ZylonBane on 23/10/2007 at 17:35
Quote Posted by Volitions Advocate
It means exactly what I think it means.
No, I'm pretty sure you're saying they want to have sex with portals.
Volitions Advocate on 24/10/2007 at 00:06
Not sure if your'e just trying to be an ass (which I can appreciate because it is amusing) or if you're just mistaken.
really.. it does mean what I think it is. just to confirm i checked out wikipedia:
"A Freudian slip, or parapraxis, is an error in speech, memory or physical action that is believed to be caused by the unconscious mind.
Some errors, such as a man accidentally calling his wife by the name of another woman, seem to represent relatively clear cases of Freudian slips. In other cases, the error might appear to be trivial or bizarre, but may show some deeper meaning on analysis. As a common pun goes, "A Freudian slip is like saying one thing, but meaning your mother." A Freudian slip is not limited to a slip of the tongue, or to sexual desires. It can extend to our word perception where we might read a word incorrectly because of our fixations. It is important to note that these slips are semi-conscious. This is to say that these thoughts are consciously repressed and then unconsciously released. This is unlike true Freudian repression which is the unconscious act of making something unconscious."
Either I just made my head look big or we're all just a little bit more edified.
Trance on 24/10/2007 at 03:44
Just once I wish ZylonBane would keep his big nose out of other people's use of the English language. Nobody else seems to be as foolishly concerned.
But I do agree with Yakoob that Portal was geared toward light, comedic gameplay. It's harder to draw parallels (besides the obvious nutso AI murder spree, isolated protagonist, etc etc) with a game on the opposite side of the atmosphere spectrum from System Shock. Both were fun, but in different ways. And Shock definitely felt more fulfilling to win than Portal, although that could have something to do with the briefness of Portal.
Portal put a new spin on first-person games. It introduced the concept, and maybe they'll run with it in the future and release a Portal sequel or spinoff with the same technology in a deeper storyline. It would be intriguing to see how effective Portal technology would be in a traditional FPS backdrop. For example, being unarmed save for your Portal gun, you would need to survive being hunted by the military or a similar faction out to kill you and take your Portal device. It would raise the challenge level quite a bit having to outwit and possibly eliminate a squad of highly maneuverable soldiers in a darkened warehouse rather than a bunch of stationary turrets in a white cubic room.
catbarf on 24/10/2007 at 23:34
Quote Posted by ZylonBane
No, I'm pretty sure you're saying they want to have sex with portals.
Step 1: Create two portals
Step 2: Insert appendage into one portal
Step 3: Shoot a portal, replacing the other one
Step 4: Oops.
Mercurius on 25/10/2007 at 09:45
@Kolya, well of course it's not a perfect parallel...it's mainly the citadel that made me think of Blame! and all the other things are probably just coincidences.
As for me, I can't say I grew too fond of Alyx...what with her roughly shoving me towards bottomless pits every 5 seconds. Valve needs to make their NPCs a little less uncompromising when it comes to scripted movement, especially near the edges of cliffs :(
Also as far as inspirations go, have you read Great Sky River by Gregory Benford? Nihei listed it in an interview as one of the books that inspired Blame! and having read it myself, I'd agree that Nihei got a lot of concepts (and character names) out of it. It's also quite an interesting read on it's own, highly recommended.
Kolya on 25/10/2007 at 13:39
I found Alyx' movements quite sophisticated, eg her getting out of the way if you run into her. And I liked the little things she did, like when you flashlight her face in a dark room. I don't think she shoved me off a cliff at any point. I dunno, guess I would have to play it again to be sure.
I haven't read Great Sky River. Will look out for it though. And since I forgot to answer that earlier: I never owned a NES, so I don't know their puzzle games. I came from the C64 and Amiga to the PC.
Mercurius on 25/10/2007 at 21:39
Oh, the movement looks fine, definitely some of the more natural AI movement I've seen in a game.
However, get in her way when she is scripted to walk somewhere and you'll be roughly shunted out of her path...happens with all NPCs but it's most noticeable with Alyx as she spends the most time with Gordon. And around high ledges too.
I recall at the start of Ep1, I was moving towards the edge of the chasm surrounding the Citadel to get a better look at the whole mess and she comes up behind me and punts me over the edge. Thank god it was so early on in the level because I don't usually quicksave all that often.
Spaztick on 26/10/2007 at 01:55
Quote Posted by Mercurius
Oh, the movement looks fine, definitely some of the more natural AI movement I've seen in a game.
However, get in her way when she is scripted to walk somewhere and you'll be roughly shunted out of her path...happens with all NPCs but it's most noticeable with Alyx as she spends the most time with Gordon. And around high ledges too.
I recall at the start of Ep1, I was moving towards the edge of the chasm surrounding the Citadel to get a better look at the whole mess and she comes up behind me and punts me over the edge. Thank god it was so early on in the level because I don't usually quicksave all that often.
Usually that's not a problem because there aren't that many NPCs around the player so it's easier to avoid the AI's path, but in EP2 they had situations with a lot of characters in one small area so they reprogrammed the AI so they would judge where the player is at and moving and change their path so they wouldn't run into Gordon, so that solved the problem of NPCs running into the player.
kidmystik101 on 26/10/2007 at 23:27
"Look, I'm using science with my arse!"
