Shadowrun
Shadowrun General => General Discussion => Topic started by: robert4818 on <08-16-11/1409:58>
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We were all disappointed by Microsoft's attempt at Shadowrun. Lets hope that doesn't sour the IP for a while.
That being said, here are 4 different ways of creating a Shadowrun game:
1. FPS set in the (real) Shadowrun world.
The world of Shadowrun is, IMO, more important than the rule-set. A single player FPS set in the world of shadowrun, telling an authentic shadowrun story could be a very good game. This is probably the weakest of the options,
1a. Rainbow Six (original) version of Shadowrun.
More of a variant of the FPS shooter style game, but while the FPS one focuses on telling a story (ala Halo) this one would focus more on the tactical planning side of doing runs. It would still be FPS, but would include a larger focus on planning out the runs over simply running and gunning.
2. Grand Theft Auto style Shadowrun
Probably the closest non-RPG style game we could get to a shadowrun game. The over-all set up of GTA would work for Shadowrun. Open world Sandbox, shady locations, people giving you missions, etc. Someone with good modding experience could probably put in a lot of work and mod up GTA 4 to be a shadowrun game. For this you can think of what would be a natural blending of the old Sega game with modern sandbox gaming.
3. Metal Gear style of Shadowrun
Another Action game version of shadowrun, this time the idea would be to use a set up similar to the "tactical stealth action" of the MGS series in a shadowrun world. The entire game may take place during a specific run.
4. "Mass Effect" Shadowrun
Here we start touching in on the Shadowrun world from an RPG stand point. Still rather action oriented, because I think shadowrun warants it. The system can be tweaked to fit all the different playstyles.
5. Shadowrun MMO
The holy grail of shadowrunning. An MMO sandboxy world with everyone playing shadowrunners of different ilk. The ability to hire on fellow runners to complete a mission, deal with the mega corps, etc.
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Mass Effect-style would work I think.
While it is very action-heavy, there are plenty of unique and interesting things you make happen with dialog, and you'd think hacking/magic/rigging could have something similar in addition to straight combat application.
I dunno about a MMO personally. I guess it worked in a MUX type environment, but a (mostly) static world doesn't fit all that well IMO. I'm sure it could be made to work, I'd just maintain a hefty amount of skepticism until I saw it working I guess is what I'm saying.
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Mass Effect-style would work I think.
While it is very action-heavy, there are plenty of unique and interesting things you make happen with dialog, and you'd think hacking/magic/rigging could have something similar in addition to straight combat application.
I dunno about a MMO personally. I guess it worked in a MUX type environment, but a (mostly) static world doesn't fit all that well IMO. I'm sure it could be made to work, I'd just maintain a hefty amount of skepticism until I saw it working I guess is what I'm saying.
A GTA style game could also work wonders. I think, with it, you could actually implement 9/10ths of what makes shadowrun shadowrun. Mages, riggers, deckers, astral plane, cyberwear, corporations, mr johnsons, Metahumans etc. It would be more twitch based than necessarily RPG, but you could definitely get it all in there. You could even toss in multiplayer.
A mass effect game could give you the RPG style.
An MMO is doable, but it could never exist as a "wow clone". IMO there would have to be a mission generator (updated version of the old anarchy online system) heavy use of instances, a reputation system, and alot of other sandbox style elements. You definitely couldn't just have people running from lvl 1 - 70 starting in the barrens and working their way up to raid instances in renraku arcology, all the while looking for the guy in the bar with a [!] over his head.
A shadowrun MMO would have to be radically different than what we've seen anytime recently. The absolute closest MMO analogue out there at this time would be the city of heroes/city of villains games. But even those are not close enough to what a SR MMO would need to be.
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I can see a GTA game handling the RPG aspects fine. Taking out the aiming guns usually you target guy X with the left bumper or something, it has been a while. A little box shows you are targeting thug X now if you shoot instead of GTA's mechanics it would use a die roll system base don SR. If target X officially grabbed cover they would bet bonus dice to avoid damage, they would soak damage etc. add in mass effects pause system and you can do things like use autofire to spread between multiple targets, lay down cover fire etc. Add in magic and you are golden, with the free roam GTA system you could go crazy. It is sort of my current dream game, though I'd play a shadowrun MMO as well. I don't like MMOs but I love shadowruns setting enough to do it. I think they would need a more free style of MMO than most, it would suck to be a rigger and not be able to fly a helicopter for exmaple.
I'm not sure what they call it, but the guild wars style game would fit for a MMOish like as well.
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There's talk of a Jagged Alliance and Shadowrun MMO being made by the same publishers (http://www.cliffhanger-productions.com/).
