What can change the nature of a man?
February 1, 2016 9:40 PM Subscribe
Often considered to have the best writing of any game, 1999's Planescape Torment (as can be seen in this short video) is getting a spiritual successor. Torment: Tides of Numenera, now in early beta (the first 30 minutes of which can be seen in this Let's Play), features many of the same writers (plus other favorites). To see what made the first game so great, fans have turned the original Planescape game into surprisingly readable novels. One version just contains mostly the dialogue for one particular path through the game with just a little linking text (457 pages worth), the other features an expanded version with more original material (1,219 pages). Both are available in a variety of formats, and you can buy the original game as well.
Had some weird bug when I played the first one that made the flying skull sidekick disappear early on. Turned out that was half the interesting dialogue gone. Still a little bummed.
posted by BrotherCaine at 12:11 AM on February 2, 2016
posted by BrotherCaine at 12:11 AM on February 2, 2016
If you played through with high INT/WIS, Dak'kon's storyline is just incredible. The revelations about the Circle of Zerthimon and Dak'kon's backstory are incredible.
Plus the characters in Torment are still, after 17 years, among the best ever created. The "romance" with Fall From Grace is probably the best done in any game to date and so far as I am aware she and the Nameless One never so much as kissed. I'm not knocking the Mass Effect style gettin' jiggy with everything that moves and some things that don't but, really, Grace is the one for me.
And the party banter is still unrivaled with only the original Dragon Age giving it a run.
posted by Justinian at 12:22 AM on February 2, 2016 [11 favorites]
Plus the characters in Torment are still, after 17 years, among the best ever created. The "romance" with Fall From Grace is probably the best done in any game to date and so far as I am aware she and the Nameless One never so much as kissed. I'm not knocking the Mass Effect style gettin' jiggy with everything that moves and some things that don't but, really, Grace is the one for me.
And the party banter is still unrivaled with only the original Dragon Age giving it a run.
posted by Justinian at 12:22 AM on February 2, 2016 [11 favorites]
Also the DON'T TRUST THE SKULL tattoo reveal... oooo
posted by Justinian at 12:23 AM on February 2, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 12:23 AM on February 2, 2016 [4 favorites]
The sheer audacity of having a central question as broad as 'what can change the nature of a man?', and then (spoilers!) not answering it definitively, is something I haven't seen in any other game. Planescape:Torment is worth playing.
posted by Fraxas at 1:56 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Fraxas at 1:56 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
I've wanted to pick this up for a long time. Mefites who've played it, does it have something like a pacifist run where you can focus on wisdom and intelligence and get through the whole game without too much old fashioned dnd combat, which has never really been that interesting to me?
posted by Rinku at 2:15 AM on February 2, 2016
posted by Rinku at 2:15 AM on February 2, 2016
Planescape: Torment is actually pretty famous for allowing a pacifist run that's heavy on dialogue options and creative alternatives. I believe that it's possible to get through the whole game and only kill five people.
posted by Paragon at 2:24 AM on February 2, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by Paragon at 2:24 AM on February 2, 2016 [4 favorites]
Yeah you can definitely talk your way out of a lot of stuff. That said, IIRC there will be a lot of parts where you're e.g. exploring a tomb and encounter some zombies or whatever, and will have to either fight or flee. It's been a long time since I played though so I might be wrong.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:17 AM on February 2, 2016
posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:17 AM on February 2, 2016
Paragon is right. Notably, none of those five people is the final boss; there are a bunch of ways to beat the final encounter and combat is the least interesting/satisfying of them.
posted by Itaxpica at 4:18 AM on February 2, 2016
posted by Itaxpica at 4:18 AM on February 2, 2016
Just a quick note... The Numenara beta is apparently pretty damn rough at the moment, so if you want a "full game" experience it's advisable to wait a bit.
That said, what I've heard about the plot/setting makes it sound like SO MUCH MY JAM. So I'll just be over here seething with excitement.
(I played the original three times but had to stop each time due to game breaking bugs. It is my greatest sadness)
posted by selfnoise at 4:53 AM on February 2, 2016
That said, what I've heard about the plot/setting makes it sound like SO MUCH MY JAM. So I'll just be over here seething with excitement.
