What makes Arcanum great ?

The dialogues for me .
The best dialogues ever in any game.

 

I like the whole idea of Magick Vs Technology. I like how Arcanum really thinks about how the two might interact with each other, if magick actually existed. It takes place in the perfect time. The Victorian age was a time of great technological developement, but not too displaced from the old world. There was civilization, but still plenty of wilderness.

 

I love this game because of it's story. If you play Arcanum first time, you cannot predicture even next step in main story line.

 

While the Magick/Tech thing is very cool, it really makes no sense. What makes "Technology" technology? Why is a balanced sword technological, but an ordinary sword isn't? Last I checked, making anything out of metal requires the use of smithy technology. So if you take the Magick vs Tech problems literally, no mage could ever enchant a weapon, sheild or piece of armor. Since houses are built using architectural technology, a mage would have trouble casting spells inside one. Okay, so there was no need to take it to the logical conclusion, but there it is.

 

Amazing world- probably the most original take on a fantasy world I've ever seen in a PC game.
Excellent storyline.
Very well written dialogs.
Freedom of character creation
Replayability- there is so much to discover you can't see it all in one or two games.
Freedom of gameplay- you can do pretty much anything, and there is still a very low chance for you to screw up the main quest, multiple options of solving many quests.
Nice humor. (I have adopted Sammy White's collection of insults for everyday use ;0)
The dialog options dependancy on intellect (gotta love playing idiots).
Being able to finish the game with pretty much any character you can create.
Role playing potential.
And last but not least- there is something inspiring about this game. After playing for a couple of hours, I always feel like writing...

 

You forgot the aptitude factor. A sword made using old fashioned smithy techniques will only be slightly tech, and a powerful mage would have no problem enchanting it. However, the same sword, forged or sharpened by a steam powered machine, will gain a greater technological "aura", and therefore will be harder to enchant. Besides, maybe enchanted swords are not only enchanted, but forged with magic, therefore not gaining any tech aptitude.
Oh and ther eis no such thing as "architectural technology", and unless the house is made of artificial materials like concrete, or built using cranes, it would also have a very low tech aptitude.

 

Of course, of course. That's what I said to begin with. I just like to take things to their logical conclusion just to prove how implausible they really are. Like I also said, that really doesn't matter, the important thing is providing fun and intriguing gameplay. Additionally, I sometimes think that technology might be another type of magic in the world of Arcanum. It makes sense when you think about it. Perhaps "Magick" and "Technology" are simply two opposing forms of magic. Aldous Buxington even said that "Magick and Technology are simply two sides of the same coin." Think about the Vendigroth Device. If it is a purely mechanical construct, how then could it effect someone's soul? And in one of the possible ending slides, Arronax raises the ruins of Vendigroth and it's people. How could he raise these "Technological" ruins and not kill himself or cause great destruction? Perhaps Troika is telling us that there is something more about the Magick-Technology conflict.

Architecture certainly uses many technological principles, such as tension, compression, suspension, wieght-reducing arches, manufactured building materials, woodworking, etc etc.

 

Wow, didnt think that one little comment would spark so much debate.
I think the idea that really low tech devices can be enchanted because..of their low tech, makes the most sence. Realisticly, if mages couldnt enchant such low tech items, then what would they wear? I mean, wouldnt the fabric in thier robes burst apart and... I guess mages would have to grow thier hair and beards long. Then again, seeing as how the make up of our bodies fallows natural law, in the real world, nothing magickal could really exist. I imagine its cells and atoms would ... do crazy stuff. It would be a..painful DEATH, to say the least.
Ofcourse, one also wonders how Technologists get Mechanical Arachnids and Automonts to work... even in 2003 WE cant do that. And they dont even have computers.

 

Want my opinion?

Instead of saying the Balanced sword is more tachnological than normal sword, try it like this...

If the continuent presence of magic couses violations in the laws of nature, that would also couse violations in laws of gravity. Now in that case the Balanced sword would no longer be balanced, and enchanting finely crafted sword like this would make it unstable. While normal sword is just lump of metal and can be enchanted...

And there is magical smiths who probably enchanted the sword while making it. And instead trying to balance it led the magic handle everything....

 

Eye think what's really special about Arcanum is the potential for role-playing. Rather than trying to figure out the most powerful possible chaarcter, the challenge in this game is to win while playing many distinctly different types of characters (and playing them consistently), enjoying some game variations in the process.
- trobs

 

It's just great

What makes Arcanum such a great game, for me, is the way you can totally and completely immerse yourself in the game. All the little details come together to make a world you can believe in. Things like the Tarantian newspaper and the great dialogue. Also I think the decision to have a classless system was a very well made one. It's really good to be able to do anything with your character, just like real-life your not restricted by anything.

 

Why not? Variety is the spice of life! I see your point as well, i can't really imagine Baldurs Gate 2 without classes.

 

When they say technology, I think they mean complex machinery. Of course, that wouldn't explain the balanced sword, but anyway.

I love Arcanum because of the FANTASTIC character system. It always keeps you wanting just ONE more level so that you can learn the next spell or schematic. The music was also very good, as well as the dialogue. Another thing I love is that you can pretty much do stuff however you want. There's almost ALWAYS more than one way to complete a quest, so you can do it however you see fit. Other games, like KOTOR, try to feign the appearance of multiple paths to success, but rarely pull it off. In my opinion Arcanum is a MUCH better game that KOTOR, but thats just me. Yeah, the dialogue and story are good too. For me, it was all about curiosity and anticipation. I just HAD to see what the Elephant Gun was like. I HAD to build a couple of Automatons. My curiosity and anticipation of what these things would be like is what makes me love Arcanum sooooooooo much. Even now, after playing KOTOR, Call of Duty, Rise of Nations, Diablo II, Baldur's Gate II, and BF1942, among other things, I still regard Arcanum as the greatest game of all time.