pipboy2000

"And trying to manage a party of 6 in real-time combat is patently absurd - even at slow speed. All it does is result in spamming the space bar pauses."

I'll just post, what I wrote earlier this day! http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/72176-thank-you/?p=1602407

To all the great people working at Obsidian, that have put so much effort into this project: THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS GAME POSSIBLE! I just wanted to tell you, that I have waited so long for a game like this and that I am so very happy, that I finally can play it! I have to admit, that I haven't gone far in the game by now, but nevertheless you can feel at every corner how much effort (in germany you would say "how much heartblood", but I fail to find a good translation) you have put into the game! And I appreciate this very much! I think you really can be proud of yourselves! --- Btw.: If anyone would be doing, I don't know, like a kickstarter project to gather some money for a big cake that says "THANK YOU OBSIDIAN" or something, I would be happy to kick in a few bucks! (I know that maybe I should do this since I proposed it, but 1. I have no experience with kickstarter projects, in fact I backed via paypal - 2. I do not live in the US, which would make this much more easy, I suppose - 3. I have not very much time right now to do something like this - 4. I back away from the responsibility ) Or maybe someone has an even better idea?!

I am about to play Skyrim for the first time and I always use Mods with Bethesda games. What Mods did you use to make it more challenging? I am aware, that this is basically off topic, so I won't write more than this, while answering your question via a private conversation: I think anyone who wants to play a modded version of skyrim MUST: 1. Register at the skyrim nexus ( http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/? ) and get their nexusmodmanager ( http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/modmanager/? ) 2. Visit the Skyrim G.E.M.S. ( http://www.skyrimgems.com/ ), which is a great assortment (?) of the gazillion mods availabel for this game.

I played some Age of Wonders III but the story is so boooring, that I stopped after the 4th mission. Maybe I'll come back to it some other time. I started Shadowrun Returns: Dragonfall, but I have not much time (for reasons mentioned below ), so I end up playing for half an hour every now and then. I really like it though. It has the same strengths and problems as the main game (strong story, linear gameplay). So if you did not like that, you can skip the add on. Most of my free time goes to Skyrim. I installed a LOT of mods using the ingenious nexusmodmanager, twiddled with many, many settings and finally found a way to make it a lot more challenging without becoming a brutal hardcore experience (like when you are using Requiem for example, which I tried. It has a lot of cool ideas, but was too hard for me (!) to be fun to play. Others might like it though) Edit: Oh yeah: And I did not deliver the Dragonstone to Farengar yet! So I can stroll around Skyrim without the enerving, constant dragon attacks! Just magnificent! I love it!

First of all: Thank you for all the effort you put into this game and for sharing this great info! I can't wait to play the game with a rogue! I really, REALLY love the fact, that you seperated the "thief" and the "heavy hitter"!

As I wrote in another thread about the same stupid issue:

Yes, please give cities a somewhat realistic look and feel! (Btw.: Another bad example would be fallout. The size of a vault, for example is just ridiculous! Although it didn't stop me from loving those games, a more realistic approach would please me very much!) And while you're at it, please make realistic houses aswell: - A house should have roughly the same (realistic) proportions on the in- and outside! No tiny shacks containing enormous rooms! - Windows and doors should be at the same places on the in- and outside - I would like to see realistic furniture: A house should have a place to sleep for every inhabitant, a table to eat at, a place to cook meals etc. - A merchant should have a place to store his goods. I don't like merchants with a vendor's tray who have dozens of halberds, warhammers and full plate armor in stock.... - etc.

