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THUMPER |OT| THE BEETLE'S ROCK BAND - HIGHWAY TO HELL!

you can lead into the turns way in advance of the curves. They're probably the easiest part of the game (when you see them coming, just lean left/right and hold X).
 
I had this problem as well. I feel like the game in general has a problem with matching inputs with the rhythm, and the turns tend to be the biggest offender. When audio fails, visuals should pick up the slack, but many turns aren't well telegraphed, forcing trial and error and rote memorization. Not ideal for a one-difficulty-fits-all rhythm game. Good rhythm games craft intuitive notes, and I just don't get that with Thumper.

Overall the game disappointed me, though I still love the visuals and soundtrack.

Ah, that's a bummer to hear, I was really looking forward to this and so far I have the same impression. I thought it was just me but yeah, I think what's messing me up is that the inputs for the turns don't seem to be on the beat of the music. I think I'll try playing with the sound off tomorrow just to see if it makes a difference.

Because of the rapid speed of the game, might not be a bad idea to make sure your TV is in game mode.

I'm using the low-input HDMI port on a Vizio P-series, which has very low input lag, and like I said earlier I'm not a novice when it comes to rhythm games. I have no trouble at all playing stuff like Amplitude at harder difficulty modes and it always feels like I'm perfectly on beat when playing other games on the same system.

you can lead into the turns way in advance of the curves. They're probably the easiest part of the game (when you see them coming, just lean left/right and hold X).

That seems like a really lame way to play a game with a rhythm component, and since you get an extra sound effect when it do it on the beat (or at the right time, at least) it seems pretty clear that you're not supposed to hold the buttons in advance of the turn. If I have to do that to get by it is what it is, but it's way more satisfying to nail the turns on the beat.
 

JonnyKong

Member
I've had no issues with the turns so far, as others have said you can start doing the turn way ahead in advance. If you see one coming in the distance that requires you to turn left for example, then you can start holding down x and holding down left straight away, and you'll see in the distance the curve light turn white so you know it's right (wow that's a phrase).

Obviously only do this if you're really struggling, as the poster above me states, it's better to do it correctly in time to the beat.

So far I've found keeping x held down for most of the track quite helpful, only letting go of it to quickly press x on the lonesome blue lights when needed.
 
Level 5 is an absurd spike in difficulty.

Yup. Just plowed my way through it. It wasn't too hard when I finally got into it, but overall it was just a unenjoyable experience. I left levels 1-4 with a lot of joy and hype, level 5 just gave me a headache. Thankfully the final boss seemed disproportionately easy compared to the rest of the level, I just wanted that experience over with. Hopefully the next levels introduce actually interesting mechanics instead of that garbage death ring.

If it's the first level that has those bits where you gotta hit 3 beats real fast, there's not much help I can offer. just gotta mash through them, I was counting out loud to make sure I hit all three.

Also if it helps, 5-1 is literally the only part of the entire game that does those nasty 3 beats bits.

That feeling when you watch your friend's 13 year old daughter (with only minecraft video game experience) pass the level in a fraction of the time it took you to beat ...oh thats right... still haven't passed it yet.
 

RadMonitor

Neo Member
Just finished this today, what a great experience. I rarely play games nowadays because I lose interest after an hour or so. Something about Thumper really grabbed me. I hope we see something else like it in the future.
 

devonodev

Member
Just started this game a couple of hours ago, I'm having a great time. Frustrating moment caused by myself just now though, messed up at the very start of Level 4 boss, so I thought I'd just quickly restart from checkpoint. Suddenly I'm 30 checkpoints back, I hit the wrong restart!

I do keep seeing there's a big spike in difficulty at level 5, don't know how I'll go, but looking forward to finding out.
 

JonnyKong

Member
I personally found the supposed level 5 difficulty spike a bit exaggerated, if you've managed to complete up to stage 4 you shouldn't have any issues. Stage 6 was fine as well, it's just that damn final boss I can't beat..
 
I personally found the supposed level 5 difficulty spike a bit exaggerated, if you've managed to complete up to stage 4 you shouldn't have any issues. Stage 6 was fine as well, it's just that damn final boss I can't beat..

The Level 5 spike is all mental.
After my friend's daughter passed it, I went back and played it myself.

Passed it on my 2nd attempt.

The game forcing you to play perfect is one thing, but the game forcing you to play perfect or else you die can be a mind f***.
Especially if you are already exhausted from the level/Final boss before it.
 

devonodev

Member
I'm about halfway through level 7 now, the biggest spike in difficulty so far for me was the level 6 final boss. I just could not get that rhythm, it took me so long.

EDIT: Omg after spending well over an hour on the level 6 boss, I beat the level 7 final boss in 2 attempts with an S rank lmao
 

rcl66

Member
Love this game too. Playing on PSVR and in VR it is especially trippy, in a very good way! Non-existent lag helps too - the first time I got a bit stuck was figuring out those lock things in Level 3. I've just finished Level 3 now (or still doing its end boss I think). That 3-12 boss looking amazing in VR.

