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Inter-episode discussion  "past, present and future"

#61

Well personally I really don't mind having a long level but the advantage of the final mission is that you take control of various characters and therefore have varied situations and gameplay despite having the same enemies over and over again (almost unlike Zeta Base) so personally I find that Mars was "Good Long", the only thing I didn't like was the last section of Sang's part.


BTW I haven't forgotten that I have the last part of my Feedback to bestow upon you guys but I'm really busy these days :/
1

User is offline   Rhaisher 

#62

Hello there! (in the voice of one of the AMC scientists, heh) :D

I finally beated EP2 yesterday and, all in all, I think that you guys (specially you James, as the main plot developer) have done an amazing job. The story is catchy as hell: I wasn't able to stop playing once I started the Mars mission which, by the way, is a continuously stream of eye and eargasms. (and I should do, I mean, I still have an important university project to do so I can graduate, ^_^U)

I think that the feedback thedrawliner is giving you is gold. I can't say much more than that. But, as a spaniard, I would like to thank you for not putting any 'obvious' reference of the 'classical' (at least, that is what they tried to sell you. Our governors, that is) spanish culture in the 'Ghost Ship' mission. Not a single spanish guitar note, bravo! :D

I'm leaving some moments that gave me chills. Spoilers ahoy!
Spoiler

I'll try to include more things I liked as I replay the game (in higher difficulties :D)

For now, keep up the good work and try to get rid of many bugs as possible, plz! :D

This post has been edited by RhaiNukem: 30 April 2015 - 12:34 AM

1

User is online   Jblade 

#63

fantastic, glad you liked the finale :D
Spoiler

Thanks again for the feedback (and looking forward to thedrawliners's last bit of feedback, I don't mind the wait)
0

User is offline   Micky C 

  • Honored Donor

#64

Spoiler

1

User is offline   Rhaisher 

#65

Spoiler

1

#66

I have prepared my last bit of feedback for tomorrow, or is it ?
You'll see about that tomorrow, it may look short compared to what I did previously but the last maps were shorter than I remembered and I got less things to say than I thought I would but still I have good hopes it will provide enough things for you guys to feed back on (it's a pun ...) ^^

Tomorrow then !
1

User is offline   Micky C 

  • Honored Donor

#67

Hopefully short means not too much wrong with it :D
0

#68

Yaysee wowzers tis' me again !

BTW thank you Rhai, saying my feedback is gold is a bit flattering but most appreciated ^^

So now on to the seemingly ultimate part of my feedback about maps (main maps), I tell this because I'll talk briefly about the EDF missions (patch included) in a later post along with other things.
On to it.

Maps officiously non-ultimate part :
----------------------------------------------------

Arsia Month Mines (Micky) : First of interesting introduction to it, I mean Sang and Micky's conversation, glad to see Sang still seems to be in and on for the job. First area was quite hard actually in the sense that the cultists are on high structures and behind your crates you're kind of discovered but they seem to be non-existing shot because standing up behind a crate for more than a minute and I still didn't take a hit but on my Armageddon run that area was a bit harsh. The following area is a bit better, more room for cover and once enemies have started shooting you know where they are and a few well placed Pulse Rifle shots and the job is done along with some Longslide shots for the close ones OR my precious flamethrower which becomes quickly useless in that level besides we get Micky's personal one with almost (if not all I don't remember) all the ammo. The area in green gas although looking ugly at first glance was quite an interesting experience, along with having a REAL gameplay sequence with the mask on which is unique in the mod for the time being, and the fact voices are slightly lowered in tone adds a little funny touch ^^. At first I found that it's architecture was a bit misleading but in the end you realize it's not the case, just gotta take it slowly and rely on long range fighting, thankfully we get a Barret Sniper in the starting area which is very useful against those pesky white cultists and the aircrafts. I liked the fact it looked really like a mine with all those carts filled with crystals and later with those gigantic drills and all the places we get to explore really look like galleries dug up with dynamite or something which obviously matches and serves the theme perfectly. In overall it looks like that map is more based on long range fighting, apart from partly the second area, the gas one and the final one we hardly get close to enemies and the flamethrower becomes useless or too dangerous to try out. I don't mind that since the enemies we encounter are fierce in close quarters and those white cultists will literally disintegrate you if you do. In that extent I'd say the map is well adapted to Micky's gameplay apart from the slot 0 weapon we can decently use any weapon we find and the temporary weapons we are provided are also adapted either because of good accuracy or ROF and all of them are armor piercing. Fortunately we encounter only 2 ghosts because even though I use the Longslide with silver rounds or the Golden MetalStorm they're in areas that make them too hard to spot if you don't try to kill them as soon as you see them "awake", we do see their shadows but it's not that reliable. The area with all the blueness, the ice and everything looked quite ominous in a way, too bad a lot of spots are stained with display bugs ... at least when you realize that's the machine you're looking for you can tell it won't be easy to get it started. The final area was easy peasy even on Armageddon thanks to the Meson Cannon that is deadly on every single enemy even on those aircrafts and white cultists, I'd say you give it to us at a perfect time, as in you feel like "Oh man this is gonna be too hard I'm tired of it" and then you try out the Meson Cannon and blast through it in no time and are like "Well it wasn't as bad as it could have been thanks to that Meson Cannon", and you leave a lot of neutrinos and muons behind you (scientific side is speaking). The ending cinematic was, kind of expected in a way, I mean as it's going on you end up guessing what's going to happen before the characters imply it but in a way it's not a bad thing since it makes it look like those TV series we keep watching and it's always agreeable to recognize things in such a way. And Micky and Sang's voice acting are of good enough quality for the scene and the dialogue to be credible, yet again at the end I was like "Micky must have had fun doing that voice acting". The music was good I'd say, fits the atmosphere and the fact you're on a final stretch of the mission and the episode and its rhythm accompanies the player's pace perfectly (at least for my pace). The other soundtrack in the final area kinda reminded my of Highwire's part before the palace in Ep1, the genre is similar with that epic battle tone and since the part is easy with the Meson Cannon you end up feeling like you've done very well and emerge victorious as you deserve to be (mostly if playing on Armageddon like I did). In overall I liked the fact that map has unified colors as in it starts with brown, then green, a small grey part, a red part a blue part and the end in dark grey; I'd say having sections with a monochrome look to it serves memorability quite well. The visual effects are good for what they are, obviously it could have been better and some people may find it ugly because of lacking details but when you know the Build Engine then you know that it's good achievement and very good for what the engine permits besides it doesn't affect visibility too much besides we don't see enemies as pure black shapes hovering in the void which is realistic but also a technical deed since I remember maps with similar effects that had that problem and here it's not the case. The level design isn't as complex as we may anticipate given the fact it's the penultimate level and the final bit of the mission but in the end the design is at the height of the rest : coherent, solid, not too complex and not too simple, with good enemy and ammo placement, rooms and sections organized interestingly, a character with weapons adapted to the level (unless you use the whiplash shotgun, the golden and the explosive one). In terms of gameplay the map is not too unique but it's strong thanks to the Gas Mask section and the fact it takes advantage of the new character and his weapons maybe better than how Ghost Ship did. The way the theme has been handled is good looking, gameplay is good and balanced, complexity is reasonable in every way, soundtracks are fitting and the way the sectors of the map are cut/segmented is nice and kind of symmetric in a way. Now that I think of it I feel like every section (if taken by their color schemes) are pretty much same length if you don't lose time on searching which is a nice and unique touch when you notice it = +1 point in uniqueness and memorability.In the end I'd say it's my favorite section of the Mars mission along with Mikko's sections. A good map to finish the mission with on a sad note but you can easily guess it won't be; personally I expected that Micky wouldn't die, I mean if he did there would be no story just like in movies and series. AND just like in those your last words are "Damn Micky sure is having a hard time on his first missions in the team".


