Eternity Avowed - Obsidian's first person action-RPG in the Pillars of Eternity setting - coming February 18th

[Inec0rn]

Sure but the price is determined by what the market will pay, retard gamerbro doesn't care so it is what it is.

 

[AwesomeButton]

You don't own your stuff on Steam either though...

Yep. You only own what you download on your storage drive. Until the FBI swoops in of course.

 

[ColonelMace]

You only own what you download on your storage drive

According to most EULAs, you don't even *own* that.
You don't own anything. You're only granted access to a digital service -under the form of downloading files and booting them off your computer-, which can be revoked at any time, and you can technically be asked to delete any data you have installed on your computer at any time, as per the EULA you agreed upon.
Valve could end steam and anyone's access to any digital content, and they'd act within their right. They could technically convoke a decision of justice to have you delete anything you got from Steam even.
It's obviously nigh-impossible to enforce, much like piracy, but if we're to be precise about what gamers actually own, it's already, in most cases, *nothing*.

Which bears the actually crucial question : how do we safeguard games from the passing of time, and its everchanging technological landscape ?
And how do we prevent private interests from monetizing games over the course of decades, soon to be centuries, which is a mezmerizingly outrageous practice, ending up swarming the market with remasters every two weeks, bumping up the price of something designed thirty years ago ?
This shit will blow up at some point.

 

[AwesomeButton]

According to most EULAs, you don't even *own* that.

Of course not, I meant it in a tongue-in-cheek way.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Which bears the actually crucial question : how do we safeguard games from the passing of time, and its everchanging technological landscape ?

First off you have to learn to maintain old hardware, which is the most reliable way to run an old windows version, apart from using virtual machines. Second of course is to keep the windows from updating, by plugging its microsoft-directed traffic.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

I'm gonna need a lot more external hard drives.

 

[Roguey]

Yeah - it's ridiculous that it's often cheaper for the consumer to have an empty DVD case containing a piece of paper with a cdkey on it mailed to them than to just download the product directly from the publisher's site. There's no reason digital products shouldn't be cheaper than physical ones, especially as you can't sell/trade/give them away like you can with discs.

The cost isn't in the manufacturing of the materials (which isn't all that much) but in the actual product itself.

If a key bundled with physical materials is sold for much cheaper than a digital sale, that's because someone wants that inventory cleared out from their space. It's costing them money to keep it (opportunity costs). With digital, there are no space concerns.

Additionally many publishers have constantly bemoaned how games haven't kept up with inflation and are always salivating whenever Blizzard/Rockstar gets the idea to charge more for a game so they can also do it. A $50 game back in 1984 would be $150 in today's money, so they're going to squeeze wherever they can.

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Child of Malkav]

Soooo fascinating. Has anyone watched these road to avowed thingies?

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2278579628

 

[Infinitron]

 

[frajaq]

how about show us character creation and builds showcase instead

 

[AwesomeButton]

It's so depressing watching people doing something against their will for hours and hours. Doubly so when that something is engaging with what is supposed to be an entertainment product.

 

[Alienman]

It's so depressing watching people doing something against their will for hours and hours. Doubly so when that something is engaging with what is supposed to be an entertainment product.

It has essentially become a passionless 7-4 job.

 

[ArchAngel]

You only own what you download on your storage drive

According to most EULAs, you don't even *own* that.
You don't own anything. You're only granted access to a digital service -under the form of downloading files and booting them off your computer-, which can be revoked at any time, and you can technically be asked to delete any data you have installed on your computer at any time, as per the EULA you agreed upon.
Valve could end steam and anyone's access to any digital content, and they'd act within their right. They could technically convoke a decision of justice to have you delete anything you got from Steam even.
It's obviously nigh-impossible to enforce, much like piracy, but if we're to be precise about what gamers actually own, it's already, in most cases, *nothing*.

Which bears the actually crucial question : how do we safeguard games from the passing of time, and its everchanging technological landscape ?
And how do we prevent private interests from monetizing games over the course of decades, soon to be centuries, which is a mezmerizingly outrageous practice, ending up swarming the market with remasters every two weeks, bumping up the price of something designed thirty years ago ?
This shit will blow up at some point.

You safeguard by telling them to screw themselves and going to court if need be. EULA means nothing unless courts says so.
Like how in USA the non compete agreements that companies have you sign when leaving them mean shit as multiple courts brought them down.

 

[frajaq]

Hold up, is Obsidian writing this fire?!?!

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

silence, brand

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2284342133

 

[ColonelMace]

Misspelling Neketaka. Shameful display.

