The only level of DRM I'll be okay with is no DRM.
For everything else: See if crack is available before buying.
Basically this. This DRM isn't as bad as Ubisofts but it still only harms the legitimate consumer, for the downloader, it'll be available a week in advance and without any install restrictions.
DarkWarrior on
0
TrippyJingMoses supposes his toeses are roses.But Moses supposes erroneously.Registered Userregular
If you're after plot you'll probably get more from this, if you want multiplayer and length of gameplay which starts off really impressive but grows into a general slog as all GTa games do, RDR is probably for you.
My point was that at least on some level, Ubi's thought is that if they're a little too ambitious with their DRM, then later, stricter-but-not-THAT-strict DRM won't be shot down by the playerbase. To say nothing that the vast majority of the playbase won't care as long as it works.
Well, anyway. Back to Alpha. The videos on page 1 look freaking awesome, I hope it's half as good as it looks. I'm probably going to go as stealthy as possible, but I have to admit the idea of trying to go in as "Quake Marine in a Spy Movie" is fun, too.
Was Space Siege as bad as everyone says? I remember looking at it before it came out and thinking it would be fun to get, but it slipped under my radar before release.
Yeah, you're right.
I couldn't believe the comments I've seen about how "that's not so bad" when they released the specs for this DRM.
Instead of just fucking you in the ass, now they're just giving you the reacharound and that makes it okay.
Easy to fool people I suppose.
I don't see how getting to install the game on 5 different computers at once without the need for Internet access at any point other than installation (which doesn't matter because of course you'll want to patch it when you install and you probably bought it off of Steam anyways so you need the Internet to install it) counts as getting fucked in the ass. I mean, how could that ever conceivably inconvenience you? Do you really have more than 5 machines that you want to simultaneously play the game on?
At least Sega says they plan to patch out AP's DRM once it's been out long enough that it doesn't serve a purpose.
Yeah, this. For all the ranting that publishers do about piracy, most of them also have been known to mention that they're really only worried about it during the months near release, when it most drastically affects sales. Anyone that repeals their copy protection after that is making a step in the right direction as far as I'm concerned. I think X3: Reunion is the first time I heard of someone doing it, and I've tried to make note of what a great idea it is every time it's come up since then.
Although one questions whether DRM ever accomplishes its purpose. I mean, I wouldn't suddenly pirate if they stripped DRM, and I suspect the opposite is true of pirates.
It's all about reducing the amount of casual piracy in the first few weeks. A lot of those people are going to pirate it anyway, but the thought process is if a more casual pirate looks at the torrent sites in the first week or so and sees that it isn't out, or that the cracks don't work well, they'll get impatient and just go out and buy the real thing. At least, that's the thought process
In my experience I find activations far less limiting and annoying than fucking disks. I never had problems with activated games and had plenty of problems with disks that go bad even after not being abused. And activated games don't make me dig around my 2 240-disk cases. Fuck that.
At least Sega says they plan to patch out AP's DRM once it's been out long enough that it doesn't serve a purpose.
Yeah, this. For all the ranting that publishers do about piracy, most of them also have been known to mention that they're really only worried about it during the months near release, when it most drastically affects sales. Anyone that repeals their copy protection after that is making a step in the right direction as far as I'm concerned. I think X3: Reunion is the first time I heard of someone doing it, and I've tried to make note of what a great idea it is every time it's come up since then.
Hearing that they'll patch out the DRM is all I really need to know. As long as the DRM doesn't put something hideously intrusive on my system and/or be such complete shit as to prevent me from playing the game I payed for, I don't mind the activation limit stuff at all. I'll just get it through Steam anyway and it'll end up getting automatically patched out.
This isn't even in the same league as that 24/7 connection bullshit Ubisoft uses. I consider about as intrusive as Steam; I don't even notice the DRM part and I don't have more than one gaming system to install to anyway. Worst case scenario, I build new gaming PCs every 3-5 years and end up never having to deal with the activation limit anyway because it'll be long gone after 15-25 years.
