Official ASoIaF video game in development

[Werthead]

Oh yeah.

Not much news so far though. Cyanide are a not-so-small-any-more developer based in Paris who opened a second development wing in Montreal a little while ago, and it sounds like ASoIaF is going to be their first 'big' project, having previously worked on smaller-scale games like Blood Bowl (a sort-of Warhammer tie-in) and Chaos League.

Interesting to see what they come up with.

 

[thesoothsayer]

Haven't been gaming seriously for a long time so I hope this game is good enough to pull me back in. Hopefully it'll run on Linux as well but that would probably be asking for too much.

I wonder if the series will be completed by the time the game comes out. Otherwise, the game would probably end somewhere near ADWD and have a sequel to complete the rest of the story (if it's based on the books). If it's just based on the world and set in a completely different time or storyline, then it wouldn't matter.

 

[Boaz]

I've played a little of the Medieval II Total War Westeros Mod. It's good for a few chuckles. For instance, when I played as Stannis... the Plague hit Dragonstone in the first year, so I popped Stannis outside of the castle to keep him alive. While Alester Florent took the fleet to subdue Tarth, Janos Slynt slipped onto Dragonstone and slew Stannis before he could reach the safety of the walls. Ser Alester became King Alester, razed the Crownlands, united the Stormlords, and liberated King's Landing. Also, our loyal forces defeated and killed Joffrey and his two best battle generals... The Hound and The Imp. It was fun.

My first guess is that ASOIAF will be put forth as either a FPS or a RPG and not as a RTS nor a MMO.

 

[Noah Phoenix]

ASOIAF? What's that?

 

[Culhwch]

A Song of Ice and Fire. Have a look around the forum you're currently standing in, or Google it.

Was just coming here to post this news, but, of course, beaten by Wert. I'm curious to see what species of game they settle on. Unfortunately I can see this going the bad route much more easily than the good, but I'll hold out hope.

 

[Noah Phoenix]

Forgive my ignorance, but I'm not familiar with the author. Also I only cam across this thread through the new threads link above. I am, however a gamer, and any rumours on new games interests me. I will look up ASoFaI, and take a look. I don't read as much as I should anymore, which I am fully ashamed of!

 

[devilsgrin]

i could see this going in the RTS or RPG direction...
I would hope for an RPG before an RTS... with the player character NOT being one of the main series characters. A completely new character of your own creation would be best. Fully scripted like Mass Effect would be brilliant...
Although, a thought occurs, it would be interesting if the game played in chapters like the books... with the viewpoint shifting to and fro from the view-point characters.
An Arya or Jon role would be awesome, as would Catelyn's and Tyrion's perspectives... a Ned role would be very morbid... knowing as we do, his ultimate fate...and a Sansa role in the early parts would be a little boring... mooning over Joffrey is not something a PC of mine would be doing...


lol i'm definitely overthinking this at such an early stage...

 

[Boaz]

Noah, welcome! The only thing to be ashamed of, at this point, is the fact that we are deep in acronym hell... or is it purgatory?

In my experience, strategy games are about gameplay while RPGs are about story. In a strategy game, I want strategic and battle maps to be logical. I want the tech trees to make sense. I want unit placement, formation, and strength to reflect realities and not fantasies. I want the game to shine in multiplayer without being a race between resource pigs.

As for a RPG, it should be extremely well written. The NPCs need to have strong character traits. The plot needs to be dynamic and evocative. The protagonists need to be sympathetic. There needs to be a very logical, yet very well hidden plot twist that catches me emotionally. And it should also have a believable ending... I hate plots resolved by Deus Ex Machina. Each route has it's own challenges and I really hope that the developers are up for them.

 

[Ghost of Harrenhal]

I can only hope that it is an RTS where you control armies or a sellsword band or something. That or an RPG where you don't play as main characters. I can't think of a single character that would be fun all the time because there isn't constant action in anyone's POV. A game where you just play the major battles as heroes wouldn't be so great in my opinion either.

I am an avid gamer and intend on going into the games industry when I graduate uni so obviously this is a subject that appeals to me.

 

[Boaz]

Ghost, I can imagine a RPG in the time of the Blackfyre pretenders or the Dance of the Dragons.

