Slashdot Mirror
Neverwinter Nights Coming in June
dextr0us writes "The apocalypse has come. Neverwinter Nights beat Duke Nukem Forever to the release floor. According to Neverwinter Nights Official Site it seems that they are taking pre orders, and the official date for the pre orders is 6/25/02. As a fan of pen-n-paper, without the geekiness, Neverwinter Nights solves my dilemma!" Update: 03/25 12:38 GMT by Hemos :Just a small note: I'm still available for beta-testing. *grin* CT: Hemos is not available for beta-testing. He
has work to do first ;)
It has to be great because it's talked about? Black & White anyone? I'd wait for the review in one of the more reputable mags.
In fact, these days I rarely buy any games before they hit the mid-price mark. You get them cheaper and with quite a few bugs less.
As for comparison to IRL role playing.. If we can use such a term.. If you remove the social aspect, what are you left with?
Having just replayed Baldur's Gate, I was amused to find a reference to NVN being 'released soon'. I bought my copy of BG back in 1998! ;-)
Anyway, I'm looking forward to it as much as anyone else...
The 25th of June? I'm sorry to say so, but if the gaming industry has proved one thing, it is that they almost never release games in time. No, this isn't a troll, it's just a fact.
:) ) if that wasn't the case.
Take for instance the example used in this topic: Duke Nukem Forever. I don't know it exactly but it must be in production for more than FIVE years. And in those five years many release dates (or periods, like the end of 2002) have been set. Although DNF is maybe a bit of an extreme example, I know of almost no games that have been released in time.
Only when release dates are set within a month or so, you can be reasonably sure the game will be released in time.
June is (for the gaming industry) still a long time away, my bet is that it will get postponed. I'd be truly suprised (and happy
Really, it's coming in June now. Honest. We swear it.
;)
*ahem*
slashdot!=valid HTML
"As a fan of pen-n-paper, without the geekiness, Neverwinter Nights solves my dilemma!"
;)
Aaaarggh... we've been invaded by jocks!!
This comes as no surprise whatsoever. I appreciate that 3D Realms want to make DNF a jaw droppingly good game, but dont they realise that people are just losing interest? This year is going to be a good year for gaming fans with many quality titles hitting the shelves.. maybe 3DR should get out of their shell ("We'll release it when its done") and just announce a freaking date.
"Hey! Unless this is a nude love-in, get the hell off my property!!"
I've been drooling for NWN to come out for ages now. I think this will blow unsurpassed life into D&D again: - Dicerolling is all done by the poor computer. - Getting people to be able to come over on the same day as well as longer term reliability is much easier. - No more arguments about "I was behind 90% cover, honest!" What fireballs you is what you sweat. - The unique semi-P2P setup of the game will allow for a vast realm to come into existence. Based on the screenshots and the other facts they gave us I think NWN will be one of the greatest games to come out for the coming five years; the sheer scope of the conept (D&D and nead-limitless creativity) allows for immense replay value. Come to think of it, has anyone heard anything BAD about NWN? - Jynx
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it well worth the effort.
My summer will definitely be great now!
Since the release is expected to run on Windows, Mac and Linux, be sure to tick the Operating Systems selection when you register the game. Stand up and be counted!
From the FAQ (which seems to have vanished..):
Here's hoping...
No, I did not read the f***ing article!
Go for the eyes Boo, Go For The Eyes!!!
Anyone know if this is going to be released natively for Linux? I understand the video is all OpenGL ... God I hope Bioware take a leaf out of Carmack's book on this one.
:)
Q3A and RTCW are the only games I play now, cause I just can't bear to select the god awful Windows option at the LILO prompt
>"..As a fan of pen-n-paper, without the geekiness, Neverwinter Nights solves my dilemma!"
.. (IMHO)
I must say I am not very informed about the features of Neverwinter.. but computer RPG will not reach my expectations before they actually provide an option of having a live Dungeon Master (Gamemaster or whatever) in the session..
It is the DM / GM aspect of the storytelling I liked the most. When one can have a DM to make human randomized events happen in a computer game RPG I'll finally have the digitized Pen & Paper experience I always wanted. Diablo, Baldurs Gate, even Dungeon Keeper, all were good but failed on that particular point
life+universe+everything=42
I mean, pen and paper RPG without the geekiness? That's like french fries without fat, Microsoft software without bugs... *rimshot*. They probably just bit the bullet after all these wasted years and made the geekiest game in history. Which will still sell like mad; they've had an eternity to hype it and take pre-orders, after all.
