JWestfall

If so, then that character definitely dies before the end of the Act 1...

Man, I was hoping they were going to announce something extraordinary - like the game being finished or something. Oh well, localization makes business sense (I would have been pretty suprised if there weren't any in the works), novella = cool, and artwork is always swell.

Really? Must've got confused with the earlier Beth games, maybe Morrowind? It has all blurred together in my brain over the years, probably because I've never been a huge fan of the open-world "sandboxy" type RPGs.

Nah, it's just a law of nature at work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law

Durability as a resource to be managed has a place in some types of games (Skyrim et al), but methinks it would just become an annoyance in a game such as this. So I voted Nope.

The first RPG I think I ever played was a port of Rogue on a Commodore-64, but what really got me hooked on the genre was Ultima 4 and 5. I have a hard time naming a favorite, may games have appeal for various reasons. NWN was probably the one I put the most time into, due to the fantastic modding community and expansions. Yeah, I'm old, now get off my lawn!

Ha, that's funny! Just in case it isn't a joke, however: I would be inclined to believe that professional, full-time developers (who have been around for a long time and have proved they can deliver many times in past) probably have a pretty good handle on what tech to use.

I would say the Alien there wasn't the real villain in that story, though. The alien was just an "elemental" force, providing a background for the conflict with the true villain - the "company" acting through the android character (forogt his name). Villains (in my mind) cannot be inhuman - otherwise they become just another force of nature, like hurricanes or disease.

That is a scary thought, but I don't really see this happening. I'm sure Obsidian wouldn't risk the fallout of doing something like this, and presumably they have the last say on any feature/item/name that gets put in the game. Same goes for any rediculous or lore-breaking suggestions from backers.

I see a developer officially cleared things up, but it was a bit strange seeing the reaction of the Unity3D news from some people. Still, I think it's promising news - having used it (a bit), I can see where the tool could certainly speed up and ease development. Which is good, because I want the damn game already, what's taking you guys so long? Also, great news about Linux support, always nice to have options there.

$8 is a super sized fast food meal down the street, so by joining I will effectively be adding 18.7 seconds to my life. So hail, I name myself JWestfall, Beer Taster of the Obsidian Order! Also, thanks to everyone who set this up and is keeping track, what a great idea!

I am the type of person who doesn't let hype and expectation cloud reason, so with that in mind I'm going to take a very critical look at this update- Aw, f***k it! Pre-colonial oceanic exploration hampered by giant sea monsters? The mystery of the "cycle of souls?" Early powder weapons as a counter to classic wizardly defenses? Deities with apparent malicious intent? Seriously? This stuff just oozes with talent, well done! More importantly, this type of world building sounds like the perfect springboard for rich conflict and story. Great stuff, keep it coming!

It will be interesting to see how this type of development works out over the next few years. I would say it's too early to call it a "revolution." KS is faith-based funding. I could see that faith shaken and everything crumble with one publicized blunder. So - no pressure, Obsidian, your only task is to resurrect the rosy-tinted glory days of gaming, whilst simutaneously teetering on a largely untested funding platform, and being careful not to ruin the ushering in of a new PC gaming golden age. Is the game done yet?

One article about it, google could probably reveal others: http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/15/obsidian-missed-fallout-new-vegas-metacritic-bonus-by-one-point/ I'd be suprised if metracritic based conditions in contracts wasn't pretty widespread among the traditional publisher model - the unfortunate part of this story is the single point making such a large difference. From a publisher's point of view (and the shareholders they are legally bound to make money for), it probably makes perfect sense.

Ha! that's funny stuff

Technical merits of GOG & Steam aside, people will generally choose what they are already familiar with. Steam has huge exposure, so it makes sense that they would be the first digital distributor to look at - CDPR even released Witcher 2 on Steam (and that version was even censored, IIRC), which presumably sold well there. For me personally, I always prefer GOG over Steam - Steam is fine, but the client has some annoyances, and it adds an unneeded layer (in my case) between me and my software. Which is why today's announcement is good news. But hey, each to their own and all that.

Wow, got home from work and see there's some awesome new info! Great to see some love being thrown toward the CDPR guys. But damn you Obs - you keep draining my wallet like this, next thing I'll be homeless. At least I'll have some cool swag, though...

Ah, forgot about DA:O and NWN2 (been a while) which are the only ones on that list that I've played. TW2, KoA, and Skyrim are the recent RPGs I've played and were the ones standing out in my brain. Definitely agree, especially considering the Infinity Engine-ish nature of the project, which would be a good fit for time cycles. As a side note, weather effects (and possibly gameplay affects) might be nice too...

The only recent RPG game I can think of that did away with running day-night cycle was DA2, are there others I'm (probably) forgetting about? But I agree, cycles add 'mersion to the game, especially if NPCs respect that cycle with their activities.

What I was thinking of was more of a mechanic of gambling for a big payoff, with the bigger the payoff having bigger risk. Standard attacking would be considered "safe" in this sense. If you had, say, a particularly nasty enemy you wanted to take down very quickly, there would be the option for an "empowered" spell to do extra damage - but with a chance of not only failure but negative affects. But yes, it would certainly need to fit with the rest of the mechanics, and of course be fun to use. I'm not conviced that having a spell blow up your face, especially when facing an already dangerous situation, would have that fun-factor. So, even though it was my (not well thought-out) suggestion, I'm not necessarily sold on idea either.

I have nothing against firearms being in the setting, especially since nothing more is really known at this point. A setting can be great, boring, inspiring, rediculous, cliche or unique with or without firearms. I assume Obsidian already has a vision for their setting, and that firearms are there because they fit that vision. Besides, how awesome would it be to cram a Musket Of Divine Retribution +4 into a Lich's stinking face and pull the trigger until it goes "boom"?

Hopefully it's near "Sorcerers Tomb", because you know with a name like that there is will be some good buried loot.

Crafting - meh, never played a game where I was much interested in this Alchemy - yes, especially tasty if a certain class/skill group revolves around it's use (think Witcher 2, which had a good alchemy system IMO) Enchantment - sure, if we are talking about imbuing items with runes, a la Torchlight (wthout so much micromanaging), or Kingdoms of Amalur. Spell Improvmenet - definitely, but it needs to be balanced. Perhaps with a risk vs. reward system, such as empowering a spell increasing backfire chance.

Off the top of my head: Nature of morality - are ethics a product of nurture, reason & logic, the gods (divine), or must they be forced on a society by law (punishment) to be effective? Life isn't always fair - or, the good guys don't necessarily win by default. Related ^^^ the honorable path may sometimes be the naive or costly path. Does one have honor for one's own sake, or simply for appearance among their piers? Assuming a medieval based society - the terrible lives of peasants, slaves and those living under the rule of decadant nobles. The terrible cost of war - loss of family and friends, disease, starvation. Disillusionment - particularly with country or chosen religion, or perhaps with one's heroes. Example, finding out that your much beloved king/companion/mentor is basically scum, or weak, or has hidden agendas which greatly conflict with your own. As said above, taboo/uncomfortable subjects done correctly (i.e. not simply for shock value) can bring to bear a lot of emotional impact.

Interesting idea, but I also agree with this: Actions do not always correlate to a character's motivation (as perceived by the player), there would likely be a fine line here somewhere.