(I played the original three times but had to stop each time due to game breaking bugs. It is my greatest sadness)
posted by selfnoise at 4:53 AM on February 2, 2016
Goes without saying, but try not to explicitly spoil the original game for people who haven't played it (because it's really good and you should go play it)
posted by schmod at 5:00 AM on February 2, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by schmod at 5:00 AM on February 2, 2016 [3 favorites]
(I played the original three times but had to stop each time due to game breaking bugs. It is my greatest sadness)
Now's the time for playthrough number four! There was an official patch released back in the day that fixed most of the game breaking bugs, and fan-made patches released since that fixed the rest (plus a bunch that restored assorted content that never made it to the final game). There are even patches to make it run smoothly at modern screen resolutions. It's definitely worth grabbing a copy off GoG.
posted by Itaxpica at 5:21 AM on February 2, 2016
Now's the time for playthrough number four! There was an official patch released back in the day that fixed most of the game breaking bugs, and fan-made patches released since that fixed the rest (plus a bunch that restored assorted content that never made it to the final game). There are even patches to make it run smoothly at modern screen resolutions. It's definitely worth grabbing a copy off GoG.
posted by Itaxpica at 5:21 AM on February 2, 2016
Oh maaaaaan I guess I'm going back to the City of Doors.
posted by Lou Stuells at 5:43 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Lou Stuells at 5:43 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
I can heartily recommend the GOG release, especially with the fanmods that allow the game to run at modern resolutions. The world environments are gorgeous and work even better at higher res. I've played through the game three or four different ways and it's great every time - my favorite path is the int/wis/cha build due to the story resolution options it presents.. but one of these days I'll try it as a brainless evil brute just to see just how different it can be. Maybe I can get in tight with the Starved Dogs Barking crew!
posted by FatherDagon at 5:59 AM on February 2, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by FatherDagon at 5:59 AM on February 2, 2016 [3 favorites]
Look the whole game reeks of Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness when compared to the rest of the alternative scene of 1995. not that it is steam punkish alt rock - because it isn't...but while there was a certain style of rock that existed then... that's like the Baldur's Gate/Icewind Dale/Diablo/end of things... Planescape Torment is totally... theme driven and well... just... it has to be experienced. Even if you don't like video games (and don't much care for occasionally cutting a piece of your own flesh off to find yourself a clue you've left yourself) it really is an experience. It really is an art piece - not a traditional video game. Shaving your head like Billy Corgan is not an option in the game, but you will definitely finish a session having enjoyed the whole thing and just feel... sad.. and like getting a hug and forgiving people and apologizing for things you've done wrong... really... its like, who let Herman Hesse and Franz Kafka make a video game?
posted by Nanukthedog at 6:04 AM on February 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Nanukthedog at 6:04 AM on February 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
I've never played an evil run because I pretty much always play wizard and I'm terrified of the idea of having to fight (ROT13-ed for spoilers) Iunvybe va gur Sbegerff as a magic-user.
posted by Itaxpica at 6:05 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Itaxpica at 6:05 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
Planescape has been on my to-play list for months. But I kind of wish we'd stop seeing "spiritual successor" as a design goal since the results have been deeply disappointing compared to other works in the same genres.
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 6:25 AM on February 2, 2016
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 6:25 AM on February 2, 2016
I kickstarted the new game the day it opened. Planescape was very different from the other D&D games of the era. Writing as crisp as the Baulder's Gate series, but gameplay was very different.
posted by k5.user at 6:33 AM on February 2, 2016
posted by k5.user at 6:33 AM on February 2, 2016
I loved Planescape: Torment at the time, but I'm curious how this new game is going to be received. This kind of writing-heavy game feels like a serious throwback, almost retro. See also how Fallout 4 turned out.
posted by Nelson at 6:38 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Nelson at 6:38 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
It is kind of retro, although that doesn't seem to be a bad thing these days with the moderate success of Pillars of Eternity, Shadowrun: Dragonfall, and Shadowrun: Hong Kong. SR:HK restored my faith a bit in games as narrative, but I'm still on the fence regarding PoE.
