A call for more Numenera from Inxile! :)

[TheSeaker]

Hi everyone,

I've created a very simple poll to hopefully show Inxile that there are plenty of people who want to see more Numenera from them, either as expansions to Torment or separate titles. If you appreciate the love that was put into this game and think it deserved a more balanced/fair reception, please take 10 seconds or less to put your vote in this poll to let them know you want more!!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7TDWPXR

(please let me know if anything goes wrong with this link. This is my first surveymonkey )

Inxile,

Despite warm reception from most players and very good reception from the critics, I assume the "backer betrayal" smear campaign didn't exactly raise spirits over there. I hope the results of this poll will help any negativity you guys MAY have concerning this release and perhaps, inspire you to continue to create Numenera content after finishing Wasteland 3 and Bard's Tale 4. Maybe sooner?!? . Thank you SO MUCH for making a wonderful game!!!

[kilobug]

I would love that, but I fear it's not going to happen soon... but can't harm to ask sure

[D-D]

Despite warm reception from most players and very good reception from the critics, I assume the "backer betrayal" smear campaign didn't exactly raise spirits over there.

inXile should go to the authorities and make sure that the people who wanted to destroy their company end up behind bars. These fake reviews cost them millions of dollars in revenue, and you can say that these fake "angry backers" are guilty of theft.

[Gizmo]

inXile should go to the authorities and make sure that the people who wanted to destroy their company end up behind bars.

Quite the precedent. If that happens successfully even once, we'll never get another honest review of anything.

[TheSeaker]

I don't think sales is the main issue here. This is a pretty niche game so sales would never have been AAA publisher level (and who wants a publisher intervening with creative vision anyway), though I would say sales got affected somewhat by the betrayed backer backlash. I think this is more of a morale level kind of thing. This game went thru some developmental challenges and then after all that, a minor, but loud and entitled "betrayed backer" group made reception .....less than ideal . We need to let the brilliant creative minds behind this game know just how much we appreciate their hard work and passion. I'll tell you right now, if Inexile started another numenera kickstarter, I'd be all over it. I have complete faith in their ability too do the 9th world justice. And that's saying a lot. Not only am I a pretty critical person when it comes to fiction I'm passionate about, but creating material suitable for numenera is tougher than you're standard sci-fi or classical rpg stuff. It's really amazing what they did.

[Strange101]

Another low-budget, KS-based product with big ambitions would kill the Numenera for the computer gaming. I don't see a way to get big investors for this kind of game, so I would like them to do something smaller this time. Honestly, if TTON was trimmed down to only contain brilliant writing like Inifere and interesting quests like the the Lost Anchorage heist it would be great. From opinions I got from my friends (they weren't backers and they are not 'PT was great and nothing else can compare'-biased - when I recommended them Mask of the Betrayer as a PT spiritual successor back in the day, they loved it) the main story was the biggest disappointment. And since it is what you play for the last hours of game and directly before writing the review, we got this kind of user reviews. The weak stories work in games only when they are interactive and connected with good gameplay. When it is mostly reading and the story is weak, the experience is like reading a bad book. A reading-heavy game like Torment needs great stories, the tons of filler-text and uninspiring dialogues/descriptions look good on the word-count that you can put in the game description, but harm the experience. And unfortunately this is exactly what happened. So for the next game, write a lot, but keep only the best - even if it will a 4-hours game I will be advertising it myself. It won't conquer the charts, but there are no chances for big sales anyway.

[kilobug]

And since it is what you play for the last hours of game and directly before writing the review, we got this kind of user reviews.

Hrm, honestly, I don't think many of the "bad reviews" were written by people who actually finished the game. The bad reviews were mostly massively spawned in the first few days, by people who only played a few hours (at most) of the game, either because they were disappointed much before finishing it, or because they were "angry backers" (or "friends" of angry backers or ...) who wanted to hurt inXile regardless of the actual quality of the game.

The weak stories work in games only when they are interactive and connected with good gameplay. When it is mostly reading and the story is weak, the experience is like reading a bad book. A reading-heavy game like Torment needs great stories, the tons of filler-text and uninspiring dialogues/descriptions look good on the word-count that you can put in the game description, but harm the experience.

On that I fully disagree with you, I liked the main story, and didn't feel there was many filler-text, most of the dialogues/descriptions were good and gave life to the world.

[Strange101]

Hrm, honestly, I don't think many of the "bad reviews" were written by people who actually finished the game. The bad reviews were mostly massively spawned in the first few days, by people who only played a few hours (at most) of the game, either because they were disappointed much before finishing it, or because they were "angry backers" (or "friends" of angry backers or ...) who wanted to hurt inXile regardless of the actual quality of the game.

Reviews that are posted recently are still mixed (I'm talking about Steam), you can also check the time of playing - looks like enough to finish the game.

[Aenvar]

Thank you for this thread TheSeaker. I also would love to see more Numenera from Inxile, preferably for Torment instead of another title since I think that another release would take too long and be too costly. Of course I'd be delighted if that happened too...

[jsaving]

This was a great game and I would love to see a sequel. It 100% will not happen unless those who vote in favor also convince a lot of people to buy TToN, but here's hoping!

[TheSeaker]

Thank you everyone for your comments and votes!! Quick update on responses: Total votes = 47, Yes votes = 41, No votes = 6. That's 87.23% in favor of seeing more Numenera from Inxile so far! Keep them coming!

