E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy

[pontifex]

Just saw this up on STEAM. It looks pretty awesome. It's got a cybepunk type feel to it, sort of like Shadowrun. It's billed as a RPG/FPS

Its only $20, or $18 now on sale. Seems to get mixed reviews. Wish there was a demo.

 

[pontifex]

Well, I bought it, so we'll see how it is.

 

[gorcorps]

Steam made me cheap. My first thought when I saw the price: "Double digit price? I'll wait..."

 

[Elcs]

Post back with thoughts.

I've not checked it out on Steam yet but I'm already interested from your opening statements.

EDIT: Noticed that it's an FPS (Duh! it's in the OP). Instant no-buy for me. Certain FPS games make me motion sick and it's getting worse for me.

Otherwise, this looks like a rough looking FPS/RPG wqith a multitude of different 'classes' and thus ways to kill your enemies. Felt a little Hellgate:London'ish to me.

Trailers are worth a watch.

 

[pontifex]

I finished the beginning sort of tutorial section. Not to bad so far. Graphics are pretty decent but the environments are really dark so far, even with lighting increased.

You kind of create your character with different stats and skills, although you can't specifically adjust points. there is a random point thingy that you can use to kind of try to get what you want.

When you level up you can then spend points in specific skills.

There is melee so you can get swords and a hammer if you want to go that route.
Several different kinds of guns are available but not a huge selection.

You start out with a few skills and can apparently upgrade them later. Like Psionic powers and body enhancements.

Gun combat is pretty fun. It's very "arcadey" and not very realistic. Will be interesting to see how it goes the further I get into the game.

 

[pontifex]

I'm on to my first real mission and completed the 1st part of it. It seems like it could be a really good and in-depth game but there's quite a few things I don't understand.

I'm trying to make my character as a stealthy assassin type of character, but either stealthy-ness is broken or I don't understand how it works. Other than crouch and a silenced sniper rifle, I don't know what else I can do.

Enemy snipers see you immediately. Regular enemies seem to be able to see you from a mile away but you can't see them (between the areas being so dark and some sort of fog/haze at a distance, plus the enemies wear dark colored armor). The AI seems funky sometimes because I can take down a guy with a headshot and no one else notices but other times the entire area is alerted to your presence and everyone comes running for you.

One thing that I've seen so far that is really interesting is that even though this isn't a sandbox game, you can make choices on how to complete a level. You can go in guns blazing, you can try to bribe someone of the other faction, you hack into an enemy comm station and do something (tried this but apparently my hacking skill is too low and I always fail, plus I don't quite understand the hacking process). Since I failed it, I'm not sure what it is that it actually will do.

There's a few things that I see I can buy that will help me be stealthy, but it's really expensive. Even if you wanted to be like a psi guy or whatever, you really have no helpful skills in the beginning, so I guess maybe you have to kind of fight your way through.

 

[Jules]

Just picked up the 4 pack, i have 3 slots left let me know if you want in.

 

[zinfamous]

looks kinda cool, I was wondering about this after just seeing it on the steam page. reminded me of Deus Ex, even though I've only played it for 10 minutes, and hated it (controls are wretched--by today's standards, anyway). I need more patience for that one.

keep us updated, OP.

 

[darkewaffle]

I picked it up and played for an hourish so far. It looks cool and runs well (it's source based) but the audio is no high point, and some of the sound effects are reused from CSS/HL2.

My only real gripe is with the controls seeming pretty poorly thought out, it's an FPS but the button to interact with people/surroundings (usually "E") is now on the enter key and you also have to press enter in order to pick up guns/ammo on the ground. The game also uses a quick action radial menu like NWN which is ok but the illustration for it is kind of deceptive and and makes it less intuitive than it should be. On the bright side, the problems I have with it are all really easily fixed and more or less just make for an awkward initial experience.

It does seem pretty freeform. I'd actually say it's too easy to accidentally attack your allies even in non mission areas, just one misclick or lazy finger and you might be in trouble

Character design and style are both good, the weapons are alright but the sound effects for them don't pack much of a punch.

Story I still am pretty unsure of, you're basically thrown into the middle of 'everything' under the assumption that you were injured on a mission and lost your memory, which is pretty drab but when you get to the base and start hearing about some of the different politico-military forces at play it actually seems pretty cool; I'm just not sure how much of an impact your choices will have on how things turn out, if at all.

On some level I think it may try to incorporate too many stats/abilities/whatever in order to give itself more RPG flavor but I don't know how many you end up with either.

Overall I'd give it a positive so far, it just suffers from the lack of polish that smaller studios often can't afford right off the bat.

