Quote: “However, Aliens: CM doesn't just include the atmospheric settings of spaceships such as the alien derelict (where John Hurt was facehugged for the first time), but expands into bigger locations including cargo ships (so that means power-loaders) and even futuristic cities - so maybe we'll get to see xenomorphs on Earth after all…”

 

Commando Nukem Posted: “Aliens Colonial Marines. Hell yeah. In case anyone has forgotten what Aliens : Colonial Marines USED to look like, heres the E3 footage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIeLGifENbI

 

Is that title just a rip or is there a particular similarity between the two games?”

 

Wieder: “Oh and to answer your first question: The game isn't intentionally related to the previous game, but the title was absolutely perfect. It's not an association we're upset to have, as we all wish that game had been able to be finished because it showed promise. But yeah, any similarities are coincidences or just because they are good ideas for an Aliens game.”

 

***

 

Kalki Posted: “It does need to be darker and more shadowy with flickering and strobing lights. Like the AvP games. Never seen an alien exposed like that. They usually blend in. Then again, I'm only judging from banner size images and perhaps limited environments or maybe the xenomorph AI simply forgot to hit the lights first.”

 

Wieder: “Muzzle flash is 90% of the light hitting the xeno in the shots.”

 

***

 

avatar_58 Posted: “Well see the way I see it - it's just silly. Redoing the same scene over and over until you manage to get it right? Who thought this was a good idea? If they do it properly like grab a guy, use QTE to force him down, If you fail he goes free - then it's okay. When they do it like Tomb Raider or Jericho and force to review the same cutscene over and over until I get the combo....I just get irritated.

 

Even worse is for PC games. "BUTTON 10!". Excuse me? Where is....*dead*. Oh thats right button 10 requires me to press in my analog stick. How about next time you tell me that or stop using obscure buttons that aren't even used in the gameplay? Better yet - when the action is something like a rotation of the stick and you don't even realize it until the event ends.”

 

Wieder: “We don't like the bad examples you've given either. We very much want them to feel natural... just like strafing and shooting... and don't want you to do a "repeat until you figure it out just for the sake of extending gameplay" stuff. And even worse... don't want the "surprise the buttons are random and have no meaning to what's going on in the game so you couldn't possibly figure them out hahahaha... look how mean we are to the player!!".

 

The point is to have fun and experience something that you can't experience from any other entertainment medium. We've been staring down the "This better not suck and make people who otherwise like the game put it down" gun barrel from the start.

 

And yeah, PC is given it's own consideration. The foundational principle is to not *ever* have a player need to do a button hunt.”

 

***

 

Daveman Posted: “The guy holding the flamethrower in the picture you linked is standing really awkwardly. Hopefully it's just a badly-timed screengrab and not an indication of the quality of the animations.”

 

Wieder: “Please don't remind me. Work in progress!”

 

***

 

mysteryperfecta Posted: “The screens posted here look really good (the screens linked to won't load for me). However, I'm not a fan of the name of this game. Colonial Marines? Colonial? Don't like it. Not that it has any bearing on the actual game, but still, my two cents.”

 

Wieder: “Well... Colonial Marines is what they are called in the movie. We can't really call them anything else, and this game is *all* about experiencing first hand what it's like to be a Colonial Marine in the Aliens universe. From what the squad dynamics are like (personalities and combat) to what using the weapons is like to what encountering Xenomorphs is like.

 

We did kick around using the squad designation, and a whole host of other stuff... but ultimately it was the only name that really fit perfectly.

 

Now if we do a sequel... then we've got naming problems.

 

Or when you read "Colonial" does it evoke images of 17th and 18th century British Rule?”

 

***

 

Fjallraven Posted: “Am I the only one who think that weapons who are as square as that one, look ugly? I want more smooth edges. I personaly don't like that gun very much.”

 

Wieder: “The screen position for the first person Pulse Rifle isn't good in those shots. It doesn't show it well, and does make it just look like a big blob. To compare... the weapons in the marines hands are the same as what you are holding, so you can see just how much detail you are losing. We've been working on that exact aspect recently.

 

RE: The Xeno Skin Tone: Concerns are understood. Will wait until you're seeing them in motion with them moving in and out of different lighting styles to see how people react to them. Just like how the props look one way in the movie in motion vs under brighter lighting... game characters if used correctly do the same thing.

 

Example: The combat shot... imagine it in action... the muzzle flash is only going to lighten the Xeno up in flashes, otherwise he's very dark and only glints being picked up by the softer environmental light.

 

Or the one from first person in the vents... notice the lighting level changes through the vent... where the xeno would be going in and out of dark and light.

 

Or the one where you are peering down on your squad mate... where they swing in quickly and are gone with your buddy in no time (if that's what happens in that scene... who knows!!!

 

There are lots of other factors that go into picking the right color balance (gameplay, different light levels throughout the whole game, accuracy, etc)... but we definitely have heard and understand the concerns about the coloring. The fact that *that's* the only sort of things people are really bringing up makes us so happy... couldn't ask for anything better.

 

We knew Close Encounters were going to be a tough sell from the start and the most controversial aspect of the pitch... and no matter what Xeno style or color you pick everyone has a different favorite. That's what different versions are there for.

 

As for all the exceptionally positive and supportive comments... nothing but huge thanks for that. It means a lot for everyone on the team to read it. Gives us that much more drive to meet the expectations and play the game with you now.

 

On a personal note it's nice to finally get to show you guys some stuff that myself and the other guys have been working on after so long of a black out.”

