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Max Payne Fan Stuff
Over the weekend, we noticed that a couple of sites have started having information available on mod info as well as some level editing tutorials. Check 'em out:
1. http://www.maxpaynecenter.com
2. http://www.paynereactor.com
The first mods available include ones like this:
Drakus Mod
Super Slowdown - When you use bullet time without the combo it will be about half as fast as the usual bullet time, it will be unlimited, and it will have rocking music. . . I had to add that! Better duel berettas - I made the duel berettas very very powerful and twice as fast. They go well with the Super Slowdown feature.
Level Selector Mod
Now select all the levels you want to play again!! Including the end combat bonus level This mod is not meant to be a cheat! After I had finished the game and wanted to play some cool levels, I realized that I had to start all over again. That's why I created this level selector.
Skin Changer
Play with other characters then Max Payne. These mods don't change the games cut scenes, so if you use the dawn_candy skin you will only see her when your actually playing the game.
Make sure and hit both of these sites today, there's some good stuff there. Also, check out our out our Max Payne page for more links. If you know of a good Max Payne fan site that's not listed, let us know.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:15 PM
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Max Payne v1.01 Patch Released
A very small amount of folks were having some problems with Max Payne, and to that, a v1.01 patch has been released. Here's what that patch fixes:
1. Exit to desktop stability issues addressed: The issues with the game crashing to Windows desktop when loading a new map have been addressed.
2. Game doesn't start with some CD-ROM drives: A newer version of Safedisc copy protection is now in use.
You can download this patch now (it's about 6Mb) if you have issues with either thing mentioned above. If you don't have the problems listed above, you don't really need the patch (although it won't cause any problems if you use it). Here's the download locations (once we get more, we'll post them):
* Fileplanet
* 3D Files
* Blue's News
* Edome (Finland)
* Gameplex
* PC Zone (UK)
Posted by Joe Siegler at 11:30 AM
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Fan Reaction to Max Payne
The game is out, and the vast majority of players seem to really like it. So, because we're not above self-promotion, here's a few comments we copied off various gaming message boards today:
"I give the game a MAJOR A+ . . it rocks. Period."
"The game flat out rocks. No if's and's or but's. I've been following it since it was first announced and I am happy to say that it definitely lives up to it's hype."
"Jeez this game is amazing.. I played the game straight for 5 hours last night...I am NOT disappointed. "
"The story it quite atmospheric, the bullet time stuff isn't gimmicky and is very necessary if you want to survive at all. Player models are beautiful, the game just oozes class "
"I'm really enjoying it... good stuff. The story is quite engaging, too."
"Whoa, this game rocks. I haven't finished the first 'episode..?' I guess and I have played about 4-5 hours of game play. Really solid game play, the bullet-time is satisfying and addictive."
"Max Payne is a surefire winner of Best Action Game 2001"
"This game is so f**king cool."
"Just bought Max Payne and to my delight (I haven't even played the game yet) when I opened the box, out slides a DVD "snapper" case, ala PS2 games! The front and back of the snapper case exactly resembles the front and back of the retail box. Ultra Cool! The instructions are inside the DVD case just as they are in the PS2 cases. I can only hope that this is the first of many games/companies that utilize the DVD snapper cases. Let's do away with the HUGE retail boxes that take up tons of wall space and just end up in landfills! Looking forward to Duke Forever in a snapper case as well! Kudos!!"
"Guess what, the game is BADASS!!"
"This game is living up to the hype from the 2 hours I've played."
"As for the game, well, I don't usually play 3D shooters at all, but this time I fell for the hype and patriotism and bought it. And it is good. It's just so great to jump through a door in slow motion and blast everyone in the room. Bullet time and shootdodging work very well and the cinematic bad guy death sequences are nice, too."
"Anyway, wow! I am really early on in this game, but I am really glad I took the chance and bought it. I was quite hesitant when it was third person only, but man its cool. The bullet movement, shootdodging etc are really NOT gimmicks. they are extremely well implemented tools that are needed to take down groups of baddies. I expect imitators to start rolling out any second now. Its got a good story line, so far, and great graphics, and sound. Controls are bueno. Anyway, if this game continues to the end with this caliber of quality, it will enter into an elite cadre of titles, like Half Life, Deus Ex and NOLF."
"While I'm stuck on the 4th Chapter, the game is literally awesome. The whole control system is solid, and the game play varies. It's fun, the story, script and plot is pretty well done, and the comic cut scenes really add to the entirety of the game."
