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[Toma]

INCLUDES A STEAM KEY FOR GENEFORGE 1,2,3,4 & 5

After the pay what you want offer is over, we'll switch back to the OT.
Here is the OT link:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=32983078
And here is the link to purchase it:
https://indiegamestand.com/

For impressions, links, gameplay hints etcetc head over to the OT. I guess Technomancer will help me out here with answering some questions as well, so feel free to ask away about anything.

"What is this?" you ask. I shall answer "Well, one of the best RPG series you have ever played."

If you really decide to dive into these games, they have a LOT to offer. Lots of quests, interesting stories, tough decisions you need to make (important decisions too), tons of dungeons, great and rewarding loot, hidden areas, completely different playstyles. The summoning system alone is SO good, that I would argue playing a summoner in Geneforge is an essential RPG experience if you consider yourself a lover of all things RPG, or at least classic RPGs that offer a lot of depth. If you want some more info, head over to the OT.

One thing of note, these games are a tad old, so they have some issues like a small resolution and no steam overlay. If you are willing to look past that, you are in for a treat. Believe me.

Current offers:

$0,25 - get access to the Geneforge 1-5 installer
$1,00 - get the Steam and GOG keys
$1,65 - [Beat the average]Hint books for Geneforge 4 and 5, desktop backgrounds
$10,00 - Get Gnomoria, Geneforge AND the next game they put up (not yet known)

All are super awesome deals and I highly recommend grabbing this game. If you like my usual recommendations, grab it. You now have 90 hours to grab this game from the time this post has been made.
The choices for the games that are being offered here is nothing short of amazing. I mean... SpaceChem, Gnomoria, Geneforge.... What the hell.

 

[Toma]

Some screenshots:

 

[Toma]

Impressions from GAF posters with fine taste:

Thanks for the OP. Awesome games if you like old school RPGs and cheap vs. what they are on Spiderweb's site.

Oh man, I remember playing the demo for the first or second Geneforge game when I was a kid. A little rough around the edges maybe, but I loved the creativity of the setting, and the overall design was unadulterated isometric WRPG lovin'. A random stranger for whom I bought TF2 a few years ago has offered to repay me, and getting this would be a great way to call in that favor.

Decided to play a Shaper, since the game's lore and gameplay mechanics all seem to be designed around them. I played through the tutorial section, it seems pretty cool so far. Got my dude up to Lv 4 and cleared out the Ruined School. I'm liking it.

Alright, I'll post my very early impressions here, because I think this thread isn't getting the response it deserves.
I've played over an hour of Geneforge 1, and I've gotta say, my love for this game is gradually increasing with each NPC I talk to; I'm feeling immersed in the setting, like I'm really the shaper that got stranded on an abandoned island.
Geneforge is very text-heavy, but I don't mind it at all, since I'm enthusiastic to know what happened and what's to come.
What gets me really excited is the fact that there are other 4 games in the series, but I don't want to get my hopes up for no reason.

Been playing this series on and off since I bought it during the Steam Winter sale. It's well worth the price for the amount of gaming you get.

Cool that they're doing this. I love these games!

BUY THESE GAMES

they are astounding, the writing is superb, the world is fantastically built, and there are some real decisions to be made, the 5 games are a bit too samey for my tastes, but just playing the first geneforge and the last one are more than worth the money

Buy it. BUY IT ALREADY.

 

[Gattsu25]

Cool that they're doing this. I love these games!

 

[Toma]

Guys, you like sweet deals right?
Compared to the steam bundle, this 300+ hour game bundle is mind blowing 98,75% off right now in this deal. Not to mention the games were more than twice as expensive before the steam release a year ago and I can assure you that they are worth a meager $0.25

 

[Rawket Lawnchair]

Thanks for the reminder, I've had the series in my radar for a few months now.

 

[yarden24]

BUY THESE GAMES

they are astounding, the writing is superb, the world is fantastically built, and there are some real decisions to be made, the 5 games are a bit too samey for my tastes, but just playing the first geneforge and the last one are more then worth the money

 

[wrowa]

Wow that's a really nice deal indeed. Bought.

 

[benny_a]

Guys, you like sweet deals right?
Compared to the steam bundle, this 300+ hour game bundle is mind blowing 98,75% off right now in this deal. Not to mention the games were more than twice as expensive before the steam release a year ago and I can assure you that they are worth a meager $0.25

Nobody buys games to play them.
You play the Steam RPG by buying cheap items for your list with unique names.

Granted, $1 for +5 to your Steam list is good!

