Savvy30039

And suddenly I see where the mindset against romances is coming from.

--what type of romance plot do you enjoy (tragic, happy ending, marriage/family)? I love antagonistic relationships or rivalries. Fighting, insulting, and trying to one up each other in battles only to eventually admit a grudging respect and even later love makes for a way more interesting character dynamic than getting along and telling each other how great they are. It also could easily be written for both a romantic arc or friendship arc, since actually admitting affection would come fairly late in the game. --are there particular game mechanics that you like to see when romances are included (complex questlines, cutscenes?)? I really liked how in KotOR2 and NWN2 you always had two characters directly opposed to each other in terms of their relationship to the PC. Even if it wasn't romantic interest, like Sand vs. Qara, you could only win over one of them in the end. It was a sobering experience to know not everyone was going to like you no matter what you do. --what romances or relationship plots from other games did you enjoy that can serve as examples? Though I wish it had been actually finished, I really liked Atton in KotOR2. A lot of his romance was him just sticking his neck out for the Exile or musing to other characters about a potential relationship, and he never actually admits to any feelings to the PC directly. It was bittersweet, but not over the top. --What, even, is romance? Mutual interest between characters is enough. Sex isn't necessary in the game, dating and marriage isn't necessary. Just a character that is a little more focused on the PC than the other party members.

Amazing, simply amazing. Didn't they mention something about a surprise Tuesday morning? More reasons for us to throw money at them perhaps?

I'm amazed at how much the donations have picked up in the last few days, and we aren't even on the final day yet! I'm gonna up my pledge again tomorrow as the countdown comes to a close.

Oh, if that is the only thing keeping you from playing this game then you MUST play Planescape. This game is in so many ways better than any Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter Nights game ever could hope to be. The story, the characters, the freaking places you'll get to. I still remember the "brothel of slating intellectual lusts" very fondly. One of the coolest ideas in the whole Forgotten Realms universe. Oh I know, Obsidian gave me some of my fondest video game memories. I did watch a video of the game opening once, and had a rather shallow "That's who the main character is?! EW!" reaction to the Nameless One. Now that I'm older and wiser I won't be so foolish, but I do always get a bit thrown when an RPG doesn't let me fully create the character I'm supposed to be RP'ing.

Make sure you continue the playthrough into Mask of the Betrayer, the game is incomplete without it and it's really good. I, myself have never actually played Planescape. Not being able to play as a female has usually deterred me but I know I'm missing out, so I plan on giving it a try soon.

Oh man, his Resident Evil LPs were great, I might have to check this out. As far as endings go, I am not a real huge fan of unhappy ones in games. Make me really work for it sure, making tough choices and sacrifices along the way, but it's hard to not feel like you wasted 60 hours of game time if you can't at least get a sense of accomplishment out of it. I'm not adverse to unhappy endings altogether. Movies like Seven would be totally ruined if it had a happy ending, and there's a strength to not allowing the viewer any catharsis. But, how do you pull that off in a game without making the player feel cheated? A smattering of quests with no good outcomes here and there is realistic, but all the time? As the ultimate conclusion? No thanks.

I tend to find the term 'grimdark' itself lends more towards the idea of perceived maturity, without really being mature. A preteen's idea of maturity. In terms of seriousness, I prefer a balance. I love me some weighty drama and don't mind a bit of perversion as long as it's not just tossed in as shock value, but I also want some lighthearted moments as well. If you're drowning in darkness the whole time it tends to blunt the effectiveness of it.

I started at $100 on the first day. Moved up to $140 not long after and then $250 after the Wasteland 2 addition, since I missed that kickstarter. If a real donating frenzy happens on the final day I'm tempted to move up to $500, maybe even $1000 if we get close to the 3.5 million stretch goal.

These things have to be done... delicately. Kreia and Bishop are among my favorite characters because they are deceitful and manipulative. It makes them interesting. But it's also deliberately taking control away from the player and railroading them down the path the untrustworthy character wants you to go. If done right it adds a great amount of uneasiness and dread to the plot, but if done wrong (see Anders in DA2) it can make the invisible hand of the game designer too apparent.

I have a feeling that no matter how close to perfect this game comes, the big gaming sites will view it as a backwards curiosity relying on 'dated' game design. *sigh*

Not a fan of this. It violates the all important rule of "show, don't tell." I'd rather a character demonstrate he's a surly mercenary through dialog and stories rather than just be straight up told he's a surly mercenary by a codex description. Hated that about DA2. Naturally the amount of dialog is going to make a big difference as to how in depth the character feels, but when they do run out of things to say, I still want to be able to engage in conversation with them. They feel like zombie NPCs otherwise, and it's not unrealistic to retread over past conversation options, out of forgetfulness or simply due to a favorite topic.

Since musing over whether or not we'll reach 3.5 million would lead to pessimistic results, it's probably better not to dwell on it. I plan on just watching to see where this crazy ride goes without any expectations.

Agreed, Obsidian is not blameless in building their buggy reputation, and the very same publishers manage to release content from other developers with half the issues. But Obsidian has also been screwed over by the system an epic amount, and it speaks volumes that their games are so memorable and engaging despite their technical flaws. Take a look at KotOR 2. As unfinished and broken as it is, I hold it in higher regard than the first, because the content and characters that remained in the game and fully fleshed out were so rich. So ultimately it doesn't matter how much Obsidian delivers on Project Eternity, because the content they do deliver is going to be AWESOME.

Obsidian always bites off more than they can chew, that's why I love them. Their failed attempts are far more interesting than most of the safe stuff in the industry.