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Ephphatha posted:Finally started playing this game after the PE kickstarter finished due to people raving about it in that thread, glad I did. Not sure what I was expecting but it was great from the start. When I saw the timecube email I had to take a break for a few minutes I was laughing so hard. I'd say go for Recruit, since that unlocks Veteran, and both of these have unique dialogue and situational outcomes. E: Just don't play Hard The Unnamed One fucked around with this message at 01:07 on Oct 22, 2012 |
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Oct 22, 2012 01:04
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| # ? May 30, 2024 15:47 |
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I played recruit first and had no trouble. Never play on hard though - the things that get adjusted are just a right royal pain in the arse, serving only to make the minigames noticeably more difficult, which is the last thing you need...
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Oct 22, 2012 01:21
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I'm pretty sure the game itself actually dissuades you (in a menu or something?) from playing on Recruit on your first playthrough like it's some sort of handicap, but I started as a recruit and provided you go with the ubiquitous pistols / stealth / martial arts (or gimme) build and found the game pretty easy anyway. Totally worth it to unlock the Veteran playthrough.
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Oct 22, 2012 04:12
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Bought the game because of this thread and played it this weekend. I can definitely see myself replaying this like ten times. Reading through this thread it seems like I missed a lot of really obvious poo poo, and on this run I never got to actually fight any of the bosses since I just knocked their fuckin' heads off instantly with Chain Shot. Probably going to do a "bumbling rear end in a top hat with a shotgun" recruit run next so that I can actually fight stuff. I never had any problems with any of the minigames despite putting no points into Sabotage. Did my game break, or am I some sort of minigame savant?
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Oct 22, 2012 04:21
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GoldenNugget posted:Alright. Will choosing one over the other first prevent me from visiting some places or meeting people? You may be pleased to know that actually can travel between hubs before you "finish" them. Go ahead and globetrot a bit, make some friends, get a feel for the vibe, decide where to start after you've done some on-site research. Just watch out for missions labeled with an alpha. Mr_Person posted:I never had any problems with any of the minigames despite putting no points into Sabotage. Did my game break, or am I some sort of minigame savant? Same. Maybe we just have really good mice.
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Oct 22, 2012 04:25
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Mr_Person posted:Bought the game because of this thread and played it this weekend. I can definitely see myself replaying this like ten times. Reading through this thread it seems like I missed a lot of really obvious poo poo, and on this run I never got to actually fight any of the bosses since I just knocked their fuckin' heads off instantly with Chain Shot. Probably going to do a "bumbling rear end in a top hat with a shotgun" recruit run next so that I can actually fight stuff. It depends on what difficulty you choose. On hard you have to be almost godlike to manage them. I know that much from the one forced one with no sabotage points. However, they are relatively manageable, with some training, on lower (more sane) difficulties. Also, there are no obvious misses in Alpha Protocol, just future playthrough plans.
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Oct 22, 2012 04:27
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So because the gun mechanics are, well, not good, and I don't feel much like being full on super sneaky again, I was thinking for my second playthrough I might focus on toughness and martial arts and just run around punching everyone like some kind of extremely unsubtle batman, but this kind of seems like the one interesting playstyle that might not actually be at all viable, and I don't wanna get too far before finding that out. Should I just go for it?
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Oct 23, 2012 08:39
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It's totally viable. That was Thorton #2 for me. Even better, if you have tons in Martial Arts, a few cutscenes play slightly differently.
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Oct 23, 2012 08:50
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Shotguns and kung fu is the best Thorton. Go for it.
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Oct 23, 2012 08:51
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There's only two enemies in the game you can't punch to death I think, one is entirely optional and the other has a conveniently placed sniper rifle nearby.
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Oct 23, 2012 09:14
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Electric Pope posted:So because the gun mechanics are, well, not good, and I don't feel much like being full on super sneaky again, I was thinking for my second playthrough I might focus on toughness and martial arts and just run around punching everyone like some kind of extremely unsubtle batman, but this kind of seems like the one interesting playstyle that might not actually be at all viable, and I don't wanna get too far before finding that out. Should I just go for it? This is definitely a great super-fun playstyle, but if you have some points to spare you should invest enough into stealth that you can become the invisible throatstabbing rear end in a top hat ghost from time to time, too. 
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Oct 23, 2012 13:07
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Nehru the Damaja posted:It's totally viable. That was Thorton #2 for me. Even better, if you have tons in Martial Arts, a few cutscenes play slightly differently. I just played through as an rear end in a top hat martial arts Thorton and can't remember any cutscene changes. Could you maybe point them out for me?
