Chaos Theory

I think with the kind of project they're now looking at, they really have no choice but to extend the release beyond April '14. I'll actually be concerned if they don't. They've raised enough funds to make a game the scope of BG and I really don't think they'll be able to pull it off, correctly, by then.

You know, I get fanboism and all that... Hell, I even bought the Mass Effect hoodie and wear it every day. But watching some dude, creator or not, play a game just really doesn't interest me. (shrugs)

I think unless it meets a Metacritic score of 95 it will be considered a complete failure.

I'm going to reference Neverwinter Nights 2 second expanion, Storm of Zehir, for the 10 of us who apparently played it. That game finally allowed you to build your companions from the ground up. At first glance it was great for control freaks who wanted to build the ultimate party, and I thought I'd love it. But I found that it made narrative almost impossible, and ultimately these companions lacked personality because of it. Bottom line is that the writers need to design characters in a certain framework, or those NPCs run the risk of becoming shallow and uninspiring. If Cadegund is designed to be a warrior with a musket, then there's a reason for that and the writers can flesh that out. If we had the ability to suddenly make her a rogue with daggars, it would be very difficult for the writers to give her the kind of personality we expect from epic RPGs-- especially those designed by Obsidian. That said, you may be given the option of making Cadegund specialize in more offensive skills vs defensive, or more long-distance shots vs close-combat abilities, or good vs evil paths, etc. That is where you (or rather your PC) can influence how that NPC ultimately evolves. That's about as far as I'd like to tinker with NPCs.

As I'm already at 1k to design an item, I'd go higher if I could design one of the many deities they mention this new universe will have. That way, my contribution would be part of the extended lore of the world, and not just part of a single game.

Thanks for doing this. (I think it should be stickied)

I was actually hoping they'd extend party invites to the $1k tier. I'd fly out for that. Gives me an excuse to check out this OC thing every freaking non-New York related show on television...

We got a lot of info today, which is great. He also said that he was going to talk to the team today regarding more details on the design process for the $1k tier items/NPCs and would have more info soon.

Feargus has already confirmed twice now that the high tier $1000+ backers are getting a forums to talk with the dev's. I don't know why people keep calling this a rumour. Part of the problem right now is that they are using several avenues to release information and unless you obsessively follow every Kickstarter chat, or read every dev forum post, or watch every game website interview, it's tough to stay on top of stuff. It's certainly no one's fault, it's just a lot of info and they want to get the word out to whatever media source will have them. But the side-effect of that is 3rd-hand information coming down the pipe without substantiation, and on anonymous forums such as this, believing is sometimes difficult. Again, no one's fault. Either way, thanks for confirming the info regarding the forum. I will also confirm that I happened upon an impromptu Feargus chat this morning on KS and he told me that he'd be talking to the others about item/NPC customization with regard to the $1k tier, and that we'll be getting more info soon!

Yes! There will be rocket launchers!

I'd like more info on the extent to which $1k folks will be able to customize an item/NPC, what the process will be, etc. During an impromptu KS chat this morning, Feargus himself told me he would be discussing it today with the team and would have more details soon-- so that's awesome. I'd also like to know more details on how our created "epic high level items" will compare to what everyone will soon be able to create/enchant once that stretch goal is attained. I'd also like to know what kind of gameplay length they're looking at. Yes, I know it's relative, but say "it's smaller than BG but larger than PS:T" or something similar. Will this be an epic game in and of itself, or is it merely the first story in what will be a series of much smaller games?

That's great to hear! I realize there's only so much information you can release each day-- and you're doing a fantastic job keeping us all updated. Seriously, you can't really ask for more considering how excited we all are. That said, those of us contributing at that level would sure like some more info as to what exactly we'll be able to do-- prior to the 16th. Some questions can be found here. We've heard nothing but rumor so far, other than that we'll apparently have our own email contact for questions and/or a forum to discuss our ideas. My primary concern is that we'll be given a template and asked to select from a handful of weapons, armor, etc, then asked to pick from a list of existing attributes (+2 fire, knockback, etc) and then finish by naming it-- and that's it. I'm honored and excited to be able to assist with funding this game, but if item design will be as dumbed down as that, I really would not be interested in committing to that level of funding. In addition, I'm now also concerned with the player-made items/enchantment ability mentioned as a stretch goal. I love this option as a player and fan of RPGs. But as a person who may be designing an "epic" item, I have to think that this will devalue the items we create. It's been my experience that, inevitably, the player-made items can and will be as powerful if not more powerful than the static items already available, and when given the choice, I think most people would rather create their own to suit the needs of their PC. While I'm sure some players will appreciate the expanded lore of the items we help design and perhaps even use them as wall decorations, I fear most people will be more inclined to simply sell static items for gold once they attain the ability to make their own. I was enticed by the belief that our designed items would remain with players for a significant portion of the game (or beyond in expansions/sequels) because they would be far and away the top-end items available. So... Bottom line is we need more info prior to Oct 16th. Thanks!

Music in games is such an underappreciated element... Especially for RPGs... I really like what I'm hearing so far.

Love the ME games... Also thought the scenes in ME3 where you and Garrus are shooting bottles, and the other with you and Liara discussing the time capsule were bits of outstanding writing.

It would be one of several Jagged Alliance 2 situations, if you consider that an RPG. Probably the best game ever created. Otherwise, shortly into my first playthrough of Fallout NV, I started running completely off the beaten path and ran up this hill. When I got to the top I'm surprised to see this sprawling prison complex just as the music gets really loud and ominous as if it were part of a film. It was either a completely random interlude or a brilliant effect. I had no idea this place was there.

