(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/870606723696721920/984850222708576376/unknown.png)
Neomorph variants confirmed; and one step closer to actual Engineers!
Okay that is better than what we got in previous updates.
I just saw in the article on the homepage that it's going to be a paid expansion though.... :(
In this day and age - and with a niche game that still doesn't have crossplay nearly a year on from release - I'm not sure paid map content is the best idea when it comes to not splitting up an already likely fairly small player base.
I always kind of expected it would be, and I'm betting we eventually get at least two more campaigns for the game. Pala Station has already been teased and I'm guessing that's the next one.
I've said it many times but I really don't consider this game too dependent on a constantly active large player-base, but there should be enough of a spike to find players around new content. We still have Season 4 coming and I'm hoping the feature included with that one is crossplay, which they've said they'd like to add.
Lack of SP gameplay was my major gripe, and while I still believe it should've been a longer campaign overall, it was twenty dollars cheaper than a typical release for the PS5 so I cut it some slack.
I'll support this release because I think with a bigger budget and staff they could release a very solid sequel in three or four years time.
Not stoked about it being paid.
Quote from: Kimarhi on Jun 10, 2022, 05:01:04 PMLack of SP gameplay was my major gripe, and while I still believe it should've been a longer campaign overall, it was twenty dollars cheaper than a typical release for the PS5 so I cut it some slack.
I'll support this release because I think with a bigger budget and staff they could release a very solid sequel in three or four years time.
$30 cheaper these days...
Quote from: Kailem on Jun 10, 2022, 04:50:45 PMI just saw in the article on the homepage that it's going to be a paid expansion though.... :(
In this day and age - and with a niche game that still doesn't have crossplay nearly a year on from release - I'm not sure paid map content is the best idea when it comes to not splitting up an already likely fairly small player base.
100% Agree Kailem. I doubt the majority will sink more cash into this where the game already felt like a brief experience, or even an incomplete one.. which will ultimately make the playerbase even more sparse for the new missions. Like Predator Hunting Grounds, Cold Iron imo should charge for the cosmetics and dlc characters - cool - but new maps and corresponding missions? Come on...
SP expansions have almost always been paid content. This even goes back to the old Primal Hunt days.
Give me paid DLC over nickel and diming the playerbase any day.
I'm VERY STRONGLY in favour of this model over that garbage.
Quote from: Kimarhi on Jun 10, 2022, 05:46:06 PMSP expansions have almost always been paid content. This even goes back to the old Primal Hunt days.
Yeah, but that's just it; that was the old days. Paid map content for multiplayer games hasn't been a thing since around 2015, because people realised that all it was doing was segregating the player base, and likely publishers and devs realised they weren't making as much money off the later releases because less and less people were sticking around and paying for every new map pack that came out.
That's why we saw pretty much the entire industry switch to a "maps are free, cosmetics are paid" model round about 2016 or so, with "battle passes" becoming the new norm because they encouraged players to keep playing the game for longer periods of time if they wanted new rewards (many of which were free, but even the paid ones required player retention).
And with more and more games switching to longer-term "live service"-type models, player retention is what it's all about these days. Paid single player DLC is still a thing sure, but it's actually a little jarring to see paid multiplayer maps for a game in 2022. Definitely not something I expected at all.
To be juvenile for a minute.
f**k battlepasses.
f**k the new norm.
I'm only annoyed that it comes out at the end of August, right before I return to education.
Oh you'll find no objections from me there. The nickle and diming bs we have to suffer through with many of today's games can suck it.
But the one good thing that's come from it is that the biggest content for 99% of multiplayer games (ie. maps and characters) is usually free as a result. So as someone who usually avoids spending anything on the vast majority of the cosmetics those games shovel out, it kinda sucks knowing I'll probably have to shell out £20 or so to play something I was expecting would be free.
I certainly feel like I've gotten my money's worth already. Hoping it's not $20 though that would be a bit much. And hopefully the game mode in Season 4 is substantial. That's the thing, the meat of four seasons has been free, with a bunch of new weapons included. All of this has been free:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FPXGS1IWUAEtSwg?format=jpg&name=large)
At this point I don't think it's unreasonable to have a paid campaign chapter, but I totally understand folks not feeling as I do.
More details on this from the Steam Page (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1942650/Aliens_Fireteam_Elite__Pathogen_Expansion/):
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1942650/extras/AFE_Pathogen_Banner_GIF_01.gif?t=1654876927)
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1942650/extras/AFE_Pathogen_Banner_GIF_02.gif?t=1654876927)
"The Aliens: Fireteam Elite - Pathogen DLC has arrived! Continue the AFE story with new environments, maps, cosmetics and a campaign that puts the crew of the Endeavor into their most perilous mission yet.
A mysterious pathogen has evolved in the wilds of planet LV-895 and not even Xenomorphs are safe from its ravages. The crew of the Endeavor must venture into uncharted lands and face terrifying new enemies if they hope to discover the source of this mysterious new threat.
The mysterious pathogen is mutating Xenomorphs and local wildlife on planet LV-895. It's up to you and your fireteam to battle through a slew of mutated enemies and eliminate the source of the corruption.
The Pathogen expansion brings all new environments, maps, weapons, and more to the AFE experience. Explore Engineer ruins around the mystery of the infection, delve deep into enemy hives, and avoid the deadly hazards around each corner. Do you have what it takes to survive?
INCLUDED IN THIS EXPANSION
The all new Pathogen campaign, complete with 3 new missions
8 New Weapons, 2 for each weapon type
1 New Perk for each Class Kit
26 New Weapon Attachments
2 New Outfits (for all 7 Class Kits)
6 Head Accessories
21 New Weapon Colors
9 Decals
10 New Emotes
Note: Some of this content must be earned through the game and won't immediately be granted upon purchase."
Quote from: RidgeTop on Jun 10, 2022, 06:56:35 PMI certainly feel like I've gotten my money's worth already. Hoping it's not $20 though that would be a bit much. And hopefully the game mode in Season 4 is substantial. That's the thing, the meat of four seasons has been free, with a bunch of new weapons included. All of this has been free:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FPXGS1IWUAEtSwg?format=jpg&name=large
A lot of that stuff though would have been an incredibly hard sell to charge for (loadouts, stats, weapon attachments, challenge cards etc.). And I'd honestly forgotten about point defence I've played it so little, but yeah I guess by that measure alone there's been a little bit more content over the past year than I remembered there being. :laugh:
Quote from: RidgeTop on Jun 10, 2022, 06:56:35 PMI certainly feel like I've gotten my money's worth already. Hoping it's not $20 though that would be a bit much. And hopefully the game mode in Season 4 is substantial. That's the thing, the meat of four seasons has been free, with a bunch of new weapons included. All of this has been free:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FPXGS1IWUAEtSwg?format=jpg&name=large
At this point I don't think it's unreasonable to have a paid campaign chapter, but I totally understand folks not feeling as I do.
