[PS3] Killzone 3 game discussion

[patsu]

The DLCs in KZ3 are used very often partly because of PS+ and partly because many don't like the built-in maps. ^_^

So far, I play about 50/50 between old and new maps.

If you can use the advanced classes, KZ3 is actually very fun. I see it as a mini-MAG. The carnage is incredible and it's easier to make a difference when you find the opportunities to use your special ability proactively. Have led a few come backs, and also push back overwhelming [strike]Imperial[/strike] enemy forces.

But if you play with noobs, then it may be harder to turn the tide.

 

[TEEDA]

Sorry if posted beforebut that looks quite impressive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHGhZ7aQwEE&

So that's how precise the Move is in KZ3 ? I understand now in different games why I saw so many snipping kills being chained. Looks really precise on the video below...or maybe there is alot of assistance with it.
And If I remember Guerilla mixed conventional pad gameplay with Move gameplay so both players could play together. Looks really promising, I might give a try in the next upcoming FPS using move support.

 

[RenegadeRocks]

The DLC is so beautiful , makes me wanna buy the game ! Wish they added co-op gameplay on those DLC maps, maybe like Horde, which one could play alone, splitscreen or online !

 

[patsu]

If you get the game, I suggest toying with the botzone first to familiarize yourself with the confusing maps. Real players are of course much more nefarious than AI.

Then try Operations. It's very intense, as your team is given a short time to clear the level stage by stage. You enemies are human players.

Then Warzone or Guerilla Warfare. I have been playing Warzone almost exclusively. Over here, you'll need to think harder. KZ3 is more a thinker's shooter because you can use your special ability to surprise, pre-empt, or initiate a plan. One doesn't really need to follow the objectives laid out by the game. It's not uncommon for players to bet/predict the mission and act accordingly. As they say, victory favore the prepared. ;^)

Also don't restrict yourself to just 1 class. They are all useful for different situation. At the beginning playing with your strongest class will probably allow you to level up faster/easier. You can spend the points to upgrade other classes. In latter levels, other classes may be more effective for specific goals. By that time, you should be an expert in all the KZ3 maps.

 

[patsu]

Sorry if posted beforebut that looks quite impressive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHGhZ7aQwEE&

So that's how precise the Move is in KZ3 ? I understand now in different games why I saw so many snipping kills being chained. Looks really precise on the video below...or maybe there is alot of assistance with it.
And If I remember Guerilla mixed conventional pad gameplay with Move gameplay so both players could play together. Looks really promising, I might give a try in the next upcoming FPS using move support.

In general, Move is more deadly at aiming but worse in movement. So far, I haven't noticed any inbalance against random players. As long as you keep moving in the game, it should be fine.

 

[patsu]

Replayed the 3D demo. Now I understand some of the KZ3 design decisions. It's like an epiphany. At this moment, I am pretty sure the game is designed and built for 3D and Move.

The snow level looked washed out and not so interesting in 2D (It's mostly white with snow and wavy ocean). In 3D, the environment is darker, shows more depth and contours. The snowy landscape becomes more interesting and textured. Aiming at enemies become easier too because it's easier to spot them in 3D. My eyes were not distracted by intricate geometries overlapped on a 2D plane. I suspect the other levels (e.g., the jungle one) will have a very different feel in 3D too.

The stereoscopic 3D effect is not perfect (e.g., I can see jaggies 2-3 times, and ghosting around Rico's head when the background is completely white in one scene). But the experience is very immersive. I enjoy the battles much more than 2D mode although 2D mode is much brighter and sharper. The rough sea looks more impressive as I perceive the huge waves, the entire sea, move up and down in 3D space. 3D mode has this rugged look that fits the war zone, so it's not too bad. In one case, I saw some far away boxes undulating while I ran towards them. At first I thought it's the heat wave near the exploded tank. Turns out to be some minor artifacts.

