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

[Zombra]

If you [hack your NPCs] and play anything but Path of the Damned, you're, well, a cheater.

So? How's that an issue for anyone in a single player cRPG?

Listen, I don't care if people cheat - but it seems like some people think they'll be 'fixing' the game by optimizing the NPCs when actually the opposite is true.

 

[Ellef]

If you're using stat ranges that you can make in the adventurers hall, you're not breaking anything. Why make a priest with viable stats when you can just change Durance to what you want and have a voiced companion? I might not even change their stats but there's no way its breaking the game.

 

[AwesomeButton]

You can't have more than 4 camping supplies (or was it six?) so your rest-spamming days will be over pretty quickly.

People who rest-spammed like a religion before will just trek back and forth to the inn and do it anyway, at least for bosses and the like.

Some of them will do that, but for some part of players having to trek back will be enough of a discouragement. If the inconvenience+suspension of disbelief are strong enough, they will prefer to be economical rather than go back. Plus, I'm not sure if the merchants don't run out of stock of items and you have to wait for them to restock.

In any case, I don't believe you can ever stop a player who wants to exploit the game from doing that, so they did what they could. And I'm in favor of ambushes between areas too.

 

[Shevek]

Zombra
Ya, its cheating. I remember doing this with Shadowkeeper in later playthroughs of BG2 (not the first) when I wanted to make Mazzy a Paladin instead of a weird fighter and Korgan a Fighter/Thief. I justified it by not changing their stats but, ya, it is what it is.

 

[Zombra]

Zombra
Ya, its cheating. I remember doing this with Shadowkeeper in later playthroughs of BG2 (not the first) when I wanted to make Mazzy a Paladin instead of a weird fighter and Korgan a Fighter/Thief. I justified it by not changing their stats but, ya, it is what it is.

Sure. Still, nothing wrong with changing an RPG to tell your story better as long as you're honest with yourself about it

 

[J_C]

I think it is a great game but as someone with literally 0 experience w/ the genre, even Easy has difficulty spikes that stop me for hours.

Please, for the love of God, then why do you play it? You don't like cRPGs, we get it. That's OK, but why do you play it at all?

 

[LizardWizard]

Changing Eder back to Rogue is fair game IMO since he used be one and is only a fighter because Sawyer wanted the newbies to have a tank early game.

 

[Ulminati]

It's TRUE!

The reason why at first we lacked a lot of variety with our portraits was because we had to make the backer portraits and they were ALL WHITE DUDES!

I mean the portraits look great of course, but still. We failed to anticipate that.

So now that you have definite proof of what kind of person buys your games, what are the odds Obsidian will pander to their core demographic instead of vocal minorities? Boobplate and chain mail bikini for everyone!

 

[Anthony Davis]

Changing Eder back to Rogue is fair game IMO since he used be one and is only a fighter because Sawyer wanted the newbies to have a tank early game.

You must be talking about a design that is sooo old I don't even remember it (that doesn't mean I don't believe you - I do believe you).

Regardless, I think it fits his written character better to be a fighter now. He talks like one - the war, the aftermath. Just my opinion.

 

[Athelas]

I think they should've implemented some way to track how many deaths/knock-outs were due to disengagement attacks. It would be great feedback. It shouldn't require more effort than coding an achievement, since those track player stats too.

Judging by the streams, it appears to be a major cause of death. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that players will try to move their characters away from enemies that are about to murder them.

 

[Zombra]

Anthony Davis Yeah, Edér was actually the Rogue poster boy back in the day. There was a whole update blurb about him and everything. Rogues aren't necessarily supposed to be sneaky guys in leather armor and shadowy hoods who cut purses and hide jewels in their sleeves - they're just guys who fight dirty and kill quickly, and prefer not to slug it out because slugging it out is a good way to get killed. They're opportunists. That was the original concept, anyway. I haven't seen the character in game, but he seems fairly "Roguish" to me from what I know.

 

[Sensuki]

I think they should've implemented some way to track how many deaths/knock-outs were due to disengagement attacks. It would be great feedback. It shouldn't require more effort than coding an achievement, since those track player stats too.

Judging by the streams, it appears to be a major cause of death. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that players will try to move their characters away from enemies that are about to murder them.

Predicted Can't wait to release the IE mod for release version

I wonder if they'll actually acknowledge it though. Very easy to stick your head in the sand over the issue (which arguably they have done already).

No amount of obtuse UI will save the system.

 

[Athelas]

I noticed your beginner's guide video has more than 6000 views. How do you see your chances of it launching you into YouTube celebrityhood?

I think they should've implemented some way to track how many deaths/knock-outs were due to disengagement attacks. It would be great feedback. It shouldn't require more effort than coding an achievement, since those track player stats too.

Judging by the streams, it appears to be a major cause of death. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that players will try to move their characters away from enemies that are about to murder them.

Predicted Can't wait to release the IE mod for release version

I wonder if they'll actually acknowledge it though. Very easy to stick your head in the sand over the issue (which arguably they have done already).

No amount of obtuse UI will save the system.

Well, it was fairly easy to predict players would struggle with it. Now the question is of any of these issues will make it into the reviews.

