Resistance 2

[RenegadeRocks]

Of course, SSAO would look good. Right now it has baked Occln in the BGs( under the plants,etc), but not SSAO I guess.

However, progress within the co-op mode won't be a linear affair; the development team went out of their way to make sure that the playing paths were constantly randomized so stages didn't look the same from play to play. What's more, the story of the Co-op mode will branch in many different directions, allowing players to determine their own squad's tale against the Chimeran threat.

Looks like the geometry randomnisation has been dropped for path randomnisation in co-op!

 

[patsu]

I thought the "geometry randomization" comment simply refers to the mix-and-match of sub-levels ? If so, it's there in the beta. I guess you could call it path randomization too since the sub-levels have different paths.

EDIT: Actually, what I hope to see soon is Mike Acton (or his coworkers) release more slides on their R&D website.

 

[RenegadeRocks]

Geometry randomization was meant to randomnise objects in a level to give a fresh feel every time. The main objects would be stationary but objects like Cover and objectives would get moved around everytime you play.eg, a truck near a shed would be somewhere else when you play next time.

Path randomnisation should amount to changing the position of the objective, so, atleast half of the stuff is still there.

What exactly is mix n match of sub levels?

 

[patsu]

The level is composed on-the-fly using building blocks (of smaller maps).

These guys have an advanced Blu-ray + HDD streaming framework. I am interested to see if they require any pre-install (probably not, by their tradition).

 

[Arwin]

Technically, Ratchet & Clank did require a 400MB install if I remember correctly.

 

[patsu]

Now that you mentioned it, R&C did have an installation issue (It mis-calculated HDD space, so the users had to free up 500Mb for R&C:ToD to install).

 

[RenegadeRocks]

The level is composed on-the-fly using building blocks (of smaller maps).

These guys have an advanced Blu-ray + HDD streaming framework. I am interested to see if they require any pre-install (probably not, by their tradition).

Wow! Thats cool, but how do they manage to get it correct gameplay wise?
Are they pre-decided combinations or are they combined on the fly? If made on the fly, then how do they control the gameplay?

New artwork:

The first one looks kinda out of R&C !

 

[deepbrown]

That Orick forest video looks amazing. The walkthrough on Gametrailers... Wowza. And I KNEW Water was their crazy tech...the ripple on that water is WOW.

 

[patsu]

Wow! Thats cool, but how do they manage to get it correct gameplay wise?
Are they pre-decided combinations or are they combined on the fly? If made on the fly, then how do they control the gameplay?

The beta was quite limited, I can't really tell how they will work in the final game. It's under NDA anyway. The stuff I revealed have been communicated via someone from Insomniac (in GAF I think).

 

[ultragpu]

ARR i hate GT's clips, why would they filter every trailers with 10 layers of grey, and desaturate the shit out of an otherwise viberant looking R2?

 

[RenegadeRocks]

ARR i hate GT's clips, why would they filter every trailers with 10 layers of grey, and desaturate the shit out of an otherwise viberant looking R2?

Ya! Even if you watch the same clip at gamevideos it looks all crisp and colourful, and GT is always washed out !
Is the Dev Walkthrough up on any other site?, coz the GT one is crappy for the same reason.

BTW, here's a new interview from GT, shows lots of new areas and Chamaleon gameplay !
[gt]40420[/gt]

The jungle looks so damn beautiful !

 

[tha_con]

patsu - The levels actually don' t have completely random geometry and what not, I played through co-op extensively, and it appears that the case is more of a random layouts and objective sequence than anything else. Still, even after about 30 hours invested, there were situations where I ran into layouts and objectives that I hadn't ran into before.

 

[inefficient]

I really like the way the Bullseye bullets look like during the gun fights in the cut scenes. But I don't know yet if I am going to like they that amazingly bright and blown out during actual game play. Because it's not like a super gun or anything it's one of your main staples all through the game.

And I wish Insomniac didn't render the cut scenes to video. At least make it optional for us to watch them in real time! If they really are possible in engine, let us see them in their full original glory!