 

[zinfamous]

you guys get any farther with this?

how's the leveling/skill sets, questing? is it as linear as you thought when first playing?

...and is that a bad thing?

 

[blackened23]

Steam made me cheap. My first thought when I saw the price: "Double digit price? I'll wait..."

I frequently see prices on amazon cheaper than steam. Bioshock 2 was 3$ and dead space was like 10$, dragon age around 11$.

 

[pontifex]

I'm a little bit further in. You're stuck in the 1st mission area for awhile and you have to travel quite a bit back and forth. Can be annoying. Plus you can't go buy anything new until you get back to HQ and there's no way to get back until you complete all the missions in that level.

Stuff you can buy seems really expensive. I ended up buying the cloaking and vision augments, but they use up your energy so they're fairly limited.

Stealth just does not work in the game. Hell, after the enemy sees you the entire level starts to come after you and the enemies seem to constantly respawn.

You can do side missions and those seem 10x worse as far as the amount of enemies goes. Enemy AI is pretty dumb. it usually jjust stands and shoots or just runs straight to you. Sometimes it will move back and forth, but not very smart.

Still can't figure out how to hack things effectively. 90% of the time I lose.

There's a research feature where you can research new technologies to get new stuff, but again that gets expensive.

I'm starting to not like it very much now. It's just really annoying. Oh and did I mention the game is so fucking dark? I guess that's why they give you the flashlight.

 

[kamikazekyle]

Caution: (pre)Review/Bored Wall of Text Below

Managed to get some time in the game tonight myself, and so far I'm enjoying it, though it is a bit rough around the edges. I am only in the first area since I spent a chunk of time reading the backstory to the game and its history. I'm *really* digging the whole artistic feel they have going on and the multi-faction politicking between humans and xenos.

The hacking system is actually one of the better minigame-type systems I've seen. It's a bit akin to an active time battle system in RPGs. You choose a type of action to buff your stats, debuff your opponent, or straightup attack and try to simultaneously counter his attempts. The better your hacking the faster your action completes; likewise for your enemy. Fail, and you can be back hacked with end results from messed up vision with a hacked smiley face overlay on your HUD to outright death.

So far, I've found that for an opponent about equal to my Attack/Defense ratings, I quickly knock down their attack, and if they haven't killed my attack yet I lower their defense before attacking. If they've lowered my attack, I then buff it back up and go all out. Works most of the time. There is some RNG involved, so if you click on the target to hack again, both your stats and the target's stats will change within a small range. Hacking human targets is pretty nifty, and getting them to attack their allies.

The AI is a bit...meh. Nowhere near something like FEAR's, and not really all that great even when compared to run-of-the-mill FPSes. Each mob has a basic AI profile -- snipers stay at distance and try to snipe, shotgunners try to run you down, those with assault rifles tend to do something in the middle. I have seen the snipers try to take cover after I hit them and have been flanked by a shotgun squad while being pinned down by a sniper, but I can't necessarily say that's due to active AI or just coincidence. I do know the enemy usually doesn't respond to an ally dying next to them, though I've been taking down their allies with a silenced sniper rifle while their buddy is walking away.

I can't vouche much for stealth since I'm more of a psi/mobile machine pistol/katana dual wieldling type character at the moment. I do know that enemies have a limited auditory alert zone, but will come running if they see you and have a bit of a psychic preminition as to where you are once alerted. I liken it to an distributed cyber command network ala Ghost in the Shell, but that's just me rationalizing However, I've had my fair share of stealth kills, even with pistols at close range. Granted, I am using light armor, minimal encumbrance, and not running.

The game uses a L4D-esque AI director and modified respawn system (you can adjust respawn rates), so it spawns enemies/NPCs dynamically based on your current location and conditions. If you happen to be in a firefight in detection range of a respawn, they'll come running. I've had enemies respawn elsewhere after a firefight is over, and they acted normal without being alerted. In the storyline missions, the respawn doesn't seem too bad on default after you clear a level. I have yet to try the sub missions -- just side quests within the main mission area.

I haven't seen the AI respond to dead bodies, but I'm assuming that might actually be a design decision since bodies remain until a softcap or timer is hit before they start to despawn. If respawns constantly spawned on top of dead bodies and reacted, I could see it overwhelming the player. But on the other hand it seems a lot less realistic. Afterall, the respawn system is called "reinforcements"

Prices are pretty high to start out with, but the augments/psi abilities you buy from the merchants I think are not intended to be used at level 1, and are consequently priced as such. They're full-on new abilities, not just an upgrade to an existing system. You have an entire cybernetics tab on your character sheet devoted to upgrading various cyber systems to enhance your stats, though they are also expensive just starting out. If you focused on getting either that one ability you want or that one cyber system upgrade, it's easily doable from the get-go. Research prices vary -- if you extend the time on researching a project it's price goes down linearly. Stuff researches pretty fast anyway, and I've already researched six or seven items by level 8 with just the funds from mucking around the first level, and I didn't even research items for the first hour of the game.

