Discussion
Did anyone happen to play the 'server slam' open beta at the weekend?
Managed to get a couple of hours last night before it closed and was pleasantly surprised. Felt like a hybrid of The Division meets Vigor. Mainly geared around looting and extraction with a strong PVP/PVE focus. UR5 engine being put to great use, looking good on Xbox Series X. Didn't check what the performance settings were defaulting to, but the environment was very immersive!
Interested in others' thoughts and whether there will be any PH players online at the point of release? It'd be nice to find a couple of people to team up with.
Managed to get a couple of hours last night before it closed and was pleasantly surprised. Felt like a hybrid of The Division meets Vigor. Mainly geared around looting and extraction with a strong PVP/PVE focus. UR5 engine being put to great use, looking good on Xbox Series X. Didn't check what the performance settings were defaulting to, but the environment was very immersive!
Interested in others' thoughts and whether there will be any PH players online at the point of release? It'd be nice to find a couple of people to team up with.
I'm not really into extraction shooters, but I have to say I really enjoyed the test over the weekend. The graphics are fantastic as is the sound design. The ARC are a genuine threat and the PvP element is always there in the back ground waiting to betray you.
I mainly play solos, but do fancy teaming up to to take down the queen.
edit: a youTube vid showing of their sound design.
I mainly play solos, but do fancy teaming up to to take down the queen.
edit: a youTube vid showing of their sound design.
Edited by Speedy11 on Thursday 23 October 16:06
That's a nice video, thank you. I did notice some of the nice audio transitions between indoor and outdoor areas. The footsteps in particular can become far louder in certain environments or when sprinting.
I pre-ordered over the weekend so I can play on Thursday afternoon. Quite looking forward to getting into this from the start.
I pre-ordered over the weekend so I can play on Thursday afternoon. Quite looking forward to getting into this from the start.
I bought this last night but didn't end up playing it and spent the afternoon getting the last of the achievements for Ball x Pit (it's on Games Pass and a must-play, it really is brilliant). That was a stroke of luck really, as some friends of mine who bought it on Steam yesterday messaged me this evening to advise me that unfortunately, Arc Raiders is a load of crap.
I'd not really watched much gameplay of it nor had I tried the server tests, so I went to check some YouTube footage and sadly, I think they were right. I did share the disappointment of many a long while ago when the devs announced that they were changing AR from a PVE focused game to an extraction shooter. They'd tried to make it look as though there was an emphasis on the PVE element but it seems like the CPU enemies are really just distractions to the PVP combat, where camping and ganking seems to be the most profitable way to play.
I should have learned really, as I've played loads of extraction shooters and found them hugely disappointing. Even The Division and Division 2, which were excellent, featured the hokey Dark Zones (and look at how much their prominence was diminished in the much better sequel). I suppose I was being naive in thinking that maybe somehow, Arc Raiders would be different.
Luckily, Xbox gave me a refund right away. It'll probably end up free to play at some point and I'll dive in for an asset gawp then. Whilst not particularly expensive at only £30, I'm reluctant to reward the developers for their pivot towards the trend rather than pursuing their original vision. Not to mention that a slew of great games has hit the marketplace recently, such that I don't have time to play anything mediocre at the minute.
I'd not really watched much gameplay of it nor had I tried the server tests, so I went to check some YouTube footage and sadly, I think they were right. I did share the disappointment of many a long while ago when the devs announced that they were changing AR from a PVE focused game to an extraction shooter. They'd tried to make it look as though there was an emphasis on the PVE element but it seems like the CPU enemies are really just distractions to the PVP combat, where camping and ganking seems to be the most profitable way to play.
I should have learned really, as I've played loads of extraction shooters and found them hugely disappointing. Even The Division and Division 2, which were excellent, featured the hokey Dark Zones (and look at how much their prominence was diminished in the much better sequel). I suppose I was being naive in thinking that maybe somehow, Arc Raiders would be different.
Luckily, Xbox gave me a refund right away. It'll probably end up free to play at some point and I'll dive in for an asset gawp then. Whilst not particularly expensive at only £30, I'm reluctant to reward the developers for their pivot towards the trend rather than pursuing their original vision. Not to mention that a slew of great games has hit the marketplace recently, such that I don't have time to play anything mediocre at the minute.
I can confirm it's a pretty miserable game. A thin veneer of style to hide what is ultimately a shallow experience. Even the town of 'Speranza' is just a menu screen. They delayed this game by 2 years to stuff in PVP and after a 5 year dev cycle, the town is a screen? That's before we get into the AI voice work, it just screams soulless cash grab.
Well, you could probably forgive that to some extent, if the gameplay was good, but it isn't. Extraction and spawn point camping is the meta, with many discussing the power of this tactic (load in, run to extraction, camp, kill someone leaving a run, take their 30 minutes worth of loot and leave, repeat every 5 minutes). Cheats are now taking hold too, with the usual aim bots and especially wall hacks being extremely powerful. It's much like Tarkov, you can play it but you're never far away from a cheater.
