Should I Buy Oxygen Not Included?

[TheGCat]

On 21.5.2019 at 3:48 PM, Imagionary said:

I've been thinking about buying this game since 2017, but I'm still unsure if I'd want to or not. 
Is this game worth the money, and is it an overall fun and engaging experience? 

Difficult question. I have played over 1400 hours for now, but i would say, if u like something that has a real goal or a story; no, it is not worth it. And I mean it. For me personally, it was worth it to see the development of the game (the good and the bad), because i had my fun and 1400 hours of gameplay. The game has some interesting things to do, but the truth is: "If Klei had not released every 6 weeks a new version, I had never played it again". Sometime, u are a skilled player. All the mistakes u did increase your experience. That is nothing bad, but in this game, it is. The reason is simply.  The game has just a lack of possibilities to avoid the typical "rookie" mistakes.

So, each playthrough is feeling the same. That's the bittersweet truth. Of course, the map is rendered each time different, but the rest is like always the same. For my personal taste the game gets more and more tedious from update to update. I bought the game before the agriculture update. The farm part was much nicer. The social aspects of the game is something that I wouldn't miss, if they would remove them.

Don't get me wrong. The game is fun. But is has nearly no replayability. Maybe the finished version will have goals and some huge changes to ensure that each game feels different. Let's hope the best. Personally, i don't believe it.

• The UI is horrible as at the beginning (nearly no changes, stop, of course, it gets worse)
• The introduction for new players is still deficient
• The AI and the performance has get a little bit better, but i don't would say "good"
• Tedious things like, watching your dupes dancing instead of working and progress. Maybe I am the wrong player for the game, but the social aspect is nothing for me.
• Absolutely no replayability!
• If u have a huge playtime u build everything by yourself.

I don't believe anymore that Klei is the right contact person to improve the game. I have read what they said and saw what they have done. The difference in these two things is extremely huge. They have made a mediocre game.

It could be a so good game with a real campaign, with a story and unique maps (Maybe the release), but i don't think, that they had ever the motivation to implement a real campaign.

A sandbox game could much be better with setting up goals AND generated, but with unique particularity, maps.

For example:

• The lava breach through the roof in your colony at gametime X, if u not do anything.
• The animal gets evil if u destroy their environment. 
• Methan Explosion / Water Flooding / Earthquake / Ateriod breaks in X hours and u must setup a rocket to escape.
• Secret Rooms u can only enter, if u bring resource X or Dupe with X ability to the gate.
• Only Ice / Fire / Slime Maps.

PS: Something i could think of in 5 Minutes. But Klei integrated "Notes, Emails and text heavy unsexy, unimaginative (Insert a word of your choice....) stuff"

Ok, we say it again: Let's hope the best.

[KittenIsAGeek]

@DustFireSkyI like the fact that you wrote a thought-out reply.  That's great.  From my perspective, however, I disagree with most of your post, but especially this line: 

39 minutes ago, DustFireSky said:

But is has nearly no replayability. 

Even if every map were perfectly identical, I would play it 20 times and end up with 20 different games.  I like to build things and to tinker with things.  This game is great for that sort of play.  I don't need (or want!) an end goal.  There doesn't need to be a story -- though I think the one so far adds nicely to the atmosphere.  I still haven't unlocked all the lore items, so I don't know if Mi-Ma blew up the planet so she wouldn't have to look at any more knees, or if Burt took the wrong equipment into the bubble bath one day...

Anyway, I've really been enjoying the game.  A lot.  Almost 5k hours worth of enjoyment so far. .. ... I need a life.

[TheGCat]

19 minutes ago, KittenIsAGeek said:

@DustFireSkyI like the fact that you wrote a thought-out reply.  That's great.  From my perspective, however, I disagree with most of your post, but especially this line: 

Even if every map were perfectly identical, I would play it 20 times and end up with 20 different games.  I like to build things and to tinker with things.  This game is great for that sort of play.  I don't need (or want!) an end goal.  There doesn't need to be a story -- though I think the one so far adds nicely to the atmosphere.  I still haven't unlocked all the lore items, so I don't know if Mi-Ma blew up the planet so she wouldn't have to look at any more knees, or if Burt took the wrong equipment into the bubble bath one day...

