[Jblade]

Thanks for the detailed post - I had one in response but as I hit enter to type something windows popped up the windows 10 upgrade box just at the same moment and took that as a yes so it took my post away

The MP40 can be fired one-handed unlike the Calico so Merlijn can use it alongside a shield and it can also be fired from the motorcycle The Combat shovel has an extra function as well, there's a dig spot located in Millhaven, Providence, and the Island facility - look for a Cultist trophy/idol in the snow in Providence, a grave in Millhaven, and a pink tree in Island Facility.

One of my goals is to refine temp weapons so they're all useful instead of just adding more and more to make the older ones redundant. I do plan to add more - the Mac-10 and Barret not being stackable is a holdover from when originally you weren't supposed to be able to pick up more temp weapons, they were just intended to be fired and thrown away but over time this change. I will make them stackable again. The Stygian War cannon has an alt-fire now as well, it fires a burst of projectiles sort of like a shotgun. Again I want to add alt-fires to all of the Abyss weapons so they're more fun to use.

[TheDragonLiner]

WOW I didn't know about all those new hidden features O_o !
I'll definitely test these tomorrow and quickly report back to you ^^

Also yes I forgot that Merlijn could use his shield along with the MP40 but I had that situation come up something twice since the release so I couldn't remember that ...
And as for refining temporary weapons well let me tell you that you have succeeded for the time being, surely some weapons aren't different (the laser gun for instance) but I can hardly see what you could tweak that would be of any real use.

[Jblade]

The laser gun I will overhaul with new graphics, sounds, and possibly a grenade launcher (not sure which type, I may even add 20mm airburst kinda grenades) It's definitely one of the weakest guns - The pigcop shotgun has had an overhaul in the next version. It still has the same graphics but the animation is far smoother and it has some new beefy firing sounds as well.

[TheDragonLiner]

The idea of the 20mm Airburst seduces me ^^
Also why not a unique "universal GL" that would be able to use any kind of grenade ?

For the Police Shotgun I'd say it kind of needs new graphics as well, the current one feels outdated and a bit flat looking and since it's one of the most common temp weapons ...


EDIT : BTW I tested what you told me, the alt fire of the Stygian cannon is a bit weak, I was expecting something better but at least it's easier to hit multiple enemy than with the regular shot.
As for the other functionality of the Shovel it makes one of my suggestions fall in the water ^^ I found those spots and the point is a bit weak as it is. Except maybe for Island Facility, having another H-key item can be of help but for the episode-one spots I know what I can get out of them and it's not of a great use although in Millhaven it might be a good trade-off since the Silver Knife is dispensable given my loadout with Rusty but I prefer keeping the swiftness of knives. Either way that opens room for a lot of good ideas for the next episode

[Micky C]

Are we ever going to get something like an EMP grenade, such as in Deus Ex? Perhaps they can temporarily disable mechanical enemies. If they're flying at the time they fall (and a big enough fall could destroy them).

[TheDragonLiner]

I say HI and you read ... YAY !!

Seriously though I'm on to feedbacking again, this time I'll talk about the alternate ammo, only the new ones since the ones that were present in Ep1 have had no modifications to them.
Here goes.


Alt Ammo :
----------------

_Micro-Torpedo : Well I already talked about those. Since they're only for the Dart Gun it might sound dull but they work just like rockets, although slightly slower, with the ability to one shot a Protector Drone and destroy a group of 6 or 8 eggs which is a very interesting thing since, along with the darts being as powerful as a shotgun blast underwater, it plays as if you had 2 guns in one. However as I said no level has what it takes to make this express its full potential (go back to my previous iteration where I talk about the Dart Gun in more detail).

_Magnum Shells : I didn't know such a thing existed in real life, must be rare and shoulder braking. I really like using those shells, I like the sound it makes very much and it was fun being able to kill a Battlelord in 4 shots. Also it seems to be able to pierce through armor, I don't know if it pierces through heavy armor (Powersuits for instance) but the fact it pierces through normal armor really makes it turn your shotgun into a hitscan rocket launcher like the Devastator of "Serious Sam 3 BFE" (saw an LP it feels like it). However it can be used only by pump-action shotguns which is an element that I didn't understood at first until JBlade told me and I got the confirmation in the loadout editor with right mouse click. That's an interesting gameplay element and it's not deprived of logic besides those shells can be so useful that if it could used by absolutely every shotgun that can use alt ammo would have been a bit abusive. Even though I don't assign it to any OC, I assign it to Highwire just to see what I'll obtain but I think I can deal without it. Besides that new ammo is available in a few levels such as in Island Base, the first level of RED and possibly other maps I may not be aware of ... It serves as a good substitute for a rocket launcher or a GL until you find one or in order to same ammo for those weapons. Or you can also get rid of an irritating enemy easily with those. Anyway it's one good addition, not overly exploited, advantageous but not abusively.

_Heat Seeking Card : Useful whenever you have a Zilla Missile Launcher with you. Too bad it lasts only for 5 shots but better not abuse of it. And first time I tested those I managed in the beach EDF mission to kill 2 Pig Cops from behind a wall by shooting a missile toward a wall and having the missile suddenly turn around, the missiles surely are extremely maneuverable when the card is in action. It's nice that it is compatible with Zaxtor's Galil, this makes that piece of equipment able to be assigned without forcing the player to assign the ZML along with it. Although I kinda need to force myself into using them I think they're reasonably present in the HK maps, not too much and not "not-enough" even though I reach the maximum of Zilla ammo pretty quick since I don't use it that much but still it has potential and is decently exploited as it is right now.

_Atomic Bomb : Smartbomb FTW ! Nothing much to say since I already talked about it previously. They are decently present in the HK maps, actually one per level I think although I think there are 2 in the first one and the occasions to make an optimized use of it are also decently present although it is affected by something I hate in the DN3D engine and that is enemies that are invincible when in "sleeping state" (mostly Enforcers and Battlelords (and yet not all the time) but AMC has new enemies that seem to be affected as well) is there a way to fix this shit !?. I used to use that ammo on the Island Base to kill the 2 powersuits without having them firing at me but sometimes it either just wakes them up or heavily damage them whereas it usually kills them along with their minions directly. And yet again the visual effect of the atomic explosion is better looking than its original SW counterpart. I don't assign it to OCs since they're already present enough in the HK maps and they're far from being indispensable. Again the fact it's compatible with Zaxtor's Galil is nice since anybody who wants to use one out of the HK levels can use one without being forced to assign the ZML along with it. A natural addition along with the Heat Seeking Card since the ZML has been added might as well bring all the attachments with it.

_DUP Missiles : Ah you have brought something new to the ZML package, it sweeps away the dust of the SW guns.Yet again I already talked about those previously. It's nice to have alternate ammo for a rocket launcher, that's for a change. It feels a bit like "magnum rockets" since they're as powerful as the rockets from the "(pseudo) Missile Launcher" and they have a bigger blast radius. Again they are decently present in the game. Again the fact it's compatible with Zaxtor's Galil bla bla bla bla bla which is actually what I did. Also I didn't know that DUP Missiles actually existed in RL I always like it when I hear something I saw in a video game exists in real life. Lastly the fact they are compatible with the Heat Seeking Card makes them even deadlier along with ensuring more chances of a hit since those are valuable despite not being as rare as other types of ammo. Another good addition mostly considering that it extends the use of a weapon ripped from another game !

_40mm Cased Grenades : Before going further I'd say I like the new system concerning underslung GLs. I didn't find that having slot 6 weapons feeding up those in Ep1 was a bad mechanic but then again this made slot 6 weapons useless whenever we had an underslung GL. Besides the new system is more realistic than ever. There's not much I can say about that ammo since it plays exactly like in Ep1, the big advantage being that slot 6 weapons that are weaker than normal (like Sang or Rusty's) can be decently replaced as long as you don't abuse it and the fact we get 2 of those for each weapon that has a GL we find allows us to still have a few of them just in case we might need explosives and are lacking slot 6 weapon.

_40mm Caseless Grenades : Short. Pretty much the same here. Although it is said that it deals higher damage than the other one but with medium blast radius compared to the other one having large blast radius. I have no idea if this is true or not. Out of all my playthroughs I have never felt any difference between the 2, I feel they play exactly the same. The judgement is the same as the previous one.

_40mm HE Shells : Now we're talking. That's a very good addition without a doubt ! It can kill a Guardian in one hit which is devastating. It's just like a magnum ammo for GLs but we get to find those more often than DUPs which we find more often than Magnum shells. Besides the fact it bounces off walls makes those very useful for hitting enemies without exposing ourselves, just gotta avoid it bouncing back on us cause it one-shoots us most of the time. It's too bad that the little bouncing fire balls don't deal any damage to enemies, or at least whenever I use those (and I got a lot of occasions to) they never hit anything. The fact the projectile doesn't move as fast as the other grenades do is good because it makes is not too abusive (it is already is right now besides we get EIGHT which is a lot considering the power it unleashes) and it also gives us time to be in safety out of the blast radius reach and finally it allows us to time the projectile more efficiently, that is if you want to. Also the fact it explodes on contact is good as well, we cannot allow enemies to play football with an HE grenade. The only thing I'd "complain" about is the really shy sound it produces, it's so powerful that the explosion doesn't really match it but I don't really what you could have used (I would suggest the FAE Bomb from Ace Combat 5 and Zero but since those are copyrighted I doubt you could use those). Anyway it's still an enjoyable item to use and we often have the occasion to.

_40mm MIA Grenades : Well that's not really a grenade per say but still. It's not as useless as it may look. When you know how the MIA gun works you may think this is just the same and ... yes it is the same BUT it has both an advantage and a trade-off. It allows you to have sort of an MIA gun bundled with your weapon that has a M203 GL which allows you to pick a more useful temporary weapon but as a counterpart you get 5 shots of it while you would have had 10 with the real MIA Gun. The interest in that ammo is only this along with the fact it'll be easier to look for research projects even though you get less shots. And I'd say the idea of making an enemy disappear temporarily isn't really exiting ... It is useful if you want to flee and/or if you don't mind leaving enemies behind which personally isn't my type, I like killing every single enemies in maps which goes against the main gimmick of the MIA Gun and the MIA Shells but, like with other things, it's better to have it than not. And as I said it allows us to have half an MIA gun while having a more useful temp weapon which I'd say is more advantageous than picking the MIA Gun. And if you really want to make extensive use of the gimmick you might as well take the MIA Gun and the MIA Shells but I'd say that's pushing it ridiculously, it's not worth the trouble. Anyway it's a good idea, it has its use (I used those for finding the new research projects) and its trade-offs even though having 10 of them wouldn't make any difference in my opinion but it would still be too much having 10. And actually I kind of like those (seriously) I actually assigned them to Micky since he's a scientist of some sort (engineering a science ?) and there are other reasons that I won't develop because it's not the topic here. BTW there is something that just cracks me up with MIA shots : if you hit yourself with those because of a mirror you one-shoot yourself ! First time it happened I was curious but I didn't expect that to happen which is why it cracked me up mostly considering that it's not supposed to be a harmful item ^^

_40mm Plasma Shells: Now that's for an ultimate ammo type. All the things we have to do and pay for in order to get it are worth the trouble I'd say. Most powerful, not dangerous to use, effective against absolutely every sort of enemies, and has unlimited range. Since we get 5 and cannot find any in maps they are really valuable items whenever you have them, they are versatile, very powerful and safe to use. The huge trade-off is that it does absolutely no splash damage but it has so many advantages that this inconvenience can be dealt with with no problem. I didn't give it to all OCs because that would be too simple (and I want to have everyone with different alt ammo). Sang's the best bet I'd say with his new F2000 since in the Mars map you clearly need weapons that are effective against everything when encountering those flying crafts until you get the slot 8 weapon. Besides it allows us to get a revenge on those commanders that shoot plasma projectiles, they're so deadly. Definitely my favorite alt ammo out of the bunch with the Magnum Shells, DUP Missiles, MIA and HE Shells being close to it in the list.

