Perfect Stu
07-28-2002, 01:10 PM
An Opening from Stu:
At E3 2001, Sony annoucned an online 3rd person shooter called SOCOM US Navy Seals. The game is being developed by Zipper Interactive, known for such previous projects as Crimson Skies, Mech Warrior 3, and Recoil, all for the PC. They will now be heading full stream into the online world of 3rd person shooters, with the production of SOCOM US Navy Seals, which will be released on August 27th, the same day as the Network Adapter. It is being considered one of Sony's flagship online titles for this year.
This game will be both an online and offline strategic 3rd person shooter, as the player will be taking the roll as a US Navy Seal, and will partake in several different covert missions in locations around the world. In the offline mode, the player will be teamed up with 3 other computer-controlled teammates whom which they can communicate with by speaking pre-set phrases into the headphone/microphone headset which will come bundled with the game. When playing online, you are teamed up with a number other online players, to whom you can communicate with via the headset as well.
SOCOM will release, as stated earlier, on August 27th at the price of $59.99.
Impressions
Online Play
As a single-player game, users set up in teams of four, and are given the ability to use the headset (or to simply use the game interface, sans the headset, if they like) to direct teammates by simple verb/object commands. For those who want, a USB keyboard is also compatible for conversing, but not as a substitute for the Dual Shock, which, along with the VRH, is the primary peripheral for the game. For online play, gamers should have it easy: Slip in the disc, watch the game start up, click on online play and select your team in a lobby menu to get started.
SCEA is housing servers in San Diego, which can contain as many as 1,000 SOCOM players simultaneously, and the company plans to add more servers should they need them. The game, however, only permits as many as 16 online players from any part of the world to play simultaneously. SCEA has said that there will be no extra or hidden charges to play SOCOM, other than the cost of the game ($59.99), and the standard charges for an online connection, which users with online connections already should be paying for on a monthly to their standard carriers. SOCOM supports only DSL and cable connections, meaning that the game only supports broadband connections, and will not be useable with narrowband connections. SOCOM does not support LAN setups.
Zipper has set up several classifications of play for online users (demolition, extraction, and elimination). When players finally select their teammates and begin the game, the game plays like any squad based online title, encouraging players to watch each other's backs, stay in groups, and to communicate their locations and situations often.
While SOCOM tries to balance stealth and run-and-gun styles of play, it's important to note that this game is not Medal of Honor or Goldeneye. Players will be shot dead after taking two to four shots, and so they're encouraged to use shadow, foliage, and cover often, and to stick with their teammates to stay alive. It's important to note SOCOM is loosely modeled on other online multiplayer games such as Tribes 2, Team Fortress, and Counter Strike, so that it feels and plays like an online game.
After dying in a multiplayer match, players are permitted to use a piggyback cam to watch the game from their teammates' perspective. When that particular match is over, players can once again take part in the next game, and in the beginning levels, players can actually select where they want to re-spawn (within reason). After a match, players can see their statistics, including kills, shots taken, shots connected, and various others. Players can also see their progress thanks to ladder system support, the stats of which are located on SCEA's servers.
Voice-Recognition Headset
The voice-recognition headset comes bundled with SOCOM, so if you own the game, you own a headset. The set is ultra light and adjustable, fitting asymmetrically over the head, with one earpiece on the right, and a small, adjustable mike jutting toward the mouth. Gamers don't have to use the headset and they can play using the Dual Shock, but it's far more fun to make use of it, as it broadens the experience notably.
The SOCOM headset is a licensed VRS, made by the L&H Company, and it recognizes from 70-100 commands, plus combinations of words. It's constructed to work in a very streamlined and simple fashion. Using a verb/object command system, and to communicate with your immediate teammates, players use basic words, such as "deploy," "breach, frag and clear," and other very direct words to take action.
The VRS interface appears on the left-hand side of the screen, and like a computer menu, it shows hierarchical branches to provide simple or more complex commands. Teammates can be directed by using the reticule in conjunction with voice commands. By pointing your gun to a location and using commands, the players direct teammates to attack a specific spot, guard a location, monitor a region, or defend or patrol.
There is no voice recognition training in SOCOM. The system has a 95% accuracy rating, as long as don't slur your words like a drunken sailor, but it does pick up background noise, so it's probably not wise to have, oh, say, Public Enemy playing loudly in your living room, or you might find your teammates acting weirdly.
continued in next post...
