prodigydancer

I think it'll be much more than just one encounter. AI scripts have to be more or less consistent throughout the game. Writing and debugging them on per-encounter basis takes too much time. Still, I can see why people aren't happy with how armor works right now. Having to equip different sets for different fights is MMOish and isn't something I'm personally looking forward to in PoE. Neither is naked fighting. Wearing armor of a reasonable grade (maybe something very light for ranged characters) should always be a boon, not a burden.

The best part of NWN2 (that is to say the only decent part of NWN2) was the Haven.

I think TW2 story was a case of "half-full" rather than "half-empty". In other words, the story was great. But of course TW1 story was epic and easily outshined the sequel. The combat system was so-so but still a step forward from TW1 click-pause-click routine (without pausing you could never get a full combo out and with pausing it was like shooting fish in a barrel). The UI was equally awkward in both games.

Yeah, those were epic. I think all IE games were great but they filled different niches. BG was great because of free roaming and exploration. PS:T - because of its story and unusual setting. BG2/ToB - because of its overall refinement and focus on high-level adventures. And IWD/IWD2 were just very good hack-n-slash games.

+1 PS:T combat was certainly good enough for a game that could be completed in a non-violent way. But trolls can't find anything substantial to criticize so they resort to nitpicking. What they fail to realize is that PS:T, being widely recognized as (at the very least) one of the top contenders for #1 CRPG of all times and fondly remembered now 15 years after release, hardly needs to be validated by their personal approval.

Isn't that exactly how we remember them from IE games? At least back then you could heal the poor sods.

D&D rules were never intended for use in CRPGs. But so it happened that more than one D&D based game was created and now most of those games are considered legendary classics of the genre. I suppose their success had more to do with Forgotten Realms than with the ruleset but still people remember them as great old D&D games. And the attribute system (along with dice rolls and +X items) is considered an essential part of the overall charm. Emotional attachment may not follow the rules of logic but it's a powerful thing nonetheless.

Got your rear kicked by those reinforcements? It happens, bro. No need to nerdrage.

In other words "no trash options". Nice to see how Obsidian is trying to stay true to their word and stick to their philosophy. I respect that even though I still have my doubts about the outcome.

Not a fan. Only 8 abilities in the toolbar? And no ability to add more bars, poor. Why would you need more bars if you can only have 8 abilities? Seriously though, BioWare guys talk a lot about how great the game is going to be. Like they always do. But recent facts are disturbing and seem to confirm our worst suspicions. The game was apparently designed for consoles and now - only now! - they're adding keyboard/mouse support. We all know how good and functional such last minute additions tend to be. I fully expect DA:I (the PC version) to be a console port of abysmal quality.

I didn't know that.

[not_sure_if_serious.jpg] Using active dodge in 3rd person game is one of the worst ideas ever. In GW2 the problem is seriously exacerbated by: 1) Not having discernible visual feedback on when you should dodge. If you play a heavily dodge-dependent build like condition-based Thief, have fun learning every fight through trial and error. 2) Genre-specific issues. Ping does exist and does matter in online games but the developers chose to ignore these facts. I have average reaction time and OK ping and i still found active dodge insanely annoying. As for hearts... I'm not a fan of questing or MMO PvE in general but if you compare hearts to quest lines from WotLK, WoW content simply tramples GW2. I quit WoW long ago and I can't comment on its current state but GW2 is in every way worse than what WoW was 6 years ago.

Seeing trash like Doom 3 and Diablo 3 on their list I'm inclined to agree. GW2 doesn't exactly deserve the accolades either. Maybe it's just me but even Rift was better. And where's Starcraft? Where's SC2? Where's WC3? /facepalm

After some thinking I see two major problems with "no combat XP" system: 1) It implies that all quests (objectives) are interesting to complete which is rarely the case. Not to say this goal is completely out of reach but balancing a game around something you may or may not achieve is risky at best. 2) It makes every quest-related NPC effectively untouchable even if you have more than enough RP reasons to immediately introduce them to the sharp end of your dagger. So in the end I reluctantly voted yes on both accounts. Limiting player choices for no apparent reason doesn't look justified to me.

Pillars of Resternity.

Thank you! I'm usually not much of a fanboi but in the case of PS:T I'm proud to be one.

Removing healing from combat seems to be the new trend. I doubt anything can be done about it so we just have to suck it up until the trend reverses. And it will reverse because "no healing" is a terrible idea based on false assumptions. It will not promote diversity in character builds or party composition like developers seem to think for some unfathomable reason. Instead it'll promote MMO-esque ultra-powergaming where DPS will be be-all and end-all. Welcome to the world of spredsheets, strict ability rotations and mandatory best-in-slot items.

It's definitely designed with co-op in mind but after so many lean years one doesn't simply dismiss a party-based CRPG of such scale as "very bad".

No. Just no. PS:T was 200% of pure perfection as it was. And this is one of the reasons why I won't even touch a "remake" if it's ever made. It's just won't be the same thing. When you're developing a remake the temptation to "improve" something is just too great. Unfortunately, in the case of PS:T remake "improving" anything means insta-ruining the whole thing.

I dare you to go to BSN and express that opinion there. /evil smile

I wouldn't count on that.

Which is, frankly, just sad. And let's not reduce the issue to mechanics only. The inability to run away is against the spirit of the genre. Why can't I RP a coward? Or at least a reasonable guy who knows when he's in over his head? In IE games I could zone out (effectively fleeing from combat) and return later when I felt like it. And not only in IE games. To be honest I can't recall any decent freeroam RPG where fleeing combat wasn't possible.

First, I've never seen anyone calling it rest-scumming. Second, what makes perfect sense in PnP doesn't necessarily make any in a video game. In PnP modules combat is often very scarce in comparison with CRPGs. Encounters may be few and far between. Running is more often a viable option (partially due to metagame being less important) and so is talking your way out of a fight. I'm confident that I'll adapt to any system. But I sure as hell won't roll a caster character in a CRPG where I don't have access to my spells whenever I need them. Cooldowns are OK (in moderation) but a mage who is constantly out of spells is just pathetic.

Probably. Don't get me wrong - there were things I genuinely disliked about DA2: redesing elves, redesigned Flemeth, the lack of tactical camera, gear oversimplification, the Arishok fight. But the combat system was epic and for me this outweighed all shortcomings.

The disappointment was mostly based on the fact that DA2 wasn't exactly like DA:O. DA:O was a CRPG, DA2 was an ARPG. People who got over it enjoyed the game (like I did) and people who couldn't get over it whined. And whined. And whined. And some are still whining even now.