the_dog_days

I don't know who else is playing on PC but my only complaint is having to hit two or sometimes three buttons to open menus. Hopefully a mod comes along to fix that.

All the outpost stuff is tucked to the side. (I was going to use a metaphor, but all the ones I could think of were lewd.)

Playing Starfield. Slow start, which is increasingly a Bethesda thing, but really good.

Create Entertainment announced a 3rd Grim Dawn expansion. https://www.grimdawn.com/guide/about/fangs-of-asterkarn/ Somehow not surprised the pervy one's your favorite. lol

Co-op in and of itself wouldn't've been the end of the world, but I got the impression that they wanted it so that each player had one character to control, thereby having a 'party based' game without having to make companions. That kinda co-op I would've hated.

If my daughter didn't kill a dragon she shouldn't bother comin' back.

Wow. Kink shaming.

Can't wait for FFLXIX. Gonna be nice.

Says the guy who loves VtM.

That's a long roading way to say 'cringe'.

Pentiment and Grounded aren't on GOG (yet). I think we have our answer. At launch it probably won't be on GOG. It will come later, if it does.

If we really want to play this game then the Devil of Caroc is technically immortal and the game could just as well be set 20 thousand years into the future. At this point we've both said our piece and disagree.

You're right. I was using my POE1 guide book and it doesn't list elf lifespans and for some reason I remembered it being the same as humans, similar to orlans and aumaua. Dwarves also have a longer lifespan. I still think it's set around or just after Deadfire. The prequel talk has all been rumor.

According to lore elves are lucky to get 110 years in the same way humans are lucky to get 90.

The biggest advantage of using the Watcher is not having to spend 60 hours in a 100 hour game on exposition to explain the state of the world. Put the Watcher in and slapping a '3' on there eliminates that problem. Trying to get new players up to speed while cramming exposition from 2 previous games down their throats is only going to result in an unsatisfying experience for everyone.

Whoever has to clean up now has to 1) know how everyone thinks the world works, 2) know how the world really works, & 3) have an emotional connection to the situation. The Watcher has all three. There's no need, and indeed it would feel forced to create a new character to fulfil all those requirements. You have a character in the bag, you don't need to spend an entire game on exposition to fill in the blanks, and they're ready to roll. It only makes sense that it would be the Watcher.

What we know: 1) Takes place in the Living Lands. 2) New player character. 3) Only human or elf. 4) We work for Aedyr. 5) No co-op. 6) There are companions, you can have two of them with you at a time, and they are mandatory. 7) Lots of factions from the previous games (flags in trailer). 8 ) We will meet some familiar faces from Deadfire. 9) No classes (at least for the player character). 10) We're not playing a Watcher. 11) The original CGI trailer focused on scope of the narrative. 12) The gameplay trailer focused on player power fantasy. 11) In 2021 there were rumors that the project had been rebooted. Deep Fan Zone: 12) Deadfire ended on an apocalyptic cliffhanger. What we can reasonably suspect: 1) Takes place either in between the Pillars games or after Deadfire. Why*: Elves and other races in Eora don't have magically extended**, super long lives like in other fantasy settings. That and the fact that they picked familiar faces specifically from Deadfire means that in all likelihood this is the timeframe the game takes place in. 2) Co-op was likely scrapped as part of the reboot from a few years ago. Why: Both leaks happened around the same time and it was rumored that Obsidian decided to cut back on the scope and just make a really good Obsidian game and they've never been known for their co-op games (yes, Grounded is really good but it's not their signature genre). Deep Fan Zone: 3) Their original idea was Avowed would be Pillars3-at-home. Why: There was supposed to be a POE3. Deadfire's apocalyptic cliffhanger deliberately left the door open for one more Watcher game, but initially Deadfire was considered a financial failure. Josh Sawyer as since come out and said that Deadfire's done pretty darn good over the long haul. The reboot coincides with around the time that Deadfire had turned the corner and now started to earn Obsidian a real profit. This would imply that originally Avowed was meant to sidestep the Watcher's story, present a new player character in a new series to finish the Watcher's story. 4) Avowed is no longer Pillars 3 by proxy. Why: The original CGI trailer had all this Woedica imagery and the voice over focused on 'we', the nation of Aedyr. This implies the original idea involved wars, gods, the conquest of nations, and the narrative scope was huge. The gameplay trailer focused on player power fantasy (they say 'you' 11 times in 9 sentences). The smaller scope and focus is obvious. Also, the Pillars games never sold themselves on power fantasy. It was a part of the games and the marketing, but they always focused on the lore, the world, the stories, and player choice. 5) There's real hope now of a Pillars of Eternity 3. *'Why' as in, why do we suspect this. I didn't want to have to type it out every time. **Correction: elves can live up-to 300 years old and dwarves and live up-to 190.

It sure seems like Josh Sawyer wants nothing to do with this series anymore, and given the amount of work he poured into it I can't blame him.

I played a pugilist. It was great fun. There's a bit of hide-and-seek behind objects to get enemies to come closer, but otherwise it was way more fun than my hacker.

"You have two companions with you at all times" Companions are mandatory.

The problem as I see it is that Obsidian's best stories are those told by the player. There's a lot of impinging on role-playing opportunities in that you have to play human or elf, there are no classes, your employment status is set, apparently you took an oath, and you have to have two party members with you at all times.

It's very likely that if Avowed is commercially successful, all of the cool rpg mechanics of Pillars (personality reputations, races of different heights, classes with original class mechanics, backgrounds, etc.) will get sanded away forever from the franchise. Just like with Elder Scrolls.

https://www.pcgamer.com/avowed-rpg-obsidian-preview-magic-interview/ https://www.pcgamer.com/avowed-open-world-skyrim-rpg-size/ https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2023/06/11/obsidians-avowed-is-coming-in-2024/ You have an established role as the imperial envoy, but your "personality, appearance, and philosophy and vibe you bring to that role is up to you as a player to decide" You can play as a human or an elf, but not other races It's purely singleplayer—no co-op The world is lightly systemic: think water and lightning interactions, but not the ol' bucket-on-the-head trick You'll have two companions with you at a time, with their own combat specialties and, of course, personalities There are several ability trees to progress through, and you won't be locked to a particular class or playstyle You will level up, but the focus is on unlocking abilities rather than putting points into stats to grow stronger Avowed went from a 'very interested' to 'nah'.

Looks like I can safely nope out of this one.