Let's discuss (warning: Spoilers might be found!!)

[hell-angel]

As posted in another topic, A first Q&A about prey has been posted at Gamespot ( here (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/prey/preview_6124152.html) ) and I must say that I am impressed. I suggest we use this to discuss some of the announced features of prey (from this and future Q&A and previews) and talk about possible uses/problems that might occur with that. (NOT to flame but to discuss and maybe even give ideas to HH and 3DR (like they need it. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif ) )

Let's start about the use of portals. According to the Q&A they (HH) can create "mind-blowing, messing-with-the-laws-of physics way of using them to create environments that just can't exist in our world" kind of things with them. Now personally I would love to see that http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif but now there are two things I am wondering about:
1) What can you do?? (sorry don't have such a huge imagination)
2) How do you make sure that players are not going to be disoriented and get lost? (and no, I don't think signs would work. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif )

ideas about this anyone??

Well, I opened it, let's discuss guys and gals, what do you think about this and other features discussed in the Q&A. What would you do and not do.
Let your imagination go wild. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

EDIT: I am talking about gameplay features here guys, not graphics (because we all know these look good. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif )

[Spooger]

Good topic http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Here's an issue - but whether or not it passes as a problem is up to personal perception. Portals mean breaks (albeit natural breaks) in gameplay. Imagine, if you will, walking down a corridor, only to have a portal open up in front of you and have one mean bad guy jumping out. You engage in battle, and then the game wants you to jump right in to this rip in space and time.

First, a logic issue - and this is likely to already have been covered by HH and 3DR. Why do these portals exist? They're a great gameplay device (or are they? more on that later) but it's difficult to understand given what we know about the setting how exactly the Portals will fit in with the game itself. Let's hope they aren't there just for the sake of having portals.

Second is what I like to refer to as natural progression. It's best explained like this: if I jump into that portal the monster left behind, will I also leave behind the feeling of natural progression and level consistancy that simply opening the next door might have given me? I won't mince words: the idea of walking into a portal, and appearing in a whole new area will 1) no real valid excuse for the portal's existence and 2) no real reason to actually take the portal in the first place, has me slightly worried. I'm sure that part of HH and 3DR's focus with portal tech has been to create good portal application, and realization.

Another brief example of what I mean (because I feel like I'm not being clear - which is possible since it's 3:30 am and I feel like hitting the sack). Look at Half-Life 2 - whatever you think of it, one thing can't be easily denied: it's a consistant experience. You really feel like you're going from 'here' to 'there', and it's your hard work - not portals - that are taking you there. It would be a shame if Prey didn't also provide that same feeling of from 'here' to 'there' progression because their portals broke that sense of in-game consistancy.

Let me say that I'm sure this isn't how Prey will turn out. From what we know and can read, Prey is all about providing a very thoughtful narrative, and one of those requires a good scheme of progression. Instead of replacing the tried-and-true storyline/environment-based progression with broken up levels and gameplay courtesy of portals, I think they'll be used to enhance the overall experience.

Anyhow. I hope I made a little sense. I'm hardly worried about Prey at all - I think it'll be one heckuva game - but I did feel like mentioning that concern because I value environmental consistancy in the games I play.

[hell-angel]

I feel what you mean, but I don't think portals will just appear and you have to take them. Allow me to explain:
if there are still portable portals in the game the player could save at a point right before a portal opens and an enemie walks out. Throw a portable portal behind thenew portal before it opens and then simply teleport behind the enemie-portal and continue.

I also think that HH will most likely use portals as some form on intervention, i.e. you have made some progress and then all of a sudden a portal appears and sucks you in to a totally different area which you have to go through before you can go back to your original location. This will make for some interesting twitches since you are all set for a dark corridor and all of a sudden you find yourself in some forest with totally different enemies. I do think that this might lead to some confusion and players getting lost though.

