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Sarkus

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Posts posted by Sarkus

  1. New Orleans has been mentioned a few times by Obsidian as possible future Fallout locations, so it would be an easy troll.  Or it could be real.  Who knows?

     

    That said, I doubt Obsidian is doing another Fallout.  First, go look at the interview Feargus did last month.  They have other things going on and not enough people to be really focusing on a AAA title right now with Armored Warfare (which he calls 'the big one") in full production and with Tyranny coming out this year.  This is relative because Bethesda operates on a three year dev cycle normally (Fallout 4 was a four year exception to their recent history) and that means the next Elder Scrolls is probably a 2018 title.  They aren't going to want a competing Fallout game that year, so the next Fallout title will probably drop next year, in 2017.  There is no way Obsidian can be in a position to do that.

     

    Second, my feeling from all along is that people aren't thinking about the bigger picture.  Bethesda is owned by Zenimax, and at this point Zenimax owns like six or seven studios.  Why would they contract out for a Fallout franchise title?  They'd be more likely to have one of their other studios do it.  And it may very well be that the next Fallout title isn't an RPG anyway, it could be a shooter. 

  2. "Betrayed" is too strong a term, but the lack of communication is something I've seen some complaints about on several game boards.  There seems to have been an assumption that Obsidian would communicate when the keys would be available and that has not happened.  While the word is getting around, I get the OP's point, which is that there should have been a Kickstarter update sent out today, if not last night, explaining the whole process.  There are backers who've not done anything since they sent in their money and who ignored earlier updates with directions. 

    • Like 1
  3. Could the issue have been handled better by Obsidian? Like sending out a backer update to all the backers yesterday? All we have is a forum post by Brandon. I would've thought Obsidian would have emailed the backers already. It's a fair question to ask.

     

    Indeed it is.  I don't mind that the game was delayed, but I do think a backer update was warranted and not some forum post or, apparently, and announcement from Paradox.  The Kickstarter backers funded this game, they should have been told directly and not found out through outside sources.

    • Like 1
  4. How is "promising an expansion of P:E" not expanding the game? What kind of cognitive dissonance is this?

     

    I specifically referred to the core game, i.e. what those of us not pledging $165 or more are getting.

     

    I just see a lot more focus on peripheral stuff in these latest updates rather then on showing people who are unsure about the game that they should make a pledge. PE is already averaging a higher per pledger committment then other big Kickstarter projects ($45 compared to $38 for Double Fine), but it seems like the focus is on getting people to increase their pledges rather then on getting more people to pledge.

  5. Up front, I'm pledged on the game and that isn't going to change. That said, some of the recent announcements not only have me rolling my eyes, they have other "old school" RPG fans I know laughing at how stupid they seem. Asking for Facebook likes to get another dungeon level? Giving away Wasteland 2 now if you pledge above a certain amount? Promising an expansion to pledgers above a certain amount? How about they just focus on things that will expand PE, not other stuff like that?

     

    Am I the only one who thinks they've gone a bit too far with this?

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  6. They keep repeating the April 2014 release date so I'm sure they are confident they can reach that. Plus, Sawyer has said in several interviews that people should not view the money raised by each stretch goal as having a "1 to 1" relationship with what is being added. Even if they reach $3m this is still a small game (as noted by others) and one well within Obsidian's capabilities.

     

    To be honest, my biggest concern with PE is not that they will have to delay the game, its that something will happen at Obsidian that will endanger the project. If they suddenly get a big project from a major publisher, that could impact how much time guys like Avellone and Sawery can spend on this. And the flip side is what happens if they don't have anything lined up after South Park ships - can they keep the studio going.

  7. A lot of people bash "generic fantasy" settings but they keep making them because they keep selling. The reality is that a lot of people still like the setting - hence more LOTR movies coming. That doesn't mean their isn't room for something different, but honestly most of the something different fantasy variations I've seen are rather dull and lifeless. We get cat and lizard people instead of dwarves and orcs. Whoopee.

