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Divinity: Original Sin |OT| Sandbox RPG. Co-Op friendly. Bread.

D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
For art to be art it must past objective deterninations of quality. Subjective doesn't enter into play until the objective barrier is passed.

We can have a subjective conversation comparing Maniac Mansion, Myst, Baldur's Gate 2, Command & conquer: red alert, Civilization, The Last of Us...

Games which have narrative techniques that pass the objective qualities we need to analyze before reviewing them as art. With games this is more complicated because things likr Xcom/Civ/SimCity/D:OS have emergent narrative elements that become part of the story. These are the games that fully realize what the medium can be. Minecraft is an example of a different way...emergent narrative that can become self authored pure storytelling/creation.

The games that don't have this need be objectively observed for the basics of style and language. Would you really claim a story written with the decision trees of an adolescent brimming with magical power in a grown man's body are objectively well thought out? That character is a villain, an idiot, or hopelessly lost. It shows no long term consideration for the character and his existence; it is a vehicle for the player to enact their power fantasies upon the game world without moral consiseration.

This is not 'morally grey' writing. It's morally absent. Consequences within the game world don't resolve the fundamentally pisspoor writing that must exist for the character to even think those thoughts in the first place.

Things can be popular and even critically well loved but completely fail all objective qualifications as art. Most hollywood movies are no longer art; they are made by teams of producers, marketers, focus groups and writers to create a product. The Witcher is a product. A work of artifice, not art.

It's fine if you cannot separste the two. Modern society has blurred the lines between them and games sadly have become more artifice than art.

But to pretend that such tripe crap is on the level of a great piece of game writing...is intellectually dishonest. It's skipping the step called 'objective critical analysis' and responding out of emotions.

It'd be like if I told you Haruki Murakami or Cormac McCarthy are strictly better writers than Stephen King/Dan Brown...and you still argued because 'taste is different' that there was no data to support that contention.

You can like something that's not art. I love loot games. No loot game is art. They are all dopamine pandering timesinks. Titan Quest is one of my favorite games...but not one of the best games. It takes effort to create a division between personal opinion and analysis.

For something to be objectively evaluated, there needs to be relevant facts and logical implications that can be followed. How does this come into play with criticism of writing and art in general when personal interpretation is such a huge factor?

Your post is colored throughout with your own personal biases, for example. "the decision trees of an adolescent brimming with magical power in a grown man's body..." "It's morally absent..." "fundamentally pisspoor..." "such tripe crap..." etc. I fail to see how you are doing anything but responding out of emotions born of your own personal tastes.

Anyway, this is probably getting a bit off topic.
 

FtHTiny

Member
I didn't mean that
cathedral.^^ I mean the one next to Sacred Stone. I can access it but the path is cut off and I don't see anything else there.

That should be that cathedral.
There should be a way around the cutoff path.
 

Chaos17

Member
I'm not telling this to insult you: you are confusing compositional complexity for character depth.

When writing a narrative like Dragonfall every character exists to play off of the protagonist's story. While they may appear to have motivations based on detailed writing and pre-determined plots they actually only exist to allow the main character to determine more about themselves through their interactions. They are flat characters existing in a exciting narrative that revolves around the protagonist.

What makes a game like Divinity, BG2, Torment, Pillars of Eternity special is the writers don't approach non player characters as part of a branch of the main plot. They are constructed as individuals with their own personality/beliefs/background before they're incorporated into events. This way they are not simply guideposts on a egocentric journey but individuals to be encountered.

Every named npc in Divinity with dialogue trees feels like that. Even the mushrooms.

I simply didn't see that sort of design in the Shadowrun games. And it's certainly not any -better- compositionally than Divinity. Unless someone here believes fantasy writing is somehow 'easy' because you can make it all up. If that's the case than why does everyone in the Witcher games come off like an idiot...

That wasn't meant to be a slight on Shadowrun overall. They're nicrly written games with snappy dialogue using a great world lore...but snappy doesn't equate to dimension/personality. Attitude doesn't bring across motivation nearly as well as pacing and diction.

