Been reading complaints about pacing and combat a lot, and it's absolutely baffling to me. Why do so many people on here think that a relentless onslaught of action sequences is good pacing? The story is really well paced from beginning to end, except for the third act which drags a bit. Just because shit isn't blowing up every 3 minutes doesn't mean the game is poorly paced. It's a 15+ hour game telling the conclusive story of this set of characters. Of course there are going to be slower, more emotional scenes.
I don't understand the "cover shooter" complaints either. They have created big open levels with excellent verticality. Take advantage of the freedom of movement to create fun combat scenario instead of sitting behind cover and playing this game like a 2006 cover shooter. Be a little creative, and you'll definitely enjoy this game a lot more. Don't just do the usual going-through-the-motions routine that most cover shooters follow.
I think there is fat to be trimmed and the opening and closing acts are stronger than the padded middle but overall there is nothing 'slow' to me here. Giving the characters time to breathe and be with each other is the joy of this game from my perspective. I almost began to crave the walk and talk sections by the end.
I feel like the combat is way more fun as a free-roaming shooter rather than a cover-shooter. It's like a freestyle rap battle, your gonna do great if you have a verse pre-written but it's more fun if you improvise and think on your feet (move around, blindfire etc).
Now that's an analogy for the ages. I played it exactly like that: go in with stealth, tag the enemies, stealth kill 2 or 3 and then I go all in. Swinging around, flanking them, tackling them from above, running into them with blindfire and finishing off with melee combat. UC 4 gives you so many different mechanics to play with it in combat, you are doing yourself a big disservice if you play it as every other cover shooter. I think that's peoples biggest problem and why they dont like the combat scenarios. You have to stay on your feet and use the terrain the game gives you. Its so much fucking fun
Been reading complaints about pacing and combat a lot, and it's absolutely baffling to me. Why do so many people on here think that a relentless onslaught of action sequences is good pacing? The story is really well paced from beginning to end, except for the third act which drags a bit. Just because shit isn't blowing up every 3 minutes doesn't mean the game is poorly paced. It's a 15+ hour game telling the conclusive story of this set of characters. Of course there are going to be slower, more emotional scenes.
I don't understand the "cover shooter" complaints either. They have created big open levels with excellent verticality. Take advantage of the freedom of movement to create fun combat scenarios instead of sitting behind cover and playing this game like a 2006 cover shooter. Be a little creative, and you'll definitely enjoy this game a lot more. Don't just do the usual going-through-the-motions routine that most cover shooters follow. Use stealth and platforming to your advantage, break the enemies' line of sight to disappear, mix it up with some shooting. It ain't that hard.
The climbing sections are very much that too. There's damn near constant banter between the brothers and others. I'm not going to try and convince someone to enjoy a game more though. Sorry to hear that you're not.
I don't understand the "cover shooter" complaints either. They have created big open levels with excellent verticality. Take advantage of the freedom of movement to create fun combat scenarios instead of sitting behind cover and playing this game like a 2006 cover shooter. Be a little creative, and you'll definitely enjoy this game a lot more. Don't just do the usual going-through-the-motions routine that most cover shooters follow. Use stealth and platforming to your advantage, break the enemies' line of sight to disappear, mix it up with some shooting. It ain't that hard.
by the time the credits started rolling, i was feeling
sad because it's the end of this incredible franchise with these incredible journeys.
we've all experienced them alongside Nate, Sully, Elena and the rest of the crew.
but i also feel happy for them all.
btw, in chapter 18 or whatever, is it even possible to get past the
Haven't finished it yet, near the end though, but this to me is the best Uncharted and one of my favorite games of all time. It just oozes passion and it's so well done.
Been reading complaints about pacing and combat a lot, and it's absolutely baffling to me. Why do so many people on here think that a relentless onslaught of action sequences is good pacing? The story is really well paced from beginning to end, except for the third act which drags a bit. Just because shit isn't blowing up every 3 minutes doesn't mean the game is poorly paced. It's a 15+ hour game telling the conclusive story of this set of characters. Of course there are going to be slower, more emotional scenes.
