CRPGs: very, very soon

fable · Post by **fable** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 7:32 pm

Computerized RolePlaying Games.

Demis · Post by **Demis** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 9:34 pm

Has the release date of IWD2 changed?? I have pre-ordered the game from amazon.co.uk and the release date way somewhere in May but tonight i got back to check and it says that the release date has moved to 26th of July, and amazon.com don't even list the game anymore.

. I have checked the official site but nothing is mentioned about release date. Fable or anyone do you know anything about it?

Sailor Saturn · Post by **Sailor Saturn** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 9:50 pm

Originally posted by Demis
Has the release date of IWD2 changed?? I have pre-ordered the game from amazon.co.uk and the release date way somewhere in May but tonight i got back to check and it says that the release date has moved to 26th of July, and amazon.com don't even list the game anymore. . I have checked the official site but nothing is mentioned about release date. Fable or anyone do you know anything about it?

I don't know how accurate it is, but GameSpy.com lists IWD2's release date as May 28.

Demis · Post by **Demis** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 10:01 pm

Originally posted by Sailor Saturn

I don't know how accurate it is, but GameSpy.com lists IWD2's release date as May 28.

I hope it is inaccurate, but i was pretty sure that amazon also stated that the release date was on May, they must know something that we do not to change the date. I hope that does not mean it will be a later release in Europe.

VoodooDali · Post by **VoodooDali** » Tue Mar 26, 2002 9:08 am

http://www.gonegold.com says that the release date for IWDII is May 28. The magic eight ball on the site says "They're trying," which seems to indicate that it will probably be delayed.

Dungeon Siege has gone gold and will hit the shelves April 5th.

Morrowwind's release date is May 3rd and the magic eight ball says, "Pretty solid."

I'm gonna wait till some GB members have played DS before forking out the dough for it. I don't want another coaster.

fable · Post by **fable** » Tue Mar 26, 2002 9:24 am

@Voodoo Dali is, as usual, soundly reasonable even while attempting to subvert the course of boring physical reality. Yes, it makes sense to wait on DS, to me. All I've heard about is--

their great engine;
all the weapons and armor that developers can paint;
lotsa combat;
pack mules;
the ability to pause anytime;
...a storyline filled with strife and fantasy!

I'm certainly missing something, but this hits the high points accurately, at any rate. The key elements I want to know about, non-linearity, in-depth character development and party NPC interaction, aren't talked about, probably because they're not considered that important to the younger audience Microsoft PR wants to target for all their pre-release attention. Doesn't mean these elements won't be in the game; but by the same token, we don't know they will be, either.

PR is tricky stuff. It gets a lot of attention, but it's often a case of deliberate misdirection, and sometimes outright lying. It's packaging; it's presentation; it's building a need in an audience based on perceptions.

I'm hopeful...but we'll see.

Astafas · Post by **Astafas** » Tue Mar 26, 2002 9:57 am

@Fable

So, have you gotten MM IX yet? How is it? Myself, I look forward to HoMM IV on Thursday (or so they say...).

DS looks really nice. Won't get here until summer though...

fable · Post by **fable** » Tue Mar 26, 2002 10:46 am

Originally posted by Astafas
@Fable

So, have you gotten MM IX yet? How is it? Myself, I look forward to HoMM IV on Thursday (or so they say...).

It hasn't arrived yet. (Do you think I'd be posting if it had?

) I've turned off all the air purifiers and other loud objects in the house so that no delivery person has an excuse for driving off and leaving a note about no one being at home to sign for a package. I suspect it'll show up in the next four hours.

humanflyz · Post by **humanflyz** » Tue Mar 26, 2002 5:29 pm

@fable:

DS is being marketed as a Diablo 2 type of game, which I think is smart because D2 is an immensely popular game, and marketing could appeal to millions of D2 players. If you look at that way, then DS certainly builds on top of the mouse-clicking maniac hack-n-slash formula. It has pausing, more tactical strategy-making, way better graphics, and mod tools. All of which D2 lacks. The D2 players will be no doubt pleased by all of this addition and go out to buy DS. Besides, MS have spent millions of dollar hyping the game up, I bet a lot of people will fall for the hype. It's sickening, but from a business perspective, it is smart.