     

    So while I'd love to see more sci-fi and other settings explored in an RPG (I'm still mad that Sega pulled the plug on the Aliens RPG Obsidian was doing), its not like there aren't any of those coming - Wasteland 2 kickstarter, Shadowrun kickstarter, Fallout 4, and the Cyberpunk based game coming from The Witcher developers. So the people that can't stand another "generic fantasy" game need to stop whining - its the best time in years if you want something else. And meanwhile I and a bunch more of us will be more then happy to see more elves and dwarves in a medieval-type setting.

  8. I don't see how they can satisfy both approaches, so that means choosing one or the other. In a single character RPG the companions help tell the story, in that it is written that way. In a party RPG the story is told outside of the companions. Both approaches work, of course, but I don't see how you can satisfy both approaches with one game.

     

    I voted to stick with the devs intention.

  9. DFA, Wasteland 2, Shadowrun Returns, Banner Saga - these are all going to be "short" games compared to AAA, publisher backed releases. I'm fairly certain each one of those have said as much.

     

    I don't know about the others, but IIRC Wasteland 2 is supposed to be on par with Wasteland in length, and that wasn't a short game. The whole idea with these retro projects is that the devs are supposed to be saving money by not targeting "AAA" level production values when it comes to things like 3d environments and full voice for every character.

     

    As I said, I don't expect the game to be on par with the truly monster length games in the IE series, but the shorter length games were in the 40-50 hour range as I recall, so that's where my expectations are coming from. Some of the budget tiers should add to that.

  10. I hadn't really given this much thought until recently, pretty much assuming that a minimum 40 or 50 hour game was the least we could expect. I don't know if a BG2 style 100 hour epic is reasonable for this budget. But I'm seeing some people on other boards reluctant to kicstart this because they are concerned that if they put in $140 or one of the other large tiers they aren't going to get that much gameplay. This line from the Eurogamer piece isn't helping convince those doubters:

     

    My theory is Obsidian may opt for an episodic approach. Not literally, but to launch a realistically-sized adventure first, then to build the world out with subsequent instalments after that. The feast would be staggered over courses, rather than Obsidian faced with the daunting prospect of cooking and presenting it all at once.

    The Project Eternity Kickstarter blurb mentioned taking your hero character through "future adventures", which seemed to back this theory up. "Yes," Cain answered, "we are hoping to make additional content for the game which you can explore with the same characters."

     

    Now my interpretation of what Tim Cain said is that they want to do sequels and even expansions for this world, which is fine by me. But many people seem to think like the article writer that its confirmation that the first game isn't going to be as big as they think it should be to justify more then one of the smaller kicstarter amounts.

     

    Anyone seen anything that clarfiies this?

  11. At this point I accept that guns are going to be in the game, though I voted that I prefer they not be. And as long as they are implemented in the way we've been told, then I'll live with them. That said, I do think it is a little misleading to promote the game as being a spiritual successor to classic fantasy setting games and then not offer a classic fantasy setting. Note that we'd not really know anything about the guns if someone hadn't found that artwork and had Sawyer not confirmed it was PE related.

     

    Historical arguments aside, the truth is that we associate the gun with the modern world. And one of the big reasons Tolkeinesque fantasy is popular is because it reflects Tolkiens own dislike of the modern world. So from that standpoint I find the idea a bit unnecessary, and for the same reasons found the old Might and Magiic games introduction of guns late rather pointless.

     

    I guess what I'm saying is that if you are going to implement guns then go all the way and do a steampunk game like Arcanum. If you want fantasy go classic fantasy. Trying to blur the lines may be artistically interesting, but runs a high risk of alienating some people as well. And from a pure marketing standpoint, the upcoming Hobbit films will likely create another boom for classic fantasy anyway.

    • Like 3
  12. Since its really all we have right now about the world setting.

     

    nq1ekg.jpg

     

    My first impression was that it looks a bit like Europe. Probably because that bit stretching off to the north looks like Denmark. Then I noticed the LOTR elements.

     

    But upon further consideration, especially of some of the names, this world reminds me a bit of the Dalelands part of the D&D Forgotten Realms setting. You've got a big forest with "Ruins of" as part of the name, and you've got an area called the Free Palatinate of Drywood, which has me thinking of loosely allied smaller states.

