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RAGE |OT| "It's done when it's done"
- Thread starter Salsa
- Start date
Decided to go with the PS3 version instead of the PC one in the end. Just changed the order on Amazon.com. Been sitting here at my computer for a good part of the day (been a slow Saturday and have been a bit sick) and realized I don't want to do that for Rage. Looks like the kind of game I want to be really comfortable to play. So while I'm far better with FPS with a keyboard and mouse I'm willing to deal with a dual analog controller. Not as horrible as I use to be. Was able to get through Resistance 3 with a dual analog and had been playing the multiplayer with that as well. Also the vehicle sections looks more comfortable with a controller anyway and that's the online. I only have a 20g hard drive on my 360 and I don't pay for Live Gold so that isn't an option.
Peterthumpa
Member
For those worried about the game sales, it's in first place for 360 on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1M6P2W3J98XWRPNWE33X
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1M6P2W3J98XWRPNWE33X
Dr. Kitty Muffins
Member
I'm buying the PS3 version at Kmart to get the 20 bucks coupon. I prefer the 360 controller but I want the game all on 1 disc.
Alex Connolly
Member
DaFish said:
That really was a showcase. Certainly got my vote. In fact, I've loved all the trailers...the attention to detail in level furnishing is terrific.
GhostRidah
Member
I cant wait to see the mods for this game in the future.
As I recall due to how the megatexturing programs are set up via network, modding will actually be very difficult for id tech 5 :/GhostRidah said:
Like the dev console will be available and gameplay things can be done with that, but content creation might prove quite difficult.
That said, perhaps mods will be fine, or just be picmip 0 haha
/me crosses fingers
BlackBanditSho
Member
Put in a fair three hours with this game on X360. A local store in LA broke the embargo.
So far, I'm loving it. Then again, I loved Doom 3, so take my opinion for what it is.
The Good:
1. The game moves FAST. 60fps makes all the difference. Also, it looks stunning. RAGE made it very difficult to enjoy any of the Battlefield 3 beta because the tech in RAGE is extremely impressive. I'm no programmer and don't know much about tech, but i can say that:
a. there is texture pop in when you quick turn, but it's minimal and hardly distracting
b. This doesn't have the real-time lighting of DOOM 3. It's tough to tell whether the lighting is baked in or not. During the intro scene where you're doing the half-life/Modern Warfare on-rails tour, there's a point where your driver (you're seated beside him) goes under the shadow of a rock overpass, and the light fades off and onto him as if it was scripted, but not like there's a hard light source that's in real time. Looks good, but this isn't Doom 3.
c. And speaking of tech, the game sacrifices things like Day/night cycle and moving sky (the sky is static). However, the texture for that sky is gorgeous, so you don't really care. People complain about the muddy textures when you get close to objects, and while it's true that objects don't have much detail when you're close - it makes no difference.
2. I can't stress enough how how well the game PLAYS, which impressed me more than how it looks, although I understand that by simply being 60fps, the smoothness of the experience comes with the territory. The only comparison that i can think of is Modern Warfare 2. Again, I'm a console guy so my frame of reference is limited.
What impressed me more is the design decision in how it controls and how you interact with the world. Because of the A.I. routines, every battle feels like a great deal of fun. Honestly, it reminds me a lot of early HALO. Each of the enemy types have various reaction routines which keep every fight interesting. So far, they haven't done much to mix up the enemy types (yet), but when you're fighting these guys, expect them to do crazy shit like:
a. run, randomly dive roll, then charge at you aggressively.
b. run, leap to a wall, leap off walls, charge at you aggressively.
c. duck and cover, blind fire, work their way up towards you while constantly searching for cover.
d. Fill up a room with various enemies MIXING UP the above routines, ie, various enemies in the same skirmish will mix and match these routines.
e. Shotgun enemies and close range enemies will not hesitate to charge.
