Failure to live up to itself.

[Jaedar]

This thread is about pays PoE hypes itself up by hinting it will provide deep reactivity and choices, and then not following through. Spoilers will of course abound, but I ask that people still mark things with an explanatory "this is how far into the game this happens".

I will begin:

The description for both godlike and cipher states that they are viewed with great suspicion and fear from the commonfolk, yet to my knowledge, this is never the case in the game.

heritage hill

When it comes to the soul machine the lady vampire points out that the machine has gathered so many souls and that they will NEED to be put somewhere before it can be shut down. This implies you will get to make some hard/interesting choice about those souls, but in the end it amounts to nothing.

End of act 2

The "trial" certainly does make it seem like your dialogue choices matter, but then it spectacularly fails to do so.

 

[Athelas]

 

[Havoc]

Fortress - A big (huge for me) let down. Why promise something you really don't care about? And then deliver with "meh"? All this story. The endless paths. A character searching for answers in it. Nothing. Virtually nothing meaningful came out of the fortress. Unless it does in Act 2/3.

 

[evdk]

The description for both godlike and cipher states that they are viewed with great suspicion and fear from the commonfolk, yet to my knowledge, this is never the case in the game.

I kinda hoped the priest of Berath would comment on me being a death godlike, but so far the only reaction that I can remember was from the knife nut kid in Defiance Bay.

Also not a single background check for me being from Valia, not at the Embassy, nit from the shady trader and not from the bird paladin, who actually proceeded to lecture me on Valian culture.

 

[Athelas]

Also not a single background check for me being from Valia, not at the Embassy, nit from the shady trader and not from the bird paladin, who actually proceeded to lecture me on Valian culture.

The once crown jewel of the southern seas, is the crumbling island nations of Old Vailia sit thousands of miles to the southwest of their offshoot, the Vailian Republics

 

[evdk]

Well, now I just feel stupid(er).

 

[Athelas]

I bet you think all black people are the same, don't you?

 

[evdk]

We don't have black people here, I thought they were a myth.

Anyway I stand behind my complaint about the Death Godlike thing.

 

[Western]

A miniboss mentions your Death Godlike status in the endless paths (level 5), just flavour text though.

 

[AN4RCHID]

I've gotten quite a few offhand comments about playing a Godlike. Probably over half a dozen. It's not much, but it's better reactivity than you get from say, any character creation option in Skyrim.

As far as the game living up to itself, are you suggesting it has worse C&C/reactivity than the IE games? Cause it seems better than pretty much any of them to me. I'd say Wasteland 2 has an edge on PoE in this area, but PoE isn't bad by any means.

 

[Alienman]

Fortress - A big (huge for me) let down. Why promise something you really don't care about? And then deliver with "meh"? All this story. The endless paths. A character searching for answers in it. Nothing. Virtually nothing meaningful came out of the fortress. Unless it does in Act 2/3.

Spoilers about fortress

Spoiler

The fortress is a waste of time in every single way. I thought as you that something might happen to it. That you will have to use it in some way against the enemy... well, nothing. The reason I put this in the spoiler section is that when you get the epilogue at the end the narrator mention the fortress. If you don't build everything he will say that it gets abandon again and everyone forgets about it I'm guessing here since I didn't build all the stuff before ending the game.

 

[evdk]

Fortress - A big (huge for me) let down. Why promise something you really don't care about? And then deliver with "meh"? All this story. The endless paths. A character searching for answers in it. Nothing. Virtually nothing meaningful came out of the fortress. Unless it does in Act 2/3.

Spoilers about fortress

Spoiler

The fortress is a waste of time in every single way. I thought as you that something might happen to it. That you will have to use it in some way against the enemy... well, nothing. The reason I put this in the spoiler section is that when you get the epilogue at the end the narrator mention the fortress. If you don't build everything he will say that it gets abandon again and everyone forgets about it I'm guessing here since I didn't build all the stuff before ending the game.

Spoiler

Did you defeat the Optional Boss in the Endless Paths?

 

[RK47]

This thread is about pays PoE hypes itself up by hinting it will provide deep reactivity and choices, and then not following through. Spoilers will of course abound, but I ask that people still mark things with an explanatory "this is how far into the game this happens".

I will begin:

 

[Alienman]

Fortress - A big (huge for me) let down. Why promise something you really don't care about? And then deliver with "meh"? All this story. The endless paths. A character searching for answers in it. Nothing. Virtually nothing meaningful came out of the fortress. Unless it does in Act 2/3.

Spoilers about fortress

Spoiler

The fortress is a waste of time in every single way. I thought as you that something might happen to it. That you will have to use it in some way against the enemy... well, nothing. The reason I put this in the spoiler section is that when you get the epilogue at the end the narrator mention the fortress. If you don't build everything he will say that it gets abandon again and everyone forgets about it I'm guessing here since I didn't build all the stuff before ending the game.

Spoiler

Did you defeat the Optional Boss in the Endless Paths?

No I did not, could be that also. Totally forgot about that dungeon
Oops.

 

[Ellef]

You had to know they talk a lot of hype and PR shit when their kickstarter mentions it having the best of dialogue of PS:T, the combat of IWD and the adventures of BG.

 

[Brutan]

Spoiler

I was a bit disappointed with the Skaen sacrifice. I had sacrificed on of my companions for (almost) nothing. I didn't even notice the small bonus. I was expecting some small effects in the story, some references to that dark secret of mine. But nothing, it's like it never happened.

