BioShock in for a bumpy release

[Brother None]

Yes! My limited edition's Big Daddy is broken!

Oh wait, no yes. 2k's offer for replacement applies only to US consumers.

Guess I'll have to glue it together myself

 

[Stag]

Well, when I went back to play the boss again today, I didn't even have to use a first aid kit thing, and I killed him in roughly forty seconds...weird.


I still feel like the aiming in this feels flimsy as hell, and the tommy gun is almost entirely useless unless the guy is directly in front of you...

 

[SuAside]

the tommy gun can be upgraded later in the game to fire more accurately and consistently.

 

[SuAside]

after patiently waiting for my Bioshock copy to arrive, as i had expected i ran into problems with the Securom protection. not like most people did (with the activation limitation thing), no, far worse.

i start to install Bioshock and as the install ends, i get a simple pop-up that i should insert the original dvd and not a copy and that i should rerun the install. when pressing OK all installed files magically disappear and i'm left with nothing. of course, i used the original disk, no doubt about that.

i've had Securom problems before with W40koW and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. but those were all easily solved by installing the game & cracking it. (wonderful when you have to do that to a legally owned and bought game)
i contacted THQ about it, but never got anything back.

so now i cant even crack my legit copy of Bioshock, since it doesnt even install. wonderful.
i suspect that the problem with Securom can be traced back to my Benq 1620 dvd-rw that i use. (which was a really good dvd writer in its day and still is). i never had any problem reading sublevel data etc, but why the fuck would Securom fail to read out the fact that it is an original DVD with it?

gah!

 

[FeelTheRads]

when pressing OK all installed files magically disappear and i'm left with nothing.

You could maybe try to Ctrl+Alt+Delete out of the installer and not press OK? Or copy the installed files somewhere else and then after the install deletes the original ones move the copied ones in their place?
Of course, it may still not work if the installer does something at the end and the game needs that.

 

[SuAside]

when pressing OK all installed files magically disappear and i'm left with nothing.

You could maybe try to Ctrl+Alt+Delete out of the installer and not press OK? Or copy the installed files somewhere else and then after the install deletes the original ones move the copied ones in their place?
Of course, it may still not work if the installer does something at the end and the game needs that.

it still needs to run the patcher and the activation sequence.

so fucked either way.


i sent securom support the securom analysis thingy they asked for (zipped as instructed on the bioshock website), the dude sends a mail back asking me to send the analysis file. hello motherfucker, open the friggin' zipfile, you dumbass...

 

[Thorton]

I don't like the FPS aspects of the game...Everything just feels flimsy. People take forever to die, and maybe this is just the System Shock style of gameplay, but I think it's stupid as shit when I have to shoot someone four or five times, point blank, in the chest for them to die.

I'd recommend the game if you don't mind a day of searching
forums for fixes, and aren't too into "realism".

And you're a Fallout fan? Laser guns, miniguns, bazookas, grenades.....most of the time didn't kill harder enemies in one hit...if you want "realism" go get a BB gun and shoot some squirrels, who, coincidentally, don't always die in one hit.

 

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

There's a big difference though between that sort of 'realism' in a turnbased rpg and that in a first person shooter.

 

[Jiggly McNerdington]

There's a big difference though between that sort of 'realism' in a turnbased rpg and that in a first person shooter.

Is it the immersion factor that gets shit on all the time?
On the topic of why they're so durable, I'd say due to plasmids. You can find an armor plasmid yourself at one point, as well as health increases through adam. Doesn't take much of a stretch of the imagination to say why they survived that shot is due to modification if you'll buy the fact that your character shoots bees from his arm.

Finished the game on Saturday. Absofuckinglutely fantastic. Though I figured out 90% of the plot twist before it happened due to zealous audio log listening, I still got a big kick out of it. Kinda disappointed in the "Boss" battle and the evil ending was a bit weak (Checked out the good one later, much better) but on the whole I had more fun playing it than any other recent game in memory, except possibly Bloodlines.

Really pissed at 2K (Not laying the blame on Irrational as I assume the publisher is the main cause of all the copy protection woes) with all the shit they're pulling though. Almost wish I wasn't looking forward to the game so much as to make a day 1 purchase, probably wouldn't have gotten it if I knew all the evil crap that was tied to it. Still, now that it IS purchased I definately love the game. The limited edition extras were a bit weak though. 3 remix music disc, 1 song of which I enjoy a bit. 40 minute making of DVD that was entertaining enough but... 40 minutes. And cool looking big daddy figure that was chipped. Fortunately I'm in the US so they'll replace it, but still a bit sad that I've got to sit here with my thumb up my ass while my big daddy sits there all forlorn in his package waiting.

 

[Sorrow]

There's a big difference though between that sort of 'realism' in a turnbased rpg and that in a first person shooter.

Is it the immersion factor that gets shit on all the time?
On the topic of why they're so durable, I'd say due to plasmids. You can find an armor plasmid yourself at one point, as well as health increases through adam. Doesn't take much of a stretch of the imagination to say why they survived that shot is due to modification if you'll buy the fact that your character shoots bees from his arm.

Is there some kind of dividing character's body into zones? Some critical areas that cause instant death or more damage if hit?

 

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

Is it the immersion factor that gets shit on all the time?

Nothing to do with immersion, there's little tactics involved with one shot kills in a TB game. There's not much fun in it either, on the other hand a fps usually has a lot more opponents which need to dealt with quickly. Not forgetting that in an rpg the hitpoints are an abstraction and not life points like in a shooter.

Is there some kind of dividing character's body into zones? Some critical areas that cause instant death or more damage if hit?

It does tell you to aim for the head to do more damage.

