Who will produce the next Epic crpg?

Andhaira · Feb 2, 2008

So Black Isle came out of nowehere with Fallout, and made a name for themselves.Fallout showed how you could have a game where your choices really had a big effect. All such games (which focus on player choices affecting gameworld) still use fallout as the benchmark; it has not yet been surpassed.

SirTech had the Wizardry Series and RoA; which while not increadible mainstream successes, raised the bar very high and serve as inspiration to devs till this day.

BioWare came up with Baldurs Gate; and while BG1 was even better than expected, it was the epic BG2 that really cemented BioWare as a top rpg developer. Both games really scratched an itch for that EPIC Computer fanatsy roleplaying game experience, an itch that had really never been scratched since Ultima 7 1 + 2. Furthermore the BG series set a new standard for the industry; Bioware proved that crpg's did not NEED to have crappy graphics, crappy sound, crpapy animations and rely only on a good story.

KOTOR was then released to scratch that Star Wars computer roleplaying experience, and providing many innovations in that arena (though since it was the first star wars crpg ever released, it had the field to itself) Jade Empire too was a game of epic proportions, though it was perhaps a bt too button mashy for its own good.

BG2 is still the benchmark for epic rpg's. Its not yet been surpassed in that regard, not even by Biowares other games.

Gothic came out and proved how you could have a single player action rpg that really did provide a deep experience while still allow a large amoutn of freedom and sandbox gameplay.

There have been many excellent games during that time; Icewindale, planescape, arcanum, morrowind, divine divinity, witcher, nwn, vampire, might and magic 6+, TOEE, etc. But nothings come out thats really made heads turn. ll these games delivered and provided what they claimed, but nothing more than that.

Who do you think will provide that next EPIC, and/or that next crpg that will help redefine the genre, and set the new standard for years to come? You know, the game that years from now, perhaps even decades, will be the benchmark for crpg's.

I personally think that Dragon Age seems to be best potential candidate, buit lets see. BioWare's tendancy to prefer real time games is becoming quite annoying.

afewhours · Feb 2, 2008

Bethesda, obviously. Fallout 3.

JarlFrank · Feb 2, 2008

Andhaira, I have to correct you. SirTech didn't make RoA, it was some German company, SirTech only published it in English-speaking countries.

Also, next awesome RPG? Iron Tower Studio with Age of Decadence, obviously. Or maybe something new by CD Projekt who made the Witcher.

Andhaira · Feb 2, 2008

Whops, yes you are right jarl.Iit was Attic entertainement. I should reedit.

Also, I don't mean the next awesome rpg, I mean the next EPIC! I mean, divine divinity is awesome, as is TOEE. They're no epic's though, just good at what they do.

JarlFrank · Feb 2, 2008

Andhaira said:
Whops, yes you are right jarl.Iit was Attic entertainement. I should reedit.

Also, I don't mean the next awesome rpg, I mean the next EPIC! I mean, divine divinity is awesome, as is TOEE. They're no epic's though, just good at what they do.

Okay. Then it's still Age of Decadence, judging from what we know about it, and from who makes it.

ghostdog · Feb 2, 2008

I don't think that the already succesful developers can give us something really uniqure or unexpected. I feel that bioware/obsidian will continue to release good rpgs , but nothing that will reach the heights of Torment and bg2. Piranha bytes will continue to release good exploration simulators with rpg elements and a decent story ...and Bethesda will continue to make bloomy exploration simulators without any roleplaying or story.

The only company that surprised me in a good way is CDproject. And unless Troika rises from the grave, I don't see many chances for an "extraordinary" crpg in the future.

Red Russian · Feb 2, 2008

Activision and Infinity Ward will bring you faggots CALL OF DUTY 5: The Linear Train.

Now with longer corridors.

MaskedMartyr · Feb 2, 2008

Nobody in the industry is interested in producing an Epic RPG. Nowadays, most employees are not very interested in learning what's going on in their work as long as they get a paycheck. This happens to be going on throughout the global industry. We call them specialists.

Imbecile · Feb 2, 2008

Im not entirely sure where the RPG market is going at the moment. I guess some might say "the dogs", but I have a sneaking suspicion that Choices and Consequences are getting hijacked - though how effectively remains to be seen.