Unknown Space Station : Well that map is kind of reminiscent of IW in a way. I mean the first corridors kind of reminded me of a level of IW set in a space station, I don't remember how it's called but the music is "death.ogg". At first it felt kind of weird, the design was a bit misleading at first and the fact we get to encounter enemies quite late is a bit unsettling but at least it makes the atmosphere and the soundtrack play their respective roles in a better way and it gives them the importance they deserve. It's all calm and creepy and the fact enemies are very calm when fighting you kind of makes up for it. And their look and color scheme is harmonious with the level's look and atmosphere. Not much else to say ... before talking about the boss I'd say the architecture is hard to get, it's a bit hard to explain but for that level when I try to imagine its look out of the game's border (I mean like a mental 3D representation) I can't really figure it out ... on a first playthrough it's a bit misleading but since doors are locked and open when you do certain things I'd say you can't have problem navigating it. Unless you happen not to find the open vent in the "second floor" like I did, I was frustrated to see I was being the blind man again but in the end since it's not hidden there's no way I can criticize that. Those super soldiers are kind of hard at first, I hard some small difficulties mostly because I wanted to save as much as possible for the boss but now that I understood a way to beat it without needing thousands of rounds I guess it's an excess of precaution that was my downfall. HE grenades are surprisingly efficient against them ... kind of unexpected for armored enemies. Now on to the boss, first the cinematic's beginning with "You're still alive !" is kind of a caricature but it never gets old in a way. I liked the man's voice (not telling name in case of spoil), I'd say his voice and quality are better than that of the extended Ep1 ending. The cinematic fills in the blanks of the plot I guess, I don't really pay attention to it but in the end I understood everything and the only questions that may remain are actually provided by the scene, it's a good thing to leave questions unanswered by simply asking them instead of implicitly answering them in an impossible way to figure out like many bad movies do. The boss fight is original but very hard to get, I had to beat it 3 times (1 on Normal, 1 on Expert (was a pain in the ass) and 1 on Armageddon (which went surprisingly well thanks to the document)) before understanding how to beat it. But now I realize that it's because I didn't find the document which the man talks about so I suppose it was my fault. I heard that we're to notice some sort of green/blue energy shield around him, I remember seeing it on my Normal play but on all the other plays I did I never saw it again, I don't know if that's a bug or a gameplay mechanic linked to the difficulty level but since it's not indispensable to beat the boss I don't mind it. It's capabilities are original I'd say and well exploited and the fact it pushes the containers is a nice touch, you really get a taste of its power. I'd say his telekinetic attack is too hard to dodge, last time I played (on Armageddon) I managed to dodge it right after the cinematic ended but then every single time he did it there was no way I could dodge it, surely I managed to limit the damage but never to dodge it and yet I tried what the document implied but it worked like once out of 30 times. At first I was going to say that boss was bad in terms of gameplay but now that I realize the fact we're given clues and that I seem to have misunderstood it right from the start makes me change my mind. It's another challenging boss with its own gameplay and tactics which makes another good addition to the bestiary. Although the way it ends is kind of frustrating in a way, I mean you realize there's no way you can kill it and kind of feel that you fought for naught but that's not the first time we witness something like that in video gaming so it's just a mechanic/feature, you like it or don't it's just a matter of taste but you can't deny how good the design and gameplay is mostly when you know the Build Engine's capabilities you get out of the fight with the feeling that you haven't seen the last of that engine's limits that keep getting pushed back by the development team. The escaping part was good, the timing looks very short at first glance mostly considering that you're OC moves more slowly than usual but in the end when you reach the room with the thruster switch you realize you didn't have to worry that much. The IW music didn't make me feel anything, it's well adapted to the sequence besides since we play as the main OC of IW it's sounds like a perfectly logical choice. I was just like "Ah that's IW's title screen music" no more no less but since I haven't played it for quite a while it kind of bring back memories mostly now that I'm looking back on it. I liked the fact you can actually see the TV building during the fall and the explosion on it although less spectacular than when we were with Mikko. I'd say this gives us an interesting info in terms of setting and continuity, gives you fewer reasons to wonder what was happening in the mean time or when it was actually taking place. The music when we fall was excellent choice, really provides the feeling that it's the grand finale; you can leave your keyboard alone because you have done the job and despite being able to move during the fall you know it won't change a thing. Only could wonder how the hell he survived such a fall but that sends back to what happens with Micky at the end of the previous mission so I would be repeating myself if developing that point. The debriefing is a normal conclusion, it respects the rules I've been taught in essay writing and you get to see the unfolding of the plot and are left in the expectative just like in Ep1 but with a darker tone. The extended ending was funny, it felt more like a bonus than a real addition like Ep1's one was. Personally I'm kind of afraid of how this'll impact Ep3, I won't develop too much otherwise I would spoil it but if what we witess in the extension happens to retroactive on Ep2 and 1 in the Ep3 release then it will look a bit clumsy, it's actually clumsy that we can play as Micky on Ep1 missions and adding a retroactive aspect of the extended ending on Ep1 and 2 would be a bit too much in my opinion, even though the work is "amateur" (with big quotation marks because at that point it's no real "amateur") and community based it would be slightly hard to forgive that but don't worry I'm a concilient person I'm just saying that on a purely objective point of view (and remember I'm no fanboy).


