Interview Alpha Protocol Video Footage

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: Alpha Protocol; Obsidian Entertainment

Look at this <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/alphaprotocol/video/6257926?hd=1">video interview incl. gameplay snippets</a> over at GameSpot.
<br>
<br>
Boobs, Headshots, Kung-fu fighting - it's all there.
<br>
I noticed that - unlike Mass Effect 2 - weapons in AP actually have stats. Wunderbar.
<br>
<br>
thanks Krokar.

 

[Derper]

So Jack Bourne(r) will experience a lot of cool moments, huh? Sweet...








































... Jesus.
Did anyone actually think this was going to be good?
Please release Age of Decadence sometimes soon.

 

[Jaedar]

Sound like a third person Deus Ex with a more linear level design.
Certainly seems like an incline from ME.

 

[MetalCraze]

I wonder if people who compare AP to DX played Deus Ex at all or just continue being retards and repeat what devs tell them

 

[Quilty]

Looks streamlined.

 

[Jaedar]

I wonder if people who compare AP to DX played Deus Ex at all or just continue being retards and repeat what devs tell them

Well obviously I can't say for sure, as I haven't played AP. But according to what they say, that's what it is, and I trust obsidian for some reason or other.

 

[.Sigurd]

I wonder if people who compare AP to DX played Deus Ex at all or just continue being retards and repeat what devs tell them

Well obviously I can't say for sure, as I haven't played AP. But according to what they say, that's what it is, and I trust obsidian for some reason or other.

Major rule of the Codex:
Be pessimist, this way you will never be butthurt when they release the game.

 

[Haba]

Looks better than Mass Effect.

 

[Marquess Cornwallis]

I wonder if people who compare AP to DX played Deus Ex at all or just continue being retards and repeat what devs tell them

It's basically a question of whether you see the glass as half full or half empty. It could go either way with the actual game and it's impossible to tell based on PR talk and what limited previews we have.

While I understand your position is largely dictated by being the resident Grouchy Smurf impersonator (and you could easily be right in the end), consider this: let's say Alpha Protocol could indeed aspire to be a new Deus Ex or Bloodlines. I played both and they are some of my favourite games, but if I were given the same sort of information I have about Alpha Protocol now, they would hardly make a better impression. Unless you actually get to play them and experience their strengths, Bloodlines arguably looks cheesier and Deus Ex more "streamlined" then Alpha Protocol does, it's just hard to see that in retrospect. I remember feeling very sceptical about both before playing them (and I didn't pick up either until about a year after release).

And that's how I feel now. Sceptical, but hopeful.

 

[Sannom]

I wonder if people who compare AP to DX played Deus Ex at all or just continue being retards and repeat what devs tell them

The second option is doubtful, since the comparison was made way before Deus Ex started to be mentioned as an inspiration for AP by the devs. After all, once you go beyond the surface, the points of comparison are obvious.

The interview in itself wasn't that interesting, just summing up what the game is about. Some of the footage were good (apparently, you can take care of Molten Face without fighting him) but the animation when the woman hit Mike on the head was awkward.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

I can read the subtitles just fine...

 

[Mister Arkham]

I like the little status updates that are constantly flashing in the lower left-hand portion of the screen. In that cinematic where Thornton gets the crap kicked out of him for example:

*beaten in face with statue*

NEW EMAIL RECEIVED!

*knocked to ground with blow to top of head*

NEW ITEMS ARE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE!

Shit, I'm not going to complain about being given status messages. Just don't run them during your damn cutscenes and expect people to be able to keep a straight face when you talk about "cinematic immersion."

 

[Xi]

Looks like it's lacking in RPG depth. Looks very simplified. Hopefully there's more to it than just missions, and simple skills.

 

[MetalCraze]

It's basically a question of whether you see the glass as half full or half empty. It could go either way with the actual game and it's impossible to tell based on PR talk and what limited previews we have.

