Screenshot thread

[schru]

Recently I noticed a problem with the train in the first combat level too, so maybe Valve broke something again ...)

What sort of problem?

When I played the first level of ‘Route Kanal’ recently, the second Combine train (i.e., the third train counting the one which stops earlier for you to use it to jump across the tracks) didn't appear at all after I jumped down into the canal below or onto the platform with the closed door suspended over the canal. The train should appear then, running over the two Civil Protection squads closing in on the player along the tracks.

What version are you playing?
Never encountered that problem.

The standard Steam version. I don't think I have the bug-fixing patch-mod installed, but I'll make sure later. The only possibly abnormal thing is that I don't have a graphics card and I had to use a launch command to force a higher version of Direct3D.

It's also the first time I encountered it and I was quite taken aback.

 

[ds]

This was probably broken with the 2013 update, at least I remember running into the stuck train then. Was supposed to be fixed in 2014 but I guess not fully.

 

[NecroLord]

Recently I noticed a problem with the train in the first combat level too, so maybe Valve broke something again ...)

What sort of problem?

When I played the first level of ‘Route Kanal’ recently, the second Combine train (i.e., the third train counting the one which stops earlier for you to use it to jump across the tracks) didn't appear at all after I jumped down into the canal below or onto the platform with the closed door suspended over the canal. The train should appear then, running over the two Civil Protection squads closing in on the player along the tracks.

What version are you playing?
Never encountered that problem.

The standard Steam version. I don't think I have the bug-fixing patch-mod installed, but I'll make sure later. The only possibly abnormal thing is that I don't have a graphics card and I had to use a launch command to force a higher version of Direct3D.

It's also the first time I encountered it and I was quite taken aback.

How do you compare it to the first Half-Life?
While I like HL2, Half-Life 1 will always remain one of my favorite games.
Game is quite underwhelming in some instances, that fight with the Combine and placing turrets in Nova Prospekt is really frustrating.

 

[NecroLord]

Darth Roxor
Now you got me in a Doom 3 mood!
I will start a Doom 3 run.
Original, not the crummy BFG Edition.

 

[schru]

This was probably broken with the 2013 update, at least I remember running into the stuck train then. Was supposed to be fixed in 2014 but I guess not fully.

I see, so it was getting stuck there too. I was aware of the bug that was causing the earlier one to stop, just before the stairs down which the flaming barrel is dropped.

I couldn't replicate the bug now and I no longer have the autosave from the instance when it happened, where it was replicable.

Recently I noticed a problem with the train in the first combat level too, so maybe Valve broke something again ...)

What sort of problem?

When I played the first level of ‘Route Kanal’ recently, the second Combine train (i.e., the third train counting the one which stops earlier for you to use it to jump across the tracks) didn't appear at all after I jumped down into the canal below or onto the platform with the closed door suspended over the canal. The train should appear then, running over the two Civil Protection squads closing in on the player along the tracks.

What version are you playing?
Never encountered that problem.

The standard Steam version. I don't think I have the bug-fixing patch-mod installed, but I'll make sure later. The only possibly abnormal thing is that I don't have a graphics card and I had to use a launch command to force a higher version of Direct3D.

It's also the first time I encountered it and I was quite taken aback.

How do you compare it to the first Half-Life?
While I like HL2, Half-Life 1 will always remain one of my favorite games.
Game is quite underwhelming in some instances, that fight with the Combine and placing turreta in Nova Prospekt is really frustrating.

I approached playing the series in the ‘correct’ way, so that while HL2 which attracted my attention, I played HL1 and its expansion packs first. Initially I wasn't entirely interested or maybe habituated to playing games like that, so I found the gameplay kind of dull and probably didn't go with the flow of the set pieces. The cartoonish grotesque, huge research facility with hazards to explore, and the government cover-up theme appealed to me a lot, however, and I loved the ending.

