Gnarf, I have never played Fallout or Arcanum, so could you please explain the combat system? Also, do you know if there will be a pause option? I find the pause function to be critical in an RPG.

No need for a pause-function in turn-based combat [img]smile.gif[/img]
You get a number of action points each turn (the number's based on some stats). Every action you do costs action-points and when you've spent'em all, your turn is over. Now you'll watch every other character involved in the combat move, before it is your turn again... now you got new action-points to spend, and son and so on. There's also made rolls deciding who goes first...

So the time you spend deciding what to do in a fight won't affect anything, as you won't spend action points 'till you do something (and "game-time" won't pass).

I know that the rules for dnd are a bit different (each turn is one "move" and one "action" (?)), but as long as it's turn-based, time won't be a problem [img]smile.gif[/img]

Again, because I've never played a turn based game before, as you describe it, Gnarf, won't the combat be stilted, jerk like? Or is it smooth flowing?

I find turn-based combat better than real-time at just about every point... and I couldn't be of that opinion if I thought it was stilted, jerk like [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Man! I haven't seen the world of Greyhawk in YEARS!! Brings back memories, has anyone seen my copy of the "Chainmail" rules? hehehe...

Thanks for the link

You're thinking to much in the real-time mode. Turn based isn't more or less stilted or jerk like, it is, however, a totally different mode and for RPG's it's even better, imo, then the pausable combat of BG.

Okay, I haven't been clear enough in my inquiry into turn-based style of combat. I understand RTS and I understand the combat system of BG1, BG2, and IWD. For a comparison, please explain the similarities and differences between turn-based and what was demonstrated in the Baldurs Gate games.

Well, in BG, every combat was basically fought in real-time. If combat started, you paused and you could assign orders to your party members and when when you unpaused, everything would be played out in realtime again.
In turn based combat, you don't need to pause. Combat starts and everyone (ie your party and the opponents) each gets a certain score derived from one, or a combation, of their stats. This is the initiative role. After these rolls have been made, wich is done by the computer so it's instantanious, the character with the highest, or lowest depending on the system, number gets to act first. He makes an action and then the following one gets his turn and so on untill combat is finished. If you didn't use up your action points in one turn, you can choose to end your turn. The 'lost' action points aren't really lost because they are added to something else, in the case of Fallout, to your armor class.

Looks good. Though I've been told that system reqs. go through the roof :(

Been on the look out for this title for AGES...... anyone got any updates on release dates?