Obsidian's (rumoured) next kickstarter, what would you want to see?

[ShadySands]

My guess is a Dying Earth type setting

 

EDIT: This was in reply to Keyrock

Edited December 19, 2013 by ShadySands

[rjshae]

 

It's... a bit odd? No, they would just need to choose something a little different that would inspire donations. Fantasy would work perfectly fine for that. It's the broadest of all genres.

 

If they did then the question would be "why didn't you kickstart this instead of PoE?" and "won't this take focus away from/ be too similar to PoE?" from a lot of people. They'd already get some people who will not back again due to not having a completed product from the first ks, and they already have the most popular fantasy subset covered. If they were to do a Skyrim type open world thingy in fantasy chances are it would be set in the PoE world anyway.

 

Whiners gonna whine. If the concept is any good, it'll get supported anyway.

[Luridis]

Yes, fantasy-horror please. Original IP, inspired by Lovecraft and similar settings, but not a copy of them.

 

Please no slendermen, I find it disturbing that so many people are actually scared by that shallow atrocity of fiction. (Yes, it's shallow as all they do is sneak up and essentially say, "Bo!" There is never story behind him that wasn't made up on the spot by someone.)

 

Real darkness is long overdue! I want a torch to be a godsend. I want that "there's something creepy out there in the dark" feeling, without it being immediately undermined by an ambient light level that never drops below what you see around sunset.

 

EDIT: No saving the world either! Yourself, the damsel, the town... that's plenty. Messianic protagonists are getting old at this point.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Luridis

[Fearabbit]

Why would I care about balance in a single player game?

 

Well I care about balance in a singleplayer game for two reasons: 1) I don't want one character I created to be less enjoyable than another, and 2) I want to be rewarded for progression, not penalized.

Arcanum's character creation was great, but while advancing through the technology and magic trees was fun, it was futile. Molotov cucktail, balanced sword and the first Necromancy spell were easily the best and most useful things you got out of that combat-wise, and you could get them at first level. I pretty much killed the final boss with molotovs or that necromantic damage spell. I had a MUCH harder time with the Elephant Gun or whatever the final badass-looking gun in that tech tree was called.

And realizing that was NOT enjoyable.

 

The other thing is that even choosing a tech guy was a wrong decision. They were worse in pretty much everything than a normal fighter or mage was, and they had more micro-managing with bullets, batteries, crafting materials etc.

 

That's the only thing I want "balanced". If one character is totally overpowered combat-wise but the other one is just so much fun to play that I can't decide between these two concepts, then that's all I want. I don't need perfect balancing in the combat area as long as I'm having fun.

 

What's an "all is lost" setting?  Post-apocalyptic? 

 

No, pre-apocalyptic. Where you don't know if there's gonna be a post-apocalypse.

To be specific, I was thinking of Mass Effect, that type of thing. Mass Effect had a cool universe but it was screwed from the very beginning, and after the last game they either have to go back in time or create a whole new setting for the next one. One that's way less cool than the one they started with because the mass effect relays are ancient history now, so no more space adventures, I guess.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Fearabbit

[Keyrock]

 

What's an "all is lost" setting?  Post-apocalyptic? 

 

No, pre-apocalyptic. Where you don't know if there's gonna be a post-apocalypse.

To be specific, I was thinking of Mass Effect, that type of thing. Mass Effect had a cool universe but it was screwed from the very beginning, and after the last game they either have to go back in time or create a whole new setting for the next one. One that's way less cool than the one they started with because the mass effect relays are ancient history now, so no more space adventures, I guess.

 

Okay.  In that case put me in the please no "all is lost" setting camp.

[Undecaf]

A near future dystopian low scifi setting would be cool. Something akin to but not direct copy of 1984, or the like. And more specifically a game that has some but is not about combat, but about world interaction (social and otherwise).

