hrwd

...is that Pillars definitely lacks the "ooomph / badass / epic" factor. And this is what people usually complain about. Items aren't epic as they were in BG / ID / NWN / DA:O / even TES. Story is more of a personal chase in lieu of Jason Bourne than it is...epic as NWN / BG etc are. Abilities(most of spells especially don't feel powerful and you don't feel progression-mostly because most of power is located within the first few spell levels meh) don't have oomph nor progression. Let me give you an example of Enchantment progression in NWN*: 0. Daze 1. Charm / Sleep 2. Blind / Deaf 3. Hold 4. Confuse 5. Dominate Person 6. Mass Charm 7. Mass Blind / Deaf 8. Mass Hold 9. Dominate Monster / Mass Dominate Person ...so you begin as a simple Conjurer of parlour tricks(Daze, Charm etc) and end up Dominating the minds of Dragons, stopping whole armies in their tracks etc etc. See, THAT is progression how it should be made. There isn't anything similar in Pillars. And while I do love Pillars(just bought WM exp.pass), this is a real problem: it really, but really is not epic enough. *that list isn't actually from NWN, but is how the Enchantment School itself progresses. My apologies for misleading you. edit: I should've used Summon Creature I - IX instead. It'd've described what I was after much, much more elegantly. In hindsight...

Is there actually the map of entire Eora out there somewhere? Not the map of colonies(Dyrwood, Eir Glanfath, Readceras etc) like on wiki, but the map of actual world where you can see Old Vailia, Rauatai etc.

And as deadly, as the Warhammer RPG? Hmm, why not? Could be a fine survival-rpg^^. Hmm, I would still differentiate between those two. SM in W40k are also good Meele-Fighters, in Starcraft we only have our gun and a thick armor. And killing one protoss-templar could be a small a bossfight. No, I wouldn't like it as deadly as WHFRPG. Or as mundane as that. I literally want DA:O(or Pillars or what have you) set in Warhammer Fantasy. But knowing GW, they'd INSIST that it was as close to 1 / 1 replica of TT as possible. Thus completely ignoring the potential that lies within their own hands(see, GW are cretins when it comes to business sense-wtf blows their entire world up RIGHT BEFORE a HUGE GAME is about to come out{Total Warhammer}-answer: a total cretin).

Morrowind wasn't about Religion? ...since when if I might ask. And even Daggerfall and Oblivion are to a smaller extent(Oblivion is about dangers of extreme religion...Mythic Dawn isn't really that different to the idea of Fundamentalism). Morrowind was equally(maybe even more) about Religion than Pillars. The thing is that Pillars' gameworld is FAR more normal when compared to Vvardenfel and the message is delivered very bluntly and at the wrong time(at the end AFTER the divine intervention vs Morrowind's dynamic message which is told THROUGHOUT the game and has two truths which gets juxtaposed at the most interesting moment). With that said, I feel as if Pillars would be so much better if PC could just choose to side with Thaos.

What do you mean "it stops in the middle"? Care to elaborate on that? Because I felt Defiance Bay was just splendid(really, the Sanatorium and the Honor Hill were just that good). /shrug Maybe I overlooked something that "breaks" the game. I didn't care about Twin Elms tho. At that point I'm usually in full pursuit of Thaos so I don't care about petty Druid troubles(most of which are "oh so important" compared to Thaos /rolleyes).

Neither does it make sense for your MC to be exceptionally powerful. I was thinking earlier about the stat stacking in NWN and etc and the question "is that character supposed to do that(fire Fireballs like in Diablo)" came up. I figured that it did seeing how your MC there travelled throgh time and fought gods. The same could really apply to BG and Planescape. But in Pillars? You really aren't that special. Just a guy with an unusual ability. Certainly not as powerful as you were in those games. At best, you're around Geralt's power level(but I kinda doubt the Pillars MC is even there). How can that compare to being a child of a god lol?

Berath was clearly inspired by Janus, was he not? Also, I wouldn't be completely surprised if Magran was inspired by Belonna. What other god inspirations have you found?

What about 2h Fighting style?

Or a psion with a pistol...or even better with three-four pistols. The trick is to get creative. Pillars really allows it. I mean, will a Wizard be more effective if you play him as a AoE CC machine than if you play him as a battlemage / spellsword / nightblade etc? Yes, he will. But that's just efficacy. Other things are perhaps less effective, but more involving / fun? After all, Druid does have that flaming sword as a level 2 spell. If you take 2H fighting style and, most likely, weapon focus - Soldier, it will make it very deadly indeed.

