LadyCrimson

I don't know about all of them, but it was a little weird when I found a "dandy" unique hat that in inventory, looked like the brown striped cap helmet, but when you put it on, it turns into a slightly altered version of the wide brimmed feathered hat.

There's a little "+" sign on the character portraits in the left corner area that appears when chrs. level up. It can be hard to notice, but it should be there. Clicking it takes you to the level-up choices screen.

Priests get their spells automatically at certain level ups. It's by design.

Never heard of it. What genre? Strategy? Edit: ah, space game.

You don't learn spells from spell scrolls. That is just an indicator of how much lore you need to be able to cast that scroll from a quickslot. (Fighters with no Lore, for example, can't use scrolls at all). ...that number seems to always be red when in your inventory. I'm not sure why. If put in a quickslot of a chr. who has enough Lore, however, they can use it, no worries. P.S. Wizards can learn spells when you find other Grimores (sp?), and if there are spells in it that the mage doesn't know, you can click a + sign over the spell to learn it. Costs a little copper to do so.

^ My guess would be the whole Cipher-tank build stuff. But I think as a tank that can just soak damage forever (vs. dealing damage) and engage many enemies the fighter may still beat in that regard. Other "tank" builds may be almost as good at tanking but can dish out dmg. as well, however (eg, better for solo runs maybe?). At least, that's my impression. I could be totally wrong.

Thing is, overall the game is a lot of fun, imo. There's some gems in there and it definitely gives me the old game feeling a lot of the time. But by Act3 the combat issues and some other niggling things start to wear you down.

^ I'm 3.5 years away from being 50. I try very very hard not to dwell on this... ...but inside a part of me already starting to freak out a little.

I think that Wil Wheaton painting would count as an easter egg (humorous), even tho I have no idea what the joke actually is. I also don't know where it's located...there was just a thread about it a bit ago, that I saw.

This, so much this.

Come to think of it, I think when I dropped in a custom portrait, the game did start chunking out a little more for me, saving/transitioning wise. I figured it was just coincidence, tho. Can't imagine why that would be an issue but... I have 4 character save folders in the game, 3 of which only have a few saves each. The main chr. folder is the one that starts to drag, if I don't keep it down to about 15 saves. I've largely been ignoring it (currently have maybe 40 saves in there) since for me, like someone else said above, it's nothing major (5-10 seconds vs. the 30+ seconds some are getting) - it's mostly just annoying when you're trying to go through a series of auto-save transitions all at once, like you do in the city/Stronghold.

Very true. And while you're trying to babysit one errant member, the others are all being dorks/taking damage as well. I love RTW pause and there's always micromanagement/bad AI with it, but the (tougher) fights in PoE are a serious chore at times. I don't recall ever being this annoyed re: it in BG1. Possibly the level/area designs and what feels like a large collision area around each chr.

I've been using the "standard" format of 2 fighters - well, 3, because of my Monk, who is still semi-useless because I really don't know what to do with her - and the ranged in back casting spells or wands. Definitely do not have an optimum or min/maxed sort of style going at all, and I'm largely going defensive with little in the way of "big" damage tactics. The combat is kinda fun/difficult at first but then gets really easy for the most part after clvl5 or 6, with a full party. There are occasional special fights/enemies (ghosts, ogres, bounties, and the dungeon) that are difficult or take a long time but most of the main quest path and side quests are a lot of rinse and repeat. I think it would be more fun with a not-full party. 4 max, 3 probably more preferable. Also...I always found most items in the IE games "boring." It's not like Diablo's Uniques system...Swords +2 or Boots of endurance are nice and useful and all but they've never been exciting. My problem is I found two end. "draining" weapons very early, that my fighters use in their off-hands (they're both dual-wield), and there has been nothing worth replacing them with. The suppression system also makes it so even most good items you come across have no purpose for you by that point.

It's gotten so I want to turn off the stop-when-engaged option, but that feels sorta like "cheating" for some reason. But I guess that would at least force them where I want them, even if they still take more dmg. on the way. I mean, with it on, sometimes you can't even get them to target a single enemy in circle around it, because they just cluster behind each other like idiots instead of positioning 2 feet to one side.

