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

[Infinitron]

Uh oh, the funding rush has slowed done. Will there be another rush at the end or has it exhausted itself prematurely?

 

[IDtenT]

Fucking Derp Roads. It was no MEGA dungeon. It was just a typical railroaded dungeon with extremely shitty design to look bigger.

Whatever makes you sleep at night.

 

[Infinitron]

Real-CRAP with Pause & KOOLaids-downs w/ level-scaling in FUCKED-UP angles and a DERP Roads-like Mega Dungeon​

 

[Volrath]

Uh oh, the funding rush has slowed done. Will there be another rush at the end or has it exhausted itself prematurely?

It's sunday bro.

 

[Mrowak]

Here's a question I wish someone at Obsidian could provide answer to:

[incurable optimist mode]

Most Obsidian games are renowned for their heavy focus on storytelling and associated gameplay elements: investigation, dialogue choices, varied skillchecks and so on. According to the campaign this is not going to change in Project Eternity - it is even supposed to introduce mature themes to the equation. However, the game is also said to introduce heavy combat-related gameplay with plenty of tactical options, skills, spells, abilities etc.

Usually combat heavy RPGs do not do well in terms of storytelling serving typical "save the world" plot which explains why the player engages into large scale homicide and extermination of other races well enough, but does little beyond that unraveling in pretty linear fashion, outside of player's influence (Icewind Dale I being the chief example). Your typical PnP campaign plot, if you will.

On the other side of the spectrum we have story heavy-games that touch upon serious subjects and themes, with many choices where combat - its form and challenge it offers - is not just a lackluster affair, but at many points it strikes as out of place (Planescape: Torment and Mask of Betrayer).

My question is: how will you approach those two radically different types of gameplay in PE and how would you mesh them together into coherent whole that would not defy each other? Can we hope that combat will have bearing on the story (e.g. your performance in combat, or achieving one of many combat objectives can change the course of the plot)? Can we hope that the objectives you achieve withing the scope of the story will change combat parameters (e.g. who you fight against, what for, and what far reaching consequnces of engagement in combat will be?)?

[/incurable optimist mode]

 

[Infinitron]

Uh oh, the funding rush has slowed done. Will there be another rush at the end or has it exhausted itself prematurely?

It's sunday bro.

I'm talking about yesterday's take.

 

[Raygun_elf]

I think they would of had more last minute momentum if instead of the the one 500,000 dollar city, they had a base goal of a growing new quest hub, a "camp" at 3.1, a "village" at 3.2, a "town" at 3.3, a "city" at 3.4, and a "big Baldur's Gate sized city" at 3.5. But I'm just being picky.

Nah, the impossible 500k jump is going to get people desperate. It's pretty clever.

e- actually I'm not really sure. A 3.35~ midgoal might be pretty effective. 3.5 is too much out of reach.

We'll see I guess.

But on the topic of cities in RPG's I'm skeptical in general, because they would either be copypasta buildings, or they would be absurdly expensive and other areas of the world map would suffer. I much prefered the Might & Magic 6 idea of smaller villages spread out.

 

[villain of the story]

Tim Cain's new video up! and he mentioned RPGCodex! SQUEEEE!

Codex mentioned among publications, such as Facebook comments, Reddit and KickStarter comments.

I won't celebrate until they pass 3.5m.

I'd say they'll probably pass $3.7 Million at the end at this point.

That Endless Paths dungeon is getting pretty fucking serious. 8 levels is a bit much.

It cannot be enough. A MEGA dungeon has been the subject of much conversation on the Codex in the past. 8. 10. 16. As low as it goes. You shouldn't have to romp through the entire thing in one session. Rather, it could be an advanced complex with many many residents which would send you to different places within the mega dungeon in addition to the mega dungeon itself having an overall theme or its own secrets.

I imagined it from the start with sort of its own "level plan" side-view-ish map that pops up another part after clearing every few levels and there being a sort of mechanical lift mechanism you can unlock to be able to get back to the surface or quicker to where you left off, unlocking more and more "levels" displaying on said map as you get deeper and deeper.

So them drawing that map that they've been updating has been a welcome surprise xD

That is just beautiful. Found larger versions here, if anyone is interested:

Spoiler

And more detailed individual levels here:
http://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=173957

 

[Volrath]

I'm talking about yesterday's take.

Well funding tends to slow down on the weekend. I think it will pick up again in the last two days. Enough to get to 3.5 though? Unlikely.

 

[Infinitron]

From KS comments of Update 22:

I hope you have a second Kickstarter for the sequel to this game, if a sequel is planned. Also, plans should be made on what happens if some people do not contribute as much as they claim they will. Finally, I hope to see merchandising for this game -- a dice and books role playing game, a manga series, a LARP, an official fan club and fan club magazine, jewelry, dolls, and maybe even a series of theme restaurants.

