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This, also. I was constantly and I mean constantly fighting between point a and point b. Its exhausting. Its too much.
I feel like this happens a lot with The Ascent. They sort of explain things, and don't even touch on others. Also randomly found out if you chain stasis stomp and hydraulic slam the enemies will explode. Kinda like if you use the statis drone. Their menu text explains they are companion augments, but that is it haha.
I love how when you start a firefight, the civilians (and harmless robots) in the area just starting bolting the fuck away.
i swear that a couple of times i saw them tripping with each other, its a really cool detail.
The hydrolic punch or whatever it's called is clearly thew coolest power in this game. It literally look like you punch the soul out of these poor guys lol.
uhh.. I was on the second to last main mission when I found that out. Tried to hack a vending machine next to one of those yellow circles and... oooof lol
Nope.
Incredibly frustrating that there is zero reliable news for this either.
Several sites like RPS and Eurogamer posted on Friday that the patch was available now for Gamepass. And it still hasn't arrived three days later.
But that doesn't make a lot of sense when two really high powered abilities are still slightly more than 1 energy bar. I had spider drones and life leach for the entire game, using them both at the same time still left me with 2 bars of energy and I was only gated by the cooldown times of the abilities. So what's the point of energy? Is energy shared if you play coop?
There's a lot of things in this game that are like, "what's the point?" The mini mech does less damage than your regular gun, has no movement options and you can die inside it, so why ever bother using it?
Apparently that was the patch for the patch. But we're still missing what we need.
No, the patch described on the news sites enables raytracing and fixes DX12. Even though the news story say the patch has been released, it hasn't been:
The Ascent's first patch brings ray tracing to Xbox Game Pass
The Ascent on Xbox Game Pass for PC was missing ray tracing present on the Steam version, but the game's first patch fi…
www.rockpapershotgun.com
Other people have jumped into this thread saying they got the patch, but all of them hadn't run or updated the game since the patch that was released for GamePass over a week ago and thought that was the new patch that these sites said was out.
No, you're right. The patch that actually dropped apparnetly has all the assets for proper ray tracing and high quality textures, but it's not activated. So we have all the stuff for the fixes, but can't actually use them.
It's fucking bonkers. I hadn't considered the issue of PC/Xbox parity when it comes to cert for gamepass, but if it really is the thing holding back important patches, that's fucking terrible technical management.
But then, gamepass is no stranger to terrible technical management.
Finished the game earlier this morning. That final mission was something alright. It's nice to see that the entire mission seems to be developed with co-op in mind and you're playing it solo. I had 30 - 40+ mobs spawning constantly, with bounties and the big targets mixed in. Shit was damn near impossible. It's unfortunate that instead of being happy I finished the game I was just happy that freaking nightmare mission was over. :(
I got several more hours of playtime in last night (first playthrough). I'm continuing to enjoy this a whole lot. Something I wouldn't have expected to like is the treatment of civilians during firefights. It gives shootouts a sort of background stakes that I don't recall feeling on a lot of other action titles.
It is way worst than that.
There is no parity between the PC Gamepass and Steam PC versions either. The dev said that the PC Gamepass version is actually running on a different engine version than the Steam version!
It's a complete shit show, and definitely because of Microsoft forcing developers to use the the Windows Store's fucking ridiculous appx packaging requirements on top of all the other certification bullshit they force developers to go through.
MS needs to change everything about how the Windows Store works right now.
This was also one of my biggest complaints with the game.
I think the game overall needed a few months in the oven to iron out the bugs and also refine the side missions. I had a side mission basically on halt for ages because I couldn't get the high level mobs who were waiting near the checkpoint, really silly. Especially when the side missions level requirement was half of the mob levels, like, maybe don't spawn such high level mobs next to that area?
What's the coop like? Is it heavy on the teamwork like Left 4 Dead or just mindless cathartic blasting like Diablo?
Did that second patch land on console or are we still waiting?
The patch is NOT available for gamepass yet unfortunately. It will be communicated once it's out.
Finish the game. I came into the last fight totally unprepared. I didn't even know it was the last fight. Normally games give you a warning that you are at the point of the end of the game. I end up getting manhandled multiple tries.
