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Alpha Protocol: Apparently now an Obsidian gossip thread

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Posts

  • Vaguely LightningproofVaguely Lightningproof Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    So I just finished this for the first time with my Stealth/Pistol/Martial Arts superman, and this may be edging out VtM:B as my number 1 "buggy, unpolished but somehow still totally incredible" gaming experience.

    One question though, what's with all the loathing for Marburg? I genuinely really liked the guy (probably only second to Albatross), and he seemed like one of the most fleshed-out dudes in the game.

    End spoilers regarding Marburg:
    Plus, having him take your side at the end so he leaves you to kick the ever-loving shit out of Leland before arresting the yellow-shirted tosser made me feel like a total chessmaster.

    So yeah. Now I'm going through as a Recruit and have just realised I missed all the orientation stuff at the beginning first time through. No wonder I had no damn idea who Parker was until the last quarter of the game last time.

    Vaguely Lightningproof on
  • kalkal Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    So I just finished this for the first time with my Stealth/Pistol/Martial Arts superman, and this may be edging out VtM:B as my number 1 "buggy, unpolished but somehow still totally incredible" gaming experience.

    One question though, what's with all the loathing for Marburg? I genuinely really liked the guy (probably only second to Albatross), and he seemed like one of the most fleshed-out dudes in the game.

    End spoilers regarding Marburg:
    Plus, having him take your side at the end so he leaves you to kick the ever-loving shit out of Leland before arresting the yellow-shirted tosser made me feel like a total chessmaster.

    So yeah. Now I'm going through as a Recruit and have just realised I missed all the orientation stuff at the beginning first time through. No wonder I had no damn idea who Parker was until the last quarter of the game last time.

    That was literally the only redeeming thing about Marburg. Other than that as far as I was concerned he still deserved a bullet for what he did in Rome.

    kal on
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  • Fig-DFig-D Tustin, CA, USRegistered User regular
    edited December 2010
    I tried to play AP today but that mouse stutter bug is a gigantic asshole. Tried turning off V Sync, tried the loading stutter ini tweaks, nothing. Its really irritating to start aiming at some dude's cranium only to see a quick slide show featuring the ceiling, the wall to my left and then finally my own head instead of injecting hot lead into my target's gray matter.

    Fig-D on
    SteamID - Fig-D :: PSN - Fig-D
  • TcheldorTcheldor Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    I haven't had a single bug yet, and I've finished rome and russia. Also Hi5 on the martial arts/stealth/pistol superman.

    I think that if you play the game without one of those 3 skills you have to be doing it wrong.

    Well honestly if you play the game without a focus in: 1 long range killing method. 1 short range killing method, 1 way closing the distance between long and short, then you're probably doing it wrong.

    Tcheldor on
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  • SpoitSpoit *twitch twitch* Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Fig-D wrote: »
    I tried to play AP today but that mouse stutter bug is a gigantic asshole. Tried turning off V Sync, tried the loading stutter ini tweaks, nothing. Its really irritating to start aiming at some dude's cranium only to see a quick slide show featuring the ceiling, the wall to my left and then finally my own head instead of injecting hot lead into my target's gray matter.
    Try using the patch? That supposedly helps a bit.

    The only really reliable way to deal with it though is to use a controller

    Spoit on
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  • Vaguely LightningproofVaguely Lightningproof Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    kal wrote: »
    So I just finished this for the first time with my Stealth/Pistol/Martial Arts superman, and this may be edging out VtM:B as my number 1 "buggy, unpolished but somehow still totally incredible" gaming experience.

    One question though, what's with all the loathing for Marburg? I genuinely really liked the guy (probably only second to Albatross), and he seemed like one of the most fleshed-out dudes in the game.

    End spoilers regarding Marburg:
    Plus, having him take your side at the end so he leaves you to kick the ever-loving shit out of Leland before arresting the yellow-shirted tosser made me feel like a total chessmaster.

    So yeah. Now I'm going through as a Recruit and have just realised I missed all the orientation stuff at the beginning first time through. No wonder I had no damn idea who Parker was until the last quarter of the game last time.

    That was literally the only redeeming thing about Marburg. Other than that as far as I was concerned he still deserved a bullet for what he did in Rome.

    Just a whole bunch of Rome spoilers:
    I guess that was a dick move on his part, but I never really held it against him. I chose to disarm the bombs and never really made any kind of connection with Madison's character so her death didn't hit me quite as hard as it apparently hit other people. I guess I just didn't speak with her enough? She was one of the very few people I didn't get to at least "Trusted", after all.
    Tcheldor wrote: »
    I haven't had a single bug yet, and I've finished rome and russia. Also Hi5 on the martial arts/stealth/pistol superman.