 

I'm completely burned out on high, semi-high and even low fantasy with their elves, orcs and swords&sorcery (or their setting related mirror image counterparts). Should that be the decision for the setup, it'd probably be a no go for me unless they managed to come up with something absolutely remarkable (which I doubt given how overused the fantasy genre is).

[Azure79]

I'd like to see an alternate history type game like Lionheart, except it's actually good. I really liked the overall atmosphere and setting of the game, but didn't enjoy the gameplay. 

[rjshae]

So... an alternative history dystopian dying Earth sci-fi fantasy with horror aspects. But no cyberpunk or "all is lost" elements.

[Jozape]

I would like to see a game with a more interesting setting. Being a prospective scientist myself, I have a soft spot for science fiction, but it is not the only setting which would be interesting. I have no preference beyond being creative enough to feel refreshing. Torment: Tides of Numenera has the type of setting which looks refreshing to me. Pillars of Eternity, unfortunately, does not so far.

 

I want real-time with pause. Turn-based is better than real-time with no pause, but real-time with pause offers the most control to the player. The world also looks more coherent from the perspective of the characters within a game which uses real-time with pause. I am glad Pillars of Eternity is using RTwP, and I hope all of Obsidian's future games use it.

 

I would like to see in-game explanations for every possible thing, including party limits and classes. Obsidian is usually good with this type of description.

 

Original properties seem appropriate, but if you can find another to work with creatively who cares?

 

Additionally, I would like to see 1 000 000 backers. That should be part of the KickStarter pitch.

[Fearabbit]

So... an alternative history dystopian dying Earth sci-fi fantasy with horror aspects. But no cyberpunk or "all is lost" elements.

 

Yeah, just because the melting ice caps made Chtulhu rise and create a police state with unspeakable horrors stalking the streets, it doesn't mean we have to implement chips into our brains or can't have some fun. :D

[nikolokolus]

Horror. Something like H.P. Lovecraft.

 

The answer you're looking for is Clark Ashton Smith.  

 

You're welcome.

[Calax]

>.>

 

Warhammer 40k IP using an inquisitor character in order to explore different worlds with different tech levels.

 

Because what other sort of game could you go from "guys hitting each other with axes" to "guys beating the heck out of each other with axes THAT ARE CHAINSAWS!" to "Giant robots" and "horror esque underlevels" and "Governmental consperacies that lead to warfare"?

 

And let the writers run all over tearing apart tropes and archtypes like crazy.

[Undecaf]

What ever they are planning, I kinda hope it is something other than "Hey, we're doing a spiritual sequel to a beloved franchise from the days of yore, now give us money." I'd like Obsidian to try and stretch their creativity to see if they can come up with something interesting, and old school in nature, without resorting to too much namedropping for nostalgias or familiaritys sake (eg. no "remember the IE games" nor "you all know Skyrim"). Something that can create interest by standing on its own feet, something more or less unique to the current market at hand (not an easy task, surely, but certainly worth the while to try I'd say).

Edited December 25, 2013 by Undecaf

[rjshae]

There's a trade off--familiar topics and titles attract players of previous games, whereas strange stuff usually takes a while to catch on and will probably not reap anywhere near as much profit. If nothing else, "wierd stuff" tends to scare off parents. Ideally then, a game will retain just enough of the familiar while treading on new ground and pushing the boundaries a little. Maybe start off with the familiar then move toward the unique?

[Kissamies]

Hmm, non-space opera space sci-fi rpg maybe. Bit harder sci-fi, but still doen't have to be afwully hard, just little bit more about the science and slightly more man vs universe themes than usual. If there was space travel, it would be bigger deal than "click on the star map and there you are."  Maybe a colony on an alien planet could be an interesting setting.

[ItinerantNomad]

I would like something based on real-life with a little bit of fantasy Renaissance Italy or World War I. Something historical with an interesting story. Please no WW2, because too much media is already invested in that time-period.

[Wolfenbarg]

I actually wouldn't mind an "all is lost" type of setting, just as long as it isn't the same story we've seen over and over again. Instead of trying to save the world, trying to survive or solve a personal struggle would be interesting. Something the people at Obsidian are good at is taking something we're used to and either deconstructing it or doing something new entirely. 

