Eternity Pillars of Eternity + The White March Expansion Thread

[Dorateen]

Today, June 30, marks the 15 year anniversary of the release of Icewind Dale. I find it fitting that the first PoE expansion seeks to draw inspiration from that AD&D dungeon crawling classic.

It was a day one purchase for me, and I recall going into the electronics store after work to pick up the retail boxed copy. I also remember the clerk trying to pawn off diablo II that came out at the same time, as well as asking me if I wanted the hint guide for Icewind Dale. I sneered in disgust at the pitiful merchant on both accounts. Got home and proceeded to while away the hours in the character generation screens, rolling up a full party.

 

[Roguey]

Remember when Old Obsidian used to say that they could experiment more freely with expansion packs because of the lower risk? Well, New Obsidian is all about Honest Hearts.

we're more likely to do crazier stuff in a sequel than in our expansion, tbh. it's easier for us to plausibly massively relocate, refocus, and develop new crazy features without trying to make it work alongside the base game.

Though he also said

we've tried to correct/improve at least some of the things i've seen you mention ITT.

Of course those are badgame criticisms and not Codex criticisms.

 

[Excidium II]

Obsidian is dead

 

[felipepepe]

K', so we just need to hope them to make like 12 PoE sequels, like the Gold Box series. Then we might get something decent.

 

[Athelas]

After Icewind Dale The White March, I guess they still have to make spiritual successors to the other four individual IE game.

Presumably in another decade or so they'll be able to make something original.

 

[Irenaeus II]

K', so we just need to hope them to make like 12 PoE sequels, like the Gold Box series. Then we might get something decent.

I really hope they do. For something decent, the original already surpassed decency with spare, not that you'd understand it, commie.

 

[Jedi Exile]

I never really liked Icewind Dale. Or Infinity Engine games in general (except Torment of course). This is what I realised after playing PoE.

 

[Jimmious]

I never really liked Icewind Dale. Or Infinity Engine games in general (except Torment of course). This is what I realised after playing PoE.

I get ya. I mean at the time they were so different from what was there, so pretty and magical that they seemed like a fairy tale. Nowadays I would preffer anything with turn-based combat. I got extremely annoyed pressing the space bar every 3 seconds and wondered where did I find so much pleasure when I was younger. Not that it was bad , just...meh.

 

[Jarakka]

I get ya. I mean at the time they were so different from what was there, so pretty and magical that they seemed like a fairy tale. Nowadays I would preffer anything with turn-based combat. I got extremely annoyed pressing the space bar every 3 seconds and wondered where did I find so much pleasure when I was younger. Not that it was bad , just...meh.

I played Icewind Dale through first time only a year ago or so, right after finishing Expeditions and SRR.

It was like cold water against your face after those two okayish types of CRPGs. When you reviewed it, it wasn't an 'alright' or 'pretty good' or 'okay' type of game, no.

That game felt good. It wasn't nostalgia or anything like that, I wasn't expecting to like it, yet damn. I see why Fargo thinks it's his favourite IE-game made, it really has some kind of magic. It's like if NWN is like some crappy Forgotten Realms-novel turned into a game then IWD is like turning thirteen again and getting all pumped up about silly shit like that.

 

[Roguey]

Loot chat

as much as i loved this game one thing that bg1+2 had that pillars dosent is there arent any real cool OP magic items or similar crazy insane shit. its... too balanced

i don't think bg1 had that many crazy op magic items. bg2 certainly did.

whats you opinion of bg2 having crazy magic items as opposed to poes loot?

it's more appropriate in bg2 because the level cap in the base game is higher than bg and iwd (and poe). also, like everything following bg1, it was much easier to actually implement the crazier stuff because the groundwork was already in place.

the white march has soulbound weapons, which use a bunch of new mechanics and new powers, including destruction (like a mace of disruption) and low % big effects on hits and crits (like a lot of bg2 weapons).

 

[Morality Games]

I get ya. I mean at the time they were so different from what was there, so pretty and magical that they seemed like a fairy tale. Nowadays I would preffer anything with turn-based combat. I got extremely annoyed pressing the space bar every 3 seconds and wondered where did I find so much pleasure when I was younger. Not that it was bad , just...meh.

I played Icewind Dale through first time only a year ago or so, right after finishing Expeditions and SRR.

It was like cold water against your face after those two okayish types of CRPGs. When you reviewed it, it wasn't an 'alright' or 'pretty good' or 'okay' type of game, no.