Conclusion : In overall it's one hell of a step forward for the mod ! I remember you guys were hoping that Ep2 would fix memorability well I can definitely tell that it did light-years above 100%. Map designs are bigger, more varied in every extents, more original, more memorable, technically more advanced, more detailed, more worked on when cutscenes are involved, soundtrack selection is good and fitting 99% of the time, and gameplay is deeper than it used to be without corrupting the basics you have previously established in Ep1. The plot is a correct continuity with Ep1's ending, the "story telling" although basic is decent and clear enough I'd say mostly considering that such games usually don't shine by their scenarios it's always a good thing to have deepness and work on it since it makes the game and its universe more credible and coherent even if you don't care about it (although you actually should). I knew the mod had a good potential when I had beaten Ep1, I don't know if it has reached its full potential yet but it looks like the people who work on it know how to go and exploit every single bit of potential and I wouldn't be surprised to see more potential getting potentially expressed in a potentially equally memorable episode 3 of a potentially best mod of the year to potentially come some potential day. That's definitely the kind of FPS that should be done nowadays, have faith in your project and keep up the good work guys as thou are on for a most noble cause for the sake of FPS video gaming !



Seemingly ending my feedback there but I would like to make some more this time concerning the new weapons (new only) both temp and specialty, and later about the new equipment if that's okay mostly considering that people don't really comment on that, focusing on maps but I understand why (there are tons of reasons why). So expect some more of such feedback in the future but on a different ground and who knows, since it involves equipment it just might help people optimize their equipment which would definitely please me as much as it already pleased me seeing the interest that has been shown in my feedback as it was there mostly because (along with bug reports) it's the only way I can make a contribution and I want to do it extensively.

This post has been edited by thedrawliner: 01 May 2015 - 04:35 AM

2

#69

Episode 2 is out? Cool. Will grab it soon.

I'll be back.
1

User is online   Jblade 

#70

Quote

Personally I'm kind of afraid of how this'll impact Ep3, I won't develop too much otherwise I would spoil it but if what we witess in the extension happens to retroactive on Ep2 and 1 in the Ep3 release then it will look a bit clumsy, it's actually clumsy that we can play as Micky on Ep1 missions and adding a retroactive aspect of the extended ending on Ep1 and 2 would be a bit too much in my opinion, even though the work is "amateur" (with big quotation marks because at that point it's no real "amateur") and community based it would be slightly hard to forgive that but don't worry I'm a concilient person I'm just saying that on a purely objective point of view (and remember I'm no fanboy).

I admit, normally I can understand your english fine I'm not 100% sure on what you mean there, but:
Spoiler


Thanks a lot for the extensive feedback you've left, it means a lot to see some in-depth commentary on the work we've done as there's lots of stuff that will be missed by more casual players. By all means, I'll look forward to gameplay feedback as well - the truth is I didn't have enough free time to really work at and properly balance all of the stuff in the mod. One of my goals was to improve old weapons rather than just add new betters ones that make old ones useless (for instance, adding the grenade launchers to the M16 and AK104) Right now I'm working on improving weapon animations and stuff a bit, as well as the animation and sounds of the pig-cop shotgun.

View PostGameplay Nut, on 01 May 2015 - 05:41 AM, said:

Episode 2 is out? Cool. Will grab it soon.

I'll be back.

Heh, hope you enjoy it (and it fixes some of the flaws you felt the original episode had - I worked on Revolution a bit for example and added enemies at different z-levels as well as overhauling the palace interior with much better shading in places)

This post has been edited by Jblade: 01 May 2015 - 11:24 AM

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#71

Yes that's what I meant you understood correctly ^^ I just didn't want to say too much things because I don't yet understand how to use that spoiler feature :/

For the time being I noticed you enhanced the graphics and sounds of some of the old weapons, for instance I like the new reloading sound and animation of Mikko's Talon even though I don't use it that much, or the new Glock's look and such, I also liked the fact some guns like the PP19 are more usefull than before, if the accuracy of the PP19 had been unchanged I would have completely overlooked it but now the new system makes it worth picking and I actually did on my first play through Loke's map before I got the UMP and I'd say it was worth it. I agree with you on the fact the Police Shotgun needs a graphical rework, the sound is okay, the voxel too but the first person sprite could use a better iteration along with Micky's golden slot 3 weapon but I'll talk about that in the feedback I prepare for the new additions to guns and equipment which will also give me the occasion to talk more about gameplay rather than difficulty like I did previously.
1

User is offline   Untamed 

#72

Spoiler

0

User is online   Jblade 

#73

View PostUntamed, on 03 May 2015 - 01:12 AM, said:

Spoiler


Spoiler

Let me know if you need more hints :D
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#74

Okay, back again. First off, thanks again for your efforts and providing the mod for us to play, with no catch. It is us modders that keep the old school quality, design progression and style alive. And there is progression here; the mod has far more depth than ol' Duke. Some aspects lack true polish (voice acting, a number of bugs, mish-mash of pilfered assets is a step or two behind true consistency) but it is far better than what most of the professionals put out these days, it goes without saying. Obviously this is a significantly better contribution than Duke Nukem Forever.

I'm not finished yet, but you'll appreciate the feedback regardless, I'm sure. Let's begin:

Level design, oh god the level design. As I said before, when it is good it is really good, but sometimes I just ask myself why. When it is good everything is as it should be. Top quality & old school principled, that is. But your team really pushes it to the extreme in terms of what the build engine can do, if I am not mistaken (I'm not the most knowledgeable on build, but it is bigger in scope than what Duke and Shadow Warrior ever did). I really enjoyed the big trouble in Hong Kong missions, although the sword rampages I could do without because of the invulnerability; I'd have preferred if it just increased movement speed and damage or something, but that isn't really a fault of the level designer.
The moon base "New LA" is really cool and atmospheric (although the pilfered assets again take me out of it temporarily, but I cannot really complain more on that). I'd have liked the base to hold a few more things to do (secret areas, NPCs to talk to) but overall it is cool.
The first mission, whilst reminiscent of the dreaded Revolution in some ways, is certainly a lot better due to the scripted events (alien assault and shrunken bike riding), not having to rely on/escort team members, having interesting buildings to tackle in any order you choose, and a little bit of verticality at times. I wasn't much a fan of the Alien base but it was a short interesting novelty mission.
The old temple was another pretty cool level that had a second novelty part where you stole my guns and took a different approach with the intention of...I have no idea (I don't know what you are tying to achieve with the simpler gameplay and level design), but I guess using the sword only was interesting for variety's sake and it looked good. definitely needed more platforming though, I think the mod in general does.
Fucking hell though, those Hong Kong series of levels. You have masterpieces like that and the ones in Episode 1, but then you happily combine them with levels more comparable to modern games. No offense to the level designers who worked on those maps, It is very clear a lot of work goes into all the maps. Yet still, I don't mind when you take a more linear, simpler approach when you go for maps like the Abyss, which was tough and featured puzzles and platforming in addition to shooting. The map with the sword, what did it entail? Sword slashing, a couple of simple platforming sections and little more.
I'm currently on the Ghost Ship level. Really, really good stuff. Up there with the best maps so far. The sprawling layout, the environmental hazards, the scripted events (lol at the strippers being a hologram/Shadow creatures in disguise or whatever). Again, all I desire from the mod is more platforming within these great levels, although there is still an adequate amount in some maps.
The expansions to the AMC base is pretty cool too.

