LordCrash

Ahem, no. I blame them by not getting ready on time for my physical CE box not being full.

That's actually not very surprising at all because Windows doesn't scale well with higher resolutions than 1080p. Win10 will maybe change that but current Windows versions were never really made for high resolutions.

The goods would have to be shipped today (or earlier) for a lot of people around the world for them to receive the boxed goods by the 26th. It's why I voted for option 2 because I know I wouldn't be receiving the box by the 26th. And also to receive the box with no dvd after the game is released and then the dvd even longer is not something I was looking forward too. If I'm going to have to wait, I'd much rather wait for the complete item with dvd and sealed for my collectors edition. Not a sealed collectors edition with no dvd and for the dvd to turn up later. But then I suppose there's a lot of naivety from people who voted in the poll. On tops, i think it's quite unfair to let people of various pledge levels vote on the same thing. It's not a huge deal to get a regular physical game pack without DVD if you can get a digital code at release. But a $500 signed collector's edition is a completely different league. People really buy that because they want to COLLECT it. Part of collecting is having an unbroken, unsealed box. A box that won't contain a game DVD now. That way Obsidian really gave a big **** you to their biggest fans, to those who really paid a lot during the kickstarter. Sure, we're just a few, who cares about us. It's a majority poll so let's listen to all those $60 DVD box customers (or just anyone on the forum no matter which box they've pledged for or whether they've pledged for anthing at all...) how they decide how much the collector's edition will be worth in the end... And now we don't even get the boxes on time. That's so ****ed up, I'm really kind of speechless. Huge disappointment for me and probably for most other high tier backers, additionally here in Europe... There was always going to be a shipping lag for Europe. The decision to ship the goods sans disc was made to make sure that the lag wasn't extended by a few additional weeks. The realities of shipping into Europe are that things take quite a bit longer to get where they are going and the packages have to go through more taxes and red tape. Hopefully, having Paradox ship from inside of Europe will reduce some of this time/cost, but there wasn't a lot we could do to get it to folks faster. If we have lost your trust in this matter, I apologize, but we are doing everything we can to get European backers their items as fast as possible. Unfortunately, we are kind of at the mercy of shipping speeds at this point. 1) "There was always going to be a shipping lag for Europe." Great. And cool that you've never mentioned that before although it was obviously clear in the beginning. I don't know about other people but in my books "release day" means that you get your stuff on THAT VERY DAY. It's the responsibility of the publisher/distributor to get the game to everyone on release day, no matter what. If you knew from the beginning that European backers wouldn't get their stuff at release or even close after release (few days) you should have communictad that in all honesty and transparency from the beginning, calling the "release" just "digital release" or "digital and US only release". But it's kind of ridiculous to state that you always knew that there would be a shipping lag for Europe if you never told anybody and instead kept people in the believing that they would get the stuff they've pledged for in time, especially after you partnered with an experienced publisher just for the very reason to handle proper professional shipment and distribution. 2) "shipment to Europe is difficult and takes a long time" Yeah. That's what any experienced distributor could have told you a very long time ago. That's what you could have told us a very long time ago. But you didn't. Instead you let us vote on a split shipment on the forum without being fully transparent about shipment times to Europe. And again, it's a weak excuse after all. Since you've apparently knowing for quite some time now that shipment to Europe was difficult and took a long time you could have just started to begin with production of the physical stuff at an earlier date. Again: it's your responsibility to get stuff to customers on time. If shipment takes a long time, start earlier. That's the simple realities of conducting a business that involves exporting goods to other countries. That's how you professionally handle that. "Oh, we just found out 2 weeks before release that we couldn't get the stuff to you on time and you have to wait another few weeks (!!!) for your stuff that is now even a lot less worth because some anonymous people on the internet decided that your sealed box shouldn't contain a game DVD anymore" is not professional. It's actually the opposite and I think you know that. 3) "apologies" Yeah, it's easy to apologize once the damage is done. But that doesn't make the situation any better. Truth is that my singed collector's edition is kind of worthless for me personally now and I've wasted a lot of money. You're sorry about that and I'm sorry about that but it's your fault, even if you blame "external influences outside your reach". It's not that easy. You're responsible for not getting ready on time with the game itself (for physical releases). You're responsible for the decision that my CE isn't "full" anymore. You're responsible for not shipping the stuff early enough to get in time to European (and other international backers). So I understand you're sorry and I believe you. But that doesn't "fix" anything for me. I hope you'll understand that as well and that a simple apology won't make me any less disappointed or furious about the topic. In Angry Joe's words: you done ****ed it up. Badly.

Maybe your monitor just sucks?

