Elerond

User Experience designer tries to design product so that it's as pleasant as possible to use, this don't actually always mean working with user interface, but also how product looks, how one takes it to use, how transformation animation etc. are used. User interface development is usually only part of job. There is usually always ways to improve UI, as grouping buttons better, adding short cuts, changing how information is shown and what infromation is shown. (NWN2 is good example how UI changes in every update and how information showing is tuned during post release development) . But such things like how avatar moves, how other character animations work and look are part of user experience as they are part of which makes player feel good when s/he plays the game.

My hope is that as backers see how project goes on and what decisions developers dom gives enough time to backers to tell that current direction is good or bad and developers react with changes if backers feel that game is going towards wrong direction.

I think that there couple main reasons why D:OS has harder time to get money than Torment. First it's team don't have anyone that is actually well know inside gaming circles, second their product is in that phase of development where it's hardest to sell, as it's vision, aesthetics and mechanics are locked up and they show their nearly ready product (which probably make some people look project and think it's almost ready it don't need our help), thrid their previous games were more action oriented than what they pitch now, so some of series fans probably don't like this change and new fans don't yet know about the project and the forth reason is that for reason or another D:OS has lot less publicity than Torment. What comes to Torment's combat, I think inXile told quite well what was their target and why they leave overall mechanic to be voted by backers. And what comes to inXiles games, those games that I have played (The Bard tale and Chopperlifter HD) are quite good, especially The Bard's Tale (which is RPG, made in last 10 years). And of course inXile gets some of Obsidian's fame as Obsidian gives them quite much support and promotion.

If people were half as intrested to promote good projects as they are spread information about questionable project, much more kickstarter project would get funded, but some reason bashing people (which actually usually works better promotion than any praises that people could give, as people need to see on their own what causes such uproar) is more popular than supporting people.

Funnily enough, I only now think of what the names would be in finnish. (Won't be a translated version and I wouldn't play one if there was) Ranger = Metsänvartija = literally forest guardian, or forest keeper In RPG's it'd probably be Metsästäjä = hunter, or Metsämies = Forest-man or forest dweller I like "samooja" (Person who travels around, but is different from nomand ["irtolainen/vaeltaja"]) or "sissi" (Finnish army commando) as better translations for ranger. "Metsänvartija" translation comes from british forrest ranger

I love art direction on character clothing and how well it work for both sexes. And I hope that those story arts mean that you are planning somehting similar for cut scenes in PE, because they are just so retro cool.

Steampunk: no Firearms are from renaissance time as rest of technology in PE, except there is no printing press.

Yes, C.o.c.k Fight stupid censorship

I find this conversation somewhat hilarious on in it focus on men and how they see themselves. As damsel in distress trope isn't seen bad because how it makes men look women, but how it makes women look themselves, as it draws picture that women themselves can't be heroes, soldiers or anyway active characters. And this the major view point in Sarkeesian's video. And for some reason I have feeling that some people misunderstand Sarkeesian's projects point and focus which was to study if and how popular tropes about women present themselves in games and if/how presentation of this tropes are changed in games during evolution of gaming industry. Project focus is not criticize game/men/male gamers/gaming industry and Sarkeesian didn't do any criticising of them on this video. In my opinion Sarkeesian kept her focus quite well in first video, even though I think that presentation could have been better (read more entertaining) and analytical side of video could have been bit deeper, but of course this was first of two parts episode and usually analytics come end segments of study show I must see that video first before final judgement.

That is dungeon concept, it is not in game graphics and don't represent ingame grapichs. As it only meant to represent how dungeons are build.

Here is two glass vases that implement same functionalities, but for some reason only second one is world famous of its design. So one would think that masterpieces aren't usually determined only by its functionality.

George answers this concern on Formspring: http://www.formspring.me/GZiets/q/434424012253185870 Level design? In the 5th update for Torment: ToN they specifically refer to him joining the writing team and that his writing will enable them to increase the depth of the game. Now I'm confused....is he drawing maps or writing? I hope they didn't have any misunderstandings or miscommunication that will cause problems for one or both games. Level design usually consist from lots of writing in rpgs, as you do side quests, npc and their dialogs, enviromental story telling of that/those level/s. So it is not only drawing maps for the game, but more comprehensive planing of game area.

It good to hear that progress has been good, bit sad about dark times, but undestanding. Eager to see scene animated, but prepared to wait until it's fully animated and will blow my mind away. Wondering will we see final slice of gameplay or is it purelly in house thing? Because it sound like cool demo to see.

