What lies beneath opinion [Spoilers]

[hugo.4705]

So a new map release, and as usual I just wanted to share what I think of it and how good i find the differents aspects as I did with all Ls4- Ls5 (ibs saga) and cantha.

So well, will speak about story, map design, gameplays mechanics, events, ambient.....

 

Story

To start, that new map called Gyala Delve. The map is a progression between the surface and going deeper and deeper underground, a structure that can remind the left part of dry top or tangled depths maps. The story is pretty clear that something is weird about this place kinda like bjora marches it is question of being driven insane by evil forces. As the story starts with Rama and Gorrik and Yao which to me form an excellent trio, it is nice to see that the detective agency was created. We are sent on the place to investigate, and I found the investigation part talking with everyone interesting.

But then after meeting some jade brotherhood driven insane attacking chul moo, we are tasked to well, collect samples of jade to see uts reaction with the void or scanning hot spots. Suddendly we are just tasked of doing some events and boom as part of the story we escort, blow a stone wall, go deeper in a ley line hub and then go into the platforms room to defeat I suppose a demon called the ravener.

I think the story steps don't reflect what the story want to convey. Since outside, investigation part, it is said it is very dangerous underground, that they hear wall talking, and we can think maybe hallucinations.

The player/commander and its friends progress too easily underground. We go in it like it is just a randon walk whereas the area is a combination of Bjora Marches mental cognitohazard and Verdant brink creatures dangerosity level. It is totally incomprehensible the area isn't under quarantine or having more security checkpoints.

Indeed even near the surface, first underground area, miners and personels are already driven crazy. I think it is too abrupt. In the first outpost, jadepillar, I would have put 75% sane workers and 25% that are rebellous, screaming, attacking others and mechs/their friends trying to resonate them. At behemoth point, like 50% sane and 50% insane because of the giant drill fell down keeping doing an nuke alert alarm and all the void energy coming out the hole, finally for jade pools, 75% insane and 25% sane but the sane are all dead and can be revived because knocked out by the rest. 

It is too direct the story is told, there should have been a step to reach jadepillar then investigate, speak to personel, then going to behemoth to know why the mega cutter drill fell down and the fact they found a void energy vein/miasma, and lastly jade pools to learn why no more extracted jade come from them to supply others garrisons and the surface.

This story had great potential, but the story steps doesn't fit, only restaurant and outside investigation fit the theme. Of investigation. So I can only put a 13/20. Good base idea, badly realized. So keep up the good work! And maybe try to stick to the main feeo/idea to convey, not going multiple path.

 

Map Design

Let's continue with map design. The environment is neat, frankly, this is one of the best underground designed. It is a nice detail that there are creatures in the walls of jade, the underground isn't uniform, with hydrothermal/volcanic green pools, quartz cavern, mushroom area reminding ??? Talking shrooms of jahai bluffs, the deep faults, fossils and Orr like assets like ursins and corals. The jade brotherhood mining outposts fit totally in the scenery, it industrializes not too much the map but still keeps the feels of high tech. It only kind of feel odd that the brotherhood didn't made jade lanterns paths like in echovald forest to help the miner find their way to outpost or exit.

Where the mega drills are it feels very natural how the rocks are broken around them, the fallen one in the dark hole is a nice touch. In dry top I was already fan of the ley line network, and here, they ley line hub is cool too. The astral cavern is very cozy and remind of sone caves of Draconis Mons or around Rata Novus. The cave that host the champion abyssal at the end of meta is mystic with its islet and willow wisp, it is sinister.  Those great designs proove it is possible to make cool looking underground, seriously, take that map, replace jade by lava and fire, outposts by asuran ruins or structures rata novus like and you have an asuea/primordius map, sad it is too late.

The map design so in sum is very cool and does convey a feeling of being unsecure that creepy stuff can happens here so it worths a 17/20. Good job to the team, awesome work.

 

Gameplay

Now about gameplay/ replayability. The first big issues are keycard. I am sorry, you can't give 5 caches each events and even make some appear when killing enemies whereas in another hand, limit the ones purchasable to merchants, and makes then drops only rarely during event. The contains of caches are really bad, and doesn't push me to seek them. In addition of that the cost of materials needed to buy keycards to open caches are more expensive than what loot the caches making against the whole thing stupid.

In term of exploration, sure all the locations are available, but those annoying claw symbol walls prevent taking shortcut in addition of forcing to take the turtle mount, that again I aldready told you about this issue, is useless without copilot. Each meta event requires turtle mounts.... destroy those generators with turtles.... destroy those doors with turtle..... break walls with turtles...... god. Please. Like drizzlewood, at least allow us to purchases jade powered siege weapons like canons or whatever using research note. Or even better! You boost by a lot jade miner keycard and make it used to purchase siege weapons!

