Bonus Episode 254: WARDOGS First Impressions: 40 Hours In vs. 5 Hours In
One of us has put 40 hours into WARDOGS since launch. The other one has 5 and is calling it "Clunk Dogs." This is our real first impressions episode, now that the game is out.
Raz lays out where WARDOGS is actually clunky: finicky healing, grenades that sometimes don't throw, and a tac sprint that breaks every time the ground changes height. Jake calls the sprint the clunkiest he's ever felt in a shooter and says the grenade reticle is useless. So Raz boots up the firing range live to find out who's right.
After that it's the bigger question: why is WARDOGS hooking Raz and not Jake? We get into randoms stripping your gear while they revive you, rats camping their own FOB, whether a cash economy can compete with the stakes in Escape from Tarkov, and Raz's case that leveling and saving for level 3 armor are the carrots that keep him playing.
We also cover the Bulkhead dev's "we're the ones with the vision" tweet, his reply that the game "won't sustain," the no-free-look decision, wipes, the betting and challenges systems on the way, and whether WARDOGS is worth $40 in early access.
Raz is hooked. Jake wants to like it. Only one of them is still playing.
0:00 - Intro + Patreon hangout on the 25th
2:39 - 40 hours vs. 5 hours
4:16 - Is WARDOGS clunky?
4:58 - Finicky bandages and grenades
6:32 - The tac sprint problem
11:38 - "Clunkiest sprint I've ever felt"
16:48 - The grenade reticle means nothing
20:04 - Overhand vs. underhand, explained
20:54 - "I haven't noticed it"
24:49 - Screen share: proving the sprint hitch
27:27 - Expected Squad, but arcadey
28:27 - Not caring about score or money
29:04 - Tactics don't survive randoms
31:37 - Revived and robbed by your own teammate
34:11 - The solo flank playstyle
41:19 - Best place to fight on the map
42:40 - Parachutes vs. one twig
44:30 - Healing and looting teammates
46:19 - Is the audio actually good?
49:15 - Combine ammo button beats Tarkov
52:02 - "I just don't really care"
54:31 - Tarkov's stranglehold
54:58 - The rat at the bottom of the stairs
1:00:35 - Why every shooter needs carrots
1:01:56 - Hot take: winning needs bonus XP
1:02:55 - Level 60 armor costs $175K
1:12:01 - Only five hours in
1:14:50 - "If you played more..."
1:18:57 - The highs aren't as high as Tarkov
1:20:43 - 2,500 hours and still no Lightkeeper
1:22:33 - Tarkov variety vs. the same WARDOGS loop
1:24:50 - Sucking the marrow out of a game
1:26:45 - Will they fix the clunk?
1:27:15 - "We're the ones with the vision"
1:30:27 - Dev: "It won't sustain"
1:31:33 - Would friends change everything?
1:32:56 - Crash outs and high expectations
1:34:17 - TimTheTatman: pick one
1:35:59 - Will it get better the way Jake wants?
1:37:08 - $1 per hour of fun
1:39:14 - How WARDOGS wipes might work
1:41:45 - The wipe-to-wipe lifestyle
1:43:11 - Why trash gear isn't fun here
1:45:31 - Challenges, betting and gold bars
1:48:56 - "It'll only get better" vs. COD
1:49:59 - No free look is a big L
1:53:06 - Want more WARDOGS?
1:54:04 - Is WARDOGS worth $40?
1:56:05 - Not another XDefiant
1:57:17 - Hangout details and outro