More on the design: I'd forgotten how much the gameplay is affected by taking away auto-aim or aim assist. This is what RAGE does, and feels more like QUAKE because using EVERY weapon is challenging and fun now. Where you shoot enemies is as important as killing them quickly. Various animations happen depending on where you shoot:
a. Shoot in the legs, and they'll stagger or tumble, which gives you a second to shoot again or reload.
b. Shoot in the arm and they'll stagger and go for cover, momentarily disabled.
c. Headshots on enemies without helmets is a solid kill.
d. Headshots on enemies with helmets knocks off the helmet, but they're still a threat. They'll now shoot from cover.
e. Shoot an enemy in the gut, and they'll stagger, fall, then pull a COD "last man standing" perk and keep shooting. They're actually still dangerous. you have to kill them because It seems like sometimes they recover.
I'm currently playing it on normal and about to crank it up to hard. The actual interaction of gunplay is a BLAST and is the most fun I've had in an FPS in forever. The battles, so far, as well as the lasting visual impression, remind me of why ID really is the best in show when it comes to this stuff. They know their classic gaming structures, and it shows. There are audio cues for when enemies are about to attack with things like Grenades, etc. Still, it's all very exciting and very well designed.
4. I forgot to mention very specific animations. There's an early assault on a Wasteland Garage where one of the charging enemy types will take a stick, charge towards you, dip it in a flame barrel, and run full bore with this awesome flaming stick swinging at you. He's something of a tank when it comes to damage, but it looks amazing. Mixing that up with the other enemy routines is what makes the combat in RAGE, so far, amazing.
5. A minor point, but worth noting: the in game realtime mini map is spectacular and possibly the most accurate I've ever played. This is probably nothing to some people, but I've just grown to accept that the mini-map will 'roughly' get you where you have to go in most games. Some games are better, some are worse. Some will take you on some off-path to get you to your goal where you just assume that the A.I. went wonky, and some hardly try. RAGE easily has the best mini map I've ever used. it's so accurate that you can navigate corridors with it as it will display EXACTLY where to turn with clarity. I was amazed by the pathfinding. It's the little things.
6. controlling your buggy is fun. There isn't much love for physics, but there is some. You have something like power sliding. There's boosting. Think more Mario Kart than Halo Warthog. I'm about to do my first race, so we'll see.
THE BAD
1. As gorgeous as the game looks, it's not really REALLY open world sandbox. There are crazy invisible walls all over the place. It's irksome to see things that you think that you can jump over, but you cannot. For those that feel that the engine would be ideal for THE ELDER SCROLLS, be prepared to be disappointed. While things look great and it's very LINEAR. Unlike Oblivion, you can't force climb anything in order to explore. If there's no path, you're not going there. It's a lot closer to BORDERLANDS in this regard. Again, i'm only 3 hours in, but it's more like a series of hub areas, with an open dune buggy area in-between. Apparently, you can battle in your dune buggy. I haven't tricked mine out yet.
2. Again with the invisible walls ... WTF?! I just finished a mission where you've opened up the gate to the next town. This *might* be a glitch, I dunno, but I'm going through the gate with my dune buggy and once you get to an exact invisible point passing through the gate, you're VIOLENTLY LAUNCHED FROM YOUR VEHICLE, and have to continue on foot. Again, maybe it's a glitch because other WEAPONIZED BUGGIES can attack you before you get to your destination. You're a damned target.
3. For all the love that I'm pouring on the tech, the art design is where you begin to see ID's weakness. I remember watching the director's commentary on LEFT FOR DEAD where the Valve devs took care to guide the player through subtle artistic cues in color and lighting. It's difficult to get lost in L4D, and that's due to the stellar design.
Can't say the same for RAGE.
How the hell can you get turned around in a LINEAR corridor, you ask? For starters, it's because everything looks so detailed and because there isn't any real time lighting, that it takes a moment sometimes to figure out where you're going. Even though the waypoint tells you exactly where to go in one early mission, I was confused because there was no clear difference between the objects that I can affect and those that I can't.
Early on, there's a mission where you have to fix a radio tower. There is a VERY SPECIFIC path to that tower that you'll probably overlook at first. Near the VERY specific entrance, there are parts where it appears you might be able to jump on and over. No go. Until you begin to examine closely, you'll see that there's a very specific trail that isn't immediately visible. Colors, lighting, and textures aren't helping you here. This isn't a good thing.
