Geneforge 4: "Not a Shaper"

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AuthorTopic: Geneforge 4: "Not a Shaper"
Raven v. Writing Desk
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From the Spidweb newsletter, on Geneforge 4: "And, unlike the earlier Geneforge games, you will NOT play a Shaper."

To me, at least, this comes as a welcome change after G3. I'm psyched. So... whaddaya think? Human, servile, or minotaur?

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
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Human or minotaur. Not a servile.

A servile's plot would go some thing like this: Servile born. Servile plant crops. Servile gain intelligence (somehow)

Then: Servile get killed by scared humans/sholai/shapers

Or: Servile wins war after many unbelievable plot twists.

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"When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane."
Posts: 120 | Registered: Sunday, January 1 2006 08:00
Raven v. Writing Desk
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There are lots of examples of serviles who didn't follow those paths. Most productively, the G2 Awakened. If they could modify themselves to use magic, shaping doesn't seem like it would be so out of the question.

The Awakened may be gone, but it does seem that Jeff will have to invent some kind of third element, some "other" (much like the Vahnatai in Ex/Av) in order for the story to really progress at all. The war is too massive, the powers involved too great, for anything interesting to happen otherwise. I suppose this could be the Sholai's cue to return.

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
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quote:
If they could modify themselves to use magic, shaping doesn't seem like it would be so out of the question.


I disagree. one of the things which 'was' the Geneforge trilogy was the fact that you could join any of the sides. As a magical Servile with an army of creations, I wonder how many Shapers are going to let you join them...

[ Thursday, January 05, 2006 20:44: Message edited by: Inthrall ]

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"When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane."
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I would rather be a dryak then a servile.
Posts: 169 | Registered: Wednesday, September 24 2003 07:00
Raven v. Writing Desk
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Hmm. Khyryk and Sharon, perhaps, if they decided to grow spines. You're probably right, though. So, barring a minotaur invasion or a truly horrendous Avernum crossover, that suggests either the Sholai or a regular joe.

I suppose Jeff could surprise us by replacing the shaping mechanic with something else. I'd sure be surprised...

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
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Warrior
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quote:
Originally written by Slartucker:

The Awakened may be gone, but it does seem that Jeff will have to invent some kind of third element, some "other" (much like the Vahnatai in Ex/Av) in order for the story to really progress at all. The war is too massive, the powers involved too great, for anything interesting to happen otherwise.
Maybe some creations could get (somehow) too much intelligence and rule some lands like humanoid beings! :D

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Posts: 179 | Registered: Friday, November 25 2005 08:00
Off With Their Heads
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Like the drakons in GF2?

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Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
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You could still have the Awakened. Maybe not a bunch of magical serviles, but a group of disaffected ordinary humans with some intelligent serviles around. The problem with the Awakened is that they have an admirable cause but no power to support it. Which is probably the only reason their cause sounds good.

At least the joining the Awakened got decent ending for them in G2.

Dikiyoba.
Posts: 4346 | Registered: Friday, December 23 2005 08:00
Apprentice
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Well, I had no good expectations for Geneforge 4, but the "Not a Shaper" thing had me sitting up straight and reading the e-mail again. Now I'm looking forward to it.

Hopefully, we'll get more of a plot and less combat in the next game.

Hmmm... unlikely, since it'll be an all-out war.

Bah.

Make that just "more of a plot", then. And maybe the opportunity to change someone's point of view without having to rip out their eyeballs?

RAmpaGE.
Posts: 22 | Registered: Sunday, June 5 2005 07:00
Agent
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Yeah, I read too the news mail... "Not a shaper"?
If you aren't a rebel instead, all the philosophy in the game can disappear? I mean, I will like be a Drakon for example, but by this way nobody probably ask you what do you think of the serviles status, how do you feel under the Shaper's Mighty Power...

Well, the Drakons are intelligent, but I think that they primary istinct is kill, kill, must kill someone, just KILL!!! :D

Another question: all the things that I made (and killed) in GF3 for avoid a world-war are useless? :mad:

One day, I belive we'll start GF5 with a fully-power Shaper... :rolleyes: :P

Finally, I think that: in GF4, you will be a boy without family, because they are killed by rogues (what a pity :( ...), and you will travel (and fight) around the battlefields, looking for a Shaper school for be trained. :cool:

What do you think of that post, people?

