Wombat

I at first wondered WHY he was playing Fallout 3 as well. He'd play it as his own hobby as well as for his professional interest but the stats of Fallout 3 unnaturally stands out compared with the other games in his game profile. He hasn't updated the Black Hound mod recently, either. So, if Fallout 3 were a work by Bioware, I could have guessed this but, somehow, I couldn't connect Bethesda with Obsidian. Now, I'm wondering if it uses the engine of Aliens RPG, which features modernized squad-based combat, if I'm not mistaken.

I have been wondering what non-Alpha Protocol teams have been doing. A part of the question is answered, I guess. Also, I noticed J.E.Sawyer had been spending his time on rather obsessively playing Fallout 3 on Xbox but, honestly, this didn't come to my mind.

Reading the interview and from my own experience with Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, I cannot but think Chris Avellone, who is, I personally find, more introverted and philosophical, and Brian Mitsoda, who seem to be extroverted and more pragmatistic, have totally different approaches to their works. So, probably it was for the good for both of them and, hopefully to us, or the potential players.

I'm not a specialist but I heard bigger companies afford a large number of texture artisans, which definitely shows the difference between screenshots of games by Obsidian and those by bigger companies. This difference is unavoidable since it directly comes from the size of the companies. That said, there are games which had good graphics but were unsuccessful. One of the keys is, I think, to what extent is passable by the majority, especially console gamers, in terms of graphics.

VtM: Bloodlines and HL2 was released on the same day. Probably you are right since you are funcroc. And yet, I was not wrong at that VtM:B hadn't been released before HL2. In any case, you see my point...although I myself hate to admit the tendency.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/45019.html http://www.gametrailers.com/player/46730.html http://www.gametrailers.com/player/46717.html These are the clips I picked at the same site. One of the problems is that demand for graphics is almost unconscious. Once people become accustomed to the newer graphics, it is hard for them to ignore the flaws in the older ones. If only Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines could have been released before Half Life 2.

Really, considering the increasing unemployment rate in America, we'd probably better worry about what will happen to our lives than game industry.

Thank you for the info, Lariam. So, Atari itself seems to be planning their own distribution system, then? I guess it is quite possible. Also, if I remember correctly, Atari released some titles including NWN2 on Direct2Drive.

However, there are a handful of people who fight against no matter how things may look hopeless. People call them - Grey Wardens. And the epic adventure begins. http://dragonage.bioware.com/greywardens.html ...well, I guess this is a bit unfair to the game which is still not released. So, I'll write down what I think about settings in general. First, I have to confess that I'm not into fantasy novels. However, in any setting, whether it is society or individual characters, I'd like to see something common to us based on deep insight rather than superficial ones. I don't praise the Witcher as a masterpiece, but it at least tries not to be yet another Tolkienesque fantasy, by not simply recycling factors of the superficial settings such as elves, dwarfs and orcs, but also building them in a way that we can see the human activities/motives familiar in our own world. You might think I simply like to read/watch/play real world novels/movies/RPG but, without insight, it would be hard for me to sympathize with the situation/characters no matter the superficial settings would look like. If there should be some themes which writers would like to express, then, the world/setting should follow it. In role-playing games, a good example would be Plaenscape: Torment. Unfortunately, I don't feel such an inner drive from Bioware writers. To my eyes, they seem to simply copy things they read/watched in fantasy novels and Sci-Fi TV series. Will a miracle happen with Dragon Age? To be honest, so far, I don't see any reason to expect so.

I don't hold much expectation to Bioware in this area. They are quite conservative in this respect and don't have incentive/motivation to change it especially when the majority of their fans don't want them to be too radical or original. Now, speaking of the devil...

Thank you for your quick replies, Tigranes and Pop. So, it seems to be true that the issue is more of distribution rather than the game itself, aside which, it appears to be difficult to talk about outside of the realm of the speculation...

Indeed. Don't forget about the market. You, as a consumer, may spend the same amount of money but the sale is decided also by how many of consumers spend money. In order to make profit, it is quite natural for the publishers to assume that expansions won't sell better than the original game and spend less on the cost. I didn't have time to check it by myself but is it true that Mystery of Westgate seems to have problems in distribution process rather than the development of game itself? If it is true, then, doesn't Bioware/Obsidian have a plan to make a steam like distribution system where mod-originated Counterstrike and experimental Portal achieved a certain amount of success. To reduce the cost, making a reliable distribution system and assigning job for indies may be an alternative. However, I wonder how much freedom the developers have in this area. I remember that Valve had an issue with the publisher when they released Steam. After all, I'm not a game industry insider.

Some may be interested in reading this interview at Iron Tower, which sheds some light on "capitalism" behind extension making. IMHO, I'd rather have a full story-focused game rather than expansions.

Thanks for the good news, J.E.Sawyer. By good news, I don't mean the one with Brandon, of course.

