The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep - First Look - The RPG Files - MMORPG.com

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The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep - First Look - The RPG Files - MMORPG.com

With The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep (BT4), developer inXile Entertainment (original developer of the 2004 Bard's Tale spinoff) is bringing us more than just a remaster of the original trilogy, we are getting a true sequel. Originally funded through a Kickstarter campaign back in 2015, the Backer Beta was released on July 12. So let's take a quick look at what the game has in store for us.

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Tokken

First. Never played the original but heard it was good. I may want to start by playing this game when it comes out.

Sovrath

Well, I backed this so can't wait. Very excited!

OnisDE

Wow. That at work takes me back

JeffSpicoli

This looks like my kind of game

BillMurphy

It's really fun, actually. Can't wait for the final release.

Scot

Big name, but that means big boots to fill, looks interesting so hopefully we will get something good out of it.

Scorchien

Heres a video that has good display of the current build i posted yesterday in a different thread .. Enjoy ..

https://forums.mmorpg.com/discussion/475042/bards-tale-iv-closed-beta#latest

Scorchien

Scot said:

Big name, but that means big boots to fill, looks interesting so hopefully we will get something good out of it.

Its good , living up to the name and will be worth the wait

blamo2000

Tokken said:

First. Never played the original but heard it was good. I may want to start by playing this game when it comes out.

The original 3 you mean? Or are you talking about the non-rpg silly spin-off they did for consoles earlier this century?

I played two of the originals during their time. They were good games for their time, but like the original Wasteland did not age well. I routinely play old games and even I find the original Bard's Tales hard to play due to the old interface. You may want to start with something like Devil's Whisky, which is a modern(ish) upgrade of the original Bard's Tales- it still has a really bad UI and hotkeys, but is more palatable.

If you are talking about the console Bard's Tale - it was a spin off. It has nothing to do with the originals and is about as rpg-lite as a game can get. Its like considering the console Baldur's Gate games that came out around the same time as the console BT the same as the real BG games. They are completely unrelated products.

But, I am definitely looking forward to BT4. It ended up being more rpg-lite than I would prefer, but seeing how InXile got beat up for WL2 and TToN being too crpg for modern players to handle, I can understand why they would add more childish console sensibilities and focus into WL3 and BT4.

I am also curious if they are redoing the UI and adding modernish GUIs to the new version of the original Wasteland and BT 1-3 that are coming out. Anyone know?


For other fans of blobbers looking for a modern one to play before BT4 comes out you have Grimoire, MMX, the remakes of the first two Realms of Arkania games, and Swords & Sorcery Definitive Edition for real rpg blobbers. Lords of Xulima is a reverse blobber, but gives you the same general playstyle. Starcrawler is a lite-ish blobber but with hub based missions and arpg itemization. There are a good amount of new dungeon crawler blobbers but I really can't get into games with no towns/quests/npc interactions so I don't know them off hand. People mistake some single character games as blobbers like The Quest, but the blob in blobbers is your party moves around as a blob unrepresented by graphics. Single character games where you don't see your character are first person, and have been called so well before the term blobber came out. UU, Legends of Valour, Daggerfall, Doom, etc, were never considered blobbers and are not blobbers. Only party based games where you move in first person without having a graphical representation of your party while moving are. And this is independent of combat or games that switch perspectives during combat, like the Goldbox games or RoA series, etc.

Iselin

Yes I did play the original back in the mid '80s and can't wait for this one... and no I won't miss making my own maps with graph paper.

Tokken

blamo2000 said:

Tokken said:

First. Never played the original but heard it was good. I may want to start by playing this game when it comes out.

The original 3 you mean? Or are you talking about the non-rpg silly spin-off they did for consoles earlier this century?



I played two of the originals during their time. They were good games for their time, but like the original Wasteland did not age well. I routinely play old games and even I find the original Bard's Tales hard to play due to the old interface. You may want to start with something like Devil's Whisky, which is a modern(ish) upgrade of the original Bard's Tales- it still has a really bad UI and hotkeys, but is more palatable.



If you are talking about the console Bard's Tale - it was a spin off. It has nothing to do with the originals and is about as rpg-lite as a game can get. Its like considering the console Baldur's Gate games that came out around the same time as the console BT the same as the real BG games. They are completely unrelated products.



But, I am definitely looking forward to BT4. It ended up being more rpg-lite than I would prefer, but seeing how InXile got beat up for WL2 and TToN being too crpg for modern players to handle, I can understand why they would add more childish console sensibilities and focus into WL3 and BT4.



I am also curious if they are redoing the UI and adding modernish GUIs to the new version of the original Wasteland and BT 1-3 that are coming out. Anyone know?





