whiskiz

You know, for supposedly only very few wanting to play the hardest difficulty or be challenged in general and it being a very minor thing, there sure is alot of discussion and problems with it :D I'm right with you, i'm not getting the game until it's actually finished. When the balance and especially PotD has been done properly. I can't wait, but i can. I'm willing to wait months, if it means playing an awesome Pillars game with an even more awesome combat system this time around which is much less restrictive - per encounter abilities - as long as it's actually challenging and you need to use everything every fight just to get by. As awesome as auto-attacking and using a low level spell here or there for 80% of combat was, before facerolling bosses and any other semblance of challenge using the rest of your stuff. (per rest) Hopefully multiclass/subclass balance get's done at the same time, or the problem of mid-game+ faceroll/power creep will still be there and it'll have been a waste of time and resources. Take your time Obsidian, get it right. P.S Makes thing even worse when apparently level scaling is/was not working properly, either.... P.P.S Releasing a Pillars game as nothing more than an interactive novel is almost an insult to the world of Pillars and half of its fan base. Reducing the depth and fun of Pillars combat and the awesome new multiclass and subclass features, to nothing more than just side systems that are just there for the sake of it, is just sad.

Per encounter was the best thing they ever did, it's just terrible balancing on release. They said they will be working on it post release, especially PotD. Now that you get to actually use all the awesomeness and fun of your characters every fight, instead of having to auto attack or use low lvl spells 80% of combat and then faceroll boss encounters with everything else (amazing gameplay..) but it just needs to be balanced properly - so we actually need to use everything every fight, just to get by. The per rest in PoE 1 was a meaningless, tedious gimmick since you could go rest any time, almost anywhere. It added absolutely nothing and restricted the use of most of each character most of the time, again for no good reason since we could just tediously go and rest at any time. I will never understand the few of you desperately clinging to the per rest system, with the above problems. Obsidian really dropped the ball on balance in this one and someway somehow you guys twist this into it being because of per encounter stuff. Per encounter would (will) be absolutely fine - when it's balanced properly. I can't wait to get to use all of my characters all of the fights, but im more looking forward to needing to, just to get by on PotD. As i said in another post - let's take this mechanic out and put it in a game with similar combat - say Diablo. Imagine in Diablo 3 if you could only use each skill 3 or 4 times, then you had to run back to town. How is that a good mechanic? How is that fun? If you maybe said (because it's about all you can say) that it's a different genre, then what makes a bad mechanic like that fit in this genre all of a sudden? Just because it's what people do in this type of game? Just because the games this is based off did it? *rolls eyes* I personally believe anyone preferring per rest is purely going off nostalgia, and definitely has no idea about good, fun game design. Developers of a gaming company saw the logic and changed it for a good reason. I still can't wait to get this when they balance the game and PotD properly, just because of the per encounter system.

People complained of too much fluff combat in PoE 1. Instead of then making each fight more unique, with a variety of enemy numbers, types etc, they took the easy way out and just made less combat. Less combat or generic infinite fights via naval combat. Because making alot of combat, but making it more unique/varied/impactful is too hard.

In regards to the bugs i was just acknowledging they have priority over balancing, at least PotD. I'm mainly holding off for PotD balance (as well as multiclass and general game balance) I went to play PoE 1 recently while waiting, solo due to no level scaling of content and i read solo runs or the like are mostly cheese, especially early game where you may not have all the tools. Avoid as many fights as you can, stealth as hard as you can, finish off as many quests as you can, etc. That's not really for me. I agree about the bugs, again it's just that apparently they take priority over balancing the difficulty. "DLCs are not evil" Never said they were, you're making a straw man argument. My problem isn't making a DLC, it's making 3 DLC - in the first 6 months of game release. Especially when the release was so imbalanced and had so many people complaining about bugs and other problems. P.S how is level scaling going to work? (when it gets fixed and works properly. Apparently another one of the problems..) If you're say lvl 10 and fighting lvl 6 enemies scaled to lvl 10, doesn't that just mean their base stats get increased to lvl 10? Won't you still have a major advantage from higher level abilities, more ability points, better gear and whatever else? That, with subclasses and multi classes is definitely going to make balancing interesting, even more so with them working on 3 DLC in 6 months at the same time -.- Feels like it's quantity over quality.