That game felt good. It wasn't nostalgia or anything like that, I wasn't expecting to like it, yet damn. I see why Fargo thinks it's his favourite IE-game made, it really has some kind of magic. It's like if NWN is like some crappy Forgotten Realms-novel turned into a game then IWD is like turning thirteen again and getting all pumped up about silly shit like that.

Feargus Urquhart said the same thing. Makes sense when you recall that Icewind Dale was a throwback to the kinds of games they played/made in the 80s. A nice storyfag game is still sweet, but there is something undeniably delicious about a game that makes you *want* to fight monsters and get treasure.

(Although I contest the notion Expeditions was an okayish RPG rather than almost everything a great historical RPG should be).

 

[Infinitron]

Looks like Part II is already in the works: http://comiccon2015.sched.org/event/547bbf09cff2afeb2156e3bf9b29bbc1#.VZ4zr_mqpBc

Are you a fan of role playing games and ever wondered what goes into making them? Moderated by Genese Davis (writer, The Holder's Dominion) join the award winning team at Obsidian Entertainment, Eric Fenstermaker, Josh Sawyer, Jorge Salgado, Kaz Aruga, and Bobby Null for a unique interactive experience where you, the audience get to participate in the process of creating part of the upcoming expansion for Pillars of Eternity: The White March - Part II. Obsidian is going to make you, the audience part of the design process and walk you through what they do to create something in the game itself. This is a unique fun, opportunity for anyone who loves video games and wants to take a peek behind the curtain and help make the magic happen.

Saturday July 11, 2015 7:30pm - 8:30pm

 

[felipepepe]

In before Comic Con guys make better encounters than Obsidian.

This is why we need a Kodex Kon.

 

[Brayko]

Obsidian should just focus on fleshing out characters rather than trying to flesh out a "well balanced system". I gotta feeling they would produce better results that way. Expanding shit with more shit hardly seems worth it.

 

[Excidium II]

Looks like Part II is already in the works: http://www.comic-con.org/cci/saturday

Are you a fan of role playing games and ever wondered what goes into making them? Join the award winning team at Obsidian Entertainment for a unique interactive experience where you, the audience get to participate in the process of creating part of the upcoming expansion for Pillars of Eternity: The White March - Part II. Obsidian is going to make you, the audience part of the design process and walk you through what they do to create something in the game itself. This is a unique fun, opportunity for anyone who loves video games and wants to take a peek behind the curtain and help make the magic happen.

Saturday July 11, 2015 7:30pm - 8:30pm

Audience will get to choose the enemy types to spawn in clusters of 2~8 until the map looks populated enough

 

[Sensuki]

Because, fuck the backers right ?

 

[Infinitron]

I wouldn't take that description too seriously, they'll probably just walk them through a decision process they've already made

 

[hivemind]

kickstarter backing is a glorified pre-order

 

[Infinitron]

So, Obsidian's Comic Con thing is tonight.



Doesn't look like it's being streamed anywhere? But hopefully a recording will turn up.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Because, fuck the backers right ?

Fuck the backers has been their motto the whole time. But I wouldn't worry about it - chances are that Josh will as usual "only take the good ideas" i.e. those that were mirroring his own in the first place.

I wouldn't take that description too seriously, they'll probably just walk them through a decision process they've already made

Exactly.

 

[Infinitron]

Probably not, considering the forum that has been acting like a homing beacon for every PoE-hater on the Internet since the day it was released still can't summon a majority vote to take it off its Steam curator.

 

[Morality Games]

Worth noting that the majority of the backers that enjoyed the Infinity Engine games enjoyed them at a superficial level of interactivity that Pillars of Eternity handily fulfills. Six-man party! Stats! Dialogue boxes! Hand crafted isometric environments! etc etc etc. The difference between the average player of PoE and the average Codexer is the difference of a casual onlooker and a professional art critic.

But if you mean fuck the backers who dropped big payments because of nostalgia memories, then yeah, they've burned that bridge.

By the way Sensuki, have you played IWD2? I have to wonder what you think of it given your stance on Josh Sawyer's design philosophy.

 

[agris]

I don't know what Sensuki thinks, but IWD2 is the only IE game I haven't beaten. I can't stand the combat, it's like the worst aspects of IWD/HoW's encounter design was turned up to 11. There was also the switch to 3e, which I'm not a fan of.

 

[Irenaeus II]

I spent my saturday afternoon playing PoE and I can't wait for the expansion!

 

[Grape_You_In_the_Mouth]

It's hard to believe Obsidian has a "fuck the backers" attitude when they talked so much with backers on the forums. That's a lot of time devoted towards calming down the crazed BG2 fans about their memories of every pointless BG2 feature.