Preview Alpha Protocol Preview

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: Alpha Protocol; Obsidian Entertainment

CoD (consequences of decisions) are abundant in AP (Alpha Protocol).
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Just look at this <a href="http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2010/03/18/alpha-protocol-show-consequences-of-decisions/">preview over at AEI.</a>
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<p style="margin-left:50px;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;border-top-color:#ffffff;padding:5px;border-right-color:#bbbbbb;border-left-color:#ffffff;border-bottom-color:#bbbbbb;">At last, Thorton pulls Al-Shaheed from the burning armored vehicle and interrogates him. Suddenly, the game flashes forward. Thorton is being interrogated by what looks like a higher-up. They ask him what he did with Al-Shaheed, and that answer will determine what he did in the past.
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During this interview process, I did get to see how the dialogue system works. It is timed so players will be forced to think out their answers, quickly and instinctively. If they run out of time, the answer reverts to what players previously said. Obsidian says it helps with the flow of the game. I can see it forcing gamers to make more real decisions instead of carefully calculated ones. It’s more like real life that way.
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The APDS (Alpha Protocol Dialogue System) is more like RL (Real Life).
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.rpgwatch.com/?rwsiteid=1#14636">RPGWatch</A>

 

[Lesifoere]

Oh hai QTE in dialogue. What the fuck is this shit, etc etc.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Almost everything about AP seems ok to good, except the fucking timed dialogue. If they did it exactly the same way as it was in Fahrenheit, it would be acceptable, because there you had a timer for dialogue choosing *after* the other character stopped talking, and here it looks like you'll have to read the stuff AND decide which option to take at the same time, which is retarded.

 

[SuicideBunny]

which is retarded.

possibly, but being forced out of a purely reactive role in the dialogue to an aggressive one that requires at least a rough plan beforehand, seems somewhat interesting to me.
rt vs tb vs rtwp, the sequel: dialogue.

 

[juggernaut]

While I'm interested in seeing how the timed dialogue system plays out (haven't played Fahrenheit), I don't like the idea of missing conversations in case I have to step away from the pc to answer the phone or something. Kind of defeats the purpose if they make the conversations pausable or repeatable though. Also I wonder if there will be different time limits for different situations?

 

[DraQ]

I find the dialogue timers moderately promising concept, but:

If they run out of time, the answer reverts to what players previously said.

Wat?

What does it even mean?

 

[SuicideBunny]

What does it even mean?

prolly means the game will simply choose the option corresponding to the stance you picked most of the times, as suggested by that earlier interview where it was said that it keeps track of the responses you picked.
if every dialogue option consistently corresponds to a stance, a rather simple thing to do.

 

[Darth Roxor]

I find the dialogue timers moderately promising concept, but:

If they run out of time, the answer reverts to what players previously said.

Wat?

What does it even mean?

If you chose 'x-tremism' as dialogue option in A, you will also choose 'x-tremism' in B if you run out of time afaik.

 

[DriacKin]

My guess is that one of the first mods released for the game will remove the timer.

 

[DraQ]

if every dialogue option consistently corresponds to a stance, a rather simple thing to do.

That's pretty bad.

Not the whole defaulting thing, but shoehorning each dialogue and possibly the entire playthrough into narrow predefined set of stereotypes.

 

[MetalCraze]

There are no dialogues in Alpha Protocol. Stances are basically the way of selecting how you will say the exactly same thing - the game won't even give you a proper choice. This is even more LARP than ME.

But it won't be cinematic otherwise, because games should be just a bunch of interactive cutscenes.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Always bet on Skyway.

 

[SuicideBunny]

but shoehorning each dialogue and possibly the entire playthrough into narrow predefined set of stereotypes.

traditional dialogues do this as well, even though they allow way more (so far vastly unused) creative freedom.
you always have the individual responses written from the perspective of a certain stereotype and the only thing you choose is what stereotype you wish to represent at a given point in the dialogue. any player character nuances are usually an illusion created by you picking one stereotype in one selection, and a different in another, and that's it.
what quality dialogue has mostly comes from the quality of those stereotypes, not the system used to present them.

 

[Radisshu]

Couldn't they just make time freeze when you get to choose a dialouge "path" or something?

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Always bet on Skyway.

Though on a more serious note, I do believe the idea of stances is a good one. It certainly makes it easier to figure out what the designer was thinking that the dialogue choice does.

