http://kotaku.com/5335184/borderlands-box-art-might-blow-your-mind

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/9/2009/08/504x_borderlands_box_art.jpg

I took this off the official Bordlands forums so here's the source thread authored by Kantham (http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=72948).
Official trailers:

Borderlands Character Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pQW6RLceVE) | SEPT 10 2009
Claptrap Web Series EP: 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=876X30YznqE) | SEPT 08 2009
Borderlands Comic Con 2009 Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdBFWti6mkg) | JULY 24 2009
Borderlands E3 09: Exclusive Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG7lSTFtZ9Q) | MAY 31 2009
Old Prototype Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSvTqfmv3DE) | DEC 12 2007

Gameplay Footage/Montage/Previews/Interviews:

HOT!! - Gamespot Borderlands Preview (http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/borderlands/video/6228620/borderlands-video-preview-1?hd=1) | SEPT 18 2009 [Noted by haTts (http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=73846)]
HOT!! - OXCGN Borderlands preview (http://oxcgn.com/2009/09/18/oxcgn-crosses-the-badlands-borderlands-sydney-media-event/) | SEPT 18 2009 [Noted by js123 (http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=73839)]
HOT!! - GameTrailer: Borderlands Preview (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/preview-borderlands/56123) | SEPT 17 2009 [Noted by rickyraws (http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=73799)]
HOT!! - GAX - Hunting Season With Borderlands (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VMhNUIiM7U) | SEPT 16 2009 [Noted by thrasherv3 (http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=73709)]
HOT!! - PAX 09 SarcasticGamer interviews Mike (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26WbaBR6HbQ) | SEPT 16 2009 [Noted by TheMaster]
HOT!! - Gamespot BL Gameplay Demo Featuring "blocky" Lulu :P (http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/borderlands/video/6227710/tots-demo-borderlands) | SEPT 16 2009
HOT!! - IGN Gameplay clips 5-in-1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqiUr_VcJRw) | SEPT 15 2009 [Noted by Steve! (http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=73653)]
Gamespot short clips >Casual player inside!< Vid1 (http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/borderlands/video/6217572) Vid2 (http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/borderlands/video/6217562) Vid3 (http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/borderlands/video/6217561) | SEPT 14 2009 [Noted by Grunger (http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=73621)]
Interview with Mike Inside Gaming PAX (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euILlXvNiMo) | SEPT 14 2009 [Noted by sk8er3577 (http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=73603)]
Interview with Randy "Special Wapens" (http://www.gamekings.tv/index/videos/special-borderlands-wapens) | SEPT 14 2009 [Noted by GrandTickler (http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=73595)]
Colony of Gamers First Look (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eWsQNPXTrE) | SEPT 08 2009 [noted by The Final Storm (http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=73331)]
Off-cam PAX PC Borderlands Vid1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdAazIu_X3o) Vid2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjSKprYmT3Q) Vid3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBMeJtR75E) Vid4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oPk6QfOGrI) | SEPT 06 2009 [noted by stardudekiller and others (http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=73273)]
Off-Cam Borderlands presentation Vid1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6Z0efe9XTE) Vid2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMXeNlmzbTo) Vid3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKxEoe7fLek) Vid4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGjvKGOw7qU) Vid5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3DSrnNX3Yo) | SEPT 04 2009 [noted by Xvito and others (http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=73232)]
Jolly playing Borderlands (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBTcHSuMNX0) | SEPT 04 2009 [noted by js123]
Microsoft Pre-PAX Borderlands Footage: Acid Shotgun (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQJlzX4MYbo) | SEPT 03 2009 [noted by L3VIATH4N]
MTV Game One Gamescom Video Interview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeOipsA-8Zw) | SEPT 03 2009 [noted by TwistedMetallic]
Shaky cam footage from PAX (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sUXYJ-VA04) | SEPT 03 2009 [noted by cshedd]
Gameplay video with actual sounds! Vid1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x75aR7JdXSs) Vid2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfqS6somk3Y) | AUG 31 2009 [noted by BrickBorderlands]
GC 09: Randy Pitchford Interview - GameTrailer (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/gc-09-borderlands/55047) | AUG 26 2009
Gameplay montage - GameTrailer (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/gameplay-montage-borderlands/54862) | AUG 24 2009
GamesCom 09 Video Interview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFZ8Eabo6RY) | AUG 24 2009
BigPond GameArena BL Features (http://www.gamearena.com.au/videos/latest.php/bigpond-gamearena-borderlands-feature) | AUG 11 2008 [Noted by js123]
[Perstrip] Borderlands Vid1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf2ViSuvNVA) Vid2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u7-Bf4b3CQ) | AUG 02 2009
Video Interview by GameSpot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkmLE6n8bH0) | JULY 29 2009
IGN - Preview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd3r8_I36qQ) | JULY 28 2009
GamesTrailer Interview with Randy Pitchford (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3yEFuixfUE) | JULY 28 2009
X Play Borderlands Hands On (4P Co-op) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3jAfVJcfDQ) | JULY 23 2009
E3 09: GameSpot Interview with Mike Neumann (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV_bihaC3tE) | JULY 19 2009
Borderlands Preview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz1fn01aGJU) | JULY 19 2009
E3 09: Interview with Mike Neumann (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1eY_UgBtI) | JULY 13 2009
E3 09: GameTrailers Interview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MadJGL7vtgk) | JUNE 10 2009
E3 09: GameSpot Interview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwdckpfqkzY) | JUNE 08 2009
All Access with Randy Pitchford (http://g4tv.com/videos/28069/Borderlands-All-Access/) | AUG 28 2008 [Noted by Blorg]
E3 08 Presentation (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vooj75Gn82Q) | JULY 19 2008


For those of you having trouble with connecting (http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=1579543) for co-op games on PC.

Borderlands, like many other online multiplayer games, requires that you forward a few ports if you plan on hosting a game. This basically means that if you want people to join your game you need to open up a path in your internet connection for them to get there, otherwise you'll be left to loot all by your lonesome.

But don't worry! This is a pretty easy thing to do!

First, determine whether or not these ports are already open
There are some cases where port forwarding is unnecessary, such as when you connect directly to a single port cable or DSL modem.

To test for this just click each of the following links, it will tell you if the port is open or not. [this section is broken, it'll say closed even if they're open right now, I'll fix later]

7777 (http://www.utorrent.com/testport?port=7777)
28900 (http://www.utorrent.com/testport?port=28900)
27900 (http://www.utorrent.com/testport?port=27900)
28910 (http://www.utorrent.com/testport?port=28910)
28902 - seems like this needs to be open too.


If the ports were closed, we need to determine what kind of router you're using
You'll need to find the model name of the router or router/modem combo you're using. This shouldn't be too hard. Usually, the internet comes in through your modem (box connecting to the wall either through phone line or cable line) and is then passed to a router which sorts and distributes your internet connection to the computers in your house. Go find the latter, turn it over, and look for a brand name and some kind of model number (Ex.: Linksys wrt54g, D-link DI-804). Once you have that go to this link and locate your model:

http://portforward.com/

Follow the instructions provided. The ports you need to open are:

7777 (http://www.utorrent.com/testport?port=7777) (TCP/UDP)
28900 (http://www.utorrent.com/testport?port=28900) (TCP)
27900 (http://www.utorrent.com/testport?port=27900) (UDP)
28910 (http://www.utorrent.com/testport?port=28910) (TCP)
28902 - not in the readme, but opening this port helped alot of people


Once you're done click each port to test if it's really forwarded. Bear in mind that sometimes it takes a minute for the router settings to apply (occasionally you'll even need to reset it before the settings take effect).

Forgot to mention!!!: You'll need to either add an exception to the windows firewall or disable it altogether. I disabled mine; it's all but useless. I'll write up a guide when I'm done with class.

There you have it! Now people can join your games.
If you have any problems feel free to ask questions here or PM me.


I think this might be useful as a sticky.

Some very easy tweaks on PC (http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=79043) that'll make your life easier.

Here's a few tweaks I've come across and found that might help people with 'deconsolizing' Borderlands. I'm going to assume you all know where the location of these INI files are (Usually in USER NAME\Documents\My Games\Borderlands\WillowGame\Config in Vista).

To disable the startup movies:
-----------------------------
Within WillowEngine.ini:

Find:
[FullScreenMovie]
StartupMovies=2K_logo
StartupMovies=Gearbox_logo
StartupMovies=NVidia
StartupMovies=Loading
SkippableMovies=2K_logo
SkippableMovies=Gearbox_logo
SkippableMovies=Attract
SkippableMovies=NVidia

and comment out lines like so:

[FullScreenMovie]
//StartupMovies=2K_logo
//StartupMovies=Gearbox_logo
//StartupMovies=NVidia
//StartupMovies=Loading
//SkippableMovies=2K_logo
//SkippableMovies=Gearbox_logo
//SkippableMovies=Attract
//SkippableMovies=NVidia

If that doesn't work, replace the // with ;


To adjust FOV (Field of View):
-----------------------------
Within WillowInput.ini:
Search for "WillowGame.WillowPlayerInput". Below the chunk of bindings, add the following:

Bindings=(Name="F10",Command="FOV 90",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=False)
Bindings=(Name="F11",Command="FOV 110",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=False)

You can change the keys (F10 and F11) to whatever you'd like, as well as the FOV values.


To disable mouse smoothing:
----------------------------
Within WillowInput.ini:
Search for "bEnableMouseSmoothing" and you should come across the following line:

bEnableMouseSmoothing=True

Change to FALSE. This tremendously improves the feel of the mouse when looking around in-game and navigating the UI.


To disable/adjust weapon view bob:
----------------------------------
Within WillowGame.ini:
Search for "bWeaponBob" and you should come across the following lines:

bWeaponBob=TRUE
Bob=0.005

They should be pretty self explanatory. I can confirm the Bob numerical adjustment does work.


To enable VSync:
-----------------
Within WillowEngine.ini:
Search for "UseVsync" and you should come across the following line:

UseVsync=False

Change to TRUE.


To disable voice chat:
---------------------
Within WillowEngine.ini:
Search for "bHasVoiceEnabled" and you should come across the following line:

bHasVoiceEnabled=True

Change to FALSE.


To enable console:
------------------
*NOTE: This currently doesn't work correctly, it outputs all commands as 'SAY' commands*

Within WillowInput.ini:
Search for "ConsoleKey" and you should come across the following line:

ConsoleKey=

Add 'Tilde' after the equal sign to enable the console (should look like ConsoleKey=Tilde)


Enable Drop Weapon Key:
-------------------------
Within WillowInput.ini:
Search for "WillowGame.WillowPlayerInput". Within that section, search for "ThrowWeapon". By default, it's bound to "Underscore" - I changed mine to V, so it looks like:

Bindings=(Name="V",Command="ThrowWeapon",Control=F alse,Shift=False,Alt=False)


To make zoom a toggle (courtesy of Miker):
--------------------------------------------------
Within WillowInput.ini:

Add the text below under [WillowGame.WillowPlayerInput]

Bindings=(Name="ZoomIn",Command="StartAltFire | setbind RightMouseButton ZoomOut",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=False,LeftT rigger=False,RightTrigger=False,bIgnoreCtrl=False, bIgnoreShift=False,bIgnoreAlt=False)
Bindings=(Name="ZoomOut",Command="StopAltFire | setbind RightMouseButton ZoomIn",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=False,LeftTr igger=False,RightTrigger=False,bIgnoreCtrl=False,b IgnoreShift=False,bIgnoreAlt=False)

Then, edit the preexisting RightMouseButton binding to reflect the change:

Bindings=(Name="RightMouseButton",Command="advance dbutton bAdvancedButtonAux5",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt =False,LeftTrigger= False,RightTrigger=False,bIgnoreCtrl=False,bIgnore Shift=False,bIgnoreAlt=False)

to

Bindings=(Name="RightMouseButton",Command="ZoomIn" ,Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=False,LeftTrigger= False,RightTrigger=False,bIgnoreCtrl=False,bIgnore Shift=False,bIgnoreAlt=False)




To enable scroll wheel in text boxes:
-----------------------------------
Within WillowInput.ini

Search for all instances of the following (there should only be two instances):

InputKeyName="MouseScrollUp",ModifierKeyFlags=42
InputKeyName="MouseScrollDown",ModifierKeyFlags=42

remove the ",ModifierKeyFlags=42" so they look like:

InputKeyName="MouseScrollUp"
InputKeyName="MouseScrollDown"

PS3:
PSN ID: ISAR
Ocajavati
SD: syndragore - PSN ID: as3t1a
SD Name: LordOfChaos <> PSN: C3GzLordOfChaos <> Timezone: EST

XB360:
trujunglist = gt: drumnbass4ever
Jackbauer017
The Jerod King (will be getting it 21st if car works)
V0RT3XC10N
SD: demonhunter189; Gamertag: Tillawen.
SD: waaaagh; GT: Enzo1979
gt: willow ve
Dark Cloud xM - DarkCloudInc [I don't recall exactly]

PC:
Haast (http://steamcommunity.com/id/haast/)
trima (steam: trima (trimae is my gamespy ID) (http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197994581845))
Thermoelectron (Thermoelectron is my Gamespy name) (http://steamcommunity.com/id/BirthdaySuitBurns)
taokay
TRUEfoe (http://steamcommunity.com/id/TRUEfoe)
Terminal Krulian (http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197992738424)
chrisUSC chrisUSC (http://steamcommunity.com/id/chrisusc) (AzzKicknChickn is Gamespy ID)
(eventually)jhu' X13_Y ~ [<3 Allie] ~ (http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197960423757)
Entropic01 (Steam and SD name)
highfloydelity (for Steam and Gamespy)
Anticommon (Antituba)
Steam: Phrozt (http://steamcommunity.com/id/Phrozt/) (HI, PHROZT HERE) - GS: dePhrozt

Suziebee20 - http://steamcommunity.com/id/megamanX619
Gamespy- vgmegax

This post can be edited by most users to provide up-to-date information about developments of this thread based on user responses, and user findings. Feel free to add, change or remove information shown here as it becomes available. This includes new coupons, rebates, ideas, thread summary, and similar items.

Once a Thread Wiki is added to a thread, "Create Wiki" button will disappear. If you would like to learn more about Thread Wiki feature, click here (http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=530283).

The one game that comes to mind to solely benefit from the 2010 delay flu going around. Waiting to see if reviews can give Gearbox Software's former studio status back before BiA:HH released.

I don't like the new artist's styling they decided to go with..I kind of don't want to play the game after that.. :(

I don't like the new artist's styling they decided to go with..I kind of don't want to play the game after that.. :(

Could not disagree more. I really like the new art style, the revised art style was the only thing that made the game stand out to me at all in the first place.

I'm looking forward to this game a lot since I enjoyed Fallout 3 so much. Only behind Uncharted 2 in games I want this holiday season (yes above MW2)

If the game is like Fallout 3 with the addition of online coop and vehicles I will definitely be getting it.

Considering how much positive hype was generating from the change in art style, I'd say it was definitely a good decision on their part. I wonder if there'll be more to pvp than just dueling.

Well..I haven't seen too much of it in the New Art style...but I guess if I saw some gameplay demos in the new art style, I'd probably be able to make a better decision..

Randy Pitchford Interview with some gameplay vid (http://www.giantbomb.com/randy-pitchford-on-borderlands/17-1098/)

I don't like the new artist's styling they decided to go with..I kind of don't want to play the game after that.. :(

:iagree: the gun engine and massiveness of the game is what i was looking forward too until they turned it into a cartoon

Could not disagree more. I really like the new art style, the revised art style was the only thing that made the game stand out to me at all in the first place.

I'm looking forward to this game a lot since I enjoyed Fallout 3 so much. Only behind Uncharted 2 in games I want this holiday season (yes above MW2)

X2. From the vids I've seen it looks like playing in a graphic novel/high end comic. The gameplay looks like it'll have alot of replay value too. Too bad they couldn't do a MMO type deal out of this.

Randy Pitchford Interview with some gameplay vid (http://www.giantbomb.com/randy-pitchford-on-borderlands/17-1098/)

Wow...totally bad a$$! New artwork looks awesome.

Any game that lets me collect tons of junk by killing things at least warrants a try from me.

Any game that lets me collect tons of junk by killing things at least warrants a try from me.

Article you may enjoy is here: http://bitmob.com/index.php/mobfeed/7-Reasons-Why-Loot-Whores-Will-Love-Borderlands.html

It's amazing that 2K is really banking on this game this holiday season as it's the company's only release. I've got to think that internally they think this game will be very good.

