I have just recently played Mass effect and was pleasantly suprised by the depth of exploration and the graphic design of the levels. The APC in MASS EFFECT even looked like one of Sid Meads original concept drawings of the Aliens APC. In Mass Effect I could walk around the Normandy space ship and explore it. I could also talk to crew members. It would be good if off duty marines could mingle and trash talk to eachother. Mass effects graphics were excellent. I'm sure obsidian will expect nothing less from the aliens RPG. In mass effect you could explore countless worlds and go on many missions. It will be interesting if we could explore LV-426, Fury161, Gateway Station, Earth and whatever other worlds Obsidian dreams up. How do you think the gameplay should be? I prefer a 3rd person Gears of war style with optional 1st person mode. It alows you to see more of the environment and your character. I don't want Aliens to be just like Mass effect but I do thing some of its traits would be helpful. Whats you opinion of what the Aliens RPG should play like. Obsidian can't please every gamer, but whatever they develope should be the best it can be. This is Aliens. Its not just a game, its a scifi legend.

You've got to be kidding!

I FON'T THINK IT MAKES MUCH SENSE TO RUN AORUND TALKING TO A SHIP FULL OF ALIENS THANKS.

But maybe we can talk to some Predalien Sirs!

I won't stoop to taking to anyone below the rank of lord.

This brings up a question that has been bothering me about this game. Will folks who know nothing about the Aliens & Predators franchise actually be able to follow and understand this game? I've never seen an Aliens & Predators movie, never played any of the games, and have absolutely no knowledge of the setting, concept, or inhabitants of the Alien & Predators world. Because of that, I haven't been able to muster up much interest, but if I hadn't played Baldurs Gate because I didn't know anything about Forgotten Realms I would have missed a great game.

 

The above comments seem to indicate that the game will take place entirely on a ship full of monsters... is this the case? Is the game set up expecting players to have a basic knowledge of the A&P setting, or will there be enough of a tutorial/introduction to explain the basics of the A&P concept to newbies like myself? Just curious.

Edited October 4, 200817 yr by ~Di

This is an Aliens RPG. I don't believe there will be any of that stupid Alien vs Predators crap in this game.

This brings up a question that has been bothering me about this game. Will folks who know nothing about the Aliens & Predators franchise actually be able to follow and understand this game? I've never seen an Aliens & Predators movie, never played any of the games, and have absolutely no knowledge of the setting, concept, or inhabitants of the Alien & Predators world. Because of that, I haven't been able to muster up much interest, but if I hadn't played Baldurs Gate because I didn't know anything about Forgotten Realms I would have missed a great game.

 

The above comments seem to indicate that the game will take place entirely on a ship full of monsters... is this the case? Is the game set up expecting players to have a basic knowledge of the A&P setting, or will there be enough of a tutorial/introduction to explain the basics of the A&P concept to newbies like myself? Just curious.

 

Hi Di!

 

 

The only thing you need to remember about aliens is that you don't stab them with your knife! lol.

 

I'm sure Josh will be pretty gentle about introducing the gameworld elements; my guess would be no prior knowledge of anything Alien is really neccessary.

Thanks for the info! There has been so much discussion about favorite Aliens movie, favorite Aliens character, etc. that I was beginning to think that it was kind of a nitch genre for Aliens fans only! I'll keep following it, and gleaning info about it then...

 

Thanks again.

This is an Aliens RPG. I don't believe there will be any of that stupid Alien vs Predators crap in this game.

 

Oh, they're two separate franchises? Oops. I didn't know. Thanks for the info.

I've only seen the first Aliens movie and played AvP2.

 

But I analysed Aliens in English literature class for an entire year, so I probably have as in depth an understanding of the movie as any self-professed fan, I guess.

 

Personally, I wouldn't mind if they took a few tricks from AvP2. For a game based on a movie based on combining two other movies, it was surprisingly awesome.

This is an Aliens RPG. I don't believe there will be any of that stupid Alien vs Predators crap in this game.

 

Oh, they're two separate franchises? Oops. I didn't know. Thanks for the info.

 

Yes they are two separate franchises. Can I assume you have never seen any of the Alien(s) movies? Maybe it is not your cup of tea, but you really should at least see Alien, it is a great sci-fi classic!

This must be some elaborate ruse, there can't possibly be anyone alive who hasn't seen Alien.

