rjshae

Remember when finding your first magical item was a thrill? Yeah I'm that old...

Recall that in MotB you started out at an already high level so the economy was different. The merchants were selling gear that the average Joe couldn't possibly afford, so the economy was completely and utterly unrealistic for a medieval setting.

To me, limiting gold is at the same level of realism as weapon repair; it's probably something better left to the expert mode. But a comparable option is to have "grades" of equipment, then limit the highest grade that a store deals with. I.e. a cheap Grade I or a good grade II sword is available from the village smithy; buying an expensive Grade V sword requires a visit to the Exquisito Sword Works in the capitol city.

Would it work better with 2D arrays? I.e. adding 3 and 2 => result in array element [3][2].

I think my expectation is that playing the game in Expert mode with a higher difficulty setting will take longer. Perhaps much longer. On the other hand, Casual mode should be easier to pick up and set down. But I really don't think the game should be streamlined too much to satisfy the time limitations of just a part of the market. For example, I can play the game when there are longer free intervals to focus on the action.

For me a well-implemented strengths/flaws system would have successful information hiding, in which case the determination of a favorable strength/flaw for a particular character type would be independent of the specific game conditions. Unfortunately that can't happen given the existence of walkthrough strategy guides... unless the game itself meta-games the selected strength/flaw to have a net neutral benefit. People probably wouldn't like that. It might be better to focus on what strength/flaws people would find fun to play with, rather than whether one or another gives a greater advantage. After all, one can always change the game difficulty level if a particular selection makes the game too easy.

The only thing I really wonder about is how far along they are on the overall production schedule? Other details are always welcome, of course.

Perhaps a companion who is in reality just a receptacle for an unbroken soul that was torn from its original body and bound to a medallion. Currently, the companion has the form of a furry animal who seems surprisingly intelligent, yet possessing the nature of a loyal pet. But it snarls at anybody attempting to remove the medallion from around its neck. Powered by its trapped soul, the pet possesses some unusual abilities that aid you on your quests. Its power is seen to grow in proportion to your own. In time, you may acquire tools that allow you to learn the truth about your pet. You then discover that it is on a quest to restore itself into its original body, which is serving some diabolical purpose in parts unknown.

I'm not really seeing the benefit of this. It's an option that most people would probably ignore, which means it would have low development priority.

You could overrun the planet with a mincing machine. Program them to attack each other, making even more copies.... Personally I'd like to see a more "practical" limitation. Like it can only fully replicate itself by absorbing the soul of a creature it has slain.

I still still can't seem to get into Agents of Shield, and yet I can't stop watching it. What's up with that? Must be subliminal mind-control technology.

The sales will have a strong dependency on how well the end product is received. Thus far it's looking good, but gamers as a whole can be a finicky market. Even the smallest perceived flaws can draw remarkably virulent commentary.

Well hopefully the mix of options available during level up will allow you to build and tune your own "kit". Despite not having multi-class, these options, plus the skill system, may at least let you "minor" in another class.

Slayers of the Great Serpent II: Beyond the Forest of Night -- "A classic fantasy adventure for Pathfinder and D&D 4th Edition. This module is the second arc of a globe-spanning quest." $390/$1,300 with 29 days to go. Ultimate Werewolf Deluxe Edition -- "A re-imagining of the best-selling werewolf game: a new design, dozens of roles, a new expansion, and new art for up to 75 players." Succeeding at $15,692 with 25 days to go. River of Heaven SF RPG -- "A science fiction role-playing game set in the 28th Century, using a modified version of the OpenQuest D100 system ." Succeeding at £1,143 with 58 days remaining. Alterkine: Dossier d20 RPG -- "Alterkine: Dossier is a d20/Pathfinder compatible based role-playing supplement for modern and futuristic settings." At $100/$300 with 57 days to go. Valkyn -- "Valkyn Is a Tabletop RPG set in a fantasy setting. It's designed to contain rich & deep stories as well as fast paced & fun combat." Presently at $600/$5,000 with 24 days left. An Illustrated Bestiary of Fantastic Creatures -- "The Bestiary of Fantastic Creatures is an adaptable RPG booklet of creatures based on the illustrations of Casey Sorrow." Succeeding at $1,991 with 15 days left.

I only use console commands to fix known bugs or while testing mods. To each their own, I guess.

I want to gain maximum mileage out of the developer's writing, so I'll take companions for the first pass. The second pass depends a lot on what happens in the first pass. If we end up with no companions for a couple of classes, I might want to add a companion from the adventurer's hall to try those out. I also like to try it with a completely different mix of companions. For a hardcore pass though, I'd probably go with the adventurer's hall and optimize the party for my tactical combat preferences.

Is that funny somehow? It just seems lecherous.

Odd-ball or exotic companions can become tedious because of their often one-dimensional nature. You might want to stick with unusual pets.

Gotta like the guy who feels compelled to stand up and point it out....

Possibly it could be interesting to have in-universe achievements be linked to the deities in the game, or at least the temples of the deities. That is to say, you go to a temple and ask what you need to do to support the associated deity. The priests say the deity would look favorably upon you if you did X, where X is something within the portfolio of that god. As an example, for a god of war, this may be challenging and winning a battle single-handedly against a particular opponent. Upon succeeding, you then get an atta-boy from the deity, which perhaps gives you some minor benefit.

I guess in an era when Seahawks-Saints playoff tickets are going at $400+ for 3 hours of play, playing $100 for an extensive computer game is becoming feasible. At least for high end gamers.

Crowdfunding for Star Citizen just passed US$35 million in December. They have just announced stretch goals for $36, $37, and $38 million. It boggles the mind.

I think Obsidian could do better with darker setting than Star Trek. Maybe Farscape, the schizophrenic under-rated tv series' game by the under-rated studio. It has a great name and it was awesome and it fits the great writing talent at Obsidian... I can see it! Are you saying you want them to produce an under-rated game?

When I see in-game 'achievements', I think "everybody and their mother probably already has this, so why should I care?". The levels in a class-based game already provide a sense of accomplishment. I suppose if the achievements you've gained unlock new abilities at level up, then it would matter.

I didn't see Wasteland 2 or Blackguards either. Is that because they are in pre-release/beta? That doesn't seem like a valid criteria.