[ QUOTE ] Ken Levine: And you have no choice. You have to do this stuff or the game doesn't go anywhere. Games are strangely about fate. You can argue about fate in real life, but there's fate in games. What if we took that notion and turned it on its head?
People who played the demo said, "Why did I stick that needle in my arm? Why did I go in that lighthouse?" I just said, "I don't know," but the answer is that you're born to go down in that fucking place and put that needle in your arm.
Bioshock is a great game, but that's some pretty fucking bad storytelling right there. Even a ten second audio blurb from Atlas giving some direction would have helped. Bioshock didn't turn the notion off fate on it's head, it had my character inexplicably shoot a liter of antifreeze into his arm for no reason whatsoever.
I think the lousy character motivation is the only real flaw in Bioshock's design. There's no explanation for injecting the plasmid, there's no explanation for why I'm doing whatever Atlas asks, there's no explanation for why I get involved in this struggle rather than, I dunno, try to actually signal someone on the surface to rescue my planecrashed ass. I've been down in Rapture for God knows how long and not once have I tried to actually deal with my own situation, and that's pretty damned peculiar.
SS2 was great because hey, you DON'T have any other choice but to move forward. My motivation was to live, to get off that psychotic spaceship, and events kept driving me forward. In Bioshock... well, if I'm the main character and I take the bathysphere down and I see the first splicer gut that guy, I head right the fuck back up to the top, bar the door and look for any possible way to get rescued that doesn't involve my traipsing around an underwater city, injecting myself with random chemicals and blowing people up so I can harvest little girl's genetic something-or-other.
Sure, it's a game. You have to do the stuff or the game doesn't go anywhere. That doesn't make it okay to just phone it in with regards to the storytelling. What's the attitude behind that? I actually can't believe Ken Levine would think that's quality storytelling.
Verm, Have you played the game through? It explains everything, and there is a reason you do all of that stuff. Unfortunately I can see where some might not have the patience to see it through to that revelation due to all of the questions that you have revolving around your character, and no answer in sight for so long. I just finished it last night, and I think it's taken atmosphere and engaging story telling to a new level in games. I've never played a game that elicited the many emotions I felt while playing that game. Now, would you kindly go finish the game.
theres no explanation handed to you on a plate when it's convenient to you.. I had the same nagging feeling about a lot of things during bioshock but I was compelled on and it paid off. The single blemish I have of this game is that the copy protection tangled with AVG and rendered the game inoperable, untill I uninstalled the software and reinstalled the game. Which was so very lame.
would have been nice to have had a little sister be outside the lighthouse and you follow her in, have her lost and looking for a big daddy. could yell "mr bubbles? i'm over here, mr bubbles!" to get your attention
BioShock is a lot like the TV show 'Lost' when it comes to 'unanswered' and 'unexplained' actions and events...the unanswered questions are intriguing enough to propel you further along...even though sometimes, the character's actions or the events that unfold don't make sense at the time, because you (the viewer or gamer) don't have the full story...and not having the full story makes for a more compelling plot and gives the show/game an air of 'mystery' that would otherwise not be there.
That is not to say that there aren't flaws with this, or that Lost and Bioshock do it perfectly (far from it). In Bioshock's case though, I think the only thing at the beginning of the game that could use some reworking was the injection of the first plasmid. All it would have taken was Atlas saying, "the only way through that door is with an electric volt...Now would you kindly inject yourself with that plasmid up there..." or something similar.
Other questions, like why you didn't you go back up to the surface after seeing the first splicer kill that guy...well...that same splicer destroyed the Bathysphere, so you can't return to the surface tower via that Bathysphere, so you HAVE to move onwards...As for listening to Atlas...After seeing crazy Splicers...hearing a SANE person ALIVE in Rapture would be reason enough to at least hear what he has to say. I think most 'questions' players have ARE answered...just not immediately, and not with an annoying explanation that takes you out of the experience (like a message appearing saying 'this Bathysphere has been destroyed, you have no option but to explore further'). It was obvious the Bathysphere was destroyed...and it the player is already willing and WANTING to explore more...so throwing in an 'explainer' (as TV shows sometimes call them) would be obtrusive and unnecessary.
waitaminutewaitaminute... so I have to *finish* the game before it's explained to me why I *started* the game? I'm not getting on board with that as a better way to tell the story. I mean, I'm literally wandering around after every message from Atlas and thinking "why bother?" or "what's in it for me?" If the story redeems itself in the conclusion, that's great, I look forward to finishing it. But that doesn't change my reaction. This story has no hook, the exposition is non-existent.
