My thoughts on Episode 4

[Glflegolas]

Hello everyone,

I just finished episode 4 this morning before going on a hike, and here's what I think of it. I'll try not to spoil too much of it for you, but here's my two cents.

Storyline: B-

This is ironically the one area that I think wasn't quite as good as the other episodes. Overall, Mackenzie getting supplies for the convicts while secretly aiding Jace's plans to prevent Donner from being released is a decent story, and is a good strategy for anyone who does get abducted. The side missions, which provided useful supplies, were also well thought out. However, the actual execution of the story could have been done slightly better. Firstly, if you're holding somebody captive, is it really a good idea to let your prisoner wander around outside, unsupervised, for as long as required? Some sort of time limit for doing the fetch quests, let's say 3-5 days per quest, would have been a bit more realistic. Furthermore, some sort of system for limiting firearm and noisemaker use would have been nice (because wouldn't lots of gunshots be suspicious?). If you shot too many weapons in quick succession, drew a ranged weapon in the prison yard, or spent too long outside, I think the quests should have changed to something like "Escape the Darkwalker" where Mathis and gang leave the prison to try and hunt you down, and will shoot on sight. Now, the goal would be to lead Mathis and his thugs well away from the prison, run in, get the hardcase, and then run back to the power plant to meet Jace. The final outcome of the story would still be the same, but the means of getting there would be different.

On the plus side, though, the suffocation danger in mines and tunnels really added to the sense of urgency when exploring those areas, and I thought the steam tunnel puzzle was well done. Dodging the spotlights to avoid being shot was also a pretty fun minigame.

Characters: A

One thing that I really liked about this episode was the characters. Sure, the intro cutscene is a bit longer than it has to be, but in the process, we learn a lot about Franklin (a kind warden who tries his best to reform criminals), Jace (the one who's actually running the prison, studying the aurora, and screwing up Mathis' plans), and Mathis (the ringleader of the convicts who enjoys nothing more than killing others). Only complaint: where is Methuselah? Other than that, good work, Hinterland.

Map: A

This is going to be an amazing survival map. You have the ravines of Ash Canyon, the mines of Desolation Point, the massive underground area of Carter Hydro Dam, and the timberwolves of Bleak Inlet... all in one map. Hopefully more of the prison will be accessible in Survival Mode, as that would make it an excellent base. Maybe nerf the wolves slightly for Survival, as they seem a tiny bit excessive for that style of gameplay -- this is similar to not having Timberwolves in Pleasant Valley in survival.

Noisemakers: A+

What can I say, they are really, really fun. Especially against Timberwolves. Now I know what I need to bring to Bleak Inlet next time I visit. Not sure how I feel about these in Interloper.... I mean it would give cans, gunpowder, and Bleak Inlet in general a use, but they could be a little OP.

Animation & Voice Acting: A+

Excellent work on that, Hinterland. Really no complaints here at all.

Final comments:

Overall, I enjoyed Episode 4 very much. I am looking forward to see how Astrid and Mathis' gang interact in Episode 5. I bet that Mathis isn't done with Will and Jace yet, and Astrid will be the one who somehow has to try and mess up Mathis' plans long enough that she can get to Will and retrieve the precious hardcase -- I bet that this will be the focus of Episode 5, where we play Astrid. Once Astrid gets the hardcase, I predict that there will be a cutscene where she and Will travel to Perseverance Mills and do their work -- and, once Astrid's work is done, Mathis and his gang will likely die. What role Jace will play in this, I cannot say, but I am fairly certain that she will do something important in Episode 5.

[RegentRelic]

You no what is actually ironic. How sandbox mode usually tell a better story then story mode.

[peteloud]

On 10/17/2021 at 10:21 PM, Glflegolas said:

. . .  and Mathis (the ringleader of the convicts who enjoys nothing more than killing others). . . .

I think that Mathis was the best portrayal of a character that I have seen in a computer game.  He really did seem like a scary, psycopathic killer.   I don't know how such a character is created for a game, but it was agreat bit of work.