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SOCOM Confrontation - Impressions/reviews/etc

gantz85 said:
It's possible that they're rewriting a large portion of the current code. Not literally rewriting on disk but redirecting how things work..

The game was SO broken :lol
Yeah,but code is compiled on ELF files (Or some type of executable and binary file) so that shouldnt take 500 MB!
 
Fersis said:
Yeah,but code is compiled on ELF files (Or some type of executable and binary file) so that shouldnt take 500 MB!

I'm a software engineer, and have been guilty of doing similar things in the past.

I can guarantee you that this is more a reflection of the quality of the developer than it is the complexity of the changes.

What they are most likely doing is simply redistributing all of the base software (data plus executable) instead of just the files that have changed. This is easier and simpler to do. It's an indicator of laziness on the part of the developer (the release manager). Just one more thing that comes off as "cheap" with this game.

Still can't beat the game modes though (no respawn, hostages, bombs FTW!). Intense.

If KZ2 had those modes it still wouldn't be exactly the same (first vs. 3rd person etc.), but it would be pretty damn awesome.
 
Q-bert said:
I'm a software engineer, and have been guilty of doing similar things in the past.

I can guarantee you that this is more a reflection of the quality of the developer than it is the complexity of the changes.

What they are most likely doing is simply redistributing all of the base software (data plus executable) instead of just the files that have changed. This is easier and simpler to do. It's an indicator of laziness on the part of the developer (the release manager). Just one more thing that comes off as "cheap" with this game.

Still can't beat the game modes though (no respawn, hostages, bombs FTW!). Intense.

If KZ2 had those modes it still wouldn't be exactly the same (first vs. 3rd person etc.), but it would be pretty damn awesome.
Yeah man i understand that, when i worked on non PC platforms ,we had the executable (A kind of ELF) and the assets independent from each other.
So i know that they took the easy (and safest) route. Just that it looks like this game was out of slant six capabilities.
Im not saying that they are lazy,just that maybe they didnt have enough 'man power' or time.
 
Musashi Wins! said:
I can't believe what they did with this series. It was so many people's favorite shooter for a while.

Probably half the people on my friends list that are still active on a nightly basis are only playing SOCOM. It's the only reason they bought a PS3. They probably won't buy another game until MAG.

About a quarter of them rented or bought/returned KZ2. I am like "WTF?" to them.

"No hostages, no bombs, unlimited respawn = not for me." as far as they are concerned.
 
Q-bert said:
I'm a software engineer, and have been guilty of doing similar things in the past.

I can guarantee you that this is more a reflection of the quality of the developer than it is the complexity of the changes.

What they are most likely doing is simply redistributing all of the base software (data plus executable) instead of just the files that have changed. This is easier and simpler to do. It's an indicator of laziness on the part of the developer (the release manager). Just one more thing that comes off as "cheap" with this game.

there might be some basic changes in the framework of the game... commenting other software when you have no idea of their framework is kind of silly - it is something that many programmers like to do (downplay everyone else's work).

As to the Socom, it is pretty awesome game - it was at start, and it is even better now after constant updates by Slant Six. Afterall, it has biggest online community of all PS3 games, and that tells you better how good the game is.
 
Musashi Wins! said:
I can't believe what they did with this series. It was so many people's favorite shooter for a while.

It was my favorite shooter. :(

But it's not like it doesn't "play" like SOCOM did, nor that the maps didn't feel like SOCOM. They were great. It was all the bugs, glitches, lack of weapons, and lack of required features that made me finally dismiss this game. There's basically no chance of me going back now and that's a shame. Slant 6 really destroyed that SOCOM name with this one, I wonder how the guys at Zipper feel about it.

Hopefully Zipper's new game will turn out as I expect it to though, and it'll become my shooter of choice.
 
spwolf said:
there might be some basic changes in the framework of the game... commenting other software when you have no idea of their framework is kind of silly - it is something that many programmers like to do (downplay everyone else's work).

As to the Socom, it is pretty awesome game - it was at start, and it is even better now after constant updates by Slant Six. Afterall, it has biggest online community of all PS3 games, and that tells you better how good the game is.
Check my post, i didnt downplay anything :D
 
Fersis said:
Check my post, i didnt downplay anything :D

i didnt quote you, did I :-)

I mean previous updates were much smaller - there were plenty of them... getting one larger update simply means they changed more core files and maybe laid groundwork for the future patches. It is not that hard to figure out.

