"I think 80 people per action district constitutes being labeled as massive. That's just my opinion. 80 people shooting at each other can get really, really crowded."
You can only fight against other players who are in the same mission as you (the group dispatched against you/your group).
Group sizes ranged from between 1-10 - most commonly 2,3,4 or 5 in each group.
If you get your Notoriety to 5 stars then you can shoot anyone in the district (criminal/enforcer) but you can also be shot by anyone in the district. It's not too hard to get to 4 stars but I never got to 5 stars.
It is more MMO than MMORPG. However the extreme customisation (very impressive area of the game) can make it seem like an RPG. Butt here are no character stats - just 3 upgrade slots and you can carry 1 piece of equipment (e.g. to break into buildings faster) . Weapons/vehicles can also have upgrade slots.
APB is designed to be played in groups and that is when it's most fun. But the missions don't seem to support this idea. I only found a few of the mission types to be fun. The most fun were "King of the Hill", "Capture the Item", "Deathmatch" style missions but they are always too short and pretty basic. A lot of the missions seem pointless in the way they are structured. There should be fights over territory and owning certain territories/areas could grant bonuses to the controlling faction.
When you are logged into an action district you are pretty much forced into constant PvP "dispatches" (even if you pause the game!), which can be very annoying, if you want to talk to your Contact to buy stuff etc.
I played iin the closed beta but only because it was free.
On paper, APB seems like a very fun game. But in practice it isn't very fun at all. I think Realtime Worlds have taken it on the wrong direction.
It is VERY grindy with very little mission variation and very few of the missions are fun. The missions also seem to have no persistence - they don't have any bearing on the APB world/universe. There are 4 factions but there may as well not be any. There is just no point to anything except grinding. The missions seem designed to be as painful for everyone as possible! Whether you're winning or losing they are mostly just annoying.
As Super Healer mentions, the implementation is very flakey. For example, I have a powerful system but APB does not play anywhere near as solid as the Crackdown 2 DEMO on my (much less powerful) Xbox 360, for example.
It's only 2D Java but it has some excellent collaborative, multiplayer features that do not exist in other games. I don't understand why no one else has copied the ideas and put them into a more "proper" 3D MMO!
One of the best things about the original Deus Ex was that almost every location was based on a real world location - e.g. building blueprints etc. This made the game very realisitc and meant you could reach your objective via MANY possible pathways.
I don't understand why they keep tryingg to rp us off with these crappy archaic games.
If I'm going to play OLD games, I would much rather play Sega Megadrive / Genesis classics like Kid Chameleon, Duck Tales, Taz in Tazmania, etc. They were truly awesome games that the Xbox 360 could easily handle and improve.
Or actually, games from the old BBC B would be awesome as well. For example, Repton, Exile, Elite, Chuckie Egg - those are old games I want to play for more than just the nostalgia.
In my experience, no MMO has had enough content (or server capacity) on launch day.
I personally don't like "Head Start" periods where you can start playing before the launch - devs should use all of the available time to polish the game and improve stability/performance - without having to worry about players complicating the launch.
APB launch day roundup
Jun 30th 2010 8:18AM (Massively)"I think 80 people per action district constitutes being labeled as massive. That's just my opinion. 80 people shooting at each other can get really, really crowded."
You can only fight against other players who are in the same mission as you (the group dispatched against you/your group).
Group sizes ranged from between 1-10 - most commonly 2,3,4 or 5 in each group.
If you get your Notoriety to 5 stars then you can shoot anyone in the district (criminal/enforcer) but you can also be shot by anyone in the district. It's not too hard to get to 4 stars but I never got to 5 stars.
It is more MMO than MMORPG. However the extreme customisation (very impressive area of the game) can make it seem like an RPG.
Butt here are no character stats - just 3 upgrade slots and you can carry 1 piece of equipment (e.g. to break into buildings faster) . Weapons/vehicles can also have upgrade slots.
APB is designed to be played in groups and that is when it's most fun. But the missions don't seem to support this idea. I only found a few of the mission types to be fun. The most fun were "King of the Hill", "Capture the Item", "Deathmatch" style missions but they are always too short and pretty basic. A lot of the missions seem pointless in the way they are structured.
There should be fights over territory and owning certain territories/areas could grant bonuses to the controlling faction.
When you are logged into an action district you are pretty much forced into constant PvP "dispatches" (even if you pause the game!), which can be very annoying, if you want to talk to your Contact to buy stuff etc.
Dawntide opens up Conquest design to player community
Jun 30th 2010 7:56AM (Massively)There is also a game called "Captains of Darktide" that is in closed beta (I just got into it yesterday).
Dawntide opens up Conquest design to player community
Jun 29th 2010 11:35AM (Massively)But I just checked my emails and apparently I've already been in the beta since October 2009!
D'oh - too many betas!
APB launch day roundup
Jun 29th 2010 9:37AM (Massively)On paper, APB seems like a very fun game. But in practice it isn't very fun at all. I think Realtime Worlds have taken it on the wrong direction.
It is VERY grindy with very little mission variation and very few of the missions are fun. The missions also seem to have no persistence - they don't have any bearing on the APB world/universe. There are 4 factions but there may as well not be any. There is just no point to anything except grinding.
The missions seem designed to be as painful for everyone as possible! Whether you're winning or losing they are mostly just annoying.
As Super Healer mentions, the implementation is very flakey. For example, I have a powerful system but APB does not play anywhere near as solid as the Crackdown 2 DEMO on my (much less powerful) Xbox 360, for example.
Next!
This is heavy: Telltale making episodic Back to the Future game
Jun 9th 2010 11:59AM (Joystiq)Probably wont be anywhere near as good as the Back to the Future Crysis mod
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZAaKH0FYO8
The Daily Grind: Who's your MMO mistress?
Jun 8th 2010 8:58AM (Massively)Heh well I stopped playing properly a couple of years ago - now I just login during my lunch breaks to play Poker (with in-game money).
http://puzzlepirates.com
It's only 2D Java but it has some excellent collaborative, multiplayer features that do not exist in other games. I don't understand why no one else has copied the ideas and put them into a more "proper" 3D MMO!
Exploring a 'Cyber Renaissance' in Deus Ex: Human Revolution
May 18th 2010 4:24AM (Joystiq)One of the best things about the original Deus Ex was that almost every location was based on a real world location - e.g. building blueprints etc. This made the game very realisitc and meant you could reach your objective via MANY possible pathways.
New Game Room additions this Wednesday, Krome still developing Game Packs
May 4th 2010 11:59AM (Joystiq)Imogen, Escape From Moonbase Alpha, Ravenskull, Karate Combat, Micro Machines, even Grannys Garden!
http://www.bbcmicrogames.com/
http://www.beebgames.com
Just please, no more Asteroids or Galagas...
New Game Room additions this Wednesday, Krome still developing Game Packs
May 4th 2010 11:45AM (Joystiq)I don't understand why they keep tryingg to rp us off with these crappy archaic games.
If I'm going to play OLD games, I would much rather play Sega Megadrive / Genesis classics like Kid Chameleon, Duck Tales, Taz in Tazmania, etc. They were truly awesome games that the Xbox 360 could easily handle and improve.
Or actually, games from the old BBC B would be awesome as well. For example, Repton, Exile, Elite, Chuckie Egg - those are old games I want to play for more than just the nostalgia.
The Daily Grind: Does beta ruin your launch day glee?
Mar 30th 2010 8:13AM (Massively)I personally don't like "Head Start" periods where you can start playing before the launch - devs should use all of the available time to polish the game and improve stability/performance - without having to worry about players complicating the launch.