Lancer

Sad to say I have never played X-COM: UFO DEFENSE.. Heard so much about the game. Need to play it sometime.

As for books, all the kid's astronomy and UFOlogy books I read as a kid probably help lead me into the career I have now. The "Choose your own Adventure", "Which Way", and "Twistaplot" books also shaped me tremendously into the person I am today.I loved the concept of *ME* being the main protagonist of the story and make decisions which affected the outcome. This was *probably* when the seeds which later sprouted my passion for RPGs were initially planted. The movie "Cyborg" got me all hooked into the post-apocalyptic genre. This was the movie that made me realize that not all sci-fi sucked. I just thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

In light of the book/movie thread, I thought it would be fair to start one about computer/video games since... face it.. If we are that obsessed about computer/video games that we would post on a forum about them, then I am sure SOME of you have interesting stories to share with us.. I would say that Target Earth, Hellfire, Super Hydlide, Planescape Torment, and Xenogears changed my life. Target Earth- If caught at point blank and asked what was my favorite game of all time. I'd probably blurt out "Target Earth" for the Genesis. This game was incredible and since I was soooo into UFOlogy, and astronomy when I was little this game touched my heart like no other. Hellfire- Also on the Genesis, and one of my favorite games ever... The Captain of the spacecraft CNCS1 was named "Lancer" and hence where I get my name. I just thought it was the coolest name ever. Super Hydlide- Probably the first RPG I ever played. I was just amazed, and awed by the whole concept of a video game roleplaying game.. The graphics suck (even by Genesis standards) but the whole concept of being able to explore a large world and solve an ancient evil in a non-linear fashion was too cool. It has great music, inter-dimensional travel , and nice touches of realism (night/day, hunger, banking accounts..etc) that even comtemporary games don't have. It's this game's fault that I got addicted to RPGs... Xenogears- Simply put this game made me look at religion in a light I had never considered before... Planescape Torment. My favorite RPG of all time and the game that converted me from being a console gamer to a PC gamer. So what were your most influential video/computer games?

I second this. Xenosaga I admit went a little bit overboard (no, WAAAAy overboard) with the FMV sequences. Literally, half of the playtime was spent watching cutscenes. Xenosaga was ok, I guess, but it didn't hold a candle to the original Xenogears.

There was no need for strategy because the combat was just far too easy. The "idea" behind the engine was good though. For strategy to become a truly effective component, the combat must surpass some threshold level of difficulty.

I was going to say something about how FMV sequences is one of the things I wouldn't mind being utilized more in occidental RPGs (KotOR comes to mind), but at the same time I don't want to be put in the same category as someone with a "man-love" for FMVs.. <_<

But reportedely the Sega Master System Ultima IV was even better than the original *sega fanboy alert* Of course.. It's SEGA that we are talking about here...

Quite right on those. The other games you mentioned I never played. There is strategy combat in the games mentioned, example Baldur's Gate. You have a mage and his lesser minions attacking you. What do you do? You use your ranged fighters to attack the mage, hoping the hits will disrupt his spells, while your melee fighters take on his minions. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You played KotOR too? The independent games Geneforge and Avernum oftentimes had some difficult combat scenarios that required creative strategic thinking indeed. I recommend these two if you don't mind antique graphics.

wait, where? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Well Fallout, Baldur's Gate, Avernum, Geneforge, the Gold Box games, Order of the Griffon, ToEE and even KOTOR just to name a few... Most JRPGS are plagued by an utterly annoying restrictive menu-driven ("fight" or "flee)combat system and I just absolutely *loathe* how you have absolutely no control over the positioning of your own characters. They just end up becoming thoughtless and pointless exercises in button mashing. On to occidental RPGs.. IMNSHO, the ability to be able to move and position your characters along with taking into account terrain/cover considerations makes combat a whole lot more interesting and less mundane. (i.e. Worrying about how to cast that Fireball spell withouth hitting your comrades, deciding whether or not you have enough action points to complete a stated action before the opponent launches his devastating arsenal...etc just makes the game that much more colorful.) I like to be able to strategize when I play an RPG. In a way, the combat in many PC RPGs is akin to an electronic chessboard or a small-scale RTS or TBS.. Something that I enjoy very much. Strategic combat is the way it is in PnP after all...

Disco! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I hate disco. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Gabs. You hate everythin'

For me personally, it hasn't been a showstopper for the occidental RPGs I have played on consoles.. But then again, I grew up playing on consoles too. True in many cases, although I'd argue that Sega's occidental RPGs were better than its JRPGs, but I digress.. It also assumes that both types of RPGs have been given an adequate advertising campaign. In the case of occidental RPGs, that hasn't been the case more often than not. That is the PC gamer talking in you.. And I agree. How can anyone in their right mind prefer those linear, one-path,one-ending button mashers over something with branching stories, multiple endings, true character creation/customization and good strategic based combat ? There may be cultural issues.. Not to mention the issue of what one grew up and is familiar with.