I work at software development company for almost 10 years now. I am responsible for hiring, firing and overall managing products. Unwarranted egoism of 99% of programers is not annoying anymore to me, it is laughable :D.
 
So how bad is this game, right now?

Thinking about getting it.

spwolf said:
I work at software development company for almost 10 years now. I am responsible for hiring, firing and overall managing products. Unwarranted egoism of 99% of programers is not annoying anymore to me, it is laughable :D.

Having to take over someone's needlessly over-complicated, uncommented and damn near unusable code so often leaves us like that. :D
 
J-Rzez said:
It was my favorite shooter. :(

But it's not like it doesn't "play" like SOCOM did, nor that the maps didn't feel like SOCOM. They were great. It was all the bugs, glitches, lack of weapons, and lack of required features that made me finally dismiss this game. There's basically no chance of me going back now and that's a shame. Slant 6 really destroyed that SOCOM name with this one, I wonder how the guys at Zipper feel about it.

Hopefully Zipper's new game will turn out as I expect it to though, and it'll become my shooter of choice.

It's a shame you dismissed it so quickly. I did the opposite and waited to play it until the first major patches and have been loving every minute of it. Destroyed the name? Maybe, if you actually liked Socom 3 :D
 
Game is out this week in the UK. Still worth picking up if only for the headset? I've gotten KZ2 so I'm kinda covered for the online shooter but I don't think another will hurt :lol
 
spwolf said:
i didnt quote you, did I :-)
I mean previous updates were much smaller - there were plenty of them... getting one larger update simply means they changed more core files and maybe laid groundwork for the future patches. It is not that hard to figure out.
I work at software development company for almost 10 years now. I am responsible for hiring, firing and overall managing products. Unwarranted egoism of 99% of programers is not annoying anymore to me, it is laughable :D.
I know man,just joking.:D
And yes programmers are really 'cocky' sometimes.... *Keeps coding*

Dibbz said:
Game is out this week in the UK. Still worth picking up if only for the headset? I've gotten KZ2 so I'm kinda covered for the online shooter but I don't think another will hurt :lol
The headset is like really really really good,tough i dont talk much because my english sucks.:D
 
Beatbox said:
It's a shame you dismissed it so quickly. I did the opposite and waited to play it until the first major patches and have been loving every minute of it. Destroyed the name? Maybe, if you actually liked Socom 3 :D

S3 had it's problems like this one, difference being that was years ago on inferior hardware (Zipper may have been a bit too ambitious) to what this is on. And, that wasn't ONLY online. When something is "only online", it better work, and it better have features which are common to other shooters. For example, there is no excuse, zero, zip, nil excuse for this game to have launched without a party system, especially since it was promoted on the box/in the manual. That's some fucking bullshit right there. And my friend was telling me that the party system doesn't work like it should now even (whatever that means). I'd check it out, but I can't be bothered with that game anymore. Surprisingly too, as it was my favorite shooter series.
 
gregor7777 said:
So how bad is this game, right now?

Thinking about getting it.

I've played it since the beta, and I'd pay $20 for it. See if you can get it for that and give it a shot. No biggy if it doesnt work out for you.
 
Q-bert said:
I've played it since the beta, and I'd pay $20 for it. See if you can get it for that and give it a shot. No biggy if it doesnt work out for you.

Yeah, I may get it from Goozex, so nothing lost if it sucks. Thanks
 
J-Rzez said:
It was my favorite shooter. :(

But it's not like it doesn't "play" like SOCOM did, nor that the maps didn't feel like SOCOM. They were great. It was all the bugs, glitches, lack of weapons, and lack of required features that made me finally dismiss this game. There's basically no chance of me going back now and that's a shame. Slant 6 really destroyed that SOCOM name with this one, I wonder how the guys at Zipper feel about it.

Hopefully Zipper's new game will turn out as I expect it to though, and it'll become my shooter of choice.

Thank you. The game felt very incomplete. I had figured this would be the case when the beta started and things felt like they were patchworked. I had hoped that Slant Six would delay the game or(naively) i hoped they would magically flip some switch that would make things better. Very few changes were made, things that were promised are just now showing up and there were just too many things that kept me from getting into this shooter.
 
Yea, despite the fact that I think they took a giant dump on the series by giving it to a lesser developer, it's been patched into decentness.

There are certain game modes and situations that just aren't in other shooters. And it's worthwhile to check that out. I think with the upgrade in hardware, you just didn't expect some of the things to be so poor for so long. Personally, I didn't enjoy SOCOM 3, so I think there's a lot to like here. At least now.
 
