Mystic Software Forums
Mystic Software => General Discussion => Topic started by: Blackhart Joe on August 06, 2004, 04:11:33 PM
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Hi all, you might remember me, but I'm not offended if you don't. That's what happens when someone vanishes.
You also might remember that I was working on a text-based RPG/adventure game called "Bonedogs." Well, I've quit that because I got fed up with bugs that I couldn't seem to do anything about.
My new project is called "Misadventures in Nowhere," and is in the same setting as "Bonedogs" (if you remember anything about it, and you probably don't). I'm using the TK's board engine (finally decided it would be a good idea) and basically just making a computer version of a pencil-and-paper RPG that I've been developing for years.
Features:
Setting: dark and strange Nowhere. The setting has been dubbed ?low-fantasy,? as opposed to the high-fantasy of most role-playing games. Nowhere is a much grittier setting, with a lot of dust and rust and tarnish. The game takes place specifically on the continent of Ganimere (the first installment contained entirely in the Frontier, a sparsely-settled wild country on the continent?s eastern edge), during Ganimere?s Industrial Revolution. Yes, there are guns and machines in the game, but they are balanced with swords and magic; these are not sophisticated modern guns, these are the more primitive, less accurate firearms that would be created during an Industrial Revolution.
The setting has its Tolkien-esque elements, most notably in the variety of races, but the setting really has more to do with HP Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury, William S Burroughs, and Edgar Allan Poe.
Custom Battle System: combat is a simulation of real-time that pauses when it is your turn. Actions can happen simultaneously. Battles are also area-based, and you can even duck behind obstacles to protect yourself from enemy fire. The combat system is also set up with a variety of systems to enhance realism: interrupting casters, stuns, knock-outs, mortally wounding vital organs, breaking (or even severing, in extreme cases) limbs, damaging and breaking weapons and armor, fatigue, pain (once they have sustained more pain than they can handle, characters? fighting ability wanes), the ability to target where you want to hit an opponent, parrying, blocking, falling down, mana exhaustion (when casters use more mana than they have, it starts to harm their bodies), resisting spells, and a wide array of afflictions that goes far beyond the usual ?confused? ?poisoned? ?muted.?
Custom Characters: your party can contain up to 6 characters created by you.
11 races to choose from: Human, White Elf, Green Elf, Black Elf, Gnome, Dwarf, Halfling, Orc, Goblin, Troll, Ogre
35 classes to choose from: Warrior, Ranger, Monk, Adventurer, Gunslinger, Bruiser, Fencer, Archer, Dynamo, Wizard, Thaumaturgist, Conjuror, Sorceror, Cleric, Druid, Darker, Gleamer, Shaman, Elementalist, Alchemist, Beastmaster, Bard, Animalist, Surgeon, Paladin, Black Knight, Outlaw, Scout, Hunter, Techknight, Ninja, Samurai, Medic, Nightblade, Spellsword
Custom advancement system, with 20 attributes (10 primary and 10 secondary), over 40 skills, and a wide array of abilities, spells, and lore to learn, makes every character unique.
Magic: there are 10 classes capable of using magic that have their own spell lists, 4 that share their spell list with other classes, and 2 that use abilities that are but kinda aren?t magic.
Also, the spell list of Clerics and Paladins varies with their deity, with 4 choices of deity to be available in the first complete installment: light god Lodh, night god Anuv, mountain god Valdivaar, and battle god Birock.
And the spell list of Shamans varies with their culture, with 6 choices of culture to be available in the first complete installment (note that cultures are limited to the races they include): the Boulderstorm Clan (ogres), the Dead Crow Clan (orcs, goblins), the Splintertooth Clan (orcs, goblins), the Ocmah Tribe (humans), the Rohinnwn Tribe, and the Mtambo Tribe (humans).
And the spell list of Thaumaturgists varies with their school, with 10 choices: White School, Black School, Grey School, Red School, Brown School, Green School, Blue School, Violet School, Yellow School, and Orange School.
Also, custom equipment system (with about 20 slots), original music, and a custom menu. Graphics aren't gonna be so hot, at least not on the first release, because I hate doing computer graphics (but if someone wants to help, that would be Amazing. I could supply sketches).
I'd be happy to elaborate on anything I mentioned up there (in fact, it'd be a pleasure), or even something I didn't mention, just ask!
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Was it you who had that card game thingy?
Anyway, good luck with your project, it sounds very interesting.
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Oh oh oh! I remember you. No its wasnt him. It was someone else...it was gonna me a multiplayer card game or something like that.
