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Review - posted by Vault Dweller on Sun 23 April 2006, 05:23:23
Tags: Bethesda Softworks; The Elder Scrolls IV: OblivionWe proudly present our review of the first truly next-generation RPG, Oblivion:
However, with Morrowind I think we saw that our kind of game appeals to a wider audience, given the game's success among more casual gamers who are neither "hardcore" nor "RPG geeks".
Gavin Carter
That quote is probably the best and most honest description of Oblivion I've ever seen. It's a game for casual players. Hardcore fans of the series or RPG geeks need not apply. You shall not find depth or challenge in Oblivion.
Interview - posted by Vault Dweller on Wed 19 April 2006, 01:08:40
Tags: CD Projekt; Witcher, TheWe've had a chat with CD Projekt's Joanna Kobylecka, who was nice enough to answer a few questions about The Witcher in great details:
7. Choices & consequences. CD Projekt has mentioned previously that different paths have different consequences, and that there are no right or wrong choices. Can you elaborate on that?
Because we present a fantasy world that has no true distinction between good and evil there really isn’t a right or wrong choice. The Witcher is morally ambiguous. Within the story there’s a large political struggle occurring between the races and Geralt is struggling with his own existence. As a lone wolf you are not affiliated with any group, but your reputation, based on your previous actions and choices, has a major impact your future actions and choices.After Oblivion that sounds very, very appealing.
7. Choices & consequences. CD Projekt has mentioned previously that different paths have different consequences, and that there are no right or wrong choices. Can you elaborate on that?
Because we present a fantasy world that has no true distinction between good and evil there really isn’t a right or wrong choice. The Witcher is morally ambiguous. Within the story there’s a large political struggle occurring between the races and Geralt is struggling with his own existence. As a lone wolf you are not affiliated with any group, but your reputation, based on your previous actions and choices, has a major impact your future actions and choices.
Interview - posted by Vault Dweller on Fri 17 March 2006, 04:05:40
Tags: Josh Sawyer; Obsidian EntertainmentJE Sawyer has graced us with his presence and answered a question or two:
In Fallout 3, I wanted to make a serious attempt at balancing firearms through the availability of ammunition. I believed that ammunition as a valuable commodity made sense in a wasteland environment. Low-power ammo would be relatively common, but the stuff found in high powered rifles, machineguns, plasma weapons, etc. would be much rarer. The firearm specializations would have come through perks. I didn't really want to take depth away from firearms; I wanted to make firearm depth comparable to the depth of the unarmed and melee skills. As long as the nature of firearms and ammunition was made clear to the player, I think it would have worked.
In Fallout 3, I wanted to make a serious attempt at balancing firearms through the availability of ammunition. I believed that ammunition as a valuable commodity made sense in a wasteland environment. Low-power ammo would be relatively common, but the stuff found in high powered rifles, machineguns, plasma weapons, etc. would be much rarer. The firearm specializations would have come through perks. I didn't really want to take depth away from firearms; I wanted to make firearm depth comparable to the depth of the unarmed and melee skills. As long as the nature of firearms and ammunition was made clear to the player, I think it would have worked.
Review - posted by Vault Dweller on Tue 14 March 2006, 19:49:54
Tags: Elemental Games; Space Rangers 2: DominatorsI've finally had time to review Space Rangers 2: Dominators, the verdict is "Must Buy!":
Read the full article: Space Rangers 2 Review
Completing quests will have consequences, improving your relationship with some races, and completely pissing other races off. Also, those damn aliens lie to you and a seemingly innocent mission may turn into an insult to another race. I was once asked to deliver a rare animal specimen to a certain planet as an act of friendship from one race to another. Turned out, you have just delivered an abused ambassador back to his native planet in a cage. Needless to say, a few quests like that will ensure that next time you are in the neighbourhood, you will see battleships speeding toward you to inform in an up close and personal manner that they would really like to see you dead. If you do manage to land on a nearby planet, you will be taken to a local prison, which is a lot more fun than it sounds.
