Gears of War Collaboration Thread

[ehandlr]

Teasers

http://www.xboxyde.com/news_3680_en.html


Videos

9 new videos from X06 demonstrating Gears of War's multiplayer can be found here;

http://leech.thewopples.com/gow/


Multiplayer

The multiplayer is looking very polished now, it seemed to have some v-synch issues but hopefully that'll be sorted out by emergence day.


Epic VP Mark Rein has branded Sony’s claims that PS3 will kick off the next generation as “bull****”.

Pimping Gears of War at GDC London today he told an audience of developers, ”Sony says the next generation starts when they say so. I say, that’s bull****. Gears of War is the first second-generation game for Xbox 360 and it looks very fine. You will never see launch titles that look this good.”

He countered recent stories that Gear of War lasts for 10 hours, “Someone said that at TGS but they were wrong. If you’re on the development team and you’ve played it 30 times then sure, you can get through it in ten hours but for first time players it’s going to be at least 12 hours.”



Gears of War suffers at the hands of Microsoft


Posted in Xbox 360, Games by Rossko UK on October 7th, 2006 at 3:41
Well, it had to happen didn’t it? After all the great and exciting news on GoW lately, there was always going to be a setback. Sadly, it’s in the multiplayer department, and sadly, you won’t be playing tactically with any of your Xbox Live friends.

Unfortunately for the guys at Epic and us gamers, Microsoft have a policy that states that all ranked matches must be based on skill. Therefore, playing ranked matches with your clan or friends is down to chance (or pretty much impossible, since getting the eight people you want in the same room would take some doing), much unlike the system of Halo 2 that everyone raves about.


The problem is Microsoft don’t want friends boosting their own rank with each other and getting achievements and so on. The TrueSkill ranking system, that matches you with other players of roughly the same ability, is there to make sure you have a fair game (supposedly). It is now required for all 360 games to come with a ranked multiplayer that picks “random” people to play against (it’s not truely random, as it picks the people closest to your skill). Games that do not feature such a system don’t ship, hence why Epic had to do it the way no-one really wanted.

Yes, it’s a cert requirement. You may not choose who you get to play with in a ranked match and you may not keep the session together. The theory is this prevents collaborative cheating (I kill you ten times, now you me, etc.)

The players you’ll meet aren’t random. They are the best fit for your skill level.

This came straight from a programmer at the official forums, named joeGraf. And if you keep reading, it sounds as if he would rather it wern’t like that:

I can put the code in. Then the game won’t ship. I prefer to ship the game. Maybe you have a different view

It’s a shame, because Gears of War sounds like the perfect game for teamwork. I do understand where Microsoft are coming from, but I think common sense is needed. With a game like this, it surely requires you to be playing with people you know, right? I can see the problem here though: every developer will claim that their multiplayer requires the teamwork, then MS won’t know what to do. I just think there has to be some other way around it. After all, the only reason I play in ranked matches is for achievements, not for my rank. Personally, I think if you just reset the leaderboards evey month, people will realise it’s a waste of time. Does rank really bother any of you, readers?


“Hmmm, there must be a way around this…”
The other thing I find strange is that Saints Row actually allows you to play in ranked matches with people you know. You go into a lobby, the host sets the game as ranked and away you go. Could GoW not have something in the same vein


Gears Of War Demo
http://xboxyde.com/news_3583_en.html

Gears of War Demo 2
http://xboxyde.com/news_3590_en.html



Bungie’s Impressions

Game Two: Gears of War

Later in the evening, we came back to the same venue to show our new partner-in-crime Peter Jackson a few of the new Xbox titles at the show. While they mingled and explored a variety of titles, Frankie and I decided to step into a grudge match of a new kind - a one on one Gears of War showdown.

We jumped into a game and spent the better part of 10 minutes just drooling over the environments and graphics. Words really can't do this game justice - it really looks better running on an HD monitor than it does in screenshots. As Frank oggled the pretty water and realistic gritty textures I managed to find a variety of sniper rifle and promptly delivered a killing headshot. Score one for the Locusts (the 'bad guy' species in GoW).

When round two began, I decided to head for the same rifle but this time, O'Connor was on to me. I took cover behind a wall (an integral part of the GoW experience) and tried to fire off a round to no avail. The downside to this rifle is that it's slow to reload and while that was happening, Frankie flanked me and gave me an up close and personal introduction to his chainsaw bayonet. Score one for the good guys.

Round three began and we engaged in a close quarters firefight, both of us using two burned out automobiles for cover. After trading a few dozen rounds Frankie managed to drop me with a well placed pistol round. We reset positions and entered into the battlefield again, this time things went my way and I managed to flush him out of cover with a well placed grenade to finish the job with my assault rifle. The score is 2-2, next kill wins it all.

