Zechs Merquise Posted March 17, 2010 Posted March 17, 2010 At this year's GDC High Voltage Software displayed posters teasing the sequel to the Wii exclusive The Conduit: http://www.n-europe.com/news.php?nid=13922 They have stated they are going to show it as this year's E3 in June. Let the discussion commence!
Sméagol Posted March 17, 2010 Posted March 17, 2010 I'd rather see this than the Grinder (Alhtough I'd still like to see that too). I enjoyed the first, but the ending left me wanting more. It wasn't so much the open-endedness that annoyed me, but more simply the lack of an epic boss. As far as I recall there's been only one real boss in the game. I'd love to see what's in store for us behind the conduit.
Retro_Link Posted March 17, 2010 Posted March 17, 2010 I wonder if the game will start with you steping through a conduit and out into a world that looks like this... ... Handy!
STOOPIDDITTIES Posted March 17, 2010 Posted March 17, 2010 I can only imagine this being far greater than the first. They've already worked so much on the engine so I think a lot more focus will go on the game itself this time round. Unless of course they focus on other games they're making and then make those multi-format in which case this will recieve even less attention than the first. But that's simply ridiculous.
lostmario Posted March 17, 2010 Posted March 17, 2010 For all its faults The Conduit is still a great game online probably because its the only FPS on the Wii with Wii Speak. With a few tweaks to the online setup, this could be great.
Emasher Posted March 18, 2010 Posted March 18, 2010 The queues for this will be enormous. For someone who doesn't seem to post much, you seem to be very quick to find any thread related to The Conduit.
LostOverThere Posted March 18, 2010 Posted March 18, 2010 Hey, I like High Voltage Software. They actually listen to their fans. I'm interested.
James McGeachie Posted March 18, 2010 Posted March 18, 2010 The only way I'll begin to be interested in this is if the art style is improved, or more accurately if there actually is any sense of style to the game at all. I own the original but I haven't completed it, it's very generic and dull. The online was fun though, I'll give it that, but that's the only main positive I have. Well that and the aiming.
LostOverThere Posted March 18, 2010 Posted March 18, 2010 I should verify, I admire HVS as a company. Though to buy The Conduit 2, they'll first need to improve their art style, music and above all, game play (which was bland).
STOOPIDDITTIES Posted March 18, 2010 Posted March 18, 2010 I should verify, I admire HVS as a company. Though to buy The Conduit 2, they'll first need to improve their art style, music and above all, game play (which was bland). I can confirm that this is indeed false information.
Zechs Merquise Posted March 18, 2010 Author Posted March 18, 2010 I think The Conduit had some really solid ideas and a good base to work with. However some really bad designs choices hurt it a lot, espceially in the multi-player. I think HVS like to claim they listen to fans, but I'm not really sure that they do. The current fiasco with The Grinder is proof of that, after all, I don't think there's a single gamer out there who would prefer playing that game as a top-down Smash TV style shooter than the rather epic and cool looking FPS it started off as.
Konfucius Posted March 18, 2010 Posted March 18, 2010 And let's not forget level recycling: "Hmm a corridor, looks familiar. Hmm a generic room, looks familiar. Hmm a corridor..."
bryanee Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 I've only just bought the original, under 8 quid on Zavvi. I'm enjoying it so far even if it has an old school FPS vibe to it kind of like GE and PD although nowhere near as good as those its still enjoyable. A sequel can only improve on an already decent game unless they manage to balls it up. One thing I hope they improve for the next installment is the sound, every gun I've used so far sounds like a toy. The guns need a little more oomph, Bad Company 2 could of spoiled me in that regard though.
LostOverThere Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 I can confirm that this is indeed false information. Walking through endless corridors into generic rooms to fight generic monsters does not constitute good game play.
Fused King Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 Walking through endless corridors into generic rooms to fight generic monsters does not constitute good game play. At least they tried son, .......at least........they....................tried.
STOOPIDDITTIES Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 Walking through endless corridors into generic rooms to fight generic monsters does not constitute good game play. No you're right, it doesn't, it constitutes bad level and enemy design. The customisable controls and precision aiming however create the good gameplay.
Retro_Link Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 (edited) I don't understand why a lot of people seem to prefer The Conduit to The Grinder (obviously not the new version). The Conduit (even as a potential series) just seems so generic in so many ways! Edited March 19, 2010 by Retro_Link
Emasher Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 They could always use the genericness to their advantage, and turn the game into a parody.
Zechs Merquise Posted March 19, 2010 Author Posted March 19, 2010 I don't understand why a lot of people seem to prefer The Conduit to The Grinder (obviously not the new version). The Conduit (even as a potential series) just seems so generic in so many ways! Yes, when they showed the Grinder for the first time, I actually thought it looked a lot more promising than the Conduit (even though I was quite looking forward to it). I remember the first vids, the gun designs, the hordes of vampires running toward you, the whole thing looked great and a lot more stylish and well developed than the Conduit, which by comparison was rather generic.
DuD Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 They could always use the genericness to their advantage, and turn the game into a parody. That could be awesome, if a little bit timesplitters-ish.
LostOverThere Posted March 20, 2010 Posted March 20, 2010 I don't understand why a lot of people seem to prefer The Conduit to The Grinder (obviously not the new version). Of course this is silly to say, as I'm comparing a finished game to a pre-alpha, but The Conduit's look always felt more polished to me. Besides, The Grinder just screamed Poor Man's Left 4 Dead. My 2 cents.
