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

[Scruffy]

I did find the writing surprisingly inoffensive

me, i found it offensive. to intelligence, to paying customers (yes, yes, i BOUGHT it, i know, i know) and to the very idea of a RPG. The most offensive part to me was the trial. After all the fedexing, i have to fight anyway. Fuck whoever is responsible for that "quest".

 

[Dorateen]

It was standard Dungeons & Dragons fare. If that isn't one's thing, that's fine. But the OC pretty much did what it set out to do. I didn't like the companions much, either. Khelgar was all right, but he's a dwarf so that's expected. Persoanlly, I enjoyed the SoZ campaign best of all.

edit: For those being overly critical of the OC story line, bear in mind that Obsidian had the unfortunate baggage of a bioware fanbase to cater too, in the beginning.

 

[Captain Shrek]

Blaine

Can you tell me one game you like so that I can ridicule your tastes?

 

[Blaine]

Standard D&D fare? The scenarios I imagined in my brain as a ten-year-old child reading Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks in 1993 were less generic than that crap. Perhaps that's what D&D is to manboons with sub-100 IQs.

And that's why I don't play tabletop RPGs anymore. My standards are too high. I expect every player to avoid creating/rolling a Mary Sue character (or frivolous crap like weed-smoking Rastafarian druids), to take the setting seriously, to treat each campaign as a group effort, and I expect them to have some understanding of the setting and a modicum of sophistication when it comes to the fantasy and/or science fiction genres.

But no, it's elves with magical hair that undulates in an unseen breeze and piercing purple eyes who came from wealthy, noble families and have a pet miniature dragon named Foofie. Having created these abominations, the players then engage in stupid frivolities based upon their own shortsighted whims rather than concentrating on building a narrative, on building a world. That's your standard fantasy fare.

I need to be alone for a while with my bookshelf full of mostly unused broken dreams. I assure you I'm not the "Internet tabletop gamer" who only reads books and posts on forums either, I've run and played in groups over periods of years. It's always the same. I need to fucking clone myself.

 

[Blaine]

Can you tell me one game you like so that I can ridicule your tastes?

Arcanum.

 

[Volrath]

I need to be alone for a while with my bookshelf full of mostly unused broken dreams. I assure you I'm not the "Internet tabletop gamer" who only reads books and posts on forums either, I've run and played in groups over periods of years. It's always the same. I need to fucking clone kill myself.

Fixed.

 

[Dorateen]

Standard D&D fare? The scenarios I imagined in my brain as a ten-year-old child reading Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks in 1993

Wait... you were ten years old in 1993? Thanks for sharing your "experiences", junior.

 

[Blaine]

It's too late for that, Volrath. I turned 30 years of age yesterday and did not achieve Wizard status, having failed to preserve my virginity.

My punishment now is to live, and suffer in the knowledge of what could have been.

 

[Captain Shrek]

Standard D&D fare? The scenarios I imagined in my brain as a ten-year-old child reading Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks in 1993

Wait... you were ten years old in 1993? Thanks for sharing your "experiences", junior.

Joined Aug 30 2012

 

[Dorateen]

Doesn't work as well when the person I'm mocking joined in October of 2012.

 

[Blaine]

It's no wonder he's mad, he has a generic fantasy character as an avatar and a generic fantasy place name as his location. He also loves NWN2, even the OC.

As for me, check out my 4deep8u avatar, which clearly conveys an air of sophistication and an educated appreciation for abstract art.

 

[tuluse]

Standard D&D fare? The scenarios I imagined in my brain as a ten-year-old child reading Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks in 1993 were less generic than that crap. Perhaps that's what D&D is to manboons with sub-100 IQs.

And that's why I don't play tabletop RPGs anymore. My standards are too high. I expect every player to avoid creating/rolling a Mary Sue character (or frivolous crap like weed-smoking Rastafarian druids), to take the setting seriously, to treat each campaign as a group effort, and I expect them to have some understanding of the setting and a modicum of sophistication when it comes to the fantasy and/or science fiction genres.

But no, it's elves with magical hair that undulates in an unseen breeze and piercing purple eyes who came from wealthy, noble families and have a pet miniature dragon named Foofie. Having created these abominations, the players then engage in stupid frivolities based upon their own shortsighted whims rather than concentrating on building a narrative, on building a world. That's your standard fantasy fare.

I need to be alone for a while with my bookshelf full of mostly unused broken dreams. I assure you I'm not the "Internet tabletop gamer" who only reads books and posts on forums either, I've run and played in groups over periods of years. It's always the same. I need to fucking clone myself.

I think you take table top gaming too seriously.

Also, based on your 3rd paragraph you play with too many faggots.

 

[Infinitron]

http://www.formspring.me/JESawyer/q/405482590393352770

in lieu of the recent mass killing in Connecticut, how do you feel about the way mental illnesses are portrayed in video games? Will Project Eternity have a strong focus or allusion to the theme at all?

