Planescape: Torment

Planescape: Torment
Studio	Black Isle Studios
Publisher	Interplay
Senior Developer	Chris Avellone (Lead Designer) Colin McComb Dave Maldonado Eric Campanella
Erstveröffent- lichung	December 12, 1999 January 3, 2000
platform	PC ( Windows ), Linux , Mac OS X , Android
Game engine	Infinity engine
genre	role playing game
Subject	Dungeons and Dragons
Game mode	Single player
control	Keyboard , mouse
system advantages preconditions	OS : Windows 95/98 / ME with DirectX 6 CPU : 200 MHz RAM : 32 MB Graphics card : 4 MB SVGA graphics card DirectX certified sound card Free hard disk space : 650 MB
medium	CD , DVD , download
language	English, German, Polish
Current version	1.1 (January 27, 2000)
Age rating	USK PEGI
information	After the last official patch, several fan patches were developed, which were combined in the Planescape: Torment Ultimate WeiDU Fixpack .

Planescape: Torment is a computer role-playing game that is set in the advanced Dungeons & Dragons game world Planescape , also simply called the levels . The game was developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay Entertainment in 2000 . Chris Avellone worked as a game designer . Guido Henkel , who played a key role in the development of the computer game series The Black Eye: The Nordland Trilogy , acted as producer . However, Henkel left Interplay and the Black Isle Studios in a dispute with the management of Interplay a few months before the game was released.

In the game, the player takes control of an enigmatic, nameless character who comes to consciousness again at the beginning in a morgue, with no memory of his identity or his past. He is soon joined by a floating, talking skull named Morte, who from now on follows each of his steps and does not remain the only unusual character you meet on your journey through the plains . Planescape: Torment differs from similar computer role-playing games such as the Baldur's Gate series by its emphasis on dialogue and action, while the importance of fighting takes a back seat. The game is still regarded today as a prime example of storytelling in a computer game. Topics dealt with in the game range from the meaning of names to the central question "What can change a person's being?"

action

Game world

The game world of Planescape, also called multiverse comes from the existence of many different worlds, called planes (ger .: Plan ), which are connected by magic portals and these can be traveled using. The concept concerned a scenario that was superordinate to the various campaign worlds of Dungeons & Dragons ( Greyhawk , Vergierter Reiche , Ravenloft etc.), which was supposed to connect the sometimes quite different game worlds with one another and to underpin them with a deeper, plausible cosmology. Among other things, the system of attitudes typical of D&D with the axes good / bad and righteous / chaotic played an important role in the cosmological order of the levels. Until it was discontinued by the manufacturer, the Planescape scenario for pen & paper games enabled, for example, the transition from heroes in one game world to another D&D campaign world, but also offered space for independent adventures.

The portals or gates that connect the levels (or worlds) with each other are essential for travel in the multiverse. In order to open it, the traveler needs a certain key. This can be different depending on the gate, such as an object, a certain action or just a thought. Without the appropriate key, travel is impossible, so finding the necessary key is an important element of the actions in games playing Planescape. Most travel portals can be found in the city of Sigil, which is therefore also called the city of gates, or colloquially also “the cage”, as you cannot leave it without a suitable portal key. It is in the center of the game world, from where almost every level can be reached. It is also the starting point for the plot of Planescape: Torment . Due to its importance, sigil is a place of absolute neutrality and is ruled by the so-called lady of pain. It endeavors to prevent chaotic or righteous beings and gods from exerting too much influence in their sovereign territory and to prevent serious changes in the balance.

Another defining element of the game world is the so-called blood war on the lower levels. It is a fight between devils (Baatezu) and demons (Tanar'Ri) that has been going on since prehistoric times, in which both sides try to gain control over the other. Since the victor of this conflict would become a threatening opponent for the inhabitants of all other levels, they have a great interest in ensuring that the war never ends. In order to maintain the balance and thus the progress of the war, residents of other levels also regularly participate in the fighting.

Course of action

The game begins after the character generation with the awakening of the nameless player character in the Sigil's morgue. The nameless (Engl .: The Nameless One ) suffers from amnesia. He no longer has any knowledge of his identity, his exact whereabouts or why he was admitted to the morgue. A floating skull named Morte, which he meets right after waking up, provides him with initial information. Among other things, there are letters incised on his completely scarred skin, which instruct him to read his diary and find someone named Pharod. It also turns out that the nameless one is immortal, or rather wakes up again after a short time after his "death". While normal deaths have no consequences for the nameless, a particularly violent death is accompanied by memory loss. The nameless man gradually finds out that he has been traveling the plains in this way for a long time, in search of his identity, the reason for his immortality and a solution to his problem. In his previous life he left numerous traces on his travels and influenced the paths of many level dwellers and even the levels themselves. The thematic aim of the game is to bring these puzzle pieces back together and to get the final answers to your questions. Because of his past deeds, he has also created permanent opponents who try to prevent his efforts and try to kill him. In addition, its unnatural existence has a significant influence on the balance of the levels.

