|
A Violence Gang posted:Just noticed this interview with Vogel from last month; nothing terribly exciting but he mentions Avadon 2 is looking like a fall release. Also screenshots. I'm mostly just hoping it'll get released soon so he can move back to a series (or start a new one) that doesn't bore me to tears.
|
#
?
Jun 15, 2013 18:41
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 6, 2024 17:02 |
|
|
Nevermind
Jesto fucked around with this message at 11:40 on Jul 14, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jun 15, 2013 20:12
|
|
|
Jesto posted:Why did he make Avadon to begin with? It's completely linear (the entire story is go here, kill this, come back for new orders), most of your decisions don't matter and there's not even the thrill of new loot to tempt you since loot is very limited in selection. It isn't like his usual work at all. Even the combat system was pretty bland, since it limits you to 3 out of 5 characters at any given time even though the engine is capable of letting you use all 5 at once. Which is bothersome, since who you bring to areas determines what sort of flavor dialogue your allies will give during cutscenes, so you have to replay the game 5-6 times to see all interactions. Who would do that? He described it as his attempt to make an RPG more like Dragon Age at some point. Given that I can't stand playing either I guess he probably succeeded.
|
|
#
?
Jun 15, 2013 20:15
|
|
|
Avadon really doesn't play to his strengths. It lacks the dungeon crawler loot grabbin' aspect of Avernum, which was basically "take a dungeon crawler and make that literally the entire setting." It lacks the choices and consequences and bizarro imaginative world and political fuckery of Geneforge. I wouldn't say it's a bad game, but it's definitely his weakest.
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2013 01:37
|
|
|
I love this guys games except for his fondness of those stupid fungus turret like enemies. They're the worst part of every game they're in, which is like all of them. Also, if you like spiderweb you might want to check out Realmz. I believe it's entirely freeware now.
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2013 15:28
|
|
|
Are there any other plans to remake the older games into a more "modern" format like they did with Escape From the Pit? I'm a little ways in to the game and I love it so far.
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2013 15:52
|
|
|
ShadeofDante posted:Are there any other plans to remake the older games into a more "modern" format like they did with Escape From the Pit? I'm a little ways in to the game and I love it so far. I know this is a shoestring operation but seems like since both the old content and the new engine already exist the remakes would be pretty easy to outsource for a percentage. Get them out sooner and let Vogel focus on new stuff.
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2013 16:45
|
|
|
ShadeofDante posted:Are there any other plans to remake the older games into a more "modern" format like they did with Escape From the Pit? I'm a little ways in to the game and I love it so far. As far as I know he's planning to remake the whole Exile series (again). e:f,b
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2013 16:45
|
|
|
If you find yourself missing the old Exile games i've found that if you can scrounge up some windows 3.1 disks you can install it in dosbox and run the games that way since the original trilogy is freeware on spiderwebs site now. I've been a fan of these games since I stumbled onto them in the late 90's and they have easily given me many, many hours of enjoyment.
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2013 17:15
|
|
|
A Violence Gang posted:Remaking Avernum 2 is his next project after Avadon 2, and presumably Avadon 3 then Avernum 3 would follow. There are no current plans to redo Avernums 4-6, as Vogel says they work well enough on modern computers. He hasn't announced any actual plans for the Geneforge series but whenever asked he says that is something he would eventually like to do. I bought Avernum 4 after sinking 60 hours into Avernum: Escape From the pit but it goes to some god awful resolution. So I just didn't bother and figured I would just play the remakes as they come out.
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2013 10:53
|
|
|
Balnakio posted:I bought Avernum 4 after sinking 60 hours into Avernum: Escape From the pit but it goes to some god awful resolution. So I just didn't bother and figured I would just play the remakes as they come out. I'm pretty sure that Avernum 4-6 have resolution options in their options. At start, it forces itself to fullscreen in 800x600 or something, but you aren't forced to play in that resolution.
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2013 13:31
|
|
|
This is a drat good deal on a lot of Spiderweb games: http://www.gog.com/promo/rpg_open_worlds
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2013 22:02
|
|
|
Does there happen to be any way to get Exiles 1-3's installer to run on a 64-bit system? I tried compatibility mode, but it doesn't like that either. I have Avernum 1-3, but I prefer Exile's larger party size, sprites, some of the magic, and from my perspective slightly higher difficulty.