I love a lot of RPGs that are not an IE game. DAI is still a seriously flawed game that came as a huge disappointment.

It's also pretty sad that some people see kickstarter as an excuse for unprofessional behaviour. Being familiar with unprofessional behaviour doesn't mean that it is excusable or "ok". It's not. If you can't get out stuff to people on time although you already postponed the release by quite a big margin you don't seem to care much about people's investments into your company and product, sorry. Other companies wouldn't take the luxury of letting their biggest customers and kind-of-investors just standing in the rain, you know. They'd bite the bullet and ship their product via Express Airmail or whatever and take the costs for it. But it seems that with kickstarter there also came a kind of "hey, we're indie, don't treat us like normal companies" philosophy leading to unprofessional behaviour... And I'm not even talking about the "hey, let us destroy the value of the products of our biggest contributors" by a simple forum voting in which not even 10% of our customers took part and in which actually everyone who is registered on the forum (backer or not) could take part. Excessively unprofessional behaviour, sorry. That's just how I see it.

Short: I hope that Pillars will be NOTHING like DAI. And based on my experiences with the BB that might very well be the case, lucky me.

The goods would have to be shipped today (or earlier) for a lot of people around the world for them to receive the boxed goods by the 26th. It's why I voted for option 2 because I know I wouldn't be receiving the box by the 26th. And also to receive the box with no dvd after the game is released and then the dvd even longer is not something I was looking forward too. If I'm going to have to wait, I'd much rather wait for the complete item with dvd and sealed for my collectors edition. Not a sealed collectors edition with no dvd and for the dvd to turn up later. But then I suppose there's a lot of naivety from people who voted in the poll. On tops, i think it's quite unfair to let people of various pledge levels vote on the same thing. It's not a huge deal to get a regular physical game pack without DVD if you can get a digital code at release. But a $500 signed collector's edition is a completely different league. People really buy that because they want to COLLECT it. Part of collecting is having an unbroken, unsealed box. A box that won't contain a game DVD now. That way Obsidian really gave a big **** you to their biggest fans, to those who really paid a lot during the kickstarter. Sure, we're just a few, who cares about us. It's a majority poll so let's listen to all those $60 DVD box customers (or just anyone on the forum no matter which box they've pledged for or whether they've pledged for anthing at all...) how they decide how much the collector's edition will be worth in the end... And now we don't even get the boxes on time. That's so ****ed up, I'm really kind of speechless. Huge disappointment for me and probably for most other high tier backers, additionally here in Europe...

I remember the second location from the BB.

WOW, COUPLE OF WEEKS after release for Europe? Needless to say that this is highly disappointing and unsatisfying. If that was known a few weeks back I'd voted for joint shipping of the physical package and the DVD. I'm actually kind of speechless right now because I've pretty much expected to have my game pack here at release day, being able to look stuff up in the compendium while playing, look stuff up in the map and just enjoy my physical goodies while the game is new and fresh and stuff. This is actually pretty unacceptable... It's pretty sad that my expensive signed copy is kind of worthless in two ways now. I'm not able to enjoy my goodies at release or during the first "couple of weeks" after release (during the time in which I've planed to play and finish the game....) and the sealed (?) package doesn't even contain a DVD with the game files because we had to decide on that via public voting before we even knew that the stuff wouldn't arrive on release day...seems like we Europeans are ****ed again without compensation, thanks. Yeah, I'm kind of furious now, sorry. And to be honest, I've bought stuff from the US before on ebay and elsewhere. I never took longer to ship to Europe than 1 to 2 weeks. Just make it possible, I don't care how. Edit: Note to myself: next time Obsidian will eventually do a KS don't go higher than the basic version for just a digital key.

When will you/Paradox ship the physical boxes? When can we expect them to arrive in central Europe?

It's a wild guess but I think Paradox/Obsidian will offer the Deluxe Edition upgrades as a seperate DLC pack later. At least that would make most sense to me.

I wonder if the game will release on Xbox as well with the devs being part of the MS's Windows 10 id@xbox program now, alongside Divinity: Original Sin (for which a controller/console version was already considered) and Wasteland 2 (for which a console version was recently announced).

Really looking forward to the complete thing. Thanks for the sneek peek.

Cities Skylines!

Yes, backers get the preorder bonus as well.

Creating problems out of nothing...

And again, great pics. The release can't come soon enough!

Great pics!

Indeed, I like the concept as well. Just the discrepancy between 3 available camping supplies at the local vendor and the maximum carry capacitiy of 4 (on normal difficutly) made no sense to me. You should at least be able to fill your supplies to the max while you're in town imho... Usual release time of new games on Steam is 7 PM CET IIRC. It's the time Steam performs its daily database update.