I replayed KZ3 before with Move and found that the pacing was built for it. The on-rail sections were especially suitable for that controller.

In comparison, the 3D effect in GT5 is more subtle. I have not tried the pebble road, the snow trail and the city tracks yet.

Sony's 3D TV supports 240Hz refresh rate, and is supposed to minimize ghosting. Would be interesting to see how it turns out.

 

[RenegadeRocks]

Yes, one can tell al the on-rails sections were made just for move. In fact, i played the whole campaign like that, Sixaxis for the normal game and Move for the on-rails sections. I would pause and keep switching between them.

Somehow, moving around with Move is too chaotic with me, can't see anything, or grasp anything. The game is already very busy visually. I used to switch back to sixaxis after a few deaths.

 

[patsu]

Yes, one can tell al the on-rails sections were made just for move. In fact, i played the whole campaign like that, Sixaxis for the normal game and Move for the on-rails sections. I would pause and keep switching between them.

Somehow, moving around with Move is too chaotic with me, can't see anything, or grasp anything. The game is already very busy visually. I used to switch back to sixaxis after a few deaths.

Yes ! That's another reason why I think the game is designed for 3D. In a 2D projected world, the geometries and textures are all laid out on a flat plane. They may appear cluttered as a result. In 3D, the landscape, items and characters are spaced out clearly. I could pick out the nearby objects or far away entities instantly even if they are jumbled together in 2D. I could single out hiding Helghasts amongs the mess in one glance and snake towards them. In fact I play more aggressively this time round. I used to stop and pop in KZ3 because the enemies are better at hiding than KZ2.

I agree Move movement is awkward though, partly because the navcon is ill-designed. Nintendo's nunchuck has the right shape.

 

[patsu]

Patch 1.11 was released while I was away: ^_^
http://community.killzone.com/t5/Announcements-Events/Patch-1-11-Freezing-on-Spawn-fix/td-p/1076413

•Freezing after respawn will be fixed in 1.11
•Voice chat for Squads now works properly. If checked, you can only hear and talk to players within you own squad.
•Co-Op Campaign - Pyhrrus Evac - Ground Zero - Fixed a Hang at the start of a cutscene.
•Fixed a bug in Custom Games - Body Count - When target was set to 300, only '50' kills were required to end the round. The range has now been changed from "50" "75" "100" "200" "300" to "50" "75" "100" "150" "200" and "250".
•MAWLR Graveyard - Operations - During the second objective, the user could access areas of the map that should only be accessible once the objective is completed. This has been fixed.
•Bilgarsk Boulevard: Fixed a collision issue at the HGH base
•Stahl Arms – Graphics glitch with the two large pipes hanging in mid-air in the centre of the map.

 

[ultragpu]

Did you notice much crosstalk for 3d on your TV patsu? I played on my mate's Sony NX model and the frequent ghosting or crosstalk was pretty bad. What setting did you have the 3d tuned at?

 

[patsu]

I use the default 3D setting.

Crosstalk/ghosting is noticeable when the background is too light (white). Otherwise, I don't really notice it. But the pictures can appear to crawl sometimes, perhaps that's a MLAA artifact but I am not sure. I didn't notice the crawling in 2D.

 

[patsu]

Killzone 3 patch 1.12 detailed:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-09-02-killzone-3-patch-1-12-detailed

The changes in full:

CAREERS:

Changed Marksman's scramble ability into an active ability - The marksman scramble ability now needs to be activated and deactivated via the d-pad, and has a cooldown period.

Increased tracking response for engineer turrets - The turn speed of turrets has been increased, allowing them to track players more easily.

Increased armor for engineer turrets (30%) - Turrets can still be destroyed by a single explosion from a grenade or missile launcher.

WEAPONS:

Improved StA-2 Battle Pistol - Detonation time for the StA-2 Battle Pistol's grenade is shorter, and the damage it deals is more severe.