Off Topic Some people seem to be thinking of KotORII but, in my case, I only meant the possibility of sharing the engine with totally different world setting or a different part of the world setting like Fallouts, Planescape:Torment and Icewind Dales. There are some Bioware/Obsidian fanbo/galism, which itself proves that the targeted players are different. Personally, I'd like to have a game with Bioware's overall technical quality and Obsidian's story/dialog quality. Alternatively, as I wrote above giving an example of Valkyria Chronicles, Obsidian might search for more moderate but effective 2D/3D hybrid. I admit that VC's success is based on Japanese anime game popularity to some extent, though. I'll wait to see till Alpha Protocol and "Aliens RPG" but I think adjusting technologies from movie industry is quite hard for smaller companies. Even the majority may rather prefer stylish 2D products to unpolished 3D ones. As a side note, I wonder if there is Obsidian connection to CD projekt since I think European market is still interested in text-heavy games compared with American market. I admit success in the huge American market is quite vital, though. CD project seem to be quite good at marketing and their still-not-so-bug-free "enhanced" edition seems to have been sold well. This is probably not a good comparison but how much money did Black Isle make with Trials of the Luremaster? PS I hope the mess left from the massive bubble wouldn't hit Obsidian and, of course, our lives hard.

I don't know much of the game development but, considering cost-effect, it seems to me that, nowadays, it is already a bad management just the moment when a 3D D&D game is planned. I believe many of Troika or Black Isle people are talented but have to see good promises have been reduced to be rather sad results. If Dragon Age turns out to be huge success, I wonder if Bioware will give a part of the world and let them develop a role-playing game with a different tone, which shouldn't sound so unfamiliar. I know there are still many D&D fans but they are too demanding for the way today's computer industry works.

Although I am yet another person who doesn't know much about the development, I guess I see the difficulty in combining good-looking 3D games with complex rule-sets, at least, to some extent. Maybe, for next tactical combat game, how about looking for some light 2D effects? Here is a video of Valkyria Chronicles, the combination of strategy game and some anime essences from Sega. Personally I have found the water-color effects are really nice. Combining these effects with works of IWD artists could make a good 2D game on multi-platform, of course, without the anime/cartoon effects and silly voice acting. Some Japanese companies are still capable of making successful strategy/tactical games. So, why not do the same thing with more western tastes?

Off Topic Warning How about ? I agree with you that Icewind Dale's Soule was great with numbers such as and .I don't know why but music for Bioware products is not my cup of tea even with the same composers. They are bit flashy for my taste. PS I briefly searched for my another favorite, Mark Morgan, and have found he is mainly working on music for TV nowadays.

Thanks for Google Alert tip. I hadn't noticed Gamestop video till I dropped in this board. I have been being quite busy. I have already written about lock-picking mini-game long time ago and video hasn't reflected it even in a slightest manner. I think smooth and fun game-play and good graphics are very important for the majority and I can only say good luck on satisfying the bigger ratio of the denominator to the team. Graphics is better than I feared but it still looks outdated compared with other game videos.

Thanks. That's what I wanted to hear. Good luck on "Aliens RPG." How about Alpha Protocol, which seems to be dealt by a different team, though? Sorry for the off-topic.

Is it rational of me to expect an Obsidian game with good graphics and smooth game-play? I'd like to enjoy tailor-made story based on character interactions/development with interesting themes without these nuisances. Speaking of media, I think Obsidian music are almost always good, though. Isn't it Icewind Dale series which built a step-stone to make Inon Zur so popular (maybe, way too popular, IMHO) in game industry? PS Deraldin, Could you treat spoiler related topics in a proper way? I am probably not playing the game but some people may not be happy with it.

A potential buyer would be happy if he/she knows better about the game beforehand and they won't complain unless they buy the game. PS Well, as long as SoZ is concerned, I admit I'm quite far from a "potential buyer," though. At least, I don't buy games only because they are tagged as RPG or developed by Obsidian Entertainment.

Why not wait till the price drops? I bought Mask of the Betrayer with full price simply because I wanted to show my support but, as I said before, I pass on this game since I've gotten impression that their writing talents are working on other projects. Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean Storm of Zehir is not attractive to some people who expect other charms such as these. Simply, take the price according to your interest. However, as for Alpha Protocol, probably I'm not buying it upon release since I think the necessary denominator for Obsidian to keep their business is much bigger than the ratio of my humble "support". I cannot but wish them good luck.

Bit late as news but just in case, Ztorm of Zehir designer blog update by Scott Everts at IGN and Interview with Obsidian at Thieves Guild. As expected, Storm of Zehir seems to be more of Wasteland and classic Fallouts, which mix narrative and world simulation with some classic role-playing game factors such as by-the-book permanent death and customizable party rather than of Planescape:Torment and Mask of the Betrayer, which are heavily focused on narrative choices and story/character development. SoZ may be able to satisfy "geeky" needs which are not fulfilled by the of Fallout 3. You may be interested in visiting the "official" board, too.

In a bad third person perspective, the player have to watch deformed protagonist in front of the camera. Metal Gear Solid 4 has much better graphics but it still has the inherited issue. The protagonist animation has an aspect of game-play interface, which shows the player the status of the protagonist. While the third person view is good as an indicator for various game-play, such as close-combat, stealth game-play, since it is an output of player control, the same order should result in the same animation. I think this is why I feel the animation repetitive. As you point out, the same can be said to reloading weapons animation, but, IMO, the protagonist doesn't continuously reloading. Inevitably, this is a weakpoint of first person perspective since it cannot give feedback to the players as much as its third person counterpart can. So, I think the whole thing is the issue of trade-offs. Guess I don't contradict to what you say but in different words. I don't expect to change the design. It's just my opinion and this is an internet board.