The size of the alpha is frustrating for a US West player, but it’s a much better option than too many players. It’s nice to see a list of orange names not only consistently showing up in the “currently browsing”, but actually replying as well. It’s hit and miss, but I feel like my ideas have a good chance to be read.
For an Unreal Engine 3 game, it’s coming together nicely. Other UE3 titles have seen their share of texture streaming optimization problems, networking issues, lighting and character visibility problems, etc… the graphical challenges seem really akin to IdTech 4 problems with animation rates, and network synchronization. I feel like they are tackling the challenges of Unreal Engine 3 much better than they did with Quake Wars and IdTech 4. I think a couple menu ticks solving input options and increasing FPS, is much better than a list of console commands as foreign as “com_unlock_timingmethod 0” used just to get consistent performance.
I love the gunplay, especially because I can play in Euro matches and not even notice. Sometimes I hear a hit-beep when I die when firing, and it doesn’t do damage. It’s slightly frustrating, but not in a way that I feel cheated often, just in a way I wish I could play on a properly populated USWest server. Personally I’m not that great at shooting people compared to most folks who play pugs or closed-alphas in general, but I really excel in tactics and timing (sticky mines are becoming a quick favorite) so I like the way the abilities are heading. It’s much better to start with these things too weak and allow the meta game to develop.
I think the Oppressor’s shield in Quake Wars had a really versatile and long life-span in niche uses. Partly because it’s design just stuck anywhere, quickly, at range. It made the field-op role for Strogg so much fun inside, because you could bounce grenades back, or give mid-range cover for a revive. It’d be really cool to see something a little more high-tech than just a placeable wall in xT. The Milestone video shows how much differently turret play could with feel when you can see effective range and cone of fire, hopefully the other abilities get this thoughtful treatment (med stations, heartbeat sensors). It’s was nice to see the PAX video show a beefed up airstrike.
heart warming. lets do it.
