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Alpha Protocol

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09.23.2011 1:44pm

Thread Creator

Zo
another blue ribbon

So if (like me) you were interested at first but put off by its buggy uncompletedness, you might be pleased to know that<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/34010/"; target="_blank"> Alpha Protocol is currently ridiculously cheap on Steam, clocking in at just £1.50 ($2-2.50).</a>

I'm cautiously looking forward to playing it. Obsidian seem to be kings of the great concept but they seriously need some quality control (KotOR 2, Neverwinter Nights 2, Fallout New Vegas) and I've heard this one follows in the same footsteps. Is there anything I should know before I start playing and is this game worth the incredibly low price I just paid for it? :P

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09.23.2011 4:37pm

Onyx
Butts
Administrator

If you have a 360 controller, it is essential. The game has some parts (mostly that godawful hacking minigame) that are next-to-impossible to do with a keyboard and mouse.

Mostly be prepared for a godawful PC port of a game that's already buggy as shit and makes KOTOR2's code look flawless by comparison.

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09.23.2011 4:47pm

Crisium
N/A

I edited the mouse sensitivity in one of the game files and it really helped.

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09.23.2011 5:26pm

CaButler
Winter Knight of the Unseelie Court

Story wise, it's a very good spy thriller, where you're choices effect nearly everything.

Gameplay wise... yeah, I pretty much agree with Onyx on this one.

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09.23.2011 6:44pm

KyleIII
Registered Member

It's the best game of last year, and you'd be foolish not to buy it at that price. It does story reactivity on a level never really seen before, and there are people playing the game six or seven times and still seeing new things.

Gameplay wise, pistol/stealth is certainly the most over-powered combination. Once you get chain shot and shadow operative you'll be able to breeze through almost any fight. Just remember if you do use the pistol to never shoot from the hip, you have to aim your shots. Whatever you do, make sure to develop at least one weapon skill, there are boss fights and you won't be able to sneak past everyone. It's usually not worth it to develop more than one weapon skill, and the assault rifle makes a great backup weapon if you're not using it as a primary. It's the most effective without putting any points into it.

Also, it's worth it to put at least one point into the sabotage tree, even if you're not going to go any further, because that gives you the ability to use EMP grenades to bypass minigames.

Oh, and remember that there is a button that makes you sprint faster than your normal running speed. It's kind of essential for one of the bosses, and I think a lot of people don't realize that ability exists.

Technically, I'm not sure what bugs everyone is referring to. I've played the game through seven or eight times on both the 360 and PC, and haven't really noticed any major differences (they're practically identical if you use the 360 controller). It's not flawless, but it's pretty much on the same level as anything Bioware puts out, and certainly not nearly as buggy as a Bethesda game. And the gunplay's certainly not the strong suit of the game, but it's still better than a lot of action RPGs. How people were able to put up with the shooting in the first Mass Effect and not this game is beyond me.

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09.23.2011 6:45pm

Onyx
Butts
Administrator

<span style="font-size: 11px; color: #959595;"><a href="/forums/profile/29">Crisium</a> said:</span>

I edited the mouse sensitivity in one of the game files and it really helped.

Which is something that should've been in the options to begin with.

I love shoddy PC ports.

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09.23.2011 7:33pm

(Edited on 09.23.2011 at 7:41pm)

Ashilyn
Career GM

Personally, I'd say pass even at $2. The writing is mediocre most of them time (though some places it really shines), the gameplay is awful, and as far as the bugs go, well - imagine everything you've ever heard about KotoR2 and Fallout New Vegas (Amsuingly, also games by Obsidian), combine them, and multiply them by five. That's the state of Alpha Protocol's code, and I'm still to this day astounded that someone let that game through Quality Assurance and let it go gold.

It does story reactivity and such incredibly well, and the RPG options are really cool when they actually work, but everything you have to slog through to get there just isn't worth it, even at that price. It's a frustrating, buggy, awful game and I would just move on.

<span><a href="/forums/profile/103">KyleIII</a> said:</span>

Technically, I'm not sure what bugs everyone is referring to.

There's tons, but probably the biggest ones I encountered on my playthrough were horrible AI bugs - stuff like stealth never working because, even without attacking or tripping alarms, enemies always instantly knew I was there and where to shoot even when my stealth stat was incredibly high, enemy AI literally breaking and them doing nothing but standing there or running in circles, ect. You say steath and pistol were overpowered - the bugs in my game made them completely worthless.