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Oct 23, 2012 14:10
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vyelkin posted:I just played through as an rear end in a top hat martial arts Thorton and can't remember any cutscene changes. Could you maybe point them out for me? It changes the way you take out the boss on the bridge in Saudi Arabia, I believe, and it also affects the way you punch Leland if you choose to go that route in the interrogation. Basically if at any point Thorton beats somebody up in a cutscene, having a high martial arts skill will change the way he gives that beatdown.
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Oct 23, 2012 14:18
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vyelkin posted:I just played through as an rear end in a top hat martial arts Thorton and can't remember any cutscene changes. Could you maybe point them out for me? Off the top of my head: Fighting the first "boss" will turn the struggle and neck chop into a full blown, dramatic karate kick which flings him over the railing. In the end game, instead of a simple punch Thorton will slam Leland's head against the table. Very small things, but wonderful touches all the same. Obsidian. 
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Oct 23, 2012 14:19
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Back on Recruit mode chat, make sure to grab the recruit dialog option whenever possible, especially during your training bits at HQ. Recruit Thorton is just so genuinely excited that he gets to be a spy 
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Oct 23, 2012 14:28
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Cool, thanks guys. I think I remember those things happening but they're very small touches so they probably just didn't stand out to me.
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Oct 23, 2012 14:32
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gently caress BOSS FIGHTS. Somehow I hit caps lock while playing, but that about sums it up. I'm in endgame and the entire game I've specialised in pistols and stealth - taking down enemies with instakills without being seen. Then you get locked into an arena with everyone on full alert and guards spawning behind every viable piece of cover. Up to the second endgame bossfight now and it's probably going to take me all tomorrow night to beat it. Though it does make me look forward to playing tough guy thornton so I can laugh it off.
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Oct 23, 2012 15:12
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Ephphatha posted:gently caress BOSS FIGHTS. Somehow I hit caps lock while playing, but that about sums it up. I'm in endgame and the entire game I've specialised in pistols and stealth - taking down enemies with instakills without being seen. Then you get locked into an arena with everyone on full alert and guards spawning behind every viable piece of cover. Up to the second endgame bossfight now and it's probably going to take me all tomorrow night to beat it. Which fight is this? Darcy? Pistols are still an incredibly effective way to do boss fights where you can't use stealth. By the end of the game you should have maxed out the Pistols skill, which means 6-shot Chain Shot, which means you can headshot 6 enemies instantly or shoot the boss in the head 6 times. If it's the Darcy fight then there's a sniper rifle in the other tower, and the best way to beat him is to save an EMP, chain shot the guards, EMP the lock, run up the tower and snipe him to death. Or is it the helicopter that you're talking about? Pistols can be a little less useful there, though the ability to critical hit people in the head from behind cover can be much more useful in this fight since you can hide where the helicopter won't be able to see/shoot you, and unlike Darcy no one will be throwing grenade clusters behind your cover. Then just use the rocket launchers for their intended purpose and shoot it down, since your pistol won't do much damage to it.
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Oct 23, 2012 15:17
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vyelkin posted:Cool, thanks guys. I think I remember those things happening but they're very small touches so they probably just didn't stand out to me. That's the great part about this game is all the small touches. Any other game would do the bare minimum to give the illusion of reactivity. In Alpha Protocol, so many lines change based on your "alignment". Like, if you're predominately professional, Mike will be more reserved in the delivery of agressive lines, and the suave lines lack a witty retort.
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Oct 23, 2012 18:05
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Ephphatha posted:gently caress BOSS FIGHTS. Somehow I hit caps lock while playing, but that about sums it up. I'm in endgame and the entire game I've specialised in pistols and stealth - taking down enemies with instakills without being seen. Then you get locked into an arena with everyone on full alert and guards spawning behind every viable piece of cover. Up to the second endgame bossfight now and it's probably going to take me all tomorrow night to beat it. Highest damage ammo, chain shot, click the boss's head several times. Pistol is actually the most hilariously efficient ways of taking them down.
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Oct 23, 2012 20:13
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I want to love this game I really do.  VTMB is one of my all time favourite games. But the voice acting for Thornton is something I just can't take.
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Oct 23, 2012 23:10
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I remember something about the voice actor for Thornton saying he wasn't really happy with his performance, that it was all kinda the same tone. But they had to do it that way, otherwise Thornton came over all schizophrenic if you kept jumping between the different responses.
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Oct 23, 2012 23:51
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Yeah, I actually thought Thorton's VA was brilliant. It has enough life to sound good, while still sounding consistent even when you switch attitudes in mid-conversation. That seems like it'd be a really hard balance to strike.
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Oct 23, 2012 23:59
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Yeah, I totally agree, I like how it turned out. Which is why it kinda sucks to hear the actual VA is apparently not happy with how he did.
