2019-08-12 08:18:26

@174
Thank you. In that case, I did finish the last mission. I'm really glad to know that, but on the other hand, it's kind of disappointing that it's over. I'll continue the next difficulty, but from the missions I've already managed to complete, it's clear that I'll have some practicing to do.

Trying to free my mind before the end of the world.

2019-08-12 08:32:18 (edited by Sightless Kombat 2019-08-12 09:22:46)

@171
Now I know why I seemed to be not getting accurate credit payouts for lower scores.  Thanks for the info on that part of things.

@172
I just think stat points, that can give you a more enjoyable experience once your rig is better equipped to deal with certain elements in combination (filters+rival rigs that can be accelerated past) are far too costly (i.e. the jump from tier to tier is too steep).  On occasion, game elements don't appear to be correctly balanced either - rival rigs swarm the track at the end of antiviral  even when I think I'm relatively far ahead, meaning that without the right upgrades and stat points, both of which require credits, I won't be able to pass the mission and progress with a game that I'm very much enjoying and want to get better at.

Edit: After grinding other missions and bonuses for credits as I have been for the past couple of days, I finally passed Antiviral with the following build:
Stat points: Nothing in top speed, 2 in everything else
Equipment: Damage Shield at level 1
Strategy: Use hyperdrift to heal up every so often, suggest leaving it a little after a filter before using it.  Sometimes even hitting it just before a filter appears to work.

Hope that helps those who are stuck on the mission at present.

Regards,
Sightless Kombat.
***If you wish to refer to me in @replies, use Sightless***

2019-08-12 09:26:49

Apologies for the double post, but I thought I'd put this separately as this is an improvement suggestion:
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During Return To Midori's story sequence, the race entries actually show a full, long list of text strings as opposed to the synopsis that was provided in the script of the first version of the same sequence, making the "cutscene" as it were much longer than it should be.  Hopefully this shouldn't be too difficult an issue to resolve though.
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Regards,
Sightless Kombat.
***If you wish to refer to me in @replies, use Sightless***

2019-08-12 18:16:21

Yes the dialog should be easy to fix.  I still need to do a pass on all of it to make sure it works properly and has all of the extra narration that everything needs.

Again, the game is going to go on sale soon, in case you were not sure if you wanted to buy.  I'm not sure when, because there is a lot of work to do in order to get ready for a sale.

2019-08-12 18:38:21

Regarding the balance stuff, I kind of like it where it is. The game is definitely intended to be difficult.

Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic.

2019-08-12 19:56:42 (edited by stewie 2019-08-12 20:02:06)

Sort of spoilery for late game missions
How did people complete the forest, mountain, and ocean hubs? No matter what I do I can't keep up with the bots. I have the same  problem with "Mia Green is Missing" because the barriers slow me  down  and they're still mostly impossible to avoid.

Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic.

2019-08-12 20:18:36

try putting points in top speed and acceleration. when it comes to missions that slow me down, I'm all about that boost. try using it strategically. let's say you crash into a barrier and you have a full stick of butter, just use it as soon as you crash into barrier. Whatever you do, do not boost right before reaching the barrier! that can be rather painful. haha

2019-08-12 20:41:53

I've figured out Ocean, I just need to figure out the later patterns. I wish there was a practice mode to practice specific sections of track,  I don't know if that'd make the game too easy though. When hyper drift is changed to better fit audio cues patterns I think it'll make things a lot easier too.

Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic.

2019-08-12 21:41:02

I have a question for players that have gotten further into the game.

The game normally splits the rhythm into sections of four beats.  I originally intended that for medium and higher difficulties, the game would actually use two beat sections instead of four beat sections, just so there are fewer notes to memorize per each section, but the sections come twice as fast.

However, it seems that people are still able to play the harder content even with everything being split into four beat sections.  Anyway, I'm curious to know if you think that change should be implemented?  I haven't even been able to play enough to determine if that is the correct choice.

Maybe what I should do is to just make the change or make it an option for people to try?

2019-08-12 21:51:39

I would appreciate the option of there being two-beat sections. I do struggle with long note patterns in higher difficulties (not so much memorizing them, it's memorizing them and then  processing what I need to do over a longer period of time). It would feel closer to how audio cues 2 works without being impossible to react to also.

Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic.

2019-08-12 23:16:45

I personally think this will make more sense in audio cues 2. cues 2 is great and all, but it does tend to get super hard later on. with an extra beat to process things it should be a lot more manageable. maybe leave one as it is, and for cues 2, change it to two beats. what do you guys think?

2019-08-12 23:19:01

@186
I think you should have the option whatever mode you're playing.  Without being able to play a test build, I can't really get my head round the implications for either mode.  However, with cues 2 I think having an extra beat or two would definitely help.