I end up tracking all the way back to the first town to improve my character with the new stuff I obtained. Good game. At the price I paid I didn't expect more or less from it. Next game hopefully has a bigger budget so the devs can go crazy.
I end up tracking all the way back to the first town to improve my character with the new stuff I obtained. Good game. At the price I paid I didn't expect more or less from it. Next game hopefully has a bigger budget so the devs can go crazy.
I will say - despite the complaints, nitpicks and caveats I have about the Ascent - I am absolutely on board for whatever Neon Giant does next, either a sequel to this or something else entirely. All my complaints feel like things that could have been sorted out with a few more iterations, or just having more direct player feedback.
Scanned the last few pages and didn't see an answer, so thought I'd ask:
How is the co-op experience for teammates that are at different points in the game? Is this something I can put a few hours into solo, and then if I convince some buddies to play co-op with me, we can seamlessly play together immediately? Would we have to play from the story progression perspective of the newest player, or does it just scale to the 'host'? I feel like with co-op games it's always a crapshoot when it comes to this sort of stuff
How is the co-op experience for teammates that are at different points in the game? Is this something I can put a few hours into solo, and then if I convince some buddies to play co-op with me, we can seamlessly play together immediately? Would we have to play from the story progression perspective of the newest player, or does it just scale to the 'host'? I feel like with co-op games it's always a crapshoot when it comes to this sort of stuff
I'm assuming you spec'd into more energy with your level up skill points...you didn't need to, but you would have not had as much energy. If you used your mega-punch thingie...which has like a 3 second cool down, you could probably run out of energy.
I'm not saying the game is finely balanced, because it's definitely not. But I did enjoy my time, and will gladly play any DLC that comes my way.
I definitely found myself paying a lot more attention in crowded areas. I felt genuinely bad when someone gets killed and there was absolutely no reason for them to die. At some point, I just started avoiding some fights because the area was too crowded, or waited until the place cleared out to return fire.
I beat this on Xbox Yesterday. There were only two points where I felt like I needed to do some side quests and level up. It had a great time with it and I hope they take what they learned and put out a kick ass sequel.
Honestly, I want an Star Wars twin stick shooter. The world felt so alive.
Honestly, I want an Star Wars twin stick shooter. The world felt so alive.
Finished yesterday. Beat it in a handful of tries. It seemes doable, just hard, expect I got the bug that stops you from shooting like 3 times in a row, which ended those runs. Has something to with using a skill while reloading I think.
It actually happened on the final try, but I just needed one more console to activate so just tanked the damage.
Enjoyed my time with it. I would love for these devs to tackle the Blade Runner or Ghost in the Shell license.
It actually happened on the final try, but I just needed one more console to activate so just tanked the damage.
Enjoyed my time with it. I would love for these devs to tackle the Blade Runner or Ghost in the Shell license.
Yes, this same basic engine (cleaned up and debugged) with bounty hunters would be awesome. IG-88, Mando, Boba Fett, and a few others. That'd be pretty sweet.
This is something I'd like to know as well - I'm hoping it scales to the host.
This is phenomenal
The loot is in the chests right after it. You'll still be able to retrieve it.
Yeah, it's the host, and story progression is locked to him as well. Other players can level up and acquire loot tho.
Personally, I want the people who own the Shadowrun license to give Neon Giant free reign with it.
Unfortunately has nothing to do with our teamsize, and everything to do with our partners. Only other solution is to delay the patch for steam users as well to make it seem like they come at the same time. Sorry bout that.
Thanks for being communicative and congrats on the great launch of your game :)
Yo, your team rocked this game. I stayed up till 3 AM last night doing sidequests because I was laying in bed at 12:30 thinking about doing sidequests. One of my favorite games in recent memory, can't wait for what you're working on next.
Well, so I finished the game some minutes ago with 20+ side missions completed. I reached level 30 after the final mission.
For said mission, I had to lower the difficulty and set it to easy. At that point in the game, I was pretty tired of the "waves of enemies" encounters that repeat througout the whole game and couldn´t care less. The final fight was pretty disappointing for me, for this reason.
