Rhaeg

Lol, there is way too much hate on Dragon Age on these boards. Sure, you can think it is utter crap, but this is just Bioware taking their games in a different direction than what some of us here would like to see. If you don't like that direction it is time to let go and let its many, many fans enjoy it for what it has become. After DA2 it should have been clear they left the world of old PC RPGs behind them and are now putting their focus on the consoles. You can't blame DA:I for having more of that, it was pretty clear from the start it would turn out into something like this. Personally I hate the all the console stuff and I wasn't impressed by the story of DA:I, but I can also still see that they are VERY good at some of the aspects that can make a cRPG a GREAT cRPG. Bioware know how to write their companion characters, I wouldn't be able to name any company that is better at writing dialogue. I still enjoy DA2 with its IMO horrible gameplay just for the party banter and the diverse caste of characters. DA2 also showed that Bioware still know to write an interesting story: finally no saving the world from Big Evil no. 1206, but a main character that is just trying to survive a messy world and gets sucked into larger events in a slow and believable manner. I also quite like the setting itself: lots of moral ambiguity and greyness, interesting conflicts and Bioware is mature (and brave) enough to deal with such real-life problems as racism and sexual identity. So yup, I agree that DA has many flaws, but IMO the opinions on DA are a bit over the top on these forums.

Different people, different tastes, I guess. Or as in my case, different times, different tastes. When I was still a kid I loved Forgotten Realms and read dozens and dozens of those FR novels. I thought Drizzt was the best thing to have ever been committed to a page and I could spend many hours reading "fake history" from those FR campaign boxes. I tried Tolkien but couldn't get past the first hundred pages of Lord of the Rings. Such old-fashioned crap! When I was 18 years old I tried it again when I was bored on an afternoon and for some reason the story sucked me in further and further. I was completely hooked on this book now and finished it in record time. I guess I just was too young earlier and maybe my English wasn't good enough yet, I don't know. But apart from now being a huge Tolkien fan I also couldn't stand those FR novels anymore. Just like that. Nowadays I find the entire FR setting an utterly hollow, incoherent mess which had too many mediocre authors contributing to it by introducing yet another character with godlike powers: chosen of this god, special superduper descendant of that race, all of them starring in novels that lack something you could call a plot and are just pages and pages of people throwing fireballs or having sword fights. It shouldn't even be allowed to compare that to Tolkien's modern mythology of the Silmarillion. Or at least that's what I think, now. As I'm sure there are many other people who do not think D&D is the best fantasy has to offer (and as stated by others here it most certainly wasn't the first from which all other fantasy originated, please!). So @OP: how could you ever call it a "pit fall" if someone wanted to create ""new IP which may or may not stay true to the feel of D&D"? If PoE's new setting is very different from existing D&D stuff, it means it could turn out to be better or worse than it and that is something that will differ from person to person. If it really were a pitfall to try something different in fantasy, it would mean every writer or game designer would have to stick with copy-pasting from Wizards of the Coast until the end of times. As if fantasy isn't cliché enough as it stands... *shudders*

While we still need to wait and see if, and in what ways this is , I understand your happy surprise when learning about this game. I only found out about this game a month or 3 ago myself too and can't wait to play it! I think I have pretty realistic expectations, so I'd be surprised if I will not enjoy this one!

I'll check it out, but it's not the feature that had me most excited about the game. I need something to spend my cash on anyway, so might as well rebuild the fortress, but I don't think I will find it to be very exciting as there seems to be little story involved and random battles become repetitive really quickly.

Well, I'd like to add that eh, well... , you know... *reads again* I see you have the situation well in hand, Sir. Carry on!

I bought the Champ edition and I'm glad to hear it's a good deal apparently! However, I did not get any cool forum emblems beneath my avatar to show I bought it and you did get those for being a backer! On a serious note, I'm not a backer because I only learned of this game a few months ago, but if I would have been able to back this game through Kickstarter, I would have gladly done so because I really want this game to be made. I'd know beforehand what I'd get for my money IF the game was ever made and I'd be happy with that no matter what other people got who'd buy the game close to release... as long as the difference in price/reward isn't too big (I'm talking absurd differences here). I personally couldn't be bothered with maps and almanacs and documentaries. But hey, if it's true backers are getting less worth for their money than people who are buying the game now, I'd be the last one to complain if Obsidian gave the backers more stuff and even mooooooore stuff so they'd get more than anyone who's not a backer.

