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

[tuluse]

Can they really use the exact same icons from the IE games? Is this the Icewind Dale assets they bought paying off?

 

[Rivmusique]

The inventory button being so large and placed in the centre implies that inventory management is the focus of the game. Could confuse new players, they should watch that.

 

[Roguey]

Make the spellcasting part of the GUI not-shit. Don't repeat the interface-flaws of the past out of misplaced nostalgia, that would be stupid.

 

[tuluse]

Make the spellcasting part of the GUI not-shit. Don't repeat the interface-flaws of the past out of misplaced nostalgia, that would be stupid.

I don't see any reason they can't combine the IE interface with the NWN2 quick casting bars.

 

[Zed]

the iwd-like interface is ugly. it looks so wide. square portraits are also ugly.
I made a better one: http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/63851-update-54-art-update-work-is-in-progress/?p=1334975

 

[tuluse]

Your vertical bar seems too wide to me. I liked how the portraits in IE games were the health bars. The heath/stamina mechanic makes this harder to do.

Also, you need to level up your characters.

 

[Surf Solar]

lol, the UI in IWD2 was the most boring/ugly/streamlined/popamole one, and ofcourse they are going with this. Why am I not surprised

Zed ones is much better

 

[Name]

I wish I could be like Polina, such a beautiful machine-like dedication.

 

[Space Satan]

Every time I read the updates I feel so relieved when there's no "Dialogue Wheel" or similar shit in the text. Recently, I lowered my standarts for happiness.

 

[J_C]

lol, the UI in IWD2 was the most boring/ugly/streamlined/popamole one, and ofcourse they are going with this. Why am I not surprised

Zed ones is much better

Bah, not at all. It looked very nice, simple and was usable. I don't see the problem in having a similar van in PE.

 

[The Great Deceiver]

House Chanter - Hear Me Roar?

That sounds pretty nice, actually.

 

[Kem0sabe]

Looks like Icewind dale 2, in fact it's the exact same art assets... and just as Icewind dale 2... it looks horrible.

 

[Space Satan]

Chanter casts: "Oh be fucked off ye miserable faggots let no warty hands of ye defile my sacred flesh with touch most foul"
Goblin fails fortitude save and falls.

 

[DraQ]

DraQ
Sawyer answered.

They are far from random in FPS games where accuracy is primarily determined by player skill. Accuracy in PE, like the IE games, is determined primarily by character stats, not player skill. Hard counters in a single-player RPG are obnoxious, IMOBecause either you're prepped for them or you aren't. If you aren't, you reload and voila, you are. If you prepared save-or-die tactic that the enemy is immune to, you're hard countered through no fault of your own. If not, you steamroll the enemy.
Or you do what many players do, which is reload until the primary target fails its save and the entire tactical challenge of the fight is rendered trivial/pointless.

I disagree, because you don't win in FPS by exposing yourself to headshots hoping the other player or AI will have shitty aim.
Similarly, you should be able to avoid exposing yourself to instakill attacks and effects in an RPG by using tactics minimizing such exposure instead of applying unconditional immunity.

Simple example:
if you have giant who can oneshot any party member regardless of their HP by invoking chunky salsa rule (if character's head can be expected to turn into chunky salsa as the result of attack, said character is dead after the attack succeeds regardless of their HPs prior ot attack), then you avoid getting splattered not by charging the giant and hoping for the best, but by keeping your distance and using whatever means help in keeping the distance - terrain advantage, spels that slow the giant or are effective area denial, traps and so on.
If there is any tactics (not necessarily easy one) which should work even assuming you fail your saves, then instakill or severely crippling atatus attacks have their place in game. If there isn't, then drop all the pretense of tactics - the game is simply number incrementation excercise to make player feel good asbout themselves.

 

[Infinitron]

I disagree, because you don't win in FPS by exposing yourself to headshots hoping the other player or AI will have shitty aim.
Similarly, you should be able to avoid exposing yourself to instakill attacks and effects in an RPG by using tactics minimizing such exposure instead of applying unconditional immunity.

Simple example:
if you have giant who can oneshot any party member regardless of their HP by invoking chunky salsa rule (if character's head can be expected to turn into chunky salsa as the result of attack, said character is dead after the attack succeeds regardless of their HPs prior ot attack), then you avoid getting splattered not by charging the giant and hoping for the best, but by keeping your distance and using whatever means help in keeping the distance - terrain advantage, spels that slow the giant or are effective area denial, traps and so on.
If there is any tactics (not necessarily easy one) which should work even assuming you fail your saves, then instakill or severely crippling atatus attacks have their place in game. If there isn't, then drop all the pretense of tactics - the game is simply number incrementation excercise to make player feel good asbout themselves.

You're describing an "instakill" attack based on proximity. Sawyer is thinking of instakill spells which can only be resisted, not dodged by moving away.

Also, I'm not sure if it's even a good idea for an isometric party-based RPG to rely on dodging based tactics. It's not too different from kiting, after all.

 

[Niektory]

If the only way to avoid being instakilled is a saving throw, then it's not a good magic system. Even in D&D spells can be countered or interrupted. And I see nothing wrong with using range as another factor.

I'm not actually a fan of such spells, I'm just saying that they work better when the system is more complex and allows for active counters.

 

[Rostere]

There's seriously a guy over at the update thread on the Obsidian boards who suggests a DOTA UI for PE... Urgh.

 

[Infinitron]

If the only way to avoid being instakilled is a saving throw, then it's not a good magic system. Even in D&D spells can be countered or interrupted. And I see nothing wrong with using range as another factor.

I'm not actually a fan of such spells, I'm just saying that they work better when the system is more complex and allows for active counters.

Well, if you have a system based on active counters, then you're demanding that the player successfully counter each and every insta-kill spell. That might be a bit too harsh/frustrating, or alternatively, trivially easy (if the spells are easy to predict and prepare for, cast infrequently, etc)

It's probably better if powerful enemy spellcasters throw highly damaging spells at you that AREN'T instakill, because then the player has a choice of deciding whether or not he wants to spend time countering them, or if he'd rather just suck the damage up and continue attacking. When it's an instakill spell, you have no choice - you must counter the spell or die.

 

[Name]

There's seriously a guy over at the update thread on the Obsidian boards who suggests a DOTA UI for PE... Urgh.

Essentially a Warcraft 3 UI? Neat.

 

[Roguey]

lol, the UI in IWD2 was the most boring/ugly/streamlined/popamole one, and ofcourse they are going with this. Why am I not surprised

It was the best one considering it was made for a resolution larger than 640x480.

 

[Space Satan]

Oh, I can tell what will happen, when you add dodge option to such "instakill" spells. Dragon Age 2 will happen. Fight with Rock Wraith or a french guy riding a wyvern proved that DA2 could turn already retarded battle system into a glorious avatar of popamoleness.

 

[Direwolf]

There's seriously a guy over at the update thread on the Obsidian boards who suggests a DOTA UI for PE... Urgh.

Would still look better than the shit that they showed.

 

[SwiftCrack]

There's seriously a guy over at the update thread on the Obsidian boards who suggests a DOTA UI for PE... Urgh.

Could you quote his/her post in this thread?

 

[Jedi Exile]

It seems that a lot of people on Obsidian boards want a 'modern' UI. WTF? Why are they even interested in this oldschool game in the first place?

 

[felipepepe]

FFS, vertical bars worked well in 4:3, 16:9 just BEGS for vertical menu, and yet Sawyer crams it all at the botton of the screen, with little itty bitty tiny portraits... clearly he's hellbent on ending my fun.