Volourn

Doesn't sound quite mature to me. And, it seems m they're cutting down on role-playing. The main character doesn't cry under any circumsatnces? Doesn't sound like a spy, or human. Must be a robot we're playing. And, cna sleep with ALL the women? Where's the C&C? L0L Well.. at least I get to see HOT babes! YUM!

Ovechkin should be Captain.

"1. A small number of tactical fights is vastly better than tons of trash fights." Agreed. "2. Please disable resting anywhere but in safe places." Agred witha caveate. You should be allowed to TRY to rest in some unsafe places but with major consequcnes of enemies attacking, and poor rest due to having to be at a higher level of watch. ie. You get negatives to abilities the bext day due to lack of full sleep, and make interuppting foes be tough. Not just a couple of random orcs; but actually encounters that cna threaten your party's well being. "3. Please add BG style autopause options." Not needed; but won't hurt naybody so go ahead and add them. "4. Please make enemy spell casters smarter, including removing your party's buffs." Enemies already do this in both NWN games. "5. Introduce spell duels like in BG2. Ironically this requires making some buffs stronger so that a fighter can't just pummel the mage like in the NWN2 OC and MotB." Umm.. I can have a mage laugh at fighters in NWN2/MOTB (as well as NWN1) with the already existing spells. Not hard, actually. Awesome spell battles already exist. "6. Replace the general stance of the character being very powerful with one where the party at its best is just strong enough to overcome the fights they face. This will make character development more meaningful, and fights more memorable." To a point yes, as long as there isn't a need to rest after every battle so you have to be amax strength to face the next encounter. That's not D&D or real adventuring. You should be able to deal with multiple encounters each day within reason. "From a design standpoint I think that combat is just too fast paced and easy for tactics to really matter in most encounters, and I'd like to see this rectified. The reason this is an "issue" is that if they don't make the encounters like this in SoZ, then the encounters in SoZ will NEVER be tactical, because the design of the module is not something up for fan base modification." It's not afst paced. Combat rounds are 6 seconds just like the IE, and you cna take your time. plus, there is the pause button. Use it. It's your friend. "As far as the actual combat engine goes, I'll list the problems." K. "1. The aurora engine auto follow needs to be eliminated. Even with MotB's improvements, your characters still all drop whatever they're doing to run over to the active character. This should replaced with an IE like system where each character is controlled totally individually. I should not have to order everyone to stand still during combat to select another character." Agreed. Best way to do this is for there to be line up orders/stances. That said, NWN2 does the other part youa re asking fine. You can control your characetrs as you see fit wither you use the AI or full control. That's why you can have multiple orders ready to fire. "2. Mages need more effective protection. Using the currently available protection spells, wizard duels are impossible unless you make the choice not to physically attack the enemy wizard, since a decent melee character will destroy the spell caster before 1 or 2 spells can even be cast." That's nonsense. NWN franchise has TONS of defensive spells. TONS. I cna have my mage laugh at your mage's most pwoerful spells without blinking an eye. And, i cna do it with 1 spell. "3. Enchantment and crafting need to be changed. They were both so overpowered in the OC and MotB that your characters became extremely powerful, to an unreasonable degree. The dragons were not even challenges." Has very little with item creation. "4. The death mechanic NEEDS to be changed. Right now there is no penalty for a suicide rush, as long as one character survives." Agreed. I think bleeding rules + death should be used. This is alreayd possible too by virtual of one little option in the toolset. "5. Immunities and reflex saves need to be made less overpowered. As it stands, it is MUCH to easy to make a character than can effectively stand in the middle of a group of enemies while the mages cast burst spells that the tank is immune to via resistances of reflex saves. This tactic should not be viable, or at least it should be much harder to pull off." Agreed. Less immunity items for sure. And, not as many save bonus items, too. It isn't too infeasibly cureently for characters to have +30 saving throws even on their 'weakest' stat now. "If suggestions like these are incorporated into the game, then SoZ will have the best gameplay of any NWN2 game yet. We already know from MotB that Obsidian can craft an awesome story with this engine, and all that is left is for the combat to be as enjoyable as the story." Definitely will be improved...

The old D&D alignment system was absolutely fine. It could have sued twinking; but this new disgusting creature is abhorent beyong belief.

