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Invisible Inc. |OT| Tactical Espionage Strategy
- Thread starter More_Badass
- Start date
Reluctant-Hero
Member
Looks like this is officially $15.99 for the first week. Sweet, I'm in.
More_Badass
Member
Launch trailer:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=WZ8b_J7DS64
And a 10/10 from Destructoid
http://www.destructoid.com/review-invisible-inc--291971.phtml
https://youtube.com/watch?v=WZ8b_J7DS64
And a 10/10 from Destructoid
http://www.destructoid.com/review-invisible-inc--291971.phtml
Shake Appeal
Member
Rushing is totally viable!
Like I said, it's hard to give basic tips, but here are some Invisible, Inc. "principles."
1. Your chief enemy is time, so you do want to move as fast as possible. That means sprinting when it's safe and covering as much ground as possible each turn. Splitting up your agents is usually a good idea until it becomes clearer where objectives and the exit teleporter are. Then you may want to reunite them, because they're much more effective at taking out enemies and holding down an area as a team.
2. Try not to engage the enemies until you have to. It's rare that you'll ghost a map — just because of all the things conspiring against you — but as soon as you take down that first guard, things will start to unravel and the alarm level will rocket upwards. Hold off taking someone out until you have to (they spot you, or you can't lure them away from your chosen route). Exception: on early missions, if you can't steal from guards yet, you may want to knock out and loot everyone you see, just to build up some funds.
3. The most important thing is to survive each mission. You will not clear most maps 100%, and you definitely won't clear the later maps on harder difficulty settings. Learning to leave safes and other loot behind is a learned skill. Recognizing when a situation is about to spiral out of control and bailing out is a learned skill. Focus on the mission objective and the exit teleporter. Everything else is icing.
4. The most important mechanic is cover. It isn't immediately intuitive where you're invisible to guards (although it's improved in the release version, as it now shows holes in their vision), but once you understand how it works, you can squeeze through very tight spots in a turn or three. Drawing enemies' notice (yellow question marks) is absolutely fine; they'll investigate and then return to their patrol if they don't spot you. You can use this to draw guards away from important locations, too. Red exclamation marks mean the level is starting to go sour; guards don't go back to their patrol once they've spotted you even once.
5. Being spotted isn't game over. You get a free move of one space, and if that takes you into cover, you won't get shot. So if you understand how cover works, you can start to intelligently position your agents at the end of each turn in ways that let you bail out safely even if a guard surprises you. This lets you plan for the unexpected and be much more aggressive. This is kinda hard to explain without diagrams, but start thinking about the room you're in, imagining what the worst possible thing that could happen next turn is, and positioning your agents accordingly.
6. You can't really plan your builds. Certain agents work better with certain equipment, programs and augments, but a huge part of the game is adapting to what you're given. Just like Risk of Rain or FTL, you may find a really powerful item or upgrade early on and have to tailor your playthrough to fit it. A big part of the game is fitting what comes your way to your chosen agents' skillsets. There are some very powerful synergies out there, but usually you will have to make do with something suboptimal. Usually, that's more fun.
7. Choosing missions is important. Are you struggling to generate power or hack effectively? Go for a mission that gives you Incognita programs. Are you short on cash? Hit up a vault. You may also want to factor in travel time (because the more missions you squeeze into each day, the more chances you get to build up cash and upgrades before the finale), difficulty level and corporation. That last point is important: if you don't have good hacking yet, you do not want to go into a high-level Sankaku building. Trust me.
8. When making purchases, prioritize armor piercing. You will likely not survive a run without at least one character who can take down armored guards. They start to show up on level 3 missions and above. You need to stay ahead of that curve to be effective, so grab the augments and items that help.
9. For the most part, you want to have cash on hand. Keep 600+ on you at all times, because you may never know what you'll stumble over in a store on the very next mission or what Monst3r may have for sale at a discount. Don't burn all your money on agent upgrades unless you're overflowing with cash or are about to start the final mission.
10. The best agents to use in the beginning are the starting ones: Decker and Internationale. Decker is fast and has a get-out-of-jail card in his stealth ability; Internationale makes managing cameras and consoles simpler when starting out.