It's amazing that 2K is really banking on this game this holiday season as it's the company's only release. I've got to think that internally they think this game will be very good.

Well I have a friend who's been talking about it pretty much non-stop for the past 6 months about it (really) so I'm guessing he's going to get it...

I'm interested in buying it for Co-op on PC but none of my RL friends play video games. And from what I've read, there isn't a looting system which might lead to loot hoarding by one person.

This sounds like it would be a stellar MMO. Looks very interesting tho. There's PVP?

This sounds like it would be a stellar MMO. Looks very interesting tho. There's PVP?

It isn't an MMO. You can duel your teammates anywhere and there are places in the world that serve as "stadiums" for team based dueling. Now they haven't specified whether it's just up to four players in that stadium or if your group of 4 can up against other groups of 4 online. But I'm guessing it's the former and not the latter.

It isn't an MMO.

I know. Any info. on the car part of this game? Customization?

I know. Any info. on the car part of this game? Customization?

I didn't see anything about vehicle customization but doesn't mean there won't be any. (See minute 4:20 of the G4 video below) I think there's like 10-12 vehicles in the game.

There's a ton of info/speculation on the Borderlands forum below.Character customization will be via skill trees. Each character has their own set of special skills but the characters have a tank, "mage", ranged attack and support roles.

It doesn't look like you'll be able to customize your character's look but that doesn't really matter that much to me. I can kill raiders just as easy without a mohawk. :D

The CEO says DLC already in development. From seeing some of his interviews it looks like the CEO is a gamer so expect some support down the road...not bashing too much....unlike Mass Effect.

Skip the "Valentino Rossi" commentary for a good look at some co-op gameplay.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isAyZUUtBo8

Borderlands forum here:
http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/forumdisplay.php?f=71

and G4 co-op.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3jAfVJcfDQ

i'll reserve judgement until I play it but definitely not a fan of this art style. I'll still give it a try though.

wow so I didn't know anything bout this game and thought the cover was incredibly juvenile... until I saw some gameplay vids. I am now incredibly interested in this game...

Article you may enjoy is here: http://bitmob.com/index.php/mobfeed/7-Reasons-Why-Loot-Whores-Will-Love-Borderlands.html

:drool: Being able to collect tons of junk is one of the main reasons I still haven't finished playing Fallout 3.

i'll reserve judgement until I play it but definitely not a fan of this art style. I'll still give it a try though.

I usually think you're a douchebag, but I'm going to agree with you that the newer art style looks like it sucks on this game.

Some gameplay without CEO talking over top of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAkxlSCNmac

More:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfqS6somk3Y

Enjoy.

Sam Bishop from 1up.com via neogaf forums (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=17312695&postcount=852)

Preview builds are out to press right now, but we can't talk about it until the middle of next month, which is killing me. I don't think those worrying in this thread will have to do so much longer. I haven't wanted to play a full retail build of something so bad in a looong time. Mark 9/15 on your calendars; there should be lots of new, hours-long, hands-on impressions hitting then.

...OhgodIwannaplaymore

Can't wait to hear more impressions.

I'll eventually get this game...but probably after or for Christmas. I'll be to busy still with Call of duty and Left 4 dead 2.

Anybody heard of any pre-order bonuses? Doubt it'll change my position

More impressions via Kotaku. (http://kotaku.com/5350462/borderlands-impressions-from-texas)

Last month Gearbox let me into their offices to play more Borderlands. I got distracted by a fancy tour of the offices. Then I played with an attack bird at my command.

I'd already tried Borderlands in New York earlier this summer, on the second floor in a Brooklyn warehouse where, below, people hired by the game's publisher were serving slices of a roasted pig. I ran that Borderlands preview in July, comparing the game to a first-person shooter take on World of Warcraft or Diablo. Readers rightly chided me for not comparing it to Hellgate, which is the other game that's tried this gameplay mix in the last few years.

In Texas last month, after getting distracted by Gearbox chief's grand tour, I jumped into a cave section in the game and started running around as a Level 20 version of Mordecai, the character in Borderlands' playable quartet who can use an attack bird. I sent this bird in for the kill against the cave's monsters and madmen, using its swooping assaults to eliminate enemies from afar. I had the Gearbox guys switch me to Lilith, the female in the quarter. I used her phase walk ability, which, temporarily, let her walk through enemies, shocking them with energy and sapping their spirits.

The location was different. The characters I used were different. The powers I wielded were different. But my impression was the same. Accompanied by three other players, each using one of the game's foursome, I was enjoying a satisfying, grinding crunch through the game's cave. Every attack causes little numbers to spring and sweat off the enemies, to show the damage they're taking. Dropped weapons litter the floor, mad-lib-named with funny titles like the "Weaksauce SMG." the "Terrible Shotgun" and the much more useful "Violent SMG."

I didn't pick up much of the story. I barely had a sense of who my characters were. I was lost in the co-op frenzy. I've not been on a World of Warcraft raid, but I've played enough of that game to know a lot of what I was feeling is what it feels like to be in Blizzard's game. At one point, I had Mordecai punch my teammate's character so we could duel. An energy dome formed over us and we fought, the victor being the player who brought the other one down to one health point.

I learned a few more facts. The ammo and money that enemies drop are automatically shared by your co-op team of players. Health drops and weapons, however, are available only to whoever grabs them. Of course, if you play solo, which you can at any time, it's all yours.

People keep asking me what I think of Borderlands and the answer has no need to change: If you like playing WoW, this is the shooter version, with a four-player limit. If you're into racking up experience points, finding better loot, leveling up and not sweating whether there's a deep story you'd rather be following instead of chatting with your friends while killing stuff, then this game is one for you to watch.

During my tour of the Gearbox offices, I mentioned to Pitchford and a couple of other employees that some games felt like bags of potato chips. They feel like they're designed for you to keep consuming and consuming, crunching away without thinking too hard about what you're doing. Pitchford thought that's a fair way to think about his team's game. A bag of chips. Let's hope it's filling.

Borderlands is out for PC, PS3 and XBox 360 on October 20.

Damn this game seems awesome. Time to coerce some friends into the PS3 version or I'm gonna have to pay for live (and a headset)

More impressions via Kotaku. (http://kotaku.com/5350462/borderlands-impressions-from-texas)

This review makes me want want want

I don't like the new artist's styling they decided to go with..I kind of don't want to play the game after that..

Why would the box art determine if you are going to play the game or not, who cares?

Why would the box art determine if you are going to play the game or not, who cares?

It's not just a box art change, they changed the whole look of the game. The game used to look "real" like most FPS games before changing to the new more animated style.

If they didn't change the art style, it would've been lost in the shuffle as just another Fallout 3/ RAGE clone. Anyways, if the reviews are good, I'm going with the PC version. I have a feeling the mods will be insane for this one.

If they didn't change the art style, it would've been lost in the shuffle as just another Fallout 3/ RAGE clone. Anyways, if the reviews are good, I'm going with the PC version. I have a feeling the mods will be insane for this one.

I used to have time to get excited about mods and stuff for games...now I'm lucky to get 2hrs a night to play games :(

If they didn't change the art style, it would've been lost in the shuffle as just another Fallout 3/ RAGE clone. Anyways, if the reviews are good, I'm going with the PC version. I have a feeling the mods will be insane for this one.

X2 on your comment about the art style. You can look up some older gameplay stuff from 08 to see what the old style looks like. I'm totally stoked about the new art style...not that I want EVERY game to use it but gearbox is taking a big risk that IMHO will pay off in spades.

I'm holding off on the PC version because gearbox is going to release a bunch of DLC so I'll wait on the GOTY version later. I'm trying to decide between pre-ordering the Xbox vs PS3 version right now.

http://www.giantbomb.com/news/fine-im-playing-borderlands-on-a-pc/1671/

As discussed on this week's Bombcast, I think I'm going to have to play Borderlands on the PC. In the distant past, controls used to be the single determining factor in my decision to play a first-person shooter on the PC or a console. But over time, as my familiarity with dual joysticks has grown and my attachment to the mouse and keyboard has waned, I've noticed myself worrying more about whether or not I'd get achievements from a game than how precise my aiming was going to be.

Well, Borderlands won't have achievements on the PC; it's not a Games For Windows Live-enabled game. Should make it an easy decision to get the console game, no? No. Gearbox's first-person, four-player loot-quest is certainly functional and fun on the Xbox 360 (though I haven't seen the PS3 version in person yet), but there's a whole bunch of reasons the PC version seems significantly better, based on a few minutes spent with both.

The PC version I played ran at a solid 60 frames per second on what Gearbox described as fairly modest hardware, compared to a less impressive 30 or so on the Xbox, and the lighting, textures, and color saturation looked dramatically better than the Xbox game sitting right next to it. Seriously, I'm not just saying that; the difference in visual fidelity was profound to me. Then there's that whole aiming-with-a-mouse thing, of course, which will certainly help in the tougher encounters with some of the game's named boss enemies. And Gearbox will also let you control the game's fairly complex menu screens--where you manage all your loot, talents, and more--with a mouse as well; on the console, you'll be stuck navigating with the controller, of course.

Another topic that came up on the podcast this week was Borderlands' trade interface, or more specifically, its lack of one. To swap items with another player, you have to communicate your intentions to one another, then manually drop your item on the ground and hope the other guy drops his, so you can both pick up your new gear. You don't need to be an especially nefarious individual to imagine the potential for abuse or griefing inherent in this rudimentary system.

On the podcast I promised I'd find out if the game would ship with a more secure trade interface than what I saw in my demo, and the official Gearbox answer is: It won't. So you'll do well to only traffic with trusted players in the early days of Borderlands' release, lest your precious loot walk right away from you. However, that may change after the game's release, since Gearbox says its plan for Borderlands DLC is to deliver features and content as requested by the community. A company rep says the trade thing in particular is something the company will possibly look at "if it becomes an issue where people care a lot."

It sort of bothers me that they haven't really polished out the trading system, but I guess it's sort of an industry norm now. Even in most MMO's its just easy to drop junk on the ground than it is to go through the effort of trading. I haven't watched too much of the game play footage or anything, anyone have opinions on the UI overall?

I know. Any info. on the car part of this game? Customization?

Check out this article. http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Borderlands-Blend-Day-2-Vehicles-You-Won-t-Find-In-Gran-Turismo-5-12388.html

But if you’re still not convinced that Borderlands is a sweet game for its vehicles and weapons, you might be interested in knowing that the game sports more than 10,000 different vehicular parts."

Sa-weeeeee-tah!

Check out this article. http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Borderlands-Blend-Day-2-Vehicles-You-Won-t-Find-In-Gran-Turismo-5-12388.html



Sa-weeeeee-tah!

That article is almost a year old. Things might've been cut/changed.

That article is almost a year old. Things might've been cut/changed.

Very true...let's hope not.

Here's one hot off the...internet.
http://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/borderlands/preview-1971-2.html

&

http://www.beyondunreal.com/articles/bu-previews-borderlands/

New IGN Preview (http://pc.ign.com/articles/102/1020479p1.html)

September 1, 2009 - If someone wanted me to attempt to describe Borderlands in about a sentence, the easiest thing that comes to mind is "Mad Max meets Diablo meets science fiction set on a distant planet akin to the Wild West." As odd as that description might be, it's strangely appropriate given the upcoming hybridized first person shooter/action RPG game from Gearbox. Blending genres and influences, Borderlands takes the traditional shooter twitch mechanics and throws the character specialization and development of an RPG into the mix, creating a unique game that will appeal to fans of both genres. At a recent demo in Texas, I had a chance to explore the Borderlands during an extended multiplayer session, discovering some additional details about the world and the characters themselves.

The four player co-op demo that I played started at the beginning of the game, but excluded the intro movie and beginning details of the characters. Instead, I was presented with the choice of any one of the four characters. While I selected Roland, the soldier, because of his balanced skill with weaponry and turrets, I discovered that just because I made that decision didn't mean that other players in my party couldn't select him. In fact, if I and the other journalists wanted to field an entire squad of Rolands, we'd all have the option to do so, and would be given the chance to differentiate between characters thanks to our skills (which I'll get to in a bit). Of course, the other three characters had unique abilities that would help out in battle. Brick was the Berserker, a mountain of a man who favored heavy weaponry and could charge into combat to perform melee strikes on enemies for large amounts of damage. Lilith was the Siren, a lithe, scout like attacker who had the ability to cloak herself to perform strikes and detonate a shockwave once she re-appeared. Finally, Mordecai was the Hunter, the sniper of the group, who also packed a pet known as Bloodwing that could also attack targeted enemies.




Check out the latest gameplay here (HD available).
Fielding a squad of all four characters would ensure a relatively balanced party, making adventures somewhat easier, but by no means guaranteed success. In fact, as more players joined a party, the game would instantly scale the difficulty and adjust the location of some enemies to even out the odds, making a session much more treacherous when all four players were fighting side by side. (It would also scale down if a player dropped out for any particular reason, say if they decided they wanted to choose a completely different character or leap into a new game). Fortunately, there are some things during gameplay that can make exploring the Borderlands much easier. First of all, the game is designed to help you share the myriad loot drops from fallen enemies. I was told that during a co-op session, the ammunition and money that is collected by one player is shared within the party, allowing everyone a chance to equip any firearm that they come across with rounds, shells or whatever projectiles it fires.

What's more, the more you use a particular weapon, the higher your proficiency with that firearm becomes, making you more capable of using it in the field. Collecting ammo and cash was easy, as hitting the X button on a 360 controller allowed me to collect everything from a searchable area (which was highlighted in green) or red chests, which contained weapons and armor. It was always possible to check or compare the items that were around before you picked up the item as the game would compare its stats against the newly "acquired" spoil of war. However, health pick-ups, weapons and armor are not shared, so that can turn into a first come, first serve competition. In fact, Borderlands also allows for competitive play in the form of duels that can be instantly set up by one or more characters. If one player runs up to a party member and melee attacks them, the victim has a few seconds to strike back. If they land a blow, an energy shield is erected around the two players within the duel (and anyone trapped within its radius).

Watch where you're looking, you bucket of bolts.Once a duel is on, players can wield any firearms they own to "kill" their friends, landing as many strikes as possible. While the barrier can prevent monsters and other enemies from intruding in your face-off, enemies and colleagues within the barrier can attack at will. Although you won't die during a match like this, it will weaken the loser significantly, allowing an enemy to easily whittle away a character's life, bringing them to the damaged "last stand" state where they can either wait to be resuscitated or can kill enemies to regain their health. During friendlier sessions, however, it allows some players to turn into a pack mule, gathering items up and taking them back to a machine to be sold for extra money. Players can also pick up and drop these elements for those players that really need them.

Anyway, the game starts off in the small town of Fyrestone, and as I and the other party members explored the town, a small droid called Claptrap ran us through a short tutorial. As Charles mentioned in his preview from a month ago, this covered the basics of moving and shooting through the world, but also introduced us to the first quest giver, a doctor who seemed to be doing more bloody experimentation than surgery on his "patient".



We were initially tasked with killing a number of indigenous animals that were scattered outside of the city walls, but also discovered that some of these encounters could be relatively randomized based on the number of players. During separate play throughs, I encountered both doglike creatures fighting each other and mask wearing little people wielding weapons and attacking my kneecaps. After taking care of some of the doctor's requirements, I was provided access to my first vending machine, something that might sound trivial, but is actually vital within Borderlands.

Vending machines are essentially like stores within any RPG town; they provide you with a way to sell your equipment while gaining new items with a minimal amount of hassle. Players are provided everything from instant specials based on a specific item to armor and health refills. Unfortunately, instant specials seem to act like armor or weapons, because if one player picks the item, it's gone for quite some time until the game replenishes it with a like powered or stronger item. Anyway, shortly after unlocking the vending machines of the world for use by our party, we discovered the Bounty Board, a location where players could travel and accept side missions and plot driven main quests. While you would still have to talk to specific characters to trigger certain events, the Bounty Board was an easy way to earn extra experience and build out a character's skills, allowing you to customize your character based on your play style. Players could also queue up multiple missions with this board, taking on as many tasks at one time as they wished and returning for a bounty once everything was finished. Finally, players could also get a quick glimpse at the recommended level strength for each mission by checking the objectives they'd chosen from the board. This was an easy way to determine if you needed to level up by fighting monsters in the wilderness, or if you could risk going on a mission and survive the odds stacked against you.



