Osvir

"No rest for the Avellone"

@nikolokolus: Yes, characters with dialogue and story and goals etc. etc. Recruiting characters from the Adventurer's Hall is going to be fun on a playthrough or two (though I'm going to opt out of recruiting altogether when I play on Hardcore just because self-imposed difficulty, so if I lose... let's say Edair... to permadeath, I wouldn't be able to replace him whatsoever). @Pshaw: It's in the PCWorld interview, environments are kind of "It's difficult, even for us" but rules, items, questlines (according to Adam in the interview) should be easier(?). We'll see ^^

Don't know if anyone else has added this but here ya go: Joystiq Article EDIT: Nothing new~

Hm, a very good point Pshaw. Bring out the Modified Hammer! *the ground cracks, light and sparkles appear everywhere, an explosive force is sent out and out comes two small little goblins dragging a large hammer out, with thick metal plats having been screwed into it with big nuts & bolts* Thank you.... now... begone *as the words have been spoken, the little goblins disappear in a puff of smoke, and so does the crack in the ground* Will it be possibile to mod Companions into the game you think? :D

But isn't this something we encounter in every game? Not necessarily what I am suggesting, but things we miss and things we might oversee or walk right past. Items, characters, side-quests or whatever. Not everyone plays a game 100% and looks underneath every stone. Should there be signs telling us what's "right" and what's "left" so we don't take the wrong path that we absolutely don't want to go? But your assessment is right, the idea is pointing towards "If you'd done something different a long time ago, you would have gotten something here". Which is exactly the point... "what" exactly was there previously? Wouldn't you be curious? I do get your point, and one idea to solve that could be to see this "secret character" or whatnot run away during the "big battle" or whatever it is that makes the character run away. Preferably, perhaps, into Od Nua. This gives the Player (if they notice him/her running away) an incentive to actually follow the character, but then if you would choose not to follow then it's all on you when you do get there later. Then it's "If you had followed this character then you'd found something here". In a way it's the same thing as "If you had done something different..." but it's not the developer's fault, it's the Players fault.

When Kickstarter gets too mainstream we'll start going to Kickstopper. EDIT: Great post I just couldn't help myself with the quote

Correction: The video was actually around 185'000 (185'430 or something) as I posted this OP.

Sui generis is attempting it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuOzmyED5qA#t=603 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqaRqih7Cuw Huzzah! Loving it :D EDIT: That's what I've been talking about regarding Eternity. Would've been awesome to see that sort of combat in Eternity, except that it's all scripted combat instead of ARPG combat. Don't know if I'm using the right term with "scripted" there but I think you get it. In essence: Clicking an enemy would make the character perform the actions that you see the Player performing in Sui Generis. Sui Generis requires Player Skill in this sense, but clicking the enemy would require the Character Skill to defeat an enemy. What I've seen from Witcher 3 as well, it seems it is attempting something similar.

You can play a solo character, but it's going to be difficult on higher difficulties. I imagine you could finish the game with some difficulty on Casual/Easy with a Solo character and lots of reloads. But as you climb in the difficulty options it's probably going to get tougher and tougher, but that doesn't mean that people will try it and perhaps even be successful even at the highest difficulty. BioWare said that Dragon Age: Origins should be near impossible to finish on Nightmare and Soloing, yet people managed to do just that anyways. So we'll see.

Hah! Don't tell me what I like in video games. Episode 3, in my opinion, is the best Penny Arcade Rain Slick game. It is the one part that is furthest from "crap", in my opinion. It made me laugh out loud and I enjoyed it a lot. The combat was fast-paced and the story made me just want to get more story, one of those games that kept me playing cus I just wanted more. It was good fun to play. So no, I don't think "they'd be better off if never made", cus if they had never been made then I would never have enjoyed Episode 3 (which I think is the best in the series). P.S. Final Fantasy VI is the best Final Fantasy. Now you should know what I think about "looks" in video games (for your indulgance: I don't give a damn)

