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[flashbandit16]

Edit: Might be wrong about the Thunderpoon after rereading the article.

So here's much of the new details from GI that I was able to get..

• Events in the game take place before the new movie, Mad Max: Fury Road. Although this is still Avalanche's own take on Max and the Wasteland.
  

  Actually the game has no ties with the new movie even Mad Max is Avalanche's own creation he might have similar traits but will not be exactly the same as other Mad Max's seen in the movies.

• Director of the Mad Max movies, George Miller, was directly involved in the beginning of development before being occupied with filming Fury Road. Avalanche still kept him and his company KMM updated on the development of the game.
• Your main nemesis in the game and warlord of the Wasteland is Scrotus. His gang attack Max in the beginning and steal his Interceptor and leave him for dead.
• Early in the game you come across Dog like from The Road Warrior. Dog is able to sniff out water and other supplies.
• Bit of a spin on invisible walls: You can travel beyond the borders and limits of the in-game map to an area called The Big Nothing, a volatile part of the wasteland where no food or water is present and is consumed by dangerous sandstorms. If you can survive a few seconds in the area you'll sometimes find some rare parts for your car that the storms throw around.
• Within the Wasteland you'll need food and water to replenish Max's health and both are scarce. Avalanche point out to try looking in the sky for circling birds, this usually means there could be something dead and decomposing they're flying over which means...maggots. They're a good source of protein for Max and you can consume rodents for health too.
• While food and water are scarce fuel isn't. From Emil Krafting, senior game designer: "We want resources to be scarce, but we also want a car game, we want to drive a lot and so on. So gas can’t be super scarce, because otherwise it would be a walking game instead of a driving game,”.
  

  The article also mentions using a gas can to blow open a lock door.

• On foot hand to hand combat still feels like the Batman: Arkham games. Rhythmic button presses, counter-attacks, and being able to roll or dodge attacks.
  

  While hand to hand combat is in the game the main focus of the game is car on car battles and using your car as a weapon to kill on foot enemies. The article even mentions that there is a sniper rifle that you get later in the game that is attach to the car and you cannot use it on foot. The article does mention two guns Max can use on foot a shotgun and the Thunderpoon, which is compared to a rocket launcher, but ammo sounds like it is scarce.

• You have access to your Garage from the pause menu allowing you to upgrade your car on the fly. The original plan was to have Garages scattered across the Wasteland but Avalanche felt it interfered with gameplay.
  

  The car upgrades can have positive and negative effect the article mentions that when they upgraded the engine the speed increase but the handling decrease.

• You can find various "Vantage Points" around the wasteland that are tethered hot air balloons. Going up in these you can use your binoculars to scout the area to find resources, landmarks, strongholds, scarecrows and even see enemy convoys. Discovering these adds them to your map similar to State of Decay. Some of the Vantage Points however might be chained up meaning you'll need to use the Magnum Opus's harpoon gun to free them or the hot air balloons might require fuel.
• Save/Checkpoint system is described as "forgiving". If you find scrap or a collectible you don't lose it despite dying and when you do die the game respawns you at the nearest Vantage Point or liberated stronghold.
• You can take out Scrotus' strongholds and doing so reduces his influence in the Wasteland and the vacant strongholds allows for other wastelanders to move in and take refuge. Likewise, totemic scarecrows littered around the Wasteland to terrorize wastelanders can be destroyed to further reduce his influence.
• You meet Max's companion, Chumbucket, fairly early in the game and rides along with you in the Magnum Opus wielding a harpoon gun. He can use the harpoon gun to rip off tires and other parts on enemy vehicles, pull enemies out of the drivers seat and even use to impale enemies on foot.
• An upgrade to the harpoon is called The Thunderpoon....Yup I'm serious..
  

  The Thunderpoon is a on foot weapon while the harpoon gun is a separate weapon mount on the car. The article also mentions you can slow down time when you use the harpoon gun or sniper rifle mount on the car.

