True Classic RPG Experience

[Kalon]

Imagine the smell.

 

[Chippy]

It's a short game, but if you can put up with a few quirks, Fallout 1 is the most epic and realistic gaming word out of the classics. BG1 will always be my favourite, but F1 just challenges the player in different ways.

 

[anvi]

Might & Magic games have a similar look and feel to EQ. But they are no way near as big or advanced or interesting. P99 is worth a try but just know that if an experienced player gives you money or gear it can ruin the game.

 

[Stasgard]

Plenty of patrician recommendations dropped here, will always second any Arcanum, Wizardry or M&M shilling. As per your desire for something that specifically captures the adventure and hardship from an Everquest I would recommend Roguelikes as a means of getting that sensation, Ancient Domains of Mystery and Tales of Maj'Eyal in particular, they have an open world element that gives them a very different vibe from most in the sub-genre.

 

[Mortmal]

If you want a classic feel and a shitty 3D look like everquest dont look further there's demise and one whole thread about it on the codex.

 

[Galdred]

Hi Codex. I have been thinking about playing Everquest Project 1999. I am left in awe of how truly epic it sounds, with all of the epic quests and how much of a real journey it is what with the slow, purposeful way you navigate the world. And I got to thinking and wondering if any video game does this in a single player way. The only things I can think of, which I still need to play, would *possibly* be the Ultima games and old school dungeon crawlers a la Might and Magic, as well as the most famous NWN modules like Aielund Saga and Swordflight. Is this correct? I am talking a true epic quest with a whole world to take in, truly and authentically epic and difficult bosses, especially the last boss, and just a bunch of quests and lands and peoples throughout that contribute to this true journey you are on.

Now, I also think of Gothic I and II but, masterworks they are, you are extremely overpowered by the end of the game and the end boss(es) in both games, epic-feeling as they are, are too easy. So Gothic actually almost fulfills what I am seeking, and certainly does in a certain way, but it does not provide that feeling of sinking an obnoxious amount of time into beating some end-game boss/area the way Everquest does. At least this sounds like the case based on everything I hear about it. I am talking taking 6 months to accomplish your epic quest in Everquest. I am not asking for something 1:1 equivalent that takes 6 months, but something that just takes such dedication and brings a true feeling of accomplishment despite the somewhat pain in the ass it is. Something that is truly earned.

Please feel free to name even extremely well-known classics like Baldur's Gate. I am just looking for something that provides this feeling. I am going to actually play EQ 1999 sometime but not for now. I am aware of Project: Gorgon, another MMO, but I am specifically looking for a singleplayer experience that captures this same thing that Everquest seems to have. So which games do this, if any?

Edit: Another key word I want to include would be "mystery". Everquest seems to have just nailed mystery and wonder and lets you the player unravel this world, bit by bit, quest by quest, town by town. It does not spoonfeed you.
2nd Edit: I also just realized that Outward KIND OF accomplishes this. The bonus bosses are difficult and in fact I need to go back and beat those guys. Also looking for something 3D preferably since there's tons of isometric classics.

Kenshi kind of does that. It takes an awful amount of training and gearing up to reach the point where you can murder the world's VIP.

 

[Spike]

If you want a classic feel and a shitty 3D look like everquest dont look further there's demise and one whole thread about it on the codex.

Funny, I had this game in mind as something that looks like it has my qualifications when I made the thread. Must have forgotten to mention it, though. I discovered it through that thread. Thanks for the confirmation!

Hi Codex. I have been thinking about playing Everquest Project 1999. I am left in awe of how truly epic it sounds, with all of the epic quests and how much of a real journey it is what with the slow, purposeful way you navigate the world. And I got to thinking and wondering if any video game does this in a single player way. The only things I can think of, which I still need to play, would *possibly* be the Ultima games and old school dungeon crawlers a la Might and Magic, as well as the most famous NWN modules like Aielund Saga and Swordflight. Is this correct? I am talking a true epic quest with a whole world to take in, truly and authentically epic and difficult bosses, especially the last boss, and just a bunch of quests and lands and peoples throughout that contribute to this true journey you are on.