All the little details in all maps are great also, such as the funny posters on the walls and other decorative objects and easter eggs, as well as the occasional scripted voice acting based on events in-action/what we interact with. The latter is mostly unique to the Ghost Ship map however as we are forced to play as Micky, which means you only have to do the voices for that character rather than them all [insert another rant about too many characters in AMC TC distracting from tighter design focus here].

Again, not much a fan of the many vehicle sections, but they are something different, short in duration, and even sometimes optional, so I'm not going to outright oppose them.

bugs: apologies if these are already reported in the bug thread and/or fixed, but further confirmation can be useful.

-dying during slow-mo sequences and then pressing "N" when asked to load last save respawns you in permanent slow time, unless you quit or reload last save. Happened on the first level for me.
-Not sure what's going on here, but sometimes I have a low frequency buzzing sound unique to certain locations in a number of maps. Obviously this is grating as fuck but it may be a consequence of my own (drivers, hardware and such).
-Skipping dialogue segments with altfire causes overlapping of spoken audio. Haven't tested if it happens with all audible elements of a cutscene or just the audio.
-There have been a few more that are noteworthy, but I didn't take note of them and forgot. I'm sorry.

That's enough on level design.

To do the flying jump kick, holding down jump is required. Why is this so? I'd prefer if airborne, we do the flying kick (which is also more powerful I assume).

In Episode 1 there was a configuration option, something about camera interpolation, that I could disable to make the rolling abilities' camera rotation essentially into a dodge move without the camera effect, so I can use the maneuver more effectively. This doesn't seem to be here anymore, unfortunately.

Stop stealing my guns etc! Hehe. Fair enough upon character swap but during a mission it doesn't seem worthwhile. As I said before, it removes long-term resource conservation and long term reward for secrets (unless said reward is money or something else we take between missions, which isn't too often). The difficulty is high enough (even on expert) to make these things matter short term though.
Sorry if I'm playing like a looping record at this point. By all means continue to stick to your guns (ha) and I'll respect that, because I don't think it is an outright bad thing that you want to do something drastically different with each level.

Voice acting and writing, as crummy and as valued as ever. In a so bad it's good kind of way. And I'm just tired of all the failed movie directors and writers in the modern industry producing garbage that this stuff is a refreshing change, although it sometimes fails to hold me. I like the jokes, I think you should play off of the low-quality cheesiness and throw in a little more of that goodness. Keep a fair focus on the world building, plot-driving stuff too of course, but just a bit more comic relief would go a long way, I believe.

Galactic scale: just awesome that you've expanded it to exploring things on a large scale, often with non-linearity in which missions to take first, and other miscellaneous things. I only hope that by the time you're truly done with the TC it is so big as to being a 60hr+ mega mod with most planets containing missions and other things. I'm assuming that this is your intention.

Ambient audio sources in maps cut off immediately based on range, I first noticed this with the Deus Ex bar chatter audio in the moon base map. Can you not just lower the volume based on how far away the player is to the source, or is it an engine limitation? Probably the latter but I'm just curious.

Music is once again fitting, some nice choice of pilfering and I look forward to tracks later in the game, even if I've already heard them before I know they won't feel truly out of place.

So, thanks again. I'm really enjoying it for the most part and I will be back with more feedback at some point.
I hope more people play your mod because it really is worth it despite the few mostly minor negatives. Keep up the hard work and you'll make something that I, for one, will certainly remember fondly and replay at some point. I still feel some of the levels hold it back, there's too many vehicle sections, you rob my guns too often and the wide array of characters is a distraction from a tighter, more fruitful experience but if all design visions were the same things would get boring and again, I don't think these things are outright bad.

Thank you.

apologies that this post isn't very well written/formatted. Proof reading and cleaning up is something I was not prepared to do today and I'm out of focus.

This post has been edited by Gameplay Nut: 27 May 2015 - 04:14 PM

1

User is online   Jblade 

#75

Thanks for the extensive feedback - I don't agree with a few of your things but I respect your opinions at least, the gameplay style will always be varied (and weapon stripping is just a neccesity of the game, but I've already gone over this in the EP1 feedback that was left)

Quote

Music is once again fitting, some nice choice of pilfering and I look forward to tracks later in the game, even if I've already heard them before I know they won't feel truly out of place.

Only the first sets of levels have borrowed music, the vast majority of the rest of the episode has original music from sites like Opengameart (barring zaxtor's level and a few movie references) :)
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#76

Opengameart uh ?

I was always wondering where you would manage to get all those musics without having copyright issues and I could hardly believe that they would all be original creations by YOU GUYS (no offense) because of the community aspect of it ^^
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#77

Again, don't take my negative criticism too seriously (not saying that you are either). I'm very appreciative of the hard work and I have a lot of fun. AMC TC probably makes it into my top ten favorite mods!
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#78

Wow, who is the mad scientist that made the Biolab level? It's scale and level of detail is impressive.
I'm stuck though: where do I use the keypad that is found in the water among the octobrains deep in the lab? I've wandered both levels for 45 minutes looking but to no avail.
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User is offline   Rhaisher 

#79

View PostGameplay Nut, on 29 May 2015 - 01:12 PM, said:

Wow, who is the mad scientist that made the Biolab level? It's scale and level of detail is impressive.
I'm stuck though: where do I use the keypad that is found in the water among the octobrains deep in the lab? I've wandered both levels for 45 minutes looking but to no avail.

The author of the map (which is called 'Zeta Base', BTW) is called "Snowfall". James found a beta of the map for EP1 in the author's Deviantart account some time ago (it's still downloadable, I think :) ). He was trying to make a level this huge (and with the same level of detail) in a single 'map file' and, obviously, hit the wall limit before achieving it. :(
You'll need to unlock the door that leads to the first 'boss battle' of the level first, via another keycard. This one is located inside the autopsy lab, where a deceased Beyonder lays on a table that holds both: the keycard and the evidence that explains the madness behind 'Zeta Base'. :(
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#80

View PostRhaiNuk, on 29 May 2015 - 02:59 PM, said:

The author of the map (which is called 'Zeta Base', BTW) is called "Snowfall". James found a beta of the map for EP1 in the author's Deviantart account some time ago (it's still downloadable, I think :) ). He was trying to make a level this huge (and with the same level of detail) in a single 'map file' and, obviously, hit the wall limit before achieving it. :(
You'll need to unlock the door that leads to the first 'boss battle' of the level first, via another keycard. This one is located inside the autopsy lab, where a deceased Beyonder lays on a table that holds both: the keycard and the evidence that explains the madness behind 'Zeta Base'. :(


Yes I've got that key also. Where is the door to use them on though?
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User is offline   Rhaisher 

#81

View PostGameplay Nut, on 29 May 2015 - 03:08 PM, said:

Yes I've got that key also. Where is the door to use them on though?

