Eternity Avowed - Obsidian's first person action-RPG in the Pillars of Eternity setting - coming Fall 2024

[Kazuki]

With the recent news, maybe it's time to retitled the game.

The Elder Scrolls VI : Avowed

 

[Delterius]

its not clear if hes an outlier or norm.

Yes it is. Not only is Adaryc a second example, but the dwarf animancer spirit makes it clear that Watchers are known to just go insane over time. That's, what, 30 minutes into the game?

This is a fact bigger than just Watchers. Though not everyone who goes through an Awakening is completely dysfunctional, its common enough that Defiance Bay has a hospital just for them.

also fuck off with your simulacra head cannon

It isn't headcanon.

This is explained somewhere in The Lore, but chanters are tapping into the collective memories of soul fragments in the In-Between. It goes like this: a sapient being lives a life and has experiences that become memory. When they die, their soul enters the In-Between, is drawn toward the light of a living adra pillar, and enters the Beyond for “a while”.

When the body dies and the soul enters the In-Between, the trauma of the experience usually cracks off little bits or big chunks of memory. Those fragments of memory are usually not fundamental to the identity of the person, but may contain cultural touchstones – songs, stories, epic poems, etc. – that they’ve heard repeated over and over. They permeate the individual’s soul.

A Chanter's summons and invocations are woven from the fragments of souls who pass to and fro the Beyond. Your difficulty and that of some others is because the words 'Soul' and 'Spirit' do not always refer to the transcedental consciousness of an individual. In this setting, souls are broken apart, rebuilt, shaped and recycled by Gods and mortals alike. The beyond is made up of these souls, or soul-stuff, which the Chanter excites with their hymms and songs and the Wizard harvests and shapes with their grimoires.

 

[Mastermind]

i need another elder scrolls game badly, especially with how mediocre skyrim was, any more news on this one? potential release date?

 

[Joseph Stalin]

... it's only function in the setting is being mentioned.

This is practically the function of 99% of all PnP setting material. The fact that the Harpers and other fuckers are actively curtailing technological development is in itself evidence that the setting doesn't at all "ignore it completely". Just because you don't have widely available firearms across the entire planet doesn't mean it's not there. Even in the real world, our oldest sources on black powder are from the 100's, and it took another 800 years before it started seeing real, practical use in warfare in the 900's, and even then it didn't really take off until it intersected with north-European metallurgy in the 1300's, and even then it took another good 200 years until we're starting to see widespread use.

Look, I like the Arcanum aesthetic, I would absolutely love to see some magic-infused gunslinging, I want to have top-hats and rune-inscribed bolt-action rifles, and I hope to one day mow down a legion of medieval communists with a gatling gun that shoots magic missiles, especially if they look as cool as they did in The Temple of Elemental Evil.

But to say that there cannot be legitimate reasons why things would develop differently in a completely different world - let alone one with magic and alchemy to obviate or curtail development - is just stupid. Especially (pre-4e) Forgotten Realms is a silly example, because there are literally hundreds of wizards in any given metropolis, all of which will ask you to piss off with your toys, and a host of deities that flourish under the status quo.

The reason "why" gunpowder weapons are ignored/non-existant aren't really important. The fact that 99% of fantasy settings do that out of convenience - now THIS is important.

 

[Luckmann]

... THIS is important.

Why?

 

[Joseph Stalin]

... THIS is important.

Why?

Because it's a symptom of the universal laziness of most writers, as well as their lack of even an ounce of original thought.

 

[Efe]

Except a Chanter simulacra isn't summoned from the beyond. Nor does it choose to appear before the living world. A Chanter does not pluck a dragon from wherever to fight for them. They create one.

A Chanter's summons and invocations are woven from the fragments of souls who pass to and fro the Beyond.

Your difficulty is being at odds with yourself.
Adaryx seemed fine to me and what would a dead practitioner of a mostly unknown fringe science know about watcher condition?

also, is a summoned wurm a spirit or a beast?

 

[Yosharian]

IRL the discovery of gunpowder was apparently an accidental discovery from "medical research"; some monk was mixing stuff together hoping that it would have medical properties, i.e. he was basically trying to craft a healing potion. The initial formula wasn't even explosive, just highly flammable, it was many years before anyone made gunpowder that went boom.

