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[mentalfloss]

Not sure if want. The premise is so dumb that it takes away from the immersion factor. Koreas uniting is dumb enough, but what's worse is that no one would care to invade the U.S. if they wanted more resources. I dunno.. needs a better hook for me to get into dudebro shooter#890470.

 

[Marleyman]

Not sure if it is just me thinking this, but Kaos seems to want to set the bar for MP really high. On paper everything sounds awesome - hopefully they aren't paper champs.

 

[spazzfish]

Looking for a new PC shooter and this half caught my eye. Thing is I really dislike console shooters that are slapped on PC so as you can imagine I really disliked COD4, Battlefield whatever the number and the train wreck that is Crysis 2, am I probably going to dislike this game too?

I'm only interested in the multi-player component, anyone with any beta or review code experience that can give some in site.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Looking for a new PC shooter and this half caught my eye. Thing is I really dislike console shooters that are slapped on PC so as you can imagine I really disliked COD4, Battlefield whatever the number and the train wreck that is Crysis 2, am I probably going to dislike this game too?

I'm only interested in the multi-player component, anyone with any beta or review code experience that can give some in site.

Posted this in another thread:

Never played Frontlines, but their PC blogs have me excited for the PC version:

http://community.homefront-game.com/blog-post/homefront-pc
http://community.homefront-game.com/blog-post/pc-blog-2-exclusive-pc-features

PC Features/Info
Three control settings for flying vehicles
First person vehicle cockpits
Dedicated Server Executable
Mod tools: maybe after launch
32 players--same as consoles, but open to expanding this after launch
Low server machine requirements
Steamworks title (including VAC)
Spectator mode
Server Admin tools
No online pass/DRM (aside from Steam's protection measures)
Multiplayer practice map
Clan/Steam group support
Demo recording
Battle chat - radial command menu that gives visual and audio indicator of what player is saying/requesting
Squad support (including squad-based VOIP)
Joystick support
Competition features
LAN Play
SLI/Crossfire
3d Vision

 

[spazzfish]

Posted this in another thread:

Ah ok thanks, at least it looks like they are trying to make an effort. Hopefully it doesn't turn out to be a run and gun arcade console shooter experience.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Ah ok thanks, at least it looks like they are trying to make an effort. Hopefully it doesn't turn out to be a run and gun arcade console shooter experience.

Yeah, I think it was reported that the MP was outsourced some time ago. Not sure how true this is, but really hope it isn't half-baked. Impressions seem to be positive.

 

[VibratingDonkey]

Bet I'll try to kill people by firing rockets at the walls they're hiding behind for the first couple of rounds.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Bet I'll try to kill people by firing rockets at the walls they're hiding behind for the first couple of rounds.

I know :-\ BC2 really has changed the way I look at online MP. There is superficial/limited destruction in Homefront, but nothing near BC2's level, unfortunately.

 

[Skiptastic]

So wait, what's going on east of the Mississippi? That picture makes me curious.

 

[Guevara]

5 hours man, that's really disappointing.

 

[Barrett2]

Love that timeline, especially the Knoxville Cough.

There should be ambient coughing nonstop during the campaign.

 

[FLEABttn]

5 hour SP is disappointing but seems to be the standard for this gen for multi-platform games.

Still, would it kill people to give me a 10 hour FPS?

 

[Zenith]

Any word on bots for MP? That would add quite a few hours to "sp" for me.

pretty sure it's a negative.

With Frontlines they berated anyone who requested bot support saying their super-duper singleplayer campaign should be enough for them, despite only letting you play as one faction, being 5 hours long and not having jets.

 

[Dave Long]

Frontlines multiplayer is still the best design for a Battlefield type game IMO, and yes I've played Bad Company 2.

I feel like I don't have time for this game right now, but man I loved Frontlines so much. I don't see how I won't play this really soon.

 

[Anton Sugar]

pretty sure it's a negative.

With Frontlines they berated anyone who requested bot support saying their super-duper singleplayer campaign should be enough for them, despite only letting you play as one faction, being 5 hours long and not having jets.

Yeah, as much as I like the team, they still have some very BS answers. I think there reason for not "including" destruction was that it takes away from the environment they created for the user to play in. :-\

Preview just posted from atomic:

Preview: We’re making the claim now – Homefront could well be the next great military shooter.

