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Rain World |OT| Concrete Jungle

bosseye

Member
Yep, it certainly does require patience. If you're appreciating the world then stick with it; things will start to fall into place, your knowledge and skills will increase, and then that appreciation for the world will really start paying dividends.

You level up by hibernating in a shelter. If, in the hibernation screen, you wait a few seconds before pressing continue, it shows your rank tick upwards by one. But to hibernate in a shelter, you will need a minimum of four meals inside you.

Your first objective really is to consume four meals, then return to your original base to hibernate. This increases your rank by one, and saves your map progress. I think the latter of those is actually of more long term significance. But watch out for rank-gates, as they will only let you pass if you have achieved the requisite rank. These are the kind of waterfall / airlock gates with the funky animations. You should also recognise the rank symbols either side of the gate.

This is helpful, thanks. I'll persevere of course. It's a very compelling world, I love the animations, AI, visuals, soundscape and general feel of the world.
 
Enjoying it so far. I find I've died to
vines disguising themselves as ropes
the most often. <-- Early game spoiler.

I haven't figured out how to back flip yet.
 

Pachimari

Member
OatxTXZ.png

So when the icon in the bottom left corner is blinking red, does that mean my rank is not high enough to progress?

And where do I find checkpoints, are those the ones marked with a blue circle on the map?
 
So when the icon in the bottom left corner is blinking red, does that mean my rank is not high enough to progress?

And where do I find checkpoints, are those the ones marked with a blue circle on the map?
1) Yes, the rank in the background is the one you need
2) Blue circles are food. Checkpoints are shelters; you either have to return to ones you've found, or follow your helper when he shows you the shelter symbol
 
Where do I find shelter? I have only found one in the world so far. They won't actually be revealed on the map until I find them myself?
Your yellow helper will guide you to one if you're near it but otherwise you just find them out in the world

Don't think of it as a shelter to shelter/keep moving forward kind of game. Spend a few cycles scouting the area, going out from your shelter in a direction and then heading back to your den before the rain. Like an animal would

That structure also naturally lets you increase rank
 

Cyanity

Banned
Where do I find shelter? I have only found one in the world so far. They won't actually be revealed on the map until I find them myself?

Word of warning: the gate you're currently at will lead you to an area that might be a bit too difficult for newcomers. Your best bet is to just take it slow and look for more shelters in the outskirts. Find a different gate, and continue from there. The goal early-game is just to explore the map and rank up your slugcat as much as possible, to protect against your inevitable deaths later.


edit - Also, the more I play this game, the more I wish it was on the Switch. The length of rain cycles makes this a perfect public transit game, especially with the Switch's ability to sleep at any time.
 
edit - Also, the more I play this game, the more I wish it was on the Switch. The length of rain cycles makes this a perfect public transit game, especially with the Switch's ability to sleep at any time.
This game is the perfect blend of roguelike and metroidvania. The short runs, the tension, the emergent gameplay, the sense of learning the systems, the unpredictable nature of a roguelike, with the intricate handcrafted map and sense of exploration of a metroidvania
 

Kientin

Member
And
they have a crazy behavior where single ones scared of your light combine into large mass that aren't so scared of your puny light

...
I didn't know that. I was wondering why I didn't get killed right away when I slipped in that room. I must have not been where the mass was. But hey, I guess I got past it.
 

Pachimari

Member
I wish this came out for iPad too. Anyway, I keep exploring but can't find any other shelter than the one I've found in the start.
 

nkarafo

Member
So, any way to fix the occasionally stuttery animation in this game? This is the game's main selling point and i wasn't expecting frame rate problems from such a game, it has trouble keeping 60 fps on my system for some reason..
 
What's up with Rain World? The 24h peak players is only 250 and the all time peak is 336.

I thought it was one of the big indie hits this week.

Still is too early to say, but yeah, numbers in Steamspy aren't very high
http://steamspy.com/app/312520
We have to wait more, low numbers on Steamspy aren't accurate.

