Elerond

So Target is banned themselves to selling game in Australia? Do I ban myself from buying the game if I decide not buy it?

"Target has chosen to ban the game. It's a ban." How Target banned a game? Are people forbidden to bring copy with them when they go there or do Target have some public listing site/place where people can't anymore list their copies to be sold or do this ban manifest in some other form that I didn't mentioned? Removing product from their catalog is not banning at least any sense of word ban that I know, so I don't count that to be an act of banning.

Yeah. It's a Korean MMO called Black Desert, most likely it will never see the light of day out west. Boo It has publisher in EU and NA and they are working to produce English client for the game http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/07/24/black-deserts-na-and-eu-publisher-is-daum/ http://2p.com/3235374_1/Pearl-Abyss-Is-Working-on-Black-Deserts-English-Client-by-Nichole.htm

The link really undermines the neutrality of the article. They are right in saying that Target has a say in what they sell on their stores just like the consumer can go elsewhere where the game is sold. The article has its leftist leaning but for the most part it makes its point well, inadvertently offers some suggestions (some which have already been put into action) and remains unoffensive. Which is a bit bothering because it leaves me without someone to blame as well. I somehow wonder if they would've written a similar article if Gone Home was banned because of homosexual material. But before Target or any other similar market chain could remove Gone Home from their stores they would need first take it on their catalogs, which they don't do because they feel that it is niche product that don't sell for their customers, which for some reason don't cause uproar and people claiming that they are banning or censuring it.

I must say that these cases have shown that I don't have any clue of what Grand juries job is in american legal system. Previously I though that they were body that decided do prosecutor have enough evidence that person that they accuse could be suspected to commit the crime they are accused and it is courts job then do decide if person is actually guilty and were there mitigating circumstance or circumstances that even justified person, that is accused, actions. But after these cases it seems that grand juries can judge were accused actions justified or not or they can decide that killing a person isn't a crime at all in US in come circumstances or if it is done by certain person or when target comes from certain background. Anyway it seems quite strange system where there is lots of power obscured behind closed doors that can produce quite unequal and hard to understand decision about legality of certain actions. Riots are never justified, but they are always symptom of some issue in society, which can be deeply rooted and difficult to pinpoint. But one thing is certain that people will protest and riot when they feel that society oppress them and they don't have anything or little to lose. Kiev's protest and riots seem to get much more understanding here than these, even though in both primary cause is same people trust towards government and legal system has crumpled and they want change (even though they don't necessary agree or even know what that change should be). Grand juries decision not to indict officers in question don't work as good reasoning for people that feel that legal system is corrupt and that society oppress them, but instead such arguments usually only add more fuel in the flames, because such arguments usually only manage make people's preconceptions even stronger, as when you justify that thing is so because governmental body that you feel is corrupt say so is usually best way to ensure that person who thinks so is even more against decision than what they previously were.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_water

Mask of the Betrayer has 5 full companions, among them one romanceable straight male and one romanceable straight female. Did anyone complain about "lack of inclusivity" or "very few romanceable NPCs" when reviewing MotB? No, because there were no such expectations in the first place. I know that there were people (including myself) that complained about it, because we hoped more options and ability define our characters better. I would also point out that there was no inclusive romances in Bioware's game in that time either, if you don't count romance option with Juhani in Kotor, which was bugged and most people don't even no that it exist and that female characters had possibility to unlock romance path with Silk Fox in Jade Empire, which some don't even accept to be real romance path. It was people that complained lack of such options in their previous games that convinced Bioware add two character's that were romance-able by both female and male player characters. Which was prove to be success in degree that Bioware didn't excepted, which you can see from romance options in Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 and how they changed things to Mass Effect 3. Did you know that Fallout 2 by Black Isle studios which key members founded Obsidian Entertainment in later date was first game that featured same-sex marriage and it was in form that player character could marry (or more accurately be forced to marry) same-sex npc. And that Obsidian originally planed that Gannayev-of-Dreams could be romanced by both genders in Mask of the Betrayer ("we wanted to make Gann in Mask of the Betrayer a bi-sexual, for example, because that felt true to how he perceived love"), but male romance option was removed because of request from Wizards of the Coast.

Backer beta was released in beta state, which means state where developers call their product beta. Different developers have different criteria when they call their product to be in beta state. What people that aren't developers of said product should take from terms like release candidate, beta, alpha and pre-alpha is that they don't think that product is yet fully finished and if you want know more specific what they think that they still need to do, you should read their definitions, as they are only definitions that actually can give you some hints in what developers think their product will still need before they claim that it is finished.

