Jojobobo

Essentially, what Piccolo said. I read a while back on a different thread that someone (I know, I'm being very specific) said that characters shouldn't grow exponentially into super human attributes like they do in most games - and with this I wholeheartedly agree. It would be nice if attributes were either entirely fixed, or you could only up then by about four or five points the entire game - basically not oodles of attribute points. Also, rolling does sound pretty wonky to me - it's just a slap in the face to anyone who spends time planning out a character (like me) only to have a bad roll at the start. I don't even think it should be optional, as it's just encouraging unfair difficulty - if people really wanted to hamper themselves there should be the option to leave attribute points unassigned both at character creation and later (and also be able to lower attribute points at creation). There you've made the game difficult for yourself but it was your choice and not random chance.

Are they not currently firmly in the hands of the developers? Did I miss something? This is a forum. It is not a manual for the developers and not a list of demands about what they need to add to make their game any good. We are all powerless in what they choose to add, and thankfully so, since if we did have any actual power over content our collective and contradictory nagging would probably make the developers long for the good old days of publisher control. Yet if, given this reality, we choose to say nothing at all about our hopes and expectations for the creative direction of this game, why are we even here? Again, this is a forum. We discuss things here. it doesn't mean we are demanding things be added or removed; it means we express our views and, maybe every once in a rare while, a developer passes through, sees and agrees. Or doesn't agree. Or doesn't think twice about it. Whichever. We aren't discussing it so a developer can see it but because we're interested in the game, do not currently have the game, and so instead channel that excitement and interest into chatting about it and what it may or may not do. So yeah, I hope we see a lot more threads in which people talk about what they want to see in the story or what they want to see from the characters. Just so long as they lack any power to enforce those views, the more the merrier, and it would be pretty dull around here without such discussions. I can see your point, but I don't think the fans are entirely powerless; majority public opinion certainly helped shape the stretch goals a lot whilst funding was still open and lead to the inclusion of some goals that not everyone may have necessarily wanted. I guess I just don't want to see something shoehorned into the game or removed abruptly because that's what the fans say they want and the developers do have an obligation, when really the game might turn out stronger if some things that aren't popular were just left in or left out as they mesh better with the rest of the setting or mechanics, etc. Still, I apologise as this greivance doesn't really belong to this thread as you're right this is more of a discussion than anything else. I think we can all agree that really stupid clichés that have been done to death probably shouldn't be in the game, or if they are acompanying the cliché there should be some sort of twist or innovation.

I'd rather leave the story and the clichés that are or aren't used now firmly in the hands of the developers. They all have a great creative nous and the experience to know what they're doing, it seems unnecessary to instruct them continuously as they well aware of how to make a good story. I guess if people had an inspired suggestion then it's worth making a thread over but to tell them - reading between the lines - that they shouldn't do anything stupid is pointless. Plus playing a game that has a story which is too avant-garde and hipster is just as annoying as playing one that is full of clichés and uninspired. You need that perfect balance of familiar (even cliché) story elements coupled with some curve balls to make the story relatable and at the same time engaging.

Not read all the posts in this thread so it may have been covered - but what I want is a Arcanum style journal. Very similar to the Baldur's Gate style but with a bit more sorting to it.

I would really like to see trapping done in an interesting, unique and useful way (which has IMO never been seen in crpgs yet) - rangers are the class for that. More scripted dialogue/events for rangers due to greater knowledge of the wilderness - sure, I'm down with that too.

Flagellants are very cool, but as a subsect for regular monks. Having them as an entire class is way too niche - not everyone gets as excited by mortified flesh as I do.

Sorry, forgot about NG+, should have really stook that in the poll too.

I don't think them being popular in current media is a good reason to exclude them. You may as well say that because elves are pretty much in all fantasy games and literature ever that it's ridiculous PE is including them and they should try something new (not exactly the same situation, but not too far from the mark). My point is not all good ideas are original ideas, and if PE did have them in the game I'm sure they'd have a take on the myths that we've never seen before.

So, after the last main quest do you still want to be able to adventure? Personally, I would as I don't like feeling like the world stops once the last quest is done. However, this might not work with some endings (those where you character ends up in another dimension, an apocalypse occurs or that sort of thing) and it can sometimes make the ending less climatic (the ending slides of the Fallout series of how you changed the world certainly wouldn't have the same impact if you could strut around the world afterwards). Also to make this work the devs would have to put time aside to make people react to the events at the end of the game (IIRC one of the main reasons JE Sawyer didn't include it in FO:NV), which is made especially difficult depending on how many different endings the game has - but hey that "enhance the whole game" fund has to go somewhere right? What do you think?

I want farmland, and serfs. It'd be nice to feel like your stronghold is self-sufficient and that your character could conceivably retire there after all is done.

