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A big huge production like Dragon Age, Elder Scrolls, an MMO, or (and I'm sad about this, too) the Baldur's Gate series wouldn't be in Paizo's best interest financially.
It doesn't hurt Paizo financially either. Whoever they give the Pathfinder license to eats all the costs, Paizo gets a piece of the sales.
A big huge production like Dragon Age, Elder Scrolls, an MMO, or (and I'm sad about this, too) the Baldur's Gate series wouldn't be in Paizo's best interest financially.It doesn't hurt Paizo financially either. Whoever they give the Pathfinder license to eats all the costs, Paizo gets a piece of the sales.
Ok, something I didn't know about licensing that I've now learned. Thanks!
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I can no longer call myself a (video game) gamer, as real life took away any available time I once had for video games... hence, I did go through Torment, Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, and Neverwinter Nights 2. I also played Oblivion (never finished it).
The only thing that would get me back in front of a computer for entertainment purposes is a video game set in Golarion...
One thing I think should be totally, absolutely and utterly avoided if a Pathfinder game ever comes out, is giving it the feeling "it's D&D, and it's full of millions different mosters and items behind every corner, so we should show the greatest number possible in the game". The reason is simple: even if D&D is effectively full of countless different monsters and stuff, putting too much things into the cauldron will only make a smelly and insignificant blob. You want to cook meat? Then you don't need sugar, soup and watermelon.
I don't know if I'm able to clearly explain it, but in the end I think the game should stay focused.
Say the plot of the game is about a fallen hero cast into Hell and trying to redeem himself/herself reaching Heaven (nobody wants anymore the anonymous peasant who gets his/her village attacked and finds himself inside something greater), it should stay focused on Hell and Heaven and few more. The hero shouldn't find himself going after a mummies-infested tomb in the Elemental Plane of Earth just because "we want to show mummies", or running into dungeon crowded with twenty different kinds of monsters. Get what I mean? If the atmosphere is A, throwing inside also B, C, and all the rest of the alphabet ruins it, not enhance.
Am I the only one who wants to see it done in the same fashion as the Temple of Elemental Evil game that came out from Troika and Atari? Felt like an Infinity Engine game with spruced up graphics, but the combat was all turn based. That game would have been teh (sic) awesome if it wasn't so buggy, went up to 20th level, and had multiplayer support. (Fan patches fixed the first two of those.)
I actually emailed Paizo about this once but got the response above - they want an established company. Oh, well. I'm a finance major - I plan to own a software company inside of ten years. Maybe I'll still have a shot. ;)
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I agree with a turn based system as it represents the tabletop game better - I liked the game idea with TOEE except it was buggy & no multiplayer
RTS can be fun but when you have to use the UI (which can be complicated when you consider all the possible actions) it gets overly complicated & not so fun thoughmultiplayer is easier to implement in this style
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Let's not forget the side-scrolling arcade beat-em-up option folks.
God I loved that game.
But seriously, while an RPG videogame might be cool, other types of games using the Golarion setting would be awesome as well. I know I'd be all over a 2D Castlevania/Metroid styled game set in Kaer Maga/The Darklands, Ustulav, Falcon's Hallow, etc., though that particular genre only gets a healthy amount of love on portables(and PCs, funny enough) these days.
I also wouldn't mind some kind of resource strategy game where you play a lord given a land grant in Varisia and have to attract people to farm the land, build your fort, etc. With the added twist that you have to defend the land from goblins/orcs/undead/giants/demons/devils/dragons. And pacify the local Shoanti.
Or maybe an RTS featuring war between Nex and Geb?
Or a FPRPS (First Person Role Playing Shooter) in the manner of Deus Ex, involving a rebellion in Cheliax?
Truthfully, any kind of game could be made that is set in Golarion. An RPG would be the best first option, though, because everyone who cared that it was set in Golarion would be an RPG player. While we all like different kinds of games, it is fairly certain we all like the RPG genre. A game like that would get the widest fanbase, which would make it financially possible to make games for a narrower audience.