Hero-of-Time Posted March 30, 2010 Posted March 30, 2010 Here's the first details from this months Nintendo Power. Though High Voltage isn't ready to spill the beans about specific[online] modes just yet, the studio promises a bevy of new gameplay types, as well as the return of the first game's innovative Bounty Hunter mode. As you might expect, weapons like the Vortex Cannon will add a few wrinkles to online competition, as will the introduction of different character classes, each with unique attributes. You'll also be able to unlock suit upgrades that bestow your character with special skills; robotic legs, for example, will let you sprint greater distances." "Right now, the plan is to have one primary suit slot and two secondary slots where you can equip upgrades, but that may change in the final game. From a purely cosmetic standpoint, you'll have tons of options to change your character's appearance using the same modular system the team uses to diversify enemies. For those who prefer to keep their gun fights local, Conduit 2 will feature a two-to four-player splitscreen option for all of the game's competitive modes. And when you want to take a break from blasting your friends and loved ones, you can team up with them in the new co-op Invasion mode. Up to four players can join forces (either via splitscreen or online), and the challenges they'll face are unique to this mode. Further details remain under wraps, but we always welcome the chance to eradicate some alien scum with our fellow humans." "Their first order of business: expanding the game's scope, "In the first Conduit, I think the core experience is very sold," says producer Josh Olson." - ASE returns - set in Atlantis - SEGA publishing - Huge boss battles - old/new weapons
LostOverThere Posted March 30, 2010 Posted March 30, 2010 (edited) Interesting. E3 reveal? - Set in Atlantis- Other locations include Siberia, Agartha, Washington D.C. - Team is focusing on art/story - New gameplay types for online - Bounty Hunter mode returning - Different character classes, each has unique attributes - Can unlock suit upgrades (ex: robotic legs that let you sprint farther) - WiiSpeak support - High Voltage, for now, has decided “to have one primary suit slot and two secondary slots where you can equip upgrades, but that may change in the final game.†- Will be able to change character’s appearance - 2-4 player splitscreen option for all competitive - Co-op Invasion mode: Up to 4 players (online or local), has unique challenges - New weapons: Vortex Cannon and Phase Rifle - Vortex Cannon: Sends bullets back at enemies with a more powerful force - Phase Rifle: Shoot through walls - Old weapons will be returning - Some old weapons are seeing a facelift - About 7 new weapons - Big boss battles - ASE also returning - ASE used for more things other than puzzles (can do a lot of scanning, which is recorded) - Can use TPC ammo as mines - SEGA publishing again - No release date http://www.nintendoeverything.com/35878/ Finally, a freaking spectacular interview with the producer of The Conduit: NWR: What are the major takeaway criticisms that you've seen from the reviews and the fan feedback? JO: I like stories in games, and they're rarely told well. I think we had a good story in The Conduit, but I don't think we presented it particularly well. We worked really hard to make sure that the story didn't interfere with the gameplay. So if you weren't interested in the story, which I think there's a large section of gamers that couldn't care less, it doesn't stop you or interrupt you; it doesn't take control away from you. We wanted the player to have control at all times. In retrospect, I think we could have presented it a little better. The stuff is there, but I don't think people spent the time looking for it, or putting it together. So, that's something, moving forward, in future titles that we're taking a look at. One of the big takeaways, too, is that Quantum3 was in development while we were working on the game, so I think in a few cases, art, or looking good, or showing off the new tech trumped gameplay. And that's something that we've learned as well. Gameplay needs to be number one. Something needs to look good, but gameplay has to be more important. That's something too in our level design, and how we played out in our engagements and built our levels, that we've definitely learned from and are going to address in future titles. NWR: This isn't meant to be taken strictly as criticism, but The Conduit looks pretty generic in terms of art and character design. If the series continues, do you intend to spruce things up a bit? JO: I think that's a very fair criticism. Looking at The Conduit, you're not really sure that you're in the world of The Conduit. Like you said, it's kind of generic. You could be anywhere. I think that was driven a lot by our push to make The Conduit in D.C. in realistic-looking environments, we wanted to make the graphics look as real as possible. But on the flipside of that, it tended to make it look a little generic, a bit mundane. If you're playing Halo, or look at a screenshot, you know you're in Halo. I don't think that's the case with The Conduit. It's a very valid criticism that we took to heart and we're hoping to address in future games. NWR: At the beginning there were problems with hackers and that seemed to be spawning issues. Were those patched online? JO: We work pretty closely with Nintendo, both on the exploits and the cheater front. We ban cheaters. We detect them and find them. We worked with Nintendo as well to solve some of the network issues, and the spawn issue -- the "black ring." We found out about it, determined what the issue was, and we worked to address it. It's much more complicated with Nintendo to try to figure out a patch solution, or a way to get your code back out there into the wild, but it's something we've worked on. NWR: Was the number of friends that you can add in The Conduit a limitation set by you guys? JO: Thirty-two was a limitation set by us. That comes up a lot in the feedback; players would like to do more. One of the big issues, believe it or not, is getting all the testers online and banging on the system to make sure it works right. If you want to go 64, you'd have to have 64 kits and 64 testers out there; it becomes quite a bit of work. There's really no reason we couldn't have gotten 64 other than wanting to make sure it worked well. NWR: There are several third-party developers, especially recently, talking about how mature games are a tough sell on the Wii, due to family-friendly appeal. Did that have any bearing on the recent changes to these two titles? JO: I still think there's a market on the Wii. I'm very curious to see how Red Steel 2 does; I hope it does well. Modern Warfare Reflex has done very well. The Conduit did well. But I think there is a market there. I think people want to generalize and say they don't do well on the console, but that's not exactly true. In terms of the changes to The Grinder and Tournament of Legends, that more came from internally, from us as a team. As I mentioned, creatively we could do more with the change of direction. I hope people can appreciate the new direction. The above was just a snippet, here's the full thing: http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/specialArt.cfm?artid=22757 Edited March 30, 2010 by LostOverThere NEW STUFF IS NEW
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