More details on this from the Steam Page (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1942650/Aliens_Fireteam_Elite__Pathogen_Expansion/):
https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1942650/extras/AFE_Pathogen_Banner_GIF_01.gif?t=1654876927
https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1942650/extras/AFE_Pathogen_Banner_GIF_02.gif?t=1654876927
"The Aliens: Fireteam Elite - Pathogen DLC has arrived! Continue the AFE story with new environments, maps, cosmetics and a campaign that puts the crew of the Endeavor into their most perilous mission yet.
A mysterious pathogen has evolved in the wilds of planet LV-895 and not even Xenomorphs are safe from its ravages. The crew of the Endeavor must venture into uncharted lands and face terrifying new enemies if they hope to discover the source of this mysterious new threat.
The mysterious pathogen is mutating Xenomorphs and local wildlife on planet LV-895. It's up to you and your fireteam to battle through a slew of mutated enemies and eliminate the source of the corruption.
The Pathogen expansion brings all new environments, maps, weapons, and more to the AFE experience. Explore Engineer ruins around the mystery of the infection, delve deep into enemy hives, and avoid the deadly hazards around each corner. Do you have what it takes to survive?
INCLUDED IN THIS EXPANSION
The all new Pathogen campaign, complete with 3 new missions
8 New Weapons, 2 for each weapon type
1 New Perk for each Class Kit
26 New Weapon Attachments
2 New Outfits (for all 7 Class Kits)
6 Head Accessories
21 New Weapon Colors
9 Decals
10 New Emotes
Note: Some of this content must be earned through the game and won't immediately be granted upon purchase."
Liking the sound of all this.
Not a fan of gorilla arms there though.
Is slightly worried and to me strange that xenomorphs can be affected by the pathogen, thought they wouldnt but I guess it will give the game more variety in enemy types.
Quote from: judge death on Jun 10, 2022, 07:30:29 PMIs slightly worried and to me strange that xenomorphs can be affected by the pathogen, thought they wouldnt but I guess it will give the game more variety in enemy types.
It does kinda contradict Into Charybdis, but the pathogen did affect them in the Fire & Stone and Life & Death comics.
Yeah that misses the mark frankly. I don't like the Alien being affected myself. Especially in the aforementioned. Even in Infiltrator it used a combination of radiation and the host being infected with the Pathogen to create that narrative idea.
I like that they're expanding on the Neomorphs beyond what we saw in Covenant, especially in terms of what looks like a Neomorph hive with pod-like structures reminiscent of the things that the spores originally came from.
Hopefully they'll include the "standard" Neos the same way they included pretty much all the "standard" types of Aliens along with the new variants, but I've got no problem with the inclusion of more variants themselves.
In the official Discord, Devs are trying to silence any criticism made by people unhappy with the DLC being paid, which is a completely valid reason to be unhappy seeing how the devs said post-launch content wouldn't be paid.
Another thing to note, only 3 missions and 4-5 enemies is not worth more than 10 dollars here. The base game is 40 dollars and it includes 12 missions and 20ish enemies. I'm frankly disappointed that the devs failed to follow their own promises and are actively trying to silence criticism.
Speaking of spores, wouldn't Marines walking inside a hive created by Neos be instantly f**ked ? Because of, you know, all the spores in the air ? Or is it gonna be just ignored ?
The game isn't meant to be taken that seriously according to the devs themselves, then again, they've gone back on their word before.
Quote from: Kradan on Jun 10, 2022, 07:49:28 PMSpeaking of spores, wouldn't Marines walking inside a hive created by Neos be instantly f**ked ? Because of, you know, all the spores in the air ? Or is it gonna be just ignored ?
I had the same thought. Equip the gas mask cosmetic I guess.
Quote from: Kradan on Jun 10, 2022, 07:49:28 PMSpeaking of spores, wouldn't Marines walking inside a hive created by Neos be instantly f**ked ? Because of, you know, all the spores in the air ? Or is it gonna be just ignored ?
Heh, yeah I guess any character that goes in there without a mask is going to die a horrible death about one mission later.
its nice that they added a new campaign thats going to have 3 new missions, are they going to add anymore campaigns in the future or is this the only one
Quote from: Kailem on Jun 10, 2022, 07:40:18 PMI like that they're expanding on the Neomorphs beyond what we saw in Covenant, especially in terms of what looks like a Neomorph hive with pod-like structures reminiscent of the things that the spores originally came from.
Hopefully they'll include the "standard" Neos the same way they included pretty much all the "standard" types of Aliens along with the new variants, but I've got no problem with the inclusion of more variants themselves.
100% Agreed.
Quote from: PAS Spinelli on Jun 10, 2022, 07:48:15 PMIn the official Discord, Devs are trying to silence any criticism made by people unhappy with the DLC being paid, which is a completely valid reason to be unhappy seeing how the devs said post-launch content wouldn't be paid.
Another thing to note, only 3 missions and 4-5 enemies is not worth more than 10 dollars here. The base game is 40 dollars and it includes 12 missions and 20ish enemies. I'm frankly disappointed that the devs failed to follow their own promises and are actively trying to silence criticism.
I have no issue with it being paid, and genuinely think that it's okay, being that it's not part of the roadmap that all being said...
I really hope it's more substantial than what we are seeing here, I paid twenty six pounds for the Deluxe Edition and I just don't think it's worth anything more, they can not charge half of that for a single campaign afterwards.
Quote from: Kailem on Jun 10, 2022, 07:54:40 PMQuote from: Kradan on Jun 10, 2022, 07:49:28 PMSpeaking of spores, wouldn't Marines walking inside a hive created by Neos be instantly f**ked ? Because of, you know, all the spores in the air ? Or is it gonna be just ignored ?
Heh, yeah I guess any character that goes in there without a mask is going to die a horrible death about one mission later.
Especially with this nonsense.
Quote from: mike on Jun 10, 2022, 07:57:52 PMits nice that they added a new campaign thats going to have 3 new missions, are they going to add anymore campaigns in the future or is this the only one
I'm thinking we'll get more, they've already teased Pala Station.
Crossplay July according to one of the developers on their Discord Server. I'd have liked a press release.
Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Jun 10, 2022, 08:45:20 PMCrossplay July according to one of the developers on their Discord Server. I'd have liked a press release.
Hoping for that :D I will get the game for PS4, as I prefer console gaming, but will probably play mostly on pc when with people from here.
Interesting idea me and Judge Death discussed on the Discord:
What if the differences we are seeing here are because they are "Alien Neomorphs" ? As in Neomorphs born from them. Hence the hive type structure and new types. Just a potential theory.
Thank you to Heraldry for the link here: https://www.ign.com/articles/aliens-fireteam-elite-pathogen-dlc-announced
https://twitter.com/awintory/status/1535293266546941953
Now that's good stuff.
Crossplay now confirmed in July from a new interview:
Is this new campaign included in the season pass ? Is this the Season 4 from the roadmap ?
im excited but im not interested in pathogen stuff too much anymore. id rather see more alien varients
Quote from: Samhain13 on Jun 11, 2022, 01:10:52 AMIs this new campaign included in the season pass ? Is this the Season 4 from the roadmap ?
