Pathfinder Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Enhanced Plus Edition - now with turn-based combat

[Jarpie]

Define "work".
I do not need free art. I need the state sponsored propaganda machine.

That's where Jaetwaifu comes in, she wants artists to make state propaganda.

 

[Trashos]

One of the themes present in Kingmaker is that of bullying. There is a lot of bullying going on in Pitax, and part of Linzi's quest is also concerned with bullying. I have to say that I do not particularly like the way that this theme has been executed. It is very one-sided in favor of the victims. Being bullied is a big part of a man's hardening process to face future dangers, but this argument is never given within the game.

Generally, I am in awe by the way Kingmaker has executed most of its themes, but there are also some parts that are not on par. The Hellknights quest is certainly one of them. The bullying theme is simplistic (fucking traitors get a chance at redemption in the game, but bullies? Nooooooo). The trader on the Bridge over the Gudrin River is treated as a villain instead of a grey character. And Irovetti himself is too much of an asshole, I would have liked it better if he had been more balanced.

 

[kelkorkesis]

That's where Jaetwaifu comes in, she wants artists to make state propaganda.

I am also fan of her espionage methods.

 

[Erebus]

Being bullied is a big part of a man's hardening process to face future dangers, but this argument is never given within the game.

Some advisors (Tsanna as a Councillor and Regongar as a Warden) are definitely not in favor of coddling victims, and it's not suggested that their approach is wrong.

 

[Delterius]

In my Kingdom, bullies are executed in the town square.

 

[Trashos]

Being bullied is a big part of a man's hardening process to face future dangers, but this argument is never given within the game.

Some advisors (Tsanna as a Councillor and Regongar as a Warden) are definitely not in favor of coddling victims, and it's not suggested that their approach is wrong.

They are both chaotic evil. Anyway, I have not seen the arguments they give, so I cannot comment. To me, it looks like at least one of the writers has a very black and white view on the matter.
(It is the same black and white thing with the trader on the bridge. He is presented as an asshole, because his prices are very high. I guess the peasants would rather he was not there at all, so that.... they have neither cheap options nor expensive options. Best deal.)

I am not saying this to attack the writers, they generally did an impressive job. It is just that not everything is on par.

 

[Trashos]

In my Kingdom, bullies are executed in the town square.

I see that you rose to power and became a bully yourself.

 

[Delterius]

In my Kingdom, bullies are executed in the town square.

I see that you rose to power and became a bully yourself.

its not harassment if its sanctioned by the state (thats me)

 

[Yosharian]

The Curator at least did not hurt the treasury.

Well, unlike Storyteller, Linzi's methods work though.

Do we have a list of 'best' NPCs for each role yet?

 

[kelkorkesis]

Do we have a list of 'best' NPCs for each role yet?

Policies are mostly fluff and you can override their decisions. An objective best list would only consider their stats. For example Regongar is the best because he has highest strength stat among possible generals. Some advisors provide unique policies sometimes like Bartholojew proposing fines for border violation.

I am sure you cannot get better Treasurer than Kanerah though.

 

[Mexi]

IDK why they put a stupid time limit by the way. It was retarded and not explained whatsoever why they put it. I might've missed it, but I didn't see an explanation.

The kingdom management aspect would not make sense without the time limits. Also, for some people the vancian system does not make sense without time limits, although I tend to disagree on this.

Hard would be a lot better if they made the maps a lot smaller or populated it with far less enemies.

The game rolls much faster when you are experienced with it and know what to expect. But right, you are not supposed to be playing on Hard before you know the game well enough. I am going Hard on my next (3rd in a row) playthrough. First two have been [Challenging, normal enemies] and [full Challenging].

'm falling in love with Amiri. Bitch is a fucking monster running around on the battlefield charging mages and shit. Too bad you can't make her a waifu .

I doubt she is into men. Anyhow, you would have to fight over her with Linzi.

I'm not at the Kingdom management part. I'm still early on.

I don't think it's a matter of knowing the game well enough. I think you just really need to have an optimized party and build for that difficulty, which I never like doing. Of course, you can get past anything if you min-max the fuck out of everything. I just hate doing that. Anyways, challenging is a better fit for me. Feels like a more organic difficulty, if that makes sense. Pillars of Eternity had the difficulty a lot better imo with Path of the Damned. I struggled with fights I should struggle with (dragons, awkward encounters, boss fights) and didn't struggle with trash mobs. Here, I was struggling with trash mobs like they were boss fights.

 

[ga♥]

How is the guy you get if you side the Aldori at the baron banquet? It should be a general.
Three playthroughs and I have yet to try him.