Well, here are my not so-well organised thoughts about the game. I feel they aren´t going to be that positive in this particular moment:
- First of all, I have a very personal problem with the camera and the sense of exploration in this game. I think an open world design/structure doesn´t mix well with a top-down camera like the one in this game. The world is dense, the maps are maze-like, and not being able to see the horizon and where I am actually heading is really disorienting for me, as I can´t create an accurate idea of the proportions and structure of the world I have been playing on. After finishing the game, I wouldn´t be able to go from one point to another without help, and I have invested several hours in the game. I wouldn´t have finished the game if it wasn´t for the red tracer that tells you where to go.
Also, the map is really bad. The fuzzy borders and lines don´t help either, and not being able to tell at which height is the shop or place I wanna go to just by looking at the radar in game is just inexcusable. I mean, this is basic.
- At the time of writing this the side mission in which I have to rescue UBI is still bugged for me. I have tried to come back to it several times, and the dude is next to the ship with hands on his head, even after killing the enemies surrounding him. Please, take a look at this.
Also, something I have mentioned before and that I think is also critical is that the game should let you know somehow the zones you need to unlock in the main missions in order to complete certain side missions. This is also something very basic from a design standpoint I think and that if it is not correctly implemented, can led to severe frustration to the player, as in my case.
- As you can tell by the pic above, I decided to play the game in spanish. Translation is absolutely all over the place. I am completely fluent in both languages, but it is really jarring to see some texts in spanish and some others in english without a reason really. I don´t know why this happens, but it is really common along the game.
- RPG systems are interesting for sure, but they definitely need better explaining. Texts that vaguely tell what each thing is from the main menu is not enough. I don´t know how each stat effectively affects my gameplay and I am not sure about ideas/concepts like "energy" or which particular enemies deal each type of damage. A more guided tutorial, a particular area in the beginning, in which the player can read those prompts but also see the effect of each system directly in action could be a solution.
Funnily enough, I was in the final mission or the previous one, in which as you know you have to go back to the first zone and the message explaining how to crouch appeared again. Hilarious. Please fix this, cause tutorial messages keeps appearing along the game without any reason.
- I have played on Xbox Series S and while the performance has been good, I found several and important framerate drops when action got really heavy.
This may read as I absolutely hated the game but that´s not the true. I have loved the weapons (their sound effects are amazing), the gunplay (the shooting over the cover mechanic is really cool) and the gameplay in general (even though fights could use more varied mechanics), the LB/RB abilities, the enviroments, the atmosphere, the music, the characters, and the world in general. It´s really superb.
That´s why I have taken the time to write this, cause for me this is a good game, but it could have been way better. I hope this helps folks at the team.
Despite of all of its flaws, I liked The Ascent.
I am totally on board with what you do next, Neon Giant.
For said mission, I had to lower the difficulty and set it to easy. At that point in the game, I was pretty tired of the "waves of enemies" encounters that repeat througout the whole game and couldn´t care less. The final fight was pretty disappointing for me, for this reason.
Well, here are my not so-well organised thoughts about the game. I feel they aren´t going to be that positive in this particular moment:
- First of all, I have a very personal problem with the camera and the sense of exploration in this game. I think an open world design/structure doesn´t mix well with a top-down camera like the one in this game. The world is dense, the maps are maze-like, and not being able to see the horizon and where I am actually heading is really disorienting for me, as I can´t create an accurate idea of the proportions and structure of the world I have been playing on. After finishing the game, I wouldn´t be able to go from one point to another without help, and I have invested several hours in the game. I wouldn´t have finished the game if it wasn´t for the red tracer that tells you where to go.
Also, the map is really bad. The fuzzy borders and lines don´t help either, and not being able to tell at which height is the shop or place I wanna go to just by looking at the radar in game is just inexcusable. I mean, this is basic.
- At the time of writing this the side mission in which I have to rescue UBI is still bugged for me. I have tried to come back to it several times, and the dude is next to the ship with hands on his head, even after killing the enemies surrounding him. Please, take a look at this.