 

***

 

Commando Nukem Posted: “This may be a dumb question but... Are these things we're talking about like this? : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv73h8fOwec.

 

That scene really pissed me off. I figure they wont be a big deal as long as its not so A = live, B = death. Its just too damn frustrating to have to redo and redo and redo the same sequence over and over again because one keeps dying.

 

Wieder: “Not a dumb question at all. That's one version of QTE that people think we're doing and that's very much NOT what we're doing. People also try to imagine it like God of War and while that's closer than Resident Evil 4's... it's still not what we're doing.

 

People have also tried to compare it to Jericho, and the only thing we *really* share with those is that we stay in first person like they did, but it's still not an accurate comparison.

 

There really is not a game that has taken the approach we're taking. But I'm not in a position to get into specifics. Just know that we really do understand why people are going "We hate QTE!"... we actually dislike having the Close Encounters called Quick Time Events purely because of the connotation it has in people's minds. But... that's the way the world works and it's up to us to turn that tide as we get closer to release.”

 

***

Ccoletta86 Posted: “ok so we got 4 marines to play with but can i ask why they left out the female marines?, im sure they could of made it work as many great games feature women(resident evil series ect)”

 

(Charlie) Wieder Responded: “Female marines are an important aspect of Aliens (females are an important aspect of the entire series in fact). We would be doing a disservice to the franchise by not having them.”

 

***

 

Weasel Posted: “Maybe even a very minor predator reference? I mean, Predator: CJ had a portion in it with aliens, do you think that they might throw in some little hidden predator references?”

 

Wieder: “This game is 100% Aliens and Colonial Marine goodness.”

 

***

 

The Necronoir Posted: “Before the old incarnation of Aliens: Colonial Marines was cancelled years ago much emphasis was placed on the fact that the single-player campaign would be taking place between Aliens and Alien 3, beginning on the Sulaco and bridging the gap between the two movies as the USCMC sent in a squad to figure out what happened to LV-426 and the previous team. With this latest batch of screenshots it looks like this might actually be a resurrection of that original concept.

 

Wieder: “Promise... new game from scratch. The only relationship between the two is the name was just perfect for both titles, and we both wanted to explore the Sulaco after the events of Aliens/Alien 3. But that's due to it being a really great idea and not due to any intentional revival of the original project.

It's not an association we're upset to have since it's a game that we wish we could have played! But we certainly expect this one to replace the older one in people's minds (and search engines!) soon.”

 

***

 

gameoverman Posted: “Just wondering will you be able to choose your squad members from the start or are they pre-selected? I would definitely like it if it were like Ghost Recon and you had a bunch of people with different weapons/stats to choose from.”

 

Wieder: “As is mentioned in the article, the single player/co-op game is very story oriented. If you've read about who the writers are then you know just how important the story is to us. So given the priorities customized members of the squad isn't really a viable option... at least not with the elements contained within the story.

 

Just like how in the movies everything about the marine defined their role in the story, that's the same goal with our characters. The Drake/Vasquez relationship isn't the same if one is a pulse rifle wielding medic and the other is a smart gunner with an antique shotgun. Even Hicks' shotgun as his secondary weapon is a part of who he is and plays a role in the story.

 

Though... notice that the article says "generally" you won't be switching weapons.”

 

***

 

vehtam Posted: “what's with 6-legged facehuggers?”

 

Wieder: There are 8 legs. The jumping shot just obscures them. The one coming out of the egg shows all 8 legs a little bit better, though still a little obscured.

 

***

 

Xhan Posted: “There's a large shot of marines in tandem, a view one (pulse rifle) while the others cover a marine welding the door. All the marines are the same model at this point. It look very much like ops, and there's a DooM ]I[ style gigantic blood smear on the floor.”

 

Wieder: “Actually that shot should have the motion tracker in view, not pulse rifle?

 

Amusingly enough... in that shot all three marines *are* different (you can just barely see the facial hair on one guy). For any characters we don't have 100% complete yet we're using a standard model, so it's a mix and match right now. Easy to see how GI would get it a little mixed up, especially since everyone's back is to you in that shot.”

 

***

Quote: “Remaining as true to the Aliens film environments, weapons, equipment and vehicles as possible, Colonial Marines follows a squad of four as they fight for survival within the deserted Sulaco’s hull and beyond, encountering first Scout and soon Warrior Aliens as the full horror of their situation dawns. To some extent each of the squad will be a specialist, carrying a unique secondary weapon, still faithful to the film, so on top of primary pulse rifles and smart guns, we’ll see flamethrowers and shotguns for example. When playing solo (more on co-op later), the game will assign you to control specific squad members for certain missions, encouraging you to use the full range of men and equipment. You wont be dropping guns in this game, bringing it even closer to authentic marine behaviour.”

 

“As well as primary and secondary weapons, each character also carries grenades and a pistol, plus an interactive item such as a hacking kit for opening sealed doors, a welding torch to seal passages, or a medical kit that can revive team mates, or neutralise Alien acid burns. But if you’re not in control of the character you need for specific actions or equipment, there’s a simple context-sensitive team command system similar to that in Rainbow Six Vegas, which will tell buddies to hack doors, weld vents shut, or set up automatic gun turrets, And tactical command will be essential - this game demands Hickses not Hudson’s. Aliens will make intelligent use of every air duct, ceiling pipe, grating and vent available to come at you stealthily, or in deadly waves, so you’ll have to co-ordinate your squad’s skills, firepower and positioning if you have any hope of making it out alive.”