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Interesting a SR mmo. Information is sparse for a game they expect to come out in 2012.
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I can see a GTA game handling the RPG aspects fine. Taking out the aiming guns usually you target guy X with the left bumper or something, it has been a while. A little box shows you are targeting thug X now if you shoot instead of GTA's mechanics it would use a die roll system base don SR. If target X officially grabbed cover they would bet bonus dice to avoid damage, they would soak damage etc. add in mass effects pause system and you can do things like use autofire to spread between multiple targets, lay down cover fire etc. Add in magic and you are golden, with the free roam GTA system you could go crazy. It is sort of my current dream game, though I'd play a shadowrun MMO as well. I don't like MMOs but I love shadowruns setting enough to do it. I think they would need a more free style of MMO than most, it would suck to be a rigger and not be able to fly a helicopter for exmaple.
I'm not sure what they call it, but the guild wars style game would fit for a MMOish like as well.
I would say this:
Don't get too hung up on the "mechanics" of the game. To me, they are the absolute least important aspect of the game. What is much more important is getting the look/feel of the world correct, and ensuring that the game itself is fun.
There should be certain no-go's (ressurection spells) that exist. But I do not think that ensuring that you mimic the system is always the best idea. If mimicing the SR system causes the game itself to be un-fun on the computer, then by all means scrap it and introduce something that will make the game fun. Its about the SR world much more than it is about the SR ruleset.
I was a huge fan of Deus Ex because it gave me a world that felt very shadowrun-like. It didn't matter that the rule system was completely different from the SR RPG. The same holds true IMO for any game made out of a PNP game.
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Couldn't we just remake the Sega game with modern graphics?
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Or as a Flash game?
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Couldn't we just remake the Sega game with modern graphics?
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Or as a Flash game?
Been playing it on Emulator recently :)
Actually a GTA style SR would actually be exactly what you are talking about :)
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I want to see the Mega CD game translated dag nabbit. Apparently, people keep taking on the project and abandoning it half-way through. The game even rolls dice! It's as true to the system as it got. I loved the Genesis game, too.
For anyone who hasn't heard of this Mega CD Shadowrun game, it's set in Tokyo (meaning no orks or trolls), the characters are drawn Manga style, and it's very RPG style.
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There WAS a Shadowrun MMORPG being developed.
SRO. Now 6th World Gaming Studios. It had a working alpha and stuff.
Really nice Design Documents and ideas and concepts and all that jazz.
It got C&Ded to death by M$ shortly before they released their shitty shooty . .
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Take Fallout 3. Replace Post Nuclear Apocalypse with Dystopian Cyberpunk/Fantasy.
I know I'd play it.
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Take Fallout 3. Replace Post Nuclear Apocalypse with Dystopian Cyberpunk/Fantasy.
I know I'd play it.
Only if it has Hardcore mode and Traits. That's my only request. :P
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there was sixth world,
and now there are Cliffhanger Productions doing SR
and another group doing SR, http://awakenedmmo.org/ (http://awakenedmmo.org/)
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I was going to ask if Awakened was going to get a C&D like the previous attempt, but it appears they've gone to M$ and gotten permission first. At least, according to the FAQ. Hopefully, it wasn't at some convention where the Intern at the M$ Booth was stoned when he said, "Whoa, cool idea, but you gotta totally give us credit for owning it and... Got any chips?"
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There's a 6th style that hasn't been mentioned, probably because it's fallen out of favour throughout the video games industry: classic RPG with turn-based combat, a party and isometric view. Like Dragon Age 1. That's my preferred style of CRPG. It gives you time to plan tactics, tweak party skill sets, develop group abilities and still have plenty of dialogue and roleplaying.
Mass Effect was not a classic CRPG, it was a FPS with a lot of dialogue and story.
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I think we would be wasting our time holding out for a modern, big budget production video game with shooting and combat, that is a turn-based game.
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There's a 6th style that hasn't been mentioned, probably because it's fallen out of favour throughout the video games industry: classic RPG with turn-based combat, a party and isometric view. Like Dragon Age 1. That's my preferred style of CRPG. It gives you time to plan tactics, tweak party skill sets, develop group abilities and still have plenty of dialogue and roleplaying.
Mass Effect was not a classic CRPG, it was a FPS with a lot of dialogue and story.
Which, if you're going to do varying IPs and other "I can go faster than you" actions, might be the way to do it.
On the other hand, automatically slowing everyone who doesn't have more IPs might be amusing. (no, pushing the button faster won't help.)
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Another key thing to keep in mind is that we don't necessarily need "Shadowrun: The Game", many of us would be happy with games SET IN the shadowrun world, that keep respect for the world.
