Daughter No. 2 has me try a different zombie survival game!
Horses For Courses?
It's funny just how different my two daughter are when it comes to style of computer game play. My youngest - StaceFiona - like action shooters (we are currently playing Zombie Army 4, and we like games such as Borderlands) but Kayleigh, on the other hand, likes slower paced RPGs and strategy games (like Assassin's Creed & Civilization).
Because of this, it's very rare that I get all three of us together on the same game night anymore. 😞
But, that may be about to change because Kayleigh has discovered STATE OF DECAY 2.
 |
| Above: Kayleigh and I go out on our first mission in our new characters! Driving is a skill unto itself. LOL |
Something to Please Everyone?
Now, essentially you would think SofD2 is an 'action shooter' of sorts, but actually is is more methodical and stealthy plus it has a sort of strategic base building element to it which is right up Kayleigh's street.
In this, the game is a bit of a hybrid between an action and a stealth third person single player/co-op sort of affair. The pacing IS slower that the traditional action shooter but there's a marked pickup when you get into the midst of multiple zombies or a intensive mission location.
 |
| Above: Early game action! At this stage, it's mostly melee until you can find a suitable ranged weapon. But even then stealth takedowns are your best tactic! |
Between missions there is a welcome cool-down period as you return to your 'community base' to drop off loot and resources or complete tasks, rest and repair (including injuries or infection) and manage you base organisation. So, there's plenty going on.
In fact, in co-op there is no reason you cannot split tasks between team members. Those that prefer action can act as an 'away team' of sorts, constantly visiting mission locations, while for those that prefer the base management there is plenty to do at the camp. OR, you can do a bit of both!
Any Problems?
We have seldom started out on a new PC based co-op game without there being at least a couple of initial technical hiccups! Whether that be connecting the various team members to a single game - either because of network issues or because of janky software facilities - or because of some member of the co-op team having 'voice comms' problems.
Almost every co-op game session usually starts with a bit of frustrating fiddling about to get everyone on the same page game-wise. (You would think that in the 21st century we would have seamless multiplayer integration but due to game developers 'doing their own thing' when it comes to multiplayer connections via in-game 'lobbies' things are 'unpredictable'! Game systems like STEAM on PC and Xbox try to make this easier but - particularly on PC - there are so many variable in the process on connecting and playing that it just takes one little hic-up to cause a kafuffle of F-bombs!) 😆
 |
| Above: Meet the family! The heart of the game is about community. You can swap in and out of any of the characters during the course of the game... I suspect that some will not survive! |
All that said - surprise, surprise - Kayleigh and I connected via the State of Decay 2 & STEAM combo with little drama! ...BUT (there had to be one) there was one thing... Kayleigh's headset/mic stopped working! 😖
Du-oh! But we worked out a temporary solution by communication via SKYPE of all things...
But we were so relived that the game connection was so smooth that this was only a small issue, and is easily remedied by buying a new headset from Amazon (which she sorely needed)...
The only downside with our set-up was that Kayleigh couldn't hear the game audio (!) - except what she could hear from my side of the Skype connection - PLUS it meant that there was no player dialogue in the recordings I made. 😦
BUT we could play! 😆
SO... How Good Was State of Decay?
All petty moans and groans aside - we computer gamers do like a good moan - I was very pleased that the actual connection element of the set-up was pretty problem free. On top of that - for saying that State of Decay 2 is a Unreal Engine 4 game that was released in 2018 - the game graphics were quite pleasing and there was no discernible game lag!
 |
| Above: You can tell this is Unreal Engine 4, but the game doesn't look all that bad despite that and it runs pretty smoothly in multilayer co-op. |
(Kayleigh is playing on an older PC that struggles with newer releases - if it can play them at all - and yet if you look at the videos I have posted here you'll see her game character is not stuttering or glitching at all!)
I'm kinda shocked really. 😲
As to the actual game play, while I was somewhat sceptical about the pace of the game - thinking it was more of a sort of base building game with an element of zombie fighting - in actual fact it is a rather good premise which sort of puts you in mind of the TV series 'The Walking Dead'.
 |
| Above: Once again a daughter of mine proves to be a better shot than me! Although, in State of Decay gun play is not you first option. Here Kayleigh takes out a small wandering hoard while I try to flank them stealthily. The video bellow shows why guns shouldn't be your first choice! |
Yes, at the heart of things you are trying to build a community of survivors and the base that protects them BUT to do so you must take on the role of one of the characters within that community and go out into the dangerous, zombie infested world and undertake missions and collect recourses.
It's pretty much a looter and shooter as you grow the strength of your community and it's inhabitants by collecting every better items and resources. And the greater the danger the greater the rewards are.
JUST ONE TIP: MAYBE DON'T SHOOT FIRST!
 |
| Above: If there was one tip I'd give a potential gamer starting out with SofD2 it's this...NOISE is the enemy! Being quiet - ie stealthy - is the best way to avoid getting trounced by the zombies, especially in the early game. Firing guns is just announcing to the Zeds that a tasty meal is near by!!! |
We've only just got started in our adventures, but already Kayleigh and I have founded a larger base (with more space to improve) and have taken on a few tricky missions.
 |
| Above: An entertaining aspect of the game is customising each character in your community to your liking... Just don't get too attached! |
I'm really looking forward to how the story unfolds!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's a few of the YouTube tutorials that I found useful in getting me started with State of Decay 2:
How to join Multiplayer:
Multiplayer Co-Op Tips:
State of Decay 2 - New Player Walkthrough Part 1 (Highly recommended for new players):
Post a Comment