The door is near the 'central command' of the lower floor (where you open the majority of the level's doors), inside the biolab. From this room, head downwards the ramp and as soon as you reach a four-way intersection head towards left. You should be facing a huge door with a holo-screen (which, BTW, 'reveals' the boss you'll be facing) in front of it and a keycard slot to its left, IIRC.
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#82

Yeah I found it, was being a retard by not using the map, which shows keypads...although I don't remember that being a feature of ol' Duke.
The map started to drag on a bit after a while, although it may have just been my mood preventing me from fully enjoying it. it was nice and challenging though, which I appreciate.

This post has been edited by Gameplay Nut: 29 May 2015 - 05:22 PM

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#83

HI AAALLL !!!!


Remember my big feedback ? I did say that I would feedback on equipment and other things ... well let me tell you that I sentenced myself with eternal guiltiness for having completely forgot about that T_T
BUT rest assured that I will go on that field, besides everyone "keeps" feedbacking on maps (which are the most important I agree) but that's not the entire mod and that's why I want to push it to equipments, weapons and such besides as I told long ago this will allow me to feedback on gameplay, gameplay value instead of difficulty and enjoyment (although there might be words on enjoyment but we're talking about a GAME aren't we ?).

Expect that to come soon, if not NAO !


So first there is something I want to get it straight : I'll talk ONLY about the NEW things and the old things that have been MODIFIED. Ain't going to talk about the things that were already present in Ep1 although I could but I feel people have experience them enough to make their own self-served feedback.


New Artifacts :
----------------


_Book of Viridi : Well that's an interessting gameplay element ... Being able to heal just by walking through 100% natural plants is unseen as far as I know (glad to see AMC attempts tons of unseen/underused things). I witnessed its work in Zaxtor's mission because I felt down trees in my first few play throughs and it helped me save the Medkit for the next level. In that extent then I'd say it's one of the more usefull artifacts like the Golden Lighter and the Book of Nails. However its use is limited I'd say, for the time being it benefits Zaxtor the most since he's the only one to walk through nature, I know the first HK map does have plants as well to make use of the artifact but it feels too accessory. BUT I suppose this is the principle of artifacts : giving a benefit that will show itself when you need it most which makes them not abusive at all which I think is a good thing since it doesn't allo players to have a really easy time. I'm getting very experienced at the game, I have practically fully optimized loadouts and yet I can still have a hard time at some points in the game and what I want to mean is that even though most artifacts seem to be lacking in use (exception of the Golden Lighter and Book of Nails) they actually need to be this way since I would feel almost frustrated to have unlocked them if they were abusively useful (Surely the other 2 I mention are the most useful but not abusively since it just makes dealing with ghosts and sorcerers slightly easier). In the end I'd say that book is a good addition, a good accessory for Zax's mission (I was lucky to have it with me on my first playthrough of that map) ^^


_Protective Shawl : That artifact was mysterious for me, I never got to notice anything different with it :/ But now that I know that it allows you to see ghosts without them phasing and being more resistant to supernatural attacks I can definitely comment on it. Well for the time being I'd say this is the least useful of the new artifacts since we rarely get to see ghosts and we often have a bit of spirit shield in levels where we are bound to see some, besides if you look on the ground for its shadow you can definitely tell where they are although it's very easy to miss. The fact it makes us more resistant however is an interesting idea but I repeat what I already said. I think it would benefit Zax the most but apparently he's already supposed to be more resistant to psychic attacks due to his many shootouts in weird dimensions. So I think Sang might be the best to use it, but we don't get to see ghosts when playing as him even in Ep1 ... I can't say it's a bad artifact since we can find a use for it and it has interesting capabilities BUT the problem is that 90% of the levels of the game don't have what would make that artifact valuable a bit like for the Book of Viridi but slightly worse. BUT since the next episode will be themed in Egypt and since that artifact looks to be Egyptian along with the fact it is found on top of a small Egyptian looking structure I can only expect/hope that it will express its potential in the next episode.


_Mako Ring : Now this is I'd say the most useful artifact out of the new ones even though it still has limited use. Being able to obtain spirit shield just by stepping near crystals is an interesting concept mostly considering that spirit shield is the rarest one of the bunch. For the time being only James can use that since said crystals are to be seen only in his missions. However except for Ep1 (in Providence in the secret where we find the slot 3 weapon) that artifact has very limited use since we don't fight supernatural enemies as James in Ep2 and when we do on All-OC mission there are no crystals to step by AND in Providence we are already given a spirit shield in the starting area therefore that artifact doesn't make any difference compared to the 2 others. However much like with the Protective Shawl since the next episode will be themed in Egypt I can hope for missions with mainly creatures like the sorcerer and the ghosts with the presence of a few crystals then the artifact will be very valuable more than the Protective Shawl would be. But like I said with the Book of Viridi it's also a good thing that artifacts have a relatively limited use because they're meant to be accessory items that are to work when you need it most and like I said if they could work in a kick-ass way or were adaptable to many situations then it would completely overshadow the others which is not the point of the concept I'm pretty sure.


In the end these are nice additions to the list I'd say. What I like the most is the fact that now ALL OCs can have an artifact whereas in Ep1 there were 6 artifacts for 8 characters. Actually the phenomenon is reversed since we have 10 artifacts for 9 Ocs now ^^ I don't know about you but personally it is the Shrinking Ring that I overlook, surely it is very useful when encountering Protector drones but my experience allows me not to care about it, I could replace Minerva's amulet with it but that artifact is adapted to more situations despite it being less protective somehow.



Equipment :
-----------

Well there is nothing new in that section however there IS something that I can talk about in a feedback way and that is the Spirit Vest.

I don't know about you but personally I'd say it was more useful in Ep1 than it is now in Ep2 :/
I mean in Ep1 it allowed you to start a level with 100% spirit armor but 0% normal. What it does now is that you start with 75% spirit and 50% normal and every other armor in the level will act like that. What I don't like is the fact it replaces normal armor by that but I suppose it's a gameplay mechanic since the advantage is that you can refill spirit armor (and partially normal armor) way more often than if you wanted to rely on real spirit shields which are rare whereas in Ep1 you just had 100% spirit shield at the start and for all with no chance of refilling it other than with the rare spirit shields. As I'm typing this I actually realize that this item doesn't seem as useless as I make it sound like :/ However like with artifacts 90% of the levels don't have what it takes to make that item valuable (Zeta Base actually poses a conundrum since there are quite a few ghosts and octabrains but there are also a lot of normal attacking enemies). Just like before since the next episode is themed in Egypt I can only hope for maps that will make me re-consider my half-unfair judgement on that item that ,I've just realized, has some good potential but just cannot express it.




