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[Chair Press]

If you're a fan you can help this guy out and post your thoughts on why gamers should buy Undertow here:

http://forums.xbox.com/17168773/ShowPost.aspx

Also, if you're looking for more people to discuss Undertow with, you'll find a bunch on the Xbox.com forums. Maybe we can bring them back to the Chair boards! :)

[Pancho Villa]

So... seeing how I'm pretty much the only one replying to your request, I hope you don't mind this rather detailed report on some bugs I discovered. This is purely constructive criticism, mind you.

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Audio:
First of all, some small issues with the sound. Sometimes, the voice acting in the campaign seems to be a little too low or seems to be getting less priority than other sound effects. For example: the dialog during the second boss fight. When I kept circling around him and never stopped firing, I could hardly hear the conversation due to the metal "clinging" noise when you hit the boss. I could still read what was going on thanks to the subtitles though. Also, during the same boss fight: when either the protagonist or his father say something just moments before the ship goes down, chances are that you'll still hear them talking when the following cutscene has been triggered. The most obvious bug however, is the whailing of the Atlantis race's Destroyer (the largest unit, right?). When you go out of its range so to speak, its sound sample often suddenly cuts off. Furthermore, the noise of the regular boost (I mean, the one you activate with the X button) also stops after a while when you're using it without any interruptions.

Graphics:
Well, not a bug per se, but I was wondering if it would be possible to add an option to toggle v-synch on and off. Or is it within the limits of the engine to at the very least reduce the screen tearing through a patch, like Volition and Ubisoft did with Saint's Row and Assassin's Creed respectively? There isn't much screen tearing in Undertow and I definitely appreciate that, but when things get hectic, it's pretty visible (especially when depth charges have been dropped). I also noticed that it varies with each level: the level where you first meet the aliens for instance, suffers from it the most, even when the situation is relatively calm. It's also quite visible in the next alien level, although that one's only available in the campaign. The screen tearing isn't bad by any stretch (unlike Switchball, among others), but it's a small blemish for a game that has an otherwise very solid engine. Other than that, no complaints.

Online:
I've been playing the online multiplayer for over 15 hours now and I discovered a few minor oversights. One bug is related to the A.I. and the seamless drop-in drop-out nature of joining a game. Let's say that the blue side has conquered every capture point, but there is still one opponent left (that one being a human player). Should he suddenly leave the session, his in-game avatar will naturally disappear, but the counter on top won't immediately go to 0 because of this. All the other players will be forced to watch the counter gradually decrease until it finally reaches 0. This also seems to happen when the remaining opponent is an A.I. drone instead and when the human player leaves during this period. Not terribly annoying, but maybe you (the developers) could look into this?

Another tiny oversight, is the omission of a visual indication when someone's talking after a game has already started. As far as I know, you can only see who's talking through the score board, as long as said person is visible in the top 4 - 5 list. This isn't an issue of course in the pre-game lobby or in co-op sessions for that matter. Either way: it would be nice if you can see someone's nickname when he's talking during a match.

Speaking of the pre-game lobby: I don't know for sure, but sometimes it looks as if other human players get "booted" from your room for an instant when the map automatically changes. This only lasts a few seconds normally and the game seems to put them back in your lobby with nary a hitch, but sometimes it takes a little longer for a person to rejoin your room. Is this intentional, or a bug? Or could it be that someone accidently pressed B?

One other thing: when someone new has joined your room, his name shows up on the screen, that much is certain. However: only the host can see this and no one else. Could the developers change this with a patch so that every one can see this?

Map options and A.I.:
One thing I like about the map options, is that you can create a custom map cycle, just like in Gears of War. One small detail is missing however: a thumbnail for each map, so that you can instantly see which level you highlighted. I noticed that your website has a seperate page (http://www.chairentertainment.com/company/projects/undertow/maps) where you can check out the structure of most maps (but not all), so I was wondering if something akin to these "blueprints" could be incorporated in-game? This would be quite helpful when altering the map cycle.