Let's not forget the side-scrolling arcade beat-em-up option folks.
God I loved that game.
Best D&D videogame ever, nuff said.
IMHO, it catches perfectly the 'team dynamics' of a party; Fighters and Dwarves, for example, are powerhouses during the level but have some difficulties on most bosses; Magic Users on the contrary are literally dead-meat if they do not play the level with intelligence (use items, hit-and-run techniques, few spells when cornered), but when they reach the Level Boss, OH GODS THEY NUKE !!! (...provided they conserved their best spells - otherwise, they are dead, plain and simple...)
Funny things are, it was a Beat'em Up (supposedly a 'mash-mash-buttons', but in reality it was very strategic), and it was based on BECMI D&D !!! Whooot !!!
>:(And pacify the local Shoanti.
I meant the real definition, where you use diplomacy and make them less hostile, rather than the American History definition where you give them smallpox and shoot them.
I meant the real definition, where you use diplomacy and make them less hostile, rather than the American History definition where you give them smallpox and shoot them.>:(And pacify the local Shoanti.
The later would also be the Chelaxian definition.
I don't think there is much that a forum of fans can bring to the game development process. A company would need to pick the title up, and then work with Paizo to make sure it was up to standards and delivered in a way that plays to the strengths of that developer.
That said, I think Neverwinter Nights 1 was incredibly ambitious and it paid off. I've heard it still has more players online than the sequel, and it still has more features and content (cloaks and horses!).
So if it does happen, I would like to see it as a scriptable, GM-able, multiplayer game like NWN1. It was the only D&D video game that captured the actual social experience of RP for me.
If they released a pathfinder game I would buy it and a copy for all of my friends.
Damn. Hindsight gets me again!
In retrospect, this would have been a smashing April Fool's joke!
Think of the possibilities.
PAIZO ANNOUNCES PATHFINDER COMPUTER GAME!
IT'S A MUD!
IT'S A MUD!
I would be okay with that.
So, out of curiosity, what is the legalese regarding someone making a NWN 1 or 2 module set in Golarion? Seeing as it would be free and all that would that be an issue or is that under some sort of fan content exception?
Am I the only one who wants to see it done in the same fashion as the Temple of Elemental Evil game that came out from Troika and Atari?
No, you're not the only one. Once the bugs were fixed by community patches, I found ToEE to be an extremely enjoyable game.
Given Paizo's stable full of EPIC 2D artists/cartographers, and writers, I think such an approach would play perfectly to their strengths which is what you'd want to do. Leverage what you excel at (what people already love you for) and then build upon it. In this case, technology becomes secondary to the content just like how many companies will license the engine of another company to build an FPS, etc.
In terms of release, I'd do it in the same way in which Torchlight was done. A $10-20 game downloadable via Steam would get noticed by millions of potential players. Even if such a game were single-player, it would still build interest and allow you to ramp-up to something bigger and better. As Irrlicht notes, it would be better to do something with a limited scope (like Torchlight) and deliver a hit than to try and make a Neverwinter Nights or Dragon Age Origins on your 1st go.
Once you have that first hit under your belt, then start working on things like multiplayer, DM-led multiplayer, a toolset for user modification, and the rest. If people enjoy the single-player and are aching for extended gameplay and the chance to play with their friends, then you've already succeeded. Yet deliver something that leaves them luke-warm and they won't want what they already have let alone anything else.
So, out of curiosity, what is the legalese regarding someone making a NWN 1 or 2 module set in Golarion? Seeing as it would be free and all that would that be an issue or is that under some sort of fan content exception?
Legally, you could not create a NWN module (or any game) based in Golarion without Paizo's explicit and legal agreement, as Golarion is Paizo's intellectual property. It doesn't matter that it's free; you can't write a story using someone else's IP.
And I doubt Paizo would "officially" want to sponsor a NWN module, as for free they'd get nothing out of it, and if they wanted the module to be sold, they'd have to get into a legal agreement with Atari, Hasbro, and Wizards of the Coast, and I wouldn't touch that triad with a ten-foot-pole.
