Company News Beamdog might be working on a new Planescape game

[luj1]

You and Roguey are both Obsidian shills in love with Sawyer besides having terribly low standards when it comes to RPGs. Fuck you both and the mediocre standards you are perpetuating

 

[Infinitron]

Strangely, there's barely any discussion on the Beamdog forums about this. Just this tiny thread: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/66793/new-planescape-game

Seems like those forums aren't as active as they used to be, plus they don't seem to care much about PS:T in general.

 

[norolim]

I'm for giving post-BioWare Gaider a chance, though.

Why? Honest question. Is there anything he did post Biowhore that inspires this confidence?

 

[Infinitron]

I'm for giving post-BioWare Gaider a chance, though.

Why? Honest question. Is there anything he did post Biowhore that inspires this confidence?

Obviously no. But the man used to post here (Dgaider), was interviewed by Vault Dweller a couple of times, so he has some Codex cred points.

 

[Kitchen Utensil]

I'm for giving post-BioWare Gaider a chance, though.

Why? Honest question. Is there anything he did post Biowhore that inspires this confidence?

Obviously no. But the man used to post here (Dgaider), was interviewed by Vault Dweller a couple of times, so he has some Codex cred points.

was last seen: 2009

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

Nine Princes in Amber.z

I've played Origins and didn't like it.

The setting was fleshed-out and much deeper than the usual fantasy theme park :cough: :Larian: :cough: but fuck me if it wasn't plodding and pedestrian. A lot of work and thought went into it, but it's the product of a really unimaginative mind.

It's basically Ivanhoe's England. You've got your rich, cultured, foppish, cunning, expansionist French (Orlais). You've got your Saracens with their scary religion and apparently unstoppable conquering military (Qunari). You've got your Saxons (all those Erls and Banns and what have you). You've got your Celts (elves). You've got witches, inquisitors, clergy, the whole Coca-Cola bottle, and to make an actual game there you throw in a bunch of standard fantasy clichés like dragons, wizards, and a demonic invasion.

IOW it's standard nu-BioWare stuff. Utterly derivative, failing to delight and surprise at every turn but plodding doggedly forward to tick all the boxes, cross all the t's and dot all the i's. Even Pillars' Eora manages to be more imaginative and interesting and that was put together slapdash by one guy on a deadline who would rather have been doing something else.

It’s been a while since I played DA:O, but IMO you’re glossing over some of the subtleties that make the setting better than much of what it rips off.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s very derivative, but I always assumed that was Gaider’s assignment. BioWare told him to make something as similar to the forgotten realms as possible without infringing on WotC’s trademarks so that BioWare could own the IP.

Bearing that in mind, I think Gaider does a decent job of subverting some of the cliches he had to work with. Take the mages vs the templars. In a standard BioWare game the magic users would be a poor persecuted minority with templars as their unjust oppressors (I think this is what they did in DA2 which Gaider had a much smaller role in since he was off writing novels). But in Gaider’s original world, magic opens up the user to demonic possession—in fact it’s inevitable—and that leads to a horrific killing spree. You don’t see too many games where magic users are walking, hair trigger WMDs. Which means while the templars may be jackbooted thugs, their thuggery is very much justified.

You have your standard demon invasion, but rather than uniting to face a common threat, every faction either wants to turn insular or backstab each other or pretend it isn’t happening, which is why the whole main quest is just convincing everyone to actually do something about the apocalypse on their doorstep. Hell, in the Awakenings expansion the Frenchies try to switch sides and join with the demons (granted, Gaider was clearly drawing on historical precedent here).

The elves have more in common with Sapkowsky’s downtrodden urban minority/angry embittered forest guerillas. All told, I also thought DA:O was a lot more cynical than your typical BioWare game. I’m not the best person to make this argument, though—I only played the first game once and never touched the newer ones. I’m sure others here have more familiarity.

Again, in a lot ways I agree that it’s not very original. But given that BioWare likely wanted zero originality, I think Gaider did a good job of working within those constraints.

