Overwritten.net

Games => General Gaming => Topic started by: Pugnate on Saturday, January 06, 2007, 01:38:13 AM

Title: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Pugnate on Saturday, January 06, 2007, 01:38:13 AM
When Prey started with Tomo in the washroom, I immediately thought ooh man weak textures. But as soon as you get on board the alien vessel, you are hit by a lot of beauty. The colors look gorgeous, and the game is so cool. I really enjoyed the weird doors and how the developers messed with the gravity. I haven't played too much so far, but it looks like it was well worth the purchase.

http://cc.1asphost.com/Pugnate/Prey10.jpg
http://cc.1asphost.com/Pugnate/Prey16.jpg
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: gpw11 on Saturday, January 06, 2007, 01:58:19 AM
fuck, I need a new pc.  But this thing was the bomb for Jedi Outcast.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: TheOtherBelmont on Saturday, January 06, 2007, 02:17:13 AM
That's another game I need to play, my computer seemed to run it ok on medium settings when I played the demo.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Pugnate on Saturday, January 06, 2007, 02:41:04 AM
Hey don't they have Prey for the 360? gpw I think that may be a good investment for ya?

Also I recently started spirit walking. Hmmm... I think they introduced it a wee bit too soon, as things were moving along at a atmospheric pace, and this jumbles it up a bit. Still it is very cool. But yea I normally hate simplistic shooters -- despised Quake IV -- yet I enjoyed the simple gameplay quite a bit in Prey.

Anyway things have taken a turn for the fucked up. Children + evil is always awesome. You NEED to see the screenie below. (56k warning)

http://cc.1asphost.com/Pugnate/Prey36.jpg

No he wasn't pissing blood.

But before they introduced the fantasy element, I was thinking it would be cool if they built on the more realistic approach of the alien invasion by teaming you up with other survivors or just joining up with some marines Halo style. I knew that wasn't going to happen, having read a lot on the game and from the hints the game gives you early on.

Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: iPPi on Saturday, January 06, 2007, 02:45:23 AM
The game looked interesting, but not interesting enough for me to buy.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Pugnate on Saturday, January 06, 2007, 03:16:12 AM
But oh so pretty:

http://cc.1asphost.com/Pugnate/Prey109.jpg

Besides you can find it for $20 incl. shipping on eBay. Worth it I think, though I haven't given multiplayer a whirl.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Pugnate on Saturday, January 06, 2007, 04:42:44 AM
This game makes me think id should stick to just making gorgeous engines and let others make the actual game. Doom III was very cool, but stuck to being a one trick pony that really made things dull. I mean did anyone actually buy the expansion?

Prey is pretty sweet in managing to be an indoors only game, yet being very heavy on the atmosphere and storyline. There are constant transmissions being caught from radio on earth, that keep the mood going. I wish the voice acting was a bit better on these transmissions, as they don't sound as dire as they should. So far it seems that they are pretty sure something fishy is going on, but that's about it. Still it really does push the storyline forward.

Also as I was going up an elevator, I had a good view of the humongous alien vessel outside of the tiny corridors that I had been (and probably will be till the end of the game) restricted to. Well something extremely cool happened as I was going up the elevator. The aliens teleported something inside that they couldn't quite control:

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o19/Pugnate/Prey119.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o19/Pugnate/Prey129.jpg
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Saturday, January 06, 2007, 08:15:16 AM
This game makes me think id should stick to just making gorgeous engines and let others make the actual game. Doom III was very cool, but stuck to being a one trick pony that really made things dull. I mean did anyone actually buy the expansion?
Yup, I did.

I ain't started the Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil expansion yet, though I did finish Doom 3.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: poomcgoo on Saturday, January 06, 2007, 10:19:25 AM
I agree.  I hadn't gotten around to Prey until a few days ago, myself.  I just never had enough interest in it to install the thing.  I'm glad I finally did, though, because there are just so many awesome little things in it that make it stand out.  I'm pretty early in the game like you, pug, but I'm digging it tons.  The whole Native American folklore part of the story is kinda lame, but other than that it's awesome. 

***minor spoiler***
How badass was it when "Don't Fear the Reaper" was cranked up all of a sudden as the roof of the bar was torn away?
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Quemaqua on Saturday, January 06, 2007, 10:22:53 AM
Yes, I was championing this one for a while.  It's a fairly simple shooter, but it just gets so many little details right and it's just FUN.  My only complaints were a few of the odder elements they added to the story, which I thought kinda' took things in a direction just a wee bit too cheesy, and the fact that the game was so short.  Still, the game is great and due to its short nature it's a little more like a movie -- the kind of thing you can safely consider playing through several times to relive the experience, which in this case I think is well worth it.  A few months down the road and the experience still feels pretty fresh.  Great stuff.