[Nepenthe]

I sure hope they don't read this thread. I mean, I almost killed myself twice in the last three pages.

[licketysplit]

Maybe a military themed RPG. A game where you play a soldier advancing through the ranks, tackling a series of missions. Like Call of Duty, only interesting.

Edited December 27, 2013 by licketysplit

[Blodhemn]

I sure hope they don't read this thread. I mean, I almost killed myself twice in the last three pages.

Same.

[Archmage Silver]

Original IP, RTwP in the form of a Space Opera with Firefly influences.

 

Edit: Also, I vote 'no' on episodic content.

Edited December 29, 2013 by Archmage Silver

[Calax]

I think one of the hard things about this is that most people expect that any space RPG to be like Mass Effect where you have a ship and go through FTL speeds in order to get to the next planet but really the ship is just your "Camp" in any other RPG.

 

One thing that'd be fun is if you were the point for an armada or fleet and ended up having the ship you went on change as you came to control more power. This probably harkens back to my whole issue of the "NPC usually isn't that powerful within the setting" but it'd be nice if you're the Lord-Commander-King-Monkey of all the human/allied/rebellion forces, and you were in control of a ship that showed that authority. Instead of being on a ship that's 1/3rd the size of a standard captial vessel.

 

At the same time, if you're king/prince/special make the PC feel special. Don't have the PC sitting there fighting their own way out of a small army of weak mooks, have them be evacuated by force by their protectors. It always bugs me when youdo all this stuff to unite the disparate elements of a cause to win.... and are left being on the periphery of your own war (Yes this includes Dragon Age where you're basically ignored in favor of the king or queen leading all the forces against the blight).

[Nepenthe]

At the same time, if you're king/prince/special make the PC feel special. Don't have the PC sitting there fighting their own way out of a small army of weak mooks, have them be evacuated by force by their protectors. It always bugs me when youdo all this stuff to unite the disparate elements of a cause to win.... and are left being on the periphery of your own war (Yes this includes Dragon Age where you're basically ignored in favor of the king or queen leading all the forces against the blight).

Probably one of the reasons they went with the voiced protagonist - kind of hard to exhort the friendly armies, when you're mute and just stare awkwardly in cutscenes. Edited December 31, 2013 by Nepenthe

[Deadly_Nightshade]

A VtM-game, in the vein of Bloodlines.

A Requiem game would also be acceptable.

[Amentep]

Yeah, I don't get why everyone wants sci-fi so bad, it's almost as played out as generic Tolkien-esque fantasy.  There are so many cool settings that have barely been touched by RPGs:

 

Arabian Nights

Hindu Mythology (Mahabharata and Ramayana)

Native American Mythology

Wuxia

Wild West (Either steampunk-esque or more historical)

Cthulhu Mythos

Modern Conspiracy (Masons, Illuminati, New World Order, etc.)

Prohibition Era Gangsters

 

That's just a few off the top of my head, there are tons of other potential settings that have barely been touched by RPGs, if at all.  Why do people insist on going back to the same genres that we've already visited again and again and again and again?

 

If it HAS TO BE sci-fi, for the love of all that is holy, please let it be hard sci-fi and not another space opera.

 

Would love an Arabian Nights setting (the stories are quite diverse so a lot to play with).

 

And Wild West or Weird West would be cool

 

I'd also take a 1930s era pulp style game too (some of the pulp villains are just as crazy as anything High Fantasy or Sci-Fi - for example THE OCTOPUS by Norvell Page - throw in  late Lovecraft, Dashiell Hammet, a little Shadow, Doc Savage, Spider and Avenger, some of the historical period - prohibition, gangsters, Japan's invasion of Manchuria, etc and you have a whole lot of things to design from)

 

That said, what I really want is for Obsidian to make a game they're passionate about making more than anything else.