MOON GAMING: CYRIL CYBERPUNK PROGRAMMER INTERVIEW

When I first saw the thumbnail I was like "GABEN??!?!?!"

When I first saw the thumbnail I was like "GABEN??!?!?!"

Yeah I think that interview would get a few more views, huh.

Then you should do that interview. Gaben interviewed by Ross Scott... I think the entire universe would probably watch it.

Gary Morris, the teddybear mastermind behind Cyril Cyberpunk who was selling spoons a couple years later, is now selling computers and parts on his website: http://www.flashmemory.co.za/

 

If you want to ask him about the game, his email seems to be [email protected]

You know, you might make moon gaming about playing a game with a developer of the game.

You know, you might make moon gaming about playing a game with a developer of the game.

 

That's a great idea. I'd be thrilled to play my game Quarantine with Ross. (no, not that Quarantine)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/489370/Quarantine/

You know, you might make moon gaming about playing a game with a developer of the game.

Wow, that's actually a terrific idea!

You know, you might make moon gaming about playing a game with a developer of the game.

Wow, that's actually a terrific idea!

It would be a bit like the director's commentary on some DVDs. Hey Ross, I think this is something the fans might like to see!

Discrepant is now being sold on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/491180/Discrepant/

 

I bought it a couple of months ago when it was released as an early access title but it was very buggy and badly optimized at the time so I didn't play it for long. At some point since then the developer apparently deemed it finished enough to, without much fanfare, take it out of early access mode and sell it as a full-fledged product even though it's also apparently still being worked on. I still find the current version of it to be borderline unplayable though. It's a shame because I think there's something interesting hidden away here but I can't recommend it to anyone in its current state unless you really want to support the developer.

Here's my full review of Discrepant from shortly BEFORE it came out of early access. They might have updated it and fixed some of the quirks but it's not obvious that they've changed anything major, so I don't feel like playing it again.

 

Posted by me on Steam in November 2019:

First let me clarify that I don't recommend buying this game in its present state. It's very clunky and awkward and buggy. I bought it on sale for less than a buck so I can't really complain. I'm giving the game a thumbs up because I want to encourage the devs to finish this. I think the game has atmosphere and a great premise and I'd like to actually be able to, you know, PLAY this at some point. Right now though... well, here's a rundown of my first 30 minutes with the game:
- After a brief intro, the game starts & immediately there are plenty of tutorial messages with lots of text to read.
- It's super dark, I need a flashlight to get around, but the flashlight has limited batteries and I can't find others.
- Literally the first room I walk into has a large moving force field that damages me when I walk through it. I find a side-room in the dark (remember, I'm trying to save battery on my flashlight) where I won't get damaged, but as the door closes it somehow pushes me out of the room and I get damaged by the force field.
- I go back in the side room and pick up a backpack and a clipboard. No idea what I'll need them for. Go out, get damaged by the force field again, but I manage to find a thing on the wall to disable it.
- Where to next? I find a weird map thing on the floor but it's useless. I'm standing next to an elevator but the doors won't open. However I can jump in over the railing and press the button. Nothing's happening.
- Wait, something IS happening. Turns out I'm not actually IN the elevator at all! The elevator is on the upper floor and is coming down on top of me. I run and jump out of the way just in time to not get squished. Who the hell places an elevator call button IN THE ELEVATOR SHAFT?
- I go to the upper floor and get out of the elevator. (here the door does open, guess the one below was bugged?) Immediately the ship starts shaking and I start taking damage apparently out of nowhere. This happens every few seconds on this floor. I walk around sparingly using my flashlight and find the cryo control room. The door is stuck.
- Another quest marker sends me off to find something heavy to bust the door open with. It looks like it's on the bottom floor. I go back down to the bottom floor but I can't get to the object. I go back up. It kinda seems like I have to go through a detached floor panel. The moment I step on it I die instantly. OK I guess I'm replaying the tutorial...
- Except apparently I'm not. You only get one shot to beat the tutorial. What?
- After a loading screen, the game displays something like an old-school game manual. Walls of text. It's telling me I'm playing some guy named Sebastian. Wait, I saw myself when I died and I was a woman. Whatever, I'm not reading all of this. Click "Return to Game"
- Now another cutscene plays, except it's no longer in space. The camera slowly pans around to show me a weird purplish planet with a bunch of watchtowers all around and some trees. It's still dark. There are a couple of bodies on the ground with glowing eyes. There's a person sitting on a grave or something looking out into the distance. Okay... when does the game start? The cutscene plays in loops. I click the mouse buttons, press space, enter, escape... nothing works. I have to hit ALT-F4 to exit the game.
So yeah. Not exactly a great first time user experience. I really hope they fix the game and make it playable because I can tell something's there. The atmosphere and the story seem like something I'd like.

Posted 5 November, 2019. Last edited 5 November, 2019.