Deathcow, this game is amazing! This game absolutely beats the tar out of
Virus 2! As an FPSC game, this thing just screams professional, I love it!
Now for a long over-due review:
WARNING!!! This review is a game spoiler, DO NOT read if you want the game to remain a surprise!
Design: 8/10
Technical Design
- The installer up front was very impressive. Even more impressive was that it had an
uninstall option!
- The launchers which allowed you to unite three separate games with continuing story lines into one mega game was just stunning to me. Did you write the launcher yourself or use a template? What language did you use?
- The menu pages were rather plain. I didn't really care for the drawing of the AIU Trooper; it would have been better if you had taken a screen shot of your best looking location of the game in question (with no enemies in the picture or any other evidence of attack), and have in large lettering the name of the location. For example, in
New Berlin Docks, you could take your best screenshot of the spaceport - maybe the outside area or the Customs Service and Passport area - and have in large lettering across the top left corner "New Berlin Docks". These are just ideas to dress up the actual game menu pages; I can see you tried doing some of this through the launcher application, but used videos instead (which is good).
- I like how you have the win/lose pages the same. The only problem I have is that it makes it feel like a demo, although it does still fit the whole game nicely. I think it wouldv'e been better, though, if you made the win game screen different from the others and maybe perhaps institute a password system (if possible) which would keep the player from jumping ahead in the story like I did...
Level Design
- The atmosphere is incredible.
New Berlin Docks really does look like a civilian space port with schedules, plants, customs and passport area, and billboards!
Dig Site Alpha was also great with containers, boxes, wires, storage tanks, and all that good stuff.
- Lighting was very good; the colors fit the overall feel of the game. I did think it odd how there were lights without light sources, but it is not a major issue.
- The custom segments, including the arched wire corridors and excavation tunnels were incredible. Did you use Morphtactic's hive pack?
Game Play: 5/10
- The games ran at about 15 FPS on my computer, which
typically is bad.
However, you had so much eye-candy that the player forgot the game was going a bit slow! Also, the framerate was consistent, (a huge accomplishment) which kept it from feeling slow all the time.
- Enemy fights were a tad boring in some levels, and in
Dig Site Alpha, they were placed so well that I was continually dieing, and lost right at the end! I was terrified in that game.
Dig Site Alpha was a little too difficult, I suggest that you not have enemies spawn behind the player so many times. Although, it was kind of fun being on my toes all the time!
- I got totally stuck in
New Berlin Docks, I think in level 3. I would jump down the gantries, and I would go through the long hallway, go into the computer room that has the windows facing a sort of office, and that is where I got stuck. I had no clue what to do. I tried stacking boxes to get into the vent several times, which finally worked, but that area did not seem to serve any purpose other than to torure the player with stacking a ton of boxes just to get back upstairs and onto the other side of the blocked gantries. I eventually just jumped onto the gantry railing, jumped up onto the box barricade, and jumped over and onto the other side. Not easily done, but it was worth it that much to me to get to the other side without stacking boxes.
- I could not pick up one of the guns in
New Berlin Docks.
- I am not a big fan of Zombies, but
Russian Science was AWESOME! The enemy placement was what really scared in the game; you check a wide open area and find it all clear, then you wander into it and there was a zombie behind you! Great idea giving them a lot of health, it made for some crazy game play!
- The weapons really should have
at least looked more sci-fi. I was greatful for the sniper rifle, but when I picked it up I thought,
THIS is in this game? It would have been better if it didn't look so... "old fashioned."
- I was really mad that I couldn't pick up the G36 from one of the Cultists when I was HOLDING a G36.
Audio: 7/10
- Music was very good. had a kind of disaster/crisis feeling without going all the way into an apolcalyptic nightmare tone.
- Music
did get a little monotanous at times.
- You could tell where a sound zone started and stopped when moving around through the levels, but that isn't your fault; I am not aware of a way to fix that.
- No custom weapon sound effects.
Story: 5/10
- I thought the conversations were clever, but it was annoying how it took awhile for the conversations to fade out before it showed you the next message. I would suggest use the FPI command "hudunshow." I've seen it used; very quick and simple.
- I liked the notes and how they carried the player through the story.
- I feel like I was missing something in
Dig Site Alpha. When in one of the conversations the player is given the option to say, "You know the Cultits worship the Sulin, right?" my first thought was,
They do?. I have looked through the gamecore files in
New Berlin Docks and found the paper messages, and still cannot find a few of them. To setup the story better, put the sheets where the player
must go, that way, he is more likely to find them.
- I really wished there had been some audio conversations/voices.
- Why are there top secret Russian Science sheets in plain sight everywhere? Does Russian Science handle everything to do with official Union business?
OVERALL AVERAGE: 6/10
This game was fantastic and almost unbelieveable for FPSC; well planned, and a job
well done!
Captain Coder
One of the most humbling days in your life will be the day you discover you AREN'T the best at what you love to do.
- Me