 

[Gattsu25]

Also these games can be played on any windows/mac machine that can handle websites like CNN.com

Even if you don't have a 'gaming capable' machine you can still enjoy these games

 

[voodoopanda]

I'll buy that for a dollar. Didn't know Geneforge was on Steam, I enjoyed the remake of Avernum and Avadon. Been curious about Geneforge.

 

[speedpop]

Always wanted these. Nicely done.

 

[lorebringer]

Yeah the Geneforge games are great. I've only finished the first 2 so far but I really love the dialogue, branching quest structure and awesome world bulding that Jeff Vogel does. From a mechanics perspective the games are a bit rough around the edges (and graphically of course but we can all get over that) but the sense of place that the game conveys is just brilliant.

It's also an RPG that takes place in an original setting that isn't just generic fantasy land #9874, with an awesome sci-fi slant to the fantasy stuff, great world. Must get back and play the others soon.

 

[Fjordson]

Wow, what an amazing deal. I'm familiar with Spiderweb Software as a whole, but sadly have never played any of their games. Put in $15 for the bundle, sounds like a fascinating series.

 

[Toma]

I'll buy that for a dollar. Didn't know Geneforge was on Steam, I enjoyed the remake of Avernum and Avadon. Been curious about Geneforge.

Geneforge is way better than those two series in my opinion. The world is really unique and interesting.

 

[yarden24]

Geneforge is way better than those two series in my opinion. The world is really unique and interesting.

avernum and avadon are both fun games, but world building wise, nothing comes close to geneforge, playing the first game is amazing, feels like the great RPG's of old

 

[The Technomancer]

avernum and avadon are both fun games, but world building wise, nothing comes close to geneforge, playing the first game is amazing, feels like the great RPG's of old

Geneforge 1 is a serious contendor for my favorite RPG of all time. The worldbuilding and sense of exploration are fantastic, and fight-talk-lockpick approach and various factions and endings make it incredibly replayable.

 

[Milamber]

So I bought it for $10 cause I wanted Gnomoria as well, received it & now I'm debating whether I should start it up for fear of it taking me away from Pandora.

 

[Minsc]

One thing of note, these games are a tad old, so they have some issues like a small resolution and no steam overlay. If you are willing to look past that, you are in for a treat. Believe me.

You can even look past Steam entirely, and use the GOG version with D3DWindower if you prefer playing windowed as well (as the Steam version is not compatible due to how it hooks in to the Steam API), which is my biggest regret of the Steam purchase I made a while ago. I generally prefer playing older RPG like this windowed. $1 is a great price to have both options though, even if you don't care for windowed modes!

 

[Zaptruder]

Absolutely atrocious visual design.

Bought for a dollar fifty!

 

[storafötter]

I think I will jump in. If I get paid tomorrow I might chip in as much as 10 dollars.

 

[Rickenslacker]

Got it, I always get a good nostalgic feeling from isometric tile-based RPG visuals, even from games I haven't played before.

 

[Lain]

Bought because it is cheap and those impressions make it sound like a good experience. It better be good or I'll cry at night.

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

Hey Toma!

Why is the art so different between this two quotes?
When i saw the banner the art looked really interesting, but then I watched this screens you added and I think it looks really off putting.

 

[The Technomancer]

Bought because it is cheap and those impressions make it sound like a good experience. It better be good or I'll cry at night.

Its good. 1 and 5 are straight up great games, 2-4 are enjoyable if you get into the lore and the plot

 

[wrowa]

Hey Toma!




Why is the art so different between this two quotes?
When i saw the banner the art looked really interesting, but then I watched this screens you added and I think it looks really off putting.

Because these are 5 different games? First one was released in 2001, last one in 2008.

None of them are lookers and the art is pretty bad, but you've got to keep in mind that we are talking about huge RPGs here that have been developed by absolutely tiny teams. I think Spiderweb has a total employee count of 3.

 

[Alexios]

Why is the art so different between this two quotes?
When i saw the banner the art looked really interesting, but then I watched this screens you added and I think it looks really off putting.

Because the first is from 2001 and the last from 2008. And they're indie games by tiny teams so they're some decade behind.

But they're slowly improving, I think their latest two games, Avadon: The Black Fortress and Avernum: Escape from the Pit are pretty acceptable. Of course by the time they actually remake the Geneforge games they may not be, so may as well get them.

I do think he may have made a mistake and made the banner from an Escape from the Pit screenshot though.

Edit: he fixed that.

http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/products.html

Shown in order of release, latest first. I don't mind old graphics but the older games' lack of smooth scrolling hurts my brain.

 

[The Technomancer]

Because these are 5 different games? First one was released in 2001, last one in 2008.