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 7:10 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 7:10 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
So, Planescape: Torment is a game I've meant to play for 16 years, but never have. Can I get the essence of what's great of the game by reading these transcripts? Or should I still try to play it sometime this summer?
posted by ignignokt at 7:17 AM on February 2, 2016
posted by ignignokt at 7:17 AM on February 2, 2016
Definitely play it. The writing is the best part, but the art, sound, and overall feel contribute a ton.
Also, it's just a fun game overall.
posted by Itaxpica at 7:19 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
Also, it's just a fun game overall.
posted by Itaxpica at 7:19 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
Yeah sorry, you can't watch a video of gameplay of torment. you can't just read it. You've got to play it. You've got to make the decisions and live with the consequences of those decisions. You've got to come to some reconciliation with yourself, you need to unlock the final circle of zerthimon, and learn how to rebuild broken and betrayed friendships...
Betray yourself? Betray others? Are they your friend? Should they be your friend? Do you know what a friend is? How much of your own pawn are you? As I said earlier. You will enjoy every minute of the game, and then feel like sitting down and calling mom to let her know that yes, twenty-five years ago you did back the car out of the drive way when you were left alone... Not too many games give you the opportunity to haunt yourself with your own inner demons.
posted by Nanukthedog at 7:36 AM on February 2, 2016 [6 favorites]
Betray yourself? Betray others? Are they your friend? Should they be your friend? Do you know what a friend is? How much of your own pawn are you? As I said earlier. You will enjoy every minute of the game, and then feel like sitting down and calling mom to let her know that yes, twenty-five years ago you did back the car out of the drive way when you were left alone... Not too many games give you the opportunity to haunt yourself with your own inner demons.
posted by Nanukthedog at 7:36 AM on February 2, 2016 [6 favorites]
I'd say that reading the transcripts are like reading recaps of favourite TV shows. They are great - if you've already been through the experience once. Otherwise you don't really have the context to enjoy it properly.
posted by smcg at 7:38 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by smcg at 7:38 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
See also how Fallout 4 turned out.
I haven't had a chance to play it yet (no money or time for the new consoles--meh), but from everything I've heard it sounds like typical Bethesda...a mile wide but an inch deep, and very much "This is an RPG rails what rails NOW LEAVING PLOT POINT STATION PLEASE MIND THE GAP CHOO CHOO". /tangent
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 7:49 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
I haven't had a chance to play it yet (no money or time for the new consoles--meh), but from everything I've heard it sounds like typical Bethesda...a mile wide but an inch deep, and very much "This is an RPG rails what rails NOW LEAVING PLOT POINT STATION PLEASE MIND THE GAP CHOO CHOO". /tangent
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 7:49 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
Has anybody put together a workable how-to for getting the fan mods, resolution boosters, etc running on a Mac? I don't have access to a gaming PC right now but whooooooboy do I want to revisit this...
posted by Tomorrowful at 7:59 AM on February 2, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Tomorrowful at 7:59 AM on February 2, 2016 [3 favorites]
(on F4 - picked it up 2 weeks ago) Yeah, its not necessarily too deep, but I made a character that looked like my dad, named it after him and have successfully been working through some daddy issues with it since he passed away last year.
Dad still hasn't told me how to dry wall or repair plaster yet, but he can certainly build a village with old tires, burn cars and brush.
posted by Nanukthedog at 8:01 AM on February 2, 2016 [6 favorites]
Dad still hasn't told me how to dry wall or repair plaster yet, but he can certainly build a village with old tires, burn cars and brush.
posted by Nanukthedog at 8:01 AM on February 2, 2016 [6 favorites]
Tomorrowful, here you go.
I play on a macbook, it all works fine.
posted by Itaxpica at 8:28 AM on February 2, 2016 [5 favorites]
I play on a macbook, it all works fine.
posted by Itaxpica at 8:28 AM on February 2, 2016 [5 favorites]
(Also GOG has a great list of which mods you should and shouldn't install for your first playthrough)
posted by Itaxpica at 8:32 AM on February 2, 2016 [9 favorites]
posted by Itaxpica at 8:32 AM on February 2, 2016 [9 favorites]
The central theme of Torment: Tides of Numenera is, "What does one life matter?" Which seems to be a good way to follow up the central theme of Torment: Planescape.