That's the thing (I underlined), you wouldn't be "supposed to" do it. A Conditional Companion is the same thing as an "Optional Companion", just like all the other companions is "Optional", but with some Conditions to them. You aren't "supposed to" get all the Companions in the game, not even in Baldur's Gate are you "supposed to" do it. That's entirely up to you who you want. The wonderful thing, in my opinion, with Conditional Companions are that they are usually more significant due to their conditions. For instance, in Suikoden, many of the companions or party members you recruit you get fairly easy, but then there are those who you have to get by fulfilling some requirements, and then they appear. They are more memorable and often times the best characters in the game. They are like "Secrets" and often loaded with some mysterious and/or awesome plot. EDIT: I also want to emphasize that it is not "punishing" in any way at all. It is just a design technique for adding "secrets content" or "hidden content". Not "easter eggs" (which I think are different), but plain good ol' secrets.

We stand by two different opinions here, and I respect yours, but I don't think it is garbage. I am curious though, where do you get your opinion and experience from? Why do you think episodic content is garbage if you've never experienced it? And if you have experienced it, which game that released episodic content made you feel that way? Episodic garbage means they've mismanaged funds and are hoping to complete the game with funds from a piece of a game that in essence puts the entire game in danger of never seeing an end or getting very poor quality completion. I don't care what they say or promise, the moment the word "episodic" comes in I am out and that's the end of that nonsense. Example: look at the Peeny Arcade game....episodic, was shut down after episode 2. Penny Arcade is 4 episodes bro. Episode 3 is actually really good (Episode 4 was a bit of a disappointment, I haven't even finished it). I do not think it's the best example to make either, in fact I think it's a really bad example to make, mostly because of the nature of the game (it is a comical and, honestly, kind of below average game with below average mechanics) and that Penny Arcade aren't even video game developers (they are closer to be "journalists" and webcomic comedy), which means they hired a low-cost studio to make games for them. I remember them writing an article on their site saying something like "Video games costs a lot to make" and explaining why Episode 3 might never see the light of day (Thanks to Zeboyd, it did, in a different and much better format). No ill againt the developers of the two first Penny Arcade games but... they were pretty bland in comparison to many more serious games. They made me laugh, chuckle and facepalm in a comedic fashion, which is the exact reason why I played them. Not because I thought "THESE GAMES ARE SO GOED!", but because I support Penny Arcade and wanted some light entertainment. If Obsidian, or BioWare, or maybe Blizzard, would release episodic games (Oh.. wait! StarCraft II! Scratch that last one), then I imagine the game itself with it's plot would carry itself very well. Regardless if it is episodic- or full game release. EDIT: I suspect you haven't played StarCraft II or that it isn't your genre even to begin with so *shrug* really~ seeing as it isn't a complete game and all by your standards.

We stand by two different opinions here, and I respect yours, but I don't think it is garbage. I am curious though, where do you get your opinion and experience from? Why do you think episodic content is garbage if you've never experienced it? And if you have experienced it, which game that released episodic content made you feel that way?

Did you read santanzchild's post above yours? Cus he gives a perfect example where the content actually does not suffer for it, and could've been handled in a sort of "Episodic Release" dealio. EDIT: However, something I just realized... an open world RPG released in Episodes could suffer from one thing and that is Power Gaming. - Game releases with 1 Episode (Epside 1). I finish this Episode in one weekend... but then what? I have to wait of course but... suddenly I have hours to spend in this first Episode to kill time with and find easter eggs and level up my character substantially. There would have to be some sort of "cliffhanger" or some sort of thing to signal the Player "There's no more content at this time" in an immersive fashion (so that the content indeed does not suffer). - IF I am allowed to power level during Episode 1 and when Episode 2 comes out, I'd run through it like a rampaging train without any worries. Thus, content suffers. Something to consider @Obsidian.

