Restricted Area demo released

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The demo for RA was released on friday.

http://www.restricted-area.net/
 
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I just finished the demo mission. The game is very Diablo-like, it is a
run-and-gun action/rpg. The game is top down, 3/4 isometric view with
nicely done 2D backgrounds using point-and-click movement. The game
owes as much to Deus Ex as it does to Fallout. The demo character looks
like a JC Denton knock-off and the one street that is the base of
operations is very cyber-noir with lots of trash and abandoned
vehicles. Movement between the street and the mission area is by flight
(your pilot gets 25% of any cash you find but not what get from selling
weapons), there is a world map that looks like it will have lots of
locations to visit in the full game.

Graphics are good. The backgrounds are nicely done in 2D. The animation
was a bit odd when my character ran. It was nice to see backgrounds
with lots of detailing, something that is lost when they are done with
3D.

Character gain levels by killing things and perhaps by completing
missions (the demo ends when you find the item in question but before
you can report back to your client) and can advance their stats and
skills. The game uses a skill tree system. Weapons, the traditional
magic medkits, money, and cyberwear drop off kills (no searching
bodies). Crates can be broken and sometimes have loot in them. The
tactical importance of all the exploding toxic waste barrels can not be
stressed enough. They streamlined gameplay by removing ammunition, all
guns fire endlessly. This is a world where shotguns reign supreme over
all the other weapons I found (pistol, SMG, and plasma gun), I tried
everything and kept going back to the good old pump shotgun. The
enemies in the mission were hideous mutant-zombie things. This is also
another cyberpunk game where characters can change their cyberwear in
the field without needing any skills. Overall this game is a bit silly,
which may bother players who take their games too seriously.

One interesting feature is an automatic weapon/cyberwear upgrade button
that chooses what it considers the best selection and shifts them into
active use slots.

Not much "personality" came though in the demo, there is no indication
of whether the game will have a sense of humour.

RA doesn't look like it is breaking any new ground but it looks like it
will be a fun cyberpunk shoot-em-up game. I plan on getting this one.

A check of online game stores shows the game shipping anywhere from
tomorrow, 18 April, to 10 May of this year.
 
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Alex Mars wrote:
> The demo for RA was released on friday.
>
> http://www.restricted-area.net/

Interesting game, it's got the action from Diablo, the RPG'ing from
Fallout and the setting from Deus Ex. Graphics are a little crude
compared to today's standards (wonder why they didn't go with 3D models
for the character and monsters against 2D backgrounds), I had a great
time with it.
 
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Makes me want to play Fallout 2 again..
pretty crude, but ok for a free demo.
"The Posting One" <noneblah@noneblah.com> wrote in message
news:4262BA8E.9090305@noneblah.com...
> Alex Mars wrote:
>> The demo for RA was released on friday.
>>
>> http://www.restricted-area.net/
>
> Interesting game, it's got the action from Diablo, the RPG'ing from
> Fallout and the setting from Deus Ex. Graphics are a little crude compared
> to today's standards (wonder why they didn't go with 3D models for the
> character and monsters against 2D backgrounds), I had a great time with
> it.
>
>
 
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"Alex Mars" <alexmars@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1113759502.813763.276470@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> The demo for RA was released on friday.
>
> http://www.restricted-area.net/
>

I got it Tuesday.

--
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On 17 Apr 2005 10:38:22 -0700, "Alex Mars" <alexmars@aol.com> wrote:

>The demo for RA was released on friday.
>
>http://www.restricted-area.net/

Getting it now - any good ?

--

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They got them hoppy legs and twitchy little noses !
And what's with all the carrots ?
What do they need such good eyesight for anyway ?
Bunnies ! Bunnies ! It must be BUNNIES !
 

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Thus spake "Paul2" <emperorwoo@nospam.rogers.com>, Sun, 17 Apr 2005 16:39:35
-0400, Anno Domini:

>Makes me want to play Fallout 2 again..
>pretty crude, but ok for a free demo.

Anyone know when the full English version is due?

--
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Replace 'spamfree' with the other word for 'maze' to reply via email.
 
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"Alex Mars" <alexmars@aol.com> looked up from reading the entrails of
the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs say:

>I just finished the demo mission. The game is very Diablo-like, it is a
>run-and-gun action/rpg. The game is top down, 3/4 isometric view with
>nicely done 2D backgrounds using point-and-click movement. The game
>owes as much to Deus Ex as it does to Fallout. The demo character looks
>like a JC Denton knock-off and the one street that is the base of
>operations is very cyber-noir with lots of trash and abandoned
>vehicles. Movement between the street and the mission area is by flight
>(your pilot gets 25% of any cash you find but not what get from selling
>weapons), there is a world map that looks like it will have lots of
>locations to visit in the full game.

