Odd... Maybe I missed something, or I did something in the flow of events that fucked it up.
Alpha Protocol
- Thread starter Serge 13
- Start date
[spoiler:e5e03c7f1d]This game must be cool if it requires so many hidden message boxes. 
[/spoiler:e5e03c7f1d]
[/spoiler:e5e03c7f1d]For the hidden boxes discussion:
[spoiler:6624d8d8ff]In my Recruit playthrough, I saved Scarlet despite having contacted Parker, and she replaced SIE as my handler, but since I ALSO saved Mina, and had the Ladies' Man perk, I sailed off into the sunset with Mina. The scripts overrode each other, as the scripters obviously did not foresee the option for a non-verbal threesome (there's a funny perk you get for having SIE and Mina handle you together on the Embassy mission).[/spoiler:6624d8d8ff]
For the interface discussion:
The fact that the map opens with a hotkey (M) is good. The fact that to leave the map, I have to first enter the PDA (as if I entered the map FROM the PDA), is poor planning. The same goes for having to see the map when I need to get to the dossiers in the middle of a mission because I'm trying to read something I've just picked up. Why not voice them? Why not give us a quick-key to read newly-achieved dossiers? Why doesn't the character list show whose dossiers got updated since last time? Why does Dead Space manage to do all of the above in an orderly, comfortable, logical, AND console-friendly fashion?
Also, the guy who put stealth kill and hug walls onto the same button (space bar for the PC, if you don't remember somehow), should be taken out back and kneecapped. This alone made me replay the bug-the-NSA mission five times, dammit, and the endgame still told me that I killed an NSA agent despite the fact that my saving/loading was supposed to retcon that -- but from what I understand, it's because the world state files are stored separately from the game save files (so unless you replay a mission from the safehouse instead of a checkpoint, it won't change its mind about a prior event). That's simply poor forethought, on the Wasteland-inventory-cheat level =)
Yet, the fact that the game is so dismally uncomfortable to play, yet keeps pulling me back to replay it a third time in a row, tells us that it's either a good game (at its heart) or I'm a glutton for punishment. Probably both.
[spoiler:6624d8d8ff]In my Recruit playthrough, I saved Scarlet despite having contacted Parker, and she replaced SIE as my handler, but since I ALSO saved Mina, and had the Ladies' Man perk, I sailed off into the sunset with Mina. The scripts overrode each other, as the scripters obviously did not foresee the option for a non-verbal threesome (there's a funny perk you get for having SIE and Mina handle you together on the Embassy mission).[/spoiler:6624d8d8ff]
For the interface discussion:
The fact that the map opens with a hotkey (M) is good. The fact that to leave the map, I have to first enter the PDA (as if I entered the map FROM the PDA), is poor planning. The same goes for having to see the map when I need to get to the dossiers in the middle of a mission because I'm trying to read something I've just picked up. Why not voice them? Why not give us a quick-key to read newly-achieved dossiers? Why doesn't the character list show whose dossiers got updated since last time? Why does Dead Space manage to do all of the above in an orderly, comfortable, logical, AND console-friendly fashion?
Also, the guy who put stealth kill and hug walls onto the same button (space bar for the PC, if you don't remember somehow), should be taken out back and kneecapped. This alone made me replay the bug-the-NSA mission five times, dammit, and the endgame still told me that I killed an NSA agent despite the fact that my saving/loading was supposed to retcon that -- but from what I understand, it's because the world state files are stored separately from the game save files (so unless you replay a mission from the safehouse instead of a checkpoint, it won't change its mind about a prior event). That's simply poor forethought, on the Wasteland-inventory-cheat level =)
Yet, the fact that the game is so dismally uncomfortable to play, yet keeps pulling me back to replay it a third time in a row, tells us that it's either a good game (at its heart) or I'm a glutton for punishment. Probably both.
Ok, just defeated Brayko in the first try. I'm not bragging here, but I'm believing that most of you lied about him. 
Unless you played on another difficulty than normal at start.
[spoiler:d0ade7cea1]All I did was run, get up the stage, jump off, and run again up the ladder. The moron couldn't catch up, and I just chain shotted him with the pistol with 5 headshots each time. I didn't bother with the goons, the armor had enough damage reduction to ignore them for the moment.
I was level 8 if that matters. I went to Moscow right next to the Saudi Arabia operation.[/spoiler:d0ade7cea1]
Unless you played on another difficulty than normal at start.[spoiler:d0ade7cea1]All I did was run, get up the stage, jump off, and run again up the ladder. The moron couldn't catch up, and I just chain shotted him with the pistol with 5 headshots each time. I didn't bother with the goons, the armor had enough damage reduction to ignore them for the moment.