That will do for this part I guess, there's not a lot to say but since next time I'll talk about the new temp weapons this sure should stop here to avoid a 300 feet long post ^^

I'm pretty unsure about the feedback I'm preparing since maps are the most important but we keep talking about them so might as well be original and feedback on the other new things which are just as numerous as the maps themselves if not more numerous. Besides if my doing this can help the devs have ideas concerning the new pieces of artifacts and equipment then it'll be as if I were in Utopia !
Tell me what you think please ^^;

This post has been edited by thedrawliner: 10 August 2015 - 02:54 AM

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User is online   Jblade 

#84

Thanks for the feedback, I'll give you my thoughts on a few of the items:

Quote

_Protective Shawl :

There's a very difficult level by Snowfall that'll appear in the next episode, it's not as long as Zeta base but basically this item will become incredibly useful in it.

The spirit vest item was changed, it's handy for Zaxtor as his huge pool of health means armour isn't as vital - in Jungle base there's quite a few spirits so having lots of spirit shield can come in useful for that :D

I was hoping to change the loadout system so you can have multiple items for different parts of the body like taking a vest on your chest slot, a medi-pack on a belt, night vision or so on on the eyes .etc .etc the drawback is that the cost would build up very quickly if you were to fill all slots up with the best items and stuff. Thoughts?
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User is offline   Micky C 

  • Honored Donor

#85

Did not know about some of those artifacts Posted Image
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User is offline   Rhaisher 

#86

View PostJblade, on 10 August 2015 - 03:59 AM, said:

I was hoping to change the loadout system so you can have multiple items for different parts of the body like taking a vest on your chest slot, a medi-pack on a belt, night vision or so on on the eyes .etc .etc the drawback is that the cost would build up very quickly if you were to fill all slots up with the best items and stuff. Thoughts?

Is there already a limited amount of loadout points per character? I haven't been playing the TC lately but IIRC the "best" equipment made the chosen character surpass 1K points quite easily. :D
All in all I like this idea, it gives room to strategy and the player choses what to strengthen in every character. :D
It could be interesting to show the "ambient" of the mission prior to enter it, like if it has nature, supernatural enemies, etc. so the player can go to the loadout screen and equip the character according the circumstances.

When will we see the next patch? Is there still a long way? :D
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#87

"a very difficult level by Snowfall that'll appear in the next episode, it's not as long as Zeta base"; Ah that's exactly the kind of thing I like to hear :D

"his huge pool of health means armour isn't as vital" ... hmm you got a point on this one, But personally I like taking the least amount of damage, I don't like relying on the medkit although that's what I ended up doing first time I played Zeta with Zaxtor XD


Hmm equipment scattered on the body ... That sounds good in the sense that it adds some realism and strategy as to your loadout and the concept itself is interesting but maybe (just my thought) it might be a bit too complex to be worth the trouble, I don't imagine how much of a trial the coding would be, besides the addition in complexity might repulse players that like simple things, the actual loadout is pretty simple but I'm sure some people didn't greet it with open arms and extending it to take body parts into account might be going too far. Actually you guys went pretty far with it as it is right now, why not going further by just sweeping the dust away if you see what I mean ? Lastly the only that I would mind with such a system is that it would be a bit abusive, the fact we can start a level directly with 100% armor along with 100 points of Medkit is a bit much, even worse starting with 100% armor and the Loading belt ! Picking the loading belt actually leaves you unprotected for the beginning of a level but as a counterpart you're more efficient with shotguns; My point being that the current system has some trade-offs and the new system you suggest would make some of those disappear and a player like me who want to optimize things will end up making the game easier than it would have with the current system.

You have my thoughts about it, personally I wouldn't mind as much as I make it sound since it's a very interesting, ambitious and credible system, and if done right it would be a coding marvel, but it might be too complicated to create and too "complex" for people who like old simple FPSs like most of us to use to be worth the trouble. I'd suggest you wait before strongly considering that idea ^_-


BTW I already asked it but wasn't answered, what are those loadout costs ? What does it impact ?

This post has been edited by thedrawliner: 10 August 2015 - 05:05 AM

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User is online   Jblade 

#88

Quote

BTW I already asked it but wasn't answered, what are those loadout costs ? What does it impact ?

I did answer this I swear - but basically for every thousand it takes 1k away from what you earn during a mission, but I might work and change this to over each 500 since I doubled the amount of budget you earn per mission.

Quote

It could be interesting to show the "ambient" of the mission prior to enter it, like if it has nature, supernatural enemies, etc. so the player can go to the loadout screen and equip the character according the circumstances.

yes that's one of the plans, it may be either via a precog unit that the AMC squad can create themselves or via UAV drones and stuff like that you can pay to 'scout' out a mission :D
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#89

You did ? I've never seen it I'm afraid, sorry if I doubted your honesty I swear I never saw it ^^;

And Rhai's idea is a good one, I'm glad to see you guys are considering it :D
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#90

Hey hey !!
Tis' me again ready to sail through an ocean of words !
Have a nice trip -_^


Okay since I can't make a post with only one thing to talk about I'll include the new melee item along with Temp Weapons since nothing in the Melee section has been modified.


Melee:
----------

_Combat Shovel : The only new thing. It's the most powerful item out of the 3, it can kill an enforcer in one full slash (hitting from the beginning to the end) whereas you need 2 for the Combat Knife and 3 for the Silver one which is interesting to consider picking up. It's not practical to use at all but it's damn fun ! When I tested that weapon I was having a trip with the plain principle of beating enemies up with a shovel ! However it eats up on our stamina damn fast, we can do only 2 attacks in a row and we lack stamina for longer than normal (depends on your OC however). Even Merlijn who has the biggest stamina bar can only slash 3 times in a row. I gave it to Highwire because I think it fits him the most even though he is the one with whom the item is the least practical to use but I've become accustomed to it so I can't be arsed changing that, besides I feel uneasy with the idea of leaving an item out of 3 unused mostly considering that it has its fun to provide. Anyway a good addition, not practical to use but fun and therefore it's better to have it than nothing besides shovels as melee weapons are rare in video gaming and even rarer in FPS and I like seeing things in the mod that are underused.


Now on to the big cheese ...

Temporary weapons :
-------------------------------

Since some have had modifications I'll also mention them.


