Interesting Points in the E3 2011 Gameplay Demo

[pixelshock]

Here is the footage:

http://www.gametrailers.com/episode/...4?ch=2&sd=1_hd


and here is Gametrailer's pop block breakdown of the demo:

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/gt...nfinite/717540


Here is an extended version of the interview highlighting tons of new footage from the E3 demo, Ken Levine also touches on several integral concerns i.e. multiplayer is still irrelevant at this point of development:

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/ke...xtended/717106


What did you guys think of the demo? So right off the top of my head, here's a few points that raised my intrigue

-Daisy Fitzroy truly of Native American descent...?

-Booker is one materialistic son of ☺☺☺☺☺

-The golden highlight is back

-The song playing in the background in 1983


What else caught your eye marbles? Commence the analysis and discussion!


P.S - To read/discuss points from the first gameplay demo head to this thread: http://irrationalgames.com/community...-gameplay-demo

[benigncancer]

What happened to the original thread that was stickied?


Anyways, I noticed that bar at the top of the screen was at times completely depleted. There's even a point where its completey empty and Booker was still taking damage without dying. At other times it seemed to fill up on its own. So that's either not the health bar or the ability to die was removed to ensure a proper video demonstration. Booker took a lot of damage.


The thing that caught my attention most was when Booker pulled his gun on that Vox Populi who was cat calling Elizabeth, making him back off and run away. Little moments like that and the "Hold A" morality moments are going to make this game for me.

[pixelshock]

Also my impression of the demo overall...




@benigncancer I think they decided it ran out of steam so they closed it.

[japester]

benigncancer said:What happened to the original thread that was stickied?

We made a decision to unstick and close it so people could start fresh discussions about all the new details released in the full demo.

[boltonhawser]

Dat Songbird.


The demo was astounding! In beauty, action, dialogue, and narrative. It was so spot-on and I am just dying to know more.


However, is it me or did the guy demonstrating seem like a total noob? I mean, his health bar was drained to zero and he was continually under a barrage of bullets and he missed A LOT of shots at the Vox Populi.


As to Daisy Fitzroy, my hpothesis that she wa sof foreign descent was spot-on, however, I'm really rusty on accents and I couldn't tell exactly where hers originated from. Any ideas?

[japester]

The bars at the top obviously responded to damage, but how they worked was a bit of a mystery. The two smaller ones seemed like non-regenerating armor items, but one does regenerate when Booker either takes cover or reloads his weapon. In a way, all 3 reminded me of "scratch damage" from a game called Resonance of Fate. You could apply a lot of damage to a character (the flashing bar in BSI) but unless you applied additional damage of another type, all that flashing damage was instantly restored.


I was glad to hear Ken reinforce his belief in pacing during the extended interview. And he specifically called the frantic combat in the demo a "setpiece" moment. An entire game like that wouldn't be enjoyable for me.


I also enjoyed seeing the relationship between Songbird and Elizabeth. You can clearly see the abusive boyfriend sort of mechanic. He isn't some robotic protector. He was hurt that she escaped and wanted to take out his anger on Booker. I have a feeling that whole dynamic is going to make a lot of us squirm in our seats as it plays out.


EDIT: As for Daisy, if I didn't know any better I'd say she sounded like a mix between Irish and African, which would be a first.

[benigncancer]

boltonhawser said:Dat Songbird.

The demo was astounding! In beauty, action, dialogue, and narrative. It was so spot-on and I am just dying to know more.

However, is it me or did the guy demonstrating seem like a total noob? I mean, his health bar was drained to zero and he was continually under a barrage of bullets and he missed A LOT of shots at the Vox Populi.

As to Daisy Fitzroy, my hpothesis that she wa sof foreign descent was spot-on, however, I'm really rusty on accents and I couldn't tell exactly where hers originated from. Any ideas?

Maybe IG intends for Daisy to be culturally ambiguous, so that she is this kind of representative of "otherness" that clearly doesn't belong in the Founder's vision for Columbia. To me she sounded Carribean, Samoan or Southeast Asian (Phillipines, Laos, Vietnam etc..) - she's got this "islander" vernacular.