 

[el_rika]

And I wish Insomniac didn't render the cut scenes to video. At least make it optional for us to watch them in real time! If they really are possible in engine, let us see them in their full original glory!

How can they not be done in realtime ? Have you played MGS4 ? The realtime cutscene are even better looking and the animations are much much better.

Let's go with the tale where Insomniac prerendered them for loading purposes

 

[Arwin]

I heard in I think the 1up FM podcast that when asked why the cutscenes in Mirror's Edge weren't in-game, the producers replied that that would have been too expensive. Not saying that it's impossible that they were lying, but just repeating what I heard ...

 

[inefficient]

How can they not be done in realtime ? Have you played MGS4 ? The realtime cutscene are even better looking and the animations are much much better.

Let's go with the tale where Insomniac prerendered them for loading purposes

I' m not saying they cannot be done in real time. I am saying Insomniac WILL NOT. Insomniac already said they will not be real time but rendered to video to hide loading processes. It sounded like a done deal to me. Especially considering that's what they did for R1 and R&C.

 

[patsu]

patsu - The levels actually don' t have completely random geometry and what not, I played through co-op extensively, and it appears that the case is more of a random layouts and objective sequence than anything else. Still, even after about 30 hours invested, there were situations where I ran into layouts and objectives that I hadn't ran into before.

I am not saying they have completely random geometry (That's insane !). The starting point, objectives and paths are indeed jumbled around.

It's the "random layout" part I am referring to. It seems that they pieced different layouts to generate the map. It's a little hard to tell because the map is so large (and interconnected) that there are more than one (convoluted) ways to get from point A to point B.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Sounds like the method employed in Champions of Norrath and a myriad of other similar games (Diablo II I think). You have a tile-set of components that are pieced together procedurally, which is the true nature of 'random geometry' - they aren't truly random! In the case of an R2 map, a few simple rules would define when you ahve a building, when you have a car, where a tree or fence might be placed, and that mixes the maps up.

Regards this game, I hve to say seeing the latest multiplayer footage, I've actually lost interest. It looks too manic and messy, with shields up constantly, and people dying all over the shop in free-for-all mish-mashes. It looks like Warhawk when everyone's trying to take/defend the same base, and the moment you spawn there you get killed, maybe taking one baddie down with you. In such cases I spawn elsewhere if possible.

KZ2 has looked more tactical with a more diverse set of classes and better roles to play.

 

[patsu]

It's not as bad as you think (for co-op)

This is because when you respawned, the enemies attention were still on your comrades. So you can usually get out from a tight spot. The trick is to sweep the area systemically (and don't trigger any events before you're ready). If a team messed up, it usually means they have left over enemies somewhere. Or they have trigger all the enemies and were mixed up with them

It also depends on your team size. I have completed 8P co-op with just 2 players total. In which case, our advances will be more deliberate and intense. We got pushed back a lot, but we inched forward and made sure one of us always stayed "behind" in case the frontman died in a Chimeran charge. I enjoyed these games the most.

If the team size is big, we usually win. I have only encountered one case where the entire 8P team was wiped out. It was because most were new. Everyone was scattered on a hill where the enemy spawn points were. They were everywhere.

You can also change role in the middle of a game (You'll need to die first though). There are also some nice perks along the way (for high level players to help low level guys out).


Haven't tried large scale competitive gameplay yet. I suspect after a few rounds, people will learn from their mistakes. The maps are also big enough to accommodate several skirmishes at once. I wouldn't be surprised if squads fight in an area for minutes without interference from other squads.


EDIT: Oops, forgot about the shields. There are ways to counter the shields. The cheapest one is to use the terrain to your advantage -- Flank them ! (Your comrades will distract them. It's all pretty impromptu). The technical way is to use the right weapons (e.g. lobe a grenade, arm special ammo and weapons).

 

[djskribbles]

also, multiplayer is fully customizable... you can make or search for smaller servers.