A:EftP - Avernum: New Content

[AethirWeb]

So i hear that the game is pratically the same, but we'll have new graphics equivalent to Avadon's and Geneforge 5's and Avernum 6's. That's awesome (Although from the cutscenes Avernum's losing it's underground effect), as well as using the skill tree in Avadon so we don't need to pay money and it will give us a reasonable build and make the game more straight forward.

 

My question is what are the new content? I know there's new quests and dungeons, but could someone explain in detail if possible? What do you guys think the new content is?

[Lilith]

Anyone outside of Spiderweb Software who might know exact details at this point would be bound by a non-disclosure agreement to not reveal too much. It's hard to say what the new content might be: I don't think anyone predicted Lost Bahssikava in advance.

[Randomizer]

Jeff said a new town and more quests as some of the new content so that will mean new places to explore.

[Slawbug]

He said a new, large town. That was a surprise. There's not much room for it. Where would it go? Is it a human town? Perhaps a friendly Nephil town, to go with the Slith addition in A1?

[Earth]

Area near Erika's tower should be quite empty and have room for town etc.

[Randomizer]

Since we are using indoor/outdoor you could place it anywhere, but it will probably be in an area that didn't have one before like the Honeycomb or Giant Lands.

[Tyranicus]

The steam cavern between Almaria and the Tower of Magi would be a good place for a town. In fact, I put one there in the Avernum RP. Lazarus later destroyed it, but that's beside the point.

[Necris Omega]

Perhaps it will be that monastery in the swamps beyond Fort Dranlon that gets amped all the way up to a major hub. Or, maybe that "failed" city north of Fort Remote doesn't fail so hard this time around. Then again, that area of Avernum does have enough going on as it is...

 

Hm. Yeah, I'm thinking the region between Draco and the Giant Lands would be a good candidate for a new city. We'll just have to see.

[Alorael at Large]

I can't imagine Jeff deliberately creating plot holes in the rest of the series by adding a major settlement that's never mentioned again. I think a "town" in the scenario design sense is more likely. Some temporary settlement with many people seems likely. Even somewhere that could be steamrolled by the Empire in A2 and henceforth ignored is possible. Anything that's really a city anywhere in secure Avernite land seems like a bad idea for continuity.

 

—Alorael, who knows Jeff is willing to play fast and loose with continuity. Still, he'll hold out for something nicer. Perhaps a relatively friendly town around the nephil banishment portal, equivalent to both Fort Avernum and Lost Bahssikava?

[Necris Omega]

I'unno. After A4 had Efram, leading Demonslayer Fanboi in all Avernum getting the story of his favoritest weapon completely wrong, I say all bets are off. That and the random addition of Cavewood fruits, which I'm convinced must taste of schnozzberries, and I say, let what comes of the remakes come.

 

Really, though, I think the only way Jeff could really, really make the remakes fresh is if they fly off the wheels a bit. And, honestly, if these remakes throw us old timey vets some creative curveballs... so be it! It's a remake, after all, and for me, a remake that changes things up is much better than a direct sequel that tries to ignore its roots.

[Slawbug]

Efram was obviously not a competent historian. I thought that was pretty clear in situ, at least.

[Triumph]

Originally Posted By: Oldest Stomping Grounds

Anything that's really a city anywhere in secure Avernite land seems like a bad idea for continuity.

—Alorael, who knows Jeff is willing to play fast and loose with continuity.

Cavequakes, the tectonic handwave.

[Tyranicus]

Jeff creates new city in A:EftP. This city is completely destroyed by the Empire in A:CS. Problem solved.

[Alorael at Large]

And never mentioned again? For a hamlet that makes sense. For a temporary gathering that makes sense. For a city? Not so much. Avernum doesn't have so many it can misplace them.

 

—Alorael, who supposes he could also hope for an added isolationist city that does, in fact, get lost. Or, more precisely, never really found.

[ĐªгŦĦ Єяŋϊε]

or it can be placed in the cavern of forgetfulness.

"Many have come here. None remember."

[Slawbug]

Ooh -- hello, City of Dawn / Mirage City / Jamshid.

[Necris Omega]

It would be interesting if it's a city within civilized/mainstream Avernum that ends up being destroyed in the course of its plotline.

 

Then again, something more exotic, like more friendly Slithzerkai or semi-neutral Nephilim would also be cool.

[Earth]

bandit city, no1 would care when its gets non-existed.

[AethirWeb]

I agree with some people on top, that a new town would be a plot hole. But if it's only one town and quests that have no huge effect on the main story, or additional quests that involve the main scenario that won't create too many plot holes the it's practically fine.

 

The game is safe, unless Jeff decides to add like five towns. Then that would be akward, if so then maybe he'll have to rewrite the entire series?

[AethirWeb]

LOL Funniest reply i've heard all day.

[Enraged Slith]

Maybe in Avernum 3, Anaximander will wake up and it will have all been a dream.

[Jerakeen]

Town != City

 

"Town" in this context could easily mean a new dungeon. A cave with a tiny opening, easily overlooked.

 

Edit: OK, re-reading the FAQ: "A new large town with lots of quests."

 

Nevermind.

 

Maybe it's an enclave of eccentric wizards. Who normally keep their town invisible to outsiders.

[Necris Omega]

Thing is, Jeff IS rewriting the entire series, or at least the first (best) half of it.

