Dammit...I never finished FF7, and now I may never be able to play it without feeling cheated out of the "Kick Ass" and "Bling" commands.
I'm somewhat confused about why this game seems so unbelievably compelling to me, as I'm not a fan of either MMOs or GTA. It's certainly getting me thinking more seriously about investing in a 360...
Alright, me and my friends have agreed. We're going to be the fucking Geek Squad of police officers. We shall drive a minivan with NOS equipped with it, with a bunch of random gaming icons on it, blaring out STILL ALIVE from the minivan while driving down the street, so once those criminals here "HUGE SUCCESS" they know they gotta get the fuck down.
Alright, me and my friends have agreed. We're going to be the fucking Geek Squad of police officers. We shall drive a minivan with NOS equipped with it, with a bunch of random gaming icons on it, blaring out STILL ALIVE from the minivan while driving down the street, so once those criminals here "HUGE SUCCESS" they know they gotta get the fuck down.
I'm pretty sure I'm either going to look like these two:
So what I've gathered, APB are sent to multiple cops when the criminals are experienced, and the less experienced criminals are given to less experienced cops, and in fun chances, just one solo badass motherfucker cop.
Alright, me and my friends have agreed. We're going to be the fucking Geek Squad of police officers. We shall drive a minivan with NOS equipped with it, with a bunch of random gaming icons on it, blaring out STILL ALIVE from the minivan while driving down the street, so once those criminals here "HUGE SUCCESS" they know they gotta get the fuck down.
Oh, shit, everyone who's around gets it streamed to them? I thought it was just the car occupants, sweet.
:whistle:The left newspapers might whine a bit
But the guys at the station, they don't give a shit
Dispatch calls, "Are ya doin' somethin' wicked?"
"Nosiree, Jack, we're just givin' tickets!":whistle:
Many gamers haven't heard of Scottish developer Real Time Worlds yet. This Dundee-based production outfit is helmed by former DMA (now Rockstar North) producer David Jones. The team is planning to make some impact over the next two years with their upcoming titles. First, they plan to take open-ended gameplay to next-gen with their title for Xbox 360, the futuristic Crackdown. Secondly, they plan to re-invent the MMO with their urban shooter, APB. While APB is still in its earliest stages of development (the team didn't even have anything prepared demo-wise and the concept art images in this article are brand-new), Project Manager Chris Stamp and Lead Designer Stephen Hewitt were kind enough to give an extensive breakdown of what players can expect to see when this massive online third-person shooter hits beta next year.
The best and simplest way to describe the nature of APB is that it's a PvP action game with a Cops & Robbers theme. With releases on both PC and Xbox 360 (although the two will not have server interaction a la Final Fantasy XI, unfortunately), the game looks to revolutionize multiplayer action games on two hardware fronts. Real Time Worlds seems dedicated to creating an MMO that will get fans of genres other than role-playing to hop online and form communities. In contrast to the expansive fantasy worlds that MMO players are used to seeing, this title will take place in a sprawling metropolis. To keep action tight, Real Time Worlds' team is breaking up the player base a bit more than what's seen in most titles. Servers will hold 100 players maximum and are considered districts of the city. Half can be cops, half can be robbers, or depending on skill level, higher ranked players can fight in smaller numbers against greater hordes of opposition.
The team also hopes that the extensive levels of customization will help the game stand out a bit more from the numerous urban-themed shooters that seem to get it all wrong. Essentially, Real Time Worlds wants APB to be more than simply an MMO re-rendition of the critically-panned 25 to Life. Players will be able to perform near-ridiculous levels of customizing. Besides custom faces and clothing, the game will allow a more freeform approach to personalizing the character. Clothes can be designed; the tweak factor seems awfully high. Want some spurs on your cop's boots? Done. Want some fat laces for those sneakers? You got it. The customization extends beyond gear, too. Players can also design their own graffiti to put up around the district. Also, they will be able to trade custom designs with others. Personalization does have its limits, however. Currently there are no current plans to allow gang members to dress in uniform, nor will plainclothes cops infiltrate criminal territories. At least, not for a while, according to Hewitt and Stamp.
