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Anthem Demo Impressions Thread

iconmaster

Banned
I spent a couple minutes with the demo.

I have a personal vendetta against this game but I must admit, it’s fun. It feels good and looks good (though better in the town than in the missions, at least on a base PS4). I didn’t experience the multiplayer aspect, but even so think it’s going to make plenty of money.
 

Stuart360

Member
Spent some more time with the PC demo and the game is quite fun. The problem i have is i'm mostly a single player, and the game is just too hard on your own. When you pick Private in the settings, the game should adjust the difficulty for single players, the game doesn't. It seem the devs haven't balanced the game for single players.
 

Jaw1love

Banned
LOL

p8wJWy.gif

vlqPB8.gif
 

Jaw1love

Banned
Yeah, I wasn’t seeing anything like the quality of the promo footage. It’s very current-gen (at best), with lots of texture pop-in.

Maybe they haven’t turned on the graphics yet.
you need the deluxe VIP collectors edition preorder to enable the E3 Graphics setting.
 
End game you'll sit by the Forge and never move. Can't get much more streamlined that that. They just need to move the respawn point closer to the forge.

Hopefully, they let you move into and out of the social hub as a group, and we can just use that.
 
Spent some more time with the PC demo and the game is quite fun. The problem i have is i'm mostly a single player, and the game is just too hard on your own. When you pick Private in the settings, the game should adjust the difficulty for single players, the game doesn't. It seem the devs haven't balanced the game for single players.

You got matchmaking for practically everything in the game though and PC players are typically pretty cool.

One of the nice things about Anthem is that you have matchmaking for everything where even Destiny still doesn't.
 
Destiny added Guided Games for Nightfalls and Raids, but yeah, I prefer the Anthem approach even if it does mean a clusterfuck from time to time.
 

Xenon

Member
Okay after I got my bearings, this is a fun game. The graphics are good and has some outstanding visuals during the firefights. There were a number of moments that blew me away with all the stuff going around and how good everything looked.

I had very little interest going in but it's definitely on my radar now. Normally I only like playing solo games, but so far the matchmaking has been pretty good. My biggest complaint at the moment are the load time.
 
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Ogbert

Member
Not sure if I'm missing something obvious, but 4k fullscreen mode = 60fps, but when I go borderless windows, it doesn't dip below 100fps.

I don't usually see that sort of difference. Certainly not by that amount.
 

ZehDon

Member
Tarsis will make more sense when you have a sprint button and can get quests from most of the NPCs.
Will it though? I suppose my central concern is: how much can Bioware's story tellers really do with Tarsis - and only Tarsis - as their canvas? More quests doesn't address my concern if they're all "Go to the marker, kill the dude(s), get the thing" with only the book ending cutscenes and long loading screens to differentiate them. That isn't a "proper Bioware story".
 

Jaw1love

Banned
Graphics still looks impressive, but needs more aggressive volumetic lighting.
TwconXt.jpg

BvbCQA7.jpg





u5efa1m.jpg

UVcIc3H.jpg

qeW9Aiw.jpg
yeah lighting and density of foliage seems to be the biggest downgrade right now. At times with the right lighting it can look great. But when it's flat like in the GIF I capture earlier. It just likes like a last gen title. I'm thinking it's going to be a bigger issue in free roam as I'm sure in the missions they will tailor the time of day, weather, etc to maximize the look
 

MadYarpen

Member
I've just finished the demo, I mean story stuff.

Everything was already said about the visuals. I am a bit disappointed with the performance though. But nothing dramatic, generally it played smoothly (PC), only it didn't keep 60FPS. This could get better I guess.

About the game... I dont know what to think to be honest...

Whole demo screams "lost potential". Still, there are some glimpses of good stuff (what happened to matthias was interesting, and actually made me want to do these missions). From the gameplay I had some "mass effect" vibe, which I havent felt for a long long time (didn't touch andromeda). This was nice. And I took a moment to look around the city. It feels like blend of cultures and I cannot understand why is it so dead? Again, lost potential. Because I like how it is designed, especially at night, when you can see stars and moons on the sky (by the way, does it have a 24h cycle or is it preset?). But everyone is just standing there...

overall surely demo didn't convince me to pay the full price for this game. I have a feeling that if the story is good, I could enjoy it. But at this point it is just to risky to buy I guess.

