Dead State - Zombie RPG

BYU 14 · 12-04-2014, 05:35 PM

This finally released on Steam today, so I picked it up and it looks to have some promise. Graphics a bit campy/90's (think Jagged Alliance meets Fallout 1) which kind of adds to the appeal though.

You character is on a plane when the apocalypse breaks out, which crashes in a small Texas town after people turn in mid-flight. You are rescued by a small group of survivors and taken to a school and from there the adventure begins as you do your best Rick Grimes.

Dialogue is all written, but it is fairly compact and not overly wordy like say Divinity Original Sin and from my brief playing a lot of it is decision driven. Combat is turn based and while not as involved as say Wasteland 2 or DOS, it is fun and the AI seems good from my little time.

Nothing ground breaking here, but it seems like a good mix of RPG, base building, survival, capturing a bit of everything you would want in a Zombie game. Looks like this and WMMA 4 will be getting most of my gaming time this month.

Also, reviews are mostly positive and the developers seem committed, maybe a bit high for some at $29.95 for some, but it looks like the Zombie game I have been hoping for.

Anyone else have this or looking to get it?

DaddyTorgo · 12-04-2014, 05:41 PM

H_B for one had it and said he'd probably play a bit tonight. I think a couple others had picked it up Early Access and were going to take it for a spin now.

I'm holding off till you all get some playing in to tell me it's worth it. Especially as I picked up This War of Mine, which is similar.

JonInMiddleGA · 12-04-2014, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

I'm holding off till you all get some playing in to tell me it's worth it.

+1

Honolulu_Blue · 12-04-2014, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BYU 14

This finally released on Steam today, so I picked it up and it looks to have some promise. Graphics a bit campy/90's (think Jagged Alliance meets Fallout 1) which kind of adds to the appeal though.

You character is on a plane when the apocalypse breaks out, which crashes in a small Texas town after people turn in mid-flight. You are rescued by a small group of survivors and taken to a school and from there the adventure begins as you do your best Rick Grimes.

Dialogue is all written, but it is fairly compact and not overly wordy like say Divinity Original Sin and from my brief playing a lot of it is decision driven. Combat is turn based and while not as involved as say Wasteland 2 or DOS, it is fun and the AI seems good from my little time.

Nothing ground breaking here, but it seems like a good mix of RPG, base building, survival, capturing a bit of everything you would want in a Zombie game. Looks like this and WMMA 4 will be getting most of my gaming time this month.

Also, reviews are mostly positive and the developers seem committed, maybe a bit high for some at $29.95 for some, but it looks like the Zombie game I have been hoping for.

Anyone else have this or looking to get it?

Oh, yeah. I've been tracking this game for over four years now. I backed the Kickstarter, but have held off playing it until the final release. As DT mentioned, I hope to get involved tonight for a few hours at least.

Blackadar · 12-04-2014, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

H_B for one had it and said he'd probably play a bit tonight. I think a couple others had picked it up Early Access and were going to take it for a spin now.

I'm holding off till you all get some playing in to tell me it's worth it. Especially as I picked up This War of Mine, which is similar.

Come on, you didn't think I'd miss this one, did you? I backed this as a Kickstarter!

I didn't play the Early Access version but about 2 hours, so my experience is pretty much entirely with the release candidate. It's 11:00 PM and I'm having to force myself to go to bed rather than play one more day...does that say anything about the game?

It's too early to give a final verdict but thus far I'm digging it. It has almost a Fallout-esq feel in the tone of the game. I'm talking the original Fallout from 20 years ago. Not in terms of it being a story-driven RPG like Fallout with lots of quests. Dead State is nothing like that. But in terms of tone. Bleak, slow, turn-based, apocalyptic, survivalist, etc. It's like the world of Dead State could almost be an offshoot of the world of Fallout even though they suffered different types of disasters.

