[Patch it out, restart Steam to make it so.]

Awesome job, downloading now!

[Finished the Game - Will there be another?]

I would say that PoE definitely is about as long as BG1 without the expansion.  With Tales of the Sword Coast added in, its definitely not.  But I can see this game being about the same length or longer depending on how the expansion turns out. 

[So what's everyone's favorite class thusfar?]

I'm totally digging the dps monk build I made. With max dex and might I am consistently hitting for 10+ damage 2-3x as fast as Eder does with his beginner sword and shield build.  I'm definitely going to run my second playthrough as a spell caster though.  Possibly a druid or a cipher.

[New stretch goals for companions and wilderness areas?]

I'm down with getting some new content and seeing some additional stretch goals in the forms of wilderness areas and possibly a companion or two.  I'd like to see some fleshed out areas away from the quest line to explore, to give it that feeling of an open world.  That being said I'd rather not go over board on creating new companions.  I'd rather see lots of work done in improving the interaction and banter between the NPCs and the protagonist.  One of my favorite mods to BG1 and BG2 was the banter packs.  Having interesting conversation amongs party members that reflects their personalities really helps build a solid gameplay experience IMHO.  That being said, once you decide on how you want to go about doing the new stretch goals I'll be sure to toss a few bucks at you to keep this game going smoothly.   

[Don't make the mega dungeon too easy to exit and re-enter]

I am leaning towards an endurance dungeon. If its going to be 13+ levels, it should be very difficult to reach the bottom. If there are some random encounter respawns minus any specific boss encounters, I think it would add to the challenge. Of course on the Path of the Damned difficulty it should get rediculous.

[Which tier did you choose?]

I spent way more money then I should, but 140 dollars was worth it to get beta access and a collector's edition box.

["A good-ol' witch-huntin' thread" J.E.Sawyer]

I mentioned in the thread on classes that a possible mage class would be a Soul Mage. Someone able to dominate and control the souls of those around them and drain them for life replenishment. Something like this would be obviously viewed as evil and repugnant since it violates the sanctity of the individual. Having the possibility of such an evil class would make role-playing an evil character a bit more fitting. Something like this would also tie into Necromancy pretty well since they would be placing stolen and dominated souls into the corpses of others.

[The Chosen One]

PS:T and KOTOR II aren't really *chosen one* stories. NWN2 fits a lot more.

 

Then again, you can easily argue *the regular guy* into chosen one as well.

 

Yeah, its pretty easy to turn the regular guy into the "Chosen One". Like this:

"Congratulations, you are our 1 Millionth Customer!"

[What classes would you like to see?]

I personally prefer that there are a limited number of classes with a small number of sub-classes or kits underneath them. Most of my ideas have already been posted, but I would like to add one thing.

 

Soul Mage - A mage who is by sheer force of his will able to manipulate the energies in other souls nearby him. A Soul Mage is able to affect enemy characters with soul crushing fear or unimaginable bliss. He is able to bolster allies will as well. Through the darkest of arts a Soul Mage may draw the souls of others into himself to heal wounds.

[Tropes vs Women]

I think that the issue of women's rights should be handled by in-game lore and be balanced among cultures. Just like in the real world, we have places where women are allowed to vote, go to school, and hold jobs. In some places they are beaten and stoned for minor crimes. It would be juvenile to turn all females into some kind of Conan the Barbarian sex symbol, but it would be unrealistic to make them all second-class citizens. The inclusion of magic would also be a big cultural rebalancing since physical strength would no longer be the only way in which to assert dominance over another.

Nah if magic existed, men would be better at it than women, so they'd have just as much dominance if not more.

 

I assume thats a troll comment.

[Tropes vs Women]

I think that the issue of women's rights should be handled by in-game lore and be balanced among cultures. Just like in the real world, we have places where women are allowed to vote, go to school, and hold jobs. In some places they are beaten and stoned for minor crimes. It would be juvenile to turn all females into some kind of Conan the Barbarian sex symbol, but it would be unrealistic to make them all second-class citizens. The inclusion of magic would also be a big cultural rebalancing since physical strength would no longer be the only way in which to assert dominance over another.

