Osvir

@TrueNeutral: Just want to inform the tl;dr people about a most excellent point in your post that I didn't think about either. Thanks for bringing it to light Quote: "Obsidian was going to E3 anyway for Armored Warfare. It's absurd to say Obsidian should have kept PoE away from it when they had an essentially free oppertunity to take it along and show off their baby for all the journalists and fellow developers to see"

So! I've always wanted to hype Pillars of Eternity a lot, and I've been bringing it to attention slightly on various "No Comments" articles across the year and been adressing it in YouTube videos, talked about it on twitter sneakily. Nagging the world about it haha been talking with my friends about it a lot and although they don't hang around here, whenever I bring it up they are almost on level with me xD nah, that would be an exaggeration, but they know what it is when I mention it and their first reaction has been "Say whaaaat??" in a positive and excited way. Now, I worked with marketing a short while and got a couple of "no-brainer" insights from it and I wanted to simply make a post/thread here and give some of those insights in plain text to the forumers, lurkers, backers, passer-by's and whoever else is here~ - Talking about anything on the internet will expose it to thousands of people. Maybe 1 out of 10'000 who sees "Pillars of Eternity" in a comment on a YouTube video or a media article, and that 1 person talks with his friends, who then talk to their friends, etc. etc. or they talk about it in their own forum somewhere "Have you guys heard about this?" that's a bit rarer though. That 1 person is still a potential prospect and customer. So what I'm trying to say is, try to talk about Pillars of Eternity wherever you usually go to the net. Maybe you don't hang around Obsidian forums only. Maybe you hang around elsewhere as well, or you're interested in something specific like... I don't know... golf. And in that golf forum there might be a "way off topic" forum like here as well. Or in a sports forum or whatever. Talking about it = Exposing it. But only talking about it here is mostly going to expose it to visitors who come here. We can call this a "Café" in a way, and we are mostly regulars who hang around in this "Café". But if we aren't telling anyone outside who pass by it everyday ignorantly, they won't know about it. So... do with this what you will, but I'm not going to lie, I'm hoping it influences some people to "invite" people in Here are some pro-tips: source Happy hunting!

Don't forget EverQuest NEXT Zwiebelchen. One of my work-collegeus told me about the dynamic of it. 1. Okay, so we have Orcs rampaging the roads and the lands, making it unsafe and unsure. 2. Some Players react to this and start a faction/organization tasked with protecting the roads. 3. This causes the AI of the Orcs to change pattern, they'll stop attacking the roads and the roads become safe. Another example is towns and villages. 1. So there is a small village somewhere, and you can do quests for them. 2. Some of it's quest is gathering resources in the world and giving it to the village. 3. The village will then fortify, build walls, more houses, making the village grow. 4. A small village can become a bustling big city. This is only hearsay of course, I haven't looked it up myself, but I trust the guy who told me so *shrug* truth can often dissipate from mouth to mouth/ear to ear though so take this post with a pinch of salt~ there's an underlying "between-the-lines" type of concept thing~

I kind of sort of agree with LordCrash partially on one specific aspect... and that's the combat... If Obsidian showed combat at E3 in the demo, if they have all the animation in place, and if they have spoiler-free combat footage (no boss/VIP character, just some wolves/imp/spider/monster-type) somewhere in the E3 demo, and even if it is 5-10 seconds... what is the harm in showing something like that to us... if something like that exists? (lots of IF'S). I believe what they are doing is strategically sound and wise, though. A bit frustrating and emotional (in an eager, impatient, childish yet positive, excited, and cheerful way ), sure, I believe it is because we care

@Brandon: Thank you for clearing this up In retrospect I'm sorry for writing out the post like that, but from participating in some discussions and reading some comments I began feeling a sort of anticipation in the air for some video footage that could lead to potential "toxicity" in the future and I didn't choose my words wisely.

https://twitter.com/thedesslock/status/477852586184548352 Used to write columns for PC Gamer...? Found a forum post from 2012 saying he isn't working with them, I don't know. Can't find any PC Gamer columns with him anyways. Lots of Obsidian people follow him nonetheless (on twitter). Can't tell if he was at E3 or not, but he's hyping it EDIT: Albeit Dragon Age has established itself over the years and over the installments, don't forget one of it's main selling points and big marketing push for them was "Baldur's Gate spiritual successor". I know, because I followed Dragon Age: Origins and participated in community almost as much as I commit to Pillars of Eternity (this was before the game had shipped). In that sense, I actually believe Pillars of Eternity can stand toe-to-toe against Dragon Age. I totally agree about "The Witcher", though, it is looking fantastic. I'm not a huge Witcher series fan, but I like what they are and have been doing and what I am and have been seeing and hearing... I just... I don't have the energy