I don't know about Season Pass, but S4's coming July I assume because that's when we get crossplay, whatever the case the DLC's separate from the released roadmap.
Looks like we're getting Neomorphs.
Quote from: Kailem on Jun 10, 2022, 06:01:23 PMQuote from: Kimarhi on Jun 10, 2022, 05:46:06 PMSP expansions have almost always been paid content. This even goes back to the old Primal Hunt days.
Yeah, but that's just it; that was the old days. Paid map content for multiplayer games hasn't been a thing since around 2015, because people realised that all it was doing was segregating the player base, and likely publishers and devs realised they weren't making as much money off the later releases because less and less people were sticking around and paying for every new map pack that came out.
That's why we saw pretty much the entire industry switch to a "maps are free, cosmetics are paid" model round about 2016 or so, with "battle passes" becoming the new norm because they encouraged players to keep playing the game for longer periods of time if they wanted new rewards (many of which were free, but even the paid ones required player retention).
And with more and more games switching to longer-term "live service"-type models, player retention is what it's all about these days. Paid single player DLC is still a thing sure, but it's actually a little jarring to see paid multiplayer maps for a game in 2022. Definitely not something I expected at all.
Since I solo everything I forgot this was actually an mp game lol. But you are right, the last two MP games I've played were Breakpoint and Division 2. One of which had a ton of free content and the other that did not.
Guess it'll be price vs content to determine if it is valued or not.
I'm going n favor of an actual expansion pack. That's DLC for your whippersnappers. Back when you got a decent chunk of content for a fair price. This isn't huge, but hopefully the price is in line. I'll play it with my son.
It just has to be worth the price.
Not feeling the Sock'em Bopper neomorph... but excited for more missions.
Same lol
The problem with this being paid is that it shows the developers lied.
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/816573701213388850/985081425852248114/Screenshots_2022-06-10-19-51-05.png)
I don't mind paying, as long as it's worth it. I have a sneaking suspicion that it'll be overpriced and underdelivered.
Quote from: PAS Spinelli on Jun 11, 2022, 07:53:58 AMThe problem with this being paid is that it shows the developers lied.
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/816573701213388850/985081425852248114/Screenshots_2022-06-10-19-51-05.png
I think that might've been specifically about the Year 1 roadmap, and the question was in reference to lootboxes and MTX.
(https://i.imgur.com/9vuBWyA.jpg)
Some more interesting responses from them in the Discord I'll be looking through later.
QuoteQuote from: PAS Spinelli on Jun 11, 2022, 07:53:58 AMThe problem with this being paid is that it shows the developers lied.
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/816573701213388850/985081425852248114/Screenshots_2022-06-10-19-51-05.png
I think that might've been specifically about the Year 1 roadmap, and the question was in reference to lootboxes and MTX.
https://i.imgur.com/9vuBWyA.jpg
Some more interesting responses from them in the Discord I'll be looking through later.
Nope, this was their first ever statement around DLC, nowhere does it mention year 1 or anything, just that nothing except cosmetics would be paid, they quietly changed it after they added Elite to the title to say that only the deluxe pass packs would be cosmetics, but that will never change the fact that their original statement was and always will be that there would be no paywalls.
It's also worth noting that the Spiked user has been very unconstructive and unreasonable on this topic, trying to piss people off, putting words in their mouth and ignoring proper arguments
So how do you feel about it? I'm not understanding your perspective. You write in broken sentences and not following through with a stated opinion. I'd respect your opinion if there were one writen in that specific post. So before I get banned for arguing with Colonel Higgs here is my perspective :
After year one of no DLC charges for new content (which was either promised or illuded depending on your perspective), we will be getting a new business model. Regardless. I'm glad. I simply hope they can deliver on the trills and chills. I'm confident they will.
I think it's fine
Quote from: acrediblesource on Jun 11, 2022, 09:30:36 PMSo how do you feel about it? I'm not understanding your perspective. You write in broken sentences and not following through with a stated opinion. I'd respect your opinion if there were one writen in that specific post. So before I get banned for arguing with Colonel Higgs here is my perspective :
After year one of no DLC charges for new content (which was either promised or illuded depending on your perspective), we will be getting a new business model. Regardless. I'm glad. I simply hope they can deliver on the trills and chills. I'm confident they will.
I've made my opinion very clear, I'm dissapointed the Developers went back on their word, when the game was just called Aliens Fireteam they said ALL DLC would be cosmetic and that ALL content would be free, now that no longer applies.
Proof:
Steam Archive (https://web.archive.org/web/20210812125806/https://steamcommunity.com/app/1549970/discussions/0/3046104336667289533/)
I wonder if S4 will drop with crossplay before this comes out.
Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Jun 12, 2022, 02:54:38 PMI wonder if S4 will drop with crossplay before this comes out.
It will. Interview said July.
My pitchfork's too heavy and I just wanna plaaaaaaayyy.
(https://c.tenor.com/H3cA7Qqk9FIAAAAC/stressed-stress.gif)
It's a reasonable reaction. I don't mind forking out for substantial content (assuming it's only like £5-10) but it is contrary to what has been said.
Sounds like the new campaign may have more map/layout variety. It's something you get a little of in the first mission, but be interested to see how prominent it is in the Pathogen missions.
Interesting to hear that Alphatech is being brought into it now. That's a deep-cup I like. I had to look that one up as I couldn't remember it from Dark Horse's Colonial Marines.
Not sure I like the idea of the Alien mutated Neomorphs though. We've only really seen it in Fire and Stone, otherwise I don't think it's been a thing in other lore like Into Charybdis. Will have to see how it comes across.
The press release got sent out today. Nothing much extra, but here are the details of what else we're getting with Pathogen.
QuoteSomething sinister has evolved in the wilds of planet LV-895 and not even Xenomorphs are safe from its ravages. The crew of the Endeavor must venture into uncharted lands and face terrifying new enemies if they hope to discover the source of this mysterious new threat. This expansion adds a new campaign to Aliens: Fireteam Elite which features three exclusive story missions where players will attempt to survive against never-before-seen enemies with an armory of new tools and cosmetics.
The Pathogen Expansion features the following content:
3 New Missions as a part of the Pathogen campaign
8 New Weapons, 2 for each weapon type
1 New Perk for each Class Kit that modifies the player's main ability
26 New Weapon Attachments that modify stats and grant special traits
2 New Outfits (for all 7 Class Kits) and 6 Head Accessories for Marine customization
21 New Weapon Colors and 9 Decals for gun customization
10 New Emotes for interacting within Fireteams
And Hardcore is free for everyone, just drops at the same time as Pathogen.
Hopefully a grenade launcher attachment for the Pulse Rifle's in there somewhere.
Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Jun 13, 2022, 05:54:36 PMHopefully a grenade launcher attachment for the Pulse Rifle's in there somewhere.
I'd rather they not paywall that too
I'd rather get it than not.
I dig the thumbnail.
I hadn't twigged to it being a hived up Engineer ruins before, but you can see it really obviously in there. I think that's pretty cool!
