Not sure whats wrong with a cover system if its done properly.
This is a first-person shooter. If you want to take cover, you stand behind cover. There is no need for an arbitrary third-person cover system which destroys perspective consistency and removes the inherent risk v.s. reward balance of using cover. In addition, the presence of a cover system means that leaning is most likely non-existent. I'm pretty sure that's a compromise for gamepads.
Also, this cover system is apparently a replacement for the traditional light/sound-based stealth mechanic, which has a
lot more depth.
I got the impression it just pops into 3rd person when they want to show the character doing something.
Yes, that is correct. Except I don't want the camera to switch to third-person whenever I'm climbing up a ladder or snapping somebody's neck. It annoys the hell out of me. I want a consistent perspective. If I'm in first-person, then suddenly you tear the camera away into third-person, that kills immersion.
You don't remember how poor the AI was in the original about stealth do you?
I'm not talking about AI here. I'm talking about actual stealth mechanics. Hiding behind stuff has far less depth than a lighting/sound-based stealth system. It's dumbed down any way you look at it. This is a
huge issue for me, as I love being stealthy and if stealth in DX3 boils down to "hide behind this box and run when the guard turns his back," the experience will be ruined.
With a light/sound-based stealth system, there is so much more potential depth. You could shoot out lights, then turn on your night-vision augmentation to stalk enemies. Or you could sneak around with your sound dampening augmentation, letting you run up behind guards and knock them out with a baton to the back of the head. Or you could throw an object to create a loud noise, distracting guards and allowing you to sneak past. It seems none of this will be possible in DX3.
PC is the only announced platform so far.
That was the case with Far Cry 2 as well. First they try to appeal to PC gamers, then in a few months they say "Oh, just kidding, it's coming out for 360 and PS3 too! And 360 is now the lead development platform!" In previous statements, EIDOS explicitly said that DX3 will be a multiplatform game.
Sounds like proper inventory management is in from what the magazine said, thank god.
But how do they define "proper"? Compared to DX2, the inventory management from Oblivion is "proper". Hell, compared to DX2, the inventory management from Gothic is proper. DX2 had the worst inventory system ever.
I have read the PR guy's statements on the forum and they don't really relieve me at all. It sounds like a feeble attempt at damage control from what I've read.