maggotheart

Come on Umberlin, including features that you don't like / won't use doesn't make those features a 'waste'. By that logic, every feature that Umberlin isn't going to use or doesnt like is a waste of manpower, effort, time and resources.

What's wrong with 2? They're both good games. I'm going to go donate now. Thats a good question that I dont have an answer I can pinpoint. I played the wheels off DK1 but for whatever reason couold never get into DK2. I remember quitting when I had to possess a skeleton to be able to walk through some lava or something like that. I think DS2 also made it that when you pick up a handfull of minions to drop them onto an invading force that they would be stunned for a few seconds. These little mechanical changes probably turned me away. I'm sure they'll polish up some of the gameplay quibbles mate. It sure looks awesome and seems like these guys know what made DK great.

What's wrong with 2? They're both good games. I'm going to go donate now.

You don't care for monsters? JS really wasnt kidding when he said we old school RPG fans all have radically different tastes! Seeing some cool and unique monsters would be on my top 3 list of things I want to see in PE.

Risk and reward are intertwined. If you know you can just reload it changes the way you play. In Ironman, suddenly those 'useless' items become invaluable, that obscure and situational skill becomes extremely important and you are thinking about battle tactics in a way you never have before. Monsters are scary, bosses are terrifying and you are paying more attention to description and dialogue (the information might save your life!) as well as story choices. A slightly better helmet is a fabulous treasure that can keep you alive that much longer.

Name: Soul Jelly Description: A soul jelly is a luminescent, levitating being that resembles a jellyfish. It is man sized and feeds on the souls of living beings by descending upon them with their soul draining tendrils. Once a soul has been consumed, an approximation of the persons head grows on the end of a protuberance from underneath the cap of the creature, wailing and moaning as if in distress. These heads manifest because the soul jelly is storing the soul energy for later consumption, much as a spider might wrap up prey for later. The soul jelly can also use the stored energy as fuel for its various powers. Abilities: Flash: the jelly lights up and overloads the optic nerves of sighted nearby creatures, leaving them ripe to be fed upon Ensnare: the jelly captures someone by wrapping a single tendril around them and attempts to drag him into its center to be fed upon Darken: the jelly becomes almost invisible, it usually uses this ability to ambush prey or escape when injured Cipher Chant: it is possible that one of the heads will be that of a Cipher, and the jelly can force the head to use its chants to aid the monster in combat Ecology: Soul jellys are a dangerous natural predator that stalk all the races of the world and await at the edges of civilization. They breed by simple division, once they are able to store enough soul energy, one creature becomes two. As if they werent bad enough, they leave behind Void Viscera (a monster designed by Mr. Magniloquent above) when they feed, as they tear the soul from the body.

It's possible that getting a disease could trigger a reload, but when the player reloads he will most likely change his tactics to avoid getting infected by that monster - so I think it does have value insofar that it generates different combat behavior. There could also be diseases that don't affect combat and are not tied to a quest, but are just there to add some flavor: Promancers Itch as Avellones revenge Cotton Head gives you dumb dialogue options Pale Fever changes your skin tone Swamplung Syndrome makes you cough (like how when you get cursed in PS:T)

I think this is/was true of earlier IE games and others like NWN1&2. And I kinda liked it that way in those games. But the cure always felt trivialised by sleeping it off, as if the disease itself was somehow pointless in the first place. In 2013, I'm wondering if the player base has evolved enough to deal with it differently, and view it as part of their own story? There are many other enemies in the game that the player is forced to overcome to progress the story. Can't disease be elevated into this threat category now? Maybe? Also, there should be a certain amount of sensible strategy too. If you're facing mummies or giant rats or beasts that feed on carrion, the player's first priority should be to avoid melee as much as possible. Ranged weapons, fire, acid, and small nuclear devices should be your first strike. Good points, for me personally I'll be playing the game on Ironman and I do wish more people were on board with some of the more challenging gameplay mechanics. They have said there will be many options, so maybe we will get a disease toggle or something

I'm not sure I'm a fan of these types of solutions. The problem is that some people find disease mechanics onerous and they reload because it's not fun for them. I think we need to look for solutions that make people not want to reload, rather than prevent them from doing it entirely. Having quest related diseases is one way, having diseased until rest i think also works, it abstracts away the recovery period and isn't too onerous as long as the disease effects are handled properly.

There was some discussion about a mechanic where each character would have an area around him that he can 'cover', preventing enemies from passing through and guarding allies in that threat range. That same radius could be used as a 'contagious zone', anything passing through would have a chance of catching the disease. Do I protect our flank and risk infecting my allies? There could be a map where you are travelling through an infected city, with lots of diseased NPCs. You would do well to avoid them, and in battle use ranged weapons. I get where you're coming from. But we do get stamina recovery, and disabilities replace getting killed, so I think theres some room for a few more combat effect mechanics in there. There could be per battle duration diseases out there alongside per rest duration ones.

