The Direction of Gaming

[DiverNB]

Arcanum it is then, I just ordered it. Sucky combat can be over looked if the story is compelling enough. I'm not sure what rule system it has (if it even has one) But I'll probably make an intelligent / wise character with a touch of Charisma. I'm already excited! I read a few things on it and an actual branching main story line that has actual consequences is always welcome.

When combined with the painful dungeon design, it can't be, IMO. Arcanum is one of the saddest examples of a game that "could have been". Of course, the other two Troika games fit right in there, too.

I've survived Irenicus' dungeon many times. Can't get much worse then that place.

 

[Jasede]

Don't listen to the hate.

If you're a good person you'll like Arcanum. Arcanum > Fallout.

 

[theverybigslayer]

Don't listen to the hate.

If you're a good person you'll like Arcanum. Arcanum > Fallout.

I am a very evil person
Can you forgive me?

Anyway I finished it so it cannot be so bad game

 

[theverybigslayer]

If you want even more challenge, play Wizardry 4. I don't think anyone here completed it. Ever.

I am going to give a try.

Yesterday I have finished Eye of the Beholder on GBA. It has a good TB combat like the goldbox games. But the game was incredibly easy so it became extremely boring.

 

[Edward_R_Murrow]

If you want even more challenge, play Wizardry 4. I don't think anyone here completed it. Ever.

That damn ghost was the death of me....

 

[theverybigslayer]

If you want even more challenge, play Wizardry 4. I don't think anyone here completed it. Ever.

That damn ghost was the death of me....

Somebody beat the game:

http://www.softwarespecialties.com/dcforum/DCForumID23/1.html#3

 

[kingcomrade]

Games in which the point is not to win but see how far you can get are rare nowadays.

 

[Texas Red]

When playing Arcanum you must remember that the story starts as a generic chosen one, prophecy yadayadayada. However, it really becomes much stranger and something youve never expected. Some people are put off by the beginning as they think the story is uninspired, so I mentioned this.

Bloodlines is also a must try because its an RPG that actually uses the graphics engine to the fullest. Aside from many other pluses the atmosphere is great.

 

[stargelman]

Ah, a kindred spirit. Welcome DiverNB, welcome to DIS.

Don't feel bad about succumbing to the Oblivion hype, it has happened to those that do not have the excuse of young age and should have known better, too. As far as Morrowind is concerned, it isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread where classic roleplaying elements are concerned, but I find that its unique world and rich backstory make up for that. Should play it again one of these days.

Now, concerning the games that were suggested to you, I'd like to pitch in.


Daggerfall is probably my favorite TES game. It has without a doubt the hugest game world ever in any PC game, and unlike its predecessor Arena, you can walk from town to town - even if it takes days in realtime. The dungeons are made for people who like to explore (read: they're mostly randomly generated and huuuuuuge and the map is pretty useless). If you enjoy roguelikes or just want a 100% sandbox game, this is it. And if only to laugh about the names the game generates for NPCs and places. Ruins of Old Gwnyrryra Farmstead FTW! Granted, the graphics are a bit dated now and may be hard on the eyes (I find FP graphics age a lot worse than isometric/topdown) but it's still a great game.

Arcanum is probably the apex of the RPG where the technical side is concerned. This game has a shitload of really cool RPG features and options and stuff. It will take you a few days to even learn what all the buttons and indicators and meters do. So many choices, it's frightening. The dialog is good as well, as are the quests. The world design and backstory are great too. The only thing that irks me is the fact there's all the traditional and overused fantasy cliches in it: busy dwarves, nature loving elfs, dumb (half)ogres and annoying gnomes. I think I could've done without them. The main story of the game relies a lot on those, so that tainted the experience for me a bit. Still, a great and fun game and as far as we are concerned, a game you must have played to be one of us

Bloodlines is a game I only recently discovered myself. I kept hearing about it and finally upon seeing it on ebay for 10 bucks decided to try it out. It's safe to say I enjoyed it, considering I'm playing it for the third time now in a space of four weeks. I'd call it an action RPG done right. It has twitchy combat, but other than that it is an RPG through and through. The game world is fantastic, the music is superb, the dialog is good although sometimes could have more options, the story is interesting and... ah well, find out for yourself. Definitely recommended.


As an aside, I share your feelings about NWN. I must say I have yet to play one game by Bioware that isn't complete crap.



BTW Walkin' Dude, what happened to you? Double dumbfuck? :D

 

[JarlFrank]

Arcanum is probably the apex of the RPG where the technical side is concerned. This game has a shitload of really cool RPG features and options and stuff. It will take you a few days to even learn what all the buttons and indicators and meters do. So many choices, it's frightening. The dialog is good as well, as are the quests. The world design and backstory are great too. The only thing that irks me is the fact there's all the traditional and overused fantasy cliches in it: busy dwarves, nature loving elfs, dumb (half)ogres and annoying gnomes. I think I could've done without them. The main story of the game relies a lot on those, so that tainted the experience for me a bit. Still, a great and fun game and as far as we are concerned, a game you must have played to be one of us


As an aside, I share your feelings about NWN. I must say I have yet to play one game by Bioware that isn't complete crap.



