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Silent Storm
- Thread starter Calis
- Start date
Diogo Ribeiro
Erudite
I finally found the time to go trough the entire campaign mode of Silent Storm with both sides. While I enjoyed the game and will probably replay it some time later, it's got some problems that detract from the overal experience. For those that have yet to play it there's a couple of spoilers.
While I enjoy playing the game as either an Allies or Axis soldier and especially how that presents different story segments and somewhat different mission objectives in the long run, there's really no sense that you're playing them. The game progresses trough a set of objective-based missions for either side but aside the terrible accents and sparse reminders of which side you're on, there's nothing else. Finishing the game with either side presents no different outcome. It could be argued that since it starts out as a regular WW2-themed game with logical goals but then grows into a fight against an unknown organization it doesn't need to reflect that, but there's an emptiness inside when the you finish the last mission as either side. Other than a lousy memo briefing players on story sections that should have been fleshed out in the game, perhaps something suggesting how the destruction of Thor's Hammer or even the acquisition of their bases or technology could have helped either side in the war. Nothing beats seeing two campaigns which are distinct ending like it didn't matter which side you played, and ending the Axis campaign with a female squad leader then hearing the same male voice describing the end as if he had been there just blows.
The inclusion of the sci-fi elements felt very sloppy. I thoroughly enjoyed them and it's good to know that depending on which side you play these elements get a somewhat different treatment, but for the most part they feel rushed: you only get to see plasma weapons and Panzerklein in the last two or three missions, and there's barely an explanation for them. Even more disapointing is that the way these later missions are designed they compromise PKs somewhat both in story and mechanics. Why are these people getting Allied and Axis PKs when my team cannot? If there is an Allied factory making these PKs then why are so little of them? I've yet to find a random encounter - aside the UFO one - where there are enemies wearing PKs which can be stolen. It's also pretty bad that some of these later missions require someone to be dragged unconscious into an exit, effectively lessening my chances of getting a PK. In one mission I lost a PK I had found because they couldn't carry people so I had to dump it there; I only managed to conserve them in a different campaign by hiring a character specifically for this mission so he could carry the body. Another problem is that you only get PKs by the time you almost don't need them: not only are the last missions quite possible of doing without PKs they sometimes are best played without them as they burn too many APs which could be better served if the team members were on foot, but there's also not much of a reason to use them otherwise as most story missions will have been finished, missions which they would probably be of better help instead of by the end of the game where there are plasma weapons which can kill a PK pilot with a couple of headshots.
I found bases to be pretty bad overall. I have to agree with Saint's suggestions for them on the review, they'd definitely improve the bases quite a lot. Worse, since there are no penalties for leaving a country and returning to the base, that means that for the most part gathering loot after an encounter or mission is useless as the base always seems to infinitely generate weapon and ammo stock - even PK ammo! Add to it that you can have bases generate new ammo by dumping a weapon or ammo in it's vaults, and that equipment can't be sold, and there's even less reason for picking everything up. In a dungeon crawler where a party survives on equipment found, that's pretty bad.
Missions were very fun but after a while the objectives got dull. Getting documents and picking up bodies eventually loses its appeal after the 100th time you have to do it. Interrogating prisoners of war, contacts or even having to pass by or get something from an enemy base or encampment by use of disguises would have been nice but nothing like that ever appears, even when it sometimes a mission would hint at the possibility.
On the bright side, the physics rock. Having a soldier listen to someone nearby and shooting trough a window or wall and watch the fragments fly and blood splatter is very satisfying. The weapons all feel very solid, even if many are do feel the same and only slightly different in damage outputs.
Thankfully the dreaded speed animations I've heard about were not a problem. There was all talks of how slow it was but I've never felt they bogged down, either pre or post patch. The thing that did seem to drag the pace of combat were the comments that characters kept saying; after they were deactivated combat seemed to flow much quicker, though it may just have been my impression.
I feel inclined to try out Sentinels but I can't find it on sale in Europe; seems I can only find Silent Storm Gold but wasting money on a compilation when I already have the original game isn't what I have in mind. I could try to sell the copy I own, though. It's too bad that more wasn't done with the game; I look at the editor in desperation because I would very much enjoy developing a mod that would address these quibbles I have but then I have little time to waste learning its intrincancies and the community seems to be dead anyway.
Speaking of which I'm also trying out the Hammer and Sickle demo, and would appreciate the input of anyone here who has played it.
While I enjoy playing the game as either an Allies or Axis soldier and especially how that presents different story segments and somewhat different mission objectives in the long run, there's really no sense that you're playing them. The game progresses trough a set of objective-based missions for either side but aside the terrible accents and sparse reminders of which side you're on, there's nothing else. Finishing the game with either side presents no different outcome. It could be argued that since it starts out as a regular WW2-themed game with logical goals but then grows into a fight against an unknown organization it doesn't need to reflect that, but there's an emptiness inside when the you finish the last mission as either side. Other than a lousy memo briefing players on story sections that should have been fleshed out in the game, perhaps something suggesting how the destruction of Thor's Hammer or even the acquisition of their bases or technology could have helped either side in the war. Nothing beats seeing two campaigns which are distinct ending like it didn't matter which side you played, and ending the Axis campaign with a female squad leader then hearing the same male voice describing the end as if he had been there just blows.
