Alpha Protocol dialogues and screens

[fastpunk]

Fuck it, I'm really looking forward to this game. Sure, the dialog example isn't too interesting but I'll hold any judgments on the matter for later, when there's more info. Obsidian is known for those excellent 'sparring through words' dialogs, I'm sure they'll do that in AP too.

The theme sounds good, it's fresh, and if the gameplay turns out good (as in: if it offers multiple ways of dealing with things a la Deus Ex or Bloodlines) then this is going to rock. Granted, there are a lot of things that could go wrong, but after KotOR2 and MotB I think we can give Obsidian at least the benefit of the doubt.

edit: Anyone got a scan of page 47? It seems to be missing.

 

[Mystary!]

I don't think the mean material reward, but rewarding consequences, even if you opt to stay neutral. So, declining a "quest" or refusing to choose sides in a conflict, might open up another line of quests. Rather, like in most games, having to be either the good guy, and save someone, or beeing evil, kill that someone. Refusing to get invovled will actually prove interiesting, somehow. Just how I interpretated their statement...

 

[Texas Red]

Obsidian being able to work in a setting they don't have to push to the boundaries of silliness to get interesting themes out of. Can but hope.

What setting? And what story? You mean the Mission Impossible type of shit they have going there, something which holds absolutely no appeal and doesn't grab you? Why is D&D popular? Because it's fantasy and people want escapism, not this boring Hollywood crap. Most tabletop games are fantastical for a reason.

If I would have a computer that could run it, I would not even torrent it. I usually detest Bioware games but ME and JE look miles better. Why? Because they at least cater to the sci-fi/fantasy RP crowds.

 

[Hümmelgümpf]

Obsidian being able to work in a setting they don't have to push to the boundaries of silliness to get interesting themes out of. Can but hope.

What setting? And what story? You mean the Mission Impossible type of shit they have going there, something which holds absolutely no appeal and doesn't grab you? Why is D&D popular? Because it's fantasy and people want escapism, not this boring Hollywood crap. Most tabletop games are fantastical for a reason.

If I would have a computer that could run it, I would not even torrent it. I usually detest Bioware games but ME and JE look miles better. Why? Because they at least cater to the sci-fi/fantasy RP crowds.

Because a game completely devoid of any fictional elements is absolutely uncapable of stimulating imagination, right? The Fisher King has never been filmed and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas has never been written.

 

[elander_]

"Players are rewarded for any course of action."
This could be good - you shouldn't get the phat loot just by sticking to good or evil. But, I read it as if you're rewarded regardless of your actions. Which, sadly, is even worse.

You are reading too much into it. This is actually a good thing and it meens there's more than one course of action. I don't think he is saying that you can play like an idiot and get a reward but if you choose in take other courses (stealthy, tech guy or fighter?) all will be balanced and offer enough rewards. That's how it was done in Fallout.

The dialogs look well written and interesting and i expect to find lots of good dialog choices in the best style of CA, unless CA has gone blind by selling figures and truly believes there's actually something interesting to copy from Oblivion.

 

[Micmu]

This game looks like another shitty action Action RPG/shooter hybrid a la Mass Effect or Fallout 3, with idiotic things like "bag any chick you want" and meaningless dialogue trees.

 

[VonVentrue]

Thank You for having posted the scans, VD - I haven't stumbled upon them before.

Regrettably, I do share Brother None's concerns - the very concept behind AP sounded intriguing, it's a shame that the game seems to be heading in entirely the wrong direction... And oh gosh, aren't these dialogues horrible beyond belief...

I'll reserve passing judgement on this particular title until I've actually played it, though.

 

[Admiral Rimjob POOBUM]

Obsidian being able to work in a setting they don't have to push to the boundaries of silliness to get interesting themes out of. Can but hope.

What setting? And what story? You mean the Mission Impossible type of shit they have going there, something which holds absolutely no appeal and doesn't grab you? Why is D&D popular? Because it's fantasy and people want escapism, not this boring Hollywood crap. Most tabletop games are fantastical for a reason.

A new setting. We've seen what it's like on the surface, but we have no idea what they're going to do with the fine details of it, so to speak - look at KotOR2 for what I meant by a setting they had to push to the boundaries of silliness. I think we can trust Obsidian to give their setting more depth than "LOL BE JACK BAUER (not in space this time)".

 

[Dementia Praecox]

God damn it, I think I just bough all the PR-hype. I sense the fanboy in me growing. If my name was Ian "Rex Exitium " Miles "Sol Invictus" Cheong, this is where I'd start www.AlphaProtocolGuru.com.