_Heat Sinks : I needed some time before understanding what it was, then I needed some time to understand how it actually works (I wasn't aware of the right click thing in the loadout editor at that time) but I ended up discovering it all by myself which shows that the gimmick behind that item is a bit intuitive even if we're told how it works, at least we're hinted at the fact it's for guns that overheat (AKA Mikko's MDF Plasma gun and Micky's prototype assault rifle). It's an interesting item since it makes using overheating weapons less of a handicap than normal as in you can allow yourself 5 fully "Fire at will" moments. Having to wait for the weapon to cool down while being in an open area with enemies is the worst thing that can happen (Micky's part of Arsia Mons in the area with lava). I like its graphics, that white-light blue look gives it a frosty look as in you're not surprised to learn that it's an instant cool down item, I also like how the used sink glows red in incandescence before resuming to normal color it's nicely done and realistic. Too bad that there are only 2 weapons in the entire game that can put these to use, Micky is the best bet with his prototype assault rifle but if you want the underslung GL of his default gun instead then you still have and interesting choice there (mostly considering that we can't use the underslung GL in his Mars mission since all his upgrades disappear upon starting just like with Mikko's part which is something that definitely needs a fix, I think this has been reported something like 3 times already (at least the iteration of that problem with Snow Base of Ep1 has been fixed that's a start) and this time it's real bad since there are HE shells in Micky's mission on Mars that are plain useless because of that problem (besides there are no upgrade machines). Another interesting addition, limited in use but it goes so well with Micky that it's enough as it is.

_AP Slugs : I kind of like those not only because they are the only alt ammo for the GP30 GL but also because it allows us to have an equivalent of James' XM8 secondary firing mode with the same power. It's just too bad that these can only be found in levels and cannot be researched and available in the loadout editor T_T I really hope we'll be able to do that in Ep3 or in a future patch. Given how powerful they are I'd suggest giving only 2 out of loadout editor just on order not to be abusive. Nothing much to add because they're just very simple and nothing much is needed in order to talk about them. They're a good idea since any one who has a weapon fitted with a GP30 can use them it gives them a chance to stand decently against heavily armored enemies such as power-suits and equivalents it's just too bad we can't get them in the research and the loadout editor.


There that's all the new alt ammo taken care of but we're not done yet since now I'll have to talk about the new specialty weapons which is also a solid block to tackle but I told you that I'd talk about as many things as possible and that involves specialty weapons besides like I said before if my doing this can help the developers have ideas for future specialty weapons then I'll have my whole encephalon join my already hovering above the clouds spirit in pure bliss (yeah I exaggerate but I like doing that ^^).
Yet again don't hesitate telling me if you think that I am unfair, too harsh or too kind about something.

[TheDragonLiner]

HI HI HI !!

Aye tis' me again for you know what ^^


Now we are tackling the biggest part of all > Specialty weapons and trust me it took me a while to prepare just the first one, I can't imagine for the other ones ...
Also if default weapons have had modifications to them I'll also mention them but shortly because I can't talk extensively about absolutely every weapons of a character that would be way too long, and as I said I focus only on new and modified things.
Let's go !


Specialty Weapons :
-----------------------------

James' :
------------

First I want to say that I like the new look of his hands' model, it makes him stand more apart just like every other OCs. In Ep1 his hand model looked like John's but with different colors, now it's really different. However the only problem with that is that the AN-94's reloading animation is made worse because the cocking handle moves by itself instead of being handled by James' hand like it was the case in Ep1.


_Glock : New graphics only it seems. I was positively surprised by that as the older one's made it look a bit small almost as if it was more of a Glock 19 than a Glock 17/18. This new look is more realistic, detailed, and more credible for the size. Nothing else to add.

_1911 : I know it's not new but it has new graphics and there are 2 things I can say. The reloading animation is now excellent, while the previous one was just good. The new graphic of the gun is so so, I mean in Ep 1 it had a less detailed but smoother look whereas now it has a more detailed look but less smooth if you see what I mean by "smooth". Either way it's new animations and graphics make it more appealing to my eye when in action, and as I said the reloading animation is very good.

_FN57 : New sounds ... I don't know if I prefer the older firing sound, both are very good and now that I got used to the new one I can hardly tell about the older one ... And the graphics of the reloading animation is good, neater with smoother outlines and more details. Gameplay wise I was sad, I really liked the way it played in Ep1 where is was the most accurate of James' pistols, the only one to have pin-point accuracy when the laser was in use and it was also very good to use in dual wielding, now it's slightly more accurate than the PPK with the laser and it's as inaccurate as the OTs when dual wielded or when laser is off which is a bit lame, maybe justified by the fact it's a heavy gun but then what about the 1911 ? Too bad T_T. Nothing else to add.

_Golden Jericho : New sounds again. At first I thought I liked the older sounds better but when looking back at it it felt like the older sounds made it sound more powerful than it really was, now the new sounds are more matching I'd say. But still the new sounds sound a bit cheap compared to the others but I hardly see what else you guys could have used. Only the reloading has had better graphics if I recall correctly, not as good as for the 1911 but it's still a nice touch to get.

_PPK : Finally something new. First off it looks pretty good, among James' pistols this one is the best looking ones along with the Glock. Firing sound is okay, not outstanding but far from being bad. Same reloading sound as the Jericho however is a bit weird given the size difference ... Gameplay wise well it's decent although it's weak but since it is supposed to house a silencer it sounds perfectly logical, and its accuracy makes it good to use in dual wield for medium-long range which is good for a pistol. But personally I don't really use it because of its weakness in power, I prefer using the FN57 instead but at least it's already stronger than the Golden Jericho which is already something along with the fact it's also armor piercing, if it weren't AP then I would have completely ignored it (because I had a hard deciding which is more adapted to Ep2 between it and the FN). I can't tell about the silencer thing since we can only witness that in InvUrb.map and the context of a zombie outbreak goes against the nature of the thing I'd say, I can only say that the silencer looks good since it matches the look of the gun and as for the sound it's the same as John's pistol (which looks like a USP) ... personally I don't mind it, it's more appealing to hear than the MP9's silenced shots for instance. Anyway it's a good all round gun, since its silencer is of no use for the time being I'd say it is only marred by its lack of punch but at least with or without the silencer taken into account it is adapted to a lot of situations and in that extents then only the short clip size poses a problem.


_KSG 12 : I knew this gun but I didn't know it had 2 tubes to fill. I've see somewhere that James' wanted to have exotic weapons well this is one of those I'd say. Actually in my opinion this is the best of James' shotguns (followed by the Protecta and the Jackhammer). It has the same accuracy as the Jackhammer, a ROF close to the Jackhammer, the biggest "clip size" if both tubes are filled with the same shells, and the ability to use all alternate shells. It also has the 3rd reloading speed if only one tube is taken into account. That feature of loading 2 different shells is neat and it works fine. I'd almost say that this gun is abusive since it's adapted to almost all situations and it has very good gameplay with and without the loading belt. It's only "drawback" could be the fact the Auto 5 surpasses it in terms of range but at least that's a trade-off and since it's this gun's only trade-off it better remain. Finally about the color selection, well it's a nice idea, at least the selection is good enough to content most people I suppose but personally I find that most colors make the gun look bad except for Green and Grey in my opinion (even Red which is my favorite color doesn't look good), the only "problem" with the color system right now is the fact it only affects the FPS gun's look, the pick-up will remain in default color (Green in that case) but that's really a minor issue, can't even been perceived as a problem if you let the gun in green which is my case. In the end that gun is too much of a gun, it looks ultimate as in absolutely no future addition can surpass it but you never know, but it's so enjoyable to use that I can't resist using it even though when I don't need alt shells I don't hesitate overlooking it for the sake of having a change and cut it some slack ^^

_Golden Jackhammer : Well not very original. At least the gun looks stylish mostly with the little demon drawn on top of where the drum goes. It's part of the few new golden guns that I find good looking. Personally I'd say it's not very worth its big price since we get a gun that needs double the pickups to get ammo and cannot use alt ammo. However the fact it's armor piercing, accurate, effective against all enemies, has fast reload and fast ROF makes it worth considering but personally I feel too uneasy with the idea of picking up alternate shells that I can't use, then again if you pick the default M-16 then I guess it's all okay but personally I prefer using the AN-94 so I can't afford taking the Golden Jackhammer strategically speaking since it would make me less adaptable to situations. But it still remains a good guns mostly if you can deal with having halved ammo, the fact it's effective against all enemies allows to think less when attacking enemies which makes us instinctively play as if we were in vanilla where there's no notion of resistance. And the ROF can make it valuable over the Jericho when surrounded by supernatural enemies which is far from being the case right now. Where this gun would be most useful is in James' mission in Switzerland in that room with the 2 cyberdemons, if we don't use it too much then you have more ammo than if you wanted to use flechette shells which might be something to strongly consider mostly if playing that mission on Pro and Armageddon. That's actually the main strength of that weapon over the others, it allows use to think less and act more which is good for those who like simplicity and potentially difficulty (because of half ammo). So yeah not too original but still a good addition, I was actually afraid that the new golden guns would be too ultimate/abusive but I'm pleased to see they still have some trade-offs, besides the difference provide in terms of gameplay makes James' arsenal more adaptive to players' natures.


_MP9 : Short. New look be good. Not too different, not too "the same". At first I didn't understand the point of the laser now that there is a new accuracy system but it seems that it allows the gun to lose accuracy more slowly (if not at all) when firing continuously. Too bad it doesn't give it pin-point accuracy like in Ep1 it was the only slot 4 weapon to achieve that :/ And the new system makes dual wielding them way more useful than in Ep1 since they're pretty accurate when dual wielded as long as you don't fire like a maniac (unless in close quarters of course). Nothing else to add.

_MP5 + PP-19 : No change in look but the new accuracy system makes those guns more useful than before. Especially the PP-19 which was marred by its inaccuracy in Ep1, actually first time I played through Ep2 I took that gun from beginning to the end and I was very satisfied by its new gameplay since it's now adapted to medium-long ranged combat whereas it was adapted only to short ranged combat in Ep1. As for the MP5 only its new accuracy makes it more useful because its silencer is currently of no use and its GL is rendered useless by the LR300's unless that you don't want to use it which I really doubt. Conclusion : Good evolution.

_UMP45 : As soon as I found it I was interested. I like that gun, it's the most powerful, it has decent accuracy even without the sight, decent rate of fire, can use silver bullets and has a nice look. It's only drawbacks are short clip size and inability to pierce through armor but if you pick that weapon that means you don't look for piercing armor so it's not too much of a problem and the fact it can be effective against supernatural enemies is a compensation I'd say. I like its sounds although the firing sound is a bit weird but at least it sounds powerful, it actually sound like a big version of the MP9 (the sounds sound like they use the same base). Another good addition since it's adapted to medium-long ranged combat and is James' only gun to be able to use silver ammo, I know the 1911 also does but it's better to use silver ammo with SMGs besides strategically speaking it's better to have an AP pistol than the 1911 if you ask me. In the end that gun definitely gets my approval along with the others' new usefulness thanks to the new accuracy system.


_Auto-Crossbow : Now that's original, I suppose this is a reference to Imagination World in which the slot 9 weapon was a crossbow. The fact you have to charge up shots might be not practical to use but at least it allows us to adapt our range a bit more, what I mean is that firing a not charged shot in an arc can have a better obstacle avoiding trajectory in comparison to a fully charged one that can go straight into obstacles. It's adapted to all ranged fights thanks to accuracy, potential range and potential ROF and the fact it can fire silver bolts as alternate mode is a natural plus. It's an agreeable weapon to use. I have a hard time deciding what I prefer between it and the XM8. The XM8 is very effective against supernatural and armored enemies whereas this one has more evenly spread characteristics. It also has the advantage of being the strongest silenced weapon of James' which also something to consider whenever you'll need a silenced weapon (AKA never for the time being). Like with the UMP that gun gets my approval for sure, besides it has trade-offs and is very good looking.


