Actually, this gives me a poke on a more appropriate topic. Any vague/ballpark/SWAG idea what system specs you'll require?
GOLD: Neverwinter Nights 2
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dteowner
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BasiliskWrangler
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Preferably a quad-core 64-bit CPU, 4GB RAM and a DirectX 10 compatible GPU. We are making the first RPG ever to have global simulation of the entire world's physics on a molecular level: if a butterfly flaps its wings in one part of the gameworld, it can affect the flight path of your arrows hours later in another part of the game. Cool, huh?
Sorry, just my attempt at humor. It should be playable on:
- Windows 98SE and later (no testing on done Vista yet)
- 512mb RAM (recommended)
- In terms of CPU/Video, it should run fine on any decent CPU/video card produced in the past 4 years. Basically, the only thing that it hasn't run well on so far is a Dell laptop with a 1.2ghz Celeron and a very basic Intel video chipset. Even then it was “playableâ€- just too slow for my taste.
We'll try and get more accurate system requirements soon.
Sorry, just my attempt at humor. It should be playable on:- Windows 98SE and later (no testing on done Vista yet)
- 512mb RAM (recommended)
- In terms of CPU/Video, it should run fine on any decent CPU/video card produced in the past 4 years. Basically, the only thing that it hasn't run well on so far is a Dell laptop with a 1.2ghz Celeron and a very basic Intel video chipset. Even then it was “playableâ€- just too slow for my taste.
We'll try and get more accurate system requirements soon.
![Officer [Bronze Rank]](./images/ranks/officer1.png "Officer [Bronze Rank]")
I'm looking forward to it, even though I am a bit worried about the single player campaign. I hated NWN1's single player and shelved the game entirely. Until a friend sent me a module called "Dreamcatcher". It changed my view of the game and made me a huge fan.
Then, of course, HotU came out and I couldn't beleive how awesome THAT mod was.
I'm really hoping that NWN2 is built not only with multiplayer gamers in mind, but single players as well. I've read a few interviews where the Obsidian guys said that the singleplayer campaign would be "stronger" in this game when compared to the last...but i'm still a nit nervous. not enoguh to cancel my pre-order though!
As for the whole "RPGs are getting too hardware heavy", I tend to agree with that. Though it actually needed to happen, in my opinion. While I still play old CRPGs on DOSbox (More then the new ones, actually) I was getting a bit tired of seeing the same ugly engines used in modern RPGs. Sure, Baldur's Gate, Planescape, Arcanum and ToEE were great games, but they really didn't look as good as they could have. The graphics didn't bother me, but I felt that many of these games suffered sales-wise because of it.
I bought an alienware PC last year around this time. AMD FX-55, Nvidia 7800gtx, 2GB RAM, 160 SATA drive, pretty much top of the line at the time, and even I'm thinking about upgrading. Especially after playing that demo for the new Might & Magic game that uses the Source Engine. Even my machine was experiencing a little bit of hitching.
Then, of course, HotU came out and I couldn't beleive how awesome THAT mod was.
I'm really hoping that NWN2 is built not only with multiplayer gamers in mind, but single players as well. I've read a few interviews where the Obsidian guys said that the singleplayer campaign would be "stronger" in this game when compared to the last...but i'm still a nit nervous. not enoguh to cancel my pre-order though!
As for the whole "RPGs are getting too hardware heavy", I tend to agree with that. Though it actually needed to happen, in my opinion. While I still play old CRPGs on DOSbox (More then the new ones, actually) I was getting a bit tired of seeing the same ugly engines used in modern RPGs. Sure, Baldur's Gate, Planescape, Arcanum and ToEE were great games, but they really didn't look as good as they could have. The graphics didn't bother me, but I felt that many of these games suffered sales-wise because of it.
I bought an alienware PC last year around this time. AMD FX-55, Nvidia 7800gtx, 2GB RAM, 160 SATA drive, pretty much top of the line at the time, and even I'm thinking about upgrading. Especially after playing that demo for the new Might & Magic game that uses the Source Engine. Even my machine was experiencing a little bit of hitching.
I certainly don't think Baldur's Gate suffered in terms of sales. Planescape didn't sell as well as the BG games, but then it was much more of a "niche" game. I don't know what the sales figures are for ToEE and Arcanum, but I doubt graphics had much to do with adverse impact.
The Infinity Engine games had great graphics, I thought, and were quite current for the time. Icewind Dale 2 was a bit out-dated when it was released but still sold well. And the graphics were one of the best parts about ToEE, I love the way that game looks.
I'm not really a great fan of how some of the more recent RPGs look in terms of graphics. Settings are often nice but character models are often lacking, and that's long been the case in games.
The Infinity Engine games had great graphics, I thought, and were quite current for the time. Icewind Dale 2 was a bit out-dated when it was released but still sold well. And the graphics were one of the best parts about ToEE, I love the way that game looks.
I'm not really a great fan of how some of the more recent RPGs look in terms of graphics. Settings are often nice but character models are often lacking, and that's long been the case in games.
There are worlds out there where the sky is burning. And the sea's asleep and the rivers dream … People made of smoke and cities made of song … Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, somewhere else the tea's getting cold!
Well, to be honest, when BG1 came out those grpahics were rather timely. I can remember the official boards erupting with anger when the "BG graphics test" demo was released a couple months before the game. Half the people couldn't even run it.
I should have clarified what I meant in my post. Hardcore CRPG fans like us won't be affected by bad graphics, but we also don't help games make money. "They" know they already have us Gallifrey...the problem is that they don't want "just us". They want mainstream action/RPG fans who notice graphics before depth and plotlines.
The reaosn why Arcanum, Toee, and Planescape suffered (sales-wise anyway) was primarily because the graphics kept the mainstream RPG fans at bay.