MAPS:

Added realtime projector to MP15 Radec Academy - A realtime projector has been added to the theater room, projecting onto the large wall with two doors.

SOUND:

Toned down overly enthusiastic death screams - Aieeeeaaargh!

MATCHES:

Increased mission points in Warzone - There is more of an incentive to go after mission objectives now.

Doubled cooldown time on mortars - Cooldown time was increased from 30 to 60 seconds to avoid spamming the Search & Destroy mission area.

Fixed tournaments not ending as soon as one clan leaves.

Fixed clans being able to rejoin games that were already finished - Clans used these exploits to boost their game wins and climb the leaderboards.

Reduced wait time at end of the round - The wait time was brought down from 60 to 45 seconds.

Reduced pre-game wait time at end of the round - The wait time was brought down from 30 to 20 seconds.

INTERFACE:

Added menu option to disable Sixaxis-only actions - Sixaxis-only actions can now be switched off in the menu, so players only have to press 'O' to start an action. This will make Killzone 3 more accessible to disabled players.

Added map name to spawn screen - The map name can be seen in the top left, under the titles.

Patch 1.12 goes live on Tuesday, 6th September.

 

[Billy Idol]

Hm, played lots of this game online as my gaming PC broke

Is entertaining, although the fun is somewhat hindered by technical deficiencies: in tough action with lots of players the framerate is hardly acceptable...its a shame imo as the game looks really beautiful with sometimes astonishing graphics, the maps are gorgeous and well thought out and gameplay is great as well, leveling up is rather easy up to now (level 15 or so)...but framerate when its getting intense (with lots of players) and general online lag is sometimes really a serious downer...I had once a game where it took 20 seconds to register my actions...I killed someone, and got the points really 20 seconds after this!

it takes only seconds to find an online match, but I am curious how much the actual KZ3 MP audience is...as I wonder if the online lag is attributed to a lack of available servers, and thus servers with high ping are choosen by the automated match making??

 

[patsu]

Hm, played lots of this game online as my gaming PC broke

Is entertaining, although the fun is somewhat hindered by technical deficiencies: in tough action with lots of players the framerate is hardly acceptable...its a shame imo as the game looks really beautiful with sometimes astonishing graphics, the maps are gorgeous and well thought out and gameplay is great as well, leveling up is rather easy up to now (level 15 or so)...but framerate when its getting intense (with lots of players) and general online lag is sometimes really a serious downer...I had once a game where it took 20 seconds to register my actions...I killed someone, and got the points really 20 seconds after this!

Holy sh*t, you're the only poster I know who like the maps. Do you have the extra maps or just the built-in maps ? I like the maps too although some felt claustrophobic at first. The Snow Drift map is somewhat unbalanced, but after I have all the advanced classes, I managed. ^_^

it takes only seconds to find an online match, but I am curious how much the actual KZ3 MP audience is...as I wonder if the online lag is attributed to a lack of available servers, and thus servers with high ping are choosen by the automated match making??

Are you in EU ? I suspect the EU servers are more challenged because the region is quite scattered and hetereogenous. Perhaps their new Online Pass $$$ will help boost the server performance later.

 

[Billy Idol]

Holy sh*t, you're the only poster I know who like the maps. Do you have the extra maps or just the built-in maps ? I like the maps too although some felt claustrophobic at first. The Snow Drift map is somewhat unbalanced, but after I have all the advanced classes, I managed. ^_^

Really? I think the maps are really good. There are defined choke points which you learn really fast and get direct to the action if you want to...nevertheless there are several routes to every location it seems to me. Maps are huge, good variation of vast terrains and closed buildings...so, yes, I like the maps! I think it is also cool that they really vary in terms of looks and atmosphere and graphic style...and yeah, I bought all the available maps!

