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Prey Demo: Opening Hour Thread: Everything is Going to Be OK

Truant

Member
How did it feel fighting a Phantom? That's my main concern with this game, how the combat against the Typhon is.

Everything else sounds great

I accidentally a gas pipe, and he died instantly. Before that he kinda caught me off guard while I was admiring a portrait of JFK. He chased me around the room for a bit, dodging around the various museum exhibits as I tried to equip my shotgun.

There's actually a stealth system in the game, similar to Far Cry 3/4 - or I guess Dishonored. You can even do sneak attacks for massive damage.

Right now, the melee combat against the mimics is pretty lousy. I'm beginning to realize the developers want you to put them in a weakened state by using the GLOO cannon, but it doesn't feel as intuitive as the Electrobot/Wrench one-two punch in Bioshock.

Ranged weapons feel quite good, although my only experience with them have been firing wildly into the air.

I'm actually surprised at some of the writing. I found a few books on cooking in Morgan's apartment that were vastly better written than anything in Dishonored 2. I guess throwing money at Avellone was a wise investment.

And yes - small skill tree spoiler -
there's a dedicated wrench skill tree.
 

GavinUK86

Member
Man, this game is quite tough. My suit got permanently damaged and now I'm taking 50% more damage until I can repair it. I wasted my shotgun shells on a Phantom, so I only have a wrench and a few stun gun rounds.

There are also several status effects that affect your character, such as boosts from eating food, fear (can be cured by alcohol), exhaustion etc.

The environments are quite large, even early on. Lots of ways to explore and experiment, and the GLOO cannon almost feels like cheating when it comes to building your own stairways to out-of-reach areas.

I'm also happy to confirm that the mimics aren't as scripted as seen in the preview videos. A lot of stuff in the early footage didn't trigger for me, and now I'm constantly on alert for these things. It's hard to avoid taking damage, could be a control issue. Something feels a little off (not used to playing first person games with thePS4 controller @ 30 fps).

I hope there are toggles for item highlights, objective markers, and FOV in the PC version.

Yeah I agree with most of this. I've gotten caught by mimics a lot because I wasn't expecting them in certain locations due to me watching the gameplay videos beforehand.

My issue with the PS4 demo is the more I play it, the more the controls feel really laggy. I think it might by the vsync causing input lag. I can't notice any tearing. Funnily enough, Dishonored 2 had the same issue, even though it's a different engine.
 
I accidentally a gas pipe, and he died instantly. Before that he kinda caught me off guard while I was admiring a portrait of JFK. He chased me around the room for a bit, dodging around the various museum exhibits as I tried to equip my shotgun.

There's actually a stealth system in the game, similar to Far Cry 3/4 - or I guess Dishonored. You can even do sneak attacks for massive damage.

Right now, the melee combat against the mimics is pretty lousy. I'm beginning to realize the developers want you to put them in a weakened state by using the GLOO cannon, but it doesn't feel as intuitive as the Electrobot/Wrench one-two punch in Bioshock.

Ranged weapons feel quite good, although my only experience with them have been firing wildly into the air.

I'm actually surprised at some of the writing. I found a few books on cooking in Morgan's apartment that were vastly better written than anything in Dishonored 2. I guess throwing money at Avellone was a wise investment.

And yes - small skill tree spoiler -
there's a dedicated wrench skill tree.
You're saying all the right things. Looking forward to trying the demo
 
I accidentally a gas pipe, and he died instantly. Before that he kinda caught me off guard while I was admiring a portrait of JFK. He chased me around the room for a bit, dodging around the various museum exhibits as I tried to equip my shotgun.

There's actually a stealth system in the game, similar to Far Cry 3/4 - or I guess Dishonored. You can even do sneak attacks for massive damage.

Right now, the melee combat against the mimics is pretty lousy. I'm beginning to realize the developers want you to put them in a weakened state by using the GLOO cannon, but it doesn't feel as intuitive as the Electrobot/Wrench one-two punch in Bioshock.

Ranged weapons feel quite good, although my only experience with them have been firing wildly into the air.

I'm actually surprised at some of the writing. I found a few books on cooking in Morgan's apartment that were vastly better written than anything in Dishonored 2. I guess throwing money at Avellone was a wise investment.

And yes - small skill tree spoiler -
there's a dedicated wrench skill tree.

I imagine using the Wrench and GLOO Cannon will feel different on PC.
 

RdN

Member
Still remembet the demo from the original Prey. That opening scene in the dinner with the jukebox play.. It was awesome.

Looking forward to this new one.
 

Truant

Member
Another quick note that I think a lot of people will appreciate

Based on what I've played, the game really has you commit to your build. It doesn't seem like you can become a jack of all trades. I spent my points on hacking, and that locks me out of a lot of areas that I could've reached if I went with strength or repair. You can even bust down some doors with the final strength upgrade. It doesn't seem that all optional areas can be accessible with all sorts of builds, which is a good thing.

