Feargus Fun at RPG Codex

[baby arm]

Retired gun runner Feargus Urquhart recently had a little chat with the kids at RPG Codex.

13) When looking at the current crop of games in the market, is there any game that catches your attention? Do you look at any recent release, CRPG or otherwise, and feel that Obsidian should try doing something like it?

 

I'm really looking forward to playing STALKER

[Tale]

He likes Oblivion? The group of people who, like me, dislike that game seems to be a shorter and shorter list than I expect it to be every time the topic comes up.

Edited March 26, 2007 by Tale

[Pop]

No wai

 

But seriously, I don't want to see Obsidian making an Oblivion-esque game. Boo boo boo boo boo.

Edited March 26, 2007 by Pop

[kirottu]

If he likes Oblivion, Gothic and Stalker I think it

[Oerwinde]

I don't mind lots of exploration as long as the story doesn't suffer. BG1 had a good balance. Elder Scrolls games do not.

[Blank]

He likes Oblivion? The group of people who, like me, dislike that game seems to be a shorter and shorter list than I expect it to be every time the topic comes up.

Are you willing to share your reasons for dislike? I am interested.

[mkreku]

Woah, I had no idea that the folks at Obsidian had even heard about Gothic! Good news

[Oerwinde]

He likes Oblivion? The group of people who, like me, dislike that game seems to be a shorter and shorter list than I expect it to be every time the topic comes up.

Are you willing to share your reasons for dislike? I am interested.

 

Crappy character interaction, crappy combat system, not enough plot. The only thing left is graphics, good environments, character models sucked.

 

In other words, hated just about everything about it. Though it was better than Morrowind.

 

I wish Adventure games would come back into style. For the most part I tend to just cheat my way through combat in RPGs because I don't give a crap about the combat and just want to advance the story.

Edited March 26, 2007 by Oerwinde

[Zoma]

Crappy character interaction, crappy combat system, not enough plot. The only thing left is graphics, good environments, character models sucked.

 

In other words, hated just about everything about it. Though it was better than Morrowind.

 

I wish Adventure games would come back into style. For the most part I tend to just cheat my way through combat in RPGs because I don't give a crap about the combat and just want to advance the story.

 

Amen. Amen.

 

Initially I got bought into the hype, but after a few weeks of playing, I realised I never gained any feeling satisfaction from the game at all.

 

I feel exploration RPG done similiarly to Wizardry 8 or -especially- like Betrayal in Krondor with modern graphics, it'll be great.

[Oerwinde]

Crappy character interaction, crappy combat system, not enough plot. The only thing left is graphics, good environments, character models sucked.

 

In other words, hated just about everything about it. Though it was better than Morrowind.

 

I wish Adventure games would come back into style. For the most part I tend to just cheat my way through combat in RPGs because I don't give a crap about the combat and just want to advance the story.

 

Amen. Amen.

 

Initially I got bought into the hype, but after a few weeks of playing, I realised I never gained any feeling satisfaction from the game at all.

 

I feel exploration RPG done similiarly to Wizardry 8 or -especially- like Betrayal in Krondor with modern graphics, it'll be great.

 

Betrayal at Krondor was an awesome game. If a tad hard. I could never get past chapter 6 because I kept running out of food.

[Meshugger]

3) Then along came LucasArts and Knights of the Old Republic 2. How did you handle the pressure of your first project being a Star Wars title, a sequel to a Bioware game and a cross-platform release

[karka]

Still speaking about licenses, this might be a good time to remind our readers you also have the Icewind Dale license. How do you feel about returning to it? Would the core aspects of the game remain the same, or would some changes be made to appeal to a larger crowd?

 

Actually, we don't have the Icewind Dale license. Icewind Dale is part of the D&D license that Atari currently has from Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast. As for doing another Icewind Dale, it's funny you mention that because we've been chatting about that lately at Obsidian. That's not to say that anything will come out of that chatting, but I think it would be cool to make another Icewind Dale. And if we did, I think we would hold to what Icewind Dale was all about

Edited March 26, 2007 by karka

[Sand]

They should use NWN2 as a base for an Icewind Dale game. have it be a stand alone title, with the NWN2 toolset but if you have both games you can draw fromt he resources of both to make your modules. :D

 

If Obsidian can make a story driven CRPG with lots of different areas to explore, more like Fallout and a lot less like Oblivion, then I am all for it.

[Tale]

He likes Oblivion? The group of people who, like me, dislike that game seems to be a shorter and shorter list than I expect it to be every time the topic comes up.

Are you willing to share your reasons for dislike? I am interested.

Main reason? The most FUBAR dynamic difficulty system any game has ever attempted, sans SIN: Emergence pre-patch. Only game I know of where levelling can make the game drastically harder to the point that it ultimately forces you into a specific playstyle to even be able to play the game. Mostly generic appearing dungeons, including the Oblivion gates (though I concede that the layouts often were different and some were quite nice). These two elements conspire into removing any incentive to explore in the game. Ultimately, the way to get the best equipment in the game isn't via exploration and dungeon crawling, it is by finding a place were humanoids respawn after your character gains the appropriate level.

 

Functionally, this is the complaint. As my character levels, being a stealth based character, I end up having more and more difficulty killing anything. Just until I get to the sweet spot where I can hit an enemy 15 times to kill them without them acknowledging my character is there. And there feels something incredibly nonsensical about hitting a guy 15 times in the back without the guy even turning around. But, luckily, if he did, my character would usually die instantly. If the enemy was a Clanroth, he would die anyway. As an explorer, I like to see what is to be found and what there is to see and discover. Sadly, the only thing there is to see in any of the dungeons are the same looking walls as the rest of the dungeons and the only thing to discover are rusty iron hammers.

 

I know another said it was better than Morrowind, but from my perspective, Morrowind was tons better.

Edited March 26, 2007 by Tale

[taks]

He likes Oblivion? The group of people who, like me, dislike that game seems to be a shorter and shorter list than I expect it to be every time the topic comes up.

me too. totally amazed.

 

Main reason? The most FUBAR dynamic difficulty system any game has ever attempted, sans SIN: Emergence pre-patch. Only game I know of where levelling can make the game drastically harder to the point that it ultimately forces you into a specific playstyle to even be able to play the game.

this is exactly why i stopped playing. it was a joke.

 

Mostly generic appearing dungeons, including the Oblivion gates (though I concede that the layouts often were different and some were quite nice). These two elements conspire into removing any incentive to explore in the game.

they were all "nice," IMO, but the same no matter which one you went in to.

 

I know another said it was better than Morrowind, but from my perspective, Morrowind was tons better.

several orders of magnitude better. of course, even that wasn't enough to bring morrowind out of "the morrowind doesn't blow, it sucks" realm.

 

taks

[Dragon Lord Jones]

Still speaking about licenses, this might be a good time to remind our readers you also have the Icewind Dale license. How do you feel about returning to it? Would the core aspects of the game remain the same, or would some changes be made to appeal to a larger crowd?

 

Actually, we don't have the Icewind Dale license. Icewind Dale is part of the D&D license that Atari currently has from Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast. As for doing another Icewind Dale, it's funny you mention that because we've been chatting about that lately at Obsidian. That's not to say that anything will come out of that chatting, but I think it would be cool to make another Icewind Dale. And if we did, I think we would hold to what Icewind Dale was all about

[Kelverin]

Still speaking about licenses, this might be a good time to remind our readers you also have the Icewind Dale license. How do you feel about returning to it? Would the core aspects of the game remain the same, or would some changes be made to appeal to a larger crowd?

 

Actually, we don't have the Icewind Dale license. Icewind Dale is part of the D&D license that Atari currently has from Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast. As for doing another Icewind Dale, it's funny you mention that because we've been chatting about that lately at Obsidian. That's not to say that anything will come out of that chatting, but I think it would be cool to make another Icewind Dale. And if we did, I think we would hold to what Icewind Dale was all about

[Volourn]

Hopefully, this will put to rest that silly rumour that obsidian ever purchased the IWD license. that was nonsensical from the get go.

 

As for the IWD3, I'd buy it, and likely enjoy it; but it's far from being 'must have' list. Better off just making abother D&D dungeonc rawl. It's not like the IWD name guarantees millions of sales.

[mkreku]

Icewind Dale was the only IE game I ever finished (and partly enjoyed). I don't know why, but a game that plays out in snowy landscapes always gets a few plus points from me.

[Oerwinde]

Hopefully, this will put to rest that silly rumour that obsidian ever purchased the IWD license. that was nonsensical from the get go.

 

As for the IWD3, I'd buy it, and likely enjoy it; but it's far from being 'must have' list. Better off just making abother D&D dungeonc rawl. It's not like the IWD name guarantees millions of sales.

 

I believe they purchased the IWD assets, like concept art, models, design docs, etc. And everyone assumed that meant they purchased the license.

[@\NightandtheShape/@]

Woah, I had no idea that the folks at Obsidian had even heard about Gothic! Good news

 

The way you rave on about it I'd be surprised if there is a single person on this forum who hasn't heard about it, tho' the number of people having played it is another question entirely.

[Musopticon?]

Justified rave though. The second game is magnificent.

[Sand]

I played Gothic 2, and hated it. There was no way I would get or play Gothic 3.

[Musopticon?]

Hoh, what else is new?

[Sand]

I have bottle of jack daniels in my fridge.

Edited March 27, 2007 by Sand