Jump to content

Posbi

Members
  • Posts

    70
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Posbi

  1. While PoE II would be neat I also wouldn't mind getting a game like NWN 2 in a 3D engine with a nice, huge toolbox for mods and user-generated content. Something along the lines would also seem to be the smart commercial decision, seeing how much life, new customers even years after the initial release, and replay value one can squeeze out of actively modded games...

  2. Stronghold should be removed in future games. Resources wasted on a feature without real substance or connection to the game.

     

    Stronghold would make sense if you could act as a lord, have economy, have troops, interact with the rest of the world in that capacity, but that's a different genre.  

    NWN2 allowed you to do pretty much this. Since Obsidian did that, too, I had hoped for the Pillars' stronghold to expand on these features, not cut back on them. In NWN 2 you had a whole lot of scripted events, even including other adventuring parties coming to visit you and do some tasks for you.

  3.  

    anyone with a good grasp on Photoshop will be able to mash up new areas comparably easy.

     

    Unfortunately it's not quite that simple, areas also have depth and normal maps, and implementing proper pathing could get complicated.

     

    Largely depends on how pathing is handled in any possible mod tool or in the Unity engine in general. And what objects are actually 3D, ie. need/have depth maps? Would it not be comparably easy to handle them, as in placing 3D meshes on a 2D background? Isn't that what navmeshing in, say, the Bethesda Creation Kit amounts to: showing the NPCs where they can and cannot move to?

     

    Anyway, I suppose the answer to all this is: depends on how much time they decide to spend on any kind of editor. But I believe we can agree that a competent modding tool can keep a good game alive for years to come, right?

  4. I don't really understand why modding in this case would be ultra-complex and would be lacking an accessible modding tool. For one, the mixture of 3D effects and 2D backgrounds should make it easy enough to place things on the map, block or enable paths, set location markers and design (scripted) interactions. Secondly, with access to the background layers and the individual assets placed there (there are hundreds, if not thousands of objects that have been copy-pasted in this game; not a complaint, just an observation), anyone with a good grasp on Photoshop will be able to mash up new areas comparably easy.

     

    And we already have a character creation tool in the game itself. Exporting a slimmed-down version of that into a modding tool ought to be possible. I, for one, certainly would welcome a tool allowing me some in-depth modding. I certainly have some stories written down ready to be told that would fit right in.

  5. Well, I (i.e. my character) isn't an "unknown adventurer".

    She was when she first came to the Dyrwood. But now, she's the hero of Gilded Vale, a very well-known person and problem-solver in Defiance Bay, has made a name for herself in Twin Elms, and is a close ally of Kolsc of Raedric's Hold.

    And she's taken over a ruined castle somewhere in the wilderness which had been all but abandoned or neglected for years.

     

    Could they've done a better job with the stronghold?

    Sure. It'd be nice to, like, see where your taxes actually come from, and some of the mechanics (turns?) are quite wacky.

    But running a castle is in itself entirely possible in how the Dyrwood is presented.

    This. I don't have a problem with the idea of the stronghold. I loved the stronghold in NWN 2. What I have a problem with is the way the stronghold is a) given to the player and b) how it is presented - both visually and by the way of game interactions - in Pillars of Eternity.

  6. Immersion breaker...in a fantasy rpg...lol....

    Yes, immersion. In a fantasy RPG. Which is, you know, the most important "passive" quality such a game can or cannot possess.

     

    And which the Stronghold lacks. As in, almost completely. You get it out of the blue. There's nothing close to it, no responsibility linked to it. Kolsc or Raderic could have given it to you as means of payment for your role in their dynasty struggle. It could have served a special purpose, served as a hold for nearby villages, for some trade route etc. that has fallen to ruin with the spread of the Legacy and the madness of its former liege lord, Maerwald. Instead, it's literally "Here's a keep, including magical janitor. No strings attached. Have fun." So, yes, in a game that takes its setting extremely serious and creates an immersive atmosphere, the Stronghold is an immersion breaker. ...and it looks like crap, but I've mentioned that in quite some length a few times before.

  7. Nobody forced Obsidian to act on this. The sane choice would have been not to react and succumb to the desires of a SJW crowd not making up their core customer base. This only became an issue because Josh Sawyer made it into one.

     

    "Transmysoginy." Yeah, right.^^

     

    But it's not even about transgenders in the first place! For ****s sake! It's a mix of the old RPGs clichees of "people in drag" and "people drunk as piss". That's. All. There. Is. To. This. I still don't understand the mental gymnastics you need to put yourself through to look at the simple limerick and arrive at "transmysoginy". The only reason people get there is because they really, really want to get there.

    • Like 12
  8. I don't really understand why modding in this case would be ultra-complex and would be lacking an accessible modding tool. For one, the mixture of 3D effects and 2D backgrounds should make it easy enough to place things on the map, block or enable paths, set location markers and design (scripted) interactions. Secondly, with access to the background layers and the individual assets placed there (there are hundreds, if not thousands of objects that have been copy-pasted in this game; not a complaint, just an observation), anyone with a good grasp on Photoshop will be able to mash up new areas comparably easy.

     

    And we already have a character creation tool in the game itself. Exporting a slimmed-down version of that into a modding tool ought to be possible. I, for one, certainly would welcome a tool allowing me some in-depth modding. I certainly have some stories written down ready to be told.

    • A hotbutton for sheathing weapons would be a nice addition to help with immersion. It's a wee bit awkward if you run around a peaceful village with all your weapons drawn.
    • You CAN walk. Hit "S".
    • The Stronghold really is *THE* immersion breaker for me so far. Everything I wrote on it here still stands, and the execution has been even more underwhelming than what I originally feared. Given the entertainment I drew from Crossroads Keep in NWN 2 I'm seriously disappointed. Even the way you get the stronghold in the first place is... less than stellar.

      And it could have been so easy. Take a plausible reason to gain the stronghold in the first place: Kolsc (or Raedric, but why the **** would you even chose him?) grants you the place for your support in the preceeding affairs. Seeing how he is the lord over a destitute and depopulated realm, that's all he can give you: a ruined stronghold and your name to it. You could still have Maerwald dwelling there, maybe as a trespasser or simply as the former liege lord who has gone mad over the years as memories have swallowed him while his territory falls to ruin in the face of Waidwen's Legacy.

       

      As the stronghold sits on an old trade route across a river ford you even get a reason for it's existence in the first place. The Endless Paths should be something you discover later on while repairing the keep, not something presented to you on a silver platter. And by restoring the keep you draw back in the settlers/villagers that may have left before, and that entails a whole slew of scripted (mini-)quests, adventuring parties visiting you, etc. See, that wasn't hard to think of. Took me ten minutes. Should have been no more difficult for Obsidian.wtf.gif 

       

      I seriously hope you rework the mechanics and implementation with some future major patch, because right now all the Stronghold amounts to is an immersion breaking money sink!

    • Any infor regarding the possibility to mod the game with a tool? The mix of 3D assets and 2D backgrounds should make it comparatively easier to mod than the old Infinity Engine games, and there are enough unused spaces to populate still.
  9. Well, in all honesty, the whole Stronghold seems to have been handled rather disappointingly, and by that I do mean in design, in execution and with regards to the factor of immersion. All I wrote on the topic before the release of the game still stands, and Obsidian has done nothing to change that. And it could have been so easy. Take a plausible reason to gain the stronghold in the first place: Kolsc (or Raedric, but why the **** would you even chose him?) grants you the place for your support in the preceeding affairs. Seeing how he is the lord over a destitute and depopulated realm, that's all he can give you: a ruined stronghold and your name to it. You could still have Maerwald dwelling there, maybe as a trespasser or simply as the former liege lord who has gone mad over the years as memories have swallowed him while his territory falls to ruin in the face of Waidwen's Legacy. As the stronghold sits on an old trade route across a river ford you even get a reason for it's existence in the first place. The Endless Paths should be something you discover later on while repairing the keep, not something presented to you on a silver platter. And by restoring the keep you draw back in the settlers/villagers that may have left before, and that entails a whole slew of scripted (mini-)quests, adventuring parties visiting you, etc. See, that wasn't hard to think of. Took me ten minutes. Should have been no more difficult for Obsidian.wtf.gif

  10. Meh, I've disconnected myself entirely from Bioware after being on the receiving end of their last three underwhelming games. Brand loyalty and nostalgia only get you so far. I mean, I liked DA:O and adored ME 2 & its DLCs, but everything after that was an overly hyped but eventual disappointment. Heck, I really wanted to give DA:O another shot a few weeks ago with a city elf origin playthrough and found out that the game - official and unofficial patches included - still is way too buggy for me to do so. I'm sure DA:I will be graphically appealing and will have the trademark Bioware character interactions *cough* romances *cough*, but I don't see it as able to compete with the type of narrative and immersive depth PoE aims for.

  11. Can anyone offer any tips for completing the Goth dance sequence? I've attempted it roughly 15 times so far and have made no progress, and in fact I'm not even sure I'm doing this correctly. It's making me highly angry and frustrated. I just quit playing until I could get some advice as I was getting nowhere fast.

    Are you playing on PC? Use the arrow keys, not WASD.

  12. Well, since this is the Stronghold thread I might just as well post this here.

     

    So, I'm late to the party. Probably too late. But here's my two cents.

     

    Okay, I've thought a bit about what kept me unsatisfied/worried about the player stronghold preview and I think I've been able to pin my worries down by now: the preview, well, it's less than stellar on several levels. Yes, I know that's harsh, and it is not meant as an accusation against the people who do the modeling and rendering, and I apologize if I've just insulted them. However, having said that, here's my reasoning for being so critical. The problems are on the conceptual level.

