D&D Computer Games

[Crust]

I didn't get into NWN like I did BG 1 and 2, simply because I didn't have a computer during those early years of NWN. Once I got my PC in '05, I played NWN. I downloaded an Eye of the Beholder mode and just got lost in it for two straight weeks. I totally put down Battlefield 2 in order to focus solely on my human rogue/shadowdancer Daerin Cormaeril.

I agree with Flexor, though. I prefer the party-based game like BG or IWD. Maybe it's just from growing up with Final Fantasy 1, Eye of the Beholder, Dark Queen of Krynn, and the BG games.

On the other hand, I suppose I also grew up with single-player games like Zelda, Faxanadu, Dungeon Hack, and the finest game I've played yet, Oblivion.

I thoroughly enjoyed ToEE. I hated crossing my fingers hoping magic item creation would work.

 

[Tal Rasha]

Of the reasonably many CRPGs I have played, I've enjoyed the D&D ones the most. They provided one with both food for thought (viz. BG, BG2 and Planescape: Torment especially) and action (the afore-mentioned, plus ToEE and Icewind Dale).

Now, I am a bit concerned about the rumour regarding the possible screening of PS:T. Granted, many years have passed since I played the game, and as such my fear of another work ruining it are lessened. But it would still be a sad thing, to hear people (neophytes, especially) complain about D&D in general and Planescape in particular, simply because the likes of Uwe Boll bought the rights and decided to produce yet another crap movie. Let it be said, Alone in the Dark (talking about the games now) was reasonably popular from what I heard, Dungeon Siege was good, and Blood Rayne 1 and 2 were thoroughly enjoyable. I wait with bated breath for their sequels...

Another thing to consider was that most of the appeal in Torment came from both its setting and from its storyline. How much of the Planescape setting can you cram into 2 hours? How much about the Nameless One, and the other characters? You could basically fill one hour of dialogue just from the encounter between the Nameless One and Ravel. I have problems imagining this in movie form.

On the other hand, there is hope to be had. Just imagine, Darren Aronofsky directing Planescape: Torment. That would be truly idyllic...

 

[DM-Rocco]

I loved ToEE. It's great provided:

1) You have the three patches.
2) You know where the dungeons are, and avoid most of Hommlet.

Otherwise it sucks.

Maybe I had the only unbuggy version, but mine worked great for the whole game, in town and out. I also loved that it was 3.5 and turn based instead of live action like NWN.

NWN was a fun game too though. Lots of fun playing on Never Summer Servers.

I think the best of the best was the Planescape Torment game. I sold it, that was a mistake. I'll have to track down a copy of that again. By far the best Role playing game ever.

I would say the worst was Ice Wind Dale. You don't really get an option on where to go, the whole quest is step 1, then 2, etc. You get crap for cool items and the only really cool items in the game, Drizzt's weapons, you only get if you kill him and then only for one or two battles. The big side quest isn't even finished until the game is over. By far the worst game ever, as far as D&D goes. I would rather play the very first Pool of Radiance than that again. Side note, I would rahter play the very first Pool of Radience again than the remake too. The remake was very boring and undead walking in real time really made it unenjoyable.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

I think the best of the best was the Planescape Torment game. I sold it, that was a mistake. I'll have to track down a copy of that again. By far the best Role playing game ever.

I have it twice, once on CD, and once on DVD, which was on a game magazine DVD. You should have no problem getting that game.

I would say the worst was Ice Wind Dale. You don't really get an option on where to go, the whole quest is step 1, then 2, etc. You get crap for cool items and the only really cool items in the game, Drizzt's weapons, you only get if you kill him and then only for one or two battles.

I think you mix things up. Icewind Dale plays a couple of decades before Drizzt's birth, if I remember correctly. But BG had Drizzt, and you could fight him (and with the proper preparation, kill him and take his stuff).

The big side quest isn't even finished until the game is over. By far the worst game ever, as far as D&D goes. I would rather play the very first Pool of Radiance than that again.

I sort of liked IWD, you just have to remind yourself that it's an action game with AD&D rules. I liked the second one far less, since they claimed that it had 3e rules, which it had not (it had something similar to 3e rules, but many things were still just like in 2e, especially the situations where Sneak Attack applied, which was more like backstab. Wizards didn't get their two spells, either. I'm sure there was more)

 

[Tal Rasha]

But BG had Drizzt, and you could fight him (and with the proper preparation, kill him and take his stuff).

Well, if one were to be pedantic, BG2 had Drizzt and you could fight him and defeat him. Baldur's Gate 1 also featured an apparition by Drizzt, but the highest possible level you could have for that encounter was 7, and that was if you finished the game and then imported your character into a new game. That was a nice wake-up call actually, it was my first D&D game and I was feeling all cool and powerful with my 7th level fighter . What a rude awakening that was.

