|OT| Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts

BernardoOne · Jun 6, 2019

Pls don't be shitty this tome

Aelphaeis Mangarae · Jun 6, 2019

I really hope they nail it this time. There's some really good FPS design talent in Poland. And CI Games have often come very close to greatness, particularly in recent years, but typically fallen short due to technical woes and chronic mismanagement where the CEO micromanages everything and the project derails as he proceeds to bluntly fire the lead developer and the lead writer and so on. (Also a lot of the SGW3 team were laid off in early 2018. This game is by a much smaller team with a lot of outsourcing to Virtuos.) This "fire people because the CEO gets out of sorts with them" happened in slightly different forms on both Enemy Front and SGW3. And it shouldn't have happened.

This game could go either way. They're very clearly reusing as much from SGW3 as they can so they can focus on design. On the all-important polish that most of their games have lacked. They're selling the game at a lower price which should help people accept the smaller scope, although after seeing people complain that Far Cry New Dawn was only 10-20 hours long for $40, and complain about the length of Hitman 2 despite the focus on replayability I can't help being a little concerned for them. This has the potential to either be a sad affair similar to SGW Mobile where nothing comes together right, or it could be the game that turns the series into something solid. It really comes down to scope, polish, and offering something a little bit different to the competition.

If anyone is interested in playing the game's predecessor Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 on PC, I'm the author of the game's Unofficial Patch/Improvement Project. A lot of people complain about how SGW3 has terrible issues with NPC spawn distance and has a lot of bugs. Well, the Unofficial Patch tries to fix as many bugs as possible. It's not perfect, and the fix for NPC spawn distance in particular is a little fragile, but I'd argue it's overall a significant improvement to the game.

The Improvement Project (which is an optional extra) revamps the gameplay balancing, lets you drive other vehicles, and stuff like that. It's kinda equivalent to the Basic/Pro Patch for VTMB.

Aelphaeis Mangarae · Jun 11, 2019

IGN have released some commentated gameplay footage on their stream. Found a mirror since IGN haven't uploaded it yet.

Things that stand out:
Game is clearly built on SGW3's foundation. Similar onscreen prompts, recontextualized game mechanics, identical sound effects for deploying the drone, and some of the weapon models are SGW3's.
Visuals are improved. The blizzard effects are nice.
Stealth seems improved.
Every mission having an opposing sniper lurking and waiting for you is an interesting mechanic.
They give basically no details on the plot or protagonist. Assuming there's no customization, we've got a soft spoken guy who kinda reminds me of Robert from SGW3's The Sabotage DLC. Have to wait and see, I guess.

The game's HUD/GUI has been overhauled quite a bit. There's no minimap, and the various HUD elements are very clean and minimalist during normal gameplay. It looks like they're dropped from a 3 weapon limit down to a 2 weapon limit. (Unless of course you can unlock an additional slot on the top left.) SGW2 only had two weapons. Sniper rifle and sidearm. SGW3 let you carry 3 weapons which included assault rifles and shotguns and stuff. It occurs to me that perhaps they're trying to shift the gameplay away from run-'n'-gun tactics. If you can only use a pistol in close quarters combat, your options for going Rambo are severely limited.

Aelphaeis Mangarae · Aug 24, 2019

Some footage from Gamescom.

Mechanically, it looks like a far more polished version of SGW3 with much more purposeful, cohesive, and elaborate level design. I am a bit concerned about content. I think there are five maps and five contracts per map. An individual contract is something like "Kill X target" or "Retrieve documents". What this practically means is that there are only 25 objectives in the entire game. If you complete one objective every 15 minutes, that's about six hours of content. Which is a tad low-ish, but to be fair Hitman has the exact same issue and if you approach the game with the mindset of "let's do this mission WELL" and not "Let's get to the end credit as fast as possible", I think it'll be okay. The game also appears to have some kind of Challenges menu, so I assume there will be a system where you're encouraged to kill your targets in particular ways and stuff like that, for replay value.

There's also MP, of which we have seen nothing so far. I'm assuming they're going to try to salvage as much from SGW3's too little, too late MP as they can. The big problem on PC at least is that SGW3 has absolutely no anti-cheat. Cheating is just rampant. Unless Contracts fixes this, a lot of people will be unhappy. Apparently they have no plans to use Denuvo, so perhaps they can invest that money into a solid anti-cheat solution. (I just hope it doesn't ruin the game's SP mod potential.)