4. Again, don't be fooled by the description that this is an open world shooter. It's still an ID game, and as exciting as the fights have been, this still feels very much like a corridor shooter. You rarely truly engage in any battles outside, despite what the trailer vids show. Sure, as you go from a corridor path (engaging enemies) to the next, their might be a very brief area connecting the two where enemies (so far) will fire on you. However, i haven't yet encountered an area where numerous creatures attack you outside, CoD style, and you're forced to cover and move from attack on all sides. Most of the time, you're in small but cluttered connecting rooms with lots of places for enemies to hide, cover, and pop and shoot. It's a lot closer to DOOM 3 without the lame monster closets...so far.
Think of RAGE as a world full of hubs and lots of tributaries, and less like 'go anywhere'. That said, it's promises to be very BIG.
*******
Random Thoughts:
1. Loving the RPG lite, which is making me excited for SKYRIM. There's tons of shit to collect and trade in at the outpost. You can sell the stuff at the store, or use the stuff to MAKE things like health packs, that toss-blade thing, and door breakers. These things will unlock specific locked doors, usually hiding goodies.
2. The button layout feels very natural:
Left analog: move
Right analog: look
d-pad toggle sub weapons
L Trigger: fire sub weapons
R Trigger: Fire primary
R Button: Quick toggle primary weapons
HOLD R button: toggle primary weapons, then use analogs in conjunction to determine weapon type and bullet type. VERY NICE.
3. Continuing the hubword theme, it's very much like borderlands so far. Get mission, do mission, come back to hub, get new mission, repeat. However, so far, it doesn't seem like you can STACK missions. Missions, so far, take auto-priorities. For example, in the second hub zone, I received two missions from two different people. Instead of giving me the option of choosing which mission I want while on the mission, it auto prioritized and sent me off. You can't seem to switch missions. Once you accept, you go. Because both of these missions were assigned to the same enemy hangout, the waypoint map doesn't give you the option of deciding which to tackle. So far.
EDIT: Correction, you CAN set active mission. I've got to do another big update on the menu screens.
The game is VERY FOCUSED.
4. So far, my favorite weapon is the pistol. The pistol has various bullets of varying power.
5. Bullets are scarce. You either buy them or collect them from the bodies of the dead. It's VERY important to collect things from the dead. Everything they leave behind is valuable.
6. If you see random items that you can grab, GRAB IT. Cups, bottles, whatever. They're either good for parts in upgrading your vehicle/weapons/health kit/ etc, or you can sell them to the dealer for cash towards upgrades. Because of the scarcity of items, you'll want to grab everything. Because there's no penalty for carrying too many items, the game has a very satisfying loot-grab feel without the downside of choosing to leave weapons behind (ala Borderlands). VERY smart design choice.
....and so far, that's all i've got. IF anyone has any questions, I'll try to answer. I haven't done any online. That's disc 3. I'm trying to dive in as deeply as possible into the campaign.
For all of my complaints, the game is insanely classically FUN. I was entering something of a gaming malaise, and RAGE not only reminded me of how awesome a great AAA console game can be, it's a complete value at 60 bucks on Xbox 360. I just dig it because it FEELS different from CoD, Halo, Battlefield, et al. It's FRESH and well designed, and where it falls artistically, it more than makes up for mechanically as a gaming experience.
So far, I'm loving it. Then again, I loved Doom 3, so take my opinion for what it is.
The Good:
1. The game moves FAST. 60fps makes all the difference. Also, it looks stunning. RAGE made it very difficult to enjoy any of the Battlefield 3 beta because the tech in RAGE is extremely impressive. I'm no programmer and don't know much about tech, but i can say that:
a. there is texture pop in when you quick turn, but it's minimal and hardly distracting
b. This doesn't have the real-time lighting of DOOM 3. It's tough to tell whether the lighting is baked in or not. During the intro scene where you're doing the half-life/Modern Warfare on-rails tour, there's a point where your driver (you're seated beside him) goes under the shadow of a rock overpass, and the light fades off and onto him as if it was scripted, but not like there's a hard light source that's in real time. Looks good, but this isn't Doom 3.
c. And speaking of tech, the game sacrifices things like Day/night cycle and moving sky (the sky is static). However, the texture for that sky is gorgeous, so you don't really care. People complain about the muddy textures when you get close to objects, and while it's true that objects don't have much detail when you're close - it makes no difference.
