Remove playable Aliens in MP

[acrediblesource]

This I found is still debatable since I haven't seen many talk about it so i'm deciding to make a poll. 

I ultimately feel that if GB decides against playable Aliens in ACM MP (They haven't announced it yet but we can assume that its in BETA since GB demos it at PAX) in favour for scripted aliens i would sincerely respect them forever for it.

That doesn't mean you couldn't make a great multiplayer- just without playable aliens. Hense making it more diverse like the scripted events of the Single Player Campaign.

Consider this: SP has a drop in drop out which could be touted as MP but scripted.

I found so far through watching the PAX MP videos that the aliens don't quite do a whole lot more than what we've seen in AVP 1999. If being able to play as aliens removes the ability to place more events in place via AI programming (ie, coming through vents and through the ceiling, through the ground, close encounters) I would certain vouch for this decision as the best action to take.



I want to source this as reference
Batman Arkham City:
This game was quite possibly the 'go to' game for me for a several months. I hope that all games can be executed this nicely in terms of balancing gameplayer controls and fighting, side quests and canon, unlockables, and challenge modes.

This is a quote from BAC wikipage proving that drastic change can favour the game overall.

"The presence of multiplayer had been rumored shortly after the game's official announcement, but was denied by Rocksteady Studios.[44][45] The developers had considered adding a multiplayer element to the game, but ultimately decided against this. According to Hill, they asked themselves "If we use all of the energy that is required to create multiplayer and instead focus this on the single player, would that deliver a better overall game?", and felt that they could not succeed in this, instead using their efforts to strengthen the single player game"'

*I am merely quoting Rocksteady's development decisions. Its not a request to make no multiplayer in ACM. just no playable Aliens in ACM.

[RagingDragon]

Arkham City is a totally different game on every level.  You must have competitive MP in the FPS marketplace, unless your single-player can rival something like Fallout 3 or Dead Space.

From what we've seen of the single player aliens, they look pretty awful and seem to be just entering through scripted locations and generally charging the player.  If GBX could swing something like Survivor mode from AvP 2010 (which had surprisingly great AI as it progressed) then yeah, but at this point something like that looks almost impossible.

Playable aliens will keep things fresh for much longer, unless AIliens were extremely well done.

[Dovahkiin]

Lolwut? If there were no playable aliens, there would be no competitive multiplayer. Gonna have to vote to keep the aliens.

[acrediblesource]

i haven't. please explain?

Arkham City is a totally different game on every level.  You must have competitive MP in the FPS marketplace, unless your single-player can rival something like Fallout 3 or Dead Space.

From what we've seen of the single player aliens, they look pretty awful and seem to be just entering through scripted locations and generally charging the player.  If GBX could swing something like Survivor mode from AvP 2010 (which had surprisingly great AI as it progressed) then yeah, but at this point something like that looks almost impossible.

Playable aliens will keep things fresh for much longer, unless AIliens were extremely well done.

Have you read about the AI director they implemented in the game to control the aliens? It sounded pretty nasty to me. In a good way.

[Predaker]

Source:

http://www.pcpowerplay.com.au/2012/08/fast-dark-scary-aliens-colonial-marines-preview/

Further contributing to this dynamism is Colonial Marines' approximation of an AI Director – the malevolent metric that monitors players' progress and decides how best to screw them over.

"It's affecting the places the Xenos can enter the map from," says Pitchford. "You've got all this data and information about the environment and the opportunities there, and you have an AI simulation that imagines how to add risk to the player's situation, and how to manipulate that risk based on how it's all unfolding."

[acrediblesource]

Ok ,after a headscratch. What you're implying is that Alien AI has a controller (supposing it is set before you start the SP game).
and this could be applied to MP? rightly noted.

Competative MP would be  playing as aliens and marines while Co-op Is obviously just playing as Marines against AI aliens or  playing aliens vs AI Marines.
Hrmm. The concept escaped me at first but its possible.

Well, i may not be stupid but I am mal-informed. I realise where this is going.
I'm going to jump off a cliff.

[Predaker]

Well I am okay with playable aliens in competitive multi player, in fact I am really looking forward to it. Lol

I just wanted to share that bit about the AI director. I don't think its pre set, according to the description it is actively looking for the best way to screw you over at any given time, based on what the players are doing and where they are at the time.