So we pretty much will(?)* get New Strech Goals (which means more wilderness areas and more companions). My thoughts are that I would very much LOVE a conditional companion. What this means is basically that you have to fulfill some conditions to get the companion. For instance, in all Suikoden games there are quite a few characters you can not get if you don't fulfill some very specific conditions. One of my favorite characters is Pesmerga in Suikoden 1 & 2, a mysterious Dark Knight that you know very little about (which is the charm about it in my opinion), but you can only get him within a specific time-frame in the game (nothing like game time or anything like that, but between 2 different chapters). If you get to the area where he is too late, he won't be there, and if you get to the area before the condition is met, he also won't be there. A companion like this would be great to see in Eternity. An example I've used before: - You go to a town, there's a companion here, but you have to fulfill some conditions otherwise you won't get him. - If you fail to get him or meet him at all, he'll later show up in the game as a villain or whatnot. This gives more replayability as well as some psuedo-reactivity in the game. I've got another example: - Od Nua, if you can get to a certain dungeon level between Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 (conceptual/examples), you could find an extra companion. Very difficult to get to that level at that point or something. - If you get there on Chapter 5, you might find a skeleton or something where the companion had been, perhaps even a note hinting something that if the Player would've gotten there sooner they might have found something else. - Let's say there's a big event in the game, or something going on, the note you find if you go to this location later could hint and refer to that somehow, making the Player realize "Huh, that's what I did a couple of hours ago hmm... so what would happen if I go here before that?" or something. The note should not be super obvious in a "If only someone had been here between Chapter 3 and 4, then maybe I'd survive" but more in the way of "The battle began at [Location] and the only thing I could think of was to run as far away as possible". * Not at all certain 100% by the way. It depends on funding & economy I suppose. This is an IF post/thread. So take that "will" with a big chunk of dry salty salt. Thoughts? Got any more ideas for conditions?

I don't know how the Adventurer's Hall will function throughout all difficulties but I remember Obs saying something that it costs an amount to hire extra companions too (I like it!) but just something to consider... a Player might not be able to afford a full party right off the bat even if they reach an "Adventurer's Hall" location. Furthermore, in the latest PCWorld interview I am fairly sure I read Josh saying that the Adventurer's Hall isn't necessarily a "building" you find but it's various set "locations" all over the world. EDIT: What I imagine on difficulty btw for Adventurer's Hall companions and economy: - Casual/Easy = Costs very little or nothing at all - Normal = Costs some - Hard = Costs more - Hardcore = Costs a lot - Hardcore Deluxe Mod (That I want to create if it isn't already in the game) = Can't hire extra companions whatsoever

Hello everyone! I watched this video again, checked YouTube and then I was struck by lightning. The smoke is still coming off my now bald head, but I just had to crawl to this forum and post this "idea" before I pass out from the pain. It is not really an idea, it's an ORDER. Repost this video on relevant forums across the web, share it on your Facebook pages, like it, Twitter it #PillarsofEternity (twitter link), and furthermore, SEARCH FOR PILLARS OF ETERNITY IN GOOGLE! Or click this link and this link and this link (these links link to google, in an attempt to bump relevancy). Why? Marketing. Not standard marketing. Community marketing. Fan marketing. People marketing. Underdog marketing. "Just get those views up"-Marketing. Find forums and share the news. Spread this video like wildfire. If you've got a YouTube Channel, discuss it, upload videos and talk about it. Do everything in your power to up those views on it! Let's get this bad boy up to 500'000 views (It's at 180'000-ish views as I post this message). Can we do it? OF COURSE WE CAN! *insert "Yes we can!" logo* for Sparta Eir Glanfath!!! Glhf P.S. we could spread this (Pledge site) too while we're at it Hugs!

Additionally, Obsidian could make "Wilderness Areas" that look the same (Kind of like the Random Encounters in Baldur's Gate) but have different content in them and different spawn points depending on what "Encounter" you get. Fallout does it too, and Darklands as well. Meaning: They could re-use 1 Wilderness Area to showcase 10 different encounters. This would require Obsidian to make the world map a little bit more "Free Form" and "Open World" in this sense though, which is a step away from what the Infinity Engine games were.