Give me one more second and you're dead.As I mentioned before, part of the tweak to the game for each player was determining your character's skills. This could only be done once you reached level 5, you were provided with a skill point, which, for the soldier, allowed you to determine the specific method that your turrets deployed. Support turrets provide additional ammo, while infantry provided additional firepower and Medic allowed players to put down turrets that also projected a regenerative health aura. Pouring skill points into this feature was extremely useful, particularly because it allowed me to perform direct attacks alongside the Brick character while at the same time healing damage for the whole party when things got rough.

While taking on some of the missions and destroying the first boss was amusing, I also managed to get a sense of vehicular combat, which expands gameplay shortly after you defeat Nine Toes in battle. See, at one point, you're tasked with getting from the town of Fyrestone to another location, but you discover that your path is blocked by a large barricade that has been erected by marauding bands of enemies. The solution, of course, is your vehicle, a mix between a dune buggy, tank and the Batmobile. It has a rocket boost which allows you to leap directly over chasms or barricades, as well as punch directly into enemy vehicles to flip them over. For more direct assaults on groups of enemies, vehicles or structures, the vehicle also had a rocket turret that could be aimed and fired. While I never found out the specific name of the machine, I couldn't help but liken the machine to a Warthog from the Halo series; it felt like it had the same kind of control and suspension, but the rocket turrets allowed the gunner to cause more destruction.

Surrounded? Not a problem.Apart from the earlier missions and the vehicular combat, one of the last things that I was shown was a later section within an area known as the Lost Caves. Set with characters that were at least level 20, my party was tasked with clearing out the caves and collecting fifty crystals that grew throughout the cavern. Of course, this was easier said than done, as there were a number of dangerous monsters that swarmed the caves, like corrosive spiders, fire beasts and extremely powerful raiders known simply as Badasses. During this mission, I selected Brick, whose berserk charges were extremely useful as I tried to clear out enemies for my allies by battering and punching enemies in the face. While the attacks were particularly effective against enemies, I also discovered that Brick's power, and the abilities of every character, could be augmented if you managed to find elemental artifacts attuned to their personalities. For example, an earth item strengthened Brick's defense, but also added power to his charge, letting him inflict more damage during berserk charges.

The art style of Borderlands really makes the game stand out, particularly now that it's been redesigned earlier this year with the cel shading-influenced look. However, one thing that was unexpected was the improvement in visual fidelity on the PC. Thanks to DirectX 10, improved resolution that supports 1920x1200 and better shading and texture work, the PC version really appears to leap off the screen. That's not to say that the console versions aren't eye-catching, because they are; however, put side by side, the PC version appeared to be the clear visual standout. We'll have much more on Borderlands soon, but for now, check out the latest clips of the game in action.

Posted the whole article for those of you getting websensed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3DSrnNX3Yo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGjvKGOw7qU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKxEoe7fLek
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6Z0efe9XTE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sUXYJ-VA04

:lmao: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2gceJ2lzYk

nice finds there ...this game looks better and better each time they showcase it..

Here is a compilation of the FAQs from the Gearbox Borderlands Forums

What is Borderlands?
Borderlands is an upcoming sci-fi RPS game with 4-player co-op. Borderlands boasts 87 bazillion guns (we stopped counting - it's in the millions). Players can choose from four character classes that grow throughout the game, each with their own skill trees. There is vehicle combat as well.

RPS?
Borderlands is a Role-Playing Shooter. The game has strong FPS-oriented gameplay that is complimented by character growth, development, and loot elements like an RPG

What platforms will Borderlands be available on?
PC, XBOX 360, and PS3

What are the PC system requirements?
The specific requirements have not yet been released.

Will there be a demo?
There will not be a pre-release demo available.

What is co-op like?
drop-in drop-out, 4-player online, 4-player PC LAN, 2-player splitscreen (or 4-player LAN) on 360/PS3. You can use any assortment of classes. Your character is persistent on- and off-line.

What is the release date?
The official North American ship date for Borderlands is October 20, 2009! The international ship date is Oct 23.

What will Borderlands be rated?
It has received an "M" rating.

The Art Style!
That's not a question. But yes, Borderlands' art style underwent a large change during development. We call it Concept Art Style. You can call it what you want. The art style came from a desire to create the look of our very distinct concept art in the game itself, to add personality and style to the game.

Will there be DLC?
We haven't announced any solid downloadable content plans as of now, but we have said that we want to do DLC. We do want to wait, see what people want more of, and try to give them that in DLC.

What's a Claptrap?
CL4P-TP, a robot on Pandora that is very helpful. However, I think he's lost the beat.

Are there Achievements and Trophies?
Yes, we support Achievements and Trophies. Achievements have been revealed here: http://www.xbox360achievements.org/game/borderlands/achievements/

What are the classes?
Siren (Lilith): uses phasewalk and becomes invisible/invincible, moves fast
Berserker (Brick): loves to punch, huge and strong
Sniper (Mordecai): hangs back and lets high-caliber sniper rifles and pet bloodwing pick 'em off
Soldier (Roland): uses a turret and supports his fellows

Character customization? Skill Trees?
Each character class has three different skill trees that emphasize different playstyles within the class. Details regarding skill trees are not complete. We know Roland has a support tree that can create healing bullets, and that Brick has a tree that pumps up his melee damage. You'll be able to name your character as you choose, and customize visual appearance somewhat. You'll also be afforded a way to reinvest the points you've spent on talents.

FPS or RPG?
Both! Borderlands combines FPS combat with RPG character development and loot. The gameplay itself is FPS, not dice-rolls. The characters have skill points and can suit many playstyles, and loot comes out of everything. It's very satisfying. Some other games have begun to experiment combining these genres - Borderlands is the first to approach from an FPS vector and layer RPG on top.

Is the game linear or open?
Pandora is a big place with lots to do. You can follow the main story or go off on your own in search of the best gun, the toughest enemies, or the best place to drive. There are many side quests to complete, but in order to "finish" the game, you'll need to play the main questline someday.

Are there AI buddies?
No, you can play by yourself or with friends, but you do not have AI mercenaries.

How does the game scale? Does it?
Balance is currently undergoing iteration to find the perfect fit. Whether you are playing single-player or full-on 4-player co-op, you'll find the game rewarding and challenging - that's the intent. We do know that all of the world does not directly and strictly scale to your level - you'll be able to measure your growth by going back and kicking the ass of those skags that gave you so much trouble early on.

Is there a level cap?
Yes, there will be a level cap. The level cap is 50.

How many enemies?
Borderlands features lots of enemies. These enemies include quite a few base categories, and many many significant variations on those themes. There are estimated to be 150 kinds of enemies to fight.

What's a "badass?"
WoW has elites, Borderlands has badasses. These enemies will be tougher and will drop better loot than regular old enemies do.

What happens when I die?
When you die, you enter "Fight for your life!" You drop down and are unable to move, but are still able to fire shots for a time while your screen dims. If you deal a killing blow to an enemy in this state, you are returned to life with some of your shield and health restored. If you don't, you are returned to the last New-U station for a fee.

How many guns?!
Borderlands has more guns than any other game. We stopped counting a while ago. The number is in the millions, but the point is that there's always a better gun for you, one that fits your playstyle.

What are guns like?
There are many classes of weapons (such as shotguns, sniper rifles, etc). There are also many manufacturers that all impart different bonuses and features to the weapon. Some of these features include elemental damage. The weapons are generated procedurally, and are assigned rarity values and level restrictions.

What about alien weapons?
Yep, they're in the game, and they're crazy.

Do guns break?
Nope, we're not going to break your favorite gun.

Rarity?
Rarity is represented by a color-coded system that many gamers are familiar with. Purples are currently the rarest of the rare, "epic" loot. You'll be able to tell how rare the item you got was from this system. From least to most rare, the colors are white, green, blue, purple, and orange.

What else is there?
In addition to 87 bazillion guns, you'll find:
grenade mods: Change the behavior of your grenades
class mods: class-specific items that will modify your skills, stats, and more
artifacts: mysterious rare drops that modify your abilities further
shields: protect you, and also might have special effects upon depletion, etc
ammo/inventory upgrades

Loot System?
We haven't currently announced details regarding party loot distribution options.

What Are Elemental Effects?
Guns can come with a chance to deal elemental damage to enemies - shock, corrosive, incendiary, and explosive are types that are known. Different types are advantageous in different situations - for instance, shock weapons deplete shields effectively.

Vehicles?
Borderlands has vehicles that you can use in combat and to get around from place to place. The standard runner has been shown, but few details have been discussed regarding customization as of now.

What about currency? What can I do with it?
You'll find lots of currency, in dollars, lying around Pandora and dropping off of enemies. It can be used to purchase items, weapons, and healing from vending machines scattered throughout the world.

How many players can co-op?
Up to 4 can play simultaneously

Is there splitscreen?
The PS3 and 360 versions will feature local 2-player splitscreen.

LAN?
Consoles and PCs will be able to utilize LAN connections.

Drop-in, drop-out?
You'll be able to join friends or have them join you in online co-op games at any time with your persistent characters.

Four Mordecais?
You and your friends can play as any combination of character classes.

What if my friend is only level 5?
Players of any level will be able to join each other in games. We have not announced details about experience scaling for high-level characters fighting low-level enemies.

Loot Sharing?
We have not detailed any options for setting party loot parameters.

Does the game scale with more players?
Balance is still being worked out, but the challenge for any number of players will be made appropriate to the number of players.

Is there PvP?
Yes, to some extent. Players are able to challenge each other to duels anywhere in the world, and there are arenas for players to compete against each other.

Is there a tether?
Players are not tethered together if they have gone different ways.

How can I find people to play with?
Borderlandsguide (http://borderlandsguide.com/) wants to help you out! They've helped organize many threads (http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=71630) for people to get together and find groups to play with!

Is Borderlands Cross-platform?
No. You will only be able to play with people using the same platform as you.

Wait, so does that mean there won't be a game managed match making system? I am thoroughly confused now.

Edit: so I'm a moron. There is a matching system, the forum thing is just for pre-release buddying up I guess...

Wait, so does that mean there won't be a game managed match making system? I am thoroughly confused now.

That is a good question. I can't imagine them not including it but then there are few developers I trust with online multiplayer based on their implimentations this gen.

That is a good question. I can't imagine them not including it but then there are few developers I trust with online multiplayer based on their implimentations this gen.

Yeah according to borderlandsguide.com, there will be a match making system, I think the forum is there just to help hype of the co-op feature. People are just getting into teams of 4 before the game is even launched. Also, I think it will be easier to play with friends via things like Steam or XFire... Although I don't really see gamers use xfire anymore.

I didn't even really know about this game before this thread... but after reading it.. holy hell this sounds awesome!!! This literally sounds exactly like what I've been looking for for awhile now.

Might as well pick up live Entropic so we can play together :).

I keep forgetting that there's very little PC love on this forum.

I keep forgetting that there's very little PC love on this forum.

I know what you mean. I was playing l4d last night on the PC and looked up the Steam slickdeals group. It has like 7 people ...

I know what you mean. I was playing l4d last night on the PC and looked up the Steam slickdeals group. It has like 7 people ...

Hey.. I'm in it :). I was playing last night.

Hey.. I'm in it :). I was playing last night.

Lol alright, now it has 11 members.

But yeah Borderlands does have me really excited. I just hope it somehow fares better than Hellgate: London did...

Lol alright, now it has 11 members.

But yeah Borderlands does have me really excited. I just hope it somehow fares better than Hellgate: London did...

hehe...I was really interested in that game too. Glad I sidestepped that POS.

hehe...I was really interested in that game too. Glad I sidestepped that POS.

It's not even that I didn't innately like the game. I loved the core mechanics, the classes, and especially the Engineer class. It's just, once you played the game for an hour you literally experienced about 75% of the game. It was just way too repetitive.

It's not even that I didn't innately like the game. I loved the core mechanics, the classes, and especially the Engineer class. It's just, once you played the game for an hour you literally experienced about 75% of the game. It was just way too repetitive.

And what was the deal with the optional subscription fees on top of the game?

And what was the deal with the optional subscription fees on top of the game?

Oh, I remember that part. It added like an extra tier of weapons + one area. It was fairly worthless IMO. I subscribed for a month and finished the content in a day. If you let he subscription lapse, it *disabled* the subscriber items. That was a pretty terrible decisions too I guess, mostly responsible for the demise overall I think.

I also remember that the randomly generated areas were very wonky.

I also remember that the randomly generated areas were very wonky.

Haha, I never had a problem with it, but there was this huge long Metro tunnel level that was completely linear and had to be passed for the main quest. Some people complained about the trains being randomly spawned in the middle of said metro and thus blocking off the entire quest. The game really just needed a *ton* more time put into it. Unfortunately Flagship didn't have the luxury of time or money.

I actually liked HG:L.. but there were other games that held my attention better, so I didn't spend a whole lot of time on it. Didn't even really get very far into it.

New Trailer (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/957206/borderlands/videos/borderlands_trl_charactertrailer_91009.html)

Nifty, looks like October won't come fast enough.

New Trailer (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/957206/borderlands/videos/borderlands_trl_charactertrailer_91009.html)

Dunno if the IGN video is in HD but here's a Youtube HD link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAEyRu2OsEY

Click the HD button and go full screen. Looks amazing!

Can't wait to get this thing on the 60" Kuro!!!

Dunno if the IGN video is in HD but here's a Youtube HD link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAEyRu2OsEY

Click the HD button and go full screen. Looks amazing!

Can't wait to get this thing on the 60" Kuro!!!

I'm going to get this game...but after christmas so I can catch it on a deal. I'll be to pre-occupied with MWF2 and L4D2...still occupied with WAW on ps3 : /

I dont know everytime I watch the trailers, the gameplay seems ok, mainly because the guns dont sound great and it looks like there is no feel to the guns

Might as well pick up live Entropic so we can play together :).

Holy hell, I could only imagine the bickering with the two of us playing co-op, especially if the loot system really does turn out to be free for all.

I really can't decide which system to pick this up for.
PS3 - My preferred system with free online play but the friends I want to play with don't currently have PS3s

360 - I could play with a couple friends on the 360 but I'd have to buy Live which I would rarely use otherwise

PC - Easiest way to hook up w/ my friends but I generally hate PC gaming for anything besides MMO/RTS. I learned FPS on a controller and have never really gotten used to the "superior" mouse and keyboard set-up.

I like the style of the game. It reminds me of champions online (maybe its just in my head) but the thick black outlines of the environment made me think of it.

Def will get when I decide what platform to get it on. PC prob

Holy hell, I could only imagine the bickering with the two of us playing co-op, especially if the loot system really does turn out to be free for all..

It's been confirmed already that the loot system is free for all. Gearbox said they might address it down the line if it does become an issue which IMO will be a problem . For the time being though, I suppose you'll just have to play with people you know. I'm going the PC route also. It's weird, dual analog feels fine with 3rd person shooters for me. However, I'm constantly fighting the controls when it comes to dual analog and FPS.

Holy hell, I could only imagine the bickering with the two of us playing co-op, especially if the loot system really does turn out to be free for all.

I really can't decide which system to pick this up for.
PS3 - My preferred system with free online play but the friends I want to play with don't currently have PS3s

360 - I could play with a couple friends on the 360 but I'd have to buy Live which I would rarely use otherwise

PC - Easiest way to hook up w/ my friends but I generally hate PC gaming for anything besides MMO/RTS. I learned FPS on a controller and have never really gotten used to the "superior" mouse and keyboard set-up.

You could always run an Xbox controller on the PC. I was thinking about going PC cuz I just bought an i7 and this game will likely have a TON of mods once it gets rolling but will prolly follow the herd and get the xbox version first.

It's been confirmed already that the loot system is free for all. Gearbox said they might address it down the line if it does become an issue which IMO will be a problem . For the time being though, I suppose you'll just have to play with people you know. I'm going the PC route also. It's weird, dual analog feels fine with 3rd person shooters for me. However, I'm constantly fighting the controls when it comes to dual analog and FPS.

I remember reading that if one person picks up money or ammo the whole group gets it but it's a free for all situation with the guns.

I remember reading that if one person picks up money or ammo the whole group gets it but it's a free for all situation with the guns.

100% correct. I hope there's a /diceroll mod day 1 b/c I can see loot disputes killing this game.

