Bard's Tale The Bard's Tale IV Pre-Release Thread [RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Darkzone]

At least he doesn't insist on operating out of San Francisco like that money pit, Tim Schafer.

If Schafer would work with his employees in a trailer park, then certainly all his games would be finished way before the money would run out. Simply for the fact that he would do everything in his power, to get out of this shit.

inXile's offices look like crap. Darkzone does have potato standards though

They may look like crap, but they can cost much money. Look this is not a good place for work:

This is a place for a nice easy life. Newport Beach is one of the richest cities in USA measured on the avg. income per person.
I would certainly think there the whole day in the office, how i will surf in the evening and eat a steak on the barbecue.

 

[Metro]

You can see Fargo's house from there.

 

[Kem0sabe]

Living near the ocean is the only way to live.

 

[Dorateen]

I prefer the mountains.

 

[Russia is over. The end.]

Why is everyone saying that it's going to be a blobber and talking about mm7? Is there any official info that it won't be top down?

 

[Zed]

Why is everyone saying that it's going to be a blobber and talking about mm7? Is there any official info that it won't be top down?

I think it will be top-down. I hope it's blobber tho.

 

[Metro]

http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/inde...ale-iv-from-inxile.95694/page-21#post-3821833

 

[imweasel]

It won't be a blobber, it is going to be Fargo's answer to Skyrim.

Sorry, I can't reveal my super serious source that is definitely very correct.

A video of a gameplay prototype would be counterproductive to the goals of a Kickstarter campaign, since videos of gameplay prototypes rarely look good.

It is much easier to sell a dream than a product, so if they do show something then it will have to look amazing.

Hey look, its Brian Fargo the millionaire trying to look cool to the poor unwashed masses by saying "lets fight the establishment that made me rich!"

Better than look at me and my super expensive gold chains and my lavish gold rings and my extravagent Rolex and my nicely groomed chest and I was in space for 30 million dollars because "i'm rich biiiatch!" Richard Garriott during the SotA Kickstarter.

 

[tuluse]

I would bet 1 million dollars it won't be top down. Not sure it will be a blobber, but I do expect it.

I'm not expecting grid based or turn based from their announcements so far.

 

[Russia is over. The end.]

it is going to be Fargo's answer to Skyrim.

Well you need to clarify this I think.

In the sense that he wants a big commercial hit?
In the sense that he wants a first person game that's not necessarily story-driven, but more like explore and bang your wife with a waifu mod?
Or just in the sense that he wants a first person rpg (but also story-driven, with a thought-out combat system, etc as a bonus)?

 

[imweasel]

Well you need to clarify this I think.

I wasn't being serious.

Fargo is a huge fan of party based tactical gameplay and he also wants to make a true sequel to the orginal games, so I am pretty sure it will be a first person blobber, although I am not expecting it to be gridlocked.

 

[Lady_Error]

http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/inde...ale-iv-from-inxile.95694/page-21#post-3821833

You recently announced The Bard's Tale IV, a proper sequel to the series that got many of us into RPGs in the first place. Are you planning to modernize the game, or will it feature grid-based dungeoneering a la Etrian Odyssey, or some combination of the two?

We are going to experiment with a couple of new techniques so I hesitate to reveal too much now but I would say that locking someone onto a grid would take away from the immersion I want to get across. There are ways to have the best of both worlds. I wouldn't want people to read too much into this answer since I have some ideas that I want to see played out first.

Since he is talking about grid-based movement vs. free movement it will definitely be first person. I'm still hoping that they implement something like in Realms of Arkania 2 where you could switch between blobber and free movement = best of both worlds.

 

[Zeriel]

I would bet 1 million dollars it won't be top down. Not sure it will be a blobber, but I do expect it.

I'm not expecting grid based or turn based from their announcements so far.

Thought they already said for sure it isn't grid-based.

My interest level is currently sitting near to absolute zero on this one. Too bad, I'm a big blobber fan, but Fargo seems determined to make a game not grog enough for grogs, and not mainstream enough for cashmere casuals.

