Grim Dawn - First Screenshots @ Official Website

aries100

SasqWatch
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The company behind Grim Dawn, have updated their site with the first screenshots from the game. The game is still very early in development as this disclaimer shows:
Please note that developers do not usually allow their audience to see a game this early in development while the art is still in such a rough, unpolished state. However, we felt it was worth the risk because we want you, our fans, to be involved in the development of the game and to watch as things progress. So, please, keep in mind that we're not releasing materials to drum up buzz a few months in advance of release, rather, Grim Dawn is still pre-pre-pre-alpha and I might have even missed a pre. Thank you for your understanding!
More information.
 
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The "unpolished" graphics look just fine to me, it's the fact that it's yet another Diablo clone that's turning me off. If reviews prove otherwise and it turns out to be the next Witcher I'll happily eat my words.

I am a little surprised with how satiated the market is in WWII FPS, RTS, MMOs and Diablo clones that you couldn't actually sell more units by deviating from those genres/cliches and trying to hit more a niche markets. Especially for a company like this that's never going to compete head to head with Blizzard & Diablo 3 from hype alone.

Where's the hard-core single player RPGs? The Wizardry 8s? Now that Bioware has gone the way of the mass market & consoles are there any good RPG makers left? Has the future of crpgs been left solely to CD Project & Obsidian?

Where's the TBS? We're all in a tizzy over JA3 being announced ( again ), why has one of the greatest games ever made only had 1 decent attempt at a clone ( Silent Storm ).

Why are there so few good RPG/FPS ala Deus Ex? Mass Effect is the closest thing I can think of and that's a pale imitation.

Maybe the sales figures don't bare it out but if I were running a small development house right now I wouldn't be trying to compete with the big boys and their ad budgets, I'd try keep budget under control and hit under served niche markets. A new take on a Civ style game, or XCom or JA or M&M or Wizardry or a million other great genres/franchise styles that have been left for dead.
 
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TitanQuest was a blast - good for a few days romp and adventure. Not everything has to be a real rpg.
 
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Why are there so few good RPG/FPS ala Deus Ex? Mass Effect is the closest thing I can think of and that's a pale imitation.

Maybe the sales figures don't bare it out but if I were running a small development house right now I wouldn't be trying to compete with the big boys and their ad budgets, I'd try keep budget under control and hit under served niche markets. A new take on a Civ style game, or XCom or JA or M&M or Wizardry or a million other great genres/franchise styles that have been left for dead.

I think they are absolutely convinced that there is no real market for those so called old school RPGs. I guess anything over Dragon Age is saturating the market. Although curiously, it seems just about every game out there likes to tout their RPG elements . . . go figure.
 
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Yea I asked them if they were going to add puzzles or more involved quests and they said no; they would focus on graphics and perhaps map. I guess if it is successful they might add more in the way of puzzles later. Not really sure why the market disfavors interesting puzzles. I loved space rangers 2 reboot (not the rts but the text games). Oh well…

Having said that I did enjoy playing titan quest - thought it was loads better than torchlight or dungeon siege (1/2) even though it was not a deep game.
 
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Having said that I did enjoy playing titan quest - thought it was loads better than torchlight or dungeon siege (1/2) even though it was not a deep game.

Meh, different strokes and all that. IMO I'd rank them DS1, Torchlight, Titan's Quest, DS2.

The best part of TQ was their attempt at such a broad character system.
 
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ARPGs aka Hack & Slash games are a separate animal to the Bioware/more traditional RPGs of the past and present.

Titan Quest & it's expansion Immortal Throne was and is a fantastic ARPG with tons of replay value and fun. IF you enjoy these types of games.

I'm glad the guys at Crate Entertainment decided to stick with something they know and have experience with. I'm sure they've learned from some of TQ shortfalls and will do their best to correct and move the genre forward.

As someone who still has TQ installed and played upon occasion (in Act 3 Legendary with my Conqueror) I can't wait to see how Grim Dawn plays. If TQ is any indication then I'll have years of fun to look forward to.

Best wishes to the team and their progress!
 
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problem with developing RPGs these days…

The problem with developing a "hardcore" RPG in the current market is that nobody will finance it, least of all an American publisher. European publishers will take on a developer creating an RPG, but they generally have much smaller budgets, and the developers still have to put on dog-and-ponies for their publishers and must therefore spend a lot of the development cycle just making it prettier for that week (and making sure it has the appearance of being at least moderately competetive with the A+ titles coming out of NA.) Therefore, it's unrealistic to even expect a non-technically-dazzling-but-rich-in-content product…too much time has to go into making it presentable enough that the marketing/publishing company feels that they can sell it; and you have to do what the publisher wants if you want paychecks.
Self-financing (unless already wealthy) is completely out of the question, as far too much time is involved with development and management to make even a fair quality, marketable title without many people quitting their jobs, working for free, and somehow still being able to eat and pay the rent (not to mention people staying on-board for months-on-end when the spouse is screaming about the lack of electricity in the house.) Developing even a moderate-quality title takes quality talent, many thousands of man-hours of planning, preparation, production, and management.
Some good news: digital distribution models can get a lesser-funded title into the hands of the masses, so the traditional problem of getting shelf space from physical retailers will dwindle. However, visibility and acceptance (and ultimately sales) of a title containing what will be perceived as low production values will quite possibly not be enough to cover even the initial investment of time and money.
It's a tough nut, but there will always be rays of sunshine coming through the corporate clouds. Great games will still be developed.
 
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