I really like those two, especially the last one! This would be one of those tiny features where you would just think: "How cool is THAT?!" when you notice for the first time, that your party gets dirty/messed up in the wilds, and clean, when they have the means to wash/bath etc. - You could even make barbarians (for example), who won't care about their looks (and odors) and would not wash (unless you order them to do so, maybe). - If you would walk through an "upper class area", coming directly from the wilds, people could even react with tiny texts over their heads like: "Oh my! What a horrid smell!" or "Look at those... creatures carefully, my dear! This is the reason why you should study VERY hard!" or "Someone should call the guards, a bunch of wildlings somehow made their way into the city!" or "If I would not have been warned by your smell, your looks really would have shocked me!" etc. - The valet of a noble could suggest that you go wash yourself before talking to his lord. - The lord could react to your looks, if you ignored the valets advice ("Who do you think you are, strolling into my palace, looking like common rubble?!", "Do you want to insult me by your sheer looks?!" etc.) - Some niminy-piminy (?) party member could comment on his/her decreasing levels of cleanness: "I would do everything for a hot bath right now!", "I really miss the amenities of a city!", "If my hair gets messed up just a little more, you would need an axe to cut it!", "Where is the sense in wandering aimlessly in the swamp?!", mumbling to him/herself: "I wonder if this dirt would make a good beauty face mask!" etc.) - and so on I really think that would be a cool, immersive feature to have! But, of course, you are right, maybe this would be overdoing it...

I think I only got the receipts from paypal. I'm sure that will be enough though. I didn't pay through my account but through a direct pay option where you just gave your information. Hopefully there won't be a problem with that. It would be great to know for sure. I wrote an eMail to the support about the matter and I just got an answer, confirming my paiment. So I guess, everything should be alright with the other paypal users aswell. (Btw.: I didn't really think there would be any problems, but it just seemed a bit odd to me/I wasn't really happy about the fact, that I had not received some sort of acknowledgement from Obsidian.)

I have a "problem" with my donation aswell: I donated via paypal, since I do not own a credit card. I was digging through my eMails recently and it seems that I have not received any confirmation for my pledge/donation from Obsidian. All I DO have is a paypal confirmation with a confirmation-number, but that's about it. Is this the same with other paypal backers? Or did I accidentally delete an eMail with some sort of acknowledgement? I really would appreciate some information about my pledge/donation...

Thank you for this update! A good friend of mine recently became interested in Project Eternity (obviously I did a bad job, when I tried to raise his interest during the kickstarter campaign...) and instead of writing a summary for him, I could just forward this update. Keep up the good work!

this might be of interest for you: http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/62339-enemy-bodies-disappearing-right-away-or-turning-into-bags-of-loot/

In short: Some little consequences for successful thievery/pick pocketing: I wrote this in another thread a long time ago, but it also seems to fit in here: (I will qoute it here because I really would love to see something like that in the game and hope it might get more attention, if I mention it over and over again! ) I really would love to see some (little) consequences even for successful thievery! For example: - If you stole a purse from a maidservant she could start complaining that she will face punishment at her employers house, because she had not been careful enough. - A merchant could turn on his no good bodyguards for not preventing a theft. - If you stole from a farmer, he could become desperate, now that he would not be able to buy the two cows he had been saving his money for 2 years. - If you stole from somebody who would give a quest to you later on, he could say something like: "I would have offered you 50 gold pieces, but since some bastard stole my purse, I can't." - If you stole from a beggar kid he could start to cry, now that he and his little sister would have to starve... Even if it would only be "role play" consequences, I think such little events would make you think twice before doing the "steal-harvest" on a map, before moving on... All those things can easily be accomplished with a little text over the head of those you stole from. Nothing fancy and no voice acting needed. (Of course I am aware, that it would break the immersion, if you would use the same text over and over and over again, because, you see, I used to be an adventurer like you, but then...) ( http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/60453-thievery-should-be-m )

Oh yes! I would love to have some opportunities like, for example in Jagged Alliance 2. I would like to have the ability to: - Jump over waist high walls and hide behind them. - Climb on a roof with your shooter to pick of your enemies, while your fighters guard the ladder/the way up - Hide behind objects and in bushes and ambush your enemies - or maybe taunt your enemy on ground level with a fighter and then, when he attacks you, your rogue slips (?) down the roof he was hiding on, sneaks up from behind and backstabs the bastard! - jump over a chasm to infiltrate an enemy base and avoid the heavily guarded main entrance - climb to a balcony with your rogue, sneak through the mansion and open the doors from the inside - and I really like the example with the makeshift bridge in the original post! - etc. etc. etc. That would be really cool (and would REALLY add some flavor to classes like the rogue), but I am not sure if it can be accomplished with the engine easily and I think it would be a rather big change to the IE-ish gameplay (you would need the ability to crouch or prone your party members etc.) they want to attain. So, again: I would really like to see a fantasy game with combat and movement opportunities similar to JA2, but I it is okay with me, if PE will "just" be like the IE games. A cool idea, but no must-have!