"This game is a definite must buy."
"The game is awesome, it brings back the single player memories of Half-Life. The matrix effects were implemented very well."
"It F**KING ROCKS. this is more fun than ...well, lots of things. oh, and at 1:30, best buy had only 2 left on the shelf. out of 86 ordered. the controls are mostly intuitive and easy to use. the bullet time is freaking awesome."
"I'm really enjoying it ... the slow mo rocks, and the story has been cool."
"Wow. I repeat. Wow. I'm impressed. I've only played for a short period, but damn. There's just something immensely satisfying about shootdodging to the left, and spraying a host of enemies with the Ingram in the tutorial level. Rock. Thank you, Remedy. Thank you, 3D Realms."
"Finally got to play Max, and damn, it's slick. The photorealism of everything is very refreshing."
"Best shooter in a long time. Very polished. Good UI...GREAT quit screen...fun cut scenes...good load time...and I have learned not to smash some items with a pipe because I'm trying to save ammo. Ok gotta go...must inflict some Hong Kong ass beating Payne."
"If anyone who hasn't picked it up yet has any interest in the game, GO GET IT. Very polished, fun as hell, and no bugs so far."
"Bullet time is really awesome. I don't generally like 3rd person shooters, but done right...and max payne has everything right...its awesome. good job remedy and good job 3d realms for doing whatever you guys did for them, and the mouse pad and DVD case are great additions."
"Guys this is the game of the year no doubt. I have played for a few hours now and just got to level 10 (for those who got that far its last level before chapter 2) level 10 was the freakiest experience for me ever in any game. I wont spoil it but ones you get there you ll see what I mean. sound effects and camera angles in that level will just ***** you up and spit you out. (I still cant close my mouth all the way) anyways I am not sure how other games will do this year but at this point, GAME OF THE YEAR"
"I think the game lived up to all the hype, easily. The visuals, sound, atmosphere, story, and game play are all top notch. The feeling of walking into a room full of thugs and deftly gunning them all down while dodging about in action movie style, all without taking a single scratch, is unparalleled. The voice acting is pretty damn good for a game, the only games I've heard with better are some RPGs and Giants. Bullet time has to be seen to appreciated."
"I love the game. Very easy learning curve. I'm only about an hour into, but so far so good."
"I've been playing the game for about 6-8 hours now and its got an AWESOME story line. Its very in-depth and the textures just look amazing. Overall this game rocks."
"Hell this game is AMAZING! I have to say its better than I first thought. The graphics are a DREAM. The game controls are soooo easy, plus at first when I was reading about the game I thought 'third person!!!! no way that sux', but hell I would not want to play this game in first person. You wouldn't be able to see as much. the developers have created this masterpiece."
"OH MY F**KING GOD! I just played through a hour of this game. AWESOME."
"This game rocks, being a big fan of Matrix and John Woo movies, the bullet time feature is a gift from god."
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Posted by Joe Siegler at 11:10 AM
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Max Payne Has Shipped!
Well, it's finally happened! Max Payne has shipped. If you were up late last night, you saw George Broussard's .plan file update which detailed a delay we experienced in receiving Max Payne from the manufacturer. Here's some of what George had to say:
We really, really had things all planned out to ship on Monday, but it will be Wed afternoon now. Here's what happened. We had it all lined up to get our units Monday AM so we could ship most of them that night. Apparently someone at the production facility (that built the Max Payne boxes) in Canada screwed up on the customs form. FedEx moved the shipment to Memphis, TN and held them there. They were lost in the system for half a day as people tracked them down. They didn't get released until today and then we come to find out that FedEx won't deliver them to us as arranged. The shipment was too big (but they had no problem taking them from Canada to Memphis - go figure). So we scrambled and hired a trucking company to drive to Memphis, load the Max boxes, and drive them back to Dallas so we can ship them.
George wrote that at about 11:30PM on Tuesday night. The Duke team proceeded to stay here overnight waiting for the orders to come in. At 4:15AM or so, the van we hired to bring the boxes from Memphis to Garland arrived. All of us were here by then, and we unloaded, packed, stuffed, shipped, taped, basically whipped all the pre-orders out of here in a day. The boxes that George referred to above were a real help in getting the thousands of pre-orders we had piled up put together and out the door today.
