[NNC]

OK, I purchased the game and here are my impressions:

I wasn't worried about the perf issues comments because I wanted to play in classic style as I always play. But the game got slow and lagged many times even in classic mode. That should be fixed for the better. After all, it's a game based on a two decade old engine.

The presentation is very good, I'm impressed how the game started and the menu and all of the options. I also liked the auto-save points. CREDITS ARE NOT THERE THOUGH!!!! I hope we get full credits in the final version who were the mapmakers, the musicians, the artists etc. I bet DavoX created all the map zone in this preview.

The cyberpunk theme is excellent. Also the new graphics were mostly impressive, with an exception of few minor sprites maybe which looked a bit blurred (like staplers and teapots etc), but nothing to complain about, even if they stay this way, I will be happy with the graphics.

I really enjoyed the music as well, although I hope for a "legendary" soundtrack like Grabbag or Stalker in the final version.

As for the leveldesign I absolutely loved the outside areas with the beautiful skyboxes, the broken bridges and others. The preboss area was goosebump with the horns and the rain, although a more advanced rain sound would have helped (like in It's impossible). Davox approach is obvious like his diagonal shaped columns etc. I loved his Born to be wild Duke map, but wasn't a fan of his Stadium. It's quite a flashy style that works very well most of the time, particularly in outside levels, but less so in the inside.

With that said, the inside office block with the red/yellow key was a bit confusing for a commercial game, but not that bad, at least for us, who play Duke user maps for decades. But maybe for new players. DavoX style is not shining as well inside as in outside, but still very good.

I have found only 9 secrets in the two maps combined (out of 40 or whatever?). I was so proud when I found the "cops are pigs" part with the ladders. It seems many secrets relied on platforming, I love the way the game uses secrets and easter eggs. That's so 90s at it's best.

The monsters might be rather generic for some, but I don't blame anyone for that. This is still the preview, and for two levels we don't need more monsters. After all, they are cyborgs, not pigs or octopuses or cacodemons with distinct look. What is awesome that they fire projectiles instead of stupid hitscan.

The weapons are mixed. The shotgun and the chaingun (forgot their names, sorry) look amazing and do their backbone combat job well. The bowling grenade is one of the best weapons I have played, works fantastic. The electrocuter could be good, but only effective in 1-1 combats, and I don't like tapping it. The combo should work where you press the button longer, not tap more. The same goes for the "loverboy". Why tapping instead of standard pressing? I just don't really get it what was the purpose? This might be my biggest gripe with the gamplay.

The HUD should be better. I had very little information what ammo I have. Also the ammo sprites are too small, and hard to look at them. They should have a more distinct look.

I think this game is to be played without autoaim, although quite frankly I prefer playing with it. I think autoaim should be applied to pushing keycards and buttons. I actually had troubles with the first key because I thought I grabbed a different key and Shelly didn't react well when I pushed that wall.

Overall, an impressive start, I hope for a truly kicker full version. I hope for some distinct and memorable levels in the final game. Maybe some levels outside the city.

[Danukem]

Forge, on 04 March 2018 - 07:37 AM, said:

I enjoy the reload aspect of the weapons. It adds a little extra challenge to combat. Keep track of your ammo, switch weapons before a reload, take cover when a reload is coming up.
I make a habit of tapping the reload key after every weapon fire or combat engagement. Even if I only shot one enemy.

Yeah I don't think everyone noticed that there is already a reload key.

Also agree on there being no need for a clip counter in the hud. It's one of those hand-holding features that we expect in a game but which isn't needed and actually removes a little gameplay. It would make sense in a more futuristic game if the counter were right on the weapon itself.

[PsychoGoatee]

Great great game so far, really enjoyed this preview. Loved the easter egg of our ol' fav before the last boss fight too. That's the only easter egg I found though, did find a bunch of the secrets, missed many also. Really impressive level design, combat, art, the voice acting, good job!

Loke, on 04 March 2018 - 03:21 AM, said:

I think the strongest aspect of the game is its level design. It pretty much nails the open-ended non-linear maps seen from games such as Doom and Duke Nukem 3D which seriously increases the replay value.

I haven't been this hyped for a game since HL2: Episode Two to be honest.

