The writing in this game is average

[Mastermind]

I was a godlike so I couldn't disguise myself in the woedica temple but I still avoided fighting everybody except the last room by bullshitting my way through all the dialogues.

 

[Commissar Draco]

I was a godlike so I couldn't disguise myself in the woedica temple but I still avoided fighting everybody except the last room by bullshitting my way through all the dialogues.

You could use the disguise thru dialogue; still no point in this since you can't do the AoD thing on them.

 

[Sensuki]

I think they should've drastically cut the amount of voice-acted dialogue, which might have allowed them for more resources to hire quantitively better voice actors.

Also, they did the BG-style thing where any NPC will have a short voice-acted greeting when you talk to them, but I don't think it meshes well with the writing style they're going for.

They have like a handful of lines that everyone uses. They didn't spend too much on it. It's kinda silly because the line they use has nothing to do with what they are saying most of the time.

There is definitely more voice acting than I expected, probably for the same reason that Double Fine spent so much on it

 

[Commissar Draco]

Voice the More likable and essential to story companions main antagoniste and thats it more is unnecessary and prevents the dialogues to be amended later on. Morrowind and Arcanium did this right.

 

[Pope Amole II]

My main problem with the writing in this game is not the writing itself - it's sorta adequate, I guess? I dunno, in recent years, I got profoundly disgusted with any sort of epistolaric direction and I prefer simple, minimalistic prose that gets to the point. I think that what is written absolutely trumps how it is written. And this is where PoE fails major times.

I dunno, there are so many issues that I'm not sure where to begin. For example, ok, so there is no good or evil in this game, there are the dispositions and attitudes and morality is different. Sorta. But that's only in theory - in practice, it's just the same as everyone else. Cruel disposition could've been simply named [Dumbfuck], just how it is in every other CRPG - it's just being sadistic dumbfuck for no reason at all. When you hear Bioware cutting the evil path out of their games because no one likes it, it's by the same reason - who ever thought it is fun to be a violent retard who kills people for a couple of coppers in their pockets? Even on the Codex, I doubt we have many connoisseurs of that.

This thrend follows in quests as well. So theoretically morale is grey, practically everything is in the good fashioned black and white. Take Heilig of Thein, for example - they could've easily done much more interesting stuff with this quest. To show him as an amoral but neutral scientist who just cares about nothing but research. To show Dalton as a young idiot (in the past) who cared only about fame and lost it all in the process. To show Moedred as an unscrupulous scientist. Etc., etc. No, instead, Heilig is monster, Dalton is awesome, Moedred is a brave guy. But he's a moron too - he's a fucking animancer and he knows that Heilig is a living legend of animancy. What, he didn't knew that stabbing him wasn't enough? With any kind of realistic writing, he would've doused his corpse in acid or set it ablaze. Or just conducted a bunch of rituals to prevent any sort of trickery. But no, everyone is a retard in Pillar's world.

Another very insulting example is the Peregund & Looters. So you get to the looters, you kill two of their leader cousins in the process. Cousins. That's blood. But then, you tell them you'll look the other way (as if they fucking need your permission) and suddenly "oh, thank you, you're our great helper, take this +1 might cap as a reward". Umm, excuse me, you've just killed two of their siblings. Whatever were the circumstances, who would give a fuck about those? At best, they would be butthurt and powerless, going in a "you're an asshole, but we have no other choice but to accept your "help" and we can't do anything to you so fuck you". Not the shit that the game presents us.

And that's the entire tale of the game. The quests are all written that way - not an once of wit between them. So while the setting is detailed and the writing is flashy, the actual stories that happen in it are mostly dull.

 

[Sensuki]

Man reading this thread has been waaaaaay more fun than playing the game. Thanks guys!

 

[Rake]

So bad eh?

 

[Shadenuat]

Not offensively bad just dissapointing especially since some folk including me were running around shouting "even if Obsi would fail at gameplay like they often do doesn't matter, they will deliver best writing".

 

[hiver]

Thats the consequence of not being willing to do anything actually different and just making everything bland so no stupid shit would get upset.
The violent retard gameplay comes to be because devs are too fucking scared of making it what it really is, because god forbid you would anger your stupid shit retard audience, eh? and because it is the easiest thing to design. Because its so fucking stupid.

Besides that, wasteland 2 had much worse examples in all these categories. From gameplay for violent retards to horrible writing and design of quests which are ludicrously stupid.

 

[Rake]

Thats the consequence of not being willing to do anything actually different and just making everything bland so no stupid shit would get upset.
The violent retard gameplay comes to be because devs are too fucking scared of making it what it really is, because god forbid you would anger your stupid shit retard audience, eh? and because it is the easiest thing to design. Because its so fucking stupid.

Besides that, wasteland 2 had much worse examples in all these categories. From gameplay for violent retards to horrible writing and design of quests which are ludicrously stupid.

If PoE is at Wasteland 2 levels of "good for what it is", i would be seriously dissappointed with Obsidian.
I'm starting to think Avellone and Tim Cain are the only persons worth something in the company since Ziets departure.
inb4 they kickstart their own games and they are crap as well

 

[Sensuki]

Those guys playing Diablo 3 and World or Warcraft?

