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Breetai posted:I'm not sure why this game got such a bad rap. Sure skills aren't completely balanced, and there are signs that it's definitely a bit of a rushed console port in that aspects of the interface lack a little polish and load times/delays in opening menus were frankly horrendous, but it was an extremely fun game that made it feel like every action you took had actual consequences beyond, say, the standard bioware pet-the-puppy/kick-the-puppy 'morality' choices. Why were people so negative towards it?
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Apr 24, 2013 13:37
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Breetai posted:Why were people so negative towards it? It looked like a shooter. It is not a good shooter. It is a pretty great RPG, but spies aren't necessarily the first thing people think of when they think of RPGs. Kids today have more experience with shooters than anything else, and if they play RPGs they think of WoW. Also, until you finish Saudi things are kind of blah and seem on rails. Some of the decisions you make in the Grey Box can effect the final mission particularly with Parker, but that isn't obvious at the time. The game doesn't really come into its own until you get past Saudi and start making decisions for yourself. Some would say the game doesn't really come into its own until you play it a second time, make different choices and are all "Woah" over the changes those choices make to the story. Did professional reviewers play it twice? Did they even play through it once? Or did they play a few missions and phone it in? Sega seemed to flub the marketing and pre-release buzz too.
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Apr 24, 2013 13:41
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Yeah, the long and short of it is that game reviewers don't play games all the way through, and will almost never play a game more than once, which doesn't at all suit Alpha Protocol's main selling point, which is choice-and-consequence, and replayability. If you never even make it to the end of Saudi then all the 'choice is important' stuff seems like a standard buzzword like it is in other games, where killing Farmer Joe's chicken pisses off his wife so she won't talk to you and give you a sidequest, but no one else in the world ever cares. You don't get the chance to see how your relationships with different characters right from the start of the game can come back and bite you at the end, and if you don't play it more than once you're never going to uncover 75% of the secrets that are out there in the game world. Fact of the matter is that the gameplay is nothing special, and if you only play the first two hours you'll get the clunky early gameplay without the long run incredible choices and consequences.
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Apr 24, 2013 14:54
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Angela Christine posted:It looked like a shooter. It is not a good shooter. This is so true. I really like Alpha Protocol but it fails pretty spectacularly as a straight up third person action shooter.
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Apr 24, 2013 15:11
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Sexpansion posted:This is so true. I really like Alpha Protocol but it fails pretty spectacularly as a straight up third person action shooter. Luckily, it succeeds as a third person karate simulator. Unarmed runs are the best thing.
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Apr 24, 2013 15:13
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^ Because it looks very much like a 3rd-person shooter. If a new player approaches the opening areas as though the game were a shooter you will get humped. It's not like they glossed over the fact that it is an RPG, but so is Mass Effect 2, which is also an accessible 3ps. In ME2 you don't need 4 ranks in skills before you can hit anything farther than 5 feet away with your pistol, but in AP you totally do. E: Holy freakin poop I was so beat
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Apr 25, 2013 01:35
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I like it with the pistol, because it feels like it's simulating aiming carefully and lining up your shot, with the spread representing the jiggles you can get when you're a person under stress, behind enemy lines, etc. And you're more likely to be using the pistol as a stealth character so that's all appropriate. It's more irritating with the assault rifle, which takes just as long to line up a shot but could maybe have done extra damage or something to compensate, and can be tough to use for a more actiony character. Plus of course no weapon's unique ability even comes close to Chain Shot.
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Apr 25, 2013 01:52
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Keeshhound posted:Luckily, it succeeds as a third person karate simulator. Unarmed runs are the best thing. Seriously, if you haven't ever done a martial arts/stealth pacifist run (and only using tranq. pistols/chain shots when you have to) you need to try it. Especially amusing if you pick a lot of aggressive responses.
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Apr 25, 2013 03:41
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mastajake posted:Seriously, if you haven't ever done a martial arts/stealth pacifist run (and only using tranq. pistols/chain shots when you have to) you need to try it. Especially amusing if you pick a lot of aggressive responses. Stealth? gently caress that; heavy armor and toughness. Run up to guys trying to shoot you and punch them in the face. Like Superman.
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Apr 25, 2013 04:36
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Yeah, Mike handles well while sprinting, which is not always the case in games. That made the game more enjoyable for sure.