Graphically it's nice, though last gen in terms of some texture resolutions and gee-whiz dynamic GPU effects. Poly counts seem high where it matters, and the level design so far feels like it fits well. Run fast as hell, given that it's using the Source engine. Some reflections seem a bit overdone. There is a full physics system -- bodies float in the water, picked up objects bounce about in a HL2 manner, etc. There's also a nice graphic and auditory effect when you land from a jump or height, showing just how heavy your cybernetic body and armor are. Watch the Major in Ghost in the Shell as she jumps from rooftop to rooftop or lands from a height, and you get the idea.

I actually like the darkness as it caters very well to the artistic style of the game, but on the other hand I can see it being *too* dark at times in terms of gameplay in a lit room. The over-darkness is actually caused by the color system, and the upcoming patch is supposedly going to fix that. In the interim, you can disable color fixing (I think that's it) to brighten things up. Again, personally, I like the deep, dark areas punctuated by clear lighting. It radiates a Bladerunner feel and matches the neo-gothic styling.

Speaking of the level design, so far it's pretty free form. You're plopped in a level to accomplish a mission or objectives. You can do so pretty much however you see fit, even diplomatically. It's kinda hard to get into much detail without spoilers, but it actually is very open. Along the way you can pick up side quests which may be self-contained, or could help you in your main mission. Say you can hack but can't sneak or fight your way past the guards to get within range of the terminal for wireless hacking. Well, there's an NPC there in which you can do a quick side quest, who will then show you an alternative panel that'll accomplish the same thing.

The RPG elements are both good and medicore. Speaking from a character statistics and development perspective, it's very robust. You can customize a variety of attributes that affect your basic character performance realistically, as well as cybernetic enhancements which work in conjunction with your basic attributes. There's even a sanity/mental stress system built in for psionics and hacking where you can be driven mad and hallucinate, though I haven't seen that in action.

When you move over to the story and actual gameplay elements of roleplaying, there are it gets a bit weaker. Dialogue actions are pretty basic fare. It's not nearly up to Baldur's Gate or Mass Effect in terms of dialogue, though you're usually given a choice or two when conversing with your an NPC. I think your choices/actions do matter -- at least at certain times -- since I've read of multiple endings to the game. Major characters do seem to have individual personalities, and the script has them responding to your replies appropriately. They're not exactly deep in terms of characterization and can be stereotypical, but sufficent enough so that your mentor won't be confused for your commander.

All-in-all, I'm enjoying the game a lot. It's certainly rough around the edges -- most notably in terms of translation and writing. The story and dialogue seem to be there, as well as a significant history, but fails to come across as effectively as it could have given a proper writer and translation. A good writer could easily flush out the dialogues, story, and add in notable character development. I have no idea how well the story plays out in the end since I've only played a few hours. An improved AI could really kick the game up, as well as some minor tweaking of the user interface. Also, some better documentation/tutorials would help reduce the learning curve a lot.

Honestly, it's a fun game in my opinion and give a much needed fix as far as free form Deus Ex-style FPS'es come. The art direction is awesome in my book, though is pretty out there. If it came as-is from a big budget studio at a full retail price, I'd probably complain about the issues a *lot* more, though they probably wouldn't be there to begin with. Objectively speaking, without the "indie dev" bias, it really could use some fixing up. Factoring in the price and subjective bias, it's a really solid game. Certainly not for everyone and it's going to be a niche love it or hate it game.

EDIT: Ok, after playing a sub mission, the respawn rate is freaking insane. On regular story missions, the spawn rate is fine. But on the random sub missions...whooo boy. It's like being the last living survivor in Left 4 Dead while having a 50-zombie horde led by a tank charge you. Except the tank is cloaked, has a laser, and all the zombies have automatic shotguns, assault rifles, and submachine guns.

 

[PrayForDeath]

EDIT: Ok, after playing a sub mission, the respawn rate is freaking insane. On regular story missions, the spawn rate is fine. But on the random sub missions...whooo boy. It's like being the last living survivor in Left 4 Dead while having a 50-zombie horde led by a tank charge you. Except the tank is cloaked, has a laser, and all the zombies have automatic shotguns, assault rifles, and submachine guns.

