Preview Alpha Protocol Makes Sense as an RPG

[Jason]

Tags: Alpha Protocol; Obsidian Entertainment

Eurogamer spent some <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/alpha-protocol-hands-on" target="blank">hands-on quality time</a> with Obsidian's <b>Alpha Protocol</b>.
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<blockquote>Alpha Protocol is certainly different, and playing it necessitates a recalibration of your third-person shooter instincts. It feels completely wrong at first that shooting at enemies can do little to no damage, or that you have to stay out of cover with your reticule trained on someone for five seconds in order to get a critical hit. Over the course of four hours with the game, though, it did begin to make sense.</blockquote>
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Good to know the player will realize it's an RPG after 4 hours or so. Moving on...
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<blockquote>Where you put your stat points, then, really does determine how you can play the game. Sadly it also means that players will necessarily pigeonhole themselves into a particular approach. It's literally impossible to change tactics for later missions, because your stats won't allow it - you can't suddenly roll out with a shotgun for a level that's giving you trouble if you've been pouring all your points into stealth abilities and pistols. Given that the stealth approach is way, way harder than the others, it's easy to see how this inflexibility might become problematic.</blockquote>
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.eurogamer.net/">Eurogamer</A>

 

[Andhaira]

Cool.

 

[Xor]

It's possible that the stealth isn't hard and the reviewer was just an idiot.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Yes, its indeed sad that you can't be a master of all trades and just whip out a shotty when you're only trained with pistols.

 

[Kaanyrvhok]

Ridiculous. If you shoot someone with a shotty from point blank range it should do major damage regardless of skill points. The skill is getting to point blank range.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

It's possible that the stealth isn't hard and the reviewer was just an idiot.

It's possible that the game is good and Obsidian's entire previous track record is a fluke.

 

[Shannow]

Ridiculous. If you shoot someone with a shotty from point blank range it should do major damage regardless of skill points. The skill is getting to point blank range.

The problem with every shooter/RPG-hybrid. Especially got on my nerves in FO3 because the original's mechanics were already more sensible.
But devs seem to think it's easier to balance dmg levels than recticle size, speed, spread, reload time, recoil, etc.

 

[DraQ]

It feels completely wrong at first that shooting at enemies can do little to no damage, or that you have to stay out of cover with your reticule trained on someone for five seconds in order to get a critical hit.

Verily, this is perhaps the best fire fight mechanics ever conceived! Jolly good job, Obsidian, I must say.
*sips tea*

Over the course of four hours with the game, though, it did begin to make sense.

Would sniffing glue help shorten this time?

Where you put your stat points, then, really does determine how you can play the game. Sadly it also means that players will necessarily pigeonhole themselves into a particular approach. It's literally impossible to change tactics for later missions, because your stats won't allow it - you can't suddenly roll out with a shotgun for a level that's giving you trouble if you've been pouring all your points into stealth abilities and pistols.

Yeah, kid. Even shitty RPGs work this way.

Given that the stealth approach is way, way harder than the others, it's easy to see how this inflexibility might become problematic.

Is it more like "actually hard" harder or "difficult for a console pinhead" harder?

In DX stealth was rather easy (but satisfying).
Is it as hard as completing "stealth" missions in STALKER SoC without actually alerting the military?

 

[MetalCraze]

It's possible that the stealth isn't hard and the reviewer was just an idiot.

No stealth is harder because of all those linear corridors full of enemies and scripted triggers everywhere that just spawn enemies that know where you are, add to that mandatory consolish boss fights. And also remember that stealth means silent takedowns in this game - e.g. playing a shooter except pretending that a silenced pistol in your hand makes a difference - with nerfed combat stats shooterish gameplay becomes a chore - and that's what reviewer states.

Obsidian can't even learn how to make combat in RPGs and now they fail to make a good combat in shooters. Who would've thought.

 

[Dionysus]

Is it more like "actually hard" harder or "difficult for a console pinhead" harder?

In DX stealth was rather easy (but satisfying).
Is it as hard as completing "stealth" missions in STALKER SoC without actually alerting the military?

Well, he just said that it's harder, which might mean that the combat is very easy, which wouldn't be a big surprise.

It's also not surprising to hear that the VAing and dialog are problematic. I think that's why the trailers have fallen flat.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Ridiculous. If you shoot someone with a shotty from point blank range it should do major damage regardless of skill points. The skill is getting to point blank range.

