SlayerDorian

With all the moving parts and interaction between aspects of system and then between the systems themselves, if it is done correctly, there will be many balance patches to come. If they want their new rule set to become something significant and lasting, that is. It's the foundation of the game, making that foundation as solid as it can be should be a very high priority if they intent to build more content on top of it.

How time value gets implemented and tuned is clearly important. Things like how big the time chunks are, is it one big one or multiple smaller ones, are there breaks in between, is a win/lose condition or something else, what difficulty setting does time value start taking effect, these can be argued and tested. However, it cannot be denied that there is an extreme lack of time value and that with it lacking, it results in the per rest abilities/camping supplies system being a little bit silly and toothless. Yes, in many previous games you could just rest up all willy nilly, but that is definitely not the point here. There was clearly intent to actually do something different (the camping supplies system), but that final piece of it missing - time value. The Raedric thing is a good point. The structure of the game was obviously not built with time value in mind, so blindly adding it would likely result in something awkward. It would need to be carefully added. Though, realistically, I wouldn't expect anything of the sort to get added to this installation. But, perhaps time value can be considered from the start of any new releases (DLC and sequels) and have it implemented in a way that adds much to the experience and clears up the confusion about why some things are per rest and why there are limited camping supplies that you can carry. You can see the confusion in this thread. There is clearly an issue and you can see people coming up with their own ways to get the system to make sense, such as self imposed restrictions. As I stated before, self-imposed restrictions is never a good answer to a design issue, but it certainly points out that there is a problem. http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/78724-shouldnt-all-spells-be-per-combat-encounter-not-per-rest/

Hopefully you do realize that this would mean a complete rewrite of the whole dialogue system - at the very least. Indeed, adding time value into the current release would probably be better done with a mentioning or two in the earlier part of the game then some sort of UI element that serves are a reminder rather than changing up NPC dialogues. But perhaps in future releases (DLCs, sequels) it could be worked into the world a bit more naturally. I'd love to see some things other than a hard win/lose condition based on time, too. You could end up saving a village or NPC if you move fast enough. The possibilities are limitless, really.

That is, no doubt, a problem. It actually proves my point more-so than anything else. Every aspect is important when it comes to balancing a game. Implementing engagement without enemy AI being able to handle it is very similar to putting in a fatigue and per-rest-abilities/spells limitation without actually limiting rests in any real way. Just as you can self impose some sort of time value or limit on yourself, you can also self impose not abusing the engagement system. Just run all of your characters into the middle of the enemy party. Don't use fighters, or don't use anything that ups your engagement beyond one target. Don't min/max your fighter to be all defense and not able to actually hurt anything. Ultimately, self imposed difficulty is never ever ever ever ever the solution. It's rather silly to even suggest it. It is, instead, a signal flare shining light on a design issue.

And yet if I kill him, I get MAJOR negative in Defiance Bay... A single major negative penalty won't even drop you down from neutral. I've never had a rep problem due to the drop for killing him. It just strikes me as odd that it has any effect on your rep at all.

I'm really not sure how killing a guy with no witnesses around somehow lowers your rep with Defiance Bay. He doesn't even get a chance to scream.

It seems that many still think that having some sort of time limit means that rushing is necessary. There are many reasons why that assumption is incorrect, here are a couple huge ones: - The time limit can be tuned per difficulty. Normal could be no limit and on harder difficulties, it could be set to something rather reasonable. Still allowing for exploring every location and doing every side quest with some time to spare. The whole point is to eliminate the strategy of constantly resting to trivialize combat difficulty by always having summon items and the party's most powerful spells available more often than not - if you are doing this, you aren't really beating the game on hard/PotD. - There is very little to explore in this game that actually require significant travel time. Hopping into every house in Defiance Bay doesn't actually take much game time. - This is actually the perfect genre and game for this. Conservation of resources, fighting smart, and surviving the leg of an adventure are important challenges in this type of game. There is even a limited resting system implemented via camping supplies, travel time, and a fatigue system. However, all of these are pretty much negated when there is no real cost to constantly running back to town for a nap at the inn, which is rather unfortunate. If the time limit were tuned properly, every argument about having to rush is entirely nullified. Additionally, the time limitations could even be implemented in smaller chunks in future releases. Then, in between these chapters/legs of adventure/quests/whatever you want to call them, you could fart around the countryside for months if you so desired.

Only for those who rest extremely frequently to keep all battles in easy mode regardless of difficulty setting. If the time limit is only on hard or PotD then there's no problem. People who want to rest all the time can play on easy or normal.