11. The most powerful upgrades in the game are a third and fourth agent, so rush Detention Centers where possible. The agents you rescue won't have their starting augments and equipment, but they let you cover more ground, they're invaluable for pinning guards in tight spots, and you can use them as bait or distractions.
Shake Appeal
Member
12. Close doors behind you.
A.B.C. Always be closing.
A.B.C. Always be closing.
Shake Appeal
Member
Shake Appeal
Member
Kinda worried that reviewers are pegging the game as really difficult. Most of the complaints seem to be that it's too hard and the UI is too cluttered. I don't feel the latter at all, but that could be because I'm so used to it by now.
More_Badass
Member
Added the new reviews and the useful tips to the OP, thanks Shake Appeal
Shake Appeal
Member
MrCompletely
Member
Awesome tip(s)
I would add here that travel time and difficulty are equally important factors in choosing your next mission. In the standard campaign settings you have 72 hours to reach the final mission. If a mission is 12 hours away, it eats a significantly higher chunk of hours than a mission that's 5 hours away. In that sense, time is a like a currency/resource that you use to "purchase" your next mission. So, for example, if you have 12 hours left, you can squeeze in two more 6 hour hard missions or a single 10 hour easy mission. That's a significant decision in this game. Factor in objective and preparedness.
Also, vaults pay off tons more with a vault key, that's usually obtainable at a chief financial suite. Nanofab Vestibules require a ton of cash, so you'll want to find those mission combos that naturally compliment each other. If there are no great mission options you can occasionally hit a close executive terminal mission which reveals more locations (but, of course, also eats your time).
I would add here that travel time and difficulty are equally important factors in choosing your next mission. In the standard campaign settings you have 72 hours to reach the final mission. If a mission is 12 hours away, it eats a significantly higher chunk of hours than a mission that's 5 hours away. In that sense, time is a like a currency/resource that you use to "purchase" your next mission. So, for example, if you have 12 hours left, you can squeeze in two more 6 hour hard missions or a single 10 hour easy mission. That's a significant decision in this game. Factor in objective and preparedness.
Also, vaults pay off tons more with a vault key, that's usually obtainable at a chief financial suite. Nanofab Vestibules require a ton of cash, so you'll want to find those mission combos that naturally compliment each other. If there are no great mission options you can occasionally hit a close executive terminal mission which reveals more locations (but, of course, also eats your time).
Shake Appeal
Member
Yeah, a successful Chief Financial Suite/Vault mission combo can be tough, but when you pull it off, you will be very wealthy.
Fragamemnon
Member
Can't wait. How's the highest difficulty setting?
Shake Appeal
Member
Expert Plus? From looking at the settings, I would say appropriately punishing; it turns off a lot of the indicators you rely on at lower difficulties. I haven't actually tried it yet.
MrCompletely
Member
Hard to say, there's myriad custom settings on the campaign that enable you to customize the difficulty, but the standard "expert" mode is pretty challenging.
TheSadRanger
Banned
It's kind of misleading on the steam store page, on the main page it only says 10% off for me. But on the actual Invisible Inc page it says 20%.
QuixoticNeutral
Member
The additional discount for Mark of the Ninja owners is nice. MotN and Don't Starve have by themselves secured Klei as one of the top PC developers anywhere in the past few years, so I may pick this up at the full launch price, something I rarely ever do for anything on Steam as we know the 75% discount is coming. As a TBS enthusiast I don't think I can put this one off.
I really love what I played of the early access and the pre-release versions. Cements Klei as one of my favorite modern developers. It's crazy how well they handle drasically different game styles. Clever game design too.
My only complaint about Invisible Inc is that unlike Klei's other games, the UI doesn't scale to your resolution which means menus and buttons get small over 1080p. In my experience, it's usable at 1600p so I'm OK with it but any higher will require resolution switching. It's a 2D game so this isn't a big problem.
My only complaint about Invisible Inc is that unlike Klei's other games, the UI doesn't scale to your resolution which means menus and buttons get small over 1080p. In my experience, it's usable at 1600p so I'm OK with it but any higher will require resolution switching. It's a 2D game so this isn't a big problem.