A cyberpunk Diablo, just what i've always wanted.

The only thing that concerns me is that in the demo it wasn't clear if
you could go back to the city early and then return to the mission area.
My inventory was absolutely packed before I was halfway through the
bunker and it just goes against all my Diablo-honed instincts to leave
anything sellable behind.

I'll have to run through again and see if I can leave/sell/return, but
even if I can't in the demo, that doesn;t tell us if you can in the full
game.

>Graphics are good. The backgrounds are nicely done in 2D. The animation
>was a bit odd when my character ran. It was nice to see backgrounds
>with lots of detailing, something that is lost when they are done with
>3D.

Agreed, very nice indeed.

>Character gain levels by killing things and perhaps by completing
>missions (the demo ends when you find the item in question but before
>you can report back to your client) and can advance their stats and
>skills. The game uses a skill tree system. Weapons, the traditional
>magic medkits, money, and cyberwear drop off kills (no searching
>bodies). Crates can be broken and sometimes have loot in them. The
>tactical importance of all the exploding toxic waste barrels can not be
>stressed enough. They streamlined gameplay by removing ammunition, all
>guns fire endlessly. This is a world where shotguns reign supreme over
>all the other weapons I found (pistol, SMG, and plasma gun), I tried
>everything and kept going back to the good old pump shotgun. The
>enemies in the mission were hideous mutant-zombie things. This is also
>another cyberpunk game where characters can change their cyberwear in
>the field without needing any skills. Overall this game is a bit silly,
>which may bother players who take their games too seriously.

I disagree with the shotgun comment; While they are nice, they're slow.
Plasma all the way - high damage, high rate of fire - just have to
remember to shoot bursts so it can recharge.
For instance - the Fat Mutants - could take anywhere from 2-5 shotgun
blasts to drop, and while it took more plasma shots, you could just hose
them till they died.
I always had to shoot, retreat, shoot, retreat with the shotguns.

Another Diablo-a-like effect, Set Bonuses - cyberware items and weapons
from the same company all used together give bonuses to stats, accuracy
etc.

>One interesting feature is an automatic weapon/cyberwear upgrade button
>that chooses what it considers the best selection and shifts them into
>active use slots.

I liked the "pick up everything button" myself, I like to pick and
choose to much to let it decide what's best.

>Not much "personality" came though in the demo, there is no indication
>of whether the game will have a sense of humour.

As long as it doesn't have a Cain-a-like telling me what to do all the
time, it'll be good. :)

>RA doesn't look like it is breaking any new ground but it looks like it
>will be a fun cyberpunk shoot-em-up game. I plan on getting this one.

On the strength of the demo, this just moved into the must-buy category.

>A check of online game stores shows the game shipping anywhere from
>tomorrow, 18 April, to 10 May of this year.

Pity I don't order online - guess i'll wait till it hits the local EB.

Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr
 
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Xocyll <Xocyll@kingston.net> looked up from reading the entrails of the
porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs say:

>"Alex Mars" <alexmars@aol.com> looked up from reading the entrails of
>the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs say:
>
>>I just finished the demo mission. The game is very Diablo-like, it is a
>>run-and-gun action/rpg. The game is top down, 3/4 isometric view with
>>nicely done 2D backgrounds using point-and-click movement. The game
>>owes as much to Deus Ex as it does to Fallout. The demo character looks
>>like a JC Denton knock-off and the one street that is the base of
>>operations is very cyber-noir with lots of trash and abandoned
>>vehicles. Movement between the street and the mission area is by flight
>>(your pilot gets 25% of any cash you find but not what get from selling
>>weapons), there is a world map that looks like it will have lots of
>>locations to visit in the full game.
>
>A cyberpunk Diablo, just what i've always wanted.
>
>The only thing that concerns me is that in the demo it wasn't clear if
>you could go back to the city early and then return to the mission area.
>My inventory was absolutely packed before I was halfway through the
>bunker and it just goes against all my Diablo-honed instincts to leave
>anything sellable behind.

Well looks like you can go back to town at any time, BUT it has a cost -
you lose a reputation point.
It seems to do something like diablo2's waypoint system, except it's
based on the levels of the zone.
IE the demo is split in 3 zones, the wasteland and two levels of bunker,
so i'f you've made it to the 3rd level you can start there when you come
back, but anything you killed will have respawned.

