Nonek

I believe wars are won on a far more subtle factor, the tensile strength of the combatants upper lips. This can of course be bolstered by facial topiary, well waxed and styled. In seriousness though I would say most extended campaigns are won through attrition and logistics, if an empire is willing and able to continue its warring indefinitely, then the opponent will be swept away. No matter the amount of strategic miracles he may execute, Hannibal, Spartacus and the defense of Syracuse seem to demonstrate this for Rome, through perseverance they conquered. However perseverance can be affected in so many ways, public opinion, logistical failures, lack of espirit de corp, shock and awe etcetera. One can even denude a mainly skirmishing/ambushing force of their native resources if one is willing to do so, as we English demonstrated (to our shame) with the concentration camps that effectively crushed the resupplying and rearming of the Boer resistance fighters. Of course we did not intend for the camps to be mismanaged, ill supervised and under equipped, but I still think the responsibility rested on our shoulders. One supposes that one of the few instances of total war that the modern world has seen would be the sixth armies attack, defense and eventual virtual annihilation in Stalingrad. Or what Gorgon so much more succinctly wrote.

Touch of spring cleaning today, stumbled upon an old video in the loft, inspiration for high level/antagonistic Cipher powers perhaps?

Yes one supposes that it's a matter of opinion, when the final tally is called, and also somewhat an aspect of that most thorny of issues: What is an RPG? An argument I think we're all too wise to venture anywhere near, my pen and paper campaigns were different to others, and the computer iterations are in no way beholden to follow in their footsteps. Sorry if my previous post seemed a little pejorative, the issue's a little bugbear of mine that I can't help but occasionally see as all too self evident, no personal offense intended. I do like the idea of (mostly plate) harness needing to be fitted to each user, though I thought that it might be wearable with severe penalties before a skilled armourer is called upon.

I do like the idea of weapon and armour maintenance, and have argued for its inclusion, it's a simple and easily managed feature. The inclusion of poisoned and spoiled food is also somehing I think could add to our roleplaying options, and it does not have to inconvenience the player in any way. Hopefully injuries to health are dealt with as very serious things, making us extremely vulnerable in the right situation, but yes three months of bed rest is not an appealing option. As i've stated before repeatedly I champion the inclusion of simple, easy to handle features that aid immersion and don't irritate the player unduly. We can all handle a lot more than character creation, combat and conversation. Personally I see Kickstarter projects as a chance to reject modern RPG's which prate of innovation while stripping out every feature in favour of linearity, cinematics, adolescent romances and golden quest markers guiding you every step of the way, I find that distasteful and rather insultive. However I do recognise that there are a lot of people who do wish to experience RPG's in that manner, so I would say once again that these modes and features be limited to the more content rich versions of difficulty or gameplay modes. Thus pleasing both camps.

It was really the death of Ragnar Hairy Trousers that escalated the Viking Age conquest of Britain, after his ship was caught on Flamborough head, Ragnar was captured by the king of Northumbria and executed. His last words were on the subject of how his little piglets would squeal when they heard of the old boars death, thus his many sons led by Guthrum and Ivar the Boneless, conquered York with a Danish great army and blood eagled the Northumbrian king. We all know the rest, Mercia falls, last of the Athelings defeated numerous times before burning cakes etcetera, etcetera. Ganga Hrolf (travelling Rollo) would eventually force the duchy of Normandy from the Frankish kings hands, and he and his brethren would become the Normanni who became so ubiquitous in the medieval age.

I've yet to see anyone asking for one of Bethesda's consequenceless hiking simulators, but overall I think these forums are a rather well regulated and sensible place. The strange BSN people who appeared for the Kickstarter (with their demands for romancing all things animal, vegetable or mineral) have mostly vacated the forums, and there is very little unpleasantness or trolling if one treats others as one wishes to be treated. I will agree though that Mr Sawyers posts are usually very interesting and informative, a real anticipation builder for the finished product.

Ah thank you, I personally see it as a mix of Icewind Dale and Torment, with the usual superior Obsidian characters, and hopefully a more interactive and living gameworld, (courtesy of Mr Sawyer's referencing Darklands a few times,) the rest I agree with you on.

Just as a matter of curiosity Ms Kjaamor, what is your impression of what Eternity will be?