fable · Post by **fable** » Tue Mar 26, 2002 8:00 pm

Originally posted by humanflyz
@fable:

DS is being marketed as a Diablo 2 type of game, which I think is smart because D2 is an immensely popular game, and marketing could appeal to millions of D2 players. If you look at that way, then DS certainly builds on top of the mouse-clicking maniac hack-n-slash formula. It has pausing, more tactical strategy-making, way better graphics, and mod tools. All of which D2 lacks. The D2 players will be no doubt pleased by all of this addition and go out to buy DS. Besides, MS have spent millions of dollar hyping the game up, I bet a lot of people will fall for the hype. It's sickening, but from a business perspective, it is smart.

I have to disagree. The problem is that D2 was targeted at an action-oriented audience, not one used to CRPGs. And if DS has all the stats, strategic choices, spells, and the necessity to pause the game in order to command a large party, right there you leave out what impresses the action player most.

On a separate point: M&M IX didn't make it, today. I got a call from the PR rep that they didn't get gold duplcations made in time, but it went out overnighted about 5 hours ago. I should get it, probably in the morning.

humanflyz · Post by **humanflyz** » Tue Mar 26, 2002 11:15 pm

@fable:

Maybe DS is not exactly an action-oriented game, but it is definitely not marketed as a serious RP game like BG or PS:T. I think DS appeals to people who enjoy a good dungeon-hack like game, such as IWD. Even though it would be slow for action-gamers to play, but the basic formula is about the same. In all of the info I have read about DS, almost all of them compare it to Diablo 2. Besides, DS has a lot more perks to offer to D2 players who really don't care about the single-player, but only care about multiplayer. As a D2 player myself, I am quite excited about DS, and so are many of my friends who are also D2 players. I think DS is trying to appeal all sort of people. The stats and the strategy-making facets of game will probably attract serious CRPG audiences. The online and the hack-n-slash formula will probably attract D2 fans. The pausing and the tactical combat facet will probably attract BS and Bioware fans, since they are used to pausing and making tactical decisions. (as shown on this board, a lot of people are interested in DS)

fable · Post by **fable** » Wed Mar 27, 2002 5:14 pm

M&M IX has arrived. Just thought you'd like to know. I've printed out the manual, and installed the game (which at this point, for obvious reason, has elaborate password protection--don't worry, your copy, should it buy it, won't). I'll let you know my impressions in a few hours.

Tamerlane · Post by **Tamerlane** » Wed Mar 27, 2002 10:49 pm

Originally posted by fable
I'll let you know my impressions in a few hours.

I'm eagerly awaiting your impressions of the game.

fable · Post by **fable** » Thu Mar 28, 2002 12:11 am

Well, the engine does look quite good. Textures are much richer, and there are some wonderful effects--you can see a hazy sun blob behind an area on a stained glass window, for instance, or watch a clerk move around perhaps twenty feet behind a window to a shop, before you decide to go in.

But anomalies continue to exist. Huge cities, with perhaps ten people in the street. Dragonflies that, when killed, yield--spellbooks? Where the hell were they keeping 'em? Even gold I can accept, but spellbooks...?

The redone inventory and spell screens have a small, tight font that's rather annoying, and they use tiny items to "tag" paper doll models of your characters, instead of allowing you to apply full-sized objects on 'em. On the other hand, inventory no longer seems to have a limit--at least, not yet. Being a packrat, I like that.

Prices are strange. I picked up the bow skill for 79 coins, however, the bodybuilding skill cost 300 coins from the same merchant. Incidentally, you no longer learn skills; you purchase a skill book that teaches it to the one character who reads it.

Weather and day/night conditions are magnificent; but no more alchemy, or arcomage. I'm surprised a bit that those two gaming subsystems were cut. Oh, you can find or buy potions, but no longer can you make 'em out of ingredients.

I like the fact that I can use part of the turn for any of my characters in battle to move instead of attack. Nice touch. Before, you could only move after the attack portion of the turn was over.

That will do for now.

Tamerlane · Post by **Tamerlane** » Thu Mar 28, 2002 4:15 am

lol about the spellbooks. What did you expect.