Now, I also think of Gothic I and II but, masterworks they are, you are extremely overpowered by the end of the game and the end boss(es) in both games, epic-feeling as they are, are too easy. So Gothic actually almost fulfills what I am seeking, and certainly does in a certain way, but it does not provide that feeling of sinking an obnoxious amount of time into beating some end-game boss/area the way Everquest does. At least this sounds like the case based on everything I hear about it. I am talking taking 6 months to accomplish your epic quest in Everquest. I am not asking for something 1:1 equivalent that takes 6 months, but something that just takes such dedication and brings a true feeling of accomplishment despite the somewhat pain in the ass it is. Something that is truly earned.

Please feel free to name even extremely well-known classics like Baldur's Gate. I am just looking for something that provides this feeling. I am going to actually play EQ 1999 sometime but not for now. I am aware of Project: Gorgon, another MMO, but I am specifically looking for a singleplayer experience that captures this same thing that Everquest seems to have. So which games do this, if any?

Edit: Another key word I want to include would be "mystery". Everquest seems to have just nailed mystery and wonder and lets you the player unravel this world, bit by bit, quest by quest, town by town. It does not spoonfeed you.
2nd Edit: I also just realized that Outward KIND OF accomplishes this. The bonus bosses are difficult and in fact I need to go back and beat those guys. Also looking for something 3D preferably since there's tons of isometric classics.

Kenshi kind of does that. It takes an awful amount of training and gearing up to reach the point where you can murder the world's VIP.

Interesting. I've always been on the fence whether or not Kenshi seems like it's for me. Will make a note, though.

 

[Stormcrowfleet]

Coming from a tabletop setting, personally I think old Ultima and Gold Box games are the one that nearest to RPG experiences. Not saying they are the games I had the most fun with, they their issues, but still.

 

[Spike]

Coming from a tabletop setting, personally I think old Ultima and Gold Box games are the one that nearest to RPG experiences. Not saying they are the games I had the most fun with, they their issues, but still.

Appreciate the input. Best way to play these? GOG or Steam? Normally I would say GOG, but a PC Gamer article was saying that the Steam ones have a companion app built in with a map that fills as you explore. I am on the fence if I want to make my own by hand or if I should save that for Might and Magic or something.

 

[Butter]

The Gold Box and M&M games almost never require external mapping (they all have auto-maps except for M&M 1, and Gold Box maps are usually 16x16).

 

[Spike]

The Gold Box and M&M games almost never require external mapping (they all have auto-maps except for M&M 1, and Gold Box maps are usually 16x16).

Thank you. Any reason to grab the Steam ones over GOG? The Steam ones seem like less of a hassle to get working out of the box with crisp images but maybe that's my mind playing tricks. I already own Forgotten Realms Archives 1 and 3 on GOG. Still, I am willing to re-buy them if the experience is smoother. I have never even fired them up from GOG though so I do not know if this will even be an issue. After all of the troubleshooting I've done for countless games, I very much prefer as little resistance as possible from these. Also, do they support mouselook out of the box?

 

[Butter]

I haven't had any trouble getting anything to work out of the box on GOG, although it's still recommended to use unofficial patches for things like M&M6 or ToEE.

 

[Spike]

I haven't had any trouble getting anything to work out of the box on GOG, although it's still recommended to use unofficial patches for things like M&M6 or ToEE.

Thank you, all I needed to hear. I can tackle that when it comes. I see now that that companion app I mentioned is not all it's cracked up to be, seems to kind of streamline things too much and I don't just mean with having an automap (which I actually like).

 

[luj1]

BG, Fallout 1-2, Arcanum, ToEE, Wizardry 6-8, NwN, etc. are all classic RPG experiences

Anything from the Renaissance era (1996-2004) or Goldbox era (1988-1996)

Just avoid anything modern because its full of feature bloat and trannies

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

Wizardry 6 is my go to when it comes to classic crpgs. I think it's a neat balance of old school philosophies and somewhat modern ones. You are expected to scout, learn and discover things on your own, but you don't really get a massive penalty for failure, I'd say (other than a full party wipe, but that's part of the fun). There's some mods that can alliviate some aspects of it, like the automap one (no point in playing blobbers without one, and yes, i've done manual maps before).
Hell I'd even say it's the best Wizardry. 7 is very good too but it gets a bit too much sometimes. It's too big, senpai.

