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

[Raapys]

What is this shit? Best fucking feature of the IE games, spell-casting, and they plan to fuck it up? Fuck that.

 

[evdk]

Ogrezilla is pretty annoying too.

Yeah, but Merin uses Comic Sans in his signature. Instant subhuman level achieved.

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Jaesun]

The magic system is NOT locked in place. I'm sure Sawyer got quite a bit of opinions which he and Tim can use.

I think Tim and Josh have some kind of prototype (which Sawyer alluded to) or at least what the focus of that system will be.

But yes, fucking up the magic system would be beyond stupid. THAT IS the essential essence of the IE games.

 

[Cynic]

The magic system is NOT locked in place. I'm sure Sawyer got quite a bit of opinions which he and Tim can use.

I think Tim and Josh have some kind of prototype (which Sawyer alluded to) or at least what the focus of that system will be.

But yes, fucking up the magic system would be beyond stupid. THAT IS the essential essence of the IE games.

If they go with cool downs, the game is going to be Dragon Age. There's simply no other way around it. It's a real shame because the "rest spamming" which he's highlighted as the main reason for considering cool downs is easily solved and has already been done so. Hope he listens to the ideas put forward in that thread and realizes that cool downs are fucking retarded and resting is the way to go.

 

[Whisky]

Well, I was mostly angry when I left for work and thankfully things seemed to have calmed down a bit here. I suppose the moment of truth will be when the actual update on the magic system comes out.

Although Sawyer seems to be hinting towards something different, it's at least refreshing to see him discuss it with the forum members. It's hard to tell just how much this actually changes things, but at least it's better than Bioware's ignore/belittle attitude.

Of course, I admit that I will still end up getting the game if cooldowns are in, after all, I didn't buy Planescape for the combat. However, the results of the magic update will definitely effect my pledge.

 

[evdk]

If they go with cool downs, the game is going to be Dragon Age. There's simply no other way around it.

Dragon Age with a much better story.

 

[Lord Andre]

Just don't quote the fucktard.

Getting a little aggressive there buddy...sand in the vagina I suppose.

 

[Raapys]

I don't know, to me he seemed more focused on defending his own (planned?) system than actually listening to suggestions. Just the idea of changing it seems strange to me though. It's the one thing the IE games did better than any other game made before and since. If they don't see it that way, which seems to be the case, then their view and focus certainly differs greatly from mine. Which sucks.

Someone start a true IE spiritual successor kickstarter please.

 

[Grunker]

Just don't quote the fucktard.

Getting a little aggressive there buddy...sand in the vagina I suppose.

A prestigious poster, now sadly in the halls of the banned, once told me what I am about to tell you:

SON





























































GET THE FUCK OUT

 

[Lockkaliber]

to all of the cunts posting on /v/: stop spamming the PE threads with your butthurt.

 

[Alex]

Actually, if you stop to thing about it, whatever his thoughts on magic may be and whether you like them or not, Mr. Sawyer is being a real bro. Specially since people keep jumping up in that thread trying to get their voice in. I wished we could get more of his time, of course, but still it was pretty awesome of him to take all that time to answer those questions. I also wished he had addressed my own, or a few of the other ones, but I think he really didn't have time to do that. Hopefully dialog will remain open and we will be able to get our opinions in and answers out.

 

[Lord Andre]

Just don't quote the fucktard.

Getting a little aggressive there buddy...sand in the vagina I suppose.

A prestigious poster, now sadly in the halls of the banned, once told me what I am about to tell you:

SON
GET THE FUCK OUT

In the words of every egotistical retard with spare time and an internet connection:

BAN ME OR GET THE FUCK OUT

 

[Xi]

The faint sound of a dying voice was heard, lost in a sea of unintelligible banter, as if the flame to a candle had been blown out, while it's waxy base dripped into a bitter stew of melting ideas. In the end, there was no sound, no motion in the sea, and no light from which to see.