I saw this earlier, and with your post Jon, I felt this resonated well with the press-talk. They talk a bit about their feelings on coverage of Kickstarter games around 2:30 to 4:30: http://www.gamespot.com/videos/e3-2014-day-3-wrap-show-evolve-elite-dangerous-ali/2300-6419766/ One guy says "I wouldn't want to cover Kickstarter titles" and another says "I think it's exciting and I'm looking forward to cover it!" pretty much. But watch it for more insight I guess. This is obviously not a full-on representation of the entire mainstream press. EDIT: Shaun Mcinnis - He says he thinks he covered 3 Kickstarted titles, but he only mentions 2 of them *shakes fist* (Elite and Hex) so frustrating - He pretty much calls Star Citizen Space Citizen *shakes head* Still, he acknowledges Kickstarter and the challenge of covering it and seems to have a sharp head *thumbs up*

1. Imagine this hypotethical scenario: - Obsidian goes to E3, without telling anyone about it - Shows it on the floor, only the press people knows about it - On Thursday 19th June 2014 they will reveal screenshots from the demo, the press reviews/previews/starts to talk about it 2. Now compare it with what's actually going on: - Obsidian goes to E3, they told us they were going to do it - They show it on the floor, all we got for it is some tweets about it - On Thursday 19th June 2014 they will reveal screenshots from the demo the press reviews/previews/starts to talk about it See what's exactly the same here? The only reason some people seem to be disappointed and angry is because Obsidian told us. If they hadn't told us, I don't think the same people would've cared whatsoever. The "I am disappointed that the press gets to see this before me!" would've been "Wow! They went to E3 without telling us and the game looks great! Awesome update Obsidian!!!!" (if this is the case). I believe that the "I am disappointed that the press sees this first" can be translated to basic human envy. And I am there on the same boat, damn right I'm jealous of the press right now, but I am perfectly fine with it. Because, back to the start of this post, it wouldn't have mattered whether or not Obsidian would've told us about E3 or not, Thursday 19th June 2014 is where we get to see something. It's like an upcoming Update which we know is coming (Update #81 is expected June 26th 2014, but I ain't seeing anyone whining about that). EDIT: I forgot to mention, from this update (#80): Update #79: We have 0 intel that we will get VIDEO footage. Just putting this out here and I want to tell all of the fine folks over here to "brace for impact" in case we won't get video demo footage.

We are super excited but what many backers aren't doing is hyping it publically or on the internets. I'm always interested in hearing what more could be done to boost the "hype", "exposure" and "attention" towards Pillars of Eternity (I've commented on some articles, bringing Pillars of Eternity to light, over the year, shared the gameplay teaser, written on some forums etc. etc.) so if you got any ideas on your mind feel free to share. "Be the change you want to see in the world" Hm, would you (or anyone else) be interested in doing an "exposure+hype drive" fan marketing thing? It includes: - Find news articles that talk about RPG's or new games. If you can comment, make an account and mention Pillars of Eternity. - Find RPG or game forums, Game News Websites (IGN, Gamespot, Gamesradar, Joystiq, Kotaku, N4G etc. etc.), Game Websites (BioWare, CD Projekt Red, inXile, Square-Enix, Capcom etc. etc.), make an account, start a discussion about Pillars of Eternity or comment in relevant threads. - Start a fan-twitter and hype Pillars of Eternity specifically. You can also just have a twitter account and nag/comment various internet personalities and media personalities about it~ retweet stuff. - Talk on Facebook & Google+ - Simplest is probably to just "Search" for Pillars of Eternity in Google with various variations. "Pillars of Eternity Upcoming RPG" and then hit F5 or refresh a couple of thousand of times and it should become a more relevant search~ people who search only for "Upcoming RPGs" in Google would get hits on Pillars of Eternity. Oh, and "Like" this/these page(s): - https://www.facebook.com/TheWorldOfEternity (is this an Obsidian PoE Official Facebook page?) - https://www.facebook.com/PillarsOfEternityGame (fan page) - https://www.facebook.com/obsidian?fref=ts (Official Obsidian Facebook page)

