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

[Xeon]

2. Shifting lasts for the duration of combat or until you choose to shift back.

Does that mean you will need to shift every time you see an enemy and combat starts or within an entire area of combat?

 

[Infinitron]

2. Shifting lasts for the duration of combat or until you choose to shift back.

Does this mean it will last within a combat like in Wasteland 2 where it showed a start of combat and then after combat you get exp etc like in random battles in JRPGs only? or combat within an entire area?

"Within a combat like JRPGs". Eternity has abilities that you can use once per-encounter so it tracks that.

 

[Xeon]

I just edited the post to try and explain myself better but I guess wasn't needed.

Thank you very much!!

 

[LivingOne]

Mannock, on 20 Mar 2014 - 4:30 PM, said:

Listening to Josh in the video, I got the impression that you could sling spells in shifted form. What you could not do in shifted form was using weapons. You had to rely on the claws/hoofs/whatever of the animal you shifted to.

This is correct.

Cubiq, on 20 Mar 2014 - 4:31 PM, said:

Now in the video Sawyer said that they will give the mage several personal buffs so that they can be played as a fighter/mage hybrid.

Now how is this going to work?

Because the reason fighter/mage multiclass worked in IE games was because of pre-buffing and we don't have that in Eternity.

Does that mean that the hybrid mage will basically need to stand there buffing for a while at the start of each combat?

I don't think that's really going to work.​

If you want your wizard to be able to hop into the front lines and hang with fighters, barbarians, rogues, etc., there should be some cost to doing so. In our design, the trade-off is the opportunity cost of casting in combat. Individually, the wizard's personal buffs are pretty powerful. Casting one or two should really ramp the character's capabilities up. If you sit out half the battle loading up on buffs while other characters hold the line, you can become really deadly -- but you're sitting out half the combat. If you want to give yourself more time, use something to slow down or paralyze enemies first, then capitalize on that delay to layer buffs. Alternately, coordinate with a paladin or priest who can buff the wizard along with the rest of the party.​

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/65...uids-and-our-partnership-with-paradox/page-10

Adler

One thing that was asked earlier that I didn't answer was about customer service once the game is released. I didn't want to answer until I had asked around and gotten the real answer for you guys.



Paradox will be heading up customer service once the game is released.

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/65751-pillars-of-eternity-–-partnership-faq-for-backers/page-12

 

[Abelian]

If there are any speed-enhancing items, I hope the speed can be turned on and off like an ability. It used to be a hassle to equip and unequip the boots of speed in the IE games in order to prevent the character wearing them from walking into an ambush.

 

[tuluse]

If there are any speed-enhancing items, I hope the speed can be turned on and off like an ability. It used to be a hassle to equip and unequip the boots of speed in the IE games in order to prevent the character wearing them from walking into an ambush.

I think Sawyer said all characters will move the same speed outside of combat.

 

[Infinitron]

Check out this guy's post history ("only posts"): http://forums.obsidian.net/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=user_activity&mid=63850

 

[Abelian]

Check out this guy's post history ("only posts"): http://forums.obsidian.net/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=user_activity&mid=63850

He seems to have an obsession with Aumaua Barbarians (male) for some reason...

 

[LivingOne]

Gfted1, on 19 Mar 2014 - 7:35 PM, said:

EDIT: Im also slightly concerned that since spells don't scale with level that if you miss finding whatever the next spell upgrade is that the mage will fall behind but hopefully the new spells aren't too hidden.

Our current design for wizards allows them to learn a new spell every time they gain a level, so if there's one that you REALLY want, the system allows you to take it when you advance.



E: This doesn't apply to unique spells, but there will probably be very few of them.

Frenzy-kun, on 21 Mar 2014 - 09:08 AM, said:

I don't like the idea of the druid getting some cleric spells. I love classes to be unique in their playstile, and when they overlap, it feels cheap or it outdates the other class.

Druids don't get priest spells. They do get some healing and support spells, but they are not the same ones that priests get.

Gfted1, on 21 Mar 2014 - 7:49 PM, said:

If Druids are modeled on Priests, what are the Priests modeled on?

Currently, wizards, druids, and priests are all heavily casting-oriented classes. None of them are particularly great at weapon-based combat on their own and they aren't too durable, either. The major differences between them in terms of spellcasting come down to what their spells emphasize. Druids and wizards both have good AoE attacks, with druids having more affliction-based effects and wizards emphasizing damage more. Wizards have quite a few personal buffs and oddball spells (like Minor Grimoire Imprint, Arcane Reflection, etc.), druids have "HoTs" (heal over time) and some support. Priests heavily emphasize support and fast healing with a small number of personal buffs and select AoEs.

Ffordesoon, on 21 Mar 2014 - 01:48 AM, said:

They probably put some similar spells in there to assuage fears that Wizards would be oh-so-shockingly-different from IE casters. Which then bothered some people anyway.

Obsidian can't win with some of you folks, I swear.

