Obsidian Teases a New RPG

[yaydod]

This looks interesting and i REALLY hope that it is a new IP, so that they can keep the rights to it and make an awesome series out of it.
Because they do not own the rights to the IPs to their other games, we will never see a sequel to Alpha Protocol or Kotor2.

So i hope the 4 stands for the count down and nothing else.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

I also don't get what you mean about the shooting being a die roll.

To simulate varying levels of proficiency, the lower your characters skill with a weapon the less accurate they are are hitting the target you line up, with direction and magnitude of that drift being decided essential by dice rolls.

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

snip

I know, the wait for Skyrim was agonizing (yes, I know that was Beth). Sometimes I wish devs would keep things a secret until a short time before,

Oh, you mean kinda like Valve and the way they treat Half Life 3?

 

[Starke]

I also didn't like Alpha Protocol, mostly because it was full of bugs and the game was a wreck, sneaking was 100% pointless and you weren't penalized for just killing everyone. Also, why do my bullets go all over the place, If I am 8 feet away from someone and I have the crosshair right on their face, why does it hit their shoulder?

- Sneaking wasn't pointless. There is one mission in fact where you get a fantastic perk if you manage it remaining unseen. Failing to stay hidden results in alarms and reinforcements that have an immediate effect on gameplay.
- Your bullets go everywhere because it's an RPG with guns and die rolls, not a shooter with RPG elements. Also, you need to hold your cursor steady for a time (time decreases as skill increases) to get better aim.
- It does penalise you for killing everyone. It penalises you sometimes if you kill a single, specific person. You lose or gain affection with your handler, you miss out on different perks, later missions will be harder because of increased numbers of enemies, a potential friend could become an enemy, you may not get access to some sellers on clearing house, etc.

It wasn't a perfect game by any stretch, though I don't think I encountered many, if any bugs whatsoever, beyond the odd bit of texture pop in. A lot could have been made better (the mini-games, VAing, quicksave instead of checkpoints that prevent you going backwards, more open level design, more weapons and more differences between them). The invisibility thing and regenerating armour thing made no sense in a contemporary setting, even if they work in the genre as a whole.

But it was very far from a wreck. It was, like Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines, Fallout: New Vegas, Borderlands and many others, a flawed gem. A brilliant game, brilliantly made but with some serious flaws. Flaws that were unintentional (bugs, AI issues) or intentional (stupid minigames, menus, story or level design). They're still popular, much loved but failed to live up to their potential. Some like Borderlands get a second shot, others don't get the luck.

Maybe not pointless, but they certainly weren't implemented very well. I did like the conversation thing. I have to say though, the romances were hilariously bad, I didn't bother with any of them after seeing them on youtube.

Also, this may not be the case for everyone, but the AI tended to run into walls and keep running (this happened more than I care to admit)

I also don't get what you mean about the shooting being a die roll. If I line up my shot, the first thing I assume he will hit the target where I have aimed, instead, he hits the shoulder, the entire base is alerted and I get cornered and die. Instead, I just went the Rambo route and beat the mission in no time.

The thing about the romances was, they weren't really romances. Usually it was you getting in someone's pants either because your Thorton is a slimeball, or because he was trying to get something. Honestly, something like Bioware's romances would have been out of character for the genre.

As to aiming? Yeah, I always forget until I fire it up just how poor firearms combat is in that game. Pistols become godlike assassination tools that can be blindfired around corners, while SMGs are worthless, shotguns are painfully limited, and Assault Rifles are awkward sniper weapons...

But still, I do love it for what it tried to do, even if DXHR ended up doing most of that better.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

snip

I know, the wait for Skyrim was agonizing (yes, I know that was Beth). Sometimes I wish devs would keep things a secret until a short time before,

Oh, you mean kinda like Valve and the way they treat Half Life 3?

I'd rather that, than sit here for a year or so drooling over screenies of a game I can't play for aaages

 

[templar1138a]

Whoop-dee-fucking-doo. Come back to me when there's some actual news about this other than Obsidian saying, "Look! LOOK! We're making a new RPG! We're making a new RP- YOU'RE NOT LOOKING! LOOK!"

