Update 7: Stretch goal unlocked... and new stretch goals announced!
Posted by Larian Studios LLC
A pledge from a mysterious Divine Noble backer has pushed us up to the line for the $1,350,000 stretch goal, so as of today we've unlocked the Pick A Skill Tree II stretch goal! That means we're approaching our last stretch goal,
The Hall of Echoes! And that also means we're running out of stretch goals, so we've added a few new things that would make Divinity: Original Sin 2 that much better!
Your new home in the Great Beyond...
When a being dies, depending on the life they've led, the Source within them will go to one of two destinations; the Architect's Forge (where they'll be reincarnated) or the Void (where they'll cease to exist). Before reaching these two final destinations however, the soul will arrive at the Hall of Echoes, the domain of the dead. And if the next stretch goal is unlocked, then you will be able to visit the Hall of Echoes at will, for it will become your homestead!
We have many ambitions for the Hall of Echoes and have been discussing ideas of what players might be able to find there. Nothing is set in stone and we'd love to hear your ideas so please do let us know what you think would be cool additions.
Here's a few of the ideas we came up with:
- An arena in which you can test your mettle against your companions (or a variety of creatures)
- A campfire for waiting companions
- Powerful figures - attracted by your presence, who make you all kinds of offers
- Characters you killed in the world may appear here, haunting you or begging you for deliverance - those who follow the path of the Void will even be able to coerce these poor souls into doing their bidding
- A spectral anvil on which you can craft unique equipment
- A magical artefact that allows you to craft special skills
- A bridge to the Void - an eerie, surreal and VERY dangerous place where special loot/spells/dark Source secrets can be found
- A bridge to the Gods, where you can visit avatars of the Seven
- The doorway to the Forge- what could happen if you step through the door?
- Spirits with special requests, and special rewards...
- Black mirrors that show you visions of other planes
- Undead creatures that can be convinced to do dark deeds for you
There are many interesting characters to be met in the hall of echoes...
Now tell us yours!
New stretch goals!
We know you've been waiting for them, so here they are!
$1,650,000 – Dedicated mod tool support!
We'll hire a team that will be dedicated to making the editor as intuitive as possible, and who will help the community build all kinds of new awesomeness.
$1,750,000 – Love/Hate!
We’ll dedicate more scripters and writers to expand on the dynamic relationship system we’re building. Intense rivalry! Friendship and enmity! And... as so many of you have been asking for it… romance!
$1,850,000 – Metamorphosis... Mask of the Shapeshifter!
Imagine you get a mask that lets you change your shape. One moment you're a lizard, the next an ordinary human, with completely different dialog options (and visuals of course). By expanding on our tag system, we’ll let you assume different roles in the game with the same character. This will open completely different play styles. Don't want any competition? Don't want companions? Become a lone wolf with a very special mask...
$2,000,000 – Dungeon Master Mode!
Building on the work of the mod team, we'll make an in-game version of the editor that allows dungeon-masters to unleash their fantasies on budding adventurers, adjusting and controlling the dungeon while the other players are playing!
That's a lot of stretch goals but we still have many days to go so here's us crossing our fingers that you'll push us to new heights!
Devline Summary
Last night, Swen and Sarah broadcast a new episode of our Larian Devline Q&A Twitch stream, playing the prototype in cooperative mode and answering questions. Click the link to watch the vids, but if you’re in a hurry, here’s the summary, courtesy of our friend, the very brilliant Stabbey.
- Will there be whips in the game? Swen likes them as a weapon choice, so maybe.
- The editor will be the same as that for D:OS, but expanded and improved.
- They will focus on release for PC first, they're making some changes to the engine and don't want to promise other platforms until they're sure it will work there.
- No release for mobile platforms.
- There was some production issue preventing you from using dual-shields, it wasn't just a silliness thing.
- There will be a Spanish translation for D:OS 1 EE, it's still TBD for DOS2.
- Will the game have pets? It doesn't right now, still TBD.
- Will there be romances? There is some desire to do things on that front, they're prototyping things, but nothing is decided. [See above.]
- Will the EE come with all the bonus content? Yes.
- There is no 4-player split-screen, only 2-players, the other two players will need a separate box/TV.
- The Trait system will be improved, that's how some of the dialogue tags work in DOS2.
- Will Bellegar come back? Dunno, Jan has to write a lot of poems for the postcards. (and no you can't get the post-cards as an add-on, they were deliberately tied to a limited tier for a reason.)
- The Paypal payment option is almost ready.
- They do have a system which will allow you to ambush-attack your partners, but it's not ready yet.
- They don't have a render or sample of the hoodie to show yet.
- You can probably change skin tone for other races. I *think* they said you can't change body types because that's tied in with animations and such.
- They are still undecided about who the new composer should be.
- Will there be some version of the Lone Wolf Talent in DOS2? Swen thinks so.
- In 4-player co-op will each player design their own characters or pick them from pre-sets (companions)? They're still working on that.
- No fish weapon yet. Maybe, though.
- The player housing is the Hall of Echoes stretch goal.
- Will there be mixed races? The Undead will have you select your sub-race.
- What are the penalties for dying? They're still working on that.
- Will there be a UI button to make using the teleporter pyramids easier? Yes, probably.
- Can you meet young Damian? No, this is just before Beyond Divinity, he's still stuck in Nemesis.
- Will there be multiple ways to the next area? Yes, there will be ways to go separately or together.
- Will you be able to return to previous zones? Sometimes yes, sometimes no, depending on the zone.
- Chris Avellone won't be a stretch goal, the man is too stretched already
- No Drow, they are copyrighted.
- The crafting menu is improved, you can discover effects and use that to create recipes.
- The action-point system is still in development
- No bonus for transferring saves. The games are over 1,200 years apart anyway.
- The plan is for more towns to travel to than in D:OS (4), but you know what they say about plans...
- Aleroth is planned to be one of the towns.
- D:OS 1 EE is about at the Gold Master stage.
- Can we genocide all the cheese vendors? Yes.
- What are the consequences of breaking pacts with your party members? He has a big design document, but he wants to hear from us for suggestions about that.
- Will there be any way to speed up combat? Maybe. They're trying things, but it may not work out.
- Will there be funny descriptions for your current stats, like what Divine Divinity had? Swen hopes to bring that back.
- Will there be a Junk tag for items? Ways to send multiple items at once? It's on the list, but it won't be in the EE, maybe DOS2.
- Can any two spells be combined? They're trying. There will also be "metamagic" spellbooks which can't be learned, only used for spellcrafting. You will be able to craft warrior/ranger/rogue skills, not just magic skills.
Shout-out!
The guys at Rockfish Games are making EVERSPACE, and we think it looks amazing. They only have a couple of hours left in what has been a very successful campaign, so get on over there right now and join the ride.