Larian General Discussion Thread

[Animal]

that's cool writing

 

[FrankHamilton]

The writing in the 90s and 00s was simply more functional. The whole purpose of it for the most part was to move the plot forward or simply communicating something to the player. The jokes were not just <Something funny needs to happen here>, but something that the designer thought up that he felt was funny so he put in the game. Nowadays, we have writers whose only job is to write so they keep trying to impress us.

Look at this flowery prose here, look at this long dialogue here. Listen to this joke. Are you happy, player? Are you sad? ARE YOU IMPRESSED, player?

Ah yes, "quality."

That's great dialogue. The player needs to know that character is mad. Then you can respond in kind or try to be reasonable. It works and conveys the message fast. Don't listen to Roguey propaganda.

 

[Roguey]

1) They typed with the shift key instead of caps lock so they ended up with " instead of '
2) "WHAT!!!" should have at least one question mark.
3) It should be "No, you're the one who's going to hell." "That" is used for objects.
4) "Who are you going to send to hell" is an awkwardly phrased question (too many tos), something a nerd would say.

 

[Animal]

1) They typed with the shift key instead of caps lock so they ended up with " instead of '
2) "WHAT!!!" should have at least one question mark.
3) It should be "No, you're the one who's going to hell." "That" is used for objects.
4) "Who are you going to send to hell" is an awkwardly phrased question (too many tos), something a nerd would say.

Maybe they have low INT.

'tis real talk, bro! People in the wasteland bail on the grammar classes! I mean, you can only read Cat's Paw and Guns in the john...

 

[undecaf]

OK. I think the lighthearted tone of Divinity would perfectly fit for a space opera RPG like Buck Rogers where you fight T-Rexs in space, and you're right that it doesn't mandatorily need to be giggly and/or cartoony (I like the cartoony style, though).

(I can't wait)

They could also take a pointer from Orwell's Animal Farm and write a seemingly serious story wrapped in what appears like a fairy tale, and spice it with the sort of Looney Tunes gone wrong type of stuff where the what ever inhabitants curse and act out their frustrations and the violence actually happens so nobody pulls their face back from inside of their head after being hit by an anvil or survives this:

Could be interesting....

 

[MicoSelva]

I was critical of Jan Van Dosselaer's writing in D:OS too, before I realized he was the one guy who had to write almost everything in D:OS (Sarah Baylus joined relatively late in development) while writing Dragon Commander at the same time too, and that he had to re-write the story between the KS campaign and release (original story started in the ruins of Source Hunter stronghold, right after it was destroyed by hostile forces, and the PCs were the last two Source Hunters alive). So, circumnstances were not favorable, to put it mildly.

If you want to 'blame' someone then blame producers/directors and most of all Swen, who kept raising the bar and increasing game's scope, forcing constant changes to all parts of the game. Story and writing were never a priority in this project, and they were sacrificed for The Greater Good(TM) of changing and improving gameplay and design. But 'blame' is the wrong word here, because Swen's approach is what allowed the game to become as good as it is (and if you bought the game for its story, well, the joke's on you).

As for the new writers, we have no idea what to expect from them (I would not count on MCA's level exactly), but at least there are a lot of them now, so the volume of writing that needs to eb done should be less of a problem.

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Zed]

Looks exactly like that DOS art.

DOS Wii edition, I'm calling it.

 

[GarfunkeL]

Jeesus, I didn't realize that I was playing so many games with great writing back then. Like Dune 2, such amazing writing. Or Wolfenstein 3D and Commander Keen - brilliant classics of writing. Gunship 2000 certainly is comparable to say War and Peace, if not Crime and Punishment. Not to mention the original Sim City and Civilization.

Is Codex being invaded by pretentious hipsters?

 

[LESS T_T]

Facebook page has a little longer teasing:

Have you ever had to keep a secret? It can be really tough sometimes. Knowing something that you're very excited about, but can't tell your family or friends, it's not easy! That's a burden that we've been shouldering for quite some time at Larian, but our trial is nearly done! We have something big in the works, and we're very excited to say that we'll be able to share what we've been working on with you very, very soon. Until then, here's a little taste of what's coming.

"very, very soon."

 

[Zed]

Larian Studios favorited your Tweet
34m:
@larianstudios very soon - as in within hours?

 

[Multidirectional]

Is Codex being invaded by pretentious hipsters?

It was already done years ago bro.

 

[Roguey]

A dragon's claw doesn't inspire much confidence tbh but whatever, it'll probably be fun.

 

[pippin]

Dragon Commander 2?

 

[Infinitron]

Dragon Commander Enhanced Edition.

 

[Zed]

looks like whoever was in control of larians account just favorite'd random replies. lol

 

[Abu Antar]

Whatever it is I'm in. Almost.

 

[imweasel]

Divinity: Dragon Kart

 

[sser]

When you forgot you applied for a job and a Codex thread turns out to be an impromptu rejection letter

 

[deuxhero]

Don't we still not have a fully set release date for OSEE, just a range? I'm going to guess it's that.

 

[LESS T_T]

Huh, Divinity Original Sin II: http://multiplayer.it/notizie/15469...tudios-annuncia-divinity-original-sin-ii.html

Thread here: http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/divinity-original-sin-ii.102060/

 

[Aenra]

The problem is when the writing is bad, whether simple or complex. You also seem to be railing at people who like grimdark rather than actually addressing D:OS itself

I know
And i agree. But as stated you see, when the mood is purposefully kept on a light and goofy level, your "bad" (which is mine too, and as i said D:OS does suffer from it) does not get to be so prominent shall we say? As it would have been in an RPG where you knew things were gritty, deep, 'serious' and so on. There, it would have been a deal breaker. Because the game forces you to think things through on a deeper level. When meant to be lolipicking your way through however, it just..cannot stand out as much. You are inclined to oversee it. Perhaps a matter of perception alone, but it is why i can differentiate between the two.
For the record, i too like grimdark. I wish we had more, i wish we had it on AAA levels and on multiple sub-genres (FP, 3rdP, iso, etc). I am not bashing a game for lacking it, or a player for craving it. I am merely saying that this particular expectation should not be had in as far as D:OS was concerned. It's like making a post in our BT megathread, stating how much i dislike phase-based. Point being?..

 

[Irenaeus II]

But as stated you see, when the mood is purposefully kept on a light and goofy level, your "bad" (which is mine too, and as i said D:OS does suffer from it) does not get to be so prominent shall we say?

That excuse has more holes than this fine slice of Gorgombert.

 

[Aenra]

That excuse has more holes than this fine slice of Gorgombert.

We are not doing math Ire, no axioms or postulates necessary. It is not a matter of having or lacking 'holes', it is simply a matter of state of mind and ability to suspend. Something which a light, exaggeratingly funny game can rely on (unlike an equation), so as to manage to remain fun and engaging even when it is found lacking in other areas. And i did say it is. Lacking.
If you wish to go all "intellectual" on this, i would advise you to delete innumerous posts you have made in just as many threads so as to regain some credibility first, along with choosing a better example in this particular instance. The specific kind of cheese you attempt to employ here is not a suitable one. Of course you knew that, didn't you. But rather than saying Emmental? Which would have been too "banal" for you, right?

Either way, relying on less might or might not be your cup of tea, but again, that's your prerogative. Myself, i can find some joy in most type of beverages. Newfag privileges

 

[Irenaeus II]

Not in the mood for cheese, I see.