BTW Walkin' Dude, what happened to you? Double dumbfuck? :D

Personally I think that the fantasy clichés of Arcanum contributed to its greatness: It was the traditional fantasy being thrown into a completely different world and age than usual which made it so interesting. It was amazing to see how elves, dwarves, gnomes and orcs reacted to the new world they live in, how they were treated by the humans and how technology affected their lives. Arcanum was pure gold. Especially the detailed backstory. Lovely.

And a game by Bioware that didn't completely suck? BG2.

And why TWD is a double dumbfuck? Look in general discussion, that thread about aliens.

 

[Saxon1974]

I may be throwing myself to the wolves here, but what the hell, I figured that my bullshitting can't be worse than anybody else's on this forum (Though I'm sure many of you probably think I'm wrong)

Where is gaming going? To me, it always seemed so obvious. I thought, that as time progresses, playing new games in the future will be able to give me a deeper and more meaningful experience than the games that I have played in the past. Recently, however, I have not been so sure of this theory of mine

First, let me break any misconceptions you may have about me. I am not some ancient Role-player that used to play PnP D&D or Shadowrun or any of those games before video games were created into graphical experiences. I'm 18, and I'll be straight up honest, I thought Morrowind was my first RPG experience (Although I'm sure some of you will challenge that it is in fact an RPG). I loved it and everything about it, I felt like I couldn't get any deeper of a game than that, then again, I was 15 or 16 when it came out, and we all make dumb mistakes in our youth right? (Hell, I still will most likely)

I'm not here to give my personal history and blah blah blah, but to make a long story short I discovered on teh intarwebz that there were deeper role playing games than Morrowind and KOTOR. Hell, I remember buying into the hype surrounding Oblivion. I distinctly remember finding this site and saw so many people putting down the game that I said "FUCK THOSE GUYS" and proceeded back to my Bethsoft can do no harm world. Imagine my surprise a week after the game came out to find that pretty much everyone here was right. The choices and role-playing options in the game were garbage.So needless to say, when I played Fallout, Baldur's Gate, and Torment my old theory was pretty much shattered and broken. These three series (Well, a single game in Torment's case) managed to shock me. Here I am playing older games, and yet, somehow, by the grace of God, they're a better role-playing experience than these current games.

Now, please don't get me wrong when I say things like that. I am by no means proclaiming myself a role-playing aficionado, or the end all be all awesome CRPG gamer.It was just so damn shocking to my naive attitude back then. (Well, 2-3 years ago. But it feels like a long time ago)

So that brings me back to the question of "Where the fuck is the gaming industry going, better yet, what the hell has it done to itself?"

It seems to me, that, in it's current state, the industry is actually going backwards. Horse armor, the Orrerry that was already in the damn game, and on a somewhat unrelated note, the new Shadowrun game. They butchered the shit out of it, I mean I know it's an FPS but did they really have to screw the universe that badly? On tope of it all, the damn thing is strictly online with hardly shit for content in the actual game. 12 maps for 50-60 bucks? Get the hell out of here.

And now everyone is bitching about TBC and how it's out dated. What makes a combat system "out dated"? The fact that it is too complex for new gamers that just want to kamikaze and blow the shit out of everything? I just don't know anymore. Action combined with RPG now a days seems to lean far to heavily on the action side of things. I mean, Shadowrun on the Genesis combined it to a decent degree without it becoming a mindless blast fest, why can't developers do the same thing now?

So why did I post this many of you are probably asking. I don't blame you, a newbie coming here posting some long ass message that has already been said before most likely. I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that I wanted to show that not all younger gamers are idiots that think Oblivion is zomg awesome RP. Maybe I just needed to vent to people that seem to understand the way I feel. Either way, I hope that something good comes out of the future, cause past Bioshock I don't see much.

Thank you DiverNB for posting your thoughts, It makes me feel a bit better about the younger generation of gamers. I often wonder if it really is that the younger gamer's dont want to "true" RPG experience, but I also realize that the "true" RPG is not what is hyped and made by the big studio's anymore, so the new gamers don't even know they exist for the most part.

So, again thanks, I hope more like you start showing up and eventually true rpg's start being made again.

I feel the music biz is similar, all the youngin's listen to what popular right now on the radio and the music is terrible, but its what cool and what it being pushed by the big record execs.

 

[stargelman]

Personally I think that the fantasy clichés of Arcanum contributed to its greatness: It was the traditional fantasy being thrown into a completely different world and age than usual which made it so interesting. It was amazing to see how elves, dwarves, gnomes and orcs reacted to the new world they live in, how they were treated by the humans and how technology affected their lives. Arcanum was pure gold. Especially the detailed backstory. Lovely.

I can see the appeal of that, but I still have some trouble getting over it. Maybe in time. I'm certainly all set to play it a couple more times.

And a game by Bioware that didn't completely suck? BG2.