     

    Which then leads to me wondering if we are finally going to get some of the stuff that was supposed to be BIS long-ago Baldur's Gate 3, the loosely defined sequel that was supposed to be set in the Dalelands. While Sawyer at one time said he was thinking of doing something with NWN2 to tell that story, it never did happen. And we know Obsidian incorporated elements of the BIS Fallout 3 into New Vegas, so recycling some of that hard work that was never seen makes sense for a project like this.

     

    This is going to be fun, I think. ;-)

  13. If it's a KS project I'm in, but I'm going to be disappointed. Mainly because even the "big" successes aren't really much money in game development terms. Wasteland 2 is not a cutting edge game and neither is what Doublefine is doing. Nor is either of those big team AAA developers. Even with $2-3 million I don't know what Obsidian could really produce. I mean I'm sure it will be good, but its not going to be the scale of anyhing like the Southpark title, which I'm sure has a much bigger budget then what KS is likely to produce.

     

    I guess what I'm hoping is that they got some big money behind this. And I'm a little pessimistic about how much support there is. Argue about it all you want, but what I'm seeing on more then a few message boards where this is being discussed is a general opinion that Obsidian makes good games that are always too buggy at release. And a lot of people are now in the "wait and see" camp on their games as a result. Those people aren't going to be rushing into a KS campaign.

  14. Why would they use Onyx? Wasteland 2 has always been promoted as an "old school" RPG, not something using a modern game engine. It's not a AAA title, even if they do reach the $2.1m goal.

     

    And this thread title is very misleading - Obsidian in no way is "co-developing" Wasteland 2. What it comes down to is that Fargo is promising to throw some contract work in Obsidian's direction. And as the budget for Wasteland 2 has grown, it was inevitable that they'd have to find contractors anyway.

  15. While I'm bummed at this decision, I'm not going to blame Sega for it without knowing the details. There have been rumblings that things weren't on track with this title, and while we may never know the truth, it wouldn't be the first time something like that happened. So I guess what I'm saying is that blaming Sega may not be fair based on what little we know. And that's not to say that it's all Obsidian's fault either. Sometimes things happen.

     

    Hopefully Obsidian can use some of their ideas in a game down the road. Maybe one of the quest ideas or characters can be used in Fallout: New Vegas or the unannounced title. Who knows where it will turn up.

  16. VATS is awful. Does JE have an idea to actually make this..... better other than a giant cheat mode?

     

    Millions of copies sold and the fact that another Fallout RPG is being made suggests replacing or "fixing" VATS is highly unlikely.

     

    There are few "unanswerable" questions surrounding the technical/interface/game systems aspects of FO:NV. The sales success of Fallout 3 has pretty much ensured that we should all know what we are going to get in this next game in regards to those issues.

     

    People need to just accept that Fallout 3 was a success. Forget changes in the POV. Forget changes in the game engine. Forget changes in the combat system. Expecting Obsidian to change many of the main factors in that success is unrealistic and IMHO a waste of time to discuss.

     

    What it is fair to expect/hope for are interesting characters and a good story.

  17. Some are pushing 200 hours of that already. Amazing, but, what can you do - quibbles about storytelling are for obsessive nerds, hah. And really it's hardly Bethesda bashing to criticize something they did in Fallout 3.

     

    yeah, and you know as well as i do what those 200+ hour type-folks tend to do (house decorating, fake LARPING, dress-up, etc).

     

    You keep thinking that if that's what it takes for you to feel comfortably superior to everyone.

  18. Sure the game sold ok, but as you might recall Age of Conan sold okay too at first. If FO3 title was competing on a MMO area where sub-par products are forgotten real quick then it would be a bust.

     

    And this is why you don't understand what is going on here. Fallout 3 did not sell "ok." It sold extremely well. It shipped over 4 million copies its first week. It was the #9 for PC sales in the US for all of 2008. It sold about 2.5m copies on the PS3 and 360 in 2008. It is still selling for full price in most areas. It was not a title that just "sort of" did well enough to justify a sequel. It's a title that did so well Bethesda realized it was necessary to farm out an immediate sequel using the existing engine to Obsidian, something that never happens with Bethesda titles where they have a tradition of just building a new engine for every game.

     

    Anybody who did not like Fallout 3 because of the game engine should just take FO:NV off their list right now. It's not going to be anything different in that regard.

