Game News Geneforge 4 tidbits

[Saint_Proverbius]

Tags: Geneforge 4; Jeff Vogel; Spiderweb Software

There's a <A href="http://www.ironycentral.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=19;t=001021;p=">post</a> from <B>Jeff Vogel</b> over at <a href="http://www.ironycentral.com">Irony Central</a>, which are his main forums for all he does, concerning how <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/">Geneforge 4</a> will be. Here's the whole tamale:
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<blockquote>Despite a new infant, food poisoning, and general inertia, I've now completed the first 5 areas of Geneforge 4. I have a lot better idea of the shape the game is going to take. I hope to have actual screen shots and PR available in a month or two.
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The game will be smaller in size than Geneforge 3, but with a much higher plot density. I've tried to make the game have a more intricate plot and more involved quest chains, battles, and characters. I have some concern that the amount of talky interaction in the game will cost me hack-n-slash gamer money, and this bums me out, but it ended up being the sort of game I wanted to write, so here we are.
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Avernum 4's relative success bought me some extra time, and, when I wasn't spending that time parenting, I spent it polishing Geneforge 4 and reworking a lot of stuff that was overdue for it. I added a lot of polish to the graphics, to the item system, and to the creations for starters.
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There will be some weather effects. They have no effect on gameplay whatsoever. They're just pretty.
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There are five basic rebel character types. Four of them are human. As said before, their are 3 new creations and eight new spells. I am also making some major changes to the alternate creation types to make them more interesting.
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The game still tracks your allegiance to one side or the other, but the system is now based far more on actions and less on conversation. A lot of encounters have a pro-rebel and a pro-shaper resolution.
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Still hope to have it out for the Mac by Christmas.</blockquote>
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Kind of a shame weather won't affect gameplay, but at least he's up front about that. Of course, he could counter the hack-and-slash lovers not finding enough to hack and/or slash with fun, random dungeons or job boards that spawn new encounters assuming there's time for that.
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Thanks, <b>Wizard</b>!
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[spacemoose]

general inertia, eh. if he keeps gaining inertia, there might not be a final geneforgy 6.

 

[Zomg]

After reading Irony Central a couple of years ago, I always picture Vogel with cartoon stress lines radiating from his head.

 

[LlamaGod]

wowie, Geneforge 4 might not suck.

I think the hack-n-slash fans can provide him money in the way of buying all his other games.

 

[Lurkar]

I gotta say, been buying and playing his games since Exile 2, and while I've never been as big of a fan of the Geneforge series, this looks to be the best of the three.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

I thought the first Geneforge was great. I couldn't quite get in to the second one. I haven't tried the third one.

I do wish Vogel would branch out with a new series of games soon, though. We've got 5 Avernums if you're counting Blades of Avernum. There's three Geneforges with a fourth on the way. I'm kind of afraid he's painting himself in a corner by sticking with only two properties.

 

[Psilon]

Don't forget, four of those Avernums are ports/remakes of Exile games.

 

[Lurkar]

Don't forget, four of those Avernums are ports/remakes of Exile games.

On that note, Avernum 4's magic was better, but I still think Exiles had the best.

 

[undead dolphin hacker]

I like(d) the feel of the Exiles more than the Avernums. The Exiles often seemed legitimately *hard*, while the Avernums have all been pretty easy. Especially 4, which, although enjoyable, is just a pushover so far.

 

[Lurkar]

I like(d) the feel of the Exiles more than the Avernums. The Exiles often seemed legitimately *hard*, while the Avernums have all been pretty easy. Especially 4, which, although enjoyable, is just a pushover so far.

I also liked Exile's incredibly large array of weapons as well. Maybe it's just be, but the Avernum's don't seem to have as many things in them.

Heh, in fact, I remember Exile 2's demo. Took me forever to pool together the money to buy it (I was a wee little lad at the time), so I just played the demo a LOT, 'cause I wanted to destroy that stupid undead fort south of Formello. One of the moments I remember was consistantly running down to the vale southwest of Draco, near the slith fort, and seeing what random items the isolated shopguy had. I think by the time I actually BOUGHT the game, I had made some freakish superarmy from that guy.[/i]

 

[undead dolphin hacker]

Yeah, Avernum 4 basically has four kinds of weapons:

-Bladed, which are all 1-hand.
-Polearms, which are all 2-hand.
-Bows, which have infinite ammo but do less damage.
-Throwing, which have limited ammo but do more damage.

The removal of arrows was pretty confusing to me, as I kept wondering where to buy them before I realized you don't need them... I'm worried the games are starting to get dumbed down.

 

[Lurkar]

Yeah, Avernum 4 basically has four kinds of weapons:

-Bladed, which are all 1-hand.
-Polearms, which are all 2-hand.
-Bows, which have infinite ammo but do less damage.
-Throwing, which have limited ammo but do more damage.

The removal of arrows was pretty confusing to me, as I kept wondering where to buy them before I realized you don't need them... I'm worried the games are starting to get dumbed down.

Meh, gimmie back the good ol' days of blunted, pole, melee, throwing, and bow.


...Also, darts. I liked the idea of my mage throwing darts.