First Series Played vs Favourite Series (Poll)

[Aoslare]

This poll looks at two things:

 

(1) Which series was your introduction to Spiderweb games, and

 

(2) Is that series also your favourite series?

 

I'm curious how much these two things are related. My hypothesis is that there is a pretty strong connection in some ways but not others. We'll see.

[nikki.]

I was introduced through Exile 3 and Nethergate (I played both within a couple of days IIRC), but for the sake of the poll I just picked Exile 3 since it was my favourite of the two (at the time). My favourite series, however, is the first Avernum Trilogy/Blades of Avernum.

[Balladeer]

Exile 2 was my first game. Blades of Exile is still my favorite.

[Nioca]

My introduction to SW was Avernum 3. However, I couldn't say the first trilogy, as a whole, was my favorite. Honestly, I couldn't say what series WAS my favorite. So I answered that it introduced me, but wasn't my favorite.

[Ceiling Durkheim]

I started on E1 and 2 around the time BoE came out, but at this point it's Geneforge that owns the largest plot of my heart-land.

[Tyranicus]

Nethergate was my first Spiderweb game, and it remains my favorite.

[Acky]

Started on Geneforge 2, to this day remains my favorite video game across platforms.

[Rowen]

E3 and still E3.

[Aoslare]

I started with E1 myself, and E2 remains my favourite today.

[Callie]

I started with E3, but I haven't played recently enough to make a real comparison. I went with Avernum/BoA as my favorite because it's the one I ultimately became more familiar with.

[Enraged Slith]

Started with Exile, but I played the heck out of Exile 2. I probably wouldn't have the patience to play Exile 2 today, but my memories of it as a child are impossible to beat.

[keira]

First was E3, favorite is BoE.

[Triumph]

Started with Exile 3 and BoE, but Nethergate: Resurrection is my favorite. Granted, I only played the demos of E3 and BoE (and then the E2 and E1 demos). The first full game I played was Geneforge 3. So my "firsts," however you look at it, are not my favorite.

[Dikiyoba]

My first game was Avernum 2, and while it's one of my favorite games, I'm not a big fan of the original trilogy as a whole. A1 just feels like it's missing something (probably a quest list ) while A3 is empty and generic. My favorite series is Geneforge. G1 has atmosphere, G2 has meaningful choices, and G4 has grit and the shock trooper.

 

Dikiyoba is currently optimistic about the Avernum: Subtitled series, though. A:EftP seems to have whatever it is that A1 lacks, while the Geneforge series is hurt by the age of its earlier games, the unoriginality of G3, and the fact that G5 is just one retcon after another. If A2:CS can just be as good as A2...

[Randomizer]

I started with Exile 3 and for a long time preferred the Exile series, but now like Nethergate more.

[Acky]

Quote:

Dikiyoba is currently optimistic about the Avernum: Subtitled series, though. A:EftP seems to have whatever it is that A1 lacks, while the Geneforge series is hurt by the age of its earlier games, the unoriginality of G3, and the fact that G5 is just one retcon after another.

Don't forget missing continents. Although, some of the retcons seemed more like re-con's to me, particularly Litalia's backstory.

[Aran]

First series played: Exile. Favorite series: Avernum 1-3, but Exile's a close second before the rest.

[Lyric]

I first played Geneforge 3, and it still is my favorite game of the series. Next faves would be Geneforge 2 and 1. Hated the 4th and 5th Geneforges. Never liked the Avernums, never tried Nethergate.

 

 

Did Jeff lose his story/character notes when he made the 4th and 5th Geneforge games ?

[Ceiling Durkheim]

Hmm. 54% started on the Exile series. Got a lot of oldbies taking this poll.

[nikki.]

Originally Posted By: Illegal Furniture

Hmm. 54% started on the Exile series. Got a lot of oldbies taking this poll.

It's been my experience that many newer members tend to stick to the forum for the game they were introduced to Spiderweb through, at least at first. If that still holds, then a lot of people who joined with Avernum: EftP or Avadon might not have made the voyage to General yet.

(Which isn't arguing with your point, just giving a possible reason )

[Aoslare]

I was expecting Exile to be the most-started-with game, but not by this margin. This may not be an oldbie thing, though. The fact is that if you played computer RPGs in the 90's and had a Mac, you played one of the Exile games! There wasn't very much out there. I think PC RPG users were also pretty likely to play an Exile game because most of the PC games out there were commercial, the stuff you'd buy off the shelves at CompUSA, and not something you could easily download off the Internet.

 

It is interesting, but not surprising, that 100% of respondents so far who began with Geneforge like that best. Most players of other series seem to at least give Geneforge a try, whereas there are many Geneforge players on these boards who simply aren't interested in the other series.