Shake Appeal
Member
It's a roguelike. You pick different starting agents and hacking programs for each run (and unlock more by playing). The missions you choose between, the maps that are generated, and the loot available is randomly generated every time. Only the (pretty flimsy) story remains the same. A run can be 5 minutes or 5 hours, depending on how you do. There's also an "Endless" mode where you can play forever or until you fail.
Shake Appeal
Member
It goes up by one each turn no matter what you do: it's Klei's way of forcing you to move forward and be aggressive and not just wait out the guards. It goes up faster when you alert enemies, get spotted on cameras, etc.
Generally, you want to avoid seeing levels 4 and above if possible. Level 6 is nightmarish. Survivable, but nightmarish.
There used to be some ways to get it to go backward, but I'm not sure they're in there anymore.
CecilRousso
Member
Bought the Steam version because of the 20% off for Mark of the Ninja owners, but it was tempting to buy from GOG or Humble Store since the game launched as DRM free also.
More_Badass
Member
You have the links for GOG and Humble?
I got a level 6 the first time I played because I was messing around seeing what I could do - I won't be trying that again.
It seems really cool so far. Is there a completion state though? I know the levels are randomly generated but there's a story here - does it just continue to play if I win? Like "Hack more corps forever!"
Shake Appeal
Member
The story mode (which is the default mode) has a fixed narrative that unfolds as you complete missions. There's a final mission you need to prepare for, and if you beat that you "win" the game, watch the final cutscene, and go back to the main menu with some new unlocks.
(There is also a dedicated "Endless Mode" if you do want to hack more corps forever.)
So if I "win" I can redo the story on a higher difficulty with the stuff I've unlocked and money I've gained?
Voltreffer
Banned
Been playing it for some time today, didn't start with the early access so i'm totally new. Bit of a learning curve but just finished my second mission.
Pretty tense near the end, but so fulfilling when all goes well.
Pretty tense near the end, but so fulfilling when all goes well.
Shake Appeal
Member
Your money and equipment doesn't carry over, but you can choose any combination of agents and programs from those you've unlocked. They all have different uses and synergies.
ModBot
Not a mod, just a bot.
Thanks to an anonymous benefactor, I am giving away a Steam key. To enter this giveaway, send a PM to ModBot with any subject line. In the body, copy and paste the entire line from the message below containing the game you want to enter for. Confused? Watch this GIF tutorial or ask for help.
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Invisible, Inc. --MB-A9FF53598B182C64 - Taken by ARascallyWizard. 3 entrants total.
ModBot Basics:
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- This giveaway has a manual blocklist. The giver has identified members who abuse giveaways and restricted them from participating.
- Do not trade keys you win off-site to enrich yourself. Don't try to claim games you have no interest in collecting or playing. Don't claim games to give them to friends off-site.
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Rules for this Giveaway:
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Invisible, Inc. --
Enjoy
Remachinate
Member
Played a bit during lunch and am really happy to see how much this game has developed since the beginning of early access, and the gameplay is just as satisfying as I remember. This is the first tactics game I've played since XCOM that really creates tension and forces you to manage each turn carefully. Kudos to Klei and I'm really glad this is getting some attention on GAF.
However, based on the 72 hours in-game timeframe, it doesn't look like a given playthrough takes all that long to complete. I don't know how many restarts it'll take for me to finish once on Expert, but I hope the additional agent unlocks change up gameplay enough to create lasting appeal. I'm confident that Klei knows their PCG though, and there's enough content to keep things fresh through multiple playthroughs of the campaign.
However, based on the 72 hours in-game timeframe, it doesn't look like a given playthrough takes all that long to complete. I don't know how many restarts it'll take for me to finish once on Expert, but I hope the additional agent unlocks change up gameplay enough to create lasting appeal. I'm confident that Klei knows their PCG though, and there's enough content to keep things fresh through multiple playthroughs of the campaign.
MrCompletely
Member
You should be able to fit about 4 - 6 missions within a single 72 hour run. You can also increase or decrease the timeframe as you're setting up a new campaign.
