Antagonist

Raven Software

Depends on whom you ask. I think the most common explanations are "Mr. Chris Avellone" and "Magical Chris Avellone". Comparing Bioware and Valve to Obsidian is a little bit unrealistic as by the time those companies split with their publishers they already had an impressive list of bestsellers. In Interplays case I think it was widly known in the industry that they were at the edge of extinction so from a business point of view it is surely understandable for other publishers that they left and Valve wants to publish their games themselves or even become a publisher with their steam platform. Obsidian is still a young company and therefor dependant on the cooperation with publishers. I guess the best think they can do is either to change publishers if their experience with them was too horrid or try to make bestsellers to strenghten their position with potential publishers during the contracting phase.

Mr. Sawyer must be either flattered or disgusted by the blind faith in him by now. I guess he will be an valuable asset, especially in the rules department. But I liked Chris Avellone's original story for Fallout 3 more, the way they turned it into some space exploration adventure in the final levels didn't sound very original to me but it's always difficult to judge concepts because they are often so reliant on realization. Good to see even more Black Isle developers at Obsidian. What is known about Jefferson makes me very confident that Josh Sawyer is the right man to make RPGs.

I don't understand why someone would want a PipBoy on his body despite him being funny. If you are a hardcore BIS fan you could at least choose some tasteful art like this guy did: EDIT: After taking a closer look at the picture I'm not so sure about the guy-part anymore

I don't think Kreia was ever meant to fool you into thinking that she was actually a good gal. I thought the cutscene with the nameless one, err, Sion and her general attitute towards meci and compassion made it pretty clear. The search for her motives was the driving force behind the game. And we will never know about the game's full potential. But many sources like deleted files and general interviews and posts by developers hint that they would have liked to do much more with the game like completely overhauling the ruleset (or rather its implementation). But many people consider KotOR 2 superior to 1 in terms of story and NPCs. And I really don't understand how you can say that the Exile was less developed ? Obsidian gave you (pseudo-)choice about the characters background and motivation while Bioware simply took your character away from you after Taris and at the latest after the "big" revelation.

I had mixed feelings about the influence system in the end. What bothered me most is the fact that character's didn't change according to their karma. Each party member needed at least two behavior templates, one for light side and the other for dark side because without the influence system becomes silly and unintuitive. I'm also not sure if it was wise to make major plot points dependant on your current influnece with certain characters like Kreia. Influence with certain characters should flesh out the story on replays but not confuse the player by hiding important parts of the story. I don't like having to replay a game to get the story because the first run is the one that makes the most impression. Take Torment for instance: While you get most out of the story with a high INT/WIS/CHA character the core plot is still coherent and comprehensible even with a dumb fighter. The influence system is to me without a doubt a step in the right direction which just needs some work and probably more time. I'm curious what Obsidian's plans to do in NwN 2 with it.

I haven't encountered any problems yet but I'm not far into the game due to real life obligations. I can tell you more in a month when I have more free time again. I'm using it primarily for finding bugs if there are any. But you brought up a point. The packed version is supposed to be more experimental so if you want to play safe use the unpacked version and save your data folder before using the patch. Seraph mentioned that he uses a new packer now which should (!) cause less trouble.

I'm not sure, but I think I have read topics that they cause severe problems when using them in conjunction. But again, I have no first-hand experience but you might want skip such experiments until you have at least finished the game once.

The 1.05 patch is sadly discontinued. It also crossed the line between pure patch and mod very often but for reasons Fallout fans can understand like making Vault 15 look like in part 1 again. I stick with Seraph's patch because it's still developed and he uses packed .dat files which makes updating easier. There were also some bugs introduced by 1.05 and never fixed, not even with 1.051.

With some minor changes, like the karma drop when stealing from the schaman, it's difficult to decide whether it was a bug in the first place but Seraph himself pointed out that he is concerned fixing bugs and not making a mod. There are no radical gameplay changes and most bugs are self-explanatory. It really improves the overall gameplay, at least if bugs bother you.

