Prey

[Diedel]

Just played the Prey demo and I must say I am pretty impressed. You get 5 singleplayers levels, which though it sounds more than it is, is still quite a lot.

The game is based on the Doom 3 Engine and apparently on the Doom premise as well. While Doom 3 simply bored me, this game really managed to scare me. The first game ever that managed to do that.

Like HL2, Prey is a linear 3D shooter game, but unlike HL2, it doesn't hurt here, as you are moving along in the intestines of a half-biological alien spaceship that has abducted you (heh, finally a game about this ) and your girl friend. The aliens are in best Doom tradition horrible, sadistic beings, tormenting humans and using them as bio-mechanical slaves. There are a few rather nasty scenes in the game.

Your in-game character is Cherokee, and as such has access to his people's special power of spirit walking, i.e. you can move around with your spirit, leaving your body behind and thus reach otherwise inaccessible areas.

I found a special physics trait to be a special treat and surprise: Gravity is tied to surfaces, so there are areas you can walk upside down, or flip floor, walls and ceilings around by shooting special triggers (which forms some nice riddles).

Another cool engine feature was portals leading to other regions of the game. Some portals were formed by one side of cubic crates displaying the destination area like a mirror. Very cool idea.

Voice acting was mediocre which took a little away, but not too much.

The environments are pulled off very well with a lot of detail and surprising vistas.

I really enjoyed it. It was worth the 460 MB download (WorthPlaying offers fast downloads - you have to find the right one though).

[Cyclone]

The Demo was really fun. Played through it twice. I didn't find it scary though. Doom 3 is the only game so far that made me jump a couple of times. I liked the part in the prey demo where you activate this panel and the room opens up and reveals this big map, very cool. I also liked those sphincters that pop out those organic looking balls.

You can download the demo here. get about 300k/sec

www.prey.com

It's on the front page... no waiting.

[Grax]

Cool game -- the gravity flips and '4D' portals are a nice change from standard FPS. It's unfortunate that there wasn't more interactivity with objects (to move an object, it seems one is forced to bump into it with one's knees).

The guys who made this game (HumanHead Studios) also made Rune, which had really great puzzles. I'd have liked to have seen more puzzles in Prey's demo, especially since the gravity switches and 4D portals would've added quite a bit to 'em.

[Diedel]

I didn't find it scary though. Doom 3 is the only game so far that made me jump a couple of times.

It was just the part where 'things' started to happen outside, and suddenly the building got cracked open and people were sucked up by that green tractor beams. That feeling of inevitability and being powerless and of unbeknownst horrors awaiting me ... d'uh.

The guys who made this game (HumanHead Studios) also made Rune, which had really great puzzles.

That explains a few things.

[Darktalyn1]

I'm really interested in taking a look at this game because I've been following its development since I first read about it in 1997 or so. I've been too busy the last few days to take a look at the demo but I might download it tonight and try it out after work

I remember thinking this game might be fun for descenters because of the gravity flipping (and multiplayer action where you can get shot at by people on the wall/ceilings). It's not 6DOF, but still more than your standard groundpounder

[snoopy]

Funny, I was just lent the book \"Prey\" by Crichton today.

[[]V[]essenjah]

What are the system requirements?

[Palzon]

ok, it was worth a look. but i think ut2k4 is more like descent than prey. if you haven't played ut2k4 now is your chance to practice before 2k7 comes out.

i was curious about the \"gravity flip\" description posted above. but i wouldn't describe it as such. it's more like you are wearing magnetic boots and there are some pathways that run on walls and ceilings. however...you can't always jump smooth off of em and land in a good way, like a good tricording pilot navigating BTC or something.

It's more like descent for pussies (\"you can't tricord, kid, so here's some boots and we'll flip gravity for you\"). i'll take a ut2k4 translocator disk any day, or for that matter a pyro.

also i found the maps needlessly claustrophobic. with todays software and puters there is no reason not to have some kickass maps that are large. UT understands this and i am expecting great things when it comes out later this year.

[Diedel]

Palzon,

I think what you haven't understood is that the claustrophobic feel of this game is intentional. You're inside a half biological spaceship, not in a forest.

The 'magnetic' paths are not the gravity flips: These are bluish, glowing, animated switches that will change gravity to be attracting you to the wall they're attached to if you shoot them.

Finally, it's not a flight sim game like Descent. UT2K4 is neither - it's just as much for 'pussies' (if you need to use such a retarded qualification - need to make yourself look cool?) as Prey, as it is a simple 2.5D groundpounder. Translocator disk or not - you cannot fly in UT2K4.

