Painkiller PC Demo Debuts

Thanks to Blue's News for their story noting a single-player PC demo of DreamCatcher's FPS Painkiller is now available, with the 228MB trial version BitTorrent-able via GameTab and at AixGaming. According to the publisher: "The demo contains 3 Single Player levels including the never-before-seen Oriental Castle, the medieval town level and the Thor level where players will get 'hammered' with one of the biggest, meanest and downright scariest bosses of all time, Saphathoraél." There's a recent hands-on look at the title at C+VG which explains its style, suggesting: "Painkiller is usually likened to Doom or Serious Sam, and that's more or less spot-on, although this is Doom and Serious Sam utilising next-generation technology."

Comments

Torrent FP

[Anonymous Coward]

Direct Torrent

3DGamers

[Synic]

I've tried the GameTab torrents before and have had more success with the 3DGamers seeds.

http://www.3dgamers.com/dlexit/torrent/games/pai nk iller/painkiller_sp_demo_setup.exe.html

Re:3DGamers

[Synic]

Looks like a space got stuck in there, just erase it (between the k and i in painkiller subdirectory in the URL) to fix it.

(first FP ever! wow)

Re:3DGamers

[AvitarX]

FWIW

use the anchor tag for links.

slashdot inserts spaces in long URLs (or any long lines) so that you cannot make ultra wide posts.

Re:3DGamers

[Anonymous Coward]

http://www.3dgamers.com/dlexit/torrent/games/paink iller/painkiller_sp_demo_setup.exe.html

Re:3DGamers

[ksiddique]

As an alternative to downloading from FTP and HTTP sites, I'd suggest checking out a newsgroup such as alt.binaries.games or something similar with your favourite newsreader. The alt.binaries groups usually have the latest demos. And (for me at least) it's a super fast download.

Old School, indeed.

[BrookHarty]

You can really see the ragdoll physics with the havok engine, the game is pure fun. Its evil and dark like Quake2, and the levels are big and detailed. I am really impressed, the end guy and whole demo is extremely fun. Plus lots of "hidden holy" items, and lots of hidden gold.

Really is fun just trying to shoot the guys to watch them fly back with the impact of the weapons, havok really is impressive. After seeing and playing this demo, you can really see how havok is having an impact (pun) in games. HL2 is also using havok, very sweet.

Demo is really worth grabbing for the few hours of gameplay,

Re:Old School, indeed.

[prockcore]

After seeing and playing this demo, you can really see how havok is having an impact (pun) in games. HL2 is also using havok, very sweet.

Max Payne 2 uses Havok as well (and the upcoming MOH Pacific Assault). In Max Payne 2 is a riot tossing grenades on dead bodies just to see them bounce around the room.

Best. FPS. This year.

[Txiasaeia]

Really fun demo! Brought back the good ol' days when I was a lowly marine on Phobos. Some highlights:

-The main weapon, a wooden spear-gun, has a nice projectile arc to it. Haven't seen that in any FPS.
-As other posters have mentioned, it's just plain FUN. No objectives, no stealth, just take your time and nail some corpses to the ground.
-The system specs said that it required a 1.5 GHz machine, so I was a bit leery, but with my 2000+ Athlon, a GF 4200 128MB and 512MB DDR it ran perfectly smooth on 1024x768 maxxed. What a pleasant surprise!

Really, really fun gameplay. I'm definitely a SP gamer, so this is a nice change from the last few days -- Onslaught in UT2004 :)

Painkiller: Realistic Zombie AI Simulator

[superultra]

What has impressed me so far in Painkiller are the innovations in Artificial Intelligence. Half-Life 2, eat your heart out! The enemies act exactly as zombies do in real life, if zombies were in real life. Since zombies feel no pain (they're already dead!) they'll actually run straight at you while you're shooting at them. And as we know, zombies are a collective lot but aren't privy to working in teams so much. You hit one, and the other is completely oblivious that you're hitting his once former brother or wife. That is so realistic! Anyone seen 28 Days Later? Anyone? You remember thinking how great it would be to finally have realistic zombie intelligence and planning recreated in a video game experience? Well here it is!

What's even more impressive are the higher levels of AI, yes I said higher. The horny wizard dead fellows, for example, exhibit completely different AI patterns than our zombie friends. Instead of leaping at you, they'll actually walk slowly as if they're running but they're not, and if you approach they'll push you back! They know when you're close to them! Painkiller effectively integrates LBRS: Location Based Response Subroutines. Really, that's just fancy shmancy lingo for "realistic zombie shootin' fun"!

What will, unarguably, be posted in message boards across the internet in the coming weeks before the release of Painkiller are awestruck comments of its graphics, the use of the latest in crate movement technology (otherwise known as the havok physics engine), or in depth analytical discussions of its plot. However, one should not neglect the unseen "behind the zombie" technological developments exhibited in Painkiller. The AI is undoubtedly one of the most significant "zombie" leaps forward (no pun intended! or maybe it was!) in AI programming since, well, Black & White, if I may say so. And everyone remembers how much fun that game was! This is tenfold! Tenfold! Based on the demo, Painkiller is ramping up to be for zombie games what Full Spectrum Warrior is for the tactical U.S. Military command simulations, nothing short of zombie training. If anything, Painkiller might suffer from too much zombie realism. Hopefully, before the game comes out they can strike that sweet spot of balance between AI that is just too simulation-esque due to realism and AI that is still realistic and yet definitively playable. Here's hoping, zombiefied gamers!

i have to brag about this

[masterQba]

Because the designer is Polish, in Poland the game will retail at about $5. AFAIK Eb Games has it listed at $39,99. Sweet, huh? ;-)

Re:i have to brag about this

[DAldredge]

Are there any shops in poland that will export to the us?

