lockdown

[Fallen]

demo=true

[Fallen]

and i have played single player map and kinda dont like it

[SK_CROW]

Lockdown Demo

[Torch]

hs anyone bought the game?....anyone has news if the full version is better than the demo. i have not used the demo but hear it sucked big time. Im a masoquist (sp) i want to buy it e1ven if it sux...

[SK_CROW]

I have it, but havent installed it yet.  I will give my review after I check it out.

[Torch]

thanks much Crow...i might still just bu8y it and review it myself ill drop by after...

[SK_CROW]

Well single player is actually pretty fun.  Gameplay is smooth with much improved graphics, tango and team AI.  No more prone position.  New sniper sight is challenging, although with some practice it is very cool. .  HB is cheezy, but then again I never used it anyways.

I havent tried multiplayer yet...probably will sometime soon though.  Anyone else have any reviews?

[Fallen]

originally postedon UBI forums by Slug

Originally posted by: Para_Slug

I, unlike many others who have posted here, have reserved my judgment on "R6: Lockdown" for a week or so since the demo came out. I have played Single, Multi Coop/Adversarial many times now in order to get a good feel for the game. In this post I will try to make a fair yet critical review, while keeping in mind the history of the R6/Tom Clancy titles, my own expectations, and my impression of the R6/Tactical FPS community's expectations.

A quick opinion, I remember every big R6 title release, and it was met with the same kind of disdain as Lockdown is getting right now. When UO/CO/BT was released people despised the new maps, guns, modding etc. When RVS was released, hardcore R6'ers complained that the game was sooo slow, and nothing like Rogue Spear/UO, and in fact some never made the switch. For one reason or another, PC gamers will always complain when things change, it is inherent. Why? I cannot say, maybe because after almost mastering a style of play they have to start over from scratch, or maybe their system will have to be upgraded, or maybe we are just a sour bunch who have to complain about every little thing (hackers, campers, ghey this, ghey that). Whatever the reason, please know that a small amount of negativity is expected whenever a game is released. In Lockdown's case I will admit that it seems blown out of proportion, and in fact there are a lot of loyal R6'ers that are feeling abandoned by this new game. A few distinctly R6 features that we have grown accustomed to are missing, and there are a few new features that are foreign to us. However, after a few days of playing this new release I am beginning to feel as though there was some good design and programming ingenuity applied to this release.

A little background, I am a graphic/web designer with a little bit of programming background. Therefore I am used to constructive criticism, and even some unconstructive nay saying, this is something that all designers, programmers, businessmen have to deal with in the real world and it is what helps refine a good idea into a masterpiece. I am also a gamer, and have played every R6 release since Rogue Spear, also GR and the expansions (I even enjoyed SOAF). I have always appreciated the style of games that UBI/Red Storm has produced. They have kept the "thinking" gamer in mind, and have released games that appeal to the brain, not focusing purely on eye candy and shock value. They have also tried to bring the not-so-distant future of warfare to their fans with small yet interesting features such as heartbeat sensors, HUD, weapons etc. Their ingenuity in game design has made many of us loyal fans, and along with loyal fans comes the most intense critics.

I will break the critique down into four areas Overall features, Single-Player, Coop, and Adversarial.

Overall Features

Graphics:

The Bad:


I feel the First person weapon models could have been a bit more detailed.

The haircuts are a little outlandish. The mercenaries gelled up spikes are a little metro-sexual. Although I don't know any mercenaries and for all I know they could be the fashion-forward type. As for the cornrows and braids on the women, I guess they would need an effective way to hold back their long hair in a firefight situation. So, for me this is understandable, and even a sign of extra consideration on the devs behalf, especially when it seems they are dead set on having a new look for the Ops, doing away with the generic helmet and mask covering in the prior games.

The bullet tracers are a little over-exaggerated in my opinion, as you need a very low-light environment to make out bullet tracers to the extent that they are rendered in this game.

The Good:

The level textures, character models, and objects are very detailed and rendered beautifully without taxing the users system to the extreme. FEAR was a beautiful game but it really does horde system resources, so I believe the Devs found a good balance in this regard.


Audio:

The Bad:

Yes the footsteps are a little loud and hoove-ish. The teammate voices are a very stereotypical, and to some maybe even offensive. I think that the Devs could have been more down to earth with their approach and made the Ops sound as if they were serious, deadly and elite soldiers with a uniform communication protocol.

The Good:

The gun sounds are very good in my opinion. Some have said that they are re-used RVS sounds, but I do not agree, and wouldn't even mind if they were. The grenade sounds are good enough, as it would be almost impossible to create an absolutely realistic explosion sound for every environment variable. As far as the menu music, I have never heard any in game music that I loved so te music in Lockdown is fine.

Game Play:

The Bad:

Yes the running/walking speeds! Running for the recon kit is severely over exaggerated. Walking for any class is a little slow, but I am growing more and more fond of it. This has been mentioned in every critical post so I will leave it at that.