I'd like the next "epic" RPG to be The Odyssey: Retold

Loads of scope for playing one of the unnamed mariners alongside Odysseus following the fall of troy. You've got hawt sorceresses, One eyed giants, Sirens, Drugees, Prime beef cattle, choices (Giant Whirlpool or huge beastie). Also you can have long lasting consequences depending on how much you piss off the various deities after resolving each island.
Plus you dont have to stick to the original and "official" version - after all we only have Odysseus' word for that, and he was a famous liar after all

afewhours · Feb 2, 2008

Imbecile said:
Loads of scope for playing one of the unnamed mariners alongside Odysseus following the fall of troy. You've got hawt sorceresses, One eyed giants, Sirens, Drugees, Prime beef cattle, choices (Giant Whirlpool or huge beastie). Also you can have long lasting consequences depending on how much you piss off the various deities after resolving each island.
Plus you dont have to stick to the original and "official" version - after all we only have Odysseus' word for that, and he was a famous liar after all

By Aphrodite's cavernous cleavage! This sounds like HEAVAN! A classical RPG that *isn't* Titan Quest? Based on the Odyssey? Egad, I must postpone my suicide until this is released!

Lumpy · Feb 2, 2008

BG sucks

Seriously... it's not even funny anymore.

Jasede · Feb 2, 2008

MaskedMartyr said:
Nobody in the industry is interested in producing an Epic RPG. Nowadays, most employees are not very interested in learning what's going on in their work as long as they get a paycheck. This happens to be going on throughout the global industry. We call them specialists.

Dragon's Age seems very "epic" to me!

My money is on that game. It will most likely suck, but, hey! Hope never dies. As long as there is hope we will go on and fight, no matter the odds. As dark as the shadows might be and as long as the rain goes on - sun will allows follow, and sun is always in your hearts. You must believe in yourself and cling to hope and

sheek · Feb 3, 2008

Troika would have made several more 'epics' by now if it hadn't been bankrupted.

Personally I don't expect anything from any of the mainstream commercial companies. Dragon Age might be okay, a good RPG with flaws but that's it, Bioware, Bethesda, Obsidian, CDProjekt, the guys who made Two Worlds and whatever that split-off company of Gothic developers - they'll make the same old shit as they've been making for years. Their purpose is to make money, making shit games seems to be financially rewarding, they have no reason to change.

Kingston · Feb 3, 2008

Kingston is surprised that no one has pointed out that it wasn't Black Isle who made Fallout, but Interplay, since BIS hadn't been formed yet. If we cannot nitpick, then what can we do!!!

mjorkerina · Feb 3, 2008

You are asking for something *epic* ?

cRPG tends to lack the epic and adventurous feeling i'd like to have when playing in a fantasy setting. I'd like magic powers to have a lot less of an impact, more like the myths of witchcraft with long rituals performed and effects that cannot cross certain boundaries. You shouldn't be able to launch a fireball that can kill 20 persons in a round but you should be able to put a curse on someone so as to lower his health, anticipate midterm actions of your enemies or enchant a sword with non-permanent fire. Including all the NPCs, of course. I don't like much the idea of wizards who cain gain so much power they could crush a whole country by moving a finger alone.
It just isn't fun anymore when all you have to do to slay a dragon is slashing your way through it with your +5 two handed sword of awesomeness or launching a battery of spells. Dragons can fly, you shouldn't even be able to touch them with your lowly swords under most circumstances anyway and bows shouldn't be so underpowered as they are in most cRPGs.

This is one of the things Fallout got right (even though it's a post-apocalyptic game, not fantasy). In fallout even the most powerful NPC do not own even the third of the power the typical high level character in d&d based game can have.

onemananadhisdroid · Feb 3, 2008

Tim Schafer.

Andhaira · Feb 3, 2008

I agree with you mjorekina; I too prefer sword andsorcery over high fafntasy. But you can have all that an still have an epic. (the realms of arkania series for instance, has all of that. It also has huge dragon fights, where you poor fighters have to reply on their battered weapons, rather than a magic wepaon.)

