Author Topic: Space Siege - Update: $4.99 to DL from GamersGate this weekend (Reply 28)  (Read 6269 times)

Offline MysterD

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The next RPG from GPG and Chris Taylor will Space Siege.

Think Dungeon Siege goes basically into the Future and out into Outer Space



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Dungeon Siege blasts off, becomes Space Siege

Posted Jul 6th 2007 1:00PM by Justin McElroy
Filed under: PC, Action, RPGs

Sega announced today that Chris Taylor and Gas Powered Games will follow up their Dungeon Siege series with Space Siege, an action RPG set for a Q1 2008 release for North America and Europe on the PC.

A far cry from leather and swords, you'll be playing an engineer who can sacrifice parts of his humanity for cybernetic upgrades. How much humanity you're willing to give up seems to be one of the game's central struggles, with NPCs reacting to you differently depending on how human you are.

You're on one of the last remaining ships carrying humans after an attack on Earth and, as you have probably have already guessed, you'll be attempting to save the human race from being eradicated. Also mentioned in the release: A co-op multiplayer mode for up to four players. More info on the game is due in PC Gamer's September issue and (we would bet) during E3.
« Last Edit: Friday, April 24, 2009, 02:40:46 PM by MysterD »

Offline MysterD

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Re: Space Siege (AKA Dungeon Siege In Outer Space) is Gas Powered Games' next RP
« Reply #1 on: Sunday, July 29, 2007, 09:23:46 AM »
Preview from GameSpot on Space Siege; interview w/ Chris Taylor.

They have a trailer on there for it, too.

Trailer states it's planned for 2008, BTW.


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Action role-playing games combine some of the best aspects of action games (like killing stuff) and role-playing games (like getting piles of loot and having a stronger character that gains experience levels). Washington-based developer Gas Powered Games is no stranger to action RPGs--it created the Dungeon Siege series for the PC and Play Station Portable, and is now working on an all-new game announced at the recent E3 event, Space Siege. Unlike Dungeon Siege, which was a fantasy-themed game in which you could play as a wizard who shot lightning bolts at skeletons, the new game will be a futuristic, sci-fi game that may or may not contain skeletons at all. We sat down with the studio's CEO, Chris Taylor, for more details.

GameSpot: After creating the successful and well-received real-time strategy game Supreme Commander, why did you decide to go in the direction of a new action role-playing game?

Chris Taylor: We have a lot of experience in this genre, and wanted to do something that utilized that experience but went in a fresh new direction. There were so many fantasy RPG games made, we felt that space was not only the final frontier, but a refreshingly different one.

GS: Why the decision to go with a sci-fi setting, rather than the fantasy setting of the Dungeon Siege series?

CT: We'll likely come back to the more traditional fantasy setting at some point in the future, but for now, we thought it would be good to take a break and change up the theme, give players a taste of something new.

GS: What specific lessons have you taken from the development of the Dungeon Siege games and applied to Space Siege?

CT: We learned that longer games aren't as good as games that have a strong focus on character and story, and that are really well crafted and polished. We have really learned to focus ourselves much more than in the past, and really pay attention to the little details. And we've quadrupled our effort to bring the characters in this world alive, and have focused on world-class dialogue and voice acting. These things were luxuries before. Now they are a necessity.
Okay.

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GS: Tell us about the game's story and main character, Seth. How did you come upon the idea of a character that pretty much trades his humanity directly for power by replacing his body parts with implants? What does that add to the game?

CT: The story is a collaborative effort with everyone on the team and has produced a result we are all very proud of. We have created a character that hopefully everyone who plays the game can identify with, and really become attached to. It was a big deal to move away from the standard, make-your-own character system and create a character to tell a story about, but we have confidence that this is more interesting than a generic character that doesn't speak. Seth has spirit, he has a history, he's a real guy, and he's the only guy who can really save humanity from extinction. And whether or not he gives up his humanity to save everyone is an open question...a question only the player can answer.
Cool.

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GS: The Dungeon Siege games seemed like they were mostly about hacking and slashing and less about telling a story. Will this new game emphasize story more strongly? If so, how will it keep players' attention even while they're busy blasting at aliens and picking up loot?

CT: Absolutely, this is our biggest game ever to focus on story. And we are doing it in a very different way than standard RPGs, where the story is told "in town," inserted into bits of dialogue from the shopkeeper. This game has the story evolving at every turn, behind every door, and it's carefully integrated into the gameplay. It's going to feel very different, from a story perspective, than previous games we have developed.
Okay.

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GS: What can you tell us about the loot and items in the game and what role they'll play? We understand that Seth can upgrade his own body with mechanical parts. What other kinds of loot will he acquire? Will there be some kind of crafting or item-set system that lets players construct better, more-powerful items?