Read the full article: Space Rangers 2 Review
Interview - posted by Vault Dweller on Wed 8 March 2006, 02:05:04
Tags: Chris Avellone; Obsidian EntertainmentChris Avellone, peace be upon him, has answered a few questions about games he has worked on.
Enjoy the interview.
I take no offense to your honesty. But stay right where you are, a missile is arcing its way toward your home right now, and there is a lightsaber-wielding Jedi on top of it.
Okay, so character resonance - I do think Kreia was a deep character, personally, but I can see how you would feel that way with some other characters... people were strangely divided on Bao-Dur, for example, and G0-T0, while I enjoyed him and I thought his voice actor was awesome (Daran Norris from Team America), he never really clicked, and that's my fault. I also tried to add more personality to T3, but I'm not sure how well that turned out, either.
Okay, so character resonance - I do think Kreia was a deep character, personally, but I can see how you would feel that way with some other characters... people were strangely divided on Bao-Dur, for example, and G0-T0, while I enjoyed him and I thought his voice actor was awesome (Daran Norris from Team America), he never really clicked, and that's my fault. I also tried to add more personality to T3, but I'm not sure how well that turned out, either.
Enjoy the interview.
Interview - posted by Vault Dweller on Fri 3 February 2006, 22:58:18
Tags: Basilisk Games; Eschalon: Book IWe've had a chat with Thomas Riegsecker of Basilisk Games about Eschalon: Book I, an indie turn-based fantasy game that should be available this Spring.
7. What other non-combat activities are in the game? What does a skill like Cartography do? How do they affect gameplay?
All the Skills are based on a 1-100 range, with 100 being godlike and would require a lifetime of devotion to achieve. Cartography is a good Skill to talk about: the automap in the upper right corner of the screen does not work at all until you have at least one point in your Cartography Skill. With just one point, your automap will work but it will only produce a crude outline of your surroundings. The more points you allot to your Cartography skill, the better the automap will look as color and details emerge. Eventually you can even get creatures and NPC locations to show up on the automap if your Skill rating gets high enough. Other non-combative Skills such as Lockpicking, Skullduggery (trap disarming), and Move Silently work the same way.Click here to read the entire interview.
7. What other non-combat activities are in the game? What does a skill like Cartography do? How do they affect gameplay?
All the Skills are based on a 1-100 range, with 100 being godlike and would require a lifetime of devotion to achieve. Cartography is a good Skill to talk about: the automap in the upper right corner of the screen does not work at all until you have at least one point in your Cartography Skill. With just one point, your automap will work but it will only produce a crude outline of your surroundings. The more points you allot to your Cartography skill, the better the automap will look as color and details emerge. Eventually you can even get creatures and NPC locations to show up on the automap if your Skill rating gets high enough. Other non-combative Skills such as Lockpicking, Skullduggery (trap disarming), and Move Silently work the same way.
Interview - posted by Vault Dweller on Fri 13 January 2006, 09:51:35
Tags: BioWare; David GaiderDavid Gaider of Bioware fame was kind enough to drop everything and answer a few questions about ... well, a lot of things, so you better see for yourself. Here is a snipet:
2. Turn-based vs real-time, your thoughts? Disclaimer: I'm not asking if Bioware would ever make a TB game or which system is better. I'm asking for your own opinion, preferences, even bias - anything goes.
I enjoy a good turn-based combat system. “Temple of Elemental Evil†did it very well, I thought, and I remember the first “X-Com†game being one of my all-time faves (though it’s not an RPG, of course). I remember when “X-Com: Apocalypse†came out, however, and it was going from turn-based to pauseable real-time combat and the fans of the series were in an uproar – me included – enough so that the developers put in a way to optionally use the old turn-based system instead. Much to my surprise I actually found that I enjoyed the real-time combat more. It was faster, and so long as I could still pause and give orders I still felt I had the ability to oversee and control everything that I wanted to. When I played “Baldur’s Gate†(which was before I started at Bioware), I found I really enjoyed the pauseable real-time combat there, too, even if it could get a bit hectic during large combats. Full real-time, however, the kind where you can’t give orders while paused – that stuff I just have no time for. It’s the main reason I don’t play most RTS games.There is more where it came from
2. Turn-based vs real-time, your thoughts? Disclaimer: I'm not asking if Bioware would ever make a TB game or which system is better. I'm asking for your own opinion, preferences, even bias - anything goes.
