[jedicri]

Originally Posted by temporaryscars

Well I loved it, only one problem, I couldn't set up the right stick of my xbox controller. For some reason, the game wont recognize the right stick, so I had to use the keyboard and mouse. Anyone know how to set that up? Probably not, but it's worth a shot. I'd really like to use my xbox controller with this game because of the rumble feature.

Scroll down to the section for the right stick and press enter to highlight it (it should turn the colour red); then move the right stick to whatever you want to set that particular movement to. The first one for instance, I moved the stick to the left.

[TheTwelve]

Played through the demo several times over the past two days; thought I'd throw in my two cents.

I love the atmosphere of the game, like the mouse gestures for interactions, love the multitude of things that you can do, love the timed "split second" decisions (such as when trying to sneak out the back door without having paid), and I do think that the gameplay is leaning in a good direction for a new type of adventure game. However, there are a lot of frustrations and shortfalls that I'm seeing.

First off, the movement controls are crap, though they can get better with some tweaking. The camera controls are atrocious no matter what you do. I'm guessing they're way better with a gamepad (I'm planning on playing the PS2 version because of this.)

Second, no cutscene skip? C'mon developers... I mean... duh!

Third, while I think the sanity bar is an interesting idea, I think they're missing a lot of opportunities to use it to its full ability. Instead of the silhouette version of the character looking more and more downtrodden as the bar drops, why doesn't my character look any more depressed or overwrought? Imagine if the lower the bar was, the more fidgety, jumpy, or depressed your character actually looked and acted. It could also have an effect on your actions and conversations. If my bar is really low and I talk to the cop, I should just kind of stammer and mutter jibberish. If I've raised the bar way up, I should stride non-chalantly up to him, tip my hat (if I were wearing one) and give him the best "top-o-the mornin'" I could muster, just before tossing a tip to the waitress and sliding casually out the door. And... you know... some stuff in the middle of those two extremes. Anyway, I think they're missing out on some stuff here.

Finally, while there's a lot of freedom in what you can do, I still see this as being fairly linear. Sure there are lots of different ways to play through this, but the basic story is the same no matter what you do. Going crazy or being caught in one of a few different ways are not endings... if that's an ending then any game with a "GAME OVER" screen can advertise multiple endings. Basically you have two endings (leaving by taxi or leaving by subway) which are both pretty similar.

Obviously, I should hold my judgement to see just how much of an effect your actions have on the rest of the game, but if cleaning up the body just makes a little more work for you in the next chapter when you play the detective, it's just not yet what I would call non-linear. The detective still ends up on your tail... you just have to do a few extra wiggles of the mouse to find said tail.

I just don't see the degree of non-linearity here that I was hoping to see. That being said, I'm still going to buy the game...

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by TheTwelve

Third, while I think the sanity bar is an interesting idea, I think they're missing a lot of opportunities to use it to its full ability. Instead of the silhouette version of the character looking more and more downtrodden as the bar drops, why doesn't my character look any more depressed or overwrought? Imagine if the lower the bar was, the more fidgety, jumpy, or depressed your character actually looked and acted. It could also have an effect on your actions and conversations.

yes!!! That's exactly what I was thinking first time I played the demo (except I forgot to make a point about it)! Why not get rid of the sanity bar altogether and instead convey the psychological results of your character through your character? Have you played The Thing? It also features a sanity bar for each of your NPC team members, showing them convulsing at their worst and normal at their best.

I just don't see the degree of non-linearity here that I was hoping to see. That being said, I'm still going to buy the game...

Well, that's normally what happens when a game focuses almost entirely on the story as its driving force. Typically, total player freedom has to be sacrificed the more spotlight the story receives. And considering that the story IS the gameplay in Indigo Prophecy, we should actually be startled that it allows us an arguably unprecedented level of flexibility as an adventure game a story driven game.

[TheTwelve]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

Have you played The Thing?

no!!!


...sorry...

[Uniikki]

Originally Posted by TheTwelve

Third, while I think the sanity bar is an interesting idea, I think they're missing a lot of opportunities to use it to its full ability. Instead of the silhouette version of the character looking more and more downtrodden as the bar drops, why doesn't my character look any more depressed or overwrought? Imagine if the lower the bar was, the more fidgety, jumpy, or depressed your character actually looked and acted. It could also have an effect on your actions and conversations. If my bar is really low and I talk to the cop, I should just kind of stammer and mutter jibberish. If I've raised the bar way up, I should stride non-chalantly up to him, tip my hat (if I were wearing one) and give him the best "top-o-the mornin'" I could muster, just before tossing a tip to the waitress and sliding casually out the door. And... you know... some stuff in the middle of those two extremes. Anyway, I think they're missing out on some stuff here.

The sanity level affects your 'fidget' animation. The little dance the character does when the player doesn't do anything for a while. I also noticed that the conversation with the waitress depends on the sanity level. If Lucas is below depressed (didn't actually check the limit), she'll talk about Lucas looking white as a sheet and Lucas will loose 5 sanity. Normally she'll just ask 'if you want anything'. Perhaps there are other things.

After reading this thread I think people have way high too expectations. I'm pretty sure your choices will be seriously limited throughout most of the game. It's most likely going to contain railroaded sections with some more free, peaceful sections in between. Perhaps even a branch or two. The reason why I'm interested in this game is because I find it is so much like a DIY adventurebook or Dragon's Lair. Except, based on the demo, they seem to have a sense of style and proportion that might actually work.

