Game News BG3 info from PC Gamer

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: Baldur's Gate III (Atari)

I picked up PC Gamer today, and although a lot of people already know what the article says, here are some details:
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<blockquote>Though BG3 won't be a direct sequel to the storyline of the first two BG games, Atari intends for the game to have similarly epic scope and feature a large gaming world populated by memorable characters.
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It will feature cutting-edge 3D graphics, although the gamemakes haven't decided whether to license an existing engine or develop a new one. Atari ambitious design goal is to make a visually stunning RPG that both lives up to BG's great heritage and evolves the genre.
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When asked if the follow-up would stick with isometric perspective, John Hight, Atari Executive Producer, indicated that Atari wasn't "afraid to move the camera for cinematic effect. [Your viewpoint] will be immersive then the traditional isometric perspective and bring you closer to the action. You want to see the fear in the orc's eye as you blast him with a fireball, don't you?"
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BG3 will use the DnD 3.5 rules for an authentic roleplaying experience.
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While there'll naturally be a lot of combat, Atari plans to include a wide variety of quests and incorporate non-combat-oriented skills to give bloodless solutions to some quests
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Hight's bottom-line promise: "It will be epic"</blockquote>
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Looks like they have no clue what to do with the game other then to make it <b>visually stunning</b> and <b>epic</b>. And, of course, evolve the genre. Poor genre. Hasn't it been evolved enough already?
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[Diogo Ribeiro]

You want to see the fear in the orc's eye as you blast him with a fireball, don't you?

No, not particularly, but I don't think he actually meant to hear my, or anyone else's, answer on the subject matter.

 

[Seven]

You want to see the fear in the orc's eye as you blast him with a fireball, don't you?

I guess he figures that we're three years old and believe everything that we're spoon fed. I don't even think that the HL2 engine will allow you to see fear in an enemy's eyes; I have a strong dislike for dipshits who don't even attempt to mask their overhyping.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

You want to see the fear in the orc's eye as you blast him with a fireball, don't you?

No sir, can't say I do. In fact, that's probably one of the many things I wouldn't care if I ever saw in a D&D CRPG, ever.

 

[Mr. Teatime]

Look, it's PR speak for 'we cant do isometric on consoles, so lets lame the game up so we can put it on them'.

It's my fear of what bethsoft are going to do with FO3, as well.

 

[jiujitsu]

This fucking BLOWS.

 

[Voss]

License the ToEE engine and polish it up- I'd buy BG3 then.

The poor, precious isometric perspective. It works better for rpgs than anything else. But no, fucking cludgy 1st/3rd person 3-D over pixelated crap it is.
Damn marketing fuck-monkeys.

And for the record, no, I don't want to see the fear in the orc's eyes. I want a good dialogue system, loads of characterization, a good story, choice and consequences, and a damn fine tactical game where thought and inspiration are *required*.

 

[Transcendent One]

Move the camera for cinematic effect? Seriously, what the fuck is that supposed to mean? Glue it to your characters ass in 3rd person 3D a la KotOR so that you can barely see what happens five feet away from your character?

 

[Vault Dweller]

Don't you remember all the "OMG! It's just liek in teh movies!" KOTOR reviews? Now everyone want to make "just liek in teh movies" games. Makes sense.

 

[littleboy]

It wouldn't be bad if it was in a isometric perspective (one that you could rotate would be very nice, I was always loosing people behind pillars in Arcanum) and then zoomed/panned when you talked to someone that way you could have the best of both worlds instead of; run in circles to see the entire battle, or look at my two fingerpuppet sized fighters talking (and not facing each other).

 

[Surlent]

I just wish PC Gamer would have gotten more info. Guess Atari isn't going to publish BG3 too close to NWN2.

Hight's bottom-line promise: "It will be epic"

Well never heard that before said about RPGs.

 

[DarkUnderlord]

You want to see the fear in the orc's eye as you blast him with a fireball, don't you?

I want them to cry for their mummy and suck their thumb at my pure awesomeness. Can I slay entire villages of peaceful, fearing Orcs? That'd be worth it.

 

[dagamer667]

I hope it's not what I think it is. The way he worded it makes it sound like something you see in Final Fantasy battles where even simple attacks have overblown animations and camera close-ups.

 

[DemonKing]

You want to see the fear in the orc's eye as you blast him with a fireball, don't you?

No sir, can't say I do. In fact, that's probably one of the many things I wouldn't care if I ever saw in a D&D CRPG, ever.

It would be pretty cool if they soiled themselves though...although I guess with Hasbro in charge we can forget that option...bodily functions probably have no more place in a Hasbro/WOTC licenced game than such other abominations as brothels and *horror* children!

 

[Zogg]

I have a strong dislike for dipshits who don't even attempt to mask their overhyping.

This fucking BLOWS.

What is with all the hateration? I mean, I've been the victim of overhyping in the past (Arcanum) and have since learned to spot it (ToEE) but still suffer occasionally (why did I buy Tales of Symponia again?!)....nevertheless, BG3 is merely in the conception phase of life. Somehow (many of) you guys have shredded that dudes most basic discussion of the game. We don't know *shit* yet.

