Obsidian: We Would Make Alpha Protocol 2

[obliviondoll]

Still, AP1 was unique in how it handled it's branching mission structure.

Really?

 

I played it because the branching story setup reminded me of the Way of the Samurai games. The 3rd of which came out before AP, and had more unique endings.

 

Although I suppose the mission-based structure made it different. But not very different.

 

Back properly on-topic, though... Want a follow-up to Alpha Protocol, done the justice the first game missed out on. Don't care if it's a sequel, prequel, spinoff story, new-universe-same-concept, but it MUST BE DONE!

 

Still play AP, by the way, on PS3. I've only completed it a few times, but it's awesome fun. Wish ARs got a lot more love, and either buff everything but Pistols, or pull back their OP-ness a little, and maybe reworking the stealth aspects pretty much completely could help out. Particularly the "sometimes when you're behind a wall in shadow and 100m away, a guard will suddenly "see" you and set the alarm off, and other times you can run around in a brightly-lit courtyard firing wildly with dual SMGs and not alert the guy you're about to kill OR the other 2 guys watching you do it" part...

[PsychoticHitman]

I would love to play an Alpha Protocol 2. I just recently finished the first one for the first time and I loved it. The story was great and I loved the conversation system, characters, and the branching. I plan on playing it again to see the other endings. But it would truly be amazing if they could build off of the great story while fixing the technical problems (like predictable and dumb A.I., refining the graphics and gameplay, the cover system, etc.) and make a sequel. Or a prequel. Or a spin-off. Whatever really, as long as it's more of this type of awesome!

[Assassin47]

As a fan of stealth I had absolutely no issues using stealth the entire game whenever possible.

 

I don't quite get the complaints about it.

[Falcon084]

Wow great news! Please make it devs we're begging you!

[Dio]

Hmm...I think - big addon will be better...if it will...

[hano]

I really liked the role playing parts and would love a sequel. I hated the mission based level design (felt less RPG) and the gameplay was average. The problem is that the game wasn't deciding if it wanted to be an RPG game where your stats mattered or an action game. For instance, sneaking in an action game would require you to pay attention to the line of site of enemies. But in AP you could become practically invisible if you had the skill.

 

If they made the blend of action/RPG and bettered the combat, this would sell tons.

[NoMan2000]

Alpha Protocol is one of my favorite games. I own it on PC, (which I bought off Steam for 3 dollars), and from Amazon, which I bought new for ten dollars. (I bought it new in the hopes that some money would flow to Obsidian.) I actually got one of the pre-order bonuses from it too.

 

The biggest problem with the game is summed up by another game: Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

 

The problem with the branching structure of AP is that it means a lot of work that wasn't true during Planescape:Torment or KoTR or Fallout I & II. When you branch now, you have to have developers re-program the entire scene. Voice actors have to retell the lines. Animation has to be done for facial movements and actions. If they stealth or do any movements, those animations have to be added in as well. The branching gives huge replayability to a game, but for a developer, they want to know how to all this extra time/money translates into a higher ROI. It reminds me of something Sol Stein said.

 

He's an author, but he spent most of his time as an editor and as the main guy you have to get approval for when you want to publish a book. He breaks down authors he works with into two categories: Literary authors and commercial authors. Literary authors are writing something which will stand the test of time and will be praised years down the road. The book needs to be its absolute best and they may take years working on it. Commercial authors are only making their book for the here and now, and they do not invest any more effort than would be required to make the book sell a certain amount. After all, that's time lost from writing the book after that, and that means publishers get mad, less bonuses, etc.

 

I tend to think of Obsidian as the kind of company that makes the literary author equivalent of games. However, the game publishers will generally not like this attitude and want to see a return as quick as possible.

 

Back to Deus Ex, outside from the boss fights, which weren't done by Eidos, you could go pure stealth or pure violence, your choice. In AP, you get stuck in awkward zones where some missions clearly prefer you stealth and some clearly prefer that you engage in firefights and everyone in the area is hostile and looking for you. This makes specialization, especially if you picked "rookie/novice" as your class, difficult. These sorts of forced decisions go against the otherwise open nature of the game. Likewise with the skills in Deus Ex, they made it so certain skill enhanced the game greatly, but didn't effect core gameplay. In A.P., it greatly effected core gameplay which skills you choose. That's typical of an RPG, but not of an action game. The problem though is that unlike a game like Fallout: NV, which has a steady progression of difficulty, you can be thrown into some difficult missions at any time and not having the right skill set can make you useless. Another distinction between the action/RPG-style game.