[BainIhrno]

Exile, both first and favorite.

[Khoth]

Exile first, Nethergate best. Exile series second-best.

[Kendroxide]

I started with Avadon, and while it wasn't my favorite SW game, it was still enjoyable. I went on to play the Avernum trilogy and actually think that they are my favorite SW games ( cant say which is the best, but what I have played so far of A:EftP remake makes it a potential candidate). I also tried the geneforge series, but did not like them at all.

[Aran]

Does Nethergate predate Avernum 1, by the way?

[Dintiradan]

@Aran: I always assumed so, though I'd have to double check.

 

Started with the A3 demo, then started with A1 and went on from there. The Avernum trilogy is probably also my favourite, though I haven't explored the Spiderweb corpus that much.

 

I only played the demo for Avadon, but it seemed really solid.

 

For all I know, N:R might be my favourite Spiderweb game. I really should give it a second chance one day: it's impossible to enjoy a game when you're beta-testing it.

 

I've tried assorted Geneforge demos, but none of them really struck a chord with me.

 

Exile... eh, pass. But I can understand why some people would prefer them.

 

And I just played around with the A:EftP, and was very impressed with it. A lot of the interface issues I had with the second Avernum trilogy and Avadon are dealt with (those stupid mouse trails in the menu screen are still there, though -- whyyyyy). Production quality on the whole is very nice. And it still keeps true to the early Avernum spirit of free exploration, even when that means your level one party gets ganked by a bunch of sliths.

[Tyranicus]

Originally Posted By: Aran

Does Nethergate predate Avernum 1, by the way?

Yes.

[Dantius]

Geneforge 1 was first, and Geneforge 1 is also the best.

 

Not just my favorite. The best.

[Ceiling Durkheim]

@Off/on: Hmm. Good point, and one that my own experience reflects. I got back into SW games with A5 after a long hiatus, but I only lurked around the forums looking for strategy tips from summer 2008 to fall 2010.

 

@Aran: Yes. If memory serves, BoE came out in 1997, Nethergate in 1998, and A1 in 1999 or 2000.

[Aran]

Hah, that means the Nethergate engine could have sparked the Avernum remake, as (to a lesser extent) Geneforge influenced A4-6.

 

I haven't played Avadon or A6, so I don't know whether Avadon also introduced significant innovations over A6 which made it into A:EftP. If so, then the pattern is that Jeff invents new worlds using new engines, and then reintroduces those engines to the Avernum world.

[Aoslare]

Nethergate, Avernum 1-3, BoA, and N:R all use the same basic chassis. There are some big changes made along the way, especially the addition of Avernumscript in BoA and the new dialogue system in A1, but most of the basic structures of these games are similar and they all use an identical graphics engine.

 

Exile 1-3 and BoE obviously use the same engine as well.

 

Geneforge 1 was the other major, start-from-scratch rewrite, besides Nethergate. This is a little trickier as there are more differences in the Geneforge engine family, so I think it is fair to talk about different branches here:

- G1-G5

- A4-A6

- Avadon

- AEFTP

 

All four branches use the same graphics engine. Unlike the different evolutions of the Nethergate engine however, there are differences between branches when it comes to party composition mechanics, skill mechanics, the world map, and how walking works.

[nikki.]

Originally Posted By: Illegal Furniture

@Off/on: Hmm. Good point, and one that my own experience reflects. I got back into SW games with A5 after a long hiatus, but I only lurked around the forums looking for strategy tips from summer 2008 to fall 2010.

Please, Nikki is fine.

[Ceiling Durkheim]

@Nikki: Ah, didn't realize that was you. I think the shift in PDN and image, coupled with the lack of signature, threw me off.

 

Devious.

[The Mystic]

First game: BoE

Favorite: I don't have one favorite, never really did.

[Enraged Slith]

Originally Posted By: Illegal Furniture

@Nikki: Ah, didn't realize that was you. I think the shift in PDN and image, coupled with the lack of signature, threw me off.

Devious.

The look may be different, but the British accent is unmistakeable.

[Dintiradan]

I've actually gotten pretty good at identifying users by their PDNs, looking at the most recent post listings on the main page, just by the style of name. It's less of a challenge now that Slary doesn't change names anymore, though.

[Aoslare]

There is one change left.

[Aran]

Originally Posted By: HOUSE of S

Nethergate, Avernum 1-3, BoA, and N:R all use the same basic chassis. There are some big changes made along the way, especially the addition of Avernumscript in BoA and the new dialogue system in A1

Wow, I had completely forgotten that. I had to redownload the old Nethergate to see it used keywords, and the old Avernums to see they don't use even the data definition part of Avernumscript.