I don't understand the "cover shooter" complaints either. They have created big open levels with excellent verticality. Take advantage of the freedom of movement to create fun combat scenarios instead of sitting behind cover and playing this game like a 2006 cover shooter. Be a little creative, and you'll definitely enjoy this game a lot more. Don't just do the usual going-through-the-motions routine that most cover shooters follow. Use stealth and platforming to your advantage, break the enemies' line of sight to disappear, mix it up with some shooting. It ain't that hard.
Yup, if you all you do is sit behind cover and kill off enemies one by one, then yeah you're going to think the combat is boring and tedious. I like to think of each map as a puzzle on how to best tackle each enemy. The level design really does help lend towards this style of play.
Yup, if you all you do is sit behind cover and kill off enemies one by one, then yeah you're going to think the combat is boring and tedious. I like to think of each map as a puzzle on how to best tackle each enemy. The level design really does help lend towards this style of play.
But you can't even sit in cover most of the time, they rush you, flank you, cover gets destroyed. This game does movement combat better then a game that was supposed to be all about that in Quantum Break.
To be fair though the guy everyone is replying to is only up to Chapter 8, the big arena combat areas haven't popped up yet.
Beat the game yesterday and wow what a ride it was. I couldn't put the controller down, I would have beaten it in one sitting if I didn't have to leave for work.
Ending spoilers
I was worried that they would take a more The Last of Us ending, I was so sure they were gonna kill either Sully or Elena. But I love happy endings and this one was perfect. Sully and Sam having a beer together, Nate and Elena with their daughter. Perfect sendoff for these characters, they deserved it.
Beat the game yesterday and wow what a ride it was. I couldn't put the controller down, I would have beaten it in one sitting if I didn't have to leave for work.
Ending spoilers
I was worried that they would take a more The Last of Us ending, I was so sure they were gonna kill either Sully or Elena. But I love happy endings and this one was perfect. Sully and Sam having a beer together, Nate and Elena with their daughter. Perfect sendoff for these characters, they deserved it.
I don't follow closely what people say about this -- I mean, I've heard people joke about Nathan's murdering before, but when I say this it's not because I'm parroting anything. There's a genuine dissonance that I feel while playing the game.
In early cutscenes Drake is shocked by the stabbing death of an evil asshole guard, and then later he laments when Sam punches out a waiter.
Minutes later I snuck up under someone, on a ledge, and pulled him to his death. Yes, he would have shot at me, but there's a definite dissonance here -- As we kill and kill and kill and kill, and the characters seem to think nothing of it. I get that the guards are enemy combatants, but we don't react to the body count in any way. It's odd because of how lifelike the characters seem in other ways.
In The Last of Us it worked far better because the characters acknowledged the killing, for the most part, so it didn't distract me. It felt consistent. Lifelike characters in a game that has a huge emphasis on acting and storytelling and constant immersion with the characters (they never stop communicating) just doesn't work well in a lighthearted adventure with a high body count. I genuinely feel distracted by it.
That guard stabbing scene is fifteen years before Nate's adventures as we know it. And that shock wasn't from the "killing", but because he didn't expect Rafe to kill Vargas.
Man..being on a sort of media blackout on this has really paid off.
I just reached Ma
dagascar
and wow.
Wasn't expecting such a big zone that you can freely explore and drive around. It looks amazing too. The car also feels perfect. So many games that don't focus on driving have car sections that just feel off, but here it's a joy to drive around.
So far this is turning out to be everything O wanted from a ps4 Uncharted.
Oh my God this game. I'm enjoying myself so much, I wouldn't even be mad if this was the last videogame I play. Last game that gave me those feels was TLoU.
ND are alright I guess.
I appreicate all the stealth options, but my drake is a homicial mass murderer.