CT: Since it's a sci-fi game and Seth is an engineer, it's going to have a very different loot system than Dungeon Siege. It's not about finding stuff by the truckload and picking through it, it's much more selective and thoughtful. Seth will find bits and pieces of things and use them to upgrade himself and his robot companion, HR-V.
Cool -- he has a robot w/ him, too.

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CT: I think we went a little too far with the crazy amounts of loot in Dungeon Siege, and we'll be dialing that back to be a lot less insane in Space Siege.
I kinda' liked the crazy amounts of unique loot Dungeon Siege had...damn...

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GS: What can you tell us about Space Siege's multiplayer at this point? Could you give us some more details as to how it will offer original adventures (not just the single-player game all over again), like the original Dungeon Siege did? How many players will it support?

CT: It will support up to four players, and again, this number comes from our experience on Dungeon Siege. We allowed a lot more players but found that four was the sweet spot, so we are focusing ourselves on that goal. Like you suggest, multiplayer isn't simply single-player with a group, it is a carefully crafted series of regions that are designed to support a multiplayer experience and allows players to jump in and out a lot more fluidly, and for a select amount of time. We are very sensitive to the fact that players don't always have hours to play multiplayer, and that, say, 20 minutes is all they might have. We are responding to this request, and like all our games, listen to what our customers want... It's not always apparent, but we are listening.
Interesting.

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GS: Finally, is there anything that you'd like to add about Space Siege?

CT: Space Siege poses an interesting question... Is losing one's own humanity a fair price to pay for saving the human race? I think so, but the question is, can you have your humanity and save it, too? I hope everyone tries!

GS: Thanks, Chris.


Offline Xessive

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Re: Space Siege (AKA Dungeon Siege In Outer Space) is Gas Powered Games' next RP
« Reply #2 on: Sunday, July 29, 2007, 11:48:50 AM »
Fonzy.

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Offline MysterD

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Re: Space Siege (AKA Dungeon Siege In Outer Space) is Gas Powered Games' next RP
« Reply #3 on: Sunday, July 29, 2007, 11:56:53 AM »
Fonzy.

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Seth The Human vs. Seth The Robot?!?!
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Offline MysterD

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Re: Space Siege (AKA Dungeon Siege In Outer Space) is Gas Powered Games' next RP
« Reply #4 on: Sunday, July 29, 2007, 02:32:47 PM »
CVG interviews Chris Taylor, as well..

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28-Jul-2007 Martin Korda talks to games development legend Chris Taylor about his forthcoming space-based RPG epic
5 Comments

It's an impressive list. Total Annihilation. Dungeon Siege. Supreme Commander. So it's hardly surprising that, as the first tantalising titbits of information trickle into our inboxes on a rainy morning, proclaiming that games development legend Chris Taylor (the man behind these three PC gaming leviathans) is working on a brand-new space-based RPG called Space Siege, we're tripping over our shoelaces to speak to him.

Fast-forward eight hours. After a day of RSI-inducing thumb twiddling waiting for Seattle-based Taylor to speak to me, I finally get to chat to him in his private office, rumoured to be situated in a giant robot-shaped tower made entirely of diamonds.

Also joining us is lead designer Daniel Achterman, who doesn't have any kind of rumours circulating about his office, but does know enough about Space Siege to fill two and half encyclopaedias. Large ones. With reinforced spines.

Pepped up on a caffeine kick that would kill a bull-elephant, Taylor is eager to dive straight in. Staying true to the frenetic action-RPG formula that brought Gas Powered Games such success with the Dungeon Siege series, he informs me that Space Siege is an intergalactic action-romp that sees humanity battling for survival against a terrifying alien race that could peel a man like a monkey would a ripe banana.
Alien race coming after us....is this Crysis meets RPG? :P

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WALK THE WALK
Stepping into the gravity boots of human hero Seth Walker - a combat engineer onboard a city-sized space cruiser called The Armstrong - you'll be tasked with single-handedly fighting off hordes of aliens in an attempt to save the last dregs of humanity from annihilation. And there you were thinking that you'd just have to mend a couple of hover-tanks before taking an extended lunch break and knocking off early for a session down the boozer.

While Space Siege will be frenetic, pacing is also set to play a major role. "In Dungeon Siege, it was all about using melee and spells to push through tons of enemies," explains Taylor.

"Space Siege's combat is far more tactical. You'll go into situations where you encounter aliens and you won't just take out your biggest gun and start blasting them. There'll be combat that's as frenzied as you saw in Dungeon Siege, only there'll be far better pacing this time around. One minute you may be involved in a really intense battle, the next in one that requires strategy."
Cool.

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Aiding you in your critical mission will be a brand-new control system, which Taylor believes will trump even the legendary Dungeon Siege interface. "You won't recognise the interface from Dungeon Siege," he promises in a confident timbre.
I dunno, but DS had a pretty good interface, if you ask me....
If they improve on DS's interface, that's even better news!