     

    Project Eternity and its background try to present a world rooted in what I'd call magical realism (it's fantasy with magic and monsters, but adheres to basic RL logic), a world that's going through a political, economic and technological transition. There's a been a war, there are still tensions, and the placement and design of fortifications and settlements should represent as much. Even if we don't go with the full medieval European design there are a few basic functions any stronghold's placement would come down to, regardless of cultural and/or time period inspiration: border protection, trade route protection, vital landmark protection (river ford, mountain pass, etc.), settlement protection. From this also flows its general design.

     

    Example? Crossroads Keep from NWN2. It presides over a crossroads, a junction of trade routes.

     

    What it does needs to be represented in the general map layout (what is its basic function?) - is it watching over a river ford, is it controlling a trade route, is it the administrative center over nearby villages, etc. - as well as it needs to show in the keep's own layout (design). What the stronghold has to have is an ingame meta-function that goes beyond player stronghold. It needs a raison d'être, a reason why it's there in the first place!

     

    pe-stronghold-2444x1172.jpg

     

    What we have here is just an artificial hodgepodge of elements that, by and large, have no right to exist there in the first place. You need to decide what this place's original meta-function was/is and develop it from there on. Because right now it's just a shambles of disparate elements that are placed there because you want them, and not because they make any kind of in-game sense. I know that what we see is a WIP, so my critcism can only be limited and based on the elements we are shown here. And there is one thing that holds true for almost every interpretation of a stronghold: Inside the walls space is a limited commodity.

     

    Is it a fortress?

    Then where are moat and drawbridge and weapons emplacements? And why does it look more like a theme park? Where are the stables and barracks and forges, and why does everything waste so much space? You do realize how a fortress looks, don't you? It's huge, imposing and uses the terrain to its advantage. This here is a fortress (Krak des Chevaliers):

    esfewfrewrfewrf-1024x601.jpg

     

    Is it a noble's manor?

    Then why is the house we see on the upper right corner so dull and small, and why is the place so heavily fortified? A manor isn't a fortress; it's a place where you live your everyday life in the highest possible amount of comfort.

     

    Is it a settlement?

    Too few houses spread too far; no obvious craftsmen; no seat of power. Now, settlements don't need to have seats of power, but since it's supposed to be your settlement... Take this here, for example. It's pre-medieval but conveys the idea well enough.

    Viking-TrelleborgFortressReconst-U-485-L

    Houses are clustered closely together to save space. The larger the space, the more able bodied men are needed to defend it! Limited agriculture is done inside the courtyards of each house cluster. This holds true to an even greater extent for walled medieval/renaissance-era settlement.

     

    A castle/noble's keep?

    Too much space is wasted, there's no visible center to it all, and it's not fortified enough. Worst of all - and that counts for all iterations aside from the manor house - there's no visible geographic component that suggest why the thing's been placed there in the first place. Take this here, for example. It sits on an elevated rock formation and guards a small river and a trade route below:

    burg-eltz-german-castle.jpg

     

     

    The thing you have to ask yourselves is "What was this place, and how can it become what we want it to be?" Right now the apparent logic simply seems to be "We want a player stronghold with pre-existing accomodations for different races and classes." What needs to be established, however, is why such a place exists right there in the first place, and why it exists in its current form.

     

    So, what does this mean for the general design of the place?

    First, lets sum up what we have so far: you have to make up your minds why this place is where it is for what reason BEFORE the player becomes the owner. What was its original function, and does what we have fit that description?

    Secondly, how can you achieve what you want without it looking as - sorry guys - ridiculously stupid as the images above?

     

    And the most simple and versatile alternative here would be a tower keep sitting on a rock spur above a river ford. You can literally use that for everything. Want a maze? Nearby woods. A place for bards to perform? Your great hall or a tavern at the foot of the hill. You're a mage? Then this is your mage tower. Fighter? Noble. And each of those variants can be mixed, and your stronghold can expand organically to fit them. It also allows for enough accomodation inside to house your companions, and offers enough of a reasonable location to have mini-quests, battles and you doing "administrative" work.

     

    This here, for example, would be a decent player stronghold in opinion.

    alte_burg-8.jpg

     

    Whatever you do, please promise me it'll make more sense than what you have now.

    • Like 16
  13. I'm loathe to mention DAO here but when I played that I always felt it could have been 100 times better if there was more random adventuring to do, a lot of that came in DLC but by then for me it was way to late.  The lack of choices in that regard really hurt the replayability of that game for me.  If with the options of different origins once you were past that and out into the world it was pretty much the same.  Add a half dozen wilderness areas to DAO and for me it would be a very different game (better).

    Yes, DAO was incredibly cramped. Given the size of the ingame map I would have expected something like twice the locations or more rather than what the final game (plus DLCs) ended up offering.

    • Like 1
  14. I'm a digital only reward guy and I can't seem to get this working - everytime it asks for my address information it tells me something went wrong. I don't have to enter an address but it wants a phone number and I've tried all sorts of phone number configurations but perhaps it is looking for a number of digits/format one might find in the USA? Could that be what is tripping me up?

    Is the phone number actually required for backers from the US? Because at least for Germany it isn't. I simply left the field open and the system accepted it.

×
×
  • Create New...