The Realms of Arkania Thread

[Doctor Sbaitso]

All reports are that the remake is trash.

 

[Excidium II]

RoA HD patch logs have higher word count than Planescape Torment.

 

[The Nameless Pun]

What I can't understand is the first person perspective. Why did so many games of that period have this unhealthy obsession with first person? Technical limitations maybe? It's really strange to me and I can't stand it. At least combat is isometric. What about C&C? Does the game take into account the choices you make during quests? Also, is it a sandbox or not? Sorry for the silly questions guys but I'd really appreciate if someone gave me some basic info about the trilogy.

 

[Roqua]

Seriously, stop being stupid bitches and support the development of new good shit. How do you do this you ask? Buy new good shit to make it profitable so others will make new good shit. Hmm, so are you saying people should buy the new and improved Realms of Arkania Blade of Destiny? Yes. There is very little different from game 1 and 2 so anyone who skips 1 and starts at 2 is not smart because there is no reason to do it, especially when there is a new and improved part 1 that is actually profitable to the good guys, real crpg makers. Who makes money off of purchases of the old Realms of Arkania? I don't know, no one making new good shit. Probably Zemimax or some other shit company filled with cretins and low brow console idiots.

This is really economics pre-101. If you like crpgs and not many crpgs are made the only way to get more is make them profitable by buying the ones that are made. Fuck it, buy two copies, or 20. Unless your dream world is a world filled with just Bethesda and Bioware games, in which case I doubt you'd be posting in this thread.

The remake came out incomplete. It is completely fixed now and is much better than the original with a bunch of new content. Is new content good? Well, I like it, but I guess I'm some sort of retarded idiot for wanting new crpgs to be made. Fuck me, fuck you, fuck all of us. Long live console!

You make a good point.

No.
Remaking already existing games 1:1 with maybe a couple of minor additions like more travel encounters is just as lazy as the cargo cult design other studios practice. And I wouldn't support talentless hacks with their heart at the right place either, because they are still just hacks and their games are doomed to be shit. For a niche game type to draw any attention from a considerable amount of players you first need to have a hit, a flagship title all those cargo cult morons in the industry can copy afterwards. Crafty Studios will never be able to create anything like that.

You're right, they're just using something someone else did to make money. I didn't consider that.

Don't listen to these idiots. I don't know what tree these monkey swung out of but they are short-sighted dimwits.

The devs of these games are profiting. They are remaking the games because the games are fucking awesome, and if profit was their motivation they are the worst businessmen in the history of business. Also, there is a significant amount of new content while the orginal content was indeed almost 1:1. Also some new classes from the sourcebooks of the same version used by the game.

Remakes should be 1:1. Who the fuck wants a Bethesda or Peter Jackson revision of source material where they are just lightly inspired by some items of the original but make up 90% of it?

In my opinion, any fan of the original trilogy that doesn't support and buy the new version (soon to be versions) is a self defeating idiot biting off their nose to spite their face.

Again, the economic principles I am relying on are sound. Do you want more crpgs like a specify type of game? Support every game that comes out like it. Being a monkey artsy idiot doesn't get new crpgs made. Support crpg development does. These fucking Neanderthals cannot comprehend basic logic and economic principles.

You guy's strong suite isn't thinking; just let me do it for you. Okay? I am trying to help all of us with a taste for great crpgs in the long term with, not shoot ourselves in the foot by being short sighted dimwits.

 

[kmonster]

First person perspective is more involving, top down is nice for Command&Conquer players who want to feel like a general controlling from the distance, first person perspective is for feeling as if you are directly there.

 

[Excidium II]

Well videogames were always about this virtual reality simulation thing, first person was the natural next step.

 

[Roqua]

What I can't understand is the first person perspective. Why did so many games of that period have this unhealthy obsession with first person? Technical limitations maybe? It's really strange to me and I can't stand it. At least combat is isometric. What about C&C? Does the game take into account the choices you make during quests? Also, is it a sandbox or not? Sorry for the silly questions guys but I'd really appreciate if someone gave me some basic info about the trilogy.

I cannot answer you perspective question and I enjoy that perspective for blobbers, but I like isometric the most. C&C is more tied to how you built your party, but more opportunity cost than significant C&C throughout the game and questing (no factions, etc, but a lot of textbox adventures like AoD, and greatly disparate opportunities depending on composition). The first two games are huge survival sandboxes. The third game takes place mostly in one big city and is the most different from the first two. There is actually very little different from the first and second game, regardless of what the monkeys spew.

 

[V_K]

Why did so many games of that period have this unhealthy obsession with first person? Technical limitations maybe?

It's more immersive and in low resolutions allows for more detailed visuals. RoA games are among the very few blobber-likes who allow you to split your party in any way, so it doesn't affect gameplay that much.

What about C&C? Does the game take into account the choices you make during quests?

There are a couple of choices in Star Trail, but the concequences are always immediate and don't affect further story development. This isn't PST, RoA games are mostly about survival and dungeon crawling. C&Cs come mostly in form of alternative solutions to challenges. Or in the form of your characters catching a cold because you forgot to pack blankets, then developing pneumonia because you're too far from civilization to get to a healer in time and the plants required to treat it don't grow in these parts, and finally succumbing to some low-level cobolds because your terminally ill party is in no condition to fight.

Also, is it a sandbox or not?

Blade of Destiny is fully sandbox, IIRC. In Star Trail the overworld is fully open, but the main quest dungeons progress in a linear fashion (you might be able to enter one of them out of order, probably, but it won't do you much good), Shadows over Riva is on rails.

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

Really enjoying it so far. I am recording my thoughts and experiences. If I manage to stay interested enough to finish it I might do a retrospective.

 

[Leitz]

If I manage to stay interested enough to finish it

If not David Bowie will be pissed!

 

[mushaden]

Is there a way to view weapon damage in star trail (original)?

 

[Fowyr]

Is there a way to view weapon damage in star trail (original)?

Isn't it some relatively easy way as dragging item to the eye icon or using "check values" in the combat? I've played it 15 years ago, so can't remember much.

 

[Fenris 2.0]

Just go into the Inventory Screen and drag the Item to the Eye Icon over the helm slot.

 

[mushaden]

Playing Star Trail (original). One of my guys got tetanus and I've tried to heal with a healer almost ten times but it always fails. This is the first town you can walk around in south of the starting town. What gives? Is this healer a con man or is tetanus that bad?

 

[Cael]

Playing Star Trail (original). One of my guys got tetanus and I've tried to heal with a healer almost ten times but it always fails. This is the first town you can walk around in south of the starting town. What gives? Is this healer a con man or is tetanus that bad?

Tetanus is bad. You need a decent Heal Disease skill to get rid of it. IIRC, you are fairly low level in Star Trail, which would make the inability to heal problem worse due to low skills.

 

[mushaden]

But bad to the point where npc healers can’t take care of it?

 

[Cael]

But bad to the point where npc healers can’t take care of it?

Hmm... I am not sure about NPCs. I can't recall what happens with NPC healers in RoA games. It has been a long time since I played one.

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

Getting sick is both quite easy and quite the pain in the ass at early levels.

 

[Fenris 2.0]

Some NPC-Healers are incompetent, you might have to try another. Or you can buy a "Cure Disease" Potion, or pray at a Peraine Temple, Donations and Tenacity might be required in this case.