Dianjabla

In the BG saga it was there, but it wasn't as blatant and unrealistic (for want of a better term). It was presented more as serendipity. You were obviously special somehow, but you didn't find out why until half way through the 1st game. You were a Bhaal spawn, but you were only one of many, many others and you weren't even the most powerful. The world still moved on around you doing its own thing, not acknowledging that everything revolved around you the player even when you got in and solved its problems for it. For most of the saga, there were still NPCs you'd meet that could school you. To all 3 of the main villains you were just a side show or a tool to be used on the road to their main goals. Sarevok might have succeeded (in starting a bloody pointless war at least) if he'd just left you alone until he'd done his thing. Irenicus was only using you & Imoen as a means to his own ends and didn't even consider you a threat until you showed up at the tree and kicked his ass. And not really even then. Amelissan used you to take out the 5 other Bhaal spwan she'd groomed to slay the weaker stragglers so she could become a god herself. The only one to tell you that you were special and were more than just the unlucky sod at the wrong place was the Solar, right at the finishing end of the saga. And sure, by the time you got to the end of that game you felt like you were a god, but by then you'd probably earned it. ME2&3 by way of comparison were kind of irksome in some ways as the NPCs were always noting that there was something special about you, Shepard. You're such a great leader, you're the only one that can do it. Bah! TLDR; If it's done right it's not a bad thing, done poorly, you're constantly reminded that you're Commander Shepard. Don't get me wrong, I still had a blast playing the ME series. It just killed immersion.

It's an interesting question, to be sure. I note that no one includes renting office space, electricity/utilities (whatever they're called there) hardware & software over heads, etc. I can see why a company might not like to tell all about the internal workings of its finances. And that's more than fair. But it would be really nice, just for once, to be given a rough guide to how much it actually costs to create a video game and where the money goes, by someone working in the industry.

In the games I've played that had them, I've only ever used them as a means of faster travel. Sanctuary, for instance. But really they were much less useful in combat because half or more of your skills you couldn't use while mounted. Oblivion had a fast travel system, why would I need to keep running back to a horse? But if they had a map system like BG or FO, then nuts to horses as more screen clutter and wasted resources.

Well, I said it elsewhere so I reiterate: probably wouldn't do it myself, but *if* there was a multiplayer option available like in BG, then by all means have multiple generated PCs controllable by one player. If that's what floats your boat, that's cool. There was still only one child of Bhaal out of them, though. I can understand the hesitancy regarding limited number of NPC companions - what if there aren't enough that you like? I'd much prefer the broad swath of companions available from the BG series especially if they'll fight amongst each other or fight you over certain courses of action. But then, as always, Torment pulled it off and I didn't even notice.

Something like Durlags Tower or Watchers Keep would be good. Durlags Tower I like the atmosphere of and the puzzles pretty much forced you to learn the story behind it.

*If* they include multi-player, then have it as an option to have multiple generated PCs under the one players control like they did with BG2. Tried it once, missed the companion NPCs never went back. But to each their own.

Although, simply having the book as an add-on might be easier?

I liked the Journal system of BG2. Divided into game chapters, sortable by date or quest, complete or incomplete quests. With each section of the quest written down and not lost once the next piece is entered. It allowed you to keep a track of what you were doing, how you got there and why. There's also a section for the player to make their own notes. It was also written as a journal. Compare that to DA2 or ME3. Might as well not had them. If looking through a journal is too much reading, then maybe an RPG is not the genre for you.

In FONV you got to be the man/woman at the top through treachery & deceit. Yeah, Ceasar died due to "compliactions" in his surgery, I am the new ceasar. Ok, creepy dude in your capsule, I'll take over after beating you with this 9 iron and then I'll play groups off against each other to come out on top. Obsidian can do this. Might actually be fun...

Trollolololol

Yes, absolutely, positively must have traps.

Like BG2. No idea if they were killable or not, but if you want to be that big a bastard... You fiend. As for whether the player gets to have kiddies of their own? Well there'd better be one hell of a story attached to that. And don't kill them in the first few minutes before there's even time to care that they exist.

Why all of them at once.

Trollololol

BG, PST, IWD, FO1&2

Strongholds similar to what they had in BG2 and just as varied. Class or faction affiliated, quests to obtain, quests because you've got it, maybe even quests to keep it.

It would certainly make a different story line...

Horses for courses, as the saying goes. If there's a dialogue option that you wuld resonably only have available to you if you were a genius, then yes, tie that option to a stat. If you're allied with an enemy faction to the NPC in question and the NPC knows it, then you're not gonna have a hope of being his buddy unless you've got something real good up your sleeve. Want to lie to someone's face? Better hope you're either charming & self confident enough not to give the game away. Alternatly, for many things training in persuasion and diplomacy can make up for other short falls or make the highly unlikely possible. In short, why all of them at once.

Hunger/thirst management? No thanks, sounds tedious. Get fatigued for wandering for days without rest? Sounds reasonable. Get attacked cause I'm dumb enough to try camp outside a monster den? Ok, sounds legit. Basically I guess I'm fine with how it was in IE games.

I'd rather more story & dialogue options & pretty much anything else rather than money spent on cinematics. A VO for NPCs for a few lines and a portrait is good enough for me to get the idea of what's going on. That's the games I love and what I'd like to think I've backed. I've been getting the sinking feeling in RPGs of late that they're more a vaugely interactive movie between fight sceens and depth of story and choices have suffered as a result.

Romances? Sure. But not with every party NPC. And, depending on your character build and actions, maybe not at all. The Jaheira romance was one of the best, I think. She annoyed me in BG, but I kept her around for perverse amusement. That and they were friends of Gorions so it made sense from a role play perspective. I came to actually like her character in BG2 and found the romance almost by accident. It was also hard to achieve (for want of a better word).

Nope. The realtime with pause just like the infinity engine is what made me back this project.