Groups are divided into squads and gangs, made up of (what else but) cops and robbers, respectively. Each group can hold roughly 40 members, and the goal of PvP combat is to take over as much district turf as possible. Crooks get bigger jobs and better heists when they have more turf at their command. The po-pos get better gear for crime-stopping when they clean up more turf. The system to trigger a battle is fairly simple. Gangs find an area and commit crimes. An all-points bulletin (hence the name of the game) goes out to a squad, and they go straight into the action. The results can vary wildly from chases and shoot-outs to busts, arrests, and escapes. Since the game isn't an RPG, players can't level up, as there are no levels to speak of. However, APB will have its own way of rewarding skilled players. Top players will get unlockables. The more crimes that a squad stops, or the more "duties" that cops pull off -- busting a quota of criminals with a specific car, for example -- the likelier it is that those players will have access to better weapons and faster cars.
To keep a specific group from excessively bullying another group, there seems to be a balancing mechanic at work. If a gang gets busted too much by a particular squad or group of squads, there will come a point at which cops won't get dispatches to break up that gang's crimes. It sounds like a good mechanic to keep certain skilled players from preying on weaker teams simply to open unlockables, while encouraging weaker players to learn the ropes with more ease. There will also be matchmaking that will put equally balanced players head-to-head for action.
Besides PvP play, APB sounds like it will carry other conventions of the MMO genre, although details are still being ironed out at this point. What's clear is that there will be a monthly fee to play, although it's not clear if that fee will extend to Xbox Live. Players will be able to create multiple characters, as well. There are "headquarters" of sorts within districts that allow players to have an area outside of the combat zone, possibly to formulate strategies, and in the case of criminals, plan heists. While groups can hold up to 40 members, PvP action only allows for 8 of those members to take on 8 opposing players.
Communication is still being figured out at this point, too. While PC has the conventions in place for MMO play, Real Time Worlds is still formulating its plan for the Xbox 360 version's capabilities for group chat. Whether or not the game will support keyboard chat or allow for headset chat among 8 players during PvP remains to be seen. The NPC count will boast roughly 1500 pedestrians and 250 vehicles within the environment of the district. Also, unlike certain other MMOs that take place in urban terrain, the pedestrian NPCs interact with players. Does that mean that criminals can take pedestrians as hostages? Unconfirmed, but not necessarily unlikely.
Since APB is in pre-production, there still aren't any visuals to speak of outside of last May's E3 tech demo/trailer, which showed off the specs of an urban title that definitely looks next-gen. What we do know at this point is that Real Time Worlds will be using the Unreal 3 engine for rendering. Most of the current emphasis at this point in production is on the design and technology side. The company is still expanding its team base from 30 to 80-plus members, which will inevitably force their offices to consolidate; they're currently in two buildings, one which we weren't able to see, and another, strangely, on the tenth floor of a building that also houses the Dundee City Council and a shopping mall.
Real Time Worlds is working with publisher Webzen, which is still a tad unknown to many Western gamers, to ensure that MMO fans in Asia get their input as to what they want to see in APB's gameplay. As South Korea has become a gaming mecca, especially for MMO play, the team is taking Korean input as to what they want to see out of the game just as seriously as they're taking input from North Americans and Europeans. The way that Hewitt and Stamp describe it, it looks like APB will go into full production later in the year, hit beta at some point next year, and will make its commercial bow in 2008.
Even though no one in attendance was able to see APB in action due to its current stage of production, Real Time Worlds had plenty to say in regard to what MMO fans can look forward to seeing when this urban shooter hits beta next year and releases commercially in roughly 2 years. It sounds like the idea behind the game is significantly more complex than the faceless wave of urban shooting titles currently on the market, and the game sounds poised to pull gamers into MMO play who have normally shunned the style of gameplay due to the genre that it's most traditionally associated with, role-playing. It's unfortunate that the only glimpses we got were a 10 month-old trailer and a look at some concept art taped to the office walls, but if the trailer is any indication of the visuals, it sounds like APB's eye candy will live up to the promises that Hewitt and Stamp are saying will happen in the realm of gameplay. GameSpy will continue covering APB's development as it unfolds.
Seriously, the prospect of just driving around as a cop, and stopping shit from going down is fascinating. It's like killing boars, but the boars are actually fun, interesting, and different all the time!
Anyone who's played one of the recent Grand Theft Auto games has probably made the following observation: "This would be completely sick online!" It's thus appropriate that none other than Dave Jones -- one of the series' creators, and current head of studio Realtime Worlds -- is spearheading the effort to bring a game of that style online. It's called APB, and from the sounds of it, it incorporates into its design all the features you would imagine a GTA-style online game would need, not to mention a few you probably haven't thought of.
