Favourite areas in RPGs

[Zlaja]

Arcanum: Tarant, Ashbury, Black Root, the beautiful lake (Forgot the name), and the Dragon Skeleton

I couldn't agree more.

 

[Klaz]

You just made me replay Arcanum again, with that screenshot

 

[Volrath]

Sometime's one of them's trapped and blows up.

Ironic, is in't it?

 

[mirrorshades]

Giving it some thought, here are a few older-ish games with areas that stick out in my mind:

Stonekeep: While at this point I don't remember many details, I recall being quite immersed in the many different areas of this game. Not bad for a pure dungeon-crawl. This thread actually inspired me to dig out my copy, see if I could get it going again (in DOSBox), and play it some more. Still just as fun.

Ultima Underworld I: Again, a great job making a believable cave/underworld that I'm wandering around in.

Might & Magic II: Castle Pinehurst, with its bizarre time traps. Also liked Murphy's Resort Island (don't drink the Goofy Juice) and the Dragon Cave thingey. Ambush valley... where throngs of monsters jump down at you, but patiently stand in line while you attack them 6 at a time.

Ultima 5: Blackthorn's Castle always had my pulse racing when I had to go there. I had kind of a surreal fascination exploring all the hallways with magically locked doors, and finding out what happens when you step on that loose brick in the floor...

Wizard's Crown: The inside areas of this game (tavern, mansion) are memorable. Lots of neato stuff to maneuver around if combat happened to break out. And watch out for those damn statues... they turn into Golems!

Ultima 4: The shrines were neat, when accompanied by the music on the C-64 version.

 

[PseudoIntellectual Snob]

The starting area in Kotor 2 sucks donkey balls. Enormously.

There is NOTHING worse than making a starting area be nothing but 2 to 3 hours of nothing but fighting while running through a huge, lifeless area and picking up items.

Thanks god the game has Kreia.

And here i was thinking this was about the areas themselves and not about gameplay. Silly me.

But then most games mentioned on this thread are just about fighting, picking up items, and opening chests full lenght. So no big deal: I just prefer doing so in some space derelict station, populated just by one or two relatively interesting NPCs, with at least some missed shot at building atmosphere instead of in faerie land surrounded by hundreds of half-assed idiots.

I'm with you on the Kreia comment, though.

 

[Texas Red]

What is so special about that BG 1 dungeon, by the way? Durlan's Tower or something like that its called.

 

[Texas Red]

Well, damnit?! I wondering if I should ever touch BG 1 or not. This tower or something that is supposedly so great is tempting, but there is just so much lameness going on.

 

[Edward_R_Murrow]

What is so special about that BG 1 dungeon, by the way? Durlan's Tower or something like that its called.

It's big, dark, full of traps, and unforgiving as can be. Plus, there's also a pretty tough fight tied to it at the end.

It's a good dungeon crawl and doesn't try to be anything else. Of course if dungeon crawls aren't your bag, you probably won't like it. I don't mind them from time to time.

 

[RenStrike]

My favorite is probably Oblivion, in Oblivion.

 

[Hümmelgümpf]

You must be kidding. We both know that Berlin in Red Orchestra is much better.

 

[RenStrike]

You must be kidding. We both know that Berlin in Red Orchestra is much better.

Yes, but even better is Danzig in Red Orchestra. Or, so it seems when you update the server list.

 

[Edward_R_Murrow]

What about the Library in Halo?

 

[RenStrike]

What about the Library in Halo?

Worst level in Halo.

Second level in Halo 1 was the best looking, and had some of the best gameplay.

 

[NiM82]

Fallout 1: Junktown
Fallout 2: New Reno & Navarro
Arcanum: Tarant & Ashbury
BG II: Brynnlaw & Underdark
V:TMB: Santa Monica / Haunted House
KOTOR: Manaan & The world you crash into
KOTOR2: Nar Shadaa
Morrowind: Hla Oad & Ghostgate
Shock2: Hydroponics

 

[Master]

Peragus Mining Facility - by Chris Avelonne

Seriously, I love this area. It's not particularly flawed in any way. I hate the one afterwards, Telos or how was it called.