SP:

But it’s the story elements of the game that stick with you, and game’s pacing is designed to give you a lot of moments of reflection in between all-out firefights. It’s at these moments that you can appreciate not only the sheer detail of the world, but also little things like the game soundtrack, and effort put into achieving a ray of dappled sunlight breaking through the branches of a tree.

There is every chance that Homefront’s campaign could be the singular singleplayer FPS experience of the year.

MP:

Taken all together, Homefront’s multiplayer offering is a much more conventional game than its singleplayer, but it’s still an awful lot of fun. The range of classes, the addition of mobile drones, and of course heavy vehicles and fluid objectives all make for an interesting take on modern military FOS combat. We don’t think it’s as strong an offering as the campaign, but it’s still very good.

Not familiar with atomic--how reliable are they?

 

[Barack Lesnar]

There's a "practice map" but I don't think you play versus bots. Maybe just test out the game and vehicles?

Anyway, look at this in the time line:

2018: Japan surrenders to the Greater Korean Republic and is capitalized into a vassal state.

It's not just North and South Korea uniting and invading the U.S. Japan gets assimilated into this force and until last year Japan was the second largest economy in the world, so they have significant military power.

Then it says:

2021: Korean forces succeed in annexing many countries in East Asia. A new pandemic known as the Knoxville Cough begins to spread in the United States.

So not only do they have Japan now but they other East Asian countries.

Then there's this viral epidemic that destroys the U.S... remember H1V1 (Swine Flu) and the Bird Flu. It's not completely out of the realm of possibility that a contagious, evolving disease spreads across the country. Due to it constantly evolving, maybe vaccines and a cure can't be made that easily.

Are the odds of all this coming true one in a million? Probably, but it's not as implausible as people are making it out to be. Remember, it's not just North & South Korea invading... it's also Japan and other East Asian countries.

I'm looking forward to it. Should be a fun escape, even if it's 5 hours.

 

[Anton Sugar]

PC meetup thread made: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=423793

 

[Xater]

Just so everyone knows, I'm pretty sure they've stated on their forums that they're not planning on releasing a demo. Maybe Deadly Cyclone has more info?

No demo? Ok I am not going to give this a shot. If you come out with a new FPS franchise these days show me why I should care. I already doubt that the story is going to connect with me like some with some people. I already think the whole premise is bonkers.

 

[Barack Lesnar]

Also, big oil collapses (very plausible) and helps sink the U.S. economy. We're the biggest consumer of oil in the world.

So coupled with the financial collapse and a viral epidemic that ravages the country, we would be in quite a vulnerable state. The U.S. financial collapse would also probably take China with it since they own trillions of dollars of our debt.

 

[OrangeYouGlad]

Are the odds of all this coming true one in a million? Probably, but it's not as implausible as people are making it out to be. Remember, it's not just North & South Korea invading... it's also Japan and other East Asian countries.

I'm looking forward to it. Should be a fun escape, even if it's 5 hours.

It's just that people hear the line about Korea invading and scoff at the notion. Seriously? Of all the plot lines shooters have been based around, this is the one we throw up our hands and say "That's just unbelievable!"

It boggles my mind.

 

[diffusionx]

It's not just North and South Korea uniting and invading the U.S. Japan gets assimilated into this force and until last year Japan was the second largest economy in the world, so they have significant military power.

In the real world? No, Japan doesn't have significant military power, as per their American-authored post-WW2 Constitution.

Plus Japan already tried the "take over East Asia" thing. It didn't work out too well for them.

Whatever. It's just a videogame. I am sure people are more touchy about it because it's the US being invaded. But yes this storyline is deeply implausible.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Just a note on the length, when I got to play the first 3 chapters, which is roughly half the game, it took me about 3.5 hours.

For review I can see reviewers breezing through the game, but this is definitely a game where you want to "stop and smell the roses" so to speak.

Also there are 61 collectables to get that add tidbits to the story. I would say an average persons playthrough would last close to 7 hours.

 

[Barack Lesnar]

It's just that people hear the line about Korea invading and scoff at the notion. Seriously? Of all the plot lines shooters have been based around, this is the one we throw up our hands and say "That's just unbelievable!"

It boggles my mind.

Yeah, they think it's just North Korea and nobody else, and also avoid the other factors... financial collapse, a plague-like outbreak, and so on.

