Titanfall

[RooksBailey]

PC Gamer has a link to some closed beta gameplay footage that has been leaked to the internet.  I have to say that this game continues to look great. 

http://www.pcgamer.com/uk/2014/01/20/titanfall-alpha-footage-appears-online-may-not-be-around-for-long/?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=emp

BTW:  those of you looking for a SP experience might not be disappointed.  There was an article a few weeks back that said that the game is going to be limited to 6v6 humans, but there are going to be lots of bots on the map at the same time (I think more bots than players).  I guess the devs are keeping their word about trying to make this a type of SP/MP hybrid game. 

Still keeping an eye on this.

[Grim.Reaper]

PC Gamer has a link to some closed beta gameplay footage that has been leaked to the internet.  I have to say that this game continues to look great. 

http://www.pcgamer.com/uk/2014/01/20/titanfall-alpha-footage-appears-online-may-not-be-around-for-long/?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=emp

BTW:  those of you looking for a SP experience might not be disappointed.  There was an article a few weeks back that said that the game is going to be limited to 6v6 humans, but there are going to be lots of bots on the map at the same time (I think more bots than players).  I guess the devs are keeping their word about trying to make this a type of SP/MP hybrid game. 

Still keeping an eye on this.

Can you expand on what you mean by having a SP experience....I was looking forward to this game until I learned it was exclusive to MP.  How would SP work?

[RooksBailey]

There is no SP, just MP.  But the devs have indicated that they are going for a type of hybrid.  From what I understand, and that first vid shows, the matches aren't strictly Team Deathmatch but rather have a sort of story built into them where the players needs to accomplish specific objectives to win a game rather than just run around fragging everybody.  Also, they have indicated that there will be lots of bots playing alongside players:

http://www.examiner.com/article/titanfall-bots-players-and-titans-count-clarified

“Titanfall” is somewhat unique to the genre as it features computer-controlled combatants along with human players. Each of the opposing teams will also be allocated 12 bots each, which brings the total maximum count in a match to 48.

And here is just some background on the MP/SP hybrid:

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/system-wars-314159282/megaton-titanfall-to-have-multiplayer-campaign-wit-29416576/

Single-player modes in shooters usually offer a narrative hardly a strong suit for multiplayer but the differences go deeper. Campaigns are normally built around players going from point A to point B, instead of dumping them in unstructured arenas. As such, designers can create bombastic moments when players reach certain spots on levels. Its more difficult to incorporate those kinds of storytelling techniques in multiplayer matches, where a dozen players are too busy scrambling to fulfill their own in-game needs to notice a collapsing bridge in the background.

We really wanted to try and meld the two together and get our strengths combined and just make one big, deep, awesome experience that everyone could see all of, says producer Drew McCoy. We wanted to reconcile the two of those things together and make one cohesive game.

Just anecdotal, but some SP-only gamers have been won over:

http://www.oxm.co.uk/63353/features/does-titanfall-need-single-player-respawn-talks-bots-only-battles-and-winning-over-casual-players/

Heppe acknowledged that the results aren't for everybody, at least on paper, but told me that she's been pleasantly surprised by community reaction at hands-on events. "I've been watching a lot of casual players play, and people who've straight up told me that they don't play shooters online, and they've come away saying: 'OK, so I jumped on the back of the Titan and I shot him and then I shot up in the air and I jumped on this other one and then I ran on this wall' and so on.

"For them to come out telling me these stories, about what their time playing the game was like - I think it's a sign that we're doing something right," she observed, "And having those story characters with you through the whole thing, talking you through the mission..."

Heppe is also fairly confident that Titanfall won't be completely inaccessible to newcomers a few weeks after release, as is often the way of multiplayer shooters. "Our designers have spent an awful lot of time testing the usability, because yeah you're going to have the hardcore out there coming in and playing for months, and we have more traditional modes in the game so that they can do that with their friends, but for modes like Attrition - they've done so much testing to ensure that your average player can come in and even though they're not top of the leaderboards, they'll have a good time.

[Grim.Reaper]

Thanks, does look cool...

[RooksBailey]

More mech goodness:

The XBox One alpha of TitanFall has concluded and it looks like...we might have a winner! 

I really like how this game combines humans with bot players.  This is something people have been asking for in games like CoD and BF for a while now. 

Anyhoo...this might be a Day 1 buy for me if the good news persists.  There is an invite beta on the horizon soon, so I am going to definitely try to get in on that.

[RooksBailey]

Turns out that there is more than a little leaked alpha footage out there.  I find it interesting that EA hasn't pulled them.  This would seem to indicate that EA/Respawn is confident in this game, even in an alpha state (but it looks more like a beta to me). 

Nice!  I am assuming that "grunts" and "spectres" are the bots. 

[skeptical.platypus]

More mech goodness:

The XBox One alpha of TitanFall has concluded and it looks like...we might have a winner! 

I really like how this game combines humans with bot players.  This is something people have been asking for in games like CoD and BF for a while now. 

Anyhoo...this might be a Day 1 buy for me if the good news persists.  There is an invite beta on the horizon soon, so I am going to definitely try to get in on that.

When did Nicolas Cage start doing alpha reviews?!?

[RooksBailey]

LOL!  You're right, it does look like NC!    :D

Fortunately, I haven't seen any worthwhile pre-order bonuses because this is the type of game that could get me to break my "no pre-orders" policy.  :)  I will never learn....