Really, Levine is entirely too right. I'm playing the game solely because it's a game, as the story (up through the arboretum) has given me no reason not to turn around and march right back to the surface and try to signal for help. Unlike System Shock 2 or Deus Ex, I currently don't care how the game turns out - I'm playing to see neat environments and find funny ways to kill splicers. I actually gave a damn what happened to JC Denton, but I've got no investment in the Bioshock story.
*edit*
On second thought, I'm now hoping to discover I am the long-lost son of Andrew Ryan. That would make me Jack Ryan, meaning I get to go have exciting adventures in Tom Clancy novels!
Verm, I had a totally different reaction the whole way through (as did my girlfriend who watched a lot of the game as I played). So the story obviously has some sort of hook. Maybe it just didn't hit right for you, but it did for many others.
(Also, you crash in a plane in the middle of no-where in the atlantic in 1950... how in the fuck are you going to signal for help? Pull out your wang and wave it around in hopes that some random aircraft or boat comes by? I don't think so. Looking at the situation realistically you'd be totally fucked and would have better luck with Rapture. If nothing else atleast your death wouldn't be so drawn out as it would at the lighthouse as you die slowly of thirst and hypothermia.)
You cant really compare Bioshock and Lost, in Lost you are the viewer, in Bioshock you are the guy running around so its kinda weird to have hidden agendas unless you pull the memory loss trick but thats beyond cheesy.
BTW i havnt played Bioshock so i dunno how and what they pull with the story, ha :P
[ QUOTE ]
Other questions, like why you didn't you go back up to the surface after seeing the first splicer kill that guy...well...that same splicer destroyed the Bathysphere, so you can't return to the surface tower via that Bathysphere, so you HAVE to move onwards...As for listening to Atlas...After seeing crazy Splicers...hearing a SANE person ALIVE in Rapture would be reason enough to at least hear what he has to say. I think most 'questions' players have ARE answered...just not immediately, and not with an annoying explanation that takes you out of the experience (like a message appearing saying 'this Bathysphere has been destroyed, you have no option but to explore further'). It was obvious the Bathysphere was destroyed...and it the player is already willing and WANTING to explore more...so throwing in an 'explainer' (as TV shows sometimes call them) would be obtrusive and unnecessary.
[/ QUOTE ]
I didn't get that the bathysphere was destroyed, just that the glass was scratched up a bit or whatever. as to the rest... nope, didn't work for me. Even if I go along with the Atlas thing, what would make anyone walk up to a vending machine, grab a random needle and inject the contents driectly into his vein? C'mon, you can't tell me the situation explains that.
Verm... the splicer drilled a hole through the bathysphere... you sure you even played the start of the game? And all the rest is explained later in the game. If you really want to know the reason pm me and I'll tell ya. Not gonna post that big a spoiler here though.
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You realize that generally the point of a lighthouse is to make sure boats *avoid* the area, right?
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Ahh, sarcasm. Yeah, I realize that. I also know that lighthouses are built in places that boats are likely to approach, and they are generally equipped with radios or similar equpiment. If nothing else, I'd say the odds of reaching the outside world are better in a lighthouse than taking a trip to the sea floor in a submersible.
But my point is that our hero doesn't even seem to consider his situation or how to change it. Five minutes after I enter the lighthouse, my top priority is killing splicers so I can rescue some dude's family. Atlas never even offers to help me, he just wants me to do something for him. What the heck?
[ QUOTE ]
Verm... you sure you even played the start of the game?
[/ QUOTE ]
Stop trying to irritate me. I said that if the splicer ruined the bathysphere, I didn't catch it - I was trying to look around the interior of the bathysphere when the splicer attacked and if there was a specific indication that it busted my ride, I missed it.
[ QUOTE ]
Five minutes after I enter the lighthouse, my top priority is killing splicers so I can rescue some dude's family. Atlas never even offers to help me, he just wants me to do something for him. What the heck?
[/ QUOTE ]
That's actually a key element of the story, Verm. Give the game a rent, at least, if you've got a 360.
