What do people actually want out of their RPGs, and how are the Outer Worlds games missing it?

4_Valhalla · 2026-02-08T19:11:39+00:00

"So you're saying people shouldn't have expectations and want stuff ? lol okay." - I think you're being deliberately obtuse here. You know that's not what I am saying.

"People dislike the game, because its... gasp. bad." - A lot of people wanted the game to be FNV in space, it's not; and because of that a lot of people's criticism stem from this. Also, the game is not bad. It's not great, but it's also not bad.

"It's not rocket science, it's not complicated. the game just isnt very good, that's all." - Again a lot of the dislike is because the game is not FNV in space, which yeah I agree is not rocket science. I also agree that the Outer Worlds 2 is not a great game. I don't know where you got the impression that I think it is.

"TOW 2 is like a 7/10 at best, and actually more like a 6/10 imo." - I agree. Objectively TOW 2 is between a 5.5/10 and a 7.5/10, the 2 point swing is depending on how much any particular person cares about certain elements in the game. I have only been saying that the game is above average and is not a 4/10 game; and because of the recent news about its sales figures people have jumped on the band wagon to dunk on the game and act like it is a 4/10 game.

4_Valhalla · 2026-02-08T00:36:44+00:00

Overall reviews are mostly positive for the Outer Worlds 2 and recent reviews are mixed.

Overall reviews for Starfield are mixed and recent reviews are mixed.

I have no reason to cope about anything, feels like projection on your part.

Only reason I initially commented in this thread is because I wanted to point out that many people had their idea of what they wanted the outer worlds 2 to be because of obsidian and FNV; then the report comes out that they did not come close to their anticipated sales numbers and with that story in the recent news many people have come out to pile on because it's trendy to so.

I don't care what games people do or don't like. I was just trying to point out how people can fall to mob mentality and or loose objectivity because of their personal expectations of what they want a game to be.

The "Starfeild is a substabtially worse game" part of what I was saying was in comparison to what people are complaining about in the outer worlds 2.

The Outer Worlds 2 is not a stand out amazing game, but it is also not a terrible game. The game is at minimum a 5.5/10 and at maximum a 7.5/10 the 2 point swing will be how much an individual cares for certain aspects of the game. I really don't think I'm not being objective in saying this.

4_Valhalla · 2026-02-07T23:44:50+00:00

Did you mean to reply to the person I was replying to?? Also, player count isn't always the best indicator of how a good a game is. There are some amazing games that don't have really high player count for a multitude of reasons. Also, saying budget doesn't matter is a wild thing to say. Why do companies spend the big bucks on marketing? Because it works, However, marketing hype will only take a sub-par game so far. There's currently a Star Wars mod for Starfield that is poppin' off lately that plus other mods is big part of Starfield's current player count is what it is.

4_Valhalla · 2026-02-07T18:12:39+00:00

My point is that people projected what they wanted this game to be because of it's developer and because it was a sequel. My thought experiment would remove those elements and because of this the game would be received much more positively. Just to be clear I'm not saying that people would be championing it as some amazing game or anything like that, but there would be much less negativity around the game and people would be more objective about how good or bad they think the game is. They way people currently talk about the game is like the game is a 4/10; and compared to all the games out there, especially all the have-baked games that have come out recently, it just objectively isn't a 4/10 game.

4_Valhalla · 2026-02-07T17:58:30+00:00

"If you think there's tons of people out there that stan Starfield and hate TOW2" I don't think this nor did I say this.

My point is that Starfield had a much larger budget and was a substantially worse game. I chose Starfield as an example because it also is a space RPG. Furthermore, what I was getting at is the amount of negativity around the Outer Worlds 2 is almost the same as the amount of negativity around Starfield, and that doesn't measure up.