Honestly, who cares about Tiers? This is a problem of Obsidian's way of thinking: Classes in a cRPG need to be FUNCTIONAL and PLAYABLE. ( Once they are that, they should be buffed up to ELEGANT and FUN states. ) difference between functional and elegant: Gamorrean Axe vs Lightsabre. Obsidian doesn't understand the part in brackets. They are content with a rudimentary "just functional". This is the reason why they spent so much time nerfing instead of buffing others up to release Cipher status. Cipher was a really fun and elegant class, which they decided to gut in the name of "equality / balance". This is a fine line of thinking in COMPETITIVE games so everyone is on an equal playing field. But in a full singleplayer game? Rather make classes fun and viable for further replays of a game. Just play what you find fun and effective. (Unless it's broken like Chanter + Anc.Mem, but that's whole another ball game!)

So, I wanted to change something obvious for my first try. Hence I chose Blessed was Wengridh and its Reflex save. I've opened the module in UABE and looked into "MonoBehavior" asset(MB base, yeah). Now, I need to find something that makes sense to modify Reflex. Inside there is this PhraseData m_phraseData which contains Array Array(int size = 2) and AA contains 0 and 1. When I open 0, I get: Generic Mono data UInt8 IsHostile = 0 (this means it's a friendly effect) int Apply = 0 (no idea what this is) int AffectsStat = 16(it affects stat 16, which I understand is mov.speed because of next two lines) int DmgType = 8(I take it this means it increases, not decreases a number- a plus basically) float Value = 1.20(and THIS IS IT! When you look it up on wiki, it says it increases MS by +1.2{sound familiar?}) . . . So 0 is the MS part, which means 1 MUST be Reflex part, right? When I open it, the only two different things are: AffectsStat is 8(must be Reflex) and Value is 10.00(now this sounds VERY familiar). It simply has got to be the part reserved for modifying Reflex save. So, what's wrong? I found it in hex code and edited it to be +15.00. Replaced the file, which even says outright that Stat 8 is affected by Value 15.00. But it doesn't work in the game! Neither the tooltip, neither the ability(it still changes Reflex by 10). WTF did I do wrong? Did I miss something? ...I just want to edit values so ratios are better dam it!

mother****er! My UABE says "The assets file index is out of range" when I try to import. Are you talking about the Import button UNDER the CAB-xyz thingy? ...why do I've a nose I'll have to do my modding via the hex-editing method...

I can find the subforum just fine, but this isn't about that as much about the general opinion of players upon their thoughts on abilities(which one is generally considered weak because I intend to buff things instead of nerf things, it's just the way I think), what makes sense / does not make sense(exhortations not usable on self) etc. I'd also like to know how often do the updates happen and whether there are any release schedules or not. Because I definitely want to change some things to things that make sense TO ME(such as Rogues starting with at the very least High Deflection). But I'll take popular consensus into consideration if that'll make sense(meaning: provide good arguments). I'll just be number fiddling, so don't expect any miracles. But sometimes miracles are in the right ratios and right numbers at the right time, so...

For anyone wondering why this is happening: broken game design(can't blame Obsidian, they're more of Literature majors, not Game Design majors). See, the casting of Invocations stops your character from reciting a phrase. This can be clearly observed by creating a Chanter and playing him for like 15 minutes(time it takes to meet the Grand Inquisitor). Then go to the...area before the Gilded Vale and attack that solitary female Bandit. Start reciting, stack 3 phrases and cast, say, Hely-Hyraf. You'll see something of this type: < character name > applies < phrase name > < CN > applies Ancient Memory < Additional Effects > < CN > casts "And Hel-Hyraf crushed upon the shield" < Additional Effects > < CN > starts using / chanting < phrase name > Which means you actually stopped the previous chant and begun using a new one. Meanwhile, if you take a look at Ancient Memory, you'll notice it has "1 use per encounter" meaning once you actually stop using a Chant that activated it, for whatever reason INCLUDING using an Invocation, it is gone for good. So, it is fully intended to work like that. It is not an oversight, I assure you. This reinforces the notion of just using Phrases and mostly forgetting about Invocations. My problem is twofold here: 1. There is no middle ground(I am kinda ok with this - forced choice if you will) 2. There is no talent / feat that promotes actual Invocations One very elegant solution to problem 2 would be a feat that lets you use ONE Invocation at the start of combat. I feel that'd make Chanter not so much effective as more elegant(as opposed to merely functional) to use. Maybe then Obsidian / modders could make AM more powerful as well. Ah, it's nice to dream, innit?

