On which consoles EE games will ported? Only for eight generation consoles (Wii U, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 / PS4 Pro, Xbox One / XBO S / XBO X) or maybe for seventh generation consoles also (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii)?
I assume that sixth generation consoles (Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox) are to old for porting anything.
And will any handheld consoles of eighth generation (Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL, Nintendo 2DS, New Nintendo 3DS, New Nintendo 3DS XL, New Nintendo 2DS XL, PS Vita (PCH-1000), PS Vita (PCH-2000)) or seventh generation (Nintendo DS / DS Lite / DSi / DSi XL, Playstation Portable PSP-1000 / PSP-2000 / PSP-3000 / PSP Go / PSP-E1000) get some love from Beamdog? :P
I could send an email for Wild Surge, but this thread is much easier:
Axis & Allies Online Questions:
How long has A&A been in development?
This title has been one of Beamdog's worst kept secrets, why did it take so long to be officially announced?
How did Beamdog secure the rights to creating this game? It is a step away from what they are accustom to. Did WotC approach Beamdog or did Trent approach them?
What platforms (and online stores) is A&A going to be released on? Any plans for console?
There are about 10 spin offs, plus a slew of different versions of this game. What version is the A&A Online going to follow? Will other versions or spin offs not part of the original release be considered for DLC?
I am a Risk man myself, and have never played A&A, how will the Online version teach us noobs about the game? Is there going to be a Private Alvaeus Malcanter walking us through it?
How is multiplayer going to work? Will there be ranked matching? How about local multiplayer?
There have been three previous video games released of Axis & Allies, the last one in 2008. How is this version going to differ from those?
Will the game be moddable? If so how (maps, rules, units, different countries, everything in between)?
Any chance of a Collector's Edition being released with the game?
When can I buy it and how much money do you want for it? Is there going to be a countdown clock like every other Beamdog release since Baldur's Gate?
Will the Soultaker plotline be resolved in A&A or is @ThacoBell going to have to wait a tad longer for that?
May we please get a screenshot or thirty-seven of game play?
That's all the questions I can think of now. usually I sleep on it, and then send an email, but I guess I can edit them in later instead of having to wait.
edit: might as well compile all the questions from the actual thread here:
What languages is this game going to be available in? Localization?
Part of the games charm is being able to flip the table on your opponent (or watching someone rage quit after you humiliate them at the game) after being defeated. Any chance of having that implemented into the game?
What engine is the game going to run in? What type of specs should people expect to run the game on?
Can Icewind Dale 2 Enhanced edition be made without source code?
According to several extensive replies by Trent, no, unfortunately.
Well, this is definitely a kick in the pants. I loved Icewind Dale II and would love to be able to play it on my iPad, or to play other 3rd Edition ruleset games in the infinity engine.
I would love to know the answer to this question! Also, what are the chances of getting an Icewind Dale type dungeon crawler set in another area of Faerun?
On another note, I think it would be amazing to play a game with the scope of Baldur's Gate II (epic storyline RPG, not necessarily dungeon crawls that IWD and IWDII were) set in the Icewind Dale area. Is there even a slim chance of this happening?
They’ve not really been vague about new content for the current Baldur’s Gate games. They’ve said they arn't interested in creating any new DLC’s or substantial content for the IE games, instead they would want to work on new stuff.
The wording of this leaves an opening for a NEW ie game, not an expansion or DLC for the existing games... unless I'm missing something. There are ALOT of other areas within faerun, would Beamdog consider developing a new ie game based in one of the other regions? I'm sure it's been asked before but I haven't seen a definitive answer to that question.
I have no interest in playing any games not set in faerun and not using the D&D ruleset, nor do I like the Neverwinter Nights game engine so the answer to this question is vitally important to my continued interest in Beamdog games.
I really hope Beamdog hasn't decided to just focus on technical improvements. I've never really been interested in the technical improvements and never will be because I can make all the classics work on modern systems with minimal effort and it's not enough to draw me back.
I've found a lot of Beamdog's content to be entertaining, especially on the gameplay side but on the story side as well, and especially when removed from the expectations of writing for someone else's game I think they could really shine. Money left on the table!
