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

F

FACE

Banned
zkylon said:
pe-conversation-inn.jpg


http://www.kickstarter.com/projects.../575528?ref=email&show_token=2a9a40ca59f64894

new update on project progress and whatnot
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iYWLj2RBeVhDp.gif
 
Z

Zeliard

Member
I really miss that style of visual, descriptive prose in RPGs. Quite enjoyed it in Shadowrun Returns as well. Even a couple of simple introductory sentences when talking to a character can add a lot to immersion, as it plays on your imagination and keeps you involved.
 
T

The Technomancer

card-carrying scientician
Zeliard said:
I really miss that style of visual, descriptive prose in RPGs. Quite enjoyed it in Shadowrun Returns as well. Even a couple of simple introductory sentences when talking to a character can add a lot to immersion, as it plays on your imagination and keeps you involved.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I grew up on the Spiderweb RPGs which practically throw well written descriptive walls of text at you Dungeon Master style, so its always a touch I've appreciated.
 
P

peakish

Member
dude said:
The UI for this game is fucking perfect. Fuck your slick white text next gen UIs, this is what I want.
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Ya, I don't mind slick interfaces as opposed to looking like a book or chiseled in granite or whatever (apparently something called skeumorphism which was a term I hadn't heard of until two months back when suddenly all mobile OS talk was about that, guess it was buzzworded during a conference of something) - but I like consistency. Have a nice, readable serif font and interface to at least reinforce the setting, just not overpowering it.

The IE games had no problems with that and this screenshot again reinforces my belief in Obsidian.
 
Z

zon

Member
I'm completely out of the loop when it comes to this game, have they said anything about when we can expect the game to be finished?
 
D

DTKT

Member
Do they usually show the character name and the description text right after? I'm easily confused and thought it was dialogue at first. I'd rather see just the description (You see a small man...) after initiating the conversation and then the actual dialogue lines.

Such a small thing to nag about but I had to find something...
 
D

Dresden

Member
I'm more worried about all the response text being the same color. How am I supposed to figure out just what to answer with if they're not color-coded?
 
P

PFD

Member
DTKT said:
Do they usually show the character name and the fluff text right after? I'm easily confused and thought it was dialogue at first. I'd rather see just the description after initiating the conversation and then the actual text.

Such a small thing to nag about but I had to find something...
Click to expand...

That's how it used to be in old infinity engine games

Torment005.jpg
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Dresden said:
I'm more worried about all the response text being the same color. How am I supposed to figure out just what to answer with if they're not color-coded?
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I get lost without a dialogue wheel. How could I possibly find the sarcastic option?

FACE said:
Remove that ungodly abomination from this thread, please.
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What's the matter? You don't like PC Gamer's best game of all time?
 
Z

zkylon

zkylewd
Dresden said:
I'm more worried about all the response text being the same color. How am I supposed to figure out just what to answer with if they're not color-coded?
Click to expand...

well if the answer you picked leads to romance with said party member then you picked the right one
 
S

SquiddyCracker

Banned
DTKT said:
Do they usually show the character name and the fluff text right after? I'm easily confused and thought it was dialogue at first. I'd rather see just the description after initiating the conversation and then the actual text.

Such a small thing to nag about but I had to find something...
Click to expand...
I think what seperates CRPGs from modern RPGS (Let's call them "SRPG" for "SimplifiedRPG") is that the former conveys the plot and game elements in the style of a written work, whereas SRPGs try to ape Hollywood movies and as a result have simplified prose, flashy stuff, and quick one-liners for dialogue & cut scenes.
 
Z

Zeliard

Member
mclem said:
It's a minor niggle - a tremendously minor one - but it bothered me a bit then, too. It'd be nice to be able to toggle it off.
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In Planescape: Torment the dialogue was often interspersed with bits of descriptive prose (which you can see in the picture posted), much like you'd find in a novel or text adventure, so it was largely unavoidable there to maintain consistency.

If they don't go that route in Eternity and keep the descriptions entirely separate from the dialogue, as in the example, they could perhaps do something about it for the people it does bother.
 
D

duckroll

Member
I don't like the NPC name before the descriptive prose either. It's something I never liked in text presentations of this sort. Having the descriptive prose on its own, and showing the character name before lines actual dialogue always ends up better for readability. Maybe it was a limitation of how dialogue sequences were scripted in the Infinity Engine days, but that shouldn't be a problem today I would think.
 
