Nonek

Fantastic interview, nice to see the usual screed of marketing dispensed with and actual relevant opinions met and answered, as usual I remain impressed by the Codex' content in this department.

I can't possibly comment on whom Americans vote for, as an Englishman it's none of my business, however I think that any fault with Trump lies with his barber! The man has scissors and a pair of clippers no doubt, act with conviction and damn the consequences, be bold in revealing that baldness.

The self righteous seldom have time for self reflection, to take the judgementalism of the self righteous and then prop up their arrogance with the demands of a god, well that is a a fine recipe for such a character as Durance. After all why should the morals and laws of man affect the holy work of one who has been tasked by a god, these are observances for the lesser beings they stand above.

Oh I don't know, when else does one get a chance to bankrupt and make homeless ones friends and family, while disguised as a Terrier.

It's much simpler than you ladies and gentlemen are making it out to be, a character is evil if he has an English accent, though at a pinch German or Russian will do. You're welcome.

Fek! Pardon my Gaelic.

What's funny to me is that I immediately thought Mr McConaughey would play Roland because of that characters Bombardier Blue eyes, which Mr King goes into great detail in describing at length, Mr McConaughey's eyes are the perfect approximation while I assume Mr Elba will have to wear contacts or be altered by CG to accomodate.

Interesting news about the Dark Tower but I have to admit that I thought the first book was the only worthwhile one. After that I think Mr King lost his hold on his creative vision. That said the first book is a fairly self contained experience to me, worthy of re-reading every few years, and that opening line is still perfect. "the Man in Black fled across the desert, and the Gunslinger followed..."

I Seem to have been afflicted by what Red Dwarf would describe as positive Flu today, an inexplicable and unwarranted feeling of health, strength and positivity. My morning run was a breeze, my workout I lifted like Geoff Capes, my knees did not give me even a twinge all day, and other aspects of health were gloriously evident when I awoke, the joys of Spring arived a little early so to speak. I always wonder why this happens, it's very strange.

A thosand thanks Mr Munk. I wonder if there is a dove companion animal in game to complete this ensemble?

Personally I went with intergalactic Zlarg beast from Epsilon 4, if we're playing let's pretend we may as well be interesting what.

Yes, because losing the loot that you worked so hard to achieve is even *BETTER* than making it difficult to get! How did I not think of that. Personally I wouldn't be bothered about a vast horde of identikit rubbish being stolen by others, i'd just take the useful and valuable items and leave tat behind, but if others have an emotional attachment to vendor trash then...well good for them.

Against my better judgement I have to ask with all this talk of traipsing back and forth to a dungeon or wherever, why it is that players expect everything they have left to stay there? It would seem a very simple measure to have items taken when a character leaves, by thieves, corpse pickers, monsters or what have you, thus you stop the traipsing back and forth for tat and don't need a progression free bag of holding. You might very well have done so, I found that a system like Ultimas which is simple and intuitive because its based on what happens in reality for me as an avid hiker (I carry my supplies in backpacks and other containers hardly a mystery or egregious,) was easy to understand, satisfying to manage and no great difficulty at all to maintain. Combined with a home base in Sentri's House or aboard the Golden Ankh inventory management became extremely enjoyable and worthwhile. I know quite a few individuals who share that opinion as well, though I represent only my opinion. Gothic 2 (and the first game for that matter) was I admit quite nice in terms of trying to create detail and a believable gameworld, the best implementation since Ultima, however I found the limitless inventory diminished the game for me and the city Khorinis (? its been a while since release) was a little too small for my liking. Edit: Re the camping supplies situational oddity, as I remember from the kickstarter they were at one point bandying about the idea of having fixed campsites in the game that one could use, like the well room the Fellowship finds in Moria for instance. However this was changed to supplies at some point, at what stage in development i'm not sure.

The likelihood of this is probably directly proportional to the success of the upcoming Siege of Dragonspear expansion I would think.