Oh it's no worries, it doesn't sound like massive spoilers to me. I'm pretty far into the game (though, I'm avoiding the main quest at the moment) . My post was just a pre-caution, whenever I read something like "Fallout: New Vegas" somewhere I look away, close my ears and eyes type of thing. Though, I did fast-forward a bit and looked up a guide to get all the companions (I found Boone and ED-E on my own, and knew that those are the ones I'm gonna finish the game with so the rest were more or less just "collectibles"). Thanks for the explanation, and that's also a cool idea man

Does this OP have spoilers? I read "Fallout: New Vegas" and noticed more references in a quite skim (I pretty much try to avoid getting spoiled here). If it has spoilers, could I get a spoiler-free synopsis of the general idea of the post?

https://twitter.com/AngryJoeShow/status/477657417421832193 Well... maybe? :D EDIT: Jason Schreier's E3 Highlights (Kotaku, one of the better writers for Kotaku in my opinion) https://twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/477555016639590400

Depends, do you think Gamespot could get into secret meetings? https://www.youtube.com/user/AngryJoeShow 1,479,566 subscribers https://www.youtube.com/user/gamespot 1,394,411 subscribers This is a great video: This fits well with the word-of-mouth discussion as well.

Thanks I'm asking because I am super curious about these two xD https://twitter.com/AngryJoeShow/status/476631313550569472 http://www.xboxachievements.com/news/news-18418-E3-2014--Day-3-Round-Up---Our-Date-With-Destiny----And-More.html There was also an article, that I can't find, that spoke about "vows on the show floor" or something like that. I don't know why, but I feel like it is related to one another... I don't think it is Pillars of Eternity. But I've got a hunch a secret surprise is coming.

E3 in General? Most of the AAA stuff. Especially first party stuff except Nintendo. They really did understand this which baffles my mind that these are the ones that got it right. Sorry, I meant with embargos and stuff, like Pillars of Eternity (No photos, no detailed or in-depth discussion, no videos etc. etc.). I've read tons of people saying "I was behind closed doors at X" and someone else was over at "Y" (I don't recall which titles I've been reading quite a lot on E3 in a short amount of time) and at the same time I see articles talking about it, screenshots, gameplay videos, teasers, in-depth discussion etc. etc. Let me rephrase: - How many titles were showed behind closed doors with embargo?

Does anyone know how many titles were showed behind closed doors?

... this (the tweet) is grammatically correct...? I read it as: - Made for book lovers. (People who love books) - Made for Balders Gate lovers. (People who love Baldur's Gate) Here's another one btw: https://twitter.com/lowellbell/status/477266258413359104 Observation/Theory(?): - Jeff Green (didn't know about him or who he was but seems to be a big name~long industry experience) sitting at the same table as Josh Sawyer. Does it mean anything? Probably not... but it could.... - Jeff works at a company called Hit Detection, and to put it as simple as possible: They detect hits. - There was an instance during the chat where Matt(? the guy next to Josh) says "It's a hit!" whilst Josh says something about Pillars of Eternity and Jeff responds "You're hired!" (possibly implying between the lines "You're absolutely right Matt, Pillars of Eternity is a hit"). - Feargus mentions (Paradox+Obsidian partnership reveal at GDC 2014) that he can get the sales figures for the Baldur's Gate Enhanced Editions by making a phone call. He sounds positive and confident. Conclusion: "It's a hit!" nah, I can't say that until I have seen it... but I am getting a really good vibe.

Well, it isn't exactly new information except hearing from new folks I guess. I don't think publishing an interview like this breaks any embargo? No new screenshots, no spoilers and no demo after all. But it is possibly a pre-E3 interview as well, and it is was published today strategically (Red Bull knows there's gonna be a few Pillars of Eternity fans hunting the internet for E3 information). You're practically doing the marketing and driving traffic to them for them Sensuki

1. No worries, you're not an asshat I wasn't saying forums in general are influencial. I'm saying we have been (past-tense) influencial on many topics here. We've inspired I'm sure & discussed with the devs, we've suggested ideas, speculated, praised and shouted with both positive and negative attitude. Given feedback and so on and so forth. There's mechanics that have been laid out on the table and then revised based on our discussion here and there's some suggested mechanics and design choices that Obsidian seems to have taken some inspiration from as well. 2. They...? "They", who are "they"? I was never taught this! Blasphemy, forum discussion with a common goal in mind is awesome

Post-Edit-Time-Post: Correction: Roll 1d1000

That would work if there's no chance of your characters walking behind anything (houses, trees etc) - if there is, you'd need the z-depth occlusion map at least) True, unless some sort of layered cut+paste+transparency solution is possible?