System Shock 2 was a remarkable game. I bought it about 2 years ago because many people had a high opinion about it and I was even lucky enough to get it running under Win XP SP 1 but don't ask how because I didn't either. Lucky me even found the graphical improvements Mreku posted earlier so I never experienced the game in its old incarnation but with sharp high-res textures and beautifully modelled enemies, plus a mod that supposedly balanced the gameplay. I'm 25 years old now and I think that it is difficult to truly scare me but SS2 managed to create feelings of danger which I never experienced before or after. I don't mean the kind of fear you get from a good horror flick but a deep concern for your own safety with your instincs dangerously trying to overtake your rational thinking. The game's atmosphere was often so dense that I couldn't bear to play it any further without a break. Itl succeded roleplaying-wise not in offering you many dialogues or customization for your character but making you feel the same horror. I'm still torn whether I want to play such game again in my life. On the one hand it offers high production and design values rarely encountered in this quality but on the other hand it's so unsettling that I sometimes became physically uncomfortable and I felt my psyche was stressed out to the extreme. Everyone who can handle FPS controls and likes survial horror should try the game at least once.

I'm sorry if it has brought up before but Seraph made (or rather is still making) a great patch for Fallout 2. It don't work with current savegames though, so you have to start a new game. It's also worth checking Seraph's site every now and then if he found the time to update the patch. Seraph's site Well, just to let you know what the patch fixes so far (last build released today) I will repost the readme:

I always thought that Batman was far more comprehensible than most other comic heros with freaky super powers who are good or evil because the artist says so. Thus I really don't understand your comment about Batman being unrealistic especially in comparison with cardboard characters like X-Men or Superman. I do agree that his Batman voice sounds strange but at least they changed it. That resolves the question somewhat why nobody recognizes his voice under the cape. I think that Bayle gives a better impression as Wayne because Wayne is human and may be therefore portrayed as such, with all the frailties and range of emotions a human has. Once he puts on the cape the human side steps back and he becomes Batman the idol. Most comic book heros are more interesting in the scenes between the action, in my opinion.

It unlikely that anyone still workes on the game. It has been months since the release and Obsidian already has two new titles in production. I guess that there won't be any further patches beside the one announced.

Maybe I should limit my criticism to Batman's Return. I actually quite liked the first Batman although sometimes I had the feeling that Jack Nichalson overacted as the Joker and thence wasn't all that menacing as I hoped he would be. Sadly this is a common trait in Batman movies that the villians lack an aura of menace,, they are all freaks. But the sequel was in my opinion a complete failure. Burton concentrated on expanding the comic appeal of Batman and somehow managed to drop the heart of it, speaking Bruce Wayne's inner struggle which was a nice counterbalance to the overdone action. The Penguin was just a joke and he couldn't either convice as a villian nor as a tragic character. I wasn't really sad when they announced that Burton was not asked for another movie and I became indeed optimistic about the next part. Well, Joel Schumachers result was somehow ...lacking. I hope they put a landmine under his next director chair for nearly killing the franchise. Alright, I retract the comment: I actually liked Phone Booth. Maybe I should add that I don't know the comics too well and I am not familiar with the different issues which have been published over the recent years, so I am rather free of prejudices of how Batman should look in light of the comics. What I like about the new Batman is that Nolan seems to take Bruce Wayne as a character seriously and that without proper introduction and a deep dive into his personal past the movie will look silly. Honestly, this is a comic about a man who runs around in a batlike costume and battles justice. To make this actually work on a level beyond the comic the audience must be made to believe that Wayne's decision to mask himself and battle evil is internally conclusive with the character and his surrounding. Oh, another bit I like about the new movie: Gotham looks actually like a real city which helps the authenticity of the movie. After all, crimes are a sad part of our modern urban areas. I like the armor, makes fighting enemies with handguns actually less lethal but I had hoped that they did something about the neck piece. It seems he still can't move his head to the side. I love the preview ! It has heart ! It has dynamic ! It has great actors who obviously are comfortable with their roles. And it even looks great. Like the offspring of an arthouse movie and James Cameron's wet dreams. If this movie doesn't deliver I will be royally pissed.

