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

[Infinitron]

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.

I think they were considering an insectoid race at one point and probably other weird races as well, but I guess they decided against it.

 

[Harold]

I think they were considering an insectoid race at one point and probably other weird races as well, but I guess they decided against it.

Source?

 

[Roguey]

Harold You're assuming the only races that exist are the playable ones.

 

[Infinitron]

Harold You're assuming the only races that exist are the playable ones.

Also true.

 

[Harold]

Roguey No, I'm assuming that when he was talking about races in that update he was referring to player races, since the general tone of it was 'stuff available to you, the player': the setup, how your pc's journey starts, your companions, formations available to you, classes available to you. Why would I assume he'd all of sudden switch gears on the races bulletpoint and suddenly refer to races in general?

 

[Roguey]

Roguey No, I'm assuming that when he was talking about races in that update he was referring to player races, since the general tone of it was 'stuff available to you, the player': the setup, how your pc's journey starts, your companions, formations available to you, classes available to you. Why would I assume he'd all of sudden switch gears on the races bulletpoint and suddenly refer to races in general?

Beginning of the update:

Project Eternity is still early in development and we are still working on many of the cultures, factions, and ethnic groups of the world and debating many of the system concepts.

Sentences following what you quoted:

Races and subraces differ from each other culturally, but the races also have different physiological factors that can contribute to friction and confusion between them.

Within even the recognizable races (including humans), we are creating a variety of ethnic subtypes and nationalities. This world's races did not all spring forth from the same place, and millennia of independent development have resulted in distinctive and unconnected groups. For example, the dwarf ranger below is originally from a southern boreal region that is quite different from the temperate homes of her distant kin to the north.

Additionally, Project Eternity's world contains some isolated races and ethnicities, but transoceanic exploration and cultural cohabitation have heavily mixed many racial and ethnic groups over time. This mixing is not always... peaceful. At times it has degenerated into genocide and long-standing prejudices are ingrained in many cultures.

 

[Grunker]

Different etnic subtypes and nationalities with different distinctive cultures and complicated prejudices = A fire-one (red), a wind-one (white), an earth-one (green) and a water-one (blue). Truely inspired

 

[Harold]

...

Thanks, but I read the whole update, no need to copypaste stuff that has nothing to do with what I asked.
He begins and ends the update with lore fluff to make the banal world seem more interesting.
After the introduction there is a bulletlist detailing in one paragraph options available to you as the player.
I don't care about the ethnicities stuff, my point is that Sawyer said several times in different interviews what he first implied in that update: that the range of races available to the player will be ordinary, not-so-ordinary and totally whacko-man-you-won't-believe-this-race. Which is a lie. Either because it was a lie from the beginning, or because they later decided against whacko races or, far more likely, because they just said 'don't worry we totally have a whacko race for you to play as, we just won't reveal them yet cause spoilers omg' at the beginning of their campaign to appease the anti-generic voices that were making themselves heard then. Then they came up with not halflings and not halorcs.
Ultimately, my point is that Obsidian are all a bunch of deluded liars or, Absurdian if you will. Josh Sawyer included.

 

[Infinitron]

Harold Insect race http://psotter.com/news/exclusive-interview-project-eternity-part-1/

 

[Grunker]

Harold Insect race http://psotter.com/news/exclusive-interview-project-eternity-part-1/

They've never been considering it.

“The others are… as we have been listening to people, we are coming up with ideas. For instance, there were a lot of threads about an insect race. At first we weren’t really thinking about one, but it’s definitely worth the conversation. That’s how we want to do it. We’re seeing what’s there, and what people are talking about, and then discussing it internally.”

=

Yes. Sure. Of course we lsiten to the thousands of random people on our forums.

 

[Infinitron]

Oh? I wouldn't be surprised if there ends up being a nonplayable insect race in the game.

 

[tuluse]

IE games were not good because they were DnD. Let me repeat: IE games were good because there was an excellent spell system implementation (visual), comparatively better tactics (emphasis on comparatively) and multiple solutions to combat encounters, good art for 1998-2000,and good writing,. To be fair to PE there will be good writing in it since MCA and Ziets are on board.

I didn't say that's why there were good. The game was sold as a successor to them, and pitched as something not quite unlike DnD. So that's what they they're making.

 

[uaciaut]

Am i the only one who thought "yiff, furry" etc when i saw that screen? The artwork itself looks splendid though i'll probably go with the non-goat looking godlikes.

Yes, you fucking idiots that see furry in anything remotely anthropomorphic should consider keeping your shit to yourselves.

Ye, most mammal-features blended in with human frames generally have a tendency to remind me of furries, particularly those with big noses, droopy ears, horns and flowers growing out of heads. I don't particularly mind, i think the satyr-influenced, genasi-like idea behind this is decent and the execution is okay as well.
Not to mention the furry market will just eat that shit right up D:

 

[Murk]

Grunker, you may be reading things in people's posts that aren't there. Or not, I'm not sure -- I can only speak for myself.