Currently trying to work out the correct build to complete Death Contract, having got an extra stat point and, though thinking about getting an extra upgrade, I'm also not sure what to go for.

Regards,
Sightless Kombat.
***If you wish to refer to me in @replies, use Sightless***

2019-08-13 00:53:47

As far as how the sequences are divided, I agree with @186. Audio cues 2 is actually a pretty challenging mode as it is due to some of the very quick reaction speeds needed to complete each beat. Adding an extra beat to audio cues 2 and leaving audio cues 1 as it is seems like a great idea.
@181
How many stat points do you have? What do you think is the most challenging aspect about getting past barriers? I rarely run into them anymore. Do you think a recording about them would help if I made one?

Trying to free my mind before the end of the world.

2019-08-13 01:17:01

@188 A recording might help, I always end up steering into the sides of the track somehow when trying to avoid the barriers.

I think Audio Cues 2 should be left as is. Yes the mode is near impossible to react to, but some people might  be able to do it with enough practice and they should have that option. I think an additional mode for two beats per pattern or maybe an option in audio cues 1 for two beats would work well.

Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic.

2019-08-13 01:42:47

Hey everyone! I’m having so much fun with the game, however I’m stuck on antiviral, i know i need to memorize the last parts with simultaneous scratches, but I’m losing so much hp because I’m coliding with the sides of the track every 4 beats there’s one of these. Is there a way to avoid it? Because it doesn’t seem to help neither with hyperdrive or boost. Do i need to hit all the notes with perfect accuracy to avoid it? Also the suggestion with the practice sections is totally awesome, it would help to learn much faster, and could be optional, just like the other settings to reduce notes, holds, etc.
Thanks for updating the game so fast, ill continue to play the game for hundreds of hours!

contact info
email:
matrheine at gmail . com

2019-08-13 05:48:05

Hello there, big_smile

special magic games wrote:

I have a question for players that have gotten further into the game.

The game normally splits the rhythm into sections of four beats.  I originally intended that for medium and higher difficulties, the game would actually use two beat sections instead of four beat sections, just so there are fewer notes to memorize per each section, but the sections come twice as fast.

However, it seems that people are still able to play the harder content even with everything being split into four beat sections.  Anyway, I'm curious to know if you think that change should be implemented?  I haven't even been able to play enough to determine if that is the correct choice.

Maybe what I should do is to just make the change or make it an option for people to try?

I agree, having it an optional thing would be nice, that way people can try. That is, if you haven't implemented it yet. smile

2019-08-13 06:12:33

@190
What really helped me when it came to the simultaneous scratches was to focus on one side. (either the left or the right) If you can tell that the left side is playing a downward scratch, then you know that the other side is playing the opposite at the same time if that makes sense. Even then, it took me several tries before I could perform it well enough to pass, but I find that to be part of the fun. Again, you can run through some tracks in arcade mode by yourself, and I've used that as practice for missions. It's not as convenient as a dedicated practice mode, but I really like the game's difficulty where it is.

Trying to free my mind before the end of the world.

2019-08-13 07:42:53

@special magic games
I left a comment on each of your four blind playthrough videos.  It's totally fine if you can't respond to all of them, but some of my suggestions may end up being helpful.
Thank you so much for being willing to educate your self about this field and work on it even with the regular updates at the same time.  It's very much appreciated.

2019-08-13 10:10:37

@190
Don't bother yourself with the simultaneous scratches.  Just set fewer rhythm controls to on and no simultaneous notes to on and enjoy that mission and whatever else you can do from there.  It's much less stressful and more enjoyable as a game when that very frustrating (non-optional) challenge is removed from the equation, take it from me - I'm now stuck on two later missions but have managed to pass everything almost first time up to that point.

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I'm stuck on Try Before You Buy and Death Contract and any assistance with these missions would be greatly appreciated.

I know that Death contract will be tough and I understand the conditions for winning, but I can't seem to catch my rival at all, he always seems to be further ahead than he has any right to be.  As for Try Before You buy, the issue with the bots has come up as it has with other players.  I can't actually seem to steer to them and hit them.  Having your rig hit them via autopilot during boost would be good as then you just have to concentrate on boosting when you have the power, but being able to hear the other rigs would also possibly resolve this issue as well.

I found a bug in charting by the way as well.  Rushed Delivery on challenging has a barrier that you literally can't steer around because you have no boost to do so given it's right at the beginning of the mission.

Great to see this game getting near constant updates, can't wait to see what you have planned for further content/patches in the near future.

