Solasta - Review @ PC Gamer

JFarrell71 said:

Watching the game being played gives me the same information about voice acting and writing quality that playing it would. This is not the gotcha you ostenisbly think it is.

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I think you mean "ostensibly", and sorry if I triggered you there.

Couchpotato said:

Hmm well I have played five hours then decided to wait for more patches. So I can say nothing wrong with JFarrell71's post. The game is a faithful digital tabletop adaptation.

If you want storytelling and other stuff like like King-Maker & PoE look elsewhere.

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Yeah, I don't think people looking for a deep story are looking here. Although a lot of the same people who enjoyed Pathfinder and PoE will still enjoy Solasta.

Redglyph said:

Nothing serious if you haven't encountered the crashes, overheat or performance issues that some have.

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I didn't get any over heat yesterday, but I had a session without any combat, so I'll see if it's just combat next time.

Redglyph said:

I somewhat disagree with the voice-acting which I find fine and realistic (I elaborated that in the article comments), except maybe a couple very minor NPCs. About the story and dialogues, just what I've said above, it goes with the style of the game so I'd say it's on purpose and the author failed to see that.

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I don't see anything wrong with the voice acting so far, seems pretty industry standard to me, and far superior to the majority of indy games, if voice acting is even something important anyway.

JFarrell71 said:

And to me, yes, the writing, voice acting and storytelling (including the graphical representations of characters) is of a very low standard, too low for me to have any interest in the game. The nuts and bolts mechanics aren't and never have been enough for me, and as far as I can tell, that's all that Solasta offers.

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If ever there was a post specifically designed to trigger lackblogger.

Then I consider he did a good job. Wish he would trigger more members to post.

Story is usually important to me in an RPG. The battles can be fun, but I often need more.

I didn't enjoy the Icewind Dale games because of that. It depends on how good the underlying mechanics are, and the old IE games weren't exactly tactical masterpieces.

JDR13 said:

I think you mean "ostensibly", and sorry if I triggered you there.

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It's called a typo.

JFarrell71 said:

I've refrained from commenting on Solasta because I don't want to poop in anyone's cornflakes. It's obvious that a lot of folks around here like it and are excited about it. It's not for me, and it's for the quoted reasons from the review (which I have not watched in its entirety). I did what I usually do when I'm on the fence about a game: I watched bits and pieces of it in some let's play videos. And to me, yes, the writing, voice acting and storytelling (including the graphical representations of characters) is of a very low standard, too low for me to have any interest in the game. The nuts and bolts mechanics aren't and never have been enough for me, and as far as I can tell, that's all that Solasta offers.

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Nothing wrong with that indeed, it's not without a story but it's not where it shines most
I do the same with some games I have doubt about, and even if watching a video isn't the same as being involved, it's a good indication of the important elements you're looking for (works for me anyway).

RickTheWatch said:

Not very far in so i cant comment on side quests…but the voice acting is very poor and conversations do not flow well, the reviewer is spot on with that…combine this with the terrible character models the cut scenes are just aweful to look at and hear….But, there is a certain charm seeing the charcters you created talking in the cut scenes and i’ll take all the crappy presentation if it means we get to see our very own custom characters conversing. Im loving the game so far. If you just want a game for good tactical battles this is it.

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Jesus.. argh.. I feel bad for the developers. So much work vent into this. Still wanna play this later on a large screen, since they use small fonts everywhere.

mercy said:

Jesus.. argh.. I feel bad for the developers. So much work vent into this. Still wanna play this later on a large screen, since they use small fonts everywhere.

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Thankfully, reviews are positive overall. As a developer, I suppose it's part of the job, someone will say their piece without mincing words sooner or later…

You're not the first one with that remark on the fonts, don't hesitate to post a suggestion! But yeah, perfect excuse for a nice 27" monitor

Couchpotato said:

Then I consider he did a good job. Wish he would trigger more members to post.

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Ah, the ol' question of quantity versus quality huh.

The thing is, I have no objection to dude A having a different 'taste' to dude B (me, in this case). No, my objection is much more nuanced than that:

In that, How did dude A even end up on a niche specialist cRPG forum in the first place? How did they even get here?

As in, what game or games gave birth to their love of the genre to such a great degree that they end up here? And how could that game be anything like what it is they are making a preference for now?

You know what I mean?

It's one thing to enjoy playing a whole variety of different types of cRPG depending on one's mood, but it's something altogether different to be so completely anti something such as this, and this isn't just technical issues, it's 'philosophical'.