 

So it had a lot of moments where the game wasn't sure which direction it wanted to go and the game suffered for it. Deus Ex solved this by making the game linear, which means once you beat it, there's not much incentive to go back and play it again. So that's the hurdle that Obsidian or any other game team would have to overcome in making another AP. Personally, I'd love another AP.

[specter007]

I realize I am a little late on this topic

 

But I am literally begging for you guys to make an AP2, BEGGING

 

Thanks all

[kaepernickus]

I love AP and I love the idea of a new game set in the AP universe.

 

.... did someone say kickstarter??

[cernex]

.... did someone say kickstarter??

 

Sounds like a plan to me!

[Labadal]

.... did someone say kickstarter??

 

Sounds like a plan to me!

 

Avellone said in a rockpapershotgun interview that a spiritual succesor to Alpa Protocol wouldn't be possible with Kivkstarter funds. Not really a big surprise if you ask me.

[DadeLeviathan]

 

Avellone said in a rockpapershotgun interview that a spiritual succesor to Alpa Protocol wouldn't be possible with Kivkstarter funds. Not really a big surprise if you ask me.

 

Technically it's possible just not plausible. Making a AAA game costs a massive amount of money compared to the money being raised on kickstarter, and that doesn't even include the even more massive amount of money needed to market the game. So would it be possible to raise, say, $25M on kickstarter? Sure, but it's not remotely plausible. You would have a higher chance of winning the lottery or getting struck by lightning twice in the same day. Even if you found a bunch of incredibly rich people, you'd still be talking at least 2500 people donating $10,000 each. That's just not even remotely plausible.

 

Possible yes, but so is a falling piece of meteor landing directly in your coffee cup. Doesn't mean it will happen.

[C2B]

Avellone said in a rockpapershotgun interview that a spiritual succesor to Alpa Protocol wouldn't be possible with Kivkstarter funds. Not really a big surprise if you ask me.

 

Technically it's possible just not plausible. Making a AAA game costs a massive amount of money compared to the money being raised on kickstarter, and that doesn't even include the even more massive amount of money needed to market the game. So would it be possible to raise, say, $25M on kickstarter? Sure, but it's not remotely plausible. You would have a higher chance of winning the lottery or getting struck by lightning twice in the same day. Even if you found a bunch of incredibly rich people, you'd still be talking at least 2500 people donating $10,000 each. That's just not even remotely plausible.

 

Possible yes, but so is a falling piece of meteor landing directly in your coffee cup. Doesn't mean it will happen.

 

You're overreacting a little bit. 2'500 people a $10'000 is the same as 250'000 people a $100. And its NOT impossible that Kickstarter could reach such backer numbers in the future the more established it gets. After all, 250'000 copies sold of a bigger game counts as rather low. (Of course in that case I doubt the average would be ~100)

 

I agree at the moment its implausible and Kickstarter probably will not be used for such big numbers, I just disagree with your reasoning.

 

The chances are nowhere near as low as the examples you describe.

Edited April 9, 2012 by C2B

[Zoraptor]

For AP itself any discussion of kickstarter is moot given that that interview confirms Sega owns the IP. I'd just hope that they can bring the stuff in AP that worked well into whatever future games are developed

[WorstUsernameEver]

For AP itself any discussion of kickstarter is moot given that that interview confirms Sega owns the IP. I'd just hope that they can bring the stuff in AP that worked well into whatever future games are developed

 

AP is not a fantasy setting with a lot of lore tho' and SEGA doesn't own the concept of a spy RPG. That's pretty much what Chris was discussing as a 'spiritual successor'.

[Zoraptor]

Personally I'd quite like a Fallout style (~isometric, skills, probably straight TB or JA2 style combat, non post apoc) AP successor which I think would be feasible as a kickstarter type project. But I was more making the point that anything directly related to AP could not be on the cards kickstarter wise. Exactly what could be got away with- Omega Methodology, featuring a cameo from Stefan Hades and the evil corporation Telburton!- I really would not know.

[Trollossus]

A sequel or spiritual successor would make me very giddy, someone make this happen NAO.