2. I can't stress enough how how well the game PLAYS, which impressed me more than how it looks, although I understand that by simply being 60fps, the smoothness of the experience comes with the territory. The only comparison that i can think of is Modern Warfare 2. Again, I'm a console guy so my frame of reference is limited.
What impressed me more is the design decision in how it controls and how you interact with the world. Because of the A.I. routines, every battle feels like a great deal of fun. Honestly, it reminds me a lot of early HALO. Each of the enemy types have various reaction routines which keep every fight interesting. So far, they haven't done much to mix up the enemy types (yet), but when you're fighting these guys, expect them to do crazy shit like:
a. run, randomly dive roll, then charge at you aggressively.
b. run, leap to a wall, leap off walls, charge at you aggressively.
c. duck and cover, blind fire, work their way up towards you while constantly searching for cover.
d. Fill up a room with various enemies MIXING UP the above routines, ie, various enemies in the same skirmish will mix and match these routines.
e. Shotgun enemies and close range enemies will not hesitate to charge.
More on the design: I'd forgotten how much the gameplay is affected by taking away auto-aim or aim assist. This is what RAGE does, and feels more like QUAKE because using EVERY weapon is challenging and fun now. Where you shoot enemies is as important as killing them quickly. Various animations happen depending on where you shoot:
a. Shoot in the legs, and they'll stagger or tumble, which gives you a second to shoot again or reload.
b. Shoot in the arm and they'll stagger and go for cover, momentarily disabled.
c. Headshots on enemies without helmets is a solid kill.
d. Headshots on enemies with helmets knocks off the helmet, but they're still a threat. They'll now shoot from cover.
e. Shoot an enemy in the gut, and they'll stagger, fall, then pull a COD "last man standing" perk and keep shooting. They're actually still dangerous. you have to kill them because It seems like sometimes they recover.
I'm currently playing it on normal and about to crank it up to hard. The actual interaction of gunplay is a BLAST and is the most fun I've had in an FPS in forever. The battles, so far, as well as the lasting visual impression, remind me of why ID really is the best in show when it comes to this stuff. They know their classic gaming structures, and it shows. There are audio cues for when enemies are about to attack with things like Grenades, etc. Still, it's all very exciting and very well designed.
4. I forgot to mention very specific animations. There's an early assault on a Wasteland Garage where one of the charging enemy types will take a stick, charge towards you, dip it in a flame barrel, and run full bore with this awesome flaming stick swinging at you. He's something of a tank when it comes to damage, but it looks amazing. Mixing that up with the other enemy routines is what makes the combat in RAGE, so far, amazing.
5. A minor point, but worth noting: the in game realtime mini map is spectacular and possibly the most accurate I've ever played. This is probably nothing to some people, but I've just grown to accept that the mini-map will 'roughly' get you where you have to go in most games. Some games are better, some are worse. Some will take you on some off-path to get you to your goal where you just assume that the A.I. went wonky, and some hardly try. RAGE easily has the best mini map I've ever used. it's so accurate that you can navigate corridors with it as it will display EXACTLY where to turn with clarity. I was amazed by the pathfinding. It's the little things.
6. controlling your buggy is fun. There isn't much love for physics, but there is some. You have something like power sliding. There's boosting. Think more Mario Kart than Halo Warthog. I'm about to do my first race, so we'll see.
THE BAD
1. As gorgeous as the game looks, it's not really REALLY open world sandbox. There are crazy invisible walls all over the place. It's irksome to see things that you think that you can jump over, but you cannot. For those that feel that the engine would be ideal for THE ELDER SCROLLS, be prepared to be disappointed. While things look great and it's very LINEAR. Unlike Oblivion, you can't force climb anything in order to explore. If there's no path, you're not going there. It's a lot closer to BORDERLANDS in this regard. Again, i'm only 3 hours in, but it's more like a series of hub areas, with an open dune buggy area in-between. Apparently, you can battle in your dune buggy. I haven't tricked mine out yet.
