Turn-based combat mode in Deadfire

[TemplarGR]

Reminder that console has always been the home of turn-based. It was PC that went RTwP; majority of RPGs on console are always turn-based.

Turn based is a musthave for unskilled gamers and console controls. Any video gamer worth his salt prefers real time.

 

[Roguey]

Microsoft has gamepass now, so they are incentivized to add niche games.

Which is why they bought inXile.

 

[Nryn]

If one owns the game on Steam, there's a tedious way to get the version of the game that still had the turn-based mode before it was overwritten/hidden. Doing so involves combing through https://steamdb.info/ and looking up the Deadfire depots for the base game and DLCs that existed for less than 2 hours a few days ago.

If you want to play around with the turn-based mode as it briefly existed, here's how:

1. Enable Steam's Console: The quickest way to do so is to open the Run Window (Windows key+R), and typing in steam://open/console
You should see a new Console tab in Steam if successful.

2. You will need to manually download the depots for the base game and DLCs you own using the download_depot command with the Steam Console. They are as follows:

Base Game:
download_depot 560130 560131 737527484326782922

Main DLCs:
download_depot 560130 560134 9085111276035967401
download_depot 560130 812204 1952845592968314367
download_depot 560130 812207 92672211882417619

Other DLCs (including Critical Role):
download_depot 560130 560137 1478649678951473472
download_depot 560130 812214 5313336848894040769
download_depot 560130 812221 457086982652998859
download_depot 560130 812227 2447360910521227677
download_depot 560130 812231 1479624390411370622
download_depot 560130 812234 4550794723672811444
download_depot 560130 812244 677027520936962085
download_depot 560130 812247 740399630612379350

The above files will be saved to Steam's default installation directory\steamapps\content\app_560130. Ensure there's ~50 GB beforehand.

3. To enable the DLCs, copy the PillarsOfEternityII_Data folder from each DLC into \steamapps\content\app_560130\depot_560131

4. Run the game using PillarsOfEternityII.exe from \steamapps\content\app_560130\depot_560131. If everything went right, the main DLCs should be enabled on the title screen.

I only played around with the initial fight, but things seemed to be working normally, with no missing strings for the initiative window, ending one's turn, etc. I have no idea if the entire game is playable as such, but at the very least it gives a glimpse into how drastically different the combat feels in turn-based compared to the Deadfire of before.

 

[J1M]

Would be nice if they added this. I skipped this one due to RTWP.

 

[Mustawd]

Reminder that console has always been the home of turn-based. It was PC that went RTwP; majority of RPGs on console are always turn-based.

Turn based is a musthave for unskilled gamers and console controls. Any video gamer worth his salt prefers real time.

I guess all Civilization and other turn based strategy games aren’t real games.

Thanks for your valuable insight into the retarded mind.

 

[Safav Hamon]

If one owns the game on Steam, there's a tedious way to get the version of the game that still had the turn-based mode before it was overwritten/hidden. Doing so involves combing through https://steamdb.info/ and looking up the Deadfire depots for the base game and DLCs that existed for less than 2 hours a few days ago.

If you want to play around with the turn-based mode as it briefly existed, here's how:

1. Enable Steam's Console: The quickest way to do so is to open the Run Window (Windows key+R), and typing in steam://open/console
You should see a new Console tab in Steam if successful.

2. You will need to manually download the depots for the base game and DLCs you own using the download_depot command with the Steam Console. They are as follows:

Base Game:
download_depot 560130 560131 737527484326782922

Main DLCs:
download_depot 560130 560134 9085111276035967401
download_depot 560130 812204 1952845592968314367
download_depot 560130 812207 92672211882417619

Other DLCs (including Critical Role):
download_depot 560130 560137 1478649678951473472
download_depot 560130 812214 5313336848894040769
download_depot 560130 812221 457086982652998859
download_depot 560130 812227 2447360910521227677
download_depot 560130 812231 1479624390411370622
download_depot 560130 812234 4550794723672811444
download_depot 560130 812244 677027520936962085
download_depot 560130 812247 740399630612379350

The above files will be saved to Steam's default installation directory\steamapps\content\app_560130. Ensure there's ~50 GB beforehand.

3. To enable the DLCs, copy the PillarsOfEternityII_Data folder from each DLC into \steamapps\content\app_560130\depot_560131

4. Run the game using PillarsOfEternityII.exe from \steamapps\content\app_560130\depot_560131. If everything went right, the main DLCs should be enabled on the title screen.

I only played around with the initial fight, but things seemed to be working normally, with no missing strings for the initiative window, ending one's turn, etc. I have no idea if the entire game is playable as such, but at the very least it gives a glimpse into how drastically different the combat feels in turn-based compared to the Deadfire of before.

This is great! Now we can mod it back into the game if for some reason Obsidian never adds it.

 

[Safav Hamon]

Would you take some screenshots?

- Initiative description
- Dexterity description
- Intelligence description
- Stride description
- Any armor description
- Any spell description

 

[jf8350143]

I pray to god it sells better on consoles, so we can get a third game. Obsidian is finally finding its rhythm with the DLC.