I'd also like to see some other options become a little more flexible, such as the maximum team score. I wish I could choose 250 or 300, because 200 is every now and then a little too short and 400 lasts way too long for me personally. I'd also like to name the bots myself à la Worms, if that's feasible.

Finally, I would like to mention a couple of flaws concerning the behaviour of the artificial intelligence. For starters, they occassionally get stuck inside those tiny capture points that look like an underwater helipad. Once they're in there, they never get out, not to mention that it's very hard to kill them with depth charges. They also sometimes keep swimming against a wall for a short amount of time, seemingly at random. Finally, the A.I. tends to abandon a capture point (albeit rarely) when it has become neutral or hasn't fully changed colors yet, even when there's no enemy near him. It would also be neat if a nearby bot stuck around a little longer when a human is trying to reclaim a capture point.

P.S.: whoever activates the trap on Tidepool, doesn't get the kills unlike the nuke in Riptide. Could this be changed (as in: the player gets the points if he's still alive, but won't get them anymore when he's killed)?
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That's about all I can remember for now. Please keep in mind that I did not come here to trash / troll the game, since I'm enjoying Undertow very much and consider it to be one of the best games Xbox Live Arcade has yet to offer. I only wrote this post so that it might help the developers address some issues, so that Undertow could potentially become an even better game in the near future.

[Pancho Villa]

Oh, and I also have one request regarding downloadable content (if Chair is in fact creating new maps). I really like the current ones that include timed traps, so I'm hoping more of these are included in a hypothetical map pack. A trap that unleashes one of the campaign bosses (with more health) or a school of relatively small sharks would be pretty cool (imo) for instance.

[Septicliquid]

To expand a bit on what Pancho said for future maps....
A bit more interaction with the environment. It does not have to be something destructible, although that could work. Destroy part of a cliff that starts a massive underwater landslide?
There could be a giant sea squid patrolling a hidden cave shortcut attacking anyone who enters his lair.
Gates/doors that can be activated to allow for easy access to a control point. Defensive measures like charges or turrets.
What about a moving control point, like a giant super sub that is constantly on the move?

I already really enjoy the maps, but these are just a few of my thoughts.

[Pancho Villa]

Oh yeah, one more suggestion: adjusting the way depth charges work. Right now, you can release all of them almost instantaneously, which sometimes turns the game (when competing with other people) into a "spamfest" of bombs. The performance of Undertow's engine also suffers from this, so maybe you guys could limit it to one depth charge at a time (i.e. let the player wait 3 seconds or so before he can drop another one)? This would the game a little more strategic, imo.

[Fallenrat]

If you're a fan you can help this guy out and post your thoughts on why gamers should buy Undertow here:

http://forums.xbox.com/17168773/ShowPost.aspx

Also, if you're looking for more people to discuss Undertow with, you'll find a bunch on the Xbox.com forums. Maybe we can bring them back to the Chair boards! :)
worked for me I saw the website link saw the pretty nice setup site and joined

[Pancho Villa]

Three more things I remembered:

- Sometimes the countdown bar isn't visible. Don't know exactly how this is caused, but it seems to occur when someone hasn't pressed ready yet and the host starts the game anyway.

- I noticed that the Destroyer of the humans has blinking lights on its rear end. They only blink when it's possible for the player / CPU to fire again (which I think is a neat little touch), but the Destroyers from the different races don't have these lights. Would be nice if they had them too.

- An option to enable auto-balance would be nice. It should only "work" when there are at least four people in one game though.

[Fallenrat]

yeah I had a bug I joined a game in the credits and my credits were acting really funny sound was where hosts video was but my video was behind at start

[Kryopsis]

After finishing the Undertow campaign, I must say that the game is the most impressive XBLA game out there. It feels like a complete product as opposed to the many re-releases and quick cash-ins that are flooding Xbox Live. It makes me glad that Microsoft decided on Undertow as compensation for XBL downtime: I can't think of any title more deserving of the credit.
All in all, I'll be recommending this game to everyone. I hope to see some DLC/sequel in the future.

