Combat Doesn't Feel Impactful

[Zealote]

Exactly as the title reads.

I can't tell if its the animation, sounds or something else.

I didn't have this feeling playing Age of Wonders III.

But combat here looks nice, but feels like we're in a strange fake fight with pewpew guns most of the time.

Its not about the outcome of the battles, that has impact, but rather the hits feel weak and flimsy. Am I alone in this? I don't feel the power of the weapons or operations, I just see their damage. Missing some umph to the sound effects and animations. Even my archer units in Age of Wonders 3 have a more impactful feel to them when they hit something.

 

[Dreepa]

No, you are not alone. Heard it many times and had the same feeling. The thing is: I got used to it.
The first few hours of playing were like: LOL what is this?!?
Especially stuff like the APC attack animation, the laser tank attack, and a lot of the "drops dead" animations.

Though once I played more, and since the combat is generally rather hard to read, I am more busy trying to figure out what unit is what and that I don't miss something. I find the combat cognitively straining. Too many details for that view distance. So my brain is busy processing and differentiating terrain from unit and unit type and isn't looking at animations any longer

From my personal viewpoint I still think AOW2 had the cleanest look and the better readability.

 

[Zenicetus]

Use a good speaker-based sound system (not headphones), with a sub for the low bass. Then turn up the volume. Works pretty good for me. It doesn't have tweaked FPS-style weapon sounds, but for a strategy game I think it's fine if you have a decent sound system.

I agree the tactical battles can sometimes look a bit cluttered and hard to read. I think most of that is just getting used to the new setting. There are a few issues where it's hard to select a unit because it's obscured by scenery or a nearby enemy overlapping. I doubt the overall look of the maps will change, so it's just something we'll eventually get used to.

 

[The Founder]

If you have issues seeing the units, in the Options there is a Option "Unit Outlines".
And of coruse for the while "hidden behind terrain", there is rotating the camera.

 

[Zealote]

Use a good speaker-based sound system (not headphones), with a sub for the low bass. Then turn up the volume. Works pretty good for me. It doesn't have tweaked FPS-style weapon sounds, but for a strategy game I think it's fine if you have a decent sound system.

I agree the tactical battles can sometimes look a bit cluttered and hard to read. I think most of that is just getting used to the new setting. There are a few issues where it's hard to select a unit because it's obscured by scenery or a nearby enemy overlapping. I doubt the overall look of the maps will change, so it's just something we'll eventually get used to.

Well, I play on the same computer as AoW3 with the same headset and I feel the hits have more weight there, so perhaps its not just the sound, but the animation and the impact simulation. I might be nitpicking, but its more like what fighting games have that I'm missing here, a combination of sound and impact animation to simulate power in a rewarding way. AoW3 has this, surprisingly. Theres a weight behind a spear thrust, an arrow hitting or a fireball exploding. Not that it sucks right now, it just feels... lighter somehow and less satisfying than AoW3, at least on that aspect. Still loving the game though

 

[Garresh]

Sadly agreed. A lot of the animations and sound design are a step down from the last game. Not all, just some. Like some of the weapons look and sound great. But the animations definitely need work.

Generally all the explosions and "heavy" attacks feel nice and hard. Like Wraith tanks? But yeah there's a lot of little things that could use an upgrade. I doubt it will get addressed much though to be honest. Because...

1. The gameplay, which is what REALLY matters, is absolutely excellent.

2. The music is top notch. I listen to that stuff driving to work!

3. The game is just absolutely screaming for a DLC. The core systems are excellent and lay the foundations for a ton of new content.

4. With a game this complicated, it's likely they'll be doing balance passes for some time. It feels well balanced atm, but time will tell.

So yeah. Animation and sound design resources are likely going to be directed towards the new factions. Personally? I'd rather they work on that then fix a handful of crappy animations and sounds. Because I don't really care at the end of the day.

Anyone remember Frost Witches from AoW2? Their awful laugh haunts my dreams. I played a lot of frostings and that laugh was just awful. So yeah, a handful of crappy sound design elements is kinda par for the course. We notice them especially because so many units sound great in comparison. Like I said, the explosives, wraith tanks, stuff like that? They all sound great.

 

[Big J Money]

It's the audio. The rifle audio in particular is very soft sounding. I'm willing to speculate that this being their first SciFi game they were taken by surprise by the different audio resource needs compared to a fantasy title. I've played so many SciFi shooters and RPGs that it's easy for me to notice this.

Like was said above, you get used to it.

 

[Garresh]

Does anyone know how to easily make one of those 1 hour looping sound vids for YouTube? Anytime someone says the sound design is bad, I want to show them an hour clip of AoW2 frost witch laughing. Should provide useful and informative feedback!

Edit: Oh. I should mod that sound into the game for all support units. Worst mod ever.

(I REALLY loved frostlings. My favorite race in all the games, though in 3 it was a toss up between them and goblins. So that sound has a special place in my heart.)

 

[Nussor]

Animations are crappy, yes, I suspect costs were cut around the edges. Same with sound effects and music. I don't mind, the game is excellent and, as long as nobody moves, very pretty.

 

[Jean-Luc]

Apparently there's a mod that can help: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1832736301 Still WIP but seems to have made some good headway.

Yes animations are a mixed bag but Planetfall, and the AoW series in general, is very ambitious when it comes to this. No other 4x goes to this level in terms of visuals with detailed battlefields separate but derived from the strategic map, dozens of units many of which require unique animations. There's a huge amount to do and some things fall by the wayside.

