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The eds and writers at Gamecenter.com aren't exactly the greatest source for true gaming information. The purist and hardcore gamers get their information from sites dedicated to their favorite type of gaming, even to the point of shunning the psuedo-targetted gaming sites like the GameSpy network (www.planetquake.com, www.planetunreal.com, etc).

The future of the gaming industry is my forte. Hell, it'll be my thesis when I hit the point where I want a doctorate. And believe me when I say that the biggest cause of any genre of game "dying off", as they put it, is due to corporate and VC pressure to stick to things that they know work. Gaming companies are less likely to go out on a limb and innovate in their games. The few that do don't end up with the funding for the mainstream marketting thats needed to compete with the big publishes. Its alot like the music industry right now - except no Napster.

Gaming is becomming more and more about making profits than it is about making games. Companies are producing things that are very much clones of things that sold well. Instead of trying to recreate a good engine, and possibly comming up with new interesting innovations, the companies opt to simply license the engine and make minor upgrades to it. Look at all the various commercial games (not player-made mods) that came out on the Quake2 engine. It was pathetic in my opinion. The only game using the Q2 engine which caught my attention was KingPin: Life of Crime, and still that was only a so-so game. It was only different in that it offered much more of a story than the others.

Its the large publishers like Interplay and Sierra who are just drowning the game market with these 2-bit titles based on other games. And its these clones that are tiring players out, and confusing them. Titles that are truly different from the pack get hidden behind the clones. FPS games like Rainbow Six and its sequel Rogue Spear that were very much different from the fragfests of Quake didn't get noticed. But games like Soldier of Fortune take the spotlight because they're using the hottest latest (licensed) engine, when all they're really doing is adding some new graphics and more blood and making the genre a little more stale.

What game design teams really need to do is stop producing clones of other peoples' work, and start working on their own innovations and interesting games. Licensing of engines is fine, when done to a degree and when signifigant changes to the original game are made. Quality games are becomming more and more difficult to find due to the flood of clones. Not all licensed engines turn into junk games, but the amount of them coming out is making it very difficult for gamers to choose which ones to own and which to ignore. If an avid RPG gamer who enjoyed Baldur's Gate decides she wants to play more of those games, does she purchase IceWind Dale or Planescape: Torment, or the Tales of Sword Coast? In my opinion, Planescape: Torment blows the others away, even the original Baldurs Gate. But reviewers can't tell you if you'll like a game or not, or if you'll like it better than another game (and this is only made worse by reviewers who sell out to game companies or to generate clicks).


More and more games are going online. As an AI designer I can understand this. Its very difficult to write an AI which gets close to simulating a real opponent without using too much cpu power. Also, online games provide the sense of community and friendly rivalry that is lacking in singleplayer games. But the online world still suffers from the same problems that the singleplayer world suffers from. Funding is not provided to game companies with a radically different idea.

The original NeverWinter Nights was a superb game. It had a large base of absolutely fanatical players. AOL made one of their biggest mistakes by shutting it down. With modern network technology the original NWN could become 10x's what it was limited to on AOL. But no game company now would be willing to do that, because it isn't "safe" for them to do so. The companies see that there aren't enough clones of the original NWN around to make it a surefire sale. Its ironic that NWN, something alot of people who've played it consider pivitol, was only created due to alot of GoldBox clones.. In other words, it takes a saturation of clones in order for a game to become worth of support by a publisher. But its the saturation of clones that confuses gamers and makes them bored of the genre.

More power to the Garage Developers. More power to Forgotten World, Shattered Galaxy, and all design teams that can create thier ideas from scratch.

The eds and writers at Gamecenter.com aren't exactly the greatest source for true gaming information. The purist and hardcore gamers get their information from sites dedicated to their favorite type of gaming, even to the point of shunning the psuedo-targetted gaming sites like the GameSpy network (www.planetquake.com, www.planetunreal.com, etc).

The future of the gaming industry is my forte. Hell, it'll be my thesis when I hit the point where I want a doctorate. And believe me when I say that the biggest cause of any genre of game "dying off", as they put it, is due to corporate and VC pressure to stick to things that they know work. Gaming companies are less likely to go out on a limb and innovate in their games. The few that do don't end up with the funding for the mainstream marketting thats needed to compete with the big publishes. Its alot like the music industry right now - except no Napster.

