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Pillars of Eternity by Obsidian Entertainment (Kickstarter) [Up: Teaser]

L

Lime

Member
Regarding the expansion tier, shouldn't Obsidian have contacted anyone who pledged $20 above their selected tier? I still haven't received any confirmation that my +20 dollars pledge is a confirmation of the expansion...
 
L

Lancehead

Member
Lime said:
Regarding the expansion tier, shouldn't Obsidian have contacted anyone who pledged $20 above their selected tier? I still haven't received any confirmation that my +20 dollars pledge is a confirmation of the expansion...
Click to expand...

I imagine they'll set up some sort of portal (like Ranger Centre for Wasteland 2) where you can change, specify or confirm things.
 
V

Violet_0

Banned
duckroll said:
I really like that one of the first things they want to do is plan out the world size and find the right balance between wilderness and actual locations. It's going to be really important for their productivity moving forward, because they're using fixed maps which means every single area has to be accounted for and they have to make sure they have the time and manpower for each background to be made.
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I hope they plan to recapture the feeling of exploration of BG2's chapter 2 (the reason to play the game, really). You need to collect gold to free Imoen and proceed with the main quest, so get out, travel through Amn and discover many memorable locations such as the De'Arnise Hold or Umar Hills. BG1's exploration felt aimless to me and the areas were mostly empty and low on content, in comparison (thought I've only played that game for a couple hours).
 
F

Famassu

Member
Lime said:
Regarding the expansion tier, shouldn't Obsidian have contacted anyone who pledged $20 above their selected tier? I still haven't received any confirmation that my +20 dollars pledge is a confirmation of the expansion...
Click to expand...
AFAIK they said they'd start gathering information within the next 2-4 weeks after the Kickstarter ended. So no worries yet. It'll take a while to sort things out now that they've successfully funded such a massive game.
 
C

CrunchyFrog

Member
duckroll said:
I wonder if that dungeon illustration is even going to be remotely accurate in terms of the actual implementation. Would they feel bound by what they have shown in the illustration? If they have better ideas when actually making the dungeon, I hope they don't feel that this artwork is some sort of promise in terms of what each floor of the dungeon will have.
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While perhaps not being that big, having maybe a subtly breathing golem or even a multilevel underground golem fight would be a pretty badass set piece. But I agree, they shouldn't feel obligated to stick to what was shown in the pic.

And while I'd lean towards being more lax on space than restrictive, the original BG on 5 CD's was a goddamn nightmare, ESPECIALLY if disc 5 gets scratched. Welp, there goes the Sarevok fight and everything with it :/
 
L

Lancehead

Member
CrunchyFrog said:
While perhaps not being that big, having maybe a subtly breathing golem or even a multilevel underground golem fight would be a pretty badass set piece. But I agree, they shouldn't feel obligated to stick to what was shown in the pic.
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As a loose comparison, it could be something like the plant creature (I forget its name) you fight on Feros in Mass Effect 1. Assuming of course we'll be fighting the giant.
 
S

SquiddyCracker

Banned
Lancehead said:
Transparent version of the dungeon, to remove all that ugly white:
iPCYpg1CTccn2.png
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I'm totally expecting squids at the 12th level.
 
Z

zkylon

zkylewd
duckroll said:
I dunno, in the case of the "endless" dungeon, they just might. It's not like they get any money from 40k Facebook Likes. :p
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They'll probably leave Paypal pledges open so more exposure could mean more sales.

I mean, it's just one more level, versus who knows how many people knowing about it on Facebook. Not that I feel it needs more levels, 15 already sounds pretty darned big...
 
H

HP_Wuvcraft

Banned
Famassu said:
Yeah, but if they promise more content, they aren't just going to spread existing content on a wider area and call it a day.
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I don't think you quite understand the concept of finite money and finite time in a creative project. You can't just delay the game into 2015 and suddenly you have more resources: space, money, etc.; you also can't do whatever you want.

And that is exactly what they will do. They will spread content out and call it a day. Oda is not meant to be a part of the main game. It's a side quest. The Paths of Oda was not even a stretch goal past the initial four floors, it was a way for them to get more exposure.

It's not a priority.
 
Z

zkylon

zkylewd
HP_Wuvcraft said:
I don't think you quite understand the concept of finite money and finite time in a creative project. You can't just delay the game into 2015 and suddenly you have more resources: space, money, etc.; you also can't do whatever you want.