Also, you might want to change the name of White March -- how about The Snowmarks. Just a wee suggestion there.

 

[Crooked Bee]

Dolls ^__^

But the series of theme restaurants is the best suggestion.

 

[Roguey]

But again, just to be clear, a lot of actual players actually need these things. I'm not saying this because players come up to me and say, "Josh, I need this." I'm saying this because I'll talk to a tester (volunteer or pro) with a ton of RPG experience and later watch him or her play remotely. Or I'll pop open a Let's Play on YouTube from an enthusiastic player and watch how things turn out. Sometimes they ace it, sometimes they don't. Either way, what I see on that monitor doesn't lie.

Josh Sawyer on Adam Brennecke. I watched him trying to auto-attack his way past those orcs in chapter one without using any spells and needing to exploit the fog of war and yet he claims he's played all the IE games (maybe Torment ). Wow what a scrub. And I don't want no scrub, a scrub is a guy who can't get no love from me.

 

[piydek]

I think they would of had more last minute momentum ...

Would have fucking had. Bloody illiterates.

 

[Roguey]

Well funding tends to slow down on the weekend. I think it will pick up again in the last two days. Enough to get to 3.5 though? Unlikely.

I don't really understand all this pessimism. At the moment Dullsville has more money than Double Fine had at the end of their next-to-last day. 3.5 is totally within the realm of possibility. Claiming it's certain is optimistic of course, but it is a realistic goal.

 

[bminorkey]

I think they would of had more last minute momentum if instead of the the one 500,000 dollar city, they had a base goal of a growing new quest hub, a "camp" at 3.1, a "village" at 3.2, a "town" at 3.3, a "city" at 3.4, and a "big Baldur's Gate sized city" at 3.5. But I'm just being picky.

Nah, the impossible 500k jump is going to get people desperate. It's pretty clever.

e- actually I'm not really sure. A 3.35~ midgoal might be pretty effective. 3.5 is too much out of reach.

We'll see I guess.

But on the topic of cities in RPG's I'm skeptical in general, because they would either be copypasta buildings, or they would be absurdly expensive and other areas of the world map would suffer. I much prefered the Might & Magic 6 idea of smaller villages spread out.

Fuck me now you timetraveller freak I dunno what sort of hyperspace you entered that allowed you to respond to this because I deleted it a billion hours ago.

Anyhow yeah I thought about stretchgoal mentality some more and I think you're right.

 

[Raygun_elf]

I think they would of had more last minute momentum if instead of the the one 500,000 dollar city, they had a base goal of a growing new quest hub, a "camp" at 3.1, a "village" at 3.2, a "town" at 3.3, a "city" at 3.4, and a "big Baldur's Gate sized city" at 3.5. But I'm just being picky.

Nah, the impossible 500k jump is going to get people desperate. It's pretty clever.

e- actually I'm not really sure. A 3.35~ midgoal might be pretty effective. 3.5 is too much out of reach.

We'll see I guess.

But on the topic of cities in RPG's I'm skeptical in general, because they would either be copypasta buildings, or they would be absurdly expensive and other areas of the world map would suffer. I much prefered the Might & Magic 6 idea of smaller villages spread out.

Fuck me now you timetraveller freak I dunno what sort of hyperspace you entered that allowed you to respond to this because I deleted it a billion hours ago.

Anyhow yeah I thought about stretchgoal mentality some more and I think you're right.

My raygun is capable of blowing holes in the fabric of spacetime.

 

[Vault Dweller]

$3,001,172!

 

[Infinitron]

425,000 thousand dollars in 59 hours. CAN IT BE DONE???

 

[Raygun_elf]

I hope the game ends up looking something like this with the 2D pre-renders:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRylpn1sqxk

 

[Vault Dweller]

425,000 thousand dollars in 59 hours. CAN IT BE DONE???

I don't know about that, but the mega-dungeon is going to be had better be fucking epic.

 

[Raygun_elf]

Obsidian should place a big weapon vault/treasury at the entrance of the dungeon, and then place the key to it in the belly of an evil tree monster in the dungeon.

 

[Darth Roxor]

I considered donating today.

But then I realised I can just wait for release and get the potatoland version instead, with a box edition and half the price thanks to potato black market

 

[evdk]

I considered donating today.

But then I realised I can just wait for release and get the potatoland version instead, with a box edition and half the price thanks to potato black market

Why even bother paying then?

 

[Darth Roxor]

Hey, that's also a good point, thanks for suggesting

 

[Ovplain]

425,000 thousand dollars in 59 hours. CAN IT BE DONE???

Double Fine brought in 400k in just their last day so it definitely CAN be done.