Gaming is becomming more and more about making profits than it is about making games. Companies are producing things that are very much clones of things that sold well. Instead of trying to recreate a good engine, and possibly comming up with new interesting innovations, the companies opt to simply license the engine and make minor upgrades to it. Look at all the various commercial games (not player-made mods) that came out on the Quake2 engine. It was pathetic in my opinion. The only game using the Q2 engine which caught my attention was KingPin: Life of Crime, and still that was only a so-so game. It was only different in that it offered much more of a story than the others.

Its the large publishers like Interplay and Sierra who are just drowning the game market with these 2-bit titles based on other games. And its these clones that are tiring players out, and confusing them. Titles that are truly different from the pack get hidden behind the clones. FPS games like Rainbow Six and its sequel Rogue Spear that were very much different from the fragfests of Quake didn't get noticed. But games like Soldier of Fortune take the spotlight because they're using the hottest latest (licensed) engine, when all they're really doing is adding some new graphics and more blood and making the genre a little more stale.

What game design teams really need to do is stop producing clones of other peoples' work, and start working on their own innovations and interesting games. Licensing of engines is fine, when done to a degree and when signifigant changes to the original game are made. Quality games are becomming more and more difficult to find due to the flood of clones. Not all licensed engines turn into junk games, but the amount of them coming out is making it very difficult for gamers to choose which ones to own and which to ignore. If an avid RPG gamer who enjoyed Baldur's Gate decides she wants to play more of those games, does she purchase IceWind Dale or Planescape: Torment, or the Tales of Sword Coast? In my opinion, Planescape: Torment blows the others away, even the original Baldurs Gate. But reviewers can't tell you if you'll like a game or not, or if you'll like it better than another game (and this is only made worse by reviewers who sell out to game companies or to generate clicks).


More and more games are going online. As an AI designer I can understand this. Its very difficult to write an AI which gets close to simulating a real opponent without using too much cpu power. Also, online games provide the sense of community and friendly rivalry that is lacking in singleplayer games. But the online world still suffers from the same problems that the singleplayer world suffers from. Funding is not provided to game companies with a radically different idea.

The original NeverWinter Nights was a superb game. It had a large base of absolutely fanatical players. AOL made one of their biggest mistakes by shutting it down. With modern network technology the original NWN could become 10x's what it was limited to on AOL. But no game company now would be willing to do that, because it isn't "safe" for them to do so. The companies see that there aren't enough clones of the original NWN around to make it a surefire sale. Its ironic that NWN, something alot of people who've played it consider pivitol, was only created due to alot of GoldBox clones.. In other words, it takes a saturation of clones in order for a game to become worth of support by a publisher. But its the saturation of clones that confuses gamers and makes them bored of the genre.

More power to the Garage Developers. More power to Forgotten World, Shattered Galaxy, and all design teams that can create thier ideas from scratch.

The eds and writers at Gamecenter.com aren't exactly the greatest source for true gaming information. The purist and hardcore gamers get their information from sites dedicated to their favorite type of gaming, even to the point of shunning the psuedo-targetted gaming sites like the GameSpy network (www.planetquake.com, www.planetunreal.com, etc).

The future of the gaming industry is my forte. Hell, it'll be my thesis when I hit the point where I want a doctorate. And believe me when I say that the biggest cause of any genre of game "dying off", as they put it, is due to corporate and VC pressure to stick to things that they know work. Gaming companies are less likely to go out on a limb and innovate in their games. The few that do don't end up with the funding for the mainstream marketting thats needed to compete with the big publishes. Its alot like the music industry right now - except no Napster.

Gaming is becomming more and more about making profits than it is about making games. Companies are producing things that are very much clones of things that sold well. Instead of trying to recreate a good engine, and possibly comming up with new interesting innovations, the companies opt to simply license the engine and make minor upgrades to it. Look at all the various commercial games (not player-made mods) that came out on the Quake2 engine. It was pathetic in my opinion. The only game using the Q2 engine which caught my attention was KingPin: Life of Crime, and still that was only a so-so game. It was only different in that it offered much more of a story than the others.

Its the large publishers like Interplay and Sierra who are just drowning the game market with these 2-bit titles based on other games. And its these clones that are tiring players out, and confusing them. Titles that are truly different from the pack get hidden behind the clones. FPS games like Rainbow Six and its sequel Rogue Spear that were very much different from the fragfests of Quake didn't get noticed. But games like Soldier of Fortune take the spotlight because they're using the hottest latest (licensed) engine, when all they're really doing is adding some new graphics and more blood and making the genre a little more stale.

