Zeno42
Literate
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2018
- Messages
- 21
So I'm an avid RPG player, but with limited and sporadic game playing time nowadays (family and career will do that). Got my start with the original Bard's Tale when it was new. I've played most significant games released between then and the mid-2000s when the wife and kids came along. Unfortunately I'm in the same boat as many of you folks in that my tastes in games don't appear to be catered to well nowadays, so I'm looking for some suggestions I might have missed or forgotten.
I'm a fan of party RPGs - particularly make-your-own. I prefer isometric over first person, but its not a deal-breaker. TB > RTWP >>> RT/ACTION. I prefer games with enough reactivity to feel like my choices and character creation matters, with enough of a story to give my characters a motivation to do what the game asks them to do, but where we stay closer to a GAME than a choose-your-own-adventure book.
I really dislike the CHOSEN ONE angle - despite coming back to BG/BG2 all the time. What I'd really like is a modern take on something like Pool of Radiance. I like the "band of heroes" concept. I like the "out to save our purse" rather than "out to save the world" focus. And yes - I've tried the NWN mod. For me that engine just isn't suited to recreating that experience. I'm aware of the IWD-in-TOEE mod being developed. I'll probably play it to death too when it eventually comes to fruition, but its a rather... incestuous take on my current play list (see below).
I have an intrinsic distaste for many basic JRPG graphic styles and conventions, which has kept me from trying a lot of Japanese wiz-alikes which might otherwise be up my alley. The all-too-common JRPG number bloat doesn't help either. I just really dislike exponentially ballooning RPG number scales (hello D:OS2). It would also appear that late 90s is about as far back as I can go before I run into mental hurdles with GUI and graphics. Doesn't help there that I do GUI design and OpenGL development for a living. I'm not remotely averse to using large quantities of mods to make a game fit my tastes.
Any suggestions? (More info about what I tend to play below - for those who really want to dig through a wall-o-text-lists).
===============================================================
Games I keep rotating through to the point I've memorized everything.
------------------------------------------------
- IWD plus most mods
- IWD2 plus most mods
- BG plus most mods
- BG2 plus most mods
- WIZ8
- JA2 plus 1.13, etc
- Arcanum plus most mods
- TOEE plus Co8/Temple+ (oh how I wish TOEE didn't choke and die in the "provide ongoing motivation for the characters" department...)
- XCOM (old ones. New ones. Long War mods. etc, etc, etc)
Games I keep trying to rotate in and can't get into:
------------------------------------------------
- KOTC (The concept seems perfect, but in dozens of attempts I just can't get past the graphic style.)
- WIZ7 (Never been a fan of large amounts of class changing - particularly with the gamey way it floors your stats but not skills too. Wiz8 is just much more to my tastes system mechanics wise when I get the Wizardry itch. I prefer stronger archetypes. In everything else about the game Wiz7 is probably better. Although I *adore* the way Wiz8 implements soundsets/personalities for each PC.)
- The whole Eye of the Beholder line. (I like the look, and I played them all at the time back in the day, but the pseudo RT nature of Ravenloft and such just really bugs me now.)
- Wasteland 2 (Just doesn't grab me. Somewhere around the railyards the sillyness just kills it. Uneven mechanics don't help.)
- NWN and NWN2 (love the character creation. Lose interest quickly once I actually start playing. Have tried the recommended modules like Swordflight and such. They can work okay when I have a "solo adventurer" itch, but for me they both just suck at party play)
- GOLD BOX (Played them all to death back in the day, but nowadays the interface is a bit too creaky. And for some reason I can't get past the first person view where you can't see enemies coming. If not for that FRUA would be a goldmine. I keep trying to push myself back in and can't quite make the mental leap.)
- POE (Just can't maintain interest. Played about halfway through the first time. Can't make it past the first town or so after that. Can't really say why)
- DOS/DOS2 (the sense of humour doesn't suit me, a world where your average crocodile performs teleport attacks is a bit counter to my tastes, and then there's the game mechanics...)
- Vogel Stuff (just get a strong "meh" whenever I dive in)
- Realms of Arkania (old or new versions. Played the originals to death back in the day, just can't get going in them now.)
Games I haven't really gotten around to trying:
------------------------------------------------
- MMX
- Grimoire (many reasons - including the price tag)
- New Fallout mods (no reason save that I'm not in a fallout sort-of-mood lately)
- Xulima (looking hard at this one at the moment)
- Grimrock 1/2 (not a big realtime fan)
- The new Planescape (Seems like the opposite of half of what I said I liked above)
Games I liked when they came out, but were "play once and I'm done" sorts of games.
------------------------------------------------
- PST (Loved it the first time or two. But can't do it again. Too story-driven to be a repeat journey.)
- Drakensang (either of them. As per PST.)
- Dark Sun line (Liked them when they were new. Just can't get into them now.)
- Dragon Age (1&2, never bothered with 3. Yes I even liked aspects of 2. The basic concept and small-scale focus fit so well for me... despite the fact that the actual execution was such a massive flop.)
The only games in the Top List I haven't played:
----------------------------------------------------
- Vampire (never a big fan of the source setting)
- Dark Souls (not usually a fan of action games)
- Alpha protocol
- System Shock
- Deus Ex
- Geneforge
- Arx Fatalis
- Any witcher after 1. (Don't much care for the fixed protagonist angle.)
I'm a fan of party RPGs - particularly make-your-own. I prefer isometric over first person, but its not a deal-breaker. TB > RTWP >>> RT/ACTION. I prefer games with enough reactivity to feel like my choices and character creation matters, with enough of a story to give my characters a motivation to do what the game asks them to do, but where we stay closer to a GAME than a choose-your-own-adventure book.
I really dislike the CHOSEN ONE angle - despite coming back to BG/BG2 all the time. What I'd really like is a modern take on something like Pool of Radiance. I like the "band of heroes" concept. I like the "out to save our purse" rather than "out to save the world" focus. And yes - I've tried the NWN mod. For me that engine just isn't suited to recreating that experience. I'm aware of the IWD-in-TOEE mod being developed. I'll probably play it to death too when it eventually comes to fruition, but its a rather... incestuous take on my current play list (see below).
I have an intrinsic distaste for many basic JRPG graphic styles and conventions, which has kept me from trying a lot of Japanese wiz-alikes which might otherwise be up my alley. The all-too-common JRPG number bloat doesn't help either. I just really dislike exponentially ballooning RPG number scales (hello D:OS2). It would also appear that late 90s is about as far back as I can go before I run into mental hurdles with GUI and graphics. Doesn't help there that I do GUI design and OpenGL development for a living. I'm not remotely averse to using large quantities of mods to make a game fit my tastes.
Any suggestions? (More info about what I tend to play below - for those who really want to dig through a wall-o-text-lists).
===============================================================
Games I keep rotating through to the point I've memorized everything.
------------------------------------------------
- IWD plus most mods
- IWD2 plus most mods
- BG plus most mods
- BG2 plus most mods
- WIZ8
- JA2 plus 1.13, etc
- Arcanum plus most mods
- TOEE plus Co8/Temple+ (oh how I wish TOEE didn't choke and die in the "provide ongoing motivation for the characters" department...)
- XCOM (old ones. New ones. Long War mods. etc, etc, etc)
Games I keep trying to rotate in and can't get into:
------------------------------------------------
- KOTC (The concept seems perfect, but in dozens of attempts I just can't get past the graphic style.)
- WIZ7 (Never been a fan of large amounts of class changing - particularly with the gamey way it floors your stats but not skills too. Wiz8 is just much more to my tastes system mechanics wise when I get the Wizardry itch. I prefer stronger archetypes. In everything else about the game Wiz7 is probably better. Although I *adore* the way Wiz8 implements soundsets/personalities for each PC.)
- The whole Eye of the Beholder line. (I like the look, and I played them all at the time back in the day, but the pseudo RT nature of Ravenloft and such just really bugs me now.)
- Wasteland 2 (Just doesn't grab me. Somewhere around the railyards the sillyness just kills it. Uneven mechanics don't help.)
- NWN and NWN2 (love the character creation. Lose interest quickly once I actually start playing. Have tried the recommended modules like Swordflight and such. They can work okay when I have a "solo adventurer" itch, but for me they both just suck at party play)
- GOLD BOX (Played them all to death back in the day, but nowadays the interface is a bit too creaky. And for some reason I can't get past the first person view where you can't see enemies coming. If not for that FRUA would be a goldmine. I keep trying to push myself back in and can't quite make the mental leap.)
- POE (Just can't maintain interest. Played about halfway through the first time. Can't make it past the first town or so after that. Can't really say why)
- DOS/DOS2 (the sense of humour doesn't suit me, a world where your average crocodile performs teleport attacks is a bit counter to my tastes, and then there's the game mechanics...)
- Vogel Stuff (just get a strong "meh" whenever I dive in)
- Realms of Arkania (old or new versions. Played the originals to death back in the day, just can't get going in them now.)
Games I haven't really gotten around to trying:
------------------------------------------------
- MMX
- Grimoire (many reasons - including the price tag)
- New Fallout mods (no reason save that I'm not in a fallout sort-of-mood lately)
- Xulima (looking hard at this one at the moment)
- Grimrock 1/2 (not a big realtime fan)
- The new Planescape (Seems like the opposite of half of what I said I liked above)
Games I liked when they came out, but were "play once and I'm done" sorts of games.
------------------------------------------------
- PST (Loved it the first time or two. But can't do it again. Too story-driven to be a repeat journey.)
- Drakensang (either of them. As per PST.)
- Dark Sun line (Liked them when they were new. Just can't get into them now.)
- Dragon Age (1&2, never bothered with 3. Yes I even liked aspects of 2. The basic concept and small-scale focus fit so well for me... despite the fact that the actual execution was such a massive flop.)
The only games in the Top List I haven't played:
----------------------------------------------------
- Vampire (never a big fan of the source setting)
- Dark Souls (not usually a fan of action games)
- Alpha protocol
- System Shock
- Deus Ex
- Geneforge
- Arx Fatalis
- Any witcher after 1. (Don't much care for the fixed protagonist angle.)
