NerdBoner

this topic coincides with an idea i had earlier. I'd really like to have a rival, someone as competent or even more competent than I am... a Gary Oak to my Ash Ketchum, a Proto-man to my MegaMan, someone who shows up when i think i'm hot sh1t only to rub it in my face that he/she is so much better and advanced than me. (the rival is obviously not a quest stealer but his rep can rise even faster than yours and he may even make a few appearances during key quests of importance) I mean, i obviously CRUSH this rival at the end through my own efforts but i think it would add an extra layer of PvE competition that isn't there when its just you doing everything and being hyper competent.

if project eternity is going to be a series of games starring "ours truly" the PC i'd like them to do exactly like they did in the BG series... in BG1 you start out as a n00blet but by the end you are a bonafide level 7-8 badass only to promptly learn that the world is MUCH bigger than you thought it was (BG2) and there are REAL monsters of power out there (Irenicus) and you are little more than a peasant(despite being level 7) that needs to resume his quest for power or get crushed like a bug.

i'd love for a customized weapon, armor or pendant whose history is fresh and nly tied with my deeds etc. I too was always envious of my companions little personlized goodies

i don't know how i feel about this yet...half to know more about the setting and races involved before i can speculate on interspecies breeding... i'm all for handsome square jawed half elves though...my rogues get all the ladies.

Of course it should go to the sword skill. Why should your magic skill benefit from you wielding a sword...? Collecting XP then distributing it however you want is dumb, overly simplistic, and unrealistic. As i've said in a previous thread, Bethesda haven't really implemented their skill systems well in their games (for a number of reasons), but they definitely have the right idea with skill progression actually being relevant and tied to the actions your character performs. this a bazillion times... I hate the notion that i kan kill a 100 kobolds with a dagger or staff and i can somehow "store away" that killing XP for my magic skills...how the hell does that make any sense? of course i'm only ok with growing cross class skills i use if there is no silly level cap that says "sorry chum, you seem to have maxed out you XP tank...too bad, maybe next time you will run away from those kobolds so you can kill them with magic like a good mage."

you know who was self taught? cavemen...they didn't do things too well for a looooong time. even Batman had a half dozen of the best teachers... and chances are we won't start out as a billionaire genius with an obsession for justice. How do you know your mage didn't study for years alone studying books for reference? It's a bit different to a cro-magnon smashing rocks together in an attempt to create a spark, and even then it's doubtful that it wasn't a part of learned culture as shown in existing chimpanzees. A lot of people teach themselves things, like learning a new language or playing an instrument. It's just about using the resources you have available at the time, as opposed to hiding in a cave and trying to figure the whole thing out yourself. hey man, I'm not arguing FOR my specific approach per se...I'm simply arguing against having a class that has specialized skills with no reason whatsoever. I want there to be a damn good reason why i'm such a good lockpick, healer or swordsman...

wait, did i read correctly when someone said time based quests are against the spirit of roleplaying? ...I-I don't want to live in this world anymore... My hero should just stay home. That way the forces of evil will be frozen in time, unable to perform their evil deeds in the name of evildom. I'll just write a letter to the king and explain my situation (that I'm master of time and space) and he will bring food and women to my home where i can live happily ever after knowing that if I just don't show up, nothing will ever happen! yay!

you know who was self taught? cavemen...they didn't do things too well for a looooong time. even Batman had a half dozen of the best teachers... and chances are we won't start out as a billionaire genius with an obsession for justice.

if there is a magic shop i want it to be something like in a pocket plane dimension, a genie from a bottle etc. no magic shops in every town...when i find a magic item, sword, spell or whatever i want it to feel special, rare and unique. No generic, mass produced magical items. Every enchanted item should have a history, purpose and description... if you have magic or know someone who does and have the proper training then MAYBE you might be able to create an magic item, but such a thing shouldn't be common enough to have magical mini-marts on every corner. I want a low/mid magic world where powerful artifacts do exist but they are as rare as freaking unicorns.

i think that endings should be varied and depend heavily upon your choices...that said, if Obsidian plans to use this campaign setting for future games and they aren't willing or able to carry over important choices made from previous games then they should make it clear from the start that they intend a canon ending in order to further the history of their world in a particular direction. it will help minimize fanbase bitching in the future.

i used to love playing both good and evil characters for different reasons... but i believe us truly evolved players now opt for a path that stradles both darkness and light like a razors edge. Why? because thats what life is all about. playing a saint is boring, tedious and involves too much "deus ex machina" considering that things often always work out in the end for aforementioned saint. playing a straight demon can feel dehumanizing and hackneyed because even the most bloodthirsty orc marauder has a tender side to him somewhere... the grey side its where its at baby...its what the Sith and Jedi are too stupid to understand hehehe

I don't care much for arbitrary leveling systems to be honest, though i don't hate them either... I kind of want to see a bit of innovation in this area, for example...when I level up, why would i be able to advance in Archery if i've spent all my time fighting with a sword and have never picked up a bow in my life? i'd like to see some kind of balance between leveling and actual in game experience regarding skills that you're able to acquire. oh, and arbitrary level caps are lame...I want a better excuse for not being able to advance a character other than a cap. How about I can't get better with my sword for now because my muscles are already at their snapping point and to proceed any further i'd have to visit some alchemist who could enhance my sword arm (cue said alchemist for sequel)... little touches like that help smooth out rough edges and increase realism/immersion when implementing rule systems.

