Game News Avernum 5 for Windows released

[Ausir]

Tags: Avernum 5; Jeff Vogel; Spiderweb Software

<a href=http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/>Spiderwe Software</a> has released the Windows version of <a href=http://www.avernum.com/avernum5/index.html>Avernum 5</a>.
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<blockquote>The latest game in the award-winning Avernum series. Travel into the strange underworld of Avernum, a land full of misfits, bandits, and barely civilized monsters. Hunt the villain who tried to kill your Empress, and keep him from assassinating you first.
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As you wander the gigantic world of Avernum, you will experience:
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* An enormous world. Hundreds of quests, dozens of dungeons and enemy fortresses, and multitudes of characters.
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* Epic storyline. Hunt the assassin Dorikas, while his agents try to trick and waylay you at every turn.
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* Many unique encounters. Not just mindless hack and slash. Many unusual enemies that will require clever tactics to defeat.
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* Rich game system with over 50 spells and battle disciplines, many character building options, and powerful secret skills to unlock.
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* Unique game world. Not just the same old elves and hobbits.
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* Experience with previous Avernum games is completely unnecessary to enjoy Avernum 5.</blockquote>
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According to Jeff Vogel, it's "the middle game in Spiderweb Software's second trilogy" - which means there will be an Avernum 6 someday.
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Cheers, <b>Amasius</b>!

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

As much as I like Avernum, I think it's time Jeff Vogel developed a new IP. Geneforge 17, Nethergate 6, and Avernum 23 would make for some irritating announcements.

 

[Brother None]

As much as I like Avernum, I think it's time Jeff Vogel developed a new IP. Geneforge 17, Nethergate 6, and Avernum 23 would make for some irritating announcements.

What, have you been under a bridge for the past year? (see how I went for the cheap lulz there? I am Codex, baby!)

He is starting a new IP once this cyclus of Avernum and Geneforge are closed (which I think means one more for each, not sure, someone correct me)

 

[larpingdude14]

Oh nooo... It's the game with the horrible character portraits again... arrgh X(

 

[Serious_Business]

I am starting to hate this guy. An enormous world of tiles, many one-sided conversations, hundreds of fedex quests, epic shit, many unique encounters (but many non-unique ones as well), clever tactics of fireballs and swords (which is tactical), rich character building of priest mage thief warrior but also mixed classes between those, unique gameworld with faggots but not midgets, your actions in previous games don't mean shit because you don't need to play them to play this one, I jerk off in a pot and you will eat my jizz, yada yada.

 

[undead dolphin hacker]

I still maintain that Exile 1-3 were and are 20x better than the Avernums.

The Exile games actually felt foreign and serious. I never got that from the Avernums, perhaps because of the absolutely awful cartoony art style.

Recently I tried starting Nethergate because I had heard good things about it. Fifteen minutes in I had quit and uninstalled. Why? Because like every other fucking game the man makes, you start at some dump of a fort with one secret wall accompanied by an OOOO MYSTERIOUS text box to tell you there is a mysterious secret wall near you. Then you go to the captain of the guard or whatever fag shit questgiver there is. He says "go to the goblin cave" because it's always a goblin cave, no matter fucking what. Then he tells you to go to the supply room and take what you want AND THEN YOU'RE OFF TO THE GOBLIN CAVE TO KILL GOBLINS AND GET LEVEL FIVE.

Fuck Vogel.

 

[obediah]

Recently I tried starting Nethergate because I had heard good things about it. Fifteen minutes in I had quit and uninstalled. Why? Because like every other fucking game the man makes, you start at some dump of a fort with one secret wall accompanied by an OOOO MYSTERIOUS text box to tell you there is a mysterious secret wall near you. Then you go to the captain of the guard or whatever fag shit questgiver there is. He says "go to the goblin cave" because it's always a goblin cave, no matter fucking what. Then he tells you to go to the supply room and take what you want AND THEN YOU'RE OFF TO THE GOBLIN CAVE TO KILL GOBLINS AND GET LEVEL FIVE.

Fuck Vogel.

Thanks for reminding me teh lulz can be used to make an intelligent point, rather than just spraying bullshit everywhere.

 

[Shagnak]

I actually played the beginning of Nethergate: Resurrection and felt it had a lot of promise.
But then, other than a shallow look at the demos of his other games, I've only played Avernum 1 to any depth.

By the time I get to Avernum 5 I imagine computers will be obsolete and we'll be plugging wetware games into our spine or something.

 

[Binary]

I still maintain that Exile 1-3 were and are 20x better than the Avernums.

QFT

Now what does Avernum 5 have that Avernum 1-4 don't?

 

[OSK]

Yeah, the Exile games are a lot better than the Avernum games. Even the title is better. Avernum is well over due to be put to rest (though I wouldn't mind one last Geneforge game).

Hopefully his new IP will be something good and creative like when he went off and created Geneforge.

 

[Gwendo]

I still maintain that Exile 1-3 were and are 20x better than the Avernums.

QFT

Now what does Avernum 5 have that Avernum 1-4 don't?

