Sunday, May 30, 2010

SOCAST Episode 3 - I'm a guest!

Download it here!

I was happy to be a guest on this week's SOCAST with HTK, r_e_v and lukebacher. We talk about all the latest SOCOM 4 information and speculation including regenerating health, 1 more per map, the move controller, etc. Check it out.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Regenerating health, 1 mode per map, etc

Woah, that was a great episode of the Zipline Podcast last night. If you haven't listened to it (episode 6) you can check it out here.

I was incredibly impressed with CJ Heine who was interviewed on the podcast this week. He's been at Zipper since the development of SOCOM 1 and you can tell that he is really a true classic SOCOM fan. It's great to know and very encouraging that people like that still exist at Zipper. Here's a short best/worst from the podcast:

Best:
CJ Heine seems to hint that maps in SOCOM 4 are designed around a single mode, which I hope to god is true. This is one of the major aspects that make a SOCOM game feel unique and addictive.

Worst:
Regenerating health will be in single player and it sounds like it might be in multiplayer as well (but it wasn't confirmed). The majority of people on the forums are up in arms about this but I'm staying opened-minded. I personally don't think it's a deal-breaker and its something that people should have already braced themselves for.

Listen to the podcast for yourself and lmk what you think.

Also, I'll be a guest on the SOCAST tonight, discussing all of this information and more. So check back for that later.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Zipper and over-the-shoulder view, and why they're wrong


In the last episode of the Zipline Podcast, creative director Ed Byrne stated why they've chosen to go with an OTS view as opposed to the classic centered third-person view from previous SOCOM games.

"[OTS view] is for both [Move & Dual Shock controllers]. So we tried to make sure that there is as little difference as possible between playing with the Dual-Shock and the Move in terms of the camera position, that sort of thing. We had to move the camera out a little bit for the Move, um, we had to push it back and raise it a little bit higher. So when you see footage from GDC you're seeing a slightly different camera angle then you'll see at E3. But for the most part the over-the-shoulder aspect is on both.

I know thats a contentious issue with some of
the fans, um, but it's just one of those things that we sort of, uh, we saw that start in the FTB series and it was one of those things that when we're doing usability tests, and we're doing surveys and talking to gamers out there it seemed like that was becoming a more contemporary camera position, you know it allowed the character to be a little bit bigger on screen and to get out of the central area. For multiplayer we've taken a step back from that a little bit so we are considering a lot of things."

My one problem with this isn't that they are using the OTS view, but that Ed Byrne makes it sound as though they chose that view because of surveys and tests as opposed to having a fundamental gameplay reason for choosing it. Yes, he states that it makes the character larger on screen, but doesn't state why he thinks that is important for this game.


If I were to give any advice to the team at Zipper it would be to make the game that THEY want to make. Sure, read the boards and take us and other opinions into consideration, but ultimately don't let outside forces make the decisions. It's why their reasoning for using OTS view got me so mad.

The one glimmer of hope is that it sounds like the team is keeping it open-ended for multiplayer, and haven't yet made a final decision on what they want to do.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Community - Socast Episode 2 AND vote for SOCOM 2 HD!

Check it out.

HTK, active member on the SOCOM.com forums has just posted another episode of the Socast podcast, this time discussing Zipline Episode 5 and the SOCOM 4 information that came from it.

MP3 link to the podcast here.


Next, you MUST vote in this poll to get Sony on board for a SOCOM 2 in HD remake. Create awareness and make it happen. Remember, this is how God of War Collection got greenlite for an HD remake. Make enough noise and they can't ignore you.

Zipline Podcast Episode 5

Zipper put up Zipline Episode 5 last night with plenty of SOCOM talk. Check it out here.

I'll give my commentary on it in a bit.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Community - The Importance of SOCOM 4 (youtube clip)

Thanks to r_e_v on the SOCOM.com message boards for finding this link. Starting at the 1:25 mark, this SOCOM fan tells it like it is. Check it out below:



Friday, May 7, 2010

Community - "Upriver" Map Concept


Just came across this post on the SOCOM.com boards by SpecterMK23. You know SOCOM has an amazing community when people like this design maps in their spare time. Check out the link to see his idea.

Your answer to UCRR's is coming...soon

Probably one of the most asked questions about SOCOM 4 from hardcore fans is if UCRRs (User Created Ranked Rooms) will or won't be in the game. Your answer, it seems, is coming next week. According to Chris and Jeremy in today's 'Zipline Podcast Episode 3' stated that they hope to announce how the online setup works, including whether UCRRS are in or not, but will do it the next time they have someone working on SOCOM 4 on the podcast.

My prediction? The classic lobby setup will be chucked out the window in favour of a more streamlined, more current, match-making setup. Hopefully we'll have our final answer next week.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

IGN single-player Q&A

Check out IGN's new Q&A with Ed Byrne on SOCOM 4's single player here.

I really like the focus on the characters in the story that Ed Byrne seems to be hinting at. I think a lot of shooters loose sight of how important it is to know the characters names and their backgrounds when it comes to crafting a single player story that you want your audience to latch on to.

Really happy with what I've heard about single player so far. Looking forward to seeing more.