Author Topic: Sunless Sea - Succumb to your inner madness  (Read 6297 times)

Offline TheVampire100

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Sunless Sea - Succumb to your inner madness
« on: September 08, 2014, 10:41:22 pm »
Sunless Sea is currently one of the most promising titles out there and like the games of Arcen games very unique and won't let itself apply to a single genre.

You can loosely describe Sunless Sea as a rogue-like sailing simulation but under the surface (which is right where you are) it is much more.
Developed from Failbetter Games this games is very story driven. But the way the story is told is just amazing. Sunless Sea tells YOUR story. You are a new captain, you've spent your money to purchase a questionable ship and a crew. Together with your tasty, uh, trusty crew you sail through a dark underground ocean known as the Neath.
The game is a spin-off from Fallen London, a browser game where you play a citizen of a mysteriously underground world known as the Neath. While Fallen London focuses more on the title given city, Sunless Sea let's you explore the darker places of the Neath.
But most of the times you are sailing on the dark, mysterious ocean, the Unterzea. Nameless horrors await you there and you have always to struggle with your own fear. If you succumb you will fall in madness which causes hallucinations, murdering intentions and sudden death (usually not yours however).
Terror is an indicator that shows hiw mad and fearful you are already are, the longer you stay in the darkness the worse it gets. At a certain point you begin to hallucinate which have a negative impact on you and your crew. If the terror is too high your crew rebels and you have either to convince them or shoot them down. This will reduce terror but you will also loose a lot of crew members.

Your goal in Sunless Sea depends on you. Right at the start the game asks you what you actually want to accomplish. You might want to make a good amount of money or you just want to be a famous explorer. In future updates will also be more story driven goals like searching for the body of your father who has gone missing on the Zea. This end game goal can never be changed and you have to fulfill multiple steps before you can finish the game successfully. However you will most of the time die before you can reach it.

Basic gameplay features sailing from island to island, trading cargo with other ports, talking with the local townsfolk and battling pirates and the beasts of the Zea.
The map shuffles at every new game start so you will never know what awaits you out there. Docking at ports can give you random events that may harm or benefit you depending on your stats and luck.You can also hire a bunch of officers that act both as trainers and quest givers. Increasing stats in Sunless Sea is also very unique. Experience points are given for discovering things you didn't know before. Most of the time this means whenever you find a new place on the map like islands, lighthouses or unique rock formations you will get some experience. You can however also learn from townsfolk about traditions or you can learn from the multiple beasts you encounter. Whenever you have enough experience you gain a secret that you can use to raise a specific that at your officers. Stats are nothing else as wisdom in Sunless Sea. The more you know the better you are.
Knowledge is such important that people even pay you for it. At Fallen London you can submit Port reports for quick money or you can gather strategic information for the admiral which is paid well. You can also work for a sholar in the university which pays you for every unique piece of artefact, tale or anything else that he might want to know.

What makes Sunless Sea so unique is the bizarre world. From the tomb-colony where the half-dead live to Mt. Palmerstone where the devils wait for souls, you will also wonder at all the little things you come across.
The world of the Neath is interesting and mysterious and you will always disciver something new.
Because the game is currently at early access a lot of features are still missing. Currently the battle system, which is at this point plain boring, is redone, a lot of side quests that are already hinted in the game are not accessable and huge parts of the map can be visited but are empty as hell (or maybe not because hell is actually quite filled in the Neath).


So, what do you think of this game? Have you played it, how far have you got?
I've put currently 24 hours into it and I'm still discivering new playes, new side stories and can never get enough of the atmosphere of the game.

Offline Coppermantis

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Re: Sunless Sea - Succumb to your inner madness
« Reply #1 on: September 09, 2014, 12:53:02 am »
I saw this game on Steam a while back, but I'm hesitant to buy in early access. Still looks really interesting and polished despite this. It seems really grim and depressing, which isn't usually my sort of game, but is simultaneously very intriguing. Might check it out on full release.
I can already tell this is going to be a roller coaster ride of disappointment.

Offline x4000

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Re: Sunless Sea - Succumb to your inner madness
« Reply #2 on: September 09, 2014, 08:51:08 am »
Looks slick!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/304650/

I'm also hesitant for early access, mainly because I have no shortage of things to do, heh.  But looks very intriguing.  I love what they did with the visuals, too.
Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games?  Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!