I agree with this. I already own the original games (multiple version of some) and can easily get them to run on any modern system. I was even able to use GemRB to get them running on Android tablets (although the UI was difficult to use).
What drew me back and led me to purchase the enhanced editions was the availability on iPad. I have no interest in console ports for these gmaes or in games that are only available on the PC since I don't have time to sit in front of a console or PC playing any games. I DO have 10-20 hours per week of time in the vanpool, sitting in kids gymnastics classes, etc where I can play on my iPad. Does the announcement of a console port for the infinity engine games mean that this will be all that they're working on moving forward? Is this truly the end of the line for infinity engine games on mobile devices?
Ok, as the first blog summary is under review (I don't expect it to be live till Tuesday), here're answers from Luke Rideout to those January questions that didn't make it to the blog:
1. My second question is pretty much the same but with regards to this [implementing OpenAL EFX to replace the original games' implementation of Creative EAX.] by @AndreaColombo
LUKE: We don’t have anyone currently actively working on the game’s audio system.
2. Would you be willing to look at publishing people work outside of mods, like books to promote your games and business? by @Torgrimmer
LUKE: We’ve looked at other merchandising and branding opportunities, but products like Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights require some licensing rights that we don’t have. It may happen, but not for a while.
3. Will the Witch's Wake 2 ever be completed? by @Match451
LUKE: There isn’t anyone inside Beamdog currently working on Witch’s Wake
3. I hesitate to say “never”, but it’s not something currently in development by us.
4. What are the chances of ever seeing Return to Windspear released in some form? by @Miridor
LUKE: I can’t comment on dates or the level of activity, but I do know that Cuv is still actively working on pushing the project forward. I don’t know what the timing would look like, but I personally would like to see it come to life one day.
5. Would it be possible to gather up great mods created by the community, 'enhance' it to a refined, simpler form and put them into Mod Content Pack DLCs to be released for dummies like me who like new content but are too lazy (stupid) to manage mods? These mod packs could then be sold via Steam, GOG etc and owned, governed and controlled by you, though the Author/Creator get good exposure and some gold to boot. by @Skatan
LUKE: We have worked with community members in the past on projects not dissimilar to this, but there are large challenges involved in curating and distributing mod packs like this, as it requires tracking down the original authors of every mod, vetting them to make sure all content is original, executing contracts with each person involved, and other legal and contractual things that make it a much more sticky proposition than one might expect.
6. Since Trent has basically shot down a BGII expansion as a possibility, how about smaller DLCs for it that add SoD characters one by one? This way characters can still get added but a full expansion won't be needed. Plus things like a shaman stronghold could be added as standalone DLC. by @gugulug5000
LUKE: It all depends on demand and whether the financials make sense. In the immediate future, we’re focusing on the upcoming console releases, and other new projects.
7. How about achievements for NWN premium modules (and the Black Pits)? by @gugulug5000
LUKE: We won’t likely be creating achievements for optional modules - especially in the case of Neverwinter where the premium modules aren’t included in the base game.
Thank you very much @JuliusBorisov these answer many questions on my mind including the one of mine included thank you. Thank you for the hard work and looking forward to more.
I know a lot of fans want SOD NPCs in BG2 (myself included), but I would rather see old BG1 NPCs added instead. I'd like to know if that's even possible, with rights issues and all that. I've heard before that original content can't be changed, so I understand that characters like Coran, Garrick, Xzar, etc. would never work. But what about Xan, Kivan, Branwen, and anyone else who never appeared in BG2? Would just like to know if this is even feasible.
since you probably have to create a new and controller-friendly version of the UI for consoles, would it be possible to make it available for PC gamers as an option?
I'm already playing EE titles with a steam controller and laptop hooked up to my TV. It's fun and works okish but far from perfect... A proper controller UI would be awesome.
Any news/ETA on the next stable update for NWN:EE? The last stable update pushed to users was back in November and we are now in the last week of February. I'm so looking forward to the achievements
When is beamdog going to make an isometric role playing game that uses Dungeon and Dragons fifth edition rule set:
a) We're working on one right now!
b) We have a licencing agreement with WotC to work on one but we haven't gotten around to it yet
c) We would like to, but still need to work out licencing agreements with WotC
d) When WotC releases 6e D&D
e) soon
f) never
g) you mean this game (announces new game)
h) NDA prevents us from answering this question.