Another aspect of the game that we've seen nothing of (AFAIK) is the Rivals system. The game's blurb features the following:

Put simply, players will never truly be alone as they take on contracts, as they encounter rival contract killers. While players will need to carefully plan out and execute the perfect kill and exfiltration from a given encounter, they must also contend with the tension of an AI-controlled taking on the same contract in tandem. Whether this involved removing a rival from the equation or being quick enough to beat them to the punch, players will have more variables to consider than ever before, ensuring that no two missions go down the same, all the while ratcheting up the tension.

This sounds like a significant technical challenge. Probably the closest thing to a genuinely well executed large scale sniper showdown in a videogame is the Quiet battle in Metal Gear Solid V. It sounds like they're trying to do that, but for every mission and this rival sniper will try to get to the target before you and presumably does stuff like try to kill you while you're on your way to the exfil point. If they pull it off, it'll be a really cool core mechanic that keeps players on their toes. But I haven't seen this mechanic in any of the E3 or Gamescom footage, so that suggests to me that the poor AI programmers and mission designs and frantically trying to get this feature working before the game ships in under 3 months.

Firewithin · Aug 27, 2019

tbh i saw the title and expected a mobile game

Aelphaeis Mangarae · Oct 12, 2019

Okay, this is a bit weird. All references to multiplayer on the Steam store page have been removed. You can see the changes on SteamDB. They also removed the line about Deathmatch in the store description.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts · AppID: 973580

Become the ultimate assassin in the most realistic modern warfare sniping game available. Engage in an immersive single-player campaign across large, open-ended maps. Tactical thinking, stealth approach and precision in execution of long shots required. Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts Steam...

steamdb.info

I wonder what's going on. Either they've scrapped the MP, the MP has been delayed (which would be an awkward repeat of what happened to SGW3) or they've done something like decided to separate the MP out into a standalone game. Just spitballing but they could have an F2P MP companion game or something. SGW Online, for instance. Regardless of the answer, other people are going to notice so they better have an answer ready.

In other news, though, the game has gone gold, and they've teased one the maps that isn't snowy.

There's some new gameplay footage with developer commentary going through the game's tutorial. It's looking pleasantly polished, IMO. I really hope the game turns out good. Salvaging SGW3 and using its parts to build a new FPS game that takes the good parts from previous titles and mixes them with Hitman sounds like a really good idea. A redemption story for the game and the developer.

I gotta say, though. The protagonist of this game nags at me every time I see them. When this game was revealed, it was with this piece of artwork. This is key art for the game. It still shows up on articles written about the game. I am 99% sure that is a woman.

Then the game was in heavy development for a year or so and it got a reveal trailer and release date announcement and stuff with this piece of key art.

Back in 2018 I was invited to participate in the survey, and they asked a bunch of questions about my opinion on the series, and one of those questions was about female protagonists. I think that question was important.

Here's my theory. And bear in mind I'm just speculating here. Suppose CI Games were going to make an SGW game with a female protagonist. But then they chickened out because they got negative feedback. AA developers are VERY reliant upon pleasing their core fanbase. (SGW Contracts is guaranteed to sell a moderate number of copies simply due to cult brand loyalty, and pissing those people off could be a serious mistake.) Male and female character options? That'll fly. But female-only FPS game? In the sequel to a game that had Polish Playboy nude spreads of its female characters? That can be a hard sell to some audiences, unfortunately. But my belief is that CI Games didn't want to go back to grizzled military dudes, so they put the male protagonist in a full face mask and a full body suit so that he's ambiguous. He still speaks and grunts with a male voice but he no longer has that eye rolling vibe you find in previous SGW games. SGW3 was really dumb and really try-hard in its AMERICAN SUPER SNIPER thing.

Mikolai Stroinski is returning as composer. A lot of people would know him for his work on The Witcher 3, but he also worked on Sniper Ghost Warrior 3. The music sounds... okay? Not amazing, but not bad, either.

Alextended · Oct 13, 2019

Hope it's solid, haven't played the others but stealth action games in FPS format can be super awesome, shame there are so few.

Aelphaeis Mangarae · Oct 14, 2019

Alextended said:
Hope it's solid, haven't played the others but stealth action games in FPS format can be super awesome, shame there are so few.

They've repeatedly been tragically close to "kinda good", but with glaring problems getting in the way. SGW1 was pure Eurojank, and not in a good way. SGW2 was fairly polished, and even starred Troy Baker, but was tediously linear. SGW3 faceplanted on a tech and scope and writing and polish level. CI Games have suffered from top-down mismanagement for many years. Perhaps forever. The CEO has a history of getting into fights with the lead developers and firing them, micromanaging shit he doesn't understand, and that sort of thing. He fired the lead developer of Enemy Front midway through development. The main writer-slash-creative consultant on SGW3 got fired alarmingly late in development and almost the entire plot got thrown out and replaced with what is possibly one of the worst plots in a larger budget FPS game ever created. You know the Arkham Knight twist? It's that, but worse. So much worse. Then a large number of CI Games devs got laid off due to money problems, meaning Contracts is being made by a small core team and a lot of outsource developers.

Anyway, I found a Polish interview with said CEO who has HOPEFULLY learned to keep his fingers to himself and trust the devs to do their jobs. The biggest takeaway from the interview is that they're kinda pleased that Doom: Eternal was moved to 2020 and Ghost Recon: Breakpoint disappointed so many people because it leaves a vacuum they can potentially fill.

After postponing the premiere of the latest "Doom", there is no game in even a similar genre to "Sniper" that would premiere in the same week as us. In addition, lower than expected ratings for the game "Ghost Recon Breakpoint" cause that the market will not be so saturated with tactical games until our premiere.

CI Games dopieszcza „Snajpera”

Rynek nie będzie aż tak nasycony grami taktycznymi do premiery nowej odsłony "Snajpera" - przewiduje Marek Tymiński, prezes CI Games

translate.google.com

There's also a reasonably optimistic hands-on from Pax Aus which just wrapped up.

So when it came to going hands-on with the latest title in the franchise, Contracts, I was expecting more of the same, realistic sniping with a bit of jank, but I am pleased to say that I was pleasantly surprised by what was on offer.

The controls always felt tight and the stealth systems were highly satisfactory. The fact the area was so open allowed me to make multiple approaches and mix things up as I gradually worked my way to my objective. This gameplay loop got my heart racing like the best stealth games can and lining up the perfect shot never felt tedious. Contracts, in taking a more open approach to the map design, feels like it is moving towards what Hitman does, as opposed to just another military-based shooter and I think it is a great choice by the developers.

The game is also looking fantastic. I was playing on a high-end Alienware laptop so I can’t say how the console versions look, but there was tones of detail and impressive environments to explore. This is looking to be the most polished entry in the series yet and while it is hard to get a feel as to how it will all play out over the length of a full game, it is safe to say this is the first time I am actually looking forward to the release of a Sniper Ghost Warrior game.

Sniper Ghost Warrior: Contracts – Hands-On

The Sniper Ghost Warrior games have always held this unique position on the gaming landscape. Never quite breakout hits, they have developed quite a following for their depiction of Sniper based combat. They have always had issues that have held them back from... #CIGames #PAXAUSMattHewson #player2

www.player2.net.au

Aelphaeis Mangarae · Oct 24, 2019

They've added a gore system.

I have to thoughts. 1: Scope creep ahoy. (This game is less than a month from release and it didn't have a gore system in preview builds like 2 weeks ago.) 2: This solves the game's combat looking a bit sterile in previews.

Aelphaeis Mangarae · Nov 21, 2019

Reviews have started trickling out. A lot of reviews in the 7/10 to 8/10 range. Which is quite obviously a dramatic leap over any of CI Games' previous FPS titles. I hope this translates into solid sales and a decent Hitman-style post-release roadmap where they keep adding new objectives and new maps and stuff. I am very pleased by the new wave of AA FPS games.

There's a fairly large day 1 patch, too.

Fixed – Random too loud sound while in combat with enemies.
Fixed – Crash while spawning rival on the map.
Fixed – Crash with overload memory
Fixed – Crash after multiple controller disconnection.
Fixed – Random missing sounds
Fixed – Animation of moving hand with gun is – was too fast / too frequent
Fixed – Generator not reacting to “use” when hit with gas damage.
Fixed – Fuse box not reacting to “use” when hit with gas damage.
Fixed – Random interrogation animation shifts.
Fixed – Overlaping dialog on Harbor contract.
Improved – Animation for Sturm Bodyguard
Improved – Drone HUD
Improved – Loading textures while dynamic actions.
Improved – AI reaction
Improved – AI reaction on explosive barrels
Improved – AI placement
Improved – Language localization
Improved – Performance and stability
Improved – Drone sounds
Improved – Enemies tagging sound
Improved – Recognition drone module sounds
Improved – Bullet trajectory in sniper rifle
Improved – In game map for each contract
Improved – Audio system due to sound engine update
Fixed multiple other bugs related to weapons and gadgets.
Fixed multiple other bugs related gemotery and colision on all maps.
Fixed multiple other bugs related to level design on all maps.
Fixed multiple other bugs related to level lights on all maps.
Fixed multiple other bugs related to sound.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts Day-1 Update detailed, full patch notes revealed

CI Games has revealed the improvements and changes that it has made to Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts via its day-1 update.

www.dsogaming.com

The bugfix "Crash while spawning rival on the map" is encouraging because I was worried they'd cut the Rival mechanic entirely. It's supposed to be a system where an AI controlled rival assassin will try to intercept you, and it sounded really cool if they could pull it off.

On the other hand, some of these changes are uncomfortably extensive for a day 1 patch. For example, updating the sound engine? What? If it improves the sound quality, by all means, but that's a questionable change for a day 1 patch. Same deal with overhauling AI reactions. Also, it feels self-sabotaging. What if these are major improvements, and the reviewers didn't have access to them? That feels unfair to reviewers because they evaluated the game as it was, and they're gonna get people claiming they were wrong.

The multiplayer has been delayed until December.

Anyway, I think this is an interesting example of how gameplay is king. Contrast this against fellow Polish AA FPS Terminator which got pretty heavily hammered by critics. But why? Well, the answer is simple. If you're an AA FPS game, you should make sure your gameplay is extremely well designed. Because you can't compete graphically, and you're never gonna have amazing facial animation to emote the story. So when critics get your game, the bedrock is the core gameplay. And it's not enough to be "okay". Audiences might be totally fine with "okay" core gameplay. But you want reviewers to use adjectives like "fun" and "compelling". Well designed gameplay will carry your game a lot further than many people realize.

edit:

Oh, wait. The Steam day 1 patch notes are even longer.

Day 1 Patch - Patch 1.02

GENERAL
Fixed - Random loud sound while in combat with enemies
Fixed - Crash while rival spawning is on the map
Fixed - Crash with overload memory
Fixed - Crash after multiple controller disconnections
Fixed - Crashes related to planting TMRP mine and throwing grenades
Fixed - Random missing sounds
Fixed - Animation of moving hand with gun - was too fast / too frequent
Fixed - Generator not reacting to "use" when hit with gas damage
Fixed - Fuse box not reacting to "use" when hit with gas damage
Fixed - Random interrogation animation shifts
Fixed - Overlapping dialog on Harbor contract
Improved - Drone HUD
Improved - Loading textures during dynamic actions
Improved - AI reaction
Improved - AI reaction when barrels explode
Improved - AI placement
Improved - Language localization
Improved - Performance and stability
Improved - Drone sounds
Improved - Enemies tagging sound
Improved - Recognition drone module sounds
Improved - Bullet trajectory in sniper rifle
Improved - In game map for each contract
Improved - Audio system due to sound engine update
Improved - Animation for Sturm Bodyguard
Fixed - Objectives areas might not be visible on in game map screen
Fixed - Remote Sniper Turret fire sound might be to quiet or not play at all
Fixed - Med-kit and knives levitate on ammo crates
Fixed - Mines no longer clip through military prefabs
Improved - Better ammunition ballance in ammo creates
Improved - Body damage from explosive barrels
Improved - More randomize behaviors of sniper enemies on each map
Improved - More detail information about bounties progress
Improved - Behavior of vehicle gunners
Improved - New Audio for DLC weapons
Improved - Extreme navigation on all levels
Added - Shots can now knock the helmet off the enemy's head
Added - Explosive head for enemy sniper
Fixed - Weapon camouflages unlock
Improved - New reticles for sniper rifles were added
Fixed - A missing string for Kamaz truck was added
Added - message now stating when players are in range of a jammer or drone tower added to the HUD display
Added - The label translation was added for DLC camo
Changes for localization strings names were applied
Improved - Added a few missing translations for European and Chinese languages
Improved - zipline mounting on all levels
Fixed - Flickering problems have been removed
Fixed - Multiple places, where the player could get stuck
Improved - Shadows on LODs have been improved
Improved - Textures and materials representing grass
Improved - Piercing Sniper Bullet damage has been increased vs Kamaz and BTR
Added - Flashbang sound has beed added to the immune and normal skill
Improved - stamina bar alignment
Fixed - Problems with mouse scrolling in the main menu
Improved - Fuel canisters explosion sound radius has been increased
Improved - Fire damage for fuel canisters has been increased
Fixed - Fuse box reaction when hit by gas damage
Added - VFX of blood in thermal vision mode
Improved - Blood decals on snow have been improved
Improved - AI Reactions to shot/granade/explosion have been improved
Improved - sniper rifle textures have been improved
Added - Button descriptions for map legends

Snowstorm
Fixed main target's path in the laboratory
Resolved the issue causing valve at the bounty area to disappear when the grenade explodes
Fixed spawn point of snipers near the river
Improved - ex navigation in first outpost
New lights added in the forest outpost (dead scientist hut)
Improved - added visible timer for target arrival after player hacks laptop and disables drones (first bounty area)
Fixed place where the player could get stuck near tutorial area
Fixed place where the player could get stuck near first outpost main snipinspot
Fixed place where the player could get stuck near main base

Harbor
Fixed AI reinforcements after loading last checkpoint
Improved - A sniper's location was changed in container area, so that he's easier to tag
Fixed place where the player could get stuck near warehouses area
Fixed place where the player could get stuck betwen conteiners and bridge area
Fixed place where the player could get stuck inside tunel leading to bridge
Fixed place where the player could get stuck on bounty area (betwen icebergs)
Fixed place where the player could get stuck under bridge
Fixed place where the player could get stuck next to big ship
Improved - behaviour on regular soldier's path near the ship in contrainer's area
Improved - vertical path near container area
Added - Added stairs and repaired navmesh on the pier behind the ship in Containers area
Improved - patrol routes behind the ship in Containers area
Improved - improved cliping hands while using ex-nav in old port area
Improved - improved cliping camera while using ex-nav under the bridge

Villa
Added - visible timer for assault team arrival on bounty2
Added - guiding lights to bounty2 tower
Added - lights to better guide player to climable rocks in the bounty2 valley
Improved - allowing player to loot car wreckage if target or driver being shoot during arrival to bounty1 spot
(car explodes in such case and now we player salvage it)
Improved - turret looking at entrance to the bounty2 cave has been turned to improve stealth path
Improved - AI now try to reach player position if player escapes via zipline from bounty2 tower

Glacier
Improved - ligthing near the barracks
Improved - main target's behaviour in alert state
Improved - nav-mesh on helipad in main base
Improved - patrol routes and mechanics on all outposts to make them less predictable
Improved - Moved multiple cctv cameras on all outposts to improve stealth paths
Fixed - levitating mines near first outpost
Improved - Better AI spawning in second outpost
Fixed - Collision near the walls on outposts two
Improved - behaviour of AI near the iceberg
Fixed - spawn point for AI near the fortress
Added - ziplines on escape routes from main building on Radar area
Added - added ziplines from towers on Iceberg area to allow better traverse and coverage of the area
Added - added defense zones logic to NPCs behaviour in Cave and Iceberg areas to improve alarm / combat behaviours
Improved - animation for soldiers in every outposts
Added - More ladders were added to the various places on level
Improved - AI balance - add/reduce AI on each outpost
Improved - New points of intrest for enemies in main base
Fixed - in alert state driver gets out of vehicle and try to fight
Fixed - Turrets does not blow up after disabling them / Enemies does not get in to alert state after that but being suspicious from now on
Improved - AI will now react with suspicion routine to mass hack of turrets via laptop on Barracks
Improved - Changed path of heavy patrol near the tower
Added - Cargo securing grip has been added
Fixed - fusebox in a technical tunnel, now its luring the nearest enemy AI
Added - Ladder leading to the zipline at the exit from the fortress was added

TRAINYARD
Fixed - lose ropes in bounty area on top of the dam
Improved - Zipline indicator has been lifted from dam to the cliff
Improved - Heavy and mid enemies now patrolling the lower part of outpost 1
Improved - Add patrolling enemies on the scaffolds in the outpost 2
Fixed hanging material sheet in the tunnel
Add patrolling enemies on the scaffolds in the tunnel
Add extra pickables in tunnel
The zipline sequences have been improved
Patrols at the cliff on the way to the dam have been improved
Fixed multiple other small bugs related to weapons and gadgets
Fixed multiple other small bugs related gemotery and colision on all maps
Fixed multiple other small bugs related to level design on all maps
Fixed multiple other small bugs related to level lights on all maps
Fixed multiple other small bugs related to sound

Steam :: Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts :: Day 1 Patch - Patch 1.02

Day 1 Patch - Patch 1.02

steamcommunity.com

Aelphaeis Mangarae · Nov 26, 2019

The game is built on top of SGW3, and this means that it has the exact same key rebinding problems as SGW3. Right down to a typo preventing "use gadget" appearing in the rebinds menu. I made a quick patch to fix (some of) them, and hopefully the developers roll out fixes of their own.

I'm wary of embarking on a full fledged fan patch project for Contracts because the game is getting multiplayer next month, and CI Games are likely going to release a fair few patches of their own.

I've played a few hours of the game, and it's pretty darn good, IMHO. Needs a few patches to iron out bugs, of course, but it gels way better than SGW3 did, and the core gameplay loop of infiltrating, completing objectives, and escaping is thrilling, especially on the hardest difficulty. Strong shades of Project IGI crossed with Hitman. It didn't crash a single time during the time I played, and a friend was telling me that he didn't encounter a single crash -- which is a marked improvement over the crash-prone SGW3. The most glaring bug is that sometimes if you fast travel, you'll end up spawning in the middle of a group of enemies, which predictably ends badly. And you just checkpoint saved in the middle of them. I think they're working on fixing that.