 

[Lady_Error]

Thought they already said for sure it isn't grid-based.

From what he is saying, it won't be purely grid-based (which I would have preferred) but since they may try to do "the best of both worlds", there is a chance that grid-based will be implemented as an option:

"Fargo: We are going to experiment with a couple of new techniques so I hesitate to reveal too much now but I would say that locking someone onto a grid would take away from the immersion I want to get across. There are ways to have the best of both worlds. I wouldn't want people to read too much into this answer since I have some ideas that I want to see played out first."

 

[Russia is over. The end.]

but Fargo seems determined to make a game not grog enough for grogs

What makes you say that?

 

[Zeriel]

but Fargo seems determined to make a game not grog enough for grogs

What makes you say that?

"real bards tale sequel" that isn't grid-based? Might as well just call it another game at that point, it would be like if they had Kickstarted Wasteland 2 as an Infinity Engine style game instead of turn-based.

 

[Zombra]

I know man, Wizardry 8 sucked - oh wait

 

[FeelTheRads]

No, wait, grid grid-based games sucked, right? Is that the correct conclusion?

 

[Lady_Error]

I know man, Wizardry 8 sucked - oh wait

W7>W6>W8

 

[Infinitron]

but Fargo seems determined to make a game not grog enough for grogs

What makes you say that?

"real bards tale sequel" that isn't grid-based? Might as well just call it another game at that point, it would be like if they had Kickstarted Wasteland 2 as an Infinity Engine style game instead of turn-based.

Or as a Fallout-style game instead of a game with top-down exploration and phase-based blobber combat, like the original Wasteland. Oh wait

 

[Zeriel]

but Fargo seems determined to make a game not grog enough for grogs

What makes you say that?

"real bards tale sequel" that isn't grid-based? Might as well just call it another game at that point, it would be like if they had Kickstarted Wasteland 2 as an Infinity Engine style game instead of turn-based.

Or as a Fallout-style game instead of a game with top-down exploration and phase-based blobber combat, like the original Wasteland. Oh wait

Yeah, but in that case he was pandering to another grog audience that was basically the evolution of what Wasteland started.

By the way, I'm not saying pandering to casuals is bad (CDProjekt does this, and I like their games), or that not pandering to grogs is bad, either. Just that I don't think he's going to do a good job of either. I want to be wrong about this, though. I would love to see another playable (i.e, not real time dancefest ala Grimrock) blobber on the horizon.

 

[Infinitron]

Yeah, but in that case he was pandering to another grog audience that was basically the evolution of what Wasteland started.

By the way, I'm not saying pandering to casuals is bad (CDProjekt does this, and I like their games), or that not pandering to grogs is bad, either. Just that I don't think he's going to do a good job of either. I want to be wrong about this, though. I would love to see another playable (i.e, not real time dancefest ala Grimrock) blobber on the horizon.

Well, we already know that it's not going to be real-time. I think people are getting the wrong ideas about this project from one quote without taking in the totality of everything that's been said up until now.

 

[Zombra]

No, wait, grid grid-based games sucked, right? Is that the correct conclusion?

The grid doesn't automatically make any game suck, but it isn't central or necessary to any game as some people insist. Wizardry is a good example of a series that wasn't ruined by the advent of analog movement. (If you disagree, let's hear it: what was lost exactly?) Bard's Tale will survive it too.

 

[Lady_Error]

It'll be Might & Magic 6-9 with better graphics and some innovative Hearthstone-inspired combat mechanics.

 

[vonAchdorf]

No, wait, grid grid-based games sucked, right? Is that the correct conclusion?

The grid doesn't automatically make any game suck, but it isn't central or necessary to any game as some people insist. Wizardry is a good example of a series that wasn't ruined by the advent of analog movement. (If you disagree, let's hear it: what was lost exactly?) Bard's Tale will survive it too.

I don't see many advantages of grid-based movement other than nostalgia, especially when there's an overworld. That's why I also think allowing to toggle between free- and grid-based movement makes no sense. This way, you still have to layout the environment grid-based.