Best?

[LOTR_Dan]

Which game is the best in the trilogy. I only have enough money to register one right now, and I want to know which one it should be. I figure it's best to start with 1 and go through the entire thing, but at the same time, which is the best of all 3. And what about Blades? I'm just curious.

[bigblue]

in my opinion, it is the best to go through from 1 to blades, because of the story. but i began with 2 and then 1,3,blades. doesn't matter that much. blades is best in my opinion, cause there are 4 small scenarios, and more coming, instead of one big story. but of the trilogy i think avernum2 is the best.

[+rosycat]

Avernum 2 is the best plot-wise and also fun-wise, IMO.

Avernum 3 is the best size-wise and if you want piles of stuff to do.

 

I'd register Blades in a year or two; there'll be way more third-party scenarios. There'll also be a bigger community of scenario developers with more knowledge and skill with the engine to help you out.

[Kelandon]

I think it's best to start with A1 if you want to understand the plot without having to catch up from being a bit behind. The others are kind of stand-alone, but A1 actually has an explanation of the basic plot concepts of the trilogy.

 

Start with A2 if you don't care about catching up and like plot the best. A2 had probably the best overall plot (although each one individually had decent sub-plots, too).

 

Start with A3 if you want the most bang for your buck. A3 is a LARGE game, almost the size of A1 and A2 put together. It has probably the worst overall plotline, but to be honest, I didn't even notice that until people at these boards mentioned it and I thought about it for a while. A3 is fun, and its predecessor (E3) was Spiderweb's best-selling game.

 

Blades of Avernum will be an even better buy than A3 in about two or three years, but you'll have to wait a while for it to mature. Basically, Blades gives us (the community) the opportunity to make and play 3rd-party scenarios with a VERY powerful scripting engine. Since we already have devoted BoE designers who are by and large making the switch, this will be a great game in a little while, but it's so new that not much is out yet.

 

And that's my rather verbose answer.

[Fort]

I absolutely loved A1, but you should beware that it is not the most polished of Jeff's games. It lacks some of the cool things that occur in the other ones (like beams, moving walls, missing a few spells, Vahnatai presence are just spoilers and teasers, the no right-click for look, you don't autopickup for selected character when you click on an item, damage cap is much lower than the other games, etc.).

 

From the start, I never liked A2 so I didn't register it. A3 was huge and full of [fun] stuff to do (like in Exile 3), and it implements a ton of different things into the Avernum engine, so it would be the best value from A1-3.

 

But BoA will probably have a big list of good scenarios pretty soon. If you are waiting for a price cut, don't hold your breath. Exile I is still going for $25. But they have occasional -$3 sales.

[vahnatai_hell_fyre]

actually i like A3 the best. its big and has quite a few side quests. all that you need from a game actually!!!! but A2 has the best plot.

[d00mguard]

i like a3 alot, it has more stuff to do. my top choices are a3 or BoA. (i dont really how you gotta move diagnolly on a1 and a2 with the keyboard.)

[xxo]

If you're planning on eventually getting them all, I'd say go for A1 first. However, I liked A2 the best because, as it has been mentioned, it has the best plot.

[Surtur]

I have a similar problem. I have good parties made in the demos of A3 and BOA and I've used them to the limit. I only want to order one game, but I'm not sure whether to go with the already big world of A3 or the potentially bigger and better world of BOA.

 

Also if I get BOA I'm thinking of making a scenario or two. I've made plug-ins for non-spiderweb games so stuff like that is fun for me.

[You get NOTHING]

My suggestion is this. If you plan on playing a game, A2 all the way. If you want to make games, BOA, on the other hand if you like to stare at a repetitive game, A3.

[Kelandon]

If you're looking for a good game to play over the next month or so and then forget about, buy A3. If you want a game that will produce good gameplay at a slightly reduced amount now but continually progressing over the next, oh, probably at least seven or eight years, buy BoA.

[Alorael at Large]

Avernum 2 has the best plot and some more polish, Avernum 1 is the introduction, and Avernum 3 is the largest. A3 also has slightly different systems for equipment and damage calculation, so it plays a bit differently.

 

I'd save up a little bit more money and get the trilogy CD. You save $20 and avoid all the prioritizing worries. But if you need a game now and can't come up with an extra $30, I'd go with... well... decide for yourself! All three demos are large, free, and well worth playing to get a feel for the games.

 

—Alorael, who definitely thinks that A2 has the best demo. A3 has the largest, and just playing the A1 demo will give you a lot of background that helps with the next two games. The A2 demo gives you most of what you need to know about a certain group. So even if you end up buying A3, be sure to play all the demos.

[Rent-an-Ihrno]

i also recommend to buy the trilogy as a whole.

if you dont have the money for that, id say a2.

be warned though that a3 mostly is more fun to people not that used to avernum, because youre outdoors mostly and you have much more freedom to walk around and do whatever you want to do.

but still, a2 is the most stylish.

[Arch-Mage Solberg]

Avernum 3 is my personal favorite.

[Lord Bob]

I'd take Avernum 2 to my own personal grave, but Avernum 3 is still a darned good game, easily the largest of the three and, if you can only buy one, probably stands well enough on its own.

 

Blades of Avernum is obviously worth a look, but it'll be quite a while before there's enough good BoA scenarios out there for you to get more gameplay in than you would with A3. And, of course, there's just something about one, big, grand epic plot like in A3. Playing a bunch of smaller scenarios just isn't the same, to me.

[Dado]

Well the BEST i think it´s A3 because of the updates. But for understanding all the history, i´d like to register the 1 and later 2 and later 3.