The single shot rate for pistols and machine guns seems to be capped at a certain speed. I cannot rip off single shots at the speed of my mouse click, which I could do in RVS, I can see the thinking behind this as some people in RVS had unbelievably fast single shot speeds. I think this feature was capped a little bit too slow in Lockdown, as I know for a fact that I can fire a pistol much faster in RL than I can in this game, especially compared to the running/game speed.

No more recoil! I was truly amazed and utterly in love with the recoil system of RVS, it was very original and really added a challenging learning curve to the game that is not present in any other title. This feature allowed a player to get familiar with his/her weapon of choice and really master the ins and outs of the gun. I loved this feature, and am really worried that it is gone forever.

Sniping! I can see some real issues with sniping in multiplayer Lockdown games, I would like to see the possibility of slow walking/strafing while scoped, this feature really added to fun sniping in adversarial games in the past, and I don't see why it has to be over. I hear that Bunkers will be released with Lockdown, yet I cant imagine playing Bunkers without being able to scope and move, no matter how slow, please bring back some movement to the snipers.

No more fluid movement! The fluid stand/crouch config in RVS was yet another truly unique feature, that allowed a player to approach an attack or defense with a diverse skill set. I will miss fluid stance as I think that too is gone forever.

****it I'm gimped! Everyone hated being gimped in RVS, however I feel that this also added a very interesting dimension to on-line play. This feature was a step in the right direction towards FPS realism, once hobbled a player had to think quick or perish, yet another innovation that urged the operative to use their brain to outwit and survive.

The Good:

As far as the peaking while moving issue, I like the new setup and think it will play out just fine, with a few quick moves a player can find a good lean spot around any corner. However, the peaking/moving model of RVS did add a good skill set to every player. I feel that the same amount of movability is present in Lockdown; it is just different, if the Devs are set on this new peaking/moving setup I will not complain. The ret closing/opening timing is good-enough in Lockdown, but I will reserve final judgment on this until I get to play in a multiplayer game where everyone has a good ping and competition is at its best.

Solution:

1.) Please bring back the recoil system from RVS. I say this with extreme personal bias. If not in Lockdown than sometime in the near future. I think the recoil system will be a great feature in a seriously realistic FPS.
2.) Rethink/recalibrate the running/walking ratio. A small tweak would do the trick, yet it is not a critical matter I think we will all get used to it.
3.) Please allow some movement for snipers. I fear that Lockdown will lose most if not all adversarial sniper game enthusiasts if this is not given any attention.
4.) Single shot speeds must be uncapped, or allowed a slightly faster firing motion. Pistols battles really lose the thrill when you can't rip out a clip at the speed of your mouse click. After all in RL an experienced shooter can really belt out some bullets with a strong and quick trigger finger, it may not be the most accurate way to fire but it gets the job done in close quarters battles (take paintball for example).
5.) Please bring back fluid movement! Do it for me? Maybe?
6.) Please consider the hit based gimp feature for Lockdown or subsequent titles. We all hate being gimped, but it just doesnt seem right to take a few slugs and still run like a gazelle.

Single-Player

Linear maps:

The Bad:

Linear maps are something new for R6, and my gut feeling is that it is a mistake and really takes away from the planning and execution of a personalized mission. The earlier R6 releases really were open to a unique individual experience for each level, depending on planning philosophy, execution etc.

The Good:

Exactly the same, linear maps are new to R6 games. The lack of a consistent storyline was always second fiddle to the game play in earlier R6 releases. Now the Devs have more control over the single-player/mission portion of Lockdown, which is something familiar to other gamers who may be new to R6 titles. I never really expected the Devs at UBI/Redstorm to sit around and watch award-winning games like Halo, Half-Life and FEAR get praise for an amazing storyline, and then release another game with almost no storyline at all. This was inevitable, yet it doesn't have to mean the end of the expectations mentioned above in "The Bad". This was a good business decision, as a lot of gamers want some story with their game and hopefully the full-version delivers a **** good one.

Solution:

Give us the best of both worlds; give us a linear single-player mission story line that blows us away. A complete movie-ish story centered around Ding Chavez saving the world and his teammates from peril? Fine that sounds great. Maybe go all out, and give good ole Tom Clancy a call for a realistic and compelling storyline, but please don't half *** it, if you are going to take something away from a game make sure you are replacing it with something great. Furthermore, don't take away our planning and execution fun, give us a complete terrorist hunt mission list (separate from the storyline portion of the game) where we can pick our teams, kits and then plan out the perfect takedown with our own style and flair. Call it "Mission Oversight and Execution" or "Total Control Mission" or whatever, just please don't take it away forever.

AI:

The Bad:

The scripted events are un-R6-like, yet teamed up with random and dynamic terrorists this could be a nice touch. After all the storyline would be nothing without a script.

The Good:

I like how the terrorists will hide and peek, fall back, and lay down cover. I only hope that there will be more interesting and challenging scenarios in the full release.

Other thoughts:

The voice commands are a nice touch. Also, I think the team movement commands are not bad at all; hopefully whatever bugs people are getting with operatives getting stuck will be fixed.