This are all things that Obsidian has promised to focus so that game will offer a top notch experience in these aspects. Backer Beta shows in it limited scope that Obsidian seems to have kept their promise and continues to produce top notch narrative experiences where player's decisions matter. It is one aspect in their games that their fans are most confident that they can produce in way they like, as it is usually reason why we are their fans in first place. Immersion is quite large umbrella term that means several different aspects of the game at same time, which is why it often means different things for different people, but we can partition it to its core aspects and analyze/guess how PoE probably will fare on them. Obsidian's games have nearly always had good narrative immersion (or emotional immersion), which means that players (readers, watchers, listeners depending on media) become invested in story, meaning that it actually matters for them what happens in that story and they have preferences and ideas how it should go and they even create emotional connections with the characters in the story. Because this kind immersion happened to me in backer beta at least in some degree, I am quite confident that same will be case in full game and story. Another aspect of immersion is tactical immersion (or sensory-motoric immersion), which means that game or something else that person is doing needs physical skill from person to be mastered and this mastery makes person feel that they are "in the zone" or "in the fire" or some similar expression that describes that person has focus and skill to excel in said task. Tactical immersion is aspect of immersion in which PoE probably will not offer in such scope that it will keep players playing it. Strategic immersion (or cognitive immersion) is aspect of immersion that means mental challenges which keep people interested on the product, this could for example to be picking right/correct/best solution from broad array of solutions. Strategic immersion is something that PoE's combat aims more than tactical immersion, but as roleplaying game PoE's story and other narrative aspects will have at least some aspects that will/should give player strategic immersion. Last aspect of immersion is spatial immersion which means feeling that person is part of the game/product or in the game/product, which is probably aspect of immersion that PoE is least capable to give for its players, as its nature and mechanics aim to separate player from the game.

I didn't find any masterwork/superb tier 3 stuff for mages. But many schematics are random drops, so it isn't guaranteed that you find them. Although I would guess if you farm giants in Emerald Graves you probably eventually get every random drop schematic that there are. I know there's the Archon Staff, which you get for doing a long string of missions for Iron Bull, but no word on any other schematics. I found archmage's staff, which is tier 3 schematic but it isn't masterwork/superb. It is about as good as best unique(purple) staffs that you can find, but relatively to schematics that I found for other weapon types it is quite weak, but if you make one from dragon parts and attach superb rune on it it has something 170-200 dps. Here is reddit thread where they speak about good place to farm tier 3 schematics http://www.reddit.com/r/dragonage/comments/2nrfup/tier_3_schematic_farm_method_1080p_60fps_available/

I didn't find any masterwork/superb tier 3 stuff for mages. But many schematics are random drops, so it isn't guaranteed that you find them. Although I would guess if you farm giants in Emerald Graves you probably eventually get every random drop schematic that there are.

Several spells don't fall into that category: Summoning spells, illusion spells, some divination spells, etc. "I would guess that they have gone towards this route because they don't want make player choose between characters' combat and non-combat capability during level upping" So they removed the role-playing from the character progression system? Great... Though I've seen the simplicity that is the skill system already. Five broad categories with no room for personalization. Thank you for the detailed explanation, seriously. Illusion spells are mostly damage buff or debuff spells in CRPG versions of AD&D, invisibility spells are I remember only illusion spells that don't fall on those categories, although I would but mirror image and similar spells (which PoE wizards have) to summoning spells but earlier in this thread you disagreed with such categorizing, although you said them belong in illusion spells, which means that there I at least some spell in PoE for Wizards that go with your strange (for me) categorizing for non-battlemage spells. Divination spell at least in Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2 focused mainly on non-combat application although some where such that they also dispelled illusion based combat buffs. Broadness of skill system depends on which perspective you look at it. From AD&D perspective it adds more depth, but if you look it from perspective of much more complex skill system it is where simplified one. Also they didn't remove role-playing from character progression, as they make new system that is not based on any existing one so they can't remove or add anything, and their main source of inspiration AD&D don't have role-playing options in character progression either (except if you reckon that thief skills or wizards spells that they learn outside of character level progression are such). I also would point out that leveling up is not only character progression method that there is in PoE, as there is also reputation system that keeps count how people see your character's actions and character sheet that keeps track on how you have chosen to identify your character. PoE is focused heavily on party based combat, it is one of the main pillars which Obsidian used to sell it for their backers, which is probably reason why they created system where combat is system is mostly separated from their role-playing system which is mainly build around their quest, conversation, reputation and event system, cross-overs mainly only be in their attribute system that works as base for both sides of the game.