Musashi Wins! said:
Yea, despite the fact that I think they took a giant dump on the series by giving it to a lesser developer, it's been patched into decentness.

There are certain game modes and situations that just aren't in other shooters. And it's worthwhile to check that out. I think with the upgrade in hardware, you just didn't expect some of the things to be so poor for so long. Personally, I didn't enjoy SOCOM 3, so I think there's a lot to like here. At least now.
Do you have it? We should play if you do. And we definitely should get together for some KZ2 or MLB.
 
DenogginizerOS said:
Do you have it? We should play if you do. And we definitely should get together for some KZ2 or MLB.

Yes, and haven't played nearly enough. I swear I logged on to look around on maps and people were yelling at me haha. But your team is very important in this game.

So, yes, yes and yes.
 
Musashi Wins! said:
Yes, and haven't played nearly enough. I swear I logged on to look around on maps and people were yelling at me haha. But your team is very important in this game.

So, yes, yes and yes.
I will be on around 9 tonight for one of them. If Beamber fires up a room for KZ2, I will join that (if all classes are on and FF is on ;) )
 
Yeah, this game is still king when it comes to multiplayer on the PS3 - I'm thinking about selling KZ2 already. People tried to sell it as this tactical experience, but it's pretty mindless and communication isn't even that big of a factor.

You can laugh at SOCOM all you want for its graphics and gameplay quirks, but it had solid gameplay from launch on. Balance, great hit detection, a need for teamwork, and an actual sense of personal progress without the need to hide classes and weapons from the beginning. A great player or group of players can really distance themselves from an inexperienced bunch.
 
J-Rzez said:
S3 had it's problems like this one, difference being that was years ago on inferior hardware (Zipper may have been a bit too ambitious) to what this is on. And, that wasn't ONLY online. When something is "only online", it better work, and it better have features which are common to other shooters. For example, there is no excuse, zero, zip, nil excuse for this game to have launched without a party system, especially since it was promoted on the box/in the manual. That's some fucking bullshit right there. And my friend was telling me that the party system doesn't work like it should now even (whatever that means). I'd check it out, but I can't be bothered with that game anymore. Surprisingly too, as it was my favorite shooter series.
Like I've said before, I more so put the blame on SCEA for publishing the game in its current state (SCEE wouldn't release it until it was more complete). SCEA also gave Slant 6 a PS2 size budget, which results in fewer staff members and the long it takes to get a smoother game up and running. Most games get a budget that's at least 5X more. SCEA also handed the game to Slant 6, who was mostly a PSP developer previously. Slant 6 really only did what they were told (make a new SOCOM for PS3) under a limited budget. I believe if they received a much larger budget and more staff (like KZ2 got), the game would be fantastic and not have many glitches. Overall, I just put the blame on SCEA for being cheap and just not seeming to care about SOCOM anymore.

I don't think Zipper really cares since I thought I heard something about some people from Zipper Interactive who created SOCOM 1 and 2 leave (which explains why in a way SOCOM 3 was so different, due to having some different people working on it). And if Zipper was still working on SOCOM, they'd probably take the series in a direction fans wouldn't be happy wither either.
 
Hmmm

The patch sounds really interesting and I always liked the core SOCOM gameplay ...just thought the front-end was utter poopoo.

Certainly makes me consider buying the PSN version as I got rid of my BDROM awhile ago

Has the community really become that consistant since it's launch last year? ...still plenty of people playing?
 
AgentOtaku said:
Hmmm

The patch sounds really interesting and I always liked the core SOCOM gameplay ...just thought the front-end was utter poopoo.

Certainly makes me consider buying the PSN version as I got rid of my BDROM awhile ago

Has the community really become that consistant since it's launch last year? ...still plenty of people playing?
The SOCOM fan base isn't going anywhere soon... it survived R2 and is still going strong after Killzone 2. I'd actually be surprised if it takes a huge drop when MAG releases because a number of the fans really enjoy the small-scale battles (4v4 / 8v8). Obviously I don't know how MAG is going to pull off their combat and it might be split into smaller battles, but if you remember how many people stuck with S2 after S3 was released we might be in a similar situation.

I think it was last month they announced it's the most-played online title from SCEA, and if the counter on socom.com is correct there are 10122 players online right now.

I just hope Slant 6 continues to get the necessary funding/time/manpower they deserve for DLC/patches. They get a ton of shit, but it's pretty clear they were on a completely different budget and time frame than some other teams.
 