Offline TheVampire100

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Re: Sunless Sea - Succumb to your inner madness
« Reply #3 on: September 09, 2014, 02:09:54 pm »
There is no penality for waiting unlike other games that slap a higher price on their finished product. Failbetter Games said that the price from the full version will be the same however purchasing the EA version now will goce you access to the alpha version whre you can test and play the game right now plus you can help the developers to shape the game.
The most well known aspect where the COMMUNITY helped where the design of the combat system. A lot of players said the combat system was quite boring right now (and it is) and gave the developers a lot of suggestions how to improve it. The developers than said they listened and will reshape the combat system entireley.
The current combat system is a turn-based system where you choose some attacks but honestlyall the actions do actually the same.
The new system however will be directly on the map and in real-time (however you can still pause and think about your steps). The player and enemies will now have ranges that the developers call arcs in which they can attack (for example firing a cannon). The success of a attack still depends on the stats and the illumination (in the current system you have to illuminate your enemy so you can see him). You have to bring the enemy in range, so your crew cann ready the cannons, your stats speed up the process.
I'm really excited when this new combat system comes out at the end of the month (with a lot of new islands, hurray!).
So like I said, purchasing earlier can help to shape the full version of the game. The developers are very open to the community, share their development processand listem to suggestions. Just like Arcen Games. A lot of good ideas have already be submitted and teh developers promised to pit them at least to some amount into the game.

Also there are some really awesome vsiuals in the game like the tides of appetite (oh god, I LOVE the tides of appetite). One of my favorite moments was this:


Offline TheVampire100

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Re: Sunless Sea - Succumb to your inner madness
« Reply #4 on: October 03, 2014, 05:18:52 pm »
The new battle system, titled as "Steel" has been released as beta. It's funny, this is a beta in an alpha game. So a pre-release of a pre-release.
The new battle system works pretty good. It's so much fun to chase after enemies directly on the map and fire your cannon. The old tun based system was boring.
In the new system you have "arcs" based on your weapons. An arc is a range around your ship, mostly in front of it, you cannot (at least not at the moment) shoot behind you. Enemies have to be in the arc and then your crew aims toward the enemy. This will be shown in a loading icon. You can fire already at 50% percent but it is very likely that you miss then. A full loaded shot is always a hit but in some cases you might to risk an earlier shot when an enemy charges directly at you.
Different enemy types play differently. Ships have, like you, an arc (that you don't see however but you can guess it from the behaviour of the ship) and can only target you when you move in their arc. This means that you can sneak up on ships from behind and shoot them before they can react.
Beasts of the Zee work in another way. They charge at you from time to time and deal damage when they ram you. They try to stay away from you until they attack and unlike ships they can attack you from every angel making them harder to fight. Unlike ships they have to touch you to hurt you so you can just sail away.
Light still plays a pretty high role in foghting. Your lamp hoghlights enemies and that let's your gun aim faster 8you can see this when the loading bar is green instead of red). Sou lighting an enemy gives you a good advantage. Stats have also been refined. Iron still measures damage, mirrors now speeds up the time of your aiming process, veils reduces the chance/range that enemies notice you. There might be future purposes for upcoming special abilities.
It has also been confirmed that bigger ships will hold more guns (therefor multiple attack bars that can attack individually) in a future update. Currently there is nothing like that in the game, bigger ships have only more cargo or more speed.

When you defeat an enemy it drops a loot crate that you can collect. The loot crate replaces the old victory screen after a battle, it is entirely the same except you now have to collect it. When fighting enemies this has however a benefit (which is now possible, before the update you could only fight agains one enemy at once), you don't have to click away the victory screen after every battle and can collect the loot after you've killed all enemies.

The new battle system makes the Unterzee also a lot more dangerous. Before the update you could avoid enemies and travel between your safe routes without ever getting into a fight. The new system makes it harder to flee from an enemy, especially enemy ships are dangerous because they can shoot at you from range. You have now to be more clever if you want to avoid enemies, adding to the dangerous atmosphere the game wants to create.

Overall I have to say that I'm very pleased with the new system and that I can see already some great features added to it.

Offline TheVampire100

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Re: Sunless Sea - Succumb to your inner madness
« Reply #5 on: October 11, 2016, 07:15:10 pm »
http://store.steampowered.com/app/452530/

Sunless Sea launched its first DLC, the Zubmariner. In the DLC you can dive the Underzee and find new horrors, er, I mean treasures.
During the game you get a new story quest that gives you, if you follow it, the ability to convert your ship into a submarine (or Zubmarine) and exlore the dark deeps of the sea. Many new ports await you, new enemies, new stories, simply more.
If you bought into early access you get the dlc for free, otherwise you pay a hefty sum (in my opinion).
The game itself has also a huge price drop for newbuyers.

eep in mind, Sunless Sea is mostly about the writing, so if you don't like strong stroy driven games  you should skip this. There are very big passges to read sometimes.

Offline wwwhhattt

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Re: Sunless Sea - Succumb to your inner madness
« Reply #6 on: October 11, 2016, 10:36:13 pm »
I had to delete this game to save myself, but the expansion calls...
Luckily buying things over the internet is too much hassle just now so I'm safe for the moment, but it's only a matter of time before this, the latest CK2 expansion and Christine Love's new game all consume my life. Again. (Perhaps fittingly considering that in two of those games I have eaten other characters).