Finally a proper answer to my question. It's unfortunate though. AD&D classes were complex and versatile but in PoE it seems to be the opposite, they're more simplistic and focused and therefore not very open to personalization. Like someone mentioned before, Wizards seem to be the archetype of a Battlemage. I would argue that you could say that Battlemage is also only archetype in most AD&D CRPGs that you can play as you can only decide which combat role you specialize them in, because they had little to nothing spells and abilities outside combat, although they were able to effectively fulfill more roles than what PoEs wizards can, but this is deliberate design choice from Obsidian, because they didn't want wizards be similar default party member choice like it was in those games (you could play them without wizard, but that usually made things harder especially in later parts of the games). Archetypes that wizards have in PoE depend on how you specify them. But their main role in game's combat is to be versatile crowd controllers. They can play role of Glass Cannon by focusing on long range spells and doing lots of AoE damage and disabling opponents or by focusing making themselves able take hits in front line by using self boost spells and using cone and other short ranged spells to dismantle charging enemies they can take role of arcane warriors. And of course you can mix this two extremity to something else with addition of their single target spells, which gives them change to work in damage dealing and leadership roles (although they usually can't do as good job as classes that are meant to specialize on those roles). From role-playing perspective main difference between classes in PoE is what role they play in combat, although there is some difference between classes in conversations and how NPCs react towards them. So there is versatility in PoE's wizards but it will never rise on similar level than what you get in AD&D and wizards probably will not be able to compensate other class roles same way as they do in AD&D, as Obsidian don't want PoE's wizards be similar superior beings that they are in AD&D in latter levels. But there is much more choice to personalize your characters in PoE than what there are in AD&D, even though roles that classes can play in combat maybe more restricted, this is because of talents that you can pick for your characters. A Battlemage is a magic user who focuses on spells that are useful in close combat, spells that deal damage, buff self/allies and debuff enemies. I don't particularly care about tactical roles, I'm more interested in actual roles. The classes in PoE were built for combat only it seems. What about role-playing? Did the developers forget about that? Was the whole game built on the idea of balance between the classes in relation to combat? Do you know what my favourite spell in all the history of AD&D computer games was? Contact Other Plane. It had no use in combat yet why did I like it? It had role-playing value. Wait. What do you mean by "leadership roles"? So for you battlemages mean every other magic users that use any other spells than heal (although one could argue that heal is buff) and summoning in combat? Roleplaying aspect of PoE is not tied on its class system, but instead it gives player freedom to explore lots of different type characters regardless of what their class is. This characterization is mainly done via conversations and general decisions how player decides to solve quests. This gives player ability play lots if different roles. Main purpose behind class mechanics is to determine how any particular character works in the combat. There was talk and some promises about non-combat spells during kickstarter campaign, but at least yet we have seen little of those, but from how things are done in backer beta I would guess that non-combat spell usage and spells are tied to conversations and event screens, as we see Ciphers be able to use their mind controlling capability at least one conversation, which is not open to any other class, so I would guess that we probably see similar things more in full game at least in some extent. I would guess that they have gone towards this route because they don't want make player choose between characters' combat and non-combat capability during level upping. Leadership roles in PoE mean characters that focus on buffing your own party and debuffing enemies, main classes that are meant to fulfill this role are Priest, Paladin and Chanter, but wizards has ability to work in such roles, but they aren't necessary as effective. Other main roles in PoE's combat are Damage Dealers (Rogues, Rangers, Ciphers), whose main point is to be able to do lots of single target damage, wizards can also play in this role but not necessary as effective as those that are meant to specialize in it. Then there is front liners (Fighters, Monks and Barbarians), which are meant to be able to take punishment and give it back and also tie enemies in combat so that you other characters have easier time to deal with them or enemy's ranged characters, which is role that wizards can also play like I mentioned in my previous post. And final major role group is crowd controllers which is role that wizard is mainly meant together with druid, although wizards are also meant to be versatile so that they can work in any other major combat role at least in some capacity.