Wizards are easily among the most popular character classes for IE fans. When we went through our spell lists, we identified spell concepts/mechanics that seemed too integral to the feeling of a traditional class for us to ignore. We have invented a bunch of off-the-wall stuff for them to use, but I think it would be a mistake for us to conspicuously not have a fireball-ish spell at 3rd level or not have a magic missile-ish spell at 1st level. If we omitted those from our lists, the classes would still have big lists of fun spells, but I think they would lose a good chunk of the *~ classic feels ~*. From a balance perspective, I do want to avoid the "quadratic wizard" (and druid), but I think we can do that and still keep the spirit of the classes alive.

rjshae, on 21 Mar 2014 - 11:04 PM, said:

I wonder: can druids gain combat talents for fighting in demi-human form? I.e. can they specialize in shapeshifted combat rather than focusing on particular weapons and martial styles?

That is likely. Talents are still somewhat nebulous now, though they will be getting less nebulous in the very near future!

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/65832-update-74-wizard-druid-reflections/page-3

 

[LivingOne]

Sarex, on 20 Mar 2014 - 8:04 PM, said:

That is the only thing I really dislike so far about the classes. I'm fine with rogues being spike damage dealers, but I would have liked for the fighters/barbarians/paladins to have a more consistent damage output, that is higher then rogues regular attacks.

On regular attacks, fighters do have more consistent damage output than rogues due to two things: a) Weapon Specialization and b) Confident Aim. They hit more often and their average damage is higher. Rogues are really offensive powerhouses but without shoring up their defenses they can go down quickly. Paladins can also spike damage a bit through Flames of Devotion and Sworn Enemy but yeah, overall they are support-oriented. That said, they do benefit from their own auras, which is nice. Barbarians are the best at dealing damage to groups at close range. Like D&D barbarians, it's hard to give them the Flanked condition so it's safer for them to take on multiple opponents. Their Carnage passive ability lets them progressively melee-AoE groups to death. And of course, they can Frenzy.



We still have a lot of tuning to do, but I genuinely enjoy playing all of the melee-oriented classes for different reasons. As a fighter, I miss the rogue's ability to spike someone really hard when I need to. As a rogue, I miss the fighter's ability to hold a line, self-heal, and actively avoid/passively absorb seemingly endless damage. As a barbarian, I miss the fighter's longevity and "stickiness" as well as the paladin's support abilities, etc.



When you play these characters, we want you to feel very happy with the abilities your class has, but we also think it's important for you to recognize that other classes have things to offer that your class lacks. It makes those other classes feel valuable in their own ways.

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/65844-paladins-and-stats/page-2

TMZuk, on 08 Jan 2014 - 2:33 PM, said:

No idea. I lack the ability to make a warrior priest, usually my favourite class combo in any setting, due to the silly decision to not allow dual- and multi-classing. Possibly a fighter or a priest. Then hope for a quick mod to change that strange restriction. Since paladins are usually associated with law abiding do-gooders that is not an option.

Paladins in PoE are not all religiously-affiliated as they are in A/D&D. The paladin companion, Pallegina, is associated with a secular political organization. There are "traditional" paladin orders in the world like the Shieldbearers of St. Elcga, Kind Wayfarers, and Fellows of St. Waidwen, but there are also mercenary paladins (Goldpact Knights), battlefield ravagers (Bleak Walkers) and all sorts of other groups. Without exception paladins are always zealously devoted to their chosen cause, but their chosen causes and codes of behavior are quite varied.

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/64940-class-and-race-of-your-main-toon-poll/page-4

Edit:Brennecke

We've started to plan the expansion, but no one is working on it. Brandon has put together a initial staffing/budget plan to be reviewed by Feargus, and we've had a design brainstorming meeting. The team is entirely focused on finishing the base game right now.

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/65874-has-any-work-started-on-the-expansion-yet/

Edit2
Sawyer

Suburban-Fox, on 21 Mar 2014 - 11:35 AM, said:

Personally, I never found fighters "boring", but I totally agree with 4th edition. I hated that particular incarnation of D&D, and felt that it destroyed a lot of what D&D was about. It turned it from a roleplaying game into a miniature skirmish game.

D&D started out as a miniature skirmish game (Chainmail) so it's not inappropriate for any edition of it to have a heavy combat emphasis, IMO.

Edit3

Ffordesoon, on 20 Mar 2014 - 8:00 PM, said:

Oh, yeah, and it is true that non-combat skills are largely class-agnostic. Class mostly determines how you fight rather than who you are.

Yes. We have previously given details about our skill system, including how Stealth works. As a recap, all characters can invest in the Stealth skill, though certain classes (like rogues) have a head start in that department. You can have characters sneak individually or as a group and the gameplay consists of navigating the Stealth-based radii of your party members around the detection radii of potential enemies. Enemies have two stages to discovering a sneaking character. The first causes them to investigate. Once they get close enough (IF they get close enough), they will fully realize the threat and typically start combat (sometimes dialogue). In both of our class pair updates (rogues + rangers, wizards + druids), we've called out what non-combat skills each class emphasizes, but yes, the skills are largely class-neutral.



