Post Anything Here About the Demo

[Sailor Midgard]

To begin, I am loving this so far. I have been having a blast, not only checking out the combat but getting to snoop around and getting that tasty background stuff from the intro vids. Even though the arena is limited I have honestly been having fun just killing these Legionairres over and over. But onto the listing of things.

 

Likes-

I love the music being related to attacking. Always have always will.

It feels great hearing a hearty [iSPOILER]Vae Victis[/iSPOILER] again.

I also swear I saw a [iSPOILER]mug fit for a weary traveler from a distant city.[/iSPOILER] Edit: Turns out it was a piece of pottery that got knocked near an enemies hand.

The blood pooling together to form bigger pools is awesome.

You can see the shadows of the vines hanging at the very top of the cave on the arena, scared me at first. Thought I was gonna get eatin by a surprise boss.

The setting is very well done, showing the many doors almost like possibilities waiting to be explored and each realm is easy to tell apart

The character models look really good as well. Love seeing their heads pop off when I use exsanguinate, like the cork popping out of a good mead

I like having the debug options showing enemy armor, balance, and health for checking thing. As well as FPS.

 

Things I'd Like to see-

Zorin

An animation letting us know if we are getting interrupted in attacks, so we can tell if we are stunned/ staggered vs just not attacking for some reason.

Something a bit smoother on the Maul attacks

When Zorin speaks it can get really hard to hear with everything going on, I have heard him say several lines but only understood two

Maybe an intro animation when starting the game, him throwing down a human he just feasted on or something

A less sensitive mist transform into the magical realm

 

Enemies

Would like to see them slip and fall in the blood sometimes, this would be a good thing for breaking someone away from the herd

Some begging for lives would be a nice addition to the atmosphere of this fine dining establishment

When they taunt maybe have them pause and point a blade take a stance so I know who to go after next

A Boss Wave with a bigger enemy, but sometimes you cant see it because we need to change realms

 

Arena

I know it will sound like blasphemy but... a way to clean up the blood. I couldn't tell but later into the demo I did start dropping frames. I am unsure if this is related to the amount of blood but a way to check would be to be able to "turn it off." A way to do this and stay thematic would be a shrine or something that could absorb the blood. Then as a way to reward a player for this you can pump the blood back into the arena "The Shining elevator style" or have the pillars begin to bleed, something along these lines.

Some intractable items in the arena would be nice. Not just cosmetic but mechanical as well. Have the fire pit in the corner be able to be lit up. Possibly even have a small cave in with some rocks falling. This could be tied to the blood clean up idea, feed the arena to get the arena itself to help you. This would be good for showing off the "Dungeon Master" system, using the blood as points to "purchase traps" and such.

Changes to the arena as we play, maybe show off the lighting abilities of the day night cycle. Possibly even having it affect Zorin making us have to dodge patches of sun.

I see a lot of rats around the arena, maybe have a number of them swarm a corpse every now and then to clean up the bodies.

Give the Bat Form Demo an AOE knockdown and a cooldown ( I spammed R at one point, this turned out to be a bad idea)

 

In the end this Demo is still much more than I expected to be honest. I truly enjoy everything the team has done so far and it has made me excited to see what more is in store us in the demo and the release itself. Keep up the astounding work all, and thank you.

Edited April 6, 2022 by Sailor Midgard

[Temuldjin]

Right out of the gate feedback regarding movement.

 

Can we get the option to change how the movement works? ( " Key bindings " to alter what keys are bound to what buttons. )

 

Instead of the " a " button turns you're character to the left and makes him run left, and the " s " button turning yourself towards the camera and running towards the screen, and " d " turns you're character right and makes him run to the right.

 

Could we get the option to change that to " Strafe " left, run " Backwards " and strafe " right " instead? as a Keyboard and Mouse player I would prefer If I could be more in control of where my character is facing and how he is turning, through 20+ years of being a PC gamer with Keyboard and Mouse I've gotten accustom to be able to control the camera with my mouse which leaves me with more options for precise combat focused movement controls of the character itself. (always being able to face my opponent even if I am moving)

 

Regarding the Camera: I would like to be able to alter the speed with which I can turn the camera when I move the mouse.

 

Personally I would like to Increase the speed which the camera rotates around you as it is right now it feels to " slow " compared to my preferences. (for others it might be just right, or to fast and they want to decrease the speed) regardless, having the ability to alter this would help people customize the game to their preferred " playstyle "

 

Regarding key binds.

 

Can we get the options to alter any and all buttons? Reasons: For example some left handed people use their right hand on the arrow keys and their left hand for the mouse.

