Osvir

An idea: Imagine a game like Wasteland 2, Pillars of Eternity or Tides of Numenera as a First-Person cRPG. Built with the same mechanics, either in TB (with AP like Fallout, or ToEE), or RTwP. Real-Time with Pause would be most interesting, in my opinion. Fight enemies like Skyrim, but more important with parry + block rules. Adaptable AI, if you block correctly more, they will block correctly more when you play another class/character. Pause mid-swing, switch to your Wizard, cast or chant some spells, switch character. A little bit more "actiony" than Baldur's Gate but still tactical and similar. Be directly in control of one character at a time, yet control your entire party as well. Adaptable AI positioning. Basically recording Player moves and adapting itself to it. If you cast a certain spell against a certain enemy a number of times, the AI will begin to do the same on creatures bearing similar traits. Could this work for PoE by the way? Adaptable AI that is.

Or people are forming an idea of wanting a Baldur's Gate-ish world and atmosphere but in first-person. A tactical real-time First-Person cRPG with pause & slow-motion and companion controls/management. Strict Class-Based System. Some sort of adaptable AI (copying how you play with a class/character and play as such when you play another class/character). Could work.

I am curious as to how much Obsidian has accumulated now. Or an estimate, during the Kickstarter we could see how much funds Obsidian got, but now we're kind of in the dark. I trust Obsidian, but I kind of feel it'd be nice to get a number as well. Maybe they could do a Backer Site stretch goal thingy meter showing how it's moving along.

Again, from the Endurance wiki page, link is above: "Endurance may also refer to an ability to keep going through a tough situation involving hardship, stress, etc. (see patience)" The latter part, "(see patience)", is also part of the idea I am proposing for a Hardcore difficulty (regarding Stamina), as you'd require more patience to make the "right" decisions in combat or in the world (I.E. lose as little Stamina during encounters and during general gameplay). You'd have to plan and prepare, probably pause a lot more as well as be careful how you position yourself. Now, I've tweaked the idea somewhat during the course of this thread. But originally I did think about it something like this: For every 10% Stamina lost in combat, -3% of your current Stamina would regenerate. - Lose 30% Stamina in one fight, you'd regenerate to 91% - Lose 50% Stamina in one fight, you'd regenerate to 85% etc. etc. - Let's say you have 91% after one fight. - You make a bad move in the second fight, losing 50%. Stamina only regenerates to 76%. Numbers are, as always, only conceptual. But what this would do would make Stamina as a resource way more important, as you would really want to lose as little as possible over the course of a day. With more levels, you'd have to worry less about Stamina though, as you'd be able to stay up for longer periods of time, but instead start to worry more about the actual Hardcore difficulty encounters. Regardless, I will be looking into the files of Eternity after I've felt the rules first-hand (one or two playthroughs) and see if I am capable of tweaking/modding the rules (and if it is even necessary to do so) for a harder difficulty. In another thread (or was it this one? Too lazy to look) I say that some of these ideas I am discussing here nowadays are also somewhat a curiosity for post-release fan content that I want to attempt to take on or create. I am getting loads of inspiration and being confronted by you, PrimeJunta or others, helps me improve & think through the concept (admittedly for my own preferences, but it also spurrs me on in a "Challenge Accepted" kind of way to provide for others)

IRMA you aren't getting the point. You can make a Wizard and put that Wizard in the stead of your Fighter's role. It's not going to be better than the Fighter at doing what the Fighter does best, but you'd conceptually have a Wizard/Fighter. Just equip your Wizard with Sword & Shield and Full Plate Armor, maybe even gain some Talents that make your Wizard better at Melee Engagement as well. If you play League of Legends... what Obsidian "seems"* to be doing is kind of... Zyra is a good example: - Zyra is a great Mid-Lane Champion, high AP (Ability Power) damage. A Wizard in a sense. - Zyra can also play the Support role, due to her Spells/Abilities. She can lock down enemies really good. Support, comparatively, could be the same thing as a "Chanter" or a "Priest" I presume. In other words, Zyra can play 2 different roles. She can potentially be a "Dual-Role" Champion in one and the same game as well if she's played well (Both Supportive and Wizard-y). In a sense that's the same thing as a Dual-Class. In a sense. * I admit, I have no bloody clue but I am just speculating based on the information I have read on classes, and it's also easier for me to explain what "different roles" means.

