Bad timing for me to confess that the first hour of BG2 completely turned me off. But, yeah, I might give PS:T a shot. Not that I'm against reading a lot on screen (how could I? ), but these games seem to continuously put awful amounts of text in teensy script on the screen, and my glasses really do not approve.
I feel I should qualify this slightly -- BG2 is (just in my opinion of course) a better *game* than PS:T -- the combat in PS:T is a bit dull, and the quests are mostly fed-exy -- but PS:T absolutely blows it (and every game ever, for that matter) out of the water in terms of setting, story, tone, depth, and general intelligence. Go play it.
Bad timing for me to confess that the first hour of BG2 completely turned me off. But, yeah, I might give PS:T a shot. Not that I'm against reading a lot on screen (how could I? ), but these games seem to continuously put awful amounts of text in teensy script on the screen, and my glasses really do not approve.
For PS:T you can use Ghostdog's PS:T UI mod, which scales the UI properly for high resolutions and allows you to increase the font size as you desire.
I don't think this is qualified enough, so I'm taking my stab at it.
The three major Infinity Engine titles(Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment) lie along a continuum.
Icewind Dale is a hack and slash title that focuses mainly on combat. In this regard, it's the closest of the Infinity Engine games to something like Diablo.
Baldur's Gate is more well-rounded. Combat is a major focus, but so are a lot of other systems, and narrative and combat are pretty balanced out. Writing is solid. Combat is solid. All other systems are solid. It's an all-around great game.
Torment, on the other hand....
Torment is special.
As KuroShiro notes, combat in Torment is essentially an afterthought, something that can for the most part be outright avoided for almost the entire playthrough. The game was built in a way specifically to avoid and disrupt RPG tropes, and is largely built around narrative. There are mechanics there, and the mechanics are good, but they're ultimately in service to the narrative above all else. This gives it a pacing and feel that can, at times, be more like an adventure game than your average RPG. This game has the best setting, plot, characters, themes....really, the best writing in any game ever made, bar none.
So, the three games fit on the continuum as such:
Icewind Dale: Combat at the expense of narrative.
Baldur's Gate: Kind of typical, well-rounded, well-executed. Defined what RPGs were for the next ten years.
Torment: Greatest narrative ever at the expense of combat.
To hell with Dreamfall, I just want The Longest Journey Home. Not gonna happen though
They've already SAID they are going to do it. And everyone already knew when they announced that ridiculous "Stretch Goal". This was Beneath a Steel Sky 2 all over. :rolleyes:
Torment: Greatest narrative ever at the expense of combat.
Well combat is in there. Actually quite a lot. But creating a combat focused character in that game doesn't make much sense.
What makes me re-play the game over and over apart from the story is the flexibility. As long as you had training before you can switch between 3 classes constantly.
The best thing ever is meeting Ravel. You can either attack her right away and recieve about 20k XP from that or talk to her which can get you up to millions of XP points depending on your charisma & wisdom & Intelligence.
Another nice thing is that you feel the effects of higher stats. Getting more damage for Strength, special events for dex, more dialogue for charisma, int and wisdom, plus the XP boost for high wisdom and a huge amount of HP regeneration for high constitution. You just have to choose which one you want. And I tried all of them. No matter what you choose you will get to the end. With more or less trouble of course.
To hell with Dreamfall, I just want The Longest Journey Home. Not gonna happen though
The 2 mill goal, only lets them develop The Longest Journey Home at the same time as working on Dreamfall chapters (which frankly, could use a better name).
It isn't that they won't make the game, if they don't make the goal. Its just that it might not get released nearly as quickly.
they'd ship the traitor right back to his homeland, to be rescued in TLJH - by April.
.
But the pre-alpha ingame model of this character looks fan-fucking-tastic already. The
Dreamfall Kian
looked like a nerdy happy fool. This one "don't mess with me".
The first scenes look promising already. From a rather lame, generic future city in the first trailer, Stark has won in detail and individuality in a hurry. Whether they can keep this up in an almost "open world" fashion with alternative puzzle solutions TO BOOT remains to be seen. I'm a damn sceptic, but I adore these early efforts, I really do.