I think a little more goes into making DLC, extra game, than just art assets. I personally don't care when this idea was announced, it doesn't make it any better. Was it also announced that the game wouldn't be finished properly on release - all the bugs, difficulties not even being balanced yet, multiclass imbalances, as well as other issues, while taking this into account? They were well aware of those things before release, because they did announce about the difficulty needing to be balanced post release, as well as having delayed release by a month for bugfixing - which they apparently had to sacrifice the balancing for. And it was still released both buggy and imbalanced as well as other problems. Now i can kind of see why, apparently they already had their sights set on the horizon even before release.. Edit: The rabid fans can try to downplay this as much as you want, cook up as many dank memes as you want - i just hope your trust isn't misplaced.

That is very, very odd and slightly unnerving. As someone who is waiting to play the game when PotD, multiclassing and the game in general is balanced properly, i must say - feel free, as long as this doesn't affect post-release bug fixing - then even making a start on the balancing of the game, PotD and multiclassing. Not sure how you guys can bugfix properly and fix any other issues like apparently quests not firing properly depending on the order they're done in, while spending the time and resources to balance the game fully and properly, all-the-while working on 3 DLC in the first 6 months. Please don't make the game and your name suffer all in the name of increased profit margins. This is coming from someone willing to wait 3 - 6 months for a properly balanced game, especially PotD. I'm not willing to wait at all, if it's not going to have the time and resources dedicated to it that it needs and should have, having important issues take a backseat to again increasing profit margins with 3 - i say again - 3 DLC, in the first 6 months of release. That's insane and very worrying. How about actually finishing the base game properly first, before churning out extra money makers.

It was made because 6 characters was too much micromanagement, too tedious, in combat. Add to the fact a Ranger made 7 things to manage in combat, then summons, i think it's a good change. I was happy and having a ball with a 5 character party in combat, but once i got the 6th it just seemed a little too micro manage intensive, oddly. Seemed to be the line. I've always believed that in a game, gameplay > lore/character collect'em all etc. P.S There really hasn't been much controversy over it, not nearly as much as you try to make it sound i've been following the forums relatively closely.

Erm, you do know they haven't actually balanced PotD yet right, that it's getting done post release. So yeah. I dont think level scaling alone will do it. level scaling only increases attributes as far as im aware - while you're lvl 10 and say fighting lvl 6 things scaled to lvl 10, you'll still have lvl 10 gear, abilities and passives, while the enemy only has improved base stats.....

Good, i hope PotD will take awhile. Hopefully not because they're going to shelve it for "more important stuff" (especially because it was revealed almost a third, 29%, of the playerbase is/has/will play PotD, so it's not for as little of a group of people as the ignorant casuals like to convince everyone) but because they're going to take it seriously, do it properly. Where the awesome per encounter combat and multiclassing doesn't make it easy even with some balancing, still. Where they don't/won't get lazy and end up only balancing the first half of the game, with the second half going back to an OP rolfstomp once you get some levels, abilities and gear under your belt, like PoE 1 and most other games. Where it really is like the 5th difficulty? I personally expected 1 - 3 months for it post release and am holding off buying the game until then. I don't mind it taking 3 - 6 months if it has to - i'm not going anywhere and neither is it. As long as it means better balance/quality. But if it's still poorly balanced when they do announce it's done - then i'd be pissed. Will be watching the forums keenly until then and especially then. Until then i guess i'll have to move on to other things - since Obsidian apparently didn't feel it important enough to balance the game before releasing it, obviously counting on the hype and people who need to play day 1. Rimworld 1.0 actual release is apparently coming up in the next month or 2, should be a good distraction until then.

I find it hilarious when people say this. Does no one leave crit path? Does no one explore? I found a three eoten fight when I was level 5, I had only one exceptional weapon, and most of my armor was "fine" level, trust me, I didn't win.Also OP, all these difficulty complainers are specifically saying the hardest difficulty setting in the game needs to be harder. Something the lead Dev admitted before the game was even released. It is a non issue, if you care about playing on the hardest setting (most people dont), wait at least until that gets patched which will probably be soon. It’s ridiculous that people are complaining about the level scaling option not working? It works, just not as well as it should. Also there is a huge difference between "this game is a cake walk and wayyy to easy" and "level scaling doesn't work". Anyone saying you "can't die" in this game is purely full of crap. Indeed, and PotD as well as solo runs usually cater to a tiny percentage of all players, so it makes sense to give such modes lesser priority. I love those modes, but I don't cry for that - I'm tying one hand behind my back with stuff like not rerolling companions and sidekicks, etc. You can make the game very challenging as it stands right now. It's funny because someone made a poll thread to ask if people actually play PotD and 29% said they do/would/will. Almost a third of the playerbase, so please get off your ignorant high-horse. Not to mention all the streamers and stuff that received early access, like Cohhcarnage, instantly started and played on PotD before it was even available. Hell Cohhs Lets Play still be near the top of his list, with PotD in the title(s) if you search on youtube. But you aren't interested in it so nobody must be amirite??

"Sap could stun the target but do 10% damage" Wow, complete game altering change right there.

Definitely, definitely wait. Apparently the difficulty has been a **** show of easy. They even said they had to choose between balancing difficulty and bugfixing and that was after a month delay of release for bugfixing. That balancing will be in post release. Many people are talking about the game being way too easy and it being a let down - do what im doing and keep yourself busy while you wait for i guess post release balancing.

"i kinda wish people stop turning every PvE game into some kind of self-gimp hard mode epeen contest." This is the problem right here, the extreme ignorance of those that either can't handle harder difficulties or just don't like to be challenged. Here is why i play harder difficulties and it's not to try stretch my epeen: "It doesn't seem like a very important thing and some may see it as just for a few wannabe hardcore players, but the reason why i play the hardest difficulty is it brings out the mechanics best in a game and makes the progression that much more rewarding. You need to know how to play a game properly and use all of its mechanics - on easier difficulties there's no point in even having half the mechanics in a game, thereby dumbing it down. You never want to dumb down gameplay in a game, or have that as the only option. Which is why i believe higher difficulties are the pinnacle of a game and the reason why balancing the harder difficultys imo is one of the most important things there is." Or you know, you can go through and faceroll on normal and not need half the mechanics (especially in an awesome tactical pause-based RPG combat system, with tons of variety and depth and the added coolness of subclasses and multiclasses) dumbing the game down into nothing more than an interactive novel. Gl with that, just don't persecute me for wanting more...

Both things that are done *before release* I can't believe they had to choose between bugfixes and balancing the game, even with a month release delay. This is unheard of anywhere else and really kinda retarded. Guess ill keep waiting til ****s fixed. It's the normal go-to practice that modern games should be accessible by everyone even on the harder difficulty. They just make em harder over time. The only exception being reflex-based gameplay. Um, i disagree. Where else exactly, do devs release a game where hard is actually easy and then make it hard after release? For every maybe random 1 needle in the haystack you can mention, i can mention 30 that don't do that. That is definitely by no means the industry standard. They even said they haven't balanced the difficulty properly yet, that it's because they had to choose between bugfixes or balancing difficulty. It wasn't purposely made more "accessible" or anything. Lol.

Both things that are (should be) done *before release* I can't believe they had to choose between bugfixes and balancing the game, even with a month release delay. This is unheard of anywhere else and really kinda retarded. Guess ill keep waiting til ****s fixed. You mean you actually get to play your character now, without having to save each skill use like it's some consumable or something? Good. PoE 1 per rest was dumb, entire classes with only per rest more so, it didnt add any strategy or skill cause you could rest almost anywhere any time. It was pointless, needless, tedious, restrictive and reduced you to only using maybe a low level spell or 2 on most fights, auto attacking 80% of combat, then blowing everything and facerolling boss fights or anything with a hint of difficulty, even on PotD. "SOOO MUCH Strategizing" Really? "Just makes the game feel spammy" Do you also find the game spammy when you play something like Diablo 3, or any mmo, or any other game ever? If not, then why all of sudden do we need our character and their abilities completely restricted here? Because an old game this game is based off did that?.. Being able to actually use your characters properly now, like almost any other game in the gaming industry, is great - the game just needs to be balanced properly around it, and if almost every game in the gaming industry can manage that, these guys should be able to too. No excuse.

This, is why i'm waiting to get this until PotD is balanced/fixed. People say not many play harder difficulties, that it isn't important etc, but they have no clue what they're talking about - they're just ignorant to anything that they themselves don't prefer. And if it does turn out to be a little, too difficult? Well thats what what traps, scrolls, potions, food, drugs, figurines still? and whatever else is for, that'd be great to have to actually need and so use for the first time ever. Sure there will be the inevitable casual player that wants it easier and it's too hard and nerf this and nerf that, only playing it because it's just another notch to add onto the belt and for achievs, but it's much better and would be much less public outcry than making the hardest difficulty a bit easy, to stop those complaints and instead have nothing for the players that like to be challenged and have them be unhappy instead. Also, hopefully they don't get lazy with it and it becomes a roflstomp after the first half of the game, like PoE 1 and most other games. Hopefully they go through and balance the entire thing properly. It'll take longer, but worth.