The inclusion of the sci-fi elements felt very sloppy. I thoroughly enjoyed them and it's good to know that depending on which side you play these elements get a somewhat different treatment, but for the most part they feel rushed: you only get to see plasma weapons and Panzerklein in the last two or three missions, and there's barely an explanation for them. Even more disapointing is that the way these later missions are designed they compromise PKs somewhat both in story and mechanics. Why are these people getting Allied and Axis PKs when my team cannot? If there is an Allied factory making these PKs then why are so little of them? I've yet to find a random encounter - aside the UFO one - where there are enemies wearing PKs which can be stolen. It's also pretty bad that some of these later missions require someone to be dragged unconscious into an exit, effectively lessening my chances of getting a PK. In one mission I lost a PK I had found because they couldn't carry people so I had to dump it there; I only managed to conserve them in a different campaign by hiring a character specifically for this mission so he could carry the body. Another problem is that you only get PKs by the time you almost don't need them: not only are the last missions quite possible of doing without PKs they sometimes are best played without them as they burn too many APs which could be better served if the team members were on foot, but there's also not much of a reason to use them otherwise as most story missions will have been finished, missions which they would probably be of better help instead of by the end of the game where there are plasma weapons which can kill a PK pilot with a couple of headshots.
I found bases to be pretty bad overall. I have to agree with Saint's suggestions for them on the review, they'd definitely improve the bases quite a lot. Worse, since there are no penalties for leaving a country and returning to the base, that means that for the most part gathering loot after an encounter or mission is useless as the base always seems to infinitely generate weapon and ammo stock - even PK ammo! Add to it that you can have bases generate new ammo by dumping a weapon or ammo in it's vaults, and that equipment can't be sold, and there's even less reason for picking everything up. In a dungeon crawler where a party survives on equipment found, that's pretty bad.
Missions were very fun but after a while the objectives got dull. Getting documents and picking up bodies eventually loses its appeal after the 100th time you have to do it. Interrogating prisoners of war, contacts or even having to pass by or get something from an enemy base or encampment by use of disguises would have been nice but nothing like that ever appears, even when it sometimes a mission would hint at the possibility.
On the bright side, the physics rock. Having a soldier listen to someone nearby and shooting trough a window or wall and watch the fragments fly and blood splatter is very satisfying. The weapons all feel very solid, even if many are do feel the same and only slightly different in damage outputs.
Thankfully the dreaded speed animations I've heard about were not a problem. There was all talks of how slow it was but I've never felt they bogged down, either pre or post patch. The thing that did seem to drag the pace of combat were the comments that characters kept saying; after they were deactivated combat seemed to flow much quicker, though it may just have been my impression.
I feel inclined to try out Sentinels but I can't find it on sale in Europe; seems I can only find Silent Storm Gold but wasting money on a compilation when I already have the original game isn't what I have in mind. I could try to sell the copy I own, though. It's too bad that more wasn't done with the game; I look at the editor in desperation because I would very much enjoy developing a mod that would address these quibbles I have but then I have little time to waste learning its intrincancies and the community seems to be dead anyway.
Speaking of which I'm also trying out the Hammer and Sickle demo, and would appreciate the input of anyone here who has played it.
Circuitbreaker
Liturgist
Sentinels improves on certain aspects of the original but also introduces its own mistakes.
First off missions have improved, you have some more varied missions. There's also more of a plot this time around, which unfortunately leads to a minus and that's linearity. In Silent Storm you could select the sequence of the various missions up to a certain degree. In Sentinels you follow a fixed path.
You get rewards for completing missions in Sentinels but apart from that you need to look after equipment yourself, so looting is essential. This somewhat forces a measure of power gaming to get the really good equipment and high levels. The "Random Storm" mod comes in quite handy here, with a nice bunch of extra random encounters which earn you some nice items (partly level dependent) and more of a challenge then the standard random encounters.
As for Hammer & Sickle, again it improves on some things but fails at other areas. It's very RPG like that you have to make decisions which affect further missions and likely the outcome of the game. Unfortunately weapon degration is even more annoying then in Sentinels and there are some other problems as well. The story is a bit too forced, you go do a mission and on the way in you get a forced encounter and on the way out as well. Difficulty seems a bit over the top at times as well. I haven't completed the game so I cannot make a real judgement but as far as I can tell there's no game yet that does everything right using the brilliant Silent Storm engine.
Still despite their shortcomings I like and recommend all three games (SS2, SS3 & H&S).
First off missions have improved, you have some more varied missions. There's also more of a plot this time around, which unfortunately leads to a minus and that's linearity. In Silent Storm you could select the sequence of the various missions up to a certain degree. In Sentinels you follow a fixed path.
You get rewards for completing missions in Sentinels but apart from that you need to look after equipment yourself, so looting is essential. This somewhat forces a measure of power gaming to get the really good equipment and high levels. The "Random Storm" mod comes in quite handy here, with a nice bunch of extra random encounters which earn you some nice items (partly level dependent) and more of a challenge then the standard random encounters.
As for Hammer & Sickle, again it improves on some things but fails at other areas. It's very RPG like that you have to make decisions which affect further missions and likely the outcome of the game. Unfortunately weapon degration is even more annoying then in Sentinels and there are some other problems as well. The story is a bit too forced, you go do a mission and on the way in you get a forced encounter and on the way out as well. Difficulty seems a bit over the top at times as well. I haven't completed the game so I cannot make a real judgement but as far as I can tell there's no game yet that does everything right using the brilliant Silent Storm engine.
Still despite their shortcomings I like and recommend all three games (SS2, SS3 & H&S).
Diogo Ribeiro
Erudite
Thanks for clearing that up, Circuitbreaker. Appreciate it 
Naked_Lunch
Erudite
I wrote a review for it at Tcancer, so you might want to check that out. I enjoyed the game immensely, and it pisses me off how much bad press it's gotten stateside.
Diogo Ribeiro
Erudite
Thanks, I checked the review. It does seem to have gotten more flak than it should, considering how similar it is to Silent Storm and how much praise that one got.
Another one to my "To Buy" list, it seems
Another one to my "To Buy" list, it seems
gromit
Arcane
I keep meaning to give it another shot. Think I'll ring up my buddy with the discs.
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