Silver6986

And would hopefully look really cool to boot!

Absolutely if under the following condition: The area that this so called battle is to take place with whatever monster/encounter is able to be interacted with in a following expansion or in the next installment of PE (PE2 or perhaps even PE3 - which I think would be really interesting!), A bit like Watcher's Keep from the BG series, you can access this area either in BG2 (when you may be under leveled/under geared) or ToB. I would like this even more so if it was the protagonist that you create it PE, take through to either to PE2 or PE3 and then lay the smackdown, as opposed to the concept that when PE ends you do not continue the adventures of your protagonist from the previous game.

True, And what better way to do this then by playing the son/daughter of the protagonist of the first few PE games who has now reached godhood, as the setting could be in a completely different part of the realms of PE and also then begin an entirely new story arc, imagine if the previous save files could be used to transfer major consequences that were experienced in the previous games which changes the structure of the new game. I feel THAT would make for an epic backdrop for a new PE game.

I think that with all the wealth of experience and knowledge at Obsidian that these guys have it covered to make both an amazing, believable and immersive world that still includes choices that matter and that have real consequences, so a vote for choices and consequences for sure. Not really fussed about stretch goals specifically dedicated to this type of thing, as stated, I have complete faith that OE have it covered. Plus Kickstarter only has a few days left to go.

Now that would be an interesting twist, nice point )

That's a good point, I didn't think of those examples (regarding BG2), but tbh they are not really used all the time either, overall if you really wanted to you could for example have Minsc use dual maces throughout all of BG2 and ToB and you will be fine, if you need to kill a Troll, swap to Bow + Arrows and use Acid Arrows, if you need to slay Vampires then grab some stakes on the way there. That's pretty simple stuff, it's nowhere near as complicated as OP makes it sound. That's exactly the sort of thing I would like to see

You said it best OP everything is going to be fine, Obsidian are pros, I don't think what you have mentioned will be anything worth worrying about as they will have it covered.

Complete control, makes for better replay value. For example when playing BG series I now find I always use the Level 1 NPCs mod in order to tweak every companion that I plan to use for a playthrough. I used to get annoyed when I wanted to convert Jeheira from her preset skill point allocation over to Duel Wielding, simply because it took a LOT of levels before this became worthwhile.

I would honestly love to see my character continue to grow over the course of following games (perhaps to a finale in PE2 Exp or even PE3!), with the first expansion similar to BG:ToSC, focusing on exploration and intrigue. If the general arc of the story allows for this I feel this game has the real potential to replace my love for BG! It would BE EPIC!!!

BG2 had a pretty sweet arena (albeit small) in the Underdark in Ust Natha, if something along those lines was added to PE it would be a welcome addition in my eyes

Well said, I don't ever distinctly remember having to carry multiple weapons for all of my party in BG or BG2, I don't see how that ads value to the game if using OPs example you need THAT many different weapons.

This all depends on a number of factors doesn't it? Say we take what the devs have said to be true with regards to the current landscape whereby there will be pockets of primitive societies, I would be quite happy to see misogynist examples made within such a place (if it is an interactive environment for example). But yes in a more developed setting I can see your point. I guess it depends on just how prevelant magic is? I know it is tied to souls, but just how much of the common folk know the potential of their soul and how to access this? We don't know this yet. Same with disease, in said primitive cultures this could be a real issue, expecially so if the culture shuns magic. I think with everything I voted for I would be happy to see these within the setting of PE, they don't have to be massive, just relevant.

I am happy to have a dog come along for the ride as long as it doesn't take up an NPC slot New Dogmeat FTW!!

Which sounds pretty much like a copy of what Fallout 1 & 2 have, where injuries are a byproduct of combat and need to be taken care of either by a Doctor, or if you invested in the Doctor Skill enough you could then fix the problem yourself with the use of a Doctors Bag or First Aid Kit etc...

Well looks like my votes are in line with the majority, so adverse effects for both a critical hit or a critical miss (a la Fallout 2), but I voted 'other' as the type of effects should be designed around what is available to the player (weapons of ice, fire, types of spells etc) of which we don't know exactly what these will be yet, especially concerning the balance of the game. But hell, any of them mentioned sound great (in theory)

I would say "pretend it never happened", whatever the IE games (combined) achieved I feel was far greater then what was attempted at recreating with Dragon Age: Origins, but what did Bioware do after DA:O?? They do a 180 and &^*% it up completely, in many ways going backwards! Everything OE need for a reference point they can take from the past, they don't need to adjust to what was on offer from DA:O imo.

BG2 style FTW!! And PLEASE GIMME A SWORD THAT TALKS (and is upgradable), ARRGH that would be EPIC!!!