I noticed you mentioned companions: Companions are inherently written to 'grow' with your protagonist and show off story. They're fragments of deep characterization. If you're the type of individual that really enjoys that type of story they'll always pop out to you as the most real/developed people.

From a writing standpoint it's easy to give someone depth and a point of view if you have the entire narrative worth of events for them to react to. What impresses me is the ability to use composition, diction, word choice and actions to turn what are nominally static characters into believable parts of a world.

That's a complicated challenge which the best of the classic rpg's accomplish.

There is a difference between good writing and a good story.
This game do not have both.
 

erragal

Member
Whoaaa there buddy. I think you may be overrating Divinity a little. That's cool that you really like it but you may he going a bit overboard.

DAT honeymoon period.

Well sixty hours, 80+ named npcs, 40+ cooperative dialogues, and countless moments of emergent narrative have me quite impressed.

Most games either have scripted narrative or emergent narrative as a possibility. What makes this one so special is that you have this highly interactive game world allowing for very creative and personalized resolutions to both events and combat...while still having dynamic and fully realized people within said world.

I will say this though: Not everyone 'gets' the concept of emergent narrative. The idea that your actions within the world are personal and unique thus they -are- the events of the narrative doesn't always click. I consider that the greatest measure of the objective value of the gaming medium; it's the quality of storytelling only games can provide. It's why X-com and Alpha Centauri are really pinnacles of game design. As is this game.
 
This game is really good. Interested in trying coop...how does it work exactly. Do you have to be the same lvl as the person you are playing with or what?
 

imtehman

Banned
11 hours in and this is GOTY for me so far. Wish the loot system was better though, i dont like hte idea of randomly generated loot inside chests. Wish looting was like FF tactics or something so i can get a ragnorak or save the queen during endgame or something.

This turnbased battle system is absolutely amazing and it just brings all kinds of feels.

The sountrack is also awesome
 

Sub Zero

his body's cold as ice, but he's got a heart of gold
Is there
an alternate way to access the mines? Recovered both Leandra's blood and her spell and I'm now supposed to combine them but the entrance in luculla forest is shut off
 

misho8723

Banned
First one had better writing than the sequel (at least after they patched the first one).

How so? .. the first Witcher was more of a adaptation of the Witcher stories books, which was good, but W2 writting was like in the Witcher saga books, which were fantastic.. the politics, the interactions, stories, the complicated but still fine to follow story, overall i think it was miles better in W2 than in the first one.. but i'm still fan of the W1 game, but because of the more slavic atmosphere, OST and more monster diverstity and the overall flow of the game - story.. i like the Witcher stories more than Witcher saga, i'm fan of Geralt's personal adventures, but still the writing was better in W2... (i only finished W2 EE last week, so i have good memory of the writing) - but this is only my opinion, so whatever :)

But now as W3 is going to have a more personal story for Geralt, i can't wait for it - more personal story, more slavic feeling, better OST than W2 (from what i have heard so far), better combat system (which was fine for me in W2), open-world (which i'm not such a big fan of, but in this case it hopefully will work), own horse, Ciri, Yennefer, etc.. yeah, W3 is my most most anticipated game right now
 

FtHTiny

Member
Is there
an alternate way to access the mines? Recovered both Leandra's blood and her spell and I'm now supposed to combine them but the entrance in luculla forest is shut off

You can combine them anywhere. Just drag them over eachother.
 

Yoda

Member
Finally got to the mines to get killed by a Death Knight. Does anyone in a non-spoilerish way wanna point me in the right direction on how to kill them?
 

FtHTiny

Member
Finally got to the mines to get killed by a Death Knight. Does anyone in a non-spoilerish way wanna point me in the right direction on how to kill them?

It´s hard to say without spoilering the zone so read with caution.
You are suposed to stealth past them.
 

epmode

Member
I really need to stop reading this thread until I'm finished with the game. Some people are more careful with spoiler tags than others, apparently.
 
