Games these days are all about pleasing Mr. Teen Xbox Live User. Redundant co-op modes where it wouldn't work, just because it's the 'fad' of today. Two weapon system. Regenerating health. Vehicle mini-games. Unlockables system. Rank system. Achievements. Really arbitrary crafting systems. "Console comes first" horrible ports. The Wii. Kinect. PlayStation Move. What does this have to do with Arcanum 2 or RPGs? This is the only thing that I see in games today. It's either; Rehashed generic FPS Cutesy indie title RTS game claiming to be 'all that and more' Remake or sequel of an old game/series made for today's audience BioWare RPG with obligatory romance system (every god damn game) Nintendo's 3 main IP's abused anuses JRPG with nonsensical everything What I'm saying is.. I really want Arcanum 2. Tim Cain has said he has some ideas. He's been saying that for a long long time. This is of course nigh-impossible to do. There are so many legal complications. Troika shut down. Sierra was absorbed. Activision Blizzard owns the IP. But I just want it to happen. I don't care if Bethesda buys it and it has to be a Skyrim engine abomination, just fill it with references to the first game and previously visited locations and I'm happy. Hire Rino Romano to play an old man who people who didn't play the first game won't recognize? Include old locations as unmarked locations, just as a callback. Maybe the fan cemetary? The Zephyr crash site? Kree? A bunch of old companions for the new player character? Nazi orcs beheading people just like real nazis do, with their nazi orc Don Throgg führer? But all is not lost. As long as the IP is owned by Activision Blizzard there is still a tiny little chance of them actually doing anything with it.
You know, even if there is a little chance that Arcanum 2 will be made, it won't be as good as the Arcanum, nor as you wish. Some of the stuff you hate about the todays games will be implemented in the new Arcanum as well, and there's a huge chance that the new studio will screw everything up as they try to clone and improve the aspects of the original game. I don't how about you, but I don't want some new 3D action Arcanum clone, where the only similarity is the word "Arcanum" in game title. I want the classics! Also, there is no reason why we can't do the sequel/prequel by ourselves, we (as community) have the material and manpower, and we could keep expanding and enhancing the Arcanum for another decade. On the other side, as game developer, if I was going to make some new game, I would rather choose to make brand new title, with new and original ideas, and not some sequel clone, which will require a way more time to finish. So I don't think that there will be any sequel in near future. Keep dreaming. Fluffy clouds. P.S. The OpenArcanum is dead.
I think we hype how totally awesome a sequel would be, so that we'd get seriously disappointed if a sequel would be made. Just look at Knights of The Old Republic II for an example. The first one was great, one of the best RPG:s ever made. Now the sequel was also great, but not as great as the first in the series. Sloppy made, buggy, etc. And now there's the greatest hype ever about the upcoming The Old Republic. I personally think it will be the best in the series so far, but I know it won't be as I imagine!
I don't think that it's entirely implausible that someone would produce Arcanum 2 in the future; it's a very original setting just like in the Fallout franchise and that got continued. Game producers do lack ingenuity nowadays - developing a very unique pre-existing setting would be much easier than coming up with their own ideas.
You've got a point there, just look at the Dreamfall series. The first one was released in 1999 and the sequel got released in 2007 - not an eternity but still. I found some intentional or unintentional things that sounds really similar to Arcanum: "Technologically strong Stark and magical Arcadia". Read for yourself here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamfall:_The_Longest_Journey Or not to mention the time-span between Duke Nukem 3D and Duke Nuken Forever. 15 years... It isn't impossible that a new part in the series will be made, but maybe it'll just become a spiritual successor or something...
I love the classic style, but I am also open to a 3D Arcanum adventure. OpenArcanum died? When and how?
Offtopic: Things are getting too complex, and too many things are still in front of me, but I don't have any free time anymore, since I'm finishing university next semester (I already extended my curriculum by 2 semesters because of OpenArcanum, to have more time for it's development), and after that I'm moving to different city for a job, and own flat, so next year will be pretty epic for me, and I won't have any free time for the project, nor my regular whining teaparty. Source codes? Maybe. I spent/wasted last 3 years on it's development, so it's quite hard decision for me to make. :thumbup:
That isn't much of a distinction, but at least it sounds dramatic. Provide contact information and I shall.
Arcanum in 3D? You Heretic. Call me very old-fashioned, but why do people these days always wanted a game like this? There will be great possibility that the graphics could be great, but the plot and quality sucks very bad.
I'm no heretic! In my very significant opinion, video gaming peaked at the 16-bit, two-dimensional era. That is not to say that I am completely closed to a 3D Arcanum.
That was not towards you, but more to those who wants to design a 3D Arcanum. I am just a bit old fashioned. It is just that I really do not want them to ruin the game like they did with Ultima IX and Monkey Island 4.