Muzman on 11/12/2009 at 03:31

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Yeah I got it on steam

I never had a big problem with runner vision, but it's not without hiccups. Mostly I'm quite impressed at how it works, more than it's usefullness; certain things changing colour depending on which way you look at them or if you've run past them to something else. There were quite a few times where it would have taken me a bit longer to work something out because I wouldn't have tried a certain ledge or spotted a cross bar.
I can see where it would really annoy some people though, like where its just pointing out interactivity and not "the path". Places where every random couch is red, or everything seems to be red are going to drive certain people nuts. If you take it as a measure of hand holding you expect that sort of thing, but if you take it as the way to play it it'll be frustrating. The game does lead you to that impression a lot of the time though.

There's this bit in the ship where you're climbing up airconditioning for ages and you're twenty feet off the ground, trying to get another ten or so feet up and the only red things in view are the duct you're obviously supposed to take and some ledges on this big beam thats like another 15 feet higher, with a sloping wall behind it and all the side walls covered in protrusions making wall running impossible (so failure there means you're way back down on the ground again). It can't possibly be the way to do it. I can't see any way of getting up there at all. I did it by wall running up the opposite side and ignoring it entirely, but there's no red path for that and it doesn't look obviously wallrunnable. I don't know if its a mistake, or some super acheivement, or the game is lying to you, but that's an example of what I mean.

I was still getting the hang of just how high Faith can jump at that point. It took me ages to really grasp (har har) how high she can kick off upwards from dangling on a ledge, a realisation which made it a lot easier in certain places and made me see new options in earlier levels. Its an aspect that they could have taken the spirt of Portal on board. It probably seems dumb and dull to designers, but sometimes you have to introduce your mechanics one little bit at a time. Sometimes even one axis at a time.

I feel like I detect some nerves on the part of the design team. They weren't that confident so they threw a lot of stuff at you to keep things interesting. Next time, chill folks. The mechanics work. Running is fun. Take some time and spread things out a bit.

I was thinking multiplayer racing could be fun. The current combat system probably wouldn't work. Maybe reduce it to shoving and side bumping to wreck the other's momentum and you've got some roof running roller derby (minus rollers, of course).

Digital Nightfall on 11/12/2009 at 15:30

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I find that I keep going back to the Mirror's Edge in-game soundtrack over and over. I listen to it more than all of Solar Field's other albums combined.

Chade on 12/2/2010 at 03:08

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Holy necromany batman, I didn't realise how long it had been since this thread was last posted in. Where does the time go? :confused:

Anyway ...

I've played an hour or two of Mirror's Edge now, and am having a great time so far (once I updated my video card drivers anyway!).

After playing games like prince of persia, it took me a while to get used to the more analogue controls. I typically screw up several times before realising, for instance, that the angle you face when swinging from a pole matters, or that edging along an edge doesn't "lock you on" to the surface. But it sure is nice to feel more in control over my movement.

The level design has been nicely varied so far. The game switches effortlessly from linear to semi-open. I'll often play one area thinking it's strictly linear, only to see something completely different in the exact same area when I play through a second time. They also do a good job of changing the time pressure. They never stick with one style of play long enough for me to get sick of it.

The runner vision in each area generally compliments the intended style of play - it illuminates your path in linear sections, shows you usefull pieces of equipment in playground sections, and is absent in exploratory sections. I suspected that I would turn it off after a while, but so far I'm very happy with the way in which it has been implemented.

I'm two hours in and the game has been easier then I expected based on some reports here. That being said, I can easily imagine how that could scale the difficulty right up on a moments notice! I'm not sure whether the game is a lot harder with a controller, or if I just haven't reached the difficult areas yet.

The story seems forgettable. I would appreciate it if Dice stopped trying so damn hard to make all their characters "tough". It gets old. Fast. The more genuine relationship between Faith and her sister was a breath of fresh air. Having Faith hesitate and then hug her before leaving was a nice touch, and I think it was a good idea to stay in first person through this sequence too. Overall, however, the game really doesn't rely on it's story, and I can't say I am paying it much attention. The art direction, on the other hand, is ace.

The minimal interface nicely avoids distracting the player from his main task: to run. I'm not entirely sure why they needed the dot in the middle though. Is it really necesary? Maybe having a dot in the center of the screen actually helps focus the players attention on moving forwards?

I can't see any health indicator, and I'm of two minds about the decision to leave it out. On the one hand, I spend less time worrying about my "status" and more time concentrating on the action on screen. On the other hand, I don't get the tension that comes from knowing any mistake will kill me, and the failure of being shot or failing to land properly doesn't hit home as hard as I think it might have had they included a health bar. Also, even after two hours playing, I'm still idly wondering how health actually works in the game. Overall, I think I would prefer their lovely clean interface to be soiled with a health indicator of some sort.

Anyway, it's been an excellent game so far, and there's no indication that it will get worse any time soon. I'm having a great time. :)

EDIT:

Also,



Hell yes. :(

Chade on 12/2/2010 at 04:25

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But ... that's health!

I mean, I understand that it regenerates after a few seconds. I understand that I can take x number of hits in quick succession before dying.

What I don't know yet is exactly how quickly my health regenerates, and exactly how many hits I can take before dying. I don't know whether health regeneration is q gradual process, or a discrete one. Let's say I get hit once, and then five seconds later get hit twice and die, did I die because of those two shots alone, or did I die because of all three?

If I had a health bar, I could quickly see how it worked and then forget about it. But because they've hidden it from me, it's piqued my curiosity.

Let me be clear here: It's not a big deal ... just a minor nitpick that hangs around in the back of my mind whenever I'm getting shot.

EDIT: Oh, and that's interesting information about the dot btw. I would never have thought that people would get motion sickness, or that if they did, a little dot in the center of the scren could stop it.

driver on 12/2/2010 at 05:02

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The only concession to a health bar ME has is that when you are near death the edges of the screen have a red tinge to them. At that point (almost) any damage received will be fatal.