Game News Silent Storm English demo finally

[protobob]

JA2 is a great game, sadly I've never had the endurance to finish it. Just gets a bit tedius. Maybe one day.

The strategic side of JA2 is fun, but I won't miss it in Silent Storm.

I just played a game (of silent storm) as the axis. I looove the scout class, with the stealth and all. Fantastic. With a silenced weapon they can stay stelathed if they have enough cover.

 

[Jed]

Does anyone else find the Silent Storm demo to be really fucking hard? I hope the full game isn't this hard, or else there's a difficulty setting below "normal."

 

[protobob]

Yeah it's pretty hard, though the more you play it, the better you get at it. Just takes some practice to learn how best to use the various characters, how the weapons perform, etc.

I just now learned how to aim at body parts (8,4,5,6,1,3 on keypad) and how to use sniper mode. Slick.

 

[Section8]

This game is my fucking daddy. After playing both missions in the demo I haven't got any complaints, and I'm fumbling for superlatives. I'm off to play some more. :D

 

[Sol Invictus]

This game is my new pet. But damn, when it bites, it bites HARD.

 

[Flarnet]

Everyone be sure to report their complaints to the developers somehow. I'm sure they like to hear them.

Damn, I've never played a low-budget (Hello JoWood) title this polished before. The tutorial, menu, interface, controls etc are pretty friggin close to perfect - and that's in a game that is highly complex in all those fields.

I personally don't care much for all that freedom I have with positioning the camera. I found myself spinning and tilting WAY too much when I should have been making strategic decisions.
They should just have locked the distance and the tilt. Camera rotation would be enough for me.

With a little more polish this could be a real gem. And a real gem in it's released un-patched form. Does that even happen anymore? I think I'm gonna faint.

 

[protobob]

Just cause JoWood is the publisher doesn't make it 'low budget.' I've played the Etherlord's 2 beta (another nival game) and it's just as slick on the ui/graphics department. Nival's got some skills.

 

[Jed]

As far as I can make a judgement from the six goddamn hours I played this demo yesterday, this game as near perfect as one of its genre can be. My only real complaints are all camera-related: I don't like the "reversed" feeling of rotating, I don't like that it locks (though I don't mind that it moves) on enemy turns, and in general it feels too "bouncy." Other than that, this game is godly, as far as I am concernced.

I think this game, among others we've been keeping our eyes on here, are indicative of the coming ascendancy of Easter Europe in the game industry. I've said it before in many other contexts, and now I'll say it in this one: Screw America. Our game industry has obviously fallen to "Hollywood logic," aka appeal to the lowest common denominator with moron indicators and freakin' cool miniguns with particle effects.

 

[Section8]

God-fucking-dammit. I just lost 3 squaddies to the very last wounded nazi, and it's all because I'm retarded. I'm actually learning to use my characters and weapons a little more effectively now, and also throwing a few targetted shots into the mix. (thanks Protoob)

I think the thing I love most about this game, aside from the loving reacharound it gives while delivering a good hard reaming, is just the sheer DRAMA and TENSION of it all. I don't think I've as yet experienced an easy kill, with the possible exception of a couple of Viper headshots, although given that the walls providing any cover for him are being shredded methodically I'd be reluctant to call them easy.

And I still feel as though I've barely scratched the surface. I haven't really used anything aside from firearm combat. I haven't done anything in the realm of stealth, booby traps, or even grenade work, although my little Indian medic managed to land a crucial one to save LA from certain death.

I really hope some of the "TB is dead" crew get their hands on this game and it makes them it's bitch. It's got a more solid feature set than your typical FPS, it's got some pretty slick graphics, but most of all it's actually got some substance for a fucking change. But, being 4am it's probably time I STOP playing. I have a big day involving even more playing ahead of me tomorrow.

 

[Jed]

Anyone make it through the first Allied campaign without a loss? I haven't been able to defeat it yet after three full attempts. First time I tried to keep my crew behind the burning truck and pick off the approaching Nazis, second time I tried splitting them up between the burning wreck and the building on the lower left, and my final attempt was to rush my whole crew into the same building, but alas each time I get down to about two fighters heavily wounded and have to throw in the towel.

I'd love to hear a solid strategy from any of you...

 

[MF]

This game just blows my mind. I love every bit of it.
However, I beat both missions on hard, and started to play Impossible. (I'm really hooked, this is better than Jagged Alliance (I liked Ja1 more than Ja2)!!! I never expected any game to be)

I have a question for anhyone who's figured this out :
How do I set traps? It seems as if the function is disabled in the demo. I can select the trap mode, but I can't put one anywhere. In throwing mode I can lob grenades all over the place. I really like using heavy explosives to bring down a piece of wall that supports a kraut sniper . Or something I did with Taras in the latter parts of my Hard Allies game, hiding behind a brick wall, blowing a nice murder hole out of the wall to shoot through. Great stuff.

 

[protobob]

I've had the most luck going behind that building. Gives you lots of cover from which to start picking them off. But yeah I've beat the allied map (with reloading, though) twice now.

.slight spoilers (demo)
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Also I found a secret 'tunnel' underneath the allied map. Go to the building past the fountain on the other side from where you spawn in. In the back of that building is a little alcove with a few boxes in them, blow up the boxes to find a hatch. Not very big, but challenging.

 

[protobob]

MF, from what I've seen so far traps have to be set on doors/windows. that can open/close. Perhaps in the full game you can put certain kinds of traps other places? I don't really know.