Look at all the different variations of games for Star Wars out there. Force Unleashed, FPS, RPG, Flight Simulators, etc.
I think we should look at Shadowrun as more of an IP than as simply an RPG. While the holy grail would still be something thats either an MMO, or even a great game along the lines of the Sega SR game, there are plenty of other routes to go with.
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There's a 6th style that hasn't been mentioned, probably because it's fallen out of favour throughout the video games industry: classic RPG with turn-based combat, a party and isometric view. Like Dragon Age 1. That's my preferred style of CRPG. It gives you time to plan tactics, tweak party skill sets, develop group abilities and still have plenty of dialogue and roleplaying.
Mass Effect was not a classic CRPG, it was a FPS with a lot of dialogue and story.
For mass effect hit shift and it becomes a bit more turn based.
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Well, if they made a Mass Effect-flavor SR, I'd play a vanguard and charge everything to death. Weeeeee
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There's a 6th style that hasn't been mentioned, probably because it's fallen out of favour throughout the video games industry: classic RPG with turn-based combat, a party and isometric view. Like Dragon Age 1. That's my preferred style of CRPG. It gives you time to plan tactics, tweak party skill sets, develop group abilities and still have plenty of dialogue and roleplaying.
DAMN YOU! I now have the Final Fantasy *1* combat music stuck in my head!
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There's a 6th style that hasn't been mentioned, probably because it's fallen out of favour throughout the video games industry: classic RPG with turn-based combat, a party and isometric view. Like Dragon Age 1. That's my preferred style of CRPG. It gives you time to plan tactics, tweak party skill sets, develop group abilities and still have plenty of dialogue and roleplaying.
Mass Effect was not a classic CRPG, it was a FPS with a lot of dialogue and story.
If you are talking "Bauldur's Gate" style, I think its do-able, but also would be a much lower potential in good sales. I would at least jump it up to KOTOR level at a minimum.
Now, on the flip side, I do not think a JRPG style game would work at all. I just don't think the set up could stay true to the world...
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There's a 6th style that hasn't been mentioned, probably because it's fallen out of favour throughout the video games industry: classic RPG with turn-based combat, a party and isometric view. Like Dragon Age 1. That's my preferred style of CRPG. It gives you time to plan tactics, tweak party skill sets, develop group abilities and still have plenty of dialogue and roleplaying.
DAMN YOU! I now have the Final Fantasy *1* combat music stuck in my head!
No, damn YOU for spreading your head-song!
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If I suffer, *EVERYONE* suffers.
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1. FPS set in the (real) Shadowrun world.
The world of Shadowrun is, IMO, more important than the rule-set. A single player FPS set in the world of shadowrun, telling an authentic shadowrun story could be a very good game. This is probably the weakest of the options,
Agreed. Shadowrun has an INCREDIBLY rich story and this option is, to me, taking the Microsoft option of ignoring all that and just making a generic FPS with fantasy races and calling it a win. At the end of the day, the elements Shadowrun has to work with to construct an FPS make it a very bland FPS. You would also create a balancing NIGHTMARE with magic and if you tried to integrate things like hacking and Technomancers, it would be a ginormous trainwreck.
1a. Rainbow Six (original) version of Shadowrun.
More of a variant of the FPS shooter style game, but while the FPS one focuses on telling a story (ala Halo) this one would focus more on the tactical planning side of doing runs. It would still be FPS, but would include a larger focus on planning out the runs over simply running and gunning.
Again, I think you'd run into the same problem as the first option. It would be better for longer, but eventually it would get stale and feel more like the gameplay was just a side-note, a way to drive the cut-scene story along.
2. Grand Theft Auto style Shadowrun
Probably the closest non-RPG style game we could get to a shadowrun game. The over-all set up of GTA would work for Shadowrun. Open world Sandbox, shady locations, people giving you missions, etc. Someone with good modding experience could probably put in a lot of work and mod up GTA 4 to be a shadowrun game. For this you can think of what would be a natural blending of the old Sega game with modern sandbox gaming.
This isn't a bad idea but I think this lends itself more to the violation of what you actually are in Shadowrun; you're a criminal who shoots people in the face for money. GTA puts you more on the level (in actuality, not in depiction) of a super-hero who can square off with massive squadrons of cops and walk away. I think it would end up being more like City of Heroes than GTA and the system of punishment you'd have to institute to keep people on a more "Shadowrun" path would have to be so draconian and brutal you'd ruin the game.
3. Metal Gear style of Shadowrun
Another Action game version of shadowrun, this time the idea would be to use a set up similar to the "tactical stealth action" of the MGS series in a shadowrun world. The entire game may take place during a specific run.
