Residences of Evil

 

Diving in Again

Subnautica: Below Zero has left early access and as such I've decided to go for another swim in the aquatic world known only as "4546b".  Unlike the previous game (which took place on an equatorial, mostly underwater, plateau) Below Zero is centered around a polar cove dominated by snow-covered islands and ice flows.  Some of the flora and fauna are similar (or in a few cases identical), but for the most part it's an all new location for players to immerse themselves in.  Actually, the landmass was visible from orbit when the silent male hero from the original blasted off at the end of the game.  He's gone now though and in his place is a more talkative female protagonist.  Whereas the first game had the singular driving goal of escaping from the planet, our heroine this time around is on a mission to find a missing family member.  Apparently, this ocean world has a propensity to ensnare space travelers...despite being a sequel though, the map is more compact with an emphasis on poking in every nook and cranny.  The horror elements have been toned down a bit.  Even so, I imagine people who suffer from thalassophobia will still find plenty of things to be terrified of.

What will be immediately familiar to returning players is the fundamental gameplay loop:  gathering resources, using them to build things, then going on expeditions for more/different resources and to complete story-related objectives.  As far as the survival-crafting subgenre goes, it's nothing special.  What does help distinguish Subnautica from its peers is the undersea aspect.  When the player is forced onto land though the gameplay feels very shallow.  Since combat isn't practical the experience tends to drift into "walking simulator" territory.  To help offset potential boredom, a hypothermia meter needs to be managed in a manner not so different than oxygen.  Still, Subnautica is at its best under the waves rather than above them.

One last topic I want to hit on is vehicles.  Much like base-building components and personal equipment, there are some returning favorites like the "Seaglide" and "Prawn Suit".  Others, such as the "Seamoth" has been replaced by the "Seatruck".  When modular cabs are attached to the back it also fills the role of the "Cyclops" submarine without any of the aesthetic sensibilities.  On land, there's a hoverbike...but as you can see there's not a wide selection to choose from.  In fact, the impression I get is of a standalone expansion rather than full-fledged sequel.  I guess that's why it is called Below Zero instead of "Subnautica 2".  If there is a proper sequel someday, I hope it's "McElligot's Pool" meets "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". 

A Numbers Game

It seems like most people have an aversion to mathematics, or at least perceive it as the antithesis of fun. Having studied math extensively at the community college level and a bit more in an university, I can't say I find number crunching repugnant. I wouldn't go so far as to call it enjoyable either though. As controversial as this might sound, I think there is some satisfaction to be derived from games that ask their players to do the math.

Kerbal Space Program is one such example, assuming players don't use the "MechJeb" mod.  Over the years I've built more than a few rockets that were unable to complete their intended missions because they ran out of fuel prematurely.  If one is willing to break out the Delta-v map for the Kerbin System and punch some numbers into a few equations then it's definitely possible to learn where a particular rocket design can and can't go before it ever leaves the launch pad.

A more recent example, and a game I discussed on this blog just recently, is Satisfactory.  Unlike its precursor, Factorio, this first-person sci-fi factory sim is very up front with production data and even goes so far as to break it down into easily digestible units-per-minute rations  Overall, the math involved isn't any more difficult than remedial algebra (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division), but it can be a bit time consuming since there are a lot of things to keep track of.  Generally speaking, it's also a good idea to overproduce a bit simply because the way the game works it's more advantageous to dial back machines rather than overclock them...plus it's always nice to have spare material for further construction projects.

One nice thing about Satisfactory (and Factorio) is even if things aren't optimized they still kind of work.  Unlike typical math problems, it isn't a binary case of either having the solution or not.  Instead, mistakes lead to production lines running inefficiently or only partially.  This, in turn, compels the player to troubleshooting for bottlenecks...which, if we're being completely honest here, is where the challenge comes from.  I've had a few facepalm moments wherein I realized that the clog in my production pipeline was due to me forgetting to connect a powerline or a supply belt.  I guess that sort of error is the mathematical equivalent of forgetting to carry the one.

I'm fond of the saying that goes "mathematics is weight lifting for the mind," and while I don't think playing the above mentioned games will make your brain all swole, there is some mental acuity to be enhanced (or perhaps simply maintained) in much the same way people play sudoku or crossword puzzles in order to keep their mind sharp.  If nothing else, there is some measure of happiness to be found in watching the numbers come together in a kind of carefully calculated harmony.    