Happy to say that the agent/incognita setup offers dramatically differentiated ways to play the game. Also, 6 of the agents have alternate loadouts that need to be unlocked. 50+ hours spent, and I've barely touched the alternate agent loadouts. There's new incognita starting programs in the final version that were not in EA that I'm dying to check out, but haven't unlocked them yet.
Happy to say that the agent/incognita setup offers dramatically differentiated ways to play the game. Also, 6 of the agents have alternate loadouts that need to be unlocked. 50+ hours spent, and I've barely touched the alternate agent loadouts. There's new incognita starting programs in the final version that were not in EA that I'm dying to check out, but haven't unlocked them yet.
Slime Scholar
Member
Thank you for the key, Modbot. Next time I get an extra key for any game, I'll share it on GAF for sure.
I'm going to try this out tonight. I'm a big fan of some of Klei's other titles so I know this one should be good.
I'm going to try this out tonight. I'm a big fan of some of Klei's other titles so I know this one should be good.
The Illiterati
Member
Okay, I bought this because I loved Mark of the Ninja and I love the concept. But barely into the agent select screen....the font is so unbelievably tiny I can't read a thing. Seriously, the font size is half the size of the mouse cursor. I'm playing on my HTPC, so I know I'm an outlier, but I've moved my easychair to the middle of the room and it is still illegible.
Font size adjustment needed STAT.
Font size adjustment needed STAT.
Shake Appeal
Member
I think that's the lack of UI scaling that's been mentioned. I don't know whether it's on Klei's list to fix.
Also, Plastech Corp's ghost in the machine bullshit needs to stop. If I knock out their wetware, they get stronger in cyberspace? No.
Also, Plastech Corp's ghost in the machine bullshit needs to stop. If I knock out their wetware, they get stronger in cyberspace? No.
More_Badass
Member
Added the Humble and GOG links to the OP
https://www.humblebundle.com/store/p/invisibleinc_storefront
http://www.gog.com/game/invisible_inc
https://www.humblebundle.com/store/p/invisibleinc_storefront
http://www.gog.com/game/invisible_inc
There's no UI scaling. Lower the resolution, scale it up. It's a 2D game so it probably won't look as bad as a 3D game.
A developer responded to a post I made about it. Although they were considering UI scaling earlier in development, the game's UI is far more complex than any of Klei's other games. It's probably not happening.
The Illiterati
Member
I find it hard to believe they can't make it readable at 1080P seeing as how it will be coming to PS4. I guarantee they will not release it in this state.
Dash Kappei
Not actually that important
I want this so bad and yet I'm forced to wait for the freaking PS4 version I don't care about just because they didn't include controller support.
Devs, in 2015 you lose money if you don't have an *optional* gamepad control method, plenty of folks have their PCs hooked up to a big screen tv/pj like I do in the living room where kb/m isn't really feasible.
Really hope the Steam controller will put this problem behind bars in due time but I'm still skeptical (haven't tried it myself tho, which is imperative to form a proper opinion).
Regardless, game looks ace. Just that seeing it come out of EA after all this time I expected to be able to enjoy it myself.
Have a nice ride folks, hopefully will hop on board sooner rather than later
Devs, in 2015 you lose money if you don't have an *optional* gamepad control method, plenty of folks have their PCs hooked up to a big screen tv/pj like I do in the living room where kb/m isn't really feasible.
Really hope the Steam controller will put this problem behind bars in due time but I'm still skeptical (haven't tried it myself tho, which is imperative to form a proper opinion).
Regardless, game looks ace. Just that seeing it come out of EA after all this time I expected to be able to enjoy it myself.
Have a nice ride folks, hopefully will hop on board sooner rather than later
MrCompletely
Member
Gonna stream for a bit....
http://www.twitch.tv/dronehouse
http://www.twitch.tv/dronehouse
Shake Appeal
Member
It's plenty readable at 1080p.
Started on Beginner, not knowing anything about the game really and with it being so short I didn't mind giving it a try.
I'd advise anybody with any experience with turn based games not to start on this difficulty, it's quite easy and you probably won't get much satisfaction upon finishing the game.
Restarted at Experienced straight away.
I'd advise anybody with any experience with turn based games not to start on this difficulty, it's quite easy and you probably won't get much satisfaction upon finishing the game.
Restarted at Experienced straight away.