This is one of the dangers of what happens when devs are inflexible in their design philosophy and then they get dinged in the reviews. A Easy difficulty mode could have increased Metacritic score by 20 points (as almost everyone seems to like the base game concept).
 

Purkake4

Banned
Still is too early to say, but yeah, numbers in Steamspy aren't very high
http://steamspy.com/app/312520
We have to wait more, low numbers on Steamspy aren't accurate.

This is one of the dangers of what happens when devs are inflexible in their design philosophy and then they get dinged in the reviews. A Easy difficulty mode could have increased Metacritic score by 20 points (as almost everyone seems to like the base game concept).
That's why I was looking at the number of players, that should be 100% accurate as Steam is reporting it themselves AFAIK.

There is a chance that most people are playing it on PS4 though.
 

Cyanity

Banned
That's why I was looking at the number of players, that should be 100% accurate as Steam is reporting it themselves AFAIK.

There is a chance that most people are playing it on PS4 though.

Yea, the PS4 version is probably going to have higher numbers. Still, this game deserves more attention.
 
I've got Uncharted 4, The Last Guardian and Horizon Zero Dawn sitting here, completely unplayed, and all I want to play is Rain World.

My only annoyance so far is the saving system. The game should save exactly where you are when you manually save. The hibernation rank up system could stay as is, unless I don't have enough coffee in me yet and I'm not thinking of something.
 
People QQing about a save system that is pretty much dark souls bonfire saves.

I would disagree with people's complaints about difficulty, you just have to stay mobile, that's about it.

Is this just the 'casual player' reaction to the game? As if somehow a game with depth to its learning curve is somehow bad?

"Oh this game didn't quaff my balls hard enough, nor did i get any constant rewards/unlocks. And it's save system that I've seen many times before seems extreme!"

I finally made it to the Shoreline, dunno if i like this zone it's a.bit too spread out between the water.
 

jett

D-Member
People QQing about a save system that is pretty much dark souls bonfire saves.

I'm sorry but no.

Bonfires in Dark Souls would be like Rain World if it cost you all/most of your souls to use bonfires, and then had to recoup all those souls back if you wished to use the same bonfire again.

While we're at it, progression in Dark Souls would be like Rain World if all those fog doors were blocked off to you unless you had gone through the loop of getting a bunch of souls and then spending them all on a bonfire multiple times.
 
What's up with Rain World? The 24h peak players is only 250 and the all time peak is 336.

I thought it was one of the big indie hits this week. Stuff like Battle Brothers has a 24h peak of 2484.

Yea, the PS4 version is probably going to have higher numbers. Still, this game deserves more attention.

It has currently 12 ratings on the EU PSN store, which is VERY low compared to other games.

https://store.playstation.com/#!/de-de/spiel/rain-world/cid=EP0149-CUSA05667_00-RAINWORLDEU00000

It didn't sell well anywhere, reviews probably played their part.
 
I'm sorry but no.

Bonfires in Dark Souls would be like Rain World if it cost you all/most of your souls to use bonfires, and then had to recoup all those souls back if you wished to use the same bonfire again.

While we're at it, progression in Dark Souls would be like Rain World if all those fog doors were blocked off to you unless you had gone through the loop of getting a bunch of souls and then spending them all on a bonfire multiple times.

By that comparison I meant the fact that, from your save point in Rainworld (aka bonfire) you have to generally push through and find a route to the next save point, then keep pushing forward.

The food and ranking up system I haven't paid any attention to unless needed to get through a door, outside of that unless I've missed something it's pretty much irrelevant to the core gameplay (which is why your specific souls comparison doesn't work).

And just like dark souls, once you know the level, getting to the next save hatch once you've gone through the initial trial becomes a lot easier as does farming a rank up.
 

Rodelero

Member
As much as the game in its current state is somewhat intolerable due to the brutality of certain mechanics, it's really quite close to being very good. I hope the developers react in the right way to the criticisms and can salvage this game, because there is more than a bit here that I really, really love. Part of me wants to continue playing right now, but another part is considering waiting until certain things are addressed. The mechanics around gates, saving, and death, are just too much.
 
