Tychoxi

So if we can still impose you with our ramblings, another thing I would like in a game are advanced gameplay options, allowing you to customize the game to some extent. Like for example choosing to get max possible HP per level (instead of the fraction my attributes determine), hiding certain info (like if there's an influence system, you get told "influence lost with this or that NPC", or even worse "12 influence points lost with NPC". I don't want to know that, though in many cases I should be able to predict they won't like something based on their personality or guess they didn't based on their response). I find these tweakings can be very important, specially if the game has replay value: maybe next time I want to make things easier (getting max HP per level) or harder (leveling requires 10% more XP), or know exactly how many "influence points" are gained/lost in each conversation. Or essentially, instead of having FO:NV's "harcore mode", letting me choose whether I want to have H2O and/or SLEEP and/or FOOD and/or whatever activated/deactivated separately. These are mostly on/off switches which I'm pretty sure can be easily coded into and don't detract from the mechanics, gameplay or the developer's vision and fine-tuning. And I don't care if I "break" the game. If I push some values too far or activated so many switches that I end up with the equivalent of "nightmare mode", that's my problem, in the same way customizing advanced video setting is my problem when my hardware can't take it. Crossing my fingers for a "Cain-Avellone-Sawyer" RPG Designing Triumvirate of Awesome. Thanks and good night.

Whoa, thanks for reading it ALL. This is why we wuv MCA and several other developers, they just keep the good ole 'By Gamers, For Gamers' spirit alive. Here's hoping for kickstarting success, cheers! (Another thing I forgot before is the music! A nice (even if little) score can make a game! Nowadays its all "epic" (and sadly generic) giant orchestra themes, we don't need those. Arcanum had very nice, violin-led rather quiet and emotive music, Fallout had a very fitting techno-tribal (?), heavy-on-drums score, System Shock 2 had a nice mix of atmospheric and techno tracks...)

Exactly! And you could use coins on vending machines, and to enter Mariposa you needed a pole+explosive. I'm pretty sure the first wasn't even hinted while later was. So yeah, I trust Obsidian to give us a good balance between hand holding and free, organic gameplay. I'm just stressing something that to me really contributed to what I consider "old school" (it's not just being turn based or isometric) and the way things have been "dumbed down" as it's so often said. That's pretty much what I think too, they can go to another investor, and say: "this idea/generated has generated xxxxxxx US dollars from our customer base. I repeat, just the idea. So you may want to jump in on this sure hit!" And I also don't think 2d is actually that much cheaper or requires less work. Full voice acting is quite expensive, though.

I would also like to stress something else. Nowadays if you need a rope to climb down a hole, the game goes out of the way to tell you, the rope will be a "quest item" that can't be dropped and possibly has to be acquired by doing a quest! I remember a time when this was much more organic, ropes would be just common items you found around and/or bought in stores and it was up yo you to realize where and if it could be used (though the text description may had very well clued you in... and yet your attributes should play a part in what that description says and how much it clues you in!). Special quest items are obviously gonna happen, but all the "common" things you pick up can also be very useful, there's a broken [insert equipment here] in that corner, what if I use this toolkit on it? Hey that door is locked, what if I use this crowbar on it? is that a lamp there, what if I use this lighter on it? If you happen to have those items in you inventory, cool! If you don't, well that's your problem. If your skills/attributes are enough, cool! If they aren't, well bummer.

I would love a true sci-fi RPG isometric game: * Dont want science-fantasy, but hard scifi! (Or kinda hard, I accept that too). Just no psychics, no mystical forces and powers, no silly mumbo-jumbo pseudoscience... I don't really care if its space "opera", cyberpunk, a what-if set 50 years from now, life in a colony out in some solar system, a post-cyberpunk detective story... whatever Obsidian thinks can be good, for then it will. * It should be 3D isometric (really isometric, not 3rd person shooter with option to "zoom out"). * Turn based (remember those?). * No sandbox world. It's okay if you can travel freely back and forth the different areas, tough. In fact its preferable, for it can mean the game is non-linear. * Real party (ie. you go around with ALL your party members, unless of course you decide to leave some or the story demands you leave them out at points). * More recuitrable NPCs than your party limit, with personal quests and some form of the "influence" system Obsidian does so good. * World interaction and reactivity. Nothing breaks immersion more than NPCs not reacting properly (or at all!) to things you have done or are doing in front of them. And nothing brings you in as much as interactive object worlds (ie. not just decoration). * Any and all NPCs can be slaughtered if you so desire. It would be cool if accomplishing large slaughters (cities) is borderline impossible though. * I still love the SPECIAL system. Specially (see what I did there?) the way your attributes affected options and gameplay, intelligence affects your ability to process information and come with new dialogoptions (gasp!), perception can change what the game shows us via its descriptions (Unbelievable!), etc. * Different approaches for solving quests. * Dialog trees! Skill checks! * Main character should be silent protagonist. Don't care for fully voiced NPCs (too restrictive for the gameplay/options). It could go the Planescape way of just an audio snippet off important characters so you get their voice in your head or could go the Fallout way of "talking heads" for these important characters. * Several factions with true agendas, no real "baddies", some of them emerge as you progress. Ability to join different sides if it makes sense for the story. * Preferably something more down to Earth, where you - sure!- ultimately make decisions that affect people (even millions of people) but you are not the intergalactic hero out to conquer the baddies. You can be just a guy who is good at something ("something" you decide during character creation) and as s/he travels around doing jobs/missions/quests/minding his own business, s/he gets better until his actions shape some aspects of the world in a mostly subtle direct or indirect manner and/or he eventually gets noticed and receives resources. Or, you can indeed make Planescape: [insert Subtitle Here]; which of course, as everybody else wants, should be a game that shares the spirit (and mechanics as most as it's possible) of the original, takes place in the same universe but isn't a direct sequel. Instant classic. But after that, please consider a new sci-fi IP! Aaaah, how nice and cheap it is to dream!