The basic dynamic driving APB (as in "all points bulletin") is cops versus gangsters. Players will choose one of these basic roles, and do what's logically associated with them: commit crimes as a gangster, and prevent them as a cop. It's not quite that simple, though. Groups of players will be able to band together, regardless of which side of the law they fall under, with criminals forming into gangs, and cops into "enforcement squads." These organizations will be able to customize pretty much every element you can imagine. Gangsters will be able to customize the graffiti that appears around their territory, specify the style of clothing that their members will wear, even the type of music that plays while they drive around. Meanwhile, enforcement squads can choose from various styles of uniform (one group may want to adopt a clean cut, Federal Agent sensibility, and other might want to go the straight-up camo route), and design their own unique badges and insignias.
Realtime Worlds is under no illusions as to how drastically its playerbase will skew, in regards to what roles they'll want to play. "We wouldn't be surprised if it was 90:10 in favor of gangsters," Jones told us. With that in mind, it's a good thing that groups of gangs will be able to fight amongst themselves, lest the brave few players who chose the side of the law would have their hands quite full. It makes sense, especially given the game's emphasis on turf wars. Scattered throughout the cities that will comprise ABP's world will be "turf areas" -- specific sites that gangs can take control of forcibly, and subsequently hold. Once they're under the control of a specific gang, the NPCs that were previously guarding them will adopt its colors, and fight off any future onslaughts for their new masters. Furthermore, every one of these controllable sites produces some kind of illicit commodity: some drugs, others weapons, and yet others chopped auto parts.
The acquisition and control of these spots will be the catalyst for most of APB 's gang-to-gang conflict. You'll immediately know when one of your zones is under attack, even if you're offline: you'll get a text message on your phone whenever an important spot is under attack, and if you're not able to log in and defend it personally, you'll be able to log into the game's website, and bolster whomever is holding it down with extra armaments. The funds will be deducted from your gang's coffers, and a screeching van will arrive at the site of the attack, and drop off the munitions.
Enforcers aren't shut out of the turf war, either. They can attack sites of illegal trade, their motive being not to take over them, but to shut them down. The stronger the gang who's operations they shut down, the more prestige they'll get with their parent organization. Ditto with the monetary reward they'll get. Higher standing means access to better weapons and vehicles, so you can bet that enterprising groups of enforcers will be busting down crackhouse doors just as frequently as power-hungry gangsters.
In a progressive move, APB seems to have some mechanics built into it to prevent profiling on the part of enforcers. They won't be able to simply walk up to a group of gangsters, and open fire on them. Rather, they'll have to wait until they do something shady. This kind of thing is measured by a mechanic called "heat" -- the more illegal stuff a criminal does, the higher their heat rating. And the higher their heat rating, the more likely they will be to attract the attention of the law. Once it gets high enough, they're open game; actual all-point bulletins will be issued for them, which enforcer squads can respond to. Call us crazy, but we're under the impression that the policing style in APB will be of the "shoot-first" variety, which will probably make things more interesting for all involved.
A game like APB has been a long time coming, and the developers at Realtime Worlds are quite confident that they're going to do the concept justice. Given that all we saw was a prerendered trailer, all we have to go on is faith, at this point, so here's to it all panning out well. We'll have more on it as soon as possible.
Alright, me and my friends have agreed. We're going to be the fucking Geek Squad of police officers. We shall drive a minivan with NOS equipped with it, with a bunch of random gaming icons on it, blaring out STILL ALIVE from the minivan while driving down the street, so once those criminals here "HUGE SUCCESS" they know they gotta get the fuck down.
Oh, shit, everyone who's around gets it streamed to them? I thought it was just the car occupants, sweet.
:whistle:The left newspapers might whine a bit
But the guys at the station, they don't give a shit
Dispatch calls, "Are ya doin' somethin' wicked?"
"Nosiree, Jack, we're just givin' tickets!":whistle:
I don't think it's streamed. It'll play it if you have it. Or it'll look for something similar.
Renzo on
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PharezonStruggle is an illusion.Victory is in the Qun.Registered Userregular
edited February 2008
Hmm so I wonder if you can go around being a hitman.
