Pillars of Eternity Beta Discussion [GAME RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

How are encounters delineated exactly? Could you conceivably when running out of per encounter abilities fall back when faster than an enemy, break off the encounter and then re-engage (like regenerating your shield in a modern shooter )?

 

Per encounters are not THAT powerful that you'd want to do that. You'd probably take damage in the process of running away. Enemies would also recover their stamina and their per-encounters (if they have any), so that strategy would actually be counterproductive.

You'd need a party-wide speed-boost like the Paladin's Zealous Charge to be able to do it reliably.

 

Using per encounters does lead to rote combat where the combat openings of many characters is spamming their per-encounters. This also happens in 4E though, so it's unsurprising that it happens in PE too.

 

Resting restrictions were still in the player's head, not real.

Make up your own limits for using per-encounter powers and you accomplish the same thing.

 

The thing is, per-encounters are MEANT to be spammed - that is part of their design. If you have special attacks that are 2-3/encounter in PE - why on earth would you not use them.

 

By the same argument, why wouldn't you rest between every fight in bg2?

Answer: it makes the game more interesting for you.

 

You're not meant to rest spam though

 

Was the game watcher interview posted at some point?

http://www.gamewatcher.com/interviews/pillars-of-eternity-interview/12162

 

Another +1 for TotSC style expansion then.

 

I scan the news sections of various sites, and this interview wasn't linked from the news article. Maybe they wrote the news before they started typing the interview article.

You can hide disposition indicators in dialogue, have like 10 options to configure autopause, yet no separate volume slider for voices... So yes, people tend to grow irritted when you build a game down to the UI around what you consider important. Very deep scope in some areas compared to less than essential in others means either that, or severe time pressure.

 

I'd say #1 - developer feature preference.

 

This looks so good, I got a boner.

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Feels good.

 

Game is looking less shit and even Sawyer doesn't seem such an asshole anymore. I don't understand what's happening...

If after release I start posting how awesome the game is, please shoot me that I may keep my dignity in death. And tell Roguey to suck it one last time...hehe...

 

You're already wrong, from the PDX previews (eg. PCgamer one) it seems that JS is still 100% himself.

Looking forward to shooting you.

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No I won't, will be busy playing that excellent PoE game

 

Nah, Sawyer is still an asshole but that doesn't mean he isn't competent at his job which is what counts and the game was always gonna be good at the very least (of course, depending on how much you crave that IE fix). Obsidian is a talented studio and given their background I doubt they'll botch a Black Isle style game, it's a shame they haven't been given an opportunity to make one (under Obsidian name atleast) until now.

 

You highlited the wrong part of the quote.


Also, this is pretty decent:

 

Not much new info here, although some mechanics are being explained and some comments from Josh on bits of lore: How Josh Sawyer sold me on Pillars of Eternity's combat Funny but in the whole article with this title, there is not a word about Engagement

The most interesting thing I found was that he has let on info about some optimizations (or 'optimizations') they are doing to the Combat log:

I hope we see how this works in the next BB build. If they've messed it up very bad, there will still be time to raise racket so they go back or fix it.

I also especially liked this quote:

 

The backpedaling continues. Everyone will now probably be fanboys on release but they have to hedge their bets a bit, just in case.

 

I never backpedalled in regards to PoE (not once), my stance remained mostly the same throughout the last 2 years. Stop taking any criticism directed at the game/Sawyer personally, it's getting unnerving.

Also, saying everyone will be fanboys of an RTWP game on the Codex is nonsense, it will have its share of detractors.

 

Great game, mediocre gameplay(combat). That was my stance since the begining and it hasn't changed. I backed the game because Avellone-Obsidian's writing.

 

I don't get why the U shaped ui is getting so much love, the one in the mod that is, its clearly worse function wise than the original game UI, and doesnt even have the tradeoff of being more aesthetically pleasing.

Unless modders manage to implement a complete interface graphical overhaul with the elaborate texture work that has been mocked up previously, i doubt i will ever use it.

 

Probably, but character building in this game feels a bit more like making a build in an ARPG or something to them - as all characters have equal opportunity to be good in combat and dialogue/non-combat gameplay. I think that might be what their specific issue is.

If you want to sperg whacky gimmick combat builds - go right ahead, you can probably pull it off on the lower difficulties without much issue. Hard and up requires paying attention to the numbers a bit.

 

Do i look like a gnognard to you? I never cared about character creation all that much. By your creteria Arcanum had the best, more "fun" combat to date .
Besides multiclassing, character creation was never a big part of IE gameplay. yet i loved BG2 combat. PoE combat leaves me completely indifferent from what i have seen so far, kind of like PST or IWDs did. It's just there, in order to progress in the story/ see good looking maps etc/

 

Yeah combat isn't very tactical. It's pretty darn strategical though lol. Pre-determine the outcome of your encounter!