Yeah they could. Except Chaos. Chaos had such a perfect, one could say...chaotic, lineup vs Eldar: Infantry, Heavy Infantry, Vehicles, Daemons etc etc. Also, I'm increasingly worried about DoW III. The animations(sth that prolly won't change) are more reminiscent of Blizzard(not polished, but over the top) and how they, presumably want to do deployment...doesn't sound good. Not at all. But we'll see. Look, DoW pro spoiled me so I've some standards.

Warhammer Fantasy RPG in lieu of DA:O / TES or even IE era. Star Wars or Conan RPG with combat like in TERA. Starfleet Command IV. ...because CEOs are stupid and won't in fact produce games which would actually turn profit easily. As opposed to regurgitated crap which Jim fkkin Sterling-son called "amourphous blobs of gray ****"(or something like it)-and rightly so.

What do you think of KoTFE? Or class stories for that matter. I mean, swtor is nigh useless outside story aspect imo. Which reminds me that I've to finish the swtor-fraps project. But I've no will given how easy mode and crap the general gameplay of tor currently is.

Also Paladin's Deep Faith(it merely adds +2 Def / +3 saves and doesn't scale at all). Chanter's Ancient Memory as well. There are useless talents all right. Good news. We can mod the game and make the useless into useful. See? Berath in action right there. Usually it's just a number tweak or slight functionality tweak. This is what people did with Dragon Age: Origins. It really brought out the fun side of that game once all the bugged, weak etc skills got modified.

So I finished the game. While I did miss enemy scaling or attuned xp so you can do the MQ + some other interesting quests(mostly other major quests), the game was still very fun and involving. And there is a lot of "saving the world"(should you choose to do it so-which is a fantastic way because you aren't the savior, no, you CHOSE to BECOME one and you BECAME one)... ...man what a fantastic game! Will have to replay it with a bit more completionism(and WM probably). I doubt my dispos will change(Honest / Benevolent / Stoic-Rational), but the gameplay will. I haven't played a game of this calibre ever since I played KoTOR II some 2 years ago. Still, the actual gameplay could've better and the writing could've used an editor(imo). Mostly minor complaints how good everything else is. Also the balance is fascinating-I haven't seen one useless or weak class. Edit: The last fight is cheese sent straight from cheese maker's heaven lol.

Setting: -> Either Old Vailia or Rauatai(Venice or Maori you choose ) -> Tho, Ixamitl or White could be exotic and nice as well(but perhaps too close to BG and ID respectively) Improvements: -> Possibly a total move away from Vancian spellcasters(they're severely outdated anyhow and make the game be designed around them) -> Consider hiring an editor for your writing(trust me, P of E made the exact same mistake Martin constantly does: Namely "overwriting" sometimes too much's too much) -> Fully voice acted main / semi main characters? Would be nice. -> More impact to all the choices(think how Kreia nagged about practically everything): Races, Classes(how come Eder and Durance don't argue? I mean, just listen to what Durance actually did do), Dispositions etc etc -> I'd like if you could play it as NWN 2 in 3rd person, but would be fine with TD as well -> Smarter AI: At the very least for companions -> Chris Avellone: self explanatory -> More customisation: Various tokens on Armour(think how WAR did it), the ability to choose an emblem for a cape etc -> Better / more important stronghold / housing: Not important personally, but could be very much so for others, so...

What's the use of Chanters? They don't seem very good tbh...