I can honestly say I am just as comfortable with the console interface as I am with the PC interface. I practically grew up playing the Sega Genesis, Atari 2600, Sega Master System, TurboGrafx16, Nintendo alongside the Commodore 64... and then later the PC. To me a controller doesn't feel odd or unnatural, even in an RPG, quite the contrary. The SNES Ultima VII was crap. Eye of the Beholder, I didn't like either.. That was just a first person dungeon crawl. But the Sega version of Buck Rogers, Warriors of the Eternal Sun, Shadowrun and the TurboGrafx16 version of Order of the Griffon were very very much like a game you would play on the PC. In other words, they weren't dungeon crawls or action RPGs. They were "real" RPGs with awesome turn-based combat and superior to many of the PC games during that period (Dungeon Hack, Eye of the Beholder, Lands of Lore, FRUA) Or at least, I thought so. In fact, there was a time I hated PC RPGs precisely because I thought that the Sega Genesis ones were so much better. And that is the honest truth! It wasn't until I played Torment and BG1 that I made the permanent switch to PC. BTW, the Sega Buck Rogers was the Gold Box port. Warriors of the Eternal Sun and Order of the Griffon are sort of like improved versions of the Gold Box games. They were all made by SSI. Well. I think SEGA realized after the Genesis that JRPGS would be far more profitable. And Sega, being a japanese developer, (unlike Obsidian or Bioware) had no real attachment (or the reputation) to create solely PC-style RPGs. That and the fact that NONE of the occidental RPGs on the Genesis had good marketing programs.. Not one. They never caught on partly because they didn't have the advertising campaigns that Squaresoft's Final Fantasy or Chrono Trigger did. I mean, I bet you haven't even heard of some of those titles although names like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger have been household names since I was a kid. Even Sega's JRPGS like Phantasy Star and Shining Force were far more popular than their occidental cousins. If the occidental RPG is doomed to be a niche market along with the rising development costs for PC games and the emphasis towards pretty, flashy graphics with less substance--- It may be that the best market for real RPGs is the indie market. That may be the future for hardcore gamers.

I think a lot of PC gamers that complain about interface issues probably didn't grow up playing a lot of console games. It sounds like the interface issues may be more of a "comfort" or "familiarity" issue than anything else.

You should see SNES's atrocious Ultima VII port Anything Nintendo-related is horrible.. But then again, I am a SEGA fanboy :ph34r:

KotOR and Morrowind both work just fine with the present controller. I am going to have to repeat this (and so has Hades mentioned this..): There were several PC-style RPG games (a la AD&D Gold Box) made for the Sega Genesis and the 3 button controller for the Sega worked like a charm. If the Sega Genesis controller was able to run PC-style RPGs no problem, then it would be a joke for modern consoles. I personally think that people are complaining about an "interface issue" that doesn't really exist. Perhaps, it is because PC gamers are so used to playing with a mouse and keyboard that they only "perceive" that a controller setup would be an interface issue when it really isn't one? Another point to make is that remember these are "console" gamers that are used to controllers we are talking about here. What might be an interface issue to you, might not be for them. IMO, The "problem" is seriously blown out of proportion. I don't think there is a catch-22. The real problem is that console gamers overwhelmingly play JRPGS over occidental RPGs. Breaking that mentality is what this is all about. Until you do that, FF will run past 50! It doesn't need to. The standard controllers work just fine. The real issue is establishing a significant fanbase devoted to occidental RPGS. If you played any of the Genesis RPGs, you might change your viewpoint on the severity of interface issues as well. If there are any consoles I am rooting for to establish a strong empire of occidental RPGs, they would be the Xbox consoles. The Japanese consoles will always be dominated by a strong JRPG lineup (obviously), although, the Genesis was a peculiar exception. The Microsoft consoles have the best chance of breaking in with true PC-style RPGs. This is sad but you know what, they don't even make games like those for the PC anymore. Then how do you explain that the Sega controller was able to handle both Herzog Zwei and Dune II (both RTS games) no problem? In fact, the Sega Genesis version of Dune II was just as fun and arguably even better than the PC version. No. I think that modern consoles would have no problem with these sort of games. Maybe a strong "brand name" is what is needed at the onset to begin establishing that fanbase? We need more Star Wars RPGs, maybe a few Star Trek RPGs, Lord of the Rings RPGs. a Matrix RPG..etc. Big names like these will have a chance of becoming big sellers. And then with loads of cash earned from these brand-name RPGs, can a company (like Obsidian or Bioware) afford to take a risk on more adventurous projects (like a Torment, Ultima, or Fallout-like game) to see the industry's response. The console market is a different mentality altogether. Like you said, you can't start releasing a hundred Torments (or Fallouts, or Ultima VIIs) and hope for the best. Torment wasn't even that financially successful on the PC. I am not advocating doom and gloom, nor did I say that it wasn't going to be difficult, but I still think it is possible. You and I both want to see our favorite genre prosper (although with differences of opinion), no doubt, but it will take an unfettered and positive mind to see a solution to the current trend of mediocrity... Both on console and PC. Saying that this would be impossible would be giving up. It is not impossible, but it is a big undertaking.

