Game News Josh Sawyer's long-awaited historical RPG is called Pentiment, coming next year

[Alter Sack]

Oh boy, have I a bad feeling.

Can't wait to play a 'historical' middle ages rpg made by sjws.

I wouldn't be surprised if there will be some female/trans knights, evil templars/crusaders, noble Muslims and a good amount of homosexuality.

To top it of it will be filled to the brim with todays sjw moral 'values' which will be shoved down your throat while playing the game.

I'm willing to bet you that this game will not have women, non-Europeans or uncloseted LGBTQs in anachronistic roles. Sawyer is serious about his history and it overrides his politics.

Yeah?

Then why does the first art asset depicting an european king suspiciously look like a negro/arab?

Because he's not European, he's Prester John: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prester_John

Well, doesn't that make my point?

They use a mythical figure who was very probably not even real to shoehorn in a black negro king.

Ok, I give you that there is a historical foundation for such a character (even if it is fictional).

But for me it's pretty telling that that's their first released art asset.

 

[Grauken]

Oh boy, have I a bad feeling.

Can't wait to play a 'historical' middle ages rpg made by sjws.

I wouldn't be surprised if there will be some female/trans knights, evil templars/crusaders, noble Muslims and a good amount of homosexuality.

To top it of it will be filled to the brim with todays sjw moral 'values' which will be shoved down your throat while playing the game.

I'm willing to bet you that this game will not have women, non-Europeans or uncloseted LGBTQs in anachronistic roles. Sawyer is serious about his history and it overrides his politics.

Yeah?

Then why does the first art asset depicting an european king suspiciously look like a negro/arab?

Because he's not European, he's Prester John: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prester_John

Well, doesn't that make my point?

They use a mythical figure who was very probably not even real to shoehorn in a black negro king.

Ok, I give you that there is a historical foundation for such a character (even if it is fictional).

But for me it's pretty telling that that's their first released art asset.

It's telling us that you're a moron

 

[Infinitron]

I guess that image does suggest that non-whites could appear in the game as legendary figures out of the Orient. I assume it'll be like Darklands - supernatural/mythical elements in the context of a realistic world, not "medieval Europe, except a bunch of people are randomly black for some reason".

 

[pickmeister]

I might be a moron as well then. The game is supposed to be from Europe so what does it have to do with a picture of Nestorian who lived in Middle and Far East? Definitely not for the sake of diversity.

This really made me mad. Psychopaths trying to blatantly rewrite history to push their personal agenda, with zero regards for the good of society in preserving historical facts. I told you he's a sociopath, he proves it yet again. He's the type of guy who destroy cultural heritage for personal tastes like ISIS did in Palmyra.

"Arguably the best"... I'd expect this wording from some rpshit outlet. It's a bad sign that this is now the level of the rpgcodex editorial policy.

Dude, relax. They meant the best Fallout game out of all those he worked on.

 

[Alter Sack]

I guess that image does suggest that non-whites could appear in the game as legendary figures out of the Orient. I assume it'll be like Darklands - supernatural/mythical elements in the context of a realistic world, not "medieval Europe, except a bunch of people are randomly black for some reason".

Story of the game:

Save the Occident as Prester John (or one of his agents).

Experience the trials and tribulations of a black person in racist middle age Europe.

(You heard it here first).

 

[pickmeister]

Well, niggers sure were pretty supernatural/mythical for a regular European back in the day, I imagine.

EDIT: The word filter is broken, I swear! Please don't ban me, I like it here.

 

[Dr Schultz]

I might be a moron as well then. The game is supposed to be from Europe so what does it have to do with a picture of Nestorian who lived in Middle and Far East? Definitely not for the sake of diversity.

This really made me mad. Psychopaths trying to blatantly rewrite history to push their personal agenda, with zero regards for the good of society in preserving historical facts. I told you he's a sociopath, he proves it yet again. He's the type of guy who destroy cultural heritage for personal tastes like ISIS did in Palmyra.

"Arguably the best"... I'd expect this wording from some rpshit outlet. It's a bad sign that this is now the level of the rpgcodex editorial policy.

Dude, relax. They meant the best Fallout game out of all those he worked on.

It has a lot to do with Europe, considering that no real Presbiter Johannes ever existed in Asia but, at the time of the Crusuades, Europeans were so convinced of his existence that they even wrote fake letters signed by this imaginary priest-king and addressed to the pope and the emperor.

The right question to ask is what Presbiter Johannes has to do with the XVI century? By that time he was almost out of fashion in Europe. His heyday was during the XII-XIII century.

 

[Roguey]

Why is everybody and their mom trying some kind of obscure, experimental RPG when very few people get the traditional model right in the first place?

