Tuckey

The Coles own the world that Quest for Glory takes place in, including the characters therein. They just can't make a Quest for Glory game itself because they don't own the IP.

If you like how the games are at present then you will probably continue to like Pillars 2. If however you want the quality of those games to improve then I would suggest waiting for management reform at Obsidian before buying another. The issues Obsidian have with their products have been consistently the same since their founding which I consider to be buggy releases and over-promising and under delivering. I would expect this pattern to continue until management reform occurs.

Nice strawman you've got there. It would be a shame if no-one bought into it.

Very true. I think for Obsidian fans they are concerned that the RPGs they enjoy from Obsidian will stop being made but that is no longer a concern. There are plenty of developers making CRPGs and other types of RPGs now. You don't need to be stuck with Obsidian anymore. Ultimately Obsidian will develop the type of games they want to develop but this is not the NWN2 era anymore. We have choices now.

I never regard streamlining well, as its commonly done by developers. Bethesda take a tree and then lop off all the branches that make it interesting in the name of simplicity. In Fallout 4 the available builds you can develop is 1 due to the fact that every character can max out on everything. Similarly you can belong to every faction in Skyrim and lead them all with no consequences. Its simpler for the developer but leads to samey playthroughs and the lack of consequences for belonging to a faction renders the whole world meaningless. Pillars 1 is a case of needing more streamlining because it had needless complexity that didn't add to the experience while simultaneously having pointless restrictions which limited your ability to play your way. There was also the issue of uneven presentation in terms of voice acting and other things etc. Pillars 2 is looking much better. I am not sure about its systems but they seem to be more thought about. It is not that streamlining can't be done well. You can see that with Phoenix Point and its target cone (which can be larger or smaller depending on distance) that will guarantee a hit somewhere in the target sphere, per projectile, according to a variety of factors rather than show a percentage. They are professional soldiers, it makes sense that a professional soldier will not miss close-up. That is a sensible streamlining.

1.5 million for Divinity: Original Sin according to Steamspy while the sequel will inevitably pass that number in quicker time if it hasn't already. Yes but Tyranny failed to sell well and Shadowrun has shown that this audience is not just nostalgia-driven but also fleeting.Josh is right that RPGs need innovation, I just think that window of opportunity passed us by about a decade ago. Tyranny as a game was under-developed in terms of content. At least for me. Combat wise enemy variety was severely lacking. It did introduce some cool innovations through like lore links and the magic system spell construction. Shadowrun has a large audience but that audience isn't having its expectations met. The game being isometric is not the problem, rather I believe that graphically the game was looking dated compared to its competition. Also the game engine was initially developed with tablets in mind and it shows features wise. In terms of innovation I think the innovation is occuring from the XCOM like games. RPG developers would be wise to pay attention to this space. An example being the soldier bonding bonus from the XCOM 2 expansion and the propaganda posters you could make of your soldiers. Phoenix Point is using vehicles on the combat layer and has many other innovations beside. In terms of role playing character innovation pay attention to Disco Elysium.

1.5 million for Divinity: Original Sin according to Steamspy while the sequel will inevitably pass that number in quicker time if it hasn't already. The audience for isometric games is only growing. All thanks should be given to Jake Soloman for the influence of XCOM 2012. You can see that with many new games emerging that are 'inspired by' these sorts of games like Phoenix Point and Phantom Doctrine. The audience is definitely there for a good game.

Sail health due to hurricane damage I presume. Looks like random sea borne events will have noticeable effects on our ship and will probably slow our sailing speed considerably. I therefore infer that sailing too and from places in a timely matter will be important.

That would be useful. It might also be helpful if each social media platform contained a readily visible link to the main information center should they wish to learn more.

Get rid of the like button. Better for people to have to talk to each other and explain what they like and dislike without the distraction of e-peen.

I would like the option to just have the first voiced line heard so I can focus on reading the rest.

I'm not fond of the sailing ship piece on the map. It just looks boring to me. It would be better if it looked like Sid Meiers Pirates somewhat. I wouldn't have it at this angle but I hope you get the idea regardless. I want to see my ship move through the water and have island features come into focus as I get nearer.

Thanks for the thoughtful posts Ninjamestari! I didn't think anyone would be brave enough to broach the subjects you have brought up on the Obsidian forums. And you are right that political philosophy influences people subtly in ways we don't even think about. Some posters have harangued you and tried to police what you can talk about which reinforces what I have been thinking about fan communities. I have not posted regularly here in quite some time and would routinely avoid speaking my mind. It is so hard to endure people who cannot communicate ideas effectively and don't even try to grasp what you post sincerely so hats off to you. I agree with everything you have posted about Pillars of Eternity and hope someone at Obsidian bothers to read your posts and take notes.

I wish I still cared I hope the feature gets in for those that do.

To improve combat and readability of combat Obsidian should bring back rounds. Too late for this game; but hopefully for poe 2.

They moved from a fully mobile camera to a fixed one. Seems like they learned to me. But they failed to grasp a useful angle for combat and still did the flashy effects so sorry to say I politely disagree.

You would of thought that the nwn2 camera problems would of been instructive enough for Obsidian. Not to mention the blingy effects in that game.

Read this http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/09/14/the-rpg-scrollbars-the-lost-magic-of-magic/ Then tell me what you think about wizards in Pillars of Eternity. I would say they are boring damage dealers.

In terms of engine ~ optimise it like crazy Start again in terms of gameplay systems polish systems and do 'unnecessary' work on them.

I thought I was the only one to feel like this. Glad you bought it up. It is rather like a perpetual fog isn't it.

If you like games like Twisted Metal or Rollcage check out Grip. If your a racing fan get the word out! These guys are professional and deserve more publicity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIRWKoWSZAg

What would be more interesting than a buff would be a different way to achieve success. Something that requires different tactics.

With what exactly? Anything to add? All the OPs points are good. For me I would particularly like to see the construction of buildings, the training area and forum be usable. As well as stronghold attacks. I would also like to be able to participate in diplomatic missions extending your area of influence with factions such as the ones in those cities you visit, winning political concessions from neighbours such as Raedric, negotiating trade treaties and having a hand in managing the refugee crisis if you desire (maybe even housing some refugees).

Dave Lowe releases & remakes his classic retro-gaming music including a full orchestral recording of Frontier Elite 2 at Abbey Road. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/124468523/uncle-art-a-temporal-shift/description 13 days left as of posting, consider backing as the music sounds good

Okay I consider Pillars a goodish game but these suggestions might come across as harsh. For a sequel ========= 1) To be honest I'm not looking forward to a sequel because many of the things that I didn't like in this game were deliberate design decisions. Things like no buffing, largely pointless traps, bad stealth mechanics, poor encounter design and diversity, little tactics required (to make the game less intimidating), crafting is bland and itemisation is bland 2) Thats leaves me suggesting things like better ambiance ie city bustle etc, better cities (rather than towns), less written exposition, more companions, better stronghold mechanics, better response to your character choice and choices (ie godlike people getting comments on there eyes), more world reactivity, more companions, more and better music (one or two tracks were good the rest are forgettable sadly) Even if I got all of 2 it would still be a bland game for me but at least fleshed out a lot more. I mostly enjoyed the combat in the Icewind Dales and Baldurs Gate and the companion interaction of bg2. We shall see but I don't expect the core game design to change between games.