I Finally Tried the Drone

[sillls]

I finally tried out the Drone.   

It's not bad. I would rather liked to have rescued a cute girl who could assist me in the game. It would not be too hard as the Drone already has the ability to go though doors and walls. A human follower could be set up the same way.

 

The Drone surprised me when I found that it could speak and a nearly jumped the first time she spoke. 

I wanted to know if you can put a gun on the Drone.?

[RipClaw]

19 minutes ago, sillls said:

I wanted to know if you can put a gun on the Drone.?

No you can't.

[ElCabong]

I like the drone too but I rarely find it. Wish we could spec into it as part of the engineering tree

[Laz Man]

31 minutes ago, ElCabong said:

I like the drone too but I rarely find it. Wish we could spec into it as part of the engineering tree

 

The new magazine system will give players a better way to work towards crafting one which should be an improvement over how it's obtained in A20.

[Maharin]

1 hour ago, Laz Man said:

 

The new magazine system will give players a better way to work towards crafting one which should be an improvement over how it's obtained in A20.

 

Any issues of Field and Stream or Playboy by chance?

[RipClaw]

9 hours ago, Laz Man said:

The new magazine system will give players a better way to work towards crafting one which should be an improvement over how it's obtained in A20.

Yes and no.

 

Yes, you will definitely be able to build a drone eventually if you read enough Robotics magazines, but that moment when you find a drone schematic when you least expect it, that won't happen anymore.

 

Progress will be on rails, so to speak. The speed may vary but it always follows the tracks. When it comes to crafting items, you won't be able to skip a step and it won't happen that you get stuck somewhere because you can't find the schematic.

 

[sillls]

Thanks, guys, for your help. 

 

[Laz Man]

9 hours ago, RipClaw said:

Yes and no.

 

Yes, you will definitely be able to build a drone eventually if you read enough Robotics magazines, but that moment when you find a drone schematic when you least expect it, that won't happen anymore.

 

Progress will be on rails, so to speak. The speed may vary but it always follows the tracks. When it comes to crafting items, you won't be able to skip a step and it won't happen that you get stuck somewhere because you can't find the schematic.

 

 

True, you wont need to sacrifice your first born to the RNG god for the schematic.  However, last time I heard, you could only get the schematic in a later stage GS in A20.  With the new system, you theoretically can get it alot sooner if you focus on it.

 

Also, I think the drone itself is probably still in loot, so praying to RNG can still be a thing...😅

[Kalen]

1 hour ago, Laz Man said:

 

True, you wont need to sacrifice your first born to the RNG god for the schematic.

 

Eh, I get it.... but some of my most memorable playthroughs were when I couldn't find Forge Ahead in a reasonable amount of time.... really changed up your game.   

[No_Name_Idea]

Offtopic but man, deadass the best feature they could implement right now would be different AI cores for the drone.

I need more anime archetypes.

Edited June 23, 2022 by No_Name_Idea (see edit history)

[RipClaw]

17 minutes ago, No_Name_Idea said:

Offtopic but man, deadass the best feature they could implement right now would be different AI cores for the drone.

I need more anime archetypes.

There is a mod from @Genosis with voice packs for the drone which changes also the personality of your drone so to speak:

 

https://github.com/Genosis-79/Creator-Drones

 

Edited June 23, 2022 by RipClaw (see edit history)

[Laz Man]

4 hours ago, Kalen said:

 

Eh, I get it.... but some of my most memorable playthroughs were when I couldn't find Forge Ahead in a reasonable amount of time.... really changed up your game.   

Yeah, I remember those days.  I remember having to camp in some log house POI just because of its forge since RNG was being a PITA.  Game definitely would play alot differently due to that one factor.

 

On the flip side, I know alot of people hated having such an important item gated behind a RNG drop.

 

At the end of the day, hopefully this change is an overall improvement for most folks.

 

 

 

 

[RipClaw]

7 hours ago, Laz Man said:

On the flip side, I know alot of people hated having such an important item gated behind a RNG drop.

 

At the end of the day, hopefully this change is an overall improvement for most folks.

And now the entire crafting progress is gated behind RNG. Granted, from what I've read so far, these magazines will be plentiful but there will certainly be situations where you don't progress a skill as quickly as you'd like.

 

For example, the traps are locked behind the Traps skill. I guess you have an increased chance of finding these magazines in Shotgun Messiah crates. However, you also have an increased chance for all other weapon magazines in these crates.

 

If I build a base in A20, I can invest the skill points I get from upgrading the blocks specifically in Intellect and Advanced Engineer until I get the trap I need.