I imagine that you will be able to use one (you still have hands), you will be so shit at handling it that you might as well not bother and go back to the pistol you're good at.

 

[Korgan]

almost everything that Thorton says makes you want to either roll your eyes or punch him in the teeth. He's an arrogant smartarse, and his delivery often falls well wide of the intended Jack Bauer or James Bond mark

You don't say.
of MCA.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Maybe Thorton is supposed to be unlikable, anyway. A character being an arrogant piece of shit is only a problem if he's not supposed to be like that.

 

[DraQ]

No one else has any problems with "lol imma stand in da open like a retard for 5s to charge my lazor score a crit"?

:shock:

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Well, out of cover doesn't necessarily mean "in the open". It could be that hes focusing too much on aiming that he may get hit.

 

[DraQ]

Well, out of cover doesn't necessarily mean "in the open". It could be that hes focusing too much on aiming that he may get hit.

Ah, silly me.

I'm not fluent enough in the newspeak to realize that "out of cover" actually means "not in the cinematic shooting gallery god-mode" than out of actual cover like "in the open".

 

[Clockwork Knight]

I dunno, that's just what i could gather from a fucking sentence. I didn't bother seeing the gameplay vid.

To shoot while in cover you have to expose yourself a little so you can aim. If you don't want to risk being shot, you blind fire.

 

[Norfleet]

I imagine that you will be able to use one (you still have hands), you will be so shit at handling it that you might as well not bother and go back to the pistol you're good at.

This concept is laughable to anyone who has ever actually operated a firearm, which excludes most game designers.

 

[mondblut]

Firearms were, like, *invented* for a purpose of being easy to handle. Otherwise we would still have a caste of professional warriors slashing each other with hi-tech swords.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Firearms were, like, *invented* for a purpose of being easy to handle. Otherwise we would still have a caste of professional warriors slashing each other with hi-tech swords.

Which is totally why we still just draft guys and give them rifles. Oh wait.

 

[MetalCraze]

No one else has any problems with "lol imma stand in da open like a retard for 5s to charge my lazor score a crit"?

:shock:

As long as the game is promised to have Courting & Copulation who gives a shit about such minor nuances as gameplay

Well, out of cover doesn't necessarily mean "in the open". It could be that hes focusing too much on aiming that he may get hit.

Of course that this and many other things scream "retarded console gameplay" where even aiming is a minigame is not a problem - AP will be the best "RPG" since Mass Effect 2

 

[Lumpy]

Ridiculous. If you shoot someone with a shotty from point blank range it should do major damage regardless of skill points. The skill is getting to point blank range.

I imagine that you will be able to use one (you still have hands), you will be so shit at handling it that you might as well not bother and go back to the pistol you're good at.

Except you can't possibly be so shit at handling a shotgun that you can't kill someone point-blank range. Especially if you're trained with using firearms in general.

In a shooter-RPG, skills should only come into play in regard to whether (and where) you actually hit the enemy, but bullet damage should be standard. Increased skill should lead to increased precision, and bullet time could also come into play.

 

[DraQ]

Firearms were, like, *invented* for a purpose of being easy to handle. Otherwise we would still have a caste of professional warriors slashing each other with hi-tech swords.

Which is totally why we still just draft guys and give them rifles. Oh wait.

Oh wait.

In a shooter-RPG, skills should only come into play in regard to whether (and where) you actually hit the enemy, but bullet damage should be standard. Increased skill should lead to increased precision, and bullet time could also come into play.

In directly controlled shooter/RPG weapon skill should determine barrel sway, degree of "jerking" the weapon off target when you start pulling the trigger, general handling, recoil management, reload time, ability to reload on the move, critical failures and possibly weapon maintenance.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

"We" implies "we, civilized countries", not african hellholes, DraQ

 

[DraQ]

"We" implies "we, civilized countries", not african hellholes, DraQ

It still renders the argument invalid.

Firearms are piss easy to shoot with semi-decent accuracy.
Now, morale, maintenance, tactics, coordination, physical fitness, efficient operation of firearms and actually precise shooting do require intensive training and those are the reasons why pros can utterly rape drafted n00bs, but not being able to just shoot someone with a gun at short to medium range is pretty dumb.