frogmoth

Good for you! You are wrong, of course... Pathfinder: Kingmaker is a great game that knows what it wants to be. Deadfire is nice, but it can't decide if it wants to cater to a casual or a hardcore audience.

You know that P:K has a "slow mode", right? You use the "v" button for it...

This just happened to me too. Really strange. It also doesn't seem to stem from damage inflicted, it... just happens somehow.

I'm with you on this to an extent. But you have to admit that promising to create a game in a certain vein (in this case: the old IE-classics) naturally leads to a specific level of scrutiny. The problem especially of Deadfire seems to be that i doesn't really know what it wants to be: A game in the style of the IE-games or a more casual game that aims for a wider audience? Games like Pathfinder: Kingmaker show, despite of the mediocre critical reception, that there is a huge fanbase for this type of game with a specific, more hardcore-oriented, design. This doesn't mean that i don't like Deadfire (not by a long shot), but i can easily point out which parts of the game aren't my cup of tea and seem superfluous/redundant from the design perspective. Maybe there are people out there that want a tighter, more "no-nonsense" approach towards designing this type of game?

Are you comparing PoE I to McDonald's? If you really have to make this comparison, you have to admit that Deadfire is a lot closer in that regard than the first game. PoE I had ambition and inspiration in some areas where Deadfire, although a lot more polished, has serious flaws. The storyline has it's problems, but i don't really understand why people are ****ting on it that much. For me at least the reveal with the gods was a pleasent surprise and a good twist. In Deadfire they barely carried it over (although i have to admit that i haven't finished the game yet). Furthermore, the game had a very consistent tone and an engrossing mood because of that, an aspect which Deadfire lacks.

That is nice... and just wait till Pathfinder: Kingmaker is patched. It will blow your mind!

You can pickpocket it beforehand at least.

I read about this issue and knowing the first game i used a mod in my first game to reduce the XP gain (part of Deadly Deadfire, 25-30% reduced quest XP). It seems i have done most of the quests in Neketaka, most of other bigger quests, 15 bounties and i've just reached level 14. It would seem like i made the right decision.

Had to chuckle a bit while reading that. The tavern music is really terrible, especially the track you seem to get hit with EVERY time you enter one. I also never understood why the bathhouse has this music playing, destroys the whole atmosphere this place could potentially have.

To be fair, the way they handled it in PoE I at least (more enemies and more harder enemies) on higher difficulties is more than other developers do in their games. I don't have a comparison in Deadfire, because i never played anything other than PotD, but if they handled it the same way there my statement stands.

Interesting, i started playing PoE II for the first time after the new patch was released and therefore couldn't identifiy if there is a difference in this regard. But i was surprised of a specific encounter in the old city (southeast of the map), where i always pulled the group of blights together with all the spectres, shades and skeletons. It wasn't only an unbelievable difficult fight but also a nightmare from the performance perspective.

For me it's mainly the nighttime music. This track is closely connected to the vibe of the first game.

It wouldn't have been a big deal if the new music would have been more memorable. I believe Bell wrote something in the forum about wanting the music for Deadfire to blend more into the background, maybe that's another reason for this. PoE II needed a score that invoces a lust for adventure, whereas PoE I was fine with its rather melancholic score. Deadfire doesn't really know where it stands atmospherically.

I wouldn't say it's extremely underwhelming, but I get what you mean: very simple melodies in 3/4 time upon a background of conventionally "dramatic" strings isn't exactly innovative. Another problem for me is the inconsistent tone, maybe because of the recycling of music from the first game, music everyone who has played it instantly connects to the Dyrwood-Setting. Maybe it was also rushed somehow, who knows. The Shanties are nice though. Could it hurt the get some new blood for the next games? But who knows what comes next, with Obsidian probably being bought by Microsoft and at all that. Somehow i don't expect a third PoE to be my cup of tea, but we will see...

I'm not a fan of the company per se, i'm a fan of the games (and the games as a whole). The quality of Deadfire suffers for me because of the music. On the other hand, i really liked his music on Tyranny and PoE I was okay too. Everyone makes a misstep sometimes.