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Outer wilds: at what point should I give up?

Ever since it came out I have heard only good things about this game. And it sounds like a perfect fit for me. I enjoy figuring out puzzles, I enjoy figuring out lore and I love to explore.

I picked it up during a sale a while ago and since then I had 3 or 4 attempts of trying to get into the game but after a few hours I’m just too frustrated and give up.

My problem is, that I am so horribly bad at moving around, it infuriates me like no other game ever has. Like, I want to go to that planet, I board my ship, I fly towards the planet. I either slow down too late and die crashing into the planet or I slow down too early and by the time I get to my destination the planet has already moved away too much. So I either wait until it comes back around or I try to follow it wich usually ends with me crashing into it. It’s like slapstick comedy. The autopilot let me crash into stuff blocking its path so I gave up on that too.

The few times I managed to get to a planet, I couldn’t enjoy exploring, knowing I will have to pilot this spaceship again. When I think about having to be at a specific location at a specific time, it fills me with horror. Moving in lower/zero gravity is also not enjoyable for me.

I want to love this game so bad but I just can’t. I know this game is a one-time experience so I am torn on what to do.

Are my problems with this game so fundamental that I should just give up and watch someone else’s playthrough on YouTube? Or are my experiences in a normal range and I should keep trying until the movement clicks with me?

I fear that the longer I wait the higher the chance that I randomly encounter a huge spoiler somewhere in the internet.

Thank you for reading and thanks in advance for any recommendations, advice or feedback

Edit: Thanks a lot everyone! I will give it another shot and use a combination of autopilot and manual movement. If that doesn’t work I’ll look at some mods. If that also doesn’t work I’ll give up and just watch someone else play it. I feel like I’m extra bad at this because my spacial awareness sucks in real life too. Can’t tell if a car in the distance is moving or parked and if it’s moving how fast. Don’t worry I never even bothered to try to get a driving license lol

Balinares , (edited )

Oh man flying to planets manually is TOUGH, the physics engine is just realistic enough that doing it manually takes more skill than I care to develop.

Just use the autopilot. Yes, you have to be careful about not starting it when there’s something else between you and your destination. But for real, use the autopilot.

Mind you, you are still going to die a lot because the universe is as amazing as it is unforgiving. You WILL die in that one specific way that will be your own damn fault because everyone does sooner or later. It’s okay, and it’s fun.

And it’s very, very worth it.

Fermion ,

In addition to autopilot, make frequent and habitual use of the match speed button. It makes manual maneuvers and landings so much easier.

Contramuffin ,

Yeah, people tend to have that problem, especially if they’re treating it like driving a car. If you want to fly manual, never fly more than 400 m/s, because then you won’t have enough time to slow down.

My actual advice though is to just use autopilot. People seem to forget that you can cancel autopilot. If you start to see that there’s something getting in your way, cancel the autopilot and push the ship to the left or right (it’s easier to go around the planet than to slow down). Once you’re clear, resume autopilot.

bionicjoey ,

Are you playing with a controller or keyboard? It’s one of the few games I think really only works with controller.

SineSwiper ,
@SineSwiper@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

Can’t stand trying to pilot a spaceship on controller myself. Flight Sims were invented on mouse and keyboard, so I’m a little disheartened that Mobius didn’t implement dynamic thrust for keyboards, so that they can stop recommending controllers for what is essentially a space sim game.

bionicjoey ,

Flight Sims were invented on mouse and keyboard

Flight Sims are usually made to be played with a joystick. Of which a gamepad has two.

Paradigm_shift OP ,

Tried both, controller was definitely less horrible for me

bionicjoey ,

Yeah there’s a good reason why they put the warning when the game starts that it’s meant to be played with a controller

Ludrol ,
@Ludrol@szmer.info avatar

Flying in Outer Wilds is like kerbal space program without manouver nodes or orbit prediction. It’s doable if you understand orbital mechanics.

Just use autopilot. Mind you, it doesn’t have collision avoidance.

bionicjoey ,

Flying in Outer Wilds is like kerbal space program without manouver nodes or orbit prediction. It’s doable if you understand orbital mechanics.

