assassin vs. soldier

[MaxTheLagomorphicWonder]

Is this game supposed to be one over the other, or is it really a question of how I want to play... As in, sure, you can play stealthy and try to not raise the alarm, but you could just kick down the door, scream bloody murder and spray enough bullets that generations to come will be coming back to collect metals for new bullets?

Going stealth was really hard for a beginner and I'm hoping that tripping up and getting spotted isn't a death sentence... just trading one set of challenges for another.

[Killstash2142]

Combat and stealth are both part of the primary gameplay loop, you aren't expected to hold strictly to one or the other. Feel free to play however you want, but expect straight combat and/or stealth to become much harder as the campaign goes. Clearing a bunch of the enemy in stealth while mapping the area in your mind, going guns blazing when stealth breaks, breaking contact with the enemy before too many show up, then striking their search patrols from stealth again or blowing away their death-blobs from a flank with an automatic gun - all while keeping your focus on the objective, seems to be the developer's intended way to play.

Of course, don't forget to keep track of your environment, and use it to your advantage. Good killzones solve problems, and that solves levels. You probably already know these ones, but I'll cover them anyways: Vents let you silently cross areas, closets let you hide, dumpsters let you hide bodies, and bathrooms are the ultimate hiding spot for just about anything (don't leave a blood trail to it though). Windows can be shot through, making them dangerous to stand in front of lest you be swiss-cheesed by angry thugs, but provide valuable movement opportunities if broken. Breaker boxes let you switch lights off but release a shock when shot, so don't stay close. Fences take time and make noise to climb, while keycard doors obviously need a keycard. Shooting cameras breaks stealth, so use EMPs or sneak by if you can; eliminating the operator turns them green, which signals they aren't active. Fire alarms make a lot of background noise and stop fires with the sprinklers, but alert everyone, so consider using one when your cover's blown. Enemies have a hard time hitting what they can't see, so keep the lights off when you can. Lights flicker occasionally when shot, causing suspicion and giving off light; using an EMP, light switch, or breaker box is less suspicious and totally dark, but EMPs are temporary while switches are easily reset if an enemy gets to them. The most important thing out of all of this, though, is to not get cornered; if you can move without being shot at, you can fix your situation and be the one shooting.

[Duke Nukem]

Being spotted is not a death sentence. Instead, you will find a lot of times combat is inevitable.

[Duke Nukem]

Still, you can just shoot the light off and shot in the dark, then call it "Tactical Stealth"

[Mumblez]

Both playstyles are viable. Going armored, unarmored, armed for bear, lightly armed, and since weight and noise are factors, going in naked still has its advantages.

Its less which should you pick, and more what flavor poison do you want. Going in armed for bear and kitted out makes you most capable for open combat, but the weight will make your stealth ♥♥♥♥, and move slower, which can screw you.

But going in with no armor, pistol and knife will make you fast AF, very quiet, and much more capable of pulling off BALLSY plays, but if an alert DOES happen, you are left being an unarmored idiot severely outgunned.

Basically you gotta pick where you want your advantages, most people bring in at LEAST kevlar, and an SMG at least (ideally with a silencer) but you can also bring something like an AK with a 2x scope, 3A vest, and explosives. OR you can bring just a pistol and knife and just hope you never have a full alert.

[MaxTheLagomorphicWonder]

So, just to make sure, I should probably approach things more like this were an RPG with a character?

I guess this also prompts the question of whether there are combat-only or stealth-only levels where you're forced into one or the other.

[Mumblez]

Originally posted by MaxTheLagomorphicWonder:

So, just to make sure, I should probably approach things more like this were an RPG with a character?

I'm not exactly sure how you mean this, but ill put it this way.

Stealth, or at least, not getting spotted by a dozen dudes at once ala the end of red dead redemption, is KINDA necessary however you play.

Going loud and having an alert is likely to eventually happen UNLESS you are really good with stealth, and its easier with a decent gun to deal with.

Armor helps you tolerate being shot MORE, but also makes you louder so you will alert people closer easier.

Its all plusses and minuses, theres no objectively BEST loadout, just benefits and costs for everything. If you feel like you cant ghost, bring armor and a gun. If you feel like you can't handle open combat, go full stealth

[Duke Nukem]

Originally posted by MaxTheLagomorphicWonder:

So, just to make sure, I should probably approach things more like this were an RPG with a character?

I guess this also prompts the question of whether there are combat-only or stealth-only levels where you're forced into one or the other.

In this reply here, I will offer brief answer to your question, then offers much more detailed explaination in my next reply.

1. No, this is not a RPG.

In RPG you can boost your character's status by gaining experience and then put your skill point in your Skill Tree or something. There is nothing like this in Intravenous 2.

In Intravenous, there is indeed a Skill System, through which you can use your "Skill points" or rather, experiences to enhance certain stats. You can access it by pressing pause screen, click "View Skills" to see it. By upgrading skills, you can get less speed penalty(that means, when you have weapons and gadget on you, you can move a bit fast), faster picking lock speed, faster reloading speed, higher melee damage. But you surely can not upgrade in a way that enemies can not see you in light.

2. There is no mission to "FORCE" you into one playstyle or another, but the level designs will constantly put you in sometimes inevitable combat.

[The Undead Watcher]

If you play on "true" difficulty then having everyone on high alert is inevitable, combat too. There it just matters for how long you can keep being "truly undetected" (aka not having search patrol roaming the map).

Once they actively search for you then it's a matter of opportunity: Take out as many single stragglers as you can and work on thinning out groups, you will be in constant flux between Combat and Stealth. Always try to get back into Stealth as much as possible.

Remember: The enemy doesn't magically know your exact location, only a rough estimate depending on your sound and visibility. Even if they saw you enough to open fire and you hide back in the shadows, they won't know where you are, so use that to your advantage.

I had 4-5 enemies walk by my face out in the open because we were in a pitch black environment.