For other fans of blobbers looking for a modern one to play before BT4 comes out you have Grimoire, MMX, the remakes of the first two Realms of Arkania games, and Swords & Sorcery Definitive Edition for real rpg blobbers. Lords of Xulima is a reverse blobber, but gives you the same general playstyle. Starcrawler is a lite-ish blobber but with hub based missions and arpg itemization. There are a good amount of new dungeon crawler blobbers but I really can't get into games with no towns/quests/npc interactions so I don't know them off hand. People mistake some single character games as blobbers like The Quest, but the blob in blobbers is your party moves around as a blob unrepresented by graphics. Single character games where you don't see your character are first person, and have been called so well before the term blobber came out. UU, Legends of Valour, Daggerfall, Doom, etc, were never considered blobbers and are not blobbers. Only party based games where you move in first person without having a graphical representation of your party while moving are. And this is independent of combat or games that switch perspectives during combat, like the Goldbox games or RoA series, etc.

I only play PC games. I meant the original Bard's Tales. I heard so many good things it from friends that I don't understand why I never tried them.

Artek

Tokken said:

First.

Who does this? And why?

Last

Splattr

Artek said:

Tokken said:

First.

Who does this? And why?



Last

Tokken does. Because it would be weird if he had said Second.

Tokken

I don't know.  I see others do it and that's that.  I'm a follower? I'll try to use "second" from now on. LOL

splatfarmerx

Word of warning...if you don't like or are not good at puzzles, this isn't the game fer you.

The entire 1st dungeon is jest room after room of puzzles.

I saw at least 2-3 in the beta that I'm pretty sure I would never get past, so unless they put in a way around those, guess I wasted my KS munny.

Seems odd to put in something so pervasive that mite keep people away from their game (or disappoint after purchase).

Other than that, I really enjoyed it.

Splattr

DMKano said:

Iselin said:

Yes I did play the original back in the mid '80s and can't wait for this one... and no I won't miss making my own maps with graph paper.

I still have the maps I made 30 years ago as a kid. 

I was so obsessed with Bards Tale that I had actual recurring dreams of roaming the streets of Skara Brae.

Spinners and teleporters were the worst when making maps.

blamo2000

What do people who played the originals think of them adding recruitable party members in lieu of full party generation?  I know you can replace the ones you recruit sometime after you recruit them with members you create, but the major shift in focus is strange to me.  If you replace the recruitables with your own party do you miss out on any content?  

Splattr

blamo2000 said:

What do people who played the originals think of them adding recruitable party members in lieu of full party generation?  I know you can replace the ones you recruit sometime after you recruit them with members you create, but the major shift in focus is strange to me.  If you replace the recruitables with your own party do you miss out on any content?  

I'm not far enough in to know the answer to your question. I do know that there are times where you have to send part of your group off to do other tasks and they are unavailable to you. Based off of that I would guess that you will still get all the major plot points.

As far as making your own characters over using premades, not sure I really care beyond the story question. You don't get to set their stats or anything nor is there a lot of visual customization options, so as long as all the classes are represented I am good. Oh, and you can respec their skills as well.

Myrdynn

they almost had me, til I realized it was more Baldur's Gate and less Bard's Tale. I want to create my whole party, not find characters along the way

Moxom914

blamo2000 said:

Tokken said:

First. Never played the original but heard it was good. I may want to start by playing this game when it comes out.

The original 3 you mean? Or are you talking about the non-rpg silly spin-off they did for consoles earlier this century?



I played two of the originals during their time. They were good games for their time, but like the original Wasteland did not age well. I routinely play old games and even I find the original Bard's Tales hard to play due to the old interface. You may want to start with something like Devil's Whisky, which is a modern(ish) upgrade of the original Bard's Tales- it still has a really bad UI and hotkeys, but is more palatable.



If you are talking about the console Bard's Tale - it was a spin off. It has nothing to do with the originals and is about as rpg-lite as a game can get. Its like considering the console Baldur's Gate games that came out around the same time as the console BT the same as the real BG games. They are completely unrelated products.



But, I am definitely looking forward to BT4. It ended up being more rpg-lite than I would prefer, but seeing how InXile got beat up for WL2 and TToN being too crpg for modern players to handle, I can understand why they would add more childish console sensibilities and focus into WL3 and BT4.



I am also curious if they are redoing the UI and adding modernish GUIs to the new version of the original Wasteland and BT 1-3 that are coming out. Anyone know?





For other fans of blobbers looking for a modern one to play before BT4 comes out you have Grimoire, MMX, the remakes of the first two Realms of Arkania games, and Swords & Sorcery Definitive Edition for real rpg blobbers. Lords of Xulima is a reverse blobber, but gives you the same general playstyle. Starcrawler is a lite-ish blobber but with hub based missions and arpg itemization. There are a good amount of new dungeon crawler blobbers but I really can't get into games with no towns/quests/npc interactions so I don't know them off hand. People mistake some single character games as blobbers like The Quest, but the blob in blobbers is your party moves around as a blob unrepresented by graphics. Single character games where you don't see your character are first person, and have been called so well before the term blobber came out. UU, Legends of Valour, Daggerfall, Doom, etc, were never considered blobbers and are not blobbers. Only party based games where you move in first person without having a graphical representation of your party while moving are. And this is independent of combat or games that switch perspectives during combat, like the Goldbox games or RoA series, etc.

i never heard the term "blobbers" before. i hate it already.