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

[Sensuki]

Sure but that's a feature that will only be used by a smallish percentage of the players (<30%), and one that is expensive to develop.

 

[Semper]

Although, again I'm not sure how much time such implementation would take. I'd imagine it's a pain in the ass to add point-light to each enemy as it now stands.

realizing this as a toggle is a lot of effort. you have to place those lights in the scene, get them looking right and script them to be switched on and off through the settings - i doubt that this is really worth anything for such a minor detail.

 

[Hormalakh]

ok. fair enough.

 

[Infinitron]

If it wasn't obvious already: http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/64...e-was-on-the-horizon-during-the-ks/?p=1359359

 

[Roguey]

am I gonna be able to play this on my shitty laptop or will I have to use my big boy pc?

it depends on how shitty but adam had it running on a fujitsu windows 8 tablet

i'd really like it to be able to run on a wide range of machines. our min res is 1280x720.

I'm perusing No Mutants Allowed and I'm happy to see that people are still mad at Herve Caen for whatever reason.

hes bad

will people still explode into a bunch of meat chunks when you kill them with a critical

we'd like to do that but honestly we haven't put any work into it.

Gonna make enemies explode by stabbing them with a dagger.

 

[felipepepe]

Playing different classes should make challenges out of obstacles that were previously easy and turn cakewalks into struggles in equal measure.

So, easy should turn hard, and easy should turn hard, both in equal measure?

Not that I disagree...

 

[Chaotic_Heretic]

Playing different classes should make challenges out of obstacles that were previously easy and turn cakewalks into struggles in equal measure.

So, easy should turn hard, and easy should turn hard, both in equal measure?

Not that I disagree...

Except that it is party based and you will have some other class to compensate for the hard parts.

 

[coffeetable]

Is the point lighting system that Josh describs as "computationally expensive" really that big of a problem even with new gen computers? Can't this be an optional toggle for those with better GPUs? In regards to the overall so-called "graphics-whorism" I am conflicted between getting the small details right and just spending that time creating more content. But if the solutions to the shadow problems are as simple as some people make it sound like it is, then by all means they should try those proposed solutions.

So the big claim in that lighting FX video we got a few months back was that the scene was completely 2D. I can see how you can precompute dynamic/static lighting for static/dynamic geometry so you don't need the 3D geometry at runtime, but the problem with dynamic lighting for dynamic geometry is that you can't possibly precompute every combination of geometry and light position. You need to do it at runtime using a 3D model and a 3D lighting engine.

(which is entirely possible with modern hardware, though the polycount would have to be dragged down a fair bit)

 

[Chaotic_Heretic]

Is the point lighting system that Josh describs as "computationally expensive" really that big of a problem even with new gen computers? Can't this be an optional toggle for those with better GPUs? In regards to the overall so-called "graphics-whorism" I am conflicted between getting the small details right and just spending that time creating more content. But if the solutions to the shadow problems are as simple as some people make it sound like it is, then by all means they should try those proposed solutions.

So the big claim in that lighting FX video we got a few months back was that the scene was completely 2D. I can see how you can precompute dynamic/static lighting for static/dynamic geometry so you don't need the 3D geometry at runtime, but the problem with dynamic lighting for dynamic geometry is that you can't possibly precompute every combination of geometry and light position. You need to do it at runtime using a 3D model and a 3D lighting engine.

(which is entirely possible with modern hardware, though the polycount would have to be dragged down a fair bit)

Instead as @Cynic suggested, why not just have shadow circles underneath the models...no need for fancy shadows if you cannot implement it.

 

[Cynic]

Is the point lighting system that Josh describs as "computationally expensive" really that big of a problem even with new gen computers? Can't this be an optional toggle for those with better GPUs? In regards to the overall so-called "graphics-whorism" I am conflicted between getting the small details right and just spending that time creating more content. But if the solutions to the shadow problems are as simple as some people make it sound like it is, then by all means they should try those proposed solutions.

So the big claim in that lighting FX video we got a few months back was that the scene was completely 2D. I can see how you can precompute dynamic/static lighting for static/dynamic geometry so you don't need the 3D geometry at runtime, but the problem with dynamic lighting for dynamic geometry is that you can't possibly precompute every combination of geometry and light position. You need to do it at runtime using a 3D model and a 3D lighting engine.

(which is entirely possible with modern hardware, though the polycount would have to be dragged down a fair bit)

Instead as @Cynic suggested, why not just have shadow circles underneath the models...no need for fancy shadows if you cannot implement it.

Did I say that? I thought I was just a grafixfag who offered no solutions and poured haterade all over the godly alter of JE Sawyer while everyone ITT furiously fisted themselves.

 

[Chaotic_Heretic]

Did I say that? I thought I was just a grafixfag who offered no solutions and poured haterade all over the godly alter of JE Sawyer while everyone ITT furiously fisted themselves.

Only to sperging autists who read the first few lines of your post and went

 

[Sensuki]

 

[Chaotic_Heretic]

Hope it isn't as "immediate" as DA2...

 

[stony3k]

Playing different classes should make challenges out of obstacles that were previously easy and turn cakewalks into struggles in equal measure.

