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

[MicoSelva]

Damn, you have pretty cool voice Sensuki. :D

Agreed, although you could do with a little more enthusiasm while speaking, Sensuki, especially in an hour-long long video. The cool and non-emotional voice is fitting for the analysis, but it starts to get boring to listen to it after a while.

 

[Hormalakh]

i too fell asleep listening to the soothing voice of Sensuki

also 4too is a fucking philosopher .

 

[Hormalakh]

classic case of mountain giving birth to a mole.

what

making a mountain out of a molehill? though I do not think that it means what he thinks it means.

 

[msxyz]

Wrong term, sorry. I meant to say: "mountain giving birth to a mouse"

 

[Sensuki]

Damn, you have pretty cool voice Sensuki. :D

Agreed, although you could do with a little more enthusiasm while speaking, Sensuki, especially in an hour-long long video. The cool and non-emotional voice is fitting for the analysis, but it starts to get boring to listen to it after a while.

I'll do an enthusiastic video for fun tonight if you like. Won't be PE related.

 

[MicoSelva]

Damn, you have pretty cool voice Sensuki. :D

Agreed, although you could do with a little more enthusiasm while speaking, Sensuki, especially in an hour-long long video. The cool and non-emotional voice is fitting for the analysis, but it starts to get boring to listen to it after a while.

I'll do an enthusiastic video for fun tonight if you like. Won't be PE related.

I miswrote, actually. I did not mean enthusiasm per se, but just emotions overall. Anger would be ok too.
By all means make the video if you want.

 

[Chaotic_Heretic]

The petrification comments are annoying, as if that suddenly crosses some border of realism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrifaction
"Petrification is the process by which organic material is converted into stone."

Use your damn imagination, just like you do with everything else in a fantasy game.

When a fireball burns, you use your imagination to support the magical fireball. You don't redefine burning. You imagine the fucker roasting like a kebab on fire.

Actually implementing Petrification would go against BALANCE. So lets REDEFINE Petrification! 1111!!!!!!
ALL IS BALANCED.

 

[Copper]

Watched the video, interesting points, but staring at the bridge for that long made me realise that Obsidian REALLY has no clue about architecture - it's really poorly designed, just elements slapped together with no thought beyond (quite superficial) style. (Also pretty hard to make out it is a bridge, and not a weird wall from the viewing angle.)

Other stuff that raised my design hackles are some pretty clumsy typography in terms of having letters too close to the edge of frames, abbreviation of Health to Hlth. - sounds like a Sawyer monster, and completely needless, guess they wanted each word to be abbreviated for balance, amirite? I think you covered a lot of the other functional desiign issues, although I sorta disagree on the combat log location - in theory, left-to-right readers have a sliding effect where they scan information this way, resting on whatever's to the right, but this may be a lot more relevant to advertising, I can see in a game where you're constantly moving your eyes around that this position could actually cause problems, since looking up and left is sort of unnatural behaviour when you've just been reading (rather than quickly scanning) text, and I would probably also say that the log should be in the middle, if it's actually important. (And if it's not, it should be dumped).

 

[Sensuki]

Yeah the middle would be the ideal position for it IMO.

 

[Crooked Bee]

Okay, time to do a draw for the beta key.

I actually had two spare keys, so Dagobert and Pope Amole II it is. I'll PM you guys.

 

[Jarakka]

A BG2 with a combat system from PST on Arcanum speed.

You know what we need now? Long ass spell animations.

 

[SwiftCrack]

Vita, Mortis, Cario!

 

[Delterius]

How the fuck does a character shoot fire out of his hands by chanting some esoteric incantations?

This is the most retarded question I've read on the Codex...EVER. I mean, do you know what kind of game are you talking about?

You never miss a whoosh, do you?

You know me! That's my thing. Should be on my avatar by now.

The woosh is the little star next to FANBOY!

 

[Pope Amole II]

I actually had two spare keys, so Dagobert and Pope Amole II it is. I'll PM you guys.

Yay!

Now to actually finish that Divinity: Original Sin so I can actually have time to see how bad or good PoE's system is for myself. So little time, so much to do...

