Jump to content

Nethergate's Popularity


Recommended Posts

I'm on my first playthrough of it now. Just like I have with the other Spiderweb games I've played (GF, A2, A3, E2) I'm totally obsessed with it, and think this has to be the best game yet. I only registered the other day, and rather than wait for the CD to arrive (along with the Exile trilogy CD and BOE CD), I downloaded the full version. I just couldn't wait a day longer.

 

I think something in the game resonates with my Celtic ancestry and love of fantasy which draws on Celtic myths. It also brings to mind the MUD I used to play, which had an newbie area named Tara (from which druids and fighters came) and a nearby sidhe area called ShadowLands (which was only safe to be tackled as part of a high-level group containing a good mix of fighters, mages, sniper, druids and surgeons).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My only real complaints with Nethergate are that there are too few types of equipment and that the game is too short. Yes, you can play both Celts and Romans, but a longer game is always nice. And it would be nice if there was some more variation among weapons, especially since only swords and spears are worth using unless you get very strange loot.

 

—Alorael, who also thinks the circles could use a bit of work. War and healing circles are fine, and craft has all you could want, but beast circle is sadly lacking and spirit circle seems like an odd mixture of good, bad, and odd spells. Most of the all-powerful nether spells aren't worth using either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really like Nethergate, for many of the reasons stated here. It has many elements of a great game. The storyline is fascinating, and having two views of the game is original. You can find some interesting secrets even if you do keep playing (I found some mystical pants in Castle Aethdoc after my third or fourth play-through).

 

That said, there are still some significant engine problems- spell circles aren't balanced, stats aren't balanced (take a look at the uselessness of the endurance stat), there are few high-level, challenging monsters to hunt and kill, the most powerful spells in the game aren't very useful, there are 25 or so areas on the map, compare this to Avernum's 70 or so, and there are a few minor bugs that just don't make the game stand out as a shining jewel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What I found was that the whole tone was just so amazing, especially compared to the other RPGs Jeff and others have made. Sized down a little, it would make a brilliant, brilliant Blades scenario. Sized up a little, Nethergate would become the central jewel in the crown of JV's repertoire. The historical aspect, the mythological beliefs of the people of that age combined with the different viewpoints, it all forced me to adore the game. In Avernum, Exile, and even Geneforge, I find everything is too blunt and gaudy and almost every town/dungeon/outdoor section has a completely different feel. In Nethergate, the game is small enough that there's always the muted undertones, and the palette used to paint a Nethergate painting would be made up of softer colours, taupe and olive and rose, then of that used to paint an Avernum or Exile painting. Don't get me wrong, I'm not as earnest as I sound, and I won't compare computer games with works of high art, but it was the only way I could express my comparitive appreciation for the game.

 

wink Yours ever,

 

-Leprechaun

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The main reason Nethergate is not as popular as Jeff's other games is its small size. It took me less time to finished Nethergate 2.5 times then to finish Avernum 2 once. This means that people don't spend as much time playing the game. And since they don't spend as much time playing the game, they are not as interested in discussing it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I played the Nethergate demo, I didn't register it for several reasons.

 

First, at that point (some years ago), I didn't like the transitiion to the 3d-isometric viewpoint very much.

 

Second and worse, I found it too complicated to use the automap. In Avernum, it fits well into the interface (you can choose to see either the inventory or the map). In Nethergate, there was an extra pop-up window.

 

I know it's a stupid reason not to play the game,

but I need the map constantly, and I found it too annyoing to switch from the game to the map and back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And you know what? Nethergate is, and always will be, my all-time favourite game (well, Spidweb at least). Why? It just is so great (though some things in, say, A3 would be improvement in it).

It could be the fantasy in it (admit that E's/A's aren't THAT much like pure fantasy, and neither is Geneforge), and I've always adored historical games like that. It was my first experience in bigger games too. Before that it had always been Settlers (the first version I think).

I just love it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...