HL2 wasn't exactly what I was expecting it to be—more streamlined, not very challenging, and with character drama constituting much of the plot, but I enjoyed most of it exceedingly for the continuous thrill of the easy-flowing action, set pieces, and various interesting details; I found the setting to be intriguing and unique too. The way Valve does, or used to do, things has so much style and flavour—the Combine radio chatter, the atmosphere of the Central or Eastern European city gradually being consumed by the alien machine, what I think is the intentional vagueness of the story with regards to the role of the player or the real nature of the enemy, the alarmed and sad feeling one gets from seeing the headcrab zombies with the bloodied hosts muttering and shambling around, and screaming if set on fire ...

But on a more concrete gameplay side, I do agree in principle that the game is too easy and constrained by scripting, especially early on. Where I differ from the Codex consensus is that the vehicles and vehicle sections are among the best in games, because apart from more open-ended games, vehicles in action games need levels tailored to them. The gravity gun is good and functional, but of course one loses interest in playing with physics in games past a certain point. The antlion bugbait is the real gimmick of the game—the spectacle is nice to look at, but there isn't much gameplay to it at all.

The later prison levels are among the most boring in the game, together with that canals section at the end of ‘Anticitizen One’. The squad mechanic is very poorly implemented and the rebels basically work only as a background when they don't get in the way. Generally, having the unique NPCs accompany the player in combat sections brings nothing of worth to the game either, it's just too basic and bland.

The actual shooter part of the game becomes good only in the street war, where the followers don't get in the way. There are more soldiers to fight, the level design at times facilitates interesting situations where they can be dangerous, and the grenades can even kill you and it's fun to throw them back. The striders are very cool and the sections where they can blow up parts of buildings are very exciting, especially the last street battle which can feel genuinely hectic; however, concluding those sections with crates of endless rockets is a big let-down. The final chapters are fun at first, but the last battle should have been something more unique and elaborate.

I learned to appreciate the first Half-Life more later, as I kept replaying it. It takes some prior knowledge, or just a play-style, to get into the midst of the set pieces without playing too carefully. Playing it on hard also made it feel more interesting compared to the difference a difficulty increase makes in most games of this type. I got into the Build games, Doom, and Quake only afterwards and I was quite astounded by how consistently excellent their gameplay was, since I used to assume that they were just too simplistic and repetitive. It wasn't until then that I understood what was good about pure shooters and why they didn't need to be ‘diversified’ with various additions and showiness to be highly fun. Ironically, despite my fondness for the HL series as a whole, it doesn't seem like I'll ever experience the first game in this way, as a sort of revelation. I rather cherish it for the whole set of things that make it feel the way it does.

 

[NecroLord]

Where I differ from the Codex consensus is that the vehicles and vehicle sections are among the best in games, because apart from more open-ended games, vehicles in action games need levels tailored to them.

I liked those as well.
If only because you are on your own and not saddled with Alyx or any Resistance members being useless.
Just like the first game.
Running, gunning.

 

[schru]

Where I differ from the Codex consensus is that the vehicles and vehicle sections are among the best in games, because apart from more open-ended games, vehicles in action games need levels tailored to them.

I liked those as well.
If only because you are on your own and not saddled with Alyx or any Resistance members being useless.
Just like the first game.
Running, gunning.

Yes, they retain something more of the character of the original, just in a different type of situations.

I forgot to add that I did enjoy the turret sections in the prison. They were perhaps the only really meritorious bits in terms of well thought out gameplay. It's easy to spoil them for yourself if you set the turrets up in very inadequate places, but when put in a more strategic way which requires you to keep watch over them as the soldiers advance from different sides, those parts become quite fun.

As for follower NPCs, the Episodes fixed this in a way because Alyx in Episode One is very enjoyable to have around as a character, but the problem is that it feels like a different style of game, a sort of casual romp against the background of a setting that was much more sombre and serious in HL2. The NPCs in the Episodes are generally unobtrusive, they have better animations and nice special moves, but those games are very easy going, designed for the player to glide through them. The writing and ‘scene direction’ for Alyx in particular were also greatly improved there, but it's quite understandable that those things are far removed from gameplay proper.

 

[Hag]

See that mountain ? You can't go there.

 

[Ivan]

JarlFrank Lost Judgment (specifically Kaito Files DLC)

 

[Jaesun]

I'm finally getting to this game... I'm a tad behind on games...

