Game News Shadowrun Returns Kickstarter Update #72: Dragonfall Released

[Excidium]

Yeah, scavenging makes sense in a PA game.

But in this game...even if they did litter the world with containers, what would they put in it? 1-100 nuyen? The item system isn't interesting enough for looting to be very rewarding without breaking the economy

 

[SuicideBunny]

yeah. take fallout for instance. just checking empty urns and bookshelves were a big part of exploring an area. it sounds like such a trite thing, but it's actually fun and part of the orientation.

sure but sr and fallout have very different premises. searching every container for loot works very well in a post-apoc game in which you have no clue about the world and are slowly exploring it while trying not to get killed. the same doesn't exactly work in a game where you are supposed to be a pro at getting into secure locations, retrieve things or people and getting the fuck out before the shit starts hitting the fan while grabbing the most valuable stuff (as opposed to everything that isn't nailed down) on the side. improving the interactivity would require better hacking with better network layouts, more alternative routes and more skill/attrib checks, not more useless containers or objects with trivia bits.

 

[Excidium]

Game could do with more elaborate footwork too. Preparing for missions is an important aspect that they neglect for no good reason

 

[DeepOcean]

Well, I'm playing... So far it is better than DMS, you can... prepare yourself: walk with your own feet without being teleported all the time, what a innuvation. The characters with personalities are cool but while the writing is on the same level as DMS so far, decent (enough to make you interested but not good enough to make you impressed) the premise for the story is kinda weak so far.

Spoiler

I hate when games do this thing of somebody you have no idea who she is, dies at the beginning while having a really akward scene while dying and you should really care about it. She said something like: BEWARE WITH THE TERRIBLE EVIL while she was dying and the terrible evil was just maybe another great dragon like all the other 10 or something that already awekened. Right now, I see no reason to not just leave the suckers, a least, DMS took in consideration that people might not care who Sam Watts was and promised a monetary reward. That whole scene with Eiger afterwards had the stench of forced drama all over it.

 

[SuicideBunny]

what exactly was awkward about that scene? to me it looked pretty ok, other than being visible from a mile away.

Spoiler

Right now, I see no reason to not just leave the suckers, a least, DMS took in consideration that people might not care who Sam Watts was and promised a monetary reward.

you get free access to professionals that you already ran with and know what to expect from, their connections, a free hideout and the chance to prove that you are in fact somebody to take seriously and not some bakebrain who let's johnsons do whatever the fuck they want with him or her. maybe it's just me but that sound like a way better deal than imaginary money promised by some weirdo you never met and cannot check out especially considering your character moved into the area just now.

Spoiler

That whole scene with Eiger afterwards had the stench of forced drama all over it.

Spoiler

she has a military background and thinks she is best suited to lead besides the dead meat. her reactions are consistent with her character, including her softening up when you find green winters. i also thought that the way she gets in your face is also a nice way for her to test your limits and reaction... kinda like a dog tugging at the leash in the hands of its master

 

[Infinitron]

So does it have bro I mean Romances? Got Spare Steam key for this BTW, PM Commissar for it.

Use the gifting thread, man.

 

[Commissar Draco]

So does it have bro I mean Romances? Got Spare Steam key for this BTW, PM Commissar for it.

Use the gifting thread, man.

Toczna Comrade Yewrei. Also what about Commissar question? what Classes are most fun to play? Did they patched the smart guns at last?

 

[DeepOcean]

what exactly was awkward about that scene? to me it looked pretty ok, other than being visible from a mile away.

It isn't akward in a sense of MY GOD WHAT I SEEN IN HERE but I just saw that and tought: Okay, whatever, who cares?

Spoiler

she has a military background and thinks she is best suited to lead besides the dead meat. her reactions are consistent with her character, including her softening up when you find green winters. i also thought that the way she gets in your face is also a nice way for her to test your limits and reaction... kinda like a dog tugging at the leash in the hands of its master

Spoiler

I understood she has military training and I was okay with her treating me like a rookie and trying to push me around, what I didn't like was all that spectacle of finger pointing YOU WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR HER AND YOU COULD HAD DONE SOMETHING while the robot girl with actual medical training couldn't do anything for her. I think the melodrama dose was a little too much she could had provoked me on a more subtle way because at that point I was who cares this woman died, if I had freedom I would give the middle finger to you suckers anyway so the whole thing felt flat to me.