Agreed these levels are top notch. I think these are linear levels, and this style of linear level design is terrific, and missing in games today. I know what you mean, the levels are a lot more open and interesting than the boring walk in a straight line "on rails" CoD style of level design. So it's more non-linear in comparison to a lot of action games, but I myself do like that it is still linear, guiding you on where you need to go, one objective at a time so far, not huge levels, but part of the magic is making it feel less linear than it is. And you mention HL2, which is very linear, more so than the 90s games, also a great game.

The thing is these days huge open world games are the norm, like Far Cry etc, with lots of copy and paste locations and huge go anywhere worlds. Open world action games can be great, but I miss this style of level design and game design overall, which oddly enough is very linear compared to today's open games. So I think maybe linear shouldn't be considered a bad word to oldschool FPS fans anymore I guess is my point, the charming Duke 3D style levels with a few small locations to explore are my fav. And it's for sure less linear than "on rails" games, but it's a lot more linear than some other popular games, and that's very much a good thing, I like linear when done right. (bit of a side ramble from me there)


Back to Ion Maiden, really loved it, lot of fun. I'd like more voice lines, hope the full version does have some story scenes a few times like Duke 3D, whether via static images (comic book cutscenes) or animated, whatever works. Those are fun. My fav thing about the game is it has great atmosphere, the levels really draw you in, and it's fun.

On the full game, with the mention of hub connected big levels etc, if they're intended to be bigger or more open than what we have here, maybe with multiple objectives to do in any order, I hope it's communicated to the player well. I think part of the challenge would be to keep it from being confusing, since these levels we loved back then were usually quite small. And not everybody has played tons of huge user maps like we have, I think people getting lost and quitting is probably the #1 thing to look out for. That said, I know we don't want full on hand holding, but if for example you enter a level where you do have multiple keys to find at once in any order, would be good for Bombshell to say something etc. And depending on how intricate the hub stuff gets, may even need an objectives screen or something like that. That said, go for broke, I can and will wander around a level for 40 minutes if need be, I've done it plenty of times before, but I know it could get confusing for some players, even oldschool FPS fans.

But this is all hypothetical speculation, what we have here is not confusing, and is very well done. And I look forward to whatever the full game is, even if it's a racing RPG! I already bought it, it could be anything.

(tl:dr, I tried to edit this post down, it's rambling, but I loved playing this! Good luck on the development, looking forward to the full release.)

Also, I'd like trash cans to be destroyed with one baton hit. And a slightly faster shotgun firing rate. Loved the music too by the way, the second level's funky tune was great. And incredible art, and again, great level design. The revolver feels great. This post is like the movie Memento, it's out of order and backwards, I haven't had any coffee yet!

[Sanek]

Poorchop, on 04 March 2018 - 12:16 PM, said:

Why does the cost of development need to be offloaded to consumers before the game is complete? I was initially under the impression that this was just a community project and while the guys are working on this in their spare time, 3DR is publishing the game and it's the job of the publisher to put up the money for development.

Voidpoint is not owned by 3DRealms, it's a seperate entity so the people actually working on the game needs to be payed some way or another. Early Access is the perfect mode for indie developers,as they can get some money way before the release of the game.

Poorchop, on 04 March 2018 - 12:16 PM, said:

I was really stoked about it but a publisher like 3DR putting a game out in early access really sours my attitude towards it. I don't hold it against the developers though as I plan on picking up a copy when the game is finished.

3DRealms is not a big publisher of any kind. It's reputation was ruined because of DNF. They're still selling old games they own, as well as new titles once in while, but I don't think they have billions of dollars to invest into the game.

[PsychoGoatee]

Sanek, on 04 March 2018 - 12:45 PM, said:

3DRealms is not a big publisher of any kind. It's reputation was ruined because of DNF. They're still selling old games they own, as well as new titles once in while, but I don't think they have billions of dollars to invest into the game.

I guess 3DR not developing games and letting the DNF team go years ago etc was more of a financial thing than a reputation thing. I don't think they'd stop making or publishing games because of reputation.

[MusicallyInspired]

Interestingly, my playthrough video of Ion Maiden is categorized under the game "Strafe" for some reason. I have no idea why. I've tried change the category and it doesn't work. Ion Maiden is not yet an option under YouTube advanced category settings.