Are you in EU ? I suspect the EU servers are more challenged because the region is quite scattered and hetereogenous. Perhaps their new Online Pass $$$ will help boost the server performance later.

yeah, I am in the EU...some matches are really good, not much lag, but some are super choppy...

which class do you play patsu? I think that the healer class is really powerful...I am looking for my second class to upgrade...any suggestions?

 

[patsu]

Really? I think the maps are really good. There are defined choke points which you learn really fast and get direct to the action if you want to...nevertheless there are several routes to every location it seems to me. Maps are huge, good variation of vast terrains and closed buildings...so, yes, I like the maps! I think it is also cool that they really vary in terms of looks and atmosphere and graphic style...and yeah, I bought all the available maps!

The vocal ones in GAF who dislike KZ3 seem to hate the maps, amongst other complains. I happen to think that KZ3 is a thinker's FPS. It's less about reflex and control skills in KZ3. It's more about strategy and tactics. The maps can be unbalanced but not as harsh as MAG's SVER map. The maps can be cluttered visually but it's great for tactical movement. They all look pretty to me, even the extra-greeny one.

I think intelligence gathering is important in KZ3. Map reading, and spot + mark are pretty useful. I decide the next move based on time left, next likely mission, current trend (Are we losing this mission ?), battlefield control (Do we have enough crates and/or TSPs) etc.

yeah, I am in the EU...some matches are really good, not much lag, but some are super choppy...

which class do you play patsu? I think that the healer class is really powerful...I am looking for my second class to upgrade...any suggestions?

I answered your question here:
http://forum.beyond3d.com/showpost.php?p=1579597&postcount=88

I am more of a shape shifter in KZ3. I use whatever class I need at that moment in time. e.g., Spawn first as Tactician to claim spawn point, suicide and respawn as Engineer to protect the base (create rocket turret, repair crate), run to game objective to see if they need help, get killed and may respawn as something else -- like a Medic -- to counter enemies, etc.

 

[patsu]

Patch 1.13 released:
http://www.killzone.com/kz3/en_US/blog/news/2011-10-25_patch-113.html

Supports Simulview for Sony's new 3D monitor.

 

[RenegadeRocks]

Killzone 3 MP is coming to PSN as a standalone purchase for $14.99 !
MAG-like, it will be free to download but with a levelcap :

Interestingly, access to the Killzone 3 online warfare will actually be free, but you won't be able to level up past a given cap until you make the purchase. Do that and the cap will be gone, allowing you to progress and unlock the extra weapons and abilities that eventually will make you actually competitive.

I think its a good move ! I will definitely try it out, as I never played the retail KZ3 MP, only played the beta !

 

[fearsomepirate]

I like the free download + levelcap model. Reminds me of the olden days of shareware demos where you got to experience a real but small-ish game. Unfortunately, I don't like Killzone 3 very much for previously discussed reasons, although my personal peeve is how they removed the server browser. Yeah, Guerilla, we all hated being able to play custom arrangements of game types, weapons, classes, and maps! That was terrible!

And pubbies are the worst. Bad enough in COD Dom where the only thing to worry about is taking a flag and no one on your team seems to understand that actually taking the flipping flag is important. Nothing like playing KZ S&D where half your team is on the other side of the map trying to farm kills and boost their K/D.

patsu, do you still play this? I don't think I ever see you online, but I think you are in Cali.

 

[patsu]

patsu, do you still play this? I don't think I ever see you online, but I think you are in Cali.

I play mostly Starhawk beta these days although I'm getting sick of those 2 small maps the developers threw at us. I haven't tried the public beta yet.

As for KZ3, I like it ! I think of it as a mini-MAG (harsh but achievable by one man because of the special abilities). It's a very different game from KZ2 for sure. KZ3 is half-thinking and half-shooting. KZ2 is half-sight-seeing and half-spamming.


I'm surprised you don't see me online. I'm usually on from 10am PST to sometimes 2-4 am every weekday. You usually find me in Music Unlimited. ^_^

I'm outdoor on weekends !