Divinity: Original Sin 2 Early Access Thread [GAME RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[cruelio]

Gameplay wise, how does combat differ from DOS?

It has a bit more depth. There is now a physical and magical armor endurance value that needs to be depleted on an enemy before any corresponding damage type takes effect. In other words, you need to deplete the physical armor bar before physical damage occurs, or you need to deplete magical armor before your magical attacks (including debuffs and CC) take effect. It adds some additional strategy in choosing attack order based on your character skills.

Ah, the Mass Effect school of RPG combat design.

 

[Chaotic_Heretic]

i started a dwarf bro with earth and water magic with the healing spell, physical armor spell and magic armor spell and knight starting equipment.

this little fucker is unkillable so far ...but battles take long time. i hope to get the battering ram warfare skil fast. i expect later enemies with armor piercing damage will appear so pseudo immortality won't last.

 

[SniperHF]

guys, i actually didn't play D:OS2 EA, besides fiddling around character creation for a couple of hours.

IIRC D:OS had Cyseal as a playground in the EA.

I think it's a little shorter than the total size of Cyseal.

And is the environment interactivity and freedom from DOS maintained?

Even more messy and even more AOEs? Ehh.

Messy is one way to put it, I generally consider it bat-shit insane at times :laugh:. Once you get the ability to bless/curse status effects can be crazy. Teleport that enemy next to you so your melee guy can hit him without moving? Cool. Only you forgot that Melee guy was cursed and you're standing in a puddle of water which now becomes cursed water. Unless your character was blessed and then the water was already blessed so it ends up changing from blessed healing water to normal water.

As long as you keep track of the status of every character it's not that bad but if you forget or miss an icon in an eyeball scan you can cause all sorts of shit.

 

[anus_pounder]

Has there been word of a new update? This is starting to look more and more like vaporware.

 

[imweasel]

Has there been word of a new update? This is starting to look more and more like vaporware.

Larian said a few weeks ago that a new patch would be coming "soon". They are doing some major redesigning, so I guess they ran into some problems which delayed the patch.

 

[anvi]

That is good news cuz anything they do is good. So the more they do the more good it will be.

 

[Kem0sabe]

Hope they speed up combat at some point, they said before that the engine isn't capable of it... But they really need to find a way.

 

[anvi]

Just making it so you can click shit when it is moving around in its animation would go a long way to making it less of a slow pain in the ass.

 

[LESS T_T]

https://www.facebook.com/LarianStud...83318.57774.154072634652943/1350957514964443/

We've got some big changes coming down the line, including a pretty radical overhaul of our NPCs' AI. They'll be a lot smarter now. Like-... like, a LOT smarter. If I didn't know better, I'd swear they-[THIS ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION HAS BEEN TERMINATED EVERYTHING IS FINE GO ABOUT YOUR DAY FELLOW HUMANS]

Spoiler

 

[anvi]

Wait what is the AI for? Don't we have full control over them?

 

[HoboForEternity]

Wait what is the AI for? Don't we have full control over them?

enemies

 

[anvi]

Ahhh. Well that is good, I thought the first game was too easy, hopefully smarter enemies will help that.

 

[Ivan]

Wait what is the AI for? Don't we have full control over them?

combat speed slider is a MUST

 

[Kem0sabe]

combat speed slider is a MUST

They already confirmed that it isn't possible due to engine.

 

[vortex]

Kickstarter Update #33 - Do Androids Dream of Electric Weresheep?

A lot of info about A.I., turtles, PAX south and east:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/larianstudios/divinity-original-sin-2/posts/1776988

It's our first update of 2017, which we're hoping will be a very good year for us indeed (it’s already off to a good start, with Gamestar.de ranking Divinity: Original Sin 2 as the best Early Access game of 2016). But we're getting ahead of ourselves - today we're here to talk about PAX, a patch, and plans.

And as usual, Swen is bursting with good karma:

 

[Infinitron]

I totally forgot about PAX South. LESS T_T Was anything about D:OS 2 published from there? Any Twitch broadcast?

