'1999 Mode' announced for Bioshock Infinite

[Edeslash]

http://irrationalgames.com/insider/announcing-1999-mode/

Back in December, there was a survey from us here at Irrational to better understand how you play games. We had a hunch about a new feature for BioShock Infinite, and we built this survey to see if it’s something that our fans wanted. The results of the survey are in and we heard what you want loud and clear, which is why we’re proud to announce something new for the game: 1999 Mode!

BioShock Infinite’s 1999 Mode will feature an especially demanding gaming experience, forcing you to examine your decisions while going through your adventure in Columbia. With every choice you make, there are irreversible implications, and if your choices guide you down a path not suited to your play style, you will suffer for it.

It’s not simply a matter of adjusting the difficulty sliders in the game – the team went much further than that. Resource planning? If you’re to survive this mode, proper planning will be crucial. Combat specializations? You’ll need to develop them efficiently and effectively throughout the story; any weapon will be useless to you unless you have that specialization. Combat? You will need to carefully target every shot, and your health will be set to an entirely different baseline. Game saves? Well, yes, there will be those, but according to Irrational Games Creative Director Ken Levine “there are game saves, and you’re gonna f***ing need them.”

“We want to give our oldest and most committed fans an option to go back to our roots,” said Levine. “In 1999 Mode, gamers face more of the permanent consequences of their gameplay decisions. In BioShock Infinite, gamers will have to sweat out the results of their actions. In addition, 1999 Mode will demand that players pick specializations, and focus on them.”

Irrational Games, I love you.

 

[Lucid]

Intriguing, though I never would've guessed that the game had that much depth to begin with from the videos I've seen.
It looks insanely on-rails.

 

[Barnz]

A CRITICAL CHOICE IN A VIDEO GAME: SAVE THE MAILMAN, OR LET HIM GET KILLED
GOTY 2012
VGA 2012
OSCAR 2012
KEN LEVINE, BEST GAME DEVELOPER EVER




p.s. I'm looking forward to elizabeth rule34

 

[Stigmata]

So they're making a videogame instead of another movie?

 

[Mirage]

Intriguing, though I never would've guessed that the game had that much depth to begin with from the videos I've seen.
It looks insanely on-rails.

Haha, nice.

 

[Remus]

So they're making a videogame instead of another movie?

About god damn time. I wish game devs would get it through their heads that "cinematic rollercoaster ride" is not a good design direction for FPS games in general.

Looking forward to the game. Although from the videos I've seen it still seems just as on rails, and having basically the same gameplay as the other Bioshock games. However I'll wait to pass judgement until after I actually play the game.

 

[Adabiviak]

I'm always hopeful for new games that come out that they'll live up to some of the developer's hype. I haven't played a first person shooter that I can remember in which I had to really shift game play tactics due to unscripted game events (arsenal resets are a cheap example of this). Keeping quicksaves while providing an option for a hardcore play through sounds like a load of fun if they pull it off.

Speaking of which, I just got Borderlands working for the first time and during some early leveling up, I wandered into a place where I was totally outranked by enemies, in which I could not drop them and live. That was delightfully refreshing. Some levels of Hard Reset are like that too. Like Barnz said, if it amounts to a difference like was seen in Bioshock (cosmetic, mostly), that won't work. How I envision this working in the context of Bioshock as an example: if you decide to save the little girls, you get zero plasmids: no Adam for you! That, to me, would be the type of trade off that I'd have to sit and think about (because the game will now be quite different). The "high road" should be hard, which is part of its reward. It should be obvious what the ramifications of your decisions will be too - it's no fun to find out the hard way that the decision you made three levels ago isn't what you intended. "All ye who enter here will forever be doomed to only use the shotgun and nothing else" would be appreciated.

 

[Maestro]

I think you guys are giving unnecessary shit to linear gameplay. Every single Half Life has been completely 'on-rails' by you guys' standards. Bioshock had more freedom of movement and decision-making than Half-Life ever did.

 

[Remus]

I think you guys are giving unnecessary shit to linear gameplay. Every single Half Life has been completely 'on-rails' by you guys' standards.

