Wormerine

Thanks! Always nice to have a nice conversation. Didn't mean to criticise your way of enjoying your single player game. It is just something I don't understand (even after further explanation;-). Well, Forgotten Sanctum is neat, and throws some interesting lore and possible PoE3 teases, but it isn't a very plot driven adventure - at least not like BoW, which had a very nice flow of story beats, development, misdirections, revelations etc. FS is more of a dungeon with some really interesting stuff in it. The conflict is there, but when refering to momentum, I more refered to lack of development. I blame it on how open the game is. There is a lot of good stuff in it, with interesting ideas, characters, even companions arc, but because the game's so open, there is little in terms of linear development. Game presents a lot of interesting leads, but doesn't have a chance to follow up on them. You praised BoW, and rightfully so: it's biggest strength is its focus. Because, there is limited way in which you can progress through it, certain story beats and character developments (be it Ydwin or Vatnir) have been nicely spread, prepared and paid off. That is something the base game lacks, consisting of smaller quests and ideas, which do fit together, but never flow. Curiously enough, according to Josh, Deadfire wasn't designed to be that open - at the start, player were constrained to were they could go, until they progressed through the content, and eventually they opened it up, as there was no reason to block player's progress. I feel something must have been omitted when developing the story... like too much time was devoted to what the worlds metaphisycal and political situation is, and not enough on what the story is and what it should be about. As a side note, as you just completed Deadfire you probably missed Josh's post-mortem, which I think is an interesting watch. https://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/185500604851/the-deadfire-post-postmortem

I agree with most of what you say, aside from being shocked by some preferences - not doing Forgotten Sanctum because there is nothing to gain... is beyond my ability to understand :-). Especially, as you claim to care for story more then gameplay. I generally like the changes to the systems they did in Deadfire. However, they did struggle with finding a right difficulty balance. I dislike were it ultimately led, with HP floats in megabosses and DLCs. Having beaten those recently, I must say it was not experience I enjoyed, as megabosses tend to keep “a surprise” until late into the combat (like spider giving injuries, or mage unlocking all sigils permanently) which meant you lost a lot of time just to get screwed by something you couldn’t know was coming. I really enjoyed how Deadfire handled items - I found it simply better then other games, and I found myself constantly torn by what to equip. Unlike yourself, I find myself short on money, as I do tend to upgrade a lot of items I find. I never sell uniques. This game still surprises me. Recently, I wrapped up my third playthrough, this time as Hunter from White that Wends, and ended up supporting Huana. I saw Takehu developers in a different way then usual, and while I quite disliked him before, the transformation and arc he got this time, was quite compelling. I thought that the Woedica addition they made in the last patch, help a lot. Too bad, they didn’t quite nail the sound work, and the new lines when talking to Eothas (be it new new or related to DLCs) sound noticeably different both and sound and volume, played back to back with original content. My main gripe is the ending, and overall lack of narrative forward momentum. I would happily trade one of the DLC, for an expanded Ukaizo which would better flesh out choices you have made throughout your journey. I also disliked how returning companions’ various endings from PoE1 got reduced in scope. There was a promise of change and development that was squashed. I almost wish, they would simply stick to one ending they would find more fitting to Deadfire and develop that, rather then what they did. The fact, that my first playthrough was with endings which really seemed to draw a short straw (Eder being a governor, Pallegina a kind wayfarer, Aloth suppressing Isylmir, and taking over the Leaden Key) might have contributed to this dislike.

Someone made similar post to your a long time ago. I do like the approach you are suggesting. Gothic1&2 utilised this design really well, and while clunky those are open worlds I really engaged with. Giving players a GPS or quest marker might improve pacing, but has an unfortunate effect of making players ignore their surroundings and focus purely on the UI. However, we don’t even know how open OW really is. We know it consist of multiple maps, and depending how open and sprawling they are, navigation open environment might not even be a thing. Whatever the case is, designing game so it can be played without showing you were to go would take a lot of work - it needs to be considered in all of the design: visual, layout, conversations, quest progression. If they haven’t done that by know, I doubt the game would be fun to play with quest marker turned off.

