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    Alpha Protocol

    Game » consists of 11 releases. Released May 27, 2010

    Control rogue agent Michael Thorton as he tries to unearth an international conspiracy in the near future (where everybody seems to have a hidden agenda or two) in this third-person action RPG.

    AP is 75% off on Steam today - How is the PC ver now?

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    Stahlbrand

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    #1  Edited By Stahlbrand

    Couple questions: 
     
    Is the game worth $7.50?
     
    I heard the PC version was actually the buggiest and worst experience at launch compared to the console versions,  was that the case?
     
    Have they patched any of the major problems for the PC version?  Or did they just turn their back on it?
     
    Is there a mod scene or fan-patches?
     
    Your help is appreciated.

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    alistercat

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    #2  Edited By alistercat

    I just bought this, so while it downloads I would also like to know.

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    ShaneDev

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    #3  Edited By ShaneDev

    I also would like to know about the PC version but I would say the game is worth easily €7.50 even from the videos I have seen.

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    Vlaphor

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    #4  Edited By Vlaphor

    I never had any problems with the game on PC.  No bugs or other issues aside from the occasional mouse freak out.  No crashes or glitches.
     

     I don't know of any mods or fan patches though.

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    Marz

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    #5  Edited By Marz

    i played the game on PC when it was first released and didn't really experience any terrible issues..  so i don't really know what the "Major Problems" that your concerned about.   My only issue was the mouse smoothing was kind of bad and could be fixed by an INI file tweak.   Otherwise the game story has alot of plot twists and turns that is worth a shot at 7$, the combat gameplay itself is an acquired taste that might not satisfy you off the bat.

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    mzuckerm

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    #6  Edited By mzuckerm
    @Stahlbrand: I got this some time ago (not that long after its release) and I loved it.  I didn't experience much bugginess, although the camera is unquestionably janky.  Other than that, though, I thought the plot was really well put together, the customization was well done, and the dialogue system was probably the best I've seen in a game yet.  I played it through a second time immediately after I beat it initially just to see how things turned out if I played through differently.  Just don't go into it thinking it's a shooter; the combat elements are as much RPG as they are FPS.
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    Zurv

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    #7  Edited By Zurv

    If you can get past the hacking minigame (IT SUCKS!).. this is a good game.  
    I really enjoyed it. 
     
    The controls are a bit odd... if you have a 360 controller i'd strongly suggest using it. It is a dice roll shooter... so you don't have to be great targeting with the controller... math is more important.
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    Xabu

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    #8  Edited By Xabu

    It's a great game and easily worth more than the sale price.  Hacking takes some getting used to but I had no major issues with the PC version.
     
    SEGA also released a patch to remove Uniloc found here.

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    GetBentTheVideoGame

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    Played a couple of hours, really enjoying it. I would have probably bought this near full price, but I knew drops were coming quickly. Sorry Obsidian.

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    Tennmuerti

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    #10  Edited By Tennmuerti

    Wasn't buggy at all when I played it on PC
    Was well worth $50 at launch.

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    Shadow

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    #11  Edited By Shadow

    My computer can't run shit.  If it was that price on consoles though, I'd pick it up in a second.

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    Mars_Cleric

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    #12  Edited By Mars_Cleric

    I bought it and... 
    I'm kinda loving it 
    I started as a recruit and have put all my points in stealth and martial arts and it's pretty fun 
    I just finished saudi but it's looking good so far 
    I'd recommend it
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    deactivated-57beb9d651361

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    @Mars_Cleric said:

    " I bought it and... I'm kinda loving it I started as a recruit and have put all my points in stealth and martial arts and it's pretty fun I just finished saudi but it's looking good so far I'd recommend it "

    This is exactly how I feel (and close to how I started...). 
     
    Went recruit, upped my stealth and pistol skills and I'm on the last mission in Saudi. It really is a great game. Feels like it tried something different, and while parts are certainly janky, it does some really interesting things. 
     
    I love the rpg aspect and as a stealth game its pretty fucking sweet. Can't wait to see what's after the middle-east.
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    Winternet

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    #14  Edited By Winternet
    @GetEveryone: I'm about to start and I've already stopped in the character selection screen. I know that the gameplay isn't all that good so I don't really want to make it more difficult as it would normally be. The question is: how much of an impact has the option Recruit? How exactly does it challenge you?
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    deactivated-57beb9d651361

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    @Winternet: I don't really know where the "gameplay isn't good" critique comes from. I've been really enjoying myself so far. Been making use of stealth (more or less playing it like MGS) and taken my character in that direction. I can tell you that once you've been detected the game is pretty tough, but if you take your time and perk up as needed, its fairly tactical.  
     
    As far as the recruit option goes, I don't know how it differs, but you can tell from my cursory description that its pretty hard. I think the other options just give you attributes at the start. You don't begin with any as a recruit.
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    Winternet

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    #16  Edited By Winternet
    @GetEveryone: Not having any attributes can make it tough in the early game? 
     
    Edit: What I really want to ask you is what's the difference with the Recruit. It says it has a new line of dialogue. Is that something that you use much? Does it have impact on relationships (I assume there are relationships)?
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    deactivated-57beb9d651361

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    @Winternet: Definitely, the game hasn't been easy from what I've played so far. EXP and perk progression seems to come at a very deliberate pace, so you don't get everything quickly at all. 
     
