This game is not a good sandbox game. And without a serious overhaul of mechanics, it's never going to be a good sandbox game. This is made all the more tragic because its a game with a lot of potential, but I don't think it will ever be allowed to simply be fun.
The entire point of a sandbox game is to let people play in the sandbox. This game looks like a sandbox, but its a sandbox where you're not allowed to play with the sand. At least not without filling out the appropriate paperwork and checking out a regulation-sized sand shovel.
Just read any of the "getting started" guides. They recommend:
- Extremely specific character background choices.
- Extremely specific skill choices.
- Extremely specific early game strategies.
- Extremely specific interactions with the harem.
Doing anything other than what is in the guide is basically pointless. You will either lose or lock yourself out of content.
Failing to properly employ these strategies leads to a slow death via bankruptcy. Non-standard strategies do not work. There are important skills for late game that you simply cannot get if you do not follow these procedures pretty much to the letter.
Even when you do follow these strategies, holy crap -- what a grind-fest. Why should I have to make a fully non-combat character and then rely on combat to make it through the early game? Why is non-combat not viable for early game? Why is a combat oriented character not viable for late game?
Why put us in a situations where we are obliged to make decisions that make no sense except from a game mechanics perspective? Why make the early game a complete struggle where you're constantly on the verge of bankruptcy, grinding, grinding, grinding in the hope that one far-off golden day you will be allowed to finally play in the fucking sand?
If I have to make a specific character, invest in very specific skills, and do very specific things at very specific times in order to be able to play, why even make a sandbox game? It's mind boggling.
I, like many others, find the "correct" way to play the game completely torturous. And if you're making a sandbox game with a "correct" way to play it, you're doing it wrong.
it’s not a good game in its current state, period
it’s also REALLY content starved and that seems extremely unlikely to significantly change given the game’s track record and ocean wide, puddle deep philosophy
I’m subbed to the patreon because I really like the concept and the dev is constantly sharing updates and ideas, but it’s clear this will never be properly filled out or unslogged, for lack of better wording, it’s far beyond the dev’s capacity
Not really. What you say may be a consequence of the gameplay choices offered by the developers but does not define a sandbox.That's what sandboxing is: you grind up your stats, over in-game months/years and in-real life days.
You 'buy' her by rescuing her from the laundry and giving her a place to stay. You can indeed pay for her if you upgrade her apartment.So why can't we directly buy Michelle Wolfe? Immersion breaking.
I get it, but you can set the tone pretty early on with most of the other slaves. Imagine if they make another god of war and Kratos's wife isn't dead. Just doesn't feel right. My main character would never say ' I will help you'.You 'buy' her by rescuing her from the laundry and giving her a place to stay. You can indeed pay for her if you upgrade her apartment.
I don’t have a problem with the grind itself, but the content is abysmally minuscule in the scope of the grind, ie there’s content for something like <1% of the number of times an action is designed to be repeated, so very quickly the game devolves into you spamming buttons to make numbers go up instead of reading because it’s just the same thing repeated ad nauseam 3 minutes after you first encounter an action.as another poster mentioned "the grind" is the game. I wouldn't blame the dev though. Or are you talking about something specific?
You want an option like there is for Juno to just claim her on the spot and damn the consequences?I get it, but you can set the tone pretty early on with most of the other slaves. Imagine if they make another god of war and Kratos's wife isn't dead. Just doesn't feel right. My main character would never say ' I will help you'.
It's a very good sign for a game when this high on my list of complaints.You want an option like there is for Juno to just claim her on the spot and damn the consequences?
I get that.
I wouldn't be surprised if Grimdark added something like that. He added the possibility of selling her back to Old Cooney not that long ago. I'd never do that, but I did like reading what Michelle's punishment was going to be. Funny thing is she gets pretty much the same from me, I'm just nicer about it....It's a very good sign for a game when this high on my list of complaints.
Thanks for a detailed reply, I totally agree with you.I don’t have a problem with the grind itself, but the content is abysmally minuscule in the scope of the grind, ie there’s content for something like <1% of the number of times an action is designed to be repeated, so very quickly the game devolves into you spamming buttons to make numbers go up instead of reading because it’s just the same thing repeated ad nauseam 3 minutes after you first encounter an action.
And that’s the problem, the scope of the game isn’t going to change, and I have absolutely no hope that the content is ever going to increase enough to alleviate the issue.