If the biggest mistake the game makes is that it's basically D&D with different names, then I'd be ok with that. I know it won't be, but if it was. Over saturation of D&D elements doesn't bug me -- what does is oversimplification, which I fear is where the combat system will end up.

 

[Grunker]

Grunker, you may be reading things in people's posts that aren't there. Or not, I'm not sure -- I can only speak for myself.

If the biggest mistake the game makes is that it's basically D&D with different names, then I'd be ok with that. I know it won't be, but if it was. Over saturation of D&D elements doesn't bug me -- what does is oversimplification, which I fear is where the combat system will end up.

I think you misunderstood me, though I'm not clear how, I was being pretty clear

Let's take it again:

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.

So, to cut it out in cardboard: What bugs me isn't the godlike, but the reaction to them. I wouldn't mind D&D being copied. Hell, if it were up to me, this would be an infinity engine game with the Pathfinder ruleset set in Forgotten Realms. Since they seem to be doing exactly that anyway, they're just wasting time and money on making their own more or less carbon-copy version of that. So yeah, I'm fine with that. You won't find me yelling:

That looks pretty fucking cool.

or

Now I really want to play a godlike.

at it, and I think the fact that some do is symptomatic for the bias towards P:E. Which disappoints me, because the Codex isn't just a bastion for oldschool gaming, but a bastion for a critical approach to gaming. Also the kind of gaming that we like.

And, well, most people here would have yelled bloody death and fire if P:E was set in FR, and were yelling "yes, original setting!" at the KS.

 

[tuluse]

I hardly think two posts, one of which just seems to be praising the art, is the codex "swooning".

Also, plane touched are p rare in cRPGs.

 

[Excidium]

Welp I only think it's cool they have planetouched godlikes for the demihuman races too.

I think the fact that some do is symptomatic for the bias towards P:E. Which disappoints me, because the Codex isn't just a bastion for oldschool gaming, but a bastion for a critical approach to gaming. Also the kind of gaming that we like.

The Codex is also a den of hyperbole and overreacting. Try not to take things at face value.

"HOLY SHIT ITZ PLANETOUCHED IN PROJECT ETERNITY HELL YEAH I AM ALREADY LARPING A BACKGROUND FOR MY CHARACTER" just means "cool, some race art, let me make a positive comment".

 

[BobtheTree]

I'm not saying that the godlikes are an original race but that it's cool that you can play them and it sounds like a great kind of character to play for the world Obsidian is building. Can you name a CRPG that lets you play a race akin to a godlike?

 

[Kirtai]

Hell, if it were up to me, this would be an infinity engine game with the Pathfinder ruleset set in Forgotten Realms. Since they seem to be doing exactly that anyway, they're just wasting time and money on making their own more or less carbon-copy version of that.

They probably figured that making their own IP is cheaper than D&D licencing fees plus having another company holding control over it. Consider all the legal problems that have surrounded D&D licensed games in the past. Avoiding that alone is worth something.

 

[Excidium]

Making their own setting is certainly a better idea but they could have used the Pathfinder rules. FFS it's free licensing, extensively playtested and better than anything they can come up with.

 

[Lancehead]

Well, Feargus talked about using Pathfinder later. Who knows, the next game (if they get there) might be based on it, but that kinda defeats the system Sawyer and Cain are building now.

 

[J_C]

But Pathfinder is still a pen and paper ruleset, and converting those to a videogame is always problematic. I'm not saying that I'm against it, but a pre-made p&p ruleset always puts some obstacles in front of the devs. It limits them. Just like D&D did. Torment is a good example, where they had to change some things to make it work.

 

[Grunker]

converting those to a videogame is always problematic.

that's why one guy working in his spare time did such a shitty job

They probably figured that making their own IP is cheaper than D&D licencing fees plus having another company holding control over it. Consider all the legal problems that have surrounded D&D licensed games in the past. Avoiding that alone is worth something.

Setting? Sure, I can see that? Rules - hell no.

http://www.d20srd.org/

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/

 

[Grunker]

I'm not saying that the godlikes are an original race but that it's cool that you can play them and it sounds like a great kind of character to play for the world Obsidian is building. Can you name a CRPG that lets you play a race akin to a godlike?

Yes. In fact I can name several RPGs with races much "weirder." The obvious example in this case, however, is NWN2 which has planethouched in them (incidentally, the faces of the character models in NWN2 planetouched look pretty close to the art from P:E).

 

[Cosmo]

converting those to a videogame is always problematic

Shouldn't you have said "converting a turn-based set of rules to RTwP is always problematic" ?