TSBasilisk

Crowdfunding was around, but on a smaller scale. Only recently have there been large-scale successes proven it can fund video game production. Traditionally, developers are reliant on publishers for funds, and publishers will only green-light a product they think will sell. Not a ground-breaking product, or even a good one; just one that will sell. Factor in sky-rocketing costs from the graphics race, and they played it even safer. Niche genres suffer as a result, because they have a smaller following and thus buyer base; if the publisher thinks that making the game will cost more than they'll make in sales, why fund it? And isometric RPGs that make you question the nature of consciousness... it's hard to get more niche. Consider this: As early as 2003, inXile purchased the rights to Wastelands, and in 2007 was making noise about producing a sequel. But it didn't happen, probably because publishers wouldn't touch an isometric RPG, even one about a nuclear holocaust. Fast forward five years, and suddenly publishers aren't the only way to fund their dream project. This also paves the way for them to have some more freedom in focusing effort on a story without a publisher pushing them for more "Wow!" factor. After all, would you really want the Torment brand revived by a developer meeting the demands of a publisher who expects a Diablo-killer? Or Mass Effect-killer?

Hard to tell how much is posturing and how much is genuine concern. Without knowing the details of the Deal Memo it's hard to say whether THQ does have the rights to transfer the license or not; they may just be trying to bluff so they can get the profit off selling the license while avoiding more debt on top of what they're already buried under. Hopefully they'll hash a deal out fast, rather than letting the game get stuck in limbo.

There's also the fact that the industry is pretty cut-throat, with publishers likely eating up a lot of their profits. I'm also not sure, but they may not have had rights to the Dungeon Siege IP, and so didn't get anything from the movie. AoEO getting the axe and the loss of a publisher for Kings is likely what left them in a do-or-die situation. From the interviews, Taylor was hoping for a strong reaction as proof that the campaign could go the distance and they'd have funds coming in at the end. When the campaign started slow, he decided to use the studio's funds to cover severance packages for his employees now rather than dry up the funds and leave them in the lurch if the campaign and studio failed. Even if this does kill the campaign, the employees have their due and are free to look for new positions now rather than being stuck in a holding pattern. This doesn't end speculation that this was a publicity stunt, of course. He might have planned this in the event of a slow start as a last ditch effort to garner interest, but that doesn't change the fact that doing this was a lot more than some failing developers do for their employees.

It's almost certain, as whoever gets rights to publish TSoT will see a return on their investment within a few months. Games that are far along in development are a lot safer in these types of auctions than those that are still early or just an IP. Having to cover the bid for an IP and then fund it all the way through development means they need even higher returns, which is why some IPs end up being archived by non-publishers. We won't know the details until tomorrow at the earliest.

That was the 5 million stretch goal.

Unwritten: That Which Happened (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1599677835/unwritten-that-which-happened?ref=live) A strategyic rogue-like with an emphasis on story-telling is the best way I can describe it, but it looks very interesting. I'd love to watch the story of a completed game.

Or discussing personal hygiene in an elevator. "So, Tali, noticed you used up all the hand sanitizer again..." "Germs... so many germs..."

Looking at a brief Wikipedia article, it seems likely. Classes for the PnP include the starting classes from KotOR as well as the Jedi prestige classes. Based on that, they probably did develop and balance the powers used in-game.

There were probably a few reasons, but the biggest I can see is that the traditional Jedi/Sith skills don't really lend themselves effectively to RPGs. For example, telekinesis is very general and flexible, but has to be chopped up into specific abilities. As to Healing, I think that's balancing the Jedi vs Sith mechanic-wise. The Sith powers of Force Lightning, Force Choke, and Drain Life are pretty much unmatched on the Jedi side, meaning the Dark Side has more abilities. So for balance, they added counter abilities, such as healing.

The romance subplot in 2 definitely helped with her character growth. In case you wanted to know, read below: I think it was probably the most meaningful of all the romance subplots for the male Shepard.