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"We're very devoted to simplicity and ease of use so that people won't be overwhelmed. The interface will evolve as you gain abilities and will also allow you to give commands to your HR-V robot - an NPC buddy-character who'll back you up throughout the course of the game."
Cool. I guess we got our own R2D2.

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MAKING A MESS
Taylor would be the first to admit that in the past, plot and characters haven't been his main focus when approaching game design. However, all that's about to change. With the games industry slowly waking up to the power of storytelling and believable, deep characters, Taylor and Achterman believe that they and their team are ready to join the burgeoning number of developers intent on injecting their games with entertaining plots.

"Man has colonised space. The first colony ship to launch from Earth was the ISCS Chrysanthemum in 2056," chimes Achterman, as Taylor sips his 14th coffee of the interview. "Over the next 138 years, 18 other colony ships were sent out, but none of the ships were successful in establishing a terra-based colony. Instead, upon their arrival to their destination, the colony ships converted into permanent space-stations. Of all the planets initially targeted as colonies, only Elysium IV was capable of supporting human life."

With the humans settled, they waste no time doing what humans do best - stripping the planet of natural resources, pumping the air full of chemicals and filling every TV station with vacuous reality TV programs about housekeeping. Or at least something along those lines.

Point is, the colonists end up pissing off the locals - a race of giant alien killers called the Kerak, which bare more than a passing resemblance to the giant bugs from Starship Troopers - so much that they wipe out the colonists, then head to Earth to do the same to the rest of humanity. If you've ever seen Anthea Turner: Perfect Housewife, you'll no doubt sympathise.
Okay.

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STRONG OF ARM
With Earth on the brink of annihilation, only one human ship full of refugees - The Armstrong - escapes the blanket of Kerak warships pummelling Earth from orbit. "Earth ships are escaping like crazy trying to get off the planet, but the Kerak destroy them," explains Taylor. "Your ship barely escapes, but the aliens manage to send an invasion force onboard before you get away."

Flying aimlessly into the void commonly referred to as space and with his ship infested with enemies, Seth Walker only has one choice, and I don't mean curling up into a ball and shouting: "We're all gonna die, this is the end, we're all doomed. Whyyyyyy?!" No my friends, his and ultimately your only choice is to pick up a gun and start blasting some bugs.

"Although their appearance suggests otherwise, the Kerak are extremely intelligent, capable of adapting to any environment and are brilliant military strategists," explains Achterman as I press him about these alien killers.
Okay.

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"There are several types of Kerak warriors and each type fills a specific combat role. Drones swarm their enemies and explode on contact. There are also nimble, armoured skirmishers, bipedal Kerak warriors who can deploy advanced weapon systems and even an invulnerable monstrosity that barrels forward with alarming speed. There's no question that the Kerak are the greatest foe that humanity has ever faced."

But enough about the bugs for now, because I make it about time to talk more about Seth, a character who's a world away from the player-generated heroes that starred in the Dungeon Siege adventures.
Cool.

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WALKER SPACE RANGER
"Instead of a generic male or female character, we decided that we wanted a character that you can go through a story with," explains Taylor. "Seth is like our Gordon Freeman, only he'll be able to speak. He has a look and a history and there's something loveable about him."

Being the kind of bloke who likes to moisturise his palms with engine grease, Seth will possess a profusion of technical skills with which to thwart the alien menace. Resisting the temptation to return to Dungeon Siege's use-skill-gain-experience mechanic, Taylor and his team have opted to create a completely new skill system for Space Siege.

At your disposal will be a collection of abilities that'll provide you with bonuses, including reduced cool-down time for power shots and an increased blast radius for your grenades. It's a system that hints at a far more tactical experience than the frenetic and often mindless mouse-clicking mayhem of its fantasy predecessors.
Okie dokie.

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"The other way that Seth improves is by upgrading and customising his gear," expands Achterman. "He can find various materials in containers, or by defeating enemies, like scraps of metal, various chemicals and pieces of alien technology. He can use combinations of those materials to upgrade his weapons or armour. Upgrades to damage, armour or critical hit chance all use the same types of materials, so you'll have to choose which upgrades are most important to you."
Sweet.

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MORAL CODE
Now for the really exciting part. Bubbling beneath Space Siege's buffed surface, searing action and intergalactic conflict will be a moral vein that centres on morality and humanity. In a twist that would have an '80s perm feeling inadequate, it'll be up to you to decide whether or not you want to equip Seth with a collection of cybernetic upgrades that'll make him a more potent killer.

But here's the catch. With a Humanity meter tracking how far away you've strayed from your original soft-tissue self, you'll find that the closer you come to becoming a distant relative to RoboCop, the more estranged you'll become from other humans onboard The Armstrong.
Ahhhh....that's kinda' interesting. Cool.