 

[Excidium]

She gets over that shit eventually

 

[Minttunator]

Well, I'm playing... So far it is better than DMS, you can... prepare yourself: walk with your own feet without being teleported all the time, what a innuvation. The characters with personalities are cool but while the writing is on the same level as DMS so far, decent (enough to make you interested but not good enough to make you impressed) the premise for the story is kinda weak so far.

Spoiler

I hate when games do this thing of somebody you have no idea who she is, dies at the beginning while having a really akward scene while dying and you should really care about it. She said something like: BEWARE WITH THE TERRIBLE EVIL while she was dying and the terrible evil was just maybe another great dragon like all the other 10 or something that already awekened. Right now, I see no reason to not just leave the suckers, a least, DMS took in consideration that people might not care who Sam Watts was and promised a monetary reward. That whole scene with Eiger afterwards had the stench of forced drama all over it.

Yeah, I pretty much agree, I found it hard to muster up any care as well. On the other hand, it would've been more annoying, had it happened to a character I had already invested in - as has happened in some other recent games.

 

[Shannow]

Shadowrun: Dragonfall, the promised "Berlin DLC" expansion pack for Harebrained Schemes' Shadowrun Returns, has just been released.

 

[DeepOcean]

Played some more and there are ups and down, there is some form of exploration with one of the first missions involving a building with 6 levels but most of those levels are empty and have a frag grenade over here, a med kit over there and that is about it. The game is still linear but not absolutely railroaded like DMS, they even developed a bit a few side objectives you can do on the main quests so far but not a terrible revolution on this aspect. The combat continue to be as easy as always, the fights I got so far barely took more than three rounds to beat and never had to worry about any of my characters once, this is a walk in the park on very hard but I have to play more to see if things get interesting. The story, oh, the story it isn't DERP but I had the desire to yawn a few times:

Spoiler

I don't care who Monika is, I don't care who Fuerwinge is and I don't get why it is so important to stop just another rampaging great dragon as if it was uncommon on Shadowrun. Let her eat a few people and the other great dragons are eventually going to deal with her why that is my problem? I know that you are maybe in danger of being hunt down by her for knowing she is still alive but who is the person in right mind that would seek a maybe dead "dragon hunter" to try to find a way to try to kill a great dragon while on Shadowrun those things could kill whole armies? Instead of nope, we gonna take a vacation on Hong Kong sorry Monika that was your problem.

The motivations and the logic behind the characters decisions aren't doing for me, I'm kinda of bored, DMS had a stronger start storywise.

 

[Darth Roxor]

I don't get why it is so important to stop just another rampaging great dragon as if it was uncommon on Shadowrun.

Uh, because she and her cronies are out to get you?

Not to mention that most of the great dragons in SR are, shall we say, domesticated by now, while Feuerschwinge is pissed off to no end and will probably return to her favourite activity, which is wiping out mankind?

 

[DeepOcean]

I don't get why it is so important to stop just another rampaging great dragon as if it was uncommon on Shadowrun.

Uh, because she and her cronies are out to get you?

Not to mention that most of the great dragons in SR are, shall we say, domesticated by now, while Feuerschwinge is pissed off to no end and will probably return to her favourite activity, which is wiping out mankind?

Spoiler

Aden levered Theran, Lofwyr killed two great dragons on duels causing untold destruction on the process, Alamais decided to have fun having his dragons eat an entire city. Sirrug killed maybe a few thousands of people because he was pissed and Ghostwalker destroyed half of Denver because it was nearby his lair and he was pissed, how she would be different? Sure Lofwyr would let her destroy his backyard and cause damage to his corp with not trouble for her? It doesn't make sense if you know the setting. If somebody gave to you a run to kill Lofwyr because he wants your skin, you would give the middle finger and get out of Germany as fast you could get but if the plot would be you working for her against Lofwyr interests that would be way more fitting to the setting and interesting but i will see how things will turn out.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Aden levered Theran

Not without good reason.

But yes, the plot IS stupid mostly because it's based on two things: you are supposed to care about people you can't really care about, and you can't simply run away from Berlin because fuck you that's why. But apart from this plot-induced stupidity, there really aren't that many holes in it.

EDIT: Actually, there is a good reason why you have to go through this and can't just run from Berlin. Neither the Matrix nor the Astral Space are safe anymore for your character. You *have* to see this through to the end or you'll be fucked for life.