because its ridiculous...if you don't want to save the Elf kings daughter from the rapists tell the Elf king "**** you, elfy!" and reject his quest, accepting the consequences. but if you do accept a CLEARLY urgent quest, you shouldn't go skipping around the countryside navel gazing and what not because you think thats "role playing"...unless you're roleplaying an **** or a lunatic in which case it makes perfect sense to do those things. ignoring the urgency of a quest (aka my house is burning, please save my child quickly) to go have a drink and take in the ambiance of the local tavern is irresponsible (which again could be a form of roleplaying) and SHOULD have consequences. I mean, is that damn house supposed to burn for months on end until you decide you want to get around to it?

the Water chip Fallout 1 route is the ideal way to go...you have a time limit but its like 6 friggin months before water runs out in the vault. You could however have water shipped to the vault to extend your search time for a new water chip. Even then, that is only the first half of the game, after you meet the Water chip deadline you are given a new quest with no real time limit allowing for further exploration...it was truly a win-win...

c'mon man, you can't tell me Irenicus's voice detracted from the game in ANY way...or any other of the great party members in the IE games. i vote for partial, just like in BG series

well i'm not saying this process should take an hour or 2 like the origins part of DA:O... the inspiration for the idea comes from a mod i played way back called Saleron's Gambit (the whole first adventure spans just the 1st level of your character)...in that mod you did pre-select your class but depending on your chosen class it determined who your mentor and "father figure" was in the first chapter of that game. There was a credible source for all the skills earned by the PC, not just a bit of hand waving flavor text and all the heavy character creation was still there. my suggestion is that character creation involve the first few minutes of gameplay that fleshes out your training with a bit of interactivit. Example: if you wanna learn stealth or pickpocketing thats what your mentor focuses on. it basically boils down to a small bit of gameplay interactivity for class selection that could take no longer than a few minutes and perhaps even establishes an early relationship with someone more experienced in the world and can be later used as a font of knowledge.

agreed...but a kinda want my cloaks to flow a bit in the wind and a few added things of that nature to bring it to life.

its just so impossible to get gorgeous and detailed environments with modern 3d environs without spending as much as you would to make a hollywood summer blockbuster... frankly i think Obsidian should go no higher than Dragon age origins in terms of their 3D implementation...but in all honesty i'd rather they take that old IE hand painted look and just update it to have more enviromental interactivity. For exampLe if i launch a massive fireball spell in a beautifully decorated room (such as the one a few posts above) i'd like for that room to show a bit of damage...or for curtains to sway a bit if the window is open, water to pour from faucets...little touches like that to make it not only beautiful but lifelike. its been 13-14 years since IE, i'm sure todays tech can do wonders with that old style even on a shoestring budget.

bro's and hoe's (don't kill me femenists, i'm a closet mangina irl) I wholeheartedly support modding in every way shape and form...if some of you ever find the time i recommend going back to NWN one day just to download a mod series called "Saleron's Gambit" (5 parts) the Aielund saga (massive game, 4 part saga) and probably some of the most genius modding possibly ever done for NWN called the Auren trilogy- (Almraiven, Shadewood and the upcoming Fate of the Auren)... these mod campaigns have better stories and more immersive gameplay than most roleplaying games that have come out since the IE era.... so yes, i fully support mod tools and i want them to be accessible to both types of people: the programmer ultra nerds and the super enthusiasts like me who have ideas but no hope to implement them due to no tech savvy.

tab highlight is downright essential if you don't want the OCD crowd literally dieing or going blind in front of their monitors as they slide the mouse over every-square-milimeter of the screen....sure it adds 1000's of hours to the game but c'mon man...this is ONE time "dumbing down" should reaally be overlooked for the sake of public health.

haha, it was actually in the same area Sarevok took 1000 magic missles to the face then had Gorion-kebabs, you also ran from a wolf like a bitch, met Imoen and got propositioned by Xzar and Montaron....its the screen just outside of candlekeep

I think if you're starting out as a nobody, a youngster or just some regular villager (w/e) the only real options you should have at character creation should revolve around 1) your current appearance 2) distribution of current physical and psychological potential (aka stats) and 3) whether or not you have "soul" power...and of course any backstory flavor options Obsidan may want to add. But as for choosing traditional classes like Fighter, Mage, thief and Cleric etc.? No, it just doesn't make sense for a nobdoy to have training like that out of nowhere. I'd like the prologue chapter to be at least partially centered around how you gain your initial n00b status skills. do you learn thieving from a low level mook in from the local guild? are you an acolyte of the village temple? Have you signed on for self defense classes with the town guard? or have you learned a few magic tricks from the crazy hermit who lives in the hills outside of town? Make my skills come from somewhere, i don't want to be a farmhand who automatically knows how to use and care for sword and armor or can pick locks "just because thats my class"... do you agree or disagree?

agreed...if a sword has an elemental effect i don't want to see it on the blade (unless it is an ability you activate for a short period, then i don't mind) otherwise i'd just like to see it when you actually strike your foe. as for armors, i don't mind "fancy" armors on royal or ceremonial guards but for actual gameplay armors the most over the top i'd be cool with is something like what Sarevok was sporting in BG1...i'll admit i kinda wanted to wear that thing after i killed him

honestly I'd want a few to be transcendental and abstract, who afect the world through trends of thought and influence large populations all at once in order to produce long term effects...perhaps these could be like the "true" gods... and then i'd also want the more capricious, malicious and mischevious gods who meddle directly into the affairs of mortals...these could be lesser or demi-gods...

i think a healthy balance is in order. For example the more enchanted a sword is the more elaborate or ornate its design could be...after all i don't want to wake up in the morning all groggy from the previous nights drinking and confuse my +5 Godslayer with my +0 Butterknife because they both look equally plain realistic... however, i also don't want my +5 Godslayer to look like a damned Buster sword from a Final Fantasy game, if you know what i mean.