Eternity Pillars of Eternity + The White March Expansion Thread

[throwaway]

What's the latest on that GotY edition? I couldn't find it on either steam or gog .

 

[Roguey]

What's the latest on that GotY edition? I couldn't find it on either steam or gog .

http://www.amazon.de/Pillars-Eternity-Game-Year-Edition/dp/B019I9TMSO

German-retail only because only Germans would want to buy this as a boxed product.

 

[throwaway]

What's the latest on that GotY edition? I couldn't find it on either steam or gog .

http://www.amazon.de/Pillars-Eternity-Game-Year-Edition/dp/B019I9TMSO

German-retail only because only Germans would want to buy this as a boxed product.

So no packed release to sell at a reasonable prince during the sales?

 

[Mexi]

So, I've only played a little of Pillars of Eternity. I've gotten to Defiance Bay, but I stopped playing. Anyways, I mainly stopped playing so I can experience the full game. Now, I want to go back, but I'm wondering if you guys think the expansion packs really add anything at all to the game? I know from some of the reviews that this DLC is accessed about mid-game. This is the same thing they did with Dark Souls, and really, I felt I could've skipped the Abyss DLC without missing much. Plus, they cost like $20+. Just wondering if you think it added anything to the story other than a simple lore-dump. I'm not really into a long dungeon crawl, but if it has a very good story, I'd consider buying the DLC.

 

[Prime Junta]

So, I've only played a little of Pillars of Eternity. I've gotten to Defiance Bay, but I stopped playing. Anyways, I mainly stopped playing so I can experience the full game. Now, I want to go back, but I'm wondering if you guys think the expansion packs really add anything at all to the game? I know from some of the reviews that this DLC is accessed about mid-game. This is the same thing they did with Dark Souls, and really, I felt I could've skipped the Abyss DLC without missing much. Plus, they cost like $20+. Just wondering if you think it added anything to the story other than a simple lore-dump. I'm not really into a long dungeon crawl, but if it has a very good story, I'd consider buying the DLC.

WM2 story is pretty good. Also lots of wack new items, better encounters, and a higher level cap. It makes the game reeeealllly long though. It's a competent expansion. If you hated Pillars to start with it's not gonna make you like it, but if you did, it's more of the same, only more so.

 

[AwesomeButton]

So, I've only played a little of Pillars of Eternity. I've gotten to Defiance Bay, but I stopped playing. Anyways, I mainly stopped playing so I can experience the full game. Now, I want to go back, but I'm wondering if you guys think the expansion packs really add anything at all to the game? I know from some of the reviews that this DLC is accessed about mid-game. This is the same thing they did with Dark Souls, and really, I felt I could've skipped the Abyss DLC without missing much. Plus, they cost like $20+. Just wondering if you think it added anything to the story other than a simple lore-dump. I'm not really into a long dungeon crawl, but if it has a very good story, I'd consider buying the DLC.

I wrote a 9/10 metacritic review for TWM1. At least now I don't have to copy old posts when someone asks the same question: http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/pillars-of-eternity-the-white-march---part-1

The 3.0 patch fixes some of what I found bad about PoE and the expansions have better encounters and area design. I think it's worth it if you at least found original PoE bearable.

 

[Mexi]

Good stuff. I guess I'll go through the mid-game. If I want more, I'll just get the expansion packs.

One thing is for sure the screenshots of the new areas look fucking beautiful.

 

[Ausdoerrt]

White March is pretty much separate from the main game. Kind of like HoW for IWD1. That said, it's pretty good, and I actually like parts of the expansion better than the main game. The downside is that the main quest is fairly short and the rest is all over the place - just additional short dungeons or encounters I never asked for...

I'd say restart the game with 3.x patch installed and see if you like it more - then you can get the expansion if you do. I also dropped the game around Defiance Bay at release, but it's surprisingly more playable with the recent improvements.


P.S. The loading times are still bullshit.

 

[Prime Junta]

Good stuff. I guess I'll go through the mid-game. If I want more, I'll just get the expansion packs.

One thing is for sure the screenshots of the new areas look fucking beautiful.

Good policy. If you're playing on PotD it'll be pretty punishing if you beeline for it anyway; the sweet spot IMO is somewhere halfway through Chapter 2.

 

[Gremius]

Speaking of myself, I'm liking TWM1 and TWM2 more than base game. Well, maybe except companions and performance which is much, much worse (actually it is really terrible, with some moments of single FPS count) for me.

 

[Joni Odin von Hassenstein]

I don't remember having any serious performance issues, but yeah, the new companions aren't as good as the original ones.
Except Kana, I tried to like him but if I'm honest with myself I really didn't care for him. So compared to him Zahua was a bit more likeable for me.

 

[Sizzle]

I kinda liked Zahua, the Devil was meh, while Maneha was the worst companion in the game (in large part due to the voice acting, but I doubt I would have liked her even if it was better).

