IndiraLightfoot

Pointless, you say? Come on! Have you seen one of them Death Godlikes? They are anything but point-less.

Grivenger: He has, courtesy of rpg.codex. It's only fair, given his humongous investment into the BB.

Sensuki: Cool! I might have a looksie or two then. However, I have been pretty good at sliding through such videos extensively and muddle my attention when it comes to the story and anything meaty content-wise, so I'll see what I do. I'll try to keep my first playthrough as virginal as possible.

I'll repeat what I posted earlier: "I have spent days now pre-planning my first build, and I reckon I have finally settled on one that I think we will work well for a first playthrough with companions and interesting options in dialogues and scripted events. Another neurotic habit is not visiting forums such as these when all the player posts, bug reports and reviews and playthroughs roll in like a huge spoiler tsunami, so you'll probably not hear from me in a while. Warning, folks! Our super-diligent Sensuki already has a copy of them game (which is of course great, for him at least - lucky bastard), and he plans to upload vids on it like tomorrow, so while I'd love to watch them, I certainly won't in the next couple of weeks or so." This will be great guys, so avoid spoilers here for quite a while and enjoy!

One of my neurotic habits has already been brought: I have spent days now pre-planning my first build, and I reckon I have finally settled on one that I think we will work well for a first playthrough with companions and interesting options in dialogues and scripted events. Another neurotic habit is not visiting forums such as these when all the player posts, bug reports and reviews and playthroughs roll in like a huge spoiler tsunami, so you'll probably not hear from me in a while. Warning, folks! Our super-diligent Sensuki already has a copy of them game (which is of course great, for him at least - lucky bastard), and he plans to upload vids on it like tomorrow, so while I'd love to watch them, I certainly won't in the next couple of weeks or so.

Hands off! Nobody touches that stalker pet ability on my watch!

Five days, revving at the gates now... *Wroom, wroom*

Instead of were-otter, think wear-udder... Get it? *Nudge, nudge* Like, novelty cow boobs. *Leaves in silence and shame*

Can't hurt to throw in another heart-felt thanks. Thx, Obsidian!

When I was a kid, I had an obsession with otters. They were my favourite animal. I got books over at the library and read everything about them, so please include otters and were-otters in the expansion. It's funny, though. When americans pronounce "otter", my mind conjures images such as this one:

Why not punish movement altogether, harshly? You move, you die! *Disintegrate. No saving throw. Poof!*

Finally I'll get me some sleep again! So many nights, twisting and turning in knee-clingy sheets.

I have tried it a lot in BB 480 - in three capacities: tanky 2H ranger + murderous bear pet killing stuff hard (strongest version), dexxy two weapon style with super-fast weapons (very good too), and an equally dexxy ranged madman gunner with Fast Aim (absolutely lethal). It's one of my contenders for my first character. I had given up on it, but now the class is back with a vengeance.

Striped_Wolf: Yeah, the AI could certainly improve in that department.

Ditto! It actually reminds me of NWN2 combat much more now, where you don't have to baby-sit your characters too much. Like Shevek's vids, I'm dealing with encounters in a more relaxed manner with no super-microing, that is, I don't play it like I would do in an RTS. Sensuki: Recall when we discussed combat back in the fall, and you were worried about PoE's combat turning more and more into NWN2's (less movement, and kind of turn-based in a sense), and I was increasingly satisified about that. Guess who looks to be getting the short straw?

If you look at it more closely the game plays itself. You can see the guy not pause except at start of battle and other 3 characters use all their abilities themselves and switch to new targets. He barely had to do anything and nobody was close to being knocked out. I love D3 and I absolute adore the NWNs, so I really dig the look of this. It also looks like D:OS, which is a pretty fantastic game as well. Still, I must admit, from what I've seen of PoE, that Pillars of Eternity has a more realistic style that appeal even more to me. It's just gorgeous! Yeah. I'm pretty sure they were over-levelled. As for the banter, the reverb on those VOs was a bit stark, to say the least, and as has already been pointed out - they don't respond to each other's lines - still, looking back, many VOs were dorky in the IE and the NWNs as well - still great fun, though. I thoroughly enjoy Forgotten Realms, first and foremost, and many of the basic concepts of D&D, but like you, I don't find the resting and the Vancian stuff sacred by any means. Overall, I like the fast-paced combat and rather light-hearted atmosphere. I'm one of those rather few non-pausers in NWN1 and NWN2 (with exceptions of a few tricky fights, of course). Having played them games for thousands of hours (unhealthy amounts), I love the possibility of dealing with encounters quicker and more on-the-fly. EDIT: Story-wise and quest-wise, It still seems to be a pretty generic sp campaign, however, more like NWN1, I guess, and in part NWN2 OC.

