Very minor spoilers ahead?
Apparently turrets will be unfriendly if you upgrade too much in the alien path.
Prey Demo: Opening Hour Thread: Everything is Going to Be OK
- Thread starter The Flash
- Start date
Very minor spoilers ahead?
Apparently turrets will be unfriendly if you upgrade too much in the alien path.
Bethesda is paying streamers to play the demo 
Marketing for this game has been lowkey and mostly been about gameplay demos in events like PAX, as far what I have seen personally. Pushing hard for that exposure at last minute by paying streamers for demo gameplay.
Outside of reusing name of old IP, bad audio mix and big worries about PC version quality after Dishonored 2 this does look interesting at the end.
Marketing for this game has been lowkey and mostly been about gameplay demos in events like PAX, as far what I have seen personally. Pushing hard for that exposure at last minute by paying streamers for demo gameplay.
Outside of reusing name of old IP, bad audio mix and big worries about PC version quality after Dishonored 2 this does look interesting at the end.
Rexatality
Member
If you invest in Alien powers on full game, the turrets will become hostile against you. So hacking them will be pretty useful if you are using Alien abilities.
I should point out that is Looking Glass code, not the deus ex code. It is lifting from System Shock.
There's one in the teleconference room
Psychoward
Banned
Yeah but I'm saying there's no reason/reward to hack turrets that are already friendly.
Not a game breaker or anything, just a step down imo
Not really. In this context Prey refers to a single product/IP - and it has a capital letter - making it a proper noun.
Furthermore, Prey is a brand dating back to the '90s, even if it didn't get an actual game until 2006. A ten year history is nothing to be sniffed at in this conversation.
Okay. So I was exploring around and i decided to go back to the human resources room and get in using the method someone posted on the previous page.
When i got there all of the machines and whatever had been knocked down and the door is now open. I didn't do this. Something else unblocked the door...
I really don't want to go in...
Holy shit, this game is so fucking tense.
Edit: regarding the combat music, i think they should straight up remove it from encounters with mimics. Keep the loud scary noise which is made when a mimic reveals itself but remove the music. Keep the music for encounters with enemies like the phantoms. Other than the overly load music i think the sound design is fantastic though.
When i got there all of the machines and whatever had been knocked down and the door is now open. I didn't do this. Something else unblocked the door...
I really don't want to go in...
Holy shit, this game is so fucking tense.
Edit: regarding the combat music, i think they should straight up remove it from encounters with mimics. Keep the loud scary noise which is made when a mimic reveals itself but remove the music. Keep the music for encounters with enemies like the phantoms. Other than the overly load music i think the sound design is fantastic though.
HellforLeather
Member
Played the demo and finished it....or at least got to the point where it wont let you continue.
The controls feel exactly how they did in Dishonored 2 but they dont work as well here. In Dishonored 2, you dont exactly need much precision to beat the game, its mostly slow paced and you dont need to be exact with your aim.....not the case with this game. You need to be fairly accurate and the controls arent up to the task at all.
The atmosphere is pretty good and feels very Bioshock-ish but the gameplay just isnt that good IMO.
The controls feel exactly how they did in Dishonored 2 but they dont work as well here. In Dishonored 2, you dont exactly need much precision to beat the game, its mostly slow paced and you dont need to be exact with your aim.....not the case with this game. You need to be fairly accurate and the controls arent up to the task at all.
The atmosphere is pretty good and feels very Bioshock-ish but the gameplay just isnt that good IMO.
Nah, I took it from one of the rooms on the first floor.
Messofanego
Banned
Let's discuss the mimic combat. I made a video to highlight the issue of why fighting against them is not fun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4QNuNtflbA
On Nightmare difficulty, you die in three hits by a mimic. If you want to kill a mimic, it can take one strong hit, and a couple of normal hits. That's fine, but they're very hard to aim at as they're scampering across the ground. Unlike headcrabs in Half Life, they don't telegraph with a wide enough window when they're about to attack so in the 2nd part of this video, you can see the mimic lunges at me with no chance to dodge out of the way (this game could do with a dodge move like in Dishonored or Shadow Warrior and other FPM titles), and I'm dead in seconds. Fighting these mimics is not fun.