Finally since it is gameplay have to speak about it here, the air filter system. Let's be serious, it may have sounded like a cool idea, but again it is badly implemented. When running out of it, we are affected by conditions which prevent to wp away. I would prefer to be killed, not losing time and waypoint away to rejoin rapidly. Also, it miss immersion. If without filter, I would like to see hallucinations, hear voices, saw some allies as enemies! Really! This is more realistic, lore and immersion friendly! Everyone says it is dangerous! Gorrik check 1 million times if we are okay with com when exploring during story! Go at the end of the concept/idea, and makes the area as disturbing as bjora marches if we breath the void gaz without filter. Due to all those issues, this will be one if the worst rating, 5/20.

 

Events

Events.... well I already said in the past how I find areas with only like 5 types of events. Bad. But let me explain here. Firstly, get rid of the upper zone event "revive and subdue jade wasps mechs" this is just braindead and make you lose IQ. Really, just foes popping from time to time, killing one just progress 1 or 2% of the bar, doing it 50 times, reviving them... plainly dumb. To replace. Really. Worst event ever seen. No context just foes tgat spawns already dead or need to be killed then revived. Fed up with that one.

Then we have what I will call, flavor events, here just for achievements, let's be true: Void harasser/callers don't remember names, the ambushes and jade botherhood capture/defense events. Since I started playing, I never saw a single ambush.... please.... like bjora marches, make them have a special symbol or whatever, I don't know what they look like... my experience so far is 50% slain creatures and 50% kill agitators!!! It's horrible! It feels like there are only 2 events copy pasted all over the place. 

What remains are just the escorts and fighting the wanderer/ the bosses after it.

It makes me so sad... the jade brotherhood outpost feels so dead..... you could have put like in thunderhead peaks at least cheering event to motivate the miners or check the ones that have mental issues or disoriented... and I mean... it is an hostile environment? No? Why instead of twisted brotherhoods, there are not demons , ataxes or shades attacking? I find it stupid to break their forcefields doors, there should be an event to restore them with jade vattery afterward or about building barricades.

But I tell you what it miss the most, the feeling of being alive, of connections. The outside quarry obviously put pressure on the workers to supply jade, surely the company hmm MineTec, MinSys? Wants productivity and ton of jade quantity. So I don't see why, when the control of outpost is reastablished, that we don't escort jade floating carts to the surface regularly. Or like, securizing supply lines. 

Currently it is just do random events around the outposts, just why? Those creatures aren't even attacking it! The agitators feels more like lost peoples than a threat... why a genocide of crazy humans whereas we can't even be ourselves at theur place to understand the situation?

I will finish that part on that ravener. Weird choice of boss. Gonna be honest, in the same room, there are 3 giant alien like tentacles with mouths... why... just why are we fighting, a long boring fight in which we don't understand when it ends or what to do, whereas we could have fought against an interesting, 3 tentacles beast, that suits the definition of Largos, quaggans or Priory of tentacles horrors in the deeps of tge sea? The creature isn't even in jade and is fed with leyline!

So yup the fight, make it more clear about what to do? The boss has to be killed like what, 5 times? Always same attacks of fractal agony like orbs, then like a deadly attack with shield reminding ensolys from tower of nightmare fractals. Even the captures of brotherhood outposts are just like stay near that fractal agony orb reskinned as cloud and emiting agony balls. Frankly would prefer legendary Ley line infused bounty like brotherhood or demon or ley line anomaly for the deepest outpost instead of a swarm of foes and agony like ball.

So well.  It does impact the overall fun, but it isn't the worst as mechanics and gameplay. But still, 8/20.

 

Ambiance

I'm very fan of those. And I'm highly disapointed. Didn't spotted so far anything. Not even foes having interactions or emotes like in drizzlewood, tgose frost legions talking together, sone other dancing or talking about the good guys. In story it is mentionned like crazy stuffs: someone locked itself because crazy, a dude but chul moo, many spoke backwards, heard whispers from walls. Crazy stuffs, would like to see more enemies screaming, doing backward stuffs or talking unintelligible dialogues! Not a lot of talk options too. So here 5/20 too.

 

That's it, if there is another map part, makes it way better. Because as a final rate combining all it is 48/100 so a little less than 10/20.

Will not speak of reward. Just found the jade tech visor cool along minister hat and xunlai detector skin. So thanks for them.

Edited March 2 by hugo.4705
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