Baldur's Gate 3 rumor

[ramza]

I do believe that SoZ will be the last expansion for NWN2. There may be some more premium modules and that's it... I don't know why but it must be some kind of marketing thing. There are rarely more than 2 expansions for a given game. That's probably because the more time passes, the more the engine used ages... Producers/Distributors also tend to to move on to newer technologies after exploiting a specific engine for a few years because they believe they have to compete against other products that use these new technologies.

 

It's a shame the industry works like that because I wouldn't have minded, even today, playing another game with the IE engine or playing a game with Mystary engine (the one used in the old Fallout 3 and TBH) even though those are outdated by today's standards...

Edited September 21, 2008 by ramza

[Magister Lajciak]

I do believe that SoZ will be the last expansion to NWN2. There may be some more premium modules and that's it... I don't know why but it must be some kind of marketing thing. There are rarely more than 2 expansions for a given game. That's probably because the more time passes, the more the engine used ages... Producers/Distributors also tend to to move on to newer technologies after exploiting a specific engine for a few years because they believe they have to compete against other products that use these new technologies.

 

You may be right, though I hope you are wrong. Perhaps they could make one more expansion before moving on to something different. If that is the case, though, BG3 with a new engine and using the 3.5E ruleset due to being in development long before 4E release would be exactly what doctror ordered, though it is doubtful whether another 3.5E game will be allowed to come out or that BG3 has been under development for long enough to make its conversion to 4E impractical.

[Gorgon]

The NWN2 engine sure as hell ain't that. Good riddance.

[Azure79]

I would pay money to play a new Infinity Engine Game. I never replayed a game as much as I did and IE game. None of the newly released D&D games seem to have that same tactics/rpg feel that the IE games had. Even if I readjust the camera for an isometric view.

[Dark_Raven]

IE is the best 2d engine ever. I would love to see it brought back to life.

[Magister Lajciak]

Come on now people, we all know that reviving old engines, such as the Infinity Engine is completely unrealistic. It is, however, feasible that new engines might reach the same excellence, but with newer graphics. I have high hopes for Dragon Age in that regard.

[newc0253]

yeah, the IE games were visually stunning and had great gameplay. but wondering why developers don't make 100 hour+ CRPGs with a 2D engine anymore is a little like wondering why nobody builds gothic cathedrals using medieval construction techniques anymore - they're a ton of work and the industry that makes them can't afford to live in the past. 2D may be fine if you're a small independent developer making a CRPG as a labour of love, but to anyone seeking a broader audience, 2D is commercial suicide.

 

imo, NWN2 still looks pretty good - a helluva lot better than NWN1 ever did. now, i think it's safe to assume that SoZ is the last expansion pack and the fiasco surrounding MoW makes me think that that will be the last premium mod. but between those and the handful of better community mods that are likely to follow in their wake, i think we'll all get our money's worth from NWN2.

Edited September 21, 2008 by newc0253

[Azure79]

Come on now people, we all know that reviving old engines, such as the Infinity Engine is completely unrealistic. It is, however, feasible that new engines might reach the same excellence, but with newer graphics. I have high hopes for Dragon Age in that regard.

 

I've been wondering about that. I look at the console news and see all sorts of older games getting new treatment, like Bionic Commando Rearmed, Prince of Persia...the 2d remake they did and Megaman 9, and I wonder if the PC RPG market can do the same thing with older tech.

 

Of course those games might be less complex to develop for, I'm no programmer, but if some studio used the infinity engine as a basis and started developing shorter episodic content, I would be all for it.

 

The NWN2 build set might make that all moot, but one can dream right?

Edited September 21, 2008 by Azure79

[Magister Lajciak]

yeah, the IE games were visually stunning and had great gameplay. but wondering why developers don't make 100 hour+ CRPGs with a 2D engine anymore is a little like wondering why nobody builds gothic cathedrals using medieval construction techniques anymore - they're a ton of work and the industry that makes them can't afford to live in the past. 2D may be fine if you're a small independent developer making a CRPG as a labour of love, but to anyone seeking a broader audience, 2D is commercial suicide.

 

imo, NWN2 still looks pretty good - a helluva lot better than NWN1 ever did. now, i think it's safe to assume that SoZ is the last expansion pack and the fiasco surrounding MoW makes me think that that will be the last premium mod. but between those and the handful of better community mods that are likely to follow in their wake, i think we'll all get our money's worth from NWN2.