You can't say something is "overhyped" until you've had it installed on your computer, played it and you (along with a significant chunk of the gamer community) think it sucks....last I checked. So find something with actual substance to complain about.

 

[suibhne]

You can't say something is "overhyped" until you've had it installed on your computer, played it and you (along with a significant chunk of the gamer community) think it sucks....last I checked. So find something with actual substance to complain about.

At this point, any hyping is overhyping when Atari has literally no substance to discuss. For chrissake, they've promised to run an online poll allowing all of us, the adoring BG public, to determine which NPCs will return in this game. The only hints they've given so far have pointed at development-by-fucking-focus-group, and the promised "announcement" turned out to be nothing more than an inside-the-beltway trial balloon, so no, I don't think it's a stretch at all to critcize this PR monkey for overhyping the game.

 

[Shevek]

Guys, Im seriously thinking that CRPGs as we knew them are just plain dieing (if not dead). Like the Adventure genre, the CRPG genre seems to be de-evolving into action/adventure. New players, having never played real RPGs, are confused. Ive seen people call Jedi Academy a RPG. The developers of STALKER are trying to call it a RPG. Now Atari is gonna make a first person hack n slasher and call it a RPG. Since publishers dont wanna fund them and new players dont know what they are, I just dont see how the hell CRPGs are supposed to get revitalized.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Guys, Im seriously thinking that CRPGs as we knew them are just plain dieing (if not dead). Like the Adventure genre, the CRPG genre seems to be de-evolving into action/adventure. New players, having never played real RPGs, are confused.

For years, RPG was associated with some hobby, or type of game, that was rather obscure. With RPGs going mainstream, specially on console, it went from the least known and least favorite genre to become one of (if not the) most successful and favored genre. And now, you get many companies trying to put out RPGs or games that are only RPGs in passing, just to try and get a slice of the pie. RPGs have become increasingly hip and tragically 1337. A set of statistics and nomenclatures have gone from incomprehensible babble to beloved tradition.

I don't mind the merger of genres, mind you, as they provide varied gameplay experiences, but the dillution does hurt games in the long run. One could argue all aspects of society eventually give way to destruction and dillution in order to build and consolidate later on, though; but it's still a lousy situation.

Ive seen people call Jedi Academy a RPG. The developers of STALKER are trying to call it a RPG.

I've seen Tucows label Tomb Raider as a Mystery RPG. I kid you not.

Now Atari is gonna make a first person hack n slasher and call it a RPG. Since publishers dont wanna fund them and new players dont know what they are, I just dont see how the hell CRPGs are supposed to get revitalized.

I don't think revitalization will come anytime soon. The CRPG market (and the entire PC market, to an extent) seems to be simulating the console market, ie, multi-million dollar projects, pressure to release games with big commercial success, and the creation of multiple franchises that unfold themselves in sequels (sometimes, unecessary sequels - hell, did we actually need Splinter Cell 3? Suikoden 4? FInal Fantasy... shit, I lost count).

 

[Briosafreak]

Guys, Im seriously thinking that CRPGs as we knew them are just plain dieing (if not dead). Like the Adventure genre, the CRPG genre seems to be de-evolving into action/adventure. New players, having never played real RPGs, are confused. Ive seen people call Jedi Academy a RPG. The developers of STALKER are trying to call it a RPG. Now Atari is gonna make a first person hack n slasher and call it a RPG. Since publishers dont wanna fund them and new players dont know what they are, I just dont see how the hell CRPGs are supposed to get revitalized.

Great RPGs are dead, i agree, maybe a couple will show up in the next years, but they will be the exceptions, not the rule.

The STALKER guys have said many times that they are doing a FPS though, although citing influences from free form RPGs and their cult of Fallout.

 

[Jed]

I've seen Tucows label Tomb Raider as a Mystery RPG. I kid you not.

That's perfectly accurate! You roleplay a voyuer who stares at Lara Crofts butt for hours on end. Why? That's the MYSTARY!!!

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Hmm. Good point, Jed.

As for STALKER, I'm still interested in it, though. The folks working on it did at one point claim it was an RPG, but I don't know if the claim still stands, or if it's been 'downgraded' to the usual "action game with RPG elements".

 

[Briosafreak]

They started with FPS with RPG elements thing, but have been stressing the game is a FPS for quite some time now.

 

[Stark]

I've seen Tucows label Tomb Raider as a Mystery RPG. I kid you not.

That's perfectly accurate! You roleplay a voyuer who stares at Lara Crofts butt for hours on end. Why? That's the MYSTARY!!!

that explains the MYSTARY but still does not explain the RPG part....unless, you mean, those boobs actually got more developed over time???

 

[StraitLacedDeviant]

Apparently if you pressed left, left x, o , left, right, left, right, the mystery was revealed and LARA SHOWED HER B00BIES!

 

[Sol Invictus]

Before any of you jump to conclusions, turn based games can be just as stunning and epic as any real time game, if not more so. I just don't see a real time game like KOTOR featuring 'epic visuals' consisting of watching the fear in an Orc's eyes. I can, however, see that happening in a turn-based game.