I am sure that has not stopped some module builders. There are a large number of NWN/NWN2 modules based on other people's IP (there's Diablo mods and Pool of Radiance mods and even a Zork mod); it's just a matter of who is aware of it and who is turning a blind eye. But that would be still be a free and technically illegal module made by a fan, not an official Pathfinder/Golarion videogame (which seems to be what people want here).
NOW, you COULD totally make a module in which you re-write the module's code so that it uses Pathfinder Core Rules. Because you can't copyright mechanics and it's all OGL anyway, making a NWN mod using those rules would be all fine and dandy. But you could not use Golarion.
Ignoring "Rocko's Modern Life" for a moment, was there really anything truly great on Nickelodeon after "Danger Mouse" went off the air?
Remember, though, Danger Mouse was originally a BBC production... does that even count?
I could see a fan made NWN module falling under Paizo's community use policy.
Given Paizo's stable full of EPIC 2D artists/cartographers, and writers, I think such an approach would play perfectly to their strengths which is what you'd want to do. Leverage what you excel at (what people already love you for) and then build upon it. In this case, technology becomes secondary to the content just like how many companies will license the engine of another company to build an FPS, etc.
I don't disagree, but I think this statement misrepresents how the computer game industry works. Paizo should not undertake to make a game in house. Any development firm that would be able to accomplish this project will likely have their own artists to rely upon -- not to the exclusion of Paizo's involvement -- but still. There's a lot more to make a game, even a 2D game, than just art. Even if you license an existing engine, it requires years of time, hundreds of thousands of dollars (and that's being conservative), and a fleet of programmers to get something quality made.
I'm not saying it couldn't happen, or that I don't want it to happen. But it ain't easy.
Chief Technical Officer
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I could see a fan made NWN module falling under Paizo's community use policy.
Yep. See the Community Use Policy for specifics of what can and can't be done.
I don't disagree, but I think this statement misrepresents how the computer game industry works.
Well, I've done contract work in the game industry myself (level & texture design using Unreal Engines 1 thru 3), so I'm well aware that building a game isn't easy. My mistake if it seemed like I was implying that it is. With regard to making a video game in-house, that's not [currently] one of Paizo's strengths, so that's not exactly what I was advocating either.
It's my understanding that many of their artists and writers are employed on a contract basis, correct? Unless Paizo is their only source of contracts and keeps their pipelines 100% full, then there exists the possibility that some of them might be available to contract on other related projects. In such a case, existing familiarity with the IP, artistic styles, etc. would be a plus.
That's more what I was getting at.
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A fan-made Advenutre Game Studio point-and-click adventure featuring one of the skillmonkey iconics or a random Pathfinder member would be ace as well.
Say... now there's an idea.
Day of the Tentacle set in Ustalav?
Valeros and Merisiel Freelance Police?
The Secret of Terror Island?
Amiri and the Fate of Azlant?
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A fan-made Advenutre Game Studio point-and-click adventure featuring one of the skillmonkey iconics or a random Pathfinder member would be ace as well.Say... now there's an idea.
Day of the Tentacle set in Ustalav?
Valeros and Merisiel Freelance Police?
The Secret of Terror Island?
Amiri and the Fate of Azlant?
See, I got to thinking about it now.
You're controlling Merisiel or Lem through most of the game. The rest of your friends have been captured and you're the only one whose managed to break out. You have to rescue your pals.
Need that sealed door broken down? Better go free Amiri first. Need to hit that switch across that wide gap? Find your (unlimited)throwing daggers. Need to get past that slumbering manticore? Better keep playing that soothing song on your flute as you go.
Now that I think about it, Merisiel has that "dies, A LOT" air about her that is required in a classic point-and-click adventure protagonist. We know she's kind of dumb and she gets into trouble easily. And considering how she was played in the Crypt of the Everflame playtest... :D Oh yeah, definitely Merisiel.