I already bought it, just haven't had time to play it beyond the conservatory area. I do think it's a great game, I just don't agree with the way the story starts (or that goofball Ken Levine quote that got me into this thread). Clearly, I am a simple man and need things spelled out for me
ahaha... man, just checked back to this thread. that is a fairly priceless set of classic verm posts. baiting, reasoning, ranting, ruminating. nice work man
Harl: man i hear you on the D3 comparisons. i thought of D3 as calling in favors of all its children--FPS games all drew something from doom, so it seemed appropriate that Doom 3 would have taken things back from all of them, including SS2. pity the thievery was so half-hearted.
Don't worry verm, I have to agree with most of what you're saying. I haven't been at all hooked by the game yet. I know I haven't given it a proper go yet, but every time I do sit down and have a go I find something more interesting to play (ie. Skate demo).
I'm sure my attitude will change once I get through the game some more.
If you're not hooked, don't play it, it's really as simple as that - take it back to the store and exchange it for Madden, or whatever floats your boat
That game isn't going to do an about face and be a different game just because of how the plot develops. If you're into it the plot will fuck your mind, if you're not then it's a reasonable plot on a game you weren't really into. I have to wonder who's issue that is, yours or the game designers...
Verm - if you're enjoying the game, stick with it. It's all spelled out eventually, there's nothing that's left hanging by the end of the game. Well, there is one thing, but I'll start a thread about that once I assertain i'ts not covered if you play through as "evil". Also, it you pick up enough recordings they practically blugeon you over the head with things just in case you didn't undertand before
As for why you inject the plasmid... what the fuck else were you planning to do when you picked it up? Give it a kiss and a cuddle? *you picked it up, not the character - and since it's a bottle of juice with a fucking big needle it's fairly apparent what the virtual you is going to do with it You made a choice to at least some degree. Of course there's nowhere else to go until you do that... so Levine's right, it is a sort of forced fate, though there's more to that than meets the eye or my explanation.
retleks - that's the best post in the whole thread
I tried the demo and crashed to desktop after riding the sphere-submarine down into the city.
But I really liked the presentation up to that point so I got the full version to give it a go.
I managed to get past that point without crashing in the full version, and played through the first bit up to the medical area. So now I'm fully hooked and wanting more, but I crash to a blue screen or desktop every time during the medical area loading screen.
Bloody hell. I can get it to load now by turning off high-detail shaders, but then playing a game with normal maps and no spec maps is ... pointless
And when I turn the shaders off to load in, then turn them back on, I get about 30 minutes of playtime before my computer blue screens and reboots.
After searching the 2k and nvidia forums it looks like I'm not alone, but so far there haven't been any indications of what causes it, or how to fix it other than turning off high-detail shaders.
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ahaha... man, just checked back to this thread. that is a fairly priceless set of classic verm posts. baiting, reasoning, ranting, ruminating. nice work man
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Haha - yeah, I usually save all that for political threads, don't know what came over me.
Harl, about the needle thing... Let me just say that I am not a fan of needles, not at all. If I'm imagining myself in that situation, I can see myself picking the thing up and bringing it along with me (packrat/boy scout mentality, never know what use I might have for it), but just injecting some unknown substance into my vein with a massive syringe? No way, no how. Maybe if the game had me cornered by splicers or something, and Atlas said over the radio that the only way out was for me to inject the plasmid, that might compel me. Otherwise, heck no. I can't imagine anyone in any situation who would just grab a hypodermic full of neon blue goo and shoot up without a damned compelling reason. Maybe that's just me
snemmy started up the demo to show it to me the other day and when it got to the syringe/"Don't worry. It's just your genetic code being rewritten." i had to laugh.
I ran the demo on a P4 2.4, 1GB ram, 6800gt... I left it at the default graphics setup that the game recommended. I played for a few minutes and was surprised at how good it looked & ran... granted I've been too busy to play past the lighthouse area... so maybe it will slow down (or crash) as I move forward.
I also updated to the beta Nvidia drivers and made sure I had the latest directx.
Asherr - the guy on the radio is poorly written. "don't worry, i know exactly what you're at doing at every moment. just do whatever you want and i'll explain it all after you take a fall and blackout for a while."
but, that's probably all explained at the end, if you're amused enough to drudge on through the rest of it. sadly, because of this game's market success, i think the advancement of the FPS genre will now be delayed a couple years as competing publishers ride the wave of overhyped mediocrity.
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You made a choice to at least some degree.
[/ QUOTE ]
Only to continue playing through the level. At this point, the only reason to play along is the fact you paid for it. Considering, there are giant flashing neon signs on the wall pointing you to the item...incase you care not for the challenge of finding and using unknown objects with no explaination on why you should do so. But it's not a compelling FPS unless you face the challenge of opening doors.
