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[The Technomancer]

I'm on like an Obsidian/BI binge right now. Replaying Alpha Protocol, planning after that to finally put more than six hours into New Vegas, planning after that to replay Arcanum

 

[Lancehead]

No one feel like replaying IWD or BG? That must say something.

 

[WanderingWind]

I'm on like an Obsidian/BI binge right now. Replaying Alpha Protocol, planning after that to finally put more than six hours into New Vegas, planning after that to replay Arcanum

So, we need to sync our watches.

 

[zkylon]

And by that we can just explicitly say Bioware and Bethesda.

I was gonna make a few remarks about Casey Hudson and such but wanted to keep things positive in the thread

I'm on a tight schedule of Dark Souls, League of Legends and (soon) Dishonored, but after the dust settles, I'm planning to finally beat NWN2 plus the expansions.

 

[Almighty]

I actually recently re-finished it

Maybe we should all replay Arcanum.

Ha. All this talk in this thread about Arcanum actually made me go buy it of GOG just now to play it. I should try to play MotB like I said I would as well. Man feels like I am being pulled in two directions.

 

[EndcatOmega]

Arcanum's one of the only two of the big RPGs of that era I haven't played. Guess I'm in too.

 

[zkylon]

Arcanum's a testament on how not to do RTWP combat (or was it all real time?). I just set the difficulty level to easy and kicked my way through the whole game lol. Quest design is what that game was all about anyways...

 

[Lancehead]

Arcanum's a testament on how not to do RTWP combat (or was it all real time?). I just set the difficulty level to easy and kicked my way through the whole game lol. Quest design is what that game was all about anyways...

It had both real-time and turn based modes (no RTWP). It was a mess.

 

[EndcatOmega]

Has anyone ever tried to 'fix' it to just a working turn-based system? I dunno how much mod support those kind of games had except for restoration mods and widescreen patches.

 

[Almighty]

Arcanum's a testament on how not to do RTWP combat (or was it all real time?). I just set the difficulty level to easy and kicked my way through the whole game lol. Quest design is what that game was all about anyways...

Yeah it is. I sadly don't remember much clearly about that game, but one of the two things I remember clearly is it's combat was pretty awful. The other was just how much ass the Elephant Gun kicked for me at the point I got it.

 

[Sotha Sil]

Arcanum's a testament on how not to do RTWP combat (or was it all real time?). I just set the difficulty level to easy and kicked my way through the whole game lol. Quest design is what that game was all about anyways...

Yeah, combat really is awful. And the music is mighty depressing. Yet I'm reinstalling it right now, help

 

[WanderingWind]

If they could take the unique world of Arcanum, the writing and characters of MotB, the replay ability of AP, the bug free coding of DS3 and the free form adventuring of FO:NV, the world would have the bestest RPG ever.

 

[subversus]

And I'm playing through PS:T for the first time, you should all envy me.

 

[Lancehead]

If they could take the unique world of Arcanum, the writing and characters of MotB, the replay ability of AP, the bug free coding of DS3 and the free form adventuring of FO:NV, the world would have the bestest RPG ever.

What do you think they're doing right now?

 

[EndcatOmega]

And I'm playing through PS:T for the first time, you should all envy me.

Lucky bastard. Especially if you've somehow avoided getting spoilered up to this point.

Spoiler

Though I've still got BG2 left...

 

[zkylon]

And I'm playing through PS:T for the first time, you should all envy me.

Planescape is the kind of game it gets better every time you play it, so no dice

 

[epmode]

I started replaying MotB recently. You should all join me in spirit. Eating.

I wanted to say that I finally started MotB. This will be my fourth attempt at not hating it.

BUT THINGS WILL BE DIFFERENT THIS TIME

Instead of playing at my native resolution of 2560x1600 and quitting in frustration over the microscopic fonts and UI, I set the resolution to 1280x800. The UI is still kind of awful but at least I can see it!

And fuck it, I made a boring pure fighter and set the game to Easy so I don't have to think about the annoying combat system.

Sooo I think I'm going to get beyond the gates of the first town now.

 

[Sotha Sil]

If they could take the unique world of Arcanum, the writing and characters of MotB, the replay ability of AP, the bug free coding of DS3 and the free form adventuring of FO:NV, the world would have the bestest RPG ever.

You forgot the dialogue tree jungles and atmosphere-building of PS:Torment!

 

[Sentenza]

No one feel like replaying IWD or BG? That must say something.

I played BG2 roughly 6-7 times over the years.
BG1, on the other hand, I never found myself willing to make a second playthrough.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

Warms the ol' cockles every time I see Chris and Josh talk about this project. They're so obviously the best at what they do.