Rock over London, Rock on Chicago. Wheaties: Breakfast of Champions.
"but (a) computer RPG will not reach my expectations before they actually provide an option of having a live Dungeon Master (Gamemaster or whatever) in the session.. "
Done. Neverwinter is designed specifically to allow this. With a set of rich and robust powerful tools allowing the DM to change the entire adventure while you are in it.
GPL'd web-based tradewars themed space game
Neverwinter Nights
Other products by Infogrames Entertainment
List Price: $54.99
Our Price: $49.99
You Save: $5.00 (9%)
Platform: Linux, Windows 98 / NT / 2000 / Me
This item will be released on June 26, 2002. You may order it now and we will ship it to you when it arrives.
scuz me? I dont think this hobby (pen and paper rpg) is any more geeky than playing a game on a computer.
tell my ex marine buddy that he is a geek, and he'll drive his size 11 combat boot up your nose, tell my truck driving friend that he is a geek and he will drive his big rig over you. in fact I havent had a "geek" in our pen and paper gaming group in over 10 years.
Thanks to file sharing, I purchase more CDs
Thanks to the RIAA, I buy them used...
"As a fan of pen-n-paper, without the geekiness, Neverwinter Nights solves my dilemma!" Rightttt. You can stop trying to get laid, Sparky. This is Slashdot!!
["Marge, I agree with you - in theory. In theory, communism works. In theory." - Homer]
That it'll also be released for the Mac and GNU/Linux platform.
The article left that important piece of information out.
To: Mr. Hemos
From: The Beta Test Department
We regret to inform you that you have not been selected for our beta test pool *again*. We require beta testers to use spell checkers, as they are freely available.
Regards,
The Beta Test Department
And I immediately started putting a group togethor to start in July (to give me enough time to write the campaign). Some people from my pen & paper group want me to tranfer my current campaign to this new system, but I told them that we should continue the pen and paper stuff since nothing beats eating chips and watching pewter figures hump each other while I frantically try to find the AC of an orc.
"Confirmed". Will they sell the game for half-price since it's 3 years old?
Means not playing the game. I don't think there should be any illusions of being ungeeky. You're pretending to be someone else on a computer. If your girlfriend/significant-other/voice-in-head doesn't make fun of you, then they're a geek, too. I mean, come on, how geeky is that? And posted to Slashdot? You, my friend, are living in a lie.
Mike.
http://www.yourmothernaked.com
Can a few hundred to thousands all play in a world? if so it will be great.
First thing i'd do is let player killer types control the monsters,
why should AI control monsters, and why do people always complain about pks? Would solve both problems.
Second, if the game is truely scriptable, you could create a nice storyline, like diablo.
Right now i dont know enough about neverwinter nights, but if its anything like bulders gate then ill hate it.
If its like diablo or ultima online but with more features, and customizability, then its perfect
If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
It was a good game, but the ai was way too dangerous
i want an rpg where the players can either be the monsters, (bad guys) or the good guys.
Player killers could have fun being monsters
Im thinking a game involving vampires would be perfect for this, something like castlevania
If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
Which beats both these games.
AC has superior online playing features than EQ and BG, The graphics arent as good as EQ but the gameplay is great, it has the most complex spell system, it has a complete class system with monarchism, it has all kinds of enviornments from forrest to mountains covered with snow, weather system with rain effect, snow effects, etc, waterfalls, its just a virtual world.
The tactics come into play when you have diffrent enviornments.
The monsters in AC are very smart, they attack with strategies instead of just random hits
BG had good AI, but it wasnt a multiplayer kinda game, at least not like EQ or AC.
BG is more compareable to diablo, I'd be fine with NWNs being more in the style of diablo, but i'd prefer something bigger so thousands of players can play with each other or at least hundreds
If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
Guys,
I checked the link and looked all around.
I don't see June 25 posted anywhere on their site. Under pre-orders, it simply refers you to EB, Toys r Us etc. No date is listed.
No date that I can discern is mentioned anywhere - and no release date mentioned on Bioware's announcements page in the NWN forums.
Vapor_announcements now? What gives?
.Robert
First they used some 2d engine back in 96, Then they used the Quake Engine, Then on to the Quake2 Engine, The Quake 3 Engine, and Unreal Tournament Engine.
Because they were too lazy or stupid to develop their own Engine they wasted all this money and time switching throuugh other peoples Engines.
