Dead Island

[Dasquian Belargic]

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[Crusader]

Dead Island will feature open world (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_world) gameplay, played from a first person (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_person_%28video_games%29) perspective, with up to four-player co-operative play.

WIN WIN

[Dasquian Belargic]

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An analysis of the trailer and what implications it has on the game / gameplay.

[Peter McCoy]

Oooh I remember seeing this a while ago and naturally I was interested!

Can't watch the videos in work - I'm allowed, these crap machines just won't run them.

[Crusader]

http://epicbattleaxe.com/dead-island-gets-pre-order-loot-on-steam/

My lords of loathing, my misfits of mutilaitions how art thou?

So according to this article you can buy 4 copies at once for your friends

Not to be overlooked, however, is maybe the best pre-order bonus of all: the Pre-Purchase Dead Island – Four Pack. This sweet special nets you four copies of the tropical killing simulator for just $149.97. That’s just $37.50 per game! That’s a pretty good deal for a new title, but with a new franchise like this will you pony up for the game ahead of time?

I know this is not L4D3 but is there a general intrest in checking this zombie slash fest out or do we wait for reviews?

[Peter McCoy]

I will definitely be getting it. Just because it isn't L4D3 has no bearing on the matter - zombie games have been around, and good, long before Valve came onto the undead scene. Even co-op zombie games. But I think the open-world gameplay will be the biggest plus point for me.

[Crusader]

The studio behind it has done good and solid games so far but not triple AAA titles but I am intrested in this one as well so I would be intrested in buying it for the first day as well. I will just have to finally upgrade my PC for this one.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I definitely want this.

[Crusader]

So we need one more player and we could order the 4 player preorder :)

[Dasquian Belargic]

Fourth player? Anyone?

[Crusader]

http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/dead-island

So the reviews from the press are coming in and so far they are good ratings (70-90%).

The player reaction is pretty mixed since someone seems to have put the worng built on steam.

I still want to check this game out but I guess waiting till some of the users' issues are resolved is not a bad idea.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I'll be waiting until I know that I have friends who are definitely buying the game before getting it myself. This will be more fun as a multiplayer experience, I feel.

[Peter McCoy]

I may have to wait until my birthday on the 20th before I can get this.

I also heard that the online play is buggy so might be worth waiting until we know for sure we will be able to co-op without major issues. I can't see this being nearly as fun by myself.

[Crusader]

Upgrading the hardware is scheduled for the end of this month (My goal is a Rage/Battlefield 3 ready system), so playing this game in early october would be fun. Until then the network issues might be resolved as well. So with the new hardware and thanks to the internet connection in my new flat being pretty strong I should be able to be the host for some new SZS events.

[Peter McCoy]

Almost payday and I am definitely buying this game. I've played a few hours and absolutely loved it! The island itself is pretty huge and you have an incredible amount of freedom. I had a quest to go get a life guard pass key and I basically went the opposite way to the quest marker and found a small gas station and store. No idea if there's a reason to go there later on but the fact that I just happened to stumble across it while wandering off the beaten track was awesome. And it wasn't just something to see - there was actually something to do there. I guess if anything it was a little side quest. There were multipacks of juice cartons in there, maybe they're needed later on!?

I managed to fully upgrade some low-level weapons. The ones I had could be upgraded to Lvl 4, I dunno if later weapons have more upgrade levels but I know higher levels have better stats at their starting Lvl 1 than lower level weapons at their Lvl 4 upgrade stats. I had a crowbar upgraded fully nd it did around 56 damage, then found a higher level knife that was only at upgrade level 1 and it did around 85 damage.

Also got my character to Level 4. The skills allow you to specialise in 3 different areas burt I'm assuming each of the 4 characters you can pick have different skill trees since one specialises in firearms, another in thrown weapons, another in blunt and another in sharp. I chose the blunt-weapons guy, the rapper badass mofo and none of the skills I spied mentioned ranged weapon bonuses, but the central tree was all damage bonuses for blunt weapons, less stamina use from blunt weapons etc. I liked him! He has a survival tree that gives things like health regeneration.