Ok what's the trick? I got stuck on the start of level 3 also can't get past those lock things. Made me feel stupid.
 

jett

D-Member
Ok what's the trick? I got stuck on the start of level 3 also can't get past those lock things. Made me feel stupid.

You have to pound the notes to break the "locks". You go airborne on the first note by pressing up and X and then you press down on the next note. It will send an attack forward. You may need to do that multiple times.
 
New "Play + mode" update today, sounds amazing:

http://www.polygon.com/2016/11/10/1...-cut-play-plus-update-playstation-4-pro-steam

"In a sense, it's kind of like the director's cut of the game," said programmer Marc Flury. "We've removed the tutorial sections, or any section that we thought would slow down the flow of the game."

The other major change in the new mode: speed. Vanilla Thumper was already a brutal test of reflexes, but now, the game will dynamically adjust the entire game speed based on how well you're doing.

"You can now go up to a 4X multiplier, and when you hit the 3X or the 4X multiplier, you start going faster," explained Flury.

Video and more at the Polygon article.
 

Tain

Member
I tweeted at the devs asking for that mode around launch and was responded to with the thinking face emoji.

They were probably already working on it but hey vindication feels good
 

Gbraga

Member
The last level is so dumb.

Or at least I assume it's the last level, and I hope it is, this game definitely overstayed its welcome for me.

Not a big fan at all.
 

robotrock

Banned
Still working on S ranking level 5. I can't quite figure this out.

Those rings where you need to fly to hit: do you have to hit every single one to S-Rank a level? Because sometimes I miss a few and I'll still get an S-Rank.
 

Jamesac68

Banned
Just in case life wasn't difficult enough, there's a new ranking available in Play+ for hitting all perfect curves and other scoring bonuses- S+. Soooo... I'm not good enough to consider that a reasonable challenge, but good luck not shattering your controller to those who are.
 
I still want to like this game so bad but I just cannot nail those turns for some reason. Never had a problem with any other rhythm game.
 

Jamesac68

Banned
I line up the turns visually, honestly. I know I should do it to the beat, and the game sounds great when I hit a perfect turn, but for the most part I go by eye rather than ear. Once I've learned a section I can "play" it on my controller just fine, seeing as the game is made up of patterns of obstacles whose sound effects create complementary rhythm to the background audio, but getting there takes some work.
 
I line up the turns visually, honestly. I know I should do it to the beat, and the game sounds great when I hit a perfect turn, but for the most part I go by eye rather than ear. Once I've learned a section I can "play" it on my controller just fine, seeing as the game is made up of patterns of obstacles whose sound effects create complementary rhythm to the background audio, but getting there takes some work.

I think part of the problem is I've been playing a lot of Amplitude recently and it's hard for me to separate the button presses from the beat. I think sometimes too I'm associating the turn with the wrong beat in the music or something.
 

mattp

Member
i am just popping in here to say i am on 6-18 and OH MY GOD YOU DON'T HAVE TO HOLD UP TO STAY IN THERE AIR???

fuuuuuuuuuuck

i have been making this game so much harder on myself lol



i want to go back and replay half the game now
 

JP

Member
Read a lot of good things about this so I'm on the verge of picking it up as I have money waiting in my wallet. I've watched quiet a few videos and really like what I see but even with videos I seem to be struggling to keep up with the game. In other rhythm games, even on faster modes, I can keep up with what's going on but on this it doesn't seem as clear to me when I would be pressing buttons.

Is this an issue for people on here or is it a matter of it making more sense when you play it?
 
I knew I wanted this game eventually, but I got tired of waiting on my physical copy of Rez to arrive so I went ahead and purchased it last night. I got halfway through chapter 5 so far. My biggest takeaway is how fantastic the difficulty curve is. It really ramps up perfectly. I do wish you were penalized more for dying. It would add some tension and risk/reward for playing for score vs. survival. I once I beat the game I'll definitely check out the "Play+" mode.
 
Just wanted to pop in and say this is the best game for PSVR.

I'm now at level 8 and I gotta say the level 7 boss
with the jump up/down x 3 to break the gates
was exhilarating once you work out what you need to do.

I'll need to think about it, but possibly my GOTY beating out Uncharted4.

Read a lot of good things about this so I'm on the verge of picking it up as I have money waiting in my wallet. I've watched quiet a few videos and really like what I see but even with videos I seem to be struggling to keep up with the game. In other rhythm games, even on faster modes, I can keep up with what's going on but on this it doesn't seem as clear to me when I would be pressing buttons.

Is this an issue for people on here or is it a matter of it making more sense when you play it?

the 1st 2 worlds introduce mechanics and its pretty easy to wrap your head around in practice.
 

Kazaam

Member
After having to take a long break from it because of work, I finally S-ranked all levels! Definitely one of the best experiences I've had this generation and it's gonna easily find a place in my top 5 of the year!
 

valeu

Member
this game is such a good wild ride. i love how the levels just keep coming one after the other, sometimes without a pause. i hope drool keeps making psvr games
 

Big Chungus

Member
started playing thumper today..

op9PWrr.gif
 

Haunted

Member
This game goes from pretty good to HOLY SHIT THIS IS ACTUALLY INCREDIBLE in VR.