[Slavery]

I want all female NPCs to be slaves of my passion...

 

Oh, wait, this isn't a Bioware Forum....

[What makes a villain you love to hate?]

Think of the Alien from 'Alien.' No shades of grey there. She wanted to eat and feed her young. You're food. Your moral compass and all of your shades of grey ideas are just chatter to her. She doesn't understand the ideas, let alone your words. I don't think every villain should be like that, but that 'bitch' was a compelling 'villain.' In that story, there were human villains also. They had motives and whatnot. Finally, while I also love the shades of grey idea, not every literary figure need have shades of grey. In fact, some folks in real life, while they still have a variety of motives and beliefs and predispositions, are basically bad at their core. There might be shades of grey in them, but they've beat most of those lighter shades to charcoal colored. Just saying we don't need to have every villain overwrought. Some of them might want nothing more than to feed you to their facesuckers.

 

Inhuman villains can be great as well. I think that the the villain that best fits the topic of this thread should be humanoid. In Aliens we didn't "love to hate" them, we were just terrified of them. Their motivations were so foreign to our own that we couldn't even attempt to understand them, only to fight or flee. These kinds of villains do have a good place in sci-fi and fantasy settings, but I think they do fall short when it comes to being a memorable villain. Villains need to have something relatable to ourselves so we can put their decisions into relation.

[What makes a villain you love to hate?]

I think a good villain should have a bit of yin-yang to him. In good there is always evil, and in evil there is always good. A good antagonist - protagonist relationship should be like the reflection of a cloudy mirror. This is of course this is assuming that the villain is human at all. I could be some other race or even non-humanoid. I feel that a truly memorable villain should be human or humanoid, since motivations for a more esoteric being could be less descernible. I don't think its that important that a player sympathizes with the villain as much as I think it is important that the player understands the motivations for the villain. If I can understand the motivation for the villains actions, whether or not I sympathize, I can at least give his actions some context.

[What do you want the other race(s) to be?]

How about a slave race. They would be known as the Soulless. All other races would believe they are beings without souls. I'm kind of stealing the idea a bit from The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. A race of intelligent yet complacent beings would allow for interesting role play scenarios.

[Factions and Civilizations]

I would love to see a society in which the ruler is a constantly reincarnating and very powerful soul. I could see them being considered some sort of God-King or Holy Empress.

 

Also I want to see...

SPARTANS!!!!!

[Enough money to "make the game" - Multiplayer, modding, language support "open-ended"]

Personally I think it would be foolish for Obsidian to not support an effort to translate their game into multiple languages. Computer usage in the developing world has increased exponentially since the days of IE games. In fact, a high quality game that doesn't need a high end computer to run on would be exactly the type of game that could potentially have huge sales in developing nations.

[2.0 million, Player House!]

I think a stronghold ala BG2 would be great. Its a great place to store loot, get quests, and craft items. Also, major non-companion NPCs can "chillax" there. Even if it doesn't end up being some great castle or sanctuary, a fairly plain house in which players can show off trophies or achievements would be great. I kind of like the idea of having a fireplace where above I displayed the heads of unique and legendary beasts I vanquished.

[The secret life of bandits]

Bandits aren't always necessarily evil or greedy, but desperate and driven. Maybe harsh treatment of certain classes or races of people has lead some to a life of banditry as a means of taking control of their lives. I'm not talking a noble Robin Hood type bandit, but somebody whom life has been cruel and unfair and has chosen a life of crime to survive. When you paint their history with more ambiguity than a simple bandit who likes to kill, rape, and pillage, you end up with a more morally complex story. What if instead of ridding the land of the cruel bandits, the hero instead rids the land of the despotic Baron? Would that then lessen the scourge of banditry on the land? I am all for more complex moral decisions where good and evil are not clearly defined.

[Some thoughts on urgency, consequences and parallel non-linear missions]

the main problem is still there. Nothing in this world happens without my input.

I cited the possibility of failure at every step of the questline, (your first request) including the very first step, which involves caving to greed, instead of "oops! I overslept and missed my appointment!" (your new request)

 

The problem with things in the world happening without your input is that the entire game can literally pass you by if you're not a fast, and driven player. And while such a game might actually be interesting, No prominent gaming company will ever make such a game, so discussing it here is pointless.