But Pipyui, if you had arrived at Ostagar in different fashion then? Sure, you're going to get on the rail eventually, but Ostagar truly is the "hub" point in the game where you are put on the rails instantly. What if you had arrived as Wynne's apprentice? Or arrived instead of Feargus? (Human Noble) Or if you arrive in a jail cell and you are the prisoner in the cage at Ostagar Camp? What if you had arrived as a Dwarven Slave, or as a Dwarven Noble overlooking your investments? My only main gripe with Ostagar is how it doesn't matter where you come from, when you come to Ostagar it's all the same. The very moment the loading screen ends and the game picks up again, there's the King, and there's Duncan, and there's you. It's like you just have a different costume every time. I think what Dragon Age: Inquisition is doing is right in this sense, if you do "A", you'll be locked out of "B". But in DA:O you always get the same results no matter what Origin you pick. Regardless, I am not suggesting anything as substantial as DA:I, cus that'd be a lot of work for Obsidian. But instead, envision the game Baldur's Gate, and the ability to start off somewhere else than the Location Candlekeep in the world and go from there. Say, Beregost maybe, or the Friendly Arms Inn, maybe even in Nashkel. I think it'd be a great execution of having a sense of "Different Origins", and also a sense of having more freedom.

Yes. I only presume it would, but reading up on Vitality on the PE Wiki (again, btw, to jog my memory) it seems it doesn't. And it also dawns on me that Stamina (<- click me, I'm part of the [Endurance] link) is more akin to Endurance*. I always presumed that Stamina was a sort of "Swinging a blade around takes energy, just as it takes energy to get hit by a blade". But it seems that in Eternity you don't spend energy by running around, you only seem to spend energy when you get hit by an enemy or a source "other than you". This is my misunderstanding: Stamina = An internal & external form of how much punishment you can take (How many hits you can do to a source "other than you" or how many hits you can take from a source "other than you" before passing out). - Swinging a hit at an enemy = -2 Stamina - Taking a hit from an enemy = -5 Stamina Health = An external form of how much punishment you can take (How many hits you can take from a source "other than you" before dying). * Endurance (also related to sufferance and resilience) is the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from, and have immunity to trauma, wounds, or fatigue. Strike-through cus that's not part of Eternity's design.

I'm actually only seeing "it would be too much work." It would. There have been pretty good explanations of why it would be too much work. I'm not seeing the "pro" camp address these objections much. Seems they prefer to ascribe all kinds of unrelated motives to the "con" camp instead. I know, less work that way. But what's the difference? If Obsidian finds someone with: A) Good gear and good voice B) Ability to record for free C) Takes time to record/It would be much work Versus professional: A) Good gear and good voice B) Costs a ton of money C) Takes time to record/It would be much work As for copyright issues or suing, like someone else mentioned, just make a written and vocal understanding that the work is volunteer *shrug* otherwise, as I said earlier, if the game is shipped with the "allowance" (in code and in dialogues)* for fans to add their voice to the game~ that's pretty much the same thing but post-release ofc. And I'm satisfied with that too, but I can't help but feel that a volunteer or two could cost Obsidian less money, if organized in a good way. And yes, I meant to say that a volunteer would replace a professional. * Kind of like the discussion about Portraits, having placeholders for factions and such, and then allowing fans or modders to replace those placeholders. In a dialogue or VO kind of way, it could simply be "silent", i.e. no recorded voice at all, then fans could insert a recorded voice in the empty slots.

I did not know that attacks or abilities use stamina. Could you provide a reference for this? Yes. And you should only introduce new mechanics for that purpose if they add meaningful dimensions to the gameplay, like the hardcore mode in FO:NV. Yours doesn't. A resource cost for resting would, for example. Why not advocate for that? 1. I did not say or state that attacks cost Stamina, I was asking you. 2. I have advocated for Rest Resources (a long time ago now). I also think that adding a Stamina that degenerates post-encounters and with time adds a meaningful dimension. Fragility, a sense of weakness and a sense of immersion. Not to mention that it'd be more difficult too.