I would totally agree that it be a toggle-able option, if implemented at all, just like in New Vegas. Even from this small thread one can see that the subject is divisive, and thus would be more suitable as an option, not a forced restriction that some will resent from the get go. I do think however that if implemented there should be ways of circumventing the restrictions for appropriate characters, a skilled Ranger, Druid or Barbarian for instance might be able to live off the land, making his need for rations non existent. Or he automatically gathers two portions of rations and water everyday, as an automatic ability. A Ray Mears sort of skillset.

Well personally I would like exactly that, the game to handle our consumption of supplies like in Betrayal at Krondor, the feeding of six adventurers can become a pain if left to the player as was demonstrated all too clearly in Ultima 7. We simply buy vittles and other appropriate adventuring gear as a method of preparation for our travails, or don't prepare and be at the whims of chance, a little extra planning and preparation when putting ones life on the line seems reasonable but can be left up to the player. I see this as a very simple method of adding layers to the world, an extra skin of verisimilitude if you will, and also an opportunity to use the mechanic as an extra spur for creative roleplaying. You could indeed abstract this and many other things, but where exactly do you stop doing so? Extra features in a roleplaying game are no bad thing, and if they serve to ground the protagonist and add variety rather than annoy, then why not include as many as possible? We can all handle a lot more than fighting and talking in corridors.

Dragon Age: Origins. I've saved Redcliffe village and everyone in it from undeath, I then ventured into the evils lair and exorcised a demon from a child, and in the process got a frenchwoman to commit suicide. Following these great and good feats I find the ashes of a gods bride, kill a high dragon, dismantle a cult of dragon worshippers and wake the ensorcelled nobleman who owns Redcliffe from his slumber. In thanks I get a shield. Great.

Personally I would abstract the use of water closets as a matter of taste, and have the daily constitutional be a part of the resting mechanic, though I would have toilets and bathrooms in the game world. Having a rogue scouting out a stronghold, and noticing a guard repeatedly rushing to the closet, seems like a good reward for exploration. You could even force that guards bowel problems at his local tavern, during a brief chat slipping a laxative into his pint etcetera. For me features are fun, add to the believability of the gameworld, and offer more variety of approach rather than just melee and chat.

Brilliant ideas, love the notion of such a mundane locale as the cliche'd adventurers tavern suddenly becoming an engaging and reactive envitroment.

Looking at the editor and the bright, vibrant, reactive world there's only one thing that springs to my mind: Ultima mod.

I can see the option of making it only apply to the more realistic modes as an appealing one, especially to the more casual crowd. I thought Betrayal at Krondor handled rations well, they were consumed at midday (as I remember) and so long as one had them in inventory this was automatic. A nice little touch however was that rations could be tampered with or spoiled, which was clearly stated in the item description, and once they were consumed the characters became sick or poisoned. A nice method of making the character pay attention, and read Mr Halford's well written descriptions. There were also goodwives who would pack you up a few days rations as a gift, tasks to poison the secret rations of an invading army, wells where you could refill your waterskins, and inns who would gladly sell passing travellers rations for the hard road ahead. It was really no bother, more a delight to see such a little thing brought to life. After all the getting of vittles was a pressing concern for humanity throughout history, especially in the age that Eternity represents, and no character would take it for granted as we do in the first world. Man cannot live on prayer alone.

Hopefully vittles are implemented, always good to have as many features in game as possible. We've had many long years of feature stripping and streamlining, it doesn't do much but make the gameworld less believable. I'd never consider playing New Vegas on anything but hardcore, and ideally with Mr Sawyers mod installed. Great feature, and a nice tip of the hat to the player characters humanity, and therefore frailty.

Though I like the combat in Origins, and the game having choice and consequence in its quest hubs, I would overall agree with you. It is on the whole a renaissance fayre setting, with very few features and almost no interactivity or verisimillitude. The high points where it pushes boundaries were the origin stories, the dwarven civilisation and the Qunari, fairly much everything else was blandly underdeveloped.