_LR300 : Light version of the M16 I suppose. Like with the KSG12 this gun is so good it would almost be "too good" in comparison to the AUG. It has good graphics, good sounds, good characteristics, and the new color system which isn't as "effective" as with the KSG but it's still there. The reason why I'd say it's almost "too good" is the fact it's powerful, has large magazine, has a GL than can use many different ammo types, is adapted to long ranged combat and to a lot of situations. Besides it can be fitted with a silencer which looks good I guess, it sounds like the MP5 which is okay I guess, at least I prefer that over the MP9's silenced sound. The only problem with the silenced sound is that it sounds shy in comparison to the badass sound of the unsilenced thing. The only trade-off it has is the fact the AUG is adapted to very long ranged fights while the LR300 is adapted to lesser long ranged fights. Also the AUG can have 100 clip size but personally I never buy such upgrades they're ridiculous in my tastes. Like the KSG it's a bit of an abusive gun to use but it's so enjoyable to use and more versatile than the AUG that you can hardly say no to it. besides when combined with the UMP, the KSG and the AN-94 you can use tons of different types of ammo which is a very strong point.


Conclusion : Very very good and interesting additions, and the new looks and sounds of some weapons are good for the most part and the new accuracy system makes the MP5 and the PP-19 worth taking which is really good since there are no weapons that can be completely overlooked.


There we are, next time I'll talk about Zaxtor's and probably another OC at the same since there's not a lot for him.

[Jblade]

Thanks for the extensive feedback again Lots of stuff I do make with the idea that it'll see much more use in the future. I'm also contemplating having the wasp drones drop heat seeking cards randomly since I do feel they're a bit too rare - one of my goals for this episode is to give every character a gun that can use the zilla missile fire modes so you don't feel too tied down to one temporary weapon.

The heat sinks will be used in many more guns in the future, as the tech level of the team progresses more guns will make use of that mechanic. For now it's just a neat little extra for a couple of guns.

[TheDragonLiner]

No problem ^^


Personally I feel that we find Heat Seeking Cards regularly, not too rarely but it's true that if a player often uses it and doesn't find all the secrets of the HK levels it sure is going to be quite rare.
The drones dropping them is a nice idea I'd say, besides it's credible since they use those themselves.
Also weapons that can use the ZML package for every OCs sounds good as well but I really wonder how you could do that, maybe making it so that in the specialty weapon selections you can select a variant of a weapon that has a GL in order to have a ZML just like Zaxtor's Galil but then again it would stuff up the loadout's screen quite hard for some OCs ... you have a suggestion there but not a solid one :/
Or maybe you could make a research project for the launcher of Zaxtor's Galil that would unlock an equipment that allows you to switch between a weapon's GL and an equivalent of Zaxt's Galil ZML that sounds like a better idea to me, It's your call ^_-

As for more overheating weapons I'm more than okay with that idea since for the time being there are only 2 guns that can overheat and use Heat Sinks.

[TheDragonLiner]

ME be here again !!

Getting close to the end now, maybe 2 or 3 more posts will do it I think, anyway now we'll talk about 2 OCs because they don't have a lot of new things and I want my posts to have a relatively constant length.
Down we go !


Specialty Weapons :
-----------------------------

Zaxtor's :
------------


_Gold AutoRifle : Now that weapon has become more useful than ever compared to Ep1 ! Not only is it more accurate but it's also adapted to long ranged combat thanks to its new zoom and I'd say Zaxtor definitely needs a weapon for that. The new firing sound is also good. However it's too bad that this gun is affected by that glitch that makes it fire more upward than we are aiming which is a pain when in long ranged fights since there's no way you can know where it will hit unless you use auto-aim . Anyway its new functionalities earned it my approval and is now part of my loadout with Zaxtor whereas it wasn't in Ep1.


_Golden Shotgun : I sense the smell of Duke's Winchester ... Yay Zaxt has another accurate weapon, yet the default Super Shotgun was already pretty accurate then this one is the best in that extent. I really like the sounds and as for its look ... well it could have been better but that gun is also part of the new golden guns that I find good-looking. And in terms of gameplay it draws us closer to the vanilla gameplay which is always good with Zaxtor because it reminds me of Oblivion which I extensively played although there is still one level that I never managed to beat. That gun is also very useful because Zaxtor's mission has a lot of shotgun ammo and therefore the halved ammo is not problematic in the slightest, besides there are supernatural enemies in his map in which case it's very handy, more than the AutoRifle since there's no ammo for it. In overall despite the halved ammo that gun earns my approval and just like the AutoRifle is part of my Zaxtor loadout.


_ Super Galil : Hourra !! I now have an accuracy set-up for Zaxtor ! That gun is really good. Good looking, good gameplay and good sounds. It's adapted to medium-long ranged combat and is pretty powerful but the trade-off is that you need more pickups in order to get ammo. Also the fact it comes up with an underslung ZML is pretty neat ... that is if it were not GLITCHED TO DEATH. I can never make that accessory express its full potential because there is always that glitch that prevents me from using it T_T But the rare times I managed to use it I'd say it's harder to use it than to use a regular ZML, the Heat Seeking Card sure would come in handy but every time I had one the gun was glitching out again >_<. Same for the A-Bomb. I did managed to use DUP with it but long ago because it never ceased glitching out since then (that is when I got those ammo because it sometimes work but sometimes it glitches I can't understand what makes it happen). BUT apart from all that shit the gun has a lot of potential and it's actually the only Zaxtor gun that can use alternate ammo which is good achievement and that's actually why that gun is part of my loadout but it always frustrates me because of DAMN GLITCH. It gets my approval either way.


_D2 Firestorm : Now that's an interesting weapon to use. More than the regular Devistator which feels underpowered if you ask me. The Firestorm is nice because it combines the advantages of the Devistator's ROF and power with the usefulness of a flamethrower, moreover you can ever afford to miss your target since it will be set on fire and hopefully die which is very neat. The only drawback is range but the default Devistator had already problems with range so it's not much of a big deal even though the projectiles have random trajectory whereas the Devistator's projectiles had relatively straight trajectories. But as I said since it's a short range weapon or a weapon for giant targets the range problem is not that much of a handicap and I kinda like how the projectiles end up flying after a few meters. Just to give you an idea I sometimes save and fire randomly just to see how pretty it can get before reloading (yes I'm weird). That gun definitely gets my approval and is part of my Zaxtor loadout ! BTW I should add that oddly enough the default Devistator has an animation problem because when you fire it's supposed to fire alternatively right and left but in reality it fires randomly which sometimes makes the projectiles come out of the one that doesn't fire (for instance the left one is animated but the projectiles come from the right (AKA the left one fired two times in a row)).


Conclusion : A bit poor on additions but they sure are very good additions, so good that I take all of them in my loadout so I'm not gonna complain, except for that damn glitch ....



Since I don't want the post to be too short I will tell about another OC's new or modified guns.


Geoffrey's :
----------------


_MDF Pistol + Golden Magshot : New firing sound ... Well at least they no longer have a generic firing sound so it's always good to pick. The Golden Magshot didn't become any useful in comparison to the upgraded MDF Pistol BUT it looks like it's more powerful than it used to be in Ep1 so that's also good to get.


_Golden Shotgun : Well there's nothing much I can say :/ It's a bit generic, not really good looking (besides the sprite is too small (there's a gap between the bottom of the sprite and the bottom of the screen when you're walking)), not that powerful, not useful since the Plasma Shotgun is effective against supernatural enemies and it has halved ammo. At least it has a good firing sound although a bit too low in volume. And since none of Geoffrey's weapon can use alt ammo I suppose this gun can be worth picking for its combining the supernatural effectiveness of the Plasma Shotgun and the armor piercing of golden guns but the situations we face with Geoffrey can really be dealt with without that gun which makes it severely lack in use. It's not necessarily a bad weapon but it's not very encouraging to use I'd say but whenever you use it it still fulfills its job but as I said the Plasma Shotgun and the MDF Shotgun are way better thanks to their powerfulness and the Plasma Shotgun's being efficient against supernatural enemies (it one shoots ghosts).

_AP SMG : Quick mention of the slightly tweaked reloading animation which is always a good thing to get. We see the tip of the cannon/muzzle while in Ep1 we couldn't. It also reloads much faster compared to what I recall from Ep1, which compensates its smaller slip size which renders the gun slightly more useful than in Ep1.


Conclusion : I'm getting sad T_T It's a shame Geoffrey has only 4 specialty weapons, and I have the misfortune of him being an OC I like to play with. I know about the story that he left and everything no need to remind me, there's nothing you guys can do about that, the mod must not be a burden for anyone who takes part in it. And actually despite all that I really don't see what weapon you could add for him, I would have been glad to make suggestions but my sense of aestheticism and the style of his guns really pose me a conundrum as to what gun he could have at his disposal, so sad T_T


There we are. Next time I'll talk about Merlijn and possibly another OC I have yet to determine.
I really like doing that because not only it keeps me active but also makes JBlade say interesting things and potentially things that I didn't notice such as the Stygian Warcannon's alt-fire or the digging spots for the Shovel. When you think you've seen it all there still are things to discover in AMC ^^

[TheDragonLiner]

Salutations !

Cette fois ci we're on to 2 other OCs' specialty weapons for the anti-penultimate part of my extensive feedback even though I surely will leave a few words on the maps used in EDF Missions just in case.

C'est partit !!

Specialty Weapons :
-------------------------

Merlijn's :
------------

_Dagger + Golden Dagger : The main issue in Ep1 was the fact that once the sword was obtained those daggers became pointless. Now that we have the possibility to throw them things are really different ! Besides not only the throw has good range and accuracy but it's also more powerful than a normal attack (the regular dagger kills a Pigcop in one shot). Also the fact we can throw them makes the Golden dagger more useful since attacking ghosts in CQC isn't a good idea. However I still think that the Golden Dagger is too weak to be worth picking up (plus only Zeta Base allows us to fights supernatural enemies with Merlijn) but you still get that trade-off. Besides since golden weapons damage all enemies then the Golden dagger becomes the only weapon of Merlijn's that can pierce through heavy armor from the distance. Not to forget the fact that the simple idea of making the throw more powerful than the slash has a trade-off that is taking the risk of missing the target and have your dagger get a trip in the entropic world of the universal chaos of atoms (yes I use weird images), this makes taking risks rewarding in a way. Neat idea and second youth.


_Guandao : Some sort of halberd that's precisely the kind of weapon Merlijn lacked in Ep1. Well that weapon looks cool and that little hanging thing moving along with the weapon when turning, slashing or walking is a neat little detail, and the sounds are good as well, it sounds ... Asian. It behaves exactly like the Katana however, but with far better range and the possibility of a 360° slash. The only trade-off is the fact we can't use the shield which is Merlijn's most valuable asset as a melee OC, it seems to be weaker than the sword the faster attacks compensate for that and therefore we pretty much have the same DPS although the knockback makes keeping enemies away from us easier with the Guandao than with the sword. It's also very good underwater because it looks like melee weapons have reduced range underwater and so the Guandao is more valuable in that extent. So in the end is it really worth ? well I have a hard time deciding if I'm better with the sword than with that weapon ... It's enjoyable to use, feels less classic than the sword but strategically speaking it's hard to decide. I prefer keeping the Golden Sword but whenever I play Tower of Life I switch to the Guandao not only because it's fitting but also because it's well adapted to that level's gameplay and enemies except for the Ninjas but you have temp weapons for that (and daggers to throw as well). Anyway that new weapon definitely gets my approval !

_Golden Sword : Well there's nothing much to say. Actually is it credible having a sword in gold ? sounds not very solid to me but I'm sure the blade has been treated with very special things to make the golden plating indestructible or something so who cares. Aesthetically speaking it's okay I'd say (it's not just the blade that looks different = +1 point in "non-laziness"). It seems to have the same strength as the regular sword and since it plays exactly the same ... The only thing is that it's effective against all enemies that's all. There are no trade-off in comparison to the regular sword, it only has advantages and for that reason I like to stick with it (another one of the few golden guns that I find good-looking AND useful), even though I wouldn't attack ghosts with it I'd prefer using my Crossbow with Silver Bows instead but if we were to meet sorcerers than that would help us save that type of ammo which is always a plus. Consequently I prefer having the Golden Sword than the Golden Dagger even though the dagger has become more likely to be considered using in this episode. Anyway it gets my approval.