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I did have a card game thingy, but I wasn't the only one, so that might be me that you're thinking about and it might not. I'm going to finish the card game after I get done with this new project
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I'm looking forward to it.... good luck.
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Hey! I guess I'll love the game climate if it'll be done well. Industrial revolution... mmm... sort of reminds me of my game...
(unfortunately I failed to create an industrialistic impression of turpistic, dark red brick buildings stained with smoke from machines, chimneys bloating dust into the sky and rusty coal trains in an overall feel of socrealism, which I once planned in my game, so far)
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awesome, Quoaz! Please, ask any questions you might have
Cesque: I will definitely check your demo out (in a couple weeks when I have cable internet), sounds highly interesting
Before the first complete installment (Misadventures in Nowhere: the Frontier) is released, I'll be releasing at least 1 demo, which will contain just a handful of quests, enough for people to get the gist of it. As far as gameplay, I would compare it to the old SSI "gold-box" D&D games, many of which have since been updated to 3-d and real-time by Bioware & Black Isle (y'know, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, all those games)
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Hmmm, my demo is a bit crappy, though B) I failed to eliminate lots of bugs and it only contains few areas, but check it anyway. I might preppare new one
And the whole industrial thing in my game is generally only visible in the capital city of Mercedes of first country, I've just done some work on boards for it, altough still the effect is a bit undesirable... Eh.
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Welcome back man.
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Thanks, Spyder
Cesque: If you think it's better that I wait to download it, then I will. I want to see it when it's ready, at least in terms of bugs
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3 user(s) active in the past 15 minutes
0 guests, 3 members 0 anonymous members
Blackhart Joe, Spyder, Cesque
Shouldn't you guys be asleep? lol
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It's 0:30 pm here in Poland right now B)
Hmm, the next demo isn't anywhere near release right now, so you can check the current beta version...
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Holy Shitaki mushrooms!
I do belive I remember you! I do!
Do YOU remember a GALATON? Because I think Galaton remembers you!
Galaton is me...
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Holy kombucha mushroom tea, it seems you've haunted these forums for longer than I suspected you, Dude Man, ex-Galaton.
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3 user(s) active in the past 15 minutes
0 guests, 3 members 0 anonymous members
Blackhart Joe, Spyder, Cesque
Shouldn't you guys be asleep? lol
Shouldn't you? Razz
Anyways, I don't go to bed until pretty late. That night it was about 4am by the time I did.
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I probally would have been there two but I was away.
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Dude Man: yeah, I remember a Galaton Smile
Spyder: yeah, I should've been in bed... didn't wake up 'til 2PM today. I hate sleeping, it feels like wasted time
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I hate sleeping, it feels like wasted time
I completely agree.
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Dude Man: yeah, I remember a Galaton Smile
Spyder: yeah, I should've been in bed... didn't wake up 'til 2PM today. I hate sleeping, it feels like wasted time
YEEEEEEAH!!!!
Then we know each other!
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Woot!
I just got done testing my equip & unequip methods, and checking all the equipment stat variables, and my custom equipment system works perfectly!!
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Sleeping, wasted time? Good Cosmos... you guys are either robots or want your nervous system to crash after 5 days without sleep.
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Bah, I don't need my nervous system.
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:huh: Nervous system? I thought I got rid of that when I got rd of my spleen. :mellow:
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I do not remember you, but welcome back anyway.
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They say he once killed a man with a guitar string
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I see that you remember me, Tosoto
Do you remember what that quote was from?
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Surprised Holy stawberries, blackhart! That game sounds awesome!!!!!!!!!
Question, you you have Blue Mages?? YOu know the kind that gets monster magic/skills?? I just love them. GO QUINA!!
Can't wait for the demo!! Same level as Halo 2!!
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Blue mages suck! Necromancers pwn all. Razz Or druids.
Altough I know FF-esque games never had any true representatives of these classes...
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I have no idea where the quote is from, I just remember it being in your sig
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I like all of those, but i have a special affection towards blue mages, hey getting their skills can be a worthy challenge. As long as the complete skill list is useful (something SquareSoft failed at), it is a great class. Remember i'm going to have a Blue mage in my game that i am slowly working on. I'll have some revisions on my site soon.
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Personally, I think it's better challange to achieve some other skills by doing some quest rather than simply drawing attack from certain enemy which uses it.
Like having a summoner which has to do quest for each summon beast, etc... Or have all character classes have some ultimate ability which requires a certain quest to be completed.