He finds the answers towards the middle of the action with the night witch Ravel Rätselschön. Through Ravel he learns that she had once given him immortality at his request. As a participant in the blood war, he hoped to escape the eternal war. Ravel's solution was to separate the nameless man's mortality from his body. The mortality of the Nameless manifested as a result of the ritual as also powerful entity with a self-awareness, as the transcendent (Engl .: The Transcendant One is called). The side effects for the nameless person only become noticeable afterwards. The Nameless One is immortal, but for each of his deaths another plane dweller has to lose his life to compensate. The existence of the nameless caused great suffering and resulted in the deceased persecuting him as vengeful shadows. The only way out is the end of its unnatural, immortal existence. In order to regain his mortality, however, the nameless and the transcendent must reunite, which is not in the interests of the transcendent and the latter tries to prevent it by destroying all possible references to his place of retreat and the past of the nameless. Since the transcendent has meanwhile killed the most important whistleblowers, the game reflects the nameless person's last chance to escape the cycle. Ultimately, the nameless man reaches the negative material level in order to regain his mortality in a final confrontation with the transcendent and return to the blood war as atonement for his deeds. The outcome is predetermined and only varies in detail depending on the player's approach. There are a few more options for ending the game, but these do not lead to the solution of the task initially presented.

Even if the majority of the game takes place in Sigil, the nameless person travels through numerous levels with up to five of a total of seven potential companions that he may meet in the course of the game. In the process he meets a lot of unusual characters and curiosities. The player comes again and again to sometimes bizarre, exotic places, such as B. in an alley with a pregnant wall or the "brothel for the satisfaction of intellectual desires". The dialogues and actions of the game partly have philosophical approaches, including the main question of the game: "What can change the essence of a person?" In particular through the factions of the game - the leagues that the nameless can join - there are very different philosophical currents presented. In the course of the game, the game repeatedly picks up on philosophical topics such as the consensus reality , according to which things happen as soon as enough people believe in them. For example, when characters ask the nameless person for his name (which he doesn't know), the answer is often that his name is "Adahn". If he has credibly explained to enough people that he is Adahn, it is possible that the same person will show up to claim that he is an old friend, even though he has never existed before. Entire levels can also change their position in the multiverse.

Characters

character	race	class	English speaker	German speaker	role
The nameless one	human	Fighter / thief / magician a	Michael T. Weiss	Hannes Jaenicke	Player character.
Mortimer "Morte" Rictusgrin	Morte	fighter	Rob Paulsen	-	Companion; floating skull, which stands out mainly for its disrespectful comments. Already at the beginning comes to the nameless and supports him in his first steps in the game world.
Grace, the fallen	Succubus	priest	Jennifer Hale	-	Companion; a succubus that, contrary to its origins, refrains from seducing and killing men. Instead founded the “brothel for the satisfaction of intellectual desires” in Sigil.
Deionarra	human	-	Jennifer Hale	-	Apparition in the morgue; before her passing she was companion and lover of the nameless one who finally led her to her death.
Close	Tiefling	Fighter / thief b	Sheena Easton	-	Companion; grew up on the stick and foster daughter of the corpse collector Pharod.
Dak'kon	Githzerai	Warrior / magician b	Mitch Pileggi	-	Companion; a Githzerai at an advanced age and already bound by an oath to the nameless for a long time, whereby he is considered a slave among his conspecifics and is thus an outcast.
Ignus	human	magician	Charles Adler	-	Companion; a psychopathic magician, whose madness turned him into a burning corpse and who has since lingered motionless in the bar named after him "To the smoldering corpse" in Sigil until he is freed from his rigidity by the nameless.
Vhailor	Restless soul	warrior	Keith David	-	Companion; disembodied soul of a former mercy killer, which has manifested itself in the form of armor. As a mercy killer, he is a fanatical advocate of justice and order, who once forfeited his physical existence while persecuting the nameless.
Nordom	Modron	warrior	Dan Castellaneta	-	Companion; a Modron machine that has broken away from the collective of thought of its people and developed its own consciousness.
Ravel riddle beautiful	Night witch	-	Florence Dire	-	Mighty witch who once helped the nameless man to be immortal.
Trias, the traitor	Deva	-	John de Lancie	-	An angelic being who, however, contrary to long-standing opinions about devas, is able to lie.
Fhjull serpent tongue	Baatezu	-	Rodger Bumpass	-	A demon who is forced by an oath to Trias, the traitor, to be helpful and do good, contrary to his nature.
The transcendent		-	Tony Jay	-	Antagonist of the nameless, manifestation of its mortality.

