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Geek Culture / Prey the Game

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Black Mesa
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Posted: 27th Jun 2006 00:01
Has anyone played the demo of this game? Its absoluetly amazingly amazing! The gravity effects and the portals screw with your mind in so many ways. If your a fan of FPS games you need to download it.
spooky
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Posted: 27th Jun 2006 00:10
Got my PC Zone mag in post the other day and the playable demo is on DVD coverdisk (Prey demo is touted as a World Exclusive for the mag). Not got round to installing it yet, might give it a bash tomorrow. Looks really good.

Boo!
BearCDPOLD
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Posted: 27th Jun 2006 00:38
It's got some nice variety for an FPS. The portals to different areas and the gravity shift sequences are definitely a very neat effect. I think the most interesting thing involving gravity was the multiplayer. Being on the ceiling, blasting away at someone's unprotected head on the floor below you is morbidly satisfying.


I'm going to eat you!
Tinkergirl
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Posted: 27th Jun 2006 01:35
The music in the singleplayer demo is ace. Nothing quite as cool as Don't Fear the Reaper coming on while... well, you'll have to play it.

The portals didn't disorientate me as much as I thought they might.

Jeku
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Posted: 27th Jun 2006 01:39
I can't believe they've been working on this since '95

The demo was absolutely stunning (but I can only handle it on my work comp )


"I understand creative people. After all, I worked with towel designers." - Ray Kassar, former head of Atari
puki
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Posted: 27th Jun 2006 02:45
I have the demo but cannot muster the excitement to install it. I've seen screenshots and I don't think it looks very amazing or new. Looks a bit like Doom3 to me.

I'd rather uninstall Oblivion and then reinstall Oblivion.
Megaton Cat
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Posted: 27th Jun 2006 05:56
Looks pretty, but doesn't grab me by the balls after the likes of HL2 and FEAR.

Maybe gameplay will be good.


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Cian Rice
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Posted: 27th Jun 2006 05:58
Well... I hope to get the game when it comes out for 360, because I'm an unsuccesful achievment whore. =(

FoxBlitzz
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Posted: 27th Jun 2006 07:40
I played through the demo a few days ago. Really cool stuff. What's really fun is combat while you're on the wallwalk. I haven't tried multiplayer yet though...

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harrybarry
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Posted: 27th Jun 2006 07:52
i dont have a Gaming Pc so i cant even play it. I hope they put the demo on xbox marketplace.

Eric T
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Posted: 27th Jun 2006 10:49
Quote: "The music in the singleplayer demo is ace. Nothing quite as cool as Don't Fear the Reaper coming on while... well, you'll have to play it."


Haha, that scene is on my top game intro scenes of all time now

OSX Using Happy Dude
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Posted: 27th Jun 2006 11:02
I cant get terribly excited about it either.

Come to the last Unofficial DBPro Convention (http://convention.logicstudios.net/)
Dont do anything I wouldn't do. But if you do, take pictures.
TDP Enterprises
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Posted: 27th Jun 2006 17:23
do they have the demo out for the 360 yet?

Snow Wars is making its return, check out the Game Design Theory board for more info...
adr
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Posted: 27th Jun 2006 17:54
I remember seeing an article almost 10 years ago in PCZone about a game called "Prey". Is this the same game that started development using the build engine?

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Black Mesa
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Posted: 27th Jun 2006 18:42
Yep, the very same. A development this long makes me have hope for Duke Nukem (Taking)Forever. I love the soundtrack, it was hilarious hearing judas priest playing with the alien going "Turn it off"
Jeku
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Posted: 27th Jun 2006 20:22
Funny thing is this game was in development by 3DRealms, the kings of late games.

Seriously, play the demo, it is pretty sweet. It's amazing how you can walk up walls, then you get disoriented and don't know what's up. Funny when you kill a baddie in front of you and he flies up to the ceiling hehehe.


"I understand creative people. After all, I worked with towel designers." - Ray Kassar, former head of Atari
Richard Davey
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Posted: 27th Jun 2006 22:32
I got the demo on PC Zone too, but I haven't installed it either - I dunno, it just didn't look very good! But if enough people here rate it then I may give it a try. Looks like YAFPSG to me though!