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Apr 25, 2013 04:54
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Breetai posted:Why were people so negative towards it? I think a major factor was that the game shares some similarities with Deus Ex, yet is poorly balanced enough to make assault rifles less of a sniping weapon than pistols. (!) Not to mention how hard it is to use guns without a lot of points in the skill- though I have to admit, Deus Ex was similarly frustrating with a pistol, at least at the start. The boss fights like Brayko are absolutely insane if you're not properly optimized for them- and it's possible to be unaware that a sprint button existed until, oh, two weeks ago on this forum! Another factor, probably even more important, is that Alpha Protocol was brand new IP for a Western shooter. As opposed to the sequel to a well-loved and critically acclaimed GOTY with lots of mods and fan interest, which would probably hurt anything else by comparison. Of course, a huge advertising budget wasn't thrown at Alpha Protocol by EA/ Bioware. I remember maybe one game that's promoted heavily on Gamespot being rated anything less than a 8.0, and that was Kane and Lynch 2. Which STILL beat Alpha Protocol. Good God. 
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Apr 25, 2013 05:00
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My first was recruit, stealth, martial arts, with a few points in assault rifles, and I did fine. I actually didn't do anything in the Grey Box in the beginning because I accidentally just turned around and went back in the room. The dude even says, "It's like you just did a 180 and came right back in here."
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Apr 25, 2013 05:03
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Arcaeris posted:My first was recruit, stealth, martial arts, with a few points in assault rifles, and I did fine. I actually didn't do anything in the Grey Box in the beginning because I accidentally just turned around and went back in the room. The dude even says, "It's like you just did a 180 and came right back in here." Hahaha, I've never seen that line. This flippin' game.
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Apr 25, 2013 06:18
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More than a few questions: I seem to recall the game has some pretty heavy level-scaling (which makes sense since you can do the hubs in any order you wish.) Is level scaling based off of allocated points or level? Is it altered by rookie or veteran mode? Has anyone gone and seen the lowest level run they could? Skipping as many missions as possible? Making sure the missions you do pick award as little exp as possible? And what about going for as much exp as possible? Is there a specific playstyle that suits this? Are there any missions with the possibility of taking advantage of infinitely spawning guards? I seem to recall some complaint about bosses with skill choice and level scaling, but I can't remember. Something about Brayko being impossible to deal with at certain levels if you are melee-focused because he can be better at melee than you even with max points? I'm not sure.
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Apr 25, 2013 06:48
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Level scaling is based off how many skill points you have, and since Veteran gives you more skill points it's technically scaled higher, but it doesn't really matter by 1/3rd through the game since you become a walking god. People complaining about Brayko is 100% because they try to attack him during his hulk phase, he's pretty simple otherwise. If you have stealth you can even dodge behind a pillar and hit Shadow Op and completely negate the entire phase.
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Apr 25, 2013 10:57
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Also, unless you're ignoring weapon skills entirely, if you're being stealthy you probably put some points into pistols. And Chain Shot at a decent level will wreck Brayko's poo poo so thoroughly that I didn't hear the chorus of the song until my third playthrough.
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Apr 25, 2013 12:56
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Also if you make friends in low places the fight becomes essentially trivial.
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Apr 25, 2013 13:03
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Scorchy posted:People complaining about Brayko is 100% because they try to attack him during his hulk phase, he's pretty simple otherwise. If you have stealth you can even dodge behind a pillar and hit Shadow Op and completely negate the entire phase. In fairness, the game doesn't do too much to telegraph that; his dossier mentions that he's a coke fiend, but it would have been helpful if they'd included a line like "Brayko frequently indulges in his favorite vice, even in the midst of battle. Far from a liability, this makes him even more dangerous as he has been known to endure horrific injury without so much as stumbling while high. Though impressive, these moments of superhuman durability are fleeting, and often leave him winded" to let players know that it's not just a desperation mode where you need to finish him off quickly, but instead you need to keep your distance and let him exhaust himself.
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Apr 25, 2013 14:26
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trevalyan posted:I think a major factor was that the game shares some similarities with Deus Ex, yet is poorly balanced enough to make assault rifles less of a sniping weapon than pistols. (!)  Slap a few mods on the DX pistol and it becomes a pocket sniper rifle.