Would be cool to have an actual live Engineer
This is one of the most bizarre interviews ever. First of all, the team playing is not doing well despite what the interviewer is saying. Secondly, has this guy never played a video game before? How is he not familiar with the concept of a locked door and a timer? That's one of the reasons the game failed was the objectives were cliche, boring, and repetitive. Sadly this expansion doesn't appear to change anything or offer anything new beyond what looks like a basic re-skin of the Aliens and a new but bland and visually uninteresting level. I don't see any reason here to return to the game, and certainly nothing that justifies spending more money on it.
https://twitter.com/aliensfireteame/status/1542915944586133508
But what's that in 3WE pounds?
£12.30 I think roughly, can't complain.
$15 is fair for the new campaign, fully voiced & scored, and all the content they're including beyond that. I was expecting $20 honestly.
And with S4 and Crossplay coming this month not bad at all.
That's a reasonable price but would have liked it to be part of the Deluxe Edition (which I own already).
It was never announced as such. I'd rather it be a 10er, but I'm not going to complain at 12. I'm looking forward to this.
Neomorph Queen in Ending of trailer?
92282-1-59ecb7417455d.jpg
So Pathogen drops August 30th, but I can't find it anywhere on the PS store. I'm guess it won't be a free update, so does anyone know what the price will be?
$14.99
Final trailer for the Pathogen Expansion dropped today during the Future Games Show livestream:
Very cool, can't wait.
Seeing the pathogen queen gets me excited for boss battles in future expansions!
Looks pretty cool!
Glad to see they're doing stuff with the neomorphs. And it looks like they're gonna incorporate what looks like an actual boss fight in the campaign.
Fun Predator style cannon with the laser etc, and yeah, eager to see more of the pathogen queen. Looks like it's got some mandibles too.
Yeah!
Now need DLC with
Deacons Hive!
And Deacon Queen!
And King!
FB_IMG_1661521925656.jpg
FB_IMG_1661521928127.jpg
8eEOBAhFuiU.jpgluAgrSz9RjY.jpg
New trailer looks pretty cool, can't wait for it to drop next week.
I'm really hoping we see a campaign that involves the UPP. They get mentioned a few times in the game and they're an untapped resource for the game and the lore.
Yeah that ought to be the next big thing it tackles I think so, going on the ending, hopefully resulting in a bigger expansion that diversifies the sandbox.
Yeah the ending as it is now teases Pala Station and more corporations and stuff on their way, so hopefully if we don't get any of that in this new one (which I doubt we will since the Neomorph/Pathogen enemies look to be the main draw) then hopefully they'll be featured in future DLC.
It's also cool that we'll finally be getting a real boss fight in the game too, definitely looking forward to playing that.
Speaking of the larger Pathogen creature in this.
I now do get the concept of the arm being an unintended mutation that got passed down, so you have then the bulbous Pathogen that we fight, and specifically the brutes.
But still... I just also wanted traditional Neomorphs.
stoked. should be a fun expansion. Can't wait to field all the questions my friends are going to have regarding the lore lol
Seeing all these wonderful Albino freaks makes go "Thanks David!!!" 8)
https://twitter.com/AliensFireteamE/status/1563209867514748928?s=20&t=736MFErazAjSpg0d7wPa9Q
The concept of doing a sort of "Pathogen Queen" is one that intrigues me, but this isn't really hitting the mark for me visually or narratively. So it's a "Queen" but also, it's incapable of breeding? So basically, it's just a big Neomorph that trades in most of the actual visual language of the Neomorphs design to give a you a sort of stock bigger enemy to shoot at.
Every once in a while I think that maybe, just maybe, I might give this game a go, and then I see new stuff like this (and I'm reminded that it is only three players and not four, which is still absurd for the sort of arcade shooter/L4D experience like this seems to be going for) that, while it does have its heart in the right place, just kind of sours the thought of ever playing. I'm very happy, of course, to see them really embracing elements from the prequels, and I definitely respect the attempts being made, but I think the RPG has been much more successful doing that despite Fireteam Elite's efforts.
I think this gives us pretty solid chances of getting an actual xeno queen fight at some point. As much as I'm looking forward to Pathogen its making me look forward to the inevitable colony clearing dlc even more.
Quote from: Nightmare Asylum on Aug 26, 2022, 06:47:57 PMThe concept of doing a sort of "Pathogen Queen" is one that intrigues me, but this isn't really hitting the mark for me visually or narratively. So it's a "Queen" but also, it's incapable of breeding? So basically, it's just a big Neomorph that trades in most of the actual visual language of the Neomorphs design to give a you a sort of stock bigger enemy to shoot at.
Every once in a while I think that maybe, just maybe, I might give this game a go, and then I see new stuff like this (and I'm reminded that it is only three players and not four, which is still absurd for the sort of arcade shooter/L4D experience like this seems to be going for) that, while it does have its heart in the right place, just kind of sours the thought of ever playing. I'm very happy, of course, to see them really embracing elements from the prequels, and I definitely respect the attempts being made, but I think the RPG has been much more successful doing that despite Fireteam Elite's efforts.
This isn't a Neomorph Queen, this is a Xenomorph Queen mutated with the pathogen
Only a few days left until Pathogen launches. Im playing through the game again on my PS5, trying to get ready for the launch. Anybody else getting ready in a particular way, or y'all just excited about the release in general?
I'm excited for sure, being that I really do not have the skill for Extreme or Insane difficulty, I look forward to new content.
Still wish it had a four player option.
Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Aug 26, 2022, 11:32:35 PMI'm excited for sure, being that I really do not have the skill for Extreme or Insane difficulty, I look forward to new content.
Still wish it had a four player option.
A fourth would be sublime. I play a lot of Destiny 2 so I wasn't too thrown off by the 3 person team, but it always leaves a buddy out to dry.
I hate everything about Destiny, including making this the norm.
im really not interested in pathogen stuff i just want more aliens
I want Deacons Hive DLC!
So they get to make a second season, good. I haven't played it since last October with a friend, and back then it was a bit rough around the edges, so the extra development time is what the game needs. Looking forward to giving it another go soon.
Disregard my comment on second season, they are already past that, had thought previous updates were all within Season 1.
They were in a sense, Pathogen's an expansion pack.
Hopefully we will get year 2 and 3 updates for this though.
Quote from: Kailem on Aug 26, 2022, 05:09:40 PMhttps://twitter.com/AliensFireteamE/status/1563209867514748928?s=20&t=736MFErazAjSpg0d7wPa9Q
So Queen Boss fight confirmed? Even its a mutated space goo one.
Yup. You can see the marines fighting it at the end of the latest trailer. Looks like at least one of its attacks is going to be running towards the player and smashing them with that big mutated hand.
Maybe we will get pink acid boots for beating Pathogen?
I need DLC with ENGINEER Boss in giant Jockey Suit!
it will be awesome!
An engineer boss fight is definitely on my wishlist for this game.