I was level 8 if that matters. I went to Moscow right next to the Saudi Arabia operation.[/spoiler:d0ade7cea1]
man i am getting sick of these minigames. especially the hax0ring-one. more than once i saw the correct code fragments, but couldn't get there because of the screwed up controls. 
on a sidenote: "SIE" has got to be the most idiotic name for a character in any game, ever.
on a sidenote: "SIE" has got to be the most idiotic name for a character in any game, ever.
Edmond Dantès
It Wandered In From the Wastes
I've finished my second game, and read some other endings by other people.
By God, EVERYTHING can completely change depending on what you do.
On Madison, Alan Parker, and Marburg:
[spoiler:c3150163b1]Second time through, I rescued Madison after finding out that she's Parker's daughter.
To get Parker to join me, I tell him about Marburg's plan to kill Madison and that I rescued her. He didn't seem convinced at first but later on I find him together with Marburg. Parker gets him to work on some code with him, proceed to shoot him but doesn't kill him, and Marburg stabs Parker.
Seriously, what the hell. NONE of that happened in my first playthrough. Heck, I didn't even MEET Marburg after the last conversation with him after Leland in the Gray Box. Elsewhere I've read that you can also encounter Marburg in the interrogation room instead of Scarlet, that he can also appear at the end with Leland, but when he's on your side he just leaves Leland at your mercy. Heck, I've even read that you can piss him off so much that you taunt him into fighting you in Rome so that you kill him over there already, instead of him fleeing the scene. It's like there's no end to the different endings.[/spoiler:c3150163b1]
Edit: Just think of SIE as an acronym for Sexually Interested Entity, instead of the German Sie. I've chosen her as my...handler in the final mission. Euh, yeah, handler. That also gives rise to a comment from Westridge who didn't particularly like the proceedings in his medical bay.
By God, EVERYTHING can completely change depending on what you do.
On Madison, Alan Parker, and Marburg:
[spoiler:c3150163b1]Second time through, I rescued Madison after finding out that she's Parker's daughter.
To get Parker to join me, I tell him about Marburg's plan to kill Madison and that I rescued her. He didn't seem convinced at first but later on I find him together with Marburg. Parker gets him to work on some code with him, proceed to shoot him but doesn't kill him, and Marburg stabs Parker.
Seriously, what the hell. NONE of that happened in my first playthrough. Heck, I didn't even MEET Marburg after the last conversation with him after Leland in the Gray Box. Elsewhere I've read that you can also encounter Marburg in the interrogation room instead of Scarlet, that he can also appear at the end with Leland, but when he's on your side he just leaves Leland at your mercy. Heck, I've even read that you can piss him off so much that you taunt him into fighting you in Rome so that you kill him over there already, instead of him fleeing the scene. It's like there's no end to the different endings.[/spoiler:c3150163b1]
Edit: Just think of SIE as an acronym for Sexually Interested Entity, instead of the German Sie. I've chosen her as my...handler in the final mission. Euh, yeah, handler. That also gives rise to a comment from Westridge who didn't particularly like the proceedings in his medical bay.
Multidirectional
Mildly Dipped
I didn't meet SIE at all on my first playthrough, I don't know what I did wrong but I'll be going for the second time soon and hope that changes.
Edmond, most of the options depend on what and when and how you said to Marburg (as well as how well you handled Rome), and how high your rep with him is. Getting a 9 or 10 ain't easy, but it provides a warm fuzzy feeling in the ending, yes. From what I've read, the Veteran mode also alters how he reacts to you drastically (haven't yet reached him on that playthrough, so can't prove or disprove).
Dario, you maxed out the pistols as far as the skill could go, from what I understand - not something everybody does, you know =) He's killable with any damage-dealing thingamabob you have, even the incendiaries lying on the stage, it's just a matter of how to fit them into his pattern of movement.
Dario, you maxed out the pistols as far as the skill could go, from what I understand - not something everybody does, you know =) He's killable with any damage-dealing thingamabob you have, even the incendiaries lying on the stage, it's just a matter of how to fit them into his pattern of movement.
I'm on my second playthrough of this game now, and I'm loving it so far, though the first playthrough was ridiculously hard due to hardly having any points in a weapon skill, and that weaponskill being SMG's of all things - especially during bossfights.
Encountered some minor bugs, and npc's that does'nt spawn after reloads (Restarting the game fixed this) also fixed gun emplacements seem very twitchy for me, have to lower the DPI on my mouse to roughly 400 from 3200 whenever I enter one.
Found an interesting ( for me ) read on US vs EU reviews.
