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    From Dust

    Game » consists of 5 releases. Released Jul 27, 2011

    As a benevolent god known as 'the Breath', players must lead their people to safety and help them retrieve the lost knowledge of their ancestors by manipulating the shape of the terrain of the world in this spiritual successor to Populous.

    Anyone else flat-out not enjoying this game?

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    deactivated-61665c8292280

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    I've really liked the concept of From Dust, but everything from the insufferable camera to the sometimes-nonexistent AI is just making this game a chore for me. It seems relatively easy to get locked into situations you can't undo, and just about every time the game attempts to give you any directions, they're so poorly communicated that it's almost worth ignoring altogether.

    What's everyone else's take on the game? Any folks really enjoying it? Have any tips to overcome some of this game's shortcomings?

    EDIT: Probably worthwhile to disclaim that I'm running the Xbox version of the game.

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    ajamafalous

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    #2  Edited By ajamafalous

    Debating whether I want to preorder it.

    Fucking TF2 hats, man.

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    the8bitNacho

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    #3  Edited By the8bitNacho

    I haven't touched it yet; I am still playing through Bastion and I want to see that through to completion before I move on to the other titles in the Summer of Arcade. It looks pretty rad though. I haven't played a good God game since, well...now that I think of it, I don't think I have ever played a God game before. Except for maybe The Sims if you want to count that.

    That game coming next week, Shadows of a Something Shadow Thing or whatever it's called, looks pretty cool. Maybe I will skip From Dust and just play that.

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    @Kombat: I also still have to finish Bastion. I think I'm close to the end, but it's taken me a particularly long time to grind through a single playthrough.

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    Vexxan

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    #5  Edited By Vexxan

    Overall From Dust is an alright game but there are moments when I feel like just turning of my 360 and never play that game again. It started out good but a few things are really starting to get to me. The camera controls are just horrible and the "stupid" AI ain't making it better either. I believe I would enjoy the game a lot more if I could just control those damn villagers with bit more precision.

    Go play Bastion instead, it's amazing.

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    MeierTheRed

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    #6  Edited By MeierTheRed

    Waiting for the Windows version.

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    Sooperspy

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    #7  Edited By Sooperspy

    I was really looking forward to it, even more than Bastion (Which has now become my favorite XBLA game), played the trial and didn't like it.

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    Ramone

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    #8  Edited By Ramone

    When my Xbox returns I'll download the trial but since the two things you didn't like about sound like they make the game unplayable I won't get my hopes up.

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    mattbosten

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    #9  Edited By mattbosten

    I'm almost half way through the story and have done some challenges. Really liked the concept but totally agree with you. The AI deciding to walk around a whole area to a path that's filled with water rather than walking up the hill of earth I just made right next to them is pretty annoying and the camera can be awful at times. With the AI I've found at some times cancelling the order and then reissuing it will cause the AI to recalculate their path but it doesn't always work. The game itself as it does seem to be about trial and error, but it gets easier to manage when you get some of the other powers.

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    vitor

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    #10  Edited By vitor

    @ajamafalous said:

    Debating whether I want to preorder it.

    Fucking TF2 hats, man.

    That clinched the deal for me... Was hoping for the usual 10% preoder discount but, after playing so much DeGroot melee with the demoman recently, the new hat was far too tempting....

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    WickedCestus

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    #11  Edited By WickedCestus

    I have my frustrations with it, but even when I screw up I end up doing it in hilariously stupid ways so I don't really mind. I've only played the first 4 missions though. 
     
    EDIT: I'd also like to mention that I didn't really like the trial, but my friends sounded like they were having a lot of fun with it, so I decided what the heck and bought it, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far.

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    Dogma

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    #12  Edited By Dogma

    I really dig this game and have not had any big problem with the pathfinding. Mabey I'm just lucky? Since there is a visual cue that shows the travel direction it's easy to adjust stuff if it becomes red. It would have gotten annoying if that line didn't exist. Overall I am really enjoying this game. It's real breath of fresh air since this year has disapointed my a bit when it comes to new and interesting game concepts.