I've never wanted a leak so bad before in my entire life xD I feel dirty for saying that, but it's the truth. With that said... please don't.

Hm, I don't believe it. A) Those who paid to contribute content didn't only pay to contribute content. Didn't they get to bounce ideas directly with Obsidian? Oh and paying for "You get to design a backer item!" is also a sure-shot 100% hit. Not to mention you'll get some renown for it as well I'd imagine. B) What we have been doing here, discussing ideas, thoughts, what's good and bad, analyzing and picking stuff apart... it's been indirect contribution. Who knows... some of JFSOCC's design ideas might've made it into the game but with a different name, different look, but the core inspiration comes from it... I wouldn't say that it is 100% certain that this is the case (don't expect anything), but there might be a chance. - Paying for Backer Content = Direct Influence/Contribution+Obsidian gives feedback to Backer/Designer. 100% chance of getting in. - Posting on Forums, no BC = Indirect Influence/Contribution+We give feedback to Obsidian/Designer. Depending on the idea, has a higher chance of getting in or "inspired by", but for the sake of the example... let's say "Roll 1d100". Well, that's what I believe at least. EDIT: Furthermore, weapons statistics & title is one of the easiest things to mod in most games. I could create like 100 "backer" weapons after the game has released.. but will it get anywhere near as much respect or renown as a backer who paid to be in the official product? Nope. Everyone who plays Pillars of Eternity without mods will be able to find the Backer Content. This is also something that you're paying for.