 

[Overread]

I would expect an RTS - but there is a range of scales they could take:

1) Total War type - massive armies fighting it out over the lands - a few heros who would either give bonuses to surrounding squads and/or be super hard to kill

2) Most squad based combat with smaller armies - not as authentic, but its easier to put together and can have a higher level of detail without stressing the computers as much. Heros in this would be far stronger and play more key roles

3) Single unit control - your the hero (either one from the series or a neutral make your own sort) is more godlike on the battlefield and must move around making the decisive motions - more RPG line of things.

They could even merge RPG and RTS even more but the complexity goes up and that means we either wait a long time or we end up with a very watered down game with a lot of features (and possibly less balance)

 

[Werthead]

1) Total War type - massive armies fighting it out over the lands - a few heros who would either give bonuses to surrounding squads and/or be super hard to kill

You are aware of the Westeros: Total War mod for Medieval II which is now in a playable state?

If not, you are now

 

[Hilarious Joke]

I've played a little of the Medieval II Total War Westeros Mod. It's good for a few chuckles. For instance, when I played as Stannis... the Plague hit Dragonstone in the first year, so I popped Stannis outside of the castle to keep him alive. While Alester Florent took the fleet to subdue Tarth, Janos Slynt slipped onto Dragonstone and slew Stannis before he could reach the safety of the walls. Ser Alester became King Alester, razed the Crownlands, united the Stormlords, and liberated King's Landing. Also, our loyal forces defeated and killed Joffrey and his two best battle generals... The Hound and The Imp. It was fun.

Ha, I loved reading that. Anyone else played the Mod with interesting results?

 

[Eulalia]

Ghost, I have some connections with the game industry, if you have any questions. Maybe you've got this handled.

Best ways to get in: be a digital artist, a programmer, a game designer (with courses), a marketer or manager. Be a game tester and work your way to assistent producer, then producer.

Live in a place that has a lot of game industry companies and hope the economy improves.

Start your own games company and run it. Make a downloadable game or make a prototype, and sell the concept to a publisher.

Good luck.

 

[Ghost of Harrenhal]

Ghost, I have some connections with the game industry, if you have any questions. Maybe you've got this handled.

Best ways to get in: be a digital artist, a programmer, a game designer (with courses), a marketer or manager. Be a game tester and work your way to assistent producer, then producer.

Live in a place that has a lot of game industry companies and hope the economy improves.

Start your own games company and run it. Make a downloadable game or make a prototype, and sell the concept to a publisher.

Good luck.

Thanks Eulalia! I haven't even started a university course yet but I think I want to get a good computer science degree or something I can fall back on if game design doesn't work out Obviously I'll be doing programming but the design thing is really my passion, creating the world the game is played in and the rules the game follows.

 

[Werthead]

Ha, I loved reading that. Anyone else played the Mod with interesting results?

My game as the Starks ended with all the Starks being killed and Roose Bolton seizing King's Landing and being declared King. I thought this was hilarious.

 

[Overread]

grr your all making me want to get this game now!

 

[Eulalia]

Very smart, Ghost! If you can program, it's a great plan. Most of the people I know in the game industry right now have been laid off. It's a massacre out there. With luck, the economy will pick up.

Being a game designer is quite achievable! There are courses out there on it, as you may know. Some of the designers are programmers, artists, former testers (if you get a chance to take a job doing that I'm told it helps later on) or producers. I'm sure there are decent books on it, that would help. If it were me, I'd read something like Orson Scott Card's book on creating SF worlds, but it is not necessary.

Oh yeah, there is another way. Create a world, make a good design document for a game, get a prototype made, and flog it to venture capitalists! Probably it's easier to find a publisher, when times are good.

Thanks for humouring me!

King Roose, eh?! I guess he's in a pretty good strategic position. I hope GRRM doesn't do that to us! Ramsay the Heir of Westeros? Queen fake Arya? Noooo.

 

[Hilarious Joke]

Ha ha ha. Anyone else?

Wow, 1111 posts. How cool.

 

[Syphon of Oor-Tael]

I don't think this game is good RPG material.
I'll tlel you why:

In games, you'll always play with people that are not the main character(s).
However, you -want- to be the main character(s).
I don't want to be some pansy unknown Captain of the Guard when I could be Jaime himself. Not some other imp when I could be The Imp. you following me?