Sunday, September 23, 2007
A Pair of Spiderweb RPG Reviews
Spiderweb Software is one of the oldest and most prolific indie RPG developers out there, and there are a pair of reviews out there for two of their more recent releases, "Nethergate: Resurrection" and "Geneforge 4"
Nethergate: Resurrection is an update / remake of their 1990's indie RPG, Nethergate. It's claim to fame is a more historically-based setting (something that was probably a turn-off for some RPG fans, who probably equate history with very boring high school classes), and the fact that it was two games in one - you could re-play the game on the opposite side of the conflict between the Celts and the Romans. RPGWatch has the review:
Nethergate Resurrection Review
Not to be outdone, the incomparable Scorpia has a review of Spiderweb's science-fantasy thriller, Geneforge 4.
Scorpia's Geneforge 4 Review
One thing that makes both of these reviews unique (in my mind): They both heap praise on the turn-based combat of these games. RPGWatch lists the turn-based combat in the "Pro" column about the game, with no explanation or assumption that such a designation might even be controversial. Scorpia states, "Happy to relate, combat is turn-based, something not seen much these days."
Maybe it's just that both reviewers are old-schoolers like me. But I do get tired of RPG reviewers praising arcade-action mechanics in RPGs as the "new, superior" thing while turn-based is somehow hopelessly old-fashioned. News flash: We've been mixing RPGs and action / arcade games for about a quarter-century now, and the creaky "antique" turn-based RPGs appeared on mainframes only about eight years earlier. Sheesh, folks. That would have been only a vaguely interesting distinction in 1986.
I'm just glad to see there's some love left for both styles. And I really enjoyed reading these reviews.
(Vaguely) related tales of ... stuff
* Jeff Vogel Gives Innovation Another Chance, Plans Nethergate Remake
* Interview With Scorpia
* Where Is Indie Innovation?
* Geneforge 4 Interview
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Labels: Indie Evangelism, Roleplaying Games
- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 8:48 PM (Permalink)
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Disparaging remarks about turn-based games always annoy me too. Come on. It's a design choice, not a "regression." Games are abstractions to begin with, and turn-based combat can be a really fun way to express action (one of many options).
Totally. And the argument that the action-based combat is more visceral doesn't ring true to me, though I suppose it might be true for some players.
I mean, I've been a fencer, and I have participated in medievalist organization battles (way more than I'd care to admit). As with most other sports, once you get past a particular stage and a certain level of training, half the game is mental anyway. Professional fencers perform something like 8 actions per second, and it is a complicated mental and physical dance. It's a tactical game of testing out your opponents strengths and weaknesses, and performing a sequence of moves to try and exploit any weaknesses you can find while trying to prevent your opponent from doing the same to you.
Even at the weak level I play, I was usually concentrating a move or two ahead, like chess. I have yet to play an "Action-RPG" that comes close to simulating combat on that level. In my mind, heavily tactical turn-based RPGs do a much better job of bringing that "feel" home to me.
I mean, I've been a fencer, and I have participated in medievalist organization battles (way more than I'd care to admit). As with most other sports, once you get past a particular stage and a certain level of training, half the game is mental anyway. Professional fencers perform something like 8 actions per second, and it is a complicated mental and physical dance. It's a tactical game of testing out your opponents strengths and weaknesses, and performing a sequence of moves to try and exploit any weaknesses you can find while trying to prevent your opponent from doing the same to you.
Even at the weak level I play, I was usually concentrating a move or two ahead, like chess. I have yet to play an "Action-RPG" that comes close to simulating combat on that level. In my mind, heavily tactical turn-based RPGs do a much better job of bringing that "feel" home to me.
I had to seriously alter code I already had for my game to make it turn based. I agree that turn based is not a step back. I took half a week off building the game to actually play some RPG's to get fueled back up. I played FF3/DS and Fable/PC (good story line). FF3 is far more challenging due to its turn based nature. In Fable, as long as I keep my eye on the health bar and hit my potion button in time the game is a no brainer.
I think reviewers need to be more open minded like these two and stop treating game reviews like a high school popularity contest. "Those algorithms are like so yesterday". :-)
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I think reviewers need to be more open minded like these two and stop treating game reviews like a high school popularity contest. "Those algorithms are like so yesterday". :-)
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