Osvir

Reading this gave me an idea~ <-Portrait on left side courtesy of BelmonteOliveira (some random DeviantArt artist I found by the use of google. Proper sourcing ftw! ) Ofc, I could've cut it better and stuff like that, I only intended to use it as an example/concept. There could be some sort of "highlight" in the dialogue as well. If, let's say Edair, butts into this conversation, his portrait could get bigger for a second or "light up" in some way to indicate that "Here I am! Now I am talking!". Same thing could go with the Left-Hand Side (The Target) you are talking with. If you face a Group of Rival Adventurers or you face a group of enemies, they could pop up several portraits on the Left-Hand side as well (of course). Heck! If you've had a Rogue infiltrate the Enemy party (Stronghold missions, maybe?), they could appear on the Left-Hand side too, and when battle ensues (if it ensues), the Rogue could be a 7th Temporary Party Member (Uncontrollable). Just a few ways^ you could use a thing like this.

And I like choices. So if Obsidian includes choices in class paths/builds, then I hope that we both get satisfied Then I can stroke play with* my rod and you can play up close and prod. * Well that didn't sound much better xD And of course I'd be able to build one Wizard like a Wizard, one Wizard Tank, Wizard Fighter, etc. etc. I do want to try out a Full Wizard party, but for that to be interesting it kind of requires some sort of choices so that they can differ. In Icewind Dale, for instance, I did try a full Mage party. Each and every one of them had their own little uniqueness~ (One was a Diviner, another an Enchanter, Illusionist, Necromancer etc. etc.). I think that a Grimoire style deck-ish thing that I suggested a few posts back could work with this (Put lots of Fire Scrolls in your Grimoire and the Grimoire gets Fire Traits or something). In the same way, if you put lots of Weapon Enhancement buffs or whatnot into your Grimoire and you are wielding a Sword, maybe that could give the Wizard more of a "Warrior" role no? (Put lots of Metal and/or Weapon Related Scrolls into your Grimoire and the Wizard gets better with Metal and/or Melee Weapons?) I might be getting this wrong but I can recall something about the Grimoire being bound with the soul of the Wizard, but that might just be Forum talk~ (I.E. I'm unsure if Obsidian has said anything about this, but I know we've talked about it here). Let's just call this last bit speculation. Regardless, it would then make sense (If the Grimoire is bound to the Wizard's soul) that he would get better at the intended magic if it is transmuted or whatnot into the Grimoire. Put 1 Sword Fighting Scroll into the Grimoire = Wizard becomes slightly better at Sword Fighting.

Obviously, PE isn't an Action RPG. That's not what I am suggesting, but merely the ability to wield 2 Wands for some extra Attack Speed. Instead of 1 Wand Attack a turn, it'd maybe be 1 1/2 Wand Attacks per turn. For an even more (imo) interesting and difficult method: - 1 Wand, 1 Grimoire: 1/2 attack a turn (Attacks once every 2nd Turn) - 2 Wands: 1 Attack a Turn (Shoots one wand 1 turn, shoots the other wand the next turn etc. etc.) Wielding 2 Wands wouldn't make the Wizard be able to throw 2 Fireballs, but merely have the ability to have higher Attack Speed. Furthermore, 2 Wands should also obviously neglect the Wizard to use their Grimoire with full potential, as it would most likely sit strapped around the Wizards hip in an inactive state (or in the "Top of the Pack"). 2 Wands: - Pro: Attack Faster (If Wands counts as Semi-Ranged Weapons) - Cons: Can't use all Grimoire spells 1 Wand+1 Grimoire: - Pro's: Can use all Spells written down - Con's: Can't attack as fast. The reason I suggest this is because I think it gives variety to the Wizard. Having the ability to do a lot of "Suppressive Fire" without any specific "Spell Casting" (which I think could be a bit of a tactical move) with 2 Wands, and also the standard ability to simply deal tons of damage with 1 Wand/Tool and 1 Grimoire.

