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LucasArts pushes innovation by giving Indy kewl physics 20 Apr, 2006, 19:40 / 33 comments


So says IGN. Pointing out that thus far next-gen games offer nothing new except for some extra bells and whistles, they for some reason seem to think that LucasArts' decision to make the upcoming Indiana Jones game employ "euphoria," a new animation technology that allows you to do incredibly innovative things like make your enemies' reactions to your attacks more realistic (WOW!), will change all that. IGN, which says that it has the "potential for a new kind of gaming experience," and LucasArts which proclaims that "It's what next-gen is about," seem to be pretty excited.

So yes. This certainly proves that developers are finally starting to learn that it's unique core gameplay, and not real-world AI improvements that make a game stand out. I don't know what we'd do without companies like LucasArts constantly pushing this industry forward. Hopefully the actual, you know, game is cool too.

Update: Here's LucasArts' Press Release on the new Indy game and the euphoria technology. LucasArts will demonstrate euphoria in action when it debuts its next-generation Indiana Jones game on May 10-12 at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles, CA.
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33 Comments

  • valkian on 27 Apr, 2006, 03:59…
    For some strange reason, I think you are ALL right, and there is no further need to keep going with this.
    Thanks.
  • jp-30 on 27 Apr, 2006, 05:15…
    It may have seemed we all stopped talking about this several days ago, but I'm glad you made it official.
  • CaptainDread on 27 Apr, 2006, 15:59…
    He just heated up the argument again. Yay for irony.
  • jp-30 on 27 Apr, 2006, 20:23…
    And I've just appended the LucasArts Press Release to the story, so let's all go another round! Yay!
  • Thrik on 27 Apr, 2006, 20:26…
    GRRRRR!!!
  • ThunderPeel2001 on 21 Apr, 2006, 13:47…
    Ow! The cynicism! It burns!
  • Metallus on 21 Apr, 2006, 10:44…
    Indiana Jones: Still the worst Anthropologist ever.
  • Shmargin on 21 Apr, 2006, 05:18…
    Yeah, Indiana Jones rocks. The series of movies rocks alot, Fate of Atlantis still stands as one of my favorite adventure games of all time.

    See, the only problem is, this new Indy game, isnt going to be adventure. I'm sure the box will say "Action/Adventure" or something, but lets face it, it wont be an adventure.

    It will be a quest involving running here, flipping this switch, killing some gaurds with a machine gun, flipping that switch, opening the door, killing more gaurds with a machine gun, climbing the ladder, killing some gaurds, flipping the switch, and winning the game.

    Oh, you might have to pick up a gear, and take it to a room with some gaurds, and kill them, and put the gear on the machine.

    I mean, thats pretty much what every game that has come out since Lucas Arts decided Star Wars was the only cash cow they could milk has been, and there are very few exceptions to this.

    I mean, ok, some "adventure" games have come out that were decent, but not really. I liked "Indigo Prophecy", I thought that was a good adventure game, in 3D, even if it was kinda like Simon Says on steroids at some parts.

    I dont care how real its going to look with this new technology when Indy busts into a room and mows every one down in full auto.

    What I want to see is a story actually worth finishing the game for, and gameplay that isnt Tomb Raider but with no polygonal female ass cheeks to stare at while you mindlessly jump platforms and shoot stuff.

    BRING US A GOOD STORY AND AN ACTUAL ADVENTURE GAME LUCAS, AND MAYBE THAT WILL BE INOVATIVE ENOUGH, SINCE THERE IS NOTHING ELSE LIKE THAT IN THE MARCK, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!

    OK, I'm done, sorry.
  • Udvarnoky on 21 Apr, 2006, 13:06…
    There is absolutely no reason why Indy can't make a great action/adventure game. I liked Infernal Machine a lot, and Emperor's Tomb was okay, but I'm hoping they try a bit harder this time around.
  • Shmargin on 21 Apr, 2006, 20:51…
    I never said Indy couldnt make a great adventure game, I actually said the opposite, I said that Indiana Jones and the Fate Of Atlantis was my favorite adventure game.

    What I said, was that Infernal Machine and Emperors tomb, raped the idea of adventure, and turned Indiana into a gun slinging Rambo wearing a fedora.

    Its not an "adventure" game if you just run around flipping switches and killing bad guys. Thats an action game. Those are the same mission goals in Quake 2.

