Torment Torment: Tides of Numenera Thread

[McPlusle]

Have I unknowingly been doing a pacifist run or does this game have almost no combat? I'm five hours in and haven't entered a single fight other than the tutorial one.

 

[Ulfhednar]

Have I unknowingly been doing a pacifist run or does this game have almost no combat? I'm five hours in and haven't entered a single fight other than the tutorial one.

Pacifist is pretty much canon...

 

[Florian Gheorghe]

That trailer...what the fuck is with that music?

 

[mindfields]

It's a good thing this game failed. We need more open-ended mechanics-focused RPGs, not simplistic story-driven garbage.

Seriously though, I thought you guys were hardcore, how were you even looking foward to an RPG with three attributes and three classes? That's Dragon Age tier, actually worse because DA had sub-classes.

 

[Ulfhednar]

It's a good thing this game failed. We need more open-ended mechanics-focused RPGs, not simplistic story-driven garbage.

Seriously though, I thought you guys were hardcore, how were you even looking foward to an RPG with three attributes and three classes? That's Dragon Age tier, actually worse because DA had sub-classes.

The point of doing a Torment redux is to build good mechanics into the story - this is why the Tides sounded awesome in concept. The only good thing that has come of this game's failure is that we now know that InXile really are just a bunch of hucksters who care very little for the quality of product that they release, and that they will happily spit in the face of their once-enthusiastic supporters when they offer constructive criticism.

The failure of this game to meet those high expectations means that future developers will look at its failure and likely conclude that mass-market is the way to go. Numbers of attributes and numbers of classes are no guarantee of quality, and it also seems that big name reputations are no sure indicator as well.

 

[Morality Games]

It's a good thing this game failed. We need more open-ended mechanics-focused RPGs, not simplistic story-driven garbage.

Seriously though, I thought you guys were hardcore, how were you even looking foward to an RPG with three attributes and three classes? That's Dragon Age tier, actually worse because DA had sub-classes.

The point of doing a Torment redux is to build good mechanics into the story - this is why the Tides sounded awesome in concept. The only good thing that has come of this game's failure is that we now know that InXile really are just a bunch of hucksters who care very little for the quality of product that they release, and that they will happily spit in the face of their once-enthusiastic supporters when they offer constructive criticism.

The failure of this game to meet those high expectations means that future developers will look at its failure and likely conclude that mass-market is the way to go. Numbers of attributes and numbers of classes are no guarantee of quality, and it also seems that big name reputations are no sure indicator as well.

To elaborate further on that idea, T:ToN exists as a spiritual successor that reproduces the game design elements that made people love PS:T, but was also supposed to be "its own thing" that charted new ground in the integration of mechanics into story.

As the first its pretty average (ergo, not as good as Planescape) and at the second a few promising traces of good design spaced between generally well written but not particularly engaging content.

So basically you have an average Planescape clone. It's sort of fun if you enjoy it for what it is but it isn't a show stopper that changes the way people think about RPG design.

 

[Barbarian]

Got myself a copy and will be playing this while I wait for the Expeditions Viking update.

Is it still crap with the patches and update? Guess I will find out soon enough but I'm asking anyway.

 

[Iznaliu]

Is it still crap with the patches and update? Guess I will find out soon enough but I'm asking anyway.

It's fundamentally broken from what I've heard. Don't expect much.

 

[prodigydancer]

Is it still crap with the patches and update?

Patches can do only so much. If a game has lots of bugs (like WL2 and PoE did) patches can help, but in TToN problems run deeper:

Now some fanboy might reply this isn't representative, but really much of the writing is totally inane. When you're not told painfully obvious things, it's either a storm of completely alien names (usually, places you've never heard of and won't even visit during the game) or absolute nonsense.

 

[Roguey]

It was known from the start that ToN would live or die by its writing, and you can't patch writing.

 

[Roscoe Scaggs]

Finally finished T:Ton over the weekend and if I hadn't already played a game that did the narrative + skill check thing better (Aod) I might have been more impressed.

I was only ever worried about running out of skill point for maybe the first hour and I didn't know how to game the system. On a second play through I would know where to rest and that there is a shit--ton of money and consumables so I could be reckless and break the balance even more.

Story and setting were neat, but branding this with the Torment label was a mistake if Inxile want me to be a repeat buyer. But they got their nostalgia bux (and keep getting them) so what the fuck do I know? If I didn't pledge to BT4 to get this game, I would be looking for a way to back out. I'm glad I passed on WL3.

The purple prose didn't bother me as much as others, but man did my eyes glaze over when doing the meres. There was no reason they could not have been isometic like the rest of the game, some of the locations were displayed in the game for piss-christ's sake!

 

[Barbarian]

I was reading about all the sjw subcontext shoved in the game by montecuck and colin mccuck. I doubt I can enjoy the game now

If I had paid for it I would ask for a refund.

 

[Luckmann]

Got myself a copy and will be playing this while I wait for the Expeditions Viking update.

Is it still crap with the patches and update? Guess I will find out soon enough but I'm asking anyway.

Nothing short of a massive overhaul and expansion could save this game. And that includes doing deep narrative changes and expanding upon content in a way that makes sense, and actually rewriting several sections, possibly in their entirety.

The flaws are too basic, the writing too awful, the mechanics too broken, the content too little, the cuts too big.

No mere patch can save this game.

It was known from the start that ToN would live or die by its writing, and you can't patch writing.

I mean. You could. I've just never seen it happen. Not even "enhanced editions" or "director's cut" versions tend to seize the opportunity to actually do even minor overhauls in terms of actual writing.

 

[Bigg Boss]

Saw the broken PS4 version on sale for twenty bucks on Amazon so....yay Fargo?

 

[Roguey]

I mean. You could. I've just never seen it happen. Not even "enhanced editions" or "director's cut" versions tend to seize the opportunity to actually do even minor overhauls in terms of actual writing.

Divinity: Original Sin did, but apparently for the worst (i.e. they dumbed it down).

 

[Background Character]

How to redeem TToN: Livestream of Fargo apologizing and then killing himself

 

[Iznaliu]

How to redeem TToN: Livestream of Fargo apologizing and then killing himself

This is almost as bad as T:ToN

 

[Roscoe Scaggs]

How to redeem TToN: Livestream of Fargo apologizing and then killing himself

*Fargo leaps back up*

"Even death has rejected you."

 

[undecaf]

This is almost as bad as T:ToN

Overdoing things in and trying too hard is a codex thing, so it fits here.

 

[Background Character]

This is almost as bad as T:ToN

Only blood will redeem him

 

[Cyberarmy]

Anyone played with the patch BTW? I wonder how they handled "Oom" but I don't want be massively dissapointed again. (dunno if tis possible...)

 

[Starwars]

I think I might start another playthrough today as I kinda enjoyed the game for all its flaws. Will report on Oom if I find it.

 

[Grotesque]

just let this thread die already and the game fade from the collective memory

 

[Lahey]

Lest we forget.

 

[Anomander Rake]

You know what. I would like to try this game, but...

- rpg codex with the article on storytelling left me in despair
- each patch remade the crysis system from what I've read and I'm not exactly sure if there is going to be a new patch or the third is definitive
- Is there a chance in a year or two a developer's cut is going to come out? I want to experience all of this once, not twice, etc.

So. What do I do?