Nonek

I'd argue for detailed instructions by the quest giver or those you ask for directions, like this:

One that you look down upon at the end of the game and nod to yourself as you remember a hag asking, "What can change the nature of a man?"

Best one i've played lately is that in the Witcher 2, had a drink with Letho and walked away, refreshingly brave of the developer to not make the battle compulsory.

I'm all for taxes, ranging from property taxes to gate taxes in foreign cities. Also upkeep of equipment, board and lodging when away from home, food and drink when in the wild, sorcerous supplies, tithing to churches, bribes to guards or informants, supplies and equipment for adventuring (pole 10' & hemp rope 50',) wages for companions, books, maps and other rare equipment being extremely pricy, fines for minor crimes, expensive advocates for matters of law and any others the game can think of. I like as many features present as possible, especially if they punish me if I don't take advantage of them. Don't mind if they're only in the hardcore modes however.

Ah thank you.

Will stamina deplete naturally during longer battles as you grow tired from constant exertion (perhaps after a number of rounds equal to ones constitution or what have you,) might that be decided through feats and such, or is it assumed that you trained long hours in order to grow accustomed to the rigours of the battlefield?

But obviously with such massive armour and ornate decorations your maneuverabilty would be severely hampered, with the massive shoulders pads you'd be unable to make overhead blows (or anything higher than your shoulder) because steel doesn't bend, your movement speed would be reduced to a crawl and arcs of vision massively reduced. Shields couldn't be lifted high enough to protect the head as well, with more spikey variants there'd be a chance of damaging yourself with every attack. So long as players are willing to be rendered virtually useless due to wearing such silly things then I can't see a problem either.

Carpentry, prestidigitation and streetwise.

No. When I pay for a suit I expect the needlework of my tailor, not the produce of the local asylum. No offense to any asylum for likening them to the Bioware social network.

Never understood this penchant for impractical armour, the first point of call for armour is that it be as light as possible, maneuverable and unrestrictive as possible. Adding spikes and other pointless decorations would work against these principles, they serve no purpose except to restrict movement and add weight to the suit, so why would any thinking armourer add them or a fighter whose life depends upon said armour request it? If flash and decoration are required, just look to some of the armours pictured in this very thread, enamelling, fluting and intricate carving can be added to them to make them works of art such as the Sutton Hoo helm or Henry the Eighth's ceremonial plate armour, as seen in the royal armouries up in Leeds, England. The childish and frankly silly aesthetics of the ridiculous armours seen in all too many modern games (such as Kingdoms of Amalur/Dragon Age) really needs to be killed off with fire, and the ground they sprang from salted in their wake.

I'm surprised anybody pays any attention to "professional" reviews anymore, i'd rather formulate an opinion through let's plays, demo's if available and personal recommendations, mainly because my tastes and specifications differ hugely from reviewers. The few reviews I have seen for the latest "best game ever" also seem to be strangely uninformed, to the point where i'm beginning to suspect that they've not even played the game. Some things that are omitted you simply cannot miss, that's when I begin to suspect they've been unduly influenced by publisher pressure or are far too close to the developer, to the point where they're looking at them as possible employers who they don't wish to alienate rather than producers to be criticised. Still it's a cheap medium of entertainment at the end of the day, and I more than get my moneys worth.

This was implemented in NWN2 as I remember, if using a longsword without a shield you'd automatically wield it two handed, and gain a damage bonus for doing so. I'm told it happens all the time at night on Hampstead Heath, usually George Michael's involved in some fashion.

Try Mask of the Betrayer, New Vegas, the Sith Lords, Alpha Protocol etcetera all from Obsidian, they can be played as a very human anti hero or an outright villain (especially MOTB) so I wouldn't really have any fears for Eternity in this respect. Don't know anything about the oversized swords of jrpg's, but you can get some fairly ridiculously large ones in MOTB if that's your bag. By the way if the gent in the video wants to get through that pallet quicker he might want to use an axe and a prybar, much less effort too.

Enjoying this, the humour's somewhat sophomoric for my liking, but the game itself is really captivating me. It's also very nice to see a game that's not obsessed with stripping out features but actually strives to implement some cool stuff.

Personally I liked the slow introduction of the Exile's backstory in the Sith Lords, it was that rarest of things in modern media, subtle. The few lines of dialogue we got from the Exile and Kriea hinted at so much more, thus allowing us to mold his backstory to our own imaginations liking. Personally I played him as a severely mentally scarred veteran, who hated his former Jedi self and wanted nothing more to do with the force after Malachor. Meld this with the backgrounds of Arcanum, that reflect a statistical consequence and i'd be over the moon. Or the Zoroastrian scrotum shaver.