Sawyer said he will never make another game like Pillars/Deadfire because he can't comprehend what he did wrong to result in Deadfire's slower sales.

And hey at least they can't do loredumps when it takes place in a world we're already familiar with... right?

Watch him.

I think Feargus's fear, which I know because I told him how unfounded it is, is that "Oh, I'm going to have to know a whole lot about history." And I'm like no, you don't have to know a whole lot about Forgotten Realms when you play a Forgotten Realms game. Like that's kind of part of the experience, you're learning the lore of the world, Earth, but a few hundred years ago.

 

[pickmeister]

It has a lot to do with Europe, considering that no real Presbiter Johannes ever existed in Asia but, at the time of the Crusuades, Europeans were so convinced of his existence that they even wrote fake letters signed by this imaginary priest-king and directed to the pope and the emperor.

The right question to ask is what Presbiter Johannes has to do with the XVI century? By that time he was completely out of fashion in Europe

I understand the rumors were present in Europe but it's not like he was living down the street or doing regular standup tours.

It's like putting Greek gods in GTA because hey, people believed in them at some point.

 

[Dr Schultz]

I doubt that Presbiter Johannes will be in the game. Probably people who believe in Presbiter Johannes will be in the game, which is totally legit even if a bit out of fashion

 

[HeroMarine]

Why is everybody and their mom trying some kind of obscure, experimental RPG when very few people get the traditional model right in the first place?

Sawyer said he will never make another game like Pillars/Deadfire because he can't comprehend what he did wrong to result in Deadfire's slower sales.

I haven't played it yet (only 4 hours) but it's probably the writing.

 

[rashiakas]

It was the lack of soul.

 

[Rieser]

It was the lack of soul.

Ah yes, because if there's anything best-selling games are brimming with - it's soul.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Sawyer said he will never make another game like Pillars/Deadfire because he can't comprehend what he did wrong to result in Deadfire's slower sales.

This is great news! Now we just need to get him to manage to apply this experience to other relevant contexts (i.e. every other genre of game).

Maybe he could be a consultant. Like you tell him the planned mechanics of the game you're designing, if he likes them, you trash them because they'll be boring. Sort of like high level QA.

 

[Roguey]

This is great news! Now we just need to get him to manage to apply this experience to other relevant contexts (i.e. every other genre of game).

Maybe he could be a consultant. Like you tell him the planned mechanics of the game you're designing, if he likes them, you trash them because they'll be boring. Sort of like high level QA.

Sawyer magic worked for Fallout 3. Perhaps it could have worked for The Outer Worlds if they had listened to him, but we'll never know.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Wasn't the Hulk & Superman in GTA (Albeit a mod)?

 

[Tyranicon]

POE and its sequel failed because nobody was interested enough. The setting, the characters, the endless lore dumps. It's a masterclass on how to write generic fantasy 101.

It can work if you build it as a first-person sandbox game where people can find their own fun, like Skyrim (looking at you, Avowed). But as an isometric cRPG? Eh.....

 

[Pink Eye]

So not a new Darklands.

I thought he was making a new Darklands. What a big fat nothing burger this all turned out.

 

[Bigg Boss]

Why is everybody and their mom trying some kind of obscure, experimental RPG when very few people get the traditional model right in the first place?

Because DE sold well and reviewed well. Just ask me next time.

 

[VGMG]

Following market trends once more I see, on his dream pet project too. Sad.
It would appear he didn't learn the first time but, then again, he's aware of that himself.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Yeah you gotta admire how bold and experimental it is to follow the blueprint of the most recent hit in the genre. Stunning and brave.

 

[Humbaba]

Grubb mentioned that Pentiment takes cues from the likes of Disco Elysium

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

How the fuck do you do a legit a historical rpg without combat? Talk about fantasy. Dragons and wizards ar emore likely to be real than non violence. LMAO

You are oversimplifying things. People from the past were more violent than modern people, but they weren't some kind of complete barbarians who couldn't do anything without violence. Just people living in tough times.

 

[Volourn]

Your spam is irrelevant. The bottom line is you cna't make a legit historical rpg without there not being a possibility of combat/violence. Unless you play a character that is somehow removed from society. From spousal abuse, to street/bar brawls to wars to assaults, violence is part of life and pretending it doesn't exist makes it unhistorical.

Just make an adventure game.

 

[Freakydemon]

Well it didn't say it didnt have combat nor violence. But it perfectly can be a historical game without combat that still features violence, or a game that features neither combat nor violence and still be perfectly historical. The middle ages wasn't wanton destruction and murder everywhere, every time, forever. This shouldn't be too hard to wrap your head around.