"Players are rewarded for any course of action."
This could be good - you shouldn't get the phat loot just by sticking to good or evil. But, I read it as if you're rewarded regardless of your actions. Which, sadly, is even worse.

You are reading too much into it. This is actually a good thing and it meens there's more than one course of action. I don't think he is saying that you can play like an idiot and get a reward but if you choose in take other courses (stealthy, tech guy or fighter?) all will be balanced and offer enough rewards. That's how it was done in Fallout.

Perhaps I'm reading too much into it too, but I immediately read that as "rewarding in terms of gameplay". If that means that failure to do X results in interesting consequences [i.e] open otherwise hidden story/gameplay paths, then I'm all for it. I immediately thought of PS:T, where at some points in the game, you actually have to die to make progress in certain paths. [/galsiah]

The dialogs look well written and interesting and i expect to find lots of good dialog choices in the best style of CA, unless CA has gone blind by selling figures and truly believes there's actually something interesting to copy from Oblivion.

I agree whole-heartedly, I simply don't understand those complaining. It's perfectly in tune with my vision of the game and the kind of spy-thrillers they seek to game-ify.

And I have to say, this is the kind of game where I'm perfectly fine with not having an all diplomatic path/solution to every quest. I think System Shock 2/Deus Ex. But by all means, if it turns out there is: all for the better.

 

[Wilco]

Obsidian being able to work in a setting they don't have to push to the boundaries of silliness to get interesting themes out of. Can but hope.

What setting? And what story? You mean the Mission Impossible type of shit they have going there, something which holds absolutely no appeal and doesn't grab you? Why is D&D popular? Because it's fantasy and people want escapism, not this boring Hollywood crap. Most tabletop games are fantastical for a reason.

If I would have a computer that could run it, I would not even torrent it. I usually detest Bioware games but ME and JE look miles better. Why? Because they at least cater to the sci-fi/fantasy RP crowds.

For an RPG, a modern international-spy setting is something pretty original. Not to mention the fact that they are obviously cashing in on the latest James Bond reboot, which is slated to get it's second film released this year (big earnings boost means more games). Spy-settings seem to have just as much appeal as Sci-fi/Fantasy (that kind of explains the ~20 bond films, Mission Impossibles and independents), and why can't you find 'escapism' in a spy setting? To use the closest comparison (because I play RPGs for fun, not because I can't bare breathing), when I was a kid and watched Bond sneak, kill, charm and fuck his way through his many problems, I obviously wished I was a spy. Yes, it will cater to action-heavy fans, but that doesn't mean a good Shooter with heavy RPG elements can't be made out of it. Also, those while techno-helmeted soldiers looked pretty sci-fish to me.

 

[denizsi]

I just hope that they won't overdo a series of levels taking place entirely in SEWERS and WAREHOUSES, though I can see at least one shot featuring environments similar to both on one of the scans. Every FP game without an exception, features stupid and boring sewer and warehouse levels which are nothing but filler content. Even Bloodlines did it. Sewers and warehouses are just plain ass stupid, and after years of overexposure to one bland corridor after another and one bland room choke full of useless boxes after another with the occassional and retarded "secret" to be found in one random box, the whole thing is just nauseating to me. Just fucking no. Sewers and warehouses in FP makes me feel like puking.

I'm not playing any FP game with sewers and warehouses any more unless the game has convinced me earlier that it won't be just another drag of filler levels just because they couldn't think of anything else and that they could add a few more hourse to the game length. "The road is blocked, sewers are our best bet", fuck that.

Two exceptions were Deus Ex and the Russian campaign in Call of Duty. Sewers in DX weren't obligatory routes and served actual purposes on how you approached a problem. Sewers in CoD didn't take long and were done with style. Hearing German propaganda to turn Russian soldiers added flavour too.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Not sure why you're posting this now, VD, this has been floating about for a while. Those scans were in the last thread, too.

Must have missed it.

And, my god, those dialogues reads like shit. Fuck's the matter with the guy? Sounds like an emotionally disturbed pimple-faced teenager trying to score cool points.

Horrible. That "Yeah" line alone (in response to "Cute") has significantly reduced my interest in the game. What's worse is that both "branches" lead to the same result and they used that to advertise the awesomeness of the design.

When the three JB thing was announced, I hoped that we'll at least get a superior, more focused writing and style, but reading that was actually painful.

Fuck it, I'm really looking forward to this game. Sure, the dialog example isn't too interesting but I'll hold any judgments on the matter for later, when there's more info. Obsidian is known for those excellent 'sparring through words' dialogs, I'm sure they'll do that in AP too.

Then they need better marketing people.