Anyway, I've really been enjoying the game.  A lot.  Almost 5k hours worth of enjoyment so far. .. ... I need a life.

I think, u don't get my point. Also in my playthrough's, my base looks always different. But the way to go and to expand is always the same. That is what i meant. The steps to build and in which order u do it, are always the same.

A story would help to empathize in the setting and feel with your dupes. I know, that the sandbox games hasn't goals anymore. But in my opinion it is a destructive move to the gameplay nowadays. If u don't want an goal, it is your decision, but then it is not to the disadvantage for u, if a story existed. Some people need a story and the game don't get worse with one. If a campaign existed, nobody would force u to play the campaign. The possibility to set up a sandbox game (without goals) is always given.

So, what's your argument that the game with a story would be worse?  

[goboking]

1 hour ago, DustFireSky said:

Absolutely no replayability!

 

1 hour ago, DustFireSky said:

i had my fun and 1400 hours of gameplay.

I...uh...nah, Imma let it go.

[KittenIsAGeek]

@DustFireSky No, I read your post correctly.  The first five cycles are, admittedly, pretty cookie cutter.  Dig out some of the base, build a latrine, set up some power for air and research -- but beyond that, I rarely do things the same multiple times.  

I'm not saying that a campaign would be bad, or that a story would make things worse -- I'm saying that, from my perspective, neither is necessary.  If I want a game that, say, uses a campaign to unlock progressively more difficult scenarios, or perhaps a game with an engaging storyline, I can find a plethora of them already in existence. 

As for most of the scenarios you mentioned in your earlier post, the framework is there to do them already (See: Helicona, and TheRock).  I think a few months ago someone posted a scenario map where you start off in a crashed spaceship and you have to scavenge parts of the spaceship in order to survive -- the devs even played it during one of their vlogs.  I've seen another scenario map that was posted where you had to unlock paths to various rooms in order to survive. 

You can also get very different games by changing the difficulty settings, choosing a particular seed, or changing your map dimensions.  You can write your own map generator that produces only ice and slime biomes, or that doesn't have neutronium or abyssalite to keep the lava from rising up into your base.  You can create mods that dramatically change the game. Some that currently exist are:

• Chemical Burns -- Duplicants will suffer damage when exposed to dangerous substance (like chlorine gas).
• Extreme Surface -- World surface gets hot in the day, cold at night.
• Geothermal Steam Pump -- Granted, this isn't a world mod, but it really changes your game.
• Nubrion (Map) -- Adds 12 more biomes.

There are more, but you get the idea.

Klei have done an amazing job setting up a very customizable sandbox.  By officially supporting modding, and giving us examples to work with, they've given us the tools to turn the game into anything we want.  Check out the Workshop for more ideas.  

[TheGCat]

9 hours ago, goboking said:

 

I...uh...nah, Imma let it go.

And now think about why I have 1400 hours... I said, I played each 6 weeks a new colony because of the new content! Without new content, no reason to start over. Count the updates and calculate at least 600 - 1500 cycles per run. Nothing wrong here...blub.So, uh, nah, u need better reading skills maybe?

@KittenIsAGeek

We have different opinions at that point. Some things should be included in the vanilla game and not through the moding community. A story and a great map gen with various things to set up for example. Moding support is also nice, but some things should be into the main game. We will see what Klei will publish.

The OP has maybe forget, that all answers are a bit biased. The pro ONI Faction would be bigger than the neutral faction without the pink glasses. And I know that someone who criticize the ONI mechanics in an ONI Forum is trying to make a fool of. The best example is the user @goboking. In this case, he/she didn't understand my words maybe, but if he/she did it, then the answer is what i have said.

@Imagionary

If u want neutral opinions around the world without the pink glasses, read the steam reviews. They are telling the truth. The game has good,  but also bad sides. Read both. That is the best i can think of.