[ Saturday, January 07, 2006 01:44: Message edited by: MagmaDragoon ]

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Well, hopefully it will actually matter in the game. If you are not a Shaper, but can make creations and use magic at the beginning of the game, then it's not so interesting.
Posts: 23 | Registered: Friday, November 14 2003 08:00
Warrior
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For now it seems that the story of GF is the Taker's story... with war and such.
So, we will be:
Drakon
Sholai
Outsider
That's the list.
Drakon will be the 'Shaper', Sholai will be the 'Guardian', and Outsider will be the 'Agent'.
Whaddya think?
Maybe we could replace Drakon with another thing, since it won't be tolerated around shapers. :rolleyes:
But i can't think of something other that these 3. Would be awesomely difficult, but also wonderful to do a Gene-vernum. :P

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I doubt you'll be able to choose a Drakon. They are born too powerful. In RPGs, you have to start with a lot of ground to cover in order to reach decent power - and that goes for Geneforge too, even if it's not that much of an RPG.

RAmpaGE.
Posts: 22 | Registered: Sunday, June 5 2005 07:00
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I'm betting on the Sholai. But it would be a bit sad to lose the three shaper classes, since they were really pretty different from each other, and made it well worth playing each game three times. So I expect that either Sholai somehow end up having comparably different classes as well -- which wouldn't be so crazy, if that's just how magic works in this world -- or you do something early-ish in the game that effectively turns you into either an Agent, a Shaper, or a Guardian -- perhaps still with some extra Sholai abilities as well.

Or maybe you do get to play an Awakened post-servile, who has learned enough shaper arts to perform as one of the three shaper classes, but who is 'not a shaper' in the sense of not being part of orthodox shaper society even initially.

Either way, I'm expecting to keep basically the same three shaper classes, but with a few extra touches of chrome. I certainly can't see giving up the ability to shape creations. That's too big a part of what makes Geneforge cool and different.

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Personnally, I hope that you are a minotaur. I don't see what people have against them. They're as random as vahnatai were in Avernum.
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Raven v. Writing Desk
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Well, the Vahnatai did get hinted at a lot in Exile before they made their grand entrance in Exile II.

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
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Shaper
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There is the possiblity of something completely new, you know. Being a servile would be too predictable/boring.

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Agent
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So you're saying a predictable game would be un-spiderweb?

I'm predicting we play as human - with the opportunity to become mage, fighter or shaper as the game progresses.

EDIT: If not become, then at the very least, recruit.

[ Sunday, January 08, 2006 01:54: Message edited by: Micawber ]

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Warrior
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Completely unpredictable?
We could be a golem.
THAT's unpredictable.
Really, my bet's on Sholai, or Outsider.
I can see the whole scene:
You run your shop. Takers come. They destroy shop. You run. You get some canisters. wow, i'm superman. You run more. You get in trouble with the Shapers. You run some more. You come to a choice: Run or Stop running. Stop running: You get killed THE END. Run: You get killed, but only farther in the Shaper's lands THE END.
GF5 restarts when GF4 left. You are a GHOST! The ghost of your Outsider/Sholai. You haunt people. You get levels. You are happy. Then, Luigi with his vacuum cleaner gets you. Too late to escape THE END.
That story is pretty unpredictable. and then in GF6 you are an Artila.

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...b10010b...
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quote:
Originally written by genexile:

Completely unpredictable?
We could be a golem.
THAT's unpredictable.

If that happens, you'll have predicted it. Ergo, it's no longer unpredictable.

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Most likely we will play as a human who come across Canisters and thus stumble upon the shaper art, and from there becomes entagled in the grand metaplot.

..And Ghaldring, that Unsellable Trowel threat still stands.
Leave the minotaurs out of G4.

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The story could be told from the point of view of an unsellable trowel...

Dikiyoba.
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Perhaps the Shapers invade Sholai lands, or they come to them for help fighting the Drakons, or are chased to Sholai lands by the rebellion, etc.

The possibilities are endless. But I really think that they'll revolve around the Sholai - the random appearance in Lord Rahul's keep was not just coincidence.

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There were Sholai in Lord Rahul's Keep?

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