Future Obsidian Games'

[Spider]

Anyway, according to Leonard Boyarsky, ToEE was by far the biggest seller of the three Troika games and yet it had one of the best and most complex tactical RPG combat systems developed. Of course it was rubbish in the roleplaying department, but still the potential for a Turn Based RPG is there. I've always said that ToEE's combat and engine combined with Arcanum's plot, meaningful choices and non-typical setting would have made an RPG that would have dwarfed even the big shots like Fallout.

 

ToEE only sold more than the other Troika games because of the D&D setting. If it had a more atypical setting it would probably have sold less than Bloodlines. It has nothing to do with it being turn-based though, just with it being crap. It did sell considerably less than any other D&D game in recent memory though. Maybe it outperformed Pool of Radiance 2, but that would be it.

 

Speaking of PoR 2. That's a game that also served to scare publishers away from turn based games. The suits don't care that it sucked, they just see that turn based + D&D didn't sell at all, so why bother. It's quite possible that game and ToEE together killed the possibility of seeing a turn based D&D game in the foreseeable future.

 

 

But maybe there isn't really a market for that kind of games anymore? H&S didn't exactly bomb, but I don't think it was the commercial success that its creators (and the gaming press, with all the hype up until release) expected.

 

Again, we're talking about a really poor attempt of a game here. The engine used in Silent Storm is fine for squad based tactical games, but it sucked for RPGs. Or rather the implementation in H&S sucked anyway (the way they handled dialogue alone made me feel ill). There was much hope that H&S would be good, because S2 and S3 was so awesome, and because a game developed by fans is always an interesting idea. But the result was lackluster.

 

But again, that had more to do with it being a bad game rather than it being turn-based.

[framerate]

A lot of people would like to see one of the other D&D non-forgotten realms games being made, I'm sure. A lot of the guys around the office are HUGE old school D&D fans, and everyone has their favorite realm or whatever.

 

HOWEVER

 

As far as I know, WotC may not support many of the older popular realms, but they still own the rights to them. And I *think* every game/plan has to be approved by them at various stages in order to make it into a production. So the chance of ANYONE making a game that users one of the retired realms is quite slim (until WotC revives them).

 

The ALIENS Onyx engine is coming along very nicely, and I'm sure we'll be using it for many projects in the future. The guys are doing an amazing job with the builds I've seen. There's nothing wrong with using middleware either, in my opinion. It's hard to perfect EVERYTHING with your own engine and some of the middleware companies do their niche's very well.

 

Anyone ever heard of Mutant Chronicles? It's not D&D but I'd love to see someone pick up that gaming license again :/

[Moatilliatta]

Anyone ever heard of Mutant Chronicles? It's not D&D but I'd love to see someone pick up that gaming license again :/

I'm normally mostly a fan of homebrewed IPs, but, I think you should go spread this idea around the office and see what happens.

[Tyrion]

I think the whole "Turn-Based doesn't sell" stuff is baloney. I think that a Turn Based game could definitely sell if it was marketed properly.

 

It does. Go here.

 

Enjoy.

 

J.

 

Har Har very funny... not. That quip has been used so many times.

 

The suits don't care that it sucked, they just see that turn based + D&D didn't sell at all, so why bother. It's quite possible that game and ToEE together killed the possibility of seeing a turn based D&D game in the foreseeable future.

 

I agree, however, I don't think NWN sold because of it's combat system. I think it more likely sold because of it's online potential and modding community. Had ToEE had an online side as well with an editor, then it's likely we would have seen more sales. But yeah, the suits will be put off by the mere mention of turn-based combat. Like you said, Hammer and Sickle was hardly a good game, so that's not a great example for the supposed financial failure of TB games. However, publishers will use that as an example to discourage TB games. This of course will occur while they are asking their developers to make another 100 Diablo clones, some of which have been terrible financial failures i.e Titan Quest.

 

The ALIENS Onyx engine is coming along very nicely, and I'm sure we'll be using it for many projects in the future. The guys are doing an amazing job with the builds I've seen. There's nothing wrong with using middleware either, in my opinion. It's hard to perfect EVERYTHING with your own engine and some of the middleware companies do their niche's very well.

 

Good to hear it. Having your own engine gives you a nice degree of autonomy which is excellent. Look at Bioware and all the Infinity and Aurora games they and others produced. Quite a few. I agree that middleware is good, It cuts costs and saves time on projects and that is very important for making sure that you include most of the things that you want in the game.

Edited May 11, 2008 by Tyrion

[moodringer10]

I would love to see a Demon RPG!!!

 

Joy

[walkerguy]

Future Obsidian Games'

 

I has de best ider evar: nights uf da olde republicans 3!!!

 

y3ah!

[Magister Lajciak]

A lot of people would like to see one of the other D&D non-forgotten realms games being made, I'm sure.

 

FR D&D games are fine too. You guys did brilliantly with MotB.

 

A lot of the guys around the office are HUGE old school D&D fans, and everyone has their favorite realm or whatever.

 

HOWEVER

 

As far as I know, WotC may not support many of the older popular realms, but they still own the rights to them. And I *think* every game/plan has to be approved by them at various stages in order to make it into a production. So the chance of ANYONE making a game that users one of the retired realms is quite slim (until WotC revives them).

 

You are completely correct. For example, I love the Dark Sun setting, but it is not currently supported by WotC, so computer games based on that IP are not really an option. Moreover, should WotC revive the setting, it would likely do to it what it did to the Forgotten Realms - 'reimagine it for the next generation'... with the consequence that it would likely lose its appeal to many of its fans.

 

The ALIENS Onyx engine is coming along very nicely, and I'm sure we'll be using it for many projects in the future. The guys are doing an amazing job with the builds I've seen. There's nothing wrong with using middleware either, in my opinion. It's hard to perfect EVERYTHING with your own engine and some of the middleware companies do their niche's very well.

 

Glad to hear that it's coming along so well! Middleware is fine too - I don't see the problem with it - at least it speeds up design work and we get our hands on the games sooner than we would otherwise.

 

BTW: I would love it if Obsidian tried its hand at a Pathfinder CRPG! (http://forums.obsidianent.com/index.php?showtopic=49650)

[Zoma]

Make Arcanum sequel plz.

 

K. Thnx. Bai.

[Rob McGinnis]

I has de best ider evar: nights uf da olde republicans 3!!!

 

y3ah!

 

You mean like Bob Dole and Ronald Reagan thwarting evil in the galaxy???

[taks]

If your comment about us working for someone refers to working for Sega with Alpha Protocol, then that's just part of the game everyone plays when you try to make games. There are very few developers that also self-publish, at least when it comes to games with the scope that Obsidian likes to include. Working with a publisher helps spread out the risk for everyone involved.

i've got a book on being successful in business... one of the main points is "stick to the knitting." what does that mean? it means that companies need to focus on what they are good at. extending themselves into other realms, almost always done so they can capture those additional profits, often leads to disaster because the other realms are not their "knitting." in terms of developers, they are good at developing, not publishing. vice versa for publishers. it requires too many skillsets which makes general operation a much more difficult task. it also requires balancing the separate needs between the two realms, developing and publishing in this case, which are often at odds with each other. much more efficient paths to completion are often found when separate entities negotiate their own paths and come to some agreement in the middle. when one company does both, it may lead to poor performance on one side or another, and an otherwise inferior product (or poorly marketed or funded product), which does not help the bottom line. those extra profits are then lost to inefficiency.

 

taks

[J.E. Sawyer]

You are completely correct. For example, I love the Dark Sun setting, but it is not currently supported by WotC, so computer games based on that IP are not really an option. Moreover, should WotC revive the setting, it would likely do to it what it did to the Forgotten Realms - 'reimagine it for the next generation'...

I've always believed that Athas is Abeir-Toril in the far future, anyway. So really, by sixth edition the Forgotten Realms will actually be 2nd Edition Dark Sun. Just be patient.

[H]

Looking forward to Neverwinter Nights 5: A Post-Nuclear Role-Playing Game.

[walkerguy]

Neverwinter Nights 34: Knights of the Old Republic

 

[Magister Lajciak]

You are completely correct. For example, I love the Dark Sun setting, but it is not currently supported by WotC, so computer games based on that IP are not really an option. Moreover, should WotC revive the setting, it would likely do to it what it did to the Forgotten Realms - 'reimagine it for the next generation'...

 

I've always believed that Athas is Abeir-Toril in the far future, anyway. So really, by sixth edition the Forgotten Realms will actually be 2nd Edition Dark Sun. Just be patient.

 

Hahaha, that was a good one!

[framerate]

Anyone ever heard of Mutant Chronicles? It's not D&D but I'd love to see someone pick up that gaming license again :/

I'm normally mostly a fan of homebrewed IPs, but, I think you should go spread this idea around the office and see what happens.

 

Oh I've been planting the seeds. As soon as my source books get shipped out here, I may just pitch it to the big man

[DAWUSS]

Future Obsidian Games'

 

I has de best ider evar: nights uf da olde republicans 3!!!

 

y3ah!

 

 

Starring Trent Lott, Rush Limbaugh and George Bush