Tom Clancy's The Division

[Megrim]

I think I was interested in this initially, but this has become such a non-game that I don't even know what it is anymore.

Hipster shooter.

ooooooooooh ic

[Falconeer]

Before jumping into the interview, here’s a quick run-down of what you can expect from the PC version of the game. It’s unusual to see such a marked difference between PC and console at a preview event, but the version that we four PC-dedicated journalists played was splendid. I usually jump into the menu screens to invert my y-axis and then hop out immediately. The Division has so many options to play with though.

At the base, there are strong keyboard and mouse controls, which make inventory management a drag-and-drop joy in comparison to the controller equivalent. Those go hand in hand with extensive customisation options. Those include a wealth of visual settings (you can turn ambient occlusion off, should you wish) and a fully customisable HUD. Windows and other elements can be resized and shifted around the screen (or screens; up to three are supported as are multiple GPUs) as you desire.

All of that and no framerate locks. Right. On with the interview.

[RPS]: And on the PC version, you go even further by making the whole thing fully customisable. Elements can be repositioned, resized, completely eliminated. Almost every developer tells us that they care about PC but most don’t go this far. How important was all of the customisation in the PC version for you?

[Jansén]: PC is incredibly important to us. There are plenty of incentives to do a good PC version. Personally it’s important – a I play on PC whenever I can and I want the thing they play at home to be the best possible version. That is not to be underestimated as a driving force. Secondly, both of the studios, Massive and Red Storm started out on PC so it’s a matter of pride, or heritage and pedigree if you will. We feel kind of ashamed if we don’t do the PC version really well. It really is something that we care about.

Source: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/01/22/tom-clancys-the-division-interview/

[01101010]

Anyone in the beta(demo) they are doing right now? Opinions?

After SW: Battlefront beta let me down, I am not keen on purchasing this site unseen.

[Falconeer]

I think only XBOX ( ) started yesterday. But PC starts today. In Europe, it's around 1pm. So I will post my first impressions in a few hours.

[Furiously]

My impressions after a couple hours and doing the one story quest they have available on mostly hard difficulty (Which seems like a huge red-flag to only have one story quest).

1. For a cover based shooter they have not made using cover as seamless as they should. They have all these cover points indicated and you have to run up to it. Hit the cover button and then peep over to shoot your gun then hope for some reason you didn't detach from the cover and if you want to find other cover you have to run to it instead of hitting the cover button to automatically get to the next cover. Also if you vault on top of something your pathfinding is likely to spin you in circles trying to get down while you get shot 56 times and then let you jump down.

2. Someone in your group will have a hot mic and you will be forced to hear the monstertruck commercial version of everything the NPC's say. I need to turn off voice I think.

3. It looks pretty.

[Falconeer]

I confirm my initial impressions: it is a better Defiance, but the gameplay is 100% Defiance. It's not necessarily a bad thing, Defiance gameplay wasn't bad it was simply too shallow and too short. In these regards, it's impossible to judge where The Division stands since the beta only lets you see a very small portion of the whole, but as a Defiance clone it certainly is a giant step forward in aesthetics, setting and polish.

Bonus: the dark zone (PvP). It is a lot of fun for now, but it will take a few days to see if people find a way to ruin it, or the design will fall apart somehow.

[01101010]

Bonus: the dark zone (PvP). It is a lot of fun for now, but it will take a few days to see if before people find a way to ruin it, or and the design will fall apart somehow.

FTFY... minor points. 

[Surlyboi]

As of about an hour ago, the dark zone on PS4 is a complete shitshow. Roaming packs of over-geared assholes in the same parties are ganking anyone that enters or tries to get gear airlifted out.

I like it though. So far. Despite the fact that the only things they got right are Madison Square Garden and the post office across the street from it. The rest of the city looks like a google maps version of it. The fact that they couldn't license some of the buildings like the Empire State and Chrysler doesn't help either.

All that said, I will still get it because I like the storyline so far.

[01101010]

I got my nice, sorry but you didn't preorder so no beta. But we'll let you know. I'll keep an ear open since Surly seems to not mind it.

[Trippy]

He liked Destiny, though, so his opinion is suspect.

[01101010]

He liked Destiny, though, so his opinion is suspect.

As did I, for the most part. Birds of a feather and stuff.

[Trippy]

Oh, carry on then.

[Furiously]

Schild should like this, it's got Diablo'ish style loot. Then it hit me...This might actually be Hellgate: NYC.

[Surlyboi]

It kind of is Hellgate:NYC. Hopefully it fares better. The shooting isn't as crisp as Destiny's but it is fun once you get the hang of it and start getting better gear.

[Falconeer]

Hellgate and Diablo though are about hordes of enemies that you vaporize with the blink of an eye. This is the opposite; a few human enemies here and there that absorb your bullets as if they were made of candy wraps. In Hellgate you feel like a god, here you feel less effective than an actual, real life gunman.

I'm enhoying it though for what it is. An action MMORRPG set in modern times. Cool take.

[Surlyboi]

Once you start to get better guns, it gets easier. With my current loadout, I'm one and two-shotting most dark zone mooks. (With the glaring exception of that climbing gym across the street from the rooftop LZ.