"don't act like it is ridiculous to want a company that has only made games in a certain style to make more games in that style." Yeah, then people will whine that they aren't changing or adapting or making new things. Look at the DA stuff: "WAAA! It's 'generic fantasy'!" crap. Or the cries when Obsidian made KOTOR2, and NWN2. It's claled adaption. If games, and game devs didn't change; we'd still be stuck with 'RPGs' that were nothing more than dungeon crawlers with turn based combat not the RPGs that you say you like. Thank god, people didn't stick with doing the same. Or BIO would still be working on medical software, or Obsidian would stick with making KOTOR 10 10 years from now. *shrug*

"As for Bioware being better than Obsidian, I don't see one being better than the other" I was mocking those who insist that Obsidian should 'stick' with what they're 'good' at and not branch out in fear of 'bombing' or 'screwing up'. If BIo can go from making medical software to successful RPG development; I'm sure Obsidian can handle going from RPGs to MMORPGs since the differences are minor in comparison...

"He was able to escape from there" Yet, TNO pesumably was unable to. *puke*

"draconians on Faerun" NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "Imagine roleplaying game starting as some poor sod who contracted himself into that hell. " It be horrible if PST is to go by since the only choice that matters would have been made for you already - the contract. L0L Thankfully, I'd ignore PST 'gospel' to do it right.

I'm not getting into bashing/criticizing a dev in this thread just to 'win' versus you. Sorry.

"Mkreku is right to say that Obsidian's strengths lie in storytelling, so if they were to make an MMO it would have to be a very different MMO to those we've seen before, Hellgate: London included." And, once upon a time, BIO's strengths lied in medical software... 10 years later, they're a star RPG developer. *shrug* "I think LA's unwillinges to hand K3 over to Obsidian is because of the whole design philosophy, namely MCA's unique (KILL THE GOD) stand on the Force, moral grayness and all other so not Star Warsy trappings" I doubt LA's doubts about handing KOTOR3 over to Obsidian has anything to do with its story. Afterall, LA *did* approve the story. I'd wager that while KOTOR2 presumably sold well; it didn't sell well enough to make LA feel like throwing more money at Obsidian KOTOR3 without a second thought. They might eventually; but it's not a slam dunk. This is probably why LA probably turned back to BIo depsite BIO 'moving on'. LA probably tossed so much money at BIO; they simply logically couldn't turn it down for KOTOR3/KOTOR MMO/whatever the BIO EA/LA project ends up being. No offesne to Obsidian; but that's business. On topic, MMORPGs have likely crossed Obsidian's mind, and I'm sure they have the atlent to make agood one. If people claim they like Obsidian as much as they claim to; they shouldn't understimate them. I mean, if a trio of doctors cna gof rom the medical profession to medical software to developing games; I think Obsidian can make the relatively short leap from RPGs to MMORPGs since both share a lot more in common that RPGs and medical software. L0L Unless you are admitting that BIO is better than Obsidian yet again? Oops.

So is BG2. Your point? "Yet you responded to my post about the times it took me to play my games, saying my times were wrong. I could comment the same thing. Please don't tell me how long it took you to finish those games, since it has no effect on me whatsoever." Exactly. "I have Sawyer's words backing my observations" Mr. Sawyer, esteemed developer that he is, is not always correct. Nor does one have to always share his opinions. "only the fact it is superior in combat" No. "...but in my opinion it IS indeed much better. Aurora could've never created visuals of Sigil" It does a much better job, actually. Aurora is superior in every imaginable way to the IE. Though this off topic means nothing as AP will not be using either engine, anyways.

"It is more "responsive" and less clunky than Aurora and other games using engines derived from it" Nah. Aurora engine is vastly superior to the IE. No contest whatsoever. "I'm not talking about if you sit around and play pazzaak for hours, or do those silly JE sidequests where you play Space Invaders, or watch scenery. JE and ME are definitely closer to 20 hours than your estimates." LMAO I didn't estimate. Those are my times according to the game saves, and they're not counting death and reload. I didn't play pazaak or do silly JE sidequests either for hours. Pleased, don't tlel me how I play MY games. I stand by the facts of game time not your mythical estimates which have no effect on me whatsoever.

"Most RPGs today tend to be around that length (not counting JRPGs). Jade Empire, NWN2, KOTOR II, and Mass Effect were somewhere about 20 hours in length." None of those games were 20 hours, and NWN2 was the longest. JE: 30 ME: 40 KOTOR2: 35 NWN2 - 55

"I've been following this team since Baldur's Gate." This 'team' didn't work on BG. In fact, only a small handful of them had anything to do with BG at all. Nice try, though. Obsidian is NOT BIs. And, even if they were, BIS didn't develop BG. They published it. Outside of Mr. U, hardly any of Obsidian smelled BG let alone worked on it except posisbly as QA on behalf of BIS/Interplay. L0L As for MMORPG, bring on a good one. Don't let the selfish crybabies stop you from wanting one. "Feargus once stated that Obsidian will remain as a relatively small company (around 150 < 100 people) and will be solely focused on making standard games in the market and unlikely to step foot on MMO market." Things change. Mr. U of everyone knows that....