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Asherr - the guy on the radio is poorly written. "don't worry, i know exactly what you're at doing at every moment. just do whatever you want and i'll explain it all after you take a fall and blackout for a while."
i meant i had to laugh because the situation was almost absurd. guy picks up a big syringe and jams it's elephant needle into his arm and the guy on the radio's comforting bedside advice is "don't worry about the crippling pain. it's just a minor side effect of your genetic code being rewritten."
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i think the advancement of the FPS genre will now be delayed a couple years as competing publishers ride the wave of overhyped mediocrity.
[/ QUOTE ]
Of course, because the FPS was evolving so rapidly before I can hardly keep up. I mean I'm still reeling over the shock that the last 6,000 FPS games had such major leaps in design as *gasp* guns, and cripplingly linear corridors and a first person viewpoint. Let alone the amazing narratives that were told along the way, such as... Look, a guy to shoot, better shoot him!
I'm being sarcastic of course, but really if you're not into the game then no amount of telling you it's awesome is going to change your mind - but saying this is going to be a setback for the FPS genre is rather strange.
Yes, injecting an unknown substance into my arm as soon as I pick it up seems a little odd to me too - but it's still better story telling than Transformers or 99.9% of the rest of the games out there and the motivations are explained eventually if you give it half a chance.
EDIT/ also, it anyone's playing this on easy then you're really spoiling the game for yourselves. Playing on easy makes it worthless using anything other than the basic weapons, making much of the environmental interactivity somewhat worthless. No point laying a meticulously thought out trap when your foe can be dropped with one good shot from the pistol
I can't help but laugh at the complaints about the first plasmid. It seemed somewhat odd to me in the demo, but it's not a 'completely unknown substance' when you have giant signs and a singing vending machine telling you about it A line from Atlas would have been okay, but would have dampened the effect of the "your genetic code is being rewritten" line-- if it's that much of an issue with people, I would maybe add a little pictograph pamphlet on the wall or strewn across the floor to give you the idea that you know what to do with it, but that's all.
But really, I couldn't care less about that, gimme more RPG features: why the hell am I carrying around over five hundred rounds of machinegun ammo when I don't use it at all? Why can I only carry 24 rounds of explosive buckshot and $500? I really get the feeling that it's meant to be played on hard and regret playing on normal, since those caps are so easy to hit-- ESPECIALLY the money.
i don't like being the one to report this, but its like the funniest news i've heard for a while.
so a friend and i were chatting yesterday, and we started talking about bishock. he was all like 'u have to get it' and i was like 'yeah but im saving for other games' he looks at me and he's all like 'wat the fuck? dude download it!'. so i laugh at him and say 'dude those guys are clever. they've got some security system so that....[i explain it].' then he's like 'i know, but try googling bioshock cracked dude...'
well, something along those lines.
and ultimately, when i do google it, what do i c? it has indeed been cracked. its got something to do with getting another iso that acts as the patcher when u install. dunno the full explanation. what i _do_ know is that i'm laughing right now. so much trouble for the ppl who bought the game, but those pirates just crack it like yesterday's... "crackable item". umm yea lol. so this is actually funny in a really sad way. just proves that the pirates never give up.
and now i know what temptation is like lol. but no, imma wait till its cheaper, or till i blow. or if my parents promise to buy me either ME or AC for my bday, i'll get this game.
indian_boy: You say that as if there was ever any doubt? It's not funny or sad or shocking, it's inevitability. Why do you think people are so sour about invasive copy protection? Because it gets in the way of legit users, and doesn't actually protect anything. Maybe they'll sell more in the first week, but enough to offset costs of copy protection production and the bad press related to it? Impossible to say, but doubtful.
Enjoying the game so far. Big daddies are pretty meaty, but I've got my tactic sorted now, I just get two of them to fight each other while I watch and wait hehe.
Yeah, I don't see why you're at all surprised indian_boy. I figured they'd have the game cracked within the first week, if not a leaked version, already cracked before it was actually released.
Games of this caliber I always go out and buy, and most games I've downloaded and really enjoyed I have always gone out and bought the original.
Just games punishing owners of legit games with all these security measures is just insane and major step backwards against piracy.
You know, I could easily nitpick this game to death, but why bother? Overall, it is a fantastic game with some beautiful artwork. Definitely one of the top games in this generation so far, possibly in the top 10-20 of the greatest games of all time.