I really like this idea. Not only does it add to realism, but it forces me to take the mechanic seriously and pay attention. What's only a minor (unnoticed) nuisance in the encounter I contract it turns the sick party member into dead weight once I've travelled around a bit and run into another encounter. There could be a simple 3 stage development for each disease, so something like: Beggars Pox was acquired during encounter #1 Stage 1: Initial Onset Symptoms - boils on the hands that are itchy and uncomfortable. A slight penalty is applied to hit rolls with a weapon. These symptoms appear during encounter #1, and encounter #2. By encounter #3, the disease has progressed to the next stage: Stage 2: Progression Symptoms - boils become inflamed and unsightly, spreading to the feet and head, which makes walking and wearing boots and headwear painful. The character is slowed, moreso if they are wearing boots or a helmet. These symptoms continue to plague the sufferer for encounter #4. By encounter #5, the disease has entered its final phase. Stage 3: Acute Symptoms - the boils burst and ooze pus, which dramatically increases the penalties on to hit rolls and movement speed. The character cannot wear boots or helmets and is repulsive to others.

Should there be diseases in PE, and if so how should they work? Should a disease be permanent until cured, or should you be able to rest it off? Should there be only one disease effect, or many different ones? What should the effects be? Possible durations of disease: 1. Duration of combat - I dont think this works logically, you should at least have to rest to get over an illness 2. Persistent until resting - this is how most disease should work as its the simplest solution, imo 3. Persistent until resting a certain number of times - im not sure how workable this would be as it would encourage rest spamming 4. Permanent until cured - this might be too annoying to deal with, but it could work as part of a quest If there were more than one type of disease in the game, they could cause many different effects such as slow, attribute penalties and HP damage. Diseases could have a life cycle where the penalties start small, then grow larger over time (presumably until resting) Diseases could be contagious, spreading to nearby characters (or monsters) Diseases in PE could also be spiritual, affecting your ability to access your soul powers Different races could be affected by their own special diseases, or react differently to the same disease How would disease have affected the cultural development of the populations of the world? In our own history, disease has been the deciding factor in many large scale troop engagements, changing the outcomes of wars and even the very course of civilizations. With no magic healers in the game, disease will likely have had the same impact on the world of PE. A lot of scientific examination of diseases will likely have taken place by some cultures of the world.

And if there's multiple heads, we should be able to cut them off

A god with two aspects, that of a feline and a rodent. Though she is called by many names, she is often just referred to as the Devourer. The feline aspect represents the intelligent, predatory and calculating aspect of the goddess. Her followers keep cats and worship them as direct representatives of the goddess, and when she wishes to communicate with mortals, she does so by directly assuming one of their bodies. The felines represent the divine protection of the goddess, and they will actually protect any communities that host them from the ravages of vermin and disease. Dealing with the goddess can be extremely dangerous even when encountered in her feline aspect, as she is a cold and capricious being who enjoys toying with mortals. Though she has no defined body and only communicates with mortals by possessing the bodies of Feline animals, she is often depicted as a beautiful nude female with the head of a lioness or panther and a long, curling tail. Great attention is paid to the eyes, with sapphire, topaz and jade used to mimic those colors of a cats eyes. A lot of energy is devoted to keeping the goddess happy, both by the general public and her devotees, and in return it is thought she brings protection from famine and disease. The rodent aspect represents the voracious, rapacious and vengeful aspect of the goddess. Rats and other bringers of disease are thought to represent the wrath of the goddess, and indeed when she wishes to smite those who have angered her, she will send swarms of rats to devour and infect everything in sight. Rodents represent the instinctive aspects of the goddess, defined as her natural hunger to cover and devour the world. When the Rodent aspect appears, it means only hunger, disease and death. The rodent aspect is so feared and despised that any artistic rendition or even discussion of it is considered extremely bad luck and generally not tolerated. There are disturbing rumors of a secretive cult who worship the Rodent aspect in remote places of the land, but there has been no intrepid band of adventurers sent yet to investigate them.

I want to see more interaction and co-operation between party members, whether it be burning a parasite off a friends back with a torch, cutting a tentacle or extricating someone from a monsters belly, helping them up from a prone position, or defending a weaker party member from attacks. The concept of building a party that works together to resolve challenges shouldn't end at class and skill choices, it should be personal and a core part of the mechanics. Monsters, traps and other environmental challenges should all do this - it's not hard to imagine friends throwing a rope to someone in a pit trap, slicing open an entangling net, dragging a companion out of a patch of quicksand and so on. Companions should be useful beyond simply having a Fireball that goes well with someones Entangle ability.