Oh, and the MP is good.  Think modded Quake 2.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Saturday, January 06, 2007, 12:07:34 PM
I'm surprised Que bought the retail version over the STEAM version. :P
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: scottws on Saturday, January 06, 2007, 12:15:38 PM
I thought Prey was kind of ho-hum.  Not a bad game by any stretch, but nothing amazing.  The portal technology was pretty impressive, but after seeing them all over the place, the effect kind of wears off.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: PyroMenace on Saturday, January 06, 2007, 10:19:54 PM
I got the same vibe from it as you did Scott. It really is a great game, solid FPS fun, but its portal effects and spirit walking tactic didnt really do enough to put it past say another simple yet solid FPS like Quake 4.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Quemaqua on Saturday, January 06, 2007, 10:34:20 PM
Both are somewhat simple FPS games that use established conventions, but Prey did its very best to break those wherever it could, in the environments and in the artwork and in the story.  No, none of those things drastically change what the gameplay is, but how can you possibly say it isn't better to innovate in *some* regards than it is to innovate in no regards whatsoever?  Even if Prey didn't do anything to shake the gaming world to its roots, it certainly did more for it than Quake 4 which attempted no innovations at all.  And that isn't to say I don't like Quake 4, because I thought it was a pretty fun romp as well, but at least give credit where credit is due.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: idolminds on Saturday, January 06, 2007, 10:41:03 PM
I think there is something to be said for games that are simply well executed despite their lack of innovation. Prey is one example, same with Painkiller and Okami. They don't really do much thats new, and they may just be "ripoffs" of other games (PK = Doom/Serious Sam, Okami = Zelda), but...damnit they are solid games that are fun to play.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: PyroMenace on Saturday, January 06, 2007, 10:52:31 PM
I guess I worded that wrong. I never meant to say that innovation is never worth it. Despite Prey's new gameplay mechanics, Quake 4 was about as fun and immersive. Which is still saying a lot because I found Quake 4's SP to be pretty damn awesome, though thats probably whats more arguable.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Xessive on Sunday, January 07, 2007, 12:44:33 AM
Nice, I just started playing it again :D That's one great game ;D
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Pugnate on Sunday, January 07, 2007, 12:47:01 AM
Again I haven't gotten too far in Prey but I think there is a massive difference between Quake IV and Prey... at least from what I've played so far.

The best way to put it would be that Quake IV was very loose while Prey is much more tightly knit. Firstly the performance of Quake IV was atrocious, while Prey seems to run much better on a similar system as it works alright on my sister's comp. Secondly Quake IV seriously lacked any ooomph in the fighting. While the combat in Prey feels like cutting a steak, the combat in Quake IV was like passing a knife through butter.

Also so far there is a massive difference in pacing. Each piece of combat in Quake IV felt meaningless, like they were just throwing one enemy after the other. That sorta thing was fine 10 years ago, but not now. You could say it works really well in Painkiller, but Painkiller used hordes of enemy units to test your skill... in Quake IV it felt like nothing.

The weapons in Quake IV all sucked. They lacked recoil, and they all pretty much felt the same. Prey has been quite innovative in its weapons so far.

Lastly I felt zero immersion in Quake IV, while the storyline seems much more tightly knit in Prey. The constant news updates and reminders that the planet earth is under attack really keep things going.

Quake IV's storyline was like a lost opportunity. The biggest disappointment was when you get converted to a Strogg. I thought that would be the turning point, and had been anticipating that moment since the first trailer. But when it finally happened... nothing. They could have made that moment a fantastic plot device, but hardly anyone in the game reacted to your conversion.

For me Quake IV was poor all round.

Anyway I am yet to finish Prey, so you guys could be right...things could get overly gimmicky. But so far it has been a good experience.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Jedi on Sunday, January 07, 2007, 12:58:44 AM
Quote
Quake IV's storyline was like a lost opportunity. The biggest disappointment was when you get converted to a Strogg. I thought that would be the turning point, and had been anticipating that moment since the first trailer. But when it finally happened... nothing. They could have made that moment a fantastic plot device, but hardly anyone in the game reacted to your conversion.

Oh I totaly agree with that, that should have been a kickass moment that perhaps turned the game up on its head. But all it did do was give you more HP... and I never understood why no one said anything? What the hell.
I never bothered to finish that game to be honest that twist and the total lack of reaction and meaning from it killed what interest i had in playing.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: PyroMenace on Sunday, January 07, 2007, 01:02:33 AM
Meh, its really just personal taste because I felt the exact opposite with every one of your points. It seems like you were looking for too much of something in Quake 4. Like comments about the storyline, thats all just filler. Quake 4 got what counted, the atmosphere. I loved the way the weapons felt, the pacing was just right. I mean I really didn't see any of what you saw in your knocks against it.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Pugnate on Sunday, January 07, 2007, 01:21:05 AM
Yea Jedi that's what killed it for me as well.

And Pyro, that's what's beautiful about this world. There is something for everyone. :) Also I never tried the Q4 MP.

When Quake IV was released there were many rumors about them having nerfed the multiplayer so that they could release a mulitplayer only Quake game in the future. Turns out that rumor was correct, as Quake Wars was announced not long after. I was pretty astonished on how they had gotten so much done on the game so quickly.

Also playing Prey for some reason keeps reminding me of Jedi Knight.

I want another Jedi Knight game damnit!
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: scottws on Sunday, January 07, 2007, 08:18:31 AM
I guess I worded that wrong. I never meant to say that innovation is never worth it. Despite Prey's new gameplay mechanics, Quake 4 was about as fun and immersive. Which is still saying a lot because I found Quake 4's SP to be pretty damn awesome, though thats probably whats more arguable.
I agree with Pyro.  Actually, I liked Quake IV more.  Please note that I'm not saying I didn't like Prey.  I did.  But it's probably a good thing it was short because my attention to the game was definately waning by the end.

It seemed to rely too much on the portals and the gravity ramps, like, "Look at me!  Isn't this so awesome?!  You can go upside down!  And check this out!  You can crawl through this box and be totally someplace else!  Crazy!"  Meanwhile I'm like, "Yeah, I know, I know already.  Geez."