2. Again with the invisible walls ... WTF?! I just finished a mission where you've opened up the gate to the next town. This *might* be a glitch, I dunno, but I'm going through the gate with my dune buggy and once you get to an exact invisible point passing through the gate, you're VIOLENTLY LAUNCHED FROM YOUR VEHICLE, and have to continue on foot. Again, maybe it's a glitch because other WEAPONIZED BUGGIES can attack you before you get to your destination. You're a damned target.
3. For all the love that I'm pouring on the tech, the art design is where you begin to see ID's weakness. I remember watching the director's commentary on LEFT FOR DEAD where the Valve devs took care to guide the player through subtle artistic cues in color and lighting. It's difficult to get lost in L4D, and that's due to the stellar design.
Can't say the same for RAGE.
How the hell can you get turned around in a LINEAR corridor, you ask? For starters, it's because everything looks so detailed and because there isn't any real time lighting, that it takes a moment sometimes to figure out where you're going. Even though the waypoint tells you exactly where to go in one early mission, I was confused because there was no clear difference between the objects that I can affect and those that I can't.
Early on, there's a mission where you have to fix a radio tower. There is a VERY SPECIFIC path to that tower that you'll probably overlook at first. Near the VERY specific entrance, there are parts where it appears you might be able to jump on and over. No go. Until you begin to examine closely, you'll see that there's a very specific trail that isn't immediately visible. Colors, lighting, and textures aren't helping you here. This isn't a good thing.
4. Again, don't be fooled by the description that this is an open world shooter. It's still an ID game, and as exciting as the fights have been, this still feels very much like a corridor shooter. You rarely truly engage in any battles outside, despite what the trailer vids show. Sure, as you go from a corridor path (engaging enemies) to the next, their might be a very brief area connecting the two where enemies (so far) will fire on you. However, i haven't yet encountered an area where numerous creatures attack you outside, CoD style, and you're forced to cover and move from attack on all sides. Most of the time, you're in small but cluttered connecting rooms with lots of places for enemies to hide, cover, and pop and shoot. It's a lot closer to DOOM 3 without the lame monster closets...so far.
Think of RAGE as a world full of hubs and lots of tributaries, and less like 'go anywhere'. That said, it's promises to be very BIG.
*******
Random Thoughts:
1. Loving the RPG lite, which is making me excited for SKYRIM. There's tons of shit to collect and trade in at the outpost. You can sell the stuff at the store, or use the stuff to MAKE things like health packs, that toss-blade thing, and door breakers. These things will unlock specific locked doors, usually hiding goodies.
2. The button layout feels very natural:
Left analog: move
Right analog: look
d-pad toggle sub weapons
L Trigger: fire sub weapons
R Trigger: Fire primary
R Button: Quick toggle primary weapons
HOLD R button: toggle primary weapons, then use analogs in conjunction to determine weapon type and bullet type. VERY NICE.
3. Continuing the hubword theme, it's very much like borderlands so far. Get mission, do mission, come back to hub, get new mission, repeat. However, so far, it doesn't seem like you can STACK missions. Missions, so far, take auto-priorities. For example, in the second hub zone, I received two missions from two different people. Instead of giving me the option of choosing which mission I want while on the mission, it auto prioritized and sent me off. You can't seem to switch missions. Once you accept, you go. Because both of these missions were assigned to the same enemy hangout, the waypoint map doesn't give you the option of deciding which to tackle. So far.
EDIT: Correction, you CAN set active mission. I've got to do another big update on the menu screens.
The game is VERY FOCUSED.
4. So far, my favorite weapon is the pistol. The pistol has various bullets of varying power.
5. Bullets are scarce. You either buy them or collect them from the bodies of the dead. It's VERY important to collect things from the dead. Everything they leave behind is valuable.