[oasiz]

Nancsi, on 04 March 2018 - 12:32 PM, said:

With that said, the inside office block with the red/yellow key was a bit confusing for a commercial game, but not that bad, at least for us, who play Duke user maps for decades. But maybe for new players. DavoX style is not shining as well inside as in outside, but still very good.

I think it's fair to disclose map credits at this point to avoid confusion
gdf base / streets / boss = davox
office building = me
basement = vitaliy
subway = daedolon


As for red/yellow key, it might seem confusing but the whole office section is just one big loop with alternate routes that change the direction/order you can do it in, you can't really miss those unless you purposefully backtrack to the basement.
Yellow key is pretty well communicated with VO/monitor and the screen, Just intentionally more non-linear and meant to throw you off a little


Oh yeah, thanks for the kind comments everyone!
We are actively reading everything here and checking the feedback.

[OpenMaw]

oasiz, on 04 March 2018 - 01:34 PM, said:

Oh yeah, thanks for the kind comments everyone!
We are actively reading everything here and checking the feedback.

How big is the team? How many mappers?

[oasiz]

Available in HELP menu, 2nd page

[Poorchop]

Sanek, on 04 March 2018 - 12:45 PM, said:

Voidpoint is not owned by 3DRealms, it's a seperate entity so the people actually working on the game needs to be payed some way or another.

That is the entire point of a publisher. Wolfenstein 3D was developed by id, an entirely separate entity from 3DR. Yet 3DR provided the funding so that the game could get made. The publisher then recovers their investment via sales of the game. Even if we were to disregard the publisher, the developers would still get paid once they released a finished product and put that up for sale.

[NNC]

oasiz, on 04 March 2018 - 01:48 PM, said:

Available in HELP menu, 2nd page

Wow, I didn't notice this, thank you.

[OpenMaw]

So i'm not sure if this one has been answered before. On the end screen it says there are seven of these... Sections. Are they all going to be about roughly the same size as what we got with this first section or are there some that are much bigger?

[PsychoGoatee]

Short and sweet is good by me, as much as they can fit in with this high quality works, good question though. And since that's planned to be out later this year, then we could speculate on what's next? Gotta keep the speculation train going.

[Micky C]

oasiz, on 04 March 2018 - 01:34 PM, said:

I think it's fair to disclose map credits at this point to avoid confusion
gdf base / streets / boss = davox
office building = me
basement = vitaliy
subway = daedolon

Knew it. Didn't know about the other two.

Btw thanks for considering feedback and putting up with everyone's two cents.

oasiz, on 04 March 2018 - 01:48 PM, said:

Available in HELP menu, 2nd page

Those mapping names mean nothing to us, stick to forum alias

[PokeThePower]

Wanted to chime in and say gigantic congrats to the team for sticking with this and pulling it all the way through to a release. That's a big accomplishment and so far I'm seeing it get mentioned in the randomest of places with a lot of enthusiasm. Great job.

[Bruno Mattei]

SpotsSpot, on 04 March 2018 - 08:44 PM, said:

Wanted to chime in and say gigantic congrats to the team for sticking with this and pulling it all the way through to a release. That's a big accomplishment and so far I'm seeing it get mentioned in the randomest of places with a lot of enthusiasm. Great job.

It's not released yet. They released a preview of 3 levels with 4 weapons, 3 enemy types (4 if you count the turret), and one boss.

I bet my left nut that the full release will get pushed back to 2019.

[DukeNukem64]

Bruno Mattei, on 04 March 2018 - 11:09 PM, said:

It's not released yet. They released a preview of 3 levels with 4 weapons, 3 enemy types (4 if you count the turret), and one boss.

I bet my left nut that the full release will get pushed back to 2019.

God damn so many negative vibes from you.

[PokeThePower]

Bruno Mattei, on 04 March 2018 - 11:09 PM, said:

It's not released yet.

Bruno Mattei, on 04 March 2018 - 11:09 PM, said:

I bet my left nut that the full release will get pushed back to 2019.

[HulkNukem]

I could tell the areas/levels Davox created simply from exploring his Stadium map on Megaton Edition.