If you really want to play AP, I've heard that the 360 version, for whatever reason, plays significantly better, and the game feels much more natural on a controller than on a PC.

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09.23.2011 7:59pm

KyleIII
Registered Member

Ah, that's not a bug (although it's often cited as one by newer players). If you're getting spotted without being seen, enemies were hearing you. Stealth is measured by both sight and sound. It's much more pronounced in the early game, since the early armors are louder and you don't have as many abilities to rely on. If you're having trouble, it can help to use street clothes, as they're quieter than the lowest level stealth armor.

I've never heard any of the RPG options breaking, on anyone either. What exactly are you referring to there?

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10.09.2011 5:07pm

Xiu
Registered Member

I'm in the minority of those who loved Alpha Protocol, technical shortcomings and all. I actually, while playing Deus Ex: HR, missed some of the options I had in Alpha Protocol, like the sound generator. I also missed the seamlessness of takedowns in Alpha Protocol, while so many actions in Deus Ex: HR are regulated to awkward cutscenes with poor transitions. Alpha Protocol rarely takes the controller out of the player's hands. It's far from perfect, but I had enough fun to go through two very different playthroughts. And it's one of the few games that gets sidequests and mission structure completely right. The areas are incredibly varied, as is the mission structure, and there are no missions that feel thrown in there to extend the game's length artifically; everything is relevant.

I had very few bugs while playing, though. It was technically archaic, sure. Ugly, even. But at least on the 360, I had very few issues with bugs.The most common one I remember was cosmetic--my assault rifle would sometimes appear upside down when equipped.

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10.10.2011 11:06am

Big Tall
Taller Than Tall

^ Agreed. Alpha Protocol is one of those games I can play again and again and never really tire of it. It's not perfect, as noted, but I didn't have much issue playing the 360 version.

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10.11.2011 11:39pm

Makeshift Gray
FFO's Blank Earth

I found it to be quite engaging despite its flaws. I discovered it was more effective to simply run into a group of enemies and melee than it was to even use a gun. It was kind of sad, but still fun by its own right. And I was mostly playing for the story, anyway. Seeing how my actions changed the story never got old for me.

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10.12.2011 3:15am

Amer
pew pew pew

It's been forever since I tried to play it, but I have the PC version.

I wanted to like it. I was having fun, then I got to this boss fight.

It makes the boss fights in Deus Ex look perfectly in place. I'm fighting some old dude in a museum, from what I remember. I think he just killed some girl I like? I dunno. I remember making that choice.

Anyway, the guy has like 4-6 cronies that come out that are easily dispatched with a few bullets.

Then of course you go after the old man, and I literally emptied every gun I had, every grenade, then started hand to hand combat with him. The bitch just won't go down.

Seriously. Normal mobs die with a few hits, Mr. Boss Man apparently requires the munitions of an entire army. Of course my only save is right before the boss fight, so there's no going back. I seriously played AP for about two play sessions and have not touched it since just because I can't beat this boss for some reason.

Even the trainer I downloaded to give me infintie health doesn't work.

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10.12.2011 5:52am

KyleIII
Registered Member

Of course my only save is right before the boss fight, so there's no going back.

There's an autosave made at your safehouse before every mission, so you can always reload and do another one or go to another hub.

Not sure what problem you were having with the boss (I'm guessing you meant the final boss in Rome, going by the description), but if you want easy-mode pistols with chain shot is the way to go. You can beat almost any boss in one or two applications of it. I've beaten the game with pretty much every combo of weapons and skills, so I can assure you that no situation is impossible.

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10.12.2011 6:37pm

Amer
pew pew pew

Yeah but if I go back to the safe house that means I have to do the whole mission over again. No thanks. Maybe if I didn't have any other game that I was interested in playing....but I really don't see that happening.

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10.13.2011 1:28pm

Big Tall
Taller Than Tall

How high is your pistol's chain shot? The easiest way to win any boss fight is stealth, steel core rounds and chain shot to line up as many head shots as you can. In most cases you'll end the fight with one chain shot. It makes the game incredibly easy but considering how frustrating some of those boss battles can be...

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