This could be down to me not being used to controllers with firstperson games, but then loads of people will be playing this game on consoles so that's not an easy out.
This will get better when you have guns so you can aim from a distance or slow them down with powers, but at the very base level the melee combat is a drag. Which is the opposite for Dishonored.
I do love how it's so blink-and-miss when they change into objects!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4QNuNtflbA
On Nightmare difficulty, you die in three hits by a mimic. If you want to kill a mimic, it can take one strong hit, and a couple of normal hits. That's fine, but they're very hard to aim at as they're scampering across the ground. Unlike headcrabs in Half Life, they don't telegraph with a wide enough window when they're about to attack so in the 2nd part of this video, you can see the mimic lunges at me with no chance to dodge out of the way (this game could do with a dodge move like in Dishonored or Shadow Warrior and other FPM titles), and I'm dead in seconds. Fighting these mimics is not fun.
This could be down to me not being used to controllers with firstperson games, but then loads of people will be playing this game on consoles so that's not an easy out.
This will get better when you have guns so you can aim from a distance or slow them down with powers, but at the very base level the melee combat is a drag. Which is the opposite for Dishonored.
I do love how it's so blink-and-miss when they change into objects!
Empyrean Heaven
Member
For those who have finished the demo:
Can someone tell me where the dude with the key card is? I've looked all over the area and had plenty of jumpscares,
and I would like to just find it and GTFO, thanks.
and I would like to just find it and GTFO, thanks.
ISee
Member
Yeah there definitely is a 'been there done that' feel in the demo. I think it will all come down to the powers and the story twist in the last third of the game.
Collateral22
Member
This demo made me go from day 1 to bargain bin. Combat feels straight ass to play 
Rexatality
Member
This demo made me go from day 1 to bargain bin. Combat feels straight ass to play
Have you tried anything other than a wrench? I feel like most people here weren't willing to give the other weapons a try.
I personally tried the other guns but I wouldn't use them on these shitty spider enemies because as clunky it is to swing a wrench, aiming is even more cumbersome. Plus ammo conservation.
You are right, aside from the input lag the primary reason fighting mimics is bad is the same reason why fighting aliens in Crysis was bad and the same reason why fighting Prometheans in Halo is not fun.
They do not telegraph their movements/attacks well enough to be fun. It just seems like you engage in combat which starts with you taking damage because ofcourse anything can be a mimic !! Then you try to track this mimic who is running away but also suddenly able to turn and damage you. And so on. This applies to the larger enemy as well, they can teleport without telegraphing it which is annoying (Prometheans had the same issue).
There's another problem with the melee animations themselves, the swing is only partial when you hit a mimic. This is your only cue aside from the health bar that tells you that you are damaging those mimics. But since the mimics don't choreograph their movements and are fast you can end up getting this partial animation but not actually hitting the mimic.
Also, the whole hazy screen effect is a bit much.
You are right, aside from the input lag the primary reason fighting mimics is bad is the same reason why fighting aliens in Crysis was bad and the same reason why fighting Prometheans in Halo is not fun.
They do not telegraph their movements/attacks well enough to be fun. It just seems like you engage in combat which starts with you taking damage because ofcourse anything can be a mimic !! Then you try to track this mimic who is running away but also suddenly able to turn and damage you. And so on. This applies to the larger enemy as well, they can teleport without telegraphing it which is annoying (Prometheans had the same issue).
There's another problem with the melee animations themselves, the swing is only partial when you hit a mimic. This is your only cue aside from the health bar that tells you that you are damaging those mimics. But since the mimics don't choreograph their movements and are fast you can end up getting this partial animation but not actually hitting the mimic.
Also, the whole hazy screen effect is a bit much.
Duxxy3
Member
I used the goo gun/wrench combo a lot. Shotgun was less effective on the little ones because they move so fast. More effective on the big one. Didn't use the stun gun at all. I did start carrying turrets around with me as well.
