I don't understand.. Pool of radiance, TOEE

[dream expert]

I'm hoping Kotc2 will do it, since it has a much better class system now.

Really hoping modding the art will be easy. Cuz right now it looks fucking dumb.

 

[Fenris 2.0]

I can highly recommend the old Realms of Arcania Games, I recently replayed the first Part and had a Blast - though I couldn't get into the second Part with it's ancient 3D Graphics anymore

There is a Remake that was released in an unplayable State, but some People say it is decent now. Haven't bought it, the Developers seemed like Scammers to me.

 

[Fireblade]

2. Play the rest of the Goldbox Games

"Rest of..."

I think some people are assuming that the OP meant Gold Box Pool of Radiance, but my assumption was that he actually meant the 2001 Pool of Radiance game, since he did say "top down view" and "decent graphics". Now I wonder...

 

[Fenris 2.0]

What ? Why would he... ok, in this Case scratch RoA, buy maybe Blackguards.

 

[Roqua]

Not sure what the current state of Sony PSP emulation is, but there was a rather awesome turn-based D&D game released for it called Dungeons & Dragons: Tactics.

Unfortunately, it's quite easy, but considering the lack of turn-based D&D games made in the past decade, it's well worth a play through.

It is not similar to ToEE at all. It is a content-lite game and not really an rpg outside of chargen and dev. The only similarity to ToEE is they both use D&D 3.5.

 

[Roqua]

Glad I came to the right place.

It seems that the general consensus is that there really hasnt been a good isometric, Full party creation, TB, muli-class d&d style rpg with a few minor exceptions. None of which have really hit all the check boxes though. Since TOEE?

With so many games out there how is this possible?

Wasteland 2 DC besides the classes. Just replace classes with diverse specs and you have the only game as good as ToEE since ToEE. Same classic crpg formula. Pure gold for people with refined taste in crpgs. These monkeys don't know what they are talking about whereas this is my thing.

 

[jagged-jimmy]

For a top-down, turn-based fix there is also Telepath Tactics. I am having fun with it right now.
You cannot create a party, but there are a lot of classes with special abilities. Leveling is by use.

 

[Fireblade]

Silent Storm is also worth checking out if we're talking about good turn-based combat in the post-ToEE era. Codex reviewed it here.

 

[chaddiek]

You are right. Its actually called "pool of radiance, ruins of myth drannor"

 

[Lonely Vazdru]

Silent storm is great but it's hardly fantasy.

I love these threads, I used to follow them with genuine interest, but unfortunately they always end up the same, a bunch of recommendarions that don't fit the OP, some games that bear little to no resemblance to ToEE or PoR:RoMD and ultimately nothing. Having been in the exact same postion as chaddiek for over a decade, looking for decent follow ups to both those games, my recommendation is this : don't waste your time, there are none and there probably won't be for a long time.

This being said, as ultimately vain as the question is, the Codex is definitely the place to ask it.

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

KoTC checks the same boxes, unless one of them is AAA graphics. If you haven't played, go do it now. Be warned, it doesn't have the nice graphics and you should install the fonts someone else released for it. Encounter design and combat speed are superior to ToEE. Combat feedback is on par. Itemization, party size and itemization are better in ToEE (and graphics).

 

[Ebonsword]

Not sure what the current state of Sony PSP emulation is, but there was a rather awesome turn-based D&D game released for it called Dungeons & Dragons: Tactics.


Unfortunately, it's quite easy, but considering the lack of turn-based D&D games made in the past decade, it's well worth a play through.

It is not similar to ToEE at all. It is a content-lite game and not really an rpg outside of chargen and dev. The only similarity to ToEE is they both use D&D 3.5.

You're right, it's a 3rd Edition D&D game with full-party creation, turn-based combat, and a focus on dungeon-crawling.

Nothing at all like ToEE.

 

[Volourn]

But it probably has a better story, better wiritng, and better characters than TOEE. L0LZ And, less bugbears. L0L

 

[Roqua]

Not sure what the current state of Sony PSP emulation is, but there was a rather awesome turn-based D&D game released for it called Dungeons & Dragons: Tactics.


Unfortunately, it's quite easy, but considering the lack of turn-based D&D games made in the past decade, it's well worth a play through.

It is not similar to ToEE at all. It is a content-lite game and not really an rpg outside of chargen and dev. The only similarity to ToEE is they both use D&D 3.5.

You're right, it's a 3rd Edition D&D game with full-party creation, turn-based combat, and a focus on dungeon-crawling.

Nothing at all like ToEE.

3.5 edition. NWN, IWD 2, and POR had 3rd edition. ToEE was a real crpg, the handheld game wasn't. ToEE has content, the handheld game doesn't. ToEE had RT exploration in towns and other areas, the Handheld game has only dungeons and only TB movement.