I like the idea some areas being a one-shot design. Obivously, this would just be on hard difficulty settings (because you don't select hard or PotD without wanting more challenge, so here it is). They even built in a couple free resting spots in the place. It would be nice to see some various in the quest legs/dungeons. Some have to be one-shot, with clear warning and maybe even an autosave created just before entering. Some quests could time constrained so you can't just travel around to inns for months because you're playing out of your league. The biggest things people seem to be complete disregarding when arguing against some of these extra challenges is that they would just be on harder difficulty settings. This is for people who want the challenge, and there are plenty of people saying that the game is too easy on PotD. Increasing monster count per encounter and upping their stats is really just a basic change (and rather uncreative), why not have some more in depth difficulty added in these harder modes? That's the next evolution, really.

Even with all of the gods in the real world that people worship up to this day. Other than some writing that some guy wrote a long time ago telling you otherwise (which is not actual proof), there is no proof that this exact type of scheme was not how they came about in the first place. Step 1, create a god(s) - be that actually create, or just create the idea and pretend it is real. Step 2, write about it in such a way that makes it seem like it was always here - perhaps even created the universe. Step 3, start preaching and spreading the word. Step 4, people get warm and fuzzy thinking that there is some greater being protecting and guiding them. Step 5, it keeps spreading. At least in the game's lore, there is at least proof that they exist.

The thing that threw me off was how pathetic everyone was. The thought that they could only find purpose in their existance if there was some god(s) hanging around... and that everyone was so stuck on it. I kept thinking to myself, "What is wrong with these people?" There was a shortage of rational NPCs in the game, I think. If there were some dialogue options like this, it would be great. 1. [Rational] Smack this person upside their head to knock some sense into them.

Hah, indeed. But if nothing were ever called out, even less would happen post-launch. So far it does seem that they care, at least to some degree, about feedback.

If the rewards are worth taking the time to do a side quest (and they should be) then there is no issue here. Again, the time limit should be tuned so that it is quite possible to do all side quests and complete the main story as long as you aren't constantly traveling back to the inn. The pressure, really, is to use good strategy and not unload every powerful spell/summon nearly every chance you get. This, currently, is entirely possible (playing through the game without frequently travelling back to an inn mid-dungeon). The problem is that completing the game on PotD is rather cheapened because it is very easy to side-step the difficulty - thus rendering the difficulty setting nearly pointless. Additionally, confusing many players. The only way the diffuclty setting has meaning, currently, is if you self-impose some sort of limitations - this only becomes true when there is a design flaw. The "Well if you think X is too powerful, then don't use it." line of thinking is one of the worst ways to view game design. I agree you can't 100% save the player from themselves, however you can at least plug the giant holes. Regarding non-min/maxed parties, I have already done this. It, however, does not address this issue. As for exploring everything without worrying about time constraints, that would still be fully possible on easy/normal. Even on harder settings, the time limit should be tuned so that you can still do all side quests and exploring if you are playing well and your strategy is sound. Like I said, those who actually want a challenge should get it (hard and PotD). A time limit would go a long way to help with that. There are complaints all over these forums about the game being too easy even on PotD and I believe this is one of the major reasons why, it's just not entirely obvious.

You're correct that this problem exists in other games. However, there is something that does make it stand out in this case. That is the limited camping supplies. This whole system is pretty much nullified due to travel time meaning almost nothing and unlimted rests available at the inn/stronghold. The only real cost is some loading time, which is confusing and annoying some people. The issue being present in other games also begs the question, "So?" That doesn't mean that no effort should be made to fix it here - unless that wasn't your point.

The missing piece is that there is no time limit. Story/lore reasoning: - Currently, the big bad guy has a plan in motion. But, rather than executing the final step as soon as possible, he just waits around for you to show up. - Another reason that there could be a time limit would be the whole going mad aspect that is currently way under expressed through the game. It would have been nice if when you contact Thaos' soul in the sanitarium, you get a sense of something big he's planning on X date. Perhaps even sooner. Or, the alternative, something could give a hint as to when you're going to slip into total madness. This would really answer that question people have kept posing, "Why am I even doing these things aside from the journal telling me to?" Game balance: Right now, there is a lot of confusion going on about camping supply limit and people wanting to rest after every battle. The confusion stems from the camping supply limit not really holding any weight because the only real drawback to running out is that you have to go through a few loading screens to visit an inn. The drawback is really just a user experience issue, not actual challenge. It is easy to see why this confuses some people. Others enjoy the limited rest aspect, because it adds a new layer of strategy and skill to the game experience as long as it is not quickly abused by the previously mentioned workaround. Positives of having this time limit: - The higher level strategy of completing a dungeon or travelling in the wilderness, not just meeting the challenge of individual combat encounters would be real. Right now, it is really only there if you choose to do it because you can always go back to town and rest in the inn as many times as you want with the only cost being a few loading screens. - PotD battles could no longer be constantly trivialised by people resting after every battle (or nearly every battle) and spamming their most powerful spells and figurine summons. Obviously, the game is going to be stupidly easy if this is how you approach it - which ultimately ruins the experience and cheapens the whole idea of having the difficulty setting in the first place. - When you complete the game on hard or PotD is actually stands for something because of the item listed above. Right now, pretty much anyone can complete the game without much effort given that approach. - Travel time actually means something. Right now it can be 100% ignored with no concequence. (especially if you have 4+ athletics on your characters, which is extremely easy to obtain) - There would be more reason to use every little trick in your book. Food, scrolls, potions, ect. - Managing your resources and fighting smart becomes a necessity rather than optional. - It gives clarity to the limited camping supplies system. It will become immediately obivous why it is in the game if spending ages traveling back and forth to the inn and dungeon actually has a downside. - There could be an actual sense of urgency. This is 100% lacking right now. Of course, not everyone is going to want the challenge. It should be safe to say, though, that anyone playing on hard and PotD do want challenge. So, the time limit should at least be there. Perhaps even normal, though this I could see going either way or just having a longer time limit. Leave easy mode open to wasting as much time traveling around as the player wants. The time limit shouldn't be ultra hard core. Just enough to make time a valuable thing. There would need to be some analysis to figure out how long it should be as there should be some room for heading back to town to resupply now and then - it just shouldn't a viable option to frequently do it because that negates many difficulty balance aspects of the game.