Yet another one that doesn't get it. HL1 and 2 did linear FPS the right way, as in allowing you to explore and enjoy the levels. Whereas "modern" "cinematic" FPS don't even allow you to ****ing jump until a scripted section (Bullet Storm). Have zero exploration, don't allow you to open a ****ing door until a squad mate gets to it and bombard you with cutscenes and QTEs. So please... there's linear FPS done right and then there's "cinematic" FPS, which I despise.

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

Irrational should just stop making video games period.

 

[Yorick]

It looks insanely on-rails.

This.

Irrational should just stop making video games period.

Also maybe this. They're talented, just very poorly directed.

 

[Edeslash]

Irrational should just stop making video games period.

Totally agree. I also wish Valve did it.

 

[Evo]

I approve of anything 1999 related. Party like it is?

 

[Stigmata]

Party like it's System Shock!

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

Also maybe this. They're talented, just very poorly directed.

I guess my post itself was pretty irrational. I mean they have talent, but the way they are going about things is just...meh.To me the way he talks about the 1999 Mode basically says "Oh and we threw in this one mode where shit you do will actually matter so a lot of players won't feel alienated". Rather than designing the game around it.


I should go to bed and attempt to work out a more thought out post in the morning.

 

[Tagaziel]

I feel very, very old when good, varied, well developed gameplay has to be put in the game as a separate mode, with a retro tag applied.

I didn't want to say it, but... the Age of Retards is upon us.

 

[Edeslash]

I guess my post itself was pretty irrational. I mean they have talent, but the way they are going about things is just...meh.To me the way he talks about the 1999 Mode basically says "Oh and we threw in this one mode where shit you do will actually matter so a lot of players won't feel alienated". Rather than designing the game around it.


I should go to bed and attempt to work out a more thought out post in the morning.

It's like difficulty options. I'd hate Irrational if they made the normal game like the new mode. I think they 'choices actually matter' was more about the gameplay side.

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

I think I've just hit a point where I will not allow myself to enjoy video games anymore. It makes me sad.

 

[ríomhaire]

I feel very, very old when good, varied, well developed gameplay has to be put in the game as a separate mode, with a retro tag applied.

I didn't want to say it, but... the Age of Retards is upon us.

When as there not been an age of retards? System Shock was made when gaming was still pretty fringe, this is for the masses. The most popular things generally aren't the best things. In depth games still do get made.

 

[Maestro]

Yet another one that doesn't get it. HL1 and 2 did linear FPS the right way, as in allowing you to explore and enjoy the levels. Whereas "modern" "cinematic" FPS don't even allow you to ****ing jump until a scripted section (Bullet Storm). Have zero exploration, don't allow you to open a ****ing door until a squad mate gets to it and bombard you with cutscenes and QTEs. So please... there's linear FPS done right and then there's "cinematic" FPS, which I despise.

Are we talking about Bioshock? Bioshock hardly bombards you with scripted sequences. As a matter of fact, it makes sense given the plot twist involved; the only scripted sequences I recall are directly related to it. Also, Half Life 2 and the episodes all had at least one or two scripted sequences. I'm not talking about inexcusable shit like Bulletstorm or Modern Warfare 3, I thought we were talking about Bioshock.

I think we've yet to see any final gameplay, and the video they put out was a demo of what it's going to look like. We should withhold judgment until some actual gamers (not the bought-out shills at GameSpy or something) start talking about it.

 

[Bad^Hat]

Uh, I agree, in terms of linearity HL2 and Bioshock are on at least even terms.

But yeah this mode seems far too much like a concession to the crowd who condemned the first game for being too forgiving, instead of an overarching design philosophy which might actually make some worthwhile changes to the formula. I'm not even sure why they feel the need to keep the 'proper' game less challenging or consequential, though. It'd be easy to point at the current crop of shooters and say they've been dumbed down too much, but even CoD is decently challenging and lets you ****ing die.

 

[Paulaner]

I feel very, very old when good, varied, well developed gameplay has to be put in the game as a separate mode, with a retro tag applied.

I didn't want to say it, but... the Age of Retards is upon us.