    What I'm saying is, I hope Lucas can put more emphasis on the "adventure" and put less emphasis on making sure I have enough clips for my AK-47 to get through the next "puzzle".

    The next Indy game, I'm sure "action" will still be put in more than "adventure", but they should make try to make it more adventure-like. If we have to run around with a gun out the whole time, stelath should be more important, throw in some Metal Gear Solid elements. Sneaking, avoiding the gun fight. Dressing up like a submarine crew man instead of trying to fist fight them all. See what I'm saying? Even Resident Evil style game play could fit more in with an Indiana Jones "action/adventure".
  • Jake on 21 Apr, 2006, 21:55…
    Udvarnoky: "There is absolutely no reason why Indy can't make a great action/adventure game."

    Shmargin: "I never said Indy couldnt make a great adventure game..."

    Shmargin, putting words into someone's mouth (or in this case, taking them out, if that word is "action") to alter their quote, and then to form your rebuttle around the changed quote, is pretty bad form.

    He said Indy could be a solid action/adventure, then you changed what he said to "great adventure game" and then effectively defended yourself against a statement that never existed.
  • Shmargin on 28 Apr, 2006, 01:45…
    Oh, sorry.

    Wait no im not.
  • Shmargin on 28 Apr, 2006, 01:53…
    My point wasnt to have "bad form" and I dont even care what that guy said. My point had nothing to do with that guy, or his crazy or not so crazy ideals.

    My only point is that both the last 2 Indy games sucked, they could have been better, but Lucas Arts has in recent years, proved that they hate us all.

    By us, I mean people that post here that dont just like Rebel Assault 99 1/2: Battle for Hoth Ultra Remix Dance Dance Edition Where You Use Your Tow Cable To Make The Walkers Fall Over 2.

    Why am I still talking about this.

    Sometimes I cry.
  • CaptainDread on 21 Apr, 2006, 20:44…
    I'm glad I'm not the only person who liked Infernal Machine more than Emporer's Tomb. The graphics were not as nice as in ET, but pretty graphics does not an excellent game make.
  • jp-30 on 21 Apr, 2006, 21:34…
    I hated Infernal Machine. Pushing blocks and holstering weapons to open doors. Gah.

    I did read in an old interview, maybe with Ward, that the new game will be much 'truer' the the movie Indy in that the whip won't be a 'magic weapon' like it has been in the last 2 games. Indy only uses it a couple of times in each movie.

    Sounds good to me. If they can tone down the Indy-as-mass-murderer aspect of the last 2 games and ramp up the puzzles / exploring it could be a fantastic game.

    And maybe no pan-dimensional spectral ghost monster baddies too...
  • Udvarnoky on 22 Apr, 2006, 01:53…
    Now granted, it's been years since I've played Infernal Machine. Sure it had plenty of room for improvement, and the clunky Tomb Raider style controls were less than ideal, but I remember enjoying it, at least more so than ET (and not because it was more "adventure-y," because I think we can all agree that IF failed in the adventure aspects). Now I feel like playing it again to confirm my feelings, but unfortunately I'd have an easier time running Loom with full sound sans SCUMMVM.

    Anyway, I'm certainly hoping that the new Indy will be a lot better than the previous two mediocre, albeit mostly fun games. I'm just not seeing any indication that LucasArts' heart is in the right place with this whole "It's gonna be so innovative because now your enemies can fall through wooden beams 4 billion different ways!1" stuff. The whole message of the article seemed to be that this game was truly going to be the best thing ever soley because of this animation technology, and that just saddens me a bit. If that's what they see as the be-all end-all of the game, what's the chance they're giving the necessary parts the right amount of attention? I dunno, maybe one thing has nothing to do with the other and this is just a way of hyping up the new technology, but the whole article rubbed me the wrong way. I just wish we'd have gotten articles bragging about all the care they're going to put into OTHER parts of the gameplay before laying all this OMG r0x0r physics! stuff on us first.
  • Thrik on 21 Apr, 2006, 13:05…
    Yeah, don't worry, we've all been complaining about this for years.