 

[Sensuki]

I have a dream:

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/68014-sensukis-suggestions-012-non-terrible-main-hud-mockup/

 

[Harold]

As someone who hasn't played the beta, I have absolutely no idea what's going on in this thread. It sounds like the design is so bad it can't even be salvaged... I think.

if you're using this thread to make an impression on PoE, that's a bad idea. This thread is filled with three kinds of people 1)who hate the game, not because they've actually played the beta but because they have some sort of weird sexual-tension thing going against the lead designer, Josh Sawyer (that's your Volourns of the thread). 2) who haven't played the game and who are defending it based on the theoretical advantages that the designers have advocated for (your Infinitrons) 3) those who are playing and have played the beta and have varying but much milder and more optimistic reactions to the beta especially at such an earlier state (your sensukis, grunkers, vault dwellers, etc).

Basically shit thread with shitposters. don't read if you want actual information. Probably as informative as a Geoff Keighley article :doritos:

You conveniently left out those who have played the beta and are skeptical/disillusioned with the design, while providing legitimate reasons (your felipepes, shadenauts etc . <also, I have no idea what mental gymnastics you're doing to read Sensuki's or VD's impressions as optimistic>)

Also, just because someone hasn't played the beta themselves doesn't mean they are misinformed. That's the Oblivion defense that has been mocked around here for many years. For what it's worth, I've watched around 6 hours of beta footage on both twitch and youtube (more than many have played the beta, I might add) from players whose level of expertise varied from utter retards that didn't understand anything about the game's systems - the Escapist stream - , to obvious IE games pros - a dude whose name escapes (unintended pun) me at the moment who could only get through battles by pausing every 2s and painstakingly reading the awful combat log because, whether you want to admit it or not, right now the game's combat is nothing short of a clusterfuck and the visual feedback is shit shit shit.

Besides that, the obvious shitposters are easy to spot and ignore, and I don't see how the occasional joke at Sawyer's expense detracts from this thread's worth; it's just something that comes with the territory and you've had plenty of time to deal with it in the two years since you've joined. Not to mention, even Sensuki makes fun of the banalce every now and then, all while providing invaluable feedback to Obsidian.

Anyway, sorry to interrupt. You may now go back to your regularly scheduled fanboying program.

 

[Gord]

So we have GUI/HUD discussions, too, now?
This reminds me more and more of the Wasteland 2 Beta discussion...

 

[Osvir]

Edit: nvm/too off-topic

 

[Harold]

( dat quick-edit)

 

[Sensuki]

I tell it like it is. When there's something to get excited about I get excited about it.

Osvir, here's me shoutcasting Call of Duty 4 LAN Finals:

 

[Infinitron]

Sensuki doesn't need no Pommie accent, mate

 

[Sensuki]

Watch this one @ 19:10, there's some fucken excitement

 

[poetic codex]

So we have GUI/HUD discussions, too, now?
This reminds me more and more of the Wasteland 2 Beta discussion...

You didn't need to use the troll smilie therr. It pretty much is the wasteland 2 early beta butthurt version 2.0.

what's more, I distinctly remember making a post where I expressed my concern at how late Obsidian was releasing their beta relative to the release date. because wasteland 2 underwent a significant transformation and improvement after their beta release. I was told that my apprehensions were unfounded because unlike inXile, Obsidian had real developers and didn't need backer feedback to develop their game.

Oh the sweet sweet irony

 

[Osvir]

I'm not talking about Brittish accent or excitement, I am talking about confidence, emphasis, objectiveness on important words in the Voice.

I'm also telling you I think you're great Sensuki, and just want to boost and cheer you on

In any sales business (And YouTube is very much so a Sales Business) you have to sell yourself more than you have to sell your idea. And there are tons of insitutions, rules, books, persons, that have perfected this. Another thing the sales business says is "Learn from each other, because you'll pick up what fits you best and you'll do it better". TotalBiscuit is, undeniably, one of the best on the market today. All I am saying is "Learn from him, but don't clone him".

EDIT: TotalBiscuit is Baldur's Gate, Sensuki can become Pillars of Eternity.

