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

[Shadenuat]

Yeah, genasi are boring. I hope they will base their planetouched around (hopefully) unique PE's pantheon instead.

A chick horned and stacked because she was touched by some satyre god - that's fine.

 

[J_C]

Whoa Grunker! What's the matter, didn't you sleep enough last night? Or a Godlike touched you?

What's wrong with godlikes? They are not original, but I doubt that there exists a thing in fantasy, which is completely original.

 

[Blaine]

All IE games were DnD

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konung:_Legends_of_the_North

 

[Grunker]

What's wrong with godlikes? They are not original, but I doubt that there exists a thing in fantasy, which is completely original.

Nothing's wrong with them, they're like apples. I like an apple, but it doesn't excite me much. What is wrong here is yet another example of Codexers swooning over something completely banal. The same people that would laugh at anyone who said the concept was cool in D&D are calling it cool because it is in P:E. We're supposed to be the hotspot for a critical approach for video gaming, yet we're jumping up and down because of fucking elemental humanoids?

In other words, see my reply to tuluse. You can't say "Wow! They're awesome!" and then when challenged on that point say: "I know they're not awesome, but they did say they were going to copy D&D!"

Furthermore, I'm just fucking tired of the "nothing's completely original"-argument. Firstly, this is not original at all, so stop talking like it is. Secondly, if it's not original, then stop giving it praise for being cool. Thirdly, there's plenty of original takes on fantasy coming out all the time, which disproves your point. Nothing might be entirely original, but plenty of shit has an original edge. This doesn't.

 

[DalekFlay]

Both are terribad honestly and picking one is like picking leprosy over bubonic plague. Why mainstream devs can't do it right?

This afternoon I actually tried playing Morrowind again. Last time I played it when it was released. I tried playing a warrior and wanted to kill myself, no active shield block, random hit chance even though weapon model goes through the enemy, completely random damage and fights outcome. I guess it's true that playing Warband multi for 4500 hours sort of spoils you in terms of melee combat expectations but that was just over the top and led to me rageuntinstalling and putting back on the shelf. Soundtrack is nice though.

The point of Morrowind was to emulate realistic battles using stats, like the old games did. It looked stupid in 3D first-person, I grant you, but it was supposed to portray things like "big idiot swings hammer poorly and unarmed petite woman easily dodges and kicks him in the balls" without actually showing it or trying to figure that out in real-time.

It's exactly the same thing as aiming right at someone's head in Deus Ex but watching the bullet whiff by if your pistol skill sucked.

The alternative is obviously to make stats only impact damage output and leaving combat to skill, but of course this is less "pure" to the concept of an RPG. The vast majority of mainstream gamers trade that purity for fun but goddammit we're the Codex and we're supposed to praise the beautiful Aryan combat of Morrowind over twitch sword-n-board'ing.

I like both though, so fuck it.

 

[ironyuri]

The transformation begins... I don't understand. No. NO!

 

[J_C]

The same people that would laugh at anyone who said the concept was cool in D&D are calling it cool because it is in P:E.

That's true. Although I think the people who say tht godlikes are awesome in PE, didn't laughed at others who liked it in D&D.

We're supposed to be the hotspot for a critical approach for video gaming, yet we're jumping up and down because of fucking elemental humanoids?

I think that Codex is long gone now. I (as you know it) like everyting, but other people are also less and less critical.

 

[J_C]

I think that Codex is long gone now.

FUCK you. Not until I breathe my last.

There are always exceptions of course.

 

[waywardOne]

The Codex is fine; it's the world that is shit.

 

[Grunker]

I think that Codex is long gone now.

Look at the Codex. Now look at the Watch. Now look at the Codex. Now back to the Watch. The Codex isn't the Watch, and it, in all probability, isn't going to be.

What we have here is a case of normally very critical people (Jaesun for example) being non-critical. I'm not Skyway trying to make it seem like the Codex is a collection of TotalBiscuit-fans, I'm point out one area where it seems people suffer from some kind of mass-psychosis.

 

[J_C]

I think that Codex is long gone now.

