[Gotdamit]Promising RPG's that died in birth...

[ghostdog]

This is a thread with a lot of cursing , bitching and crying (manly tears of course). Maybe for some there will also fell a secret, or-not-so-secret sadistic joy. Some fortunate souls may just not give a damn at all... This is a thread about interesting/promising/greatly anticipated RPG's that were in production but eventually got dropped. Don't include hype bubbles like Grimoire, it's been overly discussed in the codex and anyway it's still in production ( )


STORMBRINGER

The idea to start this thread came to me, when I stumbled upon Stormbringer, whose existence I wasn't aware of. I would really like to play a game with one of the best anti-heroes ever made and the fact that Moorock was actively involved makes it even more promising. Just look at this beautiful 2D art.

(time to get the two big OH NOES! out of the way)



MYSTARY !

Next one is of course the famous "Mystary" . The post-apocalyptic rpg that TOIKA was developing before they eventually shut down. The graphics were great and atmospheric, the isometric view seemed like it might really work in 3d and as far as the core game itself I'm sure they would have done a great job as always. The playtesting would probably be inadequate as always , but I can live with that...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvgSGxNTADI




Van Buren

The game that when it got canceled, shattered many hearts. These hearts eventually have been stepped on and exploded in a bloody mess [perk] by the marching Bethesda machine...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uuDKrY7 ... re=related



So, any other HUGE titles I forgot about? What about PST , is there any art or screens in the internets from the the sequel that was in pre-productiont? What about any of those mostly unknown games that almost got finished and showed some promise?

 

[Dark Elf]

Face it, they'll be mentioned:

Grimoire

Duke Nukem Forever

 

[Helton]

American Mare

 

[Vault Dweller]

Jefferson aka The Black Hound aka Baldur's Gate 3

Also:

Torn

The game will use the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. role-playing game system that was created for the Fallout series. This skill-based character system will let players approach problems in a variety of ways. Situations can be resolved through combat, diplomacy, stealth, or a combination of the three. Characters will have access to player-created items, four types of magic, and a wide variety of specialties and abilities. The game will include six playable races, including powerful ogres and cunning sidhe.

Essentially, Torn is designed to encompass the most successful elements of previous Black Isle games, most notably the core open-ended, character-driven gameplay elements. As in games like Fallout and Planescape: Torment, in Torn, a player character's statistics will not only influence his or her combat proficiency, but also his or her ability to communicate. Thus, intelligent and charismatic characters will have an easier time communicating with the game's many personalities. The game will also feature a system similar to Fallout's perks--there will be bonus character traits that you learn as you gain experience levels.

...if you're trying to convince a character or impress a character, but you're not charismatic enough to do so, one of your other party members could possibly step into the conversation and try to help you out.

The team that created Planescape: Torment is designing Torn, and the artists from Torment and Icewind Dale are creating the look of this new gameworld.

Maldonado: "Suffice it to say that it's got big armies, old friendships turned to bitter rivalries, romance, ancient prophecies, political intrigue, amazing swag to loot, mysteries to solve, philosophical wackiness, moral ambiguity, plot twists--the list goes on and on. We hope to entertain everyone immensely and in a way that they'll remember for a good, long time.
...
Depending upon what the player wants to get involved in, the PC could find him- or herself putting an end to the plotting of scheming, murderous political advisors; seeking acceptance as an acolyte of a religious order; loading and unloading crates for a day's pay; saving an entire city from the depredations of a power-mad demoness summoned by unwitting cultists; blackmailing a corrupt magistrate; breaking someone out of a duke's dungeons; stealing for fun and profit; "collecting" extortion money for the Thieves' Guild; saving the life of a dying child; playing rival bands of smugglers against one another; murdering for hire; tracking down vicious criminals for a bounty; and more--and that's just the very first area of the game! Things continue to get crazier and more extravagant as the game goes on, of course.[You'll be] seeking to build items of fantastic power, making obscene pacts with beings of utter unholy vileness, breaking into the stronghold of a powerful secret organization, and kidnapping someone right out from under their noses, and so on.

And, of course, there's the requisite "solve it in multiple ways!" bit--this is a big part of Torn and one of the traditions we're most happy to have carried over from the Fallout series. PCs will be able to handle virtually any situation through violence, guile, or diplomacy. They're free to play through the game any way that they want.

[Also], we aim to have more quests in which players set their own goals rather than running around for the benefit of others. The PC may have some overarching goal that he or she has been assigned to accomplish, but it's up to him or her to figure out exactly how to get it done. To use an example I've given previously, say the protagonist is on a quest to recover a forbidden book from a thief who had been paid to steal it but failed to deliver it. Entering the thief's lair, the protagonist finds that the thief has been murdered and the book stolen. The protagonist discovers that another group took the book from the thief and intends to trade it to a certain eccentric noblewoman in return for political favors. So does the protagonist return to his or her employer empty-handed, but with information on the book's current and future whereabouts? Steal the book from the group that murdered the thief? Wait for them to trade it away and then steal if from the eccentric noblewoman? It's for the player to decide. "

 

[Raapys]

Torn sounds way too good to be true, though.

