RPGWatch 2008 Game of the Year Vote!

It's your play time - play what you like. I do, however, have a little bit of a problem with the whole "excuse'' thing, because that paints Spiderweb's stuff as some sort of sub-par product rather than just something you don't like.

I'm playing Geneforge 5 at this moment and it offers 5 playable factions...does Mass Effect? Or Fable? What's their excuse? Oh, that's right - it's too expensive to do the assets for more than two identical paths through the game. Sorry, your lack of funds is no excuse.


True it offers five playable factions but is it not running on the same engine of the previous games before it? So, in effect isn't the game just a matter of him writing a story and using old assets? Seems alot easier then doing fable/mass effect.

Avernum games in particular use so much from the previous ones as well as exile it really takes away from the product. If any games could be called an expansion pack, spiderweb games fit the bill. Don't get me wrong I have played alot of their games, however I find he (being jeff vogel(I think thats his name)) really does not take any risks at all, and prefers to stick with what he had for the first of all the series. Too bad because he could really advance his own games if he did that.
 
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I agree with rune, I like Jeff's stuff, but it's too much of more of the same. He NEEDS to do something new!!
 
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True it offers five playable factions but is it not running on the same engine of the previous games before it? So, in effect isn't the game just a matter of him writing a story and using old assets? Seems alot easier then doing fable/mass effect.

Since I have been playing the games - and that is only a few years - each iteration shows definite improvements in every graphical area. Sure, they are all easily identified as Spiderweb games, but Geneforge 5 is much better looking than Geneforge 3, which is where I started (and the Avernum games from the same period).
 
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I don't think that was what was said at all. Just that if the graphics are that bad, it's kind of a turn-off.

I find them easier than a lot of other games, they've gone beyond bad graphics into not really being graphics at all. I've stopped viewing them as the medium that immerses me in the game and just see them kind of like an automap that lets me navigate around to get to the text and atmosphere which does immerse me (once my brain adapts).

I'm playing Geneforge 5 at this moment and it offers 5 playable factions...does Mass Effect? Or Fable? What's their excuse? Oh, that's right - it's too expensive to do the assets for more than two identical paths through the game. Sorry, your lack of funds is no excuse.

Indeed, not having to sweat expensive art assets does give spiderweb a lot of freedom to do other more subtle aspects really well compared to their peers.

Since graphics are a big part of the game for me, as far as I'm concerned Spiderweb games are sub-par. I wouldnt pay for them, and i wouldnt recommend them. That's just me.
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Out of interest do you read many books?
 
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True it offers five playable factions but is it not running on the same engine of the previous games before it? So, in effect isn't the game just a matter of him writing a story and using old assets? Seems alot easier then doing fable/mass effect.

If writing a story is so easy, how come most major releases have such shit storylines and piss poor dialogue?

Feels to me like the major releases re-use a lot of their old assets and still don't write a decent new story.

He needs to do some new IP though. No need for a major step change in graphics quality, but a new rules system would be nice.
 
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OK, if his dialogue choices were the best and not very similar to his previous games which he seems to recycle and use over and over then it would make sense that his story is awesome. However, since his storylines seem to be decent to good and not great that is not the case. For the record I never said writing was easy, however reusing content and using the same system it is a hell of alot easier.

I did not so much mean graphics I guess I meant new areas to go, I mean really if you played exile you played avernum....yes geneforge looks a bit better here and there but is it not just more of the same? Seriously the talking spiders....how many times has that dungeon been done? Thats not to say they are bad games but if you play the latest you do not have to play the others.

I commented on his forums awhile back about maybe branching out with a super powers or scifi setting and was basically told no. I really don't think he plans on leaving these franchises any time soon. It could even be argued that avernum is not even as good as the exile system meaning spells and etc....

Who knows, I guess what I am looking for is for him to step out of his comfort zone and make something new, a new world, something that would make me want to go play one of his games again...I never had a problem with the graphics although I would not be against him increasing them, one of his arguements before was that it was due to size restraints on downloads....I think we are past those now.

I would also like to know what books you think spiderweb games are on the same level with....
 
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Since the voting is over,I guess the results should be announced.
I'm dying to know the editors choice.
 
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I think the results will be out some time after Sunday, but don't quote me. :)
 
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I wants the results, daddy - NOW !!
 
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