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"When you start playing, you'll think you're in a very traditional RPG where your job is to load up your character with armour and weapons, then blast your way through the game," explains Taylor, rejuvenated by caffeine injection no.19 of the morning.

"We thought it'd be fun to bring in a moral choice question, to give the player a choice between going down the path of cybernetic upgrades and losing their humanity, or staying human. The more upgrades you install, the more your Humanity meter will go down. As you play through the game, you'll be romanced. You might find a large gun, but you can't carry it because you're not strong enough without cybernetic upgrades.
All about choices. Cool.

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"You may need a powerful robotic arm, or a lung upgrade to get through a chamber because the air is too hard on human lungs. From a gameplay perspective, the game becomes easier as you lose your humanity. The downside is that the other characters in the game start alienating you. They start treating you like Frankenstein's monster."
Interesting.

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I'LL BE BACK
Faced by this moral dilemma, which will feed seamlessly into the branching plot, you'll have to choose between compromising your humanity with these cybernetic implants, losing your mates and spending your evenings alone lubricating your joints with WD40 and making love to a Dyson, or opting for the harder but more morally rewarding route of maintaining your humanity. The latter choice will be akin to Arnold Schwarzenegger taking on the Predator, the former like Terminator vs Predator.

"We're not going down the Deus Ex road though," explains Taylor when asked if there'll be any similarities to Warren Spector's RPG classic. "Space Siege isn't as hardcore. It's a little more like World Of Warcraft. We've realised that the market is changing. Games are entertainment and people don't want to get stuck on games all the time.

"We want Space Siege to appeal to everyone. If you want to make it more difficult, you'll be able to go down the human path. If you're younger, the moral dilemma may not be so important and you may just want to become a cyborg. More hardcore players will no doubt want to get through the entire game with no augmentations, simply out of principle."
Cool.

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BILLY LOADSA-MATES
As Taylor alluded to a few moments ago, a supporting cast of characters will aid you in your attempts to thwart the aliens from wiping out the last humans in the universe.

Among these will be Gina Reynolds, a foxy communications officer - aka the love interest - a fiercely anti-cybernetic communications officer (you can see the post-coital arguments already). There will also be Dr Edward DeSoto, a cybernetic surgeon; Jake Henderson, a hardened soldier who'd do anything for Seth with the possible exception of giving him his last Rolo; and Frank Murphy, a washed-up alcoholic with a penchant for mechanical repairs.
Cool beans.

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Despite attempts to siphon more info from Taylor and Achterman, I'm informed my time is up. However, I do manage to extract one last tantalising morsel from them before they leave. Apparently, there'll be another sinister force at work within The Armstrong, which will throw the moral dilemma mentioned earlier wide open. Hmmmm, interesting...

Satiated by enough information to make an android haemorrhage, I bid my farewell to Taylor and Achterman as they head off to one of Seattle's 423,007 coffee bars for a cheeky espresso before cracking on with the game.

While it's still too early to make any concrete calls on how Space Siege will turn out, it certainly appears to have the makings of another top-quality title. Given Gas Powered's already impressive collection of hits, Space Siege's strong moral themes and a solid role-playing core, Chris Taylor and his team may soon find themselves with another gem to slap onto their sparkling resumés.

Martin Korda   PC Zone Magazine
Okay.

Offline MysterD

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Offline MysterD

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Re: Space Siege THREAD
« Reply #6 on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 11:04:27 AM »
Preview from IGN on Space Siege.

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Space Siege Progress Report
We'll take the cybernetic brain, the robot eye, the metal arm, let's see, what else?
by Charles Onyett

US, June 25, 2008 - Earth is destroyed. You're Seth Walker, a survivor on the last ship fleeing the wreckage and guess what, so are the aliens that blew up your planet. Good thing you've got a host of cybernetic upgrades, a combat robot minion named HRV ("Harvey"), and a wide array of weapons to wipe out threats and save the human race.

It's Space Siege, a sort of extension of developer Gas Powered Games' Dungeon Siege series. This time around it's just a single character you'll be controlling, though Harvey can be ordered around to an extent. Like most action-RPGs out there you'll battle through rooms of enemies, click to attack, snag loot from the fallen, and upgrade your character as you progress through the story.

Instead of a more fantasy world, GPG is keeping things on board the ship with Space Siege. Arriving at certain points in the game will give you access to certain mechanical upgrades like a cybernetic eye, brain, arm, and torso which you can choose to permanently fuse to your body or disregard. Swapping out fleshy bits for cold metal will give you statistical bonuses and access to a wider range of special abilities, but GPG says there'll be benefits to maintaining your humanity.
Sweet.

