Nonek

As a DM such a prison or oubliette immediately gets my player punishing nerve twitching, so easy to infiltrate such a place with a master thief or cipher set on sabotage or even more malevolent purposes. I do like the idea of a stronghold coming with a large dollop of responsibility however, you have a duty to the crown who granted you the land, must maintain law and order on the estate and carry out the duties associated with your high office.

They're worth playing, they're good fun games that do exactly what they promise. I've never regretted my purchase of any of them, pound/dollar to time ratio they're certainly good value.

The humour's a little overdone at times, only complaint I can really level at it for the moment.

Yeah the tired old plot of Dragon Age 2, save the world from the evil artifact McGuffin and its big bad slave is to be avoided at all costs. This and the fact that the protagonist spent years doing nothing, and ignoring any of the obvious hints that were thrown in his path really destroyed any sense of narrative cohesion in the game. I sometimes felt that the game was suggesting that I cared about the strangers who were supposed to be my family, but as usual they were just shallow caricatures whom I couldn't even speak to and nothing to do with my character. This and the fact that the game went out of its way to invalidate every choice I made, served to leave me just playing by rote on easy until I threw in the towel at the end. I agree with you, Obsidian have never gone down that route and I don't see any reason why they would now. I do think all of the characters should have been killable however, they were the weakest part of the whole game.

Oh come on, I've already played that card more than once in the monk thread. Not that it's an invalid position, as it is one I share, but we exhausted that argument in the aforementioned.... Monk Thread. Sorry AGX-17, but i've got no idea what you're talking about. Oh never mind, just saw my post on page 9 of the monk thread where I outlined this concept and must seemingly have become a little inspired by it, I assume that's what you're referring to.

Divine Divinity, this is really how Diablo should have evolved in my opinion.

Considering the recent events north of Godhammer citadel, i'm thinking matters of faith will be tremendously important. As I remember I got a nice shield in Mask of the Betrayer for following Chauntea.

I believe it's a treatise on a musical artform, hope this helps. It might be based on part of a shoe or a fish though.

There should be a clear delineation between what is known and what is believed. So although the people of Eternity know that souls may be reborn and there is a measure of immortality in that, they are neither sure of the mechanic or what controls such a state, thus they remain in that most interesting of positions, uncertainty. So for that peasant labouring in misery, there is too much of a risk in ending his life and seeking a new position in the wheel, he has hope for tomorrow and that is more real to him than an uncertain future. The philospher may seek to extend his knowledge of the metaphysical, but short of the ultimate sacrifice, he faces the exact same quandry as that peasant. And here is where otherworldly eminences prove their attraction, standing beyond the concerns of the flesh, they may hold the truth that a seeker desires or lies that suit their agenda. Or maybe they are nothing but false lights in the heavens.

Play Ultima 7 then play a modern mainstream RPG, tell me that they've not been ripping out features and stripping away the content to its bare bones, either Bethesda with puddle deep plot in hiking simulators or Bioware with nothing but alternate combat and conversation in brown corridors. Yes they might be brainless fun, but they can't be defended as innovating or evolving in any way shape or form. To defend that stripping away of content is worse than nostalgia, it's a mandate for only making content for the lowest common denominator. Project Eternity is a challenge to this notion, just as New vegas and Alpha Protocol were before it.

Rugger, weights, fisticuffs.

Yes that's what I remember too, thank you.

Personally i'd like the entities dealt with to be inconceivable Lovecraftian horrors, gibbering truly alien things that a wizard may leech power from, but whose horrific presence corrupts their souls as surely as blood stains Lady MacBeths hands. Their entrance into physicality should be deeply disturbing, emanating waves of sickness and mutation as they drag impossible hideous forms forth from dark, desolate places. And even as the character beholds them, he should know that what he see's is only what his frail human mind can deal with, it's true form escapes perception for all but the strongest of Ciphers and madmen. Be a bugger to code I expect though.

Ah figures, thank you Evdk.

What the hell happened to the forums? They're posting pictures of little girls cartoons now, has that Bioware social thing shut down?

Could you clarify please Mr Rjshae? As far as I remeber the characters of the Dragon Age game stand around immobile, and are not even able to draw their weapons if not engaging in combat (which seems a little silly if you're venturing into those Dark Road places.) As a DM I would have penalised them severely for such slovenly behaviour.

