Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

Alpha Protocol

Lhynn

Arcane
Joined
Aug 28, 2013
Messages
9,825
These fucking C&C-fags don't seem to understand that C&C is fucking meaningless if you play a game just once.
Ive beaten AP 7 times. i love the game THIS much. Its super fun and the gameplay lends itself to all kinds of abuse, which because it such a short and well paced game (in most cases, some missions are definitely shit), never really gets old.
Yeah, the gameplay isnt the best, but there are few rpgs where this is the case, and the codexer supposed to dig deeper. Theres a ton of fun to be had here.
 

Abu Antar

Turn-based Poster
Patron
Joined
Jan 19, 2014
Messages
13,514
Enjoy the Revolution! Another revolution around the sun that is. Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Good: It has some C&C. Allegedly.
Bad: It's a generic popamole game (corridor cover shooter).
Ugly: Minigames. Dialogue wheel. Timed dialogues.

Verdict: Play only if your confessor orders it for penance.
Not allegedly. This is unmatched in this regard by almost any game on the market.
 

deama

Prophet
Joined
May 13, 2013
Messages
4,352
Location
UK
Maybe one day they'll release the source code so we could finally remake the combat.
 

Tigranes

Arcane
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
10,350
Dialogue wheel isn't "ugly" in AP's case - the quickfire, 'timed' 3-personality style actually worked very well and fitted seamlessly into the rest of the design. In this case it's not a straight up decline from dialogue trees, but more of a "this does suit this game far better and has its own thing going, though there is no denying that it loses something in comparison to the generally superior dialogue trees w/ fully written dialogue." It provides an experience where you really are doing what Westridge tells you at the start you are supposed to do. Literally each and every NPC you encounter has a personality profile and a set of ways to please them, piss them off, etc., and every disposition you achieve with every NPC will result in a different outcome at least with that NPC, often with that mission, sometimes with the whole story / other missions. You are supposed to play the dialogues "real time", watching their responses if you piss them off or play it sarcastic, and continue to mine them for information while presenting yourself as a particular kind of guy to win their trust or knock them off their perch. The dialogue system is essential to that.
 

v1rus

Arcane
Joined
Jul 14, 2008
Messages
2,253
Starting my first playthrough. Should I go with normal or hard difficulty?
 

v1rus

Arcane
Joined
Jul 14, 2008
Messages
2,253
Starting my first playthrough. Should I go with normal or hard difficulty?
Play it on normal. Hard, if you like the game enough for another playthrough.

What about class?

Was thinking about tech specialist, but it seems you arent really playing a tech specialist, hackz and stuf, since everyone else is also having hackz and stuff.
 

Zombra

An iron rock in the river of blood and evil
Patron
Joined
Jan 12, 2004
Messages
11,542
Location
Black Goat Woods !@#*%&^
Make the Codex Great Again! RPG Wokedex Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming! Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
What about class?
Recruit has extra conversation options, but they are mostly about "Well I'm just a recruit but I'll do my best!", you won't miss much if you don't try it. I say pick whatever sounds fun. Once you do the training missions you'll have a good idea what tech really means, throwing bombs and using little tools to disarm stuff/cancel alarms/etc. If you don't like your class at that point you can restart.

Also: even as a Recruit you will have enough skill points by the end of the game to max out like 3 skills, so you can still become an ultra tech if you want.
 

Tigranes

Arcane
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
10,350
I would say Hard, but you can see what you enjoy.

Play Recruit. Veteran breaks all sense of game progression (and isn't available on your very first play anyway). There aren't huge differences amongst the classes, but Recruit gives you the best power progression.
 

Tigranes

Arcane
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
10,350
Minigames are easy. The reason they seem difficult is because of the janky controls.

For hacking: WSAD moves left side, arrow keys move right side. Move them simultaneously as you scan for numbers, move one into position while yoru eyes scan for the next one, etc.

For lockpicking: mouse sensitivity can fuck with this, if your sensitivity seems janky in general look up old forum posts, I forget the fix as I never really had it.

Veteran is really only if you want to basically Bethesda it up and master every possible skill you could want, and just fuck around overpowered. Which can be your cup of tea on t he second try.
 

Zed Duke of Banville

Dungeon Master
Patron
Joined
Oct 3, 2015
Messages
11,760
What about class?

Was thinking about tech specialist, but it seems you arent really playing a tech specialist, hackz and stuf, since everyone else is also having hackz and stuff.
Specialize in stealth (temporary invisibility), guns (stop time while setting up shots), and whichever skill has the Brilliance ability (resets the cooldown for other abilities). The gameplay is insufferable enough as it is: a cover-based shooter with linear level design. There's no reason to specialize in suboptimal skills.
 

Nutria

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Mar 12, 2017
Messages
2,252
Location
한양
Strap Yourselves In
There are some severe difficulty spikes early in the game and especially at the very end. I wouldn't play it on hard just because it's not fun to play the same parts over and over again. If you're playing Alpha Protocol primarily for the gameplay, you're doing it wrong.
 

J1M

Arcane
Joined
May 14, 2008
Messages
14,616
The combat can be an interesting challenge if you don't use weapons. Encourages stealth, makes the boss fights more challenging. That's what I did my only play-through.
 

Tigranes

Arcane
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
10,350
If you have the "take OP skills and breeze through combat, it's not fun" attitude, then you shouldn't play the game, that's the logical solution. If you're going to play it, then why not use your time to play in a fun way?

Stealthing is fun, just don't use the Pistols special ability which is far too OP. Actually pistoling people means there's at least some chance of detection or being mobbed.

Setting people on fire grenades, triggering the mine you placed on the wall as they come at you, and other gadgetry is really entertaining.
 

Lambach

Arcane
Joined
Feb 11, 2016
Messages
12,730
Location
Belgrade, Removekebabland
The combat can be an interesting challenge if you don't use weapons. Encourages stealth, makes the boss fights more challenging. That's what I did my only play-through.

I did a melee berserker playthrough, with zero stealth and a sparing use of the shotgun, it was damn fun.
 
Joined
Mar 18, 2009
Messages
7,308
Harder minigames is fine, you are forced to get gud or bring consumables.

EMPs are not that expensive anyway.

I didnt hate those minigames tbh. Only thing i disliked about AP was how loading broke missions.

This is why I feel like abandoning my current run, sometimes reloading checkpoint removes enemies, other times it can just give me black screen forcing me to kill the process or restart PC when I can't even minimize the damn thing. Fucking annoying.
 

Roguey

Codex Staff
Staff Member
Sawyerite
Joined
May 29, 2010
Messages
35,660
This is why I feel like abandoning my current run, sometimes reloading checkpoint removes enemies, other times it can just give me black screen forcing me to kill the process or restart PC when I can't even minimize the damn thing. Fucking annoying.
You're supposed to load from the load menu, not the quick menu. Never had an issue.
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom