Rage Gameplay with Willits at E3 '10

[DeumReaper]

G4TV takes a look at a gameplay demonstration of Rage with id's Creative Director Tim Willits during E3 2010. As Willits discusses the direction of the Bethesda Softworks' published title, we see some confrontations with several bandits. Various gameplay features in Rage are revealed, such as acrobatic AI, remote-controlled C4-armed sentries, streamlined weapon and ammo switching, and different bandit clans having different fighting styles. Willits then states that their PC development kit will be available when Rage is released in 2011, encouraging the modding community with the idTech 5 engine. Source: Evil Avatar forums

[kristus]

I've been looking forward to Rage. But what I saw in that video didn't really excite me. Looked easy, one sided and stupid.

[Remilia Scarlet]

Looks a bit generic. From the environments to the gameplay, it just feels like every other FPS released since circa 2000.

EDIT: The outdoor environments look like they'd be fun to explore, however.

[Udderdude]

Hopefully they have more of the game to show off later. The generic sewer full of identical crazies looks like it would get old really fast.

[kristus]

Also, I recent the position they have on dying in games. "We're gamers and we hate to die." Of course you hate to die. It means you lost/failed. The whole point is to NOT die. Sounds like they are putting in the same "mechanic" you saw in Prey.

[Philnemba]

I don't know about y'all but I love that exploding R/C car :D

[Gez]

After watching that video, I am less interested in Rage than I ever was.

The enemy AI is underwhelming, just a bunch of idiotic clones all attacking in the same way. That they sneak around you is far from enough if they don't try to hide or duck when you've got them in the crosshair.

And the way the demo character took blow after blow while still going on unimpeded, with Willits going all "gamers hate to die so you're in godmode all the time" does not help.

[Sporku]

kristus said:

I've been looking forward to Rage. But what I saw in that video didn't really excite me. Looked easy, one sided and stupid.

I feel like calling a Rage demonstration easy and one-sided is a bit unfair. Obviously it's going to seem easy because, well, that's how demonstrations are when companies are showing off their games. It's kind of hard to get your point across if you're showing the game to people using some difficult segment of the game where the person playing keeps dying. I can, however, see what you mean if you're talking about their vision of death.

I'm sure I'll give it a shot either way, but either way I'm not about to get my hopes up.

[Rohit_N]

How...Bethesda.

[Gez]

AgentSpork said:

It's kind of hard to get your point across if you're showing the game to people using some difficult segment of the game where the person playing keeps dying.

How and why is it adverse to conveying a point (which point)?

"Yeah, this passage is the hardest in the entire game. <sits in the middle of a corridor blasting away infinite ammo at stupid enemies who just throw themselves in the line of fire for a good ten minutes> <"you win" screen appears> See, this is truly a gripping gameplay."

[Sporku]

Gez said:

How and why is it adverse to conveying a point (which point)?

"Yeah, this passage is the hardest in the entire game. <sits in the middle of a corridor blasting away infinite ammo at stupid enemies who just throw themselves in the line of fire for a good ten minutes> <"you win" screen appears> See, this is truly a gripping gameplay."

All game demonstrations are like this. It really depends on what you're trying to, you know, demonstrate. Seems to me like they were trying to show off the enemy AI, smooth frame rate (which, mind you, is impressive to me considering it's running on a 360), weapon functionality, etc. Most gameplay demonstrations show you the basic game mechanics, and usually they're pretty easy.. especially since 9 times out of 10 they make it so the person playing simply can't die. If you want a good idea of the game's difficulty, it's probably best to watch gameplay footage from the final product.

[LexiMax]

I don't really see where the disappointment is coming from. What exactly are you expecting Rage to be?

I could easily see this being difficult if they took the "demonstration god mode" off and doubled the enemy count/reduced the "hit stun" on the enemies. Prey was pretty fun in spite of having "godmode" and from what it sounded like it didn't sound like instant on-the-spot revival was a sure thing. Besides, there's lots of ways they could make it tougher (take your ammo, etc.)

Also, considering how long they've been working on it, I can easily it being a good deal longer than most other FPS being released today.

[Rohit_N]

AlexMax said:

I don't really see where the disappointment is coming from. What exactly are you expecting Rage to be?

An id game :(

[Chrono_T]

This is an id game though. It looks like a lot of fun. Its a demo to show off what it has packing, not the whole game. They always put everything on easy when they show the game off.

[Use]

Looks great to me! For the nay-sayers there'll always be a bunch of moldy old first person games for you geezers to enjoy.

[kristus]

AgentSpork said:

I feel like calling a Rage demonstration easy and one-sided is a bit unfair. Obviously it's going to seem easy because, well, that's how demonstrations are when companies are showing off their games. It's kind of hard to get your point across if you're showing the game to people using some difficult segment of the game where the person playing keeps dying. I can, however, see what you mean if you're talking about their vision of death.

I'm sure I'll give it a shot either way, but either way I'm not about to get my hopes up.

