Wombat

Have already pledged for 20 but it would be very stingy of me if I were to stick there till the end of the campaign.

Yeah, sorry for being such a party pooper but, if it is going to be a Kickstarter project at all, they will not be able to keep their secret for a long time. <--Already began to use the lazy side of my brains.

And how could we place our money if the information is not on the table yet?

Obsidian has a Kickstarter profileObsidian has a Kickstarter profile . Guess CRPG old dogs seem to have learned a new trick of marketing - and their old fans, too.

Well, to my part, too, I'm just posting to draw attention to more potent works. And yes, that's the main reason why I keep an eye on platform-free cloud gaming.

Actually, it's "pretty much." For somebody who can still be interested in yet another good-evil slider bar variants, this won't matter but it is a possible example of how story-telling can be with more sophisticated concept and a richer world setting. Related with this, it also blurs the boundary between SIM and RPG, which shouldn't come as a surprise considering its PnP background.

Some thoughts on the interview off the top of my head. I wonder - one of the attractive parts of Planescape universe or something similar to it, is various viewpoints - rather than judging something from a single morality bar, I'd like to see NPCs, who have their roots in the universe, judge the protagonist from various perspectives. The single morality bar is so monotheistic by assuming the God's eye "universal" both to the modern Western world and the imaginary universe for some reason. One of the catharses in role-playing game is to let the players see things in different points of views, although I haven't come across many systems which intentionally try to achieve this. Being conscious of this aspect will enhance the gamplay below. Related with this, some creatures may be the results of some notions/emotions in Planescape(-like) universe. Strong fear or guilt may appear as a certain creatures (The Transcendent One is a possible example) while more solid notion may result in a creature with more solid thus independent ego. That said, I don't mean to deny any universality - the mortality can be a universal theme through human history and showing various points of view to such axis would be nice (And of course, themes leave rooms for interpretations). This will put focus on the gameplay below. Finally about items but even materials can be "interactive" especially in such setting. It's just the name. I think Avellone did a better job in the opening of IWD2. "Sorrow's Tear" is an item which is only gained through a certain actions, for example. Legendary (or much more humble) items with detailed backgrounds are nice but being able to transform such items through actions and/or interaction with NPCs would be nicer so that the players can intertwine their personalities with them. Some items may just allow the players to add an episode to their stories, while some others may develop through the course of the main story. BTW, now that Wastelands 2 have Colin McComb, I wonder if Obsidian and/or Avellone are allowed to use some assets of InExile.

If you are asking Obsidian for it, you must be very desperate, considering that they failed to deliver other elements of NWN except some good single player experiences in NWN2. In any case, even Atari/Bioware have shifted to MMO business model, so, I think it is quite unlikely for a commercial developer going to make a game like NWN..In fact, why should they give too many tools for the players if they can make money otherwise (in forms of social games/MMO)? Since Avellone seems to want to make ADV and Planescape: Torment, I think, why not make PS:T into an ADV or an ADV/RPG hybrid? Personally, I don't like point-n-click ADV but, if it is focused on character/story development through dialogues rather than figuring out puzzles from some clues on pictures, then, it should work for me. However, if Avellone is going to do even game system design, please put someone such as Sawyer to prevent Avellone from going to be too "original" in this respect. Just my two cents.

I guess the discussion went into a loop here. As far as my understanding goes, the users choice on stats opening up to game-plays of IE combat and ADV-ish dialogue options/some point and clicking is the core mechanic of PS:T. For me, compared with Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale, PS:T's IE combat part feel weak. That said, they are, indeed, considered as one the established forms of RPG in computer gaming history but they cannot be only one possible form for "RPG." I think, in PS:T, PC-NPC interactions and the story-resulted from it was much more strong part compared with stats-based "interactions." Personally, I wanted the RPG to be developed to explore social interactions rather than stat-based simulations. Some may say it's just making an RPG into an interactive novel but, how about this article of J.E. Sawyer? To some extent, it's a social simulation and the focus is more on the social choices than on stat-related one. Also, Avellone, repeatedly, talks about how Sawyer exploited the conflict of NCR and the legionnaires in his play-through of FONV. Stats-based reaction may be cool but, there are also rooms for RPG genre to explore "social simulation", or role-playing. Of course, in FONV's case, these elements are balanced. However, for something like PS:T, I'd like to see more focus on social interactions, which is typically known as C&C but how the players dealt with NPCs unfolding customized stories is one of an important part especially in narrative focused RPGs. Even if it may not be the intended core mechanic of PS:T, it is probably how PS:T is remembered.