 

[thesheeep]

Just one small thing about the German words in the campaign. They are mostly fine, except:
Nobody in Germany says "Liebchen". Nobody. Not 20 years ago, not today and especially not in 50 years (and especially, especially not a drinking street shaman)...
Someone's been watching too much American Dad.

Btw. I'm only some hours in and I already noticed that pretty much everything about this campaign is superior to the first one.

 

[Zetor]

Aden levered Theran

Not without good reason.

But yes, the plot IS stupid mostly because it's based on two things: you are supposed to care about people you can't really care about, and you can't simply run away from Berlin because fuck you that's why. But apart from this plot-induced stupidity, there really aren't that many holes in it.

EDIT: Actually, there is a good reason why you have to go through this and can't just run from Berlin. Neither the Matrix nor the Astral Space are safe anymore for your character. You *have* to see this through to the end or you'll be fucked for life.

Yep... the last part of the game ties things up pretty well. All in all, I'd say the story is stronger than DMS overall (even though I liked the noir-ish first part of DMS quite a bit)

 

[DeepOcean]

Okay, the story continue to not making much sense so far but the gameplay is considerably better than DMS, there is a point where it opens a bit and you have to earn money by doing a series of mission where you can do them in any order you want. Just did one that would be the size of two DMS missions put together and made me pay some attention( not terrible difficult but they put more effort on it than the missions at the beginning), there were quite a few optional objectives as well. I'm liking the this way more than DMS but I'm missing the Noir atmosphere a bit.

 

[SwiftCrack]

I was on 60 hours played before the DLC

Mods?

I mean, the original campaign does not really offer that much content or any replayability.

Yeah I played a lot of UGC

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Any chance modding is gonna improve?

 

[Lexx]

Just one small thing about the German words in the campaign. They are mostly fine, except:
Nobody in Germany says "Liebchen". Nobody. Not 20 years ago, not today and especially not in 50 years (and especially, especially not a drinking street shaman)...
Someone's been watching too much American Dad.

Btw. I'm only some hours in and I already noticed that pretty much everything about this campaign is superior to the first one.

Actually, people did say "Liebchen" back in the days. In any case it's way better than "Perle" or some shit like that.

 

[SuicideBunny]

Nobody in Germany says "Liebchen". Nobody. Not 20 years ago, not today and especially not in 50 years (and especially, especially not a drinking street shaman)...
Someone's been watching too much American Dad.

Ich weiss nicht, was ich habe,
mir ist ums Herz so schwer.....
Ums Herze? Ach was sag ich -
ich hab doch keines mehr.
Seit ich, mein Glück, dich kenne,
du süsses Liebchen mein,
vom ersten Augenblicke
an wars ja doch schon dein.
O mögst du es behalten,
damit es stets so blieb -
es soll ja dir gehören,
nur dir, mein süsses Lieb!
Giebs nie mehr mir zurücke -
es schlägt dir ja in Treu -
und willst du's nicht mehr haben
mein Schatz, dann brichs entzwei.

ok, not 20 years ago, but rilke is fucking awesome and timeless.

 

[thesheeep]

And if Dietrich was speaking in poems, it would be fitting

 

[sea]

Well, I'm playing... So far it is better than DMS, you can... prepare yourself: walk with your own feet without being teleported all the time, what a innuvation. The characters with personalities are cool but while the writing is on the same level as DMS so far, decent (enough to make you interested but not good enough to make you impressed) the premise for the story is kinda weak so far.

Spoiler

I hate when games do this thing of somebody you have no idea who she is, dies at the beginning while having a really akward scene while dying and you should really care about it. She said something like: BEWARE WITH THE TERRIBLE EVIL while she was dying and the terrible evil was just maybe another great dragon like all the other 10 or something that already awekened. Right now, I see no reason to not just leave the suckers, a least, DMS took in consideration that people might not care who Sam Watts was and promised a monetary reward. That whole scene with Eiger afterwards had the stench of forced drama all over it.

Motivation is super hard to do well in games and you can go crazy trying to appeal to everyone. At the end of the day you can do your best, but eventually you have to kinda say "this is the story we're telling, take it or leave it."

 

[Lexx]

Started it now too and played for a bit over an hour. Never played the first one, but Dragonfall got me interested because I am living in the Berlin area. So far it's quite fun and I am tensed to see how it continues.