I think you are making the same mistake that many do and assume the only innovative thing in SG is the combat. Combat is only one part of SG and not the main focus of the game.
I must admit that I haven't been following the game too closely, but from what I have seen of it, the only different thing was the combat. I remember a fight against a skeleton, a fairly generic enemy for a fantasy setting, so that doesn't exactly give me hope that it's trying to innovate in other areas. You seem more involved with that game, so please do share what else the game is doing differently, since, as I said, my knowledge about it is fairly limited.
The main focus of the game is to figure out what is going on in the world around you, similar to Planescape: Torment. You start out as just as a seemingly regular peasant and events start to unfold around you. Where the innovation comes into play is with things like you are not the main trigger for events in the game (like in TW2 everyone is just sitting around waiting for you to come and trigger events). Events are always happening and changing dynamically regardless of whether or not you are there to trigger them. The choices and actions of NPCs will also trigger events. How things play out in the game will obviously be different every time you play because not every time will the same events be triggered in the same way.
The game focuses heavily on exploration and putting pieces of the puzzle together to figure out what is going on. What choices you make have very real consequences. Even choosing to do nothing has consequences. There is no saving/loading in the game. All choices you make are permanent.
That does sound interesting but it also seems like a giant mess. Again, more like a proof of concept than a coherent game. It's essentially a collection of interesting concepts all thrown together. I hope this does well enough so that the devs get a chance to continue their work and deliver a more fleshed out product in the future.
It depends on how well they execute it. If done well it will be one of the most true "role" playing games ever created.
What gives me confidence in their abilities is I've already played their first alpha release and it is amazing. They've already done things that most other developers claim to be impossible. If a bug is reported or a new feature requested they often times release a patch a few hours later. It is insanely fast response time and they've programmed all the tools/game engine from scratch so they have intimate knowledge about how it works.
Not only that, but the alpha looks amazing and runs at 120 FPS on my PC. Pretty impressive considering everything in the game is driven by physics; hair, clothing, weapons, bodies, objects, water and all the animations. The animations are all procedurally generated and not static. Look at a game like Tomb Raider that had ONE persons hair that had physics applied and it would severely lower FPS. Now consider that EVERYTHING is driven by physics in SG and it still runs very smoothly and at high FPS. Most developers claim that having everything being driven by physics is impossible because it would require too much processing power. Yet SG has done it and done it well. The developers are very skilled at what they do
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Now I'm curious. I'd be happy if you shared some of your experiences in detail.
That's exactly it. From what I've seen of the game, I have not been convinced that the meat of the game will interest me. It's a cool piece of tech and ideas, but there's a difference between impressive tech and a good game. Only time will tell if they've got the design and cohesive experience down, and not just a mixture of ideas and tech. It's mostly because it's a new, inexperienced studio that I doubt the game itself will be that good, I see it as more of an engine showcase, but I do think it's an important project that can result in some great innovations in the future. Hearing that they're very passionate about what they do only gives me more hope that they can build on this later on.
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I will do so as soon as the NDA is lifted. I would be breaking the NDA if I were to do so now. When it is lifted I will post a full review along with screenshots and videos.
Ah, you mean similar to how CDPR was when they released The Witcher 1? It was their first release but they made a very good game which ended up becoming a sleeper hit. Planescape Torment was also a unique game when it was first released in 1999 which tried a new approach to the typical RPG. And it was also done well and turned into a sleeper hit.
Just because a developer is trying to innovate doesn't automatically mean they will fail.
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The game had many flaws. Hardly what I'd call a hit, however. It was TW2 where they really nailed the game aspects down, and even then, there were quite a few missteps.
And I love The Witcher, but it's a very, very flawed gem. About what I expect from Sui Generis in the best case scenario.
Me being doubtful that it will be a big success (you mentioned it in a conversation where we were discussing games that might be threat to sales/popularity of TW3 in 2015) does not mean I'm saying the game will fail. Merely that Sui Generis by itself will most likely not be a huge deal in 2015.
Using Torment as an example is inaccurate, as the people behind the game had already worked on other franchises and were backed by major publishers.
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I agree, both Witcher games were not perfect and had flaws. However, they tried new approaches instead of just using the same formula everyone else was. This is why some people hold them in such high regard (myself included). I'd rather play games like The Witcher series any day of the week as opposed to games that are generic and try nothing new but sell very well. A sleeper hit is usually a game that doesn't get much media coverage and initially doesn't sell well but is held in high regard by those who do play it.
Sui Generis is attempting to innovate in ways which will change gameplay in very dramatic ways. This gives Sui Generis much potential. What they already have released is a huge step in the right direction and it is done very well. It enhances gameplay. I can't go into more detail without breaking the NDA. However, after actually playing the alpha I do not share your opinion that the game will be a mix-match of various components that don't flow well
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Fair enough, as I said, only time will tell if they actually do manage to pull off an engaging game, rather than an impressive engine demonstration in a generic settingI agree, both Witcher games were not perfect and had flaws. However, they tried new approaches instead of just using the same formula everyone else was. This is why some people hold them in such high regard (myself included). I'd rather play games like The Witcher series any day of the week as opposed to games that are generic and try nothing new but sell very well.
