Morgoth

Who knows what they're up to with Ep2? They also include TF2 and Portal, what if I don't want those? Would I get a cheaper package without that mini-game crap?

Episodic content sucks. You're so quickly through it that you even didn't realise you played it. I find it already cruel enough that full price games only offer me 10 hours of gameplay.

As long as the overall concept is polished and feature complete (!!!), I'll be happy. Too much games these days get churned out which have good ideas but bad execution. Bio games may not have the best ideas, but at least they are polished and done.

Well, first of course, I want to set straight that I'm not 100% sure Bio has denied such features, but they've put them onto lower priority. I remember playing Praetorians (Tactical RTS) where environmental circumstances like height, or being in a corn field and getting shot with an fire arrow, or crossing a river (slows down) added lots of tactical depth, and since RTS are basically "2D" games too, I'd agree this could work in an RPG as well. But Bio would have to match the balance, and offer skills for that. Maybe they consider that, but the leader Dave Gaider is a dinosaur who doesn't let himself inspire by other games so chances are pretty low.

How? Tactic in such games is based on stats, not environments. They don't play any role at all.

I'm sure every designer can tell you 1000 reasons why it wouldn't make sense (or unpredictable difficulties) to do such thing in a game where you click around like crazy. And I just don't mean camera problems alone. Jumping/Flying makes lots of fun when I have full control about my character, like Tribes Vengeance (jetpack mayhem!!!), but in find that kind of things rather banal in a party based RPG that's supposed to be a spiritual successor of BG. In such a game, I expect the focus being on tactical combat, character interaction and a story that blows my socks off.

It's going to be a mouse-driven game with ruleset, no much sense doing things like jumping and flying here. It's not an action RPG, after all.

Well it's 3D, therefor yes. Lawl. But I guess you mean jumping and flying and all that? No.

True enough. I think the problem is that Bioware announced way to early. They wanted to show people that they weren't giving up on the PC so they announced it as soon as they had a build that can show decent pics, but now it just seems DA is just dragging along and nothing new has been released about it while the console itles keep coming. Ports tend to be iffy in most cases and while JE was a good console game I don't think its style will make a good translation to the PC. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I remember when Bio showed a Tech demo in 2004. Now, that technology got discarded and they've a completely new engine. What a waste. They even claimed a small team worked on that tech since NWN shipped. Again, what a waste. They clearly fuc*ed something up, but I guess they're now back on track, as Dave claims that the pieces are done and are now being in the process to put together. *fingers crossed*

Why does every Bio thread ends up being derailed?

Well I find it myself very dubious why it takes such an extraordinary long time to make. They probaly had some "difficulties" or some major changes or whatever....you know how uneven game development can go.... But it's certainly not vaporware, or they should have announced it. Bio hasn't canceled one project in it's (10 years?) existence, and I don't see any reason why they should start doing it now. Bio grows bigger and fatter every year, clearly not a sign of running out money and start canceling projects, like BIS did.

These are the very lively DA forums. And the reason why you haven't heard of DA anything is because it's not about time yet.

Well I think MMOs suck and Bio's one propably won't be an exception. But that's certainly not a reason to show antipathy for them. They've other products too in development that one way or the other will show up for the PC eventually. Like JE, or DA, and the ME trilogy probably too.

Bio just embraces versatility. They've a fanbase that consists of PC and console fans, and in future handhelds and MMOs as well.

BIS was already underway going down the toilet. Herve just accelerated that process.

GamedailyBiz interviews the Doctors. "You have to evolve or die... as the industry goes through this maturation phase you have to be willing to change and be willing to go with the times," Ray Muzyka, BioWare That's the first time Ray put such hard words like "die" into his mouth. I guess being a suit now made him a little more sarcastic, huh? But I agree on that sentiment. That's why Troika and BIS died, I suppose. But maturation phase? "... there's just too much product out there. And things like GTA and Halo, really dominant products, are great for the industry because it puts it on the top of people's minds..." Andrew Goldman, Pandemic GTA and HALO great for the industry? More mass market = maturation process, right? Just like Hollywood, but that's not what I call a mature industry either. Anyway, thought I just should put the link here, since there's nothing else to chew on on such a slow sunday.

...which every gamer on this planet played to death. Me wants something new to chew on!

But that's not going to happen. Ep1+2+3 = HL3, so to speak. I hope Valve don't abandon full price Retail games, and I wish they'd create a new IP. And with that I mean not mere silly puzzle games like Portal. Half-Life, while an awesome franchise, needs a break. But good to know there's still Monolith who churns out awesome FPS.

Combat fidgets or not, combat still will be a clickfest.

I wonder if they would have been faster shipping a proper HL3 rather than Ep1+2+3? Ep1, while good and very polished, was compared to HL2 a totally forgettable experience.

That GC06 video just looks like NWN with better graphics. Well, maybe it was intended that way.... I'm actually not too thrilled about it, my NWN fanboyism has decreased dramatically over the last years. I'm more curious about PNJ/PG even we don't have the slightest idea what it's going to be yet.

I totally understand.

What weird kirottu tried to say: Char Creation is one thing, playing the game another.

It's always how you look at it. Even the nameless hero must have some stats, how else could he fight, jump or talk even before the first level-up?

Kane was cool in the previous C&Cs. But EA will eventually make the game so crappy that his coolness won't do much either to save the game.