 

[Vault Dweller]

So does Planescape but they managed to deliver.

 

[Lonely Vazdru]

The Elder Scrolls 3.

As a huge Daggerfall fan, I'm still waiting for its successor to enter my hard drive. I've heard of a "Morrowind" which should be just that. But those are just rumours... and still I wait.

 

[mondblut]

I guess Torn ended up being Lionheart, LAWL. I wouldn't mind to see the cancelled Stonekeep 2 too.

What else... The 2 promised sequels to Aethra Chronicles are sorely missed. The sequel to Amberstar and Ambermoon (Ambersun, I think), which got canned in favor of Albion.

A honorable mention goes to the sequels of Daggerfall, mentioned in 1997 as TES3: Tribunal and TES4: Oblivion, supposedly to be done both before the turn of millenium as games very similar to Daggerfall, and to the earlier version of Ultima IX.

 

[Vault Dweller]

I guess Torn ended up being Lionheart, LAWL.

It's a completely different game. Licensing DnD would have cost Reflexive a lot, brand new systems don't look very exciting on press-releases, and SPECIAL was easily available and was already a brand-name (just look at the early coverage).

 

[Solohk]

Journey to the Centre of Arcanum

In a 2000 interview with Nextgame.it Tim Cain announced plans for an Arcanum sequel, but these plans would not come to pass – Troika Games filed for dissolution on September 30, 2005.

In September 2006, one of Arcanum's lead programmers and tri-founder of Troika, Leonard Boyarsky, divulged that the studio had originally commenced work on a sequel, going by the working title of Journey to the Centre of Arcanum, which would use Valve's Source Engine. Development was curtailed by disputes between Sierra and Valve, resulting ultimately in the project being shelved.

I don't think I've ever liked a game setting as much as Arcanum's.

 

[ghostdog]

Oh yes, Torn. Somehow I managed to forget about this game. Even if they delivered half of the promises they made , it would still be a great game. Unfortunately only that horrible trailer managed to come out.

 

[Shoelip]

The other three Xenosaga games.

Pretty much everything else mentioned sounds like it would have been good too.

 

[Kingston]

Ahh yes, Torn. That game got cancelled pretty soon after it was announced, iirc.

 

[doctor_kaz]

Adding -- English versions of Goldenland and Fall -- Last Days of Gaia. Goldenland looked really good and it was supposedly very successful in Russia.

Jefferson aka The Black Hound aka Baldur's Gate 3"

Is J.E. Sawyer still working on this as a mod for NWN 2, or has that been abandoned?

 

[Uz0rnaem]

Static. It was shaping up to be a solid Fallout clone with an interesting premise and fantastic art direction. I don't remember why they abandoned the project.

 

[fastpunk]

Can't have a thread like this without mentioning Van Buren. At the time of cancellation most of the content was done. It was so close. The story outline was fuckin great and I also remember <a href="http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/fallout2-1.php">this</a> interview where Chris Avellone had some interesting things to say about F3 companions: "I guess what I miss most were the companions you could get. I don't think I've felt the same energy since Torment for the companions you could get over the course of the game". They were close to finishing it... but instead we get Bethesda's 'true' sequel to FO1 & 2.

Also, Torn sounded very promising.

edit: yeah, you mentioned Van Buren, I know. I just needed to get that off my chest. Fuckin Interplay bastards!

 

[Deleted member 7219]

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

 

[Raapys]

Hmm, the Static game doesn't look bad.

 

[Quilty]

Is there truly no chance that Van Buren might be taken over by (or sold to, or whatever) some competent team and finished? None at all?

 

[Raapys]

We need more cRPG-interested billionaires.

 

[MaskedMartyr]

We need more cRPG-interested billionaires.

cRPG is for the proletarian elite. Screw all these rich capitalists.

 

[Walkin' Dude]

...if you're trying to convince a character or impress a character, but you're not charismatic enough to do so, one of your other party members could possibly step into the conversation and try to help you out.

That is one thing that has always aggravated me. I cannot think of any game where my party members could do the talking for me. If I want to explore the interesting dialog, I have to make a persuasive character, I cannot just rely on a party member to do it for me. Even if I am the leader, I should be able ask a smooth talker to butter up the king for me.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Arcanum used this "feature" a few times. I think it was well implemented.

Edit: Yes, Static looked great and was very promising. The plot revolved around mind control, if I recall correctly, and fit the setting well.

 

[spiwak]

I didn't realize Troika already had an engine and shit for their "Fallout" game. I always shed a few tears when I hear about Troika. So much potential squandered by asshole publishers and bickering engine developers (and lack of play testers).

 

[Black]

Age of Decadence ;( [*]