"The Real SOCOM" Blog presented by David Doel

I had a dream...

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:01:03 -0600

That Seth had made a post on SOCOM.com apologizing because there would never be any downloadable content for SOCOM Confrontation as they had accidentally released the game without supporting the thought of future DLC...

I usually don't dream this nerdy...honest :)

And yes, it was only a dream! Don't go searching for any validity to this.

1.30 video part 2 - Dpad Lean

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:24:58 -0600

A lot of people have been asking for this feature. On SOCOM.com's newest update they've posted a video and some details of the new d-pad lean.

Transparant scoreboard

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:33:53 -0600

Well the patch isn't ready yet, but coming. For now Slant Six has teased us with a video of one of the new changes, the transparent scoreboard that allows you to move while viewing it (like old SOCOMs).

Source.

Confrontation makes top 10 sales for October

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:03:51 -0600

01. Fable II (Xbox 360) - 790,000
02. Wii Fit (Wii) - 487,000
03. Fallout 3 (Xbox 360) - 375,000
04. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 290,000
05. Wii Play (Wii) - 282,000
06. Saints Row 2 (Xbox 360) - 270,000
07. SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation (PS3) - 231,000
08. LittleBigPlanet (PS3) - 215,000
09. NBA 2K9 (Xbox 360) - 202,000
10. Dead Space (Xbox 360) - 193,000

Source.

Pretty damn impressive for an online-only game. The doubters that thought this game didn't have pull can now go eat crow :).

Sloooww news, busy, etc

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:51:24 -0600

Hey ya'll,

Sorry for the lack of updates recently. Been so busy with so many different things, I barely have time to even turn on my PS3.

I really appreciate all the emails and blog comments I've gotten from all the SOCOM fans out there. You seem to love the blog and I definitely want to keep it up. If there was more to post I would :p.

And YES, I know, me and Hellman still haven't recorded our review podcast. It will come one day, I just don't know when.

So are you still loving SOCOM? Any things you want changed/added to the game (apart from the obvious trophies & party system)?

And ya, I'm well aware of the Q&A that was done on SOCOM.com. Specifically the answer to this question:

Why can't we join a game in progress from our friend's list or clan list?

While this was a feature of previous SOCOM games, this was never announced to be a feature for SOCOM: Confrontation. We do realize that it is a highly desired feature and we are looking to see what can be done to add it. No promises, but it is something we want to add.

I mean, how ridiculous is that answer? So because it wasn't promised before we shouldn't expect a feature that SHOULD be in every online game, to be in SOCOM Confrontation?

Like, come on.

1up re-reviews Confrontation. Gives it a B+

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:33:46 -0600

Sorry I'm late with this info, I was away all weekend. But its worth mentioning none the less. Since Confrontation has been working a lot better, 1up decided to re-review it as they had previously promised. The result? An entire grade higher, as it comes away with a very excellent B+ grade.

Check out the new review here.

IGN reviews the game. You make your own conclusions

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:48:42 -0500

IGN's SOCOM Review

Personally, it seems like the review was written 2 weeks ago, because from my experience the game has been working pretty damn well recently. And everyone I talk to seems to have the same experience.

I don't know, what are your thoughts?

1.20 patch coming tomorrow morning

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:59:39 -0500

And thank god!

We are happy to announce that the SOCOM: Confrontation 1.20 Update will be released on Wednesday, October 29th, at 1200 GMT/UTC (8am EDT, 5am PDT, 1pm BST, 9pm JST).

The SOCOM: Confrontation 1.20 update addresses the following issues:

Fixed many issues which would cause the game to crash, hang, disconnect and exit to the PS3 XMB.
Fixed an issue which would cause large numbers of players in a high player count game to be simultaneously disconnected.
Fixed an issue which would cause players to be invincible.
Fixed a physics issue which would cause players to occasionally "warp" around on the map.
Fixed an issue where a "corrupt save data" message would be incorrectly displayed after updating the game.
Fixed some player model issues related to team swapping.
Client/server optimization.
Fixed an issue where the scope camera had an incorrect offset from the barrel of the gun while prone or leaning/peeking.