You won’t be able to buy through GOG just DLCs as it is a different platform. i don’t use mac much, especially not for games, but the Deadfire description reads “in-app purchases”. Isn’t there a way to buy DLC somewhere through game’s main menu? Thats how Civilization6 is set up on App Store if forums are to be believed.

Game intention might not be to be a commentary on politics, but can have some content relevant or relying on current political landscape. Individual members of the team might have used this opportunity to discuss subjects they believe in/are interested in, while at the same time making a game, which hits broader themes.

Weren't attributes supposed to have an acronym like S.P.E.C.I.A.L.? S.D.I.P.C.T. doesn't have a ring to it.

No kidding. I started to do some teaching in a primary school, and I was a bit shocked when I found out that all the kids are talking about is Fortnight and skins. I started to really look differently at lootboxes since then, especially knowing how impulsive and impatient those little chumps are. While lootboxes don't effect me, personally, unless they mess with gameplay, and therefore interfere with my enjoyment, but I am not the target audience/victim. I am quite far from having an addictive personality, and "pulling the lever" had never had any appeal to me. Opening lootbox irritates me, not excites. I would put myself very firmly in "if you fall for it you are dumb", but I simply don't understand the appeal/addiction.

I don't know much about Nestle. The thing about hobbies, is that it is something people get attached to, and are very protective about. Funny thing about things like music, movies or games, is that while they are objectively less important then more basic things, I am more emotionally attached to them as I consume them volountary. I recharge my batteries that way, I look forward to playing a good game, watch a movie or go to a good concert. While, for example food, is just a chore. I have to eat to keep going. So I eat stuff. So yeah, if someone poops into my happy time it does upset me. More so, then someone pooping into my chore. I am at the stage of not caring anymore, and finding it more and more difficult to find something to play, and am spending more and more of my free time on other things. If they can't figure out why their public perception is so bad, then maybe a change in management is needed.

And Epic is paying for it? Those guys really have too much money.

I don't think Galaxy2 is really stepping on anyones toes right now. Keep in mind that GoG is supposively working with other platforms to make the integration possible. Epic/Battlenet/Origin all rely on exclusive games. While you might launch them (and download them? I am not sure about this part) via Galaxy2 you can buy it via gog and a platform on which you own that game still needs to be installed. GOG hope probably is, that people will use GOG to make managing multiple labraries easier, and in the result will end up buying some of the games from them - there might be a conflict of interest with steam, but still GOG has small fraction of their library, and gets many titles with a delay.

I don't see how voiceacting would be a factor - afterall, all VO is already recorded.

There is a trible of boreal dwarves, but we don't visit Naasitaq. Both Sagani and Grieving Mother had rather contained personal stories in PoE1, moreover all but Watcher perceived Grieving Mother as a random peasant woman. On some level it would be nice to gave something related to Sagani, as she was one of my favourite companions in PoE1, but at the same time it fits for them to not be further involved in those Deadfire shaping events.

There is pretty direct mention of Hiravias in one of the books in Forgotten Sanctum DLC. As everything in this DLC the accuracy of the information is questionable:

I know if you check information in the text box, you will see bonuses which come from difficulty. Whenever it is all that is buffed, I do not know (for example I don't know if stats are inflated).

Aren't they quest items though, making them impossible to use up/sell/remove from the inventory?

I don't know anything about practical use for the Godseed. I assumed it's an Orlan baby situation - you can complete the quest, or keep it to yourself hoping for future reactivity.

How does one change the profile banner. I can't figure it out.

