Game News Torment Kickstarter Update #53: Beta Released

[Caconym]

Why couldn't they do crazier stuff like PS:T? Doesn't Numenera have other species?

Surely they don't want to spoil the exoticum maximum right away.

Btw, isn't this what our cold, calculating jack looked like at one point?

What the hell happened to her?! This was cool(er)!

 

[Cyberarmy]

In other words, the game needs a shitload more mystery.

Thats a main problem with most kickstarter (and AAA) RPGs nowadays.

 

[mastroego]

Well, lightning doesn't strike twice.

 

[Fairfax]

Why couldn't they do crazier stuff like PS:T? Doesn't Numenera have other species?

Surely they don't want to spoil the exoticum maximum right away.

Btw, isn't this what our cold, calculating jack looked like at one point?

What the hell happened to her?! This was cool(er)!

That's Matkina.

 

[Infinitron]

When I first woke up on that slab, I really had no fucking clue what was going on or what that floating skull was blabbing about, and taking apart zombies, disguising myself as one, getting stitched up by a weird yellow-eyed pointy-clawed hag, while listening to Morte's cheerful necrophilia communicated just how out-there the thing is, and introduced the crucial twists and background in an organic, "show, don't tell" way.

And then you met Dhall.

 

[AN4RCHID]

InXile's first priority after Wasteland 2 should have been finding some decent artists. Apparently it was not.

 

[abnaxus]

Torment: Tides of Tumblr

 

[Cyberarmy]

What is this? United Colours of Benetton in Torment?!?


I really hope we get to know some much more "exotic/alien" looking characters after a while...


Edit:I still can't get over the fact that one of our party members is friggin Lando Calrissian (even I like him). I wonder if Billy Dee Williams backed the game for a good sum and send his picture (why in his 70s...)

 

[Infinitron]

BTW, re: the companions being standard humans, perhaps this post has new explanatory power:

I think you raised a great point, but ultimately we have gone conservative on this front and are planning to keep with the basic parameters (e.g., size of character on screen, camera angle) that PE is using. Whenever we more closely keep things as they are in PE, it reduces work/risk as we have confidence Obsidian will solve whatever problems arise. This gives us more oomph to be more experimental/different in the specific areas we choose. Anywhere we deviate, there is the possibility that some aspect of the PE technology doesn't behave as expected, creating new issues to solve.

Kevin Saunders = Josh Sawyer with better PR?

 

[4249]

Goddamnit InXile.

Spoiler

 

[Cyberarmy]

^^
I'm even settled for "her" after seeing our new companions. At least she is a bit different...

 

[mastroego]

BTW, re: the companions being standard humans, perhaps this post has new explanatory power:

I think you raised a great point, but ultimately we have gone conservative on this front and are planning to keep with the basic parameters (e.g., size of character on screen, camera angle) that PE is using. Whenever we more closely keep things as they are in PE, it reduces work/risk as we have confidence Obsidian will solve whatever problems arise. This gives us more oomph to be more experimental/different in the specific areas we choose. Anywhere we deviate, there is the possibility that some aspect of the PE technology doesn't behave as expected, creating new issues to solve.

Kevin Saunders = Josh Sawyer with better PR?

Spoken like consummate politicians.

It's like when Sawyer uses Might for wizards' spellcasting to keep programming ultra-simple, and then utters some PR coated "fuck you" to intelligent gamers.

 

[Caconym]

That's Matkina.

Ah, really? The artwork's title is The Cold, Calculating Jack, and this is from the recent KS update: "Callistege is there, watching, calculating. She's an associate of the Order of Truth, and she holds the accruement of knowledge as one of the paramount pursuits. She is known to be amoral, calculating, and manipulative, and she has cultivated a reputation for incisive brutality." Sounds cold to me. Although she's a nano, not a jack. Oh well, I got them mixed up.

 

[DosBuster]

Yeah, the mystery in Planescape Torment really only lasted 5 minutes before Dhall explained the basis. I'm not sure if I prefer the hostile feeling The Hive had or the weirder feeling Sagus Cliffs had. The area design in at least the circus is much better, it's more constrained and delivers the heavy lore better and not all at once.