1. For some odd reason, the first one that comes to my mind is Grimgnaw from Neverwinter Nights 1, even though he is merely a henchman and not a real companion. His background story and philosophy was so interesting. I longed for the next "you-can-talk-more-about-the-henchman’s-background-story" update every time and was really excited about his story! (I am not familiar with the forgotten realms world or the D&D role-playing system, so I had never heard of the "order of the long death" etc.)! To sum it up: He was a really interesting, non stereotype guy with a really weird and nonetheless fascinating ideology. I would have him in my all time favorite party to learn more about him. 2. The next one that comes to my mind would be Morrigan from Dragon Age: Origins. In my personal (!) opinion, she is, by now, the best written companion a cRPG that I played had to offer. She is smart, and rough and tough and beautiful in a way that is so very distant to the hordes of Barbie-doll-like big tittie babes, that roam so many games nowadays... and through all that you can, every now and then, catch a glimpse at the vulnerable young woman behind the tough shell. She had a very interesting background story and you always wondered what the deeper reasons for her companionship would be. And last but not least, her storyline had a really great ending. Apart from all that she had such wonderful conversations with the other companions! I laughed out loud more than one time, when she mocked Alistair for example. She would be a must for my party! 3. I have seen how a Minsc received a lot of hate in this forum (but apparently not in this thread) and I don't understand why. To understand why he is great, just read through the other posts that have him in their top 5 companion list over here. Minsc has to be in the party! Not only would I love to hear what Morrigan would have to say to him and Boo but sometimes you just need someone who "goes for the eyes"! 4. Ammon Jerro was one of the companions I have in mind that had a real motivation to join your quest and I liked that very much! He is not the guy you stumble upon somewhere and then follows you to hell and back, for vague reasons. He feels like someone who thinks: "Ok, I need you to complete what I want and therefore I will join you. But after that our paths will separate, because honestly: I don't like you and you don't like me!" His motives aren't very nice, but they are pure. To be honest, I didn't realize how much I liked him as a companion until I found him in Mask of the Betrayer and was so very disappointed that I could not turn him into a "real" companion again! 5. The last one is the toughest and I could not choose only one single companion. So here is the list: - Jan Jansen: Great written, funny weirdo. Like locomotron wrote: "Long winded anecdotes about turnips, whats NOT to love?". (And, if I recall it rightly, he was burping sometimes you clicked on him and then mumbling an excuse about too much turnip beer (?)... fantastic! ) - Dogmeat from Fallout 1/Dog from DA:O: I like dogs in cRPGs (right now I am playing Fallout 1 again and the only companion I took with me was dogmeat) and besides that, Dog (DA:O) was responsible for some hilarious events at the campsite... - Jaheira: So many lines of great written dialogue! Such a deep, interesting, struggeling woman! No list would be complete without her. - Gannayev-of-Dreams, Kaelyn the Dove and Safiya from Mask of the Betrayer were absolutely amazing and I could not pick one over the others! --- Some explanation: No one from... - KOTOR or KOTOR II: I only played through them once and this was ages ago. I just don't remember the companions well enough. - Planescape Torment: I haven't playd it yet. (I know it's a shame, so please have mercy) - Fallout3: Played it without companions - Fallout:NV: The first (and until now, only) time I finished the game, I only had Boone and Rex with me, so I don't know the other companions, while Boone was cool but not as great as the companions on the top 5 list. - Jagged Alliance 2: I really liked Shadow, but I don't know, if he reaches the requirements to be called a companion in a cRPG-ish way. - Mass Effect: The companions in the top list are better than anyone from Mass Effect - All the other RPGs I forgot: I forgot them!

