Preview PC Gaming Show at E3 2016: Tyranny Gameplay Reveal Trailer

[Endlösung]

+ Being lawful as a source of power? or some shit like that, might count if it doesnt come from a God

How did you get that from any of the material released about this game so far?

Its me guessing. The Big Bad somehow binds his leftenants and gives them magical powers (maybe he just finds the x-men though), then they all act lawfully together according to some rules. They focus on LAW a lot.
If he was powerful and evil intrinsically, the writers would have just made him a hedonistic dictator. But right now I would guess that they'll try for a paternalistic character, 'for your own good', the same retardo that people praise in Fallout 1.

You could say the same about Darksun, Raveloft, Planescape (except society is generic XIX century instead of medieval, by the way how do you know that society is medieval?), Morrowind, Gothic, Wizardry and Dark Souls. Is making a non-generic fantasy RPG possible? Making it low-magic, non-epic and removing crystals doesn't work because then it's just a Conan ripoff which is also generic.

Evading my question. What is non generic in Tranny?

Darksun is a desert world with different societies and creatures.
Planescape is generic DnD just stuffed with all the Creation in a portal city.
Morrowind is generic with a skin job.
Gothic is low magic at first and gets generic very quickly just as the prison location is but a word.

Arcanum hits a lot of unorthodox approaches.

What is non generic in Tranny?

 

[Gangrelrumbler]

Evading my question. What is non generic in Tranny?

Darksun is a desert world with different societies and creatures.
Planescape is generic DnD just stuffed with all the Creation in a portal city.
Morrowind is generic with a skin job.
Gothic is low magic at first and gets generic very quickly just as the prison location is but a word.

Arcanum hits a lot of unorthodox approaches.

What is non generic in Tranny?

Tyranny is a fantasy game where not only totalitarianism is a dominating form of government but also puts player as a supporter of the current regime. Unlike almost every fantasy game where the dominating form of government is either monarchy or constitutional monarchy and PCs always fight against tyrants in any shape or form. I don't think an RPG like Tyranny was ever released. Kefka theoretically was a supreme ruler in the second half of FF VI but he had no government to speak of, the player party was also opposing him. FF IV at the beginning made the player follower of an evil tyrant but that part of the game lasted half on hour or so. I can't really call a game generic if it flips one of the oldest and most important tropes in the genre. I completely cannot understand how that doesn't make a game non-generic put putting players in the desert and using slightly different monsters somehow does.
And you can't really argue that besides player serving a Tyrant the game is completely generic because nothing was ever released yet. Yes it's possible that the whole preview is just a gigantic bait and switch like Final Fantasy IV but it's still better than Pillars of Eternity where every fucking preview until the release was nothing but generic.

 

[Sannom]

Weren't those guys good?

Those guys were violent, bloodthirsty werewolves.

 

[Fenix]

Still that awful focusing on plot parts, not story... Oh...

Those guys were violent, bloodthirsty werewolves.

I know, that's what heresy leads to.

 

[Infinitron]

"Generic" and "recognizably part of the fantasy genre" aren't the same thing. That seems to be the confusion here.

If the idea of playing a character who runs around in a world ruled by autocratic leaders and fights creatures with pre-modern weaponry and supernatural abilities seems trite to you, you're not just tired of generic fantasy, you're tired of fantasy period.

 

[Kron]

I think this game is being branded as generic not because of the premise but because of the execution. The general artwork and art direction do not play into the idea of making a world where "evil triumphed", etc. It's not really bold or imaginative at all.

If stuff looked more along the lines of this, for example, I'd be more interested:

Any setting and premise, no matter how generic or original it might sound, can be redeemed in the execution. Or totally fucked up.

 

[Mustawd]

The general artwork and art direction do not play into the idea of making a world where "evil triumphed", etc. It's not really bold or imaginative at all.

In a world of derivative artwork, that's not really surprising.

 

[Mozg]

Some random California photoshop graphic design kid vs. Brom, that's fair

 

[Infinitron]

Those images are more like "a world where weirdness triumphed".

I don't know, I thought the image of a stained glass window in an Idyllic Fantasy Village getting splattered with blood as people get to hacked to death outside was pretty cool.

 

[garren]

The art does look a bit like it was made for children.

 

[Mustawd]

The art does look a bit like it was made for children.

I think they're purposefully trying to soften the grimdarkness of the game's theme. I mean at one point a guy gets his head cut off in the trailer. Not saying it's a good look, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's intended to make it more palatable to a more general audience (aka younger kids convincing their parents to buy the game for them).

 

[Endlösung]

I completely cannot understand how that doesn't make a game non-generic but putting players in the desert and using slightly different monsters somehow does.

I cannot understand how it does. I mean, I demonstrated that role reversal is only a minor part of the perception of the setting. Sarevok's right hand who conquered the Sword Coast is still on the Sword Coast. Being an Ork in Tolkiens shit is still orky.
That the PC works for a lawful guy is not enough, being the only fantasy RPG that does this is not enough either. Too many fantasy cliches are checked.

And you can't really argue that besides player serving a Tyrant the game is completely generic because nothing was ever released yet.

From experience, glowing purple crystals alone are a GIGANTIC warning sign. Despite teh devs seemingly attempting to subvert a bunch of generic tropes.

I thought of another weird RPG - Arx Fatalis.

 

[Morality Games]

Some random California photoshop graphic design kid vs. Brom, that's fair

Brom and his peers in the fantasy art genre drew upon prestigious art movements (surrealism, etc) that entailed a high level of detail and technique, modern graphics art draws upon ... anime, always anime.

