henke on 15/6/2011 at 20:19
The APB: Reloaded Beta is (
http://www.gamersfirst.com/apb/) now available for free download. I have downloaded and played and here are some thoughts I wrote down whilst playing.
-you need to sign up to GamersFirst and LIKE the game on Facebook before you get to play it.
-fantastic intro movie
-I choose to play as a cop.
-great character editor. I make my cop a fat guy, his backstory is that he's been eating a lot of donuts.
-4 minute wait in line before I get to enter the server.
-watch a short tutorial and then spawn into gameworld. Everything is running smoothly and looks good enough, but the camera keeps panning slowly to the left. :weird:
-fiddle with my gamepad, camera panning stops.
-I get my first mission: travel around town and remove gang-grafitti by spraypainting cop-grafitti over it. Yes, you read that right.
-I stop a car and kindly ask the driver to lend me their ride, they oblige. Steering with my gamepad doesn't seem to work, I am saddened. My mood picks right back up when I notice what's playing on the car's radio. It's a song by Phoenix! I hit ESC and select the Music Player function. Holyshit I did not expect this game to have a bunch of cool licenced tracks in it. There's Audio Bullys, Alabama 3, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Hives, and a bunch of other pretty cool stuff here! You can even import your own mp3s! The mission-timer ticks out while I'm messing around with the musicplayer. Oops, this is not gonna look good in my report.
-I restart the mission and finish it.
-the cars have that wonky steering-from-the-middle model, but still handle decently enough.
-I've made a new friend! His name is knuckler. He doesn't say much but he's a good cop. Together we solve the big case by shooting the two guys on the opposite team. Good solid police-work, knuckler!
It's getting late so I'll give it a rest now. Might play some more tomorrow.
EvaUnit02 on 16/6/2011 at 08:47
Thanks for the impressions.
How have they monetised it? Is the actual gameplay + options crippled, or just the cosmetic customisation? I.e. Do you have to grind forever if you're not willing to cough up real monies for items and the like?
I really couldn't give a shit about cosmetic options being limited.
Ostriig on 16/6/2011 at 10:05
Quote Posted by henke
-you need to sign up to GamersFirst and LIKE the game on Facebook before you get to play it.
Eh? So no Facebook, no APB:R?
henke on 16/6/2011 at 11:27
Eva, I haven't played very far so I can't comment on that yet. But someone in the RPS comments said that the for-purchase stuff is pretty well balanced. For instance if you get the better armor it also makes you move slower. And if you buy a gun with great accuracy it also takes longer to reload. I'm hoping that's true.
Ostriig, it seems so, though it'll likely change once it's out of beta. I have a Facebook account but it still pissed me off that they wait with that particular little hoop for you to jump through all the way till the end. After you've agreed to all their terms and downloaded and installed the game, then they bring it up "oh one last thing you have to LIKE our game on Facebook before you get to play it". :nono:
Ostriig on 16/6/2011 at 14:04
Oh right, it slipped my mind that this is a beta, with a bit of luck maybe it won't be in for the final release. I don't have a Facebook account and I don't feel like making one up just for the sake of playing a microtransactions game.
EvaUnit02 on 19/6/2011 at 10:52
Entertaining video. So no one took pot-shots or killed you at any time whilst you were WoW dancing?
henke on 19/6/2011 at 11:39
I did get sniped once, which is odd because I'm pretty sure you're invulnerable(except to suicide) when not on a mission.
But yeah, I'm enjoying the game very much. The weapons do much damage and death is severe so the shooting is very tactical, very CS-ish, but it's contrasted by the GTA-ish driving. You'll often run straight through other firefights happening between other teams on your way to objectives, or you might even get rammed off the road in a busy intersection by someone in a truck on another mission, on their way to some objective on the other side of town. Also you can enter many of the buildings, the interiors are seldom more than a hallway leading to another exit but at least it gives you another route to your destination, and maybe a chance to flank the enemy. The city isn't huge but the locations are very distinct and you'll soon learn what is the fastest way to get to a certain place, or where the best snipingspots are at a certain location.
Most of the people I've played with have been good teamplayers as well though there is almost no communication. No communication besides the "unwritten code" of teambased shooters that everyone understands. Honking your horn means "get in!". Shooting at a teammates car means, "Stop! I wanna get in!". Mostly everyone knows what the objective is and what they're supposed to do. Very rarely do you get a VIP with a deathwish, or someone driving the wrong way.
Defenitely a game everyone should download and give a try. If not now, then at least when it's out of beta. Even if you don't get hooked on the gameplay it's fun to just stroll around town and take in the sights of people getting up to the kind of crazy shit you usually get up to when playing GTA. :)
dexterward on 19/6/2011 at 13:22
So, it`s back from the dead, eh. Didn`t play the original but its collapse was one of my biggest disappointments of last year. I`m a David Jones/DMA fanboy...shame it did not work out for him. MMOGs are kinda of a minefield though...wish he stuck to conventional design.
Free beta...would definitely give it a go, if not for the lack of broad band. Oh wait, Facebook account? :/
seventyfour on 25/6/2011 at 17:25
Quote Posted by fine print
DISCLAIMER: We actually have already given you early access to the Beta, whether you like us on Facebook or not. Just close this browser and click START in the Patcher again. However, it helps us keep the game alive by having a larger community, so we very much appreciate your support of the development team by LIKING us on Facebook. Many thanks from APB Reloaded Development team.
False alarm, apparently - it works just fine to play, liking or not.