Holy cow, you have a Maine Coon? Wonderful cats.

 

[Almighty]

And I'm playing through PS:T for the first time, you should all envy me.

and there is one of the other games I just bought on GOG. I plan to have an old school RPG marathon over then next few weeks or months. I got games I never played before like Planescape, MotB, and Baldur's Gate 2(haven't decided if I want to try any of the other DnD games) lined up, and then I got old games like Arcanum and Darklands that i loved and want to replay.

 

[EviLore]

Holy cow, you have a Maine Coon? Wonderful cats.

It's cloudwalking & jarosh's cat, just visited them in Switzerland the other day. The breed is Siberian iirc.

 

[Lancehead]

I played BG2 roughly 6-7 times over the years.
BG1, on the other hand, I never found myself willing to make a second playthrough.

I was actually asking that question in relation to Eternity. People getting tempted to replay Torment, Arcanum, MotB etc but not IWD or BG. I think it says that people don't want Eternity to be as combat focussed as BG or IWD.

 

[zkylon]

"Only" games I'm missing are the Baldur's Gate series and NWN2. I was planning on beating BG1&2 this year, but now they're that they're doing the remakes I'm probably gonna hold on that.

 

[Derrick01]

I wanted to say that I finally started MotB. This will be my fourth attempt at not hating it.

BUT THINGS WILL BE DIFFERENT THIS TIME

Instead of playing at my native resolution of 2560x1600 and quitting in frustration over the microscopic fonts and UI, I set the resolution to 1280x800. The UI is still kind of awful but at least I can see it!

And fuck it, I made a boring pure fighter and set the game to Easy so I don't have to think about the annoying combat system.

Sooo I think I'm going to get beyond the gates of the first town now.

That's what I did because I have the hardest time figuring out how that shit works. It aggravates me too because one of the things I love most in RPGs is leveling up and picking stats and skills, but I just don't know what skill to pick with all those numbers and rules in the game. So I pout and do auto level up.

If it wasn't for the great writing these games would be unplayable for me now.

 

[subversus]

Lucky bastard. Especially if you've somehow avoided getting spoilered up to this point.

Spoiler

Though I've still got BG2 left...

yes, I don't know almost anything about it. I started it last year but I wasn't in the mood for it. Now I'm focusing on one game at a time so it goes very well. Also I modded UI and don't need binoculars to read dialogues anymore. I enjoy Buddhism "references", atmosphere, music and writing of course. So far so good, let's see if it goes that well until the end...

 

[EndcatOmega]

I was actually asking that question in relation to Eternity. People getting tempted to replay Torment, Arcanum, MotB etc but not IWD or BG. I think it says that people don't want Eternity to be as combat focussed as BG or IWD.

Well, I was under the impression that, in BG's case, none of the people who worked on those works for Obsidian? And the IWD games have always been (very slightly) less highly regarded than the other IE games.

 

[Lancehead]

Well, I was under the impression that, in BG's case, none of the people who worked on those works for Obsidian? And the IWD games have always been (very slightly) less highly regarded than the other IE games.

Yeah but BG is an IE game and Arcanum is also not very highly regarded.

For myself I don't want the game to be too combat focussed. Will the game allow a non-lethal run? I hope so.

Although that may mean lots of functional redundancy in the party. Hmm

 

[Sentenza]

I was actually asking that question in relation to Eternity. People getting tempted to replay Torment, Arcanum, MotB etc but not IWD or BG. I think it says that people don't want Eternity to be as combat focussed as BG or IWD.

The problem with BG1, beside an implementation of D&D rules that was flawed and way too easy to exploit (i.e. ranged weapons and summon spells extremely overpowered) is that BG2 topped it in pretty much every single way.
It was bigger, better, with more NPC interaction, better encounters, a more advanced version of the ruleset, more classes and kits, and so on.
But both games put a lot of focus on the combat, so I wouldn't say it's that.

Same goes for IWD1, which is probably the "dullest" of all the Infinity Engine games and it was topped by pretty much any other Black Isle/Bioware production, IWD2 included.

 

[WanderingWind]

IWD1/2 had the best combat of those games, bar none. Not even close.

It was also the least balanced and least focused. The game was the type of brutal that only old games really could nail. I love the combat in that game so much that I put up with some ridiculous ass fights. BG1 was pretty decent, but BG2 improved on it in every single way.

 

[EndcatOmega]

Yeah but BG is an IE game and Arcanum is also not very highly regarded.

For myself I don't want the game to be too combat focussed. Will the game allow a non-lethal run? I hope so.

