Divinity: Original Sin 2 Pre-Release Thread

[MicoSelva]

Stop with this random loot crap please. Put some effort and feelings into your item placement / loot lists.

For some reason developers fail to see that well-done itemization not only improves gameplay, but can also serve as element of world-building. Finding a certain item in a certain place in BG or Torment already tells a small story by itself, making the setting more believeable and interesting.

Looting enemies in D:OS was one of the most disappointing aspects of the game. What they dropped never made any sense. Same thing with finding items in various chests. D:OS EE will not be much of an improvement here, although permanent seeding for current game will at least prevent save-scumming and re-opening chests until you find something good.

 

[Darkzone]

Apparently, you didn't get her message. It's neither about SJW nor about whining over wrong budgets per se. She is complaining about big companies distorting the basic idea of Kickstarter solely to reduce their financial investment (see Bloodstained, D:OS 2, Shenmue):
Great niche games as Serpents of the Staglands or Eisenwald got only $28,000 / $83,000 USD at KS (both way below healthy productions budgets for those complex games) while established companies/franchises/publishers easily collect > $4 USD mio with games like Shenmue 3 or Bloodstained (which was already financed by a publisher beforehand).

Which is what i said. Nothing new to us all here. WL 2 production cost was about 5 million, while the adjusted KS revenues were around 2.6 million. DOS had a cost of 5 million euro while they have gathered 1 million on KS. KS has one other ability, and that is to probe the market. Is not about reducing the financial investment of solid franchises or liquid companies, that might be byproduct which is certainly questionable, but is about to test if there is a desire / need for this product on the market. Besides that it's major or starting idea was to finance product that would have never had a chance in the first place, and that yes includes implicit the idea of probing the market.
And yes a statement that big companies with bigger projects are oppressing smaller projects by going to KS is a SJW statement. It is the same narrative, just with other words and other actors: (Powerful actors are oppressing the less powerful actors / Powerful Males are oppressing the less powerful females. )

And don't tell me the budget of KS backers is without any limit, of course they'll need to decide whether to invest their money into known projects of big developers or small unknown developers with some niche genre project beyond the mainstream. Latter actually need that money to realize the project at all.

Yes there are limits that are constantly pushed further by new backers coming to KS, through important / prestigious projects like Shenmue or T:ToN or BTIV or WL 2 or Bloodstrained or POE or SHR. And backers are not also not mindless drones that would support projects nevertheless they like the project or not. Backer support project according their need / desire for this project and not because it simply exist. Like in the example featuring me: I have not pledged to Shenmue despite that it was a prestigious project. I simply gave a shit about Shenmue, because i do not desire such a game. But i have pledged to Dungeons of Aledorn, because it was simply an RPG that needed help and i love RPGs (not necessary all RPGs).

 

[Jimmious]

I would prefer a mix of both worlds. Some nice unique items in set locations and enemies combined with generated ones BUT with good context and algorithms a la Dead State. They should make sense, we shouldn't find bows in spider corpses or whatever..

 

[Abu Antar]

Or find two handed swords that improve your one handed sword skill.

 

[Crooked Bee]

In the meantime, MCA has been overtaken by romances. Given his stance on the latter, that's pretty ironic if anything.

 

[LeStryfe79]

I believe in you, Chris.

 

[Fairfax]

In the meantime, MCA has been overtaken by romances. Given his stance on the latter, that's pretty ironic if anything.

 

[LeStryfe79]

I just tied it with my vote.

 

[Panzerbärchen]

At least that's a close race, no one can win against "Adult mode"! Because that was exactly what D:OS lacked in the writing/mood departement.
But no worries the young ones can turn it off :D

I look forward to spend as much time managing my inventory as playing the game tho, game was a hoarders dream

 

[Tuco Benedicto Pacifico]

For some reason developers fail to see that well-done itemization not only improves gameplay, but can also serve as element of world-building. Finding a certain item in a certain place in BG or Torment already tells a small story by itself, making the setting more believeable and interesting.

Looting enemies in D:OS was one of the most disappointing aspects of the game. What they dropped never made any sense. Same thing with finding items in various chests. D:OS EE will not be much of an improvement here, although permanent seeding for current game will at least prevent save-scumming and re-opening chests until you find something good.

I argued about this for months, when D: OS was a fresh release, and while there were a lot of people who share mine and your opinion, there were also a lot making weird claims like "With random items everything is constantly new and interesting" or "random itemization makes awesome playing the game again and again and again"

Which honestly is complete nonsense to me. When I can drop anything at any moment (which takes away the enjoyment of actively looking for better stuff, since it just comes to you randomly), special encounters don't offer special rewards and the next drop will always be more powerful of the previous one (because of motherfucking loot scaling) what I perceive is not "This is constantly diverse and interesting" but "Everything feels equally generic".

