Alpha Protocol

[cool breeze]

Yeah, that's why I really like the WoTS games too.  Haven't played 3 yet.  How does that kind of stuff compare to 1/2?

Gelato Shop mission is awesome.

The first time I played it I thought the guy was actually just a gelatto shop owner.  I walked in, upgraded his servers, walked out.
The 2nd time he pulled a shotgun on me when I blew my cover and I realized he wasn't a shop owner!

about WOTS, 3 is more of the same.  One change is that in any cutscene or conversation, you have the ability to either bow and leave or take out your sword and start fighting.

About the gelato shop,

first time he didn't suspect a think and even gave me a cone as I left 
second time I straight up shot him and Mina was like "wtf Mike!" yeah, she was already -10 at that point anyway.

[Bebpo]

hahaha, that's awesome.  How did you get a cone??

[cool breeze]

as Mike was leaving, the guy called out to him, the owner guy pulls out a decked out 3 scoop cone out of nowhere and offers it to him.  It was bizarre.

oh, and the funniest/worst line in the asshole/assault run had to be

spoiler (click to show/hide)

talking with Albatross in Taipei after killing Sis in Rome.  The dialog option just said Sis and Michael says something along the lines of "where's your little body guard? oh, that's right, I killed her." and all you see is Albatross pissed off and a minus points thing pop up.

[close]

[demi]

At least they give you the option to "buy" most of the goons away or give you a bonus mission perk (sniper rifle drop off, etc)

[Jansen]

guys it's really not cool trying to encourage people to buy this shit game, ok?

it's a bad game and has a hell of alot more than a "few issues".

almost everything is flawed. about the only thing they did right was the like/dislike dialogue system and dynamic way the story chances depending on you actions.

the rest is poop.

[demi]

The hacking computers game controls so bad.

"Oh, you see the code to input? What's that, you want to just hold right to glide there? What is this "hold right" mechanic? Here at Obsidian, we just figured out that "tapping" the right button will get you there just as good. But not as quickly. No, we haven't figured that out yet."

[pilonv1]

I got the cone too. I hope he didn't use the scoop he licked and rubbed is scalp with 

edit: I've posted EVERYWHERE that the hacking mini game is fucking atrocious. I will give you that. Espcially for PC gamers who don't have a 360 pad and have to use WASD and a mouse to do it

[demi]

The thing is, the d-pad only applies for the LEFT code. To use the RIGHT code, you have to use the analog stick. I'm honestly dumbfounded.

Just trying to find the code alone makes my eyes hurt, having to squint. I can see why it's a decent minigame but, it hurts my head

[pilonv1]

Can't you use both analogue sticks? You can on PC.

[demi]

Do you really want to use analog sticks for something like this?

[Bebpo]

Yeah, I use a X360 controller and both pads for the hacking mini-game and I don't have much of a problem.  Hacking was my favorite mini-game of the bunch.  Safe cracking is boring and the alarm shit is annoying so I just use EMPs on them.

[Bebpo]

guys it's really not cool trying to encourage people to buy this shit game, ok?

it's a bad game and has a hell of alot more than a "few issues".

almost everything is flawed. about the only thing they did right was the like/dislike dialogue system and dynamic way the story chances depending on you actions.

the rest is poop.

but you liked...Nier.  Which is just as rough. 

AP is as good of a MGS/SC type game as ME1 was for a cover shooter. 

[pilonv1]

Do you really want to use analog sticks for something like this?

Better than tapping a dpad like some terrible driving simulator developer.

I don't mind the lock picking, or the keypad bypass. They're relatively harmless.

[demi]

wtf?

I lock picked a door and a guy caught me (for SOME REASON, but you know)

So I load my checkpoint, and everyone prior to the checkpoint is GONE. LMAO

So I can freely explore the other rooms I avoided now.

[pilonv1]

Methodis had that bug. I got the one where everyone is on alert. Seems to be random when it happens, I haven't had it since Saudi

[Bebpo]

Do you really want to use analog sticks for something like this?

Better than tapping a dpad like some terrible driving simulator developer.

I don't mind the lock picking, or the keypad bypass. They're relatively harmless.

The keypad thing is harmless but it takes me some time to follow all the wires.  I usually just barely make it.  
I'm actually pretty good at the hacking thing!  I can do it in the first few seconds usually.
With safe cracking I just don't like the slow...hold.....R!, sloooow....hoooold....R!  it's kind of nerve racking on the fingers lol

[demi]

Omg, I reloaded again and now everyone in the level vanished. This is amazing.

[pilonv1]

Did you get any of the sabotage perks bebpo? If you don't have them apparently all the mini games get quite hard.

[demi]

lol, whoops. I bought the mission intel for the Nasri mission and did the airfield mission on accident, so I missed out on buying the Al-Samad intel. Oh well

[pilonv1]

I only buy the intel and the gadgets. Everything else is worthless since the stealth powers are so awesome.