I do have a good feeling about this. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Viper Knight]

hell-angel said:
1) What can you do?? (sorry don't have such a huge imagination)
2) How do you make sure that players are not going to be disoriented and get lost? (and no, I don't think signs would work. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif )



1. Go back where you came from! I'm being serious. Tommy might be able to setup portal spots in the level where he would like to go back to. Like a door that requires a key for instance.
2. If it will all be Tommy's work it'll be his responsibilty of trying not to get himself lost by messing with portals. If not, well, it'll have to be some clever design work by the level designers! Or a smart (portal compatible) map system. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[colmtourque]

In a few posts people have mentioned the idea that the portals might harm gameplay by, for lack of a better phrase; removing the linear nature of the FPS. I for one look forward to that. Half-Life (as mentioned above) might have been consistent, but it was still just an FPS, totally linear. HH and 3dr have mentioned that they are looking to make a new FPS something that changes the way FPS are played. I look forward to that idea. So I guess in answer to the original post I am hoping that HH is designing a game where you don't have to continue down the dark corridor to complete the game, instead you can decide whether you want to go through the portal and try OR continue down the dark corridor to the door and move on from there. Perhaps they are looking for a "choose your own adventure" FPS.

[Ronald McDonald]

Choices do not equal happiness. Linearity is needed because I as a player want to explore everything and not miss out on nothing http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

HL2 was not boring for me because of the linearity, but it just doesen't entertain me enough to keep on playing.
Just not interessting enough to be satisfieing http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

[colmtourque]

I guess choose your own adventure is a little broad.
So simply using the HL2 Analogy:
What I am trying to say is instead of like in HL2 where in the beginning your whole idea is to get to the lab and get the teleport all screwed up and then you run through the sewers until you reach the boat. Using the portal idea they could either let you choose to be teleported or run through the sewers.

Another analogy would be kinda like Mario Bro's 2 where you can choose which level you want to play instead of going level to level.

Not a choose your own adventure the whole way, but halfway. And it strikes me that with the portals this is the perfect game to do that in.

In regards to seeing everything I would guess that is where replayability comes in, in most FPS games I discover that I missed a few things because I did not find a secret area or some such, that is why for instance DN3d, Serious Sam, Far Cry all are enjoyable to play again, whereas HL and HL2 I played once, and never played again. (and cheated through HL2 just to see a disapointing ending). I really think HL2 ending was poignant to this conversation "rather than give you the illusion of choice I will choose for you." So using the portal tech they could bring a whole new meaning to "secret levels", hidden areas and such. I mean if you choose one time to be teleported and the next time to run the sewers, how cool would that be.

[Viper Knight]

The advantage I see with this portal stuff is that the designers could create huge levels where portals are used to prevent the player from wasting time walking everywhere. For example, if you have to go down the sewer to get a key, you just setup a portal outside the manhole, climb down into the sewers, kick ass, grab the key, and create a portal linked to portal you just created to go back up out of the sewer without all the walking and climbing you just did. Of course, you could walk and climb back up if you really wanted to.

This wouldn't mean Prey could be a choose your own adventure thing though. It just means you could spend lots of time in a level (like in the good ol' of Doom and stuff) and not get bored. Unlike Half-Life where you are always (pretty much) moving forward to new places or places that have changed from the last time you saw them.

This isn't something really new though because other games can just use teleporters. But with player defined portals (aka dynamic portals), which I believe Prey will have, you will be able to have fun setting them up where ever you like. Consequently adding a more innovative feel to the game, and a less linear feel at that. As in you will be a bit less at the whim of the level designer - but not completely mind you. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Ronald McDonald]

I think the portal stuff is being used in puzzles and for the overall "wow"-effect and stuff like that.

[A_Llama]

My theory is that if it's cool enough you don't need to explain it http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Nessus]

Being that the mother ship is the size of Texas I would think the aliens would use fixed portals to move throughout the ship. However they also seem to be dynamic. My guess is that you'll have a portal gun where you can "capture" an area and then later on shoot out a portal and leap back to the area you captured.