Though I guess there might also be an art deco element in Tyranny's design, I'm not an expert.

 

[Mustawd]

modern graphics art draws upon ... anime, always anime.

Not just that, but modern fantasy art is incredibly inbred. This is true for much of the art in video games. It's the reason why every sci fi game MUST have honey comb patterns somewhere.

 

[Mozg]

Eh, MtG cards don't look like stills from Cartoon Network shows. I think it's just money and whatever staff they had available for a B game.

 

[Fenix]

"Generic" and "recognizably part of the fantasy genre" aren't the same thing. That seems to be the confusion here.

If the idea of playing a character who runs around in a world ruled by autocratic leaders and fights creatures with pre-modern weaponry and supernatural abilities seems trite to you, you're not just tired of generic fantasy, you're tired of fantasy period.

You see, narrative that use such elements like nude archetypes like "Evil Lord" that did everyone is irreversibly shallow, and if not, this is some rare exception from real masters and\or pillars of the genre.
And as I said before, Avadon looks similiar, although I will not deny it out of respect for the person that I got tired of fantasy decade ago, because it filled on 99.999% with rubbish and cheap wastepaper, although (again) I have no problem with quality literature, like I can right now sit and read Zelazny.
I should note so make you understand me better, that there were years when I read one book per day, so I have read a lot.

 

[Gangrelrumbler]

I cannot understand how it does. I mean, I demonstrated that role reversal is only a minor part of the perception of the setting. Sarevok's right hand who conquered the Sword Coast is still on the Sword Coast. Being an Ork in Tolkiens shit is still orky.
That the PC works for a lawful guy is not enough, being the only fantasy RPG that does this is not enough either. Too many fantasy cliches are checked.

What cliches? "Many characters use magic" or "there are crystals somewhere"? You just took like 5 elements that appear in fantasy games (one of which was moderate climate for fucks sake), and arbitrary declared that every game that has them is generic. Also Sword Coast ruled by Sarevok would be a completely different setting. Just like Nazi-occupied Poland is a different setting than modern Poland.

From experience, glowing purple crystals alone are a GIGANTIC warning sign. Despite teh devs seemingly attempting to subvert a bunch of generic tropes. I thought of another weird RPG - Arx Fatalis.

Setting having some warning signs =/= setting being completely generic.[/QUOTE]

 

[an Administrator]

Is beheading their maximum level of evulness? meh

 

[Endlösung]

Also Sword Coast ruled by Sarevok would be a completely different setting.

Wow. And you claim PoE is generic? Gee, son.

Also, climate or rather generalized cosmic placement is probably the most important part of a fantasy setting, just like the source of energy is in sci fi (or source of magic for that matter). Good, coherent settings are built around it. Moderate climate is just a cheapo neutral option.

 

[Gangrelrumbler]

Also Sword Coast ruled by Sarevok would be a completely different setting.

Wow. And you claim PoE is generic? Gee, son.

Also, climate or rather generalized cosmic placement is probably the most important part of a fantasy setting, just like the source of energy is in sci fi (or source of magic for that matter). Good, coherent settings are built around it. Moderate climate is just a cheapo neutral option.

How is climate more important than the general socio-political situation? A jolly band of adventurers killing goblins in the tundra is not any different than a generic band of adventurers killing goblins in the forest.

 

[Endlösung]

Its the unchanging foundation. It drives everything. Economy, society, fucking food. Jolly adventures in a tundra are not the setting. I am starting to think that your are a bit slow.

 

[DeepOcean]

"Generic" and "recognizably part of the fantasy genre" aren't the same thing. That seems to be the confusion here.

If the idea of playing a character who runs around in a world ruled by autocratic leaders and fights creatures with pre-modern weaponry and supernatural abilities seems trite to you, you're not just tired of generic fantasy, you're tired of fantasy period.

There are plenty of takes on fantasy Infinitron, there is low magic, there is steampunk with magic, there is historical fantasy, there is post apocalyptic fantasy, divine/metaplanar fantasy and the list goes on and on... there isn't only DnD out there. Actually, the amount of games made on high magic fantasy is actually sickening and Tyranny isn't exception in there, you are still throwing fireballs at kobolds... sorry this is a new original non fantasy 101 world... they aren't kobolds, they are xaurips... originality right there.

Anyway, first, running around on a world ruled by autocratic leaders that love the LAW that only benefit them isn't news as I don't remember playing an RPG set on a democracy, the only diference right now is that they will probably would do a more grim dark take on it. So the feudal lord that oppressed the peasants will oppress them even more hardcore style and the rag tag group of rebels will be oppressed even more hardcore style and, second, this game will use cooldows and have PoE banalce so yeah, fight creatures with pre-modern weaponry and supernatural abilities will be trite to anyone that likes good combat.

 

[Darkzone]

What i also cannot get my head around is why they have chosen to use this setting, if they could have used the 'more' prestigious Conan world.
I know that Paradox has transferred the rights to Conan, to a holding that is owned by one of the founders of Paradox, but certainly they could have worked out something.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Isn't Conan public domain now (as are many, though possibly not all, of the original Robert E. Howard stories)? Anyone can use the character and the setting.

 

[Roguey]

Isn't Conan public domain now (as are many, though possibly not all, of the original Robert E. Howard stories)? Anyone can use the character and the setting.

While those individual stories are public domain, Conan is trademarked by Paradox Entertainment, so one has to go through them to make new Conan stories.