need more?
need more?
hey guys planescape torment was the best game ever and i d like to know who wrote it and if they ve made another game since then- can anybody help?
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If you love the game, you have the manual. If you have the manual, you can check in the back for the people who were employed by BIS at the time, and wrote it. 
To the Righteous belong the fruits of violent victory. The rest of us will have to settle for warm friends, warm lovers, and a wink from a quietly supportive universe.
Hey there...
The primary writers for Torment were Chris Avellone and Colin McComb. Dave Maldonado also contributed heavily to the final result. John Deily, Steve Bokkes, and myself (Scott Warner) have a few dialogs scattered about as well.
We didn't work on or plan for a sequel for a number of reasons.
First of all, while Torment did just fine in the stores, its numbers were small compared to those of Icewind Dale, and virutally non-existent in the wake of Baldur's Gate. With Interplay under increasing pressure from their financial woes, it became difficult for Black Isle to work on anything that didn't involve traditional, bankable high fantasy. The fact that Planescape was a relatively unknown and disliked campaign setting didn't help matters much either; WOTC discontinued the setting shortly before we shipped the game.
Secondly, Chris was the game's visionary, and he really didn't want to head any more fantasy projects at the time, let alone another Planescape. He, like many of us at the studio, was in love with the world of Fallout, and started vision work on a potential third installment promptly after we shipped Torment. As happy as everyone at Black Isle was with Torment, I doubt you'd find many people who'd opt to work on a sequel to it instead of helping continue the Fallout series.
Also, Torment was intended to be a one shot story, and we never really planned on a sequel in the first place. Near the middle of 1999, we were receiving such little attention across the board that it felt like we might be working on something that nobody was going to play. I remember on the day it arrived at stores, our producer had this little impromtu EB visit setup for the team, and we went down to sign copies. Of course, nobody bought the game while we were there! It was like the gaming equivalent of Spinal Tap (although jet black would have been a much better cover than what we ended up with).
As for you team question, most of us did stick together to work on TORN. It was pretty exciting at first, but shortly after the start of 2000, everything went wrong and didn't let up until the project was cancelled in mid 2001.
There you go,
Scott Warner
swarner@pandemicstudios.com
The primary writers for Torment were Chris Avellone and Colin McComb. Dave Maldonado also contributed heavily to the final result. John Deily, Steve Bokkes, and myself (Scott Warner) have a few dialogs scattered about as well.
We didn't work on or plan for a sequel for a number of reasons.
First of all, while Torment did just fine in the stores, its numbers were small compared to those of Icewind Dale, and virutally non-existent in the wake of Baldur's Gate. With Interplay under increasing pressure from their financial woes, it became difficult for Black Isle to work on anything that didn't involve traditional, bankable high fantasy. The fact that Planescape was a relatively unknown and disliked campaign setting didn't help matters much either; WOTC discontinued the setting shortly before we shipped the game.
Secondly, Chris was the game's visionary, and he really didn't want to head any more fantasy projects at the time, let alone another Planescape. He, like many of us at the studio, was in love with the world of Fallout, and started vision work on a potential third installment promptly after we shipped Torment. As happy as everyone at Black Isle was with Torment, I doubt you'd find many people who'd opt to work on a sequel to it instead of helping continue the Fallout series.
Also, Torment was intended to be a one shot story, and we never really planned on a sequel in the first place. Near the middle of 1999, we were receiving such little attention across the board that it felt like we might be working on something that nobody was going to play. I remember on the day it arrived at stores, our producer had this little impromtu EB visit setup for the team, and we went down to sign copies. Of course, nobody bought the game while we were there! It was like the gaming equivalent of Spinal Tap (although jet black would have been a much better cover than what we ended up with).
As for you team question, most of us did stick together to work on TORN. It was pretty exciting at first, but shortly after the start of 2000, everything went wrong and didn't let up until the project was cancelled in mid 2001.
There you go,
Scott Warner
swarner@pandemicstudios.com
hey Scott good to hear from someone who actually worked on the game. I must say that, sadly, it is true that torment didn't do so well in stores as compared to other games, but as far as I am concerned it is by far one of the greatest fantasy RPGs that I ever had a pleasure of playing, so thank you for playing a role in making such a great game.
And yeah I see your point about why there is no sequel. Not only because of poor sales, but really because the story is written in such a way that it would be hard to make a sequel based on the Nameless One since his conflict is really resolved at the end of the game, and I think the Nameless One was a really great character and it's something about an immortal amnesiac trying to piece his life together from little bits here and there that makes it really fun to play. So again thank you and the rest of the team for bringing this great game to us gamers.
And yeah I see your point about why there is no sequel. Not only because of poor sales, but really because the story is written in such a way that it would be hard to make a sequel based on the Nameless One since his conflict is really resolved at the end of the game, and I think the Nameless One was a really great character and it's something about an immortal amnesiac trying to piece his life together from little bits here and there that makes it really fun to play. So again thank you and the rest of the team for bringing this great game to us gamers.
love
I burnt up a whole weekend playing this gem of a game on a 3 ghz radeon 9700 one gig of ram system......lol. No other game even comes close. I,ve now learnt that graphics don't matter, just story line and writing. I don't even loike most rpg's as they alway have gay little elves and fantasy that is rediculous. This game is so different. I find myself actually in the game in my head as I devour every word. I am saddened to here it didnt sell well and is somewhat cultish. I also feel sadness as I approach the end knowing there will never be more like it.