Yeah, definitely buying this on Steam this Thursday!

[Dasquian Belargic]

Were you playing someone elses copy or a demo??

[Crusader]

New PC is coming in 7 days. Maybe we should have a SZS on the 9th of october.

[Peter McCoy]

Rented the PS3 version from LoveFILM.

I;d recommend reading thsi review from Kotaku:

http://kotaku.com/5829491/five-disappointing-things-about-my-first-few-hours-on-dead-island

The guy had several issues with it, one of them being how the game walls you in. Unlike Left 4 Dead where the level borders are physical - fences, huge trucks, buildings etc - the borders in this ar einvisible and only apparent when you reach them with a message saying "You are leaving the playing area" like when you fly too fa rin Battlefield 1942. The reviewer had a real issue with this, while at the same time acknowledging that it needs borders and cannot have an invinite playing area. Now L4D's approach is fine, but this is a tropical island with lots of beaches including the one you start on. There's no walls to prevent you fromw ading in the water, which I verily did immediately. There was a small island with a bar across form me, with a bridge round the far side of my starting area to access it, but the game lets you wade across the water to it if it pleases you. But if you look out to sea and start walking, eventually you get that warning. I' prefer this to an unrealistic barrier of rocks or coral or walls etc. And even then, there's still massive scope for exploration and - as I said before - wandering off the beaten path.

What I really enjoyed was that it's more than getting from A to B. There are tasks that need accomplishing, such as the need for gas to burn the bodies cluttering the lifeguard station before more zombies are attracted by the smell. So I have to venture out to find gas. I find a gas station a ways up the winding road. Cars are upturned and crashed up against one another, zombies mill around outside, some feasting on corpses. There's two guys holed up inside the gas station who let me in. Empty cans sit on the workbench, but they tell me the pumps aren't working as the power is out and the warehouse is locked. So I head out back and up onto the roof, drop down, dispatch the zombies inside who likely locked themselves in for safety while they were still alive. I turn on the pumps, head out front with my can to fill 'er up. With my full can I go to head back to the lifeguard station when I realise there's a perfectly good pickup truck with loading space in the back. I put the can in the back and start her up. The driving mechanics aren't great but they let you do what you need to do - get around quicker. This isn't Gran Turismo so there's no need for gears etc. You just get in, drive and get out. Simples!

This one quest really captured the survival horror aspect very well. Needing to leave the safety of the lifeguard station for a valid reason rather than "This is a game, lets beat shit up!"

[Dasquian Belargic]

I picked this up tonight and have been playing as martial arts woman, mostly just kicking zombies until they fall down :B

[Peter McCoy]

Got it on Steam myself now. When are you free for some co-op?

[Dasquian Belargic]

Probably any time after 6 or 7 tonight!

[Peter McCoy]

I am free this evening! :)

I got dibs on Sam B!

Who do you voodoo, bitch!?

[Dasquian Belargic]

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:dance

[Dasquian Belargic]

also: rofl

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[Droo]

also: rofl

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My stomach hurts from that one. :lol

[Atreyu]

:lol :lol :lol

"Bitches and whores ... get out of my way!"

::falls off cliff and dies:: 'I've been massacred!' - "yeah, I say the same thing all the time."

::drops character from mile in the air, lands normally:: "... WHAT?!?!?"

[Peter McCoy]

Anybody else thinking of buying this? Jenny and I have a Sunday of Sunny Sandy Slaughter planned.

[Crusader]

My new PC should be arriving next week so I am game for a zombie slaughter the next weekend. Especially since my GF is not at my place like this weekend.

[Peter McCoy]

I wish I had a Guardian Force. I'd have it round my place all the time.

Ifrit! Attack! (starts pummeling the X button to boost damage!)

[Crusader]

^^Nerd Slap!

