Steve Troughton-SmithOct 17
Time to slam some servers and raid those lost ARCs 🫡
Show threadSteve Troughton-Smith

ARC Raiders is the first game since PUBG that makes me feel how I felt about PUBG. It's *great*, even in this limited playtest. The pace is much quicker, but the extraction mechanics, questing, and skill tree provide that hook that could make me play hundreds of hours of this.

[You know, if PUBG had a mode with all these elements, and not just shrinking circle gameplay, I would probably put hundreds of hours more into that, too]

Oct 18 at 9:44amIvory for Mac
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithOct 18
Love the environments and the world-building in ARC Raiders. There's a lot of lore in this; loot is environmentally contextual, questgivers are voiced, have cinematics, and drive an overarching story narrative. The one map provided in this weekend's playtest is enormous. You may encounter one, maybe two other players in a session (though will hear many others via distant gunfire). When a player goes down, a flare goes up — alerting everybody from miles around — which is a really neat mechanic
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithOct 18

I also like how readable the ARC Raiders UI is at a glance, which is something I can't say about Marathon

(Though maybe Bungie will steal a better design language by the time it ships 😛)

Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithOct 19

The average ARC Raiders play experience. Bit of diplomacy, bit of combat, a lot of escaping from robots.

(No voiceover)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nqNj8GreOk

ARC Raiders — Server Slam #1 (No Voice)

YouTube
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithOct 19
I love the flare-on-downed mechanic in this game. It's such a great indicator of combat resolution, especially for more-distant firefights going on around you, or when you see a swarm of robots chasing a player and are curious who wins. It both means 'free loot', and 'danger close'
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithOct 20
…and we're done. I got 11 hours in during the playtest, and loved every minute of it. ARC Raiders is the 'PUBG 2.0' I've always wanted; it's very much cut from the same cloth, but improves upon it in a hundred different ways. And PvP is always negotiable — nearly every time I witnessed somebody saying 'don't shoot', they (or I) were spared — and that goes as far as the ability to res other players and temporarily team-up with a truce. Good vibes all around
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithOct 20

This session in ARC Raiders was one of the most PvP-heavy I've had, but the kill count of that Rocketeer drone is *terrifying*. Every time it unloads, a player goes down.

Can't wait for the full game at the end of the month 😄

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSkO6mS1EfQ

ARC Raiders — Server Slam #2 (No Voice)

YouTube
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithOct 20
Definitely having ARC Raiders withdrawal today.
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithOct 23

Meanwhile, in games I actually did enjoy my playtime in…

30 million matches sounds like a lot in 3 days 🫨

https://arcraiders.com/en/news/server-slam-thank-you/

Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithOct 25

Very thoughtful 30 minute interview over at Skill Up with ARC Raiders executive producer touching on everything from the game's development and roadmap, to Bungie's Marathon and how the two games compare

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA92dB1jvaQ&t=5354s

How Arc Raiders was able to generate the buzz that Marathon couldn't | FPS Podcast #81

YouTube
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithOct 27

Just a couple days to go!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpeJjQDXNAE

Launch Trailer | ARC Raiders

YouTube
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithOct 30

I had more interesting moments in my first 11-minute ARC Raiders solo match than I did in 17 hours of Marathon's playtest 💀

Speaking of! The game's out! And doing some pretty hefty numbers for a $40 title (and before the US has fully woken up yet)

Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithNov 3

Quest complete! Turns out those Snitch parts are useful after all…

https://youtube.com/shorts/9TXi9dwV76U

ARC Raiders — Kill 2 ARC using grenades…

With style!

YouTube
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithNov 3
I have never seen a playerbase so free of toxicity as ARC Raiders in solo mode. It's amazing to see what happens when a game really puts in the mechanics to have players work together instead of compete, if they want. It reminds me of my first playthrough of Guild Wars 2, except with proximity mic chat. I hope this influences other genres going forward
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithNov 4
ARC Raiders feels like it will be a forever-game for me. It combines all the best parts of games I loved, and hits all the playstyles I could ask for. Exploring vast, beautiful open-world maps. Stealth gameplay. Long-range sniper duels. Tense flashlight-lit run-away-from-the-monster horror. Assassin's Creed parkour. Questing and loot. Multiplayer hi-jinx, collaboration, backstabbing. Haven't felt like this about a game in a long time
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithNov 4
In game terms, it has a little PUBG, a little The Division, some Metal Gear Solid V, and a bonus splash of Unreal Tournament's Facing Worlds
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithNov 5

If you let me be a sniper in your game, I will be a sniper in your game.