 

[Prime Junta]

But given that BioWare likely wanted zero originality, I think Gaider did a good job of working within those constraints.

If BioWare wanted zero originality, then Gaider did a fantastic job.

 

[ArchAngel]

Nine Princes in Amber.z

I've played Origins and didn't like it.

The setting was fleshed-out and much deeper than the usual fantasy theme park :cough: :Larian: :cough: but fuck me if it wasn't plodding and pedestrian. A lot of work and thought went into it, but it's the product of a really unimaginative mind.

It's basically Ivanhoe's England. You've got your rich, cultured, foppish, cunning, expansionist French (Orlais). You've got your Saracens with their scary religion and apparently unstoppable conquering military (Qunari). You've got your Saxons (all those Erls and Banns and what have you). You've got your Celts (elves). You've got witches, inquisitors, clergy, the whole Coca-Cola bottle, and to make an actual game there you throw in a bunch of standard fantasy clichés like dragons, wizards, and a demonic invasion.

IOW it's standard nu-BioWare stuff. Utterly derivative, failing to delight and surprise at every turn but plodding doggedly forward to tick all the boxes, cross all the t's and dot all the i's. Even Pillars' Eora manages to be more imaginative and interesting and that was put together slapdash by one guy on a deadline who would rather have been doing something else.

It’s been a while since I played DA:O, but IMO you’re glossing over some of the subtleties that make the setting better than much of what it rips off.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s very derivative, but I always assumed that was Gaider’s assignment. BioWare told him to make something as similar to the forgotten realms as possible without infringing on WotC’s trademarks so that BioWare could own the IP.

Bearing that in mind, I think Gaider does a decent job of subverting some of the cliches he had to work with. Take the mages vs the templars. In a standard BioWare game the magic users would be a poor persecuted minority with templars as their unjust oppressors (I think this is what they did in DA2 which Gaider had a much smaller role in since he was off writing novels). But in Gaider’s original world, magic opens up the user to demonic possession—in fact it’s inevitable—and that leads to a horrific killing spree. You don’t see too many games where magic users are walking, hair trigger WMDs. Which means while the templars may be jackbooted thugs, their thuggery is very much justified.

You have your standard demon invasion, but rather than uniting to face a common threat, every faction either wants to turn insular or backstab each other or pretend it isn’t happening, which is why the whole main quest is just convincing everyone to actually do something about the apocalypse on their doorstep. Hell, in the Awakenings expansion the Frenchies try to switch sides and join with the demons (granted, Gaider was clearly drawing on historical precedent here).

The elves have more in common with Sapkowsky’s downtrodden urban minority/angry embittered forest guerillas. All told, I also thought DA:O was a lot more cynical than your typical BioWare game. I’m not the best person to make this argument, though—I only played the first game once and never touched the newer ones. I’m sure others here have more familiarity.

Again, in a lot ways I agree that it’s not very original. But given that BioWare likely wanted zero originality, I think Gaider did a good job of working within those constraints.

This is how I would have responded to Prime Junta fanboy PoE outburst.
PoE setting is banal shit boring, way worse than DAO. Biggest problem of DAO was main enemy being an uninteresting Dragon and combat being crap.

 

[Fenix]

PoE setting is banal shit boring, way worse than DAO.

Like a... well, you know - grades of shit.
In my humble opinion of course.

 

[Prime Junta]

PoE setting is banal shit boring, way worse than DAO.

Like a... well, you know - grades of shit.
In my humble opinion of course.

RPGs are shit and we're shit for playing them

Spoiler

 

[HeatEXTEND]

Fun fact. Tried to look for some trademark proof for the new game. Found nothing. But there is going to be a board game called "BETRAYAL AT BALDUR'S GATE"

I am not joking. Will Betrayal at Krondor+BG make a great board game?

Saw it played last week-end, looked a dime a dozen.

 

[Roguey]

If they are actually making a Planescape game, the main reason might well be "It's what David Gaider wanted to make as a condition for joining".