This game better be surperior to Doom 3 or else this is the END and I mean absolute END of whatever company makes Duke Nukem.
I dont care if Max Payne makes them money, let Duke fail and no one will believe in their ability to write a decent game after almost 10 years working on it.
If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
AsheronsCall has millions of diffrent combinations you can use to create an avatar, they have managed to let them all swim, well not actually swim, but you can go into the water, fair enough.
If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
As in "Did Not Finish"?
human radomized events? Diablo was fun but limited,
What i worry about is not storyline but player interaction, actual game play.
AC has the best gameplay but the storyline is weak, Diablo has weak gameplay (hack and slash) but great story.
How can we have something which mixes BOTH.
Maybe AC2, I think NWN is headed toward a more diablo with enhanced storyline scripting.
If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
From gamespot.com preorder page:
Required
Operating System: Windows 98/2000/ME/XP
Processor: Pentium II 300 MHz or Higher
Video Card: 16 MB 3D Graphics Accelerator
CD-ROM: 4X or Faster
RAM: 96 MB RAM
Have you read the Moderator Guidelines yet?
This game is going to be great. You know from playing everquest and watching it for the past 3 years i have noticed something. The anonymousy of the internet has spawned a whole new group of people interested in RPGs.
:).
RPGs have always been considered something 'geeks' do, but I've recenlty spent some time actually meeting some players of everquest in real life. There are more playing in my area than I ever thought there was. Most of these people I met were not 'geeks' but people enjoying life and expierences more than a lot of 'non-geek' people. I've seen active athletes play everquest, a lot of people we wouldnt think would do it.
NWN could be a great thing for D&D, it could change the way people look at D&D and more people might start to appreciate it. I think it could open peoples minds to different possibilities. I'm not saying that it will, but I've been amazed at what I found just playing EQ which has been active on the market for 3 years.
I cant wait for this game to be released
Check out the following links for a taste of some of the models, according to the bioware forums they'll be releasing more models for the viewer. As it stands, they have the Flesh Golem and Bugbear, which can be added to the viewers default models...nifty...
Biowares Model Viewer Page
I have been kind of wary of computer gaming to replace good ol' AD&D, IMHO they always fell short, although netHack does a decent job in the realm of adventure story lines and thought process (ie hacking and slashing everything is not the goal). NWN, although unlikely to displace me from an old tech AD&D game might be a cool complement. Now if we could host AD&D games for our (now) geographically dispersed group that would be cool. Of course it would be different than our old sessions, but it might be fun, and change (at times) can be good.
One: I love them for supporting Linux and releasing the game for it at the same time as the windos version.
Two: Don't forget that the toolkit, i.e. the parts that you need to create your own campaign, are currently windos only.
Reasons are some missing tool (C++ Builder or something, currently in beta for Linux).
For me, the toolkit is the only reason to buy NWN. I don't like (A)D&D, but I'd swallow it if it means I can run online campaigns.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
I followed the link trembling in the fear that they'll be using that @#$%&? Flash thing and a beautiful warning would tell me to install it. Fortunaly they didn't, and their style is great still.
Kudos to the webmaster!
Isn't the same as playing the game in June.
;)
We will see who plays what first. When you are sitting behind your computer playing one or the other, then you can speak to which was released first
Its just a diablo then.
I dont think i'll buy it, I wanted a game with HUGE levels where we control the size limit, portals are ok but its not really about levels, its about virtual world
to me at least
i dont want a hack and slash
If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
I believe that the release date was achieved via the game stores, and trust me they don't know as much as they seems to suggest:
"BioWare's new publishing partner, Infogrames, has just announced in their press release that Neverwinter Nights will be launched worldwide in Summer, 2002. We apologize for the delay in getting back to you during the day today - we want to try to clarify this date announcement since so many people have been posting about it on the message boards.
Please understand that we are committed to releasing games when they are finished, polished and ready for the world. For a game as complex, epic and multifaceted as Neverwinter Nights, this is especially the case. The massive scope and flexibility intrinsic in the Toolset, the DM Client and the Official Campaign will be unprecedented in the gaming world and, as a result, we must carefully test every aspect of Neverwinter Nights. With a new publisher, there is a new plan for marketing, QA, localization and distribution.