Red Russian · Feb 3, 2008

The Aliens RPG? Even if it doesn't actually redefine (*shudders*) the RPG genre AGAIN, atleast it might offer a new "benchmark" with which to measure other Next-Gen Next-Gen RPGs, AFTER Oblivion comes out of course.

onemananadhisdroid · Feb 3, 2008

Isn't like every Arr-Pee-Gee™ out there sickenly epic in nature anyways? Designers here's a challenge: a game that doesn't take you around the entire world in 80 savegames, inhabited by some 40+ unique N-Pee-Sees™ and a beastiary consisting of four times that many creatures, but has you locked inside a single room fighting your own inner demons instead. Ususally I really despise game - movie allegories for a couple of reasons, but Lord Of The Rings be damned, where's the Memento of gaming?

That Aliens game was one of those rare announcements that made me go cowahbunga all over. US Gold's Aliens game on Commodore64 wasn't all that, Electric Dreams' game was kinda scary for that time though and Probe's Alien Trilogy was cheap. I hope Obs can pull off the out of the stupid box thinking one needs to make the thrilling game one could do given the source material at hand. Critical Hit! Magically Enhanced Pulse Rifle+3 hits Newborn Alien for 33 points of damage. Argh.

Me? A fanboy? Could be... While we're at it, any news on this? This is one of the few games I'm waiting for, and with news (or rather lack thereof) coming in at the pace they do now, it seems the game's still as far away from going gold as it gets.

Jasede · Feb 3, 2008

Have you played Alien Breed or Tower Assault? My favourite "kill aliens" games, great coop on the Amiga.

onemananadhisdroid · Feb 3, 2008

Jasede said:
Have you played Alien Breed or Tower Assault? My favourite "kill aliens" games, great coop on the Amiga.

Seemed fun, I discovered those years after I had sold my Amiga though. Very Gauntlet-ish, what I didn't enjoy so much was that you could get stuck forever. Later versions on AGA Amigas apparently were rather Doom than Gauntlet. Alien Syndrome co-op on C64 was fun too! Aww, that music has the groove.

RK47 · Feb 3, 2008

We'll just have to wait and see when RPG makers are bored with putting shinier graphics or more 'intense' action(more clicks = more challenging) and instead focusing on making a coherent world that has decent lore.

Bethsoft already buthered their IP to Oblivion (literally)
Origin disappeared, leaving EA to rape its IP corpse online (UO)
Troika has a lot of good IPs, but let down by immense bugs. Arcanum 2 goddammit I want Arcanum 2!
Obsidian can't seem to break out of Bioware's shadow, I'm not sure what they're working on at the moment but D&D's getting dull because Epic levels does not equate to Epic fun. (hopefully 4th Ed PC conversion will be interesting at low levels and less inflated at high levels)

What pains me most is that RPGs are turning less and less of exploration & discovery. Instead we have illusion of huge world to explore only to be let down by 'You can only go here, and there' in the veins of Bioware's World Map 'Hotspots' or blatant nodes ala Diablo 2 (You get quest in town, get out and butcher stuff & return).

People say MMORPG is crap grindfest, it is a grindfest if you only look at it that way. I personally loved exploring World of Warcraft from 1-70. Once that's done, I let my subscription die off and wait for more content.

There's no rush to level, just want to see the world. Albeit there's a lack of 'conclusions, choices and consequences' I'm quite satisfied with the world it gave me, if games make me waste my time in a fun way; why criticize it?

SkeleTony · Feb 4, 2008

The next 'EPIC' will come from a small team(or one guy) in the shareware/freeware scene and it will have top-down 2D graphics or isometric. Say what you will about Spiderweb software but hasn't Vogel been churning out epics for 15 years now?

The only way I see a major/commercial developer putting one out(that is an actual cRPG and not some anime-faggoty, twitch/arcade game with a health and a mana meter in lieu of actual attributes/stats) is if Ubisoft or whomever does something with the Might & Magic license or someone buys the Wizardry license and puts out Wiz 10.

Andhaira · Feb 4, 2008

Speaking of the aliens game, there somethings about that i was thinking:

-there is no magic/psionics in the alien universe. That means there will be none in the game right, kinda like magic free fallout?

-This will be a tactical game. Wanna bet they use a TOEE typeengine?

-Will the game have predators? as joinable npc's or pc's? (I think it will, or at least have a hint of them and have them in an add on in a cheap move to generate add on sales)

avatar_58 · Feb 4, 2008

My guess is CD Projekt. Now that they've heard what the fans loved and what people hated they'll be able to go back and create something really interesting.

Whether it's a Witcher sequel or something different who knows.

Who will produce the next Epic crpg?

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