Nonek

If the gay characters are as well defined as for instance Arcade Gannon, then I don't think anbody would have a problem with them, his sexuality was not flaunted or much discussed but it did influence his personality in a realistic fashion. And most importantly he was not making juvenile passes at me every five minutes, or reacting like a character in some over emotional dating sim. I guess there is some bias on my part, i'm an older married man and just not partricularly interested in romances, especially with virtual characters. That and the stunted emotional range of a true englishman, conspire to make me definitely not part of the target audience for the teenage angsty date sim element. The only character I truly felt such a deep connection with in any game was Kreia, and that may have just been admiration for such a strong, tragic figure.

Yes.

Big vote for yes, couldn't play New Vegas without hardcore mode now.

You could be right, still with the choice and consequence we find in New Vegas and Alpha Protocol, i'm fairly positive about them pulling such a thing off. Wouldn't it be great to see that devastated town though, infested with abominations and all your own fault. I'm not saying time sensitive by the way, just single chance affairs, they don't know you're coming until you attack.

Why not make our quests not exactly time sensitive, but single chance affairs. If we fail to achieve our goals in one expedition, there may be consequences. for instance the Black Hand, ruthless thieves and assassins disappear into the shadows, leaving you in the empty mansion where they previously resided. A gibbering horror is let free from the cult of Yog Shothoth, to breed and grow strong in the dark places of the earth. These need not be necessarily negative, they may lead to other opportunities but when you come across the broken and twisted sacrifices to the cultists hideous "god," you'll be left in no doubt that you failed them and possibly have lost certain benefits and contacts. And a coterie of assassins watching you from the shadows would make a nice turnabout, the hunter becomes the hunted. Thus we get the feeling that the antagonists are not merely sitting around waiting for steel enemas courtesy of our heros, they'll react to our attempts like Benny in the Tops or Surkov in Moscow. They'll attempt to regain the upper hand, and perhaps ally with other more dangerous foes.

Interesting point.

I'd like to be punished with a game over screen if I don't do well enough, there seems to be a modern fear of having to reload being a terrible game breaking thing, to me it's a kick in the teeth saying, "Belt up and do better Boyo." In the Witcher 2 there were a couple of instances where you're in a dangerous situation, and if you try anything smart you simply get killed. That was refreshing. They weren't pandering to me, or railroading me into following their plot points, they simply made clear the danger and it was my choice to blunder. This works even better with an insane mode, where if you die your saves get wiped. Real risk and consequence.

Personally I thought the mechanic for involving the player in the conflict of Neverwinter Nights 2 was genius, we we're not left asking: "Why me" We were intricately and personally enmeshed in the storyline through bad luck at our birth. The King of Shadows was a bit cliche, but his past and transformation due to outside forces (like the pc) was very interesting.

I'd like our skills and attributes to give us more options (or less), but it's our choice of these options that decide the success or failure of the conversation. The slimy Archvizier may want to hear flattery and a glib tongue, so we choose the options opened up by our high charisma or intellect. General Bloodbourne wants no flannel, just straight answers in simple words. Weigh up and decide on approaches through observation of the individual, and perhaps previous information gathering, no "I win" buttons.

Alchemist: "Stop asking questions!" But you never did. Your long road has led you down many paths, and always you have asked questions and gained answers. Many secrets have your quick hands and clever mind unearthed: You can call thunder and lightning when there is nary a cloud in the sky, fire leaps from your fingers without flint or tinder, under your ministrations wounds can heal or fester and kill. But for every answer you recieved, yet another dozen question awoke in your breast, your thirst is unabated. They have called you an alchemist, a philosopher, a tinker and a hedge witch but the name does not matter. You will keep asking questions until your tongue is stilled by fair means or foul. Awoken: "Are they any better than beasts, those deaf to their own soul?" You were taken as a youth, the first sigil painted onto your flesh as your soul awoke. Since that time you have learned what was needful for a civilised being: That ones flesh must be mastered before one may be at peace, able to hear beyond the silence to where true wisdom is born. With every lesson learned you placed another sigil upon your flesh, and learned to master that portion of your being. At long last your soul speaks as loudly as your body, they are one, and you are master of both. Strength and wisdom are yours, for they are the gifts of an awakened being. All answers are known to you, it merely remains to prove worthy of the asking.

