Spiderweb Software - New Turn-Based RPGs

[BydoEmpire73]

This company’s games look great. New turn-based RPGs for Windows AND MAC! Wondering if anyone here has tried them out?

http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/

I’ve been poking around Steam for Mac since it came out, but the only thing on there (for Mac anyways) are action RPGs, shooters and puzzlers. I’m really only interested in turn-based stuff on PC - I need time to think. =) I really miss that style of game. Looks like these guys are doing just that.

[BydoEmpire73]

I downloaded the demo of Geneforge 1 and played for about an hour - what a cool game. This is the first game I've played on a computer in ages, and the first turn-based RGP in God knows how long.

[Dhalamar]

I downloaded the demo of Geneforge 1 and played for about an hour - what a cool game. This is the first game I've played on a computer in ages, and the first turn-based RGP in God knows how long.

I never understood how a gamer could deliberately limit themselves on games just because of a platform. lol

Why ditch a PC when it makes jumps earlier (and better) than the consoles do? I can understand waiting something out, but to COMPLETELY drop an entire platform because it makes the inevitable jump to 3D accelerated video?

Hell, i think the Wii is a complete and utter waste of time and energy that could be better spent on ... well ... almost anything. But there's still some Wii games I absolutely love. RPGs and strategy games bore the hell out of me, but I still give them a try.

That's the reason I got a PS3. Didn't want to be limited in what I could play. Took me a little over 3 months to get the sucker out of layaway too due to a limited budget. lol
And now I've got a new laptop that can run almost any game I throw at it, though with tradeoffs in graphical quality. But I've been playing on consoles for so long I've gotten kinda used to it.

And if I could get a C64 or Intellivision or any other console or platform I haven't played on on layaway, damned straight I'd get it. heh

[BydoEmpire73]

I never understood how a gamer could deliberately limit themselves on games just because of a platform...

If there's something I really want I'll get it, but I have more than enough choices with an array of older consoles, Wii, 360, iTouch and Mac. I also don't have a lot of time for games, and haven't been that interested in anything out on PC for a while. I'm not a big fan of RTS and FPS games, which is why I thought Spiderweb's turn-based RPGs were so cool. It's really about the games. To be fair, I haven't played a game on my 360 or Wii all year, either. Why would I buy more systems when I barely play what I already have?

Why ditch a PC when it makes jumps earlier (and better) than the consoles do? I can understand waiting something out, but to COMPLETELY drop an entire platform because it makes the inevitable jump to 3D accelerated video?

I think you're misunderstanding. It wasn't a conscious decision like "oh, PC games are 3D, I"m not playing that." It's mostly the games - the games I wanted to play were on consoles, so that's where my time and money went. I also didn't have money to spend on video cards (or ram, or processor upgrades, etc) - I wanted to use my gaming budget to buy games. There were also lots of compatibility issues with the variety of cards at the time. Actually, around that time I wasn't playing as many games anyways. I had an n64 and PSX (and got a Saturn later), but my gaming really picked up again when the DC came out. I was just busy with other stuff.

That's the reason I got a PS3. Didn't want to be limited in what I could play

I used to be like that and always ended up getting every console, but I just don't have time, interest and money anymore. I don't care if I've never played Uncharted or LittleBigPlanet whatever cool PS3 games there are. Too many other things I'd rather be doing. I'm sure they're great games, I just don't have time or interest.

[BydoEmpire73]

Back on topic, the setting in Geneforge is one of the better ones I've seen in an RPG - cool mix of fantasy and sci-fi. It revolves around people called "Shapers" which can harness and create life. You can create creatures to fight for you, and the world is populated with creations both helpful and malicious. You get stranded on a forbidden island, where you suspect some creation experiments have gone awry and find a whole bunch of interesting things. There's a cool section in the demo where creatures meant to be servants have learned to survive on their own, and wish to equals to their Shaper masters although they're still afraid of them. Kind of hard to explain, but it's more interesting than the "giant rats in the cellar" quests. Don't get me wrong, I love me some D&D RPGs, but it is nice to play something with a unique twist.

I also like the way they handle creating creatures - creating a creature reduces your MAX mana, and you have choices as to how powerful you make it. Each stat point upgrade you give your creature, the more your MAX mana gets reduced. So you can choose to run around with a bunch of creations in your party, but be left with very little spellcasting mana, or try to go it more alone and keep your mana for spells. You can create a few really strong creatures, or a whole bunch of weaker ones. Neat mechanic, and it adds a lot of variety to how you can play the game.

Their demo policy is great, too. You get the full game with 17 of the 77 areas available. If you like it, you buy (either from their website or directly in game). They give you a code to unlock the full game. No DRM, nothing else to grab. They have demos of all their titles.