Quoting myself from another post: "t doesn't seem like a very important thing and maybe just for a few wannabe hardcore players, but the reason why i play the hardest difficulty is it brings out the mechanics best in a game and makes the progression that much more rewarding. You need to know how to play a game properly and use all of its mechanics - on easier difficulties there's no point in even having half the mechanics in a game, thereby dumbing it down. You never want to dumb down gameplay in a game, or have that as the only option. Which is why i believe higher difficulties are the pinnacle of a game and the reason why balancing the hardest difficulty imo is one of the most important things there is." It's also funny how not many people play it, yet all the streamers that got early access like CohhCarnage and anyone else i know about, went straight to PotD difficulty. Starter PotD difficulty first run on PoE 1, will be doing the same here once i get it once they have fixed/balanced PotD. Can't wait.

What kind of douchebag does that? This thread was almost hitting the 3rd page on the forums without an answer. It apparently took that comment for him to even get an answer. You're welcome, haha.

Google is that-a-way --->

Apparently not many people play PotD though. Even though most of the early access streamers straight up rolled PotD and most others i know about. Also heads up - They haven't balanced PotD yet. Apparently they had to choose between bugfixes or balancing a difficulty, even after a month delay of release. Kind of, disturbing, but it's apparently a thing here. So PotD is going to be balanced post release. Should have done your research and held off getting/spoiling/playing the game until PotD is fixed, like i am. Can't wait. Also, too many 'tards complained about too much "fluff combat" or something from last game, so they probably took it to mean to make alot less combat, instead of just more unique fights each time. Now by the sounds of it you can either do an interactive novel in town, or some generic and repetitive but unlimited naval combat. Ee-gad Too much time and effort to make each fight more unique, while sprinkling in the dialogue/lore nice an balanced. Much easier to just segregate each so people can do what they want, then have people get bored from either, after doing it straight for hours from no direction. P.S More unique fights doesn't have to mean less of them, it just means sometimes it might be great to fight 5 shadows, then 3 shadows and 2 phantoms, then something else and many other variations while taking into account enemy numbers, enemy type, enemy defenses and offense, enemy version (shadows/phantoms etc) and all the other stuff, instead of fighting 5 shadows 3 different times.

It is exactly about what's objectively better or worse. This has been my point all along. Per rest restricts players to only using low level spells or auto attacking 80% of combat - boring and simple combat. Then you blow all your big stuff on hard/boss fights and faceroll - no real challenge once you know what you're doing. Which also made the game completely imbalanced. It's also tedious having to go repeatedly rest, more commonly on harder difficulties. It in no way adds anything beneficial - there's no strategy nor skill involved because you can rest almost anywhere, any time. That is all objectively worse. You may prefer it, enjoy that style more - but it is still objectively worse. Boring, imbalanced, tedious, severe character restriction, while being able to just run off and rest any time so there being no point in that restriction/mechanic - is completely worse. Those are objectively bad gameplay designs, whether you want to admit it or not. Best case senario, it would have been an alright mechanic if it was enforced properly - but when you could again go rest almost anywhere, any time, it was an imbalanced gimmicky tedious needless thing to have to keep doing and added absolutely nothing positive to the game. So the idea of it, a decent concept, but what we actually got in PoE 1 - a bad system.

"I'm sure PotD is going to be harder to beat after they fix it, but per-encounter spells take most of the blame in my opinion." There's absolutely no reason why PotD can't be balanced with per encounter abilities, when it is actually balanced post release. Per encounter abilities aren't to blame, the fact they did state PotD hasn't been balanced properly yet and even if it was - it'd just be because they still haven't done it properly. Because it's per encounter and we can now multi class or have stronger solo classes, that just then means adding an extra say +3 enemies or 1 level stronger enemy types or increasing numbers that much more, on top of what was already going to be added for PotD balancing. It is not beyond devs ability in this day and age of technology to balance combat just because skills are per encounter. If everyone else can manage it, that don't have some rando archaic "per rest" restriction on half the game, surely these guys will be able to, too.

