My collected criticism on Pillars of Eternity (very minor spoilers)

[Sensuki]

Once they came to the conclusion that keep activities should be 100% optional because a lot of players have an extremely negative reaction to it, they should have left it as a homestead. Once again Josh failed his own principles (i.e. any given thing in a game should be designed for the people who enjoy that kind of gameplay; those who enjoy keep management gameplay won't/didn't enjoy something that's light on content by necessity on account of everything else they had to do and also completely divorced from everything else).

I think the entire game suffers from a bit of this - stuff is basically there because they promised it rather than what made sense for the game. That in itself isn't a problem but it is if you don't have a clear vision of what you want.

I think they will have learned their lesson for the next KS though I suppose.

 

[Infinitron]

Is Roguey going through some personal crisis? I wouldn't expect him to be so trusting of other people's opinions on PoE which he hasn't even played yet

 

[Grunker]

Once they came to the conclusion that keep activities should be 100% optional because a lot of players have an extremely negative reaction to it, they should have left it as a homestead. Once again Josh failed his own principles (i.e. any given thing in a game should be designed for the people who enjoy that kind of gameplay; those who enjoy keep management gameplay won't/didn't enjoy something that's light on content by necessity on account of everything else they had to do and also completely divorced from everything else).

I think the entire game suffers from a bit of this - stuff is basically there because they promised it rather than what made sense for the game. That in itself isn't a problem but it is if you don't have a clear vision of what you want.

Nothing in the game is even remotely as bland and useless as the keep, IMO. Not even consumables crafting.

 

[Sensuki]

I agree, the Stronghold is the worst part. Really disappointing.

 

[Rake]

The crafting system in PoE sucks, yep.

You mean it's like any other crafting system? Yeah...

 

[Roguey]

Is Roguey going through some personal crisis? I wouldn't expect him to be so trusting of other people's opinions on PoE which he hasn't even played yet

I'm being consistent.

I'm sure I'll enjoy Pillars, but I probably won't consider it a good game, even after Sawyer's made additional balance tweaks. The number of RPGs I've played that I consider good is "zero" so it isn't too much of a big deal.

 

[Immortal]

Once they came to the conclusion that keep activities should be 100% optional because a lot of players have an extremely negative reaction to it, they should have left it as a homestead. Once again Josh failed his own principles (i.e. any given thing in a game should be designed for the people who enjoy that kind of gameplay; those who enjoy keep management gameplay won't/didn't enjoy something that's light on content by necessity on account of everything else they had to do and also completely divorced from everything else).

I think the entire game suffers from a bit of this - stuff is basically there because they promised it rather than what made sense for the game. That in itself isn't a problem but it is if you don't have a clear vision of what you want.

Nothing in the game is even remotely as bland and useless as the keep, IMO. Not even consumables crafting.

Itemization is a close second.. It's feels bland and neutered, again catering to people who wanted to skip encounters, they had to make sure not to incentivize killing.

 

[Infinitron]

Is Roguey going through some personal crisis? I wouldn't expect him to be so trusting of other people's opinions on PoE which he hasn't even played yet

I'm being consistent.

I'm sure I'll enjoy Pillars, but I probably won't consider it a good game, even after Sawyer's made additional balance tweaks. The number of RPGs I've played that I consider good is "zero" so it isn't too much of a big deal.

I didn't say you were supposed to think it's good. But you're also trusting people's opinions of its specific subsystems before evaluating them for yourself, which is odd.

For example, some of the criticisms of the game's writing I've seen ITT remind me of stuff people have said about FO:NV (muh engagement with the settng), so I'm taking them with a grain of salt

 

[Mortmal]

They could have boosted the stats on those items, nothing worth removing fromt he inventory again...

Good post felipepe, i hope you will write the POE codex review.

Nope, that will be penned by esteemed gentlemen Grunker and VD, who are doing a friendly brainstorm mid-thread.

maybe poe sucks

or maybe it doesn't

OR MAYBE

If you thinks it sucks , please dont call them shitsidian this time, this does not look professionnal in a review!

 

[Rake]

Is Roguey going through some personal crisis? I wouldn't expect him to be so trusting of other people's opinions on PoE which he hasn't even played yet

I'm being consistent.

