Pillars of Eternity Beta Discussion [GAME RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Grotesque]

BG's wilderness maps are slow, empty trash. BG2 did the right thing in getting rid of them.

Nope.

 

[jagged-jimmy]

BG II - you're totally right. But first? What was so special about it? It was shitty and semi linear until the big city, where you had a couple of quests. Does not beat the IWD for me, which provided more fun and beauty.

Beauty? I suppose you're talking about the glacier which was indeed impressive. But BG had lots of beautiful maps and more variety. Forests. Mountains. Deserts. Towns.

I may be partial because BG was my first RPG. But then again I replayed BG recently and had a blast. Now I'm playing IWD and it's exactly as I remember it - a dry, funless stroll in the search of - /yawn - the "great evil" you struggle to care about. Have a piece of the story. Kill some undead. Kill more undead. Kill even more undead. Have another piece of the story.

It's funny, i played BG I before IWD and feel exactly other way around. I barely even remember BG I, except maybe for the end game. While IWD was really a nice experience overall. As for beauty: i remember the art and music being way better in IWD.

The "twisted" story of BG isn't that much better then ancient evil angle. And you don't get well designed quests either (as you would expect from a cRPG compared to dungeon crawler) - fetch quests and linear pathes.

 

[prodigydancer]

As for beauty: i remember the art and music being way better in IWD.

This is a matter of taste and my opinion is the opposite.

The "twisted" story of BG isn't that much better then ancient evil angle.

Yeah "ancient evil" is the most ancient cliché in the book. BG story was definitely fresher.

And you don't get well designed quests either (as you would expect from a cRPG compared to dungeon crawler) - fetch quests and linear pathes.

Technically you have a point here but somehow the simplicity of quests in BG never bothered me. I think they were designed well enough and I would totally play (and enjoy) another game with BG-like quests if said game could hold a candle to BG in all other aspects.

 

[Sensuki]

We've done lore dumps on the cultures before and on the OEI forums I did a language/name briefing in the custom item thread. Here's some (possibly redundant) sample naming info. The names I'm listing are almost all used for characters in the game, so you probably don't want to use them exactly as listed unless you're looking for your namesake. I'm only listing Aedyran and Vailian names since we don't have a long list of others (except Glanfathans, but you can't be from a territory where Glanfathan is a native language). Even the Vailian list isn't exceptionally long.

Aedyran names:
Male:
Aldwyn
Beacwof (BEH-ehk-wuv)
Caedman (CAD-man)
Cafden (CAV-den)
Cyrdel (SEER-del)
Durnisc (DUR-nish)
Egdrang
Faramund
Gjestr (YES-tr)
Gordy
Hafmacg (HAV-madge)
Igrun
Kolsc (KOLSH)
Moedred
Osric
Sigram
Thyrsc (THEERSH)
Ufdaen (UV-dan)
Yngfey (EENG-vey)

Female:
Ascly (ASH-lee)
Aufra (OW-vrah)
Bricanta
Defala (deh-VAH-lah)
Elcga (EL-djah)
Falanroed
Gjefa (YEH-vah)
Ingroed
Nyfre (NEE-vreh)
Peycg (PAYDJ)
Sceyda (SHEY-dah)
Udyne (ooh-DEE-neh)
Ysly (EES-lee)

Vailian: (stress on all of these is on the penultimate)
Male:
Almert
Cosso
Fulvano
Galvino
Marceno (mar-CHEY-noh)
Verzano (vehr-TZAH-noh)

Female:
Berenat
Bellasege (beh-lah-SAY-djey)
Clesia
Liena
Pallegina
Vianna

 

[tuluse]

Is there going to be an in-game pronunciation guide?

 

[Shevek]

prodigydancer

The best part of BG 1 was the exploration. I would probably cut map sizes down a tad (by 20-25%) to increase encounter/quest density and reduce fog clearing time but the exploration was pretty cool. You could find a ton of joinable npcs, tons of random npc interactions, plenty of mini dungeons, etc etc.

The story was...ok. I mean, its cool if you like that 70s/80s high fantasy novel vibe (Dragonlance-ish, etc). Even the narration guy felt like an audiobook from some generic fantasy book by a mediocre author. Also, despite all the conflict and bandits and city intrigue, the world felt too damn cheery for my tastes.

IWD felt bleak and sparse. The narration, when it was there, felt somber and desperate. This felt like a fantasy book from the late 80s/early 90s (like the Coldfire Trilogy or something). The world sucks and you just want to survive it. The linearity of it was a fault, to be sure, but IWD's setting and its (admittedly few) quests felt far more satisfying to me.