Here's something: http://www.idigitaltimes.com/pax-south-2017-divinity-original-sin-2-best-argument-co-op-rpgs-581222

PAX South 2017: ’Divinity: Original Sin 2’ Is The Best Argument For Co-Op RPGs

Gather ‘round, children. Let me tell you a tale of two souls who thought themselves ready for the challenges of Divinity: Original Sin 2, only to up end at war with an entire village. Poor decision making may have cost these men their lives. But their deaths were not in vain, for their folly serves as a valuable lesson to anyone tempted by the trials of Divinity: Original Sin 2.

The year was 2017. Thousands had descended upon the old town of San Antonio to celebrate entertainers of all stripes: from game makers and costume creators to the towering gladiators known to mesmerize crowds with inhuman feats of strength, resilience and agility. Wandering storytellers Steven Asarch and Scott Craft roamed the celebration, in search of new stories to tell, when they stumbled across representatives of the House of Larian, famed creators of Divinity: Original Sin. Lo and behold, the renowned game makers were testing out a new game of skill; one that built upon Divinity ’s foundation in every way you could imagine. It was to be called Divinity: Original Sin 2; a game capable of taking its players on grand adventures and putting all manner of swords and sorcery at their fingertips.

Sirs Steven and Scott stepped forth with some hesitation, uncertain of their preparedness for the trials that awaited them. Each chose an exemplar, a sword-carrying knight for Scott and a spell-slinging reptilian for Steven, and steeled themselves for what might come next. But neither man was prepared when everything faded to black.

Our heroes awoke on a beach, clad in little more than linen cloth and magic collars, unsure how they’d found themselves in their current predicament. Fortunately, this was not the sort of game to force its players down the path any faster than they’d like. With the freedom to explore, the duo set to work examining their surroundings for signs of life or some purpose for their arrival.

It didn’t take long to find the first monstrous threat to their lives. Two bulbous, maggot-like creatures, each the size of a normal man, navigated a pool of blood wide enough to block the path and prevent any further progress. Between them lie the body of another, less fortunate traveler who’d failed to overcome his squirming, tubular attackers. To their credit, Steven and Scott didn’t hesitate. Both men sprung into action — after deciding proper turn order, of course — without a second thought. And that was the first problem.

Scott was first into the fray. After closing the distance between himself and his foes, the knight took a firm grasp of his steel and swung the blade in an arc wide enough to strike both of the gruesome creatures that lay before him. His blow was true, dealing significant damage to each. But in an instant his fortunes changed as thorny branches sprang from the ground, tearing at his flesh as they grew. But before the maggots could respond to their assailant, Steven stepped in to provide magical artillery, electricity flowing from his fingertips. But human blood holds its fair share of trace metals. And both men still had feet planted firmly on bloodied ground.

When the duo regained their senses, they were pleased to discover themselves alone on the battlefield. The electrified blood hadn’t been kind to their bodies but the only serious injury either man had suffered was to his pride. The same couldn’t be said for the revolting creatures they’d just faced down. They picked the pockets of the fallen traveler and returned to their search for civilization, none the richer but slightly wiser from the experience.

Having smote the unholy abominations, the heroes returned to exploring and quickly stumbled upon a settlement. After a few conversations with the locals, the pair was pleased to discover the party had grown by one, bolstered by the abilities of a local healer. It was the last thing worth celebrating in their short, unfulfilled lives.

Wandering through the town, our heroes stumbled across a man pleading for help from inside a locked cage. Steven and Scott approached the man, hoping to inquire about his situation and to determine whether or not he was in need of assistance. Neither aware that even speaking to the incarcerated was a crime that would bring the full might and fury of the nearby guards down upon their heads. But they learned quickly. Too quickly.

In an instant, the courtyard was surrounded. Archers knocked arrows while guards with swords and maces maintained a slow, purposeful march towards the trio, leaving the ragtag group with little choice but to try and fight its way back out of town. A valiant effort was given. But this was one battle our heroes wouldn’t emerge from victorious.

Scott was the first to fall, thanks to a Bull Rush that missed both of its intended targets, leaving the knight exposed to both close and long-range attacks. He held his ground for a brief period, drawing upon his rage to bolster his fighting spirit. But the village’s defenders proved too strong. And Steven didn’t fare much better. The reptilian spell-caster hurled a fireball in the direction of his partner’s killers, hoping to catch them close together and entirely off-guard, only to watch it ricochet off the guard’s enchanted armor without leaving so much as a scratch. A few arrows was all it took to bleed the life from him. Thankfully, the duo’s new friend was able to escape in the uproar. She’d return shortly after, once the had guards dispersed, with a resurrection scroll.