Considering the cosmic mess in which Eora finds itself, and that possibility of fast traveling has been introduced (Valian's experiments with adra): I would like for the series to move into top down 3d engine (I mean preferably still isometric as it's less fiddly, ala. Starcraft2, I don't know how practical it would be), and explore multiple places - Rauatai and Yehuza come to mind as potential must see (first due to the storms and its connection to the Wheel, and Yehuza because how heavily it was teased in Deadfire, plus they must have been seperated for a while. Aside from those two... Aedyr would be nice, or the Living Lands. After having a taste of White that Wends in BoW, I am less interested in it, then I was before (not because I didn't like it! I just want to see other cultures now!). Naturally, tackling multiple cutures at once, does create a certain danger, but it might lead to: 1) more focus on story, and less of showing how cool the lore is (which while cool, makes for a better Political Sociology class, then an adventure/story) 2) with all the Microsoft backing, PoE3 might aim to reach ambition and budget Divinities (or Baldur's Gate3!). Though to be honest, at this point, I am game for anything they want to throw at me, as long as it is an RPG. Preferably top down or isometric.

Wael wouldn’t approve. If I didn’t uninstall Deadfire recently I would have taken screenshot of Ngati’s memories you can find in Ukaizo with Takehu. Well, Ondra what have been already created by that point. She must have taken an identity of local diety Ngati. She had a covenant with Huana and the dragons. It is probably safe to assume that Engwith worked with the blessing of the gods (possibly with guidance) when creating the wheel. Still there are many pieces missing - what was the role of Yehuza in this whole ordeal, and why did gods decide to seperate them from the rest of the eora. Is the singular god they worship another diety we haven’t heard of just yet? If so why was he/she seperated when the wheel was created? PoE likes asking questions, but not provide clear answers. Forgotten Sanctum offered some new interesting information, while at the same time putting to question reliability of all its content.

I don’t know whom you are talking about, maybe cut content?

Now, creating a wheel wasn’t necessarily tied to creating of Gods - it’s more of a feeding system. For example we know that at least Woedica was created in Sun in Shadow. Engwithian convinced Huana to build the Wheel in Ukaizo, as a way to communicate to the gods. It is not unlikely that already at this point some, if not all gods existed. Considering that the storms of Ukaizo are a baiwac, it is possible that this machine also acted as one of the god’s Birthplace, and Huana as a soul “fuel”, but it’s function might have been purely the defence of the wheel. However, Ngati must have already existed before the destruction of Ukaizo: if you take Takehu with you, he will be able to reclaim the original covenant with Ngati, and you will be able to hear the past exchange between Ngati, and first three watershapers. We can also see Gods abandoned bodies in the Ukaizo - were they put there after the destruction? Was the Wheel created so the gods can abandon their bodies? - if so they might have existed for quite a while, before the wheel was created. Maybe they feed in a way more similar to Eothas, or by independed sources such an arena in SSS.

I haven't wrapped up the playthrough just yet (might be a bit stuck on the final mega boss who was kind enough to wipe all but one in a single unavoidable attack. EDIT: Blah, decided to leave the constuct be. Here is the slide:

Ideally none of those, because they are very binary, and therefore such path is picked once, and mentaining it is dull, with clear cut choices (see all Bioware games). My fav. RPG roleplaywise are once when choosing a path isn't as simple - you create base goals and ideals by which your character lives, and try to go through the game and examine decisions by those ideals - sometimes you will do good, sometime you will do bad. I am yet to see a straight up "bad" path done well. Being cruel, for cruelty sake never made much sense, especially if being good is just as beneficial. Not many games a brave enough to "punish" player for being nice. Pyschopath was never appealing to me, as combat generally isn't the most appealing thing about RPGs - therefore willingly engaging with combat, and locking myself out of the good part of the game isn't my idea of fun. So I hope that marketing is just easy to consume representation of something more nuanced and interesting.

How are your dispositions? I am pretty sure that aside from companion reputation, certain high dispositions are also required. On my recent playthrough eventually all romances triggered for me. I don’t have insight into how it works so don’t know for sure.

At some point in the future GoG might allow us to pretend that it is the case: https://www.gog.com/news/bgog_galaxy_20b_all_your_games_and_friends_in_one_place_copy3