 

[Dr1f7]

JarlFrank Lost Judgment (specifically Kaito Files DLC)

japanese "humor", everybody

 

[Catacombs]

Quite the hill to die on.

 

[Fedora Master]

japanese "humor", everybody

Oversexed and underfucked

 

[Bendu]

Spoiler

 

[LB_wannabe]

Dungeon Siege + Ultima VI: Project

 

[Arthandas]

Some screens from early areas in FF IX (Duckstation + CRT Royale). The slot mask will look like shit if the images are not opened in full res.

 

[Nutmeg]

Interesting choice of CRT filter. Going for the running the game using an emulator using HLE graphics emulation on a late 90s PC CRT look.

I myself prefer LLE graphics emulation simulating a consumer aperture grill TV for 240p console games.

 

[potatojohn]

 

[ferratilis]

Some Russian Bioshock

And some French Last of Us. Both better than the games they're trying to emulate. Also good for graphicsfags.

 

[FA7]

After seeing first screen I thought it's project igi

 

[Modron]

After seeing first screen I thought it's project igi

Nope this is what an RTX 2080 gets you in current year.

 

[potatojohn]

After seeing first screen I thought it's project igi

Nope this is what an RTX 2080 gets you in current year.

3060 actually

 

[Hag]

AC6 did made me hungry for some good old robot action, so have some Mechwarrior Living Legend official "mech explodes on Strana Mechti" screenshot of the day :

Also lol noobs :

 

[Alienman]

I tried this.

Spoiler

Now this is a treat. A game based on the TV series Twin Peaks with a PS1 graphic style made in the vein of old survival horror games to boot. Boy, oh boy. Twin Peaks: Into the Night is an excellent demonstration of what could become something great in the future. However, as I see it there is one big complication attached here. I’m not talking about the production itself, but the licensing since the game doesn’t only borrow ideas from Twin Peaks, it is Twin Peaks! So, unless the developer Blue Rose Team plans to release the full game as something free, I don’t see how this could get made – yet stranger things have happened.

Twin Peaks?
The game (demo) follows the TV series, and at first, I was worried that this would be it. However, already in the hospital, there are expanded scenes, and extra characters to talk to and even items to pick up for later use. What is funny here is that all the extras have avatars from famous cult movies. One of the hospital workers is the nurse from An American Werewolf in London.

The demo isn’t long at all – actually, the hospital will be the majority of the game. Still, I think they managed to reach a nice level of game interaction, and story additions to the grand narrative that is Twin Peaks. It’s a nice thin slice of cherry pie of what could become real one day.

I do hope they continue on this note if they ever complete the game. The atmosphere is great, and I think they nailed that specific dreamy melancholic feeling that Twin Peaks is known for. Just walking around as Agent Cooper and interacting with things in this world is a delight.

Visuals & gamplay
On gameplay and general production, it sure feels like a PS1 title. It has very charming visuals, and just navigating the inventory and world by itself feels very survival horror of old. I highly recommend playing it with a controller as it even uses tank control. I played the demo with a PS4 controller, and I had no issues at all. The only thing I would give the game minus points for is the voices. They use the voices from the TV show, and that is all well and good, but the quality at certain times is abysmal. I noticed Harry’s voice got cut in one scene, and I had a hard time making out what Dr. Jacoby said. It’s like the voice lines were cleaned up from background sounds (like music) through some kind of program, but it didn’t do that great of a job – making the lines sound artificial and garbled at times. It’s not a huge problem, and it’s not a consistent thing throughout the demo, but I can easily see this becoming an annoyance in the full game.

Hype or not?
Twin Peaks: Into the Night impressed me since it both captured the mood of the TV series and the gameplay style of old-school survival horrors. If this ever gets made into a full-blooded title, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it for one second – day one purchase, baby! However, I’m not too optimistic about the future since mentioned; the licensing issues, and well, the game would have to be fairly big to cover the whole show. That is a lot of work for a bunch of enthusiast developers, especially if it’s something that can’t generate money. I will not write it off though. I want this to happen, but I wouldn’t board the hype train just yet. I do want to wish the developer team Blue Rose Team good luck! You have captured magic here.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Fedora Master]