With a bright flash of light, Steven sprang to his feet, terror in his eyes. It isn’t every day that someone you just met, moments before angering all those within eyesight, is responsible for restoring your mortality. After taking a moment to collect himself, Steven remembered that he, too, had washed ashore with a resurrection scroll in his pocket. Scott was similarly startled upon revival but the trio agreed it would be wiser to get moving now and stop to collect their thoughts once they’d safely escaped the city. But even the wilderness would not save them.

Mere moments after clearing the walls, and taking a few moments to tend their wounds, our trio stumbled upon a new threat. A strange man kneeled over the bodies of two slain men…and appeared to be eating them. Blood and human remains were scattered around the scene. Our heroes cried out, hoping to ascertain more about their latest predicament, but those attempts at communication only seemed to anger the burly, armor-coated warrior. He stood up straight, glared at the party, and bellowed out a demand: Leave now or pay the price.

Not one to suffer insults, or rationalize with cannibals, Scott once again drew his steel. It would be his final mistake. The massive warrior proved much faster than most would’ve expected at first sight. He charged forth, driving Scott into the ground. A single swipe of his colossal blade was all it took to separate the fallen knight from his soul. And just like that, the party was two.

But the cannibal wasn’t finished. With his first threat razed, the massive fighter charged Steven and the healer he’d recruited not long ago. The last either would remember is a flash of green light. Neither recognized the spell. And neither survived.

Now, children, these mistakes can be avoided. Constant death doesn’t have to be your story when Larian’s game makers finally give Divinity: Original Sin 2 to the world. Maybe you and your allies will have more success with the villagers you encounter. Perhaps you’ll be smarter about the fights you take or more successful on the battlefield. Heroes of all stripes can be chosen as your exemplar. Larian will even help you create a new pawn if you’d prefer. And the wilderness is host to numerous adventures, great and small.

So remember the story of Sirs Steven and Scott. Take its lessons to heart and let their mistakes serve as a guiding light when Divinity: Original Sin 2 is released to homesteads far and wide.

Most importantly, speak softly and carry a big stick.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is currently available via Steam Early Access. The full game is expected to hit PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in 2017.

 

[Infinitron]

lol: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/larianstudios/divinity-original-sin-2/posts/1797868

(Micro)Update #34 - "Well Gosh Darn It."

So, earlier today we had a little bit of an "oops" moment when - eh, some mystery person in charge of writing the Kickstarter post hit Publish when he meant to hit Edit, and the update went live before it was finished. (And when we say there was an "oops" moment, that's not quite the word he used.)

The update was fixed within a few minutes, but we’re sorry to say the email that landed in your inbox didn't include the Kickstarter video or the patch notes.

So, just to make sure the people who don’t check the Kickstarter site (and therefore wouldn’t have seen the corrected post) won't miss out, here’s the latest Update Video:



And if you'd like to know all the wonderful details of what's in today’s patch, you can read the patch notes here.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to take a walk around the office with my new best friend.

DING ... DING ... DING...

 

[LESS T_T]

LESS T_T Was anything about D:OS 2 published from there? Any Twitch broadcast?

Not much more than the one you found, I think. Looks like it was pretty small presence.

The full game is expected to hit PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in 2017.

I wonder whether this was from Larian or their head.

 

[Kem0sabe]

I hate it when these journalist cucks role-play a preview...

 

[Haba]

The smarter AI is really interesting can of worms. Hopefully they also have some kind of behaviour/intelligence profile on the creatures so not everyone behaves in the same way.

 

[anvi]

They make it sound like you have to actually hunt mobs, rather than see them standing around in groups?

 

[Kem0sabe]

Is the patch out? Has anyone tried the new changes?