Flying with M/KB feels terrible and they need to do something about that. Or maybe I could plug in DS4 and have KB/M/Controller setup?
And the trouble with flying is that you are far from the environment, or just to fast to notice it. there was downgrade but on its own the game can look nice. Trouble is you don't even see it.

Annoying shit:
Flying KB/M
Game crashes for me after each mission.
Loadings. Seriously, what year is this? There even is a loading screen within mission prep, to enter equipment. Nonsense.
Am I missing something, or you cannot access your equipment during the mission?
You cannot jump in the city, lol
Stupid enemies (difficulty comes from their number and bullet sponginess I think, they are not agressive and they don't seem to react appropriately to flying javelins)
Despide positive impression, I think the combat is shallow.
The game froze at the begining of the last cutscene so I have no idea how it ended. Only that I helped them.
In-mission dialogues are... cringeworthy is the word?
When I enter the forge/javeling prep area in the city the performance drops significantly, for no apparent reason (dives like from 90FPS to 40-50)

Maybe I'll add something later.
 
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What determines what you can craft? I was able to make a rare rifle but the others rares are locked. In the case of most weapons I can only do common rarity. Other equipment types can't be crafted at all.
 

Typhares

Member
What determines what you can craft? I was able to make a rare rifle but the others rares are locked. In the case of most weapons I can only do common rarity. Other equipment types can't be crafted at all.

Achievements or whatever they are called. I think tied to the weapon you'd want to craft so for example kill X enemy with a pistol: unlock the common pistol blueprint.
It's somewhere in the codex if you dig a bit.
 
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Trogdor1123

Member
Spent a few hours last night. Its not too bad. The city drives me nuts though, the frame rate sucks and there is simply too much stuff going on that serves no purpose. They had to split it in half just to get it to fit? That should have been a tip off to them.
 

Ogbert

Member
About the game... I dont know what to think to be honest...

I've been mulling it over.

I feel like they're trying too hard. They've jammed so many systems into the game, it's overwhelming, but not in an enjoyable way. There are too many enemies, too many explosions, too many buttons, too many drops, just too much stuff.

The flying, initially enjoyable, just feels like a chore now. Hover is cool and should be what the combat is built around. I feel like the game needs stuff taken out, rather than added.

If the single player is good, I'll pick it up down the road. But for now, it's a pass.
 
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Achievements or whatever they are called. I think tied to the weapon you'd want to craft so for example kill X enemy with a pistol: unlock the common pistol blueprint.
It's somewhere in the codex if you dig a bit.
Haha that's a hell of a grind. So the best way to start a Colossus build in the demo is to use the Ranger you start with and hope RNG gods smile on you. Starter equipment for colossus is terrible. Ranger, on the other hand, starts with a short CD primer with its melee and 2 detonators.
 
So I’ve complete the demo earlier today and I’ve been leveling up trying to get to 15. I’ve tried to do the stronghold mission or whatever it’s called twice. Both times I’ve had connection problems. The first was at the final boss and me and another persona lost our team. The next I got half way and DC’d.

You can enjoy this game all you want... until you can’t. What a shit show.
 
I've been mulling it over.

I feel like they're trying too hard. They've jammed so many systems into the game, it's overwhelming, but not in an enjoyable way. There are too many enemies, too many explosions, too many buttons, too many drops, just too much stuff.

The flying, initially enjoyable, just feels like a chore now. Hover is cool and should be what the combat is built around. I feel like the game needs stuff taken out, rather than added.

If the single player is good, I'll pick it up down the road. But for now, it's a pass.
I think the combat and flight is built around Strongholds. In the open world I just don’t see the amount of “leaving zone” pop ups being tolerated.

I think you hit the nail on the head. There seems to be way too much going on. It’s a mixed bag. Hover right now seems the perfect way to do combat. If only I had chosen the Storm...
 

Fbh

Member
Downloading on my laptop now to see if it feels smoother than the Ps4 version (it only has a 1050ti though so I'm not expecting much)


Graphics still looks impressive, but needs more aggressive volumetic lighting.
TwconXt.jpg

Yep. Which is a shame they showed something so unrealistic.

Had they shown something like the pictures from the start no one would have been disappointed or said it looks bad. But nope, got to show that BS demo
 
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RAIDEN1

Member
I get lost in that part of the demo where you and your team are in an area where your shields and health are constantly being drained away by something, and you can't even fly out of the area everyone else is just going around, and your thinking where is the exit out of this place....at best I found the demo to be OK, but probably something I'd look at cut price....
 

