Dhruin

That isn't helping you to optimise for one specific machine configuration, though, so I'm guessing their would be some benefits but nothing like the same scale as a console. My guess is more optimisation comes from being able to code at very low levels to the specific strengths of the hardware rather than simply a light OS.

The Roots has not been released yet.

It's an interesting game. It was originally started as an Ultima Underworld followup but they never got the licensing so they developed it as an original title with obvious influences. I loved the world and atmosphere (one area ranks with the scariest ever) and the action combat is fair. I liked little things like fishing and baking pies. There's quite a few fairly difficult puzzles if you like that sort of thing. On the other hand, it's pretty linear and there's no real dialogue (it's pre-canned - no choices).

To answer the question: yes, the site is slower than I would like. Sucks. Unfortunately, we're waiting on some upgrades and a little time from our programmers to optimise some things. It *will* improve but I'm not sure exactly when. @Matthias - that particular account is probably long gone but I really doubt anyone would object if you showed up. Water under the bridge long ago.

*shrug* You can add your spin however you like. As for trolling, *I* know -- and many will agree -- the quick strike capability of MM is often invaluable, including 1st level.

Hmmm. Volourn on one hand - "worst spell ever". ...or D&D core rules contributor Monte Cook on the other: You're always good for a laugh, Volourn.

I agree. Not sure I can figure out a useful poll question that would answer that. I do think it means publishers will take the safe route 90% of the time, and hardcore players may grumble on forums about ther lack of variety but will buy it anyway. Anyway, the original intent of my post was to say to Foamhead that I don't think the fantasy bias of cRPGs has much to do with the state of the genre.

Fine - 27% to 70%...does that really change the indication that fantasy holds a significant preference? The poll has fantasy broken down into "traditional high fantasy" and "original fantasy", by the way. I don't see how that skews the overall picture that fantasy seems to be clearly preferred by CRPG fans. It's just a poll -- hardly incontrovertible proof -- but I think it's a good indication. I didn't say they were RPGs - just a good example of how the market values polish and refinement. On the turn-based thing, again, when you have fans that play PnP and have followed the genre for 20 years and watched TB CRPGs effectively disappear, it's not surprising they might blame the rise of action gamers. Doesn't mean they are right but surely it's understandable.

We currently have a poll on preferred RPG settings and with around 400 responses, fantasy holds ~70% first preference. Post-apoc and cyberpunk hold ~10% each and sci-fi a poor 6.5%. It's not definitive but I think it is indicative: players like fantasy settings (even when they complain about it) -- I would suspect casual players are even less likely to embrace other settings. Innovation is harder...the overall level of quality and polish is much more important than innovation itself. There probably isn't a better example of World of Warcraft - it's simply a repetition of the EQ model but highly polished. As for turn-based - some CRPG players like it and some don't. Why is it a surprise that a genre historically rooted in PnP and wargaming (turn-based) would have a degree of interest in TB combat? Anyway, you should be pleased with the current state of affairs -- there aren't any TB CRPGs these days; they're all action based.

The title track to Divine Divinity.

Fable proves a new IP action-RPG on an Xbox-only platform can sell >1M...even if the content isn't that great.

I don't think there's any chance PS:T sold over a million copies although I do remember Feargus saying something along the lines that PS:T was modestly profitable or something similar. Anyway, a sequel wasn't the product that would generate the quick cash Interplay increasingly needed and the Planescape license was soon lost, so they couldn't make it even if they wanted. I doubt the ending or whether a sequel could maintain the same quality was a consideration at all.

Where did you get that figure from?

I just wanted to make sure I understood your point. BioWare is privately owned, so there's no concerns over misleading public shareholders. If BioWare received funding from industry partners (and I don't know that they did), why would they have a problem with BioWare characterising the sales in a positive light? Unless a game is a complete disaster (which JE wasn't), negative comments would only serve to undermine the franchise.

What investors?

A little under three years. It was revealed at E3 2001 (May), and they said development began around 6 months prior.

Fair enough. I'm not sure it would have been a badge of honour as much as a matter of having the resources to build a cRPG with the amount of content something like a Wizardry has (as opposed to, say, a shooter with a dozen levels) but I take the point that gamers would have been attracted to the glitz elsewhere.

I like my "hardcore" cRPGs but I don't think the decline has anything to do with other genres as such. Anyway, this bit seems contradictory to me - you say they kept the old mind sets but isn't your whole complaint that cRPG makers didn't keep the old mindsets? What sort of innovation do you mean? Do you mean the latest graphics technologies?

This is an academic debate because full VO is now expected and standard for any major project. Smaller ones have to cope as best they can and will probably suffer accordingly in the market. It's certainly true that VO doesn't necessarily restrict the writing for many (most?) projects but it can. My best links are lost with the old Iplay boards and I don't have the time to find alternative sources, but here's MCA on the dialogue in Jefferson: Sawyer pointed out that this level of detail wasn't achievable with full VO. It isn't a problem for BioWare, because they simply wouldn't produce an RPG designed like this. And to be honest, noone else will either...but I wish they would, so full VO is a hindrance in that sense. On the matter of t he player character - definitely not. I hate playing a pre-voiced character that doesn't sound at all like I imagine.

I have mixed feelings on full voice acting. Done well, it's certainly nice but bad voice acting can almost destroy a game. The biggest problem I see is the influence on developers writing dialogue. Remember all those cool influence things and so on that Jefferson was going to have? Impossible (or at least *very* difficult) to do with full voice acting. Anyway, it's mandatory now, so you won't see major titles without it. And so you won't see some of the depth in dialogue that would otherwise be possible.

Ditto. Plot didn't do anything for me at all but I think overall it presented a reasonable Star Wars "experience".

You know, the one thing you can guarantee with someone that replies over and over without thinking is that eventually they won't have clue what they are saying. Or were you ameliorating your position as it weakened? This was my point all along. I said "medicore", a zillion posts later you finally get to "mild". Whereas you were maintaining... Just a mere hair's breadth from a super-duper-mega-incredible hit, apparently. 'Bye.

We already did that. David Gaider, again: Personally, I think JE with it's 50-80 devs, double the poly count count of KotOR and first-time-ever for BioWare motion-captured animation would count as a "major title". But hey - maybe I mistook it for a cheap budget title.

You're the one pretending the argument is about "bombing", Volourn. I said sales were "mediocre" and Bio would be "disappointed" but you've flip-flopped from 500k is a one step from a mega-super-duper-OMG-it's-nearly-as-good-as-the-GTA-series hit to irrelevant rubbish about it not bombing. Does anyone seriously think Bio -- a 220-staff heavyweight of independant studios -- would be happy with JE being their lowest selling game since SS?

Your response is to take the full retail value again? LMAO.