Zansatsu

I'm happy to report that I am a goal-oriented person through and through. I have a hard time working with too process-oriented folks as well. Well yes thats basicaly the difference, when I was younger I liked to grind in RPG'S way more than now. It was nice to feal the increase of power it gave you and it brought you a little bit closer to the perfect build. Nowadays I honestly do not care because I realized that it does not change anything. Grinding through millions of monsters to get a level wont change the story, wont really change my experience and only delays the interesting parts of the game. Theirs nothing more frustraiting than beeing locked behind a grind gate bevor you can experience now content. Its the reason why people rush through all content bevor end level in all mmorpgs ever created.It took me 5 months to reach lvl cap in Swtor. I did every quest on every planet and I did every flashpoint along the way. I even PvP'd periodically. Just because the ability to grind is in a game doesn't mean everyone will do it. Are there people who do that? Yes a lot. Does everyone? Well according to you all yes, we can't help ourselves.

A common complaint against combat xp is that people seem incapable of role playing if any extra xp insensitive exists. So even though a single player game with multiple forms of xp given that could be beaten passively may exist, they can not help but degenerate into grinding for xp or becoming a homicidal maniac simple because the option is out there. Even though it is single player and there is no competition against other players at all. I think it's a self control issue myself.

This has been my point the entire time so I just wanted to vocalize how true this is. The most frustrating part of this discussion is that people keep saying each system is somehow better than the other. Really it should be which is most popular and what will get the most people playing and interested. I have no real objection to quest xp only other than I won't enjoy it as much and this will affect replay for me. I want the game to be popular and as fun as possible so I can get more games that scratch my crpg itch.

No

Well I say this because I have nothing to go on, they are incredibly vague on what any of this does and I don't have access myself, but it seems the spirit shifting isn't really much of anything other than access to one more type of skill but with the loss of a weapon and it's stats? So rather its just a cosmetic change.

Sorry that sentence came off to me like you were referring to the ranged being in combat in mele range but you where just short handing it. "or when the target is in mele" thought u just left out the word range.

This is a good point whether or not it is actually built in, but once ranged characters get forced into mele range their effectiveness would drop. Realistically trying to pull arrows and draw a bow, or even reload a musket would be quite difficult with a sword being swung in your face.

Typically this is the case. The trade off is should the range get focused they melt. I don't know if there is any intelligence in the enemies who might go after higher threat targets that would help even it out because I haven't played. Typically though the trade off in higher defenses is lower dps. The issue comes in how to make the top end damage / low defense characters balance out with the higher defense lower damage characters in a fight. However I don't even know if this balance is being sought since it is party based.

Down boy. I'm not expressing an opinion on the music at all. Just pointing out the quality of a composer goes down the cheaper you go.

Is it possible an orchestra and composser were picked to fit a budget which limited how epic the game is going to sound? I imagine it can get expensive especially hiring musicians.

Thanks for responding So you still get the benefit of whatever your druid is outfitted with then? (other than weapon) So other than the bear is tough and the special abilities they all attack the same?(other than damage types) Even though you can't use the Weapon while shifted if you have it equipped do you get it's effect? Probably not? Nobody knows? you just can't tell? Anybody else think this game could give a bit more information about what's going on under the hood so these abilities can be properly gauged? Are these forms even really functional or are they really just cosmetic and kind of a gimmick with like one special ability?

I was kidding. I don't think anybody expects any of this to happen. Don't you worry.

LOLWUT That fits in the same category as sword-chucks, if you ask me. Yes please to sword-chucks! I feel like this should be the developers new top priority! Along with dual shields of coarse.