When the final round began, we had a better sense of the map and it unfolded in a slower, more deliberate manner. We used cover wisely, sprinting through open spots and throwing ourselves against pillars and rocks to avoid incoming fire. I had Frankie in my sights and laid down supressing fire while I tried to move in closer for the kill. As I took cover on the opposite side of the wall he was hiding behind, Frankie jumped around and greeted me with a shotgun to the face. Game Over.



Screen Shots

http://images.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/4225/786_0003.jpg
http://images.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/4225/786_0002.jpg
http://images.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/4225/786_0004.jpg
http://images.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/4225/786_0001.jpg

Some new scans from EGM;

http://suprfile.com/src/2/3nokngb/40781320061009_032005_0_big.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=3nokngb) http://suprfile.com/src/2/3nom1qq/40781320061009_032006_1_big.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=3nom1qq) http://suprfile.com/src/2/3nondix/40781320061009_032006_2_big.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=3nondix) http://suprfile.com/src/2/3nop5tj/40781320061009_032006_3_big.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=3nop5tj)
http://suprfile.com/src/2/3noq634/40781320061009_032006_4_big.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=3noq634) http://suprfile.com/src/2/3nor04o/40781320061009_032007_5_big.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=3nor04o) http://suprfile.com/src/2/3nosfk0/40781320061009_032007_6_big.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=3nosfk0) http://suprfile.com/src/2/3noui7u/40781320061009_032007_7_big.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=3noui7u)

[Ewan]

Great collaberation Ehandlr, Gears of war is looking great

[Bootaaay]

Some new scans from EGM;

http://suprfile.com/src/2/3nokngb/40781320061009_032005_0_big.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=3nokngb) http://suprfile.com/src/2/3nom1qq/40781320061009_032006_1_big.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=3nom1qq) http://suprfile.com/src/2/3nondix/40781320061009_032006_2_big.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=3nondix) http://suprfile.com/src/2/3nop5tj/40781320061009_032006_3_big.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=3nop5tj)
http://suprfile.com/src/2/3noq634/40781320061009_032006_4_big.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=3noq634) http://suprfile.com/src/2/3nor04o/40781320061009_032007_5_big.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=3nor04o) http://suprfile.com/src/2/3nosfk0/40781320061009_032007_6_big.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=3nosfk0) http://suprfile.com/src/2/3noui7u/40781320061009_032007_7_big.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=3noui7u)

:nana:

[Naluka]

The more I read about it the more amazing this game seems... Cant wait...

Is there a confirmed release date yet (12th/17th November)?

[Sprig]

http://www.release-dates.org/Gears_Of_War.html :)

[Naluka]

http://www.release-dates.org/Gears_Of_War.html :)

Lol Thats why I asked if there was a confirmed release date, not what shops have as it.. Suppose it'll be around there then..

I read somewhere about it being 9th for online pre-orders and 12th in stores, anyone know if thats true?

[ehandlr]

10/10 added some teasers

[Jacques XVII]

it looks amazing, but someone said the multiplayer was gonna be crap :confused: that isnt true from previews is it?

[ehandlr]

Not sure...its has ranked online mode so its random players..dunno if it has player vs player.

[Naluka]

Didn't it say somewhere that the Co-Op mode you could drop in & out of and if your on your own then a computer controlled team mate takes over, couldn't do ranked stuff for that could you really?

[yinujim]

Do you think I should get this game for xmas?

[Jacques XVII]

either this or Call of Duty 3.

[Bootaaay]

it looks amazing, but someone said the multiplayer was gonna be crap :confused: that isnt true from previews is it?

By all accounts the multiplayer is the best thing about the game, look at some of the videos from X06 showing off the MP - it looks amazing imho.

[Jacques XVII]

thats what i thought and i was talking to a friend (i cant remember who) who said that the multiplayer was gonna be a let down.

i really hope it isnt, thats the whole reason ill be getting a game.

[Sprig]

Ya the multiplayer is the best aspect of this game lol.

[DarkSora]

thats what i thought and i was talking to a friend (i cant remember who) who said that the multiplayer was gonna be a let down.

i really hope it isnt, thats the whole reason ill be getting a game.

your friend was probably reffering to the ranked random matches meaning you cant play with who you want :(

Also single player is meant to be short too :( but this game still rocks. :p

[Bootaaay]

your friend was probably reffering to the ranked random matches meaning you cant play with who you want :(

*In Ranked matches only - this only really affects clan gamers who want to have Ranked matches against other clans, and can't because it puts you in a random game based on your TrueSkill rating. Practically everyone else will be playing Player matches.

[ehandlr]

Can a mod make a second post since I forgot to reserve it and post the below information for the collaboration?