Yeah... I'd agree that Defiance Bay could have been tightened up a little. You can get through it, but it always felt to me like a part of the game that's stretched a bit thin, and probably the weakest act. I did like playing many parts of it... it's just that there's a lot of running back and forth to be done. ​ ​ Priests do get those abilities, though. They get a range of healing spells (the "restore endurance" line), as well as anti-undead spells, and they can pick them at cast-time, as opposed to needing to memorize them in advance. I depended on Durance's healing extensively, and his buffs were indispensable. (Oh... just occurred to me that you might be talking about health instead of endurance. That's only regained by resting AFAIK, and for good gameplay reasons. They were trying to avoid the "totally recharge after each fight" mechanic that has been dumbing down CRPGs for decades now. Around that, I wish they'd gone even further than they did). ​ ​I'd have to disagree about magic, too. My PC was a wizard, and he felt quite powerful to me. I'm not sure the class-to-class comparison thing makes so much sense in this kind of game, but his AoE and CC abilities were formidable. I believe he out-damaged anyone else in my party, although some of that might just be because he was my main character. Still, I'd only rank ciphers as possibly exceeding the wizard's ability to singlehandedly alter the entire course of a battle. ​ ​ Paladin maybe? That Lay on Hands and Liberating Exhortation can pretty severely change the outcome too. In other news, I am enjoying my Paladin. Its gameplay style is very enjoyable. I wouldn't say necessarily say it reaches the top of the fun classes, but what it does combine is very fun gameplay with very useful things. I don't understand the hype about the Fighters tho. Paladins seem better. In other words, I also don't understand why people don't like Raedric. He is very reasonable. I tried talking with him, he listened and semi-sanely(please do understand his situation!) responded. Later I went to Kolsc who pouted something about "word poison" and what not and attacked even tho I wanted to parlay. The fkkin kid! Then the whole shack attacked my Shieldbearer who promptly used LoH(with +15 Def, ofc) and shrugged it off. I really don't understand why people don't understand his predicament. Maybe those are people who pick Passionate answers(I'm Honest / Diplo / Bene / Stoic)? /shrug (answers which I have no use in picking are Cruel, Passionate and Deceptive-aggro somewhat too)

Since when micro = thinking? Is this the collateral damage of StarCraft lol? There is one balancing act about the pets: they're fairly easy to whack off and then you're stuck with a semi useless Ranger. Because if you truly want Ituumak / Wolf to hit Plate wearers for 30+...you're gonna have to specialise. But then again Rogues are nearly as squishy and don't bring such damage(lol?). Unless 2h, but then the pet outclasses it on the dps spectrum(as opposed to "SPIKE!" spectrum). There are various silly things here and there, but I've all the faith that P of E 2 will be at least for a class better. Obsidian: You suck at initiating...keep to sequels - that's what you're REALLY GOOD at .

It's the idea of severe micromanagement that puts me off Vancians. I can and probably do want an involving class, but I don't want to babysit the whole party. Plus I'm in no mood for philosophy. I usually play RPGs to save the world and such not to ponder existentialist philosophy. So, is there such an element in here(something akin to KoS or to Sion or something like that)?

First of all, I don't quite get the game. I've played much of DnD or Obsidian games, so that shouldn't be a problem. In fact, I somewhat prefer Obsidian to other RPG studios like Bioware or Bethesda and The Sith Lords are one of my most favoured RPGs of all time. I've played BG2 + ToB(only beating ToB due to a lucky Energy Disc while under Boon of Lathander-a terribly OP combo), KoTOR 1 + 2(1 is much, much too emo for me), NWN 1(only OC) + 2(OC + MotB) and DA:O when it comes to games like this. Now, I can't find a suitable class. The one I wanted to play(support | defensive Chanter) is...well, I hate how Ancient Memory works, let's leave it at that, ok? So, I can't really find what interests me. Plus I've this lingering feeling of blandness. See, I managed to go to Defiance(but was underleveled at level 4 and 3 / 4? /shrug) Bay, but the story didn't hook me. In GV...or shall I name it Charwood, you've cousins(khm! Brothers, yes) and that **** doesn't interest me(unless told like in NWN 1). The whole philosophical nature of PofE doesn't really interest me. I also kinda severely dislike micromanagement. I'd really LOVE to play @normal ToI(or Hard /shrug), but not have to worry about the Vancians(they're braindead and the need to micro them just pushes me towards melee heavy group). Aloth is simply boring and Durance is...I don't know why he hasn't got involved with Raedric with that mentality of his(horrible ugh). Long story short, I SUICIDED because the game was boring me. I...just don't get it(and by all rights, I SHOULD, but then again I wasn't exactly crying for BG / ID 3...KoTOR though ). Is it just me or is a game just a philosophical allegory for something(here I'll agree with rpg codex when they say it's "plato for newbies") with a bland combat?