Think i could enjoy this game if i like Realms of arkania ?

[Aledas]

Hi everyone , i was wondering if anybody that have played both this game and realms of arkania could tell me a bit about how similar they are .

I see that this has turn based combat which i enjoy , i have to say that while some find realms of arkania extreme micromanagement , eat/sleep , sickness , hunting and so on boring , i love that part of the game , i don't like much having only 4 characters , but many games have that group limit , can you have more ? do you create all your character or just your main ?

Its not about the price since 3 euros its a steal im sure , its more about the time investment :)

Thanks in advance for any info .

[Sstavix]

I've never played any of the Arkania games, but from the look of it the Avernum games - or any of Spiderweb's games, for that matter - play out quite differently.

In Avernum, the primary aspect of the game play is from an isometric, top-down perspective. While there is some inventory management and skill-point allocation, it has been extremely steamlined from what it used to be (starting with the Exile games that were released in the '90s).

You do have a limit of four characters, which you create at the start of the game. In previous versions you could create one character and then recruit three more as you made your way through, but it appears that that option has been taken out (the NPCs that you could have hired are still in the game, though).

That being said, what really makes an RPG good is a quality story. In that department, the Avernum series shines like a well-polished gemstone. If you like a good plot with your role-playing games, Avernum won't disappoint you.

[Aledas]

Hi Sstavix , thanks for the input :)

I started to watch a play through to get a feel of the game , but its a play through for the avernum games , the one that came before this remake .

I read that in this remake you dont need food , or dont need to sleep at the inns , also get resurrected when you enter a town , so im thinking i would probably enjoy more the older games instead of this version , think im a bit of a masochist when it comes to mechanics in videogames xD

The game looks really interesting , i tried briefly the Avandon the dark fortress i belive was the name , but it didint click with me atleast back then , though i did not get really far , seems you have played both versions of avernum or all 3 , would you recommend this one over the older ones ?

[Sstavix]

Originally posted by Aledas:

seems you have played both versions of avernum or all 3 , would you recommend this one over the older ones ?

I would, but that's because I'm not terribly fond of the micro-managing aspect of some role-playing games. It sounds to me like you would prefer that approach, so you may prefer the earlier versions. You actually can get all six of the original Avernum games for $12 through GoG.com. https://www.gog.com/game/avernum_the_complete_saga

Or, if you want to go real old-school - and have a system capable of running them - you can get the original Exile games for free from Spiderweb's Web site. https://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/productsOld.html

I've played these games pretty much ever since they came out. Exile worked on my Mac at the time, and that's how I first discovered Spiderweb Software. I've backed them on Kickstarter and even beta-tested a couple of their games. Needless to say, I like the company.

[Aledas]

Hi sstavix , thanks a lot for the input and the link to spiderwebs web site , looks like i can even download a demo and give it a try to be completely sure of what im getting into ,not many developers make demos anymore , think ill give the older ones a try .

Thanks again for the info and have a good day :)

[Sunday Driver]

Have you tried the Konung series? You may enjoy that one too. The first game lets you have a large party (gets smaller as it goes on but still a good size). Not sure why modern games have this trend to make you have smaller and smaller parties.

I think the "original" Avernum (rather than exile) was a nice balance of streamlined but still old school if that's your thing. All of Spiderweb's stuff of course has a similar feel and appeals to old school gamers, even when there's some streamlining or QoL in later versions to bring in the newer ones too. Upside is you can still play through them all.

[Aledas]

Hi Sunday driver , thanks for the recommendation , i did play Konung 1 and 2 and found them enjoyable , played the third for a bit but maybe i got burned out on the setting since i played them all one after another , maybe one day ill get back and finish it :)

I ended up getting the avernum series over at gog since like you mentioned it was more old school , and ive been watching a bit about the exile series , wish you could also have 6 characters in avernum , i agree that most games seem to give you a smaller group now , not sure why but for me 6 give you room to experiment , apart from the usual tank,healer,mage and rogue , you still have 2 spots for something else .