@lolaldanee & others: Skyrim is a concept. I don't think they mean to make a Skyrim clone in some Viking-esque territory with Dragons and a somewhat weak plot. But Skyrim is an easy reference to make when you're talking about Open World environments. I mean, you probably do it, I do it, many people on this forum does it. So why is it such a problem when Obsidian suddenly mentions it? Let's not forget that many people also enjoy Skyrim (A LOT). I am somewhat sad that it's an already licensed IP however, because an original & new IP is so much more exciting (both for Obsidian & fans). The benefits of an already licensed IP is that you don't need to make everything from scratch, and I bet Obsidian might be a little burnt out on that since they made Eternity from scratch. Not to forget the mention that Obsidian would probably color any new IP with lots of recent ideas they had and used for and in Eternity. So there's a big chance, if they make an original IP, that Eternity and this Mystery Kickstarter (thus far) would have very much in common and colored in a similar way. Unless, of course, they choose to use an entirely new crew for it.

I like that in the first paragraph Wolfenbarg :D As for Episodic Open World~ well... this is just an idea. Episode 1, Starting Point Episode 2, Expansion in all directions Episode 3, Expansion in all directions etc. etc. I should really have put a map or w/e underneath it to illustrate it better but I think you get it. EDIT: Here's an idea for immersion ^^ not pretty, I made it in like 2-3 minutes FPS Concept 1: Equipping a helmet FPS Concept 2: Checking the Inventory FPS Concept 3: Enemy ahead

How many people here were early adaptors of "Telltale's Walking Dead"? Before anyone states the obvious by the way ("But walking dead is an adventure game!!!!"), an Episodic Release is not a genre, it is a formula, a solution, a business model and a marketing tool. Great for any company, and hypes fans or gamers or enthusiasts as well if successful. I am curious because I want to know how many experienced the wait for the next episode in the game. And what they felt about it, what they talked with their friends about it and how they handled the eagerness and frustration of "I want the next episode naow!". And the most important question: Did you think it was worth the wait for the next episode? EDIT: Isn't this in the wrong forum by the way? Obsidian General "Have a news tip, question, or comment about Obsidian Entertainment? Post it here!"

Fine, Stun-kun, I'm measuring numbers of areas and not necessarily the "size" in "how big is it". My questions and speculation is towards "How many are there?". Then an area can be 5000x5000 or 100x100 for all I care, that's not what I'm analyzing. I'm hunting the numbers. So in terms of numbers, Od Nua might be 1/3rd or 1/4th of the total numbers.

Great post Stun I have no concern about dipping my toes into Od Nua. I understand why it is part of the critical path, partially because we discussed it on this board a long time ago "Could part of Od Nua, like 2 or 3 levels, be part of the main story?" kind of thing. Not going to look for the thread. The other part is most likely because Od Nua might take up close to 1/3rd and a little less than 1/4th of the entire explorable in-game world.

I think it comes from the fever-dreams of a dying preacher. I wouldn't worry too much. @Rack: Not over a third of the game, but possibly a little bit less than a third of the game. That information comes only from my speculation and some analysis/research too. The numbers are just estimates based on Obsidian's numbers. @Tamerlane: And I think I spent a great deal of time and research into this and that I don't deserve your condescending, mean, and rude tone for it. I'm not preaching, I'm researching and presenting findings. Again, what we know (Or rather... what I have researched): - We do know that Eternity's wilderness areas are slightly less than Baldur's Gate 2 (estimated: 5 or 6 areas, or, 12 or 13, depending on what counts as "wilderness" in BG2) - We do know that the Mega Dungeon is 15 levels - We do know that Big Cities are Big, but not as Big as Athkatla (IIRC), and Athkatla had 8 areas. I consider 5 or 6 to be "big". - We know there's a homlet type of village - We know there's a Stronghold That estimate is about 40-45 areas without the new stretch goal thingy taken into consideration. With the new stretch goals, maybe 50~

3rd EDIT: Things we do know for a...uhm... rough fact? - 15 Mega Level - 2 Big Cities (none of them the size of Athkatla IIRC, which is 8 areas), maybe 5 and 6? - Wilderness Areas slightly less than Baldur's Gate 2, meaning it could be 5 or 6, or, 12 or 13 (depending on what "counts" as wilderness areas in Baldur's Gate 2) - Stronghold, 1 area 32-40 areas. This analysis is not taking into account for various habitats or Temple's or wayside Inn's or whatnot, or the Hommlet shown in one of the updates, or Orlan or Aumaua habitats etc. etc. meaning we could be looking at a total of a rough estimate of 45 areas (maybe).