Those events are sponsored by companies that don't necessary necessary want that kind publicity what such comments from athletes bring. In football (soccer) teams can be punished even by actions of their fans not just their players, usually by giving them fine or giving them ban to sell tickets in their matches. Similar practices are common also in other sports. In eSports there isn't currently top organizations that could do such things so only real punishment that event organizers can give such athletes is banning them from the events or marking them to lose their match automatically (which in many cases is effectively same as banning them from event). We will see this kind punishments more and more as eSports become more acknowledged as real sports.

Finally a proper answer to my question. It's unfortunate though. AD&D classes were complex and versatile but in PoE it seems to be the opposite, they're more simplistic and focused and therefore not very open to personalization. Like someone mentioned before, Wizards seem to be the archetype of a Battlemage. I would argue that you could say that Battlemage is also only archetype in most AD&D CRPGs that you can play as you can only decide which combat role you specialize them in, because they had little to nothing spells and abilities outside combat, although they were able to effectively fulfill more roles than what PoEs wizards can, but this is deliberate design choice from Obsidian, because they didn't want wizards be similar default party member choice like it was in those games (you could play them without wizard, but that usually made things harder especially in later parts of the games). Archetypes that wizards have in PoE depend on how you specify them. But their main role in game's combat is to be versatile crowd controllers. They can play role of Glass Cannon by focusing on long range spells and doing lots of AoE damage and disabling opponents or by focusing making themselves able take hits in front line by using self boost spells and using cone and other short ranged spells to dismantle charging enemies they can take role of arcane warriors. And of course you can mix this two extremity to something else with addition of their single target spells, which gives them change to work in damage dealing and leadership roles (although they usually can't do as good job as classes that are meant to specialize on those roles). From role-playing perspective main difference between classes in PoE is what role they play in combat, although there is some difference between classes in conversations and how NPCs react towards them. So there is versatility in PoE's wizards but it will never rise on similar level than what you get in AD&D and wizards probably will not be able to compensate other class roles same way as they do in AD&D, as Obsidian don't want PoE's wizards be similar superior beings that they are in AD&D in latter levels. But there is much more choice to personalize your characters in PoE than what there are in AD&D, even though roles that classes can play in combat maybe more restricted, this is because of talents that you can pick for your characters.

D&D Wizard's are usually very powerful in CRPG, but D&D Sorcerers are in my opinion most superior class especially in AD&D, as they have access to all wizard spells, meaning that they aren't never ill prepared to any situation or limited on spells that you have found in the game. Wizards don't have summoning spells in PoE because Obsidian feels that they don't fit in their role in the game or more accurately they don't want wizard's to step on roles that they have planed for other classes to make them more attractive choice. This is also reason why priest don't have summoning spell like they have in D&D. For lore reason's wizard's don't have access to summoning spell because they focus so much to control their soul energy by focusing it rough their grimoires which they have fulled with schemas that they have found out to control how soul power manifests via research and testing. This approach let them have more control over what they can do with soul energy, but it also blocks them some things that other's can do with that don't have so controlled approach towards it. Priest get their control over soul energy from faith and dedication towards their god(s), even though soul energy comes from themselves, things that they can do with it are limited by their faith and things that they think their god(s) will and will not approve. Druids and Chanters have more naturalistic approach towards their control over their soul energy. Druids create connection with web of living souls, which gives them limited ability to control things and essences of things in nature and Chanters use stories and legends to control soul energy from soul fragments and lost souls around them, which gives them ability to get them do things for them, like animating corpses or manifesting as spirits.

Most choices seem to get mentioned quite surreptitiously, like how Hawke mentions their romance option or lack of it in conversation. How many people that you haven't killed can be found to be part of Wartable missions. How Dagna will be you arcanist if you helped her in DA:O get study in Circle.

Highest tier for schematics is, in my understanding, 3 (I haven't found higher tier stuff) highest tier for materials is 4 (which are things that you get from dragons). When you hire arcanist you have option to add masterwork material (which are fade touched materials that you find some times when you pick materials) to any weapon or armor you craft. In runes superb is highest level that you can do (if there is not something hidden stuff that I haven't found out).

When there is infinity supply of free (you need to use herbs to craft them but those grow every where and you are hard pressed to run out of them) potions in your use I don't see why one would not use them. You don't need them to win fights against dragons but using them removes any fear that dragon somehow could kill your party members. I say that those fights are easy because I compare them to dragon fights in other Bioware games, like BG2 and DA:O where one needs much more control over fight to win even in high levels and with good preparing (if you don't use cheese tactics). But point in my critique was that by doing all the side content in game your character's level (including gear) rises so high compared to offered content that it removes challenge from the combat. I am know that those dragon fights are quite hard if you try them low level character's and low level gear as dragon in Hinterlands, which is level 12 dragon handed my ass to me when I tried it first time with level 8 characters, and hardest dragon in game (level 23), I killed in my first try with my 23 level characters.