Not really. It’s been a while since I played but IIRC the ship follows straight lines. It doesn’t actually orbit. The planets have predefined orbits but their gravity isn’t fully being modelled on the player’s ship. You don’t need to do Hohman transfers or gravity assists. Flying in OW basically comes down to drawing a bead on a planet and accelerating toward where you expect it will be. That’s what the autopilot does as well. It just accelerates you toward the spot in the target’s orbit that the target will be in roughly when you traverse the distance.

Contramuffin ,

That’s slightly untrue. The physics is in fact accurate. It’s just that the ship engine is so powerful that you can effectively ignore the gravity. If you’ve ever tried to land on the ___ _______, you’ll know that by far the easiest and safest way is to utilize orbital mechanics

bionicjoey ,

Oh yeah I did try that but I figured (correctly) that you weren’t expected to simply land on it with your ship. In fact I figured it wasn’t actually possible. I guess some people must try to do that as an extra achievement

But yeah, I know from the way you follow a ballistic path that there must be some small amount of gravity, but it’s so miniscule that something like a transfer maneuver is totally irrelevant.

Carnelian ,

Hey, just wanted to add that it’s not just an optional player-made challenge, but actually an in-game achievement/trophy!

Varyk ,

Once it’s boring.

Very specific kind of game, you have to settle into it and realize there are no stakes.

If the only problem is moving the shuttle, it’s probably worth watching a video and figuring that out, but if exploring is still boring for you, it might not be your brand of soda.

Watching a playthrough is a good idea too, it’s a good story and I think you’ll still appreciate it vicariously.

Ludrol ,
@Ludrol@szmer.info avatar

Outer Wilds mild spoiler for finaleThere is a moment when you realize that this one action will rise it from no stakes to all of them and you need to go through that place. That feeling is irreplaceable. No amount of watching a playthrough will emulate that.

Varyk ,

Reading a book about an adventurer isn’t the same as being that adventurer, but that doesn’t make reading a book the wrong decision for some people.

Also, I’ll say, outer wilds is a very passive game. No matter what you’re doing. It mostly feels like you’re being shown things rather than actively taking part.

That’s part of the point of the game, that you aren’t an active participant in the events.

Carnelian ,

Hey, Outer Wilds super fan here. Bought the game twice, recommend it to everyone, etc.

I’ve seen a couple people bounce off the game because of the space flight, which is totally valid! It’s legitimately very difficult, doubly so if it’s your first time doing a zero G type of thing.

I’ve also seen people thoroughly enjoy the game despite crashing into everything! So that’s possible, too. I wish I knew the secret to making it click, as I think once the story really gets its hooks in you it’s one of the most rewarding experiences out there.

With all that being said, a couple tips:

The autopilot let me crash into stuff blocking its path so I gave up on that too.

Don’t give up on auto pilot! I simply can’t imagine traveling between planets without it.

You just have to keep in mind that the auto pilot isn’t intelligent. When you activate it, it does exactly three things: it lines you up, it accelerates you, then it slows you down to a stop in front of your destination. You have to watch and be willing to interrupt it if it looks like you’re going to crash into a planet or the sun. You also have to make sure you’re reasonably far away from a planet before activating it in the first place. Once you’re there, keep a close eye on your instruments and just guide the ship in slowly until you can land.

Even if you don’t have any obstacles, the auto pilot can still rarely result in a crash in certain scenarios where the planet is orbiting directly at you. This is especially prevalent with the twin planets.

But the game is designed with crashes of all sorts in mind! Make sure to always put your suit on immediately when you first enter it on Timber Hearth. That way you can abandon the ship if necessary. There’s even a working eject button!

I hope things work out, but best of luck no matter what you end up doing!

BestBouclettes ,

Figuring out the navigation and flying the ship is definitely part of the experience. As others said, it’s much easier with a controller and the autopilot is really nice, but precision flying is a part of the game you’ll have to go through at some point (like small platforms landing and flying only with your momentum).

Thassodar ,

I bought the game during last year’s sale and dropped it because it doesn’t explain anything and the constant anxiety from unavoidable events was not fun in my opinion. I never got a refund for it but I don’t see myself picking it up again.

Bluu , (edited )

Outer Wilds is one of my favorite games, but I can see a lot of ways it isn’t for everyone.

Try a controller if you can, like others have mentioned.