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I think it's better to make your own classes, like a, Green Mage, or an Orange Mage, or Azue Mage, or Pink Mage!
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As long as the complete skill list is useful (something SquareSoft failed at)
I wouldn't say they failed at it, as they never really tried. The Final Fantasy series is far less detailed of an RPG than say, NeverWinter Nights, or IceWind Dale. It makes it far easier for people to get into the RPG genre than jumping right into one of the more complicated RPG's. I'm sure Square could come up with quite a decent "true" RPG if in fact that's what they wanted to do; however, I don't see any other series of RPG's coming even close to the kind of popularity that Final Fantasy has seen; other than maybe Zelda, and many people don't even consider that an RPG (it's officially an Action RPG if I remember right).
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Like having a summoner which has to do quest for each summon beast, etc... Or have all character classes have some ultimate ability which requires a certain quest to be completed.
That was one of the possibilities of Garak!! That or some psychic stuff. I can't decide. HELP!!!! That is the only roadblock right now, well short of the absence of my own computer.
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And Final Fantasy is a "sorry failed excuse of an RPG".
As I keep saying, role playing game (RPG) is role playing game. Where, in all 11-12 FFs, you are to freely play any role? Nowhere at all.
I would rather call games like FFs "Interactive Story-Based Movies With Side Quests), and RPG Toolkit should turn into ISBMWSQ Toolkit.
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Hint: they call them LINEAR RPGs. Morrowind very NONLINEAR or you could call that series QUASILINEAR (Daggerfall owns). Besides the early ones fit with how games were back then.
Off-topic (he): Does anyone know if someone could find the engine that was used for FF3 or FF5?????
BJ, u have a website??
edit - :blush: he...
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And Final Fantasy is a "sorry failed excuse of an RPG".
As I keep saying, role playing game (RPG) is role playing game. Where, in all 11-12 FFs, you are to freely play any role? Nowhere at all.
I would rather call games like FFs "Interactive Story-Based Movies With Side Quests), and RPG Toolkit should turn into ISBMWSQ Toolkit.
Final Fantasy is quite the opposite of a failure, and they are RPG's. Just because they're not the same style as Fallout doesn't mean it's not an RPG. Nowhere is there a definition of RPG where it says "freely able to play a role that you make up". As for the Toolkit, I made an RPG that is far closer to Fallout/NWN style than it is Final Fantasy, so saying that it can only create FF style RPG's is completely false. And all movies are story based; and by being interactive, that pretty much insures sidequests; so your definition should actually be "Interactive Movies" which all games fit that description, including Fallout.
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I think it's better to make your own classes, like a, Green Mage, or an Orange Mage, or Azue Mage, or Pink Mage!
<span style='color:pink'>PINK!!!!!!!!!!</span>
I think FF can be called an RPG in some respects... but not many.... heh :blush:
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RPG games evolved from real-life RPGs, Spyder. In real life RPG's, the main thing is choice. You think anyone would like to play real-life RPG where only choice is where to go, whom to talk and how to fight battles?
(which are anyway in most FF-esque RPGs not that important, because most player tend to grind until they get some ultra-high level so they can fight all battles without any tactic)
I said they're failure as RPG, but not failure as a game. I like FFs Very Happy
As for the Toolkit, I made an RPG that is far closer to Fallout/NWN style than it is Final Fantasy, so saying that it can only create FF style RPG's is completely false.
That's also what I'm trying to do. Oh well.
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(still don't have internet, I'm posting from the university's computer lab)
AlienDude: "Holy stawberries, blackhart! That game sounds awesome!!!!!!!!!
Question, you you have Blue Mages?? YOu know the kind that gets monster magic/skills?? I just love them. GO QUINA!!
Can't wait for the demo!! Same level as Halo 2!! "
Thanks, AlienDude
No, I won't have Blue Mages, or anything else that comes directly from another RPG. However-- the Animalist class transforms parts of their bodies into animal parts (such as alligator skin, bull horns, fish gills, bear claws, etc.), and can learn to Assimilate certain monster abilities for a limited amount of time. That would be the closest thing I have to that
The Thaumaturgist class is split into different colors, each one determining the 3 elements that the Thaumaturgist specialized in. Examples: Black School Thaumaturgist -- Shadow, Ether (time/space), Cold; White School Thaumaturgist -- Light, Electricity, Fire; Red School Thaumaturgist -- Fire, Electricity, Earth; Green School Thaumaturgist -- Tree, Beast, Earth
(complete element list: Light, Shadow, Ether, Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Cold, Electricity, Sound, Chaos, Mind, Beast, Tree, Spirit)
Cesque: Necromancers will be in the game but not playable, as I don't feel that they can be balanced with other player classes with the way I envision them in Nowhere. However, the Darker class has many similar abilities, such as lifetap, disease, and darkness-based spells, and can animate dead animals, but they become pets and not servants. And Druids will be in the game as a playable class.
