I think a close third person perspective can work for survival horror.  It sure worked for Resident Evil 4.

 

I also tend to hold the view that human melee + adult aliens = ur ded.

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Agreed.

 

I love Resident Evil 4. I am replaying it right now.

I don't like the lack of camera control, but the angle of view, over the shoulder, works wonders.

I think a close third person perspective can work for survival horror.  It sure worked for Resident Evil 4.

 

This is true.

 

Even though RE4 was a bit weak on the horror, the viewpoint worked rather well to build up tension and confusion in combat... and the occasional freak out moments when you heard that chainsaw rev behind your character.

 

I can only imagine an alien hiss from behind causing the same "omg run away run away! " feeling. (for example)

Meh.  First person would be way nice.  Nothing beats the immediacy of the view.  3rd person works for vanity and flybys, not for unloading a smartgun into an oncomign alien horde.

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Tell that to all the Gears of War fans.

and the occasional freak out moments when you heard that chainsaw rev behind your character.

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Yeah, that sound was the cue to move away immediately or Leon dies.

Agree with the p.o.v that third-person just works great in a survival horror setting. Get it?

 

I really hope that the good devs at Obsidian, ramp up the scares on this one.

It has to be. Cause in space no-one can hear you scream. Also its [tm]Aliens[/tm].

Don't forget the claustrophobia.

I think a close third person perspective can work for survival horror.  It sure worked for Resident Evil 4.

 

This is true.

 

Even though RE4 was a bit weak on the horror, the viewpoint worked rather well to build up tension and confusion in combat... and the occasional freak out moments when you heard that chainsaw rev behind your character.

 

RE 4 didn't feel like survival horror to me either. I think they toned it down a lot to increase the size of their potential market.

It was too many Salazar robots, mine rides and merchants

 

I will admit it did have several good parts, but they were spread thin thanks to the "fluff"

 

- The Village as a whole

- The first Regenerator area

- The ovenman (the only static OMG moment in the game)

- The second Regenerator area (one room prison)

 

 

The rest... too much action. And of course the fact they dumbed the game down for the masses didn't help. Saves at the door, enemies and animals who dropped loot, extremely easy puzzles... felt like Resident Evil 4 Dummies to me

 

But, it was still fun in it's own way.

- The ovenman  (the only static OMG moment in the game)

-

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Sounds hot.

Speaking of hot, I hope there will be flame throwers.

Speaking of hot, I hope there will be flame throwers.

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That would be awesome. Toasty Aliens.

It'd be awesome awesome.

 

Firedance ftw!

if you think Gromnir is talking 'bout the color of patches on uniforms, you musta' mind-melded with somebody 1 door down.

Where are you going with this? What is your goal? I have already given examples of what I think are fine details to observe and I've already stated that I think any details that are burdensome to the casual fan are questionable at best. I even said that I wouldn't use the "formal" terms for those creatures in a movie or game because they are understood by such a marginal portion of potential players that they are alienating.

 

What is left to debate? If you don't disagree with the examples I've given, why do you insist that I'm not listening to you?

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To use Gromnir's words, I think he's being contrary just for the sake of it. I get the impression he doesn't really like you, so I doubt anything you say will truly please him.

The biggest vulnerability this game has right now, at least in my head, is the combat, as many have stated before. It's going to have to be real-time, and fast. It'd be madness to have a NWN2-esque turn-based system (IT WAS TURN BASED NO DISCUSSION PEOPLE) where everybody waits their turn to attack. No no, it's got to be immediate and hectic.

 

And as far as melee goes, come on, it's completely out. These things bleed acid, remember? You don't want to be next to them when they die. No GoW style chainsaw death.

 

*edit - Also, melee weapons would degrade pretty quickly. Best we can hope for is a flamethrower. They're Alien stalwarts as it is.

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The combat is what gives me reservations about the game. As with all games, I'm optimistic that it will be fun, but I'm having problems conceptualizing how the combat will work, outside of standard run and gun FPS style (which I personally don't mind. If they want to go Deus Ex style I'd be more than happy).

It'd be awesome awesome.

 

Firedance    ftw!

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It was too many Salazar robots, mine rides and merchants

 

I will admit it did have several good parts, but they were spread thin thanks to the "fluff"

 

- The Village as a whole

- The first Regenerator area

- The ovenman  (the only static OMG moment in the game)

- The second Regenerator area (one room prison)

 

 

The rest... too much action. And of course the fact they dumbed the game down for the masses didn't help. Saves at the door, enemies and animals who dropped loot, extremely easy puzzles... felt like Resident Evil 4 Dummies to me

 

But, it was still fun in it's own way.