_Tibetan Cannon : I had the same reaction as with the shovel. At first that weapon looked mysterious, when you find it you can't tell what kind of weapon it is. Then upon testing it was just like the shovel, very powerful and fun to use but not practical to use at all. It has quite good graphics I'd say (in blue) and the fact we can change color is always a plus even though I'd say it looks good only in blue (default). In terms of gameplay it has the similarity of the default Blunderbuss by having a slow ROF but good damage output. It's pretty intuitive to use as well, I know it behaves exactly like HE shells but when I discovered it I wasn't yet experienced with those and yet I managed to do what I wanted to do first try most of the time. It's just a heavy, one-shot GL that's all there's to it, only its look is original. I don't know but it sometimes feels like the projectile is more powerful than HE shells which would be a strong point if it were the case. However most of the times I prefer sticking to the Blunderbuss because when it is fully upgraded it becomes a killing machine (a very expensive one) that can be used with the shield making the Tibetan Cannon feel too heavy and unpractical to use, and quite dangerous as well since you can one-shot yourself if an enemy flies right onto you as you shoot, and finally the long gap between shots makes you vulnerable but these are good trade-offs I suppose. Either way it's another enjoyable weapon to use and that's why it definitely gets my approval and the fact I take whenever I don't feel the need of the Blunderbuss.


_Compound Bow : Finally a modern weapon for Merlijn, even though the Shuriken trap is already modern I'd say.Graphically speaking it's okay I guess, it looks good when you have armed a shot but in regular state I have doubts but since it's brand new I'm not gonna complain. Being used to Ep1's gameplay I was wondering how you could have an enhanced bow while the older one was already as powerful as a rocket launcher. It appears that the default bow has been made slightly weaker, I might be wrong but it feels like it, which might have been a logical choice I guess. Actually I'd say that new bow is easier to use than the older one because of the increased speed of the projectile and it's more linear trajectory. The fact you get less ammo for it is a good trade-off but not that much of a handicap if you ask me (unlike with other OCs' new golden guns), however there is an interesting trade-off although it feels more accidentally implemented. A bit like with James' Auto-Crossbow, the compound bow allows for more direct shots whereas with the default bow's more arced trajectories you might be able to enemies behind objects by making the arrow fly above it or fall down on it whereas the Compound Bow doesn't allow for that un less you're at very far distance. And speaking of range the fact your arrow goes much farther gives another trade-off, enemies tend to dodge arrows more often than in Ep1 and the farther they are the harder it is to hit, surely the increased speed of the arrow compensates but still if you are any farther it still becomes hard to hit. Either way that new bow is easier and more practical to use and the reduced ammo doesn't feel enough as a handicap to make us wonder if it is worth picking up and it definitely gets my approval and a place in my loadout. On a last word I don't know if it was already present in Ep1 but I like the fact you can now annul a shot with alt-fire, it allows for almost no accidental shots which would have been a handicap since that weapon is valuable.



Conclusion : I am very pleased to see Merlijn having more weapons bestowed upon him, in Ep1 he only had 3 weapons to chose from with practically no trade-offs (obviously I wouldn't have said that if he were not part of my favorite OCs to play as ^^). I am left in the expectative for Ep3 as to what he could obtain and all this keeps doping my enthusiasm for Ep3 ^^.



Sang's :
---------

_Gold Spell : Not necessarily good looking but sure is part of the few new golden guns that I found worth the money we pay for. There's not a lot to say about it, I surely was expecting a golden spell for him but never had ideas of how it would look like and I'd say it looks okay, the book looks too simplistic but spell itself is okay. And in terms of gameplay it's worth the money because it's powerful and there are no real trade-off apart from the fact it requires more ammo for it but it is a logical trade-off when you see how well it plays. And compared to the other spells I'd say this one is not only the most powerful but also the easiest to use. Generally I go back to the Ice Spell for its originality (not the fire spell because fire damage are no longer as abusive as in Ep1) but most of the time I keep using the Gold Spell. I don't know why but it's just that it plays very well and matches the "powerful" adjective it is given in the description. Besides the fact it is effective against heavy armor unlike the others make it adapted to every situation, one would only want to revert to the other spells because of their more original gameplay, but at least that's the strong point of Sang's spells which is the fact he has varied gameplay from one spell to the other which is always good enough to be worth mentioning. Anyway that new golden weapon gets my rare approval (as far as golden slot 3 weapons are concerned) for sure and a place in my usual loadout.


_Uzi/BAR/PPSH : Well I have only one thing to say about those guns because they all had one modification that I find sad. They no longer have that magic combo alt-fire they used to have in Ep1, I don't really see why you guys took that off. I suppose it is intended to make the Silver and Golden ring more likely to be used as a gun instead of a source of ammo and armor points which sounds logic and good intended in my opinion. But still having a small tear for it. But I have already made a suggestion for a slot 7 gun that would permit having that back, we'll see ... BTW I appreciate the fact the PPSH is now more useful than in Ep1 thanks to the new accuracy system, it's just like with James' PP-19.

_SR-2M : Short. Well the new sounds aren't as good as in Ep1 but at least this weapon now has its own sounds which is always a plus. And the fact we can now change color is yet again a good idea although I personally leave it in White color (like in Ep1) not only because I find it nicer like this but it also matches its pick-up sprite. Nothing else to add.

_FN F2000 : I had seen that weapon in a few games and was already interested in it so I was happy to see it in AMC, besides since Sang is from Belgium it fits him perfectly. Being silenced I expected it to have Splinter Cell's firing sound but the current one is not bad either although it sounds a bit too silent and shy but that's not too important. I like its gameplay, being as accurate as the BAR but not as stable, having its built-in scope usable and a cased GL, it all makes it remind me of Splinter Cell's. Also the fact it's another modern gun for Sang is good, now he has 3 modern gun for 2 vintage ones (I'm not necessarily wanting him to have only modern slot 4 guns but I surely don't want him to have only vintage guns even though it still would match him and not bother me that much). Since it has the cased GL it makes that gun adaptable to a lot of situation in addition to being adapted to long ranged combat. I'm happy that you guys made it armor piercing in the patch since an assault rifle that doesn't pierce armor is a bit lame. Yet again it's good to see it has trade-offs, it's not as stable as the upgraded Uzi and the BAR and we can carry less ammo than with the other guns. In the end it's another great addition and it definitely gets my approval and an eternal place in my loadout fitted with Plasma Shells to boost its adaptability to the highest level of Sang's guns.


_Nemesis Staff : I wasn't really a fan of the Oblivion Staff. I definitely approve this new one. It looks nicer in my opinion and it's more useful. We get more ammo, it's more practical to use due to not having to take 3 projectiles into account, its shots sometimes go through enemies allowing to multiple hits with one shot and finally the damage output is close to that of the default weapon in my opinion. Also its alternate function is damn useful since as long as we stay close to it we are protected against everything except for crushing. But despite all its glory it still has trade-offs which is good since it makes the default weapon worth considering. The default weapon can serve as a more effective trap than the Heart Leeches and the fact it shoots 3 projectiles per shots allows for more potential multi-hits but the problem is that most of the time when we have that weapon we rarely meet enough enemies to make a shot not seem like it was wasted which is not the case at all with the Nemesis Staff and since we have more ammo for it it's even more the case. And the fact it can protect you from all attack is a very valuable asset. The only thing I'd like to know however is how the ammo usage is handled when the staff is planted for both weapons. It doesn't look like the Oblivion staff has 1 ammo used per shot and as for the Nemesis staff I can't tell if it's the time it spends on the ground or the amount of times you got hit while under the area of effect of its protection. Anyway that new staff earn its eternal place in my loadout.



Conclusion : Surely Sang doesn't get a lot of new things but they are so useful and enjoyable to play with that I'm definitely satisfied with what I get. It makes Sang more able to adapt to situations and stronger in some circumstances where Ep1 loadouts would have been slightly outclassed. Besides like with most OCs weapons it has its load of trade-off to keep matching the point of specialty weapons and not become abusive. Once again I'm enthusiastic regarding Ep3 besides since we will get to face LeSang I'm am very curious of how Sang's background will evolve and possibly his arsenal as well because in general warlocks and Egyptian things get along pretty well.


Voilà !
Next time I think I'll tell about Rusty and most probably another OC. Things are drawing close to an end

[TheDragonLiner]

Yay yay tis' me again !


Time for the penultimate part of my extensive feedback !
Yet again I'll talk about 2 OCs specialty weapons then I'll do the same for the next part and maybe I'll prepare a small ultimate part for EDF missions ... I was also thinking about leaving a few words on research but most of them are related to things I already talked about but I have a feeling I might be able to find things to say either way.

Now let's get to it !


Specialty Weapons :
------------------------

Highwire's :
--------------

_TT33 : Short. New graphics FTW ! Very good looking in comparison to its Ep1 iteration with smoother animations and outlines although I'd say the gun looks a bit flatter than before, I've compared with an image from the AMC Wiki and the new one looks bigger but flatter, it's weird but in anyway it has had a good evolution.

_Golden Skorpion : Short. New sounds FTW ! Although I'm not a fan of that gun I was especially not a fan of its firing sound in Ep1 and I must say the new sound is way better and more credible than its Ep1 counterpart and the fact the reloading sound is different is also a plus although I think it's the same as the Kashtan's but ain't a problem. Nothing else to add.


_Saiga-12 : Short. New firing sound FTW ! I actually don't remember how the previous sounded at all XD. Let me just say that the new sound is also good, a bit simplistic but credible and appealing to the ear.

_Golden Saiga-12 : Well it's pretty much the same thing as with James' Jackhammer. It's the last golden gun that I find good looking, and in terms of use ... well I'd say a bit worth the money I guess, since it combines all the advantages and inconvenience of the regular Saiga-12 with only the all-enemy effectiveness and halved ammo in addition. Since we already have a short limit of 50 shells with the regular Saiga I'd say having halved ammo here is not as much of a handicap as it is for James' Jackhammer. I won't develop too much since I would simply be repeating most of the things I said for James' Golden Jackhammer. I will only add that this gun is more worth considering than James' Jackhammer since Highwire has less of an adaptable arsenal and I keep on wondering which I'd prefer between this gun and the default Remington 870 that can use all alternate shells ... But since as it is right now we don't encounter supernatural enemies with him except for Zeta Base that gun kind of has a limited use but as I said unlike with James' equivalent the fact we have already a lower ammo limit makes the halved ammo trade-off less hard to handle and given the nature of most of his guns it doesn't hurt having a gun that is effective against enemies mostly if you don't mind saying good-bye to Magnum Shells and the others unless you pick the Police Shotgun but I'd say there are better choices than that and alt shells are more of a help than an indispensable element unless you're short on ammo and/or are a poor shot. In the end this gun has yet to obtain my approval since I'm still contemplating on what I wanna take as my usual loadout.


_AKM : I don't really remember how that gun played like in Ep1 apart from the old accuracy system, it feels like its gameplay hasn't changed But I have a feeling that it was less accurate in Ep1 which made the sight upgrade valuable in which case the new accuracy system has yet again rendered a weapon more useful than its Ep1 counterpart. But if there really is something that I really remember it is the fact that the Holo-Sight has a new look in this episode and I must say it looks very good, and more realistic. I remember that in Ep1 the gun remained the same with only the small sight on top, now in Ep2 you have the attachment of the sight that clamps on the weapon just like the Cobra-sight of the VAL does which is a very good aesthetic evolution (yes I pay close attention to aesthetics (mostly because I draw)). However there is something that could have used a change and that is the GL's animations. It is the only gun of the entire game (Ep1 and 2) not to have a proper reloading animation for its underslung GL besides if you have the Holo-Sight on it you can actually see it temporarily detach from the gun as if its sprite was moving on a different trajectory than the gun which gives a bit of a lame look to the overall thing. Either way this gun has had a good evolution there.