They're usually portrayed poorly because writers lean on what they've seen of mental illness in popular culture instead of researching how mental illness actually "works". It's difficult enough to portray believable characters; mental illness adds a lot of potential complexity to those portrayals. For many people, mental illness, especially certain forms like depression, are hard to comprehend -- even among people with whom we have close relationships.

I do not believe mental illness will be a large focus in Project Eternity, though we have discussed it. In Michel Foucault's early work Madness and Civilization, he described how perception of mental illness and social attitudes toward mental illness (and the mentally ill) changed from the Renaissance through the 20th century. The Dyrwood will likely mirror Renaissance attitudes toward mental illness with larger cities tending to marginalize (and attempt to normalize) the mentally ill.

 

[Blaine]

Might as well get this out of the way now. Just go ahead and put this in your signature, Infinitron.

 

[Captain Shrek]

http://www.formspring.me/JESawyer/q/405482590393352770

in lieu of the recent mass killing in Connecticut, how do you feel about the way mental illnesses are portrayed in video games? Will Project Eternity have a strong focus or allusion to the theme at all?

They're usually portrayed poorly because writers lean on what they've seen of mental illness in popular culture instead of researching how mental illness actually "works". It's difficult enough to portray believable characters; mental illness adds a lot of potential complexity to those portrayals. For many people, mental illness, especially certain forms like depression, are hard to comprehend -- even among people with whom we have close relationships.

I do not believe mental illness will be a large focus in Project Eternity, though we have discussed it. In Michel Foucault's early work Madness and Civilization, he described how perception of mental illness and social attitudes toward mental illness (and the mentally ill) changed from the Renaissance through the 20th century. The Dyrwood will likely mirror Renaissance attitudes toward mental illness with larger cities tending to marginalize (and attempt to normalize) the mentally ill.

Cognitive dissonance?

 

[Hormalakh]

He probably meant most writers, and one specific example doesn't disprove that. Mental illness is poorly portrayed in most popular culture. It still has a huge social stigma and we continue to reduce funding for people who need the help. In my state, they closed one of the main state mental hospitals just a few years ago - and that place served many patients.

 

[Surf Solar]

I hated the dialogue system in AP because I don't like time limits in dialogues. I get why it was chosen, but 'twas not my cup of tea.
I don't even found AP to be a bad game, just very... forgettable?

 

[Surf Solar]

http://www.formspring.me/JESawyer/q/405482590393352770

in lieu of the recent mass killing in Connecticut, how do you feel about the way mental illnesses are portrayed in video games? Will Project Eternity have a strong focus or allusion to the theme at all?

They're usually portrayed poorly because writers lean on what they've seen of mental illness in popular culture instead of researching how mental illness actually "works". It's difficult enough to portray believable characters; mental illness adds a lot of potential complexity to those portrayals. For many people, mental illness, especially certain forms like depression, are hard to comprehend -- even among people with whom we have close relationships.

I do not believe mental illness will be a large focus in Project Eternity, though we have discussed it. In Michel Foucault's early work Madness and Civilization, he described how perception of mental illness and social attitudes toward mental illness (and the mentally ill) changed from the Renaissance through the 20th century. The Dyrwood will likely mirror Renaissance attitudes toward mental illness with larger cities tending to marginalize (and attempt to normalize) the mentally ill.

When there are so many opinions and classifications on different mental illnesses that even studied people argue with each other all the time about it, I'm fine with portraying such things in a pop cultural manner. Don't get me wrong, I like that Sawyer is doing his homework and research, but sometimes I think less is more and he is trying a bit too hard. I know, I know, we wan't monocled games, consistency yadda yadda, but all of this sounds horribly unfun in a videogame which is supposed to entertain me.

 

[Hormalakh]

He's taking the renaissance view on it, dude. Didn't you read it?

 

[Surf Solar]

Yes, I've read it. It talks only about one game area (?) - Dyrwood (what a retarded name btw). No mention of other areas and the perception of these things except for "larger cities". Why even make such a difference over such a meaningless detail?

 

[Infinitron]

A bit too close to home, Surf Solar?

 

[Surf Solar]

 

[tuluse]

Because that's what gets Sawyer's dick hard. All the little details that make the world seem like a real place to him. He's a huge history buff, so it makes perfect sense.

 

[Hormalakh]

I though Dyrwood was the main area for the whole game. Am I wrong on this? Anyone know?

 

[Surf Solar]

I though Dyrwood was the main area for the whole game. Am I wrong on this? Anyone know?

Seems like only one area to me.

Because that's what gets Sawyer's dick hard. All the little details that make the world seem like a real place to him. He's a huge history buff, so it makes perfect sense.

Yeah, I hated that in New Vegas already, mainly on some stuff with Ceasars Legion