I've got to agree with you there Gorgon, this is something that's been rather irritating me for awhile now, for twenty years or so we've been told repeatedly that we're judging games through nostalgia glasses and forming an inaccurate image of games past. Well the reason I support Kickstarted games is not because of either of these, it's simply because most modern games have been streamlined and dumbed down beyond the pale, look at Bioshock Infinite, an on rails shooter that gives no choice and no consequences, with a narrative a twelve year old with a second hand copy of Nietzsche musings could tear apart. Probably going to be game of the year, judging by the rapture with which gaming journalists have greeted its release. When we're happily accepting the total removal of features as a good thing, and applauding what is basically the same game but with less content, then something is very wrong. Playing through Ultima 7 at the moment, and there are only two things that I find have been handled better in modern games, graphics and the combat. In all other areas this twenty year old game totally embaresses the modern genre, only New Vegas has even tried to add features, content and real meat into the genre, rather than settling for being a consequenceless hiking simulator. It's time that this overused crutch of graphical fidelity harming the games was kicked away, what is harming the games is our settling for less and less every year, and developers having no ambition or wish to innovate. When I play a modern game, and am basically herded down dull brown and grey corridors, with alternating areas of combat and conversation, that are ultimately consequenceless, then yes I want choice and consequence back. When worlds and narratives make no sense, and are not even given the benefit of a logical approach, then yes I want good writing back. When side characters, protagonists and antagonists are all as equally stupid and unmotivated, then yes I want quality characterisations back. When we are forced into pointless boss fights because of BUT THOU MUST and insulted by plot devices as feeble as McGuffins and Deus Ex Machina, then yes I want a satisfying nuanced and reactive conclusion back. By prioritising accessibility to the widest possible demograhic, modern games have essentiallly lobotomised the genre. Sorry for the overlong preaching, all my opinion and whatnot.

I used to feel pride when I worked as a lion tamer.

I'm often surprised by just how much the publishers get away with, I see nothing in always online, clients or excessive drm requirements that benefits me as a player, and so mostly I shun or sandbox them. If they want my business they'll have to try and get it through making their offers enticing, rather than punishing me for piracy that I have never and would never commit.

The Skuldr looks very nice, reminds me of the Fleder from the first Witcher. The name seems fine to me, got an old Norse vibe to it but made me think first of Skulker and then Skallagrim the father of Egil from the sagas. Just as a point of reference, we've seen the use of Gaelic names for places and people, and now are told that the old English/Norse languages are being referenced, does this indicate a clash of cultures at some point? Or have the two arisen in unison and merged beyond the telling apart?

You should try Ultima 7 Amarok, it's surprisingly well detailed, with most of the occupations on your list found somewhere in Britain. Fields are harvested outside the cities, you can hire carts to drive from location to location, hire a ship at the port, peruse numerous shops from jewellers to bowyers, visit and plan on how to rob the mint, drop into the inn to sit down and listen to gossip, music and order a pint or a meal. It's very much a living world, with npc routines and almost every object interactable in some manner, I haven't even begun to describe all your Avatar can experience there.

Mr Amarok, though I agree with the general point of your thread I do feel that I must complain in the strongest terms. I spent many a happy hour baking bread in Britannia with the good baker, and object to your whitewashing him from existence. Good day Sir.

Consequences for resting: The acquisition of camping supplies, some of which can be re-used but other are perishable. The portage of said gear into and out of the dungeon, this would obviously work better with a limited inventory, so that you're choosing whether to carry that extra armour or your camping equipment. Limit rest periods in any 24 hours. Spells, illusions and traps laid to make an area safe for resting, thus the Wizard, Cipher and thief lose a bit of their efficacy. The chance of enemy spies being forewarned of the parties approach, and planning suitably. The mad dreams of a slumbering god haunt this place, resting tires the party, and they awake unrestored. Exploring (with all the dangers that brings) to find a place where the enemy has not trod in years, and that therefore appears safe, think the guard room with the well in Moria. Maps, hints and rumours about the dungeon that the players might try to uncover, at a cost to their pocket and in faction favours. A plague stirs in this unholy place, if the party drink of the water or eat anything other than rations they may well fall victim to the malady. Someone has to stand guard, if the players are wise. Interactions between characters, rough crafting and maintenance attempts undertaken, spells studied and other such class skills worked on. The building of atmosphere, rather than room after room of combat. An evil pair of eyes are seen watching the party from the shadows, strange echoes are heard in the depths, or a heartbeat seems to be heard in the characters sleep. Petty injuries such as those incurred in Dragon Age Origins are treated by the partys healer, at the cost of bandages, herbs and maybe a few spells of binding from the priest or wizard. The cunning rogue takes the time to watch the coming and going of enemy patrols, if they have them, or enemy lairs if they do not, and is thus a little forewarned when conducting his scouting. A particularly sensitive creature spots the tracks of the party, or sniffs down their location, and they must either flee if that is an option or make a stand where they were resting.

All I know is that i'm allergic to dairy products and the amount of cheese inherent in most rpg romances has repeatedly sent me into anaphylactic shock.