Bard's Tale 4

[Humanoid]

I really want that letter, but I'd need to go pirate something first.

[Hiro Protagonist II]

Awesome stuff.

https://forums.inxile-entertainment.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=12985&p=150973#p150973

 

Definitely looking at one of the collectors editions.

[Keyrock]

I'll probably just jump on the $25 Early Bard tier, provided the pitch sells me on the game.  I don't want anything physical, I don't want a strategy guide, and I wouldn't beta test it for them even if I was given the opportunity to do it.

[Valmy]

Since the original games were such a big thing to my childhood might as well get those novellas. The $40.00 tier for me.

[Majek]

I'll look at what my financial situation is 4 days before the KS ends and decide then.

[Gizmo]

First person is GARBAGE. It never improves a game. Only makes it worse.

Depends on the intent of the game.  FPP is not a grand panacea to improve all games, (especially not for strategic multi-character games that involve flanking); but when the game intends to present the view from the ground, then there is scarcely better than an FPP view for the task.  Bard's Tale was FPP for a PC's view of exploring the area. 

 

But I also wouldn't want a Might & Magic X/Legend of Grimrock solution just because the old games had that movement/view.

This was intrinsic to the mechanics of dungeon crawlers. Outside of copying Devil Whiskey, the best path for a Bard's Tale sequel is to play like Grimrock 2, with combat akin to Thunderscape.  But sadly, it seems that Brian Fargo plans not to retain the BT gameplay, and is not leaning towards a grid based system of the established series.  

 

 

I still think Fallout 3/New Vegas is the best modernization of an older game that I've seen.

NV conversation was good, but the game suffered for using FO3's gameplay ~which was crap for a Fallout title; and it made things worse with additions like Ironsights. Ironsights of course are for manual aiming, and manual aiming seeks to negate the point of a PC weapon skill... Which is to say that if they can't hit the side of a barn, then they should not be managing it with the player's help.

 

*No Fallout game should be a franken-shooter. NV gets a loose pass for being a FO3 spin-off, rather than a sequel.  It was a wonderful step back towards proper form, but it was still basically FO3:enhanced.

 

FO3 was not a proper sequel or foundation for New Vegas to build upon.

 

For Bard's Tale sequel, I would hope they build upon Bard's Tale, rather that dress up an unrelated game in its fiction. But they did that with Wasteland 2, so it could happen with BT4

(WL2 was effectively a proper Fallout 3 using the Wasteland setting and allowing more than one PC; it didn't play like Wasteland at all.)

Edited May 20, 2015 by Gizmo

[Darkpriest]

I'd like some good dungeon crawler. I liked M&M X, i stopped playing Legends of Grim. because of that annoying "select the runes again and again" spellcasting. I preferred Legacy approach to spells.

 

BUT that said, wasteland 2 wasn't as good as I hoped (combat is not really that good, and that's the point of pre-made by player party, right), and I have still my doubts about the quality of the new torment, so while I like the idea I am on the fence whether to fork out my money on it or not.

[Bryy]

Need to see gameplay before I decided how much I'm pledging.

[Elerond]

First person dungeon crawls aren't my thing, so I will not back this and probably will not play it ever. 

[bonarbill]

I'm just not interested in first person party RPGs anymore.  I think Wizardry 8 and MMX tired me out.  I rather have a new version of the 2004 game.

Edited May 22, 2015 by bonarbill

[Sven_]

I wonder if this will be grid-based? 

 

Optionally, yes, probably ditto for a no auto mapping mode (for a real oldschool 1980s experience). Rich Cobbett did an interview with Fargo a couple days ago which suggested he had also seen some presentation himself. It also suggested that technologically this will be comparably advanced. Grimrock and stuff completely went with that retro vibe and ran with it, which was cool also. But whilst this appears aimed to be a dungeon crawler truly, it appears it's one that doesn't necessarily ignore later Might&Magics (or Underworld, or Arx Fatalis) for that matter. Combat will be phase based, though, and there's of course a party involved.

 

RPS: And as long as it plays fair. The bad dungeon crawlers were always the ‘walk down the corridors, suddenly fall down a pit’ type, versus the ones where you see the details and see the designers have made a place rather than just a maze.

 

Fargo: And the ones where the players can blame themselves are even better – they pushed on, knew they shouldn’t, paid the consequence. We’re bringing all those elements back. But what we’re also trying to do is something much more ambitious than what’s been done before.

[You’ll need to wait until the start of June to see it in action unfortunately, since inXile still finishing up their presentation for the Kickstarter, but it’s a fully 3D world of both indoor and outdoor locations that looks like a 3DMark demo. The closest touchstones are Legend of Grimrock 2 and Might and Magic X, and it makes both of them look as retro as the games they’re building on.]

 

 

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/05/18/bards-tale-4/

 

 

Trying to top what's been done before sounds like a lofty goal. But then again, what were the last big first person dungeon crawlers prior to Grimrock and M&M Legacy? Wizards & Warriors and Arx Fatalis, like a decade ago? And beating the copy/paste linear tunnels in titles such as TES should be doable, ditto their overly simple puzzle design.

Edited May 27, 2015 by Sven_

[mkreku]

I would also prefer to not have a party, but I guess that would depart too much from the original Bard's Tale games. I've never played a first person game with a party that felt natural.

 

Oh well, my immense nostalgia for Bard's Tale still keeps me interested.

[Bryy]

So. $1m in six hours?

[ShadySands]

Will probably sit this out or back at the lowest level :/

 

I'm just not into FPP

[Bryy]

Yeah. Right now, I'm in for a buck.

[BruceVC]

I wonder if there will be Romance? I don't believe the original games had Romance but there is no reason the Bards Tale genre can't evolve with the times?

 

I am prepared to double my KS pledge if there will be Romance 

[bussinrounds]

WTF is this the Bioware boards ?

[BruceVC]

WTF is this the Bioware boards ?

 

Yes, Obsidian is now owned by Bioware so all Obsidian games will now have mandatory Romance....its a grand new world 

[Nonek]

In related news Dragon Wars is now out on GOG.

[Keyrock]

I never actually played Dragon Wars.  I played the entire Bard's Tale Trilogy, but never Dragon Wars.  My friend had Dragon Wars on his Apple IIgs and I watched him play a little of it, but I never got to play it myself (I had a Tandy 1000, so I couldn't just borrow the game from him).  I might scoop it up and give it a go.

 

Edit:  Dat dank Boris Vallejo box art tho

 

I demand Boris Vallejo or Julie Bell box art for The Bard's Tale 4.

Edited May 29, 2015 by Keyrock

[The Kiwi]

http://nichegamer.com/2015/05/bards-tale-4-will-open-its-kickstarter-on-june-2nd/

 

What do you guys think?

Having played it while new, 30 years ago, I still remember it well.  It was difficult as could be; my parties got killed so often starting out, I wondered if I would ever earn a first increase in rank!  But I'd love to try a new version.  I had the one from a few years ago, and never really managed to get into it, however. 

[Keyrock]

The Kickstarter is live.

Edited June 2, 2015 by Keyrock

[Gfted1]

That poor dragon probably gets teased by all the other dragons for those buck teeth.

[Keyrock]

That poor dragon probably gets teased by all the other dragons for those buck teeth.

On the other hand, those claws seem exceptionally well manicured.  Overcompensation?

 

Fun fact: Dragon Wars originally began as The Bard's Tale 4.

Edited June 2, 2015 by Keyrock

[Valmy]

Pledged.

 

Posting the original map from The Bard's Tale gave me nostalgia goose pimples. Damn I feel old.