By that comparison I meant the fact that, from your save point in Rainworld (aka bonfire) you have to generally push through and find a route to the next save point, then keep pushing forward.

The food and ranking up system I haven't paid any attention to unless needed to get through a door, outside of that unless I've missed something it's pretty much irrelevant to the core gameplay (which is why your specific souls comparison doesn't work).

And just like dark souls, once you know the level, getting to the next save hatch once you've gone through the initial trial becomes a lot easier as does farming a rank up.

Dark Souls doesn't put random enemies in your way, for once.

And yes, in isolation the save system is comparable to Dark Souls. But the context is very different which makes one fairly enjoyable and one very frustrating. One hit kills, no real options to defend yourself, a kill timer. Dark Souls is a baby game compared to how punishing Rain World can feel.
 

Danielsan

Member
Spend to entire morning banging my head against the Garbage Wastes in order to find a new pathway. Couldn't find one and I was really getting fed up with the scavengers, as they all hate my guts and they live there. Decided to go back to the Industrial Zone. There I went for both the monk and saint achievements and passages. With two backup passages in my pocket I decided to revisit the Shaded Citadel. I almost immediately came across some scavengers with lights, so I "borrowed" one of their light stones and now, well equiped, I decided to take a different route than last time. I went down the spider infested route below the second shelter. Also figured out that spiders don't like
light bombs
, which is really helpful. Got to a new shelter and went through some creepy plant infested sewer system. I absolutely hate dealing with those plants, and the devs put one incredibly evil shelter placement down there. I then found a new gate which lead me to one of the scariest places in the game yet M
emory
C
rypts
. Seems like a short area that's just a passage way, and I'm now in an area that feels like some end game shit T
he
E
xterior
. Loving the aesthetics of these last two environments!

Edit: I have to say I'm completely fine with the game as it is now. I really have no qualms with the shelter and gate mechanics. That said, it does seem like gates are slightly bugged. If you go through a gate and want to go back the gate doesn't open despite your rank being high enough.
 
Dark Souls doesn't put random enemies in your way, for once.

And yes, in isolation the save system is comparable to Dark Souls. But the context is very different which makes one fairly enjoyable and one very frustrating.

Yeah there's certainly RNG to enemy placement upon load ups, where as DS goes for static placement. But most enemies in game can be navigated past.

The context is pretty much the same, the bonfires are forward progression and a reprieve from the fuckery that is, making it to the next bonfire. Same for Rainworld.

Yeah and I'm sure no one has described Dark Soul as "very frustrating" before either.
 

Mandelbo

Member
Devised a plan to get past the scavenger camp in the Gar
bage Wastes
, pulled it off only to find that behind it there's...
a dead end. I spent so long trying to get past there and it was all for nothing!
Perhaps I'll go back and see what's past the scavenger toll that I found before if I bring it a gem.
 

Danielsan

Member
Devised a plan to get past the scavenger camp in the Gar
bage Wastes
, pulled it off only to find that behind it there's...
a dead end. I spent so long trying to get past there and it was all for nothing!
Perhaps I'll go back and see what's past the scavenger toll that I found before if I bring it a gem.
Yup. That happened to me today. Took me forever. Then got killed on the way back. Never doing that again. :p
 
What's up with Rain World? The 24h peak players is only 250 and the all time peak is 336.

I thought it was one of the big indie hits this week. Stuff like Battle Brothers has a 24h peak of 2484.
Battle Brothers was also in Steam Early Access since 2015 and had some price drops along the way

Rain World Steamspy says 5,954 ± 2,200. If we take the middle number of 5,954, substract Kickstarter backers, the game has has around 2,900 sales so far (on Steam).

Not sure what their budget was, but for comparision, Hollow Knight, a similarly large and obtuse metroidvania, had a budget of around $90,000
 

Cyanity

Banned
Just had to quit out of the game because I hadn't launched it in Big Picture Mode with the Steam controller, so my keyboard inputs weren't recognized. The steam controller wasn't recognized after I turned it on, so RIP. It's kind of dumb that you can't switch control schemes from the menu ingame (only from the main menu).

