[Xzylvador]

...  Dude, alpha footage.  Know ye not what this means?

Uhm, do you?

The alpha phase usually ends with a feature freeze, indicating that no more features will be added to the software. At this time, the software is said to be feature complete.

It means the core of the game is supposed to be built, now they're progressing to cleaning up, making it look nicer, fixing bugs, building levels.
Real features, such as skills and the way they function and something that affects pretty much everything in the game like an inventory are things that aren't normally added after alpha phase.

[RHat]

...  Dude, alpha footage.  Know ye not what this means?

Uhm, do you?

The alpha phase usually ends with a feature freeze, indicating that no more features will be added to the software. At this time, the software is said to be feature complete.

It means the core of the game is supposed to be built, now they're progressing to cleaning up, making it look nicer, fixing bugs, building levels.
Real features, such as skills and the way they function and something that affects pretty much everything in the game like an inventory are things that aren't normally added after alpha phase.

Ends with a feature freeze - which means alpha footage, per definition, is not feature complete - and a lot of GUI stuff is so far from being core program logic it's not even funny.  Also, games don't always quite do the feature freeze.

And, well, you seem to overestimate the complexity of what is, in essence, just some data structure and a GUI for interacting with it.  Code-side, an inventory is actually a pretty simple thing since all the stuff that has to go into it already needs to exist in the form you need it.  It's possible for things to become more complicated due to the specific method by which something's implemented, but not likely.

[Xzylvador]

*shrug* I don't know man...

I'm already looking at it with a positive bias because, you know, it's Shadowrun! *glee*
But if you were to watch the footage without real knowledge of Shadowrun, the simplest conclusion -based on those 20 minutes- as to what the game is would be "Oh look, an X-Com clone without elevation or destructible environment, 'combat powers/special actions', most likely simplified so it's easier to control with the tablet interface." (And imo, X-Com was already pretty much a dumbed down version of many of its predecessors.)

I really, really hope I'm wrong and you're right. But based on the footage, I just don't see it.
More promising looking squad-based TBS game being developed: Xenonauts
More promising looking isometric turn-based roleplaying games being developed: Wasteland 2, Project Eternity, Torment

[CanRay]

And now you see why most people don't release Alpha Footage.

[Wildcard]

And now you see why most people don't release Alpha Footage.

Because two people whined on a forum?

[Mirikon]

And now you see why most people don't release Alpha Footage.

Because two people whined on a forum?

No, because a lot of people whine that an 'in progress' shot early in the development phase doesn't look like a completely finished game.

[CanRay]

I read some of the YouTube comments as well.  Not just Dumpshock and this forum.

[Wildcard]

I read some of the YouTube comments as well. 

Well there's your problem.

[bannockburn]

Don't do that. It will rot your brain.
If you're using chrome: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/herp-derp-for-youtube/ioomnmgjblnnolpdgdhebainmfbipjoh
There are solutions for other browsers as well

[Xzylvador]

Wow.
Mentioning an opinion other than "Wowzy! It's the best thing since Playboy!" fanboy-ism (along with saying that I'll most likely still buy it) is immediately considered whining?

You guys really...
Wait, sorry, I'm not allowed to say that anymore.

Again, I really hope I'm proven wrong.
But this is a thread labeled "20 minutes of Shadowrun Returns footage" and the first post has got a link to a 20min YouTube movie.
The point of which is to share what we all think about what shown in those 20 minutes, no?
Why not do that instead?

You've got an issue with what I believe I saw in the 20 minute video?
Is hoping to see roleplaying elements in alpha-footage of (what's being marketed as) an RPG that far-fetched?
Then please please please prove me wrong and point me to anything that shows social skills, inventory or heck, even combat stuff like stealth will be in the game instead of just making childish comments and attacks that really contribute nothing to the thread.

[Wildcard]

Wow.
Mentioning an opinion other than "Wowzy! It's the best thing since Playboy!" fanboy-ism (along with saying that I'll most likely still buy it) is immediately considered whining?

There's a large gap between fanboy and whiner.

Of course, you're on a forum for Shadowrun fans, so there you go.

If you want to go where everyone hates everything, go to the RPG Codex.

Wait. They universally love the game. Guess that just means you're whining.

[Xzylvador]

I already go to the Codex.
And I'm as much of a Shadowrun fan as the next guy on this forum, which is why I was hoping on seeing roleplaying elements in the game.

Also, found on the codex:
More sneak preview footage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8InuCDMpuEI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yki3Vpd3Ho0

[Patrick Goodman]

I read some of the YouTube comments as well. 

Well there's your problem.

Don't do that. That way lies madness.

[CanRay]

I read some of the YouTube comments as well. 

Well there's your problem.

Don't do that. That way lies madness.

*Cough*  Who am I again?

What do you know of madness? 

[Wakshaani]

There's a small inventory system... you can see the Samurai switching between weapons, for example, while the Troll has spells stored in his "Backpack" that are ready to click-n-cast. The Rigger also has a drone ... possible that this isn't an "inventory item" so much as a "class power", but the rest means that, yeah, you've got options.

Interesting that they went back to the six-attribute system instead of the modern eight.