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PST:EE is next and here is why:

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  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    It's on GoG isn't it?
  • AltairAltair Member Posts: 128
    Yes, but it really needs to be enhanced... I prefer to wait and hope :-)
    Buttercheesesparkleavrorikon
  • kanisathakanisatha Member Posts: 1,308
    Fardragon said:

    If they did need a profitable smaller project to pay some bills, I would be inclined to do DLC for IWDEE or BG2EE, or PS4/XBox ports.

    My feeling is that they will definitely need another small revenue-generating project to tide them over until the new game is released, but I agree that all of their options related to existing games (a Ps:T EE, an IwD2 EE, or a DLC for BG2 EE/IwD EE) are rather poor options from a financial standpoint.

    IwD2 and Ps:T did not have strong sales when they were first released, so odds are an EE won't improve that picture (as attested to by the relatively weak sales for IwD EE). Both games involve having to port them into a different engine, and for IwD2 there is also the major issue of it being a different D&D edition. So the work involved would be considerable even while sales would likely be weak, which is a poor financial combination.

    A DLC for BG2 EE could work but the revenue from it would likely be very small. A DLC for IwD EE is an intriguing prospect because it could potentially reinvigorate IwD EE sales. But that would be a big gamble.

    Expanding to consoles is an interesting idea but I question whether console gamers will accept the (relatively) low-quality graphics. Plus the amount of work involved will likely be too big of a hurdle.

    So taking all of these factors into consideration, I still feel Ps:T EE is their best bet from among a slate of poor options.
    sparkleav
  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    IWD Companions Mode. Adds an additional mode to IWD (leaving the base game intact). The new mode features BG2 style companions, with personal stories and some new content associated with them. Wouldn't require modifying the engine, not much new art, mostly just writing, a few sidequests, and VO. Cheap to make, could probably sell quite well at $10 a pop, and might help to sell more copies of the base game.
    smeagolheartAyiekieAndrewFoleyAdul
  • mf2112mf2112 Member, Moderator Posts: 1,919
    I suspect Beamdog will do fine when the tablet versions are released. I just found the beta registration stuff a couple weeks ago but it was closed. I am guessing a couple months.
    JuliusBorisov
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    The style resembles Chris Avellone's paintings, his twitter full of those ;)
    brusButtercheeseAdul
  • ButtercheeseButtercheese Member Posts: 3,766
    And they are adorable. He even uses them in powerpoint presentations. Love it.
    brusJuliusBorisov
  • CahirCahir Member, Moderator, Translator (NDA) Posts: 2,819
    Is it alive? Tell me it is!
    brusJuliusBorisov
  • AstroBryGuyAstroBryGuy Member Posts: 3,437

    I would be VERY surprised if we don't see PS:T:EE.

    The only thing that I could see standing in the way would be some weird contractual/legal thing. You know how these things go sometimes...

    My thought is that the hurdles are more technical than legal. As has been noted, Beamdog has access to the source code (so, likely they have a deal with WotC regarding it, or at least an option for it). However PST is based on a fork of the pre-BG1 engine source from Bioware to Black Isle which was then modified by Black Isle.

    It's a matter of the cost of the effort to integrate PST's fork into the IE+ engine vs. how much revenue they could hope to gain.
  • brusbrus Member Posts: 944
    edited July 2016
    The doodles don't lie. This could mean one thing:


    Chris Avellone as a Nordom/surprise cube.



    Double tease.

    Nonnahswritermlnevese
  • AstroBryGuyAstroBryGuy Member Posts: 3,437
    shawne said:

    Not. one. word. of. new. content.

    Even acknowledging that Beamdog's creative department is going through some substantial changes now that Gaider's in charge and both Foley and Scott have moved on, the fact of the matter is that nothing they've put out so far is anywhere near PS:T's level in terms of quality content and writing. If the objective is to touch up the engine, fix bugs, make the gameplay more convenient (basically the IWD approach), be my guest, I'll be first in line to buy it. You start messing with the story and there's no scenario - not one - where the end product isn't poorer for it.