Tosoto: the quote is from the Tom Waits song "Black Wings" from the 1992 Grammy-winning album Bone Machine. I highly recommend Tom Waits, the man is quite possibly the greatest songwriter and experimental arranger of our time
AlienDude again: I have a website, sort of 2 in fact; one is the website for a cottage-industry indie publishing company Beyond the Wire Productions that I am involved in, and the other is for Middle of Nowhere Gaming, owned by Beyond the Wire. Middle of Nowhere Gaming's website is under complete re-construction at the moment, but when finished will have information regarding "Misadventures in Nowhere."
BTW Productions: <a href='http://www.angelfire.com/indie/btw' target='_blank'>http://www.angelfire.com/indie/btw</a>
Middle of Nowhere: <a href='http://www.angelfire.com/rpg/nowhererpg' target='_blank'>http://www.angelfire.com/rpg/nowhererpg</a>
Now, about FF: I pretty much only like the first 2.
"Misadventures in Nowhere" is a direct adaptation of a pen-and-paper RPG to computer (where it's really much better suited because it's just too complicated to be played PnP style), and so will feature the free-roaming gameplay associated with other PnP games. In fact, there will be no "story line" per se, just a large (hopefully Huge) number of quests that you can go on, some of which connect to form storylines (but there is no Plot). There will be a final quest, which after finishing you get hailed as a hero and all, but you can go on playing, seeking out other quests you didn't finish, finding cool items and stuff, and leveling up your character(s).
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By the way, people interested in playing MaNw might be interested in reading my stories about Nowhere, some of which are on the BTW website. From the homepage, go to Productions and then to Stuff by Marshall Burns, then down to the Nowhere Stories section.
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RPG games evolved from real-life RPGs, Spyder. In real life RPG's, the main thing is choice.
Final Fantasy is simplified so you don't have to spend years playing it. With traditional Pen&Paper RPG's, it can take months just to accomplish anything. How many 10 year olds are going to have an easy time playing AD&D? There is quite a bit of choice involved in Final Fantasy games, especially the more recent ones. Just because you can't choose your name doesn't make it "not" an RPG.
Now that I think of it, I think in FFVII, and possibly more recent FF's, you could choose your name, which means I really don't see how the FF series is "not" an RPG. In fact, there is no way to put the amount of choice you have in a Pen&Paper RPG into an electronic RPG, so according to your explanation, it's not an RPG if you play it on a computer or console.
You think anyone would like to play real-life RPG where only choice is where to go, whom to talk and how to fight battles?
Those are the main choices in "every" RPG, including Pen&Paper RPG's. There's no need to have choices in electronic RPG's such as
"I want to pick up that cup and set it on my head"
That would be ridiculous.
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I have a Pen and Paper RPG. Well it's sort of an RPG. Bank Rob is the name, you only get about 4 HP and there isn't leveling up and such, but you get Party Members and such. It also has a RPS style fighting system. But with more choices.
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lol go on.... I want to konw more.... :huh:
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Not now. The is about Blackhart Joe's game! Wink
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oookkkkaaayyy..... sigh -_-
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"I want to pick up that cup and set it on my head"
That would be ridiculous.
Ever played NetHack? This is what I call a true RPG, you can put bags on your head, throw cream pies at enemies to blind them, engrave texts on floor with your sword which can dull it... and do tons of other weird stuff.
Final Fantasy is simplified so you don't have to spend years playing it. With traditional Pen&Paper RPG's, it can take months just to accomplish anything. How many 10 year olds are going to have an easy time playing AD&D? There is quite a bit of choice involved in Final Fantasy games, especially the more recent ones. Just because you can't choose your name doesn't make it "not" an RPG.
That's it, FF style RPGs are simply for kids. Razz But what is by the RPG game defined, then? Having inventory of items and leveling up?
I still prefer choice-based RPGs. Early FFs are fun, and I like them, they have side-quests and such, but you can basicaly beat the game 100% discovering all secrets and know everything about this game. They could simply make a movie of someone playing and beating game with all secrets and make players watch it rather than playing, it won't be much difference except you won't discover everything yourself.