For secondary missions I increase the difficulty (more xp)/reinforcements rate, equip the minigun, heavy armor, and tons of ammo, and just mow down everything on my way to objectives. I got 5 quick level ups and tons of cash in an hour doing that

I just finished the campaign last night. It's clear that there are multiple endings, so your choices do in fact matter. I played it as a shooter mostly. Not a fan of melee, stealth, or psi but I heard they're all viable.

The hacking minigame is tons of fun imo. I love hacking turrets (especially the rocket ones) or turning enemies on their friends. Hacking the interceptor is also tons of fun if you can manage to do it.

All in all, the game is fun to play, but very unpolished. The devs are actively working on a patch though so it might get better.

 

[kamikazekyle]

For secondary missions I increase the difficulty (more xp)/reinforcements rate, equip the minigun, heavy armor, and tons of ammo, and just mow down everything on my way to objectives. I got 5 quick level ups and tons of cash in an hour doing that

I just finished the campaign last night. It's clear that there are multiple endings, so your choices do in fact matter. I played it as a shooter mostly. Not a fan of melee, stealth, or psi but I heard they're all viable.

The hacking minigame is tons of fun imo. I love hacking turrets (especially the rocket ones) or turning enemies on their friends. Hacking the interceptor is also tons of fun if you can manage to do it.

All in all, the game is fun to play, but very unpolished. The devs are actively working on a patch though so it might get better.

I found, later on, that the respawn rate varied per mission. Eden had an insane spawn rate in submissions (which is consequently good for the heavy armor + minigun walking tank mode), whereas others only had a handful of respawns at default levels. Though they did tone down heavy armor in this patch. How much, I dunno.

They did *just* release a patch which fixed a ton of bugs and added in some features. I didn't get to play it, but most people are really satisfied with the patch (from initial impressions). They also tweaked the AI so that enemies have a shortened and more narrow LOS, but respond better to suddent things happening around them, such as an ally dying.

 

[zinfamous]

bumping this because so many people keep asking about it in the steam sale thread, I'm guessing quite a few people picked it up.

Anyone know how to hack that door in the first tutorial area?
damn thing keeps hacking me back.


lol


problem is, there's no clear instruction or labeling of how hacking works. You get these vague categories of hacking, each with the same 5 or 7 types of hacking with identical descriptions. Not sure how we're supposed to pick the type of hacking that works on a door vs an enemy.

Is this some type of animist world, where everything is essentially "alive" in some way?

 

[Snock514]

I bought this game from the sale yesterday, very complicated. I did hack through that first door my going to my hack skill then selecting the door, then clicking attack and other random actions and then it popped open. Not really understanding much, but I haven't really checked out the tutorials either.

 

[PrayForDeath]

This was a fun game, though it was very janky when it was first released. Haven't been following the updates on it, so it might be better now.

 

[shortylickens]

BUMP!!



OK, first off:
I do enjoy games with a minimum of hand holding. Having said that, this one could have used a better tutorial system.

I do like the chinese blade runner theme, its nice to have something original for a change.

Yes its dark but you can adjust that in the settings.
You can also adjust enemy AI and respawn rates.

Story isnt very cohesive, and missions seem vague & unimportant.
If the home base is supposed to get better I've yet to see it. And I dont know if theres any more weapons other than whats already listed.

I like the variety of cyber abilities but most use too much power to be really helpful.

It seems like they tried to rip off Deus Ex and couldnt get as many things correct. You shuffle around aimlessly, the respawing enemies make levels a chore rather than a challenge, the hacking is a mess and too slow. You can easily get murdered while putzing around in your inventory and status screen.
Sniping is a pain because you cant sneak very well and after the first kill it becomes a slugging match.
I've been using the heavy machine gun simply because nothing else works well.


Am also sad they couldnt improve very much in 3 years.

 

[DigDog]

EYE is a game that you'll get the most out of only if you read the wiki; which is good or bad, depending on who you are.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

EYE is amazing once you get the hang of it. Simply amazing. It's like playing a better Crysis. You get tons of really cool powers and combat abilties.

 

[AdamK47]

Thanks for bumping this thread. Looked up the game on Steam. It's only $1, so I bought it.

 

[DigDog]

protip - you won't understand WTF is going on during your first run;

its ok. games are meant to be like this. carry on and you will see what i mean.

 

[toughtrasher]

Thanks for bumping this thread. Looked up the game on Steam. It's only $1, so I bought it.

Good for you actually. Bought this a few years back for like $14.99 and never played it. Waste