#4: Probably, yes. But then again you could make the ingredients very rare. Just for "emergencies", you know. (And it was kind of strange that you had a limit of 4 camping equipements in the backer beta but you could never buy more than 3 at the inn at the same time. Made little sense to me...) #6: Cool, I haven't seen that in the beta. Thanks for the info. Oh, and new question: Is there a chance that (random) enemies interupt you while travelling or resting, just like in the old days of Baldurs Gate?

My questions/suggestions: Can you tell us more how the player-castle mechanics will work and how they will influence the overall game? The "castle button" in the beta is still not functional. What can we expect from it in the final game? Behind-the-scenes documentary teaser, please?!?! How relieved/happy are you guys that GTY V was delayed to mid April? Will it be possible to craft camping equipment? Do we need recipes/blueprints for crafting/alchemy? In the beta a whole lot of stuff seemed to be just "there"... Will there be class-restricted items/gear (or class-only-enhancing items/gear)?

I honestly can't believe that a whole engine doesn't support more than 3 mouse buttons. How pathetic is that??? Really, that's just unacceptable in 2015. Dragon Age Inquisition did the same rubbish at release so please, please don't follow their lead. Offering FULL (!!!) mouse support is a standard feature for PC games nowadays and not just some extra mile...

Will the Prima strategy guide be available in different languages as well at release? I would gladly buy a German version. On a different note: can we expect a sneak peek of the video documentary before release? That'd be very cool!