Other things I noticed - at least in this build - right bumper/R1 to jump to skylines/use sky hook? (watch for prompt when Booker hops out of the zeppelin). The plasmid/weapon radial is gone right? So that would free up the front shoulder buttons. Right bumper/R1 seems like a comfortable button to jump to the skylines.


Thumbs up to IG for bringing back "Everybody Want's to Rule The World" during the 1980's tear.

[Durandan]

I couldn't place her accent either. I liked what I saw about being able to make moral decisions so quickly. I'm hoping you really can have a bunch of unique experiences each play-through and I hope things like saving the Postman serve a higher purpose, although it isn't absolutely necessary. Glad to hear the combat won't always be so frantic. Going to be interesting seeing how you remember where you are when riding the SkyLines. It looked a bit confusing. Voice work was solid and combat seemed tight as well. Lotta possibilities out there for mixing things up. The Songbird not stopping until she apologized and asked to return home was great as well. Seeing him in greater detail has only further convinced me we need statues and posters of him ASAP. 15 minutes just flew by.

[japester]

LOL. My character will be dangling from the Sky-Lines by one arm and unfolding a map with the other as he mumbles, "...now I take the A Rail to the clock tower....and then jump on the cargo line offshoot....take a left past the bell...."

[Unsung Hero]

1. The skyrails seem to loop. So it doesn't seem you can ride one skyrail, and lose yourself on the otherside of the map.


2. There's quite a few paths you can take regarding decisions


3. The sound of the blimps are effin' awesome.


4. The blimps are somewhat like those flying robot turrets in bioshock.

[Durandan]

When the Vox call for backup, they really don't mess around do they? I like that even facing a blimp is optional and love the mid-battle dialogue bits. I know it was only a demo, but it seemed to be controlled pretty darn smoothly. You have to nail SkyLine movement or the game will suffer tremendously. Did he drop his shotgun for the machine gun and then pick it up again? Are we seeing a shift in system where you no long carry numerous weapons at once?

[F.Fontaine]

Hmmm the links don't work for me oh well I'll watch it later, but reading all these comments I see it went well.

[benigncancer]

Trailer also reminded me of the movie Children Of Men. Man takes "saint-like" politically important young woman across civil war battle zones in an attempt to get her out of the city safely. Booker trying to keep a low key, forcing himself to ignore the stream of violence following him and Elizabeth in the background (that unseen man screaming after that crying woman before three shots ring out was especially hard to listen to) brought to mind that element of hiding in plan sight as the enemy doesn't realize how important these two people are, which Children Of Men also utilized for tension throughout the story.

[benigncancer]

durandan said:When the Vox call for backup, they really don't mess around do they? I like that even facing a blimp is optional and love the mid-battle dialogue bits. I know it was only a demo, but it seemed to be controlled pretty darn smoothly. You have to nail SkyLine movement or the game will suffer tremendously. Did he drop his shotgun for the machine gun and then pick it up again? Are we seeing a shift in system where you no long carry numerous weapons at once?

Yeah, the line I remember from the article I read was something along the lines of IG going for a more "Uncharted" feel to weapons (I'm guessing 2 guns at a time with heavy encouragement of swaping in the heat of battle for relevant weapons based on the combat scenario)


EDIT: It also looks like we can sprint now

[Unsung Hero]

Is it just me, or does Daisy sound like a negro?

[Durandan]

Children of Men was a great movie and I do see some similarities! I'm also pleased as punch we can sprint. It isn't a huge feature but it feels odd not having it. I'm going to listen to her a voice a few more times and try to make some headway into where the heck she comes from. Frustrating about the minute of ads every time I jump around looking at particular bits.

[japester]

The links aren't working for some people, so please try these alternates.


Full episode with demo footage (skip to about 4 minutes to go right to the demo):

http://www.gametrailers.com/episode/...=124&ch=1&sd=1


Extended interview with Ken Levine:

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/ke...xtended/717105


If necessary, we'll edit these links into the OP.

[Durandan]

I listened to again and again and I feel like there is a mix between African and Native American. Easily makes her sympathetic, as they are two of the most repressed groups. Actually, she is also a woman so make that three. That would very rough. But I also hear a bit of a Caribbean accent. It is so hard to place. It seemed to me like several of the Vox used Native American words or shouts. So it might make sense that she is one herself. A lot of the random voices reminded me of Splicers. I'm wondering if they reused voice actors.