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For one thing, the game will feature different endings based which decisions you've made with the upgrades. NPCs in the main questing hub will react different depending on how many artificial bits you've grafted to yourself, and if you stay pure human you'll gain access to two special abilities otherwise locked out.
That sounds good to be, for the game to be replayable and all if you want to give it another run-through and try a different direction.

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Just from looking at the skill tree, however, it seems more beneficial to drop as many implants into Walker as possible as it unlocks nearly double the amount of skills in addition to giving you access to a wider range of weaponry. These upgrades are performed at special stations located around the ship, and have the bonus functionality of letting you upgrade your own and Harvey's statistics as well as whatever weaponry you're carrying around.

Doing most of this requires parts. It seems as though GPG is going for a streamlined sort of design with Space Siege, since these parts are pretty much the entirety to what enemies give out when defeated. They're not littering the ground with weaponry, armor, cash and various items or upgrades, just parts, which are added to a single total. And when you do get weapons, which happens very rarely according the producer we were talking to, you keep every one in a sort of permanent inventory, meaning you don't have to ditch or sell unused weaponry.

It's an interesting contrast to the droves of action-RPGs out there that seem to hinge on the "drop as much flashy crap as possible" formula and we look forward to seeing how it works once we get a build of the game in the office.
Cool.

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There's an online mode too, supporting up to four players working co-operative against enemies. It's an entirely separate mode from single-player and will have every skill unlocked from the beginning. Before setting out, you and those you're playing with will have to pick and choose which skills you want to bring with you. Those who finish the single-player will also apparently get to head into the multiplayer missions solo, treating it as sort of bonus endgame content.

Space Siege is getting ready to ship this August for the PC.
Okay.

Offline MysterD

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Re: Space Siege THREAD
« Reply #7 on: Wednesday, July 23, 2008, 03:42:09 PM »
Space Siege demo might be coming soon --- as in at midnight Sunday night/Monday morn'.

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Space Siege Demo Nears? [July 23, 2008, 5:09 pm ET] - Viewing Comments

There's now one of those countdown timer dealies running on NVIDIA's nZone that seems to herald the coming of an "exclusive nZone demo" for Space Siege, Gas Powered Games' upcoming science fiction action/RPG. The timer currently reads four days, a little under seven hours (and counting), so it should hit zero at the stroke of midnight Sunday night/Monday morning, which is an unusual time for such a release.

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Offline MysterD

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Re: Space Siege THREAD -- Update: Demo released
« Reply #9 on: Sunday, August 10, 2008, 04:18:55 PM »
Okay, I just played through the Space Siege DEMO already. Yeah; finished it already. Yeah, that was done in a matter of minutes. That was fast; real fast.

This Demo of the game really puts the action in action-RPG. The game's hectic as sin with its action -- and yes, its action absolutely rocks, as you'd probably expect. And, let me say this right now -- it feels more like an action game than an RPG -- of course, you still are in click and point mode here.

A lot of the conventional and traditional things we've known all about RPG's seem to be gone here in this demo. Don't expect manipulating Inventories around, since there really isn't a traditional Inventory here. Don't expect Inventories to overload size, so that you can't move around. Don't expect to be leaving loot behind, b/c you got too much already that you're carrying. Doesn't look like we'll be heading back to towns to sell tons of equipment, either -- we'll probably be selling parts? I dunno; no towns in the demo (but there will be towns in full version).

See, you basically start off w/ basic skills, armor, and weapons -- that's it. You don't really pick up whole pieces of loot, like in many other RPG's. No, instead, when you kill stuff that drops stuff or find stuff around the gameworld, they're usually just be straight-up "upgradable pieces." These pieces, when you get enough of them, when you get to a Workbench and you can upgrade, whatever you feel like -- your armor, weapons, base-stats, skills, etc etc.

Now, you can find other melee weapons and guns in the gameworld, but there don't seem to be a heck a lot of them b/c the few weapons will all be unique -- for example, I've seen a assault rifle and a chaingun. Though, here's where the RPG part comes -- they're both pretty upgradable and have a good amount of different things about them that you can upgrade for each weapon, too.

Also, the story seems well-voice-acted, well-told and well-presented, unlike many of Taylor's past games. There were a few in-game cut-scenes, which were all well-done. Not enough here to tell you if it'll be anything special, which I highly doubt, given GPG's past history of storytelling; but these seems to be done better so far than anything else he's tried.

Unfortunately, it's not the best running game. It looks good, but really at what expense? Everything on HIGH in 1028x768, my PC (P4 at 3.2 Ghz with HT Tech, 512 MB of GF 8800 GT DDR3 RAM, 2 GB RAM, Win XP Home) was in the low 20's -- no thanks. Dropping graphical settings of Textures and Models to Medium, but keeping rest to HIGH helped keep me always above 30 frames per sec. Hopefully, they can tweak the engine a little bit before the full version officially comes out.