As long as they are as detailed as update #36, I am fine with every topic! That was a huge amount of information and I loved it!

There have been many threads in the forum on how to handle your home/fortress/keep etc. and sooner or later people always started discussing things, which, in my personal opinion, belong to a strategy game rather than a cRPG. Don't get my wrong, it is cool to have a castle or a house, a safe haven where you can retreat to and feel at home. And there is nothing wrong if you can buy some furniture or maybe even hire a blacksmith to repair broken equipment (if equipment can be damaged). But building other buildings? Hire artisans etc.? Be your own faction? Manage a village? Build even a kingdom? No! I definitely don't want that to be in PE. Those are maybe great ideas for some other game, but it has, in my eyes, nothing to do with the good old IE games and this is only the biggest problem.

Perfectly sums up my opinion on this idea! P.S.: Why bother coming up with an elaborate argument if you can just ridicule someone with goofy sarcasm...

Now THAT is a great post! Awesome! You just made my day! :D

Well, if I may name only one, it is an easy chioce: Patrick Rothfuss - for the mere fact, that he wrote the best fantasy book I read in ages!

I have one simple question to the people who want to limit saving games or enervate (?) people who want to save their game, via game mechanics: How on earth does it concern you how someone else plays his own game?!? I could imagine that it would be a pain in the ass, if somebody would/could save every 5 seconds in a multiplayer/co-op title... But we are talking about saving in a single player game! Even if I spend my whole freaking day, saving my game you will never notice it nor will it affect your life in any way! I mean, the solution to this whole "problem" is so ridiculously easy: if you do not want to save your game, than, for Christ’s sake: don't save it! It is simply absolutely no concern of anyone, how you want to play your game! If you want to mod it? Fine! Do it! You want to cheat? Go for it! Do whatever you want! It is your game! I mean: How do you even get such an idea?! How do you logically connect a thought like: "I don't like saving all the time in a cRPG!" to "I demand that everyone else should be forced to play the game the way I like it" ?! It just doesn't make sense... There should be absolutely NO limitation to saving the game whenever you want, since, as a self-determined human being, you can decide for yourself if you want to forgo (?) saving your game for a more "hardcore" experience! I am really sorry, if I offended someone. I normally do not react so angry, but reading how some "hardcore" gamers want to dictate a certain way to play a game to others just infuriates me.

This is the way it should be done, in my opinion! (I wanted to write exactly that example, but i wasn't sure anymore if that happened in Jagged Alliance 2 or Fallout 1/2) In city areas, the corpses should "vanish" after a short period of time (one day maybe) for the simple fact, that corpses in a city don't go unnoticed and would be "cleaned" away. In wild areas, maybe 3 stages should be done: 1. corpse remains on the ground, 2. rotten corpse, maybe with some carrion eaters around, 3. vanish as well P.S.: Talking about immersion: I can still remember when i went back to an area, where a fierce battle had taken place some days ago, for the first time in Jagged Alliance 2 and the rotting corpses lay around... That was so very atmospheric and cool (and a little bit disgusting), that I think PE should have a system like this aswell. P.P.S.: I was searching the web for a JA2 screenshot that illustrates, what Laakeririkko was talking about and that is the best a could come up with (sadly, no crows): A JA2 battlefield revisited, after some time has passed:

Or if the companion would like to have an item, for example, people would empty their inventory (put everything in a chest) before kicking someone out of the party, etc., etc.... Though I like the idea! If somebody shared so many adventures with you and stuck with you through thick and thin, he obviously would be deeply disappointed, if you leave him for someone else and there should be some way to illustrate this. On the other hand, if you have your castle/house and the companion has traveled with you for a long time, there should be an option to say something friendly like: "XY, you have done so much, why don't you go to the castle/house and take some time to recover?" and not just kick him out of the party (forever)...

Wow, to be honest, I thought this would turn out really awkward! But after listening to two of your songs, I must confess that they are great! Keep on the good work! On the topic: I like the first idea you mentioned. Guns and the veil.