    Only way to play, man. The only way.

    Vaguely Lightningproof on
  • SpectrumSpectrum Archer of Inferno Chaldea Rec RoomRegistered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Pffffft.

    Shotgun/stealth/tech is the way to do it. Long range is for people who are too afraid to get their hands dirty.

    Spectrum on
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  • FiarynFiaryn Omnicidal Madman Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    What would you even need Martial Arts for if you're already jacking Stealth and Pistols.

    I tried that but stopped when I realized Martial Arts was never used because Stealth and Pistols render it mostly obsolete.

    Fiaryn on
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  • Fig-DFig-D Tustin, CA, USRegistered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Spoit wrote: »
    Fig-D wrote: »
    I tried to play AP today but that mouse stutter bug is a gigantic asshole. Tried turning off V Sync, tried the loading stutter ini tweaks, nothing. Its really irritating to start aiming at some dude's cranium only to see a quick slide show featuring the ceiling, the wall to my left and then finally my own head instead of injecting hot lead into my target's gray matter.
    Try using the patch? That supposedly helps a bit.

    The only really reliable way to deal with it though is to use a controller

    Yeah, my game is patched. Unfortunately I don't have a wired 360 controller and the game doesn't recognize the pad I do have.

    Its frustrating.

    EDIT: Thanks to the mouse bug I'm sinking tons of points into Martial Arts and Toughness because I can't hit shit with Chain Shot if the game swings my camera around 180 degrees while the timer ticks down.

    Fig-D on
    SteamID - Fig-D :: PSN - Fig-D
  • OptimusZedOptimusZed Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Pistols/Stealth/Tech Ap is the way to roll if you want to feel like an espionage god.

    OptimusZed on
    We're reading Rifts. You should too. You know you want to. Now With Ninjas!

    They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
  • TrippyJingTrippyJing Moses supposes his toeses are roses. But Moses supposes erroneously.Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    I should actually try having a fistfight with Championchik one of these days.

    TrippyJing on
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  • Vaguely LightningproofVaguely Lightningproof Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    TrippyJing wrote: »
    I should actually try having a fistfight with Championchik one of these days.

    This is, if I'm honest, the only reason I'm levelling up martial arts this time through. Totally destroying him at his own game is so ridiculously satisfying.

    Vaguely Lightningproof on
  • SpectrumSpectrum Archer of Inferno Chaldea Rec RoomRegistered User regular
    edited December 2010
    TrippyJing wrote: »
    I should actually try having a fistfight with Championchik one of these days.

    This is, if I'm honest, the only reason I'm levelling up martial arts this time through. Totally destroying him at his own game is so ridiculously satisfying.
    It totally counts if I flashbanged him, shot him to nothing, then walked up and poked him with my pinky right?

    Spectrum on
    XNnw6Gk.jpg
  • BiopticBioptic Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Spectrum wrote: »
    TrippyJing wrote: »
    I should actually try having a fistfight with Championchik one of these days.

    This is, if I'm honest, the only reason I'm levelling up martial arts this time through. Totally destroying him at his own game is so ridiculously satisfying.
    It totally counts if I flashbanged him, shot him to nothing, then walked up and poked him with my pinky right?

    I did a mixture of shooting and punching, and the game gave me commentary from the characters as if I'd both shot him and taken him out hand-to-hand. I think I only got the 'shot him' perk though.

    Oh, and high-level martial arts is so fun - as well as negating problems with aiming, it's just so fun to rush goons with assault weaponry and wipe them out in seconds. You rack up quite a medical bill that way too.

    Bioptic on
  • TcheldorTcheldor Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    wait wait....How do you end up in a fistfight w/that guy? Man I've been too nice to people, I never got to see
    SIE aftert our initial meet. I never got to fight championchik, I never got to care about madison. Man talking to people and being cordial sucks.

    Tcheldor on
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  • RT800RT800 Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Is it just me or are the boss fights in this game stupidly frustrating?

    I specialized in stealth and martial arts with a few points into pistols because I noticed that for the most part I didn't need a gun when dealing with goons and whatnot.

    But then I get to a boss fight and it's like I do no damage at all. Bosses block almost every punch, even with the Fury skill activated, then counter-attack and cut through my armor like it's not even there. Some of them don't even stagger during melee. They attack me while I'm still attacking them. I can't shoot worth shit and the bosses zip around too quickly for me to make use of any gadgets. Stealth is not even possible except every few minutes when evasion's up.

    I usually get suck having to whittle down a boss over the course of an hour with an assault rifle I have no proficiency with.

    I mean what the fuck.

