Game News Project Eternity Kickstarter Update #55: Vertical Slice Update (with awesome new dungeon art)

[Infinitron]

Tags: Adam Brennecke; Obsidian Entertainment; Pillars of Eternity

This week's Project Eternity Kickstarter update is a progress report on the game's Vertical Slice phase. Here's an excerpt:

This month we are knee-deep in the Vertical Slice phase and this will be the team's focus for the month of June. It's our way of proving that we are ready to jump forward into production and start making shippable content.

The Vertical Slice is just that, a cross section (think of it as a slice of bread cut out from the middle of a loaf) of the world of Project Eternity. At the end of this phase the game will be feature complete, and the content building portion of the team, including area designers, environment artists, and character artists can make shippable content now. Our Vertical Slice is eleven maps large; encompassing our village and dungeon from Prototype 2, and the dungeon and wilderness area from Prototype 1 (we call this area "The Valley of Hector" internally). The content from the prototypes are refactored to fit within the context of the world and overall story of the game. Feature-wise, we are targeting to have the majority of the world building tools complete and all of the character classes playable up to level five.

Larger version - The above image is a vertical slice dungeon concept by Polina. Her paint-over will be used as reference for the polish pass.
​

Read the full update to learn what tasks the Project Eternity team is working on right now, which include creating an improved, more compact version of the UI we saw last week.

 

[General Maxson]

In the beginning I was unsure about PE, but I knew I could trust a game with Tim Cain in the team. Man this should be a nice fantasy crpg. Just hoping it won't go Dragon Age route...

 

[Infinitron]

I'm unsure whether that dungeon is actually a screenshot from the game's current build, or if it's something that Polina drew or modelled. The description points to the latter, but it certainly looks like an Infinity Engine screenshot. What's a "dungeon concept"?

 

[FeelTheRads]

Cool. Very IWD-like.

 

[General Maxson]

I'm unsure whether that dungeon is actually a screenshot from the game's current build, or if it's something that Polina drew or modelled. The description points to the latter, but it certainly looks like an Infinity Engine screenshot. What's a "dungeon concept"?

Don't know bro, but I don't think it's an in-game screenshot.

 

[Mirthless]

I can sleep assured tonight.
Everything isn't shit.

 

[Akratus]

It's a piece of art. Possibly based on a 3d render, but I know from the Obsidian forums that it's at least mostly art. On there they really appreciated the Infinity Engine feel.

EDIT: Yeah, it says paint-over. So it's something 2d/3d painted over.

 

[Scruffy]

What's a "dungeon concept"?

concept art for a dungeon

loving it over here btw.

 

[Sam Ecorners]

I think it a background painting, like the first waterfall shot.

 

[hiver]

:looks at the pic - exhales a sigh of content and relaxation:

:aaaahhhhhhh ...mmmm... aaahhhh:

 

[Shaewaroz]

OMG, the dungeon looks just like the ones in Infinity Engine games! Awesome! I'm glad that I backed this game!

 

[villain of the story]

3D scene with 2D after-touches. Think of the first ever 2D scene with the fall and sculptures and the screens of 3D renders and the prototype video that followed. You can spot the repeating wall tiles.

And finally, the heritage of 2D games is being carried forward once again, improving. This already looks so much better than a dozen shitty 3D RPGs.

Too bad that Sawyerist combat will dominate the game.

 

[Cosmic Misogynerd]

The dungeon concept looks nice. I hope that the in-game version looks just as good.

 

[villain of the story]

So what do you think is that fancy coloured thingamajig with cables? A soul reactor with collector rods?

 

[Cosmic Misogynerd]

Yeah, some kind of energy generator based on "soul", or a portal opener/summoning engine.

 

[oldmanpaco]

It's like looking at BG2.

 

[Zed]

GOTY for whatever year it's released, and probably game of the decade, and potential for best game of all time.
Look at that dungeon.
That's the kind of dungeon I'd settle down in, with a nice family. We could bake bread and live off the land in such a beautiful dungeon.

Oh and I'm glad they're iterating on the UI. Less focus on "click times" and "mouse movement", and more focus on "overview" and "presentation" would be nice.

 

[Jedi Exile]

Yeah, some kind of energy generator based on "soul", or a portal opener/summoning engine.

Probably, yes. It would be better if it was real 'technological' stuff though, like in Arcanum.

 

[Tigranes]

Looks exactly like The Next IE Game.

 

[Hamster]

 

[catfood]

I guess they weren't kidding when they said that they would be making a BG successor...

 

[BlackAdderBG]

I hope that pathing will suck less than old IE games.

 

[Wizfall]

My first reaction was : woo it looks awesome !
Not even 5 second later i was thinking : yes but it really looks like BG2.
It's not a bad thing at all, that exactly what we have pledge for but that quickly kill somehow the "awesome feeling" (for me at least).
I guess this is why there are a not a ton of comments, PE graphics (if it is a screenshot or will look like that) look great but it was expected.
The big question is more if it will have a good gameplay and RPG elements
Also too bad Obsidian did not choose a setting that is not heroic fantasy.
I would have love a space opera cRPG with IE graphics/view for example (something like Hard Nova).
In the end this really good though

 

[Zed]

I hope that pathing will suck less than old IE games.

If I recall correctly, they said something about pathing being a piece of cake in Unity. I don't have the source though

 

[SCO]

BG graphics need to evolve to allow more interactivity

Something like a true 3d, for climbing stuff and under/over layers, even if the perspective remains fixed. And TB of course, JA2 in IE basically (or ToEE with layers and stances).