If I build a base in A21, the skill points I get won't help me when it comes to crafting the traps for the base.

 

I don't know if learning by looting improves the game for most or not, but it frustrates me that it makes looting even more powerful and devalues other activities.

 

[theFlu]

3 hours ago, RipClaw said:

but it frustrates me that it makes looting even more powerful and devalues other activities.

That's the thing that worries me as well.. but don't worry, I'm sure they'll add stacks of 5-10 to quest rewards.

 

What?

[Laz Man]

8 hours ago, RipClaw said:

And now the entire crafting progress is gated behind RNG. Granted, from what I've read so far, these magazines will be plentiful but there will certainly be situations where you don't progress a skill as quickly as you'd like.

 

For example, the traps are locked behind the Traps skill. I guess you have an increased chance of finding these magazines in Shotgun Messiah crates. However, you also have an increased chance for all other weapon magazines in these crates.

 

If I build a base in A20, I can invest the skill points I get from upgrading the blocks specifically in Intellect and Advanced Engineer until I get the trap I need.

If I build a base in A21, the skill points I get won't help me when it comes to crafting the traps for the base.

 

I don't know if learning by looting improves the game for most or not, but it frustrates me that it makes looting even more powerful and devalues other activities.

 

 

Certainly it will take longer to unlock recipes compared to A20 (e.g. loot vs buy perk).  However, hopefully it's more immersive and enjoyable going out into the world to seek out knowledge vs auto magically learning it via perk purchase.

[Rotor]

4 hours ago, theFlu said:

That's the thing that worries me as well.. but don't worry, I'm sure they'll add stacks of 5-10 to quest rewards.

 

What?

 

You naughty boy.

 

Although without questing, I use the Traders as the "other RnG" :).  That hussie Jen aint cheap though.

 

As a hunter gatherer explorer I welcome more interactions with the supreme overlord RnGeezus.....let us pray!

 

BTW, quick question, is each items probability rolled every time or in the Genesis the RnGeezus saz "Thou shalt not find wheels this palythrough"?

[RipClaw]

1 hour ago, Laz Man said:

Certainly it will take longer to unlock recipes compared to A20 (e.g. loot vs buy perk).  However, hopefully it's more immersive and enjoyable going out into the world to seek out knowledge vs auto magically learning it via perk purchase.

I'm not one to care about immersion, but to me, reading an issue of a magazine to improve your crafting skills is just as unrealistic as unlocking it via skill points. Or have you ever seen someone who has never done anything crafty but immediately gets everything perfect just because he read a DIY magazine or watched a video?

 

The realistic approach would basically be reading how to do it and the try it. The first attempts most certainly fails after some tries you eventually get it right. Then you gradually improve your craftsmanship, which increases the quality. But such an approach would hardly be fun.

 

[Kalen]

22 minutes ago, RipClaw said:

I'm not one to care about immersion, but to me, reading an issue of a magazine to improve your crafting skills is just as unrealistic as unlocking it via skill points. Or have you ever seen someone who has never done anything crafty but immediately gets everything perfect just because he read a DIY magazine or watched a video?

 

The realistic approach would basically be reading how to do it and the try it. The first attempts most certainly fails after some tries you eventually get it right. Then you gradually improve your craftsmanship, which increases the quality. But such an approach would hardly be fun.

 

 

That would actually be pretty cool.... a LBD approach where you are capped at a certain skill level.   Each magazine you read increases that cap.   

[Rotor]

28 minutes ago, RipClaw said:

I'm not one to care about immersion, but to me, reading an issue of a magazine to improve your crafting skills is just as unrealistic as unlocking it via skill points. Or have you ever seen someone who has never done anything crafty but immediately gets everything perfect just because he read a DIY magazine or watched a video?

 

The realistic approach would basically be reading how to do it and the try it. The first attempts most certainly fails after some tries you eventually get it right. Then you gradually improve your craftsmanship, which increases the quality. But such an approach would hardly be fun.

 

 

 

Therefor we are back to the age old question, fun or immersion and the ultimate balance .... or anthropic principle :).  Depending on which science and religion you subscribe. Yes, I cheated and looked that one up.

Edited June 24, 2022 by Rotor (see edit history)

[Roland]

10 hours ago, RipClaw said:

And now the entire crafting progress is gated behind RNG. Granted, from what I've read so far, these magazines will be plentiful but there will certainly be situations where you don't progress a skill as quickly as you'd like.

 

100% true.

