Development Info Divinity: Original Sin To Be Partially Funded via Kickstarter

[Excidium]

Everyone here is fucking hardcore because they played some basic simulation of the real thing on their dad's computer when they were 12

Nevermind that they wouldn't even be posting here if it wasn't for those "newfag" late 90s RPGs

 

[Vault Dweller]

Well, it is your model for "real RPGs", isn't it?

It was nothing but a quick example, bro. Feel free to peruse my top 10 and 25 list to uncover more clues.

 

[Vault Dweller]

But Bloodlines is an action game with stats and it didn't sell well. Are you saying that stats made it so inaccessible?

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying, my good man.

I happened to be a Codex newsposter at that time, so it was my job to read and make fun of reviews. The #1 complaint was "guns suck because you can't hit anything wtf!!!" and that's coming from journalists who were supposed to have a clue. Of course you can't hit much with 2 points in firearms, but raise the skill to 8-9 and you'll be quite deadly. HL2 didn't have such obstacles to having fun and was much easier to play.

Just checked Gamespot review:

The Bad: Clumsy combat system favors melee over firearms.

Bullshit.

However, while Bloodlines is built on a first-person shooter engine, the gunplay is nowhere near as smooth and natural as it should be. Your firearm abilities depend heavily on your characters stats; it's not as simple as placing the cursor over a target.

What? Not as simple as placing the cursor over a target? What awkward dickery is this?!

Unless you invest heavily in improving your firearm skills, your aim will veer wildly.

WHAT?! You're fucking with me, right? So, what you are saying is that unless I improve my skills, I will suck at things associated with this skill? Who came up with this crap?

To give you some perspective, we attempted a certain boss battle with a character specializing in firearms and lost repeatedly...

I'm outraged!

The problem is that firearms in Bloodlines are severely underpowered and they only allow you to attack one opponent at a time.

Fucking Troika! I knew they would fuck things up, I just knew it!

The only time firearms seem more useful than melee weapons is when you want to attack larger monsters from a distance. Otherwise, you're going to find yourself at a disadvantage most of the time when using a gun.

He is STILL bitching about guns? Jesus...

 

[Infinitron]

I wonder what Gamespot's review of Deus Ex says.

 

[thesheeep]

There is a Counter Strike mod that adds stats. Does that make it an RPG?
I can also decide not to buy some weapons and save my money for the better guns.

o_O

 

[Tolknaz]

I'm a Larian fanboy, but even i can't see how going to kickstarter would be guaranteed to benefit them. They have absolutely no chance to make nearly as much as Obsidian, Double Fine or Fargo. Depending on the goal they set, they could even fail. Europe is their main market, and kickstarter isn't as big here. And failing would be really bad publicity instead of the preorder system disguised as a (relatively) cheap hype machine they're hoping for.

 

[HobGoblin42]

Maybe Larian planned this KS campaign just as marketing tool? I can't believe they really plan to get money to finish a production that has been already covered by the media.

 

[Mrowak]

Disappointing. I was looking forward to this but... until I start seeing some results from other larger kickstarted projects, I am not spending any money on any Kickstarter campaign.

What is disappointing you exactly ? Would it be better if they just opened pre-orders or were looking for a publisher ? Or is it the fact they might not be able to self-publish entirely ? (genuine question by the way, not trying to be sarcastic)

I am disapointed because they landed in this situation in the first place.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Vault Dweller, do you REALLY think Bloodlines sold so poorly (and it sold very poorly) because you needed points in firearms to be able to shoot accurately? While fucking Morrowind, a game with more complicated (and unintuitive) mechanics, even clunkier combat, and a weird, offbeat setting, sold an order of magnitude more less than two years beforehand?

Also, technical issues in Troika's games are in a class of their own. It's been nearly 10 years since the release of ToEE, and even with extensive fan patching, there's still savegame corruption, inexplicable performance problems on machines with thrice the processing power of the game's recommended requirements, crashes, you name it. Similarly, Bloodlines still runs like shit even on modern systems, and I remember it being nearly unplayable on the average PC of 2004.

Now, obviously this wasn't the sole factor in Troika's eventual demise (that was clearly them insisting on making games with deep TB combat, like Bloodlines), but a deserved reputation of making buggy games couldn't have helped them as they released another buggy game, a FP action RPG, at the same time as one of the most anticipated games ever came out.

 

[Jaesun]

Morrowind was on the XBox.

 

[likaq]

Similarly, Bloodlines still runs like shit even on modern systems, and I remember it being nearly unplayable on the average PC of 2004.