Is there a problem with either the BD client or your servers. For the past week I've either not been able to log in on the first attempt and when I do I get a whole bunch of 500 errors for the various NwN EE things in my list.
When is the next bug-fix patch due for NwN EE. It's been at least 2 months since the last one.
[edit]
Looks like the client update received yesterday (13/3/2019) has appeared to fix number 1.
Ok, the blog entry is under review, and here're a few answers to February questions that didn't make it to the blog.
Q: Next game: DnD? Another board game (Netrunner, Murder City,Human Interface Nakamura Tower, Monastyr, Call of Cthulhu, Star Wars: Edge of the Empire,Night's Black Agents)? Non-DnD RPG? If it’s an RPG, isometric or no? Unreal, Unity, something different?
LUKE: I don’t know for sure, yet! There are a few new things we’re currently looking at, all of which are very exciting, but I’m afraid there isn’t much we can say at this point.
possible update for beamdog launcher support others version ubuntu linux?
LUKE: I don’t have a specific timeline, but along with the update to our website, which you may or may not have noticed, we are looking at how we should go about updating and altering the Client going forward, for the best user experience.
Question for @JuliusBorisov :
Could you please address the question of DLC-characters and DLC-content from a purely financial point of view. Beamdog is company and as such I suppose your aim is to make money. If the buyers want new characters and are willing to pay for it, you should at least entertain the thought. If you spend X dollars you have to sell the product for Y dollars to Z buyers.
This can go one of two ways:1) It's financially feasible.
2) Sorry guys, the cost of production is too high/there aren't enough buyers/each unit would have to be too expensive.
Make product, sell product.
Then there are two possibilities:1) You make a profit so you can go on to the next unit2) Sorry guys, we didn't make a profit so it's not financially viable.
If you were to go through these step and explain to the buyers/customers/players, we could understand.Just saying "We don't want to" isn't a good enough answer, especially since the demand is there.
/J
LUKE: From a purely financial point of view, DLC characters and content are a large investment of dev hours and new content creation that would require diverting resources from other projects. In order to be financially feasible, the content would have to be sufficiently large enough to justify a price point that would give a reasonable ROI, and the shift in timelines on our other projects.
Q: (IE & NWN) Are there any plans of adding proper 4K support to these games?
LUKE: The art for the games was created in fairly low resolution, which means that adding 4K support is a big undertaking. For context, there are over 1400 item icons, 1100 spell and effect icons alone that we would have to rescale, not to mention the UI components and more. So no specific plans right now.
Is it possible you could implement an option to enable the classic videos/intros in BG through a setting in options. As you remember, response for the newly made intros was mixed and I believe that sentiment remains to this day.
LUKE: It is an option, though the videos are currently 640x400, and would have to be upscaled. If we did reinstate them, we’d want to make sure that they upscaled gracefully.
Julius, do you know whether the new renderer will have more shaders than just normals and metallic?
I mean, can we expect full PBR support with height maps, ambiant occlusion or more?
Only height/bump maps would already be awesome.
@Japualtah This question (from another thread, btw) will be covered in the blog entry in the paragraph about the new renderer.
On famous mods as DLC’s for platforms where you cant mod the platform: would you accept forumites help in reaching out and getting in touch with the modders? Or do you prefer to do it yourselves? I am personally really really excited about the news, and I am willing to help any way possible..
Edit: came up with some ways I didnt wanted to helpful in... but I will help with most thingsø
Comments
On which consoles EE games will ported? Only for eight generation consoles (Wii U, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 / PS4 Pro, Xbox One / XBO S / XBO X) or maybe for seventh generation consoles also (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii)?
I assume that sixth generation consoles (Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox) are to old for porting anything.
And will any handheld consoles of eighth generation (Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL, Nintendo 2DS, New Nintendo 3DS, New Nintendo 3DS XL, New Nintendo 2DS XL, PS Vita (PCH-1000), PS Vita (PCH-2000)) or seventh generation (Nintendo DS / DS Lite / DSi / DSi XL, Playstation Portable PSP-1000 / PSP-2000 / PSP-3000 / PSP Go / PSP-E1000) get some love from Beamdog? :P
(Sorry, I was hoping for something different!)
