Lady Evenstar

The only thing you can specify is background. However, even that depends on your class and race. If you are human, for example, you never have a choice. Ditto for all mages. Oh, and you have 5 points to assign to your stats. It's all very disappointing. At least, the very meagre options you have could allow for complex consequences on how the plot unfolds and how you play the game. On account of having so few possibilities to cover, that is. It's my impression that you get enough points and options as you level that you're character being relatively unformed at the beginning isn't really an issue. It's not that you don't have lots of choices. You just make them a little later, likely a good thing with a new IP in my opinion.

I've bought games somewhat in the vein of making a donation to an arts organization, games that I wasn't exceptionally eager to play, e.g. Temple of Elemental Evil, but whose devs I thought might do something interesting if their employer landed on its financial feet. I prefer to think of this as strategic purchasing rather than madness, but you may be right.

My guess is that the creativity lies in details you're unlikely to observe in a trailer. Original doesn't need to mean "bizarre." It can be a matter of seeing ordinary things through new eyes.

I think it's being overstated how bad it actually is. Dude...it's been like 2 fu----- weeks!! overstated, my ass! I don't think he was commenting about the effect on your emotional state, more the longer-term effects on sales. Whether silence or the truth would be worse depends on what there is to say. Clearly, at this point AP has to be delayed because it hasn't been properly promoted. Why is the interesting question. Could be Sony. Could be financial issues. Could be other games coming out. Could be problems with AP itself. It's reasonable for us to want to know. It's also reasonable for Sega to think that whatever the problem is, it will be easier to solve without an announcement. As for Bethesda trying this with TESV, they've always held their cards close to their chests, and while fans complain by and large the practice has served them well.

My husband said the other day that GOG had to pull a racing game because the licensing for use of certain race cars didn't extend to them. I'd imagine guns would work the same way. The gains from real models appealing to certain fans don't seem great enough that you'd want to risk limiting future releases.

I would actually agree that skipping an otherwise appealing game because you dislike a single mechanic is likely to mean cutting off your nose to spite your face. For me the equation is more like: + chance that Obsidian has done something interesting one way or another (which I estimate as being pretty high) - (*action* rpg + can't play a female character + timed dialogue choices) - still enjoying WoW raiding 2 nights/week - (high interest in FO 3 GOTY, Dragon Age, and DaggerXL (a Windows port of Daggerfall currently under development)) = lack of immediate interest in AP Deus Ex is my husband's favorite game, but I've never played it, mostly because of the action element. I enjoy tactical challenges in RPGs, tests of reflexes not so much. Perhaps if my gaming plate is less full when AP is finally released, and I read that it was very interesting and less action-oriented than it sounded, I'll give it a try.

It could be pondering the "best dialogue option." It could also just be pondering how I want to roleplay my character. Either way it's about playing the way they want me to rather than in the way I will enjoy most, and I'm left wondering why they made choices that they had to realize would limit the game's appeal to some players of RPGs. I suppose the expectation was that the game would attract more than enough folks who play other genres to make up the loss, but I still find it puzzling that in something as tone-setting as their first original IP they'd want to send "not for you" messages to a segment of their long-term customers.

A hint that Torment may be added to the GOG catalog? http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/sh...;postcount=1734

While no one could argue that Sega's handling of the relationship has been smooth, without knowing what the underlying issues have been, it's hard to say that they are the problem. You can't blame Sega for the recession--which may have had major impact on their business plans. You also can't blame them for possible flaws in the games (although you could ask why they didn't address them sooner!) Certainly, there's room for legitimate criticism of their processes, but I don't see that villainizing them serves any good purpose. As someone with a temper, I'd say that it's good to think twice before slamming doors shut.

Obsidian isn't folding. They're working on FO:NV. Assuming that SEGA has paid Obsidian for AP (how else would they own it?), I see the worst case scenario as being that Obsidian takes hits to rep and morale and may need to regroup, but in no immediate danger of folding. I don't see Bethsoft allowing NV to fail, so I expect ways will be found to get from here to there.

I think the essential differnce here is "equipped" vs. "in inventory." You lose a layer of choice if you get bonuses from items in your pack. If you don a mechanic's outfit you don't get the benefits of wearing another type of armor. I also liked cannibalizing similar items for parts. It's a bit like the choice you make when buying a car: do I choose a model that can be repaired most anywhere or do I go for one that will need "big city" parts. Repair kits are painfully generic in comparison.