What game design teams really need to do is stop producing clones of other peoples' work, and start working on their own innovations and interesting games. Licensing of engines is fine, when done to a degree and when signifigant changes to the original game are made. Quality games are becomming more and more difficult to find due to the flood of clones. Not all licensed engines turn into junk games, but the amount of them coming out is making it very difficult for gamers to choose which ones to own and which to ignore. If an avid RPG gamer who enjoyed Baldur's Gate decides she wants to play more of those games, does she purchase IceWind Dale or Planescape: Torment, or the Tales of Sword Coast? In my opinion, Planescape: Torment blows the others away, even the original Baldurs Gate. But reviewers can't tell you if you'll like a game or not, or if you'll like it better than another game (and this is only made worse by reviewers who sell out to game companies or to generate clicks).


More and more games are going online. As an AI designer I can understand this. Its very difficult to write an AI which gets close to simulating a real opponent without using too much cpu power. Also, online games provide the sense of community and friendly rivalry that is lacking in singleplayer games. But the online world still suffers from the same problems that the singleplayer world suffers from. Funding is not provided to game companies with a radically different idea.

The original NeverWinter Nights was a superb game. It had a large base of absolutely fanatical players. AOL made one of their biggest mistakes by shutting it down. With modern network technology the original NWN could become 10x's what it was limited to on AOL. But no game company now would be willing to do that, because it isn't "safe" for them to do so. The companies see that there aren't enough clones of the original NWN around to make it a surefire sale. Its ironic that NWN, something alot of people who've played it consider pivitol, was only created due to alot of GoldBox clones.. In other words, it takes a saturation of clones in order for a game to become worth of support by a publisher. But its the saturation of clones that confuses gamers and makes them bored of the genre.

More power to the Garage Developers. More power to Forgotten World, Shattered Galaxy, and all design teams that can create thier ideas from scratch.

The eds and writers at Gamecenter.com aren't exactly the greatest source for true gaming information. The purist and hardcore gamers get their information from sites dedicated to their favorite type of gaming, even to the point of shunning the psuedo-targetted gaming sites like the GameSpy network (www.planetquake.com, www.planetunreal.com, etc).

The future of the gaming industry is my forte. Hell, it'll be my thesis when I hit the point where I want a doctorate. And believe me when I say that the biggest cause of any genre of game "dying off", as they put it, is due to corporate and VC pressure to stick to things that they know work. Gaming companies are less likely to go out on a limb and innovate in their games. The few that do don't end up with the funding for the mainstream marketting thats needed to compete with the big publishes. Its alot like the music industry right now - except no Napster.

Gaming is becomming more and more about making profits than it is about making games. Companies are producing things that are very much clones of things that sold well. Instead of trying to recreate a good engine, and possibly comming up with new interesting innovations, the companies opt to simply license the engine and make minor upgrades to it. Look at all the various commercial games (not player-made mods) that came out on the Quake2 engine. It was pathetic in my opinion. The only game using the Q2 engine which caught my attention was KingPin: Life of Crime, and still that was only a so-so game. It was only different in that it offered much more of a story than the others.

Its the large publishers like Interplay and Sierra who are just drowning the game market with these 2-bit titles based on other games. And its these clones that are tiring players out, and confusing them. Titles that are truly different from the pack get hidden behind the clones. FPS games like Rainbow Six and its sequel Rogue Spear that were very much different from the fragfests of Quake didn't get noticed. But games like Soldier of Fortune take the spotlight because they're using the hottest latest (licensed) engine, when all they're really doing is adding some new graphics and more blood and making the genre a little more stale.

What game design teams really need to do is stop producing clones of other peoples' work, and start working on their own innovations and interesting games. Licensing of engines is fine, when done to a degree and when signifigant changes to the original game are made. Quality games are becomming more and more difficult to find due to the flood of clones. Not all licensed engines turn into junk games, but the amount of them coming out is making it very difficult for gamers to choose which ones to own and which to ignore. If an avid RPG gamer who enjoyed Baldur's Gate decides she wants to play more of those games, does she purchase IceWind Dale or Planescape: Torment, or the Tales of Sword Coast? In my opinion, Planescape: Torment blows the others away, even the original Baldurs Gate. But reviewers can't tell you if you'll like a game or not, or if you'll like it better than another game (and this is only made worse by reviewers who sell out to game companies or to generate clicks).