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We agree again!

 

I do realize I have high standards and I do realize none of the things I would like to see are easy to achieve.

This being said, one has to dream big to reach excellence.

 

BTW, I thought I would add some fan art to my blog.

 

Then, I figured I should also interview the artists...

I plan to ask them the following questions:

- How did you come to produce Alien-based fan art?

- Which movie in the Alien series do you prefer?

- Did you play any of the Alien versus Predator games?

- What would you expect from a new Alien-based RPG?

- What would you expect from a new Alien-based FPS?

 

Hopefully, these interviews will bring even more ideas to the table... :joy:

The good thing about resident evil is that one was always strugling, always surviving, there weren't any miniguns.

 

For the greater part of the games you had less ammo than there were enemies. You walked through a nomansland tiptoeing, trying not to stir up trouble. This was interespaced with various NPC encounters and the odd 'mechanical' puzzles that weren't too difficult to get after some trial and error. All those game mechanics would work with the Alien setting.

The good thing about resident evil is that one was always strugling, always surviving, there weren't any miniguns.

 

For the greater part of the games you had less ammo than there were enemies. You walked through a nomansland tiptoeing, trying not to stir up trouble. This was interespaced with various NPC  encounters and the odd 'mechanical' puzzles that weren't too difficult to get after some trial and error. All those game mechanics would work with the Alien setting.

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That was the case for games prior to RE 4. RE 4 is way too easy. You don't have to pick your fights carefully, you are expected to progress forward at all times. You never have to flee or regroup. And many puzzles are not necessary to progress in the game.

RE 4 is RE for the masses. And it worked very well for them. They were critically acclaimed and the masses loved the game.

 

I loved the game too, but I do recognize I cannot be objective when I judge that franchise. I forgive a lot and look past a lot of things.

 

Overall, RE 4 was still a great game.

Edited December 23, 200619 yr by The Pilot

RE4 wasn't "RE for the masses." RE was popular enough already to be for the masses itself. But RE was getting stale, the game last game played practically the same as the first. RE 4 was merely change, something the series desperately needed.

Flamethrowers are a must, but you need a high skill to use them properly, otherwise you might inflict injuries on your own people. Like that crazy gal in Aliens that burned her buddy because Aliens confused them.

 

Oh btw, remember Gorky 17 (aka Odium)? You also got skills (I don't remember the names anymore) like Luck (special Headshot), or improving your nerves so that you stay calm and don't start getting insane or frightened like a madman when danger approaches.

One thing that would be also cool is to have a scientist/tech on your team who can take probes from the dead aliens, in order to improve your gear for example.

Oh and don't forget hacking, melting, setting up gun turrets and that stuff. And Androids! Preferably female ones!

Edited December 23, 200619 yr by Morgoth

I hope Aliens RPG allows the players to have a sort of 'stronghold' as well.

 

'Stronghold' consists of medlabs(Research purposes similiar to System Shock 2 perhaps?), security room(Improves the defences of the base as well as reduce chances for sneak attacks,gaining access to random missions that involves rescuing colonists or salvaging weapons?), armory (Storing weapons?)and such. The situation of the stronghold is tightly barricade and sieged as to give a sense of urgency and perhaps a time limit to do whatever quests you wish for and such before a random attack event to your base occurs which you have to fend it off.

 

The concept is overall similiar to the Movie "Aliens" where the survivors were sieged.

The combat is what gives me reservations about the game.  As with all games, I'm optimistic that it will be fun, but I'm having problems conceptualizing how the combat will work, outside of standard run and gun FPS style (which I personally don't mind.  If they want to go Deus Ex style I'd be more than happy).

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I'm hoping for a Deus Ex/SS2 approach, but with more characters and dialogue and general CRPG-ness than SS2 had.

Tell that to all the Gears of War fans.

Oh yeah! Why don't you throw in Super Mario 64 too?

 

 

Agree with the p.o.v that third-person just works great in a survival horror setting. Get it?

There's nothing to "get", because that's merely your opinion. An opinion so far (and despite what Josh might say) unsupported by facts, but still.

 

Get it?

Hey, as long as there is a toggle between the two all is good. :D

Why does it have to be FPS. ? FPS is great for FPS games, note the two meanings, but it comes short when you are interacting a lot and staring down the barrel of your gun the whole time.

 

FPS is for competative gaming and the odd single player experience, inadequate for a fully developed storyline involving lots of 'talking heads' encounters.