Chippy

Great update, I always get a warm fuzzy feeling when reading updates from PE, W2, etc that reminds me that the best CRPG developers are finally being released into their roles to make games however they like. I'm firmly in the camp of 'let em get on with it, they've already proven themselves' so will provide a comment on this update regarding people being concerned about trekking about to and from forges: there are methods that can be used in the field that lessen wear on weapons and armor, I'm confident Obsidian know what they are (waterstones and case hardening with materials containing carbon come to mind) but this crafting system seems more complex than past examples, so I'm pretty glad this stretch goal was reached.

Toggle the blur effect for character or anything else off if the player wants and if its in the game. Because there isn't a single example of that effect that ever did my eyes any good.

Wasn't there an episode of Scrubs where they made a joke about the emotions evoked from a persons shirt colour? Pink has a calming effect I think, while purple/red draws aggression. Maybe I could go back and play DA:O as a pink mage and not draw aggro while firing off spells?. From a visual POV though I relate pink to IE magic missile and my warlock's puny eldritch blast - both of these bring back strong nostalgic memories of past games - mostly that feeling of slapping roses in the face of a charging bull, so it would be a shame if these colours were excluded.

Shogun: Total War games did that. The Creative Assembley reasoned that the player could always beat the ai. Which I think is really stupid. I love that developer though and am willing to forgive that ...really stupid and frustrating... point of view.

Excellent video, the person who made it should be happily eating a box of chocolates and wrapping themselves in silk warm fuzzy feeling blankets of contentment after creating it. One game that sprang to mind: Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast. All Lucasarts Star Wars games had a habit of being hard - maybe because "THIS IS STAR WARS!" but that game insulted me on a personal level. It's pretty much the only game (apart from Green Beret on the ZX Spectrum, and Ninja Gaiden on the NES) that I felt like: I. Beat. You. When I completed it. Every moment of that game (and some really stood out) was like an assessment on a course that had no curriculum - just constant random testing all the time with no structure except the ability to reload/retake each test. Ugh.

Very true. They removed your potions quaffed before the battle aswell - although if you went to the stone buffing Aard and had prepared that line of sign, it was as you stated, pretty much over for the boss. My first playthrough was a realization that it was less about role playing and more about the secret handshake beating rock, paper, scissors. Classic example of developers changing the rules (especially on a game where you played as a Witcher). It's that lack of rule consistancy that really brings up the flaws of instant death for either the player or their enemies, as from that moment on I was not just being concerned about the rules being a source of death, but bad development aswell.

Using specifically BG1 as an example (because I played it almost constantly when it came out before any other IE game) and using a -1/level THACO class, I really appreciated the added chance to hit. I noticed it. Perhaps it was the low level enemies, and my brain tends to track the average in stuff like that. Getting a +1 or 2 weapon was significant, and the added star in each prof was noticeable. Again, maybe it was the type of enemies encountered and the layout of the game, but I've yet to see that sense of gradual fighter progression duplicated. TOEE did a great job, but as with other games it was hard to tell becasue one minute you were fighting skeletons, and possible a few hours later much higher AC enemies - which was also great, but not specific to this reply.

I thought this article was evaluative: http://www.destructoid.com/an-industry-that-needs-xbox-one-drm-is-a-failed-industry-256643.phtml It makes sense that certain parts of the industry needs more money to make the games it want's to make, so will just look for another way to make that money for those games. But as mentioned, as long as they leave Kickstarter, Indie games and Steam alone it's all good for me. Having been screwed over by DRM several times I think I can make that self indulgent statement.

I've found that if I don't listen to an entire song it gets stuck in my head, so ... thanks for that. Really.

Two great guitar solo's from two classic songs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pa9x9fZBtY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8e7pPGLVQg I was working with some blokes once and they were annoyed becauseI didn't go to a strip club with them; my reply was "Guys I found this song last night, I'd take listening to it over a stripper in my face anyday". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI98xPkLNVU Just a perfect song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4-a8zh0m9c

For what it's worth (I may just be looking for trouble) I live in London and attended an inner city school where the mix of culture's from all over the world created what is effectively another variation on the english language. It goes beyond a type of slang (based on what was implemented in PST) to an accent and change of various words that professionals (some of whom I've worked with) consider a verbal communication of intent - so if you don't speak in this manner, you may be considered an outsider or a threat. That may be totally irrelevant, but thought I'd post it anyway.