At E3 2001, Sony annoucned an online 3rd person shooter called SOCOM US Navy Seals. The game is being developed by Zipper Interactive, known for such previous projects as Crimson Skies, Mech Warrior 3, and Recoil, all for the PC. They will now be heading full stream into the online world of 3rd person shooters, with the production of SOCOM US Navy Seals, which will be released on August 27th, the same day as the Network Adapter. It is being considered one of Sony's flagship online titles for this year.
This game will be both an online and offline strategic 3rd person shooter, as the player will be taking the roll as a US Navy Seal, and will partake in several different covert missions in locations around the world. In the offline mode, the player will be teamed up with 3 other computer-controlled teammates whom which they can communicate with by speaking pre-set phrases into the headphone/microphone headset which will come bundled with the game. When playing online, you are teamed up with a number other online players, to whom you can communicate with via the headset as well.
SOCOM will release, as stated earlier, on August 27th at the price of $59.99.
Impressions
Online Play
As a single-player game, users set up in teams of four, and are given the ability to use the headset (or to simply use the game interface, sans the headset, if they like) to direct teammates by simple verb/object commands. For those who want, a USB keyboard is also compatible for conversing, but not as a substitute for the Dual Shock, which, along with the VRH, is the primary peripheral for the game. For online play, gamers should have it easy: Slip in the disc, watch the game start up, click on online play and select your team in a lobby menu to get started.
SCEA is housing servers in San Diego, which can contain as many as 1,000 SOCOM players simultaneously, and the company plans to add more servers should they need them. The game, however, only permits as many as 16 online players from any part of the world to play simultaneously. SCEA has said that there will be no extra or hidden charges to play SOCOM, other than the cost of the game ($59.99), and the standard charges for an online connection, which users with online connections already should be paying for on a monthly to their standard carriers. SOCOM supports only DSL and cable connections, meaning that the game only supports broadband connections, and will not be useable with narrowband connections. SOCOM does not support LAN setups.
Zipper has set up several classifications of play for online users (demolition, extraction, and elimination). When players finally select their teammates and begin the game, the game plays like any squad based online title, encouraging players to watch each other's backs, stay in groups, and to communicate their locations and situations often.
While SOCOM tries to balance stealth and run-and-gun styles of play, it's important to note that this game is not Medal of Honor or Goldeneye. Players will be shot dead after taking two to four shots, and so they're encouraged to use shadow, foliage, and cover often, and to stick with their teammates to stay alive. It's important to note SOCOM is loosely modeled on other online multiplayer games such as Tribes 2, Team Fortress, and Counter Strike, so that it feels and plays like an online game.
After dying in a multiplayer match, players are permitted to use a piggyback cam to watch the game from their teammates' perspective. When that particular match is over, players can once again take part in the next game, and in the beginning levels, players can actually select where they want to re-spawn (within reason). After a match, players can see their statistics, including kills, shots taken, shots connected, and various others. Players can also see their progress thanks to ladder system support, the stats of which are located on SCEA's servers.
Voice-Recognition Headset
The voice-recognition headset comes bundled with SOCOM, so if you own the game, you own a headset. The set is ultra light and adjustable, fitting asymmetrically over the head, with one earpiece on the right, and a small, adjustable mike jutting toward the mouth. Gamers don't have to use the headset and they can play using the Dual Shock, but it's far more fun to make use of it, as it broadens the experience notably.
The SOCOM headset is a licensed VRS, made by the L&H Company, and it recognizes from 70-100 commands, plus combinations of words. It's constructed to work in a very streamlined and simple fashion. Using a verb/object command system, and to communicate with your immediate teammates, players use basic words, such as "deploy," "breach, frag and clear," and other very direct words to take action.
The VRS interface appears on the left-hand side of the screen, and like a computer menu, it shows hierarchical branches to provide simple or more complex commands. Teammates can be directed by using the reticule in conjunction with voice commands. By pointing your gun to a location and using commands, the players direct teammates to attack a specific spot, guard a location, monitor a region, or defend or patrol.
There is no voice recognition training in SOCOM. The system has a 95% accuracy rating, as long as don't slur your words like a drunken sailor, but it does pick up background noise, so it's probably not wise to have, oh, say, Public Enemy playing loudly in your living room, or you might find your teammates acting weirdly.
continued in next post...