 

[Trashos]

Well, maybe the portraits won't be PST-weird, but can they at least be interesting? There are human faces IRL that are interesting, this is supposed to be art but they look so generic.

The bios are not very enticing either.

Aligern looks and reads like a typical next-door loser.

Callistege reads like Morrigan's cousin. Extremely generic in looks, too.

Tybir looks like he is ready to party. What is his torment, too many STDs? His bio reads like it was taken from a Rocky movie.

I liked the IGN streaming, but these companions...

 

[AN4RCHID]

Whenever we more closely keep things as they are in PE, it reduces work/risk as we have confidence Obsidian will solve whatever problems arise.

They made more money on their Kickstarter than Obisidian did. Plus W2 profits. wtf are they investing in with this project then?

 

[Infinitron]

Callistege reads like Morrigan's cousin.

The first character from another RPG that Callistege makes you think of is Morrigan? :mrfussy:

 

[Septaryeth]

I bet something like Botanicula will leave a stronger impression as a surreal exotic experience than TON. We shall see.

Here I thought the first companions were going to be a mad nano virus maskerading as a person, a crystal entity lifeform and a blind human prophet with no tongue who speaks by telepathy.

Pretty sure the novella "Gold" has the second companion you spoke of.

Spoiler

Then she flew away.

Spoiler

The comic by Ruthfuss has something similar to the third one, not blind/mute but she talks to herself and the "gods" she made.

 

[FeelTheRads]

Yeah, the mystery in Planescape Torment really only lasted 5 minutes before Dhall explained the basis.

Bullshit. Torment started weird and ended weird. Dhall didn't tell you everything you're going to meet in the game and if you were unfamiliar with Planescape in the first place, it's even more bullshit to say that he destroyed the mystery.

Doesn't Numenera have other species?

Yes, yes it does. The source books have a loot of good stuff which makes it pretty disappointing that the first things they show are some boring banal looking humans with equally boring bios. Is this supposed to make me interested in playing a Torment successor?

 

[Trashos]

Callistege reads like Morrigan's cousin.

The first character from another RPG that Callistege makes you think of is Morrigan? :mrfussy:

Hey, I have mentioned before that I have been into RPGs only for a few years now. Enough time to have done 4-5 playthroughs of PST though.

Which important one have I missed?

 

[mastroego]

What's even more troubling is that they're releasing this stuff as a way to rise the excitement over the title.
I did get some mild Torment vibes when they released that piece with the music some time ago, but this stuff here...

 

[Infinitron]

Hey, I have mentioned before that I have been into RPGs only for a few years now. Enough time to have done 4-5 playthroughs of PST though.

Which important one have I missed?

There's a rather important character from PS:T called Ravel Puzzlewell...

What's even more troubling is that they're releasing this stuff as a way to rise the excitement over the title.
I did get some mild Torment vibes when they released that piece with the music some time ago, but this stuff here...

"This stuff" is the game's beta.

BTW, here's an LP:

 

[Trashos]

Hey, I have mentioned before that I have been into RPGs only for a few years now. Enough time to have done 4-5 playthroughs of PST though.

Which important one have I missed?

There's a rather important character from PS:T called Ravel Puzzlewell...

You know, now that you mention Ravel and I reread Callistege's bio, I can see that (it was bloody obvious). I was probably too taken aback by the portrait. I stand corrected.

The rest of my criticisms still stand though.

 

[Invictus]

I really cant understand the concept behind this open beta, PoE had it to try out gameplay nechanics, combat and a few quests, but having this for Torment is spoiling a bunch of gameplay goodies which shouldnt be played at all before the final release
I am staying well away from any of this, the PoE engine looks great, so the only thing that InXile has to do is let Zeits handdle things from here with some good lore, interesting characters, competent writing and their take on the Wasteland 2 combat with Pillars graphics.

 

[Kem0sabe]

They made more money on their Kickstarter than Obisidian did. Plus W2 profits. wtf are they investing in with this project then?

They are investing in the well-being of Fargo, which is the only thing that matters.

Kidding aside. I imagine that they want to play it extremely safe with torment and try not to brake obsidians 'engine' too much, for fear of not being able to put it back together.

The companion bios and art are way to bland tho, they played it too safe and it just looks like another high fantasy rpg.