Game News Tyranny Dev Diary #13: Companion Overview - Sirin

[Kev Inkline]

Most fun bard I played in PnP was one with really good stats, but hampered by my self-imposed rules of stealing and immediately drinking any alcohol in his line of sight, regardless of likely consequences, entering any place that sells alcohol and refusing to leave regardless of quest urgency or NPC bouncer complications, and refusing to fight unless directly attacked ('what? I'm playing the backing music, that's important!' You got something against bass guitar?').

Ok, everyone else in my PnP group fucking hated it and I nearly got banned because of it, but I had fun, and that's what counts!

I like your style. You'd feel welcome in my PnP group, where nearly everyone's character is an addict of some sorts (be it stimulants, food, steroids or just plain ole alcohol), and most party members just want the others to fight for them, unless motivated by drunken rage or withdrawals kicking in. We are supposed to be some sort of corporate security unit and the setup is decades into the foreseeable future, think of the film No Pain No Gain or GTAV, but with Bladerunner aesthetics.

 

[Maculo]

edit: I feel the party needs an Eder. A somewhat normal person that is not a special snowflake/super hero.

I think any party/game could use an eder. That way you as a player get a normal person point of view for the story and about the encompassing world, and you are still free to do a crazy character yourself, if you so like. It could get boring if everyone is over the top quirky and spezial. Though for PoE, its lack of reactivity makes this somewhat a moot point.

I have hard time thinkin who'd been PsT's eder though, but its world is pretty far from anything normal, even in a fantasy setting, anyhow.

The more I think on it, it was not just a balance of crazy vs. normal that Eder brought, it was that the writer did not try to be overtly complex. Eder just wanted to know the truth about his dead brother. The development was that he gained confidence in himself and moved on. There was no need for any contrived political drama (Pallengina) or surmising the intent of the gods (Hravis, however you spell it).

In contrast, many of the characters in Tyranny and characters such as Pallegina in PoE look as if the writers are trying to drudge up depth in the characters, but missed the mark.

 

[entr0py]

Since I started playing CRPGs my favourite class was the bard - a jack-of-all-trades serial womanizer with high charisma and quick fingers (must be why he is a considered a skillful raper lover). He was usually my main character and mostly just led the group, was responsible for group cohesion and morale, while still being at least mildly competent in both the arts of the arcane and the sword - at least that's how I roleplayed them.
Seems like Tyranny goes along the path set by POE for chanters, which was not compelling for me personally, and here seems like she is also fragile AF, so won't be an off-tank either. While I love the concept of bard-like characters I probably won't use her much (except if they can make her character really interesting [must have great writing... will see]).

Still as I have just finished my only full play-through of POE + WM I+II in just under 204 hours (LOL, seriously I take my time) it was a no-brainer for me to preorder this game. Really looking forward to it!

 

[Sannom]

Ohhh, boy, is there someone that is on your party that it isn't an special snowflake? I want to murder this girl.

Nope. That's how you know that Chris Avellone was influential on its development. That and the special powers linked to various states of reputation.

Same. Except I'll use GoG's free-trial feature to check it out first.

There is one of those?

 

[Infinitron]

Lantry might be the most "normal" character. The Jolee Bindo cool neutral old guy archetype?

There is one of those?

 

[Sannom]

I'm serious about the GOG thing, I can't remember a "refund, no questions" policy like the one added recently on Steam.

Oh yeah, I wanted to say "except Lantry", but I forgot. And in a way, Eb isn't exactly a special snowflake either. Sure, she's the last Tidecaster on Terratus, but she had to train to get there and the rest of her order is somewhere on the ocean.

 

[DeepOcean]

Nope. That's how you know that Chris Avellone was influential on its development. That and the special powers linked to various states of reputation.

To clarify, a succubus that is now a conservative woman, a priest whose godness is a whore, a suit of armor that only exist because it believe really hard on it, a crusader that wants to free atheist from religious oppression are cool characters, they have unique traits but they are strangely grounded characters even on their weirdness, what I REALLY hate is when the special snowflake thing gets out of control like it is happening on this update.

We are talking of a girl so powerful that she was seen as a religious figure while as a child and the fucking badass of the badasses, Kyros, had to place a gem on her head to stop her from killing whole armies... this is the sort of stuff fan fiction are known for, I have a huge contempt for dumb power fantasies and this is a huge boner killer.

 

[Morality Games]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the problem is that companion reveals in and of themselves are inherently stupid. Drains naturalism, mystery, and life out of the game before you even play it.

If marketing really needs something to do that badly then have them go outside and pass out fliers.

 

[Sentinel]

edit: I feel the party needs an Eder. A somewhat normal person that is not a special snowflake/super hero.

I think any party/game could use an eder. That way you as a player get a normal person point of view for the story and about the encompassing world, and you are still free to do a crazy character yourself, if you so like. It could get boring if everyone is over the top quirky and spezial. Though for PoE, its lack of reactivity makes this somewhat a moot point.

I have hard time thinkin who'd been PsT's eder though, but its world is pretty far from anything normal, even in a fantasy setting, anyhow.

PoE doesn't lack reactivity.