The DVD did contain Phoenicas (the dbpro game) which was cool, although the rating it got wasn't (it was too expensive, which I'd agree with).

It also contained a 14 day trial of Auto Assault, which I did install and have had an absolute blast on! Superb fun

Bite my shiny metal ass
Zone Chicken
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Posted: 27th Jun 2006 23:11 Edited at: 27th Jun 2006 23:14
Still waiting for the 360 demo before i decide to preorder or not, the demo was supposed to hit the market place last week and ms delayed it for quality control testing. :/ (at least thats the rumor going around)
From the clips and images i've seen the game looks tight but pics can be deceiving so i want to play it first.

Cian Rice
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Posted: 28th Jun 2006 00:05
http://pc.ign.com/articles/712/712012p1.html

Anyone read this? Gives some hope on DNF.

P.S: Mold Rat, that is the most amusing avatar... ever.

BearCDPOLD
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Posted: 28th Jun 2006 10:56
I admit, I haven't finished HL2, and didn't buy F.E.A.R. or Doom 3. I played the FEAR demo as well as the full version at a friend's, and I played Doom 3 at lan houses for a bit. I find them quite boring in comparison to Prey.


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Pincho Paxton
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Posted: 28th Jun 2006 11:41 Edited at: 28th Jun 2006 11:41
Prey is the most atmospheric, in the film game I have ever played. There will probably be a film, and a rollercoaster ride called Prey. I cared about the girl, I cared about the old man, I was actually angry at the aliens. I wanted to shoot their brains out! The music was great.... Don't fear the Reaper.

Only gripes is that the man's head doesn't turn in the mirror when he looks around.

Zone Chicken
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Posted: 1st Jul 2006 04:30
Just finished playing the single player portion for 360 must say i was impressed. Not so much the graphically since it is comparable to quake 4/doom 3 but the story / level designs are quite intriguing, and i have to know the rest of it now, so i just preordered it. Time to go check out the multiplayer portion of the demo.

TDP Enterprises
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Posted: 1st Jul 2006 04:55 Edited at: 1st Jul 2006 05:03
its out for 360????????

**runs, turns on xbox- 1.17gb!!! - "oh well," downloads anyways...**



EDIT: 43%...

Snow Wars is making its return, check out the Game Design Theory board for more info...
TDP Enterprises
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Posted: 1st Jul 2006 18:41
Just played the demo, very nice, and long, took me a good hour or more. The ambience is pretty good, and it has some interesting gameplay, but it all boils down to the same old same old FPS gameplay...I'll wait for the full game to see...

Snow Wars is making its return, check out the Game Design Theory board for more info...
Jeku
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Posted: 1st Jul 2006 20:54 Edited at: 1st Jul 2006 20:54
How can you call gravity walls and teleporting the "same old FPS gameplay"?

I just played through the 360 version last night, and I was getting a little sick. This is the absolute *first* time in my life I got sick from a video game. All the running up walls was giving me a small case of vertigo


"I understand creative people. After all, I worked with towel designers." - Ray Kassar, former head of Atari
TDP Enterprises
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Posted: 1st Jul 2006 21:29
Quote: "How can you call gravity walls and teleporting the "same old FPS gameplay"?"

It doesnt chnage much when it comes to killing things, the only thing that has changed is the fact that now "oh hes on the cieling, better aim up"

Snow Wars is making its return, check out the Game Design Theory board for more info...
Tinkergirl
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Posted: 1st Jul 2006 22:25
I'll partially agree with TDP on this one - while the human-fly-impersonation thing is all cool (and I do like it, its a nice change) the core shooting mechanic is very plain. I hope they improve it for the full release, but in the demo, it's very much the case that the AI stands still and shoots you from the open.

Either that, or they're putting all their eggs in the multiplayer basket.

TDP Enterprises
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Posted: 2nd Jul 2006 00:11 Edited at: 2nd Jul 2006 00:11
Quote: "Either that, or they're putting all their eggs in the multiplayer basket."