Interview about the developers and the game on Develop: 'Self-publishing is critical to survival': Why n-Space teamed up with Digital Extremes CEO Dan O'Leary talks us through the studio's partnership with the Warframe dev for new RPG Sword Coast Legends While the mysterious RPG project the duo were working on intrigued many – a title that has been announced today as Sword Coast Legends, a new game set in the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms series – of more interest was the nature of the partnership between the two studios. Developers working together is becoming increasingly common, but it was Digital Extremes' experience of self-publishing with Warframe that holds the key to its collaboration with n-Space. We caught up with Dan O'Leary (pictured), CEO of n-Space, to find out more about the partnership, why self-publishing is essential to a mid-sized studio's survival and why former BioWare talent was keen to work on Sword Coast Legnds. How did the partnership between n-Space and Digital Extremes first come about? Who approached whom? Both n-Space and Digital Extremes were represented by the same agency for many years, and have had a friendly relationship all along. A few years back they took a big chance self-publishing Warframe and the result has been transformative for the company. I watched that happen, cheering them on, knowing it was the right path for n-Space as well. We were busy developing Sword Coast Legends at the time, keeping all our options open for publishing and distribution. When it became painfully obvious that a traditional developer/publisher relationship could not meet our expectations, I called Digital Extremes. Why is this partnership significant? How does it differ from other collaborations? There is a lot of lip service given to partnership in this industry, often without actions to back it up. Our relationship with DE is a true partnership, with shared goals, risk, expectations and reward. They have offered support beyond what is required, without hesitation or concern for anything but the quality of the end product. We share that developer mindset and it makes this relationship special. What does each studio bring to the table? What contributions will each team be making to the new RPG? n-Space is developing the game, concept to completion. We also bring to the table a strong partnership with Wizards of the Coast and the Dungeons & Dragons team. Digital Extremes is providing a portion of the funding, along with the skills and experience they have garnered publishing and supporting Warframe, which boasts over 14 million players worldwide. How will Digital Extremes self-publishing experience help n-Space, not only on this game but going forward? DE has a wealth of experience and considerable resources to bring to bear in the areas of PR, Marketing, QA, community management, customer support, advertising, global digital distribution, and so on. They also have a valuable network of friends and partners to assist in many of the same areas and more. How important is self-publishing becoming to medium-sized studios such as n-Space? I would say it is critical to survival and essential to prosperity. There just aren’t enough work-for-hire development opportunities available these days to keep a mid-sized studio busy. Twenty years ago, we’d do six pitch meetings or less to get a solid lead on a project. Two or three months later we’d be under contract, with the signing payment in the bank. Now it takes 20+ meetings and more than six to nine months of bidding and contract negotiations. During that time the studio is expected to keep the team intact, create extensive pitch documentation and invest in compelling demos (all without compensation) if it hopes to land the project. It has become a 'bet the farm' prospect every time, and a major contributor to worldwide studio closures over the last few years. Meanwhile, the industry has evolved in other, more positive ways. We now have access to tools and platforms that provide us with alternatives to 'Big Publisher' distribution, marketing, fulfillment, PR and even financing. By investing the same time and money that would have gone into bidding for a work-for-hire contract, studios like n-Space can go a long way towards building a future for themselves that is truly independent. Neither guarantee success, but the economics of self-publishing are far, far more likely to lead to a profitable and sustainable business model. How has the games industry changed to necessitate such a partnership between your two studios? What opportunities does this create? The rise to prominence of direct digital distribution is the key change that created this opportunity and our relationship with Digital Extremes is allowing us to make the best of it. As a result, both companies are positioned to succeed in a way not possible in a traditional arrangement where it is common for publishers to recoup five to ten times the development budget before the developer sees a penny of royalties. How does this partnership influence the future of n-Space? Sword Coast Legends is the culmination of about three years of work to pivot n-Space away from work-for-hire development as our core business model, and toward owned titles and self-publishing. The future of n-Space will be dictated in large part by our efforts with Digital Extremes to successfully bring it to market. Do you expect other studios to form similar partnerships? The landscape for mid-sized independent development studios like n-Space is in a state of flux and I expect you will see a number of interesting partnerships and strategies continue to emerge from it. Self-publishing, digital distribution, alternative monetisation methods, niche products and new financing methods will be common to many of those. It is an adapt or die situation. Tell us more about the talent you have brought on board for this new RPG project. Who have you hired and why? I first brought on Dan Tudge as president over two years ago. Dan was the director of Dragon Age: Origins, but our paths had first crossed prior to that when he was running his own development studio and we were both working for Nintendo. I hired Dan to fill shoes left empty in 2008 and to help pivot the company. Even then we were talking about this project, which was a great fit for his experience and passion. In turn, Dan brought in Ross Gardner and Jay Turner, both BioWare vets and prior members of the DA:O team. Ross came on as the project’s technical director, leveraging over 13 years of experience at BioWare on Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2, Neverwinter Nights and The Old Republic, among others. Jay is the narrative director for Sword Coast Legends. While at BioWare, he wrote for several titles including Dragon Age: Origins, Jade Empire and the Mass Effect series, before moving to EA where he wrote for Dead Space 3 among others. Together with n-Space’s proven team of veteran developers, it is a formidable combination. A lot of independent developers are starting to embrace the term 'triple-A quality'. Why is this? I think largely to set consumer expectations of scope and quality. It is an imprecise term, but I think it adequately communicates to players that it falls between $100m+ Big Publisher releases – which I have come to call “quadruple-A” – and indie releases at the opposite end of the spectrum. Between those lies a tremendously underserved market for high quality, high value products, especially for genres that have been left behind by Big Publishers and beyond the reach of Indie studios. Is there a level of expectation created by any project billing itself as 'triple-A quality', and how do you ensure you meet that? Absolutely. After years of misuse many players have become skeptical of the label, and with good reason. We are building for quality by managing scope and resources, finishing key systems and content very early on and iterating rapidly and often. We have also built lots of time into the schedule post Alpha for final polish. These are common sense methods but are often set aside in order to accommodate changes outside the developer’s control. By funding all of the core development internally, n-Space was able to insulate the team from that kind of disruption, and our relationship with Digital Extremes allows us to continue with the same kind of focus. With the new talent adding their RPG experience, how will this team help attract fans of previous Forgotten Realms games? When I tell you that Jon Irenicus from Baldur’s Gate II was based on the D&D character campaigned by the Sword Coast Legends’ technical director… or that the director of Dragon Age: Origins is heading up the team… These things lend a certain degree of instant credibility to the team and our game. But that sort of thing is only enough to get your attention. What really matters is what the fans see when they look at what we’re doing, or hear about it from their friends. The care taken in bringing the spirit of Dungeons & Dragons and old-school RPG sensibilities to their PC in a way that lets them play with their friends, and create a story with their DM… that will attract the fans. How else will you ensure Sword Coast Legends stands toe-to-toe with other games set in the Forgotten Realms universe? At n-Space, we are all passionate fans when it comes to D&D and the Forgotten Realms, and that passion drives a deep understanding of the brand. The team is committed to authentically recreating the Forgotten Realms setting, its characters and stories, myths and legends to deliver a game that stands tall in a long line of classic D&D titles. Like many on the team, Sword Coast Legends is a game that I have dreamed of since I was first introduced to D&D. I still vividly remember the moment I learned that skeletons take more damage from blunt weapons than edged. That experience in sixth grade framed my entire understanding of games as rule systems and kickstarted a lifetime of playing and making them. This project brings me full-circle, nearly 30 years later. I speak for the entire team here at n-Space when I say that our goal for Sword Coast Legends is to provide its players with life-long memories of fun-filled experiences. Source: http://www.develop-online.net/interview/self-publishing-is-critical-to-survival-why-n-space-teamed-up-with-digital-extremes/0203124