 

[Jaesun]

Actually, if you stop to thing about it, whatever his thoughts on magic may be and whether you like them or not, Mr. Sawyer is being a real bro. Specially since people keep jumping up in that thread trying to get their voice in. I wished we could get more of his time, of course, but still it was pretty awesome of him to take all that time to answer those questions. I also wished he had addressed my own, or a few of the other ones, but I think he really didn't have time to do that. Hopefully dialog will remain open and we will be able to get our opinions in and answers out.

Sawyer has always been receptive when someone does have a very good and well thought out position/opinion.

The system is not even remotely locked into position yet. Hell even WL2 doesn't have locked in mechanics yet. I think the number of concerns and valid point brought up today are something I'm sure Tim and Josh will go over.

 

[Jasede]

And thus, a great victory was attained by the forces of fair Codexia, may she eternally reign supreme.

 

[Jasede]

Man, what?

I'm a big fan of RPGs, especially tabletop ones, due to their extreme player freedom. If someone came up to me and said they wanted to run a game where we owned a blacksmith's shop I'd probably say no, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try and open one whilst simultaneously questing to save the world. In an average campaign I'll hire brigands I was supposed to fight, run animals through a dungeon to trigger traps, build my own town, or spec a character out as an expert distiller just so I can start an organization of rum-runners, all while questing through dungeons and battling monsters.

On a spectrum ranging from strict RPG dungeon crawls on one end and 'The Sims' on the other, a lot of modern games keep pushing toward the middle. However, there's only so far an AAA mega-hit can push things- Skyrim has lots of options, but still it's what I CAN'T do that sticks out to me the most, and while Fable always marketed their games on your player freedom, their "Run a Kingdom," "Own a shop," and "Have kids" were almost in name only, as they always came with very few options and very little interaction.

Project Eternity will and should focus on glorious old-school RPG-hood, but since the lack of cutting-edge graphics and engine frees it up from the budgetary limiters of games like Skyrim and Fable, I can't help but wonder what extra options could they make available beyond the usual stab-and-grab? We already know there will be a customizable house, companion romances, and the ability to bypass combats with diplomacy, but how much of that uninhibited table-top feel will they try to capture? What sorts of things have you always wanted to see in a computer RPG, but until now never have?

My wishlist for Project Eternity goes something like this:

* Own and run a store, or otherwise make 'merchant' something you can actively be.
* Own and run a fortress.
* Join and rise to the top of an organization, then still have an active use for it in the game (as opposed to Elder Scrolls, where once you run an organization it might as well not exist anymore.)
* Court, get married, and customize a house. Maybe even kids who get older with in-game time.
* Have unorthodox character build options, like one focused on crafting, that's also a viable character choice.
* Make diplomacy, intelligence, crafting, etc., open up now game options rather than just be an alternative to punching people in the face.
* Interact with animals, followers, or hirelings.

So what's your wishlist for in-game options?

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/60869-the-best-options-youve-never-had-but-wanted/#entry1218224

I too have always wanted to interact with animals and get married in a video game.

 

[almondblight]

I'm getting the unhappy foreboding feeling that Sawyer wants the party to automatically regain all spells, HP and be revived after every single encounter. If only we knew more...

To be honest, I wouldn't mind such a system. It'd end up being more like tactical RPG's or the AoD combat demo, where combat is a series of set pieces vs. a longer slog. This would (if done right) increase the amount of strategic options a player uses in each battle at the expense of the strategic resource management. I don't mind this, because I usually find the strategic management in RPG's severely lacking outside of rogue-likes.

 

[Jaesun]

I'm getting the unhappy foreboding feeling that Sawyer wants the party to automatically regain all spells, HP and be revived after every single encounter. If only we knew more...

To be honest, I wouldn't mind such a system. It'd end up being more like tactical RPG's or the AoD combat demo, where combat is a series of set pieces vs. a longer slog. This would (if done right) increase the amount of strategic options a player uses in each battle at the expense of the strategic resource management. I don't mind this, because I usually find the strategic management in RPG's severely lacking outside of rogue-likes.