ARC Raiders makes sniping so satisfying. The sound design is excellent; you can *hear* everything happening on the map even in the far distance, you will always know if a hit registers, whether it knocks out somebody's shield, or knocks them down. Every single map has high vantage points and wide open spaces to allow for sniper gameplay. And the rifle is one of the first weapons you're given in the game. It's awesome

Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithNov 7
Between the playtest a couple weeks ago and the shipping version of ARC Raiders I've played about 50 hours. I'm not even halfway through the skill tree leveling process, and I still have quests to progress. All along I've been thinking this game is an easy 9/10 for me, but the more I play I'm starting to question myself: if this isn't a 10/10, I don't know what is? I've been obsessed with it since the second technical test early this year, and it lived up to every bit of my hype and expectations
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithNov 8

Saved by noble savior Faund, then gunned down by dirty traitor Ghost 😑

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLb5oNF7Nf8

ARC Raiders — Betrayal

Saved by noble savior Faund, then gunned down by dirty traitor Ghost

YouTube
Show threadSven A. SchmidtNov 8
@stroughtonsmith That shit makes me hate the game 😕 What do you do to shrug that off?
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithNov 8
@finestructure it doesn't bother me in the slightest? It's a PvP[vE] game. Shout 'booo' at your screen and move on 😂
Show threadJohn SiracusaNov 8
@stroughtonsmith I’ve been downed many times while at the control console of an escape point. I don’t understand this. By the time I’m down, the exfil activation has already been completed, and there’s not even enough time for them to finish me and take my stuff. They just shoot me until I’m down and then we all escape successfully.
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithNov 8
@siracusa if they're not finishing you, then it's basically just for funsies (or the xp)
Show threadSven A. SchmidtNov 8
@siracusa @stroughtonsmith Happened to me too, once. I was thinking perhaps the person did it for the feat where you need to do damage to a raider 🤷‍♂️
Show threadNormenNov 7
@stroughtonsmith Also it just works. It runs smoothly, it looks great and it has not that many bugs. I would say one of the smoothest game releases in a long time.
Show threadDaniel ☀Nov 7
@norm3n @stroughtonsmith Yeah! I completely agree. I’m playing with an AMD Radeon RX 580 from 2018, I think, and it runs smoothly with very nice visuals (mostly between low and medium settings, but it looks nice!).
Not only does it look nice, the sound design is awesome! (1/2)
Show threadDaniel ☀Nov 7
Also, if the game detects that you’re stuck (I once got stuck between a rock and a tree), a text appears: “Hold space to unstuck player.” Very nice detail! Those kinds of bugs can be very difficult to solve 100%, so they created a tool to help players in those situations.
Solid release. Solid game. It’s awesome. (2/2)
Show threadPaul StocktonNov 7
@stroughtonsmith This is what is so hard to explain to anyone who hasn't played or experienced the game - you are not going to witness many games in your lifetime of this quality, they are few and far between.
Show threadDaniel ☀Nov 3
@stroughtonsmith Yep, I agree. Most interactions in solo mode are collaborative or, at least, non-confrontational. In my 4 hours of gameplay, I've only encountered 2 hostile solo players.
Show threadDaniel ☀Nov 3
@stroughtonsmith But you have to account for those players, so that helps the tension building up.
Show threadUli Kusterer (Not a kitteh)Nov 3
@stroughtonsmith That was my issue with Dune Awakening: The trailer was all about collaboration, but then the game itself had no mechanics to encourage that, it was just annoying to play solo and many people complained. And the devs were all "well duh, collaborate" without actually designing a collaborative game.
Show threadThom, exceedingly pureNov 3
@stroughtonsmith It's brand new. Give it a week. 😄
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithNov 3
@thomholwerda it's the design, though. It's geared towards training you not to be a murder hobo, and gives you all the tools you need for collaboration
Show threadThom, exceedingly pureNov 3
@stroughtonsmith So do MOBAs, which are some of the most toxic games of all time.
Show threadJoe ChottNov 3
@stroughtonsmith I have seen evidence of what you speak, but also had many players happily slaughter me while I was using proximity chat to declare I was friendly (and I was also keeping my distance with pickaxe equipped instead of gun - they shoot and kill me anyway).
Show threadSven A. SchmidtNov 4
@stroughtonsmith Largely true, but twice I’ve been ganked out of the blue and it’s almost completely ruined the game for me. Last night I was gunned down in the extraction elevator, just when I thought I’d made it out. I stopped playing then and I’m not sure I’ll pick it up again soon, because that kind of experience erases a lot of the fun times 😞
Show threadChris AtzingerOct 27
@stroughtonsmith I ended up preordering on PS5! I'm excited to check the game out!!
Show threadNate BarhamOct 25

@stroughtonsmith Does this game have an age rating yet? Can you estimate it from your time playing, if you don’t mind?