The one thing I'm wary about is difficulty balancing. They have to be careful and distinguish between useful feedback and whining. Because if they listened to every complaint they'd end up with Ubisoft Far Cry-style AI, I think.

There's a very delicate balance between the AI being unresponsive and the AI being razor sharp. For example, you see people on Steam complaining that after they take a few sniper shots, the AI figures out where they are and starts shooting towards them with relatively high accuracy. These same people also tend to complain that they can move near the AI while crouched without being seen. I honestly think a lot of gamers don't understand stealth design. Oh, there are legitimate complaints of bugs where the AI sees you through rocks or whatever. But a lot of gamers don't understand that AI being having narrow field of view and being slow to react when not alerted is INTENTIONAL. The only way you can have enjoyable stealth gameplay where, for example, shooting two NPCs with a silenced pistol is viable, is if you factor this into their AI design. If two NPCs are idling and you murder one, the other one should have a delay between witnessing the dead body and "figuring out" what is going on. Similarly, the only way to stop the player abusing their high powered sniper rifle is to make the AI start spraying lead once their position is determined.

Heck, there are even people who complain that heavily armed soldiers carrying radios "all know where you are" once you start shooting. (Perhaps this is a testament to how players want the AI to shout out "HE IS BEHIND THE SOFA!" in order to perceive the AI as intelligent. FEAR's AI is perceived as far more intelligent and coordinated and "fair" than it actually is because it constantly shouts out player positions without doing anything to act on that information.)

I feel like AI design in games with sniper rifles is this bizarre thing where everyone has an opinion on what's wrong with it, but nobody can cite an example of a game that actually does it well. Sniper Elite 4's Steam forums are full of people claiming that the AI has supernatural awareness arguing against people claiming that the AI is deaf and blind. The Ubisoft Far Cry games seem to have sidestepped the problem by giving scoped weapons ridiculously weak scopes so that "sniping" isn't an actual mechanic. (This is also to hide the concerning low NPC spawn distances.)

The thing about the original Far Cry is that it had AI that realistically spotted the player trying to crouch walk past them in broad daylight, and it turns out players don't want that, either. Players want this fuzzy, indistinct middle ground between stupid and smart. And realism and gameplay often make poor bedmates.

unknownhero · Nov 27, 2019

It's an alright game. took me a fair bit to get used to the sniping mechanic. some of those pathaways are bullshit though, mainly near the end and there's only 5 real levels.

Aelphaeis Mangarae · Nov 27, 2019

Okay, so I decided that instead of waiting around to see what CI Games do, I'd start work on the unofficial patch proper. For starters, I've fixed key rebinding, laser sights rendering incorrectly, the water/texture quality being set incorrectly, and I also added an option to disable hit markers for those that want it. A number of these bugs/issues are directly inherited from SGW3, as previously mentioned. I don't know how much I'll be able to fix because Contracts isn't as glaringly broken as SGW3 was. The problems with SGW3 were so pervasive that I kept finding issues within my power to fix over the course of months/years.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts Unofficial Patch mod

While it is far more polished than its predecessor, Contracts has its fair share of bugs, both new and inherited from SGW3. This project aims to fix as many issues as possible, with the hope that CI Games will shamelessly copypaste these fixes to make...

www.moddb.com

unknownhero said:
...and there's only 5 real levels.

That's somewhat in line with Hitman, to be fair. I think the unknown is how they plan to approach post-release support, because obviously Hitman has enjoyed a steady stream of bug fixes, QoL improvements, new challenges, and also entirely new maps. They would do well to add something new to the singleplayer every time they release a patch, even if it isn't a huge addition. A new gun, a new challenge, etc. I personally think they should try salvaging some stuff from SGW3 as clearly marked bonus missions. There are some beautifully designed buildings with fully modeled interiors in that game that didn't really get used. They should also think about implementing some Sniper Challenge missions, ala Hitman. Such missions can be created very quickly because the player doesn't move (I mean, you can let them move around a platform or whatever, but the player never views the actual level up close.) They've got a great foundation, and if they build on it and don't get greedy with MTs or something like that, they could do well for themselves.

There's also the game's multiplayer which is supposedly coming next month.

Also, they should go back and fix SGW3. Just roll out a new patch that includes a conservative assortment of fixes from my unofficial patch. Nothing dicey. Just fixes for the blatantly broken stuff that they never fixed. Leaving SGW3 broken caused a fair bit of ill will. Although on the bright side, it got my unofficial patch a lot of praise.

