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Game Design Essentials - 20 RPGs in 22 Pages

Editorial - posted by Jason on Fri 03 July 2009, 22:19:48

More info on Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord

Even though there are many scripted encounters, or "specials," a key difference between Wizardry and the D&D sessions it seeks to emulate is the absence of a flexible DM to allow the players to try things that aren't offered in the basic ruleset. There is no jumping up on tables, swinging from ropes, prodding with 10-foot poles, knocking on walls, or listening at doors or using them to block pursuers. Monsters don't exist until they have been triggered, and once a fight begins it takes place entirely in that square of dungeon map, and cannot sprawl out into the dungeon.

It is important to note that, in the 25-plus years since Wizardry was released, no CRPG has satisfactorily addressed this limitation, that of system inflexibilty. The lack of verisimilitude remains the most grievous difference between them and pen-and-paper games.

Finally, I don't think I can let this game pass by without noting the extremely well-done characterization of the potential party characters. I am not aware of anyone who has played this game who had a certain ranger named Minsc join his party who wasn't utterly enthralled by the character.

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Alan Miranda Interviewed at Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Interview - posted by Edward_R_Murrow on Tue 30 June 2009, 23:36:33

More info on Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate

Coming off the high (well… utter exhaustion, really) of releasing Daggerford, we were soon contacted by Atari. They hadn’t missed noticing how well DoD was doing and were very interested in having the same thing done for NWN2. At the time, we had just received the beta version of the NWN2 game/toolset, so while we experimented with that, we started pitching ideas to Atari about the game we would make for them. By January 2007 we were set to go with MoW.

Looking back at how things ended up with MoW’s release in April 2009 (over a year and a half after finishing the game), and remembering how Atari initially wanted us to keep the new content in MoW very light in order to finish and release the game before the first expansion (MotB), I am left to wonder what the game would have been like had we been able to add more content with a longer development. Some reviewers have mistakenly compared our adventure pack to an expansion pack and criticized it for not having an expansion amount of content. Budget-wise, they are a very different scale of game. Furthermore, we were contracted to deliver a 12-hour game, whereas we delivered a game that takes most players between 15 and 25 hours to play (75% of players according to a recent poll we did). Just like DoD, we went above and beyond with MoW.
[...]
Having decided to set our game in a city, we wanted to make it a place you could explore, with interesting people and places to come across. So exploration was key, but so was making Westgate feel like a city and not simply filler, with empty streets to fill in the space between Plot Point A and Plot Point B.

So we did a lot of planning on how to fill in the city with sidequests, ambient NPCs, encounters (aka fights), and interactive objects. I had seen how popular our sidequests were in Darkness over Daggerford (we don’t do the typical FedEx “Find my potato” variety) and so the gameplay for MoW was given a similar sandbox aspect to DoD, with many sidequests that you could undertake. However, MoW isn’t a complete sandbox style of game, and nor is it a strictly linear one with its core story – it’s somewhere in the middle. I think we did a good job on this aspect.
[...]
Perhaps having to hype the game for a year and a half (because we never knew when it would release), also led to expectations that MoW was bigger than it was. It is interesting to note that out of the 8 reviews for MoW on Metacritic (where it received a 73% average), the top 4 reviews are European and the bottom 4 are American. Extract whatever conclusion you like from that.

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Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

Preview - posted by Edward_R_Murrow on Mon 29 June 2009, 23:12:07

More info on Risen - More info on Piranha Bytes

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Gamesradar Slams Mysteries of Westgate

Review - posted by Edward_R_Murrow on Mon 29 June 2009, 03:03:04

More info on Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate

The pacing problems carry over into the action: early confrontations quickly hit walls of difficulty that it can take an irritating degree of mid-battle party micro-management to scale.

Basing the action in a technically safe city, Ossian have also reduced the number of combat opportunities

There are whiffs of artificially extended game-length, one particularly galling example coming later in the main quest, forcing you through hours of backtracking and drudgery

In many games, including Baldur's Gate 2 and especially The Witcher, traveling between areas ranges from tedious to painful. It's definitely not the case here. Each area has several exits, so you are always close to one, and once you exit an area the travel menu will give you a list of all main locations and will teleport you next to a building you wish to enter.

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A Wight By Any Other Name....

Preview - posted by Edward_R_Murrow on Sat 27 June 2009, 22:31:04

More info on Dragon Age - More info on BioWare

As demons pass through the Veil into our world, they seek out that which they desire most: Life. Unable to distinguish between those that are living and those that are not, many demons possess the bodies of the dead. Trapped within the lifeless corpse, the demon is driven mad and will lash out at those around it who are truly alive.

A devouring corpse is a body possessed by a hunger demon. It has a ravenous appetite and will seek to feed on any living thing it finds. Many of these creatures have demonstrated the ability to drain the very life force from their opponents.