I enjoy a good turn-based combat system. “Temple of Elemental Evil†did it very well, I thought, and I remember the first “X-Com†game being one of my all-time faves (though it’s not an RPG, of course). I remember when “X-Com: Apocalypse†came out, however, and it was going from turn-based to pauseable real-time combat and the fans of the series were in an uproar – me included – enough so that the developers put in a way to optionally use the old turn-based system instead. Much to my surprise I actually found that I enjoyed the real-time combat more. It was faster, and so long as I could still pause and give orders I still felt I had the ability to oversee and control everything that I wanted to. When I played “Baldur’s Gate†(which was before I started at Bioware), I found I really enjoyed the pauseable real-time combat there, too, even if it could get a bit hectic during large combats. Full real-time, however, the kind where you can’t give orders while paused – that stuff I just have no time for. It’s the main reason I don’t play most RTS games.
Editorial - posted by Spazmo on Fri 6 January 2006, 20:51:01
Tags: The Year in ReviewFor the third time in a row, we've whipped up a long-winded article about why this past year was such awful crap for the RPG genre.
But apparently BioWare has gotten tired of catering to the difficult PC market, what with demands for interesting plots, NPCs that aren't a pain in the ass and hey, maybe something without elves in it for a change? No, it's much easier to pander to console kiddies whose idea of RPG gameplay is collecting multicoloured ocarinas or watching twenty hours of FMV cutscenes. BioWare's forthcoming projects are mostly to be released on the Xbox 360 and include a whole trilogy of sci-fi "RPGs" called Mass Effect (colloquially known as "gravity" to those of us with a clue), which might be interesting if they weren't more FPS than RPG, according to press releases.Read on. We had a lot to whine about this year.
But apparently BioWare has gotten tired of catering to the difficult PC market, what with demands for interesting plots, NPCs that aren't a pain in the ass and hey, maybe something without elves in it for a change? No, it's much easier to pander to console kiddies whose idea of RPG gameplay is collecting multicoloured ocarinas or watching twenty hours of FMV cutscenes. BioWare's forthcoming projects are mostly to be released on the Xbox 360 and include a whole trilogy of sci-fi "RPGs" called Mass Effect (colloquially known as "gravity" to those of us with a clue), which might be interesting if they weren't more FPS than RPG, according to press releases.
Codex Review - posted by Saint_Proverbius on Sat 4 June 2005, 09:20:59
Tags: FateOur review of Fate, that wacky dungeon crawling action rogue-like from Wild Tangent.
Probably the most important people in town, the ones you'll go to more often, are the quest givers. Quests int he game are simple, randomly generated missions involving the dungeon. They can vary in the goal, which can be to find an item, kill a creature, kill a certain number of creatures, or a combination of those things. In exchange for your time and risking your neck, you'll receive additional experience, fame, and gold. In some cases, you may have an item as a reward as well. It may or may not be as nice as the item you pick up in the quest, though. In cases like that, if you decide you can't live without that quest item, you can simply cancel the quest and keep the item. No one will cry foul over it. After all, you're the one that went down there to get it. Finders keepers.Yeah, greed is good.
Probably the most important people in town, the ones you'll go to more often, are the quest givers. Quests int he game are simple, randomly generated missions involving the dungeon. They can vary in the goal, which can be to find an item, kill a creature, kill a certain number of creatures, or a combination of those things. In exchange for your time and risking your neck, you'll receive additional experience, fame, and gold. In some cases, you may have an item as a reward as well. It may or may not be as nice as the item you pick up in the quest, though. In cases like that, if you decide you can't live without that quest item, you can simply cancel the quest and keep the item. No one will cry foul over it. After all, you're the one that went down there to get it. Finders keepers.