^a The player has to decide on a class, but can change it with the help of a trainer if desired.

^bIn contrast to the nameless, he has two classes in parallel, in which he rises on an equal footing and receives corresponding skills; immutable.

Planescape: Torment is characterized, among other things, by a number of profoundly designed characters. Some of these characters are particularly characterized by a contrast in their actual behavior compared to the roles usually assigned to them by the rules within the game world (Grace, Nordom, Trias, Fhjull). Uncovering the background of the characters is a marginal aspect of the game and is only revealed gradually as the game progresses. Among other things, the player can discover that the fate of his companions in the past is already strongly linked to that of the nameless person and his previous appearances. Almost all characters relevant to the action, such as the companions, Deionarra or Ravel, were written by lead designer Chris Avellone.

Gameplay

Release years of the Infinity games and Dark Alliance series

1998		Baldur's Gate
1999		Baldur's Gate: Legends of the Sword Coast Planescape: Torment
2000		Icewind Dale Baldur’s Gate II: Shadow of Amn
2001		Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter Baldur’s Gate II: Throne of Bhaal Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance
2002		Icewind Dale II
2003
2004		Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2
~
2012		Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition
2013		Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition
2014		Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition
2015
2016		Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear
2017		Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition

In Planescape: Torment , the player controls a group of up to six heroes from an isometric overview perspective . The second edition of the AD&D set of rules serves as the basis . The player controls the figures indirectly via a point-and-click user interface. The fights, which are essentially turn-based, are carried out in real time, but can be paused at any time at the touch of a button to give instructions without time pressure.

The game starts with character creation, which is significantly limited compared to the other Infinity games. The main character is predefined in terms of appearance, race and gender; at the beginning the player can only make adjustments to the six basic attributes (strength, constitution, dexterity, intelligence, wisdom, charisma). The class is also set to warriors at the beginning. During the course of the game, with the help of trainers, this can only be changed to thief or magician, other common D&D classes (e.g. cleric, paladin, etc.) or class combinations are not available to him. However, he can switch between these three classes several times in the game and regains his previous skill level each time.

Planescape is a very text-heavy game - the text length is around 800,000 to a million words - which tries to avoid the lack of graphic reproduction with detailed text descriptions. In most cases, the player can choose between a combative solution or various dialogue solutions; the more peaceful dialogue solutions are usually more rewarded. This strong fixation on texts is the most important differentiator to other computer role-playing games.

Interacting with the environment is another focus of the game. Many aspects of the game and additional information about the nameless past can only be found if the player explores the game world more closely and independently. The companions of the nameless person should be brought closer to the player through small dialog interjections during the game and through confidential conversations with the nameless person, so that he can develop a personal relationship with them. In Planescape, however, the conversation initiative must largely come from the player. This feature later found its breakthrough in a script-automated form with Baldur's Gate II: Shadow of Amn , in which the companions speak up on their own and thereby simulate an independent personality. Later role-playing games, in which the player controls groups of heroes, also pick up on the so-called party interaction.

The system of attitudes for the nameless, which automatically adapts to the actions of the player, was completely new. While the previous games on Dungeons & Dragons worked with static attitudes (good - neutral - bad), Planescape: Torment could change this at any time and several times during the game, depending on the behavior of the player in dialogue or when solving certain tasks. Some game options and solutions were also dependent on the attitude. This breaking of the rigid rule of conviction was to develop into a standard in the later D&D role-playing games for the PC.

development

Licensing and production terms

In 1995 the exclusive license agreement between SSI and TSR for the development of D&D computer games expired. As a result, TSR no longer issued a single license, but licensed each campaign world individually. Interplay acquired the Forgotten Realms and Planescape rights in 1996 . The latter was seen as an emerging scenario at the time. Interplay planned to produce several Planescape games in a row and employed David "Zeb" Cook and Colin McComb, two leading Planescape authors from TSR as a designer. Under the direction of David Cook, a first-person title was to emerge, which was eventually discontinued in favor of a continuation of Stonekeep , which was also never published . Colin McComb was entrusted with the development of a PlayStation game (working title: Planescape PSX ), which is based on King's Field , an action role-playing game by the Japanese developer From Software , and takes the player as recruits of the harmonium in the fight against a conspiracy all around should send the blood war. However, the development work was stopped relatively soon and McComb was assigned to the third project, which was developed by Chris Avellone and should use BioWare's Infinity engine according to management specifications. By this time Avellone had already drawn up a rough plot overview and sketches of the most important characters. Avellone continued to have the largest share in the direction game design took.