    I agree the PST doesn't need additional content. But... if they were to hire Chris Avellone to restore some of the cut content, I would be all for that.
    ButtercheesesparkleavKamigoroshiGenderNihilismGirdle
  • scriverscriver Member Posts: 2,072
    I'd still be worried that the passage of time would've distanced all of the old developers, Avellone included, from their mindplace back then.

    A separate story though, Black Pits-like, taking place in the Planescape setting could be interesting, though.
  • redlineredline Member Posts: 296
    edited July 2016

    I don't know how you can connect anything related to the PST mod scene to Beamdog's business practices, since that scene was completely defined long before Beamdog even existed.

    Because mods, provided they're technically feasible, are an excellent indicator of the fans' appetite for new content. Look at BG: unpaid amateurs have spent hundreds of hours creating NPCs, content, and enhanced AI for a game that released in 1998. It seems to me that that's a bright, flashing, neon sign to an enterprising developer that a market exists for a product that offers exactly that. Lo and behold, BGEE (and SoD) offered those additions and sold quite well.

    I suppose there are two potential buyers of any rerelease: those who want to see the original product expanded upon, and those who just want a more polished version of what was already there. I'm firmly in the former camp, though this thread has shown there are plenty in the latter camp for whom PSTEE makes sense. I don't want to discourage the release of any game that people are enthusiastic about, but I do want to point out that an "enhanced" PST offers almost nothing to fans like me, and doesn't seem to have the same sales potential as its EE predecessors as a result.
    sparkleav
  • brusbrus Member Posts: 944
    scriver said:

    A separate story though, Black Pits-like, taking place in the Planescape setting could be interesting, though.

    Curst Prison Pits DLC?
    Planescape is such a rich world to explore and write about not even mentioning Nameless One.
    Imagine wanderers in Planescape planeverse doing and seeing unordinary things.
    That's a story to tell.

    sparkleavJuliusBorisovAyiekie
  • batoorbatoor Member Posts: 676
    edited July 2016

    shawne said:

    Not. one. word. of. new. content.

    Even acknowledging that Beamdog's creative department is going through some substantial changes now that Gaider's in charge and both Foley and Scott have moved on, the fact of the matter is that nothing they've put out so far is anywhere near PS:T's level in terms of quality content and writing. If the objective is to touch up the engine, fix bugs, make the gameplay more convenient (basically the IWD approach), be my guest, I'll be first in line to buy it. You start messing with the story and there's no scenario - not one - where the end product isn't poorer for it.

    I agree the PST doesn't need additional content. But... if they were to hire Chris Avellone to restore some of the cut content, I would be all for that.
    I've been excited about this idea before, especially since I would have liked to see how the whole Yemeth portion would have turned out. Since even with the PST restored content patch, it always felt incomplete.

    My only concern is that it's been like 17 years since Avellone worked on that. Does he even remember everything? Did he keep a huge bunch of story notes and so on or was it lost like some of the assets of the old BG games were... Well I don't know, I'm just skeptical thats all.
    sparkleav
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    edited July 2016
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
    mf2112sparkleavGenderNihilismGirdle
  • brusbrus Member Posts: 944
    Subtledoctor, I think it's valuable time invested in release of PST:EE and IWD2. Beamdog had rewritten old engine in modern Lua with C++. The insight of this, they will use to implement 5ed ruleset in next gen project. And this could be tricky and complex math system. So, I think it's wise future investment.
    I agree that the sales could be lower than expected, complementary to the fact that they have, till this point, gIve the biggest effort completing and upgrading IE. And delivering the best experience of BG/IWD saga on modern PC.
    I have hope that possible new and cut content of PST:EE would interest old players and enhanced combat would interest newcomers.
  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    edited July 2016
    I would certainly be interested in PSTEE if it had new content, but otherwise, I can only see a tablet version having the potential to make any kind of profit.
  • GodGod Member Posts: 1,150
    edited July 2016
    As a side-note, PS:T has some cool spells, including a few ones that were cut or otherwise unobtainable by the Nameless One.

