Obsidian's Pillars of Eternity [BETA RELEASED, GO TO THE NEW THREAD]

[Abelian]

BG1 had a level cap of 7 for most classes (not including the TOTSC expansion). I agree that more frequent level-up cheapens the experience (pun intended) and that having fewer, but more meaningful level-ups makes for a better gaming experience.

 

[FeelTheRads]

Not by any technical standard and PoE's areas aren't even final yet.

Plebs gonna pleb. Tells us again about how 2D is screenshots (lol) of 3D so everything is the same, really.

Also Heart of Winter looks technically better, even if by some "standards" (resolution and fake dynamic lighting being probably as much as you can comprehend) it's not.

 

[Roguey]

Plebs gonna pleb. Tells us again about how 2D is screenshots (lol) of 3D so everything is the same, really.

That's still true.

That is, we wanted to build 3D levels, render them out as 2D images, and then have our artists paint in beautiful details, highlights, and color-tweaks before they went into the game.

Also Heart of Winter looks technically better, even if by some "standards" (resolution and fake dynamic lighting being probably as much as you can comprehend) it's not.

No it doesn't.

 

[Hormalakh]

uhh feeltherads....are you saying that the maps in Heart of Winter are going to be better than the ones to be found in PoE? PoE maps are going to have dynamic elements (running waterfall, rising/lowering water levels, etc) whereas the older games didn't have this. What do you mean by technically better if not this? Do you mean that the art direction was better? The images I've seen so far (outside a few poorly designed outdoors maps and the crazy archstone pillar thing which I can agree with) have been beautiful.

 

[FeelTheRads]

Plebs gonna pleb. Tells us again about how 2D is screenshots (lol) of 3D so everything is the same, really.

That's still true.

That is, we wanted to build 3D levels, render them out as 2D images, and then have our artists paint in beautiful details, highlights, and color-tweaks before they went into the game.

Also Heart of Winter looks technically better, even if by some "standards" (resolution and fake dynamic lighting being probably as much as you can comprehend) it's not.

No it doesn't.

That's still retarded and yes it does.

Suck it down, and make me a sandwich.

 

[coffeetable]

Good point about balance, but leveling up is such a feel-good moment in RPGs that I feel a bit sad we'll only get it 11 times in what promises to be an around 50 hour RPG.

more like ~60 times, no?

 

[Arkeus]

more like ~60 times, no?

This is a good point- someone remembers if all classes level up at the same time in PoE? One of the things that made BG great was that different characters levelled up at different time.

 

[Xeon]

Sorry, I can't remember if this was mentioned before. Since experience only comes from completing quests, Do party members npcs and adventure hall newly created npcs automatically join you at your level?

Edit:
Second question please, There is a mod in Baldur's Gate 2 I think that make the NPCs join you at the lowest possible level with the opportunity to level them up as you like or something. Will it be similar to that or to the vanilla?

Thank you!

 

[coffeetable]

more like ~60 times, no?

This is a good point- someone remembers if all classes level up at the same time in PoE? One of the things that made BG great was that different characters levelled up at different time.

different times

Characters can/will level up at different times. Characters who have been added to "the roster" but aren't in the active party still gain a good chunk of XP. Having them go on adventures (off-screen) from the stronghold bumps that value up so they stay a little closer to everyone else.

 

[Scruffy]

once the game is out we should ask to kickstart a modding tool a la NWN. That would make the game's replayability theoretically infinite.

 

[Rake]

once the game is out we should ask to kickstart a modding tool a la NWN. That would make the game's replayability theoretically infinite.

The problem will always be the maps. The only solution would be if Obsidian starts produsing "maps DLC" every couple of months and charge for them.

 

[Scruffy]

once the game is out we should ask to kickstart a modding tool a la NWN. That would make the game's replayability theoretically infinite.

The problem will always be the maps. The only solution would be if Obsidian starts produsing "maps DLC" every couple of months and charge for them.

i'd even be ok with that, or like megapatches that make the world progressively bigger and more explorable...

 

[hiver]

You can always combine assets that are there already. Or do some kind of specific shorter adventures, with different starting points, characters, dungeons, etc.

Same as BG2 i suppose.

