PS:T I know its been covered elsewhere

[Urielx1x]

Hi,

 

As stated in the subject line I know its been asked over and over what will happen to the PS:T I.P? Who owns it now? I mean a formal petition I suppose could convince people to move on working this I.P but you literally have a cult classic game here.

 

Not before or since was there a game that combined elements of philosophy, science fiction, and fantasy as seamlessly. It's plot was winding, and entertaining. I am not suggesting a PS:T sequel, although there would be many inroads for that following different characters from the party, or perhaps another person who follows the Nameless One's path.

 

I think that if marketed, managed, and deployed properly, it could easily generate revenue enough to justify obtaining the I.P and I would be willing to help in that regard, as I am sure many others would. If deployed using a newer framework, perhaps similar to Elder Scrolls, or Fallout 3, I think the results would speak for themselves.

 

Shane Tyree

[Humodour]

PS:T is on my top 3 list of best games ever.

 

But I don't want a sequel. Let it lie peacefully in immortality as Deus Ex one should have.

 

Also, Wizards of the Crapper abandoned that license, so even assuming you could get game company to make a new Planescape game, WoC wouldn't let you.

[Tigranes]

Yep, I am sure somebody out there wanted to pick the license up again; I'm sure Feargus or Cain would have considered it. It's just the fact that WoTC doesn't want anybody using settings they've killed, to 'direct interest' towards 'official' settings.

[Humodour]

It's like ****ing Microsoft the way they kill XP so the sales of Vista increase, even they they themselves acknowledge Vista isn't a suitable replacement, and that sales reflect that.

 

*cough*

 

But yeah, um, have you tried the game MotB? I heard it is in a similar vein to Torment.

 

One of the Obsidian guys is also working on a fairly professional Planescape mod for NWN (2 I think) in his spare time.

[Urielx1x]

PS:T is on my top 3 list of best games ever.

 

But I don't want a sequel. Let it lie peacefully in immortality as Deus Ex one should have.

 

Also, Wizards of the Crapper abandoned that license, so even assuming you could get game company to make a new Planescape game, WoC wouldn't let you.

 

 

A sequel may be untoward, but further work in the setting should happen. Not letting gamers of the upcoming generation experience these games (that laid the groundwork for most if not all of modern RPGs) is criminal.

 

A reboxing and update of all of the I.E. titles, with compatibility fixes would reignite some interest, and likely sell pretty well to boot. I just think its a shame that good work gets buried. I think WoTC is sitting on this because of the loss of value they experienced when they took over TSR. They just need to see that while not worth much as a rulebook, it could tear it up as a video game.

 

Tear it up is a copyrighted phrase

[Nick_i_am]

Let us not forget that PS:T sold precisely squat, which will likely play a big factor in the lack of a 'sequal'.

[Humodour]

Let us not forget that PS:T sold precisely squat, which will likely play a big factor in the lack of a 'sequal'.

 

OK, I'm really starting to get **** bored of hearing that claim.

 

It's completely untrue and completely unfounded. People assume that because PS:T was 'deep' and had a slightly steep learning curve, then whilst they enjoyed it, others probably wouldn't.

 

Yet it seems that's rather fallacious thinking. All reports indicate PS:T sold at least consistently and moderately. It was a commercial success and by no means a 'flop'. I distinctly recall Feargus at one point saying it sold extremely well over time.

[Xard]

Yeah, despite claims PS:T sold well enough to cover the costs, especially over the time. But it wasn't a instant HIT which are what publishers want to see

Edited April 21, 2008 by Xard

[Seeker1]

I don't think Torment would or should have a sequel per se.

 

It would be nice to see another Planescape game that uses the ambience, the setting, and the "feel" of the original game (maybe even revisiting Sigil and other locations), while featuring a different protagonist, story, companions, etc, etc. And of course moving beyond the Infinity to the NWN2 engine.

 

They might have to hurry, because I understand 4E is going to radically redo the structure/cosmology of the planes.

 

I would agree that new modules/scenarios in either the Icewind or Planescape settings (or ... Black Hound/BG setting) ... would be marvelous. I guess others are right that they might not be doable, though.

[Nick_i_am]

Yet it seems that's rather fallacious thinking. All reports indicate PS:T sold at least consistently and moderately. It was a commercial success and by no means a 'flop'. I distinctly recall Feargus at one point saying it sold extremely well over time.

 

Making a profit on a few hundred thousand copies doesn't even start to make the game finantially relevent in terms of a sequal, especially when those sales have been 'consistent', given that the figures generally considered important are those moved in the first two weeks or so.

 

You just have a different definition of 'squat'.

[Pidesco]

And people complain there are too many sequels. It's all everyone ever wants.

[Tigranes]

No, we want sequels and originals and cream pies.

 

I actually think a PS:T sequel or any game that piggybacks its name would probably sell a lot better than the original. The original was kind of crippled by crap marketing and crap cover design, as well. The Torment name has achieved quite a lot of status by now and it would probably have a more positive effect now, ironically.

 

But this is surely a not-gonna-happen-anytime-soon.

[Nick_i_am]

Don't get me wrong, I count Giants, Sacrifice, Nexus and Battlezone 2 as 4 of my top 10 games, and they ALL left hardly a blip on the gaming radar. All of them brilliant innovative games with no chance of a sequel.

 

Just compare the sales of KotoR with Jade Empire, people respond to brand, espesally where the vast majority of gamers don't actually do much research before a purchase.

[Humodour]

I disagree, Nick.

 

Torment left the one of the biggest ****ing blips on the gaming radar you're ever going to find. It's not like those other games you mentioned - they faded into obscurity (god Giants was awesome).

[Nick_i_am]

It's true eh, they all did

 

I do love PST, i'm just bummed that it sold so poorly in a mainstream sense when compared to RPGs that I consider virtual snorefests, such as KotoR, Oblivion and BG2.

 

All I really know is that i've only ever met one person who had even heard of PST, and I was drunk, so I don't remember who he was.

[Humodour]

It's true eh, they all did

 

I do love PST, i'm just bummed that it sold so poorly in a mainstream sense when compared to RPGs that I consider virtual snorefests, such as KotoR, Oblivion and BG2.

 

All I really know is that i've only ever met one person who had even heard of PST, and I was drunk, so I don't remember who he was.

 

Hahaha. That is an epic tale. :D

 

You're right - PS:T isn't your average game. It's kind might pop up once every five to ten years. It's definitely not a common occurrence, but plenty of games in the past and present are built without a popular IP, without big business backing, etc. It can and will happen again.

[Urielx1x]

It's true eh, they all did

 

I do love PST, i'm just bummed that it sold so poorly in a mainstream sense when compared to RPGs that I consider virtual snorefests, such as KotoR, Oblivion and BG2.

 

All I really know is that i've only ever met one person who had even heard of PST, and I was drunk, so I don't remember who he was.

 

 

I knew that I recognized you from somewhere.

 

Seriously a sequel isn't what would be great here. I mean if any of you remember when this game came out it had some serious voice talent.

 

The guy who played Jarod on that show the Pretender (Big late nineties show) was Nameless. The black guy who played Mary's dad in There's something about Mary, was Vhailor. Skinner from the X-files was the voice acting for Dakkon, and the guy who did Morte's voice has been in like every commercial and cartoon ever made.

 

In comparison, look at Oblivion, the voice acting was terrible except for Patrick Stewart who sounded like he was constipated. Not mention that every third person in Oblivion had the same damn voice.

 

If not a true sequel, at least a spiritual one that combines suspension of disbelief with a deep story. It could work I think.

[Pidesco]

You forgot Homer.

 

And the Hawt Scot.

[Starwars]

This is why we need to whip Monty and Rogue Dao harder to get them to finish Planescape: Purgatorio!

 

Seriously, as sad as it is that PS:T isn't more widely recognized, there is always the part of me that is glad of this as well. It is what it is, and it's a damn fine game on its own. It doesn't need a follow-up. The thought of Nameless One bobbleheads is not pleasing to me.

 

But yeah, I'd definetely want to see more stuff set in the Planescape universe. To bad it went the way it did.

[~Di]

I'd like to see another quality game set in the planescape world. However, there should never be an attempt at a PS:Torment sequel. PS:T had an irrevocable ending for the Nameless One... and without Nameless One, there is no "Torment", ergo no sequel is possible.

[aries101]

Isn't the license or art? still at Interplay i.e. Harve Caen since it was Interplat that published the game, PS Torment ?

 

Anyway, I do agree that it would be very hard to get WotC (or Hasbro) to make a game in 'the planes' are since WotC basically just has -ehm- pulled the plug on these settings. But a decent game set in the less known area of Forgotten Realm. As you know (or might not know), there's more to tje Forgotten Realms than just Faerun. There's also the place where the Red Wizards live, there's a desert someone and very very far east, there seems to be good tales for telling stories.

[Humodour]

If we're going to go that far Aries we might as well just pick an IP.

 

Planescape was a good setting for Torment, but it wasn't the only setting that would have worked. Think about universes like Anachronox, Farscape, Andromeda... space opera settings work great. I guess you'd essentially call Torment a planes opera.

 

Um yeah, so I think my point is that Faerun isn't so good because it's less of a 'space' opera setting.

[aries101]

As for why PS: Torment didn't sell well, I think it relied on two things: That stupid box cover and that the game did not get much hype or PR upon release. I just liked in my box the other day (was doing abit of cleaning up) and what do I find? A very nice poster that has The Nameless One and all

of his cronies/compadres standing around him. Why they don't went with that very nice poster as box art, eludes me - I really don't know.

 

But isn't the PS:Torment IP so the speak still in the hands of Interplay?

[Rostere]

No, the box art for PS:T was great.

[Nick_i_am]

I liked it too

 

Mostly for it being different and stylisticlly interesting compared to most game box art.