See #1
4. "Mass Effect" Shadowrun
Here we start touching in on the Shadowrun world from an RPG stand point. Still rather action oriented, because I think shadowrun warants it. The system can be tweaked to fit all the different playstyles.
Probably the most realistic incarnation of a good Shadowrun game. It would be a daunting task though because Shadowrun is such a massive game world. You'd have to compartmentalize it somewhat, though it would give you room for sequels and add-ons.
5. Shadowrun MMO
The holy grail of shadowrunning. An MMO sandboxy world with everyone playing shadowrunners of different ilk. The ability to hire on fellow runners to complete a mission, deal with the mega corps, etc.
As much as this gets passed around as an awesome idea...I dont think it would be so amazing. The biggest issue would be balance; how do you balance out the different aspects of the game and still have classes and races that arent basically a carbon-copy exercise in enforced mediocrity? That alone would be a monumental task. You'd need a company DEDICATED to the game that knew it well to sustain it and have it work out well. The fanbase is incredibly critical and vocal but dedicated. The MMO market is already well-saturated and difficult to break into.
I think option 4 is the most realistic chance for a good Shadowrun game.
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Turn based as done in Baldur's Gate or Fallout 1-2 is the only way to accurately use the same system the "real" Shadowrun game works.
Multiple IP's could be done in a way that gives a slow character one turn while a boosted one gets 3 turns, or could be done with action points, a slow character getting 10 and a boosted character getting 25-30.
Anything else (First or Third Person Shooter/Slasher) will depend on player skill > character skill, especially for combat. There's just no way to show the difference between 0-1 automatics skill and the same skill at rating 6 + smartlink + agility boosted to augmented max.
Sure, programming decreased recoil and a tighter rectangle or such for higher gun skills will display some skill improvement but in the end, a one-handed player with Parkinson playing a maxed-out character will still get shot by a quick and accurate player with a barely trained character. And a true RPG should always be about character skill instead of player skill.
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There WAS a Shadowrun MMORPG being developed. SRO. Now 6th World Gaming Studios. It had a working alpha and stuff. Really nice Design Documents and ideas and concepts and all that jazz. It got C&Ded to death by M$ shortly before they released their shitty shooty . .
And as I've said before, this is why you get your licensing straightened out BEFORE you throw a ton of blood sweat, and tears into a project on an IP you don't actually own.
I seriously expect the Awakened MMO effort to also get slapped with a C&D when the official licensed MMO by Cliffhanger nears completion. Awakened's "permission" amounts to a verbal agreement that isn't worth jack.
The saddest part is, you don't NEED the Shadowrun name to make a "magic cyberpunk" game. You could create your own IP, and not have to worry about legal entanglements. If you game is good enough, it doesn't NEED that big name attached. It should be able to stand on it's own.
-k
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I would do an isometric view turn based tactics game along the lines of Fallout tactics, and then insert the actual SR system for the rules and interactions. I would use the worldbuilding of Sega Shadowrun and make hiring or even creating other runners possible, and add a multiplayer element where each player makes a character and can control him on his turn.
It's a nice dream, anyway.
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I would do an isometric view turn based tactics game along the lines of Fallout tactics, and then insert the actual SR system for the rules and interactions. I would use the worldbuilding of Sega Shadowrun and make hiring or even creating other runners possible, and add a multiplayer element where each player makes a character and can control him on his turn.
It's a nice dream, anyway.
A very nice dream.
I'm actually playing Fallout: Tactics right now. :)
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1. FPS set in the (real) Shadowrun world.
The world of Shadowrun is, IMO, more important than the rule-set. A single player FPS set in the world of shadowrun, telling an authentic shadowrun story could be a very good game. This is probably the weakest of the options,
Agreed. Shadowrun has an INCREDIBLY rich story and this option is, to me, taking the Microsoft option of ignoring all that and just making a generic FPS with fantasy races and calling it a win. At the end of the day, the elements Shadowrun has to work with to construct an FPS make it a very bland FPS. You would also create a balancing NIGHTMARE with magic and if you tried to integrate things like hacking and Technomancers, it would be a ginormous trainwreck.
I think you are conceptualizing something different than I am. Remember a Shadowrun game doesn't have to incorporate EVERYTHING from Shadowrun in order to be a decent game. If we were to go with a FPS style Shadowrun Game, I would have it focus on a single "Street Samurai" character as the protagonist. I wouldn't be trying to recreate the entire game for the player. That doesn't mean that the game might not have riggers, magicians, hackers, the matrix, etc. However, odds are that the Game might use those as supporting Characters or as enemies. Think of it similar to a Star Wars franchise games. Not every game contains jedis, bounty hunters, sith, star ship dogfights etc. In fact many of the most popular games in the franchise tend to focus on a single aspect. Rogue Squadron focuesed exclusively on flying and shooting, while Force Unleashed didn't have any...