In a fantasy world would anyone care about a flammable powder, or would they just discard it as another failed experiment and concentrate on those healing potions? After all there's already potions of fire and other magical means of setting things on fire quickly, if you really need to.

Dude discovers how to replicate certain magics using mundane materials and you think he's going to just throw it away cos LOL PEOPLE CAN ALREADY DO IT WITH MAGIC.

For starters, no that's just dumb, not everyone is a Wizard. Secondly, gnomes are just curious and inventive and would follow that rabbit hole just to see where it leads.

 

[Cat Dude]

Yeaaaayyyyy

 

[rusty_shackleford]

This is practically the function of 99% of all PnP setting material. The fact that the Harpers and other fuckers are actively curtailing technological development is in itself evidence that the setting doesn't at all "ignore it completely". Just because you don't have widely available firearms across the entire planet doesn't mean it's not there. Even in the real world, our oldest sources on black powder are from the 100's, and it took another 800 years before it started seeing real, practical use in warfare in the 900's, and even then it didn't really take off until it intersected with north-European metallurgy in the 1300's, and even then it took another good 200 years until we're starting to see widespread use.

iirc the reason gunpowder took so long was because europeans had no natural access to saltpeter

 

[Flying Dutchman]

The presence of guns in fantasy pretty much sucks.

 

[Luckmann]

... THIS is important.

Why?

Because it's a symptom of the universal laziness of most writers, as well as their lack of even an ounce of original thought.

Why?

It is not laziness that makes them not put fantasy in the gunpowder era, but an appreciation for the faux-medieval fantasy aesthetic. It is no easier or harder to put gunpowder into things than to not do so. It is of no inherent relevance, merely a preference. Even Pillows of Eternity - especially the original - was conceived specifically as "generic fantasy" in what they practically confessed was intentional laziness. Basically the only deviation (in the first game) from the faux-medieval fantasy aesthetic outside of background padding is the inclusion of fairly advanced firearms.

Hell, these intellectually lazy mouthbreathers even blame the failure of PoE 2 on the fact that it deviated from the popularized faux-medieval aesthetic.

This is practically the function of 99% of all PnP setting material. The fact that the Harpers and other fuckers are actively curtailing technological development is in itself evidence that the setting doesn't at all "ignore it completely". Just because you don't have widely available firearms across the entire planet doesn't mean it's not there. Even in the real world, our oldest sources on black powder are from the 100's, and it took another 800 years before it started seeing real, practical use in warfare in the 900's, and even then it didn't really take off until it intersected with north-European metallurgy in the 1300's, and even then it took another good 200 years until we're starting to see widespread use.

iirc the reason gunpowder took so long was because europeans had no natural access to saltpeter

Yes, I think the absence of easily accessible/open saltpeter deposits lead to Europeans not categorizing it as its own thing, and then later the knowledge was basically hoarded either by "alchemists" or sequestered among the monks throughout much of the medieval era. You need several things to be true before you can popularize gunpowder weapons effectively, and it is fairly easy to make any of those things not true for a fantasy setting if one does not desire to have firearms in them. It is equally easy to include these things if you really want them in there, and you could even have these things at a much earlier developmental stage - there would, for example, be nothing inherently preventing a faux-Roman Army utilizing some type of fusilier.

The presence of guns in fantasy pretty much sucks.

I used to be fairly strongly against guns, but these days I think it can work fairly well. My main issue with guns is that often, they make no sense. They're either fairly useless outside of the battlefield (which is a mechanical issue, but one in line with the world as presented) or they're actually fairly good, which becomes an issue because if they are actually on the level of arquebuses or muskets or even revolvers and such, they should be endemically popularized and take a very meaningful place in the game world.

They easily become (and should become, if so) a very large facet of the world. Very much "go big or go home" kind of deal, and there is no middle ground. But some settings still try to have that middle ground, and it's actually shit. In this regard, PoE actually did the right thing; firearms are a big thing. They are both functional and endemic in the background. The firearm is known as "the great equalizer" against magic, and the cannons of Rauatai have ushered in an era of revived imperialism.