 

If he wants to go ahead and throw some major metropolis where ever, more power to him. After remaking the first three, 4-6 will feel old and clunky by comparison anyways. And it's not like it really needs to survive more than 2 games - Ruined World takes place on the surface.

 

I'm not looking for a Avernum/Exile CLONE, I'm looking for Avernum +X. If that means 4-6 suffer, so be it. They're already a massive deviation from the original Avernum in style and scope as it is.

[Randomizer]

It can't be a major Avernite town because then it would be entitled to a vote in the Council. If it was in the Abyss then it would upset the balance between Spire and Bargha. So that puts it outside those areas or a nephil town would be a new addition since the last added content was slith.

 

Or Jeff could do something radical and make it undead. Because we all know that just because your dead you don't stop annoying adventurers.

[goblindolf]

Since he plans to remake 2 and 3 it could be anything as long as something in the sequels flattens it. Then again he will probably remake 4-6 one day so..

[Dantius]

I don't understand what's the problem with him just retconning in a new city. It's not like this isn't a totally new game; there's no reason he has to remain behold to a game released nearly two decades ago just because some people here will find it upsetting if he doesn't.

 

Frankly, I'd be more interested in playing a game that's a much wider departure from the game it's updating than just another E1 clone. Those do get boring after a while.

[Kennedy]

In the screenshot of the world map at:

http://www.avernum.com/images/avernum/AvernumWorldMap.jpg

there is a picture of a fort that is somewhat southeast of where Pyrog had his lair and west across the river from where the aranea had theres so I'm guessing that's where the new town will be located.

[Ceiling Durkheim]

Seconded. As long as the new Avernum series retains an internally consistent canon, I don't see the problem with departing from the canon of the earlier versions.

 

@Kennedy: good eye.

[Harehunter]

Just speculation here. Lost Bassikava tied the sliths to their origins deeper underground. I seem to remember reading that the Nephilim were originally above ground creatures that had been teleported to Exile by The Empire, but that they used a different portal to send them to. This would be an interesting plot enhancement.

[Skwish-E]

It is Brigadoon, of course.

[echoes]

I'm in for chitrachs on conveyor belts.

[Jukai]

Gimme two extra characters to fight with! Having that six character battle at the end of Avadon made me drool and long for the days of Exiles.

[Alorael at Large]

Only five in Avadon! And no, six character parties have gone the way of Exile (and Nethergate). Jeff is accustomed to designing and balancing for smaller parties. Actually, RPGs in general seemed to have switched to smaller parties.

 

—Alorael, who doesn't mind so much. He prefers having fewer identical characters due to overlap.

[Necris Omega]

I honestly didn't have much problem in Exile with there being overlap of roles/characters simply because it felt like there was just MORE to the game. Character 1 uses swords and archery, character 2 uses polearms and throwing weapons, character 3 uses maces and picks locks, character 4 is a devoted mage, character five is the hybrid who also does alchemy, character 6 is the devoted cleric. Not much in terms of the min-max special, but I always had enough diversity that I didn't feel anything was going to waste.

 

Honestly, though, I find in my latest playthrough that I'm more effective in Avernum if both spellcasters have both clerical and arcane spells, and that Throwing Weapons can take a bath... Ah well.

[Harehunter]

Quote:

Honestly, though, I find in my latest playthrough that I'm more effective in Avernum if both spellcasters have both clerical and arcane spells, and that Throwing Weapons can take a bath... Ah well.

That is more my style as well. Although I have had a great dispute with some people on this forum about that very thing.

[Necris Omega]

Throwing weapons CAN be effective, they're just so much more annoying, expensive, and heavy to stockpile. Also, bows are more powerful, and Throwing weapons stack nicely off to the side for something to sell.

 

As for cross discipline magic... I'm not really sure why I didn't indulge in it earlier. More mana, more outs should something go haywire, more benefit from spell discoveries...

 

I'll have to wait and see what the NEW Avernum series and system brings, but I'm thinking I'm going to stick with diversifying my magic portfolio.

[AethirWeb]

I've looked literally everywhere on the map. I'm a horrible guy at placing towns in already filled maps. And the "known caves" of avernum is pretty small. I don't know where Jeff is going to put this town

[madrigan]

I didn't play much of A1, so I thought the location called "Portage" near the center of the map was a new town. Is that indicating a portage, rather than a town of Portage? I don't remember anyplace called that in A4 or 6.

 

Or does that say "Portago"?

[ĐªгŦĦ Єяŋϊε]

town of portly

[Skwish-E]

Almarian Wine ... Portage Port.

[Slawbug]

There's a Slith fort there. It's kind of central to the plot. So unless the new, large town is a slith town (which is possible), that's probably not it.

[Randomizer]

They're friendly sliths. See they're waving. Slith spears at us, oops.

[Earth]

lol@randomizer

 

those are worthy so no complaints.

[Celtic Minstrel]

Originally Posted By: madrigan

I didn't play much of A1, so I thought the location called "Portage" near the center of the map was a new town. Is that indicating a portage, rather than a town of Portage? I don't remember anyplace called that in A4 or 6.

Or does that say "Portago"?

That says "Portgage", I think. I'm not sure if it's the one Kennedy was referring to though.

[madrigan]

Originally Posted By: Darth Ernie

town of portly

hey, I happen to be from that town