 

[imweasel]

Patch Notes.

http://steamcommunity.com/games/435150/announcements/detail/675939811040182918

Spoiler

Improvements

• AI 2.0. Integrated new AI system for all enemies
  
• AI has received a big overhaul. In general it should be a lot smarter and have more awareness of its surroundings. This means that the AI might have gotten a bit more difficult to deal with, so don't underestimate your enemies and especially watch your positioning! Your enemies will make better use of barrels, surfaces, and combat control skills, and they’ll have better knowledge of the consequences of casting particular skills. Planning ahead is now more important than ever.
  
• Loot system overhaul
  
• Find less gear in random loot, but more gold and valuables. The idea is to get economy going and make trade more important. Uniquely hand-placed items and boss loot should feel more rewarding and rare. You HAVE to go shopping!
  
• Added three new arenas
  
• Forbidden Valley
  
• Enemy at the Gates
  
• Ravenshaw Mansion
  
• Added AI 2.0 to arenas
  
• You can now choose which starting class recruited companions should be, making it easier to compose the best-balanced party
  
• Removed durability from armor
  
• Weapon durability now only decreases when attacking objects
  
• Reduced AoE radius of most area spells to promote tactical gameplay
  
• Improved talk animation for female humans
  
• New melee attack animations for all races
  
• Improved female lizard skill animations
  
• Improved several item textures throughout the level
  
• Improved animations for several skills
  
• Improved list of usable items that should automatically get added to the bottom bar
  
• Improved Soul Jars: they now check if the player still has their Source collar before letting them absorb the soul in the jars
  
• Improved Burn My Eyes tooltip to include that it removes Terrified, Sleeping, Enraged
  
• Improved fog effects
  
• Updated several UI sound effects

Balancing and design changes

• Invisibility is now removed by Frozen, Petrified, Stunned, Knocked Down, Taunted, Sleeping, Wet
  
• Invisibility is no longer removed by all surfaces, except if they damage you
  
• Fortified status should now remove burning
  
• Poison damage no longer automatically contaminates puddles
  
• Wielding single wand now applies bonus from single handed ability
  
• Players receive their second Civil Point at level two. After that, they receive a point every four levels
  
• Weapon skills now show ‘chance to hit’ when hovering over a target
  
• All chests can now be moved and picked up, except special arena chests
  
• All containers that should be pick-up-able, now are (improved weight stats)
  
• Ground Smash now uses damage of equipped weapon
  
• Increased duration of Burning, Poisoned and Bleeding for most skills because these statuses no longer deal one tick of damage when applied for the first time
  
• Description of ‘Rested’ status now mentions that it protects from certain harmful statuses
  
• Added a new defensive ability, Perseverance, that allows characters to regain part of their armor after being controlled by a status
  
• Surfaces and clouds no longer disappear automatically. Exceptions: fire (2 turns), smoke (1 turn)
  
• You can no longer spot characters in sneak mode while preparing a skill
  
• Sneaking cones now show on all characters that can spot you, rather than just the ones that see you
  
• Incapacitated NPCs can no longer spot the player while the player is in sneak mode. Similarly, incapacitated players can no longer spot sneaking enemies.
  
• Damage statuses no longer tick damage on applying
  
• Set equip cost for all slots to 1 AP
  
• Trompdoy is now immune to poison and bleeding
  
• Purging Wands and Braccus Helm now give Source Disruption skill

Additions

• Added and updated visual effects:
  
• Elemental weapon impacts
  
• Several grenades and arrows
  
• Several skills throughout campaign and in Arena Mode
  
• Added and improved several sounds for skills and usable items
  
• Added weapon swoosh effects that scale with the level of your weapon abilities (Example: Single-handed weapons will have a bigger swoosh at single-handed level five)
  
• Added map marker from Delorus, after you choose to heal him
  
• Added new effect for Party Reflection Dialogs and stopped these dialogs from appearing during combat
  
• Added new type of pitchfork to weapon treasure
  
• Added new simple tools weapon types to weapon treasure (mallet, pickaxe, scythe, pitchfork)
  
• Added several journal updates for quests in Fort Joy area
  
• Added new necklace types to treasure generation
  
• Added being able to sell junk in the trade window
  

Bug Fixes

• Fixed random seed not being reset when loading a savegame. Happy save scumming!
  