It doesn't feel quite as hardcore as System Shock 2 in this regard, but vastly better than Bioshock or Dishonored.

I imagine using the Wrench and GLOO Cannon will feel different on PC.

Yes, I suspect this as well. Hell, even my Elite controller and 60fps / no input lag would be fine by me.
 

Stoze

Member
Another quick note that I think a lot of people will appreciate

Based on what I've played, the game really has you commit to your build. It doesn't seem like you can become a jack of all trades. I spent my points on hacking, and that locks me out of a lot of areas that I could've reached if I went with strength or repair. You can even bust down some doors with the final strength upgrade. It doesn't seem that all optional areas can be accessible with all sorts of builds, which is a good thing.

It doesn't feel quite as hardcore as System Shock 2 in this regard, but vastly better than Bioshock or Dishonored.



Yes, I suspect this as well. Hell, even my Elite controller and 60fps / no input lag would be fine by me.

Sounds great if they manage to keep that up, but things may get imbalanced when you get farther in. Even System Shock 2 and the Deus Ex games have a problem with certain skills like hacking being so absurdly valuable that you'd want to put points into them foremost, no matter the build.

I actually can't remember the last time I played an FPS/action-oriented first person game at 30fps, so this will be interesting for me. Probably been a couple years at least.
 

dmix90

Member
Is there an input lag problem? Camera movement feels terrible. I also see a lot of jaggies and shimmering on PS4 Pro so there is either no pro features enabled for demo or this is another game that does not downsample on 1080p displays.
 
Is there an input lag problem? Camera movement feels terrible. I also see a lot of jaggies and shimmering on PS4 Pro so there is either no pro features enabled for demo or this is another game that does not downsample on 1080p displays.
Dishonored 2 had the same problem. You get used to it after awhile.
 

GavinUK86

Member
Is there an input lag problem? Camera movement feels terrible. I also see a lot of jaggies and shimmering on PS4 Pro so there is either no pro features enabled for demo or this is another game that does not downsample on 1080p displays.

Yeah I mentioned it earlier. Feels like you're turning in quicksand. If you can get used it to though it's a pretty amazing game. I've just finished it and WOW I'm definitely in day one. I mean, I was already but this has solidified it for me.
 

Anung

Un Rama
Is there an input lag problem? Camera movement feels terrible. I also see a lot of jaggies and shimmering on PS4 Pro so there is either no pro features enabled for demo or this is another game that does not downsample on 1080p displays.

If it's anything like D2 then turning head bob/drag down and messing around with sensitivity should help.
 

GavinUK86

Member
Turns out some mimic encounters are scripted, like this one. I've seen this in a few gameplay videos before today so I was wondering if it would be there. And it was.

ToeyXNo.gif
 

Truant

Member
Turns out some mimic encounters are scripted, like this one. I've seen this in a few gameplay videos before today so I was wondering if it would be there. And it was.

ToeyNo.gif

A few of them definitively are, but my guess is that it's sort of randomized.

Anyway, just encountered a flaming Phantom that just had "???" over it's head. Tried to sneak around it for a bit, but it one-shotted me.

There have been several times where I've entered a new area, heard or seen an enemy, and just noped out of there. Managed to take down one of the phantoms after I upgraded my pistol a few times.

Really liking the open ended nature of the game, feels very Metroidvania ish. Demo is quite lengthy, and well over 2 hours if you explore.
 

Jb

Member
Good move on Bethesda's part to release a demo before the game releases. We saw with Nier Automata that it can be a great way to get the game on people's radar if the feedback is positive. Excited to try it out.
 

GavinUK86

Member
Really liking the open ended nature of the game, feels very Metroidvania ish. Demo is quite lengthy, and well over 2 hours if you explore.

Yeah I played it for 2 and a half hours and I just reached your office when I quit playing for the evening. Aside from a couple doors that are blocked off for the demo, it's pretty open.
 

Gator86

Member
Is there an input lag problem? Camera movement feels terrible. I also see a lot of jaggies and shimmering on PS4 Pro so there is either no pro features enabled for demo or this is another game that does not downsample on 1080p displays.

Sounds promising...
 

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
Haven't paid any attention to this game.

So is this a revival of the cancelled Prey 2? Or a completely original reboot of sorts for the franchise? Anyone of note developing this or on the team to be mindful of?
 

Xyber

Member
Good move on Bethesda's part to release a demo before the game releases. We saw with Nier Automata that it can be a great way to get the game on people's radar if the feedback is positive. Excited to try it out.

Just a shame there is no PC demo, that does not give me very high hopes right now..
 

gstaff

Member
Yeah I agree with most of this. I've gotten caught by mimics a lot because I wasn't expecting them in certain locations due to me watching the gameplay videos beforehand.