I'm sure I'll enjoy Pillars, but I probably won't consider it a good game, even after Sawyer's made additional balance tweaks. The number of RPGs I've played that I consider good is "zero" so it isn't too much of a big deal.

I didn't say you were supposed to think it's good. But you're also trusting people's opinions of its specific subsystems before evaluating them for yourself, which is odd.

For example, some of the criticisms of the game's writing I've seen ITT remind me of stuff people have said about FO:NV (muh engagement with the settng), so I'm taking them with a grain of salt

That's exactly why i mostly believe them. FNV sucked ass in many departments, and since PoE is made by the same LD in charge of mostly the same team, i believe that i won't like it so much as well.

 

[Lady_Error]

If it wasn't for the load times, I actually like the keep and the "endless" dungeon below it.

I really miss the mage fights though - still hoping for Act 3 or 4 to deliver.

 

[Kel]

Is Roguey going through some personal crisis? I wouldn't expect him to be so trusting of other people's opinions on PoE which he hasn't even played yet

I'm being consistent.

I'm sure I'll enjoy Pillars, but I probably won't consider it a good game, even after Sawyer's made additional balance tweaks. The number of RPGs I've played that I consider good is "zero" so it isn't too much of a big deal.

The bars are set very low here. People consider MoTB a good RPG. No it was not. It was a good game. But not a good RPG. The entire gameworld was as linear as they come, and just because the story was told well doesn't make it a good ROLE-playing Game. Good, classic, ambitious RPGs are not just item-finding, stat-tweaking, dialogue-laden journeys through fantasy, the CAUSALITY OF CHOICE must exist, otherwise its just a pampered up Dragon Age II.

What I see as accomplishments in Pillars are a well rounded combat system that will improve as days go by into a solid DnD variant, and a gameworld which feels fresh.

But if anyone thinks Pillars rivals the Big Three, they're quite insane and need to be institutionalized.

 

[Shevek]

I voted "Better than Baldur's Gate 2" but I would have preferred a "As Good As Baldur's Gate 2" option. The poll is flawed and doesnt give enough options.

 

[Vault Dweller]

The crafting system in PoE sucks, yep.

You mean it's like any other crafting system? Yeah...

Not really.

A keep is a retarded feature as it goes against the very idea of adventuring. It doesn't add much, doesn't give anything you didn't have before (you're a lord of every dungeon and keep you cleared), and overall it's nothing but an ego booster.

A crafting system is a fairly useful and logical feature aimed to improve your gear and lessen the reliance on random items, which is important in a game with narrow weapon specialization. PoE's system isn't great or perfect but it's functional and useful, which is more than can be said about many other crafting systems.

 

[NotAGolfer]

Once they came to the conclusion that keep activities should be 100% optional because a lot of players have an extremely negative reaction to it, they should have left it as a homestead. Once again Josh failed his own principles (i.e. any given thing in a game should be designed for the people who enjoy that kind of gameplay; those who enjoy keep management gameplay won't/didn't enjoy something that's light on content by necessity on account of everything else they had to do and also completely divorced from everything else).

I think the entire game suffers from a bit of this - stuff is basically there because they promised it rather than what made sense for the game. That in itself isn't a problem but it is if you don't have a clear vision of what you want.

Nothing in the game is even remotely as bland and useless as the keep, IMO. Not even consumables crafting.

Itemization is a close second.. It's feels bland and neutered, again catering to people who wanted to skip encounters, they had to make sure not to incentivize killing.

There are treasure chests and graves and all the other nice RPG tropes besides looting corpses though. So I don't see how boring itemization is linked to skippable encounters.

 

[Roguey]

I didn't say you were supposed to think it's good. But you're also trusting people's opinions of its specific subsystems before evaluating them for yourself, which is odd.

I haven't seen any praise for the keep and Sawyer's already given reasons for why it is the way it is in his orbposting lair (that is, he agrees with the assessment that it's disappointing).

For example, some of the criticisms of the game's writing I've seen ITT remind me of stuff people have said about FO:NV (muh engagement with the settng), so I'm taking them with a grain of salt

I believe people are being honest about the existence of dry infodumps, something Sawyer said he was against.