I don't believe they are facing any dearth when it comes to talent. It's their time to shine.

Made a thread about healing a few pages back where I argued for abandoining them entirely. http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/59960-healing/

I liked the simple chainmail shirts and coats of neverwinter nights 2 for this very reason, they seemed rugged and eminently sensible for a sellsword. And my anally retentive pet peeve is watching plate mail flex and twist during conversation and melee, not a problem with an isometric game however.

Give a chance to utilise non combat skills as well, the technologist kindles a flame in the wet wood, the magi summons a mist to hide you or places wards upon doors, the rogue sets his traps and alarms, while the keen eyed and eared guardsman keeps watch or uses his great strength to seal the entrance. I saw eyes on my watch! Eyes? They glittered with a cold fire, when I rose, they disappeared. Could be a nice tension builder.

Mind you, thinking of flaws in the scheme, what if the cunning adventurer just keeps going back and forth, clearing a little more of the danger zone as he progresses. Perhaps the camp sites could be of limited use, they run out of clean drinking water, firewood etcetera. You'd intentionally bypass some campsites just in case you'd need them later.

Hadn't thought of that, good point.

Thinking on Mr Sawyers comments about not disrupting gameplay to deal with injuries, i'm left thinking why don't we carry the answer on our backs? Bedding, blankets, bandages, herbal supplies and arcane paraphernalia, all the party needs to set up a mobile camp. However this would still leave the exploitation of resting to cheese the game and destroy difficulty, as well as spoil any sense of momentum. So why not guard against this with two rules: One the player may only take one rest period within any twenty four hours, and two the available sites to set up a party camp are limited and set by the developer. We thereby have the ability to drag back permanently injured companions to the nearest campsite (or risk pressing on to the next one) and if not heal them completely at least get them on their feet to be of some use to the party. Differing levels of injury could be treated to differing levels of combat readiness, a flesh wound though painful and irritating could be completely sealed, a broken limb could be set and fused but still require the complete bed rest of the players home (and incur a severe penalty until such recuperation is taken.) A near death state would be the serious one where even after healing the afflicted is walking wounded, fit to perhaps carry a torch or serve as a lookout. These down time periods would serve as perfect excuses for party intreraction, lore research, rough crafting attempts, weapons practise, portentous dreams and such so that time is not being wasted watching a ticking clock. This may sound a touch draconian but the getting of supplies for your expedition, as well as the preparation and planning you exercise would lend a much missed strategical aspect to the rpg. So that when we've limped wounded and weary from the lair of the dread beast, we've got a real sense of accomplishment and tribulation. Anyway just my tuppence ha'penny on the subject.

Reading my previous comment, it comes across as a trifle dickish, for which I apologise. It's not that I think the writing on Veronica in New Vegas was bad, it's just that I dislike that kind of character. Their flippancy and constant attempts to be liked grate on my nerves.

Yes never mind the length, feel the breadth. Sorry.

Watched the new Dredd movie, marked improvement on the Stallone one, quite good.

Hah good one, especially drow. Salvatores' got a lot to answer for.

Nothing, i'll just go back and play it again. Sam.

Also the casual horror of a feudal medieval society might be explored, rampant filth and disease, high infant mortality rates, the slave labour of peasents and serfs, taxation upon pain of death, starvation, a high death toll with every winter and limbless, leprosy ridden beggars on street corners who once were exactly like the pc. I used to be an adventurer like you, then an arrow wound to my knee turned septic and they had to cut off my leg, soon after my hands went numb and soon my fingers turned black and fell off as the leprosy took hold.

One mold that I would happily see broken, stamped upon, laughed at in derision and cast down into Tartarus would be the cutesy John Whedon characters and dialogue, god knows why people believe these infantile "witticisms" are indicative of good writing. The only character of New Vegas that I just had to shoot in the head and then cut up with the chainsaw (just to be sure) was Veronica. Gods how I hated that woman. Now Cass, her I loved, what a woman.

Even the most mundane of items is enhanced through a few lines of well written dialogue, it's cheap, powerful and enormously immersive to be carrying items that are detailed and unique rather than longsword (iron).