The Serious Sam Thread "In anticipation for SS4"
#211 Posted 24 April 2018 - 10:22 PM
#212 Posted 25 April 2018 - 02:31 AM
This post has been edited by NightFright: 25 April 2018 - 02:32 AM
#213 Posted 25 April 2018 - 08:53 AM
NightFright, on 25 April 2018 - 02:31 AM, said:
Yep, I hope I can get my hands on IM's physical release but honestly I'm a bit worried after seeing how lame 3DR is when it comes to even small things like updating the game on their own store.
When it comes to Serious Sam 4 I think our best bet of getting a retail copy would be Poland or Croatia.
This post has been edited by Zaxx: 25 April 2018 - 08:54 AM
#214 Posted 25 April 2018 - 09:20 AM
#215 Posted 25 April 2018 - 09:54 AM
MusicallyInspired, on 25 April 2018 - 09:20 AM, said:
It will go away as that thing they called Internet did.
#216 Posted 25 April 2018 - 11:01 AM
This post has been edited by MusicallyInspired: 25 April 2018 - 11:03 AM
#217 Posted 25 April 2018 - 11:32 AM
MusicallyInspired, on 25 April 2018 - 11:01 AM, said:
But that's not the traditional retail market and if you take stuff like vinyl for example that has some added value: vinyl sounds different so listening to an album on vinyl is a unique experience fueled by that distinct, nostalgic feeling of hearing the result of two "physical things" interacting with each other.
A video game is just a collection of data, how that data is stored doesn't matter when it comes to the player experience. Because of this the main problem is that a boxed copy of a game is essentially useless, especially nowadays where most people don't even have a DVD drive in their PCs anymore. It's weird that when I buy a game in retail these days I don't even use the disc, I just log onto Steam, input the code and start downloading.
Boxed copies have a future but only as collector items and if you think about it that's just not the real thing.
#218 Posted 25 April 2018 - 11:48 AM
I just don't buy any more that digital distribution is the foregone conclusion and we're all just waiting for physical media to phase out completely. There are attributes to physical media that digital distribution just doesn't have. I think people are starting to see that. I could be wrong, but that's the way that I see it. I think the one of the only reasons why we don't still have a popular physical media market for PC games is because we don't have a physical medium large enough to contain all the data. This is why consoles are still around. I know some console games require further online downloading, but when it all comes down to it buying a console game means you have the game and can play it at any time without the internet. The recent 25th Anniversary Myst Kickstarter made over 300% of its goal. Yes, the cool LED linking panel Myst book was a factor, but it comes with all the games on disc. It matters and it is a factor.
#219 Posted 25 April 2018 - 12:27 PM
So if you wanted to know why SS3 has a lot of enemies that look like Doom monsters... it's because they ARE Doom monsters.
This post has been edited by Zaxx: 25 April 2018 - 12:28 PM
#220 Posted 25 April 2018 - 02:18 PM
The more I thought about it, the more an open world Serious Sam could be really cool, if done right. The first few levels of Second Offense come to mind, especially Valley of the Jaguars (name?) where theres a giant open area with several tight corridor sections splitting off from it and everytime you go into one and come out, bigger and badder enemies await you in the main hub.
Something like this but greatly expanded could be a good fun game, especially if the main big hub changes drastically several times.
Hearing its more linear but still wide open is still cool to read; a traditional linear Sam game is also more than welcome.
#221 Posted 25 April 2018 - 04:06 PM
#222 Posted 25 April 2018 - 04:33 PM
MusicallyInspired, on 25 April 2018 - 09:20 AM, said:
The thing is though that music streaming services are becoming more popular every year. That doesn't mean that more traditional distribution modes will disappear; there's no reason the two can't coexist. I can't see music streaming ever disappearing.
MusicallyInspired, on 25 April 2018 - 11:48 AM, said:
So what are you talking about exactly? Digital distribution, where you download your goods online as opposed to a physical transfer, or systems where you stream content or otherwise have your content locked to an account like steam?
