Preview Develop on Alpha Protocol

[Edward_R_Murrow]

Tags: Alpha Protocol; Obsidian Entertainment

European based Develop Magazine had a <a href="http://www.developmag.com/tutorials/146/Inside-Obsidians-Alpha-Protocol">talk</a> with Chris Parker and Chris Avellone of Obsidian about Alpha Protocol. Most of it was in regards to their choice of the Unreal 3 engine, but there were some bits about gameplay as well.<blockquote>“In Alpha Protocol, the storyline isn’t linear – we’ve given a lot more freedom in how you choose to save (or not save) that world, and tried to provide the player with options on how he chooses to uncover the plotline and the relationships between the key characters in the game.”
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Avellone promised that there will be plenty of romance, colourful villains, action, bullets, betrayals, and alliances.
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“Many of our previous titles have relied on a hub structure, but Alpha Protocol takes the system a step further by presenting the player with a challenge and then offering many choices and missions for how to approach the problem,” said Avellone.
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“Options include using espionage, surveillance, running-and-gunning, talking to contacts, or computer infiltration. We also allow the player to pick and choose which missions to tackle in order to experience the story in a way that complements character-building choices.”</blockquote>
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Sounds like it is ticking off all the right boxes. Now if only they had some hard evidence.
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://gamebanshee.com/">Gamebanshee</A>

 

[Murk]

Its starting to sound less and less bad but... wtf? Action packed collar-grabber or legit RPG? C'mon guy, pick one and stop possibly almost getting our hopes up.

 

[Gnidrologist]

plenty of romance

“Many of our previous titles have relied on a hub structure, but Alpha Protocol takes the system a step further by presenting the player with a challenge and then offering many choices and missions for how to approach the problem,” said Avellone.

I don't quite follow. How does

presenting the player with a challenge and then offering many choices and missions for how to approach the problem

takes the

hub structure a step further

?

MCA has learned the marketing speak?

 

[Deleted Member 10432]

It creates synergy.

 

[MetalCraze]

Avellone promised that there will be plenty of romance, colourful villains, action, bullets, betrayals, and alliances.

Yep, pretty much as I thought - the game will be shit.
Parker and Avellone are going with a usual PR bullshit and considering that it is a multiplatform game half of that stuff won't be there and the other half will be dumbed down (plenty of bullets - yeah like infinite bullets)
Obsidian can't make RPGs right - and now they (the guys with absolutely no shooter experience) are making a fugly looking mainstream shooter on a shitty mainstream engine.

 

[Forest Dweller]

skyway never fails to deliver.

 

[Arcanoix]

The Indsutry...

The Industry is just now picking up on what made cRPG's amazing - Choice and Consequence. It's going to become another meaningless trademark, mark my words. (no pun intended)

 

[Arcanoix]

Obsidian can't make RPGs right - and now they (the guys with absolutely no shooter experience) are making a fugly looking mainstream shooter on a shitty mainstream engine.

The Neverwinter Nights 2 engine, despite it's limitations, can be a very, very powerful engine if handled properly. I intend to prove it.

 

[Hümmelgümpf]

Action packed collar-grabber or legit RPG? C'mon guy, pick one and stop possibly almost getting our hopes up.

Both, it would seem. Xtr3m3 run 'n' gun combat + C&C. Much better than crappy RTwP combat + C&C, if you ask me.

 

[Volourn]

"skyway never fails to deliver."

This means:

skyway > troika

 

[Murk]

Both, it would seem. Xtr3m3 run 'n' gun combat + C&C. Much better than crappy RTwP combat + C&C, if you ask me.

i guess the new trend is to combine two opposites, or at least to claim you're going to. real time rpgs are fine i guess but when gameplay is changed from character-based to player-based it makes the whole ROLE thing kinda go to shit. but eh it might be fun, i did enjoy fable after all

 

[M_I_C_K_E_Y_M_O_U_S_E]

Both, it would seem. Xtr3m3 run 'n' gun combat + C&C. Much better than crappy RTwP combat + C&C, if you ask me.

i guess the new trend is to combine two opposites, or at least to claim you're going to. real time rpgs are fine i guess but when gameplay is changed from character-based to player-based it makes the whole ROLE thing kinda go to shit. but eh it might be fun, i did enjoy fable after all

Because the combat heavy point, click and watch combat with all the tactical genius and brutal difficulty like KotOR, TSL and MotB was entertaining and interesting?

