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USMC_Karl posted:Speaking of which.... No idea about region locking. For a first playthrough: don't play on hard (never play on hard, it isn't fun), and a combination of the pistol and stealth skills will steamroll most challenges in the game.
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Nov 26, 2013 09:07
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I'm waiting for the game to go on sale, too. Is the game decently challenging on normal difficulty? I don't like the idea of just sort of sleepwalking through it.
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Nov 26, 2013 09:20
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Don't take pistols or stealth. Any combat skill is crazy OP when you get it towards the max level, but pistols allows you to, from cover, slow down time and line up five head shots without exposing yourself. Stealth gives you 10(or was it less?) seconds of invisibility to slit throats. For the first timer, pick at least one combat skill and remember that this is an RPG and not a FPS. Your shots damage based on skill and always aim until your reticle goes into crit mode (except SMGs, then it's spray and pray, baby!)
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Nov 26, 2013 09:24
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Soonmot posted:Any combat skill is crazy OP when you get it towards the max level Eh, assault rifles never get that great, though they probably start off better than the rest of the weapons early on. I actually carried the golden one through most of the game and just slapped a bunch of accuracy mods on it, and didn't find anything that did higher damage until, like, the last hub. It was somewhat disappointing compared to how game-breaking pistols are, how brutal shotguns are and how flashy and ridiculous SMGs are.
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Nov 26, 2013 09:43
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Litany Unheard posted:No idea about region locking. Thanks for the response, I'll take it on normal first time through. Soonmot posted:Don't take pistols or stealth. Any combat skill is crazy OP when you get it towards the max level, but pistols allows you to, from cover, slow down time and line up five head shots without exposing yourself. Stealth gives you 10(or was it less?) seconds of invisibility to slit throats. So it seems like it's a pretty open game? Open in the sense that I can kind of take any skill and, with some forethought, make it work? If that's the case then awesome! For those that are unaware and on the fence, Alpha Protocol will be going on like 75% sale on the 29th.
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Nov 26, 2013 10:11
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Yeah, pistols are god-tier, shotguns are pretty drat good (though backflipping bosses neuter their special ability pretty badly), SMGs are decent but you'll still have to be cautious, and assault rifles are not to be relied upon in a close-up fight.USMC_Karl posted:So it seems like it's a pretty open game? Open in the sense that I can kind of take any skill and, with some forethought, make it work? If that's the case then awesome!
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Nov 26, 2013 10:11
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Karl, one other tip - the first section of the game is the least inspiring. Once you're through it and can choose where to go the game gets a lot more interesting and fun, so even if you're not completely on board to start with it's worth persevereing.
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Nov 26, 2013 10:22
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Yeah, the Saudi section comes across as merely a mediocre, uninspired Third-Person Shooter. If it wasn't for this thread I may have given up on it then myself. It's almost a different game once you get past that though.
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Nov 26, 2013 10:26
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Soonmot posted:Don't take pistols or stealth. Any combat skill is crazy OP when you get it towards the max level, but pistols allows you to, from cover, slow down time and line up five head shots without exposing yourself. Stealth gives you 10(or was it less?) seconds of invisibility to slit throats. FYI this is exactly why you should take pistols and stealth. And martial arts. And then James Bond that poo poo.
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Nov 26, 2013 10:57
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USMC_Karl posted:For those that are unaware and on the fence, Alpha Protocol will be going on like 75% sale on the 29th. Guess a bunch of people I know are getting a game they'll never play then! 
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Nov 26, 2013 11:11
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I think the proper way to play Alpha Protocol the first time is as a rookie, on normal difficulty, with the assault rifle and either shotgun or SMG. The combat is a lot more tactical this way (since clearing a room is more than just a matter of getting to cover and figuring out which order to headshot everyone in), and it puts an emphasis on properly using melee combat (since getting up-close will be your only form of combat that doesn't alert everyone around you). Plus you'll actually have proper boss battles, instead of running into people that require 3/4/5 chain shots to the head instead of one. Oh, and to set up the next playthrough, kill all of the non-enemy enemies (CIA agents, security guards, etc.) that you come across. Then next time, play as a veteran on easy, dump points into pistols and stealth, and blaze through the levels while making completely different decisions in conversations. And try to kill nobody that's not a boss, use only tranq rounds in the pistol and go on a throat-punching spree. After that, you'll use the different weapon/skill combos as an excuse to see all the different ways the game can play out. The difference between "I love you and want your baby, sorry I misled you during all of this" Mina and "gently caress you, you're a monster, leave me here to die" Mina is great. But not quite as great as the difference between "I love you and want your baby" Madison and "gently caress you, I'm knocking you out with a shock trap" Madison. DIEGETIC SPACEMAN fucked around with this message at 11:41 on Nov 26, 2013 |
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Nov 26, 2013 11:35
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I'm gonna try to do the two major things I've never seen in this next playthrough. How do you go against Surkov? I've never been able to figure out that trigger. I thought for about a year that the bodyguard's dossier was describing cut content. There is no cut content. Only decisions you didn't make. Oh and Karl, two more tips: on any style, it's worth boosting Stealth until you get always on awareness. I know you don't want the combat to be too easy, but seriously, this is worth it, unless you're playing Rookie and can't spare the points. Also, take SIE as your handler for the last Moscow mission.
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Nov 26, 2013 14:50
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Yeah, really the main thing is that you want some sort of weapon skill. There's at least one fight in the game that can only be won by shooting across a large gap, and if you've invested all your time in stealth and martial arts, for example, it's gonna be very hard to progress, although that fight is actually optional.Riven posted:I'm gonna try to do the two major things I've never seen in this next playthrough. How do you go against Surkov? I've never been able to figure out that trigger. I thought for about a year that the bodyguard's dossier was describing cut content. There is no cut content. Only decisions you didn't make. I believe you need a certain amount of info about him, but the main thing is you have to let Brayko live (or at least not immediately kill him) and fully interrogate him about Surkov; you basically need his testimony to know that Surkov is up to stuff, and then you'll unlock another mission that you HAVE to do immediately or else he gets away. Crappy Jack fucked around with this message at 15:18 on Nov 26, 2013 |
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Nov 26, 2013 15:10
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Crappy Jack posted:Yeah, really the main thing is that you want some sort of weapon skill. There's at least one fight in the game that can only be won by shooting across a large gap, and if you've invested all your time in stealth and martial arts, for example, it's gonna be very hard to progress, although that fight is actually optional. The fight with Darcy is a huge pain in the rear end if you have no ranged combat ability and isn't optional. I mean yeah, you can DO it without a gun but gently caress if it isn't annoying.
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Nov 26, 2013 15:17
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Talorat posted:It's a testament to how underrated this game is that the thread is still talking about it what, 3 years later? Easily the most underrated game of the last five or six years, I think. I wish it could have gotten more polish, or at least a nice fan patch like Vampire Bloodlines.
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Nov 26, 2013 15:25
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Riven posted:So I just bought a cheap PS3. Played this a million times on PC but can't now for reasons. Picked this up for $4 from GameStop, and I seem to remember there being issues on PS3, or am I making that up? I played this on PS3 a month or so ago and I had a few bugs - one of the more noticeable ones was areas not loading in some missions. Restarting the mission took care of that, but it was pretty annoying walking through a door and falling through the world.
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Nov 26, 2013 15:31
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USMC_Karl posted:2) Anything I really need to know for a totally blind first play through? The game's premise sounds really awesome and I want to experience the game, but I don't want to screw myself or lower my enjoyment of it unduly first time around. It's important to understand that there are absolutely no right or wrong answers or actions. What you do and how you talk to people has a very significant impact on future events (or your perception of them) but there is no best or worst path, just different paths. This is in stark contrast to most RPGs where, given 4 choices, 1 will get you additional content while the other 3 lock you out of it. AP doesn't work that way, each choice has it's own content, and it's all awesome.