Codex Interview - posted by Saint_Proverbius on Fri 27 May 2005, 08:00:39
Tags: Fate; Wild TangentOur glorious interview with developer Travis Baldree about Fate. Here's a bit about having no class:
10.) Most rogue-likes and Diablo style games have classes. Instead, Fate uses a skill system. Any reason why you went with a free form skill system? Any upsides and downsides to this?
There are a couple of reasons for this -
Primarily, I wanted players to be able to change the direction of their play midgame. Having a universal skill system with diminishing returns lets you switch between without too much of a penalty - especially since you can buy skill points.
Also, it's frankly a lot easier to balance than a classed system, and quicker to develop. Since all characters can use all skills and spells, they don't have to complement each other as rigidly.
The updside is real flexibility with your character - you can have a spellcasting tank, a summoning archer, basically whatever you like.
The downside is that the skills and spells don't have the same tailored 'uniqueness' of skill trees that makes each playthrough VASTLY different. You can play through the game very differently, but you can always dip in and taste everything if you want to. With a classed system, the next time you play, you really discover something different that you had no access to before.There you have it. Classless systems are easy and cool.
10.) Most rogue-likes and Diablo style games have classes. Instead, Fate uses a skill system. Any reason why you went with a free form skill system? Any upsides and downsides to this?
There are a couple of reasons for this -
Primarily, I wanted players to be able to change the direction of their play midgame. Having a universal skill system with diminishing returns lets you switch between without too much of a penalty - especially since you can buy skill points.
Also, it's frankly a lot easier to balance than a classed system, and quicker to develop. Since all characters can use all skills and spells, they don't have to complement each other as rigidly.
The updside is real flexibility with your character - you can have a spellcasting tank, a summoning archer, basically whatever you like.
The downside is that the skills and spells don't have the same tailored 'uniqueness' of skill trees that makes each playthrough VASTLY different. You can play through the game very differently, but you can always dip in and taste everything if you want to. With a classed system, the next time you play, you really discover something different that you had no access to before.
Codex Interview - posted by Spazmo on Sat 30 April 2005, 18:21:17
Tags: Battleline Games; Epoch StarWe had a talk with Rick Battagline of Battleline Games about their space based RPG, Epoch Star.
Epoch Star is set in a distant Galaxy, in what would be our future. The human race is present in this Galaxy, but is not the focal point of the story. Epoch Star focuses on the relationships between several alien races that have formed a "Union of Stars"; a race of all consuming Serpentine creatures known as "Ignus" who ravage and destroy any planet or life form they come in contact with; a collection of smaller unnamed barbarian races that are oppressed by the Union; And a recent arrival of several new races, one race who worships a god known as the "Epoch Star" and another who claims to be fleeing from the wrath of the "Epoch Star".Get the rest of the dirt on Epoch Star by reading the interview--and we've also got a pair of sneak peek screenshots of Epoch Star's upcoming graphical overhaul.
Epoch Star is set in a distant Galaxy, in what would be our future. The human race is present in this Galaxy, but is not the focal point of the story. Epoch Star focuses on the relationships between several alien races that have formed a "Union of Stars"; a race of all consuming Serpentine creatures known as "Ignus" who ravage and destroy any planet or life form they come in contact with; a collection of smaller unnamed barbarian races that are oppressed by the Union; And a recent arrival of several new races, one race who worships a god known as the "Epoch Star" and another who claims to be fleeing from the wrath of the "Epoch Star".
Restricted Area Feature: Basic Skills
Codex Preview - posted by Exitium on Tue 12 April 2005, 02:11:47
Tags: Jan Beuck; Master Creating; Restricted AreaThese are the basic skills featured in Master Creating's cyberpunk themed Action RPG, Restricted Area.
There are 1 comments on Restricted Area Feature: Basic Skills
Codex Review - posted by Exitium on Fri 4 February 2005, 16:47:14
Tags: MISTLand; Power of Law: COPS: 2170Like me, most of us have to wait a very long time for any turn-based games to come out because of their relative scarcity in the gaming market, at least of late. While I have personally opted for replays of old turn-based titles and RPGs like Jagged Alliance 2 and Battle Isle 3, there have been a few games released in the recent years that try to fill the niche. One such game is the recently released COPS 2170, developed by Russian developers Mistland and published in the States by Strategy First.