Sure, the dreary environments in Gearbox's upcoming FPSRPG Borderlands may lack any sort of natural beauty -- but at least its inhabitants are charming as all get out. The latest trailer for the title introduces us to the four playable classes in the game: Mordecai the Hunter, Lilith the Siren, Roland the Soldier and Brick the ... Brick. We also witness a man with extremely pointy, spike-like nipples, forcing us to believe that the titular Borderlands are not only unwelcomingly ugly, but also cold as a well-digger's behind in January.

Video (http://www.viddler.com/explore/Joystiq/videos/1958/71.12)

:thumsbup:

Video (http://www.viddler.com/explore/Joystiq/videos/1958/71.12)

:thumsbup:

I'm super stoked to play this game. You may want to post Borderlands stuff here: http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=1500409&page=5&highlight=borderlands
This thread is shaping up to be the "Official" borderlands thread.

Looks like Thermoelectron beat you to it: http://forums.slickdeals.net/showpost.php?p=22857897&postcount=63

Here's the HD link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAEyRu2OsEY

C'mon over and join in the discussion in the Borderlands thread. :cool:

Great read into how the game/story will actually play.

So it sounds like this is more of a shooter with RPG elements – a game for shooter fans- rather than Fallout 3’s approach, which was an RPG game with shooter elements.

http://games.on.net/article/6867/Reader_Interview_Randy_Pitchford?page=1

2 pages worth the read.

Holy hell, I could only imagine the bickering with the two of us playing co-op, especially if the loot system really does turn out to be free for all.

Actually, people generally like to play with me.. I'm fun :).

Great read into how the game/story will actually play.



http://games.on.net/article/6867/Reader_Interview_Randy_Pitchford?page=1

2 pages worth the read.

I am posting the full text for those of you that can't access this site at work

Randy Pitchford is the CEO of Gearbox Software, and the main man behind the upcoming ShooteRPG, Borderlands. He’s also one of the most enthusiastic guys to interview in the biz. Where other developers are media-trained within an inch of their personalities, Randy always has something to say. He didn’t disappoint when games.on.net caught up with him last week in Sydney, where he weighed in on everything from the advantages of the PC over consoles, through to his attitude on storytelling in games.

The main man himself, Randy Pitchford

games.on.net: There’s been a lot of buzz around the millions of guns available in the game, but how many components are these built from? Are we talking hundreds or thousands?

Randy: There’s a lot. There are several aspects to this. There are the manufacturers, each has different styles and themes, materials they use, paintjobs they use. There’s the materials that the weapons are manufactured out of. Everything from plastics to composites to metals to alloys, from titanium to gold, and everything in between.
There’s the different weapon classes and that tells our AI software that procedurally generates the stuff what the differences are between a sniper rifle and a shotgun. Then there’s the components of each class. Think about the barrel of a weapon for instance. It’s more analogue – how wide that barrel is, is how big the bullet that fits inside. How long that barrel is might affect how accurate that weapon is. Some of this stuff is analogue. There are some things that are discreet pieces that we plug on, these different parts, but I’ve never counted them, but there’s a lot.

games.on.net: What’s the coolest gun that you’ve seen created by this system?

Randy: I like being surprised by it. This morning a rocket launcher dropped that fired three rockets that kind of swirled around each other in this helix pattern that was pretty cool. When they hit they erupted into an electrical effect. I hadn’t seen that before.

games.on.net: On to the PC version, are there going to be any features or enhancements specific to the PC? You mentioned in your presentation that each platform had its strengths which you were playing to, so what are the PC’s?

Randy: The PC has a number of strengths. The most obvious is that we like playing shooters with a keyboard and mouse. Being able to play with a keyboard and a mouse is a big deal. That’s not just in how you move and look, but also your interface, such as when you’re accessing your inventory or in the menus. You want a cursor, and to be able to click on something to drop it into a slot, just make certain things a lot more convenient.

Another key advantage the PC has is that on a high-end PC you can get the best looking version of the game. You can go really high end with your resolution and image fidelity, and so the best graphics for this game will appear on the high end PCs. It’s not even fair, the consoles just can’t compete there.

There are some other things on PC that we like. When we play on Xbox, we use Xbox Live for matchmaking, but on the PC I like an integrated matchmaking service. I don’t really like to use Games For Windows, I want to use something integrated so we licensed the GameSpy software and implemented an integrated matchmaking service. We also have a friends list on the PC that’s integrated into the game, and that’s kinda neat.

Fundamentally it’s the same game, however there are some other things too that we can do that some of us might care to do on the PC that we can’t do on the consoles. We’ve added a tool which will allow people on the PC to export a jpg image of an item card. So if you get a piece of loot you can export the JPG image of that item card which has all the stats. Somebody can write a website which parses those stats, you can get things like community websites which will keep track of all the loot anybody has ever discovered, what the drop rates from different monsters are, how to find the pieces you want, that kind of stuff. We’ve added a tool to facilitate that.

Another thing that we’re not 100% sure on, but we have some effort on right now, is to create a timedemo for benchmarking. We want to offer this as a separate executable that is totally free, you fire it up, run it, and it’s a benchmarking tool for Borderlands.
See, Borderlands is really neat. It’s got this surrealistic art style, we call it a concept art style, but it’s actually doing a lot of high-end rendering effects. It’s using a very advanced, realistic renderer for lighting and shading. It has ambient occlusion, it has a lot of really advanced techniques even though the materials are hand-painted. It’s like taking a graphic novel, and taking those characters and rendering them in 3D and putting them in a real world with realistic lighting. It looks really distinctive. But it is also pushing hardware in a lot of interesting ways, so we thought a benchmark would be really appropriate for this game.
There’s some other things going on like that. A lot of the games that Gearbox has done in the past, we’ve invested in SDKs...


"If you liked Fallout 3, I think you’re going to love Borderlands. I think you’re going to find it’s a lot more accessible, and it takes away all the slow s%!t, and it just brings all the action and fun to the forefront..."

games.on.net: Which brings us neatly to our next question. Mod Support. What are we going to see for PC users?

Randy: We haven’t announced anything yet, but we really care about that, so there is some effort underway to examine what it would take right now to launch some kind of SDK to allow people to do modifications. We haven’t committed to anything yet, we’ve got a lot of other things going on – people are going to ask us to add more content, add an SDK, and we can only do so many things at once. We have put some effort into thinking about modding though. That’s just impossible to do on the consoles.

2K went all out for the event

games.on.net: What about co-op over LAN, which is a bit of a hot topic for PC gamer at the moment? Are you supporting it?

Randy: Absolutely. You can play over LAN, play over the Internet, however you want to play. The co-op is drop in and drop out, so if you’re playing singleplayer you can invite somebody in whenever you want.

games.on.net: How does the game adjust when somebody drops in or drops out?

Randy: The game auto balances such that when more players join the game, the difficulty and challenge is increased. The enemies become tougher, and more enemies are added to scenarios. However the rewards become greater too. More experience comes from these more challenging enemies and better/more loot will drop.

games.on.net: What if people drop out, leaving you to face all these bad guys at once? Will the AI drop in to take over your squad mates?

Randy: No, when you’re playing alone, you’re by yourself. You don’t have to worry about managing any AI or anything like that. The friendly characters in a co-op game are human or they’re not there.

games.on.net: On the subject of AI, Fallout 3’s AI was fairly rudimentary – it saw you, ran at you, and you shot it. What sort of tricks can we expect of the AI in Borderlands?

Randy: There’s a lot of varied creatures in Borderlands first of all. Every creature has its own kind of behaviour. There are 150 varieties of creatures and enemies in Borderlands, all of them have different behaviour types. The bandits are a little more rag-tag, a little more bold, at other times they’ll be more afraid and run for cover. For the most part they’re pretty bold and aggressive though.

Meanwhile the Crimson Lance, which is the private army of the Atlas corporation, these guys are pretty trained. They’ll work together, they’ll take a knee to fire from a more fortified position, they’ll use cover when it’s available.

If you see a Scag, they’re these pack animals which come in all these different variants. The simple Scag, if he’s mad at you he’ll rush you like a bulldog, want to bite at you or swipe you with his claw. There are other Scags like the Spitter Scag, which spits acid from long range. He wants to avoid getting close to you, so instead will try to find a vantage point to spit that acid at you. There are a lot of AI variations.

games.on.net: How linear is your quest structure? Will a player ever have to make a choice or decision that will change how a quest tree plays out?

Randy: There are a lot of different quests and you can take more than one quest at a time. You’re also free at any time to explore – it’s a large connected world. If you need to know what to do next there’s always a very clear indication of where to go to accomplish your next goal. However, if you want to just forget about that and explore, you can discover all kinds of interesting things. It’s a large world, with a lot to see and do. Sometimes you might venture off to find a guy hidden off to the side, and there’s reward and value to do his side-missions.

games.on.net: But will a quest ever have a decision that will affect how it plays out, such as a moral choice? Or is each quest a linear progression, even though there are lots of different quests, once you start it, it’ll always play out a certain way?

Randy: In Borderlands, the story is a vehicle for the action. In Borderlands the story is a context for this game play. The gameplay offers choice. There’s tonnes of choice in the gameplay. The very first thing you do is make a choice about what kind of character class you’re going to play. Then you make a choice about how to develop that character, what skills to focus on, what kind of gameplay you like. The first time you’re confronted with a chest, you’ll open it and there’ll be two weapons inside. We’ve planned which two weapons will drop – they’re two very similar pistols. Except one pistol does more damage, has less accuracy and a lower rate of fire. The other pistol does less damage, but is more accurate and has a higher rate of fire. So right off the bat you’re making a choice between these two things that could kind of be considered balanced, yet one has advantages over the other depending on what your play style is.

Cell-shaded or Concept-art, it's still gorgeous

So there’s a tremendous amount of choice in Borderlands in the gameplay. Having said that, we focus on things that make the action go faster, the action more frenetic. There are certain things from some RPGs that we did not take at all. For example, you will not find a single dialogue tree in Borderlands. You will never read three paragraphs of text, have a choice of three things to respond to, have to pick the right one, after you do a bunch of that if you’ve gone the wrong way, the game pretends everybody has short term memory loss and it all starts all over again. We don’t have any of that. We think that’s really boring and slow. We love great writing. We love great fiction. We think we get that from really great books.

games.on.net: So it sounds like this is more of a shooter with RPG elements – a game for shooter fans- rather than Fallout 3’s approach, which was an RPG game with shooter elements.

Randy: It definitely comes from a shooter angle. If you liked Fallout 3, I think you’re going to love Borderlands. I think you’re going to find it’s a lot more accessible, and it takes away all the slow s%!t, and it just brings all the action and fun to the forefront. If you’re a shooter gamer, you’re going to be surprised by it, because shooter gamers typically don’t understand the compulsion that can come from finding loot and getting gear. I’m a shooter player myself, and oftentimes the hardcore shooter fan will reject the RPG outright because he doesn’t want all that slow crap. We’ve taken all that out. We’ve only put in the rewards , the fun stuff and the real value why we play RPGs. We went ahead and said, guess what guys, there’s some of the best storytellers in the world doing passive entertainment, if I want to watch a movie I’ll get that from Spielberg, if I want to read a book I can get that from J.K. Rowling. I’m not going to trust some game maker to give me the best entertainment in the world in a passive form. I’m going to trust a game maker to give me the best interactive entertainment, and that’s what we’ve focused on.

games.on.net: Our time has run out, so last question. This game is quite a big departure from what you’ve done, even though it’s a shooter, it’s your first entry into this larger RPG world. How difficult has it been? What are some of the obstacles that you encountered?

Randy: It’s been a lot of fun. It’s a game that I and a lot people at Gearbox have been wanting to make for a long time, maybe over a decade is the first time that I had a conversation with other Gearbox people about blending these RPG elements with a shooter. Having said that, we developed an all new system for creating the weapons, and that artificial intelligence and that software is very sophisticated. We had to work on that and commit to that. Having said that, we’re very focused on our goal, we almost have laser vision, focused on achieving that. So although there were many challenges along the way, I think anyone involved in the process knows that’s part of the process – enjoying beating those challenges. It’s why we tackle this.

The other thing to note is that Gearbox has a lot of range. We’ve done all kinds of crazy stuff. Last year we shipped Samba de Amigo for the Wii! We are gamers, so a lot of times we’re known for our famous, best-selling games, we’ve actually done a lot of interesting things and genres. As gamers, we don’t want to only make the same game over and over again. We don’t want to play the same game over and over again, and the same is true as game makers. So we’re going to try some things and expand a bit.

games.on.net: Thanks for your time Randy

Randy: A pleasure talking to you. Those are some cool questions that your readers provided!


Some interesting information regarding AI and quest lines in this game. Also, I'm glad they're at least working on an executable benchmarking tool.

Also, tomorrow the embargo is up for the latest preview builds of the game so expect to see a lot of media/impressions on it from various different gaming sites.

Making this the official Borderlands thread. All discussion regarding Borderlands belongs here from now on.

Impressions from the 12 hour preview build are up

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/102/1024753p1.html

September 15, 2009 - With under two months to go until the release date, you should know at this point that Gearbox's Borderlands could turn out to be one of the year's most unique and interesting titles. It's a game that combines first-person shooter gameplay with the loot-drop mechanics of action role-playing games like Diablo. You run around in a giant open world called Pandora, take on quests from non-player characters standing around in towns, earn experience by killing and questing to learn new skills and become a more durable and effective combatant, and can join with up to four others to participate in co-operative gameplay. As long as Borderlands manages to maintain the momentum of its gameplay beyond the first few hours, it could mean great things for anyone who picks up a copy.

A large chunk of the early game was included in a build I recently checked out, letting me play from the beginning for hours on end and experience quite a bit of the leveling and questing systems, and most of what I saw seems good so far. The game offers four classes to play around with, each of which has a primary skill. The soldier – my class of choice – gets a deployable turret that can be dropped on the ground. Once deployed, it automatically sets up and starts firing on its own as soon as it hits the ground, making it easier to wipe out groups of foes.



Hundreds of thousands of different weapon types and effects.It's much more than just a temporary gun, however. There's a shield that extends to either side which you can hide behind, giving you a little bit of cover if you're under heavy fire from humanoid enemies or acid-spitting monsters. As you level up and are awarded skill points, its functionality can also be altered as you dump points into learning new skills. The Soldier's skill tree, like the other three classes, is divided into three segments. All Soldiers must learn the turret skill, but beyond that it's up to you. For the first tier of upgrades, you can make it so the turret regenerates the health or ammunition reserves of all allies nearby when it's active. Obviously this could be important when playing with others. For those who prefer higher damage and a more self-reliant style of play, the base turret damage can also be augmented.

Each skill can be boosted with up to five points to enhance its effectiveness. Once five are allotted to any combination of tier one skills in one of the three branches, the second tier opens up in that branch, and so on. In this manner, just like in plenty of action-RPGs out there, you're forced to choose in what manner you'd like to specialize your character class. Following the Medic skill branch gets you additional healing skills where your turret has a chance to revive allies and where your friendly fire can restore their hit points. It also allows you to strengthen your bullet resistance, bolster magazine capacity, and following a successful kill gives you and any allies the chance to get a bonus to health regeneration.

In the Support branch, you'll find more general purpose skills that increase how effectively your shields recharge, boost the number of shots your turret can spit out, reduce the time you need to wait before again deploying the turret, and even alter turret functionality to make it shoot out supply drops at timed intervals. The Infantry branch is about offensive power, giving you the option to boost your effectiveness with combat rifles and shotguns, and even modifying your turret so it can blast out guided missiles as it shoots.

Quest, kill, level up, and get new gear.In terms of your character's equipment, you'll find four slots for weapons, one for a shield tool, one for grenades, and another I didn't manage to equip anything to. The shield tool determines how much damage your Halo-like shields can absorb, how fast they recharge, and special shield tools come with added bonuses like a boost to your health rating. All sorts of grenade types can be fitted in the appropriate slot, including an interesting one we found called MIRV grenades. In addition to causing fire damage, these grenades exploded into even more grenades, which then, naturally, exploded. Pretty satisfying.