So, easy should turn hard, and easy should turn hard, both in equal measure?

Not that I disagree...

Except that it is party based and you will have some other class to compensate for the hard parts.

This is the biggest issue I have with such a heavy emphasis on balance in this game.

 

[Chaotic_Heretic]

This is the biggest issue I have with such a heavy emphasis on balance in this game.

I am pissed at that and Josh's hypocrisy. I could have understood such a heavy focus on balance if the game was supposed to have a single PC only. isn't having a party meant to cover the weakness of individual party member. (specific damage immunities, skill check penalties etc)

He goes on and on about balance and viability of multiple builds, but never provided a satisfactory answer why RTwP was chosen over TB... other than that a rightly paced RTwP will also provide visceral joy with the cerebral joy and that he was introduced to RTwP before TB for RPG combat. Then about pacing he defends RTwP over TB, despite TB having discrete and finite player choices (as apposed to twitchy element of RTwP).

RTwP is an inferior bastardization of TB combat with RTS which fills combat with mostly trash mobs.

 

[Infinitron]

I am pissed at that and Josh's hypocrisy. I could have understood such a heavy focus on balance if the game was supposed to have a single PC only. isn't having a party meant to cover the weakness of individual party member. (specific damage immunities, skill check penalties etc)

Because then you have to use a specific party composition - in a game with only eight NPC companions, no less. What if I don't want the standard D&D party of two fighters, a cleric, a mage and a thief? What if I really hate the only thief NPC the game has?

never provided a satisfactory answer why RTwP was chosen over TB

Because it's an Infinity Engine-like game. Get over it.

And it's not "twitchy". Haven't you noticed all the retards complaining that Dragon Age was too "slow paced"? Slow paced is the opposite of twitchy.

he was introduced to RTwP before TB for RPG combat

The man's in his late 30s. Two of his favorite RPGs are Fallout and Pool of Radiance.

 

[Sensuki]

Sounds like you're more mad about no TB than anything Josh says.

 

[Rake]

This is the biggest issue I have with such a heavy emphasis on balance in this game.

never provided a satisfactory answer why RTwP was chosen over TB...

Get over the already.
The answer was simple. They promished an IE successor and IE games had RTwP. That was the only reason. They want the combat to feel the same as IE combat. That cannot be with TB.
Now, if someone didn't liked IE combat in the first place it's another story, but tough luck.Chances are he won't like the combat in PE either as their goal is to recapture the feeling of IE combat.

 

[Rake]

Because then you're restricted to a specific party composition - in a game with only eight NPC companions. What if I don't want the standard D&D party of two fighters, a cleric, a mage and a thief?

8-9 companions in a party of six. Since the game will be closer to PS:T than BGs in party composition and selection, the whole discusion about classes and party balance is kinda useless. Chances are all the playthroughs will be with similar teams, unless somene desides to ditch the companions and go the IWD route.

 

[Sensuki]

I don't mind balance but I certainly think you can go too far in a non-competitive game. We have yet to see how far down the level of ocd balancemania Project Eternity will go. System design certainly hints at pretty far, but Class Design and Ability design will be the real teller.

 

[Infinitron]

Sup Shrek. That tag is going to come back eventually, FYI. It wasn't removed.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Yeah, the focus on balance in a singleplayer party-based game is rather pointless. I guess it's just Sawyer's personal little obsession, and as far as obsessions go, it's more on the benign side. Just hoping he won't make the whole system banalshitboring in pursuit of this mythical balance.

 

[April]

Yeah, the focus on balance in a singleplayer party-based game is rather pointless. I guess it's just Sawyer's personal little obsession, and as far as obsessions go, it's more on the benign side. Just hoping he won't make the whole system banalshitboring in pursuit of this mythical balance.

Rather have balance then the clusterfuck of ad&d with high level mages being demigods of destruction and thieves having to rely on potions/magic items to be slightly viable more then once each encounter.

 

[Liston]

Yeah, the focus on balance in a singleplayer party-based game is rather pointless. I guess it's just Sawyer's personal little obsession, and as far as obsessions go, it's more on the benign side. Just hoping he won't make the whole system banalshitboring in pursuit of this mythical balance.

Frankly, Adept Powers (or the later ones at least) aren't good enough for the karma investment they require. At the very least, the self-buffs should be significantly better than mage/shaman equivalents, and should last a lot longer as well.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Yeah, the focus on balance in a singleplayer party-based game is rather pointless. I guess it's just Sawyer's personal little obsession, and as far as obsessions go, it's more on the benign side. Just hoping he won't make the whole system banalshitboring in pursuit of this mythical balance.

Frankly, Adept Powers (or the later ones at least) aren't good enough for the karma investment they require. At the very least, the self-buffs should be significantly better than mage/shaman equivalents, and should last a lot longer as well.

Errr, so? It's not like making SRR balanced would make it significantly better, which is my point. I completed the game with an Adept just fine and had a lot of fun with it.

I do commend you on your txt updating skills though bro, quite a feat for a newfag. How long is your file on Grunker, I wonder.