Pharezon on
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The DeliveratorSlingin PiesThe California BurbclavesRegistered Userregular
The acquisition and control of these spots will be the catalyst for most of APB 's gang-to-gang conflict. You'll immediately know when one of your zones is under attack, even if you're offline: you'll get a text message on your phone whenever an important spot is under attack, and if you're not able to log in and defend it personally, you'll be able to log into the game's website, and bolster whomever is holding it down with extra armaments. The funds will be deducted from your gang's coffers, and a screeching van will arrive at the site of the attack, and drop off the munitions.
*snip*
This sounds like a very interesting mechanic, keeping you involved all the time. I hope there's a way to set blackout hours for the texting though. Getting rung in the middle of sleeping would be annoying.
Oh and guys, the 100 player per city thing was an old press release. I'd say it has changed judging by what they are telling us about the game. How can you have 24 Hour turf wars with other gangs if it is only 100 players per server?
A decent sized gang would be more than 100 players judging by guilds from other games...
If it is 100 players per server then this probably isn't the game for me.
Aside from that Gamespy preview describing 100 player servers, which is fairly old, that information was right from this year's GDC presentation of it. It was right in the video. The ones you can see right at Gamevideos and that everyone has been linking to. :P
Dashui on
Xbox Live, PSN & Origin: Vacorsis 3DS: 2638-0037-166
This game looks so damned good. Now comes the question of which version? Console or PC?
I'm torn, also. Being a criminal sounds awesome, with the gang wars and taking hold of turf, NPCs wearing the dominant gang's colors, graffiti, etc. But so does ruining some gangster shit as the trigger happy arm of the law.
Shamus on
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AxenMy avatar is Excalibur.Yes, the sword.Registered Userregular
This game looks so damned good. Now comes the question of which version? Console or PC?
I'm torn, also. Being a criminal sounds awesome, with the gang wars and taking hold of turf, NPCs wearing the dominant gang's colors, graffiti, etc. But so does ruining some gangster shit as the trigger happy arm of the law.
The factor that tips my choice of Enforcement is the fact that most of the 14 year old wiggers and xbox live asshats will be drawn to the Criminal side. A whole game wherein I get to ruin their fun? And its actually the point of the game? Sign me up!
Though being a man, the urge to do a bank heist ending in a large scale shoot out with the Police has been a dream for so long.
I, I think I might cry.
Axen on
A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
This game looks so damned good. Now comes the question of which version? Console or PC?
I'm torn, also. Being a criminal sounds awesome, with the gang wars and taking hold of turf, NPCs wearing the dominant gang's colors, graffiti, etc. But so does ruining some gangster shit as the trigger happy arm of the law.
The factor that tips my choice of Enforcement is the fact that most of the 14 year old wiggers and xbox live asshats will be drawn to the Criminal side. A whole game wherein I get to ruin their fun? And its actually the point of the game? Sign me up!
Though being a man, the urge to do a bank heist ending in a large scale shoot out with the Police has been a dream for so long.
I, I think I might cry.
All we need now is a Cowboys & Indians MMO and we have childhood squared away.
Shamus on
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PharezonStruggle is an illusion.Victory is in the Qun.Registered Userregular
This game looks so damned good. Now comes the question of which version? Console or PC?
I'm torn, also. Being a criminal sounds awesome, with the gang wars and taking hold of turf, NPCs wearing the dominant gang's colors, graffiti, etc. But so does ruining some gangster shit as the trigger happy arm of the law.
The factor that tips my choice of Enforcement is the fact that most of the 14 year old wiggers and xbox live asshats will be drawn to the Criminal side. A whole game wherein I get to ruin their fun? And its actually the point of the game? Sign me up!
Though being a man, the urge to do a bank heist ending in a large scale shoot out with the Police has been a dream for so long.
I, I think I might cry.
All we need now is a Cowboys & Indians MMO and we have childhood squared away.
Couldn't you just make cowboy and indian characters and pretend that the knives are tomahawks?
Couscous on
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PharezonStruggle is an illusion.Victory is in the Qun.Registered Userregular
This game looks so damned good. Now comes the question of which version? Console or PC?
I'm torn, also. Being a criminal sounds awesome, with the gang wars and taking hold of turf, NPCs wearing the dominant gang's colors, graffiti, etc. But so does ruining some gangster shit as the trigger happy arm of the law.