Regards,
Sightless Kombat.
***If you wish to refer to me in @replies, use Sightless***

2019-08-13 11:09:51

@194
As far as your feelings about Antiviral and the simultaneous scratches, at the end of the day it just comes down to what you want out of the experience. I've completed the mission as it is along with other players in this topic. It is stressful and frustrating, but enjoyability is a lot more subjective than the other two. It's more enjoyable to me, for example, to work towards being able to complete complex sections of a mission across many different tries, instead of flying through everything on the first try.
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Try Before You Buy, as well as a couple of the other missions in that area that center around bots are not really playable for us at the moment, but you can proceed with the main story missions and complete the game without beating those. I don't mean to repeat things or give advice without substance, but I wouldn't expect to beat Death Contract on the first try. How well are you completing the sequences? How often are you using boost/drift? I also just thought about the idea that if you are playing the game with reduced notes, there might be the possibility that, due to the fact that the mission is designed around more notes, playing with reduced notes might actually make the mission harder. You won't have as often an opportunity to fill up your power meter for boost/drift

Trying to free my mind before the end of the world.

2019-08-13 11:52:40

Why is it a trend nowadays to tune things down whenever there is a frustrating element?
I understand that not everyone has the same skills, and modern games are accommodating enough to make  the level of difficulty  mostly a matter of personal preference. Having said that, there is definitely something wrong when people are able to complete a game on the first run. It just means that the game is not challenging enough. As a result, people always want more and more content, not realizing that the existing content could provide much more satisfaction on a higher difficulty. True, it might take more time to complete, but nothing beats the feeling when you actually succeed.
This is not against Sequence Storm, as I believe the game provides more than enough challenge, just a general remark.
I personally think that we should try to match the mainstream experience as closely as possible. At the moment, this is almost possible, with a few exceptions such as having autopilot on while boosting. Things are definitely improving, and I am really looking forward to what @special magic games cooks up next.

For this reason, I really like the two-beat approach, it might be interesting to see it change with  difficulty.

Regarding held notes, I think it would work if a looped sound, or a whoosh would start playing during the period the note must be held for, and a small chime when the note must be released. The whoosh or looped sound could also be a sequence of tiny chimes in rhythm, increasing in pitch as the rhythm gets closer to the release beat.
Hopefully this makes sense.

Rob

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Robjoy, AKA Erion
Visit my site for all the things I do and to contact me.
You can also stop by for a slice of Pi

2019-08-13 12:43:49

hi. how to know whats new in this game. and will steam automaticly download the new patch?

2019-08-13 12:53:41

You can track news and updates on Sequence Storm's Steam page
Yes, Steam should automatically download updates for you.

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Robjoy, AKA Erion
Visit my site for all the things I do and to contact me.
You can also stop by for a slice of Pi

2019-08-13 12:57:01

I never said how much i appreciate VSync in this game, so thanks for that.
@196
I agree. I just couldn't articulate that very well. Bottom line is that I'm not  a big fan of instantly jumping to toning down the game just because it's not easy. The feeling of accomplishment is well worth the effort put in to me.
@197
Steam will automaticly downoad the new version, and I usually see what's new by going to the Sequence Storm page on the Steam website. I don't use Steam very much, so there could be a better way to see the changes.

Trying to free my mind before the end of the world.

2019-08-13 15:20:07 (edited by Sightless Kombat 2019-08-13 15:21:33)

@195/196/199
It seems as though numerous individuals in this thread are misunderstanding my point of view, so allow me to at least attempt to elaborate:
It is not like I want to pass these missions first try, nor that I don't want to work towards progression/have a challenge.  What frustrates me is that, currently, the only way you can guarantee no simultaneous notes is to disable the scratches.  You can have challenging tracks without simultaneous scratches in them as evidenced by charts in the earlier missions of the game.  I don't quite understand why, when turning simultaneous notes off, there is still one part of the game left untouched, but I'm definitely interested to hear developer input on the reasoning behind that.

Were I able to have no simultaneous notes and leave the scratches on, I would do that in a heartbeat to increase the challenge of these later missions.  I personally have trouble processing the multiple cues that are extremely similar in the short space of time required when they play simultaneously and having that block my access to the rest of the game, even after multiple efforts to get past them, including trying the track in arcade, only frustrated me further which is why I am playing the game I am now and enjoying it more as a result.

Again.  I want this game to be a challenge and feel satisfied with progression, and having the options present in the game as they are definitely will allow more individuals to do that.  It would just be great if no simultaneous notes actually allowed for what it says on the tin, as well as the current alternative.

@195
I've beaten Death Contract on the first try after the patch.  Seems like the AI was a tad broken according to the patch notes.

@196
Though I am completing missions on the first run, this is not a constant and I feel I am doing so out of skill+awareness of the track as the straights come up for boosts, for example even if I don't learn the track as others might intend to do and as I might have to for ultra runs.

Very pleased with the new patch so far and I look forward to progressing both in terms of story content and my relative skill.

Regards,
Sightless Kombat.
***If you wish to refer to me in @replies, use Sightless***