 

[AwesomeButton]

Yeah, the disparity in the style and quality of voice acting is just crazy. Not a serious issue for me by any means. I don't care much if there is voice acting at all, BGII levels of voiced content were perfect for me. However, annoying voice actors who sound like someone from the office did the lines during lunch breaks is worse than no voiced lines at all.

Meneha and the Devil sound suspiciously close to the voices from "developer commentary", with similar frequency of incomprehensible speech.

 

[Starwars]

I think Zahua was a pretty fantastic companion, kinda underrated in my opinion. Maybe a bit too much "lol drugs" (though there are a few genuinely funny moments) but lots of great stuff underneath. Devil was a huge wasted opportunity (though the soulreading at the end of her quest is some of the best writing in the game) and Maneha was just... a big fat meh unfortunately. Really disappointing.

 

[Sizzle]

I think Zahua was a pretty fantastic companion, kinda underrated in my opinion. Maybe a bit too much "lol drugs" (though there are a few genuinely funny moments) but lots of great stuff underneath. Devil was a huge wasted opportunity (though the soulreading at the end of her quest is some of the best writing in the game) and Maneha was just... a big fat meh unfortunately. Really disappointing.

They really overextended themselves with insisting on having every class represented by a companion. And Zahua, unlike Maneha, has a genuinely interesting personal quest (which isn't just a watered down rehash of Aloth's).

Also, speaking about those quests, too bad they only added the companion perks for completing those personal quests in TWM2, so only Zahua and Maneha have them. This was a really great part about the companions in Fallout: New Vegas (for example - choosing which way to steer Raul), and made their quests a lot more fulfilling when there was an actual game mechanic payoff.

If I remember correctly, it was Fenstermaker's Folly who said in the Codex interview that for the sequel (yeah, yeah, he didn't outright say there was gonna be one, but, c'mon, we all know they're probably working on it right now) he would like it a lot better if they focused on making just a couple of companions instead, and I completely agree.

 

[Joni Odin von Hassenstein]

And Zahua, unlike Maneha, has a genuinely interesting personal quest (which isn't just a watered down rehash of Aloth's).

Actually I found Zahuas quest to be very interesting in theory, but playing it was a bit tedious, especially the last part.
Also the conclusion of it was so incredibly obvious from the second it started. I would have wished for something a bit more original there.

 

[Sizzle]

And Zahua, unlike Maneha, has a genuinely interesting personal quest (which isn't just a watered down rehash of Aloth's).

Actually I found Zahuas quest to be very interesting in theory, but playing it was a bit tedious, especially the last part.
Also the conclusion of it was so incredibly obvious from the second it started. I would have wished for something a bit more original there.

Obvious - yes. But compared to almost every other NPC quest, at least they tried to play around with the quest structure a bit, instead of it being, in many cases, literally just a "go here, talk to someone and then, when the NPC asks you for advice, decide for him/her".

 

[Infinitron]

Excidium II http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/142749974481/hi-josh-serious-question-about-attributes-in-the

melnorme asked: Hi Josh, serious question about attributes. In the Pillars attribute system, each of the defenses except Deflection has two attributes that increase it. Why not have other "secondary stats" be affected by two attributes as well? Damage, area of effect, etc. What makes the defenses worthy of the distinction of having two attributes affect them instead of just one?

It’s not that defenses are more worthy of having two attributes assigned to each, but pairs of attributes worked well with the number of secondary defenses we used.

Early on we decided to have one primary defense (Deflection) and three secondary defenses (Fortitude, Reflex, and Will). Looking at AD&D, it’s clear that several of the defenses are under-utilized (e.g. Rod/Staff/Wand, Breath) in most typical campaigns. 3.X+’s AC + F/R/W system tends to see the secondary defenses used with roughly equal frequency.

For that reason, we went with similar F/R/W secondary defenses. With six attributes, it was easy to match two with each of the three defenses in a manner that seemed logical. Might and Constitution affect Fortitude, Dexterity and Perception affect Reflex, Intellect and Resolve affect Will.

We could have just used one attribute per defense, but that would have made it easier to dump the attributes that didn’t influence those defenses. Also, the pairings are pretty sensible, so it doesn’t seem strange (to most people) that each pair of attributes contributes equally to the corresponding secondary defense.

Resolve is a more arbitrary pairing, but it worked out, mechanically.

So basically, no particular reason besides tradition and "this feels sensible".

 

[Excidium II]

He didn't answer the important question.

 

[Dorateen]

Furthermore, the AD&D saving throws system was more intricate and superior to 3rd Edition's Fortitude/Will/Reflex catch-all system. Another area I find where 3E was dumbed down. And the observation that some defenses under AD&D are underutilized is irrelevant. If characters are going against dragons, then that save versus breath weapon becomes quite important. Like any good D&D role-playing system, it's about context, and naturally dependent upon a given campaign or setting.