1a. Rainbow Six (original) version of Shadowrun.
More of a variant of the FPS shooter style game, but while the FPS one focuses on telling a story (ala Halo) this one would focus more on the tactical planning side of doing runs. It would still be FPS, but would include a larger focus on planning out the runs over simply running and gunning.
Again, I think you'd run into the same problem as the first option. It would be better for longer, but eventually it would get stale and feel more like the gameplay was just a side-note, a way to drive the cut-scene story along.
You are probably right on this one. You would need to incorporate more of the different systems into this game and it could create a mess.
2. Grand Theft Auto style Shadowrun
Probably the closest non-RPG style game we could get to a shadowrun game. The over-all set up of GTA would work for Shadowrun. Open world Sandbox, shady locations, people giving you missions, etc. Someone with good modding experience could probably put in a lot of work and mod up GTA 4 to be a shadowrun game. For this you can think of what would be a natural blending of the old Sega game with modern sandbox gaming.
This isn't a bad idea but I think this lends itself more to the violation of what you actually are in Shadowrun; you're a criminal who shoots people in the face for money. GTA puts you more on the level (in actuality, not in depiction) of a super-hero who can square off with massive squadrons of cops and walk away. I think it would end up being more like City of Heroes than GTA and the system of punishment you'd have to institute to keep people on a more "Shadowrun" path would have to be so draconian and brutal you'd ruin the game.
When I say GTA Style, I don't necessarily mean an exact copy of modern GTA's with a SR paint job, though it could be fun. Its more of the general structure of the game. (Which, in fact is very much like the structure of the old Sega Game). Go see a Mr. Johnson, Get a Mission, Do a mission. Actual in-game story may or may not be needed.
3. Metal Gear style of Shadowrun
Another Action game version of shadowrun, this time the idea would be to use a set up similar to the "tactical stealth action" of the MGS series in a shadowrun world. The entire game may take place during a specific run.
See #1
Just like with #1, there's no need to create a broad game that encompases every possible aspect of the game. Just as MGS doesn't cover every aspect of being a soldier/ex special forces member, an MGS game of shadowrun doesn't have to capture everything either.
4. "Mass Effect" Shadowrun
Here we start touching in on the Shadowrun world from an RPG stand point. Still rather action oriented, because I think shadowrun warants it. The system can be tweaked to fit all the different playstyles.
Probably the most realistic incarnation of a good Shadowrun game. It would be a daunting task though because Shadowrun is such a massive game world. You'd have to compartmentalize it somewhat, though it would give you room for sequels and add-ons.
Absolutely a big game. Again though, Each Mass Effect game covers only a small portion of their created universe. The same could be Done with Shadowrun.
5. Shadowrun MMO
The holy grail of shadowrunning. An MMO sandboxy world with everyone playing shadowrunners of different ilk. The ability to hire on fellow runners to complete a mission, deal with the mega corps, etc.
As much as this gets passed around as an awesome idea...I dont think it would be so amazing. The biggest issue would be balance; how do you balance out the different aspects of the game and still have classes and races that arent basically a carbon-copy exercise in enforced mediocrity? That alone would be a monumental task. You'd need a company DEDICATED to the game that knew it well to sustain it and have it work out well. The fanbase is incredibly critical and vocal but dedicated. The MMO market is already well-saturated and difficult to break into.
I don't think it would need "balance" so much as a team of designers that really wants to stick to its focus. A Shadowrun MMO would HAVE to focus on Shadowrunning. If they let the game turn into WOW with a SR paintjob it would fail. You couldn't be walking around killng 10 orcs in the sewers for XP. You'd really need to have the game focus on Shadowrunning.
I think option 4 is the most realistic chance for a good Shadowrun game.
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I'm not sure how many of you go back that far... but does anyone remember X-com. It was a game where you investigated alien landings and eventually have to thwart an invasion. It was turned based, had shooting, line of sight, destructable objects to obtain line of sight, psychic powers etc.
With all this talk, I think it would do a great shadow run in terms of capturing mechanics... but I'm not sure that sort of a game would really appeal to the ADD attention spans of the majority of todays gamers.
Wow haven't thought of that game in ages.
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Hey, look, they're doing a new version of X-Com for the short attention span generation! (http://www.xcom.com/)
-k
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Oh come on, they're not that... SHINY!!!