Makes sense... put your company's future on some guy's whim.
Actually, given that it's Beamdog it wouldn't surprise me, but why would Gaydar put such a condition in the first place? Did he ever mention wanting to do Planescape or what? Assuming he could put conditions and not just beg for the job.

Roguey might have something to say about this.

Alright Twitter RT this with your top 5 video games of all time

Planescape: Torment Civilization II Crusader Kings 2 A Mind Forever Voyaging X-COM: UFO Defense

Additionally from earlier this year



(His assessment: "It's complicated." )

 

[Iskramor]

It would be amusing if they made a much better Torment than InXile.

A dish best served cold?

Not suprising really beamdob canadian left-wing extremists TWC also +sjw they are cut from the same cloth....

 

[Infinitron]

More mainstream coverage: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-11-14-beamdog-new-planescape-torment-unravel

Beamdog may be making a new Planescape: Torment RPG
New clues to Unravel.

Is Beamdog making a new Planescape: Torment game? Not an Enhanced Edition, as the small Canadian studio has done for Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale and even Planescape: Torment, but an actual new game. A few new clues suggest so.

The clues come from a short documentary about Beamdog made by Canadian initiative Storyhive, which supports local creative work. In the documentary (spotted by Gamebanshee) is footage of Beamdog developers at work, and it's in this we see an artist's screen and on it, the clues.

The picture on the screen shows concept art for characters belonging to the "Fated" faction. "Fated" is written as the heading on the picture and "faction_Fated_thumbs" is the name of the file.

There, in the top-left of the screen.

Fated are a faction in Planescape: Torment who believe if you have the power to take something, you can, which is why they're also known as the Heartless and the Takers.

But even more compelling is the name of the folder - and presumably the name of the project - the file belongs to: "Planescape: Unraveled", a name we've never heard before. Could it also be a play on words and have something to do with the infamous Ravel Puzzlewell from Planescape: Torment?

A Beamdog artist, Amy Cornelson, provided another possible clue in her ArtStation portfolio. Among more character sketches were those for Golden Lords Townsfolk, which could refer to the influential Golden Lords of Sigil, the central city and beating heart of Planescape.

We know there's something new and original in the works at Beamdog. Nothing has been formally announced but Beamdog has talked loosely about the future in interviews. "We're also going to be developing our own projects and brands. For now I can't reveal anything, but going forward you'll see both great licensed and original IP projects from Beamdog," Beamdog lead designer Phillip Daigle told RPGamer in March 2016 (via a useful "All you wanted to know about the next Beamdog project" hub thread on the Beamdog forum).

Remember, veteran BioWare writer David Gaider joined Beamdog last year too, citing the company's "exciting plans" among his reasons for being there. With the studio's first original work, an expansion for Baldur's Gate titled Siege of Dragonspear, as well as the Enhanced Edition of Planescape: Torment both released last year and therefore now out of the way, Beamdog's decks have been clear to work on something new. Could Planescape: Unravel be it?

Note: Brian Fargo's inXile studio owns the "Torment" trademark and used it to make Torment: Tides of Numenera, a thematic successor to Planescape: Torment, released earlier this year. It might explain why "Torment" is absent from the title "Planescape: Unravel".

Should Beamdog be making a new Planescape: Torment-related game, the for-hire talents of Chris Avellone will presumably be of particular allure, what with Avellone having been the lead designer of PST. Avellone even popped up on Twitter overnight to teasingly comment on the news, remarking, "Updated my journal."

Whatever Beamdog is planning, Planescape: Torment will be a dauntingly hard act to follow. It remains for many the absolute pinnacle of how deep a computer role-playing game can go.

CTRL-F "Codex" -> 0 results

 

[Murk]

I'm for giving post-BioWare Gaider a chance, though.

Why? Honest question. Is there anything he did post Biowhore that inspires this confidence?