It's worth pointing out that this may be called a spiritual successor, but only in the sense that it's not a direct sequel. They're both Torment games, just with different settings. I don't think the idea of the first game lent itself well to a sequel anyway, given the goal of the game.
I think it's fine to consider this a sequel. It doesn't have to be set in Planescape or use the infinity engine to be a follow-up, given that it's mostly being made by the people who made the original, unlike say, Fallout 3 or Fallout 4. Deus Ex: Human Revolution was a prequel not made by the people who did the original, but I would argue it did it justice almost as much as anything could. It had a few issues, but the actual sequel they made had more issues, and they clearly got the point of Deus Ex. This ongoing revival is a good thing, even if the results never quite live up to the originals. Wasteland 2 seems more like the first two Fallout games than the Bethesda games.
Now, if Ron Gilbert can get the rights to Monkey Island out of LucasArts...
Honestly not sure why he can't. LucasArts is just an arm of Disney, and I don't think they care about all the older properties that aren't blockbusters. They should just sell them off to the original creators.
posted by Strudel at 8:38 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
It's worth pointing out that this may be called a spiritual successor, but only in the sense that it's not a direct sequel. They're both Torment games, just with different settings. I don't think the idea of the first game lent itself well to a sequel anyway, given the goal of the game.
I think it's fine to consider this a sequel. It doesn't have to be set in Planescape or use the infinity engine to be a follow-up, given that it's mostly being made by the people who made the original, unlike say, Fallout 3 or Fallout 4. Deus Ex: Human Revolution was a prequel not made by the people who did the original, but I would argue it did it justice almost as much as anything could. It had a few issues, but the actual sequel they made had more issues, and they clearly got the point of Deus Ex. This ongoing revival is a good thing, even if the results never quite live up to the originals. Wasteland 2 seems more like the first two Fallout games than the Bethesda games.
Now, if Ron Gilbert can get the rights to Monkey Island out of LucasArts...
Honestly not sure why he can't. LucasArts is just an arm of Disney, and I don't think they care about all the older properties that aren't blockbusters. They should just sell them off to the original creators.
posted by Strudel at 8:38 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
Bastion and Transistor convinced me that "rails" are not necessarily a bad thing. Or for that matter Human Revolution, although the sucker punch of DX:HR is a bit too early for my taste.
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 8:55 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 8:55 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
But I kind of wish we'd stop seeing "spiritual successor" as a design goal since the results have been deeply disappointing compared to other works in the same genres.
I am not sure I agree. Allowing some of the "old masters" of the genre to come back and try again with fewer commecial constraints has led to some of the most exciting games in the past couple years coming out of Kickstarter:
Pillars of Eternity did some exciting things with the old Baldur's Gate-style CRPG games as a spiritual successor to those games, and won a bunch of awards.
Divinity: Original Sin also won game of the year and was specifically set up as an old-school inspired CRPG.
Wasteland 2, as mentioned above was also excellent.
And I happened to really like Broken Age, which was definitely a throwback to the old adventure games format.
What makes these so cool is that the genres they represent didn't die because of lack of ideas, but rather because the fashion and technology moved on. But precisely for that reason, these type of games are realtively easy to crowdfund, since they don't use the most modern technology and have fan bases. The genres (and designers) still have a lot to say, I don't think it is all nostalgia.
posted by blahblahblah at 8:59 AM on February 2, 2016 [5 favorites]
I am not sure I agree. Allowing some of the "old masters" of the genre to come back and try again with fewer commecial constraints has led to some of the most exciting games in the past couple years coming out of Kickstarter:
Pillars of Eternity did some exciting things with the old Baldur's Gate-style CRPG games as a spiritual successor to those games, and won a bunch of awards.
Divinity: Original Sin also won game of the year and was specifically set up as an old-school inspired CRPG.
Wasteland 2, as mentioned above was also excellent.