Also, disks can go to hell as a DRM system. Vastly prefer an invisible system I never have to deal with.
I just preordered this. EBGames has it listed for AU$110, I ordered it from www.365games.co.uk for about AU$35 with free shipping. That's about the equivalent of waiting a year or two for the price to drop, and I only have to wait a couple of extra days.
Yeah, those guys have pretty much become my go to guys now. UK PC prices drop through the floor so fast now, where here they don't go down till after Christmas or a year and a bit has passed.
Takes less than a week to arrive usually and is waaaay cheaper than purchasing games here, unless it's a title that launches under $70.
For example Mass Effect 2 is still $80-100 here still.
That site has it for $27 Australian with free shipping.
This game actually looks better, in the new previews and videos, than I thought it would gameplay and animation-wise.
I expected good dialogue, an interesting plot, decent voice acting, and a somewhat buggy and choppy game.
Instead, it looks absolutely fantastic. Hopefully this and New Vegas will put Obsidian outside Bioware's shadow in the future, let them work on new ips like AP more instead of retreading and improving on other developers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDuZ9LIer6o
Fairly typical trailer though I think this is the first time we've seen that caped man from Taipei speak. His uniform kind of of reminds me of this character.
I dunno, from what I could understand and the translated part, the review seems utterly pedestrian in that they were obsessed with "freedom" and "choice". How's the story, you Spaniard?!
I was able to get my Spanish fluent friend to translate the article and here are the more commentary specific bits.
Being able to choose to sneak around or go guns a blazing is a plus
AI is bad and noticeable in both the action and stealth routes
CQC is a bit rough and is more effective than shooting which made the game feel a bit off
Graphics are nothing special but at least the environments are varied
Animations aren't polished and the models are limited
The concluding paragraph ends a pretty positive note though.
There's been better action games, both technically and when it comes to the fun factor. But Alpha Protocol is more than an action game and its virtues lie in the freedom that it gives us at the time of picking missions and taking decisions which influence the plot, something we hadn't seen in "Spy games". If you want hack-and-slash action, it's not your game. But if you want to feel like a real spy, you'll enjoy it.
Commentary on the spoilerish videos from Spoit's post.
I may need to reconsider making Brayko my buddy on my first playthrough. I thought the "Leave Surkov to His Fate" video would be the neutral video and boy was I wrong. That scene felt absolutely brutal and literally made me feel uncomfortable having Thorton watch the knifing. I do wonder how it'd play out if Brayko wasn't there.
87 from GameStar, summary by Oner on the Obsidian forums:
"An original idea that Obsidian needed to finally step out of Bioware's shadow."
+A spy story that humbles books and movies
+Frenetic dialogues
+Innovative dialogue-system
+An amalgamation of three balanced play styles
+Choices, choices and choices (yes, he wrote it like this original.gif )
-A bit outdated graphics
-Moderately bad animations
-No physics
Review stuff
He's hoping for free roam in the sequel
Code-breaking mini game is the mos annoying laughing.gif
Varied and clever missions - see slight spoilers 2nd-4th line
Cover system is everywhere, works well (and that's roughly all he has to say about combat laughing.gif)
Martial Arts animations are superb, dynamic, and they convey the force of a punch or kick very well
Excitingly intricate plot threads
Very pleasantly surprised by the DSS, similarities with ME's system end with the vague response descriptions
AP beat his reservations and was an immersive game
Main characters look good, but minor actors (guards, terrorists etc) are clones, though both graphics and animations were noticeably improved since the October delay, but could still be better
Movement, especially the enemies' is clumsy, and disappearing bodies are slightly disillusioning
Environments are varied and most of them are atmospheric (special mention goes to the luxury yacht and a Tai Pei hotel), safe houses are spectacular (his favorite's Rome)
Some walls have low-res textures, explosions and muzzle flashes are ugly, destructible environment is limited to (barrels and) fugly trucks
If it weren't for graphics and animations, the score would exceed 90, but "we have to be content with a world champ story, lovable-hateable characters, fun gameplay and innumerable choices. This is enough to be a good game, but it remains to be seen if AP will be a successful game."