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Apr 25, 2013 14:29
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Keeshhound posted:In fairness, the game doesn't do too much to telegraph that; his dossier mentions that he's a coke fiend, but it would have been helpful if they'd included a line like I dunno about that. After getting my faced slashed up two or three times I figured it was time to make a run for it when he was hulking out. Trying to melee him was just getting interrupted by his own attacks which also did a lot of damage, which pretty clearly said to me "don't do that". It didn't strike me as any less telegraphed than most boss fights in other games (other than the ones featuring glowing red weak points).
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Apr 25, 2013 14:53
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AG3 posted:I dunno about that. After getting my faced slashed up two or three times I figured it was time to make a run for it when he was hulking out. Trying to melee him was just getting interrupted by his own attacks which also did a lot of damage, which pretty clearly said to me "don't do that". It didn't strike me as any less telegraphed than most boss fights in other games (other than the ones featuring glowing red weak points). How much damage does he do when he starts knifing you? I honestly don't remember because I haven't made the mistake of letting him get in range since my first run, but I feel like it was enough to put you in the ground if you didn't have ranks in toughness and got hit a few times prior.
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Apr 25, 2013 15:00
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Accordion Man posted:You can actually find this out right before you leave for the Greybox . If she likes you enough and you persuade her she will admit she set up you to get burned and that's she CIA. I don't think that last part is accurate. Nor is the other person's take necessarily true. What we know about Mina is that she's ex-NSA and serves someone other than Alpha Protocol. The straightforward assumption is she's basically the NSA's inside man with AP, and I don't think that's really off-base, though you'd have to wonder why she's using an out-of-date NSA handshake protocol. On the other hand, it doesn't seem likely she'd be transferred from the NSA to an ultra-secretive operation like AP unless that's some kind of promotion, which makes it weird that she seems to be working for someone higher up still. I think Mina's current boss is higher up the totem pole. If they had actually got to expand it further I wouldn't be surprised to have found out she was working for G-22, which would explain why they can keep cutting into your communications with her.
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Apr 25, 2013 15:03
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Nehru the Damaja posted:I think Mina's current boss is higher up the totem pole. If they had actually got to expand it further I wouldn't be surprised to have found out she was working for G-22, which would explain why they can keep cutting into your communications with her.[/spoiler] Hmmm. I thought of that myself, but I doubt she'd leave that out of her confession if you were already allied with her true bosses. As for the NSA handshake, it's entirely possible she has access to the true handshakes- and that she'll be damned if anyone in Alpha Protocol, including and especially you, get access to them. Given how the gelato guy hooks into your system in a Veteran run... maybe Mina's working for him, and they're secretly funneling AP's feeds and records to the Rome listening post? Who's ever going to catch them when Mina is the one responsible for catching infiltrators in the first place? Anyways, I think it's a simple matter of NSA being vaguely aware of AP, yet not aware enough to get a call from higher-ups telling them to knock that poo poo off. Of course, it's entirely possible that Mina is just a concerned citizen working with fellow concerned citizens to stop AP, because they realize the American government is horrifically corrupt. I kinda wish Parker would be like Doflamingo in One Piece, and respond to the idea that a bureaucrat ordered him to help Halbech with a grin and "Try higher." The President being completely in on the whole Alpha Protocol machine is something I would absolutely believe.
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Apr 25, 2013 18:18
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They seemed to be hinting with the presidential run of Darcy's father that in a theoretical sequel the President would be aware of Alpha Protocol, and possibly have a grudge against Thorton. Anyway, is the code in the gelato shop meant to be out of date? The impression I got was that the code was valid but the gelato guy didn't care enough about procedure to memorise his response. That kind of lax attitude would explain why you can bluff your way in even without the handshake.
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Apr 25, 2013 18:49
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Or he really is just a confused italian man trying to sell gelato. He doesn't know what the gently caress these computers are, that's why he says 'who are you talking to?' when he sees Thorton yapping into his mic, he thinks he's mental. That's why he pulls the gun on you, he just wants to save himself.
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Apr 25, 2013 19:45
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Wow! I just found a new area in the final Saudi mission. When you use the computer to open the metal gates after leaving the airfield, if you let the soldier there get away, he shuts the gate and you have to find an alternate route inside. It takes you into a building with some loot and four or five guys plus a sniper pearch to clear out the next area. This loving game!