Obviously no. But the man used to post here (Dgaider), was interviewed by Vault Dweller a couple of times, so he has some Codex cred points.

was last seen: 2009

I didn't like Gaider, but he was unfairly harassed out of here by an unlikable fuckwit called 'Warden'.

edit: "spotted by gamebanshee" lel, sorry LESS T_T but we still <3 you

 

[Kem0sabe]

More mainstream coverage: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-11-14-beamdog-new-planescape-torment-unravel

Beamdog may be making a new Planescape: Torment RPG
New clues to Unravel.

Is Beamdog making a new Planescape: Torment game? Not an Enhanced Edition, as the small Canadian studio has done for Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale and even Planescape: Torment, but an actual new game. A few new clues suggest so.

The clues come from a short documentary about Beamdog made by Canadian initiative Storyhive, which supports local creative work. In the documentary (spotted by Gamebanshee) is footage of Beamdog developers at work, and it's in this we see an artist's screen and on it, the clues.

The picture on the screen shows concept art for characters belonging to the "Fated" faction. "Fated" is written as the heading on the picture and "faction_Fated_thumbs" is the name of the file.

There, in the top-left of the screen.

Fated are a faction in Planescape: Torment who believe if you have the power to take something, you can, which is why they're also known as the Heartless and the Takers.

But even more compelling is the name of the folder - and presumably the name of the project - the file belongs to: "Planescape: Unraveled", a name we've never heard before. Could it also be a play on words and have something to do with the infamous Ravel Puzzlewell from Planescape: Torment?

A Beamdog artist, Amy Cornelson, provided another possible clue in her ArtStation portfolio. Among more character sketches were those for Golden Lords Townsfolk, which could refer to the influential Golden Lords of Sigil, the central city and beating heart of Planescape.

We know there's something new and original in the works at Beamdog. Nothing has been formally announced but Beamdog has talked loosely about the future in interviews. "We're also going to be developing our own projects and brands. For now I can't reveal anything, but going forward you'll see both great licensed and original IP projects from Beamdog," Beamdog lead designer Phillip Daigle told RPGamer in March 2016 (via a useful "All you wanted to know about the next Beamdog project" hub thread on the Beamdog forum).

Remember, veteran BioWare writer David Gaider joined Beamdog last year too, citing the company's "exciting plans" among his reasons for being there. With the studio's first original work, an expansion for Baldur's Gate titled Siege of Dragonspear, as well as the Enhanced Edition of Planescape: Torment both released last year and therefore now out of the way, Beamdog's decks have been clear to work on something new. Could Planescape: Unravel be it?

Note: Brian Fargo's inXile studio owns the "Torment" trademark and used it to make Torment: Tides of Numenera, a thematic successor to Planescape: Torment, released earlier this year. It might explain why "Torment" is absent from the title "Planescape: Unravel".

Should Beamdog be making a new Planescape: Torment-related game, the for-hire talents of Chris Avellone will presumably be of particular allure, what with Avellone having been the lead designer of PST. Avellone even popped up on Twitter overnight to teasingly comment on the news, remarking, "Updated my journal."

Whatever Beamdog is planning, Planescape: Torment will be a dauntingly hard act to follow. It remains for many the absolute pinnacle of how deep a computer role-playing game can go.

CTRL-F "Codex" -> 0 results

Fuck them, Eurogamer is shit.

 

[Crescent Hawk]

I already did a gorilla war against the travesty abomination that was Thi4f to make it bomb, it will just be another silent war against these sleazy emasculated, pathological ethnomasochist neo Marxist with their rapist paws on Torment.

Pillars had a good setting guys, the exposition was just bad. The only gripe I had were the ocean folk.

 

[markec]

No surprise really, obviously they are trying to piggyback on massive success of Tides of Numenera.

 

[Darkzone]

I'm a convinced atheist, but i do pray to YHWH that Beamdog doesn't make a PS:T.

 

[l3loodAngel]

I'm for giving post-BioWare Gaider a chance, though.

Why? Honest question. Is there anything he did post Biowhore that inspires this confidence?

