Alpha Protocol

[Lambach]

You lose him as a store option and as a handler for the final mission.

Then what about the final mission? You can pick either him, SIE or Albatross to bust you out. What happens if you can't have any of the 3 for your handler? For example, Heck is pissed, SIE was killed in Brayko's mansion and Albatross is never met?

 

[Sannom]

Then what about the final mission? You can pick either him, SIE or Albatross to bust you out. What happens if you can't have any of the 3 for your handler? For example, Heck is pissed, SIE was killed in Brayko's mansion and Albatross is never met?

You can't piss off Heck unless you've secured someone else to help you in the final mission. So basically, you have to finish Moscow before you go to Taipei.

 

[Sannom]

Interesting interview on the game's development :

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-09-06-the-making-of-alpha-protocol-obsidians-secret-best-rpg

 

[ortucis]

Box cover: "ALPHA PROTOCOL: THE ESPIONAGE RPG"

James Bond, Jason Bourne, and Jack Bauer aren't known for sneaking.

 

[Grunker]

Remember when Alpha Protocol's WTF-ness was thought of as a defining attribute of Obsidian?

Well, the WTF-ness of the Marburg-scene wasn't clever or weird, it was an obvious mix-up in the C&C's coding. My assumption is that the reputation shifts meant that I *just enough* bad reputation to get the "OH WE ARE ARCH ENEMIES DAWG" dialogue but *not enough* to avoid the "kthxby marbrug bro" ending.

 

[fantadomat]

You lose him as a store option and as a handler for the final mission.

Then what about the final mission? You can pick either him, SIE or Albatross to bust you out. What happens if you can't have any of the 3 for your handler? For example, Heck is pissed, SIE was killed in Brayko's mansion and Albatross is never met?

Are you saying that there are people who don't want to be raped by big fit blond german milf???

 

[Quillon]

Damn AP has way too many trailers(counted 23 trailers + 5 dev. diaries). Sega invested too much apparently hence not happy with sales & no sequel

 

[Major_Blackhart]

I was under the impression that this game was a poorly polished turd? What's with all the AP love lately? Is it cause of it being talked about in interviews and shit?

 

[Zombra]

It is a mystery, but don't talk too much shit about Alpha Protocol, there's plenty to love about it.

 

[circ]

it's an unpolished turd. Sie interactions were cool, hotel level was cool. Das abut it

 

[Tigranes]

AP is awesome and it has always been awesome. If you want good shooting mechanics, play Dark Souls or whatever it is, and it is a janky game, but the reactivity is fucking crazy in this game that only AOD has matched (and surpassed) since, and the way all the pieces of the story come together in the Grand Dialogue with Leland at the end - which has a million permutations based on all your choices thus far, not to mention entire boss fight scenes that change based on C&C - is a unique experience.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

It is a mystery, but don't talk too much shit about Alpha Protocol, there's plenty to love about it.

Alpha Protocol is almost worth playing for its innovative non-linear overall structure. Almost. Actual gameplay consists of cover-based shooter mechanics in boring linear levels, with some character customization/progression bolted on. Although the box calls it "Alpha Protocol: The Espionage RPG", the game contains little espionage, and it isn't an RPG.

 

[Ash]

It's a slightly more interesting version of Mass Effect gameplay-wise. So therefore still total shit. Some people with no standards in gameplay like it for the C&C/character interactions though, which is the better aspect of the experience. Shame it's bolted on to an awful game.

 

[Quillon]

I was under the impression that this game was a poorly polished turd? What's with all the AP love lately? Is it cause of it being talked about in interviews and shit?

I don't see the love for AP here, tis been 2 months without any posts in this thread but I see too much bethesda love on Codex for their twice/thrice older games. Codex is full of secret Todd Howard fans.

 

[Valtiel]

I was under the impression that this game was a poorly polished turd? What's with all the AP love lately? Is it cause of it being talked about in interviews and shit?

shitty gameplay (fake stealth and shooting is a mess) but everything else is so cool, I did only one playthrough but i'm really craving to do another one

 

[Junmarko]

I became numb to pistol+head-shotting everyone I came across, untill about half-way through where it sunk in - I just sat back in my chair and started laughing uncontrollably at how absurd the gameplay is moment to moment. Couldn't finish it.