I think the initial hype will die down quite quickly and player numbers will shrivel as they do in virtually all extraction shooters. Arc caught public attention with its 'cassette futuristic' vibe and the promise of fighting robots for loot but in truth I think only the truly sadomasochistic sorts stick around to play them. Well, them and the cheats perhaps. You need only look at the way Tarkov's player counts exploded when they added true PVE, they even made it paid DLC and it still attracted record numbers of new and returning players because people wanted a way to play the game without having to worry about losing their loadout to a squad of coordinated cheaters.
Well, you could probably forgive that to some extent, if the gameplay was good, but it isn't. Extraction and spawn point camping is the meta, with many discussing the power of this tactic (load in, run to extraction, camp, kill someone leaving a run, take their 30 minutes worth of loot and leave, repeat every 5 minutes). Cheats are now taking hold too, with the usual aim bots and especially wall hacks being extremely powerful. It's much like Tarkov, you can play it but you're never far away from a cheater.
I think the initial hype will die down quite quickly and player numbers will shrivel as they do in virtually all extraction shooters. Arc caught public attention with its 'cassette futuristic' vibe and the promise of fighting robots for loot but in truth I think only the truly sadomasochistic sorts stick around to play them. Well, them and the cheats perhaps. You need only look at the way Tarkov's player counts exploded when they added true PVE, they even made it paid DLC and it still attracted record numbers of new and returning players because people wanted a way to play the game without having to worry about losing their loadout to a squad of coordinated cheaters.
Sounds similar to Generation Zero. I admit I got sucked into the hype and bought it but have subsequently refunded it as I know I don't really enjoy PVP games as I don't have the patience to get good.
Having mentioned it above though I do feel the need to download Generation Zero again!
Having mentioned it above though I do feel the need to download Generation Zero again!
I'll go against the grain and say that I'm finding it a welcome break from the insane pace of most free or paid modern shooters. I've found myself too old and lacking in patience for the free-for-all/TD style games and while I will agree that after spending 8+ hours in ArcRaiders so far, it does feel slightly lacking in substance at times, I'm equally enjoying the ability to define my own pace/play style.
In my opinion, it's one of those games that is more enjoyable when you don't expect so much from it. That might be however that I'm very much a casual player and what this game is giving early on is the opportunity to explore and dabble with the uncertainty of extracting safely and trusting others.
In my opinion, it's one of those games that is more enjoyable when you don't expect so much from it. That might be however that I'm very much a casual player and what this game is giving early on is the opportunity to explore and dabble with the uncertainty of extracting safely and trusting others.
OldPal said:
Shocked to see the opinions on it so far, I think it s a fantastic game. Use your mic and very quickly you will have a team to take on bigger arcs.
Some of the things you can do without the game telling you is great( riding arcs with the snap hook, throwing snitch cores at players)
Quite glad to see a different opinion - was a little surprised at the dislike so far, but do appreciate it is a change from the norm for a lot of people.Some of the things you can do without the game telling you is great( riding arcs with the snap hook, throwing snitch cores at players)
If anyone would like to have some team matches, I'd be really keen. My embark ID is Douchecanoe (I should really change that!) if anyone fancies adding me.
CypherP said:
Quite glad to see a different opinion - was a little surprised at the dislike so far, but do appreciate it is a change from the norm for a lot of people.
If anyone would like to have some team matches, I'd be really keen. My embark ID is Douchecanoe (I should really change that!) if anyone fancies adding me.
I am away this weekend till wednesday but once back will dabble a few nights after the lads asleep I am Trickstar on lobby or rick1138 on steamIf anyone would like to have some team matches, I'd be really keen. My embark ID is Douchecanoe (I should really change that!) if anyone fancies adding me.
Rick_1138 said:
I've bought this, at £40 it's not much and as a dad gamer (43) I'm in for sime dive in and have a,laugh gaming with other people.
90% of my time is single player stuff, but I like the aesthetic and if I don't like it, ill refund and get deep rock galactic for like £3
Deep Rock Galactic is an amazing game. 90% of my time is single player stuff, but I like the aesthetic and if I don't like it, ill refund and get deep rock galactic for like £3
I'm not sure I'd call Arc Raiders 'a change from the norm' or anything like that, it's the same extraction slop we've seen before with a 'cassette sci-fi' coat of paint this time around.
Mastodon2 said:
Rick_1138 said:
I've bought this, at £40 it's not much and as a dad gamer (43) I'm in for sime dive in and have a,laugh gaming with other people.
90% of my time is single player stuff, but I like the aesthetic and if I don't like it, ill refund and get deep rock galactic for like £3
Deep Rock Galactic is an amazing game. 90% of my time is single player stuff, but I like the aesthetic and if I don't like it, ill refund and get deep rock galactic for like £3
I'm not sure I'd call Arc Raiders 'a change from the norm' or anything like that, it's the same extraction slop we've seen before with a 'cassette sci-fi' coat of paint this time around.