Look at the Codex. Now look at the Watch. Now look at the Codex. Now back to the Watch. The Codex isn't the Watch, and it, in all probability, isn't going to be.

Agree. But please, don't make me look at the Watch. The trip the Codex made there when the site was down was enough. :D

I'm point out one area where it seems people suffer from some kind of mass-psychosis

Well PE is kind of a special project. It brings out different things from people.

 

[Lancehead]

Something weird about these faces, perhaps the smile.

 

[Kirtai]

A chick horned and stacked because she was touched by some satire god - that's fine.

I know that's a typo but a satire god godtouched would be amusing, with abilities like "Withering Sarcasm" and "Deadly Insult"

I'm not Skyway trying to make it seem like the Codex is a collection of TotalBiscuit-fans, I'm point out one area where it seems people suffer from some kind of mass-psychosis.

Maybe they don't want to analyse it too much in case they wake up and find it was all a dream? :D

 

[Mrowak]

What's wrong with godlikes? They are not original, but I doubt that there exists a thing in fantasy, which is completely original.

Nothing's wrong with them, they're like apples. I like an apple, but it doesn't excite me much. What is wrong here is yet another example of Codexers swooning over something completely banal. The same people that would laugh at anyone who said the concept was cool in D&D are calling it cool because it is in P:E. We're supposed to be the hotspot for a critical approach for video gaming, yet we're jumping up and down because of fucking elemental humanoids?

In other words, see my reply to tuluse. You can't say "Wow! They're awesome!" and then when challenged on that point say: "I know they're not awesome, but they did say they were going to copy D&D!"

Furthermore, I'm just fucking tired of the "nothing's completely original"-argument. Firstly, this is not original at all, so stop talking like it is. Secondly, if it's not original, then stop giving it praise for being cool. Thirdly, there's plenty of original takes on fantasy coming out all the time, which disproves your point. Nothing might be entirely original, but plenty of shit has an original edge. This doesn't.

At the very least if they added some cool mechanic for the planetouched, godtouched that would make them significantly stand out from the crowd, then we could talk about some originality. But the way they are presented, there's nothing special about them so doubtfully they will differ enough from other races to warrant picking them up as characters.

I am still looking forward to "mature" twist to all of this D&D nonsense that they promised in their campaign. Like, "what would happen to the world when we stuck to the D&D premises to the letter"?

 

[J_C]

Nothing might be entirely original, but plenty of shit has an original edge. This doesn't.

You don't know that, since they only told us minor things about the godlikes. They might have an original edge in the story and in game. I'm not saying they will, but we don't know everything about them yet.

there's nothing special about them so doubtfully they will differ enough from other races to warrant picking them up as characters.

What? They don't have to be very different to warrant picking them up! I bet you played Baldur's Gate and other D&D games with different races, while they weren't very different.

 

[Shadenuat]

I know that's a typo but a satire god godtouched would be amusing, with abilities like "Withering Sarcasm" and "Deadly Insult"

I really need start proofreading my shit

 

[Blaine]

What is wrong here is yet another example of Codexers swooning over something completely banal. The same people that would laugh at anyone who said the concept was cool in D&D are calling it cool because it is in P:E. We're supposed to be the hotspot for a critical approach for video gaming, yet we're jumping up and down because of fucking elemental humanoids?

I'm glad I'm not the only one who's noticed. I'd been chalking it all up to my unnaturally strong pessimism and lukewarm (at best) attitude toward high fantasy, but looking back on the last half-dozen pages or so, there's definitely a whiff of fanboy sweat and semen on the wind.

The race concepts are the same tired old fantasy tropes, with a few added tweaks and a distinctive ORIGINAL CHARACTERS DO NOT STEAL vibe. The concept art is simply okay, and some of it verges on amateurish. It's of the "a few dozen pages into a DeviantART keyword search sorted by popularity" caliber. My overall experience with concept art in computer games has been that it often looks fucking awesome, much better than what ends up in the final game. P:E's doesn't. That Amaua concept they showed a few months back was fucking hideous, for instance, and not in a good way. Fortunately, the characters will be the size of matchsticks, so character art isn't terribly important as long as the overall direction is adequate.