 

[Zombra]

Does it drive anybody else crazy that Calisca's portrait is a 90° profile while every other portrait ever is 3/4 view or straight on? I wonder if we'll be able to easily add custom portraits for NPCs.

 

[Crooked Bee]

This reminds me, I saw that Obsidian put out a Facebook update earlier about the GameBanshee backer reward inn. Do you know anything about the Codex backer reward? Weren't we going to get an inn of our own? I'll call badler in for this one too, if we could have a Codex news feature about it it might increase interest from the front pagers who don't slavishly read the forums.

afair the codex got a group of adventurers. there was a thread about it with some ideas, but i didn't follow it for too long. dunno what happened to that, and if a backer design sheet was eventually sent in. would be a real shame if not.

Yes, there's a Codex inn and adventuring party. Yes, the staff know what's in it. No, we're not going to spoil it.

Yeah, we submitted an inn (of sorts) plus some items and characters, but we'd like ppl to discover this location for themselves.

Though, I don't actually know / remember how much of our location and character design Obsidian have actually implemented. We had a couple of... ideas there.

 

[Diablo169]

Sensuki's guide was mentioned in a fairly highly up-voted comment on a reddit post about Quil18's video guides. That likely attracted a lot of views.

 

[J_C]

This reminds me, I saw that Obsidian put out a Facebook update earlier about the GameBanshee backer reward inn. Do you know anything about the Codex backer reward? Weren't we going to get an inn of our own? I'll call badler in for this one too, if we could have a Codex news feature about it it might increase interest from the front pagers who don't slavishly read the forums.

afair the codex got a group of adventurers. there was a thread about it with some ideas, but i didn't follow it for too long. dunno what happened to that, and if a backer design sheet was eventually sent in. would be a real shame if not.

Yes, there's a Codex inn and adventuring party. Yes, the staff know what's in it. No, we're not going to spoil it.

Yeah, we submitted an inn (of sorts) plus some items and characters, but we'd like ppl to discover this location for themselves.

Though, I don't actually know / remember how much of our location and character design Obsidian have actually implemented. We had a couple of ideas there.

With my luck, I won't find it, just like I didn't find the Codex stuff in Wasteland 2.

 

[J_C]

I think they should've implemented some way to track how many deaths/knock-outs were due to disengagement attacks. It would be great feedback. It shouldn't require more effort than coding an achievement, since those track player stats too.

Judging by the streams, it appears to be a major cause of death. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that players will try to move their characters away from enemies that are about to murder them.

Predicted Can't wait to release the IE mod for release version

I wonder if they'll actually acknowledge it though. Very easy to stick your head in the sand over the issue (which arguably they have done already).

No amount of obtuse UI will save the system.

Isn't there a loading screen hint that says: IF YOU MOVE YOUR CHARACTERS IN MELEE, YOU SUFFER A DISENGEGAMENT ATTACK IDIOT!

 

[Modron]

With my luck, I won't find it, just like I didn't find the Codex stuff in Wasteland 2.

That's okay, any person with a modicum of intelligence would not close their eyes in such an inn anyways.

 

[Athelas]

I think they should've implemented some way to track how many deaths/knock-outs were due to disengagement attacks. It would be great feedback. It shouldn't require more effort than coding an achievement, since those track player stats too.

Judging by the streams, it appears to be a major cause of death. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that players will try to move their characters away from enemies that are about to murder them.

Predicted Can't wait to release the IE mod for release version

I wonder if they'll actually acknowledge it though. Very easy to stick your head in the sand over the issue (which arguably they have done already).

No amount of obtuse UI will save the system.

Isn't there a loading screen hint that says: IF YOU MOVE YOUR CHARACTERS IN MELEE, YOU SUFFER A DISENGEGAMENT ATTACK IDIOT!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight-or-flight_response

 

[Russia is over. The end.]

Now the question is of any of these issues will make it into the reviews.

Not likely. Reviewers will play on Easy/Normal and will have no idea of what's occasionally hitting them.

 

[mutonizer]

Predicted Can't wait to release the IE mod for release version
I wonder if they'll actually acknowledge it though. Very easy to stick your head in the sand over the issue (which arguably they have done already).
No amount of obtuse UI will save the system.

I totally get that you can be for or against Engagement system, but after some hours of playing the game, not even understanding (or trying to) the basic principle of it and taking it into effect (and use it tactically) is beyond me. For live streamers I "can" somewhat understand as the show must go on but otherwise it's just stupidity and I'm not sure they actually qualify as human beings (though I don't want to insult animals either!).
I mean it's very simple to understand, simple to test, there are big lines on your screen, you get a big "whoosh" fx when it happens and the log actually prints it out.

 

[Arkeus]

I will laugh so damn much if the engagement system is lauded everywhere (including in the codex) once people actually play the released game.

 

[imweasel]

Pillars will have superb writing and a great atmosphere, but the mechanics are gonna be meh.

But don't worry, Sensuki and Bester will fix it.

 

[Killzig]

Look at this and see the guy get disengagement attacks that do next to no dmg. Also laugh at his inability to use the stash:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7f7hFCpJJA

At least he knows how to pause the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhOxfYnrJXc