Support NeoGAF

[Eddie-Griffin]

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2022/12/08/the-backyard-is-home-to-over-15-million-players/

The Grounded team and Obsidian Entertainment are very happy to announce that over 15 million players have entered the backyard. When Grounded hit its full release just a couple of months ago, the backyard was swarmed by players looking to see what life was like on a micro level. Whether you’ve been with us from the very beginning, or have only recently taken on your first mite, we want to thank you for being a part of this impressive community.

Since its early access launch, Grounded has been a game that has been built by the community and the full release has not changed that. Thanks to the feedback from newcomers and old friends alike, the team has a special update ready just in time for the holidays. A Holiday Treat will bring in a host of quality-of-life features as well as some exciting new gameplay features and content to help those explore the backyard.

Of the new gameplay features that will make a lot of people happy is the ability for the ZIP.R lines to go up. No longer will players only be able to descend on their ziplines placed throughout the yard as they will now have the ability to ascend as well, helping get to places they want to explore even quicker. There is also a new trap that will help protect your base against invading creatures. When it comes to the base, there are also a host of new base decoration and vanity items coming in this update like new chairs, dressers, half stairs, and even a holiday “tree” that can be displayed during the month of December.

I haven't played the game yet but I didn't expect this game to become this big when it was announced (and Flight Simulator), maybe a few million, so the success surprises me. Congrats to Obsidian.

 

[anthony2690]

I wrote it off completely, and was very pleasantly surprised by it last night & 2 hours just flew by.

Highly recommend giving it a try with a friend or sibling

Looking forward to playing some more tomorrow with my brother.

 

[Mr Hyde]

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Great game.

My second favourite I played this year.

It's audio visual presentation is very effective, very relaxing and just keeps you playing.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

I wrote it off completely, and was very pleasantly surprised by it last night & 2 hours just flew by.

Highly recommend giving it a try with a friend or sibling

Looking forward to playing some more tomorrow with my brother.

I'll probably give it a try this weekend see what all the fuss is about.

 

[Mozzarella]

Very sorry for the unrelated post but:
Where is The Game Awards thread?

 

[R6Rider]

Very sorry for the unrelated post but:
Where is The Game Awards thread?

The OT Thread? I have one ready to post in a few hours.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

Who needs CoD? I'll be playing this a ton this weekend.

 

[Tangerine]

Hopefully gonna give this a go finally if my mate can stomach giving it a go again. Hopefully 2 of us rather than just him playing will make all the difference. Plus it's version 2 or the full release now with story etc. Lots of small and large changes/updates since he gave it a go solo. I keep hearing good things about it.

 

[The_Mike]

I booted up the game, but it's just as interesting alone as sea of thieves sadly.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

The OT Thread? I have one ready to post in a few hours.

Wait the game wards is today?

Oh.

 

[R6Rider]

Wait the game wards is today?

Oh.

Yup, in about 3 hours.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

Yup, in about 3 hours.

I see. That's very ex-

So congratulations to Obsidian for hitting 15 million in such a short time, that's more than Flight Sim did in a year. Another game that did a lot better than I though tit would.

 

[Roberts]

My favourite game this year. Me and my friend already spent so much time with it (We are probably somewhere in the middle of the story) and we are nowhere near bored or exhausted from it. It's super challenging at the beginning as the game doesn't hold your hand at all, but as you start levelling up, get better gear and explore, the game becomes a perfect balance between super chill and scary/thrilling.

An observation about the latest patch: It seems like something got improved on the graphics front. It just looks even better than before. Did anyone notice that? Playing on XsX. Friend plays on PC and he said the same thing.

 

[Mattyp]

A great multi game up there with SoT & Forza for friend laughs and screams, did not expect it to reach these heights but well deserved.

 

[Nico_D]

Everybody should at least try this, it's brilliant and so deep and challenging, particularly when starting out. There's a LOT of stuff to find out in the yard.

 

[darrylgorn]

My GOTY.

Well deserved sales.

 

[adamsapple]

Congratulations!

Survival games aren't my primary cup of tea but this is great fun with friends.

 

[Hendrick's]

The true GOTY right here. Fantastic game.

 

[JayK47]

Fun game buried behind bad controls.

 

[samoilaaa]

still it isnt a succesfull game because its not an AAA cinematic third person action adventure game

 

[DarkMage619]

still it isnt a succesfull game because its not an AAA cinematic third person action adventure game

It is sad when MS puts out titles like this but the narrative is consistently that they don't release any games. It rated well and fans seem to like it and that's what should matter most.

 

[gothmog]

It is sad when MS puts out titles like this but the narrative is consistently that they don't release any games. It rated well and fans seem to like it and that's what should matter most.

The game was released early access in 2020 and they threw a 1.0 on it in September. That's why it didn't really move the needle much. Anyone who had GP over the past few years probably played it already. I checked it out again but the controls had me quitting after a few hours.

 

[RespawnX]

Fun game buried behind bad controls.

Not the best controls but u get used to them. At least they are at a level you can accept them after a while.

 

[Ozriel]

The game was released early access in 2020 and they threw a 1.0 on it in September. That's why it didn't really move the needle much. Anyone who had GP over the past few years probably played it already. I checked it out again but the controls had me quitting after a few hours.

It sold pretty well and is probably one of MS most successful GP games. Still a top 20 seller on Steam at the moment.

It didn't 'move the needle' here because it's an AA game.

 

[gothmog]

It sold pretty well and is probably one of MS most successful GP games. Still a top 20 seller on Steam at the moment.

It didn't 'move the needle' here because it's an AA game.

I was responding to the "narrative is consistently that they don't release any games" comment. Grounded was already counted as an available game for 2+ years even if it was early access, so it didn't "move the needle" around that narrative.

 

[bentanchorbolt]

The game was released early access in 2020 and they threw a 1.0 on it in September. That's why it didn't really move the needle much. Anyone who had GP over the past few years probably played it already. I checked it out again but the controls had me quitting after a few hours.

I can tell by how you describe the game you’re purposefully selling it short.

The threw a 1.0 on it? Tell me you never played the game before and after without telling me you never played the game.

 

[gothmog]

I can tell by how you describe the game you’re purposefully selling it short.

The threw a 1.0 on it? Tell me you never played the game before and after without telling me you never played the game.

I played it 2-3 times over the two years. I appreciate the game but it's not really for me. I spend a good 4-5 hours each time I played. I was hoping they would have revisited the controls and how the systems were mapped out, but it seems like they did not really focus on it. I played some co-op with my oldest son and he bounced off it quicker than I did.

I'm not selling it short but just like Sea of Thieves it's not for everyone.

 

[Pelta88]

Well deserved sales.

 

[Rockondevil]

Tried it for a few hours several times over the last year or two and while I want to get into it for some reason I just can’t.
Glad it’s done so well though.

Maybe if I wasn’t playing solo it’d be a lot different.

 

[Ozriel]

Yes, players =/= sales. Happily enough, it also sold very well on Steam.

 

[Roberts]

Just out of curiousity, what exactly is wrong with controls? I’ve played it for 50 hours or so and never felt like controls were standing in my way. I wish switching between weapons could be better and hit detection is not the best, but otherwise it’s fine, I think

 

[cormack12]

Mia Khalifa has had more players in her back yard

 

[JayK47]

Just out of curiousity, what exactly is wrong with controls? I’ve played it for 50 hours or so and never felt like controls were standing in my way. I wish switching between weapons could be better and hit detection is not the best, but otherwise it’s fine, I think

PC gamer using a controller here. It would have been nice to have the LB weapon wheel hold for wheel and tap for cycle. It is a bitch to heal mid combat. That is the biggest issue. Also would have been nice to have one of the directional buttons be map instead of dumb shit like emotes.

 

[DarkMage619]

I played it 2-3 times over the two years. I appreciate the game but it's not really for me. I spend a good 4-5 hours each time I played. I was hoping they would have revisited the controls and how the systems were mapped out, but it seems like they did not really focus on it. I played some co-op with my oldest son and he bounced off it quicker than I did.

