[Ravenhearth]

New release date announced

[Ravenhearth]

Preview and Interview by RPG Codex

[rotator]

Well, my friends, the latest Mass Effect: Andromeda gameplay video features the exact same jetpack Elex is going to have and it looks very good and organic to the action. People are already talking about it what a cool feature it is. (To be honest in Mass Effect 3 one of the multiplayer characters had jetpack, but that was only used for dodging.) Fingers crossed.

[Ravenhearth]

What do you think, which PB game has the best melee system?

[The Ore Baron]

Take this as a bunch of ambitious devs and pull your shit together.

Can't force creativity.
I think PB's trying their hardest, but the standard is set too high.
Not to mention that a significant part of the team has changed over the years.

Can't expect them to come up with something better than NotR with every game, as much as I'd like that.
That doesn't mean ELEX won't be enjoyable.

[Bamfy]

Look, notr wasn't even original story, bad dragons coming to kill and all that so thats the creativity behind notr(G1 was the original one, at least in my books).
So even if the game lacked creative story, it worked marvelous.

But they keep going on creating these features but nobody can have a ponytail, you have a jetpack but you can't climb a 1 feet rock, you were a freaking pirate but you still couldn't dive in the water. Were these setbacks in one game or in all games after g2?

And here is the feeling of laziness, they add these features nobody cares about but what we are vocal about they don't do anything. They work around it, not on it.

If PB were trying their best, they would realize their engine is complete garbage and that they should create a game around its story, not around some features of some cheap ass engine.

[catalinux]

So many years later after Gothic 1, I'd like to be able to build myself a damn campfire wherever I want.

[Forward]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPLJgU5SOvY

april 1 fools? that animations though... I'm outta here!

[Ravenhearth]

On IGN's Youtube channel an official prologue trailer of Elex has been released, which tells us the history of Magalan through animated artworks and narration. The four factions and the hero, Jax, are a topic as well. You can see the english video below:
(News)

[Video]

[The Ore Baron]

Looks good, honestly. Nice art, solid summary of the backstory.

Although the trailer doesn't really explain how exactly did elex make Albs "stronger". Just better focus and stamina? Doesn't sound that great. They probably consider themselves the next step in human evolution or something. Cleric technology and Berserker magic still sound more fun, tho.

And I still see no reason to join the Outlaws.
>no clear goal
>no power hierarchy
>LMAO DRUGS
Degenerate scum. I'm joining the Clerics and purging them all with laser fire.

I wonder if Albs themselves will be a joinable faction... We'll probably get some bullshit like "Nah, dude, you've already felt them emotions, man. Sorry, no can do, you're tainted now, can't take you back, son."

[Morgannin09]

>no clear goal
>no power hierarchy
>LMAO DRUGS

The goal is just "freedom." No answering to tyrants, no authority dictating who can do what, just everyone working together when it's convenient and survival of the fittest. Embracing the disorder of the apocalypse instead of yearning for the yoke all over again.

I wonder if Albs themselves will be a joinable faction... We'll probably get some bullshit like "Nah, dude, you've already felt them emotions, man. Sorry, no can do, you're tainted now, can't take you back, son."

I do think it's just that simple. They don't know if they can trust you anymore. You were their highest profile leader and now suddenly you've experienced something that is completely taboo in their organization. And by the time you reach them again, you will clearly have met the other factions on non-hostile terms, so in this virgin experience with your new emotions, who knows what kind of loyalties you may have made?

Although the trailer doesn't really explain how exactly did elex make Albs "stronger". Just better focus and stamina? Doesn't sound that great. They probably consider themselves the next step in human evolution or something.

The only thing I can assume is that they've mastered the means of refining it, or have become capable of consuming it in its raw, most powerful form (as opposed to the other factions, who have to "cook" it into something else that's easier to control).

What I'm most curious about is the line that the Outlaws consume the drugs to "free their minds." That implies some kind of mental or psychic benefit versus a sheer physical enhancement via their Elex drugs. Yet so far the Outlaws are implied to just be a faction of thugs, with physical violence being their primary means to an end.

[Dez]

I admit the trailer actually peaked my intrest. Good honest story telling which is comforting. And really well drawn art too! Pbs should do more these kind of mini trailers to promote their game. Make us care about this world, make us understand the setting more. Make us belive in the magic of Elex. Are you listening pbs?

As for the Albs' motivation to rule is still not something I can relate to at all. Lets hope there is more than suppressing emotions just because of it would make me stronger, better etc. There has to be a bigger reason for them to do that kind of sacrifice. I mean i get we need a villain, but I'm hoping there is more nuance in Albs faction than meets the eye.