I'd love to see a Pathfinder video game in the style of the original NES Dragon Warrior.
An MMORPG would be cool too.
An MMORPG would be cool too.
Please no MMOs.
I've already lost plenty of friends to WoW, I'd rather not loose more. Also, pretty much every MMO that has tried to compete against WoW has withered and died because you just can't compete. Conan, LotR, DAoC, D&DO, Warhammer... They're all a bunch of ghost towns.
Plus, a subscription-based MMO could undermine Paizo's main subscription-based moneymaker: the Adventure Paths.
One of the nice things about table top gaming and even NWN is that you don't need to do the endless grinding to keep up with your friends. You can play at the pace of yourself and your friends and put it down. Do that in an MMO and you get left by the wayside. IMO that's detrimental to the social aspects of tabletop RPGs.
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This is a fun thread for me because only just last weekend did I dust off my copy of Temple of Elemental Evil by Troika and start playing through itself. Regardless of the bugs, I still love that it's the only game to-date that successfully and accurately modeled the 3.5 rules. Too bad it ends at level 10 and was so bug-ridden.
I played the entire set of games starting at the gold box series through BG and ending in the NWN2 range. I miss the good-'ol days of playing through good RPGs where flash was less important than gameplay. I'd pay real money to play a co-op Paizo product (though please no MMOs, I'm so sick of MMOs).
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This is a fun thread for me because only just last weekend did I dust off my copy of Temple of Elemental Evil by Troika and start playing through itself. Regardless of the bugs, I still love that it's the only game to-date that successfully and accurately modeled the 3.5 rules. Too bad it ends at level 10 and was so bug-ridden.
I found ToEE video game to be boring. It's one thing to play pen and paper games in that way, but it's boring in a computer game. NWN got the balance of fun over rules far better.
I would want it to be more Neverwinter Nights.
I'm sick of RTS games with RPG elements. I want to play a role playing game. Where I play a role. Not manage a whole crowd of people.
I guess I'm still mad that they butchered NWN2.
+1 to making a Golarion/Pathfinder RPG like NWN.
I'm playing through NWN2 and some of the community-created mods now. I agree it can't touch the first, which I played for YEARS, but it's holding my interest all right. I can see already there isn't as much fan-created content to extend 2's replay value, unfortunately.
It actually occurred to me to look into this subject while playing NWN2 today, actually.
Both trailers made good impression on me. That was immediately shattered to tiny, tiny pieces when I tried to check character generation as I was redirected to facebook page. Can't anyone do anything without the !@#$ facebook those times?
seconded
Both trailers made good impression on me. That was immediately shattered to tiny, tiny pieces when I tried to check character generation as I was redirected to facebook page. Can't anyone do anything without the !@#$ facebook those times?
I agree, but I will take what I get until something else comes along.
I think that the best way to show off Golarion would be to focus on the Pathfinder Society itself. Maybe have the PC be a rookie who interacts with the iconics from time to time. Alternatively, make it an old-school, Final Fantasy style RPG where all of the iconics are available as party members but you can only travel with four or five of them at a time.
IMO an awesome Pathfinder game would be 'Fable' art team (no matter how you feel about the games in their entirety they are visually awesome), working with all Wayne Reynolds artwork, for a game done like 'Sacred 2'. (Oh, and it would have to have the Iconics as the character choices.)
Though me and my group have joked about Koei making "Pathfinder Warriors" as well :D
What we are saying when we say 'like Never Winter Nights' is that a user friendly development tool set and a GM client are must have components.
Custom persistent worlds + a serviceable dm client made NWN the best CRPG released to date in terms of emulating a table top game experience.
Also no bogus subscription fees.
Note lack of people saying 'like NWN2'. The tool set learning curve was increased greatly, and there were other complications with hosting custom servers.
With Vanillaware working on Dragon Crown, and one of the original producers for the D&D arcade games on staff, I am more hyped than ever about the idea of a Pathfinder game in that style.
Which reminds me, I need to try to duplicate Amiri in Monster Hunter...