I guess my concern now is for those of us who are pledging at $1k to design an "epic" item-- now that players will inevitably be able craft their own high-level items, it kind of degrades the value of static epic items, and therefore has me questioning whether it's worth it at this point. Personally speaking, any game I play which allows me to craft my own stuff basically renders any high-level stuff found in game as little more than a quick sell for gold the first chance I get. I'd like to know what the difference will be between the epic items created by $1k donors and the items anyone can craft and enchant themselves?

This aspect is my quandary right now. With the help of this poll I've narrowed my "item" down to 3 things currently, but without more info from the devs as to what exactly we'll be allowed to do in addition to info about the game itself, that's about as far as I can go right now. If I were to make an item that gives abilities to other classes, it probably has to be an item that multiple classes have the ability to use. I've always been obsessed with heavy armor in RPGs, and certainly it's one of the items I'm considering. If we're told that our epic item can be a full armor set (all pieces together would be needed to instill the bonus), then without hesitation I'll likely be designing a set of heavy armor. Unfortunately that would limit its use to fighter-types, unless of course our new world here allows everyone to wear anything they want, regardless of class. If they continue to stick with the D&D-like trends I'm seeing, probably only about 1/3rd of PCs could ever use it in that case, so it'd be relegated to companions (assuming we'll have the option to outfit them completely). If I were to cater to the widest possible audience, I'd likely be limited to a bauble of some kind or a ring or an amulet. While I'm open to that idea, I would have to have a significant amount of design leeway to make it worth my while. Something tells me the artist/designers who assist us with our items won't want to muck around with a unique, complex widget for all 100 of us who ultimately get to input our ideas into this game.

We can always hope the game will feature a museum running an exhibition of 29 epic items behind an unbreakable, adamantium-reinforced glass. I really liked that museum idea-- that was PS:T, right? I think it was cuz I grabbed the red hammer... Anyway, that's one way around flooding the market with epic items-- force tough choices. Complete a quest, have one of the many Gods offer you a reward: God: "You must choose, but choose wisely as you will not get them all..." PC: "Awesome 6-tentacled God thing, what are my choices?" God: "The Boots of Incontinence" (lightning/thunder, dramatic music) PC: "Um... Next?" God: "The Golden Cricket" (whooshing wind, eerie music) PC: "Oo! What does that do?" God: "You may call upon the beast thrice to assist you in battle, but alas, it then returns to the Netherworld whence it came!" PC: "What else ya got?" God: "Your choice is made! I present to you Ellsa's Cot! Use it wisely..." (poof, God disappears)

True, it's way early, but I'd like to get started with my idea/lore. On one hand I'd like to make something folks will want to use, yet not have it be the most popular mainstream choice. I also am a fan of the negative effect idea to balance the positives. However, one has to step lightly here. I don't want folks to use it situationally, either-- I want it to be a primary item they feel they can use for a significant period of time.

I direct you to the Kickstarter page: See "HELP DESIGN AN EPIC HIGH LEVEL WEAPON, ARMOR OR ARITIFACT..."

(Note to self: Don't try to post from my phone again... darn auto-correct...) Anyway, a concern was raised regarding, so far, 29-- but as many as 50-- epic items could appear in this game, in addition to whatever the devs themselves conjure up that are quest-specific. I thought that was a lot myself, until I realized just how many potential items could be in the game. Let's assume all of your typical swords, halberds, axes, spears, flails, etc... Then the usual short bow, long bow, crossbow, etc. In addition we now have muskets, both long gun and hand gun. Now add 2-3 types of shields. Now 2-3 types of armor, with each piece likely counting as an item. Robes, capes... Then there's jewelry like rings, amulets, etc. Staffs are next. Then miscellaneous odd stuff like crystal balls, monkey's paw-- stuff you don't expect. When you add it all together, I think we'll be lucky to see 1 epic level item of each of these things and that they'll be fairly rare.

I didn't say "unique", I said "epic". For the purposes of my poll lets assume it is the first and only epic-level item you found. That said, which category would you prefer? And thIs has nothIng to do wIth devs. But thanks from your feedback!

Hi folks, I'd appreciate some input with regard to epic/high level items from your past experience playing RPGs as I'm trying to decide what I'm going to "help design" for PE. Once I have a solid sample I'll do another with some additional inquiries. Feel free to ask questions!

Reading body language, I think he all but confirmed some type of cleric-like class. It really is a staple in RPGs of old, however, and the more I hear about this new world they're creating, the more it sounds like D&D (with guns). Which to me is a good thing as I love that system. Now, whether there will be sub-categories like monks, paladins, etc, obviously we don't know. But clearly if there are souls and multiple Gods running rampant and mucking around with stuff, it's safe to assume some kind of holy smiting will be needed in clerical form. Just as long as they're not solely a buff class. I'd love heavy armor, too, if we're voting.

I savor nearly every moment of the first playthrough, which ends up taking me twice as long as most. I often call it a "completionist" playthrough, however this isn't accurate. I don't find every easter egg, uncover every piece of content, etc. But I do find and complete every quest, and if there is a crafting component involved (armor or weapons, only), I'll spend hours upon hours mastering that. I play as if I were the protagonist and since I'm not into the 'evil' side of life, I have zero interest in a replay just to see what that's like. Therefore, I'm a once-and-done player that loves sequels if it means I can continue my original character-- indefinitely if allowed. I may replay after several years, but only if it was a great first playthrough.