None of them are lookers and the art is pretty bad, but you've got to keep in mind that we are talking about huge RPGs here that have been developed by absolutely tiny teams. I think Spiderweb has a total employee count of 3.

Three employees, of which I think only one person does actual coding, world building, writing, etc. (art assets are sometimes outsourced) They are essentially 20-40 hour RPGs developed by one man

(However the banner in the OP is from a different game of theirs, Avernum: Escape from the Pit. Geneforge 5 looks pretty good though:

)

If the visuals do turn you off that much than just playing 5 is totally acceptable, the game fills you in on what you need to know about the past games, and each game features a brand new protagonist, so its not like your character has history you have to worry about. But 1 really is fantastic

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

Because these are 5 different games? First one was released in 2001, last one in 2008.

None of them are lookers and the art is pretty bad, but you've got to keep in mind that we are talking about huge RPGs here that have been developed by absolutely tiny teams. I think Spiderweb has a total employee count of 3.

Ok thats what happens when I dont read well the OP. So I suppose the image from the banner is from 5.
Still I think even if you are a little team (we are doing a game know, so i have experienced that) you can get good looking if you had one good artist at least. Working doing all those bad sprites just takes a little less time than making good ones (im not talking of anything big or great but just better looking) by someone who knows how to do them well.
Even if the game is great they have to know that the eyes is the first thing an audiovisual thing like a videogame enters through.
Still, as I say, the banner image has some oldschool charm that I think is what this types of game needs.

Three employees, of which I think only one person does actual coding, world building, writing, etc. (art assets are sometimes outsourced) They are essentially 20-40 hour RPGs developed by one man

(However the banner in the OP is from a different game of theirs, Avernum: Escape from the Pit. Geneforge 5 looks pretty good though: )

If the visuals do turn you off that much than just playing 5 is totally acceptable, the game fills you in on what you need to know about the past games, and each game features a brand new protagonist, so its not like your character has history you have to worry about. But 1 really is fantastic

Now, this is good to know.

 

[matmanx1]

Thanks for this. I've always wanted to try these games out and the low cost of entry with this bundle makes it a no brainer.

 

[Toma]

Oops, sorry for the wrong banner guys. Googled Geneforge and took a random screenshot. Stupid that I accidentally picked the wrong one. But ah well, all Spiderweb games deserve some love

Oh yeah, and Techno. I hope you dont mind my quote of choice by you in the 3rd post

 

[Ledsen]

The UI in GF1 almost makes me puke everytime I see it... still, bought for $2 because I might try them sometime... sometime.

 

[Toma]

Replaced the banner image with a proper screenshot from Geneforge V.

 

[Lumine]

These games do indeed look hideous, but you managed to sell me them anyway.

 

[The Technomancer]

I'm trying to think: what other RPGs take the Geneforge saga's narrative approach? Plenty of games that feature different protagonists in different events in the same world, and plenty of games that follow the same character through several games worth of events, but how many follow one large arc as seen through the eyes of multiple characters experiencing it at different points in its development?

 

[Toma]

I'm trying to think: what other RPGs take the Geneforge saga's narrative approach? Plenty of games that feature different protagonists in different events in the same world, and plenty of games that follow the same character through several games worth of events, but how many follow one large arc as seen through the eyes of multiple characters experiencing it at different points in its development?

You mean the different factions?

 

[Audioboxer]

My mouse seems to have issues in Geneforge 1, it is very laggy feeling, best way I can describe it. Modern day mouse issues? Or is it like that for everyone?

If so bit of a deal breaker for me, I can happily live with the graphics, but the feel of the mouse is horrible

 

[Rawket Lawnchair]

The graphics remind me of games such as Wyvern and Eternal Lands (anyone remember them or played them?) as they looked and played about 10 years ago.

I had sunk a month or so in both, before I had to give up as my dial-up connection at the time couldn't handle them.

Eternal Lands still exists (it's changed though), but I wish Wyvern will be back again at some point.

 

[szaromir]

Because the first is from 2001 and the last from 2008. And they're indie games by tiny teams so they're some decade behind.

But they're slowly improving, I think their latest two games, Avadon: The Black Fortress and Avernum: Escape from the Pit are pretty acceptable. Of course by the time they actually remake the Geneforge games they may not be, so may as well get them.

They're remaking those games? In that case, isn't it better to wait for the remakes and then enjoy more easy for the eye visuals?

 

[Alexios]

They're remaking those games? In that case, isn't it better to wait for the remakes and then enjoy more easy for the eye visuals?

Not officially said/planned afaik, just expected since they periodically do so. It will still be years before the whole saga is updated to the current base (which isn't that far ahead anyway). They've only just released the first Avernum game remade like that.