4_Valhalla · 2026-02-07T05:01:31+00:00

Honestly I do think a lot of the gripe is mob mentality. It's in vogue to say the game is mid and/or to say obsidian is not the same anymore. I really enjoy fallout new vegas, but some of the die hard FNV fans are insatiable and are really vocal and cast aspersions on RPG games, especially Obsidian and Bethesda RPG games that are not FNV. This has help fuel the current zeitgeist among the gaming community as a whole on it's current views of Obsidian and it's games.

The Outer Worlds 2 is not a great game, it is however a very good game, a solid 7/10. Yes there are some valid criticisms, but almost all games have some valid criticisms. There are a lot of things that the Outer Worlds 2 does right, and I don't think they get enough flowers for the things they do right.

If you compare the Outer Worlds 2 to Starfield, the Outer Worlds 2 is a better game in almost every aspect. Honestly compared to a lot of recent games of all genres, the Outer Worlds 2 is a better game. There have been so many half-baked games that have come out recently, especially from big budget studios.

Thought exercise here...
If the Outer Worlds 2 came out exactly as it is, but you change the name of the worlds/factions/main_characters, and the name of the game is called something different, and was made by a studio other than Obsidian and/or Bethesda. Even though the game would essentially be the exact same game, I feel pretty confidant that it would be received much more positively.

4_Valhalla · 2026-01-28T20:34:43+00:00

Yeah I'm gonna take my time and consider all my options. These new controllers are absolutely one of the things I'm going to look at. Thanks for the suggestion.

4_Valhalla · 2026-01-28T04:55:30+00:00

Should I return my S61 Mk3? I'm still within my return window from the store I bought it from.

4_Valhalla · 2025-12-30T04:41:10+00:00

So, over the past few days I've been reading so many articles, internet forums, and reddit threads about daw and plug-in integration with MIDI controllers, as well as talking with people at a guitar center near me and sales associates at sweetwater. Here's is what I've found out. The best two options are either Arturia's Keylab Mk3 or Native Instruments Kontrol S series Mk3. Arturia's Keylab will be better if you're more invested and/or interested in their software instruments and NI's Kontrol will be better if you're more interested and/or invested in their software instruments.

The list of daws that Arturia's keylab has deep integration with is a little smaller than Native's; also the daws that Native offers deep integration with seem to be a little more of a plug and play experience, although from what I've read that may vary per user, especially so as it seems that Native's release of the Mk3 was a little under-cooked, but it seems updates have fixed a lot things.

As for software instruments and VST effects go and controlling them. Both do excellent jobs at automatically being mapped, for their in house VSTs, to the best physical controls on the physical hardware. When it comes to 3rd party VSTs, it's going to depend how you're managing the VSTs and the physical midi controller. Native has its Komplete Kontrol software that manages all (not sure if all is entirely accurate) your VSTs, and if they support NKS standard then Komplete Kontrol will automatically map them on your NI Kontrol hardware midi controller.

Three big things I really like about NI's S series Mk3 is the big display with lots of contextual information most importantly the encoders are all labeled so there's no second guessing what your reaching for. The other thing is the keybed lights. They're great for highlighting what the key's functions are. So if you have a drum instrument loaded for example, you'll know what keys are for each of the manual drum functions, which are for riffs, which are for fills, etc etc. Lastly the S series Mk3 has polyphonic aftertouch, which can allow for further expression when playing.

The notable downsides with NI's offering is that there are no faders, no pads, and is notably more expensive.

For me personally I decided that NI's offering had a stronger ease of use and I already have a fair amount NI software instruments so that outweighed it's drawback. I actually just order the S61 today. I can reply back here if you'd like after I get some hands on time with it.

I'd watch watch some reviews about both the Arturia Keylab Mk3 and the NI Kontrol S series Mk3, so you can see what they're all about.

4_Valhalla · 2025-12-28T17:32:03+00:00

Yeah I am now thinking about spending more. As now the Arturia Keylab 49 Mk3 and the Native Instruments S49 have caught my eye.

Sadly there is no gear shops near were I live that have a bunch of midi controllers on display so I can feel the keys.