 

[Murk]

Because the combat heavy point, click and watch combat with all the tactical genius and brutal difficulty like KotOR, TSL and MotB was entertaining and interesting?

I don't understand what you're trying to get at. I said real time is fine but not when you have a game in which the combat depends on how fast you click as opposed to how your characters are built.

Also: tactical genius and brutal difficulty in KotOR? Really guy? I beat that game without even bothering to plot out my character (not on easy). I don't get it, are you being sarcastic or do you really believe this?

 

[M_I_C_K_E_Y_M_O_U_S_E]

AP combat is better this way. Most people I know of prefer stats to matter very little in FPS games, and FO3 is living proof. It's a bit limiting for the RPG crowd, but AP covers that with the dressing system, stealthy alternatives and AP also has a bullet time mode for people who fail at shooters.

The hardest part of KotOR combat was waiting for it to end. I don't know why KotOR combat was the way it was considering that just about every semi-successful star wars game relied on player skill. Character skill would have worked if it was challenging. I'm glad that Bioware learned their lesson and made ME and JE action games.

 

[elander_]

The FPS role-playing will soon dominate everything. Also playing a role is not just about how you fight. That is the less interesting part of playing a role.

 

[Rhalle]

The FPS role-playing will soon dominate everything. Also playing a role is not just about how you fight. That is the less interesting part of playing a role.

Just wait until we get a few years out from Fallout 3, and all the games that were conceived after seeing Fallout 3's sales figures are completed-- say, a year and a half to two years from now.

I shudder to think of the number of shooterpgs we will see in 2011.

Perhaps Obsidian with AP will have the dubious (and no doubt ironic) honor of again being behind the curve; but this time because they are too far ahead of it.

 

[fastpunk]

Next friday, Alpha Protocol on GameTrailers TV, featuring a 2 minute gameplay trailer. That's where we'll see the evidence. Hopefully, it'll be convincing as well.

 

[Hümmelgümpf]

Next friday, Alpha Protocol on GameTrailers TV, featuring a 2 minute gameplay trailer. That's where we'll see the evidence. Hopefully, it'll be convincing as well.

I'm afraid all we'll see in the first gameplay video is combat. Maybe some stealth and gadgets, but that's only if we're lucky.

 

[Pastel]

Both, it would seem. Xtr3m3 run 'n' gun combat + C&C. Much better than crappy RTwP combat + C&C, if you ask me.

i guess the new trend is to combine two opposites, or at least to claim you're going to. real time rpgs are fine i guess but when gameplay is changed from character-based to player-based it makes the whole ROLE thing kinda go to shit. but eh it might be fun, i did enjoy fable after all

I wouldn't mind an Action RPG which takes the action part seriously - ie, the combat is difficult and player driven, while miscellaneous skills are character-based.
Unfortunately, nowadays an Action-RPG is a game with no roleplaying and tons of boring, uninteractive combat.

 

[fastpunk]

Next friday, Alpha Protocol on GameTrailers TV, featuring a 2 minute gameplay trailer. That's where we'll see the evidence. Hopefully, it'll be convincing as well.

I'm afraid all we'll see in the first gameplay video is combat. Maybe some stealth and gadgets, but that's only if we're lucky.

It's a start. Plus, I may be more interested in stealth gameplay myself, but combat is pretty important for average joe gamer. This is their chance to make a good impression and gather some momentum.

 

[Darth Roxor]

you choose to save (or not save) that world

Intriguing.

 

[inwoker]

You can enslave entire nations with espionage. Or not.

 

[Jasede]

Avellone peaked with Torment, it's all downhill now. I enjoy combat very much, and first-person dungeon crawlers too, so maybe it won't be too bad, but there's something in my guts that tells me this game will be terrible. The only way to combine first person shooter and RPG is Deus Ex (Combine! Combine! It's not /just/ an RPG, get off my back!). We will see if the game will take much needed inspiration from it. It better.

The announcement makes it sound like a Bioware production, though. "Colorful" villains (this must meant they'll be black of brown) and plenty of romance? Woohoo. And we all know that lately, when a game advertises "choices" they end up having very minor consequences. (Not that that hurt Deus Ex much, mind you, but it's 2009.)

 

[Darth Roxor]

The only way to combine first person shooter and RPG is Deus Ex (Combine! Combine! It's not /just/ an RPG, get off my back!). We will see if the game will take much needed inspiration from it. It better.

System Shock 2, dammit.

 

[Jasede]

My bad; of course.