To that end, BioWare and Infogrames now feel that Summer 2002 (which could mean as early as May or June) is a good conservative estimate of the distribution date - guaranteeing a game worthy of the quality inherent under the titles of Dungeons and Dragons, Infogrames and BioWare. We are still aiming for the same development completion targets that we were aiming for in the past, but Infogrames and BioWare both want to provide a safe target window for the game to be ready in terms of the things that are covered by the publisher working in conjunction with the development team - distribution, localization, marketing and testing.
Thanks - as always as we get more information we'll update you. Our fans are very important to us.
Ray Muzyka Greg Zeschuk
Joint CEO's BioWare Corp. "
Please clarify your sources as Bioware have always firmly stated that it will shoot for a release when ready, and to them Summer is the best guess.
MAtt
This game takes us back to the good old table top games of our (well mine anyway) youth. However, this game's future I do not feel will be decided by graphics and the like alone, but on how many folks put the time and effort into being good quality GMs for all of us hoping to get online and have a great adventure. Here we have the chance to go beyond the standard kill-to-level and empty quest worlds of EQ and DAoC (which I play both), but a chance to get together with friends, make new ones and have great adventures......if the GM's story dosent suck and he can make good maps :)
Most console games ship on time, assuming you don't xbox as a console. =)
ironic
We're boycotting these guys, remember?
Yes....
The game has been available for pre-order for some time now (at least from Amazon); however, if you read the interesting posts on the Bioware boards.... Snickering about Slashdot you'll undoubtably just let your pre-order rest (quite possibly past the aformentioned date in June).
There will be no be horses. Horses made the world go around up to the early 20th Century.
I'm still looking forward to it tho.
this seems pretty familiar, I guess we are supposed to aimlessly buy this game for it's uncanny marketing and sly special pre-order offers. I find that usually when the company wants you to buy the game before you see it there is a pretty good reason for it. I think waiting until June would probably be the best financial option. ;)
http://www.bioware.com/games/neverwinter_nights/ga me_info/system_requirements/
"
Processor Pentium II 300 MHz or AMD K6-2 350 MHz
Operating System Windows 98/ME/2000SP2/XP
RAM 96 MB
DirectX DirectX 8.1
Video Card 16 Meg TNT2-class, OpenGL 1.2 compliant
Sound Card DirectX certified sound card
Multiplayer IPX or TCP/IP via LAN or Internet
Multiplayer via Modem 56k
(Subject to change)
Other OS requirements coming later.
"
_
b
b
So you post on slashdot and don't consider yourself a geek? In case you didn't notice, it's "news for *nerds*, stuff that matters" :)
True warriors use the Klingon Google
1. A simple adventure design engine. If the DM has to learn some horrific and cumbersome system to run a simple game, he or she is going to go back to pen and paper.
You've got to get a community going like you have with the FPS games--large numbers of people cranking out maps (some good, many bad) with software that (while not trivial to use) isn't a huge pain in the ass.
2. Some facility to improvise. Any DM can tell you that the players NEVER follow the plan, and some ability for the DM to make modifications in the game on the fly ("Damn. They're going over there. Better generate some NPCs.") will make a better experience. Anything else locks the players into what seems as static as any ordinary so-called RPG.
NWN had several alternatives built in to counter the climbing and swimming problem; as I recall it had something to do with layer triggers (i.e. stand at the bottom of the picture of the ladder and you'll go to the top and similar). It won't be the real thing, of course, and all those wonderful tricks you used to be able to do with nothing but a 1st level character, Rope Use and 100 feet of manila rope won't be part of the show, but it's close enough for my liking. The reviews will really have to suck to scare me off.
- Jynx
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it well worth the effort.
Also, while I greatly anticipate this game and personally think it will do great, I am still curious about a system using non D&D 'rules' but made in a modular system as they are. Well as they claim, who knows what it will really be like until the final is released? I think D&D rules did a great job for simplifying a very complex system through short cuts and probability rolls. However, pretend graphics was not an issue. Are there computerized systems out there for a much more complex rules system in existence now? I am just thinking that computers could give us the ability to be much more complex, and do things that would have taken 4 hours of complex rolls, table lookups, conversions and decisions by a team of DMs for just one 'move'. It seems that we still see the same simplified systems (levels and battle heavy systems that allow little if no flexibility to role play), but with graphics and sound.
