Fort Zombie

[CeeKay]

from Paradox Games, it's an action/RPG game where you manage your own fort against a zombie onslaught.

here's some screenshots.

[Octavious230]

OMG that sounds awesome!! I hope it turns out good! 

[CeeKay]

an interview about the game.  I can't wait to hear more about their sci-fi RPG this is a spin off of.

[baelthazar]

Oh... Northstar is going to be magnificent. But this should tide us over. I just hope Northstar really isn't a full year away!

Bael

[CeeKay]

some new screenshots.  after the L4D update yesterday I'm pumped for some more zombie killing action!

[CeeKay]

here's the debut trailer, but there's no gameplay shown.

[Aganazer]

I have enough faith in Kerberos to make this into an interesting fun game. IMO Sword of the Stars was the best space strategy game since MOO2. It looks like they have the right ideas when it comes to game design and if it helps them fund their Northstar project then I'm definitely willing to support it!

In case you haven't heard of Northstar, here's the link...
http://northstar.wikia.com/wiki/Northstar_Wiki

[CeeKay]

for 10 bucks I was getting FZ anyways but that'll be a nice bonus to know it's going towards that.

[CeeKay]

out for Halloween!!!!!

[vizionblind]

good lord this looks....awful

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/50988/Fort-Zombie-Trailer-Shambles-Along

[coopasonic]

good lord this looks....awful

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/50988/Fort-Zombie-Trailer-Shambles-Along

You know I would have said it's hard to imagine a game that isn't worth $10, but damned if this doesn't look like one of them based on that video. Please note: I'm a graphics whore.

[baelthazar]

Oh come on... $10? That isn't so bad. And it's surely gonna be entertaining on some levels!

Bael

[Chaz]

I love me some zombies, and the idea sounds excellent.  But that video...does not look excellent.

[coopasonic]

Yup, conceptually it sounds like a lot of fun. I may pay for it just to support this sort of thing.

[Butterknife]

I was really excited about this one.  That video has quenched my enthusiasm.

[kratz]

Yup, conceptually it sounds like a lot of fun. I may pay for it just to support this sort of thing.

What 'sort of thing', exactly?  Shitty game development?  Don't support that...

[Razgon]

I think he means the game concept - zombie defense building...its a nice idea, actually, and if done right, could a helluva lot of fun... this just looks sad though

[brettmcd]

Ill buy it, the game play will be what makes or breaks the game, I dont really care what it looks like.    We still play games like x-com today because the gameplay is good, not because it has amazing graphics.

[CeeKay]

wow, that looked bad.  it looked like there were framerate issues and the models were just messy looking.

[Razgon]

Ill buy it, the game play will be what makes or breaks the game, I dont really care what it looks like.    We still play games like x-com today because the gameplay is good, not because it has amazing graphics.

true - but I think there is a major difference... Xcom graphics have a decent art direction to them, and are serviceable, both for its time, and even now, due to its interface and how its set up as well artwise. This game doesnt look to have any kind of art direction, it just looks...bad...

[coopasonic]

Yup, conceptually it sounds like a lot of fun. I may pay for it just to support this sort of thing.

What 'sort of thing', exactly?  Shitty game development?  Don't support that...

What razgon said... something that isn't a WWII shooter or DotA clone, really. I may wait until others confirm it's as shitty as it looks before I dive in though.

[baelthazar]

The Devs uploaded another film and a fan put it on YouTube. Apparently, the story goes that the publisher put together the Trailer on a computer with framerate issues (for whatever reason). Rather than re-do it, they released it. This second film is very smooth and looks much better!

Yeah, I know what you all are thinking, Paradox can't even release a trailer without bugs! 

[CeeKay]

wait.. was he using kids as meat shields?  IN!

[ROTC1983]

wait.. was he using kids as meat shields?  IN!

Yes, he was...that is awesome...LOL

[baelthazar]

The systems specs seem a tad high on the Gamersgate page. I hope that 512MB video card thing is flexible!

Bael

[ROTC1983]

So, is this game still on track for Halloween? 

[CeeKay]

So, is this game still on track for Halloween? 

it should be up later today.

[brettmcd]

So, is this game still on track for Halloween? 

it should be up later today.

Its up at gamersgate, I am currently downloading it, but they have the slowest servers I have ever seen, the highest dl rate I can seem to get is 60kb/s or so.

[CeeKay]

I'm grabbing this off of Direct2Drive right now with a pretty good download speed.  it's weird Steam or Impulse doesn't have it

[Razgon]

eh, yes - especially since Impulse and Paradox made a deal concerning all of PAradox's games, it is rather weird..

[CeeKay]

wow, this game seems to be in a rough shape.  it's not very smooth for the state the graphics are in, I've had zombies with guns (wtf?) open fire when I run by a building with them in it even though I'm totally out of sight, I've already had a couple of zombies clip through a wall to come after me and it mentions a manual but I have yet to find one.  if definitely feels like a 10 dollar game, but it also feels like it might have been rushed out the door to make the Halloween release period.

[Bullwinkle]

It is up on Impulse, BTW.

[CeeKay]

It is up on Impulse, BTW.

took them long enough.  too bad, I'd have used the coupon on it.

[tcweidner]

i dont get these developers, ether do the game right or dont do it at all. Great idea poorly executed is not gonna fool anyone.  Digital disributed games like this live and die by word of mouth, if this game was even decent I would put out 10 bucks, but not gonna bother now.