Those looking for a click-and-point style action-game with a little bit of RPG elements, might want to take a look at this one.

If you want a RPG with some action elements, you really might want to look elsewhere. This won't be your ticket.

Offline MysterD

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Re: Space Siege THREAD - Update: Demo impressions from MysterD
« Reply #10 on: Wednesday, August 13, 2008, 01:42:24 PM »

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Re: Space Siege THREAD - Update: Demo impressions from MysterD
« Reply #11 on: Wednesday, August 13, 2008, 04:57:10 PM »
Sounds boring.  In fact, the review started to bore me, so I couldn't keep reading after page 1.

Eh.  This is about what I was expecting anyway.

天才的な閃きと平均以下のテクニックやな。 課長有野

Offline MysterD

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Re: Space Siege THREAD - Update: Demo impressions from MysterD
« Reply #12 on: Thursday, August 14, 2008, 08:08:28 PM »

Offline PyroMenace

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Re: Space Siege - Update: IGN and G4 reviews; Demo impressions from MysterD
« Reply #13 on: Thursday, August 14, 2008, 11:22:19 PM »
Does G4 even count as far as gaming critic scores go? That place is chalk full of trendy stupid gamers.

Offline Xessive

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Re: Space Siege - Update: IGN and G4 reviews; Demo impressions from MysterD
« Reply #14 on: Friday, August 15, 2008, 05:10:14 AM »
I didn't have high hopes for this but I do expect it to be an alright multiplayer experience.

Judging from the demo the game felt like a more sophisticated Shadowgrounds Survivor with a slightly higher production value. Speaking of which that game is awesome.

I'd have to agree with IGN on the voice acting. It's ~meh, passable.

G4 are right on the money about the controls. Character controls are strictly limited to the mouse with the exception of the dodge button (that's right there's a dodge maneuver). The game is built like a 3rd-person action shooter but completely lacks the controls to pull it off. The only aspect that gives it a RPG feel is the upgrading/stats etc. If they give it the control scheme of Shadowgrounds Survivor it'll play a lot smoother and a lot more fun!

Offline MysterD

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Re: Space Siege - Update: IGN and G4 reviews; Demo impressions from MysterD
« Reply #15 on: Friday, August 15, 2008, 01:37:51 PM »
From the demo, I really don't know if Space Siege should've been dubbed an action-RPG.
Maybe calling it an Action game would've made some more sense?

Despite it do having some RPG elements, from the demo, it just doesn't seem to have them as much as the usual action-RPG's -- such as Silverfall, Dungeon Siege, TQ and Diablo II.

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Re: Space Siege - Update: IGN and G4 reviews; Demo impressions from MysterD
« Reply #16 on: Saturday, August 16, 2008, 01:45:51 AM »
I forgot to mention that the camera is f*cking irritating. You can rotate it horizontally but you can't tilt it vertically. Everything is just out of sight and all I want is to just tilt the camera so I can see it but NOO I have to move the character all the way there.

The zoom function is crap too. You have two zoom modes basically: zoomed out and zoomed in. Both views suck because you can't control the camera's vertical axis.

Coming back to the controls, I've run into a few scenarios where I'm being raided by Kerak (the baddies) and my natural instinct was to push S to I can back up as I shoot. Sadly that only zoomed the camera out slightly. How do I move back? Well, apparently I have to rotate the camera 180 degrees, and click the left mouse button off its hinge.

Now here's the real kicker with the dodge key. Seth dodges in the direction he's facing. So if you're facing North and you're being shot at from there pressing dodge will only catch a few more shots, logically you have to dodge sideways. Can I push A or D to strafe and dodge while I'm at it? Nope, I have to point Seth in the right direction by clicking on the floor first then telling him to dodge.

The controls are very frustrating and can take a while to remember that even though you're playing what feels like an action game your character will not respond that way.

Offline MysterD

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Re: Space Siege - Update: IGN and G4 reviews; Demo impressions from MysterD
« Reply #17 on: Saturday, August 16, 2008, 05:35:35 AM »
I didn't like the fact the camera was restricted, as well -- unlike the Dungeon Siege games.
I'm sorry, but NWN Series is one of the best at letting the camera be moved ANY WAY you wish.
More 3rd person click-and-point games should take cues from that.

EDIT, 8-16-2008:
More Reviews
2.5 stars from GameSpy (out of 5 stars)
C- from Jeff Green of 1Up
« Last Edit: Saturday, August 16, 2008, 07:36:25 AM by MysterD »

Offline Xessive

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Re: Space Siege - Update: IGN and G4 reviews; Demo impressions from MysterD
« Reply #18 on: Saturday, August 16, 2008, 09:08:38 AM »
Despite how short the demo is I feel it pretty much covered the visuals, controls, and general flow of the game.

