APB Discussion

[Phienyx]

Loosely put, under Chaos set, you can run around attacking and killing other players at any time for any reason.  Under the Standard rule set, Enforcers can attack criminals only when they are flagged as having committed a crime.  I'm sure there are more specifics to it than that, but from what I gathered from the podcast, that is the gist of it.

[Tbone]

The game is nothing but PvP, so, unlike MxO, a "hostile" server isn't needed to make sure you are regularly engaging with other players. With Chaos, it seems like it'll just become a griefing match. Guilds will group up to "power level" (earn prestige, cash, and rep) by having 12 of their guys follow around a 2 person team and roll over the two guys on the other team. The flip side is that the maximum number of people allowed on a team is 4, so if you aren't on the chaos server, once you've got more than 3 friends online, you have to start another team doing completely different missions/APBs

[Manic Velocity]

They're gearing up for pre-orders.

http://www.apb.com/

[Tbone]

New site does a really good job of selling the game. Hats off to their arts and content department. They got style.

[Manic Velocity]

I downloaded the fansite kit:

http://www.apb.com/media/apb-fansite-kit.zip

There's some good stuff in here.  Could use some of it for sigs, and incorporate into our APB page.

[Phienyx]

I like that.  They have sold me on a game I was already sold on.  hehe.

[Tbone]

Glowing Hands-On Review of APB by IGN:

http://pc.ign.com/articles/108/1082311p1.html

[Manic Velocity]

APB Beta Key giveaway.  Requires account registration on the site.  I snagged one!

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=242228

Patching the client now.  Hoping to get some play time in tomorrow!  WOOOO!!!

[Tbone]

What did you new guys think?

[Manic Velocity]

I had an insanely good time. I thought a four hour session wouldn't be enough, but the game is so incredibly fast paced that we were able to squeeze so much in. Four hours felt like eight.

I really want to get my hands dirty with the clothing designer. In the final 20 minutes I was able to design a logo very similar to our angel symbol. It wasn't 100% accurate, but with more time I could definitely do it.

I am curious to know the specifics behind how the combat matching system works. It felt like we were being paired up against people who were clearly far more experienced than us.

The inventory system was kind of weird, but I guess it makes sense in the context of the game. Rather than an inventory "backpack", everything is stored in a secured locker at your base. You access your locker and take only what you think you'll need.

The driving controls obviously need a little work.  

I want this game to launch!   Aside from two or three server crashes, the beta runs damn well. I was very impressed. And I can't fully express how good it felt to experience that level of teamwork again. This is a game that was made for groups like ours.

[Tbone]

Yeah, I really enjoy playing the game as a group, but it loses a lot if you solo unless you group up with people who are using VOIP.

I think the issue with the combat matchmaking is that right now the instances are limited to 80 players. Whenever an APB is called, more than likely 60 out of those 80 are already doing something else, and out of the remaining 20, maybe 10 are of the opposite faction. I feel like there's just a limited playerbase to choose from when it matchmakes.

The inventory is fine once you get used to it. There's just a bit of a learning curve. I haven't played on the NA server, but I assume everyone experiences that half second lag when driving. I have no idea what there plans are for that.

[Phienyx]

I would have like to spend more time with this than I did, what I was able to play showed that this game has alot of potental  As mentioned the vehicle controls need work.  While I know the missions in this game pretty much serve only as a stimulus for PvP, it would be nice to see a little more purpose and depth to the missions.

I am liking what I see and am as convinced to purchase this game now as I was before.

[Anamodiel]

I want to play more.


MMMOOOAAAARRRRRRR.

[Manic Velocity]

I dreamt about it last night. There was hyper-jumping involved.

[Manic Velocity]

Next European playtest this Sunday! Same time: 12pm-4pm FA time.

http://eu.beta.apb.com/news/playtimes/2010/04/12/proving-grounds-playtest-this-sunday