A LOT of questions about the game

[cazzobedda]

Are there minigames, a crafting system, gambling, unique dialogues for NPCS? Are there interesting quests which allow you to make decisions which affect the outcome of the quest and/or actually AFFECT the worla around you? How much does the world change? How much can you affect the world/people/cities around you?

 

Can you own a city/tower/castle? Can you SET UP a shop? can you join guilds and/or manage them as headmaster? How much interaction is ther with NPCS? Do they live a life based on schedules and/or, simplier, on a day night base? Do shops/cities act accordingly to the time of the day?

 

How much can you interact with the gameworld? Is it anywhere near to the overwhelmingly complex interaction of Ultima VII? Something like the realistic interaction of Realms of Arkania? Something like freedom of choice/interesting interactions with interesting NPCS like Baldur's Gate and Fallout?

 

Tahnk you for the answers. You can tell me that, maybe, Avernum 1/2/3 or Geneforge games satisfy more the requirements if Avernum 4 doesn't

[Randomizer]

Avernum 4 was mainly to test a new game engine using features from the Geneforge series. Most of what you mentioned doesn't exist.

 

In the earlier Avernum games (1-3) you had a reputation from doing quests that determined whether you could get other quests and how NPCs would react to you. Certain quests like stealing or killing innocents would lower your reputation. Most would increase it. Nethergate also has this as a hidden variable where you get marked for killing/robbing innocents and there is a special reward for being good.

 

The Geneforge series has a different reputation system. In the first 3 games how you respond to opinion questions determined how the different factions (sects) will view you and whether they will allow you to join them. Geneforge 4 changed it from opinions to actions affecting your reputation and there is a list of how each action affects reputation.

 

Avernum 4 quests are more of the moral dilemma type where you make judgements about whether the possible reward is worth fulfilling the quest. Do you kill someone over someone else's moral outrage or let them go.

 

The first 3 Avernum games had a calander where the day of the year would give different special results ( Calendar ). In Avernum 3 and Exile 3 you were racing a clock to finish before a certain date and the cities changed as time went by. There were also the first of the economic quests where you got items or delivered messages for money. Instead of just fighting you could spend your time running errands.

 

In Avernum 3 and Exile 3 you could join the Anama church and no longer be able to use magic spells. You could use priest spells and receive more priest spells earlier.

[Dikiyoba]

It sounds like the closest thing to what you are interested in is Exile/Avernum 3. It's large, detailed, and the world changes according to time. It's still pretty basic compared to the interactions you seem to be thinking of, but you can download the demos to find out whether you like it or not.

 

Dikiyoba.

[Micawber]

Yeah, there are no games where you can set up a shop or run your own guild or most of that other stuff. And Avernum 4 is surely the spidweb game that's least like that, out of all of them.

 

As Dikiyoba and Randomizer, Avernum 3 may be your best bet - the world changes over time, usually in the form of getting worse, but hey. There's also a pretty day/night effect, which I like.

 

I also like Geneforge 2, which has lots of factions to choose between, and a greater variety of endings than any of the other games.

[nikki.]

I don't have much to add, except that it is possible to own your own house in Avernum/Exile 3, although not until quite a way in.

 

That's sorta like one of the things you were talking about.

[cazzobedda]

Thank you very much for all your answers. i asked about setting up a shop because in the page describing Avernum 3 is written "you can be a merchant and set up your own shop". Or something like that. Not true, then?

[Drakefyre]

Exile/Avernum 3 seems closest to what you're looking for.

 

Blades of Exile has scenarios that more closely answer yes to the questions you've asked.

[Ephesos]

Quote:

Originally written by cazzobedda:
Thank you very much for all your answers. i asked about setting up a shop because in the page describing Avernum 3 is written "you can be a merchant and set up your own shop". Or something like that. Not true, then?

Well, it's half true. You can run supplies from town to town, and you can sell stuff you find. That's about as close to opening a shop as you can get.

[rackrmnn]

Games with the level of PC - gameworld interaction you're describing are very rare. In fact, I'd say that no good ones exist at all. They're incredibly hard to design.

 

Geneforge and Avernum are both great series, though, but for different reasons. For me, Avernum's appeal comes from the huge, unique game worlds. It's fun to just wander around and explore what I want to explore. Generforge is more about gameplay variety and getting to make hard moral decisions. There are many different paths through every game in the series.

 

I highly reccomend Geneforge 4. It kicks serious ass.