[Darktalyn1]

Well, nothing's going to replace Descent but there are still some interesting possibilities from Prey. I remember reading there are also instances where you can fly a spacecraft - so that could be cool for multiplayer

I downloaded the demo and began playing it last night but was only able to get through two levels before getting a phone call. I agree it felt very claustraphobic, but I heard the first levels are that way by design and the later levels (in the full version) are much more open.

[HighOctane_Jared]

unfortunately I watched all the videos on it before playing, so didn't get the suspense. But I still enjoyed it

[Foil]

...Translocator disk or not - you cannot fly in UT2K4.

??? Ummmm.... I play a lot more Descent than UT2k4, but I'm pretty sure that Raptor I was flying over the terrain in a recent Onslaught match wasn't in D3.

[Palzon]

Diedel, maybe i'm missing something because i skipped the single player. But in Multiprey games, shooting the blue glowing animated switches doesn't seem to do anything.

Someone on the other board had compared Prey to Descent and that was the only reason I continued the comparison.

If the claustrophobia was intentional or not, I think it's a mistake. I think the game would be improved by maps grander in scale.

[Diedel]

I was talking exclusively about singleplayer.

The game's entire scope and direction is about abduction on an alien space ship. If you want huge environments, it's the wrong game for you.

[[]V[]essenjah]

For over a year now, a friend and I have been looking into modding a 6 degrees of freedom mod into UT2004. Yes, you can in fact fly in this game. Very much so in fact. The reason nothing is in it yet is because I am waiting for UT2007 and my new models will probably be beyond what UT2004 can easily handle.


Mind you, I'm not interested in Prey for modding purposes. I was thinking about playing through the demo to see for myself, what all the fuss is about.

[Diedel]

6dof mod for UT? Have you seen this thread? A guy named sushi is just rebuilding D1:FS Lvl 1 for UT2K4, and it looks awesome!

[Kyouryuu]

Diedel, maybe i'm missing something because i skipped the single player.

That's almost like saying "I'm missing something because I skipped the game." Go back and play the single player mission, it's fun and is a lot less conventional than deathmatch. Particular when you reach the gravity flippers at the end that Diedel is talking about. Tell me those aren't disorienting.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Prey demo and, if Diedel must know, I think it made HL2 Episode 1 look positively uninspired.

I really love the game's two main features - the fun with gravity and the portals. Not since Descent has an FPS been so playfully wreckless with the simple "Which way is up?" mechanic. This comes in two forms - special magnetic walls you can walk along (and fight enemies on), and the gravity flippers that rotate the level. It's easy to see the opportunity for some clever puzzles here. The portal stuff is also wicked. There's nothing quite like looking into a portal to see yourself looking into the portal. Or chasing yourself through portals. You can even headshot yourself. I applaud how seamless the portal trick is. Any other game would have flaky particle effects or fade-to-black crap to disguise the teleport. Not here - it's perfectly seamless.

The Native American slant, Cherokee in this case, is inspired. This is a theme and mythos rarely seen in video games and it plays into the single player component nicely.

There are also just some incredibly sly details that I loved. You can tinker with the jukebox in the bar. I love how they use the emergency broadcast system tone right before all hell breaks loose (it's an unnerving sound, let's face it). And hearing the infamous conspiracy theorist Art Bell on the radio was just a trip.

They also pulled a few interesting punches. The System Shock 2 influence is pretty evident in both the enemy design and the wonderfully SHODAN-like disembodied female voice. One thing that Valve dropped from Half-Life 2 was the so-called "Children Factory" on account of children in an FPS being a touchy subject. Well, without saying too much, Prey crosses that bar with a disturbing little vignette. Hey, you figure they're abducting everything in sight, you'd have some children too.

I look forward to the full game. This is a textbook example of how a demo should be done in terms of features, length, and release in proximity to the full game.

[Sirius]

Hmm. Kyo, not to waste your time but I figure you're relatively likely to know about stuff like this:

1) Just how well could you mimic the stuff from Descent in UT2k7? I understand it's not out yet, but they may have said some things about the engine I don't know about, plus it's not likely to be a step backward from 2k4...

2) What are the physics like these days? It's been a while since I've played a decent FPS, and I'm not really sure how well they deal with things like collisions... objects collapsing... maybe even fluid physics.

[Diedel]

The only bloody problem the Prey demo gave me was that I had to install newer Audigy drivers containing OpenAL support, and these drivers have a quirk preventing my computer to shut down ... ... reinstalling the older drivers cured the problem, but I am not really happy with that. I tried bootvis to optimize driver load sequence, but to no avail. Dang, Creative has always had a reputation for flaky drivers, and once again they live up to it.

Ofc, Prey isn't really to blame for this (God, why do they have to be so technically advanced that they are using OpenAL? )

Kyo,

very good statement.