Is it worth getting in its current state?

I'm willing to tolerate some obtuseness if the game has a dense atmosphere and environments that constantly evoke a sense of wonder.

Absolutely yes.
 
Battle Brothers was also in Steam Early Access since 2015 and had some price drops along the way

Battle Brothers price was lower before, and it increased as they were closer to release, but I think it never had a 'price drop', in fact the cheapest price was more or less equal to Rain World, with a more expensive price now. Though they had much more time to get people buying it.

And well, the reality is that people on pc dig more turn based tactical management games (a mix between Xcom and Mount & Blade, two loved games) than they dig punishing platform games.
 

Despera

Banned
Is it worth getting in its current state?

I'm willing to tolerate some obtuseness if the game has a dense atmosphere and environments that constantly evoke a sense of wonder.
 

Purkake4

Banned
Battle Brothers was also in Steam Early Access since 2015 and had some price drops along the way

Rain World Steamspy says 5,954 ± 2,200. If we take the middle number of 5,954, substract Kickstarter backers, the game has has around 2,900 sales so far (on Steam).

Not sure what their budget was, but for comparision, Hollow Knight, a similarly large and obtuse metroidvania, had a budget of around $90,000
Honestly, I think Hollow Knight is excellent and not particularly obtuse. Amazing value for 15€.
 
Is it worth getting in its current state?

I'm willing to tolerate some obtuseness if the game has a dense atmosphere and environments that constantly evoke a sense of wonder.

Obtuseness wise is fine, a bit obtuse, but it isn't the main flaw. It's more about how you feel about losing progress and having to repeat maybe 20 minutes of play, or not being able to save & exit the game.
 

JamesPrimate

Neo Member
Battle Brothers was also in Steam Early Access since 2015 and had some price drops along the way

Rain World Steamspy says 5,954 ± 2,200. If we take the middle number of 5,954, substract Kickstarter backers, the game has has around 2,900 sales so far (on Steam).

Not sure what their budget was, but for comparision, Hollow Knight, a similarly large and obtuse metroidvania, had a budget of around $90,000

i havent seen the numbers yet, but there are 10,000+ members in the steam forums and 1,000+ in game right now. so were niche, but not quite THAT dire.
 

Danielsan

Member
Is it worth getting in its current state?

I'm willing to tolerate some obtuseness if the game has a dense atmosphere and environments that constantly evoke a sense of wonder.
Absolutely. The atmosphere and environments are amazing. As is the interplay between the different creatures and the platforming (in my opinion). For me it's a GOTY contender so far. I'm bummed that it's not selling exceptionally well so far, probably in part due to the reviews.
 
Lol, it's already needlessly punitive, a by a good margin.

And like More Badass asks, why wouldn't the player be able to quit the game? He bought the game. He should be able to decide if he wants to play in long 3 hour sessions, or in short bursts of 20 minutes each.
Why even consider that a bad thing? The mind boggles.

The primary theme of the game is that you are very low on a food chain in an incredibly harsh environment. Everything I've seen and played seems to be designed around the idea that you should be able to think quickly on your feet in any situation. If the player is simply able to quit at any point, this will inevitably lead to players simply quitting anytime a situation appears to be too difficult based on past experience instead of attempting to adapt in order to survive and continue forward. There is a massive emphasis on improvisation using knowledge about your environment, and the vast majority of that knowledge(along with skills necessary to put it to use) come from trying new things in the name of necessity.

The game is difficult, but that difficulty is what brings satisfaction upon narrowly escaping when it seemed almost impossible. Losing a level after quitting falls in line with losing one for simply not making it back to shelter because you were eaten or the rain came. It not only encourages the moment to moment experience that is so memorable, but makes each of those experiences even more memorable due to the ever present thought that you are only ever safe in the occasional refuge. Personally, I have more awesome memories in my short time with this game than almost any other, whether between finally getting past an area that always destroyed me, or because I only narrowly escaped the rain by swimming under the turbulent flooding in the room of my nearest shelter.