Is there anything he did there that inspires confidence?

 

[l3loodAngel]

Nine Princes in Amber.z

I've played Origins and didn't like it.

The setting was fleshed-out and much deeper than the usual fantasy theme park :cough: :Larian: :cough: but fuck me if it wasn't plodding and pedestrian. A lot of work and thought went into it, but it's the product of a really unimaginative mind.

It's basically Ivanhoe's England. You've got your rich, cultured, foppish, cunning, expansionist French (Orlais). You've got your Saracens with their scary religion and apparently unstoppable conquering military (Qunari). You've got your Saxons (all those Erls and Banns and what have you). You've got your Celts (elves). You've got witches, inquisitors, clergy, the whole Coca-Cola bottle, and to make an actual game there you throw in a bunch of standard fantasy clichés like dragons, wizards, and a demonic invasion.

IOW it's standard nu-BioWare stuff. Utterly derivative, failing to delight and surprise at every turn but plodding doggedly forward to tick all the boxes, cross all the t's and dot all the i's. Even Pillars' Eora manages to be more imaginative and interesting and that was put together slapdash by one guy on a deadline who would rather have been doing something else.

It’s been a while since I played DA:O, but IMO you’re glossing over some of the subtleties that make the setting better than much of what it rips off.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s very derivative, but I always assumed that was Gaider’s assignment. BioWare told him to make something as similar to the forgotten realms as possible without infringing on WotC’s trademarks so that BioWare could own the IP.

Bearing that in mind, I think Gaider does a decent job of subverting some of the cliches he had to work with. Take the mages vs the templars. In a standard BioWare game the magic users would be a poor persecuted minority with templars as their unjust oppressors (I think this is what they did in DA2 which Gaider had a much smaller role in since he was off writing novels). But in Gaider’s original world, magic opens up the user to demonic possession—in fact it’s inevitable—and that leads to a horrific killing spree. You don’t see too many games where magic users are walking, hair trigger WMDs. Which means while the templars may be jackbooted thugs, their thuggery is very much justified.

You have your standard demon invasion, but rather than uniting to face a common threat, every faction either wants to turn insular or backstab each other or pretend it isn’t happening, which is why the whole main quest is just convincing everyone to actually do something about the apocalypse on their doorstep. Hell, in the Awakenings expansion the Frenchies try to switch sides and join with the demons (granted, Gaider was clearly drawing on historical precedent here).

The elves have more in common with Sapkowsky’s downtrodden urban minority/angry embittered forest guerillas. All told, I also thought DA:O was a lot more cynical than your typical BioWare game. I’m not the best person to make this argument, though—I only played the first game once and never touched the newer ones. I’m sure others here have more familiarity.

Again, in a lot ways I agree that it’s not very original. But given that BioWare likely wanted zero originality, I think Gaider did a good job of working within those constraints.

This is how I would have responded to Prime Junta fanboy PoE outburst.
PoE setting is banal shit boring, way worse than DAO. Biggest problem of DAO was main enemy being an uninteresting Dragon and combat being crap.

Bring out the sketti boys, we have a fight on our hands(boo boo vs fatty doo doo).

 

[Jedi_Learner]

Life is such a funny thing. Only hours ago I finished Siege of Dragonspear and was largely unimpressed. I was glad it was over.

Imagine my excitement at reading this topic. Fuck me.

 

[Roguey]

I didn't like Gaider, but he was unfairly harassed out of here by an unlikable fuckwit called 'Warden'.

Codex lore: it wasn't Warden, it was a thread where a group of posters personally attacked him (as opposed to his work) for no reason.

 

[Murk]

I didn't like Gaider, but he was unfairly harassed out of here by an unlikable fuckwit called 'Warden'.

Codex lore: it wasn't Warden, it was a thread where a group of posters personally attacked him (as opposed to his work) for no reason.

If he wasn't THE reason he had to be ONE of them as I recall him incessantly insulting Gaider.

 

[Fenix]

but i do pray to

Don't pray to demons.