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Nov 26, 2013 15:38
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Fil5000 posted:The fight with Darcy is a huge pain in the rear end if you have no ranged combat ability and isn't optional. I mean yeah, you can DO it without a gun but gently caress if it isn't annoying.
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Nov 26, 2013 15:39
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I would strongly recommend at least two points in Sabotage; there are some hacking minigames that become very difficult otherwise. Also, always carry some EMP grenades with you; they will let you bypass hacking if it's a difficult hack or you just don't feel like it. (One warning about Sabotage, though: there's a high-level ability that claims to let you remote hack cameras/turrets/etc. but is pretty flaky and I would avoid.) A few points in Stealth will give you "Awareness" which lets you see nearby enemies on the minimap all the time - this is incredibly useful. Feel free to play around with weapons/abilities a bit in Saudi Arabia. Once you are done with the hub, the game will let you respec. So if you are playing and decide that you want to be Shotgun rear end in a top hat Mike, you can lose those points in pistol/SMG/rifle and have at it. Last - don't think of this as some Bioware game where you are punished when people don't like you or you don't choose the "optimal" path. Your handler likes you? You get a perk (bonus like lower cooldown.) Your handler hates you? You get a different perk.
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Nov 26, 2013 16:47
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monster on a stick posted:I would strongly recommend at least two points in Sabotage; there are some hacking minigames that become very difficult otherwise. Also, always carry some EMP grenades with you; they will let you bypass hacking if it's a difficult hack or you just don't feel like it. I particularly like how pissing off the pacifist handlers by killing people gets you bonuses to damage. "Oh, you don't like it when I snap peoples' necks, huh? Well, guess what? All your yelling makes me snap them HARDER!"
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Nov 26, 2013 17:35
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Riven posted:I particularly like how pissing off the pacifist handlers by killing people gets you bonuses to damage. "Oh, you don't like it when I snap peoples' necks, huh? Well, guess what? All your yelling makes me snap them HARDER!" It is so incredibly fitting how I hear this line being delivered by Sterling Archer.
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Nov 26, 2013 17:52
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Crappy Jack posted:It is so incredibly fitting how I hear this line being delivered by Sterling Archer. Mina. Mina. MINNNNAAAAAAAA! WHAT?! Nothing. I just wanted to make sure you were on the com.
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Nov 26, 2013 18:16
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Riven posted:I particularly like how pissing off the pacifist handlers by killing people gets you bonuses to damage. "Oh, you don't like it when I snap peoples' necks, huh? Well, guess what? All your yelling makes me snap them HARDER!" One of the other awesome "perks" is in the Moscow hub: If you are nice to Grigori, he'll sell you weapons at a discount. If you are an rear end in a top hat to him, he'll warn the Embassy so instead of typical guards, there will be Marines in full body armor waiting for you. But then when the Embassy is attacked, you get tougher allies fighting on your side. A good example of AP's philosophy of not having a strong benefit for any particular choice. Well, maybe being smarmy so you can kill Marburg in Rome, but I always like telling him that Parker was the one that burned him; the whole sequence is awesome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttNh2j-sZVE
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Nov 26, 2013 18:36
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monster on a stick posted:I always like telling him that Parker was the one that burned him; the whole sequence is awesome: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttNh2j-sZVE
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Nov 26, 2013 18:44
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monster on a stick posted:One of the other awesome "perks" is in the Moscow hub: If you are nice to Grigori, he'll sell you weapons at a discount. If you are an rear end in a top hat to him, he'll warn the Embassy so instead of typical guards, there will be Marines in full body armor waiting for you. But then when the Embassy is attacked, you get tougher allies fighting on your side. One of my favourite things in this game is that you can beat the poo poo out of Grigori and then send him the trainload of weapons anyway, and he's basically like "What the gently caress is wrong with you? Oh well, I guess I can respect someone who behaves like a complete maniac but then gives me professional favours to make up for it."
