Fractal Softworks Forum

Other => Discussions => Topic started by: xenoargh on June 27, 2018, 10:05:32 PM

Title: Deathwar 3030 Redux
Post by: xenoargh on June 27, 2018, 10:05:32 PM
So... I bought it cheap on Steam (https://store.steampowered.com/app/464360/3030_Deathwar_Redux__A_Space_Odyssey/).

Short, TL:DNR review:  has great ideas, lacks polish everywhere, but is totally worth it for cheap.

Long version:

Deathwar 3030 is definitely more of a direct-lineal descendant of Escape Velocity than Starsector is. 

Generally speaking, you don't have fleets, you don't have help, you're in one lowly ship tooling around space; the loop's straightforward- do stuff, make money, upgrade ship, repeat. 

Combat's simple, maybe too simplistic- jousting passes and kiting.  The AI's not smart, the few times you fight multiple foes, you'll find you can string them easily, etc.  So, if you're a hardcore SS player, the combat's not hard at all, unless you go into areas that you're massively under-leveled for.

But there's a lot more to the game than just the spaceships and pew-pew.

It has great ambiance, with adventure-game sections and space stations that, while being exactly the same structurally, feel different-enough to be fun (and are always full of offbeat, cute characters to talk to) and a lot of things I honestly wish were in Starsector:


Anyhow, if you can catch it on sale, I definitely recommend it, while you're waiting for 0.9's grand-scale features to get completed :)
Title: Re: Deathwar 3030 Redux
Post by: TJJ on June 28, 2018, 06:12:34 AM
Price £5.49.....
Steam Wallet £5.61.....
Predestined!

:edit:

Hmm, weird graphical artifacting; occasionally sprites on the screen randomly flicker? Intended? or bug?

Also, resolution support is terrible; 1080p appears to be a 1.5x upscale?
A fractional upscale makes the font really horrible to read.
Title: Re: Deathwar 3030 Redux
Post by: xenoargh on June 29, 2018, 09:10:25 AM
Ah, yeah, resolution's an odd issue.  Found instructions here that helped me resolve that. (https://steamcommunity.com/app/464360/discussions/0/1485482132158248523/)  I strongly recommend running it windowed, too.
Title: Re: Deathwar 3030 Redux
Post by: Sarissofoi on July 01, 2018, 05:26:24 AM
Also nice music.
Title: Re: Deathwar 3030 Redux
Post by: xenoargh on July 02, 2018, 08:18:16 AM
Yeah, the soundtrack's actually really fun; I usually shut off music very quickly, but let it run for a while. 

The whole thing feels like it's a few patches away from being quite what was originally intended, but it had lots of character and the story arc, while nothing special, gave the whole thing some structure that was nice.

To put it another way, this weekend I took some time off from the rest of Reality and beat Bioshock Infinite (a game I avoided for quite some time because I knew a couple of people who worked on it).

I wish I'd played 3030 instead, with all its flaws.  At least its problems are largely able to be fixed via mods...
Title: Re: Deathwar 3030 Redux
Post by: Kirschbra on July 24, 2018, 09:53:20 AM
Also nice music.

I love Kyoto Connections - take on me cover