It would be closer if Avellone assembled a team and received Obsidian's blessing to do a side project. There's a good chance both of those things are being worked on as we speak.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Avellone is "down" to kickstarting an old school RPG (possibly PS:T 2)
- Thread starter dude
- Start date
It would be closer if Avellone assembled a team and received Obsidian's blessing to do a side project. There's a good chance both of those things are being worked on as we speak.
No, it is literally the same. Like I posted a moment ago, he co-owns the company. Jett is wrong.
IblisGinjo
Member
Just make it with hi-res 2D art. I'd be down to fund a short demo/proof of concept game and then to fund the real development which would take longer.
I don't really care if it's 2D or 3D, what would concern me more is that it would have to be exactly the sort of game I want from Obsidian and Avellone. No modern pandering, or streamlining for mainstream audiences and platforms, etc. If I'm going to have to put money upfront to help fund a game before it even exists, it has to be something I really want which I cannot get in the market anymore, and hence have no other alternative but to help fund it. I'm not opposed to the idea at all, and I love Obsidian, but it has to be a game that is totally selfishly pandering to me and people like me.
Sir Garbageman
Member
I don't know if I could ever get behind the whole kickstarter thing. Make this product and sell it for a reasonable price and I will happily buy it...and that's all the money you'll get from me.
I don't really care if it's 2D or 3D, what would concern me more is that it would have to be exactly the sort of game I want from Obsidian and Avellone. No modern pandering, or streamlining for mainstream audiences and platforms, etc. If I'm going to have to put money upfront to help fund a game before it even exists, it has to be something I really want which I cannot get in the market anymore, and hence have no other alternative but to help fund it. I'm not opposed to the idea at all, and I love Obsidian, but it has to be a game that is totally selfishly pandering to me and people like me.
I'm guessing that's the idea. Otherwise, what's the point of Kickstart?
You'll probably be paying the same amount, and this way you can show the developer there are people who want this game to be made. It's ideal for genres thought to be dead like old school RPGs and adventure games.
It'd be interesting to see a high resolution pre-rendered game. Maybe set the "native" resolution (where everything is the normal size onscreen) at 1600x1200 and have higher or lower resolutions add or take away screen real estate.
StoppedInTracks
Member
I don't really care if it's 2D or 3D, what would concern me more is that it would have to be exactly the sort of game I want from Obsidian and Avellone. No modern pandering, or streamlining for mainstream audiences and platforms, etc. If I'm going to have to put money upfront to help fund a game before it even exists, it has to be something I really want which I cannot get in the market anymore, and hence have no other alternative but to help fund it. I'm not opposed to the idea at all, and I love Obsidian, but it has to be a game that is totally selfishly pandering to me and people like me.
Xactly.
No more dumbing down, no more huge & ugly console UI, no more "you cannot really die in this game here, have a Vitachamber!".
But I am wondering why some devs CAN create games like this (Wizardry, Legend of Grimrock) while others must beg for money?
Also I can see some shady scams incorporating Kickstarting an old PC DOS franchises in the future
Xactly.
No more dumbing down, no more huge & ugly console UI, no more "you cannot really die in this game here, have a Vitachamber!".
But I am wondering why some devs CAN create games like this (Wizardry, Legend of Grimrock) while others must beg for money?
Also I can see some shady scams incorporating Kickstarting an old PC DOS franchises in the future
That's a good question. I would say the answer lies in company size. If you run a developer with say 30 people or less, you have pretty small overhead, and as long as you can keep releasing projects which sell enough to pay everyone, you can keep making niche games.
But the problem is that a lot of the old greats in the adventure and RPG genres are not working in such companies and they do not run such companies. For one reason or another they expand into mid-size developers where they generally employ 100 people or more. Yet they remain independent and they're not owned by a large publisher. So they have a higher annual overhead to worry about, and they kinda have to keep everyone busy on projects which publishers want.
Publishers do not want old school games, niche genres, or risky experiments. They generally want me-too products from such developers which target safe (perceived) demographics, and fit into a sort of description they can easily understand and market. Since these developers have to keep themselves busy to be able to keep everyone employed, there is very little room for them to do risky stuff or stuff without a fixed publisher. This is why such games don't get made.
If it means getting more of what the hardcore enthusiast wants, bring it the fuck on.
I'm all for it if also it means less publisher demands and bullshit like DLC, Day 1 DLC, COD MP, DLC, COD ELITE, DLC, FPS, THE MOVIE GAME, in-app purchases, pre-order bonuses, DLC, etcetera.