Yeah, I'd be fine with either. Having the descriptions of what the speaker is doing (Torment style) is nice, given that the visuals aren't going to convey this information, but the more streamlined BG system gets the job done adequately. Which system would work better for P:E will probably depend on the narrative and pacing of the game. If the game is more combat focused, the sparse feel of BG style dialogue would probably fit the feel of the game better. If the game is more contemplative, then the slower, more detailed approach used in Torment would probably be the way to go. Since I'm assuming this game will be somewhere in the middle, maybe a compromise between the two would be the way to go. That is, a system that doesn't pile on the text like in PS:T but that still includes some description to paint the scene for the player. In the end, I'm sure the writers will know which style will work best for P:E. They know the game the best and have a lot of experience with writing dialogue for different kinds of RPGs. Well said, I think that would be great

Yeah I would also like to mention that tbh DA:O, whilst it could have been a spiritual successor to BG, I DO NOT FEEL IT WAS, as such this includes combat mechanics or subsequently the lack of due to design by Bioware. So I agree with Living One. There is just a lot less options to combat with DA:O, it gets really hilarious with DA2 if you consider that some of us wanted the game to further the original concept, not flip it and spit all over it...

This is getting tiresome because I've already addressed all your points previously and more than once.So this is the last time I'll explain why it's either a bad idea or a waste of time to implement this feature. 1-"Where are the compromises? The fact that you could let the game play itself with a complicated enough script? That only really works if the combat encounters are not challenging and that has nothing to do with scripts but with encounter design." I've already explained that the quality of the encounters is low BECAUSE of that feature.You said it yourself:"Managing your party yourself is always a much better system if you want the maximum benefit from all abilities of the entire party."The problem stems from the fact that DAO had to dumb down its own encounters to make itself playable for people who wanted to solve battles with a system that's much less precise(by your own admission).And no matter how good the script is it won't be as good as managing the party yourself. And if encounters aren't dumbed down to make so viable such a gameplay option?If they are variefied(they have already confirmed their commitment in this regard) then the players will have to constantly change the scripts wich means that the ''''advantage'''' of not needing to manage the battle goes down the toilet since you'll spend a lot of time in more clumsier menus,going back and forth between various slots rather than simply selecting the needed ability during battle.If encounters are good,then tactics slots won't be enough to win(or at least you'll performe much worse making death more likely later on).With good encounters the scripts might be nice only if they complement active management(thus they should be quite limited)not if they try to be an alternative(like in DAO). Basically you either create an option (DAO-like scripts here)and make it viable with all the attached consequences(wich,as explained,are bad in this case) or you create the option but don't make it as viable as it could be avoiding all negative consequences(but in this case why waste dev time creating it then?) 2-" However there are many combats where you don't really care about detailed management, killing a few dogs in a corridor, a guard or two in a room, some bandits on the road. You don't need to micro manage everything for that and can let the scripts run along while only controlling one character." In these cases encounters are so simple that you need very little managing anyway.This, combined with the fact that such encounters shouldn't be 'many',makes the implementation of such a feature an even bigger waste of time for developers. Is that clear now?That feature is at best a waste of resources/time for devs or at worst it'll simplify the game. Err.. look the devs have already mentioned that there will be modding for this game made available to us (available on Nexus) and the devs will be releasing as much of the data as possible required in order for modding to happen, I also know that there were a number of Mods made for BG1 & 2 in relation to scripting NPC actions (or reactions to situational cercumstances) for people who wish to utilise such a feature, as the original scripts were, if I am honest, woeful and as such I never used them! Look it would be nice as a feature for those who want it, as some of the modifications for BG were VERY specific and complex, but if it really is too much work for the devs to sort out, then don't worry, just wait for a modder to do it for you and then THANK THEM for all their hard work. I would be very surprised if someone doesn't come up with such a feature down the track if the devs don't implement one (a very sophisticated one anyways).

Other then the Wolfenstein idea, I am pretty much with you, some hair customisation would be great, I felt that was sorely missing from BG, especially so when you could see that Drizzt had long hair for his animations in game, yet your character (playing as an elf) could not have long hair! I think if done tastefully your "damage over time" idea with the portraits is actually not bad, but I shudder to think about it if done poorly, regardless that's a lot more work for the portrait artist. You could see some form of this with the transition from BG1 to BG2 with the new portraits, the "canon" NPCs that follow you to chateau Irenicus (ie Minsc, Jaheira, Imoen) look somewhat injured compared to the originals in order to give an indication as to the experiences Irenicus subjects everyone to. Which is interesting in itself as your portrait doesn't show any signs of damage, obviously I can tell why (you can have a custom portrait foe example), but thought it worth mentioning.

if you don't want to read a lot of text, I have a feeling this is not the game you are looking for. Ah. That comment brought a smile to my face, thanks ogrezilla, very true.

I voted for BG style but hey if the devs can afford to go that way with regards to VO then I am happy, either way, interestingly I think I remember reading in an interview one of the devs mentioned reactive text and a focus on this in particular (like the reactive text seen in Fallout 2 in New Reno). So depending on just how much reactive text is used in PE the devs may opt for BG style VO, now if this is true then I would MUCH much rather a heavy focus towards reactive vs PS:T style VO.

Easily BG, hands down.

I could not agree with you more OP!! Compared say to NWN and the crafting feature in HotU there was no lore, nothing at all more then an upgrade to your weapon, which didn't feel epic at all when compared to upgrading your items with Cespenar, that familiar was so awesome