Also, something I have mentioned before and that I think is also critical is that the game should let you know somehow the zones you need to unlock in the main missions in order to complete certain side missions. This is also something very basic from a design standpoint I think and that if it is not correctly implemented, can led to severe frustration to the player, as in my case.
- As you can tell by the pic above, I decided to play the game in spanish. Translation is absolutely all over the place. I am completely fluent in both languages, but it is really jarring to see some texts in spanish and some others in english without a reason really. I don´t know why this happens, but it is really common along the game.
- RPG systems are interesting for sure, but they definitely need better explaining. Texts that vaguely tell what each thing is from the main menu is not enough. I don´t know how each stat effectively affects my gameplay and I am not sure about ideas/concepts like "energy" or which particular enemies deal each type of damage. A more guided tutorial, a particular area in the beginning, in which the player can read those prompts but also see the effect of each system directly in action could be a solution.
Funnily enough, I was in the final mission or the previous one, in which as you know you have to go back to the first zone and the message explaining how to crouch appeared again. Hilarious. Please fix this, cause tutorial messages keeps appearing along the game without any reason.
- I have played on Xbox Series S and while the performance has been good, I found several and important framerate drops when action got really heavy.
This may read as I absolutely hated the game but that´s not the true. I have loved the weapons (their sound effects are amazing), the gunplay (the shooting over the cover mechanic is really cool) and the gameplay in general (even though fights could use more varied mechanics), the LB/RB abilities, the enviroments, the atmosphere, the music, the characters, and the world in general. It´s really superb.
That´s why I have taken the time to write this, cause for me this is a good game, but it could have been way better. I hope this helps folks at the team.
Despite of all of its flaws, I liked The Ascent.
I am totally on board with what you do next, Neon Giant.
Just want to say that I really enjoyed the game overall. It's definitely unrefined in areas but nothing that can't be fixed. Absolutely a diamond in the rough. I hope the devs have plans for additional content or DLC because I'd be in 100%. I'm starting a second playthrough and am actually enjoying it more this time around. I feel having the knowledge accrued in the first run contributes to a more thorough and enjoyable second. Also, it would be nice if upgrade materials could be purchased.
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Finished last night, and this was an excellent package for me. Overall, positive gameplay experience, incredible visual presentation, and some combat design balance issues that I would bet make the game basically unplayable for a lot of people out there. I know the game is a recent release, but the completion percentages for main storyline achievements really support the idea that certain encounters just make people completely fall off (and clearly not due to excessive game length), unfortunately. Still, this is something I'd recommend to people, especially assuming it'll be seeing tweaks and patches over time.
I'm amazed to say this because I almost never replay story based games but….I've started a new game at hard difficulty (because I desperately wanted more of the game), tutorial turned off, and….I'm liking the game even more if possible???
Now that I know the jargon, the main places and main characters, the story and conversations flow much much better, enjoying the hell out of it.
Also, no matter how many times I traverse Cluster 13, the game is still jaw dropping.
Hopefully new story missions are in the work (I don't need new maps, the world is already big as it is….tough traveling to other planets would be cool). Orr a wave mode. Orr some sort of pvp.
Anything really.
By the way….playing at hard difficulty is really really REALLY tense. Down in the deep stink, against feral, it's like being inside Alien (the movie), walking cautiously at every turn.
SO GOOD.
Now that I know the jargon, the main places and main characters, the story and conversations flow much much better, enjoying the hell out of it.
Also, no matter how many times I traverse Cluster 13, the game is still jaw dropping.
Hopefully new story missions are in the work (I don't need new maps, the world is already big as it is….tough traveling to other planets would be cool). Orr a wave mode. Orr some sort of pvp.
Anything really.
By the way….playing at hard difficulty is really really REALLY tense. Down in the deep stink, against feral, it's like being inside Alien (the movie), walking cautiously at every turn.
SO GOOD.
Xbox companion app on PC still shows 0.01% like it has the last few days for me. Literally the only two chievos I need for the 1k lol. Hope they get this fixed asap!
I'm at 93% for that achievement but I'm pretty sure I know where I need to go, I also haven't cleared up all side missions yet.