Deus Ex was 'blaah'? I actually had trouble coming up with exactly 3 games, and these aren't necessarily the games I like the most. I actually like a number of games, but I'm not ecstatic about any one of them. Too critical? Maybe. Also I can understand if people like Torment. Like I said above, people can like anything for any number of reasons. Some adults like to wear diapers. That's cool, as long as they don't try to sell me diaper wearing as the superior lifestyle and I'm just too plebeian to get it. Yes it feel more like first person shooter with ****ty shooting gameplay than real rpg. It story is better than in fps games at general, but nothing special to compared to other rpgs or adventure games. So at in the end it was better than average some aspect, but same time some aspect were below average and any aspect of game didn't shine briliance. So final verdict it is bit blaah.

Funny that I enjoyed PS:T very much but these were bit blaah.

http://www.industrygamers.com/news/inside-obsidian-entertainment-dark-cutting-edge-rpgs/ Here is article where Avellone tells that they have their own motion-capture and sound studios.

I like this idea, of course there would be copyright issues that shoud be solved. But I woud very much like to play warhammer using 3D printed PE miniatyres :D

Sure, if I felt generous... but why would I do that? Forgive me for being greedy and such, but I fail to see a good reason why I would just give money for nothing. Why not just put up the original backing options? What's the point of taking them down? I can understand removing the higher tiers to develop characters and weapons and all that (since they have to be put in the game in a timely fashion), but boxed versions of the game? That makes no sense to me. I think it is because selling games is not their business (at least not yet), so they don't want ordering and delivering boxed product come too much hassle to them.

Crap... And here I thought I'd already spent all the money I was going to spend on games this month. No worries their campaing will end in next month, so it will not cause any problems in this month

In my opinion control areas, in this case engagement area, work fine in tactic or strategy based real time games, especially those with pause. Because they add consideration and variation to tactics what one should use. And I think this update's rule system would work fine if it is tuned correctly. As normally character can only engage one character at time, so if you don't want your character to be engaged you only need to move another character to same engagement. And rules give additions like fighters can engage three characters at the time, but with cost of their offensive abilities, so fighter can block three enemies at the time, but this also means that fighter can't him/her self get rid off those enemies and s/he must hope that his or her allies come help or do their rangerd mojo before s/he is overrunned. And roques have abilities to unengage them at their own will with out any consequences. Barbarians can run through enemy lines. And other classes probably will have some abilities also. So engagement system brings new challenges but also ways to solve those challenges. Engagements will also give more important role for formations, as front men can stop enemy at least for short time before they can pursue your class cannon's etc. long range characters. So it is not any more necessary to try confuse enemy's pathfinding as gameplay mechanics now give legit way to block enemys path. Because we don't even know basic rule set how combat goes in PE (except that there will not be combat rounds), so I would not start yet yelling how one mechanic will cause fighters or any other class to be dominant in combat as it all depends how rules work and how balance between classes is made.

Batting away grimoires isn't something we're implementing just as batting away swords, bows, etc. are also not being implemented. Wizards aren't unique in this regard. Not a good comparison. Disarming a trained swordsman significantly differs from batting away the grimoire of a wizard focused on spellcasting (reading or using the grimoire as a focus to channel magical energy or whatever). Also, in the case of the wizard as you've outlined the class (dependent on a grimoire), it is simply the most obvious tactic... meaning that you'd best have some explanation for its absence as an option to avoid the barrage of inevitable questions about it. Best bet is probably some kind of in-universe mumbo-jumbo about the grimoire being mystically linked to the wizard to the extent that it'd simply float back to him, I suppose. Or something. I think that if wizard's soul energy which she or he has stored in grimoire is unleashed when it touches someone other than wizard her-/himself, then it is probably bad tactic to hit it as that will only cause magical backslash against hitter him-/herself. And of course grimoires are probably warded so that only their owners can touch them and others will get previously mentioned magical backslash.

picture from http://www.reggie.net/photography_blog/2007/07/18/book-with-ball-and-chain/ In my opinion grimoires have enchanted with theft preventing system which will stop rogues or anyone else to stealing them. And what comes to fighter to hit grimoire down, I would say that this is probably same as wizard failing in his/her grimoire slam.

My first computer was IBM PC XT with Intel 8088 @ 4.77 MHz processor and 640 kt ram (as nobody will not need more, or something like that ). It had also very large 10 MB hard drive . But it was enough power to run Microprose's F15 Strike Eagle II in grey colors.

Here is Nvidia's beard processing technology demo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7s7UyAVbmU

Way-points are probably best and easiest answer such path finding problems.