[Varik Keldun]

-A sound/settings menu would be great just to adjust the volume.

you can press F2 on the keyboard to bring up the debug menu, I do believe you can adjust sound from there. (not an official sound setting menu but it's something)

[Dumpins]

When the arena gets more and more bloody my FPS gets pretty low down in to 35ish. But before that I was surprised it runs very good. The controls feel a little delayed.

[Rx_Bishop_MD]

First off I want to say being able to just sit down and play this after being a part of this community is amazing. The demo itself seemed to start up a little rough but smoothed out within seconds so there isnt a real issue there it seems. Definitely could have been a thing on my end.

 

The Tarot video was awesome.

 

I havent done much in terms of searching for bugs...but a few things imo that might feel/look better:

 

- Using the mace seems to have a frame or two of missing animation when holding the attack button. Zorin seems to "snap back" into place when starting the combo over again. When letting go of the attack after the third hit he naturally moves back down into a starting stance.

 

- In regards to the Mace combo it would be nice to move around just like with your normal attack.

 

- Im not a fan of the targeting system and would maybe prefer for a hot key to lock on to the closest enemy instead.

 

- Exsanguinate feels nice to pull off but without targeting the enemy needs to be in front of you. So for example if you are running around to get away hitting the attack does nothing and breaks the flow of movement. You have to stop running then face the enemy to pull of the attack. Becomes more of a problem when you have multiple enemies.

 

 

Thats all I have at the moment. Im loving this so much glad to be a part of it!

I wanted to add to my list here.

 

Targeting:

While I love the hard target, I feel it would be nice to have the ability to cycle through targets, while that be scrolling the mouse wheel or a tap of a button to go to next closest or go to farthest.

 

Combat:

Holding the attack button is really nice to just be able to do the combos but I would love to see something that could incorporate a charge attack. (I dont know how other games work in this field and I normally play Controller but here I am doing mouse and keyboard) Many may not like the idea of continuously clicking the mouse but maybe that could feed into some sort of combo system. i.e. Hold M1 to charge + click + click + hold charge/hold extended combo.

[Elveone]

Here are some ideas to improve the combat:

 

I do not like the current system where you just string random attacks by either repeatedly clicking or holding the attack button. I would like to be able to execute different combos by utilizing different inputs with each combo having some different characteristics like a certain combo finisher being able to knock enemies into the air or a different one being able to break through enemy blocks, etc. There are single or multiple button approaches to how this can be achieved.

 

The first single button approach would be having timing-dependent combos. For example the basic 4 attacks chain would require the input(with a mouse) LMB, LMB, LMB, LMB but an alternative attack combo could be LMB LMB pause LMB LMB LMB. Basically where the pause is in the chain determines the combo branch you go down.

 

The second single button approach can be having a slightly longer input for heavy attack input. For example we have the same basic 4 attack chain as in the previous example - LMB, LMB, LMB, LMB, but we also have a different heavy attack chain that would be LMB(hold), LMB(hold), LMB(hold) or a branching chain that would be LMB, LMB(hold), LMB, LMB. This method could be a little bit more awkward than the previous one but it can be fun to experiment with and it is possible to have the hold attacks charge up over time for increased effects.

 

The two button approach is like the previous approach but having a dedicated buttons for light and heavy attacks. I know that you should be able to assign different abilities to different buttons but doesn't the basic combat system deserve to have two separate buttons assigned to it? Even if we stick with single button per ability you could do a system where the initial press of a button selects the ability you start a combo chain with and subsequent inputs can be combos with that ability. This poses a problem when you want to quickly use the ability in the slot that is used for the secondary button input but it is possible to avoid that problem by having a hold on that button cancelling out of the combo an executing the ability in that slot instead. If the ability in that slot is a different weapon it is even possible to make holding the second ability button to trigger a special switch to that weapon move or even a combo move that utilizes the weapons in both slots.

 

Of course all three approaches could be mixed-and-matched - you can have two button approach with charging attacks(for the first weapon), or a single button approach that utilizes both pause and hold combos or it could even be character class or weapon-dependent.

 

Independent of the combo system I would also like to see Guard and Parry-and-riposte options as well as a Perfect-Dodge addition to the dodge-system that is basically the dodging equivalent of parry-and-riposte. A counter-attack option where you attack in a specific moment during enemy attack to parry it could also be fun to experiment with.

 

The stagger is good but possibly additional attack effects can be implemented on certain attacks like knock-down, knock-up and knock-back. I am also partial to jumping into the air after an enemy has been knocked up and comboing the enemy there but that is lower on the wish list for now.

