tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384289531316737724.post7453122776902841918..comments2022-12-26T15:13:06.119+01:00Comments on Middleforest - A Project for NWN: Dragon Age - Some impressionsCasahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14075247810535022772noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384289531316737724.post-52505747273091825152009-11-17T23:12:08.888+01:002009-11-17T23:12:08.888+01:00Interesting overview. I haven't had a chance t...Interesting overview. I haven't had a chance to try the (non-beta) game or toolset yet, but I can see myself liking and disliking the same things about the game as you.<br /><br />One thing that stood out for me from the beginning as a bit silly was the visual violence, actually -- the blood splatters and so on -- as to me that kind of representation of violence decreases realism and immersion. As Michael says, realistic/mature violence is usually enjoyable in a novel or RPG because of the circumstances characters are in that, if they're at all sympathetic, we don't want them to be (with many possible exceptions in heroic works, admittedly).<br /><br />I can certainly understand why a more shallow type of violence is presented, given a commercial game's wide and varied audience.BHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03866846949849318238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384289531316737724.post-50795115216147095932009-11-17T21:06:22.853+01:002009-11-17T21:06:22.853+01:00Interesting comments on the maturity level of the ...Interesting comments on the maturity level of the violence. I think people often assume that, the more blood and guts you have, the more mature something is. But it doesn't work that way. You talked about how the violence in District 9 was humorous, rather than sickening, and that sounds like what's going on here.<br /><br />A mature treatment of violence is when we want to see it stop. When you have to turn away, not because you can't stomach the blood, but because of the true expression of hatred and brutality within the human soul. Violence doesn't have to be bloody to be mature. As an example, take the new James Bond movies. These films have a mature treatment of violence because it's close, personal, and traumatic. It's not glamorous or heroic. It's dirty, horrific, and soul-staining. <br /><br />I'd like to see that kind of violence presented in a game. Right now, most games remind me of a sick twist on the Six Flags commercial: "More blood, more fun!"Michael A. Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01737354536077341809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384289531316737724.post-62799613815558170572009-11-17T16:20:03.600+01:002009-11-17T16:20:03.600+01:00Thanks for sharing your opinions! Sounds like many...Thanks for sharing your opinions! Sounds like many aspects of the game seems really great and some seems to need some improvement. Perhaps Bioware'll adress some of the issues in later updates?<br /><br />I enjoyed reading your view of the game.Erik Birger Karlssonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11203948043095049296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384289531316737724.post-9916502801154105662009-11-17T02:27:11.382+01:002009-11-17T02:27:11.382+01:00Oh, don't get me wrong, it impressed me deeply...Oh, don't get me wrong, it impressed me deeply. I think the storyline and characters are wonderful, and I'm fighting hard with myself against replaying it right away. <br />Area design is really the main problem with it. It doesn't hurt the game so much that it ruins your fun, but it's certainly no competition to any other recent RPG, so I agree with your comment about outsourcing level design. I could use a job... ;)<br />In other news, I opened the toolset again last night and found some neat stuff there, like the function to lipsync voiceovers... I haven't really tried it out yet, but it looked like something I'd love to play with. Very powerful stuff in there, but I'm not sure if I'm having the patience to dig deeper while I'm still busy with Middleforest.Casahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14075247810535022772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384289531316737724.post-66950759758905137482009-11-16T23:39:08.534+01:002009-11-16T23:39:08.534+01:00Interesting observations. I'm glad to hear th...Interesting observations. I'm glad to hear that DA impresses in some areas. It did seem, from the outset, to be a rather generic looking RPG, so that's good news.<br /><br />Bioware's lack of care for exterior areas is not new, really. Mass Effect had some unfortunate exteriors, too, if I recall. I tend to think Bioware can do writing/scripting, but maybe they should outsource the game design/art to somebody else.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com