Dragons can kill you if you don't prepare you anyway against them, but with right equipment and right potions they are quite easy. If you have high resistance against their breath attack you can quite easily ignore it. With high bonus damage against guard you can remove dragon's guard quite fast making their ability to call hundreds of points of guard protection much less annoying. Close combat rogues deal most damage in the game, so you should have least one of them in your party (killing blow, shadow strike, etc. abilities do 1000-4000 damage against dragon depending on other damage bonuses you have, if you have maxed out 3-tier weapons, with master runes) Mages with revive spell and barrier keep your party alive even most harsh situations, but you should watch that they don't die when dragons call dragonlings to help them Maxed out regeneration potions heal its user self and all other character's in party so if all four members drink one you can be quite sure that your party members will not die for next 70 seconds and then you drink next potion. You can carry at least 5 per character, so it is quite while before you run out. Maxed heal potions give heal your party members from brink of death to full health. Your party can carry 12 them with inquisitor perk that rises your carry capacity from 8 to 12. And that is all that you need to know how to deal with the dragons.

What difficulty are you playing at? I get beaten up by dragon 4 levels below me. :/ Normal or what ever is name of that difficulty level that game offers as default. Dragons become easy when you get high level gear, you find only little of good gear for dragon hunting, but if you gear up your party with self crafted weapons and armors that are made from tier 3 schematics and materials, and max up your heal and regeneration potions you will find out that dragons to be quite easy pickings, and it probably also help to rise your resistance against that element which dragons uses as its breath attack.

It was probably animating that female NPC character that eat all their resources from bug testing

I would rate it somewhere in upper part of middle of their whole product range, I would say that it is quite equal level with DA:O. From their fantasy RPG's only Baldur's Gate 2 and Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark are definitely better products as whole.

My opinion about game after 117 hours of play Game is buggy as hell. Game crashers regularly on badly formed Direct3D call, I would guess that problem is in some effect in game as crashing happens in some maps more often than others. And it probably don't show itself on all the settings, but sadly it do on setting which game runs best on my computer. There is problem in loading NPC on the maps, as sometimes NPCs are missing on the map, this is most notable in Skyhold. There are lots of scripting problems in the maps especially if you don't follow linear paths in quest solving in maps where you have already opened alternate paths. PC controls suffer from lack of polish and sometimes game has hard time to let player click objects. Minor conversation can go in state where player can accidentally move away them or attack enemy or NPC if they use keyboard short cuts. Game general performance level is poor, and game has unexplainable drops in frame rate in areas where there should be none. Combat gameplay is acceptable but not anything special or really enjoyable, although I have played game so that I try complete every side quest that there is which is caused my characters be 7-8 levels higher than is recommendable in main missions and combat has become non-challenging and effortless thing that one can't even argue to take any time. Even hardest dragon in the game was easy pickings. Tactical combat view is quite useless in actual combat, although it helps when you need to revive you party members, which I haven't needed to do in long time. Tactical combat view works well to go around interface bugs in click-able objects like wheels. Tactical view probably become more useful in combat in highest difficulty and friendly fire setting turned on if you don't do all the side quest and level your party to too high level. Exploring game play is ok, but collecting every singe collectible that there is becomes very tiring if you missed them when you first explored some area. I would say that they should take example from AC4 and give player ability to unlock location for every collectible item or even better not to but them in the game in first place as they don't really fit in the theme of the game. Story is typical Bioware product, it is compelling enough to follow through, but also it's not literal master piece, although in game writing it is in top end of AAA games. Party members and their dialogs are probably best part of the game, which is typical thing for Bioware product, although there is not necessary enough that to support going through all the side content fetch missions. Romance plot lines seem to have much lighter tone in this game than what in previous Bioware products. And Bioware seems to added more Garrus style friendmances in the game. So final verdict game is compelling, but buggy and PC version suffers from lack of polish.

That is quite brilliant scene, cheesy, fun and has very tongue in cheek feeling, which is my opinion better than many of their soft erotic scenes that they usually offer as rewards for completing the romance plot line.