[01101010]

Once you start to get better guns, it gets easier. With my current loadout, I'm one and two-shotting most dark zone mooks. (With the glaring exception of that climbing gym across the street from the rooftop LZ.

SPOILERS!! 

[Surlyboi]

We take a break from this apocalypse in progress for nature's call...

http://i.imgur.com/n5NlnOQ.gifv

[Ginaz]

We take a break from this apocalypse in progress for nature's call...

http://i.imgur.com/n5NlnOQ.gifv

Wha...?  Is that a dog squatting and taking a shit?

[KallDrexx]

I like how some animator had to waste a day or two on that, including the particle effects or whatever used to make the actual shit coming out.

[Evildrider]

Dogmeat doesn't crap once.   

[Trippy]

Did the poop just magically disappear? It's kind of hard to tell from that clip.

[Evildrider]

Yeah it kind of just melts into the pavement.  Too bad that rat in the background isn't dragging around a slice of pizza.

[Malakili]

Listen, if we're going to have a realistic post-apocalyptic setting, some shit's just gotta be done.

[Surlyboi]

Did the poop just magically disappear? It's kind of hard to tell from that clip.

Like all dog poop in the winter in New York, it sinks into the snow, waiting for an unsuspecting passer-by or twelve to step in it and track it across the city.

As for pizza rat, all of his cousins are out in force.

[NiX]

My impressions after a couple hours and doing the one story quest they have available on mostly hard difficulty (Which seems like a huge red-flag to only have one story quest).

1. For a cover based shooter they have not made using cover as seamless as they should. They have all these cover points indicated and you have to run up to it. Hit the cover button and then peep over to shoot your gun then hope for some reason you didn't detach from the cover and if you want to find other cover you have to run to it instead of hitting the cover button to automatically get to the next cover. Also if you vault on top of something your pathfinding is likely to spin you in circles trying to get down while you get shot 56 times and then let you jump down.

2. Someone in your group will have a hot mic and you will be forced to hear the monstertruck commercial version of everything the NPC's say. I need to turn off voice I think.

3. It looks pretty.

1. The minute you see the cover indicator you just need to hit the cover button the attach to it. You're detaching from it because you haven't changed the setting that detaches you on moving backwards. You can move cover to cover by finding the cover you want and holding the cover button.

2. Mute them in group management

[Gimfain]

I wonder how bad the cheating will be on the pc version.
https://www.reddit.com/r/thedivision/comments/43jr61/pc_version_will_be_plagued_with_cheaters/

[Kageru]

Defiance had the advantage of the relatively poor graphics and low architectural density making content creation cheaper. Combine that with beta being a thin slice and I suspect there's a good chance it will release content light.

Plus defiance, warframe and destiny all have plots that allow for game progression and mob variety. An epidemic and sudden collapse of society doesn't seem to have nearly the same scope. Even increasing difficulty by having large opponent counts will start to break the sense of realism, those games have enemy empires to explain the endlessly refreshing enemy hordes.

... I guess inevitably it's going to go zombie. Or it thinks it can sell on the PvP?

[Falconeer]

I think plot is fina and will be fine in The Division, what I have seen is promising. What worries me is variety: you have a level progression curve, but your enemies are only gonna be humans all the way up. Not sure you have much wiggle room with that. For what is essentially a MMORPG I believe that will be a problem, shortening longevity.

[Surlyboi]

The plot is awesome for a one-off. I too am worried about longevity though. Where do you go after saving the country from the brink of apocalypse?

[Falconeer]

How does Destiny keep up the interest (does it?). Loot? DLCs? "Story"?

[Surlyboi]

A combination of all three. Or at least it did before it went into maintenance mode.

[Falconeer]

Whoa. It did so early? I thought that at least on console was a huge success. If it isn't, then it's clearly not a business or gameplay model anyone should imitate. Unless... Warframe is still doing great right?

[Hoax]

Warframe is still doing very very well yes in terms of player numbers on steam. No idea how it is doing on Playstation.

Its in the Football Manager, GTA5, TF2, Civ5, Rocket League, currently popular survival sandboxes & currently popular AAA RPG's tier.

Which means its ahead of: old Counterstrike, f2p mmo's, whatever roguelikes happen to be big atm and moba's that aren't DOTA.

[01101010]

The plot is awesome for a one-off. I too am worried about longevity though. Where do you go after saving the country from the brink of apocalypse?

Boston? 

Destiny was great for awhile for me. I got my money's worth... didn't grab Taken King because I was barely playing at that point. I don't miss it nor do I regret buying it. However, that is going to be the last game I play without a preview, in terms of shooters. I was in the market for SW: Battlefront when I saw the teasers and trailers, but changed pretty quick after playing the preview weekend (no, that was not beta so I am no longer going to call them that).

Still curious about this game, but not going to get suckered into a $60 purchase for $20 worth of content because of 'new shiny.' I enjoy PvP to an extent, but once that becomes all the game has to offer (with little to no story), then there is no way I'll spend that kinda cash - not when I can play Warframe or Planetside 2 for free.