    I bet @TrentOster and his wizards could update and re-implement them as 'real-time'. Once the quirky (and horribly buggy) pseudo-pause PS:T enforces is gone, these should go really nicely with the rest of IE spells. I guess a BG&IWD series DLC called 'Planar Magic', e.g. allowing the use of the Planar Sphere to travel somewhere Planescape-ish where these spells could be obtained, would attract attention and considerable monies. The same could be done the other way around, with PS:T EE getting access to the vast arsenal of IWD&BG magics one way or another.
    sparkleav
  • redlineredline Member Posts: 296


    Fixed that for you. Don't fall into the trap of thinking "every other person on the internet is just like me, and those who aren't should not be considered."

    Did you read my post? I made every effort to acknowledge that mine is just one opinion and that I'm clearly not representative of the entire fanbase. I think we agree on more than you realize, but it's obvious there isn't room for discussion here. This place can be utterly toxic sometimes.

    My only point: enjoy PSTEE, but I won't buy it, and I doubt I'm alone.
    FardragonfkirenicusAyiekie
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    edited July 2016
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
    Post edited by [Deleted User] on
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    Let's not turn it into forumite vs forumite fights, please.
    sparkleavmf2112ButtercheeseAyiekie
  • spacejawsspacejaws Member, Mobile Tester Posts: 389
    Don't see anything wrong with implimenting and dare I even say modifying the well known cut content that modders have restored previously.

    Also a planescape side story would be ace.
  • fkirenicusfkirenicus Member Posts: 331

    redline said:


    Don't fall into the trap of thinking "every other person on the internet is just like me, and those who aren't should not be considered."

    You know, you really should listen to your own advice to others sometimes.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    edited July 2016
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • shawneshawne Member Posts: 3,239
    edited July 2016
    Here's what it comes down to for me: there is, broadly speaking, a very strong consensus as to the quality of PS:T's story content. Moreso even than Baldur's Gate.

    No such consensus exists for content Beamdog have added into existing games (in this case, BG1 and BG2). This is not to say that some of the content in question hasn't been good, or well-received - simply that when you compare critical perspectives, even here, it's clear that not all of Beamdog's contributions have been equally appreciated.

    The review thread for SoD kept stressing, again and again, that a 71/100 aggregate score was a perfectly acceptable and understandable threshold for Beamdog to reach. PS:T is not a 70/100 game. Let them focus on rehauling the engine and fixing bugs instead of trying to match a level of storytelling they're just not equipped to meet.
    scriverButtercheeseShYariv
  • brusbrus Member Posts: 944
    shawne said:

    Let them focus on rehauling the engine and fixing bugs instead of trying to match a level of storytelling they're just not equipped to meet.

    Please, do explain how do you define level of storytelling in the game ? What would be your acceptable threshold for it?

    From my personal view, I like storytelling and narration or not.

  • shawneshawne Member Posts: 3,239
    brus said:

    Please, do explain how do you define level of storytelling in the game ? What would be your acceptable threshold for it?

    "Avoid huge plotholes" and "Explain this character's motivation" are fairly basic expectations that Beamdog haven't always met.

    I mean, flip your question around for a second: what exactly have Beamdog done that make you think they could do justice to characters like Ravel Puzzlewell or Trias?
    scriver
  • brusbrus Member Posts: 944
    shawne said:

    I mean, flip your question around for a second: what exactly have Beamdog done that make you think they could do justice to characters like Ravel Puzzlewell or Trias?

    PS:T EE is not even officially announced yet.
    BG and PS:T have different types of writing so it would be approached with it's own unique style and theme.

    I would like Beamdog makes additional adventure exploring and wandering on the planes connected to Sigil we didn't see before in Planescape multiverse.

    That's what Nameless One would wanted.
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