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

[LivingOne]

Sawyer and BAdler are continuing Brennecke's Q&A:

Sawyer:

Greensleeve, on 09 Mar 2014 - 11:33 PM, said:

Quick, let's flood Adam with questions so he doesn't get to do any bug fixing! Wait a minute...



Anyway, question for Adam: how many weapon types (roughly) will there be in the game with actually useful magical equivalents?

Including firearms and magical implements, there are 28 base weapon types with two unique (mid power and high power) versions for each base type. Additionally there are "ordinary" Fine and Exceptional quality variants for each base type. The uniques and base types have all been designed and (mostly) implemented, though we've only placed a few of them in the world so far.

BAdler:

Hiro Protagonist II, on 10 Mar 2014 - 10:33 PM, said:

I'm a bit concerned with how much work there is still do and only about 8 months to do it in. Pre-Alpha > Alpha > Beta > Full game shipped. Novella, Almanac, Physical Tier rewards, printing Books, etc. It seems like a short time to do all this. Have you been sourcing suppliers for the physical tier rewards as well? eg. looking into what InXile is doing?

Kickstarter Rewards: A plan is in place and we are speaking with a few companies about creating the rewards. We are also currently doing the basic layouts for the books. In fact, today I had a talk with Rose about this very subject.



Game: It's a lot of stuff, no doubt, but I am confident that we will be able to wrap everything up in time. This game is pretty far along at this point. Even the portions of the crit path that aren't finished yet aren't more than a few weeks from being in and working.

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/65617-adam-at-work/page-5

 

[LivingOne]

moar sawyer

Leferd, on 10 Mar 2014 - 8:34 PM, said:

How badass are priests? How do they compare to fighters and paladins in combat efficacy?

Paladins occupy the middle space between fighters and priests in terms of raw combat power and support. Fighters have more consistent damage output and long-term survivability, but paladins can spike their damage with abilities like Flames of Devotion and Sworn Enemy. Those are limited-use abilities but they are nice for giving someone an extra smacking. Priests do not have an inherent talent in melee combat but they have the best AoE support abilities in the game (and can benefit from them on their own). They don't have a huge array of offensive spells, but the ones they have are potent, if small in overall area.

 

[Roguey]

The beholder is such a great iconic monster - don't you think?

Careful, Obsidian, that's WotC's product identity.

We have a similar definition of Alpha. Not only do we have all the features, but all of the content is in the game as well.

 

[hiver]

You might be able to use the environment for a tactical advantage in combat, but it's not the norm. Most of the time the environment dictates where choke points are, and how much space you have to navigate in and around battles.

Meh! same old crap.
I hoped PoE will be much better in this regard. - this is the reason rogues dont have more stealthy role or why magic will be lessened to just another weapon - buff-debuff "item".


biggest letdown so far.

 

[Copper]

You might be able to use the environment for a tactical advantage in combat, but it's not the norm. Most of the time the environment dictates where choke points are, and how much space you have to navigate in and around battles.

Meh! same old crap.
I hoped PoE will be much better in this regard. - this is the reason rogues dont have more stealthy role or why magic will be lessened to just another weapon - buff-debuff "item".


biggest letdown so far.

I never thought they would, and the screenshots made that fairly obvious as well, what with plenty of combat arenas with one 'into the breach' way in. (Twin Elms ruin/Central animat room). I guess they think even difficult terrain/concealment is too exploitable or something, but I always liked its impact in PnP tactical fights.

 

[LivingOne]

The beholder is such a great iconic monster - don't you think?

Careful, Obsidian, that's WotC's product identity.

You meant just the world beholder?Because they can make a similar looking thing and name it differently:

http://ultima.wikia.com/wiki/Gazers
http://dragonsdogma.wikia.com/wiki/Evil_Eye
http://dragonsdogma.wikia.com/wiki/Gazer

Anyway more quotes from that thread:
Sawyer:

The weapon balancing is still very rough. In general, fast weapons do a small amount of damage per hit but the most damage over time (though this can be heavily blunted by armor). Slower weapons do much more damage per hit and the least damage over time, but are much less affected by armor. Each type of weapon has its own special (though not necessarily unique) bonus as well. E.g. sabres inflict a short-duration damage over time effect, estocs and stilettos lower the target's armor by a flat amount, morning stars do either pierce of crush damage depending on what the target is more susceptible to (automatically), etc.



Magical implements are the fastest of the ranged weapons, but also do pretty mild damage. The rest of the ranged weapons tend to scale in this order of decreasing speed and increasing damage: hunting bow, war bow, crossbow, arbalest, pistol, blunderbuss/arquebus.

