Battlestations: Pacific demo released tomorrow 4/30

[Marko Dash]

this will alleviate some of the anticipation

from Battlestations website

Singleplayer and Skirmish modes available April 30th on Xbox LIVE and Games for Windows - LIVE Marketplace

That's right, in just seven days you'll all get the chance to sample Battlestations: Pacific first hand in both Singleplayer and Skirmish modes. Read the full press release below and check out our lovely new screenshots to mark the occasion.

Eidos Interactive today announces that 30th April will see the release of the Battlestations: Pacific demo. Available on Xbox LIVE and Games for Windows - LIVE Marketplace, the demo will introduce players to the intense naval warfare of Battlestations: Pacific.

Players will experience one war through two epic sagas, enabling gamers to be a part of history or to dramatically alter it. The full game features an historically accurate US campaign alongside an historically possible Japanese campaign, spanning a total of 28 missions, five new multiplayer modes that can be played with up to eight players and over 100 air, sea and undersea units.

The demo includes one action-packed mission from the US campaign, Divine Winds of Leyte, throwing the player into the thick of the action with a Kamikaze attack on a US carrier fleet. Also included are two multiplayer modes, Island Capture and Siege, each available to play offline in ‘Skirmish’, a new game mode which allows players to tackle any of the multiplayer maps in single-player against an AI-controlled enemy.

Rated ESRB Teen and PEGI 12+, Battlestations: Pacific is set to release on May 12th in North America and May 15th in Europe and Australia on Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Games for Windows.

More information on the demo can be found at the exclusive Gamespot.com demo premiere page: http://www.gamespot.com/event/download/ ... ific-demo/

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so, battleship duels, shelling of beaches, landing of marines, and kamikazes! whats not to love?

[thejester]

Graphically looks alright and there's certainly variety in the units. Just get the impression that gameplay is going to be weak-as-piss.

[The Romulan Republic]

The gameplay of the first one was fairly simple I guess, but the graphics, and the ability to move in from the tactical map and personally command a single ship or plane in driving mode made up for it. Then again, I suppose I'm not too demanding when it comes to games.

Oh, and, the demo's only out for Windows. Son of a motherfucker.

[CaptHawkeye]

Most people thought the game play was ridiculously complex. IGN actually couldn't figure out that Left Bumper = Spawn units even though their are, what, 10 or so buttons on an Xbox controller?

What i've played so far I like. They brought the command interface to first person control so you don't need to rely on the mini map to give orders. Units have been rebalanced. The campaign still looks like it'll be shit but I like what I saw in skirmish mode.

[Stark]

Hawkeye, are you saying they've reached a 1997 Battlezone level of command? If it's got a context-order reticle, that's already a huge improvement over Midway.

[CaptHawkeye]

Hawkeye, are you saying they've reached a 1997 Battlezone level of command? If it's got a context-order reticle, that's already a huge improvement over Midway.

It does have context-sensitive commands. Also a unit spawn menu that can be accessed while in control of any other unit. So you don't need to run all the way back to your base/carrier to say "bring me more plaenz!"

[Marko Dash]

played what was unlocked. would have been better to have the tutorial available to refresh memory and learn the new controls.

[Stark]

And... so? You posted just to say you'd played it and had forgotten how?

THANKS FOR THE INPUT.

[Chardok]

so, I played it. and the controls are awkward as hell (for the aircraft, anyway) and there's no way I can see to remap the button functions. LS is throttle/rudder and RS is roll/pitch. Sad to say this, but I need my Crimson Skies control scheme back.

[The Romulan Republic]

so, I played it. and the controls are awkward as hell (for the aircraft, anyway) and there's no way I can see to remap the button functions. LS is throttle/rudder and RS is roll/pitch. Sad to say this, but I need my Crimson Skies control scheme back.

Meh, I play it more for the graphics, the general atmosphere, and the simple thrill of using either running circles around an enemy in a fast ship or slowly stalking them and lining up the perfect kill in a sub. So unless the controls are so bad as to make it unplayable, I'm not too bothered.

By the way, is their going to be a Mac version like Midway? Because I really want to play this.

[Marko Dash]

And... so? You posted just to say you'd played it and had forgotten how?

THANKS FOR THE INPUT.

no, what i meant was that i wished that they had included the tutorial to learn the new control layout and features.

[Stark]

Meh, I play it more for the graphics, the general atmosphere, and the simple thrill of using either running circles around an enemy in a fast ship or slowly stalking them and lining up the perfect kill in a sub. So unless the controls are so bad as to make it unplayable, I'm not too bothered.

Wow, a nerd that likes a game despite all it's flaws because it lets him live out fantasies of potence. Never seen that before.

By the way, is their going to be a Mac version like Midway? Because I really want to play this.

Buy a console and shut up.

I'm curious to see what Hawkeye has to say about the mechanics; Midway was a bizarre middle-ground with bastardised sim elements but mainly being a shooter... so who knows.

[Covenant]

Too much emphasis on the fighter action, if you ask me. The controls were always a bit wonky and, really, I think the combat flight-sim audience is a bit thin.