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2013 09:42
|
|
|
Colgate posted:Does there happen to be any way to get Exiles 1-3's installer to run on a 64-bit system? I tried compatibility mode, but it doesn't like that either. I have Avernum 1-3, but I prefer Exile's larger party size, sprites, some of the magic, and from my perspective slightly higher difficulty. If you can get a copy of Windows 3.1, this is what's recommended on the Spiderweb forums: http://vogons.zetafleet.com/viewtopic.php?t=9405 Other than that I guess you could set up a VM if you have XP or something a bit older kicking around somewhere? Brimruk fucked around with this message at 18:10 on Jun 23, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2013 16:05
|
|
|
More or less Spiderweb's entire catalog is currently pay-what-you-want in the current Humble Weekly sale! Avernum: EftP and Nethergate are the beat-the-averages, which is under $4 currently.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2013 20:13
|
|
|
Nice to see that this thread exists. I love Jeff V.'s games. Just beat Avernum: EftP again on Hard mode. The early mid game was loving brutal around levels 12-16 or so. Usually didn't have too much a problem unless I went completely over my head on stuff. Had to reload about 30 times for that final battle though.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2013 20:16
|
|
|
Colgate posted:Does there happen to be any way to get Exiles 1-3's installer to run on a 64-bit system? I tried compatibility mode, but it doesn't like that either. I have Avernum 1-3, but I prefer Exile's larger party size, sprites, some of the magic, and from my perspective slightly higher difficulty. I can't figure out a way to get them to run either, but like like the Windows 3.1 suggestion, they also run completely fine on Windows XP, which is how I'm currently doing a play through.
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2013 05:25
|
|
|
Avernum is cool I guess, but I miss the really cool spells from Exile I-III like Capture Soul.
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2013 05:48
|
|
|
GodFish posted:I can't figure out a way to get them to run either, but like like the Windows 3.1 suggestion, they also run completely fine on Windows XP, which is how I'm currently doing a play through. I am running Windows 7 64-bit, and I got Exile 1-3 and Blades of Exile to run in the XP shell flawlessly. However, I think that that XP shell is only available on Complete and Professional editions of Windows 7. As for Vista and/or Win8, not sure. In case this is news to anyone, Exile 1-3 + Blades are available for free, in their entirety, from the Spiderweb site.
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2013 06:11
|
|
|
Nevermind
Jesto fucked around with this message at 17:08 on Jun 20, 2021 |
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2013 06:15
|
|
|
Jesto posted:What reason did the Spiderweb guy give for essentially dumbing down his old games? He said he wanted to broaden his audience. Avadon was a massive success for him, which meant to him that his dumbing down was the right move.
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2013 15:13
|
|
|
Roadie posted:Avernum is cool I guess, but I miss the really cool spells from Exile I-III like Capture Soul. Avernum 2 and 3 actually do have Capture Soul/Simulacrum. Those didn't appear until Exile 2 for story purposes anyway. GreenNight posted:He said he wanted to broaden his audience. Avadon was a massive success for him, which meant to him that his dumbing down was the right move. He also said he wanted to make something that was off the beaten track of his other two franchises, which at that time were on their face somewhat similar due to A4-6 moving to the Geneforge engine and using a skill system closer to Geneforge's than previous. The mechanics of the game are fine, the main issue was that no choice seemed to ever matter plotwise and then the game just kinda petered out at some point. If that gets addressed in the sequel, I'll be satisfied.
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2013 16:29
|
|
|
Yeah I agree concerning Avadon. I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as Avernum. I actually can't stand the Geneforge engine, which is why I didn't play Avernum 5 or 6. It's way slower and he removed a bunch of keyboard commands. Very frustrating.
