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mstark

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Posts posted by mstark

  1. Based on some of the most popular threads on these boards, this is what I'd expect to see:

     

    • A console based, multi-player, LAN experience with modding support
    • Localization/translations for every country
    • Great DPI scaling
    • Justin Sweet will be making the portraits.
    • The main plot line would focus on feminism, the role of female breastplate, with splashes of romance.
    • No save games to prevent degenerate play
    • Armor
    • Like 1
  2. The surface pro 2, and its previous iteration, will be able to run Project Eternity without a hitch. Just keep in mind you might need upwards of 50GB storage for the game's texture files. The only weakness of laptops is their integrated graphics, but this is near irrelevant in Project Eternity, since only characters and spell effects will be polygon-based. You should be able to run it medium to high settings, you won't really need to use AA on a screen with that pixel density (the technology was only invented to combat pixelation on lower resolution screens), and this will improve your performance.

     

    However, due to the high pixel density, you may want to play it on a resolution lower than the native 1080p in order for the game to remain playable (UI elements will become tiny, and it'll look a bit like you're playing with an ant farm).

     

    The surface pro 2 can drive an external monitor, so you could get a larger screen to connect it to for an improved experience. I'm considering getting a Vaio Tap 11 (similar to the Pro, but with a weaker CPU), I really like the portable form factor combined with the ability to turn it into a full desktop experience once you connect a screen, mouse, and keyboard :).

     

    Either way, if the game would struggle at any point, you only have to lower the quality of 3D props (spells, characters, monsters, npcs...), the 2D backgrounds will remain as gorgeous as ever, especially on the high pixel density surface pro screen. The Intel HD4000 (4400, 4600, 5000, 5200 etc.) are surprisingly capable graphics cards, but few games are/have been optimized for them. This is changing now that these cards are posed to pretty much take over the (non-hardcore 3D gamer) market. I'm convinced Obsidian will make it a priority to make the game run on an average (Intel HD4000) laptop.

     

    Regarding the touch screen, you will be able to use it since touches and drags are OS native (if you touch the screen it'll count as a left click). The game, however, will be unlikely to have any support for bespoke touch commands like pinch-to-zoom, this was addressed by a developer at some point (unless this changes before release).

  3. The green grass texture looks quite blurry, as if a lower resolution texture was stretched to cover the area, or even intentionally blurred, before being applied.

     

    The texture on the stones could do with displacement/bump maps, for the dark lines not to look so flat. Actually, since it's all pre-rendered, go wild with the displacement maps! It adds actual depth to an otherwise flat texture. No idea if the software you use supports it, I've used it with v-ray for architectural renders: http://www.vray.com/vray_for_sketchup/manual/displacement_in_vray_for_sketchup.shtml.

  4. Lovely, lovely lore.

    @JFSOCC,
    I agree with your critique of the environment, I pulled up the original PE screenshot for comparison, and it's more densely populated by foliage. I think the quality of the trees (leaves) is miles better in the new screenshot, though. I hope we'll see areas similar to this dense forest area in a Robin Hood game.

    I also find that the stones look decidedly computer generated, compared to the art style of the rest of the world. I know they're meant to stand out, I don't mind their textures, but their general shapes are recognizably computer generated.

    I also hope we'll see some awesome way of exploring dense forests with trees that are 25-100 meters tall (where the trees are so large the go beyond the visible screen), as opposed to the 4-10m trees we've seen so far. Might be hard in parallel projection.

     

    Finally, I hope we'll see urban areas that can rival the quality of those in Commandos 2.

     

    I might be alone about this, but, to this day, I still don't think any 2D game has ever rivalled the graphics of Commandos 2. This. Is. Incredible.

