algroth

Not quite. A multi-classed character only sacrifices two power levels by the time they're level 20, meaning it's closer to each class being at three quarters the power of their single-class equivalents, not half. And this is why half was in quotation marks. Cause i didnt wanna waste time 2 elaborate. I don't need 3|4 Cypher. And pls don't spin it like i am complaining where is trade of. This make it sound like you think i am stupid and i don't wanna think what about you Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. What I meant was that that there was always going to be some power trade-off for each class of a multiclassed set as opposed to their single-class equivalents. I share some of your frustration inasmuch as I'd love to be able to access the highest-level abilities for each of these classes but if so I could see how single classes could be made superfluous in the process.

Not quite. A multi-classed character only sacrifices two power levels by the time they're level 20, meaning it's closer to each class being at three quarters the power of their single-class equivalents, not half. Of course there is going to be some trade-off when you choose to multi-class instead of specializing in one specific class, and I don't think this is too bad.

I think it's an improvement over the previous suggestion. Sure, it might restrict one a bit more but I think it more than makes up for it by making it all more accessible and comprehensible.

Loving the system of multiclasses in Deadfire, I did feel upon hearing about the previous system that it would turn character building into something of a chore but I feel this new one really streamlines it and explains the balance and tradeoffs much better.

RIP Jake LaMotta

:aiee:

Walter Goggins caught my attention. That guy is routinely the best part of everything he is in (Except Vice Principals, and that's because Danny McBride is so gosh darned charming.) Also fun to see the guy from Shaun of the Dead. I honestly don't see how it looks anything like the Angelina Jolie films. Those looked like standard action adventures. The tone of this looks more serious with a focus on the story. It might turn out to be a bomb just the same, but it is a different approach, much like the recent games have changed the approach. I'm rooting for a good video game movie. I don't disagree that Jolie's films are standard action adventures but I hardly see how this one is any different. I see nothing in the trailer that might make me think otherwise, really. I'm also rooting for a good video game movie but what I'm seeing here is the same faults at play once more.

I found the trailer to look incredibly bland myself. Not a single shot or set-piece caught my eye, while the dialogue was, as usual nowadays with these trailers, very trite. I don't see how this'll turn out particularly different to the Angelina Jolie film. For reference...

Your wish is my command:

It was too sharp a pun.

Yeah, Chris Pine and his character were a stand-out in the film, and I do agree that it is a solid flick but not amazing. I reckon that is an amazing feat within the context of the DCEU so far, though. I did quite like David Thewlis in the film too, though I agree that Danny Huston and Elena Anaya could have been given more to do.

Dave Gaider made Ascension on his own after ToB shipped. So yeah, I'd consider it semi-canon. Ah, right, I knew the devs were involved somehow but couldn't remember how. :D

My plan right now is to play through the first game again in preparation for Deadfire as we near its release date. Same as Andrea, I'd like to have my choices and actions in the first game fresh in mind for the sequel.

My suspicions are that you'll probably only define the variables for the main storyline, and leave that of the secondary quests as if they had not been finished. From a newbie-friendly perspective I'm not sure how good a design choice it'd be to ask too much about their past actions in a world and conflict they haven't yet been introduced to. Tyranny did do a good job with it but I think that was also fairly different as it didn't have to account for the player choices of a previous game, it was simply its own thing.

Ooooooooh, i wonder if maybe we can force him to teach us to become a Lich ourselves! Liches are fricking awesome (my biggest disappointment with the encounter with Concelhaut in PoE 1 was the fact that we couldn't learn his secrets for ourselves or becoming his apprentice or something, you know?) That could certainly be cool but I wouldn't get my hopes up. In another Q&A Josh was asked about the possibility of a vithrack companion and he said the challenge there had to do with how fundamentally different vithracks and non-kith creature models were to the playable races (can't recally the exact terms he used, but basically they'd have to redesign every armour and object to suit that specific race or character and it would basically mean a lot of work). A lich is pretty humanoid I guess but I'm not sure how much from an animation/modelling perspective. On top of that, it's hard not to imagine a conversation which wouldn't in some way react to the player being a lich, so in terms of writing, checks and reactivity such an option would mean *work*.

