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

[Grunker]

What is a "scroll inventory" and where is it mentioned in the update

DA-like "list"-inventory. It's my guess that's what Sawyer means when he says "top of pack", but it is a blind guess. Doesn't invalidate my question though. Where is the IE? Why exactly is this game like it? Which mechanics that they have revealed share more with the IE-games than with NWN2 or DA?

 

[Infinitron]

What is a "scroll inventory" and where is it mentioned in the update

DA-like "list"-inventory. It's my guess that's what Sawyer means when he says "top of pack", but it is a blind guess. Doesn't invalidate my question though. Where is the IE? Why exactly is this game like it? Which mechanics that they have revealed share more with the IE-games than with NWN2 or DA?

No, the top of the pack is your inventory, period. It will probably be something like in BG and other IE games*. The word "top" is throwing you off here, I think.

The stash is just a large, infinite storage space that you can only access in towns.

*EDIT: Except that it'll be shared between all party members.

 

[Excidium]

Odd choice of name. Just reading it I thought it was like a limited number of items you can have at hand to access during combat.

The stash is just a large, infinite storage space that you can only access in towns.

It also magically travels around. 10/10 RPG Design.

DA-like "list"-inventory. It's my guess that's what Sawyer means when he says "top of pack", but it is a blind guess. Doesn't invalidate my question though. Where is the IE? Why exactly is this game like it? Which mechanics that they have revealed share more with the IE-games than with NWN2 or DA?

So far, it has pre-rendered backgrounds...

 

[Pelvis Knot]

Odd choice of name. Just reading it I thought it was like a limited number of items you can have at hand to access during combat.

The stash is just a large, infinite storage space that you can only access in towns.

It also magically travels around. 10/10 RPG Design.

DA-like "list"-inventory. It's my guess that's what Sawyer means when he says "top of pack", but it is a blind guess. Doesn't invalidate my question though. Where is the IE? Why exactly is this game like it? Which mechanics that they have revealed share more with the IE-games than with NWN2 or DA?

So far, it has pre-rendered backgrounds...

Yeah, would it really be hard to have a donkey represent this stash

 

[Excidium]

It would.

 

[Infinitron]

The inventory has been streamlined, no question about it. It's all part of Josh Sawyer's philosophy of clearly separating tactical and strategic concerns. Most tactical inventory is the "equipment" toolbelt, most strategic inventory is the stash, "top of the pack" is somewhere in between.

But fuck it, it's just inventory.

 

[Excidium]

It's just one of many things. It's p. sad how he doesn't even bother making it work in a logical manner.

 

[Brother None]

It's just one of many things. It's p. sad how he doesn't even bother making it work in a logical manner.

That's pretty typical of how Sawyer thinks, though. Very academic, very gameist. Which is fine, I mean, it can work, but I hope he has some people at Obsidian to curb his worst tendencies.

It sounds like a very easy inventory system to use. That's nice, even if it won't make a lick of sense and be kind of dumbed down (I'm not a fan of infinity inventories, I *like* having to manage my weight and space).

 

[Lancehead]

Apparently Tim Cain is also behind the inventory system.

 

[Arkeus]

It sounds like a very easy inventory system to use. That's nice, even if it won't make a lick of sense and be kind of dumbed down (I'm not a fan of infinity inventories, I *like* having to manage my weight and space).

You kinda do have to manage your space though- after all, you can't access anything but your belt in combat, and out of combat you can usually only access a limited inventory. The "stash" is only for moments where you are 'safe', so this means that anything you put there won't be sueful for this dungeon, and anything not in the belt won't be used for fights.

 

[Brother None]

Sure, but it's an infinite loot system. Hell, if anything, it's an EVEN MORE player-friendly version of the "liquefy loot" concept action-RPGs like the Bard's Tale used. It is basically a means to let hoarders hoard as much as they want without any drawbacks, meaning the gameplay style where you look obsessively in every nook and cranny for any shit to sell is actively encouraged. I like looting and making money from loot being hard by forcing the player to travel back and forth and making merchants limited, but nah, gotta make things easier. Still, it works for an "enjoyable unchallenging experience" viewpoint, since you can just delve into dungeons without really worrying about carry space of loot. Still having to worry about carrying space for actual usable equipment is fine.

Why not just make the stash finite though? I mean...really, this is just so simplified and game-y. It solves the problem of inventory headaches by basically just removing inventory mechanics as a part of gameplay other than "tweaking loadout". So...like Mass Effect?

 

[Infinitron]

Whine enough and he'll limit the stash for hardcore mode, I suppose.

 

[Brotherman Bill]

It would.

Are you parodying yourself, or are you just lending your account to skyway?


And fucking lol at the tards claiming that loot management was an important factor of IE games. If you spent many braincells on that shit you are too retarded to worry about "game design" or anything beyond your next meal really. You dropped everything except some uniques, the rest were trash only worth what you got for it in the marketplace. Of course since gold was at best a modest restraint for the first 15% of the games and nothing after that, so this too was made irrelevant. And with 120 inventory spaces + personal gear...

The IE inventory can't be dumbed down, at least not by anything obsidian is proposing here.

 

[CappenVarra]

Yeah, it is starting to look like the defining characteristics of IE for them are "pre-rendered backgrounds and pre-defined NPCs", because everything else is going places. Cramped, smelly places. Perhaps Josh should go work on GrindQuest XYZ for a korean dev some 6 months or so, just to get such urges out of his system? Pfft.