I've seen some other people bring up the idea of it being a Nemesis from Resident Evil 3 type villain, that intermittently pops up and chases you through the level/campaign, that sounds really cool to me.
Cool!
Does it show the price on Steam for you? It's showing this for me, but no price:
This game is not yet available on Steam
Planned Release Date: 30 August
This game plans to unlock in approximately 1 day
I would assume I could pre-order it, but that's not available.
Preordering DLCs is not something you can do on Steam afaik
So it's a general Steam thing?
Yes!
The name of the new campaign:
"Promise of a Flower"
https://www.aliensfireteamelite.com/en/releasenotes/
I wonder how it fits with the other campaigns. It's after blowing up Katanga?
I hope they make alien coloneal marines canon for this game!
I hope they don't.
7 hours to go! (in my region at least)
Pathogen's out now on the UK store for £12, which is honestly a little cheaper than I was expecting given the US price. I figured they'd just do what they usually do and change the dollar sign into a pound one, so I'm glad that's not the case here.
They've also added new "Into the Hive" and "Ultimate" editions to the digital store, the former being the game with Pathogen and the latter being the game, Pathogen and all the cosmetic DLC packs released so far.
Sadly the fact that they've put out this "Ultimate Edition" after this one expansion makes me feel like this could well be the one and only big piece of story DLC we get, which is going to be a little disappointing if true. I was hoping that, even if it took another year between them, we might end up getting more expansions like Pathogen down the line.
And who knows, maybe we will! But I'm suddenly not expecting that as much as I was before seeing this.
Quote from: Kailem on Aug 30, 2022, 03:41:23 PMI was hoping that, even if it took another year between them, we might end up getting more expansions like Pathogen down the line.
I don't want to say too much, but that was my understanding of the intent. But that was pre-mergers. It'll be a damn shame if that ends up being the case.
Yeah Pathogen existing at all post-merger gives me hope, but it might just be that it was so far into development that they just said "fine, you can put that out but then that's it."
A year between releases is still way too long imo, but I'd still much rather have that than nothing else after Pathogen at all, and seeing this new "Ultimate Edition" in the store is suddenly making me fear that might be the case.
In this age of games constantly being added on to, and having 5 different editions to choose from all the time, I could totally see them just updating the "ultimate edition" by just adding on the new big piece of content/DLC on top of the previous ones, and updating the price, each time a new one comes out. So that new players can always just buy all the content at once. For convenience, and just to entice people more with a big bundle of content.
But that's me hoping for the best tbh. Could just as easily be as you fear, that this is all we're going to get as far as new campaigns/big content add-ons. I certainly hope not though, of course.
Now installing!
Pathogen Queen? Man can we get something similar to Colonial Marines?
Hopefully not!
Still getting the same issue as before.
(https://imgsh.net/i/PHQycm6.jpg)
It won't let me play Pathogen until I've finished the normal campaign which is still locked out for me.
What do those things in the text bubbles with the lock mean?
Wow that does not even pass compliance, you should report this on whatever platform you're on. And join their Discord.
That's one helluva bug; pay more money for content to be taken away!
I just had to talk to Herrera to unlock the new campaign. There's a "quest mark" on her.
Where are the 8 new weapons though? I got no new arsenal in the inventory (except the Prometheus suit and some random cosmetics) and the store guy only lists 3 new weapons.
Prometheus suit? That's cool.
Ok I figured out the weapons, there's 4 in the store, and 4 you get on new campaign completion.
Just finished, here's my final fight:
I hope
DLC with Deacons Hive!
and final boss Deacon Queen!
DLC with Engineers!
and Final Boss Engineer in Jockey Suit!
DLC with Androids like terminators!
and final boss like Skynet!
DLC with Predaliens Hive!
and Final Boss Predalien Queen!
Looks like there are 4 new (hidden) achievements, one was given on the campaign completion.
I also noticed new intel, so one is probably related to that.
Played through the campaign last night and mostly really enjoyed it!
I only got a change to play it once, but these are some of my initial thoughts (I'll go ahead and put stuff in spoiler drop-downs, just incase):
Levels:
Spoiler
One of my favorite aspects is the level designs of each mission. While it's obviously a reuse of a lot of assets and design elements we've seen before in other missions, they do a good job mixing things up with the layouts, and making the levels have a different feeling atmosphere imo. Especially in missions 2 and 3.
Mission 2 is like a darker and moodier version of Giants in the Earth. Some cool and different engineer structures, with rain and lightning in the background. Seeing the engineer husks from the pathogen is a nice touch from the films, and also adds to the darker atmosphere.
The descent from the dark engineer structures into the pathogen hives is pretty cool. I like the visual mixup of the pathogen hive. Lots of brown and yellow hues to mix things up. The white neomorphs contrast and compliment the level well, from a visual standpoint.
My only real gripe with the levels is it feels like they redo the thing of having a point in the level where you have to go to multiple room/points nearby to find an object that's needed to progress. Kinda felt like a way to avoid adding more to the level. But didn't bother me too much tbh.
Enemies:
Spoiler
I'm a fan of the neomorphs, so I was definitely glad to see them. Even cooler to see them clashing with xenomorphs at certain points. The neos are definitely just reskins of the xenos, as far as general behavior goes. No surprise there, and not really a knock since that's what I think everyone was expecting. The special neos are pretty ok additions to the lineup, design-wise. The neo equivalent of spitters seem more deadly, which mixes things up well. Would have loved for them to replaced the xeno drone with a neo that matches the sleeker design of the adult neomorph from Covenant! That would have made me really happy to see.
Of course the BIG addition in the campaign is the legitimate boss fight with the pathogen queen at the end. And man, this was so awesome and worth the money imo! It's great to see that the developers saw that this was something people wanted and made sure to add it in. Thankfully, the boss fight is a lot of fun too! Once I saw that queen drop down and that big health bar show up, I had a big smile on my face haha. I like the element of chipping away her armor to do better damage. Makes it more interesting than just shooting it til it's dead. There's even a small cutscene after you defeat her, which was a nice touch. This boss fight made me very happy, and absolutely made the new campaign worth it for me!
My only criticism with it is that it would have maybe been good to have an escape sequence like at the end of "Only Way to be Sure". Feels kinda awkward to just have it end there, while we're still surrounded by enemies in the middle of a hive lol. But I can understand them not wanting to be too repetitive.
Overall I'm pretty satisfied with this expansion and can't wait to play some more!
This just makes me more hopeful that we continue to get more big DLC like this!
While the game has it's bare-bones problems, content-wise, it seems clear to me that the developers are actually passionate about the franchise, and are trying to add on content that will satisfy both casual and hardcore players.
Good review!
Spoiler
For what it is and the price point it is pretty good, I agree the Neomorph from the films themselves taking the role of the Drone could have been pretty great here, seeing "Pathogen Neomorph" would have made me giddy with delight.
I enjoyed it. it was fun having a boss fight.
My only (un)legitimate gripe:
I didn't like that the final boss had an asymmetrical design. Like that right clobbering arm.
key aspects of creature design in the Alien franchise, are symmetry and elegance. This was Heresy.