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2013 16:58
|
|
|
01011001 posted:He also said he wanted to make something that was off the beaten track of his other two franchises, which at that time were on their face somewhat similar due to A4-6 moving to the Geneforge engine and using a skill system closer to Geneforge's than previous. The mechanics of the game are fine, the main issue was that no choice seemed to ever matter plotwise and then the game just kinda petered out at some point. If that gets addressed in the sequel, I'll be satisfied. Yeah, the way Avadon handled player decisions was a bit of a misfire. The design intention (as stated on Jeff's blog) was "you're representatives of a power that everyone has to respect even if they hate it, so you can get away with being an rear end in a top hat and rarely face any real consequences" but the way it was implemented, the result from the player's perspective was "it doesn't matter what you do". Moral choices in games only work if they have either in-game consequences or serious emotional blackmail backing them up, and Jeff just isn't that good at emotional blackmail. It probably didn't help that the time spent coding the new engine meant that correspondingly less time was allocated to area design and writing dialogue: it shows in the length of the game (it's significantly shorter than average by SW standards) and the abrupt ending. Thuryl fucked around with this message at 17:24 on Jul 12, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2013 17:20
|
|
|
Thuryl posted:Yeah, the way Avadon handled player decisions was a bit of a misfire. The design intention (as stated on Jeff's blog) was "you're representatives of a power that everyone has to respect even if they hate it, so you can get away with being an rear end in a top hat and rarely face any real consequences" but the way it was implemented, the result from the player's perspective was "it doesn't matter what you do". Moral choices in games only work if they have either in-game consequences or serious emotional blackmail backing them up, and Jeff just isn't that good at emotional blackmail. It probably didn't help that the time spent coding the new engine meant that correspondingly less time was allocated to area design and writing dialogue: it shows in the length of the game (it's significantly shorter than average by SW standards) and the abrupt ending. I wish that game was shorter, to be honest. The missions/story became such a slog. I hope to be pleasantly surprised by Avadon 2, though.
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2013 21:26
|
|
|
Wasn't Avadon supposed to be his attempt to make a spiderweb equivalent of Dragon Age? I'd say he succeeded 
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2013 22:18
|
|
|
andrew smash posted:Wasn't Avadon supposed to be his attempt to make a spiderweb equivalent of Dragon Age? I'd say he succeeded More or less. At least he got the mechanics part down pat
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2013 22:25
|
|
|
01011001 posted:Avernum 2 and 3 actually do have Capture Soul/Simulacrum. Those didn't appear until Exile 2 for story purposes anyway. I actually hated the mechanics of Avadon. The battle engine itself is fine, but the skill and stat system just wrecks character customization. I understand your intent is to keep people from screwing themselves with stupid selections, but seriously. I want the flexibility to build my glass cannon Mage, even though it's risky in some battles. Or my "Red Mage" with ultra high levels in both healing and damage magic, even though it's probably less efficient since he has lower Intelligence than a pure caster.
|
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2013 20:14
|
|
|
Just started Escape for the Pit and I'm amazed at how well-down and streamlined it is. I know some people dislike it but I like an RPG that doesn't punish you for making the wrong choice 5 hours back. AD&D I could never really get into because of this. Also, am I mistaken or did Phil Foglio do the art for the skill tree? If so that just gives me another reason to like this game. 
|
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2013 21:18
|
|
|
Red Mundus posted:Just started Escape for the Pit and I'm amazed at how well-down and streamlined it is. I know some people dislike it but I like an RPG that doesn't punish you for making the wrong choice 5 hours back. AD&D I could never really get into because of this. Not mistaken. Also, I really like the first 4 Avernum games in comparison to the Exile games. In my opinion, the spells that do exist are better-balanced and there are more interesting customization options for fighter types. I haven't played 5 yet and may have to rectify that. I didn't like Avadon nearly as much because the combat felt like too much of a slog; It took too long to kill things and move onwards, and it was exemplified by people taking upwards of two hours to finish the fight with the True Final Boss. Geneforge is my favorite series of Spiderweb games, and I originally joined thinking I would LP them. I've never gotten around to it, but I just might. There's a good amount of room for audience decision-making. Also, I disagree with the ordering of the Geneforge games in the OP. In my opinion it's 2 > 5 > 4 > 1 > 3 because I think the nostalgia factor has to be removed from 1. Everything in your inventory encumbering you is so annoying to the point of being potentially crippling, and the magic and creation lists just aren't nearly as well-developed as later games. By 4, there are a lot of improvements over 2, but the four fully-realized and sympathetic factions are what really win you over, in addition to 1 -> 2 being the biggest single improvement in the entire series, even beating 3 -> 4. If you want to play Geneforge, I would suggest starting at the beginning. If you're stuck on Geneforge 1, it's probably because you haven't engaged enough with the three factions and the other "Big Actor" who lives in the northwest portion of the world map. You can always backstab or politely leave factions you've joined, and the powergaming playthrough and arguably-best ending for Geneforge 2 is to join each faction in turn, then kill virtually everyone important before going home to your bosses.[spoiler] The biggest letdown of Geneforge 3 is that [spoiler]you're pretty much just picking LOYAL or REBEL. On the other hand, Geneforge 1 has the weakest game mechanics and combat and is also saddled with some really obnoxious gimmick areas. The important part of having fun in Geneforge 1 and setting yourself up to play the later games is immersing yourself in the setting for the first time, so 100% completion isn't necessary and if you really do get bored, you can move along to Geneforge 2, a much bigger and better game. The one thing you'd miss out on by ending Geneforge 1 a little early without seeing one or more endings is How your big bosses would react to the poo poo that went down on this island, which helps in painting a picture of how they will roll in future games. This information is also conveyed in Geneforge 2. I could talk about this poo poo forever, and now I'm thinking about how to do a Geneforge LP. MiltonSlavemasta fucked around with this message at 21:15 on Jul 14, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2013 21:48
|
|
|
I just started playing Geneforge 1 for the first time. It's pretty good! Is there a way to rearrange my creatures order? The way the formation is laid out my giant cave man monster is after my raptors, so he winds up in the back a lot, where I want him up front next to my squishy little shaper. EDIT: Also, is there a 'select whole party' key?