I could send an email for Wild Surge, but this thread is much easier:
Axis & Allies Online Questions:
How long has A&A been in development?
This title has been one of Beamdog's worst kept secrets, why did it take so long to be officially announced?
How did Beamdog secure the rights to creating this game? It is a step away from what they are accustom to. Did WotC approach Beamdog or did Trent approach them?
What platforms (and online stores) is A&A going to be released on? Any plans for console?
There are about 10 spin offs, plus a slew of different versions of this game. What version is the A&A Online going to follow? Will other versions or spin offs not part of the original release be considered for DLC?
I am a Risk man myself, and have never played A&A, how will the Online version teach us noobs about the game? Is there going to be a Private Alvaeus Malcanter walking us through it?
How is multiplayer going to work? Will there be ranked matching? How about local multiplayer?
There have been three previous video games released of Axis & Allies, the last one in 2008. How is this version going to differ from those?
Will the game be moddable? If so how (maps, rules, units, different countries, everything in between)?
Any chance of a Collector's Edition being released with the game?
When can I buy it and how much money do you want for it? Is there going to be a countdown clock like every other Beamdog release since Baldur's Gate?
Will the Soultaker plotline be resolved in A&A or is @ThacoBell going to have to wait a tad longer for that?
May we please get a screenshot or thirty-seven of game play?
That's all the questions I can think of now. usually I sleep on it, and then send an email, but I guess I can edit them in later instead of having to wait.
edit: might as well compile all the questions from the actual thread here:
What languages is this game going to be available in? Localization?
Part of the games charm is being able to flip the table on your opponent (or watching someone rage quit after you humiliate them at the game) after being defeated. Any chance of having that implemented into the game?
What engine is the game going to run in? What type of specs should people expect to run the game on?
Can you please add "In which languages will the game be available?" Thanks
Well, this is definitely a kick in the pants. I loved Icewind Dale II and would love to be able to play it on my iPad, or to play other 3rd Edition ruleset games in the infinity engine.
I would love to know the answer to this question! Also, what are the chances of getting an Icewind Dale type dungeon crawler set in another area of Faerun?
On another note, I think it would be amazing to play a game with the scope of Baldur's Gate II (epic storyline RPG, not necessarily dungeon crawls that IWD and IWDII were) set in the Icewind Dale area. Is there even a slim chance of this happening?
The wording of this leaves an opening for a NEW ie game, not an expansion or DLC for the existing games... unless I'm missing something. There are ALOT of other areas within faerun, would Beamdog consider developing a new ie game based in one of the other regions? I'm sure it's been asked before but I haven't seen a definitive answer to that question.
I have no interest in playing any games not set in faerun and not using the D&D ruleset, nor do I like the Neverwinter Nights game engine so the answer to this question is vitally important to my continued interest in Beamdog games.
I agree with this. I already own the original games (multiple version of some) and can easily get them to run on any modern system. I was even able to use GemRB to get them running on Android tablets (although the UI was difficult to use).
What drew me back and led me to purchase the enhanced editions was the availability on iPad. I have no interest in console ports for these gmaes or in games that are only available on the PC since I don't have time to sit in front of a console or PC playing any games. I DO have 10-20 hours per week of time in the vanpool, sitting in kids gymnastics classes, etc where I can play on my iPad. Does the announcement of a console port for the infinity engine games mean that this will be all that they're working on moving forward? Is this truly the end of the line for infinity engine games on mobile devices?
1. My second question is pretty much the same but with regards to this [implementing OpenAL EFX to replace the original games' implementation of Creative EAX.] by @AndreaColombo
LUKE: We don’t have anyone currently actively working on the game’s audio system.
2. Would you be willing to look at publishing people work outside of mods, like books to promote your games and business? by @Torgrimmer
LUKE: We’ve looked at other merchandising and branding opportunities, but products like Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights require some licensing rights that we don’t have. It may happen, but not for a while.