Considering it's been said by Gearbox that there are anywhere from a few hundred thousand to over one million guns in the game, it's no surprise I've come across quite the variety so far. Plenty are trash that fall from weaker foes, and the ones I've managed to pull from the corpses of bosses and "badass" enemies (elite, or more powerful versions of a base enemy type) are the ones I've stuck with, which is pretty much standard operating procedure for loot-based games like this. Higher quality weapons carry different color associations with their names, like in Diablo. I'm currently using a purple rifle called Bone Shredder with a 2.4x zoom that's proven to be quite effective as a primary weapon. For backup, I've got a green BLR Static Repeater – it's a pistol with a 4.1x zoom that does electrical damage and happens to be highly effective against shields. I also keep equipped The Clipper, another pistol associated with fire that can periodically ignite its targets, which does damage over time until the flames go out

When you find better stuff, you'll need to sell off the old items to a vendor to bring in some cash, or just drop it in the field if you really don't care. Med Kits along with your weapons, shields, and grenade mods will also be taking up space in your limited backpack, so you'll need to be mindful of what you're bringing with you when you leave town. Obviously it's a good idea to keep handy the best guns you have, but you'll also need to play attention to a weapon proficiency gauge for each type. The more you use pistols, for instance, the higher its proficiency will go, which can alter damage, reload, speed, and accuracy of all pistols equipped afterward. So do you simply switch to your best item, or do you instead choose to build proficiency with and stick to specific weapon types? Or maybe you don't care and will just build all proficiency types so you can equip anything without sacrifice.

All this information, along with a quest log and a map are stored in the tabs of the game's menu system, which seems easy enough to read and use. Like in most role-playing games out there, things start out simple with only a few quests and tasks. Before long, once you're out of the training period and the world opens up, you'll find there's quite a bit of information to juggle, NPC quest givers to visit, and spots to explore. I even wound up discovering a fighting arena in one part of Pandora, where I was challenged to survive waves of enemies in an enclosed space and given a reward at the end, though it proved far too difficult for my level and gear. Exploring and fighting will also help complete many of the huge range of challenges the game offers up, including things like getting 4 seconds of vehicles hangtime, shooting 100,000 times, and buying 50 items.

Also in the menu system is a slot for an artifact, whatever that may be. I'm assuming it'll be pretty good.



Each class has a different skill tree.From all this description it seems clear there's a lot to consider when playing Borderlands, just as there is when outfitting characters in role-playing games. My only potential concern is that the different builds within a character class might not feel that diverse with the emphasis on passive percentage buffs. I suppose the lack of variability there could be made up for by the fact that the arsenal is so diverse, and considering I've only begun to explore the world of Pandora, it might not be worth worrying about at all.

Vehicles were included in the build as well, which can be selected at vehicle outposts scattered around the landscape. Once you pick a type of transportation, it materializes in front of you and can be used to more quickly traverse the terrain, blast apart enemies with its powerful weapons, or simply run them over. With multiple players running around it's easy to see how this could be an entertaining and rewarding aspect of gameplay.

As far as quest structure goes, it seems to consist of standard kill and collect quests, but the combat has yet to grow tiresome. You'll battle humanoids with guns and beasts that charge at you or hover back and spit projectiles. I'm eager to see how these enemy types progress as more of the world is explored, since so far it just seems like increasingly powerful versions of demon dogs called Skags, though there have been plenty of gun battles against humans and fights against airborne critters similar to the monsters from Pitch Black.

Team up with others to take down more challenging foes.Really one of my favorite bits of the game – and it's pretty nerdy, but considering the subject matter, I figure that's ok – is how the user interface is set up. There are numbers everywhere in Borderlands. Damage totals pop out of foes like raindrops from a cloud when riddled with bullets. It's nothing new if you play a lot of RPGs and MMOs, but it's still appreciated and pulled off to a satisfying degree by Gearbox. It's also interesting that as you walk across guns, you see the entire statistical readout pop up onscreen without having to collect the item and examine it in your inventory. That means damage totals, accuracy, fire rate, special effects, sell value, and even how it compares to your currently equipped weapon are visible as you walk near it. For multiplayer matches, this should greatly alleviate the issue of sorting out who gets what since everyone will be able to survey the spoils of a battle without having to collect and trade every single bit of gear that's available.

For anyone who hates to play co-operatively, the game still feels like it works well for solo play. If health reserves are depleted in a fight, for instance, and you're by yourself, you don't die immediately. You drop down and enter a temporary near-death state, and if during its duration you're able to score a kill with your still functional gun, you pop back up on your feet to continue the fight.

With a slick graphical presentation and so much left to see, it seems like Borderlands is on the right path. Expect more coverage before the game ships October 20th for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC platforms

It's been a while since I have been legitimately hyped for a game. (Hellgate in fact) The downplayed but customizable stats definitely remind me of Vampires TM Bloodlines. That makes me even more excited.

TRUEfoe will be hitting this up on PC. Possibly on Steam if it's offered there. ;)

I have the same level of hype for this game as I did for L4D last year. However, I'm more cautious and will be waiting reviews b/c I turned out to not really enjoy L4D as much as I thought I would.

TRUEfoe will be hitting this up on PC. Possibly on Steam if it's offered there. ;)

Yeah I hope it's offered on STEAM also. It's just so damn convenient.

Still, all the messages i can get off this thread are 'whoring' and 'blow your head off'

i think that's enough motivation for participation.

I have the same level of hype for this game as I did for L4D last year. However, I'm more cautious and will be waiting reviews b/c I turned out to not really enjoy L4D as much as I thought I would.



Yeah I hope it's offered on STEAM also. It's just so damn convenient.


Mmmm I do like the idea of not having to keep up with the RPGs I will inevitably play years down the line.

i was talking to the manager at my local gamecrazy and he got to play a level at the vegas trade show last month and he did not like it.. i hope its just cuz he's not a huge gamer..

did he say why?

I started a wiki so people can post which platform they plan to buy the game for. That way we'll know who to team up with for multi-player from the SD community.

So after watching the 5 videos that Gearbox posted, I can see why the game got some negative impressions. It seems like it takes a whole lot of bullets to take down low end mobs. They don't really react much to getting hit either. Of course, this could be due to the players equipping weak weapons since it is the beginning of the game.

Here's hoping the game turns out good as I'm dying for some good co-op action.

i really want to be excited about this game cuz there's some good ideas going on and i love the look.
but i'm just not feeling it.

the hands-on 4 player co-op preview featured on X-Play a while back really turned me off.
about 80% of the action featured was players staring at death screens or trying to revive someone (and dying while doing so)...
it was just spawn, run, die every 10 seconds.
i don't know if the players really sucked or if the game ramps up the difficulty too severely with that number of players or what, but it did not look very much fun.

i'm thinking this'll be one of those games that reviews fairly well (but not great) due to some small innovations, but overall will be a bore to play for any extended time.

If the difficulty is that bad I won't mind too much as long as there are multiple solutions to it. Like they touted earlier, I sincerely hope the game difficulty is balanced to play with *any* 4 members, and not just "ideal" teams of 4 Rolands with the healing turret.

i really want to be excited about this game cuz there's some good ideas going on and i love the look.
but i'm just not feeling it.

the hands-on 4 player co-op preview featured on X-Play a while back really turned me off.
about 80% of the action featured was players staring at death screens or trying to revive someone (and dying while doing so)...
it was just spawn, run, die every 10 seconds.
i don't know if the players really sucked or if the game ramps up the difficulty too severely with that number of players or what, but it did not look very much fun.

i'm thinking this'll be one of those games that reviews fairly well (but not great) due to some small innovations, but overall will be a bore to play for any extended time.


That was just a bad demonstration. You gotta watch the PAX bid

All the Character Skill Trees + Explanation (http://gameaxis.com/across-the-border-borderlands-character-skill-tree-on-one-page/)

I would post the link but there are a low of images and I don't want to waste my work day. Sorry for those of you guys that have web filters at work.

Nice post on the skill trees. This makes me even more excited about the Lilith-style gameplay.

Diablo with guns sounds like a good way to drain 100+ hours out of my life. So when is release again? October 20th?

Who's in for the PC version with me?

Diablo with guns sounds like a good way to drain 100+ hours out of my life. So when is release again? October 20th?

Who's in for the PC version with me?

Looks like there are 3 of us in the wiki so far. Add your steam account?

I'm not 100% on buying this game mind you. But if I were to, it's PC for sure.

I'm not 100% on buying this game mind you. But if I were to, it's PC for sure.

I figure in the worst case scenario I get another HGL, which for the first 2-3 months I actually enjoyed. 2-3 months of around an hour or two a day of relaxing loot whoring is worth it IMO.

from looking at the skills trees, i can't see obtaining any particular skill will substantially enhancing the 'fun index'.

I think increase HP/ damage/ shield are great. but not as exciting as having... say... Bloodymess.

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/4/40/BloodyMess.gif

from looking at the skills trees, i can't see obtaining any particular skill will substantially enhancing the 'fun index'.

I think increase HP/ damage/ shield are great. but not as exciting as having... say... Bloodymess.

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/4/40/BloodyMess.gif

Yeah I think this is why I want to play the Lilith character. At least she has the added fun of randomly appearing and disappearing to kill things.

As an aside though, I do remember reading the developers tout this as an FPS with RPG elements, and not so much the other way around, ie Fallout 3. So maybe the skills are toned down to serve that focus. Although I don't know if I even agree with that idea...

Now I'm confused.

Yeah I think this is why I want to play the Lilith character. At least she has the added fun of randomly appearing and disappearing to kill things.

As an aside though, I do remember reading the developers tout this as an FPS with RPG elements, and not so much the other way around, ie Fallout 3. So maybe the skills are toned down to serve that focus. Although I don't know if I even agree with that idea...

Now I'm confused.

That reminded me of Dawn of War II. RTS with elements of RPG. It was fun for a while but when the boredom of repetition hits, you don't want to pick up that game again.

That reminded me of Dawn of War II. RTS with elements of RPG. It was fun for a while but when the boredom of repetition hits, you don't want to pick up that game again.

Ideally this particular game will make up for it with engaging exploration and quests, sigh I can only hope I guess.

from looking at the skills trees, i can't see obtaining any particular skill will substantially enhancing the 'fun index'.

I think increase HP/ damage/ shield are great. but not as exciting as having... say... Bloodymess.

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/4/40/BloodyMess.gif

That's b/c there are guns that do that in borderlands...

That reminded me of Dawn of War II. RTS with elements of RPG. It was fun for a while but when the boredom of repetition hits, you don't want to pick up that game again.

The problem with DOW2 singleplayer is that they use the same maps over and over again. However, the multiplayer is awesome and their free support for the game after release has been exceptional.

S-moar vids for your viewing pleasures...

Gamespot 7 min (pretty dark vid quality...turn up the brightness children)
http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/borderlands/video/6227710/tots-demo-borderlands?hd=1

Vertical split screen? Let the pissing and moaning begin...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdK1KsZkV94
Looks like the players are oblivious to damage indicators...

Co-op gameplay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqiUr_VcJRw

I'm surprised Gearbox allowed these to be released...possible spoilers as these look like the beginning of the single player game...
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/borderlands/video/6217572/borderlands-help-gameplay-movie?hd=1
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/borderlands/video/6217562/borderlands-customize-gameplay-movie?hd=1
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/borderlands/video/6217561/borderlands-skags-attack-gameplay-movie?hd=1

All the Character Skill Trees + Explanation (http://gameaxis.com/across-the-border-borderlands-character-skill-tree-on-one-page/)

I would post the link but there are a low of images and I don't want to waste my work day. Sorry for those of you guys that have web filters at work.

Here's a few gems I found for assigning points to character's skill trees.
Lilith - http://www.war-tools.com/t65590.html
Roland - http://www.war-tools.com/t65587.html
Brick - http://www.war-tools.com/t65585.html
Mordecai - http://www.war-tools.com/t65583.html

You have a total of 45 points the assign up through level 50 so use them wisely. Borderlands did a pretty cool thing tho... If you end up leveling up in something you don't want/like then you can go to some gene bank thingey and reset all you skills.

Enjoy!

Here's a few gems I found for assigning points to character's skill trees.
Lilith - http://www.war-tools.com/t65590.html
Roland - http://www.war-tools.com/t65587.html
Brick - http://www.war-tools.com/t65585.html
Mordecai - http://www.war-tools.com/t65583.html

You have a total of 45 points the assign up through level 50 so use them wisely. Borderlands did a pretty cool thing tho... If you end up leveling up in something you don't want/like then you can go to some gene bank thingey and reset all you skills.

Enjoy!

This seems pretty helpful and all, but I wonder if the skill hierarchy is done correctly...

Noteworthy Loot of Epic Proportions. (http://gameaxis.com/across-the-border-noteworthy-loot-of-epic-proportions/)

As this is still Wasteland Week with Borderlands, yours truly managed to scourge and find some weapons of interest that seem to drop out of some random villain or two in the sickly parts of Pandora.

- I should point out that I wasn’t kidding about calling this game “Diablo II with a shotgun.” Seriously, the shotguns you use here feel great, ranging from the usual two-shot-then-reload variant to one with a high fire rate and ammo capacity that also zooms in. Case in point, the T.K’s Wave Shotgun which shoots out blue bubbles of death that has a better chance of blowing someone or something up into gibs if I shoot them up close.

You’ll get it as a reward from mission-giver T.K Baha after a mission in Skag Gully where you hunt down a huge elite skag named Scar. He’s big and spits out a special garbage-spewing attack that just empties your shield and puts you in a critical state.

- In the Arid Hills (the second instance dungeon you’ll come across), a random drop revealed a Scattergun that fires rockets instead of buckshells. Aiming it was a bitch, as it shoots in a trajectory rather than straight on through the crosshair, but the results are oh-so bloody splendorous. Unfortunately, this one’s pretty rare.

- Lady Fingers is a good pink-colored repeater pistol that’s good for aiming from far away, picking off enemies from a distance even if you’re not a sniper person. You’ll be getting it after

- The Clipper is a repeater pistol that fires bullets that set people on fire. I got it from killing the first instance boss of the game, Nine Toes (check out the GAX Point video to see it in action). While it’s got an insane rate of fire, it doesn’t zoom and isn’t that accurate. Oh, and dropping it actually hurts you, as it warns you on its description.

- My playthrough with Davina the Level 16 Siren managed to acquire a revolver that shoots out bullets of lightning. Electric attacks might be okay against mutants and animals, but they work better on humanoid enemies with shields. But I can’t really spam my attacks with the revolver; it’s only got six bullets in its chamber and reloads pretty slow.

And the kicker is that this is just a few out of the three million plus weapons that can be found in the game. Sure, they’re basically modified variations of the class of weapons available, but it’s still a lot of guns that can deal all kinds of hurt in different ways. And guess what (beware: incoming GCA plug)? You can get random drops better than mine at the Borderlands booth at GCA 2009 in Suntec Convention Centre.



A scattergun that shoots rockets? Amazing. I'm glad that the gun variations go beyond just an assault rifle that fires electric bullets or incendiary bullets.

The bubble gun reminds me of Gradius III, I wish they would release a demo already...

The bubble gun reminds me of Gradius III, I wish they would release a demo already...

They're not releasing a demo for this game.

They're not releasing a demo for this game.

Way to hit me where it hurts guy, lol. But in all seriousness, I wonder what led them to that business decision...

Way to hit me where it hurts guy, lol. But in all seriousness, I wonder what led them to that business decision...

That will only mean that this game does not fall in the 'mediocre' category. but which side of the extremes this game is going to belong to...?

EXTREMELY mediocre.

I kid. The game actually looks freaking awesome.

Way to hit me where it hurts guy, lol. But in all seriousness, I wonder what led them to that business decision...

Probably b/c a demo for an open world game isn't very easy to make well.

Probably b/c a demo for an open world game isn't very easy to make well.

Maybe, maybe not. You just lock it to certain quests and areas. Diablo II did it this way. Meh

So after watching the 5 videos that Gearbox posted, I can see why the game got some negative impressions. It seems like it takes a whole lot of bullets to take down low end mobs. They don't really react much to getting hit either. Of course, this could be due to the players equipping weak weapons since it is the beginning of the game.

You can really see that in this video - http://ps3.ign.com/dor/objects/957207/borderlands/videos/borderlands_gmp_madcriticals_91409.html - Near the middle of the video the player zooms in, gets 4-5 headshots and the guy he's shooting is still alive. That could easily become annoying.



As an aside though, I do remember reading the developers tout this as an FPS with RPG elements, and not so much the other way around, ie Fallout 3. So maybe the skills are toned down to serve that focus. Although I don't know if I even agree with that idea...

Now I'm confused.

It's definitely an FPS first. In an interview I read (probably linked in this topic) it said there is not a single dialogue tree in the whole game.

I think Brick will be the guy for me. It'll be nice to switch up the shooting with just straight up knockin mofos out.

I'm guessing the reason why the abilities are mostly passive is b/c there so much variation in guns. Also there are artifacts that are supposed to augment each classes' abilities.

