Niten_Ryu

No wonder it's tought to sell. There are very limited number of people who even remember Wasteland, let alone played it back when it was released. And based on reactions of Fallout3, how many of original Wasteland fans would even be remotely happy with end result ? Probably not many, even if sequel would be good. I'm not sure if reanimating these old brands is good idea anyway. It's very rare that some core mechanics or world aspects would be worth to salvage vs. creating something complitely new. Personally I got lucky with Fallout3 because world aspects are the most important thing for me and I don't care much or combat system, rules or perspective as long as they work fine. But at the same time it's easy to see why many fans of the original games are very angry about new direction of Fallout3.

This is true in just about every genre. I can put hardest difficulty in just about any FPS without knowing anything about the game. I probably won't die unless there's chance of being one shot or some gimmick boss fight. Thus my previous experince from all singleplayer and multiplayer FPS is working against me because it would be unrealitic to expect developers to balance game around my skill level. I haven't played PnP AD&D since 2nd edition but even experience from those days help me with in games like NWN2. And of course since I've played just about every computer RPG from last 25 years, I have bit unfair advantage. These days with stupidly high budgets, developers should balance main game around newbies and casuals. This makes sure they don't get discouraged by too hard difficulty and stop playing. If they find game fun and play it thru, they might buy sequel and addon too. We hardcore players can only hope that there's few interesting and challencing optional encunters and perhaps bit higher difficulty option (that's hopefully actually tested and not just double hitpoint and double damage). Best difficulty option system that I've seen in long time was in Silent Storm - Sentinels. There you could adjust difficulty in various categories. I'd like to see similar feature in other games too.

No matter what happens to actual Fallout 3, they sure managed to hire talented guy to do consept art / matte paintings. Craig Mullins is one of the best in biz.

I had no idea that Fallout IP would be worth so much. Heh, Interplay stocks went up over 19%

Haha. Too bad that's fake picture. I just love those almost slapstick type of options. Even if I don't remember anything else about NWN2 in 5 years, I'm sure I remember conversation options in Bard contest. I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt for days

I wonder what happened to Gollop brothers. After Laser Squad they were one of my fav developers and in same league as Sid Meier or Dicky Garriott. UFO - Enemy Unknown was just about perfect game to follow Laser Squad. At that time they were real innovators of TB genre. I'm also one of the few people in the world who loved both real time and turn based mode in X-com: Apocalypse (use turn based in hard fights and RT in smaller encounters or raids) but at the time that did get huge amount of critique. Now in retrospective they didn't manage to reach same status as Sid Meier or Dicky Garriott or Billy Wright. Interesting enough, IMO Kenny Levine is probably most talented game designer right now and because of that the chance of getting great X-com sequal is relatively high. I'm definately looking forward of this.

In days of c64 it was common just to get "game over" or "well done" if you finished some game. From modern games both Obsidian games deserve "crappy ending" title. In cliffhanger or otherwise perplexing endings there need to be some certainty that there will be sequel. Half-Life 2 ending would have been total crap if they didn't announce that series would continue for sure.

Rolemaster would be good system to start building rules for computer game. Even Rolemasters so called complex and chart filled system would be nothing for modern computers. Most of it could be hidden inside game mechanics so that it wouldn't overwhelm the players. Rolemaster system wasn't hard and it didn't take long time to do battles if DM knew what he was doing. I even created extra tables and charts for location based damage and criticals (and damage to items). For me it meant extra things to know and to keep track of, but for players it meant just one extra dice. With computer it would have been even easier. Some hated Rolemasters "one shot kill" possibility but for me it was important feature in the rule system. To this day I love "no matter how unlikely, a peasant could one shot mighty dragon" design philosophy. Highly unpredictable results are almost complitely gone from modern games but I'd like to see 'em return one day. In these days it's all about color con mobs, challenge rates and whatnot.

I loved every single Troika game. Each one had some feature that was just perfect for me. In Arcanum it was world aspect that made me forget all about unbalanced rules and game mechanics, in ToEE it was turn based strategic combat system that made me forget boring world aspects and non-existant story and characters. Bloodlines was best out of all Troika games since it didn't have any big negative aspects for me (I have high tolerance for gameplay bugs). Heck, it even showed me that usually so emo gothic world can be interesting. Bravo ! But it's still easy to see why Troika failed. None of the games offered solid gameplay that everyone would have liked. In Arcanum you can feel balance issues befoe you leave crash site. If you don't love turn based action under strict rules, ToEE is rather empty game. Bloodlines combat system is too difficult for traditional role-players (oh noes, I have to aim) and too complex for FPS fans (why didn't I hit that opponent even thou my aim was perfect.. stupid rules). Yes, every game could have been developed differently to appeal much more broad consumer base, but there probably just wasn't enough time or skill to do the changes. Unless you get it right at the first time, or design different game or rule mechanics in early stages of development, you will run out of time... unfortunately. My fav old skool developers seem to drop one by one out of the game biz. Who knows, maybe some can adjust to current situation and stupidly huge development budgets. Maybe some have learned that how things were done in past, can't be done today. ie Kenny Levine said that first you have to design fun and working base game mechanics before you can start buidling story and world. IMO that is the right way to do it. Hopefully Bioshock will deliver.

I don't think it would have been budget issue or any way unrealistic target since games have used mini storylines and non-linear paths for years. Obsidian (or WotC) most likely just wanted to create linear adventure. Of course it's unrealistic to change game from linear to non-linear in later stages of development. My examples were more from Fallout point of view, if NWN2 would have been developed more like it.

