Multiple Project Eternity's Would Make Obsidian "Happy"

[StewShearerOld]

Multiple Project Eternity's Would Make Obsidian "Happy"

When Obsidian asked if the world wanted a new isometric RPG, gamers responded loudly and with their wallets. Over the course of <a href=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidian/project-eternity/posts/528227?ref=activity>its Kickstarter campaign, Obsidan's Project Eternity would raise nearly four million dollars. Since then, the game has been giving fans of the Infinity Engine hope for a new future of deep, well-written, isometric RPGs. According to Chris Avellone, creative director for Obsidian, that's a future the studio would love to pursue. "If we had multiple isometric hardcore role-playing games going on at the same time, with the scale of Eternity, that is something I think we'd be very very happy about as a studio," said Avellone.

Despite this, Avellone has no misconceptions about what it would take for such prospects to become a reality. Even just a sequel to Project Eternity would depend on "if the first game does well enough and generates enough profit." Which isn't to say that poor sales would doom Project Eternity to be a one shot return to isometric RPGs. "I don't think there is any reason for Obsidian not to approach Kickstarter again," said Avellone. "It's just that if we did, we'd want to have a compelling concept for it."

Even if Project Eternity winds up expanding beyond current plans, Avellone believes there are limits to how far it might go. "I don't know if [Project Eternity] would grow into the console arena," said Avellone. "I wouldn't want to change the format for how Eternity is presented and the more Windows-focused aspects of it." According to Avellone, the mentality driving Project Eternity simply may not be compatible with console gaming. "Our goal was just to make a PC-focused, much more keyboard-driven - something that's a bit more, for want of a better word, old-school. We enjoyed making those old Infinity Engine games. I don't know that they'd work as well on consoles, which was one of the reasons we focused on Windows in the first place."

Source: <a href=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-07-05-project-eternity-as-a-series-could-run-for-eternity>Eurogamer


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[Andrewtheeviscerator]

I don't really see why this couldn't come to consoles at least later on after they finish the game. If controls is the issue then I don't really see it since the new Xcom was on consoles and it controlled fine, and I've been recently replaying the old Fallout and you coud easily play that game with a controller if you really needed to. Something tells me it less of a compatibility thing and more of a "I'm too good for consoles" mentality that a lot of these guys seem to have, which is a shame because I might of cared about this game if it was on a console.

 

[INVALIDUSERNAME]

You know what would make me happy, Obsidian? Putting up the backer site for the game any day now. That'd be cool.

 

[BartyMae]

I don't really see why this couldn't come to consoles at least later on after they finish the game. If controls is the issue then I don't really see it since the new Xcom was on consoles and it controlled fine, and I've been recently replaying the old Fallout and you coud easily play that game with a controller if you really needed to. Something tells me it less of a compatibility thing and more of a "I'm too good for consoles" mentality that a lot of these guys seem to have, which is a shame because I might of cared about this game if it was on a console.

Turn-based tactical games, real time tactical games; turn-based tactical games, real time tactical games...they're a little bit different, methinks.

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

I don't really see why this couldn't come to consoles at least later on after they finish the game. If controls is the issue then I don't really see it since the new Xcom was on consoles and it controlled fine, and I've been recently replaying the old Fallout and you coud easily play that game with a controller if you really needed to. Something tells me it less of a compatibility thing and more of a "I'm too good for consoles" mentality that a lot of these guys seem to have, which is a shame because I might of cared about this game if it was on a console.

This is allegedly going to control more like Icewind Dale or Baldur's Gate, so it's real time, not turn-based. Kinda like RTS style controls, but with fewer units. You can pause the game to stack commands, but still.

It's hard to imagine how it would work. It's based around clicking and hotkeys and stuff. The only modern game I can think of with comparable controls is Dragon Age and the console version controlled very, very differently.

You can use a keyboard and mouse on consoles but I dunno how many people would really bother.

 

[BrotherRool]

"I don't think there is any reason for Obsidian not to approach Kickstarter again," said Avellone, "it's just that if we did, we'd want to have a compelling concept for it."

I find this one interesting, it sounds like they aren't planning to kickstarter a Project Eternity sequel? Is the idea that if it's successful the sales should fund it's own sequel?