    When I've been caught, there's certainly challenge in terms of fighting (especially as when you start out, your lack of precision is deadly), but I've basically been doing my best to stick to the sahdows and remain unseen (and that isn't particularly easy, either). 
     
    Hope you enjoy it, I've had far more fun with it that the reviews led me to believe I would.
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    Winternet

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    #18  Edited By Winternet
    @GetEveryone: And what about the dialogue thing? Does it have any impact?
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    deactivated-57beb9d651361

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    @Winternet: From what I've seen: lots. Certain characters like you more/less depending on how you converse with them, which in turn opens up branching storylines. There are multiple endings as well depending what course of action you take throughout the game. 
     
    So far it seems a lot like a cross between MGS and Deus Ex.
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    Winternet

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    #20  Edited By Winternet
    @GetEveryone: I am sorry, maybe I didn't get myself understood. I mean what is the impact of choosing Recruit have in the dialogues? In the menu it says it has a different option dialogues, but it seems that's only for the training part. Is it true? Did you find any significant impact on dialogues by choosing Recruit? I think that's the only thing that is making me think of choosing Recruit. If not, then I'll choose field agent ( I think that's the name) or even freelance where you can choose the how to spend the points before starting the game.
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    deactivated-57beb9d651361

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    @Winternet: Oh, sorry. Em, there are a couple of options where he comes across as sounding naive/not-in-the-loop, but if you're playing recruit for that I wouldn't bother. The option to choose the recruit branch only popped up a couple of times.
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    Winternet

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    #22  Edited By Winternet
    @GetEveryone: Ok. Thanks for your help. Alpha Protocol here I go!
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    milhous

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    #23  Edited By milhous

    I'll just add that having just played through it -- if you have a wired 360 controller, use it use it use it.
     
    I tried playing Keyboard + Mouse and it worked okay for the movement and shooting but a lot of the interface was clunky, and there are minigames I never got to work, tweaks and all -- I could not play the hacking one, for instance, after the introductory one. I ended up stocking up on EMPs for every mission just so I could short mission-critical gates.
     
    With the controller, though, it becomes way easier to do everything, and the minigames become possible.
     
     Highly recommend gamepad. It's how you're going to get your money's worth.

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    Stahlbrand

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    #24  Edited By Stahlbrand
    UPDATE
     
    I bought AP during the holiday sale 2010, and I loved it.  It was a very good game with some snags keeping it from greatness.  Its like a less broken VtM: Bloodlines, or a not-an-instant-classic version of Deus Ex. 
     
    My computer is a bit of a powerhouse, but I experienced no serious or even annoying bugs.  Some clipping strangeness in cutscenes where a high detail model was displayed at range (probably a problem with LOD priority setting on the games' part), and my mouse inputs would shudder very briefly (but drastically) when the game wrote a checkpoint. 
     
    My first playthrough was with a character based on stealth and hand-to-hand kills, who tended towards a 80% aggressive, 20% pro attitude, spared non-combatants, and triggered few alarms, ultimately taking the 'side with the bad guy' ending.
     
    My second playthrough was with a shotguns'n'grenades recruit who was mostly suave/joking and pro in dialogue, did not go to lengths to avoid killing police or other 'uncool kills', and would trigger the first alarm in a base and let it herald his arrival.  Took a goodguy ending.
     
    I started a veteran playthrough, using pistols and stealth, but went on to another game after clearing Saudi Arabia and moving on to do a few missions in Russia.  I found that pistol work, compared to sneaking unarmed or shotgun blitzing was hard to do without waiting for the critical focus or using the clicky pistol power.  It was not as bad as I had heard though.  I remember people making a huge deal out of the aiming in this game, and while it is very 'rpg = huge spread of shots', it wasn't unplayable, particularly when you put points into the skill, just like any other action rpg.
     
    I love action RPGs and think Obsidian did a mostly-great job here, hampered and dragged down by some details (sludgy mouse control, excessive inaccuracy in aimed fire) and a rough release resulting in terrible press.
     
    When I read the initial reactions to the game - particularly the super-harsh Dtoid review, I dismissed it entirely.  But whether the bugs were patched out on PC, or just console-only to begin with, I didn't run into any floating guards or clipping problems, and no crashes at all in 37 hours of played time.
     
    So, buy this on steam next time its on sale.
     
    I can't speak to the console experience, but on PC I really enjoyed my time with this game.  It wasn't a Triple-A title, but it was a solid "B" in a genre I love.
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    niamahai

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    #25  Edited By niamahai

    with the PC version you at least get a stable framerate and clean textures. That alone makes any game playable IMO.
     
    if they had more time and money, i wish AP2 would pull a ME2 and made the gameplay more like Splinter Cell Conviction.
     
    Information extraction sequence:
    Suave: Sweet talk terrorist.
    Aggressive: Bash terrorist's head against urinal till it SHATTERS
    Neutral: Kick terrorist in the nuts  

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    President_Barackbar

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    @niamahai:  I don't think kicking someone in the joy department is really NEUTRAL.
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    Stahlbrand

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    #27  Edited By Stahlbrand
    @President_Barackbar:  It is for SC:Conviction's protagonist.

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