And I for one think an active role in dialogue is an interesting direction to take, at least as a concept. I guess that the success of this will depend also on the "use skill: persuasion" type choices they talked about in earlier interviews, since the stance system doesn't do much good when you got figure out which of the choices uses which skill. But as a method of going through a dialogue sequence that's about interaction between the player and NPCs, the stance system could be a better method than traditional dialogue.

 

[fastpunk]

Almost everything about AP seems ok to good, except the fucking timed dialogue. If they did it exactly the same way as it was in Fahrenheit, it would be acceptable, because there you had a timer for dialogue choosing *after* the other character stopped talking, and here it looks like you'll have to read the stuff AND decide which option to take at the same time, which is retarded.

Yeah, deciding between 3-4 stances (visually represented by ONE word each) in a limited time while listening to someone talk seems like total brain overload.

I'm not very sure about the dialogue system itself, I'll take classic dialogue trees any day over this. But timed responses is something that I most certainly do not have a problem with. Quite the contrary, seems like the one interesting aspect of this system.

 

[BLOBERT]

THE DIALOG SUCKS IN ALPHA PROTOCOL BUT NOT AS BAD AS ITS POPAMOLE GAMEPLAY SHIT SHIT SHIT AND MORE SHIT EAT IT UP CONSOLETARDS

 

[Serious_Business]

THE DIALOG SUCKS IN ALPHA PROTOCOL BUT NOT AS BAD AS ITS POPAMOLE GAMEPLAY SHIT SHIT SHIT AND MORE SHIT EAT IT UP CONSOLETARDS

Seriously 'bro' start being funny because this shit is predictable and repetitive, I mean it in an art appreciation way trolling is an artform and you have a shitty little niche that needs to be expanded, you should think bigger 'bro' because you jumped the shark a long while ago and this is boring. Express BLOBERT as a more 3 dimensional character, that would be more convincing, insert some human reference there and there and everyone will be baffled when you come about spouting inane shit, but if you do it all the time it's like a badly written movie you know? You need nuance, form, style, panache. Work on it man

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

THE DIALOG SUCKS IN ALPHA PROTOCOL BUT NOT AS BAD AS ITS POPAMOLE GAMEPLAY SHIT SHIT SHIT AND MORE SHIT EAT IT UP CONSOLETARDS

Seriously 'bro' start being funny because this shit is predictable and repetitive, I mean it in an art appreciation way trolling is an artform and you have a shitty little niche that needs to be expanded, you should think bigger 'bro' because you jumped the shark a long while ago and this is boring. Express BLOBERT as a more 3 dimensional character, that would be more convincing, insert some human reference there and there and everyone will be baffled when you come about spouting inane shit, but if you do it all the time it's like a badly written movie you know? You need nuance, form, style, panache. Work on it man

You just don't understand the sheer headcrushing depth hidden in the wisdom of BROBERT.

 

[Kz3r0]

So they played Blade Runner.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

I figure people will just let the game pick the previously selected stance for them and play the whole game as either neutral fag, lawful good paladin, or X-TREME; just like in ME.

Do you guys really think people will bother trying (hell, be able to) to read dialogue fast enough to understand what was said AND pick an option?

edit: heh, just remembered each choice is represented by one word. Still, people will probably just choose the previous one unless there is an obvious penalty for the choice they've been making until that po-

Players must not feel punished for their choices

...nvm

 

[Azrael the cat]

So they played Blade Runner.

That's quite possibly the inspiration for it. Not that odd, because this group of developers have been wanting to try this dialogue system for a LONG LONG time. I'm amazed that no-one else has commented yet that this 'timed' dialogue system was heavily promoted as part of the cancelled Black Isle game TORN. That was back in the late 90s/2000. Bladerunner wasn't exactly an ancient game back then.

 

[Burning Bridges]

Couldn't they make dialog a mini game like Guitar Hero where the notes are the dialog options? This would have the advantage that you need not be able to read.

 

[janjetina]

Illiterates of the world, rejoice!

 

[BLOBERT]

BRO SERIOUS BUSINESS THANKS FOR TRYING TO HELP BUT I THINK I GOT THIS BRO SORRY I THOUGHT TIRED AND LAME TROLLING OF MOST TOPICS WAS THE NORMAL RESPONSE FOR ANY NEW GAME MY BAD HELP EVERYBODY ELSE KEEP UP THJERE ORIGIANL CRITIQUES