[RooksBailey]

Beta registration is now open! Sign up here!

http://www.titanfall.com/beta

[RooksBailey]

It looks like the NDA on TitanFall vids have been lifted because a lot are suddenly appearing.  I think it speaks well of the game that EA/Respawn are allowing so many videos to be made from the alpha/beta and posted.  I think this vid is particularly interesting:

http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/12/5404832/titanfall-gameplay-xbox-one-video

A lot of people are comparing TF to CoD, which is understandable seeing Respawn's roots, but this vid actually reminds me more of Battlefield than CoD.  It reminds me of some some of the more intense, combined-arms battles I've experienced in BF3.  That is definitely a good sign AFAIAC!

[Grimnirsson]

The pace is much more CoDlike than BF imho, so I can understand when folks compare it to CoD. This weird 'shoot and kill automatically' pistol looks a bit gamey...

[RooksBailey]

The pace is much more CoDlike than BF imho, so I can understand when folks compare it to CoD.

For me, BF has been steadily moving closer to CoD's pacing the last two iterations.  You don't really feel it when you are engaging from a distance, but with CQ battles it was definitely noticeable to me.  This is one of the reasons why I rarely played on the CQ maps in BF3.  It felt just like BlOps 2, but not nearly as much fun because the gameplay wasn't optimized for it. 

This weird 'shoot and kill automatically' pistol looks a bit gamey...

Yeah, when I saw that pistol in action, I was shocked that it was being allowed.  But people who have tried it say that it isn't an "I win button" as many fear:

The pilot’s other equipment ranges from the familiar – assault rifles, shotguns, pistols – to the more exotic, like the smart pistol. When you first learn about it, it sounds like a cheat – a gun that automatically locks onto targets and fires bullets around corners. How is that fair? In practice, it makes perfect sense and requires tactics to be wielded effectively. It automatically locks onto targets within range, turning red if a kill is possible. AI-controlled opponents, which help bulk out a team’s numbers, can be killed instantly, once a lock-on is acquired. That’s quite easy. But to take down a human-controlled adversary requires multiple lock-ons, which is much trickier. You must keep them within your sights for a couple of seconds and remain undetected, otherwise it’s very easy for them to turn around and take you out with a heavier weapon. It’s a cool, futuristic weapon and the balancing, so far, seems spot-on. When used strategically, it also allows for some great passages of gameplay. At one point, I used the smart pistol to target four Grunts while looking down from a rooftop; I jumped, pulled the trigger mid-air, and all four hit the ground before I even landed. Moments like that happen a lot in Titanfall.

I am remaining cautiously optimistic about this.  I do have some concerns:  long term support?, will a MP community develop around it to keep it going?, too much like CoD?, etc.  But it still remains interesting to me...for the mechs, if nothing else.   :)  Not only that, but I need a new shooter seeing how CoD; Ghosts is a disgrace, and I refuse to touch BF4 until the all clear is given by a majority of the community. 

Here is a PC-only preview:

[Grimnirsson]

CoD; Ghosts is a disgrace,

Here I disagree 100% ...

and I refuse to touch BF4 until the all clear is given by a majority of the community. 

While here I agree 100%

:)

[RooksBailey]

CoD; Ghosts is a disgrace,

Here I disagree 100% ...

and I refuse to touch BF4 until the all clear is given by a majority of the community. 

While here I agree 100%

:)

Wow, usually when I write that I get the exact opposite reaction!  LOL!   ;D

Are you playing Ghosts on the PC or the consoles?  I was referring to the PC version which I hear is poorly optimized and lacks a FOV slider.


As for Titanfall,  I got trolled by EA!  They sent me a beta invite...but for the WRONG PLATFORM!  LOL!  It appears to be happening to a lot of people:

Titanfall Beta invites hit a snag, more on the way

If you didn't receive your invite to the Titanfall Beta, you're not alone.  Apparently, Respawn and EA hit a snag when they started dispersing the codes last night, mixing up Xbox One and PC invites for testers.  According to Vince Zampella, the invite sending process was halted to fix the error, but invites are on the way.

According to a rash of tweets from the Respawn Entertainment head, "There should be a lot of keys going out today, assuming all this bubblegum and duct tape holds."  Zampella added, "There will be more codes released in the coming days.  The number really depends on how many problems we find."

Respawn is hoping to make the Xbox One and PC launch experience as smooth as possible in this apparent stress test for the shooter. 

I am told replacement codes are being sent out within two hours.  Fingers crossed.  If I have a good experience, this could get me to make a pre-order!

[W8taminute]

Just jumping in here to comment on COD: Ghosts.  It's a great game.  I play both on 360 and PS4.  I've never played a shooter where I wasn't constantly getting pwned by some idiot 13 year old spawn camper until Ghosts.  The pacing in Ghosts is just right for an old man like me and the community is so far not full of losers.  I really enjoy all the different MP modes as well.  You can even play MP with just bots if you prefer so you don't have to interact with humans at all. 

I understand that there are a lot of veterans in the genre who probably are COD'ed out and sick of the franchise, but as a relative newcomer I'm pretty happy with this game. 


As for Titanfall.  It does look intriguing.  I probably won't get it though because I'm in the process of phasing out my 360, I won't by an Xbone, and I'm totally loving my PS4.