[Sondre Dragsnes]

YEAH! You know......i'd actually been thinking about that last year but ive been busy with other ideas later on.

I loved Alpha Protocol's concept, story, humor and gameplay! I love Obsidian! They know what theyre doing.

 

I would love to maybe be the lead game designer of Alpha Protocol or another Spy RPG when/if i become a game designer in my future

In my head, AP 2's/Spy RPG's story would be that the player is given various missions that later is getting more and more moraly questionable.

It is, when the player finds out whenever by him/herself, proving later that your handlers are lying to you and make you murder and punish innocent or uninvolved peoples. You are here, then, of course NOT Thorton. Maybe his son/daughter or someone else?

An example that popped up in my head:

your intel saying that you are to look for a woman claimed by handlers to be a terrorist for example. It is actually quickly proven that she is an innocent heavily abused prostitute. What is your choice?

 

The games story is sort of a mental test on the player: when will you trigger? Will you forever believe them? And are they right in some missions at all? Ones thing for certain: Its gonna be a hell of a ride!

 

NEW FEATURES:

- Cinematic Jason Bourne Foot-chases

- Customize your Martial Art moves (Make a move feature)

- Disguises and Uniforms

- You can be FEMALE (because we all know its boring watching MEN when we are heterosexual lol good one)

 

I hope for a sequel, and maybe i will make one? Maaaaybeee? Or as said, just an entirely new spy-rpg

Edited May 7, 2012 by Sondre Dragsnes

[BrandedManatee2]

Come on Obsidian make AP2 Just cause sega said no [i heard] doesn't mean you can't make one If there some legal stuff i'm sure you could make it

If what I heard about SEGA is wrong i'm sorry but I don't doubt it because nearly everytime i've seen them get bad ratings they just quit like that.

[BrandedManatee2]

YEAH! You know......i'd actually been thinking about that last year but ive been busy with other ideas later on.

I loved Alpha Protocol's concept, story, humor and gameplay! I love Obsidian! They know what theyre doing.

 

I would love to maybe be the lead game designer of Alpha Protocol or another Spy RPG when/if i become a game designer in my future

In my head, AP 2's/Spy RPG's story would be that the player is given various missions that later is getting more and more moraly questionable.

It is, when the player finds out whenever by him/herself, proving later that your handlers are lying to you and make you murder and punish innocent or uninvolved peoples. You are here, then, of course NOT Thorton. Maybe his son/daughter or someone else?

An example that popped up in my head:

your intel saying that you are to look for a woman claimed by handlers to be a terrorist for example. It is actually quickly proven that she is an innocent heavily abused prostitute. What is your choice?

 

The games story is sort of a mental test on the player: when will you trigger? Will you forever believe them? And are they right in some missions at all? Ones thing for certain: Its gonna be a hell of a ride!

 

NEW FEATURES:

- Cinematic Jason Bourne Foot-chases

- Customize your Martial Art moves (Make a move feature)

- Disguises and Uniforms

- You can be FEMALE (because we all know its boring watching MEN when we are heterosexual lol good one)

 

I hope for a sequel, and maybe i will make one? Maaaaybeee? Or as said, just an entirely new spy-rpg

REALLY GOOD IDEA thats really cool because dont hate but I'm a guy and some games I like to play as a chick because games where you are guys gets repetetive.

[BobSmith101]

Make one with the engine they used for DX:HR.

[Gelatoman]

Alpha Protocol would've been one of the best games of all time... the Blueprint was there...

 

but the execution?.... *snickers to himself*

 

I firmly believe the development team dropped the ball on purpose... or it was rushed; with the gameplay left unpolished, unfinished, uneverything.

[sorophx]

Make one with the engine they used for DX:HR.

didn't Alpha Protocol use the same engine?

[WorstUsernameEver]

didn't Alpha Protocol use the same engine?

 

No, Alpha Protocol used UE3. I don't really see any reason to use Deus Ex's engine besides a faulty logic that goes around "Deus Ex was good = therefore using its engine will make it easier to make a game as good as that". I don't think the technology behind Deus Ex: Human Revolution was impressive in any way, though I might be wrong.

[Hassat Hunter]

Heh, the original Deus Ex is still superior, and used Unreal Engine 1(!). Maybe we should use that instead?