    • Like 3
  5. Cached copy:

     

    http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://www.holdtheline.com/threads/a-date-with-eternity-my-interview-with-obsidian.6345/

     

    Copy/pasted:

    My fellow gamers; Earlier this week I had the distinct pleasure of talking with the fine people over at Obsidian Entertainment about some of their upcoming releases heading your way in the near future. Notably, I had the opportunity to speak with Obsidian co-founder and Narrative Designer Chris Avellone. In the interview we discuss the upcoming Project Eternity, which Doctor Who would make the perfect protagonist for their own game, and not only was the cake not a lie, it was delicious.

     

    So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

     

    Q: So, Kickstarter yeah? You guys set the gold standard by which all other games currently using this model should aspire to. How surprised was the Obsidian team when they saw how high and fast the funding was coming in for Project Eternity?

     

    Chris Avellone: I don’t know if we hold the gold standard (inXile’s Torment: Tides of Numenera and Chris Roberts’ Star Citizen certainly have done better, and Roberts continues to crush the world with continued crowdfunding – it was over 19 million as of writing this), but as for Obsidian’s Project: Eternity - we were surprised by the success, yes. We certainly didn’t expect it to hit the funding goal as quickly as it did... well, most of us didn’t. Our Art Director, Rob Nesler, did. The day after launching he promptly went around and said “I told you so,” to all of us to remind us that he had been the prophet that had predicted our success. And possibly to taunt us. Because Rob likes to do that.

     

    Q: Speaking of which, how's it coming along? Have you guys locked down a title yet?

     

    Chris: It’s coming along great, we’re building cities and districts and dungeons for players to explore, and it’s all looking beautiful – we’re currently tackling the first major city in the game, Defiance Bay, and it’s shaping up great. It’s not often that people can come into work and say “well, today I’m building a city,” but that’s the kind of workplace we have here at Obsidian. And that’s just the start – it’s not just the city itself, but the locations throughout the Eternity world (above and below) are shaping up beautifully, and the designers are adding a lot of great quest lines and content to thread them all together.

     

    As for the title of the project: We have not resolved the “lock down a title” quest line yet. ;) So no XP for us.

     

    [​IMG]

     

    Q: You guys have stated that Eternity will be a pretty mature and dark-themed game. Slavery, drug use, etc. Are you afraid that might turn off some potential fans, or cause some unintended controversy within the gaming media?

     

    Chris: If it’s true to the story, we’re afraid of nothing. There are a lot of elements we’ve often wanted to explore in previous titles that we haven’t had an opportunity to do, and Eternity gives us free rein to deal with those subjects. We don’t include elements like these for shock value – if they fit in with the game’s themes and if they add weight to the player’s moral choices for the player, then they are absolutely worth adding to the world. Similar themes worked well in interesting ways in Fallout 2, for example, and seeing some of those same evils explored in Eternity from a different perspective is something we’re looking forward to - and that’s only a small part of what we have planned.

     

    Q: Will Eternity allow players to explore companion storyline/quests like they might have experienced in Fallout: New Vegas?

     

    Chris: Each companion is intended to have a storyline, background, and quest that either advances them, ties them to the game story, or ties them to the theme, and preferably, some combination thereof. It may not be exactly like the New Vegas quest structure (we go as far back as Torment internal quests and the KOTOR2 advancement arcs), but companions will have agendas and quests of their own. More on this will likely come out in the coming months (and it may change as the companions are fully fleshed out), although the specifics will likely wait until the players are actually playing the title.

     

    Q: You've also stated that the current consoles are, well, pretty limited in what they allow insofar as content when compared to the PC. With the looming next gen consoles coming our way, is there maybe the chance that Eternity might see its way on them instead?

     

    Chris: Haven’t given it much thought. Our focus is the platforms we promised the backers.

     

    Q: Now that the team has delved into the publisher-free domain, will you ever go back to any of them in the future?

     

    Chris: We continue to speak with publishers, and will most likely continue to work with publishers in the future. While Kickstarter has been good to us, we have continued to speak about a number of properties with a variety of publishers.