• Chumbucket can also improve his skills if you acquire some new new tools, goggles or a head lamp. His skills become vital because Chum is responsible for fixing your car should you take too much damage.
• Chumbucket also acts as a sort of GPS by pointing interesting landmarks.
• GI heads to a fortified lighthouse stronghold lead by an NPC called Jeet. Himself and his small group of people in the stronghold are sick wanting medicine with Jeet described as a bit of tweaker suffering from extreme head pains and controls them by embedding shards of metal in to his body to cause pain elsewhere.
• Another NPC encountered is a race announcer/organizer who is decked in Christmas lights head to toe with a lackey following behind carrying a generator to power the lights.

Yeah it's footage from 2013. We've got a month of GI coverage so hopefully we'll see more from the game.

Some other things from the article:

You can use other wastelanders cars as long as they are not destroyed and when you are done driving them you can use a flare to call Chumbucket and the Magnum Opus to you.

The article mention that there is a lot of visual/environment variety. There are many things to ramp off and cliffs to fall off, also a dried up seabed with caves, coral, and use-to-be underwater sulfuric volcanoes, and there are subway tunnels, broken up bridges and highways.

The article doesn't mentions how far in the game it is but there is a second friendly stronghold that you can upgrade. The upgrades will allow you to collect scrap while the game is off, also food and water. The stronghold can also have a armory and a survey crew to mark spots on the map.

There is no multiplayer but in a separate part of the game there is a option called Opus Wars to view other players cars.

.

I guess I'll see how the gameplay looks, but I kind of wrote this game off when it was announced that they weren't going to have Max be Australian, and then they caved to internet pressure and said "Fine we'll make him Australian", because I'm pretty sure that means they're just going to have their American voice actor butcher an Australian accent and I can't handle that.

In the game Mad Max is voiced by Aussie actor Bren Foster.

 

[Lord of Castamere]

The article doesn't mentions how far in the game it is but there is a second friendly stronghold that you can upgrade. The upgrades will allow you to collect scrap while the game is off, also food and water. The stronghold can also have a armory and a survey crew to mark spots on the map.

Hopefully go for a low number of strongholds that are very unique. The article gives me hope but Just Cause 2 doesn't.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

Those details give me some hope. I've always wanted to play a Mad Max game of never ending scavenging and crazy vehicle chases. Hopefully the world feels dynamic enough that it doesn't get to a point where it feels like you've "conquered" it.

 

[Fine Ham Abounds]

Mad Max |OT| Beyond Thunderpoon

 

[Night_Trekker]

It sets off "standard open world game" alarm bells, but I love post-apocalyptic themed stuff. I'm hopeful.

 

[flashbandit16]

Hopefully go for a low number of strongholds that are very unique. The article gives me hope but Just Cause 2 doesn't.

I forgot to mention that the upgradable stronghold is a oil tanker in the middle of the dried up sea bed. The leader believes

Spoiler

that the water will return and is trying to get his followers to make the ship seaworthy.

 

[Game4life]

Sounds like pretty standard open-world fare.

I bet it'll be more fun than MGSV though.

lol

 

[Lord of Castamere]

I forgot to mention that the upgradable stronghold is a oil tanker in the middle of the dried up sea bed. The leader believes

Spoiler

that the water will return and is trying to get his followers to make the ship seaworthy.

Huh . Ubisoft game my ass. If that's a non story stronghold it already has more creativity than every fort in Far Cry 4 combined.

 

[Vintage]

For some reason I don't like batman-style combat in this. Just doesn't seem to fit.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

My main concern is the driving engine. I liked Just Cause 2, but the handling and physics were pretty horrible. Seeing as this will be the focus of MM, I hope Avalanche has put a lot of energy into making the driving aspects more weighty.








.

 

[Ramenman]

You meet Max's companion, Chumbucket, fairly early in the game and rides along with you in the Magnum Opus wielding a harpoon gun. He can use the harpoon gun to rip off tires and other parts on enemy vehicles, pull enemies out of the drivers seat and even use to impale enemies on foot.

if that's what they mean by "vehicular combat" then ok I'm totally in !

that + of course they confirm it's fully systemic and physics based in the GI video. Given how much fun it was to just blow up tires in JC2, it can only mean great things


Edit :

The article also mentions you can slow down time when you use the harpoon gun or sniper rifle mount on the car.