J.E. Sawyer, on 11 Mar 2014 - 01:56 AM, said:

estocs and stilettos lower the target's armor by a flat amount

sesobebo, on 11 Mar 2014 - 02:17 AM, said:

do they lower it for all the attackers bashing on the target, or just the bloke stabbing with steletto?

Just for the attacker.

We're doing some RP-related bonuses for paladins and priests but I'd rather wait to go into detail with them. They're not as in-depth as custom abilities for each order/deity. That's just too much work for us along with all of the other classes/races.



Weapon specializations are grouped together by themed category: e.g. Knight, Noble, Soldier, Ruffian, etc. Only fighters gain access to WS.

 

[Xeon]

In IWD1 or 2 there was an area infested with Goblins I think and some barrels filled with oils that exploded. maybe there will be something similar to that since it was made by them I think.

The Beholder kinda looks like one the monsters in Final Fantasy.

 

[Abelian]

In IWD1 or 2 there was an area infested with Goblins I think and some barrels filled with oils that exploded. maybe there will be something similar to that since it was made by them I think.

The Beholder kinda looks like one the monsters in Final Fantasy.

It was IWD2. The exploding barrels were a nice tactic addition for dealing with large numbers of foes, but I forget if you got any experience if you used them.

Interestingly, Heroes 3 included beholders in the Dungeon faction.

 

[Arkeus]

Here are some completely made-up convo scenarios (BTW, all of these tags can be disabled as an option and are off by default in Expert):

NPC: "I can't believe she rejected me! My family bloodline will be broken! What am I supposed to do now?"

1. "I will find someone else for you, a more suitable match. I'll spare no expense and scour all the Dyrwood if I have to!" [Benevolent - Average]
2. "You are clearly suited to bigger and better things. The duc is looking for an ambassador to Rauatai. I'm sure you could easily take the position." [Diplomatic - Minor]
3. "Well, you could weep into your beer about it like every other heartbroken would-be lover. If you give up this easily your bloodline deserves to die." [Cruel - Average]
4. [Shrug] [Stoic - Minor]

NPC: "What are you doing in here without an escort? Wait - damn you, how did you get in here in the first place?!"

1. [Intellect 14] [Lie] "Through... the side door. It was ajar and when I knocked I thought I heard someone say to come in. I apologize if I was mistaken." [Diplomatic - Minor]
2. "Charm, guile, maybe a little force. I find one of those three is always the key to opening any door." [Clever - Minor]
3. "Try asking again, this time with a kinder tone, or I'll bury you. Understand?" [Aggressive - Average]
4. "I won't deny I broke in through the side door. I know the thayn is hiding evidence in his study and I'm not leaving without it." [Honest - Average]

In those scenarios, your reputation doesn't have anything to do with being able to select the responses. In the second scenario, only your Intellect is used to gate the first option. How people react to you IS based on your reputation. So, for example, if you picked 1. in the second response, the dude might be swayed and say, "Hmm. Well, you are mistaken. The thayn isn't here today and I'm afraid we aren't taking visitors. Please follow me to the front..."

But let's say you have a well-established reputation for being Deceptive. His response may be, [Deceptive] "Hmm. Well, you are mist- Wait a minute, aren't you <CHARNAME>?" His momentarily confused face twists into an angry sneer. "Well, it looks like your poison tongue has finally caught up with you. You'll regret breaking into the thayn's home!"

These scenarios are completely fabricated, but I hope they illustrate the basics of how the system works.

 

[Infinitron]

Cool. That example sounds like it would encourage a bit of an unpredictable Chaotic Neutral approach!

 

[Xeon]

Man, That's pretty good But I don't understand the [Average - Minor] tags. Is it how much affect does it have on your reputations or something?

I also really like the ability to be able to hide the tags/requirements/intents or whatever.

 

[yes plz]

I was wondering about the minor - average tags, too. I figured maybe they're your rep for that particular style.

 

[tuluse]

Man, That's pretty good But I don't understand the [Average - Minor] tags. Is it how much affect does it have on your reputations or something?

I also really like the ability to be able to hide the tags/requirements/intents or whatever.

I think it's the magnitude of the change. So minor would be like +1, while average would be like +5 or something.

 

[Dorateen]

moar sawyer

Leferd, on 10 Mar 2014 - 8:34 PM, said:

How badass are priests? How do they compare to fighters and paladins in combat efficacy?

Paladins occupy the middle space between fighters and priests in terms of raw combat power and support. Fighters have more consistent damage output and long-term survivability, but paladins can spike their damage with abilities like Flames of Devotion and Sworn Enemy. Those are limited-use abilities but they are nice for giving someone an extra smacking. Priests do not have an inherent talent in melee combat but they have the best AoE support abilities in the game (and can benefit from them on their own). They don't have a huge array of offensive spells, but the ones they have are potent, if small in overall area.

