Rehoma wrote a review... Or at least he tried.

(Rehoma) #1

First off, a big thanks to everybody involved in making and maintaining this game and community. Gosh it’s been so long since we had an experience similar to this. I think most of us remember Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory and I’m really glad that we’re creating something awesome like that in Dirty Bomb. Thank you very much!

Hello awesome community of this awesome game,

Yes! It is true. Rehoma tried to write a review on Dirty Bomb. But it’s more of a “what-did-he-like-and-what-did-he-not-like-so-much-spreadsheet”.

(And yes, there are some silly English mistakes hidden. Excuse me for that!)

So… What did he not like? Or what could be better?

Loadout cards
It’s been posted on the forums already. They are just silly. Why would they be so random, coming out of randomly spawned crates? Now that keys are free and everything is going to be reset at some point anyway, it probably doesn’t matter as much. But imagine spending real cash on these keys and not getting the one card or loadout you’re after. That frustration aside, you enter a game and get killed by somebody using that exact loadout that you simply cannot get a hold of! Ugh… This has to be reworked or something. This system would work great with skins, because it doesn’t affect gameplay. This does and is just annoying. Nobody wants to feel like they are forced to pay for these kind of RNG based things. Then again, some people might enjoy the gamble-aspect on it.

Same guns on different Mercs
I know I’m going to propose something impossible here, but I would have loved to see weapons being unique to a specific Merc. That would mean a lot more guns would have to be designed, but I can only imagine that it would make Mercs feel and play even more unique. It would also help in balancing issues. What if one Merc is really strong with a certain gun, that gun gets nerfed which also affects another Merc, who then didn’t need balancing. Weird sentence but I think you get the point. For example, Skyhammer is a big dude that burns lots of bullets because well, he can spam them anyway. That’s why he carries this massive pistol. More of a handcannon, despite it’s not a revolver. I love that! But why does the small and fragile Proxie also carry that pistol? Wouldn’t a smaller caliber fit her quick and nimble playstyle a lot more?

Infinite sprinting
I’m not sure how fit the DEVs are over at Splash Damage, but I’m pretty sure they overestimated how fit the Mercs are (lol). But seriously though, what kind of person runs across an entire battlefield carrying multiple guns, knifes, grenades and hundreds of bullets? It seems a little OP to me that you’re able to sprint in and out of battle so quickly. Is this part of the “fast paced shooter” that Splash Damage wants to create? Or is this supernatural talent overdone and abused in-game?

Spawn locations
Some maps just have terrible spawn locations. Such in Chapel where you literally spawn in front of a machine gun station. But I’m not going to touch too much on that in this review. This is already being addressed plenty in the assigned thread. Very happy to see that by the way! Yay for this actually testing community!

(Rehoma) #2

Alright alright. ENOUGH! This game is freaking awesome, so what DID he like?

Answer A: Lots of things
Answer B: A couple of things
Answer C: Absolutely nothing - Gosh what a horrible game I can’t even.

Yes, you’re right! Answer A of course! Let’s dive in.

Handling of the guns
Oh baby yes! This is absolutely what I had in mind when watching videos and trailers of Dirty Bomb. This may sound weird, but shooting people in Dirty Bomb just feels downright AWESOME! There’s not too much recoil, there’s not too little. It’s manageable at all ranges and doesn’t force you to aim down sights (ADS) at all times. I love that! And of course the way bullets impact enemies is very interesting. It may seem a little soft at first, but when you really hold down that trigger (ehh left mouse button but okay) the damage and feel really starts stacking up quickly. And yes, those headshots. WOW. The sound, the feel, the damage, the impact. It all adds up to a great experience, something that is great for improving replay-ability of this game.

Movement around the map
As I said earlier, I do think we’re a little too fast at the moment. But the way you’re guided through the map is beautiful. We’re not as free as we used to be in Wolfenstein Enemy Territory, but I don’t see quite as many people getting lost. I found myself getting lost a few times in the very beginning, but it was very easy for me to identify where to go. That made objective control a lot more pleasant, but did remove some of the depth. You’re not as narrowed down as for example in World of Warcraft dungeons (did he seriously mention WoW?), but again, I don’t feel like we’re experiencing the full open battlefield adventure that we had in W:ET. Great, fast paced, straight to the point maps and objectives though.

Objective control
And yes, that brings us to objective control. I find the little intros at the start of each map very useful. Not sure if I have to see them every time we’re waiting for a match to start, but still, if others see it, you’ll have to wait anyway. But back to the objective control. It’s very straight forward. There’s the main objectives that are identified properly and give a clear direction of where players are supposed to go.