@LadyCrimson - You have to admire the spin though As though that customer is the only specific type it wont reach. Heh. @Greylord - I have to politely disagree with a few points there - I had the same philosphy of ownership as you have (I own the hardware and the disc) but Securom shattered that pretty well, it made it's way onto my PC without my knowlege and sabotaged my DVD drive when I switched video cards. So I'm sure I'm another statistic that they can add to consumers who desire/are using that 'product' but I didn't have a choice in its installation or its uninstallation because its removal tool didn't work. I had to format the HD on another PC; they have no control over that and I'm sure (jaded enough) that if they could implement facial recognition and fingerprint ID on our camera's and mice to prevent it they would ... that's where I see this all going. There was also a court order stating that Securom should be advertised on the game, which publishers have ignored. Xbox One may not have Securom I know, but the effect is the same - you don't own the game or the hardware if a publisher or otherwise can prevent you from accessing your property. It's that basic consumer breach of rights that concerns me, because I know as soon as EA or Activision work out how, its coming to the PC. I honestly don't care though because its all about Kickstarter for me now, but I'd buy South Park and other games to support Obsidian because we've yet to see if Kickstarter is enough for the midsized developer to survive. So if I get it on Steam I know the only thing I have to worry about is Valve going out of buisness...to which they've stated the if the customer has backed up their game, will run forever without the online requirement, wit hSteam as a simple offline launch utility. So ultimately I don't see the big bad about 'Steam DRM' that others do (like the Shadowrun returns backlash) and really consider my participation in other forms of DRM as a result of being a total plonker. But I'm past that now...

Just adding to my previous post, but for thieves to have an awareness of the potential gain for stealing would be cool. I get the impression developers groan at the thought of implementing stealing as it's gradually faded over the years, but if I had a rough idea of the potential gain I might be tempted to turn an entire town hostile and spam the reload button.

If I was a student of marketing or buisness I'd have my eyeballs glued to every bit of info about the XBone - just as a consumer there's certainly alot going on when a company like MS feels it can take these steps. I don't want to sound like I'm just adding to the mob, but when you take a moment to look at what MS are saying: things like "If your backwards compatible, your really backwards" and "Gamers will buy it becasue that's what gamers do" (that was the most chilling) and comments like "Gamers without 1mb internet should just get an XBox360" this last one was in the same breadth as snarkily remarking how someone was complaing he had no internet on a submarine - and the MS guy expected getting a connection there was hard. BT are my provider and I'm sure a constant connection is less reliable. It's this level of assurance and hubris that drug dealers assume over their clients. I find it all a bit disgusting. A wild theory though is that this is what happens when companies start monitoring their clientele - hours spent playing games, how they're played, etc. 75 hours was the average spent for millions playing Skyrim, that's 2 working weeks or ten days. I wonder how the buisnessperson percieves that? That the average gamer can afford to spend 10 days a year or less on just one game in a library of...

If there wasn't an alternative I'd be concerned that people would feel they have to buy it. I wonder if this is another step towards the market crashing that doomsayers have been going on about?. As for the PC though, its all just setting the stage for further restrictive DRM in future AAA games (that I won't be buying, even if Transformers 3 has Grimlock wearing a bowtie) and pushing players into Steam sales. Then MS might decide to go after that?.

i was thinking of a detailed awaresness feat/ability. Something more complicated than NWN1 where an enemy was coloured (purple I think) at hardest difficulty - but not exactly that I think as it only railroads the player into avoiding encounters. But maybe for Rangers or Thieves, they could spot the vorpal weapon carried by a fighter, or the markings on the cloak of a mage that specialises in summoning - just that little somethin that tips the player off with enough info that they can prepare a bit, without making it easy. Then at least when I encounter the RPGCodex party I can prepare for their miniguns and nuclear warheads.

My favourite John Lee Hooker Duet's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOsFfM3lbsQ This song is without a doubt the smoothest, sexiest, coolest... you get the idea. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guDNdUzFZaQ Any song with Van Morrison: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAXLRAj8xOo Wasted Years, The Waterfront, Don't Look Back, Serves Me Right To Suffer, Dimples, etc. Bonnie Rait http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT-FoZt95D4 Santana http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43yvS6bPZDs RIP John Lee Hooker

Instant death is the single most reviled thing on my list of pet hates - it represents bad developer design in one single infuriating example. That said I'm talking about different examples of it: 1. Glitchy - you bounce off another character and get catapulted several hundred game feet into the air, over a cliff, and die. 2. Developer thinks their Bullfrog's Dungeon Keeper - you enter a dungeon, the first floor tile is an illusion with a DC of 30,000, and beneath is a dragons mouth agape and waiting for your character. 3. Totally random - a meteorite flys through the atmosphere and blazes through your eyesocket, killing you instantly. Then there's the developer/modder who think it's great fun to have the meterorite crack you one in the eye (spilling blood/haze all over the screen and breaking the 4th wall) have you scripted/catapulted through the air and into the waiting jaws of a dragon - because THIS IS HARDCORE PC GAMING, and arn't you the silly gamer for relying on your character skills and not knowing where to step on the tiled floor of faith. I have faith in Obsidian though; and in all fairness the infinity engine games always offered you a protection against instant death. The only exception I think was some vorpal weapons and Monk abilities?.

