Re: What people play

From: Madeleine Eid <eid_at_...>
Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2005 08:49:24 +0000

I have to say that the game that this would probably work with is the Blades of Avernum engine from Spiderweb Software (www.spidweb.com I think, but a Google search on Avernum & Spiderweb will find it). The Avernum series is very retro in feel and play, but the Blades series has a whole slew of custom scenarios, graphics etc. The game itself is shareware, and if you buy the game the licence gives you the right to produce and publish (for free!) scenarios and mods. I had a play with the earlier version (Blades of Exile) and the scenario interface seemed quite straightforward but I never got around to doing much with it due to lack of time.

The reason I say this is that I'm currently playing one of the other demos - Nethergate which is a Romans v. Celts adventure. You can play either side and the game differs in the two different points of view. It uses the Avernum engine. I can see this working for a conquest of Dragon Pass game - you can play either the Lunars or the Sartarites.

TTFN Maddy

> Date: Wed, 02 Nov 2005 20:13:53 GMT
> From: donald_at_...
>Subject: Re: What people play
>
>In message <Pine.GSO.4.58.0511021605040.16187_at_...> Mikko
>Rintasaari writes:
>
>>Some of you here propably came accross the brilliant mod fantasy-quake
>>back in the day. That, and others of it's kind, really made me with I
>>had the time and skills required to make a proper Glorantha action game.
>
>>It wouldn't have to be a terribly long or deep game, but it would be
>>nice to see one with the Gloranthan flavour, instead of the ever present
>>D&D tripe.
>
>Well I've got some of the skills and know enough about the computer
>games industry to know it isn't financially viable. You are talking
>about a year or two's work for a team of programmers, graphics
>artists and actors to make something which matches current standards.
>It has to be done with a full time team because otherwise the timescale
>stretches beyond the life cycle of the equipment it's going to run on.
>
>Next you've got to market it and you're marketing against companies
>with new releases every few months which are similar style but have
>an established link with games people have already bought. Given that
>only a minority of the games published make any significant amount of
>money, what's going to make a Gloranthan one shift enough copies to
>cover costs?
>
>I'd like to see more Gloranthan computer games but the only way
>that's going to be done is by taking an available game and adding
>a Gloranthan theme to it. However you're restricted by the game
>mechanics and you'll have to do a lot of artwork.
>
>--
>Donald Oddy
>http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/