^ With many of the confrontation spots being tight close quarters with out of sight range enemies that show up 6 seconds later, it's even more aggravating. If you try to get your guys to ignore/dash past the frontline to attack further away mages right from the start, they'll turn aside from that when the closer enemies engage them while you're tearing your hair out because you know the ones in the back are the most dangerous, in a way. Sure once you're expert/know the situation/reload it's easier but going in blind feels like it just stomps you, ala some FPS boss battles. Basically, with all the AoE and range limits, it's a turtle formation game. (edit - whether clustered in doorways/chokepoints or keeping tight formations ala Roman legions, haha)

PoE, Lvl9, impatiently steamrolled to the end of Act2, begin Act3. Getting tougher, have to creep along more. I still only half-understand all the skills, stats, items, spells (and all their descriptions in-game), engagement system etc. so it can be pretty crazy at times in the harder fights trying to figure out what's "best" via combat trials. And I'm just on Normal. Plus I'm sure I haven't "built" the team all that well. The summon objects are really handy occasionally. I like the 3 beetles one best so far - for some reason they seem the most durable in a fight and at the least 3 is more of a distraction than 1. Chanter's wurm summon is nice too, and if you get to his 4 chants req, probably need them. :D Eder can be great tank...but yeah not much dmg if you go that way. Other Fighter is more speed/dps, but then he crumbles faster. Aloth at lvl8 starts to become more useful.

When you don't see the caster around the corner and by the time you do/try to get to them, it's too late. **** ogres. Reload, rearrange your stuff and starting salvo priorities, do over. The engagement system sometimes sorta sucks.

Yeah, I found this to be true, in a general sense (again, if you're spending it as fast as you loot it all throughout the game, one is always "poor" ). I'm guessing difficulty could have a tiny bit to do with things too...harder = more enemies at times I think? Not tons/all situations but some. Seemed like it anyway when I tried them out for short bits (I've been doing Normal mostly). Maybe I'm wrong on that...but if so, I'd assume that means a bit more loot to sell. I hang on to too much stuff, personally. I have all kinds of coin sitting in my Stash if I liquidated it.

A personal aside: I have no problem with the swearing etc. but for some reason in PoE's world environment it does feel a bit out of place at times. I'm not sure why. I could say it's because it doesn't feel like it "fits" the world, lore-language wise, but then again, every other word they're using is in normal English (on my US version of the game, of course), so ... In "real life" I'm sometimes a fair gutter mouth, really, and in films/TV/books such doesn't bother me at all/I won't even notice etc, so have no idea why it feels jarring in PoE to me. Maybe it's just startling since I don't play many games with cussing to begin with so it's not a place I'm "used" to seeing them. Or because it's not all that frequent in the game, imo, really, so when it is done I'm startled. I don't have any desire to change or remove them but I probably would've preferred more inventive, colorful swears. Sailor-type swears or something if that makes sense.

Pretty cool. 7DtD uses the opt in and players can go back and play older versions of that alpha if they wish etc. It's a nice feature.

The tombstones tend to be clustered in certain maps or dungeon areas, which if you're clearing all areas etc. you'll run across them as you go along. They can be tombstone looking or a wall plaque but will always have the same "hover" icon. Each "tombstone" is a list of multiple memorials. Don't know about a list being available or where, if there is one.

You may already have the max camp supplies for your difficulty settings, so the game isn't allowing you to buy more. Easy=6 Normal=4 Hard=2

Happens in other places too for me. Not as often tho. You can miss some if you're traveling with the worldmap still open or not being in certain places at certain times etc.

Here's that long thread re: AA not working well for some in the game. http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/72040-antialiasing/

Companions by and large have terrible stats if you're into min/maxing, so people who are into that and can't stand seeing a chr. that is "inefficient" often prefer to make their own. It's a control thing. Either that or they don't like companions personalities. I like having a mix - some companions, some my own. Depends.