descalabro

My answer to this topic is "Yes" but with many in-game animated elements.

Damn! These are awesome... It has always been my belief that there is still a lot to explore with isometric graphics, and I've mentioned in a post somewhere that post-modern/futuristic settings have an even greater potential mainly because they allow for interaction with gadgets, motors, mechanisms, computers implemented in the game scenario (Fallout 1 & 2 come to mind) and they relate easier with mature themes. Graphics like these with animated elements make my day, and I wonder if there's a reason why this quality of isometrics is most often applied to adventure/puzzle games rather RPGs.

Is this a game or just fan-made art?

These look great, but here's the problem: they look like pictures, and animations would be a pain to blend with this I think. Still, I've seen the videos and the PC is well integrated. If animations could be properly added I think we would have a marvel here. This should have been Fallout 3.

I'm ok with the backstabbing ability the way it was done with all Forgotten Realms/Black Isle games. That means the injure level depends on the level of stats of both our PC and the enemy NPC.

Yes, but maybe that's because we haven't seen any isometric (with locked view) major title in the last few years.

printed books are expensive.

that made sense in PS:T's context, otherwise I would prefer no to have it.

On BG1 I usually would roll once or twice and then adjust the points according to my player's class (18, 18, 18 and the rest as much as I could get). Then I would use all the tomes and potions I could find to permanently increase other stats (including the ones found at TotSC). Once I imported my character into BG2 I had a very strong and relatively mentally capable fighter.

I've never had my immersion broken by the fixed viewpoint. And it's not that full 3D is not immersive (it is!), but like I said before on other posts: isometric perspective has become a style in itself, a style that many of us have learned to enjoy very much. It's another way of looking at computer generated art, and it relates more closely to old board games and tactical combat. Try to play Fallout 1 or 2 and you'll see how the action points grid on the floor is easier to read because of the fixed viewpoint. You'll probably also be impressed when you find out 90% of the game features of Fallout 3 were already present on those games. This doesn't mean that I want my isometric world to be completely static; for 2012 standarts I expect some game world animations where they make sense. And those standarts were set by Commandos 3 nine years ago anyway, so it shouldn't be that hard now. Speaking about the Commandos series, this is a good example: they released 3 highly detailed isometric games where the strategy factor was just brilliant: you had an overview of the entire area to refine your strategy. Then they decided the 4th game would be a FPS. Here's what happened: "The game attracted an overwhelmingly negative reaction, especially from those coming from fans of the earlier games in the series who see this a massive departure mainly due to the trademark difficulty instead giving way to a game that is much less so. Similarly, it was promoted as mixing elements of strategy from the past games with traditional first-person shooter game-play but instead only hinted them and whilst being predominantly action oriented. As a result, both critics and fans felt it did little to distance itself from the recent flood of similar games." There are so many other options for 3D and first person RPGs out there... Anyway, Feargus Urquhart said somewhere the camera will be able to zoom in Project Eternity.

I've always liked some good puzzles (such as choosing the right combination to unlock a door), mini challenges (such as selecting one of your characters to beat a series of foes in a sequence of rooms) and labyrinths (both spacial and temporal) inside cRPG's, specially inside dungeons, castles, etc.

So far I've only seen romance done well in PS:T, and even then it didn't affect the game path enough.

that's an important question. You should add a poll to it. With Fallout 2 I enjoyed to be able to keep playing so I could discover the secret locations on the map. Other than that, I prefer a game with a good replay value.

I'm thinking this will be, at best, the size of the first Icewind Dale, unless the funding continues to grow at this pace.

This sounds more like it.

You should turn this topic into a poll. It's an important matter. And that way the guys at Obsidian won't have to be reading posts to know how we feel. I think narrated sequences are better because they save money and time, usually relate more closely to old board/book games, and cutscenes are usually not as good as the game itself; sometimes they just don't blend. Maybe we can have them between chapters, but some artworks to go along the narration are ok too. IWD did this simply and effectively. I enjoyed cutscenes on Black Isle games, but I prefer having the money used elsewhere.

Well, they are all experienced game developers, so I expect them to know how to organize future goals. They mention 2.4million and beyond so I think they already have some plans concerning this matter. That's why hope they'll start addressing polls on this forum as soon as they have enough funding for some of the goals many of us crave for.

Yes, but only in random encounters.

Well, I believe they defined only some very important basic points about the game because they actually want to make the game based on the players' preferences. To be honest, I was not impressed by the map, or the logo, or the video (the music was ok), it all looked very cliché and I think I would have preferred to see them just presenting the project merely on the basis of 'pre-rendered isometric single player cRPG' which development would be based on the most appreciated features on this forum. This is why I think polls should be used as much as possible because they display information fast and clearly. I think almost all of the really important questions have been adressed already. And I think it's a fair system, even if they can't please everyone in the end. I do agree April 2014 is very little time to finish this game the way most people on this forum seem to be expecting, that's why I created this poll: http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/60383-flexible-deadline-for-a-more-refined-game/

Seems to me many of us are expecting a relatively rich game with a lot of features that take time to develop. Also I've seen many warnings about possible bugs and a rough-edged final product. I believe it's best to wait for a great final product and I think that April 2014 is a very short deadline to implement the features a game like this should have now that 10 years have passed since the last great isometric cRPG from these guys. Add-ons are ok, but they usually feel insufficient. I think the deadline should be flexible if Obsidian reaches the budget of a large scale cRPG. I also think some of the stretch goals beyond 2.4million (or more, depending on the stretch goals already set) should be based on the most voted/replied topics of this forum. The base funding has already been reached, and there are already a lot of interesting and relevant polls that I hope Obsidian will address to.

Of course I do. But in what concerns the lightning bolts, it would make sense if they hit near trees or if they struck a character wearing metal gear. I never quite understood if lightning hits in BG were random. Now, It would be cool if there was some advantage on wearing the right gear for the right weather, but that's one of those aspects which can only be a part of a very refined game after all the important things have been defined.

From the looks of it so far, the atmosphere will be very far from Fallout. I believe this would be the best choice because the market is flooded with medieval-style RPGs whereas there is still A LOT to explore and develop in post-modern game settings (the possibilities of in-game technology and quests related to it are endless). And I personally don't prefer one setting over another, it's just that there are a lot more traditional style RPGs out there. Problem is post-modern settings don't attract as many backers.

Visually(artistically) and musically, my vote goes for IWD series. It chilled my bones. Also, we got a chance to see how well AD&D worked for intensive combat, and they took the most out of the Infinity Engine with IWD2. As for plot and depth, PS:T wins by far. It was just superb. The way the concept turned out visually is also a plus. BG2 was a great mix of the 2 previous aspects, plus the depth of exploration was outstanding. It's interesting to see the results so far.

I agree with you, but how expensive can that be in 2012? This is really a question, not rhetorical. Can someone answer me? The Robin:Hood game I mentioned at the bottom of my topic has the best physics i've seen in an isometric pre-rendered game, it looks great too, and I don't think it had a big budget.

Well the flying dragons would be also a combat enhancement, and that makes a lot of my point in what concerns interactivity. Imagine if some creatures were able to climb walls to avoid melee attacks? Those are nice touches if they are not very expensive.