 

[mooncalf]

Could be anything? I think it'd be cool if project offset was making a comeback.

 

[felbot]

part of me really hopes it is fallout 4, probably something else though, bethesda is far too stupid to let obsidian do it again.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Also, this may not be the case for everyone, but the AI tended to run into walls and keep running (this happened more than I care to admit)

I didn't notice that, but the thing that made me pause was that, unless you are engaged in a firefight with an NPC, they have two states: not alerted and alerted. If an alarm goes off or their friend dies of a bullet to the head they become alerted. Deactivate the alarm and they return completely to unalert (except for some scripted events). You can trigger and disable alarms all you like and the enemies always return to normal state as though nothing is out of the ordinary, despite them being the last man standing surrounded by the bodies of their comrades. The binary behaviour, in the face of overwhelming evidence that something is very much out of the ordinary, was quite jarring.

I also don't get what you mean about the shooting being a die roll. If I line up my shot, the first thing I assume he will hit the target where I have aimed, instead, he hits the shoulder, the entire base is alerted and I get cornered and die. Instead, I just went the Rambo route and beat the mission in no time.

That initial assumption is mistaken. It's an RPG, not a shooter. Your shot goes where your skills and chance tell it to go. Your aim is affected by your skill level, how long you aim before firing, distance, how long you hold the trigger down (AR and SMG), whether you're moving, standing or crouching and more. There is number crunching going on behind the scenes, effectively a To-Hit roll in D&D parlance.

If you tried to play it like a shooter, of course you will be let down. Mass Effect 3 is a shooter with RPG elements (well actually it's a movie with game elements). AP is an RPG with guns. Play the original Deus Ex for a similar experience. Even Borderlands had this feature (albeit less pronounced) where skill increased accuracy, shrinking the reticle based on skill, movement speed and the weapons inherent accuracy. You could easily miss in Borderlands despite your reticle being dead on.

Anyway, it's your prerogative to dislike the game. I loved it and have replayed several times over the years. I hate many features about it and don't hesitate to acknowledge its shortcomings and bad features (I haven't hacked a computer since my first playthru, instead carrying EMP grenades), but a flawed gem is still a gem.

 

[Kahani]

Though if Dungeon Siege 3 is any indication, they seem to have fixed their bug problem.

Although personally if I have to choose between good games with bugs or shit games without bugs, I'd go for the former.

 

[UnderGlass]

Well whatever it is, if they get to build the game from the ground up like they did with Dungeon Siege 3, but with their own IP (pleasepleasepleaseplease), then this could be something really special.

Warts and all Obsidian have made some of my favourite games over the years. I would love to see them take their place at the big people table of the rpg pantheon.

 

[Yopaz]

Wheel of Time RPG?

Regardless, Obsidian's always got my attention.

OK, now that's just mean. I have given up any hope of The Wheel of Time going past books and then you remind me. I guess it's possible seeing Obsidian owns the rights to it, but I doubt it.

 

[Eleima]

Well, they certainly have *my* attention. My money's not on the Wheel of Time theory, though. Looking forward to see what comes next.

 

[The Random One]

I can't wait 4 it!

By which I mean I can and will wait for maybe five years until the community releases an ultimate fix mod. Because Obsidian.

 

[Caedus]

I saw the picture and instantly thought about the Wheel of Time. Might as well start reading them again!

Obsidia, despite the bugs, released great games with impressive stories, I'm confident they'll do it again.

 

[gideonkain]

Word on the street says its Dungeon Siege 4

 

[Agent Larkin]

Wheel of Time RPG?

Want so much.

OT:

I'm guessing some form of fantasy game based off the Fallout New Vegas engine.

However the twist is that it is a post-apocalyptic kinda style.

 

[Phoenix8541]

A new adventure from Tolkiens world?

 

[SajuukKhar]

The real question we must ask ourselves is this.

Can Obsidian, for the first time ever, made a complete game, that is stable, and playable?

 

[CardinalPiggles]

You had me at the words "Obsidian" and "RPG".

Oh boy oh boy.