I somehow doubt Microsoft bought Obsidian for them to waste further manpower on isometric RPGs with limited appeal compared to something like TOW. Either that or they're going to become Microsoft's Larian and try to corner that market.

I imagine Obisidian's major team will working on something big, like Outer Worlds（and any future big project Microsoft want them to do）, while a smaller team doing the smaller budget games like Pillars. This is what they are doing right now anyway, it's good for their PR and didn't cost much,Microsoft's Gaming pass could always use some extra games for differeng genre.

 

[Nryn]

Would you take some screenshots?

- Initiative description
- Dexterity description
- Intelligence description
- Stride description
- Any armor description
- Any spell description

System Changes:

Spoiler

- Characters can only act on their turns.
- Recovery Time becomes "Initiative." Lower Initiative means acting earlier in a round
- Reload Time modifies "Initiative" and these weapons will reload between turns
- Spells with longer cast times will complete their cast at a later point in the turn order
- Dual Wield auto-attacks are now Full Attacks and no longer affect Recovery Time
- Durations are converted to last number of "rounds"
- Effects that tick, pulse or occur over time have had their potency scaled to match a per round value
- Magran's Challenge adds a time limit to turns instead of limiting pausing
- Party Member AI and Re-targeting are disabled

Journal Additions:

Spoiler

Casting Free Action Spells, and their Tooltip:

Spoiler

Modifying Initiative:

Spoiler

There is no in-game stat for Stride that I could locate. Even something as important as Initiative is not viewable on the main character sheet, and one needs to look up weapons/items to see the character's initiative.

 

[Safav Hamon]

Thanks man, but I'm still wondering how dexterity and action speed work.

 

[Nryn]

Here's what Dexterity brings to the table in Turn-Based:

Spoiler

Higher Dexterity is supposed to govern how soon in the current turn a spell that has begun to be cast fires off.
Higher Dexterity reduces initiative, but a 30% increased action speed only translates to a 23% reduction in Initiative. No idea if it's just a visual bug, or if there are other calculations under the hood that we are not privy to.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Higher Dexterity reduces initiative, but a 30% increased action speed only translates to a 23% reduction in Initiative

.77 * 1.3 = 1

 

[Quillon]

What does dexterity do for melee specifically while its helping casts go off quicker?

 

[Safav Hamon]

Good question. Are there any non-magic cast actions?

 

[HoboForEternity]

bought the season pass on sale.

my body is ready for turn based play of no longer dumpsterfire

 

[Alpan]

Nryn, can you also post an example of how Intellect scales an ability duration? I guess Safav was bullshitting, as he usually does when he claims to be data-mining, when he mentioned round intervals.

 

[Safav Hamon]

There are still intervals according to Nryn

Higher Dexterity is supposed to govern how soon in the current turn a spell that has begun to be cast fires off.

I had never claimed to have data-mined either. All that information was from people that played it first hand.

 

[Alpan]

Well, I'm seeing references to durations in rounds and casts going off mid-round, but nothing to suggest that an effect will expire mid-round. Hence my skepticism.

Also, my bad on the datamining claim -- I was going by the recent news post.

I'm curious to see what they have done with Intellect scaling -- something simple like +1 round/point feels like it would be grossly overpowered, but anything involving fractions would conversely be too weak.

 

[Lycra Suit]

The point of Pillars was to emulate the infinity engine games. It was meant and designed to be played in real time with pause. (And I would argue real time was the reason Baldur's Gate was so popular in its time.)

Turn based doesn't magically fix or fit every RPG. This place can really come off as try hard sometimes.

 

[The Great ThunThun*]

It's the worst kind of nostalgia pandering.

You like ie games and turn based? We put turn based in your ie game.

Seriously, make something good than catering to the bad tastes of people.

 

[TemplarGR]

I guess all Civilization and other turn based strategy games aren’t real games.

Thanks for your valuable insight into the retarded mind.

Civilization is an archaic, obsolete game design. It is based on a fucking boardgame of the same name, released in the early 80s...

You wanna see what a really good strategy game looks like? Try Paradox Grand Strategy, those are ALL real time...

Ok? I am not "retarded", YOU are... I suppose you prefer Civ VI, aka strategy for kids, instead of a Paradox game...

 

[Prime Junta]

DOS2’s success was good for something after all.

 

[Reinhardt]

but a 30% increased action speed only translates to a 23% reduction in Initiative.

30 is too round number for balanced game.

 

[Mustawd]

The point of Pillars was to emulate the infinity engine games. It was meant and designed to be played in real time with pause. (And I would argue real time was the reason Baldur's Gate was so popular in its time.)

Turn based doesn't magically fix or fit every RPG. This place can really come off as try hard sometimes.

Some of us always wanted the IE games as turn based anyways. In fact, there was a project to mod ToEE to play IWD turn based. And the results are pretty good. I don’t get your try hard comment. RtWP always has and always will be inferior in party controlled skirmish-level rpgs, all things being equal.

 

[Alpan]

The point of Pillars was to emulate the infinity engine games.

That wasn't the point of Pillars, that was the point of the Pillars Kickstarter pitch. Obsidian never had an intent to be the torchbearer of the IE style of RPGs. Even without turn-based mode, Deadfire is pretty much its own thing.