Obsidian's approach to gamedesign, art design and setting.

[Akratus]

When I can't sleep at night I start to conjur up fictitious games in my mind. How about a game with the same visceral combat as Diablo 2, that gives you that satisfaction to see enemies flinch, quiver, and roll around in their blood when they die? It would feature first person combat to make it as immersive as possible. With care taken to lessen such a view's restrictions. (FOV, visible feet etc) Melee weapons shouldn't be restricted to a single generic attack but the left mouse button would have the character swing it from left to right or right to left, the right mouse button would swing it in an upward motion and scrolling forward would stab, effective against the head/weak points of enemies, pressing the scroll button would block. Something like that. A group of players would cooperatively travel from village to castle to dungeon fighting increasingly professional enemies. Magic wouldn't be a huge array of spells with no basis in any logic (fictitious or otherwise) but would be made to fit best with the setting. It would be an adventurous, action filled fantasy action rpg which takes the best elements from many games, old and new.

 

And that's just the basic idea. I'd like to think it's something new to break the mold. Why would someone, when designing a game, EVER think of using all the old fantasy tropes, all the old gamedesign elements, all the old design choices? Well perhaps not all, but most. Unrealistic stats, classes, generic restrictive skill development. These are not the things I think of in new games. Skill systems, dialogue, stats, character development, quests. There's so much left to explore in these.

 

What about non-linear skills? An innovative and expansive character development system that not only allows the player to choose the strongest abilities, but allows them to create a real person with real abilities and flaws. Someone could make a character that uses shields and magic, one in each hand. Or a plate armor wielding warior that uses a sword and bow/arrows. Perhaps a character that wields light armor and a claymore?

 

When Obsidian announced Project Eternity, I thought that they, like me, would be excited to build a new game that doesn't tread old ground. An innovative game that stands on it's own as one filled with expansive, innovative and choice filled systems. Which is what most dream rpg's are made of, no?

 

Obsidian already does this with characters, storylines and factions. They've shown they are more than capable at that. Why not apply it to the gameplay as well? Why only dream of great stories, and settle for generic classes, elves, things like that? Why not be ambitious when you can?

Edited September 17, 2012 by ArealLechOmit