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Dumpshock Forums _ General Gaming _ Alien: Colonial Marines
Posted by: Zombayz Sep 9 2008, 11:30 PM
As a fan of Alien and Aliens, I`ve been thinking about this game since I heard of it.
Something Awful thread is here: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2771894&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1
Ahh, the future of survival horror games. I sense this will be as awesome as System Shock was(is).
Posted by: Malokei Sep 10 2008, 01:24 PM
Something Awful thread is here: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2771894&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1
Ahh, the future of survival horror games. I sense this will be as awesome as System Shock was(is).
Yeah it's been in the works for a while. I hope they solidify a system that works for it. Many of the FPS' in this day and age are rehash like Unreal Tournament, Call of Duty 4, Halo 3 etc. Granted that most games are rehash there can be very very good rehash that keeps you playing it on xbox live or appropriate internet service.
I surely hope that it will be playable, hands on and very intuitive when it comes to portraying the Aliens universe correctly. I've been an Aliens Aficionado since I was 8. So it's a wait a see sort of thing when someone tries to boldly break into ground that has been trounced with the horrid AvP's and RTS games that support the Aliens title. Let's pray they do this right.
Posted by: Wounded Ronin Sep 10 2008, 02:54 PM
I really loved Alien vs. Predator 2, and playing as the Marine was always my favorite thing to do. So I'm excited about this announced game. I also feel like the Aliens franchise has really been marred by a lot of bad games. Like, at an arcade near where I live there's the Aliens: Extermination game, but it's very poor. I noticed that it blatantly adjusts difficulty to basically make you feed in coins at a steady rate. If you do well you basically take more instantaneous miracle damage, but if your gun doesn't work at all because of hardware problems on the arcade cabinet, it takes forever for the aliens to kill you even though you're literally incapable of attacking. Needless to say once you realize that it really kills the immersion.
Posted by: PBTHHHHT Sep 10 2008, 10:22 PM
In addition, there's the wiki page on it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliens:_Colonial_Marines
and the official website:
http://www2.sega.com/aliens//
I can't wait for this game to come out, I wouldn't mind playing some coop missions.
Posted by: Blade Sep 11 2008, 08:04 AM
And one awesome game: Capcom's Alien vs Predator arcade game. The only time you'll see humans attacking hordes of aliens with their bare hands!
Posted by: ravensoracle Sep 11 2008, 05:15 PM
One of the players from my group has seen this and since there is going to be a lull in our current game due to a few players being out of town, it has been recommended that we play a one shot using the Shadowrun System for a little Colonial Marine Action.
Does anyone know of some conversions for 4th ed that have already been done? I would prefer not to have to do all the work myself considering I have about a week to put it together.
Posted by: Malokei Sep 12 2008, 02:52 PM
I remember seeing a fan conversion somewhere though Aliens were considered insect spirits. I also saw another conversion where aliens gained stat bonuses equal to metatype. A troll warrior alien would definitely be scary but a dragon queen would definitely be worse.
Honestly man you should try to flesh something out. Find a pdf copy or a hard back copy of Aliens: Colonial Marines Technical Manual. It gives rich information in regards the Aliens universe which covers both the first and second movies and opens the door to how they got ahold of the alien sample. Mind you the derelict ship with the eggs and the space jockey was not destroyed. It's still there.
Posted by: Ed_209a Sep 12 2008, 08:44 PM
Does anyone know of some conversions for 4th ed that have already been done? I would prefer not to have to do all the work myself considering I have about a week to put it together.
No problem.
Repaint some Red Samurai (SR4, 276, minus the cyberware) as Colonial Marines, and give them a fun assortment of assault rifles, grenades, LMGs, independently targeting particle beam phalanx, tactical smart missiles, phase-plasma pulse rifles, RPGs, sonic electronic ball breakers, nukes, knives, sharp sticks...