Conclusion : Well too bad there is only one new gun that isn't much different from the others but given the guns he already has it's not too much of a problem I guess, besides it appears that he'll have some roles to play in the next episode so I'll just wait and see (no I haven't listened to the conversation soundtracks What makes you say that ?).


Rusty's :
----------


_Revolvers/Golden Revolvers/1858 : Short. I understand why you guys have taken the alt-fire out, it made fighting from far away not practical at all and actually harder to do, besides when the shot was fully charged the camera was angled slightly more down than where we were looking at while charging up which was unsettling. Fortunately you have had the good idea to give those their fully charged power and accuracy, otherwise it would have been a bit lame in the principle. But now that there is no alt-fire for those you might as well delete the help message for F1 screen, it no longer has any reasons to exist. Also about the regular revolver it's a bit nice that the new accuracy system is applied since the semi-auto upgrade would have made the gun a bit abusive along with its new power. Good evolutions again.

_Micro-Uzi : Short. I don't see why Rusty can't dual wield that, game play balance I suppose. The new accuracy system yet again makes that gun more useful than in Ep1 since it now has good accuracy as long as you have a light finger. Good evolution.


_Golden HandShotgun : Now that's kind of an interesting gun to use. It looks like a flare gun but loaded with 12 gauge which is original I guess, at least I have never ever seen something like that. It has a good ROF for a one-shot gun and relatively good accuracy given the fact it is held single handedly. And it kills a Pigcop in 2 shots which is the normality I'd say (like in DN3D). I don't understand why we can reload while it's a one-shot gun that is already automatically reloaded, besides it makes it disappear for a split-second which is weird. It's well animated although the graphics of the gun in normal state are a bit simplistic given the level of detail of everything else but it remains fitting with the general look of the thing. In terms of gameplay I'd say it's agreable to use but nothing to break the ceiling with. Unfortunately that gun is of no use for me since I already got the Golden Revolver, the Book of Nails for the Nailgun and any flechette shells I could use with the Over-Under that has perfect range. However if you have assigned the Book of Nails to another OC then that gun should be considered, if you're okay with being through with alternate shells while feeling the need of a supernatural effective gun and don't want to use the silver bayonet of the FG42 and/or the golden revolver. You'll just sacrifice a bit of range since the default Auto-Shotgun has a better range when crouched. And there is obviously the trade-off of halved ammo but it's not that much of a great issue unless you want to reserve your slot 4 and 2 for other things in which case then it can become problematic but I doubt it'll be most people's case. Anyway it's one of the least useful new golden guns but it's not utterly useless, it's just that my loadout with Rusty is already optimized and that new gun doesn't bring anything that could make me change my mind. But it remains an interesting and original addition nonetheless.


_M41C : New look FTW ! And damn it looks way better than in Ep1 sheesh, actually in Ep1 if it weren't for its pick-up sprite I would have never guessed that it was the same gun from the Alien movies. Now it really looks perfect in FPS view and the new voxel is one of the best ones in the game I'd say. Since I'm mentioning voxels for guns I'll just say that none looks bad, they all look good (some more than others but still) and I hope there will be more in the next episode. Finally there is something that I find very weird with that gun ... Why does it have a 99 magazine while it is stated that it has a 50 magazine both in the Shop and the Loadout Editor ? Surely it's nice to have such a big magazine but personally I don't really like having guns that carry so many bullets in one magazine, it feels surrealistic except for guns like James' M16 with the double drum mag upgrade and such but for a specialty weapon that can't be upgraded it's really abusive having 99 bullets in a clip unless it's an LMG which is not the case here. That's all, very good aesthetic evolution.



Conclusion : Exactly the same as with Highwire. But with less emphasis on the Ep3 thing (No I didn't listen to ALL the conversation soundtracks, What makes you say that ?)



There you go, a bit shorter than I thought but don't worry the upcoming part will be of" normal length" ^_-

[Jblade]

I should update the info on the computers - IIRC the M4A1 is a caseless weapon hence why it can fit 99 rounds in a single magazine

[TheDragonLiner]

Hellooooo ...

I don't want to but I have to do it T_T
Last part of my feedback unless I get to write some for Research and EDF Missions but here won't be a lot to say or at least that's my first impression but if I get to start that maybe I'll find more things to say than I suspect, we'll see.

BTW JBlade you should also update the in-game PCs in order to have Micky's page since they give info on all characters except for him but since he's new I guess it kind of makes sense that he's not there ...


Anyway here it is !



Specialty Weapons :
---------------------

Mikko's :
---------


_Silver/Golden Talon : Short. New sounds FTW ! I'm still not a fan of the firing sound BUT the new reloading sound it perfect, very good choice. I used not to use the Silver Talon ever in Ep1 but now in Ep2 I tend to use it a bit more, maybe the new reloading keeps me attracted to it I don't know but still. Also it's nice to see them in voxels, they used to have a pick-up sprite that was too small. Nothing else to add.


_Golden Semi-Auto Shotgun : Part of the new golden guns that I don't find good looking but it's far from being the worst. It feels a bit like an intermediary between the default SG and the Assault SG. It's as accurate as the default SG, has faster reload (8 shells instead of 10), and potentially almost the same ROF as the Assault SG. So in terms of gameplay and use this gun is actually worth considering since it is close to the Assault SG with better accuracy and it is effective against all enemies, and since we don't get to find alternate shells in Mikko's missions it's good to consider (surely we find explosive shells in the Arsia Mons mission but I never use those) despite never seeing supernatural enemies appart from Zeta Base. I'll definitely prefer using this gun over the Golden Talon since it's more powerful and has the same range. The halved ammo can be a handicap however, I noticed that in Mikko's mission we find very few SG ammo and so using that gun will worsen the phenomenon. Given the types of enemies we encounter in his missions I'd say it's not really worth the trouble but on missions that's aren't OC specific it's definitely worth considering (mostly if there are no alternate shells that are useful). Quite a good gun in fact, only very limited in use for Mikko's mission only not necessarily for the other ones. There's actually a glitch that I already reported that makes this gun able to use alternate shells but despite the HUD indicating that you really are using said shells it will use up your normal ammo. That gun barely gets my approval because of its aesthetics (although there is worse) but strategically speaking it's the worth the money and worth considering but not for Mikko's specific missions.


_MDF Battle Rifle : An interesting gun. It has good graphics, good sounds and good gameplay. Being Mikko's most accurate gun of all makes it another gun worth picking up. Surely the default assault rifle also has maximal accuracy but it's not as stable as that MDF gun besides when we use it zoomed-in and crouched all shots have maximal accuracy which is a very strong point and the potential ROF makes up for it. The only drawbacks are the short clip size and the reduced amount of ammo we find and can carry that's actually the main trade-off with that gun and quite a strong one since its power although high and AP is not enough to allow us an extensive use of it throughout a level unlike the 2 other slot 4 guns we can chose. In the end that gun is the most adapted for long ranged fights in comparison to the default gun but it's less practical to use in closer ranged combat and its power can sometimes make killing weak enemies with it like a waste of ammo but at least it can one shoot them which is enjoyable when you kill 3 or 4 enemies in a row like that. So in fact the only trade-offs are less practical to use and reduced ammo which are quite strong trade-offs given the nature of the game, I'm sure most people will prefer the versatility of the other 2 slot 4 guns but this one's extreme accuracy and power definitely makes it worth considering, besides in Mikko's mission we get to find such ammo the most and the Arsia Mons mission can make good use of that gun since we have some long ranged fights and those pesky aircrafts that take 2 Barret shots to destroy. In any case this gun gets my approval for sure, I'm still unsure of my loadout with Mikko but even though I doubt that this gun will get its place in my loadout I still make a glad use of it whenever its possible.


_AWMS Sniper : Very good looking gun, looks a bit like a PSG-1 but more modern, and well animated with the bolt action thing. I'm not a fan of the regular firing sound but I definitely love the alternate firing sound. In terms of gameplay it's quite good. Very accurate, decent ROF and stability, no reload and decent power although the regular fire tends to feel underpowered when facing those aircrafts but that's always better than attempting to use the Green Materia Gun against them (I can't imagine). It doesn't have real trade-offs I'd say because it's too much of a different gun compared to the default slot 7 gun but if we compare that gun to the temporary Barret ,which we happen to find in the TV broadcasting, it has the advantage of being more versatile than the Barret and more practical to use since we can allow ourselves not to wait between shots but we sacrifice power although the alternate fire is here to help but with less stability. In the end that gun is less original than the default Materia Gun but it plays so well and so enjoyably that it's not a problem anymore, trying it is adopting it as we say in French. That gun definitely gets my approval and a solid place in my loadout. Besides very few OCs have snipers so it's always nice to get a new one (Highwire does and James' new crossbow can act like one).



Conclusion : Well Mikko sure doesn't get a lot of new things but they still remain good additions although not as enjoyable as Sang's and Micky's but his new weapons are original and make his gameplay more varied than it used to be although he definitely could use a gun that can use alt-ammo because right now he only has his default SG for alternate shells and the MDF Plasma Gun for Heat Sinks but I suppose it is intended by his style which still keeps things varied in the mod, the same goes with Micky but to a smaller extent. Even though I'm less enthusiastic about his new weapons I'm still pleased by the fact he has a decent amount of specialty weapons. Also I like his new voice, it sounds more cyborg than before although it sometimes seem to be too loud in the mike if you see what I mean, this most noticeable in his Ep1 mission where it's the case of practically all of his lines. I also like his new boot sprites, it stands more apart from the others, now only Merlijn could use new boot sprite in order to have all OCs have different sprites, besides it would match his 3rd person sprite more.


Micky's :
---------

Well since he's a brand new character I could talk about all his weapons but I want to talk only about specialty weapons and their point compared to a default gun. However let me say that all his default loadout is pretty well balanced, original for the most part and with good gameplay since all his guns are very accurate (except the non-upgraded AR (which looks like an MP5)) and decently powerful but as a counterpart we can't use alternate ammo that much.


_Golden Metal Storm : Original gun that is. Being able to deplete what remains in the magazine in one shot is a good gimmick and since the reloading speed is fast we can spam that firing mode enjoyably although it's quite hungry for ammo. It doesn't have a lot of trade-offs but the main ones are the accuracy and the lack of punch. The default gun when upgraded becomes very good and both firing modes are adapted to long ranged fights whereas the golden variant is weaker and both its firing mode have less range. I used that gun in Zeta Base and it truly felt underpowered, so much that I sometimes wondered if I were hitting my targets even with auto-aim. Besides the fact that the default slot 3 gun is able to damage supernatural enemies makes that gun very weak, its only advantage being its efficiency against heavy armor but it's lack of punch makes using it against such enemies a bad idea. Finally the fact the Longslide can use silver ammo deals also a strong blow to that gun. In the end the only REAL advantage that you get out of it is the fact that you have an AP pistol that doesn't need upgrades to be AP and since the default gun's upgrades are quite expensive it's worth considering. But personally it's lacks so much of a punch that I overlook it and deal with armored enemies either by aiming at the head of by using the slot 4 guns and/or slot 7 for the bigger ones and since we find both in all of Micky's missions that's fine by me. I used to pick that gun regularly but I got tired of its like of punch and its alt-fire's limited range and since the default gun's upgrades are expensive I preferred looking at the Longslide which obtained an eternal place in my loadout. In the end it's a decent gun but just underpowered and of limited use because of the default slot 3 gun but it can still be worth picking up if you want and AP pistol for free and can deal with its lack of punch, at least having 24 per pick-up is a decent compensation, thanks to that it gets my approval (barely).