[CeeKay]

i dont get these developers, ether do the game right or dont do it at all. Great idea poorly executed is not gonna fool anyone.  Digital disributed games like this live and die by word of mouth, if this game was even decent I would put out 10 bucks, but not gonna bother now.

there's potential here, it's just hard to look past the warts.

[Punisher]

i dont get these developers, ether do the game right or dont do it at all. Great idea poorly executed is not gonna fool anyone.  Digital disributed games like this live and die by word of mouth, if this game was even decent I would put out 10 bucks, but not gonna bother now.

there's potential here, it's just hard to look past the warts.

I am finding the controls off as well as the camera system.... Definately some potential if they can fix it.... I like the idea at least...

[JohnathanStrange]

So the game was developed by zombies for zombies? I'll wait, but if future patches and upgrades improve the experience, I'll bite.

So if you early purchasers can keep us informed if something worthwhile in the way of gameplay improvements, then I'll gladly put down my PC and pick up my shotgun.

[CeeKay]

looks like a new patch is out,

[Aganazer]

looks like a new patch is out,

Finally! I didn't get it for Halloween because of the issues I read about, but this is just in time for Friday the 13th.

[Aganazer]

I got to spend some serious time with this game over the weekend. I finished my first scenario with took about 15 hours total. Now that I got the gameplay down I could probably do a full scenario in about 10 hours. I'll try to organize my thoughts here because the game covers a lot of ground between action shooting, RPG, and strategy.

Gameplay 9/10
I'll start with the best part of the game. You spent the majority of your time running missions. Each mission lasts about 15-30 minutes. The maps are randomly generated and will have a single goal of finding a spot on the map that will contain a survivor, a guns and ammo stash, or other supplies for your fort like food, fuel, med supplies, and building material. The maps are big and contain way more zombies than you could ever kill. Ammo is scarce. Using loud guns tends to attract lots more zombies than you would like. So you run, hide, rest, and pick your battles.

The zombies are tough. A headshot will kill one, but more likely you'll just hit their arms or chest. Arms can be knocked off but zombies don't care as long as they still have their head on. A few body shots may knock a zombie down but they have a tendency to get back up after a few seconds. The zombies can be clever. They will pick up arms to beat you with. Doctor zombies will put fallen zombies back together, jogger zombies are fast, football zombies charge, cop zombies shoot at you (and typically miss horribly).

The zombies react to sight and sound, but have almost no memory. Run out of sight and they give up chase. They will hear you inside buildings and will try to break down doors, bust windows to get inside. They will see through windows if they are in a building and will try to get out to come get you. It easy to lose them, but its also easy to get overwhelmed if you stand your ground. Just like zombies should be! In fact the zombies feel more like zombies than any other game I have ever seen.

Back at your base you'll deal with time management when selecting missions so that you don't get caught in a mission at night. You layout barricades and traps at your fort. You assign tasks to any survivors to do things like build barricades, repair generator, or doctor the wounded. Its all strategy-lite but enough to make you think and is a nice change of pace.

Graphics and Environments 6/10
I was expecting worse honestly. The shadows are well done. The physics are great on both zombies and environment objects. The animations for the player are pretty bad, but seem fine for the zombies. The character models are low detail. It looks like a 10 year old game at times.

The maps are great. Every building can be entered and searched for supplies. Doors and windows can be broken (usually by zombies trying to get you). I like that its all a realistic scale and fully explorable. It gives it an almost sandbox or realistic feel. There is a fair amount of variety to the randomly generated levels. Even when you find the same buildings there is usually a lot of variety to the interiors so it doesn't feel too samey. It does get repetitive though and you learn where to find the best salvage pretty quickly.

Sound 3/10
There is one song that plays on the startup screen, but other than that its all quiet with a lot of atmospheric sound effects. Its immersive since you can hear zombies shuffling around and beating on things but nothing as good as Fallout 3 or any other high budget post-apoc game. The gun sound effects are not good, but not horrible.

The sounds and overall immersion were good enough that I really enjoyed cranking up the sound, turning off the lights, and barricading the door to my computer room.

Stability 2/10
The game will crash while loading a mission about 20% of the time. It has also crashed a few times during a mission and occasionally at the base. It all adds up and can get frustrating. The only reason it gets a 2/10 instead of a 1/10 is because it crashes gracefully without needing a reboot. As long as you save a lot its rare to lose progress.

Controls 3/10
Another difficulty of the game is the controls. You spend a lot of time struggling with the camera. Aiming can be almost impossible at close range since it seems to get confused about where you are shooting when things get within melee range. You can and do get used to it though. It gets the bad score because its needlessly unintuitive. It could be worse though and the game is still perfectly playable with these controls.

Longevity 8/10
I'm not sure I am ready to comment on the longevity until I get tired of playing. I already got a good 20+ hours out of it so its undoubtedly a good buy. Its an addictive game and only gets better as you learn to play. Then again, the longevity is hurt by repetitive maps and somewhat limited weapon choices. But having randomly generated content helps.

The biggest surprise for me is that I still enjoy it enough after 20 hours to keep playing. I gave up on Torchlight after about 15 hours because its just like 5 other games I played over the years. Risen, even though it had a healthy 40+ hours, has almost no replayability. I have bought plenty of other full price games over the years that had less play time than this $10 game has had.

TL:DR Version and Conclusion
Its an awesome bargain, crashes a lot, is difficult to learn, looks dated, but is fiendishly addictive, immersive, and deeper than L4D or countless other zombie shooters. Its a thinking man's L4D. Thematically it suits the genre perfectly. I wouldn't recommend it right now because of the crashes, but with another patch it should be a great game and well worth the time of anyone that enjoys zombies or shooter RPG games.