 

[hpstg]

If she can be somehow consumed/sacrificed/absorbed/sold/traded, or just have the game make one of those things an actually compelling choice in a supposed story about the nature of fucking evil, then ok. Otherwise if they say that she's some kind of beacon of hope, or some similar kind of retardation, then meh.

 

[Kev Inkline]

If she can be somehow consumed/sacrificed/absorbed/sold/traded, or just have the game make one of those things an actually compelling choice in a supposed story about the nature of fucking evil, then ok. Otherwise if they say that she's some kind of beacon of hope, or some similar kind of retardation, then meh.

She reminds me more than little of Darling/White Rose in the Black Company, I think they should actually pay royalties to Glen Cook.

 

[hpstg]

I haven't read the books. If she is a copy, is there any hope it won't go full retard with redemption pokiness?

 

[Kev Inkline]

I haven't read the books. If she is a copy, is there any hope it won't go full retard with redemption pokiness?

Nah, not really a copy, I was just being edgy for fun. But I mean, the game several parallels with the book, starting from the basic premise of evil victory. But then again, archons=taken (mighty sorcerers in the Black Company books, capable of defeating armies on their own, almost), white rose=a fragile girls that grows into a resistance leader.

 

[Morality Games]

Wait, So I can't have all male party with this game?

You can have all the humans be males.



Suggestive of an unnannounced companion?

Holy, they are holding back a companion preview? Will wonders never cease?

 

[Excidium II]

w0t

 

[Morality Games]

w0t

Well, that statement could be interpreted to mean there are other companions but they don't intend on showing them pre-release.

 

[Excidium II]

Hmm I guess it could be interpreted that way. But with only 4 party slots and each companion having unique abilities, don't think there will be more.

 

[jaydee2k]

I thought there will be only 2 male companions?!?
How can all humans be male in my party then?

 

[Sannom]

If she can be somehow consumed/sacrificed/absorbed/sold/traded, or just have the game make one of those things an actually compelling choice in a supposed story about the nature of fucking evil, then ok. Otherwise if they say that she's some kind of beacon of hope, or some similar kind of retardation, then meh.

I doubt that the Voices of Nerat and/or Kyros would be willing to let you sell one of their most powerful assets.

Holy, they are holding back a companion preview? Will wonders never cease?

Well, Cairn is supposed to be dead.

 

[Crescent Hawk]

Now that's creativity for you. And schizophrenia. But it least it isn't Feminist Beasts or WoW pauldrons galore.

I know the artist, its beautiful art. That second one the ship looks like a Portuguese caravel fucked an elf speedboat or something.

Fantasy art has been shit for some time now with some exceptions. In this case I dont think the art is bad in Tranny, the game is trying to be different, but they are clearly going for a clean look, its like everything is the last avatar levels of boring and nobody has the balls or creativity to make something original.
Funny they design their own settings now and they look worse than D&D homebrew stuff.

But I hope the game is okay honestly.

 

[Sizzle]

Holy, they are holding back a companion preview? Will wonders never cease?

Well, Cairn is supposed to be dead.

In the Spire stream, you could see parts of Cairn that you could either collect or forge, so maybe he will turn out to be some sort of hidden NPC.

In the second Obsidian stream (the one without Tim Cain), there is a quest where the Disfavored Earthshakers where protecting his grave, so that also gives some credence to that theory.

 

[Grunker]

Grunker should like this.

smooth

 

[DeepOcean]

New party companion update for Tyranny:

The Janitor

The Janitor was a a guy that was born with the ability of cleaning shit with his mind, while as a child he could absorb the powers of the detergents and he used to clean farm animals with only his mind, there was no cat, dog, furry, cow or sheep that could escape his cleaning fury. When he grown up he started working cleaning the chaotic scarlet toilets of the Scarlet Chorus, commanding armies of psionic controlled brooms cleaning the scarlet toiltets of the Scarlet Chorus.

One day a patrol of the Scarlet Chorus was ambushed by beast men, The Janitor kept everything so clean that the smell of the smelly beasts could be sensed miles away and the Scarlet Chorus could fend off the beasts. On the chaotic fight, The Janitor unleashed his true power, after almost being beated to death by one o the beast men, The Janitor after falling unconscious wake up up again, his hair was blond and he felt as powerful as he never felt before, he finaly knew his true power, he was now the Super Janitor!

Musting all his power, he unleashed a primal power of super cleaning fury that could clean whole armies, the smell of detergents and perfume was too much for the beasts, not used to deal with such powerful enemy.

Now the janitor, commands a whole army of brooms, kinect created detergents from his mind keeping whole Kyros army clean.

That is the life of a janitor in Tyranny, cleaning shit with cleaning mind explosions.

 

[hpstg]

I saw a bit of a let's play on Youtube. In the more or less one hour I saw, I don't believe there were any male characters that you could speak at all. I don't mind the equality (even if it makes no physical sense for the weapons of the era), but this has gone around to an almost comical sense.

 

[Infinitron]

I saw a bit of a let's play on Youtube. In the more or less one hour I saw, I don't believe there were any male characters that you could speak at all. I don't mind the equality (even if it makes no physical sense for the weapons of the era), but this has gone around to an almost comical sense.

Yeah I'm pretty sure that's not accurate

Are you talking about Day9's LP where he needed an hour and a half just to get through chargen?