_Longslide Pistol : Looks a bit like a Hardballer/Silverballer (clone of 1911). Very good looking gun, and I like its firing sound, I was afraid that it would sound like James' 1911 and Highwire's Automag but I was relieved. Like I said before it's my favorite of Micky's pistol because it packs the punch the others lack and I prefer its look and sounds, besides it can use silver ammo which gives it more power against supernatural creatures than the Golden Metal Storm. It has decent accuracy as well, however the trade-off is that this gun is adapted to medium ranged combat whereas the 2 others are adapted to medium-long range but Micky's other guns are so accurate that you can easily find a substitute in the slot 4 (either the upgraded default gun or the AR-73) and maybe others. In the end I prefer this gun because the fact it's not AP isn't much of a handicap because in most missions we encounter armored enemies while we have a slot 4 weapon with us and as I said it has the punch that the Golden Metal Storm lacks and it also allows us to focus credits on getting a scope for the default slot 3 weapon or upgrading the default slot 4 weapon all of them being less costly than the default Metal Storm's. The only thing I can "complain" about is the pickup sprite being a bit cartoonish and too small in comparison to the Metal Storms' which have normal size and normal look but since it's a brand new gun (and a very useful one in my regards) it's not too much of a problem (Mikko's Talon guns had too small pick-up sprites in Ep1 too so it's nothing to worry about I'd say). I definitely approve.


_Whiplash Shotgun : Now that's an original and interesting weapon to use. Yet again it's a good looking gun with good sounds and interesting gameplay. And the idea of being able to dual wield shotguns is too badass to be overlooked. It seems to have the same power as the default slot 3 gun, it has acceptable accuracy and the best ROF of all of Micky's slot 3 guns which is a nice plus in some situations, and the fact you can dual wield it and double the ROF is even more of a plus. I also appreciate the fact we can control the ROF when dual wielded, we can fire both at the same time or alternatively in any way we want. In the end that gun has had the same effect on me as the Shovel : it's not a very practical gun to use but when it's dual wielded it becomes so much fun to use that I always like to pick that gun whenever I can, that's actually what makes me eat up its ammo quite fast, it's so much fun that I end up speeding up my pace and keep firing frenetically which actually works quite well in practice most of the time but it's hungry for ammo, besides we get 8 shots per pick-ups instead of 10 for the default gun, maybe a mechanic related to the fact it's a double barreled gun. Too bad it cannot use alternate shells but given the nature of the gun and how it plays it might have been abusive besides it matches Micky's overall gameplay (having very balanced guns but that can't use alt ammo as a counterpart). Anyway every time I get to use this gun I often get the occasion to make a good use of it and I'm always satisfied by the results despite bigger ammo consumption but that is compensated by a fun factor you wouldn't necessarily get with another gun. In the end it's another good addition, solid, unique, original and with a very big fun factor when dual wielded despite its inaccuracy, surely it doesn't get a place in my loadout but I'm often willing to take a go with it. 100% approved. BTW a bug makes it so that if you finish a level while having it dual wielded and come back to base you'll have them dual wielded next time you find the gun even though you're supposed to have only one and you be able to revert back to single wielding until you find a second one.

_Gold Energy Shotgun : Now this is the new golden gun that I find the least good looking of all however it's no really one of those that aren't worth the money we pay for it, I did feel it was a rip off at first like with some of the others but recently I played Zeta Base on Armageddon difficulty with that weapon and was decently satisfied with the results since it's as powerful as the default gun and it kills a ghost in one shot just like the default gun does and it kills an Octabrain in 2 shots most of the time just like the default gun. Despite the halved ammo I didn't got much trouble. The main interest with this weapon is the fact that not only it's efficient against all enemies but its spread of energy makes it more able to hit multiple enemies at once than with the other 2 guns, although it's not something that interests me it's still an interesting capability for people to consider. As I said graphically speaking that gun is just not good looking, could be worse but could also be better (it has decent animation that's a start). It's sounds however are good. The pick-up sprite is too small just like the Longslide. Also it's weird that we can use a scope while it is supposed to be the default gun's specific accessory, this might be a bug. For the time being strategically speaking I'd say that it has limited use and is a bit of a handicap because of its limited effective range and slow projectile speed but as I said I was satisfied by my latest use of it on Armageddon so in the end I approve of that gun, not 100% but still it has a bit of originality and probably better gameplay than I witnessed.


_AR-73 : Very nice looking gun ! And with good sounds too along with that horn to warn you about the overheating shenanigan. A very good gun to pick unlike Mikko's MDF Plasma Gun. It has very good base accuracy, good power, decent ROF and no reload. However it takes quite a while to cool down, I think Mikko's MDF Plasma Gun cools down faster, but that's why Heat Sinks are there. The fact that the ROF increases as we shoot is an interesting mechanic along with overheating although for some reasons there are times where it doesn't overheat as fast as usual and sometimes it just doesn't overheat at all which is weird I don't know if it's a bug or not but it happens quite rarely. It has some good trade-offs since despite being more powerful it'll still be less accurate than the upgraded default gun, it cannot have a GL and its base ROF is slower but its overheating ROF is almost the same. I prefer taking this gun because it has better graphics, no need for upgrades, good accuracy and the fact that it's more powerful, I do sometimes feel that the default gun is a bit underpowered but it's potentially pin-point accuracy compensates for that along with the GL upgrade. Besides as I said it has interesting gameplay and it's my only occasion to have an OC equipped with Heat Sinks. And finally since we lose our upgrades on Miiko's Arsia Mons mission and there's no way to get them back we can't have the default gun's GL for Micky's mission so might as well stick to that gun that is more adapted to long ranged fights than the basic default gun. BTW I also like that little light that indicates how close to overheating we are, same for Mikko's MDF Plasma Gun with its temperature indicator. In the end it's another good addition, it has good trade-offs, very good graphics and sounds and it's definitely worth considering picking up or not. On my end it has its very solid place in my loadout even though I like reverting to Micky's default AR when I got the GL and accuracy upgrades despite it having less good graphics and more generic gameplay. 100% approved !


_Meson Cannon : PI Meson or K Meson ? Since PI turns into a Neutrino and a Muon it sounds most powerful. Now that's definitely the most powerful weapon of all the new ones. I don't know if it's effective against supernatural enemies, I suppose it is since it seems to be energy based, but it sure is devastating. High ROF, very high power, armor piercing and it one-shoots most enemies. It also two-shoots a Battlelord and those flying drones of the Marsian missions. It also has pretty nice graphics as well, probably Micky's nicest weapon. And yet it still has trade-offs. Only 3 shots per pick-up while I think we get 5 for the default weapon, slightly slower ROF and most importantly slower projectile speed and I'd also say it's harder to hit multiple enemies with that weapon unless we fire from far away but it's a bit the same with the Explosive Shotgun although I sometimes have the feeling we hit multiple enemies more easily with it. The only "problem" with it is the fact its pick-up sprite is a bit too small and cartoonish but not as much as the Longslide. BTW I like the ammunition's voxels, they look cool and nicely done (like most voxels of the game (if not all of them)). It has good sounds although it seems to be the same sound as the white cultists' particle cannon but it's still fitting. Finally in terms of strategy I'd say this gun is the most powerful in comparison to the default gun because it might be efficient against supernatural enemies, a single projectile is very powerful and we have a higher DPS in my opinion. Even though we have reduced ammo I'd say we get way enough in Micky's missions, personally I almost always finish those with more than 10 shots remaining, besides I discovered a new secret in his Arsia Mons segment that allows getting that gun way earlier than normal which makes the potential amount of ammo quite high. But I suppose the default weapon is better for those who like to be able to fire frenetically or want not to give enemies time to dodge projectiles since they move faster than the Meson Cannon's. But I still find the Meson Cannon to be more useful because it's efficient against more enemies and is more powerful and having 3 instead of 5 shots per pick-ups is not that much of a handicap, if it had been 3 instead of 10 then I would have reconsidered but I doubt I would have changed my mind. But the default weapon has its charm just like the Meson Cannon and for that reason I never hesitate when I feel like reverting to it. In the end it's yet again a very good addition, although it might be a bit abusive because of its DPS and adaptability, and it has earned an extremely solid place in my loadout.



Conclusion : Well he's definitely a good new OC to play has. He has good characteristics, he has 100 hp although for some reasons I sometimes start with 104 or 110 it's weird, and most of his guns have high accuracy and are varied in style and gameplay. The only thing to "complain" about is the fact his inventory items are the same as Jane and John's although his Jetpack and Air Tanks seem to be new but you could "complain" in the same way with John's which are the same as James'. And for a new character he has quite come specialty weapons but in Ep1 James and Highwire already had a good quantity. And all of his specialty weapons are interesting to take and use except maybe for this golder guns we already talked about that. I also like his voice and catch phrases, I felt ashamed about his mirror phrase since I'm French I never understood what he said until I started that big feedback. In the end Micky is one of the OCs I like to play the most with along with James, Merlijn, Geoffrey, Mikko and Sang.


There we are, I might do something similar concerning research, I've already some things in mind, and maybe leave some words on EDF Missions since it's an evolution of the Classic User Map episode from Ep1 we'll see ... If I get to do that you can be sure it'll be the very last, there really won't be anything else for me to feedback on unless the next patch brings in something awesomely new but I doubt that.

In the end you can definitely tell that not only the second episode fixed memorability , but it also came with one hell of a package of novelty of many sorts. So many that I can't make a resume here but if you read all my posts you'll have an idea. This REALLY makes me eager to play Ep3 whenever it's out, besides having listened to some files also added to my enthusiasm. Let me tell you that if Ep3 adds more memorability, and as many new things as Ep2 then the mod might end up getting what it takes to become the "indie game of the year", although for me it already is thanks to tons of good evolutions,approximately more than triple the amount of levels, very good replay value and it's just damn addictive it's like a drug for me, recently I thought I was getting "bored" and wanted to play some Whitchaven for a change and I could resist the call of AMC for 2 days, just 2 days I'm already back into playing the mod repetitively which is something I had experienced long ago when I rediscovered Duke3D through JFDuke and EDuke and some memorable mods like "BDP The Gate", "Starship Troopers", "WGR Siege Breaker", Attrition and some others I can list and so AMC IS definitely my utmost favorite FPS of all time, you might think I exaggerate but I'm damn serious there. The world of FPS has kept on regressing ever since the birth of the modern COD and Battlefield and AMC is definitely the kind of game today's FPS no longer are, I didn't play a lot of FPS but I say lots of LPs and it's just as if I did play them. For the ending word I'll just say KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK because you guys are on for a most noble cause and you'd deserve way more fame than that !!

[Jblade]

Thanks a lot for the kind words, and the detailed feedback as well EP3 will be a while off in the future but as EP2 proved, I believe it'll be worth the wait. There's already a bunch of work being done and talks of a new character, so hopefully the future remains bright for the TC.

Quote

there are times where it doesn't overheat as fast as usual and sometimes it just doesn't overheat at all which is weird I don't know if it's a bug or not but it happens quite rarely.

The amount it heats up per shot is random, as I felt having it take a set amount of bullets would essentially mean the heating mechanic would just be another magazine. IIRC it does cool down much faster in water and cold weather.

[Micky C]

The whiplash shogun and the default pulse rifle are like complete opposites. Pulse rifle is good for picking enemies off from a distance, but the whiplash shotgun, especially when duel-wielded, cannot be beaten for just going full-on into a room full of enemies and blasting them all at close range. Took James a while to code them in but it was worth it in the end

Also really enjoy the Meson Cannon. It can actually one-shot those martian robots if all the projectiles hit, which is awesome. An extremely fun gun to use. Unfortunately I didn't really use the energy shotgun except for a quick test a while back. Surely I have enough money to buy it now though.

I doubt we'd ever get mod or indie game of the year. The TC doesn't seem to be able to find a wide audience, however as I'm sure you're aware, the people who like it REALLY like it which means we're doing something right. Definitely a mod you need to play at least twice to take full advantage of.

[TheDragonLiner]

Actually since you're talking of the new character, there is something I'd like to ask but in a simple way to avoid spoiling : Have you guys already done voice acting for the new OC ? (not an OC that was in IW).