A Not So Giant Bomb

As far as video game websites go Giant Bomb has been around for awhile.  It's not as old as IGN or GameSpot (not "Stop"), but unlike those places the core staff has remained largely unchanged...until now.  To be specific, Vincent Caravella, Brad Shoemaker, and Alex Navarro are all packing it up and heading off to do other things.  I can't say I blame them for wanting to move on.  Particularly since right now disruptions caused by the ongoing pandemic combined with the natural slump in new releases that occurs during the first six months to a year of every new console generation means there isn't a whole lot to play...or talk about.  Post PS5 launched we've only seen a few major releases...not that it is a problem for me...I've immersed myself in Satisfactory and am planning on playing Suzerain soon.

Digressions aside, there is one original founder who is still at Giant Bomb and that is Jeff Gerstmann.  Say what you will about the guy, he knows video gaming inside and out.  Plus, he wears his preferences on his sleeve.  I don't always agree with his tastes, but I respect him and am glad we'll be seeing more of him in the future.  As for the general downsizing going on, I can only hope that this is an opportunity to shake things up.  Maybe some new staff will get hired on with fresh perspectives and backgrounds different than the middle-aged white American males we've overwhelmingly seen there up until now.  I should emphasize that there's nothing wrong with being one, two or even three of the things I mentioned in the previous sentence.  It's just that I had to give up on the Giant Beastcast after Abby left because the conversations turned into what sounded like three different mouths all talking out of the same head.

Anyway...I don't want to complain.  It's all water under the bridge at this point.  Instead, I'll just wrap this blogpost up by saying I'm happy that Giant Bomb will still be around for the foreseeable future, but I'm also looking forward to seeing the inevitable changes that happen in the weeks and months ahead.

Satis-Factory-Oh

Factory construction sims are a pretty niche genre and yet there are two separate IPs currently in development that fit the definition perfectly.  The first is Factorio.  With a Steam early access release in 2016, this Czechoslovakian title has since become "complete" as of August 2020.  I put complete in quotes because even though the game has passed the version 1.0 mark it remains in active development.  Regardless, I imagine that any new official content will come in the form of paid DLC.  The other title is Satisfactory.  Made by the same developer as Goat Simulator, this game is newer (having launched in early access on the 19th of March, 2019) and is not yet feature complete despite just recently receiving its fourth major update.  Anyway...that little development overview aside, what's different about these two games?  Depending on who you ask, the answer can vary from "not much" to "quite a bit."

On first impression, players will immediately notice Factorio is a 2D sprite-based game viewed from an isometric perspective.  It's highly optimized and runs smoothly even on fairly old hardware.  It's perfectly functional, but not especially pretty to look at.  Satisfactory, on the other hand, utilizes fully three dimensional environments viewed from a first-person perspective.  Everything is more impressive visually, but the GPU demands can lead to performance issues even on newer gaming machines.  This is especially true when the number of objects onscreen get large.  Visuals aside though, what's different when it comes to gameplay?

When beginning a new game, Factorio allows the player to specify what kind of world the procedural generator should create.  It's a nice feature to have, but only really makes changes to topography and resource distribution.  Regardless of the settings, the player will find themselves in a relatively flat, arid location with patches of trees, water and minerals.  Conversely, Satisfactory has four biomes to choose from at the beginning, each with their own distinct qualities.  While a more exciting way to start off, it's important to note that there is only one handcrafted world - the player simply chooses where they get dropped into.  Given it's 3D nature, Satisfactory is much more vertically oriented.  Exploration is also a more prominent feature.  To Factorio's credit though, it has one major feature that is absent in Satisfactory - base defense.

Both games feature hostile fauna on their respective alien worlds, but Factorio takes it to another level.  Specifically, there are hostile colonies of giant insects that will encroach on and attack the player's base(s).  Apparently, these bugs really hate pollution and will seek to destroy anything that does not conform to nature.  Of course, this gameplay feature can be tweaked or outright disabled during world creation.  Nevertheless, it remains a fundamental component of the intended experience.  Everything from laser turrets and artillery pieces to flamethrowers and tanks can be built to deal with external threats.  Conversely, Satisfactory has far fewer weapons and, in general, is a much less intense game.  

I've tried to clarify some of the differences, but when you get down to it both of these titles have resource extractors, smelters, power generators, automation and a whole lot of conveyer belts.  They both take place on exoplanets.  Either can be played multiplayer or alone.  Currently Factorio has a lot of mod support on the developer's website, but there are plans to introduce mods into Satisfactory via Steam Workshop.  If you're wondering which to buy, I would say get both.  Together they cost less than your average triple-AAA title, and you'll probably get more hours of enjoyment out of them as well.