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

[HanoverF]

Spoony made a good video about the system.

Impossible

 

[Jaesun]

Also, you actually need to rest a bit after using per-encounter powers. There are different types of rest - 5 minute one replenishes per-encounter powers, while you can rest 1 time per 24 hours for 6 hours to regain all powers - both encounter and daily. So that Sawyers 45 cooldown after combat is a lot like that.

Yeah my best GUESS is either:

Mage level 5 can cast Fireball 1 X, Magic Missile 3x, Hold Monster 1x PER ENCOUNTER. (This would be shit).

Mage level 5 can cast Fireball 1 X , Magic Missile 3x, Hold Monster 1x Per DAY. (This would be....somewhat OK, I still don't like it).

And there would be no spell memorization mechanic. You will have all access to spells.

That's the only thing I can guess thus far, but then he threw that curveball about healing. Fucking Josh!

 

[Shadenuat]

Impossible

What is?

Yeah my best GUESS is either:

You don't think he'll mix and mash stuff together?

You will have all access to spells.

To those you have chosen when getting new levels. It's a lot like playing a Sorcerer.

 

[Infinitron]

Jaesun But he's also planning something with customizable "spell suites", which would be a replacement for memorization I imagine.

 

[Jaesun]

Jaesun But he's also planning something with customizable "spell suites", which would be a replacement for memorization I imagine.

Yeah he mentioned that too. THAT could be a good thing.

Yeah my best GUESS is either:

You don't think he'll mix and mash stuff together?

Yeah a mix might work well too. He will obviously have to change it enough so it doesn't EXACTLY copy D&D 4ed.

 

[almondblight]

Mage level 5 can cast Fireball 1 X, Magic Missile 3x, Hold Monster 1x PER ENCOUNTER. (This would be shit).

Not sure about that. I mean, it'd screw up the immersion a bit, but it seems like most of the best and most interesting combat encounters that people talk about in BG2, for example, are ones that are mostly attempted with the party fully-rested and spells full. The advantage would be that you could design each encounter assuming the player is going in with a full range of abilities, and expecting the player to try to use whatever they can. Not saying that Obsidian would pull this off, but I don't think spells (or health) resetting per encounter is bad design per se.

 

[Volrath]

Also, you actually need to rest a bit after using per-encounter powers. There are different types of rest - 5 minute one replenishes per-encounter powers, while you can rest 1 time per 24 hours for 6 hours to regain all powers - both encounter and daily. So that Sawyers 45 cooldown after combat is a lot like that.

Yeah my best GUESS is either:

Mage level 5 can cast Fireball 1 X, Magic Missile 3x, Hold Monster 1x PER ENCOUNTER. (This would be shit).

Mage level 5 can cast Fireball 1 X , Magic Missile 3x, Hold Monster 1x Per DAY. (This would be....somewhat OK, I still don't like it).

And there would be no spell memorization mechanic. You will have all access to spells.

That's the only thing I can guess thus far, but then he threw that curveball about healing. Fucking Josh!

I doubt it. There'll still be resting in the game according to Sawyer. I think he'll combine mechanics together. Max amount of spells being able to cast, cooldowns between battles based on level and spell memorisation. Much will depend on the encounter design for this system to be effective and not bsb.

 

[Jaesun]

Mage level 5 can cast Fireball 1 X, Magic Missile 3x, Hold Monster 1x PER ENCOUNTER. (This would be shit).

Not sure about that. I mean, it'd screw up the immersion a bit, but it seems like most of the best and most interesting combat encounters that people talk about in BG2, for example, are ones that are mostly attempted with the party fully-rested and spells full. The advantage would be that you could design each encounter assuming the player is going in with a full range of abilities, and expecting the player to try to use whatever they can.

Oh I agree completely. But having FULL access for EVERY encounter? That would be fucking retarded. There is no tension, tactics or or that unique thrill for each encounter.

Not saying that Obsidian would pull this off, but I don't think spells (or health) resetting per encounter is bad design per se.

No it is not. But I think Josh is alluding to NOT using rest as a mechanic. You will still rest, but the mechanics of it will be something different.

 

[Jasede]

I don't know how you get the strength to reason with the animals on the Obsidian boards. The worst is arguing with people that are wrong and believe they are right with a zeal that could shake the heavens.

 

[SwiftCrack]

I don't know how you get the strength to reason with the animals on the Obsidian boards. The worst is arguing with people that are wrong and believe they are right with a zeal that could shake the heavens.

Welcome to Life: Planet Earth Edition.

 

[Shadenuat]

My main grudge against magic system like that is that it's very gamy. This is not a system which draws it's mechanic from the setting. It's a system which draws mechanic from idea of "balance", that classes have to be "balanced", encounters have to be "balanced", everything has to be "balanced". Call me an immersion fag, but when your main focus is to balance all classes to complement in combat (and Sawyer said he wants that), you will never end up having a frail magician who starts as a punching bag, but, after a lot of time pursuing arcane knowledge, can split a stone castle apart (and suffer the consequences if tapping too deep into force which allows him to do that).

