I’m going to try really hard to not outright bash this game. I realize a lot of work by talented people has gone into it, but for me, the game completely misses the mark. My experience with the beginning of the game left me with a really poor first impression.
Here’s a list of things (in no particular order) that I believe need to be considered to make the game a smoother, more immersive, and less frustrating experience.
- Add setting to disable aim assist
- Add setting to enable/disable toggle sprint
- Add setting to enable/disable toggle ADS
- Add setting to enable/disable toggle crouch (I know it’s enabled by default, but, options)
- Add setting to adjust Depth of Field effects (either completely or with more granular options)
- Add setting to adjust Chromatic Abberation
- Add setting to adjust Film Grain (not 100% it’s in game but it usually is if CA/DoF is in)
- Add setting to adjust sharpening. Why would you not include sharpening when you have the option to use the notoriously blur-inducing TAA? (yes, I know how to use reshade)
- Add setting to adjust lens effects like dirt and any trash that covers your vision
- Add bindable control in keyboard settings to lower/holster weapon
- Add bindable control in keyboard settings to toggle slow walk
- Add bindable control in keyboard settings for the “take all” from container action. Enter is not good enough
- Add option to disable crosshair
- Add option to disable threat indicator and any related sound queues
- Add option to disable HUD entirely
- Add option to adjust head bob intensity
- Add difficulty modes
- Fix persistence with doors/containers when loading a previous save. Everything you’ve opened and looted resetting itself is super annoying
- Fix inconsistent interaction with doors. Walking up to one and holding E will usually make the prompt disappear and the player has to adjust their view to be able to open it. Would be nice if this was smoother as it is a very common interaction
- Add setting to limit framerate (without dynamic resolution), and include high rates such as 120, 144, etc
- Uncap framerate from 60 (not sure?, I could not get my game to go above 60 on a 144 Hz monitor)
- Fix the increase in mouse sensitivity that happens when sprinting, make it consistent with regular looking sensitivity
- Not sure what the deal with this was when I experienced it, but I was led DIRECTLY to the Salthamn shelter by a floating objective indicator when approaching the town. I’ve been reading that this game’s story is intended to not hold one’s hand? What’s up with leading me directly there then?
- Add option to adjust sensitivity for scopes individually
- Reduce the volume of the pump action shotgun. It’s insanely loud
- Change the sound of the suppressed bolt-action rifle. It’s embarrassing for a game that otherwise has great audio
- Change placement system for items such as propane tank and fuel cell. Make it so you place it right where you are pointing instead of RANDOMLY in front of the player
- Change ammo management system to be more user friendly. Running out of buckshot mid fight and having the game not AUTOMATICALLY switch to birdshot is mind bogglingly ridiculous to have been overlooked. In fact the whole ammo system, with ammo as an attachment is inherently flawed. The player has to remove ammo from the equipped weapon and then combine the looted ammo with the existing ammo and then reattach the ammo to assure all ammo of one type is useable. Makes zero sense. Why not just hold R to bring up an ammo wheel and then when you i.e. select HP but have FMJ in your pistol, have a reload animation and then boom, you’re switched and all of your available HP ammo is now allocated to be used without fussing around in your inventory
- Change sprinting animation. It just looks sped up like a cartoon
- Fix exploding cars. Cars should not explode into a fireball after being hit in the passenger window with birdshot
- Fix revive icon persisting in coop after reviving yourself. WTF is that feature anyways? Instant self revive? What? Why?
- Do a bug fix pass on your quests. In a coop game we were stuck on the bunker in Salthamn having scoured the entire interior, and the quest still said to search the INSIDE of it for clues.
- Fix unenterable bunker (before the bridge to Salthamn) that is floating over the ground
- Fix clipping blanket through wall of bunker in Salthamn, basic, BASIC quality control and playtesting stuff
- Fix bush inside of building on the dock near the first radio beacon, again, BASIC stuff
I was super hyped for this game, so far I wish I could refund it. Sorry if you feel like my thoughts are too nitpicky or don’t matter. This game was marketed to be a FULL game on release, was it not? This feels like early access seeping into the rest of the game industry.
On a positive note, the game world looks amazing in terms of forest areas. In towns and inside of buildings, it mostly looks dead and empty. Apparently everyone in Sweden cleans their homes after taking a single step. Maybe the robots are cleaning robots that went mad? It’s crazy to me that I paid $70 for two copies, to play with my brother, who was super hyped for this game. And I have to mention necessary features as small as TOGGLE SPRINT to the developers. Are/were any of the things I mentioned planned, or on your radar? It’s appalling as a consumer. I’m also shocked that I’m saying these things about this game. I thought I was going to love it. I hope it gets better.