_MAC10 and Tommy Gun : I know these guns are exactly the same but I said I was to talk about things that got MODIFIED ! I used not to like those 2 guns that much in Ep1 mostly because of inaccuracy although I still used to (and still do) pick the Tommy Gun for Rusty for the sake of Silver Ammo but now in Ep2 I'd say these are really useful. Thanks to the new accuracy system these are more accurate and adapted to medium ranged combat (MAC10) and medium-long ranged combat (Tommy Gun) whereas in Ep1 they were adapted only to short/semi-short range. That is if you don't hold the trigger all the time. I'm pleased that these are now able to be put to real use even though I'd say the MAC10 should be able to use Silver Ammo since it fires .45 caliber rounds but that's because I like that gun otherwise I wouldn't have said that besides I don't like the fact we can't stock up on it from dead purple Yakuzas it feels like an anomoly ^^

_Katana : I know that weapon behaves exactly the same as in Ep1 BUT still. That new look that has been given to it is better and prettier I'd say besides it's not borrowed from SW which I personally don't like but that's another debate. I already told that this weapon was more useful than before thanks to the new enemies being melee fighters for the most part besides the new ability we get at the dojo doubles its usefulness since we can now protect ourselves from weak bullets and melee attacks. Surely I'd never attribute this weapon to a character but whenever I find one I consider using it (mostly for Tower of Life and Zeta Base where it's most useful). If it weren't for that I would have completely overlooked that weapon which would be a bit of a shame given the Asian setting of the episode.

_AK103 : That gun was already useful in Ep1 since it was pretty accurate and decently powerful but now that it has a GL it's just perfect, and the new accuracy system still allows us to fire with a decent rate while remaining accurate. Also adding the GL was a good idea because it is the only temporary weapon of all to be able to use Caseless grenades.The new sounds are good even though the previous firing sound wasn't bad at all. Not much to say although there are 2 things I should "complain" : First I'd say the OC's hand is going a bit too far under the gun as in he grips the GL too much to the right of it or at least that's how I perceive it I don't know about you but that's how I see it; Then when we are in use of the GL the OC's hand simply disappear and the GL has no handle O_O ! Apart from that you guys have made this weapon one of the most useful and enjoyable temporary weapons to use.

_MP40 : I'm a bit contrasted regarding that new sprite :/ On one hand I find it nice and detailed, more than the previous one, and on the other hand I don't like it's position on screen and the fact it doesn't match its reloading animation ... However since it's one of the least useful guns I'm not gonna shoot on the ambulance as we say in French since that weapon is weak despite it's relatively good accuracy but it gets owned by the Calico by far BUT I don't dislike using that weapon every once in a while when it is fitting (Revolution and any future maps that involves Highwire's men or the passed presence of person from the 40s and 50s (probable given the Egyptian theme (I know I keep hammering that ^^))).

_Barrett : Short. Thanks to the new accuracy system that weapon is no longer potentially abusive. In Ep1 it had (and still does) the maximum accuracy and since there was no penalty upon shooting you could wipe out enemies one by one very fast (mostly if using auto-aim). Now this is impossible to do which forces you not to shoot fast like a maniac which is more realistic and more relevant of the nature of the gun itself. Besides the new scope maneuverability makes it's scope more intuitive to use, it's not perfect but way easier to use than before and it's less glitchy than before (it still is but not as much for what I witnessed since the release).

_M16 : Now that gun looks a lot more credible now ! It has already been told that the previous look was "cartoonish" so I'm not going to develop on that. The new firing sound is good I guess, at least it makes it sound more powerful than before and it actually feels like it is more powerful than before and I don't remember it being armor piercing back then. Adding the GL was also a good idea since, just like with the AK, this makes it the only temporary weapon of all to be able to use Cased Grenades and so this gun has become more enjoyable and usefull to use in comparison with Ep1 (with a larger gap compared to the AK). The only thing I can "complain" about is the fact we don't really see the OC's arm with that gun and it also looks like it is going too far under the weapon almost as if it was being held with the arm instead of the hand, and when in use of the GL the OC's hand disappears. Lastly the GL's look in normal use is weird, it's not straight but I suppose the original sprite lacked the GL and so I suppose it was added so I consequently think that it would be mean to develop on that given the fact it's a minor detail. However when reloading the GL looks just fine nothing to "complain" about.

_Dart Gun : YAY a harpoon gun ! Haven't seen such things in video games since Tomb Raider 3 and Underworld ! I tried using it on land just to see and I didn't expect its range to be so .... short to remain polite but that's logical I guess even though I've seen in movies that harpoon guns sometimes replace a crossbow just fine. Also on land it's not powerful at all but that was expected though. Underwater however it looks to be a good gun, the darts seem to be powerful since it looks like it can kill a protector drone in 2 shots and we don't have to account for the gravity's influence on the projectile, its speed might be a bit low but the levels aren't adapted to it so I can hardly judge that. As for the Mini-Torpedoes I'd say it's a nice idea once again, nicely adapted to the gun's graphics and well animated. It works just like a rocket launcher underwater and it gives the impression of having 2 guns in one which is neat, it also seems to have a good splash (ha ha ha) damage since in Zeta Base I could destroy a bunch of 6 or 7 eggs in one shot along with killing a protector drone in the process. Potentially very enjoyable gun in my regards, too bad it's actually pointless since no level is adapted to that gun for a real showcase of its potential. Only Zeta makes use of it and yet it deserves more, the mission "Ice Station Colossus" might put it to a small use as well, and Maybe the first RED map since it has some underwater sections too bad it's not present in the last map since the octabrains in the remains of the boat are kind of a pain. I've already made a suggestion of a level or 2 done majorly underwater with extensive or semi-extensive use of this gun because such things are underused in video gaming.

_M60 : I sense the smell of Exhumed ... Interesting gun, I think it's the only LMG as far as temp weapons are concerned and the way it is "introduced" in City Under Siege allows a good showcase of its potential since it's powerful, decently accurate, has a big mag, and reloading is pretty fast for such a gun, and finally the are good spots to use the bipod. Also sounds good. Surely I won't assign this gun to anybody but finding one in a level makes me consider using just like the Katana does and in City Under Siege I always fully use it before reverting to the M16 which is very useful in that level as well. I have also used it when I played SnowFall's "Neutrino" and "Pipe Dream" maps which proves that this gun is useful in its own right thanks to its power, versatility and the fact it's adapted to semi-long ranged combat. The only thing I could "complain" about is the pick-up sprite that doesn't match the look of the FPS sprite along with it being a bit "cartoonish", also we can't see our OC's hands but since it's brand new and useful I'm not gonna complain for real besides it's a minor element. Yet another good addition.