[Jansen]

guys it's really not cool trying to encourage people to buy this shit game, ok?

it's a bad game and has a hell of alot more than a "few issues".

almost everything is flawed. about the only thing they did right was the like/dislike dialogue system and dynamic way the story chances depending on you actions.

the rest is poop.

but you liked...Nier.  Which is just as rough. 

well yes, i do like nier. however i wouldn't go out of my way and attempt to dismiss its many faults. nor would i ever tell someone to outright buy the game.

really there are too many great games being released right now and AP isn't one of them. if AP was released as a budget price ($!9.99) like it should have then i could understand someone recommending a purchase.

[pilonv1]

It's only $35 from the UK steam store, perfect price.

[Great Rumbler]

guys it's really not cool trying to encourage people to buy this shit game, ok?

[cool breeze]

wtf?

I lock picked a door and a guy caught me (for SOME REASON, but you know)

So I load my checkpoint, and everyone prior to the checkpoint is GONE. LMAO

So I can freely explore the other rooms I avoided now.

that happened a couple times during the game.  first time was in Saudi after hacking a machine launched a missile or something and caused the alarm to go off.  sometimes they don't tell you exactly what you're about to do, like it would say "hack turret", and that doesn't mean turn off, it means have them kill every that isn't you.

and hacking is AWFUL on the PC.  WSAD moves he left one and dragging the mouse moves the right one.  It's not like it moves at the same speed as your mouse or anything, there is a set speed and delay to it.  It is like you're just tugging on it to make this thing move.  Like they couldn't just have me point and click instead.

At least they give you the option to "buy" most of the goons away or give you a bonus mission perk (sniper rifle drop off, etc)

those are the few times the action missions get interesting

the best is if you

spoiler (click to show/hide)

do taipei before moscow, you're able to contact Heck and he'll spike the cocaine Brayko snorts (the 80's dude).  In the boss fight, he randomly overdoses and you can just run up and smack him around.

[close]

[demi]

Lock picking is so awful. What part are you supposed to put th line at. The middle right? I swear my icon doesnt highlight at all. Ridiculous when trying to pick a safe.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

When the circle lights up, how hard is that?

[demi]

Thanks for reading

[cool breeze]

if it helps, when I played with my hacking skill maxed out, I had no trouble with lock picking.  the icon not lighting up happened on my assault run when I didn't put anything into that skill.  they just do a really bad job at explaining this I guess.

[demi]

So is it just random when it lights up? I spent the past 15 minutes trying to pick a door to see how it worked, and that's the best conclusion I came up with. You can hover over the middle with no light up, but it will just randomly light up at the slightest touch. I have 1 point in Sabotage, no EMP grenades. I figured out that you can just abort the pick and no alarm will go off, but that doesnt help when I can barely pass the thing.

[pilonv1]

Lock picking is so awful. What part are you supposed to put th line at. The middle right? I swear my icon doesnt highlight at all. Ridiculous when trying to pick a safe.

It's pretty sensitive at times. You can be inside the area but it won't light up unless you're at the right spot. I think Linkzgs explaination works too, I had a high hacking skill.

[demi]

The biggest fuckoff was when I spent a half hour reloading a checkpoint because I kept failing a safe pick. I FINALLY pick it, and all I'm given is a whopping $2500. I about threw my controller. Are there any safes worth doing? Do they have intel? I will gladly NOT pick safes if this is the best route. Alternatively, I plan on buying at least 10 EMPs specifically for safes, like Bebpo posted.

[Bebpo]

I think there are some safes with intel

[pilonv1]

There's one in Rome (?) where I got intel on

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Alpha Protocol

[close]

There's been at least one more where I got some weapons parts too.

[demi]

Well I hope the one in the Nasri mission doesnt have intel. Maybe I should just restart that level and buy some EMPs

[Great Rumbler]

if it helps, when I played with my hacking skill maxed out, I had no trouble with lock picking.  the icon not lighting up happened on my assault run when I didn't put anything into that skill.  they just do a really bad job at explaining this I guess.

My hacking skill is in the basement and I don't have any problem at all with the lock picking and it always lights up for me when I get it in the right spot. Of course, I'm playing the PC version though.

[demi]

What's a good order to do the 3 missions? Rome, Taipei and Moscow

[Bebpo]

There is no best.  But Moscow/Taipei have support characters that will help you in the other locations.  Rome doesn't have any, so maybe do that last.

[pilonv1]

If you go to Tapei first I think you get some better options form the support character there later. Plus the sooner you go to the other cities and do some missions you'll unlock more black market stuff and intel. It works best if you move around a lot.

Rome has one - Madison. She's not very useful and just lays on the couch most of the time.

[pilonv1]

Yeah the beard options make this game amazing.

[Bebpo]

I'm going to give this an earnest effort and try to enjoy it but I just played for a half hour and I'm already impressed by how bad it is. The game really does try to do a lot of cool shit but man oh man is the combat atrocious.

At least I get to play as Super Spy Fidel Castro.

Use stealth and pistol.  Wear clothes with good sound dampening.  Don't be seen.  Line up your headshots with the red critical alignment before firing with a silenced pistol.  Most of the time just use your hands to take out guys.  Save pistol and chain shot skill for bosses.