How so? .. the first Witcher was more of a adaptation of the Witcher stories books, which was good, but W2 writting was like in the Witcher saga books, which were fantastic.. the politics, the interactions, stories, the complicated but still fine to follow story, overall i think it was miles better in W2 than in the first one.. but i'm still fan of the W1 game, but because of the more slavic atmosphere, OST and more monster diverstity and the overall flow of the game - story.. i like the Witcher stories more than Witcher saga, i'm fan of Geralt's personal adventures, but still the writing was better in W2... (i only finished W2 EE last week, so i have good memory of the writing) - but this is only my opinion, so whatever :)

But now as W3 is going to have a more personal story for Geralt, i can't wait for it - more personal story, more slavic feeling, better OST than W2 (from what i have heard so far), better combat system (which was fine for me in W2), open-world (which i'm not such a big fan of, but in this case it hopefully will work), own horse, Ciri, Yennefer, etc.. yeah, W3 is my most most anticipated game right now

The story was more cohesive. Every act crescendoed into a dramatic conclusion and the pacing after Act I was amazing. Act IV in particular was a breath of fresh air after all the tense intrique up to Act III. The characters in the first one were more interesting too. Thaler, the fence..Vincent Meis..etc... To top it off, the game ended on a really high note without completely spelling it out.
 

StMeph

Member
For art to be art it must past objective deterninations of quality. Subjective doesn't enter into play until the objective barrier is passed.

I agree with this thought. Things can be objectively good AND/OR subjectively good.

Objective good is usually determined by its technical quality, whether or not it is culturally/historically significant, does/says something new or different, and demonstrates a particular mastery or new technique. This can apply to any craft, not just games, writing, or movies/TV. Even food and drink.

Subjective good is entirely up to the consumer, grows with experience/exposure, and varies by personal preferences.

It's entirely possible to be good by both measures, only one, or none.

That said...

Whoaaa there buddy. I think you may be overrating Divinity a little. That's cool that you really like it but you may he going a bit overboard.

DAT honeymoon period.

I also think you're overrating Divinity by a bit -- and emergent narratives (your description), by proxy -- in the context of writing.

With games this is more complicated because things likr Xcom/Civ/SimCity/D:OS have emergent narrative elements that become part of the story. These are the games that fully realize what the medium can be. Minecraft is an example of a different way...emergent narrative that can become self authored pure storytelling/creation.

The games that don't have this need be objectively observed for the basics of style and language. Would you really claim a story written with the decision trees of an adolescent brimming with magical power in a grown man's body are objectively well thought out? That character is a villain, an idiot, or hopelessly lost. It shows no long term consideration for the character and his existence; it is a vehicle for the player to enact their power fantasies upon the game world without moral consiseration.

Most games either have scripted narrative or emergent narrative as a possibility. What makes this one so special is that you have this highly interactive game world allowing for very creative and personalized resolutions to both events and combat...while still having dynamic and fully realized people within said world.

I will say this though: Not everyone 'gets' the concept of emergent narrative. The idea that your actions within the world are personal and unique thus they -are- the events of the narrative doesn't always click. I consider that the greatest measure of the objective value of the gaming medium; it's the quality of storytelling only games can provide.

And that's the point where personal preferences toward emergent narratives begin to blur lines between objective and subjective analysis. I would go on to say that the most of the RPG examples given as an emergent narrative-style is more a matter of world building than true emergent storytelling, since there are major plot drivers behind Baldur's Gate and Torment. Icewind Dale is probably the thinnest, but that's threadbare, not emergent.

Truly emergent narratives would be a world without a driving story, where the player determines everything from beginning to end. Minecraft is a perfect example of that, as is DayZ. Emergent RPGs? It's just having extensive dialogue branches and great world building. But none of that story was emergent, as it's all pre-written and accounted for. No decision a player takes was outside the scope of the original design, especially when using dialogue options.

It's why X-com and Alpha Centauri are really pinnacles of game design. As is this game.

Alpha Centauri actually has a really incredible plot running underneath its function as an equally-amazing Civ 2-sequel. One of my favorite games of all time.
 

erragal

Member
For something to be objectively evaluated, there needs to be relevant facts and logical implications that can be followed. How does this come into play with criticism of writing and art in general when personal interpretation is such a huge factor?