I found all three in my last BB playthrough as well - all of them, you could read, just like a book, but obviously shorter, like a page or so in alles.

I like this kind of movement penalty. However, I find the movement talents and the effect of Dex, etc, far too lacking to have an impact on movement. Something needs to be done about that. The most fun would be if PoE allowed you to make both stand-still specialists and fleet-footed masters in one and the same game. I'd love to see that kind of breadth to the mechanics.

This is really nice to know, but here's a basic question for you: If you're a KS backer, like me, and a Steam user, does it still work like this? 1) You put them Steam keys out on Monday or Tuesday next week on your backer portal, with the right Steam tier for it - Royal or whatever applies. 2) I copy it into Add game over at Steam, and then I will get the option to preload later. 3) At the same time, you give us backers, a few digital booklets on your backer site, with one exception: the strategy guide.

Hmm, so basically interrupted animation frame sequence just will start over? In the midst of an attack? Interrupt! Then, the attacker will have to remake the attack. In the midst of recovery? Interrupt! Then, the recovery will keep on going from where it got cut off. In the midst of reload? Interrupt! Then, the reload will keep on going from where it was stopped. And how about recovery, going from ranged weapon fired into a spell and then back again? And how do I know when a long recovery-reload weapon is ready for a new volley, while I've shifted into spell-slinging mode?

Hi! I have a few questions: Each attack and each spell is basically locked to the frame rate of the game (30 fps), and they are divided into attack/spell animation frames, recovery frames, and for some ranged weapons, reload animation frames. Moreover, when you switch weapon sets, there is a recovery penalty as well. Take the talent Quick Switch, and it is reduced. My questions mainly concern what happens when any of these animation frame sequences get interrupted or cancelled: 1) When attacking with a melee or ranged weapon, and you get interrupted, will the animation reset and automatically start over? Or will I have to command that unit to do its attack again? Is it outright cancelled? 2) When attacking by casting a spell/ability, I presume an interrupt means that it is cancelled. However, is that per encounter or rest spell/ability lost then? 3) When my melee or ranged weapon or spell that just attacked/was cast is recovering, and you get interrupted, will the animation reset and automatically keep recovering? I mean, if not, and it starts over, my character would benefit from such an interrupt. 4) During a reload of a ranged weapon, if you get interrupted, will the animation reset and automatically keep reloading? Once again, if not, an interrupted reload might be a blessing? 5) If I shoot a ranged weapon with a long recovery and reload time, and then switch weapon sets or even better, cast a spell instead, will that recovery and reload keep going in the background (if so, can I check how far it's gone, like those pips?) 6) When switching weapon sets, will weapon set 1 recover and reload while I'm shifting to weapon set 2 and then fire it? All of the above is important stuff for understanding combat and planning certain builds, and I have no clue. And lastly, and odd suggestion that just struck me: Some people find the naked ranged characters a bit immersion-breaking and weird (You'd do anything for better recovery times, it seems). So, how about this penalty for naked characters, but not for those in robes and above? Naked characters should not be allowed to switch weapon sets in combat. Only possible exceptions, if we consider a small belt or something: one stiletto may be switch to a dagger or a club, but that's it. At least it would be some penalty. I have a hard time, picturing naked characters lugging around arbalests and two-handed swords without severe rashes, sores and chafes on their exposed bodies. Heh, but the pain-digging monks might enjoy that.

Yeah, it's pretty neat with this flexible looting.

For real, guys??? Wow!! That... I mean... It doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Mechanics for finding hidden stuff? I'm pretty certain my companions comment on me finding purple buttons, etc, and they game present me with text descriptions when I do - and they all discuss it in terms of "You've found something really concealed and sneaky", i.e. perception - or so I thought? My head is reeling right now. Mechanics! EDIT: In my latest playthrough of all BB content, I disarmed like every trap there was - and the combat log politely inform me of its level, like 8,9. 10 - and then I get some xp, but when I find a hidden key or whatever - no skill info shows up in combat log, nor do I get xp. Odd. EDIT2: It almost borders on being a full-on bug to me, unless PoE features sentences like: "How nimble of you to find that ear ring in that crack between the floor boards" and "Imagine that you saw that feather stuck in that tapestry. You are a real tinkerer, you know."

Thanks for telling me! I had no idea, the sneaky bugger ran off with something important. Well, not that I need a spear anyways.