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Apr 27, 2013 04:22
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...what.
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Apr 27, 2013 04:33
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You need to shut the gently caress up. There is no way this thread still has things to discover. The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Games > Alpha Protocol: This loving Game
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Apr 27, 2013 04:45
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Dead serious. I've been through this game over a dozen times and this is the first time I have ever not killed that guard. I was shooting him from too far away with a leveled shotgun terminator style and he escaped through the gate and it started to shut! I was like, "Oh gently caress", because I couldn't open it! Ran back up to the shack to see if I could computer hack it open again, but no, then I found a keypad and a door near the gate and the rest is history. This loving game!
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Apr 27, 2013 04:49
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Soonmot posted:Dead serious. I've been through this game over a dozen times and this is the first time I have ever not killed that guard. I was shooting him from too far away with a leveled shotgun terminator style and he escaped through the gate and it started to shut! I was like, "Oh gently caress", because I couldn't open it! Ran back up to the shack to see if I could computer hack it open again, but no, then I found a keypad and a door near the gate and the rest is history. This sounds like a perfect thing to try and find on my upcoming rear end in a top hat-shotgun-Thorton run. Can I just give my money directly to the company? I am willing to give Obsidian Entertainment like 50 bucks since I bought AP used. Even though AP new has to cost like 20 bucks now. I will STILL give at least $50.
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Apr 27, 2013 04:53
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El Tortuga posted:Can I just give my money directly to the company? I am willing to give Obsidian Entertainment like 50 bucks since I bought AP used. Even though AP new has to cost like 20 bucks now. I will STILL give at least $50. Yes you can. It'll go towards project Eternity. I got AP on sale for like $3 when some site (Green Man Gaming maybe?) typo'd a $30 price tag. Best game deal I ever got.
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Apr 27, 2013 04:59
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Just wait for their next Kickstarter, I guess. I was going to start building my computer to play that game, but my loving car just needed $600 in repairs.
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Apr 27, 2013 04:59
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Soonmot posted:Wow! I just found a new area in the final Saudi mission. When you use the computer to open the metal gates after leaving the airfield, if you let the soldier there get away, he shuts the gate and you have to find an alternate route inside. It takes you into a building with some loot and four or five guys plus a sniper pearch to clear out the next area. This loving game! Seriously? I gotta try this next time through.
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Apr 27, 2013 07:16
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Found that one on my first playthrough. Hint; get on top of the building, dive through the skylight, and waste everyone with a single Chainshot.
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Apr 27, 2013 07:19
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Soonmot posted:Wow! I just found a new area in the final Saudi mission. When you use the computer to open the metal gates after leaving the airfield, if you let the soldier there get away, he shuts the gate and you have to find an alternate route inside. It takes you into a building with some loot and four or five guys plus a sniper pearch to clear out the next area. This loving game! Haha, yes that is there! It's actually the only way I've ever gotten into the Saudi base: you can also overload the generators to distracting the guard, then casually plink them all with the sniper rifle.
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Apr 27, 2013 19:18
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El Tortuga posted:This sounds like a perfect thing to try and find on my upcoming rear end in a top hat-shotgun-Thorton run. I got it for $2 on a 90% off Steam sale and after I found out how good it was I felt awful about getting it so cheap. It was a major factor behind me pledging $70 for Project Eternity.
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May 3, 2013 13:15
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El Tortuga posted:This sounds like a perfect thing to try and find on my upcoming rear end in a top hat-shotgun-Thorton run. You might be able to donate to Project Eternity via PayPal still, even though the kickstarter has long finished.
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May 3, 2013 13:57
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I've reinstalled this game, and am using the fixes given in the OP and PCGaming Wiki, but I've got the loading screen problem where it just freezes altogether. Sometimes if I Alt-Tab out of the game it gets going but that isn't very practical. What's the fix for this? Is there a directory where I can disable the loading screens?
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May 7, 2013 14:52
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I've been reading the reviews trying to decide if this is worth getting. Several of them cite frequent bugs as being the primary reason for a lower score. Have the bugs mostly been patched at this point?
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May 9, 2013 05:26
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Its reputation for bugs is overblown. There are a couple, but Skyrim had more, which reviewers of that game didn't really mention much for some reason.
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May 9, 2013 05:35
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