I watched King Gothalion playthrough the demo and he facepalmed so hard when trying to fight mimics with silenced pistol. His instant reaction was "This is terrible" and swapped to wrench for easier time.
He is super hardcore Destiny player.
Watch as someone tells you Destiny has aim assist and is casual and they need to git gud.
Collateral22
Member
Yeah I used the pistol and GLOO cannon. Pistol seems super clunky and I feel like I'm firing a water gun. GLOO cannon is cool but it lacks something. Wrench is horrible. It's a pity because its my only complaint with it but it just feels too major to ignore.
Rexatality
Member
Destiny is casual, has aim assist, and the only thing I can tell this player is, well, git gud.
Too meta, too soon :b
You said to try other weapons than wrench for killing Mimics so I just provided you example of very competent console FPS player trying and feeling it's terrible.
I kept thinking about half life too. How is it that such combat had gotten worse when such an old game already solved this problem?
I'm left thinking that they purposely made it bad to nudge you toward using other options. Which is just bad design. Make everything feel good and use increased power or fun options the appeal of switching things up.
Bloodporne
Member
Will post more detailed impressions later if I can muster up the energy but yeah, the combat is a chore devoid of any fun. Basically, what everyone has been saying.
It's really stiff, unresponsive and feels entirely too slow for the speed and unpredictable nature of your targets. Between all those points and the barely-existent damage feedback, fighting the spider mimics feels borderline unfair beyond simply being unsatisfying.
To clarify, I don't mean unfair as in 'they kill me nonstop', but more in that it seems like you're bound to get hit at least once during most encounters due to the above mentioned factors. Wildly swinging that wrench like we're back at Bioshock 1 just hoping you hit something with all the odds stacked against you sucks.
It's not a disaster or anything, but I wouldn't pick it up for more than a $17.99 used Gamestop copy. Sorry, I don't believe any of the promised fixes will improve the actual gameplay vastly.
PS: Sound design is as baffling as everyone else has said. Get rid of that stupid 'Action' music for god's sake.
It's really stiff, unresponsive and feels entirely too slow for the speed and unpredictable nature of your targets. Between all those points and the barely-existent damage feedback, fighting the spider mimics feels borderline unfair beyond simply being unsatisfying.
To clarify, I don't mean unfair as in 'they kill me nonstop', but more in that it seems like you're bound to get hit at least once during most encounters due to the above mentioned factors. Wildly swinging that wrench like we're back at Bioshock 1 just hoping you hit something with all the odds stacked against you sucks.
It's not a disaster or anything, but I wouldn't pick it up for more than a $17.99 used Gamestop copy. Sorry, I don't believe any of the promised fixes will improve the actual gameplay vastly.
PS: Sound design is as baffling as everyone else has said. Get rid of that stupid 'Action' music for god's sake.
To be fair, Destiny does have shit tons of aim assist and bullet mag.
You basically have to intentionally miss to not hit shots in that game it's so forgiving...
boredJonathan
Member
/shrug
This was barely on my radar. Only knew about it more from the whole 'Press Sneak Fuck' debacle, and that it was Arkane/Bethesda. The few videos I'd seen didn't really do anything to grab my attention - but hey a demo to check out? Sure I'll bite.
I didn't even finish the demo.
Not because I didn't like it - but because after spending an hour+ in just the opening areas, reading logs, poking into corners, playing with terminals, hacking doors, and so on - I knew this was going to be something I'd want to play in full and it started to feel silly to spend more time on this 'closed' experience when I'd need to go back through it all in a few weeks. Hell I didn't even unlock any powers!
It feels (and looks a bit like) Dishonored in space, with some BioShock elements added for good measure. Which is exactly my jam.
I can see the complaints about the combat, but I also thought it was fine. And the tension from not knowing if enemies are in the room with you - or seeing a chair suddenly fall over? Really great at tension building. (Even if, yes, the music does get a little... intrusive.)
So congrats to Arkane/Bethesda's marketing department for green lighting this demo, and for the developers themselves for putting together a compelling opening hour. This was not even on my radar as a purchase and it's gone to a day one experience for me.
Really looking forward to this!
