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rjshae

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Everything posted by rjshae

  1. rjshae
    An earlier update mentioned that the outdoor and indoor viewing angles may differ. If the indoor viewing angle is more toward the vertical, that may help a lot with the interior spacial arrangement. Beyond that, since the animated figures are going to be 3D, perhaps they may also change the scale between the exterior and interior views? We'll see, I guess.
  2. rjshae
    Only 14 posts, so I'm guessing this is a troll. As it says on virtually every picture, the art is preliminary. They're looking at concepts, not art contests.
  3. rjshae
    Well of course they are all accessible from this side of the building; that's the only side you can see. Why would it be otherwise? I am curious to find out how they will handle the visual representation of the back side of buildings. Will they do a whole building fade so we can see the otherwise obstructed characters? Or perhaps a transparent area surrounding each character? Will they leave the back side doors (and other active features) visible so we can access them? I do remember becoming frustrated with trying to open doors located on the back side of buildings, both in one of the BG series games and one particular scene in Divine Divinity. Hopefully they can come up with a nice solution.
  4. rjshae
    NNnnnnnooooo..... !!!!!
  5. rjshae
    But then what will we do about the stay-puff marshmallow man?
  6. rjshae
    Ha, nice. Thank you for the update. But... Cloth physics? WTF? That's a lot of detail for teeny tiny figures. Love the artwork. That building looks almost old spanish in style. It just needs a clothes line and a TV antenna... oh, wait.
  7. rjshae
    Besides the normal gamut of terrain and medieval structures found in many a RPG, what novelties would you like to see? Here's a few thoughts of my own: Crannog -- an artificial island historically built in the lakes and rivers of Ireland and Scotland. Laager -- merchant wagons arranged to form a small fortification. Tower house -- a combination tower-keep and home. Jettying -- in which the upper floors project out above the lower levels. Moors -- I don't think I've seen a well-done representation of a scottish moor in a game; cold, wind-swept, rolling rocky scrubland. Hoodoos -- row upon row of them, as in Bryce Canyon, Utah. Sinking island -- This is an ocean island that rises above the waves then later submerges; not as a result of tides, but because of magic. River island -- reachable only by bridge or boat; a nice location for a fortified frontier settlement in a dangerous region. Tidal flats -- muddy, marshy, and bisected by channels, with tidal inflows and outflows.
  8. rjshae
    For me the IE overland movement rate seemed fine during exploration, since the party is advancing cautiously into unexplored territory. It's perhaps comparable to moving about in Sneak mode with Fallout 3. The main instance where it grew tiresome was in cases where the map had already been explored. Moving across the map to return to a locale on a quest-related mission can grow old, especially when you need to constantly herd the party because of pathfinding issues. (This was true even the first time through the game.) It was less of a problem once everybody got boots of speed, or the equivalent.
  9. rjshae
    While not wanting to see physical exertions like running have a direct impact on stamina, I would like to see the recovery rate slow down significantly while the character is exerting themselves. I'd also like to see some of the optional combat actions be limited based on the current stamina. A bruised and battered character shouldn't be charging around the battlefield.
  10. rjshae
    Interesting idea for a pet... Maybe you can get a glowing collar as an accessory?
  11. rjshae
    Smuggling for fun and profit can have some potential as well, whichever side you're on.
  12. rjshae
    As long as she's not called Zhjaeve and/or begins every sentence with "Know that...".
  13. rjshae
    Mmm, they may have developed as the result of efficiency and common sense at one point, but cultural inertia tends to maintain those roles even after technological developments have rendered them obsolete and even counter-productive. You may find the idea of a warrior woman silly, but a female pilot flying an apache gunship is still going to turn you into hamburger.
  14. rjshae
    I actually liked the rogue characters from DA2, Varric and Isabela. They were two of the highlights of the game, as far as I'm concerned. Minsc was mainly memorable for his one-liner quips, while I never found Morte the least bit appealing.
  15. rjshae
    To reiterate a point mentioned several times earlier: when a female wizard can cast a spell to turn you into a charcoal briquet and burn you at the annual sorcerers barbeque luncheon, it tends to change the power equation a little. There's no such society in our world because that sort of power doesn't exist prior to the industrial revolution. Things can and should be different in a setting where real magic exists.
  16. rjshae
    Didn't vote; want to be surprised. I.e. no plot design by gamer committee.
  17. rjshae
    Yep. If you allow players to loot everything, then I think you need to counterbalance it by adding in the actual expenses: food, booze, lodging, equipment repair, transport costs, taxes, bribes, theft losses, and so forth. It's easier just to say the two balance each other out, and so don't need to be covered at that level of detail.
  18. rjshae
    There's something of a similar flavor with the old world fencing and sword-fighting schools, in the sense of having "secret techniques". I don't think it necessarily needs to be oriental in flavor.
  19. rjshae
    Inventory and looting has been discussed at great length already. There's a trade-off between realistic completeness and simpler game play, which needs to be taken into account.
  20. rjshae
    In an interesting sign of things to come, there was a (now cancelled) Kickstarter project to build modular parts for a castle using a 3D printer. The level of detail on this already looks pretty good. So... assuming somebody does decide to move forward on this, would dungeon parts be next? Followed by print-your-own figurines? Just one slight problem though: purchasing a 3D printer and the "print" cartridges. Perhaps instead it will start at local hobby shops where they print your parts to order?
  21. rjshae
    It's fairly certain that a game like this will have some type of pop-up map, whether a reduced scale image or an artistic illustration. I think though that the area maps don't have to exactly follow the style used in the IE games. In particular: The explored areas of the map don't have to be placed in the corresponding locations on the area map. Instead, the explored area can be centered in the map image. The full area doesn't need to be be constrained by a rectangle. It would be better if the boundary of the area was uneven. These have the net effect of leaving the true boundaries of the area uncertain, and making it feel more open. For dungeons especially, an obvious rectangular boundary makes it look more contrived. A particular example of this was in NWN2, and it made the areas feel very contrived. Any other concerns?
  22. rjshae
    Awakening magic items Here's a notion I had for an alternative approach to item "identification": Say your character finds an item with some mysterious magical powers. Now in D&D to use an identify spell to try and find out what those powers are. But, in PE, where magic is drawn from the soul, suppose that the nature of the powers becomes immediately apparent to the PC. Instead, the powers are "locked" from access and you will need to find a means to "awaken" those powers. That is, the powers are visible in the item description are visible but inactive and you need to forge a link from your soul to the magic in the item. Such magic item powers could be awakened by frequently wearing or wielding the item. They could also be awakened by casting a related spell into the item, which can cause a synchronization with the power, causing it to be activated. (This may be an area where a Chanter's lore becomes useful.) Finally, for those without the right skill or power, the item could be taken to an expert for them to find the appropriate means. At any rate, what you have is the possibility for a more extensive system of triggering an item than just casting an identify spell. What do you think?
  23. rjshae
    I think that the types of sudden shifts in scale and angle described by the OP would have limited usefulness and may be disconcerting. Changes in mood and atmosphere can be accomplished by other means: sounds, music, colors, illumination, timing, or cut-scenes.
  24. rjshae
    Lazy work for hastily assembled concept art? The very nerve! They should have spent weeks and a big chunk of the budget getting the image just so. You should be an art critical; you at least know what a color wheel is. LOL.
  25. rjshae
    I like the level-0 light spell in D&D v3.5; it frees up a hand and doesn't require walking around with a stash of flammable torches. This worked very nicely in NWN2. Hopefully they will have something comparable to that in PE. At a higher level, perhaps they could have a magical light that illuminates the surroundings but doesn't give away your position?
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