    RT800 on
  • l337CrappyJackl337CrappyJack Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    The boss fights aren't frustrating. It's just that martial arts are terrible for dealing with them. If you have chain shot, the bosses are a joke. I put more effort into blowing my nose than it takes me to drop Brayko.

    l337CrappyJack on
  • KakodaimonosKakodaimonos Code fondler Helping the 1% get richerRegistered User regular
    edited December 2010
    No, that's about par for the course. For all the talk about "there's no set path or solution", a lot of the stupid boss fights have a pretty limited number of ways to defeat them. Pick up one weapon skill or be prepared to cheese a lot of the bosses.

    Kakodaimonos on
  • OptimusZedOptimusZed Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    One thing that can be frustrating if you don't realize it is that the Bosses all have armor. So you can be pounding on them to no effect on their health bar until you clear the armor out. And it regenerates very quickly for most bosses.

    It was my second or third playthrough before I noticed the little line of gray above the health bar and figured it out. Before that, I just assumed I was getting lucky crits or something to take them down.

    OptimusZed on
    We're reading Rifts. You should too. You know you want to. Now With Ninjas!

    They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
  • SpectrumSpectrum Archer of Inferno Chaldea Rec RoomRegistered User regular
    edited December 2010
    The only really stupid boss fight is the Moscow one. Flashbangs and knockdowns work just fine on the others, so you have other options instead of just Chain Shot.

    Spectrum on
    XNnw6Gk.jpg
  • OlivawOlivaw good name, isn't it? the foot of mt fujiRegistered User regular
    edited December 2010
    All the boss fights suck, but the Moscow one is the most fucked

    The game's entire philosophy of "you can do anything there is no single solution" is totally fucked by their shitty boss fights

    Olivaw on
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  • SJSJ College. Forever.Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    just beat the game. i don't know how much variety there are in endings but mine owned.

    SJ on
  • l337CrappyJackl337CrappyJack Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Replay it right now and be amazed.

    l337CrappyJack on
  • SJSJ College. Forever.Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    new game, or... wha? or do you just mean for a different ending?

    SJ on
  • l337CrappyJackl337CrappyJack Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Try a new game and play it even slightly differently, and be amazed at how different the game goes and all the stuff you've missed.

    I've played this game like eight fucking times and I'm still finding new things.

    l337CrappyJack on
  • SJSJ College. Forever.Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    I think next time I might go for a bearded ninja-warrior

    SJ on
  • OlivawOlivaw good name, isn't it? the foot of mt fujiRegistered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Okay that's one thing that was funny

    You wanna customize your dude? Well you have four choices: shaved head military dude, hair-gel douche, grizzled prospector, or Fidel Castro

    It's funny because you know that they were about to ship the game and they went "oh fuck right people might want to customize the look of their dude quick throw in a beard and some sunglasses or some shit, and reuse that beret model"

    Olivaw on
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  • l337CrappyJackl337CrappyJack Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Hey, it's still more options than most games include.

    l337CrappyJack on
  • OlivawOlivaw good name, isn't it? the foot of mt fujiRegistered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Hey, it's still more options than most games include.

    No

    It's not

    Olivaw on
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  • RamiRami Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Lumberjack, swamp hat and razors is just incredibly awesome.


    Though I had to abandon my kill everyone super agressive run through because I did it on hard and the game became pretty much impossible. Turns out SMGs and shotguns are complete shit, at least on that difficulty. It was just impossible for me to finish the end of resuce Madison in Rome, with those two weapons it just wasn't possible to shoot the guy holding her. After failing several times I just started a new game.

    Rami on
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  • SJSJ College. Forever.Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Rami wrote: »
    Lumberjack, swamp hat and razors is just incredibly awesome.


    Though I had to abandon my kill everyone super agressive run through because I did it on hard and the game became pretty much impossible. Turns out SMGs and shotguns are complete shit, at least on that difficulty. It was just impossible for me to finish the end of resuce Madison in Rome, with those two weapons it just wasn't possible to shoot the guy holding her. After failing several times I just started a new game.

    I thought it was pretty bullshit when I failed that because
    I activated my stealthy-mc-cantbeseen ability and the dude automatically kills her if you come within like 10 feet, even if he can't see or hear you. I was kind of pissed.

    SJ on
  • RamiRami Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Yeah it's just terrible all round without chain shot, or at least an AR. Honestly, it was literally impossible to finish. I raged so hard.

    SMGs are so, so bad. Bullet storm is pointless because continued fire means you'll never actually hit anything. And on hard; point blank critical shotgun to the chest? Takes off 1/5th of their health.

    Pistol and AR are the only guns anyone should ever use. Maybe you can get away with the others on lower difficulties though.

