BruceVC

Thats an excellent read, it accurately defines for me the correct definition of modern RPG. I only disagree with one point the writer made when he says "And as the trend grows, we can safely expect that in a couple years (if that's not the case already) every RPG will be an action RPG, making the label basically useless" We know through initiatives like KS that specific RPG will be developed for the fans that fund them. So we won't just see one type of RPG. Also if anything the sandbox RPG seems the most popular? Look at the sales of Skyrim. So if you have to predict one type of RPG surviving why shouldn't it be the Sandbox RPG?

It sounds like the issue is exactly what you have mentioned, you don't understand the D&D ruleset so a game that uses it is confusing and daunting. I grew up playing AD&D so it makes sense to me but I can understand your concern. I understand the rules fine... they just do not play smoothly in a CRPG. I've mentioned the problems in other threads: the very nature of the "round", bizarre buff lengths, silly miss rates with concealment, etc. What's worse, is that the AI definitely doesn't understand the rules and does all sorts of flaky and annoying things. Okay but then take the AI off and spend more time choosing what your characters should do in combat when you use pause. I really don't remember major issues in combat when I did this, so I don't agree that the D&D ruleset is not appropriate in a CRPG.

funny

I admire that, I know its probably idealistic but I consider people that do legal work for the "street " as altruistic. It reminds of that show " The Guardian"

No individual should feel ashamed of what their government does, unless they support it- in which case they won't feel ashamed anyway- as there's nothing any individual can do. Do you feel ashamed of your government's wholesale and unconditional support of Mugabe, having the worst war since WW2 (that's Congo, minimum 20x the deaths of Syria and still rising) practically on your doorstep, your police shooting strikers, your cricket team losing to New Zealand of all people, because you shouldn't unless you condone them. You'd also get a very long list of all the times leaders killing their own people is perfectly fine, because the leader happens to be supported by the West and uses the dehumaniser du jour- communist, terrorist, anarchist whateverist the current boogeyman ist. Actually I do feel ashamed of my governments handling of Zimbabwe, its a disgrace and has lead to major issues for the region. I support the Police in there handling of the miners strikes, so no issues there. You can be patriotic but pragmatic in your support of a governing political party. If the governing party makes bad decisions or questionable foreign policy decisions then you have a responsibility to raise this in the public domain, we do this in South Africa as we believe in free speech and this is a tenet of a Democracy You can't do this in Russia as they have limited free speech and most criticism of Putin is squashed or the people arrested. I stand by my point that the Russian handling of the Syrian crisis is a disgrace and they should be ashamed. PS: I'm impressed by your general knowledge of South African affairs. Where do you live?

Since I got back from Vegas I have been doing Cardio at gym. I do 50 minutes a night 3-5 times a week. I do 20 minute on the bike, 10 minutes rowing and 20 minutes on the treadmill. I am starting to feel much better as I get fitter and I need less sleep. I want to sometimes ssubstitute road running for gym some nights. I'll go for a run on Sunday morning

Honestly, why would you think that? Do you know something I don't. I am intrigued

Yes, we can. Probably for Westerners it's normal, when you support totalitarian regimes and terrorists only because they are rich and have common business with your elite, but for us it's unaccessible. It's always funny, when Westerners try use this Jesuitic rhetoric against us, this is just don't work. No my friend, you are mistaken. Russia would rather let thousands of people die than to accept that one of its "allies" is a brutal dictator and is prepared to use the might of his military to stop political dissension. In other words Syria. Russia could have prevented this civil war if it had voted for military action in the UN Security Council. Don't you feel ashamed with your government?

Heh, was wondering when you'd post something like this - eh if they have it on principle to not bother with Ubisoft due to their DRM scheme (or just loathing the company like me), no need to compromise that just on Obsidian's behalf. And any sales they lose to this line of thought will be more than made up by the rest of the consumers that don't care or think Ubisoft are a great customer focused company. Hardly throwing Obsidian under the bus, besides they have Kickstarter. In this challenging economic climate we have companies battling with profitability and people going of business. I would think that most people on these forums would do anything reasonable to ensure that Obsidian and other similar companies do continue to generate revenue. I am not suggesting you buy South Park if you don't like the idea of the game but to say you won't buy South Park because of Ubisoft tells me you have a strange definition of supporting Obsidian and there future projects.

It sounds like the issue is exactly what you have mentioned, you don't understand the D&D ruleset so a game that uses it is confusing and daunting. I grew up playing AD&D so it makes sense to me but I can understand your concern.

It is cynical, but it's in large part fueled by listening to Fargo flood the world with Tweets about all the freedom and awesomeness that Kickstarter has allotted him and how he doesn't have to play the Publisher game anymore, only to then see him do the exact same things that big publishers do because it's safe and will bring in additional funding. To be certain, the man definitely knows how to play the game (he's been on both sides of the coin). With Wasteland 2 I at least give him a pass because he's clearly been wanting to make that sequel for over 20 years. Eh, call Modern Warfare something else, and I don't think you get record breaking day one launches (especially if something else is still called Modern Warfare). I think what people like about sequels is that, just like publishers, it makes THEM feel safe and secure too. Relic could make a completely new RTS, but if they make a Company of Heroes one, or even a Homeworld one, fans get those warm fuzzies they once got by playing the earlier game, and the feelings of nostalgia and emotional attachment that goes along with it. People clamour for a sequel to the games that they love, because it's the greatest assurance, in their minds, that the game will deliver on the same awesomeness they got from the original. The irony, and what I want to see out of Kickstarter, is that had a developer decided to make a sequel instead of the original IP that that person now loves, they would have never gotten that original IP that they now love. I don't want to see Wing Commander 7 (or whatever) through Kickstarter. I want to see a resurgence in new space sims that try something a little different with a different setting. It's hard to pitch a game like "Torment 2" to a big publisher because it wasn't a big seller. Thing is, it'd be even more difficult to pitch the original Torment today since there'd be virtually nothing to compare it to. As usual you make some cogent and convincing points. I also get your overall view, that KS should be about new IP and idea's for games. I guess I see KS as delivering both. Sequels and new concepts, and at the moment it does seem to be doing this to a certain degree.