For players who have already downloaded and installed the 1.10 update, the 1.20 update is only ~50MB in size. For new players, the size is the 1.10 update plus the 1.20 update which is ~550MB.

The main purpose of this update is to address major stability and playability issues with the game. The stability of the game has been greatly improved with the 1.20 update. There are still a few low frequency issues which we are continuing to look into and will be addressed in a future update.

We are reading player feedback in the forums and will be making future changes to the game based on that feedback. Please keep the feedback coming.

Regards,

SOCOM: Confrontation Online Team

New ranked rooms are up in every server

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 13:12:10 -0500

Played a little last night and noticed that every server now has a lot more 'Ranked Medleys' then normal. Each room now has Medley 1/2/3/etc for 4x4, 8x8, and 16x16. They also mix up the maps and modes in them. I was playing Crossroads on Extraction in one of the 8x8 rooms, when I believe normally its Demolition only.

It was also running spectacular. So if you've given the game a break because of the way it was running, it's time for you to hop back on and give it another try.

IGN - "the players are a lot nicer and courteous"

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 23:34:20 -0500

Check out the recent IGN Tech Fetish podcast who talk about the SOCOM community for a bit around the 27min mark.

Like I have always said and will continue to say as long as its true, is that the community on SOCOM IS and has always been the best community in any shooter out there on the market.

Not only are we a lot nicer as a whole, but strangers work together, and I mean all the time in every game I play. People that have never played together before will communicate and work together as a team. It's why it's always been so easy to make friends on the SOCOM games and always a great shooter to introduce new people to.

Have you had the same positive experience with the community so far in Confrontation as I have?

Confrontation & Reviews

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:59:16 -0500

In case you missed them:

IGN's non-review
1up.com 'current' review
GameSpot's review

What are your thoughts? Fair/unfair?

Personally, as much as I love Confrontation I think those reviews and IGN's stance on the whole thing are completely fair. How exactly are you going to stay current and review a game when it's marred with technical issues that need to be patched?

These places need to review what's given to them, and what was given to them was a game that doesn't always let you onto servers, into games, and has a myriad of technical flaws in larger 16v16 rooms. Not to mention features that are on the box but are currently missing in the game (match-making, in-game inviting, trophies).

That said, the gameplay, when it's working as its meant to, is flawless in my opinion. The game is a total blast, and completely worth fighting through the technical issues to play, just as SOCOM II was with all it's technical problems. The difference here is that Confrontation's problems seem a lot easier to fix, and most likely will all be patched in within a couple months, unlike the major flaws in SOCOM II's design which were unpatchable (namely the hit detection).

For those wondering, me and Hellman are still reviewing the game in podcast form sometime this week. So keep an eye out. In the mean time, do SOCOM a favour and spread the good word about it. This is an online shooter that can't be passed on, despite it's current issues.

Annnnd...they're working alright again

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 23:48:09 -0500

Been playing for the last few hours. Played a few maps with 1up.com's own Nick Suttner which was a lot of fun (hopefully he's a little less sour on the game now :p).

One thing I must mention is how awesome Fallen (Large) is on Breach. Feels like a spiritual successor to Enwapi, with the Terrorist base in the middle and the Seals spawning around it. Absolutely brilliant, great fun.

What are your favourite maps in the game so far? Apart from the classics.

Servers are not running strong

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 09:08:41 -0500

Ugh, not again. They were down for most of last night, and when I tried to get on this morning they were still down.

Not much else to say at this point. Servers down on a Saturday night can't be good for first impressions. Sony really needs to get their shit together. This is just embarrassing and is looking bad on Slant Six even though they did their job of creating an excellently playing online game.

Sony need to hold up their end of the bargain and have servers that work properly.

Servers are running strong

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 12:36:04 -0500

I was playing online last night for a couple hours in 8v8 Ranked Rooms without any issues. Absolutely flawless, and insanely fun. Jumped into a 32 player room this morning and wasn't as lucky. Game was lagging slightly and ended up freezing on me 4 rounds into it.

What has been your experience thus far?

Servers running into issues, but it's running better atm

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:09:39 -0500

If you've been on anytime tonight, you probably ran into some server issues and trying to join games. The SOCOM online team promptly responded:

Due to the tremendous launch of SOCOM Confrontation and large number of simultaneous players connecting, we are experiencing some server load issues. We are aware of the current server issues and we are actively looking into them. We will have these issues resolved as soon as possible.