As well as all equipped weapons being visible on the character (no matter their size) i'd also like to see helms being carried in the crook of ones arm when in peaceful areas, like in the original Diablo. A little flourish but satisfying in the attention to detail, it's these little things that serve to bring the world to life for myself. Unfortunately most gamers seem content to make do with diminishing features every year but hopefully Eternity can stem the tide of only the combat, conversation and adolescent romances being prioritised. I'd also like to see resting animations for when one is idling around the campfire, the fighter hones his implements of destruction, the monk performs his kata's, the cipher meditates, the wizard pores over his grimoires, the priest mumbles his devotions etcetera. And sleeping under their blankets for those who need rest obviously.

Haven't played in years, kids, wife and job, but I used to be a regular when I had a life. Never really bothered with a title, except maybe for Oi or You bastard. I have entire worlds tucked away in my noggin and my study, real shame that my old thursday nighters aren't together anymore.

I'd say yes on the proviso that it is not implemented like in Dragon Age, basically I want to be able to switch to a state of readiness when I enter dungeons and other dangerous places. Shields raised and swords levelled, arquebus' ****ed and loaded, arrows knocked to the string, mages scanning their grimoires and memorising dread incantations etcetera. Of course in this mode everybody should be wary, on the lookout for traps and secret doors and obviously the movement rate reduced. I would however make this toggle-able (if that's a word) for when we need a burst of speed to escape or for some other emergency. If we're entering dangerous territory and are not in a state of readiness then I fully expect the enemy to win initiative and launch devastating first strikes, take advantage of our stupidity. I'm also tootling through Divine Divinity at the moment and it's refreshing to see my sword scabbarded at my players hip, I don't particularly need the scabbard but I would like to see my equipped weapons and armours on my character. As well as a backpack.

Monk sworn to vows of poverty, silence and non violence. Don't know about race/species, anything not elf really.

There was a disgusting monster in second edition that I can't remember the name of for the life of me, it was basically a nightmare given flesh by residual strong magic fields, and resembled a pus covered sack of sentient entrails. Always liked using those. Always liked gibberlings as well, but without the swords, I always made them into a veritable roiling carpet of stinking black fur replete with too many teeth, talons and unwinking red eyes. Ocassionally i'd introduce a champion or shaman, to lead and guide the will of the swarm, but mostly I like the thought of a mammalian locust swarm. Unreasoning and unrepentant.

By jingo i've got it, give everybody a sock puppet to romance. Make it upgradeable with different wigs, lipstick, eye shadow, designer stubble, tattoos and such. Then they can go to town on romancing their individualised true love. And the great thing is with a quick change of apparel it can be male, female or anywhere in between. Open a chat window so people can write down their own and the puppets responses when they're wooing it, hell they could even write twilight level fanfiction about Mr or Mrs Sock taking them in their strong woolen fingers. You could even have the sock puppet kidnapped by a baddie, and held hostage with a pair of shears at its throat. Imagine the drama.

Chatting about it with one of the companys legal team today, apparently the maximum term for computer espionage of this nature in Britain is five years, across the pond he'd be facing three charges each carrying up to twenty year sentences. Wasn't sure if those would run concurrently. You can see why the young man doesn't want to go west, far better to serve a year and a half back here in blighty, if that. Not condoning his actions, but these conspiracy nuts don't really do any harm do they? Still stupid bloody thing to do.

There is only one romance I shall pursue: This is my arquebus. There are many like it, but this one is mine. Her name is Ermintrude. My arquebus is my one true love, it is my life. I must master it as I must master my own soul. My arquebus, without me, is useless. Without my arquebus, I am useless. I must fire my arquebus true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will... My arquebus and myself know that what counts in this war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, or the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit... My arquebus is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a lover. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will keep my arquebus clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will... By my soul, I swear this creed. My arquebus and myself are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life. So be it, until victory is ours and there is no enemy, but peace! All other loves are pathetic and transitory.

I'm sorry but that Lelilaalalana(shaana na naana) bit first made me laugh then slowly grow nauseous, please god don't do anything like that. Ever. In any universe.