Inon Zur composes for Fallout 3 ( Game news )
posted by Ausir on Thu 08 May 2008, 00:58:23
More info on Fallout 3 - More info on Bethesda Softworks - More info on Inon Zur

Bethesda Softworks issued a press release announcing that Inon Zur is the composer of Fallout 3 music and conveniently not mentioning his work on Fallout Tactics.

May 7, 2008 (Rockville, MD) — Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, announced today that Inon Zur has created the original musical score for Bethesda Softworks’ highly anticipated post-apocalyptic video game, Fallout® 3. Zur, an award-winning composer, has created numerous scores for films, television, and new media.

“We’ve wanted to work with Inon for a long time,” said Todd Howard executive producer of Fallout 3. “He brings so much to the table, in terms of his talent, background, and the music that’s influenced him. He’s created a score that has epic sweep; from the lonely ambience of the wasteland to dramatic fights for survival.”

Fallout 3 features one of the most realized game worlds ever created. Create any kind of character you want and explore the open wastes of post-apocalyptic Washington, D.C. Every minute is a fight for survival as you encounter Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders, and other dangers of the Wasteland.

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Tom Ohle interview at Gamasutra and some other witchery stuff ( Interview )
posted by Ausir on Wed 07 May 2008, 21:56:24
More info on Witcher, The - More info on CD Projekt - More info on Tom Ohle

Gamasutra has interviewed Tom Ohle, CD Projekt RED's VP of Marketing, about The Witcher and game marketing in general.

What is coming in the future for CD Project Red?

First up for the team is The Witcher: Enhanced Edition. For anyone who doesn't know, we're basically going back and improving on every aspect of the game that was criticized at launch: we're reducing load times by about 80%, rewriting some of the English dialogue that didn't quite sound right, re-recording voice-overs where needed, adding lots of new NPC models, putting in new animations to make dialogue look better and a bunch more. We'll be replacing the existing box at retail with the new version and packing it with soundtrack CDs and other goodies, and we'll release it all online as a mega-patch for anyone who already bought the game.

CD Projekt recently announced that it had claimed a majority stake in Metropolis Software. We'll be working closely with the team there to make sure their sci-fi first-person shooter, THEY, is an amazing game when it hits the market next year.

We also announced The Witcher: DuelMail, which is a fun little browser game that's a touch addictive. I suggest people check it out for a fun lunchtime diversion... that ends up making you late for your afternoon meetings.

The Witcher is really our core brand right now, and we want to keep it relevant for a long time. That doesn't mean The Witcher 2009 with new roster updates or a Geralt plush toy (though that would be cool), but inevitably we'll look to continue the series. We have a lot of opportunities -- expansions, sequels, console versions -- and now it's just a matter of deciding what's best for The Witcher and for gamers.

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Mass Effect (and Spore) copy protection PHUN ( Game news )
posted by Saint_Proverbius on Wed 07 May 2008, 17:57:30
More info on Mass Effect

There's a thread on the Mass Effect forum about the copy protection EA will be using on it's upcoming titles. Here's the clip of it:

Mass Effect uses SecuROM and requires an online activation for the first time that you play it. Each copy of Mass Effect comes with a CD Key which is used for this activation and for registration here at the BioWare Community. Mass Effect does not require the DVD to be in the drive in order to play, it is only for installation.

After the first activation, SecuROM requires that it re-check with the server within ten days (in case the CD Key has become public/warez'd and gets banned). Just so that the 10 day thing doesn't become abrupt, SecuROM tries its first re-check with 5 days remaining in the 10 day window. If it can't contact the server before the 10 days are up, nothing bad happens and the game still runs. After 10 days a re-check is required before the game can run.

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Fallout, is it too inaccessible for console players? ( Interview )
posted by DarkUnderlord on Wed 07 May 2008, 15:55:39
More info on Fallout 3

Bethesda's Emil Pagliarulo talks to next-gen about Fallout 3 and ponders:

It's funny. I look at Fallout when I play it every day, and I sometimes think that there's a lot of old-school hardcore PC stuff in there too, and part of me thinks, "God, is this too inaccessible for console players?" There's a lot of dialogue to read, a lot of just hacking computers and looking through things like "VAT." I don't know. Sometimes I think it's just the opposite. So I don't feel like we're dumbing down the franchise.