Aelphaeis Mangarae · Nov 29, 2019

Patch 1.03 has been released on PC. They certainly seem to be taking responding to play feedback a little more seriously this time. It's only been a week since the Day 1 Patch. I sent them an email with the fixes I implemented in the Unofficial Patch, and with luck they might integrate some of them. I also made the suggestion that they think about rolling some of the SGW3 Unofficial Patch fixes into SGW3, because while CI Games has tolerated the Unofficial Patch on the Steam forums, there's a fair bit of animosity towards CI Games from the community due to the perception that they abandoned SGW3 and that I fixed a game they didn't give a shit about once they'd gotten player's money. This is a perhaps unfair appraisal of a company that fell into dire straits and laid off most of its staff and desperately pivoted to SGW Contracts.

● Fixed - Random Crash on AI path finder.
● Fixed - Random crash in AI behavior tree.
● Fixed - Random crash on C4 detonation.
● Fixed - The silencer sound bug on the Soris T50. The silencer works but the sound is still loud like when unsilenced.
● Fixed - Collectibles should be visible on map.
● Fixed - Scope zeroing after loading checkpoint - elevation is reset to 0.
● Fixed - Attachments description for BLOWER
● Fixed - Attachments description for STURM - PRECISION
● Fixed - Attachments description for XCR 700
● Fixed - Attachments description for SORIS T50
● Fixed - Attachments description for OFB SVD
● Fixed - Attachments description for RB 82
● Fixed - Attachments description for ESR 2020
● Fixed - Attachments description for KSV 2020
● Fixed - Attachments description for EMS SR 25
● Fixed - Attachments description for GASTON 21
● Fixed - Attachments description for GUSS M9
● Fixed - Attachments description for ROTWEIL M23
● Fixed - Scopes description for HUB-93
● Fixed - Scopes description for HJ 7.62
● Fixed - Scopes description for SV - AMUR
● Improved - Fast travel turn off while there is active bounty.
● Improved - Mouse pointer in menu.
● Fixed - 100% competition on each map. Bounties does not register after restart.
● Fixed - Ambient audio after hiding in box.
● Improved - Added loot marker on bounty body.
● Improved - Added pop-up info when you see jammer for the first time.
● Improved - New / changed localization strings.
● Improved - Grass vegetation pierceability.
● Fixed - Issue with counting contract points for completing challenges.
● Gadgets capacity change after throwing stone was fixed.
● Improved - Minor fixes on maps where player could stuck.
● We added information about saving loadout during gameplay.
● We added "T" and "F" button for "binoculars" and "use gadgets" in keyboard settings.

Altai Mountains
● Fixed - Issue with laptop on Altai Mountains used to hack drones appear highlighted in scout mode after drones have already been hacked or destroyed.
● Improved - Fast travel point in Altai Mountains.

Kolchak Harbor
● Fixed issue with spawning near to AI after save after killing target on Kolchak Harbor.
● Moved save trigger on Kolchak Harbor map farther from enemy AI.
● Fixed - A bug with repeating dialogue in canal outpost.
● Fixed - Issue with laptops on Kolchak Harbor used to hack turrets appear highlighted in scout mode after turrets have already been hacked or destroyed.
● Fixed - NPC pathing issues in canals area on Kolchak Harbor.
● Removed faulty ex-nav from track vehicle in Containers area on Kolchak Harbor.
● Solved - Issue with bounty on Kolchak Harbor map which was falling to the water after kill.
● Removed - Unnecessary navmesh around destroyable vehicles throughout the map on Kolchak Harbor.
● Pair of guards in Containers on Kolchak Harbor area will no longer split during their patrol.
● Two guards of target bounty, under bridge on Kolchak Harbor, will now properly conduct their patrols.
● Some NPCs in Warehouses area will no longer spawn / de-spawn when player is inside the Icebreaker on Kolchak Harbor.
● GAZ in Warehouses on Kolchak Harbor area will no longer be permanently occupied by gunner - instead when no alarm gunner walks around it and can be shoot.

Beketov Valley
● Fixed - Problem with disappearing AI on vn Beketov Valley while looking on villa building.

Arakcheyev Fortres
● Antanasia on Arakcheyev Fortres will no longer stuck during one of her patrol routes.
● Fixed - Arakcheyev Fortress region challenge - Misleading description now its correct - The player has to kill 5 enemies.