The existing mechanics with a ratio of 1:2 ofc. But truthfully? Both combined together Actually, you'd only have 40% stamina to spend. Looks like you don't quite understand how Obsidian's mechanics even work. So if I use an attack or an ability that costs 4% Stamina I'd take 1% Health damage from it because I... acted? And no, I don't fully understand Obsidians Health/Stamina system, I've only caught up on some things about it. Didn't quite understand it back then either to be honest and left the discussion alone because I felt "I'll let others discuss this matter, it'll probably come out great in the end". Which it probably will. But you can always make it more difficult

Yes neo6874, which is why I am not suggesting anything like DA, I'm just stating and discussing what I think DA did wrong and how to avoid it. It's one of those "Compare DA's concept with this concept I am discussing/suggesting, it's not the same".

Okay, let's discuss difficulty: Obsidian's Idea: Let's say I get down to 10% Health, I still have 100% Stamina to spend freely whenever I encounter an enemy, even at the end of the day. What I am suggesting, or asking to be inspired from: Let's say I get down to 10% Health by the end of the day, I'd also only have 15% Stamina to spend during the encounter. Do you see the difference? In Obsidian's Stamina model I'd be able to unleash hell's fury at the end of the day, at any time of the day really, but in my model/system/idea, you wouldn't be able to do that, or else you'd be burned of Stamina. You'd have to be more resourceful and both tactical and strategical in how you move about in the world. I.e. more difficult to move around. Not only are the encounters already difficult in Hardcore, I hope, but adding in a Stamina system like this on top of that... suffice to say is that it, again, would be more difficult. Often times: More Difficult = More Complicated Wouldn't you agree? Okay maybe you don't, but hear me out. Take StarCraft II, compare Casual Mode and Brutal Mode. In Casual I can click "Auto-Attack" on the other side of the map and then go make dinner, it's as simple as can be. It's as easy and accessible as can be. But in Brutal I sometimes I have to sit on my toes, I react real-time to the AI onslaughts and it's way more complicated to deal with foes who are tougher and more relentless. I don't want a Demi-God Soulcrusher Character when I'm playing on Hardcore. I don't just want the world to be rougher (encounters stronger and a more hazardous world), I want the PC characters to be weaker on Hardcore. One of the things that Slenderman got most praise about (Apart from being pretty scary the first two or three runs) is that it puts your character in a situation where they can't fight, you only have a flashlight and you can only run for so long, you aren't an RPG Goddess or a King of Nords (Skyrim) in any way. You are weak. PoE can benefit a lot from this... on the hardest difficulty settings. I feel like I'm repeating this over and over again. The bottom line: I just want Hardcore to be more Hardcore than what Obsidian is planning. And when Obsidian comes out with a sigh of relief "It's finally Hardcore enough!" I'm going to say "Not Hardcore enough". I want a near unbeatable beatable Hardcore. This Stamina Regen idea I propose is just one that I am 100% sure would reach that goal a little bit closer.

You're not getting the point! Your face is a bad idea! no ill intended btw, that was a friendly brotherly joke I get what you are saying but it doesn't feel like my points are getting through to you. PE's design for Health/Stamina is comprehensible, but it can be more difficult on a higher tier difficulty (Such as Expert/Hardcore/Hard-Deluxe-Mode) Pick ONE, which would be more difficult? A) Instant 100% Stamina Regen after Every Battle B) Fixated Stamina Regen based on Stamina prior to combat (100% cap before, caps at 95% after) and limited Resting. Do you compreheeeeeeeend!? There is a great difference between saying "If you want it to be more difficult, then just don't rest as much" and saying "You can only rest once a day". One is a self-imposed ruleset that the Player has to force themselves to do, the other is a strict classroom teacher in black latex named Gunther with a beating stick. In the former you always have a "Plan B", but in the latter you'll suffer consequences and could potentially get into situations where you screw up or where you are fragile from the get-go. So which one is harder? There is nothing unnecessarily complicated about it. It's a simple question with a simple answer.