(Some) modern RPGs still in fact do (some of) these things. The difference is mostly that instead of giving you a practice lute with 100 charges and a 1/3 chance to succeed (invisible to the player of course) you get 33 charges and guaranteed success. Did you also enjoy watching the utterly clueless Owyn fail to pick that lock in Mac Mordain Cadal over and over and over and over again until he's finally a master locksmith, having never touched any other lock in his entire life? Yes i'm aware that failure is despised and streamllining prioritised, however personally I regard failure as an essential part of any game, and positively desired personally. However with Owyn I did not face that problem, I boosted his lockpicking skill by having him practise on the first pickable chest on the road south that one encounters, after equipping an Amulet of the Upright Man in Chapter 2. This was hardly a great discomfort, a waste of time or so very unrealistic as he spent considerable time travelling with both Locklear and Jimmy the Hand and learning from the same people they encountered who taught them on the road. In my opinion this fanatical obsession with abstracting everything, rather than creating a logical, detailed and intuitive gameworld has gone far too far, yes of course the game contains fantasy elements, but it contains far more elements of reality and fantasy is created only by having mundane elements to oppose, if everything is handwaved away, there are no limits and no progression, well excuse me but personally I find that such half finished things are constant irritations and the fantasy elements undermined. If a quarter of a century old game can create a logical, intuitive and excellent fun inventory system then surely this should be a simple task now rather than requiring any explanation be handwaved away, after all if we continue on this path of "convenience" players will resent even playing the game and just want to be told a non interactive story eventually. However I realise i'm upsetting the status quo by criticising an aspect of the game that has been abstracted and I believe I have made my point and opinion known so I shall retire from the conversation, lest I ruffle more feathers.

1. Abstraction over a well crafted inventory: No a sensible inventory is not ridiculous or an abstraction if done well, no the stash does not ruin the game, it simply detracts from it and works against other aspects of the game. No medieval warriors did not walk around in full armour with three suits of plate in a backpack, this is exactly my point, throughout history the mercenary or soldier has always carried fifty pounds or so of equipment. Almost every single game has chosen abstraction and less work over verisimilitude and detailed design because it is easier and gamers are content with less and less, and actually campaign for this. Verisimilitude shows passion, diligence and a real effort to create a living world over a boring, stripped down experience. One does not need a squire to armour oneself (though I would like to see this in a game,) it is just easier and quicker, Iolo, Dupre or Shamino would of course help in any case. 2. Convenience at all costs: And here we have the root of the problem, the gamer who demands that the cycle of kill, loot and repeat not be interrupted by any internal consistency in the gameworld. Whereas I believe that if a store is closed for the night, a reasonable and intuitive assumption, then one should have numerous activities to do in the meantime as well as resting obviously. Thieving, researching, some manner of work, training, fighting pits, meditation, and any of a host of other things that would make for a far more interesting gameworld rather than the usual dull grind. This variety to me is fun and a break from the norm. 3. Misunderstanding: I never stated that I wished for larger and larger bags, I said that I when I found bags and backpacks in Ultima they were useful and I regarded them as useful additions because they expanded my inventory. Play the game and you'll understand, it was simple, intuitive and effective. 4. Investment and degeneration: I accept that Obsidian had limited funds anf time with which to make this game, and chose the usual features and content that are all players ask for nowadays and for some reason consider "core" to an RPG, they were also limited by choosing to ape the IE games and the expectations that came with them. However that is not really any of my business, as a consumer I represent me and not the company who are trying to sell me something. When I see that a modern company cannot implement features and content that were introduced a quarter of a century ago, then I am obviously confused, and Obsidian is not by far the most guilty here, for instance their game included a host of weapons, classes and choice that the latest AAA+ multi million product such as Dragon Age 3 does not. There is something fundamentally wrong in the industry here and the consumers who are excusing it. 5. Consumer choice: I backed Obsidians dream project because of the strength of their past performance, I have been more than pleased* with many of their titles. One cannot blame me after this barnstorming past performance for expecting a product that would knock my socks off when Obsidian were free of publisher restraints and working on a project they wanted to, this seems reasonable and I had high hopes for the product due to the games mentioned. Torment, BG, IWD, the best of all three, that is a very strong selling point and I expected more. In many ways I was not disappointed, the art style, the interesting world, the illustrated sequences and various other aspects are all pleasing to me, however in other areas I find that the game is lacking and will obviously give my criticism and feedback because I wish its next iteration to appeal to me, iterate and improve. 7. Addendum: I would like to see these "optional" world building aspects returned to RPGs rather than following the blinkered path of degeneration that has seen gameworlds became mere painted backdrops over the years, and I think this is worth campaigning for. Divinity: Original Sin for instance makes bold steps in this direction because Sven is a fan of the old Ultimas, and even then he admits he cannot implement day/night cycles or NPC routines such as his inspiration had. To me a detailed theatre of conflcit, an interesting, variety of things to do in a game and a step away from the blinkered nonsense that only combat, conversation and loot recycling is the "core" of an RPG is something worth asking for *The Sith Lords made me interested in Star Wars despite my reservations about the setting, and has in my opinion one of the finest, most unusual characters ever created in gaming. NWN2 was though mediocre in many areas a clear step up from the original game, and the expansions were magnificent. Alpha Protocol is a personal favourite, a flawed gem whose ambition and brilliance cannot be tarnished by a bug on a certain path of the Al Samad airfield. Fallout: New Vegas was a masterpiece of choice, reactivity and an exercise in worldbuilding that makes sense rather than the nonsensical east coast Bethesda version of Fallout. Dungeon Siege 3 though not by any means a favourite of mine was far better than the self playing game it was inspired by in many ways, and it was an enjoyable experience that I do not regret purchasing, it did its job and surprisingly enough made the generic setting of Ehb both interesting and enthralling, the reactivity to ones choices must also be mentioned. Apologies for the length of the post, I find myself waxing lyrical.