For those of you that can watch videos right now.
Gametrailers preview (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/preview-borderlands/56123)

How grenedes work (http://www.gx.com.sg/Blog/Blog.aspx?id=a2c1b59b-9901-426d-9896-808fe53d218f)

Talking about weapons, there are no armours or clothes in the game. You only get weapon slots, a shield slot, a grenade modification slot and another slot which we did not manage to find out information about. The shield slot is basically your armour, and like weapons, there are a variety of different shield types in the world, from ones that will increase your shield regeneration rate, to ones that can give you special bonuses. The grenade modification slot allows you to modify your grenade's attributes. Like ammo, all grenades come just as normal grenades only, allowing you to change their damage type and attributes via the grenade modification slot. You can only equip one grenade mod at a time, but you are free to change within them anytime. We saw quite a wide variety, from cluster grenades that will cause your grenade to explode into a couple more grenades, to one of our favourites, the teleporting grenade, a cool mod that allows your grenade to teleport to wherever your crosshairs are looking at.

Post a comment on the latest Official Borderlands facebook post and get a chance to win some swag: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Official-Borderlands-Page/104080139080

Near the middle of the video the player zooms in, gets 4-5 headshots and the guy he's shooting is still alive. That could easily become annoying.

That's an aspect of the RPG side. You're not going to get many 1-shot kills and your character isn't going to die very easily either.

More I look into this game...the more I think its an exact WOW clone...but FPS...and not MMO...but other than that yea

More I look into this game...the more I think its an exact WOW clone...but FPS...and not MMO...but other than that yea

It's more Diablo+FPS but most of WoW's basic mechanics come from diablo so I suppose your comparison is pretty spot on. The only thing I really want to know about the game right now is how much depth and customization there is in vehicles, PC recommended specs, and how good the game is overall. Other than that I've seen enough and what I see so far is fairly decent. I'm surfing through the official borderlands forums and there is some major fanboyism going on in there. One guy wrote a freakin wall of text complaining about how Gamestop isn't pushing the game hard enough and that that game boxes weren't on display in a visible area.

http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=73845

I know most of us are all excited about Borderlands because it will be a great game to play. It won best game at PAX 09 beating out all the competition including ODST, Dragon Age and Left 4 Dead 2. It even beat out Diablo 3!

Sadly, Gamestop refuses to give Borderlands any recognition of this game. If anyone saw my off topic post you will understand the reason why I am making another post here.

1. Gamestop is putting all the preview Borderlands boxes where customers can't see the box. It actually took me 15 minutes to find it and when I did it was on the bottom shelf next to the small PC section Gamestop has. They did not even put the Xbox 360 or PS3 preview boxes in the "Coming Soon " areas on the shelves where sually most upcoming games go.

2. Gamestop is not even putting Borderlands on their website for marketing purposes. I called Gamestop to complain and I pretty much asked them if they was selling Borderlands because I did not see it on their site. At first she had no idea what game I was talking about then she says " Oh Borderlands by Gearbox Software". I said " yes and I do not see it on your site because I want to preorder it (Already preordered but I wanted to see what they said) She says, well you can always do a search for it and yes we are taking preorders. I said, for a game that won best game at PAX 09 you would think Gamestop would be promoting it. She says , well maybe we will do more marketing on the game when it gets closer to launch. So I am thinking, you haven't even done any marketing on the game at all. So pretty much Gamestop is giving the old /faceplam to Borderlands.

I know all Gamestops aren't bad but Borderlands should not be left out in the cold. So this is what I propose everyone to do. Go to the Gamestop website and call their customer service number and complain why they are not advertising Borderlands and tell them how great it did at PAX and the rest of the shows this year. The next time you go to a Gamestop and do not see the preview boxes of Borderlands in the PS3 or Xbox 360 sections you complain and call customer service to let them know.

The customer service number is an 800 number so you will not be charged for it and it only takes 5 minutes of your time to do this. So help Borderlands @ Gamestop get the recognition it deserves.


:doh:

For those of you planning on getting it for PC, the game apparently will be using Gamespy for matchmaking. I question the choice TBH as I haven't had a good experience with Gamespy.

Talent Calculator (http://talent.87bazillion.com/)

added some more movies in OP...

For those of you planning on getting it for PC, the game apparently will be using Gamespy for matchmaking. I question the choice TBH as I haven't had a good experience with Gamespy.

Talent Calculator (http://talent.87bazillion.com/)

That does sound questionable at best. The only good news is it looks like the fan site (http://www.borderlandsguide.com) has a good number of people already looking for people to play, as long as you can sift through the fanboys.

man can't wait for the game.
I'm either getting borderlands or MW2, we will see which is the better game!

It's more Diablo+FPS but most of WoW's basic mechanics come from diablo so I suppose your comparison is pretty spot on. The only thing I really want to know about the game right now is how much depth and customization there is in vehicles, PC recommended specs, and how good the game is overall. Other than that I've seen enough and what I see so far is fairly decent. I'm surfing through the official borderlands forums and there is some major fanboyism going on in there. One guy wrote a freakin wall of text complaining about how Gamestop isn't pushing the game hard enough and that that game boxes weren't on display in a visible area.

http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=73845



:doh:

For those of you planning on getting it for PC, the game apparently will be using Gamespy for matchmaking. I question the choice TBH as I haven't had a good experience with Gamespy.

Talent Calculator (http://talent.87bazillion.com/)

Hmmm gmespy :(

So has anyone heard about this being released on steam? I really prefer it there. But I have it on preorder from amazon cause I have yet to hear about a steam release.

If this was answered earlier in the thread I apologize I didn't wanna read the whole thread.

Hmmm gmespy :(

So has anyone heard about this being released on steam? I really prefer it there. But I have it on preorder from amazon cause I have yet to hear about a steam release.

If this was answered earlier in the thread I apologize I didn't wanna read the whole thread.

Word is that it's going to be released on STEAM but it looks like it might on STEAM after retail release. But that's just my guess. Wish I could give you a definitive answer. I too would rather have it on STEAM..

Apparently Claptrap episode 2 is being delayed b/c there's some legal issues with "Tony Romo" being mentioned in the episode..

"First question for Borderlands monday? Where is Episode 2? I'll have it answered by the end of #BM, hmmm... maybe let's not call this #BM.
11 minutes ago from TweetDeck"

We'll know the location of ep 2 today wooo!!

(source: http://twitter.com/mikeyface/status/4147375698)


UPDATE

"Update:Episode 2 delayed because legal wasn't sure saying Tony Romo's name was okay. I hope they watched the game last night. He deserves it
1 minute ago from TweetDeck"

NOOOOOOOOOO!!

It's more Diablo+FPS but most of WoW's basic mechanics come from diablo so I suppose your comparison is pretty spot on. The only thing I really want to know about the game right now is how much depth and customization there is in vehicles, PC recommended specs, and how good the game is overall. Other than that I've seen enough and what I see so far is fairly decent. I'm surfing through the official borderlands forums and there is some major fanboyism going on in there. One guy wrote a freakin wall of text complaining about how Gamestop isn't pushing the game hard enough and that that game boxes weren't on display in a visible area.

http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=73845



:doh:

For those of you planning on getting it for PC, the game apparently will be using Gamespy for matchmaking. I question the choice TBH as I haven't had a good experience with Gamespy.

Talent Calculator (http://talent.87bazillion.com/)

That does sound questionable at best. The only good news is it looks like the fan site (http://www.borderlandsguide.com) has a good number of people already looking for people to play, as long as you can sift through the fanboys.

Hmmm gmespy :(

So has anyone heard about this being released on steam? I really prefer it there. But I have it on preorder from amazon cause I have yet to hear about a steam release.

If this was answered earlier in the thread I apologize I didn't wanna read the whole thread.

That's why I'll be getting the game for my 360 if I do get it.

man can't wait for the game.
I'm either getting borderlands or MW2, we will see which is the better game!

Those are pretty different games. MW2 will have a shorter campaign and great PvP. It will have co-op play with another player for the Special Ops missions. BL will have a longer campaign, which relies on loving loot for replayability. It will have 4 player co-op and customizable builds The PvP will be rudimentary 1v1 or 2v2 stuff.

The PC release has been delayed to Oct. 26th and its looks like it won't have a pre-order bonus.

Those are pretty different games. MW2 will have a shorter campaign and great PvP. It will have co-op play with another player for the Special Ops missions. BL will have a longer campaign, which relies on loving loot for replayability. It will have 4 player co-op and customizable builds The PvP will be rudimentary 1v1 or 2v2 stuff.

The PC release has been delayed to Oct. 26th and its looks like it won't have a pre-order bonus.

6 days isn't too bad of a delay..Still not great news though...

That's why I'll be getting the game for my 360 if I do get it.

I only get 360 exclusive games on the 360. So I wouldn't even consider getting borderlands for the 360. Well unless I can get a game really really cheap.

That's why I'll be getting the game for my 360 if I do get it.

FPS + dual analog = :vomit:

http://i38.tinypic.com/2u71vuo.jpg

FPS + dual analog = :vomit:

http://i38.tinypic.com/2u71vuo.jpg

hate hate hate hate hate hate hate...

but yeah, I conciously struggle with dual analog in pretty much any FPS.

More info regarding gameplay length and hinting at potential DLC (http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/09/23/exclusive-gearbox-discusses-borderlands-new-game-plus-total-length/)

I've spent around 5 or 6 hours with the preview build of "Borderlands." The only reason I haven't spent more time is because the preview build ends. You basically stop getting new quests and can't progress into new zones, as everything's locked off. It's for the best, but the fact that I've played through all that content several times over with different classes is a testament to how much I've enjoy myself. It undoubtedly hits that "Diablo" nerve that makes you not want to put the controller down.

Anyway, given the amount of time I've spent with the game, I was curious just how much meat will be in the final version. Speaking with Mikey Neumann, the Creative Director at Gearbox Software, I found out some rather interesting tidbits about just how long you'll be spending on the twisted planet of Pandora.



For example, what happens when you beat the game, playing through all the missions and completing the main story? Neumann explained:

"We do have a single player plus, I guess you'd call it. The level cap is 50, but you beat the game around 31 or 35, somewhere around there. Then you can restart the game and do New Game Plus where everything's 35 to 50 on the second play-through.
"[The second playthrough adds] more rare enemies, too. The Badasses and the Brutes ["Borderlands" versions of "Diablo"'s elite enemies] and stuff like that, which you don't see as much of in the first [playthrough]. You see them a lot more in the second playthrough. It's definitely harder."

Those Badasses and Brutes are the ones that drop the best weapons in the game. Unfortunately they're also a hell of a lot harder to take down, so you'll have to work for your loot.

Neumann has, predictably, also spent a bunch of time in the game. He shared how long it takes to get from level 1 to level 50:

"I just have my own gauge. I've maxed out twice, gotten to level 50 twice. It took me about 100 hours. More the second time, actually, and that was to find every single little mission. I wanted to do everything.

To give you a sense of just how much that ramps up, I was able to hit level 17 in about 5 hours. Clearly things slow down considerably, but the fact that you're constantly getting new guns and missions makes up for the decreased frequency of skill points.

Neumann went on to hint at DLC content:

"As for in-game content, the question remains, what happens when you hit the cap and how long can you play it? Obviously we're gonna try to extend that with DLC as well."

Sounds like folks will be getting their money's worth when the game drops in late October.


I'm glad new game + actually scales with you. It would be boring one shotting everything at the start of your second run through.

More info regarding gameplay length and hinting at potential DLC (http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/09/23/exclusive-gearbox-discusses-borderlands-new-game-plus-total-length/)



I'm glad new game + actually scales with you. It would be boring one shotting everything at the start of your second run through.

This is good news. After I capped my lvl in Fallout 3 I kinda lost motivation even with DLC available. This is similar to Diablos levels of difficulty. You would move up on difficulty and it was like it was a whole new game.

I'm also hoping that the weapon variation keeps the game fresh for awhile. Judging by the videos, that seems to be the case (ie- rocket shooting scatterguns and shotguns that shoot wave bouncing pellets- those change up how you handle a gun of a similar class in an entirely different fashion)

More info regarding gameplay length and hinting at potential DLC (http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/09/23/exclusive-gearbox-discusses-borderlands-new-game-plus-total-length/)



I'm glad new game + actually scales with you. It would be boring one shotting everything at the start of your second run through.

I actually found it kind of find it funny one-shotting at the beginning of nightmare or whatever in Diablo 2.

I wonder if it scales directly to your level or if it just offsets the levels to a fixed point for the second run?

Claptrap Episode 2 is up (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL4QNsaqnz4&feature=sub)

Is it bad I'm considering lining my vacation up with the release?

damn that's hardcore...

Is it bad I'm considering lining my vacation up with the release?

I will probably end up doing this as well since I have a floating holiday, and 2 weeks of paid time off to burn before the end of the year.

http://www.giantbomb.com/news/borderlands-big-baddies-the-crimson-lance/1704/


We've been looking pretty intently at Borderlands around here for the last few weeks, leveling up and amassing a disturbing amount of loot as we go. But today we've gotten word that the stuff we've been playing comprises only a portion of the game world and the enemies you'll face. Gearbox would like you to know that there's more to Borderlands than the company has shown to date.

Here's an example. There's a more sinister, organized group of antagonists at work in the game's world of Pandora than you've seen in all the trailers and hands-on reports so far. Come on, you didn't think you'd be fighting skags and bandits all the way up to level 50, did you? Here's a quote from Gearbox head honcho Randy Pitchford, a man whose enthusiasm for his games is a genuine inspiration to us all.

So, Borderlands is pretty damn huge. How huge? We're talking 60+ hours of questing available to the player in just the first playthrough. But the thing is, all of those screenshots and trailer footage have just been showing the noobie areas of the game. You haven't even met the real bad guys yet in Borderlands; the content past level 15.

We've been trying really hard to hold things back and not reveal too much and spoil most of the game. Yes, it has been mentioned that Borderlands has other environments in the game like snowy mountaintops and the military installations, but we arent showing it! Remember all of those movie trailers you've seen that give away all the best stuff and the whole damn story before you're even at the theater? Yeah, we think that sucks too.

We are just a few short weeks away from release and we want to assure gamers there is way more to Borderlands. A lot more. So to get that point across here is just a tiny little tease and screenshot.

Meet the Crimson Lance.

http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/30/1148070-crimson_lance_super.jpg
The Crimson Lance

OK, so that's what these guys look like. (Full-size image here.) But I wanted a little more info, which Pitchford was charactieristically happy to provide.

Who are the Crimson Lance? What are their aims and what motivates them?

Pitchford: As we started showing Borderlands to the world, we really focused on just a slice of the game that really placed it with its influences and intent – the arid but vibrant, science fiction world of Pandora that invokes thought of influences from Mad Max to Deadwood to Firefly to Tank Girl. From the bandit enemies to the voracious wildlife, even the denizens of Pandora that we have shown thus far have sort of set the table with this feeling of a wild, gritty and evocative, but also pure and authentic aesthetic.


Not the Crimson Lance.The Crimson Lance are just one of the many things in Borderlands that we have NOT shown so far that sort of pull the table cloth out from under all of that.

To be more clear, the Crimson Lance are the private army of the Atlas Corporation – the most wealthy and powerful of the mega corps of this universe. The Atlas Corporation rose to the top because they were the first to discover, reverse engineer and exploit a few pieces of burned and broken alien technology that they discovered from an ancient crash site. The inventions that came from the exploitation of this technology is what is behind many of the miraculous, high-tech things you can do in Borderlands – like digitally materialize a custom painted vehicle using a transportation fabrication station.

Anyway – the Lance are kind of badass. They’re the well equipped, professional soldiers.

Any relation to that holographic lady from the game's tutorial?

Pitchford: So – you’ve played the preview code, then? I don’t want to give any spoilers away by talking much about that – not that story is very heavy in the game. In fact, with Borderlands we have HEAVILY prioritized game play and action and made sure that the story is there to enable that and not get in the way of that. There is story and purpose and plot, of course, but we push that stuff to the background as much as possible and not force story down your throat. I PROMISE there is only, like, less than five minutes or so of cutscenes at the beginning to set things up and only another cutscene or two in the middle and at the end and that the value is in the actual game play. I PROMISE there won’t be a single flow-chart dialogue tree kind of thing in the game. I PROMISE that when we have story elements to offer you, that the game will put that stuff up in the corner with voice over driving it so that you can stop and pay attention if you want, or just keep on playing and doing whatever you want instead.