Ah. I recently bought a collection of all the BGs, but I have only tried BG1 and I hated every second of it.

And why TWD is a double dumbfuck? Look in general discussion, that thread about aliens.

Ah. I never visit "general discussion" forums anymore, but I can guess how that might help with the DDFing.

 

[Texas Red]

BG 1 is a horrible game compared to BG 2. Try the second one. Those generic cities and fedex quests along with one-shot-kills make me shudder.

 

[stargelman]

BG 1 is a horrible game compared to BG 2. Try the second one. Those generic cities and fedex quests along with one-shot-kills make me shudder.

Hah I never got that far. Only cities I saw was that annoying intro town and that second place, that inn.

I was annoyed real good long before I got to the inn though:

The NPCs. Do they really have to spout their idiotic nonsense oneliners every time I talk to them? I think not. And why on god's fertile earth am I being forced to take one of them with me in my party, whether or not I want? And the most annoying one of them all, too? And why are people lining up on my path out of town just to join my party? Sorry, but that's just too silly.

The tutorial town. Why on earth is it that in every Bioware game I've tried, you're forced through some moronic tutorial place before you can do anything? And why are those even worse than the temple of trials in FO2? I hate that. If I want help, I'll check the manual, thanks a lot. And if there's something I really can't stand it's when NPCs start giving me pointers on which keys to press. Goodbye immershun! Feh. And who comes up with an NPC name "Elvenhair"? I think I'm gonna puke.

The battle. Maybe I'm getting old and slow, but I never even got what was going on. I hate this kind of combat. RTwP combines the all the worst and none of the good elements of RT and TB. I hated it in PS:T, but PS:T was so great otherwise that I could tolerate it. But in a game that annoys me in every respect anyway? No.

The sound. The sound effects in this game are atrocious. Every NPC stomps around like they were elephants, which got annoying real quick. The terrible scream of that bird of prey that kept circling overhead didn't help either - I thought my ears would fall off. And the voices...oh god, the voices...

Besides, call me a moron or a dumbfuck if you want to, but I never liked D&D in the first place. Maybe it's because the one time I tried it, my halfling died within minutes of being created. Or maybe it's because I spent my youth playing a different kind of RPG that I thought was magnitudes better.

Are these issues addressed in BG2? If so, I might give it a try.

 

[Lumpy]

BG is a horrible game compared to Oblivion. And that says a lot.
As for Arcanum, the story is nice, but it lacks motivation. The best I had was that people were attacking me, and they were really low level. Later on, that problem disappeared entirely. So why go on? It should've been more personal.

 

[Lumpy]

The tutorial town. Why on earth is it that in every Bioware game I've tried, you're forced through some moronic tutorial place before you can do anything? And why are those even worse than the temple of trials in FO2? I hate that. If I want help, I'll check the manual, thanks a lot. And if there's something I really can't stand it's when NPCs start giving me pointers on which keys to press. Goodbye immershun! Feh. And who comes up with an NPC name "Elvenhair"? I think I'm gonna puke.

I see you haven't played a lot. The tutorial town is one of the better ones. :wink:

 

[stargelman]

I see you haven't played a lot. The tutorial town is one of the better ones. :wink:

 

[DiverNB]

I love BG2, BG1 is pretty bad compared to it. Irenicus is one of my favorite villains. I just got the game and the beginning is extremely familiar, but definitely not the worst. Unfortunately I was traveling along the path and got raped by some wolves, so I'm rethinking my awesome Charisma character and going for a strength based character. At least for 1 play through so I get the feel of the game.

 

[Raapys]

I really liked BG1 when it was released. I haven't gone back to playing it, but that's only because BG2 improves on it in every aspect. BG2( + expansion ) is also just about the only RPG in the history of mankind that has made the wizard/sorcerer class as powerful as it should be.

Combat in BG is great with smart use of the pause button.

 

[Edward_R_Murrow]

BG is a horrible game compared to Oblivion. And that says a lot.

Yeah it does....that you love to Virtua-LARP or just have a serious hatred for Bioware because Oblivion is the Anti-CRPG.

 

[Jasede]

I will make a graph.

               Baldur's Gate                 Daggerfall      Arcanum
                    |                              |              | 
Rock----------------------------------------------------------------AgeOfDecadence
          ^                          ^                          ^
       Toenail clippings           BG 2                     Fallout

Oblivion is not on this scale.

 

[Helton]

Oblivion is not on this scale.

Is that to say "Oblivion is OFF TEH SCALES!!!"?

 

[Jasede]

Its ova 9thousaaaand lawl

 

[kingcomrade]

I will make a graph.

               Baldur's Gate                 Daggerfall      Arcanum
                    |                              |              | 
Rock---------------------------------------------------------------------------AgeOfDecadence
          ^                          ^                          ^           ^
       Toenail clippings           BG 2                     Fallout      Halo

Oblivion is not on this scale.

Anyone who thinks Arcanum is a better game than Fallout is lying.

 

[Jasede]

no u
arcanum is vetter tgan fallout handsdown

i dont have time to elobarte i wil prove it late