Notice how he's really just pelting bullets into stupid heads for a good while. All during wich some payed puppy is talking about how awesome it is that he's doing this.
There's no comboing of weapons or clever tactics going on here. If they want to impress they should demonstrate some of that. And not some stupid wack a mole game play.

[Use]

kristus said:

There's no comboing of weapons or clever tactics going on here. If they want to impress they should demonstrate some of that. And not some stupid wack a mole game play.

I don't think it's fair to assume a simple and VERY short demonstration of the unfinished game should go into this kind of depth. The release date is next year, they probably don't want to give away too much. Besides it's obvious they're trying to appeal to the mass e3 audience, not hardcore doom/fps nerds. Also half of what you're complaining about in the video could be because the person playing sucks.

Sure I'm not shitting myself with excitement but I think this is a good move for id, with a lot of potential gameplay elements mixed in that even the most jaded pc-thumpers can come up with something entertaining to do within such a big concept.

[wildweasel]

I say, wait for a playable demo or something.

[Gez]

The Demonstration Video, annotated:
- Oh, look! Electric arrows can fry people in a large area if they're standing in water! (Cool)
- Oh, look! You can drive an RC car and detonate it! (Cool)
- Oh, look! It can also be like a standard FPS (alright)
- Oh, look! It can also be like a standard FPS (yeah, we've seen that)
- Oh, look! It can also be like a standard FPS (got anything else?)
- Oh, look! It can also be like a standard FPS (anything at all?)
- Oh, look! It can also be like a standard FPS (Bueller?)
- Oh, look! It can also be like a standard FPS (Bueller?)
- Oh, look! It can also be like a standard FPS (We get it already!)

[Firebrand_kh]

So far they've showed small interesting features, the rest is just generic as most people says.

[Use]

Gez said:

- Oh, look! It can also be like a standard FPS (We get it already!)

What exactly is the definition of 'standard FPS?' Is it any FPS you didn't like? Is it shooting at things? Being indoors? Holding a gun? Using items?

[Gez]

It's going through a generic-looking corridor shooting at generic enemies that all look the same and all act the same.

[iori]

More Game, less Timesink!

[Chrono_T]

Gez said:

It's going through a generic-looking corridor shooting at generic enemies that all look the same and all act the same.

Especially considering that the majority of the game takes place aboveground, and also considering its a combat racing game too.

[Malinku]

the only thing I'm liking is the modding package that will come with the pc version. (so far)

[RestlessRodent]

The video isn't really interesting to me at all, nothing really stands out to me at all.

Malinku said:

the only thing I'm liking is the modding package that will come with the pc version. (so far)

Probably just a revamped Radiant, GTKRadiant, etc.

[kristus]

GT also got their coverage of Rage on E3, haven't watched it yet because I am stuck on a really slow connection.. but it doesn't appear to be the same thing as in OP:
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-rage/700654
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-rage/700652

[hardcore_gamer]

kristus said:

I've been looking forward to Rage. But what I saw in that video didn't really excite me. Looked easy, one sided and stupid.

While I think calling the game "one sided and stupid" is pretty unfair considering that this was just a short demonstration that was obviously made easy and simple on purpose for the sake of keeping things under control and easy to understand and doesn't even scrach the surface of what the game can do, I do agree that the shooting did look somewhat generic. It reminded me of Quake 4.

However, until we learn more and see what the game looks like and how it plays in the outdoor areas that the game makes a big deal out off (not to mention the cars and the races)I think it would be pretty ignorant to dismiss the game right away. At least wait for the demo or something.

Not that my words are going to matter to the PC fascists though, as it is only a matter of time before the PC trolls and the elitists on the site will come and spam the thread by yelling at everyone about how the game is obviously going to suck as a result of being "consolized" and that the game would be 9999% better had Id simply chosen to make Rage a PC exclusive and decided to fallow the same design philosophies as the ones the company embraced over a decade and a fucking half ago.

If anything I think people should feel happy that Id still cares enough about its PC consumers that the are going to release the editing tools with the game like they did with Doom 3 while all of the other gaming publishers are going out of their way to make modding impossible so that they can force more DLC into the consumers throats.

[Dutch Doomer]

Looks boring, but that video doesn't tell the whole story I hope. I'll probably check it out sooner or later anyway, probably long after its released. There are other games that are higher on my list of must play.

[Youn]

Anyone else notice the pentagram graffiti on the wall, looked like a doom reference :)

I hear him say there will be different environments, and we haven't really seen more then desert/sewer setting... it would be neat if it went to snow, tropical, old town (not futuristic), skyscrapers, etc... just a huge array of settings that they won't show off until the game's released. That would be a nice surprise, and really show off the tech (being that every surface is unique, they could easily do this, right?)

The only thing that stood out that looked kinda "bad" was the water, looked very UT2003-like. Everything else looked good, and it's surprisingly vibrant and easy on the eyes (unlike gear of war 3 which I just watched, it looked really "flat" and hard to tell what was going on)

I also appreciate the fact they seemed to listen to the main complaints about doom 3, being too slow, dark and repetitious.

I'm personally looking forward to this title, and wonder how the PC version differs in quality.