Something like that. We will see. I hope its as good as it sounds, because that would add a lot of replay factor for me.

[Xeno Killer 2179]

I honestly don't care at this point. I wanted nothing more than playable aliens before they started revealing all of these things, but the direction they appear to be going killed all my enthusiasm for this game. This was a day one buy for me, but now I'm not sure if I'll just wait until it's bargain bin dogmeat.

While AVP had extremely flawed multiplayer, the biggest tragedy of all would be if I enjoy it more than ACM, and I suspect that's a very real possibility.

I'm all in favor of scrapping playable aliens if it means a better campaign/coop/MP experience. Only until I see MP gameplay footage from this game that shows a hint of strategy, stealth, and decent pacing will I change my mind.

[RagingDragon]

That stuff about the AI Director was pretty cool... I hope those moments are as dynamic as they sound.

I honestly don't care at this point. I wanted nothing more than playable aliens before they started revealing all of these things, but the direction they appear to be going killed all my enthusiasm for this game. This was a day one buy for me, but now I'm not sure if I'll just wait until it's bargain bin dogmeat.

While AVP had extremely flawed multiplayer, the biggest tragedy of all would be if I enjoy it more than ACM, and I suspect that's a very real possibility.

I'm all in favor of scrapping playable aliens if it means a better campaign/coop/MP experience. Only until I see MP gameplay footage from this game that shows a hint of strategy, stealth, and decent pacing will I change my mind.

Yeah I've really been kind of meh about some of the multiplayer footage.  The Crusher looks kind of boring to play, and not Alien at all, just charging at shit like a bull repeatedly while you get shot.  I was a big supporter of doing Left 4 Dead style gameplay, but that may bite me in the ass on multiplayer.  I think I would really prefer they left all of the goofy classes in the campaign and gave us a more pure Aliens-on-Marines competitive MP.

Crusher = Charger
Spitter = ... Spitter.
Warrior = Hunter
Lurker = ... ?

But we still haven't seen any Escape mode, have we?  I thought that's what they said was going to be playable, but we just get more TDM that we've already seen.

Things like Escape seem like the only chance to get some serious Aliens action going on, besides maybe the campaign.  I mean objective-based, atmospheric scariness, and not this constant run-and-gun gameplay with 'badass' and 'elite' coming up onto my screen.

I don't need little sci-fi pop-ups telling me I'm a badass, Gearbox.  I already know that.

[acrediblesource]

Im astounded that Left 4 Dead is compared to this. I googled Left4 Dead and watched youtube videos, i was  not impressed by 1. its pace and 2. its lack of or sense of interactivity. 3. further more its graphics but thats a whole different story.

Would any one try Dead Island as a comparison? There are far more interactive moments in that gala.

[WinterActual]

Lolwut? If there were no playable aliens, there would be no competitive multiplayer. Gonna have to vote to keep the aliens.

Yeah! Damn how on earth somebody can even think to remove the playable aliens? 

[Remonster]

Yeah! Lets get rid of the only thing keeping this from having generic ass multiplayer.

[PsyKore]

I'm all in favor of scrapping playable aliens if it means a better campaign/coop/MP experience. Only until I see MP gameplay footage from this game that shows a hint of strategy, stealth, and decent pacing will I change my mind.

I'm thinking this as well lately. The competitive multiplayer doesn't look very compelling so far; I would rather they focus on the co-op campaign parts of the game.

[Dovahkiin]

Lolwut? If there were no playable aliens, there would be no competitive multiplayer. Gonna have to vote to keep the aliens.

Yeah! Damn how on earth somebody can even think to remove the playable aliens? 

[Enigma]

Sure, if and only if the multiplayer experience gains from it. Normaly I play the Alien games in order to play a xeno. Seriously. I've played a lot of FPS games, but it's the Alien that makes the experience unique to me.
But this game is not about the Alien. It's about the marines. And I'm far more interesting of having a good story told to me than runing around in a L4D clone, as a poorly designed alien.

But if they manage to create a memorable and good multiplayer experience, then I want to run around on the ceiling and walls, stalking humans and just have a good time...
But only then. But f they can't pull that of, and instead give us... what I've seen so far. Then get rid of the playable Aliens and fokus on the coop/single player part.
But that might just be me