Divinity Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition

[Lacrymas]

Some interesting tidbits in that interview. If you do indeed view D:OS1 and 2 as a co-op board game first and foremost, I can kinda understand its popularity. If you compare it to X-Com and put it in the context of most people being terrible at games, I can also understand the popularity of its turn-based nature.

 

[HoboForEternity]

The truth of optimized for console:

"We make adjustment so DDIQ people can play it fine!"

 

[Infinitron]

Re: XCOM

That's not as profound a statement as he thinks. Pillars of Eternity also probably has more players who own XCOM than players who own Divinity: Original Sin. XCOM ranks in the top three games owned by almost every subset of RPG players on Steam.

Anyway, that interviewer is a twat:

GC: The script is great but the one issue I took with the storytelling, and this is a problem I have with a lot of fantasy games, like Elder Scrolls, is that the top level lore of the world is disappointingly generic. And the cover art was the same – just super generic. Presumably you’re doing that to attract fantasy fans but isn’t that putting off even more people?

MD: Now this depends on which cover art you mean, are you talking about the original?

GC: Errr… yes. With the sexy elf woman and the dwarf and all that. Is it different for the Definitive Edition?

MD: If it’s the new one then that’s a shame because we’ve changed it.

GC: [quickly googles cover art] Oh, well that’s much better. Wow, that was a quick resolution to my complaint.

GC: Err… Divinity: Original Sin I. But that’s the other problem… it’s not just the old artwork, the games are lumbered with such terrible, forgettable names.

MD: We’ve been having discussions about that internally. I mean, the root cause is essentially German publishers. [laughs] Because when you’re creating a game like this you create the branding from scratch many, many, many years ago and it’s Germans that are dictating what it sounds like in their language. So we’re having discussions about what we do in the future about the name and stuff. But it’s definitely one of those concerns that we wouldn’t say, ‘Hey, that’s not true!’

GC: [laughs] It sounds like a trivial complaint but I’m always berating indie developers in particular for the terrible names they give their games, which must put off so many people.

:facepalm:

 

[Gauldur's Bait]

And completed it was.



Steam clocks my playtime at 159 hours, but I think that includes the time spent on fooling around in early access. I took a long break from the game at one point because it kind of fell apart during the drfitwood chapter, but it got a bit tighter again towards the end of the game. Cyseal it was not, however.

Phys/Magic armor system does take away a bit from the combat suspense, as when you figure out some effective combos towards the end-game many battles become non-issues. For example, one skill gives a teammate an extra turn immediately after the previous one is over. If this character uses a potion that depletes AP cost, is hasted, AND has the abilities to reset cooldown and acquire temporary AP, it means that you can rain down death and destruction on your foes on a scale I don't think I have seen in an RPG in some time. I did overall enjoy finishing the game, even though it is far from perfect, and still contains quest bugs (not all quests finish, some reactivity is inaccurate ref. my previous decisions etc.). Combat being one of the main highlights of the game, apart from the Phys/Mag armor issue, the AI also regularly gets "advantages" in combat i.e. additional AP:s for no reason, immunities not listed among their attributes when examined, and your characters may lose turns without any reason. This encourages cheesing. Charm spells, arrows, and grenades are almost OP (because they always hit if the magic armor is down), although the AI also uses them on you, obviously.

In many aspects D:OS 1 was perhaps better, but the final battle in D:OS 2 is certainly less retarded (also much easier when you figure it out).

Can't be bothered to type up anything else. Now for some down-time from Divinity.

 

[LESS T_T]

 

[Darth Roxor]

this is now the larian target audience

well divinity was fun while it lasted

 

[Dodo1610]

this is now the larian target audience

well divinity was fun while it lasted

Well if your game sells over a 1 mio copys you are bound to get attention from the human trash that exists in the internet.

 

[Infinitron]

I don't even understand what he's referring to. What dialogs, which summer?

 

[imweasel]

Well if your game sells over a 1 mio copys you are bound to get attention from the human trash that exists in the internet.

They wouldn't be paying any attention if Larian didn't pander to them.

 

[Zed]

I don't even understand what he's referring to. What dialogs, which summer?

sex dialogs; summer of love

 

[Roguey]

I don't even understand what he's referring to. What dialogs, which summer?

Romance dialogues, last summer.

Edit: jinxed.

 

[Alienman]

I don't even understand what he's referring to. What dialogs, which summer?

The summer of love.

Edit:

Fuck, Zed got it first.

 

[SausageInYourFace]

Well if your game sells over a 1 mio copys you are bound to get attention from the human trash that exists in the internet.

They actively encouraged it. Not just by putting romances into the game but by shit like this.

Posted almost a year ago:

They better tone that shit down while they still can.

I am one of the few who has nothing against romances in RPGs per se but writing awkward sex scenes, and actively encouraging this 'shipping' degeneracy and asking for dwarf erotica and what not, thats not going to end well. It will attract Biodrones like a turd attracts flies and we all know how that always ends.

