So... How did you feel about Pillars of Eternity?

[Jarpie]

In short: it's fucking boring, the dialogue is very bland, lore is boring and bland, story could have potential but because writing is so fucking bland the story never picks up.

The game world is also practically lifeless, for all their faults BG1 and especially BG2 feels more like a living world.

 

[Metal Hurlant]

After finishing the game months ago, I haven't been able to play the game again or the expansion. In fact, I didn't even know the expansion was going to be released today until I saw a post yesterday in another thread. I liken this Kickstarter experience to when you're a teenager. You're making love to your dream person, having the best sex, and then you wake up and it's all a dream and you've cummed all over yourself in your sleep. It was great during production but a complete mess once it was finished.

 

[prodigydancer]

How can anyone say that PoE writing is boring is beyond me. I consider myself quite picky when it comes to writing, yet PoE (if we don't count backers stuff) managed to meet my standards. Maybe you people just don't like to read?

Mechanically, the game isn't without issues but the amount of flak it gets here for absolutely no reason is absurd. Of course the Codex hates everything but this goes far beyond the usual "the game is shit, what should I play and hate next?" chatter.

 

[ArchAngel]

How can anyone say that PoE writing is boring is beyond me. I consider myself quite picky when it comes to writing, yet PoE (if we don't count backers stuff) managed to meet my standards. Maybe you people just don't like to read?

Mechanically, the game isn't without issues but the amount of flak it gets here for absolutely no reason is absurd. Of course the Codex hates everything but this goes far beyond the usual "the game is shit, what should I play and hate next?" chatter.

With great expectations comes great disappointment.

 

[Sensuki]

Maybe you people just don't like to read?

Quantity =/= Quality

 

[MilesBeyond]

Considering how PoE is still doing better than the incredibly negative reception games like Morrowind got when they were released, I'm starting an over/under for how many years until PoE makes it into the Codex Top Ten.


I'll say five years.

 

[roshan]

Where is the "game is complete and utter shit with no redeeming points at all" option???

In short: it's fucking boring, the dialogue is very bland, lore is boring and bland, story could have potential but because writing is so fucking bland the story never picks up.

The game world is also practically lifeless, for all their faults BG1 and especially BG2 feels more like a living world.

Yeah, BG1 did a good job injecting life into the world, for a bloody 1998 game. You met children wandering the woods, merchants, guards and other random folks passing through the wilderness, you see people wandering about the town, and so on. POE's "world" is entirely static, there's no movement or life, whether it is seeing characters physically walk around or meeting someone that is traveling. With backer NPCs all over the place and Wikipedia dialogue, it feels even more like you are just "interacting" with a bunch of advertisements and billboards.

 

[roshan]

Does anyone remember Noober, the NPC in BG that would constantly annoy you with forced dialogue options and (I think) follow you around?

Yes, I do. And it's telling that Pillars of Shitternity is so bad it actually makes people reminisce about the good old days of Noober. You could kill him without pissing off Nashkel if you get him away from everyone and killed him with a single chunking, or a backstab from a thief.

 

[MilesBeyond]

PoE feels a bit like playing D&D with a DM who spent the last three months designing his own campaign setting and is so excited about it that he tries to force all his lore in everywhere regardless of whether it's relevant or if the players are interested.

 

[Abu Antar]

*it is ok, I liked the game and feel confident enough in Obsidian for future kickstarters

 

[Vernacular]

It's ok. Overall better than I was led to believe. An earlier commentator was right though: the "big" thing never materialised. That much is true. It will never have anywhere near the playability of the old IE games. In fact one of it's biggest flaws is the difficulty/lack of/closed engine for modding. Chances are IE Mod is as good as it's going to get. We may see a decent Keeper in the future but that seems to be it. Also; charging $30 for half an expansion? Like, really?

 

[Lhynn]

How did you feel about Pillars of eternity?

Like these two, at the same time.

Spoiler

 

[Eyestabber]

10/10 would review again

Well, there IS an expansion coming...

 

[Shevek]

Would rate right between the top 2 options - better than ok but not quite a masterpiece. Fuck it, I'll round up.

 

[MilesBeyond]

Yeah I ended up voting for the second option. As much as I can sit here all day and criticize PoE, I still had a blast with it and enjoyed it way more than any other RPG that's come out recently. In a way, that makes the problems all the more aggravating, because it's maybe a 7.5 or 8/10 but could have been so much more...

Oh well. No use yearning for a game that wasn't made.

 

[imweasel]

Banal boring shit.

 

[Starwars]

Loved it. Room for plenty of improvement obviously but a fantastic game.

 

[Western]

I played it at release and thought it was ok, that said ok is disappointing for the game where Obsidian was free of publishers and had creative freedom.

I get the impression they shit canned a lot of input from MCA (some writing and implications that writing had for the setting) and Tim Cain (I don't feel his hand in these systems/mechanics, I don't recall any of the Troika games being this dull, they were unpolished but not dull), and played it as safe as possible.

I'm withholding final judgement until the last expansion and patches are released and give the game another playthrough though.

 

[MilesBeyond]

and played it as safe as possible.

I think if I could sum up all my problems with PoE (and again this is coming from someone who enjoys the game), I'd say this. The game felt too "safe." It felt like they were doing what they thought fans wanted rather than what would make a good game. I mean, sure, there were a few controversial things in there (like no XP from combat, though I'll happily add my voice to the small group who liked that), but by and large it felt very... almost like RPG-by-numbers.

 

[Fairfax]

I think if I could sum up all my problems with PoE (and again this is coming from someone who enjoys the game), I'd say this. The game felt too "safe." It felt like they were doing what they thought fans wanted rather than what would make a good game. I mean, sure, there were a few controversial things in there (like no XP from combat, though I'll happily add my voice to the small group who liked that), but by and large it felt very... almost like RPG-by-numbers.

Indeed. I think it's understandable at some degree, even though it saddens me to remember the expectations and promises back then. The company was in really bad shape and they didn't want to risk a failure after their last resort, though. Circumstances weren't ideal for anyone, basically.
Now, if they don't go wild with their non-PoE kickstarter, they never will. No excuse this time.

 

[Lhynn]

But theres always an excuse, isnt there?

 

[Fairfax]

But theres always an excuse, isnt there?

If they play it safe again, I suspect the excuse (not theirs, from fans) will be that MCA left or something. This talk of "Kickstarter Skyrim" by Feargus gives me the creeps.

 

[Irenaeus II]

masterpiece

Best cRPG in the last 11 years

 

[Jarpie]

I've probably said this before but PoE didn't have any feeling like it's "Labor of Love" or any passion behind it, everything in it felt like "We'll make this game because we have to" with exception of Durance I'd say.

 

[potatojohn]

It was okay. I'll play it again once all the expansions are out.

The combat was fun. Allegedly the AI is smarter with the patches, so that's great.

I shouldn't have played it on release - it had so many bugs ugh.