 

[Zed]

once the game is out we should ask to kickstart a modding tool a la NWN. That would make the game's replayability theoretically infinite.

it can only be like NWN if it has a simple environments, which this sort of 2D is not.

what they could do, however, is kickstart a proper spiritual successor to NWN with a modular 3D approach.

 

[Scruffy]

once the game is out we should ask to kickstart a modding tool a la NWN. That would make the game's replayability theoretically infinite.

it can only be like NWN if it has a simple environments, which this sort of 2D is not.

what they could do, however, is kickstart a proper spiritual successor to NWN with a modular 3D approach.

i'll stop replying because i realize that my expectations are probably skewed and unrealistic and go cry in a corner

 

[Tigranes]

"We will preserve the design philosophy of the original game, so that every chapter features 4 macguffins in 4 areas neatly arranged in order."

 

[Roguey]

That's still retarded

Yet you're unable to explain why.

and yes it does.

http://www.rpgcodex.net/gallery/10039.jpg vs http://eternity.obsidian.net/img/media/screenshots/pe-screenshot-005-1920x1080.jpg

Anyone who says the left looks better is blind, possibly tasteless.

 

[Bubbles]

It's a bit unfair to compare a UI screenshot with a non-UI one. It gives a completely different vibe. That cursor alone...

 

[Infinitron]

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/65035-on-solutions/page-2#entry1414907

Given the multitude of opinions, I think it will be very hard for them to strike the right balance.
I always used the KS video as the reference in such occasions, because it was the reason I (and many others) made up my mind about involving in PoE funding. And let's be honest here - Chris Avellone was the only one in that video, who tackles dialogues* in more depth. Which is exactly what made me believe, that it will be great, sure, but it won't be another (oryginal) Fallout-style skills, stats, karma, reputation, race, sex aware dialogue tree. Even with Tim and Chris aboard.

I demanded all of the the things you listed on F:NV (well, not race, since you were always human) and have pushed for even more on PoE. Eric Fenstermaker is our narrative lead and he's written some of the most reactive quests and characters in our games (e.g. Beyond the Beef, Veronica, and Boone in F:NV). I don't know where you would have gotten the idea that we weren't going to have highly-reactive dialogue.

 

[Tommy Wiseau]

Josh Sawyer and Obsidian will be our saviors.

 

[Roguey]

It's a bit unfair to compare a UI screenshot with a non-UI one. It gives a completely different vibe. That cursor alone...

Fine, compare the PoE shot to

 

[Decado]

Yeah I'm not a big fan of "rangers are ranged" thing that has become the norm, even though I think drizzt clones are just as lame.

It strikes me that rangers should be ranged. It's in their name after all.

Anyways, I don't care if rangers can dual wield, or not. That is basically a trope taken from DnD and has persisted ever since, for no particular reason other than the fact that designers have always done it. It makes a bit of sense too, considering that a ranger would be the outdoorsy type, and is supposed to be (at least) an accomplished hunter of animals. Being good with a bow seems like a prerequisite, there.

 

[Infinitron]

Yeah I'm not a big fan of "rangers are ranged" thing that has become the norm, even though I think drizzt clones are just as lame.

It strikes me that rangers should be ranged. It's in their name after all.

Anyways, I don't care if rangers can dual wield, or not. That is basically a trope taken from DnD and has persisted ever since, for no particular reason other than the fact that designers have always done it. It makes a bit of sense too, considering that a ranger would be the outdoorsy type, and is supposed to be (at least) an accomplished hunter of animals. Being good with a bow seems like a prerequisite, there.

Some have theorized that the reason Rangers got the dual wield ability in AD&D is because Aragorn briefly dual wielded when driving off the Nazgul at Weathertop.

 

[Decado]

Sawyer gets into a fight with the "CLASSES ARE TOO RIGID" crowd: http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/65...tters-rogues-and-rangers/page-11#entry1412648

I have to say . . .

I am not a Sawyer fanboy, and didn't really know anything about the guy until I started posting here a few years ago. But when I read posts like his response to Monte Carlo, I am glad he is making this game. At the very least, the guy knows his shit. That is so rare these days.

 

[Tytus]

I'm not that kind of ranger...