Thread: Battlefield 2142 and the "TTP Way" (long)

NOTE: This is not a "are you gonna buy it?" thread...It's more of a "when they buy it, how could TTP people play it?" thread. It's also chock-full of opinions...

If you've been following the press releases available on the upcoming Battlefield 2142, you've probably heard about some of new features of the gameplay. If you haven't, check out http://bf2142fever.com for details.

Now, I know there's going to be a slew of players adopting the "run and gun" attitude when this game comes out. I also know that most TTP players have evolved to a higher level, though.

I like to think of it as the "TTP Way".

With that in mind, I'm willing to suggest that 2142 is going to be even more dependent on good communications, strong leadership, and tight coordination between teammates.

First, the upgrade/unlock tree structure means that forming a well-rounded squad will be tough. As a squad member, you're going to have to think a lot harder about how to gear up in a way that will compliment your squad. Squad leaders will now have to adapt their strategy to account for the offensive and defensive tools their squad posesses. (For example, if you have turret capabilities and personal shields, it would make sense to take up defensive positions around the missile silos that are supposed to be critical to the game.)

The role of the Commander will become much more intense, too. No longer will squads be interchangeable: you'll have certain defensive and offensive capabilities associates with each squad, and putting the right guys in the right place will be critical to winning.

I'm not judging how good or bad this game is going to be, only stating that the qualities that make TTP squads so effective in BF2 will be absolutely critical in 2142. So much so that you just might see more people figure out that being a lone wolf won't get you very far...

Now, we liked Alone in the Dark on Xbox 360 and PC -- although others weren't so keen. Its mix of genuinely innovative game mechanics and good old-fashioned horror offered an engaging and intriguing -- if undoubtedly flawed -- experience.

More than mindful of the criticisms leveraged at the game on release, developer Eden has used its extended PS3 development time to address as many of the issues players had with Alone in the Dark as possible. We got the chance to test those changes out first hand at Leipzig and we're impressed.

It takes some guts to admit you're wrong, but Eden has listened to feedback in the press and across internet message boards and done its hardest to iron out everything from the smallest niggles to serious flaws within Alone in the Dark. Most significantly, the developer has completely overhauled the game's camera and control system. Now, there's a more traditional, fully-adjustable camera, assigned to the right analogue stick. It's positioned much further back than its predecessor, meaning you've got a far greater vantage point of your surroundings and, more importantly, assailants. Of course, that robs the game of some of its more atmospheric, kooky camera angles but it's a price worth paying for a more practical, usable perspective.

To enable complete camera control via the right analogue stick, Eden has made some adjustments to combat too. Eager to retain its unique, stick-based melee system, holding the left trigger down now auto-locks onto an enemy, meaning you can strafe around and attack using the right stick simultaneously. It's a subtle change but proves far more satisfying overall. Even better, protagonist Carnby no longer steers like a cow under local anaesthetic. Slow, laborious turns have been replaced by more familiar turn-on-a-dime control. Together, both overhauled systems really help to improve the pace and flow of the game, offering movement and combat that feels fluid and responsive, accentuating rather than detracting from the game experience.

Elsewhere, the clever but cumbersome inventory system has been tweaked to be both more usable and more intuitive. For a start, it's no longer real-time -- open Edward's jacket and the game pauses, meaning you won't have to worry about enemy attacks while you combine exotic offensive and defensive items. Further reducing frustration, you now scroll through your inventory one item at a time -- it's a tad more long-winded approach to the point and pray system employed on the 360 but far less error prone in a tight spot.

What's more, the game no longer insists you combine objects in a specific order -- one of the more irritating, ridiculous oversights in earlier versions. Finally, Eden has sensibly freed up a slot in your jacket, simply by eliminating the need to replace your torch batteries -- ever. Very few games have ever managed to justify temporary light sources as an entertaining, integral game mechanic -- and Alone in the Dark certainly wasn't one of them. Now, it's one less pointless thing to worry about and one more slot to stock all-important health.

Speaking of which, Eden has reconsidered item placement throughout the game, hopefully eliminating the vast, tortuous chasms of time between frequently much-needed health replenishment. There are other integral changes to the game's structure too. Perhaps the most significant one from our perspective is the change in the way root-challenges are introduced to the game. Previously, Central Park's open world map contained numerous roots which needed to be destroyed in order to progress past a certain point in the game. However, failure to sign-post this fact early on meant that players were forced to slog arduously around the environment, destroying root after root toward the end of the Alone in the Dark if they hadn't explored sufficiently. It was a process that could take hours and completely sapped most of our goodwill toward the game.

Now, however, these have largely been incorporated into the main story missions. Once you've completed the third chapter, further progress is blocked unless you destroy the root in your path. It's a sensible way of introducing the game mechanic and you're intermittently tasked with destroying more roots as you proceed. Structurally, it's far more balanced and ensures the flow is maintained throughout. These mini-tasks should also help break up the standard exploration and, scattered across the entire game, make it easier to appreciate the often intelligently designed puzzle elements inherent in each. In addition, Eden has also included a new chapter, designed to pep up the exploration-heavy mid-sections of the game. From what we understand, it's a more action-focussed segment and takes place on the subway system.

Finally, Eden has completely overhauled vehicle handling, alongside their respective driving segments -- probably the most heavily criticised aspects of the Xbox 360 version. Vehicles are now noticeably heavier in their handling -- reducing their unpredictably twitchy nature -- and proper suspension is now evident. In practical terms, that means car physics now react realistically to environments -- it should no longer be possible to come to a crashing halt when you inadvertently clip a curb. To streamline driving sections further, Eden has also incorporated checkpoints midway through levels, added voiceover directions to reduce confusion and significantly slow down environmental hazards -- such as the wave of tarmac during the 59th Street escape.

In other words, almost everything we loathed about the original game appears to have been addressed for the PS3 version and we're genuinely looking forward to playing the finished product. In many ways, we always felt Alone in the Dark was something of a flawed masterpiece, particularly taking its genuine innovations in the horror genre into consideration. Xbox owners might rightly complain that this version of the game should have been released all along. However, PS3 owners can only be thankful that Eden has listened to feedback and attempted to address complaints. If you've been intrigued by the game previously but were turned off by wildly varying review scores, it may well be worth given this one a go come its PS3 release.

SOURCE: http://ps3.ign.com/articles/901/901511p1.htm

What an interesting idea, actually using delay time to fix the game. Who knew huh?

The Escapist : Video Galleries : Zero Punctuation : Alone in the Dark

Nothing further need be said.