Coop:

The Bad:

Again, linear maps. I sincerely hope that coop games are not restricted to the linear style maps in the full release. If so UBI/Redstorm risks losing a lot of loyal coop fans. I for one will get bored with these straightforward maps very quickly.

The Good:

Well, everything else is right on par. The game play of Lockdown will serve up some fun coop games, that is unless a server admin only has linear maps to choose from.

Solution:

Give us some interesting full scale maps so we can improvise our way to a successful mission.

Adversarial:

The Bad:

The Grenade Launcher! Wow, this was the biggest shock to me when I first joined a public game. I guess in RL there are grenade launchers and they are employed in tactical firefight situations, but the are often used to project gas, or flash bangs to far away targets. Maybe there is some plan to balance these "noob cannons" out in the full release otherwise there will be a large divide between severs that restrict Grenade launchers and those who don't. I foresee an entire server filled up with grenade launcher wielding maniacs, performing civil war like volleys across a map creating a completely uninspiring atmosphere. At the very least please allow the server admin to restrict kits (I am sure you will).

R6 vs. Mercs, well I have to say that this was also a shock. This new feature is completely unoriginal, and really is an attempt to fix something that isn't broken. Would you rather be an elite R6 operative or a gel-haired criminal? If R6 vs. Mercs was a must; at least the Devs could have designed a more professional look for the bad guys. Maybe a ski mask? Anything would have been better than the metro-sexual, pda carrying Abercrombie and Fitch model, who is supposed to be a formidable adversary to the R6 ops (I know this is harsh but I feel that the Devs really missed the mark here).

The Motion Sensor Goggles vs. Cameras with Virus emitters. I think this does add a new perspective to on-line competition. However a good idea not implemented correctly can meet with very bad results. This current configuration is very lopsided, with R6 having a clear advantage over the Mercs (see Solutions below).

The Good:

The classes feature is a nice addition to Lockdown. I like that there will be different kinds of soldiers moving around on a map at differing speeds, with different weapons etc. I think this feature will add a much more unpredictable feeling to multiplayer adversarial games with the full release. However, this is a double-edged sword as these classes, with all the different options, will be much more difficult to balance out. I have faith that the Devs have considered this and will be considering this for the full release and subsequent patches.

The overall game play of Lockdown (with a few tweaks) will reveal some very fun and exciting multiplayer games. It will not be a "run-of-the-mill" FPS, how could it be with so many options and new features.

Solutions:

In the name of balanced game play I think that each player on each team should have a choice of choosing Motion Sensor Goggles or PDA. Therefore each team would have strategically placed camera/gas units around the map, with the option of hot-wiring any camera/gas unit to comply with your teams PDA. This will make the camera/gas units much more relevant because someone on each team will have to keep an eye on their camera/gas units or risk losing access to large areas of the map. I would also recommend making this a stand alone, selectable game type instead of it being the mandatory Deathmatch setup. In regular Head to Head Deathmatch games the Motion Sensor and PDA's could be a kit choice for the recon class, with the PDA simply showing movement around the map as if it were connected to a Satellite link or something to that affect.

Network:

The Bad:

The net code in this demo was absolutely horrible. I realize that when developing software there is only so many system configs that you can test on, therefore there will always be an issue, especially when it comes to networking. But the vast majority of people who played this demo had to jump through a few hoops just to be able to connect (router configs, NAT problems, firewall) and some cannot connect at all no matter what they do. This is a sign of poor planning on the Devs behalf, maybe a few more weeks of network beta testing before releasing a demo to the public would have solved this matter. I do understand having a deadline to meet, but a deadline should be missed if a job is incomplete.

The Good:

Lockdown seems to play very well once a player can connect to a server. Even at high pings the game play is only marginally affected (bullet lag, doors don't respond as quick). This, I think is a sign of good things to come, and a definite improvement over RVS's infamous memory holes.


Afterthoughts:


If you are going to respond to this post please do so in a mature and intelligent manner, I wrote this review in order to get through to any of the UBI/Redstorm Devs that care to listen. The preceding is my opinion and in no way do I speak for the entire community of tactcal gamers or R6 fans. I am simply a appreciative customer of UBI/Redstorm and offer up my critique as a way for the Devs to better understand their fan base.

- SLuG

[Balaso]

Mind summing that up for me Fallen? I'm too damned lazy to read all of that!      

[SK_CROW]

Yea that is an indept critique of the game.  Glad some ppl actually have time to analyze the details.

Fallen, what do you think of it so far?

[Fallen]

i dont have any money so i dont have the full game and i was only able to play the single part portion of the demo since i couldnt connect to servers. Of the single player i didnt like how the maps were linear so i didn't like it too much, also there was no recoil which was a turnoff for me.

[Torch]

great review!! its way better than:

"it sucks!!"

thanks Fallen...Im sure that alot of those little things will be fixed in the six patches they will make im buying it tomorrow...  

[sK_Cookie]

sounds to me like this game is a nother UBIGAY production.