Normally I would agree, but the mutation angle, I can kind of dig that. Shows they are not meant to be what they are.
The symmetry detail/rule is not something I had taken into account before somehow tbh, but that's very true. I can see where you're coming from.
I also took it as a sort of mutation/abomination angle, so it didn't really bother me either.
I think the pathogen queen still has a lot of elegance to it's overall design as well.
Just had another run-through with 2 friends all wearing lab coats.
The Neomorph hive was the best level.
Still have to collect all the intel.
Would have liked to explore the shack mentioned in Aliens: Infiltrator though, or see a live Engineer.
The game hinted that the next DLC could be about Weyland-Yutani trying to take back the planet.
Also would make sense to have a mission on the Endeavor.
I think we should stop calling these of Neomorphs tbh, they aren't Neos, they are mutated Xenos that resemble Neos
I will be collecting the intel when I have time, hopefully in it somewhere exists an explanation for how the Xenomorph XX121 can even be infected in the first place this time.
Here's a lovely deep dive though:
https://www.aliensfireteamelite.com/en/community/pathogen-deep-dive-an-exhilarating-new-story
Might be a more volative variant of the black goo, as a result of the experimenting
The new weapons could use a little variety, they are all very similar.
I mean, how about a shoulder-mounted SADAR or a mountable machine gun?
Just watched a whole playthrough and all the new Intel on YouTube. I'm not sure I'm gonna get this new DLC. I'm happy there's a real bossfight now finally, some of the implied lore in the Intel about the engineers could be cool, but most of it is a mess.
the Mutated xenos look ugly and not in a good way. They're too fleshy and rubbery. They don't look as bony as the Neos, don't look as creepy as the creatures in Prometheus and Carlos Huante's artwork. The designs are meh... Giving these creatures badly designed clubs for arms seems like blasphemy to me IMO.
We finally have our first cutscene which is nice but short lived and not super effective. They wanted to see what was making all of these mutations. When you see the Intel, you'll know it wasn't the mutant Queen. Was it really just that little pool at the end?
So pathogen xenos and other creatures work together cause of the pathogen? That's what they say in the game. But aren't xenos part of the pathogen already? Be it by David's perfecting or that the pathogen is derived from the true ancient xenos, a connection is there. So why don't they like the pathogen creatures then if they all should get along?
Don't get me started on the intel about the Crusher...
Spoiler
Why do they say that this crusher variant is native to this planet? Do they imply it comes from the specific wildlife? They say that other types from elsewhere have been seen to come from animals of thicker hides. Is that a joke or a nod to the Kenner rhino alien? Still, implying that means they didn't think that the Crusher is a next stage praetorian runner. Very confusing writing.
I'm really not liking the writing here, less and less with every new expansion of theirs. They try to make it out like the new creatures are so much cooler and stronger that regular xenos. Let's ignore the fact that aliens maybe shouldn't even be able to get infected since they already are part pathogen, but the implication that by just adding more pathogen you get better and stronger xenos makes me sick. Especially when they don't look more biomechanical or more Giger inspired (that's the only "upgrade" of the original I'd consider accepting), they look like discount Neomorphs and generic fleshy white mutants.
I mean, the game mechanics are fun, and I'm sure this DLC would be too, even though most of those mechanics make zero sense in the Alien EU. I do have a blast playing the game, but it really makes me sad to se how the lore is being treated, like it's being made up along the way.
P. S. those Neo looking spore pods are there, but not black like they should be, and our marines can breath all that stuff in without masks, no problem...
And the intel about the new brute:
Spoiler
loosing the tail because it can't climb anymore? The Crusher can't climb walls but still has a tail. And the argument of the tail being a counterbalance for climbing walls makes no sense, that's not how counterbalances work... That's for running or swimming, a tail makes climbing even more difficult normally, not easier...
Yeah lore wise the Crusher stuff makes absolutely no sense, it is clearly in design language the Praetorian equivalent to a Runner/Drone, with the Prowler/Warrior acting as an intermediary stage. I'm going to try and get an answer on their Discord Server.
Like you have said a tail works as a counterbalance for walking or running not climbing, so that intel makes no sense, if the Brute lost the tail because of the mass being used up in the clubs, that might actually make some sense, as something passed on from the Pathogen Queen, being that it is an asymmetrical design and the club looks like unintended inflammation.
I agree I do not feel enough explanation exists for how the Aliens got infected in the first place by the Pathogen, being that in other recent lore they are shown to be immune to it.
An Addition:
They are now claiming that they had no communication with Alien The RPG or other projects, in terms of maintaining any consistency, I find this difficult to believe.
As I wrote in a reply:
Spoiler
I find that very difficult to believe that, I'm sorry, but the crossover's beyond a symbiotic relationship as far as the Alien fandom's concerned.
Just literally every conversation with anything concerning the military history with any character on the Endeavor. Being identical to stuff in Alien The RPG? That has never appeared elsewhere in the EU? And Alien The RPG released before Fireteam Elite.
Another Addition:
According to the writer, a reason does exist for the Pathogen being able to infect them, they just are not allowed to spoil it just yet.
Guys, you put too much fate in the concept of "Canon".
It doesn't exist.
It's not canon I care about, it's confusing the consumer, and that this does.
I just prefer Alex White's take, and Alien The RPG, and I'm voicing I wish this was closer to that.
They aren't Neos tho, that's the thing, those are the result of an entire hive being mutated by the pathogen, these are Xenomorphs that were mutated, not creatures born out of infected Xenos or humans, the same rules don't apply, this is meant to be it's own isolated little incident
As for the canon thing, I think they choose to reference it, but not go after any of the writer's input
The canon here, at least for this game, was always meant to be flexible and be it's own little thing that isn't meant to factor what is or not canon
QuoteWe're huge fans of the universe and certainly drew inspiration from across lore, but no - Aliens: Fireteam is an entirely original experience and isn't a direct sequel to any one film or game.
Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Sep 01, 2022, 03:58:55 PMYeah lore wise the Crusher stuff makes absolutely no sense, it is clearly in design language the Praetorian equivalent to a Runner/Drone, with the Prowler/Warrior acting as an intermediary stage. I'm going to try and get an answer on their Discord Server.
Like you have said a tail works as a counterbalance for walking or running not climbing, so that intel makes no sense, if the Brute lost the tail because of the mass being used up in the clubs, that might actually make some sense, as something passed on from the Pathogen Queen, being that it is an asymmetrical design and the club looks like unintended inflammation.
I agree I do not feel enough explanation exists for how the Aliens got infected in the first place by the Pathogen, being that in other recent lore they are shown to be immune to it.
An Addition:
They are now claiming that they had no communication with Alien The RPG or other projects, in terms of maintaining any consistency, I find this difficult to believe.
As I wrote in a reply:
Spoiler
I find that very difficult to believe that, I'm sorry, but the crossover's beyond a symbiotic relationship as far as the Alien fandom's concerned.