We don’t do “realistic military-based” shooters around here (so no CoD, Battlefield, etc.), but Fortnite, Horizon, Overwatch, Rivals, Destiny are all fine.

Also, I feel like this info is frustratingly hard to find these days. Sites almost seem to intentionally hide it. (Or maybe I’ve just been lazy this morning. 😅)

Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithOct 25

@NateBarham I can't find one on the Steam page, but I can certainly estimate it.

There is no killing in the game — you down or 'knock out' other players —, no 'blood' that I can remember (weapon hits against players show other effects like sparks, or unspecific red mist), and I don't remember any bad language in dialogue or cinematics. There is proximity voice chat on by default, which I didn't think to check if you can turn off.

It's not presented as gritty, it's presented as hopeful scifi

Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithOct 25
@NateBarham in ESRB terms, I would assume it'll get an E for everyone rating, or perhaps most likely Teen because of the voice chat
Show threadNate BarhamOct 25

@stroughtonsmith I’m very glad to hear this. TBH, I’m now more than a little bit interested myself! 😎

Thanks for the reply.

Show threadPaul StocktonOct 25
@NateBarham @stroughtonsmith I've been gaming since the 90's and I don't remember ever seeing a game of this quality in all my time. This is likely the best game of our lifetime, they don't come around very often.
Show threadNate BarhamOct 25
@pauls Well that is a *very* bold statement.
Show threadDaniel ☀Oct 23
@stroughtonsmith You're selling me on the game very effectively, Steve.
Show threadPaul StocktonOct 23
@stroughtonsmith 77 Queens eliminated is more than I imagined. The 2.5 million deaths to a Rocketeer sounds about what I'd expect though 😂
Show threadPaul StocktonOct 20
@stroughtonsmith snap!!!
Show threadDagaloniOct 20
@stroughtonsmith the terrain looks beautiful!
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithOct 20
@Dagaloni I love the maps! Lots of fun to explore
Show threadChris AtzingerOct 20
@stroughtonsmith what game and platform is this?
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithOct 20
@chrisatzinger ARC Raiders, PC
Show thread.:. brainsikOct 20
@stroughtonsmith this looks great. Watched a few other videos. Can you tell of its possible to solo? Looks like you need to be in a group to survive run ins with other groups.
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithOct 20
@brainsik I've never come against another group, I think we might be matched separately. Solo is a lot of fun
Show threadJon CarlestamOct 19
@stroughtonsmith Jon_J_Pastel#6651 if you want a squadmember
Show threadJoe ChottOct 19
@stroughtonsmith honestly I’d be all over this if I could play it as PvE. I’ve not got the time to try to remotely compete with pvp players that have sunk hundreds of thousands of hours into learning fps pvp gameplay. :(
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithOct 19
@Verxion it mostly is PvE — I see maybe 1 or 2 players a session, if that
Show threadJoe ChottOct 19
@stroughtonsmith I had seen streamers playing it and they had LOTS of pvp action. I think I’d need a toggle or some way to disable it.
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithOct 19
@Verxion not 100% sure of this, but I think if you queue as a squad you'll be more likely matched with other squads, and squads always mean PvP. As a solo player, it's been pretty chill
Show threadJoe ChottOct 19
@stroughtonsmith thanks!!
Show threadChris @ 🦣Oct 18
@stroughtonsmith I’ve been really impressed with what I’ve seen so far.
Show threadJon CarlestamOct 18
@stroughtonsmith Wow, couldn’t have said it better myself. I’ve put almost 5000 hours in PUBG over the last 8 years and AR is the first time I feel like I have met its successor.
Show threadPaul StocktonOct 18
@jonc @stroughtonsmith I expected it to run butter smooth as The Finals we play also does. Embark Studios are the masters of how to make a game on Unreal Engine 5.
I didn't expect #ArcRaiders with the map size and detail to just run on Epic settings so good.
How many games require no messing with tons of graphic settings?!
I'm running a 4070Ti in 4K on Epic - the only change I made was to set DLSS to Balanced and the Transformer model to the newer better quality one.