This is an Aliens RPG. I don't believe there will be any of that stupid Alien vs Predators crap in this game.

 

Oh, they're two separate franchises? Oops. I didn't know. Thanks for the info.

 

Calling Aliens a franchise is really taking the first two movies down a notch. They're works of art. Especially the first one.

I have yet to see something with space marines in it as a work of art.

 

Or any sort of aliens for that matter.

Edited October 5, 200817 yr by WILL THE ALMIGHTY

Alien doesn't have space marines in it. Besides, I don't think there's an entry in the definition of art which says: "no space marines!"

Alien doesn't have space marines in it. Besides, I don't think there's an entry in the definition of art which says: "no space marines!"

 

Surprisingly enough, there actually is.

I agree that Alien (1) is a work of art. Aliens is a great movie, fantastic but not artistic like the first. Love 'em both though.

 

As for the topic. God no ME is a bland third person shooter, combined with a bland driving game combined with a bland RPG. With a lot of nice pixel shaders & textures.

This brings up a question that has been bothering me about this game. Will folks who know nothing about the Aliens & Predators franchise actually be able to follow and understand this game? I've never seen an Aliens & Predators movie, never played any of the games, and have absolutely no knowledge of the setting, concept, or inhabitants of the Alien & Predators world. Because of that, I haven't been able to muster up much interest, but if I hadn't played Baldurs Gate because I didn't know anything about Forgotten Realms I would have missed a great game.

 

The above comments seem to indicate that the game will take place entirely on a ship full of monsters... is this the case? Is the game set up expecting players to have a basic knowledge of the A&P setting, or will there be enough of a tutorial/introduction to explain the basics of the A&P concept to newbies like myself? Just curious.

Generally speaking, characters in the Aliens universe are actually more ignorant about the creatures than the audience is. Core knowledge can be communicated pretty easily:

 

* Aliens are a strong, possibly silicon-based lifeform that has acid for blood, a hard exoskeleton, two mouths (one piston mouth inside the "outer" mouth), and sharp tails.

* Aliens kill most things they come across, especially humans. However, aliens often take humans or other creatures back to their hive (see below).

* Aliens are cunning but not as intelligent as humans.

* Most aliens that folks see are "adult" form, but they are organized in hive communities. Hives feature a large queen that lays eggs. Eggs contain facehuggers that hatch out of the eggs when they are disturbed. As you might guess, facehuggers leap onto a person's face. After that, they anesthetize the victim and ram an ovipositor down his or her throat. An egg is laid in the victim's chest, which usually hatches as a "chestburster" (baby alien) in about 24 hours. The facehugger drops off and dies shortly after laying the egg, leaving the victim to stumble around for a while before dying a terrible death.

* The exact origins of the aliens are unknown, but they were initially discovered in the spaceship of an unknown sapient alien race alternately called the Pilots or Space Jockeys.

 

The human universe is actually not defined that much in the films. But here are the basics:

* Aliens films take place a few centuries from now.

* Humans have spread out in the Milky Way and have FTL travel capability (implicit but never shown). FTL travel still takes a long time, and people on FTL travel ships must enter a hibernation state called hypersleep.

* Human nations colonize space, with the focus being on the United Americas/United States.

* Mega corporations are more mega than ever. The focus is always on one dominant corporation called Weyland-Yutani. As the wiki indicates, the Company usually engages in the worst aspects of cutthroat corporate profiteering. W-Y seems obsessed with capturing live aliens (once identified) for experimentation and use as biological weapons. They have no problem with humans dying in the process.

* There is an Interstellar Commerce Commission (ICC) that regulates trade in space. They are generally seen as an obstacle to Weyland-Yutani snatching up aliens and transporting them all over the universe.

* Androids/synthetic persons exist in the universe. They are not common, but are used for a variety of purposes. They are typically indistinguishable from humans unless they are wounded (they "bleed" white). Androids are typically stronger and faster than humans, and are capable of surviving attacks that would easily kill a human. Some have behavioral "issues", and in the films they go through a number of different models/generations to deal with various mental problems they encounter.

* The US/UA has a colonial military force called the United States Colonial Marine Corps. These are basically space marines, but their equipment is nowhere near as heavy and crazy as (for example) Warhammer 40k stuff. They wear body armor, carry motion trackers to detect enemy movement, and have two signature weapons: the M41 pulse rifle and the M56 smartgun. The former is an assault rifle with an underslung grenade launcher and the latter is a big support weapon on an armature connected to the wielder's body. Smartguns also auto-track enemies, hence the name "smart"gun. They fly around space in big transports, land on planets using dropships, and roll around in big APCs. In all other ways, they are pretty much like regular American marines.