You know you are getting old when you think that all the things from your past are better.

 

[Tony]

Why not go all the way with 1999 mode, and make hitscan enemies that can track you through walls?

 

[Shem]

Just so the contrarians are prevented from swallowing everything up with their pessimism, I approve of BioShock, Irrational Games, and the direction they are taking with Infinite.

 

[Maestro]

Just so the contrarians are prevented from swallowing everything up with their pessimism, I approve of BioShock, Irrational Games, and the direction they are taking with Infinite.

I have to agree. The demo trailer looked like it had some fun innovation and a cool art direction, certainly more than BioShock II.

 

[Barnz]

yes, it's great. more cinematics, less gameplay, just like other great games like Metal Gear Solid 4.

 

[Edeslash]

Man, I just realized how long it's been in development. If they started thinking about this after they finished Bioshock, it's been a while!

yes, it's great. more cinematics, less gameplay, just like other great games like Metal Gear Solid 4.

wat

 

[Shem]

yes, it's great. more cinematics, less gameplay, just like other great games like Metal Gear Solid 4.

And here lies yet another assumption in which you have nothing to back it up with.

 

[Maestro]

And here lies yet another assumption in which you have nothing to back it up with.

Yeah, I've yet to see any indication of such.

 

[Bad^Hat]

Just so the contrarians are prevented from swallowing everything up with their pessimism, I approve of BioShock, Irrational Games, and the direction they are taking with Infinite.

Contrarian doesn't mean you have a negative opinion about something, it means you're arguing against the majority. Doesn't really apply when something like half the thread thinks this is dumb.

Seriously though - why does this need to be a separate game mode? Is there something about modern gamers I'm not understanding? Do they value story over challenge to the point where death is an inconvenience instead of a central part of gameplay? There are a bunch of modern hits that would completely disagree with this assessment, so I'm not sure who Irrational are actually designing this for.

Actually, forget "modern gamers" - is anyone in this thread planning on playing the game through in the regular, non-"1999" mode, and if so, why?

 

[Lucid]

I'm not planning on playing it at all unless I happen to find it for $5.

But, I'd definitely choose the hardest mode to play it on since otherwise it'd probably be piss easy.

 

[Edeslash]

@BadHat

It is not only a difficulty increase, it's a major change of gameplay mechanics. I will complete my first playthrough on normal mode with a hard difficulty setting because I want it to be smooth. I'm not really a fan of resource management and not being able to continue if I run out of something. But I will definitely try 1999 Mode after I've completed it once. Probably complete it on that mode too.

 

[Shem]

Contrarian doesn't mean you have a negative opinion about something, it means you're arguing against the majority. Doesn't really apply when something like half the thread thinks this is dumb.

Think outside of this thread. Everyone unaffiliated with this group believes the 1999 mode is a great idea for Infinite. Since you guys have expressed nothing but derision and disgust at the direction Irrational Games is taking with their current game, you are contrarians. Furthermore, BioShock was released to universal and critical acclaim and was praised for its style, setting, and story. Since you lot have summoned nothing but abhorrence and hate for the supposed "spiritual successor to System Shock," you are contrarians. BioShock 2 met the same fate: everyone considered it a worthwhile conclusion to the series, yet you guys had to piss all over it like you did with its predecessor. You define contrarianism. I'll end it here before I begin a never-ending rant of all of the other wonderful games you guys had to tarnish with your limited vocabulary of "shit," "worthless," and "didn't like it."

P.S. Bad^Hat, my reply is directed generally towards Barnz. You don't have to worry about anything.

 

[Bad^Hat]

P.S. Bad^Hat, my reply is directed generally towards Barnz. You don't have to worry about anything.

I think I won't then, since nothing you just said applies to me in any way.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

p.s. I'm looking forward to elizabeth rule34

From the looks of things this will be achieved at some point in the game itself.

Back on topic though; game looks fun as hell--can't wait.

A man chooses, a SLAVE obeys, brahs.

 

[Maestro]

p.s. I'm looking forward to elizabeth rule34

Too late. I just found over a dozen of them already. It's all complete shit, though.