Casually Explained: Evolution III - Life as a Video Game

Summary

This humorous video script offers a critical review of a game's life simulation, highlighting the journey from choosing a starting region and race to navigating through life's tutorial stages. It touches on the challenges of balancing relationship meters and earning in-game currency, all while dealing with the game's evolving endgame content and inevitable character bugs. The review ends with a light-hearted rating, comparing the game experience to pets.

Takeaways

• 🕹️ The game has been in development for a long time, focusing on the human player type.
• 🟢 For beginners, it's recommended to start in green, lower difficulty regions to ease into the game.
• 🔴 Avoid red areas unless experienced or attempting a speed run due to their challenging nature.
• 🌐 The game is mostly player versus environment, with some player versus player zones available.
• 📜 Choosing a race is crucial as it affects gameplay, with recent updates balancing racial perks.
• 👶 After selecting a race, players experience a long 'loading screen' and tutorial phase.
• 👨‍👩‍👧 The tutorial involves parental figures who can significantly impact character development if their skills are underdeveloped.
• 🎓 The game subtly promotes the purchase of college or university DLC through the tutorial.
• 💰 In the midgame, players focus on relationship-building and earning in-game currency, often through repetitive tasks.
• 🤖 Many players use scripts to automate gameplay, making them similar to non-playable characters (NPCs).
• 🧐 The game lacks clear objectives, leaving players to find their own paths and enjoyment.
• 👴 As players reach higher levels, they encounter more bugs and eventually a 'game over' scenario, the nature of which is unknown.
• 🌟 The game is rated 6/10, suggesting it's an average experience with some enjoyable aspects but also significant flaws.

Q & A

What does the speaker recommend for first-time players regarding the starting region in the game?

The speaker recommends first-time players to choose one of the starting regions with lower difficulty, indicated in green on the map.

Why should players avoid the red areas in the game?

Players should avoid the red areas unless they are experienced or trying to speed run the game, as these areas are likely more challenging and may not be suitable for beginners.

What is the speaker's opinion on the private server option in the game?

The speaker is not in favor of the private server option due to the inflexibility of the choice and the quality of the admins.

What is the significance of the 'race perks tab' mentioned in the script?

The 'race perks tab' shows the advantages or privileges associated with the chosen race, which can impact the gameplay experience.

How long is the loading screen for character spawning in the game?

The loading screen for character spawning is described as a 9-month period, which is a metaphorical way to express a long wait time.

What is the purpose of the tutorial in the game according to the speaker?

The tutorial is designed to introduce new players to the game mechanics, but it also serves as a marketing strategy to sell the college or university DLC.

What are the two main focuses of the midgame according to the script?

The two main focuses of the midgame are sustaining the relationship-meter and generating in-game currency, denoted in dollars.

What is the relationship-meter in the game?

The relationship-meter is a built-in drive to find a sexual companion, spend time with them, and reproduce, which is a significant aspect of the game's social interaction.

How do most players generate in-game currency during the midgame?

Most players generate in-game currency by trading their play time for dollars, often while running scripts and being AFK, making them indistinguishable from NPCs.

What is the general advice the speaker gives for playing the game?

The speaker advises players to enjoy their time in the game without ruining it for others and to help struggling players when they reach a higher level.

What are some of the issues players face at the endgame level?

At the endgame level, players start to encounter bugs with their character and may eventually face a黑屏 (black screen), signaling the end of their playtime.

What are some theories about what happens after the game ends, according to the speaker?

Some players think they respawn, some think they only get to play once, and others believe they unlock a sandbox mode to replay the good parts of the game.

What is the speaker's overall rating of the game?

The speaker rates the game 6/10, stating it is better than ducks but worse than golden retrievers, which is a humorous way to express that it's average or slightly above average.

Outlines

00:00

🎮 Game Introduction and Starting Tips

The script begins with the narrator's impressions of the game's development and their experience so far. They suggest new players start in a region with lower difficulty, marked in green, and avoid the overpopulated red zones unless they're experienced or seeking a challenge. The game offers player vs environment and player vs player zones, and the option to play on a private server, although the narrator warns of the inflexibility of this choice. The character creation process involves choosing a race, which has become more balanced over time, and then enduring a lengthy loading screen and tutorial. The tutorial is designed to prepare players for the game's mechanics and to subtly promote the college or university DLC, which offers an advantage in the mid-game.