    Don't expect it to change anytime soon. ;~
  • Shmargin on 21 Apr, 2006, 05:20…
    Ok, and I dont know how "market" got typed as "marck" but, hey, the point stands.
  • jp-30 on 20 Apr, 2006, 23:44…
    So, what chance this will also come out on the PC? There hasn't been an Indy Jones game yet that hasn't had a PC version, though I've got a bad feeling about this...
  • Haggis on 20 Apr, 2006, 21:43…
    If it's not for the Revolution, it's not innovative. Period.
  • Udvarnoky on 20 Apr, 2006, 21:56…
    Kinda closedminded, eh? (The Revolution is the one I'm getting, but all three will have their gems.)
  • Haggis on 21 Apr, 2006, 09:53…
    I'm a fanboy. :D
  • InsoFox on 28 Apr, 2006, 16:55…
    Wiiiiiiiii.
  • CaptainDread on 20 Apr, 2006, 20:29…
    While indeed it is fun to bash LucasArts at every turn, you can give a little leeway to a game for praising it's AI when the game in question is a game in a series where it's predecessors were good games (which Infernal Machine and Emporer's Tomb certainly were).
  • jmartin on 21 Apr, 2006, 22:49…
    It's just my opinion, but I enjoyed both Emperor's Tomb and Infernal Machine a lot. Additionally, I played them both for the first time about a year ago, so it wasn't like I was playing them just as they came out.
  • Shmargin on 21 Apr, 2006, 05:28…
    Wait wait wait, did you just say Emporers Tomb AND Infernal Machine were good games? Maybe I'm reading it wrong....but you cant be serious.

    I mean, no matter how much pot you smoke, I dont see how you could enjoy Infernal Machine, I mean, I'm a huge Indy fan, but seriously, the animation looked like Indy had a stick shoved up his ass, the game play was just like a mod for Tomb Raider, and the story was...Well it must have been horrible, cause I tried to finish that game, and played it for a while, and dont even remember the story, other than I killed things, and got killed.

    2 things that if you asked me a few years before its release, I would have told you dont happen in Lucas Arts games.

    Emporers Tomb was pretty, that was about it. And it wasnt even that pretty. Beating people with a chair was fun, but if you watch the movies, Indy doesnt really just walk from room to room doing that. Dialog and story play a role.
  • Ascovel on 21 Apr, 2006, 22:07…
    There were many things to enjoy in Infernal Machine. For example I could spend hours having fun with the chalk (ok, maybe just a few drawings here and there from time to time).

    That said, when I was faced with the challenge of getting Sophia out of her cell and I realized that the solution to this problem was getting a key lying in another room, I wanted to cry.
  • Remi O on 21 Apr, 2006, 04:40…
    Infernal Machine was shit. Plus, this Mojo--being bitter is a requirement to be an updater. I mean seriously.
  • Udvarnoky on 20 Apr, 2006, 20:43…
    Obviously I was being over the top. In actuality I've been looking forward to the new Indy and still am. That said, nothing about that article raises my hopes that LucasArts will be successfully capturing the sense of adventure that makes Indy Indy (and frankly Emperor's Tomb had plenty of room for improvement). I'm just a little saddened by the what apparently is LucasArts' priority in bringing the franchise to next-gen. Sure, it's still early (havenb't heard anything really about the game yet) and it's natural for something like euphoria to be the focus in hyping the game, but I stand by my cynicsm for now hoping to be proven wrong.
  • Gabrobot on 23 Apr, 2006, 19:45…
    The new Indy definitely needs the type of level design Infernal Machine had. Apparently it will be powered by Unreal Engine 3, so there's certainly lots of level design potential (UE3's tools are crazy). The only thing that makes Infernal Machine worth playing for me is the levels and exploring them...the action was a chore to get through. The levels had a graphic adventure feel to them, which is probably because they were done by some of the same designers from the Curse of Monkey Island team (hence all the Monkey Island secrets). If they can take the adventure elements of IM and add good action, the result would be awesome.

    And the Barbary Coast rendered in UE3 would be quite a sight to see. ;)
  • jp-30 on 20 Apr, 2006, 21:09…
    There are screenshots and footage from a build a year back here;

    http://theindyexperience.com/tie_lite/may_2005.shtml#0000606

    http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/748/748698/vids_1.html




    And if this tech does work as claimed, gameplay will improve incredibly, and as they claim, replay value goes through the roof.
  • Udvarnoky on 20 Apr, 2006, 21:16…
    Can't wait to see what E3 shows.
  • Udvarnoky on 20 Apr, 2006, 19:42…
    I'm sure it will be a lot of fun though. :)