Sibirskaya - 7 junction
● Invisible ladders removed from train wagons.
● Fixed - Issue with some cables hanging in the air.
● Fixed problem that sometimes NPCs are walking into geometry endlessly in Underground area.
● Ziplines will no longer cause player to fall down from the train wagon.
● One of the ziplines from Dam area made higher to prevent possibility of player falling down at the end.
● Added - Missing strategic points info on the map.
● Truck on HQ was moved to different position which prevents physics issues.
● Extreme navigations corrected on one of the side-entrances to HQ.
● Fixed - Issue with player being able to hang endlessly after climbing the train cart in valley next to the starting area.
● Radio station used to lure target / alert outpost is now visible in scout mode.
● Various fixes to vegetation clipping and terrain texture stretching.

Steam :: Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts :: Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts Patch 1.03 out now.

This patch includes a number of bug fixes and improvements made to the game. Please read through the patch notes to see what’s been changed. GENERAL ● Fixed - Random Crash on AI path finder. ● Fixed - Random crash in AI behavior tree. ● Fixed - Random crash on C4 detonation. ● Fixed - The...

steamcommunity.com

Incidentally, I am wary about their monetization plans for Contracts. They originally claimed there wouldn't be loot boxes or microtransactions. I'm ruling out loot boxes, but they already have preorder DLC weapons and skins that you can buy for a few bucks, and it looks like they're adding a new DLC gun and some new DLC skins soon. They need to be very careful. Contracts being (reasonably) polished and very fun has earned them a lot of goodwill. But if they start getting greedy with MTs, they risk upsetting people. I'm not the type that upsets like that, but nickel and diming reskinned guns from SGW3 makes me look at you sideways.

Deleted member 113 · Dec 11, 2019

Thanks for your detailed updates, Aelphaeis Mangarae.

I really need to play the game.
I pre-ordered it (I'm a fan of the Hitman series, and this game seemed like a cross between that series with Sniper games), but I haven't been able to play much of anything lately.

How much does each mission usually take (for the first time)? One hour? Two hours?

Also, I'm sure you noticed already but the DLCs that they added since you posted were all free, so hopefully they'll continue being generous with their content (and maybe only charging for new maps/missions).

Aelphaeis Mangarae · Dec 11, 2019

FunktionJCB said:
How much does each mission usually take (for the first time)? One hour? Two hours?

I'd say that each mission takes approximately an hour to complete all the main objectives, depending on playstyle.. But there are challenges, bounties, etc. So the game is designed to be played repeatedly to some extent. And the sandbox nature lends itself to trying the objectives again. So you can probably complete the game in 5-6 hours if you beeline, but a more general approach will last about 10 hours, I think. Maybe longer, depending on how much you enjoy the core loop.

Basically the game structure is that you complete an objective, and these glowing pillars appear on the map. You go to one of them, and stand there to upload the data to your handler. The game also has checkpoint saves but these are more "Entered this area on the map, so you'll be back there if you die". You can basically tackle one objective at a time, uploading the data to your handler in between. You don't have to complete all the objectives in one go, although I think there is a challenge to do that. The game's save system is checkpoint-based and this is deliberate according to the devs. In order to actually complete an objective you have to get in, complete the task, and get out. And the getting out can be the difficult (and thrilling) part.

FunktionJCB said:
Also, I'm sure you noticed already but the DLCs that they added since you posted were all free, so hopefully they'll continue being generous with their content (and maybe only charging for new maps/missions).

I was quite pleased to see that, yea. I think the big question now is how they're going to handle multiplayer, as well as post-release SP content beyond new skins and guns. The multiplayer could be very good for the game. SGW3 had MP that people wanted to like (and some people still play it), but it was riddled with cheaters. They've implemented EasyAntiCheat for Contracts, which should help.

It's a radically better game than anything CI Games' FPS team has made before, and I really hope it translates into good long-term sales. I love the reemergence of AA FPS titles. The fact that the game released over 2 weeks ago, yet has 24 hour player peaks of 1,105 in the middle of the week indicates that they've crafted something people keep coming back to.

I'm also rather impressed by how they're handling patching. While I'm a little perturbed by the fact the game still has unresolved bugs from SGW3, they have a feedback thread set up, and they've been releasing a new patch every week with a fairly decent changelog. People's issues are being addressed. Not all of them, but there's this distinct "the devs are listening" impression that really helps build community. (Especially important after SGW3 was such a mess.)

|OT| Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts

anime occult member

MetaMember

MetaMember

MetaMember

anime occult member

MetaMember

anime occult member

MetaMember

MetaMember

Segata's Disciple

MetaMember

MetaMember

anime occult member

MetaMember

anime occult member

MetaMember

Junior Member

MetaMember

MetaMember

anime occult member

Deleted member 113

Guest

MetaMember