|
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2013 22:58
|
|
|
Fintilgin posted:I just started playing Geneforge 1 for the first time. It's pretty good! 0 is the select whole party hotkey. I can't recall if the first game has a way to change party order. There may be a formation that places them closer together. I am also a proponent of regularly suiciding, absorbing, and retooling your loadout of monsters, though carefully shepherding your flock is a workable playstyle as well. Edit: For those aiming to run Geneforge 1-4 and probably the earlier Avernum titles in a Window, there's a guide on the Spiderweb Software forums here: http://spiderwebforums.ipbhost.com/index.php?/topic/19034-nalyd-teaches-you-how-to-run-geneforge-1-4-in-a-window-in-ten-easy-steps/ As an extra step, I'd add in the use of Clipcursor to keep your mouse cursor from selecting things outside the Geneforge window and deactivating the game. http://sekagra.com/wp/2011/11/clipcursor-lock-your-cursor-into-a-window/ MiltonSlavemasta fucked around with this message at 01:22 on Jul 14, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2013 00:35
|
|
|
MiltonSlavemasta posted:0 is the select whole party hotkey. I can't recall if the first game has a way to change party order. There may be a formation that places them closer together. I am also a proponent of regularly suiciding, absorbing, and retooling your loadout of monsters, though carefully shepherding your flock is a workable playstyle as well. But I've named them! They're like family now. How could I ever absorb 'Big Red' or 'Thumper'? 
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2013 02:17
|
|
|
MiltonSlavemasta posted:0 is the select whole party hotkey. I can't recall if the first game has a way to change party order. Look at the stat sheet for an individual creation and there should be a "Move Up" or "Move Down" button.
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2013 16:32
|
|
|
Fintilgin posted:But I've named them! They're like family now. Someone isn't a true shaper  Regularly absorbing your creations and remaking them is a good strategy in some games, bad in others. As I recall Geneforge 5 is one where you want your creations to live as long as they can. Dunno where Geneforge 1 falls in there as I always went Agent 
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2013 00:50
|
|
|
ProfessorCirno posted:Someone isn't a true shaper In Geneforge 1 you want to just make 4 or 5 vlishes, or whatever your high damage creature is, send them in, kill as much as they can, recharge, and make new ones. Your shaping bonuses seem to grow faster than the individual creations' leveling, so you can just make new ones and dispose of them whenever you want. Plus, it just feels right.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2013 02:01
|
|
|
MagusofStars posted:Look at the stat sheet for an individual creation and there should be a "Move Up" or "Move Down" button. Cool, thanks.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2013 02:11
|
|
|
ProfessorCirno posted:Regularly absorbing your creations and remaking them is a good strategy in some games, bad in others. As I recall Geneforge 5 is one where you want your creations to live as long as they can. Dunno where Geneforge 1 falls in there as I always went Agent    Nothing like enemies only getting to take their turns if you feel like letting them.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2013 15:09
|
|
|
I messed around with agents when I was testing Geneforge and they seemed like fun, but I felt like I was missing the main point not being a shaper. Opinions?
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2013 15:20
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 6, 2024 17:02 |
|
|
synertia posted:I messed around with agents when I was testing Geneforge and they seemed like fun, but I felt like I was missing the main point not being a shaper. Opinions? I was going to try an agent, but I'm glad I went with a shaper for my first run. It's pretty fun to have an army of fire breathing dinosaurs who just machine gun all the baddies to death.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2013 15:33
|
|