Section 8: Prejudice - Catch All

Scratched wrote:

Unless they've been exceptionally dumb and are using an additional layer just for the install limits. I think they have to use GFWL as they're using it for matchmaking.

Think I might have found an explanation:

Games for Windows — LIVE offers gamers two different forms of online activation. Game publishers can choose whichever system best suits their game.

Server Side Authentication (SSA). This is the newer system that ties the game’s Games for Windows — LIVE access code to an individual user account. This means the user can download, install, and play the game on any number of machines, without limits. Note, however, that only the user account that activated the game’s Games for Windows – LIVE access code will be able to play the game online using Games for Windows — LIVE.
Non-SSA. This is the original system that Games for Windows — LIVE used. In this system the game’s product key is not tied to a user account. Any number of user accounts can use the same product key. Instead, the system limits the number of times the game can be activated. Each new machine uses a single activation, so only after activating games on many machines would this limit be reached. Installing the same game on the same machine does not use up an additional activation. Under normal usage users should not hit this limit.

So it's probably saying it's only available for one user account on unlimited machines, but they gate keep by limiting it to the one gamer tag. Just like XBLA. You can install and play on as many consoles as you want with the gamertag that bought the game. There is some tie to the console that bought the license, as other gamer tags can play on that box, but in general it's a gamer tag license.

I bet Steam's got it wrong. I bet it's not by machine, but by gamer tag.

IGN review by Arthur Gies. Not as impressed as some of the other reviews.

Well, regardless of how it plays on the console I think it was a smart marketing decision to release the game so cheap. They lost me on the original game when they started selling maps. I didn't have any interest in paying for new maps for the game when it felt so spartan in some ways.

Here, however, the game is only $15. If we get some people playing on pc, then I'll buy the maps. But when I spent $50 and then you wanted me to buy a map pack ... meh.

I'm liking the game so far. Though it did completely freeze my xbox once, and in about five rounds of online play, after the round was over it wouldn't advance to another, had to re-search for another game each time.

I enjoyed it last night during the trail, but I think it hit me that like Monday Night Combat, I need some friends list momentum to get into this one. Still on the fence.

Monday Night Combat came out at a great time for a shooter without a lot of stuff competing that I was interested in. With Brink hitting soon, I'm a bit torn on this one.

I pulled the trigger. Love the mix of game styles. Curious about the co-op as well.

Tried the trial last night. Didn't seem to resonate with me like the demo for the original Section 8 did. I didn't buy that one either so that should tell you something.

Seems like a good deal but I smell not enough friends playing this for a long enough time.

Sold.

I really dig the dynamic mission generator in multiplayer. In the one match last night, I suddently got a notice that enemy VIP was inbound and immediately charged across the map to try (miserably) to take him out. From what I understand, there are a variety of different objectives that could pop up like that. Very cool feature.

Duffman wrote:

Sold.

I really dig the dynamic mission generator in multiplayer. In the one match last night, I suddently got a notice that enemy VIP was inbound and immediately charged across the map to try (miserably) to take him out. From what I understand, there are a variety of different objectives that could pop up like that. Very cool feature.

Yeah, it keeps things fresh and you shouldn't ever be able to take out a VIP by yourself, so keep that in mind before you go commit suicide.

Joystiq review. Pretty positive. Still thinking about it. Will not be around this weekend anyway.

I've been playing this the last few evenings and have really enjoyed it. It has a good teamwork ethos that makes it more enjoyable for me than the current crop of CoD style FPS's. The dynamic mission stuff is excellent. If anyone wants to try and get a party/squad night going, count me in. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if there is enough interest. I haven't seen many folks in my friends list playing this.

It's a very fun game. Main problem is the lack of a party system and stupid autobslancing that splits teams up.

LtWarhound wrote:

Atari-2600-Wood-4Sw-Set.jpg

Holy 3,680px × 2,120px 2.2MB image Batman

I'm also waiting on the PC version. Smaller MP-only games like this just die too fast on the console. At least on the PC it stands a chance of having a playerbase for a while. Hopefully. Unless Brink cannibalizes its audience.

jakeleg wrote:

Unfortunately, I'm not sure if there is enough interest. I haven't seen many folks in my friends list playing this.