_Zilla Missile Launcher : I sense the smell of Lo Wang ... I wasn't surprised to see that weapon show up because of the theme of HK (also because I saw the video where someone tests the atomic bomb). And so I was interested in how it plays, because seeing someone using it and using yourself isn't the same. It's intuitive, we have more ammo than for the "Missile Launcher" (which doesn't launch missiles), the Heat Seeking Card is fun to use although it sometimes homes on things we don't want to and it sometimes even homes on things that aren't even on the same level (Already seen a rocket suddenly changing direction while going straight up to the ceiling). The Atomic bomb is also fun to use (with experience I have found a second place where I always want to use it) and the visual effect is better than in SW if you ask me. Fortunately you guys added a new functionality that is DUP missiles and I like those for their power and bigger blast radius which makes them adaptable to every situation a bit like a mini-mini-nuke (2 mini on purpose) and the fact it can be used with the Heat Seeking Card along is a nice touch and since we don't get much of those DUPs it's always good to use the Heat Seeking Card to ensure a shot doesn't go to waste (unless it acts up like I described) and it's very useful for bosses. All that would almost make me dislike my dislike for SW ! Surely I don't assign it to any OC (used to with Zaxtor because I thought it was needed for the Galil but no in the end) BUT every time I play HK maps I want to use up my assigned weapon and the Riot-Gun we find before sticking with the Zilla Launcher for the remaining of the level and onwards.

_Calico M960 : Now that's a weird looking gun, I thought it didn't exist until I looked it up on the internet and I was quite surprised by what I saw. It has nice graphics, good sounds although the firing sound sounds a bit generic but I don't really see what else you guys could have used. It's a bit weak but it's accuracy and mag size make it adapted to a lot of situations and adapted to semi-long ranged fights. Too bad it's not armor piercing but that would have been a bit too much I guess. As I said earlier it surpasses the MP40 by far. However there is a little something I slightly mind, when sprinting with that gun the stamina bar depletes quite fast, the MP40 is bigger and yet it is lighter !? The MP40 is built in metal while the Calico is made out of composite and it is heavier !? (No I'm not mad don't worry) I just find that a bit illogical since the lightness of the gun should compensate the added weight of a 50 9mm mag, just like the MP40's 32 9mm mag compensates the weight of a metal frame. (I said I wasn't a gun specialist but I'm starting to look like one). EITHER WAY it's a very nice addition, so much that I actually assigned that gun to an OC.

_Beam Sabre : I wasn't expecting that. Even with Trenton having a beam sword I didn't expect such a weapon to be part of the job. Not much to say about it since what I said about the katana also applies to that weapon but with the difference being that this Beam Sabre is damn powerful, even more powerful than Lo Wang's sword in the Shadow Realm. It has good graphics and good sounds although expected I guess since it obviously makes us think about Star Wars. That weapon fits Mikko quite well actually. However despite all its glory I don't assign it to any OC mostly because I prefer privileging ranged weapons and I can't decently replace the Riot Minigun I gave Mikko along with Tesla Ammo. Perhaps if we see that weapon come up in a map in Ep3 or any new EDF Mission then maybe I will consider using it just like I do with the Katana but that depends on the nature of the level in question. Though I find something weird, the pickup sprite has a guard whereas the FPS sprite has no guard and you can't say it's the hose because it would then make the hose look like it's too large for it but that's just a minor detail.

_Riot Grenade Launcher (as I call it) : Too bad that weapon is not available for assignment because it's an interesting weapon to use besides there are no temporary GLs in the loadout editor. It has a good look although it's just a patchwork of the Riot Gun + SW's GL + Zilla Missile Launcher. In terms of use it seems to play like Highwire's slot 8 weapon. I didn't expect it to be that powerful though, when I discovered it in Zeta Base I was always wasting a few shots because I always expected it to be less powerful than it really is. Too bad it cannot use alt ammo but its ROF and power already make it lethal so giving it alt ammo would render is abusive. Well even if it was available in the loadout editor I wouldn't have assigned to an OC, besides I'm pretty sure we would have been given something 12 shots which would be both too much and not enough. But it is undeniable that it's another good gun to use and when I play Zeta Base I always take it, same for Ghost Ship although I never find a good occasion to use it without risking to get blown up to bits because of standing still or because the risk of running into my own 'nades.

_Stygian War Cannon : I know that weapon hasn't been modified but it has been given a new look and I must say I like it. It has that little something one could have asked for somehow, it's indescribable but I'd say it's worth the mention. Too bad there are no new Stygian weapons but the current ones actually cover everything as in one acts like an SMG, one acts like a pump action, one acts like an automatic shotgun and the War Cannon like a rocket launcher or should I say a meteor launcher.

_Ripper Heart : I didn't know that it was present since I didn't have the corresponding research for while. When I got it I actually forgotten what it did in SW. It's yet again an interesting weapon to use, creating an invincible clone of ourself that fires the default slot 4 weapon (slot 8 for Merlijn) and all that during a decently long amount of time and good damage output. In my 2 latest playthrough I had a few occasions to use them in Island Base, and Tower of Life and I was always satisfied with the result although Merlijn's clone kind of has a ROF that is too low to be as effective as the other OCs but it helped a bit with the Serpent God boss. I'd say the odds of finding that weapon are kind of low, a bit too low and yet I got 6 of them in the course of 5 levels without a luck charm artifact (hurray for life's sense of humor). Also I mind the fact we can only carry one at a time just like with the MAC10 I find it too bad that we cannot stack those up while we can stock up on other weapons. If I could I would set the limit of Ripper Hearts at either 2 or 3 given how helpful they can be.

_Guardian Head : SW ... Kind of a so so weapon I don't really have interest in it but when I get the occasion I still use it just for the sake of it being new and not pointless thanks to its good ROF, good projectile speed, and it almost acts like a Flamethrower with unlimited range. Like for the Ripper Heart the odds of getting one are pretty low even lower than with the Heart (I got 2 or 3 in the course of 6 levels) so same story there but less emotional since I'm not as interested in that weapon as I am with the Heart. And the 2 new firing modes (ripped from SW) aren't that exiting ... the ring of fire balls might be useful when playing as Merlijn but it doesn't last long enough for that to be really useful, and that 3rd mode with the 2 big balls of fire is more impressive than in SW but I have a hard time figuring out how I should use it since out of all my attempts it either disintegrate a guardian or go through him with no harm and it seems that fire mode has no splash damage at all which doesn't help. It's not necessarily a bad weapon it's just my taste that's all and maybe my experience of that weapon was unlucky I don't know.


Apparently there is another Heart weapon that allows you to spawn a horde of enemies for assistance but it doesn't seem to be in the game since the enemy is there but the research for it doesn't seem to be present (it seems to be coded in but it's not included) (Yes I'm curious enough to peek into CON files ^^)


That's it for another part of the feedback I had "promised" long ago. I hope you still like reading it because I'm not done yet and I've already prepared a few more iterations just in case so even if you no longer want it you'll still git it :D And as I said before, if it gives anybody ideas as for future implementations or modifications of existing things then I'll finally have something to be proud of myself for once.

This post has been edited by thedrawliner: 11 August 2015 - 01:05 PM

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