     

    [​IMG]

     

    Q: You guys have a history of taking pre-existing titles and really giving them some very creative elements for players to try out. KotoR II, Fallout: New Vegas, Dungeon Siege III just to name a few. Have you guys been approached here recently about continuing to "pimp that ride" so to speak from other developers?

     

    Chris: Not from developers, no, occasionally from publishers who have wanted to see a return to the some of the titles that have been lauded by the public and they believe that we can help their titles realize that vision.

     

    Q: You're also very supportive of your modding community. KotoR II comes to mind first and foremost. Are you amazed at some of the creative content they seem to add to an already impressive list of features?

     

    Chris: Yes, and to our joy, fans have added more than we’d have thought possible to our titles across the board: systems, weapons, quests, bases, and more - allowing for an editor and a modding tool in a game has clearly proven its worth. If we have the resources to implement it in a release or allow for fans the ability to make their own content, it’s always our desired course of action. It worked out well for NWN2, for KOTOR2, and especially for Fallout New Vegas. Some of the mods that came out for New Vegas were brilliant, and as far as KOTOR2 goes, seeing all the work the community put in to restore the content with the Total Restoration Mod was amazing. Those developers are to be congratulated, and I tip my hat to them.

     

    [​IMG]

     

    Q: A lot--er--well actually pretty much everyone on the Obsidian team are former Black Isle Studio team members. How'd it feel to "come home" when you guys started working on Fallout: New Vegas?

     

    Chris: It was a nice change of pace. We’d been working on Fallout 3 at Interplay for a number of years (codename Van Buren), so seeing a lot of the game design of that title achieve fruition in a new Fallout game was great. A good percentage of that design had been directly taken from pen-and-paper games and the design docs for Van Buren – the Hangdogs, Hoover Dam, Caesar’s Legion, the mental illness caused by the Stealth Boy technology, and more. Some of the Van Buren elements mutated over time and achieved new context and new life in New Vegas (as an example, the “Big Empty” in FNV DLC3: Old World Blues was originally an automated military boot camp run by Mr. Handys in Van Buren, and I think the mutation of the Big Empty in New Vegas allowed for a much richer realization of a cool adventure area).

     

    Q: There are rumors Bethesda is currently hard at work on a Fallout 4. I know you guys can't confirm or deny that rumor. But let's just say, hypothetically speaking, they ask for Obsidian's input and creative touch to help out, would you?

     

    Chris: Yes, without a doubt. Fallout’s always near and dear to our hearts, and I believe that Fallout: New Vegas did very well for Bethesda (we never saw the numbers, but they seemed pretty happy with the sales).

     

    Q: Beyond what you're currently hard at work on, is there any other IPs out there that the team would absolutely love to get their hands on?

     

    Chris: There’s a few: The Wire, Archer, Ultima, Chronotrigger, Deus Ex, Arcanum, Star Wars, Firefly, and Doctor Who, to name a few. I think Star Wars is pretty high on people’s lists here at the studio. Personally, I’d love to do an Eberron D&D game as well, I love that universe.

     

    [​IMG]

     

    Q: The David Tennant Doctor or the Matt Smith Doctor?

     

    Chris: Any doctor in the next generation (including Eccleston) and Tom Baker of the old generation would be my preference. But I wouldn’t be the only one working on it, so it’d be more of a discussion beyond that, I expect... I will say the idea of making a brand-new Doctor that has to face off against the older Doctors (next generation or old generation) I think would be an awesome “season arc” for a game title. After all, I think the toughest adversary a Doctor could face is himself.

     

    Q: Would it be safe to say that ED-E is the official/unofficial mascot at Obsidian?

     

    Chris: We have several mascots. It’s a little odd, it depends on the conference room being used. Right now, Nihilus, Atris, Thorton, and the NCR Ranger are effectively our mascots for the different rooms and lounges. It was awesome getting an ED-E cake when FNV shipped, though. Deeeee-licious.