Yes but both Greek and Norse mythology are rife with heroes who chose to spurn the gods for whatever reasons, such as when Egil Skallagrimssons son was taken from him in a sea voyage so the Poet and Warrior chose to renounce Odin forevermore. This can create quite a lively and enthralling adventure, with a protagonist bent on defying the false prophecies of tyrannous stars. Certainly I have nothing against real life religions, but the fertile ground between the devotion of faith and the stubborn fight for freedom outside the dictates of destiny can bear interesting fruit. Obviously it's Obsidians decision, but it's not an idea without merit.

Most dynamic and vibrant campaign I ever DM'd was set on a world where only different races of humanity existed. It had fascinating cultural, philosophical and artistic differences for each emergent race and they were far more fleshed out than the usual Elven and Dwarven species. It really spurred my originality and also made me delve into other earth cultures past and present for inspiration. I had racial ability bonuses, bonus feats and preferred proficiencies that were decided by the culture the men were born and raised in. It was exhaustively rich and detailed, the differences between a Pariv nomad and an inhabitant of the Kalman free cities was far more pronounced than the usual Dwarven grumbler and Elven emo, just as the sagas of the norse and their exploits stand in clear contrast to the romance of the Three Kingdoms in our world. Hopefully the Dwarves and Elves of Eternity are different species, or sub races so far removed in evolution from humanity that they can no longer breed successfully, but I wouldn't mind if it were just races and cultures of humanity rather than the usual fantasy troupe. Certainly it wouldn't limit a campaign world in any way shape or form, just as our home was not wanting for cultural richness throughout its history.

If it's available in my first playthrough my Monk will be quite antagonistic towards the gods, believing them to be neither omnipotent, omniscient or divine, seeing them as crutches that weaken a souls ascent to perfection.

Watched young Mr Branagh's Henry V today, thought armour such as that used by Brian Blessed in this scene might be appropriate for a dwarven character, i've always thought the esteemed gentleman is almost the definition of the stereotype.

The most effectively "evil" character i've ever played was Michael Thornton in a veteran runthrough of Alpha Protocol, he was calm and polite in almost every situation and devoted to completing his objectives, but every conversation and choice he participated in was informed by ulterior motives. He watched everybody with the dead eyes of a viper, and manipulated them into believing him a friend and colleague. It was only when he tired of Mina's talking at the end of the game, that the mask slipped and he revealed what a psycopath lay under those calm manners and calculated responses. Too late for his erstwhile master to realise what a mistakle he'd made in trusting the veteran intelligence operative at all, or to realise that he'd just given up the reigns of his power and lost every ally around the world that he relied upon. The beautiful thing was, that ending surprised me as well, I had no idea that the character i'd been playing was so mercenary. Everything coalesced in those final moments, i'd started out with the intention of merely playing a cool professional, but it outgrew me in a very organic fashion, until those ending choices seemed the only logical steps.

I'd like to see mature themes and morals handled like in the Witcher and of course previous Obsidian games, Bioware have always seemed a little infantile and simplified for myself. I prefer the complex themes presented in the aforementioned games, add to that a logical reactive world rather than an illogical linear plot corridor and i'll be more than satisfied. One stand out moment for me was the Werewolf quest in the original Witcher, an almost fairy tale ending in a world of all too real tragedy, it stood out all the more clearly for being so. A light in the darkness if you will. That and even the most villainous of characters being intelligent, reasonable and more importantly understandable rather than simplified cackling buffoons enslaved by mcguffins or what have you.

The DLC's of New Vegas weren't slapped on afterwards, they were planned for during the making of the game as I understand. That's why there are hints to each of them lying all around the base game, for myself if all games did DLC like these and Treasures of the Sun I wouldn't have half the inclination to avoid them like I do.

World of Ultima. Narrative, companions and philosophy of Torment. Politics and morals of the Witcher games. Choice and consequence of Alpha Protocol or New Vegas.

Yes i'd like to see that, a predator hitting and running from all directions, perhaps even kidnapping your companions and leaving them hung in its larder for a chittering, gleeful feast later. Big, horrible and inuhmanly fast.

Start small and detailed, make the quests personal and make sure your players see the effects their actions generate. Keep a few index cards around with little mini adventures upon them, for when your players go off the beaten track. Think of numerous organic plot hooks that serve to lead them back on to the main path of your adventure, so they don't feel they're being led by the nose. Space and its inherent dangers is a great way of limiting a players scope, once they step onto your space station/derelict space hulk or whatever you can guide them with very little effort. Don't be afraid of cahanging your adventure if they do something clever or dumb that you hadn't expected, with a small very detailed enviroment you'll find it much easier to roll with the punches and portray interesting and believable consequences.