For now im playing avernum here and there , im currently on a binge on "the dark eye" setting games , but so far ive enjoyed more avernum then avadon , still sometimes a game dosent click on the first time and it takes a couple retries , perhaps avandon will click in the future , i dont like having games in my library that i have not finished atleast once , but sometimes its not meant to be :)

Have any other older games to recommend ?

[Sstavix]

Originally posted by Aledas:

i dont like having games in my library that i have not finished atleast once , but sometimes its not meant to be :)

Have any other older games to recommend ?

I'm the same way, and have been on a kick lately to go through my library to try and get all the achievements in the games I own. Avernum I and III are on my to-do list....

As for recommendations... I'm a bit biased toward anything Spiderweb makes. But I've also had my eye on the Pathfinder RPGs (I own a copy of Kingmaker). I like the campaign setting, it's a turn-based RPG and I've heard good things about it. So it could be worth a look, too.

[Aledas]

I played some of the pathfinder game , a friend of mine gifted me a copy , didint get to far in though , i think i was working my ass off back then at work and had low focus for a game with a huge story , but i liked what i played , will have to get back to it eventually as well :)

On rpg's i played the old baldurs gate 1-2 and throne of baal , icewind dales 1-2 , the neverwinternights games , enjoyed the hell out of wizardry 6 but lost steam on 7 and never finished number 8 , finished the first eye of the beholder got about half of the second , fallout 1-2 and new vegas i actually finished , never cared much for 3 and ive given up on 4 so many times i think ill never finish it xD , got bored with divinity original sin , finished pillars of eternity 1 but for some reason i was not supper invested in it , im probably forgetting a good number of games as well haha .

To be honest i think with age maybe im starting to seek games that have a story but are not story heavy , something i can jump in and out without forgetting some crucial part of the story , or they are not as engaging as they used to be , perhaps its to easy to get games now , while before you could play something over and over since other games where not as readily available .

[Sunday Driver]

Geneforge is probably a good series by Vogel to get you into Spiderweb games. It's a real gem and if you enjoy the first there's a whole series of them that's worth playing through in order. The oldest in the Geneforge series was thankfully remade to be easier to run and look better on modern PCs. I think that one is probably an easy one for you to get into with what you've tried already. It plays closest to those isometric RPGs you've mentioned. I think you'd really enjoy it. It has some unique twists on things with the "shaper" system where you can play as a wizard that summons and creates your own creatures to aid you. The series has good choices where you can join or betray factions and so on and that impacts the story and ending of the game.

The Avernum series is also amazing fun for exploration and RPG combat. You won't get bogged down with story in it as dialogue and choices are minimal, but you get a tun of exploration and freedom and little secrets and fun to have. There's a ton of lore there for those who want it but it's up to the players to investigate and put it together over many games rather than feel you're getting info dumped. If you enjoy exploration and adventure then it can provide plenty of both. Each game lets you explore a bit more of the world nad time line so in your head you can piece together a really massive world and story over the whole series.

Spiderweb has also released other games with different themes and tweaks on the formula like Nethergate which has an interesting Roman vs Celts theme.

Obvious older suggestions you may enjoy: Planescape: Torment (very much story and roleplaying choices and dialogue heavy and combat is an afterthought), Ultima 6 or 7 (those two play quite differently and you can try the others if you enjoy the world and series - all are available on GOG), Nox, Gothic 1 and 2 (Gothic 2 with the NOTR expansion, sold as Gothic 2 Gold usually is really good and a great example of open world and emergent fun from just letting players do what they want while the devs also were clever enough to take it into account, there's a Gothic 3 that's not bad if you mod it and use fan patches but 2 is the best). The story is there but honestly pretty light in that series as it simply serves as a gate and vehicle for progression and a carrot to get you to go places and get loot. Part of the fun of the Gothic games is it will let you wander into that high level area any time you like though and get stomped or survive with high player skill or clever exploits. Has a fun thieving mechanic and some interesting social behavior of npcs for the time. Gothic 2 can be had incredibly cheap, especially as part of the "gothic trilogy pack" on Steam sales or just getting the key somewhere cheap...