Just literally every conversation with anything concerning the military history with any character on the Endeavor. Being identical to stuff in Alien The RPG? That has never appeared elsewhere in the EU? And Alien The RPG released before Fireteam Elite.
Another Addition:
According to the writer, a reason does exist for the Pathogen being able to infect them, they just are not allowed to spoil it just yet.
Yeah, they're clearly not trying to make things go smoothly with the RPG as far the Alien lifecycle is concerned, and that's the most important part. The info on the weapons is very nice and lovely for the most part, but is of less weight than what they do with the creatures. They obviously had access to the RPG, they said long ago they used the book as their Bible, and now it seems they're ignoring it for their own stuff which doesn't make sense or add anything meaningful.
I get the connection between the Brutes and the mutant Queen's hand, but at the same time things get weird. She can't reproduce, so either she infected the Aliens with her spores or goo in some non Neomorph creating way, or all of the pathogen xenos had similar mutations for some reason.
With how they did the Crusher, I have doubts they'll have a satisfying reason for why the pathogen can infect Aliens. Whatever convoluted reason they give one day, the fact stays. They are ugly, fleshy and look less armored, don't have the elegance of the Neomorph in most of the designs yet are depicted as so much stronger than those beloved silly original Aliens...
Why couldn't they just use the original Neomorph? Why did they have to make things so convoluted? Oh right, they wanted bigger, scarier xenos, so they literally went with the logic of creating the ugly Newborn in A:R.
That's why I don't like seeing the pathogen too much, cause writers get "itchy" fingers and start writing it as a "it can do whatever I want" kinda mutation virus thing. No thought goes into the rules, or the logic behind it that grounds those fantastical elements.
Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Sep 01, 2022, 06:34:08 PMIt's not canon I care about, it's confusing the consumer, and that this does.
I just prefer Alex White's take, and Alien The RPG, and I'm voicing I wish this was closer to that.
This.
Quote from: PAS Spinelli on Sep 01, 2022, 06:55:06 PMThey aren't Neos tho, that's the thing, those are the result of an entire hive being mutated by the pathogen, these are Xenomorphs that were mutated, not creatures born out of infected Xenos or humans, the same rules don't apply, this is meant to be it's own isolated little incident
As for the canon thing, I think they choose to reference it, but not go after any of the writer's input
We know, we're just confused should that even be possible since other recent media contradicted it.
Hopefully they can turn that around.
My personal headcanon is that the Hive was started by one of the mutated Xenos from the lab, making the following brood vulnerable to Pathogen mutations
Played through it last night, and overall I liked it! Some cool new music, cool new weapons, the new "Not Neomorphs" were fun to fight, and the mutated hive looked cool.
Also very nice to have an actual boss fight too; and she was tough! Took us a few tries on intense to beat her, but it was very satisfying when we did.
I
was also surprised at how little intel there was on the reason the xenos could be affected by the pathogen though.
Quote from: PAS Spinelli on Sep 01, 2022, 07:18:36 PMMy personal headcanon is that the Hive was started by one of the mutated Xenos from the lab, making the following brood vulnerable to Pathogen mutations
That's what I'm thinking too. One of the voiceover lines at one point spoke about how the WY scientists at Pala Station were directly injecting pathogen into facehuggers, so I'm taking it that this hive is the result of one of them getting loose and starting up a hive, not that xenomorphs can normally be effected by this stuff.
And yeah, we know for a fact that they worked with Andrew Gaska to tie stuff in to the RPG when they were making the main game, but it could be that there's some behind-the-scenes stuff going on that meant they just didn't have access to him for this. Or they just decided they wanted Neomorph enemies for this expansion and decided to go about introducing them into the game this way, regardless of any continuity issues it might have thrown up.
Either way, it certainly stands out given that everything had been tied so closely together prior to this.
Agreed with
@Kailem! We played it with
@RidgeTop and I had a bunch of fun last night. Was nice having a boss fight and a cinematic to go with it after! Was actually a challenge too, we took 3 (4?) attempts to beat her, which was also a nice that it wasn't quick and easy.
Would have loved to fight a normal Queen in a situation like this too.
The mutations are cool and stuff, but I think I'd rather them just be normal neomorphs. I'm not super into the pathogen designs or creatures themselves, besides the Neomorphs in the game. The Queen design was cool, but I don't know I buy all the designs and mutations myself. Kinda think I would prefer just more different breeds of actual Xenos maybe.
So I actually quite like Fireteam's take on the (Not) Neomorphs. In terms of just pure game, I do really enjoy Pathogen. While obviously a reuse of assets, the level design doesn't feel like it's just a recycle of the previous campaigns which is great! I thought they did a great job with the (Not) Neomorph hive and made it look distinct from the Aliens, but still very visually interesting in its own right. The use of all the fungal imagery was great.
I wish they'd not use the "go explore areas off this main chamber" twice in a row though, but I did really enjoy it in the first mission.
I was really pleased to see Cold Iron had listened to the complaints and put in a boss battle, and a cut scene. So thanks for that!
But yeah, lore-wise, the campaign does bug me. The Aliens shouldn't be able to be infected with the Pathogen. I know we saw it the once in Fire and Stone, but we had moved past that. I dislike how Fireteam and Inferno's Fall has dipped back into Fire and Stone's take on the pathogen. I much preferred Alex White's take we had started got towards.
I will also mention the music. It would have been easy and lazy for them to just reuse music from the other campaigns, but this one felt great and different (especially going into the hive part).
Story-wise, what's up with the suicide mission-type requests from the command? Go into a hive with a 3 man team and kill everything? Same for the Regicide campaign, but there we had 2 different teams (which doesn't make sense from a military standpoint to split up forces).
The Pathogen just keeps getting more inconsistent over time, became just a cheap plot devide used by the writers to pull whatever they want on the storyline cus muh magical space gooze can do anything.
Not quite, all over the place in Prometheus, more internal consistency in Alien Covenant, that carried into the Alex White Alien novels and got even better, then Aliens Fireteam Elite goes into uncharted territory.
The issue's not what they make it do, but how, when something's fantastical in science fiction that's okay, what's not okay's when they do not give a reason the audience can grasp as to why things are as they are.
It's important to maintain suspension of disbelief that we for example get an explanation as to why the Aliens here can be affected when other sources say otherwise.
Finally beat that f**king Queen! Took me several tries but I finally got it and I appreciated the short cinematic cut scene!
As for the lore and going by what we know from "Infiltrator", I would guess that irradiated pathogen is responsible for the not-neomorphs. Same logic could also apply to "Fire & Stone" considering the Prometheus' crash into the Juggernaut could've irradiated the pathogen within the vessel that then spilled into the environment on LV-223. At least that's my current head canon for the moment.
Quote from: Samhain13 on Sep 08, 2022, 01:11:00 PMThe Pathogen just keeps getting more inconsistent over time, became just a cheap plot devide used by the writers to pull whatever they want on the storyline cus muh magical space gooze can do anything.
That's exactly how I feel. The writers aren't really being thoughtful here. Especially when we've had Covenant, the RPG and Alex White's interpretations that have started to make more internal sense of it all. One step forward, then two steps back with recent releases.