I don't know how much flexible Onyx is but I tend to imagine it is designed for mostly consoles and PC. What bugs me is that , in PS:T, reading occupies quite a heavy part - even more than Fallout series. And if the designers try to combine action game-play with lot of dialogue reading, it often doesn't work well. Even dating back to the time PS:T released, it was one of the most dialogue heavy games. With such "slow-paced" format, TB/SIM game-plays, outside, of course, adventure games, seem to work. Personally, I don't like to see dialogues cut due to such reasons anymore and possible sequel to be something which seek for its new players even into new reading devices such as tablets. If some people do miss the other game-plays of PS:T, then, something like BGEE could be a possible compromise, which is to be released for various devices. Personally, I'm not convinced that Infinity Engine game-plays are necessarily tied to PS:T, though. To be honest, I'm very tired of seeing games have been adjusting to console gamers who don't have habits of reading. They cost lot of money but the most of it goes for graphics and polishing - risky even just as a business, especially without massive financial backing typically known as publishers. If you cannot get a publisher for a project, you may not even be able to pay your employees. At times, publishers may not be able to even pay straight.

I wouldn't like to mention this but how do you imagine the current financial state of Obsidian? In any case, I'd like to see a solid game made by a small team, who can share their concept.

Considering what kind of format would fit PS:T, long time ago, I came across a site which categorized it under adventure games. Indeed, Avellone likes this genre. Also, I've gotten an impression that it can be well represented in Japanese adventure game, mostly known for romance adventure games, rather than their point-and-click counterparts. For, at the point that it builds up its story based on PC-NPC relationships. I, myself, don't play these games but I can access quite lot of resources on the net. Most of them seem to be romance-focused but there seem to be some exceptions. It's quite an established genre and there are many spin-offs, so I can glance at some story elopements, finding some of them quite good. I have no direct information about game-play factor, though. The format appears to be interactive novel + any game-play appropriate to given settings. 2D graphics are popular mainly due to the anime cultures (Rather, I don't know why North American go for 3D even with the genres such as strategy and/or simulation games). At least, the format itself seems to be low budget and, the 2D part doesn't need to be anime style. However, the possible issue is that Avellone still seems to want to make an RPG - not an interactive novel with RPG combat game-play, for example. He seems to want interweave RPG factors with narrative ones. IMO, Fallout is much more successful in this respect but I feel Avellone's writings and that format conflict each other at times. In fact, you need to put much point in wisdom and intelligence to get most of the story of PS:T while you can still enjoy low INT conversations in Fallout. For example, Dead State gave up conversation-related abilities since they found it would rather harm the dialogue choices. And IMO, too, limiting certain simulation factor in favor of narrative factor makes sense when the resulting game-play is expected to offer less than more to the players. Open narrative based on simulation would be an ideal but sometimes, less is more, I think. Also, in Fallout, comic factor is one of the key essences while PS:T was more serious story with some occasional humor. In any case, despite his ambition, I feel Avellone's games have quite many parts where the system and the content step on the toe of each other. That said, a possible alternative solution in Planescape setting would separate resources for physical ability scores and mental ones since mental part plays quite a huge role in such a setting. For putting them in the same resource pool like in the original PS:T simply ends up with encouraging the players to invest on mental ability scores.

No? He outright said that they broke a lot of the D&D rules stuff to make the mechanics and narrative they had in mind work. You mean in this article? In any case, it's just a conventional joke about Planescape: Torment using AD&D rule set. Rather, the second sentence was what I really meant. ...and it begins with the death of the protagonist...I remember such an interview but - well, only remember vaguely, too. Avellone usually tries to counter the existing schemes - with some successes and failures. I admire such ambition in terms of content - he is remarkably good at this direction. In fact, I got inclined to believe it must be a part of source of his creativity. However, when it comes to game-plays... You know, successful RPG companies like Bethesda and Bioware managed to have established the base game-plays, which manage to keep a certain number of players even if they are not my cup of tea. I imagine Kickstarter pledgers would be tolerant people. Maybe different market, different audiences but..well...Avellone's hardcore mode may turn out to be a "Nightmare mode"...I wonder if I'm joking again except that the joke is on me when I play his games.

One thing sounds very odd here is that it sounds as if PS:T team had followed the rule of AD&D faithfully. That said, I agree that I think PS:T could have been better without any AD&D rule set influence and the logo. In any case, I tend to find myself bugged when I hear non-conversation system discussions from Chris Avellone - I admit his talent in writing dialogues which gradually build PC-NPC relationship, eventually weaving customized stories for the players with different personalities. However, I was never happy with the game-play of Torment and/or Alpha Protocol - I cannot even agree with his post-mortem analyses on some of his past works, at least, about the game-play decisions. The more I value his other side, the more I get frustrated with some game-play designs by him.