Replies
[ QUOTE ]
Ken Levine: And you have no choice. You have to do this stuff or the game doesn't go anywhere. Games are strangely about fate. You can argue about fate in real life, but there's fate in games. What if we took that notion and turned it on its head?
People who played the demo said, "Why did I stick that needle in my arm? Why did I go in that lighthouse?" I just said, "I don't know," but the answer is that you're born to go down in that fucking place and put that needle in your arm.
[/ QUOTE ]
Bioshock is a great game, but that's some pretty fucking bad storytelling right there. Even a ten second audio blurb from Atlas giving some direction would have helped. Bioshock didn't turn the notion off fate on it's head, it had my character inexplicably shoot a liter of antifreeze into his arm for no reason whatsoever.
I think the lousy character motivation is the only real flaw in Bioshock's design. There's no explanation for injecting the plasmid, there's no explanation for why I'm doing whatever Atlas asks, there's no explanation for why I get involved in this struggle rather than, I dunno, try to actually signal someone on the surface to rescue my planecrashed ass. I've been down in Rapture for God knows how long and not once have I tried to actually deal with my own situation, and that's pretty damned peculiar.
SS2 was great because hey, you DON'T have any other choice but to move forward. My motivation was to live, to get off that psychotic spaceship, and events kept driving me forward. In Bioshock... well, if I'm the main character and I take the bathysphere down and I see the first splicer gut that guy, I head right the fuck back up to the top, bar the door and look for any possible way to get rescued that doesn't involve my traipsing around an underwater city, injecting myself with random chemicals and blowing people up so I can harvest little girl's genetic something-or-other.
Sure, it's a game. You have to do the stuff or the game doesn't go anywhere. That doesn't make it okay to just phone it in with regards to the storytelling. What's the attitude behind that? I actually can't believe Ken Levine would think that's quality storytelling.
That is not to say that there aren't flaws with this, or that Lost and Bioshock do it perfectly (far from it). In Bioshock's case though, I think the only thing at the beginning of the game that could use some reworking was the injection of the first plasmid. All it would have taken was Atlas saying, "the only way through that door is with an electric volt...Now would you kindly inject yourself with that plasmid up there..." or something similar.
Other questions, like why you didn't you go back up to the surface after seeing the first splicer kill that guy...well...that same splicer destroyed the Bathysphere, so you can't return to the surface tower via that Bathysphere, so you HAVE to move onwards...As for listening to Atlas...After seeing crazy Splicers...hearing a SANE person ALIVE in Rapture would be reason enough to at least hear what he has to say. I think most 'questions' players have ARE answered...just not immediately, and not with an annoying explanation that takes you out of the experience (like a message appearing saying 'this Bathysphere has been destroyed, you have no option but to explore further'). It was obvious the Bathysphere was destroyed...and it the player is already willing and WANTING to explore more...so throwing in an 'explainer' (as TV shows sometimes call them) would be obtrusive and unnecessary.
Really, Levine is entirely too right. I'm playing the game solely because it's a game, as the story (up through the arboretum) has given me no reason not to turn around and march right back to the surface and try to signal for help. Unlike System Shock 2 or Deus Ex, I currently don't care how the game turns out - I'm playing to see neat environments and find funny ways to kill splicers. I actually gave a damn what happened to JC Denton, but I've got no investment in the Bioshock story.
*edit*
On second thought, I'm now hoping to discover I am the long-lost son of Andrew Ryan. That would make me Jack Ryan, meaning I get to go have exciting adventures in Tom Clancy novels!
(Also, you crash in a plane in the middle of no-where in the atlantic in 1950... how in the fuck are you going to signal for help? Pull out your wang and wave it around in hopes that some random aircraft or boat comes by? I don't think so. Looking at the situation realistically you'd be totally fucked and would have better luck with Rapture. If nothing else atleast your death wouldn't be so drawn out as it would at the lighthouse as you die slowly of thirst and hypothermia.)