Yeah. I kind of have the feeling this *might* be where Tim and Josh might go with this. The... if done right remains.

 

[villain of the story]

I'm getting the unhappy foreboding feeling that Sawyer wants the party to automatically regain all spells, HP and be revived after every single encounter. If only we knew more...

That probably is how PE will turn out. KOOL-downs with no rounds with near-invincible companions and streamlined character development.

I'm genuinely baffled. Obsidian simply doesn't have it in themselves to produce an old school hardcore RPG. They are storyfags with a priority of simplifying shit for the players. Not to say IE games were old school or hardcore, though they could be quite tactical at times. PE will likely turn out to be a complete dumbed down piece of shit compared to IE games. At the very least, it won't look as good is certain since I doubt will actually do 2D backgrounds.

In near future, the average Codexer will look back in disbelief and name this period "The PE Incident" when Codex entered a collective hysteria and happily ignored all the red flags which signalled that the PE would be a piece of suck.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

I can't believe I'm sitting here nodding my head and agreeing with this asshole.

 

[Jasede]

Well, a lot of us are versatile. I am both a combatfag and a storyfag. I can enjoy PS:T and KotC even though one has garbage combat and the other has next to no story. It just blows that there's never a game that does both things right. Reading the Obsidian forums gives me the impression it's filled with storyfags. And not the prestigious, monocled Codex kind.

Look at this shit:

Or it could just be as similar as it was in the IE games. That's why we liked it.

I did not like the IE games because of the Vancian magic system. As Lohi says, I tolerated it; I adapted just fine, but by no means did I enjoy the Infinity Engine games for one combat mechanic. Goodness. That's such a one-dimensional view of the IE games that it's rather sad.

 

[Jaesun]

I'm getting the unhappy foreboding feeling that Sawyer wants the party to automatically regain all spells, HP and be revived after every single encounter. If only we knew more...

That probably is how PE will turn out. KOOL-downs with no rounds with near-invincible companions and streamlined character development.

I'm genuinely baffled. Obsidian simply doesn't have it in themselves to produce an old school hardcore RPG. They are storyfags with a priority of simplifying shit for the players. Not to say IE games were old school or hardcore, though they could be quite tactical at times. PE will likely turn out to be a complete dumbed down piece of shit compared to IE games. At the very least, it won't look as good is certain since I doubt will actually do 2D backgrounds.

In near future, the average Codexer will look back in disbelief and name this period "The PE Incident" when Codex entered a collective hysteria and happily ignored all the red flags which signalled that the PE would be a piece of suck.

Based on what exactly? We know MORE about PE than we do Wasteland 2. Which indecently is still in TRUST US! IT WILL WE AWESOME. A game, by IneXile.

 

[Gozma]

I'm getting the unhappy foreboding feeling that Sawyer wants the party to automatically regain all spells, HP and be revived after every single encounter. If only we knew more...

To be honest, I wouldn't mind such a system. It'd end up being more like tactical RPG's or the AoD combat demo, where combat is a series of set pieces vs. a longer slog. This would (if done right) increase the amount of strategic options a player uses in each battle at the expense of the strategic resource management. I don't mind this, because I usually find the strategic management in RPG's severely lacking outside of rogue-likes.

I don't see how they can square the sales pitch of an IE-like experience with the short game length and completely different feel that would come out of all set piece design. If IE games/NWN2 weren't alternating fields and corridors of abject trash fights they would be like 1/4th the length after you shrank down the maps to fit around what was left. With this budget of design manpower they could not come close to hammering out enough stand alone, unlimited resource fights in between all the other shit they need to get done. They need a system that will take the edge off of IE-like maps full of trash fights by contextualizing them.

Maybe they could go truly gamey like letting you build up a "combo gauge" or something by not resting between fights for some kind of metagame hi-score bonus.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

Based on what exactly? We know MORE about PE than we do Wasteland 2. Which indecently is still in TRUST US! IT WILL WE AWESOME. A game, by IneXile.

Bro, please. You're starting to embarrass yourself. Take a day off if you need to. Think it through.