in a game.
 

Solius

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I'm in Byzantium now.

Managed to tinker and modify my guns so much that they're really powerful now. Enemies are pretty easy to take out but I don't think I'll be changing the difficulty. I'm playing as someone who cares but wants rewards for what they do so I've been squeezing money out of everyone. I see my weapon power now as a result of that character trait. The money actually has an effect rather than just being something you end up having shitloads of for no reason.
 

Kaos

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Yeah the game does have an issue with balance. Some of the perks like the companion xp boost are flat out ridiculous. I’ve not even left monarch and I’ve already pretty much maxed out my main 2-3 skills.
 

Marcelinho87

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I joked to my mates that this is probably the best modern fallout game, and it’s not even a fallout game.

Bethesda have completely butchered the series.
One thing this misses which fallout has is random encounters and NPCs making the world feel alive.

You could save someone on Fallout or Elder Scrolls and literally follow them as they walk home.

I suspect that is a budget thing though and with Microsoft behind them now stuff like that could be common place in future games of theirs.
 

SmashedHombre

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Gonna have a play on this tonight. Absolute touch getting it on Game Pass.
Game Pass is amazing. I downloaded Dead By Daylight, The Outer Worlds, Gears 5 & Zoo Tycoon last night- all for $1 NZ, which is like 50p.

Obviously I've started playing Zoo Tycoon first.
 

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Yeah game pass is the biggest bargain ever. I have no idea how MS are doing it so cheap. They must be losing a fortune to get people subscribed to it.
 

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VeevaVee

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Played a bit last night. Like it so far but the immediate thing that strikes me is that it's missing necessary RPG elements that give you a reason to explore like finding clothes, perhaps some sort of customisation of the ship from things found?
 

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Played a bit last night. Like it so far but the immediate thing that strikes me is that it's missing necessary RPG elements that give you a reason to explore like finding clothes, perhaps some sort of customisation of the ship from things found?
:confused: those are really weirdly specific RPG elements, hardly "necessary".

Whaddya mean finding clothes? There's loads of different armor and clothes to find in the game.

Ship customization would be nice but you can find stuff (posters, cards) scattered throughout the game for it.

Honestly as Western RPG's go it basically has everything, I'm not sure how you can fault it on that :lol:
 

VeevaVee

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:confused: those are really weirdly specific RPG elements, hardly "necessary".

Whaddya mean finding clothes? There's loads of different armor and clothes to find in the game.

Ship customization would be nice but you can find stuff (posters, cards) scattered throughout the game for it.

Honestly as Western RPG's go it basically has everything, I'm not sure how you can fault it on that :lol:
They're staples in all good RPGs aren't they? As someone who's no expert on them, I think they're necessary to make it feel fulfilling as you work your way through.

I'm not far in so could be wrong about the clothes.
 

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They're staples in all good RPGs aren't they? As someone who's no expert on them, I think they're necessary to make it feel fulfilling as you work your way through.

I'm not far in so could be wrong about the clothes.
Not at all (the customization of the ship/base bit). In fact. here are plenty of RPG's where they're largely pointless and just there to add extra hours. Fallout 4 being a good example
 

VeevaVee

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Not at all (the customization of the ship/base bit). In fact. here are plenty of RPG's where they're largely pointless and just there to add extra hours. Fallout 4 being a good example
Ok, well I'd like more of it. It makes it feel more rewarding when you get cool stuff.
 
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Kaos

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Am I the only one who really doesn’t like the colour palette?

I’m really enjoying the game but I hate the fact enemies look like cartoony inflatables. I get that they’re desperately trying to distinguish it aesthetically from fallout but I can’t help but feel I’m playing this game on LSD.
 

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Am I the only one who really doesn’t like the colour palette?

I’m really enjoying the game but I hate the fact enemies look like cartoony inflatables. I get that they’re desperately trying to distinguish it aesthetically from fallout but I can’t help but feel I’m playing this game on LSD.
Are you on PC? There are settings you can change in a file to make the palette less cartoony.