Divinity Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition

[Metro]

It isn't really that 'open.' Certainly nowhere near as open as Ultimas 6 and 7 (arguably not even as open as original Pool of Radiance or even some of the later gold box games). You're going to clear the three major maps in linear order and you're still somewhat limited in where you can go given the rigid power differentials between levels. It's definitely sandbox from the perspective the Something Awful review mentioned -- that is, not that you can walk to some random mountain but that nearly everything can be interacted with allowing for tons of options in combat.

 

[MasterSmithFandango]

Honestly, the smartest thing Larian did with releasing this game...

Releasing it right after the Steam Sale with no big games being released in the period around it. It was a game desert, so D:OS comes in at a great time to take advantage of that.

 

[Cyberarmy]

Honestly, the smartest thing Larian did with releasing this game...

Releasing it right after the Steam Sale with no big games being released in the period around it. It was a game desert, so D:OS comes in at a great time to take advantage of that.

It could have been backfired easly though if everybody spend much more money in summer sales. We should be thanking Valve for this years shitty sales.

 

[PhantasmaNL]

I honestly think the game's success owes a lot to the following:

1. VERY well-made coop. Guy#1 enjoys game, plays with guy#2, and even if guy#2 doesn't normally play RPGs he enjoyes it due to Guy#1's guidance + emergent nature of the game, Guy#2 tells about it to other people and so on... It's the best and most direct kind of word-of-mouth advertising a developer can get.

2. Big open interactive world- with note on INTERACTIVE world. That feeling of "Hahah, that shit actually worked!" and "lol, I made a pumpkin helmet!" make this game as much as a big sandbox filled with toys rather than "just an RPG". And it's not the barren, lifeless sandbox Bethesda games usually offer, either. You don't have to be an RPG fan to enjoy that kind of stuff. It actually has pretty huge appeal.

If I'm not mistaken, wasn't Ultima's success also due to it's big sandboxy nature mixed with a user-friendly interface (compared to most RPGs of the time)?

3. Also, iirc Larian did some youtuber promotion for the game, and that could very easily set up a chain reaction.

And on top of it all, it's a great quality game. Combine it all and this kind of success is what you get.

it is indeed doing well, a Belgian newspaper article (linked earlier) has Swen stating more than 250.000 sold thus far

im curious as to where this will lead...

apparently current succes is already enough to become a take over target

 

[Metro]

Bethesderp will swallow them!

 

[Haba]

It isn't really that 'open.' Certainly nowhere near as open as Ultimas 6 and 7 (arguably not even as open as original Pool of Radiance or even some of the later gold box games). You're going to clear the three major maps in linear order and you're still somewhat limited in where you can go given the rigid power differentials between levels. It's definitely sandbox from the perspective the Something Awful review mentioned -- that is, not that you can walk to some random mountain but that nearly everything can be interacted with allowing for tons of options in combat.

You can actually get absurdly far by avoiding combat and using charisma. Most of the quests in the final town can be solved without combat, for example. There isn't much point to do so though... But, still can't remember that many games where you can waltz into the final section of the game with a level 1 character.

 

[RK47]

Fallout actually can be solved with minimal combat too.

Honestly, the smartest thing Larian did with releasing this game...

If your post-release patch reads like a novel, maybe you should've tested the game a little more before officially launching it.

 

[RK47]

I have one question. Why doesn't Zandalor's trunks talk, or sing or whatever it supposed to do? Do I have to do something in the game to "acitvate" it?

You need to use the member who is equipped them. He actuallty won't shut up especially when stealing/pickpocketing...

Edit: It talks,

When you level up,
When you break lots of things with one attack/spell,
When you steal or commit a crime,
When you enter some major place or encounter a major event.

Wow. And I thought it was some kind tranny joke where my female companion starts speaking in a male voice after stealing some shit.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Fallout actually can be solved with minimal combat too.

Incorrect, IT IS TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO AVOID COMBAT IN FALLOUT.

 

[Raghar]

Most of the game's "grimdark" comes from the fantasy subject matter. When the giant death robot has a remote control with smiley faces on it and little skulls with fuzes threaten to go "bicky-bicky boom", I think it's pretty safe to say we're not anywhere near grimdark territory - failed or otherwise.

Spoiler

I actually liked that part, and these cats on buttons are what Arhu would do, thus they felt right. I also liked that mecha that looked like Warhammer 40000, which is something Arhu can do. It looks like these few skelies have found it, tried to ride him and have fun, and were successful.

I however missed possibility to parley, get agreement with them, give them remote with instructions, and allow them to use that mecha for fun. Thus creating a motorcycle mecha skeleton gang that would rampage countryside. These bandits between Dietmar and cave exit could be made of nice example of bandits trying to rob few skelies and overpowered mecha, and made into blood stains instead. Getting occasional free XP for these killed bandits with a message who killed them and why, and ultimately death warrant on two Source hunters who allowed that.