     

    I'd like to thank Mr. Avellone for sitting down and taking the time to speak with us, and I'd like to give a solid shout out to Maria Gigliotti, PR Manager for Obsidian, for helping to make this all possible.

     

    Project Eternity, for all you fans out there wondering, will be on sale sometime Second Quarter 2014.

     

    • Like 1
  6. And again, the concept of HDMI is complete crap even in its 2.0 version. Supporting 32 audio streams but only 60Hz @4k? Probably to save bandwith/processing power for HDCP... and for idiotic new features, auto lipsync, wtf do these things technically have to do with a *display connection* standard? Nothing. And all this comes with license fees. I'd say the consortium needs more techies and less marketing and lobby persons.

    Improving DP further would be the better route to take.

    Well spoken. Unfortunately TVs and surround comes first, monitors second.

  7. I'd prefer to have a regular messenger that can only reach me at particular times (for example while resting), rather than a soul magically relaying messages to me.

     

    If a form of "instant messaging" is made available through souls, I believe that would have extreme ramifications on the social structure of the entire world, and wouldn't fit quite as snugly in the setting as one might think.

    • Like 5
  8. I wouldn't mind being given a message from my stronghold when I arrive at a resting area (camp site, inn, or brothel).

     

    Maybe the stronghold system could be designed so that events only take place when you arrive at dedicated resting areas. That way it won't interrupt the flow of the game, since you are already mentally prepared for micro-management when deciding to rest.

    • Like 2
  9. Hi, I made an account here just to say this:

     

    Please, make sure that not keeping a stronghold is possible. If I decide that I don't like the mini-game that this really is, I'd hate to feel like I'm missing out on something really important. Please, don't make me mess about with taxes, reputation, attacks and whatnot just for, say, having access to those botanical gardens. Or just having a place to safely stash items. The stronghold should be a cool option, not something players will have to take part in to have a full game experience.

     

    You can likely rest assured that the Stronghold will be optional, there is, after all, also "player housing" for those who simply want a house to rest & store their loot in:

     

    At $2.0 Million, your support funded a player house. Inspired by features like The Sink found in Fallout: New Vegas Old World Blues, the house is a convenient place to store gear, interact with companions, craft items (thanks to the $2.4 Million stretch goal), rest, and buy and sell from special merchants. Some of you wanted something that went beyond the standard player house, allowing you to take control of a full stronghold and its surrounding lands. Well-done strongholds provide players with the ability to make large scale changes, undertake special quests, customize the contents of the stronghold and the surrounding environment, and engage in light strategic gameplay between adventures [...] —Josh Sawyer, Update #20

     

    (unless the stronghold completely replaces the player house, but I doubt that.)

  10. I can't help feeling I would have been happier not reading this.

     

    I'm not meaning to say I dislike the ideas of the stronghold, but I do feel it may take away from the overall experience of owning and growing it if I know even half of everything that can happen to it (I'm probably trying to say I wouldn't have minded seeing a spoiler tag at the start of the update).

     

    Maybe it's just me, but I feel that once I know what to expect from a game, it becomes little more than a chore.

     

    Other than that, the stronghold sounds great! I hope events surrounding it won't be too disruptive to regular gameplay, though (what's that about certain events requiring immediate attention, will I be teleported? Please don't send me notifications, like angry spam emails, about every little event that takes place in my home while I'm off killing undead.)

    • Like 7
  11. Many fans, including me, have brought up similar points at several occasions, it's good to have a dedicated thread!
     
    I would love to see:

    • Scale-able font sizes (to make sure text remains readable on all kinds of screens/resolutions). At least one generously sized text option.
    • A solid choice of font family, one that contains all the fonts weights, styles, ligatures, and punctuation that may be required in a story-driven RPG. On choosing a typeface for screen use. On choosing type in general.
    • A straight forward combat log, with well thought out coloration (green name tags for allies, red for enemies, blue for neutral, gold for interactive NPCs?).
    • Good typographic practices based on context, using either manuscript-like or hardcover novel-like typesetting.