I got this at the weekend and really enjoying it, in between playing Battlefield 6.
Found it a little overwhelming at first trying to manage the stash and being paranoid about selling or recycling stuff I'd later need. Played a good mix of solo and duos with a mate. Both totally different which I love.
I find playing solo, I try to be more stealthy and go in and straight out once I've done my quest or found what I'm looking for. Also find most other players willing to not get into a gun fight and often extract together.
In duos it's more willing to explore about and get into pvp fights, taking on bigger arc etc. Been finding that I die way more in duos over solo.
Overall enjoying it, hoping it will last and not become too stale (like most games for me!).
Found it a little overwhelming at first trying to manage the stash and being paranoid about selling or recycling stuff I'd later need. Played a good mix of solo and duos with a mate. Both totally different which I love.
I find playing solo, I try to be more stealthy and go in and straight out once I've done my quest or found what I'm looking for. Also find most other players willing to not get into a gun fight and often extract together.
In duos it's more willing to explore about and get into pvp fights, taking on bigger arc etc. Been finding that I die way more in duos over solo.
Overall enjoying it, hoping it will last and not become too stale (like most games for me!).
Still having a blast on this. The new map is a lot like labs in tarkov.
The co-op aspect of it is starting to die and everyone is killing on sight but I went into raids with nothing but a flute and it was hilarious. Hit the weapon boxes on top of spaceport and got two wolf packs, helped two players kill a bombadier then vanished after playing the flute and could just hear the two of them pissing themselves.
The co-op aspect of it is starting to die and everyone is killing on sight but I went into raids with nothing but a flute and it was hilarious. Hit the weapon boxes on top of spaceport and got two wolf packs, helped two players kill a bombadier then vanished after playing the flute and could just hear the two of them pissing themselves.
OldPal said:
Still having a blast on this. The new map is a lot like labs in tarkov.
The co-op aspect of it is starting to die and everyone is killing on sight but I went into raids with nothing but a flute and it was hilarious. Hit the weapon boxes on top of spaceport and got two wolf packs, helped two players kill a bombadier then vanished after playing the flute and could just hear the two of them pissing themselves.
Those are the kinds of games I'm really enjoying stumbling into as well! The co-op aspect of it is starting to die and everyone is killing on sight but I went into raids with nothing but a flute and it was hilarious. Hit the weapon boxes on top of spaceport and got two wolf packs, helped two players kill a bombadier then vanished after playing the flute and could just hear the two of them pissing themselves.
Agreed on a high percentage of games ending up in instant attacks, even in mostly solo servers, but then in contrast, I played for a couple of hours last night and didn't engage a single other player. Had some great games combining forces with multiple other solos to take down Rocketeers and Bastions and had a brilliant time doing it!
Sound design in this game is incredible, particularly the proximity voice. It really sounds like it's in the environment you're in, if that makes sense.
Have had mostly good experiences playing solo, although come across the odd kill-on-sight player. You are at a real handicap in my opinion not shooting first, as often an initial volley (or even just a single shot) will wipe your shields and leave you on low health. I've won the odd fight where someone has shot first, but more often than not I've just been ganked before I even realised what was happening.
Losing your gear several games in a row gets tiresome pretty quickly, even with the option of a free loadout. Just feels like you've flushed 30 mins of your life away, really, since there's not much to be learned from the experiences, in my opinion. Again - shooting first or being openly hostile is probably a safer bet, but I don't want to play like that to be honest.
Grouped up with another 2 mates - and man - that's a different experience entirely. I can only presume matchmaking means you get grouped up with other teams of 3, since I didn't see any solo player once in 4 games. Of course - trios means it becomes Team Deathmatch, on every map.
After last nights session I'm further back then I started, and pretty much having to run free kits to get basic resources again. Sucks to suck I guess.
Have had mostly good experiences playing solo, although come across the odd kill-on-sight player. You are at a real handicap in my opinion not shooting first, as often an initial volley (or even just a single shot) will wipe your shields and leave you on low health. I've won the odd fight where someone has shot first, but more often than not I've just been ganked before I even realised what was happening.
Losing your gear several games in a row gets tiresome pretty quickly, even with the option of a free loadout. Just feels like you've flushed 30 mins of your life away, really, since there's not much to be learned from the experiences, in my opinion. Again - shooting first or being openly hostile is probably a safer bet, but I don't want to play like that to be honest.
Grouped up with another 2 mates - and man - that's a different experience entirely. I can only presume matchmaking means you get grouped up with other teams of 3, since I didn't see any solo player once in 4 games. Of course - trios means it becomes Team Deathmatch, on every map.
After last nights session I'm further back then I started, and pretty much having to run free kits to get basic resources again. Sucks to suck I guess.
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