As for the game mechanics, you basically uncover places on the map, kill the enemies and loot the area (if you can). The combat mechanics are absurdly simple and there's not even a cover mechanism. No kneeling, I haven't found anything to sharp-shoot with, etc. Of course, blasting away with guns will attract zoms, so most of my kills consist of walking up behind a zombie and whacking them on the head with a sledgehammer. It's quite effective and most of the zoms are one shot kills for me. Bandits are far more difficult since they have guns and aren't afraid to use them.

After you loot, you go back to base and try to build it up - it looks like there's a fair amount you can build and I've only started like the 2nd item (a well). Your actions in the field will drive some of the other survivor's behavior towards you but the extent of this or the consequences remain unclear.

So far, yeah, I'm enjoying it. If it stays as is, it'll get old eventually. If there are some twists and turns in this tale, this could get quite addictive.

Honolulu_Blue · 12-05-2014, 03:53 PM

I did manage to fire this up last night. I didn't get to play too long. My dog was being overly needy (he was being very adamant about his desire to snuggle on the couch) and I had already planned to play "Divinity: Original Sin" with a buddy of mine later in the evening.

I got through the first mission. My impressions so far are similar to Blackdar's. The game has some pretty interesting looking mechanics. I need to test them more to see if they will hold up over time.

Combat is, indeed, super basic. It's all square-based and time unit based. You can pretty much move and attack. The melee weapons (I never fired a gun) have different types of attacks for different time units. I ended up fighting a handful of zombies and one crazy cook lady.

It does seem to simulate the stress of sneaking around buildings, trying to find supplies pretty well. Whenever I saw a zombie, I did have to pause and really try to think how to handle it.

BYU 14 · 12-06-2014, 12:20 PM

Played for a couple of hours this morning, got a bit overconfident after the first couple of encounters were so easy and paid for it. Went about exploring way too aggressively and ran into some powerful looters. They of course used guns, which brought Zombies, which was fine as I pulled the Zombies onto them, but not before the two others in my party were dead.

The Zombies overpowered the looters, but then they turned, so I had 7 zombies after me and had to leave. Needless to say the others at the shelter were pissed and nobody would come scavenge with me. Tried to carry on and had some epic moments getting drugs, but eventually was killed and had to start over from the point before I lost the other survivors.

The cool part is, after starting over again, the game randomizes loot and where you encounter things, so it is not going through the same routine and knowing where you will meet danger. Despite the simple combat, you need to really act like you would in a Zombie apocalypse and use strategy, and be stealthy. The second time through the run that destroyed me the first time went much smoother and I got better loot, so I now have enough firearms for everyone, though ammo is scarce.

Really impressed with the tension this game puts you under, easy to get immersed, though I hope there are some twists as Blackadar mentioned, so it doesn't get stale.

Blackadar · 12-06-2014, 05:27 PM

I am really enjoying this game. As I said before, the tone and pace of this game feels old-fashioned, Fallout-esq. It has that "one more day" quality. As you progress, you have quite a few decisions to make about who gets admitted, who doesn't, what gets built, what you have to spend your scarce resources on and so forth.

I've had quite a few crashes, but since I can reload this game in 30 seconds it's not that big of a deal.

There's a lot of "make your own story" thing going on here. They supply some pieces, but with some imagination you can really end up with some interesting situations. For example, I did something very, very bad...

Spoiler

JonInMiddleGA · 12-06-2014, 08:06 PM

For those who are playing this, I'm curious whether what you've seen in the first playthrough matches what others are seeing so far? i.e. how random are the encounters, events, etc, versus how scripted.

Has everybody gotten the one dude that Blackadar mentioned in his spoiler tag for example?

gi · 12-06-2014, 09:03 PM

Finishing Dead State's first expansion, then This War of Mine, then I will check this out. Appears interesting.

BYU 14 · 12-07-2014, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

For those who are playing this, I'm curious whether what you've seen in the first playthrough matches what others are seeing so far? i.e. how random are the encounters, events, etc, versus how scripted.