Personally I think Fallout type game could do just fine. I love how Fallout starts. MacGuffin plot device (broken waterchip ), a reason to start adventure, something that is terribly important for game characters but you (the player) really couldn't care less. Interesting world, memorable characters and locations and ok rule system. It would have been interesting if you could ignore Shard storyline in NWN2. Toss MacGuffin away and make your way to Neverwinter or perhaps Luskan. Main storyline could have progressed without main characters direct involment to it anyway. Maybe some traiders could use bodyguard or maybe you could have joined bandits. Or work as a Luskan spy and take advantage on uncertain situation in Neverwinter. So many interesting possibilities without brute forcing main storyline. I really hope no matter what game Obsidian creates next, it's going to more open ended.

7 OC don't really offer anything new or exciting to the genre but it's ok entertainment value anyway. Main positive things: - Took me over 50 hours on my first run - Has certain replay value (many different classes, few good / evil routes) - Planear influences in storyline Main negative things: - Bit too broad level range. From level 1 to level 12 would have been perfect. - Too easy, even on hardcore rules - Too linear - AI issues I would have given 6 to this but since I've played OC thru 3 times (LG, CE and N runs), it deserves one bonus point.

Pure theorycraft. 10 hours for main quest and few odd side quests 30 hours for main quest and most side quests 1 hour 12 min speedrun

I'm not expert on console type game speedruns with hidden levels and such. It's most likely that in pure speedrun those will be skipped but certain 100% runs (100% secrets, 100% kills/coins/whatever) or 100% speedruns all those are included.

As a speedrunner myself, I can understand why some think this is stupid or pointless. But there's only so much challenge you can get out of game before you have to start making it more difficult for you. We (or at least I) usually play game first time the same way as everyone else. For me the game usually takes bit longer then people on average, because I try to search every place and do every sidequest or complite all objectives. If game allows multiple ways to complite it or some enounters in game are different based on what you do or what gender/class/profession you play, we try those out too. After game mechanics are known and game is interesting enough, we might start to look what type of things we could in it. This includes speedrunning, either multi-segment (saves) or single-segment (no saves at all) or gimmick runs like ghosting (avoinding doing damage at all if possible) or killing all opponents (by use of only one weapon ect ect). Speedrunners don't use console command cheats but they do use any bugs that are left in game. Again it's easy to understand that some would say they use cheats. Usually during gimmick runs people don't use bugs, except maybe some AI flaws, environment or kiting (keeping mob away from you while moving around).

So far it's been horrible E3 for RPGs and PC games in general. Ok, new consoles are important but still... It wasn't nealy as bad when PSX, PS2 or Xbox was lauched.

JO and JA combat system works just fine when you tweak it abit. Skilled NPC vs. NPC is damn fun to watch... or skilled NPC vs. 10 n00bies... what a gib show. There's basically rule system (or AI vs. AI, since it's not cRPG system) that controls the combat. It would be damn easy to use such system in cRPG. Just add critical tables, stats, several models of AI for players to use ect ect. That way fights would be way more dynamic than in KotOR, but just as easy to control (and no manual mouse + keyboard skill needed).

Dungeon Siege is one of the most boring games that I've played... ever. It's Chris Taylor's project who made quite good Total Annihilation (one of the better RTS games) and that time I thought he was the same person who was designer in classic Fallout. Bah... too many Chris Taylor in game biz. Dungeon Siege was a good lesson since now I always wait few reviews, read message boards and check developers previous works before I buy the game.

8.4 is great score. Now I have to hope that Xbox 360 is backwards compatible or that there's PC version in the future.

From front page Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. is looking for talent to work on an unannounced project! Mar 31, 2005 Head on over to our Jobs page to check the open positions. So yes, they use Unreal Engine 3.

I usually create male character first. I always use same name and RP sort of good guy (well, more loyal than good... sheep or asskisser is good word). ie In KotOR II male was self-loathing wreck of human, who would do everything to undo his misguided actions in the past and in Vampire - Bloodlines character was record corporation PR lackey, who didn't have any guts to challenge executives orders. Next time I create character, it's female. I always use the same name and RP selfish, slightly mental troublemaker. KotOR II she was narsistic egomaniac, who would do anything to attention and Vampire - Bloodlines... well, she got bitten by Malkavian so her past is just blurry images of simple farm life before trying to get modeling job from LA. First character "good" and second character "bad" but genders might be in different order. I use same name because it doesn't really matter in game. None says it out loud anyway. Tragic or sometimes comedy type of characters are fun to RP. There's always chance of redemption, but it might never happen. 3rd playtime (and onwards) I usually just let loose and create damn weird characters (that happens because I like to include hardcore gamer elements like use just one type of weapon or don't kill anyone ect ect.).

I liked Jedi knight and Jedi Outcast. Jedi Academy and Mysteries of the Sith are ok but Dark Forces felt too much like Doom clone (I have to admit that it's been nearly 10 years since I've played DF).

Lucasarts could do basically unlimited KotOR series. There's several thousand years before battle of Ruusan and time of Dath Bane (Beginning of 1000 years of peace in Republic untill Clone Wars). I don't like to compare KotOR to Final Fantasy, but there could be similarities from the brand name point of view. KotOR series is fine brand name and it really doesn't matter who is the main character as long as it's set in Star Wars universe before Darth Bane.

Developer is probably some other team than Bioware or Obsidian but if Atari is publishing BG3, they (and mystery dev team) will show something at E3.

Torment and Ultima IV. I also liked Baldur's Gate saga from the pure consept point of view (aftermath of Time of Troubles) and Vampire - Bloolines powerstuggle. Most of times I'm only interested about world aspect in games and how it lets me create my own adventure. Both Fallouts are excellent in that. Crappy story, great world.