Game News Tentative Torment Kickstarter Tiers Announced

[DwarvenFood]

Damn. Colin did a lot of work on the areas of PST I really liked.

Smouldering Corpse Bar

 

[Infinitron]

Heh, looks like VD's post had unintended consequences

 

[l3loodAngel]

I did say you need both good writing (with that particular bend) and the appropriate setting that reinforces it. Both.

A good setting is an important and much desired element, but for a game like Torment, writing and storytelling are the key aspect.

Don't agree with you here. Setting is the thing that makes the stories believable. PST set in BG or you suburban neighborhood area would seem out of place, thus it is believable due to the setting. If the setting would not allow such things it would loose "believability" and the player would not be immersed in the story. Things like background factions, side quests and whole mythology of Sigil is important. Thus having good setting or a good story is not enough, games need both to succeed.

 

[Harold]

Reposting this brilliant yet unjustly ignored post of mine for maximum butthurt potential:

The areas I did included Smoldering Corpse bar and its attendant quests and dialogues

Area with lots of infodump about plane-travel. I suppose it was necessary. The two baatezu were cool.

Many-As-One and the Warrens of Thought

Cool idea but horrible execution. Combat slog through dozens of bipedal rats. Very little detail/dialogue to make me want to side with the Many against the undead.

the Great Foundry

Ok, but again the actual quest content for that area was surpisingly banal compared to the rest of the game. Redeemed by the fact that the Godsmen were working on a war machine for the baatezu, but that plot-line didn't go anywhere.

some of the Lower Ward

Can't comment without specifics.

Lothar and the Bones of the Night

The single moment that totally pulled me out of the game. So, the player needs to be told about Ravel holding the key to his mortality. Of all the ways this could be accomplished, he went with an all-powerful unkillable npc that can also kill TNO, and the plot would not progress until you paid him a visit. Why would I care to do that? Because he sends rats to kidnap Morte? What if my TNO doesn't care about Morte?

Many-As-One

He was't that great as to warrant a repeat mention, you know.

Curst

By far the worst area of the game on all levels. Little to no opportunities for role-playing and the attempt to give it the atmosphere of a town of betrayers was laughable. You were repeatedly told by its residents that they are a town of betrayers, but the way this played out in quests was linear and dumb. You could also (accidentally) skip all of it by sliding down a poorly hidden hole, thus ruining the town's thematic relevance when you revisit it and are supposed to take it out of Carceri.

Under Curst

Horrible combat slog.

(and certain dialogue nodes with Vhailor)

???

Carceri

Horrible. You are either forced to role-play as a paladin and stop the chaos and evil, regardless of how you played thus far or, if you don't care about the town, go straight after Trias and lose a buttload of xp. Yay for punishing role-play. Also, iwhy does the town slide back regardless of whether you chose to end the chaos or just go after Trias.

Trias the Betrayer

Again, cool idea, sloppy execution. Voice actor made him seem a lot cooler than he was.

Fhjull Forked-Tongue

Genuinely cool character. Should've had the plot revolve more around him after Ravel instead of the Curst/Carceri crap.

I helped smooth out certain kinks in the flow of the game

By adding some combat slog areas, amirite?

and suggested some of the chaos that might ensue when Curst shifted into Carceri and helped design the mechanic that would allow the player to return the city to the Outlands.

That mechanic being suddenly having to role-play as a paladin?

I think I did some other stuff too.

I sure fucking hope so.

I'm willing to shrug all this aside as being the inexperince of the time, but how is writing a bunch of fantasy novels since then (no, I'm not gonna read them) supposed to convince me the dude now knows how to write & design a game that thematically will resemble PST? What's to make me expect anything different from the things above, which, with very few exceptions, were the worst parts of PST?

http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/inde...use-monte-cooks-numenera-setting.79547/page-6

 

[Infinitron]

CMcC Comments?

 

[Roguey]

It depends what you as an individual thinks needs to be proven, doesn't it?

Um.... writing skills? Design skills? Doesn't New Reno stand out in Fallout 2 and is considered one of the best areas in terms of role-playing?