"I hope Obsidian knows it's going down a risky road. RPG and FPS fans are all very far apart, and by trying to please everyone, there's a good chance you'll end up pleasing no one." Despite its detractors, ME's success shows that you can blend both crowds (even though neither ME or AP are FPS)...

I prefer stats based though mixed is good too, and I cna live with action/player physical skill combat too. OMGZ! I like all 3 options. HAHAHA!

"That's like saying "Because I liked it!" What was good about it? If that's considered good, AP better be 10 times better, because honestly ME completely fails as an RPG, is mostly on rails, is shallow and half-baked, and features some extremely amateurish design." ME is a better game - RPG and otherwise - than any KOTOR which you are obviously a huge fan of (most likely more of KOTOR2). If AP has similarities to ME that's a good thing. The less it has in common with eitehr KOTOR the better. That is for sure. Hopefully, AP will not have what i dislike about ME; but keep the good stuff (not much to keep since they arne't the same game nor is AP a sequel). LONG LIVE ME! DEATH WITH KOTOR SERIES! Hoepfully, AP will be more the ME way not the KOTOR lameo way!!!

Dwarves are never boring. Neither is so called 'generic fantasy'. An absolute myth, rumour, and innuendo to suggest otherwise.

Yeah, but even pnp 3.0(.5) with their relaxed rules from 2E are still much harder to raise the dead than in video games. Nature of the beast. Video gamers are not as hardcore as pnpers tend to be. Reloading, for example, simply doesn't happen in pnp.

On top of this, having stats (in this case wisdom) high enough to cast these spells was not easy. Unlike now, you didn't get stat boosters every 4 levels. You needed a wisdom of 18 to cast ressurection which means even if you had a high enough level priest (level 14); they weren't guaranteed to be able to cast it, anyways. Now, a high level caster who doesn't have a 20 in their top stat by level 12 is considered sucky; but you had to be lucky (or have a really generous DM) to have such a high stat. So, yeah, point is, raise dead/ressuretcion are only as common as the DM/campaign/game allows them to be. Period. It's not D&D 's fault (wqell.. other than the newer versions who *do* make it easier now...

"ps yuan-ti is kinda overdone in the obsidian games," O RLY? Were they in NWN2? How 'bout MOTB? They certainly weren't in KOTOR2. WOW! REALLY over doing them yuanti at Obsidian. L0L "with raise dead and resurrection, how does anyone die in D&D anyway?" Easy. In real D&D, casters whoc an cast said spells don't grow on trees nor do they cast it just for anyone. A LG priest will never cast it for an evil character. And, they have to be convinced to cast it on other good characters, and no throwing gold at them isn't always enough. Casting these spells come with a cost (experience, level, con) for both recepient and caster. On top of that, in the old days, raise dead/ressurection weren't automatic. In 2E, for example (not in the IE games sadly); every character had a ressurection survival percentage based on their con. If you failed it, the spell would fizzle. Period. And, you could also only be ressurected a maximum of times based on your 'natural' constitution. Sadly, like everything, it got easier to pull off. Meh.

Don't you think the coach would be aware of that sort of situation? I'd think he'd notice if the so called veterans would respect a 'rookie captain'. Unless youa re saying the Chicago coach is a moron.... Hmmm..

What's weird is that the MMORPG and the LA project are listed as two different things on the BIO homepage. It doens't make sense that it looks like they're the same. Illogical nonsense.

ME is better. KOTOR series is oevrrated. ME has a better story, combat, writing, characters, music, graphics, quests, C&C, enemies, powers, character creation, character customization, and pretty much everything else. Only inventory is crap. Then again, so is KOTOR series'. *shrug*

"You are arguing with me over the use of "age" instead of "experience"." because age is not the same as experience. Like I said, he's played many years of hockey already and - once again - Sideny crosby is evidence you don't need to be 30 years old to be worthy of captaincy. You got to start somewhere, and his worthiness of being captain has zero to do with age, and only a small percentage to do with experience. Just like on ice pure skills; a lot of beinga captain is alrgely based on one's ego, personality, not just how many years on this planet or how much one may have experience... but, again, he's likely been playing 10+ years of competitive hockey on his way up to the NHL. *shrug* And, as someone of his calibre, I'd be surprised if he wans't a captain at some level before...