@“tapevulture”#p50416 I've had this in The Pile for a while – always meaning to get around to it and never quite doing so.
(in fact, lately I have been living in the 2nd order position of wanting to want to play something rather than manifesting an actual want to play)
How is the difficulty? I recall reading that there was a mode (added later? always there?) that essentially turns off fail states or something of the sort, while preserving the atmospheric exploration. I figured I may be interested in that mode, so I can just hang out with the game for a bit (as much as one can "hang out" with a tense, suspense/horror style game).
@“rejj”#p50418 It‘s been a while for me but I remember that I wished I played on safe mode. You can only choose at the beginning and the more annoying monster encounters show up later. I really enjoyed the story but as is the case with most horror games I play, it’s scary until you die one or twice and then it‘s a lot of "is it gone yet…. i hope it’s gone…. nope…. fuck you man, let me through"
@“Snowdecahedron”#p50432 I had a similar experience with Soma. Worst case of that I ever had was Alien: Isolation. That game is outstanding as far as atmosphere and vibes go, but that xenomorph is a turd burglar and I really, really hate that thing. Not scared of it anymore, I hate it like that kid that would bully me in boy scouts growing up.
Does the safe mode in SOMA remove the enemy encounter or just make them harmless? If they‘re still there and you get the distressing+weird effects then I’d say safe mode is the way to go no doubt. More of a judgement call if the experience is excised completely though…
@rejj i'm a couple hours in and have had i think two encounters so far, both of which have been pretty manageable. I did watch a playthrough years ago though and know harder stuff is coming
I could write a whole little review of Death Stranding like My Homeless Experience with Death Stranding, but I’m not, I’m just going to post here that this game is a great sim.
I own two pairs of shoes— one pair of shamma minimalist sandals that I have worn every day since one week before the release of Death Stranding, and the other, a pair of hiking boots, which I can count on two hands the number of times I’ve worn them, but they always got wet in those occasions, so I got some real rain boots, so if you count those I have three pairs. Both the sandals and the boots have vibram soles. When Death Stranding came out, I kept thinking that would have been a very appropriate sponsored product placement. The soles of my first pair of sandals wore completely through, had holes in them, and Shamma sells replacement soles for $40. Every day I wear my carhartts overalls and carry a big L.L. Bean Boat n Tote bag. These are my useful tools that, once I got them, made my life of walking everywhere carrying everything so much easier. I’ve done postmates by bicycle, longeboard and on foot on and off since 2018. I had a stint in 2021 where I was hacking ebikes, getting 20 miles for $1, and doing postmates deliveries on hacked scooters. My sandals are 1mm thick to simulate barefoot walking and strengthen foot muscles, but keep your feet safe and clean. I used to have a pair of Geta wooden sandals I made from four by six lumber that I loved to wear before someone stole them. It would be funny if Sam Porter Bridges could wear Geta.
When I first played Death Stranding in 2020, I was in the Bay Area, hiking in lush mountains around Santa Cruz, and I had just gotten these sandals, which are made for hiking and running. I felt so much like Sam Porter Bridges then. Now, I’m back in the city, and carrying stuff all over the place, groceries, laundry, stuff I wanna bring to the homie’s house… I’m pretending like I’m Sam Porter Bridges right now. I’m about to take a bunch of Amazon Returns to a UPS store that’s over a mile away. When I get to take a hot shower I feel just like Sam when he slaps his dirty self down on the bed in his Private Room. Death Stranding is a much better Homeless Simulator than whatever Homeless Simulator already exists. I wish I could bolo up the tweakers who try to steal my cargo like the MULES in Death Stranding. I guess the main difference here is that there’s no BTs….. yet…
Also, umbrellas are lame and a scam. I always use real two piece rain gear. Normal people think an umbrella is a necessity and it’s not, it’s a luxury. Use a rain coat. I suggest Frogg Toggs.
I've been thinking about Soma a lot lately what with this Omicron variant going around now.
@"treefroggy"#p50508 I got a pair of Shamma Warriors last year too, for summer running! They are great. I'm now 100% minimalist (save for my Bellevilles which have a 2mm drop and a kind of intense toe spring). I'd like to make myself a pair of huaraches sometime, out of tire and leather like the Tarahumara do.
You could play Soma with the enemies entirely turned off and still have a good spooky time with it
(I played with enemies turned on and it was fine (I didn't get stuck too bad), though I did exploit some glitches to get by a few spots and it does require some trial and error)
@“dry cleaner for dogs”#p50445 Does the safe mode in SOMA remove the enemy encounter or just make them harmless?
Seems like it works that way, yeah.
>
Safe Mode doesn’t remove Soma’s enemies from the game, but this time they no longer pose much of a threat to you, and that small but crucial change makes all the difference for players like myself. To understand why, though, you first have to understand the kind of game that Soma intends to be.
Haven't played this one myself even though it is on my to-do list as well, and I always thought I would leave monsters on even though I absolutely hate that type of horror based on stealth, or the waiting game, as I call it (games based on being passive and essentially stop playing until the thing goes away and you can do videogame things again). But this has left me thinking that having weird non-hostile stuff happening around you can be even creepier, like the anomalies on the Stalker series or the little dudes in the first Silent Hill.
dang it the consensus is overwhelmingly play in safe mode and it's too late for me to restart. i was tricked by a blurb at the start saying normal mode was the intended experience
I‘m sure you’ll be fine, I got through it without major headaches before safe mode was an option
the devs got it just about right in rebirth. Was a pretty smooth experience wrt to difficulty. They definitely moved in a safe mode overall direction though.
That foreign legion outpost in the new game is extremely good, near the best environments/sequences they've put together, I think. Worth playing that much if you can get it cheap (decent game throughout otherwise imo)
@“tapevulture”#p50602 There‘s a tactic for every encounter based on whatever senses of theirs are missing/enhanced. You might try this guide if you’re ever stuck.
One thing this message board doesn't have enough of is Animal Crossing talk.
Well, last night I crossed some animals, and toward the end of my visit, I went over to Brewster's to grab a cup of coffee. I find this to be a relaxing and intimately immersive chillout time.
As I was heading out the door to leave, Brewster stopped me, and taught me a cookie recipe as a way of showing gratitude for my continued patronage. The last thing he said to me was, "Thank you, so much." Now if you know Brewster, you know he is not loquacious. More ellipses than words, most of the time. Well I'll tell you, that comma and the way it was placed between "thank you" and "so much" made my heart swell to five times its size. I haven't been that close to shedding a tear because of a video game in a long, long time. Just a quiet, tender moment between me and a big, burly pigeon man (bbpm).
After chipping away at Ys II for months I finally got to the final boss (>!Wowwow this is Ys IV intro!! Wwwoowwowwwww!<) but found myself under leveled. So… I've at last arrived at clamp down your dpad stage of Ys.
I started Soma, only put about an hour in. It has done a good job of setting a feeling and atmosphere from the start – however it is a little too late and I'm a little too tired presently to go any further right now.
How far I got, for the curious: ||I just turned on some turbines and had a radio chat with someone telling me I need to get to the comms tower (I think?), and then made it out to the next room and there's a scary robot thing stomping around.|| Still early days, I'm sure. I'll be back to it over the weekend I suspect.