So you can shop any time, you can farm, but it will cost you reputation.

>I'll have to run through again and see if I can leave/sell/return, but
>even if I can't in the demo, that doesn;t tell us if you can in the full
>game.
>
>>Graphics are good. The backgrounds are nicely done in 2D. The animation
>>was a bit odd when my character ran. It was nice to see backgrounds
>>with lots of detailing, something that is lost when they are done with
>>3D.
>
>Agreed, very nice indeed.
>
>>Character gain levels by killing things and perhaps by completing
>>missions (the demo ends when you find the item in question but before
>>you can report back to your client) and can advance their stats and
>>skills. The game uses a skill tree system. Weapons, the traditional
>>magic medkits, money, and cyberwear drop off kills (no searching
>>bodies). Crates can be broken and sometimes have loot in them. The
>>tactical importance of all the exploding toxic waste barrels can not be
>>stressed enough. They streamlined gameplay by removing ammunition, all
>>guns fire endlessly. This is a world where shotguns reign supreme over
>>all the other weapons I found (pistol, SMG, and plasma gun), I tried
>>everything and kept going back to the good old pump shotgun. The
>>enemies in the mission were hideous mutant-zombie things. This is also
>>another cyberpunk game where characters can change their cyberwear in
>>the field without needing any skills. Overall this game is a bit silly,
>>which may bother players who take their games too seriously.
>
>I disagree with the shotgun comment; While they are nice, they're slow.
>Plasma all the way - high damage, high rate of fire - just have to
>remember to shoot bursts so it can recharge.
>For instance - the Fat Mutants - could take anywhere from 2-5 shotgun
>blasts to drop, and while it took more plasma shots, you could just hose
>them till they died.
>I always had to shoot, retreat, shoot, retreat with the shotguns.

After a few times of playing the demo through till almost the end, then
going to town, selling and coming back, the game is more Diablo-like
than i'd first assumed.
I found what would be the equivalent of D/D2 unique items.

Excalibur: 7-15 dam, 100 energy - a plasma gun with multishot (shoots
three balls of plasma instead of one) /|\

Hammer: 11-20 dam, +1 min dam - a submachinegun using "highspeed ammo"
(seems to be a penetration effect so you shoot through things, also
slight knockback)

Avenger: 11-35 dam, +6 min dam - a Shotgun with highspeed ammo

Devastator: 34-210 dam, +4 min dam - Pump action so it's slow, seems to
be shooting sabot rounds, since there's no cone of fire effect as with a
normal shotgun.

Not going to hit EB till next month though, bummer.

Ahh well, next month i'll finally have a replacement for D2.

Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr
 
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You were able to go back to town in the middle of the mission? I tried
but my pilot didn't respond when I clicked on him, the only way I got
back to town was when I died and respawned there.

One other big innovation: long items can be placed vertically or
horizontally in the inventory grid.
 
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"Alex Mars" <alexmars@aol.com> looked up from reading the entrails of
the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs say:

>You were able to go back to town in the middle of the mission? I tried
>but my pilot didn't respond when I clicked on him, the only way I got
>back to town was when I died and respawned there.
>
>One other big innovation: long items can be placed vertically or
>horizontally in the inventory grid.

Odd, when i clicked on the pilot there were two options, never mind and
abort mission.
I'd hoped that one that's available in town (let me access the cargo
bay) would be accessible, but no dice.

Press Q, and click on go back to town, you can do it anywhere.

I'd clear everything right up to the mission objective box, taking the
most valuable gear, then Q out, then repeat the whole thing.

The bummer is of course that you can't save. Even though pressing F5
brings up a message saying it saved, it didn't, so you can't go too long
before the demo crashes and puts you back at square one again.

Highest I got was about 25% into level 9, but at least I found some neat
items. That Plasma gun especially was nasty, nasty, nasty - real room
clearer.

I am SO looking forward to this game now.
Hopefully the game is as good as the demo makes it seem - i've been
waiting for a successor to Diablo2 for quite a while now.

Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr
 
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"Alex Mars" <alexmars@aol.com> skrev i meddelelsen
news:1113759502.813763.276470@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

> The demo for RA was released on friday.
> http://www.restricted-area.net/

DL'ing with 405 kB/S, estimated time 13 minutes... :)



--
"How much easier is self-sacrifice than self-realization." Eric Hoffer
Med venlig hilsen
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G B wrote:

> "Alex Mars" <alexmars@aol.com> skrev i meddelelsen
> news:1113759502.813763.276470@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:
>
>
>>The demo for RA was released on friday.
>>http://www.restricted-area.net/
>
>
> DL'ing with 405 kB/S, estimated time 13 minutes... :)

Diablo with guns! It is a good romp, but I wish the demo was a little
clearer with how things work (skill progression etc)....quite fun though!
 