     

    Example action/combat log I put together during discussions in the Update #62 thread:
     
    As you make your way through the debris, the smell of rotten flesh makes you cringe.
     
    Wicht: Mommy?
    Wicht: attacks Forton
    PAUSED
    Cadegund: Yes?
    Cadegund: I shall rip your limbs off!
    Cadegund: attacks Wicht
    Aloth: Sire?
    Aloth: Any time.
    Aloth: casts Lightning
    UNPAUSED
    Wicht: misses Forton (attack roll: 4 + 2 = 6)
    Cadegund: hits Wicht for 12 stamina and 3 health (attack roll: 8 + 2 = 10)
    Aloth: hits Wicht for 16 stamina and 4 health.
    Aloth: hits Forton for 22 stamina and 5 health.
    Wicht is unconscious.
    Forton: Ugh
    Forton is unconscious.
    Cadegund: hits Wicht for 4 stamina and 1 health (attack roll: 12 + 2 = 14)
    Wicht dies.
    Aloth: What is it now?
    Aloth: Sure.
    Aloth: casts Restore Stamina
    Forton gains 6 stamina.

    Slime: attacks Aloth
    Slime: hits Aloth for 4 stamina and 1 health (attack roll: 10 + 2 = 12 success)
    Aloth is poisoned.
    Aloth loses 1 stamina (poison).
    Aloth loses 1 stamina (poison).
     
    The stench of spilled ale, rotting hay, and firewood assaults your senses as you enter the inn.

     

    Aloth: drinks Acid Antidote (no effect).
    Aloth loses 1 stamina (poison).
    Aloth: drinks Poison Antidote (cures poison). 
    Edair: Huh?
    Edair: Sure thing!
     
    Osmaer: The innkeeper digs inside a mug with a dirty rag before raising his thick eyebrows to your level. “Welcome! Welcome! Please, make yourself comfortable, traveler.”
     
    Osmaer: “Food's hot and my rooms keep cool. Holler whenever you need, I always got time to spare these days.” A strange silvery tooth appears behind his fat, shiny smile.
     
    Thunder strikes in the distance as you consider your options.
     
    Cadegund: We should rest until the storm passes.
     
    Edair: “We're in a hurry. We better be on our way soon.
     
    Osmaer: “How can I help ya?

       1. “I have questions about the area.”
       2. “I want to order food and drinks.”
       3. “Let's see what rooms you have.”
       4. “Goodbye.”

     

    This log doesn't cover all possible scenarios, but quite a few of them. If it would work for Project Eternity is down to how they would like to tell their story!

     

    For reference, the official WiP dialogue window from Update #62:

     

    pe-conversation-inn.jpg

    • Like 1
  12. Interesting Info:

     

    Pixel density of screens that Infinity Engine was officially designed for:

    75dpi (1024*768 on a 17" CRT). 

     

    Pixel density of screens where Infinity Engine games start being unplayable without mods due to small text & ant-farm miniature feel:

    91dpi (1920*1080 on a 24" LCD). 21% higher than the game was designed for. This means fonts and characters appear 21% smaller than intended on these monitors.

     

    Highest pixel density officially confirmed by devs that Project Eternity will be designed for:

    108dpi (2560*1440 on a 27" LCD, the dev's largest "target resolution").

     

    Pixel density on the next generation of computer monitors:

    140dpi (3840*2160 on a 31.5" LCD). 29% higher than what the game was designed for. This means that fonts and characters appear 29% smaller than intended on these monitors.

     

    Pixel density on the next generation of laptop screens:

    180dpi+

     

    Conclusion:

    Project Eternity will be largely unplayable on "standard sized" 4k screens without mods, and a large percentage of recently released laptops.