But the above would need some creativity and talent from Larian.

Other thing is, that I had always feeling Arhu is doing only things that are interesting for him. Now we have him in position which is more suitable for these who are meddling with affairs others. In previous games Arhu was more behind scenes and didn't manipulate others around. Now it feels like Larian wanted to use popular figure, just to have it as part of main story, without thinking about personality and previous games. Something like hapened to Yuna in FFX and FFX-2. Also it has dark skin with white hair, which is definitely idiocy because he was originally WHITE cat, and thus he would need to have at least black strippes.

I wonder if this cat wasn't an inspiration, probably not.


BTW isn't that crazy rhyming mage talking about events from Dragon commander? And didn't Dragon commander, or stuff he talked about, happen after Divinity 1?

 

[Metro]

It isn't really that 'open.' Certainly nowhere near as open as Ultimas 6 and 7 (arguably not even as open as original Pool of Radiance or even some of the later gold box games). You're going to clear the three major maps in linear order and you're still somewhat limited in where you can go given the rigid power differentials between levels. It's definitely sandbox from the perspective the Something Awful review mentioned -- that is, not that you can walk to some random mountain but that nearly everything can be interacted with allowing for tons of options in combat.

You can actually get absurdly far by avoiding combat and using charisma. Most of the quests in the final town can be solved without combat, for example. There isn't much point to do so though... But, still can't remember that many games where you can waltz into the final section of the game with a level 1 character.

How would you get there? Sneaking past all the monsters in the first two maps? Anyway, pretty sure combat is required to actually advance the plot well before you hit Hunter's Edge. Even then it doesn't really undermine my point. It's not as if this game is like the latter Ultimas where you can go almost anywhere from the start and tackle content in any number of ways. I'm not saying it's a bad game. It's a great game, but it's not really open world at all. It's much closer to something like Curse of the Azure Bonds than it is Ultima when it comes to the overarching world design. Obviously, though, when it comes to the details and interactivity it's very Ultima like.

 

[Raghar]

Does it mean there are only three maps? That's quite small in comparison to DD.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

BTW isn't that crazy rhyming mage talking about events from Dragon commander? And didn't Dragon commander, or stuff he talked about, happen after Divinity 1?

No.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/larianstudios/divinity-original-sin/posts/452503

 

[Metro]

Does it mean there are only three maps? That's quite small in comparison to DD.

There are only three 'major/overworld' maps and then a half a dozen or so (maybe a little more than that) sub-regions. Maybe Heiberheim is as big as the three main maps, I can't recall. As big as DivDiv? No. But a lot of shit in DivDiv was needlessly large to cram in the excessive amount of Diablo-glut enemies.

 

[Metro]

Re: plot. I have to admit... after 70+ hours I can't even tell you the plot of this game.

Spoiler

Some Garden-of-Eden send up where goat lady let shadow dragon out of the box and two CHOSEN ONES with amnesia have to save the world. Also Zandalor or whatever his name is, is back again... like fucking Elminster. I couldn't tell you the plots of DivDiv or DKS, either.

 

[Onholyservicebound]

Hurdur invulnerable enemies
I'm guessing I need to debuff by solving some sort of

Spoiler

PUZZLE??

 

[Jack Dandy]

apparently current succes is already enough to become a take over target

Oh god, I hope Swen won't fall for it.
But, like.. are there 'dangers'? Is Larian a public trade sort of deal? Can something big enough just up and buy them without their consent?

 

[Metro]

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Hurdur invulnerable enemies
I'm guessing I need to debuff by solving some sort of

Spoiler

PUZZLE??

Spoiler

can't defeat them until you find the components to create a skillbook to give you the spell to remove the invulnerability. this happens at a later point in the game, so for now it's sneaking time, just avoid them you cannot win

 

[Stefan Vujovic]

Anyone with 2gb of ram playing this? Did they perhaps fix obnoxiously long loading times. With this wooden pc of mine it takes about 3-4m changing areas...

 

[Metro]

Yeah I got 2 GB of ram... on my video card alone. Time to upgrade, bro. My last computer I bought in 2008 had more ram than that.

 

[PhantasmaNL]

apparently current succes is already enough to become a take over target

Oh god, I hope Swen won't fall for it.
But, like.. are there 'dangers'? Is Larian a public trade sort of deal? Can something big enough just up and buy them without their consent?

In the article Swen tells about a visit of interested buyers and 'stress caused by the choices they will have to make'. But of course this may be more general as in 'what game are we kickstarting next'?

But also, when large amounts of money are in play, anything is possible.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

2gb of RAM was shit even 12 years ago, wtf do you expect?

 

[Admiral jimbob]

will giving both my mages Glass Cannon make this game hilariously easy

 

[Admiral jimbob]

who's this Shrike fellow they keep alluding to in the patch notes? I don't recall having had the pleasure

the twist is that the Divinity series was set on Hyperion all along