 

[Sorrow]

Nothing to do with immersion, there's little tactics involved with one shot kills in a TB game. There's not much fun in it either, on the other hand a fps usually has a lot more opponents which need to dealt with quickly. Not forgetting that in an rpg the hitpoints are an abstraction and not life points like in a shooter.

I disagree with what you say.

1. I don't think one shot kills are realistic - one shot kill when hitting a critical organ is realistic, but one shot kill when hitting something unimportant isn't.
2. It's a myth that tactics have to involve getting hit repeatedly or having to hit people many times.
I would say that when one gets hit, his tactics already failed.
Tactics should involve maximising chances for hitting and disabling the enemy and minimising chances to get hit and killed.
3. One of the most fun tactical games is X-Com: Ufo Defence - it features weapons that instant kill very often.

 

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

I never said one shot kills are realistic, where did I say that?

You don't have to get hit repeatedly to have tactics but if you have weapons that instant kill then where's the opportunity for using any tactics? Sure Fallout has the chance for critical hits but it's only a chance. Most games I've played, don't have weapons that'll take out an opponent in one hit, (without a critical anyway) they are usually balanced better than that. If you enter a fight and your opponent pulls out an instant kill weapon and has a higher sequence than you where and when do you get the chance to use any tactics? If you have no time to get to cover or flank them etc?

 

[Sorrow]

You mean an ambush or assasination?
You are describing a situation that is FUBAR from the beginning. That's not a good starting situation for a game encounter.

 

[Jiggly McNerdington]

Is there some kind of dividing character's body into zones? Some critical areas that cause instant death or more damage if hit?

Like Starfury mentioned, headshots. I was playing on hard, and if I remember right (Which I might not) if I shot someone in the head at the beginning of the game it'd take roughly three quarters of their health, and then one hit anywhere else would kill 'em. Though if you play on medium I know a single headshot kills at the start. Unfortunately (Or fortunately maybe) the splicers tend to move around quite a bit and getting a headshot's tricky unless you use plasmids to hold them in place.

Shotgun point blank headshots worked for most of the game, but by the end when all the splicers are much tougher it didn't hold up so well. Against a durable splicer I could get a headshot with a modified damage increased pistol with AP bullets and the splicer would take two more shots anywhere else to bring down. Firefights got nasty later on.

 

[SuAside]

later in the game it becomes very important to use the correct ammo on the correct monster (as well as the correct plasmid).

as always, don't forget to use your environment. and hack hack hack.

my favorite weapon throughout the game is the shotgun for up close & personal and the pistol for long range headshots (with the correct munitions).

big daddies are less of a problem than i expected them to be, but that's only if you play it smart. and i love the little sisters (NO, NOT IN THAT KIND OF WAY YOU FUCKING DISEASED PEDO!).

 

[Pope Viper]

I will say, I'm having a blast with telekinesis plasmid.

Nothing like chunking a round of cheese and taking a splicer down.

Too fun.

 

[Jiggly McNerdington]

Yeah, the shotgun's really satisfying. Some games pull off fun shotguns better than others, and Bioshock's is pretty high up there.

And my only complaint with the telekinesis plasmid is it seemed to be too random on what it grabbed. I'd try to grab an incoming grenade or something and instead I'd get a dead splicer flung up in to my screen. Plus it took me a while to figure out how to gently set things down instead of flinging 'em. Left mouse button to pick it up and move it where I wanted, then hit right mouse button to bring a weapon up and it'll drop the item.

 

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

You mean an ambush or assasination?
You are describing a situation that is FUBAR from the beginning. That's not a good starting situation for a game encounter.

Any situation. If you have an instant kill weapon you just need to initiate combat and you've won.

I'm not saying that combat should take a dozen turns a time but it's a totally different situation from a shooter where you've got to react, act and have little time to plan.

Oh yeah the shotgun rocks, the thompson is only useful with the speciality ammo.

 

[Killzig]

Bioshock...I finally got it working, and I just stopped playing after about a half hour.
I don't like the FPS aspects of the game...Everything just feels flimsy. People take forever to die, and maybe this is just the System Shock style of gameplay, but I think it's stupid as shit when I have to shoot someone four or five times, point blank, in the chest for them to die. I quit at the start of the first boss level. The boss character was very cool and interesting to me, before I found out that A: his health is even more ridiculously high than the other inhabitants of Rapture, and B: he heals. I got him down about three or four shots to death, before he'd jump onto a healing thing. That's bullshit. That's ridiculous. When I died the first time, I realized that I only respawned with the ammo I had previously, which was five shots with the revolver. I shoot him five times, and then have a great time chasing him down and beating the living fuck out of him with a monkey wrench. After about six minutes of just wailing on the guy with the monkey wrench, his health was only down by half, and mine was gone, and I died again. I tried one more time, and then I was just sick of it.
What is the point of this kind of gameplay? It's frustrating as hell, completely unrealistic, and just fucking ridiculous.

that's kind of weird the way you're approaching that fight.

when you first enter that area he sends a sentry bot after you, you should shock it and hack it. That's an instant machine gunner for you.

2nd, when you get to the actual fight area find the med station and hack it. It will poison your enemies.

3. Head shots equal more damage than body shots. Electricity will stun and keep him in place for said headshots.

if there's one thing that will help you a lot in this game it's hacking. hack everything. once you get the freeze plasmid make sure you hit things with it before you hack (it'll slow the flow). use telekinesis to find ammo/medkits/eve laying about. If you see openings in ceilings/high pipes/billboards/etc aim at it and hit your telekinesis skill a few times to root stuff out.

and yes, Jiggly, the audio files in themselves are pretty spoilery when you couple them with the flashes/bits of dialog over your radio from Ryan.

I also share your adoration for the shotgun. Really satisfying.