Has everybody gotten the one dude that Blackadar mentioned in his spoiler tag for example?

From what I have seen the characters are the same, you decide whether to let them join and in some cases you may kill someone that will join you as you never know if people you help will turn on you.

I went back and played through 2 missions after I died because I had not saved the encounters (where and how many enemies you met) and the amount and types of loot I got where different in both of them.

So the missions are basically scripted (at least early on) but are not completely linear. I think this is one you would probably enjoy Jon if you liked Fallout 1 and/or Jagged Alliance as it has a bit of both in it.

Blackadar · 12-07-2014, 08:09 AM

Unfortunately, they broke their game last night. They put out an untested patch that removed your party members (there was no way to have anyone accompany you when you went out) and broke the faster horse/car travel. Then they rolled back that patch, but broke the saved games for anyone who saved under that patch. They'll probably get that sorted out soon, but what an idiotic thing to do.

BYU 14 · 12-20-2014, 12:39 PM

OK, finally got about 8 days in and picking up some new survivors who are really starting to make this interesting. One is plain tin foil hat crazy, have another psycho that just wants to kill things and won't say why yet and a cop who returned that I am butting heads with now since I was appointed leader right before he returned.

Found a survivors camp just wandering near the base and lost my second survivor in combat, so her daughter is pissed at me right now. The different personalities types are really adding a cool flavor and managing resources is a challenge.

Game is really starting to live up to my expectations now.

Edward64 · 05-09-2015, 09:14 AM

Been watching this game. Apparently pretty buggy early on but more recent comments on Steam says its come along and decent now.

Interested in anyone's thoughts on the game now?

bulletsponge · 05-15-2015, 01:28 PM

i just started a new game yesterday. its working much smoother than when it 1st came out. maybe i should do a dynasty

12-05-2014, 03:53 PM	#6
Honolulu_Blue Hockey Boy Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Royal Oak, MI	I did manage to fire this up last night. I didn't get to play too long. My dog was being overly needy (he was being very adamant about his desire to snuggle on the couch) and I had already planned to play "Divinity: Original Sin" with a buddy of mine later in the evening. I got through the first mission. My impressions so far are similar to Blackdar's. The game has some pretty interesting looking mechanics. I need to test them more to see if they will hold up over time. Combat is, indeed, super basic. It's all square-based and time unit based. You can pretty much move and attack. The melee weapons (I never fired a gun) have different types of attacks for different time units. I ended up fighting a handful of zombies and one crazy cook lady. It does seem to simulate the stress of sneaking around buildings, trying to find supplies pretty well. Whenever I saw a zombie, I did have to pause and really try to think how to handle it. __________________ *Steve Yzerman*: 1,755 points in 1,514 regular season games. 185 points in 196 postseason games. A First-Team All-Star, Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Selke Trophy winner, Masterton Trophy winner, member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Olympic gold medallist, and a three-time Stanley Cup Champion. Longest serving captain of one team in the history of the NHL (19 seasons).

12-06-2014, 05:27 PM	#8
Blackadar Retired Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Fantasyland	I am really enjoying this game. As I said before, the tone and pace of this game feels old-fashioned, Fallout-esq. It has that "one more day" quality. As you progress, you have quite a few decisions to make about who gets admitted, who doesn't, what gets built, what you have to spend your scarce resources on and so forth. I've had quite a few crashes, but since I can reload this game in 30 seconds it's not that big of a deal. There's a lot of "make your own story" thing going on here. They supply some pieces, but with some imagination you can really end up with some interesting situations. For example, I did something very, very bad... Spoiler I admitted Todd, the preacher, into my school. We didn't see eye to eye on anything. He wanted to preach during Sunday breakfast to everyone. Nope. He wanted to use resources to fix the well. Nope. Pretty much everything he wanted, I needed to do the opposite. It came to a head when one of my peeps revealed she was pregnant and wanted an abortion. I supported her and agreed to get what she needed but Todd found out and wanted to raise a ruckus about it. So I took him out in the field and killed him with an axe. Disappointingly there doesn't seem to be any recriminations about it, but I still was morally conflicted about killing this two-bit televangelist in order to keep the peace. Fucker seemed to be dead weight anyway. Last edited by Blackadar : 12-06-2014 at 05:27 PM.