I just had a go at 'impossible' allied mission. Damn that was tense. Viper went into a building to snipe, next thing he knows, the whole german army is after him. He makes it to a top room, and proceeds to defend his perch from a long line of german wannabes. Pistol shots to the head kill the first 4, but the fifth manages to pull an smg burst on him

 

[axel]

I love this game.

But apprently it'll be released in the UK in september but in the US three freaking months later! (Both the russian and the english versions are supposedly completed already) I'll go find links to the threads on the offical forums where i saw that and post them here, if I can find them again.

Anyone make it through the first Allied campaign without a loss?

I've beaten both mission multiple times, and i've beaten the allies mission without taking so much as a scratch on anyone of my troopers.

A little something that will help you out, use the enter button to turn on TB mode, like for example, right at the beginning turn on TB mode and then you can semi-safely move your troops into the building south of the thruck. Take out the guy in the back room and the sniper at the thrid floor quietly (I use the scout) and you shouldn't have any trouble with them rushing you (and if they do rush you, just use Ramos and the grenidier, to hold them off from the second floor, grenades are really handy here :wink Then just get creative and move about taking out the nazis.

Also after beating this level, when it asks you if you want to exit say no. Then go to an alcove on the back wall on the south western building (the one next to the fountain) There are two boxes there, blow them up and you'll see a trap door, enter that for the secret level. It's a sewer like area with really hard troops.

edit: ah protobob beat me to it

 

[Psilon]

But apprently it'll be released in the UK in september but in the US three freaking months later! (Both the russian and the english versions are supposedly completed already)

Welcome to RPG Codex, where we fawn over only quality games. Special games. Games whose publishers insist that English-speaking Americans with PCs are not the primary market.

I'm half joking here, but look at the games we've been discussing lately. Escape Velocity Nova, Gothic 2, Geneforge 2, Silent Storm...

 

[Jed]

Welcome to RPG Codex, where we fawn over only quality games. Special games. Games whose publishers insist that English-speaking Americans with PCs are not the primary market. I'm half joking here, but look at the games we've been discussing lately. Escape Velocity Nova, Gothic 2, Geneforge 2, Silent Storm...

Just goes to show: The mainstream is a sewer.

 

[Psilon]

I'm not complaining about the games, but it's still irritating to wait, and it brings back memories of Arcanum.

 

[Jed]

I'm not complaining about the games, but it's still irritating to wait, and it brings back memories of Arcanum.

Who said you're complaining? They're all great games, it would seem...

 

[dunduks]

Khe khe khe, I'm off to the shop - the russian version is already out 8) Yay!

 

[Sol Invictus]

Damn you. I want that game so bad.

 

[headache]

Far from too hard. Definitely nicely challenging, requiring planning. I played really slow & careful and beat the axis mission on the first try (mmm... after a short false start) on normal difficulty without losing anybody (I reloaded a game once, after I accidentally clicked on the wrong guy to heal).

I relied on my sniper mostly, and was just as sneaky as possible, regrouping while hidden as soon as somebody (usually the scout who I put in front) spotted enemies. Used the medic (as well as others) to heal a lot too; I made sure he wasn't too far away. Seems like if you start the game on TB, stay prone or crouched + hidden as often as possible, and use max range weapons on modes with max accuracy, you can get the job done. Loved playing, but what I hope is that the full game has missions that need strategies that differ a lot from this plan. Then the challenge could be really intriguing.

Maybe the allied does... I'll try it now.

 

[Section8]

I found that initially I wanted everyone to be a sniper, but after a few more attempts I tried a few different things. I had a lot of fun with my stealthers, using silenced weapons, or preferably melee on throwing knives to make silent kills. At the moment I've become comfortable with most character archetypes, although I'm not particularly fond of submachineguns on non-stealth characters. The effective range is a little too close for comfort, so my subgunners usually end up sliding into other roles when a weapon becomes available.

Also, has anyone put the rocket launcher in the Axis mission to good use? I find by the time I get to it I've cleaned the map anyway.

 

[protobob]

Just as much as a SMG is not very effective, the rifles are less than ideal for up close work. I personally get the majority of my kills with ambushes. SMG's are golden for up close work on a surprised enemy. The machinge gun is also excellenet, and it has a little more range than the SMG's as well.

 

[Jed]

The Walther P38 is a great little gun I picked up in the last quarter of my most recent attempt at the allied mission. After the initial rush, I just used Elf to sneak around and ferret out the rest of the Nazis; when the first burst from her silenced machine gun missed, I would pull out the Walther and make as many shots for the head as I could.

I'm definitely a lot more comfortable with the game now; it's much more managable since I discovered stealth and targetted shots.

 

[Voss]

I found that initially I wanted everyone to be a sniper, but after a few more attempts I tried a few different things. I had a lot of fun with my stealthers, using silenced weapons, or preferably melee on throwing knives to make silent kills. At the moment I've become comfortable with most character archetypes, although I'm not particularly fond of submachineguns on non-stealth characters. The effective range is a little too close for comfort, so my subgunners usually end up sliding into other roles when a weapon becomes available.

Also, has anyone put the rocket launcher in the Axis mission to good use? I find by the time I get to it I've cleaned the map anyway.

Nope. It comes to late. Usually theres only 1-2 enemies left. It also seems less destructive than I expected- the explosive barrels (and the canisters in the shack) do far more environmental damage.

Though part of the reason I find it too late is the way the mission is set up- I've really only found one viable route- around the front of the train. After clearing the grenadier in the valley, and the sniper and machine gunner on the train (and only if the MG gunner stands up)

I find the submachineguns to be very useful in clearing buildings. Little use out in the open though.