Nydus

Gold Member
I think the combat and flight is built around Strongholds. In the open world I just don’t see the amount of “leaving zone” pop ups being tolerated.

I think you hit the nail on the head. There seems to be way too much going on. It’s a mixed bag. Hover right now seems the perfect way to do combat. If only I had chosen the Storm...
The "leaving zone" thing is just for the demo.
 

Xiaoki

Member
What determines what you can craft? I was able to make a rare rifle but the others rares are locked. In the case of most weapons I can only do common rarity. Other equipment types can't be crafted at all.
In Fort Tarsis press J

This will take you to your Journal, move to Challenges.

Click on Gear then on the Javelin you want then on the ability you want.

If will tell you how many Missions or World Events you have to complete with that ability equipped to unlock a rarity to craft.

If you want to craft an Uncommon/Blue ability you have to complete 4 Missions on Easy or above difficulty to unlock the first level then complete 8 Missions on Normal or above difficulty to unlock the second level. The same applies for weapons.
 
The "leaving zone" thing is just for the demo.
Are you sure we’re talking about the same pop-up? I’m talking about the one that you could get booted off the side of a cliff you just flew over to get there not the one that would open up a new area.
 

MadYarpen

Member
Ah, one more nonsense.

"you are leaving mission area".

WTF? Mandatory respawn, when you are to far?

FFS once it teleported me further from the action than I was when "leaving mission area". Like it was literaly based on the area, not on what is happening.

I've been mulling it over.

I feel like they're trying too hard. They've jammed so many systems into the game, it's overwhelming, but not in an enjoyable way. There are too many enemies, too many explosions, too many buttons, too many drops, just too much stuff.

The flying, initially enjoyable, just feels like a chore now. Hover is cool and should be what the combat is built around. I feel like the game needs stuff taken out, rather than added.

If the single player is good, I'll pick it up down the road. But for now, it's a pass.


Yeah, it could be it. Not sure anyone would decide to take anything out though.
 
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TeamGhobad

Banned
You need to collect the glowy bits and bring them to the platform

you fly to the glowy bits and they attach to you and then u need to fly to the platform and you need to do that 8 times or sometimes even 12 times. Good gameplay design, I will totally do this throughout the game, thank you.
 

CariusD

Member
One thing the really need to add for the launch is UI boundry scaling. Any UI near the bottom/right edges goes off the screen on my TV
 

LordOfChaos

Member
Just played my first mission. The city and mission grabbing design reminds me a bit of the mobile game Shadowgun Legends lol, and the gameplay a faster ME Andromeda. But very janky on my PS4, and it needs no repeating that the visuals are nothing like the original showing, I find them drab here, even if there's some impressive technology running under the hood.

Eh. I'll check out reviews on final code, but I can't say I'm into it.
 
Played the demo Stronghold on hard and my team crushed that dungeon.

Can’t wait to to make builds in this game. My colossus at 131 gear score using flamethrower and lightning combo was awesome.

Heard a streamer say in end game they found a gun that had a 35% chance to cause a lightning strike.

If they have guns that have bullets that cause status effects in end game....that will be epic...the types of builds you could do with that would be awesome.

What I really like about the colossus is you can have a build where you Agro everybody and pull out your shield while still hitting people with Your lightning. So if you team up right you can tank while still doing massive damage with your combo detenators.

All the while healing yourself with a missile launch.


After playing again today it just reaffirmed my belief that the end game of Anthem will play more like WoW and feel nothing like Destiny especially if the guns just become compliments of your powers with status effects and so on.
 

Hendrick's

If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
Tarsis will make more sense when you have a sprint button and can get quests from most of the NPCs.
It won't make sense until they make character models outside the suit so you can stay in third person. Seems like such a lousy cut-corners based decision.
 
I beat the stronghold with the ranger and the colossus. I think I’m done with the demo. I’ll wait to see the final code based on Xbox One X. I dont think I’ll be buying it in PC.
 

TitusTroy

Member
I'm definitely going to buy the game...it's just a question of when...Day 1 or wait a bit...I do want to play Metro Exodus (Feb 14) and especially Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (March 22)...so maybe I'll wait until I finish Sekiro in April...that way a few patches, optimizations and hopefully more content will be released...but I might get it on Day 1...still deciding

here's the look and loadout of my final Storm build...

