How about recycling Jefferson's story?

[ramza]

I am aware that I have become very annoying with this subject. I promise you that, after that, I will never start a new thread on that topic.

 

I understand that the Mystary engine has become outdated and that there is no point into ressurecting the project in the form it was supposed to be released. Consequently, the only way to save it is to combine its story and all of its features (regional reputation, characters, low level campaign at first in order to keep room for expansions, etc) with a new technology. Besides, if Bestheda has indeed bought this engine, then there is no way that Jefferson will get ressurected as it was meant to be. In other words, I wonder if it is possible to recycle the ideas behind the Jefferson project in a new game with a new engine. You can see how this game's story was promising (if you have read Puuk's interview).

 

My suggestion is that Obsidian makes a game with a similar story and characters as an expansion game for NWN2 (after all, NWN1's expansions didn't have any connection with the city of Neverwinter) or as an entirely new game using an new engine made by that developer. I believe that Obsidian is well-suited for completing such as task as many employees there have already worked on that project.

 

However, even though this seems like a great idea, the problem is that Interplay might start making lawsuits against Obsidian and Atari for copying something that he owns. There may be ways to avoid this.

 

Cheers.

[aVENGER]

I don't think Josh Sawyer would really appreciate that, as the story you request was actually his creation.

[Gorth]

Interesting legal situation. Who actually owns the story, especially if it's unpublished ?

 

Interplay probably had/has the rights to the design documents, but if the story has never been published with or a © or a ® notice ?

 

Just curious

[NeverwinterKnight]

ramzas obsession with jefferson is rather.....unhealthy.

[Laozi]

ramzas obsession with jefferson is rather.....unhealthy. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

Its good to have a hobby, when I was a kid I liked dinosaurs

[mkreku]

Its good to have a hobby, when I was a kid I liked dinosaurs

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Healthy having a hobby, yes. An obsession, no.

[ramza]

Keep derailing my thread, please...

 

Anyway, can't you see that Jefferson was the only decent d&d CRPG we could get for the centuries to come? I loved the BG and IWD series, but I seriously doubt we will see games of that quality again. I just want to save/ressurect the project that would have given us the same atmosphere as the IE games did.

[roshan]

 

cry ramza cry.

[ramza]

"cry ramza cry"

 

In your dreams, pal!

 

Anyway, did you add the titles yourself, or what? The pic is kinda cool presented like that. However, you forgot the FR logo (if you watch the pic carefully, they just left some room for it, above the BG3 title).

[Oerwinde]

I'd like to see all the mechanics from jefferson re-used, like the reputation system, epithets or whatever they were called, the fact that people can be hostile without attacking, that kind of thing, only with a new character/combat system and a new story. Jefferson is dead, but that doesn't mean they can't pick at the corpse.

[roshan]

"cry ramza cry"

 

In your dreams, pal!

 

Anyway, did you add the titles yourself, or what? The pic is kinda cool presented like that. However, you forgot the FR logo (if you watch the pic carefully, they just left some room for it, above the BG3 title).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

No, the pic is from the website of vance kovacs, who was a jefferson artist. I assume that it was the prototype for the box cover art.

[mkreku]

No matter. I REALLY like that picture anyhow. I'd probably have bought the game, based on only the cover art!

[deganawida]

I realize that it is probably not possible, but if we're dreaming, hey, dream big. Hire Josh, buy Jeff, and do it.

[ramza]

OMG! I can't believe what I am seeing here:

http://www.vancekovacs.com/page2.html

 

Some of the characters are familiar to us (at least to those who visited the old Interplay Boards), but there is a whole bunch of unknown faces (a bard, a thief, etc)... Man, That game sound so promising...

 

I am depressed now... I need to kill someone... Is there any volunteer?

[roshan]

Hahaha, I knew you would cry.

 

BTW, check out the concept art sections of the websites of the bis artists. It seems that there were going to be quite a few urban locations in van buren.

[ramza]

Do you have any other links?

[mEtaLL1x]

Daaaaaaaaamn, I'm depressed also.......

 

BG2 was my most favorite gameeee evar, well, equal with FO2, but I even liked it more than PS:T!

 

And now this......... ****, such a great project was nipped in the bud....

 

 

Artwork is GREAT! Thx for the link!

[ramza]

Actually, recycling Jefferson's story, characters, concept art, etc is the only way to save the project. It's a shame to let it die without glory. However, everything depends on whether Feargus likes that idea or not.

[Judge Hades]

Actually I don't see why they couldn't use the Jefferson engine. Just do to it what Obsidian is doing tothe Aurora engine. Put a up to date graphics engine, like the Electron, on top of the Jefferson engine.

[ramza]

Grok told me in a pm that Atari refuses to ressurect the Jefferson project as it is because of the high dev costs. That means that they don't plan to use the Mystary engine. However, that doesn't mean that jefferson is completely dead as Obsidian may (if some conditions are met) use its story as an expansion for NWN2 or as a new game using a new engine.

[ramza]

Here is Grok's answer to my question:

 

"That's not the case at all with Interplay. Regardless of what Obsidian was able to do they would still need funding to make the game...and that's where the rub is. Atari isn't in a position to fund the title at the moment.

 

But that could change...you never know.

Grok"

 

I had sent him another pm a month ago in which I was asking him if the Jeff project could be ressurected. Here's his answer:

 

"Unfortunately, there's really no chance. We went so far as to evaluate that version of the game and decided against furthering it. BG3 will be something entirely new."

 

 

So, guys, Jeffy is really dead and buried... AMEN (and one minute of silence)...