Do you play a lot of RPG-games? Then you might have a bright future in the world of internet poker as well. Learn poker rules and use your ability of getting into character when you bluff your opponents.

---

Why Video Game Designers Are Missing The Mark With Women

Editorial - posted by VentilatorOfDoom on Fri 30 July 2010, 12:43:44

Why do other websites not adhere to the american capitalization rules? A mystery.

In urgent news it became apparent that the website Geeks Are Sexy opposes boobs in videogames.

Sexuality and Choice

I will not deny that sexuality plays an important role in video games, especially those in the fantasy genre (heck, the whole fantasy genre is replete with sex and gender stereotypes, so it’s not falling far from the tree to say the least). But, from my point of view, there’s something rather insidious about not having a choice—like how much skin to show on your avatar—no matter what you do. It’s saying, sight unseen, that your character’s body is the center of the story. What if I want my mage to be really conservative? Oh, it doesn’t matter. I can’t. No choice, none at all. She dresses slutty. I mean, in Dragon Age all the women are built like porn stars, and the outfits on the Chantry priestesses even accentuate their boobs. It makes it abundantly clear that straight men were the number one consideration during design.

Guys, think about this. What would it be like if you logged on to your favorite game, and every piece of armor your warrior tried on was nothing more than a metal jock strap and a halter top? Sure, I might not mind looking at it—but you probably wouldn’t find it that thrilling. With no choice other than slutty, the whole armor issue treads into some very dark territory. Objectification and sexualization to the nth degree.

Spotted at: Gamebanshee

There are 63 comments on this article. Click here to comment.

Drakensang 3 will be a Browser Game

Game news - posted by VentilatorOfDoom on Fri 30 July 2010, 11:45:15

More info on Drakensang - More info on RPG Codex

After Radon Labs failed to secure further funding, went insolvent and was acquired by BigBoint GmbH (worldwide leader in browser-based video games) some feared that Drakensang 3 was going to be a browser game too.

Turns out this was correct, PCGames.de reports that BigPoint has revealed Drakensang Online. If you cannot into german, here's a google translation that might or might not be helpful.

Will they release the english version of Drakensang 2 eventually? I wouldn't bet on it.

Spotted at: RPGWatch

There are 23 comments on this article. Click here to comment.

What Were They Thinking?

Editorial - posted by Jason on Fri 30 July 2010, 06:41:25

Since we're no longer allowed to post news about unreleased games, here's an article at The CRPG Addict about some of the bizarre and annoying design elements that made their way into RPGs.

• Baldur's Gate: "You must gather your party before venturing forth." Seriously, once should have been enough.
• Ultima II: Space travel, fine, I can deal with it. Being able to land and walk around on Jupiter, no.
• Ultima VII: I always choose the black character portrait because the one white guy looks like a baked out surfer. Seriously, like 90% of their players must be white males, and that was the best they could come up with?
• Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal. Cespenar. Yeah, he's cute at first, but having to cycle through all of his inane chattering every time I want him to examine my backpack makes me want to punch my cat.
• Neverwinter Nights: The Stone of Recall. It utterly breaks the game.
• Might & Magic VII: No respect from your own townspeople. You spend all this time upgrading your castle and building a peaceful Harmondale, and the guards still tell you to "move along."
• Oblivion: When the main quest is about stopping an invasion from hell, it seems irresponsible to do any of the side quests. Morrowind got around this by having Caius Cosades tell you to go out, explore, build up some experience, but there's no good role-playing reason to do that in Oblivion. Also, the character creation process allows you to choose from a detailed and nuanced selection of facial features, body styles, and hairstyles (including size, shape, and color for all of them)--except that there's no "bald" option. Which I happen to be.

I'm sure we can think of a few of our own:

• The Temple of Trials   
• Cliffracers
• Ira in JA2
• childhood tutorial in Fallout 3
• Wizardry's furry/scaly agenda
• finding the Void in Daggerfall after nearly completing a huge dungeon without saving
• NWN's entire OC

Spotted at: The CRPG Addict

There are 27 comments on this article. Click here to comment.