And I'm kind of getting bored with the whole superhero logic of: just use a virus, or just use radiation to make some crazy, generic, fleshy mutants. If you're gonna change and mutate the aliens, at least stop making them more stupidly fleshy and generic, but lean into the more biomechanical side...
The Pathogen does go biestal though, not biomechanical, but I largely agree.
I love the Neomorph as a extension of that but the issue, the designs in this, just do not have the same fear factor...
We really need a Pathogen Horde mode map.
This chould have easily been part of this DLC.
I agree.
More horde mode maps in general would definitely be appreciated.
But yes, definitely a Pathogen map!
Quote from: Wweyland on Sep 08, 2022, 09:21:32 AMStory-wise, what's up with the suicide mission-type requests from the command? Go into a hive with a 3 man team and kill everything? Same for the Regicide campaign, but there we had 2 different teams (which doesn't make sense from a military standpoint to split up forces).
It's the plot for a co-op shooter game. There's not been much about it that made sense from any context.
I mean, the Regicide campaign is a great starter. It's a space station. Just blow it up from outside with missiles or something. Tow it out of orbit and fling it at the closest star. Why does this mission even need three Marines on a suicide mission to overload its reactor?
The answer is: It's a co-op zombie-style shooter game. The levels exist solely for you to shoot at hundreds of
zombies Aliens.
It's the same reason the movie Marines hole up in Operations instead of doing the smart thing: drive one of the colony rovers miles away from Hadley's Hope and wait for Bishop to come pick them up. It's more exciting.
Quote from: Cosmic Incubation on Sep 14, 2022, 02:19:38 PMMore horde mode maps in general would definitely be appreciated.
But yes, definitely a Pathogen map!
A synth horde mode map would also be a good change of pace.
Or even waves of different types of enemies.
Since I beat the main campaign but didn't exactly find it stellar overall, but enjoyed the pathogen based stuff the most, is it worth my time to get this dlc?
Quote from: Stitch on Sep 14, 2022, 10:57:13 PMSince I beat the main campaign but didn't exactly find it stellar overall, but enjoyed the pathogen based stuff the most, is it worth my time to get this dlc?
It's good to spend a few hours on. You could also wait for a December sale discount.
For £12 for what you get, yeah it is worthwhile, but indeed probably you could get the Ultimate Edition on sale come October or December time.
The last level from the Pathogen DLC is genuinely incredible, the boss fight is awesome and the cutscene incredibly satisfying
Seems like if we get another DLC, it will be based around WY, possibly with human enemies and maybe new normal Xenos?
Quote from: PAS Spinelli on Sep 19, 2022, 11:04:50 PMThe last level from the Pathogen DLC is genuinely incredible, the boss fight is awesome and the cutscene incredibly satisfying
Seems like if we get another DLC, it will be based around WY, possibly with human enemies and maybe new normal Xenos?
I don't feel like we are getting any other campaign DLC, kind of felt the end for this game but who knows.
So the old plan before the merger was one new campaign a year. Whether that's still the plan or not... *shrugs*
To me it feels like they kind of want to back up and punt for a sequel. They've set up things quite a bit story wise, but I don't know how far they want to get into it with the presentation the way it is.
I mean the no lip synching characters, the same guy cleaning the powerloader for the whole campaign (and other animations), the inability to fully explore the home base spacecraft for weapon/skill updates like you can in most other style of modern 3rd person shooters. It feels incredibly outdated and limited in scope.
I don't think it is a bad game.........but even with the DLC it feels very incomplete. It will continue to feel very incomplete even if they throw more campaigns in. I personally thought pathogen LOOKED cool........but felt pretty empty. My favorite part of the campaign are the last three levels of the OG campaign just because there is other stuff happening outside of your squad. It feels more lived in and less empty, it was slightly more immersive.
I guess sequel talk depends on how much money they are making. They COULD continue to update like they did Destiny.........it was very incomplete feeling as well but they worked on it for years afterwards to where it hardly felt like the same game toward the end.
I think you're right, and if they can, I'm pretty okay with them moving onto a sequel now.
Got the pathogen expansion yesterday, first level done, nothing amazing so far but fun. Will play some more when I get the time.
Once its done I will wait for new campaign dlc to pick it up to play again.
Even though I like the campaign, I really do agree that the xenomorph shouldn't be infected by the pathogen, it's in the bloodstream in some extent. It just feels weird that they can get infected by this, they are said to be perfect organism and they're getting their asses Beaten by a zombie version of xenomorph, I don't like it. And yeah isolating the crusher into that it came from a creature with thick skin, also bugs me. At least it been recon in the dark descent.
One more thing. This is unrelated but I was listening to the Seegson Lore, The last sentence really intrigued me.
"I've heard in the 70s they try to colonize some planets in the middle room, wonder what happened with that"
Imagine the storyline like that. Seegson try to colonize a planet but The columns has been attacked by xenomorphs that were from a abandoned Weyland Yutani colony on the same planet
Maybe now with Aliens Dark Descent we know.
it would have been cool if the infected xenomorph was just another attempt by the engineers to re-create the perfect organism but failed miserably. A protomorph
The game isn't about content, although it helps, its more about playing the game with people and leveling up. Everything else is just aliens and story blips.
Quote from: BenditlikeBeckum on Oct 12, 2023, 01:05:57 PMThe game isn't about content, although it helps, its more about playing the game with people and leveling up. Everything else is just aliens and story blips.
It's not really about grinding the level-ups.
It is for a bit, then its a bout story, and visuals then its about working together. but the point is they all work together as one even if each piece is underwhelming. I never expected much from Pathogen but it did delivery even if it fell underwhelming with that big alien with no hands. Lore wise, it wasn't something you can chew on.
But it brought the milkshake. And the boys came to the yard.
Any hope for a new campaign or its too late?
Definitely working on a new title at this point instead.
Aliens Fireteam Elite 2 except this time we play as the Aliens
Spoiler
(https://media1.tenor.com/m/KqOLJYj0mmUAAAAd/copium-cat.gif)
At least have them be optional in multiplayer for a vs mode. And make the matchmaking functional from day one. I know I'm spoiled for expecting that on a multiplayer focused game.
I mean, it would certainly be a big, new feature that would help separate it from the original. If they are indeed working on Fireteam Elite 2, I wouldn't think it would be too crazy to think/hope that they might include playable Aliens this time round.
I sure hope so. They are aware people want playable Aliens. We'll see. I hope they tone down the looter shooter vibes. We saw how the new Suicide Squad game went. No need for 400 upgrades where most give you a 5% chance to do 0.5% more damage for 7 seconds that can stack 15 times.... No more than 30 are needed, that you can feel right away with bigger % changes.
I hope for less bullet sponge enemies. Make them hit harder and be faster on higher difficulties. Not soak 1000 bullets.
Please let the Pulse Rifle have it's grenade launcher back. Instead of 100 guns, you can do 30 with each having an under-barrel attachment.
At least 4 player co-op as well.