Icewind Dale Revisited - GameBanshee Feature

[funcroc]

http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/static/EEZ...lFAfHizlhBY.php

 

GB: How has game development changed between your time at Black Isle Studios and Obsidian Entertainment? Do you think a party-based isometric RPG similar to the Icewind Dale games would still be a viable pursuit in today's market?

 

Chris: Things are a lot different now than when we worked on Icewind. The team sizes are perhaps the biggest change. We had between 24 and 32 people on Icewind, which is approximately the size of the art team on one of our projects right now. To manage out larger teams today we need more leads - and since I'm a producer this just moves me farther and farther away from the day to day creation. For me personaly, this is a big loss because that's what I enjoy the most.

[Ellester]

I Still think IWD2 was a pretty good game... I played it through I think 3 times. I only played through IWD, once. Anyway, I liked the IWD games.

Edited March 17, 2007 by Ellester

[Volourn]

IWD was fun, and cool. IWD2 was not. Kinda like TOEE. It coulda been good; but just missed the cut. Both of these games ar egames that i got deep into it ebfore I couldn't take the lack fo quality anymore.

 

LONG LIVE IWD1!!

 

 

P.S. Neato interviews.

[Tigranes]

Personally, I didn't think IWD1 and IWD2 were really that different, in terms of quality or style. Both had a decent, standard D&D stories (although I preferred IWD2's story, because it tried to introduce the questions of 'racial' perceptions and moral ambiguity - the story in the end was flawed, or rather more lacklustre than it should have been, but I'm the one to forgive if the initial concept is grandious enough.), both were centred around tactical squad combat. They both featured their share of interesting and beautiful locations, though one could argue IWD1 had more of that. I also liked IWD2's time-loop portion near the end of the game - quite novel and well executed.

 

Every time I play, I usually have to take a break before finishing, for both games, just because there is so much combat - but in the end they are both fun games. I don't know - every time someone says "this is why IWD1/2 is better", I see it in the other game as well.

 

I

[Gorgon]

whenever I start Icewind dale with the intention of finishing it I just can't get over how ugly every single interface in the game is. At least they fixed that in IWD2, which had a poorer story though.

[Pop]

Every time I play through IWD2 I always get to the end and find out that I ****ed up my team in some way that prevents me from winning, and I don't have the ability to beat the twins. Other than that, it's a fine enough game. I liked the villains, and that's about all I ask from a game these days. It was pretty heavy on combat, though, and since I'm so anal about keeping track of healing potions and such I had some trouble actually enjoying it all that much. Most of the time I just stressed.

[Spider]

JE: That said, I always wanted to see an Icewind Dale game where the player made a party of monsters

[ramza]

JE: That said, I always wanted to see an Icewind Dale game where the player made a party of monsters

[CoM_Solaufein]

I enjoy playing both Icewind Dale games. Too bad there will never be any more made.

[Junai]

If only they could add a short module, a few maps, I would have a reason to play IWD1 again. I played it five or six times already.

[Magnum Opus]

Also console games have become huge and with it more simplistic RPG

[Sand]

I like the Icewind Dale series. They are one set of series that would work wonders being remade for NWN2, or even NWN1.

[ramza]

I like the Icewind Dale series. They are one set of series that would work wonders being remade for NWN2, or even NWN1.

 

There's a Trials of the Luremaster hall of fame module for NWN1. Never tried it though...

[Dark_Raven]

If only they could add a short module, a few maps, I would have a reason to play IWD1 again. I played it five or six times already.

Have you played Trials of the Luremaster? A nice little expansion.

[Dark_Raven]

I like the Icewind Dale series. They are one set of series that would work wonders being remade for NWN2, or even NWN1.

Absolutely not.

[Pop]

Didn't Deekin hammer that last nail into IWD's coffin in NWN2? Kind of a shame, being sent off by such a terrible character. Tsk.

 

But yeah, I liked the FR Northern setting, I'd certainly like to see it more.

[Oerwinde]

I liked the atmosphere of the IWD games. In fact, I don't think I've liked the atmosphere of any game more than the IWD series. Can't explain why.

[samm]

I too really loved the atmosphere in IWD1 (as well as the rest of the game). This might be because of the icy setting, the wonderful music, the narrator, the artwork. IWD2 didn't do that good a job in my opinion (inferior rendering in most scenes, less consistent artwork, far inferior music, lack of very cool plot twist), but it was a tactically challenging and very fun game.

And how I like that interview :D

[Junai]

I like the Icewind Dale series. They are one set of series that would work wonders being remade for NWN2, or even NWN1.

 

Heresy. IWD1 has soul..

[Volourn]

Games don't have souls. they're inanimate objects. Besdies, even though I've sued that silly term myself in the past, exactly what does it mean? Oh, I know. It means the writer/speaker really loves the game. In essence, it's a catchphrase that means very little and says absolutely nothing about a game. R00fles!

 

P.S. All my favorite games have soul. All the games I hate don't. HAHAHAHA!!

[Dark_Raven]

For some odd reason, IWD2 didn't have an expansion.

[Pope]

I like the Icewind Dale series. They are one set of series that would work wonders being remade for NWN2, or even NWN1.

I doubt the atmosphere IWD's prerendered background provided could easily be matched by NWN's 3d engine. To me, those were half of the fun.

[Junai]

P.S. All my favorite games have soul. All the games I hate don't. HAHAHAHA!!

I doubt you even know which games you like and not. I bet you dislike NWN2, but you tell people in here that you love it (am I right? c'mon, be honest). Just like that game-reviewer (Sand? or you?) who gave NWN1 a high score because he thought most people would probably like it (is my memory correct?). How amazingly abysmally spineless!

 

In order to tell if a game has soul or not, you first need to have a soul.

You don't. HAHAHAHA!!.

 

So there.

 

 

Junai - amazingly off topic (delete post at discr.).

Edited March 19, 2007 by Junai

[taks]

I like the Icewind Dale series. They are one set of series that would work wonders being remade for NWN2, or even NWN1.

I doubt the atmosphere IWD's prerendered background provided could easily be matched by NWN's 3d engine. To me, those were half of the fun.

they were like 90% of the grief for the artists, however. i read a post regarding the method they used to burn the images in the IE games and it was painstaking to say the least.

 

taks

[Volourn]

"doubt you even know which games you like and not. I bet you dislike NWN2, but you tell people in here that you love it (am I right? c'mon, be honest). Just like that game-reviewer (Sand? or you?) who gave NWN1 a high score because he thought most people would probably like it (is my memory correct?). How amazingly abysmally spineless!

 

In order to tell if a game has soul or not, you first need to have a soul.

You don't. HAHAHAHA!!.

 

So there. "

 

You win. I don't know what; but you win.