And Micky it looks like we have the same tastes in weaponry ^^

[Jblade]

No not yet, we're still in the very early stages of working on it. Like EP2 it's mostly gonna be radio silence, as I don't want to build up hype for something that is years away.

[TheDragonLiner]

Ah I see, as I listened to the CONV files there was one voice that both sounded like an new OC and sounded like a pre-existing but the quality of the speech-line made it hard to tell the difference, thanks ^^

And yeah I did see that before the Ep2 release it sounded silent, some people even thought that it was abandoned, I myself thought you were going to quit when I saw the topic about needing new mappers.
I didn't have to wait too long because I had discovered Ep1 quite late (5 or 6 months IIRC) but if you add as much new features as there were in Ep2 I understand the tremendous amount of work it represents, not talking about all the coding stuff. That must be one hell of a fight and a test for motivation you surely are courageous in that extent !
Maybe it's better to leave radio silent as you say, at least you're sure that nobody will keep on asking things and irritate you or spoil things, and the announcement comes more like a surprise as well.

[Gameplay Nut]

I updated the review I left you:

"Edit: episode 2 has released since I last made comment, and whilst it is more of the same (which is good) with the exception of some improvements and unique creative scenarios, I'm updating this to a 10/10 out of the dedication of the developer & the principle alone."

I never did finish EP.2, I last remember being on Mars somewhere (love the Total Recall inspired setting) which I am assuming is right at the end. I'll probably pick it up again if an episode 3 is to happen. Good work.

[Jblade]

Thanks a lot You can check out Rodrigo's playthrough of the last level here to see the ending if you didn't get that far and don't have the time to play it to finish.

[Rodrigo Belacruz III]

Hello, everybody! I hope that you all have enjoyed the walkthrough as much as I have. I know that James and Micky have been asking for player feedback, so as promised, I'll be posting my opinions on Episode 2's levels, as well as suggestions for what could be improved. I'll try to include three or so levels per post.

Episode 2 Intro: I’ll take an intro like this over a cutscene any day In any case, this level is a highly atmospheric, short-but-sweet, and well crafted introduction to the excellence Episode 2 has to offer. The world, though apocalyptic and extremely grim and moody, is also aesthetically beautiful. The skybox effect is nothing short of amazing; the swirling clouds overhead, the lightning effects, and the ruins of buildings in the distance really add to the atmosphere. The area reminds me of a cross between the Real World in the Matrix and entering the Citadel in Half Life 2; we traverse through caverns, the rubble of buildings, and jutting pipelines intertwined with strange alien architecture. Towards the end, we come to that strange structure silhouetted in red, and encounter a familiar, shadowy enemy: a Beyonder. When that creep blasts you with its psychic attack, presumably killing you, and the game smash cuts back to the AMC base, you’re left shocked and full of questions, eager to discover how the main game and levels connect with the intro level.

The only issue I have with this introduction is that a lot of these questions remained unanswered during Episode 2, and that the level just feels disconnected plotwise from the rest of the levels. Is the level set in a future where the AMC Team failed, leading to the world’s destruction? Who is this character we’re playing as? Will we ever face these enemies? It’s really more of a nitpick than anything else, and I’m sure that future episodes will further establish the octobrains in the plot as antagonists, but at the moment, the intro level sticks out as disjointed from the game’s plot arc. I believe James refers to it as a dream in Episode 2’s conclusion, but this feels like a really last-minute way to connect it back to the main game. But still, I can understand its purpose and appreciate its design. Short, sweet, atmospheric, and a solid way to introduce Episode 2.

City Under Siege: Now THAT is how you introduce the players to the main game. City Under SIege is tough, intense, complex, diverse, and above all exciting to blast through. Its design incorporates elements from the supermarket in Episode 4, Hollywood Holocaust, some of Episode 3’s levels, and the layout of the Roch series. In other words, it’s an open-ended city level, where your goal is to enter several realistically-designed interior sections (a movie theater and nightclub, for example) in any order you choose, collecting keycards in each one to open a door that takes the player to the final (often alien infested) center of the level. We start off outside of the supermarket (as Micky, presumably, because he’s the awesome new character) and get introduced to the gameplay in a baptism of fire. Right off the bat, we get a few AMC soldiers to bring along with us, and the first room is absolutely filled with Cycloids. The supermarket, movie theater, bank, and nightclub, although noticeably more filled with enemies and more intense to fight through, generally are on par in terms of aesthetics with their vanilla Duke counterparts. They’re well designed, but the standouts in the city are the outdoor designs, the bar, and the section in which the player is shrunken.

Once again, the use of skybox really contributes to the atmosphere; you get a sense of the invasion’s scale when you look up at the underbelly of the mothership filling up the sky! The enemy layouts and destroyed sections of the environment are well-implemented and add to the city’s hostile atmosphere. The bar is of particular note as well; it’s well designed aesthetically, and has the feel of a makeshift AMC outpost as well, with the military equipment, barricades, minigun, and ammo boxes lying around. One of the best moments in the level occurs on the roof, where the mothership fires at those buildings in the distance. Honestly, the first time I saw that, I reloaded a prior save and rewatched the explosion just to screenshot it Excellent stuff. And of course, I can’t help but mention the shrunken section. Admittedly, it feels a little gimmicky (miniaturized functional motorcycle?) but the design is incredible. I like how the player enters the room and can scope the entire environment out, taking note of the layout and what objects can be jumped on. Whereas a lot of these regular areas lose detail when played through in small size, since all the objects are magnified, the objects depicted (the computer, printer shredder, LEGO house, all that stuff) still have great architecture and textures. And of course, the way you guys have incorporated getting extra missions is super creative, and satisfying when you obtain the mission data. Jumping into the shredder to get the password and punching it into the computer was honestly a creative and well implemented moment, and while I hope that you guys develop more means by which to obtain this mission info, this is a great idea. The LEGO house is also well designed, though I sort of wish that it wasn’t so damn dark. Honestly, the flashlight’s effect strikes me as a bit gimmicky, and it washes out a lot of the colors. But gameplay wise, it’s great fun, blasting through troopers through several small rooms. The motorbike, while farfetched, controls fairly well, and using it to escape the room through the air ducts is fun, and welcomely varied. This area also introduces the whole concept of hidden briefcases that contain new artifact weapons. Whereas I couldn’t always tell if what I was picking up was an artifact in Episode 1, these briefcases really excite me. As soon as you see one, you know that you’re in for a new treat, and waiting for it to open and to reveal its prize is nothing short of thrilling. I also enjoyed how the briefcase is hidden; you can see it in the distance when you enter the room, and through careful exploration can rappel safely down to it to collect the weapon.

Once we collect all of the keys, we’re teleported to the mothership as it departs from the city. I’ll get this out of the way first: although I enjoyed this section on the whole, it has some issues that irk me. Probably my least favorite aspect of the ship is the weapon progression, or lack thereof. Like the Abyss, this level strips you of your gear and makes you rely on temporary weapons. In the Abyss, however, there was a real sense of variety and progression between the weapons you got. You wielded that machine-gun like staff, before upgrading to a shotgunish bone thrower, then to the weird organic shotgun, before finally the badassery that is the Stygian Warcannon. In the mothership, however, we only get our hands on Assault Enforcer chaingun, the laser chaingun, and (briefly) a shrink ray. The chaingun style weapons are pretty commonplace if you’ve played any EDF missions (I know the that laser chaingun is different, but not by a significant degree) and I generally only take them if I need to, since they feel slightly mundane and underwhelming. These weapons get the job done for the enemies we face, but aren’t particularly enjoyable to use (the shrink ray is an exception, but with only 10 shots, not for very long.) Additionally, while the ship’s design really exhibits the Cycloid’s design flairs and really feels like the hostile interior of a mothership, I feel that the opening areas contain too much… green? The docking bay area incorporates some varied architecture and palettes,but the opening area kind of looks monotone in its color choice (I’m sorry if I’m being vague.) I’d prefer some more metallic architecture like what we saw in the Episode 2 intro, but this is no big deal. And lastly, that fight with the Cycloid Emperor is a pain in the ass. Seriously, without body armor, his rockets can one shot you, and without a jetpack or room for great mobility, I had to retry the fight multiple times before bringing him down. Not to mention that with only the laser chaingun, he feels like an overpowered bullet sponge. I had to glitch out his AI somewhat by getting him stuck behind an alien ship before he went down. Not to mention that the fight is slightly glitched out; on my first recorded playthrough, the next scripted self destruction sequence would not start after I killed him, forcing me to restart the area. Oh well; it feels damn good to take him down, at least.

The self destruct sequence with the ship is also excellent. Using that alien craft to escape, and witnessing the destruction of the mothership from within, really puts you in awe of the technical accomplishments you guys have made. It’s not about exploration or anything; it’s about intense combat with the alien commanders and trying to navigate the wreckage of the ship. My only issue with this section is that between the ship’s somewhat stiff navigation and turning, the size of the areas we fight the commanders in, and the fact that they shoot those plasma projectiles, it’s almost impossible not to get the shit pummeled out of you and avoid taking damage. Towards the end of the level, I was so low on health from all the commanders that a single brush with a wall would destroy the ship. I’d suggestion either fine tuning the controls or allowing for wider battle spaces if the ship is going to be reused. In any case, it’s a great feeling when you escape the mothership and blow the Cycloids on it to the cosmos. Great level, great conclusion.

I should probably mention the cinematics, although I couldn’t think of a proper place to put the description. The opening one where you’re riding in the helicopter well crafted, getting you excited for the encounter with the Cycloids in the level. General Graves, while somewhat cliched, has a kickass voice, and the music selection is great… if not for the fact that it can only be completely muted by turning off the game’s volume (not just the music volume), and that the owners of the song are copyright watchdogs who’ll choose to mute my entire goddamn video and put a cap on the quality for the 20 second excerpt that I used >.< Like a smalltime YouTube user like myself poses much of a threat to their copyright interests. Seriously, though, I would suggest not using the “muted song playing in the background effect”, as it isn’t affected by muting the game, and forced me to completely mute the audio for the cutscene. Not a big deal, and not your fault at all, but that’s just the world of copyrights. Moving on, I especially liked the ending cutscene; the mothership exploding, the ship reentering the atmosphere, and the biker killing that last Cycloid were all great moments. It really serves to wrap up this excellent opening level quite well.


Big Trouble in China: Let me get this out of the way quickly: the only issue I have with the next series of levels is that, much to the disappointment of Sang and myself, that we never get to meet Lo Wang. All jokes aside, however, the China saga of Episode 2 is one of the biggest highlights of the entire TC, and I love pretty much every moment in it. So it’s suitable that the first level of the sequence is thoroughly enjoyable and badass.

You’d expect the level aesthetics to take a lot of cues from classic Shadow Warrior - which it does - but also manages to mix in elements from 2013 Shadow Warrior, along with some authentic elements (since the games often tend to parody Chinese culture.) What I’m saying is that while levels in Shadow Warrior often were parodies and stereotypes of Chinese culture, the levels in the AMC TC feel much more genuine in their depiction of these environments, whilst still maintaining a solid sense of humor. Aesthetically, BTIC is excellent. The use of skybox is quite impressive, and viewing the Hong Kong skyline in the distance is mesmerizing and really gives you a sense of being inside a massive urban landscape. The level itself seems to be a park or plaza of sorts, with no central purpose other than providing some nice eyecandy (an outdoor park, Buddha Statues, a dojo-style room, etc.) and providing access to connecting buildings (hotel rooms, restaurants, a washroom etc.) It all feels refreshingly original, and is well-designed and pleasant to look at. Of particular note is the busy street that you can see outside of the windows; it’s a nice detailed touch, adding to the atmosphere and really showing off the care you guys put into this level.