Encountered some minor bugs, and npc's that does'nt spawn after reloads (Restarting the game fixed this) also fixed gun emplacements seem very twitchy for me, have to lower the DPI on my mouse to roughly 400 from 3200 whenever I enter one.
Found an interesting ( for me ) read on US vs EU reviews.
aenemic
Sonny, I Watched the Vault Bein' Built!
thanks, that was an interesting read. I think he hit the nail on the head when he hinted that most US reviewers seem to have played it more like an action game, and couldn't look past dated graphics and poor AI. it's nothing new that the European market is more susceptible of rpg's or games with more depth in general.
I think it's really sad how this game will never get the recognition it deserves. I hope it just won't prevent Obsidian from making a sequel.
I think it's really sad how this game will never get the recognition it deserves. I hope it just won't prevent Obsidian from making a sequel.
Anyone else crashing in the ruins? I get my mission start message, a minute goes by, then BAM, I'm out.
Nope, the game never crashed for me.
Is it always crashing on the same position? If yes, then maybe you have some currupted files.
Is it always crashing on the same position? If yes, then maybe you have some currupted files.
Noelemahc said:
Yep, I maxed it out. I didn't like to be a Jack of All trades, but I don't really know how melee characters will handle it. I'll do a second playthrough later and see if he's any harder.
But he wasn't really "OMG, had to reload like 8 times!!", the pattern was easy to spot on the first try.
Maybe that's just me though.
same position
So, I caved in and went for Recruit in Normal difficulty.
Now, is it just me or is that a lot more difficult (minigame-wise, mostly) than taking a normal char (I took the geek before)?
I've noticed my sneaking gets detected more easily than before (in spite of mainly boosting Stealth quickly), but not problematically so.
I'm in the kill Shaheed mission and goddamn those hacking minigames are getting insane, even with me getting "Breaking and Entering (Basic)" skill.
I mean with the 2 word matching minigame it is physically impossible to move a word totally down before time expires? Might be due to controls fucking up hard on my config somehow though, but even with my mouse that I can change DPI on the fly with (up to 5000+ dpi) I just can't bloody get there?
Same with hacking numpads. 10 complicated connections to make in a few seconds? Not with these controls I won't...
That said, I saw how easy stuff like lockpicking is in a vid from a console, it's laughable. I have to do insane shite to get the bars to line up, while on console it's in place with a flick of a joystick.
So is something still wrong for me (config, compatibility, possibly some twisted copy prot scheme misfiring DS-1 style?), or is it really that bad playing recruit on PC (on normal difficulty)?
Or do I just suck and am using the wrong controls or something?
Now, is it just me or is that a lot more difficult (minigame-wise, mostly) than taking a normal char (I took the geek before)?
I've noticed my sneaking gets detected more easily than before (in spite of mainly boosting Stealth quickly), but not problematically so.
I'm in the kill Shaheed mission and goddamn those hacking minigames are getting insane, even with me getting "Breaking and Entering (Basic)" skill.
I mean with the 2 word matching minigame it is physically impossible to move a word totally down before time expires? Might be due to controls fucking up hard on my config somehow though, but even with my mouse that I can change DPI on the fly with (up to 5000+ dpi) I just can't bloody get there?
Same with hacking numpads. 10 complicated connections to make in a few seconds? Not with these controls I won't...
That said, I saw how easy stuff like lockpicking is in a vid from a console, it's laughable. I have to do insane shite to get the bars to line up, while on console it's in place with a flick of a joystick.
So is something still wrong for me (config, compatibility, possibly some twisted copy prot scheme misfiring DS-1 style?), or is it really that bad playing recruit on PC (on normal difficulty)?
Or do I just suck and am using the wrong controls or something?
Finished yesterday with my second playthrough as recruit on hard. Got the same problems with the minimgames suaside. Took to carry a ton of emp-grenades but you still cant hack everything. I blame it on controls not difficulty or recruit-setting.
It was pretty hard that way. Not using pistols wasnt a good choice either.)
It was pretty hard that way. Not using pistols wasnt a good choice either.)
aenemic
Sonny, I Watched the Vault Bein' Built!
the mouse controls are really wonky in the minigames, but I didn't experience much more trouble with those games while playing on recruit. I also only took Sabotage up until I got the basic Breaking & Entering skill. didn't get that far into the game though, so maybe I just haven't got to the really hard parts yet.