Keywords

💡Playable Characters

In the context of the video, 'playable characters' refers to the initial options available to players when starting a game. The script humorously suggests that the developers have been working on perfecting the human player type for an incredibly long time, indicating the complexity and depth of character customization or development in the game being discussed.

💡Starting Regions

The term 'starting regions' in the script represents the initial areas or zones where new players begin their gaming experience. It is used to describe different levels of difficulty, with green indicating lower difficulty and red being more challenging, guiding new players on where to start based on their readiness for the game's challenges.

💡Overpopulated Servers

'Overpopulated servers' refers to game servers that have a high number of players, which can lead to performance issues or a crowded gaming experience. In the script, the speaker mentions that all servers are becoming overpopulated, suggesting that the game is popular but also hinting at potential drawbacks for new players joining crowded areas.

💡Player vs Environment (PvE)

PvE, or 'Player vs Environment,' is a game mode where players interact with and overcome challenges presented by the game world itself, rather than other players. The script mentions that most areas are PvE zones, indicating that the game primarily focuses on individual or group challenges against the game's environment or AI-controlled entities.

💡Player vs Player (PvP)

Contrasting with PvE, 'Player vs Player' or PvP is a game mode where players compete against each other directly. The script notes that there are a few PvP areas, suggesting that while the game mostly focuses on PvE, there are also opportunities for direct player competition.

💡Private Server

A 'private server' in gaming refers to a server that is hosted and managed independently from the official game servers. The script humorously critiques the private server option, mentioning that the 'admins' are not very responsive and that once a player chooses this option, they cannot change their mind, indicating a lack of flexibility.

💡Race Perks

'Race perks' are special abilities or advantages associated with a character's race in a game. The script uses this term to humorously discuss the balance changes in the game, noting that while the Caucasian male character was once overpowered, the game has become more balanced, with each race offering unique benefits.

💡Tutorial

In gaming, a 'tutorial' is a series of introductory lessons or challenges designed to teach new players the mechanics of the game. The script describes a lengthy and somewhat tedious tutorial process, which includes interactive cutscenes and a gradual introduction to more complex game mechanics.

💡Relationship-Meter

The 'relationship-meter' is a creative term used in the script to describe a game mechanic that drives players to form relationships, spend time together, and reproduce within the game. It is a central focus in the midgame, indicating the importance of social interaction and partnership in the player's journey.

💡In-Game Currency

In-game currency is a virtual form of money used within a game to purchase items, services, or other benefits. The script mentions 'ingame currency,' usually denoted in dollars, as a key aspect of the midgame, where players often trade their playtime for this currency, highlighting the economic aspect of the game.

💡Endgame Content

'Endgame content' refers to the challenges, activities, or storylines that are available to players once they have reached a certain level or completed the main objectives of the game. The script humorously notes that the endgame content is delayed, with players reaching higher levels without the game's end being in sight, suggesting a potentially long and evolving gaming experience.

💡Bugs and Errors

In the context of the script, 'bugs and errors' refer to the issues or malfunctions that players may encounter as they progress through the game, particularly at higher levels. The speaker mentions that these issues increase as players reach level 80, leading to a black screen and the end of playtime, which adds a humorous twist to the idea of game bugs affecting the player's experience.

Highlights

Developers have been working on the human player type for a long time, and the game has impressed the reviewer.

New players are recommended to pick starting regions with lower difficulty marked in green.

Yellow regions can be chosen if the recommended ones are full, but red areas should be avoided unless you're experienced.

Most areas are player vs environment zones with a few player vs player areas.

Private servers are available but have limitations, such as not being able to leave once joined.

Race selection is important with Caucasian male being historically overpowered but now more balanced.

A 9-month loading screen is required before character spawning.

18 levels of tutorial are mandatory with the first few being interactive cutscenes.

Parent players' parenting skill tree affects the child's stats significantly.

Tutorial levels unlock the friendship and knowledge trees but require time investment at a learning academy.

The tutorial is designed to promote the college or university DLC, which is considered overpriced.

The midgame focuses on sustaining the relationship-meter and generating in-game currency.

Finding a sexual companion and reproducing is a built-in drive in the game.

In-game currency is generated by trading play time for dollars, with many players running scripts.

The game lacks distinct objectives, and players must decide their own goals during the midgame.

Higher-level players are encouraged to help those who are struggling.

Endgame content starts around level 65 with a fulfilled relationship-meter and maxed-out skill trees.

At higher levels, players may encounter bugs and errors, eventually leading to the end of playtime.