     

    Miscellaneous:

     

    Windows 8.1 will automatically detect the DPI of the screen(s) it's being used on, and offer ways for software to access the information from applications. This means that apps can scale their font and UI sizes automatically, by looking at the setting in Windows.

     

    So, if you're using Windows on a 3200px x 1800px 13" monitor, Windows 8.1 will default to scaling UI & text to 200%, and an application could access this information and scale its UI & text accordingly.

     

    The first "new-gen" 31.5" 4k pro monitor is finally available from Asus, with Sharp's and Samsungs' offerings close in tow (Samsung will be showing off their 4k monitor at IFA, early September!):

     

    US: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DJ4BIKA/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d7_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0Y9PQ3TRXAWX0VZ6T4GZ&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1389517282&pf_rd_i=507846

     

    UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00EC82URC/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1D7S6CKV6E05RRMNF855&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=418448307&pf_rd_i=468294

     

    Can't wait for the price point to drop on these beauties (it probably will once a consumer edition e-IPS/ah-IPS/PLS version is released).

    • Like 1
  13. Agreed on bookcases. Would be great if the stronghold, when we take it over, is fairly huge but abandoned, with an empty library/reading room that we can spend our time doing up and re-stocking.

     

    While I don't care much for Fabergé eggs, I'd love to see display pedestals for my unused pieces of armour and weapons.

     

    I don't think we particularly need collectibles for the sake of collectibles (usually turns out quite lame and artificial), but allowing us to effectively store the many items we collect during our adventures efficiently could go a long way! 

  14. 2) if it is similar to the artistic patronage during renaissance (which it ain't) then am gonna suggest it wouldn't be particularly noble. 

     

    history o' artistic patronage in at least italian renaissance is frequent very ignoble. example: indulgences were selling at an all-time high for church. some art patronage were effective church blackmail-- rich guy is accused o' something like usury and to atone for "sin" he commissions building or painting of a church.our "noble" patron is then granted indulgence.  were also very practical and political reasons for most arts commissions.

    Yes, when you hold the power and the money, you can abuse your subjects, or, as in this case, artists. Some artists would fail under their patronage, some would succeed. Without the patronage, they wouldn't even have had a chance to try. Strikingly similar to the Kickstarter situation, if not directly analogous.

     

    Some famous patrons that I had in mind were people like the Medici family, Ludovico Sforza, Cesare Borgia, and King Francis I of France. It's true that neither of them can, under any circumstances, be considered an angel. However, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, or Michelangelo, for example, would never have had the chance to pursue their artistry if they didn't have funding (from patrons, or, if you prefer, investors).

     

    Arguably, pursuing art is a noble effort. It follows, then, that funding art would be noble, too. Whether the people doing the patronizing, or the artists themselves, were noble in all their actions is beside the point.

     

    One could forever argue about the philosophical definition of being noble, or whether the emergent field of video games could yet be considered an art form. Suffice it to say, in my humble opinion, artistic patronage was, and is, a noble pursuit.

     

    Donating to cancer research may well be nobler, but we'd live in an awfully boring—if physically healthy—world had we never supported the creation of art.

     

    You are, of course, fully entitled to "refrain from calling it noble". It is, after all, merely semantics.

  15. Reminds me of my recently started replay of BG2. My main character is an Archer (never played anything that used a bow/xbow before) and I dropped full proficiency into longbows. I'm running around critical-/one-hitting near enough everything. I'm not even particularly min/maxed, aside from the weapon proficiency and decent dex.

     

    Fun times.

     

    In Project Eternity I'm assuming we'll start at level 1, instead of 7/8, so maybe we won't be given the same chance to min/max proficiencies at character creation.

  16. @Hiro,

     

    I haven't read your entire discussion word-by-word, but I think I get what it seems to be about. Your main argument seems to be that emphasis is an unnecessary gimmick in writing, and, frankly, it's not. It's a valuable tool at the disposal of any author/writer.

