ogrezilla

Nope, I think you did If a conflict is real, no one really creates it, it arises itself from a complex set of differences among various worldviews. Someone can trigger it, true, but it doesn't even have to be the antagonist. Frankly, I prefer PS:T-type villains, who didn't even do anything wrong, but the protagonist simply had to go (no hard feelings!), or maybe Firefly-type villains, who are also not really villains, but simply represent a different worldview. And I would definitely love a game where the conflict is created by the protagonist (once again, see PS:T). One more reason to do them properly, eh? Non-destructive, say? It's actually the adventuring party who slaughters monsters and, well, everything that moves. Give me the pacifist villain who wants to stop the main character because he goddamn murders people! but without the main villain, would we even be out on our adventure? really, a villain can be whatever the writer wants as long as its well written.

I hate pointless/sensless artificial limitations. But level cap really isn't one of them. reaching the level cap is typically a sign of a poorly paced game though.

will the typical person buying this game get a physical game manual? And I'm sorry, but its still just easier to understand when you can see it happening in the game. An interactive tutorial is just a better way to teach than a written manual.

It doesn't eliminate the need at all. The problem with adding a level 1 companion when you're level 8 is that they die as soon as a level 8 enemy sneezes in their general direction. If they don't die instantly, they certainly don't contribute meaningfully, which means that you're effectively down a party member before the combat even starts. If the combat is balanced to be challenging, then you can only level up under-leveled companions by doing trivial content (aka grinding). Grinding trivial content is not fun, and a complete waste of my limited gaming time. I understand that some find auto-leveled companions to be un-realistic. I'm not sure why, as surely it is more realistic to assume that they have an existance seperate from your own - and thus continue training, practicing, and generally getting experience in their class while you're gone - as opposed to assuming that they have no life without you and thus spend your time apart just twiddling their thumbs. But in any case, given the choice between adding a feature that occasionally slightly breaks immersion for some people, and requiring all those that chose to switch companions - or chose to explore the game's freedom and thus only come across a companion late in the game - to be saddled with wasting their time by leveling up companions against trivial content, or negatively affecting all players by balancing the combat around having a lvl 1 companion in the group, the optimum choice is obvious. It may be a Hobson's Choice, but occasional minor immersion breaking of some is better than wasting the time of many or negatively affecting all. I'm with this guy.

Absolutely, but not at the cost of boring "us" out of our minds. A separate tutorial would work just fine, I suppose. It's just that they seem so... artificial. but it almost has to be there. This style of game is very complicated compared to what the average gamer plays. There are lots of buttons, lots of numbers and lots of decisions to make. Make it separate or let us skip it. We will never be bored once. We're discussing two separate issues here. 1. Tutorials in general. *sigh* I know it's unavoidable, but can I have my dream of a NON-TUTORING HEARTLESS DEATH MACHINE, please? It's just a dream, after all. 2. A separate-button tutorial. While this option makes perfect sense, I don't like it aesthetically. It just screams HEY WE'RE PLAYING A GAME HERE and breaks my immersion. Does it matter if this option is the best from more sensible points of view? No. Can I please shut up? Probably, but ain't it engaging to talk? wait, a tutorial button the main menu would bother you? that's...strange. last time I went for an adventure I don't remember going through a menu first. actually, I would take a GPS with me so that's not even true

there should be times where AoE is simply a bad idea because you are in a tight space. Then again, tight corridors can be the ideal time to use linear AoE skills as long as you keep your own fighters out of the way. Making those decisions is what makes friendly fire fun. I don't want to be able to win every encounter with the same tactics.