[Zaxx]

MusicallyInspired, on 04 March 2018 - 01:21 PM, said:

Interestingly, my playthrough video of Ion Maiden is categorized under the game "Strafe" for some reason. I have no idea why. I've tried change the category and it doesn't work. Ion Maiden is not yet an option under YouTube advanced category settings.

Even the official trailer has Bombshell under it. Closer than Strafe but not by much.

[Micky C]

Bruno Mattei, on 04 March 2018 - 11:09 PM, said:

It's not released yet. They released a preview of 3 levels with 4 weapons, 3 enemy types (4 if you count the turret), and one boss.

I bet my left nut that the full release will get pushed back to 2019.

Do you believe what they’ve released is all they’ve done then, and that Build enemies take a year to make?

[Lunick]

Most of the promo shots posted here or on Voidpoint's Twitter are not actually in the Preview Campaign, even the first two screenshots Fred posted. I'd be willing to bet a lot of the maps are probably in finalization stages.

[brullov]

Bruno Mattei, on 04 March 2018 - 11:09 PM, said:

It's not released yet. They released a preview of 3 levels with 4 weapons, 3 enemy types (4 if you count the turret), and one boss.

I bet my left nut that the full release will get pushed back to 2019.

I have to say that in early access you see only a small part of what have already been done.

[Zaxx]

If I remember correctly the first screenshot that was posted on Twitter at the end of 2016 was from the beginning of what ended up as the preview campaign. If I had to guess I'd say that the preview is a bunch of "old" maps that were there since early development so they could be comfortably polished up and finalized for the EA release.

[Lunick]

This is the earliest screenshot of the Preview Campaign and it was in November, 2016 https://twitter.com/...211740025704448



But there is stuff like this:



And the Steam store page screenshots that is unseen.

[Malgon]

Just finished playing through the game and thought I'd give my impressions:

+Really great level design, with a good sense of exploration
+Some fun interactivity, especially in trying to get to some of the...
+Secrets!
+The reminder about the amount of secrets remaining at the level exit
+Lots of attention to detail
+Sprite work is well done across the board
+Fairly satisfying weapons that were quite useful throughout
+Cool looking menu screen

-Music seems a bit repetitive at the moment
-A couple of the enemies felt like they blend in a little too well with the environment at times, although I did get used to it
-Similar issue with a few of the pickups as well
-Going down ladders is a bit tricky (although this is a problem in a LOT of games, so I can't complain too much about it!)
-Jumping felt a little off, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but I did get the hang of it eventually
-SMG-9000 feels like it needs a bit of a bump up in damage

I really hate to mention the negatives above as it feels like I'm just nitpicking, and I know that this is just a sample of the final product. I'm sure there's constant tweaking happening based on your own playtesting of the game, and it's possible some of this has been acted upon or resolved already.

In regards to performance, a couple of people have mentioned some slowdown when the autosave kicks in, which happened to me a few times. Also there were some FPS drops in larger areas while playing on opengl. Haven't tried classic mode yet to see if it happened, so can't comment on that.

Overall, it's clear that a lot of love has gone into the game so far, and it really is a hell of a lot of fun to play. It's easily at the top of my most anticipated titles list. Really impressive work team, keep it up!

[Zaxx]

Damn, what an elaborate Twin Peaks Season 3 reference! I won't even post a screenshot, spoiling this for people who are yet to find it would be a cardinal sin.

[Micky C]

Aww man, I really want to find that. Could you give a hint as to roughly where it could be found in the game?

Also, in terms of ladders, the AMC TC has a nifty feature where if you’re facing the top of a ladder, you can press ‘use’ and the game will swing you around and put you on the ladder. Can’t remember if it was implemented before or after Episode 2’s release though.

[Zaxx]

Micky C, on 05 March 2018 - 04:16 AM, said:

Aww man, I really want to find that. Could you give a hint as to roughly where it could be found in the game?

Well, this will be hard because it's kind of a secret chances are you'll find randomly while you're searching for the secrets you've missed on a level.

This is what triggers it:

Then look around secret areas that you've already found. Keep an eye out for the colour red.

[Malgon]

Twin Peaks Season 3 reference?! I must find it!

In regards to ladders I was recently playing through S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat and it does this nifty thing where looking down on the top of the ladder automatically swings the camera around and places you on it, which sounds like what the AMC TC does.