Offline Aklyon

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Re: Sunless Sea - Succumb to your inner madness
« Reply #7 on: October 11, 2016, 10:50:37 pm »
She made a new game? Is it like Analogue/Hate+?

Offline kasnavada

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Re: Sunless Sea - Succumb to your inner madness
« Reply #8 on: October 12, 2016, 01:22:29 am »
I loved that game.

The only minor issue I have with it is that the stories kind of repeat after a while, when you die... but then again, there are a lot of those.
I'm hesitating about the expansion.

Offline wwwhhattt

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Re: Sunless Sea - Succumb to your inner madness
« Reply #9 on: October 12, 2016, 08:47:11 am »
She made a new game? Is it like Analogue/Hate+?
From what I've heard it's more closely based on VN's/dating sims (with an aim to mess with their perspectives). It's full title is "My Twin Brother Made Me Crossdress As Him And Now I Have To Deal With A Geeky Stalker And A Domme Beauty Who Want Me In A Bind!! or Ladykiller in a Bind", and is very NSFW.

Offline TheVampire100

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Re: Sunless Sea - Succumb to your inner madness
« Reply #10 on: October 12, 2016, 10:57:36 am »
The title does not sound SFW at all to be honest, so no one would except that ^^

It's true that the stories repeat, that's why I stopped playing for a while. But cominc back after a long time I can enjoy it again. There are many new stories to experience, even if you don't own the expansion.
The expansion itself however comes with a new endgame goal. To find immortaility for yourself.

Offline Aklyon

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Re: Sunless Sea - Succumb to your inner madness
« Reply #11 on: October 12, 2016, 11:12:20 am »
She made a new game? Is it like Analogue/Hate+?
From what I've heard it's more closely based on VN's/dating sims (with an aim to mess with their perspectives). It's full title is "My Twin Brother Made Me Crossdress As Him And Now I Have To Deal With A Geeky Stalker And A Domme Beauty Who Want Me In A Bind!! or Ladykiller in a Bind", and is very NSFW.
As amusingly ridiculous as that title sounds, I'm sad its not more Space Archivist adventures with AI.

Offline crazyroosterman

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Re: Sunless Sea - Succumb to your inner madness
« Reply #12 on: October 13, 2016, 07:00:41 pm »
I put a lot of hours into this a long time ago and I have to say that In my experiences the only way to survive was to work for the admiralty going to places for them to do what ever it is that they wanted to do for you(its been a really long time since I played) and while it was strangely lethargic and I did enjoy my time with it I did find it really repetitive.
unless the expansion solves that? in which ill come back to this game and give it more time.
c.r

Offline TheVampire100

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Re: Sunless Sea - Succumb to your inner madness
« Reply #13 on: October 15, 2016, 01:53:52 pm »
Working for the admirality was and probably always will be the best way to secure cheap fuel and money. However, you cannot get rich with this, it's just a good head start for you to play. You get some vague directions for some islands (which is extreme important int his game), you get fuel for free for port reports (plus a small currency reward) and build up admiral favour that you can use to either buy more fuel or repair your ship for free. However, on the long run you wont get enough from that small jobs/tours, its simply a "if I go there anyway, I can get as well my admiarilty reward" situation. It helps you at the start to get enough echoes for better equipment but afterwards you have to look for more profitable quests.
Another playstyle would be the criminal route, smuggle souls for the Blind Bruiser (but don't get caught) and kill neutral vessels for profit. I never actually went fully criminal in Sunless Sea, so I don't know what happens if you start going on a murdering spree.

I have to note that I'm currently not doing the Zubmarine stuff in the game. I started a new game and have to get soem equipment first. I also nee to fidn the port where I can get the Zubmarine.

Offline crazyroosterman

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Re: Sunless Sea - Succumb to your inner madness
« Reply #14 on: October 16, 2016, 05:23:50 am »
Working for the admirality was and probably always will be the best way to secure cheap fuel and money. However, you cannot get rich with this, it's just a good head start for you to play. You get some vague directions for some islands (which is extreme important int his game), you get fuel for free for port reports (plus a small currency reward) and build up admiral favour that you can use to either buy more fuel or repair your ship for free. However, on the long run you wont get enough from that small jobs/tours, its simply a "if I go there anyway, I can get as well my admiarilty reward" situation. It helps you at the start to get enough echoes for better equipment but afterwards you have to look for more profitable quests.
Another playstyle would be the criminal route, smuggle souls for the Blind Bruiser (but don't get caught) and kill neutral vessels for profit. I never actually went fully criminal in Sunless Sea, so I don't know what happens if you start going on a murdering spree.

I have to note that I'm currently not doing the Zubmarine stuff in the game. I started a new game and have to get soem equipment first. I also nee to fidn the port where I can get the Zubmarine.
I never encountered the blind bruiser unless it was added in a patch after words perhaps? but any way I've been thinking it would be a good game to listen to a podcast to so ill probably give enougher look today.
c.r

 

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