Mystwalker

Finally picked up a copy of KoTOR 2 for PC on the last sale. I got it for xbox when it first came out, but lost it a while back. Last time I played it, I was 16. Suffice to say a lot of it was over my head at the time, but revisiting it now...It really brought me to a new level of appreciation for the game. There's just so much to be understood. Also decided to give Dungeon Siege 3 a go. Been having a blast with it so far. A stark contrast to Diablo 3 -- A well composed story, well balanced and strategic combat, and interesting stat customization. It's really a wonder why it's multiplayer isn't as popular. I'd much rather do a Dungeon Siege 3 playthrough with a friend than have to do another Act 3 Diablo 3 run for the eight thousandth time. And yesterday, decided to reinstall NWN 2 and start MoTB again. I always put it off, but I've been in a very 'Obsidian' mood lately. I remember being really surprised at the quality of the campaign, and this was before I was really aware of what Obsidian was all about, so I'd like to revisit it like I did with KoTOR 2 and see how it holds up.

Just want to voice my appreciation of the work you guys did here. Just started my first play through, and I'm positively spellbound! Just when I thought the best ARPG hack-n-slashes were behind us, I run into this sleeping beast. I dont know if you guys will ever fully realize just how talented you really are, and I just want to give some thanks for another great title. Cheers!

[media=youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s2Qkx3lN5s[/media [media=youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyxVXwu-v2o[/media Glorious on disk demo videos, how I've missed you. How about it Obsidian? How about one for Eternity, for old times sake? I still watch these trailers every time I reinstall BG.

You know, there's only one character I recall having enjoyed a romance option with, and that's Viconia from BG. And it's for this exact reason. She was bat****. I remember it being extremely difficult to tell when I was warming up to her, and when I was just pissing her off. And even when I pissed her off she seemed to enjoy it. I had to be careful with every line of text; sometimes my affection would be well received, but if it just wasn't in the cards, she'd fly into a godless rage. Sometimes she was actually pretty compassionate, and she shared a few tragic stories with you about her past life...But I remember a few times she'd be in the mood for some hot campfire thrust-sessions, and then threaten to murder me if I ever touched her again at the end of it all. So gloriously unstable. And the closer to her you got, the more unpredictable she would get. Never really found any other romance options, in that game or in others, to be quite as interesting.

Exactly! Morrowind was a game that blew my standards away when I first played it. And that's just it -- Sometimes it feels like people are too afraid of even trying to defy standards. I agree; strangeness for the sake of strangeness is trite, sometimes reprocessing standard tropes and laying your own perspectives on them is enough, but why be timid and scare yourself into castrating your imagination? Morrowind simply wouldn't have been possible if Michael Kirkbride busied himself with normal fantasy staples. Sometimes the cow just jumps over the ****ing moon, you know?

I've always wondered if a lot (I'm not saying all) of the people that hate the critical mentor thing just can't take critisism in real-life. Or have to deal with critisism so much that they are exhausted on it. The relentless criticism really made the character for me. I remember towards the end, when you face her in the ruined enclave before going to Malachor V, I was utterly crushed when she pronounced that I had failed her as a student. I mean...Really, I actually considered starting a new game. I loved listening to her lectures and deconstruction of the Jedi and the force, because I agreed with a lot of it, but in the end I decided to just ignore it all and go full dark side. When she finally explained what she was trying to do by teaching me, and how completely I had failed in everything I did, it ****ing hurt man ha ha. I think it's one of the first times I actually felt guilty about my actions in a video game.

It's a little scary how closely your post mirrors my sentiments, but a bit heart warming too. I think we're very similar; I'm almost positive that I wouldn't have been inspired towards writing if it wasn't for these cRPG pioneers and their amazing work. These guys have taught me so much about what it means to be a human being, and what it means to embrace one's imagination and dreams. I've learned more from them then I've learned from any institution. Sometimes I feel like these guys raised me more than my parents did, heh.

Great idea for a thread. I think it would help Obsidian a lot to see what brought us here, and what we want more of. PS:T is where I saw the true genius behind these fine folks. KoTOR 2 comes in as my second favorite, and I remember actually buying an XBOX just to play that game. Both of these games taught me so much, and opened my mind to so many amazing ideas. I truly feel like I wouldn't be the person I am now had I not played those games.

I'm wondering what kind of exposition we're going to get on the subject. Does everyone embrace these metaphysical implications as fact? I.e. is there room for intepretation on what this 'soul source' is, or has the subject been analyzed to a point beyond any doubt. Is this a world like Faerun, where gods, souls, and the afterlife are indisputably present in everyone's life, or is the presence of this 'soul force' purely a result of armchair philosophers and introspection. A lot of these metaphysical quandries will depend on this. So, if souls are established as factual empirical truths, here are some things to think about: 1. If there is empirical evidence on the existance of a soul, who are the ones that present these facts to the world? Does everyone have access to knowledge concerning their own souls, or are there certain figures who have authority on the subject? 2. Speaking of authority, what does this imply for religion? Empirically speaking, will worshipping certain dieties have specific effects on one's soul? If it doesn't, then why do people follow these religions? 3. If souls are absolute fact, and souls are a great source of powerful energies, what's taboo? Is procreating purely for the creation of souls ok? Using the souls of others to power lightsources or machinery? Can people have a utalitarian view on souls now that there's less mystery and superstition involved? 4. Even if souls are factual, could people still reject the idea? How might others in the world view these poeple? Would their lack of belief have any adverse effects, or lead to any sort of distabalization in society?

You'll get no arguments from me here. I do want equipment to have some unique brands that represent the setting, but overly stylized armor is such a huge turn off for me. You don't have to wear glued up pieces of a broken kaleidoscope to look unique, and often times simpler designs tend to have more outstanding features. I don't think this is going to be a problem though; Obsidian has always had a great eye for armor and clothing design. Planescape has some of the best cosmetic's I've seen in any game. They manage to make some really bizarre looking stuff, while keeping it relatively simple (Dak'Kon comes to mind).

Oh, and lets not forget mind control. I guess a sort of 'enchanter' mage archetype can fill the role, but perhaps that could be one of psionicists key features.

Agreed. Psionics would be a good way to take standard fantasy-fare for a wild spin.

Here's my pitch on how a psionic class might work. Check it out: http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/60075-psionic-class/ Show the brain-melters some love!

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/60075-psionic-class/ Going to do a little shameless promotion here if you guys dont mind I don't think there's anything else I'd rather play than a Psionic. It's so underrepresented, and has a very non-standard niche archetype. Psionics are also deeply rooted in classic RPG design; old school CRPG's gave them some love, but that love's virtually vanished now. Now one cares about psionics anymore

Aw, but moral development part of what makes Obsidian's games so great! Chris Avellone said it himself -- The story doesn't matter if the player isn't allowed his own perspectives, and can't choose how he wants his characters story to play out. One of the things I absolutely loved about Temple of Elemental Evil was the different narratives you got starting off according to the different alignments. Chaotic Evil characters started off ransacking a farm town, Lawful Evil started off attacking a church, etc. If anything, I'd hope they tried to kick it up a notch and offer even more diversity in the narrative according to the ethics you follow. Pidgeonholing every character into a heroic archetype is one of the major things wrong with RPG's these days. You're playing someone elses role at that point, instead of creating your own role.