I've been accused of being an elitist who hates mainstreamers, i'll admit (Was even fired from admin position at an RPG review site because of my "views") but after seeing the genre begin to die, I've come to grips with the fact that things have to change.
It's sort of like how FF7 saved console RPGs. Personally, I hated it and every FF games that has come out since...but thanks to THAT game the genre exploded and now I can play "real" console RPGs like Shadow Hearts Covenant and Digital Devil Saga.
As annoying as it may seem, we need to coerce the mainstream crowd into buying CRPGs. Better graphics is how you do it. It doesn't mean much to "our kind", but it will help us all in the long run.
I should have clarified what I meant in my post. Hardcore CRPG fans like us won't be affected by bad graphics, but we also don't help games make money. "They" know they already have us Gallifrey...the problem is that they don't want "just us". They want mainstream action/RPG fans who notice graphics before depth and plotlines.
The reaosn why Arcanum, Toee, and Planescape suffered (sales-wise anyway) was primarily because the graphics kept the mainstream RPG fans at bay.
I've been accused of being an elitist who hates mainstreamers, i'll admit (Was even fired from admin position at an RPG review site because of my "views") but after seeing the genre begin to die, I've come to grips with the fact that things have to change.
It's sort of like how FF7 saved console RPGs. Personally, I hated it and every FF games that has come out since...but thanks to THAT game the genre exploded and now I can play "real" console RPGs like Shadow Hearts Covenant and Digital Devil Saga.
As annoying as it may seem, we need to coerce the mainstream crowd into buying CRPGs. Better graphics is how you do it. It doesn't mean much to "our kind", but it will help us all in the long run.
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dteowner
I think Arcanum was hurt more by poor balancing than graphics issues. A tech character didn't stand a chance given the lousy damage done by guns and a melee character could rack up XP far too quickly. Shame really, because the game had a lot going for it.
Similar situation with PS:T. Too much reading for the mainstream. The graphics were pretty appropriate for the time the game came out, but mainstream gamers were too lazy to chug thru all the dialog.
Now, ToEE, I'll grant you, was probably most hurt by out-of-date graphics.
Similar situation with PS:T. Too much reading for the mainstream. The graphics were pretty appropriate for the time the game came out, but mainstream gamers were too lazy to chug thru all the dialog.
Now, ToEE, I'll grant you, was probably most hurt by out-of-date graphics.
Arcanum had serious balance problems unfortunately. While I love the game and have been contemplating re-installing it, it is flawed. The biggest problem for me is that instead of making me feel rewarded for choosing a certain character build, I'm left with a whole "what if I had chosen something else" feeling. Which isn't terribly conducive to encouring me to keep playing. So I always get hung up on what sort of character to play.
On the other hand, the sheer diversity of character build options is immense, you can make pretty much anything you want.
As for ToEE, I thought the graphics were fantastic, one of the best parts of the game to me. What hurt the game, in my opinion, was a complete lack of story. Great gameplay (barring a few bugs) but zero story.
On the other hand, the sheer diversity of character build options is immense, you can make pretty much anything you want.
As for ToEE, I thought the graphics were fantastic, one of the best parts of the game to me. What hurt the game, in my opinion, was a complete lack of story. Great gameplay (barring a few bugs) but zero story.
There are worlds out there where the sky is burning. And the sea's asleep and the rivers dream … People made of smoke and cities made of song … Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, somewhere else the tea's getting cold!
I was bored with ToEE by the time it was over; I took the easy win solution just so I could be done with it.
Great looking, great combat, nice sound and atmosphere, but no story, plot or point.
Great looking, great combat, nice sound and atmosphere, but no story, plot or point.
There are worlds out there where the sky is burning. And the sea's asleep and the rivers dream … People made of smoke and cities made of song … Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, somewhere else the tea's getting cold!
I think Oblivion might have the same beneficial effect for RPG's on the PC. It showed that single player RPG's with "cutting edge" graphics still sell. Won't do anything for Eschalon-like games, unfortunately.Larec wrote:It's sort of like how FF7 saved console RPGs. Personally, I hated it and every FF games that has come out since...but thanks to THAT game the genre exploded and now I can play "real" console RPGs like Shadow Hearts Covenant and Digital Devil Saga.
As for NWN2, I'm a big fan of single-player mods, and am writing a single-player conversion mod myself in anticipation of its release. The game community is so HUGE, there's bound to be plenty of SP mods out there. My beef is that so much of their tech forums are taken up by Persistent Worlds questions.
Regarding TOEE, there's a mod in the works based on Keep on the Borderlands: http://www.co8.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=45
When it's done, it won't cost anything but a large amount of your time to download, mostly because of the files for the totally new backgrounds. The combat in that game was the best (IMO) of any squad-type, turn-based game since Jagged Alliance 2.
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Cyclopean - an HP Lovecraft inspired Role-Playing Game
Cyclopean - an HP Lovecraft inspired Role-Playing Game
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BasiliskWrangler
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I can't run NWN2 so I haven't bought it. But from people I know are say it's pretty good. More a spiritual successor to the Baldur's Gate games than a sequel to NWN in terms of gameplay and story.
There seem to be some issues with camera control, and a few bug reports here and there, but I haven't come across and reports of game-stoppers or serious problems.
What I'm curious to know is how it performs on minimum spec systems.
There seem to be some issues with camera control, and a few bug reports here and there, but I haven't come across and reports of game-stoppers or serious problems.
What I'm curious to know is how it performs on minimum spec systems.
There are worlds out there where the sky is burning. And the sea's asleep and the rivers dream … People made of smoke and cities made of song … Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, somewhere else the tea's getting cold!