Anyway, the bottom line is that if you pre-ordered with 3D Realms, your order is on it's way. As George said above, our shipment was unfortunately delayed there's more to his story in his .plan file)- we were hoping to have the bulk of the pre-orders in people's hands today, but they're on their way now - US orders went out Priority Mail (2-3 days), and foreign orders will take a bit longer than that (obviously). We took pictures of this mass flurry of packing & shipping, you can check them out by clicking on the picture below. The picture below is of the first one we packaged at about 5AM this morning - that lucky person was Harley M. of Greenville, MS (Harley won't get his (hers?) any faster than anyone else - that was just the first one packed).
Don't forget to check out our photo album of putting the Max orders together by clicking on the picture below.
UPDATE @ 1PM: The photo album has been updated with more pictures - but that's all. It's time to go home and get some sleep!
Posted by Joe Siegler at 11:30 AM
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More Fun Max Payne Stuff
Over the last couple of days, we were sent some cool fun art for Max Payne. First is a picture drawn by the Penny Arcade guys, Tycho & Gabe. Check it out, it's pretty funny. And after you check out the photo, check out the Penny Arcade site, it too is damn funny.
Second is a photo which was submitted through our Camera Captioning Contest email, and while it's not eligible for the contest, it's damn funny, and we wanted to share that as well. If you remember last week we posted a photo of the Remedy team after Max Payne had gone gold. Well, someone decided to have some fun with that.
With either picture, make sure and click on the thumbnail for a larger photo.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 8:30 AM
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Max Payne Status Update
Here's a Max Payne status update for everyone.. We think you'll enjoy it.
*Max Payne has been in duplication since July 16th.
*As of tomorrow, July 20th, the bulk of the boxes will have been assembled and ready for shipping.
*The final boxes should start to hit the trucks on July 23rd and will arrive in stores around the 26th (in the US).
*3DR pre-orders should be shipped very early next week, as we get our shipment from Take 2 on Monday.
*Remedy and 3DR are working on the demo for Max Payne now. Expect it out a couple of weeks after the game hits the shelves. It looks to be fairly large, and could easily be in excess of 120 megs. This is due to lots of art, sounds, and map data. We're basically not going to trim the content of the demo to make it an easy download.
Once we receive the shipment from Take 2, we will update again once we start shipping!
Posted by Joe Siegler at 5:15 PM
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Max Payne Gold Coverage
As was announced yesterday by the cryptic one word announcement, Max Payne has gone gold. For those of you who don't know what that means.. It doesn't mean that the game is shipping, it means that it's been given the final clearance from development and has been released to manufacturing. The game has a final test to pass - that being that the installation master will install on all the test machines, then it's off to duplication. We don't know yet what actual date the game will hit the streets, we'll know in the next couple of days what's going on there. Once we do, we'll report back.
Game sites have been buzzing with the news of Max Payne's completion, and here's a sampling of coverage overnight..
First up is
an interview with Scott Miller over at VoodooExtreme on the game going gold. In it, Scott talks about what it's like finally finishing the game. Here's some of what he has to say..
But it truly is a good feeling to see it released�this is one of the best times to be a developer, when you know you have something good and there�s a high amount of anticipation for it to finally be in players� hands.
When you finish the game you�ll feel like you�ve been the main character in a novel, actually living the story. I can�t think of any other action game that has made me feel this way.
Second up is a mini interview with Aki M��tt� of Remedy also on the game being finished which was also posted over at Voodoo Extreme. Here's what Aki had to say..
VE -- Max Payne has gone gold, how do you feel?!
AM -- Numb. I never feel a thing at an occasion like this - guess it'll hit me in a week or two (latest when the game hits the streets).
VE -- In your own words, why do you think Max Payne kicks ass?
AM -- The feeling, the coolness, the action, the insane things we never told anybody about.
VE -- The game really took a long time to develop, do you feel all the extra effort Remedy put into it will be worth it?
AM -- You expect some other answer than 'yes' here?
Of course Max is/was our first major title, so part of the development process was purely a learning experience, but in the end, the time was spent very rationally; you'll be able to tell we're not exactly your average 12-18 month title.
Finally, we have some quotes from some various gamers around a few game news forum sites...