I'm suprised about the exclusion of the alchemy portion though. Hopefully the new aspects of the game makes up for it. I'll keep an eye out for it in this part of the world.

fable · Post by **fable** » Thu Mar 28, 2002 11:34 am

I've managed to complete a dungeon--typically, it's accessed by a foods merchant, named Ludwig Van, and he calls it Beet Hoven.

It's actually part of a much larger system, so a simple trip down among the sweet effluence becomes instead a three-level journey that breaks into a crypt level with undead. Animation is very fluid. I also found the critters there chock full of wonderful items, which may seem like overkill, until you realize how damned expensive everything is in the game. The one oddity was that I couldn't find a torch book--and I'd have to spend 300 gold just to buy one. I'll sit it out, for now.

Lots of talk about the hatred and suspicion of the various citizens for several other cities, but the auto-notes don't take this info down. Your ultimate quest would appear to be uniting all six cities against an invader. which is at least a bit different from the usual "Please get us the Magical Dim Light Bulb to help us defeat the Evil Greater Lich, Disney, daughter of Walt, son of Flubber!"

Neat monsters. There's one called the Lobber, that looks like a small pink sack attached to the roof of a sewer. It throws out a spinning plant which lands next to you, with teeth and appendages, that attacks. The plants are easy to kill, but you have to concentrate on the lobber itself.

This is definitely an upgrade in terms of monster appearances from the last three games in the series. Some of them now have the striking artwork that was part of the earlier M&Ms.

K0r/\/f1@k€$ · Post by **K0r/\/f1@k€$** » Thu Mar 28, 2002 3:09 pm

What exactly is the MM series all about? I've heard some about it, and been warned off HoMM by several ppl, but I haven't played any of either of them. Before the flames start, I have played and loved other CRPGs like the BGs, and I am just debating whether or not to give up Diablo 2 before I waste away completely

Could someone give me a quick run-down of what the MM games are like and what game they are most similar to.

Cheers.

der Moench · Post by **der Moench** » Thu Mar 28, 2002 3:12 pm

Oh, the humanity!

Fable, I'm beggin' ya: tell me something bad about this game before I am convinced that I should run out and buy it - and in so doing ruin any chance for a 4.0 gpa this semester!

fable · Post by **fable** » Thu Mar 28, 2002 3:46 pm

Originally posted by K0r/\/f1@k€$
What exactly is the MM series all about? I've heard some about it, and been warned off HoMM by several ppl, but I haven't played any of either of them. Before the flames start, I have played and loved other CRPGs like the BGs, and I am just debating whether or not to give up Diablo 2 before I waste away completely

Could someone give me a quick run-down of what the MM games are like and what game they are most similar to.

This is HOMM, Heroes of Might & Magic. That's a strategy series: beautiful artwork, but truly horrible AI, and the scenarios and campaigns are relentlessly linear--you really can't win if you try anything except the one course figured into a win. M&M is Might and Magic, really a kind of dungeon crawl instead of a full-fledged CRPG. You lead a party of four you create in a first person adventure. Things happen in realtime, until you find a battle ahead, whereupon you hit RETURN, and switch to turn-based combat. People give you quests--some of them rather silly, like the beet merchant who left a sheath of poetry in Beet Hoven.

I really enjoyed M&M II-V. VI-VIII had a horrible 3D graphics engine which killed a lot of the striking artwork of the early series, and basically regurgidated a lot of the concepts the developers had previously created. The AI was awful--not that you cared back in the early days, when legions of evil goons were simply meant to approach and be mowed down, or destroy you.

M&M VII actually added the ability for enemy AI to retreat, and its PR team acted like that was a miracle.

This AI, now, seems to be considerably more intelligent. Fewer monsters, but the way they're acting, I don't think I'd want to face a legoin of these anytime, soon.

I'd seriously give it a shot, at least if you can't wait for Morrowind. (I don't know if Dungeon Siege is going to turn out to be another IWD or a BG2. I'm hoping for the latter, but...)

K0r/\/f1@k€$ · Post by **K0r/\/f1@k€$** » Thu Mar 28, 2002 4:03 pm

Thanks for indulging me

when do the rest of us get a shot at it then?