i think so. it’s really a very different gameplay loop - mostly you’re laying track and maybe adjusting junctions. the level structure really eases you in, and, for better or worse, there’s no signaling but trains will ghost to avoid collisions (this slows them down, so you’re still rewarded for building good layouts where no ghosting happens)

i think at the very least, you’ll be able to tell if it’s a good fit inside of the 2 hour refund window, or you can watch some early game stuff on youtube

def checking this one out! i managed to hold off buying it on EGS for the dev to finally announce the steam version, and he’s put effort in to make it steamdeck AND mac friendly :)

also, roadmap says a more sandboxy mode is planned, which I think will be great for longevity (hopefully)

i wish i knew. i can tell you when i was laid off (in software), i was given an nda and non-disparagement contract that my severance was contingent upon so based on that experience, these companies consider severance a “gift”

edit: i think it also (duh) depends on the state - many states are “employment at will”, and i would guess in those states since they can dismiss you without cause (save for discrimination), you aren’t required to pay severance. most companies still do, but i imagine the requirement wouldn’t mesh with the concept of at will employment

i dunno how many actually got severance - i know i read the recent sony studio layoffs didn’t pay severance which is … worrying to put it lightly

dang at the start of the trailer i was really hoping you’d go through the whole game with a gun but no ability to use it

[slightly off-topic] surprisingly forthright, why can’t we get info like this in respect to the index? i would LOVE to finally get into VR but i’m certainly not paying full price for a piece of 5 year old tech in an industry that has moved as fast as VR has

fair changes, but the ONLY way forward is to fire riccitello. i don’t see how anyone can trust them again until that happens.

removal of the retroactivity piece will likely appease a large number of devs tho (dunno if it’ll be the majority but that was the biggest wtf for me)

there’s already some devious levels from the community :)

i was also happy to see it’s got new levels from the devs too - had originally thought it was only gonna contain rebuilds of existing ones

another article said a ng+ run is about 90 minutes. so it seems if you just wanna complete loops, the post-game is a much different pace than your first run

That 90 minute to do a full ng+ run number is kinda nuts but an interesting design choice. I ended up not picking up starfield but I do hope someone takes this novel ng+ approach and expands on it to create a game more focused on that as a story telling tool.

Heck, THIS is what studios should be using AI for - write a solid base story and let the AI build on that to create a more truly infinite and distinct set of new loop possibilities. (I would say your first 5 or so runs should be handcrafted, tell an interesting cohesive story, and then if players still want more the AI can kick in and offer additional replayability)

really glad we got to hear about a straight up comparison against space exploration. i’ll admit i was hoping they’d go a different direction (i’ve seen people mention going underwater which i think would have been a ton of fun and a guaranteed differentiator from anything currently available)

all that aside, the most interesting parts for me are the engine changes:

• improved blueprints? how? i can’t say i’ve ever had much to complain about with factorios blueprint system
• better flying robots behavior. this one could be huge, when i built a large base it was hard to properly balance logistics robots and not feel like they were just not working as well as they should

a year away tho! that’s okay, we’ll live, i just got sucked back into satisfactory (playing sf+ which is basically bobsangels for sf and it’s GLORIOUS).

i know all us diehards will pick it up sight unseeen, but unless there’s something flashy, like a graphical overhaul (which i’m not sure the diehards would be in favor of), i do wonder how it will stand out and attract the newer players that have been playing the newer automation games and might only look at factorio skin-deep and not get as excited for.

and i’m okay with all that, but i also want their work to be appreciated by as many people as possible so here’s to hoping they can nail the marketing

how’s the current state of controller support? i played a bit during EA but had been planning on waiting til the PS5 release cuz I figure the layout options would be in a better state by then.