In terms of level design, my favorite aspect of the level lies in how you place the secrets. In many, many Duke levels, secret areas feel a bit artificial and gimmicky. It’s not a bad thing; it’s just a little silly to think that a certain photograph in an office building is actually a hologram concealing a cash of pipe bombs, for example. The secrets in BTIC, on the other hand, really feel authentic; you never lose the feeling that you’re exploring an urban plaza in Hong Kong, and give you a sense of the scope of the environment outside of the level’s boundaries. The secret concealing the green keycard is a prime example. Not only is it super well hidden (as Micky can testify, I only found it by getting creative with the barrel), you access a new and fleshed out section of the level (a hallway in a hotel building) that doesn’t feel like a gimmicky cache of supplies the designers tossed in. Then, with the keycard, you explore a set of sewers before emerging in the restaurant's bathroom and entering the main dining room to grab the floppy disk. In other words, the level never breaks my immersion, thanks to its atmosphere and thoughtful secret layout and design.

The rest of the level also holds up consistently. Compared to City Under Siege, which overwhelmed me a bit on my first playthrough, the somewhat confined and less complicated (though still non-linear) nature of the BTIC makes it a breath of fresh air, and allow for it to flow well. Getting that sword pickup and slicing through the enemies in the dojo is great fun, though I wish that the the SW title music didn’t play on top of the level’s absolutely kickass first level remix (Whoooo wants some, Wang, Wang, Wang, Wang…). Enemy placements are generally fair, with some isolated encounters with the Triad members mixed with large fights where they surround you in all directions, such as when you exit the washroom. I don’t have a ton to say on the combat and progression, aside from that they’re well implemented and make the level fun to playthrough. I kind of wish that there was a shrink ray in the level to allow access to that one secret, but it’s an incentive for repeated playthroughs, I suppose, and not a huge deal. My favorite part of the level definitely involves locating that green key, accessing the sewers, grabbing the floppy disk in the restaurant, and using it on the PC to gain the extra mission info. Again, it’s a great mechanic that incentivizes exploration and gets you hyped for when the mission info finally comes out of the printer.

I also really love how the level gives you the choice to return to AMC Base to switch characters / gear and recuperate. However, I prefer to transition straight between the levels, as you get to keep your weapons (although this incentives the supply drops, which is cool.) The train section kind of reminds me of the opening level of Blood 2 (now that’s an obscure one!). It’s simplistic in design and layout, but it looks pretty good, and the firefights are intense and fun. You get the impression of riding a fast moving subway train, which is pretty neat, I suppose. The intensity of this section further serves to juxtapose BTIC against the next level, The Wharf. I enjoy variety between levels, so I’d mark this as a good thing.

Overall, a great level, and yet another reason why I enjoy Ep. 2 so much. Whereas the second level of Ep.1, Dis Base, kind of overwhelmed me owing to its spacious design and creepy atmosphere, BTIC is a lot more accessible, and leaves a great impression on the player. I’d say this is my 2nd favorite Hong Kong level, tying with Tower of Life. All in all, between the introduction level, City under Siege, and BTIC, I can definitely say that Ep.2 opens with a fantastic and largely successful bang.
Next time, I’ll take a look at The Wharf, Oil Rig, and Island Facility. I hope you enjoyed reading my opinions on these levels!

[Jblade]

Awesome, great to see some really detailed feedback

Quote

The only issue I have with this introduction is that a lot of these questions remained unanswered during Episode 2, and that the level just feels disconnected plotwise from the rest of the levels. Is the level set in a future where the AMC Team failed, leading to the world’s destruction? Who is this character we’re playing as? Will we ever face these enemies? It’s really more of a nitpick than anything else, and I’m sure that future episodes will further establish the octobrains in the plot as antagonists, but at the moment, the intro level sticks out as disjointed from the game’s plot arc. I believe James refers to it as a dream in Episode 2’s conclusion, but this feels like a really last-minute way to connect it back to the main game. But still, I can understand its purpose and appreciate its design. Short, sweet, atmospheric, and a solid way to introduce Episode 2.

Don't worry, a few others have commented on the story at the moment so it does definitely need some more explanation. You'll learn more about what you saw in the intro next episode - some story elements were rushed towards the end, one of the many goals I hope to achieve is to add another scene or so to give a bit more context on what was going on there.

Quote

We start off outside of the supermarket (as Micky, presumably, because he’s the awesome new character)

I did actually code the exit cutscenes in the epilogue map to display whoever you played as standing in the ship (and whoever you played as in Chisland standing infront of the Yakuza boss) Having custom dialogue for each character would of been nice but there's a limit on how many sounds I can have in and at the minute there's no way to circument it. It does make the most sense to play as Micky, but canon-wise it's the same sort of vibe the original levels of Episode 1 had where the whole team is sort of there.

Quote

. This area also introduces the whole concept of hidden briefcases that contain new artifact weapons. Whereas I couldn’t always tell if what I was picking up was an artifact in Episode 1, these briefcases really excite me. As soon as you see one, you know that you’re in for a new treat, and waiting for it to open and to reveal its prize is nothing short of thrilling. I also enjoyed how the briefcase is hidden; you can see it in the distance when you enter the room, and through careful exploration can rappel safely down to it to collect the weapon.

heh, excellent - that was the intended effect

Quote

Seriously, though, I would suggest not using the “muted song playing in the background effect”, as it isn’t affected by muting the game, and forced me to completely mute the audio for the cutscene. Not a big deal, and not your fault at all, but that’s just the world of copyrights.

The reason for this is that there's a limited number of soundtrack slots, whilst there's still lots of room left there's still more episodes to go so I didn't want to sacrifice an entire music slot for a brief effect in the ship. It is a pain though, I get that.

Cycloid battle, he does actually have reduced health but I agree a better weapon would be more prudent. I did want to code in a temporary Devastator but ran into issues replicating its little rockets.

Quote

Big Trouble in China: Let me get this out of the way quickly: the only issue I have with the next series of levels is that, much to the disappointment of Sang and myself, that we never get to meet Lo Wang. All jokes aside, however, the China saga of Episode 2 is one of the biggest highlights of the entire TC, and I love pretty much every moment in it. So it’s suitable that the first level of the sequence is thoroughly enjoyable and badass.

Originally I wanted to have the team meet Lo wang's sister, who was supposed to be the main character of Deadly Kiss. However by that point the maps were well on their way and I couldn't see a reasonible way to add her in without it being completely token - and also the issue of actually getting a VA to do it. Lo Wang would be great to meet but again, much like Duke there's not really much I can work with in the form of existing dialogue.

Quote

I kind of wish that there was a shrink ray in the level to allow access to that one secret, but it’s an incentive for repeated playthroughs, I suppose, and not a huge deal.

That little area isn't counted as a secret as far as the count goes, so it's just purely a bonus for taking the Shrinker along - I realized that the Shrinking mechanic is actually pretty damn ingenious (I think it was ahead of it's time back when Duke was released) but we never utilised it so I added some little vents and stuff to use. There's one in the underground section in Megabase as well, just before the end of the level.

Thanks for the great write-up, I appreciate the criticisms as well and it's great to get more indepth discussion on what you liked and .etc - I'll also try and fill in any gaps and explain any things that didn't make it in as well.

[Rhaisher]

Rodrigo Belacruz III, on 28 October 2015 - 12:16 PM, said:

[...] (as Micky can testify, I only found it by getting creative with the barrel), [...]

I was curious to see how you reached those rooftops and went straight away to check it in your video (I admit that I haven't seen or completely watched all of them - Nevertheless, I owe you the discovery of one secret in 'The Pyramid' EDF mission). I reached both Buddha statues placing the barrel on the... 'ledges' (not sure if they can be described like that) that are next to the main entrance (in the other Buddha statue there's a... 'Holoduke replacement' if I'm not mistaken - An energy shield if you play as James). Anyway, you can sprint-jump onto the wooden structure placed in the middle of the garden from one of the Buddha statues and, from there, sprint-jump onto the other window. Ah! If you order a supply-drop you don't even have to enter the dojo to be able to blow up the crack. Just place a 'tripbomb replacement' (the supply-drop comes with three of those) close to the crack and detonate it.

As a side note I'll say that there's a similar way of reaching one of the secrets you left in 'Oilrig'.

Spoiler

All you have to do is place a barrel on the crane controls, jump onto the crane's arm, walk it to its end and sprint-jump onto the roof of the office building (there's a small... 'pool' there, with some water. I'm not sure if this secret was supposed to be reached by jumping from the walkway where the blue keycard is located to this exact spot. But there's a good chance you'd end up killing yourself doing that, lol )

[TheDragonLiner]

For the green keycard in BTIC I don't think you're being creative with the barrel, since it goes up when you're near a ledge you can easily reach the top and blow up the wall OR you can do as I do AKA wall jump on the crack instead of blowing it up.

Actually this is how I found some secrets or even normally inaccessible areas, if you face a wall diagonally, press the 2 corresponding keys while wall jumping you can climb up a wall. Also in Jungle Base I managed to get to the secret where you'd normally use the turbo boots by wall jumping twice on the wall and quickly a backward diagonal movement.

Wall jumping in this game is hard at first but if you're stuck it may help you somehow, that's how I unstuck myself first time I played Sang's Arsia Mons part. That's also how I got overwhelmed by Island Facility because of wall jumping to a tree and reaching the fence or what is normally the second third of the level, thus missing the green access card.

[Rhaisher]

thedrawliner, on 28 October 2015 - 11:07 PM, said:

[...]Also in Jungle Base I managed to get to the secret where you'd normally use the turbo boots by wall jumping twice on the wall and quickly a backward diagonal movement.[...]

Yeah... the first time I accessed that secret I did something similar: sprint-jumped the gap between the two platforms but, when the jump lost its strenght, faced the right wall and kick-jumped it onto the ledge of the other side of the gap. Such adrenaline rush the first time I did it correctly, lol.

Anyway, I went creative with sprint and jumps because I had already used the boots to access the secret in the room where the pyramid and the lava pit are. My guess is that you have to use the repel attack the sorcerers cast on you when you get too close in an inteligent way in order to get to that hole in the wall. But as they were all dead I used the sprint-boots and the pyramid itself to reach it. It's tricky to get, because you have to press space (my jump key) at a precise moment or you end up kissing the wall and falling onto the lava pit.

Zaxtor's levels are (once you know them) quite enjoyable.

[TheDragonLiner]

Hey I actually never thought about using the Turbo Boots for reaching that hole in the room with the pyramid !
Since I can deal with a secret without them I'll definitely have to try that, thanks for giving me the idea ^^

[Jolteon]

Hello. I started playing AMC TC few months ago, before I even had a Duke4.net account, (Just joined up recently) and I gotta say, AMC is easily the best mod/TC I had ever played. Everything about it is just so cool. Ep.1 was fun, first fighting the aliens, then fighting demons, cultists, and mercenaries. Ep.2 was just awesome, fighting aliens again, then fighting triads, then cultists, demons, and even more aliens. My most favorite part of AMC are the EDF missions, being that they're just usermaps that I had played before (like the red series, clear the coast, BCBP, and many more), playing them again just brought me back to memory lane. I hope there will be more usermaps in the future . The characters are also funny as well. Like James saying "If you wanna hump walls, do it at your own time" and "Can we fix it? No it's f**ked!" Or Micky saying "Sometimes I feel like there's a guy in my head, who just love walls." AMC TC is just awesome. I just love everything about it (for the most part. I don't like those ghosts however, they always makes me jump whenever they attack). Everyone here did an awesome job on AMC. I'm looking forward to Ep.3 whenever it does come out (I know it will be a long time though). In the meantime, keep up the good work.

Here are two screenshots I took while I was playing.


Burn piggy, burn, bacon inferno, burn piggy, burn!


A pigcop headshotting his teammate!

[Jblade]

Cool, thanks for the kind words I am working on expanding the EDF missions as well, and I've got more cool classic levels lined up (as well as a few relatively newer ones)

[Jolteon]

Jblade, on 14 November 2015 - 02:56 PM, said:

Cool, thanks for the kind words I am working on expanding the EDF missions as well, and I've got more cool classic levels lined up (as well as a few relatively newer ones)

Your welcome. Looking forward to it.