Limited previews? By now there is about one hour of gameplay footage out there if not more. And it looks and plays like Mass Effect (which was known even before the first video appeared). There is little in common with Deus Ex apart from AP being shooter with digits.
In DX there was no terribad cover system gameplay, no minigames (there were skills instead), no magic spells like wallhacks, hide-in-plain-sight, infinite bullets, etc, no focus on "roleplaying" where you select which cutscene to play - in fact even dialogue trees were next to non-existent in DX, and of course DX gave you more freedom in level completion whereas AP is very heavily trigger based (if one hour of gameplay footage showing that is not enough for you I don't know what is) - with enemies coming out of nowhere on cue, snipers learning of your position the moment you step on trigger, etc. Even based on these facts (backed up by Obsidian's very own gameplay footage) alone you can see that AP is a massive decline. Unless you enjoy playing the same minigame for 100th time - in DX a character skill was used instead.

While I understand your position is largely dictated by being the resident Grouchy Smurf impersonator (and you could easily be right in the end)

Except I like more games than I hate. But they are not pristine copies of Kill-Switch (dominant in newsposts and RPG discussion these days for some reason) when it comes to gameplay including this one.

let's say Alpha Protocol could indeed aspire to be a new Deus Ex or Bloodlines. I played both and they are some of my favourite games, but if I were given the same sort of information I have about Alpha Protocol now, they would hardly make a better impression.

There are shittons of info about AP proving that it is just a Mass Effect clone. Either you blindly refuse to see it or simply don't even try to look for it (which is strange considering that browsing newsposts here is enough). Which reminds me of the same with Failout 3, except this happens on the Codex now.

 

[Forest Dweller]

I wonder if people who compare AP to DX played Deus Ex at all or just continue being retards and repeat what devs tell them

Well obviously I can't say for sure, as I haven't played AP. But according to what they say, that's what it is, and I trust obsidian for some reason or other.

Major rule of the Codex:
Be pessimist, this way you will never be butthurt when they release the game.

Sad but true.

 

[StrangeCase]

Eh, pessimism is a natural counter to hype, and since hyping has reached disgusting levels in the gaming industry, a healthy dose of pessimism is seemingly the only way to preserve your sanity.

 

[Marquess Cornwallis]

There are shittons of info about AP proving that it is just a Mass Effect clone. Either you blindly refuse to see it or simply don't even try to look for it (which is strange considering that browsing newsposts here is enough).

I do not actively look for specific information, largely because while there is a lot of it, it is (or at least what I have seen was) repetitive and ultimately inconclusive. All in all, I don't think I have seen anywhere near an hour of gameplay. What I did see felt distorted by editing for PR purposes or simply hard to judge out of context.

As I said, you could easily be right. If it turns out you are, I'll be happy to make a "Skyway was right all along" post once I've actually played the game. Until then, I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Sannom]

no minigames (there were skills instead), no magic spells like wallhacks, hide-in-plain-sight, infinite bullets

There are skills in AP too. And previewers are adamant that trying to shut down a camera without any character skill is near impossible.
I hope you remember that Deus Ex had biomods, right? And that those were, to the core, magical powers? Wallhack and hide-in-plain-sight were just some of the tricks JC could get through mods. And there is no "infinite bullets" trick in AP.

 

[MetalCraze]

There are skills in AP too. And previewers are adamant that trying to shut down a camera without any character skill is near impossible.

In other words it's possible and you play mini-game to do it - the only thing that "skill" does is extending a mini-game time limit. That isn't a skill.

I hope you remember that Deus Ex had biomods, right? And that those were, to the core, magical powers? Wallhack and hide-in-plain-sight were just some of the tricks JC could get through mods.

No he couldn't. There were no magical arrows appearing out of nowhere showing how well enemy sees you and enemies being marked on the radar. I guess in AP it's just some magical "satellite scan".