Avellone was given Torment before he was on Fallout 2.


http://www.markdomowicz.com/index.p...th-scott-warner&catid=39:games-misc&Itemid=57

SW: [laughs] Baldur's Gate was being developed concurrently at the same time Planescape was. So as they would release updates to the Baldur's Gate engine, we'd incorporate them and, shortly thereafter we started making some large changes to their engine as they were developing it. But, I think Planescape originally went into production in late 97, early 98, as it is now, and then got put on hold for 10 months while Fallout 2 was wrapped up. There were around 3 programmers on the team working on modifications for the Planescape engine during that time, but the real development started happening in late 98. We busted through the content of the game in 11 months.

So before he was given Torment, his proven experience was "headlines and factoids" for Conquest of the New World, "additional mission design" for Starfleet Academy, and creative lead for Descent to Undermountain.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Avellone was given Torment before he was on Fallout 2.

Well, I'll be damned. Is there anything you don't know, Roguey?

 

[evdk]

The term "Personal Space"

 

[Infinitron]

We busted through the content of the game in 11 months.

11 months. That's a figure worth remembering.

 

[CMcC]

CMcC Comments?

I guess Harold isn't going to join us in the Kickstarter? I just hope that Jaesun, Koschey, Zeriel, oasis789, and DwarvenFood will make up for the loss.


But seriously: no one's forcing anyone to pledge. Do it. Or don't. I can't convince anyone to pledge who actively doesn't like my work, and in fact if they know they don't like it, I encourage you not to get involved. Of course, you'll also be missing out on the work of-- hang on, that part's still secret.

We'll be happy to have you on board if the pitch video convinces you that this is a worthy project; if it doesn't, maybe our updates throughout the campaign will convince you. But if you're already determined that the game is in terrible hands and it's going to suck, don't bother to pledge. Then when the game comes out you can either:
a) crow all over the internet about how foresighted you were to avoid contributing to such a horrible piece of crap. Your "I was right on the intenet" medal will be mailed to you shortly thereafter; OR
b) hope that no one digs up your old rants about a game that hasn't yet been released and rubs your face in how stupid you were. (note: the medal tarnishes a lot more quickly than this shame wears off.)

Personally (and admittedly this is entirely subjective) I'd kick in. In fact, I'm planning on pledging anyway, because I want to get some of these stretch goals. Which is to say, I really, really want to work with some of the people we've lined up.

You might not care, in which case: all the best to you.

 

[Hobz]

 

[FeelTheRads]

also be missing out on the work of-- hang on, that part's still secret.

Start the betting, gentlemen.

 

[Zed]

also be missing out on the work of-- hang on, that part's still secret.

Start the betting, gentlemen.

Avellone.
Bet $5.

Personally (and admittedly this is entirely subjective) I'd kick in. In fact, I'm planning on pledging anyway, because I want to get some of these stretch goals. Which is to say, I really, really want to work with some of the people we've lined up.

Ziets could probably be another stretch-goal, or some of the writers on WL2.

 

[Infinitron]

Try looking up other names from the PS:T or MotB credits. Are there any people in there who are looking for a job?

 

[Crooked Bee]

Of course, you'll also be missing out on the work of-- hang on, that part's still secret.

George Ziets?
Neal Hallford?
David Gaider?

Can't wait for the reveal!

 

[FeelTheRads]

Fuck it, I'm going for Zeb Cook, can't think of anybody else. Maybe it's gonna be someone completely unrelated but still interesting.

George Ziets?
Neal Hallford?
David Gaider?

 

[Infinitron]

It's not Zeb Cook, he works for Zenimax.

 

[FeelTheRads]

It's not Zeb Cook, he works for Zenimax.

I know.

 

[Infinitron]

Try looking up other names from the PS:T or MotB credits. Are there any people in there who are looking for a job?

For example: http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,13753/
http://rpgvaultarchive.ign.com/features/profiles/tdonley.shtml

 

[Rake]

fenstermaker 7$
Ziets 10$

 

[Vault Dweller]

Avellone.
Bet $5.

Probably Avellone since he did some work on WL2 and has a good working relationship with inXile. Kinda makes sense.

 

[undecaf]

Might Jason Anderson be avaiable for this?

 

[Infinitron]

Might Jason Anderson be avaiable for this?

He's at former Valve sister company Turtle Rock Studios: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jasondeananderson

Eric Fenstermaker is at Obsidian. They could borrow him, I guess...

 

[Darth Roxor]

Why isn't that guy's surname Fenstermacher. Makes no sense.

 

[undecaf]

Might Jason Anderson be avaiable for this?

He's at former Valve sister company Turtle Rock Studios: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jasondeananderson

"Current: the help at Turtle Rock studios"

The help?