It’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it. We set off to a swanky London penthouse to play one of the most anticipated games of 2006, the third-person tactical shooter, Gears of War. We’d heard mixed previews, mainly revolving around a dodgy control system, but we’d been looking forward to the game for so long that we weren’t going to be phased by the hollers of discontent from a minority. We’ve seen plenty of trailers to know that Gears of War would look great and seen in-game footage which had blew us away, but it’s easy to be deceived with the publisher’s hype when we hadn’t seen it with our own eyes. We were excited, but also cautious, just in case Gears of War didn’t quite live up to our expectations.

From the moment that we clutched the 360 controller in our sweaty palms and witnessed the first couple of minutes of the multiplayer map called Gridlock we were quite literally stunned. I exchanged a few glances with the HEXUS.gaming Editor Nick Haywood which was enough to convey the message. We didn’t have to say anything; it was the language of the gamer, the twinkle in his eye, and his ever widening smile that told me that he was thinking exactly what I was thinking. It was a moment where I just wanted to lay bare my inner emotions and shout at the top of my voice. It was moment that defied all logic as I struggled to come to terms with how the first moments of a videogame had entered my soul like no other before and left me tingling from head to toe. I literally took up position behind the cover of a car and sat there shaking my head in disbelief, frozen with awe, but occasionally brave enough to take a few pot-shots at an enemy on the far side of the map. As a person who’s been gaming for 18 years, I can honestly say that playing Gears of War is undoubtedly the highest I’ve ever felt. Forget drugs and alcohol, everything you need to get that adrenaline pumping is coming our way in November.

A bit of background first… Gears of War thrusts gamers into humankind’s epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde. In this third-person tactical action/horror game, players live and breathe the role of Marcus Fenix. A disgraced former war hero, Marcus seeks personal redemption as he leads his fire team against an onslaught of merciless warrior fiends.

We played two of the multiplayer maps in a 4 vs. 4 battles with me, Nick and two other journos battling it out against four Microsoft employees. The first map was called Gridlock, a stunningly detailed small map with abandoned cars that can be used as cover, plenty of doorways to hide in and numerous vantage points ideal for sniping. Both teams start at opposite ends of the map, and despite only asking staff for the basic controls, it was literally within the first couple of minutes that we became familiar with the smooth control system. The first thing that totally dumfounded us was the fine level of detail. From our character’s body armour and weapons to the hanging vines and abandoned cars every inch of the environment added to the tense and realistic battles that seem to build in energy and reel you into their powerful grip. In Gears of War it’s not simply a matter of running headfirst into the enemy, it’s working as part of a team that offers the most reward and we were soon shouting out enemy positions to our colleagues, dashing over to fallen comrades to revive them whilst machine gun fire whizzed past our heads, and lobbing smoke grenades into areas that we planned to storm.

By pressing the ‘A’ button you can run, the motion slightly blurs and the clunking sound of your character with his weapons and ammo strapped to him is just one of the excellent audio highlights. The ‘A’ button is also used to get into cover, something that you’ll need to do at every opportunity. Run towards a doorway, wall, car, set of steps or almost any static object in the environment keeping hold of the button and he’ll dive for cover. The animation of the character and even the sound of executing such a manoeuvre is unmatched. Admittedly I was so drawn into the game that early on I was frozen to a spot behind a car, heart pumping and fearful to even move an inch. The sound of battle ringing in my ears and echoing around the environment is the stuff that gamer’s dreams are made of as I poked my head around the bonnet of the car to see if I could glimpse an enemy. I was spotted and within seconds there was machine gun fire ricocheting of the bonnet; I knew I was pinned down. Using the d-pad I switched to a smoke grenade and dropped it at my feet. Once the smokescreen appeared I broke my position, holding the ‘A’ button down and darted for cover at the top of some steps using the smoke as a screen. I’d spotted the enemy position and yelled it out to Nick who was perched behind the cover of an opposite balcony. He proceeded to fire at the enemy whilst I made my way around to the eastern side of the map to approach him from behind.

I equipped the machine gun, spotted the target bobbing up and down behind the safety of yet another balcony and unleashed a barrage of bullets into his body. The feel and power of the weapon had me gurning as I pummelled him with every last one of my bullets. He dropped to his knees clutching his chest as I moved towards him and stamped on his head to finish him off, blood spilling into the cracks in the stone. I knew I was deep in enemy territory, but thought I’d have a chance to retreat back to safety. No chance. The moment I’d killed the enemy two more came dashing towards me, one brandishing a chain saw. As he powered it up I ran for my life, but could hear the sound of the chainsaw rattling in my ears. It wasn’t long before I was lying in my own pool of blood, shaking my own head in disbelief at the raw emotion that my first introduction to the game had made me feel. "Jesus Christ" I thought, "let's do that again." Gears of War makes you feel as if you're in a big budget movie and you've landed the starring role.