#223 Posted 25 April 2018 - 06:07 PM
I don't want to derail the thread further, though. Maybe it can be split or a new thread started.
#224 Posted 29 April 2018 - 05:09 AM
#225 Posted 01 May 2018 - 07:43 PM
A lot of people shit on the game's pacing because at first it really doesn't feel like a Sam game: the enemy numbers are just not there, the level design feels like a middle ground between Sam and Duke 3D with all the realism and the bit more complex layouts etc. but in the grand scheme of things I think it works wonderfully. SS3 has this gradual build up and because the first half of the game is conservative with the enemy numbers the second half's large battles can surprise you. It also provides a wonderful bit of "environmental storytelling" with how the game starts you off in a city with Sam and a bunch of other characters and how gradually everybody and literally every sign of modern civilization disappears, leaving Sam alone to witness the Apocalypse. You're playing this cheesy game with the badass protagonist but by the end you do feel like you're the last man on Earth and in the back of your head you're like "wow, this was the last day of humanity".
Fusion's new additions took some getting used to but overall they made the game more interesting, I liked the new secondary attacks the enemies have here. Croteam optimized the game's performance a lot too, I never dipped below 60 fps on ultra settings and that's wonderful compared to the original game. SS3 could be a bit too much for DX9 and a single CPU thread but those issues are non-existent now, I saw a comparison benchmark and in some places they managed to double the framerate on identical settings.
There are a few things I found bad though and while Fusion improves on some of that I don't think it will be able to remedy design decisions that are just bad. First: the underground levels are super boring and they are not fun to play. At those parts you get a flashlight to view dark areas but your view distance is still limited so exploration doesn't feel right + Croteam slows down your movement speed guess because you're supposed to take in the "atmosphere". Bad idea and the special enemy type you encounter underground, the creatures Sam calls "space monkeys" are boring to fight against.
Second: even though Fusion makes hitscan enemies more bearable by making them less accurate if you're moving overall there are still just too many of them. It's not fun to shoot 50 of those hard to spot black soldiers because the fact that you have to creep around corners really slows everything down. Hitscan has a place in Serious Sam but the yellow and red scorpions were perfectly enough and balanced, instead of that duo you still get the red ones but the yellow ones are nowhere to be seen and replaced by a smaller, weaker variant. Why? Because if there is a weaker scorpion then the game can throw a lot more of them at you = more hitscan on top of the new black soldiers. Fuck that, when those two are around in great numbers you have a ruined combat encounter.
I don't get the witch brides either: they work as this interesting yet mildly annoying enemy type when you only have to face one at a time but on the last level you're attacked by at least 6 of them at once (while around two dozen small hitscan scorpions are on your ass... yeah, it's absolutely the worst part of the game). That shit just doesn't work, Croteam!
This post has been edited by Zaxx: 01 May 2018 - 07:50 PM
#228 Posted 09 June 2018 - 09:48 PM
#230 Posted 10 June 2018 - 02:35 AM
#231 Posted 11 June 2018 - 10:46 AM
This post has been edited by NightFright: 11 June 2018 - 10:47 AM
#232 Posted 11 June 2018 - 10:52 AM
Micky C, on 10 June 2018 - 02:35 AM, said:
NightFright, on 11 June 2018 - 10:46 AM, said:
That's what I thought from the first moment I saw this in a Radio Shack on a jewel case swivel-stand and wrote it off as a worthless clone trying to capitalize on the Duke image back in the day. Wish I had given it a chance then.
#233 Posted 12 June 2018 - 01:54 AM
This post has been edited by Grand Admiral Thrawn: 12 June 2018 - 01:54 AM
#234 Posted 12 June 2018 - 04:31 AM
#235 Posted 12 June 2018 - 08:31 PM
https://translate.go...esivan/7464270/
#236 Posted 13 June 2018 - 06:50 AM
You shoot one, and the ensuing chain explosion is so grand your computer actually blows up.
This post has been edited by HulkNukem: 13 June 2018 - 06:51 AM