From what I saw of the art and design it really looks like they should have just made a new Crusader game! The scale and style just brought it all back to me! The uniforms of the scientists, the bodies scattered throughout the levels, it really would have been a great to see the Silencer revived.


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Re: Space Siege - Update: IGN and G4 reviews; Demo impressions from MysterD
« Reply #19 on: Saturday, August 16, 2008, 09:22:39 AM »
Pssh, I don't think the game could be anywhere near that good.  I might actually play a new Crusader, but Space Siege looks like a giant yawn-fest.

天才的な閃きと平均以下のテクニックやな。 課長有野

Offline Xessive

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Re: Space Siege - Update: IGN and G4 reviews; Demo impressions from MysterD
« Reply #20 on: Saturday, August 16, 2008, 11:51:41 AM »
Pssh, I don't think the game could be anywhere near that good.  I might actually play a new Crusader, but Space Siege looks like a giant yawn-fest.
Yeah, it's pretty dull. Judging from the reviews they match up with my experience in the demo.

I generally expect more from Chris Taylor and Space Siege feels like a rushed/half-assed project.

Man, I really would love a new Crusader game.

Offline MysterD

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Re: Space Siege - Update: IGN and G4 reviews; Demo impressions from MysterD
« Reply #21 on: Saturday, August 16, 2008, 07:45:16 PM »
I generally expect more from Chris Taylor and Space Siege feels like a rushed/half-assed project.
Maybe the game would've went over better if it was half-priced (Budget Priced at $20 US dollars).

Offline Xessive

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Re: Space Siege - Update: IGN and G4 reviews; Demo impressions from MysterD
« Reply #22 on: Sunday, August 17, 2008, 05:19:02 AM »
Maybe the game would've went over better if it was half-priced (Budget Priced at $20 US dollars).
As it stands the game really feels like a low budget production. I think anyone even mildly interested shouldn't consider it until it hits the bargain bins.

I haven't tried it but I expect the Multiplayer to be the real prize (if any) from Space Siege. Sadly, there are no visual character customizations at all.

Offline MysterD

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Re: Space Siege - Update: IGN and G4 reviews; Demo impressions from MysterD
« Reply #23 on: Sunday, August 17, 2008, 09:45:20 AM »
As it stands the game really feels like a low budget production. I think anyone even mildly interested shouldn't consider it until it hits the bargain bins.
I liked the action in the demo, but yeah -- from the reviews, it doesn't sound like it has much to offer at $40-50.

Quote
I haven't tried it but I expect the Multiplayer to be the real prize (if any) from Space Siege. Sadly, there are no visual character customizations at all.
No character customizations visually for MP?
Ummm....lazy...?

Offline Xessive

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Re: Space Siege - Update: IGN and G4 reviews; Demo impressions from MysterD
« Reply #24 on: Sunday, August 17, 2008, 10:22:31 AM »

No character customizations visually for MP?
Ummm....lazy...?


Nothing aside from choosing a character name. There were so many more options in Dungeon Siege, including server options.

Offline MysterD

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Re: Space Siege - Update: IGN and G4 reviews; Demo impressions from MysterD
« Reply #25 on: Sunday, August 17, 2008, 10:27:32 AM »
Nothing aside from choosing a character name. There were so many more options in Dungeon Siege, including server options.

Damn; why didn't they just port over the DS MP features into Space Siege from the start and then just work from that to improving Space Siege's MP options and stuff??

Offline MysterD

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« Last Edit: Sunday, August 31, 2008, 06:58:09 AM by MysterD »

Offline MysterD

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Re: Space Siege - Update: IGN and G4 reviews; Demo impressions from MysterD
« Reply #27 on: Wednesday, December 03, 2008, 08:31:12 PM »
As it stands the game really feels like a low budget production. I think anyone even mildly interested shouldn't consider it until it hits the bargain bins.
My copy of this arrived Saturday. Been playing it, here and there since. Beat it tonight.

My choices, if this even matters...
(click to show/hide)

As an action game with some RPG elements, it's action-packed. I basically plowed through it and couldn't put it down. See, it's not a horrible game. I actually liked the story, presentation, characters, and voice-acting. Nothing fancy, but purely told straight forward. If this is saying much, b/c the story's probably so linear and focused, this is some of the best storytelling coming from a GPG-made Game (since say DS2: Broken World) -- it's actually solid here in Space Siege.

But, labeling this an RPG on the box? Are you kidding me? There's barely any choices here to change the storyline/plot. And from what I've heard, barely any consequences, either -- regardless of what path you take. So, already, this game's not labeled correctly by its publisher and developer.