Dialogue options are also largely class-neutral. Most threshold-based options are opened up based on the character's attributes -- using Perception to notice something, Resolve to threaten someone with scary intensity, Strength to intimidate someone with brute force (or just to smack them around a little), Dexterity to swipe something, etc. Picking these options is not always a path to success, but the attributes are what open them up. The same applies to class-, race-, sex-, or background-based options that pop up. We decided to avoid dialogue skills since it pushes characters to invest in "the dialogue game" or miss out on a ton of enjoyable content. By using as many basic elements of the character as we can to shape dialogue, we keep dialogue open to all sorts of characters, from meat-head fighters to sassy wizards and everything in-between. Attribute-based checks worked well in Planescape: Torment and we think it will work well in PoE as well.

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/65858-too-combat-focused/page-2

 

[Excidium]

Suburban-Fox, on 21 Mar 2014 - 11:35 AM, said:

Personally, I never found fighters "boring", but I totally agree with 4th edition. I hated that particular incarnation of D&D, and felt that it destroyed a lot of what D&D was about. It turned it from a roleplaying game into a miniature skirmish game.

D&D started out as a miniature skirmish game (Chainmail) so it's not inappropriate for any edition of it to have a heavy combat emphasis, IMO.

God this is some dumb shit. Alex would have an aneurysm reading this

 

[Infinitron]

Strength is back.

Sorry, it's still Might.

lulz

Also, lol at the dork who thinks multiclassing will be trivial to mod in.

 

[Excidium]

I don't know why people have such a hard-on for multiclassing. It's a horrible mechanic.

 

[Lhynn]

I don't know why people have such a hard-on for multiclassing. It's a horrible mechanic.

Because it allows them to express themselves, like the beautiful unique snowflakes that they are, until they go to the nearest forum and start to play tested cookie cutter builds.

 

[Infinitron]

I don't know why people have such a hard-on for multiclassing. It's a horrible mechanic.

Real answer: They feel more like the game is "officially validating" their build when they get to multiclass. It's like, if you take a fighter, and give him divine spellcasting feats and high Wis, that somehow feels less "official" and more "generic" than having a big FIGHTER/CLERIC label at the top of your character sheet with a pre-configured ability progression.

 

[2house2fly]

Strength is back.

Sorry, it's still Might.

lulz

Also, lol at the dork who thinks multiclassing will be trivial to mod in.

I'm sore about them renaming Strength to Might because the rest of the stats were something like Perception, Intelligence, Dexterity, Endurance, and Resolve(I can't remember the names but I remember the first letters). If they kept Strength it would have abbreviated to SPIDER which would sound fucking cool.

 

[pakoito]

I hate when games lock you out into a class as the first, and probably most important, choice of the whole game. I'm not sold in classless systems either, but having a heads up on the skill trees and playstyle and waiting until noobie island is finished to allow them to choose classes is good design in my book.

And keeping a whole game subsystem (magic) locked behind a minute 0 choice is a fucking disgrace.

 

[Zed]

Strength is back.

Sorry, it's still Might.

lulz

Also, lol at the dork who thinks multiclassing will be trivial to mod in.

I'm sore about them renaming Strength to Might because the rest of the stats were something like Perception, Intelligence, Dexterity, Endurance, and Resolve(I can't remember the names but I remember the first letters). If they kept Strength it would have abbreviated to SPIDER which would sound fucking cool.

PRIMED
:p

 

[Lhynn]

Real answer: They feel more like the game is "officially validating" their build when they get to multiclass. It's like, if you take a fighter, and give him divine spellcasting feats and high Wis, that somehow feels less "official" and more "generic" than having a big FIGHTER/CLERIC label at the top of your character sheet with a pre-configured ability progression.

Nice try, but no, it doesnt. The other way around actually. Plus that in itself does not validate their build, the game outright rewarding their choice with moments where the character shines does.

Feat selection having deep impact in your character instead of 2nd/3rd/etc class selection (that explains nothing more than the fact that your character is an indecisive cunt) is a lot better.

 

[Sensuki]

Production is scheduled to finish mid-April by my count.

That leaves between 30-36 weeks for Post-production (~8 months)

That's over 2 months per production milestone (Alpha 1, Alpha 2, Beta)

Not a bad post-production schedule.

Pretty keen on the next update. Hopefully the new Lead Animator is good.

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Multiclassing is stupid. I'm happy it isn't in eternity.

 

[Abelian]

The munchkins don't really want multiclassing, they actually want dual-classing

 

[Lhynn]

I hate when games lock you out into a class as the first, and probably most important, choice of the whole game. I'm not sold in classless systems either, but having a heads up on the skill trees and playstyle and waiting until noobie island is finished to allow them to choose classes is good design in my book.

And keeping a whole game subsystem (magic) locked behind a minute 0 choice is a fucking disgrace.

Classes in true RPGs should NOT be about skill trees and playstyles, they should be about who your character is and how he interacts with the world.
And what you are asking for is for a glorified tutorial....

 

[Excidium]

If the game has good documentation then it's your fault if you end up with a class choice you regret.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Documentation can't tell you if a class is broken or poorly implemented by the devs. Not that it matters too much in a single player game, unless the game is really that fucking broken.