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Nefastus

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About Nefastus

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  1. Definitely not an expert, but for a company like Oblivion who is probably not teetering on the brink financially and, would it matter? If it's treated as front-loaded taxable income, then wouldn't the production debits in the following fiscal year would be deducted and they would save in taxes in the second year about what they lost the first?
  2. That's a fair opinion, but I doubt the inclusion of DRM 'allows' games to be made--it's a higher-level business decision that has to do with protecting subsequent IP rights. I'm sure there's licensing to use extant DRM systems and different other costs, like online registration and activation systems that require server maintenance. Not to mention that there is a HUGE variety of DRM and some forms are far more insidious than others; I am not against DRM per se, but I'm not touching SecuROM with a---any length of pole. I tolerate online activation or registration for most things because those are one-time. A disc-check on the physical copy is easy. Or a key tied to one's payment. Steam is unique in that it's both DRM and a distribution system, but the DRM is constant-checking (well, Steam must be running) judging by what others have said, so I personally think that's less ideal than any one-time system. So while I don't believe DRM has anything to do with 'allowing' game development, the other argument is that companies will want DRM to protect future interests and maintain profitability. However: THIS project is being crowdsourced. (I kind of think Kickstarter pledgers, especially those at a certain threshold, should get a DRM-free digital download on a point of faith for having invested. Everyone else afterwards can be shepherded to Steam or whatever.) Don't get me wrong, I'll still most likely pledge despite this initial imperfect digital offering, maybe even do the box version, but I'm hoping there will be more information about stuff before the Kickstarter end. I admit, I am not well informed about either the technical or economic aspects of DRM today, but piracy is still a huge issue that can severely hamstring game developers--especially piracy outside North America. If anything, larger companies can better afford to absorb losses due to piracy than smaller, independent companies that are self-publishing. I realize that there is debate over whether DRM actually does much of anything to ameliorate the piracy problem, but economic factors are the biggest things that have kept games like these from being made the last decade or so. So if Obsidian looks at the pros and cons and determines that they can be more profitable with DRM, then I'm all in favor because that means more money for development and therefore a better game for us. I don't like DRM either from a practical point of view, but not getting awesome games like Project Eternity and such because piracy makes games that lack mass appeal unprofitable is a much worse option. Certainly there are different types and levels of DRM too, and I'm sure a consumer-oriented company like Obsidian--especially for a crowd-sourced game--will take that into account too.
  3. I think that's basically what will happen. The devs have already said that how many additional people they bring over to work on the game will depend on fundraising, so more content will likely be the major outcome of overfunding.
  4. I don't know, I like the feeling towards the end of the game that your character has really come a long way from his humble beginnings. It really lends a sense of epicness to the character development to parallel that of the plot line. Maybe starting out struggling with mutant bunny rabbits at the beginning isn't too realistic, but it's important to maintain a sense of progression.
  5. They're going to hit the goal today most likely, so we may find out soon what the stretch goals would be.
  6. Because it's generally childish and gratuitous and thus comes off like fanservice--something that doesn't belong in an immersive role playing game in my opinion. I'd rather not Lollipop Chainsaw up my RPG's if I can avoid it. Violence can certainly reach gratuitous proportions too. I'm not saying it can't be done properly, though I admit I'd still rather not have my wife come in and see a a topless elf on my screen People aren't usually looking for nudity in games in order to contribute to the plot or ambiance of the game. Yes but still having it is good. Why so prudish aboust such a basic thing? It'd be like not having blood. Why is it good to have it? Brushing one's teeth is a basic thing too, but I don't see anyone arguing that it would be good if that was included in the game. How about a laundry mini-game? Would you care that that was included? The reason most people want nudity in games, the reason sex sells, is precisely because it's not "basic". It's not an ordinary, run of the mill thing, it's exciting for very particular reasons, and reasons that typically have zero to do with the game itself. As such it tends to break immersion in the game. Sure, games are essentially about escapism and out-of-the-ordinary excitement anyways, but I want it to be a coherent, focused escapism, not a hodgepodge of whatever the developer feels might appeal to someone out there. If video games want to be seen as a valid art form rather than crass consumerist drivel , it needs to be more Dostoyevsky (or perhaps Tolkien in the case of fantasy RPG's), and less Penthouse. Each aspect of it must serve the whole in some respect. Again, I'm not saying it can't be done legitimately, and I'm not expecting any game to be a momentous artistic achievement or for the game to be entirely humorless and take itself absolutely seriously at all times, but I do hope the developer's perspective is "content first" as Ieo said. I don't know about you, but in my opinion many of the very best games ever made were made back in the 80's and especially the 90's, and very few of those had gratuitous sex, violence, or even language in them and yet they managed to be extremely coherent and compelling. Many of them still managed to be "mature" games in content without checking off many boxes on the ESRB's list. In contrast, I would say many games (and other media) that get a "mature" rating today often are anything but. I don't mean to advocate for a G-rated game, just that this type of content should be in service to the plot, rather than added for cheap thrills.
  7. Because it's generally childish and gratuitous and thus comes off like fanservice--something that doesn't belong in an immersive role playing game in my opinion. I'd rather not Lollipop Chainsaw up my RPG's if I can avoid it. Violence can certainly reach gratuitous proportions too. I'm not saying it can't be done properly, though I admit I'd still rather not have my wife come in and see a a topless elf on my screen People aren't usually looking for nudity in games in order to contribute to the plot or ambiance of the game.
  8. Yeah, better safe than sorry I think. I actually think some (especially older) JRPGs have done romance decently, however. Like JRPGs in general they were highly scripted, but effective ones were developed slowly and generally told by the small things with an element of real, albeit sometimes somewhat childish, humanity. Lots of room was left for the imagination of the player. I don't think I've ever felt emotionally invested in a WRPG romance and often it's just the opposite--I'm frequently annoyed and distracted by them.
  9. As long as it's done tastefully and realistically. Far too often in recent games those types of characters seem thrown in there for the sake of satisfying a political correctness quota rather than to organically flesh out the world and story line and as such they often stick out like a sore thumb and ruin the immersion of the game in my opinion. Do you have any examples...? Recent Bioware games come to mind. I seem to recall FO:NV doing a much better job of it, but my memory is a bit more hazy on that one.
  10. As long as it's done tastefully and realistically. Far too often in recent games those types of characters seem thrown in there for the sake of satisfying a political correctness quota rather than to organically flesh out the world and story line and as such they often stick out like a sore thumb and ruin the immersiveness of the game in my opinion.
  11. I'm in favor of whatever allows games like this to be made from an economic perspective. If that's DRM, that's a fairly small price to pay in my opinion.
  12. I'm glad to read that J.E. I was a lot less worried given Obsidian's generally solid track record, but so often when I hear about a "mature" game, that's code for developers wanting to shove as much gratuitous sex, drugs and violence into a game (or other media) as they can, which, while it may earn them an "MA" rating, often comes off as a pubescent dream rather than something actually mature in a literal sense. Heavy themes and the darker side of humanity are important avenues to explore in making a mature game. Stilleto greaves and chainmail thongs? Not so much.
  13. Agreed Tigranes. The restriction of on the fly customization and freedom that comes with class systems is more than counterbalanced by the ability to manage and develop a party. And the restriction in playstyle for a given class actually enables developers to make more interesting and unique, recruitable party-members. Personality and class often go hand and hand, and so it's hard to write a compelling, robust character that one player could play as a mage/thief and another as a barbarian.
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