For a long time the game was developed without much supervision from the Interplay / Black Isle management. Because of the completion of Fallout 2 , work on the title was postponed for several months, in which only a small team of programmers made modifications to the Infinity engine. Full production of the title began at the end of 1998. While the developers were given a free hand in the run-up to the game, the pressure from management on producer Guido Henkel and the development team to complete the game increased in 1998 when Interplay went public. In order to be able to keep the targeted time window for the publication, several subplots and characters have been deleted. The disputes with the management finally prompted Henkel to resign after the completion of the game had been secured by reaching the beta phase and what in his eyes was "crippling" of the design concept by the management averted. According to studio manager Feargus Urquhart, production costs were around three to four million dollars.

design

Lead Designer Chris Avellone, Manila 2009

In 1997 the design team submitted a project proposal under the project title Planescape: Last Rites to the Interplay management. Design goals included a computer role-playing game in a fresh, bizarre scenario, with a story concept that puts the story of the player character in the foreground and is not determined by profound events in the game world. This also included a game world that reacts to the player's actions, recognizable characters and the raising of a series of moral questions that are supposed to have an impact on the course of the game. Another goal was to move away from rigid rules based on character values ​​and number statistics. The concept describes the game as "avant-garde fantasy", in contrast to the high fantasy influenced by Tolkien . The project name was changed due to the similarity with the computer game Last Rites by Ocean Software .

Although Avellone had no experience with the Planescape scenario, he quickly found pleasure in the game world. Avellone processed many things that bothered him about role-playing games. He deliberately refrained from using a world-saver action concept, since, according to Avellone, the player is primarily concerned with a personal experience when playing. Therefore, the game should revolve around a personal story of the player character. The numerous links between strange fates and events and the past of the nameless, which are revealed to the player in the course of the game, are a result of this consideration. When reading the source material, Avellone also came up with the idea of ​​an immortal main character, and decided to contrast the beginning of the plot with the escape from the morgue. The main character's immortality is based on Avellone's criticism of the system of dying common in computer role-playing games. The decision to change the usual D&D system of attitudes resulted from Avellone's experience as a game master of his own groups of players in school. He found that while his teammates often had an idea of ​​how their character played, this did not match their choice of attitude when creating characters. So he decided to automatically adjust the system's alignment according to the player's behavior. Because of the cliché entry of many role-playing games in which rats are used as easy opponents, he brought in the skull rats, which in groups became many times more powerful.

One of the reasons why the story design was based on strongly descriptive texts was that a graphic implementation of the design ideas would have meant a much larger development team and thus higher costs. The game includes about 100 z. Some very elaborately animated spells, around 20% of which were newly developed for the game.

technology

The game uses the Infinity engine developed by BioWare for Baldur's Gate in a fixed resolution of 640 × 480 pixels. Alternative resolutions are only possible with a fan patch.

Audio

For the soundtrack , producer Henkel originally engaged the dark ambient musician Brian Williams (Lustmord). Except for the background music for a trailer for the computer game fair E3 , none of the pieces were ultimately used. After Henkel left Interplay, the new producer Kenneth Lee changed the musical direction six weeks before the release. Williams' works were completely discarded and instead replaced with a composition by Mark Morgan ( Fallout ). Morgan composed a completely new soundtrack within two weeks. The soundtrack is based on a central motif that has been varied several times. The aim of his work was to generate an emotional reaction from the player to the characters and the plot. Similar to films, the music is therefore strongly driven by the character motifs. Some supplementary title was composed by Richard Band.

In addition to the soundtrack, twelve audio designers and engineers worked on around 1,500 sound effects for the game, including experts from the film industry, under the direction of Interplay's Audio Director Charles Deenen and the audio engineer responsible for mastering Craig Duman. The basis was around 450 ambient sounds from Deenen, which set the tone and mood for each play area. David Farmer ( Armageddon , The 13th Warrior , Lord of the Rings ) of Skywalker Sound designed around 300 sound effects for spells. His colleague Al Nelson ( Jurassic Park 2 , Toy Story 3 ) created the background noise of the morgue from the screams of his teething, ten-month-old son. EFX Systems' sound designer Ann Scibelli ( The Mask , The Bourne Ultimatum , Prometheus ) created creature sounds with the help of real animal cries like moose calls.

