water_wendi
Water is not wet!
Yeah, world and system design can be a total bitch. Still easier than branching dialogue lol
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Pillars of Eternity by Obsidian Entertainment (Kickstarter) [Up: Teaser]
- Thread starter duckroll
- Start date
arglebargle
Member
refresh my memory? i was thinking
ravel and trias
I appreciate how open the process has been too. I like that this thread (and the conversation in general) has been about the game, and also about RPG design philosophy. Lots of food for thought.
Shrennin
Didn't get the memo regarding the 14th Amendment
I'm an official backer of Project Eternity. Only pledged $25 but it says something about Obsidian when their project made me sign up to Kickstarter in the first place. I may pledge more later, but right now $25 is sufficient (plus I get the option to have it on GOG which I don't think is available to non-backers, if I'm not mistaken).
Unless I missed some info having a learn by doing system is also possible if somewhat unlikely. Something similar to say the Elder Scrolls or Darklands. With that type of system on can level up stats with out having to pick between magic missile and herbalism. You could be leveling up both.
I'm sure the game will be released on GOG for everyone, just like on Steam. I imagine the release price would be around $30.
Doubt it; Tim specifically said "spending" points. In any case, I don't like that system; it creates a feedback loop.
You can't avoid those battles but in the first case you're not the one who lands the killing blow, and in the other case you can leave the character completely alive.
The third mandatory fight is
either Ignus or Vhailor in the Fortress of Regrets, depending on your alignment.
For the split between combat and non combat skills the gains and advancement in each may be separated as well as the cost. Speaking through a quest is not necessarily going to give spendable combat points. That avoids the whole killing rats to level fireball and herbology at once.
All systems have pros and cons and the one in that one is that the character may end up pigeon holed into combat because they did not gain enough non-combat xp early in the game and cannot pass skill checks where they are.
All systems have pros and cons and the one in that one is that the character may end up pigeon holed into combat because they did not gain enough non-combat xp early in the game and cannot pass skill checks where they are.
water_wendi
Water is not wet!
i almost cant believe its hit this high amount in this short amount of time.
Shrennin
Didn't get the memo regarding the 14th Amendment
Oh, okay. When I read the news for it, it seemed worded in a way where the DRM free option would be exclusive to backers. I most likely read that wrong because that didn't seem right even when I read it. I'm still glad I backed the game though - now I just play the waiting game until April of 2014.
What does that mean?
EndcatOmega
Unconfirmed Member
I think it's just a reference to 'get 1.9 before the weekend's over'
HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
It's still rather depressing that donations have been slowing to a crawl.
It seems like every single Kickstarter, someone says that!
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
Probably on the high end of that, looks like it will probably end up slightly higher than Double Fine's did.
Cute Dragon Here
Member
Oh my.
I wonder how did I end up raising my pledge from $50, to $120, and then to $160 (international shipping included). There must be a strange pull from the project that is making me raise my pledge twice.
I wonder how did I end up raising my pledge from $50, to $120, and then to $160 (international shipping included). There must be a strange pull from the project that is making me raise my pledge twice.
Sawyer had this to say re: combat and non-combat skills being divorced from each other -
It's essentially a variation on respecing. Instead of allowing an arbitrary respec option at some point in the game, they're going to lessen the possibility of screwing up a build in the first place.
Not necessarily my favorite idea ever (I think cRPG customization should be open-ended enough to allow for the possibility of an 'inferior', stunted build), but it remains to be seen how it'll work as we get more details.
It also depends how the XP system will work exactly. We know that combat and non-combat skills will use different currencies; if using a skill in a specific category propagates skill gains there in particular, then it could be limit jack-of-all-trades scenarios (i.e. actively using non-combat skills and solving conflicts without fighting nets you much more non-combat XP than combat, and vice versa).
It's essentially a variation on respecing. Instead of allowing an arbitrary respec option at some point in the game, they're going to lessen the possibility of screwing up a build in the first place.
Not necessarily my favorite idea ever (I think cRPG customization should be open-ended enough to allow for the possibility of an 'inferior', stunted build), but it remains to be seen how it'll work as we get more details.
It also depends how the XP system will work exactly. We know that combat and non-combat skills will use different currencies; if using a skill in a specific category propagates skill gains there in particular, then it could be limit jack-of-all-trades scenarios (i.e. actively using non-combat skills and solving conflicts without fighting nets you much more non-combat XP than combat, and vice versa).
An expected answer.
It's actually easier to avoid those dead ends in a party based game than in a single character game. Because you can assign different roles to party members. It seems the issue with Eternity is that it's combat focussed and unless you have all your party members with at least some combat skills, you may hit those dead ends. And/or it may be fool-proofing against levelling up all the party members as non-combat builds.
Hopefully they get paypal in with this update.
If I understand what you're referring to (didn't play SoZ), than Arcanum did it as well, and it was something that very missed in old IE games. So I hope so!
A reference to a great iron maiden song?
As someone who voiced the same concern earlier in the thread, I like this answer. Not because I necessarily agree, but because he doesn't try to sugarcoat it or construct some argument as to why having less options actually offers more options. That's just so refreshing -- just imagine what a publisher's PR department answer to the same query might have been. (Maybe something like "But you can change your armor!")
I meant using companions' speech skills during dialogue. I don't believe Arcanum did that, unless my memory's failed me.
In SoZ you can have one party member specialise in diplomacy, another in intimidate, another in bluff. So you can use any of these members during dialogue and try to pass the check.
The publisher PR would probably simply say "we're listening to feedback".
Hmm.. What Arcanum did, and I remember that I liked it very much, was that you could let companions take over some dialogues (like in the beginning with Vergil.) It was nice because they could use knowledge you did not possess. What you're saying would be nice, if it's pretty much the same way - You don't just choose the dialogue option and use your companion's skill check - But they actually do the talking! This was very much missed in IE games...
WorstUsernameEver
Member
I think Arcanum only has a few instances where your companions chime in. In Storm of Zehir you build your own party from the ground up and you can switch between members during the conversation to have access to their dialogue skills, additional options, etc. You could also switch the leader on the world map and utilize their skills to unlock new locations, find secrets, avoid random encounters, etc.
I thought it was a fun D&D adventure, but it suffered from its relatively low budget and the fact that dialogue and story were pretty obviously not prioritized at all.
I'm not honestly sure how it would work in an IE-style game where you only make one character and have companions, though.
Yeah, it'd be difficult to do exactly same as in SoZ. Unless you give companions equal chance of skill application it doesn't make sense to include those skills for them.
Well that shut down any ideas of anything else besides a PC version. Which is good in my book. Focusing on one platform(I consider PC, Linux, and Mac more or less one platform) will help make that game great. I am hoping it will help show just how truly awful and lazy a lot of big name RPG ports and other ports to the PC are.
Oh anyone got an ETA on the next update? Isn't it supposed to be today?
Looks like Obsidian forgot about it as well :|
MARK MORGAN!
questionmark
Member
Achievements :3
Yeah, that's a bit of an issue. Funding could stop right now and I'd still be more than happy with what we are getting. At this point I just want it to get more money to send a message.
But anyway, it's looking to stabilize above 30k per day, which is fantastic.
3 million: Sean Bean to voice two lines before he dies