Underrail [PRE-RELEASE THREAD, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Abelian]

I think 2C looks best, as well.

 

[I'm Big Into Anal]

just bought this due to peer pressure from the codex i hope you are all happy triggering me; the harassment... when will it end

 

[Nael]

just bought this due to peer pressure from the codex i hope you are all happy triggering me; the harassment... when will it end

I think you will thank us later

 

[Abelian]

just bought this due to peer pressure from the codex i hope you are all happy triggering me; the harassment... when will it end

I think you will thank us later

and then ask for more.

 

[codexian reject]

Spoiler

Underrailers! I figured I could easily make Codex avatars out of the portraits once the next update is out, since I'm going to be fiddling around with the game files in any case.
I'm sure the target audience for these avatars is watching this thread, so tell me: how would you like them?

1.

Portrait picture only. I initially thought of simply doing this (with a background), but why stop there? Underrail deserves better!

2.

In-game style borders. Not the most subtle border, but definitely looks better than no border and makes it immediately recognizable as Underrail. (I don't know about you guys, but at this point I automatically associate anything with that peculiar shade of orange with Underrail.)
For the background, I could either A) leave it transparent, B) use simple black background or C) arbitrarily pick one of the tileset-based backgrounds.

I'm probably going with 2C but wanted to show others for comparison. Lemme know if you have any wishes or other ideas.

Avatars are nice, but it reminds me of AoD avatars - there was a time they were everywhere and all the portraits are already burned in my memory, before I even played the game.
I think it'll take away something from the freshness of the "first playthrough experience". Make them, but upload on the codex few weeks after release imo.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

Either 1 or 2a. I'm always a transparent background sort of guy. I'd honestly prefer #1.

 

[Abelian]

I'm always a transparent background sort of guy.

You could say you have a transparent agenda.

 

[epeli]

And nice of you to do this on your own!

Well someone has to do it, right? I'm already familiar with Underrail's files and it's not a big deal to run a couple of extra scripts to generate neat little avatars, now that I've got templates for them.

...eh, to be honest, I can barely contain my excitement about the portrait update. Fanboy moment.

Nice work. Have an agenda for your efforts.

What's that? Is it worth anything?

Hmm...

Avatars are nice, but it reminds me of AoD avatars - there was a time they were everywhere and all the portraits are already burned in my memory, before I even played the game.
I think it'll take away something from the freshness of the "first playthrough experience". Make them, but upload on the codex few weeks after release imo.

That's a fair point, there's no rush for a timeless classic like Underrail. Less work for the codex overlords too if I'm not spamming them with more avatars every time Underrail updates.

Either 1 or 2a. I'm always a transparent background sort of guy. I'd honestly prefer #1.

I'll probably also make an avatar set of Underrail sprites later on, those will definitely have transparent background.

 

[Drowed]

So, "Agenda" is the new brofist now or what?

 

[Lhynn]

So, "Agenda" is the new brofist now or what?

This is no longer the brodex. you either have an agenda or are being

 

[StaticSpine]

This is no longer the brodex.

Blaine Brofists this.

 

[Allanon]

Is it worth giving the game a spin yet, or is it better to hold on for a while? I can't figure out how much content the game already has.

 

[Blaine]

Is it worth giving the game a spin yet, or is it better to hold on for a while? I can't figure out how much content the game already has.

http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/rpg-codex-preview-underrail-re-preview.94894/

 

[Allanon]

 

[I'm Big Into Anal]

getting absolutely wrecked by rathounds in the retake the outposts quest [the very first one hahahah]; specifically the east one where youre supposed to put the doodad so the other outposts get power

this is great

 

[Allanon]

getting absolutely wrecked by rathounds in the retake the outposts quest [the very first one hahahah]; specifically the east one where youre supposed to put the doodad so the other outposts get power

this is great

What build are you playing? I found it to be fairly easy, but I do play with high perception guns+crossbow sneaking character. It did got harder later on when psi enemies appeared.

 

[I'm Big Into Anal]

melee + psi build with a penchant for lockpicking and crafting

got a bit carried away at the start and blew all psi points [mana] being an idiot...

got past the rathounds btw, very satisfying

its been a while since ive had to think in a game but im in the groove now

 

[epeli]

its been a while since ive had to think in a game but im in the groove now

Welcome to Underrail

But worry not, mages psionics get even better once you have stable supply of mana potions psi boosters.