Hurlshot you never cease to amaze me with your irrefutable logic. Once again I find myself agreeing with you. Whats more important, letting Obsidians reputation and revenue suffer due to an issue with Ubisofts DRM policy or buying the game that will only be good for Obsidians continued financial longevity. This should be a no-brainer for anyone who actually supports Obsidian and projects like PE. Finally I would support Ubisoft anyway as I like the studio. There DRM policy has given me very few issues, and the few I experienced were not insurmountable. I think the worst was where I couldn't logon for 2 hours. It was no big deal.

Yay, I am most excited that Metro has a continued future

. It's a former CEO of a big game developer talking here: if he calls it Torment, he gets more money. The same reasons that companies like Activision and Electronic Arts push sequels as much as they do. The only difference is he's making a calling out to a different group (one that is more starved for their style of games) and will ask them to fund it. Alan thats a little cynical. Fargo is making games for our entertainment, revenue is probably his last consideration. He is also doing it for the kids, its all for the kids and the enjoyment on there little faces when they see the words "Torment " on the game as they take it out of the wrapping paper. This whole thing about the importance of sequels can be confusing, but trust me if you worked for a large, international software company then you would see that its not just the fact that the game is a sequel but its the content that matters and resonates with fans

Cute We had German Shepard's well, the one dog also worked out how to open the main garden gate with its paw and mouth. It was amazing to watch it open the gate the first time

You have raised a valid concern , the last thing that the French want is to be drawn into a protracted conflict where they are expected to be actively involved . But they are acutely aware of this. There objective is for troops from the AU (African Union) to take over the French military responsibilities. AU troops from West Africa are already arriving and once the Islamists are defeated the AU will have to maintain the general security. What never ceases to amaze me is on various radio talk shows in South Africa there are certain people who phone in and accuse the French of "neo-colonialism" with this intervention. Despite the fact that the UN supported this actions and the current r regime of Mali asked for the French to assist. When it comes to the West sometimes they can't do anything right, any action in Africa even when legitimate and necessary is about "colonialism and imperialism"

I bought Of Orcs and Men, it was marked down to $20. So it seemed like a good purchase

I hear you, thats my view at the moment. I actually prefer single player games anyway with a bit of MP thrown in. But I will be keeping this game and the Neverwinter Nights MMO on my radar.

Muslims Al-Qaeda fight against alcoholism Enforcing Sharia Law on the streets of London. They must be stopped! International community demand immediate military intervention into UK! P.S. NATO must launch military intervention into Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates too. These medieval monarchies exterminate opposition, reject democracy, violate human rights and use Sharia laws. It's not too difficult job, because NATO have military bases there. Sorry but you can't possibly compare countries like the UAE, Qatar or even Saudi to countries like the former Afghanistan under the Taliban. I travel to those countries for work and even though they are conservative people and foreigners can and do have a quality of life. Women in many of those countries get educated and can work. There is acceptance and tolerance on many levels. But in countries that the likes of Al-Qaeda have influence they want to implement an orthodox form of Sharia law that is both barbaric and archaic. So yes we must prevent them from being able to operate in countries like Mali, Somalia and Afghanistan

This is exactly what I did, enabling the AI made the combat more difficult and frustrating for me. I also preferred NWN2 more than NWN1.

That type of content encapsulates the Planescape theme perfectly, but it has jack **** to do with torment. If you're making a spiritual successor then call it that, but don't tell me you're making the next Torment and then say "well it actually takes place in a different setting, doesn't have the same characters, won't have any actual links at all really to the last game, but since we're now calling Torment a 'thematic franchise' we feel it's accurate for us to call this the next Torment!" I don't agree with you but I suppose this depends on what defines a Torment game for you. All the points I mentioned are what characterizes a Torment game for me, if a developer choses to build the story on those themes then I don't mind if the game is called Forgotten Realms: Torment, Dragon Age: Torment or Numenera: Torment. The world used just needs to be suitable for this type of narrative They can create new characters and themes that you will get to love and cherish

To be honest this concern has been addressed by Brian Fargo in the interview. He explains that the new Torment will follow similar grandiose themes to Planescape like the meaning of life, extra-planetary entities, the ability to traverse the planes and allow the character to visit bizarre and outlandish destinations. I am playing Planescape at the moment and this type of content encapsulates the Torment theme perfectly So no need to worry

Guys take a look at this introduction video to Elder Scrolls Online. What do you think? I think it looks amazing. But I am easily pleased so I wouldn't mind other more insightful opinions

Hell no, that just wouldn't be Torment.

What about a figurine of Isabela in her Pirate bikini? That would be popular