[Palzon]

The only bloody problem the Prey demo gave me was that I had to install newer Audigy drivers containing OpenAL support, and these drivers have a quirk preventing my computer to shut down ... ... reinstalling the older drivers cured the problem, but I am not really happy with that. I tried bootvis to optimize driver load sequence, but to no avail. Dang, Creative has always had a reputation for flaky drivers, and once again they live up to it.

Ofc, Prey isn't really to blame for this (God, why do they have to be so technically advanced that they are using OpenAL?

herein lies the sole reason i did not play single player. my computer locks up because i do not have the openAL drivers. Nor am i ready to install them. The game played fine for me multiprey.

[Trackball]

We should get a DBB multiprey goin sometime this week. Anyone willing to host a server?

[Diedel]

herein lies the sole reason i did not play single player. my computer locks up because i do not have the openAL drivers. Nor am i ready to install them. The game played fine for me multiprey.

Prey doesn't require OpenAL drivers. You only need them to enable hardware accelerated sound or EAX in Prey.

Apart from that does Prey behave exactly the same sound-wise in singleplayer as in multiplayer. It's one sound system for the entire game, you know?

You made a very, very dubious statement there, to say the least.

[Darktalyn1]

If we can get a multiprey going on with DBB members I'd definitely try to make it. I haven't been gaming since early March & have yet to try multiprey so I'm sure it would be fun

[SirWinner]

Interesting Game Demo.

The hard part is when the world gets turned upside down or on its' side... and sometimes how to do it.

Fun demo.

Portals were very cool.

A few of the puzzles were a bit difficult at first... like one where you have to stay on the panel and at the same time transform to go use the switch in the other room, then untransform after the platform moves to the other side of the room.

This game should sell very well based on what I saw in the demo.

Wheeeeeee!

[Palzon]

herein lies the sole reason i did not play single player. my computer locks up because i do not have the openAL drivers. Nor am i ready to install them. The game played fine for me multiprey.

Prey doesn't require OpenAL drivers. You only need them to enable hardware accelerated sound or EAX in Prey.

Apart from that does Prey behave exactly the same sound-wise in singleplayer as in multiplayer. It's one sound system for the entire game, you know?

You made a very, very dubious statement there, to say the least.

my game crashed in the cutscenes, and my PC easily meets the minimum requirements. I had no problem running the multiprey. the game advised me that i did not have the AL drivers so maybe the cutscenes have sounds not in the game? I'm not too tech savvy so if you have advice, I'm all ears.

[Gooberman]

Im gonna buy this game, just to support a mainstream developer going out of the box. I am so freakin sick of WWII FPS's, you have no idea.

[Admiral Thrawn]

I downloaded the demo for my 360. I don't know how much better it is on the pc, but the 360 version looked damned good enough for me to play. I thought it was pretty interesting. I don't remember seeing any kids abducted though. I might have to play through it again and just stand there and watch the \"human processing machines\" to see if any kids go through there.

That was a disturbing scene though wasn't it? heh

[Kyouryuu]

The kids show up towards the end of the demo mission (if it's the same as the PC demo). You can watch the gruesome events through a window. Your character remarks something like \"Oh, this can't be good.\"

Yeah, I kinda' wish there was a better way to do those vignettes. Nothing's worse than missing a neat scene because you weren't looking. heh.

[AndyX]

I downloaded the demo today and had time to play the first two levels. I have to say Prey didn´t really scare compared to Doom3. There was only one scene, when the lights went out as i came into the room, but i really supposed something to be there in the dark

The graphics are awesome and the portals are quite funny though i didn´t manage to go through there the first time
I think its a very interesting game, i will play through the other three levels and also try Multiprey.

[Gooberman]

I think there are parts where the developers want to make you jump. But as a whole I don't think it is even trying to be a scary game. It's just not scary, and there are too many funny qerks for it to be trying to be.

[Kyouryuu]

Some of the enemy character design definitely looks like something you wouldn't want to bump into in the middle of the night, however.

From the demo, it seems to be aiming for \"startling\" scares and also for a prevailing \"disturbing\" fear. The latter is much like the Combine in Half-Life 2. Although none are frightening on their own, the larger picture of what they are doing to humanity is quite disturbing.

Either way, it's intelligent in its use of fear because, like F.E.A.R., it knows when to hold back, whereas Doom 3 blew its wad at every opportunity.