I also liked Icewind Dale. In part for the action, but also for the quite beautiful artwork. That enormous tree in Kundahar was particularly well created.

 

[takyris]

Well, if one were to be pedantic, BG2 had Drizzt and you could fight him and defeat him. Baldur's Gate 1 also featured an apparition by Drizzt, but the highest possible level you could have for that encounter was 7, and that was if you finished the game and then imported your character into a new game. That was a nice wake-up call actually, it was my first D&D game and I was feeling all cool and powerful with my 7th level fighter . What a rude awakening that was.

I also liked Icewind Dale. In part for the action, but also for the quite beautiful artwork. That enormous tree in Kundahar was particularly well created.

You could actually defeat him in BG1. It wasn't easy, but you could do it. I never did, but I've seen it done. As I recall, you had to make pretty good use of summoning abilities. The clerics were supposed to keep using Create Undead (which, in BG1, made lots of skeletons, not just one), and the wizards had to dish out damage that Drizzt couldn't dodge (Magic Missile, unless our favorite drow had some defense against that) while the skeletons kept him occupied.

This was pretty much the same technique one used for Sarevok (or really, any tank-boss in any game) -- put some fodder between you and him, and nickel-and-dime him down before he can get to you.

 

[kolikeos]

I very much enjoyed all the Infinity Engine games (Baldur's Gate I & II, Icewind Dale I & II, Planescape: Torment). Party control is very important for me in a game and the pauseable gameplay was great. Dialog and story are as much part of the game as combat, just killing things and taking their stuff would have got me bored pretty fast. BG and IWD have multiplayer aspects but that never interested me (I never liked multiplayer games anyway, except Heroes I-V, Dominions I & II and Age of Wonders I & II, which are turn based strategy).
Other RPGs I liked were Temple of Elemental Evil, Knights of the Old Republic I & II and Jagged Aliance I & II. In ToEE the story was very poor, but the turn-based combat was great. In KotOR I did not like the combat but the story was great. If I could have the story quality of KotOR and a combat system like ToEE in one game, it would probably be the best game ever.
Single player, party control, pauseable/turn-based, good story: that's what makes a good RPG, at least in my opinion.

 

[Mokona]

What's the "goodwill impairment charge"?

Since no one answered...

Q: What is goodwill?

A: When one company acquires another they have the price they paid and the accounting value of all the tangible assets which were bought. Say Infogrames paid $100 million for the Atari acquisition. Atari's office buildings, insurance policies, cash, accounts receivable, &c are the assets Infogrames gained in the purchase. Any difference between the purchase price of Atari and the value of Atari's assets would be accounted for as Goodwill. So if Atari had $15 million in assets then the Goodwill would be $85 million (100-15=85).

Q: What is an impairment?

A: If a company determines that it's no longer worth what was paid for it then it has too large a Goodwill value. An impairment is when you adjust down (i.e. decrease) the value of your Goodwill to reflect a decrease in the value of the company below the original purchase price. If Infogrames realized that Atari was only worth $50 million they'd decrease the Goodwill from $85 million to $35 million (50-15=35). They'd decrease their stated profit by $50 million (an impairment charge of 85-35=50).

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Single player, party control, pauseable/turn-based, good story: that's what makes a good RPG, at least in my opinion.

Opinions vary. While I like "Computer-RPGs" (and a decent mix of FPS and CRPG, like Vampire Bloodlines or the legendary Deus Ex, are even better), I loved NWN for its imitation of D&D's core values.

Well, if one were to be pedantic, BG2 had Drizzt and you could fight him and defeat him. Baldur's Gate 1 also featured an apparition by Drizzt

And I defeated him as well. Not easy, but doable. BG1 allowed you to summon hordes of critters, and if you swamp him with those, he won't be fast enough to clear them before your party wears him down with ranged weapons and magic.

 

[Nepenthe]

I very much enjoyed all the Infinity Engine games (Baldur's Gate I & II, Icewind Dale I & II, Planescape: Torment). Party control is very important for me in a game and the pauseable gameplay was great. Dialog and story are as much part of the game as combat, just killing things and taking their stuff would have got me bored pretty fast. BG and IWD have multiplayer aspects but that never interested me (I never liked multiplayer games anyway, except Heroes I-V, Dominions I & II and Age of Wonders I & II, which are turn based strategy).

Yes, I really liked the gameplay of the infinity engine games as well. The Kotors delivered a gaming experience that was almost as good, so I could probably live with that style as well.

As for not liking multiplayer games... I did the MUD thing for 8-9 years before finally getting some semblance of life. Presently, an RTS game or two are the only ones I would even considerin playing online... It's not that I'm even really afraid of losing my life to WoW or something, (massively) multiplayer gaming just holds absolutely 0 interest for me any longer.