S

SquiddyCracker

Banned
Oh, I misunderstood the complaint, and I kinda agree.
The general descriptive prose should definetly not be assigned to a a character/object like in classic isometric RPGs.
For that matter, I wouldn't at all mind them really going to town when it comes to the descriptives.

Use different fonts, use cursive, bold, different colours (okay, maybe not different colours, though I did like it in the first NWN1 expansion).
 
S

SquiddyCracker

Banned
On the otherhand, having a character name and semi-colon in front of what is descriptive prose is distinctively un-novel wise.

I mean, the character name is there to indicate who is speaking, I think it is a bit superflous to also use the character name to indicate that this little bit of descriptive prose applies to this particular character.

You could always do something like:

"The innkeeper, Osmaer, digs inside a mug with a dirty rag before raising his thick eyebrows to your level. A strange silvery tooth appears behind his fat, shiny smile."

With the bold being in the same font/colour as the character name is in dialogue.
 
L

Labadal

Member
duckroll said:
I don't like the NPC name before the descriptive prose either. It's something I never liked in text presentations of this sort. Having the descriptive prose on its own, and showing the character name before lines actual dialogue always ends up better for readability. Maybe it was a limitation of how dialogue sequences were scripted in the Infinity Engine days, but that shouldn't be a problem today I would think.
Click to expand...
Sawyer said they will probably remove that in the final game.
 
Prax

Prax

Member
Labadal said:
Sawyer said they will probably remove that in the final game.
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Wonderful.

If they wanna do it script-style narrative-dialogue, then they ought to do it right by parsing the two more explicitly. :>

Though it's also acceptable for them to do it this way:
General description of area or neutral description of environment/setting.
NPC: "NPC dialogue." NPC action or description relating specifically of NPC. "NPC dialogue."
Description of something else going on in environment.
NPC: "NPC dialogue."

1. Player response action.
2. "Player dialogue." Response action.
Click to expand...

Looks like:
The path outside the GAF in was well-worn as if many travellers had been though. However, the building seemed was hostile, unwelcoming. It was boarded up from the inside, though one could hear the hollers of riled patrons coming through the two boarded doors and see the shafts of light flickering through its seams.
NPC: "Hey there, junior." The lone man standing around outside the inn was clearly drunk. The smells of a recent drink and oozing knuckles of a recent fight still lingering on him. "Someone as green as you.. you won't last past the first round."
The sound of glass breaking against the doors was sudden, and more suddenly still was was left door splintering open as a number of patrons were sent flying through to land hard onto the ground before you.
NPC: "Heh.. Just 'nother notch fer the Bishop.. hic"

1. You step aside and circle them from a distance, checking the possibly gravity of their injuries.
2. "Seems like my kind of place!" You can barely contain your excitement as you skirt across the bodies and head inside.
Click to expand...

I wonder what's up with the GAF Inn portion of this game. I kept to a lower tier in order to bump the GAF Inn part higher so I hope that portion get a lot of love and care put into it as well.
 
S

SquiddyCracker

Banned
NO, ALL OVER MY FACE!

Adventures for idle companions. You will eventually have more companions than will fit in your party, so you will have leave some of them behind. While they are idling away at the stronghold, they can take part in their own adventures, earning additional experience for themselves and extra money, items and reputation bonuses for you!
Click to expand...

Holy shit at the "Activities" bit.
 
S

SquiddyCracker

Banned

If you have cleared the dungeon and built a prison under your stronghold, then when you are fighting some of the named NPC’s in the game, you will be given an option to take them prisoner instead of killing them. Prisoners are kept in a cell in your prison, where you can visit them and talk to them, and occasionally use them as leverage later in the game. But you will need to keep your security level high, or you might suffer from a prison break!
 
A

Adnor

Banned
That update was big enough that it can be in EVERYONE FACES.

The prison sounds awesome, has any other RPG done that?
 
S

SquiddyCracker

Banned
Adnor said:
That update was big enough that it can be in EVERYONE FACES.

The prison sounds awesome, has any other RPG done that?
Click to expand...

There might have been something like that in NWN2, but I don't think so.
That's really the only other RPG I can think of with an extensive fortress.
 
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