For RPG fans, Lord British, creator of the Ultima series, has a kickstarter for a new game called Shroud of the Avatar.
EDIT: Not sure if it's an MMO.
EDIT AGAIN: People are talking about it in the Torment KS comments. Many are skeptical either because it's unclear what level of online play is involved, or because the more recent single-player Ultima games weren't any good.
For RPG fans, Lord British, creator of the Ultima series, has a kickstarter for a new game called Shroud of the Avatar.
EDIT: Not sure if it's an MMO.
EDIT AGAIN: People are talking about it in the Torment KS comments. Many are skeptical either because it's unclear what level of online play is involved, or because the more recent single-player Ultima games weren't any good.
I took what they said to mean "It's like Torchlight 2, where there's seperate online and offline modes".
First alpha gameplay footage of Shadowrun Returns. Looks really good! I'm liking the stylish environments. Hoping animations get a bit better, but since it's an alpha it's hard to judge. Loving the systems though.
For RPG fans, Lord British, creator of the Ultima series, has a kickstarter for a new game called Shroud of the Avatar.
EDIT: Not sure if it's an MMO.
The page has been updated with a few more details about that.
Shroud of the Avatar general features:
Multiplayer Online Game - which can also be played solo player / offline
Meaningful PVP that also minimizes griefing:
An incentive-driven system will draw players into the challenge and intrigue of the PVP experience, whether they become the hunter or the hunted!
Scene based encounters:
Scenes are generally re-playable and can be experienced solo or with others.
Will this be a MMO? Can I play with my friends?
Yes, you will be able to play with your friends! Multiplayer games encourage social bonds that go far beyond what can be accomplished in a solo player game. I remember the depth of these bonds in players who met in-game only to get married in real life, how people who died in the real world were deeply mourned and celebrated by their online friends whom they may never have met face to face. Though Shroud of the Avatar won’t be a massively multiplayer online role playing game, it will be a multiplayer game. We will be describing this in more detail in our upcoming community blogs.
They'll have to earn a lot yet, and success is far from certain, but kickstarters that are doomed from the start normally don't get 30% funded in the first two days.
BTW, the first tier is the best of its kind I have yet seen.
BTW, the first tier is the best of its kind I have yet seen.
Indeed. I chuckled.
Not sure if this'll make its goal, or if the online aspect will put people off. I know it's supposed to be playable offline, but it still seems like the game's geared for online play. Really not sure about this one.
They'll have to earn a lot yet, and success is far from certain, but kickstarters that are doomed from the start normally don't get 30% funded in the first two days.
Something like 95% of Kickstarters that make it past 25% funding succeed, so the Garriott one is pretty certain to. That said, it looks pretty unappealing.
The impression given off by the project spokesman is so important. Potential pledgers have to feel good about you, like you and want to help you. Lord British appearing in his video, spending a huge chunk of time talking about how great he is and then appearing with shirt unbuttoned and his ostentatious necklace bling on fill display probably didn't help him. Seemed a bit cocky.
Still, I think he's an immensely talented guy and I hope his project does well.
Brian Fargo comes off really well on camera. Appears humble and appreciative. Who knows if he's really that way, but that's the image he gave off. I thought he Torment pitch video was great.
What I want to know is whether there is any evidence that the big name/celeb projects are hurting the smaller indie game campaigns. Or is the opposite true?
Comments
EDIT: make that $800k.
You are going to GoG right now to buy and play that game. Now. :mad:
You are wasting time by reading this. :mad:
On a serious note: PT is my favourite RPG of all time. You are seriously missing out.
Absolutely.
They're less than $2000 away from meeting their stretch goal of adding localization options (eg. German, French).
I hope that they can meet their $1.5m stretch goal to make the "Director's Cut". I'm all for adding additional gameplay content.
It'll happen, it'll just take longer. Kinda like the BaSS 2 stretch goal Revolution did.
I feel I should qualify this slightly -- BG2 is (just in my opinion of course) a better *game* than PS:T -- the combat in PS:T is a bit dull, and the quests are mostly fed-exy -- but PS:T absolutely blows it (and every game ever, for that matter) out of the water in terms of setting, story, tone, depth, and general intelligence. Go play it.