Your post is colored throughout with your own personal biases, for example. "the decision trees of an adolescent brimming with magical power in a grown man's body..." "It's morally absent..." "fundamentally pisspoor..." "such tripe crap..." etc. I fail to see how you are doing anything but responding out of emotions born of your own personal tastes.

Anyway, this is probably getting a bit off topic.


Because the first step in creating a believable character is by sussing out how a human given the history, characteristics, and situation may react. What we define literature by: the human condition. You can evaluate the mundane elements of style/diction. In visual art it could be line work and color; for filmic art we would evaluate cinemotography, line delivery, the actors themselves.

Having standards of technique to evaluate artistic mediums by is not a new concept. It's just one that seems foreign to gamers as an audience.

My emotions are disgust with the premise that said game has 'good writing' not any particular issue with the product itself. It's a confounding idea that insults the years of human narrative tradition I've been fortunate to experience.
 
The character I made for my friend's online game doesn't seem to be anywhere. Does it only appear if my friend (the host) recreates/loads the game save? I don't seem to have any access to the save state at all.

I'm hoping I haven't lost that character.
 

Durante

Member
Is there a way to change the order in which my dudes attack? Seems to be the same order for every battle.
In-turn order is determined by initiative. You can delay turns by using the button on the right side of the screen.

The character I made for my friend's online game doesn't seem to be anywhere. Does it only appear if my friend (the host) recreates/loads the game save?
Yes, the character is part of that game.
 
How so? .. the first Witcher was more of a adaptation of the Witcher stories books, which was good, but W2 writting was like in the Witcher saga books, which were fantastic.. the politics, the interactions, stories, the complicated but still fine to follow story, overall i think it was miles better in W2 than in the first one.. but i'm still fan of the W1 game, but because of the more slavic atmosphere, OST and more monster diverstity and the overall flow of the game - story.. i like the Witcher stories more than Witcher saga, i'm fan of Geralt's personal adventures, but still the writing was better in W2... (i only finished W2 EE last week, so i have good memory of the writing) - but this is only my opinion, so whatever :)

But now as W3 is going to have a more personal story for Geralt, i can't wait for it - more personal story, more slavic feeling, better OST than W2 (from what i have heard so far), better combat system (which was fine for me in W2), open-world (which i'm not such a big fan of, but in this case it hopefully will work), own horse, Ciri, Yennefer, etc.. yeah, W3 is my most most anticipated game right now

Okay! *rubs hands together* I know how to bring this around to Divinity.

Behold, one of the best Divinity songs: Slavic (I don't understand a word of it, but it's great.)

Has anyone encountered this song in DOS? I know it uses some Divinity 2 songs, so the possibility is there.

Also, partially related, has there been any word from Larian as to whether Kirill will do more work on the Divinity: Original Sin OST when he's in better health? The, ahem, original songs for DOS are all top-notch, especially that weird battle music (Dance of Death) and I'd be overjoyed if they were adding more.
 

kafiend

Member
I don't want to frighten anyone, but i just finished the game with 103 hours on the clock. Minus maybe 10-15 hours in alt tab it was still meaty and enjoyable as it gets all the way through.

What an Epic game and gimme Moar!

Course, I'm on a gaming downer now and need to find something to make me feel better :/
 

Levyne

Banned
That mouseinjoypad review is a chore to go through. I can't put my finger on it. Reads weird.

As far as visuals go, Original Sin is a pretty, if not remarkable title. As I mentioned before, the colours are vivid and pretty, and give off a nicely fantastical vibe. The textures and models are nice too, but not something to write home about.

I quickly learned that the world of Divinity doesn’t ignore basic laws of physics like RPGs usually do. For example – you will often destroy barrels found in levels to spill liquids such as oil or liquid to try and burn/shock everything caught in said fluids with appropriate spells.

Original Sin seemingly recognizes the mistake of its predecessors, and sports a lush, vibrant world with as many witty comments and funny occurrences as there are enemies to kill. Oh, rest assured that the story does not suffer, nor that the characters are nothing more than caricatures. You will be faced with serious matters that concern time itself, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun while you’re at it.
 

StMeph

Member
I'm playing the game solo, but how difficult is it to manage in coop?

