Game News Pillars of Eternity Kickstarter Update #70: Screenshots, Stats and Stuff

[commie]

I'm very angry at structures in a world of magic and fantastical mythological creatures not following the laws of physics with regards to their construction.

 

[FeelTheRads]

I'm very angry at structures in a world of magic and fantastical mythological creatures not following the laws of physics with regards to their construction.

Except, that was never the point. It wasn't anything but a often made mistake until Sawyer decided to take out the big writer guns and explain it for no reason at all. It wasn't any fucking lore until he made it up. That's the point, trying to sell a mistake like something they actually intended. I suppose it COULD be true, but yeah... I don't believe it.

But hey, you and Grunker can rage about people not understanding that fantasy means everything goes or that making fun of Oblivion's blunt weapons was something very deep and clever while this is so very unimportant to make fun off.

it was a perfect symbol

How do you compare that to aspies being mad about the way a fucking archway is constructed in a screenshot? You can't. One is a meaningful symbol of a game's shittyness, the other is a detail that hardly matters.

So full of shit.

 

[Athelas]

He didn't make it up. The adra is clearly visible in the screenshots - it's the blue stuff at the end of the arches. I think you severely underestimate Sawyer's aspie-ness and eye for obsessive detail.

 

[Tigranes]

You'd think a bunch of video game nerds would have more imagination, even if they lack the education to properly assess the plausibility of the claim.

 

[FeelTheRads]

I'm sorry, I don't see it. I see some blue patches and I also see some orange ones. It doesn't make any sense. And it doesn't explain how this adra failed only in the center of the arches or why are the columns rotated haphazardly or too far away from each other. Was columns that never meet to form arches the purpose of adra? Yeah, I'll just take the most obvious explanation that it was just a mistake which most people wouldn't have even noticed or knew that something was off.

 

[Gurkog]

Upon reading FeelTheRads posts, an image forms in my mind...

http://www.bigredbarrel.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/comic-book-guy-worst-post-ever.jpg

 

[FeelTheRads]

an image forms in my mind...

Try to form some thoughts too.

Seriously, I haven't even said anything about the game, but made fun of a mistake and its retarded, unneeded explanation and suddenly the butthurt brigade headed heroically by Grunker thinks I'm raging.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

I don't care about this subject and here are ten posts explaining how much I don't care

 

[Johannes]

Lol its a fantasy anything goes

add in a kitchen sink to the ruins while you're at it

 

[cherry blossom]

Adra or not, still doesn't explain how the only remains are the haunch voussoirs. IRL, complete arches can survive a complete collapse, as you can see in so many ancient ruins. That is how strong they are. So it only stands to reason that an arch made with magical goo would be even more durable. Personally I don't really care either way, but this is a classic instance of nerds failing to own their mistakes and covering stupid with even more stupid. Planned ahead or not, obviously Josh isn't the infallible superintellect that Roguey makes him out to be. Also see the Alpha Popamole example; this kind of irrational thought in design is part of the company culture at Obsidian.

 

[Arkadin]

If only, unfortunately it's rather more sinister than that:

Low Level Obsidian Drone: Er... Mr Urquhart... Sir?

F Urquhart: Gimme a sec willya? I'm on a critical move in my coop Alpha Centauri game........ TAKE THAT GAIDER YOU SLIME, THE HUNTER-SEEKER ALGORITHM IS ALL MINE!!!!

LLOD: Very good sir.

FU: Right, that'll keep his chins wobbling for a bit. What can I do for you anyway?

LLOD: Sorry to escalate this to your level sir, but we have a major crisis on our hands. It appears the neckbeards on the Codex have spotted a few glaring errors in our artwork, keystones missing from arches that haven't collapsed, that sort of thing.

FU: Fucking typical. Those autists plaster their basements with pictures of Princess Leia strangling Jabba the fucking Hutt and then complain that our arch design is unrealistic??? Goddam, I hate sucking up to them during kickstarters. Makes me feel.... dirty.

LLOD: I know how you feel sir.

FU: Don't get smart with me kid. Anyway - damage control. Which artist ballsed this up? Whose bonus should I chop?

LLOD: That's the problem, she's actually one of those interns. We tend to hire them for their casting couch performance rather than stonemasonry expertise, so there's nothing to chop really.

FU: Fine, then ask Fargo to lend us that Beekers gimp, he knows how to speak to those degenerates in their own language. Get him to describe it as 'incline' or whatever the fuck they call it.

LLOD: Tried that, unfortunately he's got his hands full with Wasteland 2 at the moment. Apparently convincing people that those tunnels are 'open world' is a 24-7 job.

FU: OK, then I suppose we'll have to resort to Sawyer. Get him to make up some fantasy-sounding shit and those geeks will lap it up.