My two cents that I posted on Blue's News...

[antdude]

Here is what I wrote on Blue's News (post #30):

This game is very cool. I wasn't expecting much, but wow. Did anyone figure out what the card thing do? I totally loved that Guardian level. I love how the whole map changes and being thrown in the air is fun! Weee!!! The demo is also long. I think I played it for two hours straight! Small demo size and a very long fun demo. Very impressive.

I don't think I will get the full version since it is a mindless shooting game and I have OTHER games to play, but it is fun like Serious Sam and DOOM games.

Will there be a multiplayer demo with co-op. soon?

Scared the !@#$* outta me...

[AIX-Hood]

This demo deserves to be played in a darkened room with your headphones cranked to 11. The visual and audio quality here is truly of a next generation title. I haven't been scared by a video game since Quake 1, and now Painkiller has taken that honor. Those flying cackling witches and demons that suddenly squirm up from the ground to fling themselves at you are priceless. Most surprises I've had in a long time.

What in the world is WRONG with you people?

[ReyTFox]

Painkiller moves as slow as molasses and has, well, "painfully" repetitive play. The physics additions are little different from any other special effects gimmick - knocking down the balconies was sort of interesting, but the level provided little opportunity to really make use of it other than to take down the odd barrel or zombie. Indeed, the level was garbage. Now, I'll admit that I didn't go the whole way through it before I felt that I'd had enough, but it seemed pretty clear to me that the whole thing wasn't going to be much more than variations on "corridor, corridor, open area. Corridor, corridor, open area. Badger, badger, badger." There was some modest challenge in defeating the zombies and cloaked guys, but that could not possibly sustain the length of an entire game. The zombies in Quake 1 were truthfully much more interesting than these, seeing as they were a real hassle unless you had gibbing power handy.

Apparently Slashdotters will have to get the full version and play through a dozen levels of this tripe to figure that out.

Re:What in the world is WRONG with you people?

[Anonymous Coward]

Hear hear!

This is rubbish, once again everyone goes gaga over some nice graphics and a physics gimmick.

Did Havok pay to get the game made, it feels like an OTT physics demo

1. The game runs incredibly slowly at times (if there are more than 5 monsters or you trigger any large scale physics shananigans).
2. Nothing moves much, all they do is lunge if you get close and throw things. Doom1 was more challenging and dynamic.
3. Levels are identical repetitive mazes.
4. Whole thing is totally linear i.e. boring endless maze.
5. The big cloaked guy got stuck on a corner and just let me waste him at my leisure.
6. The weapons are not satisfying, grenades don't go far enough, stake launcher takes an age to reload and the magic winch thing obscures the scene when fired so you can't dodge incoming fire.
7. The world is not even self-consistent, coffins can usually be smashed, but at one point there are some "special" coffins with monsters in so they are invulnerable until the monsters want to get out. Rubbish.
8. The load time - O.M.G what the hell are they doing? Get killed and you will be sat for literally minutes while it reloads.

Some of this might be fixed for launch, but we all know how often that happens (i.e. hardly ever). Lets hope they at least do something about the load time.

Re:What in the world is WRONG with you people?

[robson]

Painkiller moves as slow as molasses and has, well, "painfully" repetitive play. The physics additions are little different from any other special effects gimmick - knocking down the balconies was sort of interesting, but the level provided little opportunity to really make use of it other than to take down the odd barrel or zombie. Indeed, the level was garbage. Now, I'll admit that I didn't go the whole way through it before I felt that I'd had enough, but it seemed pretty clear to me that the whole thing wasn't going to be much more than variations on "corridor, corridor, open area. Corridor, corridor, open area. Badger, badger, badger." There was some modest challenge in defeating the zombies and cloaked guys, but that could not possibly sustain the length of an entire game. The zombies in Quake 1 were truthfully much more interesting than these, seeing as they were a real hassle unless you had gibbing power handy.

Okay, so... I see what you're saying. And I agree with much of your assessment. Yet, get this:

I had an awful lot of fun playing it. As someone who designs games professionally, I always have to remember that in reflex-based games, game-play has to be engaging at a visceral level first, and then at an intellectual level.

There are lots of tiny decisions in there that made the game work viscerally:

*The slow speed of enemy projectiles, enabling you to dodge a single one easily. However, you get 4 enemies throwing stuff at the same time, *and* you're trying to aim while dodging, it becomes a significant skill-based challenge.

*The "crippled" zombies later on move slowly most of the time, but have a "hop attack" in which they move short distances very quickly.

*The stake gun was just a joy to use, and finally makes rag-doll physics satisfying.

So... I guess what I'm saying is that yes, the game is lacking a high-quality high-level design (like, say, Half-Life); however, they're doing an awful lot of things right on a low-level that help make the experience fun nevertheless. That's often harder to do right than the high level, and I think the Painkiller team deserves credit for it.