Alpha Protocol interview @ Gamebanshee

[Sannom]

As hinted by Chris Avellone's twitter, Gamebanshee has come up with a new interview about Alpha Protocol, featuring Chris Avellone (Lead Designer) and Matt MacLean (System Leads) :

 

http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/9645...a-protocol.html

 

An interesting read, especially the second page and the end of the first page. I really liked the details about Sabotage, Technical Aptitude and Stealth. I really like how those three skills can actually be used by very different kind of players, even Stealth can be useful for people who aren't really in the whole stealth mojo.

 

And can someone enlighten me about the orphanage thing? I'm not sure I understood clearly what Chris meant with that paragraph...

Edited January 15, 2010 by Sannom

[Starwars]

Excellent interview.

 

Put enough points into Sabotage and you'll gain Remote Hack - the ability to perform electronic bypass and computer hacking actions at a distance - perfect for subverting enemy turrets and causing all sorts of commotion.

 

But stuff like this kinda worries me a bit. Now, is there an actual mechanical, supertechnological thingy that we use to do this or is some sort of weird psychic ability? I think one of the things that still has me a bit cautious in regards of hyping myself up for the game is that some abilities seem to go a bit towards the "superhero" angle. Some of it seems fine, but I hope it won't go overboard.

 

But yeah, very good read.

[Sannom]

I don't think I can defend the game on this one : some of the skills enables clearly super-human abilities. I don't have a problem with it, but I can understand that it could worry some people. I'm expecting the Remote Hack to be "magical", in fact. Perharps not completely, as in they say that Mike Thorton as learned some tricks using his usual equipment to make it possible, but I doubt there is a need for actual equipment for lockpicking and hacking (not like in Deus Ex).

[Enoch]

I don't think I can defend the game on this one : some of the skills enables clearly super-human abilities. I don't have a problem with it, but I can understand that it could worry some people. I'm expecting the Remote Hack to be "magical", in fact. Perharps not completely, as in they say that Mike Thorton as learned some tricks using his usual equipment to make it possible, but I doubt there is a need for actual equipment for lockpicking and hacking (not like in Deus Ex).

Maybe it's some functionality built into the agency PDA Thorton gets. Some targeted broadcast of an interfering signal or somesuch. That would be roughly on par with the verisimilitude of Deus Ex's consumable auto-hacking devices.

[Oner]

And can someone enlighten me about the orphanage thing? I'm not sure I understood clearly what Chris meant with that paragraph...

Sort of a joke statistic, keeps track on the number of fathers you kill.

 

 

On the interview:

Edited January 15, 2010 by Oner

[Fearless_Jedi]

Loved the interview, can't wait to max out my stealth and CQC skills.

[Oblarg]

Do you risk your own safety and potential difficulty in reaching your real target, or do you take the long way around, which poses its own dangers? Furthermore, are you willing to resort to unorthodox... and perhaps excessively violent... methods against the contact to insure his cooperation and his silence? And if you do that, are you willing to accept the consequences of a frightened informant based on what you know about his dossier, assuming you've done your research?

 

You can hide it from some of them, not all of them. Some notable figures in the game (and it'll make sense who) are very, very hard to hide intel from - the kicker, though, is Thorton can still do it if he's specialized in certain skills and performed certain Cover Your Ass moves, and the satisfaction of pulling one over on these supposedly well-informed operatives and agency leaders is pretty damn gratifying.

 

Holy ****, this game gets better with every interview.

[Baeus]

Annnnd... I've got my fix for the day. Very spiffy interview.

[Tigranes]

Great stuff, that's the first new info in a while isn't it?

 

I don't mind the 'supernatural' stuff to be honest, as long as it doesn't act obnoxiously, and I doubt it will. Deus Ex hardly felt 'could happen next week' to me, in fact, nothing in the genre really does.

[Sannom]

Yeah, that's the first new information we had in a while, and I think it's the first of many Well, I hope.

 

Do you think the Technical Aptitude was presented in details in that interview? Because I've really got the impression that it doesn't have any real utility on its own, it looks like it only complements all the other skills, and a lot of the equipment I thought that it was the skill linked to gadgets and modifications...

[Zoma]

Good find. It certainly sheds some light on the Technical Aptitude and Sabotage skills.

 

What technical aptitude does from what I read are:

 

-Increase cool down rate or increase its duration of skill usages

-Increase no. of grenades in the inventory

-Improve medikit effectiveness

-More gadget slots which means you can bring more gadgets along

Edited January 16, 2010 by Zoma

[Oner]

+passive bonuses to weapon performance and armor strength