That is entirely consistent with how the classes have played in any gaming I've done over the decades.

 

[Delterius]

Except 3rd edition, where Clerics are Gods.

 

[Dorateen]

Right. See, I never liked that style. So it's satisfying to hear Sawyer talk about a more traditional approach.

 

[Abelian]

But let's say you have a well-established reputation for being Deceptive. His response may be, [Deceptive] "Hmm. Well, you are mist- Wait a minute, aren't you <CHARNAME>?" His momentarily confused face twists into an angry sneer. "Well, it looks like your poison tongue has finally caught up with you. You'll regret breaking into the thayn's home!"

Being Deceptive seems to be a hindrance to deceiving people.[Perception - Avreage]

I was joking, I get that someone could be a good liar, but be well-known (though I would question why they used their real identity then).

 

[Athelas]

I think the logic is more along the lines of people eventually finding out you deceived them. Still very much abstracted, of course.

 

[Answermancer]

Being Deceptive seems to be a hindrance to deceiving people.[Perception - Avreage]

I was joking, I get that someone could be a good liar, but be well-known (though I would question why they used their real identity then).

I would assume that in order to get Deceptive reputation you'd have be found out in your deception somehow. Otherwise that's kind of stupid.

I could see something like completing "Quest Steps" 1-3 using lies and deception and then having your deception uncovered at Quest Step 4 while simultaneously finishing the Quest, earning you a big Deceptive reputation.

 

[tuluse]

Being Deceptive seems to be a hindrance to deceiving people.[Perception - Avreage]

I was joking, I get that someone could be a good liar, but be well-known (though I would question why they used their real identity then).

Richard Nixon might have been good at lying, but people expect him to lie. Disbelief is not the same as believing the opposite either.

 

[hiver]

I never thought they would, and the screenshots made that fairly obvious as well, what with plenty of combat arenas with one 'into the breach' way in. (Twin Elms ruin/Central animat room). I guess they think even difficult terrain/concealment is too exploitable or something, but I always liked its impact in PnP tactical fights.

It seems i somehow got that wrong impression through the first descriptions of the game, when it all started.


As for the dialogue options above, as always, the aggressive - cruel options should have a "Jerk!" tag instead.
One would hope the sentences would be of a better cloth in the game itself, eventually, but when has that ever worked?

 

[Copper]

Seeing this dialogue system makes me even more disappointed they went with 'main character +chattering pets' approach to the party, it would be far sweeter to be able to good cop/bad cop someone outside of some scripted scenario, ie where each character's reputation mattered for how they are perceived, plus some bleed-over for associating with known criminals/etc.

 

[LivingOne]

Sawyer:

Hiro Protagonist II, on 10 Mar 2014 - 10:33 PM, said:

I'm a bit concerned with how much work there is still do and only about 8 months to do it in. Pre-Alpha > Alpha > Beta > Full game shipped. Novella, Almanac, Physical Tier rewards, printing Books, etc. It seems like a short time to do all this. Have you been sourcing suppliers for the physical tier rewards as well? eg. looking into what InXile is doing?

Fulfillment/distribution of physical goods has been on our radar from the beginning of the Kickstarter campaign. As game developers, we'd rather not be a fulfillment house. We've seen other companies nobly struggle with order fulfillment and practically drown in their own success, so we've been talking to other companies about that for a while. Even if we could technically handle it ourselves, it would be an inefficient use of money. We assume our backers want us fixing bugs and polishing content instead of packing boxes and printing out shipping labels.

Pistols can be primary weapons. They are the fastest-reloading but least damaging firearms.

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/65617-adam-at-work/page-7

 

[LivingOne]

^

Gfted1, on 12 Mar 2014 - 7:07 PM, said:

Do spells scale in power with level? I assume no since, afaik, spells eventually go from per day, to per encounter, to at will. Also increasing in power would seem a bit OP.

They do not.

khalil, on 12 Mar 2014 - 9:52 PM, said:

Other question.

Can we get firearm/melee weapons? The obvious implementation of this is bayonets, but several Renaissance gunsmiths thought nailing guns onto maces or whatever would be cool, and thus created things that neither worked as guns nor as maces.

I like the cinematic idea of Sharpe's Eagle-style smacking or stabbing folks with rifles but there are a lot of interface/implementation problems with it. Sorry.

 

[Arkeus]

A lot of Clever options aren't particularly smart, including low-hanging fruit like easy sarcasm. They still contribute to your rep as someone who sasses off even if it's not particularly brilliant in the moment. The people who react to the rep itself will be of two types a) a-ha, hey it's that hilarious guy! b) oh look it's that smart-ass who thinks he's the king of comedy.