research & data @work, phd @medialab, engineer @olincollege. he/him.
socio-technical systems, computer-mediated communication, online communities, data visualization
playing: card games, roguelikes, mobas, wargames, 18xx
making: https://drewww.itch.io
Drew Harry
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This is an odd feeling; in many games the early levels feel perfunctory once you've attained any mastery. The only curiosity is "will I get a lucky valuable reward." 868-BACK flips this. The rewards come at the start of a server, and set the challenge level and available tools.
Like many of Brough's games, the start can be harsher than the mid or end game. You are the most exposed to variance because few of your expressive tools have come on line yet. This is sanded down by BASS and starting scrip, but I feel the least safe in the first week.
This lands in a sweet spot. Unlike a health-based game where your HP pool is your capacity for risk and error, your scrip stack is much less reliable, but also far more manipulable. With the right programs you can feel much safer to take risks than an HP model would allow.
im back
store.steampowered.com/app/3304110/...
Though I guess in retrospect my initial struggles came from a bad habit of pushing myself towards the single-server scores I knew I could get in the original. Once I let that go, survival feels more practical. And the server multiples reinforce that; early success matters less than an x6 blowout.
In fact the primary way you die is by opting in to too much challenge. Sometimes it's bad luck; just the wrong configuration of spawns. But usually that feels like a misread of your own strength than a die roll going bad. And later in a run, you have more buffer, via scrip, to survive.
Barely scratching the surface here. I've spent many minutes pondering which server to run or how to craft my device set. I've cackled at discovering a wild new scheme to get out of jam. Or the bonus design! Incredible. 3D Graphics made me laugh out loud before I started cursing.
Play 868-BACK!!!
The primary problem with the RECON shell is that it should be named HUNTER. The name misleads people. This trailer is its actual gameplay pattern.
Okay, 868-BACK has fully clicked. A masterpiece by @smestorp.bsky.social!
I particularly admire the tactical decision density. At every moment you are a few moves from death. There are the most delicate dashes of output randomness to avoid puzzle syndrome. But rarely is death inevitable.
