rjshae

I wonder. Since they seem to have a somewhat hindu/buddist theme of reincarnation of souls, maybe they will look to east Asia for inspiration? How about the Garuda? Or the Naga?

If I may, I'd like to put in a plug for an athletics skill to cover forms of movement like running, swimming, climbing, jumping, balancing, and maybe even levitating or low-altitude flying. Those are elements that I've come to miss from the tabletop games because they add significantly to the player's options for completing missions. Granted these actions may be more difficult to include with a fixed isometric perspective. But they would add another means for potentially bypassing combat. Why not include climbable walls and swimmable streams where they would help the party bypass opposition? It would be fun to sneak into a mansion by climbing up to the roof, or entering a pirate ship by swimming up to the side and climbing aboard.

54. 26 is old? Bwahahahahaha...!

What about a "Marshalling Party" panel that would allow various options and lists the time that must pass for these to occur? It could, for example: Send current party members to specific base locations. Compute a minimum, low risk round trip time to retrieve party members from their various locations. Allow a more rapid character retrieval by paying to dispatch a messenger. Restock the party with basic supplies like ammo, healing kits, thief tools, &c. Go and rest up the party in a nearby inn. With such a dialog interface the player can just make the changes happen without all of the tedious travel. (You'd still have to use it from a safe location, of course.)

Based on what I've read so far, I'm guessing they'll stick close to the D&D model. Hopefully they'll add a few differentiators that take advantage of the game being computer-based. Personally I'd like to see the more detailed component armor from Drakensang and the segregation of armor defense and damage resistance ratings in rules systems like GURPS; those shouldn't be too difficult to implement, I think, and they add a lot of meat for gaming wonks like me.

Small groups of bandits probably wouldn't go after a party of adventurers; it's too risky and there's not enough reward. Better to ambush weakly guarded merchants. If it doesn't look profitable, the bandits should really scatter into the wilds. Tracking them down should be relatively difficult, and as often as not they'd get the drop on you and run you into some traps.

A number of games (Torchlight/DS2/Rogue-likes) use the concept of item sets that improve in power when you collect all of the parts. Those can be fun as well, although they tend to turn the player into a pack-rat. Sets can double as items that increase in power as the class improves.

Gorgeous pics; love the artwork posted here.

The "Shakes".

Sounds like a Mod project, if somebody really wants to take it on...

Graphics and visual effects equal to ToEE (or better) would be most excellent, in my mind. About the only thing I'd miss is the beautiful long view renderings you sometimes get in games like Oblivion, but I can live without that. Question: even though it sounds like this may be a 2D isometric display, what about the possibility of supporting 3D displays at some point? I.e. including some depth information.

For a Paladin-like feel I'd think you could just split clerics into warrior and scholar branches, with Paladins leaning toward the former. Shrug.

If it's a fixed isometric viewpoint, does armor or weapon detail really matter that much? There's no point in blowing a bunch of resources on graphics you're not going to be able to view up close. I'd much rather have good magic and environmental effects.

I had a notion: instead of letting the player just buy a house, how about allowing them to acquire a mysterious old Pub? That would not only give them a place to stay, but also provide an opportunity to interact with visitors if they so choose. Maybe it can start off as a run-down dive that attracts a criminal element, then, depending on how the player spends money on upkeep and improvements, it could gradually turn it into a warm and cozy place that attracts merchants and travelers. Or by spending a lot, it could turn it into an elegant establishment that draws in the spoiled upper crust. Depending on the state of the place, different types of customers can lead to unique side quests. The player could even start a family there and have their spouse run the place in their absence. (But beware of staying away for too long...)The player could shop for beverages and find the right staff as they travel the realms. The pub could also have a long, complicated history with mysterious secrets and hidden rooms. What do you think?

Yes, it's been ages since we've had a party-based fantasy game where real tactics matter. Most modern games just seem to be about managing the mayhem, mashing the mouse button, and watching the health (and mana) bars. The isomorphic perspective also seem fine to me, both because of the table top feel and the more natural expression of terrain artistry it allows. I'm definitely looking forward to this one.

Mostly I'd like to see visibility effects because it would make tactics matter. Thick fog or heavy rain (or smoke from a forest fire) should hinder ranged combat and provide cover for concealment. As for random lightning bolts... ah, not so much, unless it's specific to the circumstances.

Rather than crafting a multitude of magic items, I'd actually like to see rare items of legend that scale distinctively with the advancement of the bonded character. That would make enchanted items feel unique and precious. The available legendary items could be varied with each game, making replay more interesting.

I wouldn't mind seeing simple firearms of the flintlock variety; requiring a long time to reload in melee but giving dramatic effect when it is used. But I'd also hope that the designers give it a unique magic-realm twist so it can't be mass manufactured. It could be this realm's equivalent of Greek Fire, which was available in the middle ages in Europe.