Karranthain

Here's another idea - what if Obsidian's steampunk game would instead take place in the world of PE, only few hundred years later and during an industrial revolution? I could see Obisidian doing some very interesting things with it - perhaps even acknowledging certain player-influenced events that took place during the timeline of PE?

I must say that I prefer subtler spell effects as well. I particuarly loathed those in NWN2 - weapons and hands glowing etc. When it comes to spell effects, I think minimalism works best. Keep it simple, keep it distinct and easily recognizable.

I'm assuming this will possibly the defauly zoom level - I've mentioned surcoats, shields and cloaks in my previous post, here are some nice examples: Ultimately we'll just have to wait and see. On that note, we need more plumes! Both suits of armour look absolutely amazing. Maximilian armour, I feel, would fit PE's aesthetic particularly well!

Indeed. Here's a very early screenshot: That's a fair amount of detail I reckon. Heraldry would definitely be visible, even when zoomed out a fair bit. Whether it'll be included, though, is anybody's guess at this point. It was primarily a tournament helm, aye. Whether it was actually used in combat...probably not. But I might be wrong about that. But if you look at the more ornamented examples, such as this: It seems rather unlikely. Though to be honest, its inclusion in PE doesn't bother me in the slightest either. By the way, is it just me or did anyone else picture that lil' fella from Lephys' avatar on top of that helm too?

I don't believe anyone could even wildly guess that. I don't even know who is holding it at this point. Activision? Yes, it's Activision. And it wouldn't be worth much at all at this point. Unfortunately, however, it's the same reason they won't sell it. Big corporations tend to stockpile intellectual property even if they have no intention of ever using it. That said, I wouldn't exactly mind a spiritual successor of sorts to be honest.

That exactly it, looking at any of the screenshots, I doubt that in any variant (except cloaks) we will see any details beyond some color smudges... Maybe the devs add some specific livery, but the ability to add your own as you suggested is something I'd be really surprised to see. For example ~here is how it was done in mount & blade. You could pick (and mod) them: but again its not a top down rpg and I am personally not familiar with any top down game with similar unit scale that done it to great effect. You're probably right. Still, one can hope! In other assorted news: Hell yeah!

Hopefully PE sells enough to allow funding of different games made on the same engine, starting another IE-like cRPG renaissance. Enough cooking Tim - make Arcanum 2, stat (recruit Ben Houge while you're at it)!

Thanks for the link. There it is indeed: Though it isn't a confirmation per se, it seems that it might be possible (i.e. applying heraldry to the armour worn by the party members). I reckon that the characters are definitely sufficiently detailed (see the screenshot on the previous page) for that feature to be included in the game. It wouldn't be exactly essential, but it could bring a lot of colour into play, here's another fine example: That's why I love the Warhammer Fantasy aesthetic!

It's been mentioned that we'll be able to dye selected areas of the worn armours in the vein of IE games. It'd be really cool if we'd also be able to display heraldry of our choosing (it could be on surcoats, on shields or perhaps even cloaks). Imagine having your party donning stylish unified heraldry while roaming the lands of PE. Would be particularly nifty for the Adventure Hall made groups. As an added bonus, you'd be able to tell members of your party in a particularly big brawl at a glance. Here's an example of just how much it can add visually:

That looks like brigandine to me. I think it's been confirmed on the wiki that brigandine will be in the game. Whether it'll look like that is another matter, but seeing the attention to historic detail that they seem to be shooting for, I think it stands a reasonable chance that it'll look fairly close. It could be it, yeah. Not entirely sure, to be honest. At any rate, I think that this red armour's a brigandine:

You're welcome. I was rather surprised as well! I'd like to share a very interesting illustration, showcasing various helms (I do hope we'll see a fairly big variety of these in the game, with plumes of course!). That surcoat this condottiere is wearing looks pretty cool too. Hopefully it'll be an option in PE.

Speaking of which... ... and then he doesn't even bother with a sword, opting for a hol(e)y banjo. But the winner of gimp yourself with weapon choice is that buddy of his, going about with a duster. If you thought that's weird, how about the Horo? Strangely enough, it works! http://youtu.be/nb1WcI9TNXw?t=3m3s I love that mask the guy's wearing, by the way. Absolutely...eh...frightening?

Speaking of which...

How about this helmet?

Indeed. And the third one's a Knight of the Blazing Sun, also from Warhammer (and definitely agreed - there's a lot of cool, historically inspired stuff in Warhammer).

I'm hoping that cultural variants will be present in the game, perhaps offering slightly different boni? Let's take plate armour, for an example: Dyrwood Plate: Aedyran Plate: Readceras Plate: All of these share the same basic function but are strikingly different visually. These armours also tell a story about their respective cultures (other civilizations' influences etc.). Moreover, such approach allows for a vast amount of various designs in the same subtype. They could even be handled differently mechanically, offering the players interesting choices (e.g. Readceras plate would be much more cumbersome but also far more protective than the other variants). More examples in this topic.

If by "fantasy flare" you mean spikes and giant shoulderpads then I sure as hell hope not

Love the new areas. Here's hoping we'll be seeing more equipment art too, looks pretty cool.

And here we go with first equipment renders! I particularly like the tasteful gradual increases in ornamentation and level of protection offered. Definitely liking what I'm seeing! Additional thumbs up for the inclusion of black plate armour! SCALE ARMOUR PLATE ARMOUR

Since we've been mostly discussing helmets as of late, here are some more interesting examples (with obligatory PLUMES): Wish we'd see more PE screens showcasing equipment already!

That sounds like a reasonable compromise.

Here's hoping! Morions are definitely cool looking helmets - and would fit right in the world of PE. Speaking of open face variants, here's another example:

What I'd like is for each type (or material) to have its own pros and cons, so the choice wouldn't be simple. One piece wouldn't necessarily be better than the other, as it is with the rags -> leather > chainmail etc system. For example chainmail might offer good protection against slashing and piercing damage but do little to lessen crushing damage, while still being light (and if stuff degrades, it wouldn't last as long as other types). This way it is more interesting to match armour to your character, by considering where you want what types of protection, and what materials best fit the job. Indeed. Though it should be noted that plate armour would be considered superior in most cases, as it was really the pinnacle of personal protection (and chainmail's actually more cumbersome to wear!). On the other hand, you wouldn't want to wear plate when fighting in a desert. That said, I do hope that the armour progression isn't as simple as it was in BG2, for an instance. It'd be really nice if we'd be encourged mix and match a little bit more, depending on the circumstances.

I like the large character portraits. But yeah, why there's empty space between the parts of the UI? Could very well be a placeholder design, though.

It's from Dark Souls. What do you mean accidentally?