After the first trailer was announced at TGA, Xishanju's "Limit Relief Machine" attracted the attention of countless players. Everyone is curious about the real feel of those mecha in the trailer, and they are also wondering how Nishiyamaju, who specializes in MMOs, will run a competitive game that focuses on PVP. As a result, the first large-scale multiplayer trial of "Limit Relief Machine" followed. In this article, we'll focus on the core systems and gameplay experience of Unleashed Machine in this demo, and as for the basics of the game, you can move on to our previously released insider preview.
However, since the version of this trial is still the development version of "Unlimited", the form of the game may be very different when it is officially launched.
A mecha feast full of flowers
As a machine combat game, "Limit Solver" does a very good job in the most important part of the machine design. Not only is it the top in China, but even if it is compared with the classic machine combat works on the market, it is also quite desirable.
In the Gnaku feature of this trial, we can finally adjust the camera and the angle of the machine at will, so as to enjoy the wonderful design of each limit-solving machine at will. All the bodies of the game have a complete skeleton and layered internal structure, the transmission mechanism realized by the hydraulic rod and ball pass is logical, and the outer armor is also painted according to the characteristics and positioning of different bodies, logos and pad printing effects, which makes people look forward to the follow-up solid model project of "Limit Solving Machine".
From the design of "Limit Breaker", you can see the shadow of classic works such as "Gundam", "EVA", and "Macross Fortress". And on the basis of these predecessors, "Unlimiting Machine" has also made its own characteristics. The details of the mechanics in the game are quite good, and every part has been carefully polished and a lot of details have been added. The light and shadow and reflection effects of each part are also quite delicate, and different effects are made according to the type of machine, which can be sharp or warm.
What I like the most is that the game has a very recognizable and unique design for each of the mechs. For example, the Triceratops, which can be transformed into a fortress, gives people a kind of turret-like square and wide heaviness. And the super-powerful Gyrfalcon is a streamlined and slender appearance. The vastly different forms make it easy for players to find their favorite type, and it also makes it easier to distinguish the types of enemy planes in the chaos of the battlefield when fighting.
Compared with traditional games with the theme of machine warfare, one of the main features of "Limit Machine" is that almost all of the soldiers have a strong ability to stay in the air and move quickly. The machines in the game are divided into five categories: offensive, sniper, combat, defensive, and support. It basically includes several different types of melee combat, ranged, sniper, nurse, and defense.
There is a relatively obvious restraint relationship between different aircraft units. Sniper fighters are afraid of the Gyrfalcon and Panther, which are highly mobile and pursue, while the defensive Triceratops is helpless against melee fighters who can break their shields directly. Specific to the different units in each type, they also have completely different roles and positioning due to their different abilities. For example, Narugami can cloak and cast illusions to confuse enemies, while Aquinas has the ability to stand still in the air and control enemies. Their position on the battlefield and the means of killing the enemy can be said to be quite different.
Since the player needs to fight often in high-speed movements, the game's shooting system adopts a weak lock mode similar to Armored Core. As long as the enemy aircraft is framed in the center of the screen, it can be automatically aimed at the target. This setting relegates marksmanship from the core technology to the icing on the cake, greatly broadening the player's lower limit. Even if you don't have good marksmanship, you can shoot hard in the game.
However, the player's understanding of the positioning of the mecha and the judgment of the battle situation still determine the upper limit of a mecha's performance. For example, for a Narukami player, the enemy can quickly close the distance. How to quickly lock on to important enemies and use your stealth and decoy skills to complete the operation of "shooting one shot to change a place" has replaced marksmanship as an important factor in judging Narujin players.
Another example is Narujin's nemesis, the Gyrfalcon, which can seamlessly switch between high-speed flight and free-roaming modes. The Falcon in flight mode has the strongest movement ability and good firepower output in the whole game. However, it is extremely difficult to control the speed and direction, and it is easy to shoot and shoot directly over the head and be killed by the fire. A good Gyrfalcon player can control the direction by maintaining speed and switching between the two forms, accurately biting the enemy while using the tumbling skill to avoid the enemy's lock. Thus becoming a ghost of the battlefield tossing and turning.
While the differences in skills and gameplay make each unit unique, it also brings differences in strength and some balance issues. For example, in the test version, the novice protagonist machine "Long Yuan", in order to allow new players to quickly get started with the game, the designers generously gave it superior comprehensive performance. The four health points and two long invincibility provided by the armor explosion ability make this body have a super high tolerance for error, and the damage of the beam halberd as the main weapon is also very scary, allowing Long Yuan to exert the performance of a supermodel even in the budding novice.
How to strike a balance while maintaining the diversity of the aircraft. Maybe that's what "Unlocking Machine" is going to do next.
However, the current experience misalignment caused by the balance between the mechs is basically caused by the game's emphasis on teamwork and the player's lack of familiarity with the pace of the game. In fact, in the last two days of the trial, there has been a special system combination of "Spear Falcon Wingman Naruto" and "Luminaur Triceratops Mutual Protection", and several melee mechs that can basically play with a sudden face have been rotated. There are very few bodies that are truly supermodels, in fact, it is something that can be balanced by changing a few values.