 

[Lord_Potato]

Tarant in Arcanum,
New Reno in Fallout 2,
Betancuria in a Dance with Rogues,
Wyzima in Witcher 1,
Novigrad and Beauclair in Witcher 3.

I guess I really like urban adventures.

 

[laclongquan]

Since everyone mention the top 10, I make an exception for Neverwinter Nights 2 Original Campaign.

The Crossroad Keep, after we get to keep it.

Man, we can build it. Then we find NPC to populate it. Then we do quests for it. then we can mod the Crossroad uniform so that they wear our design.

Good stuffs, good stuffs!

Peragus Mining Facility - by Chris Avelonne

Seriously, I love this area. It's not particularly flawed in any way. I hate the one afterwards, Telos or how was it called.

It's flawed as fuck. you have to install at least the Darker Peragus mod for it to have some atmosphere. I dont mind other factors, it being the tutorial and all, but the bright and cheery light make the area not in keeping with the context.

 

[Falksi]

Summoner 2 - Most of it

Monkey Island - Melee Island

Morriwind - Most of it, but Tel Fyr & Ald'ryhn in particular

Mass effect 1 - Maji

FF7 - Pretty much all of it

Final Fantasy 10 - Zanarkand

 

[Big Wrangle]

Fallout 2: Navarro
Underrail: Core City
Planescape: Sigil
Morrowind: Balmora

 

[Master]

Since everyone mention the top 10, I make an exception for Neverwinter Nights 2 Original Campaign.

The Crossroad Keep, after we get to keep it.

Man, we can build it. Then we find NPC to populate it. Then we do quests for it. then we can mod the Crossroad uniform so that they wear our design.

Good stuffs, good stuffs!

Peragus Mining Facility - by Chris Avelonne

Seriously, I love this area. It's not particularly flawed in any way. I hate the one afterwards, Telos or how was it called.

It's flawed as fuck. you have to install at least the Darker Peragus mod for it to have some atmosphere. I dont mind other factors, it being the tutorial and all, but the bright and cheery light make the area not in keeping with the context.

I installed Darker Peragus and yeah it was darker but it looked like shit. Textures just strewn about haphazardly, celling textures on the walls and such. The interior decorator fag in me couldn't stand it so I deleted it.


And, why does it have to be dark? Just because bad things happened? I hate that cartoon logic.

 

[Zlaja]

Wow, look at my 11 year old post at the top. Need to re-upload that damn image. I'll see if I can find it on my PC (I'm at work now).

EDIT: Done.

 

[laclongquan]

Remember that SWKOTOR1 where the initial map has you inside a burning starship? Yeah, this time we are in a space mining station with all the living souls get killed just before you crash in.

Where's the bloodstain? Where's the burning and destruction? Where's the failed construction due to dead miners?

A mine where a multi-body count happen can be very dangerous place with accidents just happen with half an excuse.

Darker Peragus is a good start.

 

[Master]

Those are good points but Darker Peragus doesn't do them.

 

[Lacrymas]

Where's the bloodstain? Where's the burning and destruction? Where's the failed construction due to dead miners?

A mine where a multi-body count happen can be very dangerous place with accidents just happen with half an excuse.

That was the point, the destruction and death happened with no fanfare, theatricalities or dramaticisms, it was a cold, calculated taking of life, not a slasher film murder spree. It was a bureaucratic process, the people were deliberately herded towards the dorms so they can be gassed, and that's what makes it chilling. The accidents themselves didn't cause a massive body count, just enough for the security measures to kick in.

 

[laclongquan]

The problem is the distintive misalignment between what the game is telling and what the players are expecting. They are expecting some destruction, something terrifying to accompany the tale, not this bright and cheery with nary a trace of destruction of an atmostphere.

Because on Earth, whenever people not there to control the chaos, something happened, mostly bad. ESPECIALLY the mines.