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Very cool. But first person, sniff. Apparently you can switch to "tactical view".... maybe some hope. In any case it's nice that someone else remembered the franchise fondly.
But you can sort of see how it would tie into a shadowrun base... you go back to your squatter shack with your team and plan out the next mission. Doesn't really get into the legwork and investigation though if you did it that way.
Hey, look, they're doing a new version of X-Com for the short attention span generation! (http://www.xcom.com/)
-k
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I'm still trying to figure out why they moved it to 1950 and what exactly the hell the aliens are. We've seen geometric shapes and black ooze that does the whole "Total Body Invasion"-thing so far, from all I've seen.
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In the trailer there also appears to be an entirely energy based one. The narrator says they're "living technology" whatever that's supposed to mean. Still it did look like a bit more than your typical FPS, though some of the beginning power options and opportunity to steal massive technologies seems to have made it a bit simple. Just a demo though so we'll see how gameplay works out. Did you watch the demo walkthrough?
I'm still trying to figure out why they moved it to 1950 and what exactly the hell the aliens are. We've seen geometric shapes and black ooze that does the whole "Total Body Invasion"-thing so far, from all I've seen.
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Haven't seen that yet. I'll try to find it later, I guess. :-\
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I'm surprised No one posted this one. (http://www.cliffhanger-productions.com/content/list/details/id/65)
Like someone commented before. "Why doesn't someone take the Sega game and use todays graphics" Looks like they granted that wish.
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That one is mentioned all over the boards. Both of em.
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Syndcate, rather then Shadowrun, but a fun and brutal cyberpunk FPS if they manage to deliver on the promise of this video.
http://www.neoseeker.com/news/17582-syndicate-walkthrough-video-offers-11-minutes-of-gameplay/
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How to do Shadowrun video games? This way:
(http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/297/0/a/shadowrun_trog_of_war_by_raben_aas-d4dsyfw.jpg)
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En anglais, s'il vous plaît?
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Errh. It IS in English!
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En anglais, s'il vous plaît?
LOL!!! ;D
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En anglais, s'il vous plaît?
+1 for proper punctuation and accents :)
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Errh. It IS in English!
OK, the font messed me up a bit, I will confess.En anglais, s'il vous plaît?
+1 for proper punctuation and accents :)
One of the few pieces of French I actually bloody well learned.
"Je ne parle pas français, parlez-vous anglais s'il vous plaît?" is the other. I figured with those two, I might at least get some brownie points for at least trying.
Oh, and I need to learn, "I'm not a damned American, I'm Canadian!" in French and Dutch. Someday I plan to take a trip of Europe... Someday. I figure my English will work well enough in England, Ireland, and Scotland... ;)
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If not, there's always Australia and New Zealand... :P
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Yeah, true. And as long as I don't have to deal with TSA if the plane has to refuel in the US...
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Problems there, I'm guessing?
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I just don't want to be molested and then put into a microwave oven.
For the Children. ::)
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Ah. The added features that I missed out on when I was over there last year...
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I think you are conceptualizing something different than I am. Remember a Shadowrun game doesn't have to incorporate EVERYTHING from Shadowrun in order to be a decent game. If we were to go with a FPS style Shadowrun Game, I would have it focus on a single "Street Samurai" character as the protagonist. I wouldn't be trying to recreate the entire game for the player. That doesn't mean that the game might not have riggers, magicians, hackers, the matrix, etc. However, odds are that the Game might use those as supporting Characters or as enemies. Think of it similar to a Star Wars franchise games. Not every game contains jedis, bounty hunters, sith, star ship dogfights etc. In fact many of the most popular games in the franchise tend to focus on a single aspect. Rogue Squadron focuesed exclusively on flying and shooting, while Force Unleashed didn't have any...
You WILL eventually have to incorporate these elements into the game, either with expansions or sequels, and that's going to be a pretty big challenge to make the game adaptable and appealing across the entire spectrum of possible characters. Essentially you'll have to make two games because the magic and tech worlds are so radically different in the way they play. That's a hard sell to a gaming company.
I mean there's a reason why games that blend magic and tech (System Shock, Bioshock, just off the top of my head) have both systems do relatively the same thing; it's so you DONT have to make two separate games for the different ways to play.
You are probably right on this one. You would need to incorporate more of the different systems into this game and it could create a mess.It's not impossible, just very difficult and very easy to screw up.
When I say GTA Style, I don't necessarily mean an exact copy of modern GTA's with a SR paint job, though it could be fun. Its more of the general structure of the game. (Which, in fact is very much like the structure of the old Sega Game). Go see a Mr. Johnson, Get a Mission, Do a mission. Actual in-game story may or may not be needed.