Ports

Since 2014 GOG.com offers a version of "Planescape: Torment" for Mac OS X and Linux. This is essentially the PC version, which was ported to the new platforms with the help of Wine . In April 2017, the release as "Enhanced Edition" for iOS took place.

reception

Reviews

Rating mirror

German-language ratings
publication	Rating
GameStar	82%
PC action	85%
PC Games	84%
PC player	89%
Power play	88%
International ratings
Computer Gaming World	5 of 5
GamePro (US)	4.5 out of 5
GameSpot	9 of 10
GameSpy	90
EuroGamer.net	7 out of 10
IGN	9.2 of 10
PC Gamer (US)	93%
PC zone	8.7 out of 10
Meta-ratings
GameRankings	90.64%
Metacritic	91%

Planescape: Torment received very good to outstanding ratings from the trade press ( Metacritic : 91% / GameRankings : 90.64%). The German trade press usually rated it lower than the English-language press.

Thierry Ngyuen from the US print magazine Computer Gaming World described the scenario " as if one were to ask Salvador Dalí to paint an interpretation of the Buddha's words ". He praised the game above all for the quality of its narrative with its dialogues, " which never offend one's own intelligence ", and specifically emphasized the dark, adult subject with its philosophical themes and ethical dilemmas, which he considered the best playful use Use since the role-playing game Ultima 4 published 15 years earlier by Origin Systems . Ngyuen saw in the plot references in particular to John Milton's Paradise Lost and the Indian national epic Ramayana . He also recognized how the development team pick up on role-playing clichés and either fix them or work them up in a satirical way. He also liked how not only the character statistics but also the actions of the player shaped the course of the game, and praised the multiple possible solutions, including a solution variant that managed with little violence and fighting. All of this results in " one of the most effective forms of role-playing that is possible without human players ". Ngyuen only criticized that some relevant story information would only be available to players who would also carefully complete the optional side quests, and regretted that these were not part of the main story. Nevertheless, he gave the game the highest rating.

Adams Greenwood-Ericksen of the University of Central Florida's Institute for Simulation and Training described the game as one of the first adult role-playing games in 2006, not because it involved things inappropriate for children, but because it dealt seriously and in an adult way with important issues such as morality, To deal with guilt and atonement. This sets it apart from most of the previous genre representatives, which are usually about killing opponents and rescuing the princess, any people or even the entire world.

Awards

The game was named the best RPG of 1999 by the US online magazine Gamespot. The print magazine Computer Gaming World also honored the game as “Best RPG of the Year” at its 2000 Premier Awards, Black Isle for the best artistic design and the character Morte with the special prize as best character of the year. As part of the Gaming Globes 2000 of the English-language online magazine EuroGamer.net, Planescape: Torment received the award “Best Male Main Character” in a game in the audience category and Chris Avellone received the award as “Best Designer” for his work on this title. Planescape received numerous awards at the 1999 IGN Vault Network Awards . In the area of ​​role play, it received the award for "Game of the Year", for "Outstanding Achievements in Screenplay", "Surprise of the Year" and "Best Website". The character Morte was chosen as "Most Memorable Character", Black Isle received the award as "Best Developer". From the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences was Planescape: Torment for the Interactive Achievement Awards nominated in 2000 in the "Adventure / RPG of the Year" and "Outstanding achievements in the field of character and story development," but could not these prices gain for themselves.

In 2004 the US magazine GameSpy put Planescape: Torment into its Hall of Fame , and in 2005 GameSpot followed suit with the inclusion of the game in its Greatest Games of All Times . In a survey of professional readers of the industry magazine Gamasutra in September 2006, the game was voted second place in the Quantum Leap Awards, as one of five games that would have advanced the role-playing genre the most.

Commercial win

Planescape: Torment differs significantly from most other role-playing games in that the game places much more emphasis on conversations than on fights. Despite the success of the similarly designed first part of the Baldur's Gate series from BioWare , the sales figures fell short of expectations, which was attributed by the developers on the one hand to the unusual game scenario and the heavy textuality, and on the other hand to a failed marketing strategy on the part of Interplay be. The game was not sufficiently advertised in advance and too little was brought into connection with Baldur's Gate . In addition, the lack of a say in packaging design was criticized, which they described as unappealing. It shows a portrait of the nameless man. The monster-like mask for this cover motif was designed by Hollywood make-up artist and special effects specialist Thomas R. Burman , with producer Guido Henkel acting as the face model. Were world of Planescape: Torment still sells about 400,000 copies so loud Chris Avellone at least recorded the development cost of the game again and a slight profit was made. Black Isle studio manager Feargus Urquhart also assumed in a 2015 interview for Gamestar that the game was profitable. When it was released, it sold well, albeit weaker than Baldur's Gate . Since then, it has presumably been sold millions of times, while production costs have only been three to four million dollars. In that regard, comments that Planescape: Torment was a big commercial flop should be considered excessive.