Right that’s enough with the teasing, onto the action...

Gears of War multiplayer can be played as fast or as slow as you wish. In the games that we played no-one dared to venture straight out into the centre of the map where there was little cover. Most opted for a strategic position where they could take out enemies from relative safety and plan their next move based on spotting the other teams’ positions. Moving from cover to cover around the area and gaining tactical positions is essentially the main draw to this tactical shooter, but that’s not to say the action is slow by any means. There are fiercely explosive shootouts that will see you sticking your head from behind cover, frantic dashes to get to the safety of a barricade and tense stand-offs where the silence is almost deafening.

Controlling, switching and re-loading weapons become an instinctive reaction thanks to the easy controls and the speed in which they respond. We played with three different weapons, the machine gun, the shotgun and the sniper rifle. We also packed a smoke grenade which is ideal for giving you time to reach a safe position. Each of the weapons can be switched by using the positions on the d-pad and, if your bullets run out, the movement is so swift that it’s easy to switch to your new weapon without fear of getting shot during the change. There was also a rocket launcher on the map which spawns at the same point at the start of every round, so there’s often a battle to get to that position and scuttle back to safety with the goodies. The design of Gridlock though makes it a dangerous venture as you’ll need to proceed into open territory to pick it up. This results in a tense battle for position as each team wants to get their hands on the powerful weapon. It’s certainly not worth losing a team member over as the other weapons pack such a powerful punch, so on most occasions the rocket launcher was left behind.

close and personal, the chainsaw or the shotgun are ideal weapons for making light work of the enemy, whereas a machine gun is perfect for drawing out opponents or pinning them back. Killing the enemy won’t take just one shot though, you’ll have to fire half a clip or so from the machine gun in order to bring them to their knees. The sniper rifle is more effective if you can get a clear head shot, but even still it took us a few shots to take them down. The reticules used for targeting turn red when you have a clear shot with any of the weapons and aiming for the head will always bring opponents to the floor quicker.

[ehandlr]

Gears of Wars also allows you to revive players within a set time limit. After I’d thrown a smoke grenade into a tunnel that leads from the centre of the map to the enemy spawn area, I dashed through thinking the coast was clear only to be ambushed by the highly entertaining and effective chainsaw brandished by one of the cackling Microsoft guys. I shouted out to Nick that I needed reviving, told him my position and then watched through his viewpoint as he made the treacherous journey to my position. Despite not even playing it was unbelievably intense experience watching a team-mate ducking and weaving from cover to cover as other team mates provided cover-fire. Nick threw a smoke grenade towards the area I was located and made a dash for it as bullets whizzed past him as I’m shouting ‘Hurry up, hurry up, I’m dying!’ He’d made what I can only describe as a journey of cinematic proportions from the east to west of the map to reach me and unfortunately had missed reviving me by only a couple of seconds. Putting his own life on the line he had now isolated himself from the rest of the team who were doing there damned hardest to try and evacuate him from the position. As I switched between the viewpoints of my different team mates it felt like I was the director of my own motion picture. The emotion and power that these beautifully rendered interactive environments, coupled with the furious action manage to achieve is something that's hard to descrive. It's undoubtedly down to the power of Unreal Engine 3 and the vision of the developers that another run-of the-mill third person shooter has been taken to the next level in such a glorious way. The next-gen era truly begins when Gears of War arrives.

We also had a chance to test out a second map called Clock tower, where a bridge separates the friendly and enemy bases. Once again it was a small superbly designed and intricately detailed map with dozens of places to hide for cover and a gritty and tense atmosphere that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

While it’s true that we only played two of the multiplayer maps, it’s clear to see that Gears of War is pushing the boundaries of conventional gaming by bringing us an all action shooter that is more tense and exciting than any game you will have ever experienced before. We’re still buzzing about the time we’ve spent playing the game and feel it’s our duty to spread the word about the highly pleasurable experience. The blend of tactical play, jaw dropping action, superb control system, stunning detail and well designed maps surpasses anything that we’ve witnessed or played…ever. Gears of War is so good that we’ve been on a come-down since we had to leave it behind. It’s all we’ve been thinking about ever since and we’re in no doubt that it’s shaping up to be one of the greatest games of all time and one that should inspire other developers to follow suit.Epic Games have managed to create a powerful experience for gamers, one that can’t be compared to any game currently on the console. Gears of War is world’s apart from any shooter title currently on the Xbox 360; if it wasn’t for having to catch a train home we’d still be there now. The era of next-gen shooters is upon us and you’d be foolish if you didn’t want to be part of it. ‘Emergence Day’ is on November 17th and it shouldn’t be missed. Rally the troops, get the word out on the streets, and we'll see you in online in November.