APB Discussion

[Tbone]

Podcast 13:

[Ragnarok]

Podcast 14






Podcast 15

[Ragnarok]

Um this might be bad...http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/358/view/news/read/16175/All-Points-Bulletin-Delayed-to-Q3-2010.html

[Phienyx]

The only way that will piss me off is if after the delay, the game still sux ass.

[Orphaeus]

I'm not too surprised by this news. Disappointed yes, surprised no. I'm hoping this doesn't turn into another adventurine-style "We're just making it better, be patient" thing like Darkfall, where it turns out shitty regardless.

[Phienyx]

Have I ever mentioned that Darkfall is the second worst MMO I've ever played behind Anarchy Online.  The only reason that WoW isn't first or second is that it worked.....it just bored the bejezuz out of me.

APB has the potential to be an amazing game.  I just hope they can build a history and backstory rich enough to keep it going.  That was the redeeming factor behind why MXO lasted as long as it did.  Without The Matrix backstory to fuel it, that game would have crashed and burned within 6 months.

[Tbone]

APB is more about the conflict than the story. The story is there, but it's not something that I imagine you getting sucked into. It's fast paced and the missions are repetitious - just like playing TF2 or Counter Strike or something.

You get dropped into the district, pledge a contact, and then start receiving missions that you can accept or decline. You hop in your car, go to a waypoint, click F and whatever it wants you to click on or get in the car that it wants you to deliver. Then you go to the second waypoint and do a similar action. Most likely at some point the sirens will go off and people will be dispatched to come kill you. Then you have to get to your remaining waypoints and perform whatever action before the time runs out/the other team stops you. If you're on the other team, it's the opposite. You get a dispatch call and go from waypoint to waypoint trying to defend it or capture it against the other team. Usually at the end of the mission, you have to kill the other team 5 or 10 times to win. Rinse and repeat.

The meat of the game is driving around killing people to capture/defend/escort whatever. You rarely even have time to read the text as there is a time limit and you're faced against other players.

The story element comes more in your progression. As you level up with your contact, they send you email with rewards and information about why you are doing what you are doing. I don't really read the emails. I just hit the attachment button and grab my reward, because usually the rest of my team is waiting on me to hop back into the fray.

Teams are limited to 4 players, so your basic setup is 4 vs 4 dynamic matches in a few different locations. But you can call for backup and end up getting like a 10 on 10 scenario, etc. I would classify the game closer to TF2/GTA than MxO/WoW/Darkfall.

The big thing that is going to set this game apart is the customization and the driving. You can drive around doing stunts off ramps and flying through the air. You can do kills with your vehicle. You can customize almost everything to a very personal degree. A lot of the rewards you get from leveling up with a contact is customization options. For instance, "Congrats, you gained '/dance' emote" or "You gained Goth Fonts". That's the hook. Not story. Not really even combat. Vehicles and customization.

[Phienyx]

That sounds cool.  I'm guessing there is more in store as well hence the delay.

[Tbone]

Yeah, I think the latest build was 0.51, which would imply they are only halfway there. There's three districts so far - Social, Financial, and Waterfront. But we've only been allowed in Social and Financial.

[Manic Velocity]

New video podcast showcasing the locational VOIP system.  

[Broin]

Waterfront is open on US server

[Ragnarok]

MMORPG's first look- http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/358/view/news/read/16554/All-Points-Bulletin-First-Look-Opinions.html

[Manic Velocity]

Nothing that we don't already know, unfortunately.

I'm curious to see how tactical and organized the PvP can actually get, or if it will always devolve into the frantic run-jump-strafe-shoot kind of combat that is typical to FPS's.  The author mentioned lots of options for team strategy.  Could one side of a team plant a few snipers on rooftops to silentyly take out opposing team members?

[Phienyx]

My question is if we're going to be playing the standard or Chaos rule set.

[Strod]

My question is if we're going to be playing the standard or Chaos rule set.

Is that anything like Normal or Hardcore settings for other games?