I imagine there will be occasions where I'm impatient and want to get on with something, vs. other times I just want to go through my inventory, but how slow does combat feel waiting for the other person, or the tedium of resolving RPS matches in conversation trees? Or if you split off and run somewhere else, is XP gained still shared? What happens when there's distance?
 

BashNasty

Member
Should have it's own review thread IMO...

Are there any reviews from non-obscure sites yet? I'm interested in this game, but still on the fence.

Actually, I asked a question way, way back in this thread, but it never got satasfactorly answered, so let me try again. How is the overall "feel" of the game? Are the animations smooth? Does it feel good to move around? Are spells punchy and fun to use? Is inventory management slick and intuitive? These are the things that make or break games for me, if a game doesn't feel like a joy to play, despite how good it may be in other areas, I won't play it for more than a couple hours.
 

erragal

Member
I also think you're overrating Divinity by a bit -- and emergent narratives (your description), by proxy -- in the context of writing.





And that's the point where personal preferences toward emergent narratives begin to blur lines between objective and subjective analysis. I would go on to say that the most of the RPG examples given as an emergent narrative-style is more a matter of world building than true emergent storytelling, since there are major plot drivers behind Baldur's Gate and Torment. Icewind Dale is probably the thinnest, but that's threadbare, not emergent.

Truly emergent narratives would be a world without a driving story, where the player determines everything from beginning to end. Minecraft is a perfect example of that, as is DayZ. Emergent RPGs? It's just having extensive dialogue branches and great world building. But none of that story was emergent, as it's all pre-written and accounted for. No decision a player takes was outside the scope of the original design, especially when using dialogue options

I appreciate you reaponding in a thoughtful way.

I agree with you about the infinity engine games. They have no real emergent narrative moments as they are heavily scripted. They aren't on my objective best designed games list because of this.

I disagree about Divinity specifically. The fundamental difference is that independent of the writing you have a world of interactivity to partake in. Not only can you accomplish a huge range of actions with the tools given...but the world and characters will respond as best as they can to them.

If you steal using an ally as a distraction the game knows it and will talk to you about it. If you never steal that narrative plot point will not develop. If you choose to kill a character before even talking to them or discovering their quest...you have changed the narrative.

There is sequence breaking and alternate paths. What makes it uniquely special -is- that a scripted game has the ability to surprise you and to take on the characteristics of your own gameplay.

And the combat itself is interactive, diverse, and tactical. Instead of being distinct from the narrative it incorporates all of the objects/environments of the world into your story. This is where it fills that exact X-com role; the immersion of the combat system and its' intricacies make each encounter a story to be told. You're creating those unique, high tension moments that turn into tales of bravery/epic poems just by utilizing the tools in the game.

And you can roleplay however you want. You could be a talky bard that relies on scrolls and friends while still dealing with the encounters. You can heal a certain number of seriously wounded people...but not all.

So by expanding the scope of interactivity (alpha centauri...) with a strong narrative base to work with (alpha centauri as you also cited) you end up with a game that has a plot but one that is informed and detailed by the emergent narrative of your journey/choices.

And those choices don't happen necessarily within the dialogue trees. They happen all throughout the game world. People stay dead, objects stay broken...

It's certainly subjective how -much- I enjoy this game..but you're missing a lot if you haven't really seen the emergent qualities of the game world.
 
Few quest clean up questions. I'm pretty much ready to go into the mines, which I assume is the endgame of Act 2.

1.
Forgot location of Fumble to complete his quest.
2.
Where is Frederick to complete his quest?
3.
How do you complete the Immaculate village quest?
4.
Where do I go for the Closing the Rift quest?
 

misho8723

Banned
Cool that even Game(console)trailers did make a video about the game

http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/gbxi3y/editorial-report--divinity--original-sin

And this from the only person from GS which i like - Kevin VanOrd

2ST.jpg
 

danthefan

Member
Are there any reviews from non-obscure sites yet? I'm interested in this game, but still on the fence.