[demi]

I klled the Shaheed general guy from behind and I got a gold plated Uzi for it

[cool breeze]

What's a good order to do the 3 missions? Rome, Taipei and Moscow

First time I did Taipei -> Moscow -> Rome and the biggest change when I did it in reverse was the relationship with an organization and a boss in Moscow.

[Great Rumbler]

"A bomb filled with bombs! Strapped to a nuke!"

Stephen Heck

Finally beat it today.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I saved Mina from being killed, let Heck blast Scarlet Lake, and then knocked Leland around. Day saved.

[close]

Overally, I really enjoyed AP. I think the thing that frustrated me the most was how hard it is to go back and "fix" a bad decision, but maybe that's the point. I probably won't play it again anytime soon, but I would like to play it again someday just to see how all the different choices change the flow of the story.

[pilonv1]

Stealth+Pistol+Sabotage with a few points in tech almost feels broken in this game. It's so powerful

[demi]

I bought this Stealth Suit that offers the same sound suprression, while adding some Endurance, some item slots AND 2 armor mod slots. Yeah, that's not OP for a Stealth focused person. The invisiwalk is hilarious too. I started a mission where a guy was walking towards me, so I went into invisiwalk and just popped his throat from the front and casually strolled away.

You can tell Obsidian threw in the "commando" class at the last minute. This was clearly a stealth focused game. Very uneven and unbalanced game. All of the levels basically ask for stealth approach. The only time a commando would come into play are the RARE moments where the alarm goes off at the end of the mission and enemies start pouring out (Darcy's mission in Saudi, the Shaheed boss fight)

[Bebpo]

Glad it sounds like you are finally starting to enjoy it demi.  It's definitely a stealth game with the action stuff thrown in.  As long as you play it like a stealth game and try to avoid fights it can be fun.

Going invisible and running up to guys and punching them in the throat is super satisfying.  Also do it from the front because throat punch animation is shorter than neck grab and you're in a hurry while invisible.

[demi]

Who says I am enjoying it? This game is a piece of crap. Proof that Obsidian can only work off the backs of others when making their games - or rather, PC mods.

I'm sure their Aliens game would have been a big pile of crap too.

[demi]

Why do the triad guards suddenly turn red when I take out a guy in the alleyway? The part where they talk about the Accountant on guard duty. One of the guards is like "maybe our visitor will take care of him" - implying that they have seen me when they HAVENT, and when I kill the guy who walks into the alleyway, they suddenly turn red and know of me.

What

A

Piece

Of

Shit

Game

[MyNameIsMethodis]

You are so bad at this game. 

[demi]

Is it possible to take out Eric Chung without triggering alarms?

[cool breeze]

yes.  I was stuck there too because the solution is really dumb.

you need the overload ability or w/e that makes attack gadgets more powerful, then use it on an emp and toss it into the room.  once the two turrets get knocked out, you can pretty much run into that room and take care of everyone.  You don't even need to sneak or anything since only the turrets trigger the alarm.

don't hack the computer next to that window, btw.  it sets off the alarm and starts shooting the enemies.

[demi]

I tried going in the sewers but for some reason even turrets can sense you down there

[cool breeze]

You get the sense that the cameras have movement patterns, but it's really just distinguished mentally-challenged.  That was probably the only part of the game I got stuck on when I played stealth.  That was also the only time in the entire game when I had to use an emp or any gadget.

actually, right after that turret part is one of the two times when you have to use a gun.

[demi]

I just triggered the turret and had it kill everything. No point in being stealth when they're gonna just throw me a forced fight anyway (when they rush in afterwards)

[Bebpo]

It's fine, they don't count as kills apparently.

yes.  I was stuck there too because the solution is really dumb.

you need the overload ability or w/e that makes attack gadgets more powerful, then use it on an emp and toss it into the room.  once the two turrets get knocked out, you can pretty much run into that room and take care of everyone.  You don't even need to sneak or anything since only the turrets trigger the alarm.

don't hack the computer next to that window, btw.  it sets off the alarm and starts shooting the enemies.

Yeah I just snuck in from the sewer, used 1 emp and took him out quick and ran back down into the sewer.  Finished that map with no alerts.
I actually thought the first part was the hardest because there's no checkpoint FOREVER and I'd keep setting off alerts in the 2nd area with the turret gun in the window.

[demi]

Why the hell does Steven Heck trigger the guards to red at the very beginning of the hotel mission? This game is so obtuse

[Great Rumbler]

Why the hell does Steven Heck trigger the guards to red at the very beginning of the hotel mission? This game is so obtuse

Heck's insane, don't expect him to do things stealthily. 

[demi]

I tried EVERY response at the beginning seeing if it would change Heck's outcome, and it was all the same. Why bother being stealth when either there's forced fights or scripted events like that.

So dumb.

[Bebpo]

If you tell heck to be subtle and not kill anyone, he will not trigger any alarms at the start.  The only way you will get an alarm is if YOU trigger them by being seen while the guards are fighting Heck.

[demi]

I didnt SAY alarms, Bobo

I said he makes them RED which nulls the stealth achievement