 

EDMIX

Member
Played it for about an hour or so today. LOVE how it feels, they did a great job with the gameplay elements. After the first mission, things got very interesting when the quest giver multiplied!!! So i'm liking what I"m seeing so far and only wish they did away with the loading screens when you go into a mission area. Not sure if that is based on some sort of fast travel or if i must be in freeplay to avoid it or.....not sure.

So far, different enough to warrant the buy and all free dlc isn't bad either.
 

EDMIX

Member
I'm definitely going to buy the game...it's just a question of when...Day 1 or wait a bit...I do want to play Metro Exodus (Feb 14) and especially Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (March 22)...so maybe I'll wait until I finish Sekiro in April...that way a few patches, optimizations and hopefully more content will be released...but I might get it on Day 1...still deciding

here's the look and loadout of my final Storm build...


I would wait, those SP games can be completed and you can get into Anthem at a later date as they'll likely patch, update etc. I'm not getting either game you mentioned day 1 so I'll likely get Anthem.


(I'll probably buy those 2 used at a later date)
 

Nydus

Gold Member
Are you sure we’re talking about the same pop-up? I’m talking about the one that you could get booted off the side of a cliff you just flew over to get there not the one that would open up a new area.

Not 100% sure. Everytime i tried to fly off the map a wind pushed me back. But I didn't test it much.
 

cormack12

Gold Member
I fired this up earlier, not really a fan of the controls popping in a browser window on the PS4 - who thought that was a good idea? Starting a mission was really counter intuitive too. Press Square to quickplay then trying to find out how to actually start it was weird. I didn't mind the graphics at all, but it was on normal and because there was no control quicksheet I was trying to learn while in game and getting pasted. Gonna need to go in the freeplay area I think.

I don't mind the concept but I don't think this is a day one for me. I've pretty much dropped BF V now as well so need a multiplayer game - the demo is meant to sell me on it in a limited time but it hasn't made it easy to see how the game actually hooks me, because I can't just dive in and enjoy it
 

azz0r

Banned
I really tried to like this, I loved Destiny at one point in time so I figured it'd be a natural fit.

The movement isn't fun, the design does nothing for me, and the enemies barely stand out in the environment.
 
Played the PC and the Xbox version. I want to like it, but there is so many things wrong with this game going from the demo. I've played about 10 hours of it. Getting shot through solid objects.....in 2019?! The AI in this game is horrendous. Enemy design, from what I've seen so far is completely uninteresting. Framerate on Xbox One X is garbage juice. I love how it plays and controls, but the world this all goes on in suuuucks.
 

Woo-Fu

Banned
It won't make sense until they make character models outside the suit so you can stay in third person. Seems like such a lousy cut-corners based decision.

I don't think it was a cut-corners decision, I think it was an attempt at better immersion for the RPG bits.

The social area they've added lets you run around in 3rd person with 16 friends.
 

Fbh

Member
Played a bit more because I wanted to try another Javelin
I unlocked Storm and it's definitely more fun to use than the first one if only because you are encouraged to keep your distance which makes the framerate feel a bit more stable on console.

Anyway, I think I've played enough for now and as I assumed, the game just isn't for me. I think it was the second mission which already introduces a boring tank-like thing with annoyingly high HP and that was on normal... so things can only get worse from there
 

shark sandwich

tenuously links anime, pedophile and incels
Played a bit more because I wanted to try another Javelin
I unlocked Storm and it's definitely more fun to use than the first one if only because you are encouraged to keep your distance which makes the framerate feel a bit more stable on console.

Anyway, I think I've played enough for now and as I assumed, the game just isn't for me. I think it was the second mission which already introduces a boring tank-like thing with annoyingly high HP and that was on normal... so things can only get worse from there
I quit after that one as well. Standing there unloading clip after clip into a bulletin sponge boss (while fending off endlessly-spawning waves of grunts) is NOT FUN. Why do games do this shit?
 

Hendrick's

If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
I don't think it was a cut-corners decision, I think it was an attempt at better immersion for the RPG bits.

The social area they've added lets you run around in 3rd person with 16 friends.
In your suit. This was definitely a cost/time saving decision. Why would it be better immersion coming from a company who has always made 3rd person RPGs?
 

Spukc

always chasing the next thrill
Anyone tried this game on the xbox one x ?
i have a pretty dope surround set up.

that gun sounds is fucking DOPE!
it really makes me feel a manly man when i shoot.

shame the actual impact on enemies feels off
 
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