Thank you for this unique experience, ChAIR entertainment!

[Tanthius]

Of course it goes without saying that this is the best original Xbox arcade game out there. Period. I have to say "original" of course cause Symphony of the Night is on there :D . I would even go so far as to say its considerably better that 95 percent of the retail games on the 360. I am enjoying that game to an extreme degree. Nice job Chair.

This seemed like the most relevant thread on the forums to post this but if it would make more sense to be in its own thread I'll be happy to move it.

I wanted to post some thoughts on the future of the IP.

1. The campaign is fun and interesting with a pretty good if not underdeveloped back story. Obviously you wanted to get a game onto live with a limited budget and a limited size to work with. With these constraints in mind the game is a small miracle. However you could do a good deal more with this game story wise. Perhaps with a sequel or additional content you could continue to grow this games story. Or even take it to the next level and develop a version of the game for retail with a much greater budget. Long story short: I want more.

2. The gameplay is phenomenal and manages to be both deceptively deep, and amazingly simple. However I could see some small things being added to the game to make it more fun without breaching its already polished structure. Adding the aliens to the playable team roster would be a great start. They seem to be already fully balanced and coded so the only reason they are not I imagine is for future release. I can't wait. The leveling up system could use some extra content. Actual physical changes to the models would be a very welcome addition, or perhaps some more obvious benefits to leveling up. When I get killed by a guy riding a shark it would be nice to see him on a Great White so that I know he was level 3. Perhaps more classes or teams could be possible without making things too complex. More is usually better until you hit that point where its too complex or awkward. Some kind of final power up might make things more interesting for more drawn out games. When you hit level three its nice because of the benefits of doing so but it doesn't feel like you hit the end of a series really. I would suggest a fourth level that might change the look and ability of your ship entirely. Something that truly says, "you maxed your destroyer out, and now people will fear you greatly." Nothing too over the top but perhaps a glowing projectile attack or some kind of shield? At least something should be added to make sure you feel like your character is maxed out.

3. Personal flair. It would be nice to see some kind of customization utility that allowed you to separate your character from others. Nothing radical of course but perhaps some form of small icon that floats around your character so that when you come screaming in on them they see that little icon and know its you. Or perhaps a badge that could be put on the submarines or a special dive suit for the smaller characters. Of course these things have no impact on the game itself but it would give a more personal touch and make you fell like your character is more unique. I understand the difficulty of this considering the number of classes there are to choose from but its a thought. People seem to truly enjoy being able to make their in game avatars more personalized.

4. Levels. Its been mentioned before and I'm sure you are working on some but more levels would be wonderful. Things I myself have noticed is how much people love the interactive elements. The nuke and fan blade's are a favorite among the folks I play with. I can't tell you how much fun it is to seal yourself in the bunker and watch the shock wave dent the blast doors. People also really like background animations and style. The greek architecture in the more atlantean levels gets talked about alot and even helps people talk tactically. Such as, "Head to the temple at the top!" or "He just passed the statue to your right!" Adding in more sunken features like Big Ben from the training level could make things much more fun if for no other reason than simple aesthetics. The kelp forest is also a favorite with most of the crew, while the glacier has found itself out of the mix. I think the reason for this is fairly simple. Glacier is boring. There isn't much going on in the background and it just comes off as uninspired. I think however that things could be added to make it more fun. Icy worlds don't have to look bland. The kelp forest on the other hand is fantastic in its design. Though many levels have it its fun to see the whales swim through in the background during a lull in the fighting. And its great fun to set up ambushes by hiding behind the kelp. (though people occasionally hit the left button to bring up names and thus ruin the surprise. Which is another reason the personal icons might be a good idea so that you could remove the name feature and allow people to hide without worry.) Finally it might be neat to be able to hit the surface or even leap from the water using a boost. The final cutscene indicates you already made sky and clouds and surface textures so it doesn't seem like it would be that hard to implement. And it would make the game feel a bit more realistic and less confining.

Just some thoughts on a marvelous game. Keep up the good work and I'll be waiting eagerly for additional content.