...I think we're starting to find that there is a market for [hardcore "PC RPGs" on consoles]. People like myself and some people that work here actually grew up as hardcore PC guys, and now we're older, we have kids, we don't have that much time, so we've transitioned. We're console players now.

But we still have those PC game sensibilities. Those are the games we like. So I think BioShock has a little bit of that too. You can definitely feel the old System Shock roots in that game. So hopefully there's a trend there.

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VD vs the Old Republic ( Interview )
posted by baby arm on Wed 07 May 2008, 07:43:15
More info on Age of Decadence - More info on Iron Tower

There's a new Age of Decadence interview up at KOTOR fansite StarWarsKnights.com. Not surprisingly, our old pal VD took the opportunity to throw in a few anti-KOTOR jabs.

Now, consequences. Take Knights of the Old Republic for example. Remember when you decided to be the true Revan, the Dark Lord of the Sith, and then finally arrived to the Sith Academy on Korriban and ... nobody cared. You, the Dark Lord of the Sith, had to jump through the same hoops as any other character. Remember now? Well, that's what lack of consequences feels like. You've made an important choice, but the game ignored it completely. "What? You are THE Dark Lord of the Sith? Good for you, sugar. Now go back to you corner."

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Bioware releases Mass Effect copy protection info ( Game news )
posted by El Dee on Tue 06 May 2008, 22:00:56
More info on Mass Effect - More info on BioWare

Bioware's Derek French releases details about the copy protection for the upcoming PC version of Mass Effect on the official forums:

Mass Effect uses SecuROM and requires an online activation for the first time that you play it. Each copy of Mass Effect comes with a CD Key which is used for this activation and for registration here at the BioWare Community. Mass Effect does not require the DVD to be in the drive in order to play, it is only for installation.

After the first activation, SecuROM requires that it re-check with the server within ten days (in case the CD Key has become public/warez'd and gets banned). Just so that the 10 day thing doesn't become abrupt, SecuROM tries its first re-check with 5 days remaining in the 10 day window. If it can't contact the server before the 10 days are up, nothing bad happens and the game still runs. After 10 days a re-check is required before the game can run.

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Exclusive reviews are ethically troubling ( Editorial )
posted by DarkUnderlord on Mon 05 May 2008, 17:14:05

We've had a few threads here on the Codex forums about the pathetic nature of the gaming review industry. Namely that they're all corrupt and stupid. Now here's an article on Variety which says the same thing:

I just got an email from an IGN publicist titled "FYI: Exclusive GTA IV Review @ IGN.com, scores 10" alerting me that "IGN.com, the Web's leading videogame and entertainment information destination, has posted the first and only review of Grand Theft Auto IV." I'm reminded of when Game Informer ran an exclusive review of "Mass Effect" a few weeks before any other outlet and gave that game a 9.75. I was shocked since I really didn't think "Mass Effect" was that great (and said as much in my review), but of course it's very possible that the Game Informer folks just disagreed with me and that's well within their rights.

(Though I have to say I still found the Game Informer review problematic, since they gave "Mass Effect" an almost perfect score despite noting that "most of the skirmishes, which begin and end in the blink of an eye, run into balancing issues, problematic AI, and a difficulty in comprehending what is transpiring" and "it controls admirably, but it doesn't live up to the large stage the story sets or the standards you've come to expect from action games and RPGs." Those are pretty significant faults.)

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Diablo 3 on its way? ( Game news )
posted by DarkUnderlord on Mon 05 May 2008, 16:58:12
More info on Diablo III - More info on Blizzard Entertainment

Now it's time for unfounded fan speculation. Although this is a little more serious than most (in that it's actually true). It seems the fansite that used to be at diablo3.com has moved to diablofans.com. Why?

Well, there's no point in beating around the bush any longer, so let's get right down to it. A few months ago we were contacted by Blizzard in regards to the Diablo3.com domain name. While they appreciate all the work that's been put into running this big Diablo fan community over the years, they still want the domain name. Hmm, I wonder why?

Blizzard is actually being really cool about it, giving us all the time we need to make it a smooth transition before we hand the old domain over to them.