Actually, I asked a question way, way back in this thread, but it never got satasfactorly answered, so let me try again. How is the overall "feel" of the game? Are the animations smooth? Does it feel good to move around? Are spells punchy and fun to use? Is inventory management slick and intuitive? These are the things that make or break games for me, if a game doesn't feel like a joy to play, despite how good it may be in other areas, I won't play it for more than a couple hours.

I'm finding inventory management a bit annoying so far but nothing game breaking for me. All the other stuff is great. The animations are good, there are some absolutely awesome spells that really let you use your imagination (tbh I'm not sure what you mean by punchy). For example teleport lets you move stuff around the battlfield, so you can pick up a ranged enemy and drop him in the middle of your melee guys, or you can pick up a barrel of oil and drop it on a fire for a big explosion. The combat is turn based but it's the best turn based combat in an RPG I've ever experienced anyway. This is basically my first isometric RPG and I absolutely love it.

Edit - with the inventory there it could absolutely be that I'm just doing it wrong.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Because the first step in creating a believable character is by sussing out how a human given the history, characteristics, and situation may react. What we define literature by: the human condition. You can evaluate the mundane elements of style/diction. In visual art it could be line work and color; for filmic art we would evaluate cinemotography, line delivery, the actors themselves.

Having standards of technique to evaluate artistic mediums by is not a new concept. It's just one that seems foreign to gamers as an audience.

My emotions are disgust with the premise that said game has 'good writing' not any particular issue with the product itself. It's a confounding idea that insults the years of human narrative tradition I've been fortunate to experience.

I suppose I'll just have to drop it because we're not getting anywhere. I disagree that you can have objective evaluation of art, as personal interpretation always come into play. At best you can have a consensus of opinion among individuals, but that shouldn't be construed as the objective reality of things.

I will say that you come across as extremely elitist to the point of annoyance. I don't think you've had one post on the subject that isn't talking down to an audience for 'not getting it' in one way or another.
 

Mashing

Member
Pick up the two companions in the first town before you leave it, you're gonna have a bad time if you don't.

So true. I learned this first hand. It's still pretty difficult (on normal difficulty) even after doing so. Those archers really love to exploit exploding poison clouds.
 

Zukuu

Banned
Few quest clean up questions. I'm pretty much ready to go into the mines, which I assume is the endgame of Act 2.

1.
Forgot location of Fumble to complete his quest.
2.
Where is Frederick to complete his quest?
3.
How do you complete the Immaculate village quest?
4.
Where do I go for the Closing the Rift quest?

1. Right outside of Silverglen pretty much. First (broken) bridge.
2. He's at the east side of the desert. Under the hill with the secret mage lair.
 

Levyne

Banned
Are there any reviews from non-obscure sites yet? I'm interested in this game, but still on the fence.

Actually, I asked a question way, way back in this thread, but it never got satasfactorly answered, so let me try again. How is the overall "feel" of the game? Are the animations smooth? Does it feel good to move around? Are spells punchy and fun to use? Is inventory management slick and intuitive? These are the things that make or break games for me, if a game doesn't feel like a joy to play, despite how good it may be in other areas, I won't play it for more than a couple hours.

Inventory management is a little clunky, a bit because each of the four characters you can control has their own. So you end up shuffling potions and such from party member to party member, forget who picked up a certain key, opening backpacks and then having to click and move UI windows around, and if you try to craft something it can be hard to see the "not enough crafting" text since it appears behind the inventory window which is a little large. It's not bad but I think it could be tweaked. Maybe somehow separate character statistics and inventory.

All of the others are non-issues. Animations are fine, varied, wacky, memorable. Spells definitely have punch, sound effects are great, dialogue is engaging, the world feels organic and not manufactured for the the most part, etc.
 
1. Right outside of Silverglen pretty much. First (broken) bridge.
2. He's at the east side of the desert. Under the hill with the secret mage lair.

1. Thanks.
2. No, I did everything that needed to be done for the quest. It's just still in my journal as incomplete.
I need to know where Yox goes if you don't help Fred.
 

stone128

Member
I've already gifted a couple of copies on steam to my closest freinds on there, gotta spread the word... and the game literally :p

Was thinking about doing a giveaway on this forum too, but don't have -that- much money :p
 
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