 

[I'm Big Into Anal]

yeah thanks i would never have had this gem on my radar if it werent for the codex

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

It is quite the breath of fresh air.

It reminds me of when I started buying local, grass-fed beef instead of big industry meat. The first time I had a steak, I was a seven year old child again and my dad was barbecuing t-bones on a charcoal habachi. "Holy fuck! THIS is what beef tastes like!". I had forgotten.

Underrail is a lot like that.

 

[Blaine]

mana potions psi boosters.

You take that back.

 

[epeli]

Blaine but I'm just following Styg's example of comparing psionics to fantasy magic! And while psi boosters are comparable to mana potions, something more interesting is might be coming...

Spoiler

I stumbled upon Mind Darts in the game files and even added them to the wiki before realizing they are not in the game yet. I played around with them a bit, the concept is really cool but the numbers probably aren't final.

'Mind Dart' is a variation of psi booster with addition of toxic and hallucinogenic substances extracted from the Red Dream mushroom. This mixture is highly dangerous to the consumer and should be taken in multiple smaller doses (if at all.) It provides an instant surge of psionic activity as well as increases psi regeneration greatly for a short period of time, but is inevitably followed by a long period of psionic withdrawal.

So you can keep the psi flowing during a prolonged battle by taking more and more of the drug (even to the point where you're not getting any more benefits, just delaying the inevitable crash), but each dose makes the psionic withdrawal just that much worse...

Styg really knows how to make things interesting. The idea of powerful drugs having withdrawal/side effects (like adrenaline/morphine shots do) is great and mind darts would also definitely be interesting, especially if psi pools were smaller.

 

[Blaine]

Yeah, I looked up Red Dream Mushrooms on the Wiki when I realized no blueprint in the game used them, even though they're for sale in Junkyard.

Mind Darts are far more Mindshroom-efficient than Psi Boosters, especially when stacked... although they require Biology 60, which is obnoxiously high for psi users who just want to be able to craft boosters. I'm betting they'll end up being crafted-only, too.

Looks like the thing to do is to chain Mind Darts a few times, then finally pop a Psi Booster after the Mind Darts are off cooldown. That would really let you blow through a large number of psi points in a single combat. Cue hiding/standing around for a while after combat until the withdrawal effects wear off.

 

[epeli]

True, that way you get the most psi regen for a short while - but you risk entering withdrawal before the combat is over. And in case that happens, you can't stop the withdrawal with a new mind dart dose before the psi booster effect ends.


That's Styg's game design for you - even consumables make you think about the risks vs rewards, how and when to use them. Not just spamming them whenever your numbers run low.

 

[railway]

Ask and you shall receive: Blaine's preview of UnderRail

Nice (not to mention bloody fast) work Blaine

I have to join in on the praiseing. The review is just spot-on and does a good job at explaining what makes Underrail a great game. I concur on almost all points. Haven't really tried the stealth part of the game yet as it's an aspect I usually ignore in isometric RPGs except for lockpicking/disarming traps but the review definately makes me want to try it and see for myself if it's done right for once.

I like it. It's not actually that similiar but it still makes me think of this for some reason:


-------------------------------------------------------

A couple of random impressions:

• The game froze on me a few times recently. Found a thread on the Steam forums where Styg says freezes might have something to do with changing focus in windowed mode but I played in fullscreen mode when it happened. Still, I had alt-tabbed out of the game every time (several) minutes before it occured, so that might have been it, I guess. Most of the time it froze when using a special ability like psi or aimed shot, only one time it happened after clicking on a scene transition. I always play the game windowed now (with quite a bit of switching windows) and hasn't happened again since.
• It would be convenient if the "sort" button would also combine stackable items
• The one thing I can't get quite warm with is the combination of having both a skill cap based on level and no way of saving up some of the skill points on level-up. Wouldn't the former be enough to prevent characters from becoming too strong too soon (assuming that's what it's supposed to prevent)? Would be nice to have a little more freedom in building a character especially as that's a very fun part of Underrail for me (must have played the starting area about two dozen times by now, just trying stuff out).