The end of the game is mysterious, with theories about respawning or unlocking sandbox mode.

The game is rated 6/10, better than some but not as good as others.

Transcripts

So, since the first playable characters came out

the devs have been working on the human player type for what seems like 3 billion years

and I'll admit that I haven't even gotten through all the levels yet

but I've been pretty impressed so far so I want to give a critical review of the current content.

Now, if this is your first time playing I definitely recommend picking one of the starting regions

with lower difficulty which I put in green here.

All the servers are getting pretty overpopulated right now so you can pick one of the yellow regions

if the recommended ones are full, but really try not to go for the areas in red

unless you really know what you're doing or you're just trying to speed run the game.

Pretty much all areas are player vs environment zones

but there are a few player vs player areas around here

and if you really wanna play in a private server you can do it over here

but the admins aren't so great and it sucks if you change your mind

because after you're there you can't leave so I'd probably give it a minute.

Okay, at the start you have to choose a race

and in the past caucasian male was definitely the most OP

but they've all became a lot more balanced in more recent patches at least in the easier starting regions.

If you look at the race perks tab there's still some nice privileges with this choice

so that's what I went with.

Okay so once you've chosen your starting region and race you have to go through a 9 month loading screen

while your character spawns and that already sounds bad what's even worse is that once you've actually spawned

you have to go through 18 levels of tutorial, the first few of which are just interactive cutscenes.

Even when you get to start moving around and interacting with the environment what kind of sucks is

that the only other users you really get to interact with are the two parent players that take you through

the start of the tutorial, and the trouble is that if they haven't advanced their parenting skill tree

you end up with a really screwed up stats for the rest of the game.

That's really just down to the RNG of who you get paired up with.

So the first few levels of tutorial really aren't so memorable but once you make it supple 5 or 6

you've usually unlocked the friendship and knowledge trees but you do have to spend around six hours

a day at a learning academy to keep leveling that up.

Okay so as you get to by level 17 or 18 you basically finish the tutorial and it turns out the first

thing you actually realise when you're done is that I had nothing to do with the rest of the game,

and it turns out the whole tutorial is pretty much designed to sell you the college or university DLC,

which is kind of overpriced for what you get but if you decide to go for it,

it can help you get a step up on free to play players in the mid game.

So the midgame itself generally takes place between around level 18 and 65

where the two biggest focuses are sustain the newly unlocked relationship-meter and generating ingame currency

which is usually denoted in dollars.

So first of all the relationship-meter.

This is the built-in drive to find a sexual companion, spend time with them and reproduce.

There's some factions where your parent players choose a companion for you

but in most of the western factions you get to choose yourself.

You might think this is a way better idea but the problem is they also have to choose you

so it might sound better on paper but make sure you think out the gameplay.

Now, when it comes to generating in-game currency,

the most common strategy is to trade your play time for dollars.

If you see most users during this process, while they're technically still actual players,

the majority of them are running scripts

so they're typically AFK and they're pretty much indistinguishable from NPCs.

So, because it's an MMO there aren't really any distinct objectives

and generally sometimes during the midgame you have to figure out what it is that you wanna do.

Some players focus on their relationship-meter, some on getting more dollars,

some on really maxing out certain skill trees and some struggle to figure it out at all.

There's no right answer really just like any other MMO,

I think your goal is to just enjoy the time you spent playing without ruining it for other people.

Hopefully when you are a higher level

you can get to the point where you enjoy helping players who might be struggling.

So when you do get to around level 65, this age should be the endgame content

but in practice it is getting later and later all the time despite the level cap remaining pretty much the same.

But nevertheless what's good here is that you generally have a pretty fulfilled relationship-meter,

your important skill trees are maxed out, you can generally spend the rest of your time exploring the map

and doing the things you wanna do.

The trouble is that at this point it can be hard to actually do those things

because you start to experience a lot of bugs with your character.

It's just because of the amount of variation of each user's programming,

you can't expect to function perfectly after so many iterations.

Around level 80 is when you start to encounter a lot of errors

until eventually the screen just turns black and your playtime is over.

A lot of users wonder what actually happens at this point but no one really knows.

Some players think you respawn, some think you only get to play once,

some even think you unlock a sandbox mode

where you can basically just play over all the good bits on a special map.

But you know, it doesen't seem to me like there's not a big difference

between before you start the game and after you finish, so don't overthink it, make the most of your playtime.

All in all, 6/10, better than ducks but worse than golden retrievers.