Thanks, I was waiting for impressions from people with the digital issue. How does the game look? Any screenshots or only concept art?
Seemed to me it was more concept although it was in gameplay form, like the camera was in the right spot if you were to actually play it but if it was real then it looked rough. But it's still early so I'm not worried about that. The gameplay seems really ambitious though.
-Every enemy has a name, rank and memory. If you don't kill them in an encounter for whatever reason they will remember you later on and change their tactics, not only getting stronger in level but learning new immunities. Enemy dialogue changes because of your previous encounters as well.
-Enemies have their own jobs to do and their AI allows them to do certain things on their own. For example an Orc you have to kill may be dueling another at one point or he may be doing whatever his higher ranking officer assigned him to do. It all progresses in real time with or without your interference.
-If an enemy kills you in battle you don't "die" in the traditional sense. You do eventually respawn but time in the world passed (they didn't say how long). During this time the enemy that killed you was likely promoted because of him killing you or he could have been killed somehow (like losing one of the duels I mentioned above).
-If your objective is to kill a high ranking warlord you can do it in several ways. One way would be chipping away at everyone under his rank and either killing them or making them become "agents" for you which will enable you to launch ambushes on their base or possibly even assassinate the warlord by making his 2nd in command your agent. However it's not guaranteed, the 2nd in command can fail and be killed but he may have partial success as well which takes a chunk of the warlord's health away to make your battle easier.
-The combat seems like it takes cues from the Batman games. They mentioned there was a rhythm to it and you get to keep a combo multiplier going.
-It's fully open world so it has all of the stuff you'd expect. XP, skills, sidequests, random events (hell the whole game is basically a random event with that nemesis system and the AI working on their own even when enemies aren't on screen).
-You get to use normal melee combat, stealth with a dagger or ranged with a bow. How you level those up depends on what you took the target out with. A stealth kill will get you a special rune to use on stealth skills, direct combat will get you a melee rune and so on.
All in all I'm impressed by what I read.
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Here are a few extra things from other sources.
Website:
Source: http://www.lith.com/Studio/News/November-2013/Middle-earth--Shadow-of-MordorMiddle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a next-generation, third-person action game set in Middle-earth that explores an original story of vengeance and redemption. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is in development for PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC.
In Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, gamers take on the role of Talion, a valiant ranger whose family is slain in front of him the night Sauron and his army return to Mordor, moments before his own life is taken. Resurrected by a Spirit of vengeance and empowered with Wraith abilities, Talion ventures into Mordor and vows to destroy those who have wronged him. Through the course of his personal vendetta, Talion uncovers the truth of the Spirit that compels him, learns the origins of the Rings of Power and ultimately confronts his true nemesis.
Every enemy that players face is a unique individual, differentiated by their personality, strengths and weaknesses. Through the Nemesis System, enemy relationships and characteristics are shaped by player actions and decisions to create personal archenemies that remember and adapt to the player and are distinct to every gameplay session. Gamers are able to craft their own battles, enemies and rewards within the dynamic world that remembers and adapts to their choices, delivering a unique experience to every player.
The Monolith Productions team has collaborated on Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor with Middle-earth Enterprises, Peter Jackson and the artists at Weta Workshop to ensure that the settings, characters and story align authentically within canon. For more information, visit the main site, Facebook and Twitter.
And from job postings.
Proprietary engine:
- Unannounced Project
Designed mission parameters and maintained designs based on internal and user feedback. Scripted missions and enemy encounters using proprietary language & engine. Supported developers by fixing bugs, providing feedback, and assisting new team members learn proprietary tools. Took ownership of critical side-mission structure to support unique game systems.
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jared-goldberg/13/783/14
Might have something online related:
Engine Programmer said:As a Staff Engine generalist you will work closely with the Lead Engineer and the rest of your peers to develop state-of-the-art runtime technology for the PS4, XBOXONE, PS3, XBOX 360 and PC.
Worked on multi-year, large-scale production game title from concept to ship (preferred).
Experience with rendering, networking, gameplay systems and content development pipelines (preferred).
https://careers.timewarner.com/tgwebhost/jobdetails.aspx?partnerid=391&siteid=36&jobid=665051