 

[Tigranes]

For anybody who plays it, here's some tips:

(1) Pretty sure almost everybody in Codex is going to go pistol + stealth, but the most fun I've had is actually going ham, especially with grenades and mines; it's not a great action game no matter what you do, but it can be really really fun to stand heroically in the corridor, let the enemies run towards you, have two of them blow up as you trigger the explosives, and then put a shotgun to the face of the third. It can also be quite fun to go in with AR or something and throw fire grenades setting people on fire. AP, like most modern games is far, far too easy, and the pistol special ability is broken, so using it is sort of like using Black Hole in Elex. Sure it's the game's fault for having OP stuff yadda yadda yadda, but I prefer to find ways to make the game fun if I'm going to be playing it, and that means not using exclusively the Gauss Rifle in FO1/2, not abusing Harm in Arcanum, etc.

(2) For what many feel to be 'janky' movement by Thorton, try this. Basically eliminates the 'turning' animations and Thorton will insta-teleport to face the direction you want in a nanosecond.

Go to the game install folder, APConfig\Config\DefaultInput.
Beneath 'General Bindings', replace the 4 lines with:

+Bindings=(Name="MoveForward",Command="Axis aBaseY Speed=0.2")
+Bindings=(Name="MoveBackward",Command="Axis aBaseY Speed=-0.2")
+Bindings=(Name="StrafeLeft",Command="Axis aStrafe Speed=-0.2")
+Bindings=(Name="StrafeRight",Command="Axis aStrafe Speed=+0.2")​

And under 'Player Movement', add these lines:

+Bindings=(Name="W",Command="Axis aBaseY Speed=1.0",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=False)
+Bindings=(Name="S",Command="Axis aBaseY Speed=-1.0",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=False)
+Bindings=(Name="A",Command="Axis aStrafe Speed=-1.0",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=False)
+Bindings=(Name="D",Command="Axis aStrafe Speed=1.0",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=False)
+Bindings=(Name="W",Command="Axis aBaseY Speed=1.0",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=True)
+Bindings=(Name="S",Command="Axis aBaseY Speed=-1.0",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=True)
+Bindings=(Name="A",Command="Axis aStrafe Speed=-1.0",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=True)
+Bindings=(Name="D",Command="Axis aStrafe Speed=1.0",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=True)​

​

(3) If you do want to play stealthy, then I recommend editing NoiseStats to create more challenge and a generally more realistic balance. Go to My Documents\Alpha Protocol\APGame\Config\APNoiseStats.ini and adjust Noise_Level for all the actions and weapon/attack types available in the game. In my experience, increasing everything by roughly 15-20% is great; no longer do you feel like you can tiptoe right behind a guard with impunity, or silent takedown one of them with the other one just around the corner. Exact adjustments will depend on how you feel, but e.g. adding ~4 to things like door_open or silent_takedown really makes you have more elaborate stealth strategies, and creates situations where you can't take everybody out silently. No Thief, but you do start thinking more in those terms.

(4) I think avoiding pistol+stealth special ability OPfest & editing noisestats is usually sufficient to encourage the player to go ham more, use all the items at his disposal, and have more of a chaotic fun playthrough. In addition, I personally like to edit XP tables to slow down levelings and skill point gain - and to play as Recruit. Playing on normal tables, especially if you play on Veteran, means that not only do you get all the SP you'd ever want too quickly, as in most modern games, you also end up relying on the OP special abilities that make the game less fun. Same folder, APLevelChart has XP & SP for every level; I like to put the XP thresholds up again 15-20%.

(5) Finally / alternatively, there are easy ways to increase enemy damage so that combat is more lethal; APAI.ini contains 'GlobalAIDamageReduction' which you can reduce, and APGame.ini has 'HardModePawnDamageIncrease' which you can jank up.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Sure Pistol is supposedly overpowered, but it's not like the rest of the weapons are particularly weak.
Though I spent the entire damn game punching things, so what do I know.

 

[fantadomat]

I played the game with only hand to hand and some weapons for the arabs.

 

[FeelTheRads]

It is a mystery, but don't talk too much shit about Alpha Protocol, there's plenty to love about it.