• Fixed several signs that were no longer legible
  
• Fixed errors in status animations for male humans
  
• Fixed Bahara position at seeker camp. Some players were getting "can't reach" message when trying to interact with her
  
• Fixed incorrect reflection boost getting added to equipment
  
• Fixed issue with XP reward in multiplayer for "The Imprisoned Elf" quest
  
• Fixed blind status causing player to miss even after the status wore off
  
• Fixed non-weapon items not showing critical hit chance
  
• Fixed possible crash when unloading a level
  
• Fixed crash when a client player would press highlight characters button without having assigned characters
  
• Fixed issue with initial dialogs of Gawin and Leste
  
• Fixed the equipment of one of Trompdoy's illusions
  
• Fixed dialogs for certain characters after they had already met (example: Red Prince and Stingtail dialog)
  
• Fixed Gawin dying prematurely during one of his teleports
  
• Fixed Amyro becoming hostile if he is teleported out of his cell
  
• Fixed issue with resurrected characters causing arena match to end prematurely
  
• Fixed issue with Void Worm not spawning in the final fight of Fort Joy
  
• Fixed crash when player was committing a crime and then loading a savegame right after
  
• Fixed Gratiana's dialog if Gareth is already dead when the Seekers gather before the final fight
  
• Fixed hotbar positions of the button hints after reassigning keyboard shortcuts
  
• Fixed Gratiana's dialog if you had the Wand and had delivered the Soul Jar to her already
  
• Fixed issue with Gareth's dialog before the final fight. In some cases, he would not leave behind companions for the player to help during the battle
  
• Fixed a crash when destroying specific chests containing cloth loot
  
• Fixed Historian joining combat involuntarily in Fort Joy Swamps area
  
• Fixed the boat to escape Fort Joy still being visually present for other players after one player had already used it
  
• Fixed items disappearing when you left them in certain containers and tried to recover them after leaving the area
  
• Fixed several items not having an icon
  
• Fixed items getting removed from hotbar when switching from dual wield to two-handed
  
• Fixed Comeback Kid talent so it correctly saves the player character with 1 hp left
  
• Fixed Telekinesis beam effect not disappearing
  
• Fixed burning pigs not reacting correctly when receiving Blessed status
  
• Fixed multiplayer issues with Saheila quest
  
• Fixed being able to talk to Zaleskar's mirror after killing him
  
• Fixed Charmed status description
  
• Fixed possible infinite fire surface
  
• Fixed Tarlene's dialogue after you save Gareth
  
• Fixed issue that Source collars would not show up after getting resurrected in Arena
  
• Fixed necromancers not attacking after you destroy Necromancer Rask's Soul Jar
  
• Fixed projectiles sometimes colliding with roofs
  
• Fixed several incorrect imprisonment scenarios
  
• Fixed several issues with necromancer maze
  
• Fixed issue with curse status getting stuck on character after receiving it via items like Braccus' ring
  
• Fixed issue with starting skills not updating in character creation screen
  
• Fixed being able to pickpocket all loot by pressing space bar when ‘take all’ button is disabled
  
• Fixed smoke clouds not blocking vision anymore after loading
  
• Fixed gold in containers not being included in trade window, while the containers are in the player's inventory
  
• Fixed being able to get a Talent without meeting its requirements in the character creation screen
  
• Fixed Attribute bonuses from equipment so they correctly count towards requirements for equipping items
  
• Fixed Leadership not working on allies in multiplayer
  
• Fixed surface damage reflect. This should not happen anymore.
  
• Fixed several issues with Buddy the dog
  
• Fixed several minor dialogue inconsistencies in and around Fort Joy
  
• Fixed Voidwoken Drillworm spawning in incorrect locations

The overhauled loot system and AI 2.0 sound great. Attribute system 2.0 was also implemented in the last patch, so I guess I can give it another go.

Is the patch out?

Yes.

 

[PulsatingBrain]

They make it sound like you have to actually hunt mobs, rather than see them standing around in groups?

I haven't played much of it as I want to wait for release, but in what little I did play I was running into mobs like normal

 

[anvi]

Thanks, so the monster finding him in the bushes while he was watching the other one was just bs. :C It is funny how game devs always make their games sound more interesting than they really are.