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Sequel To Planescape: Torment Planned

Posted by Soulskill on from the what-can-change-the-nature-of-a-sequel dept.

Aglassis writes "Eurogamer has reported that famed D&D and computer game designer Colin McComb is working on a spiritual sequel to Planescape: Torment. The game will be set outside of the Planescape campaign setting due to an inability to come to an agreement with Wizards of the Coast. The lead designer on the original game, Chris Avellone, has apparently given his blessing." McComb posted recently about the nature of Planescape and what would define a new game. He wrote, "Any setting that rewards the player for internal exploration (certainly deeper than, 'Can I hit it? How much loot does it have?') could host a similar story. As long as there’s a fantastical element to the world–whether straight fantasy or science-fantasy–these questions become possible and desirable. The farther away we stray from comfortable routine, the more likely we are to challenge ourselves, trying to define our place in the world. A boring setting frequently leads to boring questions; we know the drill and don’t have to examine it closely. But a fantastic setting forces us to re-examine the world, to take it in a fresh light, and to see that our fundamental truths may be flawed. That is at the heart of a Torment story."

15 of 90 comments (clear)

  1. Planescape or Baldurs Gate? by gplguyman · · Score: 2

    I'm looking at my mac options from GOG and I'm wondering.. Planescape or Baldurs Gate?

    1. Re:Planescape or Baldurs Gate? by Metahominid · · Score: 2

      That's a very tough decision. I want to go with Baldurs Gate for Minsc and Boo, but Planescape is Planescape.

    2. Re:Planescape or Baldurs Gate? by Cinder6 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Planescape is one of my favorite games, and may objectively be one of the best RPGs out there, especially if you're old-school and actually want to "play" a role in the game. If you think that games like Dragon Age and The Witcher present a lot of player choices, well, they're nothing compared to Planescape.

      It does involve a lot of reading, and therefore time--especially if you really want to delve into the story (GOG claims 5000 pages of dialogue, and I believe it). I think it's worth it, but I know that isn't everyone's cup of tea. If you do wind up getting it, then be sure to apply the community patches. In particular, the high-res patch is essential. There's a discussion on the GOG forums all about it.

      A spiritual successor to the game would be welcome news. It'll be a hard name to live up to, but fantastic if they pull it off.

      --
      If you can't convince them, convict them.
    3. Re:Planescape or Baldurs Gate? by Mashiki · · Score: 3, Informative

      A spiritual successor to the game would be welcome news. It'll be a hard name to live up to, but fantastic if they pull it off.

      Well, I have some good news for you then. The guys are Obsidian including the folks who did PS:T are working in a classic RPG to fit the bill now. Dragon Age was okay. The Witcher and Witcher 2 were good. But nothing has yet to beat PS:T but considering they've got the entire old BIS team working on PE, I have faith.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    4. Re:Planescape or Baldurs Gate? by 0111+1110 · · Score: 2

      I'm looking at my mac options from GOG and I'm wondering.. Planescape or Baldurs Gate?

      Skip Baldur's Gate 1. Baldur's Gate 2 is much better in pretty much every way. My advice would be to play both Planescape: Torment and Baldur's Gate 2. Both are two of the greatest computer role playing games every made. Baldur's Gate 2 doesn't have a good story mainly because Bioware has never believed in bothering to hire good writers, but the combat is great fun. Especially the mage combat. Definitely try some of the mods that are available for it. Most importantly SCSII aka Sword Coast Strategems II. It vastly improves enemy AI to the point of making the game one of the most challenging I've ever played. Challenging and fun too. BG2Fixpack and BG2Tweaks are also mandatory.

      PS:T is very much an interactive novel. A very good one. I am one of those who also enjoyed the combat, but nearly everyone complains about Torment combat it seems. It's not as good as Baldur's Gate 2, but it is still far better than the vast majority of cRPGs IMO. Torment is so good that it transcends game-ness and becomes something different.

      --
      Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave.
  2. FUCK YES by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Dear god I just hope they don't fuck it up with a bunch of goddamn cutscenes with mediocre voice acting. This game is why us old school computer gamers act so elitist around consolers. It's not the ability to snipe with a mouse that we're missing.