Perfect ! I can slowly choose where I pick off the cars

 

[Simo]

Actually the game has no ties with the new movie even Mad Max is Avalanche's own creation he might have similar traits but will not be exactly the same as other Mad Max's seen in the movies. .

Check out Game Informer's video they posted yesterday at their hub. The game's director immediately begins by saying the game takes place before the new film but isn't really tied to it or any specific version of the Mad Max films.

I take that as Avalanche is creating their own Max and version of the Wasteland but using various elements from the new movie and throwing nods to the old one. For example a lot of the cars in the game are modeled and detailed after the new movie where Avalanche visited the set to photograph and record them all, some of the concept artists went from working on the film to working on the game and the main hub Gastown is a location in the new movie along with the War Boys being in both Fury Road and the game.

Likewise, there looks to be a statue erected in the Wasteland for Dr. Dealgood from Beyond Thunderdome. lol

Mad Max |OT| Beyond Thunderpoon

Well the OT title is already chosen. Thanks. LOL

 

[Coriolanus]

Uggh this sounds exactly like the landmark discovery system in every single UbiSoft game.... YUCK

No, it sounds exactly like the system in State of Decay...which they clearly state. >___>

 

[AlteredForms]

I want to be optimistic about this game, but really, after being stuck in development hell like this game has been, have any games really turned out to be good?

Prey. That's all I have to submit. Prey.

 

[Monty Mole]

It was only delayed for a little over a year. We're not exactly talking Duke Nukam here

Nukem. You know, like "nuke 'em!"

 

[Mogwai]

Scrotus is one letter away from scrotum.

Chumbucket is one letter away from...

*drops mic*

 

[whyman]

The harpoon will be what makes this game awesome. Its to this game what the grappling hook was to JC2. (Not saying it will function the same.)

 

[Miles Quaritch]

Disappointed it's a prequel to the movie, was hoping the game would have that amazing looking chase through the multiple tornado from the movie.

I guess it's still possible?

 

[Simo]

Disappointed it's a prequel to the movie, was hoping the game would have that amazing looking chase through the multiple tornado from the movie.

I guess it's still possible?

I think so. I asked Christofer Sundberg about it last year and he said it was possible but now he could of been referring to the "soft borders" location outside the in-game map. Andrew Reiner from GI commented he saw some weather effects and the like during his time in Stockholm for the coverage.

 

[Denzar]

A vehicular combat game set in an open world made by Avalanche studios makes my pants tight(er).

I'm expecting/hoping for some open world jank .

I also agree with people saying the driving in JC2 was kinda iffy, but it that didn't really bother me. The driving physics and crashes added to the over-the-top nature of JC2 trademark batshit crazy action.

 

[Betty]

Sounds like pretty standard open-world fare.

I bet it'll be more fun than MGSV though.

Unless you can attach a balloon to literally almost everything and have an eyepatched wolf as a companion I highly doubt it.

 

[Gen X]

Ubisoft are publishing this? Interest waning.

 

[Luke_Wal]

Surprised there's no mention of the Nemesis System. After the rumors, the delay, and now the dropping of last-gen (which Mordor didn't have the Nemesis System on), I was almost sure it was coming. But they do say "revamping systems." Maybe that's an announcement in a GI video later this month or for some other event.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Ubisoft are publishing this? Interest waning.

Warner Bros. I think people are just comparing it to Ubi's specific style of open world game design.

 

[BY2K]

I like the twist on the invisible walls.

 

[Cairnsay]

That sounds great, who does it have to be the same day as MGS5?!

 

[Shredderi]

The invisible wall thing sounds actually kind of interesting.

 

[SpaceHorror]

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is one of my favorite movies, so I really hope this game lives up to my expectations, which admittedly aren't as lofty as my love of the first two Max movies.

I just want a solid Mad Max experience true to the spirit of the movies.

Also, though it does sound a bit Ubisoft in design, I think actually having to find your targets with binoculars is in line enough with the movie to work (maybe there is an upgrade with the Gyro Captain's spyglass). At least it isn't just the Ubi "climb tower, camera zooms around locations" thing. However, I do hope you can scout the wasteland from other vantage points and not just the balloons.