Hi! So, I've been thinking a bit about some additions I want to add into Pillars of Eternity already and I thought it could be nice to perhaps gather some people together and discuss ideas, form some manuscripts for Custom Quests, Custom NPCs, Custom Companions, Custom Maps etc. etc. to get some concepts going. You might ask: "Why?? This is too early to discuss things like this!!" Because it is wise, I suppose. I have some concepts drawn out in my head that I know won't be in (Items, Quests, Companions) and getting a clear picture before the game is out gives us a bit of a headstart. Here's a bit of a "guidelines" list that I'm following: 1. First: Why? How? - Why do you want to create custom contents? What's the goal? How do you achieve this goal? These are important questions to ask yourself and answer yourself. As a gamer who has been playing lots of Terraria & Starbound, it is easy to get lost if you don't have an idea of what you want to build or how you want to build it. I've started countless worlds of Terraria and Starbound on a whim, I've been excited, I've explored, I've built, but then suddenly I get exhausted and I don't know what else to do and I just drop the games for a while. The same thing has happened when I've created things in WarEdit, StarEdit, Shadowrun: Returns Editor, Shadowgrounds Editor, Baldur's Gate NPC projects, Neverwinter Nights etc. etc. etc. If you don't know what you want to create, how are you going to create it? Well, this hasn't been a problem for me personally. I know what I've wanted and what I want to create, my issue is "how to proceed?", which brings me to the next point rather elegantly: 2. Manuscript - Creating a manuscript is important because it becomes a reference list. I've created a lot of things "on the fly" with a spontaneous attitude, but it is easy to get writer's block, or "creative block" and suddenly you sit with a 10% finished product that you don't know what to do with. Creating a manuscript before creating anything physically will help me and anyone else to get a clear vision of what is to be created. Spontanity is nice and all, it allows for way more creative freedom "You can create anything!!", but therein lies the problem as well. Abundance means it'll never end, it'll never get finished. There's only Point A, but there's no Point B. A manuscript gives a clear view of where it starts, and where it ends. These are just some examples out of the top of my head, I've dumbed them down but it's just to portray a concept of what a manuscript "could" be. Example #1: Custom Class: Soul Gambler [The Gambler is, as the name implies, someone who gambles with souls. It is someone who is cursed to linger in limbo of being an ordinary person and a Wizard. A Wild Mage~ - Abilities/Spell-type: Wild Magic, try to cast a Fireball and you might instead cast polymorph, on yourself. Additionally the Soul Gambler is inspired by "The Gambler" from the Marvel Universe, Enchanting Equipment & Throwing Weapons is a focus. ** NOTE: Work in progress: Need to learn more about the official Wild Magic handling in Pillars of Eternity. If there is Wild Magic builds, how Wild Magic is built in the lore. This will affect how the Soul Gambler will be written and their abilities] Example #2: Custom Quest: Fetch Alpha Wolf Trophy [Part 1: Interior-Talk to Cap'n Concept (NPC is facing a wall/chest) Narration: "Oh! You startled me there! How can I help you?" - Choice 1: "Yes. Who are you?" (NPC Information) - Choice 2: "It seems you are looking for something... could I help you?" (Quest Inquiry) - Choice 3: "Sorry to bother you." (Leave) IF Choice 2 is picked: Narration: "Hmm... yes... yes maybe you can... in fact I have blah blah blah... could you get it for me?" (Yes/No)] I've always known that a Manuscript is a really nice addition to keeping a project going straight, but I've been a bit lazy and it isn't a necessary part. It is 100% optional. Out of the many games with editors I've played around with, many times I've been feature complete 80%-90% but I just don't know how to wrap my custom content and instead of figuring it out I abandon it. This is a problem you won't have if you have a complete manuscript. Some comparison scenarios: Person A does not write a manuscript and starts creating right away. Some bumps on the road. Takes 5 months to finish. Person B does write a manuscript. Takes 1 month to write the manuscript. Takes 3 months to finish. Person C does not write a manuscript. Works on content for 2 months, gets "creative blocked" and gives up. I can't stress enough how valuable a manuscript is and time efficient it is. You might have a clear vision right now, right this minute, or this entire week of what you want to do and you jump into creating stuff without a manuscript because hey, you know exactly what you want to do right? (Oh how I have fallen into this so many times) Well, that week passes, and suddenly that vision is blurred and... what was it you wanted to create now again? All of those details, narration, textures, NPC names, quests, areas, weapons etc. etc. all of that which you had in your mind's eye so clearly a week ago, most of it gone from your mind. But... if only you had had a manuscript, you wouldn't have forgotten Manuscripts FTW. 3. Creation (Mechanical) - With the manuscript done you're prepared mentally, you'll have a way easier time creating the content you want to create (as continuously stated: MANUSCRIPTS OWNZ, ALRIGHT!?). This step is a bit self-explanatory. Though there's another way of doing it as well if you lack skills, patience/time or motivation; that is to write a detailed manuscript, post it on a relative forum and then see if anyone picks it up. Heck, someone might be on the other side than you, they have the skills, they have the motivation, they have patience and time but they just don't have any inspiration... they don't have your manuscript There's also always a chance that someone else would want to join in on the project as well, or give feedback (and you can edit/update your manuscript to more interesting/deeper/detailed levels etc. etc.). We could call a manuscript creator an indirect content creator~ or a theoretical content creator. Anyways, this stage is only meant to create a "rough draft". If you create a Quest, make it simple and dumbed down at first. Make triggers, walk-paths, NPCs etc. etc. all work and spawn right before adding any narration. Hence "Mechanical", you want the cogwheels of your content to work, you can do the paint-job later. 4. Creation (Narrative) - Well, when all of the cogs are turning in just the right way, add dialogue and narration. This is also a mechanical+polish step. There's cogwheels in the narrative as well, and jumping between 3 & 4 is surely going to happen a lot. 5. Beta+Feedback+Bugs - Self-explanatory. Get some friends or people to try out an Alpha/Beta build, get feedback, fix bugs. 6. Publish Final word: With this "guidelines" list written, I'm curious: Who'd be interested in discussing, writing and throwing ideas together with me and attempt to be an early bird custom creator when the game ships? We'd focus on step 1 & 2, and I believe that this is a very ripe time to start thinking about some custom content to aim for and at this stage 1 & 2 are really the only 2 steps we can do as they lean more towards "project planning", "conceptual planning" and the "narrative" side. Well, we can research into Unity much more as well (A step I excluded). We've got several months to create something very interesting, narratively. I'm not going to lie, I am hoping this thread spurrs some friendly creative competition, and I hope you find these guidelines helpful. If you're a lurker or someone who wants to work solo or already have a group to work with *thumbs up* go for it women or men :D the more the merrier. I've already begun with some of my own manuscripts *shots fired*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak52BLOFyuo#t=93 to about the 2:00 minute mark shows a purple layer which I think is a vector walk "mesh"? If that's the case, making a "map" could be as simple as: 1. Find a top-down isometric jpg on the internet (or paint one yourself) 2. Throw it into Unity 3. Add walk paths 4. Add props/triggers etc. etc. 5. Finalize and publish I doubt (100%) I'd be able to make anything as beautiful as the creative folks over at Obsidian, but if it'd be possible to do something similar to the 5-step above I could contribute with some simple custom map additions :D