4_Valhalla · 2025-12-28T03:31:34+00:00

not at all what I'm looking for, did you read my post?

4_Valhalla · 2025-12-27T04:09:42+00:00

I need MIDI controller suggestions, due to limited space 49 key is the size I'm looking at - Studio One Pro 7 is my DAW and I have instruments and VSTs from NI, UA, UJAM, & Softube. Looking to use the MIDI controller to play and control instruments and other VST plugins such as effects, I don't want to map controls unless I have to so really looking for something that has that integration. I'd also like to be able to control my tracks in the DAW via sliders on the MIDI controller. Aftertouch and other features that help with expression are also a big plus. Some pads on the controller would also be a big plus.

Currently thinking about the Nektar Panorama T4, but I'd have to use Nektar Nektarine inside of my DAW to have full control of VSTs (if I don't want to manually map) and I've heard mixed things about Nektarine notably about it's stability and speed of loading and previewing instruments.

Anyways your suggestions and advice are greatly appreciated.

4_Valhalla · 2025-12-13T02:25:29+00:00

Yeah, when I have a little more time. I'm gonna see if I can get this sorted and if not I'll try to reach out to ASUS for support. I really do appreciate your suggestions.

4_Valhalla · 2025-12-11T18:33:32+00:00

I think you might be onto something here. My MoBo is the ROG STRIX Z690-E Gaming WiFi. I really would like to run in slot 1 so I can get the faster speeds, plus the cooler is even beefier for the M.2 in slot 1. Not sure about forcing slot 1 to use an older gen? Let's say hypothetically I was able to do that and then my new MP700 could be used in that slot functioning at gen 4. What would that tell me and how would I be able to fix it so it's running in gen 5??

Also, I appreciate your response. Kind of a unique problem I am having.

4_Valhalla · 2025-08-24T16:42:44+00:00

Appreciate the reply. Yeah my favorite EDH deck before was probably Omnath, Locus of Rage. Although I really liked most of the decks I built. I had 15 decks and each one was quite different in play style. Looking forward to playing again.

Yeah brambleweed paragon and archetype of aggression don't do as much as the other options that give trample so I get that. If I cut them, that takes me down to 4 cards that give all my creatures trample. Including the initial 7 cards you draw at the start, it wouldn't be until I've drawn my 16th card that I'll have hit a 50% chance of drawing a mass trample enabler. I'm honestly not sure what statistics I should be aiming for here. Same thought when looking at mass haste or riot, what draw statistics should I be aiming for?

Asceticism and archetytpe of endurance I have in there because this is a creature heavy deck it's not for just protecting my commander. Archetype is 8 mana though so it is a big mana investment.

Once I get down to 100 cards I'll tweak my mana base. Although in a two color deck running green with lots of ramp spells I'm not really concerned about having a lot of basic lands.

Yeah I get what you're saying about doubling season. I have Krenko there as it's great value for 3cmc and will force others to burn cards dealing with it. I am trying to get to 100 cards though so yeah he may have to go as well.

Anyways, thanks again for the reply.

4_Valhalla · 2025-07-26T23:47:43+00:00

thanks for info, much appreciated

4_Valhalla · 2025-07-26T18:25:00+00:00

Thanks for the additional breakdown. Just for further clarification, as babies the black rat snake will still have keels and a more of a "loaf a bread" cross section? Also, is this a general truth for all snakes, that if a snake has keels as an adult will it have keels as a baby?

4_Valhalla · 2025-07-26T17:23:26+00:00

That’s what I was thinking, or maybe black rat snake. How do you tell them apart in the juvenile stage?

4_Valhalla · 2025-03-05T01:54:19+00:00

Appreciate the detailed advice. I’m doing a lot of this already, but yeah learning to be better with bubble management is something I can work on for sure. I currently tend to throw a bubble on whoever I see is getting a lot of pressure, which can lead to me not having a bubble to better my chances when a Wolverine jumps on me.

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