Pope

I feel the same. 3 levels at a time would just feel like 5 separate dungeons.

Fixed

Why not just allow the player to choose which (already visited) level to travel to when exiting/entering the dungeon? I just don't like the idea of integrated shortcuts, since those should go both ways.

Yes but some areas should be too hard to tackle (yet accessible in order to rub in the fact that they're impossible). There's nothing quite like the satisfaction from clearing an area that handed you your ass a few levels ago.

As far as I can tell Drow are the only subspecies confirmed thus far. Exactly how are Drow confirmed? I really hope you're saying this because of the "Lake of Drowned Tombs" on the map. If there's one subrace I do not want to see, it's Drow.

I also agree that if players want an easy way out, they should have to do something for it, such as solving a puzzle that opens a staircase. There should be a reason these easy routes are inaccessible above ground. On the other hand, opening such shortcuts should also have consequences inside the dungeon. I expect to see noob adventurers take advantage of this newly unlocked route which enables them to skip a considerable part of the dungeon. I definitely don't want to lose that "trapped deep inside a dungeon" feeling. Divine Divinity offered a nice mechanic to handle these situations. The player had two teleportation pyramids which he could place around the world (and pick up again) which enabled him to travel back and forth. Obsidian could implement something in this vein, possibly limited to the Endless Paths.

(wrong topic)

I can live with the main plot being scaled (although still challenging!), but sidequests definitely should not be.

I think returning to a town to rest and/or restock should always be readily available. Like a “rest” button, there could also be a “fast travel” button which allows you to travel to any map you’ve previously visited. However, returning from the town back to where you left should require you to do the whole descent again.

I haven’t seen this question asked yet, but since there’s been quite a lot of debate on this topic it can be easy to miss something, so my apologies if it’s already been discussed. I can sort of understand why enemies would leave our unconscious party members alone and focus on the more immediate (conscious) threats, rather than finishing them off immediately. (Even though I can easily imagine some situations where this just doesn’t feel realistic at all. One example being when the party is overwhelmed and the conscious party members are already facing enough enemies. Rather than getting in line to fight those party members, it would be a lot wiser to make sure the unconscious party members stay down for good. Another example would be when there is a healer in the group that keeps reviving unconscious party members.) However, what I’m more worried about is whether this system applies to enemies as well? If we defeat an enemy (reduce its stamina to zero) and then turn to the next enemy until they are all down, will we still need to finish off each one while they’re down? If so, this can become a tedious task pretty fast.

I'd like to see some small and subtle references to the IE games. e.g. "You must gather your party before venturing forth" must be included at least once in PE.

This is complete madness, it's actually looking like we'll make 4 mil.

That's KS freaking out. Just refresh and it will be back.

Count me in for extra dungeon levels!

More companions! Portraits by Justin Sweet! Modding tools! Seriously, do they even need to ask for suggestions? There's plenty of them on these forums.

There's quite a surge going on right now, total went up 10.000 in about 45 minutes.

Same here.

Why would a megalomaniacal wizard have a chain around his neck though?

I lol'd

Am I the only one who doesn't want to know the exact number of levels (just that it'll be A WHOLE LOT)? Not knowing when it's going to end seems a lot more fun.

If Obsidian decide to use Undead, I'm sure they'll make them fit within the soul theme somehow.

That kinda went for every sidequest in BG2 though.

Agreed, which is why I prefer the NWN2 approach over that of BG2 (unless of course Obsidian can figure out a way to integrate all strongholds into the story, which sounds like an awful lot of work). To ensure replayability, I'd suggest different options/quests according to your class.

Agreed, although I'd like to see some more options to mold it according to your class. A combination between Crossroads Keep and BG2's varying strongholds if you will. Say we get a castle. It would be nice if we could upgrade it with different modules, such as a library (for having your scholars research new spells or upgrade existing ones) or a blacksmith (for improving your equipment), etc. The only restriction to adding these modules would not be the player's class, but his resources. Fighters would be able to add a library if they so desire (to upgrade their companions' spells). What it comes down to is yet again choice, choice, choice. I want to roleplay my stronghold in a different way in each playthrough (like in BG2), even though I won't mind if the stronghold is materially the same each time (like in NWN2).

Personally I’d like to see something along this way: Have sequels take place mostly in different regions, but not too far off (sort of like how BG2’s map was the area south of BG1’s, or how both IWD1 and IWD2 were set in, well, Icewind Dale). Have most regions be brand new, but also include some from the previous game to revisit (like IWD2 did with Kuldahar, Dragon’s Eye and the Severed Hand). Yet unlike IWD2, make these returning areas differ (not just in appearance but also storywise) according to the player’s actions in the previous game. If this were to complicate integrating these branching plots into the main story, a solution could be to have these areas simply be sidequests. Of course, the third game would then require branching stories for branching stories (assuming it would be the same areas to make another comeback), which would undoubtedly be a pain to design and program, but doesn’t it sound bloody awesome?! (I'll try to write a concrete example for this but I don't have the time atm)