That stuff wasn't nearly as cool as it was in the trailer.  It just seemed really gimmicky to me.  Well the portals were technicially and initially impressive, but then I just got the feeling that they could have just had a regular door there half the time.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, January 07, 2007, 08:27:57 AM
$19.99 @ CircuitCity.com for the Prey: Limited DVD Edition (PC)

Remember, if you spend over $24, free shipping @ CC.com for Standard Shipping -- 3-10 business days (http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Prey-Limited-Collector-s-Edition-PC/sem/rpsm/oid/154632/catOid/-16501/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do)
 
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Jedi on Sunday, January 07, 2007, 03:26:23 PM
I did play the demo for Prey and I was like that, all "wow check that out, this is cool" but I never felt compelled to buy the game. So with that said I can't compare Q4 and Prey, which is too bad becuase I would like to right now.
When I think about it I haven't really been invested in a game other than WoW (and a few games on the 360 recently) for a very long time, I don't know if I'm waiting for something new or fresh or if I'm just burnt out on the FPS and RTS's. On the other hand I've been playing FPS's on the 360 so maybe it just that the console is getting the games I want first...? Yeah I'll go with that for now  ;D
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Xessive on Monday, January 08, 2007, 12:53:28 AM
Yea Jedi that's what killed it for me as well.

And Pyro, that's what's beautiful about this world. There is something for everyone. :) Also I never tried the Q4 MP.

When Quake IV was released there were many rumors about them having nerfed the multiplayer so that they could release a mulitplayer only Quake game in the future. Turns out that rumor was correct, as Quake Wars was announced not long after. I was pretty astonished on how they had gotten so much done on the game so quickly.

Also playing Prey for some reason keeps reminding me of Jedi Knight.

I want another Jedi Knight game damnit!
HAha Oh man! I just installed Jedi Knight 2 right after about an hour of playing Prey! I was itching for some lightsaber action, and there's nothing more satisfying than slashing through stormtroopers!

Stormtroopers have my vote for most fun enemies to kill.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: sirean_syan on Monday, January 08, 2007, 11:46:01 PM
I think I'm going to have to say hordes of minor demons takes my vote.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Wednesday, January 10, 2007, 03:13:13 PM
My copy of Prey: Limited DVD Edition just arrived.

That is one of the best packaging I've ever come across for a game. PERIOD.

I just love the tin-case. I wish more Special Editions came in those.
Game on DVD is always nice.
An art book's always nice.
The mini-figurines are freakin' cool.

Though, I wish the soundtrack was on CD, not DriectSong. Hell, I didn't even know the soundtrack came w/ the game, even if it is in Digital Form...
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Pugnate on Friday, January 12, 2007, 06:24:03 AM
The following are my views on Prey and you shouldn't read them until you are done with the game:

Possible Spoilers:

Just finished Prey, and was quite good. I'd give it a score around the mid 80s. It lost its innovative appeal mid way through, as its unique aspects became less awe inspiring. Still what it did right was to keep things interesting through out. It wasn't a monotonous shoot em up, and I appreciated that. And while the storyline was a bit cheesy, it did involve you none the less. It made me care about the characters, which is something I can't say for just about every shooter I've played.

I was disappointed with the fact that the radio transmissions you hear from earth weren't fully fleshed out. I wanted to hear a lot more panic and widespread acceptance of an invasion. But that design decision made sense at the end of the game, when it turns out six months after the event the planet is still unsure of what happened.

I also like how they gave Tommy a military background. It is just a little thing, but helped connect the dots. I still can't figure out why Gordon Freeman, who is an award winning scientist, is also a genius with weapons.

In the end I'd say the game is quite excellent, but falls short of greatness. It wasn't an epic but I think the length was perfect for the ideas and gimmicks they had. While something like Half-Life 2 kept throwing interesting and exhilarating situations at you, there was only so much Prey could do. While the combat was good, on its own it wasn't that exhilarating. It was fun, but lacked the intensity of something like F.E.A.R. or even HL2.

The limitations of the Doom III engine meant you couldn't really have massive environments filled with all sorts of structures and enemies. They worked with what they had, and did an excellent job. However I think this is one of the last Doom III engine based games we will see. Even the boys at iD have admitted this and are working on a new engine. A Quake engine this was not.

While the ending leaves things open for a sequel, I think they firmly shut the door on any sort of an expansion.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: scottws on Friday, January 12, 2007, 07:25:43 AM
The limitations of the Doom III engine meant you couldn't really have massive environments filled with all sorts of structures and enemies. They worked with what they had, and did an excellent job. However I think this is one of the last Doom III engine based games we will see. Even the boys at iD have admitted this and are working on a new engine. A Quake engine this was not.
This is the first I've heard of this.  I thought that the DOOM III engine led to small, indoor environments just because it was so advanced that current hardware couldn't handle larger environments in the engine but would be able to over time.  I didn't realize there were true limitations like this.

In the end, I think the DOOM III engine was a bit of a disappointment to some degree.  I mean it's pretty, but there are some weird things like how some objects cast shadows but others do not.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Quemaqua on Friday, January 12, 2007, 07:38:44 AM
I'll agree that the Doom 3 engine was no Quake 3 engine, but still, I think it has been sufficiently proven on more than one occasion that Doom 3 can do big environments full of stuff.  It's just that few people have really bothered to build that kind of game with it.  But even Doom 3 and Prey had a few moments that showed it could do more without a performance hit, and some of the user-made stuff I've seen only confirms it.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Pugnate on Friday, January 12, 2007, 11:42:16 AM
Well maybe I remember wrong, as the article was from two years ago, but I remember Carmack talking about how the engine wasn't designed to be feasible for larger environments, and it was a more of an closed environment tech. He also talked about other issues like seams on textures and the inability to do high gloss metal right. Also he conceded that human skin wasn't as he would have liked.

