Reccomend a NWN-like RPG?

[Legacy_Davypi]

               So I've been itching to get new RPG for my PC but I tend to be rather fickle about actually spending money on a game without playing a demo first.  The problem I seem to keep running into is that I don't really like the Diablo style RPGs that everyone seems to be cranking out.  I don't like the dumbed down character creation systems, the combat feels less tactical, and magic items that can't be used unless you are at level xx.  (If you don't want me to have a +14 sword, don't give it to me!)  The few times I've borrowed NWN2 from somebody, I've run into graphics problems and, from what I've read on those forums, they haven't really been resolved.  The only other PC RPGs I've really enjoyed were Morrowind/Oblivion.  So are there are any other "NWN like" rpgs that have come out in, say, the past year or two?

TIA
Davy
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_olivier leroux]

               I assume you've already played all the classics like Baldur's Gate etc. then? I don't know of any new and commercial "old-style" CRPGs; the only more recent titles I can think of are Dragon Age and The Witcher but I haven't played them myself so I can't say anything about their character creation system or tactical combat.

BTW, is Morrowind NWN-like? I always thought it was kind of an Action RPG, too, as far as the combat is concerned? What did you like about Morrowind that links it with NWN and that you don't find in other RPGs? (Just curious on order to help you, I'm not really familiar with it either).
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Zogg]

               Have you tried the Drakensang games? I've only started playing The River of Time, and it doesn't seem all that bad so far...
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Skildron]

               But Drakensang is DSA, not D&D, the rules of the RPG system are entirely different. If that doesn't matter, then Drakensang will be fine, if it's really close to the original PnP version.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_TSMDude]

               Or how about NWN Multiplayer PWs since the few 50 out there are all really different?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Shadooow]

               You played Gothic series? SinglePlayer but very nice athmosphere, story, characters and interesting combat/casting style.

Its not new, maybe Gothic 3 which was worst but do you really need a new game?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Davypi]

               

BTW, is Morrowind NWN-like? I always thought it was kind of an Action RPG, too, as far as the combat is concerned? What did you like about Morrowind that links it with NWN and that you don't find in other RPGs? (Just curious on order to help you, I'm not really familiar with it either).

Morrowind is certainly more action based and what I would consider FPS-like for a game.  The draw, for me, is that the overall package creates a sense of realism that is really beyond anything else I've ever played.  The open-persistent world is just fun to explore.  The detail is amazing and the story is excellent.  Aside from being an RPG, the only reason I really put it together with NWN is the level of quality.  Although, the character creation system is quite versatile and there is a sense that you can play the game with at least a dozen different character builds (unlike, say, Torchlight, that has only three classes.)

For older stuff (whoever reccomended that) I have played Icewind Dale, but not Baldur's Gate.  I am leaning in the direction of buying BG since its only $10 on Impulse.

As far as original NWN goes, I loaned my copy out to the son of an ex-girlfriend who claims he can't find it and I'm never likely to see again anyway.  So if I'm going to buy a new CRPG, I'd just like to get something that is new (or at least new to me).  But similarly, for $10, NWN Platinum isn't such a bad deal either.

Anyway, thanks all for the suggestions.  I will check them out later tonight.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Davypi, 21 avril 2011 - 11:15 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Lord Sullivan]

               You should check out GOG.com
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_olivier leroux]

               Personally, I'm not that much of a fan of the original Baldur's Gate but Baldur's Gate 2 is a must play as far as good CRPGs go (of course it continues the story of BG, so you'd probably want to play that first nevertheless). I'd also recommend you to check out Planescape: Torment because it has a very unique setting, a great story and excellent roleplay opportunities but I can't judge if you'd enjoy it, since it is a very wordy RPG and not very focussed on Action, and character creation is not that varied either (it is based on D&D rules but you'll get more out of the game if your INT, WIS and CHA are high).

You could also try Arcanum or the Gothic series if you're looking for big open worlds you can explore freely (be warned that the controls in Gothic are sub-par but you'll eventually adapt to it). Or the Fallout series, if you're not limited to Fantasy. And regarding 'FPS'-RPGs, I liked Arx Fatalis a lot, although as a RPG it doesn't have much depth (action combat, linear story, no roleplaying, limited character building - a fighter/mage build is probably easiest). But I found the FP perspective and atmosphere very immersive, and you can cook your own food, brew your own potions and experiment with an interesting rune-based casting system if that interests you.