 

I love the analogy with the gothic cathedrals.

 

As to NWN2 still looking pretty good - I agree, though it would be sad if they stopped at Storm of Zehir with the expansions. I guess they have to stop somewhere though...

 

Regarding the MoW fiasco - I am not aware of it at all, so I cannot comment. I lost any and all interest in MoW after it was revealed that it would use DRM that requires a connection to the internet each time you play and have stopped checking the relevant forum since then, so I don't know what fiasco has developed around it. Care to enlighten me?

[Azure79]

yeah, the IE games were visually stunning and had great gameplay. but wondering why developers don't make 100 hour+ CRPGs with a 2D engine anymore is a little like wondering why nobody builds gothic cathedrals using medieval construction techniques anymore - they're a ton of work and the industry that makes them can't afford to live in the past. 2D may be fine if you're a small independent developer making a CRPG as a labour of love, but to anyone seeking a broader audience, 2D is commercial suicide.

 

imo, NWN2 still looks pretty good - a helluva lot better than NWN1 ever did. now, i think it's safe to assume that SoZ is the last expansion pack and the fiasco surrounding MoW makes me think that that will be the last premium mod. but between those and the handful of better community mods that are likely to follow in their wake, i think we'll all get our money's worth from NWN2.

 

I love the analogy with the gothic cathedrals.

 

As to NWN2 still looking pretty good - I agree, though it would be sad if they stopped at Storm of Zehir with the expansions. I guess they have to stop somewhere though...

 

Regarding the MoW fiasco - I am not aware of it at all, so I cannot comment. I lost any and all interest in MoW after it was revealed that it would use DRM that requires a connection to the internet each time you play and have stopped checking the relevant forum since then, so I don't know what fiasco has developed around it. Care to enlighten me?

 

I think it has something to do with the game being already finished but deliberately delayed due to Atari getting those DRM measures into place.

 

This pretty much killed my interest in the game.

[Tigranes]

*shrug* I'm sure we'll all enjoy MoW when it does come out. Due to its nature, it's not going to be that hurt by the delay I think.

 

I really dislike the sluggish nature and lack of 'sharpness' of the Aurora/Electron engines.... and I think OE is quite ready to move on from it now as well.

[newc0253]

Regarding the MoW fiasco - I am not aware of it at all, so I cannot comment. I lost any and all interest in MoW after it was revealed that it would use DRM that requires a connection to the internet each time you play and have stopped checking the relevant forum since then, so I don't know what fiasco has developed around it. Care to enlighten me?

the fiasco is that they originally announced it would be released by thanksgiving 2007. then they pushed it back to until the next NWN2 patch, then the patch after that, then the patch after that, etc. now, every time they release a patch for NWN2, they basically announce a further delay for MoW.

 

truth is, MOW has been ready for release for nearly a year now but is being delayed because Atari are insisting on the latest copy protection.

 

in all likelihood, we will end up getting SoZ - an expansion announced after MoW - before MoW ever gets released.

 

like Tigranes says, i'm sure we'll all play it once it comes out, but it pretty much kills the willingness of other developers to make premium mods for NWN2 if Atari's gonna d1ck them around like they did to poor Ossian.

Edited September 22, 2008 by newc0253

[Volourn]

"in all likelihood, we will end up getting SoZ - an expansion announced after MoW - before MoW ever gets released."

 

And? tariu will likely make little to nothing on MOW. They'll likely make a decent profit on SOZ even though it'll sell like than MOTB.

[newc0253]

And? tariu will likely make little to nothing on MOW. They'll likely make a decent profit on SOZ even though it'll sell like than MOTB.

you own shares in Atari, vol? because it's otherwise hard to see how that matters.

[Volourn]

I'm not interested in MOW. Unless it's released in stores. I refuse to buy over the net except in the rarest of circumstances. For the record, I haven't even bought any NWN1 premium mods over the net. That's why i don't care about MOW.

 

But, I was simply stating things from Atari's viewpoint, because you sounded like you were shocked that SOZ is seemingly getting higher priorty than MOW.

[taks]

Baldur's Gate saga ended over 7 years ago with Throne of Bhaal. There's no reason to continue that storyline.

um, no, the bhaal saga ended 7 years ago (and not very well, IMO), not the baldur's gate saga. there was no baldur's gate saga, since baldur's gate was merely the setting on the sword coast for the first installment, and had nothing to do with second installment, shadows of amn, nor the finale, throne of bhaal.

 

taks

[Morgoth]

Man, back then when TBH (Jefferson) was still in development it was just a Baldur's Gate game in name only. Why didn't I hear there any protests?

[kirottu]

Man, back then when TBH (Jefferson) was still in development it was just a Baldur's Gate game in name only. Why didn't I hear there any protests?

 

Because you have very selective memory?

[Monte Carlo]

With reference to the point about a Pathfinder CRPG...

 

I'm pretty sure that the D20 'licence' (i.e. the Open Gaming Licence / SRD / etc upon which Pathfinder is based) specifically excludes third party media like computer games.

 

Unsurprisingly, they saw that one coming a mile off when the lawyers wrote the OGL.

 

I would be surprised if they ever allowed another 3.0 / 3.5 D&D computer game after NWN2. Wizards will want to push 4E. And future licenced products will be 4E.

 

Would be giddily happy to be proved wrong because 4E = Pokemon.

 

Cheers

MC

[Killian Kalthorne]

Funny, people said that 3e = Pokemon when it first was released. 4e is just badly designed, especially the magic system. Some aspects of its design is pretty good, but the lack of a real multiclass system, the spell system, crafting being nonexistent, and they way butchered the saving throw system just makes the game unplayable. It has some nice ideas but overall just unplayable for me.

[Magister Lajciak]

With reference to the point about a Pathfinder CRPG...

 

I'm pretty sure that the D20 'licence' (i.e. the Open Gaming Licence / SRD / etc upon which Pathfinder is based) specifically excludes third party media like computer games.

 

This is actually incorrect. The d20 License does indeed have such a provision, but the d20 License is now expired. The Pathfinder RPG is not based on the d20 License - it is based on the Open Gaming License (the two are very different animals), which does not contain any such restrictions. Legally speaking, the Pathfinder RPG can be turned into a CRPG product without any problems.

 

I would be surprised if they ever allowed another 3.0 / 3.5 D&D computer game after NWN2. Wizards will want to push 4E. And future licenced products will be 4E.

 

Here, I fear, you are very likely correct. The only way I could see them allowing it would be if the CRPG was in development for so long already that it would be too late to change the edition to 4E.

[newc0253]

I haven't even bought any NWN1 premium mods over the net.

why not? Daggerford was probably the best 2nd best NWN1 mod ever made, after HoTU.

 

That's why i don't care about MOW.

like so many things you say, that makes precious little sense. just because you refuse to purchase games electronically, i don't see how that could make you uninterested in a professionally developed NWN2 mod. it's not like we get more than 1 of those in any given year, if we're bloody lucky.

 

i mean, if it suddenly became available in physical form, would you suddenly become interested?

 

most people would have been curious all along.

 

But, I was simply stating things from Atari's viewpoint, because you sounded like you were shocked that SOZ is seemingly getting higher priorty than MOW.

no. i'm just amazed that something as big and as complex as a full-blown NWN2 expansion pack has managed to race ahead of a simple little premium mod.

Edited September 23, 2008 by newc0253

[Volourn]

"why not? Daggerford was probably the best 2nd best NWN1 mod ever made, after HoTU."

 

Because.

 

 

 

"like so many things you say, that makes precious little sense."

 

Makes perfect sense. P.S. Not everyone thinks the same way you do, and it doesn't make them insane.

 

 

 

"i mean, if it suddenly became available in physical form, would you suddenly become interested?"

 

Yup.

 

 

"no. i'm just amazed that something as big and as complex as a full-blown NWN2 expansion pack has managed to race ahead of a simple little premium mod."

 

*sigh* You claim to understand the logic of Atari's reasoning but are still 'amazed'. It's not complex or amazing. It's about profit. MOW will likely not make Atari much money. SOZ has the potential - even as a second expansion - to make them 'real' money hence more motivation to put more energy into getting it released while the releasing is hot.

 

MOW, in the grand scheme of things, is simply super small potatoes.

Edited September 23, 2008 by Volourn

[Kelverin]

I haven't even bought any NWN1 premium mods over the net.

why not? Daggerford was probably the best 2nd best NWN1 mod ever made, after HoTU.

That's not a ringing endorsement

[newc0253]

Daggerford was probably the best 2nd best NWN1 mod ever made, after HoTU.

That's not a ringing endorsement

really? i thought HOTU was great, and Daggerford was very good too.

 

but if you disliked HOTU, then i think my taste in CRPGs is probably little assistance as a guide.