What I love are the sub-objectives. I’m not sure if this is what we’re calling them, but you get the point. They affect the game quite heavily, without directly affecting the main objectives. This adds so much depth to a map! You’re not all focused around the main objectives. You have other things to worry about as well! I think this is great. And the fact that all maps have uniquely designed objectives for them is just… Awesome! Just downright awesome. It’s what we loved about W:ET and it’s what we’re loving so much in Dirty Bomb now!

Diversity of the Mercs
Each and every Merc is unique from each other. Sure, they did a good job on the design of the few Mercs that we were able to play in the past beta testing. But, just like I said with the weapons before, they could be a little bit more unique from each other than they already are right now. Nevertheless, let me give you an example of why I think Dirty Bomb is a game with loads of potential and replay-ability. I started the game playing Skyhammer. Throwing ammo and Airstrikes left and right. I was having a great time, sitting in the back, supporting my team and mowing down enemy waves with my trusty M4. Then I decided to play some Proxy and totally - and I mean completely - failed!

I had to change my mindset so much to get used to how she plays. How awesome is that? I thought I was getting into the game a little and then it all changed. You can keep learning new Mercs. You can keep discovering new ways to play this game. You’ll have a different purpose based on what Merc you play. And then we haven’t even touched the Loadouts yet!

And let’s not forget to mention that Splash Damage can keep adding Mercs. Even though that sounds really easy, it’s probably going to be harder to come up with new Merc ideas than it is to come up with new heroes for in a MOBA game. There’s not a lot of fantasy they can come up with, it has to make some sense in the real world as well. But nevertheless, there are thousands of different types of people and guns in this world. I think it would be great if, at some point in the future of course, Splash Damage continues to be creative and develop even more Mercs.

Imagine the possibilities.

Health on Mercs
Each Merc has a unique set of health points based on their looks and playstyle. That is perfect. What I dislike the most about modern shooters is that everything has to be as realistic as possible, in which developers forget about the fact that is it still a game. In Dirty Bomb, you don’t get mowed down immediately. There are firefights in which you can turn the tides by switching weapons, flanking around corners and landing that extra headshot that might give you the edge. This also gives you a chance to fight back when you’re shot in the back or from the side. That way you can feel a lot more safe when moving around the map by yourself. This creates a lot more opportunities to push and secure objectives and kills by yourself, when let’s say your team is either stupid or dead :wink:

Ping and general connection
This is quite personal I guess. But given that this game is in closed beta and I was able to get 15 ping steady is just unbelievable. I have never been disconnected from a game due to connectivity issues. Yes, I have been disconnected before, but I believe that was not because of connectivity to the servers. There was simply no lag, just how I like to see it.

(Rehoma) #3

And that is basically it for now folks! Keep in mind that we only had three days to test the game out and I might have missed some things (or a lot of things - I don’t know lol). Please let me know any comments, corrections or what so ever. I’m looking forward to hearing from you! I will also update this post if I discover anything new in the upcoming beta testing of 6th March 2015.

Cya in the next beta testing and thanks for reading!

(einstyle) #4

I mostly agree with what you said, the positive and the negative aspects. Only thing I heavily disagree though is your critic of endless sprinting mechanic. I really like that there’s no silly stamina bar that you gotta wait to fill up before sprinting again, because it adds to the general game speed and action packed gameplay. I wouldn’t want the movement to be more calculated and careful but rather have some speedy and diversified map movement.

(Rehoma) #5

I agree, but I feel like objective-control can get quite chaotic from time to time. Especially when playing 8vs8. If there’s constantly people hammering down onto certain areas, it takes away from the excitement. There should be room for moments of quietness in Dirty Bomb. I think that creates some tension and excitement. Imagine running constantly, you’re rushing and rushing all the time. If you’re put into a position where you also have to walk a path, it makes you more aware that you might get picked off by an opponent. It’s the sort of “walk through the dark forest” moment that you would see in cartoons and movies. Nobody goes rushing through, because it takes away from the tension and excitement.

And by moments of quietness I don’t mean in like CS:GO for example. That’s too quiet for Dirty Bomb. There should be action around the map at all times but I feel like rushing 24/7 is a little bit too much.

But now we’re nitpicking a little. Or a lot actually haha. Perhaps I shouldn’t have mentioned it. It’s a small feature that I can easily deal with. :wink:

(melancholyAbility) #6

[quote=“Rehoma;5499”]

I agree, but I feel like objective-control can get quite chaotic from time to time. Especially when playing 8vs8. If there’s constantly people hammering down onto certain areas, it takes away from the excitement. [/quote]

I feel though, that when you join a 8v8 server, you can expect the fast paced fuckfest that is 8v8 on such small maps. It’s like complaining about explosive spam in a 24/7 Operation Metro server in BF3.