Musashi Wins! said:
Yea, despite the fact that I think they took a giant dump on the series by giving it to a lesser developer, it's been patched into decentness.

There are certain game modes and situations that just aren't in other shooters. And it's worthwhile to check that out. I think with the upgrade in hardware, you just didn't expect some of the things to be so poor for so long. Personally, I didn't enjoy SOCOM 3, so I think there's a lot to like here. At least now.
Very well said.

If you can look past it's (granted, numerous) bugs and quirks, there is A LOT of fun to be had here. I can forgive a lot when a game grabs me with high fun factor. I suppose this is hard for long-time fans of the series, moreso than with someone like me who hadn't got into those.

When playing this game, I get that magical feeling I used to get playing Rainbow Six (the first one) back in the day on the PC. And that's a VERY good thing.

p.s. if you and Denogg hook-up online, give me an invite, PSN: shpankey
 
shpankey said:
Very well said.

If you can look past it's (granted, numerous) bugs and quirks, there is A LOT of fun to be had here. I can forgive a lot when a game grabs me with high fun factor. I suppose this is hard for long-time fans of the series, moreso than with someone like me who hadn't got into those.

When playing this game, I get that magical feeling I used to get playing Rainbow Six (the first one) back in the day on the PC. And that's a VERY good thing.

p.s. if you and Denogg hook-up online, give me an invite, PSN: shpankey
I will do it. I got a Rainbow and Ghost Recon vibe immediately. I love the tactical elements and really have been missing this kind of gameplay.
 
DenogginizerOS said:
I will do it. I got a Rainbow and Ghost Recon vibe immediately. I love the tactical elements and really have been missing this kind of gameplay.

I like your clan idea. I've barely played it as I've said, but I would do so more if there were a decent amount of people on my list doing so.
 
Musashi Wins! said:
I like your clan idea. I've barely played it as I've said, but I would do so more if there were a decent amount of people on my list doing so.
I have to do some work in the lab tonight so I am not sure if I can start the clan up tonight, but I will investigate and try to set it up either late tonight or before the weekend. We can just jump in and see where this takes us. Perhaps we can convince MrBob to join us since he needs a headset.
 
DenogginizerOS said:
I have to do some work in the lab tonight so I am not sure if I can start the clan up tonight, but I will investigate and try to set it up either late tonight or before the weekend. We can just jump in and see where this takes us. Perhaps we can convince MrBob to join us since he needs a headset.

Yes, he does! He couldn't respond to all my trash talk in MLB. Anyhow, it would be nice to mix this in with Killzone and such. I'll look for you guys.
 
Musashi Wins! said:
I like your clan idea. I've barely played it as I've said, but I would do so more if there were a decent amount of people on my list doing so.
I have played SOCOM Confrontation for 250+ hours total now, I think. I got all excited about Killzone 2 when it got released, and it's a great game. But when I wasn't able to get in an MP KZ2 game anymore (due to patch 1.20), I went back to SOCOM. I had already forgotten how great gunfights can be. If there's two guys left a gunfight can still take minutes and several locations before there's a winner. I absolutely love how you somehow HAVE TO outthink other people to be able to get a lot of kills. I'm always wondering how I can get behind people's asses. And there's really nothing, NOTHING else on the market that comes even remotely close to this gameplay concept.

I would love to see how KZ2 without respawning would turn out. I bet it would become a lot more tactical then.

Anyway, SOCOM is a great game, you should really give it another chance. Playing with a group of people every night never gets old. It's also one of the only PS3 games where people actually use their mic, and usually EVERYONE has one.
 
Q-bert said:
About a quarter of them rented or bought/returned KZ2. I am like "WTF?" to them.

"No hostages, no bombs, unlimited respawn = not for me." as far as they are concerned.

This is exactly what it's all about to most SOCOM players. I have never really enjoyed a multiplayer shooter with respawns. On COD4 my friends and I only played hardcore mode. I hate any Gears of War modes with respawns etc etc... I could go on forever.

I know it's insane to most people but some of us have more fun playing a half broken game with no respawns than a polished AAA title like KZ2.
 
Yea, on consoles it always seemed the thinking mans shooter.

I just remember sitting in a room with a hostage in 2, no team mates left, 2 SEALS outside, wondering how and when they would come in. All your team spectating. Seconds ticking by. Some of the tensest moments of my gaming life. And memorable.
 