^That's what I'm trying to say. Men who are great at some things are followed by greater men. You could become an advisor to the development industry and help with developing projects. But to enter the professional world like this, you'd have to get a Code of Conduct in some form. Be critical, but don't shit-talk.

 

[Lord Trousersnake]

Waiting for the next patch before playing this any further, luckily this thread is providing some entertainment

Here is my humble contribution, some bad fanfiction featuring a dungeon-crawling Josh and friends:


Heroes of Might and Balance - A Josh Sawyer Adventure

Spoiler

The brutish figure charged into the cavern, jagged blade in hand, grunting angrily in the gloomy light as it searched for its prey. Josh squeezed down behind the boulder, struggling to keep his massive shoulders concealed. The chase had gone on for too long and there was nowhere left to run. It was time to make a stand.

He began the ritual, whispering the ancient incantation as tiny flames danced along his heavily muscled arms. He felt the power gathering, charging the air around him as he battled to maintain control. At the last moment he leaped up with a cry and unleashed the torrent of energy on the doomed orc. The result was not what he intended. The flames sputtered out and he flung a blob of strange purple goo instead of the ball of fire he was expecting. He cursed in frustration at yet another failure, pulled out his great sword and charged at the orc still struggling to free itself from the sticky mess.

~~~

He was standing over the dismembered corpse of his foe when an annoying peal of laughter interrupted his reverie. With a weary sigh he turned to face the red-headed sidekick who had tormented his every step since the day they first met in the Dungeon of Lesifoere.

"Josh, babe, you've really got to work a bit harder on your studies. I know you prefer working out but let's be honest, as a wizard you're a bit of a circus act at the moment. One of these days you'll turn me into a beetle or a pretty princess!"

"Sounds good to me," he growled, glaring at the androgynous figure. "Some help you are in battle, I should leave you right here and spare myself the trouble."

"Now, now," Roguey cooed. "You know you love having me around. And who else would record your words of wisdom and use her rogue abilities to sniff out dangerous traps?"

"Like the spike trap that impaled the rest of the party? Yeah right. Sometimes I wonder what the point of a rogue is these days."

"Not my fault," Roguey sniffed. "I told them I had a bad feeling and they just made sexist jokes about the time of the month. It's the burden I bear as a Cassandra. Now let's make camp so I can see to those scratches and brush your hair."

~~~

The next two days passed in a haze of skirmishes and snatched rest, but the long-sought Phylactery of Gaider remained as elusive as ever. They had entered an area infested with kobolds who, although not particularly fearsome as opponents, delighted in ambushes and sniping with concealed archers.

"Damn it!" shouted Josh as he finished off yet another kobold. "I'm sick of killing these things. They're not even good for combat practice or experience, it's like fighting the same battle over and over again!"

Roguey gave a languid stretch as he got up from the corner, putting down the manuscript he had been working on.

"More wise words your Joshliness, I shall inscribe them for posterity."

Josh merely glared, unsure as ever whether Roguey was being serious or not.

"Show's over," he muttered, pointing down the next passage. "Let's get a move on."

The passage changed in character as they progressed, from rough-hewn natural rock to smooth finished stone. A deathly silence descended, broken only by the sputter of an occasional torch. Josh began to feel uneasy, sensing a pervasive evil presence in the very air and walls around them. It wasn't often he felt nervous, he hadn't been genuinely afraid for his life since he infiltrated Mount Troika years before, but something was very, very wrong about this place. Even Roguey had put his quill and scrolls away and stopped talking about the lack of women in most adventuring parties.

They emerged from the passage into a hall of polished marble, surrounded by a cluster of statues. The lithe figures of warriors, heavily muscled wizards, bearded dwarves and strange lizard men - all were rendered in great detail in grey stone, every one a masterpiece.

They picked their way through the statues, heading for the far side of the immense hall where a strange pink glow illuminated the walls. But a mere 10 steps in Josh sensed movement behind and spun around, readying his weapon. It was a statue of a spearman, beginning to advance upon them!

"They're not statues!" yelled Josh, moving protectively towards Roguey. "They were just petrified and it's wearing off!"

All the figures were now coming to life and a lizardman's club bounced off Roguey's chainmail bikini. Battle was joined.

Next time: The Lair of the Tavitron!