Like many other campaign worlds, Planescape has not been supported by the manufacturer Wizards of the Coast since the switch to the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons . Therefore, the development of another computer game based on this game system is not to be expected. Due to the narrative level of sophistication associated with the development of a module to be played in the Planescape universe , there have only been a few hobby projects based on the game in the past that use the function of a patch to eliminate some of the inadequacies of the main program that Interplay has not corrected go out.

The figure of Ravel Rätselschön

The night witch Ravel Rätselschön plays a special role, the creation of which was the inspiration for lead designer Avellone. She is one of the most powerful beings in the game world and once gave the nameless man immortality. In addition to their actual physical existence, there are several incarnations. Avellone compared Ravel to a tree that had grown roots in many places. The player was able to encounter three of these incarnations (Mebbeth, Ei-Vene, Martha) within the game world. Avellone let Ravel flow into other games. In Icewind Dale: The Heart of Winter , the seer, the narrator of the cutscenes, is one of those images of Ravel. Another can be found as an elderly lady with cats at the Targos scene in Icewind Dale II . The character Kreia from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords is also influenced by the character Ravel.

Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition

Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition
Studio	Overhaul Games
Publisher	Beamdog
Erstveröffent- lichung	April 11, 2017
platform	Android , iOS , Linux , macOS , Windows , Nintendo Switch , PS4 , Xbox
Game engine	Infinity engine
genre	Computer role playing game
Subject	Dungeons and Dragons
Game mode	Single player , multiplayer
control	Keyboard , mouse , touch screen
medium	Download
language	Multilingual
Age rating	USK PEGI

At the end of March 2017, the Canadian developer Beamdog announced a revised version of the game as a so-called Enhanced Edition. Beamdog had previously released Enhanced Editions for Baldur's Gate , Baldur's Gate II and Icewind Dale , with which the games were adapted to newer systems, corrected for errors, added new functions and published for the first time for the iOS and Android mobile platforms . A little later, on April 11, 2017, Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition was already available for Windows via the online providers Beamdog , the company behind Overhaul Games, and Steam . Since then, versions for iOS , Ubuntu , SteamOS and macOS have followed . A version for Android was released in June 2017. In December 2019, this title will also be available for PS4 , Xbox One and Nintendo Switch .

successor

With Torment: Tides of Numenera a "spiritual successor" to 2013 was Planescape: Torment of inXile Entertainment through crowdfunding financed. Torment: Tides of Numenera does not take place in the Planescape universe, but in the Numenera universe designed by Monte Cook , but should be playful, thematically and stylistically in the tradition of Planescape: Torment . The project was creatively led by Colin McComb, Chris Avellone, and others involved in Planescape: Torment are also part of the development team for the new Torment .

Novels

There are two novels based on the computer game, both exclusively in English:

• Ray Vallese, Valerie Vallese: Torment . Wizards of the Coast , Renton, WA 1999, ISBN 978-0-7869-1527-9 . This is the official companion novel for the game, published by D&D publisher TSR. The story is largely based on the course of the computer game, but on the one hand introduces fewer characters and on the other has a slightly different ending.
  

• By literally taking over and merging the description and dialogues contained in the game, Rhyss Hess published an unofficial transcript of the game under the title Planescape Torment - Novelization . For a long time it was distributed free of charge via the Internet, mainly by fans. The online distribution platform GOG.com added them to the accompanying and additional material for the game when the title was republished on its sales page on September 28, 2010 under the name "Chris Avellone and Colin McComb book".

literature

Game world background

• David J. Cook: Planescape Campaign Setting . Wizards of the Coast , Gordonsville, Virginia 1994, ISBN 978-1-56076-834-0 .
• Monte Cook, Colin McComb: Hellbound: The Blood War . TSR Hobbies , 1996, ISBN 978-0-7869-0407-5 .

Game Studies

• Diane Carr: Play Dead: Genre and Effect in Silent Hill and Planescape: Torment Archived from the original on August 7, 2009. In: Game Studies . 3, No. 1, May 2003. ISSN  1604-7982 . Retrieved May 1, 2009.