When the sky becomes a battlefield
According to the official information previously revealed, the core mode of the game is 3v3 team deathmatch and 6v6 competitive mode. In this test, four maps in 6v6 mode were officially opened, covering several different ways to play, including occupying points, carts, and transporting beacons. Regardless of the map, there is almost always one thing in common, that is, the horizontal and vertical areas are quite wide. Due to the aircraft's strong ability to stay in the air and move quickly, the combat in 6v6 mode covers almost all areas of the battlefield on the ground and in the air. Accordingly, the map was designed with a number of extremely open areas, as well as various terrains such as aerial platforms, sunken caverns, and continuous mountains.
The vast map area provides a rich and refreshing combat experience. Players who love to shoot can maneuver and dodge in the open to pour fire on the enemy in the gaps of artillery fire, while snipers can dodge and move from cover to cover and play the guerrilla tactics of shooting and running to the fullest.
However, due to the integrated battle mode of air and ground, the impact of terrain on the battle situation in "Limit Relief Machine" is not as important as that of traditional FPS games. Almost all bunkers and complex terrain can be quickly crossed and avoided by flying. The distance that snipers rely on in traditional FPS to win can be reached in a few breaths.
Correspondingly, teamwork and tactical execution have become the decisive factors that dominate the outcome of a 6v6 game. Because the relationship between the positioning and mutual restraint between the aircraft is very obvious, and the re-attack time after the crash is long. The numerical advantage in a single map objective can easily be turned into a point advantage and a win advantage. The same team configuration, in the hands of 6 players who open black and 6 passers-by who lack cooperation, the tactical effect is actually completely different.
When opening the black with friends, we have selected the configuration of "Chixiao + Spear Falcon", and it is easy to use the combination of "nurse + triceratops" to dismantle the enemy's "nurse + triceratops" to achieve the tactical effect of "1 + 1 > 2", and replace it with a pair of passers-by, in the face of this "double mutual protection" iron bucket array, there is a high probability that you can only hold your head and run around, and give the control point to others in vain.
In addition, there are a few other minor issues with the current version of the PvP system. For example, the identification of friend and foe is not obvious enough, especially when five or six planes are flying around on the battlefield and laser barrages are flying all over the sky, it is difficult to clearly identify the location of enemy planes.
In addition to the PvP mode, the game's beginner tutorial section also provides simple PvE levels, especially the boss at the end of the beginner's tutorial, both the appearance and the mechanics are designed to be quite gorgeous and powerful, which makes me have considerable expectations for the game's solo PvE and even team PvE mode.
Cultivation related
In addition to the competitive mode of play, "Limit Solver" also shows us how to obtain the current machine and customize the function. As a game that focuses on multiplayer competitive battles, the customization options for the Machines are divided into two parts: painting and body modification. The economic system follows the popular pass model. The nine units provided by the test can all be exchanged for currency obtained from the pass upgrade.
Each machine in the game has several different mods, each with three slots for the player to fill. Judging from the existing content, the body modification of "Limit Relief Machine" is mainly biased towards specialized transformation rather than numerical improvement. All modification enhancements are often accompanied by a reduction in another capability. For example, some accessories increase the maximum shield limit while reducing the shield's recovery speed.
The higher-grade modifiers not only add more values, but also correspondingly reduce the corresponding values by more values. Therefore, in the vast majority of cases, the modification of the higher grade will not form a numerical crush on the lower grade. Instead, make the player's mech build more extreme to deal with different situations. For example, in order to deal with enemies who can quickly reduce their shields in a short period of time, you can reduce the maximum shield limit and increase the recovery speed at the same time, turning yourself into a trickle of small powerhouses. Defeating an opponent on the battlefield by building brings a kind of "intellectual crushing" thrill.
Although the modification of the body of "Unrestricted Machine" provides a relatively high degree of freedom. However, since the basic abilities and skills of the mechs have already been determined, you can't fundamentally change the functions of your own body like in Armored Core. At the same time, there are still some balance issues with the current version of the airframe. It is entirely possible for the player to turn the modifier into a mere stat boost through the useless attributes of certain mechs.
In addition to body modifications, "Unlimited" provides players with a high degree of cosmetic customization. Players can adjust the color and paint of almost every part individually, and the main color and color of individual parts can also be freely matched by players. For players who love "pain machines", each machine can be turned into a unique existence.
This system of out-of-office cultivation and customization has a lot of potential, but it also needs to be further polished. Currently, the main way to level up your pass is to complete weekly missions. Different levels of difficulty and rewards vary, and players can change difficult tasks at any time, to be honest, it's not liver at all, and about two hours is enough to do a full week's tasks.
However, in addition to the great rewards, the high difficulty missions are often limited to a certain map or machine. In the current mode of matching random maps, players who are unlucky may not be able to find the map they want in four or five hands. Limited mechs may also allow players to choose a mech that is not suitable for the current mode or map, which will affect team tactics and coordination, which will be something that the production team will need to continue to polish in subsequent versions.
epilogue
What "Limit Solver" showed in this test is a solid foundation with a fairly good degree of completion. Whether it is the hardware conditions of machine games such as machine design and action, or the core content of multiplayer competitive games such as competitiveness and operation. All done at a pretty good level. The spectacular boss battle that the game offers at the beginning also proves that Nishiyamaju has the ability to do a good job of PvE content. The current state of "Unlimiting Machine" is enough to make me quite optimistic about its future.