I can't seem to find it. But here is what Wiki says:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_3_engine

Quote
MegaTexture rendering technology
The original version of the Doom 3 engine was criticized for its perceived inability to handle large outdoor areas. The MegaTexture technology addresses this issue by introducing a means to create expansive outdoor scenes. By painting a single massive texture (32,000×32,000 pixels) covering the entire polygon map and highly detailed terrain, the desired effects can be achieved. The MegaTexture can also store physical information about the terrain such as the amount of traction in certain areas or indicate what sound effect should be played when walking over specific parts of the map. i.e. walking on rock will sound different from walking on grass. [2] It is expected that this will result in a considerably more detailed scene than the majority of existing technologies, using tiled textures, allow. and add the terrain creation tool called "MegaGen".

Yea I wouldn't call the Doom III engine a failure yet, especially with Quake Wars around the corner. But then again QW will be using the Mega Texture tech patch.

Here I found something:

http://www.gamerwithin.com/?view=article&article=1319&cat=2




Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: idolminds on Friday, January 12, 2007, 12:08:27 PM
Megatexture was actually in the engine when Doom 3 was released. It wasn't completed...because it wasn't needed. But it was already there. See this thread. (http://www.doom3world.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=17912) Someone got it working.

Quote
There were no sdk changes. There is no gamex86 in the package.
All that was required was a vfp. Doom 3 already had the necessary code to handle everything else.

ET:QW has fleshed it out a bit more...but D3 engine has more to it than people give it credit for.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Pugnate on Friday, January 12, 2007, 12:16:50 PM
It definitely does then!
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Friday, January 12, 2007, 03:00:15 PM
Doom 3 is an outstanding engine. Doom 3 proves it, graphically and performance-wise.

Quake 4 proved it, too. Quake 4 ran great and played great; it rocked.

From the Prey demo, looks like Prey is another bad-ass shooter on the Doom 3 Engine. I will begin Prey when I finish Dark Messiah, probably.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: idolminds on Friday, January 12, 2007, 07:35:41 PM
Heh. speak of the devil (http://www.doom3world.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=18302).
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: scottws on Friday, January 12, 2007, 11:44:34 PM
Heh. speak of the devil (http://www.doom3world.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=18302).
Weird.  They talk about it like it is awesome, but I personally think it looks like shit.  I guess it's the guy's admitted weakness with trees.

Reading that thread was pretty crazy.  I have never heard of half of those things before.  This one in particular really got me:

Quote
it seems to assume the texture has been top-down planar mapped onto the model irregardless of how it actually is, meaning that if you distort the coordinates too much the high detail center becomes offset from you

 ::)

Also, he used the "word" irregardless... I hate that freaking word.  It's just "regardless" everyone!  Didn't you get the memo?
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Quemaqua on Friday, January 12, 2007, 11:58:23 PM
That always bugged me too.  It's just like "inflammable" meaning flammable.  Where the hell do these anomalous words come from?
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: idolminds on Saturday, January 13, 2007, 12:04:03 AM
By "awesome" I'm guessing they mean "awesome" that Doom 3 even had the capacity for a terrain that large. Quake Wars has this tech fleshed out a bit more, but the basics were there all along.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Pugnate on Saturday, January 13, 2007, 12:28:55 AM
And now I am educated on the matter. :)

I think he was just excited because he is a modder.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, January 28, 2007, 07:38:38 AM
I started up Prey: Collector's Ed, from scratch.

When I started and clicked to SAVE, I looked at my saved games list -- all my saved from the DEMO, which I never deleted, were there!!!! How many games are that cool that they let you use the saves from the DEMO for the FULL thing???

So, I did start from the beginning b/c I really love the opening of the game. I played quite a bit yesterday -- the single player is freakin' awesome.

2006 PC Shooter of the Year, if you ask me.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, January 28, 2007, 09:26:32 AM
Any good Prey mods out there, these days and age...?
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: iPPi on Sunday, January 28, 2007, 01:14:29 PM
The game is only $19.99 now, I might just go and buy it for the PC.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, January 28, 2007, 01:38:48 PM
The game is only $19.99 now, I might just go and buy it for the PC.

Yeah, most places have the PC version for $19.99 -- even the Collector's Ed.

I know CircuitCity.com did. I got the Collector's Ed from them. :)
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: iPPi on Tuesday, January 30, 2007, 09:53:19 PM
So I got this game for the PC.  Gotta say, it's pretty interesting.  Has a lot of interesting concepts and stuff; I'm only about 2 hours into the game, but I do find it to be a little too forgiving.  It offers almost no challenge as of yet.  Still, the portals, spirit walking, and gravity paths definitely make the game interesting.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Wednesday, January 31, 2007, 03:02:41 PM
So I got this game for the PC.  Gotta say, it's pretty interesting.  Has a lot of interesting concepts and stuff; I'm only about 2 hours into the game, but I do find it to be a little too forgiving.  It offers almost no challenge as of yet.
I do found myself dying a lot, though....

When you beat the game, you unlock another diffuculty level.

Quote
Still, the portals, spirit walking, and gravity paths definitely make the game interesting.
That's to say the least.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, February 04, 2007, 10:28:11 AM
I just finished this game -- took a little over 9½ hours.
Oh, hell yeah -- Best Shooter of 2006.