6. If you see random items that you can grab, GRAB IT. Cups, bottles, whatever. They're either good for parts in upgrading your vehicle/weapons/health kit/ etc, or you can sell them to the dealer for cash towards upgrades. Because of the scarcity of items, you'll want to grab everything. Because there's no penalty for carrying too many items, the game has a very satisfying loot-grab feel without the downside of choosing to leave weapons behind (ala Borderlands). VERY smart design choice.
....and so far, that's all i've got. IF anyone has any questions, I'll try to answer. I haven't done any online. That's disc 3. I'm trying to dive in as deeply as possible into the campaign.
For all of my complaints, the game is insanely classically FUN. I was entering something of a gaming malaise, and RAGE not only reminded me of how awesome a great AAA console game can be, it's a complete value at 60 bucks on Xbox 360. I just dig it because it FEELS different from CoD, Halo, Battlefield, et al. It's FRESH and well designed, and where it falls artistically, it more than makes up for mechanically as a gaming experience.
BlackBanditSho
Member
delta25 said:
Yes
Dog Problems
Banned
I'm so excited to play this and the impressions above have gotten me hyped even more.
GhostRidah
Member
Same, I remember reading that they said the system couldn't really do open world stuff like fallout or oblivion so I just assumed it would have a lot less freedom.Derrick01 said:
EvilDick34
Banned
I don't know about anyone else, but i am sick and tired of the hand holding that devs do for players. I kind of like that fact that i could get lost or not find a path right away, exploration is key!!
This guy has some nice impressions. He seems pretty floored with graphics...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbYfm13ph-U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbYfm13ph-U
And thats exactly what I want from RAGE. Focused, but not restricting. I don't want to forget about shooting and killing in my path just to jump of from nice looking cliffs ( ala GTA games). I want game where I know what to do, but in the way of doing that I want to be less restricted and get rewarded, spice it up a little.commissar said:Also exploring can net you some rare cards for the card games located in the hubs, so have a good look round
Alex Connolly
Member
BlackBanditSho said:
This excites me no end. Good reportage, sir. You are responsible for tumescence.
Big Takeover
Member
Love the detailed impressions. Thanks.BlackBanditSho said:
EvilDick34
Banned
Haha, i swear i read somewhere that you only punch with your right hand but in that video just posted the guy just cold cocked some ghost with his left fist, sweeet!
BlackBanditSho
Member
BlackBanditSho said:
So I'll eat crow. While those design choices still bug me, after getting past the glitch that i detailed earlier, I made it to the town of WELLSPRING. Remember the first time you played Oblivion and you made it to the the first major city?
Yeah, graphically, this game is that stunning. Wellspring is the most impressive thing I've seen on my Xbox 360. Period. The art design is incredible. Yes, it's what you've seen in the earliest RAGE vids but holy crap. The camera does a very brief fly by as you enter the city, and it honestly took me a minute to realize when i could play the game.
While Crysis 2 looked fantastic, and Dead Space 2 was no slouch, the town of Wellspring in RAGE looks like a tech demo that you can play.
Okay, I'm full of hype, but holy shit.
YOUTUBE vids and 29.97 compressed gameplay vids are doing this game NO FAVORS. Seeing this in HD at 60fps is like a totally different game.
scorpscarx
Member
Still shouldn't be priced at $60 on PC, will wait for inevitable 2 week price drop on Amazon.
Peterthumpa
Member
So, no signs of dynamic lighting? Are you really sure? Maybe that's just by design on a specific level or levels of the game to optimize overall performance. I'm pretty confident that you'll come by it sooner or later, if your already didn't. We have to remember that this is based on a brand new engine, and in this day and age, baked lighting as the only supported lighting method is kinda unbelievable.BlackBanditSho said:
NullPointer
Member
And still no working preload on Steam. Rage.
* ok, one more try. click...*
* ok, one more try. click...*
MrTroubleMaker
Member
24 hours later still can't!MrTroubleMaker said:
scorpscarx
Member
JaseC said:Just buy a key for ~$35. It has the financial benefit of waiting for a price drop without the waiting.
Those sites scare me
, .