What were we talking about? Oh yeah – the Crimson Lance!

They’re badasses. And they have great gear. Don’t let them kill you. When you’re tough enough, kill them and take their guns – that’s what I do.

Are the Lance the only organized, militaristic force in the game? Or are there other factions working with or against you?


These guys have a lot to prove.Pitchford: I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t give too many details, but there are other factions working with and against you as you get closer to your goal of discovering and claiming “the Vault.” We’re currently debating whether or not we show some glimpses of some of this content before we launch because right now we’ve really not shown anything about how big and varied the game feels when you’ve seen and done it all. But we also know that there’s a lot of value in discovery when you’re playing the game and we don’t want to risk diminishing any of that for anyone. Discovery is a really important key word that drove a lot of our thinking in the design of Borderlands – along with growth and choice.

What kind of combat tactics/AI differences will we see from these guys? I'm assuming they're a little more organized than a bunch of skags.

Pitchford: The Crimson Lance have great equipment and weapons and they have some training. They will take a knee to be able to fire with better accuracy. They’ll use cover effectively and use their environment more tactically. This is a very big contrast from, say, the typical mutant bandit which might just run at you screaming wildly.

Do the Crimson Lance enemies drop new/unique weapons and gear you won't find elsewhere?

Pitchford: Yes. These guys have some of the best equipment in the game. When you start encountering the Crimson Lance in Borderlands, you’ll likely both feel a little nervous and excited at the same time. You’ll be nervous about how tough and effective they are and the new challenges they bring to the game play, but you’ll also be excited by those surprises and by the promise of the rewards you can gain if you can develop the skills and techniques to take them down.

The Crimson Lance, as the private army of Atlas Corp, do have the best gear of any humans in the universe, so you’ll definitely want to get your hands on that stuff whenever you can.

But, on Pandora, there is still even better gear.

Thanks for the info, Randy.

I'll leave you readers with one final reason you might take an interest in Borderlands. That reason? Robot blowjobs.

Interesting...so I guess the developers haven't revealed much.. I hope they keep it that way. All I want to know about the game are gameplay mechanics. Don't tell me anything about the setting, plot or types of enemies.

I will probably end up doing this as well since I have a floating holiday, and 2 weeks of paid time off to burn before the end of the year.

I'm in a similar situation, except I have even more leave I have to burn. Crazy accountants and their cost savings programs...

Good news guys... it's been confirmed that Borderlands will be available on STEAM..

http://borderlandsguide.com/news/borderlands-will-be-available-steam

Finally. An answer to the question that has launched way too many forum threads.

Will Borderlands will be available on Steam?

Yep. Although no official announcement has been made, we've pieced this together from two very reliable inside sources.

Who exactly? Developer Gearbox's Randy Picthford and Mikey Neumann.

Randy gave us the first hint yesterday. On Shacknews , DuvalMagic--an alias used by the Gearbox prez and former magician--posted "Steam version on deck."

Borderlands Guide didn't consider that sufficient to call a Steam version definite since we strongly believe, but couldn't confirm, the poster was Randy. But then we got what we needed from Gearbox creative directory Mikey Neumann's Twitter account. (Thanks to Shirowshadow for breaking this news on the forums.)

It started today when Mikey kicked off a Borderlands contest:

Today is OFFICIAL BORDERLANDS PRE ORDER DAY. Twitter me a screen of you buying the game and I'll play BLs with you and give you loot.
Then questions streamed in about people hoping to buy the game for PC. Mikey's response:

People wanting to pre-order on Steam... I'll ask again the day it becomes available, saavy?
Reading between the lines, sounds like Gearbox has wrapped up a Steam deal. They just haven't announced it through official channels yet.

This has been a big unanswered question for a long time. With Borderlands' co-op focus and Steam's matchmaking capabilities, a coupling has seemed natural but Gearbox never officially announced anything.

Judging from what Mikey and Randy said, we can expect an official announcement any day now.

That said, you can score a copy of he PC version of the game for $41 off amazon (with ECA 10% discount). I'm hoping that the retail version is STEAM linked...

Good news guys... it's been confirmed that Borderlands will be available on STEAM..

http://borderlandsguide.com/news/borderlands-will-be-available-steam



That said, you can score a copy of he PC version of the game for $41 off amazon (with ECA 10% discount). I'm hoping that the retail version is STEAM linked...

This is great news, since I was really worried about the online matchmaking. Hopefully Steam will facilitate that a lot better.

Good news guys... it's been confirmed that Borderlands will be available on STEAM..

http://borderlandsguide.com/news/borderlands-will-be-available-steam



That said, you can score a copy of he PC version of the game for $41 off amazon (with ECA 10% discount). I'm hoping that the retail version is STEAM linked...

Hmmm I would probably pay the extra 9 bucks to get it on steam. I just hope it releases the same day as the PC version

Hmmm I would probably pay the extra 9 bucks to get it on steam. I just hope it releases the same day as the PC version

The developer kinda hinted on twitter..


People wanting to pre-order on Steam... I'll ask again the day it becomes available, saavy?

Of course that's not an 100% confirmation.

I just realized for those of us with the PC version, using the gun info exporting feature, we can post a list of weapons we come across on this thread and trade weapons with one another since weapons aren't bound to the player after pickup.

I just realized for those of us with the PC version, using the gun info exporting feature, we can post a list of weapons we come across on this thread and trade weapons with one another since weapons aren't bound to the player after pickup.

Good Idea! However you assume that I don't just horde everything just because :P

I just realized for those of us with the PC version, using the gun info exporting feature, we can post a list of weapons we come across on this thread and trade weapons with one another since weapons aren't bound to the player after pickup.

I wish they bound!!! Than you could feel leet for having a RARE weapon...and not just go buy it off some1 that doesnt want it :(

I'm glad they aren't bound given the lack of any sort of looting system.

New G4 Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hYV_SH8lQs)

Wow, I'm surprised. No one intends to get it on PS3?

From what I read so far, character will not be stored server side. Hence, character editing & related abuse will run rampant on the PC version.

You have to pay for Xbox live.

To me, it seems like the game would be best played on PS3, the console known for near impossible save file tampering. Not to mention PSN is free.

.. PS3, the console known for near impossible save file tampering.

I like the PS3 as much as the next guy but I have to disagree. It's much easier to tamper with a save file on the PS3 than the Xbox. That's how those COD4 hacks were being used.

Wow, I'm surprised. No one intends to get it on PS3?

I don't have or want an Xbox and I don't play games on my PC. It's always PS3 for me.

Wow, I'm surprised. No one intends to get it on PS3?

From what I read so far, character will not be stored server side. Hence, character editing & related abuse will run rampant on the PC version.

You have to pay for Xbox live.

To me, it seems like the game would be best played on PS3, the console known for near impossible save file tampering. Not to mention PSN is free.

Probably b/c multiplatform games have gotten a bad wrap on the PS3 this gen due to some shoddy ports. That and coupled with the larger 360 userbase and the fact that gameplay footage from the PS3 version are skant which does nothing to address those concerns, and you can see why there isn't much hype for the PS3 port.

The PC has been stated to be the definitive version already. It's not only superior graphically, but it also will have more robust mod support as Gearbox is releasing the SDK. There are also some other little bells and whistles exclusive to the PC version that may or may not matter depending on the consumer but it's nice that they're there...

I can't disagree that cheating won't occur on the PC versions but TBH the lack of any fair looting system is going to force me (and most people) to only play with people I can trust anyways. And a cheater really won't have much of an advantage since the emphasis on the game is on co-op rather than competitive multiplayer. I mean if a cheater with aimbot and crazy hacked gear comes in and tries to get me to duel, I can just decline or boot him/her.

I usually go with the 360 because I like the controller more(my hands cramp up trying to use the PS3 L2/R2), but may end up getting this on the PS3 because my friends at work are PS3 and I would like to do some multiplayer with people I know.

Does anyone know if the game will have matchmaking or will you be forced to play with only your friends?

Does anyone know if the game will have matchmaking or will you be forced to play with only your friends?

yes there'll be matchmaking...

I like the PS3 as much as the next guy but I have to disagree. It's much easier to tamper with a save file on the PS3 than the Xbox. That's how those COD4 hacks were being used.

I heard they patched that though, and CoD 4's problem is partly due to its lack of user-specific encryption.

I would love to get it on PC to maximize the graphic setting, but hacking is usually the worst on PC.

Yeah, the ports have been terrible on PS3, but it's been getting better. I'll probably wait for some feedbacks on the PS3 port first before I make the plunge though.

I heard they patched that though, and CoD 4's problem is partly due to its lack of user-specific encryption.

I would love to get it on PC to maximize the graphic setting, but hacking is usually the worst on PC.

Yeah, the ports have been terrible on PS3, but it's been getting better. I'll probably wait for some feedbacks on the PS3 port first before I make the plunge though.

True, they did patch it. I agree with the PC being the worst but out of the consoles, I'd have to say the PS3 would be the easiest because of how open it is.

I heard they patched that though, and CoD 4's problem is partly due to its lack of user-specific encryption.

I would love to get it on PC to maximize the graphic setting, but hacking is usually the worst on PC.

Yeah, the ports have been terrible on PS3, but it's been getting better. I'll probably wait for some feedbacks on the PS3 port first before I make the plunge though.

There doesn't seem like much incentive for someone to hack a game since it's co-op. And if they were hacking, you could decline their duels and easily boot them from your game.

Not huge news but nevertheless...DirectX10 support confirmed for PC.

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=154627&t=1500409&page=11

PCGH: Will the PC version support DX10?

Corrinne Yu: The PC version supports DX10.

PCGH: What are the technical advantages of that API?

Corrinne Yu: The most significant advantage of DX 10 is virtual texture management. It provides a unified reliable render memory model not available in DX 9.

PCGH: Do you use advanced features of Direct X 10/Shader Modell 4 like Geometry Shader, Virtual Texture Management etc.? Can you please give examples how they are utilized? In what way do these features improve or simplify the rendering process?

Corrinne Yu: We take advantage of many features of SM 4.0. We use DX 10 geometry shader to improve shadow map precision. We use virtual texture management to increase pixel fidelity of our rendered worlds.

PCGH: Will the DX 10 visualization differ substantially from the graphics that are rendered with DX 9 hardware?

Corrinne Yu: Lighting, shadowing and visual fidelity will improve on DX 10 hardware. SM 4.0 allows us to compute lighting more correctly. The GPU API is designed better this time around.


Borderlands [Source: view picture gallery] PCGH: How much of a performance hit will the improved optics of DX 10 incur? With all details maxed out is a typical first gen DX 10 card like the Geforce 8600 GTS/8800 GTS (320 MB Video RAM) or HD2600/2900 XT already running at its limits?

Corrinne Yu: I recommend the GeForce 8800 GTX over earlier GTS models. VRAM-wise we can display details even on a 320 MB adapter because of our streaming system and the render buffer memory design we created for our gun compositing system.

PCGH: Finally: Can you tell our readers what hardware will be recommended (not required) to play the game with all detail in 1.280x1.024 (no FSAA/AF) and 1.600x1.200 (4x FSAA/8:1 AF)?

Corrinne Yu: I recommend a DX 10 class card coupled with a PC with a lot of CPU memory, not just GPU VRAM. Sufficient CPU RAM is crucial to the proper performance of virtual texture management.


I have a feeling that this game will require a lot of processing power.

Brick (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/957206/borderlands/videos/borderlands_gmp_brick_92809.html)
Lilith (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/957206/borderlands/videos/borderlands_gmp_lilith_92809.html)
Mordecai (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/957206/borderlands/videos/borderlands_gmp_mordecai_92809.html)
Roland (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/957206/borderlands/videos/borderlands_gmp_roland_92809.html)

Game looks sweet, though I still worry that the guns dont have an "oomph" to them. Will wait for reviews to see how good SP is and its length, for this could be the game i choose over MW2 :eek:

BTW: Mordecai and Roland seem to be my favorites

Game looks sweet, though I still worry that the guns dont have an "oomph" to them. Will wait for reviews to see how good SP is and its length, for this could be the game i choose over MW2 :eek:

BTW: Mordecai and Roland seem to be my favorites

There was a gamespy (maybe) video that showed the introductory area to the game. It was the only video so far that really showed any story information, but it definitely intrigued me. I was happy that the quest they showed was voiced over, and not a wall full of text.

There doesn't seem like much incentive for someone to hack a game since it's co-op. And if they were hacking, you could decline their duels and easily boot them from your game.

Can't wait till I see someone walking around w/some Godly Plate of the Whale lol.

Can't wait till I see someone walking around w/some Godly Plate of the Whale lol.

Nice D2 reference, lol. (You forgot ethereal though :P)

D1 ref

D1 ref

I forget everything about D1 because, when I finally got D2 I was like (excuse the all caps)

OMG I CAN ACTUALLY RUN INSTEAD OF WALKING EVERYWHERE, THANK GOD.

Can't wait till I see someone walking around w/some Godly Plate of the Whale lol.

The first thing I thought of when I read this was "why the hell would anyone want something that's high in stamina and spirit?"

Steam page is up (http://store.steampowered.com/app/8980/)

System Requirements
OS: Windows XP/Vista
Processor: 2.4 Ghz or equivalent processor
Memory: 1GB System RAM (2GB recommended with Vista)
Graphics: 256mb video ram or better (GeForce 9 series or higher/Radeon R8xx series)
DirectX®:
Hard Drive: 8 GB or more free space
Sound: Windows compatible sound card

Steam page is up (http://store.steampowered.com/app/8980/)

Damn my laptop is a geforce 8600. :(

Those system reqs haven't been confirmed by Gearbox yet.

System Req is just an approximation (http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=74572&page=3)...Damn you STEAM

I just asked our Marketing VP (Steve), and these are not the official requirements. We haven't released the official requirements, so these are probably just an approximation.

Now I am just wondering if I should buy it while it's like 5 bucks off on steam. Grrrr...

If I do purchase this game, it'll definitely be off STEAM. The convenience is definitely worth the extra $5 you pay compared to Amazon.

If I do purchase this game, it'll definitely be off STEAM. The convenience is definitely worth the extra $5 you pay compared to Amazon.

Agreed. Canceling my amazon to preorder on steam

TRUE is getting it on Steam as well. ;) Everyone join the Slickdeals Steam group! =P

Get it on 360!

Gamersgate has it for $45 too. I think they're known for offering DD without DRM (I'm not 100% positive though)

TRUE is getting it on Steam as well. ;) Everyone join the Slickdeals Steam group! =P

Did you preorder already True?

Did you preorder already True?

I preordered it on steam, and I am in the slickdeals steam group. *peer pressure*

I preordered it on steam, and I am in the slickdeals steam group. *peer pressure*

haha...I told myself I'd wait for the reviews and I'm sticking to my guns (no pun intended).

Ah, didn't realize characters are saved locally... That is sad news.

Ah, didn't realize characters are saved locally... That is sad news.

wat do you mean?

wat do you mean?

If saved files are stored locally, that means you can hack them and give yourself all kinds of crazy gear.

when you play SP, are you by yourself or do you get your teammates [the other 3 characters] as AI?

by yourself

ouch, all this time I thought it would be 4 player like L4D style, even when in SP.

Sorta lowers my wanting level

ouch, all this time I thought it would be 4 player like L4D style, even when in SP.

Sorta lowers my wanting level

Why's that? AI control over the other chars usually isn't that great.

Great news for those of you purchasing on STEAM

Source- According to MagicDuval(Randy Pitchford) (http://www.shacknews.com/laryn.x?id=21009722#itemanchor_21009722)

Sadly, I don't know anything about Australian pricing. Publishing partner, 2k Games, handles pricing there.

The Steam version uses the Steam copy protection scheme for security - so no SecuROM on top.

Any word on whether the retail boxed version will be allowed to integrate into Steam? I want it on Steam but I can get it cheaper at retail.

Any word on whether the retail boxed version will be allowed to integrate into Steam? I want it on Steam but I can get it cheaper at retail.

Judging by what he said in the previous quote, I'd say it's a "no" to STEAM integration for boxed copies.

Judging by what he said in the previous quote, I'd say it's a "no" to STEAM integration for boxed copies.

Hmm... I suppose he does say "Steam version" implying that they aren't the same... what to do..

How much cheaper can you get it for? I mean the cheapest I see for it is $41 with the ECA discount on Amazon. I'd gladly pay the extra 5 bucks for the conveniences of the STEAM version.