About The Ending Portion "After The Credits"...
(click to show/hide)


Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Quemaqua on Sunday, February 04, 2007, 10:39:50 AM
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Xessive on Sunday, February 04, 2007, 01:29:32 PM
(click to show/hide)
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, February 04, 2007, 01:51:16 PM
I ain't tried the MP yet, but how do y'all like Prey's MP?
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Quemaqua on Sunday, February 04, 2007, 04:28:15 PM
Really fun.  I played it like mad for maybe 2 days or so after the game came out.  Haven't really touched it since then, but it's a great DM game.  The crazy gravity stuff is totally fun.  It really works well.  I had a blast with it.  I just don't play MP games anymore really these days... just don't have the time.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, February 04, 2007, 04:51:00 PM
Really fun.  I played it like mad for maybe 2 days or so after the game came out.  Haven't really touched it since then, but it's a great DM game.  The crazy gravity stuff is totally fun.  It really works well.  I had a blast with it.  I just don't play MP games anymore really these days... just don't have the time.

Tell me you still have it installed.

I been wanting to fight Que in some online FPS game -- like maybe Painkiller, FEAR, Prey, or even Quake 4.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Quemaqua on Sunday, February 04, 2007, 04:59:55 PM
Heh, I don't actually have it installed at the moment.  Been considering reinstalling it, though.  Painkiller, too.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Saturday, February 10, 2007, 08:17:48 PM
Heh, I don't actually have it installed at the moment.  Been considering reinstalling it, though.  Painkiller, too.
Ooooh...Painkiller....
Another game I need to finish.

And hell, to add to that, since I ain't finished PK,  I ain't even began the expansion, either.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Wednesday, February 14, 2007, 03:15:25 PM
Prey gets patched to V1.3 so PC gamers can face off w/ Mac gamers in the MP (http://www.3drealms.com/)

Quote
Prey v1.3 PC Patch Released

Here's a quick note to let everyone know that we've released a new patch for Prey, v1.3. It's available now, and here's a summary of what's changed in this new update from the readme:

Prey v1.3 Readme

   1. This update includes compatibility files for the Mac port of Prey (meaning PC users can play against Mac users and vice versa).
   2. There are no bug fixes or new content in this release.
   3. This release is backwards compatible with Prey 1.2 multiplayer.
   4. There are new server files available. Windows versions come with the patch, Linux versions are available separately.
   5. In order for a Mac user to play on a PC pure server, the server they are on must have the v1.3 server files.

In short, the only thing changed in this patch is that PC players can now play against Mac players, although the PC side has to be running v1.3 to do this. Additionally, the dedicated server files need to be at the v1.3 revision for Mac users to "see" a PC server.

Unlike the last patch, PC v1.2 users can play PC v1.3 servers. If your existing copy of Prey works, and playing against Macintosh users is not a concern to you, then you do not need the upgrade. If you run a dedicated server, or you wish to see the widest number of available servers, though you should upgrade.

Click here (http://www.3drealms.com/prey/download.html) to get to our Prey downloads page, which contains links where you can download the patch. Please note that this patch is only for the standalone PC game - If your copy of Prey was through Steam, do not use this patch, Steam users will be handled through that system. There is no update needed for the Macintosh version or the Xbox 360 versions, as these are unaffected by the changes in the v1.3 PC patch.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Thursday, January 10, 2008, 08:19:18 PM
PREY gets a new update to Version 1.4.

Basically, it REMOVES the DISC Check.
Woohooo!!! (http://www.prey.com/downloads/)

Quote
v1.4 Patch

This update includes compatibility files for the Japanese release of Prey.

It also removes the disc check from the game.

There are no bug fixes or new content in this release.

This release is backwards compatible with Prey 1.2 and 1.3 multiplayer.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Jedi on Thursday, January 10, 2008, 09:11:24 PM
PREY gets a new update to Version 1.4.

Basically, it REMOVES the DISC Check.
Woohooo!!! (http://www.prey.com/downloads/)


Woohooo now that EVERYONE (but you D) is done PLAYING the game they can now DISABLE the DISC check.

Random caping is fun.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: gpw11 on Thursday, January 10, 2008, 09:27:53 PM
Interestingly enough, this was at the mall for like $4 the other day and I still didn't buy it.  Also interesting is I can't freaking find Condemned anywhere.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Thursday, January 10, 2008, 09:34:36 PM
To Jedi
I uninstalled the Prey (Collector's Ed) quite a while ago, Jedi.

Regardless, it's always good to see a game, regardless of its age, have its DVD/CD check removed from the game. Even more so true especially, if the game has nasty Copy protection such as StarForce (StarForce is quite notorious for having issues w/ Vista, hence why many game designers that had a SF-protected game removed the CD/DVD Check; like what Larian did with Beyond Divinity and Egosoft did with X3: Reunion). And especially if the game isn't making a decent amount of sales anymore, they might as well just remove the damn CD/DVD check -- 'cause if that's the case, they really ain't losing too many sales here.

To GPW
GPW, it's easily worth that $4.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Pugnate on Thursday, January 10, 2008, 10:55:22 PM
I forgot that I had made this thread, and when I saw the thread title, I thought,"Prey, breathtaking? What an ass!"

Turns out that ass was me.