Absolutely, but not at the cost of boring "us" out of our minds. A separate tutorial would work just fine, I suppose. It's just that they seem so... artificial. but it almost has to be there. This style of game is very complicated compared to what the average gamer plays. There are lots of buttons, lots of numbers and lots of decisions to make. Make it separate or let us skip it. We will never be bored once.

if the game is to be a success with the majority of gamers who have never played this style of game then a well made tutorial could be very important. They aren't making this game purely for the kickstarter backers.

ya I keep seeing a lot of requests for this game to be extremely hardcore. Which is something the games it is paying homage to were not.

have some consideration for the world around you and don't shoot fireballs near bystanders then. honestly, I'd be fine with options like Full Friendly Fire, Combatant only FF and no FF. Its a single player game and it doesn't bother me if others don't want to deal with it.

DAO took the idea that exists in classics such as Icewind Dale and Fallout and expanded it a bit.

it would seem reasonable for some spells to be more controllable. Maybe even have that be a perk or something mages can get better at as they get stronger. Instead of making their spells more powerful they choose to learn to control them better instead. Give choices.

Soul Power

with pause that shouldn't ever be an issue. that said, this is definitely something that could easily be turned off in the menu. It should be defaulted on but the easy mode should allow it to be turned off.

I'd like someone like this. But if they go that route in a game that allows us to make decisions, we should be able to make the decision to stop treating them as our enemy.

I really wouldn't want anything that takes longer than a typical attack. From the isometric perspective we really don't need much.

For some people, it will be their first game. Yeah, gamers don't pop up out of thin air with lots of experience in older titles. True. The problem is tutorials are often useless and teach trivial things (left-click to move, my ass). I think an easy first mission (with possible tooltips) is the best way of introducing the game to new players. Learn by doing! But. It seems like PE is going to be pretty hardcore and nostalgic-gamers-oriented. Is it really wise for the developers to outdo themselves while trying to smooth things out for first-time casual gamers? I'm not that hardcore myself, frankly, but it seems to me that this is a bit misguided. This is not their game, it's ours. While I certainly don't suggest making it artificially inaccessible, it seems to me that we may pass the playground and get straight to action. ideally, wouldn't we want "them" to play this game and like it so games like this can start being made with regularity again? Really there is no good reason not to include a tutorial. It's always easier to learn by doing than it is to learn from a manual. Personally I would like a completely separate tutorial outside of the game so that it can show you a little bit higher level stuff that you won't have access to early in the game. Identifying items, learning spells etc. They probably don't need to teach people how to move, but explaining what the stats do and how hit chance and stuff is calculated could be very helpful.

Pretty much exactly where I am on this. It shouldn't happen every time and it should be seamless, in exchange of their normal death animation. I don't want anything cinematic. I don't want the game to pause so I can watch it. Just exchange their death animation. ya something where they just swing a little differently for the killing blow would be cool without being distracting.

in your opinion. Icewind Dale is my favorite of the IE games. I love dungeon crawling.

this tends to lead to a grinding playstyle, or at least a restricted one. It encourages the use of a few skills over and over instead of thinking of different ways to solve each problem. It makes sense from a realism/practice viewpoint, but I don't like it as a game mechanic.

if the story presents a villain that is likeable and who I sympathize with, I want to have the option of choosing to agree with or even side with him. I'm not saying the game needs that kind of villain, but I want the game play options to reflect the story dilemma if that's the case.

Voted no. It sounds neat on paper, but really adds nothing but tedium to the game. There are a lot of these "realism" ideas being thrown around. I really hope this feels like I'm playing a game and not an adventure simulator.

being more realistic doesn't make it a better video game mechanic.

But you still have to complete objectives. It doesn't matter if you have 40,000 different ways to jump through the hoops if you still have to jump through the hoops. but when you play a game designed around jumping through hoops...I would expect to have to jump through hoops. When you start giving experience for everything, its harder to have a good controlled amount of finite experience. Which makes it harder to balance the content of the game.

The idea of drinking a healing potion or casting a spell to heal yourself being unrealistic by real world standards isn't the issue I think. The issue, at least for me, is excessive convenience for the player. Potions shouldn't be so common or so conveniently placed that the player-character never really faces the possibility of death. This I agree with. I enjoy having to be careful with my resources. But the resources I do have available should be relatively convenient.