BTW i havnt played Bioshock so i dunno how and what they pull with the story, ha :P
Other questions, like why you didn't you go back up to the surface after seeing the first splicer kill that guy...well...that same splicer destroyed the Bathysphere, so you can't return to the surface tower via that Bathysphere, so you HAVE to move onwards...As for listening to Atlas...After seeing crazy Splicers...hearing a SANE person ALIVE in Rapture would be reason enough to at least hear what he has to say. I think most 'questions' players have ARE answered...just not immediately, and not with an annoying explanation that takes you out of the experience (like a message appearing saying 'this Bathysphere has been destroyed, you have no option but to explore further'). It was obvious the Bathysphere was destroyed...and it the player is already willing and WANTING to explore more...so throwing in an 'explainer' (as TV shows sometimes call them) would be obtrusive and unnecessary.
[/ QUOTE ]
I didn't get that the bathysphere was destroyed, just that the glass was scratched up a bit or whatever. as to the rest... nope, didn't work for me. Even if I go along with the Atlas thing, what would make anyone walk up to a vending machine, grab a random needle and inject the contents driectly into his vein? C'mon, you can't tell me the situation explains that.
You realize that generally the point of a lighthouse is to make sure boats *avoid* the area, right?
[/ QUOTE ]
Ahh, sarcasm. Yeah, I realize that. I also know that lighthouses are built in places that boats are likely to approach, and they are generally equipped with radios or similar equpiment. If nothing else, I'd say the odds of reaching the outside world are better in a lighthouse than taking a trip to the sea floor in a submersible.
But my point is that our hero doesn't even seem to consider his situation or how to change it. Five minutes after I enter the lighthouse, my top priority is killing splicers so I can rescue some dude's family. Atlas never even offers to help me, he just wants me to do something for him. What the heck?
Verm... you sure you even played the start of the game?
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Stop trying to irritate me. I said that if the splicer ruined the bathysphere, I didn't catch it - I was trying to look around the interior of the bathysphere when the splicer attacked and if there was a specific indication that it busted my ride, I missed it.
Five minutes after I enter the lighthouse, my top priority is killing splicers so I can rescue some dude's family. Atlas never even offers to help me, he just wants me to do something for him. What the heck?
[/ QUOTE ]
That's actually a key element of the story, Verm. Give the game a rent, at least, if you've got a 360.
Harl: man i hear you on the D3 comparisons. i thought of D3 as calling in favors of all its children--FPS games all drew something from doom, so it seemed appropriate that Doom 3 would have taken things back from all of them, including SS2. pity the thievery was so half-hearted.
I'm sure my attitude will change once I get through the game some more.
-caseyjones
That game isn't going to do an about face and be a different game just because of how the plot develops. If you're into it the plot will fuck your mind, if you're not then it's a reasonable plot on a game you weren't really into. I have to wonder who's issue that is, yours or the game designers...
Verm - if you're enjoying the game, stick with it. It's all spelled out eventually, there's nothing that's left hanging by the end of the game. Well, there is one thing, but I'll start a thread about that once I assertain i'ts not covered if you play through as "evil". Also, it you pick up enough recordings they practically blugeon you over the head with things just in case you didn't undertand before
As for why you inject the plasmid... what the fuck else were you planning to do when you picked it up? Give it a kiss and a cuddle? *you picked it up, not the character - and since it's a bottle of juice with a fucking big needle it's fairly apparent what the virtual you is going to do with it
retleks - that's the best post in the whole thread
I tried the demo and crashed to desktop after riding the sphere-submarine down into the city.
But I really liked the presentation up to that point so I got the full version to give it a go.
I managed to get past that point without crashing in the full version, and played through the first bit up to the medical area. So now I'm fully hooked and wanting more, but I crash to a blue screen or desktop every time during the medical area loading screen.
And when I turn the shaders off to load in, then turn them back on, I get about 30 minutes of playtime before my computer blue screens and reboots.
After searching the 2k and nvidia forums it looks like I'm not alone, but so far there haven't been any indications of what causes it, or how to fix it other than turning off high-detail shaders.
ahaha... man, just checked back to this thread. that is a fairly priceless set of classic verm posts. baiting, reasoning, ranting, ruminating. nice work man
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Haha - yeah, I usually save all that for political threads, don't know what came over me.
Harl, about the needle thing... Let me just say that I am not a fan of needles, not at all. If I'm imagining myself in that situation, I can see myself picking the thing up and bringing it along with me (packrat/boy scout mentality, never know what use I might have for it), but just injecting some unknown substance into my vein with a massive syringe? No way, no how. Maybe if the game had me cornered by splicers or something, and Atlas said over the radio that the only way out was for me to inject the plasmid, that might compel me. Otherwise, heck no. I can't imagine anyone in any situation who would just grab a hypodermic full of neon blue goo and shoot up without a damned compelling reason. Maybe that's just me
I ran the demo on a P4 2.4, 1GB ram, 6800gt... I left it at the default graphics setup that the game recommended. I played for a few minutes and was surprised at how good it looked & ran... granted I've been too busy to play past the lighthouse area... so maybe it will slow down (or crash) as I move forward.