Let's just all play shooters with aliens invading instead, despite ignoring the fact that mastering interstellar travel would mean their technology would be about 10,000 times more advanced than ours, meaning they could just nuke the planet from orbit with the press of a button. But instead of doing that, they send down ground troops and ships and fight it out! Makes a lot of sense.

 

[Barack Lesnar]

In the real world? No, Japan doesn't have significant military power, as per their American-authored post-WW2 Constitution.

Plus Japan already tried the "take over East Asia" thing. It didn't work out too well for them.

Whatever. It's just a videogame. But yes this storyline is deeply implausible.

Maybe Japan sees the collapse of the U.S. financial system and decides to ignore that mandate and build up a military force?

 

[See You Next Wednesday]

Brands like White Castle, Nos Energy Drinks, Hooters, and Tiger Direct all make appearances not as product placement, but to add realism to the world.

Fight for the freedom & liberation of Tiger Direct & their oh so low prices on products ranging from iPods to PC casings.

 

[diffusionx]

Maybe Japan sees the collapse of the U.S. financial system and decides to ignore that mandate and build up a military force?

Possibly! If the US umbrella fell, then likely Japan would rev up the military engine (and they wouldn't be alone).

I don't know. The US has such a geographical advantage that I find an invasion to be wildly implausible, especially if that invasion is by the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere 2.0. Even after a collapse we would have lots of hardware and two oceans along with vast territory on the north and south to protect us.

But again, it's just a videogame. I think KAOS picked Korea to titillate, but it kind of backfired on them.

 

[polyh3dron]

This premise is SO RIDICULOUS, do not want.

Now excuse me while I go back to playing Black Ops and Halo: Reach

 

[Zzoram]

I'm not sure if Japan voluntarily being annexed by North Korea or North Korea forcibly unifying with South Korea is the most ridiculous part of this story, but it's definitely one of these.

 

[AltogetherAndrews]

It's just that people hear the line about Korea invading and scoff at the notion. Seriously? Of all the plot lines shooters have been based around, this is the one we throw up our hands and say "That's just unbelievable!"

Context. Most shooter plotlines aren't described and promoted as plausible.

 

[subversus]

Still, would it kill people to give me a 10 hour FPS?

Spoiler

Bulletstorm, hehe. 8 hours at least.

 

[BattleMonkey]

Frontlines multiplayer is still the best design for a Battlefield type game IMO, and yes I've played Bad Company 2.

I feel like I don't have time for this game right now, but man I loved Frontlines so much. I don't see how I won't play this really soon.

The MP was well designed. Too bad they dropped the ball on supporting it on the PC though. Remember on the official forums how mods and devs would post on the 360 versions board, but they never would touch the PC one, and the game also got no support after release.

Players had figured out cheats and exploits such as being able to call infinite amount of airstrikes, but they never fixed it. The game died a quick death and it was sad, because it played so well.

 

[Maffis]

Spoiler

Bulletstorm, hehe. 8 hours at least.

Trade off is the pretty shallow multiplayer.

I guess developers can't do both.

 

[HamPster PamPster]

I'm surprise so many people are down on the story / backstory. Its the most interesting this game has going for it in my opinion. Of course I enjoy "what if EVERYTHING went wrong" scenarios. The plot reminds me of this calvin and hobbes strip

I'm thinking I'll pick up the book and pass on the game just to see what the story is

 

[Rahxephon91]

No demo? No buy for me. Frontlines was truly awful and I don't want to get burned twice.

 

[subversus]

Trade off is the pretty shallow multiplayer.

I guess developers can't do both.

Uncharted 2 wants to talk with you.

 

[FLEABttn]

Spoiler

Bulletstorm, hehe. 8 hours at least.

Are you serious? ffs maybe I will get getting that in April.

 

[VASPER]

I really want to play this game now that i have seen all these multiplayer vids. Now the question Xbox or PC.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Bulletstorm, hehe. 8 hours at least.

See this confuses me, most reviews I read said Bulletstorm was 4-5 hours, so if it took you 8, then them saying Homefront is 5, it should take around 8 as well.

As I said, when I played the first half of the game it took me 3.5 or so, so who knows.

 

[Dave Long]

Reviewers greatly underestimate completion time of videogames from what I've found. I used to be one, and I often looked sideways at many of my peers when they put completion time in their reviews of games I was also working on.