The factor that tips my choice of Enforcement is the fact that most of the 14 year old wiggers and xbox live asshats will be drawn to the Criminal side. A whole game wherein I get to ruin their fun? And its actually the point of the game? Sign me up!
Though being a man, the urge to do a bank heist ending in a large scale shoot out with the Police has been a dream for so long.
I, I think I might cry.
All we need now is a Cowboys & Indians MMO and we have childhood squared away.
Couldn't you just make cowboy and indian characters and pretend that the knives are tomahawks?
You guys and your 80's tv shows. Although, I give a mad hooray to whoever posted that Sledge Hammer! picture.
I'll have to make one of these guys, but I can't decide which yet:
Oooh, eelectrik. Old Roland or Young Roland? Because shooting dynamite at assholes with a slingshot, driving around in a car with a bird-skull hood ornament would be incredible.
Bursar on
GNU Terry Pratchett
PSN: Wstfgl | GamerTag: An Evil Plan | Battle.net: FallenIdle#1970
Hit me up on BoardGameArena! User: Loaded D1
Spoilered until images are unborked.
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PharezonStruggle is an illusion.Victory is in the Qun.Registered Userregular
Posts
And shoot them. Repeatedly.
I see nothing wrong with this.
or
I'm somewhat confused about why this game seems so unbelievably compelling to me, as I'm not a fan of either MMOs or GTA. It's certainly getting me thinking more seriously about investing in a 360...
that guy could walk around wearing the default pyjama pants, and he'd still be the scariest motherfucker in virtualtown
Imagining someone saying "Call it." to a 12 year old gangsta wannabe before he takes them out with a silenced shotgun makes me giddy.
I think I would cream my pants.
Can I be your friend?
Seriously though, they better not fuck this up.
How many of my dicks just came?
Just watching "Shaft" launch a rocket at the 4 yokels sold me. And the totally awesome character creation. And the environment.
So what I've gathered, APB are sent to multiple cops when the criminals are experienced, and the less experienced criminals are given to less experienced cops, and in fun chances, just one solo badass motherfucker cop.
:whistle:The left newspapers might whine a bit
But the guys at the station, they don't give a shit
Dispatch calls, "Are ya doin' somethin' wicked?"
"Nosiree, Jack, we're just givin' tickets!":whistle:
http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/apb/696549p1.html
I don't think it's streamed. It'll play it if you have it. Or it'll look for something similar.
This sounds like a very interesting mechanic, keeping you involved all the time. I hope there's a way to set blackout hours for the texting though. Getting rung in the middle of sleeping would be annoying.
Aside from that Gamespy preview describing 100 player servers, which is fairly old, that information was right from this year's GDC presentation of it. It was right in the video. The ones you can see right at Gamevideos and that everyone has been linking to. :P
Also this is a day one purchase, as there is limitless potential to Law-enforcing goodness.
The Bees Knees Enforcers.
I'm torn, also. Being a criminal sounds awesome, with the gang wars and taking hold of turf, NPCs wearing the dominant gang's colors, graffiti, etc. But so does ruining some gangster shit as the trigger happy arm of the law.
The factor that tips my choice of Enforcement is the fact that most of the 14 year old wiggers and xbox live asshats will be drawn to the Criminal side. A whole game wherein I get to ruin their fun? And its actually the point of the game? Sign me up!
Though being a man, the urge to do a bank heist ending in a large scale shoot out with the Police has been a dream for so long.
I, I think I might cry.
All we need now is a Cowboys & Indians MMO and we have childhood squared away.
I never asked for this!
Scalping.
I was so going to be David Starsky and get myself a red Torino! Who want to be Huggy Bear?!
I'll have to make one of these guys, but I can't decide which yet:
Oooh, eelectrik. Old Roland or Young Roland? Because shooting dynamite at assholes with a slingshot, driving around in a car with a bird-skull hood ornament would be incredible.
PSN: Wstfgl | GamerTag: An Evil Plan | Battle.net: FallenIdle#1970
Hit me up on BoardGameArena! User: Loaded D1
I believe everyone who has seen Hot Fuzz will instantly, with no questions asked, join the enforcement team in APB.
You would be a complete loser if you joined villains and not the side of justice.
I never asked for this!
THERE WAS A FIRE FIGHT!