 

[Spike]

BG, Fallout 1-2, Arcanum, ToEE, Wizardry 6-8, NwN, etc. are all classic RPG experiences

Anything from the Renaissance era (1996-2004) or Goldbox era (1988-1996)

Just avoid anything modern because its full of feature bloat and trannies

Thank you. I have certainly ascertained this at the very least. I am also excited to play Swordflight and Aielund Saga, I have done my homework.

I guess what I am specifically asking, to hone in on, would be all of that *plus* some crazy involved big quests with some big enemy/boss, as well as to obtain some crazy item/weapon that is optional. Without spoilers. Though, the answers already given seem to cover this but do keep them coming, Codex.

I haven't had any trouble getting anything to work out of the box on GOG, although it's still recommended to use unofficial patches for things like M&M6 or ToEE.

How is the aspect ratio? It seems like on Steam it is more friendly out of the box, but in Gog there may need to be some tinkering? I have become more stubbornly anti-tinker after dealing with the fact every other classic needs community patches and a whole slew of nonsense to get running in the best-looking way with the best presentation. This did not occur to me until I saw the Goldbox games on Steam and they just seem like they'd be friendlier in this way. Even that article mentions something about aspect ratio tinkering with GOG and not for Steam.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

Well in GOG you can configure it to preserve the og's aspect ratio using DosBox. More recent titles have this option enabled by default. And in Windows games it would depend on the publisher. GOG used to push for games with stretched resolutions because people would complain about black bars on their screens.

 

[Butter]

I always run DOSBox games in 1024x768. It's a comfortable size on a 1080p monitor and it leaves room for Notepad or Grid Cartographer on the side.

 

[Stormcrowfleet]

Coming from a tabletop setting, personally I think old Ultima and Gold Box games are the one that nearest to RPG experiences. Not saying they are the games I had the most fun with, they their issues, but still.

Appreciate the input. Best way to play these? GOG or Steam? Normally I would say GOG, but a PC Gamer article was saying that the Steam ones have a companion app built in with a map that fills as you explore. I am on the fence if I want to make my own by hand or if I should save that for Might and Magic or something.

Don't have them on Steam, can't say. But as far as the map goes, you can use Grid Cartographer to write your own (or download and use it from someone else). GC I have it on steam tho.

 

[smaug]

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Realms of Arkania HD

 

[luj1]

I guess what I am specifically asking, to hone in on, would be all of that *plus* some crazy involved big quests with some big enemy/boss, as well as to obtain some crazy item/weapon that is optional.

what ure looking for are well made quests/dungeons

Plenty of that in the games I mentioned. Particularly Arcanum, Morrowind and quality NwN modules

 

[Spike]

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord

The OG, huh? Neat.

Realms of Arkania HD

Have it, been meaning to play it for ages. Huge backlog as you can imagine. I have the originals as well.

I guess what I am specifically asking, to hone in on, would be all of that *plus* some crazy involved big quests with some big enemy/boss, as well as to obtain some crazy item/weapon that is optional.

what ure looking for are well made quests/dungeons

Plenty of that in the games I mentioned. Particularly Arcanum, Morrowind and quality NwN modules

:D Absolutely.

Any notable Quake/Doom mods that are melee/sword/quest/rpg-based in this vein? I love finding stuff like that.

 

[luj1]

D Absolutely.

Any notable Quake/Doom mods that are melee/sword/quest/rpg-based in this vein? I love finding stuff like that.

Horde of Zendar and The Necromancers Keep

 

[Spike]

D Absolutely.

Any notable Quake/Doom mods that are melee/sword/quest/rpg-based in this vein? I love finding stuff like that.

Horde of Zendar and The Necromancers Keep

Thanks, that was quick. Does Arcane Dimensions include these two automatically or am I mistaken?