Good luck dealing with that kind of turbosperg audience, Larian. You'll need it.

And thus it has come to pass.

 

[Dodo1610]

Well if your game sells over a 1 mio copys you are bound to get attention from the human trash that exists in the internet.

They actively encouraged it. Not just by putting romances into the game but by shit like this.

Posted almost a year ago:

They better tone that shit down while they still can.

I am one of the few who has nothing against romances in RPGs per se but writing awkward sex scenes, and actively encouraging this 'shipping' degeneracy and asking for dwarf erotica and what not, thats not going to end well. It will attract Biodrones like a turd attracts flies and we all know how that always ends.

Good luck dealing with that kind of turbosperg audience, Larian. You'll need it.

And thus it has come to pass.

Wow, at least the guy asking for midget porn was not speaking officially for Larian. Beast was obviously the weakest companion, so maybe the writer should have focused more on Beast's character then his intrest with small bearded men.

 

[ScrotumBroth]

Finished. I must've somehow gotten lucky to avoid all the romancing mentioned, only had one scene on the boat. Combat is so much fun, that last battle was amazing. Ending/epilogue itself is clearly rushed and unfinished, but the journey was well worth it.
The thing I really like about combat in this game is it allows the player to react to any single move enemy makes, thus making each fight unique and fun. It avoids repetition and staleness.

I'm keen to play DOS1 now, what are the pros and cons with Classic vs Enhanced edition?

 

[Strange Fellow]

I'm keen to play DOS1 now, what are the pros and cons with Classic vs Enhanced edition?

Classic is more stupidly broken -- whether that's a pro or a con is up to you. Note that both versions are stupidly broken, classic is just more so. Enhanced has full voice acting, and the actors from classic were replaced with worse ones (cheese vendor, we hardly knew ya ). On the other hand, it also has visual indicators for backstab zones, while in Classic you sort of just have to take it on the gefühl and hope for the best, which is bloody annoying. Both versions are fine IMO.

 

[HoboForEternity]

Cheese vendor was the best voice in the series

 

[Sacred82]

Cheese vendor was the best voice in the series

best thing about the PS4 port - cheese vendor has no voice

 

[imweasel]

The cheese vendor was the most memorable character in the game.

"I AM THE MAN OF MANY CHEESES!"

 

[SniperHF]

I'm keen to play DOS1 now, what are the pros and cons with Classic vs Enhanced edition?

If you play Enhanced, don't use grenades. Grenades are free buffs for shitty players (they are cool though admittedly). In 2 they are less ridiculous but if used too much in 1 they turn the early game into a faceroll. And the early game of D:OS 1 is the best of the two games so don't ruin it.

Enhanced does run better performance wise.

 

[lx07]

Enhanced does run better performance wise.

EE requires DX11 though while the original doesn't so you can run the original on crappier hardware.

I preferred DOS 1 to DOS 1 EE but it is probably the myth of the good old days.

 

[Lacrymas]

The EE is more polished and has less overpowered stuff, but has grenades. It also has annoying VA. The only criticism I've seen of the EE compared to the original is that they've nerfed some stuff and they are "less fun".

 

[Black]

And no proper cheese vendor.

 

[Lacrymas]

It brings me no small joy and entertainment to know the cheese vendor is the only thing people have retained from a 60+ hour RPG.

 

[LESS T_T]

REVAMPED ARENA MODE COMES TO DIVINITY: ORIGINAL SIN 2 - DEFINITIVE EDITION WITH ALL-NEW HOT SEAT MODE AND NEW CHARACTERS

Pick your favourite characters and get ready for a brand-new challenge as BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe announce an entirely new and improved Arena Mode for Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition launching 31st August for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Larian Studios have completely revamped Arena Mode to bring new challenges to its players. The new Arena Mode features solo gameplay, online multiplayer PVP and pass-the-controller Hot Seat mode. Arena Mode also introduces 16 characters to the game including some first-time playable characters such as Malady, Zandalor, and Radeka, each with their own unique set of skills and abilities.

Arena Mode contains two game modes:

• Classic Deathmatch – Players are pitted against each other until only one remains
• Kill the King – Each team must protect a VIP from death.

These modes can be played on 13 maps that have been optimised for tactical turn-based combat and includes five brand new arenas. Each map contains three different types chests that can be looted during the fight:

• A Destruction Coffer that contains destruction scrolls
• A Control Coffer that contains control scrolls
• A Source Coffer that contains powerful spells.

The revamped Arena Mode also introduces Mutators, which can give skills or change parameters during Arena battles. For example, during Round 2, the Movement Mutator gives magical wings to all Heroes, allowing them to travel long distances and during Round 7, the Mutators initiates Sudden Death, reducing the health of all Heroes to the minimum levels. Mutators, along with a number of other parameters, can be customised by the host.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition‘s Arena Mode aims to offer a slice of tactical turn-based combat outside of its core critically-acclaimed story experience and will be available to players when the game launches 31st August.