Anyway, like Lord Sullivan said, GOG.com is a very good place to look for these games. They have all of them in their RPG catalogue for either $9.99 or $5.99, often with a few goodies, tuned to work with XP, Vista and 7, and always DRM-free, without any need of a client to download, install or run them. Once you bought them you can burn them to a DVD if you like and play and install whenever and wherever you want to, even if GOG.com should go out of business one day.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par olivier leroux, 22 avril 2011 - 11:23 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_AndarianTD]

               If you're looking for an NWN-like RPG, why not NWN? You can buy a new copy of NWN Diamond to replace your old one for $9.99 on GOG.com. If you like multiplayer, there are plenty of PWs still active; and if you prefer single player, there are literally hundreds of high-quality modules that you can download from the NWN Vault.

As for other "NWN-like" games, though, it depends what you think of as "NWN-like." I would recommend The Witcher, which actually uses the same (Aurora) engine that NWN does and has a very familiar feel (even if it significantly changes the interface and rules). I would also recommend not ruling out NWN2. I've never had any real problems running it, and frankly am skeptical of any reports of unresolved problems that would make the game (or the many excellent modules that have been built for it and are also available on the NWN Vault) unplayable.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Aleron]

               Arcanum. Yes. One of my top five games I've played definitely. A must play for an rpg fan.

I'm currently playing through Baldur's Gate and the second and really enjoying it. More tactical than NWN and turnbased, but a very fun experience. It is a bit jarring to jump into number 2 without at least reading up on what happens in 1 though I'll say.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_jmlzemaggo]

               I played so many, but these are the games I fell in love with: Fallout, Age of Mythology, Age of Empires, Civilization II, Baldur's Gate.
This is the game I'm in love with: Neverwinter Nights.
RPG or not, what matters is falling for it. & I'm not currently looking for new games.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_olivier leroux]

               

AndarianTD wrote...
I would also recommend not ruling out NWN2. I've never had any real problems running it, and frankly am skeptical of any reports of unresolved problems that would make the game (or the many excellent modules that have been built for it and are also available on the NWN Vault) unplayable.

You're welcome to help me solve mine, I'd love to play some more NWN2. '>

I don't know about graphical bugs but it definitely doesn't act very friendly towards low-end computers. Even if I toggle off all graphical enhancements, shadows and whatnots, I get very bad FPS in community modules (and I got my new computer one year after NWN2 came out).

               
               

               

                     Modifié par olivier leroux, 22 avril 2011 - 11:17 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_AndarianTD]

               

olivier leroux wrote...

AndarianTD wrote...

I would also recommend not ruling out NWN2. I've never had any real problems running it, and frankly am skeptical of any reports of unresolved problems that would make the game (or the many excellent modules that have been built for it and are also available on the NWN Vault) unplayable.

You're welcome to help me solve mine, I'd love to play some more NWN2. '>

I don't know about graphical bugs but it definitely doesn't act very friendly towards low-end computers. Even if I toggle off all graphical enhancements, shadows and whatnots, I get very bad FPS in community modules (and I got my new computer one year after NWN2 came out).

I should qualify that to emphasize that NWN2 is not at all friendly toward low-end computers; I had to buy a new machine in 2006 just to play it. From my experience something in the range of 2 ghz and a 256 gb video card is needed to run it well. An additional complication is that it came out just before the multi-core transition took place, and it wasn't developed to run on more than one core. The trend toward faster single processors switched to dual core pairs of slower ones, one of which is wasted altogether when running NWN2. So for example having a dual core 1.6 ghz system is no better for running NWN2 than a single core 1.6.

That said, the GeForce 7900GS and dual-core 2.4 system I bought in 2006 runs it fine, and with my new NVidia 470 GTX it seems to run even better. Same for my laptop, with a Geforce 9800M GS and dual 2.25 ghz cores. If you're well below those specs I could definitely see having a problem, but otherwise it should run fine.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par AndarianTD, 22 avril 2011 - 11:59 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_MingWolf]

               NWN2 doesn't act particularly friendly to all but the most modern gaming rigs either.  On my quad-core machine with an amd 6850, I still get the occasional slowdown if I try to max out the graphics.  Crysis runs better than NWN2 '>.
That said, its a game worthy of a try. 

The Witcher mentioned above is a good one too.  The Witcher 2 coming out in the next month or two is also another watcher.