Elerond

Considering that backer site is side and separate project to PE, thus I would say that it don't tell us anything about PE. And it probably should be mentioned that backer site project (in my knowledge) is one mans side project what he does simultaneously with his other tasks and it isn't most urgent project, so it quite understandable that it has been delayed.

That is absolutely true, but with frequent or/and periodic updates people who aren't involved with production can get better picture how product progress, which is much harder usually do when updates are rare and random. But of course it is possible that project without any updates has managed perfectly, but outsiders don't have anyway judge if that is the case. One thing what people probably learn from Kickstarter projects is that there is reason why companies often want to get periodic and detailed reports from projects that they have funded, even if they don't do anything with them .

Steamworks offers some services that some customers and developers like, for example achievements, auto updates, connection services for multiplayer games and mod distribution and support tools. Otherwise I don't know any reason why customer would want suffer from any restrictions. Semantic or not, but if some body promises me DRM free game, then I want have its installation files and ability to install it anywhere and any computer (with right os) I want, without need to resort in installation directory copying and register hacks, as I don't want DRM free games to become more hassle to use than cracked version of the game, which is reason why I sometimes debate about semantics of meaning of DRM free.

That's not true, and I think it's been covered multiple times over in the thread already. Check the post directly above yours. Although GOG's system don't give you right to sell games forward that you have bought, as they restrict license owning to your GOG account, but you can give copy of the game anybody you want, in limits of your country's laws. You can do the same thing with DRM-free titles on Steam. In so called DRM free tittles from steam you can move and copy game to other places after you have installed it, which is not same as that there is no drm in the game or it's installation file, it only means that there is no copy protection and game don't use fixed location. This is not same as drm free, but it is quite similar, but is still some draw backs like it also means that game can't use windows register for it's features or it needs additional program to create those register files if you want to move that game to other computer.

You can't make game DRM (digital rights management) free if you put it in the steam, as steam itself is digital rights management system, meaning that it controls where you can install your games and restricts your ability make copies of that game, it don't allow you to sell or borrow game to anyone. But you can make games so that they don't have any additional restrictions to those, but that don't make them DRM-free. In GOG you get game installation file for yourself and you can install game with it to any compute you want without ever again need to log in to any GOG's service. Although GOG's system don't give you right to sell games forward that you have bought, as they restrict license owning to your GOG account, but you can give copy of the game anybody you want, in limits of your country's laws.

In my opinion cooking is fine add because it makes resting (places) good for something else than getting back your per rest abilities/spells. And it sound more interesting than resting benefits in Skyrim for example.

Not necessarily: Black and White morality stories and settings are perfectly capable of creating drama and depth, they just do so in a different way. Take LotR for example: Frodo and pals are unquestionably The Bad Guys and Sauron and his orc army are unquestionably The Bad Guys. Blandness and shallowness are the products of a bad writer, not a property inherent to black and white morality. So no good guys in the LotR then

If you speak about movie, then I think that female elf wasn't in the first movie, but we will see her in second movie and third movie (imdb says that her name is Tauriel).

I think that female elf and Legolas both are added character to story. Quoting Wikipedia hope that it is right as I don't have time to search book to see if its right.

Crafting was a non-combat skill. They said as much. In that they also mention how non-combat abilities will give you indirect benefits to combat, like getting better gear, getting around enemies, getting better position. In my opinion skill that makes you equipment more durable fit in this indirect benefits in combat category, as it is quite similar benefit as getting/making better gear that improves your characters combat prowess. And mostly better enduring equipment is economical benefit, not combat benefit, because in reality it gives you two benefits, first you need to spent less money to repair your equipment and two you can explore world/dungeon longer time without fear of decreasing combat benefits from your equipment.

I think that they said that their plan is to do different skill point pools for combat and non-combat skills, so that you don't need to sacrifice your combat prowess if you want to take non-combat skills. Which don't mean that non-combat skills couldn't help you in the combat. For example with stealth you probably can better position you party so that combat is easier to win and if there is sneak attack you can perform those. Getting combat benefits from non-combat skills isn't anything strange but quite common occurrence, especially in IE style games.