And by the way I really dig the new screenshots! the new screenies have more realistic vibe which I find intresting. The increase in graphical quality is remarkable. Extra development time really shows and the game is shaping up.

ps. long time no see guys.

[Ravenhearth]

German Let's Player "Gronkh" has released a preview of Elex on his Youtube channel. Together with Björn Pankratz from Piranha Bytes he's playing the game right from it's start. The preview is going to be 3 hours in total and the first video is 40 minutes. (News)

[Video]

[The Ore Baron]

Interesting. I'll watch it later.
EDIT: Oh wait, it's purely in German.

I wonder if Morgannin still visits these forums. His analysis videos were top notch.

[Morgannin09]

Interesting. I'll watch it later.
EDIT: Oh wait, it's purely in German.

I wonder if Morgannin still visits these forums. His analysis videos were top notch.

If I don't, then I wonder who the hell replied to your post the other day I'm working on a new video once I get some support translating some annotations for Gronkh's video so I know what they were talking about.

[The Ore Baron]

If I don't, then I wonder who the hell replied to your post the other day

My brain must've short-circuited for a moment there.
Sorry.

Some observations from the video:

* Looks and plays almost exactly like Risen 2/3. Good think we at least get the jetpack at he start of the game, although it doesn't seem to add much to the game so far.
* Facial animations are quite mediocre, character models don't look all that good, either. Somehow even worse than in Risen 1/2/3.
* I don't like the white outline around focused objects. We'll probably be able to turn it off, though.
* On-screen prompts for climbing onto things is also annoying.
* Item icons are just black and white stencil symbols, not colored pictures. Makes the inventory look very dull. I understand it is a stylistic choice, but I'd prefer more color.
* Heck, the entire HUD looks dull.
* Fur on the berserker's armour looks too static, compared to the hair on the character's head, at least.
* Character got experience points after dying. A small mistake, easily ignored, but easily fixed, as well.
* The weird elongated grunt the PC makes when using the jetpack is just ridiculous.

* Enemies seem to have an endurance/stamina bar under their health bar. This reminds me of NIOH, where tracking enemy's stamina can help in a battle, for example attacking them when they're tired and can't defend effectively. I wonder if ELEX has something like that. Then again, in the video, the green bar is always static and doesn't change in color, so maybe that's just a random line.
* It seems like the player had some problem switching between locked-on targets. It might have been his mistake, not the game's, though.

* World itself looks nice and detailed so far, I can't wait to explore it more.
* Picking up audio cassettes for lore/backstory is a nice idea.
* It seems that cigarettes will be used as an alternative sort of currency. Another cool idea.

[Morgannin09]

I don't know what the fascination is with sci-fi games and sleek, simplistic HUD icons. It really does annoy me. Especially for a post-apocalypse game, I would hope for something a bit more industrial and decayed looking, but given that it's all supposed to look like an interface on his smart watch thing, it should at least look more digital. But their icons have been getting more "basic" looking as time goes on, because they want them to look stylish and artsy as opposed to just being a thumbnail of the actual 3D model.

I'm a little weirded out by the apparent combination of their stylistic sort of "pastel" look of the Risen games and the greater attempt to be more realistic. The graphics just already look dated, I mean I've seen worse looking games come out lately but I do think that if they can't keep up with modern graphical standards, they should pick a less conventional art style and make something iconic about it. I actually kind of liked the look of Risen 2 and 3 in general, where everything looked a bit more like it was painted rather than organic. Still, they definitely need to work on hair and fur to look more like strands and less like molded rubber. I don't necessarily expect hair physics ala Witcher 3 or even Bloodborne, but something a bit more natural and less rubbery, at least.

The Dx11 effects do a good job of masking the otherwise dated look in general, though, at least in a zoomed out view.

I don't expect the facial animations to ever look natural because so many AAA games nowadays use Hollywood mo-cap techniques nowadays, and it gets very wonky once you start messing with the facial details on different characters. As long as we don't get something as bizarre as Shax in R3.

I think the character models look "worse" simply because they're more generic. Say what you will about Risen, but they definitely had a style to it, as opposed to just "angry shaved white guy." Hopefully further characters get more interesting. It only makes sense that the disciplined, militaristic Albs would be very stark and plain looking.

[Ravenhearth]

* The weird elongated grunt the PC makes when using the jetpack is just ridiculous.

You mean the one starting at 35:18? I'm pretty sure Björn made that noise.

[The Ore Baron]

You mean the one starting at 35:18? I'm pretty sure Björn made that noise.

That's what I thought at first. But then it happened again at 36:20, and it did not seem like it was Björn making it. I just rewatched those two parts of the video, however, and it seems it was Björn after all. Sorry.

[Ravenhearth]

Here's the second video (News):

[Video]