Eternity PoE II: Deadfire Sales Analysis Thread

[Lacrymas]

The combat log is even worse, lol.

 

[The Avatar]

Yep. Tangentially, the thing I like best about the IE games (Torment notwithstanding) is AD&D. PoE disappointed me in the way it gave magic users (and everyone else, really, but that's another matter) so many toys to play with at low levels. The thing about AD&D that few systems made specifically for games take heed of, is that it makes leveling and casting spells feel like a big deal. When you only have the one fireball until you rest again, casting it is a much more significant decision, and the effect of the spell is likewise much more significant. I know, this has been said a million times already... but not by me!

To be fair, you could rest almost any time in IE games, so your spell limits at lower levels weren't that big of a deal. Pillars tried to solve that issues with the camping supplies.

Also, I don't think you had that many spells in Pillars 1. You started off at 2 per level- same as a specialized Wizard in AD&D.

 

[Parabalus]

Nah I'd still stay it's basically d20 except with percentages- and adopted to a real-time game. So instead of multiple attacks per round, so you have attack speed and recovery. Rounds aren't something that should be in a real-time game, so it makes sense to replace that rule. Of course there are many other changes, but it's still modified d20 at it's core.

It really is just (d20)*5, we even have +5 ACC ~ +1 on tH roll.

Can't understand the people who insist that 2.x vs 3.x vs PoE are completely different, they all amount to the same shit roll wise.

The combat log is even worse, lol.

Which game has a better combat log than Deadfire?

Maybe a MMO, but a sp RPG? Can't recall any better ones, the IE's are infantile in comparison.

 

[Lacrymas]

I was talking about PoE1.

 

[Strange Fellow]

Also, I don't think you had that many spells in Pillars 1. You started off at 2 per level- same as a specialized Wizard in AD&D.

Maybe you're right. My perception might have been skewed by the fact that everyone gets per encounter spells.

To be fair, you could rest almost any time in IE games, so your spell limits at lower levels weren't that big of a deal. Pillars tried to solve that issues with the camping supplies.

...And failed. I think the IE design meshes poorly with AD&D in general and Vancian in particular. The entertainment I got out of it was mostly doing the AD&D party thing in a good looking engine with cool encounters and good loot, while LARPing that resting should be restricted. You could fairy describe that as just nostalgiafaggotry; then again I don't think IE is a great franchise.

 

[J_C]

At a price of $45, that's 45x280.000 = 12.600.000.

The fuck is wrong with you? You sold a title on steam and yet you're still valuing a game at $45. Are you retarded or what?

Divide it by 2 to get a realistic number after sales and poor currencies. Moron.

Calm the fuck down. Jesus, you must have some mental disorder if you are flipping out like an idiot just because I counted with the US price. I just did a very basic calculation for the sales, and not my PhD on macroeconomy.

 

[Parabalus]

I was talking about PoE1.

Even that is pretty good, what's better than it other than Deadfire's?

 

[Lacrymas]

It isn't "pretty good" when everything is happening in microsecond intervals and there isn't even a filter. Even then, you aren't looking at the combat log the entire combat to know what is going on and you really can't, you have to pause constantly, read the combat log, unpause, pause, read the combat log etc. How is this a clear and intuitive system? The UI in general being terrible at conveying any kind of useful information doesn't help.

 

[Strange Fellow]

The UI in general being terrible at conveying any kind of useful information doesn't help.

Makes me wonder how the game would look with Torment-like damage floats. You probably wouldn't be able to even see your characters beneath the torrent of percentages.

 

[Parabalus]

It isn't "pretty good" when everything is happening in microsecond intervals and there isn't even a filter. Even then, you aren't looking at the combat log the entire combat to know what is going on and you really can't, you have to pause constantly, read the combat log, unpause, pause, read the combat log etc. How is this a clear and intuitive system?

When I pause I'm interested in duration of buffs/debuffs (there are status icons for the afflictions, but detailed duration needs hover) on party members and enemies, for which I hover over party portraits or the enemies on screen. The combat log is for the detailed ACC and damage breakdowns on hover, but that's MAX 1-2 per fight when switching to a tanky enemy, since you can also see that from the floating combat text.

What other information do you want to gleam from the combat log while a fight lasts? I never paused to read the log like you suggest, and I'd still like to know which logs you consider better. Wizardry 8?

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Both games are visually incomprehensible, it's just that most us have years of experience in the genre so we can navigate the clusterfuck easily and beat non-boss encounters with barely any pausing.

Couple of times I stumbled upon some randoms streaming PoE1 and PoE2 and jesus fucking christ it's a pain to watch. People pausing every milisecond and mouth-breathing for minutes about what is going on, who is attacking who, where is the damage coming from, I can feel it in the air tonight oh lord.