They are not the same genre at all. The hallmark of crpgs (besides rpg systems) is the content - quests, interaction with npcs and environment, towns, areas to explore. The handheld game was a mission based tactics game with no content. You go on a quick, short mission. Rinse and repeat. No content other than the base rpg system and combat.

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

When people say 'Pool of Radience' they mean the 1988 title, not the shit one later on.

POR was released in 1988, which predates 3rd edition by 12 years and 2nd edition D&D by a year.

 

[Severian Silk]

Someone should make an isometric exploration version of FRUA. Then maybe I would play it.

 

[chaddiek]

Silent storm is great but it's hardly fantasy.

I love these threads, I used to follow them with genuine interest, but unfortunately they always end up the same, a bunch of recommendarions that don't fit the OP, some games that bear little to no resemblance to ToEE or PoR:RoMD and ultimately nothing. Having been in the exact same postion as chaddiek for over a decade, looking for decent follow ups to both those games, my recommendation is this : don't waste your time, there are none and there probably won't be for a long time.

This being said, as ultimately vain as the question is, the Codex is definitely the place to ask it.

This is depressing...

What are the main reasons games like this are no longer made?

Is there not a market besides me and a few others?

This style of game is, without a doubt, my favorite by a WIDE margin & they are no longer made?

WTF?

 

[Valky]

This is depressing...

What are the main reasons games like this are no longer made?

Is there not a market besides me and a few others?

This style of game is, without a doubt, my favorite by a WIDE margin & they are no longer made?

WTF?

Because casuals are the target audience of video games now.

 

[Lonely Vazdru]

Is there not a market besides me and a few others?

No. Welcome to 2016, where the epitome of roleplaying is cosplaying at some shitty comicon and posting pictures on Facebook and witty one-liners on Twitter. Ain't life grand ?

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

Blackguards 1 is worth a shot if you haven't played it. Also, Expeditions Conquistador.

 

[Cynicus]

chaddiek, welcome to the ranks of the CRPG disaffected.

I can highly recommend the old Realms of Arcania Games, I recently replayed the first Part and had a Blast - though I couldn't get into the second Part with it's ancient 3D Graphics anymore

Aw man, Star Trail is the best one. Cast off your heretical ways before its too late!

 

[Fenris 2.0]

Aw man, Star Trail is the best one. Cast off your heretical ways before its too late!

Don't need to tell me, finished it maybe a half a dozen times back in the Days, I really loved the series and also thought Part 2 was the best too. But I think it hasn't aged well. I'll try again in a few months.

 

[Grampy_Bone]

This is depressing...

What are the main reasons games like this are no longer made?

Is there not a market besides me and a few others?

This style of game is, without a doubt, my favorite by a WIDE margin & they are no longer made?

WTF?

Yep, the market is too small, the games are not profitable enough. There are many reasons:

-Isometric RPGs are not good on consoles. It's a thing people like to complain about but it matters. This is a very PC specific style of gameplay that doesn't translate well on consoles.

-World of Warcraft. It's easy to forget about this now but at one point MMOs cannibalized pretty much the entire PC RPG market. There was this crazy gold rush where everyone thought MMOs were the only future of games and everyone was rushing to put out their WoW clones. All the other minor RPG projects were swept aside.

-Bioware. With Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect, Bioware ushered the west into the age of the Cinematic RPG. The selling point of these games was not gameplay or depth, but cinematic presentation. They realized they didn't need hard combat, complex character classes and mechanics, or deep stories with meaningful choices. Just fancy graphics and a lot of voice acting with shot/reverse shot camera angles.

Bioware-style RPGs make a lot of money but they're expensive to make right so they essentially pushed a lot of smaller developers out of the business. They couldn't compete with Bioware's model so they gave up, or tried to play second fiddle (Obsidian).

and finally:
-Dungeons and Dragons sucks now. D&D 3rd edition sparked a resurgence of interest in D&D videogames. D&D 4th and 5th edition killed that interest. There were like a dozen games based on 3rd edition, and only one based on 4th edition (a crappy MMO!). D&D games are dead now because D&D is dead, Wizards of the Coast killed it.


Despite all that, we are seeing something of a top-down isometric RPG renaissance with Shadowrun Returns, Wasteland 2, Pillars of Eternity, and Divinity Original Sin. These games aren't exactly what you want, but they're closer than a crappy MMO or a cinematic corridor shooter. Support these games and their developers and we'll make the RPG genre great again.

 

[Jack Dandy]

Seconding DivOS.
You should also check out Voidspire Tactics. It has what you're looking for.

Also seconding Grampy_Bone - Supporting great games is what's most important!

Also, do you have an interest in older RPGs? There were tons of neat turn-based ones.

 

[DramaticPopcorn]

Posting in a bait thread