The game was good, and the visuals were nice, but it was a bit of lost potential in certain areas.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Quemaqua on Thursday, January 10, 2008, 10:56:33 PM
Great old-school shooter with some really fun twists.  Not groundbreaking for the most part, but pure awesome nonetheless.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Pugnate on Thursday, January 10, 2008, 11:05:59 PM
It was a good old school shooter wasn't it? I found that it did it a lot better than Quake IV.

The storyline was written by Gary "Gaz" Whitta, and it was kinda weird to say the least. Like for example, the lead's name was Tommy Hawk... get it? oO

I loved the invasion aspect and the reactions you heard on the radio though. I wish there was more of that.

Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Quemaqua on Thursday, January 10, 2008, 11:14:36 PM
Yeah.  I didn't realize Whitta had done anything with it until the end credits, and I have to say the story was the weak part.  I mean, most of it was just great, but
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: idolminds on Thursday, January 10, 2008, 11:48:48 PM
I wish they had done more with the portals. Though you know Prey 2 will take some ideas from Portal. But still, theres more to be done.

For example, I thought of a great use for "invisible" portals. Think of a labyrinth, like the ones made of shrubs or whatever. So you enter and start walking around. In certain places there are portals, but they take up the whole hall and blend in so you don't even realize you're walking through them. That is until you hit a dead end, turn around, and all of a sudden they way back isn't the same as the way you came.

Would take a while to design and build properly, but it would make it much more than a maze.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Pugnate on Friday, January 11, 2008, 12:16:04 AM
Yup there is going to be a sequel. It sold ridiculously well for a PC shooter that was a new IP.

1 million first two months I think.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: gpw11 on Friday, January 11, 2008, 12:28:15 AM
[
To GPW
GPW, it's easily worth that $4.

I should probably pick it up, but I watched a fair amount of a Lets Play! on Something Awful for Prey, and it seemed kind of .... meh.  Although I am interested in trying something with the Doom III engine again because of the unique look of it.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Quemaqua on Friday, January 11, 2008, 12:38:22 AM
It's a very good game if you aren't looking for something that changes the face of the FPS.  I mean, it's really just an old-school shooter that does some things that are fun and different (sort of the way Duke 3D did back in the day).  If you see it for a few bucks, give it a whirl.  The shooter stuff is really just pure shooter, but still quality, and the other stuff just skews it all enough to make it feel refreshing.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Xessive on Friday, January 11, 2008, 01:29:14 AM
I wish they had done more with the portals. Though you know Prey 2 will take some ideas from Portal. But still, theres more to be done.

For example, I thought of a great use for "invisible" portals. Think of a labyrinth, like the ones made of shrubs or whatever. So you enter and start walking around. In certain places there are portals, but they take up the whole hall and blend in so you don't even realize you're walking through them. That is until you hit a dead end, turn around, and all of a sudden they way back isn't the same as the way you came.

Would take a while to design and build properly, but it would make it much more than a maze.
I tihnk they had a teeny tiny part in Vampire Bloodlines that had that idea; it was in the Tremere safe-house I think.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Pugnate on Friday, January 11, 2008, 06:55:56 AM
I should probably pick it up, but I watched a fair amount of a Lets Play! on Something Awful for Prey, and it seemed kind of .... meh.  Although I am interested in trying something with the Doom III engine again because of the unique look of it.

Man for $4 it is worth having.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Cobra951 on Friday, January 11, 2008, 04:34:40 PM
I got this for the 360, and played it for a couple of days, but I never finished it.  Other stuff distracted me, and I never went back.  It's the only special ed of a game I regret getting.  I only got it because it was the same price as the regular ed, but it comes in this big tin can that takes up needless room on the shelf, and the disc attaches to the bottom of the thing with this rubber puck that almost made me break the DVD to get it off.  All the literature sits on top of the disc.  Stupid.  I now have the disc in a paper sleeve on top of everything.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: scottws on Friday, January 11, 2008, 07:45:58 PM
Prey was ok.  The beginning was awesome.  The portals and gravity effects were neat, but the gizmo glasses quickly wore off.  It was a good game, don't get me wrong, but for some reason it didn't feel all that special.  I liked Quake IV more.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Jedi on Friday, January 11, 2008, 08:35:07 PM
To Jedi
I uninstalled the Prey (Collector's Ed) quite a while ago, Jedi.

You actually uninstalled a game!!!  :o
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Friday, January 11, 2008, 08:47:41 PM
You actually uninstalled a game!!!  :o

Yeah, now and then, I need to uninstall games to make room for new ones.

For example, after beating PK: Black, I removed that to make some more room -- namely for Hellgate.
Title: Patch v1.4 is out!
Post by: Xessive on Saturday, January 12, 2008, 12:06:38 AM
Patch v1.4 (http://www.prey.com/downloads/index.htm) is out.

Quote
This update includes compatibility files for the Japanese release of Prey. It also removes the disc check from the game. There are no bug fixes or new content in this release. This release is backwards compatible with Prey 1.2 and 1.3 multiplayer.

Yay!
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: gpw11 on Saturday, January 12, 2008, 01:04:51 AM
....
Title: Re: Patch v1.4 is out!
Post by: Jedi on Saturday, January 12, 2008, 02:31:46 AM
Hahaha
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Xessive on Saturday, January 12, 2008, 03:59:19 AM
Ok, I'm patch-happy. I always keep track of patches and fixes. Y'all know that!
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: TheOtherBelmont on Saturday, January 12, 2008, 04:03:07 AM
Ok, I'm patch-happy. I always keep track of patches and fixes. Y'all know that!