Not true.
I have shitty 6 years old pc and Bl works fine. On 6 years old PC!

 

[Mangoose]

You made a statement relevant to the conversation.

It was not relevant.

Comparable they may be, but the game still falls way short, which is why BL is $6 on the latest Codex chart, and Div 2 #45, aka 'who cares about it?'

Falls way short of what? Losing the point, are we, again? I said that Div2 is mechanically not too action-y, as stats matter in combat (I think) more-so than in VtmB (let's please not forget that VtmB is half FPS). That statement is not reflective of any kind of quality judgment on the game. Keep up, will you?

I feel like you conflate 'RPG-ness' with the quality of a game. In that somehow an action RPG is naturally worse in objective quality than a non-action RPG. Given that I keep talking about difference in mechanics and somehow you spin that to harp on quality and sales. This was not what I thought at first in the conversation, but if it is the case, consider my time wasted and expect no more replies about this stupidity.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Morrowind was on the XBox.

Surely, you're not suggesting that mere console peasants could have handled attack rolls in their popamole?

It's actually kind of funny, because Bloodlines is much better suited to be played with a controller than Morrowind is.

Similarly, Bloodlines still runs like shit even on modern systems, and I remember it being nearly unplayable on the average PC of 2004.

Not true.
I have shitty 6 years old pc and Bl works fine. On 6 years old PC!

Was it one of the newer community patches? I remember replaying it about 2 years ago and getting noticable fps drops just walking around Santa Monica. I distinctly recall Crysis running better on my desktop at the time.

 

[likaq]

Similarly, Bloodlines still runs like shit even on modern systems, and I remember it being nearly unplayable on the average PC of 2004.

Not true.
I have shitty 6 years old pc and Bl works fine. On 6 years old PC!

Was it one of the newer community patches? I remember replaying it about 2 years ago and getting noticable fps drops just walking around Santa Monica. I distinctly recall Crysis running better on my desktop at the time.

During my last playthrough I used tessera patch. I never had fps drops.

 

[Infinitron]

http://www.lar.net/2013/02/04/larian-kickstarter/

Holy shit.

 

[Black_Willow]

A 9 year old game works on a 6 year old computer, news at 11.

 

[Delterius]

For those not familiar with the RPG Codex, its where you go if you're looking for a hefty dose of RPG critical analysis wrapped in imaginative language (often involving gastrointestinal issues).

-Swen Vicke

Should be on the first page.

 

[Jaesun]

Specifically, the RpgCodex forums, your daily antidote to thinking you’re getting anywhere in the world of CRPGs, unless your name happens to be Chris Avellone.

And lo and behold, they didn’t disappoint

For those not familiar with the RPGCodex, it’s where you go if you’re looking for a hefty dose of RPG critical analysis wrapped in imaginative language (often involving gastrointestinal issues). Now despite the occasionally interesting wording and tendency to rant about what makes a true RPG, I think that more than often the posters there represent the unvented opinion of a lot of players, and if you’re into making RPG’s, you can learn a lot by reading between the lines. In the same breath I have to add that you’ll also need a very thick hide, preferably made of dinosaur scales, especially if you already dared release a RPG that they played.

 

[Infinitron]

Is it my imagination, or did he just invite me to visit Larian and see the game? I've never even played DivDiv.

 

[Jaesun]

I have played DivDiv but I live in the US.

 

[made]

Specifically, the RpgCodex forums, your daily antidote to thinking you’re getting anywhere in the world of CRPGs, unless your name happens to be Chris Avellone.

I was just about to post that quote. Hilararious, and spot-on. :D

In fact, that should be our new tagline.

 

[Delterius]

Is it my imagination, or did he just invite me to visit Larian and see the game? I've never even played DivDiv.

Are you european and close to belgium? Then do it, you'll harvest many a brofist with that.

 

[Infinitron]

Is it my imagination, or did he just invite me to visit Larian and see the game? I've never even played DivDiv.

Are you european and close to belgium? Then do it, bastard.

No and no.

I guess we should send Trash - he's the closest AFAIK.

 

[Modron]

A 9 year old game works on a 6 year old computer, news at 11.

Shit I bought everything Troika released day 1, I know my system was antiquated as hell but I still ran the game fine even though I could not max counter strike at the time.

 

[Jaesun]

After reading the article, I would personally back this (now that I understand his reasons). I would actually like to see what Liarian could do with this (as in put more design/content/mechanics) in it.

I have been looking forward to Original Sin.