I think you could make a damn fine game if you took the story, quests, setting and thematic elements of IWD and added in the exploration (this time through frozen wastes, etc) of BG1.

I could totally see OE doing this with a "frozen" part of the PoE world or maybe by working with a lesser known ip like Hellfrost or something.

 

[Sensuki]

Or keep the map sizes the same and increase the content density a little bit. Creature density was fine in most maps it's just that they needed more quests.

I have a distinct feeling we'll end up going to the Vailian Republics for the sequel.

 

[Starwars]

There's a new loredump on dragons/drakes/wurms + three screenshots up on OEIs facebook page, I guess it'll be up on their forums soon.

 

[Once more unto the Codex]

Is there going to be an in-game pronunciation guide?

Yep. There are a couple of lore books in the game that do exactly that.

 

[tuluse]

Or keep the map sizes the same and increase the content density a little bit. Creature density was fine in most maps it's just that they needed more quests.

I have a distinct feeling we'll end up going to the Vailian Republics for the sequel.

How do you feel about mob placement? Still spread out like early beta or more clumped like IE?

 

[Zed]

floating feet

tons of adra too.
seriously tho why is it that every arch is broken in half. is arda weaker when fully arched???

 

[Athelas]

Only dragons can mate. This is generally the only occasion that will cause a dragon to leave its lands or seek out others of its kind. Upon reaching the dragon stage, these creatures will assume a sex. However, if surrounding populations are too heavily skewed one way or the other, individual dragons can change their sex. As creatures that reach this stage are so rare, this ability is critical to the survival of the species.

 

[Infinitron]

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/70786-new-screenshots-lets-look-at-some-dragons/

Today's batch of screenshots is going to let you take a look at the various dragonkind in Pillars of Eternity.

Wurms: Young dragons begin as wurms, though most never develop beyond that stage. Wurms are clever and sly, if not actually intelligent. To develop into a drake (and, eventually, a dragon), a wurm must have ample space and ample resources (food). They will not develop if they live near drakes and dragons - they must seek out a habitat that has not already been claimed by a larger counterpart.

Since the chances of further development are low, most wurms will band together in covens for survival. They are bold and highly aggressive - both competition for food among other coven members and claiming territory for further development demand this.

http://media.obsidian.net/eternity/media/screenshots/20150305/poe-wurms.jpg

Drakes: Drakes are the intermediary form between wurms and adult dragons. While wurms have the intelligence of a cat (i.e., mostly basic instincts) and dragons are often much more intelligent than humans, drakes are in-between, possessing cunning rivaling primates. They are clearly not dumb beasts and their eyes/faces should reflect their higher intelligence. In contrast to wurms, drakes have longer torsos with a broader chest. Their most prominent fangs are longer, as are the claws on their forelegs. Their other features tend to vary by subtype. During this period of a drake's life, they are starting the first stages of becoming "real" dragons. This means their colors start shifting, both overall and more strongly in patches. Some drakes have solid coats of scales, but others have multi-toned or even mottled coats. Because they are relatively young, their scales grow and heal fast, so they don't show much wear and tear (unlike dragons).

The variation in their heads, mouths, spines, bumps, wings, all reflect the drake's home climate. A drake from the swamp may be shades of green, brown, and black with yellow eyes, nictitating membranes, and a long, flat snout featuring raised nostrils. A drake that spends most of its time in the sky may be blue and white with scales that seem feather-like, a slender body, and wings that assist with sustained gliding. A drake who lives underground may have earth-tone scales, wide eyes, a compact body, small wings, and powerful forelegs with oversized claws. While all drakes can breathe fire, many also have developed limited alternative breath attacks - lightning, acid, steam, etc. This can also be reflected somewhere on their bodies.

Drakes have developed from wurms but have not reached (and may never reach) the dragon stage. They aggressively defend their territory and, when needed, seek out more. Their coloration reflects the territory they have claimed, and they are most hostile with other drakes, their territorial rivals.

http://media.obsidian.net/eternity/media/screenshots/20150305/poe-drake.jpg

Dragons: Dragons have reached the mature stage of their lifecycle. Like drakes, they have adapted to fit in their environment, but even more extensively. Their coloration, ornamentation, and (to a limited degree) body structure will reflect their chosen territory, as will some of their attacks and defenses. Because they have already claimed territory and rarely face a threat from other dragons or drakes, they are more conservative in nature and will not seek unnecessary conflict.