 

[Crooked Bee]

Not offensively bad just dissapointing especially since some folk including me were running around shouting "even if Obsi would fail at gameplay like they often do doesn't matter, they will deliver best writing".

I do like the gameplay though

 

[Pope Amole II]

I do like the gameplay though

The combat gameplay is awesome. It's just that I'm doing all those Defiance Bay fedex quests on my PoTD run and it's incredibly dull. TBH, what happened is what everyone was joking about - it's really not a BG spiritual successor, it's an Icewind Dale one.

 

[hiver]

I dont think its down to individuals really. Its just the general mindset of trying to get that "mass market" and assuming mass market is just dumb idiots - for years and years. Because the few dozen crying screaming comments stick into the minds eye much stronger then the rest.
Which is just a consequence of human evolution and biology.

Its not like an individual designer can just go against everyone else in the company and do whatever he likes. Avellone is a CEo of obsidian and a co-owner - but he just doesnt give a fuck anymore. He goes around doing PR not designing anything.
Tim Cain is an employee, as was Zeits who is in that same position in Inxile.

They cant do shit on their own. (well, Fallout came to be because one designer decided he will do it on his own)
They do what their bosses tell them to do. And the bosses have to keep the company afloat - and then they go for satisfying that mythical imaginary non existing mass market of idiots.
Sure plenty of idiots exist and mass market has its share of them - but thats not all of it.

Give those same guys to me, for example (and lets just imagine i have a few millions in my pocket to sustain them for 3-5 years), Sawyer, Fenstermaker, Avellone and the rest and what they would produce would be entirely different.
Let alone sir Cain or Zeits.

Its not the designer heads that should be on spikes.
Its not the worker fault if company goes in wrong directions. Its the fucking management.

Besides that, wasteland 2 had much worse examples in all these categories. From gameplay for violent retards to horrible writing and design of quests which are ludicrously stupid.

If PoE is at Wasteland 2 levels of "good for what it is", i would be seriously disappointed with Obsidian.

I really dont get how anyone can consider that to be even "good for what it is".

Its literally one of the worst games i ever played, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

And that despite having all these features that we all value. Which just makes it even worse.
Its like someone took all these good features and then intentionally made the worst possible game with them. Its just fucking unbelievable when you think about any of that objectively.

 

[Sensuki]

The combat is nothing like Icewind Dale. Encounter Design is kinda sorta similar though.

 

[Lhynn]

Combat looks and plays really good. Once or twice, then it becomes a repetitive grind with little to no variation for the rest of the game, because the system is fucked.

 

[KK1001]

I think it is useful to talk about different areas of the game when it comes to writing.

For instance, the personal stuff involving your past, Iovara, and Thaos comes off as pretty flat and uninteresting. I never once felt any sort of anitpathy for Thaos or any desire to really stop him.

The political stuff is actually decent, but it is hurt pretty badly by a ridiculous ending to Act 2 that comes about because they wrote themselves into a corner.

The best writing, I think, is the deity stuff. I really wish there were more quests and options to interact with each god individually.

It's the soupy mix of these 3 that makes the games writing average. A lot is crammed into one game, and for a supposedly "low level" adventure the stakes are pretty high.

 

[Angthoron]

For instance, the personal stuff involving your past, Iovara, and Thaos comes off as pretty flat and uninteresting. I never once felt any sort of anitpathy for Thaos or any desire to really stop him.

Well, you're never made to feel that the past is important and relevant, that's why this part falls through. There's so much dedicated to the importance of the past, and in the end, you have about zero say with it, and it's essentially meaningless. Would something change if the whole subplot would be thrown away? Would it matter if PC had never known Thaos before, and was awakened by the Biwac? If the player had no personal ties to Iovara, the Key, everything? The answer is no, it wouldn't matter. In fact, it'd just save a little dev and actor time.

The whole story thread is essentially pointless fluffy filler, except it's used as a major protagonist motivation.

 

[KK1001]

Yeah, the entire setup is pretty bad.

Like, Thaos accidently turns you into a Watcher. The fuck? The main motivation to stop him (he's a bad guy who does bad things to me and my companions) isn't there.

Essentially it puts the cart before the horse. Irenicus works because he tortures you, kills NPCs you may have liked from the first game, steals it's-me-Imoen away from you, steals your soul, forces Yoshimo to betray you, and is a general thorn in your side. You eventually learn that's just a petty, power-hungry fuck upset because a girl doesn't like him, but that only makes you hate him more. The fact that he is trying to accomplish some goal isn't enough.

 

[RK47]

Thaos killed two tutorial party members.
He must pay.

 

[Starwars]

Irenicus also has the power to bring back party-members from the dead, or party-members who weren't even in your party!

Though I suppose bringing back Jaheira from the dead is reason enough to hunt that bastard down.

 

[Lord Andre]

He did kill Khalid and kidnapped Imoen, which kinda evens things out...

 

[Irenaeus]

I still think the writing is great and this thread is comical.

 

[Commissar Draco]

Thaos killed two tutorial party members.
He must pay.

Correction he only kills merchant i met like 5 minutes ago cause this guide is total bitch and runs away to die on first trap... And this was the sam setup like in NWN2 OC with you loosing your tutorial Komrades; only is that you are not forced to take the more companions with you.

 

[Irenaeus]

Hey, I liked her. I think there was a spark growing. What's her name again?