You can't say "Wow! They're awesome!" and then when challenged on that point say: "I know they're not awesome, but they did say they were going to copy D&D!"

Oh, they can—and they will.

Furthermore, I'm just fucking tired of the "nothing's completely original"-argument. Firstly, this is not original at all, so stop talking like it is. Secondly, if it's not original, then stop giving it praise for being cool. Thirdly, there's plenty of original takes on fantasy coming out all the time, which disproves your point. Nothing might be entirely original, but plenty of shit has an original edge. This doesn't.

Someone had to say it. No homo.

 

[Infinitron]

Codex is swooning over PE? You guys must be reading a different forum than I am.

So a few people think some concept art is nicely drawn, big fucking deal.

 

[Mrowak]

Nothing might be entirely original, but plenty of shit has an original edge. This doesn't.

You don't know that, since they only told us minor things about the godlikes. They might have an original edge in the story and in game. I'm not saying they will, but we don't know everything about them yet.

there's nothing special about them so doubtfully they will differ enough from other races to warrant picking them up as characters.

What? They don't have to be very different to warrant picking them up! I bet you played Baldur's Gate and other D&D games with different races, while they weren't very different.

No, I played only as a human because all the other races were pointless.

 

[J_C]

You can't be serious! Who plays IE games like that....

 

[suejak]

Grunker has to be the most self-consciously hardcore RPG critic I've ever seen.

 

[Grunker]

Codex is swooning over PE? You guys must be reading a different forum than I am.

So a few people think some concept art is nicely drawn, big fucking deal.

The same people who would have shouted "TYPICAL BIOWARE BANAL BULLSHIT" if Bio had made anything as bland as this, yes. If they do that when it comes to concept art, it stands to reason they'll do the same in a discussion about mechanics.

You don't know that, since they only told us minor things about the godlikes. They might have an original edge in the story and in game.

I base my arguments on what I see, not on what might be. I even said that they might be totally unoriginal in game. But what I'm challenging here is the "yay"-reaction to what is a carbon-copy of D&D's genasi.

I am still looking forward to "mature" twist to all of this D&D nonsense that they promised in their campaign. Like, "what would happen to the world when we stuck to the D&D premises to the letter"?

lol, indeed

Grunker has to be the most self-consciously hardcore RPG critic I've ever seen.

The amount of times in this thread people have pointed to the nature of my argument instead of its contents in this thread is staggering. I must be hitting some nerves

 

[gromit]

So... at some point in his career JE Sawyer accidentally sets an unstoppable, and unspeakably evil, force in motion. With a mocking laugh, it grants him a single wish in thanks. He returns to the start of the millenium -- under pseudonym, and changed enough for his younger, chubby, un-mustachioed self to not recognize.

Trying to sabotage his own career in its infancy, he steps in to prevent Interplay's resurgence from the brink of collapse. Ironically, the resulting liquidity problems, understaffing, cancellations, and rapid scheduling allow an ambitious young man in QA the chance to step into a lead design role.

You'd think people would know better than to mess with the flow of history, but no. Give 'em a chance, and they'd all shoot Ferdinand to try to stop the Great War.

 

[Roguey]

lol were any of you guize expecting Dullsville to be original

seriously

it was pitched as a nostalgia game "Like all those D&D games you used to play--but better because they're all combined!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

That is a lovely antelope girl. I like the armor she's wearing. Not sure if rogue or druid.

 

[Harold]

I was waiting for godlike concept reveal because in my mind they were the race pitched as bizzare. Then, WTF?, they look just like genasi. Then I double-checked because my memory likes to play tricks on me

We are still developing the races of Project Eternity, but we are creating a range that encompasses the recognizable (e.g. humans, elves, dwarves), the out-of-the-ordinary (e.g. the so-called "godlike"), and the truly odd (?!).

So the godlike were the out-of-the-ordinary leaving us with 'I can't believe they're not halflings' and "I can't believe they're not swashbuckling half-orcs' as the truly odd ones. o_O Sawyer should be the truly odd race, Herve moustache & all.