I think they were laughing at the fact that D just made a post about patch v1.4 about 20 posts up from yours on Reply #54.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Xessive on Saturday, January 12, 2008, 04:09:54 AM
I think they were laughing at the fact that D just made a post about patch v1.4 about 20 posts up from yours on Reply #54.
Yes. Yes he did. MyD wins. I don't know how I missed that.

Well, there's no elegant way out of this, so "Yay! Patch 1.4 is out!"
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Pugnate on Saturday, January 12, 2008, 05:14:19 AM
The downside to skipping D's posts. :P
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Xessive on Saturday, January 12, 2008, 05:16:52 AM
The downside to skipping D's posts. :P
Haha seriously :P Who knew?!
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Saturday, January 12, 2008, 07:11:37 AM
Haha seriously :P Who knew?!

I knew!

The world's gotta' try and keep up w/ me.

I'm just light years ahead of the "posting new news" game. :P
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Xessive on Saturday, January 12, 2008, 07:49:37 AM
Hehe Well touché to you, MyD :D
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: gpw11 on Sunday, January 20, 2008, 09:42:20 PM
So, I picked this up today and am probably about an hour or so into it.  I like it a lot so far, but could see how it might get old. 
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Pugnate on Sunday, January 20, 2008, 11:14:19 PM
I think at the time of its release it didn't have many peers.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: gpw11 on Monday, February 04, 2008, 07:12:18 PM
Honestly, I don't think it might still not have many peers.  While the graphics may not technically be as good as Bioshock, Crysis, or UT3 I'd say the art direction and set design brings it up to a level where I find myself still being amazed even after playing the new graphical milestones.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Pugnate on Monday, February 04, 2008, 11:11:48 PM
Hmm... I'll have to give it another shot now. More artful than Bioshock??
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: gpw11 on Tuesday, February 05, 2008, 01:34:31 AM
Depending on how you look at it  guess.  I think the main thing about Bioshock is that it's set in this environment that we've never seen at all before.  A dystopian art deco underwater city is something that instantly appeals to our senses.  Prey, on the other hand is set in an environment we have seen many, many times before, but it pulls it off better than any other game I've seen. 

I just played a bit more, and I may have exaggerated a bit before.  Nevertheless, I still think it fully stands up to todays games.  Where I may have exaggerated is the art design, which really isn't all I made it out to be.  Rather, it's the fact that they use the Doom 3 engine and capitalize on all it's strengths, and combine that with excellent level design (for the most part), and some very good art direction (specifically with weapons and some of the little details).  What comes out is more than the sum of it's parts.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Pugnate on Tuesday, February 05, 2008, 03:25:36 AM
I am going to go ahead and say something...  I am in the middle of Bioshock, and while I am enjoying it, I am finding it immensely easy. Even the Big Daddies are a pushover. I am also not really enjoying the sooting elements. I am finding it a bit of a chore to fire it up again and pick up from where I left off.

Now I am going to say something that may bother the action purists on our boards. I am giving up on Gears of War. I've probably played half of it, and if I am not going to get variety out of this, then no thanks.

I am probably going to hold on till my bro visits me in June, and then do a LAN coop.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Xessive on Tuesday, February 05, 2008, 06:49:48 AM
I wish I could LAN coop. Sadly, I believe I am the only one in this entire country who plays coop.

Everybody either doesn't have the same games I have or they're only interested in 1on1 deathmatches, which I dread.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: gpw11 on Tuesday, February 05, 2008, 05:17:49 PM
I am going to go ahead and say something...  I am in the middle of Bioshock, and while I am enjoying it, I am finding it immensely easy. Even the Big Daddies are a pushover. I am also not really enjoying the sooting elements. I am finding it a bit of a chore to fire it up again and pick up from where I left off.

Now I am going to say something that may bother the action purists on our boards. I am giving up on Gears of War. I've probably played half of it, and if I am not going to get variety out of this, then no thanks.

I am probably going to hold on till my bro visits me in June, and then do a LAN coop.

I can get behind what you're saying about Bioshock for sure.  The shooting elements were pretty weak throughout the game as far as I'm concerned, and it's entirely too easy up until the very end.  As for GoW, I played through it rather quickly, but ended up doing a lot of the later missions on co-op, which is really the way to play the game.  You're right, there really isn't much variety save for a few moments.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, February 05, 2008, 08:31:14 PM
I disagree entirely for Bioshock, but then I played it on hard because I'm not a total pussy.   :-[  True, the shooters aspects weren't the best ever, but I thought the difficulty was fine, and getting inventive by combining different weapons/plasmids was pretty fun even if some of the individual things just boiled down to standard stuff in the end.  That kind of experimentation was ultimately what appealed to me.  That said, I still didn't think the shooting elements were weak.  They were still decent.

And I can see what you're saying for Gears.  For me that stuff held out, but I can understand why it wouldn't for others.  The biggest problem was the fact that the game didn't have any real boss fights other than the last fight.  It needed another 1 or 2 of those scattered around the middle of the game, I think, and then everything would have been gravy.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Tuesday, February 05, 2008, 09:21:14 PM
I am going to go ahead and say something...  I am in the middle of Bioshock, and while I am enjoying it, I am finding it immensely easy.


Even the Big Daddies are a pushover.
I'm going to assume you're running newest version of the game....

So, what difficulty? Are you playing on Normal? Hard?

Did you toggle the Vita Chambers ON or OFF?
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Pugnate on Tuesday, February 05, 2008, 11:27:57 PM
Yea Que, I am thinking of restarting it on a harder difficulty. I still love the game of course.