Not to say graphics and sound are 'bad', they can be used to augment the immersion factor of the game. But I have yet to see any game, movie or TV show that could ever come close to portraying what my imagination can picture when reading a well writen story/novel. So, should I just adjust to what is out there, or are there any efforts underway to use the more advanced power of computers to help us create more complex worlds and systems? I would even be interested in computer programs that let you continue to have table top games, but now you have lap tops and such that connect to actually calculate moves, combat, skill, reactions and the like... I guess you could have primative graphics to 'help' then too... but only primative if the CPU is too bogged down with the system calculations. (I guess it is obvious where my priorities lie :)
I seek not only to follow in the footsteps of the men of old, I seek the things they sought.
For crying out loud, I'd almost forgotten about DN4R, and I'd originally been anticipating the game with fervor. It better be one hell of a game for all the delay it's seen.
:) Still, they'll have to greatly optimize the crappy network code in the UT engine for network play to be less painless. :(
:)
For some reason, though, I'm getting the feeling it's going to be another Dikataina (or whatever that slop was called). Despite the reputation that 3drealms has for producing some pretty kickass games, and the quality of entertainment that DN3D provided, things just look bleak.
At the very least, I'm hoping for decent network play - what's currently out there is fairly stale IMO: a lot of the same old stuff. CS doesn't do it anymore for me, and I was tired of the WWII TF-like game variety a while ago (DoD player) - I look forward to Duke Nukem's pipe bombs and laser trip wires again.
To stay on topic, Neverwinter looks fantastic. For BG or DnD fans, this definately looks like The Title to get.
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
I keep thinking of an old AOL massively multiplayer game of the old AD&D style. I believe it was around 1992, it has been offline for a long time, but was quite a bit of fun. Anyone remember? I liked that old game better then everquest, but AOL didn't exactly give you a lot of hours to logon with then, five or ten :P
-Adam
What for? I was not informed.
Play Command HQ online
I guess most of you don't read the NWN boards. As of 10am PST, 3/25/02, THERE IS NO OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE.
& 99 229
Retailers are taking preorders, and they have to post a release date or some people won't order, so they made one up. They have been doing this for quite awhile, and many people have fallen into their trap.
A quick look at the official NWN forums will reveal the truth. Check there periodically if you want to know when an official announcement is made. The very first posting is always the Release Date Clarification:
http://forums.bioware.com/viewforum.php?forum=7
Here's a quote:
"BioWare and Infogrames now feel that Summer 2002 (which could mean as early as May or June) is a good conservative estimate of the distribution date."
"3 and a half month pre-order...release floor...is not!"
**>>BELCH
Yes, they seem to have copied it from the official NWN system requirenments page listing requirenments for the Windows version, not the Mac and GNU/Linux versions. At the bottom of the page it says:
"Other OS requirements coming later."
It WILL be released for GNU/Linux, the toolset however, will not be available for Mac and GNU/Linux initially.
From amazon.com:
List Price: $54.99
Our Price: $49.99
You Save: $5.00 (9%)
Platform: Linux, Windows 98 / NT / 2000 / Me
This item will be released on June 26, 2002. You may order it now and we will ship it to you when it arrives.
Weird that they didn't list the Mac version though.
How far did you play?
There is more plot in the game(s) than in anything (computer based) that I've ever played. The plot builds and builds.
So yes, at the start you dont really have much of a clue whats going on, but as you play plot is passed to you in small pieces. (and the information absolutely necessary to move the game along is given for the slower amoungst us).
Diablo was fun, I'll grant you, but it was nethack with cool graphics.
Baldurs gate is a role playing gate, not a dungeon bash, I get the impression that RPGs with depth arent your cup of tea.
oh well.
all the companies that let you pre-order games have set their own dates. THESE DATES ARE NOT OFFICIAL DATES! the last time i checked Electronics Boutique had a date for mid january 2002...
i'm as anxious as the rest of you to get my hands on this game, but we still have some time to wait.
one click patent
Mess Stuff Up
Didn't we just do the "Most Outrageous Vendor Lies Ever Told" story?
And this isn't an improvement for Taco or Hemos?
Two reasons:
1) Retailers lie. The time which they begin to take preorders and the time which the game is released are generally two unrelated events.
2) Quality issues. You know and I know that games are quite often NOT stable on release and even non-playable (Ultima 9 comes to mind.) By pre-ordering (since games are non returnable) you are essentially saying "I don't care! Take this interest-free loan! I'll wait until you patch it and make it into the thing I bought in the store!"
Preordering is reinforcing bad behavior on the part of the retailers ("Those gamers will buy it even when it doesn't exist! Fuckin' a! Put up any old date!") and game companies ("Who cares if the game is unplayable. These fuckers already bought it, release it NOW NOW NOW. We'll patch it in a few weeks.")