"You use power of your soul to summon a daily power of fireball"... so retarded.

 

[Jaesun]

I don't know how you get the strength to reason with the animals on the Obsidian boards. The worst is arguing with people that are wrong and believe they are right with a zeal that could shake the heavens.

It's the general Public hon. What are you expecting.

Horrible creatures. Avoid them when ever I can.

 

[Infinitron]

Osvir's Walls of Text: http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/60992-discussion-with-obsidian-and-community/ gets locked, tries again http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/60996-abc-magic/ http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/60995-pack-a-mule/ http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/60...d-and-how-it-reacts-to-your-meddling-with-it/

 

[almondblight]

Oh I agree completely. But having FULL access for EVERY encounter? That would be fucking retarded. There is no tension, tactics or or that unique thrill for each encounter.

Well, you'd definitely need to beef up each encounter, or better yet handcraft each, to make the combat interesting. If you don't then you'll just mow through hordes of trash enemies, but then again, if they're trash enemies you'll be mowing through them anyway. One of the best uses of cloudkill for me in BG2 was as a time saver against hordes of trash mobs that weren't a threat, but that I'd have to waste more time killing if I had to use all six characters (you felt like an exterminator for a large part of the BG saga). For 90% of the encounters, not having access to spells was more a hassle than anything else. The only time I remember in the BG saga where I had to conserve resources was the final fight of ToB, and I probably liked that fight less than a lot of the other challenging ones.

 

[Jarpie]

There are actually people who who wants console ports of PE:

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/59945-please-make-a-console-version/page__st__20 and http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/60897-project-eternity-on-consoles/

Yeah, there are actually two topics on this.

 

[wormix]

What's the opposite of the proverb "brevity is the soul of wit"?

 

[Harold]

"tl;dr is the soul of shit"

 

[Arkadin]

My main grudge against magic system like that is that it's very gamy. This is not a system which draws it's mechanic from the setting. It's a system which draws mechanic from idea of "balance", that classes have to be "balanced", encounters have to be "balanced", everything has to be "balanced".

Yep. I really like Josh, but what frustrates me is that so many of the ideas he discusses to "improve" RPG mechanics are in line with this. I ended up finding a lot of stuff he did in New Vegas (particularly with his mod) decent enough, but then you have things like making energy weapons common and viable for the whole game, which for me just made the weapon skills less interesting, and less fitting for the setting--starting out with a laser pistol is just not sensible. Sometimes not knowing things--creating "inefficient" builds--is part of the fun of playing a game. He only sees it as punishment, though, not as an opportunity for discovery.

 

[villain of the story]

Good show, Stillain of the Vory!
http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/60885-overreaction-theater/page__st__200#entry1221571

villain of the story FYI, latest news is that there will be no level scaling. http://www.formspring.me/JESawyer/q/377480249010585532

Official interview says not only do they plan on implementing level scaling but also that level scaling is necessary to keep the game non-linear and challenging.

Individual answer not as a part of an official position: wasn't planning on using it.

Yeah, I think I'll believe the latter since I totally got my priorities right.

Don't be an idiot.

 

[Infinitron]

Good show, Stillain of the Vory!
http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/60885-overreaction-theater/page__st__200#entry1221571

villain of the story FYI, latest news is that there will be no level scaling. http://www.formspring.me/JESawyer/q/377480249010585532

Official interview says not only do they plan on implementing level scaling but also that level scaling is necessary to keep non-linear challenge.
Individual answer: wasn't planning on using it.

Yeah, I think I'll believe the latter since I totally got my priorities right.

Don't be an idiot.

Individual answer of the lead fucking designer versus interview with a clueless suit.

But okay, suit yourself.

 

[Volrath]

It's vots bro, there's always a fine line with him between being a retard and trolling.

 

[Infinitron]

http://www.formspring.me/JESawyer/q/377894227364830852

​

People are afraid that your game will be pushing an agenda. Don't you think it is better to leave that stuff grey and let the player decide?

​

JESawyer 20m
People seem to be afraid of a lot of things that don't appear to have any rational foundation in the things I've previously done or said.

 

[TheEntitledOne]

There are actually people who who wants console ports of PE:

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/59945-please-make-a-console-version/page__st__20 and http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/60897-project-eternity-on-consoles/

Yeah, there are actually two topics on this.

Who of you guys is '' Drudanae'' there? Good trolling + Sengoku Rance avatar.

 

[J_C]

I don't know if it had been mentioned yet, but Paypal pledges are available on the main site of Eternity:

http://eternity.obsidian.net/

 

[Lockkaliber]

I think Josh Sawyer might be autistic and his special interest is balance in video game mechanics. His laconic style of writing is indisputable proof that I am right in this.