I also updated to the beta Nvidia drivers and made sure I had the latest directx.
jam
but, that's probably all explained at the end, if you're amused enough to drudge on through the rest of it. sadly, because of this game's market success, i think the advancement of the FPS genre will now be delayed a couple years as competing publishers ride the wave of overhyped mediocrity.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles...uation-BioShock
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You made a choice to at least some degree.
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Only to continue playing through the level. At this point, the only reason to play along is the fact you paid for it. Considering, there are giant flashing neon signs on the wall pointing you to the item...incase you care not for the challenge of finding and using unknown objects with no explaination on why you should do so. But it's not a compelling FPS unless you face the challenge of opening doors.
Asherr - the guy on the radio is poorly written. "don't worry, i know exactly what you're at doing at every moment. just do whatever you want and i'll explain it all after you take a fall and blackout for a while."
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It is completely intentional, actually.
Pretty much the whole plot spoiled, but if you really don't care to play the game... http://www.shacknews.com/featuredarticle.x?id=539
As for the game, the spoilers made it more interesting.
i think the advancement of the FPS genre will now be delayed a couple years as competing publishers ride the wave of overhyped mediocrity.
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Of course, because the FPS was evolving so rapidly before I can hardly keep up. I mean I'm still reeling over the shock that the last 6,000 FPS games had such major leaps in design as *gasp* guns, and cripplingly linear corridors and a first person viewpoint. Let alone the amazing narratives that were told along the way, such as... Look, a guy to shoot, better shoot him!
I'm being sarcastic of course, but really if you're not into the game then no amount of telling you it's awesome is going to change your mind - but saying this is going to be a setback for the FPS genre is rather strange.
Yes, injecting an unknown substance into my arm as soon as I pick it up seems a little odd to me too - but it's still better story telling than Transformers or 99.9% of the rest of the games out there and the motivations are explained eventually if you give it half a chance.
EDIT/ also, it anyone's playing this on easy then you're really spoiling the game for yourselves. Playing on easy makes it worthless using anything other than the basic weapons, making much of the environmental interactivity somewhat worthless. No point laying a meticulously thought out trap when your foe can be dropped with one good shot from the pistol
But really, I couldn't care less about that, gimme more RPG features: why the hell am I carrying around over five hundred rounds of machinegun ammo when I don't use it at all? Why can I only carry 24 rounds of explosive buckshot and $500? I really get the feeling that it's meant to be played on hard and regret playing on normal, since those caps are so easy to hit-- ESPECIALLY the money.
Art, story, etc all get full marks from me though
so a friend and i were chatting yesterday, and we started talking about bishock. he was all like 'u have to get it' and i was like 'yeah but im saving for other games' he looks at me and he's all like 'wat the fuck? dude download it!'. so i laugh at him and say 'dude those guys are clever. they've got some security system so that....[i explain it].' then he's like 'i know, but try googling bioshock cracked dude...'
well, something along those lines.
and ultimately, when i do google it, what do i c? it has indeed been cracked. its got something to do with getting another iso that acts as the patcher when u install. dunno the full explanation. what i _do_ know is that i'm laughing right now. so much trouble for the ppl who bought the game, but those pirates just crack it like yesterday's... "crackable item". umm yea lol. so this is actually funny in a really sad way. just proves that the pirates never give up.
and now i know what temptation is like lol. but no, imma wait till its cheaper, or till i blow. or if my parents promise to buy me either ME or AC for my bday, i'll get this game.
Games of this caliber I always go out and buy, and most games I've downloaded and really enjoyed I have always gone out and bought the original.
Just games punishing owners of legit games with all these security measures is just insane and major step backwards against piracy.
-caseyjones
As for why you inject the plasmid... what the fuck else were you planning to do when you picked it up? Give it a kiss and a cuddle?
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Ah-hahaa.. James, I love you
Hehehe.
-caseyjones
"Is a man not entitled to the sweat from his brow?
NO, says the man from Microsoft. It belongs to the Red Ring of Death."
Anyway, didn't you know, the Pirate is the friend of the Parasite?