I burnt up a whole weekend playing this gem of a game on a 3 ghz radeon 9700 one gig of ram system......lol. No other game even comes close. I,ve now learnt that graphics don't matter, just story line and writing. I don't even loike most rpg's as they alway have gay little elves and fantasy that is rediculous. This game is so different. I find myself actually in the game in my head as I devour every word. I am saddened to here it didnt sell well and is somewhat cultish. I also feel sadness as I approach the end knowing there will never be more like it.
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Planescape: Torment is the best game ever made. Period. And as much as I'd love to see a sequel, I can understand the reasons that there won't be one. It's a travesty that more people did not purchase the game, as it was (in my opinion, at least) infinitely superior to any other RPG out there (Neverwinter Nights, Morrowind, Baldur's Gate I and II, Icewind Dale I and II, etc).
I do have one question, Scott. Was there ever any talk of a potential sequel to the game, and if so, what were some of the rough ideas of where the story would go? Since there were a few different endings to the game, it's hard to imagine exactly how the story could continue.
I do have one question, Scott. Was there ever any talk of a potential sequel to the game, and if so, what were some of the rough ideas of where the story would go? Since there were a few different endings to the game, it's hard to imagine exactly how the story could continue.
Originally posted by interrupt
Also, Torment was intended to be a one shot story, and we never really planned on a sequel in the first place. Near the middle of 1999, we were receiving such little attention across the board that it felt like we might be working on something that nobody was going to play. I remember on the day it arrived at stores, our producer had this little impromtu EB visit setup for the team, and we went down to sign copies. Of course, nobody bought the game while we were there! It was like the gaming equivalent of Spinal Tap (although jet black would have been a much better cover than what we ended up with).
Scott Warner
swarner@pandemicstudios.com
Two days ago I was on the retail shop where we usually buy all our pc games (not many for me if you think I have been obsessed with BG and PS:T for the last two years.) Anyway. It was the first time I ever chatted with the guy there, and I told him about PS:T.
This guy has been working on pc games dept. for the last five years, and has nearly played every single game released. After carrying on our conversation for a while, I asked him why, in his opinion, the game hadn't sold. To my surprise, he said PS:T was one of the very few he had never played himself. When asked why, he said that the cover of the game was too "frightening and disgusting" and that many people were appalled by this very and single fact.
This is just an opinion, a personal opinion of course. When I told him about the story and the plot in PS:T, he ended up by saying that he was going to buy it if he could find it anywhere available, but he would never had imagined that such a game was hidden under *that* cover.
It is really pity that there was no PS:T sequel, but even more pity that the game didn't sell as much as it deserves.
• "You cannot pass."..."I am a servant of the Secret Fire, Wielder of the Flame of Anor, You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun. Go Back to the Shadow! You cannot pass."
Gandalf the Grey
Gandalf the Grey
Hmmmm......I thought the cover was excellent. I can,t imagine in my wildest dreams that any half assed gamer would be diswaded by a "frightening and disgusting" cover. What should they have put on the cover of a game about a guy who dies over and over again for eternity? Why a game that has gotten rave reviews hasn't sold better is beyond me. Perhaps we that appreciate it are not the "average" gamer. I will add though that I have a very broad scope of games I enjoy. I just happen to know which ones are better......................
That's what the guy said.
And personally, when PS:T was released I didn't like the cover either. Not that this alone prevent me from buying it. Another reason had been that reading it was about someone who had died freaked me out a little. Maybe I am a little sensitive about such issues. When a friend of mine, for example, had bought "Thief" and I had seen him fighting all those zombies I couldn't sleep well the following night. Well, we can all laugh at that, but it is true.
Besides, that time I was just begining playing games on my pc. Before that my computer has always been a means of doing my job, and nothing else. You can say that I am not a regular gamer, and I will accept it. I just have been lucky enough to have chosen really marvelous games such as BG and PS:T.
Whether I had been silly with my first reaction or not, the fact remains: PS:T has been the best ever game, and if I can convince people to look after any remained or used copies, I will do it.
I still regret not having bought it upon its release.
And personally, when PS:T was released I didn't like the cover either. Not that this alone prevent me from buying it. Another reason had been that reading it was about someone who had died freaked me out a little. Maybe I am a little sensitive about such issues. When a friend of mine, for example, had bought "Thief" and I had seen him fighting all those zombies I couldn't sleep well the following night. Well, we can all laugh at that, but it is true.
Besides, that time I was just begining playing games on my pc. Before that my computer has always been a means of doing my job, and nothing else. You can say that I am not a regular gamer, and I will accept it. I just have been lucky enough to have chosen really marvelous games such as BG and PS:T.
Whether I had been silly with my first reaction or not, the fact remains: PS:T has been the best ever game, and if I can convince people to look after any remained or used copies, I will do it.
I still regret not having bought it upon its release.
• "You cannot pass."..."I am a servant of the Secret Fire, Wielder of the Flame of Anor, You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun. Go Back to the Shadow! You cannot pass."
Gandalf the Grey
Gandalf the Grey