Web links

• Official website ( English ) Interplay Entertainment . Archived from the original on February 1, 2001. Retrieved October 16, 2013. ( Additional archive )
• Planescape-Torment.de - dangerous dimensions : official website of the German translators with general information about the game
• Planescape: Torment at MobyGames (English)
• Planescape: Torment in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Planescape: Torment - Novelization (English): retelling of the complete story of "Planescape: Torment" as a novel by Rhyss Hess (2000, English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Paul “Qwinn” Escalona: Planescape: Torment Ultimate WeiDU Fixpack v4.12 ( English ) In: Spellhold Studios . August 8, 2011. Retrieved on February 16, 2011: " Fixing literally hundreds of bugs and thousands of typos, thereby restoring a lot of lost and inactive content - (Combined collection of numerous fan fixes for PS: T)"
2. ↑ ^{a b} Daniel Kreiss: Nose full . In: PC Games . February 27, 2002. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved on September 1, 2009.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Armin Luley: Interview with Guido Henkel . In: DSA - Drakensang . September 23, 2007. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved on August 26, 2011.
4. ^ ^{A b} Matt Barton: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part III: The Platinum and Modern Ages (1994-2004) ( English ) In: Gamasutra . UBM plc . April 11, 2007. Archived from the original on August 7, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
5. ^ Jörg Luibl: Special: Planescape: Torment . In: 4Players . freenet AG . May 29, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
6. ↑ ^{a b c} Seth Schiesel: A Universe Where Ideas Can Trump Actions ( English ) In: The New York Times . The New York Times Company. April 27, 2000. Archived from the original on August 7, 2009. Retrieved on December 4, 2012.
7. ↑ ^{a b c} The Gamasutra Quantum Leap Awards: Role-Playing Games . In: Gamasutra . UBM plc . October 6, 2006. Archived from the original on August 7, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
8. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Chris Avellone: ​​A Man Of Many Words ( English ) In: gamesTM . June 28, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
9. ↑ ^{a b c d} Thomas "Brother None" Beekers: Tales of Torment, Part 1 (interview with developers Chris Avellone and Colin McComb) ( English ) In: RPGWatch . July 30, 2007. Archived from the original on August 7, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
10. ↑ ^{a b c} Thierry Nguyen: Immortal Beloved: Planescape Is a Game To Die for, Again and Again . (pdf) In: Computer Gaming World . No. 188, March 2000, pp. 98-103.
11. ↑ Allen Rausch: Magic & Memories: The Complete History of Dungeons & Dragons ( English ) In: GameSpy . News Corp . August 17, 2004. Archived from the original on August 7, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
12. ↑ Richard "Jonric" Aihoshi: Planescape: Torment Special Report, Part 1 ( english ) In: RPGVault . News Corp . February 11, 2000. Archived from the original on July 25, 2006. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
13. ↑ http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-03-25-planescape-playstation-black-isle-kings-field-from-software
14. ↑ Matt Barton: Matt Chat 63: Planescape: Torment with Chris Avellone ( English ) In: Matt Chat . YouTube . June 5, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
15. ↑ ^{a b} Mark Domowicz: Interview With Scott Warner ( English ) In: markdomowicz.com . June 10, 2007. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
16. ↑ ^{a b} Legendary Studios: Interplay, in: Gamestar 12/2015, p. 93.
17. ↑ Last Rites Team: Planescape CRPG: Last Rites Product Review Packet ( English , PDF; 2.5 MB) In: RPGWatch . July 12, 2007. Archived from the original on August 7, 2009. Retrieved March 6, 2009.
18. ↑ Colin McComb: What's next? ( English ) In: Private blog . July 12, 2012. Archived from the original on March 30, 2015. Retrieved on December 4, 2012.
19. ↑ Chris Dahlen: AVC at GDC '10: An interview with Alpha Protocol creator Chris Avellone ( English ) In: AV Club . S. 1. March 11, 2010. Accessed March 9, 2011.
20. ↑ ^{a b} David Wildgoose: RPG Designer Hates RPGs ( English ) In: Kotaku . May 1, 2009. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
21. ↑ Valerio "the bigg" Bigiani: G3: Widescreen Mod v3.05. The Gibberlings Three, April 28, 2011, accessed on August 18, 2011 (English): “ The Widescreen Mod allows Planescape: Torment [...] to be played at previously unsupported resolutions, like those of widescreen monitors. " 
22. ↑ Nicolas Chevreux: Lustmord interview ( English ) In: Recycle Your Ears . July 31, 2001. Archived from the original on August 7, 2009. Retrieved on February 27, 2009.
23. ↑ Guido Henkel: Episode 11: Torment . In: Stay Forever . May 8, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