I'd love to see a Starship Porn version of this instead, and what I recall from the first one was how aggrivating unit deployment was. Swap that out for WiC's unit deployment/purchase system and I think you'd have a more interesting dynamic. Just me though. The game looks fun, but it also looks really damn confusing.

[The Romulan Republic]

Wow, a nerd that likes a game despite all it's flaws because it lets him live out fantasies of potence. Never seen that before.

Wow, a nerd who comes in and flames people for no reason because it makes him feel like a big man or something. Never seen that before.

Give it a rest, asshole.

Buy a console and shut up.

Or you know, I'm a university student with limited funds who probably couldn't afford to buy just the game right now without going over budget.

[CaptHawkeye]

I'm curious to see what Hawkeye has to say about the mechanics; Midway was a bizarre middle-ground with bastardised sim elements but mainly being a shooter... so who knows.

So far, they've set the ship aiming to auto. The player doesn't manually "aim" the guns anymore as much as he places the reticule over a target and the ship correctly aims the guns. I'm actually disappointed by this since half the fun of Midway was getting good at fire control for both AA and naval guns. The first game was already dipshit friendly placing the max engagement range for BBs to a pitiful mile.

At least they also made the damage control menu a pop up like the unit commands. The emphasis on "keeping the player in the action" I have no problem with at all.

I hope their is a manual aim option I just missed somewhere in the menu.

[Chardok]

Hawkeye - did you have the same problem I did with the idiotic fighter controls? or am I just weird. No one else seems to be complaining about it.

[CaptHawkeye]

Nah, I'm quite fine with Pacific's air unit controls. I'd rather they map most of the important flight controls to the right stick, since it frees up my hands. I'm pretty sure Ace Combat uses the same idea.

I was a bit rough with Pacific's control scheme at first but after about one match I was used to it.

[Marko Dash]

I'm fairly sure manual aiming is an option, just one of the many options that were disabled for the demo. the full game is out in two weeks on the 12th so we'll see then.

[chitoryu12]

I'm fairly sure manual aiming is an option, just one of the many options that were disabled for the demo. the full game is out in two weeks on the 12th so we'll see then.

It should be. Unless my memory is fuzzy (I didn't have the game for long), didn't the original have manual aiming?

[CaptHawkeye]

Yes it did. I imagine joe reviewer couldn't figure out the already simplified aiming procedure of course. It turns out people hate deflection shooting and thinking about ballistics in a game. I mean, just look at all the kill:scan sniper rifles in games these days.

[Marko Dash]

actually most of the complaints from the battlestations forums regarding the demo are about the auto-aim, and how it'll affect multi-player. it's currently being debated whether the option to have it on or off will be something each player can set or will it be a host option affecting everybody.

most of the fans like a little challenge in using their guns.

[CaptHawkeye]

It's actually hurting the naval gameplay a lot. In the first game a well commanded DD could perform some awesomely ridiculous bullet dodging against BBs. Now DDs get ruled the moment they come into range and there's nothing they can do about it.

[The Romulan Republic]

It's actually hurting the naval gameplay a lot. In the first game a well commanded DD could perform some awesomely ridiculous bullet dodging against BBs. Now DDs get ruled the moment they come into range and there's nothing they can do about it.

To be fair, the destroyer would probably die before it could do any real damage. Taking down a cruiser with a destroyer however was perfectly possible due to said dodging abillities (at least in the campaign, don't know if they castrated the cruiser for that scenario though). I don't know if that's realistic, but it was fun as hell.

Sounds like they've largely taken player skill and tactics out of the equation, and made it come down to brute strength and numbers. Please tell me I'm wrong?

Oh well, at least its only an option and not required.

[CaptHawkeye]

Uh, if anything, it would make more sense for Cruisers to be destroyer killers. A job which they've historically held and performed well. This was even the case in the first game.

You'd be surprised how long it took BBs to kill some DDs. Look at Samar, Surigao, Pommern's sinking, Bismarck's hellish nights, etc. I'm not saying rushing a battleship with a DD should succeed often or even frequently, i'm just saying that the game's one note "my ship better so your ship = ded" shit is just stupid. But hey, we all know why they chose to do this.

[The Romulan Republic]

Uh, if anything, it would make more sense for Cruisers to be destroyer killers. A job which they've historically held and performed well. This was even the case in the first game.

I didn't know this. I'm just going off my playing experiences, where in-game, destroyers seemed to handle cruisers better. That and the fact that battleships are more powerful. That said, you don't have a great chance against either with a destroyer. Its more a question of how long till you sink, unless you can line up a good shot with the torpedos (since destroyer artillery does squat to battleships).

You'd be surprised how long it took BBs to kill some DDs. Look at Samar, Surigao, Pommern's sinking, Bismarck's hellish nights, etc. I'm not saying rushing a battleship with a DD should succeed often or even frequently, i'm just saying that the game's one note "my ship better so your ship = ded" shit is just stupid. But hey, we all know why they chose to do this.

Stupid players who couldn't find their ass with both hands tied behind their back?