A critique I made regarding Torment. Focused slightly more on story/world building rather than gameplay. Spoilers are marked for anybody worried about that (though naturally if you focus on every word on the screen it will spoil something at some point probably).

[url=]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGEVMBe5uKA[/url]

Game is a massive disappointment. Other codexer, Pope Amol made his own video on this matter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBuQ_XExBN0

I agree to the point that I don't understand how this game managed to take so long and cost so much.

While I enjoyed the overall plot and setting, it was not even slightly approaching the level of Planescape: Torment.

It definitely seemed like they just grabbed a bunch of ideas from PS:T, squashed them into this game in a half-assed way, then wrapped a plot around it.

The whole "tides" thing is definitely not implemented as well as it could have been. Different tide types do change the reactions of some people in a minor way, but it's not much.

The actual "tides" skill is used maybe 10 times in the entire game (if that), and tidal alignment doesn't seem to make a difference to its use (although using it changes your tidal alignment) - and most of those were in the Bloom.

"Tides" does not make less sense than the D&D alignment construct. And how TSR based the structure of the multiverse upon it.

Well the D&D alignment construct, as used by Planescape:Torment, felt like it had more of an effect. There were certain items that you could only use if you had a certain alignment.

I do appreciate that different tides have some effect on conversations and the ending (albeit only minor), and you can use tidal surge, but the instances of both of these were too few.

No way I'm going to speak nice of D&D (3.xed) alignments and speak bad of tides. Even if the setting of numenera is new for me. They are the same, simple mechanical representations of something with severe restrictions to their metrics.

In TTON, it's used in a nice approach (I'm not sure if it's also the way in the standard setting). They give an idea of how the main character could react to something according to his previous choices (which should define his alignment or tides and not otherwise). And because he has a tendency, others reacts to him under that assumption. Yet, surprises can happen, the character can truly do something else and you are not restricted.

By the way, the end of the changing god CAN BE totally different if you are more alike to him (AKA: has the same dominance on the tides as him). And I believe that the tides also have a big impact over the Bloom.

Another thing I totally disagree with the first critique. The fact that the description in text MATCH what happens on the screen, it was so nice to me. The first time, I was ignoring the environment, and I focused only in the text (a habit born from playing Engine's games). And surprise! Everything has enough detail in the design to reflex the text. The tattoos were there. The creature in the sphere was visible from time to time, etc. Discovering that, was like passing from 2D to 3D with Mario 64 (or it was Mario RPG?).

Damn GoG, not showing responses.

He has a pretty interesting take on the matter.

The Tides are an invention of T:ToN, there is nothing of the sort in the original pen & paper setting.
But I think there is some kind of extension of the setting to include the Tides, I might go look for it later…

Interesting - I had just assumed Tides were part of the PNP setting, just as alignment is part of the DND setting (although Planescape: Torment is AFAIK the only game to allow your PC to change his alignment during the game).

As far as I know the Numenera setting does not come with any kind of built-in alignment system.
Actually I can’t see how it would make sense in such a bizarre world ;-)

Various Star Wars games, especially the KOTORs. You could make an argument that losing humanity due to your actions, in VTM Bloodlines is analogous to an alignment shift. Arcanum has a good/evil meter that goes up and down.

Good point(s) - I think I didn't write exactly what I was thinking. I have all those games and I agree with those points.

What I should have said was that Planescape:Torment is the only D&D-based game AFAIK that allows you to change your alignment during gameplay, as opposed to it being something set in stone in character creation. I only mentioned that because PNP systems were being compared to computer-implemented systems (since obviously there are many computer RPGs that don't originate from D&D or the like).

Those examples you gave above are actually all examples of games that not only have alignment systems, but make use of it in ways it affects the game much more than TTON does. In both the KOTOR games as well as Arcanum, alignment has an affect on a number of characters (including potential companions). Additionally in KOTOR alignment affects the casting cost of your non-neutral force powers (can't recall if it did anything mechanically in Arcanum - I suspect not, since Arcanum had the tech/magic alignment system for that purpose).

We like the same games!

I've been replaying kotor1 the last few days and it struck me as particularly annoying that the main (maybe only) wisdom-boosting gear cannot be used on the guy you want to wear it - Jolee. Because they require light side, but his alignment is pegged on neutral.

OK I don't actually have KOTOR but I do have KOTOR II - from what I've heard/read they're pretty similar in terms of how well they handled alignment, though from the sounds of things KOTOR II appears to be less restricting. I didn't notice very many alignment-related items in KOTOR II last I remember.

Neverwinter Nights did that, AFAIR.