In 5v5 (This is the main comp setup, right?) however, I feel like there are just enough calm moments, to make the game exciting. I feel they hit the balance right in that regard. So I do disagree on the unendless stamina bar.

-Cervello (Yes my name keeps changing back to the random one, even after having it changed by MM)

(melancholyAbility) #7

Woops, unendless means the stamina is limited. Should have said endless.

My English…

(melancholyAbility) #8

No I was right the first time.

Can this forum please have an edit function! :angry:

(Szakalot) #9

[quote=“melancholyAbility;5502”]No I was right the first time.

Can this forum please have an edit function! :angry: [/quote]

it does -> top right corner of the post -> gear -> edit

(melancholyAbility) #10

Ooh thanks man, never saw that one. It’s really hard to see though

(Rehoma) #11

Thanks for the input man!

And yes, my name also changed back to incredibleBill at one point haha. MissMurder is very helpful though and she changed mine back very fast :smiley:

(Rehoma) #12

Update: After playing for another three days and getting into the game a little deeper I got more and more disappointed. I pointed out that this game is a lot about rushing towards objectives all the time and that’s what keeping me from playing again. It really got me by surprise that I just didn’t want to play anymore simply because… I’m already done.

This game is just as ridiculously flat as it gets. The objectives aren’t nearly as exciting and unique as in Wolfenstein Enemy Territory. The only thing you can do it just rush rush rush towards a place where you put a C4. In there is one big gangbang of people waiting for you, just shooting everywhere and nowhere. And that’s the same issue with every single map. There’s literally no strategic play. All I found myself doing is RUN AS FAST AS I CAN and just mindlessly rush objectives. And it’s the same exact story in every single map!

I’m done with Dirty Bomb for now. Don’t ignore the review that I wrote. There are still lots of points in that I still think the same about. But there’s no depth in this game and I wonder if this issue will ever be fixed, and more importantly, how. Until then I will quit Dirty Bomb and not mind any of its updates.

People that are having fun, ignore this message. Keep having fun! I doubt it will last for long, but make it worth while. I had fun playing this game for the 20 hours that I did. Disappointed because I expected to pull at least 250 hours out of it. Maybe some day…

(Nail) #13

check back later when all the mercs are available and people get squared

(melancholyAbility) #14

I think you can’t judge the amount of tactical gameplay yet. Lots of people are still relatively new, almost every game you don’t have a really communicative squad of players. You need communication to actually do tactics (and players with a likeminded goal).

But I think, when party support will come in, server browser is back, and scrimms start happening. There’ll be a whole lot more tactics. People will communicate, call out strats, whatever.

Next to that, as Nail said, only a small part of the Merc’s are available at this stage. So that reduces the amount of tactical thinking as well.

And of course a meta needs to develop to really get some play/counterplay on these map. Something that will only start happening once scrimms start.

[i]Because of this, I’m personally not really learning tactics/focussing on tactics yet. I’m just trying to become a better shot, so that once the tactics start happening, I’ll be a whole lot more effective. +Ofcourse testing the game and giving feedback.

Wait a bit before you make your final judgement, Rehoma[/i]

(Eox) #15

I am pretty sure that there’s a lot of different strategies waiting to be put in place in that game in competitive. We would just have to wait a bit and see how the first competitions will do.

I am a bit worried about the time where all the mercs will be added though. I feel like it may end into a big mess in game. Maybe I am worrying for nothing…

(Szakalot) #16

I definitely always see the newcomers playing it as TDM with teamplay elements, simply because thats the easiest thing to do. Couple of weeks to any new build people would setup bases of fire, crossfires; and contest highly valuable positions, rather than just bum rush the objective.

(Rehoma) #17

Thanks for the replies guys, I appreciate that a lot. Those three days of constant rushing nearly made me forget what an awesome community we really have here.

I’m looking forward to the full release of the game. I feel like I have beta tested plenty though. I have left my feedback and we’ll see if the DEVs can use this to improve the game.

I will see you guys again when the time is ready. By that I mean when the game is fully released, stabilized, optimized, balanced and has had its awesomeness upgraded even more for replayability concerns. I’m really looking forward to more tactic and strategic play in Dirty Bomb (Also for competitive play, which at some point I would love to see becoming a reality).

Thanks again and don’t forget me! I will be back! :wink: