Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance Revival

[CoM_Solaufein]

Don't hold your breath on this petition. They fail most of the time.

[Cutlock]

Don't hold your breath on this petition. They fail most of the time.

 

I notice you said "most of the time". That means there is a chance. There is always a chance. There is already a 50% chance since Interplay has stated that they will develop the game if Atari gives them the chance. Then there is 1/2 chance that once there is enough signatures, Atari will also agree.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

How many sig's will I need to get you to believe that this petition has the smallest chance of succeeding?

 

More than 100. Maybe 2,000-3,000 and you've maybe got the start of something (although that's still only $100,000 - $150,000 in sales if everyone who signs buys).

 

There is already a 50% chance since Interplay has stated that they will develop the game if Atari gives them the chance. Then there is 1/2 chance that once there is enough signatures, Atari will also agree.

 

I do not think that chance acts like you think it acts...

[Solo]

If nothing else, we at least said our peace. Weather or not Atari will budge on this is another matter. Though I think by banding together and getting our thoughts heard we could just make a difference. Granted it is a long shot. Though better than doing nothing, ne?

 

Though I would think the best way is to directly write Atari and or visit them and state our idea and or thoughts. Calling would work if they would ever answer their phone.

[Cutlock]

In response to Deadly Nightshade: I know I have gotten a start. 150 000 in sales you say? I did not do that math, but if the rates are like that and I will get over 1000 sigs. If I get 1000 sigs what are the chances I'll suceed then? I'm just asking.

 

In response to Solo: I do agree that a written response would work better. But people are effing cheap nowadays and who would write to Atari or Interplay (they are still a big part of this) and pay 5 dollars.

 

[Not me. I'm a cheap Indian. I'd rather do something free. I'm joking. But no I am cheap. Only use my money to by my necessities, and books and video games.]

 

But we are saying that we care and I think that considering how far my last petition and other petitions go, we are doing a good job.

And Atari can afford to pay their phone bill? No they cannot, that is why they never, ever, ever, pick up.

[Tigranes]

If we're looking at a smaller project rather than an AAA title - and certainly, the mismanaged, legally troubled, mostly dead Interplay of today may not be capable of anything more - then they would still need to show their publisher/investors that they would sell at least half a million copies.

 

On one hand, even 50,000 signatures might show that enough people care to meet that 500k sales target. On the other hand, you can bet that out of those 50k signatures, at least 10-20% will probably not end up buying the game (the way the game turns out doesn't tickle their fancy, they've moved on, they pirate it instead, etc).

 

I'd think that in general, you'd want to at least approach 5 digits in signatures, and for the petition to gain traction in online gaming media (which it won't unless it has +5000 at least), for the petition to make a difference. A few thousand? Perhaps, if Atari were pretty close to reviving the game behind the scenes already. A thousand or less? About as much chance as a monkey's arse winning Miss Universe.

[Cutlock]

I know what your saying but when you look at it, Atari and Interplay are both recovering from their financial woes. Atari is bouncing back slower than most but it has a great lineup coming out this year and since they would be the publisher this means they would likely also be the producer, meaning they would fund the game and give Interplay the money to create the engine. Interplay has bounced back very quickly, not enough for physical distribution yet but when you look at the games they have released and the games they are making you can be sure that they are not dead. Especially with them publishing Fallout Online next year (with co-development from Masthead Studios), I' would say that both studios are in a position to make a triple A game.

[Tigranes]

Interplay has most definitely not recovered from anything yet. Since their 'revival' 4 years ago they've only released 2 games - a basic 2D platformer and a pinball game. Everything else has been empty words for now. They are thus constantly running at a loss (their 10-Q at the end of last year shows hundreds of thousands of dollars every quarter or something like that). We have seen no real substantial work on FO and it is hard to believe it will be out next year, especially since the lawsuit with Bethesda is not yet over - and even then, whether it iwll be any good is unknown.

 

The only way Interplay would be able to make a triple-A budgeted DA game is if (a) FO was, against all odds, wildly successful, and the company was able to expand dramatically with many new quality employees; (b) Herve Caen possesses a silver tongue and the publishers of the world believe giving hundreds of millions of dollars to a half-dead company with no proof of its ability to produce decently selling games since 2004.

 

Edit: That said, I can't help but like your optimism.

[Cutlock]

They have released more than 2 games I assure you. Although they are all digitally downloads, Interplay is still recovering and Atari has almost fully recovered; especially with how many people bought The Witcher 2.

 

Interplay's Games released so far:

 

1)MDK2 WiiWare is out with MDK2 HD coming out in Summer

2)Homesteader

3)Pinball Yeah

4)Tommy Tronic

5)Legendary Wars: T-Rex Rumble (the first RTS on the Nintendo DS)

5)Prehistorik Man Remake

 

Upcoming Games (I think they should have put more of their games on the PSN and XBLA, I mean WiiWare and DSiWare, nobody really shops that much and who goes online on a DS!]:

 

1)MDK2 HD exclusively on Beamdog.

2)Descent WiiWare

3)Stonekeep WiiWare

4)ClayFighter: Call of Putty

5)Earthworm Jim 4 (Which is not going to be on the Wii)

5)Legendary Wars iPhone

6)Battle Chess Remake for PC, iPhone and more consoles!?! although PC and iPhone technically are not consoles...

6)Fallout Online

 

Now Fallout Online will do good:

 

Presentation : Now if they stick to what made F1,F2,F3 and FNV good, its good. Just fix the bugs that the Earthrise Engine will probably cause by the time Interplay goes full into development.

Graphics : The Earthrise Engine PWNS in Graphics.

Gameplay : With the rules set, all you have to do is apply them. The gameplay will be a mix of Earthrise and New Vegas. How? Earthrise's online controls (which are currently being fixed through a lot of patches) and New Vegas/F3's gameplay. Maybe they'll add turn-based as well, though I don't see how that will work.

Music : Really? It only matters if its a dark-themed music.

 

I wait for your reply...

[CoM_Solaufein]

I say they fail most of the time because I only seen an online petition work once. La Femme Nikita television show was canceled after the fourth season and it only came back for a partial fifth season from the many fans who didn't want to see it end the way it did. It certainly not going to work for a nothing game like Dark Alliance. Even most of the PC Baldur's Gate fans don't think anything about the game.

[Volourn]

"On one hand, even 50,000 signatures might show that enough people care to meet that 500k sales target. On the other hand, you can bet that out of those 50k signatures, at least 10-20% will probably not end up buying the game (the way the game turns out doesn't tickle their fancy, they've moved on, they pirate it instead, etc). "

 

Just because one doesn't sign a petition doesn't mean they don't support what the petition is about. In regards to BG:DA3, I would be interested in buying/playing it though I don't plan to sign the petition ever.

 

So.. out of the millions who don't sign a peitition, you might get a small percentage buying the game anyways.

 

 

 

"It certainly not going to work for a nothing game like Dark Alliance. Even most of the PC Baldur's Gate fans don't think anything about the game."

 

BGDA was very successful, and you shouldn't make up numbers about what 'most' PC BG fans think since its plain conjecture not based on facts.

Edited May 17, 2011 by Volourn

[Cutlock]

Over 100 Signatures!

 

 

 

No PCBG-Fantards should post on this thread if they don't care for Dark Alliance. I get it why you wont sign the petition Volourn, your too proud and I respect that.

 

Now there is one small connection between Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. The Elfsong Tavern appeared in both games and I'm not sure if Alyth did because I haven't played the original BG and only played BG2:SoA and ToB, and the thieves guild that appeared in the original game is referenced very much in the first chapter. Its that same thieves guild that is destroyed by Xantam's Guild that appeared in Baldur's Gate, so in a way it continues a factions story slightly.

 

10-20% not buying it. True. You forgot one fact. 10 - 20 % buying 1-3 extra copies in case the original stops working.

 

Plus, the only people signing the petition are people who know of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. Obviously if a third game does come out tons of new fans are going to buy the game because many people did not know that it was Dungeons & Dragons and they might have hated DnD but loved the game.

 

Sega is a much larger company than Atari and Interplay combined. How come Sega has stated that they will re-release Virtua Fighter 5R in North America if a petition passes a certain number of people. If Sega is willing to do this, what makes you think Atari would do any less especially since they are a much smaller company. If Sega is willing to take in a petition, then Atari will definitely be willing to take in a petition.

Edited May 17, 2011 by Cutlock

[Hurlshort]

I heard they are already making this game.

 

I beliieve it is called Daggerdale.

[Tigranes]

Just because one doesn't sign a petition doesn't mean they don't support what the petition is about. In regards to BG:DA3, I would be interested in buying/playing it though I don't plan to sign the petition ever.

 

So.. out of the millions who don't sign a peitition, you might get a small percentage buying the game anyways.

 

Uh... this is addressed in exactly the bit you quoted: "even 50,000 signatures might show that enough people care to meet that 500k sales target".

 

[Cutlock]

Hurlshot you sick, sick man. Have you no honour. That is akin to Demon Stone and Heroes.

 

Yeah, thanks for pointing that out Tigranes.

[Cutlock]

First off: Bump.

 

Second Off: With Daggerdale a sucky as hell game. Atari needs this.

[sorophx]

The Black Hound

wth is this black hound? a mod? my Google Fu seems to be too weak, and even Josh won't answer me

[Gorth]

The Black Hound

wth is this black hound? a mod? my Google Fu seems to be too weak, and even Josh won't answer me

The name of "Project Jefferson", AKA "Baldur's Gate III" AKA "The Black Hound". A game whose development had progressed quite a lot before being cancelled by Interplay, due to Atari wrestling the license and rights to publish it away from them (I'm sure there is a certain irony in there somewhere),

 

Edit: J.E.Sawyer was quite heavily involved in the game. Might still be a sore subject

[sorophx]

I had no idea Black Isle had worked on BG3 all I knew about it from the press was that Bio cut a lot from it and released it as Throne of Bhaal... now you tell me it was actually two different games, my world just exploded

[Morgoth]

Yeah, Black Hound was Josh's baby.

 

Atari has now sold Cryptic for $50 million, maybe they can now finance a decent D&D game again, preferbly developed by Obsidian. BG would be cool, IWD will do as well.

Edited June 1, 2011 by Morgoth

[WorstUsernameEver]

I had no idea Black Isle had worked on BG3 all I knew about it from the press was that Bio cut a lot from it and released it as Throne of Bhaal... now you tell me it was actually two different games, my world just exploded

 

The Black Hound was going to be Baldur's Gate in name only, anyway. Basically, from what I remember, Interplay didn't have the Dungeons & Dragons license anymore, but still had the Baldur's Gate one, so they decided to run with that, despite making a game that had essentially nothing to do with Baldur's Gate's storyline.

[sorophx]

sounds confusing... so, they could use "Baldur's Gate" and characters from previous games but couldn't use the D&D rules? man, I gotta find some info on this project. this is interesting stuff...

 

anyway. to not derail the thread completely: why would anyone even want to see Dark Alliance 3? the first two games were awful

[WorstUsernameEver]

sounds confusing... so, they could use "Baldur's Gate" and characters from previous games but couldn't use the D&D rules? man, I gotta find some info on this project. this is interesting stuff...

 

anyway. to not derail the thread completely: why would anyone even want to see Dark Alliance 3? the first two games were awful

 

Actually think they could use the D&D rules, as long as they dubbed the product "Baldur's Gate" in some ways but.. I'd have to look into it, it's been pretty long since. Josh tried resurrecting the project as a NWN2 mod but he simply didn't have time to finish it and he's not planning to release the unfinished project or let others finish it either.

[Tale]

That's also the reason Dark Alliance is a Baldur's Gate game.

[sorophx]

man, if I could only get my hands on BGIII's design document...

 

With protagonists progressing to around level four at the end of BIS’ typically enormous campaign and a hard cap at level eight, gameplay was refocussed to a flat and wide adventure emphasizing quests over combat.

 

holy cows. this takes the number one spot in my list of "My fav games that never were". Torn and Aliens RPG had to move

Edited June 1, 2011 by sorophx