 

[Lacrymas]

We weren't talking about what information you can see in the combat log, the problem is the practical readability of combat while the combat lasts and you are mostly looking at the battlefield.

 

[Parabalus]

Both games are visually incomprehensible, it's just that most us have years of experience in the genre so we can navigate the clusterfuck easily and beat non-boss encounters with barely any pausing.

Couple of times when I stumbled upon some randoms streaming PoE1 and PoE2 and jesus fucking christ it's a pain to watch. People pausing every milisecond and mouth-breathing for minutes about what is going on, who is attacking who, where is the damage coming from, i can feel it in the air tonight oh lord.

That makes them a true spiritual successor to IE's .

 

[Lacrymas]

The IE games have much more readable combat and that comes from the 6 second rounds. PoE has microsecond "rounds" and it's practically impossible for a human to keep track of everything in that speed.

 

[Parabalus]

The IE games have much more readable combat and that comes from the 6 second rounds. PoE has microsecond "rounds" and it's practically impossible for a human to keep track of everything in that speed.

It's the same shit as in PoE, you pause as soon as any PC completes any action and order the next one, except you can shift queue in PoE.

You don't need to keep track of everything, the difficulty doesn't expect that of you.

IE games rounds start synced so that might be why, you can usually do several orders in one pause until they drift apart?

 

[Lacrymas]

It's not about whether keeping track of everything is important, it's about comfortably playing the game and knowing what is going on. You don't know what is going on in PoE and that's uncomfortable, especially since you have to do your per-encounter routine every combat and then figure out what per-rest abilities to use. I have no such trouble with the IE games. What is the point of the combat being unreadable and then go "well, you don't HAVE TO keep track of everything"? Why can't we just have visually clear combat?

And this is all in the context of the very few people defeating Mearwald. We mostly can understand what is going on much more than the average player and even then I find it in bad taste and uncomfortable. Even robotic and overtheorized. "Just read the combat log" won't fly with the general public and I actually agree with that.

 

[Parabalus]

And this is all in the context of the very few people defeating Mearwald.

Where are you getting your data from?

Comparing Bg:EE (so definitely more favourable than original Bg) achievement % to PoE's rates has PoE1 at 20% completion compared to 10% for Bg1:EE and 5% for SoD. Would gladly welcome a more reputable source than this site though.

What's the cheevo for Maerwald?

 

[Strange Fellow]

Who was Maerwald, again?

 

[Parabalus]

Who was Maerwald, again?

Progression-wise the equivalent of Mulahey.

 

[Strange Fellow]

Who was Maerwald, again?

Progression-wise the equivalent of Mulahey.

Hm, maybe I didn't reach him. Or maybe I did, and I just don't remember.

Fake edit: Oh he was the guy in Caed Nua. IHaveHugeNick are you actually surprised I don't remember that dude? Did you really think he was that memorable

 

[Lacrymas]

What's the cheevo for Maerwald?

Complete chapter 1.

I hate "round-based" Realtime, there's so much deadtime and everything being desynced makes it far less comprehensible than having an actual continuous timeflow.

PoE is the one which is desynced, especially with its myriad of recovery times. The IE games have the continuous timeflow with a rhythmic and almost musical progression of time. Slow mode just makes the issue even more obvious and is a non-elegant band-aid.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Who was Maerwald, again?

Progression-wise the equivalent of Mulahey.

Hm, maybe I didn't reach him. Or maybe I did, and I just don't remember.

Fake edit: Oh he was the guy in Caed Nua. IHaveHugeNick are you actually surprised I don't remember that dude? Did you really think he was that memorable

Nah I just accidentally clicked WTF button on your post.

 

[Parabalus]

What's the cheevo for Maerwald?

Complete chapter 1.

65% completed PoE Act 1 compared to 33% for finishing Nashkel mines in the EE, that pretty much contradicts what you said.

Do you have a different, better source?

 

[ArchAngel]

Who was Maerwald, again?

Progression-wise the equivalent of Mulahey.

Hm, maybe I didn't reach him. Or maybe I did, and I just don't remember.

Fake edit: Oh he was the guy in Caed Nua. IHaveHugeNick are you actually surprised I don't remember that dude? Did you really think he was that memorable

I still remember him. It was designed to be a memorable fight but as soon as it started he got 5 rifle shots into face and died.
Now imagine if you could do that to for example to Greywolf in BG1, that encounter would not be half the fun and notoriety it was normally.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Yeah I think it Deadfire should break 500k eventually with discounts and bundles and eventual GOTY edition and whatnot.

By the same arstechnica provided csv, PoE has sold about 300k units between the winter of 2017 when it was just under a million and now, when it's 1 275 000. So yes, Deadfire sales have every prospect of keeping a steady growth in the coming years.