 

[Dementia Praecox]

When the three JB thing was announced, I hoped that we'll at least get a superior, more focused writing and style, but reading that was actually painful.

No, come on! I definitely agree about the branching part, but I think the writing is spot on. Then again I love both James Bond and Jason Bourne (Jack Bauer can suck my prae-cock, though).

 

[Hümmelgümpf]

Horrible. That "Yeah" line alone (in response to "Cute") has significantly reduced my interest in the game.

Come on, two persons bump into each other and start flirting. This little bit of courting looks more believable than most pieces of romance writing I've seen in other games.

 

[Vault Dweller]

I humbly disagree. I like James Bond movies and Jason Bourne books (the movies were utter shit), but these dialogues failed to conjure similar characters. At least for me.

I'm not being negative for the sake of being negative. I loved the idea of the game, but so far each bit of info released was disappointing. Like most people I want to believe that this bit of dialogue doesn't represent the overall dialogues, but rejecting facts and evidence in favor of blind faith is always a bad idea.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Horrible. That "Yeah" line alone (in response to "Cute") has significantly reduced my interest in the game.

Come on, two persons bump into each other and start flirting. This little bit of courting looks more believable than most pieces of romance writing I've seen in other games.

Is it a flirting game?

 

[Hümmelgümpf]

Horrible. That "Yeah" line alone (in response to "Cute") has significantly reduced my interest in the game.

Come on, two persons bump into each other and start flirting. This little bit of courting looks more believable than most pieces of romance writing I've seen in other games.

Is it a flirting game?

You gotta be kidding. Are you saying there can be no flirting in RPGs? It's not like it's a mini-game or something. It's just a particular dialogue branch and it doesn't look out of place at all.

 

[Vault Dweller]

You gotta be kidding. Are you saying there can be no flirting in RPGs? It's not like it's a mini-game or something. It's just a particular dialogue branch and it doesn't look out of place at all.

Read a few James Bond movies scripts. See if you can find anything that matches that conversation.

Anyway, you like it and think it fits perfectly? I hope you'll enjoy the game.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

You're aware VD that Alpha Protocol isn't the official Bond game? I think that dialog is perfectly fine for two tired people, sitting in the plane that just have a chat.

 

[Hümmelgümpf]

Read a few James Bond movies scripts. See if you can find anything that matches that conversation.

Anyway, you like it and think it fits perfectly? I hope you'll enjoy the game.

How about indulging me and telling what you think is wrong about it instead of trying to be funny? I did explain my position, now it is your turn.

 

[Zomg]

Is all of that dialog generated by one tone choice between Mystery Method and Crawling In My Skin?

 

[Jaime Lannister]

You gotta be kidding. Are you saying there can be no flirting in RPGs? It's not like it's a mini-game or something. It's just a particular dialogue branch and it doesn't look out of place at all.

Read a few James Bond movies scripts. See if you can find anything that matches that conversation.

Anyway, you like it and think it fits perfectly? I hope you'll enjoy the game.

You don't think it fits perfectly? How can either of you tell when it's the only released dialog?

The dialog looks pretty much like a modern version of The Witcher, where not every line is selectable but the lines you do select are meaningfully different. Then again, I didn't play Mass Effect.

 

[MetalCraze]

You don't think it fits perfectly? How can either of you tell when it's the only released dialog?

you know that devs let only the best parts of the game get previewed? and that's an unbreakable rule.
so if these are the best dialogs they could find to show us - well uhmm

 

[TheLostOne]

Nice hat, Calamity Jane.

 

[Dark Matter]

Still, I'll end up buying it anyway, and it'll be nice to see Obsidian being able to work in a setting they don't have to push to the boundaries of silliness to get interesting themes out of.

That's funny, because that's exactly what they seem to be doing. The setting would've been cool if it was handled a little more maturely, but the whole "cheesy spy movie" vibe just makes it seem completely retarded.

Its perfectly in sync with the James-bond-ish setting that the game is trying to emulate. I mean what else you expected, "debate with chicks about concept of enlightenment"?! Ugh. Don’t perople play games for FUN anymore??

You're right it probably does fit in with the setting and style of the game. That's all the more reason to be worried about this game. If stupid things like "bag any chick you want" fit into the game, then you know that it's not just one misplaced feature in an otherwise deep and mature game. The whole game is idiotic. This whole "it fits in with the setting" justification being made by most of the people here is ridiculous. Crappy dialog is crappy dialog.

Then again I love both James Bond and Jason Bourne (Jack Bauer can suck my prae-cock, though).

Fuck you. Jack Bauer beats Bond and Bourne any day.