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Oct 24, 2012 00:53
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I love Thorton's voice acting. Some of the snide, coy, or just rear end in a top hat lines are delivered very well. I especially like the smug ones.
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Oct 24, 2012 01:15
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Dr. Stab posted:In Alpha Protocol, so many lines change based on your "alignment". Like, if you're predominately professional, Mike will be more reserved in the delivery of agressive lines, and the suave lines lack a witty retort. Dragon Age 2 actually does this as well, to an extent.
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Oct 24, 2012 02:37
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DA2 only does that for the lines where you don't get to pick a response I think. But for kicks, I tried to do the AP thing in DA2 where you flit between all the different tones of response. The voice actor doesn't keep it as flat as Thorton and as a result Hawke sounded really schizophrenic.
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Oct 24, 2012 02:44
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Scorchy posted:DA2 only does that for the lines where you don't get to pick a response I think.
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Oct 24, 2012 02:45
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I don't know if that's better or worse. Instead of writing three different lines that all lead to the same response, they just wrote one line and had the VA read it 3 different ways, and don't even give you the opportunity to choose. I guess at least the latter is more honest.
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Oct 24, 2012 02:51
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It beats the poo poo out of Mass Effect's approach, which was to let you choose different responses but then Shepard would just say literally the same thing with the same delivery (the same sound file!) no matter which option you chose.
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Oct 24, 2012 02:53
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I really want to like this game but it's too rough. I wish it'd been given some refinement. Too much poo poo is broken or are just too tedious to do over and over again. Also the ai is bugged so you constant alert guards even though you are wearing the most silent clothes and in a closed area with no enemies. Also random story events lead to friendly npcs who you don't really know or care about doing stupid poo poo and alarming everyone. And when an alarm gets set off, the game does the most offensive spawn 5 guys outside your room who are shooting at you into the wall since they don't realize there's a wall there. So bad considering how awesome the character interactions are. I'm most likely going to just spoil myself on the things I missed cause I really don't feel like going through the poor gameplay over again.
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Oct 26, 2012 23:54
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GoldenNugget posted:Too much poo poo is broken or are just too tedious to do over and over again. Also the ai is bugged so you constant alert guards even though you are wearing the most silent clothes and in a closed area with no enemies. Also random story events lead to friendly npcs who you don't really know or care about doing stupid poo poo and alarming everyone. And when an alarm gets set off, the game does the most offensive spawn 5 guys outside your room who are shooting at you into the wall since they don't realize there's a wall there. Played through this game probably six times and never experienced any of this, except maybe Heck setting off alarms because that's consistent with his character.
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Oct 27, 2012 00:39
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epitasis posted:Played through this game probably six times and never experienced any of this, except maybe Heck setting off alarms because that's consistent with his character. There are a bunch of places where the game really blatantly spawns guards in from thin air (the boat comes to mind). It's incredibly obnoxious. Never observed the other issues, though.
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Oct 27, 2012 01:21
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Scorchy posted:I don't know if that's better or worse. Instead of writing three different lines that all lead to the same response, they just wrote one line and had the VA read it 3 different ways, and don't even give you the opportunity to choose. "Albatross?" "Albatross." "Albatross!" Even one word responses here get their own voice acting and enunciation. 
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Oct 27, 2012 01:21
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I'm replaying as a tech/sneak guy. I can't help but think of how awesome this game would be if it had a Hitman/Splinter Cell style stealth system where light visibility, hiding bodies, etc would all factor into stealth. Still, the reactivity of conversations in this game are in a class of its own.
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Oct 29, 2012 00:12
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Gyshall posted:I'm replaying as a tech/sneak guy. I can't help but think of how awesome this game would be if it had a Hitman/Splinter Cell style stealth system where light visibility, hiding bodies, etc would all factor into stealth.
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Oct 29, 2012 01:29
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The one thing that drives me insane is that Thorton's beard changes in the flashforwards. Leland taking that massive hair-growth in stride is a testament to his collected nature.
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Oct 29, 2012 10:51
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The Warszawa posted:The one thing that drives me insane is that Thorton's beard changes in the flashforwards. Leland taking that massive hair-growth in stride is a testament to his collected nature. Right before I went to The Graybox, I shaved Thorton's head to keep it consistant.
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Oct 29, 2012 12:42
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The Warszawa posted:The one thing that drives me insane is that Thorton's beard changes in the flashforwards. Leland taking that massive hair-growth in stride is a testament to his collected nature. I kind of assumed they shaved him when taking him back in to the Greybox to make sure he wasn't hiding a rocket launcher in his beard or something.
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Oct 29, 2012 14:19
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| # ? May 30, 2024 15:47 |
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I think he means that the beard changes from one flash-forward to the next, based on which beard you're currently using in the normal game.
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Oct 29, 2012 16:39
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