Except friendly AI.
Portal gets an unusual update...
- Thread starter Micnax
- Start date
- Apr 19, 2009
- 4,460
- 1,722
But friendly AI is a bitch to program. Hurrpfadruflazyvalve
Randdalf
aa
- Feb 14, 2008
- 1,051
- 931
They didn't improve, nor did they get worse.
Angry_Ed
L1: Registered
- May 25, 2009
- 41
- 32
I don't really think not being able to program perfect friendly AI that can pass a Turing Test qualifies as laziness, especially seeing as how they're still smarter than some of the incompetent people I run into on TF2, and even L4D come to think of it.
- Apr 19, 2009
- 4,460
- 1,722
Well it could also be intentional so the AI does not "play the game for you"
Your friendly "AI" doesn't really do much beyond having better reflexes and aiming than you, and they just happen to follow you around for the whole level whilst you trigger all the objectives.
I imagine L4D2's "improved" gameplay, thanks to additional weapons and mutated infected, made the game play closer to what it was originally intended to be like. But I never bought the game so i wouldn't know anything beyond the fact that the majority of people would rather complain about it than commend its achievements.
I'm a little dissapointed at what appears to be a change in the art direction for some of Portal's mechanics. I presume those black pads are the "new" version of the non-portal wall segments. That sort of inconsistancy is agitating, particularly when it appears that the facility was abandoned in the first game so it's unlikely the facility underwent modifications/improvements. Of course we never see the entire testing facility in the first game, but the developers went out of their way to put a little science-narrative behind the non-portal-able wall segments by allowing us to go behind the scenes and see all these power cables plugged into them etc..
But we'll have to wait to actually play the game to discover what's what. Hopefully it will be awesome.
I imagine L4D2's "improved" gameplay, thanks to additional weapons and mutated infected, made the game play closer to what it was originally intended to be like. But I never bought the game so i wouldn't know anything beyond the fact that the majority of people would rather complain about it than commend its achievements.
I'm a little dissapointed at what appears to be a change in the art direction for some of Portal's mechanics. I presume those black pads are the "new" version of the non-portal wall segments. That sort of inconsistancy is agitating, particularly when it appears that the facility was abandoned in the first game so it's unlikely the facility underwent modifications/improvements. Of course we never see the entire testing facility in the first game, but the developers went out of their way to put a little science-narrative behind the non-portal-able wall segments by allowing us to go behind the scenes and see all these power cables plugged into them etc..
But we'll have to wait to actually play the game to discover what's what. Hopefully it will be awesome.
Leminnes
aa
- Jan 20, 2010
- 1,317
- 902
Obviously that's an assumption and might not be true. And the robots are still around, they are entirely capable of redoing or upgrading things.
That's why i said it was an assumption... But we're talking about replacing the entire science team that ran this place, and researched this technology, with robots that did little more than maintain or interact with experiements. If the robots really did improve the chambers then why were they in such disarray in the first place (the place was falling apart from the start, not to mention walls left open in later test chambers), and how did it continue to decay so badly afterwards. Yet also see all this improved technology applied at the same time.
Leminnes
aa
- Jan 20, 2010
- 1,317
- 902
This is obviously something we can only speculate about, and personally I believe your worries will be placated. We already have robots who are apparently going to be used for test subjects. There's also the personality cores that are scattered around after being awakened at the end of Portal 1. They seem to control separate areas, and because of their separate personalities their areas might reflect their unique, fabricated selves.
Personally, I believe the area where Glados tested you was blocked off entirely from the rest of the facility in every way. It was meant to be just you, her, and some innocent sentries. In Portal 2 it seems we are exiting that area and venturing into places more open and traveled upon by others. If this is the case, it is neither surprising nor disappointing that they look somewhat different.
Of course, if this isn't the case and things are changed with little regard other than "just because," then it might be a little disappointing, but if the gameplay, humour, and general logic is there, it won't bother me too much.
- Jul 31, 2009
- 1,590
- 410
Any "higher tech" or "less decay" could also be explained by the fact that your original romp through the facility disturbed some sort of limiters on AI or AI capabilities that the researchers had left in-place.
There's some precedent for this in terms of the morality core in the first game. The AI entities might have been capable of fabricating new rooms etc., but lingering constraints prevented Glados/Them from "deviating from established test procedure" except in certain "creative" ways. Or perhaps Glados had certain types of restrictions but the awakened personality cores do not, etc.
There's some precedent for this in terms of the morality core in the first game. The AI entities might have been capable of fabricating new rooms etc., but lingering constraints prevented Glados/Them from "deviating from established test procedure" except in certain "creative" ways. Or perhaps Glados had certain types of restrictions but the awakened personality cores do not, etc.
Video released with interviews of the devs of Narbacular Drop: http://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2010/03/08/narbacular-drop.aspx
while l4d2 is a legitimate sequel, it doesn't feel like the price is appropriate if you already own l4d. And as the boycotters pointed out, it really makes l4d look like a beta test you paid for.