Given that I'm replaying it right now, I'll go ahead and pick Tyranny. So, first off I will say that I really like the game and think both the premise and first act are *great*. It's not so much the general story I'd change as the way it progresses in the second and third acts, both of which I consider fairly problematic. For starters I feel the game doesn't do that good a job at expanding the scope and raising the stakes as it progresses, in terms of story arc the game does feel a little flat and I think this is due to several things, but primarily the modular quest structure (each region encompasses its own independent module with their own independent stories, which make the whole storyline feel fractured and episodic by consequence) and the fairly flat or non-existent build-up towards each of the climactic encounters with the Archons. It all reminds me a tad of Balthazar in Throne of Bhaal. Likewise, the other problem I see is that the game does a fairly poor job at allowing the player to act as an agent of *Tunon*, and I feel that they are too quickly made into a lackey for whichever leader they choose to ally themselves with, instead of acting as, y'know, an ally, or a Fatebinder. So, here's how I see things going into the second act. Firstly, I can by and large group the motivations and conflicts that drive the story and quests in the game into three fields, being personal gain, helping the ally faction and carrying the protagonist's duty as a Fatebinder. The game as it exists chooses to give the first two predominance to the third, but personally I think the faction stuff is what should be secondary to the other two fields. I think the civil war can act as a backdrop and catalyst to the plot, and have the main storyline revolve around the Fatebinder's investigation into the archons instead. I'd have the Fatebinder gather information by following leads, infiltrating the factions, using his alliances to this end, interrogating suspects, and so on. He'd be Terratus' detective. The player's allegiances would affect the way the storyline plays out inasmuch as enabling or barring ways to acquire certain information. Meanwhile, faction-related quests would be secondary and would help towards third act goals, and rather than having the Fatebinder act as lackey he could be given the chance to stand toe-to-toe in negotiation with the Archons (thanks to being under Tunon's protection) and thus determine a course of action if he disagrees with the way the factions go about their business. I'd also make every Tier open to the player at the same time, letting them choose the order in which to handle the respective "big" quests (again, all of them secondary) and not forcing them to miss any should they choose to do all. The main storyline would by the end provide the minimum amount of power needed to advance the story, but each of these faction-related sidequests would of course strengthen your allies and give the player bonus power which could come to play either in the third act or determine the end of the game to an extent or other. Once the evidence has been collected and we move onto the third act, I'd make it so that you can sentence one or *both* of the Archons, and be then tasked with carrying out the sentence. As with the game, I'd have Kyros promote the protagonist to Archon and have them fight one another for control, thus forcing the player to confront all Archons regardless of his sentence. As for the Archons themselves, I'd make it so that it is possible to have every Archon bend the knee and be recruited regardless of your choice of allegiance, with your actions through the prior two acts acting as a determining factor instead. I'd make it so that you can either recruit or beat an Archon to submission depending on how you choose to play your character: for example, while Graven Ashe could be recruited if having him already as an ally and with high enough favour, I would also make it so that with high enough favour an ally of the Vendrien Guard could persuade him with Ashe's history as a rebel general himself, or for a player that is enemies with Ashe and who has also learned about how Ashe originally bent the knee be able to use that same tactic so as to secure Ashe's surrender and compliance in exchange for their lives. Both options would require additional preparation by means of either getting the help of Disfavoured officials to convince Ashe, or surrounding and capturing Ashe's forces, or any one person desirable enough for him to consider surrendering. Obviously, if he were to be persuaded, Nerat's death would be a condition. As for Nerat, I could see the player forcing Nerat into submission Chorus-style, or alternatively feeding one of their companions. Mark is the only one who wouldn't 'bend the knee', but with high enough favor might be persuaded to delay your duel and then be acquired by proxy when enlisting Tunon (or otherwise facing both). All ending roughly in the same point as the game in its current iteration. Anyhow, these are some thoughts as to how I feel Tyranny's story could be improved. Fun exercise all the same.

As far as I remember Irenicus and Bodhi never came back in the vanilla game, though from what I understand Ascension was given a 'stamp of approval' by the devs themselves, so it's semi-canon I guess?

I think one item that has been sorta confirmed to make a return in Deadfire is Concelhaut's skull. From what I recall from Josh's Q&A is that he mentioned Deadfire would expand a bit more on Concelhaut's fate and would involve the skull a little more into the world/setting/plot should you still possess it. But I might be misremembering.

Aww.... Pretty sure i had enchanted my Pirate's Disappointed to Legendary Status Was it a legendary disappointment? That was probably the Worst pun I've ever read. Sorry, I didn't mean to dissapoint.

Aww.... Pretty sure i had enchanted my Pirate's Disappointed to Legendary Status Was it a legendary disappointment?

I guess Bonteru might be the plainest because his backstory is spelled out right there. We'll just have to see how they're written. Also, there's supposedly some quest attached to them via which you can have them join your team. Would be cool if they each had some quest exploring their backgrounds, fill them out somewhat. I think he feels the plainest moreso because there's no conflict to derive from his description. He likes and catalogues poisons, that is an interesting bit of information but in terms of making the character more compelling it does very little. Radora for example may be as vague but her apprehension to a leading position as well as the allusion to a drinking history intrigue one as far as learning why she is apprehensive or on edge. Rekke's the most deliberately 'mysterious' of the four, while Ydwin at least offers the position of a faction or career so far unrepresented amidst our companions. Though keeping in mind the role that these sidekicks are supposed to play, I reckon that they don't really need much conflict to them either. They're flavour companions, really there to add some more character to the game via banter and interjections but hardly more than that.

I'm not too won over by any of them, really, all read out a bit generic. Would they be expanded though, Rekke and Radora I guess could have some interesting and more unique backstory that makes them the way they are in the above description, whilst Ydwin does have the animancer perk to her. I have little to say about all of these but Bonteru strikes me as the plainest amidst the lot: just about the only thing of interest to him is that he's the closest we get to a dwarf companion.

So, I'm hitting a bit of a wall right now on Bastard's Wound...

Sounds very much like "oh, you know, it's a comic book" or "it's a kid's movie" excuse. Yeah, I agree. That said I do think the dialogue was in general very good - the only issue I really had with it was a tendency at times to overexpose (see the end of the Skaen quest or the final meetings with Iovara and Thaos as examples), but I believe they are already aware of this and are looking into this matter for Deadfire.

I think you have to acquire the first non-Apex region in your map to get it. At least, as soon as I claimed Lethian's Crossing in my playthrough I got the missive.