Even the Stream version doesn’t require Steam. You can just run the executable. A few folks over on Reddit claim they’ve given the game to their friends just by copying the files from an external drive.

Yep. And if they fail to deliver on the lofty expectations they’ve created here, the backlash is going to be epic. I don’t want to root for their downfall, but… Imma stock up on popcorn.

A lot of that time, if not the vast majority, is likely performance testing. That’s trivial to automate and can be run across 100+ systems simultaneously.

I suppose I’m somewhat fortunate to have been a poor bastard for most of my life. 25fps with moldy potato settings was just fine, as long as the game didn’t crash or deep fry the CPU, so I’m not as sensitive to the occasional drop below 60fps and don’t feel slighted when I have to turn some settings down. Though I can understand being incensed when you’ve poured thousands into a bleeding-edge gaming rig that’s supposed to handle anything at 4k, maxed out and a stable 120fps and it’s the game itself dragging your experience down.

But the stutters weren’t the only problem people reported early on. There were cries of the game being unplayable, on account of endless bugs, visual glitches and repeated hard crashes. Worst I got was the normal mapping on Cal’s face getting real weird in certain lighting conditions. That’s hardly game-breaking.

I mean if you want to invalidate my lived experience, sure. Played on release on a 5600X, RTX3070 and 32GB of RAM, 1080p, almost everything maxed out. Open areas on Koboh saw a drop to mid-40 fps, but other than that, I had one hard crash and no bugs I noticed.

Gamers when the game has bugs: >:(

Gamers when the devs delay a patch because they discovered it breaks a core system: >:(

They’re trying to fix bugs, not make existing ones worse. Deal with it, princess.

I see where you’re coming from, but also think it’s a tad hasty to say it’ll never lead to anything but fluff. Excitement should be nourished, cause it’s the people who are excited about new things that will explore what could come of it. Now let’s give 'em time to cook.

That’s assuming that the generative technology remains stagnant. I wouldn’t be surprised if, eventually, the systems get complex enough to conjure up entire minor quests at runtime. Honestly, it’s just a further development of procedural generation, I don’t see how it’s going to stall out at “meh dialog”.

No more pre-defined dialog trees for NPCs and more reactive interactions. An example from BG3:

But you can’t talk to her, or anyone, about it, since those conversations were never written. With a system that generates NPC dialog on the fly, based on context and the NPC’s pre-defined parameters, you could.

If Starship Troopers had the player numbers of Helldivers, these articles would be about that game instead.

Not “no PvP” servers. Single crew servers. Only you and your crew. Those have been live since December, but they’re quite heavily limited. Can’t use captained ships, can’t progress the trading companies past 40 and you get only 30% of the base treasure value. Still, not having to deal with some jerkwad thinking their fun entitles them to ruin my fun more than makes up for that for me.

Right you are. I have fallen to the sway of various evils so many times that I get them mixed up.

Showing my age here, but the OGs of Doom, Mortal Kombat and GTA turned all the millennial gamers into murderous sociopaths who can’t tell the difference between video games and reality. That’s after Dungeons & Dragons turned us into murderous sociopaths who can’t tell the difference between board games and reality. If I recall correctly, the hoopla around all of that made national news in the States.

I’d say it still counts, since the question was about review embargoes OR no pre-release copies provided to reviewers. Hype or no hype, you’d still be asking gamers to buy it based on nothing but previews, trailers and/or developer rep.

Hi-Fi Rush last year. No review copies, since the game was announced and released on the same day. Turned out to be a really fun rhythm action game.