Personally I think that a refreshing instance of an inn appearing in gaming form was presented in King of Dragon Pass: When a ragtag party of adventurers appeared requesting lodging in the nearest inn the Orlanthi of your Tula looked at each other, wondered what an inn was, frowned over the strange golden coins the wanderers offered as payment, rather than the cows that would be both respectful and proper, and then had the option to tolerate or kill these impolite and rude foreigners. Original and mold breaking. In terms of the game implementing something Obsidian have experience of: Perhaps a Chanter proclaiming the latest news of the Reach, not exactly Wayne Newton but something similar, and maybe even reactive to the protagonists exploits?

If only people were more consistent about the abstractions that they allow themselves to be unimmersed by. Rationalizing fast loot management is beyond the pale, but recovering from grievous wounds (severe Health damage) after eight hours of camping seems to get a pass. Handwaved for the sake of smooth gameplay, as it were. I could be really jarred by the recuperative miracles of PoE camping, if I chose to be. Or dozens of other examples. Inventory management where it really matters is still in PoE: equipped items, quick slots, weapon sets, etc. Extended inventory management is vastly streamlined and improved over the previous IE standard of "click and drag hundreds of items into bags of holding." I agree there should be more explanation and mechanics for healing in Poe, simply resting just does not cut it, also I think combat should be far more dangerous, risky and lethal, rather than a chore to be endured. There is far too much handwaving, abstraction and streamlining in modern gaming that results in games playing themselves more and having less interactivity. There are even players who campaign for this, actually want games to have less features, content and interactivity as if in the last twenty years we have not seen them become insultingly simplistic and accessible. Thus we have storytime modes for those who want the game to play itself, true degeneracy. The stash is just a perfect demonstration of this, an unexplained, simplistic infinite bag with no internal consistency, that undermines the verismilitude of the gameworld and encourages degenerate gameplay. Heaven forefend that instead of hoovering up loot like a kleptomaniac there exists a balanced economy in the world, that rewards are substantial enough to risk the endeavour rather than requiring the anal collection of junk, or that treasure is actually treasured and valuable such as gems, gold coins,nuggets and bars, jewellery or similar high value items that are convenient to carry and yet return a very good investment. Of course one gets the player who demands that games stick to their supposed "core" features of the now usual alternate combat and conversation, and think of anything that serves to expand the gameworld and create depth as boring, but they are of course wrong. RPGs are not limited to combat and conversation, as a GM I would be profoundly ashamed were I to present my players with such an insultingly dumbed down experience, because RPGs can encompass almost anything, there are no "core" features, here the only limit is the GMs imagination. Combat and conversation is such a small part of what should be an adventure into another world, to explore the different cultures, arts, species and fantastical elements that make that world and become lost in a theatre of conflict that has verisimilitude, detail and a realistic life of its own. Of course there is also the subject of progression, in Ultima 6 or 7 for instance I was always pleased to find a bag, backpack or other container that would add to my characters inventory, enable one to carry and organise ones equipment more viably, and of course enable a progression from a down at heel wanderer to a fully prepared adventurer. Instead in Poe we have no progression and the character has everything at the beginner, as if they are a child who must have all they want right now, thus the gameworld the inventory and other systems are rendered insultingly simplistic. Take for instance the great inventory aid spells of AD&D, from Tenser's Flying Disc to Leomund's Chest and beyond, all of these great spells are rendered pointless and dispensed with, robbing the world of yet more colour and variety. Or take the adventurers most cherished item, the Bag of Holding, this is truly the apex of the adventurers trade and yet we have a feature less and unexplained version of it from the get go, thus the accomplishment of finding and gaining such equipment is also robbed from the player. There is simply now no progression, no satisfaction and all in the name of simplification, as if games have not become simplified enough in the last few decades! It is strange how limited RPGs have become and how players now campaign for less from their games, once games used to boast of features, content and ambition while now streamlining, dumbing down and automation are seen as good things. One has to wonder where it will end, will games just play themselves eventually and the player be merely a passenger? It must be good for a dev to have to do far less to please these players, but for those who were raised on games that tried to flesh out their gameworlds and provide other experiences and features than just the "core" these have become tedious, mundane and unbelievable gameworlds that spark little interest. Personally I could do with far more interesting and satisfying non combat or conversation systems, I am hardly challenged or even stimulated by rote repetition of the same streamlined features every RPG is now limited to. I remember fumbling practise on a lute in Betrayal at Krondor, swapping tips on smithing with a canny Dwarf in the Mac Mordain Cadal, baking bread in Britannia, returning to the jewellers with a bag full of valuable gems and jewellery, travelling to the Royal Mint and exchanging gold nuggets and bars for currency, trying to rob said Mint in the dark of the night, stopping in the wilderness to gather reagents, solving cunning riddles on Moredhel chests, using spells outside combat for a host of useful and interesting effects, examining my cloth map and using a sextant to judge my position in the world, sitting down on a chair in an inn, listening to the house band play their music, ordering food and drink and then relaxing while the world moved on around me and the NPCs went about their daily routine. I may well have been spoiled however, but should not a wise consumer want and ask for more, or at least the equal of decades old systems?

