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TheRaven
Village Leader
Joined: 21 Jun 2002
Posts: 94
Location: Germany |
| there should be more CRPGs in SF setting or non-standard fan |
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I'm slowly getting tired of all those dwarfes gnomes orcs goblins dragons...(not of elves though they are my favourite race)
there should be more SF CRPGs.... postnuclear, other planets, aliens, starships, cyberpunk, virtual reality...
more non-standard fantasy... horror settings for example
perhaps even an nowadays RPG? |
Fri Jun 21, 2002 2:25 pm |
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Ekim
Eagle's Shadow
Joined: 27 May 2002
Posts: 2365
Location: Montreal, Canada |
You know, I heartily agree with you on this. But the simple matter of fact is that we are doomed to never see quite as much of those. And the reason is simple: Star Wars.
See, most SF settings end up being compared (unfavorably for the most part) to Star Wars, and most developers don't want that. The Star Wars universe is so universally known and loved that you can't avoid it, contrary to the Tolkien lore of Lord of the Rings which is still limited to a devout circle of fans. Whatever you do with a SF setting you will inevitable get that comparision. The Mythos is too large to compete. You have to be REALLY original to avoid it, and originality usually comes with a hefty price of risk. Originality is either admired or shunned, and you have as much chance to be one or the other.
There are some games that have good SF settings and that managed to steer clear of the Star Wars name. AO is one of them, but the game itself suffered in its early months and gained many detractors. There was Fallout also. But not many others... And now that SW: Galaxies is nearing, I can assure you that you won't see many other SF MMOGs poping up anytime soon!
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Fri Jun 21, 2002 3:37 pm |
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TheRaven
Village Leader
Joined: 21 Jun 2002
Posts: 94
Location: Germany |
what is AO?
well the Star Wars excuse doesn't work for postnuclear, (ok we have at least fallout), cyberpunk/virtual reality and horror (ok we have vampires)settings 
LOR DOES gain major audience now too and they still make fantasy games
who would compare wizardry, might and magic and so on with Lord of Rings?! that are two completly different kind of things! |
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Fri Jun 21, 2002 3:52 pm |
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Ekim
Eagle's Shadow
Joined: 27 May 2002
Posts: 2365
Location: Montreal, Canada |
AO= Anarchy Online
Actually, post Nuclear (or post any cataclysmic event) is the only way that anyone has ever found to escape the Star Wars comparison, and some fail. The classes all seem to have a Star Wars ring when you see a "Bounty Hunter" or mercenary type. But don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that everything SF gets rightly compared to Star Wars. Some of them are compared even though they shouldn't be sometimes. I'm not saying I agree, I'm just telling you what's happening. I saw someone compare Fallout to Star Wars once, can you believe?
As for Lord of the Rings, please do not confuse the films with the books. The films were a great adaptation of the book. Key word here is "Adaptation". Several things that are found in the original materials are not in the film. Now, as far as I am concerened, the film is a masterful adaptation of great material! But the film was made to be entertaining, as it should be, and therefore lack some of the depth the book has. Again, that's normal. But more than all this is the fact that the film actually came out AFTER the CRPGs. Most people that discover LotR with the films are not aware that this is what started it all, so they will just see it as another fantasy world among many others.
And comparing Wizardry and M&M to LotR? Yes, I would! Why? Because everything finds its roots somewhere. Even LotR found its root in legends and lore of the past, celtic lore and ancient Mythology, English legends, etc. And don't forget that most modern RPGs began with trying to emulate, or got their first inspiration from D&D. And where did D&D come from? A few guys who once read LotR and thought it would be cool to make a game in which you could take on the role of an elf lord and a human fighter to go on adventures against big bad orcs
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Fri Jun 21, 2002 4:18 pm |
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Lawnmower
Keeper of the Gates
Joined: 21 May 2002
Posts: 103
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Now, there are some truly original non-standard fantasy environments. Arcanum is easily the best example out there, courtesy of the fine folks who brought us Fallout. They took the standard fanatasy environment and mixed it up. The dragons are dead, the dwarves and elves are in hiding, the world is ruled by a gnomish conspiracy (only the Arcanum conspiracy is real, believe me), and humans have discovered the steam engine. The Industrial Revolution of Arcanum is beginning, which is starting to weaken the magick holding the Anti-Christ's equivalent (who, by a twist of fate, is the son of the Messiah of Arcanum). And the antagonist isn't as evil as you were originally led to believe...
But the "SW complex" is definitely there, and plays a part in why sci-fi rpgs are so rare. any that are generally specialized scenarios confined to one planet (like AO or Fallout) to avoid it. I want some galaxy-hopping!