 

[Infinitron]

I haven't seen any praise for the keep and Sawyer's already given reasons for why it is the way it is in his orbposting lair (that is, he agrees with the assessment that it's disappointing).

Post 'em.

 

[prodigydancer]

@Lore: I disagree. PoE is stuck between wanting a low-fantasy feel in a high fantasy setting. But it's a lie. In the end it is just as high fantasy as the games it compares to, it's just more pretentious about it. Unlike PS:T it has no right to be. There is more character and struggle in Irenicus, Linvail and Imoen than there ever will be in 3/4's of PoE's Thaos, random quest-givers and Aloth. Tackling mature themes ≠ being mature. PoE tries to be more than high fantasy, and fails. BG2 tries to be adventurous high fantasy, and it succeeds with flying colours.

I don't get any high fantasy vibe from PoE so far. Maybe that's because I'm a slowpoke who is still stuck in Act 1 but anyway. Let's recall BG: literally the first people you (likely) encounter on the road are the main villain (who kills your stepfather in a dramatic battle), two agents of an evil secret organization and a wizard in a pointy hat. Now that's high fantasy.

 

[evdk]

If it wasn't for the load times, I actually like the keep and the "endless" dungeon below it.

I really miss the mage fights though - still hoping for Act 3 or 4 to deliver.

laughingamauawhores.jpg
(translation: don't hold your breath)
Also there is really no act 4, the endgame is 2 maps + a boss arena.


Anyway:

20:23 - товарищ евдк: game is 7/10
20:23 - товарищ евдк: all the minor flaws are collectively kicking me in the nuts hard
20:23 - товарищ евдк: my review

You can put that on the box.

 

[Kel]

The keep and Od Nua beneath were the only nice things about the little amount of freedom my character had.

Compared to the main narrative, Caed Nua was a welcome relief.

 

[Shevek]

I do think the keep should have had some quests connecting it into the main narrative and your ongoing progress through the game. That being said, its a cool minigame in its own right and its not like the BG2 keeps were any good, so I am happy with it. I do hope they play with it more in the expansion. There is great potential with the systems they have cooked up for it.

 

[Kz3r0]

Is Roguey going through some personal crisis? I wouldn't expect him to be so trusting of other people's opinions on PoE which he hasn't even played yet

I'm being consistent.

I'm sure I'll enjoy Pillars, but I probably won't consider it a good game, even after Sawyer's made additional balance tweaks. The number of RPGs I've played that I consider good is "zero" so it isn't too much of a big deal.

I didn't say you were supposed to think it's good. But you're also trusting people's opinions of its specific subsystems before evaluating them for yourself, which is odd.

He managed to troll the Codex for hundreds of pages and thousands of posts championing a game he correctly called Dullsville, why he should waste time playing it?
As you can see after such a great success he can't even keep up the act anymore

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

What the hell, why is this review so thoughtful , balanced and terrifyingly accurate? I've been told this website is just people on Adderal frooling at the mouth about turn-based mode.

You've captured all my thoughts about the game so precisely I've had to register and leave this little love letter. Well done Sir.

 

[Roguey]

I haven't seen any praise for the keep and Sawyer's already given reasons for why it is the way it is in his orbposting lair (that is, he agrees with the assessment that it's disappointing).

Post 'em.

http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/inde...read-its-happening.98003/page-99#post-3833880

tl;dr nothing wrong with the systems, but not nearly enough content. Should have been cut imo so content could have been improved elsewhere.

 

[Mortmal]

The crafting system in PoE sucks, yep.

You mean it's like any other crafting system? Yeah...

Not really.

A keep is a retarded feature as it goes against the very idea of adventuring. It doesn't add much, doesn't give anything you didn't have before (you're a lord of every dungeon and keep you cleared), and overall it's nothing but an ego booster.

A crafting system is a fairly useful and logical feature aimed to improve your gear and lessen the reliance on random items, which is important in a game with narrow weapon specialization. PoE's system isn't great or perfect but it's functional and useful, which is more than can be said about many other crafting systems.

If you reread the D&D expert ruleset(blue box) , they give plenty of suggestions to do adventures related to keep. Even better is the birthright setting, where you administer a fief, it doesnt prevent you from adventuring far for it . I agree in POE they are not making use of it at all.