Some gaming news sites are reporting that Blizzard "purchased" the diablo3.com domain from me. This is not the case. As I stated in the above post, if it was my intention to make a profit off of the domain, I could've sold it years ago, but I didn't. When Blizzard spoke to me about their interest in the domain, I was happy to give it to them since they had no problems with us moving the site to diablofans.com and will now be working more closely with us in the future. So yeah, I just wanted to clear that up... there is no monetary exchange taking place, I'm simply giving Blizzard the diablo3 domain.

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See Pete Hines! Fallout 3 video interview. ( Interview )
posted by DarkUnderlord on Mon 05 May 2008, 16:52:13
More info on Fallout 3 - More info on Bethesda Softworks

GameSpot have used amazing video technology to capture the essence of Pete Hines and display him in the flesh for all to see. I can't just skim read it and quote interesting bits so here's a brief run-down on what they say:

They're in Alpha mode.
Most everything's in the game and they're messing with it. Still adding some things.
They talk about the growing up bit, you see yourself being born but none of the naughty bits.
Wanted it to be fun way to ease you in to the game. Asked if they wanted to do that a different way. Pete says they built on what they did in Oblivion re: first dungeon / walk-through tutorial area.
Guided through start by Liam Neeson and the interviewer says "sort of similar to what happens with Patrick Stewart's character in Oblivion" and he asked if they copied that deliberately.
Liam leads you through the game(?)
Talk about DogMeat. You can have him and one whole human companion.
If you're good, you can only have a good companion, or if evil only an evil companion.
You can find better weapons or repair them yourself which is a choice.
Talk about Perception and how it effects how you can see.
Stats affect ability to use stuff and how you can use VATS and target people.
Can visit a lot of iconic elements in Washington. Can go all the way to the top of the Washington Monument.
They're still slated for Fall 2008 release. Simultaneous release on Xbox, PS3 and PC in Europe and US.
No demo. The whole world loads seamlessly and it's not something they can cut-up and give you a slice of.
Building towards a 25 hour game. Side quests extra.
Can see them using downloadable content, not working on that right now.

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Music, NPCs and Sacred 2 ( Interview )
posted by DarkUnderlord on Mon 05 May 2008, 16:34:16
More info on Sacred 2

Something a little different. Gamespot have an interview with "Blind Guardian". For those who don't know, they're the group doing the music for Sacred 2 (sequel to Sacred, an action RPG, the original wasn't too bad, Saint loved it, I thought the whole respawn thing was way over-done). Here's a snip:

GameSpot UK: How did Blind Guardian get involved with Sacred 2?

Hansi Kursch: That's quite an interesting story. Having three very active fantasy computer game nerds in the band, it's easy to imagine the big impact Sacred 1 has had on us. Because of their passion for Blind Guardian, some of the people at Ascaron in charge of Sacred 2 saw it as an opportunity to have us in the game musically. Coincidence or predestination? We'll never know. Fact is, when we were finally contacted by Ascaron, asking if we were interested in doing a song for the game, we immediately agreed to do so. So far the whole thing has been great fun for us. The reason for that is quite simple: Blind Guardian's music and the world of Ancaria perfectly blend together.

GS UK: What exactly can we expect from Blind Guardian in Sacred 2?

HK: At first we were only asked to do a song which would be used in the game. Later on, the Ascaron guys came up with the splendid idea of having us as resident [non-playable characters] in the world of Ancaria. We perform in the game as a kind of prize after a quest which our characters are involved in. We're here today to do motion capture for that performance, so it's a big challenge, and the first time we've ever done anything like this.

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A conversation about death ( Editorial )
posted by DarkUnderlord on Mon 05 May 2008, 16:28:50

I saw this on Sorcerers.net and totally wanted to steal it. 1up have a feature about death. It's not entirely about RPGs but could be relevant soon given the nature of games to have insta-respawn points and a complete lack of any challenge what-so-ever. Here's a bit to get your taste buds excited:

Whether you believe death to be a permanent state in real life or not, in virtual territory it's generally anything but. But is game design's reliance on death as a gameplay mechanic simply a holdover from when game narratives consisted of "You're a spaceship -- shoot bad things and don't die"?

...