Hearing damage can be estimated by not being able to communicate (normal level of voice) verbally with someone 1m away, 2m to be on the safe side as they've changed the decibel levels a few years ago. If I had any kids I'd regulate the amount of noise they were exposed to: http://www.hse.gov.uk/noise/calculator.htm by estimating the average. With noisy games and the constant hum of the PC I suspect it really adds up. It seems that Securom won't let me change my DVD drive either, as another one installed still can't read DVD's, and changing the drive letter/boot priority under the bios is the same. So I've got to connect the hard drive to another PC and format that while it's running on another system. If I didn't have my brothers PC to bridge the tech gap with my old XP system and newer WIN7 system and hardware I would be ummm .... quite upset now. Nowhere on the box for the game was it advertised that Securom was installed with that game. The only positive from this is that I have now made my mind up to never buy a physical copy of a game anymore. If plans work out for Obsidians Star Wars game, I think I'd only get it on Steam. Which hasn't raised any alarms. Yet.

True the raw power is greater, (I think you have the top of the range model, I've got the cheaper model, but it still had 1gig of ram compared to the GTS @ 512mb) but in crossfire mode playing Skyrim or War for Cybertron it isn't 'compatible' and the game stutters. So I'm better off with the GTS, which is also quieter than the ati model I've got. I'm very particular about hearing damage as it's the dosage of noise you recieve over the course of a week that contributes to it, not just a single massive decibel amount of noise - and those cards are LOUD. So really they were a waste of money as years later this old card can still run these games well.

I feel like that guy in Fallout 2 taken in by the Deathclaws at the moment (the one with the string of bad luck). I was playing War for Cybertron and Securom assassinated my DVD drive. It actually broke it. The removal tool (of course) doesn't work and now it won't read DVD's, so I can't format windows unless I buy another DVD drive. The twin ati 5870 cards who's fans started rattling after 6 months finally gave up. I could tap them upwards to stop said rattling, bu now they're shot. I could fix them by threading the spindle and adhesive/slotting a nut to the fan, but installed my brothers NVidia 8800 GTS while I summon the incentive and ... it actually performs better than those twin idiot cards in crossfire mode on certain games. Then I tried to boot up KOTOR1&2 but they wont work on multiple core processors, so (instead of throwing the "latest and greatest" PC out the window) I calmly put it aside and powered up my trusty XP PC. But the sound card was kaput. So replacing that with the SB16 card (more than 15 years old) I'm now running my trusty PC in a hardware configuration that has seen more than 10 years of use. My point? I've spent more than £4000 over the past ten years on hardware - and it was a waste of money. Now that I'm done with AAA games and focusing on Kickstarter titles, I plan on building a PC that is reliable. So unless the Unity engine games - or whatever engines are used in future Kickstarter games from our favourite developers - start demanding software (e.g. shader models) from the latest and greatest cards, I should get away with upgrading ram and linking 1 > 4 video cards to handle future Kickstarter titles. Which should leave me more money to donate.

*Signs in* Obsidian doing great work as usual. *Signs out*

I couldn't work out the pathfinding pattern for my hair loss either, so I had hair transplant surgery, it worked out at £2 a hair which was £8000for a loss at the temples and about 20mm receding from the forehead...you just have to plan the waypoints for where the hair starts fall out about a year ahead and plan accordingly. And try to pull it out from the back of your head during fits of rage - it grows back quickly there. A colleague suggested a medi-gel type chemical injected into the scalp, but I asked if it blocked DHT from an abundance of testosterone and had dumbed down side effects such "drooping Hanar" and referring to yourself in the third person as "this one" during hardcore RPG sessions, and he didn't seem to know what I was talking about... Ok, I might get banned. Yes - agree with the pathfinding suggestions and the party ai toggles found in NWN2, so I can plot a path and toggle a party member stay hidden and passive along the way. ...Maybe those dots he leaves could be little clumps of hair

Isn't that usually when tavern fights break out maybe from the locals or all the guys you've kicked out of the party. What if (maybe asking a lot here) the adventurers you kicked out of the party or didn't get along with all band together and all come after the players party. Either seriously or just for a punch up at the tavern.

Similar to the announcement that Wasteland 2 will keep weapons relevant throughout the game, I'd like there to be a valid reason to hold onto that signature weapon. Having watched Crisis Core and currently playing through FF7, it's a great touch to learn that a modder has made the buster sword gradually increase in power through use. I appreciate the concept of finding a +1 weapon, but it feels like cheating. If I could melt that +1 sword down though and use the metal to craft/add a guard to my sabre (giving bonus to ac) it would feel more legitimate / aid roleplaying. For me anyway.