If you like blobbers or Eye of The Beholder type games you're in luck as those have had a bit of a resurgence lately with Grimrock 1 and 2 and many others with different settings and themes that have come out. Some sticking to old school hand drawn pixel art and some going for more a modern 3D with fancy lighting look.

For a bit more modern games you might enjoy:

Knights of the Chalice 1 and 2: Old school combat RPG fun. Focused on the tactics of it. First has the older pixel art look, the second went with a more Baldur's Gate era look.

Dead State: Reanimated - Not so modern now I guess but I enjoyed this one a lot as it had the TB combat, resource gathering, crafting mechanics and shelter management but also a unique spin on the social management too that made the roleplaying really come to life. Multiple endings and ways to explore the world and a lot of lore to explore in the world. As it's an older game maybe check forums for any suggested bug fixes and stuff that might be useful in getting it running. Not story heavy really as you're not fighting the big bad and seeking the ten keys to unlock the macguffin, it's all about ordinary random people trying to survive and how a SHTF like that would make people act and play out as they try to work together. You sort of make your own story in that sense.

Age of Decedance - Heavy on variety and player choices having an impact on what happens. Unusual setting. Indie effort that stants out. A sort of post apocalyptic roman setting.

Colony Ship - from the same dev studio as above but very different setting being on the titular vessel. So more sci-fi with this one and again lots of fun with variety depending upon player builds and choices.

[Sstavix]

Since the Eye of the Beholder series has now entered the discussion, I'll point out that the original Bard's Tale trilogy has been remastered and is available here on Steam. It's another one of those on my "to-do" list.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/843260/The_Bards_Tale_Trilogy/

In addition, the remake of Geneforge 2 is supposed to hit the digital store shelves in March. More gaming fun!

[Aledas]

@sunday driver thanks for the recommendations , lots of games and you reminded me that i have tried some of them .

Planescape torment was to heavy for me on the story , i found that baldurs gate was in the middle , while icewind dale was combat with the story as an afterthought , but i do own it on gog who know maybe when the planets align ill give it another shot hehe .

Never played the ultima games , i have ultima underworld 1 and 2 when gog gave them for free , it seems that you play as a lone character though , im more keen on groups at the moment in videogames , but ive always read good things on the ultima games .

I have all the gothic games but i belive i only finished the first , probably got sidetracked on the second because to many games , i swear its actually detrimental to have games so easily obtainable now xD , but i remember i enjoyed very much gothic 1 .

Enjoyed Grimrock very much , never bought the second so cant speak on that one , i do like dungeon crawlers , im on the fence about the might and magic games , they tend to go often on sale but they are the 10th game already uff , im the tipe that have to start from the beginning if i can .

Never heard of kights of the chalice , ill keep an eye on it , thanks .

Dead state , i have a love/hate with that game , i think ive got about 3 times to half of it and then drop it , i really like discovering things from your companions , or the crisis events , its got turn based combat which i love , but man when there are a lot of zombies it takes forever to get through the zombies turns .

Age of decadence ive had on my wishlist for a while , and from what ive read its brutal but really really good when it comes to the story , it was done by the same team from dead state right ? might have to watch a lets play to get a feel for it :)

Colony ship , ill keep an eye on that one as well , i enjoy sci-fy games as well , have you played all 3 of them ? meaning dead state , age of decadence and colony ship .


@Sstavix , did not know there was a remake of the bards tale , great find , i wanted to play the originals for a long time but never got around to it , and it seems now it has an automap , this goes on the wishlist as well :)

Thanks both for the suggestions .

[Sstavix]

Originally posted by Aledas:

@Sstavix , did not know there was a remake of the bards tale , great find , i wanted to play the originals for a long time but never got around to it , and it seems now it has an automap , this goes on the wishlist as well :)

You are quite welcome! Bard's Tale isn't an isometric RPG, which is why I didn't mention it earlier. But it certainly does qualify as a classic!

And my thanks to Sunday Driver as well. You gave a few new titles for me to check out, too!