Jeff Vogel Supports Piracy

Editorial - posted by Jason on Thu 29 July 2010, 18:02:07

More info on Spiderweb Software - More info on Jeff Vogel

Jeff Vogel of Spiderweb Software doesn't hate you if you pirate his games.

These days, some people are legitimately poor. Many people, through a mix of poor fiscal choices and ill fortune, are in bad shape. Foreclosed on, or facing foreclosure. Trying to pay down a mountain of credit card debt. Unemployed for a long time. Lacking health insurance. Some people brush this growing population off, saying, "Oh, they brought it on themselves." And sometimes that is true. They made mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. I make mistakes. It's just that some people are unlucky enough to be savagely punished for their mistakes.

Someone who is facing long-term unemployment and bankruptcy probably should not pay for my game. And, in that case, if stealing my game gives them a temporary reprieve from their misery (and there's a lot of misery out there right now), I'm cool with that. I'm happy to help. These are my fellow citizens, and I want to help out how I can.

Now here is what I am NOT saying. If some kid has to actually save his allowance for a few weeks to buy the game, stealing it is instead of paying is not cool. I'm not OK with that. If you can pay, you should pay. But I understand that some people can't. It's reality. As for whether someone can truly pay or not, I have to trust them to be able to tell the difference. It's probably unwise to trust so many strangers so much with my livelihood on the line. But it's not like I have a choice.

There are 61 comments on this article. Click here to comment.

NWN2 alignment is for suckers

Mod news - posted by DarkUnderlord on Thu 29 July 2010, 07:18:22

More info on Neverwinter Nights 2

oldmanpaco is working on an as yet Untitled NWN2 Mod and he needs your feedback:

I already have a framework for a story and a general layout of the beginning 1/3 of the module. And while the story is not necessarily lulzy there may be lulzy side quests and characters.

Also all of the characters are going to be from the Codex. Yes you will have the chance to interact with all your favorite on-line personalities.

He wants your help on deciding which general Class the PC should be and whether he should include alignment shifts:

I hate alignment in NWN. You end up either LG or CE. The problem is neutral choices DO NOT MOVE YOU TOWARDS NEUTRAL ALIGNMENT. I have no idea why this mechanic has never been implemented in any game.

That being said I have no real desire to implement an alignment system. I would prefer to keep track of actions as opposed to alignment.

Case in point: I, as a LG char, sent that family to be eaten by those ape things in MotB. I shifted a total of 20 point towards evil but still retained my LG status. I then killed all the apes so no one would know what I did. Still LG.

Honestly what is the point. Actions that are publicly know should effect reactions from people. Alignment is for suckers.

I agree.

You can blame this news post on self-gratification.

There are 16 comments on this article. Click here to comment.

Faery: Legends of Avalon - Epic Turn-Based Battles

Game news - posted by Jason on Wed 28 July 2010, 17:44:13

More info on Faery: Legends of Avalon

Looks like this was announced last month, but it's the first I've heard of it - Faery: Legends of Avalon.

We are very pleased to present today new images of Faery: Legends of Avalon, the upcoming RPG from Spiders studio for PlayStation Network, Xbox LIVE Arcade and for download on PC!

Faery: Legends of Avalon is a Role Playing / Adventure game packed with an original and unique atmosphere, and a graphics design close to illustration. The game immerses players in a fantasy world inhabited by many colourful characters and magical creatures.

In Faery: Legends of Avalon, the player plays as an elf or a fairy that will evolve during the story, through numerous quests and epic turn-based battles. Throughout the adventure, the player will customize his avatar thanks to a unique system changing not only the whole look of the character in every detail, but also its spells and special abilities! The player will recruit various companions during his journey to assist him in his mission, and he will be given the chance to explore mythical places full of magic such as the World Tree, the famous 'Flying Dutchman' ghost ship, and many others, in order to try to understand why the Kingdom of Avalon is dying.