And I happened to really like Broken Age, which was definitely a throwback to the old adventure games format.
What makes these so cool is that the genres they represent didn't die because of lack of ideas, but rather because the fashion and technology moved on. But precisely for that reason, these type of games are realtively easy to crowdfund, since they don't use the most modern technology and have fan bases. The genres (and designers) still have a lot to say, I don't think it is all nostalgia.
posted by blahblahblah at 8:59 AM on February 2, 2016 [5 favorites]
The return of the turn-based isometric CRPG isn't necessarily a "spiritual successor" though. PoE had a mess of problems--including immersion-breaking NPCs scattered throughout the world--that left it far short of living up to the hype of reimagining Baldur's Gate.
(And let's not talk the hot mess that was Dragon Age: Origins and DA2, also heralded as Baldur's Gate heirs.)
SR: Hong Kong and Divinity: Original Sin do the isometric CRPG stories much better without claiming "spiritual successor" status, partly because they were licensed to different franchises.
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 9:33 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
(And let's not talk the hot mess that was Dragon Age: Origins and DA2, also heralded as Baldur's Gate heirs.)
SR: Hong Kong and Divinity: Original Sin do the isometric CRPG stories much better without claiming "spiritual successor" status, partly because they were licensed to different franchises.
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 9:33 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
Tangent, but...
Now, if Ron Gilbert can get the rights to Monkey Island out of LucasArts...
Honestly not sure why he can't. LucasArts is just an arm of Disney, and I don't think they care about all the older properties that aren't blockbusters. They should just sell them off to the original creators.
On multiple occasions Ron Gilbert has said that Disney has absolutely no interest in selling it to him. See this blog entry and the comments on this entry. Pardon the Commodore 64 font and color scheme.
posted by zsazsa at 9:40 AM on February 2, 2016
Now, if Ron Gilbert can get the rights to Monkey Island out of LucasArts...
Honestly not sure why he can't. LucasArts is just an arm of Disney, and I don't think they care about all the older properties that aren't blockbusters. They should just sell them off to the original creators.
On multiple occasions Ron Gilbert has said that Disney has absolutely no interest in selling it to him. See this blog entry and the comments on this entry. Pardon the Commodore 64 font and color scheme.
posted by zsazsa at 9:40 AM on February 2, 2016
blahblahblah: "What makes these so cool is that the genres they represent didn't die because of lack of ideas, but rather because the fashion and technology moved on."
The collapse of Interplay (and subsequent consolidation of the big gaming studios in the early 2000s) certainly did not help matters.
Out of all of the games I fondly remember, Interplay probably published about 2/3 of them.
posted by schmod at 9:49 AM on February 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
The collapse of Interplay (and subsequent consolidation of the big gaming studios in the early 2000s) certainly did not help matters.
Out of all of the games I fondly remember, Interplay probably published about 2/3 of them.
posted by schmod at 9:49 AM on February 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
Let us not forget the Planescape: Torment soundtrack, which I still listen to all these years later.
posted by culfinglin at 9:58 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by culfinglin at 9:58 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
I always wondered what confluence of celestial events and black magic took place at the end of the 90s that resulted in the Black Isle stable of Fallout 1 and 2, Planescape: Torment and Baldur's Gate. Surely someone made a deal with a tanar'ri.
posted by dazed_one at 10:02 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by dazed_one at 10:02 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
OK, can we turn this conversation on its head a bit and talk about Numenera? I've played several Numenera tabletop games and have never played P:T at all, and I am very excited for this game.