Wrong. I am adding "complication" for the sake of difficulty. You do know I am pointing my finger at the hardest difficulty of the game right? Not towards the general game or the general mechanic (I think what Obsidian got for the Stamina mechanic is great, that's not what I want to twist and bend, but I do want to twist and bend it for the hardest difficulty). Just out of curiosity, how are the mechanics confusing and/or not understandable? Asking for constructive criticism, because I am running this idea through my head and I don't think it's that difficult to comprehend really. I am the author of it though so that makes sense, which is partially why I don't understand your comment on "it looks complicated" (which I assure you I think it's not). From a clean slate, my first impression, Hardcore difficulty perspective: - Scenario 1a: Engage in a battle with 100% Stamina = After battle you've got 95% Stamina and it won't regenerate more than that. Impression: "Huh, seems my Stamina doesn't regenerate all the way after a battle" - Scenario 1b: Engage in another battle with your now 95% Stamina = After battle your Stamina regenerates to 90% Stamina. Impression: "The hypothesis is confirmed!" - Scenario 2a: Rest (Regain 100% Stamina & 100% Health) = After rest you can't rest again. Impression: "Health+Stamina regenerates fully, and I guess I can't rest in a row" - Scenario 1c: Engage in a battle with 100% Stamina = After battle you've got 95% Stamina. Impression: "Yep, I know this mechanic now" - Scenario 2b: Go to Rest spot = Can't rest again. Impression: "Seems I can't rest too often at all" - Scenario 2c: Play the game/Experiment with the game = Can rest again after a while = Can't rest again after that. Impression: "Seems I can only rest once in a while... daily?" - Scenario 2d: Experiment with daily Rest = can rest once a day. Impression: "Can rest once a day. Okay" - Scenario 3: Stamina goes down over time = Stamina degenerates. Impression: "The character gets more tired as time progresses? Seems like it." For the latest addition, which does add some complexity to it, but in a sensical kind of way (The lower Stamina you have = The "weaker", tired really, you get)*: - Scenario 4a: Engage in battle with 100% Stamina = Enemy misses. Impression: "Hm, is the game on this difficulty supposed to be this easy?" - Scenario 4b: Engage later in battle with 60% Stamina = Enemy hits more often. Impression: "Hm, so the lower Stamina I have the more I get hit huh?" - Scenario 4c: Engage even later in battle with 10% Stamina = Enemy crits more. Impression: "Half-Life 3 Confirmed, better not let my Stamina go too low" * It makes sense because at the end of the day you are tired. What I am proposing is that Stamina is governed like "Fatigue" or "How tired you are" or "How effective you are" and not only a "Combat Only Resource by the name of Stamina to illustrate or illuminate a sense of having Stamina which is non-existant". It is a fantasy game, heck it's a game altogether and you might throw that argument at me, but the Stamina I am proposing is more "real". "Reality" is not why I am proposing this idea though, I am proposing this idea because it would** add more "Difficulty", which is exactly what I am trying to address. Moar difficulty plox! I want to experience Eternity in all its hardcore glory that it can be. ** How do I know that it would? Because I am a genious of course! No but, jokes aside. Compare these two mechanics please: - Stamina Regenerates to 100% After Every Fight and you can Rest as much as you like - Stamina Regenerates to [-X% of Post-Battle Stamina] After Every Fight and you can Rest Only Once a Day Which one would cause the game to be more difficult on the most difficult settings?

Stereotypical List (According to how I usually roll) Holy Human - Paladin - Priest Nimble Orlan - Cipher - Rogue Berserk Aumaua - Barbarian - Fighter Hermit Godlike - Druid Magical & Forest Elf - Wizard - Ranger Drunken Dwarf - Chanter - Monk And here's an attempt at a Hipster List (Rogue, Priest, Ranger & Monk are difficult to place though): Hermit Human - Druid Berserk Orlan - Barbarian - Fighter Magical & Singing & Nimble Aumaua - Wizard - Chanter - Rogue Zen & Forest Godlike - Monk - Ranger Holy Elf - Paladin - Priest Manipulative Dwarf - Cipher

This began as a reply to "The Heros you will roll", I just copied and pasted everything and started this thread. The topic is "Starting Locations", but I threw in some "Speculation" (which is touching close to a "Suggestion") about the Event. The speculation, as I say "almost suggestion", is a way to allow the Player more freedom when they "roll" their characters and even narrate their own characters. I'm putting it into a quote, it starts off as a direct reply to the other thread by the way: The point of the idea is that you'd be able to start off at a location and then go from there. So if you'd start off in Beregost you'd go from there, if you'd go North towards Friendly Arms you'd meet Elminster still at the Crossroads. In the same vein that Multiplayer doesn't intrude on the Single Player campaign, having a different "Starting Location" wouldn't need to intrude on the Plot either. Thoughts? P.S. There might be some old thread covering the same subject but I don't remember quite everything we discussed and it's also an old thread.