Which from what my quick 10min fray showed me, was a poor investment of eggs

Snow Wars is making its return, check out the Game Design Theory board for more info...
Zone Chicken
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Posted: 2nd Jul 2006 01:03
Quote: "it's very much the case that the AI stands still and shoots you from the open"


I don't think that the demo for the pc or 360 would be anything different except graphical since i have heard the pc uses higher res textures. When i played for the 360 the enemies where running around, would strafe behind crates, step out from the crates to shoot a round of shots and go back behind them.

Quote: "Which from what my quick 10min fray showed me, was a poor investment of eggs"


Yes i agree the multiplayer is crap for the most part especially if you play people on 56k but i have played several very decent games when i hosted them myself on cable and cap the level to only 4 or 5 players. The levels in the demo are fairly small as the final probably will be as well so there really isn't a need to have 8 players running around in there to have a fun game. (imo)

Dot Merix
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Posted: 2nd Jul 2006 01:55
Just downloaded and tested it out.. Had some pretty neat effects, i quite liked the gravity shifts in walking up walls and shooting from different areas... Graphically though, it's not my style.. What i mean to say is i've never been a fan of the -Doom- style graphics, with the different shaders they use -everywhere-..

Has some neat creative ideas though.

TDP Enterprises
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Posted: 2nd Jul 2006 02:55
yes its definetly not anything revolutionary as they were marketing, but it has some nice ideas, and the single player campaign might be worth my $20 when the price drops that low in a few months

Snow Wars is making its return, check out the Game Design Theory board for more info...
Les Horribres
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Posted: 2nd Jul 2006 21:55
Ugg... this demo appearantly doesn't support chipsets... or at least not Radeon Xpress 200M. Looks a bit like a shadow system I would guess. The issue is that areas of the textures are painted over with some black, the black dynamically changes when you change position but is allways the same when you go back to the same position.

So, I guess, shadow system.

Then there is the fact that the minimum requirements are NOT the min requirements. I definatly need more ram, but having a screwed up MB or BIOS appearantly won't let me upgrade.

The thing is that even at absolute minimum settings the game insists on maintaining a high quality appearance. Even further more, the sound doesn't seem to go the same speed as the animations... and with no way to stop the animation it got very borring.

Just ONCE I wish games would... allow the plr to fully customize the settings.
Do I really NEED the high quality textures. Stop being idiotic when making games you companies.

More and more of a configuration control menu is vanishing and the changes aren't that signifigant. It is like low quality textures are generally the same as the high quality now with some exceptions here and there.

How hard would it be to allow a game to 'dumber up' and revert to an secondary lowend engine instead of making minor tweeks that don't do crap.

Physics is da-bomb but you can reduce the number of active objects. You can revert to older less complex algorithms then use newer more accurate ones.

But the general trend is to not care about such small descrepancys and to force the games full load on a persons computer. It gets very annoying.

I know my computer can handle games like HL2 and if it couldn't I also know that they can go down to extreamly low res textures. The guns could become blobs that you couldn't even reconize (although I refuse to play that way if I get a decent 30-40 fps) Where is that in this game?

Why insist that everyone has a high end machine? Allow people who want the hq content to use it, and people who want the lq content to use that.



What I just said.

Games are no longer allowing people to run their games on any computer. This can easily be fixed by allowing REAL changes in game quality. Allowing the glitter to be numbed out (such as physics, dynamic shadows, dynamic lights) instead of running them with high end algorithms. Game Companys should NOT view all people as highend proformance machines but see those who need a little lower quality instead of hq being 1024 and lq being 512, try 128 instead.

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Tinkergirl
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Posted: 2nd Jul 2006 22:11
Games drive hardware sales - hardware likes it that way.
It takes longer to create make more performance options, more textures, etc. It increases the bug testing time MASSIVELY (as each possible set of configurations must be tested on all common combinations of hardware, repeatedly, for the whole game).

Bottom line though - Publishers don't want to let you make your game look rubbish. Players want the game to look cutting edge (or they won't buy it) and seeing just one person playing it in blob-mode could put them off.