Now, since it is a one-shot, why not just borrow part of the video game's plot? The Sulaco has been found, and someone needs to go in and get the ship logs. Leave a 10 megaton housewarming present and bug out. The fact that neither Aliens or Alien3 give any reason for there to be a functioning hive on the Sulaco is irrelevant. It is a one-shot. <shrug>
Posted by: Fabe Sep 13 2008, 12:06 AM
Played it,loved it, here's a video of a three player game http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsNTbOANylk&feature=related
Posted by: Wounded Ronin Sep 13 2008, 12:25 AM
It's awesome that the aliens can die to a jab.
Posted by: Voran Sep 13 2008, 02:20 AM
I think I recall hearing about this game in one of my Gaming mags. At the time it sounded like Republic Commando meets Aliens, which sounded really awesome to me. A FPS with AI squadmates that you could direct to take certain actions on dynamic spots.
Posted by: ravensoracle Sep 13 2008, 02:57 AM
Well I am working something out myself. Still trying to find a copy of the Colonial Marines Manual. I think it is actually going to be less work than what I thought. I am using the Shadowrun System and just taking out a few things that I don't think really fit from what I have seen in the first two movies of course the result is going to give the players marines a little bonus.
So far I have discarded:
1. Magic
2. VR matrix (Leaving AR for a fun HUD tactical environment)
3. No Cyberware. Only using Bioware (Here is the bonus that the marines get. I figured since the original group had a newb Lt. they were a normal frontline unit. The players are from a High-Threat Response Team with some bioware implants. Yes I am using some SR terms.)
4. No Contacts (How they gonna call thru restricted military channels anyway?)
5. No Metatypes
For Character Creation I figured to make it easy I would put together a sample grunt using somewhere around 250 BPs then make packages that could be chosen Ala Carte
to add up to the 400 BP (don't have Runner's Companion yet). This should give the players a chance to customize their PC's quickly to their liking and yet be able to quickly replace the PC during gameplay when the original bites it.
As for the plot, I was thinking along the lines of the PC's being the 17 day rescue squad that is sent to find out what happened to the Sulaco and her crew. They will be part of the squad that clears the Sulaco while another unit is dispatched to the Alien's derelict to "retrieve specimens". I was also thinking that the Queen wasn't the only one to "Hitch" a ride up to the Sulaco so the PC's may run into some of the Colonist's Drones and Face-Huggers. One question I also had was if all the marines were sent to the ground, where was the Sulaco's Flight Crew. I figured that I would have them be in hyper-sleep in malfunctioning tubes, so they're still on the ship but can't be woken thanks to Burke, which is why Ripley didn't eject them as well. Gives a few bodies for infestation. 
Posted by: Voran Sep 13 2008, 09:57 AM
In a way, an Aliens game sorta bears more in common with a traditional DnD 'kick in the door' kinda game. Combat, perhaps some stealth, heavy perception checks, but generally low in legwork, social skill checks, etc.
Posted by: Link Sep 13 2008, 02:14 PM
A few points.
The rescue squad being marines I assume, would be unlikely to have the objective of securing specimens as Weyland Yutani were always secretive about this business. One or all of the PC's could have this as a secret objective (like Burke).
There is some additional alien presence aboard the Sulaco as you wish to use, this becomes apparent in Alien 3.
As for the Sulaco's Flight Crew, the ship travels by autopilot, supervised I'd imagine by Bishop while humans hyper-sleep.
Finally, play up the souless corporation Weyland Yutani as much as possible. Alien has a great corporate space noir to it that fits SR well.
Posted by: Malokei Sep 13 2008, 09:09 PM
Another main point you might want to look into further so you know more about what is going on with the marines and aliens as of the events of Aliens/3 is the Aliens: Colonial Marines Technical Manual. It will help with gear, vehicles, procedures, synthetics, aliens and much much more. Also the the first few series of aliens comic books will help as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliens:_Colonial_Marines_Technical_Manual
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0061053430/ref=dp_olp_2/104-7688947-9610368 if you need to buy one either or check your local book/comic stores. They're bound to have a copy. It's been my pride and joy since i was 13!
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