Compare my favourite example, Fallout - the game schemate when you play with stealthy thief woman or brutish soldier-type male are totally different. You can talk your way out of situation and you can kick someone's sorry butt to oblivion. You can unlock doors or blow them up with dynamite. You can work as a slaver or become star of porn movies, you can join mafia or get money by robbing graves, you can go from town to town and murder anyone on your path or you can be shiny super-hero which emanates aura of holiness and hope.
I have a Pen and Paper RPG. Well it's sort of an RPG. Bank Rob is the name, you only get about 4 HP and there isn't leveling up and such, but you get Party Members and such. It also has a RPS style fighting system. But with more choices.
Pen & paper sucks Razz Nothing beats RPGs with game master, players and such. Especially when someone weird plays game master.
Not now. The is about Blackhart Joe's game! Wink
It looks cool. Razz
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I like D&D. That might explain more than I mean it to.
EDIT: Oh, Cesque: have you played any of The Elder Scrolls series (Arena, Daggerfall and Morrowind)? Apparently they all have very open play. You might like to check them out if you have not already. Arena was released in 1994, and so has fake 3D, which, for me, is very slow and uinresponsive, so that one you might like to avoid. However, you can legally download it at The Elder Scrolls' official website: <a href='http://www.elderscrolls.com' target='_blank'>http://www.elderscrolls.com</a> Daggerfall was released in 1996, and had true 3D, and Morrowind in 2002, also with true 3D.
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I never played it, but heard lots about them.
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Pen & paper sucks Razz Nothing beats RPGs with game master, players and such. Especially when someone weird plays game master.
What the hell? Pen&Paper RPG's are the RPG's with game masters, players, and such... What did you think they were?
Haraldur, I have Morrowind for PC, and yeah, bad ass game, and incredible graphics too. Probably the best graphics I've seen in an RPG. Have you played any of the expansions? If so, are they worth getting? I should probably finish the main game before thinking about buying expansions though Razz
Neverwinter Nights, Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate, and Dungeon Seige are all damn good "true" RPG's as well.
Cesque, Final Fantasy XI is pretty non-linear, and there are plenty of choices. And you can almost litterally do anything you want.
Ok, that's cheating, but still ^_^
The Final Fantasy series is far from "just for kids". Just read the dialogue of FFVII in the first 30 minutes of the game and you'll figure that out pretty quick :blink:
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Actually, I have only played Arena, and tomorrow or the day after I will have finished downloading Daggerfall. I have seen Morrowind at a friends house, and had a little play on that. But I cannot help you as to the expansions. I suggest you read the reviews at gamespot for that sort of thing.
My friend assured me that Morrowing would not work on my computer though, because I have the default SiS graphics card, which would not handle Morrowind.
Yeah, the graphics are awesome.
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Hi all, you might remember me, but I'm not offended if you don't. That's what happens when someone vanishes.
Yeah, I remember you. You're that guy who wasn't impressed with Dark Age. Yeah, I remember you...
(Heh... welcome back.)
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Do what now? I liked Dark Age. I thought Mortis was great, I was constantly laughing at how wonderfully classically evil he was (not being sarcastic).
((still don't have real internet, at the university comp. lab again))
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Oh yeah! I'm thinking of someone else. Never mind! (Heh...)
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I wasn't at first. Just for abit, but now I have it as one of my favorite RPGs, not favorite TKRPG, favorite RPGs, it's of coruse under Fallout and Fallout2, those RPGs rule the world! Very Happy
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I don't have Fallout 1/2 anymore...I lost the disks and uninstalled it on my PC (for some reason, maybe my mom uninstalled it, since it was her PC not mine)... If anyone can tell me where to find it Ill order it...
Everyone talking about RPGs: You forgot about Diablo 2 and Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction (expansion)! Diablo had 5 classes (7 if you include the Druid and Assassian added in the expansion), you can buy the Diablo 2 Battle Chess (has Diablo 1, Diablo 2, Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction and a strategy guide) for like 30-40 dollars, maybe alittle more. You can also find Warcraft 3 Battle Chess and Starcraft Battle Chess for about the same price.
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Diablo is even less of RPG. It's so called "action RPG" or whatever... But it's cool anyway.
Well, not anymore, since my hardcore necro lvl 24 with +2 to skills wand died. I feared to attack Duriel alone, so I made game to get players in and exped in Duriel's chamber... and mob got me. #@&%^!!!!