[Temuldjin]

Currently, my 3 biggest problems with the Demo are the following:

 

1: There are no "hit feedback" after hitting an enemy with the mace like there is with the sword (you can stun-lock enemies with the sword, you cannot do that with the mace, also when you hit a shield unit with a mace attack it can take up to 1 second after the attack before the hit registrars.

 

2: The fact that you cannot "un-pause" the game by pressing Esc again. (you can pause the game just fine by pressing escape, but you have to Press Resume with the mouse to get out of " Pause "

 

3: The fact that there are no Rupees in the Pots.

[Temuldjin]

- I have already lost count of the amount of times where my 'tap' of the spacebar was just a bit too long and I kicked myself into the Magickal realm, instead of just dodging (no I am not salty about the awesome music getting cut off, what are you talking about!?). I would appreciate it if the dodge could either be a seperate key, or the timing would not be as punishing, since now it feels as though I am getting punished by losing all bloodlust for dodging, and the enemy usually ends up hitting me since I am still where I was dodging from.

I keep running in to this problem too.

[Lord Scara]

I hear mention of incorporating a melee combo system this has been tried in Warframe it grew to be considered ultimately too intensive to be done on a case by case basis, they ultimately had to simplify it so the combos were easier to pull off (example: no directional button + melee was one combo and Directional button and melee was a separate combo)

[Elveone]

I hear mention of incorporating a melee combo system this has been tried in Warframe it grew to be considered ultimately too intensive to be done on a case by case basis, they ultimately had to simplify it so the combos were easier to pull off (example: no directional button + melee was one combo and Directional button and melee was a separate combo)

Yeah, the problem with that is that Warframe is a shooter and what players in that game want is to clear the levels faster, they do not want challenge.

[Golden Xan]

It is a myth that, for features to have variety and depth, they need to be complex. Simple systems, with smart implementations, can have amazing depth. I am often in favor of complexity, but I am more in favor of intelligent solutions. We will certainly experiment with many different systems to get a feel for what is best, and the community's testing will be useful in tweaking these implementations.

 

I do believe the next step will be to bring some more variety to combat. I am in favor of systems that require skill more so than mindless repetitive actions.

[Varik Keldun]

It is a myth that, for features to have variety and depth, they need to be complex. Simple systems, with smart implementations, can have amazing depth. I am often in favor of complexity, but I am more in favor of intelligent solutions. We will certainly experiment with many different systems to get a feel for what is best, and the community's testing will be useful in tweaking these implementations.

 

I do believe the next step will be to bring some more variety to combat. I am in favor of systems that require skill more so than mindless repetitive actions.

Xan coming in with the best answer!

[Elveone]

It is a myth that, for features to have variety and depth, they need to be complex. Simple systems, with smart implementations, can have amazing depth. I am often in favor of complexity, but I am more in favor of intelligent solutions. We will certainly experiment with many different systems to get a feel for what is best, and the community's testing will be useful in tweaking these implementations.

 

I do believe the next step will be to bring some more variety to combat. I am in favor of systems that require skill more so than mindless repetitive actions.

Well, complex means having many different interconnected parts, variety means having many different things which is half of complexity and depth itself means complexity and profundity of thought and having more to the system than it appears at first glance. Basically variety and depth combined imply complexity because complexity itself is how variety interacts in a deep way. The best systems are not the ones that are either simple or complex but ones that are both - easy to learn but hard to master as the saying goes.

[Lord Scara]

In regards to motion sickness...i have experienced it and i believe its due to the current performance, feeling like suddenly hitting a brick wall after some animations (sudden stop).

[Lord Scara]

In regards to motion sickness...i have experienced it and i believe its due to the current performance, feeling like suddenly hitting a brick wall after some animations (sudden stop).

tested it again to see if it was a fluke and got hit motion sickness again i think it comes down to the Field of View being to narrow being right behind Zorin's model makes me feel like i am hitting a wall physically when a teleport occurs.

[Meta]

Howdy, had a chance to play the current iteration last night a bit. Gotta say it felt pretty good for an early batch.

Loved the telekinesis ragdolling. Note that some enemies do get stuck on/behind terrain after being tossed like hackeysacks.

One thing that comes to mind for me that I didn't see mentioned 13 times already by everyone else is that sometimes the blood spatter decals on the terrain pop in.

I agree with other folks that the mace needs a bit of TLC to it, maybe a slower step forward during the attack (compared to sword) so the attack arc has an easier time hitting the enemies, who love keeping their distance (understandably).

Another thing is that after being in there for a while (10-15 waves maybe), it seems like Zorin's feet get possessed and won't stop moving when the rest of him does. He has happy feet.