Maybe they could have done more, but when you make a game, you make it to a spec - trying to make it work on more and more machines just gives you a headache and pushes your deadline back, expensive things, deadlines.
(Sorry, felt like defending a fellow-game-company)

Eric T
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Posted: 2nd Jul 2006 22:15
Well, you know merranvo, technology advances... people upgrade the hardware, games take advantage of said hardware. Tada...

Les Horribres
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Posted: 2nd Jul 2006 22:28
The only thing I can take solice in is that I know (hope) that the engine isn't finished if they haven't tested it on chipsets.

But the thing that was really irking me is that there is NO noticable difference, in several games, of hq textures and lq textures. Now maybe if I had a big expensive lcd screen I might see it, but currently I don't. So when I choose lower quality textures, I want lower quality textures, and that can't be too much to test since it is a software application that allows it.

(sidenote: I wonder what quality textures they are using... where is a good pk3 extractor)

And tinkergirl... if I may, testing a setting shouldn't take more then 3 min. (apox) after all, the main point in setting testing is making a program to recognize when it crashes.


As for my comment about physics... yeah, probally useless. But after seeing so many games with physics built in but having very little use in actual game play... yeah.

This game probally uses more physics power then others so I suggested having a shortened more inaccurate algorithm as an option... and that still is software so it is just bugs.


Mind me if I am wrong, but don't they start off with low quality engines and models anyways?

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Tinkergirl
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Posted: 2nd Jul 2006 22:53
Those low quality engines you talk of, would just be the earlier versions - versions that are unstable and generally slow.
The low quality graphics would probably be the equivalent of the old "Half Life 2 Orange Levels" - placeholder stuff that barely looks like it should, but is the right shape. Media is not really incrementally improved - you get the artists to make it right, first time.

Testing settings takes time. You'd be better asking a tester though. I do know that you need to do insane things like ensure that it still runs, despite having left it on for 24+ hours, that it still runs after you've completed it twice, that it still runs if you overwrite a savefile when it's being saved to and all manner of bonkers extreme situations. I've seen stupid daft bugs that were randomly occuring on certain machines 1/50 play throughs etc etc. And it's not even always crash bugs - grapical glitching, sounds, streaming, saving, multiplayer (oh my, are there troubles testing multiplayer), and who knows what else.
Again, ask a professional tester - they'd know more.

Les Horribres
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Posted: 3rd Jul 2006 01:40
Quote: "Testing settings takes time. You'd be better asking a tester though. I do know that you need to do insane things like ensure that it still runs, despite having left it on for 24+ hours, that it still runs after you've completed it twice, that it still runs if you overwrite a savefile when it's being saved to and all manner of bonkers extreme situations. I've seen stupid daft bugs that were randomly occuring on certain machines 1/50 play throughs etc etc. And it's not even always crash bugs - grapical glitching, sounds, streaming, saving, multiplayer (oh my, are there troubles testing multiplayer), and who knows what else."


Strange... I would have keep thinking that the processing was the same for the majority of computers. If you aren't using any of the hardware output, that is. But I don't quite understand how... I understand how there can be errors regarding graphics cards and sound cards but how can one computer process something differently?



Quote: "The low quality graphics would probably be the equivalent of the old "Half Life 2 Orange Levels" - placeholder stuff that barely looks like it should, but is the right shape. Media is not really incrementally improved - you get the artists to make it right, first time."

Now this really confuses me. You mean when making a system burden game you start with your BEST media? I understand that the artists already have the media at a very high quality which is then converted for ingame usage (if at all). But would it make much sense to run an older engine at such high quality if it IS unstable and it ISN'T optimized?

I mean, you can only go so far with place holders, eventually you'll need to put the media in to see what you can do with it, what needs fixing and what needs changing. And even then it wouldn't be fully optimized.

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Tinkergirl
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Posted: 3rd Jul 2006 01:51
From my experience, placeholders last until they are replaced with the final models. There is no benefit to using lower poly models, or lower res textures because the code should be aiming for that standard. Put lower res textures or lower poly models, and the engine won't get a proper workout until later in the process.