I thought you have upgraded your Guardian Force to fiance level.

[Crusader]

Less than an hour till the SZS starts... I am kind of excited.

[Crusader]

We really had a blast tonight. This is really a great succesor for our SZS events.

The last quest Jenny and I finished was Black Hawk Down. So far the game was a blast and I am looking forward to see some more of the world in DEAD Island.

[Dasquian Belargic]

As much as I love L4D, and as fun as carrying around that gnome is, I can see this being better as a SZS game because there is obviously a lot more story content to do!

[Crusader]

Our Dead Island Crew so far :)

[Peter McCoy]

What level do I need to get to for next time?

[Crusader]

Just finish the mission BLACK HAWK DOWN. Oh and you do not need all the juice :)

[Dasquian Belargic]

I think we were level 13, right?

[Crusader]

Yup but I guess if he makes it through the parking garage alone he will be our level as well.

[Crusader]

party time!?

[Dasquian Belargic]

Peter and I just experienced Act 2 for the first time. What a different experience it is to Act 1!

[Crusader]

Yeah especially if you end up following the games auto navigation system that leads you straight into a zombie hive. Gunplay gets introduced in the second act as well making the game more diverse.

[Crusader]

Do we have a SZS on Sunday?

[Peter McCoy]

Probably not for me I'm afraid. Unless it can be done in the afternoon rather than the evening. If not then enjoy the dismemberment!

[Dasquian Belargic]

I can probably play in the afternoon, if both of you will be around then?

[Crusader]

I am around now. I just came back from Munich.

[Dasquian Belargic]

If you are playing as the sharp weapons specialist / Asian woman, pick the 'Sharp Specialist' talent in the second skill tree. You get a move that allows you to stamp on the enemies head when they're on the ground, killing them in one blow! It doesn't give a lot of XP, but it does huge damage.

[Crusader]

For the record we are now at 50% of the campaign and level 25-27. Once you are the second time at the town hall and complete this mission you will be as far as we are now.

[Dasquian Belargic]

We're halfway through? We didn't even finish Act 2 yet :o

[Crusader]

Maybe we visited 50% of all locations. Well according to the game our progress is 54%. Another possibility is that the progress is bound to our level. Then level 27 would equal 54% with a level cap at 50.

[Peter McCoy]

So I have a fair bit of catching up to do.

[Crusader]

I have no idea if the game supports multiple character save games so that we could help you out with alts.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I'm not sure what would happen if Peter started a game and we joined it. Would it adjust all of the enemies to our level, or would we just be super powered compared to the enemies he was fighting?

If he played in our game, I'm assuming he would level up super fast

[Peter McCoy]

Patch 1.3 has this in the patch notes:

- New balancing option added: enemy levels can now be adjusted independently for each co-op player.

It doesn't go into anymore detail than that. Perhaps it depends on who's attacking the enemy. if I attack a zombie the game may treat it as a level 10 enemy for the purpose of damage dealt and suffered, whereas it'll treat it at your level when you attack it.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Oh. Is there an in game option for that?

[Peter McCoy]

According to the Steam forums you can toggle it on or off. No idea if it's an option the host sets or if each player can do it - although "independently for each co-op player" suggests it's up to each person in their own options.

[Dasquian Belargic]

http://store.steampowered.com/app/91310/?snr=1_614_615_scary_sale_2011_616_23

25% off this game right now on Steam

[Crusader]

^^go buy it! You will get booze and zombie BBQ

[Crusader]

Just found this bugfix for the current version:

Fix: zone info in the quarantine zone (City of Moresby)

Maybe this fraking big wall should have told us something but this makes it a lot more obvious

[Dasquian Belargic]

There's 50% off Dead Island right now on Steam.

[Crusader]

New SZS coming up in 14 days: It's Chupacabra squeezen time!
http://steamcommunity.com/groups/SW-Fans/events/199512289599237772

Dead Island is still on Steam for a reduced price if you want to join in on the fun.