More and more games are going online. As an AI designer I can understand this. Its very difficult to write an AI which gets close to simulating a real opponent without using too much cpu power. Also, online games provide the sense of community and friendly rivalry that is lacking in singleplayer games. But the online world still suffers from the same problems that the singleplayer world suffers from. Funding is not provided to game companies with a radically different idea.

The original NeverWinter Nights was a superb game. It had a large base of absolutely fanatical players. AOL made one of their biggest mistakes by shutting it down. With modern network technology the original NWN could become 10x's what it was limited to on AOL. But no game company now would be willing to do that, because it isn't "safe" for them to do so. The companies see that there aren't enough clones of the original NWN around to make it a surefire sale. Its ironic that NWN, something alot of people who've played it consider pivitol, was only created due to alot of GoldBox clones.. In other words, it takes a saturation of clones in order for a game to become worth of support by a publisher. But its the saturation of clones that confuses gamers and makes them bored of the genre.

More power to the Garage Developers. More power to Forgotten World, Shattered Galaxy, and all design teams that can create thier ideas from scratch.

Whilst I know that I'm going to find scant support amongst a demographic known for its irreverance and disdain for tried and tested knowledge,

and a plethora of trolls who wouldn't know tried and tested knowledge if it bit them on the butt.

(But hey, I'm bored...)

I have to say that I'd honestly thought that Dungeons & Dragons had gone the way of the dodo many years ago.

That's why there's not one but two computer games based on the game system, with more to come?

When was the last time that anyone heard anything about D&D or its equally dubious successor, Magic the Gathering?

Well, Wizards of the Coast will be releasing the 3rd edition for Dungeons and Dragons in about 2 weeks, so expect to hear more about it. As for Magic the Gathering, well, they show the tournaments on EPSN2 of all places.

I had thought that roleplaying was an eighties fad whose time was thankfully past,

Not bloody likely.

Now the cycle of fantasy starts again, as this is sure to turn more youngsters from wholesome persuits to playing a game which teachings that violence and dark arts are tools for success, and that the acquisition of wealth makes you a better person.

God would I have loved to have been the first to post with the NFL crack, but there was a good point -- there are far more "socially acceptable" hobbies and interests which teach some rather poor morals.

In fact, Tracy (Dragonlance trilogy co-author) Hickamn wrote an excellent essay on morality and role-playing that I show to people whenever this topic comes up.

I'm with BADD on this one - these games teach dangerous morals to the people that are most vulnerable.

It's funny you should mention BADD -- Michael Stackpole (genre author and part of the Industry Watch segment of GAMA, the gaming industry's trade association) compiled The Pulling Report which investigates the claims of Pat Pulling (the founder of BADD) and rather expertly debunks her allegations and attacks her credibility as a "cult crime investigator".

For more on GAMA's point of view, check out their Q&A about role-playing games, with the rather interesting factoid:

"One of the more persistent claims is that role-playing games has caused teens to commit suicide. The Center for Disease Control conducted an extensive study of teen suicide and found no evidence to link role-playing games with suicide. Investigations by the Association of Gifted and Creative Children (Dublin, CA), the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (the Bronx, NY), and the American Association of Suicidology (Denver, CO) have likewise found no evidence that games encourage suicide.

Moreover, researchers point out that the most heavily weighted factor in determining a child's suicide potential is whether or not he is a loner. Participation in a group activity of any sort sharply reduces that potential. It also provides a circle of friends who can pick up on any unusual behavior and encourage their friend to get help when there is a crisis."

Jay (=

Whilst I know that I'm going to find scant support amongst a demographic known for its irreverance and disdain for tried and tested knowledge,

and a plethora of trolls who wouldn't know tried and tested knowledge if it bit them on the butt.

(But hey, I'm bored...)

I have to say that I'd honestly thought that Dungeons & Dragons had gone the way of the dodo many years ago.

That's why there's not one but two computer games based on the game system, with more to come?

When was the last time that anyone heard anything about D&D or its equally dubious successor, Magic the Gathering?

Well, Wizards of the Coast will be releasing the 3rd edition for Dungeons and Dragons in about 2 weeks, so expect to hear more about it. As for Magic the Gathering, well, they show the tournaments on EPSN2 of all places.

I had thought that roleplaying was an eighties fad whose time was thankfully past,

Not bloody likely.

Now the cycle of fantasy starts again, as this is sure to turn more youngsters from wholesome persuits to playing a game which teachings that violence and dark arts are tools for success, and that the acquisition of wealth makes you a better person.