Kuddos also to the interviewer in that video. A game journalist who actually seems to know the game he is asking questions about.. is the world going mad? I'd rather watch this guy do a decent review of the game than Angry Beaver or what's his name.

Since my small brain cannot keep up with all the lengthy posts in important debates about romances in cRPGs and what a beaver called "Angry Joe" thinks about PoE, I hereby declare this to be my favourite thread on these forums! Onwards to release, we're almost there and let's have fun! \o/

Those are some very thorough videos on character creation! Cheers for uploading them!

Why is precedent important though? And which games would you say had good romances? Personally I never found romances in games anything special: too short, too shallow, too easy to accomplish... pretty meaningless all in all. If I had to make a pick, I'd say Mass Effect had some pretty good romances. Especially in ME2 where you could continue your romance with your absent lover from ME1. I'm serious, because of the absence of your fiancée, that actually was the best romance ever done in a pc game for me...

I wish I had a save from 5 years ago... maybe then this thing called "Phd project" could still be saved :/

I'm playing some Age of Wonders 3, a turn-based strategy game made by small Dutch indy company Triumph Studios. Not many decent turn-based strategy games out there anymore, but I really love this one.

Now come on man, don't keep me in suspense any longer, tell me who won it already! I really hate it when people keep you waiting like that!

I wish I could, but I highly doubt anyone can ever top this answer. Alas, only page 2 and we are already done with this thread... Damn you, smart & witty people!!

Going with 10 at least, since the city of Baldur's Gate had a couple and we have 2 multiple map cities in this one

*attempts to get thread back on topic* So, which one of you is going to romance Angry Joe?

I am a great fan of the Age of Wonders turn-based strategy series, and I will never be able to rid my mind of Angry Joe and some other drunk beavers that were there with him for no apparent reason doing a twitch stream of Age of Wonders III... the beavers were hardly showing any interest, but for some reason the game got a positive review from Angry Joe. I will never, ever watch any Angry Joe again, not even if I'm as drunk as the beavers that were in that video. *shudders at the memory*

My advice to the OP would be to just play the game with your own party if you like that sort of thing - there's a reason they put in the option to do so! If you then still want to experience the companions, go for a 2nd run through the game and use them. If the game isn't good enough for you to go for a 2nd run through it, the companion content likely won't improve the game enough for you to suddenly start liking it a lot more I'll do the exact opposite btw, first play with the companions and then later I'll do some runs with my own created party or a mix with only my favourite companions joining me. They've given us this freedom, so why not use it?

I am guessing OP wants to know how much of that kind of content is in the game. I don't think anyone from the beta will be able to answer that one for you though, only the devs will have an idea of that.

The only sensible response to that.

Oh hey OP, that's a really cool i... *sees Chuck Norris internet cliché* *runs away quickly*

I'm trying and failing to remember the Kotor2 companions. Annoying old woman, stupid gambler.... and... uh. Huh. Someone actually named Disciple? If they ape KotoR 2 might as well throw the whole thing in the bin now. Regardless, Kotor2 writing is a perfect example of the writers being able to go beyond the typical good-evil distinction: it must have been the first time I've seen Star Wars not sticking to the cliché of good Jedi vs. evil Sith all the time and they did this perfectly, I think.

Luckily we have the lead writer from Kotor 2 on board, which IMO had some of the best written cRPG companions ever. I wouldn't worry about 1-dimensional companions like in BG1

Well... I think the penalty on posting too hastily is getting your soul ripped out. Bring out the animators!!! seems I don't know the difference between an animator and an animancer yet, so you will live regardless (sorry, new setting and all of that).

I think the penalty on posting too hastily is getting your soul ripped out. Bring out the animators!!!