Not exactly confirmation, but: http://www.polygon.com/2012/11/12/3635718/disney-interactive-posts-216-million-loss-for-2012-fiscal-year ..."ongoing shift from console game releases to mobile and social game releases." Their in-house branch is trying to focus more on Infinity, their try at Skylanders. That does not preclude licensing Star Wars to outside developers, though.

By their accent, English is not their first language. They mainly seem to have issues with articles such as "a" and "an", forgetting to use them. Ignoring that, their articles are well-written if a bit more direct than some developers.

Steam requires a stable version before listing, right? EE was pretty buggy at launch, as seen in the enormous patch notes.

Star Wars has a large enough galaxy and history that it wouldn't be hard to build a new sub-IP off it, like with the KotOR series. It's just a matter of somebody having the gumption to build a story that doesn't involve "you played a part in all the movies, squee!" KotOR was nice because it decidedly set itself apart from the Rebllion era; we just need others willing to try the same. The big question now is how much leeway Disney will be giving for the expanded universe.

Probably because they kept churning out trash that didn't pay back what it cost in the midst of a 4-year downswing. Their apparent goal as of today is "Infinity", which sounds like a mix between Skylanders and Cartoon Network's Fusion-thingy. They're trying to link all their IPs together to increase sales.

I like the idea of the bonus being race/class dependent. A human warrior gets better stamina, an elf warrior gets better dexterity, and a dwarf warrior gets better strength. All three have an advantage, but leaning towards a specific type of gameplay: The damage sponge, the fencer, and the breaker. Nothing prevents those stats from being useful in other builds, but it does reflect their race's mentality.

Bit more detail for Wildman: http://www.polygon.com/2013/1/14/3875912/wildman-is-a-new-srpg-from-the-makers-of-dungeon-siege-supreme And another Kickstarter that sounds a bit interesting, also starting now: http://www.polygon.com/2013/1/14/3875908/unwritten-that-which-happened-is-a-randomly-generated-strategy-based

For those asking how undead would work with this lore, how about this? Undead are created when a soul is forcibly bound into a corpse. The presence of the soul prevents further decay and allows movement, but the body is not alive. Undead with weak souls are only able to animate their body, and clumsily at that, while more powerful souls can attain unnatural strength and speed without their body's natural limits. Only the most powerful souls have enough strength to perform spells. Because the soul is unable to pass on to the gods in such a state, it is considered a sin by all religions and a capital crime by most laws. The process can also cause permanent damage to the soul, which only grows worse the longer the corpse is animated. Those undead with the ability of speech have claimed it to be agonizing. As such a handful of ancient laws do exist allowing the souls of heinous criminals be bound to their own corpses after execution or if they die prior to completing their prison sentence.

The news story does not exist... but it's on their front page...

You're right, you didn't in this thread. The other thread was where you were really beating on it; sorry for bringing that into this. Either way, I'm holding off any judgment until there's actual info on the game, not just the design wishlist.

Next-gen is so last-gen; I heard Fallout 4 will be after-next-gen.

Ability to publicize does not equal the ability to produce a good game. FACT. Just because somebody can do a good interview doesn't mean they can make a good game, i.e., Molyneux-itis. But it's also possible for people to be able to produce a good game while flubbing public relations, i.e., Tesla-itis. This is a very preliminary interview where nothing concrete is known. Declaring the game to be completely bust before they've even written anything for the plot is a bit... much.

Prophecies. Would love to have my character be some random schlub, not the Destined One, stopping an evil plot, not the Preordained Plot.

Planescape is actually the name of the PS:T setting, and the associated IP is under lock and key by WotC. Obsidian wants to build their own IP so it doesn't end up being locked away in a vault if a licensing deal is dropped. Numenara and P:E could conceivably be different planes that link to the Planescape since that's it's big schtick, but they're not Planescape itself, and using the IP would be a good way of getting WotC up in arms. And invoking the name without Planescape actually being involved would be a pointless relic title.

You seem rather dedicated to hating everything about this. Maybe before you completely dismiss the campaign you should look at the actual details rather than a hasty paraphrasing by somebody not part of the project. Just because they have similar elements doesn't mean the new one is just a rehash. Maybe it is, but judging that based on one paragraph is a bit of a leap.