Nothing wrong, I guess. You might like to check hidden deals which someone posted while back but I wonder if you'll play them even if you buy any. I still check Steam sales and buy some but it's just I often realize that there are always other things worth spending my time. Thinking of which, I wonder if finishing a game in a few to several months sounds eager or not. At least, I'm trying to finish them. BTW, Y's series...it's one of the ancient games in Japan, dating back to pre-Wondows age. Makes me think about the possibility of the modern market of this information age. While bigger companies continue to make games for mass-audiences, internet market may bring you a game suite your needs (well, even just for passing time) from a corner of the earth. Doesn't mean these action games are my cup of tea, though.

And here, it comes the last hour of Kickstarter for a humble company made of an ex-Obsidian employee game-designer couple in Seattle.

And it reached the third strech goal.

No disagreement here. I'm not into zombies, either, but I think Brian is good enough to come up with interesting themes, reading his interviews. Now thinking of it, I'm not particularly into fantasy or Sci-Fi, either, so, guess the themes mean more to me. In fact, most of the settings of fantasy RPGs can be replaced by another generic fantasy world except something like Planescape: Torment, where the theme and the world are tied together. The project passed the second stretch goal!

Don't be fooled by yet another Zombie impression - I recommend you to read sources to find out what actual Brian's intention. And check your profiling ability if you think someone who dares go independent will choose the theme simply because it appears to be popular. Beside the faq, here is new good info source at Reddit.

Somehow, nobody including funcroc haven't mentioned this interview at RPG Codex. I haven't played Darklands (got it at Gog.com, though) but I think I know what influenced Hendrick. Something like Rune Quest/Traveller explored and established the possibility of open word RPGs, bringing just a mere branch of tactical combat game to a totally different level. Especially, Rune Quest employed various types of knowledge to build a world around them. The idea itself somehow fit postmodernism - rather than piling and boasting knowledge, why not play with it? I think Sawyer may share his view of throwing knowledge, which otherwise shared only by a certain percentage of people, into games to make interesting places for the players to explore. However, of course, at the same time, the game-play should be fun experience as Hendrick emphasized. The problem is that, despite of employing brand new technologies, CRPG lost the track of such possibilities to some extent, nailing RPG to a few stereotypes. From Sawyer's interview at Gamestar I guess I agree with Sawyer, here - there must be places to explore in terms of the narrative, especially when there are various ways which more traditional media have already explored. This reminds me of an interview with Warren Spector - Sometimes, it works pretty well when different personalities are in the same team. However, as a working environment, it seems to be quite stressful and it doesn't always bear a fruit, which again appear to be common in game development scenes. In fact, I cannot imagine how Sheldon Pacotti and Harvey Smith are working together and both of them worked on the original Deus Ex and Invisible War. So, while I understand the tendency of the current game development, a part of me would like to see occasional fruits coming out from melting pots of different personalities.

But why now? Spector cannot be unfamiliar with movies and teen exploitation is not new at all. Did he say something about the gore expressions in Fallout series? Yeah...from what I glimpsed from the trailers, the expressions in even mainstream games tend to belong to B grade movies. You can say the same thing to any war-related materials - people have been being fond of stories about fighting even back to the age of Iliad and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. To be honest, I don't know much of Hitman series. While I'm quite a sucker to stealth action games but I tend to like "pacifist solutions" and the series don't seem to allow me to do it. I think I take Assassin's Creed series as sword-fighting adventure games.

Even as a satire, it's gotten old, too, and it's hardly amazing, IMHO. I've seen similar things happening to movies, music and even PnP RPGs and now I know where to look. I guess it's one of survival skills to live in the contemporary consumerist world. That's why I think you should look somewhere else. Some indie games are quite popular and they tend to be creative. At the same time, there are even revivals. For example, should I admit that I am depressed when seeing King of Dragon Pass in one of the most popular apps in Apple Store? It's just such developers also should look somewhere else. Even Obsidian allow Avellone to do his part time job for inExile. Such flexibility is one of the possible strengths of not-so-big companies. I wonder how it goes well but some people are attempting. Another aspect of E3 is a technology presentation. Some of these technologies could be used to built around ideas of successful ideas of indie games. In fact, Hitman: Absolution has this sniper challenge mini-game, which has gotten popular on the net. Not sure if it is what I wanted to see but the mixture of technology and the idea could bear fruit in the future. Some people began to see indie game scenes as a virtual "silicon valley" built on the net, which can be a bubble but, at least, it's quite reasonable in a way. At least, hopefully, some formats will remain.

It's just a wrong expectation. It cannot be only me who began to see AAA titles like Hollywood movies long time ago. Most of them tend to be just tools for money but I may like some modest ones. Also, the popularization of the net and mobile devices made the variety of game businesses possible, with Kickstarter being one of possible funding models (It still needs to be tested for video game-size investments). Now I'm paying more money on smaller business models while buying one or two year-old major titles on digital sales. In any case, if you are not happy with major titles, why not search the net?

Well, I'd just say the statements sound quite "political."