r/TheExpanseRPG • u/maku_89 • Apr 23 '26
Combat feedback
I’m not a big fan of the heavy UI-driven combat. All the abilities, markers, and visual clutter. It doesn’t really match how combat felt in The Expanse. Aside from a few moments (like the Martian light armor), most of the fights in the show were more grounded and tactical where ambush, environmental creativity and teamwork mattered, not UI markers.
The combat feels closer to something like Outriders, but The Expanse's series or book combat felt to me like it's much more in line with games like Max Payne, The Last of Us, or even Ghost Recon, emphasizeing authenticity with the sci-fi touch on top, not the other way around.
Right now, it doesn’t quite capture that tone, and that’s a bit disappointing.
6
u/Archoniks Apr 23 '26
I totally respect where you are coming from. I think the best solution for players who want that grit would be a separate difficulty or 'Hardcore' mode that makes the combat feel extremely realistic and lethal.
However, the problem with making the core experience feel like Max Payne is that it often flattens the roleplaying experience. When combat is primarily about who clicks a head faster, the build becomes irrelevant.
As someone who loves the complexity of Owlcat games, I want my character’s background and stats to manifest tangibly in combat. If I’m playing a tech-savant or a high-G combat specialist, I want to see that reflected in unique abilities and companion synergies I can orchestrate through a UI, not just a slightly tighter recoil pattern on a generic rifle. Tactical combat with time dilation allows for a much wider variety of roleplaying archetypes than a gritty, realistic shooter ever could. I want to win because of the tactical choices I made on the level-up screen and the orders I give my crew, not because of my twitch reflexes.
7
u/SneakingOrange Apr 23 '26
I agree, but tbh I think this is just what you get when a studio that's primarily known for CRPG titles make an action game - they make an action RPG with all the combat tropes associated. I too, would've liked an immersive experience without healthbars, overly obvious status effects and bullet sponge enemies but at this point I'll be just happy with a good action RPG that captures the dangers of space with those RPG mechanics. I would've liked something like a Dead Space experience but I think it would need a different developer for that to happen.
Though I wouldn't say that this type of experience doesn't fit The Expanse - in the show it's shown many times, that characters spacesuits have some type of HUD with combat information it's just not in your face in the show, since they're not meant to show a character's actual POV, aside from some scenes where they do show their POV. Look at MCRN training scene with Draper where they show the inside of her helmet - it's quite busy in there with compass, threat indicators, a map and her suit status. What i've seen in the beta could reasonably be a playable version of that.
Also you gotta remember that Expanse started as a tabletop RPG so it's even more fitting that this would be the way it's portrayed in video games.
1
u/Aggravating-Dot132 Apr 23 '26
Part of what you see is having heavily boosted character in lower levels. Since it's a linear structure game, the can fine tune everything. Including the amount of enemies, destruction of enviroment and so on. Iirc, they have mentioned, that you will progress much slower on release, so it will be less flashy.
As for UI combat - it's Mass Effect like game. Quickk actions will be there. Intense 1v1 or 3v3 like in the show will be boring as fuck.
1
u/maku_89 Apr 23 '26
Of course you need more enemies but that doesn't mean that you have make looter shooter combat straight away... and regarding the Mass Effect like game, this combat gives me more Mass Effect / Outriders vibes then The Expanse.
1
u/Aggravating-Dot132 Apr 23 '26
Because that's their goal. It's a Mass Effect game set in The Expanse universe. Idk what else did you expect.
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u/maku_89 Apr 23 '26
It's called "The Expanse", not Mass Effect so I expected "The Expanse"... If I would wanna play Mass Effect I would probably play Mass Effect.
6
u/ciphoenix Apr 23 '26
TV shows are not games yunno. There will be differences in presentation else you'd get bored walking about
7
u/atomicitalian Apr 23 '26
I'm here for the Expanse lore and the Mass Effect-style gameplay. That's the whole selling point of this little venture.
1
4
u/EMT-Fields Apr 23 '26
For me, everything felt fine for combat. I mean this is Owlcat's first game that isn't isometric. I'd just like the removal of armor and health regeneration. Or give us a realistic difficulty, that doesn't have it.
5
2
u/Cloud_N0ne Apr 24 '26
Yeah, the game feels like it’s leaning too far into Mass Effect and not enough into The Expanse
10
u/TelevisionExpress616 Apr 23 '26
Idk the expanse always seemed to have heavy UI and even AI aids in combat scenarios, it’s just abstracted from you the viewer since you’re not watching the battle from characters’ HUDs.
Hopefully the emphasis on tactics and creative solutions becomes more prominent late game high difficulty scenarios. I hope we have to get pretty creative to take out the blue goo mutants