Also, pistols are hella nerfed in this game. Before in U1-3, you could headshot someone from pretty much anywhere. Its a good change, but it takes a while to adjust.
also for all this talk of the disconnect between drakes character and how many people you kill, im just sitting here thinking how the fuck do both him and sam have such godlike upper body strength?
Some of the jumps too..even spiderman would be jealous at times.
Why are the cut scenes heavily restricted for camera position? You can zoom slightly sometimes a lot and change the depth of field, so it isn't fmv.
But could it be "playing" data directly from memory with baked occlusion and lighting, in order to upres the character models, maybe it's even down sampling with the freed up silicon?
It would be a smart decision but rather compromises the idea that cut scenes and incredibly detailed character faces are "in engine".
Outside cut scenes you can change camera to orbit Nate but it's very difficult to trick it into getting as close to a face as some cut scenes.
Why are the cut scenes heavily restricted for camera position? You can zoom slightly and change the depth of field, so it isn't fmv.
But could it be "playing" data directly from memory with baked occlusion and lighting, in order to upres the character models, maybe it's even down sampling?
It would be a smart decision but rather compromises the idea that cut scenes and incredibly detailed character faces are "in engine".
Outside cut scenes you can change camera to orbit Nate but it's very difficult to trick it into getting as close to a face as some cut scenes.
There are multiple instances of the game transitioning directly from gameplay to cutscene and vice versa.
So nothing is compromised.
I'm assuming it's because in the cutscenes, stuff like physics is disabled, and also they might load assets nearby before they actually appear in a scene. Note that the loading times are seamless in this game.
They also have a lot of other characters "point of views" scenes. I'm assuming they don't want you to turn the camera and see they're in an empty room or something, not to break immersion.
I highly recommend not playing this game on Crushing unless you really want the Platinum. It's just in the tedium realm now. Half the time it's being out of ammo, the other half it's an insane amount of enemies that all have grenade capabilities. Stealth is impossible on crushing.
Some of the cutscenes are definitely prerendered video. Not all, but I know some are.
In any case, my guess would be that in the real time cutscenes they're arranging the shot carefully and maybe there's nothing to see (or ugly stuff to see) if the camera is turned.
I know it transitions smoothly
However the pinned camera makes me think they've removed what are some very intensive calculations from the equation during photo mode in cut scenes: lighting and geometry from absolutely any angle. They could do it by data streams that are highly pre-baked.
Also cut scenes are usually face centric and they are the hardest and most expensive to get right. No need for that work in game.
I haven't found one you cannot change the focus distance (depth of field) and get that blur effect for any distance you want, and that is impossible with pre rendered. Have you? But many have very little leniency given for focal length (which is zoom).
So I suspect partly pre-rendered is a thing that is going on when photo mode can't orbit or dolly the camera.
I haven't found one you cannot change the focus distance (depth of field) and get that blur effect for any distance you want, and that is impossible with pre rendered. Have you? But many have very little leniency given for focal length (which is zoom).
So I suspect partly pre-rendered is a thing that is going on when photo mode can't orbit or dolly the camera.
I noticed a jarring switch in image quality in the young drake cutscene at the very beginning -- when it goes from his first closeups in the cutscene, to the actual gameplay. It's quite different looking in terms of fidelity and lighting detail.
I'm actually not 100% sure that this was prerendered, but if it's not prerendered they are definitely doing something that they can't afford to do in general gameplay.
I played the open work Madagascar bit from the demo last night.
I used stealth to completely clear two areas and 90% of the guards in another, and boy im finding the combat 1000000% more enjoyable than the previous 3 games.
I loved everything about the last 3 other than actually playing them, but now!! with the refined combat its a whole new level.
Not just that, but flinch can be a real nuisance, especially on crushing. You either have to get off shots only whilst you yourself are not getting shot, or resort to mid body or torso rapid fire or short bursts. That way even with the recoil and flinch, your aim is compensated for. Otherwise if you're going for headshots you either have to be really quick, or get a flank on them.
