Agent_DZ-015

Dragon Age: Origins, IIRC, had cooldowns on each potion so that you couldn't just spam a heal potion over and over while paused (as per Skyrim) in order to immediately boost your health to full. Which makes some sense, given that frequently too large a dose of a medicine can be a poison. Don't see why something like that can't work for P:E. I also mostly like the way the Witcher used potions, with planning in advance for encounters, (and also the way you had to balance beneficial effects with the toxicity of too many potions), though I don't think that system would work as well for a party-based game.

One of the things I realized upon seeing the new screenshot from P:E is that there really hasn't been a major 2D isometric game in a decade or so. Given how good some of them looked in the early 2000's (like your Commandos 2 example, mstark), it makes me really excited to see a decade of advances in graphics technology implemented in service of an isometric RPG.

You're not the only one. I LOVED Arcanum's string quartet score. Wish more games had scores that moved away from the full orchestral sound and used chamber music or other types of spare instrumentation. That said, some of Jeremy Soule's orchestral music is fantastic; the percussive menu/main theme for Icewind Dale is one of my all time favorite pieces of game music. Basically, there are definitely times when a full, sweeping orchestral score is called for, but I hope they don't use it everywhere in PE just because it's the default for games like this. Given Justin Bell's comments, though, there seems to be good thinking on Obsidian's part on the types and functions of music in the game.

You can certainly take this idea to the point that it becomes burdensome to play, as nikolokolus points out, but I think it's important for magic to be rare enough to be meaningful. Or, more accurately, it's important for powerful magic to be rare enough to be meaningful. I'm fine with large swaths of the world and their denizens being imbued with some minor magical nature, like the ability to detect a magical presence, or having a number of denizens of the gameworld being able to cast something like a light cantrip, or do some other minor magic that may have a slight effect on the world, but not a major effect. Being a major magical badass (whether it's you as the player or an NPC you encounter) should be something that requires serious work and study (and/or a freakishly uncommon natural talent), and as such should be relatively rare.

Agreed that it would be an interesting dimension to the game world, particularly if there are cultural differences regarding slaves, and factions or deities (or at least some smaller groups in-game) that have a vested interest in slavery, either pro, con or other. Also, in terms of player choice, it would also be interesting to not only be able to kill slavers and free all the slaves (as per your typical RPG hero), but also options to become involved in slaving and profit from it yourself (at the risk of losing reputation with factions, angering certain companions, etc), or keep the system of slavery intact, but work to improve conditions, etc. Or free several slaves and offer them employment, losing some of your own money to gain benefits of their work.