 

I would like to say that there was a very successful game based around lots of deadlines. The game was Dead Rising. In no way would I advocate that this game should handle timed quests anything like that, but having a sense of urgency on some quests that make sense in terms of the plot line would be a good thing IMHO. You don't have to be a fast and driven player to enjoy quest lines that have a fast pace. Sometimes breaking the pace of the plot with a sudden and urgent quest line can be beneficial to the game. I would support timed quests that are less like "You have 10 minutes to find the princess" and are more like , "When the full moon has risen, the maiden will be sacrificed to the Demon God."

[Level of power]

The biggest problem with sequels is that they tend to start each one at level 1 when the character had previously been level 99, (I'm looking at you JRPGs). Having some kind of level cap where it naturally progresses into a sequel would be wise.

[Weapon fragments?]

I love hidden collections or fragments of long lost items. I will collect them obsessively.

 

Some ideas to consider:

 

Fragments of someones soul. Possibly a companions.

 

Artwork by a particular artist. Possibly starting a quest or revealing the location of a hidden artifact.

 

Ancient high tech gun. Not too game unbalancing, but it would be kinda cool.

[Some thoughts on urgency, consequences and parallel non-linear missions]

Why should your preferred way of roleplaying/ adventuring be preferred over mine though?

 

Because roleplaying requires context. If context dictates urgency, but the mechanics don't, then you're robbed of a roleplaying opportunity. If you don't even act according to the story in spite that Gameplay and Story Segregation... then you're doing many things, except roleplaying.

 

And in that scenario, I do believe his way of 'actually roleplaying' is preferable.

Why should your preferred way of roleplaying/ adventuring be preferred over mine though?

 

Because roleplaying requires context. If context dictates urgency, but the mechanics don't, then you're robbed of a roleplaying opportunity. If you don't even act according to the story in spite that Gameplay and Story Segregation... then you're doing many things, except roleplaying.

 

And in that scenario, I do believe his way of 'actually roleplaying' is preferable.

 

Like I said I don't like being forced to do things or miss stuff because I'm taking my time with something.

 

If the game presents me with a clear choice, then sure, but if it makes me mess up without giving me any obvious clue that things will advance without me then it's ridiculous.

 

I don't think his roleplaying choice is more valid than mine, that's entirely subjective. You only think that because you agree with him.

 

If I wanted to play a linear corridor game then I'd go play Final Fantasy 13

 

I think the solution to these two seemingly contradicting opinions lies in the pacing of the script. What made FFXIII such a bad game was the constant spoon-fed plot line with no freedom or choice. Likewise, having a completely open game world like the Elder Scrolls series seems to forgo any sense of urgency in narrative in favor of complete player freedom. If the plot for PE is written in such a way that there are "lulls" in action and pacing, this will give the players time to do side quests. There should be times when the pacing of the story dictates that certain events are time sensitive, i.e. the army is on the march, the princess has been kidnapped and will be sacrificed on the new moon, the king will be assassinated at the Grand Jubilee, whatever. Having a constant timer to a dooms day event is just tedious and dictates playstyle too much for many people.

 

It might be interesting to include clusters of side-quests that occur only during certain time-critical moments of the main quest that give the player an option of completing optional and highly time sensitive missions that could include interesting quest rewards. This will give more options for multiple play throughs.

[1 PC plus companions, or create multiple characters (plus companions?)]

If someone wants to role-play a party versus role-playing a single character with companions, there shouldn't be an issue with this. The first RPGs I ever played was the Gold Box D&D adventures like Pool of Radiance and Curse of the Azure Bonds and I loved them. It is great if you love to focus on combat and exploring. I would say that 5 silent characters will detract from the immersion that 1 PC + companions would give you. If adding multiple character creation isn't too expensive then it should be added.

[Unique Kickstarter In-Game Item]

I think any given item should be something like the Golden Pantaloons in BG1. A completely worthless item at first. It wouldn't be until much later that it turned into something useful.