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Nov 26, 2013 18:44
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monster on a stick posted:
Even if you don't have a consistent play style, you're rewarded for it. This is the best perk system ever made for a game, everything you do gets a reward. John Charity Spring posted:FYI this is exactly why you should take pistols and stealth. And martial arts. And then James Bond that poo poo. He said he wanted a challenge. Wolfsheim posted:Eh, assault rifles never get that great, though they probably start off better than the rest of the weapons early on. I actually carried the golden one through most of the game and just slapped a bunch of accuracy mods on it, and didn't find anything that did higher damage until, like, the last hub. It was somewhat disappointing compared to how game-breaking pistols are, how brutal shotguns are and how flashy and ridiculous SMGs are. AR is always my back up weapon. They aren't as OP as Pistols, but you get auto head shots everytime you tap the aim button when your power is active. Never hold in aim longer than it takes for you to fire a short burst. AR is boss.
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Nov 26, 2013 20:22
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Crappy Jack posted:It is so incredibly fitting how I hear this line being delivered by Sterling Archer. I would pay $60 for a DLC that replaces Mike's voice actor with Jon Benjamin. And $20 for a DLC that gets rid of that lip-smacking noise that Mina makes when she talks. monster on a stick posted:One of the other awesome "perks" is in the Moscow hub: If you are nice to Grigori, he'll sell you weapons at a discount. If you are an rear end in a top hat to him, he'll warn the Embassy so instead of typical guards, there will be Marines in full body armor waiting for you. But then when the Embassy is attacked, you get tougher allies fighting on your side. A good example of AP's philosophy of not having a strong benefit for any particular choice. Well, maybe being smarmy so you can kill Marburg in Rome, but I always like telling him that Parker was the one that burned him; the whole sequence is awesome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttNh2j-sZVE I don't always like playing like an rear end in a top hat, but I'll never not choose the "aw, you spilled your wodka" option in Moscow. You should get bonus points for doing it with the Ushanka and hobo beard.
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Nov 26, 2013 20:32
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Soonmot posted:AR is always my back up weapon. They aren't as OP as Pistols, but you get auto head shots everytime you tap the aim button when your power is active. Never hold in aim longer than it takes for you to fire a short burst. AR is boss. It's been awhile since I played through AP but doesn't it aim for the chest?
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Nov 26, 2013 20:36
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Ainsley McTree posted:I would pay $60 for a DLC that replaces Mike's voice actor with Jon Benjamin. And $20 for a DLC that gets rid of that lip-smacking noise that Mina makes when she talks. One of my all time gaming disappointments will always be when Obsidian announced they were making a new game based on a popular animated series, and it ended up being the South Park RPG and not an Archer game using the Alpha Protocol gameplay engine. It would've been so PERFECT.
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Nov 26, 2013 20:39
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monster on a stick posted:One of the other awesome "perks" is in the Moscow hub: If you are nice to Grigori, he'll sell you weapons at a discount. If you are an rear end in a top hat to him, he'll warn the Embassy so instead of typical guards, there will be Marines in full body armor waiting for you. But then when the Embassy is attacked, you get tougher allies fighting on your side. A good example of AP's philosophy of not having a strong benefit for any particular choice. Well, maybe being smarmy so you can kill Marburg in Rome, but I always like telling him that Parker was the one that burned him; the whole sequence is awesome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttNh2j-sZVE Thank you for the video. Even after multiple playthroughs, this game can still surprise me. I always thought his betrayal only occurred if he respected Thorton.
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Nov 26, 2013 20:53
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USMC_Karl posted:Speaking of which.... Just don't judge it by the Saudi missions. It seems like a pretty stereotypical 'arabs are terrorists' thing through most of the Saudi missions, but thats basically the tutorial. It really opens up and gets interesting after that.