They've had hardly any good press (which is probably a good thing considering the state of the press) but I have to admit that they've been quietly and consistently rising in my opinion as well, they seem to have an attention to detail that speaks of a real passion for their projects, something that one rarely sees anymore.

OP: Try the first Witcher for a far more internally consistent inventory, and of course the Ultima games which were intuitive, logical and added to the verisimilitude rather than working against other aspects which enhance the realism of the gameworld. The Poe inventory along with a few other features create a dissonance for me as well, personally I find organising an inventory and various other features in a game to be fun, rewarding and satisfying, there is a strategic aspect that I really like. Then again it is a lot of work I imagine to create an intuitive and believable system, as we have seen so few made expecially in modern "evolved" games, so why bother when the majority are happy with less interactivity and more automation?

Grim Dawn will apparently be released sometime in March, for those whom do not favour Steam, ah well the release bugs will probably be dealt with by then.

Ooh thank you for the Grim Dawn news Keyrock and Indira, i've been waiting since the mid Triassic for that release (or so it seems.) I wonder with Poe's bedtime story mode being implemented for a certain demographic whether other demographics could be catered to? I'm thinking specifically of those who played the Temple of Elemental Evil chiefly for its combat, and derived great enjoyment from that thrilling endeavour. Could we perhaps have Poe implement a ToEE combat system for those who enjoy the sting of combat, the roll of the die, the anticipation of the coming turn and the willfulness of the great god Nuffle? A little request, requiring massive amounts of work. P.S. Oh and if you could port Arcanum over into the ToEE engine afterwards please do so as soon as possible, you're a dear.

The White March expansion to Project Eternity, I seem to like it a little more than the main game so far, i'm still not fond of many of the systems however.

I sometimes watch a let's play of a game i'm thinking of acquiring to gauge its suitability to my taste, however finding an individual who is not a squeeing idiot with a case of verbal diarrhea is a trial in and of itself.

You've all got it wrong, the whole game is a fever dream of the protagonist, none of his adventures really happened. In Poe 2 the protagonist will awaken in the Engwithan ruins, his fever broken, with Heodan and Calisca watching him shiver by the campfire.