As a general trend I'd like to see evil characters benefit more in the short term but have the situation screwed when time has elapsed (you tell a goblin horde the location of a group of tree elves, they kill the elves and you get some of the spoils - later you find out you could have enlisted the help of those elves in a political coup if you'd got them on side) and vice versa for good characters (you help the tree elves out, who have nothing to offer you for now, but later then lend you aid). Also I'd like to see situations where taking the evil path increases the player's rep with a town through trickery (an example I've given before - a town wants rid of a monster that's eating it's townsfolk, you bargain with the monster to spread it's killing out across more towns and you make it look like you have slain the beast, the townsfolk reward you for your deception) than the good path (the only way to permanently get rid of the monster is through human sacrafice, you do this and permenantly solve the problem yet the townsfolk hate you). Some quests that fall into these two camps would be nice, but not every quest needs to try something clever so you could have a few where you perform a simple act of good and get rewarded for it or vice versa.

I'd want it, and also other random occurances (muggings, crazy preacher drawing a crowd, someone dropping a bundle of stuff they were going to deliver to a merchant, etc.). Both would really help bring the game alive. Even Arcanum had guards patrolling and bystanders walking around, and that game's over 10 years old now.

I think games should be scary, even fantasy games, which is why the inclusion of spiders is important as it does get under people's skin. If you feel uncomfortable then it'll underscore the peril your characters are in. Plus the fact spiders are present in fantasy literature, not including them is a bit odd.

They've said in an update or interview somewhere they'll do patches if they're needed, I can't for the life of me remember where now though. In any case, there's no need to worry.

They should only be in the game if they mesh well with the setting. Saying that medieval times were where these myths originated from, so I suppose they are quite apt. If they were in the setting inspiration should be taken from original medieval sources as opposed to the modern slant on things.

I wouldn't want to see it as it makes no in-game sense as to why it should happen, I never liked that HoF in IWD2 encouraged you to start with your old team. I'd much rather have a HoF mode that worked well with level 1 players. Plus the fact it gives players an avenue to grind indefinitely by starting as many new + games as they want with the same character, and it implies that getting to a decent or maximum level isn't possible in the basic game which in my opinion it should be.

Sounds like fun, I'd like to see a prison. It'd be cool to interrogate info out of your prisoners

Precisely, if it's a flat failure rate the only thing they would change is combat difficulty. Still it might be nice if they could use some out of the box thinking to change persuasion or sneak attempts - the only thing I can think of is subtley changing the layout of a dungeon or the array of enemies in it to affect sneaking, and having to make multiple hidden checks on dialogue to persuade someone where on normal mode you'd only have to make one (this would only work on non-voiced NPCs though if the devs had to slightly alter the dialogue, and would be a big development time sink compared to the simple changes you could make for sneaking so I don't know). Are these good ideas, or very bad?

I don't want repeatable quests in the game. If you do the same thing over and over again it just becomes meaningless filler, especially when you've attempted the quest before and now know exactly how to approach it again for an easy victory.

I didn't vote as I'd want a fixed amount of experience in the game, so though there is a level cap it would be because you have all the experience available in the game as opposed to you reach a max level and then stop levelling up regardless of what experience you gain. I think that way is better as it's nice to feel like your constantly advancing.

I'm for it - it worked great in V:tM~B. It also gives the devs a tight control on what sort of power level the PC and his companions will be at certain points in the game (and as such they can slightly focus where they want you to go if they don't use scalable monsters - not in a restrictive way but maybe more in a way to stop you advancing the main story too rapidly, as per FO:NV). On top of this it can be used to make players return to locations (a quest is too difficult, or the quest giver will only hire you when you're more advanced) which helps prevent the whole "I've cleared this area of quests, now onto the next" style of playing which isn't very organic.

I guess I've found my patron diety then. Seriously, I'd like to see a weak marginalised god who pertitions the players for help to rise back to their former glory - might be fun. They would be the god of, well, something that used to be relevant but isn't so relevant anymore.

I think fetch quests are fine, but to keep the player on their toes they should also through in quests that initially appear to be fetch quests but in actuality are not. For example, have a guy say he wants something fetched from a secluded area but when you get there him and all his buddies ambush you - that sort of thing.

How do you think a Heart of Fury mode will work with non-combat solutions to quests? Or do you think that as HoF mode was only ever exclusively a combat related thing it will remain as such? I'm intrigued to know what people think on this, I'm also genuinely curious to hear how people think a HoF mode figure into non-combat quest routes (if it will do at all) because I can't think of any ideas of how the devs could implement it as such myself. For those of you who have no idea what Heart of Fury mode is this link (http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/552350-icewind-dale-ii/faqs/55200) might help, look under the heading "What Happens in Heart of Fury?" for more details about how it works in IDW2.

Reading the latest interview on sorcerer's place (lookee here: http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=58248) I'm surprised guns are a common weapon of Priests. Well, surprised and excited - I keep thinking they'll be sporting weapons reminiscent of those used in Constantine. But as to their inclusion in general, yeah I am and always was all for it. Just play Medieval II: Total War - all factions bust out gunpowder late game.