Every child knows that an abomination is a creature created when a demon possesses a mage. Few realize, however, that the dangers of possession extend even beyond the mage's lifetime. Demons often cannot distinguish between a living being and a dead one and will readily take control of either––which may explain the Chantry's introduction of the cremation ritual. When a mage's corpse is possessed by a pride demon, the specific abomination that results is known as an arcane horror, a powerful creature possessing both the twisted insanity that afflicts most undead as well as the magical power that the mage wielded when alive. Although not nearly as capable as a true abomination created from a living mage, the arcane horror often demonstrates mastery over both blood magic and other animated corpses.

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Soldak wants design help from YOU

Development info - posted by Elwro on Wed 24 June 2009, 19:25:46

Our next game is going to be more of a hardcore, realtime dungeon crawl (hardcore compared to Kivi that is).

It's going to be an action RPG that is going to take some elements from Depths of Peril (no covenants though) and some from Kivi's Underworld. I'm thinking of having some of the key features revolve around random elements (controlled randomness), a very dynamic world, and lots of smaller game mechanics that can interact to result in some more emergent gameplay than is usual in an action RPG.

This doesn't give you much to go on yet, but now is a great time to give your input of what you would like to see in a realtime dungeon crawl. Don't worry I have plenty of ideas to make this a really cool game, but I love hearing feedback from all of you.

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J.E. Sawyer Interview By Grupo97

Interview - posted by Edward_R_Murrow on Tue 23 June 2009, 02:01:09

More info on Obsidian Entertainment - More info on J.E. Sawyer

The threshold of simplicity that a hardcore gamer will accept is a lot lower than the threshold of difficulty that a mainstream gamer will accept.

A hardcore gamer may accept an automapping tool but scoff that in "the old days", he or she had to write things out on graph paper. A mainstream gamer will probably not accept the absence of an automapping tool. He or she will stop playing the game and tell everyone they know that it is terrible.
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- Fallout, Baldur's Gate, Planescape Torment... Great games were developed at Black Isle, kind of games not easy to see today on the shelves. Some of them sold great, as Baldur's Gate. Do you believe would it be still possible to develop similar games to those today?

I guess it depends on how similar they need to be. In terms of mechanics, I think a lot of gamers wouldn't accept the controls or conventions of those old games. In terms of content, I believe it's still possible to do, but it's harder now.
[...]
The current gaming market doesn't typically support big budget games that deal with intellectually mature issues. Mature content is equated with sex and violence. Video games have not often been used as a theme-based or didactic medium, but that's not entirely the publisher's or developer's fault. As with films and books, most gaming audiences simply don't care as much about issues and themes as they do about visceral feedback.
[...]
I only did a bit of design work on the Dark Alliance games, but I think it was good for Interplay and Black Isle to work with Snowblind on those projects. Black Isle consisted almost entirely of PC RPG developers and it gave us a narrow focus. I think working on console titles helped open up some of the developers (myself included) to look at other input systems and gameplay styles.

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Team Xbox Does A Decent Alpha Protocol Preview

Preview - posted by Edward_R_Murrow on Tue 23 June 2009, 01:16:19

More info on Alpha Protocol - More info on Obsidian Entertainment

The game’s combat is as versatile. In our viewing of the game, we saw extensive use of cover as a way to avoid enemy gunfire, but also to catch your breath (and gain back some health) while formulating a strategy for what you’re going to do next.

And the game’s “perk system” will add to your abilities as well. Ernst noted that it’s not like Fallout 3’s perks, because you don’t just get them when you level up. Instead, you’ll earn them on the fly as you play, pulling them down for certain things you accomplish.

The game is structured into three acts, so there’ll be plenty of storyline to work your way through. Ernst stated that Alpha Protocol will not only have multiple endings, depending on the various decisions you make throughout, but that it’ll also have “multiple middles,” which makes it sound like a broad RPG with loads of things to experience—which lends itself to a lot of replayability. If there’s truly a lot of branching off that can happen depending on the direction you take at a crossroads—either at a physical intersection or just a dilemma where you have numerous options for how to proceed—it’ll be fun to see how the story evolves and characters react when the circumstances are changed.

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A Very Survival Horror Type Of Setting....

Preview - posted by Edward_R_Murrow on Thu 18 June 2009, 08:01:00

More info on Elder Scrolls IV: Fallout - More info on Bethesda Softworks

Will it feature new achievements?

Yes there are four new achievements.

There the player will uncover a mystery in a very ‘survival horror’ type of setting.
[...]
The main quest will lead you to investigating a mysterious cult of locals who have taken over the area by infiltrating them. There are also approximately half a dozen side quests, which include delving into a mystery of Consance Blackhall and her occult obsession, helping a local whose sick and needs a special tonic, and helping a local kid who hasn’t been mutated from years of living off swamp water.

