[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.

[oasiz]

Even more TP stuff
One of them is the one being discussed and the other two are visual.

Technically two S3 references, other one hasn't been pointed out really, but should be obvious to any who have watched S3!

[Zaxx]

oasiz, on 05 March 2018 - 04:46 AM, said:

Even more TP stuff
One of them is the one being discussed and the other two are visual.

Technically two S3 references, other one hasn't been pointed out really, but should be obvious to any who have watched S3!

I think I remember seeing one of Dougie's sayings written somewhere but I wasn't sure if that was a TP reference.

[Doom64hunter]

oasiz, on 05 March 2018 - 04:46 AM, said:

Even more TP stuff
One of them is the one being discussed and the other two are visual.

Technically two S3 references, other one hasn't been pointed out really, but should be obvious to any who have watched S3!

Is it the bleeding computer monitor?
I was wondering what that was about.

(To find it, simply try shooting all the screens in the office. The one that doesn't break is the one you're looking for.)

[ryche]

Just wanted to stop by and say I am really enjoying this. Can't wait for the full version.

[Jblade]

https://www.rockpape...ew/#more-521507

RPS just gave IM their 'recommended' badge, which is nice to see

[NightFright]

Is it true what they write in that article regarding the preview campaign levels not being part of the full version?

If it is: Will the preview campaign be integrated into the full version in any way at all, e.g. like the shareware levels for Shadow Warrior (as a seperate mini episode)?

[MusicallyInspired]

Or Rise of the Triad.

[Forge]

NightFright, on 05 March 2018 - 09:52 AM, said:

Is it true what they write in that article regarding the preview campaign levels not being part of the full version?

if that's true I'd suggest making backups of the steamapps common ion maiden game folder before steam updates it to the full version.

i have the drm free version, so I'll always have the preview installer package, but the downside is that I'll have no access to the workshop (if there is going to be one), and no access to the steam multiplayer server (if it's going to have one).

[Hendricks266]

The Preview Campaign will never be taken away.

[Mark]

Is it illegal for you to get any fanmade maps from another Steam user? Or does Steam change them somehow so they will only run on the Steam version of the IM?

[Bloodshot]

cybdmn, on 04 March 2018 - 03:12 AM, said:

- The music is far to generic and repetive. I hoped for some midi tunes, like in the 90ies. I miss these Bobby Prince/Lee Jackson kind of classics. These kind of tracks, which burns into your head.

Gotta say I disagree on this. Repetitive maybe, but the first level's theme song was so catchy I ended up just minimizing and leaving it on a loop while i worked on something.

The music was the biggest surprise to me, I hate like 80% of new game soundtracks and feel they all end up horribly generic but this game has a very retro 80s, Unreal or C&C1 feeling soundtrack without ripping off songs directly from those games and it helped draw me into the game. It probably helps that it's tracker music and is comparable to deus ex which is a similar setting (unreal as well) and I really hope they don't go for a shift in style in the full game unless the worldspace specifically calls for it, because I love it. I'd rather have this than midi tbh.

Onto my thoughts on the preview game itself.

Great work guys, really. The levels are gorgeous, the secrets are logical so far and got me thinking, and the combat is very fun and is more like a refined version of blood then the at times frustrating pop-n-shoot feeling of duke3d. Here's some of my feelings put into a list

Pros:

Quote

-Memorable, catchy music

-excellent art style. I detect a hint of DNF 2001 in the visual design and it's also reminiscent of malice for quake a bit

-Meaty combat and good weapon feel. Enemies aren't bullet sponges, have enemy specific gibs, and I like the idea of a tri-barrel revolver and love the idea of bowling bombs

-intuitively designed levels encourage exploration and secret hunting but don't have you sitting there looking for a keycard you missed for 20 minutes. I always felt like I was making progress and the areas of levels are distinct and serve as landmarks which is great.

-great effects and destructability - cups, chairs, windows, all that good stuff seems to react to your shots.

-I love how the AI actually comments on you throwing a grenade

-the HUD face - it's perfectly retro and it fits this game perfectly.

Cons:

Quote

-the smg is underwhelming - it kinda reminds me of the vector in RL but i was never huge on that gun's design - also shells seem to come out of it too slow for the actual firing rate - being able to dual wield SMGs would improve this weapon a ton, which brings me to my next point -

-Sound design for weapons is just kinda there. The revolver sounds like when I bang my bathroom door, SMG is okay but could use a little extra punch, the shotgun sound is good but it seems too low. Same deal with explosions, they look great but kind of just go boom.

- enemies are lacking a bit. I like the skull robots, but they all seem to be lacking really distinguishable sounds. The soldier enemies look cool but each type could do with distinct chatter to help identify them without seeing them.

- AI could be more...reactive? I know basic AI is kind of a staple of these games but I feel like for soldiers they could use some blood features like being able to crouch or throw grenades, or strafing out of the way

- Shelly's lines - idk if it's the direction or the lines themselves but they leave a bit to be desired. I think it's mostly in the delivery of some of them. She's a good VO, just needs some tweaking IMO.

- secret rewards are a bit lacking - This is definitely a limited arsenal issue though so I'm sure that'll be remedied in the full release.

- ladders are kinda finnicky (though what game doesn't have that problem)

- the gattling gun tease kinda sucks. I understand why you did it, but unless there's one you can get in a secret in this demo all that means is the gun is in the demo and you don't even get like 10 seconds to try it out to give it a proper tease.

So yeah, that's my thoughts. A lot of nitpicky stuff, but that's because this is a surprisingly well done game, I look forward to the full release (and mods, since who are we kidding, it's on eduke, somebody is gonna make levels for the demo)

[Micky C]

oasiz, on 05 March 2018 - 04:46 AM, said:

Even more TP stuff
One of them is the one being discussed and the other two are visual.

Technically two S3 references, other one hasn't been pointed out really, but should be obvious to any who have watched S3!

Not to mention all the coffee everywhere!

Actually, I can't remember whether or not there's coffee in the offices.

[Danukem]

Bloodshot, on 05 March 2018 - 11:58 AM, said:

- AI could be more...reactive? I know basic AI is kind of a staple of these games but I feel like for soldiers they could use some blood features like being able to crouch or throw grenades, or strafing out of the way

I agree with this general point, but the enemies do strafe out of the way already, sometimes very effectively. If you make enemies do this too much it gets silly and annoying.

The main thing the enemies need is more animations -- without animations, there's only so much you can do with code, because the animations really sell it. As I said before, they would benefit from stagger animations, especially the stronger enemies who can survive a shotgun hit. I would also like to see separate walking and running animations. If you have both you can make an enemy move at a higher speed without it looking silly. A good use case for this is when you first come into a room, the enemies could follow preset paths to run into optimal positions to fight the player from. As a player, it makes the enemies seem way smarter and more interesting when they do stuff like that.

[Micky C]

Trooper Dan, on 05 March 2018 - 01:30 PM, said:

A good use case for this is when you first come into a room, the enemies could follow preset paths to run into optimal positions to fight the player from. As a player, it makes the enemies seem way smarter and more interesting when they do stuff like that.

I'm pretty sure many of them already follow a path (or at least move to a pre-defined point) after spawning. I remember in the offices there was a point where the wall exploded, and three of them came out and formed an arch pointing towards the door of the room you were in. Also, when you get the yellow keycard and look at the view screen, you can see those red hooded guys move into position from off-screen. There are probably many more examples.