* It is suggested in various ways that there are other known alien lifeforms in the universe, but they are never shown. Whatever the nature of these other alien species, it is implicit that "the" aliens are much more dangerous as a race.

That's a rather good summary of what an Aliens franchise should contain!

There is the question of the Aliens constitution. In the first movie it was nigh undestructable, in the second they killed them by the dozen. There were two completely different approaches: Alien 1 and Alien 3 where a small group of poorly armed, unaware people came up against a sole Alien and Alien 2 and 4 where a large group of people battled dozens of aliens. The thrill of the first two was in personal horror while the others were more like action horror movies...

I was wondering what approach the game would take? Will the alien be the lone unkillable sort or the group assault on the hive thing??

In short, more horror or more action?

There is the question of the Aliens constitution. In the first movie it was nigh undestructable, in the second they killed them by the dozen. There were two completely different approaches: Alien 1 and Alien 3 where a small group of poorly armed, unaware people came up against a sole Alien and Alien 2 and 4 where a large group of people battled dozens of aliens. The thrill of the first two was in personal horror while the others were more like action horror movies...

I was wondering what approach the game would take? Will the alien be the lone unkillable sort or the group assault on the hive thing??

In short, more horror or more action?

Well, being an RPG, there's also combat, so there will be plenty of aliens (and humans) to kill I presume. Otherwise it would get a bit boring...

There is the question of the Aliens constitution. In the first movie it was nigh undestructable, in the second they killed them by the dozen. There were two completely different approaches: Alien 1 and Alien 3 where a small group of poorly armed, unaware people came up against a sole Alien and Alien 2 and 4 where a large group of people battled dozens of aliens. The thrill of the first two was in personal horror while the others were more like action horror movies...

I was wondering what approach the game would take? Will the alien be the lone unkillable sort or the group assault on the hive thing??

In short, more horror or more action?

Well, being an RPG, there's also combat, so there will be plenty of aliens (and humans) to kill I presume. Otherwise it would get a bit boring...

 

 

Yes , but the appeal of the creature was that encouters with it were rare, quick and brutal - and killing one was most of the time hell of an experience.

In the first two movies a lot of time passes (over half) before anything actually happens. Even then the combined combat with the aliens is perhaps 15-20 min.

 

You cant make something inspire fear if you can kill them by the dozen... The threat of the Alien was the threat of the unknown, lurking in the dark sort of thing... Dunno how they are going to capture that feel with the traditonal genocidal RPG gameplay...

There is the question of the Aliens constitution. In the first movie it was nigh undestructable, in the second they killed them by the dozen. There were two completely different approaches: Alien 1 and Alien 3 where a small group of poorly armed, unaware people came up against a sole Alien and Alien 2 and 4 where a large group of people battled dozens of aliens. The thrill of the first two was in personal horror while the others were more like action horror movies...

I was wondering what approach the game would take? Will the alien be the lone unkillable sort or the group assault on the hive thing??

In short, more horror or more action?

Well, being an RPG, there's also combat, so there will be plenty of aliens (and humans) to kill I presume. Otherwise it would get a bit boring...

 

 

Yes , but the appeal of the creature was that encouters with it were rare, quick and brutal - and killing one was most of the time hell of an experience.

In the first two movies a lot of time passes (over half) before anything actually happens. Even then the combined combat with the aliens is perhaps 15-20 min.

 

You cant make something inspire fear if you can kill them by the dozen... The threat of the Alien was the threat of the unknown, lurking in the dark sort of thing... Dunno how they are going to capture that feel with the traditonal genocidal RPG gameplay...

I hear you, and I think we once had a lenghtly debate about this. Are the Aliens just little pigs that get slaughtered like Orcs, or is there a more harder and involving approach to finish them? Well, I guess this really comes down to the implementation. Ie. How good will the AI be, how creative the level design to allow the AI to act accordingly, how well will the player be equipped, etc. I'm surely like to find out as eagerly as you!

Peragus level in KOTOR 2 has been compared to a survival-horror level, and incidentally is my favorite, so it's possible to do in an RPG.