But it all depends on what fantasy aesthetic you're wanting to work with. Most do not want firearms to be this big thing in their faux-medieval worlds, so they easily don't make them big things by relying on any of the aforementioned issues and presto, no major gunpowder presence, with perfectly reasonable explanations.

 

[Gastrick]

Looks really shit, PoE 2 was a game that has gotten me excited to play it eventually. What a mess Obsidian has become, fucking MicropenisSoft.
For Outer Worlds, just hearing that it's a "good game" by the former studio who used to make fallout that "showed up" Bethesda was enough to get people to buy it. Their frustration over former Bethesda's Fallout 76 made them more willing to fool themselves into believing whatever nonsense narrative, even after playing it. It's fairly similar to how people think there are ghosts, psychic powers and aliens because they "want to believe" in what they are convinced of even if it isn't real.

 

[Luckmann]

For Outer Worlds, just hearing that it's a "good game" by the former studio who used to make fallout that "showed up" Bethesda was enough to get people to buy it. Their frustration over former Bethesda's Fallout 76 made them more willing to fool themselves into believing whatever nonsense narrative, even after playing it. It's fairly similar to how people think there are ghosts, psychic powers and aliens because they "want to believe" in what they are convinced of even if it isn't real.

Infinitron, can you confirm?

 

[Flying Dutchman]

For Outer Worlds, just hearing that it's a "good game" by the former studio who used to make fallout that "showed up" Bethesda was enough to get people to buy it. Their frustration over former Bethesda's Fallout 76 made them more willing to fool themselves into believing whatever nonsense narrative, even after playing it. It's fairly similar to how people think there are ghosts, psychic powers and aliens because they "want to believe" in what they are convinced of even if it isn't real.

This.

 

[fantadomat]

For Outer Worlds, just hearing that it's a "good game" by the former studio who used to make fallout that "showed up" Bethesda was enough to get people to buy it. Their frustration over former Bethesda's Fallout 76 made them more willing to fool themselves into believing whatever nonsense narrative, even after playing it. It's fairly similar to how people think there are ghosts, psychic powers and aliens because they "want to believe" in what they are convinced of even if it isn't real.

Infinitron, can you confirm?

Yes,ghosts exist!

 

[Avarize]

"Dude, why don't fantasy settings address gunpowder, electricity, germ theory and the combustion engine!?"

 

[LESS T_T]

Oh right if anyone's interested, Artstation entries for the CGI teaser trailer, made by Axis Studios. Also in case anyone wondered the last first person scene is any clue of actual gameplay than a mere representation, they all (hand models etc.) are made by CGI studio's artists.

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/nYJPQE

Super happy to be able to share the work I did alongside all the artists from Axis Animation. I was responsible for modeling, texturing and shading the arms you see in the trailer (both archers and the warrior at the end), the skeletons and also the sword and the banner. All these assets were finalized by Axis' artists with final tweaks to the shading and some added details (I believe it was Camille Fourniols smiley ). Big thanks to everyone over at Axis and specially to my lead Jonas Bergholm, who helped me greatly.
Cheers!

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/3dEKeD
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/18LvxG
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/mDWm3a

 

[BarbequeMasta]

Tbh it's hard to get excited at anything from Obsidian after Dumpsterfire despite me wanting to, especially when it's set Eora as well, especially when it's Elder scroll clone.

 

[Rafidur]

On the other hand, mages like Arronax or Nasrudin can wipe out entire civilisations by themselves.

Or in one case wipe out literally everybody. Why would you need a gun when you can do that?

 

[Joseph Stalin]

On the other hand, mages like Arronax or Nasrudin can wipe out entire civilisations by themselves.

Or in one case wipe out literally everybody. Why would you need a gun when you can do that?

If you haven't noticed, literally all of the powerful mages in that game are not... mentally well.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

Just shove your gun up your arse stalin

 

[Luckmann]

On the other hand, mages like Arronax or Nasrudin can wipe out entire civilisations by themselves.

Or in one case wipe out literally everybody. Why would you need a gun when you can do that?

If you haven't noticed, literally all of the powerful mages in that game are not... mentally well.

So?

 

[Tavernking]

COME ON EVERYBODY ITS GONNA BE GREAT AND WE'RE ALL GOING TO HAVE A GREAT TIME

 

[Yosharian]

Can we delete this thread?