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It's a paradox to say that you are lying. Luckily, I can still say that you're lying.
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Fri Jun 21, 2002 8:58 pm |
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soltys
Magister of the Light
Joined: 12 Jan 2002
Posts: 386
Location: Poland, Warsaw |
At least three SF massives are coming: EVE, Earth and Beyond and one title recently remarked at rpgdot (few weeks ago, don't remember the title).
Anyway aren't you too pesimistic about comparing everything to SW universe (regarding crpgs) ? |
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Sat Jun 22, 2002 1:34 am |
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Gish
Almighty Gish
Joined: 27 Apr 2002
Posts: 249
Location: Spartanburg, South Carolina |
Anachronox is sci-fi...but it plays more like a console RPG than most CRPGs...it's a fun and humorous game in a sci-fi world though.
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"It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible." |
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Sat Jun 22, 2002 8:15 am |
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stealth
Protector of the Realm
Joined: 23 Mar 2002
Posts: 261
Location: Valhalla |
Quite interesting. Never really thought about SW being a main reason for the lack of SCI-FI RPG’s but it sounds sensibly.
It would take an enormous effort to create an entire new setting that would sell. I would probably buy it but you really need a big name brand to get high sales. Only Star Trek and Star Wars would do that. Perhaps some SCI-FI P&P license could do it as well. I can only think of GURPS or Cyberpunk but are they huge enough to get peoples attention?
The BioWare created Knights of the Old Republic seems promising but it would be nice to see something different than SW.
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Sun Jun 23, 2002 4:14 pm |
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ButtOfMalmsey
Village Idiot
Joined: 07 May 2002
Posts: 785
Location: Mississippi |
Shadowrun, anyone? This was a great console RPG. And great in the P&P department.
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Sun Jun 23, 2002 9:39 pm |
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Jaz
Late Night Spook
Joined: 20 Jan 2002
Posts: 9708
Location: RPGDot |
System Shock 1 and 2 were roleplaying-gameish and very nice SF. As for a pen and paper background, there was Traveller which was great, but their computer games were plainly horrible  .
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Sun Jun 23, 2002 9:47 pm |
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stealth
Protector of the Realm
Joined: 23 Mar 2002
Posts: 261
Location: Valhalla |
Yes, actually I was thinking of Shadowrun but somehow came up with Cyber Punk.
The System Shock games are awesome. I played through SS2 a couple of months ago. Pretty scary and Shodan is really kewl.
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Sun Jun 23, 2002 9:55 pm |
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MtnDwarf
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 13 May 2002
Posts: 36
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Yes I would have to agree with Ekim about the fact that practicly all Fantasy CRPG's and RPG's in general find there roots in the LOTR. (IF you havnt read the Twin Towers this is a Spoiler so stop reading) Infact I beleave the event in the LOTR that influenced Dungeon and Dragons with the whole experience aspect of RPGs is when Gandolf faught the balrog and opon him defeating it he gained in power greater than that of Sorumon the White and thus became Gandolf the White. By influencing DnD LOTR inderectly influenced every RPG to date becouse DnD was the first RPG and they started the whole genre.
So yes LOTR is responsible for RPGs
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"It is impossible to better oneself without knowing ones weaknesses" |
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Mon Jun 24, 2002 1:39 am |
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Northchild
Fearless Paladin
Joined: 03 May 2002
Posts: 232
Location: New York, USA |
The most beautiful, near-future setting that I can think of is in Final Fantasy 7. |
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Mon Jun 24, 2002 4:35 am |
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Guybrush Threepwood
High Emperor
Joined: 19 Jun 2002
Posts: 500
Location: Oklahoma |
final fantasy games are getting old.....gimme Shadowrun.
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Mon Jun 24, 2002 7:09 am |
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MoonDragon
High Emperor
Joined: 25 May 2002
Posts: 1254
Location: Waterloo, Canada |
The problem I have with much of Sci-Fi is that it falls into horror category as well. Have you ever noticed that most video stores clasify horror and sci-fi into same section? I guess it's much easier to create a novel scary alien than a novel scary undead human.
But that's beside the point. I just wanted to point out that the holy trio of the Sci-Fi are the Star Trek/Star Wars (I group them together as they seem to have the same outlook), Blade Runner and Mad Max. In this you have distanant future, FTL space travelling, space exploration type of Sci-Fi, your run-of-the-mill near future in a megapolis with some dark cyber-punkish type of setting type of Sci-Fi and your classic post-nuclear, every man, woman and child for themselves type of Sci-Fi.
Exceptions from the above are rare, but quite possible.
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Mon Jun 24, 2002 2:39 pm |
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