Darkest Dungeon

BanzaiCat · February 13, 2015, 07:42:46 PM

I'm generally not a fan of that kind of thing myself (I had a hard time with Sunless Sea), but that doesn't mean I'm not a sucker for trying. DD is on my wishlist.

DennisS · February 13, 2015, 08:18:03 PM

I just didn't "get" Sunless Sea. The basic premise just didn't work, and neither did the gameplay. Frankly, there just wasn't much there. In three minutes, you've seen just about all there is to see.

kassdhal · February 14, 2015, 03:39:34 AM

Well "highly randomized" game is pretty much the same as Candy Crush... the way you play has limited impact on the outcome... for me it s not a game it's casino, and I don t like that

In a game I like when skills is key, and then has to compensate for the random evolution. which is not the case here

BanzaiCat · February 14, 2015, 08:10:08 PM

I played Sunless Sea while it was in early access, and yes I agree once you've seen some of it, you might have seen it all. The game does draw me in a bit, but the entire fight versus hopelessness is tense but in an annoying way. I don't feel the challenge; I just feel stressed when I play it.

Same, I imagine, as I'd feel playing Alien: Isolation.

Nefaro · February 15, 2015, 12:10:30 PM

Quote from: kassdhal on February 14, 2015, 03:39:34 AM
Well "highly randomized" game is pretty much the same as Candy Crush... the way you play has limited impact on the outcome... for me it s not a game it's casino, and I don t like that

In a game I like when skills is key, and then has to compensate for the random evolution. which is not the case here

It isn't so randomized that I have no control. It may feel that way at first but once you've improved your characters & town a bit, it has very manageable risk-reward. Actually may become too easy after a time.

I think people are judging it to be too difficult by individual delves in the earliest part of the game. It is actually oriented towards long-term strategy & management, not necessarily individual dungeon crawls. For example, if any of my level-0 or even level-1 characters became too loaded with bad quirks early on in their dungeon crawling careers, I would just kick them out and recruit a new one to replace them. There is a steady stream of new characters available so character permadeath isn't such a big deal. Especially since you can just pull out and run away during most of each run.

JasonPratt · February 16, 2015, 07:42:08 AM

Worth noting that DD is still in beta Early Access, so I'm waiting for more polish anyway. :)

(Though in honor of other people's Valentine's Day weekend ::), I did splurge on my resolution a bit to pick up Deadnaut. Which I haven't played yet, having finally started the gameclock on my Russian DHAAR campaign.)

Nefaro · January 20, 2016, 07:39:34 PM

Darkest Dungeon got an official release sometime this past week.

Started up a new campaign. Love the dark theme, art, and sounds.

It's really just a mix of Roster Management (w/ some RPG facets) and short Dungeon Crawls.

Use your rested ones on a current crawl while sending others for stress relief at the bar/abbey, removing their afflictions in the sanitarium & such in the meantime. Fire the noobs who've gone too nuts on their early run(s) and replace with fresh ones. Purchase skill & equipment upgrades later.

Strange mix of mechanics but it hits on some of my favorite turn-based mechanics.

BanzaiCat · January 21, 2016, 07:41:36 AM

I noticed it was on super sale during Steam's winter sale, for $9.99, then went back to full price, and then it went on sale again recently but to $19.99. I'd like to get it someday but it'll have to drop more.

sandman2575 · January 21, 2016, 01:26:04 PM

I've been playing DD a fair bit since picking it up on Steam winter sale.

From an artistic design standpoint alone, the game is spectacular. I say that as someone who's not a fan either of comics or of Lovecraft, and DD's visual aesthetic relies heavily on the former, and its narrative relies heavily on the latter. It's just a beautiful game. The UI is very pleasing. The animations are minimal but effective. The overall atmosphere of the game is stunning.

In short, I'm not this game's target audience, and I still think it's fantastic.

Though I'm having trouble making progress! I started up a new campaign after DD's official release this week. I've got the early game down, more or less. What I'm having a lot of trouble doing is actually building up a core of experienced adventurers. I can't seem to get a character past level 2 before their negative quirks start to outweigh the benefit of their positives. And it ain't cheap to get rid of those quirks, or to get rid of Stress.

Beautiful game. Definitely challenging, and appears to definitely be grindy. I'd like to make more progress, but right now I just feel like I'm recycling characters. Fresh ones come in. Go on some adventures. Become neurotic and psychotic. Get released. Rinse and repeat.

Nefaro · January 21, 2016, 02:55:44 PM

I tend to spend the money removing the minimum amount of least desirable afflictions from otherwise good characters.

After you decide to stick with a few choice ones, their maintenance costs shoot up due to that stuff. The other lot of characters are just there to delve for a little profit and burn some time while the main team is in R&R (or the Asylum!). Hopefully the occasional fodder will make it through the "farm team" without being completely wrecked. :D

chemkid · March 12, 2016, 03:33:54 PM

...give 'em RNG some more love!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCrfX0yze5E

enjoy!
chem!

Nefaro · March 13, 2016, 06:54:49 AM

Quote from: chemkid on March 12, 2016, 03:33:54 PM
...give 'em RNG some more love!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCrfX0yze5E

enjoy!
chem!

LOL'd!

I must have played too much DD since the lyrics make so much sense. ;D

Philippe · September 21, 2017, 02:00:44 PM

I stumbled onto this game the other day almost by accident.

The game is totally sick and I love it.

The parody of Lovecraft's writing style warms the cockels of my warped heart (and diseased mind).

What a sublimely pointless time-waster.

-budd- · September 21, 2017, 06:12:08 PM

Quote from: Philippe on September 21, 2017, 02:00:44 PM
I stumbled onto this game the other day almost by accident.

The game is totally sick and I love it.

The parody of Lovecraft's writing style warms the cockels of my warped heart (and diseased mind).

What a sublimely pointless time-waster.

I agree, love the game. Not really my type of game either, its very well made. Sure the RNG will F**k you from time to time and you'll scream and cuss like a sailor when the enemy pulls out a triple dodge when you need the kill because your hand crafted character is on deaths door and hanging by a thread....C'est la vie.

CJReich46 · September 26, 2017, 06:34:19 PM

Darkest Dungeon is just one of those purchases I don't regret one bit.

It's cruel, and dark but even there's moments where your heroes really do the impossible. I had a party if I remember correctly, it was an Arbalest, A Vestal, Grave Robber and I think it was the Leper, and they were getting clobbered in the final battle in their expedition to the Warrens. I thought the Undead/Cultists types in the Ruins were bad, Oh no nothing compared to the swine-mutilated disease ridden horrors that lurk in the Warrens. Anyway this party was bleeding white, and then the Arbalest nailed one shot kill on one baddie, and then the rest rallied and pretty much won the day.

....they were wiped out in a boss fight 2 weeks later.

Interesting note: I was in an HP Lovecraft mood around Halloween last year and I found online a motion comic of "The Call of Cthulhu" and "The Rats in the Walls" done by the guys who did Darkest Dungeon, and even read by our "narrator" from DD it was on You Tube. I'll post a link if I find it.