This was barely on my radar. Only knew about it more from the whole 'Press Sneak Fuck' debacle, and that it was Arkane/Bethesda. The few videos I'd seen didn't really do anything to grab my attention - but hey a demo to check out? Sure I'll bite.
I didn't even finish the demo.
Not because I didn't like it - but because after spending an hour+ in just the opening areas, reading logs, poking into corners, playing with terminals, hacking doors, and so on - I knew this was going to be something I'd want to play in full and it started to feel silly to spend more time on this 'closed' experience when I'd need to go back through it all in a few weeks. Hell I didn't even unlock any powers!
It feels (and looks a bit like) Dishonored in space, with some BioShock elements added for good measure. Which is exactly my jam.
I can see the complaints about the combat, but I also thought it was fine. And the tension from not knowing if enemies are in the room with you - or seeing a chair suddenly fall over? Really great at tension building. (Even if, yes, the music does get a little... intrusive.)
So congrats to Arkane/Bethesda's marketing department for green lighting this demo, and for the developers themselves for putting together a compelling opening hour. This was not even on my radar as a purchase and it's gone to a day one experience for me.
Really looking forward to this!
v0mitg0d
Member
https://youtu.be/0Hk7ks5YoWI
Raphael Colantonio interview that discusses:
- At one point Arkane experimented with a deep survival system that had weapon degradation, a trauma system (broken bones if dropped from too high, etc) but dropped it
because it was too overwhelming. Will probably return in DLC.
- After Prey Raphael would like to stick with the FPS/Immersive sim genre, but explore more dynamic storytelling. Essentially open up the narrative like their gameplay.
- Most challenging part of developing Prey was harmony between all the systems and developing the look of the Aliens.
- Raphaels favorite power is Shift.
- Early on they knew what they wanted the Prey experience to convert a sense of loneliness with a heavy mood.
- Lavish craft designed to reflect corporate luxury of the 1960s Aesthetic came much later.
- Scanning is intentionally restrictive and uncomfortable so players dont stay in it a la Batman Arkham Asylum.
Raphael Colantonio interview that discusses:
- At one point Arkane experimented with a deep survival system that had weapon degradation, a trauma system (broken bones if dropped from too high, etc) but dropped it
because it was too overwhelming. Will probably return in DLC.
- After Prey Raphael would like to stick with the FPS/Immersive sim genre, but explore more dynamic storytelling. Essentially open up the narrative like their gameplay.
- Most challenging part of developing Prey was harmony between all the systems and developing the look of the Aliens.
- Raphaels favorite power is Shift.
- Early on they knew what they wanted the Prey experience to convert a sense of loneliness with a heavy mood.
- Lavish craft designed to reflect corporate luxury of the 1960s Aesthetic came much later.
- Scanning is intentionally restrictive and uncomfortable so players dont stay in it a la Batman Arkham Asylum.
Rexatality
Member
*Shrugs* Your loss.
Messofanego
Banned
Source? Do they disclose they're being sponsored and paid to show the game off?Bethesda is paying streamers to play the demo
But everyone has that advantage, so it's level playing field and that's where skill comes in if you want to be on top of you opponent.
That's beside the point though, which is aiming and movement feels off in this game.
Bloodporne
Member
Why exactly do you have to comment on every single impression someone posts with a snarky response like this or a justification you've dropped numerous times?
How would it be mine, or anyone's, loss to not play a game that ultimately didn't live up to one's expectations? If you wanna be the demo-response-police and act like everyone just wants to be down on it for no reason, check through most posters' history and I bet you'll see that they were the ones actually excited about this, including me, in the vast void of nobody seemingly giving a shit about this game. It ain't my fault it looked great but ended up being underwhelming gameplay wise based on what they gave me to try out.
You really like it? Good for you, I didn't.
If stream is sponsored aka you are getting paid to do it (or other good in exchange for your streaming time) you are mandated to put that in title and/or on screen. Ellohime and Gothalion both had Bethesda provided "Sponsored Prey stream" icons embedded into their stream today as they were playing through demo.
If I remember right it's required by law.
