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	The joy of being an Outcast... by Eric Rasmussen (6/6/99)

Introduction
There are lots of reasons being an outcast can be enjoyable. The natives already think you're a freak with strange habits, so is it really a bad thing to exaggerate them a bit? If an alien culture doesn't know anything about you or your people why not act a little wild? I'd run around peeing on trees to mark my territory just to see their reactions; I'd also blow up inflatable dolls and run around nude with them in my arms screaming, "Earth rocks!" No, I really wouldn't have a reason for doing that. I just think it'd be fun. And when you're the only one of your kind on a planet, who's to say it is abnormal behavior? In Outcast you are a lone human on a planet occupied by Talans, large aliens about the size of Wookies. The planet is called Adelpha, and an experiment is taking place there that may ruin Earth. It's up to you, Cutter Slade, to save the planet. It usually isn't too difficult to virtually save Earth actually. I have saved Earth countless times… as a space marine, as a Jedi Knight, as dinosaur hunter… the list goes on and on. So what's different about Outcast? Well, quite a few things make this game unique. Read on to find out what…

Let's start with the name, Cutter Slade. In an interview with Outcast's developers, Appeal, I discovered they picked it because it just sounded like a good military name. Apparently marketing did research and made sure the name was accepted everywhere. Accepted, yes, but original? No. I think there's enough about Outcast that will make the game unique that a really special name may not be needed, but Slade just sounds too generic. No matter though, the Talans won't know the difference. You could be Frank Smith or Quasimodo Alchamerntes for all they care. The only important thing is that you build up a reputation with the locals as a hero type, and through doing that you may be able to impede evil organizations that would otherwise cause trouble. Solving problems requires thought in this game, and there are plenty of ways to think things through.

Artificial Intelligence
Who are they you ask? Well, I'm going to briefly discuss an example of Outcast's artificial intelligence that I am essentially stealing from Infogrames web page… but I'll add some weird miscellaneous stuff also. Let's say George is walking along the road to meet Carla, his favorite prostitute. Now, he is anxious to get to her and in a hurry, but suddenly Don pulls out a weapon and fires at George shouting, "Stay away from my ho!" George runs screaming down the street to escape the commotion and is seen by Bob. Bob is a squirrelly, pansy kind of guy so he decides it may be in his best interest to high-tail it out of there as well. Billy is the guard of a certain area Bob and George happen to run through, and he sees Don chasing them, weapon in hand, so he shoots Don dead. Then Billy happens to be horny so he and Carla hop in a tent for a few minutes. Ok ok, it's not quite how their web page had that. But basically characters will do whatever is in their best interest, and you can use this to your advantage. If someone is waiting for a water merchant to come by, and he's guarding an area you'd like to get into, by scaring away the merchant and getting the guard to chase after him you can sneak into the previously inaccessible area.

Also, reputation can play a big role in how events play out. If you are known for firing shots into crowded areas and scaring the heck out of Bob and George, they won't like you much. Conversely, if you can help Bob and George by doing nice things, you may build up a reputation and make things easier on yourself in the long run. Another interesting thing about Outcast is that you have power over how strong the enemy may be. If you stop tax collectors from getting money to pay for an army, you won't have to face as many soldiers, and some may lose their will to fight if you convince people to join your cause. If you can persuade people to do your bidding things might go your way a little smoother than otherwise, and in no time you can return to Earth victorious and watch as millions of women across the world swoon in your presence.

Remember, artificial intelligence isn't the only component to making a great game, it requires thought from the gamer as well. You can't just run in shooting blindly and hope to come out alive. Certain scenarios may require stealth and the use of tranquilizer darts to knock enemies unconscious. Other situations might call for the use of x-ray goggles to examine a guard's tactics or patrolling pattern. These are also useful on Earth to completely rid yourself of the whole "undressing someone with your eyes" thing; now you can just see what they look like undressed. You can even use certain equipment to turn invisible in order to spy on people. Other gadgets may teleport you out of trouble or allow you to lay proximity mines in an area the enemy travels frequently. Adelpha looks to be the most realistic simulated environment in a game yet; I just hope Appeal decides to include llamas in the game. I asked in an interview, but their response was, "No llamas." They went on to say, "But we do have Easter eggs…" Maybe they'll throw in some llamas as Easter eggs now that I brought it up… everyone would love that sort of thing. Imagine a secret llama warrior that fights for your cause and lets you hump, er, ride it around all the time.