Gameplay info
Missions that haven an Alpha mark influence the overall plot
Sniper rifles, so there you have it
Screenshot indicates a simultaneous (in this case, video)conversation (or a speech?) with up to four people (shown in that instance are Scarlet, Mina and two guys who stand too far from their webcam to see)
10-10 AP/level + a few extra points for some side missions
Martial Arts is either required for, or is a non-lethal take down method, not sure which
If you choose your words carefully, you can end up having several handlers helping you on one mission
Appearances deceive, some characters respond well to a different stance than their looks suggest, so dossiers are important
You can find (or in case of e-mails, intercept) incriminating info sometimes, which you can use to 1) blackmail the poor sod whom it belongs to 2) sell it to the highest bidder 3) forward it to Scarlet
In case this is new to some people:
3 ammo types/weapon
The game's biggest weapon is information
Acquiring info beforehand can change the course of a conversation
(/Detailed) Maps and stuff can be bought from the Clearing House
Slight/throwaway spoilers (vague situation examples and the like)
"Master spy" Steve Heck is hilarious
Identify a terrorist among the quests of a party with a sniper rifle
Bug a CIA observation post
You have to stop an assassination attempt, but the assassin is well guarded, if you have a good rep with a fraction, they'll send so muscle to help out
One meeting is "interrupted" (you can't interrupt what is yet to start) by someone (the scene's description makes me think it's Marburg), s/he threatens you, you can threaten back, be cooperative, or try and glean info from him/her
You can hire people to dispose of enemies on a map (not clear whether it's kill, bribe or distract, but it seems you can hire someone to mow down some baddies with a machine gun in a metro)
Safehouses are provided by Mina, there's a hunt for Mike and she gives you updates on how it's going, analyzes dossiers and gives additional intel
Man I have all the physics I want right here at my home at the real world. I can throw shit around all day long.
I'd rather have super spy shenanigans penned by the Amazing Chris "Hot Stuff" Avellone than physics any day.
wait can you actually do that? like as part of gameplay and not a glitch?
goddamn i need more money.
Yes, but it's more fun to attach an enemy to it. "AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaa... bang"
AnteCantelope on
0
MongerI got the ham stink.Dallas, TXRegistered Userregular
edited May 2010
Now what would you people say if I were to tell you that propane tank astronauting was among the least ridiculous of the things you can do in Just Cause 2?
wait can you actually do that? like as part of gameplay and not a glitch?
goddamn i need more money.
Yes, but it's more fun to attach an enemy to it. "AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaa... bang"
More fun to scare the crap out of the citizens around and tether an enemy soldier to their car.
Or tethering two enemy soldiers together and watching the physics get all confused.
Also, that review seriously makes me glad I'm buying this game. The positive word on martial arts from all these sources also cement that as my choice for the Michael Westen (martial arts, stealth, and some gadget skill) first playthrough.
So I really have not been following this game (self imposed media blackout and all that), but i couldn't resist reading that review.
Is what they say, that this is an action game with rpg elements, accurate? I mean to what extent, kinda like mass effect or really an action game with a few rpg elements?
Think ME2, where there're levels you work through which are mostly action stuff, with RPG elements thrown in at the end of each, and every so often in the middle. And then there are supposedly missions which are more on the RPG side than the action side, such as that one in the bar with the [headslam] picture came from.
But since this is Obsidian, and the whole point of the game is choice, expect the roleplaying to be an order of magnitude (if not more) deeper than ME.
Now what would you people say if I were to tell you that propane tank astronauting was among the least ridiculous of the things you can do in Just Cause 2?
I was gonna say the same thing.
And JC2 is nothing but physics, AP is the exact opposite.
Posts
For everything else: See if crack is available before buying.
Basically this. This DRM isn't as bad as Ubisofts but it still only harms the legitimate consumer, for the downloader, it'll be available a week in advance and without any install restrictions.