In the same Skaen underground, when you get to the boss battle, I was hoping for more options. I had a dungeon in my stronghold, I could should have taken the girls prisoner in the dungeon and continually blackmail "her uncle".

The baby sacrifice in the Elven city was done a little better. I mean at least the Grieving Mother had something against killing the baby. But the paladin and the other characters ? Nope, couldn't care less. Also, after the sacrifice I was hoping I could use the potion for myself and thus cheat on the elf. Again, couldn't do that.

After you defeat Thaos, all the options are to either destroy his souls or let him pass in the afterlife. Where's the option to enslave his soul like I did to the former master of the stronghold? What even worse it's that the same action(destroy the soul) was given as an option twice. One because you want revenge/evil option and another one because whatever do-goody reason.

And the last one that disappointed me, after lying my way through as much as I could, I ended up with more "honest" points than "deceptive" ones. Also, I had only one point for cruel and benevolent each !! What does a guy have to do to get 3-4 points in cruelness? And yes, I sold my dungeon prisoners to the slavers.

 

[DraQ]

What a sad waste of scripting.

it's better reactivity than you get from say, any character creation option in Skyrim.

There are character creation options in Skyrim?

 

[Ellef]

What a sad waste of scripting.

Like most games released these days, it's front-loaded with reactivity for reviews and trailers, then promptly left by the wayside. If the whole game had the options in raedrics hold, the starting dungeon and maybe dyrford, the game would be immeasurably better.

 

[DraQ]

What a sad waste of scripting.

Like most games released these days, it's front-loaded with reactivity for reviews and trailers, then promptly left by the wayside. If the whole game had the options in raedrics hold, the starting dungeon and maybe dyrford, the game would be immeasurably better.

The thing is that the kind of reactivity visible in the screenshot could and should have been accomplished systemically. There shouldn't even be a dialogue window, only a floater after examining the pillar.

 

[Thal]

What a sad waste of scripting.

Like most games released these days, it's front-loaded with reactivity for reviews and trailers, then promptly left by the wayside. If the whole game had the options in raedrics hold, the starting dungeon and maybe dyrford, the game would be immeasurably better.

The thing is that the kind of reactivity visible in the screenshot could and should have been accomplished systemically. There shouldn't even be a dialogue window, only a floater after examining the pillar.

Perhaps for one player choice like fire godlike, but for every possible ones? Not a chance. They amount of work going through every option in every scenario would be staggering. Not only that but it would be wasted energy. Let's say you are an [aggressive] [fire godlike] [raider] [monk] or something. You have dialogue option for each one. Which one do you choose most of the time?

Every class, backround, attribute and disposition will have some meaning during the game. This is the best possible way to give player feedback for their backrounds. Everyone gets some and unless someone goes to the game expecting hand crafted playthrough for his wild orlan they won't be disappointed.

The reactivity you seem to be expecting would be possible if there were only few player choices during character creation.

Has there even ever been an rpg where character creation leads into a greater number if unique dialogue options than in this game?

 

[DraQ]

What a sad waste of scripting.

Like most games released these days, it's front-loaded with reactivity for reviews and trailers, then promptly left by the wayside. If the whole game had the options in raedrics hold, the starting dungeon and maybe dyrford, the game would be immeasurably better.

The thing is that the kind of reactivity visible in the screenshot could and should have been accomplished systemically. There shouldn't even be a dialogue window, only a floater after examining the pillar.

Perhaps for one player choice like fire godlike, but for every possible ones? Not a chance. They amount of work going through every option in every scenario would be staggering. Not only that but it would be wasted energy. Let's say you are an [aggressive] [fire godlike] [raider] [monk] or something. You have dialogue option for each one. Which one do you choose most of the time?

Every class, backround, attribute and disposition will have some meaning during the game. This is the best possible way to give player feedback for their backrounds. Everyone gets some and unless someone goes to the game expecting hand crafted playthrough for his wild orlan they won't be disappointed.

The reactivity you seem to be expecting would be possible if there were only few player choices during character creation.

You have it ass backwards.

The reason it dissolves into special case mess is that it's handled by specific scripting.

If fire godlike had an ability to ignite stuff or apply minimal amount of fire damage as racial, and objects such as braziers would have an ability to be ignited by fire damage without caring about its source, then every objects set to be flammable would automatically react to fire godlike in appropriate manner, as well as to being ignited by torch and so on.

Performing actions through dialogue window should always be the last resort.

 

[Jasede]

...right...

I also believe houses in games should be built out of individual bricks so they can realistically collapse.

 

[Ninjerk]

...right...

I also believe houses in games should be built out of individual bricks so they can realistically collapse.

Strawman detected

 

[eric__s]

Has there even ever been an rpg where character creation leads into a greater number if unique dialogue options than in this game?

The only one that comes to mind was made by the same people. I like it THIS much.

I agree with you, it is an extremely impressive feature that comes up fairly frequently.

 

[Shadenuat]

The reason it dissolves into special case mess is that it's handled by specific scripting.

It's the only "puzzle" like that in the whole game, what you say would only be useful in a game with high level of interactivity (like D:OS with it's oil puddles).

Also, dialogue can have efficient and universal coding too. You can work with things like tags for strings like people did using Aurora engine in NWN1.