There are more games that received a boost from the added immersion and novelty, but Thumper felt like the one that truly, really shined in VR.

Incredible. Want to play it again immediately.
 

SirChop

Neo Member
Played in vr. But it was just a giant theatre screen effect

I wanted to see the level behind me and stuff

If you mean that it actually looked like a rectangle with the game on it, you need to enter VR mode. The newer updates automatically put you in VR mode on launch if the headset is turned on. In VR mode, you can see the track behind you, although there isn't much else there.

http://steamcommunity.com/games/356400/announcements/detail/282996386426888638

Looks like the PC version now supports SteamVR. Interestingly, it says that it supports Oculus Touch and Vive controllers. I'm guessing it's just button inputs so you don't need to change to a standard controller.
 

DJ88

Member
FInally got to play this!

Was waiting for the VR update for Vive and holy shit it was worth the wait. Got to level 4 and I'm loving the subtle rhythm cues that help you hone in on the beat and just the awesome feeling when you get into a good groove of hitting every turn perfect and really feeling the rhythm of the level. VR only amplifies that feeling when some of the crazier visuals are just flying past you. It's really sublime.

I still want to like this game so bad but I just cannot nail those turns for some reason. Never had a problem with any other rhythm game.

I don't know what to tell you man, the turns are right on the beat for me. The only pointers I can think of is that each level's "beats", the moment you're supposed to hit x or turn, isn't always on the main kick, sometimes it's on the off beat or different time signatures.

The other thing is the perfect turn usually starts pretty deep into it, so sometimes your brain is telling you to start turning as soon as the wall comes up, but it's actually much further into the turn. You just have to trust the timing of the beat. The instant you cross that point of the perfect turn without hitting the direction though is when you take a hit.
 

Jamesac68

Banned
Ok, now I know just how much lag my monitor introduces. I've gone from being kind of adequate at nailing perfect turns in regular mode to hitting them almost every time in VR. Just S-ranked levels 1-3 last night and I'll be replaying the whole game from scratch. It's amazing just how much better Thumper is in VR.
 

TheRed

Member
Yeah I just bought this to use on my Vive, have been waiting for it to come to SteamVR. Man it's awesome I could play for hours in a trance. Love it.
 

Jamesac68

Banned
Also, no way in hell am I using my Touch controllers with it. I tend to try to mash that A button right through the back of the casing when the action gets going and I'd rather not do that with hardware that runs to triple digits in price.
 

Skinpop

Member
the combo thump pause is ruining this game for me. after realizing what's happening I just quit and now I don't feel like ever playing it again unless they remove it.. so sad to have these feelings about a game I think is so rad otherwise.
 

Melchiah

Member
Bought the game last night, and managed to reach 1-4 so far. The game looks and sounds absolutely fantastic, but I struggle to keep up with the rhythm. It's always been that way for me with rhythm games. Even the music puzzle in God of War 3 was extremely hard for me. It's kinda funny, considering that I've played in bands for over a quarter of a century.

I guess there's no way to use the D-pad instead of the analogue stick for the turns?*


*EDIT: Nevermind. It works with D-pad as well. For some reason it seemed at first like it didn't.
 

Alo81

Low Poly Gynecologist
Anyone on PC get a weird freeze every minute or two? Video freezes up for about a second and a half but the game keeps running underneath it? Its causing me to drop combos and for a rhythm game this demanding is a huge buzzkill.
 

Haunted

Member
This is probably the best game I'm totally reluctant to play because it takes so much out of me every time.

Thumper in VR is the most straining and stressful game I've played this year. :D
 

Melchiah

Member
This is probably the best game I'm totally reluctant to play because it takes so much out of me every time.

Thumper in VR is the most straining and stressful game I've played this year. :D

Now I really want to experience the game in VR.
 
Just played the PSVR demo...wowsers, what an experience. I felt like all of my senses were being assaulted and it was very trippy. By far the most intense VR game I have played yet. This game is awesome in every sense of the word.

Are there any dramatic visual differences between the SteamVR version and PSVR version? I have a PS4 Pro as well as a Vive. I find the PSVR far more comfortable and would like to go with that version if there aren't any major differences.
 
This game is absolutely AMAZING.

Probably for a few years now, I thought I was getting jaded and that no game would be able to rekindle that magic anymore, but along came Thumper, out of nowhere.

As a huge WipEout fan back in the day, this game really feels like the spiritual successor. Very different in many ways, but it gives me that same feeling of exhilaration and requires those same twitch skills - as well as also having awesome music and an incredibly stylish, futuristic bent.

I am still only at level 4 and delighted by the new mechanics that are slowly being introduced. The level of challenge is just right - it's hard, yes, but replaying bits over and over is just so fun and exciting that it never really frustrates me when I screw up.

THIS is what games are about!
 
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