     

    To begin with, the definition of the word emphasis (see #3). You may also want to read up on Rhetoric.

     

    Basic rules for how to achieve it with typesetting.

     

    That it's a gimmick is a personal opinion of yours, I would happily bet you that any writer would beg to disagree. In a form of communication that lacks expression, emphasis as the single form of inflection is invaluable.

     

    You are right, however, that using asterisks to achieve this emphasis is a gimmick. It's an artefact from "chat" language (and typesetting software), since there's commonly no way to bold/underline/italicize text in chat programs. In environs where advanced typesetting isn't readily available, the following can be used: *bold*, _underlined_, and /italic/. I am guessing the IWD team only had time to kern a single weight for the bitmap font they decided to use, and resorted to asterisks for emphasis rather than kern the entire bold version, too.

     

    There's, of course, such a thing as too much. However, emphasis, by its very definition, isn't emphasis any more when used too much.

     

    I'm not writing this as a personal opinion, merely presenting facts.

    • Like 1
  17. I believe you are oversimplifying his stance; from what I decipher from Gromnir's posts, he feels that Mr. Sawyer attempts to impart too much reality into his fantasy world development, to the point where the infinitesimal details of realism can absorb creative resources which could have been better served being utilized in other areas.  Do not let your anger at his style of posting, baiting as it may be, blind you to the fact that he does carry some knowledge and a valid point of view into this discussion.

    It's more like my limited intelligence can't cope with the butchered English, I simply don't bother trying to decipher it, especially when all I expect to find is straw man arguments against mote points.

     

    In other words, I just don't have the time to bother with posting counter arguments against someone who so blatantly doesn't believe in anything I believe in. There frankly isn't even anywhere to get started—there are no valid arguments to counter.

     

    I read one post of his, saw through it, and simply didn't bother. I also wouldn't be surprised if Felonious is a "clever" secondary (or tenth) account of Gromnir's. It's exactly what I would do if I was attempting the same.

  18. (For the record, I am completely ignoring anything said by/to Gromnir as I see no reason to feed this particular individual. I also haven't read any of his posts.)

     

    I'm not geting involved in this, but PE is no historical fiction by any stretch of the word. Ziets in formspring said spesificaly that PE cultures are not real earth nations and cultures transplanted in a fantasy world like in Dragon Age.

    In order to invent a believable "culture", whether you know anything about existing cultures or not, you will still require a deep understanding of why humans are pack animals, why we have evolved into a socially dependent species, why there is such a thing as 'group behavior', why we look up to leadership, and why and how we construct social phenomena around ourselves. Generally, you will need to study existing cultures in order to extrapolate such information, but it could potentially be done by studying either human psychology, or evolution, and extrapolate similar information.

     

    With a solid understanding of the fields/examples mentioned above, you can then lay down behavioral patterns, in a believable manner, to form a completely new culture with no connection to Earth's existing cultures, other than being recognizable to us as a human phenomena.

     

    You would follow the same pattern to invent "believable" magic. It annoys the hell out of me when fantasy books drop magic on you as a "snap-of-the-finger-makes-anything-happen", with no explanation whatsoever. I much prefer reading something that at least gives a remotely believable explanation to magic other than "it's magic". Project Eternity, fortunately, has souls/animancy, and what appears to be an entire school of meta-science behind it. Love it.

     

     

    • Like 1
  19. The edit post time limit is a bit short!

     

    I tried to keep the "pure white" messages to major events, but this would make more sense:

     

    Slime: hits Aloth for 4 stamina and 1 health (attack roll: 10 + 2 = 12 success)

    Aloth is poisoned.

    Aloth loses 1 stamina (poison).

    Aloth loses 1 stamina (poison).

    Aloth: drinks Acid Antidote (no effect).

    Aloth loses 1 stamina (poison).

    Aloth: drinks Poison Antidote (cures poison).

    • Like 2
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