Edit: This is first time I have seen publisher to pay streamers so they play demo of the game. Day 1 sponsored streams of full release are common.
Rexatality
Member
I just don't think it's so bad that it only warrants to buy it as a used copy and I'm not cynical enough to not believe the fixes they aim to do as you seem to be.
It massively reduces the skill ceiling and therefore the skill gap though is what is really important.
Messofanego
Banned
Ok I get it now, you're just surprised people are paid to do sponsor streams of demos. I am too. At least it's disclosed, so I don't have an issue with that, but yeah Bethesda is seeming desperate in marketing terms to pay for demo sponsoring than just the full release.
Bolded part was more or less my reaction, not the fact that content was sponsored. As long streamers and youtubers disclose sponsored content its fine.
Messofanego
Banned
You don't have to comment on how people use their money. You're not the developer, just a fan, so if you see negative impressions, it's no good responding to them. They're not about you.
Have you actually played destiny for a good amount of time? Have you tried to get to the lighthouse and watched it's top players streams? Because nothing you say lines up with my experience. I WISH I could get shots as easily as you claim in that game, lol.
Dictator93
Member
Purposefully avoiding this thread, but I just want to say that it is really strange they have not release a PC demo. It makes me very nervous about the quality of performance onthe PC version. That is arguably some worry I really should not have with CE... but.. .still...
Sure, that's it. There's absolutely no way that the shaky PC performance which has been reported multiple times on recent builds has anything to do with why they would not release a PC demo. Also, the real reason Bethesda doesn't send out review copies anymore is because they want everyone to experience the game at the same time and share the same experience.
Hey man, I know you're excited about the game- I checked and saw that you were doing the OT- but you don't have to respond to every negative impression. I don't think anyone in here is trying to hate on the game just for the hell of it. They're just posting their opinions, which are perfectly valid.
I have no idea what the lighthouse is.
I'm speaking from my experience of the crucible. The number of times I would clearly miss or hit someone in the torso and the game would give me a headshot was ridiculous. In terms of aiming/shooting the game is extremely forgiving.
Bloodporne
Member
Again, Good.For.You, do you see anyone countering your every positive comment to tell you that your positive opinion of it is invalid or misguided? You're hounding every comment in here that isn't your opinion, you don't see how that's annoying, repetitive and useless?
The cynical line is rich as well seeing how these guys just released another game that has been pointed out in here multiple times with serious control and other issues that were never addressed. That combined with this demo having similar issues points towards what? Exactly. That's a lot more substantial than assuming it'll all be gravy upon release because someone who has money riding on me buying their product said it'll all be fixed and to not worry about it.
Will they fix the fundamental issues I have with the enemy encounters I detailed in my prior post? They will not, that's just how the game plays and no input lag fix, which again remains to be even be seen, will fix the myriad of issues people have pointed out that they're having with the game.
I was excited about this game, flat out, I've said so in other threads about it, so what would I gain from randomly now shitting on the game when I wanted to buy the fucking thing? I just think you need to calm down with this policing stuff, you're not swaying anyone back to liking the game by typing snarky nonsense, so what's your point?
Rexatality
Member
I realized that. And I did let my excitement get the better of me.
My apologies
Then I am sure you haven't experienced proper competitive play. Lighthouse is an area you get to as a reward for consecutive 9 wins in Trials of Osiris (Destiny's competitive 3v3 mode)
Like I said it affects everybody. It reduces the overall skill ceiling in terms of what it takes to aim and shoot relative to other games but within the confines of that game itself it develops a new skill ceiling around a meta specific to that game. The difficulty does not come from being simply being able to aim and shoot but rather being quicker than the enemy who also has this advantage and is capable of exploiting this advantage, and also positioning yourself better than the enemy. The phrase easy to learn, hard to master is appropriate here.
Otherwise it wouldn't be so hard to get to the lighthouse in Trials of Osiris. Back when I played Destiny PvP I was among the top 1% player and only reason I never broke into top 500 or even 1000 was due to lack of time played, yet the number of times I've been to the lighthouse is like less than 30% of my attempts.
But I digress since this is going a bit off topic now.