 

[evdk]

Yeah, it is starting to look like the defining characteristics of IE for them are "pre-rendered backgrounds and pre-defined NPCs", because everything else is going places. Cramped, smelly places. Perhaps Josh should go work on GrindQuest XYZ for a korean dev some 6 months or so, just to get such urges out of his system? Pfft.

Wouldn't work, that's who he is. Haven't you ever read the Van Buren design discussions?

 

[CappenVarra]

Yeah, it is starting to look like the defining characteristics of IE for them are "pre-rendered backgrounds and pre-defined NPCs", because everything else is going places. Cramped, smelly places. Perhaps Josh should go work on GrindQuest XYZ for a korean dev some 6 months or so, just to get such urges out of his system? Pfft.

Wouldn't work, that's who he is. Haven't you ever read the Van Buren design discussions?

I know. It goes without saying that while he's away, Tim Cain would create a horribly unbalanced and broken, but ultimately fun and interesting system - and Josh would not have time to rewrite it, but only patch (= remove, that disciple of Toddianism) the most glaring issues. In other words, I am very upset about healing surges.

 

[Shadenuat]

Tim Cain would create a horribly unbalanced and broken, but ultimately fun and interesting system - and Josh would not have time to rewrite it

Seems like perfect marriage to me.

 

[ZagorTeNej]

With each update this game sounds more and more like DA, not that DA clone with Obsidian writing and 2d isometric look would be the worst things in the world but still.

To be honest I don't really get what their goal is here, if their target market is primarily disgruntled Bio fans then presumably they'd be going crazy with romances and that nonsense (cause current Bio fanbase values that far above things like character creation and combat mechanics) but I don't get that vibe at all from any of the interviews/updates so far (and knowing how Josh and especially Avellone feel about romances in video games) and if their target market are "old-school" fans of IE games why does this game sound less and less like one with each update?

It would.

Are you parodying yourself, or are you just lending your account to skyway?


And fucking lol at the tards claiming that loot management was an important factor of IE games. If you spent many braincells on that shit you are too retarded to worry about "game design" or anything beyond your next meal really. You dropped everything except some uniques, the rest were trash only worth what you got for it in the marketplace. Of course since gold was at best a modest restraint for the first 15% of the games and nothing after that, so this too was made irrelevant. And with 120 inventory spaces + personal gear...

The IE inventory can't be dumbed down, at least not by anything obsidian is proposing here.

Well maybe not the crucial factor but there's beauty in the details, I personally like that I have to decide whether to skip on some loot or have to track back to town, that party members had separate inventories and weight limit based on their STR score etc. in IE games (although BG2 did have a "magic" bag of holding but it wasn't infinite without mods).

Again, call this flavour if you like but if you strip the game of all these small details in favour of ease of use (streamlining may be the better word) you risk ending up with a soulless "gamey" game (like a MMO or something).

 

[Captain Shrek]

Tim Cain would create a horribly unbalanced and broken, but ultimately fun and interesting system - and Josh would not have time to rewrite it

Seems like perfect marriage to me.

Unless both of them do the broken part.

 

[Arkeus]

Sure, but it's an infinite loot system. Hell, if anything, it's an EVEN MORE player-friendly version of the "liquefy loot" concept action-RPGs like the Bard's Tale used. It is basically a means to let hoarders hoard as much as they want without any drawbacks, meaning the gameplay style where you look obsessively in every nook and cranny for any shit to sell is actively encouraged

The drawback is that 1°) the actual inventory one can use while fighting is much more limited than in IE games, and 2°) that the 'top of the pack' that's accessible out of combat-but-in-dungeons is also limited, meaning that you still do the same choices, it's just that when it comes to selling things you won't have to do many trips to get stupid stuff.

It also means that it will be much easier for the devs to have an idea of the levels of money players would have, and better balance shops/economy.

 

[Harold]

It is also the laziest way possible to balance economy and caters to lootwhores in a Borderlands type fashion. Am disappoint.

 

[Arkeus]

It is also the laziest way possible to balance economy and caters to lootwhores in a Borderlands type fashion. Am disappoint.

Yes, it caters to people who actually play the game and try to find everything within. I am appalled.

 

[Infinitron]

ZagorTeNej
Because the real objective of this project is to let Josh Sawyer, ultra-gameist philosopher of game design, finally have a chance at creating his masterpiece.

I'm not entirely joking, either.

Anyway, as far as the inventory goes, DA had just one shared inventory with limited space, so I don't see the connection.

 

[Harold]

It is also the laziest way possible to balance economy and caters to lootwhores in a Borderlands type fashion. Am disappoint.

Yes, it caters to people who actually play the game and try to find everything within. I am appalled.

Of course, as we all know, rpgs are all about finding and picking up every last piece of loot

 

[Infinitron]

It is also the laziest way possible to balance economy and caters to lootwhores in a Borderlands type fashion. Am disappoint.

Yes, it caters to people who actually play the game and try to find everything within. I am appalled.

Of course, as we all know, rpgs are all about finding and picking up every last piece of loot

They aren't, but many people do play them that way. You know it's true. Gotta pick up every last rat charm in Torment. Gotta search every shelf in Broken Hills.