And D, Vita Chambers aren't making a difference to me. In fact I thought all that crying about Vita Chambers was extremely stupid. So there are resurrection chambers, so what?

Don't you quick load a game after dying anyway? And resurrection chambers were in System Shock 2 as well. But yes, am using the latest patch. I will post screenies of the POV widescreen differences that were significant enough to warrant a change.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, February 05, 2008, 11:46:08 PM
Damn it, stop making me want to play it again.  I seriously need to be focusing on FAWM right now.  No distractions.

But... games... must... play...
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Wednesday, February 06, 2008, 03:58:28 PM
Yea Que, I am thinking of restarting it on a harder difficulty. I still love the game of course.

And D, Vita Chambers aren't making a difference to me. In fact I thought all that crying about Vita Chambers was extremely stupid. So there are resurrection chambers, so what?
So....if you die, you can go back and smash the big daddy s'more, repeat cycle until Big Daddy dies -- therefor, making the game TOO EASY.

That's of course if you don't decide to just reload your last save.
Quote
Don't you quick load a game after dying anyway?
Not always, no -- depends on the situation, the game itself, and some other stuff. These days, I play a little different. Sometimes, I'll just take the respawn. Sometimes, I'll reload a quicksave. It also depends if I want to put up w/ a game's loadtime, too -- as often a respawn gives you no load time, while a reload will likely give you some sort of load time.

I have actually gotten used to games w/ respawning. Though, I would like to see a game that allows for that any respawning you do, ALL of your enemies should automatically get their health fully generated as a penalty for you dying in the first place.
 
Quote
And resurrection chambers were in System Shock 2 as well.
They costed $ to be used, though.

And yes, I used them in that, sometimes.

Not nearly as much as I did w/ Bioshock b/c I often spent my money and often just decided to reload a save.

Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Jedi on Wednesday, February 06, 2008, 04:50:39 PM
Yeah the difference between the chambers and quick loading is in one the game world doesn't reset ie the big daddie is hurting a little after you placed a rocket up his arse just before he mashed you into a wall.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: gpw11 on Wednesday, February 06, 2008, 06:03:37 PM
I don't think the vita chambers were the problem.  It was just overall too easy (on normal, I never tried on hard for some reason).  I don't really think I woke up in a vita chamber at all until the last 10% of the game.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: Jedi on Wednesday, February 06, 2008, 07:10:55 PM
And at the same time why do you need an option to turn them off? Just quick load back to your last spot it's like cheats, they're there but you don't need to use them.
Title: Re: Prey is breathtaking.
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, May 07, 2017, 07:16:40 AM
Cross-post b/c of importance of issues w/ having Prey 2006 + 2017 Steam-versions installed:
http://www.overwritten.net/forum/index.php?topic=9958.msg131186#msg131186

Quote
For people that own BOTH Prey 2006 on Steam + Prey 2017 on Steam - be careful.

Giant Bomb on Quick Look at 12:56 mention you CANNOT have Steam-versions of both installed at once (at least on the same drive) - https://youtu.be/lY4ZHKrAqlc?t=776
Prey 2017 uses SAME Steam-folder directory as Prey 2006. WTH?
Also been talked about on NeoGAF - http://www.neogaf.co...1368643&page=13

If you have Prey 2006 from retail on disc (i.e. the Non-Steam version) - you could install Prey Classic wherever you want (probably don't want to name the folder Prey, just to stay safe); patch it up to 1.4 (DRM-check removal patch - you can get that from 3D Realms' Web Site (http://ftp://ftp.3drealms.com/patches/SetupPreyPt1.4.exe)); and just run that version of the game.
You can always add that as Non-Steam game, to do screenshots + all of that stuff. Tested it, works fine.

Also, Prey 2006 retail-disc keys can be activated on Steam. Check the back of your Prey 2006 manual for the key + register that onto Steam.

Also - yeah, you might to download Prey 2006 Steam-version and back it up elsewhere before you mess around with it - since it's only around 1.7 GB or so. Probably easier to back that up than whatever size say Prey 2017 is.
Plus, Prey 2006 is no longer getting updates anyways - and that likely won't change. We already known Prey 2017 will be getting updates, at least to fix up FoV issues.

Since Prey 2006 Steam-version's EXE is protected w/ Steam-DRM, that version doesn't work without Steam. So, if you have both Retail + Steam-versions - you could...
1. You might want to back-up the old Steam-version Prey.exe, before you move the DRM-FREE Prey.exe over, for back-up purposes.
2. Copy the DRM-FREE version of Prey.EXE into the Steam-version's folder.
3. Re-name Steam-version of Prey 2006's actual game folder (i.e. rename it to Prey 2006, Prey Classic, or whatever - i.e. rename it to anything but Prey, since Prey 2017 wants that directory)
4. Add your Prey 2006's own Prey.exe as Non-Steam game.
Tested it; works fine. :)

Also, PROFILE Folder/Saved-game folders for Prey 2006 + 2017 are different - so, at least those two have different directories for Profiles.
Prey 2006 profiles goes in My Documents\My Games\PREY
Prey 2017 profiles looks like it goes in My Documents\My Games\Arkane Studios\Prey, according to PC Gaming Wiki for Prey 2017 (https://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Prey_(2017)).

I don't have Prey 2017 yet - but I guess you could always puts Steam-versions of Prey 2006 + 2017 on maybe different hard-drives?
Not sure if Prey 2017 would overwrite Prey 2006, if they are installed on separate drives.