What we call folk wisdom is often no more than a kind of expedient stupidity.-Edward Abbey
I am also really looking forward to Star Wars Galaxies. This one sounds like it will have wonderful depth as well as being visually superior to any other MMORPG I have ever seen.
Another one I am eagerly awaiting is Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast. It's built on the Quake 3 engine and looks like it will be lots of fun. It's supposed to be in the stores on March 29th. Check out the trailer, it looks bad-assed.
...can be found at this site.
The site features summaries of the days forum highlights, NWN wednesday treats and piles of other interesting stuff. Check it every day!
Tarkwyn.
Damn, CT's not even married yet, and yet you can already clearly see her influence on him here!
...who didn't mind occasionally taking a break from dice rolling for a marathon fuck...
Marathon fuck my ass! Coming from a guy named Dr. Spork? You sure your last post wasn't you once again "exploring your fantasies?"
;-)
Magic is impressive, but now, Minsc leads. Swords for everyone!
Or my personal favorite...
Jan, you are not worthy of having a miniaturized giant space hampster scampering loose in your pants.
I'm going to go back in my box and will think within the limits of my box: MS Sucks Linux Good I read too much Slashdot.
I want swimming! We evolved from the fish, I love the ocean. Pitfall 1 was a fun game on my old atari 2600. But when Pitfall 2 came out and you could climb longer ladders, and you could SWIM to go get that gold bar at the bottom of the pool - WOW - It was wonderful. Space Quest was enhanced when you could swim under the water. Same thing for 3D games, Wolfenstien 3D was OK, but when you could go under the water in later 3Dgames, it added more depth to the game, and when Tomb Raider came out and you could SWIM to other caverns - WOW! Imagine the battles you could have in Never Winter Nights, get a thief to swim to another cavern - throw a dagger at an opponent from under the water - it would rock! Talk about stealth!! I already saw in baldurs gate 2 where they had flying ballons and an ancient underwater sub, imagine battles with gliders and underwater swimmers - WOW! Strip off your armor, swim to the next cavern, shoot a bow and arrow from under the cover of a murky pool - AWESOME! Think how cool Warcraft 2 was with UNDERWATER crafts and troops! I always wished in Ultima 7 and ultima online I could have went into the swamp and went underwater to wrestle the gators and set up underwater ambushes. That would be neat for Ultima Online, underwater cities, Atlantis! Captain Nemo! I have to agree, not included hieght, climbing, swimming, depth, air and underwater troops and ships really leaves a lot to be desired for the current crop of AD&D games. Now when I can find that Kilrathi fighter that crashed in the farmers field in britannia, maybe I can send Minsc and Boo back into outer space!
Now I can't speak for every one. Only single 20ty something dogs. What I know is that you will not get laid playing this game. If you do not have a girlfriend (or boyfriend if swing that way) you will never get a girl while playing this game. Conversely if you have a girlfriend it's possible that you will no longer have one towards the end of this game. I know some of you out there know what I'm talking about. I killed a very good relationship 2 summers ago due to my addiction to Deus ex's quasi-real environment. (I curse you J.C. Denton, Tracer Tong, and agent Simon.) last year I played Baldur's Gate2 for hours and never got laid. So F you BioWare I learned my lesson im getting mad poontang now and I ant playing your games no more. But lord help me when Deus ex 2 comes out.
Yeah I know this is flame bate
TaTa.
Asheron's Call makes the same basic gameplay mistake as Everquest: kill the monster, loot it, sell the loot, buy better stuff. Repeat until boredom sets in. I finally got bored of AC after two and a half years of it. *shakes head* (It was the first one I'd played, I didn't know, I didn't know...)
AC doesn't have a class system. It's entirely skills-based. You can pick your character's race and facial appearance, which has no effect on your character's abilities. It's just for looks. AC did get avatar appearance mostly right. You rarely see two AC avatars who look alike.
The monsters in AC are dumb as dirt. Their "tactics" consist of an extra dice roll: what body part to strike.
The environment didn't change anything about how you played, or how the monsters attacked. It just put some different graphics on the screen.
AC and EQ are little better than Diablo when you get right down to it. AC and EQ are just massively multiplayer.
MMORPGs have a long way to progress from "kill-stuff-get-loot". Their only strength lies in the social aspect: if you have a good group of people to play with, it's much more fun. Aside from that, it's Nethack with better graphics.