Just waiting for it to hit the PC. Last time I owned a console, it looked like this, the Atari 2600.

edit: Sorry, Scratched, it automatically resized on my screen, didn't notice its size or mass.

Steam: 10% discount for pre-order – $13.49, PC launch is the 4th, Wednesday.

Against all better judgement (not that it's a bad game, but that I really really don't need more games to play!), I picked this up for the PC. Now I need to add some more GWJ friends to my Steam account so we can play together.

mwdowns wrote:

Against all better judgement (not that it's a bad game, but that I really really don't need more games to play!), I picked this up for the PC.

This sounds familiar... Japan is close, perhaps we can play a game or two together without moon ping? Darn Americans are too far away.

That would be great Redwing. I have to warn you, though, this is my first FPS game. The closest I've come to playing an FPS so far is Mass Effect 2. I will probably be terrible at Section 8. I'll work through the campaign mode before jumping into multiplayer to get the hang of things.

Game is out on Steam now with the download at about 5.5 gigs. Looking forward to giving this one a try.

Looks like when the game hits 10 million online kills an assault mode will be unlocked.

Glad to hear you don't have to pay for it, which is what I was assuming based on how they did the map packs with the first game.

I'll be firing this up tonight and taking MP for a spin. I enjoyed the original game but the MP population got whittled down to a hardcore group pretty quickly after launch. Hopefully the bargain price for Prejudice as well as the good reviews draw in more people for a longer period.

I was excited to see that it has Live for Windows support. Not to derail the thread, but can one of the cool kids explain to me why Live for Windows is evil? Personally I love it. I'm a PC primary gamer but I like achievements, I like getting achievements on the PC linked to my Xbox Live account and I like that I can have cross game/cross platform voicechat through live.

What's the downside?

GFW Live is fine, if you're lucky enough to get it to work.

I was unable to get GFW Live working for a year after getting a new PC. Getting it to work involved repeatedly experimenting with opening/closing various ports and enabling/disabling various security features. Even now, it still lacks most of the features Steam has.

Steam was one of the first things I installed on my new PC, and within minutes of installing I was playing my games.

I bought it last night on Steam before it was released. Downloading now. See you guys in game I hope

Done some of the campaign, its decent, Tribes is the standard I measure all jetpacks against, and nothing quite measures up. Still trying to get the grenade muscle memory to multispec, so I can use detpacks and mortars as reflexively as I do grenades. Looking forward to multiplayer.

Did the first mission in sp before I dove into mp. That one mission was better than any from the previous game, I'll give it that.

Working through the campaign now, and wow am I comically bad at this game. I'll keep working on it, though, and hopefully see some of you guys in multiplayer sometime.

I'm growing fonder of the game the more I play the multiplayer. The mostly open maps combined with the burning in eliminates a lot for the things I dislike about other multiplayer games like this. You never get camped in a spawn, you never have to respawn so far from the action that you spend most of your time running back to the fight. Snipers can be annoying, but hey, burn in on top of them and clear the perch, no endlessly trying to run back to the fight only get one-shotted by a sniper, again.

I like that I can carry an effective combat loadout and still get some engineering time in. The deployables are useful without being overpowered, I spend a lot time blowing up guns that people put in stupid places. Profitable, too. Its always nice when that minigun deployable clears hackers off the CPs. Or when a well timed AA deployable slows down their reinforcing a hotly contested CP fight long enough to take control.

A lot of the fights so far have been tense back and forth struggles for command stations. A few have been blowouts, where one side spends too much time deathmatching and loses badly. Those teams are also notable for having people not buying deployables, but instead saving up for vehicles that they tend to do badly in. Even saw one game end up a tie, the goal is 1000 points, score was 1017 to 1007. Lost one 992 to 1000, where the enemy completed a DCM (dynamic combat mission, much like a WAR public quest) at the last moment to pull ahead.

The vehicles are useful, but not so overpowering that you can't fight them off. A nice balance, where you don't feel like you are wasting your chance at a vehicle if you spend cash on the deployables.

The only thing I don't like about it so far is the leveling up. Level 22, and still short a lot of the toys I got to use in the campaign. Which didn't show off all of the upgrades, either. I think I'm getting tossed onto servers that are level 1 to 25, have to see how I feel when I get moved to the next tier, and start running into people closer to 50 and the gear they will have.