God would I have loved to have been the first to post with the NFL crack, but there was a good point -- there are far more "socially acceptable" hobbies and interests which teach some rather poor morals.

In fact, Tracy (Dragonlance trilogy co-author) Hickamn wrote an excellent essay on morality and role-playing that I show to people whenever this topic comes up.

I'm with BADD on this one - these games teach dangerous morals to the people that are most vulnerable.

It's funny you should mention BADD -- Michael Stackpole (genre author and part of the Industry Watch segment of GAMA, the gaming industry's trade association) compiled The Pulling Report which investigates the claims of Pat Pulling (the founder of BADD) and rather expertly debunks her allegations and attacks her credibility as a "cult crime investigator".

For more on GAMA's point of view, check out their Q&A about role-playing games, with the rather interesting factoid:

"One of the more persistent claims is that role-playing games has caused teens to commit suicide. The Center for Disease Control conducted an extensive study of teen suicide and found no evidence to link role-playing games with suicide. Investigations by the Association of Gifted and Creative Children (Dublin, CA), the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (the Bronx, NY), and the American Association of Suicidology (Denver, CO) have likewise found no evidence that games encourage suicide.

Moreover, researchers point out that the most heavily weighted factor in determining a child's suicide potential is whether or not he is a loner. Participation in a group activity of any sort sharply reduces that potential. It also provides a circle of friends who can pick up on any unusual behavior and encourage their friend to get help when there is a crisis."

Jay (=

Whilst I know that I'm going to find scant support amongst a demographic known for its irreverance and disdain for tried and tested knowledge,

and a plethora of trolls who wouldn't know tried and tested knowledge if it bit them on the butt.

(But hey, I'm bored...)

I have to say that I'd honestly thought that Dungeons & Dragons had gone the way of the dodo many years ago.

That's why there's not one but two computer games based on the game system, with more to come?

When was the last time that anyone heard anything about D&D or its equally dubious successor, Magic the Gathering?

Well, Wizards of the Coast will be releasing the 3rd edition for Dungeons and Dragons in about 2 weeks, so expect to hear more about it. As for Magic the Gathering, well, they show the tournaments on EPSN2 of all places.

I had thought that roleplaying was an eighties fad whose time was thankfully past,

Not bloody likely.

Now the cycle of fantasy starts again, as this is sure to turn more youngsters from wholesome persuits to playing a game which teachings that violence and dark arts are tools for success, and that the acquisition of wealth makes you a better person.

God would I have loved to have been the first to post with the NFL crack, but there was a good point -- there are far more "socially acceptable" hobbies and interests which teach some rather poor morals.

In fact, Tracy (Dragonlance trilogy co-author) Hickamn wrote an excellent essay on morality and role-playing that I show to people whenever this topic comes up.

I'm with BADD on this one - these games teach dangerous morals to the people that are most vulnerable.

It's funny you should mention BADD -- Michael Stackpole (genre author and part of the Industry Watch segment of GAMA, the gaming industry's trade association) compiled The Pulling Report which investigates the claims of Pat Pulling (the founder of BADD) and rather expertly debunks her allegations and attacks her credibility as a "cult crime investigator".

For more on GAMA's point of view, check out their Q&A about role-playing games, with the rather interesting factoid:

"One of the more persistent claims is that role-playing games has caused teens to commit suicide. The Center for Disease Control conducted an extensive study of teen suicide and found no evidence to link role-playing games with suicide. Investigations by the Association of Gifted and Creative Children (Dublin, CA), the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (the Bronx, NY), and the American Association of Suicidology (Denver, CO) have likewise found no evidence that games encourage suicide.

Moreover, researchers point out that the most heavily weighted factor in determining a child's suicide potential is whether or not he is a loner. Participation in a group activity of any sort sharply reduces that potential. It also provides a circle of friends who can pick up on any unusual behavior and encourage their friend to get help when there is a crisis."

Jay (=

From Interplay and their studio, Black Isle, with an engine from Bioware, comes Icewind Dale, the latest AD&D RPG, a sort of follow up to Baldur's Gate and Tales of the Sword Coast (the expansion pack).

From Interplay and their studio, Black Isle, with an engine from Bioware, comes Icewind Dale, the latest AD&D RPG, a sort of follow up to Baldur's Gate and Tales of the Sword Coast (the expansion pack).