Did dude A just wake up one day and decide now was about the right time to go on cRPG forums and start promoting a hatred of combat while also proudly proclaiming that no cRPG shall pass unless it adheres to a very specific style of narrative, a style only dude A can even quantify?

My objection being that such a poster simply 'shouldn't' exist here, but I mean that word in the sense of the previous questions rather than as a definitive statement, if you get my meaning. Like how if you saw a pig flying and you remark to yourself "that shouldn't be happening?".

*shrugs all round at this end

mercy said:

Jesus.. argh.. I feel bad for the developers. So much work vent into this. Still wanna play this later on a large screen, since they use small fonts everywhere.

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Which fonts are too small? The dialogue options are massive, the item descriptions are normal, do you mean the floaty text above some NPC's heads? Which text is too small?

I’m always a bit surprised that people so interested in story pick video games as a medium. Given that story in the vast majority of VG’s is poor at best and pales to even mediocre cinema or books. ( yes subjective, but barely. ) to each their own though.

I’m waiting for more patches before I dive in to Solasta though given what I’ve heard. I played quite a bit of the EA and thought is was quite good. I started gaming in the late 70’s early 80’s though so I’m totally fine with games being games and not having to be immersive interactive experiences, although I don’t mind games that attempt that either. I can play a wide variety of stuff.

Imo. said:

I’m always a bit surprised that people so interested in story pick video games as a medium. Given that story in the vast majority of VG’s is poor at best and pales to even mediocre cinema or books. ( yes subjective, but barely. ) to each their own though.

I’m waiting for more patches before I dive in to Solasta though given what I’ve heard. I played quite a bit of the EA and thought is was quite good. I started gaming in the late 70’s early 80’s though so I’m totally fine with games being games and not having to be immersive interactive experiences, although I don’t mind games that attempt that either. I can play a wide variety of stuff.

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That's why I read more than I game nowadays. However, there is something to be said about a story being good enough to work as a motivation to keep playing, even when the gameplay gets stale.

@lackblogger; I understand but hey it's the internet, and even on niche hobby forums you will have jackasses, idiots, trolls, fanboys and so on with the usual list of posters.

My favorite is the snarky know it all who thinks their always right. They use sarcasm, witty comments, walls of text , and behold they get a ton of likes for being so. Go figure.

I belong in the troll and jackass area.:lol:

Couchpotato said:

My favorite is the snarky know it all who thinks their always right. They use sarcasm, witty comments, walls of text , and behold they get a ton of likes for being so. Go figure.

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I think you just described the average forum user on the internet. Including me.. maybe!

As for what people look for in games or what they visit this site for, is up to each person. Nobody here went to Uni to get the RPG Lawyer license as far as I know, and people liking one or another thing in a game don't hurt anyone else by it. Just let them have fun with whatever they want while you have fun with whatever you want.

Nereida said:

I think you just described the average forum user on the internet. Including me.. maybe! .

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Maybe but a few other top posters are who I had mind.

They know who they are.

As for me I'm not average I hate typing walls of text.

I love CPRG and been playing them for ages. But I am not a big fan of combat as the main reason to play a game. How much I get out of combat depends on so many factors involving style, mechanics, methods, character classes, visuals, and on and on.

I like games to escape, make my own characters, explore, do quests, have companions, and do many things besides combat. I have Solasta wish listed but have not picked up yet as it sounds like combat and tactics, and sticking to the P&P rules, are its main strong points and all three of those are lower on my importance rating of whether I would enjoy a game or not.

I suspect I will get it at some point if nothing else is on my radar but I am far more excited about WotR and BG3 final releases coming out. Those two games are a blast to play in all areas and have very nice visuals and mechanics, great story, and really satisfy my gaming itch.

I am glad Solasta is doing well - if they sell a lot then maybe the next game will be a bit richer in features and visuals. Plus more variety is good - gives more options for people to find a game they really enjoy.

Careful, Wolfgrimdark, you'll be marked as a fake RPG enthusiast and an imposter on the site by the grand arbiter of pretension himself with a post like that.

Nereida said:

IAs for what people look for in games or what they visit this site for, is up to each person. Nobody here went to Uni to get the RPG Lawyer license as far as I know, and people liking one or another thing in a game don't hurt anyone else by it. Just let them have fun with whatever they want while you have fun with whatever you want.

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Nobody has said otherwise.