Remember, all IMO.... I really dislike FPS games. They just drive me crazy! Maybe I dont have enough twitch in me to succeed at them, who knows why. In my view, they are such the mainstream now that I have serious doubts we will ever see another great turn based game. I really liked BG and all its spawns, NWN, etc, and still play them off and on to this day. But even with all the bugs, I liked TOEE more. Just because of the *real* turn based combat. So, what has me ranting? I just happened to be checking out a game site the other day and I read a note about how E3 was coming up and they were excited about a game called Shadowrun. WOW, right away I got my hopes up, I used to play that game and I played both the CRPGs of it (nintendo and genisis if I recall correctly). I should have known they'd be dashed. I start looking for info, and eventualy find out its to be a FPS. Damn, that sucks. Will we ever get another good CRPG game? I believe that NWN2 will be good, but will it just be more of the same fast action stuff? Will anybody make a turn based game like TOEE? Sorry for my frustrations. This seemed the only place that I could vent. I appreciate you all so much for keeping this alive and I eagerly await KOtB and any more mods you make (i'd help but I just dont have the skills for it). Thanks, Yarazin **Edit - Corrected to NWN doh!**
I think you mean NWN instead of NVN? Unless I'm thinking of another CRPG. FTR, I adore FPS games. I specifically built my current home computer to play D3 at top settings, maxxed framerate. I also loved the mix, when we had RPG elements in those old Q1 mods, and who can forget the Hexen 1 (and 2), Heretic2 games? Classic mixes of genre. I am a bit of a CG nut however, so never mind me.
FPTB would be cool. Maybe someone will come up with that for a CRPG? You know...the perspective with turn based action. Everything one in package.:nosebleed
Due to online realtime Internet games with online subscriptions, I would suggest there will not be any more turn based games, unless a new small startup company attempts to make a turn based, single computer game to get a new piece of the gamers market. Wishful Thinking The Ultimate - Maybe Steve Moret could get with Co8.org and its modders, and together, make a new D&D game? Does Atari own all rights to all D&D type of computer games, lock-stock-and-barrel? Does Atari also own computer game rights to Basic D&D, AD&D 1st Edition, and AD&D 2nd Edition, too? What about FRPG turn-based computer gaming based on the content of something like the Dragon Magazine and its past article content? *sigh* This is only something from wishful thinking and, even if possible, is unlikely or would not take place.
One of the old Troika crew has a game in development at the moment. There's an interview with him over on the codex. Turn-based game, a bit like X-Com is how he describes it. Atari owns all the rights to DnD games. Want to make one, got to get their permission.
That is true, but what about the other D20 game systems? The Star Wars (probably owned by someone) PnP system uses D20 rules, and I'm sure there are countless others, all are very similar in style and scope to D&D, but they don't bear the same name. Do they fall under the D&D license? Or are they fair game?
If they are WotC, then I think they were bought up by Hasbro (which was in turn bought by Atari). Otherwise, they'll be owned unless released as 'without license' (which I doubt). I'd love to see a Rolemaster version of LotR made. Set before the fall of Arthedain and Cardolan. Great setting. But ICE went bust and LotR passed elsewhere.
Turn based games don't make developers enough money to be a really viable option in the market. Their prime demographic consists of young men that are between the ages of 15 and 24. WE (because I am one) as a group have no attention span thanks to years of media oversaturation. The developers need to keep the games fast and flexible. Our action needs to come fast and in a verbose display of hardware acceleration and 3D shading. This has been the nail in the coffin for turn based rpg's. You'll never be able to duplicate the real D&D experience either. It makes me sad to say, but the human element can never be accomplished by any billion lines of code. There are too many possible scenario outcomes, too many variables within player actions, and you can never recreate through programing what a great DM can give you in just a few lines of imaginative role play. Platforms like TOEE make a great stab at it. By allowing players to exhaust plenty of options in their "quest" for the end-game, you begin to synthesize the experience. But the basic creativity and imagination that flesh and blood bring to the table is just not there. It's just too much of a closed system as well. I can't travel from Homlet to Greyhawk when I want to do something special with my character, etc. So... if you're jonesin for some hack and slash you may have to break down and get into what Spike, Zorn, and I have been doing for the last few times we've played. Get as many of your group together as you can, sit around the table, and get everyone else that's interested on the webcam. If you can work all the kinks out it's a nice option.
LotR is owned by EA. I don't know if any game company has exclusive rights to the starwars RPG. Maybe lucas arts? a game using it would at least have to get permission from the makers of the game. I would love to see that or rifts get made into a game. Rifts could be huge. So many expansion possibilities.
About good turn-based titles, Nival Interactive releases many good turn-based, single man squad level strategy games (aka "X-Com like"), with such strong story and well developed characters that they actually border with Role Playing. If they actually played on my computer I would consider Silent Storm, Night watch and Hammer and Sickle as good CRPG substitues.
Star wars rights is owned by Lucas film ltd and has giving the rights out to other companies before (Sony I.E. Galaxies) but are mainly produced by Lucas arts, and as a side note Wizards of the coast produces star wars 20d but I doubt they own the rights out right seeing Lucas normally retains tight control over anything star wars. As for true turn based, I am afraid they have all but befallen to D&D builds and they seemed to be steering further and further to real-time. I have two of Nival's games but the aren't my favorite turn based games and find myself rarely playing them. I wished someone will produced a Xcom sequel, but I fear from what I read that Atari owns all of Micropose's titles and haven't looked into making a turn-based X-com at all, but has looked into doing other types of titles with the story line, 1 being a FPS. Fallout was also another great turn-based i wished to see returned, but I have long forgotten who bought those rights but I do remember they were pursuing a fallout 3 title but it have been along time since I heard anything about that so it may have been scrapped. Our best bet is to plead with Atari to Continue to make another turn based game or hire Co8 to cont working on ToEE Mods for money. At least thats is what I have seen out there. Macer
Well, everyone has his tastes... There's even people that do like RTS games... There had already had many spinoffs like that, I can remember articles aout X-Com FPS and flying simulators back in the ninenties... Now, an X-Com title based on d20 modern (or, less likely, other RPG rulesets) would be a nice thing, but, with Troika gone, I think that nobody would walk such a way. Frankly I liked UFO: Aftermath. Yes, I noticed it's RealTime But if you play it as a "simultaneous pre-planned turns" kind of game, pausing frequently it may wourk out quite nicely (again, depends from tastes, of course). Falluot... Sob, will we ever have something so great (compared to the times)? It was the one that started the thing of CRPGs that actually included roleplaying, instead of just being action games with character development. Since they rediscovered the most classic of the Platforms, Prince of Persia, maybe in another 10 years we'll have a rediscovery of titles like Fallout and Jagged Alliance... In real time As for Fallout 3, I have no hope of seeing something like Fallout 2. And it would not run on my computer. I think the best we can hope (and just hope) is that Atari will release the source code for TOEE, then leave the modders free like Matrix Games did for Steel Panthers. I do not know whether they still do get any money out of that game, and it would be a good brand diffusion policy (or I'm stuck with 10 years old marketing doctrines?) AFAIK, however, at the moment there is no evidence that they will do anything similar. Let's face it, we are a niche into a niche, and we have very limited market appeal.