Why's that? AI control over the other chars usually isn't that great.

having teammates makes it more fun though.

Imagine playing COD or L4D without any teammates.

having teammates makes it more fun though.

Imagine playing COD or L4D without any teammates.

I forgot I had squad members in CoD4. I haven't played L4D, but I hear the SP isn't that good because the AI is terrible. The MP owns though, from what I hear.

I dunno, I can't think of a game where AI sidekicks worked so well I enjoyed them... most of them seemed like more burden than help (see: GoW).

When will reviews start arriving for this?

How much cheaper can you get it for? I mean the cheapest I see for it is $41 with the ECA discount on Amazon. I'd gladly pay the extra 5 bucks for the conveniences of the STEAM version.

I have some Best Buy rewards coupons I need to use by the end of the month. I was thinking about using them for this game but I'll probably just use them for something else and buy this on Steam.

I forgot I had squad members in CoD4. I haven't played L4D, but I hear the SP isn't that good because the AI is terrible. The MP owns though, from what I hear.

I dunno, I can't think of a game where AI sidekicks worked so well I enjoyed them... most of them seemed like more burden than help (see: GoW).

You mean you didn't think Tails was helpful in Sonic the Hedgehog?

I forgot I had squad members in CoD4. I haven't played L4D, but I hear the SP isn't that good because the AI is terrible. The MP owns though, from what I hear.

I dunno, I can't think of a game where AI sidekicks worked so well I enjoyed them... most of them seemed like more burden than help (see: GoW).

Still, it is better when you have people shooting your enemies.

Not only that, but it adds to the storyline [IE COD4]

More new gameplay vids. Some Crimson Lance action and aliens too..

Second Wind (http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/26709)
Canal Gunfight (http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/26710)
Siren Gunplay (http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/26708)

those videos actually lowered my interest in the game =/

Didn't really show super fun gameplay

Borderlands has gone Gold.. (http://www.gearboxity.com/content/view/497/33/)

Borderlands has gone gold! Gearbox Software has now wrapped up the
final versions of the game including the PC build to join the Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3 versions that have already gone off to the presses.
We've done it! The official press release is here:


Gearbox Software Announces Borderlands™ has Gone Gold


Gearbox Software is proud to announce that its highly anticipated game, Borderlands™, has gone to "gold master" for the Xbox 360™, the PlayStation 3 and the PC. Published by 2K Games, Borderlands will be available in North America on October 20, 2009 on consoles and October 26, 2009 on PC and in Europe beginning October 23, 2009 for consoles and October 30th on PC.

In Borderlands, players step into the shoes of a Vault Hunter! Rumors whisper of a Vault of alien technology hidden on the remote wasteland planet Pandora, that it holds immeasurable wealth for whoever finds it. Can you survive to discover if the Vault is real?

RPS (Role-Playing Shooter): Fast-paced shooter action (no dice rolling!) combined with character development and growth, choice, and tons of loot!
Four Classes: Level up as one of four distinct characters, with their own unique skills and abilities.
Dangerous World: Fight your way through vicious alien wildlife, marauding gangs of bandits, and their leaders – and that’s just the easy stuff!
Loot: Borderlands generates millions of guns, grenade mods, energy shields, artifacts, and more! Find the perfect gun!
Play Your Way: Online, offline, singleplayer, or up to 4-player co-op (or 2-player splitscreen), you play Borderlands your way!
Persistent Character: Level up and take your character to other players’ games, or have them join yours in drop-in, drop-out co-op! Keep your progress, experience, and equipment between games!
Huge Game: Explore, gather loot, complete tons of side quests and challenges, finish the main story and continue on to a second playthrough (with tougher enemies and better loot), or even challenge your friends to combat

So I guess there was extra work done on the PC's since this press release implies that the 360 and PS3 versions have already been sent for printing.

Still, it is better when you have people shooting your enemies.

Not only that, but it adds to the storyline [IE COD4]

To each their own. There's no right answer here. :)

I prefer no AI teammates myself since 99% of the time they just get in the way of your shot or do absolutely nothing or in L4D's case, are just too good to be believable. There are only a handful of titles in which having an AI partner was enjoyable.

I prefer no AI teammates myself since 99% of the time they just get in the way of your shot or do absolutely nothing or in L4D's case, are just too good to be believable. There are only a handful of titles in which having an AI partner was enjoyable.

You mean you don't like it when they constantly try to heal you but you're trying to get the no health pack achievement? Or getting in your way and then bitching about you shooting them? Or standing there watching a SI kill you until the entire team dies? Well I'll be a son of a gun.

I prefer no AI teammates myself since 99% of the time they just get in the way of your shot or do absolutely nothing or in L4D's case, are just too good to be believable. There are only a handful of titles in which having an AI partner was enjoyable.

Or when they shoot you in mid jump like it's nothing...cough...AIMBOT

First reviews are up..OXM....

http://img340.yfrog.com/img340/6835/70z.jpg

Not bad but not great either...

First reviews are up..OXM....

http://img340.yfrog.com/img340/6835/70z.jpg

Not bad but not great either...

damn, might actually not get this game until price drop then, while ill be getting mw2 day one

Borderlands 4-pack for $135 (http://store.steampowered.com/app/8980/)

damn, might actually not get this game until price drop then, while ill be getting mw2 day one

These guys are the same folks that gave Dead Space a 6.5 so giving Borderlands an 8.5 is like a 10.

They were also mistaken about the save feature...

The game saves automatically when you quit, and you lose nothing.

It saves anywhere, and it auto saves your character state at every checkpoint and when you quit. What it doesn't do is save every enemy/item in the world. It works just like Diablo, except we have more frequent waypoints. Quit, when you join again, you'll be at the nearest checkpoint and the enemies will be around, which is good because they are all worth XP and have cash and gear. And if you are second guessing a decision about skill points, you can fully respec your character at any save station in the world at any time.

Some people don't the action RPG style save system, and I guess this reviewer is one of those people. I believe it's the best possible way to handle this kind of game, and any other solution would have failed the promise of the game.

As for "not for everyone"?

Damn right, and proud of it.

Source: http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=75247

First reviews are up..OXM....

Not bad but not great either...

Anybody want to past the review in here? :D

So...can anyone answer this:

I want to play a tank offline. Another friend wants to play a tank offline.

We both want to play multiplayer. Do we both get tanks or does someone turn into another class? Do we keep experience in this new class?

So...can anyone answer this:

I want to play a tank offline. Another friend wants to play a tank offline.

We both want to play multiplayer. Do we both get tanks or does someone turn into another class? Do we keep experience in this new class?

You can play duplicate classes both online/offline.

You can play duplicate classes both online/offline.

I like the part where he came up with a solution that would be 10 times harder to implement than just allowing any 4 classes.

Official talent calculators are up

http://www.borderlandsthegame.com/skilltree/lilith/
http://www.borderlandsthegame.com/skilltree/brick/
http://www.borderlandsthegame.com/skilltree/mordecai/
http://www.borderlandsthegame.com/skilltree/roland/

Borderlands Intro (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOb_ZH6gGWc)

I love not having to leave SD for my borderlands news! Thanks thermo

Those reviews need to come out ASAP. The wait is killing me..

I'm not 100% sure but these first two videos may be the actual intros for the game so watch at your own risk. There's nothing earth shattering in them and if you've been following borderlands videos, most of the footage has already been out in one form or another.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOb_ZH6gGWc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGCB3-c389w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-q5gIZ-HK0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMWiM6QWZHw

Enjoy and be sure to click the HD button.

Only...6...days...to...go.....:woot:

So the Borderlands community is up in arms about a less than favorable impression of the game given by the idle thumbs podcast (writers from gamasutra and shacknews). Apparently their chief complaint is that a lot of the guns feel the same and once you get a really good weapon, you have little incentive to throw it away.

So the Borderlands community is up in arms about a less than favorable impression of the game given by the idle thumbs podcast (writers from gamasutra and shacknews). Apparently their chief complaint is that a lot of the guns feel the same and once you get a really good weapon, you have little incentive to throw it away.

The more I visit the borderlandsguide forums, and the gearbox forums the more I worry about the community of the game. Some of the people there really scare me with the whole fanaticism over a game that hasn't been released. I'll have to look up the podcast after I get home.

The more I visit the borderlandsguide forums, and the gearbox forums the more I worry about the community of the game. Some of the people there really scare me with the whole fanaticism over a game that hasn't been released. I'll have to look up the podcast after I get home.

Yeah I know what you mean. There was a thread in which the poster was rambling about how Infinity Ward must be mad since Borderlands is going to take sales away from MW2. That's crazy fanaticism right there..

The more I visit the borderlandsguide forums, and the gearbox forums the more I worry about the community of the game. Some of the people there really scare me with the whole fanaticism over a game that hasn't been released. I'll have to look up the podcast after I get home.

I plan to play mostly SP and some MP with friends. The community doesn't matter much to me.

It is worrisome we haven't seen review and the release is less than a week away. When reviews are good, they usually come out early. I'm guessing the Borderlands reviews will be average.

On the flip side, Titan Quest got average reviews and I think it is a really fun game. I will buy this unless the reputable reviews are really awful. The concept is right up my alley, they would really have to screw it up for me to not enjoy it.

I plan to play mostly SP and some MP with friends. The community doesn't matter much to me.

It is worrisome we haven't seen review and the release is less than a week away. When reviews are good, they usually come out early. I'm guessing the Borderlands reviews will be average.

On the flip side, Titan Quest got average reviews and I think it is a really fun game. I will buy this unless the reputable reviews are really awful. The concept is right up my alley, they would really have to screw it up for me to not enjoy it.

I was on the whole HGL boat, so I don't mind buying into a game that gets mediocre reviews. I won't cancel my steam preorder or anything, I just don't expect the game to be one I will stick with for the long haul if you know what I mean. I mean I played Guild Wars for about 4 years, but there were very many older players, and older player guilds than I notice in Borderlands, even in the alpha testing.

I could very well be wrong about it all, but I'm just apprehensive.

I plan to play mostly SP and some MP with friends. The community doesn't matter much to me.

It is worrisome we haven't seen review and the release is less than a week away. When reviews are good, they usually come out early. I'm guessing the Borderlands reviews will be average.

On the flip side, Titan Quest got average reviews and I think it is a really fun game. I will buy this unless the reputable reviews are really awful. The concept is right up my alley, they would really have to screw it up for me to not enjoy it.

I agree. I plan on getting this game even if the reviews aren't spectacular. I really enjoy RPS games, and this reminds me a lot of STALKER, which I really enjoyed. They released a new STALKER in Russia, but it hasn't made it here yet (if at all), so this will be a nice replacement. As you said, they'd really have to screw it up for me not to want it.

Oh wow, I listened to the podcast. His tone really makes it out like he was forcing himself to finish the game. He tries to come off as really nice too, saying that most of the problems he has with the game are genre problems (RPG + FPS) and not necessarily the implementation of it. For instance, he says the random guns thing doesn't really pan out that well, mainly because of the nature of randomness and how it either a) has to make everything awesome to be interesting and thus making everything not interesting or b) everything just averages out and doesn't really pop out to you.

Hrmm I'd like to hear some other opinions on the game now. :(

Oh wow, I listened to the podcast. His tone really makes it out like he was forcing himself to finish the game. He tries to come off as really nice too, saying that most of the problems he has with the game are genre problems (RPG + FPS) and not necessarily the implementation of it. For instance, he says the random guns thing doesn't really pan out that well, mainly because of the nature of randomness and how it either a) has to make everything awesome to be interesting and thus making everything not interesting or b) everything just averages out and doesn't really pop out to you.

Hrmm I'd like to hear some other opinions on the game now. :(

It kinda sucks that the chief complaint of the game is that the guns aren't variable enough. I figure with 17,000,000 possible permutations, you'd think that there would be at least 500-1000 guns that are distinctly different. One of my biggest concerns with this game is that after you finish everything, what's going to keep you coming back for more? Interesting weapons will only take you so far if there isn't anything interesting for you to shoot at. The way to solve that of course would be to add in a robust PVP system that would encourage gear farming (since it's been confirmed that mobs and bosses all have respawn timers) or continually add end game content. This is the kind of game that in order for it to be successful would need continual support from the developer. However, I just don't see it happening from a multiplatform game.

not looking good for the game from the 2 reviews [podcast is signs that shacknews will say game is average]

:(

Well 9.1 and 8.5 are good scores....

Well 9.1 and 8.5 are good scores....

whered you get the 9.1?

An australian PC gaming mag. It's on the official Borderlands forums.

30 min quicklook from Giantbomb.. (http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-borderlands/17-1498/)

30 min quicklook from Giantbomb.. (http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-borderlands/17-1498/)

Was just gonna post it watching it now.

I dug the quick look.

So I guess the cut the whole 10,000 vehicle parts thing. It looks like you get a preset number of vehicles and all you can do is change the turrent gun and the color of the chasis. I'm hoping there are more than just 2 types of vehicles.

The quicklook made the game seem much more interesting than the podcast did. I'm not sure I know what the impact vehicles have on the game-play yet. Although, I am a not really a big Halo fan, and I've never really like vehicle combat in any game. The last halo I played was 2 though.

30 min quicklook from Giantbomb.. (http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-borderlands/17-1498/)

I like the looks of the game based on this video and I'm trying to find a decent preorder deal now. It seems like the main problem people have is the promise of the 17m guns not really being all that awesome, but I'm not sure what people expected there - to me, when they say there are 17m guns, that means there will be minor differences between a lot of them and a whole lot of crappy ones that are basically scrap metal.

So if I buy this on Steam am I going to have to use Gamespy to get multiplayer(co-op) going?

Any idea?

So if I buy this on Steam am I going to have to use Gamespy to get multiplayer(co-op) going?

Any idea?

yup...it'll be through gamespy.

I don't think I knew about the first-come first-get on the loot for co-op. Kind of a downer since I feel the rolling system works better. I feel like some people will just grab guns instead of killing things. I guess we'll just wait and see how it works.

The quicklook made the game seem much more interesting than the podcast did. I'm not sure I know what the impact vehicles have on the game-play yet. Although, I am a not really a big Halo fan, and I've never really like vehicle combat in any game. The last halo I played was 2 though.

I echo the sentiment on vehicular combat in FPS games. I can't think of a FPS where I enjoyed the vehicle combat. In most cases, it pissed me off. In HL2 the fan boat & dune buggy sucked, in Quake 4 the tank thing didn't add much, and the tank in Mass Effect (shudder)... none of these were enticing. I thought they sucked in Halo as well but I'm not a Halo fan, so I didn't really care (was just burning some time with a friend before people came over to his place).

The one vehicle I do remember liking is the air support in CoD4, but you aren't driving it.

I echo the sentiment on vehicular combat in FPS games. I can't think of a FPS where I enjoyed the vehicle combat. In most cases, it pissed me off. In HL2 the fan boat & dune buggy sucked, in Quake 4 the tank thing didn't add much, and the tank in Mass Effect (shudder)... none of these were enticing. I thought they sucked in Halo as well but I'm not a Halo fan, so I didn't really care (was just burning some time with a friend before people came over to his place).

The one vehicle I do remember liking is the air support in CoD4, but you aren't driving it.

I guess I'm not really thinking about this game as strictly a FPS. I figure the vehicle customization would add more hours of farming into the gameplay. They could even release DLC to add checkpoint races (which you would figure would be easy to impliment given the real estate).

yup...it'll be through gamespy.

Damn... that sucks..

30 min quicklook from Giantbomb.. (http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-borderlands/17-1498/)

i am surprisingly disgusted from what i saw. totally eliminated the slightest desire in me to get this game.

i am surprisingly disgusted from what i saw. totally eliminated the slightest desire in me to get this game.

Care to elaborate? I'm honestly curious.

Care to elaborate? I'm honestly curious.

I second wanting to know some of what he doesn't like. So far the reviewers have said their dislikes are mostly based on the guns being super ordinary, and the AI not being up to snuff.

gosh the AI is killing me and so are the fights.

At least with Fallout 3, the AI was harder and there were crazier fights.
the Giantbomb video showed somewhat boring gameplay

I watched the video. It looks good for co-op. I really want if my friends want to get it also. I hope it goes on sale pretty quick. Probably will play in spring.

gosh the AI is killing me and so are the fights.

At least with Fallout 3, the AI was harder and there were crazier fights.
the Giantbomb video showed somewhat boring gameplay

Fallout3 had horrible AI..