Although that may mean lots of functional redundancy in the party. Hmm

Well, there's probably some truth there, but people aren't bringing up Fallout 1 & 2 either, neither of which are more combat-focused than Arcanum, really.

And it sounds like a lot of people have replayed BG1 and 2 to death anyway.

It was bigger, better, with more NPC interaction, better encounters, a more advanced version of the ruleset, more classes and kits, and so on.

Hm. Well, maybe I'll play BG2 next instead- 1 left me with a sour taste in my mouth, but lack of interactions with your party members was one of the bigger problems I had with it.

 

[Killzig]

Early adopter here...(got in for $20), but now I find myself thinking are they ever going to stop announcing stretch goals and actually get down to putting this thing together/out? I may be a little impatient here, but I would like to know some progress on the game/engine (newest update notwithstanding) instead of more stretch goals.

They haven't gotten a penny of your money yet AFAIK. The money will not be pulled until the end of the fund drive. Also, according to Tim Cain's eurogamer interview they are already working on the game.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...nformation-tentative-spring-2014-release-date

"Work has already begun on [Project Eternity]," Cain explained, "but the advantage of doing the Kickstarter this early in its development is that we can be guided by the feedback from our fans. We are reading the forums and noting what features people think are most important in the game, and then we are revising our work schedule accordingly."

And it's a big RPG, be prepared for delays.

 

[Sentenza]

IWD1/2 had the best combat of those games, bar none. Not even close.

IWD was quite underwhelming for me.
IWD2, on the other hand... While heavily focused on combat and dungeon crawling, it was on par with the best parts of Baldur's Gate 2 in terms of encounter design.

 

[Eusis]

I'd like to get through BG1 first, but I keep pettering out before too long. Probably better to just jump to BG2 and call it a day.

And I really need to beat Planescape Torment too. It's usually losing track of what mods I installed and crap that paralyzes me.

 

[dude]

Arcanum has some serious problems. I really like the way they handled companion even though you couldn't control them, but the game has no interesting companions for you to care about. The combat is completely broken in real time and not too hot in turn-based either, Mages are insanely overpowered and you can easily screw yourself with character builds and the list could go on. But the game just has so much soul that it almost makes up for it. All in all, I'd recommend it, but with a big warning.

And in this day and age, I just don't recommend BG1. not with Tutu, not the Enhanced Edition. It's just not that good compared to what's to follow. BG2 is just so much better in every way thinkable the first one has turned utterly obsolete. And boy, BG2 is so amazing, I think I even like in better than PS:T! (though I don't dare commit that to any official statement or anything.) The companions shit all over the first's (and almost any other RPG ever made), there's literally not one join-able NPC that is not interesting and full of amazing dialogues. I could just go on and on about how amazing this game is, but really, anyone here who hasn't done so - Just play it. The only reason I'm not replaying it is that I actually found I remember some key dialogues by heart and that freaked me out a little.
And I actually prefer BG2's combat to Icewind Dale, it has much more interesting encounters and enemies. Spellcasters in BG2 are just amazing to fight.

Hm. Well, maybe I'll play BG2 next instead- 1 left me with a sour taste in my mouth, but lack of interactions with your party members was one of the bigger problems I had with it.

I agree with you, in BG1 the part in interactions were very lackluster - But luckily, in BG2, they realized they were the feature with the most potential, and they actually make BG2 for me. You actually feel like you're travelling with these people, the depth they have achieved is quite remarkable! It also features the best romances in cRPGs, ever. BioWare should lear.... Wait....

 

[Lancehead]

Well, there's probably some truth there, but people aren't bringing up Fallout 1 & 2 either, neither of which are more combat-focused than Arcanum, really.

That's because Fallout is not fantasy. I also disagree that Fallout is more combat focussed than Arcanum.

But why am I arguing?! People are playing those games. And that's great.

 

[EndcatOmega]

That's because Fallout is not fantasy. I also disagree that Fallout is more combat focussed than Arcanum.

But why am I arguing?! People are playing those games. And that's great.

True that.

 

[jim-jam bongs]

I know I'm late but...

Obsidionados

...this one gets my vote.

 

[Taruranto]

Arcanum is a great rpg.

Arcanum is also a shitty videogame, everything, to the battle system to the freaking menus, is cumbersome and awful. Moving stuff between inventories should not be a quest on its own.

No one feel like replaying IWD or BG? That must say something.

I would replay BG2 And IWD1 i guess, i still need to finish that one, but i don't have much motivation.

 

[Sentenza]

Arcanum is a great rpg.

Arcanum is also a shitty videogame, everything, to the battle system to the freaking menus, is cumbersome and awful. Moving stuff between inventories should not be a quest on its own.