Spotted at: Eurogamer

There are 18 comments on this article. Click here to comment.

BioWare not involved in Darkspore

Game news - posted by VentilatorOfDoom on Wed 28 July 2010, 11:33:11

More info on Darkspore

After the merry news that BioWare "lends a helping hand" on creating DarkSpore it now turned out that it wasn't true.

Electronic Arts has poured cold water on reports that Maxis received collaborative input from fellow EA studio BioWare for its new Darkspore title.

According to an EA publicist speaking to GamePro, Maxis is working with Malcolm Azania, a writer who also worked on Mass Effect 2 at one stage, but "that's the extent of it".

I guess that means no romancable dickmonsters, sorry.

Spotted at: RPGWatch

There are 5 comments on this article. Click here to comment.

God of War meets Oblivion

Interview - posted by VentilatorOfDoom on Tue 27 July 2010, 16:28:16

More info on Project Mercury - More info on Big Huge Games

Joystiq put up some interview thingie concerning Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, featuring comments from Schilling, Salvatore and Big Huge Games' lead designer, Mark Nelson.

They're enthusiastic, that's for sure. Schilling is as sincere as game executives come, and when he says he's tired of games that don't have the punch to back up their high profile creators, you believe him. "It doesn't matter how awesome and deep and rich our story is or how cool our animations and art are," he admits. "If it doesn't translate into kick-ass gameplay, it's irrelevant. We've all played those games."

Of course, suggesting that Reckoning will provide "God of War-level combat" combined with a polished RPG experience, as the panel did, seems like 38 Studios is crossing the border of hyperbole. "I don't know another way to explain it without treading on that slippery slope," says Schilling. "I don't know a way to tell you, 'Hey we're taking God of War and marrying it with Oblivion.'"

That certainly sounds intriguing. God of War combat paired with the design and "dialog" shittiness of Oblivion.

I can hardly wait.

Spotted at: RPGWatch

There are 25 comments on this article. Click here to comment.

BioWare working on DarkSpore

Game news - posted by Jason on Mon 26 July 2010, 17:57:22

More info on Darkspore - More info on BioWare

Gamespot learned at the San Diego Comic-Con that BioWare is lending a helping hand on the Spore action RPG, DarkSpore.

Who knew?: Maxis has been receiving help on Darkspore from fellow EA studio BioWare, which has its own established reputation in the action-RPG genre.

While I've been told that BioWare knows what they're doing, surely a Japanese developer would be better prepared to provide Maxis with what Spore fans really want to see.

Thanks to Abelon Blanchetourbe for pointing this out

There are 32 comments on this article. Click here to comment.

Dungeon Siege III Previews

Preview - posted by VentilatorOfDoom on Mon 26 July 2010, 16:27:07

More info on Dungeon Siege III - More info on Obsidian Entertainment

Dungeon Siege III, currently in development by Obsidian Entertainment, receives some previewing.

Gamesradar concede that the graphics are stunning.

Perhaps the most striking new feature was the one that showcased the game’s stunning graphics. You’ll be able to survey your surroundings more effectively by using vistas – vantage points in areas that let you see far out into the distance, giving a better glimpse of the areas and goals that lie in wait. This has allowed the developers at Obsidian to remove the unsightly mini-map that mucks up the view in most Action RPGs from Dungeon Siege 3’s HUD. It might seem like a terrible design choice at first, but once you see the beautiful landscapes stretching before you from a vista point, we doubt you’ll miss that ugly thing.

NowGamer is excited by the promise of some dungeon crawling.

As ever, the emphasis in Dungeon Siege 3 will be on Diablo-like hack-and-slash combat against hordes of D&D-style enemies with the usual loot drops, weapons and other goodies to run around gathering as you quest. As you'd expect, Obsidian is promising the usual gamut of dungeon crawler environments, from snowy forests to deep dark dungeons for you to explore, but there’s a great epic feel to the world of Dungeon Siege 3 that we can't wait to explore.