It took me a long time to get used to the space navigation/flying and towards the end of the game I still sometimes crashed horribly into things. I feel like it’s kind of just part of the experience and can make for some really funny moments. If you really want to experience it yourself, maybe spending some time just focusing on getting a good understanding of the ship controls without the pressure of trying to get any exploration done that round might be helpful. Autopilot isn’t the smartest, but it can be helpful.

Watching play throughs is something I love to do now, because it is the closest I’ll ever get to experiencing the game fully again. Watching a play through before playing it yourself will basically spoil the chance ever experiencing it firsthand yourself, but might be a good option if you really want to know the story and don’t find any joy in playing it.

Edit: few changes for clarity

bassomitron ,

I’d recommend just watching a playthrough. I was like you and tried to get into it 2-3 times and the game was just too frustrating. Starting over from almost scratch every time was annoying given how often you die. So many things in the game are time sensitive as well, so you’re either sitting around waiting to time something or rushing to get somewhere in time only to miss the time window and have to wait or come back later. You couple that with the lack of QoL features and clunky controls and it just wasn’t enjoyable for me.

Just as a disclaimer to people who are passionate about it, I’m not saying it’s a bad game, just that it’s not a game for everyone and that’s fine.

Zahille7 ,

Watch RTGame’s long video. He does a good job of editing it all together so it feels like you’re discovering it with him as he plays it.

Paradachshund ,

I’m going to give you the unpopular answer: it’s not going to get better. I almost beat this game, and really enjoyed a lot of it, but without spoiling there will come a point where you have to do a lot of things in a specific and high stakes order across multiple planets. I tried it a bunch of times and found it so frustrating to have to redo it over and over again that I eventually just threw in the towel and moved on.

It sounds like you’re enjoying it even less than I did, so I would guess this point in the game I’m alluding to will frustrate you even more as well.

criitz ,

There’s an autopilot that will basically fly you right into orbit on a planet.

Paradigm_shift OP ,

It flew me right into some kind of Meteor or maybe small planet and then in flew me right into the center of the fucking sun 🥲

FeelzGoodMan420 ,

I’m kind of in the same boat. I played this game expecting it to be the best game ever made, based on what people said. I played about 2 hours. The flying controls were annoying as absolute fuck, and I was just kinda bored. Maybe I need to give it another shot? Is it not for me?

Contramuffin ,

Flying is definitely the first challenge that players tend to meet. Just use autopilot. You can cancel the autopilot mid-flight, and you absolutely should cancel the autopilot if you start to see that a planet is getting in your way. Most people just fly with the autopilot, and that’s really my biggest advice.

If you really insist on flying manual, don’t treat it like driving a car. Spaceships (both real and in-game) drift most of the time. You want to get up to speed (400 m/s is a good top speed most of the time) and then drift the rest of the way to your destination. Do you see the white dotted arrows coming out from the planet that you’re targeting? You want to get those arrows to be as short as possible. If the arrows are visible, that means you’re not lined up with the planet and you’ll miss the planet

doctordevice ,

It’s one of my favorite games ever, but I wouldn’t say it’s the best game ever made. I would say it’s one of the most unique gaming experiences I’ve ever had though, and that’s valuable to me. Learning about this cute little star system one mystery at a time is an incredible experience IMO. But if you’re bored by the gameplay loop, don’t expect it to change much. It stays pretty constant. The point is learning one secret at a time and getting a full picture of what’s happening.

Flying is definitely clunky, but to me it feels intentional (or at least fitting). As others have said, always use auto-pilot to go between planets and cancel to move your trajectory around anything that comes in between and then re-engage auto pilot. Usually that’s either the sun or a moon (happens a lot if you book it straight to Brittle Hollow). When you’re near other things, match velocity is very useful either to stop next to something or get nice and aligned with the planet you’re about to land on.

When flying manually, less is more. There’s no friction to slow you down but there is gravity to speed you up.

Neuromancer49 ,

Outer Wilds was the best game I played on PS4. I strongly recommend experiencing it for yourself.

I would say the space ship/0g flight is maybe 30% of the gameplay, and you don’t need to be really excellent at it, thankfully.

Quazatron ,
@Quazatron@lemmy.world avatar

I played it for like an hour or so, but it didn’t click either. I’ll give it another go one day, but there are just too many games in my backlog right now

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