 

But that is what makes it so that it doesn't feel on rails. You've criticized the design (potentially...I know you're willing to give it a go before final judgement) because it will make the progression the same every time as far as what can be crafted first second third etc within a given skill group controlled by a specific magazine title. It is true that you will always have to craft A before B before C before D within a group but that linearity is masked by having so many different categories and advancing at different rates for each one. Each game does feel different because of the different mix of what you can and can't do.

 

It is true that you may not have all the traps you like to use in time for the day 21 or day 28 or maybe even day 35 hordenight-- especially if you don't take any of the engineering perks. But you will eventually get them so you will have some varied gameplay having to get through the first few hordenights making do with what you have until you finally learn to make all the traps you are used to making.

 

What is more of a static gameplay result? Being able to purchase crafting skills so that you always have all your traps in place by Day 14 and the next 10-20 hordenights play out exactly as they have always played out ever since A17 when you were first able to deterministically focus your points on getting traps going ASAP----or----having no control over when you finally acquire the knowledge for traps so that the day they finally enter the game is variable and perhaps up to the first several hordenights you have to do things one way before you can finally switch to doing it all with traps?

 

 

[Roland]

 

25 minutes ago, Rotor said:

 

 

Therefor we are back to the age old question, fun or immersion and the ultimate balance .... or anthropic principle :).  Depending on which science and religion you subscribe. Yes, I cheated and looked that one up.

 

The fun is what TFP is going for but fun defined by them as they are the designers. We are along for the ride and there will be a portion of the players whose "science and religion" line up perfectly with what TFP wants to do and they will think the game is the most amazing thing they've ever played and will be hooked for thousands of hours.

 

There will also be those who feel differently. Of those some will mod the game so that it fits their vision of what is fun and they will be happy and satisfied and grateful that the game is mod friendly.

 

Others will mod the game but do so bitterly decrying the practice as a necessary evil to fix what the developer couldn't do and go on and on about how sad it is that modding must exist.

 

The rest will play the game and say, "meh", and move on to something that is more fun for them.

 

We don't have to worry about how fun the game is except for ourselves and we have a bit of control over that if we are willing to take steps. We can use existing mods that seem more fun to us and we can control how we play for those things that can't be modded or haven't been modded yet. We can give feedback about what we think would be more fun if it was included in the base game but in the end TFP is going to do what they see as fun.

[Rotor]

And here I thought we were investors in TFP....../runs

 

[RipClaw]

1 hour ago, Roland said:

What is more of a static gameplay result? Being able to purchase crafting skills so that you always have all your traps in place by Day 14 and the next 10-20 hordenights play out exactly as they have always played out ever since A17 when you were first able to deterministically focus your points on getting traps going ASAP----or----having no control over when you finally acquire the knowledge for traps so that the day they finally enter the game is variable and perhaps up to the first several hordenights you have to do things one way before you can finally switch to doing it all with traps?

If it were only the recipes that you can unlock via skills, then you could say that the new system brings some variation here, but it also affects the recipes for which you currently need a schematic like all T2 and T3 tools and weapons.

 

Do you remember "Minibikes For Dumb@%$#s" or the "Forge Ahead" book? Do you remember the times when you were lucky and found these books early in the game, or when you were unlucky and found them very later or not at all?

[Laz Man]

31 minutes ago, RipClaw said:

If it were only the recipes that you can unlock via skills, then you could say that the new system brings some variation here, but it also affects the recipes for which you currently need a schematic like all T2 and T3 tools and weapons.

 

Do you remember "Minibikes For Dumb@%$#s" or the "Forge Ahead" book? Do you remember the times when you were lucky and found these books early in the game, or when you were unlucky and found them very later or not at all?

 

The good news is this iteration is better when compared to the forge ahead / mini bike 4 dummies days.  Back then it was all or nothing.  The new system is more gradual and the RNG is less punishing since the magazines helps the player unlock a pool of recipes.

 

 

[RipClaw]

18 minutes ago, Laz Man said:

The good news is this iteration is better when compared to the forge ahead / mini bike 4 dummies days.  Back then it was all or nothing.  The new system is more gradual and the RNG is less punishing since the magazines helps the player unlock a pool of recipes.

It was exactly this "all or nothing" that made playthroughs so different that the players remembered these. I don't think it's as memorable to have the minibike just a few days earlier or later than usual.

 

I'm sure the new system will have many benefits for many players but it seems to me that the developers are throwing away something important without realising its value. Actually, we've been at a point like this before. Remember A17 when there were no more schematics ?

Edited June 24, 2022 by RipClaw (see edit history)