 

[santino27]

How is the guy you get if you side the Aldori at the baron banquet? It should be a general.
Three playthroughs and I have yet to try him.

He's fine. Anti-magic (but you can overrule him), and disappears for a bit when the aldori/barbarian conflict happens, but otherwise I found him fairly unobjectionable.

 

[deuxhero]

He actually apologies later if you overrule him on the mages and says you made the right choice. I picked the mages over Alkenstar and Kurgess because the mages could be self-perpetuated (unlike the guns that make me dependent on Alkenstar, even if the country kept existing and kept their rates, is dependent upon a lengthy trade route) and weren't locked to an alignment (like Kurgess likely would be).

 

[Erebus]

I don't think it's a matter of knowing the game well enough. I think you just really need to have an optimized party and build for that difficulty, which I never like doing. Of course, you can get past anything if you min-max the fuck out of everything. I just hate doing that. Anyways, challenging is a better fit for me. Feels like a more organic difficulty, if that makes sense.

Hard difficulty can be quite frustrating in Act 1. It becomes less frustrating afterwards. The fights are still difficult, but you get access to more and more spells, abilities and items, thanks to which your fighters will no longer be missing their targets 75% of the time.

 

[Trashos]

Pillars of Eternity had the difficulty a lot better imo with Path of the Damned.

PoE's PotD was easier than Kingmaker's Challenging(!) difficulty. After just one playthrough, I would finish PoE with no deaths even without consciously playing ironman. I do not think I have ever played a video game as easy as PoE. So I cannot agree with your verdict, it was boring.

 

[Pink Eye]

IDK why they put a stupid time limit by the way. It was retarded and not explained whatsoever why they put it. I might've missed it, but I didn't see an explanation.

The kingdom management aspect would not make sense without the time limits. Also, for some people the vancian system does not make sense without time limits, although I tend to disagree on this.

Hard would be a lot better if they made the maps a lot smaller or populated it with far less enemies.

The game rolls much faster when you are experienced with it and know what to expect. But right, you are not supposed to be playing on Hard before you know the game well enough. I am going Hard on my next (3rd in a row) playthrough. First two have been [Challenging, normal enemies] and [full Challenging].

'm falling in love with Amiri. Bitch is a fucking monster running around on the battlefield charging mages and shit. Too bad you can't make her a waifu .

I doubt she is into men. Anyhow, you would have to fight over her with Linzi.

I'm not at the Kingdom management part. I'm still early on.

I don't think it's a matter of knowing the game well enough. I think you just really need to have an optimized party and build for that difficulty, which I never like doing. Of course, you can get past anything if you min-max the fuck out of everything. I just hate doing that. Anyways, challenging is a better fit for me. Feels like a more organic difficulty, if that makes sense. Pillars of Eternity had the difficulty a lot better imo with Path of the Damned. I struggled with fights I should struggle with (dragons, awkward encounters, boss fights) and didn't struggle with trash mobs. Here, I was struggling with trash mobs like they were boss fights.

>I don't think it's a matter of knowing the game well enough. I think you just really need to have an optimized party and build for that difficulty, which I never like doing.
It's doable on unfair. Sure, min maxing makes a difference, but that won't help if you don't know what you're doing. Besides, game is only difficult in the early game. The more levels you get under your belt, the easier it gets. I sincerely mean that. Haste. Legendary Proportions. Plus the stupidly over powered items that the developers thought would be a great idea to implement. Stick to the game. It's a great experience worth playing through if you enjoyed Baldur's Gate 1-2, or even NWN 2.

 

[Mexi]

Pillars of Eternity had the difficulty a lot better imo with Path of the Damned.

PoE's PotD was easier than Kingmaker's Challenging(!) difficulty. After just one playthrough, I would finish PoE with no deaths even without consciously playing ironman. I do not think I have ever played a video game as easy as PoE. So I cannot agree with your verdict, it was boring.

We very likely play differently, so our experiences can't be similar. What level did you go to the White March? I've not finished the base game yet, but the base game is a lot easier than the White March (at least up to where I last left off). My last memory of the game was the White March, so maybe my bias is taking into account since it's better than the main game and has way better encounters.

I'm starting to ease through mobs a bit too easy on Challenging, though. PotD at least had me setting up choke-points because they'd be attracted like flies on shit to my casters. These idiots are all just targeting Valarie and making no attempt to target Linzi or my squishy fighters.

 

[Mexi]

IDK why they put a stupid time limit by the way. It was retarded and not explained whatsoever why they put it. I might've missed it, but I didn't see an explanation.

The kingdom management aspect would not make sense without the time limits. Also, for some people the vancian system does not make sense without time limits, although I tend to disagree on this.