PetriP-TNT
Member
And people laughed at Capcom when they wanted that the fans pay for the developement of Megaman Legends!
(I really got nothing against this as long as the means are for good)
(I really got nothing against this as long as the means are for good)
Maybe CAPCOM will look at this and make Megaman Legends
on PSN. (Fuck the licensing/VO contract issues. Just do it, CAPCOM!)
thetrin
Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
Space combat, yes please.
Minsc
Gold Member
But I am wondering why some devs CAN create games like this (Wizardry, Legend of Grimrock) while others must beg for money?
Also I can see some shady scams incorporating Kickstarting an old PC DOS franchises in the future
The PSN Wizardry? And Grimrock? Both horrible comparisons, and much simpler than what I envision this sort of project to be. I think duckroll covered the answer pretty well, though a fairer comparison off the top of my head would be to Spiderweb Software's games (which fall well under duckroll's 30 people or less category).
Vogel also minimizes costs by re-using the same crappy engine for every game with minimal improvements, re-using assets wherever possible, and straight out rehashing games every couple years or so. Mind you they are great games, just...imagine what he could do with more money.
Which reminds me that more people need to try out Eschalon.
Which reminds me that more people need to try out Eschalon.
Eteric Rice
Member
I recently purchased the Baulder's Gate collection on the PC.
Are games like PS:T still playable these days? I might try jumping in when I'm done with my current batch of games.
Are games like PS:T still playable these days? I might try jumping in when I'm done with my current batch of games.
you should probably drop your current batch of games and just play PS:T
PS:T probably has the lowest barrier to entry. BG2 is a really really dense game. Graphics in PS:T are also more enjoyable. Low-res as fuck, and the pre-rendered backgrounds don't look so great, but still better than BG2's sprites.
Calvinpewpewpew
Neo Member
Any amount of money for a spiritual successor to PS:T!
Also, if you have children, send them to your parents' house for a month or three.
Forsaken82
Member
Itll take a lot more than a few million to make a proper PS:T sequel i think. The adventure game from Schafer is a far less ambitious undertaking.
At least as playable as BG2.
Not if they use an old ass engine to make it.
I would happily donate $100+ dollars for a PS:T 2, but pause at the realities of it, as making an RPG, even based off of old tech like Infinity, would cost waaaaaaaay more than Double Fine's point and click adventure game to make anything closely resembling the original. Those games had an absurdly large amount of art and writing.
StoppedInTracks
Member
Is there a "it just works!" wrapper for IE for Windows Vista/7/8?
That'll actually make it more expensive, especially if most people in the studio aren't familiar with the tools and there's no support.
CrunchyFrog
Member
For motherfucking planescape 2, he could have all of my things. ALL OF THEM
Who mentioned Windows here?
that's about it for me personally
i have full faith in obsidian to pull off a good story and everything else, but fuck we need a decent combat system this time around
Minsc
Gold Member
That's what the mods are for! BG2 looks nice medium-high res widescreen as well.
Even the above Baldur's Gate 1 doesn't look too bad.
I'd put as much as I can, which as a student, is currently about 100$.
That'll actually make it more expensive, especially if most people in the studio aren't familiar with the tools and there's no support.
I think using one of Obsidian 3d engines is fine as long as they lock it in isometric view. They can maybe disable zooming so that they could get away with simpler models.
Littlegator
Banned
Forsaken82
Member
depends on how old the engine is i guess. I am not going to help fund another infinity engine title unless I know it runs flawless on Windows 7 and supports decent screen Resolutions.
witchedwiz
Member
planescape torment 2?????!?!?!
my joy-stick is going baziiinga!!!
my joy-stick is going baziiinga!!!
Cydonian__Knight
Member
Make it happen Chris! I would back this instantly.
Felix Lighter
Member
Mods allow any screen resolution and I haven't had any Windows 7 64 bit related issues. The UI can get ridiculously small in super high resolution but that's certainly something that could be taken into consideration now that they can expect people to run in those resolutions. The biggest problem with infinity engine games, in my admittedly limited experience, is the path finding.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Where do I send him money? Willing to sell my firstborn if necessary
I know about those, I still think they look acceptable, just not very good. And not nearly as amazing as they did when these games came out (well, when BG1 came out). The pre-rendered stuff just kind of looks grainy, and the color-depth is kinda odd. PS:T has better animations, I think, and since the game was designed from a more zoomed in perspective, you get a better view of what the main characters look like. Besides, they're not wearing goofy armor -- the paperdolling in BG2 doesn't look too great either, and PS:T avoids that entirely.