Unfortunately I do not have access to the beta so I had some questions if anybody has tested this stuff out about druids. 1.When Spirit shifting, What are the differences in the forms? The wiki descriptions give almost no information on how they function in combat. Great Cat[5] Wolf[1] Bear – high base damage threshold[6] Stag – additional area of effect damage from melee attacks.[6] Boar – stamina regeneration.[6] ​ 2. Since the Bear form appears to give you armor, how does spirit shifting affect what you have equipped? Does each form give you a different armor value separate from what you are wearing, or is the bear form the only one that changes your armor? 3. What are the different special abilities the forms get? 4. Does each form do a different type of damage, like piercing, slashing, crushing.... and if so which does what? 5. Are the unarmed attacks in the spirit forms any good? Any other information you might have about the forms I failed to ask about would be welcome. I'm just curious to know what these forms actually do and I figured by now somebody has tested them out.

I am warming to this system quickly. the "no bad build" to me doesn't feel like you can't make a bad character, and more like, if you plan ahead you can drastically change the way your character plays out. Adding in talents makes me feel you can customize and specialize even more. Not knowing what all the talents will be May make this a false assumption, but maybe not.

I certainly would like to specialize in Shapeshifting.

Other than we have a different opinion about what we enjoy, this was a perfectly stated post.

It would make sense I agree.

Yeah. I've sunk a lot of hours already into this argument. I don't ever expect all the forum goers to come to an agreement. I mostly wanted to post to reinforce the idea to anyone reading that there are definitely two sides to this debate, and to anyone reading from Obsidian, some of us think you made a great decision. I don't want an impression out there that the fans unanimously hate the new system. Your side has more than represented itself. I don't think there is any shortage of posts that are positive for the current system. Three or Four of these topics, up in different places all over the forums, don't all get to be close to 20 pages long because we all agree. Your assumption that because the reward system is 40 years old makes it outdated isn't true. Coke has been around for what, over a hundred years now, anybody think it's outdated? Your totally entitled to your opinion about liking one over the other, but this is a non fact put forward like it is a fact the same way people say kill xp is forcing people to kill everything.(I'm not saying you said that but it has been put forward as a truth numerous times) Yes it is an incentive, and it may be one in a game you don't find necessary in order to hold your interest, but to others it does. They aren't wrong, people should stop saying they are wrong, they just prefer a different system. This comes down to preference and whether or not enough people will find this system rewarding enough to continue playing, or even buy. There are games out there that I can look at, Final Fantasy for example, those are perfectly legitimate, beloved games that do not interest me simply because of the art style. Time will tell. I for one do not believe the system in place now will appeal to as many people as the more "traditional" (not outdated) way of gaining xp. And the traditional way does not just mean being rewarded for killing. It is gaining experience through all different aspect of an RPG, from exploration, puzzle solving, Questing, Objectives, and yes even fighting. People are fooling themselves if they don't think this stuff comes down to taste. Good for you if you don't need any of that to keep you interested. Bioware, and RPG giant, currently uses the "traditional" system when making RPGs (I'm aware not every title they make uses this system you don't need to point that out too me) and there games are hugely successful. So does Bethesda, another Giant. So does Blizzard, another Giant. A lot of very smart, savvy developers still find this very relevant. And there games sell by the millions mind you. Please understand I'm not saying you're wrong about your "opinion", and this game may very well succeed. I hope it does! I'm very excited for it. I'm going to play it. I do think it would appeal to more people however, if done in the "traditional" way.

i think it is too much to ask from any developer to make a game that will not be tiresome to play through after 14 years of putting it through the wringer with repeated playthroughs. This I do agree with.

^ Because the game is still fresh and new for all of us, curiosity is going to be a significantly weighted incentive. Absolutely. What happens 14 years from now though, when we've all played the game dozens of times and we've memorized it? Will we still enjoy exploration (like many of us still do in the IE games)? My guess is: probably not. Well, I'd say let's meet in 14 years here This marshmallow is adorable. I could just eat you up!

Nor do I. The problem is people in hear talk in absolutes. If you like kill xp your wrong, that's old hat, it's broke. Or it's vice versa. Actually its a style preference, neither is good or bad. I like kill xp. I don't think it detracts but adds another layer to the experience. Others hate it.

I wish I could triple thumbs up this.

Ya I have felt similarly.