Loki has been announcing the creation of ports for more and more games, which is awesome. At this rate Loki will need a lot more programmers to handle all of their projects.

However, Linux gaming will never have a chance against Windows until they are released at about the same time. Descent 3, Civ: CTP, and other Loki games are out all well after the Windows version. I think it's unreasonable to expect Linux gamers who really want to get into a game to have to buy the Windows version and then repurchase the game for Linux (this is my understanding of what must be done). According to The Official Descent 3 Page, Descent 3 has been out since June 11, 1999. In other words, I can't imagine the market for this game being very high, considering most of the people who really wanted this game already have it. I know if I did I wouldn't be inclined to buy it again just to keep from rebooting.

A nameless evil company (read: Microsoft) is behind a huge conspiracy to produce games for Linux-based operating systems. They try to get us free software hackers to waste all of our time shooting down Humunculi as they sit back and laugh, watching the kernel fall apart. Do not fall in to this pernicious trap!

Yeah, only theirs, which looks nothing like this:
http://feedback.interplay.c om/fallout/images/back1a.jpg

The lessons teach you a few new constructs, then direct you to build/modify games using those features.

Writing games you can play is powerful motivation! I bought it for my 11-yr-old and he seems to like it.

It's already been done in Redneck Rampage, another simulation of sorts which puts you in the body of someone with an odd number of chromosomes.

Any game with "Drink Beer" and "Take A Leak" buttons is ok in my book.

I saw Diablo in the store and it seemed fun, a nice 'entry' level CRPG, and most importantly it was available at a time when there really weren't many CRPGs out there. I picked it up and it was nice (although it still has one of my favorite "Murphy's Rules": You cant wear a piece of armor because your not strong enough, but you can lug it around in your backpack :). I picked up Hellfire soon after it came out and it was good (heavenly choir sounds).

Then Baldurs Gate apeared on the scene and Diablo was quickly forgotten. Baldur's Gate had a few problems, and only supported the AD&D system through about 6th level. Then they released Tales of the Sword Coast as an expansion pack. This included all 3rd and 4th level spells, still not complete but nicely implimented. Now they are getting ready to relase Baldur's Gate 2 which includes even more features, should be mindblowing graphically (the original came on 5 CDs and the Expansion was a 6th, mostly packed with hand painted backgrounds and beautifully animated monsters), and is projected to hit the stores in the later half of this year (not counting the other projects underway from Interplay's RPG division Black Isle). I think Diablo II might have been phenominal if it had come out when intended. Now I have a feeling it might seem lackluster next to its 'competition'.
Does this mean I won't buy it? Probably not, there are still too few serious CRPGs out there :)

I saw Diablo in the store and it seemed fun, a nice 'entry' level CRPG, and most importantly it was available at a time when there really weren't many CRPGs out there. I picked it up and it was nice (although it still has one of my favorite "Murphy's Rules": You cant wear a piece of armor because your not strong enough, but you can lug it around in your backpack :). I picked up Hellfire soon after it came out and it was good (heavenly choir sounds).

Then Baldurs Gate apeared on the scene and Diablo was quickly forgotten. Baldur's Gate had a few problems, and only supported the AD&D system through about 6th level. Then they released Tales of the Sword Coast as an expansion pack. This included all 3rd and 4th level spells, still not complete but nicely implimented. Now they are getting ready to relase Baldur's Gate 2 which includes even more features, should be mindblowing graphically (the original came on 5 CDs and the Expansion was a 6th, mostly packed with hand painted backgrounds and beautifully animated monsters), and is projected to hit the stores in the later half of this year (not counting the other projects underway from Interplay's RPG division Black Isle). I think Diablo II might have been phenominal if it had come out when intended. Now I have a feeling it might seem lackluster next to its 'competition'.
Does this mean I won't buy it? Probably not, there are still too few serious CRPGs out there :)

I'd like a 3DGUI (love those acronyms) that was like a current 2d desktop, but in which you could zoom in and out through windows (with a little but not too much much transparency). The quake styled run through subdirectories wouldn't work for me, it's practically 2d anyway (as 2d as earth is, anyways). A better model would be the non-gravity Descent engine, although the control complexity would just screw over most users.

But that doesn't mean I wouldn't want to try it ;)

Delete file! Fire Photon Torpedos!



"stop adding baby to bottom of every damm sentence you cow"

Interplay sells a BASIC primer.
http://www.interplay.com/basic/index.html