I don't really see why this couldn't come to consoles at least later on after they finish the game. If controls is the issue then I don't really see it since the new Xcom was on consoles and it controlled fine, and I've been recently replaying the old Fallout and you coud easily play that game with a controller if you really needed to. Something tells me it less of a compatibility thing and more of a "I'm too good for consoles" mentality that a lot of these guys seem to have, which is a shame because I might of cared about this game if it was on a console.

It's really not, Obsidian really struggle to design console controls for RPGs and they talk about it all the time and in all sorts of circumstances. Whats more, if you play their games you can really see it. When they try to make things console friendly they often end up going way too far and the schemes are still clunky.

I'm a console guy through and through, PCs seem too expensive and too much effort. Whats more I always enjoy playing games more with a controller, even shooters. It comes more naturally to me and thumbsticks always feel much more elegant than WASD. But I can still recognise that Obsidian probably aren't great at designing console control schemes (their history has always been in very inventory, micro-management heavy RPGs). And besides that just as brawlers and hack 'n slashes and racers are better on consoles, their are genres more suited to mouse and keyboard. And menu based stuff like RPGs is often one of them. It can't be denied that most successful modern RPGs have made changes to suit their control scheme better to consoles. You see more games where you don't need to control your party directly, like Mass Effect and inventorys are frequently removed and simplified.

One of the specific examples Chris Avellone gave is party-based battle control. And he's right, on a console it's even more of a pain to cycle through party members and give them orders and tell them to move to specific places. You can't click on a specific guy and then click on a patch of ground he should move to with nearly the same speed. And that's the sort of thing he's thinking about with his games.

EDIT: Sorry looks like you've already received a lot of replies. I didn't mean to flood you

 

[Professor Uzzy]

Excellent news. There was no reason to abandon the isometric RPG in the first place, so I'm glad that we're getting more coming and hopefully more in future.

 

[neppakyo]

Excellent news. There was no reason to abandon the isometric RPG in the first place, so I'm glad that we're getting more coming and hopefully more in future.

^^this

I am in agreement there, I also welcome back micro management of RPG's. Imho, UI and controls for a lot of RPG's have been dumbed down.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Eeh... I dunno.

It's cool that studios like inXile and Obsidian are doing some throwbacks to the days of isometric RPGs, but I'd hate to see a studio with Obsidian's talent doing nothing but isometric RPGs from now on. They had their time back in the day, it's cool they're getting some love now, but Obsidian has the ability to do so much more. New Vegas may have been a buggy game, but it also far surpassed FO3 in bringing the Fallout setting into a large, three dimensional game.

Isometric RPGs at this point are inherently retro. I'd love to see what Obsidian could do when they're trying to move RPGs forward, not relive the games they made ten-twenty years ago.

Again, I've no problem with what they're doing now, and I'm sure Eternity will be a great game. But don't get too coked up on nostalgia Obsidian. People still want three-dimensional role-playing games with a sense of immmersion and exploration, and no other studio can make those with the same attention to narrative depth as you guys.

The thing is that many of us "computer roleplayers" (but not all by far) have our roots in pen and paper RPGs and miniature games. In those settings an "isometric" view of the game board is pretty much all you can get, since everyone is usually standing or sitting around a table where plastic figurines are put onto grid-pattern paper or crudely made "scenery". For us the isometric perspective isn't dated or past its' prime, but rather integral to the feeling of some rpgs.

I mean, I loved Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas just as much as Fallout and Fallout 2 and I have no beef with first person or third person rpgs (as my 200+ hours in Skyrim attests). But I think that to label games utilizing the isometric perspective as "retro" is to miss the point. It is a design choice like any other and if there's anything Wasteland 2, Project Eternity and Torment: Tides of Numenera has shown us it is that many gamers really want games that utilize the isometric perspective.