Scrolls thoughts: A) Consumables for Grimoire, I.E. Using a Scroll (drag n' drop) over a Grimoire and the Scroll becomes a part of the Grimoire (And perhaps even gives certain "bonuses" to the Grimoire itself. Specializing the Grimoire). I talked about this point a loooooooooooong time ago, maybe 1 or 2 months past I joined this board. Anyways, for instance, putting lots of Fire Scrolls into a Grimoire would make it into a...? Exactly, a Fire Grimoire. Perhaps even giving bonuses to Fire Spells due to the amount of "Fire" in the "Deck"~ A Scroll Transmuted into a Grimoire Deck wouldn't be "consumed". B) One-Time use for any Class or Character, or a couple Charges. The Scroll gets burnt up but it allows your "Fighter" to do a Magical Ability once or twice whilst running into an engage. Of course, it wouldn't be as strong as if a Wizard was doing it, but it serves a purpose. If the 2 or 3 Grimoire's you have are full with Spells (The Grimoire "Deck" has reached it's cap of how many spells you have, and you want to build a Fire Grimoire, then you can waste some Water Scrolls). Basically using those Scrolls you can't use in a Grimoire for some extra utility purposes. Wands thoughts A) Dual-Wielding Wands? :D B) A Wand could be able to empower spells from a Grimoire: "Tip the wand on the page you wish to empower, the wand will then emit a glow as it has now been enhanced. Utter the words (or utter in silence) and point the tip of your wand towards the target location and watch it unfold with greater power" Wizard General Weapon Thoughts A) A thought struck me as I was writing "B)" for Wands. What does different weapons do? B) A free hand, no weapon, and a Grimoire in the Off-Hand. What sort of freedom does that give to the Wizard? 5 Fingers, 5 Magic Missiles? A Fireball that can be channeled in an open palm and be "Readied" and "Thrown" or "Cast" later? (Basically saved for a couple of turns) C) A Wand is kind of a "Wizard's Gun" in my opinion. Point the Wand towards a location, Shoot a Fireball. It's more "Pew pew". D) A Sword? It could have some Wand-like properties but seeing as the main medium in a Sword is some form of metal, it should obstruct massive power and instead perhaps "enchant" the immediate Blade in hand. A Fireball Spell could perhaps instead become a "Fire Sword" Spell. E) A Staff, Two-Handed or can the Wizard hold it like a Cane? (Staff+Grimoire) The Staff should, in my opinion, be the strongest magical weapon. But it would take most time to cast anything and potentially be the Magical Weapon with least spells. F) (This point is also sneaking in some Epic Summoning Quest thoughts) With all this said, would some certain spells require a specific Weapon, Tool, Item, Armor or whatnot to be cast? "Requires a Hammer" or "Requires a Crystal". Will there be ritualistic high-level spells that require Alchemic Ingredients? You need to boil a piece of Glanfathan Root, mash it down, sprinkle some Dust of a Fallen, take a bite of a Bat Wing and channel a Fire Spell to Summon a Dark Lord". So what you would need: Research & Lore ("What tells you about the Summon?") - Book: The Dark Lord Part 1 ("Learn about Glanfathan Root") - Book: The Dark Lord Part 2 ("Learn about the Dust") - Book: The Dark Lord Part 3 ("Learn about the Bat Wing") - Book: The Dark Lord Part 4 ("Learn about the Fire Spell Channel") - Find ingredients - Use in order (Part 1, 2, 3, 4) - Summon Dark Lord ^That's a bit of an in-depth example of what could be done. Something more simple would be: "You need a Free Hand to be able to Cast Ghoul Touch" or "You need a Free Hand to be able to Cast Five-Finger-Fire" or "You need a Wand to be able to Cast Magic-Beam" or whatnot. What medium is best and makes most sense for what sort of spell? What is the traditional way of using a Staff in Project Eternity? Who uses Wands? Can you cast Magic without a Grimoire, and final question, what sort of Power does a Wizard without a Grimoire have?

Hi! This is related to the Development Process and it is more of a question about Beta Testing than a suggestion (although I think it looks like a wise thing to do). This came across my feed somehow, between 2:00-2:30: http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2013/08/21/exploring-the-world-of-dragon-age-inquisition.aspx The question to Obsidian is, does Obsidian plan on doing something similar for Project Eternity with their play/beta/early-access testers? I think personally that it looks healthy for both the developers for the sake of development (getting a better game) and, of course, the players can directly communicate in-game matters with the developers more in-depth about what's going on around them. Not fishing for a beta-access (Though I might buy an Early-Access copy if it ever appears on Steam at whatever stage it is in, Alpha or Beta doesn't matter~ in whatever way I can help ^^), but I just think that getting raw data from the Player decision in-game might help out Obsidian a lot in terms of physical development Members: Thoughts? Obsidian: Possible answer?