Alpha Protocol is almost worth playing for its innovative non-linear overall structure. Almost. Actual gameplay consists of cover-based shooter mechanics in boring linear levels, with some character customization/progression bolted on. Although the box calls it "Alpha Protocol: The Espionage RPG", the game contains little espionage, and it isn't an RPG.

Exactly. Shit gameplay, trademark Obsidian.
Couldn't give a shit about the supposed interactivity. OMGF I clicked a different button and activated a different script! Amazing! I can interact with the set number of scripts that the developers implemented!

These fucking C&C-fags don't seem to understand that C&C is fucking meaningless if you play a game just once. And it's fucking meaningless if the game is shit. So, what, to enjoy the good thing about Alpha Protocol I have to go through the mass of shit that it is several times? Fuck off.

Btw, TTON has a fucking ton of C&C, I'm sure more than Alphaturd Prototurd but nobody is calling that amazing and ignoring that the game is actual shit. Because pretty much nobody bothered to play it more than once to actually experience that C&C.

 

[Quillon]

These fucking C&C-fags don't seem to understand that C&C is fucking meaningless if you play a game just once.

Some people don't play RPGs more than once but appreciate that they can play it their way. If you don't care about choices why bother with RPGs at all? There are more action games with good gameplay. Sometimes its worth bearing through bad gameplay/finding something that works for you and playing it that way to enjoy what else the game offers but this doesn't apply to all evidently.

 

[Tigranes]

Sure Pistol is supposedly overpowered, but it's not like the rest of the weapons are particularly weak.
Though I spent the entire damn game punching things, so what do I know.

It's not really about overpowered - like most modern games, AP is piss easy no matter what you do. It's more about having fun with it. I really enjoy going in AR/shotgun blazing and lobbing grenades left and right, clicking explosive triggers as enemies come up behind me then Tarzan'ing my way down the clothesline. And if you want to sneak, there is far more tension if you jack up the noisestats to more realistic levels then refrain from the magic pistol superpower (which is far more egregious than other superpowers).

Btw, TTON has a fucking ton of C&C, I'm sure more than Alphaturd Prototurd but nobody is calling that amazing and ignoring that the game is actual shit. Because pretty much nobody bothered to play it more than once to actually experience that C&C.

AP gives you enough callbacks on your C&C, and has short, medium and long term C&C peppered throughout, that I was already excited about replaying it when going through the first time, even as we all recognised the gameplay isn't very good. AP, for all its failures, delivers on memorable moments like the Leland Talk, the initial Rome meeting, and the fucking crazy Hong Kong dude that puts machine guns on the subway - even as many of those moments, even the very first time, show quite clearly how they are reacting to your past choices. TTON might have tons of C&C but it doesn't really entice you to explore them.

It's one thing to have a C&C blockbuster with shitty gameplay, it's another thing to have a C&C blockbuster with shit writing, shit setting, shit pacing and shit gameplay.

 

[FeelTheRads]

Some people don't play RPGs more than once but appreciate that they can play it their way.

How do you know those choices did anything? When you play it again, you can explore different choices and see different results. But when do it only once? How do I know that what looks like a choice isn't just a Bioware choice and no matter what button I press I'll get the same result? Even if there are those callbacks*, they could really just be the only thing that's there for the only result that was possible.

Compared to actual RPG choices (as in character building), C&C are simply fluff. Nice to have, but hardly the reason to go through the horrible shit that AP is. And AP is just as bad in its main gameplay as TTON is.

*what the fuck does that even mean? So no actual consequences, just the game telling you "hey, you chose something at some point"?

 

[Zombra]

Compared to actual RPG choices (as in character building), C&C are simply fluff.

RPG choices are meaningless if you only play the game once. How do you know things would have been any different as a wizard?

 

[Quillon]

How do you know those choices did anything? When you play it again, you can explore different choices and see different results. But when do it only once? How do I know that what looks like a choice isn't just a Bioware choice and no matter what button I press I'll get the same result?

For AP its too apparent that game's reacting to what you choose to do; short-term, long-term, even what you wear matters sometimes:



And there is obvious/IMO bad choices like saving the girl or a group of people. #choiceagony

If its Bio-style choices you'd know when you browse about it in here or somewhere else if haven't managed to yourself.