The Numenera universe is set so far in the future that nine evolutions of sentient beings have risen and fallen on this planet, with all their technology trash littered around the world to be discovered and used. It is a rich environment with quick combat that rewards players who don't try to figure out how the rules say is the best way to handle an encounter.
posted by rebent at 10:21 AM on February 2, 2016 [3 favorites]
The Numenera universe is set so far in the future that nine evolutions of sentient beings have risen and fallen on this planet, with all their technology trash littered around the world to be discovered and used. It is a rich environment with quick combat that rewards players who don't try to figure out how the rules say is the best way to handle an encounter.
posted by rebent at 10:21 AM on February 2, 2016 [3 favorites]
I loved Torment. It really should have just been an adventure game through and through though because the combat is pretty subpar compared to other Infinity Engine games - most especially BGII.
posted by atoxyl at 10:57 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by atoxyl at 10:57 AM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'm ashamed to admit that I've tried to play Torment twice and bounced off of it pretty early on both times. I love the characters , writing, environments, ideas, but the game engine and mechanics seem so clunky. I wish I'd played it when it was new, so nostalgia would carry me through it like it does for Fallout 1/2.
posted by rifflesby at 12:48 PM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by rifflesby at 12:48 PM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
Having jumped desperately/greedily/nostalgic-hopefully on the kickstarter, and given the Beta a run... I'm not sure I can write sensibly about this - I am still fann-ishly excited; the beta hasn't ruined anything, but, rather, acted as more a promise of To-Be.
The art is familiar, while nothing is the same. The sense of absolute unfamiliarity of the factions, the people, and most of all the what-the-hell-is-that-thing that are the Numenera and Artifacts really does make this a spiritual successor.
The Nameless One is dead - long live The Changing God.
For those who want to walk through Planescape: Torment, I heartily recommend a Hex editor and a guide to save file editing. 18 in all attributes and 300 hp, and you can enjoy the weirdness unhindered.
posted by LD Feral at 6:55 PM on February 2, 2016
The art is familiar, while nothing is the same. The sense of absolute unfamiliarity of the factions, the people, and most of all the what-the-hell-is-that-thing that are the Numenera and Artifacts really does make this a spiritual successor.
The Nameless One is dead - long live The Changing God.
For those who want to walk through Planescape: Torment, I heartily recommend a Hex editor and a guide to save file editing. 18 in all attributes and 300 hp, and you can enjoy the weirdness unhindered.
posted by LD Feral at 6:55 PM on February 2, 2016
I played though about half of it a few years ago at the insistence of a (since left, greatly missed) MeFite. I feel bad that I never went back and finished it. I'm surprised I finish any games these days.
posted by JHarris at 8:12 PM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by JHarris at 8:12 PM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
Could people please respond to LD Feral? Because that actually does sound like a cool way to go through the game ... except maybe you miss some stuff because you don't die enough?
I got PS:T when it came out, but only made it 1/3 through at the time. I had since put it on an old netbook (this worked surprisingly well) which then got demolished by water. I'm looking forwards to playing the game through this time ... but will being a munchkin ruin the experience or allow me to 'play it on easy and see all the things'?
posted by MacD at 12:31 PM on February 3, 2016
I got PS:T when it came out, but only made it 1/3 through at the time. I had since put it on an old netbook (this worked surprisingly well) which then got demolished by water. I'm looking forwards to playing the game through this time ... but will being a munchkin ruin the experience or allow me to 'play it on easy and see all the things'?
posted by MacD at 12:31 PM on February 3, 2016
You do miss a bunch of stuff in PST if you never die.
posted by Justinian at 2:19 PM on February 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 2:19 PM on February 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
MacD - I don't recall the specifics, but know there are some funny/strange dialog choices and actions that can happen when you have some high stats. (I thought more than 18 was needed for some of them, but recollection is hazy).
If you want spoilers, I'm pretty sure the various walkthroughs will mention some of the interesting choices.
posted by k5.user at 12:03 PM on February 4, 2016
If you want spoilers, I'm pretty sure the various walkthroughs will mention some of the interesting choices.
posted by k5.user at 12:03 PM on February 4, 2016
There are funny and special dialogue choices for both very high and very low stats, and probably for medium stats. If your INT is very low, for example, you mostly can't do anything except grunt at people.
posted by Justinian at 12:36 PM on February 4, 2016
posted by Justinian at 12:36 PM on February 4, 2016
A low int session was perfected by Fallout 2. For some reason, a cereberal game like PS:T doesn't seem like the place for it ...