This is another reason why the real challenge is making the fanbase dig these "complex" games like PS:T. 'Tis a real challenge indeed.

I definitely remember the old series spanning several issues of Dragon. Ahh.. good memories. I hadn't heard about this most recent offering, but I need to check it out. Thanks! I guess I need to hang out over at the MMB more!

Metadigital is a human encyclopedia... If he's even human

To make a long story short, you want a more user-friendly "interface" on console to be able to play occidental RPGs?..... Then increase demand several fold for occidental console RPGs and it will come. Otherwise, you are just preaching to the choir. Developers aren't going to bother if the collective voice advocating a "new interface" isn't large enough. And they won't bother making peripherals just for that tiny minority either.. Console companies are fully aware what happens to sales when they do that.

You totally misunderstand my points then. I never talked about a "magical utopia" nor was the point of my points to explain how this "magical utopia" would come about. It was merely to address that the real issue at hand is not the hardware (because we pretty much have that anyway, we just haven't had the need to use it..again the market for occidental RPGs on the console is pretty minimal), it is making occidental RPGs more attractive to the console gamer. And since when did you offer *your* ideas about rectifying the interface problem? Last time I checked you haven't bothered with that either. I can offer some suggestions on *how* to increase demand for occidental RPGs, but that is a different point to make and the current discussion hasn't been about that. (And had you paid attention, you would have noticed I had already given a suggestion to Roleplayer earlier in this thread..) Alanschu, you are an unparalleled master at miscomprehending people's posts and twising their points until they convenient your "argument." This is what I *really* said: YOU are the one twisting my words and claiming that I had said" if occidental RPGs had more market penetration they could become more popular."-- An absurd allegation that I have never stated... You have already blatantly twisted my words on at least another occasion when you wanted to claim I was advocating peripherals, when I wasn't. I am merely saying that the hardware is the least of concerns as you yourself HERE have admitted that the technology isn't the problem... In addition to bring in something about peripherals I never mentioned : Because of this, I have repeatedly stated that worrying about the hardware isn't the pressing issue, as the much more pertinent one is establishing the fanbase. Simply put, there is just not enough demand for occidental RPGs on consoles to justify revamping the controller just so that a relative few can play these games to their satisfaction. Which is again, my point again, about needing to increase market penetration to the point where there is ample justification for these said things to occur. I mean, who is going to hear people's pleas about "interface" issues for a market that barely exists? It is like "crying wolf" when there is no wolf. Just the fact that no contemporary console has yet addressed the "interface" issue although "some" (albeit small group) play occidental console RPGs proves my point. Why is this "savior" interface controller not here yet alanschu? What was this about hardware driving software again? " If the technology isn't the problem, nor am I espousing the use of peripherals, then what exactly are you arguing against? Are you going to give me more obvious statements about producer-consumer relationships instead of discussing the matter at hand? And I will leave it at the following: This is not to say that hardware will definitely need modifying, but it may become something that is decided upon down the line if enough people complain about it (not just a couple of people on this forum). I personally admit to having no problem playing occidental RPGs with a controller (since I have done that for quite a long time already), but I am not sure how the rest of the potential market would feel. If it were up to me, the current base controllers are just fine, but oh well...

I am playing with my schoolbooks, research, homework, and reports... Don't have time to be playing games at the moment.

What is all this sith bunny stuff?

Then so what is your point if neither 2ndEd or 3e AC make sense? lol And why are you all resurrecting this long dead thread? Just let it die. This is old news.

Alanschu, you are not rebutting my points at all, you are merely repeating them from slightly different angles and re-stating the obvious. Which is fine, that is if you have a lot of time on your hands. Circular logic, if you will...And for that I grant you the title of... *drum roll please*

Damn straight and at the expense of "your favourites!" Except I am not British, so I'd use the american spelling.