 

[gabbo]

It sounds a lot like Just Cause 2. Had hoped it would differ from JS2 in terms of mechanics, but I'll wait to pass judgment until I see more of it in action.

 

[SkinnerSw33t]

Scrotus is a terrible name, but I feel like this game is going to be amazing. Can't wait.

 

[Foggy]

People complaining about Scrotus haven't watched Mad Max movies. In Road Warrior, Lord Humongous' goons consist of the "smegma crazies" and "gay-boy berserkers". It's the series' whacked out, inimitable style.

 

[Raptor]

Alright Im so in, but Im still not sure about the Batman combat, I guess I have to see it in action.

 

[Samir Sedlar]

I'm pretty excited about this, I feel that Warner Bros is climbing up to be my favorite publisher.

The game got all the cool stuff one would want, Hand to Hand Combat, Shooting (to a degree), and Brutal Car Combat, though I have to say the whole accessing the Garage from the pause menu is kinda disappointing, I know what they were thinking, but having to visit garages regularly would have been cooler.

Hopefully we will get to see something of the game before E3.

 

[shinobi602]

Interest sharply rising. This all sounds great.

 

[Raptor]

Though I feel really strange to be kind of hyped for this since I havent even seen it in action, where is the god damn gameplay?

Jeez...

 

[b&jy77VjiKn$#F]

I'm interested.

 

[pr0cs]

It sounds really good, I like the world of Mad Max, it seems like something suited to gaming and Av's work in open worlds is already really good.

I just worry that with two titles in the hopper they're stretched thin and one of the titles will suffer. Thankfully this title has been in dev for quite a while so hopefully they kept tweaking the gameplay during that time.

 

[Aces&Eights]

Mad Max |OT| Beyond Thunderpoon

Just spit out Cup-O-Noodles at my desk.

I keep thinking about the political acronyms when I read "Scrotus" I.E., SCOTUS, POTUS, etc.

 

[ClaptoVaughn]

These guys also made Renegade Ops, which had really fun driving mechanics, imo. If they can somehow translate that to a tighter camera view, it'd be great. Renegade Ops had a lot of offroad driving too, so that experience should help with this game since it seems you'll be on sand more than concrete.

It's a shame that Ubisoft has tainted the whole idea of watchtowers/highpoints. The concept of using an elevated area to survey the land itself is fine (and logical) but in Ubisoft's particular and repetitive execution, everyone groans at the mere mention of it. As long as this game doesn't treat it as a "magically reveal everything" mechanic, I think it should be fine.

 

[Ramenman]

No, it sounds exactly like the system in State of Decay...which they clearly state. >___>

shhhh if you discover new things in the world while at a height superior to 1 meter above ground level then no matter the details its JUST LIKE SHITTY UBISOFT THEY RUINED IT FOR EVERYONE !!1!!

Ubisoft are publishing this? Interest waning.

Holy shit the gaps in logic people will go to to shit down a big publisher's throat. The only mention of Ubisoft in this thread is misguided assumptions and you come up with that.

 

[xrnzaaas]

Both Avalanche Studios games (MM & JC3) are basically day1 purchases for me. I know they're capable of creating great sandbox action games.

 

[Simo]

Game Informer: 10 Badass things we did in Mad Max's open world.

The Road Warrior's unforgettable climax involves an intense assault on a moving caravan that's barreling through the Wasteland. Moments like this one have been integrated into Mad Max's open world. Players are likely to see huge clouds of dust billowing up in the distance. Should they follow these cues, they're likely to drive up on a convoy of up to 12 vehicles defending a lead truck carrying precious cargo.

Charging grill-first into these wheeled warriors isn't the smartest idea. Max could easily succumb to a rear-mounted flamethrower, get caught in a pincer attack between two cars' grinding rims, or be boarded by an enemy. Players are better off picking off cars one-by-one. Destroying the lead vehicle of a convoy scores Max a hood ornament, which can be attached to the Magnum Opus for an automotive stat boost.