My issue with the PS4 demo is the more I play it, the more the controls feel really laggy. I think it might by the vsync causing input lag. I can't notice any tearing. Funnily enough, Dishonored 2 had the same issue, even though it's a different engine.

Head's up: The PS4 Demo has an input latency issue that’s been addressed in the full version for next week.
 
Haven't paid any attention to this game.

So is this a revival of the cancelled Prey 2? Or a completely original reboot of sorts for the franchise? Anyone of note developing this or on the team to be mindful of?
Reboot, being developed by Arkane (Dishonored devs). Chris Avellone was heavily involved in the writing and designing of sidequests, side characters, main characters and their arcs
 

Stoze

Member
Just started, the little helicopter ride intro is great.
If you look down, Morgan is tapping his feet to the music.
 

Truant

Member
Yeah, just quit the demo before finishing it. I've seen enough to pre-order this for sure. This game is right up my alley.
 

brawly

Member
Shit, I forgot my aussie account details and now hotmail requires a phone verification when you set up an account ;/

Hope it's up on the EU store soon.

edit: of course just as I post this I remember the email address.
 

gafneo

Banned
This is not a demo. It's a rental. They did the same with Watch Dogs 2 and Mafia 3 where they gave you a good chunk of the game. I already got enough out of the game. No reason to see more. Thanks for the freebies devs.
 

FDC1

Member
I can see the page for the PS4 demo on the french store but there is no link yet

Edit: I was able to get it from the pc store
 
This is not a demo. It's a rental. They did the same with Watch Dogs 2 and Mafia 3 where they gave you a good chunk of the game. I already got enough out of the game. No reason to see more. Thanks for the freebies devs.
Wouldn't a rental mean you can continue your save in the full game and it's pretty much the whole game but you're time-restricted or something?
 
Head's up: The PS4 Demo has an input latency issue that's been addressed in the full version for next week.

Is there any chance of the demo getting patched or no?

This is not a demo. It's a rental. They did the same with Watch Dogs 2 and Mafia 3 where they gave you a good chunk of the game. I already got enough out of the game. No reason to see more. Thanks for the freebies devs.

This is sarcasm right?
 

Jacob4815

Member
Is there an input lag problem? Camera movement feels terrible. I also see a lot of jaggies and shimmering on PS4 Pro so there is either no pro features enabled for demo or this is another game that does not downsample on 1080p displays.

An other Dishonored 2 scenario with downsampling disabled?? WTH Arkane, I really hope this is not the case... it would be insulting.
 

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
Reboot, being developed by Arkane (Dishonored devs). Chris Avellone was heavily involved in the writing and designing of sidequests, side characters, main characters and their arcs

Ok, I am very interested now.

Was this being developed simultaneously with Dishonored 2? Just curious given the close overlap and presumably similar team makeup.
 
Ok, I am very interested now.

Was this being developed simultaneously with Dishonored 2? Just curious given the close overlap and presumably similar team makeup.
From Wikipedia
This version of Prey came out of Arkane Studio's own ideas; as explained by Colantonio, after they finished Dishonored, roughly around 2014, they split their team to work on two projects, one being Dishonored 2 and the other a new IP based on similar gameplay ideas which would be "in first-person, with depth and simulation and narration". According to lead designer Richard Bare, Colantonio had suggested they look back towards what they had done with Arx Fatalis, a fantasy title produced by Arkane in 2002 which featured "this big, inter-connected dungeon that the player could roam so long as they could unlock everything".

They took that concept, but now set aboard a space station and involved aliens, and would require the player to consider the "full ecology" of the game's world. As Arkane started developing this, they recognized the similarities to the original Prey. Realizing that coming up with a name for a new property can be difficult, and that through Bethesda that they would have the ability to use that name, they opted to go with calling the game Prey. Hines explained that Arkane evaluated the Prey property to its core and built up a new game around it, calling it more a psychological game rather than a horror one.
 

Mr. Tibbs

Member
From Wikipedia

That can't be accurate because we knew that Arkane Austin were working on a Shock-inspired Prey reboot back in May 2013.

Some people at Arkane Austin are upset about this decision, our tipster said, but higher-ups at the company are telling the team to forget that it's called Prey 2 and just treat it like a new System Shock—the first-person PC series that inspired games like Bioshock and Arkane's last project, Dishonored.

They had to accept the name Prey because Austin is mostly a new team, and giving them a new IP would be adding risk to growth.
 

Stoze

Member
Ok, I am very interested now.

Was this being developed simultaneously with Dishonored 2? Just curious given the close overlap and presumably similar team makeup.

Yes. Arkane Lyon did Dishonored 2 while Arkane Austin did the Dishonored 1 DLCs and this.
 
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