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    louiedog

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    #13  Edited By louiedog

    I haven't had much of a problem with the camera, but I've basically been playing the entire game zoomed out. I'm about 2/3 through and while the AI is dumb, it's only gotten me intro trouble once. A village was wiped out because a man carrying the knowledge of repel water was hung up on some rocks. I realized that I should have created a village at another totem first and then done the village that was wiped out. It worked out much better that time without any problems.

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    Matfei90

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    #14  Edited By Matfei90

    I've played through the campaign and I haven't had an issue with the controls/camera/tasks/pathfinding. Often if the AI refuses to take a path youve made, theres some water you missed, or the incline is too steep.
     
    Haven't found anything insufferably difficult yet.

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    deactivated-61665c8292280

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    I think I'm done with this game. I've played through the first eight levels. There isn't any way to filter what you're looking at, so you can't cycle through to identify Fire Trees or Water Trees, and it's way too easy to lose a half hour or more of gameplay to a slight mistake.

    What a disappointment. One of the least enjoyable experiences I've had with a video game this year.

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    ryanwho

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    #16  Edited By ryanwho

    Goddamn, what a massive bummer to read this is. Im hoping the PC version is moddable so a crazy person can fix this stuff. Havent been this bummed out since Elemental:War of Magic.

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    Not to keep going on, but I've been having issues with powers being really finnicky. Sometimes the Infinite Earth power turns itself off after only a moment of being on, and villages protected by Repel Water will still get washed away even after surviving several tsunamis/high tides.

    I keep playing because I want this game to live up to it's potential, but between the design flaws and the bugs, I literally can't have an enjoyable time playing this.

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    louiedog

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    #18  Edited By louiedog
    @Sir_Ragnarok said:

    I think I'm done with this game. I've played through the first eight levels. There isn't any way to filter what you're looking at, so you can't cycle through to identify Fire Trees or Water Trees, and it's way too easy to lose a half hour or more of gameplay to a slight mistake.

    What a disappointment. One of the least enjoyable experiences I've had with a video game this year.

    I'm not sure what you're talking about with having a hard time identifying fire trees and water trees. They look completely different and I can't think of a single place where they're close enough that selecting the wrong one would be a problem. If you keep losing progress due to a mistake, why not just save more often?
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    deactivated-61665c8292280

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    Heh. Sorry for the confusion.

    It's not so much that I can't distinguish Fire Trees from Water Trees, it's that when either are in their dormant/infant state, I typically don't notice they're there until it's too late. This is more an issue with the Fire Trees bulbs, since they can wipe out the entirety of your vegetation before you have a chance to allay the damage.

    I think I'm on the High Tides mission, maybe? There are baby Fire Trees dotted around the map, and they don't typically grow into adulthood until I've colonized all of the totems. At which point most of the map is lush with flammable vegetation. (Which, of course, means the time I've spent all goes for naught.)

    As far as saving goes, the save-state option doesn't seem to help me all that often. Any time I fail the game only allows me to restart the map in its entirety, and doesn't offer any option for loading from a previous checkpoint. Could be another bug, who knows. But all of these are issues compounding my core frustrations with the controls and the AI.

    I'M RAGING MAN, I'M RAGING.

    Luckily the EVO stream has been an understanding, welcoming mistress.

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    cribbel1

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    #20  Edited By cribbel1

    Well i played it all through, and i liked it. I likedit just because it felt like newschool lemlings. Sometimes it was like a puzzle and gave some challenges. But i agree about the AI and sometimes the tribe people just ignored listining to me.. Like having trouble finding diffrent ways to get to there destination. But i saw it as yet another nice challenge. I  liked how the maps changes overtime  from lava filled areas to beutiful paradises. I liked the last map the most :D its kinda cool. 

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    Duncs

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    #21  Edited By Duncs
    @Sir_Ragnarok said:

    I think I'm on the High Tides mission, maybe? There are baby Fire Trees dotted around the map, and they don't typically grow into adulthood until I've colonized all of the totems. At which point most of the map is lush with flammable vegetation. (Which, of course, means the time I've spent all goes for naught.)

    Tip from my experience so far - you can pick up the dirt from around your villages, revealing bare rock, so that fire won't hit them even if there's a full-scale brushfire. getting 100% vegetation has (thus far, certainly beyond High Tides) been pretty easy, so at the very least you can wait until you have identified all the fire trees before covering stuff with dirt. 
     