Dunno about the costs so here's a bullet-point in order: - More wilderness areas - More classes (1 or 2) - More companions (One of each, including "More classes") - More creatures/enemies/diversity/encounters - Toolset Documentation & Tools EDIT: - Multiplayer (In the same fashion & concept like the IE games)

Challenge. That sounds a bit arrogant, but what I individually mean is that I want a gritty and authentic challenge, something that makes it feel more immersive. Immersive challenge and not just challenge for challenge sake. Dark Souls has an immersive challenge and difficulty, whilst Skyrim has just stronger enemies and more hitpoints (IIRC). The latter is simplistic and tedious difficulty (I can still take out enemies in the exact same way as I took them out on the easiest difficulty, but it'd just take longer), the former is a world built and designed to be challenging and immersive in being so. Dark Souls achieves this already, so why do I feel like I want that for another RPG? Because it's bloody fantastic design for one, but it's also something I would love to see in Pillars of Eternity and it's type of gamestyle. I don't expect to see anything of the sort, but I still want to see it. No, not that the characters goes out in one hit, but the "artificial difficulty" Dark Souls manages to pull off, the concept and the authenticity. The lore speaks of a cruel world, then shouldn't the world be cruel in turn? If the lore says that Vithracks can manipulate souls and possess bodies (dunno about the latter), then they should be able to do just that. Immersive and Authentic Challenge. That's my "one thing I'd like to see".

I don't think you understand how stamina\health works... what you suggest will make health redundant. also if you want to make the game more difficult play on the hardest level with all challenge modes on.(Modes) If by the time you finish your first game, you still require more challange, I am sure you'll be able to find some mods that will help you to that fix. I know how Health/Stamina works, what I am suggesting is something that makes the game more difficult inspired by how Health/Stamina already works, but with a bit of a twist and some (in my opinion) enhancements to make it more difficult. Less Stamina = Easier to get hit. Easier to get hit = Less Health. Having 0 Health still kills you (On Expert, which this idea is designed for). If Stamina worked as I suggest/propose (on Expert/Hardcore), then you'd have a higher chance of getting struck (and thus getting closer to 0 Health), which in turn makes the game more difficult. I think that sounds pretty straight-on in my opinion. The only thing, in my head, that sounds like redundancy about Health, is it'd be going down much more Another idea: 96%-100% Stamina = Enemy is "Likely to Miss" 61%-95% Stamina = Enemy is "Likely to Graze" 16%-60% Stamina = Enemy is "Likely to Hit" 1%-15% Stamina = Enemy is "Likely to Crit" Adding this on top of the idea would make it even more difficult as time goes along. At the start of the day you'd be strong, and towards the night you'd be weak. Someone mentioned "Then I need to have more healers!" or something like that, and I have to say that is true for any playthrough, you can have any amount of any class as you'd like (up to 6), but there'd be consequences in combat for it as well. Just cus you have 5 healers doesn't make combat any easier, quite the opposite, it'd probably make combat way more difficult cus you'd only have a single character built to deal damage. Another addition to the idea which'd make the difficulty yet again make more sense, and Stamina as well: - Combat Stamina (Stamina has no cap and you can heal it as high as possible) - Global Stamina (Stamina has a cap and progressively goes down with time+after encounters) So, if my Global Stamina is 70%, it would mean I've been in a couple of fights. Then I get into another fight and now the Combat Stamina is "activated" (it's the same thing really but follows some different rules), the Combat Stamina would start at 70%, but could be boosted to 100% during the fight, granted that I have the spells or items to do so with. After the fight, the Global Stamina would regenerate (or degenerate) to the cap, which would be around 65%. Explanation: If I have 80% Combat Stamina at the end of the fight, it'd degenerate to 65%, instead of regenerate. Well, how do I explain that? Adrenaline. During the fight the character was pumped up and enhanced in some way or some sort, the soul gained more "power" or whatnot for a brief duration of time, and as the character takes a breather and reflects the fight or whatever, he or she actually feels the effects of being more tired than he or she is. Similarly, if the Global Stamina is 10% at the beginning of a fight (this would be towards the end of the night), that'd mean the [Enemy is "Likely to Crit"] you, apart from you having less of a Stamina resource yourself to work with (you wouldn't be able to just throw out lots of attacks or abilities, cus it'd cost you Stamina and potentially make you pass out). Being able to heal up that Stamina a little bit at the start of the fight would be helpful, but you can't deny that it would be more difficult than having to start with 100% Stamina every battle. Question: If you start an encounter with 10% Stamina you'd have more trouble than starting the same encounter with 100% Stamina, right? = Difficulty