As a big fan of cinema, I hate it when so many games want cinematic moments, while the games themselves are as far removed from the language of cinema as can be. As I understand such things. Needless to say I don't much like cutscenes. I think Psychonauts had far too many of them. I think Tribes Vengeance had way too many of them, and all of them long. Fahrenheit might just be the cinematic game that I will like. It certainly isn't an adventure game in my book. I'm sure there will be people who won't even call it a game.

Has anyone here played Shenmue (for Dreamcast) btw? I personally haven't played the game, just watched a friend of mine playing it, and was reminded of it.

[AFGNCAAP]

Welcome to the forum, Uniikki.

I think you are making perfectly valid points - the only thing I don't agree is your reluctance to call Fahrenheit adventure game, but I guess the labels are not that important, especially when the game feels fresh and exciting. Like it does in this case.

Perhaps some of us do expect too much - it happens. And yes, you're spot on about the game becoming more linear later. In fact, Jackal, who will review the game for the Site, already spilled the beans a bit in the other thread (also worth your read BTW):

The number of choices in the demo is never even remotely matched anywhere else in the game, and even the demo choices offer only brief, superficial changes to the plot

Also, thanks for the remark about the waitress. I was wondering why I have heard the "white as a sheet" comment from her only once, but never associated it with a current sanity level. Silly me.

[Orange Brat]

I also noticed that the conversation with the waitress depends on the sanity level.

The waitress says two different things because you can talk to her twice. Once when you sit near the cash register, and twice when you sit near the middle when she's not kneeling on the floor. I think you get both comments regardless of the meter.

[Uniikki]

Originally Posted by AFGNCAAP

Welcome to the forum, Uniikki.

I think you are making perfectly valid points - the only thing I don't agree is your reluctance to call Fahrenheit adventure game, but I guess the labels are not that important, especially when the game feels fresh and exciting. Like it does in this case.

Thanks:-) I guess not calling it an adventure is kind of stupid, considering what all games are branded under the umbrella label adventure games. And I haven't played the actual game either :-) For me, adventure games have always been slow and deliberate experiences. I guess that's more of a question of preference than definition. I just tend to define games based on the experiences. And I often like games that are difficult to pidgeonhole into this or that genre. But as you say, labels aren't that important.

Thanks for thread link, 'twas an interesting read.

Originally Posted by Orange Brat

The waitress says two different things because you can talk to her twice. Once when you sit near the cash register, and twice when you sit near the middle when she's not kneeling on the floor. I think you get both comments regardless of the meter.

Ah. Unfortunately that makes sense. It would have been more interesting and promising had it depended on the meter.

[Ninja Dodo]

Originally Posted by AFGNCAAP

The number of choices in the demo is never even remotely matched anywhere else in the game, and even the demo choices offer only brief, superficial changes to the plot

I have to say that sounds somewhat disappointing. I wasn't that impressed with the demo and was hoping the full game would offer more genuine interactivity. Not sure I'm all that interested anymore now...

[AFGNCAAP]

Originally Posted by Ninja Dodo

I have to say that sounds somewhat disappointing. I wasn't that impressed with the demo and was hoping the full game would offer more genuine interactivity. Not sure I'm all that interested anymore now...

I'll wait and see what the AGers' full review will have to say before I make my mind.

[ashleyelaine]

God, everyone is so damned fickle.

I'm going to wait until the review of the FULL GAME comes out.

[Karmillo]

Originally Posted by Uniikki

Has anyone here played Shenmue (for Dreamcast) btw? I personally haven't played the game, just watched a friend of mine playing it, and was reminded of it.

That was the first thought that poped into my head when i played the demo, ive only played the first one and ive heard that shemnue 1 and 2 are supposed to be 2 parts to the same game (like the way it is with syberia). Shenmue is allot more open ended than Fahrenheit, theres no time limit for you to progress the story or to acheive any goal, but like Fahrenheit the things you choose to do or not dont really change the outcome of the story.

Im going to get this game no matter what the reviews/previews say about it (it got an average score in Gamesmasters preview) since were not exactly spoilt for choice on adventure games at the moment

btw what would be the best format for this? pc or xbox? the controls on the pc weren't exactly the best

[Ninja Dodo]

Originally Posted by ashleyelaine

God, everyone is so damned fickle.

I'm going to wait until the review of the FULL GAME comes out.

I'd give it the benefit of the doubt if it wasn't for the god-damned annoying unskippable cutscenes. Replaying this thing or indeed having to retry over and over because you failed and being made to watch every last second of cutscene again and again would be torture.

[funcroc]

http://previews.teamxbox.com/xbox/11...o-Prophecy/p1/

I can easily say that Indigo Prophecy has been one of my favorite games to play through in a long time and I only wish there were a lot more games like it. This free-roaming adventure style game is built upon a very rich and interactive storyline that draws players into a solid connection with the playable characters. I found it so engrossing that I wasn’t able to do much else until I completed the game because I was so drawn in by the storyline I wanted to know what would happen next. Every time I said, just 10 more minutes, an hour or so would go by and I was still playing. Indigo Prophecy is a creative adventure title that has a lot of cinematic qualities that makes it feel much more like watching an interactive movie than playing a videogame, perhaps that’s why it’s so hard to put down once hitting “play.” In fact, over 50 stuntmen and actors were used to motion-capture the game’s characters. Indigo Prophecy is slated for release on September 6th, so mark your calendars as this is one you won’t wont to miss.