In this brave new world of constant internet requirements, the previous outrages are our new gold standard.
All right, people. It is not a gerbil. It is not a hamster. It is not a guinea pig. It is a death rabbit. Death. Rabbit. Say it with me, now.
Hearing that they'll patch out the DRM is all I really need to know. As long as the DRM doesn't put something hideously intrusive on my system and/or be such complete shit as to prevent me from playing the game I payed for, I don't mind the activation limit stuff at all. I'll just get it through Steam anyway and it'll end up getting automatically patched out.
This isn't even in the same league as that 24/7 connection bullshit Ubisoft uses. I consider about as intrusive as Steam; I don't even notice the DRM part and I don't have more than one gaming system to install to anyway. Worst case scenario, I build new gaming PCs every 3-5 years and end up never having to deal with the activation limit anyway because it'll be long gone after 15-25 years.
Also, disks can go to hell as a DRM system. Vastly prefer an invisible system I never have to deal with.
Yeah, those guys have pretty much become my go to guys now. UK PC prices drop through the floor so fast now, where here they don't go down till after Christmas or a year and a bit has passed.
Takes less than a week to arrive usually and is waaaay cheaper than purchasing games here, unless it's a title that launches under $70.
For example Mass Effect 2 is still $80-100 here still.
That site has it for $27 Australian with free shipping.
I expected good dialogue, an interesting plot, decent voice acting, and a somewhat buggy and choppy game.
Instead, it looks absolutely fantastic. Hopefully this and New Vegas will put Obsidian outside Bioware's shadow in the future, let them work on new ips like AP more instead of retreading and improving on other developers.
Fairly typical trailer though I think this is the first time we've seen that caped man from Taipei speak. His uniform kind of of reminds me of this character.
http://www.segabits.com/?p=1617
Damn, my Spanish is super rusty.
3DS Friend Code: 2165-6448-8348 www.Twitch.TV/cooljammer00
Battle.Net: JohnDarc#1203 Origin/UPlay: CoolJammer00
P.S. Why is everyone linking to the Sega bits site rather than the source?
Everything else looks solid though. Not like I wasn't going to buy the game anyway though.
3DS Friend Code: 2165-6448-8348 www.Twitch.TV/cooljammer00
Battle.Net: JohnDarc#1203 Origin/UPlay: CoolJammer00
The concluding paragraph ends a pretty positive note though.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/05/13/spying-on-spies-alpha-protocol-interview/
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/choose-surkovs-alpha-protocol/100103
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/leave-surkov-alpha-protocol/100109
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/kill-surkov-alpha-protocol/100105
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/call-for-alpha-protocol/100107
I kid, I kid.
But finally, so so close now.
89 from another Spanish mag
87 from GameStar, summary by Oner on the Obsidian forums:
I'd rather have super spy shenanigans penned by the Amazing Chris "Hot Stuff" Avellone than physics any day.
goddamn i need more money.
Yes, but it's more fun to attach an enemy to it. "AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaa... bang"
All right, people. It is not a gerbil. It is not a hamster. It is not a guinea pig. It is a death rabbit. Death. Rabbit. Say it with me, now.
More fun to scare the crap out of the citizens around and tether an enemy soldier to their car.
Or tethering two enemy soldiers together and watching the physics get all confused.
Also, that review seriously makes me glad I'm buying this game. The positive word on martial arts from all these sources also cement that as my choice for the Michael Westen (martial arts, stealth, and some gadget skill) first playthrough.
Is what they say, that this is an action game with rpg elements, accurate? I mean to what extent, kinda like mass effect or really an action game with a few rpg elements?
But since this is Obsidian, and the whole point of the game is choice, expect the roleplaying to be an order of magnitude (if not more) deeper than ME.
Also, Chris Mother goosing Avellone
I was gonna say the same thing.
And JC2 is nothing but physics, AP is the exact opposite.
That is so going on my gameQ now.
http://twitter.com/blademaiden/status/14375863691