That is a most intriguing and cool idea. It'd lend itself very nicely to a bunch of possibly summoner specific quests that somehow involve a pact with a demon which obligates it to assist you. Or perhaps even better, some quests have a summoner-specific outcome. Although the summoner would have to be careful to dismiss it or protect it somehow, for should it die in combat this unique summon would be lost. I can't think of a good story line for such a quest at the moment... but I think it'd have to involve tricking the entity somehow, or defeating it so utterly that it submits to your contract or faces destruction. I can't think of too many creatures that would be willing to give someone the ability to summon them at will and force them to fight to their deaths. Perhaps a quest could go something like this: Strange and terrible rumours have come from Wicking - a relatively minor and unknown land, with a relatively unknown lord called Benedict. Benedict has always been kind and fair to his people, and the atrocities supposedly committed in his lands run contrary to his good reputation. Upon investigation, the player discovers that this lord has been assassinated by a demon who has been impersonating him and doing unspeakable things with the lord's power. Upon defeating this demon in combat, the demon is left to the players mercy. The player can: A) Kill the demon (as any good paladin would do) B) Banish the demon back to its home realm, but with a condition. It must sign a pact with the player which means that the player can summon it forth at will to fight and to die. C) Some other equally brilliant quest resolution that I can't think of at the moment Should the player choose B, this would grant the player a unique spell of summoning. As Osvir describes, this contract is specific to the demon and is invalid once the demon dies and no longer exists. I think it's good because it explains the contract in lore and makes it believable, gives players a new way to solve a quest of this kind, and gives summoners a nifty spell. What do you think? I like it. Perhaps an entirely different path, the "Archaeologist" approach. Searching for Old Scriptures and Poems that could lead to a clue that somehow reveals the Demon's true name. And if you know the name when you encounter the demon you would be its "Master" instantly and wouldn't need to fight it. "Bow to me Demon, for I know thee true name!". And a suggestion: C) Chance resolution: The Demon escapes, in one or two ways. C1: You contract the Demon. But during a power struggle it wins and opens a portal to its realm. C2: It escapes during the first battle. What happens next is for the Player to chase the Demon through the portal and then try to contract and/or kill it in its own realm (Depending on what type of character you play as). Aaaah, I dunno ^^

Is it possible for you to reveal the features of the Journal itself yet? (IE: Can you write the Journal yourself or is it Automatic updates?) Additionally, if the Quest Log is automatic, is it possible to turn it completely manual or could you insert a 100% manual Journal Option? (I want to jot down my own notes, so instead of just clicking the "I Accept this Quest" button and getting an Automatic update, I'd get to choose myself to note it a la example: "I met a man int he alley and he gave me a quest to find his lost cat. He said it might've ran down the sewers"). And if I forget to do it or just plain not do it I could still do the Quest (but the manual/Player Journal could spawn some interesting community stories as well as be interesting to see in an RPG). What I am wondering, in short: - 1, Are you considering a "Blank Journal" Option? (100% Manual/Player reactive writing) - 2, Can I edit the Journal content? Sneaking in 4 questions about Descriptions in general: - 3, Are you considering Spell/Item/Weapon Description Edits? - 4, Are you considering a "Blank Description" Option? (100% Manual/Player reactive writing) 4 = Cast a "???" spell for the first time -> You notice it is a big ball of fire -> Ability to edit the Spell Name "???" into "Fireball" -> Edit the Description "It is a big ball of fire that explodes on impact and deals additional shockwave damage in a small area" This is selfish wishful thinking. Because I would love to jump into the PE world in a "Blank" state. Maybe even call it "Game Journal", and being able to document the experience at first impression value. - 5, Quest or Book Story example: A book that is clearly unfinished, and venturing further into the story of the book where it left off, you could then edit the Book and finish its story. - 6, Puzzle example: Bold, Italic, Underline, a book of mystery. Using the methods of "5", perhaps finding a book of riddles, and being able to edit the text in the book (Making 4 Letters on a page in Bold or other text style could unlock a secret compartment or something)