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Nov 27, 2013 02:27
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So I know it's been a while since this thread has been posted in at all, but I finished my first play through and had to post about it. The game is pretty awesome and it is interesting for me to imagine all the differences that could happen in the story. I tried to play through it as a silent, all-business assassin type but found myself doing more... I dunno... nice things? For the record, I didn't execute anyone and spared everyone that I came across. I turned down the job offers from Leland and Marburg and ended up fighting Westridge and arresting him. There were so many cool moments in the game and each of the different areas have really different tones. I think I enjoyed the whole Moscow story line the best, Albatross and the G22 were awesome. I really was hoping for Albatross to be my handler on the final mission, and even selected him as my handler, but during the mission Scarlet became my handler and ran around with her rifle. I would like to play through as a total non-lethal build, this play through was pretty much non-lethal but I did end up killing around 50 guys throughout the game. My biggest oh-poo poo moment was definitely during Moscow. I was pretty bummed to find out that I had killed some Americans during the embassy attack. Leland really beat me over the head with that, but in the end he seemed to appreciate the choice. Really just an amazingly story filled game. I'm thinking I'll probably do another build as a murdering psychopath, just killing everything I come across and screwing all stealth. It would be a nice way to break up my first run (stealh/pistol) and my hopeful third run (total non-lethal).
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Dec 8, 2013 09:04
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Moscow was easily my favorite part of the game but i think Italy had its moments that i really enjoyed. I still really felt myself falling in love with SiS and wishing there was more content with her involved. Id gladly pay for a DLC with some more exposition and content the scenes with her and albatross were always pretty well done.
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Dec 8, 2013 09:14
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Sentinel posted:Moscow was easily my favorite part of the game but i think Italy had its moments that i really enjoyed. I still really felt myself falling in love with SiS and wishing there was more content with her involved. Id gladly pay for a DLC with some more exposition and content the scenes with her and albatross were always pretty well done. Totally agree, the whole G22 story was very cool and interesting. I'm hoping I can find more info over other play throughs, but I'm guessing probably not.
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Dec 8, 2013 09:18
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AP is one of those games that makes you love gaming in general by taking into account nearly every possible action you can take. It's like the codec call you get when you kill a bunch of birds in MGS2 only extended throughout the entire game.
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Dec 8, 2013 09:28
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Comparing these games to MGS is actually quite an interesting choice. While the story in MGS games is obviously much more fixed and less flexible (Also more cut-scenes  ), they tend to actually react even to small "useless" actions the player takes, and most of those actions are not really hinted at.I do have to admit that I never actually played through them, having lived the vicariously through Chip and Ironicus' LPs but Chip did show of a lot of silly reactions the game has to what the player does, especially during their MGS3 LP.
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Dec 8, 2013 10:07
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USMC_Karl posted:My biggest oh-poo poo moment was definitely during Moscow. I was pretty bummed to find out that I had killed some Americans during the embassy attack. Leland really beat me over the head with that, but in the end he seemed to appreciate the choice. You might not have actually done that; there's a glitch that makes the game think you did if you sneak into the Embassy through the upstairs door, or something like that. The one major bug in the game, really.
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Dec 8, 2013 16:32
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MrXmas posted:You might not have actually done that; there's a glitch that makes the game think you did if you sneak into the Embassy through the upstairs door, or something like that. The one major bug in the game, really. Yeah that's the glitch I ran into on my first run-through. Turns out if you just walk straight in and bluff your way past the door guard, THAT'S how you do it without killing friendly agents. If you sneak in then it assumes you capped some people I believe.
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Dec 8, 2013 17:07
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It also thinks you killed people if you happen to go through that door while exploring during the mission. It's the first door on the right after you go up the stairs at the start. If you open a door near the start and it seems to lead outside don't go through it!
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Dec 8, 2013 17:41
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2house2fly posted:It also thinks you killed people if you happen to go through that door while exploring during the mission. It's the first door on the right after you go up the stairs at the start. If you open a door near the start and it seems to lead outside don't go through it! I think even just opening it fucks you up, because a similar thing happened to me. Probably the only real glitch in terms of plot action->reaction in the game, despite the "Obsidian glitch fest" reputation.
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Dec 8, 2013 19:36
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