You'll need to have something to flesh it out a little because that's going to get tiresome after a while. Part of what makes Shadowrun fun is the variety of ways you can do things. You dont have that variety in a game so you have to find some other way of making it interesting and mission grinding gets old quickly.
Just like with #1, there's no need to create a broad game that encompases every possible aspect of the game. Just as MGS doesn't cover every aspect of being a soldier/ex special forces member, an MGS game of shadowrun doesn't have to capture everything either.
I take your point, but I think that's a hard concept to really sell to fans and game companies. For the fans, they'll want to play their favorites and game companies are going to be reluctant to commit to making two or even three games to fill out an IP, especially if it's relatively obscure.
Absolutely a big game. Again though, Each Mass Effect game covers only a small portion of their created universe. The same could be Done with Shadowrun.
True.
I don't think it would need "balance" so much as a team of designers that really wants to stick to its focus. A Shadowrun MMO would HAVE to focus on Shadowrunning. If they let the game turn into WOW with a SR paintjob it would fail. You couldn't be walking around killng 10 orcs in the sewers for XP. You'd really need to have the game focus on Shadowrunning.
Part of what makes an MMO successful is people need a reason to keep playing, hence we have grinding. How would you focus the game on Shadowrunning as opposed to grinding for XP or money?
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Meanwhile, there's a first video of the SRO concept plus an interview (in German).
http://www.buffed.de/Shadowrun-Online-PC-238580/News/Shadowrun-Online-Video-Interview-zur-kommenden-Umsetzung-des-Cyberpunk-Rollenspiels-852409/
Key Facts:
– SRO will include technomancers and adepts
– SRO will be placed in the "here and now" of SR (2073+), but will look a little more classic/punkish (because we wanna SEE our implants in a video game)
– SRO will have storylines that cross over into P&P and vice versa (close co-operation with publishers, metaplot advances across all platforms/channels/media)
– SRO will not have a separate "mini game" for hackers that force streetsams etc. to wait for a single player doing his stuff. Hacking will be integrated into the regular "flow" of the game
– There is a Shadowrun High Elder council (SHE) where SR authors/developers watch over Cliffhanger to not mess things up :)
– Scheduled date of release will be January to March 2013
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I think you are conceptualizing something different than I am. Remember a Shadowrun game doesn't have to incorporate EVERYTHING from Shadowrun in order to be a decent game. If we were to go with a FPS style Shadowrun Game, I would have it focus on a single "Street Samurai" character as the protagonist. I wouldn't be trying to recreate the entire game for the player. That doesn't mean that the game might not have riggers, magicians, hackers, the matrix, etc. However, odds are that the Game might use those as supporting Characters or as enemies. Think of it similar to a Star Wars franchise games. Not every game contains jedis, bounty hunters, sith, star ship dogfights etc. In fact many of the most popular games in the franchise tend to focus on a single aspect. Rogue Squadron focuesed exclusively on flying and shooting, while Force Unleashed didn't have any...
You WILL eventually have to incorporate these elements into the game, either with expansions or sequels, and that's going to be a pretty big challenge to make the game adaptable and appealing across the entire spectrum of possible characters. Essentially you'll have to make two games because the magic and tech worlds are so radically different in the way they play. That's a hard sell to a gaming company.
I mean there's a reason why games that blend magic and tech (System Shock, Bioshock, just off the top of my head) have both systems do relatively the same thing; it's so you DONT have to make two separate games for the different ways to play.
I don't agree. Keep in mind, there are different ways to look at things. I agree with you that this would not work if you intended this game to be "Shadowrun: The Video Game". In that case you are putting all your eggs into one basket.
In the game I'm describing above, it would most likely be a member of a franchise as opposed to trying to carry the entire game on its shoulders. In this case what we are talking about could be called something like: "Dark Conspriacy, a Shadowrun Game". In this scenario it would be entirely possible to create other games for the franchise that focus on different aspects of the world.
Just like Star Wars games cover the gamut of different star wars experiences without touching on every "major" aspect, shadowrun games can do the same.
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Meanwhile, there's a first video of the SRO concept plus an interview (in German).
http://www.buffed.de/Shadowrun-Online-PC-238580/News/Shadowrun-Online-Video-Interview-zur-kommenden-Umsetzung-des-Cyberpunk-Rollenspiels-852409/
Key Facts:
– SRO will include technomancers and adepts
– SRO will be placed in the "here and now" of SR (2073+), but will look a little more classic/punkish (because we wanna SEE our implants in a video game)
– SRO will have storylines that cross over into P&P and vice versa (close co-operation with publishers, metaplot advances across all platforms/channels/media)
– SRO will not have a separate "mini game" for hackers that force streetsams etc. to wait for a single player doing his stuff. Hacking will be integrated into the regular "flow" of the game
– There is a Shadowrun High Elder council (SHE) where SR authors/developers watch over Cliffhanger to not mess things up :)
– Scheduled date of release will be January to March 2013
This seriously has me excited. We've all been waiting for another SR game to come out that would be a good representation of the setting since the SNES/Genesis releases.