Hmm, probably not. But why is Health affected by Difficulty but not Stamina? EDIT: What I am asking of the harder difficulty is to make the character a little bit more fragile too. Weaker than normal play. I think that a Daily Stamina resource and only one Rest per day would make the game more difficult.

Yes Mr Co0n (which reminds me of Koon from Tower of God for some reason, korean Manwha~Korean equivalent of Manga I guess). The difference is that we live in a modern enough society today that digital (in my opinion) is the way to go, as it'd just add more immersion. You don't need pen & paper when you can write and do the exact same thing in-game. Which would be pretty cool. Furthermore, I think it is an "Easily Implemented Idea" that wouldn't take too much time of Obsidian. It's pretty much an On-Off [switch] (coding~) on an "Auto-Update Journal?"-Option. Or maybe even simpler than that, a "Show Auto-Updates?"-Option. Three different variants, depending on what's easiest for Obsidian and what takes least amount of time: 1 - "Turn off Auto-Updates" 2 - "Show Auto-Updates" 3 - "Auto-Updates Visible/Invisible" What's the difference? Not much really. 1 would turn them off entirely. Pre-Game Setup~Options Menu. Can't "Switch" it during gameplay (this is what I am suggesting). The two below are just, I dunno, brainstorming in a way but also "Are they easier methods to implement and thus take less time off of Obsidians chest?". 2 would turn them off until turned on again (and pick up from there), have them turned off in the entire Act 1, and then turn it on in Act 2, and it would pick up from there. 3 would always have them "active" and you could flick them on and off as you see fit, they'd be like a background process that you can "minimize" and "maximize" in a sense. If you'd turn them off in Act 1, then turn it on in Act 2 you'd get the entire Act 1 "log". Again, like I said, this is a very minor thing and if you are able to Edit the Journal (like in the IE games), then I think it's something that could take like... 5 minutes to implement if you know your way around the code. Let's not forget what a great great bug-reporting tool it could be as well during Early Access! "Encountered a bug!? Jot it down instantly and continue playing the game!". It's also, I believe, a great community tool "Share your stories!" and stuff like that.

I got two notifications, I think it's timed. So if you do like, unlike, in quick succession, it'll just pop up once, but if you do a like, then unlike after 3 minutes (maybe) then you get a second notification I guess. Glad you liked it ^^

Happy holidays

I still think that Stamina should only regenerate to a certain point after combat. If I run 5 miles and exhaust 50% of my daily energy, then I take a breather and regain a lot of it. But I won't go up to "110%" afterwards or even 100%. I'll be somewhere around 95% maybe. Then if I'd choose to run another 5 miles that might even take more energy from me because I just ran 5 miles earlier, so that takes me down to 40%, then I take a breather and now I might be up at 90% total energy for the day. But then again, it took a total of 3 hours to run 5 miles twice as I did, and I can only stay up for about 16 hours a day, then I begin to get drowsy as the human being I am and I begin to require sleep. So 3 hours of the day passed and thus took from my "Daily Energy" as well, or "Waking Time" if you will. 5% each hour. So my Stamina only regenerates up to 75% in the last instance (after the second run). If I would choose to run a 3rd time, maybe I'd be down to 30% after, another hour passes (that's how long it took to run) which takes away another 5%, so I'm down at 25%. After the breather my Stamina regenerates quickly up to 70%. 4 hours of the day has passed, and I got 12 more hours to go before getting really tired. Now replace "run 5 miles" with "combat encounter" instead. Furthermore, a character who chooses to engage in situations in a non-lethal way would have more energy and could potentially deal with situations more dextrously because of it. I think this would be an interesting method and something that'd make the days progressively harder, as you have a resource that gets lower and lower the more hours pass. So it might be wise to use little "strength" over time, partially and not burn everything on 1 fight.