12-06-2014, 08:06 PM	#9
JonInMiddleGA Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Behind Enemy Lines in Athens, GA	For those who are playing this, I'm curious whether what you've seen in the first playthrough matches what others are seeing so far? i.e. how random are the encounters, events, etc, versus how scripted. Has everybody gotten the one dude that Blackadar mentioned in his spoiler tag for example? __________________ "I lit another cigarette. Unless I specifically inform you to the contrary, I am always lighting another cigarette." - from a novel by Martin Amis

05-15-2015, 01:28 PM	#15
bulletsponge Pro Starter Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: TX	i just started a new game yesterday. its working much smoother than when it 1st came out. maybe i should do a dynasty __________________ the Barbarian, WW Royal Rumble Champion Last edited by bulletsponge : 05-15-2015 at 01:30 PM.

12-04-2014, 05:41 PM	#2
DaddyTorgo Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Massachusetts	H_B for one had it and said he'd probably play a bit tonight. I think a couple others had picked it up Early Access and were going to take it for a spin now. I'm holding off till you all get some playing in to tell me it's worth it. Especially as I picked up This War of Mine, which is similar.

12-06-2014, 12:20 PM	#7
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	Played for a couple of hours this morning, got a bit overconfident after the first couple of encounters were so easy and paid for it. Went about exploring way too aggressively and ran into some powerful looters. They of course used guns, which brought Zombies, which was fine as I pulled the Zombies onto them, but not before the two others in my party were dead. The Zombies overpowered the looters, but then they turned, so I had 7 zombies after me and had to leave. Needless to say the others at the shelter were pissed and nobody would come scavenge with me. Tried to carry on and had some epic moments getting drugs, but eventually was killed and had to start over from the point before I lost the other survivors. The cool part is, after starting over again, the game randomizes loot and where you encounter things, so it is not going through the same routine and knowing where you will meet danger. Despite the simple combat, you need to really act like you would in a Zombie apocalypse and use strategy, and be stealthy. The second time through the run that destroyed me the first time went much smoother and I got better loot, so I now have enough firearms for everyone, though ammo is scarce. Really impressed with the tension this game puts you under, easy to get immersed, though I hope there are some twists as Blackadar mentioned, so it doesn't get stale.

12-06-2014, 09:03 PM	#10
gi College Prospect Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Berkley, MI	Finishing Dead State's first expansion, then This War of Mine, then I will check this out. Appears interesting.

12-07-2014, 08:09 AM	#12
Blackadar Retired Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Fantasyland	Unfortunately, they broke their game last night. They put out an untested patch that removed your party members (there was no way to have anyone accompany you when you went out) and broke the faster horse/car travel. Then they rolled back that patch, but broke the saved games for anyone who saved under that patch. They'll probably get that sorted out soon, but what an idiotic thing to do.

12-20-2014, 12:39 PM	#13
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	OK, finally got about 8 days in and picking up some new survivors who are really starting to make this interesting. One is plain tin foil hat crazy, have another psycho that just wants to kill things and won't say why yet and a cop who returned that I am butting heads with now since I was appointed leader right before he returned. Found a survivors camp just wandering near the base and lost my second survivor in combat, so her daughter is pissed at me right now. The different personalities types are really adding a cool flavor and managing resources is a challenge. Game is really starting to live up to my expectations now.

05-09-2015, 09:14 AM	#14
Edward64 Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2005	Been watching this game. Apparently pretty buggy early on but more recent comments on Steam says its come along and decent now. Interested in anyone's thoughts on the game now?

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