Item durability can work fine in the game. I liked it in Arcanum in that extend that you had to not use your best equipment in some dungeons or risk losing them. Like for example that dungeon that was full of fire elementals that destroyed your armor quite easily, which caused you see non-combat options to solve your quest there. PE will not be so punishing as items don't break, but change to lose some of you damage potential is at least in some extend enough to make people do some forefront planning, like fixing their equipment and taking another set of weapons with you before going in that 15th level dungeon. And I agree with Josh, if you have party base RPG system, then it is good to design skills so that every member can benefit having it even if they aren't party's best in that particular skill. Or you need to have so many skills that your party can't master them all even if they try (wasteland for example). Because otherwise you remove trade-offs from leveling up and make leveling up quite dull process (NWN2 for example). Of course you don't need item durability to make crafting worthwhile skill for everyone in party, but in my opinion it is quite valid way to do it. But you could also do options in encounters where you need several party members to have crafting skill to make bridge so that you could circle around trolls that keep toll on main roads bridge. Or you could make crafting skill give sharpening/maintenance talent that make your equipment work better a short while, but that is just inverted durability as Josh pointed, but it may be better in psychological perspective as it gives benefits if you have skill which don't seem as negative as skill that reduces negative effects. And money sink in this case is not repairing, but buying short time bonuses in your gear. What comes to that crafting shouldn't be skill that benefits combat, I don't see how short time equipment bonuses are any different from permanent equipment that give you combat bonuses or consumables that give you short time combat bonuses, two most typical things that you do with crafting, except to get this short time benefit character needs to have points in the crafting skill.

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission It seems that they do several updates in week, sometimes couple in 24h. Which is probably why some say that they spam with them.

How is it diferent from Lockpick????? If you have it, and you take a thief companion you waste it. Which means that we probably will see lock picking skill change to something different or combined with other stealth skills. Because typical implementation for it goes against design principals that PE team seems to follow (no useless skills or min-max skills).

I like buy or order (smith or some one else does thing from ingredients that you provide) artifacts that are actually useful in the game even in the end. Some people say that you should find most powerful artifact by exploring world, but my opinion is that it is as viable option to buy most powerful artifacts (even uniques) with the money that you got by exploring world. Buying property and upgrading it is also usually quite fun way to use money. Buying homes or stronghold is quite nice way to use money especially if it opens my game play, like governing people/area and so causing changes in the world. Consumables is good way to use money as you can strategic depth (preparation is key to success) in the game or give player ability make encounters easier. Although in latter case I have tendency neither buy or use consumables, as I always think that I will find better way to use my money (which rarely occurs). Crafting is in my opinion good way to use money (by things needing ingredients that you can't find by exploring and paying fee for using crafting place or building one in your home/base/stronghold/etc.), if you can make better items that you can find, so ability to upgrade any weapon via crafting is something that I would like to see. Although I don't mind if I can't change upgrades to better ones later on in the game. Using money to repairing, bribing, buying information, resting, healing, traveling and other things that simulate real world pending is okay in my mind. Usually economies of rpgs suffer from endless money syndrome, meaning that your character will get more money in the game than s/he can any intelligent way to use, which causes that buy-able artifacts can become too easy to get. And it also means that you don't need to think if you could afford to use money in bribes if you want also get full plate of doom and sword of dragon slaying, as you know that you will find enough money to buy all stuff what you want and bribe every person in world and still be millionaire. Which is reason why I would like to see that there isn't endless amounts of money in the world, but player need to think where s/he puts his/her precious coins.

22can's Godus project has quite good weekly updates and they are on alpha stage already, which looks nice. Say what you say about Peter Molyneux, but it seems that he has quite good handle how to keep product in the budget and the time. But PE has most interesting updates for me and Godus comes as second and then Planetary Annihilation and Elite Dangerous. In my understanding why inXile don't make regular updates is that they don't have capacity to free people to do them, which is bit sad for me as I am very interested to know how they produce games compared to other companies that I have backed. And what comes to ready kickstarter project there is already several that I have backed, but only one game (Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams), but several games are already in alpha stages. And it looks that end of this year I will have least half dozen games to play.