24. ↑ Interview with Mark Morgan - a legend behind Fallout music ( English ) In: Game-OST . February 6, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
25. ↑ Interview with Mark Morgan ( English ) In: GSoundtrack . November 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
26. ↑ Seth Schiesel: Behind the Scenes: The Making of Torment Audio ( English ) In: Official website . Interplay entertainment . April 27, 2000. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved on December 4, 2012.
27. ↑ Marcus Schwarten: The classic role-playing game “Planescape: Torment” is also convincing on the iPhone and iPad . April 19, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
28. ^ Heinrich Lenhardt: role play of the walking corpses: Planescape Torment . In: GameStar . 02/2000, February 2000, pp. 120-121.
29. ↑ Planescape: Torment - Gaps in Nirvana . In: PC Games . 2000. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
30. ^ Roland Austinat: Game Test: Planescape: Torment . (Article scan) In: PC Player . No. 02/2000, February 2000, pp. 108-113.
31. ↑ Jay Turner: Review Planescape: Torment ( English ) In: GamePro (US) . IDG . November 24, 2000. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
32. ^ Greg Kasavin : Planescape: Torment Review ( English ) In: GameSpot . CBS . December 21, 2000. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
33. ↑ Joost "Silverdawn" Loijens: Planescape: Torment Review ( English ) In: GameSpy . GameSpy Industries. January 22, 2000. Archived from the original on December 19, 2007. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
34. ↑ Robert "shape" Purchese: Planescape: Torment Review ( English ) In: EuroGamer.net . EuroGamer Network. January 15, 2000. Archived from the original on June 4, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
35. ↑ Trent C. Ward: Planescape: Torment Review ( English ) In: IGN . News Corp . December 17, 2000. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
36. ↑ Michael Wolf: Planescape: Torment review . In: Imagine Media (Ed.): PC Gamer US . 7, No. 3, Brisbane, California, March 2000, pp. 82-83. ISSN  1080-4471 .
37. ↑ Planescape: Torment . In: PC Zone . Future Publishing . August 13, 2001. Archived from the original on August 7, 2009. Retrieved on May 1, 2009.
38. ↑ ^{a b} GameRankings : Average rating of the game , based on 39 ratings. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
39. ↑ ^{a b} Metacritic : Average rating of the game , based on 22 ratings. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
40. ↑ GameSpot Features Archive ( English ) GameSpot . Archived from the original on August 7, 2009. Retrieved February 27, 2009.
41. ↑ CGW editorial team: The 2000 Premier Awards . (pdf) In: Computer Gaming World . No. 188, March 2000, pp. 69-90.
42. ↑ Robert “Gestalt” Purchese: Gaming Globes 2000 results ( English ) In: EuroGamer.net . EuroGamer Network. April 5, 2000. Archived from the original on August 7, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
43. ↑ Richard "Jonric" Aihoshi: The Vault Network Awards 1999 ( Memento of 23 March 2003 at the Internet Archive ), IGN RPGVault. Last accessed June 15, 2012.
44. ^ Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences : Winner of the 2000 awards . Official website. Last accessed on March 27, 2012.
45. ↑ ^{a b} Allen Rausch: GameSpy Hall of Fame ( Planescape: Torment ) ( English ) In: GameSpy . News Corp . August 29, 2004. Archived from the original on August 7, 2009. Retrieved on February 27, 2009.
46. ↑ Andrew Park: The Greatest Games of All Time: Planescape: Torment ( English ) In: GameSpot . CBS . October 10, 2005. Archived from the original on August 7, 2009. Retrieved on February 27, 2009.
47. ↑ Guido Henkel : Whats in a Face ( English ) In: Private blog . October 20, 2011. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved on March 19, 2012.
48. ^ Scott Warner: Games You Liked, Got Great Reviews, Yet No One Played? ( English ) In: Quarter to Three . August 15, 2003. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved on March 19, 2012: “ We did sell-through around 400k worldwide on Torment. There seems to be an ongoing legacy that the game did very poorly at retail, which isn't true. It actually sold more copies than the Fallouts did. Those aren't Final Fantasy numbers, but it certainly was profitable for the company. "
49. ↑ Chris Avellone interview (part 1) ( English ) In: StarWarsKnights.com . February 23, 2009. Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved on March 2, 2011.
50. ↑ Chris Avellone : Un-Ravel-ling Torment ( English ) In: Chris Avellone's Blog . Obsidian Entertainment . September 21, 2007. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved on November 29, 2012.
51. ↑ Planescape: Torment gets an Enhanced Edition from the remaster masters at Beamdog. In: VentureBeat. March 28, 2017, accessed March 31, 2017 . 
52. ↑ Sean Ridgeley: Planescape: Torment released on Good Old Games ( English ) In: Neoseeker . Neo Era Media Inc. September 28, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2012.