I'm not selling it short but just like Sea of Thieves it's not for everyone.

The early access and finished games were quite different so it's not telling a complete story that it was in early access. All games have a unique audience so the fact it wasn't for you could be said about any title. Bottom line is that it was a well rated quality title that didn't count for whatever reason. Most of the titles MS has put out recently have also rated well. People choose to believe whatever they want.

 

[Roberts]

PC gamer using a controller here. It would have been nice to have the LB weapon wheel hold for wheel and tap for cycle. It is a bitch to heal mid combat. That is the biggest issue. Also would have been nice to have one of the directional buttons be map instead of dumb shit like emotes.

I don't necessarily disagree. I think emote stuff should go and is completely unnecessary. I guess I don't really have a problem with healing because I always play with a friend and if any of us is in trouble, the other just tries to pull agro and let the other player have enough time to heal. But it would be nice to have an option to have a healing quickslot, I agree. Anyway, the game gets considerately easier as you go along and we have learned parrying and blocking to a point where we barely ever need to heal during a fight.

 

[Corndog]

I played it 2-3 times over the two years. I appreciate the game but it's not really for me. I spend a good 4-5 hours each time I played. I was hoping they would have revisited the controls and how the systems were mapped out, but it seems like they did not really focus on it. I played some co-op with my oldest son and he bounced off it quicker than I did.

I'm not selling it short but just like Sea of Thieves it's not for everyone.

You can say that about any game. No single game will satisfy everyone.

 

[TonyK]

Can it be played alone?

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Can it be played alone?

Yes.

But best played on coop.

It divides the tasks. And also you can chill with friends while you farm resources. Is made for that and can be a time sink.

 

[Roberts]

Yes.

But best played on coop.

It divides the tasks. And also you can chill with friends while you farm resources. Is made for that and can be a time sink.

Also, I think they made the game a bit easier with latest update. Death is not as punishing as before and you can use ziplines in both directions (you still need to progress far into the game to get the tool to do that, but still).

 

[JayK47]

I don't necessarily disagree. I think emote stuff should go and is completely unnecessary. I guess I don't really have a problem with healing because I always play with a friend and if any of us is in trouble, the other just tries to pull agro and let the other player have enough time to heal. But it would be nice to have an option to have a healing quickslot, I agree. Anyway, the game gets considerately easier as you go along and we have learned parrying and blocking to a point where we barely ever need to heal during a fight.

I rarely block or parry in games. I would rather dodge, given the option. Maybe that is why I never got into the souls games. One battle that quick heal would have been nice is taking on the robot assistant manager boss. There was little time to heal oneself or others.

 

[Petopia]

Sure those players aren't coming from steam?

 

[JayK47]

I'm a rare Steam player. I prefer to own my games.

 

[Roberts]

I rarely block or parry in games. I would rather dodge, given the option. Maybe that is why I never got into the souls games. One battle that quick heal would have been nice is taking on the robot assistant manager boss. There was little time to heal oneself or others.

I really recommend building a weevil shield. It is easy to maintain it and you don’t even have to be very precise with parrying - just hold block and it will save you from pretty much everything.

 

[SuperSaiyanWithDreads]

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2022/12/08/the-backyard-is-home-to-over-15-million-players/


I haven't played the game yet but I didn't expect this game to become this big when it was announced (and Flight Simulator), maybe a few million, so the success surprises me. Congrats to Obsidian.

Game is still ass

 

[Kagey K]

I'm a rare Steam player. I prefer to own my games.

You aren't that rare. If you look at the Steam charts.

Regardless it's great to see fun games with good gameplay get rewarded.

 

[Corndog]

Game is still ass

Then don’t play it.

 

[Kagey K]

Game is still ass

Imagine having not played a game and calling it out to seem cool on the internet.

 

[Zathalus]

Game is still ass

Don't pretend you have played it.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

Mate just hit me up to play Grounded. Nice, gonna give it a run tomorrow night.