 

[Toma]

My mouse seems to have issues in Geneforge 1, it is very laggy feeling, best way I can describe it. Modern day mouse issues? Or is it like that for everyone?

If so bit of a deal breaker for me, I can happily live with the graphics, but the feel of the mouse is horrible

I just started it up again, and its definitely not very laggy for me. Are you using Steam or the non-drm download version? You could try the other version just to see whether that might change anything (playing it windowed might get different effects too). Check the first page of the OT for a post on how to play it windowed.

They're remaking those games? In that case, isn't it better to wait for the remakes and then enjoy more easy for the eye visuals?

No one knows when they might be releasing updated games, and the pack of 5 games for $1 is very much worth it. The Geneforge remakes might take ages for updated versions on all the games, so not like its something you could "wait" for.

I am actually not even sure whether the Geneforge remakes are set in stone yet. He started a remake of the Avernum series, so he has to do some other remakes on the Avernum series in between as well.

 

[The Technomancer]

You mean the different factions?

No, I mean how each game starts off with a new protagonist but each game looks at a different segment of the overall cohesive story arc.

 

[kswiston]

Got Geneforge in one of the indie bundles, but I haven't tried any of the titles yet. Which would be the best to start with if there is a (good) chance that I won't play all 5?

Hopefully Avernum 4-6 pop up on indie game stand in the future. I know it was in one of the Indie Gala bundles, but I missed out on it.

 

[szaromir]

No one knows when they might be releasing updated games, and the pack of 5 games for $1 is very much worth it. The Geneforge remakes might take ages for updated versions on all the games, so not like its something you could "wait" for.

I am actually not even sure whether the Geneforge remakes are set in stone yet. He started a remake of the Avernum series, so he has to do some other remakes on the Avernum series in between as well.

My backlog is insanely big so I can wait, there's no rush. I would feel like an asshole paying $1 just to get the keys.

 

[Toma]

Got Geneforge in one of the indie bundles, but I haven't tried any of the titles yet. Which would be the best to start with if there is a (good) chance that I won't play all 5?

Hopefully Avernum 4-6 pop up on indie game stand in the future. I know it was in one of the Indie Gala bundles, but I missed out on it.

I played the 5th one first, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Playing the first 4 is not necessary to enjoy it. And its the most graphically advanced as well.

 

[Toma]

My backlog is insanely big so I can wait, there's no rush. I would feel like an asshole paying $1 just to get the keys.

Feel free to gift it to someone who always complains about current games not having enough depth ;p

 

[Lain]

Spent 80 minutes with the first Geneforge (made an Agent). It's rough (are there no key shortcuts to do certain actions?), but seems addicting. I just need to remember to toggle off mouse acceleration (or was it smoothing? I always forget) the next time I play, because it was driving me nuts.
Don't regret my purchase at all.

 

[yarden24]

Got Geneforge in one of the indie bundles, but I haven't tried any of the titles yet. Which would be the best to start with if there is a (good) chance that I won't play all 5?

Hopefully Avernum 4-6 pop up on indie game stand in the future. I know it was in one of the Indie Gala bundles, but I missed out on it.

best one is the first one I think, although no one would call it pretty, honestly I think the best thing to do at this point is play the first, if you like it play the 5th, the rest are a bit derivative

 

[Toma]

Spent 80 minutes with the first Geneforge (made an Agent). It's rough (are there no key shortcuts to do certain actions?), but seems addicting. I just need to remember to toggle off mouse acceleration (or was it smoothing? I always forget) the next time I play, because it was driving me nuts.
Don't regret my purchase at all.

Glad to hear! Stupid question, how does your mouse act if you dont turn it off? Someone complained about a mouse lagging too much which I dont notice. Was that your issue?

 

[The Technomancer]

Got Geneforge in one of the indie bundles, but I haven't tried any of the titles yet. Which would be the best to start with if there is a (good) chance that I won't play all 5?

Hopefully Avernum 4-6 pop up on indie game stand in the future. I know it was in one of the Indie Gala bundles, but I missed out on it.

First is the best, if you can get past the graphics. Than the fifth if you can't. IMO the third game is the weakest overall, it really only serves as a bridge between 2 and 4.

Spent 80 minutes with the first Geneforge (made an Agent). It's rough (are there no key shortcuts to do certain actions?), but seems addicting. I just need to remember to toggle off mouse acceleration (or was it smoothing? I always forget) the next time I play, because it was driving me nuts.
Don't regret my purchase at all.

There definitely are some keyboard shortcuts, are there specific actions you want shortcuts for that don't exist?