As far as other potential improvements goes, for the enemy AI (and I'm sure y'all were already planning on doing something like this) you might try having one rarely decide to lose his composure and go for an all out assault against you, sprinting toward you, swinging wildly, and yelling. That would make for some nice variety in pacing. After attacking wildly for about 10-20 seconds he can calm down and act normal again (if he's still alive💀). You might also be able to cancel his fervor by slamming him with telekinesis.

One other thing that I'm not sure if I saw or just imagined, dented armor? Armor being torn off by the force of our blows is very cool and I'm glad that already got added in, but did I imagine it when I briefly glimpsed one soldier's helmet get caved in on one side from a blow during my combos? If not in already, I hope that's still planned.

It doesn't run stupendously well right now, I'm mostly getting some very minor tremors/stutters, but I expect the optimization will be coming down the line later on.

I think I gave my specs somewhere else a while ago, but here, for y'all's notes:

Gfx card - GTX Zotac AMP EXTREME! 1080 ti 11gb

Mobo - ASUS PRIME Z370-A

Processor - Intel® Core i7-8700K CPU @ 3.70GHz

RAM - G.Skill Trident Z Royal 40 GB DDR4-2133 CL19 Memory (weird numbers here, I know, as far as I can tell they don't make these anymore)

Monitor - LG ULTRAWIDE 34" (only a 60hz refresh rate, so I'm locked to 60fps at best🥺, planning on upgrading here sometime soon)

[Varik Keldun]

Another thing is that after being in there for a while (10-15 waves maybe), it seems like Zorin's feet get possessed and won't stop moving when the rest of him does. He has happy feet.

I have also noticed this as well.

One other thing that I'm not sure if I saw or just imagined, dented armor? Armor being torn off by the force of our blows is very cool and I'm glad that already got added in, but did I imagine it when I briefly glimpsed one soldier's helmet get caved in on one side from a blow during my combos? If not in already, I hope that's still planned.

It is there - took me a couple of tries but I got a good screen shot.

[Varik Keldun]

I did come across a potential problem with the telekinesis - when you have enough blood lust to dash attack and you toss enemies up into the air I was able to teleport attack them 40 ft up in the air landing out of bounds or even on the top ledge - def fun to explore but I did manage to fall off the face of the earth again.

Suggestion - invisible walls that surround the area to prevent out of bounds.

[Rx_Bishop_MD]

Suggestion: Ability to throw enemies in the air as the werebat catches them and eats them/flies away

[Rx_Bishop_MD]

Suggestion: can we have an idle screen where a spirit comes out and sweeps the blood?? that would be awesome. As Faceless also said maybe animated loading screen

[Lord Scara]

One point of criticism I had no idea that holding a button down had any effect till I clicked on the new video on telekinesis, might want to make this more apparent...before I realized this I was rather underwhelmed with the power level of the vampire and I am sure once this test goes public this mistake will only become more exasperated. Edited April 30, 2022 by Lord Scara

[Temuldjin]

One point of criticism I had no idea that holding a button down had any effect till I clicked on the new video on telekinesis, might want to make this more apparent...before I realized this I was rather underwhelmed with the power level of the vampire and I am sure once this test goes public this mistake will only become more exasperated.

A clarification / better explanation that some abilities, and which can or cannot be charged up might be in order, yes

[Denis Dyack]

One point of criticism I had no idea that holding a button down had any effect till I clicked on the new video on telekinesis, might want to make this more apparent...before I realized this I was rather underwhelmed with the power level of the vampire and I am sure once this test goes public this mistake will only become more exasperated.

 

A clarification / better explanation that some abilities, and which can or cannot be charged up might be in order, yes

Yes, that is why we put the video in there. Even some Apocalypse people didn't realize there were two modes to most skills.

 

Thank you. This is great feedback, we will work on how to better explain and convey this to the gamers. Probably videos previews at the Tarot Table (this is coming in the demo). With the number of skills (Major Tarots) and specializations (Minor Tarots), there are enormous amounts of combinations, so this will likely be welcome information.

[Temuldjin]

Yes, that is why we put the video in there. Even some Apocalypse people didn't realize there were two modes to most skills.

 

Thank you. This is great feedback, we will work on how to better explain and convey this to the gamers. Probably videos previews at the Tarot Table (this is coming in the demo). With the number of skills (Major Tarots) and specializations (Minor Tarots), there are enormous amounts of combinations, so this will likely be welcome information.

Good to know

[Golden Xan]

I am sure the deck interface will be most helpful when people are choosing their Tarots, as you will be able to read the skills' descriptions, their functioning, and that of any upgrade they may have. As well as a few extra interesting things.