That sort of thing can be fun when the player actually has to do things through personal skill and/or the game actually reacts to you and poses a challenge, but MoR is basically a resource management excel sheet with a graphical UI. Nothing actually happens unless you click on a button that makes it happen, there’s no consequence to anything you do, the combat (when you click a button to make it happen) is just clicking attack on the guy with the strongest gun, there’s no tactics, no strategy, nothing. The economy is just selling whatever you picked up, the slave training is just dicking them down until they love you (unless for some reason you made the player character in a porn game really bad at sex), the quests are linear and might as well just be reduced to stories you read through with how much agency you have, etc.
The dev based the game on a day to day dealings over the scope of literal years, it seems, with no hope of ever building up the content to match.
I’m not shitting on the game or dev, like I said, I give the guy $25 (which is way, way too much money objectively, given the game probably shouldn’t cost that as a one time payment), but a full size studio would take many years to make a game this is attempting to be.
On that content, could make it so if you are high enough in some stats (Charm, Manipulate/Willpower even?) you get the option to do so and claim her right away.I wouldn't be surprised if Grimdark added something like that. He added the possibility of selling her back to Old Cooney not that long ago. I'd never do that, but I did like reading what Michelle's punishment was going to be. Funny thing is she gets pretty much the same from me, I'm just nicer about it....
Essentially all you have to do now is show up at her apartment and she's yours, regardless of stats. I gathered that Tarzan wanted an option akin to grabbing her by that cute little ponytail and saying 'this one's mine now' as opposed to saying 'I'll help you.' You can do something of the kind to Juno, you just get a happiness/affection penalty from it.On that content, could make it so if you are high enough in some stats (Charm, Manipulate/Willpower even?) you get the option to do so and claim her right away.
Oh I'm aware. Been playing the 814 version.Essentially all you have to do now is show up at her apartment and she's yours, regardless of stats. I gathered that Tarzan wanted an option akin to grabbing her by that cute little ponytail and saying 'this one's mine now' as opposed to saying 'I'll help you.' You can do something of the kind to Juno, you just get a happiness/affection penalty from it.
Note the date of this post from the Discord:Oh I'm aware. Been playing the 814 version.
My main gripe with the game is how tedious and mediocre the combat is. I grinded repeatedly the combat and it makes virtually zero difference in your damage output. Did a save edit to move stats to 80s+ and gun skill once a realized it went over 255 edited to like 900s and theres virtually zero difference in damage output being proficient in weapons. You can use the energy gun or coilgun and still need two hits most times to kill the weakest mobs. Its deadfully bad, let alone trying to kill the monsters at that random river outpost.
Idk, like if youre going to have the combat system at all, at least make it not garbage? Its hardly even worth killing mobs as what you get in drops/money rarely even makes up for expenses in ammo, if not an outright loss.
Like I havent gone deep into the slaving questlines, but is there even anything to DO aside that? The area outside the city just goes to that deadend river outpost. For all the lore chatter about the war and factions it seems like they arent even there at all aside from fluff reasons.
Or do I need to progress that plotline to be able to visit the other kingdom and the space station place? The prostitute gives you that key or whatever, but idk if that even goes any further than that. Feels like the brother questline is pretty important, but its hidden via the 814 version that was posted here.
Its a bit frustrating how a generic raider needs two three shots with the supposed best weapons to go down tbh even with max stats. Major oversight in my opinion that grinding has minimal if any benefits.
I'm assuredly exaggerating (sitting on a few dozen thousand atm in the file from repeatedly wiping the enemies that pop up in the base, and selling weapons at the river outpost), but you're basically forced to use the weaker guns (30-06/assault rifle), as the two higher ones (coilgun and the energy weapon) rounds are disproportionately expensive compared to a marginal increase in damage they deal to just normal mobs in the city. If any thing should change its the increase in damage the main character is dealing when combat proficiencies are in the hundreds. I shouldnt have to waste two rounds with the "best" weapons in the game on any of the guys using crossbows with supposedly minimal armor.Note the date of this post from the Discord:
GrimDark — 06/03/2022 8:24 AM
Version 0.8.3 - Combat revamp. Implement combat AI, states, special attacks, AOE weapons, etc
A combat update is coming, it's been planned for nearly a year or so. I'm sure suggestions here or the Discord are welcome.
If you're not making money on combat now you've not mastered the system. There's also strategic considerations so you do ensure your booty surpasses your ammo (and merc salary) costs.
The game is still a work in progress. Currently the focus was on catching up on slavegirl renders, he's almost finished with that. When I started playing regularly late last summer only Lovisa, Juno, Aria and Michelle had much in the way of sex renders.