Suburban_Nooblet said:
I know it's insane to most people but some of us have more fun playing a half broken game with no respawns than a polished AAA title like KZ2.
When you put it like that, it actually sounds quite insane haha. Just shows how strong SOCOM's core gameplay is. And I don't seem to be the only one. Man, if SOCOM had even got half KZ2's budget... Just imagine :(
 
panda21 said:
sorry, but
FoxhoundNL said:
I'm always wondering how I can get behind people's asses. And there's really nothing, NOTHING else on the market that comes even remotely close to this gameplay concept.
:D Omg quote of the day. Oh and I think I will be buying Socom on Friday in the UK, I already have the headset so the game on its own will cost £15. I really enjoyed the beta which convinced me despite the bugs to buy the retail product.
 
Musashi Wins! said:
Yea, on consoles it always seemed the thinking mans shooter.

I just remember sitting in a room with a hostage in 2, no team mates left, 2 SEALS outside, wondering how and when they would come in. All your team spectating. Seconds ticking by. Some of the tensest moments of my gaming life. And memorable.
Yep, SOCOM can get REALLY tense, my heart goes all crazy at those moments. Like when you're all on your own, 5 or 6 enemies left. And you take out 1, run like crazy, find another one, etc... It's possible to execute plans, you can set enemies up, etc. It's great to see when a plan works out.

I think I'm going to grab my DS3 now, lol.:D
 
FoxhoundNL said:
Yep, SOCOM can get REALLY tense, my heart goes all crazy at those moments. Like when you're all on your own, 5 or 6 enemies left. And you take out 1, run like crazy, find another one, etc... It's possible to execute plans, you can set enemies up, etc. It's great to see when a plan works out.

I think I'm going to grab my DS3 now, lol.:D


This is exactly what shooters are all about for me. Glad to see someone who feels the same as I do Foxhound.
 
I love this damn game. I was a die hard Resistance fan and naturally expected R2 to pull me away from this - but nope - they fucked that game up. I was certain I'd split my time with this and Killzone - but nope - don't like that MP either - probably 98% Socom and 2% Killzone.

There's something awesome about the one death no respawn system. It forces propper teamwork and communication - or you'll hear it from the 90%+ with headsets who want to strategize and win. It can also lead to an adreneline rush and heart pumping action that I've never experienced in any other video game (I hear old CS guys explaining a similar rush). Being outnumbered by 3, 4, 5 or 6 guys and knowing your entire team is watching your every move...just awesome. On the flip side I like watching other people after I die, always gathering new ideas and strategies.

As far as the Socom series goes - this is easily the least buggy game in the series (and this point in patchmania anyways). Yeah, I don't expect any game to have bugs - but it's not like Zipper had this magical bug-free game that Slant Six ruined as some of you say. I did have some good laughs that they didn't have a few features listed on the box as J-Rzez pointed out - like trophies and a party system...however both are meaningless to me. Thanks to the XMB locator (now truncated) I don't even care about a party system since we tend to settle in a room and stay there for hours until we run out of people to kill.
 
thats what I loved about CS...NO RESPAWNS!! I love COD 4 HC S&D again for this reason (but the fucking TK's gots to go)

I love KZ2 MP but I need a NO respawn game mode!!

Ima pop in SOCOM tonight and grab the update...

Love is in the air!!!
 
Beatbox said:
On the flip side I like watching other people after I die, always gathering new ideas and strategies.

I like watching people when I'm dead too. If you're bored, check out this link:
http://www.unitedsocomleague.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11973

Apparently, 3rd party websites that coordinate tournaments etc. just for SOCOM are fairly numerous (well, there's at least one aggregator site). The link above is a list of videos for a championship match for one such website/tournament (raw footage, not some highlights reel/montage). The gist of these 3rd party sites is that they recognize that playing with/against the stereotypical GameBattles players can subtract from the basic enjoyment of the game.

The bottom line with SOCOM is that if you ignore all the quirks of the UI, you can have a lot of fun. Even the "SOCOM is dead" guy admits this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMnIsw1Cz60
 
Just bought Socom with the headset for £37. Managed to snag it a day early from Chips :D

Headset looks awesome, charaging it now and downloading 1.41 for Socom. Hope this is good.
 
DenogginizerOS said:
I will be putting some time into this over the weekend. Musashi and others please join up if you are interested.

I will definitely find you on there this weekend. Looking forward to playing this more.
 
shpankey said:
Dennog, I don't think I have you on my friends list? What's your PSN name? Miney is the same as it is here. <---
I sent you a friend invite last night on PSN. Mine is Denogginizer.

Any suggestions for a clan name?
 
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