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

[Infinitron]

We’re planning to use a sliding experience system, so if you have a single character they’ll gain levels more quickly than if they were with an entire party.

Well, so much for more original ideas. I hope it's not just getting six times as much experience if you're solo.

Maybe I'm misreading something, but won't a solo character level up faster simply by virtue of the fact that he doesn't have to share experience with other party members? Are the XP rewards constant per party member, regardless of what the party size?

Uh.

Josh says a solo character will gain more experience. He hasn't said whether that's because that character simply receives all the experience that was supposed to go to the other party members, or whether he receives more experience (but less than 6 times as much) according to some other formula.

 

[agris]

Exactly, he mentions a sliding scale. We don't know yet if it's 6x or a more complicated function.

 

[Decado]

We’re planning to use a sliding experience system, so if you have a single character they’ll gain levels more quickly than if they were with an entire party.

Well, so much for more original ideas. I hope it's not just getting six times as much experience if you're solo.

Maybe I'm misreading something, but won't a solo character level up faster simply by virtue of the fact that he doesn't have to share experience with other party members? Are the XP rewards constant per party member, regardless of what the party size?

Uh.

Josh says a solo character will gain more experience. He hasn't said whether that's because that character simply receives all the experience that was supposed to go to the other party members, or whether he receives more experience (but less than 6 times as much) according to some other formula.

Be that as it may, there is no reason why we can't spend six pages arguing about how he will fuck it up anyways.

 

[tuluse]

I think if it was just total XP/party members he would have wrote that instead of sliding scale.

My guess is it's going to be something less than that.

 

[Abelian]

We’re planning to use a sliding experience system, so if you have a single character they’ll gain levels more quickly than if they were with an entire party.

Well, so much for more original ideas. I hope it's not just getting six times as much experience if you're solo.

Maybe I'm misreading something, but won't a solo character level up faster simply by virtue of the fact that he doesn't have to share experience with other party members? Are the XP rewards constant per party member, regardless of what the party size?

Uh.

Josh says a solo character will gain more experience. He hasn't said whether that's because that character simply receives all the experience that was supposed to go to the other party members, or whether he receives more experience (but less than 6 times as much) according to some other formula.

I did misread it: I thought the options were that the solo char gets all the experience that was supposed to go to the other party members, or gets even more as a bonus. I didn't really consider the char getting less than 6x, since that was the default scenario/baseline in my mind (one char does the job of six, so get all their XP).

Thanks for clarifying.

 

[Sensuki]

This is the stupidiest and childish presentation of magic I ever seen in CRPGs or even fantasy settings.

...although it's very close to how teenagers play their spellcasters and characters they worship in their roleplaying (like characters from Fairy Tail and animes alike).

This is because previously the damage stat was Intellect. So until recently, a smart Wizard did the most damage. People complained about the names of statistics and thought that the damage stat should be Might, so it was changed.

The attribute system is better for the recent changes, but I still think that tying the hit reaction system to attributes is an odd thing to do. It avoids having to use other combat stats, and the relationship to the hit reaction system makes it 'different'.

Looks like it should be alright though.

 

[Copper]

I'm actually curious how they'll avoid complaints of floaty, latex weapon-style combat with this system of hit reactions being played if a check is failed, incoming damage being shrugged off with no reaction otherwise - the more mainstream audience has a deep dislike for stuff like this, if anyone remembers the original RPS exposure to VInce's AoD combat demo. It's probably not a huge concern, since they have that whole appeal to nostalgia schtick and getting hit in D&D has no negative consequence (beyond the obvious) for anyone except casters, and I can't remember anything from the Infinity engine games regarding hit reactions, but they clearly want to cast their net as wide as possible within the tactical group combat market, catching X-COMers and RTS players as well.

 

[Sensuki]

I'm actually curious how they'll avoid complaints of floaty, latex weapon-style combat with this system of hit reactions being played if a check is failed, incoming damage being shrugged off with no reaction otherwise - the more mainstream audience has a deep dislike for stuff like this, if anyone remembers the original RPS exposure to VInce's AoD combat demo. It's probably not a huge concern, since they have that whole appeal to nostalgia schtick and getting hit in D&D has no negative consequence (beyond the obvious) for anyone except casters, and I can't remember anything from the Infinity engine games regarding hit reactions, but they clearly want to cast their net as wide as possible within the tactical group combat market, catching X-COMers and RTS players as well.

That's incorrect actually. A hit reaction is basically a mini-stun. All classes have abilities, some may have cast times, others will have animations to play before they take effect, but Interrupting a Fighter "casting" an AoE stun ability delays the ability for however many times he is interrupted in a row. It is *kinda* silly to be tied into the attribute system and is basically making up for removing defenses from the equation, but it does help solve the issues Sawyer was having in designing the system, and meets his objectives.