3. Will the Witch's Wake 2 ever be completed? by @Match451
LUKE: There isn’t anyone inside Beamdog currently working on Witch’s Wake
3. I hesitate to say “never”, but it’s not something currently in development by us.
4. What are the chances of ever seeing Return to Windspear released in some form? by @Miridor
LUKE: I can’t comment on dates or the level of activity, but I do know that Cuv is still actively working on pushing the project forward. I don’t know what the timing would look like, but I personally would like to see it come to life one day.
5. Would it be possible to gather up great mods created by the community, 'enhance' it to a refined, simpler form and put them into Mod Content Pack DLCs to be released for dummies like me who like new content but are too lazy (stupid) to manage mods? These mod packs could then be sold via Steam, GOG etc and owned, governed and controlled by you, though the Author/Creator get good exposure and some gold to boot. by @Skatan
LUKE: We have worked with community members in the past on projects not dissimilar to this, but there are large challenges involved in curating and distributing mod packs like this, as it requires tracking down the original authors of every mod, vetting them to make sure all content is original, executing contracts with each person involved, and other legal and contractual things that make it a much more sticky proposition than one might expect.
6. Since Trent has basically shot down a BGII expansion as a possibility, how about smaller DLCs for it that add SoD characters one by one? This way characters can still get added but a full expansion won't be needed. Plus things like a shaman stronghold could be added as standalone DLC. by @gugulug5000
LUKE: It all depends on demand and whether the financials make sense. In the immediate future, we’re focusing on the upcoming console releases, and other new projects.
7. How about achievements for NWN premium modules (and the Black Pits)? by @gugulug5000
LUKE: We won’t likely be creating achievements for optional modules - especially in the case of Neverwinter where the premium modules aren’t included in the base game.
- PST Frame Rate Bar ported to BG
- Replace PST English quotation marks "" with hooked quotation marks «».
When is beamdog going to make an isometric role playing game that uses Dungeon and Dragons fifth edition rule set:
a) We're working on one right now!
b) We have a licencing agreement with WotC to work on one but we haven't gotten around to it yet
c) We would like to, but still need to work out licencing agreements with WotC
d) When WotC releases 6e D&D
e) soon
f) never
g) you mean this game (announces new game)
h) NDA prevents us from answering this question.
edit: missed one
[edit]
Looks like the client update received yesterday (13/3/2019) has appeared to fix number 1.
TR
2. Are there any plans/ news about Arcanum EE?
Q: Next game: DnD? Another board game (Netrunner, Murder City,Human Interface Nakamura Tower, Monastyr, Call of Cthulhu, Star Wars: Edge of the Empire,Night's Black Agents)? Non-DnD RPG? If it’s an RPG, isometric or no? Unreal, Unity, something different?
LUKE: I don’t know for sure, yet! There are a few new things we’re currently looking at, all of which are very exciting, but I’m afraid there isn’t much we can say at this point.
LUKE: I don’t have a specific timeline, but along with the update to our website, which you may or may not have noticed, we are looking at how we should go about updating and altering the Client going forward, for the best user experience.
LUKE: From a purely financial point of view, DLC characters and content are a large investment of dev hours and new content creation that would require diverting resources from other projects. In order to be financially feasible, the content would have to be sufficiently large enough to justify a price point that would give a reasonable ROI, and the shift in timelines on our other projects.
Q: (IE & NWN) Are there any plans of adding proper 4K support to these games?
LUKE: The art for the games was created in fairly low resolution, which means that adding 4K support is a big undertaking. For context, there are over 1400 item icons, 1100 spell and effect icons alone that we would have to rescale, not to mention the UI components and more. So no specific plans right now.
LUKE: It is an option, though the videos are currently 640x400, and would have to be upscaled. If we did reinstate them, we’d want to make sure that they upscaled gracefully.
@Japualtah This question (from another thread, btw) will be covered in the blog entry in the paragraph about the new renderer.
On famous mods as DLC’s for platforms where you cant mod the platform: would you accept forumites help in reaching out and getting in touch with the modders? Or do you prefer to do it yourselves? I am personally really really excited about the news, and I am willing to help any way possible..
Edit: came up with some ways I didnt wanted to helpful in... but I will help with most thingsø