Game News Bard's Tale IV Kickstarter Update #29: Combat Mechanics Overview

[The Great Deceiver]

inXile desperately need a new art director. It's just a mockup, I know, but it still looks atrocious.

 

[mutonizer]

Lack of creativity.

Err, no. If there's one thing you can't say about wtf they just explained, is lack of creativity.
Too much creativity bullshit I'd say. Like a painter who cannot just fucking stop and keeps adding and adding and adding so much shit on his canvas that you end up a maelstrom of shit while just a simple touch would have been enough. Like a speaker who cannot make a fucking point in 2 minutes and needs 2 hours of shit in between. Like a writer who cannot just fucking st...wait a second...

 

[Excidium II]

Lack of creativity.

Wait, what. He's complaining about BT4's innovation - which side are you on again?

(yeah, yeah, I know, you probably think this isn't REAL innovation because they're not breaking out of the gamist shackles of the blobber formula or something)

Lack of creativity.

Err, no. If there's one thing you can't say about wtf they just explained, is lack of creativity.

No. Those abilities are all just very modern RPG school of design. Nothing new about it.

Also turning combat into some sort of abstract positioning puzzle is a nice easy way out from the challenge of making blobber combat tactical.

 

[Infinitron]

Also turning combat into some sort of abstract

As opposed to the normally non-abstract blobber combat.

Guess I was about right.

 

[Excidium II]

As opposed to normally "non-abstract positoning puzzly" blobber combat.

 

[mutonizer]

No. Those abilities are all just very modern RPG school of design. Nothing new about it.

Always understood creativity as the ability to meld together multiple existing things in order to create something new from them.

Also turning combat into some sort of abstract positioning puzzle is a nice easy way out from the challenge of making blobber combat tactical.

Blobber combat..tactical...
Weirdly enough, I always enjoyed my blobber combat as the more passive and automated the better. It's always been to me the definition of non tactical, 100% asbtracted, combat system where the goal is to plan ahead (gear, strength, abilities, etc), then just let it ride pretty much. To each his own I guess

 

[Excidium II]

Might as well not have combat in that case.

No. Those abilities are all just very modern RPG school of design. Nothing new about it.

Always understood creativity as the ability to meld together multiple existing things in order to create something new from them.

As in, copy what's current standard and apply your twist.

 

[mutonizer]

Might as well not have combat in that case.

What an odd thing to say. Letting plans and preparations unfold without user input does not remove their interest. I don't need constant buttons to push to be satisfied and enjoy myself, especially in a cRPG, even more so in a blobber.

As in, copy what's current standard and apply your twist.

Current or older, doesn't matter, but otherwise yea. That's creativity really. Nobody just "creates" something from nothing.

 

[Excidium II]

Nobody creative just copies what's trendy.

Might as well not have combat in that case.

What an odd thing to say. Letting plans and preparations unfold without user input does not remove their interest. I don't need constant buttons to push to be satisfied and enjoy myself, especially in a cRPG, even more so in a blobber.

You're well served then.

 

[mutonizer]

You're well served then.

K you're prolly just trolling but in case, could you provide just an example of a blobber you'd recommend as something that interest you and fits what you expect in them? Just so that I get a reference really.

 

[Excidium II]

No. Try to use your brain.

 

[commie]

Why this sudden hating on MMX? It was/is a fine, fine game. The only real issue with it was the intensive system issues/GPU heating issues, aside from that the game is sweet. Not much more you can ask for in a turn based blobber to be honest.

Well you should know after near 10 years how it works: eventually EVERY game becomes shit around here...

 

[Excidium II]

I don't think the consensus on MMX was ever that positive besides the shilltastic review by sceptic.

 

[Dorateen]

MMX was good.

Bard's Tale IV is shaping up to perhaps be better. It does appear from this update to be drawing some serious Wizardry influence. Front row, back row formations, weapon reach and shuffling around party positioning.

 

[Infinitron]

I don't think the consensus on MMX was ever that positive besides the shilltastic review by sceptic.

Hey, our two previews were pretty shilltastic too.

 

[commie]

I don't think the consensus on MMX was ever that positive besides the shilltastic review by sceptic.

Well sceptic at least knows what he's talking about being an actual player of blobbers and a fan of MM series unlike some others that play the 'edge' card on every thread despite not knowing anything about the genre. Even if in the end MMX is far inferior to S&S Underworld as a true MM game, I don't begrudge sceptic's enthusiasm of the gaming equivalent of a drink in the desert.

 

[Zed]

MMX had

* puzzles and secrets
* charm and style, even if ripped off from nu-homm
* hot sorcs
* fun

name one other game to deliver on all of these sensible old school values

I don't think the consensus on MMX was ever that positive besides the shilltastic review by sceptic.

Hey, our two previews were pretty shilltastic too.

everything you write is shilltastic

 

[Bubbles]

MMX had

* puzzles and secrets
* charm and style
* hot sorcs
* fun

name one other game to deliver on all of these sensible old school values

Voidspire Tactics.

 

[Zeriel]

Why this sudden hating on MMX? It was/is a fine, fine game. The only real issue with it was the intensive system issues/GPU heating issues, aside from that the game is sweet. Not much more you can ask for in a turn based blobber to be honest.

MMX was good and will certainly be better than this game

That's interesting. Why are you so sure of that? I loved MMX, I'm just unaware of any points on BT4 that would make it a certainty it's going to be worse. Educate me, senpai.

 

[hpstg]

Nobody creative just copies what's trendy.

Might as well not have combat in that case.

What an odd thing to say. Letting plans and preparations unfold without user input does not remove their interest. I don't need constant buttons to push to be satisfied and enjoy myself, especially in a cRPG, even more so in a blobber.

You're well served then.

Yeah, like, that never happens and all good things are all original. Trends are never copied and transformed. Wtf are you smoking. I also read another thing you said about positioning somehow making things less tactical. I'm don't really play blobbers so I can't really have an opinion on it, but could you please explain? Read like that sounds completely stupid, and I'm probably wrong about it.

 

[Excidium II]

Reading is teh hard.

 

[Metro]

MMX was mediocre at best. Shit itemization. Shit class abilities/spells. Shit/generic world. Grimrock 2 had better aesthetics.

 

[Lady_Error]

Grimrock 2 had better aesthetics.

And shit RT combat. If it was TB, I'd love Grimrock 2.

 

[Zed]

MMX was mediocre at best. Shit itemization. Shit class abilities/spells. Shit/generic world. Grimrock 2 had better aesthetics.

Itemization was cool. Some OP weapons with cool effects from secret puzzles making a real difference in combat.

Why this sudden hating on MMX? It was/is a fine, fine game. The only real issue with it was the intensive system issues/GPU heating issues, aside from that the game is sweet. Not much more you can ask for in a turn based blobber to be honest.

MMX was good and will certainly be better than this game

That's interesting. Why are you so sure of that? I loved MMX, I'm just unaware of any points on BT4 that would make it a certainty it's going to be worse. Educate me, senpai.

Because inXile lacks direction and cannot cut bad content from their game, whether its writing or encounters or whatever. A lot of the content end up bad because of 'too many chefs' (writing, area design?) or just inexperience or ineptitude (system design, holistic quality).

It's not impossible that BT ends up being a fun game, but their track record makes me think it won't be. Same goes for Numenera from what I've heard from beta testers.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

MMX was a glorified mobile game, and not a very good one at that.