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Bioware Blogs on Mass Effect 2

Preview - posted by Edward_R_Murrow on Thu 18 June 2009, 07:37:27

More info on Mass Effect 2 - More info on BioWare

In Mass Effect 2, you (as Commander Shepard) are faced with what appears to be a suicide mission: taking a team into the heart of enemy territory where you shouldn’t have any chance of coming back alive. Your survival therefore is based on how well you’ve built a team – who you recruited, how well-equipped they are, and whether they’re loyal to you. Loyalty (and the things you’ll do to earn it) is a central part of the game, and it is critical to Shepard surviving the final mission.
[...]
If you do die in the ending of Mass Effect 2, it will not come as a surprise, nor will it be random. It will be pretty obvious that you headed into the final mission knowing that Shepard probably wouldn’t make it out alive. Throughout the middle of the game you are building up information, resources, a team, and a ship that will be able to do the job, and although you can jump straight to the final mission at a certain point, you’ll have a good feel for whether you’re likely to survive it.
[...]
But Mass Effect is a trilogy about Commander Shepard’s journey - if your Shepard dies in the end of Mass Effect 2, that’s the end of him / her. In that case, you can play Mass Effect 3 as “a” Shepard – just not “your” Shepard. As in real life, not being able to keep living is really the main down-side of death. So if you care about playing the next game with your character, make sure you survive this one.
[...]
If you have completed Mass Effect and you still have your savegames, you can view each playthrough you’ve completed, and choose the one you want to continue from. The Mass Effect savegame doesn’t just contain a couple of your big choices. It contains countless decisions you’ve made, both large and small. These things could each potentially carry forward and affect your story in Mass Effect 2. This has never been done before on this scale, and it means you’re actually continuing your own story from exactly where you left off.
[...]
Some have asked “I built a level 60 character with lots of loot in Mass Effect – will it all carry over to Mass Effect 2?” We will definitely provide benefits for those who put time into developing their character in Mass Effect. But to support all the improvements made in combat and inventory, the skills and items are pretty much completely redone for Mass Effect 2. So if you import a character from Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 will adapt the key assets of your character into starting benefits that work in the new system.
[...]
And the two most common questions: “Did you fix the slow elevators?” and “Will there be alien love scenes?” Yes and yes. We actually had our new level transition system on display in the demo, which replaces elevators and other transitions from the first game. The new system did its job perfectly in the demo– it was a natural part of the visual narrative and went by fast enough that no one noticed it even happened. As for whether there will be alien love in an elevator, you’ll have to play to find out.

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Aliens RPG not dead yet

Game news - posted by DarkUnderlord on Wed 17 June 2009, 15:05:27

The big, green gooey eggs containing Sega's long in development Aliens: Colonial Marines and Aliens RPG are going to hatch -- just not soon. When we asked why the games were absent from this year's E3, Sega replied, "Aliens vs. Predator will be the first to ship out of our triplet of Aliens titles; hence it was shown at this year's E3. We'll have more news to share about the other two games in the near future so stay tuned." Rumors of both titles being jettisoned out an airlock have been swirling since earlier this year.

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Dragon Age Creature Update: The High Dragon

Preview - posted by Edward_R_Murrow on Wed 17 June 2009, 01:30:36

More info on Dragon Age - More info on BioWare

They say that dragons once ruled the skies of Thedas. The greatest of these were the Old Gods, beings thought to have tricked mankind into turning away from the Maker, and who were imprisoned beneath the earth for their deceit. Their children were the winged beasts worshipped by the magisters of the Tevinter Imperium; images of dragons adorned every statue across the land. In more recent ages, Nevarran dragon hunters supposedly brought the species to extinction, harvesting them for their bones, which absorb enchantment like no known metal. But at the end of the Blessed Age, a high dragon emerged in the Frostbacks and began a rampage through the highlands. The next Age was named in her honor. Because a high dragon only begins a rampage when she is ready to lay a new clutch of eggs, that sighting will certainly not be the last.

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Atari Caves; Mysteries of Westgate Activation Limit Removed

Game news - posted by Edward_R_Murrow on Tue 16 June 2009, 22:45:04

More info on Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate

Ossian Studios is pleased to announce that there is no longer a 3-activation limit on NWN2: Mysteries of Westgate. The activation limit has been removed by Atari after Ossian highlighted to them how many fans were not happy with it. You can now install MoW as many times as you like on your computer. Here are some quick facts about this change:


* Q: Do I still need to activate MoW to play?
A: Yes. The DRM activation limit has been removed but you still need to activate MoW online for each new installation on your computer. After the one-time activation for each installation, you don’t need an Internet connection to play. Activation is necessary to prevent serial numbers from being posted to the web where hundreds or thousands of people can access it.


* Q: So, I don’t have to worry about changing my hardware and not being able to re-activate MoW?
A: No. You can change the hardware configuration or operating system on your computer as often as you like and can re-activate MoW as many times as you like.


* Q: Is it okay if I install the game on more than one of my computers?
A: Yes, that’s fine.


* Q: Are the MoW resources still encrypted?
A: Yes, the MoW resource files are still encrypted. However, we have provided most of this content for free from the Mysteries of Westgate page on the NWVault:

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