    There are loads of ways to protect villages from fire, tbh (including the 'Put Out Fire' power)
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    mrcraggle

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    #22  Edited By mrcraggle

    Played the trial of the 360 version and the camera controls and movement were horrible. It feels like you're either too close or too far away. I'm hoping things are better with the PC version then i'll get it.

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    deactivated-61665c8292280

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    @Duncs: Yeah. This is what I've learned to started doing. Just sucks to have all of your progress wiped in an instant.

    Still having issues with Repel Water not protecting villages for extended periods on that mission, though. I managed to get past High Tides, regardless. I have a lot of fun on those lava levels since you can just build massive walls everywhere.

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    HellBrendy

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    #24  Edited By HellBrendy
    @ajamafalous said:

    Debating whether I want to preorder it.

    Fucking TF2 hats, man.

    This was an issue for me as well, but then I saw it in-game on TF 2 an fuck it, I'll get it when on sale on XBLA.
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    laserbolts

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    #25  Edited By laserbolts

    Jesus I was gonna download this today but I think I'll pass on it and just get stacking instead. Sounds like a real bummer.

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    @laserbolts Don't let my frustration sway you away from at least trying this game. There is a really special experience to be had here, but it is frequently buried beneath awkward controls and crummy AI.
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    laserbolts

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    #27  Edited By laserbolts
    @Sir_Ragnarok Yeah I only had 1600 points left so I went with stacking. I will definitely check this game out when it hits the 800 mark. Thanks for the info duder.
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    bcjohnnie

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    #28  Edited By bcjohnnie

    This game is a goddamn waste of potential. It's a neat idea, and it's really pretty, but everything about the gameplay makes me super angry. I think what I hate is that this kind of game would be perfect for slow-paced, low-stress levels, but half of the time if I am not managing the lava flow just right, it spills over, and the fucked up controls make it impossible for me to put out the fires. On top of that, in some levels if you don't get just the right start, you could be fucked for the whole level. This is just not the game I thought I was getting. I think it's still a fine and interesting purchase for 15 bucks, but if these guys do more games I wish they would clean it up a bit.

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    @bcjohnniesaid:

    On top of that, in some levels if you don't get just the right start, you could be fucked for the whole level.

    Like that "Raging Earth" level, where if you don't choose the correct plan of action within thirty seconds of starting the map you have to restart because the lava fucking destroys everything.

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    tim_the_corsair

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    #30  Edited By tim_the_corsair

    Wow I'm kinda surprised to hear all this negativity. I finished it last night and had no trouble with the camera or the AI that wasn't to be expected in a console and/or God game. I imagine the PC version will be superior controls wise, of course.

    I really enjoyed it overall, found it a little too easy if anything. My main advice would be to take it slow and plot to learn abilities before you start looking at expanding too much. I'd also say get used to pre-empting things and redirect water/lava flows and build protective walls or raise villages higher early. Finally, don't worry about growing trees until you're ready to complete the map; it prevents fires, and most maps end in a way that leaves you with an easy way to scatter dirt and water around.

    It was an enjoyable game, but light on content and challenge compared to the Black and Whites of old (barring the challenge mode, those are fairly hard).

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    Finally finished it. "Movements" is total punishment. And the ending continues the game's preoccupation with stupidity.

    A waste.

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    CptBedlam

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    #32  Edited By CptBedlam

    Finished the last challenge yesterday and got 200/200 GS.

    I didn't have any major problems with this game. Thought it was really good, fun and most importantly: fresh.

    @Sir_Ragnarok: Don't be a pussy. Why do people expect to finish videogames in their first try nowadays? I'd be boring.

    Also, the last level is great. Very satisfying.

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    @CptBedlam: No one expects to do well on the first try. Myself probably least of all. But finding a game unnecessarily tedious and inconsistent, much less no fun at all, isn't "being a pussy."

    But I appreciate the name calling.

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    CptBedlam

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    #34  Edited By CptBedlam

    @Sir_Ragnarok: Hey, don't be so sensitive, it wasn't meant to be a mean "pussy". ;)

    The game isn't perfect, it has issues. But I had fun with it.

    Now go try the challenge mode ;P

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