[tickchitock]

I never really noticed before this demo, but the Songbird has gears as part of the wing/back? design-which I found kind of interesting.


Another small detail I liked about the Songbird was the mannerisms, it did a few "twitchy" things that were very much like what I'd expect from a bird.


The demo as a whole was amazing, I loved it. :] It certainly didn't feel like fifteen minutes, and I actually want to see more now. Can't say I was expecting that. Or much anything else in this demo.


It reminds me of why I'm such a fan of BioShock, though.

[Unsung Hero]

tickchitock said:I never really noticed before this demo, but the Songbird has gears as part of the wing/back? design-which I found kind of interesting.

Another small detail I liked about the Songbird was the mannerisms, it did a few "twitchy" things that were very much like what I'd expect from a bird.

The demo as a whole was amazing, I loved it. :] It certainly didn't feel like fifteen minutes, and I actually want to see more now. Can't say I was expecting that. Or much anything else in this demo.

It reminds me of why I'm such a fan of BioShock, though.

Also it's eye color changes.


Red-Pissed, ready to kill ya'

Green-Peaceful

It's a small detail but did anyone notice the health bar pulsating when he shot the pilot light in the blimp? Warning him of danger I imagine. Anyway, as tickchitock stated above how the songbird really acts very bird like.

I owned a parrot once & they do that twitchy look-from-side-to-side thing. Looking from one eye then the other. Also, did you see how when she said "I'm sorry" that the bird looked away. As if he's angry/jealous that she left & then he looks back when she said shed go back with him. He must really love her....

[Unsung Hero]

jrox said:It's a small detail but did anyone notice the health bar pulsating when he shot the pilot light in the blimp? Warning him of danger I imagine. Anyway, as tickchitock stated above how the songbird really acts very bird like.

I owned a parrot once & they do that twitchy look-from-side-to-side thing. Looking from one eye then the other. Also, did you see how when she said "I'm sorry" that the bird looked away. As if he's angry/jealous that she left & then he looks back when she said shed go back with him. He must really love her....

Of course he loves her. He took care of her for 15 years, and all of sudden she decides to run away from him.

[japester]

I think we saw the color change previously, but I was surprised at how mechanical the change was. The sound and motion made it appear as if lenses were being changed inside the head.


I suddenly realized what really struck me about Songbird and his relationship to Elizabeth. It was that moment at the end when she apologized, and he looked away petulantly (maybe that's not the right word). It was like a child. It appears Elizabeth and Songbird both have some maturity issues.


Also, the way he carefully shooed her away when she first tries to stop him. He was being very gentle, but you could see the disregard for her feelings. Like, "You don't understand. Move aside so I can squish this jerk."

[hellion83]

First looks terrific!

but...but...


Gameplay looks like it is catering to Call of Duty fans.. too much runnin and gunnin.. not enough exploration (judging by the fast paced gameplay of running and gunning) secondly overuse of the rails..rails are great to get around definitely but hopefully its not overused to the point of tedium.

[Unsung Hero]

I know its a small detail but when your on the skyline and you hear the faint click,click,click on the rails; then you drop with speed, i almost get butterflies in my stomach… theres no other game i get that with. ☺☺☺☺.


Its a shame more devs dont try to strive for this kind of detail and immersiveness in the games they make. Shame.


The story telling techniques they use in this demo will be talked about for years to come. Its almost seamless with the action. Totally Astounding!

[Unsung Hero]

hellion83 said:First looks terrific!

but...but...

Gameplay looks like it is catering to Call of Duty fans.. too much runnin and gunnin.. not enough exploration (judging by the fast paced gameplay of running and gunning) secondly overuse of the rails..rails are great to get around definitely but hopefully its not overused to the point of tedium.

1. Ken Levine said the action will be similar to Bioshock. Slow-Building Action-Action Setpiece-then slow once again


2. The rails DON'T HAVE to be used always. I'm sure there are times where you have to, but it's more like a strategic option. For example that blimp, you could have easily asked Elizabeth to create a tear and bring in a turret, or you could have simply shoot it down with your weapon, OR you could use the rail line and destroy it from within.