Sui Generis is attempting to innovate in ways which will change gameplay in very dramatic ways. This gives Sui Generis much potential. What they already have released is a huge step in the right direction and it is done very well. It enhances gameplay. I can't go into more detail without breaking the NDA. However, after actually playing the alpha I do not share your opinion that the game will be a mix-match of various components that don't flow well
Their whole reason for making Sui Generis was that they were sick of playing generic, stale RPGs. They've devoted their entire lives to making Sui Generis. They quit their day jobs and all moved into a studio where they live and work. It is their lifelong ambition and passion to make the game of their dreams. The translation of "Sui Generis" from Latin is "of its own kind" or "unique".Fair enough, as I said, only time will tell if they actually do manage to pull off an engaging game, rather than an impressive engine demonstration in a generic setting
So if they release a game that is indeed generic they will have totally and utterly failed lol.
People find different things generic. For me, it's settings, story and characters that interest me. These guys, from what I've seen, are a lot more interested in combat and mechanics. So they can succeed in introducing innovative mechanics whithout the use of a more unique setting, which is what I am expecting, based on the footage I have seen and on what you have described as your experience from playing the alpha. A good engine that begs to be used by a team of skilled writers and artists, not just devs.
Nothing wrong with that, and I hope they do this successfully. But passion alone is not enough to create a good game. So the name of their game or how much they want it to be good means very little to me, in terms of the final quality of the product.
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Then you and the Sui Generis devs are in agreement. They consider the story and the role playing aspects to be THE most important parts of the game. Not the combat. They've stressed this many, many times and they've written long articles describing their goals. If you'd like I can link you to some of their writings on their goals and thoughts about Sui Generis and what they consider to be important in RPGs.
How did you manage to get in on the alpha? Is the game fleshed out more now, with NPC's? Are there dialog options? Will there be boobs? Speak man! Say what you can say about this game!As far as market competition goes I think TW3 will do very well and will only gain more fans since they're expanding the scope of the game in comparison to the previous Witcher games. A lot of people desire the more open approach they are taking in regard to exploration instead of being locked down to just one area for each chapter. And if they can retain the strong story elements (like they've promised to do) then I see no reason why TW3 won't be one of the top RPGs of 2015.
On the other hand, I think Sui Generis is going to be a sleeper hit once it's released. That game reminds me a lot of how The Witcher 1 was before release. Almost no one had heard of The Witcher 1 and CDPR was trying to take a new approach with RPGs. Sui Generis is doing the same thing. The devs are sick of generic, cliche RPGs and they're taking a new approach. They're adding a lot of innovation and doing things many claim to be impossible. It is exciting to have a behind the scenes look and to be a part of that creation process
I've yet to see any evidence of them implementing this properly. As an aside, I consider music, art, characters, dialogue etc. to be very important aspects. That does not make me a talanted artist, writer or composer, though. So far, I've only seen proof of them being good engine programmers.
I got in on the alpha by being one of the original backers on their Kickstarter campaign. I have access to all alpha and beta versions along with insider forum access so I can communicate directly with the devs to provide feedback/suggestions to help improve the game and report bugs. It is still possible to get access to both the insider forums and alpha/beta versions by donating on their homepage.
And yes, the game is fleshed out more with NPCs. And yes, there is also an advanced dialogue system. Currently if you remove all the clothing on the upper body of a female character there will be boobs
(there are over 200 virtual slots for equipping items on your character; you just drag and drop items and they will equip properly... pants tuck into boots, overcoat will go over a shirt, chain mail on top of that, etc.).The first version of the alpha released was a combat alpha that plays out much like the arena mode in TW2. You fight opponents and after each opponent you progress to the next. You can loot opponents and use their gear. Everyone in the game will drop exactly what items they have on their person and all are items are lootable. They did this in order to make people focus on testing the combat so they can polish it while the other devs work on adding content to the game. There will be no beta version of this early combat alpha.
The next version of the alpha to be released will be the prelude version and it will take place in the underworld. The story in the prelude will predate the story of the full game; however, it will be related to the main story. This will allow testers to play with and test the RPG elements without spoiling the story of the main game before release. The prelude will have an alpha stage, beta stage and then be released to all backers.
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I've seen their artwork for different races they are implementing, different armor sets and weapons, buildings and locations and of course the game music. All of which are top notch and as good as or better than you see in most AAA games. Their shadows and dynamic lighting is also equally as impressive. The game will take into account multiple light sources and progressively fade/dim parts of shadows if multiple light sources are present. And holding a torch and waving it around is simply amazing to see how the flame sputters from the wind affecting it and watching the shadows dance around.
They created their own version of supersampling that makes it so there is not a single jagged edge anywhere. All curved objects have smooth edges. Also, there is no shadow dithering like you see on shadows in TW2.
As far as characters and dialogue go I will not be able to comment on these until the next alpha is released in a month or so.
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