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I am definately looking forward to this.
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I'm interested in getting excited closer to a release date ;) Can I pre-order pre-excitement? :P
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Apologies for the thread necro, but I think using similar game style to Fallout 3 and New Vegas would be awesome. (Especially if they figured out a way to use *coughstealcough* VATS).
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Vampire tM Bloodlines had a nice system going for enhanced reflexes - running around while everyone moves in SloMo and dodging bullets was really nice :-)
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A shadowrun MMO would have to be radically different than what we've seen anytime recently. The absolute closest MMO analogue out there at this time would be the city of heroes/city of villains games. But even those are not close enough to what a SR MMO would need to be.
I don't think you have seen Neocron, have you? In fact, if anyone here is itching for a Shadowrun-like MMO, I strongly suggest checking out Neocron 2
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I don't think you have seen Neocron, have you? In fact, if anyone here is itching for a Shadowrun-like MMO, I strongly suggest checking out Neocron 2
And that's exactly why I loved Neocron. It felt so much like shadowrun to me, especialy, yay RIGGERS!!!!!!!
Ahem.
There's a lot of games that can have the Shadowrun feel. Take the recent Deus Ex: HR. This game is essentially nearly non-cyber ex-cop turned corp sec made into a delta-ware near cyber-zombie. If you tossed in a few races and some spell slingers, we'd be in business for SR (although forward it a few decades).
I erm... pretend the game takes place in the Shadowrun universe... when I play...
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I think another good game with a lot of Shadowrun type elements is Deus Ex. If you made the hacking more like the Matrix, added magic, and a character creation system with all the metahuman races it would be very close to a passable SR video game (and waaay better than the Microborg flop). Then again, I'd rather see people make a SR game from the ground -up, based more on the rpg rather than the popularity of fps games, and I would want a group of SR gamers to oversee the developmental process and make the ultimate decisions on whether something gets accepted in the game or not (like scientific consultants for some sci-fi movie, only with more power). And I want the game to be online so you could interact with other human players. Oh, but I'm asking for too much! lol
Let's face it, until they come up with true virtual reality the pen and paper rpg will just be more fun to play. :)
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I don't think you have seen Neocron, have you? In fact, if anyone here is itching for a Shadowrun-like MMO, I strongly suggest checking out Neocron 2
And that's exactly why I loved Neocron. It felt so much like shadowrun to me, especialy, yay RIGGERS!!!!!!!
Ahem.
There's a lot of games that can have the Shadowrun feel. Take the recent Deus Ex: HR. This game is essentially nearly non-cyber ex-cop turned corp sec made into a delta-ware near cyber-zombie. If you tossed in a few races and some spell slingers, we'd be in business for SR (although forward it a few decades).
I erm... pretend the game takes place in the Shadowrun universe... when I play...
The trailer for it reminded me of SR, without metahumans and magic.
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I think another good game with a lot of Shadowrun type elements is Deus Ex. If you made the hacking more like the Matrix, added magic, and a character creation system with all the metahuman races it would be very close to a passable SR video game (and waaay better than the Microborg flop). Then again, I'd rather see people make a SR game from the ground -up, based more on the rpg rather than the popularity of fps games, and I would want a group of SR gamers to oversee the developmental process and make the ultimate decisions on whether something gets accepted in the game or not (like scientific consultants for some sci-fi movie, only with more power). And I want the game to be online so you could interact with other human players. Oh, but I'm asking for too much! lol
Let's face it, until they come up with true virtual reality the pen and paper rpg will just be more fun to play. :)
The online could work, but only if it were only an option. Basically you could go online to play with other people, but with it having the capability to play without doing so. Of course I would also personally prefer any designers to dump this idea of nigh-impossible fights that so many games have been incorporating of late.
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With the 'no respawn' limit in place, I think that a MMO style game would have to place the players as Johnsons and the runners that they build up are assets... Expendable assets. The objective is to get money and power. Usually, this comes at the expense of someone else.
I would imagine that instead of cities, you would have corporations. But you might also have criminal organizations too. So, by improving your 'power' within a corporation or other organization, you get access to more of their funds for additional runs. Eventually, you might get enough power to do a hostile takeover.