Mad Max is primarily a third-person action game, but players have the option to look through the Road Warrior's eyes when driving. I'm usually averse to driving in a restrictive first-person view when I have the option to see more of my surroundings in driving games, but this is different. Seeing Max's jagged metal-studded gloves and the beefy engine jutting out of the hood elicited a cathartic, joyful thrill I haven't felt while behind the wheel in a game for some time. The sense of speed when cruising down a worn road and the visceral impact of boosting into a wrecked enemy vehicle feels amazing.

Max is fast behind the wheel, but his more lumbering fighting style still packs a wallop. This bruiser's approach to combat feels inspired by the popular mechanics first seen in Batman: Arkham Asylum. Max doesn't have Bruce Wayne's martial-arts training, but he can manhandle enemies with a more straightforward and murderous approach, complete with visceral suplexes and leg locks.

Enemies surround Max, sizing him up before closing the gap for a punch. Max has the opportunity to counter these attacks and follow up with a flurry of brass-knuckle punches. His Fury Mode helps differentiate itself from similar combat systems, too. Following up light attacks with a heavy attack deals more damage to goons and fills his Fury level faster. Fighting enemies builds up a meter that, when activated, sends Max into an adrenaline-fueled state where he deals more damage faster than usual. Similar to another post-apocalyptic tale, The Last of Us, Max can pick up rare shivs to take enemies out of the equation even faster.

After Avalanche Studios told me that Mad Max's sizeable open Wasteland has soft boundaries, the first thing I did was drive straight for the edge of the map. The geographical indications that you're leaving the defined territory of the world are subtle. Gradually, things become flatter, dustier, and more desolate. Then, "Warning: You are entering The Big Nothing" flashes on the screen around the time you see a gigantic wall of sand rising off in the distance. The huge sandstorm seems like it might take several minutes to intercept you, but it barrels forth at a surprising clip.

Eventually, Max and his Magnum Opus are enveloped in a blinding cloud of dust. The winds send pieces of deadly debris flying towards your car, threatening to shred it to bits. However, the player's impetus (beside suicide) for driving into The Big Nothing lies within the extra-rare pieces of useful scrap metal flying within the storm. Unfortunately for me, my car is struck by the storm's lightning and explodes before I can collect anything useful.

Holy shit. You can in essence recreate the sandstorm scene from Fury Road!

Oh and again GI's own words about the vantage point thing..

Each time Max enters an unexplored section of the Wasteland, it's in his best interest to find a strategically placed balloon and ride it up to spot new objectives and points of interest. Don't get any ideas about floating away on the winds, however, because these aircraft are tethered to the ground by a permanent line.

Riding up in these balloons is a perfect way for Avalanche Studios to show off the expansiveness of the Wasteland. Players spot shiny indicators through a pair of dirty binoculars (think Dragon Age: Inquisition), then those things will appear on his map. These might include camps to overthrow, snipers to be wary of, or scavenging locations. But not all balloons are ready for easy access. Max sometimes has to hunt down a jerry can with a few drops of gasoline left or find ways to free up bolted-down balloons in order to get them operational.

 

[Foggy]

 

[banefirelord]

Don't have a lot of familiarity with Mad Max and some of the derivative elements seem worrying, but Avalanche hasn't done wrong by me yet and I dig post-apocalyptic hellscapes. Cautiously optimistic.

 

[NickatNite]

The official web page has gotten an update.

 

[Motoko]

 

[Samir Sedlar]

I guess we won't see any gameplay till E3.

But from what I'm reading and seeing at these screens, I'm so excited for it.

I wonder how Avalanche populate a game set in the middle of a desert.

 

[Lord of Castamere]

Updated the op with the pics an article.

Someone could probably make a thread specifically for the confirmation of First person Driving. That's a big one.

 

[SJRB]

Wait, those two pics are ingame? No way.

 

[Simo]

Wait, those two pics are ingame? No way.

Supposed to be, featured in the magazine too. The second photo is the fortified lighthouse hideout you visit thats full of tweakers.

Andrew Reiner and the guys from GI that saw and played it for the cover story said they were pleasantly surprised in the demo and how far the game has come since they saw it behind closed doors at E3 in 2013.