It was only natural that Mistland would have another attempt at developing another turn-based title after the moderate successes of Paradise Cracked and Alfa Anti-Terror in their Russian homeland, but the reception for the former aforementioned title (the latter is yet to be released elsewhere) was definitely a lot less than spectacular everywhere else. While you may lament the poor sales of the underappreciated Silent Storm (my personal opinion of the game notwithstanding) in the United States, there's little of value to be found in the box of Paradise Cracked. Nonetheless, Mistland likely follows the principle of 'trial and error'. Let's see how their latest offering turned out.
It was only natural that Mistland would have another attempt at developing another turn-based title after the moderate successes of Paradise Cracked and Alfa Anti-Terror in their Russian homeland, but the reception for the former aforementioned title (the latter is yet to be released elsewhere) was definitely a lot less than spectacular everywhere else. While you may lament the poor sales of the underappreciated Silent Storm (my personal opinion of the game notwithstanding) in the United States, there's little of value to be found in the box of Paradise Cracked. Nonetheless, Mistland likely follows the principle of 'trial and error'. Let's see how their latest offering turned out.
Codex Review - posted by Exitium on Sun 30 January 2005, 16:54:21
Tags: Object Software; Seal of EvilWe've all been waiting for the next fun RPG to load up and play to our hearts content on our computers. Needless to say, it has been a long time coming. In my hands, I hold a copy of Object Software's latest foray into the RPG genre, Seal of Evil. Does Seal of Evil fulfill the role of the much needed boost of life to a currently lifeless RPG playfield? Read on and find out.
Editorial - posted by Vault Dweller on Mon 27 December 2004, 21:35:11
Tags: The Year in ReviewOnce again we examine the big events in the RPG industry in 2004 and explain why this year sucked even more then 2003:
Obsidian Entertainment, Bioware's trusty sidekick, has scored some crumbs off the Bio's table: KOTOR 2: Attack of the Clones and NWN 2: Everything Fallout fans have asked for since Fallout 2!(TM) Since Feargus Urquhart has mentioned his ideas about Knights of the NEW Republic, it would take a rather cold day in hell to see an original game with the Obsidian logo on it.I'll use this space to thank Spazmo for his help and contribution to this article.
Obsidian Entertainment, Bioware's trusty sidekick, has scored some crumbs off the Bio's table: KOTOR 2: Attack of the Clones and NWN 2: Everything Fallout fans have asked for since Fallout 2!(TM) Since Feargus Urquhart has mentioned his ideas about Knights of the NEW Republic, it would take a rather cold day in hell to see an original game with the Obsidian logo on it.
Codex Interview - posted by Ausir on Tue 7 December 2004, 03:28:55
Tags: CD Projekt; Witcher, TheWe have asked CD Projekt, the developer of The Witcher, an upcoming action-RPG based on the books of Andrzej Sapkowski, a few questions, and got some interesting answers. Here's a snippet:
12. In The Witcher there won't be a clear distinction between Good and Evil. Could you give an example of a morally ambiguous situation from your game?
The whole world of The Witcher functions without the clichéd simplification of Good vs. Evil conflicts — therefore we will encounter moral dilemmas all the time. Sometimes there is no doubt that finishing a profitable quest will require us to violate law, the witcher code, or just your own idea of what is right. Most people can't distinguish between a monster slayer and an assassin, and will often request someone to be murdered. Sometimes while working on a quest you'll realize that you were cheated, and what you're actually doing is wrong — the quest of rescuing a princess turns out to be actually about kidnapping her for ransom. Some of them will require choosing one side of the conflict, where everyone is equally vicious and wicked. A classic example is racial hatred — in revenge for pogroms, the persecuted elves answer with acts of terror and murdering innocent people. Which side will our hero choose?
12. In The Witcher there won't be a clear distinction between Good and Evil. Could you give an example of a morally ambiguous situation from your game?