Again it's all about OPTIONS>

[Knight Carver]

Amazing stuff!!!!!!! *Drool*

[roguewriter]

Well, *that* was certainly an experience, no? I think my heart-rate is still elevated. It seems most of us took notice of the same interesting moments, highlights, and so forth over the course of the Demo so I won't retread for the sake of my own ego/vanity; however, I will say that, for me, aside from all the gun-play, power display, Skyline acrobatics, the moments which had me the most captivated were the character moments.


Elizabeth's plea to Booker in the shop, the promise of death rather then imprisonment and Booker's subsequent reaction, perhaps the one time over the course of the demo that we see a glimpse in words of how much he wants to keep her safe above all else, was enthralling. Elizabeth's attempt to ease the horse's anguish with a lullaby (something which may hint at her recalling her own mother?) and her later self deprecating belief concerning her abilities and the level of control she has over them.


Passing through the city, there were moments where I was nearly pulled out of my seat wanting to do something about the violence, or even reacting when Elizabeth did. The shop keeper being thrown out, or the woman being *murdered* by her husband/lover as Booker and Liz pass by the window to their home, hearing Elizabeth gasp audibly. And, finally, of course, Elizabeth's plea to Songbird not to harm Booker. These were just a few of the many story and character driven moments that cement, for me, Infinite being perhaps the greatest narrative driven game of all time thus far.

[JJ Cool L]

Am I the only one who wasn't impressed at all with the demo? I was initially worried that all the teaser trailers would ruin the impact for me when I finally saw it...and I was right.


No grips about the actual content (other than Elizabeth constantly respawning). I just thought the way they went about presenting it was very poor.

[Unsung Hero]

knives said:Am I the only one who wasn't impressed at all with the demo? I was initially worried that all the teaser trailers would ruin the impact for me when I finally saw it...and I was right.

No grips about the actual content (other than Elizabeth constantly respawning). I just thought the way they went about presenting it was very poor.

Sorry, it's just you...


Demo was easily the best thing I seen this year, no joke.

[roguewriter]

With the greatest respect, I can not help but feel that anyone not moved, in some capacity, by this Demo is, in some manner or another, incredibly jaded or emotionally stunted. Within just fourteen minutes we were shown more depth, complexity, and emotion then in any game in recent memory. Perhaps it is I who have a limited grasp on the reality of Infinite's impact, but, I simply can not fathom *anyone* not being absolutely enthralled by this.

[Unsung Hero]

roguewriter said:With the greatest respect, I can not help but feel that anyone not moved, in some capacity, by this Demo is, in some manner or another, incredibly jaded or emotionally stunted. Within just fourteen minutes we were shown more depth, complexity, and emotion then in any game in recent memory. Perhaps it is I who have a limited grasp on the reality of Infinite's impact, but, I simply can not fathom *anyone* not being absolutely enthralled by this.

Agreed. That horse scene alone was incredibly powerful. Just reminds how Irrational are able to create more emotional scenes in one 15 demo, than some developers can do for there whole gaming careers.

[japester]

thelastguardian said:

Of course he loves her. He took care of her for 15 years, and all of sudden she decides to run away from him.

I'd be wary of any "of course" statements where IG is concerned.


If Songbird was acting due to instinct or programming, like a Big Daddy, then his 15 years couldn't be ascribed to love at all. I think they showed us those extra little moments between them to demonstrate that Songbird has a range of emotions and is aware of his own self-interest.

[JJ Cool L]

thelastguardian said:

roguewriter said:With the greatest respect, I can not help but feel that anyone not moved, in some capacity, by this Demo is, in some manner or another, incredibly jaded or emotionally stunted. Within just fourteen minutes we were shown more depth, complexity, and emotion then in any game in recent memory. Perhaps it is I who have a limited grasp on the reality of Infinite's impact, but, I simply can not fathom *anyone* not being absolutely enthralled by this.

Agreed. That horse scene alone was incredibly powerful. Just reminds how Irrational are able to create more emotional scenes in one 15 demo, than some developers can do for there whole gaming careers.

But we've already seen that....it was "Incredibly powerful" the first 5-10 times I watched it, but by the time the full demo rolled around it didn't have the same wow factor imo.