I feel weird about the fact I got so hyped for this game. It's a special game, however it's not the type of thing I'd hype over, in retrospect. The game demands your patience. It's not your instant adrenaline (or fun) type deal. It's a very quiet and contemplative experience. It's not afraid to be boring. Extreme hype wasn't the appropriate emotion to approach this with, the game isn't about that at all.
Some of the cutscenes are definitely prerendered video. Not all, but I know some are.
In any case, my guess would be that in the real time cutscenes they're arranging the shot carefully and maybe there's nothing to see (or ugly stuff to see) if the camera is turned.
They have no pre rendered cutscenes in this. At all. You can easily confirm it with DoF in photo mode.
But after you beat the game, you unlock skins. And since this is real time, the skins show up in ALL of the cutscenes. And we're talking 10+ skins... For multiple characters not just Nate.
Also, I repeat, the gameplay transitions SEAMLESSLY (no camera cut) into cutscenes several times in the game.
If you want an exemple, ch7:
Meeting Nadine is a prime example, as well as her throwing you off the window.
Finished it yesterday and i've had some time to digest... This game just doesn't work for me, i think it's a disappointment.
Sticky cover, box puzzles, linear climbing, stealth grass, explosive barrels... U4 feels like such a regression from TLOU. I've replayed U2 half a dozen times, i've beaten TLOU at least 4 times, but i never want to go back through U4, there just isn't enough game to sink my teeth into.
This game has serious pacing issues. I don't mind puzzles, i don't mind platforming, but when both those elements are brain-dead easy, you probably shouldn't let them take up 70% of your game. Then there's combat... when i died in TLOU i felt eager to get back to the checkpoint and try things differently, when i die in U4 i mostly just feel frustrated. The gunplay usually feels fluid and fast, but the enemy encounters are so few and far between that i never really got in to a good rhythm with it.
I still enjoyed playing through it all, i just wish it had a little more gameplay depth.
Some of the cutscenes are definitely prerendered video. Not all, but I know some are.
In any case, my guess would be that in the real time cutscenes they're arranging the shot carefully and maybe there's nothing to see (or ugly stuff to see) if the camera is turned.
Real-time cut-scenes: One of the most profound shifts in the series over previous entries is the move to real-time cut-scenes. Previously, the complexity of the cinematics necessitated the use of pre-rendered video files. This helps conceal loading at points but also lightens the load on the hardware. Moving to real-time creates a more cohesive presentation, with the game now able to transition seamlessly between gameplay and cinematics. It also makes for a convincing tech demo as the visuals on display here are some of the most impressive we've seen to date. More impressively, the final game comes very close to matching the quality of the original E3 2014 teaser trailer - something we'll be exploring this week.
Some of the cutscenes are definitely prerendered video. Not all, but I know some are.
In any case, my guess would be that in the real time cutscenes they're arranging the shot carefully and maybe there's nothing to see (or ugly stuff to see) if the camera is turned.
I highly recommend not playing this game on Crushing unless you really want the Platinum. It's just in the tedium realm now. Half the time it's being out of ammo, the other half it's an insane amount of enemies that all have grenade capabilities. Stealth is impossible on crushing.
An Uncharted game with proper stealth mechanics that's been my overlying crticism of all the previous games, and it works as intended that it brings a tear to my eye. :')
I highly recommend not playing this game on Crushing unless you really want the Platinum. It's just in the tedium realm now. Half the time it's being out of ammo, the other half it's an insane amount of enemies that all have grenade capabilities. Stealth is impossible on crushing.
Do you mean late in the game? Because I'm about mid way through my Crushing play through and so far it's actually been mostly easy. The majority of encounters so far I've done in stealth, and the only one I've found remotely tricky thus far is the final Madagascar battle, but mostly because the enemies there are so unbelievably competent at flanking.
