Sir Chaox

Personally, I like this idea and would want to try it out. If it were a toggled option, then I would not be tempted by it because I want to keep it on. So ultimately, at least for me, having it as a toggle in the options to change even while in-game would not change my choice; I would still keep it on. I get your point though. I do think that certain expert preferences should be permanent, without going back, if it effects the game's difficulty: things like perma-death. I don't think this idea particularly affects the difficulty, but it does affect gameplay, which is why I would not mind it as an in-game toggle. However, if you told me to choose, I'd say keep it permanent. It would make for a more interesting playthrough.

Totally misread your post. You are saying ALL expert options should be permanent. I agree with this. However, if not all expert options are permanent, and they are indeed toggle-able (I believe someone stated this earlier), then this option should also be toggle-able. That's what I was trying to say. Basically, it should be treated as an expert option in however they choose to treat such options... either permanently or as preference toggles in the options screen. I'd prefer it to be permanent or else it won't feel as much like an accomplishment to play through, though I suppose it is up to me what options I choose and how far I stick with them.

How is this idea any different from the other expert options? It's not a skill on one of your characters, it is just a preference, plain and simple. Mostly just saying that for the little guy who might want to revert his choice. Personally, I would stick with it. But I see nothing wrong with wanting to change it back on.

Whatever takes their time away from making this game, I'm for it! What a minute...

Accomplishments; I agree, the term sounds like something that could be spontaneous versus an objective, which sounds more like something you need to predetermine to do (as through some quest).

Experience is not rewarded by a character in the game, it is rewarded through the system itself; the system does not care who you helped, it cares that you put forth some effort and accomplished something in the game, something that deserves a reward of XP. In all of your examples, the PC put forth effort and accomplished tasks. One was more noble than the others, but you still put forth basically the same amount of effort, so you should be rewarded equally for it. It is difficult to argue that saving someone's life would garner you more experience than murdering that same person. But that's just my opinion. We don't have enough info on the accomplishment-based XP system in PE yet to know how certain accomplishments will be rewarded and how they will be weighed. To answer your last part, hidden experience will hopefully be an option to turn on and off whenever you want. So you could unhide XP in your options and check your current XP if you really wanted to. Basically, it should be an option you can toggle, so you can go back on your decision if you wanted to.

Sounds like oompa loompas are out of the question.

I want a full spectrum of beards. Promises were made.

You didn't use the politically correct "wee-wee" Actually it's pen island, if you must know. I'm sorry, I was trying to impress you. I don't know what it means. I'll be honest...I don't think anyone knows what it means anymore. Scholars maintain that the translation was lost hundreds of years ago.

Well there will also be passive/active skills in PE, which will introduce new mechanics as levels increase. So the amount of variables in a combat encounter will increase as we rise in levels.

I'm once again reminded of the Avernum series and how great a job they did with making magic weapons and equipment feel very special just because they were so rare.

OH, you mean pushing the release date back... *puts flamethrower away*

I'm still expecting an end of the year release, but maybe that's me being full of false hope.

Wasteland 2 is coming soonish. It is still in beta and probably has a ways to go, but I think its the most recent thing coming out next. Maybe a few more months?

You didn't use the politically correct "wee-wee"

Just to underline this one: BG1 has a one liner for an ending (something like 'Sarevok has fallen') and then he disintegrates and the credits roll. Story telling doesn't work that way; there needs to be an ending. I totally agree with what Indira said, and I get what you are generally saying Yonjuro (in general, I would agree with you), but I think BG1's ending was sufficient. The game was about discovering your origins, which you learn by the end. Defeating Sarevok and ending with that cutscene of how many more half-brothers and half-sisters (how many more potential Sarevoks) are out in the world just leaves everything open for a sequel; perhaps they didn't know exactly what it would entail, so they left out details, which I think is fine. I honestly don't know how else they could have ended that game without disrupting the feeling that things have only just begun for the PC. Having said that, I wouldn't mind if PE ended similarly to BG1, in the way that it avoids giving details as to what happens to the major characters/companions (some of which are likely to be included in the next game), as their tale may not be complete yet. Denouement on what happens to the various places you've visited based on your choices could be appropriate, assuming the next game takes place in a different locale. Regardless, I am expecting some kind of denouement in PE but would not mind if it is kept light.

Just to be safe, I'll probably be playing on Hard anyways. I'd rather have a slightly (or even significantly) painful playthrough, difficulty-wise, than a cakewalk.

I think delivering quests in the way Josh described will be more fair, but I get what you're missing out on JFSOCC. More fair because I am missing out on content due to my skills, attributes, and personality that I worked on throughout the game versus missing content because of the class I chose at the very start. Feels more limiting in the latter option. Hopefully, the game will consist of enough situations based around the first to make up for the atmosphere or individuality of our characters lost in omitting the second.

XP distributions like this might deter people from particular routes. I think each of the examples you listed should give the same amount of XP except for the one where you do nothing. To me, it does not make sense to reward more XP for doing the good path over one of the more evil paths in this example. XP rewards should be based on overall effort. But I digress. This idea (hidden experience) does not necessarily have to be about preventing save scumming but about not being worried about how much XP you are getting or when your next level up is coming; it will just happen when it happens. It might focus the player more on other aspects of the game (story, quests, roleplaying), which could make for an interesting playthrough.

Fellas, there will be more than one way to get off on this game...

Pillars of Eternity 2: Interpretations of Cheese Fall 2018 (?)

To those who chose Human Wizard: You all copied me. Stop it.

I think I'd rather have the game react to my attributes and skills than to my class, outside of combat. After all, any class is suppose to be able to excel in any skill or attribute, if enough focus is applied to those areas; for example, I would want my stealthy fighter to be recognized as a light-footed fellow by those that can distinguish such.

It is, but it's a bit of a waste when I could fight monsters and get XP for doing so. 'Good combat' and 'successor to IE games' feels rather contradictory. Good combat was not their strong points. Fights in BG2 were 25% casting fireballs at offscreen monsters, 25% trying to dispel a wizard's spells that prevent you from dispelling his protection spells, 25% savescuming, and 25% casting an absurdly large amount of protection spells on yourself. They are making improvements to most of the major mechanics for stealth, combat, and dialogue, but it will still have the same feel as those old IE games (party based, isometric, RTwP, D&D style classes and skills, etc.). Seems to be a heavy emphasis on exploration (a la BG) as well.

This is something I worry about. Because this means, you have to care about the number of party members who are in the stronghold. I don't think, there's a good solution for it. But I guess, it's not a real problem, as long as the player is able to dismiss party members (who may join inevitably based on the plot) entirely. I agree, though since we have a stronghold, I suppose the leftover party members can be put to use somewhere. Personally, I would like to just let them do their own thing (and not hang around my stronghold) if they aren't directly in my party. I suppose it would be OK to hire them for particular jobs at the stronghold, if it makes sense.