Originally Posted By: Dintiradan

I've actually gotten pretty good at identifying users by their PDNs, looking at the most recent post listings on the main page, just by the style of name. It's less of a challenge now that Slary doesn't change names anymore, though.

I've grown used to recognizing custom titles. I've used that method for a long time, which means at first I mistakenly believed all Cartographer accounts belonged to the same person ("Silveriiburache" )

[Mistb0rn]

First exposure was E1 back in the day and I have to say the Exile series remains my favorite, though Geneforge is a very, very close second.

 

I just bought A:EftP on Steam a couple days ago and am really liking what I've seen so far, but I honestly don't think it'll ever be able to compete with the originals for my affection. The new system seems kind of flat in comparison.

[A less presumptuous name.]

Originally Posted By: Illegal Furniture

@Nikki: Ah, didn't realize that was you. I think the shift in PDN and image, coupled with the lack of signature, threw me off.

Originally Posted By: Aran, who must be so difficult!

Originally Posted By: Dintiradan

I've actually gotten pretty good at identifying users by their PDNs, looking at the most recent post listings on the main page, just by the style of name. It's less of a challenge now that Slary doesn't change names anymore, though.

I've grown used to recognizing custom titles. I've used that method for a long time, which means at first I mistakenly believed all Cartographer accounts belonged to the same person ("Silveriiburache" )

This. Nikki has a custom title, making him easier to identify. I, on the other hand, have refrained from ever changing my PDN because I'm not exactly recognizable.


Anyway, back on topic, I'm a Geneforge fan through-and-through. I never got into the A1-3 style, and I didn't really try 4-6. I figured I would when A:EftP came out, but I didn't get around to it. Avadon was good, but I still like the setting and mythology of the Geneforge saga the best.

[Aran]

Originally Posted By: Master1

This. Nikki has a custom title, making him easier to identify. I, on the other hand, have refrained from ever changing my PDN because I'm not exactly recognizable.

Who are you again?

[Callie]

I recognize people by their registration date. I remember that for some strange reason.

[Actaeon]

In the old days, member number showed right up front. It made such things relatively simple.

[Tyranicus]

I haven't changed my PDN in years because I don't really see the point.

[keira]

Originally Posted By: Actaeon

In the old days, member number showed right up front. It made such things relatively simple.

This.

[Aran]

Originally Posted By: Sylae

Originally Posted By: Actaeon

In the old days, member number showed right up front. It made such things relatively simple.

This.

Cool!

Of course, for those who've been here long enough, there's the upgrade shift. It starts at +1 for Spidweb and gradually decreases; it's -9 for me (2984->2975). Before 2008 I had many people's IDs memorized (Nikki was 3442, Diki was 6600, Tyran was 6489 and 391, Marlenny was 5654), but I've not bothered to relearn them.

Edit: Also, I'm guilty of mentally equating any five-digit ID with "newbie". Yes, that includes everyone since August 2007. Yes, that is ridiculous.

[Triumph]

Originally Posted By: Aʀᴀɴ

Edit: Also, I'm guilty of mentally equating any five-digit ID with "newbie". Yes, that includes everyone since August 2007. Yes, that is ridiculous.

*Gasp!* A four-digit snob! Help, I'm being discriminated against because of my digits!!!

[keira]

Originally Posted By: Aʀᴀɴ

Edit: Also, I'm guilty of mentally equating any five-digit ID with "newbie". Yes, that includes everyone since August 2007. Yes, that is ridiculous.

That's okay, here's how I view anyone under 5k.

[Actaeon]

Phew! I escaped both Aran's newbie definition AND Sylae's cranky old man element! (My upgrade shift is also -9)

[Dintiradan]

Originally Posted By: Aʀᴀɴ

Originally Posted By: Dintiradan

I've actually gotten pretty good at identifying users by their PDNs, looking at the most recent post listings on the main page, just by the style of name. It's less of a challenge now that Slary doesn't change names anymore, though.

I've grown used to recognizing custom titles. I've used that method for a long time, which means at first I mistakenly believed all Cartographer accounts belonged to the same person ("Silveriiburache" )

Again, this doesn't help when you're just looking at the main page.

Originally Posted By: Aʀᴀɴ

Edit: Also, I'm guilty of mentally equating any five-digit ID with "newbie". Yes, that includes everyone since August 2007. Yes, that is ridiculous.

You've gotta help me make this place more like Slashdot. I already made a CowboyNeal joke in a poll thread a while back, now you need to make a "Netcraft Confirms" or "hot grits" reference somewhere else.