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[Darkmere]

I did a run of this a couple weeks ago, basically made a martial-arts master and roamed around the starting spot killing everything with Krav Maga.  Eventually quit while trying to sleep in a nearby house but being too cold, and also it was completely dark.  Kinda tedious...

I love this game for the stories people find with it, and it's impressive depth.  I want to try again, more seriously this time, finding proper layers and making a fire and such.

But, surely any melee fight is a flirtation with the RNG?  I assume it's safer to go with... spears, or bow and arrow?  I wasn't caught up with this thread until very recently (due to the OOCQ quotes thread) so I have no idea about the current meta.

You have to worry about basic needs first. Get clothing, clean water, unspoiled perishable food. Train tailoring, make some kind of armor, use a spear or blunt weapon so they can't get stuck (I don't think spears can get stuck...).

Unless bows have been radically changed, they were a huge pain in the ass AND RNG-dependent on finding the right books to make effective ones with decent arrows. I preferred the pneumatic range of weapons from mechanics, but that's harder to get going.

[Orange Wizard]

But, surely any melee fight is a flirtation with the RNG?  I assume it's safer to go with... spears, or bow and arrow?  I wasn't caught up with this thread until very recently (due to the OOCQ quotes thread) so I have no idea about the current meta.

The RNG isn't bullshitty. As long as you make sure you're decently prepared (low encumbrance, KNIFE SPEAR, etc.) and do the lead-things-over-bushes tactic, you're pretty much set against most early game enemies.
More difficult enemies need better skills and equipment but the principles are the same. Hit them when they can't hit you, use excessive explosive ordnance if you're unsure. Don't take risks, and so on.

[Adragis]

Spears can get stuck, but not if you make a reach attack iirc.

[Orange Wizard]

Pretty sure that's because reach attacks are hackily-coded projectiles

[pisskop]

reach attacks were going through floors for a while, killing basement dwellers.  Reach attacks ignore the need to stand up.  Furthermore most enemies who have armor lack stabbing armor.  the catch is that stabby weapons tend to do less damage or take to long to return to ready position.


Seriously guys?  Run over the migo, or else stand next to a bush and start a fire.  the fire will wound it heavily as it stands on it.

[Magnumcannon]

Just broke up inside a gun store using some nonorthodox methods. That ambulance is now useless, though. Playing with a Schnizophrenic character is pretty !!fun!!

[Arcvasti]

But, surely any melee fight is a flirtation with the RNG?  I assume it's safer to go with... spears, or bow and arrow?  I wasn't caught up with this thread until very recently (due to the OOCQ quotes thread) so I have no idea about the current meta.

Depends on what you're fighting with. If it has bullets or other dangerous special attacks, then yeah[Unless you have end-game tier armour]. Otherwise, even normally ranged characters often use a melee weapon to mow down most enemies. I NEVER use any non-magical ranged weapons, in basically any game, and I've effectively "Won" Cataclysm regardless. That said, even simple grenades will make your day a lot better and mininukes will make your LIFE a lot better.

[Rolan7]

I guess because you're expected to use roguelike-dancing, and especially the tiles with huge movement costs, to insure that enemies get few or no swings.  Alright.

[Salmeuk]

I guess because you're expected to use roguelike-dancing, and especially the tiles with huge movement costs, to insure that enemies get few or no swings.  Alright.

This game has an odd mixture of roleplay-friendly features and immersion-breaking systems (said roguelike-dancing, for one instance). For all the realism claimed by the devs, it has a particularly amateurish approach to design that precludes enjoyment of that realism. This is why I can only stand to play it for a few weeks every year or so. Day-to-day living in Cataclysm:DDA is tedious, that's just true, but if you try for more half-hazard and chaotic adventures it can be pretty fun. I find it odd that as soon as you're doing well in the game it becomes absolutely uninteresting.

All the fun parts of the game come from failing horribly. In contrast, the game is absolutely monotonous should you get to the point you can metagame the various systems for maximum survival efficiency. This is obviously my opinion.

[Darkmere]

Honestly I think in terms of survival Cataclysm runs laps around the other big survival game I've played recently: Don't Starve. Hold on, I know they're very different.

I hated that in DS the game actually got MORE maintenance-intensive the longer you survived. More wolves, more hunting, more bosses, more crafting to replace what you lost... less exploring, less building, less collecting.

Cata manages to balance both fairly well. It's pretty touch-and-go in the beginning, where you need food and supplies but have to pick your fights, vs later on having easy access to non-perishable food and access to greater challenges like labs that have neat toys in the basement.

I might feel somewhat differently if Don't Starve had homemade battletanks, though.

[freeze]

Totally worth playing the original and probably each major release (see also) if you're really into roguelikes.

[i2amroy]

I hated that in DS the game actually got MORE maintenance-intensive the longer you survived. More wolves, more hunting, more bosses, more crafting to replace what you lost... less exploring, less building, less collecting.

That was my biggest problem with the game too. I want to be able to at least hit a state where I can survive constantly and start exploring in survival games; not be forced to start dropping everything every third minute due to the waves from hell constantly scaling upwards in difficulty without limit.

[kilakan]

yeah, I do rather love the road-warrior state you can get into in Cataclysm if you work hard enough at it.  My favourite thing to do is retro-fit mobile meth labs or RV's into rolling tank-houses.  Powered vehical welders, solar panels, cookstoves and the like all placed within a super-reinforced, spike covered crawler vehicle is awesome and something i wished other games let you do.

[Micro102]

You know what would be an epic mod? Periodic attacks like in Don't starve. Maybe every few months you will feel like "something is coming after you", and then various monsters will spawn around you and attack you. They could get stronger based on how long you have been playing, or how high your skills are, or maybe how much stuff you have in the reality bubble, or maybe all 3 and you can adjust them. And of course, unique creatures that only spawn on these events, maybe carrying something rare.

It would make building a base actually worthwhile and cut through the tedium that is "make a giant armored vehicle that contains enough supplies to last you years and travel around looking for stuff to do"

[Baffler]

You know what would be an epic mod? Periodic attacks like in Don't starve. Maybe every few months you will feel like "something is coming after you", and then various monsters will spawn around you and attack you. They could get stronger based on how long you have been playing, or how high your skills are, or maybe how much stuff you have in the reality bubble, or maybe all 3 and you can adjust them. And of course, unique creatures that only spawn on these events, maybe carrying something rare.

It would make building a base actually worthwhile and cut through the tedium that is "make a giant armored vehicle that contains enough supplies to last you years and travel around looking for stuff to do"

This would be excellent. Wander spawns tend to put you under constant siege, while static spawns make trouble really easy to avoid. Random but semi-predictable waves seem like a good compromise.