Only dragons can mate. This is generally the only occasion that will cause a dragon to leave its lands or seek out others of its kind. Upon reaching the dragon stage, these creatures will assume a sex. However, if surrounding populations are too heavily skewed one way or the other, individual dragons can change their sex. As creatures that reach this stage are so rare, this ability is critical to the survival of the species.

They are more intelligent than most other sentient beings, but their solitary nature prevents them from meaningfully interacting with others.

http://media.obsidian.net/eternity/media/screenshots/20150305/poe-sky-dragon.jpg

That's it for the screens for now. 21 days away from launch!

 

[Athelas]

tons of adra too.
seriously tho why is it that every arch is broken in half. is arda weaker when fully arched???

http://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Broken_Stone_War

 

[Zed]

tons of adra too.
seriously tho why is it that every arch is broken in half. is arda weaker when fully arched???

http://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Broken_Stone_War

You'd think they'd tip them over and not just knock off the very top.

 

[Abu Antar]

 

[Bubbles]

Rock walls and dead ends everywhere. More shitty corridor map design, will not buy.

 

[Sensuki]

Glanfathan names

Sort of, but the orthography is closer to the Cornish types. Y and u aren't used, circumflexes are used for accents.

Male:

Ardhem (AR-them - voiced th)
Brân (BRAN)
Cemoc (KEH-mok)
Gwron (GUH-ron)
Lloran (HLO-ran)
Rhanet (HRA-net)
Thristwn (THRIH-stun)

Female:

Alarhî (ah-LAH-hree)
Bethwl (BETH-ul)
Bledha (BLE-tha - voiced th)
Casŵen (CAHSS-ooen)
Iswld (IH-ssuld)
Sîdha (SHEE-tha - voiced th)

 

[Edward_R_Murrow]

Jeez, that draconic ecology is really dumb.

A lot of PoE's creatures are stuck in a tough place. They have to replicate the combat/questing functions of classic D&D monsters while also integrating well, thematically and tonally, with the more "gritty" world-building that Sawyer is doing. So instead of reptilian-humanoid kobolds that are dumb, violent, and worship dragons, we have the reptilian-humanoid xaurips that can't communicate with other sapient beings because of their snouts, are violent, and worship dragons. I get it, and I can mostly deal with that (though the snout/communication part irks me in a few ways, mostly related to issues outside the scope of the gameworld).

But the way they handled dragons...are you kidding me? Classic case of trying way too hard to be different. The fluid sexuality, epigenetics, extremely strange life-cycle and reproductive habits...come on. Are they just trolling everyone at this point?

 

[Infinitron]

epigenetics

I suspect your exposure to certain heterodox websites has affected your impression of this

It looks fine to me.

 

[AwesomeButton]

fluid sexuality

My take is they are trolling Dragon Age.

It's an interpretation I like and I'll stick to it even if they deny. I like the explanation behind this feature of dragons in its own right, because it has parallels in real-world biology and this makes the fantasy more believable imo, but if it's also trolling Dragon Age it makes it more fun

 

[aeonsim]

The sex shifting is fine, numerous species do so (see frogs, and a number of fish).
A multi-stage life cycle isn't that crazy either (see frogs again, butterflies/moths), though I can't immediately think of any with 3 stages off the top of my head (except maybe some parasites).
Multiple physical outcomes with the same genes/species is rare but I was at a conference last week where an example (type of plankton) had 2 possible fates.
Colour changing to fit the environment is also seen in some species.

The most unrealistic thing is the different elemental breath attacks, but hey magic so why not...

Though we do have different species that have different attacks some can shock with an electric charge, others spray steam/heated chemicals or spit poison so while it seems unlikely that it's possible to combine all those in one species it's not like we're talking about a shapeshifter...

 

[Cyberarmy]

Fantasy Role Playing
Fantasy

 

[Roguey]

It was a plot point in Jurassic Park how, because of the frog dna they used, the dinosaurs were able to change their sex and breed without restrictions.

 

[Wizfall]

... Are they just trolling everyone at this point?

Sawyer telling you almost all cRPG's character system are doing it wrong and then creating a fabulous system where Might make you a better healer and cast more powerful spell so now he can play a muscle wizard (and you must be bodybuilder wizard now to cast powerful spells or heal because that makes much more sense... right ?) and you did not notice the trolling already ?