 

[Immortal]

I argued about this for months, when D: OS was a fresh release, and while there were a lot of people who share mine and your opinion, there were also a lot making weird claims like "With random items everything is constantly new and interesting" or "random itemization makes awesome playing the game again and again and again"

Which honestly is complete nonsense to me. When I can drop anything at any moment (which takes away the enjoyment of actively looking for better stuff, since it just comes to you randomly), special encounters don't offer special rewards and the next drop will always be more powerful of the previous one (because of motherfucking loot scaling) what I perceive is not "This is constantly diverse and interesting" but "Everything feels equally generic".

I don't mind slight loot variation ala Ice Wind Dale 2.. but Iconic items should exist and their location should be based on story.

If I fight a well renown enemy who has a signature item.. give me that item when he dies.. Don't have him expode into Random Crap.

 

[Neanderthal]

Thought Div Div did this perfectly, with the Holy Weapons, the Silver Breastplate and all the other stuff. Sword of Chaos buried under a stack of rocks at arse end of nowhere was a bit weird, definitely chaotic though.

First Witcher an all, not much there but all well placed and consistent.

 

[Immortal]

Thought Div Div did this perfectly, with the Holy Weapons, the Silver Breastplate and all the other stuff. Sword of Chaos buried under a stack of rocks at arse end of nowhere was a bit weird, definitely chaotic though.

Dunno what the fuck happened after this game.. they got lazy maybe.

 

[catfood]

Divinity: Original Sin: Origins

Well if they manage to get sempai MCA on board then that should mean that (some of) the writing won't be shit anymore.

 

[LeStryfe79]

CONSIDERING · ADMINLarian Studios (Producer, Larian Studios) responded · August 13, 2015
We’re seriously considering it. No promises though!

Crooked Bee

 

[Joined on the 4th of July]

Sequel could have been named along the lines of Unoriginal Sin or Derivative Sin or something like that.

As for the composer question, Ari Pulkkinen could be an interesting name. He's the guy who made the music for Trine games. And for several others as well. (Worlds of Trine and Divinity aren't that far from each other when it comes to overall 'tone', imo.) He can also handle different styles (like Kirill), so he should be able to do more than just generic orchestral background filler. And he seems claims to like ambitious projects. No idea how busy he is at the moment though.

His site:
http://aritunes.com/about/

Spoiler

 

[mindx2]

My goodness some of the stretch goal comments:

to the PC police, fuck off, if you can't handle gore, nudity and profanity go down to the basement, dig up your baby toys and play with them till you're ready to enter the adult world.

i'd rather have a kindergarten mode with nap time and finger painting, please keep this game progressive and socially-just for PROPER adults like myself!

 

[Cyberarmy]

Sequel could have been named along the lines of Unoriginal Sin or Derivative Sin or something like that.

Not So Original Sin?

 

[PhantasmaNL]

CONSIDERING · ADMINLarian Studios (Producer, Larian Studios) responded · August 13, 2015
We’re seriously considering it. No promises though!

Crooked Bee

Good news (and pretty funny too).

Im guessing Larian will need to have something special for that next KS, considering the fact that KS isnt what it used to be. As Sven blogged, this new KS is risky, they will be in the spotlight and verify publicly if they are on the right track. Apparently they believe they are since they are taking the risk and i think they are right, but you never know.

Having someone like Avellone on board could be one of contributing factors towards that 'special-ness'.

Now i believe the Larian KS for DOS was one of the best ive seen (and backed) so i have confidence and am very curious as to what they will have to offer.

 

[Crooked Bee]

Sequel could have been named along the lines of Unoriginal Sin or Derivative Sin or something like that.

Not So Original Sin?

You're both moving in the wrong direction imho. It should be Even More Original Sin.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Adidas 3 Stripes Sin

 

[Athelas]

Good news (and pretty funny too).

Im guessing Larian will need to have something special for that next KS, considering the fact that KS isnt what it used to be. As Sven blogged, this new KS is risky, they will be in the spotlight and verify publicly if they are on the right track. Apparently they believe they are since they are taking the risk and i think they are right, but you never know.

Having someone like Avellone on board could be one of contributing factors towards that 'special-ness'.

Having the same stretch goal as half a dozen other Kickstarters is surely the way to stand out, yes.

 

[Joined on the 4th of July]

You're both moving in the wrong direction imho. It should be Even More Original Sin.

I'd say that's reserved for the prequel.

 

[Crooked Bee]

I just want Avellone in every RPG. I'm perverted like that.

I'd say that's reserved for the prequel.

The fact that it's a sequel narrative-wise doesn't mean it can't deal with an even more original sin for its subject-matter

 

[mindx2]

Having the same stretch goal as half a dozen other Kickstarters is surely the way to stand out, yes.

I don't know. I actually think that having MCA be part of a Larian KS is unique. It's not something anyone really thought could or would be a possibility until Crooked Bee proposed it (most likely in jest). I don't believe most people think MCA writing when discussing Larian style games so this could get very interesting. It certainly is getting some attention which is exactly what stretch goals are supposed to do... if this actually happens.