[Kyouryuu]

Prey comes out Tuesday. An interesting snippet from the 1Up review:

\"And just when mastery of the environments seems within reach and the action close to reaching its crescendo, the floors and walls get ripped away entirely for several levels where you pilot an armed, personal shuttle for Descent-like flitting around the bowels of the alien ship in fully free 3D.\"

And the IGN review adds:

\"You'll fly around in a little shuttle sometimes, and it has its own guns and a tractor beam, the latter of which you'll use to both remove obstacles and, if you like, grab enemies and fling them into the abyss, of which there is plenty.\"

Ooh, Descent Gravity Gun? Sign me up! ^_^

[Gooberman]

I bought it, and I really like this game. It definitely has the complexity of descent in level lay-out. (compared to like, Halo)

[suicide eddie]

touches of david lynch,halo,doom,turok and the matrix and `ooo i wonder what happerns if i press this button`
its got a lighter feel to the play unlike the grind of doom and fear and there appears to be some secret rooms, i missed a couple of paths that spawned as i passed though. the `room within rooms` will appeal to the descent map makers as you wave at yourself
running it on max settings on a 2800 barton, 1gig mem and 6600gt/128 card and its running fine, a little bit of shearing but that should be sorted when nvidia tweek the drivers for it.

[Kyouryuu]

So here's how the Descent part works. It's pretty fun.

About midway through the game, you get the opportunity to fly an alien spaceship. Like in most FPS games, WASD gets you around, with mouselook allowing you to aim. Crouch makes you fly downward, jump makes you fly upward. It's not literal mouselook (it has some lag, just as in Descent). The level layouts involve you flying this ship to different pods, where the ship is rearmed and health is regenerated.

The ship has two abilities - firing a plasma cannon and a tractor beam. The plasma cannon, as you'd expect, fires blobs of plasma and makes short work of many flying enemies. The tractor beam allows you to grab certain objects and pull on them (similar to Half-Life 2 gravity gun's alt fire), letting you clear obstacles. It can also be used to ensnare enemies so you can fire into them mercilessly with the plasma cannon. Haha.

Although the game has a few specific flying enemies, the ship does seem to work against others (particularly the \"grunts\"), particularly with the tractor beam. It's funny to watch them run around like heavily-armed ants trying to get away from your shots.

The level designs, like Descent, promote no sense of \"up.\" They twist and turn like crazy.

And yes, there are two multiplayer levels based around the ship.

[AndyX]

So here's how the Descent part works. It's pretty fun.

About midway through the game, you get the opportunity to fly an alien spaceship. Like in most FPS games, WASD gets you around, with mouselook allowing you to aim. Crouch makes you fly downward, jump makes you fly upward. It's not literal mouselook (it has some lag, just as in Descent). The level layouts involve you flying this ship to different pods, where the ship is rearmed and health is regenerated.

The ship has two abilities - firing a plasma cannon and a tractor beam. The plasma cannon, as you'd expect, fires blobs of plasma and makes short work of many flying enemies. The tractor beam allows you to grab certain objects and pull on them (similar to Half-Life 2 gravity gun's alt fire), letting you clear obstacles. It can also be used to ensnare enemies so you can fire into them mercilessly with the plasma cannon. Haha.

Although the game has a few specific flying enemies, the ship does seem to work against others (particularly the "grunts"), particularly with the tractor beam. It's funny to watch them run around like heavily-armed ants trying to get away from your shots.

The level designs, like Descent, promote no sense of "up." They twist and turn like crazy.

And yes, there are two multiplayer levels based around the ship.

Could you post a screenshot?

[Trackball]

Heres some singleplayer shots. (Click to enlarge)

[Grendel]

#6 here.

[Kyouryuu]

Couple other bits -

There are three main enemies when you're in the ship. The first are robots. These look like the Sentinels in the Matrix, with a bunch of glowy red eyes and tentacles (see Trackball's second screenshot). These things are nasty on-foot and just as bad in the air. They fire a shot best described as a Cyclone Missile, except slightly delayed (it hovers in air a moment before homing on you). Another enemy is the Hunter-flyer - basically a clone of your ship flown by an enemy Hunter. Very aggressive, it uses the same weaponry you do against it. And lastly are the Harvestor-flyers. These fat aliens have jetpacks mounted on their feet (moving less than gracefully), but pack a wallop.

There is a second ship in the game that only occurs right at the end, before the final boss battle. This ship appears in a sphere-shaped room and crawls about the walls of the sphere. It has the ability to zip forward temporarily (before getting tugged back to the sphere) and deliver an electrical charge.

One level that appears to be a homage of sorts to Descent is called \"Ascent\" and occurs late in the game. It involves ascending an extremely tall spire, mostly in the Descent-like ship. On the way up, various chutes are locked and force you to get out of the ship to find the switch to unlock them. I believe it culminated in taking down a large Reactor-like gravity machine.

Aside from the Descent influence, Prey also seems to take inspiration from System Shock (a wrench as a weapon, a sinister SHODAN-like character). Humorously, it also makes passing reference to Doom 3. In one very dark section of the game, the hero remarks \"It's so dark in here... I'm doomed.\"

[AndyX]

wow, thanks.