Some of the unique stuff is Dire Penguins swimming in a circle when in water on the strat map and popping their heads up when you click on them. The Bombardon swims like a frog, it's amphibious. When the Herald of Oblivion dies an abyss opens up underneath it and begins to suck it in, the Herald claws at the ground as it's being dragged inside, I recommend zooming in on that one. Lancer Swiftbeaks prop themselves up on their hind legs when observing them via unit card. Heroes sitting on the chopper bike just being cool. The little irrigation drone on the Biodome tactical maps, etc.

It's a crazy amount of work but I do hope some improvements get made.

 

[Garresh]

Animations are crappy, yes, I suspect costs were cut around the edges. Same with sound effects and music. I don't mind, the game is excellent and, as long as nobody moves, very pretty.

I have to respectfully disagree on the music point. The music for this game is just fantastic. I've been showing some of the songs to people who don't like 4x or strategy and they said it's really good too.

 

[Garresh]

Also, on the note of animations. It's worth noting that Civ had a lot of the same problems. I remember pretty much every Civ I played (note:haven't played one since vanilla Civ 5) have ALWAYS had crappy animations, laggy movement, and extremely slow AI turns.

TBH, while we should criticize these issues, I think it's also worth appreciating that that's really the ONLY true criticism of the game. Everything else is solid. Other criticisms are more stylistic or preference based. Game's good yo.

Edit: This game's AI turns are pretty fast. If it seems slow, turn off animations. The time is all due to animations, NOT the AI.

 

[Tarballs]

Apparently there's a mod that can help: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1832736301 Still WIP but seems to have made some good headway.

I heartily recommend this mod. I was skeptical at first, but it's actually a HUGE improvement. Try it, it feels like the way the game was meant to be played.

I do wish however the mod creator would make some "unnecessary" effects like hero highlighting and shields in fortifications optional. I'm just in it for the better VFX/SFX

 

[Jean-Luc]

...shields in fortifications optional.

Not a fan of this either, the Dvar are not an energy shield race.

 

[Big J Money]

Yeah, I hope I didn't sound too negative about the audio. It's not bad, it's just that you don't often see huge scifi TBS like this (usually they are in space where all you need are sounds for ships) and almost none of AoW assets would have helped with making this game so they probably had a lot of audio content to design from scratch. I don't know how large Triumph's audio dept is but I assume with more time they could have made more hifi rifle and other weapon SFX which would add to the impact feeling in battles.

 

[Goemoe]

In AoW3 I near to never use autocombat, because the combat is just fun, even after hundereds of battles (still playing). In Planetfall I tended to do more and more of the battles with autocombat, because the combat itself lacks fun for me. I can't explain why, it can't be sound alone. Tended, because this just got me to stop playing the whole game. I tried for 50 hours to like this game, 50 hours of the campaign. If the combat feels meh why should I continue with Planetfall. The campaign did not get me as well. Neither the story nor the characters feel interesting. I does not help to change the race every two maps. Weird idea, if you ask me. Normally I am the campaign guy. The campaigns of AoW3 have all been pure fun for me.

 

[Big J Money]

Campaign is a different subject but yes there is something slightly hollow feeling about this campaign compared to AoW. I can't put my finger on it yet. Maybe it's just the warmth of fantasy vs the starkness of SciFi? Maybe the greatness of SciFi isn't as well realized in a TBS game as in other types of games? Or maybe it is a bit more tacked on feeling than it was in AoW. Combat I have no had issues with yet but I have barely played a dozen hours so far due to work schedule. Other than I immediately noticed the rifles sound thin and weak, and some other places in the audio too, maybe explosions.

 

[Garresh]

In AoW3 I near to never use autocombat, because the combat is just fun, even after hundereds of battles (still playing). In Planetfall I tended to do more and more of the battles with autocombat, because the combat itself lacks fun for me. I can't explain why, it can't be sound alone. Tended, because this just got me to stop playing the whole game. I tried for 50 hours to like this game, 50 hours of the campaign. If the combat feels meh why should I continue with Planetfall. The campaign did not get me as well. Neither the story nor the characters feel interesting. I does not help to change the race every two maps. Weird idea, if you ask me. Normally I am the campaign guy. The campaigns of AoW3 have all been pure fun for me.

Strange I don't see it as a downgrade. I will say it's slightly less fun than AoW3, pretty much exclusively because of the reliance on cover. In AoW3, you could make cover essentially with shielded units. But defensive units on front lines are a lot more vulnerable. Even tanks can be shredded.

On the OTHER hand, the flattening of the tier system makes combat feel more nuanced in my eyes. So I find combat significantly more fun after midgame. And unit DESIGN via mods is a whole nother level of fun. Strategic map is more fun too.

So overall, I find it more fun. I can see why earlygame combat is slightly less fun though.

 

[Nussor]

I have to respectfully disagree on the music point. The music for this game is just fantastic. I've been showing some of the songs to people who don't like 4x or strategy and they said it's really good too.

I guess its a matter of taste, then. But I swear it feels like I have heard some of these tracks before, probably in Shadowrun Returns.

On the OTHER hand, the flattening of the tier system makes combat feel more nuanced in my eyes. So I find combat significantly more fun after midgame.

This bothers me a lot about the Endless series, the insane power creep. I like that mods are mostly sidegrades and you need to figure out what synergies work for you. Also helps in coming back from behind. The entire economy is a lot flatter as well, so early advantages and map RNG don't spiral out of control.