Evil does not need a point system Evil does not need god Evil does not need a game mechanic Evil does not need a label Evil is as evil does The failure to grasp, here, is most definitely not on my end.

The same authority that you can label someone bad, cruel, or heartless. It is a word to communicate a concept that explains actions someone has and will likely continue to perform - just like cruel, heartless, or bad person. Additionally, an explanation of how this person will handle given situations - estimating what their thought process likely is.

It could be agued that he was doing what he believed was for the greater good. The thing that tips me that he is evil, though, is that he does not seem to be bothered by killing innocent people. He, himself being evil, probably made it easier for him to believe that such acts are in the nature of people and they need something greater than them telling them to do better. well on the other hand, he could have just been doing it for so long it no longer effected him. That is certainly possible. Probably quite likely. But at some point, he must have been able to see his choices with fresh eyes. He gave in to an easier path, easier because he believed it was the most assured way. And this path came at a great cost. He paid with lives he had no right to. (not counting willing sacrifices, just things like soul theft, mass killings, causing wars, stuff like that)

It could be agued that he was doing what he believed was for the greater good. The thing that tips me that he is evil, though, is that he does not seem to be bothered by killing innocent people. He, himself being evil, probably made it easier for him to believe that such acts are in the nature of people and they need something greater than them telling them to do better.

An act, by itself, is not good or evil. It is the intent behind those acts. Just because the word evil is not spoken or written does not mean that evil is not present. There does not need to be an evil god for evil to exist. In nature, most things are done for survival. Generally, animals do not have the capacity for evil. So, you are correct about nature not having good or evil. Survival instinct and personal gain are very much different. Killing someone to take their fancy boots is evil. You didn't need those boots to survive, nor was there any other reason to kill that person. If you were on an icy tundra, had no footwear and were going to die of frostbite or something and there was no other solution, then it is a matter of survival to get those boots. When a creature has the capacity to be aware of the harm they are causing, knows it is not the only choice, but does it anyway for money, fame, ect or even enjoys the suffering of others just for that - that is evil. There is no question about it. You can call it whatever you want, it is always the same thing.

Pretrify = win unless you just run in circles not attacking or some such nonsense.

Right and wrong are just social constructs. Incest might be perfectly acceptable in some fictional society. However, knowingly doing something harmful to someone because you will get some personal gain is evil - always. Of course it can become more complicated when going beyond harming an innocent. Wars, harming people for funzies vs. hunting animals for food and clothing ect... But the core of it remains.

Using a party on PotD that is specifically designed to use classes I felt could not easily break the system (hoping they do some balancing so this becomes the case for all classes), I am finding money to be just fine in the first third of the game so far. Those fancy items in the shops actually become pretty important when enemies are a bit more threatening. Purchasing those items help with certain areas that are more difficult. At least, in the first half of the game where you haven't gotten great gear from loot and quests yet. It has been a pretty good ride so far. In my normal difficulty playthrough, yeah, I didn't even have to think about buying better gear - whatever stuff that came in for free was far more than enough to slaughter everything. I still expect to be swimming in the money at the end of the game, I would expect nothing less unless I was just throwing money away for shots and goggles - but I am too frugal/efficient for that to happen.

I'm quite certain, that on PoTD using the pre-made NPCs, you would not be able to stroll on through the game without ever using per rest abilities. Something seems rather off here.

Nice, I'll have to try this on my next playthrough. Currently my custom party members are of varying levels due to my funds not quite being enough right away. I know it'll even out just fine later on, though. There is no shortage of exp to be earned in this game.