The whole world of The Witcher functions without the clichéd simplification of Good vs. Evil conflicts — therefore we will encounter moral dilemmas all the time. Sometimes there is no doubt that finishing a profitable quest will require us to violate law, the witcher code, or just your own idea of what is right. Most people can't distinguish between a monster slayer and an assassin, and will often request someone to be murdered. Sometimes while working on a quest you'll realize that you were cheated, and what you're actually doing is wrong — the quest of rescuing a princess turns out to be actually about kidnapping her for ransom. Some of them will require choosing one side of the conflict, where everyone is equally vicious and wicked. A classic example is racial hatred — in revenge for pogroms, the persecuted elves answer with acts of terror and murdering innocent people. Which side will our hero choose?
Another VT:M Bloodlines Review
Codex Review - posted by Exitium on Sat 4 December 2004, 07:08:09
Tags: Ian Miles Cheong; Vampire: The Masquerade - BloodlinesThis is a Bloodlines as I see it, clear as day. In this review, I'll be highlighting a lot of the things I liked about the game, as well as all of the aspects that bothered me and caused me to like the game less.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines Review
Codex Review - posted by Spazmo on Mon 29 November 2004, 22:38:46
Tags: Troika Games; Vampire: The Masquerade - BloodlinesWe've got our own take on Troika's Vampire RPG. Read on. Here's the opening paragraph because you don't get to see the end unless you read the whole thing, you cheater.
It was around this time last year that Troika Games released their second game, Temple of Elemental Evil. The game, publisher and largely the teams are all different, but the stakes for the company seem about the same. Both games follow a Troika title that wasn't quite as good or successful as fans--and those who certainly aren't fans--would have liked them to be. Both games are a chance for the company to really make a name for itself and show that years after Fallout, the game that got it all right, and Arcanum, the game that got lots of it right, the Troika team still had it. And, unfortunately for this new game, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, both games, while being quite good in their own right, don't fully make up for all the mistakes made in the company's previous effort and, woefully, make new ones of their own.
There are 22 comments on Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines Review
Troika's FAQ of Bloodlines Troubleshooting
Information - posted by Saint_Proverbius on Thu 25 November 2004, 00:20:18
Tags: Leonard Boyarsky; Troika Games; Vampire: The Masquerade - BloodlinesA Frequently Asked Questions dealie submitted by Leon Boyarsky about the technical problems some people are having with Bloodlines.
There are 30 comments on Troika's FAQ of Bloodlines Troubleshooting
Elaborate S.C.O.U.R.G.E interview
Codex Interview - posted by Vault Dweller on Wed 10 November 2004, 22:43:50
Tags: S.C.O.U.R.G.E.: Heroes of Lesser RenownWe've asked Gabor Torok, the developer of S.C.O.U.R.G.E., a rogue-like RPG dedicated to the underdogs: the has-been, burned-out heroes of the game who are given a second chance to save the world and themselves, a few questions and got back very detailed and interesting answers. Don't miss this interview.
2. It's been almost 25 years since Rogue was released. How has the genre evolved? Have you paid attention to what other developers did, direction they took, features they added? What are your favorite rogue-like games?
I'm not an authority on roguelike games. However, what strikes me as their most enduring feature is the uncompromising focus on gameplay. While the professional industry appears to writhe under the heal of the console
economy, roguelikes offer a unique experience that people still find enjoyable. I am not a gaming purist either way, so in S.C.O.U.R.G.E. I try to blend the best of both worlds.Uncompromising focus on gameplay... Couldn't have said it better myself.
2. It's been almost 25 years since Rogue was released. How has the genre evolved? Have you paid attention to what other developers did, direction they took, features they added? What are your favorite rogue-like games?
I'm not an authority on roguelike games. However, what strikes me as their most enduring feature is the uncompromising focus on gameplay. While the professional industry appears to writhe under the heal of the console
economy, roguelikes offer a unique experience that people still find enjoyable. I am not a gaming purist either way, so in S.C.O.U.R.G.E. I try to blend the best of both worlds.
