Interview Interview with Josh Sawyer at Hardbloxx

[Perkel]

I like he talked about pacing problems in ACT1 ...

what pacing problems ? exactly ? Maybe because it wasn't boring compared to ACT2 or ACT3 ?

 

[Dreaad]

The main villain is also a big part of a good story and whatever else you can say about BG2, Irenicus and Melissan were really very good. Especially when compared against the half idiot philosopher Thaos, a supposedly god like figure, semi immortal, has 'toppled empires', is the leader of the most secret organization in history (once again supposedly)..... Basicly completely over the top drivel.
Yet for all that he feels the need to do everything himself, wastes his time on retarded schemes and is completely incapable of dealing with one Watcher.... yeah okay.

All the plot holes are really annoying as well. It's alright for D&D setting because it's a magical mess no one really understands what's going on so you can get away with a lot of stuff. If you decide to throw that away and focus on creating a believable world, you better make sure it's got water tight logic or you're just making people focus on how things don't make sense.

 

[MrMarbles]

Wot? The only story problem was the first act? Keep on going Obsidian.

I laughed at that bit too.
I think I know what he's referring to as well - Something Awful complained about some of the 'steps' required for progressing the story, for instance you *have* to rest at the Inn, and then you *have to* talk to that Dwarf chick ghost and only then can you talk to Eder. Stuff like that.
But yeah I haven't seen Something Awful or badgame complain about any other parts of the story really, and they don't pay attention to anyone else really (other than their QA reading the Tech support forums).

The reason SA don't complain about later parts of the game is that they are not competent interested enough to finish it. Game comments on internet forums (bar the codex) will usually focus on the starting parts of the game, because those are the parts people have actually played. If not you would have seen more of them complaining about the end of act 2 and the tropes of act 3. Pro critics are no different, you can usually spot the ones that aren't actually into rpgs and are just going through the motions.

Brofists Received:
160
Kodex Kool Kredits:
137

Your opinion doesn't matter.

That is seriously lame. Way to stoke the fires of broflation

 

[Ulrox]

Text

Dude, you're probably one of the best posters on the codex - keep it up! I dont want to Brofist everything you say because I dont want to cause brofist inflation, but just presume I brofist everything you say ok?

 

[Sensuki]

what pacing problems ? exactly ?

Refer to my post. Act 1 was the only Act with good pacing IMO but there were some minor issues with the task structure of the main quest.

 

[Sizzle]

The main villain is also a big part of a good story and whatever else you can say about BG2, Irenicus and Melissan were really very good.

Melissan... a good villain?

I mean, don't get me wrong, I didn't like Thaos all that much either either (even though he had potential), but even he was better than Mellisan. Anything is better than Melissan.

 

[Brotherman Bill]

Can't believe he tries to claim the stronghold was a quest hub . Crooked lying bastard. Just admit it you spineless cretin, you fucked up and lied, quit the PR 'technically' bs speech and admit you made promises you couldn't keep, people will respect you more for it.... I hate cowards.

"Josh: It is a quest hub (for bounties), but even in our original design, it was supposed to be an optional system, not required outside of the first part of the critical path."

He said it was a quest hub for bounties. It was a quest hub for bounties, just build the wardens lodge. And he did admit it wasn't good enough. What more do you want?

 

[Roguey]

The main villain is also a big part of a good story and whatever else you can say about BG2, Irenicus and Melissan were really very good.

Melissan... a good villain?

I mean, don't get me wrong, I didn't like Thaos all that much either either (even though he had potential), but even he was better than Mellisan. Anything is better than Melissan.

Not even Volourn likes Melissan.

 

[Dreaad]

*shrug* Maybe I didn't mind because I was younger.... but I never realized she was the villain until the monk guy revealed it. I thought she did an admirable job of being a priestess by her lack of being the chosen one, but instead of giving up manipulated the bahl spawn into killing each other.

I stand by my statement that she makes more sense and has more logical goals than Thaos.

 

[Sizzle]

She makes more sense only if you presume that the PC is retarded.

Still, this being ToB, that may indeed be the case.

 

[ZagorTeNej]

Gromnir was right all along.

HA! Good fun!

 

[Crescent Hawk]

What is so bad about the story in PoE anyway? Its pretty much what I expected.

It would require a wall of text but let's just say PoE isn't the game with the worst story I played, I played games with really shitty storylines and managed to like some despite their sillyness. When you have fun on the combat you pretty much don't give a fuck to story but when the combat is way too repetitive, you kinda want to see if the story/writing can keep you going and every NPC on PoE is:

A super fantasy history nerd professor that thinks you are way more interested on his stuff than you really are or that annoying friend of yours that read a book on philosophy and decides to teach you when he is drunk. I mean, it's far from being the first RPG that does this but on Torment for example, nice characters with crazy concepts, like Ravel, are what is important and the pseudo philosophical non sense was just some extra fluff, on PoE, most characters are just mouth pieces for the pseudo philosophical non sense or dry exposition and that is boring.

You know, people think its cliche but there is a severe lacking of ole DnD "Let's adventure, kill the dragon, save the princess and get wasted." PoE wants to a BG 1 adventure romp and Torment at the same time and really doesn't work (maybe could work but they didn't manage to pull it off... dunno.). The first half is a traditional RPG romp "Let's kill evil lord and get a fortress.", the second half it remembers it really wants to be Torment and you go talking with gods and question the nature of the universe with no "real" gods and meaningless of existance or whatever and that part was handled with the subtetly of a drill on your skull.

PoE is the Obsidian game with least choices on the main storyline and companions, on MotB you can kill one companion and use his skin to make an abomination that can change class depending of your choices and the souls it eat, you can make that choice right after the tutorial. Where is the option for me to tell Eder for him to stop being a mangina and grow some balls?

I guess I know what you mean, maybe I was blinded by the fact I like some aspects of the combat and the overall aesthetic of the game, which I quite like

I do too feel we need to go back to the roots, but at least competently done , and not so bland as DivOS or Dragonfall. We need stuff like Conan stories, I read the Tower of the elephant the other day, so simple but so passionate, did PoE really need more? Fuck Game of Thrones, the Witcher, and Dragon Age, I jsut want to be an Hyborian wanderer, full of wanderlust, face fearful mad wizards, see the beauty of the world, l hear the lamentations of their women, you get my drift.

 

[Gurkog]

PoE would have been a lot better without the player keep and "endless dungeon. They were a waste of resources that could have been put toward refining the rest of the experience. The expansion could have been the keep and dungeon as an expansion on already established content and systems, but the inclusion from the start just watered everything else down.

 

[Jaesun]

All this stupid pop up shit jebus

 

[Jaesun]

Star Wars horrible cartoon game.

 

[Lord Trousersnake]

P. fun thread.
Fanboy meltdowns are the best meltdowns but are sadly quite rare on the Codex. Herostratus did a fine job, I think he could make a great character in my next Codex fanfiction. Perhaps as a valiant Joe McCarthy figure, ruthlessly crushing anti-codexian activities.