I think it has a new tile. Part of the fun of this series is to try and find out what is different from the previous versions.

 

[DarkUnderlord]

As much as I like Avernum, I think it's time Jeff Vogel developed a new IP. Geneforge 17, Nethergate 6, and Avernum 23 would make for some irritating announcements.

Isn't any new IP he develops just going to look exactly the same as his old IP? I mean, I really don't see the difference between any of his games. Same engine. Same style. Very similar type of stuff.

 

[Fez]

The Geneforge games felt very different to the Avernum games. I think he has it in him to come up with something good and original if he puts his mind to it.

I think people would be more forgiving about reusing the engine and art so much if he didn't reuse so much of everything else (plot, quests) from the previous games. Despite these flaws I do still like the games as there is little else to compete with them right now.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

He is starting a new IP once this cyclus of Avernum and Geneforge are closed (which I think means one more for each, not sure, someone correct me)

Still, the rapid release of Avernum after Geneforge after Avernum and so on is a bit much. I lost interest after Avernum 4. It'd be nice if there were more of a gap than six to eight months or even a year to build up a little anticipation for playing another Avernum or Geneforge. It would have been nice if there were a gap between the two Avernum trilogies to give the players time to want more and for him to come up with better ideas.

 

[Fez]

I think he needs the money and that's what is pushing him to release so soon.

 

[Lurkar]

I've had more complaints over Avernum then I have Geneforge, really. Avernum could've stopped at three, and could've done so nicely, and overall I didn't like 4 that much. Also, I agree that I enjoyed Exile a lot more. Geneforge, while I disliked 3, at last feels somewhat more dynamic. While the plots feel very samey, they're done in different ways, such as 2 allowing you to choose from four different factions (or the fifth faction of telling everyone to fuck off), or the ten or eleven different endings in 4. I think Geneforge is supposed to end with 5, which would be a good thing, and hopefully it won't be brought out and dragged on longer.

Edit: Still, from what I've played, it's fun, and hell, I'll probably buy it.

 

[flushfire]

Oh nooo... It's the game with the horrible character portraits again... arrgh X(

i share the same sentiments. im a fan of the games but i really cant stand seeing the same horribly drawn italicized (they all seem to slant to the left) portraits that's been there since the first title. i mean cmon, how hard would it be to ask someone to draw new ones. it didn't even have to mean a revamp of the sprite equivalents. just something a little less cartoony.

 

[Jason]

Agreeing with larpingdude will give you AIDS. Just so you know.

Yes, it's more of the same. Yes, it's fucking ugly. But there's still enough excitement there (maybe excitement's the wrong word) when I start a new Spiderweb game to make it worth playing. It's nice knowing I have a bigass adventure ahead of me to dig into that won't amaze but won't disappoint either. Managed expectations and all that.

I think he needs the money and that's what is pushing him to release so soon.

He does talk about his house payments a lot.

 

[Andhaira]

There doseem to bea few things to look forward to in this one.First, less combat than in 4 (which had too uch of it). Second,more scripted events. Third, special battle-skills!!!

 

[Whipporowill]

Haven't sunk much time into the demo yet, but it seems to be using a modified Geneforge engine and supports some new combat moves (unlocked as derivates of your combat skill numbers) - sort of like spells for fighter types I guess. They all have some kind of fatigue timer so you're limited to how often you can use them. Haven't had much time to test them, but them being added is about time considering how drab combat in Jeff's games have been known to be.

 

[Brother None]

He is starting a new IP once this cyclus of Avernum and Geneforge are closed (which I think means one more for each, not sure, someone correct me)

Still, the rapid release of Avernum after Geneforge after Avernum and so on is a bit much. I lost interest after Avernum 4. It'd be nice if there were more of a gap than six to eight months or even a year to build up a little anticipation for playing another Avernum or Geneforge. It would have been nice if there were a gap between the two Avernum trilogies to give the players time to want more and for him to come up with better ideas.

I agree. I usually end up playing only one Spiderweb game a year, if that, and Vogel himself has admitted he's not surprised when people don't play all his games.

But it is born out of necessity, I s'pose.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Well, there was a time when I'd buy anything Vogel cranked out. It's just I'm suffering from the "Ack, not a new sequel!" thing with his games at the moment. I'd love to see him try his hand at something more steampunk if he's got to do fantasy, but I'd also like a Sci-Fi one as well.

 

[sheek]

<a>Spiderwe Software</a> has released the Windows version of <a>Avernum 5</a>.
<blockquote>The latest game in the award-winning Avernum series. Travel into the [/snip BS]

What awards has it won?

 

[Azael]

Finished the demo. There are some improvements over the previous title, such as the aforementioned combat moves. There's also a more reasonable amount of combat. The story seems pretty dull and uninspired so far though and there is very little NPC interaction to speak of, but that's to be expected from this series. Like the others have said, it's past due time for Vogel to do something new and different, with a new engine. Essentially playing (and paying for) the same game over and over doesn't appeal that much to me.

 

[Andhaira]

Are there any new spells? And does this use the g4 engine (whihc is pretty sweet)