I play ToEE and many other fantasy games because I find more fulfillment and stimulating intellectual conversation interacting with computer personalities than I do interacting with real people in my community. The fantasy computer game personalities have much more common sense. I also would much rather live in the fantasy worlds that are products of imagination and fight evil rather than live in the real world where everyone pretends things are ok and real evil runs wild everywhere on a daily basis, such as organized crime and free range crime (i.e. government and gang thugs).
I do it for the combat, the fun of playing D&D 3.5 when I can't do tabletop, I like to build out characters, do some nifty crafting, goofing around with metamagic feats (I know, tactically not the best choice, but hey...) A pity no sidequests are opened up when you take an NPC in your party...
I've always been a sci-fi/fanatasy fan and I started playing/DMing in 1979. Toee is a good game and pretty flexible. With the console and protos you can do some neat stuff other games don't have. There's no EnhancedFireball spell in the Witcher.
I voted combat, but it really is all of the above. I sometimes try to simulate characters or situations from history, legend or fantasy.
I voted combat. I like the tactical strategy aspects of the game these days since I know almost everything that can happen in the game. I enjoy running different type groups and seeing how they could handle certain challenges.
I had to vote "all of the above". I tend to lose myself in any and all of the aspects listed. Quite often when finding a new addition that Co8 has added, I relive the same excitement I had when I first stumbled onto a copy of TOEE in 2003.
Voted combat, but I'm a crack addict for all 3. Ranked below. 1. Primarily plot or goal oriented combat. Meh, killemall, resurrectemall, killemallagain works, too. 2. Weirdness. Builds, inventory or otherwise. New items, clothing, armor, weapons, undiscovered or unexplored (by me) abilities and spells, etc. I usually allow myself a couple of items not available in the game (but in inventory.mes) prior to entering the temple. Nothing gamebreaking like the Kill Bill Sword or the Kursed Katana, just a couple of items not usually seen or played in game. Maybe the samaurai armor or an ettin's club, something like that. For me, it gives the game more flavor and texture. 3. drama. It's a necessary part of the game. I do detest some of the vanilla early game fed-exing. If I have a small/weak party, I'll still do it. Desperate Housewives was absolutely hilarious and a great counterpoint. A little bit of levity doesn't ruin the game for me, it's quite the opposite. It is after all, a game.
Definitely all of the above. All around, ToEE is a uniquely, wonderful, game. And what the modding crew have and done and continue to do... :love:
I play it as an alternative to the real thing (i.e. tabletop DnD). It's the closest game I've found to the tabletop version. I also like building characters, and the battles are fun.
I like the engine for combats, that its the best adaptation for D&D ever. But I like the history too, that help me to build and research for NPC for my P&P games. I use the game as a playtest mode of my P&P too, building characters based on the stats/feats/skills my players are using, and so running throught the game to find how dificult a given encouter will be for the party. Well, in the end, the game is much more an development tooll for my own P&P games than any other thing...
I was referred to the game by my son, actually, who thought I might like it. Most of all, I like building the characters and making a party that plays well together. I get personally invested in the characters, go to great lengths to pick names that have a meaning to me, etc etc. Then figuring out how to win each and every battle. I don't find the 'drama' very exciting. It has no depth. To me, the 'drama' is just part of figuring out how to get to and/or win a battle more than anything. Damn, I miss playing the game.
Voted all of the above. ToEE is the best CRPG implementation of D&D rules to date. The storyline is fairly faithful to the module, but the real hook is the gameplay. Would love to have seen what the next installment would have been. Seems like if the bugs were worked out and the existing engine had been refined, Troika could have made something with a far more engaging storyline. Oh well, wish in one hand...