Ever since it came out I have heard only good things about this game. And it sounds like a perfect fit for me. I enjoy figuring out puzzles, I enjoy figuring out lore and I love to explore.
I picked it up during a sale a while ago and since then I had 3 or 4 attempts of trying to get into the game but after a few hours I’m just too frustrated and give up.
My problem is, that I am so horribly bad at moving around, it infuriates me like no other game ever has. Like, I want to go to that planet, I board my ship, I fly towards the planet. I either slow down too late and die crashing into the planet or I slow down too early and by the time I get to my destination the planet has already moved away too much. So I either wait until it comes back around or I try to follow it wich usually ends with me crashing into it. It’s like slapstick comedy. The autopilot let me crash into stuff blocking its path so I gave up on that too.
The few times I managed to get to a planet, I couldn’t enjoy exploring, knowing I will have to pilot this spaceship again. When I think about having to be at a specific location at a specific time, it fills me with horror. Moving in lower/zero gravity is also not enjoyable for me.
I want to love this game so bad but I just can’t. I know this game is a one-time experience so I am torn on what to do.
Are my problems with this game so fundamental that I should just give up and watch someone else’s playthrough on YouTube? Or are my experiences in a normal range and I should keep trying until the movement clicks with me?
I fear that the longer I wait the higher the chance that I randomly encounter a huge spoiler somewhere in the internet.
Thank you for reading and thanks in advance for any recommendations, advice or feedback
Edit: Thanks a lot everyone! I will give it another shot and use a combination of autopilot and manual movement. If that doesn’t work I’ll look at some mods. If that also doesn’t work I’ll give up and just watch someone else play it. I feel like I’m extra bad at this because my spacial awareness sucks in real life too. Can’t tell if a car in the distance is moving or parked and if it’s moving how fast. Don’t worry I never even bothered to try to get a driving license lol
Yeah, people tend to have that problem, especially if they’re treating it like driving a car. If you want to fly manual, never fly more than 400 m/s, because then you won’t have enough time to slow down.
My actual advice though is to just use autopilot. People seem to forget that you can cancel autopilot. If you start to see that there’s something getting in your way, cancel the autopilot and push the ship to the left or right (it’s easier to go around the planet than to slow down). Once you’re clear, resume autopilot.
I bought the game during last year’s sale and dropped it because it doesn’t explain anything and the constant anxiety from unavoidable events was not fun in my opinion. I never got a refund for it but I don’t see myself picking it up again.
Hey, Outer Wilds super fan here. Bought the game twice, recommend it to everyone, etc.
I’ve seen a couple people bounce off the game because of the space flight, which is totally valid! It’s legitimately very difficult, doubly so if it’s your first time doing a zero G type of thing.
I’ve also seen people thoroughly enjoy the game despite crashing into everything! So that’s possible, too. I wish I knew the secret to making it click, as I think once the story really gets its hooks in you it’s one of the most rewarding experiences out there.
With all that being said, a couple tips:
The autopilot let me crash into stuff blocking its path so I gave up on that too.
Don’t give up on auto pilot! I simply can’t imagine traveling between planets without it.
You just have to keep in mind that the auto pilot isn’t intelligent. When you activate it, it does exactly three things: it lines you up, it accelerates you, then it slows you down to a stop in front of your destination. You have to watch and be willing to interrupt it if it looks like you’re going to crash into a planet or the sun. You also have to make sure you’re reasonably far away from a planet before activating it in the first place. Once you’re there, keep a close eye on your instruments and just guide the ship in slowly until you can land.
Even if you don’t have any obstacles, the auto pilot can still rarely result in a crash in certain scenarios where the planet is orbiting directly at you. This is especially prevalent with the twin planets.
But the game is designed with crashes of all sorts in mind! Make sure to always put your suit on immediately when you first enter it on Timber Hearth. That way you can abandon the ship if necessary. There’s even a working eject button!
I hope things work out, but best of luck no matter what you end up doing!
Once it’s boring.
Very specific kind of game, you have to settle into it and realize there are no stakes.
If the only problem is moving the shuttle, it’s probably worth watching a video and figuring that out, but if exploring is still boring for you, it might not be your brand of soda.
Watching a playthrough is a good idea too, it’s a good story and I think you’ll still appreciate it vicariously.
I’d recommend just watching a playthrough. I was like you and tried to get into it 2-3 times and the game was just too frustrating. Starting over from almost scratch every time was annoying given how often you die. So many things in the game are time sensitive as well, so you’re either sitting around waiting to time something or rushing to get somewhere in time only to miss the time window and have to wait or come back later. You couple that with the lack of QoL features and clunky controls and it just wasn’t enjoyable for me.
Just as a disclaimer to people who are passionate about it, I’m not saying it’s a bad game, just that it’s not a game for everyone and that’s fine.
Watch RTGame’s long video. He does a good job of editing it all together so it feels like you’re discovering it with him as he plays it.
Outer Wilds is one of my favorite games, but I can see a lot of ways it isn’t for everyone.
Try a controller if you can, like others have mentioned.
It took me a long time to get used to the space navigation/flying and towards the end of the game I still sometimes crashed horribly into things. I feel like it’s kind of just part of the experience and can make for some really funny moments. If you really want to experience it yourself, maybe spending some time just focusing on getting a good understanding of the ship controls without the pressure of trying to get any exploration done that round might be helpful. Autopilot isn’t the smartest, but it can be helpful.
Watching play throughs is something I love to do now, because it is the closest I’ll ever get to experiencing the game fully again. Watching a play through before playing it yourself will basically spoil the chance ever experiencing it firsthand yourself, but might be a good option if you really want to know the story and don’t find any joy in playing it.
Edit: few changes for clarity
I played it for like an hour or so, but it didn’t click either. I’ll give it another go one day, but there are just too many games in my backlog right now
As others already said, autopilot. Withoutit would not have finished the game. I really wish you get to the end, it’s worth it ! Also, at some point, I read a spoiler free-isb walkthrough because I was stuck with some puzzles.
If you’re on PC and you find you absolutely can’t make progress, consider modding the game. https://outerwildsmods.com/
Just casually scrolling, I saw a few that modify movement and a few cheat mods that go so far as to just allow you to teleport places. Obviously just teleporting around would lessen the surprises the game offers, so I’d recommend that as an actual last resort.