Let's be honest here. How many of those, "More depth, complexity, and emotion then in any game in recent memory" moments can you name that weren't already shown?


I'm glad the spoilers didn't affect you guys...but you should at least be able to "fathom" how one who followed every vid and interview thus far could have been disappointed...

[Unsung Hero]

knives said:

thelastguardian said:

roguewriter said:With the greatest respect, I can not help but feel that anyone not moved, in some capacity, by this Demo is, in some manner or another, incredibly jaded or emotionally stunted. Within just fourteen minutes we were shown more depth, complexity, and emotion then in any game in recent memory. Perhaps it is I who have a limited grasp on the reality of Infinite's impact, but, I simply can not fathom *anyone* not being absolutely enthralled by this.

Agreed. That horse scene alone was incredibly powerful. Just reminds how Irrational are able to create more emotional scenes in one 15 demo, than some developers can do for there whole gaming careers.

But we've already seen that....it was great the first 5-10 times I watched it, but by the time the full demo rolled around it didn't have the the same wow factor imo.

Let's be honest here. How many of those, "More depth, complexity, and emotion then in any game in recent memory" moments can you name that weren't already shown?

I'm glad the spoilers didn't affect you guys...but you should be able to "fathom" how one who's followed every vid and interview thus far could have been disappointed...

I respect what you have to say, I really do. But I guess in this scenario it's a differentiation of opinion.


The skyrail alone, the click, click, click, it created a loop in my stomach. That exhilaration, that intensity, it's ☺☺☺☺in breathtaking. Never have I experienced that in a game, that euphoria..This demo really got indepth with the skyrail, and it made me realize how ☺☺☺☺in innovative it is. I love it.


Then there's the whole atmosphere. Seeing the founders leave on there aircrafts, as they gently rise from below, there crafts humming this droning sound. Small stuff like that touches me. The whole atmosphere, is just incredible.


I was impressed by so many things in the demo, so many things.


I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it, but I did (and I to watched all the videos beforehand and it didn't really affect me), and alot of other people from other boards are already deeming it "one of the best demos they have laid eyes on."

[laforzadimente]

Coming into this kind of late but I haven't seen any of these points I noticed brought up yet so I thought I'd toss them in


1) Interaction / dynamic dialogue - When Booker is walking through the Vox before everything awry, he's giving the player a heads up that they don't have to fight and it will draw unnecessary attention to them (which turned out to be A LOT of attention). What I really enjoyed though is even with this narration and spoken verbal stance, if you look down your sights at someone, Booker will make a verbal shift warning the person you're aiming at. So you wouldn't necessarily be out of character by choosing to fight just because Booker had made the earlier statement.


Another example of this was when Booker decided to go after the Zeppelin. The game recognizes this as he jumps on the Sky-Rail and he tells Elizabeth to stay put (and she does it too!). I'll bet there's a bunch of dialogue options we won't here on the first playthrough depending on our playstyle.


2) Elizabeth in battle - Anyone else notice "ON YOUR LEFT!!" and "BOOKER LOOK OUT!" with the rocket? The programmers made her to be aware of what is happening to you. If she hadn't said "on your left" I wouldn't have seen that guy. Really great teamwork code.


@knives I found the demo to be quite interesting but I would agree that all the previously shown footage took a lot of the impact away from it. I don't think you're emotionally dead

[Unsung Hero]

Not sure if this was mentioned yet or not...but when you want to jump onto a skyrail, or jump down from the skyrail, a little circular oval appears showing you where you can land.

[iglegacy_fukuy]

Do we know which version was shown?


I suppose is Xbox 360, because, although artistically the game looks stunning, I hope better graphics, from a technical point of view on the PC version. Specifically, the textures are too blurry for PC standards actually.

[Unsung Hero]

fukuy said:Do we know which version was shown?

I suppose is Xbox 360, because, although artistically the game looks stunning, I hope better graphics, from a technical point of view on the PC version. Specifically, the textures are too blurry for PC standards actually.

From what I hear pc version with xbox 360 game pad.


Also the gametrailers link sucks (if that's what your basing off of)

[satellitemiki]

Maybe it's just me being hopeful, but did anyone else hear a little of Karl Hanover's voice in the guy who speaks after you hear Daisy on screen?