And that is exactly what they will do. They will spread content out and call it a day. Oda is not meant to be a part of the main game. It's a side quest. The Paths of Oda was not even a stretch goal past the initial four floors, it was a way for them to get more exposure.

It's not a priority.
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Making an extra level is probably negible or almost negible, or else they would've asked for 5k pledgers or more instead of 2.5.

I can understand the idea of limited resources when you're talking about the second city or whatever, but saying that they'll have to worsen other parts of the game for just one more level is way too reductive.
 
D

Deleted member 102362

Unconfirmed Member
I just hope the giant will have feet in the final game.
 
Prax

Prax

Member
What if.. they leave his feet cut off to explain why he's still stuck there?

And then somewhere else in the game, you'll see mountains that are actually his feet or something? :D
 
D

Deleted member 102362

Unconfirmed Member
Prax said:
What if.. they leave his feet cut off to explain why he's still stuck there?

And then somewhere else in the game, you'll see mountains that are actually his feet or something? :D
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That could work.

Obsidian never hit the 40,000 likes mark...perhaps the giant requires the strength of 40,000 people to re-attach his feet.
 
Z

zkylon

zkylewd
Prax said:
What if.. they leave his feet cut off to explain why he's still stuck there?

And then somewhere else in the game, you'll see mountains that are actually his feet or something? :D
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Maybe Obs will finally explain the giant feet statue in Lost.
 
F

Famassu

Member
HP_Wuvcraft said:
I don't think you quite understand the concept of finite money and finite time in a creative project. You can't just delay the game into 2015 and suddenly you have more resources: space, money, etc.; you also can't do whatever you want.

And that is exactly what they will do. They will spread content out and call it a day. Oda is not meant to be a part of the main game. It's a side quest. The Paths of Oda was not even a stretch goal past the initial four floors, it was a way for them to get more exposure.

It's not a priority.
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I understand the concept of finite money & time just fine, thank you very much. Adding a few levels hardly means 12 months of extra work, especially if they don't add tons of NPCs or connections to any storylines in the game, but keep it strictly focused on exploration & combat.
 
D

DTKT

Member
I hope that giant statue is actually a golem that the mad mage was trying to create. Then, as you reach the level with it's head, it talks to you. It might even be a shop, and as you clear the bottom levels, it can offer more "valuable" stuff.

It can't get out because it's missing it's feet.
 
L

Lancehead

Member
Durante said:
I don't think this has been posted yet. Cybergamer (a site I had never heard of before) posted one of the best interviews I've read so far about Project Eternity. Some great questions, especially if you are into tabletop RPGs:
http://www.cybergamer.com.au/articl...w-with-Josh-Sawyer-of-Obsidian-Entertainment/
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Yes, some great stuff in there.

I like this:
Implementing Some of the UI features that the IE games had would go a long way to adding that IE feeling to the game. I would just like to say that if you do a select all button, have it in the bottom right corner of the screen like Baldur's Gate! Some other important features of the IE games UI were the Combat log and the Object Highlighter. These are features that could potentially be linked to expert mode. Would you like to include a number crunching combat log and an object Highlighter ? If so I would like to cast a vote for easter eggs in tiny holes on the map like the Ring of Wizardry that don't show up on the highlighter.

I think combat logs are great for understanding the mechanics in detail. Not everyone uses them, but I definitely think they have value. I also think select all is very handy. Many people like to do a fast marquee select, but a select all button is nice as well. The object highlighter feels almost like a requirement to me. I've never seen the fun in pixel hunting, especially when you're often dealing with something that the characters could likely see very easily. This doesn't preclude the existence of "secret" containers or doors, though, since those can be turned off by default.
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No pixel hunting, good!
 
I

injurai

Banned
The thing that I'm most interested to see, is how PE is different from the Infinity engine games. I know their primary goal is to have a game entirely in that spirit, but technology has come a long way. I know some "old" or "archaic" features will still be expected by fans. Even things like the Map, or inventory screen could have some major usability features added.

What features do you guys think need an overhaul?
 
E

EndcatOmega

Unconfirmed Member
More auto-pause options- I know there's one that pauses after each action, but I don't think there was one that paused only after everyone had done one 'turn'. A more customisable 'hotbar' at the bottom of the screen would be nice, though as iirc you could set any ability to any button in the menus it's not a big deal. Not really UI, but better pathfinding so party members don't stand their gormless in the doorway when I'm trying to get out, or decide to take the scenic route in places with narrow passageways.
 
