Shaewaros

The devs seem to want to keep all options available and at this point there is really no need to restrict their creativity. All Arcanum fans surely liked this update since the game vision seems imply that the game will have some similar themes - the conflict between technology and magic for instance. The fact that Sawyer stressed that different cultures have different perception on the nature of a soul is particularly interesting for me since it shows that Obisdian takes the metaphysical side of the concept of dualistic ontology really seriously and they'll probably include a lot of philosophical themes into the game. I'm really looking forward to this game.

I'd like to see at least 15 NPCs since there has to be variety in the party setup. Even in BG2, where there were 17 joinable NPCs, I've sometimes felt restricted, especially by the lack of competent thiefs. If there is going to be under 10 joinable NPCs I'm going to be disappointed.

Real time with pause of the best option since this game wants to resemble games like Baldur's Gate and PS:T.

Just bring them on. A fantasy setting without undead would feel incomplete. At least if the devs decide not to include them, this should be part of the lore.

Companions should be killable at any time. However since they make the gaming experience so much richer, I never wanted to kill any of my companions in BG2.

Archetypes are powerful tool for bringing something familiar for an otherwise unfamiliar world. In a game such as this one there has to be at least some archetypal characters and motifs so that the players won't feel like they don't have any point of reference in the game world that would connect it to their experiences in the real world. Archetypes don't have to be cardboard characters, they can and should have unique features, but their motif and functionality should be based on familiar principles.

Thievery should be emphasized more that in the BG titles. I agree that there were very little interesting and unique items to steal in those games and I would really enjoy finding new and unique items by pickpocketting them from random NPCs.

Very important question. I prefer static items, since it gives the world a more designed character. Also modders can create mods that can suffle the items around so that once you get bored to the original item placement, you can experience the world in a different way. Randomized item systems can easily take immersion out of the game experience - I remember replaying a certain dragon encounted through some 20 times in Might and Magic VII just to get the kind of loot I wanted for my party. That kind of exploitation is obviously retarded, but if the game mechanisms do not prevent me from doing so, I will constantly keep wondering whether I could have gotten better loot from a certain enemy etc.

I'd like to see the devs go old school on magic - spells have to be memorized and they only replenish after resting. Mages should be completelly useless in close combat and be able to change the course of a battle. I don't know what spell combos are but I don't like them since they're something new and scary.

I agree that this is an interesting and important question. I personally preferred Baldur's Gate's dialogue style, but both methods can world well in a game. However the other question is even more important in my opinion. I loke the second option the most, since in my opinion seeing the stat requirements in a dialogue option ruins the immersion for me. I'd rather know that when I try to persuade a person, I have to have either high intelligence, high charisma or speech in order to convince someone, but I don't want to know exactly how hard it is to convince someone. Fallout did this aspect perfectly in my opinion.

Well, the poll results speak louder than words. No level scaling please.

There are a lot of competent composers and I don't claim to know whose composition would fit this game the best. I love Mark Morgan's compositions, but I'm not sure whether high fantasy is really the optimal genre for him, even though he did phenomenal job with Planescape: Torment. Well, it was a relatively unorthodox RPG so I guess Morgan's unorthodox compositions complemented it well.

The OP's question confuses two separate issues - maturity and realism. The devs have pointed out that this will be a M rated mature game, so there will certainly be mature themes. However mature themes do not imply that the game would also have to be realistic - it can be utterly unrealistic while being mature at the same time.

I actually would like to see enemies having both resistances and immunities, but they should not be too strongly emphasized.