I for one enjoyed having a high constitution character, along with the Dwarven racial bonus, which made saving against poison nigh automatic. The running joke in our party was that I could earn extra money from poison drinking wagers in taverns.

 

[agris]

I had a trailer-trash dwarven thief named Tyronduh who would do similar. Trifling bitches be dying to poison she was happily swilling.


edit: what are we talking about again?

 

[AwesomeButton]

knuffre asked: First off I want to apologize for not being very articulate, but here I go anyway: The word "braille" appeared in DS3, and since I remember that braille was invented by Louis Braille, that ripped me out of the world quite harshly. I realize that etymology clashing is near unavoidable when making a video game unless you write a whole new language for every project, but I was wondering if you have ever dealt with this as a designer and (seemingly) an etomology buff.

Yes, somewhat frequently. Braille is a notable example because it’s a person’s name and English doesn’t (as far as I know) have any synonyms for it in common use.

The languages of The Eastern Reach in Eora are based on Old English / Icelandic (Eld Aedyran), Italian / French / Occitan (Vailian), and Cornish / Welsh / Irish (Glanfathan). This was done as a way to allow for contemporary Aedyran (English) to be a blend of those languages in the same way that English is a blend of German, Norman French, and bits of the various Insular Celtic languages.

British English titles of nobility reflect the confluence of different cultures during Britian’s history. That’s why they have earls (jarls, Old English), dukes (dux, Latin), and viscounts (visconte, Old French).

Aedyrans and Dyrwoodans generally only use Germanic-derived titles: thayn, erl, etc. We even tried (successfully, I think) to avoid using Romance-derived titles in civilian ranks (e.g. instead of “lieutenant” we have “steadman”). Duc is an exception because Admeth Hadret borrowed it directly from the Vailians.

One title that caused a similar problem to “braille” was “palatinate”, i.e. The Free Palatinate of Dyrwood. As a general term “palatinate” reflects the special authority and autonomy of whoever is ruling the territory. It’s derived from the Latinpalatinus, reflecting power bestowed by the palace. However, Palatinate is also a historical region of Germany/the Holy Roman Empire. For that reason, the term did seem strange to some players.

Another example I can think of where we avoided a common term was “zombie”. Zombie is derived from Haitian French “zombi” and seems really out of place with most of our other undead terms. For that reason we used “revenant”.

I'd argue that having a title "viscount" without having a title "count" is an anachronism. Also, "count" itself is very well-attested to be derived from the Latin "comes". Ah, but he isn't using viscount in the game, actually he just gave an example of English titles...

As for PoE featuring words not fitting the setting, one instance that I remember is the Devil using the word "hicks" which is a specifically American pejorative.

 

[Prime Junta]

I'd argue that having a title "viscount" without having a title "count" is an anachronism. Also, "count" itself is very well-attested to be derived from the Latin "comes". Ah, but he isn't using viscount in the game, actually he just gave an example of English titles...

As for PoE featuring words not fitting the setting, one instance that I remember is the Devil using the word "hicks" which is a specifically American pejorative.

"Hick, any Person of whom any Prey can be made..; also a silly Country Fellow."

Gentleman, B.E.: A New Dictionary of Terms, Ancient and Modern, of the Canting Crew , London, 1699

 

[AwesomeButton]

I'd argue that having a title "viscount" without having a title "count" is an anachronism. Also, "count" itself is very well-attested to be derived from the Latin "comes". Ah, but he isn't using viscount in the game, actually he just gave an example of English titles...

As for PoE featuring words not fitting the setting, one instance that I remember is the Devil using the word "hicks" which is a specifically American pejorative.

"Hick, any Person of whom any Prey can be made..; also a silly Country Fellow."

Gentleman, B.E.: A New Dictionary of Terms, Ancient and Modern, of the Canting Crew , London, 1699

What's the meaning of "Prey"? in the same dictionary? Agreed in not being American-specific though.

 

[Prime Junta]

I'd argue that having a title "viscount" without having a title "count" is an anachronism. Also, "count" itself is very well-attested to be derived from the Latin "comes". Ah, but he isn't using viscount in the game, actually he just gave an example of English titles...

As for PoE featuring words not fitting the setting, one instance that I remember is the Devil using the word "hicks" which is a specifically American pejorative.

"Hick, any Person of whom any Prey can be made..; also a silly Country Fellow."

Gentleman, B.E.: A New Dictionary of Terms, Ancient and Modern, of the Canting Crew , London, 1699

What's the meaning of "Prey"? in the same dictionary? Agreed in not being American-specific though.

Mark. Victim.

"Canting" refers to "Cant," as in Thieves' Cant, or what they speak in Sigil.