Some developers have come up with creative alternatives to dying -- or even creative reasons to die. In Smith's Thief: Deadly Shadows, protagonist Garrett doesn't die the first time he gets caught by city guards; instead, he wakes up in jail (a concept mimicked in Starbreeze Studios' Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay) -- transforming potential failure into a dramatic and fun story event with its own opportunities. Black Isle Studios' 1999 RPG Planescape: Torment famously required its main character to die in order to solve puzzles.

But Smith admits that Thief illustrates the challenges of this approach: How enjoyable (or plausible) is it to go back to jail again and again? How do you justify such alternatives to dying while still maintaining narrative credibility?

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The Witcher Enhanced Edition and console version - new details ( Interview )
posted by Ausir on Mon 05 May 2008, 15:31:15
More info on Witcher, The - More info on CD Projekt

A Polish gaming blog called GRRR.pl interviewed Maciej Sachmacinski of CD Projekt, The Witcher's product manager. He mentioned a few new details concerning the Enhanced Edition of the game, including a new release date (August/September 2008) and a console version.

Initial works on a console version have been started. The fans have already seen some job announcements for people with experience in porting PC games to consoles. For now, I cannot give you any date. The schedule has not been created yet, and works on it have not progressed enough on it to say when the game will be released.

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Are we the games we play? ( Editorial )
posted by DarkUnderlord on Sat 03 May 2008, 07:52:11

1up, who stole the idea from MTV Multiplayer blogger "Stephen Totilo" (whomever he is), asked themselves "Are We What We Play?". Of course, such a question inevitably brings up RPGs:

On the other hand, I have played plenty of other games in which I most certainly have felt a certain identification with the character I was playing. Not surprisingly, this mostly tends to occur in role-playing games, especially (but not limited to) the kind in which I'm creating my own character from scratch. It's no coincidence that, given the option, I name my character the same name no matter what game I'm playing. I've been the same guy through 20+ years of gaming, regardless of genre. And that same guy has one constant trait: he can't be bad. If we're talking D&D, I'm always Lawful Good. I can't not be. Maybe it's my upbringing, maybe it's overcompensation for mistakes I've made in real life -- who knows. I just know that I actually feel uncomfortable with the notion even of being "chaotically good." Given the choice, I want my in-game character to do the right thing, always. My default class, given the choice? Paladin. The few times I've actually dabbled in making the "bad" or "wrong" choice, I always feel terrible about it and need to reload the game to an earlier save. The "choice" in BioShock was no choice at all to me: not saving the little sisters was too horrific for me to even consider.

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State of the Indie ( Editorial )
posted by DarkUnderlord on Sat 03 May 2008, 07:26:17

We here at the RPGCodex are always interested in the Indie gaming scene, given it's about the only place where any real innovation happens these days (NOTE: That's "innovation" and not the "innovashun!1!1!oneone" that the big developers talk about). That's why I thought I'd point out this little ditty on Gamasutra. It's an "in-depth" look at the indie gaming scene, how it's affecting the market and includes some interesting bits such as:

If things continue this way, by the end of 2008 most innovation in gaming is going to happen in independent games.

...

But casual games downloads are going through a crisis. There is a number of good studios cranking out a far higher number of good games than the audience can consume, creating a glut of good titles and reducing the shelf life of every title.

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Thoughts on Action RPGs ( Editorial )
posted by DarkUnderlord on Sat 03 May 2008, 07:08:44
More info on Diablo

RPGVault have put up an article about the Action RPG genre. It's byline is "Thoughts on the category from Flagship's Max Schaefer, co-creator of its definitive property, and Gas Powered Games". Here's randomly chosen sections designed to interest you:

In its darkest hour, the PC RPG was resurrected by the success of Diablo and, to a lesser extent, by Baldur's Gate a year later...

Needless to say, people noticed. So did publishers, who aren't entirely unlike people. They like that whole profit thing - as do developers - so they tend to greenlight games that are similar to other established hits. Another publisher goal is to reach "broad demographics" with every single title. The logic there was/is that the kids dig both action and RPGs, so the Reese's-like combination of the two will make both camps happy.

So, while a few major RPGs took the Baldur's Gate classic route, the larger industry saw a gold rush in them there action RPGs, and the entire market shifted in that direction. It has mostly remained there.

As more people get a taste of RPG-dom through these other kinds of games, the possibility that publishers will jump back on the large-scale classic RPG bandwagon - your Mass Effects and Oblivions notwithstanding - increases.

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