 

[Infinitron]

Edge Magazine interview: https://www.gamesradar.com/games/rp...ayers-full-awareness-of-the-area-around-them/

Despite its first-person combat, Avowed doesn't want you to get stabbed in the back: "You have to make sure you're giving players full awareness of the area around them"​

Don't expect a bar brawl

Combat in Avowed may not be too difficult, thanks to the enemy AI being prevented from swarming you.

You know that scene in The Matrix Reloaded where all the Agent Smith clones rush in and pile onto Neo? Well, don't expect the same thing to happen in Avowed. In an interview with Obsidian game director Carrie Patel, she tells Edge magazine about the way combat has been designed to make best use of the first-person camera without overwhelming you.

"You have to make sure you're giving players full awareness of the area around them," she says. There are some clever solutions to help you know exactly what's going on at all times despite the first-person perspective. Your companions will aid you in battle by shouting out warnings, and you'll see directional indicators to show where enemies are coming from – think of the ones in Call of Duty when someone starts shooting you or a grenade lands nearby.

"It helps the player feel the pressure without feeling like they're being hit from all directions by things they can't see," Patel explains. Additionally, the enemy AI is programmed not to swarm you and attack from all sides at once. This shouldn't mean you'll never get flanked or snuck up on, as the systems mentioned above will ensure you always know what's going on around you. Just don't expect a room full of enemies to surround you and charge in while you swing your sword wildly.

If you've ever wondered why it seems like enemies come at you one at a time and each line up for their honourable duel instead of just rushing you, now you know.

We were originally going to get our hands on Avowed in November, but a delay pushed it back to February 18, 2025 due to the large number of new games in 2024 that may demand your attention instead.

https://www.gamesradar.com/games/rp...-to-express-and-explore-where-theyre-leaning/

Your choices in Avowed matter, and Obsidian promises to give players "moment-to-moment opportunities to express and explore where they're leaning"​

But what choices have been seen so far?

Avowed promises to give you plenty of opportunity to roleplay and make important choices, but does it deliver?

Edge's hands-on preview found Avowed "a touch underwhelming." The slice of the game available was only a small section however, comprised of a system of caves. Taking place within the world of Eora (the setting of Pillars of Eternity), the demo sees you tracking down a lost expedition. The first member you find is injured and you're confronted with your first choice: give them a healing potion so that they live, or leave them to die. Not exactly the nail-biting tension you'd expect from the developer of Fallout: New Vegas.

Obsidian game director Carrie Patel explains that these smaller decisions are designed to add up, though. "It's about giving the player moment-to-moment opportunities to express and explore where they're leaning," she says. So, if you want to roleplay a meanie who doesn't like to share, this is just one way you can do that.

Patel adds that "The choices you get and the outcomes in front of you are going to depend on what you're able to find." So, in the full game, if the area before the caves has some difficult first-person combat, you may be out of potions and unable to help the injured man.

There are also bigger decisions to be made further down the line. You step into the shoes of an envoy from the Aedyran Empire, in the Living Lands to investigate a spiritual plague. You'll have to choose which factions and politics you want to support. "Giving players things to dig into - that's what makes it meaningful roleplay," Patel says. "It's about who you want to be in this world, and how these situations prepare you to express that."

While the demo didn't contain much in the way of character progression, Patel promises "The abilities you can scope into and the weapon loadouts you can choose give you a very different experience each time you play." The combat in Avowed looks to be a mix of magic, swords, and guns, so hopefully these all allow you to approach situations in your own way.

Avowed is due to launch next year, February 18, 2025. It was originally going to come out in November, but there are so many new games in 2024 that it was delayed to give it (and you) some breathing room.

 

[Dark Souls II]

Additionally, the enemy AI is programmed not to swarm you and attack from all sides at once. This shouldn't mean you'll never get flanked or snuck up on, as the systems mentioned above will ensure you always know what's going on around you. Just don't expect a room full of enemies to surround you and charge in while you swing your sword wildly.

I pointed that out in one of my previous posts, based on one of the gameplay demos. It looked very off, enemies literally just standing in place and doing nothing. I... I honestly thought it was just some kind of a bug. But nope, it's a feature.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

I don't know what more shocking, that they added this feature to begin with, or that they thought they should advertise it in the previews.

 

[Old Hans]

Hold up, is Obsidian writing this fire?!?!

it looks like out of touch marketing teams have control of the twitter accounts. the types who use Marilyn Manson songs in Dragon Age trailers

 

[frajaq]

Wow not even redditors are falling for it, regarding that gamesradar article!

Obsidian really needs to win the trust of gamers back with a SLAM DUNK of a video game, hopefully Avowed delivers!

 

[Tyranicon]

Avowed really should've pushed to release before DA4, since the mainstream RPG genre is going to be a blistered warscape after it releases.

Veilguard is going to nuke safe corporate RPGs.