[A little opium for the masses?]

So my suggestion is that you, the developers/employees, of Obsidian Entertainment, throw us a bone every once in a while. I know you can't talk about the project, but you can sure as hell talk about other things!

 

How about your long term strategy? What are your plans for the future? What are your development dreams? If not for this project or the next, but the tenth one? Are your hands tied behind your backs on that one too?

 

Who in the team is doing what? Who is the jokester around the office? What kinds of tools are you using to create whatever you are creating? How's work going? According to plan or are you seeing trouble already? Who drives the Humvee and who drives the VW Rabbit?

 

Are you planning on showing any of your work at the E3? Are you working on one or several projects? Who comes up with the ideas in the team? How does an idea get the green light to go into production?

 

Erm.. and so on!

 

My point is: we're interested in anything and everything about the project/Obsidian/the team. Not everything can be The Big Secret, can it?

I wish to second the comments of the right honorable gentleman and add a heartfelt "Here, Here!!!"

 

Now what of it? you buggers?!!

 

 

(sorry, I'm just a big fan of the British House of Commons, CSPAN = Good Times!)

:D

[Some thoughts on My Ideal Game (long).]

You are right this is LONG!!

 

But seriously.....

 

There could be no "walk throughs" because every player would end up with a very different story......

Agree!

Great CRPG = ability to replay (Different characters, different endings, different

middles) - you will note this is a constant theme of mine...

 

A sub-program, sort of an artificial Chris Avellone,.....

Hehe, that's just a great line! Too funny!! Where can I get one?!!

 

Having said all this, it is difficult for me to imagine a better computer game than Torment (at least up until TNO met with Ravel).  Why risk bankruptcy on a very expensive game with a more limited, hardcore audience. It's not like such games sell more copies. We all know what does sell more copies. Some of us just don't like to think about it.

 

Have just started playing Torment again, I am having a better time than I remember last time and I do think it was a brilliant work. However, I think part of Torment's appeal / sales problem was the single "Namless One" character, in the unfamiliar planes setting. For the mass gamer, perhaps "too weird...can't relate?"....

 

So, I disagree that Obsidian won't make another great CRPG vis a vis Torment's pluses, rather they just need to pay heed to the mass gamer's need for more familiarity. Can be done IMO.

[Hi...and at the risk of sounding DUH!]

My friend has an X-box and tons of games for it, but don't think he has purchased those games. He has downloaded every single one of them from the internet.

Well, we have come full circle.

 

 

What began as a suggestion to make great CRPGs with great replay ability, morphed into a stirring of the pot of piracy, ending with pirate victory and now a reiteration to the Obsidian group:

 

 

Make good games!!!! Give us our money's worth!!! And fight the good fight against the pirates!!

 

 

 

 

"We shall never surrender!" -- Churchill. :angry:

[Hi...and at the risk of sounding DUH!]

About software piracy, I dont see the big problem about it. Most games/companies have a large enough core of dedicated fans to generate a decent amount of sales and they are usually larger than the band of pirates.

 

Blaming poor sales on piracy is like the whole 'musicians are going poor because you're downloading music' sort of crap.

Hmmmmm, touche!

 

I'll admit a good point when I see one.

 

But, just as in the music industry, the easy copying does impact some artists/studios, I don't think it can/should be just left to a that's the way it is situation. Maybe, my concern stems from my PC gaming background, where I do not want to see any reasons (real or otherwise) for a transition to a console format.

 

Yes, now that I think about it -- this IS my primary concern and interest in this security issue.

[Hi...and at the risk of sounding DUH!]

If you guys stopped making your customer's life harder, that'd make a lot more bigger dent on piratism than some useless copyprotections.

Well we disagree. I don't believe that copy protections are useless. Again, for me as a consumer, I would welcome at least some effort in this area for reasons already stated and I don't see how my life has been made harder except for the price! - cause I haven't seen any copy protections in a long while.

 

Well, at least we're talking about the issue and that's cool.

[What Does It Take To Make Game?]

I just wanted to know what u need to make games? Smart, good at maths? Please make a cheaklist type thing.

 

Cheers

Lots of caffeine. And Chris Parker looming over you like a shadow.

pretty much matches our list.

 

HA! Good Fun!

He might be asking what software is used for game creation? Landscape/lighting/level creation software? Character creation software, etc?? Are they commercially available for an up and coming or would be game maker?

[Hi...and at the risk of sounding DUH!]

[so PC game publishers, like most other software industry members, try to force the consumer into using security technologies that have had very mixed results, instead of focusing on the true problem: enforcement and punishment for theft. I don't think any of the security measures currently in place can or will ever deter those users who want to carry on with casual illegal activity.