I can easily agree on both.

 

[duckroll]

http://forums.obsidian.net/blog/1/entry-168-project-eternity-and-characterization/

Posted?

 

[piratepwnsninja]

http://forums.obsidian.net/blog/1/entry-168-project-eternity-and-characterization/

Posted?

Awesome stuff in there.

- Combat/Challenge-viable. Any companion that can’t hold their weight and help support the home team in some fashion isn’t going to last long in the hearts of players (well, maybe a very forgiving few). This is something I learned way back in Fallout 2 when it became clear that Cassidy was far preferred over Myron, for example (and not just because Myron was an ****, which factors into another point below). It’s also a lesson I picked up while playing Final Fantasy III – every character needs to contribute to the mechanics and challenge mechanics in some fashion (whether combat or stealth or whatever the game’s challenge is).

Like that.

 

[Zeliard]

That's a guy who gets it.

 

[Nirolak]

http://forums.obsidian.net/blog/1/entry-168-project-eternity-and-characterization/

Posted?

I don't believe so.

- The companion needs to ego-stroke the player in a variety of ways. Sometimes this can be romance, sometimes this can be simply reactivity (either brief barks or conversations about the player’s actions), or any of a variety of methods. Ultimately, however, any companion that simply sits around bitching, complaining, and haranguing the player isn’t someone you want to drag into the nearest dungeon to help clear it out… you may simply want to throw them in the dungeon and lock the door.

- A visual and vocal/audio hook. This may be the result of many, many years of comic books, but whenever possible, I try to suggest a variety of “visual ego signatures” that can be integrated into the character design, and audio hooks as well. For example, when doing the Fallout New Vegas: DLC, Dead Money, the visual signatures were Dog/God’s bear trap that was still clamped on his arm (along with his name carved in his chest so it could be seen in reverse in a mirror), Dean’s dapper lounge singer suit to contrast with his ghoulish appearance, and even something as simple as Christine’s throat scar (which we had to position carefully so the bomb collar wouldn’t obscure it). All of these things serve to tag the character and helps make them stand out. Each had their own vocal hooks as well (Dog/God’s voice would change based on his personality, Dean had the drippy smooth singer voice, and Christine’s vocal hook was she didn’t speak at all).

Have they mentioned if there's follower appearance customization btw? I know people tend to be pretty big on that here.

I'm assuming so given everything else, but after reading this I was curious if it had been confirmed.

 

[Durante]

http://forums.obsidian.net/blog/1/entry-168-project-eternity-and-characterization/

Posted?

I should stop reading this stuff, being hyped for 18 months can't be healthy.

 

[Corto]

http://forums.obsidian.net/blog/1/entry-168-project-eternity-and-characterization/

Posted?

So good.

 

[Nirolak]

- Build a tone. This starts as soon as you start writing – and sometimes, the tone surprises me once I actually start writing. The cadence of how the character talks, their slang, the subjects that interest them – I start a conversation with the character and try to imagine what I’d like to ask them about as players… and often, I try to steer the conversation into game mechanic help, gifts, new perks and skills to learn from the companion (which we used a lot in Torment, KOTOR2, and Dead Money, for example). The player should feel that they are gaining something of value from the interaction, even if the interaction isn’t mandatory – exploring a character’s personality should be as much fun as exploring a dungeon.

This one is a great point for selling companions I feel.

There are so many games where you can never ask companions like... obvious things you'd want to know and would actually be interesting to learn about them.

 

[dude]

Great post! I really like what I'm hearing so far

I actually can't wait for more updates. I need to know more!

 

[piratepwnsninja]

This one is a great point for selling companions I feel.

There are so many games where you can never ask companions like... obvious things you'd want to know and would actually be interesting to learn about them.

I'm just happy that companions are at the forefront at the beginning here. So many games are happy to just throw someone at you to say, "Look, you have a buddy!" but they don't think about ways the player can actually utilize them well from a game play perspective, nor do they take the time to actually give the player a reason to care about them from a narrative standpoint outside of the main narrative. For the most part, lots of these characters just end up kind of being there.

 

[mclem]

Controversial opinion of the day:

Stretch goal: 3 million, nothing new will be added at this level but we will push the release of the game to April 2015 and the money will be spent on wages to keep people working on the game until it shines.


As it stands now they have given themselves 19 months. To make a spiritual sequel to PS:T and BG2.......color me skeptical......

$800k would fund about ten people - earning roughly what I did - for a year. I was imagining that their team size would be larger, although if they were originally going with 1.1M for 19 months, perhaps not. Unless that's being supplemented with some of their own money.