Regards,
SOCOM: Confrontation Online Team

And right now, as I am writing this at 1:07am EST, the servers are working a lot better and I was just able to play a match without any issues.

This is typical when it comes to a new online game. Look back and think of an online game that worked flawlessly at launch. I can't think of one. So just give them a couple days to get the server load issues ironed out before pulling out all your hair.

New, and final trailer. And oh ya, the game is out today!

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:12:09 -0500

Check out the newest, and final trailer. Also probably my favourite. Let me know if you see it on television (or any SOCOM commercial) as I'm hoping they run it. SOCOM is one of those games that appeals to people who only buy 1 to 2 games a year, and you really nail that market if you get a tv presence.

Also, the game is out today! Some people already have it. I'm not one of those people. But in the mean time if you do have it, let me know what you think so far. My biggest question mark right now is match-making/party system since it wasn't in the beta. Is it in the final game? How is it working? Let me know.

Beta is over. Prepare yourself for next week.

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:21:07 -0500

Hope you all enjoyed the beta. The final game is a few days away.

In the meantime I will be enjoying Thanksgiving here in Canada while working on a pile of College projects.

And sometime the week of Oct 20th I will be recording a podcast with Hellman with each of our reviews of Confrontation, so look for that.

Desert Glory fly-through video on the PSN Store

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:54:41 -0500

And its looks incredible.

Go check it out.

Patch 1.60 is live

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:33:14 -0500

It's up! Go get it.

I'm busy this morning. I'll be back with my impressions as soon as I get some time with it.

EDIT:

So far so good for me. I hear some people are having issues with freezing, but I'm having no problems. At least not yet.

Patch 1.60 on the way

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:33:55 -0500

As per Abigale's post on the Playstation.com message boards:

Hi, Folks-

I want to first thank you again for helping us find the bugs in this Beta. It's impossible to know how things are going to go until we have a large number of people online and playing, no matter how much testing we do internally. I know these last couple of days have been difficult, but take heart in knowing that you all helped us find some issues that now will not be there when the game launches on the 14th!

I have already told you we are working to fix these issues. We are testing a new patch and hope it will be ready for release by tomorrow (Thursday) morning. We'll keep you informed and let you know more details about that soon, on SOCOM.com. But I also wanted to tell you that we will be extending the Beta just a little longer. Instead of ending on Thursday, it will be going on until Saturday night at midnight PDT. So you will have just a little while longer to help us test things out before release.

Thanks again for being willing to play our unfinished product in order to help us find what needed fixed. I hope you enjoy the full game when it is released! :)

And don't forget, the final game is only a week away.

Beta Patch 1.50 hits...and falls flat on it's face

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:06:13 -0500

The 1.50 patch for the beta hit this morning and I just had a chance to hop on and play with it myself. Anyone else getting constant error messages popping up in the lobby? I wasn't even able to get into a game because it wouldn't start, and then would kick me and a bunch of other people out to the briefing room lobby.

I try to be as optimistic as possible, but if this is the latest build of their netcode, then I can't hold out much hope for October 14th. And the match-making/party system is not even in the beta test. I'd be surprised if that works flawlessly without any prior, mass public beta, testing.

Cross your fingers.

PSN version hits 2 days late

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 09:45:09 -0500

According to a comment by Seth Luisi of Sony on the SOCOM.com blog,

Unfortunately, the PSN version will not be released until Thursday, October 16th...

This is unlike Warhawk which was released the same day on PSN as the retail version. So just a heads up for anyone that was going to download it, you'll have to wait a bit longer.

Beta extended to October 9th

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:56:46 -0500

All info here.

Weird to think the final game is only 11 days away.

Say hello to Frostfire

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 16:22:53 -0500

Check out GameSpy's article, and their video of it below.

:)

7th map revealed!!!

noreply@blogger.com (David Doel) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:19:14 -0500

Wow, colour me impressed. The 7th and final map to be announced, 'Fallen', looks awesome.

Check out the IGN Q&A with all the details, here.