***

JS: Enter, underling. And make yourself at ease.

LLOD: Er, thanks. I've got something urgent, actually....

JS: This better not be the cafeteria sandwich menu again! I told Feargus that it's as fair as it's going to get - even the cucumber and blueberry is completely viable.

LLOD: No, that's already... perfect as it is. Actually, we have a problem with some artwork. Arches not collapsing when they're missing keystones, that sort of thing. Could you cover us with some fantasy crap?

JS: Sure, I'm on it. Genius never sleeps. How about some arcane magic which..... no, too boring. Gravity is reduced because of..... fuck, no. I hate gravity actually, totally overrated as a mechanic. Wait, I've got it! We'll have magic growing cement which is super strong and keeps bits of old ruins up in the air! It will be really tough and last for centuries! Apart from where it holds keystones in place in arches, that is.

LLOD: That's superb Mr Sawyer! That'll explain everything.

JS: Great, tell Feargus I've saved the day again, I'll start spreading to word to my followers - just as soon as I've logged out of my Roguey account.

Quoted for posterity, because sometimes fisting isn't enough

 

[avatarrr]

He didn't make it up. The adra is clearly visible in the screenshots - it's the blue stuff at the end of the arches. I think you severely underestimate Sawyer's aspie-ness and eye for obsessive detail.

I think the adra is even more clearly visible in the screenshot - I even took the liberty of highlithing the places where magic had to be used as no human could replicate the same pattern on different parts of walls with such attention to detail

Spoiler

 

[Athelas]

Uhm...yeah? Most of the assets on the screenshots shown so far are reused - bushes, pillars, crystals, etc. The blue adra filling is also reused on this screenshot. Congratulations on your strawman though.

 

[TheEntitledOne]

ALIENS

 

[Johannes]

But really. The basic problem with this screen is that it doesnt tell us shit that we get no sensible information out of it. What was this building built for? What happened to it? Eh, maybe it's just me but I simply cannot think of sensible scenarios that would leave a ruin like this.

What were the arches for in the first place, was there a roof here? Why did the arches collapse? What happened to the rubble? Why are all the walls and stairs so fantastically intact, by comparison?
Sure, there's real life structures like Stonehenge for example, that we don't fully understand today, but obviously those actually do have some coherent history nonetheless. Which I'm sure Obsidian doesn't have for this one, at least not something that properly fits with the image we see here while not being ridiculous.

Sure, sloppy area design isn't the end of the world but it's not something you should be white knighting either.

 

[Dorateen]

There will be a quest to find the missing keystones and return them to the arches. In the proper sequence. Then you'll see.

 

[Infinitron]

Why are all the walls and stairs so fantastically intact, by comparison?

Perhaps it's maintained by these guys: http://eternity.gamepedia.com/Glanfathan
http://eternity.gamepedia.com/Eír_Glanfath

Or perhaps this is just a fucking work in progress ffs

Which I'm sure Obsidian doesn't have for this one

It's obvious you do not *know* the Sawyer.

 

[Johannes]

Why are all the walls and stairs so fantastically intact, by comparison?

Perhaps it's maintained by these guys: http://eternity.gamepedia.com/Glanfathan
http://eternity.gamepedia.com/Eír_Glanfath

Or perhaps this is just a fucking work in progress ffs

Which I'm sure Obsidian doesn't have for this one

It's obvious you do not *know* the Sawyer.

Ok you've convinced me, Sawyer can do no wrong nor can his underlings.

After all just because something looks stupid and sounds stupid, is no guarantee that it actually is stupid.

 

[DwarvenFood]

I haven't seen the post but someone said that there was discussion about the arches in the screenshot. I'm not sure if you can see the details of the arches, but the stones are actually held together with adra. Adra is a grown, shell-like substance that the Engwithans used both as structural elements and for binding purposes in their architecture. Often they would build things like traditional stone arches and grow adra in-between, using it like slow-growing mortar. As their buildings fall apart, it results in impossible-looking/gravity-defying ruins.

Fine, then ask Fargo to lend us that Beekers gimp, he knows how to speak to those degenerates in their own language.

:D

 

[FeelTheRads]

I don't care about this subject and here are ten posts explaining how much I don't care

Ah, but what is caring one has to ask in the first place?
Is it something you bring up randomly for no reason?

 

[Johannes]

I don't care about this subject and here are ten posts explaining how much I don't care

Ah, but what is caring one has to ask in the first place?
Is it something you bring up randomly for no reason?

who cares

 

[Clockwork Knight]

dude, just tell me what is a RPG and we can go back to our lives, it's been like a month and your butthurt rages on

 

[SCO]