* This game looks like it could a lot of fun. I'll buy it and give it a whirl. - Computerboy, Shacknews
* WOOOHOO! And I just ordered my new system up! - Capt Gerkin, Bluesnews
* Bring on the Payne! Gimme the Payne! - Rustic, Voodoo Extreme
* This game will rock my world - KingDePork, Shacknews
* W0000000t!!!! GOOOOOOLD! GOLD GOLD GOLD!!! i've been waiting for this for so long i can't wait until I hold the CD in my own hands.....yeeaaaah!!!!! - Neo69, Voodoo Extreme
* I am so ready for this game. Can't you feel it? It's like electricity in the air - Wunderbred, Shacknews
* WOOHOO! First action game in a loooong time that I'm really looking forward to! - Tunis5000, Voodoo Extreme
* Now this is news I can like! - A Lonely Hat, Weekly Web News
* Sweet! I've been looking forward to this one for a long time. Congrats to Remedy! - Ceridus, Voodoo Extreme
* Sweet! I'm getting this game for sure. The movies that are available look pretty killer. - Partar, Stomped
* What? It's Gold?!? Is the world coming to an end or something? - Kickassguy, Voodoo Extreme
* Let me say... FINALLY! I'm reeling with anticipation! - Zoesch, Shacknews
* Congrats, this game looks like some real fun. - Arithmatic, Voodoo Extreme
* My nipples are so hard they could cut glass! - Heywood J, Shacknews
For those of you who haven't done so, make sure and pre-order your copy of Max Payne with 3D Realms directly by hitting http://www.buymaxpayne.com - That site does require a credit card, if you don't have one, you can still pre-order with us, the info for that is available here.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 12:15 PM
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Max Payne Game Info
As Max Payne nears completion, we've been inundated with requests for info, both via email, and on our forums. One of the questions frequently asked is "How much space will this take on my hard drive?" That question was recently answered by one of the Remedy folk, Sami Vanhatalo. Here's what he had to say on this matter:
Full install: 830 MB
Minimum install: 530 MB
Minimum install will load the levels from the game cd. Full installation is recommended for optimal performance.
Check out the thread on our forums for more on this issue, as well as some info on the game tools that will come on the CD.
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Posted by Joe Siegler at 4:25 PM
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Shacknews Max Payne Preview
Also this evening comes a Max Payne preview by Steve Gibson of Shacknews. Steve was here at 3DR a week or so ago, and now his hands on preview of the game available. Check out what he had to say:
*A lot of the enjoyment is derived from the feeling that you are playing in a movie.
*I cant honestly really recall the last time I ever really felt compelled to pay close attention to the plot of a game but the graphic novel style of presentation really got a hold of me.
*The well crafted high-resolution textures are what really makes things look so good.
*Just about everything you see sitting around or hanging on walls can be shot up.
*As an avid movie lover this game suited my personal tastes nearly perfectly.
Make sure and head over to Shacknews to check out everything that Steve had to say!
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Posted by Joe Siegler at 11:45 PM
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Stomped Max Payne Preview
The gaming news site Stomped has placed their Max
Payne preview online this afternoon, joining the other previews available (scroll down this page to see them). Here's a bit of what they had to say about the game..
*I can tell you that it (Max Payne) is definitely a title worth keeping your eye on and picking up when it hits the shelves.
*The graphics in the game set a very high standard as far as detail is concerned. Textures are photo realistic, and characters look almost real. The best part is that it does not require a super high-end system to get the detail.
*The characters in the game seem above average in the intelligence category. They will take cover or run to bring their buddies for help.
*The levels are designed in a fashion that is more real world and less typical third person. In all honesty, the game feels closer to a first person shooter than third person. This is definitely not a bad thing in my book.
*Voice-overs verbalize the dialog displayed in the graphic novel scenes. I found this method of story telling a nice change.
*Is it an evolutionary step that advances the genre? Definitely!
In addition to
this preview of Max Payne, Stomped has a mini interview online with Petri J�rvilehto of Remedy asking a few questions about Max, now the the game is almost finished.
Make sure to check it all out today!
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Posted by Joe Siegler at 4:30 PM
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Gamespy Max Payne Preview
On Friday evening, we got an email from Hellchick over at Gamespy that her Max Payne preview is online and ready for your perusal. It too, like the Gamespot preview below spooges about Max Payne - in fact we won't hold you back any longer, here's some of what they had to say...
*Remedy is putting games on a new artistic level with Max Payne.
*The resulting peek showed that Max Payne should dominate game shelves this summer with its tight weave of grim, dark story and film-inspired action.
*The story line is extremely important -- unlike many action games where the overarching plot merely serves as a backdrop for the action and could probably be removed without significantly affecting the game
*Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the game is how much the player will care about Max and what happens to him; Max's character is very three dimensional.
*Rather than require you to choose an easy, normal, or hard difficulty level before starting the game, the difficulty level is calculated dynamically based on things like the number of times you die in a level and your accuracy.
*(About Bullet Time) The camera panned around in a close Matrix-like circle while I watched Max's bullets utterly perforate the guy, who fell backward as Max continued to dive slowly over his crumpling body. It was...an emotional moment.
Go
over to Gamespy now, and check out what they have to say about Max Payne.
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Posted by Joe Siegler at 9:50 PM
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Max Payne Gameplay Video Available
This week, a game play video was released on the official Max Payne Web site at http://www.maxpayne.com. This video shows Max in action doing several of his "moves" - if you want a sneak peak at some of the action in Max Payne, you can download the video here. The video is a Quicktime Video file.
For more information on Max Payne, please visit our Max Payne web page, or the Official Max Payne Web site.
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Posted by Joe Siegler at 6:15 PM
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Max Payne Review by Gamespot
Last week, we had three folks in from Gamespot to play Max Payne. Today, a review of that play session is online. Check out some of what they had to say:
* After having the game demonstrated to us by Project Lead Petri Jarvilehto in May during E3, we were surprised to discover how simple it is to play Max Payne. But after playing the game for only a few minutes, controlling Max and executing his bullet-time maneuvers to their fullest potential quickly became second nature to us.
* Max Payne's bullet-time mode is truly something to behold. While activated, the game moves so slow that you can actually see each individual bullet that you (or your enemies) fire as its exits the barrel of its gun and makes it way toward its intended target.
* The entire game is actually narrated through the use of quality voice-overs and more than 200 of these storyboards, which, as 3D Realms' Scott Miller pointed out, took Remedy Entertainment longer to put together than pre-rendered animation would have.
* Like 3D Realms' last hit, Duke Nukem 3D, Max Payne will stress the importance of environmental interactivity to keep the player as immersed as possible.
* From our time with Max Payne, the most disappointing part was when we were forced to leave.
Gamespot had a lot to say about what they saw and played - if you are a fan of Max Payne - you owe it to yourself to read this. Please be warned however, that there are some minor spoilers in the review.
The game is getting close - but remember, the release date is "When it's done" until announced either here or on the Remedy web site.
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Posted by Joe Siegler at 5:45 PM
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Max Payne Status Update
George Broussard has posted an update in his .plan file about the status of Max Payne. Here it is...
Some 4th of July Max Payne news bits for you all.
* The game is essentially done. It's close to a final release candidate and feature freeze (hopefully later this week). From there it will be bug/compatibility fixes only. We're signed off on mouse pads, boxes and everything except the manual (which should be done Friday/Saturday). At that point we just play test and wait on the gold CD.
One area of focus now is tweaking the harder skill levels that unlock after you beat the game, including New York Minute. In NYM, you start with time on a clock and it counts down. Every time you kill a guy you get more time. If the timer hits zero you die. It's a really, really fun way to play the game after beating it the first time.
* Yes, there will be a demo. I'd imagine it will be out a couple of weeks after Max hits store shelves.
* Gathering of Developers should announce a street date for Max soon. It's still "when it's done", but as I said above, it's basically done except for bugs and that's the only thing that can hold it back. We're fairly confident we'll hit very close to the street date due to how stable the game has been for the last month.
* The game will ship in DVD cases overseas (as most of the world has a clue, whereas the US lags behind). In the US, Max will ship in a box, but this has a couple of advantages. First, we still put Max in a DVD case inside the box. So the end result is the same for you guys. No more jewel cases! Second, we ate some costs and decided that EVERY box that ships will have a Max Payne mouse pad in it. Consider it an extra bonus for being patient, supporting the game, and just because it's cool.
* You should start seeing hands on previews of Max Payne in the next week. We had GameSpot, GameSpy and IGN here last week, and they played the game themselves for 4 hours. Tomorrow, Sean Martin (Stomped), and Steve Gibson (Shuga Shack) will be here to play Max Payne. There should be a steady stream of press up until release.
An update to this update.. Sean & Steve were here and played the game for a few hours this afternoon.
The game is getting close - but remember, the release date is "When it's done" until announced either here or on the Remedy web site.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 5:30 PM
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