C

Cyrano

Member
duckroll said:
Cool. Nice to know they've actually talked about that. I think they'll probably keep the visual style of the illustration within the dungeon, but I'm glad that they're not going to feel constrained by the rough illustration.
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I think that good design dictates that it should probably be both to some degree. Games like Dark Souls turned out as well as they did, I think, because they spent a lot of time making the concepts for the game into terrifying reality. One of the things that always bugged me about initial Infinity Engine games was how unlike the character portraits were when compared to the actual character. Planescape Torment remedied this cognitive dissonance.
 
V

Violet_0

Banned
Project Eternity Update #29: Fulfillment and the Pros and Cons of Nostalgia and Realism

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidian/project-eternity/posts/339083?ref=activity

Armor Design & Fulfillment System

First off, I wanted to announce that we’re developing a fulfillment site, which we’re hoping to have online in the next month or two (I was hoping to have it up sooner, but my first baby is coming into the world in the next few days, eeep!). Everyone who backed the project on Kickstarter and/or PayPal will be e-mailed details that will give you credit on that site. After logging in, you will be able to:

Confirm the tier of choice that you wanted. A few of you donated on Kickstarter, and then topped up via PayPal, so you’ll be able to select the exact tier you wanted.
Confirm any add-ons you wanted that weren’t easy to specify on Kickstarter or via PayPal.
Upgrade your pledge to another tier, or add on for, ummm, add-ons. :)
Update your e-mail address at any time.
Update your shipping address at any time. (Shipping address only needed for physical goods – we don’t need that info for digital orders.)
Indicate any specific details associated with your tier (T-shirt sizes, name in the credits, etc.)
If you live outside of the USA, it will also verify that you’ve added enough shipping.

We’ll keep you guys updated in future, ummm, updates, on how progress is coming along!
Click to expand...
 
Z

Zeliard

Member
Pretty sure Sawyer needs to go around with that face paint all the time. Fits him like a glove that fits particularly well.

We would like our armor system to accomplish the following goals:

Make wearing different types of armor a real choice for the player based on both character build and circumstance. E.g. a swashbuckling lightly-armored fighter will tend to wear one of a variety of light armor types (maybe a gambeson or leather cuirass), but in a circumstance where protection is of utmost importance, the player may still choose to wear heavy armor with a loss in build optimization.

Disassociate armor value from class type in favor of different build types. E.g. a wizard can wear heavy armor and be a different type of wizard instead of just "a wizard who is bad".

Allow a character to maintain a character concept throughout the game without suffering extreme mechanical penalties. E.g. a character who starts the game in some form of light armor can complete the game in some form of light armor with appropriate gameplay trade-offs compared to wearing heavy armor.
Click to expand...

Good news, budding plate armor mages!

I really like the thought they're putting into these systems.

Should something like hide armor be supplanted/made obsolete by leather as an "improved version" or does that effectively kill the visual concept of the rough-hewn rawhide-wearing ranger or barbarian?

If armor types like hide (or scale, or mail) should remain viable on their own, how should that "upgrade" be expressed to the player? Functional descriptors like "fine scale", "superior hide", etc.? Cultural or material descriptors like "Vailian doublet", "iron feather scale"? Olde tyme numerical descriptors like "scale armor +1", "half-plate +2"?

Is it okay for an upgrade from a visual type of armor to maintain its relative position to other armor types even if "realistically" that upgraded armor is now probably superior in protection to other armor types? E.g. an armored jack or brigandine armor is probably more protective than even nice suit of leather armor... but mechanically, we're presenting it as an upgrade of a padded (doublet) armor type.
Click to expand...

They could potentially go with some sort of Guild Wars'ish transmutation system that allows certain armor types to be upgraded by having stats transferred over from other armor, if they want it so that a certain look and style can be kept while not being made obsolete stat-wise, as well as for loot pickups to still be meaningful in some way. But then that also runs into issues with verisimilitude; from a "realistic" standpoint it doesn't make a lick of sense. It's a tricky thing. I'm curious to see how they'll solve it.

Also, gimme the cultural descriptors any day. The numerical naming convention isn't really something I yearn for. Give me some badass gear names.
 
I

inm8num2

Member
God that scared me.

Also, I was a bit apprehensive about backing. I'm not a big RPG player, but as the campaign evolved I liked what they were conveying. I'm feeling good about this one, bros.
 
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