RPGs with turn-based combat

Originally Posted by zakhal
For starters you could try chrono cross.

I always though chrono cross was an inferior sequel to chrono trigger, is this mistaken?

Originally Posted by bjon045
I always though chrono cross was an inferior sequel to chrono trigger, is this mistaken?

Not at all, CC was not a very good game. I couldn't even bring myself to finish it, even though I loved Chrono Trigger.

I would love to reccomend Tactics Ogre: Let us cling togheter for the PSX… I haven't had so much fun playing a game in years. And it has amazing replayability as there are a lot of choices for you to make!

Are we only talking about TBRPGs or are other TBs being discussed here as well ?

Originally Posted by roqua
Silent Storm and Night Watch are true TB. The kotor's and Alter's UFOs are rtw/p.

The KotOR games can be set to turn-based only.

Not as far as I'm aware.

In KotOR 2 you do it through the Auto Pause function, you simply tick on all the pause options:

End of Combat Round: If ticked, the game will automatically pause at the end of each combat round.

Enemy Sighted: If ticked, the game will automatically pause when a new enemy is sighted.

Mine Sighted: If ticked, the game will automatically pause whenever a mine is detected.

Party Member Down: If ticked, whenever a party member reaches 0 vitality points and collapes, the game will automatically pause.

Action Menu Used: If ticked, whenever the Action menu is opened the game will automatically pause.

New Target Selected: If ticked, the game will pause as soon as a new target is selected during combat.

If you want to quibble over details of whether or not this true turn-based, I don't know. However, with all these options ticked, input from you is required for ever single event to take place. And, while I don't remember how off the top of my head, KotOR could be set to do turn-based the same way exactly.

Turn-Based, indicating units take turns.

Real Time, indicating actions take place in real time. In Kotor, no one takes turns, all actions, when unpaused, happen in Real Time, you and the enemies and allies all move together. Kotor is 100% real time and has nothing to to with turns whatsoever. Besides that the amount of actions you can perform in a round is limited, but a round is just a set of time and has nothing to do with turns, unless that round includes turns, which neither kotor nor any IE game ever provided.

And how about Temple of Elemental Evil?

Good TB combat, spoiled by bugs and unfinished content etc. Needs Co8 patches to make it worthwhile!!

Originally Posted by nessosin
And how about Temple of Elemental Evil?

Amazingly good combat gameplay, very nice graphics and animations, but almost no substance whatsoever. There's just no point to anything in the game, no point in doing the things you can do. Troika were too adamant in adapting the D&D module they completely neglected the content that a group of D&D players provide. Looking at any module, you'll see a framework and guideline for an adventure, but it's the players that provide the guts and TOEE being a single-player game, and with next to no story or role-play elements was devoid of anything compelling.

It's a shame it's not an easily moddable game, there'd be so much potential with making modules with it.

I agree - but that said, the combat is good enough to make it worthwhile for anyone that really loves TB games. And there is more "story" aspect for neutral-evil characters.

I don't follow you, what was empty about it compared to other offerings? No darkside/lightside scale?

The game had an amazing amount of choices and consiquences, as did every Troika game. ToEE just was a little more subtle and didn't have big yellow signs or green arrows pointing the way. I've never played a game so vastly different dependant on how I played it. Granted, it wasn't overly long, but thats a positive in my book as I can actually stay interested long enough to beat it, something I rarely do, especially with the garbage that is spit out left and right today.

My problem with the story of TOEE was that I just didn't feel compelled to care about any of the goings on. There was no impetus or catalyst with which to have a sense of the RP in an RPG. The options seemed to pretty much be play an evil team who has the intent of taking over the Temple, or a good team out to just destroy it all, but the latter essentially abolishes and reason to get involved in the politics and faction strife going on within the Temple groups.
I think Troika's other offerings, like Arcanum and then later Bloodlines and, say, the Fallouts (I know Troika didn't do the Fallouts, but I'm just playing guilt by association on this one), varied much more dynamically with differing playthrough approaches than TOEE did.
I do someday plan on giving it another whirl with the CO8 patches, thinking of maybe trying it "BG style", making only one PC and picking up the NPCs along the way.

What always surprises me is that so many companies say "no TB at all !!!" but still include a PAUSE function …

To me, that sounds like a "no" with an "well, yes …" included.

Clip from a post I put up at the Bethesda forums involving non-console turn-based RPGs since Fallout 1:

Fallout 2 [1998]

Arcanum [2001] {link}

Temple of Elemental Evil [2003] {link}

Wizardry 8 [2001] {link}

Geneforge (1,2,3,4) [2002] {link}

Might and Magic 7,8,9 [1998] {link}

Prelude to Darkness [2003] {link}

Avernum (1,2,3,4) [2001] {link}

Return to Krondor [1998] {link}

Pools of Radiance:Ruins of Myth Drannor [2001]{link}

Betrayal in Antara [1997] {link}

King of Dragon Pass [2002] {link}

Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator [1999] {link}

The Fall: The Last Days of Gaia [2004] {link}

Super Columbine Massacre RPG! [2006] {link}

Mr. Robot [2007] {link}

Devil Whiskey [2003] {link}

Metalheart: Replicants Rampage [2005]

Teudogar and the Alliance with Rome [2003] [{link}

I'm playing Mr. Robot right now. Good stuff.

Thanks for the list!!

Uhmm… The Fall is Real Time with Pause…

i'm really shocked to see no one has ever mentioned odium. i played the demo back in 99 or so when it was released but picked it up a few months ago and keep waiting to dive in. its turned based combat with a sci-fi adventure story. not a common combination at all.
http://www.mobygames.com/game/dium

when i googled it 'odium rpg' this site was on the top. it has some interesting topics that might interest some here as well as some links to some indie rpgs.
http://www.cowgodgames.com/

Wizardry and devils whiskey aren't turn based they are phased, i.e. everyone chooses their moves before then "turn" begins, then the action unfolds automatically (same as some of the final fantasy games like FF3 - not like FF10 which was turn based)