Here is a link to the preview of Batman Begins but beware it is a 100 Mb download: Preview So, my initial reaction after watching was this: My reaction after I had some time to regain my composure: I was interested in a new Batman movie which would abondon the sillyness of Burton and Schumacher but I was not prepared that the movie might be the greatest summer blockbuster in recent years. The preview was so packed with emotion, great imagery and lack of sillyness that I hardly can await until it hits the screens. Notice how much of the trailer deals with Wayne's motivation for becoming Batman and only the last third is reserved for some action scenes. Also note the dramatic lack of *obvious* CGI. I also couldn't help but to think about Star Wars after the preview. Imagine Obi-Wan and Anakin training like Bruce and his mentor on the ice and talking about past anger and guilt. Would have also fitted perfectly for Anakin and his mother's death. I'll stop right here, don't want this thread to turn into a SW discussion. Just watch the damn thing end enjoy !

I still can't believe how poorly Lucas handled Anakin's fall. Who would have ever thought that the mightly Darth Vader betrayed the Republic because he was love-stricken and without a doubt lobotomized ?! Papls admitted that he don't know how to save Padme but Anakin still switches to Sith mode in mere seconds because... the story demanded it. The most important aspect of RotS ruined. The sad part is that TESB already did give a very plausible motive for Vader to betray the Republic: When he talks to Luke in Cloud City he tells him that he wants to bring order to the galaxy. Lucas just needed to portray young Anakin as someone who joins the Republic to do what he deems good and is increasingly dissatisfied with the senats perceived inaction. Then come Palps, ambitious senator, and offers him an arguably easier alternative to make his notions of justice come true but he pays the price. This would have nicely fitted with what Yoda said that Vader took the quick and easy path. I also didn't like the duel. There were too many before the final confrontation so that I wasn't all that interested in yet more saber swinging anymore and I thought it lacked any dramatic tension like the ones in the OT. Just flashy fighting with no depth. I guess anybody remebers the scene in TESB where Luke hits Vaders shoulder because Vader became impatient. Until then he had complete control over the fight but his lack of self-control made it possible for Luke to make at least one counter-attack. I always imagined that the fight between Obi-Wan and Anaking would be slower: They are both deadly with the light saber and they both know each others style well. But after some time where Anakin can't get the upper hand he becames angry and Obi-Wans defeats him because he remains his composure. Instead Anakin jumps into Obi-Wans lightsaber. Bah, RotS is not even worthy to clean the OTs shoes, especially ANH and TESB. I guess people will see what a turd this movie is once the novelty wears off. For god's sake, the movie introduced so many continuity issues that it boggles my mind.

They updated the graphics to 1995. Sweet.

KotOR 2 looked worse than its predecessor not only due to the dated engine but the artwork was also very poor. Can't believe I would say this one day about the people who made gorgeous artwork in PS:T and Icewind Dale. Pixel shaders and co. are only tools. They don't make beautiful graphics automatically but only contribute to it. If you look at recent online games like WoW or Guild Wars you will notice that they don't use cutting edge engines but they are nontheless impressive because of the artwork.

Errr, the developer has actually modified the engine as was stated on numerous occasions by Akari. The most obvious change was done to the weather as the engine now supports rain but I am sure Akari mentioned more modifications.

They are building large parts of the engine from the ground up. The graphic part isn't called even Aurora anymore and because they are switching to 3.5 the rules part can't be called Aurora exactly either. It wouldn't surprise me if Obsidian prepared the engine for use in other games with built-in features that might not be used for NwN 2 but future titles. I wouldn't mind seeing IWD made turn-based for example but I guess that's just a crazy dream.

I don't believe Feargus on this one. To me it sounds more like the usual press propaganda to counter the backlash by the fans. It's more probable that Obsidian new that the ending was screwed due to the release date change so they had to somehow explain it by telling it was all done purposefully. Note that this statement was also made by Gallo. Am I the only one imagining Gallo holding a gun to Feargus' head while writing this stuff ?

Obsidian is partly responsible that my enthusiasm for them has lessened a lot because even if they can do nothing about the patch release they still should be able to read the forums and and at least try to communicate with the customers. But they choose to stick their heads into their collective a**es which makes a horrid impression. As much as one might loathe companies like Silver Style for releasing buggy games like The Fall at least they patch their stuff and they are always in close contact with their fanbase. I think Obsidian is loosing major sympathy points and perhaps it would have been better if they skipped KoTOR 2 completely instead of getting a mess like this.

Nope. Leaving the tutorial areas aka pre-searing Ascalon is a one-way trip.