Once Human Before You Buy: What You Should Know First
"Once Human" is the new kid on the block in the survival MMO genre, promising a unique blend of open-world exploration, base building, and intense combat against mutated creatures in a post-apocalyptic world. The game is generating a lot of buzz, but before you jump in and spend your hard-earned cash, it's crucial to understand what you're getting into. This isn't just another zombie shooter; it has its own quirks, systems, and learning curve.
This guide will walk you through key aspects of "Once Human" to help you make an informed decision about whether it's the right game for you. We'll cover everything from the core gameplay loop to the resource grind, the PvP elements, and the overall performance you can expect. Consider this your pre-purchase briefing.
1. Understanding the Core Gameplay Loop: Build, Survive, Conquer
"Once Human" centers around a core gameplay loop that revolves around building a base, surviving the harsh environment, and conquering challenging encounters.
Base Building: Your base is your sanctuary and crafting hub. You'll gather resources to construct walls, defenses, workshops, and other essential structures. Base building is fairly robust, allowing for creative designs and strategic placement of defenses to fend off waves of Deviants (the game's mutated creatures). Resource management is key here; you'll need to constantly scavenge and refine materials to expand and maintain your base.
Survival: The world of "Once Human" is unforgiving. You'll need to manage your hunger, thirst, and stamina while navigating dangerous environments filled with hostile creatures and other players (depending on the server). Crafting food, finding clean water, and equipping appropriate gear are vital for survival. The weather also plays a role, with extreme temperatures impacting your character's stats.
Combat: Combat in "Once Human" is action-oriented, with a focus on third-person shooting. You'll wield a variety of weapons, from pistols and rifles to melee weapons and special abilities. Mastering weapon handling, utilizing cover, and understanding enemy weaknesses are crucial for success. The game features a wide range of Deviants, each with unique attacks and behaviors, requiring different combat strategies. Boss battles are particularly challenging and often require teamwork.
2. The Resource Grind: Prepare for the Long Haul
"Once Human" is a survival MMO, and that means resource gathering is a significant part of the gameplay. Be prepared for a grind.
Resource Abundance: While resources are plentiful, acquiring them takes time and effort. You'll spend a lot of time chopping trees, mining ore, scavenging for scrap, and hunting animals.
Resource Processing: Raw materials need to be processed into usable components. This involves using crafting stations and waiting for the processing to complete. This can feel slow, especially in the early game.
Resource Competition: On PvP servers, expect competition for resources. Other players may try to steal your hard-earned loot, adding another layer of challenge to the resource grind.
Tip: Focus on optimizing your resource gathering routes and crafting efficient processing setups to minimize the grind. Consider joining a team to share the workload.
3. PvP vs. PvE: Choose Your Experience Wisely
"Once Human" offers both PvP (Player vs. Player) and PvE (Player vs. Environment) servers, each providing a drastically different experience.
PvP Servers: On PvP servers, you can attack and be attacked by other players at any time (outside of designated safe zones). This adds a layer of tension and excitement, but also increases the risk of losing your progress. PvP is often about raiding other player's bases to steal resources and gear.
PvE Servers: On PvE servers, players cannot directly attack each other. This allows for a more cooperative and relaxed experience, focusing on building, exploring, and fighting the environment.
Important Note: Consider your playstyle and tolerance for risk before choosing a server type. If you prefer a more competitive and challenging experience, PvP is the way to go. If you prefer a more cooperative and relaxed experience, PvE is a better choice. Some servers may have specific rulesets, so read the server descriptions carefully.
4. Performance Considerations: Can Your PC Handle It?
"Once Human" is a visually impressive game, but that comes at a cost. Performance can be demanding, especially on lower-end PCs.
Minimum Specs: Check the minimum and recommended system requirements before purchasing the game. Running the game on a PC that doesn't meet the minimum specs will likely result in poor performance.
Optimization: The game is still in development, so optimization is an ongoing process. Expect to encounter occasional frame rate drops and other performance issues, especially in densely populated areas or during intense combat.
Settings Adjustments: Experiment with different graphics settings to find a balance between visual quality and performance. Lowering settings like shadows, textures, and draw distance can significantly improve frame rates.
Tip: Monitor your CPU and GPU usage while playing the game to identify any bottlenecks. Consider upgrading your hardware if necessary.
5. The Endgame: What's There to Do After Leveling Up?
While the journey to leveling up and building a formidable base is engaging, it's important to consider the endgame content.
Challenging Dungeons: "Once Human" features challenging dungeons that require teamwork and coordination to complete. These dungeons offer valuable rewards, including rare resources and powerful gear.
World Bosses: World bosses are massive creatures that require a large group of players to defeat. These encounters are epic and offer significant rewards.
Territorial Control (PvP): On PvP servers, endgame often revolves around territorial control. Players compete to control key resource nodes and strategic locations, leading to large-scale battles.
Ongoing Updates: The developers are committed to adding new content and features to "Once Human" after launch. Expect regular updates with new weapons, gear, enemies, and areas to explore.
6. Community and Support: Are You Alone in the Wasteland?
A thriving community and responsive support team are essential for any online game.
Active Community: "Once Human" has a growing community on platforms like Discord, Reddit, and the official forums. These communities are great places to find teammates, ask questions, and share tips.
Developer Communication: The developers are actively involved in the community, providing updates, answering questions, and soliciting feedback.
Support Channels: If you encounter technical issues or have questions about the game, there are various support channels available, including in-game support, email support, and the official forums.
7. The Learning Curve: Expect Some Initial Confusion
"Once Human" has a lot of systems and mechanics to learn, which can be overwhelming at first.
Tutorial: The game features a tutorial that introduces the basic concepts of gameplay. Pay attention to the tutorial, as it will help you get started.
Experimentation: Don't be afraid to experiment with different weapons, crafting recipes, and base building designs. Learning through trial and error is part of the fun.
Community Resources: Utilize community resources like wikis, guides, and videos to learn more about the game.
Tip: Start slow and focus on mastering the core mechanics before trying to tackle everything at once. Don't be afraid to ask for help from other players.
Final Thoughts: Is "Once Human" Right for You?
"Once Human" offers a unique and engaging survival MMO experience with its blend of base building, resource management, and intense combat. However, it's important to be aware of the resource grind, the potential for performance issues, and the learning curve.
Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to buy "Once Human" depends on your personal preferences. If you enjoy survival games, open-world exploration, and challenging combat, then "Once Human" may be worth checking out. Just be prepared for a long and potentially grindy journey. Do your research, watch some gameplay videos, and consider your own gaming preferences before taking the plunge. Good luck out there, survivor!