Dead State Preview
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There's a new impressions piece for Dead State up at Strategy Informer, in which the author clearly points out that the RPG is in a "barebones" state and has quite a ways to go before it's ready for an official release. And herein lies the problem with Steam Early Access builds, in my opinion:
While in Steam Early Access right now, which is the version I'm playing, don't consider this version of Dead State to be anything other than a bare-bones taster of the final game. It's most definitely a work-in-progress demo, but still offers a lot of fun value with what's already there and some good hints at how the final version will turn out. There's about a dozen locations to scout and raid (some you'll have to find yourself), either zombies or differing grades of armed looters to fight, and only a few people at your shelter (two of which are pretty useless at the start). There's also sod all in the way of tutorials or explanations right now so everything below I had to work out or discover for myself (so forgive me if I miss anything).
As mentioned, Dead State plays similarly to Fallout (or more recently, Wasteland 2) in that it's a top-down RPG where you explore in real-time but when you encounter a threat it switches to turn-based combat. It's a little different to most RPGs however in that you're based entirely at one location and have to travel to other smaller areas to scavenge supplies and confront zombies and looters, you're not exploring a massive free open world. Within the Shelter you're free to roam around on your own without fear, but outside you better have some people with you and be prepared to defend yourself at a moment's notice.
There are numerous things to do in the Shelter, although in its current bare-bones state the only really exciting moments occur at the beginning of days after you've rested. It also took me a trip to the forums to discover how to visit other locations and where to go to sleep, so hopefully they'll be clarified in the final version. There's a Jobs Board where you can assign tasks to people such as repairing the fence (if you've got the materials) or put them in your scavenging party. A radio provided a glimpse into a potential plot point for later. Supplies can be checked on or used. Chatting to other survivors is the main thing to do though, either just getting to know them or discovering something in particular they'd like to make them happy.