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James Garvin <jgarvin2004@comcast.net> skrev i meddelelsen
news:ydudneh2w5J2MPLfRVn-jQ@comcast.com:

> Diablo with guns! It is a good romp, but I wish the demo was a little
> clearer with how things work (skill progression etc)....quite fun
> though!

Is there a way to "look at" stuff and "pick up" stuff? And how do you go
through doors?

I'm at the very beginning, bought myself a cyber-leg and got the mission
from the "man in the suit". Do I have to take the boat at the docks to get
on with it?

--
Arcana Dragon -==(UDIC)==-
d++e++N++T+++Om-KAWML!34567'!S'!8!9!u+uC+uF+++uG-u
LB®----uAnC+nH++nP+nI----nPT-nS+++nT----o---oE---xz
http://www.phyton.dk/games.htm
 
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Arcana Dragon wrote:
> James Garvin <jgarvin2004@comcast.net> skrev i meddelelsen
> news:ydudneh2w5J2MPLfRVn-jQ@comcast.com:
>
>
>>Diablo with guns! It is a good romp, but I wish the demo was a little
>>clearer with how things work (skill progression etc)....quite fun
>>though!
>
>
> Is there a way to "look at" stuff and "pick up" stuff? And how do you go
> through doors?

IRRC the <alt> key highlights the stuff on the ground.

> I'm at the very beginning, bought myself a cyber-leg and got the mission
> from the "man in the suit". Do I have to take the boat at the docks to get
> on with it?

Ya, go to the ship and you should go to the area where you can play.
I'd pick up a few things before you go...spend all your money...
>
 
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Arcana Dragon <this@ress.is.invalid> looked up from reading the entrails
of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs say:

>James Garvin <jgarvin2004@comcast.net> skrev i meddelelsen
>news:ydudneh2w5J2MPLfRVn-jQ@comcast.com:
>
>> Diablo with guns! It is a good romp, but I wish the demo was a little
>> clearer with how things work (skill progression etc)....quite fun
>> though!
>
>Is there a way to "look at" stuff and "pick up" stuff? And how do you go
>through doors?

Like Diablo - hold down alt to reveal items on the floor, just put the
mouse cursor on an item to see it's stats.

Left click on an item highlighted and you'll walk over and pick it up
(unless blocked.)
Press A and you'll run around and pick up everything near you.
The inventory will sort itself to fit items when using A.

To go through doors, just walk up to them (in mission anyway.) As far
as I know the doors in town don't open (any more than Diablo doors did.)

>I'm at the very beginning, bought myself a cyber-leg and got the mission
>from the "man in the suit". Do I have to take the boat at the docks to get
>on with it?

Yes you have to hire Jason to go to the missions.
[Hint, tell him 25% is mad, then offer 15 and settle for 20.]
On the other hand, his flier is also your storage space (like the
diablo2 chest.) You can only access it in town though.

If you don't click the end chest, you can go back to town and repeat the
mission in order to get more exp/levels and find some of the better
items. Q brings up quest info as well as the back-to-town option.

Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr
 
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Xocyll <Xocyll@kingston.net> skrev i meddelelsen
news:sgiv611bgedv9327kfpb6h3uufamcvh80q@4ax.com:

> Like Diablo - hold down alt to reveal items on the floor, just put the
> mouse cursor on an item to see it's stats.

Hi James and Xoc - I was never much of a Diablo-fan (I've fried the bastard
a few times, but...) - Thanks for the "alt"-reminder.

They might have included a readme.txt in the demo, though.

--
"How much easier is self-sacrifice than self-realization." Eric Hoffer
Med venlig hilsen
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I want to slap the RA devs for not putting save and load functions in
the demo.
 
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"Alex Mars" <alexmars@aol.com> looked up from reading the entrails of
the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs say:

>I want to slap the RA devs for not putting save and load functions in
>the demo.

Oh I know that feeling.

One little tip: anything you store in the cargo hold will be accessible
by the character you make the next time you play, so you can stash your
good gear and re-use it with the next guy.
You'll still have to start from level 1 though.
Won't help you if the demo crashes.
But it beats quitting after you've got a really nice rare weapon and
knowing you'll likely never get it again.

Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr