HL2 Orange Box and TF2

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 9:15 pm

tealboy03 wrote:
Zeppo wrote:sounds like there's no party system. Major bummer.

There are, like, 3 games in the history of videogames who use the system you speak of...why, exactly is that a MAJOR bummer? A minor inconvenience, to be sure, but a major bummer? I'm not seeing it...

4 when COD 4 comes out.

macsomjrr · Post by **macsomjrr** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 9:23 pm

Wednesday night TF2?:)

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 9:27 pm

macsomjrr wrote:Wednesday night TF2?:)

I'll definitely play some TF2 with you guys...FUN.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 9:33 pm

Teal, it's a major bummer because it greatly decreases the chance that this game will be a lot of fun FOR ME. Maybe not for you, because goodness knows how much you like to play online exclusively with randoms, but for me it is a major let down. With the party system in place, I could expect to play it often and have a good chance of being joined for online games with a small group of people on my friends list in random online games, without having to start an open custom game once my friends come online, and hope that game fills up with good players. You see, this game, because it is made up of several very diverse classes, is meant to be played in large groups, where you can have a good distribution of character types. Four on four isn't really going to work all that well, I don't think, in this kind of game. My experience with ShadowRun, and with Halo2 and now Halo3, is that the party system greatly increases the playability of online shooters vis a vis me being able to play in enjoyable games with friends. When you add in the factor that the game all but requires the presence of a relatively large number of people in order to get all classes and player types represented fully, the lack of a party system really hampers this ability the I will have to enjoy this game to its fullest; that is, with friends in games filled by randoms.

Get it?

Let me put it to you this way: I don't think this game will be that much fun with only, say, four on four. This means that outside of the specially setup TF2 nights, where we can hope to get an even numbered quorum to make the game functional, I will likely not have the chance to play the game with friends. These nights are most likely only going to be once a week, at most. In ShadowRun, I can play the game on any given night, and have a very good chance of being joined for online games with friends, whether there was any set date to do so or not, and those games will be full, 16-man games.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 9:41 pm

Zeppo wrote:Get it?

You lost me, man. But it's one of those nights, and I still feel the Kumbaya love from your sage words.

Pax, motherf*cker,
PK

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 10:15 pm

I'm doing a shitty job of explaining my disappointment. Let me try again. This game is not a typical shooter, in that it features nine different classes of character. Not all classes are necessary for good games, surely, but by the same token I don't think a game designed with nine very different types of player will be nearly as much fun with, say, only six players in a game (three on three) as it will with a full complement of sixteen.

Since the debut of Halo2 and its party system, I have been expecting that more games than not include this excellent feature. This seems like a game particularly suited to the use of that feature, in that the party system would allow for people who may only have three or four friends online at a given time who are interested in playing the game to play together in full games in a very easy way.

I feel like I will get a lot less play time with it than if it did have the party system. Outside of specially set up DSP game nights, where we may hope to get enough people to have a full enough game to get the real flavor of the gameplay (and then must hope we have an even number of participants as well, because who knows about bots) it does not look like there will be many opportunities for me to play the game with friends.

Halo2 was a long time ago, and I am disappointed that more games don't utilize the party system. Even in the rudimentary way it was utilized in ShadowRun, the party system allowed me to play the game quite often and know that if any friends came online who were also interested in playing the game, even as few as one or as many as seven or more, we could easily get involved in full games together online with little to no hassle. Sadly, without the party system in place, it will be more difficult than will be worth it, I feel, to play in full games with just a handful of friends. This is a major bummer to me.

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 11:20 pm

To sum up,

No Party System = Zeppo no likey.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 11:41 pm

I'm still lost.

Hugs and f*cks,
PK

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 1:42 am

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/826/826062p1.html

You know, with a score of 9.5, you'd think that the review would be gushing about how incredible the games are. But really, I kinda was left feeling ho-hum over the deal. Might actually go back to gamefly'ing it rather than buying. That, and at least one of the proponents of it in here, Zepp, seems to have his doubts about it's longevity. I simply don't buy games anymore that don't have legs. I've already played HL2, the expansions are only gonna take a few hours, Portal is simple and a 2 hour affair, and TF2 has issues..one being no party system, as Zepp aptly pointed out ( I DO understand what you're saying, zepp...PK has no clue because, well, he's PK

), but also the inconsistent server issues...I just don't know anymore.

Diablo, care to re-persuade me?[/url]

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 2:03 am

Just went back and read the article again. ONE MAP FOR EACH GAMETYPE?!? ARE THEY SERIOUS?

Nope. Not doing it. Nevermind.

macsomjrr · Post by **macsomjrr** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 2:51 am

THIS game would be great for a 16 player match-up CTF or CTI (capture the intelligence) whatever they call it ala Halo 3 style.

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 9:10 am

Yeah, I've decided to rent too, mostly to play through episodes 1 and 2. Between Halo 3, Gears, and the upcoming COD, that's more shooter than I can probably handle.

mixdj1 · Post by **mixdj1** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 9:46 am

Slumberland wrote:Yeah, I've decided to rent too, mostly to play through episodes 1 and 2. Between Halo 3, Gears, and the upcoming COD, that's more shooter than I can probably handle.

Same here. Once my copy arrives from Gamefly I'll put some time into TF2. If it really hooks me then I'll end up buying it otherwise I'll just finish EP1, EP2 and Portal and then ship it back. TF2 will have to have a really good DSP following for me to keep it though.

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 11:23 am

mixdj1 wrote:
Slumberland wrote:Yeah, I've decided to rent too, mostly to play through episodes 1 and 2. Between Halo 3, Gears, and the upcoming COD, that's more shooter than I can probably handle.
Same here. Once my copy arrives from Gamefly I'll put some time into TF2. If it really hooks me then I'll end up buying it otherwise I'll just finish EP1, EP2 and Portal and then ship it back. TF2 will have to have a really good DSP following for me to keep it though.

Yeah, I keep forgetting that once COD4 gets here, all else will fade to the background for me. I'm a shooter nut, but I prefer military shooters to space shooters and fantasy shooters. Even though COD4 is a bit faster paced than, say, Ghost Recon, it's still set in the military world, and isn't a circle strafing deal most of the time.

I absolutely cannot wait for COD4. But I've got lots to fill in the time between now and then. But thank God for Gamefly...

macsomjrr · Post by **macsomjrr** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 2:42 pm

Does anyone have the PC version yet?

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 2:43 pm

tealboy03 wrote:
mixdj1 wrote:
Slumberland wrote:Yeah, I've decided to rent too, mostly to play through episodes 1 and 2. Between Halo 3, Gears, and the upcoming COD, that's more shooter than I can probably handle.
Same here. Once my copy arrives from Gamefly I'll put some time into TF2. If it really hooks me then I'll end up buying it otherwise I'll just finish EP1, EP2 and Portal and then ship it back. TF2 will have to have a really good DSP following for me to keep it though.

Yeah, I keep forgetting that once COD4 gets here, all else will fade to the background for me. I'm a shooter nut, but I prefer military shooters to space shooters and fantasy shooters. Even though COD4 is a bit faster paced than, say, Ghost Recon, it's still set in the military world, and isn't a circle strafing deal most of the time.

I absolutely cannot wait for COD4. But I've got lots to fill in the time between now and then. But thank God for Gamefly...

Well put my man. I am also a huge military shooter fan so COD4 is must have. I can't wait to fire it up. I'm not big on space shooters. Halo 3 is ok but it will lose serious time from me with TF2's entertainment value. TF2 is a bit light on maps, etc. but the fun factor makes up for that. The fall usually is my biggest gaming time of year.

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 3:25 pm

macsomjrr wrote:Does anyone have the PC version yet?

I got it thru Steam last week.

Check my post on the first page.

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 3:30 pm

Yeah, I have it through Steam as well. Got it right when the TF2 beta became available.

macsomjrr · Post by **macsomjrr** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 3:49 pm

TCrouch wrote:Yeah, I have it through Steam as well. Got it right when the TF2 beta became available.

I'm DL'ing it thru steam right now. After thinking about it I decided I just couldn't justify $60 for only TF2 so I'm going to play it on my PC. Not ideal but with COD4 on the horizon and Halo 3 still giving me a lot of enjoyment $30 and an easy DL just made a lot more sense.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 3:59 pm

PC fellas:

Let me know how TF2 is online. I had no interest in this game before today, but if enough guys get together to play it online on the PC, I might take a swipe at it.

I wouldn't mind shooting at you f*ckers again ...

Take care,
PK

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 4:16 pm

It's genuinely fun, and funny at the same time. I don't dig the shooters much, but on a PC with a mouse and keyboard, I have a much better time.

The matches in TF2 might not be your cup of tea, though, Paul. They're chaotic, people running everywhere. The teamwork is almost required, though, because if you're a lone wolf you'll get cut down in a hurry by a heavy/medic combo (medics run behind a heavy and produce a constantly-healing beam). Soldiers fire rockets, Demomen can set up pretty nasty looking traps, engineers can actually build little turrets. There's quite a bit of strategy to a well-performing team, but with all the chaos, it's tough to see at first.

It looks like this, and is just as funny...

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/26152.html

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 4:24 pm

Terry:

If I get f*cked up enough, any game is fun, especially with the right people.

Thanks for the impressions and straight skinny!

Take care,
PK

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 4:26 pm

You can even become a "spy" and show up as a member of the enemy team (you can pick which class to display as) and 1-hit knife them in the back, etc. It's pretty crazy, honestly. Scouts are super-fast, have a shotgun and are tough as hell to draw a bead on. Every class is radically different, but I still don't know if the chaos-style of play will suit you.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 6:04 pm

Played a few quick matches this afternoon. There weren't a ton of rooms to choose from, so it wasn't an ideal test. Bottom line? F.U.N.

It wasn't as much like riding a bike as I'd hoped and I took my lumps. OTOH the giddy fun of setting up a whirling zone of death as an engineer, or hiding behind the tank as a medic is still the same.

The lack of a party system is a definite bummer, but that's the only strong negative that I came across in my early play.

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 7:22 pm

Haven't had enough play time to make any serious comments/impressions, but...

Does the audio seem awfully loud, like distorted?

Is there any surround audio?

Is there any vibration in any games?