And there is no "infinite bullets" trick in AP.

http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3169520
Now either I didn't do my homework well or you didn't but
"one of the submachine gun active skills, Bullet Storm, grants unlimited ammo for a short burst of time, allowing the player to run headfirst into a group of baddies and shoot them up without having to worry about reloading"
The ability that makes sense

 

[Sannom]

Now either I didn't do my homework well or you didn't but

This power doesn't grand unlimited ammo, because you still burn your supply of ammo. It just suppresses the need for reloading. And those aren't the same thing.

In other words it's possible and you play mini-game to do it - the only thing that "skill" does is extending a mini-game time limit. That isn't a skill.

All skills in RPG include a sense of randomness. In AP, it isn't done with dice rolls or number of tools needed, but with the stress and sense of observation of the player. And just like in other RPGs, the easiest obstacles are completely bypassed by the skill. No mini-games.

No he couldn't. There were no magical arrows appearing out of nowhere showing how well enemy sees you and enemies being marked on the radar.

He could see through walls at quite the distance though. That's not wallhack perhaps?

 

[Twinkle]

Complaining about wallhack vision or invisibility modes is strange - those are tropes of the genre regardless of setting. Level design is what will make or break this game. Multiple viable approaches for performing quests and reaching important parts of the level plus attention to detail - that's what defined Deus Ex for me. So far stuff I've seen looks really bland and linear.

 

[MetalCraze]

Now either I didn't do my homework well or you didn't but

This power doesn't grand unlimited ammo, because you still burn your supply of ammo. It just suppresses the need for reloading. And those aren't the same thing.

"Unlimited ammo"
Now english isn't my native language, but I know it fairly well. Do you?

All skills in RPG include a sense of randomness. In AP, it isn't done with dice rolls or number of tools needed, but with the stress and sense of observation of the player. And just like in other RPGs, the easiest obstacles are completely bypassed by the skill. No mini-games.

What? You play minigames in AP instead of skillchecks. Did you read previews/watched videos at all?

He could see through walls at quite the distance though. That's not wallhack perhaps?

Quite a distance was small enough, not unlike 100m according to one of the gameplay videos, and certainly without "telepathy" arrows telling you whether enemies see you or not like in Ass Creed 2. Finally in Deus Ex it was cyberpunk aug, in AP it doesn't make sense at all just like about all other "spells"

"One of the passive skills allowed Thorton to pass through a camera beam undetected."

"On-screen arrows now indicated enemy locations and temporary invisibility allowed Thorton to get close and execute fatal takedowns without being detected."

Seriously no aug in DX will beat this dumbed down shit. /notarget is stealth according to Obsidian.

 

[Sannom]

"Unlimited ammo"
Now english isn't my native language, but I know it fairly well. Do you?

It isn't my native language either, but yes, I do understand it fairly well. But for me, knowing that ammo is limited and that you have to reload weapons, "unlimited ammo" here means "unlimited magazine". A previewer wouldn't make the difference because "unlimited magazine" is silly, but I can think and see what the mechanic is really like.

What? You play minigames in AP instead of skillchecks. Did you read previews/watched videos at all?

But the difficulty of the mini-games is dependent on your skill-level AND the level of the lock/hack. True, it has never been stated this way, but when a preview says that some locks were bypassed completely by the skill, with no mini-game involved, I think it is pretty obvious that locks/hacks have a difficulty level.

One of the passive skills allowed Thorton to pass through a camera beam undetected.

That was also in Deus Ex though a mod. And I'm pretty sure that this cloak thing in AP is not passive, at least not in the early levels.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Unlimited magazine isn't any less silly a skill than unlimited ammo, though

Unless they're going for the spy flick trope where guns never run out of ammo when intense action scenes are taking place

 

[Sannom]

Unlimited magazine isn't any less silly a skill than unlimited ammo, though

Unless they're going for the spy flick trope where guns never run out of ammo when intense action scenes are taking place

Can't deny the first point But hey, I played Dragon Age where ammo is really unlimited and many other games where you can take enough ammo to last a lifetime
For the second point, I think it's pretty obvious, given what the devs said were the biggest influence for the game