 

[Carrots_macduff]

I don't really see why this couldn't come to consoles at least later on after they finish the game. If controls is the issue then I don't really see it since the new Xcom was on consoles and it controlled fine, and I've been recently replaying the old Fallout and you coud easily play that game with a controller if you really needed to. Something tells me it less of a compatibility thing and more of a "I'm too good for consoles" mentality that a lot of these guys seem to have, which is a shame because I might of cared about this game if it was on a console.

how exactly would classic fallout work with a controller?
using analog stick to control the cursor? that sounds like a nightmare to me.

also this "im too good for consoles" claim is groundless since all but one of obsidians games have been ported to consoles,
and besides, obviously its crpgs that are too good for consoles, not obsidian

 

[spartandude]

it may be possible to do a console port, but it would have to be heavily modifeied and work more like KotOR than Baldurs Gate

 

[Quellist]

Excellent news. There was no reason to abandon the isometric RPG in the first place, so I'm glad that we're getting more coming and hopefully more in future.

^^this

I am in agreement there, I also welcome back micro management of RPG's. Imho, UI and controls for a lot of RPG's have been dumbed down.

This too! The nearest I saw to that on a console was the original Mass Effect. I loved spending time tweaking my party's gear...so many skills and powers, so many different amps, guns, ammo and upgrade combinations and the armour/shields too, total character customisation, It was almost too good to be true....Then ME 2 came along and ruined everything.

Considering how old school Mass Effect was and how well it sold I think there is definitely room for hardcore RPG's on consoles, true isometric RPGs might be a harder sell but I'm pretty sure there would be a market for them.

 

[Entitled]

Something tells me it less of a compatibility thing and more of a "I'm too good for consoles" mentality that a lot of these guys seem to have, which is a shame because I might of cared about this game if it was on a console.

Beyond what everyone else replied about PC controls being justified in this case, this part sticked out to me. Why is the game's PC exclusivity stopping you from caring about it?

It's an isometric 2.5D game, I'm sure it could be ran by whatever laptop, or office quality desktop you are writing this from.

Or are you just too good for PCs?

 

[Professor Uzzy]

This too! The nearest I saw to that on a console was the original Mass Effect. I loved spending time tweaking my party's gear...so many skills and powers, so many different amps, guns, ammo and upgrade combinations and the armour/shields too, total character customisation, It was almost too good to be true....Then ME 2 came along and ruined everything.

Considering how old school Mass Effect was and how well it sold I think there is definitely room for hardcore RPG's on consoles, true isometric RPGs might be a harder sell but I'm pretty sure there would be a market for them.

Well, Dragon Age Origins was old school in it's approach too, and sold very well. Of course, just like Mass Effect, Bioware managed to ruin an effective formula.

Not that I have any problem with the more cinematic games, but I do resent having options for role-playing stripped away from role-playing games and it being called progress.

 

[Pinky's Brain]

With autopause a game like this is a shoe in for tablets (maybe wiiu as well) much moreso than consoles.

 

[LordMonty]

I like getting more games like Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale. I backed Wasteland, Project Eturnity and Torment just to mention a few and cannot wait. I hope they do well comercially but time will tell how many RPG fans really like these sorts of games nowadays

 

[Quellist]

This too! The nearest I saw to that on a console was the original Mass Effect. I loved spending time tweaking my party's gear...so many skills and powers, so many different amps, guns, ammo and upgrade combinations and the armour/shields too, total character customisation, It was almost too good to be true....Then ME 2 came along and ruined everything.

Considering how old school Mass Effect was and how well it sold I think there is definitely room for hardcore RPG's on consoles, true isometric RPGs might be a harder sell but I'm pretty sure there would be a market for them.

Well, Dragon Age Origins was old school in it's approach too, and sold very well. Of course, just like Mass Effect, Bioware managed to ruin an effective formula.

Not that I have any problem with the more cinematic games, but I do resent having options for role-playing stripped away from role-playing games and it being called progress.

Ah I forgot how good the original Dragon Age was after the disaster that was 2. Sad how Bioware flushed their RPG credentials down the loo after so many years of excellence

 

[Sidmen]

I always wondered why Consoles didn't just sell a Mouse/Keyboard peripheral for strategy and other isometric games. I mean, Guitar hero and the like get away with selling the plastic guitars - so why not...

I mean, yeah, it might annoy people who didn't read the box, but I gotta figure that most would know before they bought the game.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Still don't know why they didn't make it 3D. I'm all for these kinds of RPG's gameplay wise and everything but dat fixed camera.