  19. I think your posts are interesting, cronicler, but I have to say, statements like this just cause me to groan.

     

    Fallout 3 was extremely popular. If the gameplay were so... so... bad, then Obsidian would not be working on a new Fallout game at all. Sure, as a matter of opinion, you might not like the gameplay. Sure, you might be one of the crazies who claim that the massive sales for Fallout 3 were derived solely from crafty PR, marketing, and the slack-jawed, unwashed masses. However, constructive arguments regarding the new title would be better coming from someone who is willing to concede that the game is popular and scrapping all of the most prominent features is not a good idea.

     

    If your essential point is that the gameplay in Fallout 3 is so... so.... bad, then frankly I would take every single point you make with a grain of salt.

     

    I say tighten up what's there and maybe add new things to make FO:NV a title in and of itself. Don't go scrapping or completely removing features that built into the success of the first game.

     

    So, advocate what you want. Fair enough. ...But coming from the perspective that Fallout 3 was essentially a failure and Obsidian needs to raze most of it to rebuild from the ground up is simply nuts.

     

    Totally agree. All this talk about major changes to the engine is just crazy. The by far most likely reality is that FO:NV will be the same engine (maybe with a few very minor tweaks) with a new story, characters, and setting. And that's going to involve a lot of work and be far beyond an "expansion."

     

    I really can't wait until the hopefully soon reveal so we can move on to discussing things that we can actually impact and not waste time debating the value of VATS with people who don't like it.

  20. I've never understood why folks were always so enamored of called shots. For my part, I don't care where I hit them as long as I do enough damage to kill them. Now, if I would have seen a significant advantage for shooting robotic sensors in that they had a dramatically reduced chance to hit me or something, then I would be a bigger fan. Yeah, shooting someone in the leg so they walk slower and limp is nice, but not all that exciting. The gore was kind of funny, but way over the top! However, seeing someone disemballed (haha) would be interesting.

     

    The called shots made sense in Fallout 1/2 because while a head shot is obvious when you are shooting someone, groin and eye punches/cuts make sense in melee and unarmed fighting. So in that way it differentiated the experiences of those different types of combat.

     

    I think Fallout 3 does a pretty good job with gun combat, but I'm less happy (and a lot of people agree) with how it supports melee and unarmed fighting. But I really don't expect notable engine changes from this title, so it's really a moot point IMHO to discuss engine changes. Obsidian's #1 goal has to be creating a good story and use of the setting.

  21. Wow, what does that say for some of the outlying areas? I mean, you're not going to get all of Henderson in there with a 2x2 world, let alone Lake Mead and especially Area 51 or Baker. That really sucks.

     

    I take your word as authority, then, that the density could be less without dramatically changing the formula. With that in mind, I guess my argument as regards the large and open areas has had its legs cut out from under it.

     

    Just to expand a bit on what JES said, when he referred to the map being 2 x 2 miles, he meant that the in-game scale is like that. In other words, walking in-game from one side to the other would be like walking two miles in real life in terms of how long it would take you. Now obviously, the map represents a much bigger area as it's almost 2 miles in RL from the Pentagon/Citadel to the Washington Monument. Using reference points, others have determined that the area enclosed inside the map world of Fallout 3 is about 15 miles on each side. And even then some things are added/moved to make it more interesting. Areas like Germantown and Ravens Rock (or at least their RL equivalents) are far outside of the 15 mile zone used by the game, but are still included, for example.

     

    Not that this is anything new in RPG's, where we always see scaled down versions of things. Like the city of Baldur's Gate in that RPG or the vaults in all Fallout games. Speaking of which, I'm hoping that Obsidian gives us a more traditional vault layout in FO:NV, assuming there is a vault involved. One of my biggest disappointments with FO3 was that the vaults were not layed out as they had been in previous games. I internally justified it as there being different designs on the east coast, but going back west it just won't seem right to have a vault with stairs in it again. :sorcerer:

  22. Word is that Gearbox, who was developing the FPS/co-op Aliens game has stopped development and laid people off. If Sega was funding development, which is normally the way these things work, it could be bad things for what Obsidian has been working on as well.

     

    http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/56058

     

    Story has been updated. Gearbox prez says that Colonial Marines hasn't been canned.

     

    Yeah, I'm glad that proved to be a false rumor. A rare miss for internet journalism. ;)

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