I don't get why spellcasters should be allowed to have plenty more abilities than melee (their spells) I do get that a ton of variety was fun. I do get giving us a ton of variety then taking it away, seriously sucks. I didn't get why it was that way in the first place, but again it was fun, but this way makes more sense and is balanced. I also get treating spells like abilities because they are - they are both a spell and an ability and it doesn't make sense why ranged/spellcasters got so many more options than melee. They should have taken maybe 50% of the options away and added 50% to melee abilities, still balancing them but giving them both more options in total, instead of balancing both to a minimum amount. Only so many ways you can swing a sword? Sounds a little biased and dismissive, wanting all the options in the world for casters while ironically doing the same thing with melee by writing them off. I could think of plenty different attacks with a sword, all that do different effects as well as varying amounts of damage. Uppercut Slash - big dmg can set prone, Multi Slash - hits multiple targets if near or one multiple times for reduced damage, Hamstring - hobbles enemy, Forward Thrust - extra armor pen, Cross Slash - inflicts damage over time (bleed), Pommel Bash - chance to stun, Round Slash - aoe, Impale - increased crit chance, Leap Strike - daze, movement, Whirlwind - multi aoe and the list could go on. Then unique attacks per weapon, more per weapon type and even more per class (like Shadow Strike for Rogue instead of Leap Strike, with added/modified effect like adds bleed and positions you behind opponent and triggers a sneak attack) Etc.

Because if i can get by on the hardest difficulty the first time playing the game, just needing to tediously rest every so often, then lowering the difficulty would just make things a boring faceroll. It'd make needing to know and play the mechanics redundant and i'd end up falling asleep haha. I'd be interested to know why you think the attrition dynamic is worth even having at all. I feel like all it is, is some archaic mechanic from an oldschool game that this game represents and that's the only reason it was implemented and is the only reason anyone is interested in it. If we're being honest. Let's take it out and put it in another game to see how it holds up, for example the Diablo series (since at least the combat is similar) imagine in D3 you could only use each skill 3 times then had to run back to town. Would that make it fun? Somehow enhance it? Then why would it here. It doesn't make things more strategical, all it does is disrupt gameplay, severely restrict your character arbitrarily and make it hard to balance combat. This game may be a different genre but that alone doesn't justify it, especially when again the mechanic is just a nod to an oldschool game this is based off. Do nothing in easy fights but auto attack and maybe a lower spell or 2, because you have to save your stuff, then blow everything on boss/harder fights and faceroll. I really believe the only thing a couple people see in this mechanic, is oldschool nostalgia.

As someone who is waiting to get this game, when PotD is fixed/balanced, who has made a thread about my intentions and why and was looking to make another thread to make sure they actually made it properly challenging, since the awesome change of no per rest and we get to use everything per fight - i must say i don't care how long it takes them, as long as it's done properly. See i did my research and saw the fact it wasn't balanced properly all over the forums and elsewhere online, that it'd be balanced post release. So instead i played through PoE 1 to get back into the world and lore, made a thread about how i can't wait to play this, when PotD is out, but that i can wait in hopes it's done properly. Instead of diving in head first then complaining about it. It's your fault you jumped in already and played an imbalanced difficulty that was well documented. Wanting it now to be fixed asap to suit your own ignorant interests, i feel is something only a teenager would demand. No offense. We were warned, now we wait and hope it's done properly. What i would like instead - is to ask they clearly announce when it's done, that they take their time (while dedicating as much time as they can to it, especially if they need to take alot of time) and make sure it's done properly. Make sure it really is like what, the 5th difficulty in a game? Which will then be some of the best gameplay we've ever had, again being able to (and hopefully needing to) use everything every fight just to get by. Some (ignorant people) may not think it's very important, or that it's just for a few wannabe hardcore players or to "stretch our epeen" but the reason why i play the hardest difficulty, is it brings out the mechanics best in a game and it makes the progression that much more rewarding. You need to know how to actually play a game properly and use all of its mechanics - on easier difficulties there's no point in even having half the mechanics in a game, thereby dumbing it down to nothing more than an interactive novel. You never want to dumb down gameplay in a game, or have that as the only option. Which is why i believe higher difficulties are the pinnacle of a game and the reason why balancing the higher difficultys is imo one of the most important things there is. Then, being challenged and needing to know and play the mechanics properly, in a tactical pause-based oldschool RPG with plenty of combat depth and variety? Hell yes. Still can't wait. But i can. But i can't.