Traditionally, David Gaider is the leading figure of the forum highlights. In the Fran Gaulin interview topic, he underlines the benefits of committing certain aspects of artistic design to just one person. In other threads, he refers to such things as NWN modules, the ancient ruins cliche, sewers and gifts for NPCs. Brenon Holmes denies any notion of time limits on quests and James Henley becomes more talkative than usual, commenting on consoles and, like David Gaider, NWN modules. The issue of Atari\'s pulling the plug on NWN1 has also popped up, but it\'s dealt with in a separate news item.

I know I will be doing my (admittedly small) part by not purchasing ANY Atari supported products.

Yes, I know this also hurts NWN2 and Obsidian (well, my rather small self won't, but perhaps if enough follow my lead, it will). I think Obsidian is big enough to survive such.

Please. Let's not do this.

Buy the game if you want to buy the game. I know I will (seeing as I somehow now doubt that Atari or even OE will be sending DLA a free copy).

I spent four years doing this. And while there are a whole complex layered number of reasons as to how and why and motives and assumptions as to why I got involved in all of this...

There's no way I would ever have done any of it without loving this damn game, what it was about and what it could become - or loving being a part of this community too.

And the rest of the folks at DLA think the same way. Their motives, hopes, dreams and talents may differ - but that golden thread runs through each and every one of the people in DLA. They love the game and the community that has grown around it and that they are very much a part of.

We tried to make the game better and the community better and give you great toys to play with and - we hope - a great adventure you'll enjoy playing. We are not going to bail or walk away in a snit without delivering on that.

No way in hell will we let that happen.

But I would hate to have someone point at DLA as a rallying cry to wreck this community or somehow diminish it. Even in a small way.

Don't do that. Please. Not in our name. That would be a sad way to repay something which has been such a large part of our lives.

Hello,
Here is Part 1 of a three part video podcast series with the creators of Witcher. This segment focuses on the games\' combat dynamics: http://www.bluealien.org/files/Witcher_Interview_Part1.mov (42.44 MB)

Dreamfall is the sequel to Funcom´s adventure classic The Longest Journey. The version sold by Anaconda is multilingual. You can choose between English and completely translated German.

In response to the Gothic 3 E3 Preview, it appears there's been a new development: Gothic 3's bestial line-up will not scale like Oblivion's. Creature balance will remain largely the same as it was in the 2 predecessors aside from one crucial aspect.

Posted by Aspyr Media

However certain key encounters *may* scale in order to facilitate balance within the gameplay.

Key encounters, referring to the boss fights, is in a revisional period right now and will likely scale to the specifications of the player character. I'd encourage this, in fact.

Citizens of Egypt,

I was trying to think of some analogy to the start of a Tale. Arriving in
a new city, with only the shirt on your back? Arriving on the shores of an
unexplored land, along with a group your countrymen? Few of us have
actually done something like that, but I suspect the feelings would be the
same. So many possibilities, so much history about to be written.
After a successful and fast-paced Beta, A Tale in the Desert III will
launch:

Saturday, May 27, 12:00 Noon EDT (GMT-0400)

A Tale in the Desert III includes over one hundred changes and
improvements to ATITD 2, but some of the most notable are:

* A new Events System that integrates Tests,
Laws, Developer Chat Sessions, special contests,
and other happenings.
* Principles - miniature versions of each Test. Complete each
to increase your Level and open new paths.
* The Discipline of Harmony
* Unlockable Everything: Skills, Technologies, and now even Tests.
* Regional Chat

My goal with Tale 3 is to have the entire game feel like a giant, social
adventure-puzzle to be explored, dissected, and finally mastered. A
fast-paced game. A game rich enough so that everyone from the most hardcore
player, to the most casual, can carve out a meaningful role.
But what sort of history will we write? If you've played a previous Tale
in the Desert, names like FaceAnkh, DrDave, VoodooC, Hellinar, Shelomit,
Quizzical, Rehpic, Silver, CardinalTarod, Asheara, and Qetesh may mean
something to you. What about Igoka, Malakai, Mafia, Obiwan, Bindy? And
"Flower"? Kestrel and Boaz?
Someone reading this letter right now will change our history in a way
that I can't even imagine. What will I be writing about a year from now?
Who? I have no idea, but I can't wait to find out. Join me this weekend,
and I promise a Tale you won't forget.

Sunrise on the Nile,
Pharaoh (Teppy)

Imagine for one moment, all sound fading away as light dims into complete darkness. You are alone and there is nothing else besides your self. Gradually, a light begins to form and sound begins to return. At first, they return so slowly you hardly notice, but soon you are flooded with sensory information that all say one thing: You are no longer where you once were. Looking around you realize that you are in the middle of a bamboo forest with green sunlight shining through a canopy of Bamboo leaves. The bamboo stalks serenely sway as you feel the wind breeze easily through the forest. The forest floor is soft and cushiony as you walk around trying to get a bearing of where you are. For every step you make you hear the soft rustle of leaves and smell an indescribable aroma that warms the heart. The sound of birds chirping seems to come from everywhere and nowhere in particular. It is neither loud nor quiet, but perfectly resonated to match the quiet atmosphere of the bamboo forest. Despite not knowing where you are, this place induces an inescapable sense of peace.

Vanguard is going to introduce some new ideas and techniques that most MMOs have been getting wrong or missing the whole time. Let's start at the beginning though, character creation. Vanguard will have the most advanced character creation engine since Star Wars Galaxies. With an unheard of nineteen races to choose from and and near limitless combinations of just about every aspect of your character, it is safe to say that character uniqueness is assured. Traditional races are to be expected in vanguard. Humans (several breeds), dwarves, orcs, the entire family tree of elves, Gnomes and Halflings all make an appearance. They are also introducing a handful of exotic races such as the Vulmane (wolf people), the Kurashasa (cat people), Raki (fox people) and half giants. Even the Goblins are playable!