@Stranger101: You overstate your personal opinion and that of a few of your friends as fact. You and your buddies might think that NWN2 is the great successor (I've played it, and I don't care for the setting or the story that much so I say it isn't, though I still really like the game). I think you and your friends would really appreciate this game more if you knew more about Monte Cooke's Numenera setting. You guys sound like you like High fantasy like DnD, and this setting is NOT high fantasy. It's more grounded and weird than that, if that makes any sense. But you bring up an interesting point. I think some of the claims about poor story and such is mostly from people who don't understand the Numenera setting. Let me give you an example:

SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT:

El-Jinto and Canadu in the first Sagus Cliffs area: From talking with them, you learn that they have been traveling around probably for centuries of "regular time" gathering Numenera for the goal of capturing the million gods of the challifani back in Lhauric. Now, if you knew the Numenera setting (I've read the entire PnP core book and guide...lots of reading) you would realize these guys are super bad-ass. JUst two guys (a glaive and nano) wandering a good portion of the beyond is very brave and difficult. And to do it for so long with the goal of taking down the grand biological constuct beneath Lhauric, one of the biggest cities in the beyond, who demands sacrifice and is considered a god by the dominating priesthood there is simply heroic. And that's the problem I think, without having that background material, the true meaning and implications of what they have really accomplished is not understood unless you've done your research. Simply building a trap like that which can capture powerful creatures is astonishing because they started WITH NOTHING. And earned it by trial and error and very dangerous questing for long periods of time. Anyway, I'll stop. But I hope this bit helps. And I understand that you could argue that the developers should have don't a better job at divulging this, but guess what, the dialogue in NUmenera feels very natural. I don't remember many instances where characters went on big, I'm going to tell you all about everything monologues like you see in a lot of games. PST and NWN2 included. I really like the flow in TToN. IT's the same as in Pillars and Tyranny, yet some praise them but not TToN. The only reasonable answer? They don't have a proper appreciation for the brilliance of the 9th world. Read some of the PnP books and then replay. I bet you'll think differently and really enjoy the game more!!

[TheSeaker]

And btw guys, just checked Steam. THe last 35 reviews have been rated "Very positive". Woohoo!!

[TheSeaker]

Hopefully we can get rid of or dilute this "mixed" bs

[RadonGOG]

Well, the burning questions are...
...how would it be funded?
...for which year would it be targeted?
...how ambitious would it be?
...would it be another Torment or something entirely different?

[Strange101]

You guys sound like you like High fantasy like DnD, and this setting is NOT high fantasy.

A total miss. We don't care much for high fantasy (most of my friends are more into cyberpunk RPGs really), and we liked PT and Mask of the Betrayer (I specifically mentioned this expansion and not the whole NWN2 for a reason), because they were different that typical heroic fantasy like BG or PoE. And we play cRPGs for stories more than for the settings. The settings shine when they are in hands of a proper game master

I think some of the claims about poor story and such is mostly from people who don't understand the Numenera setting.

Next miss, my friend. Have you read my post? I mentioned that we did not like the main storyline (the whole Tides and Castoffs stuff). The Sorrow character (don't get me started on its hypocrisy) and the fact that choices in game had no bigger meaning (all that matters for the world is the last dialogue, seriously) were the things that annoyed us, and how do reading more about the setting (which is very good BTW, if you check I had no complaints about it in my post, I even said I would like to see another Numenera game) could change that? They were created specifically for the purpose of the game. The setting is not a problem and I never said it was.

[Lord of Riva]

The game is good, but its certainly not great. i dont see an Issue with a 7/10 rating, as much as i like the game there are quite a few issues i have with it.

[TheSeaker]

Quick update everyone:
Total responses = 62
Yes = 53 (85.48%)
No = 9 (14.52%)

Thanks a ton everyone for voting. Keep them coming and spread the word!!!

[TheSeaker]

@Lord of Rica: true, it does have things that could be improved, though what game doesn't? .

[daedalusAI]

Quick update everyone:
Total responses = 62
Yes = 53 (85.48%)
No = 9 (14.52%)

Thanks a ton everyone for voting. Keep them coming and spread the word!!!

Spread the word about what exactly?

That people still don't have their physical editions months after the game has been released and the fact that they almost have to beg on this forum hoping that someone from inxile will look into it - or that those physical editions were lackluster at best?
That 1.1.0 is most likely the last patch for the game only months after it has been released?
The massive kickstarter funding which ended in something completely different than what people pledged money for?

[kilobug]

That people still don't have their physical editions months after the game has been released and the fact that they almost have to beg on this forum hoping that someone from inxile will look into it - or that those physical editions were lackluster at best?

It's unfortunate for this very few people concerned, but 1. it's very few people 2. it's not inXile but Techland 3. such kind of things happen with physical version 4. that's not really what matter for the topic of wanting (or not) another Numenera game from inXile.

That 1.1.0 is most likely the last patch for the game only months after it has been released?

That doesn't really matter, since the 1.1.0 is great and doesn't have many bugs. Sure I would love if they kept improving the game, and I'm bit sad that won't happen (and the primary culprit are people whining about tiny details and hurting the game sales...), but that doesn't stop TTON from being the best CRPG since PsT.

The massive kickstarter funding which ended in something completely different than what people pledged money for?

Hrm, sorry, but it's what they promised, and what I and many other backers were expecting to get - a game that delivers a true spiritual successor to PsT, a game with a delicious weird world, awesome writing, unusual quests, deep philosophical questioning, ... and that's what we got.