On the stat-building RPG aspect, there's the constant upgrading of your skills and the equipment you will always have on -- but that's it. You don't find different equipment galore and swap it out like crazy -- this is not Dungeon Siege. In Space Siege, you don't find different equipment that you can upgrade and you don't find pieces to make new equipment yourself that could possibly be upgradable, too -- this is not Silverfall: Earth Awakening. To dub Space Siege even an action-RPG, it could've used these elements -- b/c that was what made those action-RPG's worthy of that label.

Space Siege is really a click-and-point action game -- with a little bit of RPG elements. I don't even know if it's enough to be considered an Action-RPG, given how most Action-RPG's act. You don't loot for new equipment; you just pick up "parts" that you can get to upgrade you and your robot's current weapons (see Shadowgrounds), upgrade your current armor, and use them parts to get make certain items (a la Bioshock). Finish an "objective/quest", you get skill points to spend on upgrading whatever skills you want in the skill tree (see Titan Quest or Silverfall).

There's no control reconfiguration allowed -- um, WTF? You're stuck with what it is. Good thing the default controls are just fine, if you ask me.

I pretty much nailed what it was, when I spoke of the demo -- in the gameplay and all of that jazz. It's a (click-and-point) action game with a few RPG elements. Taken that way, it's worth your time -- if you can find it in Bargain Bins. ($20 or less).

Don't come here looking for a RPG game (which the box calls it, for some blasted reason), though...if you do, you'll be VERY, VERY disappointed.

Offline MysterD

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Offline Quemaqua

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Re: Space Siege - Update: $4.99 to DL from GamersGate this weekend (Reply 28)
« Reply #29 on: Friday, April 24, 2009, 08:38:32 PM »
I don't think it's even worth that much.

天才的な閃きと平均以下のテクニックやな。 課長有野

Offline Pugnate

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Re: Space Siege - Update: $4.99 to DL from GamersGate this weekend (Reply 28)
« Reply #30 on: Friday, April 24, 2009, 08:53:19 PM »
What Que says. Someone should take Space Siege and throw it at Chris Taylor's lying face.

Offline Quemaqua

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Re: Space Siege - Update: $4.99 to DL from GamersGate this weekend (Reply 28)
« Reply #31 on: Friday, April 24, 2009, 08:56:51 PM »
I forgive him.  He made Demigod.

天才的な閃きと平均以下のテクニックやな。 課長有野

Offline Pugnate

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Re: Space Siege - Update: $4.99 to DL from GamersGate this weekend (Reply 28)
« Reply #32 on: Friday, April 24, 2009, 09:01:05 PM »
You have 10,000+ posts. My goodness.

edit:

Yes, I just noticed.

Offline Quemaqua

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Re: Space Siege - Update: $4.99 to DL from GamersGate this weekend (Reply 28)
« Reply #33 on: Friday, April 24, 2009, 09:13:07 PM »
So I do.  Apparently I am also a "Forum god".  That's pretty sweet.  Do I get powers and stuff?

天才的な閃きと平均以下のテクニックやな。 課長有野

Offline Pugnate

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Re: Space Siege - Update: $4.99 to DL from GamersGate this weekend (Reply 28)
« Reply #34 on: Friday, April 24, 2009, 09:49:47 PM »
You can punch D through his monitor screen.

Offline Xessive

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Re: Space Siege - Update: $4.99 to DL from GamersGate this weekend (Reply 28)
« Reply #35 on: Friday, April 24, 2009, 11:04:27 PM »
You can punch D through his monitor screen.
I'd love to have that power! I'd never use it but just having it would be appreciated.

Offline Pugnate

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Re: Space Siege - Update: $4.99 to DL from GamersGate this weekend (Reply 28)
« Reply #36 on: Saturday, April 25, 2009, 12:10:13 AM »
You would never punch D.

Offline Xessive

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Re: Space Siege - Update: $4.99 to DL from GamersGate this weekend (Reply 28)
« Reply #37 on: Saturday, April 25, 2009, 12:49:21 AM »
You would never punch D.
I like D! He's like a human RSS feed.. or cyber paperboy.. As I mentioned in another thread: he's got his quirks but that's what makes him D.

Offline PyroMenace

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Re: Space Siege - Update: $4.99 to DL from GamersGate this weekend (Reply 28)
« Reply #38 on: Saturday, April 25, 2009, 01:55:26 AM »
D better pray I never reach 10,000 posts.

Offline MysterD

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Re: Space Siege - Update: $4.99 to DL from GamersGate this weekend (Reply 28)
« Reply #39 on: Saturday, April 25, 2009, 05:17:01 AM »
I only got like 7,000 posts or so. Shit, I got to like try like holy hell to keep up with Que....

I remember my old AOG days....I was a post-whore like insane....even more so than I am now.
I just can't keep up with Que.

Oh, yeah -- punching me threw the monitor screen would not be nice, even though it's probably well-deserved...  :-\