Here are some monster abilities I'd like to see implemented in PE: 1. Burrow into the earth and emerge in different places on the battlefield, knocking anyone nearby back. 2. Swallow party members whole, they are paralyzed and take damage until rescued 3. Tentacles (or chains on a chain golem) that can grapple party members and hold/drag them until the tentacles are cut/smashed 4. Grappling with their entire bodies or otherwise directly hanging onto a party member 5. Leaping/jumping/pouncing creatures who can clear obstructions And here is a monster with all of these properties packed together, just for fun: This monstrosity is a giant blubberous red-veined worm, covered in wriggling, lashing tentacles and capped by a cone shaped circle of teeth. It is capable of moving rapidly and completely underground in its native environment, emerging only to surprise prey. When attacking, it uses its many tentacles to grab anything that might be food and swallows it whole with great zeal, a dull roaring sound emerging from its fearsome maw. This creature often carries active subdermal larvae, which can emerge if the parent becomes injured. These small juveniles, in a different part of their life cycle, have hard shells and somewhat resemble trilobites or hermit crabs. They are capable of leaping far distances and latching onto living creatures. Once attached, they use their mandible like proto-jaws to slowly burrow inside the victim, feasting on their flesh. Though fearsome, encountering a full adult is quite rare as they tend to avoid civilized areas and can only be found in hotter/wetter climates. They and their young are vulnerable to fire, while the rubbery tentacles and hide of the adult can be easily severed with slashing weapons. Anyone who has been swallowed whole by the creature is trapped - there are backward facing teeth spiraling all down the creatures throat - however it can take a long time for victims to die and be digested, so if the creature is killed, these victims can be freed by cutting the worm open from the outside.

Tiny humanoids that resemble elven children who use their innocent appearance to trick stronger prey into letting down their guard. They have blond hair, alabaster skin and wide, sad eyes, however they are actually ferocious predators that will attack in groups and rip their prey limb from limb, devouring them with razor sharp teeth hidden behind their perfectly formed, elvish lips. These creatures will often send one of their group out to be encountered by a traveller, who is immediately disarmed by the innocent and beautiful face of a small elven child. Once they are distracted, a mob of the creatures attack the traveller unawares, overwhelming him and feasting on his flesh. They are surprisingly agile, able to quickly scale trees and jump long distances. Their small, delicate frames are, upon closer inspection, quite wiry and strong, with the skin stretched tight over the bones. Once their ruse has been discovered, their faces wrinkle up and their mouths open wider than seems possible, giving them a scary, animalistic appearance. They have long preyed upon the elves of the deep forest, but do not discriminate in their perpetual quest for humanoid meat - in recent years, they have increasingly fed upon humans who are much easier to trick than the elves who have had to deal with them for a long time.

A giant carnivorous pitcher plant that attracts prey through psychic manipulation. Some animals are compelled to walk into the plants acid pool to be digested, but others are kept alive to serve as the plants protectors. These drooling 'psychic zombies' slowly become covered in fungus, insects and filth as they lurk near the plant. When threatened, the plant directs them to suicidally attack intruders. The plant will also seed these protectors with its own spores, so they can be carried to other areas and enable it to spread. The plants thralls can only be released if the plant is destroyed, but depending on how long they have been kept, they may immediately die, become thoroughly insane, recover somewhat but are never the same, or recover completely. The most common victims are large humanoids with comparatively simple minds like Ogres, who can provide a lot of protection and are easily dominated.

A port city known for its criminal underworld and frequented by slavers and pirates might have illegal fighting rings that bet money on dogs, monsters and occasionally slaves. Brutal, (though bare fisted and generally nonlethal) no holds barred pit/cage fighting could also take place there.

It's probably better to keep it simple like this rather than use a meter. I do think there should be ways to increase your favor with your deity, maybe increasing the strength of the feat or granting additional feats - maybe even a small feat tree for each deity.

Yes.

There could be neither a tag nor a color code, and you just have to be paying attention to know what is a lying response and what is not. Part of the problem with being a liar is keeping track of your own lies, it might be more immersive to make the player think before speaking and have to remember what he said.

There could be a 'Divine Favor' meter for each character, that increments whenever that character does something the god would approve of, and decrements if he does something the god would not approve of. Once it reaches a certain point, the character can "Call to God" and the deity will do something characteristic to help the character. Once the favour has been used up, the meter drops to zero and has to be built up by being faithful again. Example: the character is a follower of Arkanil, breaker of Cages and patron of freedom and the great open plains. He gains the favour of Arkanil by attacking a slaver camp and freeing many slaves. During the battle, the slavers catch the character in a net, and he can't escape. His Divine Favour meter is now full, so he appeals to Arnakil to aid him. In a flash of divine power, the net is incinerated and the character can escape, boosted by a gust of wind that propels him forward at a fast rate of speed.

Lying should have nothing to do with being 'evil'. People lie every day for many different reasons and it doesn't make them evil or bad people. One game that came out recently 'The Walking Dead' featured lying in the conversation system. In that game, you have a reputation with each individual that can get affected if you arent honest with them and they catch you.

The power armour was so ludicrously overpowered, and it was possible to just waltz on over to Navarro and pick one up as soon as you started the game. I found the game a lot more enjoyable if you played the way you were 'meant' to- leather jacket - leather armour - metal armour - combat armour - power armour, and without running to higher level areas to grab all the premium stuff right off the bat. I really like your idea of using up energy cells to make power armour work, they could have had a 'fuel' indicator for the armour just like the car that you had to fill up to use it. I think the reason the different areas felt so disconnected from each other was that they were each made by different people on the team; I agree that they should have done more to tie those areas into the characters story. I understand that Wasteland 2 is being developed in a similar way, with different people working on different areas of the game... hopefully they will address this.