damn, I'm really itching to play AP now. I just finished Splinter Cell: Conviction, which I decided to play mostly for comparison in the stealth department. and I gotta say, AP was so much more enjoyable. first of all, controls in SC:C were absolutely horrendous. mouse sensitivity was maxed out already, but the entire game felt pretty much like the hacking minigame in AP. I found myself spraying bullets all around before eventually hitting something most of the time. and while the sneaking mechanisms might be a bit more thought-out, the game played exactly how I don't like stealth games to play - the main challenge in the game was trying not to get detected and taking out enemies in stealth. in many situations I simply gave up and just went crazy with grenades and an assault rifle, and suddenly the game was really easy. and believe it or not, but AI is better in AP. enemies in SC:C don't really bother coming to look for you even though they know where you are. if they do, they simply run up to you and let you kill them on their way over. and hiding in the dark equals being invisible. once I dropped down from the ceiling upon a guard, killing him. his two guard buddies were standing only a few feet away, facing me. but because I was in complete darkness, they didn't notice a damn thing.
patch AP already! I want to get on with my second playthrough.
damn, I'm really itching to play AP now. I just finished Splinter Cell: Conviction, which I decided to play mostly for comparison in the stealth department. and I gotta say, AP was so much more enjoyable. first of all, controls in SC:C were absolutely horrendous. mouse sensitivity was maxed out already, but the entire game felt pretty much like the hacking minigame in AP. I found myself spraying bullets all around before eventually hitting something most of the time. and while the sneaking mechanisms might be a bit more thought-out, the game played exactly how I don't like stealth games to play - the main challenge in the game was trying not to get detected and taking out enemies in stealth. in many situations I simply gave up and just went crazy with grenades and an assault rifle, and suddenly the game was really easy. and believe it or not, but AI is better in AP. enemies in SC:C don't really bother coming to look for you even though they know where you are. if they do, they simply run up to you and let you kill them on their way over. and hiding in the dark equals being invisible. once I dropped down from the ceiling upon a guard, killing him. his two guard buddies were standing only a few feet away, facing me. but because I was in complete darkness, they didn't notice a damn thing.
patch AP already! I want to get on with my second playthrough.
aenemic said:
Indeed, I really like this game and really hope for a sequel. I mostly based my own decision to buy the game from a PC Gamer review (81%, Rich McCormick I think it was, don't know his nationality though). I will not deny that the game has it's rough edges, but that can be patched out I reckon.
Seems like quite a few reviewers was hoping for the game to behave like Mass Effect 2 when it comes to skills, or that they did'nt actually ever play any kind of RPG previously. I don't know if there's a link to the review in that site, but I read a preview roughly saying that "The minigames later on becomes quite impossible, as the difficulty increases your time available to do it does'nt"...
I reckon it'll be a cult hit probably, not really impressing the majority of the players, and never getting a sequel.
SuAside said:
Also playing as a normal recruit, but I have'nt noticed the hacking or bypass games being harder than previously - but the sneaking part seemed to be due to my armor though, I had the combat armor I think wich really did'nt help my stealth abilities.
On a more intresting (for me) note, I got roughly 30 points more on the shooting training course as Recruit than I did in my first playboy playthrough, with lower weaponskills than before.
Could it be the previous savefiles messing with your playthrough?
@Arden; I used AR's on this playthrough and all the bossess were ridiculously easy (up until the endgame where I'm currently at). I'll probably try Shotguns on my next runthrough, and then Pistols.
AR´s are fine as long as you can use them at range. A 3shot burst to the head is nice sure. But in close quarters it takes some time to bring the gun to bear. It was worst in moscow because the russian mobsters charge, hit you with melee and then step back to blast you with shotguns and smg´s. I often had trouble rising my AR in time. Same with brayko. With pistols its ridiculously easy compared to AR´s what with pause, aim, shoot and run around till chainshot recharges.
The minigames with settings on hard get really, really hard in the second and third city you visit. It was a bugger when i was in rome with no emp´s and trying to defuse the bombs in the museum.
Got some problems with the mouse as others do here and had a couple of bugs but nothing gamebraking. i´m on my third playthrough now and still enjoing AP. Glad i did not listen to some of the reviews and bought it nonetheless. I dont mind the bugs much, but its a shame Obisdian did not polish the game some more. It hurts their reputation and adds some unnecessary annoyance.
The minigames with settings on hard get really, really hard in the second and third city you visit. It was a bugger when i was in rome with no emp´s and trying to defuse the bombs in the museum.
Got some problems with the mouse as others do here and had a couple of bugs but nothing gamebraking. i´m on my third playthrough now and still enjoing AP. Glad i did not listen to some of the reviews and bought it nonetheless. I dont mind the bugs much, but its a shame Obisdian did not polish the game some more. It hurts their reputation and adds some unnecessary annoyance.
Well, I finally got past my stuck part in Rome.
By upgrading the goddamn video drivers.
Sigh.
I'm in Moscow
By upgrading the goddamn video drivers.
Sigh.
I'm in Moscow