I never finished it, but I remember enjoying Spycraft. I still have the CD-ROM which came with a video card I bought. It was fun because they consulted with an ex-CIA director and embedded investigative techniques like analyizing photographs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spycraft:_The_Great_Game

I think there's more to sex than the appearance of your avatar ...

My first CRPG was Betrayal at Krondor. Does that count as old? As for the "why," I suppose it may be a matter of comfort at some level, but I don't know that it's a matter of reasons. Why do I like vanilla ice cream and not chocolate, even though I like chocolate in other forms? Bottom line I just do.

I think the difference is that in an RPG I expect to mold my character rather than animate a character defined by someone else while it's my impression that that is more typical in adventure games. I'm happy to include male NPCs in my parties and have played male PCs on occasion, but not having the option to play a female is a definite negative when I'm assessing the appeal of an RPG. This may not be true for other women, but it is for me. I understand that role-playing can more closely resemble what an actor does when they interpret a part, but if a developer goes that route they need to expect that interest in their game may depend on interest in the available role(s).

What about games built around a female protagonist? There's lots of game where you are forced to play a female character, games like The Longest Journey, Syberia, Beyond Good & Evil, Portal, No One Lives Forever? I don't have problem playing them, but should they have also offered a male option? None of those was marketed as an RPG. My impression is that players of action/adventure games don't typically have the sort of relationship with their characters I'd expect to have in a role-playing game. Of course, if AP didn't claim to be a role-playing game, I wouldn't be buying it for different reasons.

I'm not a fan of playing female characters, especially if I'm roleplaying. Is Tomb Raider a role playing game? No? How about about Alpha Protocol? As a heterosexual male, I have to say if I had to be forced to roleplay a game as a female, I probably wouldn't like it either. Just sayin' ... Will I buy this game and play it? Yes. Will my fianc

I said the constant suing is sickening, which is hardly whining. I'm not aware of Bethesda having a history has a particularly litigious company. Interplay on the other hand ... I think you need to consider whose pattern these lawsuits fit into.

Time ...

My take on the leveling issue in FO3 is that it was the first time Beth used experience-based leveling in their sandbox, and they miscalculated the size of awards. Not really surprising and a mistake I see them unlikely to repeat (although in FO4 there's the chance they'll over-compensate and make them too small ).

Actually there were nude temple priestesses in Daggerfall and a brothel in Morrowind. I'd say that as graphics have become more in-your-face they've walked a fine line, including mature situations but limiting the visuals. I'd also hazard that this approach has served them well. Their games appeal to a wider audience out of the box and those who really want nudity download mods.

Grats on your shield. I wish I could decide which character is my main Echota Imryll Kamaya Lady E.

My level 47 druid's quest log is full to overflowing, and there are lots of NPCs with yellow exclamation points that she's avoided due to lack of space. Glad to hear that the 50s are likely to be even more fun! For me the least fun part of the game was the late thirties/early forties grind for mount money. The lowering of training costs for most classes in the last patch seems to me an acknowledgement that the in-game economy is not working quite as intended. For many level forty is accompanied not by the excitement of getting their mount but by disappointment and drudgery as they suspend training and questing in favor of farming profitable monsters. Bleah! Lady E.

Imryll, Night Elf Druid on Cenarion Circle. Currently level 24--and still catching her breath after yesterday's not entirely successful, but very fun, jaunt to Blackfathom Deeps, her first venture into an instance. I play primarily solo, but have grouped more than I expected. There's a good forum community on the WoW site--including forums for the individual realms (aka servers) where you can get to know some of the people you'll encounter in-game. There are opportunities for PvP even on normal and role-playing servers, of which CC is one. You can accept or extend invitations to duel, and there are a variety of ways in which your character can earn a (temporarily) PvP enabled flag. Horde and Alliance raids are regular events. Lady E.

You pay by the month, not by connect time so practice time isn't really an issue. My copy came with the first month free and a code that a friend who installed it on their computer from my discs could use to get 10 days free playtime. My husband got mine, but perhaps you know someone who'd be willing to give you their guest pass so that you could test drive the game before you buy. Lady E.