 

[Zenith]

See this confuses me, most reviews I read said Bulletstorm was 4-5 hours, so if it took you 8, then them saying Homefront is 5, it should take around 8 as well.

As I said, when I played the first half of the game it took me 3.5 or so, so who knows.

really, only 5 hours? I'm usually 20% under what reviews claim and Bulletstorm went on for quite a while. I was quite impressed with how much content there was.

 

[demolitio]

Also, big oil collapses (very plausible) and helps sink the U.S. economy. We're the biggest consumer of oil in the world.

So coupled with the financial collapse and a viral epidemic that ravages the country, we would be in quite a vulnerable state. The U.S. financial collapse would also probably take China with it since they own trillions of dollars of our debt.

Good luck invading a country that has 90 guns per 100 citizens and that's even without the military. What you said about China is true though. Our two economies depend way too much on each other and I'm sure that's one of the reasons Taiwan hasn't been taken by the Chinese. Ironically enough, an article was just posted today about how China and Taiwan are growing closer now.

I'm not saying I won't play this due to the absolutely insane storyline as I go for good gameplay, but trying to rationalize anything from that story is a stretch.

The weapon list is a little disappointing. For a resistance fighter, I expected a lot more civilian weaponry and shit you normally don't see in conventional war games.

 

[GraveRobberX]

Will be renting from GameFly

If it's decent and gets me addicted, i'll just use the keep it button and get the game brand spanking new for close to $40

=D

 

[Mikey Jr.]

So wait, why is everyone so down on this game?

MP looks fucking great, and do people really give that much a shit about the SP premise?

So much so that you're willing to overlook the entire game? Really.............?

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

In the real world? No, Japan doesn't have significant military power, as per their American-authored post-WW2 Constitution.

Japan is restricted to having a "self defense force", which happens to be one of the most powerful military forces in the region (considerably more powerful than SK) and is easily capable of striking beyond its own borders despite the name.

 

[SapientWolf]

Good luck invading a country that has 90 guns per 100 citizens and that's even without the military. What you said about China is true though. Our two economies depend way too much on each other and I'm sure that's one of the reasons Taiwan hasn't been taken by the Chinese. Ironically enough, an article was just posted today about how China and Taiwan are growing closer now.

I'm not saying I won't play this due to the absolutely insane storyline as I go for good gameplay, but trying to rationalize anything from that story is a stretch.

The weapon list is a little disappointing. For a resistance fighter, I expected a lot more civilian weaponry and shit you normally don't see in conventional war games.

I don't think a country would actually say that they were invading if something like this actually went down. It would be more along the lines of, "Restoring order to a failed state and putting down pocket elements of resistance." Dictatorships usually have pretty big PR departments.

 

[bangai-o]

i am going to have to agree. The premise for this game is too ludicrous. Now excuse me while I go play any other random videogame that makes perfectly logical sense in the real world.

 

[MechDX]

Please keep the "inplausible story" talk elsewhere.

I for one have this pre-ordered at Gamestop and look forward to kicking the ass of my N. Korean overlords.

 

[demolitio]

I don't think a country would actually say that they were invading if something like this actually went down. It would be more along the lines of, "Restoring order to a failed state and putting down pocket elements of resistance." Dictatorships usually have pretty big PR departments.

You don't think civilians here would see a Korean force invading as a threat? North Korea has been our enemy for a long time and I don't think the public would see them as peaceful no matter what their PR says, just like how most see through North Korea's propaganda now. Then after Americans see how they were being treated by the force and then you have a bunch of pissed off people who have access to millions and millions of weapons.

The Koreans would have to get a list of all gunowners in America and destroy the weapons before the resistance had time to grow but they'd never be able to hit every home. That's why I thought it would have been neat to have some civilian weaponry ingame instead of the usual military favorites.

The Koreans just finished off the U.S. military and are executing civilians so I don't exactly think people would be compliant as their neighbors get shot or put into camps.

Like I said, I'm still interested in the game but there are so many loopholes in the story that kind of takes you out of the immersion. I think another civil war in the U.S. would have made more sense in the story somewhere based on how polarized the nation is becoming again.

 

[Bubs Mugumbo]

I thought the problem was more to do with the lengths that the devs have gone to, to make the story plausible, rather than 'lol plausible games'?

 

[Marty Chinn]

From what I remember, the MP levels were nicely designed with some of them being very sniper friendly