And finally Gamespot found out that George Ziets immersed himself into the world of Dungeon Siege, suffering for the greater good I presume.

As with Gonzalez, Ziets first immersed himself in the established world of the franchise, playing all of the previous Dungeon Siege games. He then acquired Dungeon Siege's lore bible from Gas Powered Games, reading and internalizing the backstory of the franchise.

From there, Ziets said he settled upon four conditions to establish what the team should focus on in crafting the new game. These included what he and his team were most excited by, what is most central to the franchise, what can provide interesting visuals and gameplay, and what will make the fans happy.

As a result of this process, the team pulled a number of elements from the original Dungeon Siege. Namely, the game would be returning to the Kingdom of Ebb, and it would focus on the 10th Legion, which was a central protective force. From there, it became a matter of expanding the world by doing their own bit of world-building. To get this process started, Ziets sat down to write the Ebb sourcebook, which is a compilation of short stories, legends, calendars, and even a language.

Spotted at: GB

There are 50 comments on this article. Click here to comment.

Warren Spector on Choice, Consequences, & Morality

Interview - posted by Jason on Sun 25 July 2010, 04:19:11

More info on Deus Ex - More info on Warren Spector

In the midst of promoting his upcoming platformer, Epic Mickey, Warren Spector discussed choice and consequences with Gamasutra.

If you go back and look at Deus Ex, in particular -- which is actually the best expression of what I'm about to say -- anybody who can say there's a good way to solve problems and a bad way to solve problems was not paying attention as they play. There are just different choices and different consequences.

Okay, we've got to get back to Disney Epic Mickey at some point here. But if right in the beginning of the game, if you go and kill every terrorist in the Statue of Liberty, you've saved the day, you succeed and some people think you're a hero and other people think "you shouldn't have done that".

And there are different rewards, and different costs for doing that, and for killing no one, okay? It's not that it's good or evil, it's that there is a price to pay for being a warmonger, and there's a price to pay for being a pacifist. That is true in the real world, and it's true in the game. But there's a benefit to each one of those as well. There are different costs and different benefits.

I hate telling players what good and evil is, and I hate telling players what's right and wrong. What I want to do is throw situations out there, and let them explore for themselves, and come to their own conclusions about that.

And unsurprisingly, Deus Ex also comes up in an interview with Eurogamer.

Eurogamer: Do you get sick and tired of being asked what you think of the new Deus Ex?

Warren Spector: No, I never get sick of that, actually. It's funny that everybody is so interested in what I think about it. I think people want me to be really upset, like, "Oh! Someone else is going to make a game! It's my baby! Grrr!" I just don't feel that at all.

It's almost cooler that someone else is doing it because it means I was a part, and my team was a part, of creating something that has a life beyond us. It's bigger than us. That's incredible. I can't even describe how that feels. That feels better than making the game. It's like there's something out there that's bigger than you are.

There are 19 comments on this article. Click here to comment.

Fallout: New Vegas - Steel be with You

Game news - posted by Jason on Sat 24 July 2010, 23:53:52

More info on Fallout: New Vegas - More info on Obsidian Entertainment

In a video interview on GT TV, Josh Sawyer revealed that the Brotherhood of Steel will have a supporting role in Fallout: New Vegas.

Over time, the Brotherhood has been at war with the New California Republic. After the end of Fallout 2, they basically got into conflict with NCR over control of technology, mostly energy weapons, cause that's one of the main purposes of the Brotherhood, to control that technology. NCR didn't want to hand it over so they went to war. So by the time you start playing Fallout: New Vegas, the Brotherhood is really a pretty small faction compared to the NCR, so they're not a group that you see initially in the game, you hear rumors about them. Eventually most players will have to deal with them.

Spotted at: Planet Fallout

There are 44 comments on this article. Click here to comment.