    If you enjoy reading and enjoy gaming and haven't played the original Planescape Torment, go do so right now. It has 800,000 words of written dialog (and in some cases brief description of action.) For comparison, the entire Harry Potter series is around 1,000,000. And it's great dialog, really brilliant and weird and philosophical and transcendent. Play a mage, that's my advice. And make sure your wisdom is high too, so you can talk Dak'kon through his crisis of faith (this is not only one of my favorite parts of the game, but it will help you quite a bit in combat as well. If you even want to fight... I think there are only 4 mandatory battles in the entire game.)

    I've played it through twice and still have loads of quests and factions and NPCs I wasn't able to find/join/experience. And I'm still searching for another answer for the question, both in the game and in real life, that you encounter again and again: "What can change the nature of a man?" Near the end of the game another incarnation of the main character will give you an answer. It's a good one, but it feels incomplete...

    1. Re:FUCK YES by loufoque · · Score: 2

      Don't hype it too much, you're unnecessarily raising the expectations of new players.
      For someone used to modern video games, it's just not that good.

    2. Re:FUCK YES by Mitreya · · Score: 4, Informative

      Don't hype it too much, you're unnecessarily raising the expectations of new players.
      For someone used to modern video games, it's just not that good.

      The game is absolutely excellent. It cannot be hyped too much

      For someone used to mindlessly clicking on enemies and having the storyline delivered via cut-scenes, the game may not be too good. But if you are willing to read for the story, you should be fine even today

      Also, while I am at it, there is a high-res mod available. That may be useful to today's gamer.

    3. Re:FUCK YES by loufoque · · Score: 2

      Of course it's not top notch, you ruined it by reading on a screen.

    4. Re:FUCK YES by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Most so-called computer RPGs don't deserve that name. Skyrim, Fallout 3, Mass Effect, Knights of the Old Republic, etc., aren't RPGs. They are great games, but they are still just action games with role playing systems. The amount of "role playing" is minimal. In those games, your job is to kill the enemy to advance the plot and gain skills. I know this sounds like a simplification, but the plots of these games, while excellent, are just window dressing to the hack and slash. The much ballyhooed role-playing element of being good or evil in some of them is really just another skill set or plot piece (I have 50 'evil' points so that means I'm a bad guy or I have taken the X choice thus I am now on the X plot-arc). The idea of falling into and becoming the character is not present in any of these games. This really isn't the case for Planescape: Torment. Torment feels like you are the character. Understanding yourself, the lives of your party members, and the motivations of your enemies is far more important than getting a powerful sword, a new skill, or completing a mission. It isn't tabletop role playing, but at least it feels like it could be. None of the other so-called RPGs can even remotely say that they could have been born out of an actual role-playing session.

      I guess my point is that Torment is a valid holder to the name of a role-playing game. Fans of today's so-called RPGs aren't necessarily going to be fans because they've never actually played a real computer RPG. They are completely different types of games.

  3. The flipside by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 2

    The flipside of this is if you make it too alien, the players won't have anything to relate to, nothing to grasp and identify with. Finding the right balance is the trick.

  4. Fuck balance. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Fuck balance, I want to meet more letters of the alphabet. Perhaps in a bar whose mascot is an everburning archmage, a living portal to the elemental plane of fire. And afterwards haggle with the bartender to sell me back my eye, floating in a glass jar behind the bar.

    Yes, you do stuff like that (actually, exactly that) in Planescape:Torment.

  5. Good luck with that by Mitreya · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Planescape was such a wonderful game because there was a lot of interesting dialog (I believe all but 4 situations in the entire game could potentially be resolved without fighting, by bluff/threats/etc)

    The game probably failed (commercially) because it required a lot of reading. What are the chances they will risk doing that again?

  6. Don't need luck, just competent marketing by d_gorn · · Score: 2
    PS:T didn't fail because of the reading required. It failed because it was advertised as another 'Diablo'.

    If the marketing had been better, it would've crushed. Believe it or not, ppl need to play a game before deciding it's 'too wordy'. The sale comes first, then the 'boredom'.

    To whit: "It's clearly the best traditional computer role-playing game of the year and is bound to be an all-time favorite for many of its inevitable fans." ( http://www.gamespot.com/planescape-torment/ )

    Nothing wrong with the game, bro.

  7. Redo Planescape Torment. by Lord+Chaos+EOG · · Score: 2

    Don't make a successor like that, I think it will likely suck or at least will be shied away from by gamers. They should upgradet the original game to modern graphics and interface. Keep the original story and characters. (heck even hire the original voice actors) This would be way better