 

This is true: without the threat of censure, there is no impetus for those who pirate (really, it's simple theft, not piracy) to cease their activities.

Well, this I believe is one of those unenforceable goals. However, you can at least make it more difficult for people with security measures. IMO, even the slightest security features would be beneficial as they would make people feel ok purchasing the game for $50.00, knowing that some other guy isn't gonna download it off the web a week later for $0.00 and people are generally lazy so putting a barrier in the way I feel can assist.

 

Look how well speed bumps work in a parking lot.

 

The problem now is that it seems PC CRPG companies have just given up totally, I think this is a disservice.

[Hi...and at the risk of sounding DUH!]

The key word here is balance. 

 

Fallout, though graphically lacking in terms of today's games was a good balance of character creation options, multiple story paths, and story focus.

Yes, I'm for balance.

 

And just for disclosure (not to start any more rabid discussions of future possibilities!!), I am a huge Fallout fan. The game was very good - from initial idea/setting to endings, lots of fun, had some loose ends, some missing overall cohesion, but great balance with your own character choices, resulting dialogue differences, as well as choosing/outifitting NPCs, so on and so on.

 

In any event, there have been many games, which have gone down the path of a great CRPG and balance was critical.

 

Again, I feel choices / options and replay ability are the icing of the cake -- too much icing and you defeat the purpose of the cake, not enough icing and you go .......eh....it was good.

[Hi...and at the risk of sounding DUH!]

Methinks we need both kinds of games.

I guess...but I would hope that those games that do not offer the replay ability of the games mentioned would follow a longer storyline and be that much better in other aspects, else I couldn't help but feel that the total value wasn't there.

 

Or in other words, if I ever had a choice between a beautiful game with a single start and single end vs. a very nice game with multiple starts and multiple ends, I'm buying the latter first.

 

This is not to say I wouldn't buy the former, but I might wait till it was out a while for the price to come way down, knowing that once it's done....it's done.

[Hi...and at the risk of sounding DUH!]

...Take, for example, PS:T. A truly remarkable game with a fascinating setting, a story of depth and quality, and characters that were unique and allowed you to believe in them. However, it lacked replayability (which, to it's credit, didn't impact on its overall quality). I played it twice, the second time in a manner that let me get the most out of the story. After that second time through, I knew that I had played it in the most enjoyable possible manner and didn't want to ruin the experience by playing it over and over.

 

On the otherhand, games like the BGs, IWDs, FOs, MW, NWN, etc, all allowed you to develop very different characters and/or party compositions, if you chose. While none of them could measure up to a PS:T in terms of story, setting, and, arguably, characters, they added a degree of replayability that can keep a player returning for more. As a result, each of those games has the potential to remain a part of a player's leisure time for a much longer period than a game like PS:T would.

Ahhhhh, a brother spirit.

 

Yes, while I enjoyed the very different PS:T world, it did lack the ability to enjoy it again and again from other perspectives and so, as you, I have enjoyed the other games you have mentioned, much, much more.

 

And, while I'm thinking about it, I have had this nagging question, which I hope one of you can help me with.....

 

It is partly my understanding that game companies are moving to console games because of better sales and probably part of these "better sales" have to do with a lack of ability by the gamer to ...ahem....illegaly copy the console and give it to their best buds.

 

Question: what ever happened to PC CD-ROM security features to at least somewhat encourage people to buy it themselves and not get a copy from others? I feel even the most modest features, like an alpha-numeric key per disc can deter the quick copy and thus sales loss. Any thoughts?

[Hi...and at the risk of sounding DUH!]

First: Hi Feargus, Chris and all of Obsidian, who's work on past games I have enjoyed immensely!!

I look forward to great things from you soon. (no pressure).

 

 

Second: As this is the suggestion thread.......and at a risk of sounding DUH! here goes:

 

There are many aspects to a great CRPG game and we can all rattle them off forever. However, I think it is apparent that it is the RP part of a CRPG that makes a CRPG truly great. And, of course, this is usually the most time consuming and most difficult to accomplish. Again, which is why there are so few great CRPG games around.

 

Your previous work set new bars for world creation and in depth role playing. I do not think the immediate future is to make the RP world bigger, rather my humble suggestion is set the 21st century CRPG at a 21st century level and to me that means in the end a greater focus on replay-ability.

 

The ability to replay a game with a "new/different" character, with some different dialougue, different events, different endings, maybe a different antagonist is, to me, the true icing on the cake. And what's a cake without icing?!

 

And for all those who are saying now....Duh, this has been done before!....the point is....exactly....my suggestion is that replay-ability be polished in your new games, be it PC or Console.

 

Good Luck!! And if you need a beta tester......... :D I'm just an email away.

 

Thank you.