Hard would be a lot better if they made the maps a lot smaller or populated it with far less enemies.

The game rolls much faster when you are experienced with it and know what to expect. But right, you are not supposed to be playing on Hard before you know the game well enough. I am going Hard on my next (3rd in a row) playthrough. First two have been [Challenging, normal enemies] and [full Challenging].

'm falling in love with Amiri. Bitch is a fucking monster running around on the battlefield charging mages and shit. Too bad you can't make her a waifu .

I doubt she is into men. Anyhow, you would have to fight over her with Linzi.

I'm not at the Kingdom management part. I'm still early on.

I don't think it's a matter of knowing the game well enough. I think you just really need to have an optimized party and build for that difficulty, which I never like doing. Of course, you can get past anything if you min-max the fuck out of everything. I just hate doing that. Anyways, challenging is a better fit for me. Feels like a more organic difficulty, if that makes sense. Pillars of Eternity had the difficulty a lot better imo with Path of the Damned. I struggled with fights I should struggle with (dragons, awkward encounters, boss fights) and didn't struggle with trash mobs. Here, I was struggling with trash mobs like they were boss fights.

>I don't think it's a matter of knowing the game well enough. I think you just really need to have an optimized party and build for that difficulty, which I never like doing.
It's doable on unfair. Sure, min maxing makes a difference, but that won't help if you don't know what you're doing. Besides, game is only difficult in the early game. The more levels you get under your belt, the easier it gets. I sincerely mean that. Haste. Legendary Proportions. Plus the stupidly over powered items that the developers thought would be a great idea to implement. Stick to the game. It's a great experience worth playing through if you enjoyed Baldur's Gate 1-2, or even NWN 2.

It's a fun game. I mean there isn't really much more to have to know about this game if you've played BG's, I feel. I'm not lost or anything, and I'm getting through these mobs alright with my gimped set up.

 

[Trashos]

Mexi, I did not play White March, just the base game (v3 iirc). I heard that WM was better, but I was bored and done with that game when it came around.

In Kingmaker, some enemies will go for your weaklings, but not many. In several encounters there is a second group of enemies coming from behind though, so there is that. Your tank will have to hold too. Even on Challenging, this is not always trivial.

 

[LannTheStupid]

Do we have a list of 'best' NPCs for each role yet?

I do: https://old.reddit.com/r/Pathfinder...brief_guide_to_kingdom_advisors_and_outcomes/

In my limited experience, the characteristics of Kanerah, Regongar and Valerie are right on.

 

[Trashos]

Do we have a list of 'best' NPCs for each role yet?

I do: https://old.reddit.com/r/Pathfinder...brief_guide_to_kingdom_advisors_and_outcomes/

In my limited experience, the characteristics of Kanerah, Regongar and Valerie are right on.

Giving priority to companions in order to avoid the training, I think the below are relatively uncontroversial:
Regent: Valerie
General: Regongar
Treasurer: Jubilost (I do not have the dlc companion though)
Diplomat: Bartholomew
High Priest: Jhod Kavken
Minister: Jaethal
Warden: Ekundayo/Kesten

Magister, Councilor, Curator have a lot to do with one's style.

 

[Mexi]

Mexi, I did not play White March, just the base game (v3 iirc). I heard that WM was better, but I was bored and done with that game when it came around.

In Kingmaker, some enemies will go for your weaklings, but not many. In several encounters there is a second group of enemies coming from behind though, so there is that. Your tank will have to hold too. Even on Challenging, this is not always trivial.

Thanks for being honest. Almost thought I was an idiot , but even in the thread, I know people that went to the March early struggled with the dragon. Yeah, White March's difficulty with PotD is superb. Some tough encounters, and I was using choke-points and terrain a lot in that game because I also went early. I know the base game is quite easy, though, so my bias is definitely up there. Just the difficulty felt superb there.

 

[Yosharian]

Superb compared to the shitfest that is Deadfire that's for sure

 

[Daidre]

I'm starting to ease through mobs a bit too easy on Challenging, though. PotD at least had me setting up choke-points because they'd be attracted like flies on shit to my casters. These idiots are all just targeting Valarie and making no attempt to target Linzi or my squishy fighters.

P:K is designed a bit differently. Starting from chapter 2, when map opens with access to optional high-level fights it becomes painfully obvious that lot of them are not meant to be face-tanked if you want your juicy item+exp rewards early.
Not that Valerie would start to get aggro keeping problems, but things she is meant to engage with will start to heap enough attack and damage to murder her twice in first round.

Also you would probably notice when archer AI's would stop being forgiving and start targeting lowest AC char. Happens a bit later, around chapter 4 I think.