For PS:T you can use Ghostdog's PS:T UI mod, which scales the UI properly for high resolutions and allows you to increase the font size as you desire.
The three major Infinity Engine titles(Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment) lie along a continuum.
Icewind Dale is a hack and slash title that focuses mainly on combat. In this regard, it's the closest of the Infinity Engine games to something like Diablo.
Baldur's Gate is more well-rounded. Combat is a major focus, but so are a lot of other systems, and narrative and combat are pretty balanced out. Writing is solid. Combat is solid. All other systems are solid. It's an all-around great game.
Torment, on the other hand....
Torment is special.
As KuroShiro notes, combat in Torment is essentially an afterthought, something that can for the most part be outright avoided for almost the entire playthrough. The game was built in a way specifically to avoid and disrupt RPG tropes, and is largely built around narrative. There are mechanics there, and the mechanics are good, but they're ultimately in service to the narrative above all else. This gives it a pacing and feel that can, at times, be more like an adventure game than your average RPG. This game has the best setting, plot, characters, themes....really, the best writing in any game ever made, bar none.
So, the three games fit on the continuum as such:
Icewind Dale: Combat at the expense of narrative.
Baldur's Gate: Kind of typical, well-rounded, well-executed. Defined what RPGs were for the next ten years.
Torment: Greatest narrative ever at the expense of combat.
They've already SAID they are going to do it. And everyone already knew when they announced that ridiculous "Stretch Goal". This was Beneath a Steel Sky 2 all over. :rolleyes:
Well combat is in there. Actually quite a lot. But creating a combat focused character in that game doesn't make much sense.
What makes me re-play the game over and over apart from the story is the flexibility. As long as you had training before you can switch between 3 classes constantly.
The best thing ever is meeting Ravel. You can either attack her right away and recieve about 20k XP from that or talk to her which can get you up to millions of XP points depending on your charisma & wisdom & Intelligence.
Another nice thing is that you feel the effects of higher stats. Getting more damage for Strength, special events for dex, more dialogue for charisma, int and wisdom, plus the XP boost for high wisdom and a huge amount of HP regeneration for high constitution. You just have to choose which one you want. And I tried all of them. No matter what you choose you will get to the end. With more or less trouble of course.
The 2 mill goal, only lets them develop The Longest Journey Home at the same time as working on Dreamfall chapters (which frankly, could use a better name).
It isn't that they won't make the game, if they don't make the goal. Its just that it might not get released nearly as quickly.
Yes,
But the pre-alpha ingame model of this character looks fan-fucking-tastic already. The
The first scenes look promising already. From a rather lame, generic future city in the first trailer, Stark has won in detail and individuality in a hurry. Whether they can keep this up in an almost "open world" fashion with alternative puzzle solutions TO BOOT remains to be seen. I'm a damn sceptic, but I adore these early efforts, I really do.
For RPG fans, Lord British, creator of the Ultima series, has a kickstarter for a new game called Shroud of the Avatar.
EDIT: Not sure if it's an MMO.
EDIT AGAIN: People are talking about it in the Torment KS comments. Many are skeptical either because it's unclear what level of online play is involved, or because the more recent single-player Ultima games weren't any good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9MiMjQwd2VE
Hilarious Dreamfall Chapters blooper video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5h7l4KsCXI&feature=youtu.be
I took what they said to mean "It's like Torchlight 2, where there's seperate online and offline modes".
They'll have to earn a lot yet, and success is far from certain, but kickstarters that are doomed from the start normally don't get 30% funded in the first two days.
BTW, the first tier is the best of its kind I have yet seen.
Not sure if this'll make its goal, or if the online aspect will put people off. I know it's supposed to be playable offline, but it still seems like the game's geared for online play. Really not sure about this one.
Make that 45%.
Still, I think he's an immensely talented guy and I hope his project does well.
Brian Fargo comes off really well on camera. Appears humble and appreciative. Who knows if he's really that way, but that's the image he gave off. I thought he Torment pitch video was great.
And then he asked how much I'd spent in total on Kickstarter projects.
So I went and added it all up.
$1,111.
Holy Shit.
And that's not even counting the projects that are still open and haven't taken money from me yet.