Perception still looks like it could be dumped on many classes (on paper), but bumping any of the other attributes is pretty good.

 

[Copper]

That's incorrect actually. A hit reaction is basically a mini-stun. All classes have abilities, some may have cast times, others will have animations to play before they take effect, but Interrupting a Fighter "casting" an AoE stun ability delays the ability for however many times he is interrupted in a row. It is *kinda* silly to be tied into the attribute system and is basically making up for removing defenses from the equation, but it does help solve the issues Sawyer was having in designing the system, and meets his objectives.

Perception still looks like it could be dumped on many classes (on paper), but bumping any of the other attributes is pretty good.

I think you misunderstood me, or else we're talking at cross-purposes - I'm well aware that hit reactions apply to all classes equally in terms of slowing their next action. I'm fairly certain the discussion on this system said that having the right stat high reduces or negates having the hit reaction animation loop play, effectively stunning the character, so it seems like it's perfectly possible to hit characters for decent damage, but have no visual feedback if their stat is high enough and they make their check. Of course, cyphers and other characters will target different defences, mixing it up a bit, and for most of the core audience, the level of abstraction is probably acceptable.

 

[Sensuki]

There'll be a blood spatter as the visual feedback. I'm not exactly sure how the Interrupt vs Resolve works, but I think it might just be a direct stat comparison. If you have 14 Resolve and get hit by a 15 Interrupt character, you get interrupted? There may be items, abilities and spells that add to those numbers.

Even in the IE games, sometimes you couldn't interrupt people casting with an attack, not sure why.

 

[Delterius]

Looking at this thread and how much Sawyer is bashed made me realize what the Cult of Sawerism lacks. A true messiah with gaming cred. And there is an easy way to get that: Sawyer should make an Arcanum Lplay.

 

[Grunker]

lol, would be glorious to hear him raeg at the system design

 

[nikolokolus]

I think I'd rather watch Tim Cain do a LP of Arcanum, at least he'd be able to provide some context for the design. I really don't need JES telling me all about how unbalanced things are for 60 hours.

 

[tuluse]

Looking at this thread and how much Sawyer is bashed made me realize what the Cult of Sawerism lacks. A true messiah with gaming cred. And there is an easy way to get that: Sawyer should make an Arcanum Lplay.

Dude, have you seen his Darklands tutorial? I don't think he needs any more cred.

 

[garren]

Dude, have you seen his Darklands tutorial? I don't think he needs any more cred.

Link please

 

[tuluse]

Link please

http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...9+&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

(have to use google cache because the new spring.me site sucks)

 

[Duraframe300]

 

[veryalien]

I'm all for coverage but why spend all this time and energy talking to the press when you're already late? How about starting up the beta for your backers who paid for it?

 

[Athelas]

I'm all for coverage but why spend all this time and energy talking to the press when you're already late? How about starting up the beta for your backers who paid for it?

 

[Infinitron]

This is the GameCrate interview we've already seen, just posted on YouTube.

 

[veryalien]

Dude, the game was supposed to be out in April and we already know they put out feelers to see if we'd spend more so they can add more areas. They did not raise -so- much money they had to take longer. The only reason they'd ask for more is if their budget is getting tight.

And now it's a vague 'Winter' release.

Yeah, a little bothered that they waste time spending a day with newegg.

 

[Tytus]

I'm all for coverage but why spend all this time and energy talking to the press when you're already late? How about starting up the beta for your backers who paid for it?

You do realize that those people didn't pay for shit? They donated money for them to make a game. When they will make it is entirely up to them. These are just inherit dangers of kickstarter.

 

[Arkeus]

Dude, the game was supposed to be out in April and we already know they put out feelers to see if we'd spend more so they can add more areas. They did not raise -so- much money they had to take longer. The only reason they'd ask for more is if their budget is getting tight.

Actually ,they did raise enough money that they had to take longer- and they said since before the KS ended that it would probably not come out before fall of 2014 because of the extra money raised.

 

[tuluse]

Dude, the game was supposed to be out in April and we already know they put out feelers to see if we'd spend more so they can add more areas. They did not raise -so- much money they had to take longer. The only reason they'd ask for more is if their budget is getting tight.

And now it's a vague 'Winter' release.

Yeah, a little bothered that they waste time spending a day with newegg.

 

[Duraframe300]

This is the GameCrate interview we've already seen, just posted on YouTube.

Yes and no. It's the full one (Before they were seperate only showing the interviews). That shot through Obsidian at the beginning is new.