And it seems that, appart from not dying as often, a play-through at 18's won't harm the game too much?
posted by MacD at 2:39 PM on February 5, 2016
And it seems that, appart from not dying as often, a play-through at 18's won't harm the game too much?
posted by MacD at 2:39 PM on February 5, 2016
The return of the turn-based isometric CRPG isn't necessarily a "spiritual successor" though. PoE had a mess of problems--including immersion-breaking NPCs scattered throughout the world--that left it far short of living up to the hype of reimagining Baldur's Gate.
It had problems, but I give them an A for effort for just creating a new RPG of that kind. The one that pissed me off was the new Sword Coast Legends game, which advertised itself as part of the BG/NWN legacy but turned out to be a Diablo clone in D&D garb.
posted by homunculus at 12:04 AM on February 8, 2016
It had problems, but I give them an A for effort for just creating a new RPG of that kind. The one that pissed me off was the new Sword Coast Legends game, which advertised itself as part of the BG/NWN legacy but turned out to be a Diablo clone in D&D garb.
posted by homunculus at 12:04 AM on February 8, 2016
I am looking forward to Tides of Numenera. But I need to finally play the original first.
posted by homunculus at 12:08 AM on February 8, 2016
posted by homunculus at 12:08 AM on February 8, 2016
Yeah, I sometimes re-play with a cheat game (modified stats) just to see some of the other bits.
And fallout 2, meh, made my first play through much harder than it needed to be because I stacked for speech based on fallout 1 (and I forget which weapon I started with, but didn't help at all).
posted by k5.user at 7:06 AM on February 8, 2016
And fallout 2, meh, made my first play through much harder than it needed to be because I stacked for speech based on fallout 1 (and I forget which weapon I started with, but didn't help at all).
posted by k5.user at 7:06 AM on February 8, 2016
The return of the turn-based isometric CRPG isn't necessarily a "spiritual successor" though. PoE had a mess of problems--including immersion-breaking NPCs scattered throughout the world--that left it far short of living up to the hype of reimagining Baldur's Gate.
Hm, it wasn't perfect (though it picked up a lot by the endgame), but I think most people compare Eternity to Baldur's Gate 2 + expansion + possibly mods. The original Baldur's Gate had its share of problems with combat, difficulty spikes, and rationing of content too but it was such a watershed moment followed by the one - two of BG2 and its expansion that people disregard said flaws (and rightly so for the most part). I wouldn't mind a sequel.
I'm waiting for the new Torment too. Word to the wise, if you try playing the original for the first time give it some time - it slowly reveals its charms and the ratio of quality/quantity of text increases as you play.
k5.user, speech can be quite useful in Fallout 2 but Small Arms help too. If you modelled it after Fallout and went for melee, that must have been a slog.
posted by ersatz at 12:23 PM on February 8, 2016
Hm, it wasn't perfect (though it picked up a lot by the endgame), but I think most people compare Eternity to Baldur's Gate 2 + expansion + possibly mods. The original Baldur's Gate had its share of problems with combat, difficulty spikes, and rationing of content too but it was such a watershed moment followed by the one - two of BG2 and its expansion that people disregard said flaws (and rightly so for the most part). I wouldn't mind a sequel.
I'm waiting for the new Torment too. Word to the wise, if you try playing the original for the first time give it some time - it slowly reveals its charms and the ratio of quality/quantity of text increases as you play.
k5.user, speech can be quite useful in Fallout 2 but Small Arms help too. If you modelled it after Fallout and went for melee, that must have been a slog.
posted by ersatz at 12:23 PM on February 8, 2016
Hm, it wasn't perfect (though it picked up a lot by the endgame), but I think most people compare Eternity to Baldur's Gate 2 + expansion + possibly mods.
It's kind of like comparing all musicals to Singing in the Rain, and all comedy to Modern Times. To me, a "spiritual successor" would be a genre-busting innovator that pushes the limits of the engine and the artistic skills of the people making it.
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 1:11 PM on February 8, 2016
It's kind of like comparing all musicals to Singing in the Rain, and all comedy to Modern Times. To me, a "spiritual successor" would be a genre-busting innovator that pushes the limits of the engine and the artistic skills of the people making it.
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 1:11 PM on February 8, 2016
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posted by gold-in-green at 9:55 PM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]