I don't agree with the line of thought that it should be removed due to it's punitive nature simply because almost every enjoyable part of this game relies on the punitive qualities of the world. My only problem with it is that it should be communicated before the player is able to quit and unknowingly lose a level.

Besides, losing a level just isn't that big of a deal, at least it hasn't been so far. Getting the necessary minimum(if a cycle is uncommonly harsh) is a priority and you can simply hope to make up for it in the next cycle. There's no problem with simply grabbing food and returning within the span of a few minutes, should the need arise.

The fact that the player bought the game does not mean they have a right to quit without consequence. They bought a product without even knowing if they could enjoy the experience without spoil for any particular design. When it is imperative for the player to learn through difficulty with the world, I only see quitting without punishment as something that dampens the overall idea that you're a weak creature in a world that is alien even to itself. If you can't take the 5 to 10 minutes maximum required to find food(if you are at 0), then just take the hit and continue the next time you boot up the game. In my opinion, the small inconvenience is worth an incredible amount in the name of thematic coherency.

On another note, the comparisons to dark souls are somewhat innapropriate. The only real similarities between them are that they have a certain amount of an open world that is used as a vehicle in order to tell a narrative that can be nearly completely ignored, they both promote feelings of isolation, and they use difficulties that must be overcome without much guidance. They share a similar thematic core, but Souls has always been about progressing via your avatar using RPG elements, and there is very little in the way of variance provided by procedural generation/guided RNG. Although, if the discussion needs examples of similar approaches to player experiences, I suppose it is one of the only common examples in the industry. Rain World resembles Dwarf Fortress far me to, at least in concept and what I've taken from all three games.
 

Crispy75

Member
Confession time: I am save scumming when anything other than the rain kills me. I'm finding the game much more enjoyable, and better suited to the very limited amount of time I have for gaming in general.

I'd love to have this play style be officially supported. There's still plenty of challenge; I've been stuck on garbage wastes for ages!
 

Raticus79

Seek victory, not fairness
Confession time: I am save scumming when anything other than the rain kills me. I'm finding the game much more enjoyable, and better suited to the very limited amount of time I have for gaming in general.

I'd love to have this play style be officially supported. There's still plenty of challenge; I've been stuck on garbage wastes for ages!

Yeah, that sounds fine. This game's default (losing rank) would be another game's challenge mode, lol. Are you making backup copies of the saves or do you just end the task or something?
 

Crispy75

Member
Yeah, that sounds fine. This game's default (losing rank) would be another game's challenge mode, lol. Are you making backup copies of the saves or do you just end the task or something?

Yeah I just have a copy of the save in my dropbox folder and ctrl-drag it into Rain World\UserData after exiting to main menu, then I hit continue. I copy in the other direction after hibernating.

Can you get to Garbage Wastes from Industrial? Don't think I'm ready for Shaded Citadel yet

Yes, that's how I got there. Um. Don't ask me how :D

Showed some friends the game today and they immediately bought it on PS4. Spreading that good Rain World love

I played it at work on my lunchbreak (hence using dropbox to hold my save) and the guy who works next to me, who's super casual FIFA, Halo, Need For Speed etc. thought it looked "siiiiiick" and said he'd buy it on PS4 this weekend. He's going to come in bruised and battered on Monday.
 
I played it at work on my lunchbreak (hence using dropbox to hold my save) and the guy who works next to me, who's super casual FIFA, Halo, Need For Speed etc. thought it looked "siiiiiick" and said he'd buy it on PS4 this weekend. He's going to come in bruised and battered on Monday.
Seems like a game where someone needs to see you play to really get it

Surprised that it's clicking with players with more mainstream tastes like that. Maybe what James was saying earlier has a lot of validity, that players with less preconceived notions of genre/controls/etc are more open to playing and adapting to its style
 
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