In fact, I've seen artists (clever ones) who purposely make their textures bigger and their models higher poly, because it gives them a bit of leeway later on - when the coders turn around and say "We've got to get 0.25 of a frame from somewhere!!!" the artist has already banked on losing some polygons and resolution. You might say, well - they should have made it the right size to begin with, but then the coders would still have asked for everything to get cut down again.

So, short answer - there's no point in spending time making rubbish models, when you're going to have to get the engine up to that level asap anyway. Use the good models, put up with the horrible framerate (I've seen framerates of 1 or 2 fps) and wait till the coders make it better.

As for things working differently on different computers - even on this forum we've seen examples of it. The POINT command in DBPro works differently depending on your graphics card. Someone was using it to read in map details - that's whole maps that will work on some graphics cards and not others. Just as that happens here, strange mysterious things happen in other engines - some might take 6* your poly count to do wireframe. I'm reaching here, because I am NOT a techhead. Computer hardware is NOT my forte - indeed, I suck at it.

Megaton Cat
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Posted: 3rd Jul 2006 01:55
Ha, neber saw a game saved from 1-2 fps.

In HL2, the orange levels were still decked out with identical res images. They weren't there for testing purposes, they were there so the level designers had something to texture with while 2d artists cranked out textures.


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Les Horribres
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Posted: 3rd Jul 2006 02:13 Edited at: 3rd Jul 2006 02:16
Quote: "As for things working differently on different computers - even on this forum we've seen examples of it."

I thought that was browser issues.

Strange... I allways invisioned that when testing a game they would use lower demand media. I understand what you are saying with testing the engine and all... but it perplexuates me why people would deal with it.


Quote: "Well, you know merranvo, technology advances... people upgrade the hardware, games take advantage of said hardware. Tada..."

Said hardware is less then 8 months old. I can blame my RAM but not myself for not buying 3 different ones and persitantly having an error with my MB or BIOS (ram tested fine in another computer). In two more years said hardware can be consitered obsolute but until then said hardware should support said game because said person does not wish to spend another $1000 on a new laptop in said year.

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Van B
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Posted: 4th Jul 2006 15:26
I often leave the texture squishing till last - in fact scratch that because I always do!. I like to optimise the media then see what performance enhancements it brings. Also, drawing at double the intended final resolution then scaling down will give better results than just drawing at the desired resolution, a 1/2 resize does a good job of getting rid of jaggies you see, it's like a smooth function that doesn't make your textures look crud.

It really takes me to make media, so if I make a mesh it tends to be there for good - might finish texturing later after rigging and animating so that the model is actually useful for coding. We should remember that if we make a building, it might be in umpteen bits, or as 1 big single mesh, that needs texturing and UV'ing - because a lot of us use modelling packages rather than products like 3DWorldStudio. Like a guy working on a MOH map might through a basic street together, then work on detail closer to the middle - so in that case it's fine for him to botch something then go back to it, but to do that with modeller techniques is really so much more hassle. It's especially important for us, because we're much less likely (highly unlikely some would say) to have any concept or even a good idea for the level being made, so being able to cut rooms and doors from solid cube buildings later just makes for a neat and enjoyable process, pretty rare these days.

A DBPro cube is a project killer, the minute you use a coded cube for anything you might as well delete the project folder . Unless it's a lego game of course, in which case lemme see it!.

Aegrescit medendo
Jeku
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Posted: 4th Jul 2006 22:36
I for one enjoy how fast computers are advancing. If Prey makes my machine cry, then that is great, as I won't be happy until we can have the Star Trek holodeck in our living rooms


"I understand creative people. After all, I worked with towel designers." - Ray Kassar, former head of Atari
Les Horribres
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Posted: 5th Jul 2006 07:15
Quote: "I for one enjoy how fast computers are advancing."

Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't processor speeds currently stuck as is due to physical barriors (I am meaning as a single processor). And currently we are only optimizing our technique used to have the processor run? (hard to explain what I am saying, but you should know)

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