New Screenshots :)

[SirPetrakus]

I found Lada Racing Club to be curiously interesting!

 

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

[Patrick K Mills]

Haha. The Codex needs to be taken with a grain of salt. On the one hand there are some valid, good posts floating around... on the other hand it's full of Something Awful style trolls and idiots. I'd sooner visit NMA.

 

Whilst I am no fan of the latest and greatest graphics, I think there are some graphical anomalies in the screenshots. Many things seem too... ordered, new, pure, unused. I have faith they'll sort that out soon enough, though.

 

As a frequent poster at Something Awful I take offense to this, Something Awful actually tends to really like our games. Or at least they pretend to when Josh, Nathaniel and I are around.

[Humodour]

You're right, the comparison was off. Let's say 4chan instead. Besides, SA makes some great little animations:

 

[Xard]

lol vaginasaurus

 

To be specific RPGCodex is sometimes like mix of worst sides of /b/ and /v/

[Noceur]

Hello guys, has rope bullets been confirmed yet? Or at least rope knives? If not, I request that the collector's edition will ship with a crate full of ropes!

 

Also, Krezack, the graphics bashing wasn't from RPGcodex, it was from actiontrip. Having concerns about the writing quality is at least valid for an RPG. Not saying there are no idiots on the RPGcodex boards. It's an internet forum after all.

[Xard]

I doubt Krezack ment that. I think it was quite clear quotes were from Actiontrip (since when codexians have cared about graphics anyway? )

[Noceur]

I doubt Krezack ment that. I think it was quite clear quotes were from Actiontrip (since when codexians have cared about graphics anyway? )

 

No worries, I was just unsure as to why we were talking about the Codex all of a sudden.

 

A bit more on topic, I'd like to see more gameplay specific screenshots or info. Screenshots just showing graphics might be ok for a shooter where the gameplay is pretty much known from the outset but this is an RPG and I'd like to know how the game handles and integrates that aspect.

 

Btw, I take it the GUI is hidden in these screenshots?

[SirPetrakus]

I too would like to see some game footage, if not for myself, just so I can show something to my friends who appear a bit skeptical on the matter since Obsidian hasn't tried a spy drama in the past and have doubts on how good or bad can they deliver. I've bought KotoR II and NWN2 + MotB, waiting on Mysteries of Westgate and will most definitely buy AP once t comes out, don't wanna ruin a perfect score As for GUI, most games don't offer the same HUD that BG and Fallout had, usually it's just a minimap and some quick buttons but since the screenshots are sometimes taken from cutscenes and scenes where the GUI isn't exactly necessary to make a point, makes sense it's not there.

[Humodour]

Hahaha Harvey. Ah, Farscape.

[Xard]

Noceur, it's law of the internet. If you mention Codex it'll dominate at least some of the following conversation.

 

I'm really hopeful as far as GUI go. Revised KotOR 2 GUI was great and A LOT better than K1's (which wasn't bad either) and in my opinion NWN2's UI is very good (apart from occasional camera problems).

 

As far as old skool GUI's go Fallouts one is winner. It is simple, it doesn' cover too much screen and it is dead easy to use. You can access everything with one click of a mouse - even skills can be just chosen with 1,3,5 etc. Only thing that keeps it from perfect is not so good inventory.

 

So I have no doubts GUI will be great

Edited June 11, 2008 by Xard

[Noceur]

Hahaha Harvey. Ah, Farscape.

 

 

Xard: Actually, I wouldn't mind a minimalistic GUI. Since there's infinite ammo (which is a bit of a bummer), all you really need to show is a health bar of some sort. I'm guessing the interface will lean towards the Mass Effect one (since they've mentioned pause/tag multiple enemies). Naturally the inventory will be handled much better. Right, Obsidian?.. dudes?

 

Meh, who am I kidding... I don't have any valuable input, I just want to see "moar" gameplay.

[Xard]

(since they've mentioned pause/tag multiple enemies)

 

lolwut?

[Patrick K Mills]

(since they've mentioned pause/tag multiple enemies)

 

lolwut?

 

In the past we have described one of our special attacks as an action that pauses time and lets you target multiple enemies, when you unpause your character takes shots at all of them.

 

It may or may not function exactly like that in the final product. It should not be taken to imply a larger mechanic of actually targeting and shooting guys while paused.

 

This post should not be taken to imply that we don't have such a system either.

 

Basically, take what you read in articles with a grain of salt. Sometimes we aren't clear to the press, sometimes the press gets confused, sometimes we cut or change something that was working because it didn't turn out the way we wanted, sometimes we describe how we *want* something to work only to find out that it's not worth the time and there is a better way to do it.

 

Nothing is final till it's released.

[Tigranes]

In the past we have described one of our special attacks as an action that pauses time and lets you target multiple enemies, when you unpause your character takes shots at all of them.

 

Sounds like VATS, Patrick.

 

And yes, I do understand that you are only confirming that it applies to one special attack at this point in time.

[Xard]

Oh right, that thing.

 

I was just confused because AFAIK there's no ME style constant pausing capability from what I've gathered. Of course I could be wrong too...

 

This has nothing to do with screenshots but please get GOOD voice actor for Thorton. ME's Male Shephard is quite...meh

[Gorth]

Sounds like VATS, Patrick.

Not really. VATS is just "real time with pause", where you can queue a limited number of special attacks depending on action points (KOTOR 1&2 by comparison had a fixed number of actions you could queue).

 

This sounds like "many shots" (or whatever that Ranger feat was called in NWN2), where you can select the individual targets.

 

There is also the possibility that I am just as confused as the gaming press as to what goes into which game

[Noceur]

Since it's a roleplaying game, I don't really think there's anything wrong with how ME handles abilities (i.e pause and use ability). It's no different than how NWN 1 and 2 works and the actual shooting part is still up to the player, in real-time.

 

Frankly though, I wouldn't mind if Alpha Protocoll didn't use (combat) abilities at all and left all the combat up to the player, and instead used an RPG heavy system for dialogue/hacking etc. I.e skip the mini-games, foo's.

[Xard]

I thought OE was a bit cranky on that aspect of ME so I'm quite sure there's no pause ability most of the time (which is just good thing)

 

Or then I really don't remember anything about old Game INformer scans

[Tigranes]

Gorth - I think in execution it will end up looking like VATS at the mo. In both cases you pause, you can looka round and select various attacks, then when you unpause you execute them. I'm not suggesting they're the same or anything, just that they will look similar. Which isn't necessarily bad in itself, but I'm not sure how this kind of stuff fits into AP. Oh wait, Max Payne. Well, I didn't enjoy Max Payne, but I suppose that's a way. Yeah, I just sound like a grumpy old man here.

[Gorth]

Yeah, I just sound like a grumpy old man here.

 

You can borrow my "Grumpy old Man" t-shirt

[flem]

Actually I think Actiontrip et al. are right in saying that the screenshots look a generation or so too old, but given the JES statement that the game is on UE3 (yes, it IS Mass Effect set today...) I think it can all be straightened out by release.

[Xard]

 

This is aged?

[Zoma]

I have the impression that imaged being 'furnished' with photoshop ect since it looks far more atmospheric than the other IG screenies.

 

Prove me wrong and I will be a happy bunny.

[Xard]

 

I see no great difference to this

[flem]

The first one has a nice HDR look. The second shows the problems -- not lighting, but textures and normal/bumpmapping etc. The surfaces look unnaturally flat, not textured; the character's body itself looks blocky, and you can really see the polys in a way you shouldn't at this low resolution.