To me it looks that item durability is added to make crafting more potential choice of skill for every character, so that there is not only one min-maxed craftsman in the team. Although to accomplish this repairing need to be actual money sink and not only chore, so it should cost so much that it actually dents you wallet, but not so much that it invalids builds that don't have crafting entirely, but enough that you need to think every time do you take crafting or some other skill. Crafting itself don't look like mmo crafting, where you craft new stuff, but way to make you existing stuff better or get short time benefits (cooking), so it isn't economical balance crafting like in mmo, but ability make your character better, which make crafting more comparable skill to other non-combat skills like stealth and conversation-skills, which means that it gives you option to play game in different way, which is more combat oriented route. Which is quite different role for crafting compared to mmos economical crafting, where crafting is non-combat way to acquire more money. So for me it looks that crafting and item durability will be nice features in PE, as crafting gives you better combat characters by giving you ability get permanent and short time combat benefits. And item durability will work as money sink, which impact you can lower if you put your skill points in crafting instead of some other skill, which make, as I already said, crafting potential skill option to all characters and not only to your dedicated craftsman, which make skill more universal and better balanced in my opinion. And crafting is added to game because people requested it during kickstarter campaign, which is reason why it made itself as stretch goal, which obligates Obsidian to offer such mechanic in PE. PS. PE will have unlimited deep stash in inventory, which can accessed on resting places and cities, which I think are only places where you will have access to crafting places (forges, labs and hearts), meaning that crafting items will not eat your limited inventory space if you don't want.

That brought an idea to mind, we need Tim's Cook book as mystical artifact in the game

Nice update, crafting sounds to be very nice feature. And it also good to hear that you have added item durability in the game.

The problem with this map and the other map was the scale. The scale of the map you linked is of a country side by the looks of it. the map of p:e was more of a country. I'd like to see old school maps of whole countries instead of a city. http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~28882~11202:Map-of-Central-Europe-comprising-Gr here's an example. it's 1800's (so later than 1600's) http://photos.foter.com/129/gutia-c-rrez-the-americas-1562_l.jpg america's map 1572. (you're right here but this one is really off scale) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/GoughMap_ca_1360.jpg/800px-GoughMap_ca_1360.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_cartography Map of Finland from 1539, a part of Carta Marina, which is map of Nordic Countries (+ Koala Pensula and the Baltic States), as you can see is quite decorative map.

Looks like they we be quite good in short encounters, but in longer ones you need to do some thinking how and when you will use them. With current knowledge I would say that paladins will be excellent companions for the barbarians, with their ability to revive unconscious characters.

In IE games rest had change to be interrupted only in few areas (and in some areas you couldn't rest at all), but mostly it was without any real set backs and usually in areas that gave some restrictions you could go back last area where there was no rest restrictions. And of course you could always save on those areas where there was change to be interrupted and load until you can rest freely. And to be fair NWN and NWN2 also had this kind of restriction in some areas.

That's not really "more in-depth" By the sound of it they just made it less relevant to make the damage less unpredictable. Which isn't always a good thing because, because it can make it too predictable and boring, and it usually leads to heal/potion spamming. But you can't spam healing spells or potions in PE as it don't have any.

Game mechanics seem to be bit different than what I originally though that they would be, but that was something that I expected as they pitched entirely new system and world, but in my opinion Obsidian's vision looks better than what I had in my mind when I pledged. Mechanics looks that they can easily produce game that give us at least same degree tactical combat and dungeon scrawling as IWDs, which is what Obsidian promised. And we also know now that game will use pre-rendered (2d) backgrounds that are visually stunning and have BG/BG2 style aesthetics and that game will use isometric view, just like Obsidian promised. But what comes promises of "emotional writing and mature thematic exploration of PST" and "memorable companions and the epic exploration of BG", we probably need to wait for the beta to give judgement how well those promises are realized. So in my opinion, what is worth, we will get just that or even better PE than what we were led to believe.