    Rami on
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  • SJSJ College. Forever.Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    AR with a few weapon upgrades (at least on normal) is alright as backup even if you don't put any AP into it

    SJ on
  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    I specced martial arts and had to finish Sis with a power hit + uzi burst combo (I had 0 points in smgs)

    it was the last strategy I came up with after two dozen attempts

    Brayko bugged out into a wall on my tenth fight with him, so I took advantage of that because fuck that fight

    Doobh on
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  • DrunkMcDrunkMc Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Brayko I figured out a strategy that worked for Shotguns, cause I have to say, Shotguns suck on bosses. You can't hit them from far away, but up close they just rush you and beat the crap out of you.

    Brayko Shotgun Solution:
    Hide when he has his guns out. When he switches to his knife run to the bottom floor and run in circles around the booth right there, he can't cut corners very well so he lags behind you. Keep an eye on him, he'll run out of breath and go to one knee, then unload into his face.

    This still takes a while.

    Bosses are a very weak point of this game sadly. I had to break the flow of the game and skip the last board in Moscow and do Taepei because I just couldn't touch Markov with the shotgun. I'm now level 19 with a ton of points in Toughness and hoping I can take him down this way, otherwise I'm screwed!

    Next time I'm going pistols.

    DrunkMc on
  • OptimusZedOptimusZed Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    SMGs are a lethal alternative to Martial Arts.

    Trying to use them much beyond that range is completely ineffective.

    But if you've got dudes streaming out a door at you from 20 feet away they are death machines.

    The trick is to max accuracy. Damage is so very tempting, but it's acc that gets you hits, and hits get kills.

    OptimusZed on
    We're reading Rifts. You should too. You know you want to. Now With Ninjas!

    They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
  • SpectrumSpectrum Archer of Inferno Chaldea Rec RoomRegistered User regular
    edited December 2010
    SJ wrote: »
    Rami wrote: »
    Lumberjack, swamp hat and razors is just incredibly awesome.


    Though I had to abandon my kill everyone super agressive run through because I did it on hard and the game became pretty much impossible. Turns out SMGs and shotguns are complete shit, at least on that difficulty. It was just impossible for me to finish the end of resuce Madison in Rome, with those two weapons it just wasn't possible to shoot the guy holding her. After failing several times I just started a new game.

    I thought it was pretty bullshit when I failed that because
    I activated my stealthy-mc-cantbeseen ability and the dude automatically kills her if you come within like 10 feet, even if he can't see or hear you. I was kind of pissed.
    No, what's really bad is the same thing happens if you just decide "Fuck it" and throw a Flashbang in there.
    DrunkMc wrote: »
    Brayko I figured out a strategy that worked for Shotguns, cause I have to say, Shotguns suck on bosses. You can't hit them from far away, but up close they just rush you and beat the crap out of you.
    No they don't...? The only boss that Shotguns are shitty on is him. All of the others you just activate the shotgun special ability and you keep shooting them as they repeatedly backflip into a wall.

    Well, okay, there is another boss technically, but they give you a sniper rifle for that fight so whatever.

    Spectrum on
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  • DrunkMcDrunkMc Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Spectrum wrote: »
    DrunkMc wrote: »
    Brayko I figured out a strategy that worked for Shotguns, cause I have to say, Shotguns suck on bosses. You can't hit them from far away, but up close they just rush you and beat the crap out of you.
    No they don't...? The only boss that Shotguns are shitty on is him. All of the others you just activate the shotgun special ability and you keep shooting them as they repeatedly backflip into a wall.

    Well, okay, there is another boss technically, but they give you a sniper rifle for that fight so whatever.


    That doesn't seem to do jack shit against Markov. I've upgraded a bunch since, so hopefully it works, but he didn't always fall back even when the special ability was triggered which is bullshit, and the phosporous shells seem to not set him on fire. His goons? Yes. Him? Nope. He's kind of frustrating.

    And I concur on the rescue madison thing. It was an awesome idea, just horribly executed. I had to bring a pistol and just get as close as possible without him killing her and just pray, luckily it worked. Stealth absolutely should have been an option.

    Man, this game I'd say is a solid 7/10, with a nice patch and some fixes like that stealth triggering that guy, it could easily be an 8.5/10.

    So sad Sega is abandoning this.

    DrunkMc on
  • TcheldorTcheldor Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    wait wait. on the madison thing.
    can you save her AND stop the bombs?

    Tcheldor on
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  • FiarynFiaryn Omnicidal Madman Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Tcheldor wrote: »
    wait wait. on the madison thing.
    can you save her AND stop the bombs?

    Nope.

    Fiaryn on
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