IC: 1:- "I have questions about the area" PS: Great update! Sounds like a great team is assembling. Looking forward to seeing everything in action :D

cont. @josan motierre I do really like the proposals that: 1, A sort of Sustained Cost would be in effect (I'd like to add in here that... perhaps it could be a rising Sustain Cost over time? See Nr. 3) 2, Summons being both the Weapon and Armor of the Summoner (IF you can build any Class into a Full-Summoner Class) 3, Summons turning on you because your "power" isn't strong enough for whatever reason. A rising Sustain Cost over time could imply a sort of power struggle. But I would like to say that this should only be applicable for Mid to High Tier summons. - Low-Tier Summons should be fairly simple to control I imagine, specially if you're a High-Tier Wizard calling out some Low-Tier minions. - But if you're a Low-Tier Wizard summoning a Mid-Tier Summon it could be struggle. - But, again, if you're a High-Tier Wizard controlling a Mid-Tier minion it should, again, be fairly simple. I also want to add and clarify that my suggestion that Summons would be "Permanent" is not quite what I meant. I meant that if you do not Unsummon them and keep them in battle (Only relevant for Unique/Legendary/Epic High-Tier Summons) they can potentially die and can't be summoned again. It is not meant to apply for ALL summons (of course). If there are millions and millions of Imps in the "Summonable Realm of Summons", then they never "run out".. so to speak. If there's 100'000 Devil Hounds, then that too should translate to an Infinite amount of summons. But if there's only 1 Kragashlamanakahakadakk Summoning Spell (Kragashlamanahak... kak.. lak...hakadakk????? **** it) Demon Overlord in the Realm of Summons (or wherever these things come from), then there should only be 1 available. Summoning that 1 Single Demon that exists in the realm of PE and then if that 1 Single Demon dies, then that's it, you wouldn't be able to summon 1 more because you only had 1 contract with that 1 Single Demon. And when it's dead it is dead. And if there is only 1 Single Demon like this, I imagine that it should at least be quite powerful, which could even further make it more difficult to: A, Contract in the first place B, Maintain/Sustain during battle The sole reason why I am suggesting this is because that could make 1 or 2 Summons "extraordinaire" in PE. It could make them matter lots, and that in itself makes it more interesting (imo). As for balancing it, well, long "cooldown"? (Once an In-Game Week type of summoning procedure? Limited In-Game Ingredients/Components making it so you can only summon it three, four times at most a full game?) As for the examples and concepts above, might not be something to follow to heart but I am merely throwing out "sketches" of a much larger idea. If I summon Kragash.... whatever I typed up there^... I don't want an opposing Enemy AI be able to Summon it as well. Which takes me to the finale of this post: The Enemy team has a Summoner on their side. How can they mess with your Summons? How can you mess with theirs? Does Obsidian have enough resources to build upon a large pool of Summons and Summoning Mechanics? (Because in my head it starts to sound like its own entire Class that could fit well into Expansion content, because I imagine how freaking badass a fully developed "original" Summoner Class could be, and because Klarth is one of my favorite characters of all time because of his abilities... and of course because of his personality too but the concept of his "Summoning" is pretty neat and cool imo... ruuun ooon senteneeence/paragraph!! )

I'm not familiar with X-Com or Final Fantasy, so I can't comment on your other points. I like the naming summons thing, and the notion that a summon would be able to be permanent thing, but then you have the whole balancing drama you need to think about as well. The summon couldn't be as powerful and useful as another companion, unless it occupied a "Party slot". That would be interesting, but then the player would have to forgo any conversational dialogue. I can't imagine a story and conversation tree being feasible for a summon that is essentially a fully fledged companion. I doubt Obsidian has the time or the desire to do that. Therefore, the player is losing a bit of story line there. If it was as capable as a companion, but had no dialogue, then that is very easy. The penalty for using it is that is serves exactly has a companion - therefore, you're down a party member as long as it's around. It could be preferable, actually. Golems are nice and quiet, and don't backchat. But... Assuming it didn't occupy a party slot, then it would need to be balanced some other way. There are a few methods for this that are in discussion currently: It would be weaker than a companion and would have a penalty upon the summoner for using it (eg. reserved mana, time limit/duration [heaven forbid this one!], or some other means). Or, as I and Lephy prefer, the summoner himself is actually as weak and helpless thing that needs his minions around just to survive or deal damage. They are his weapons and armour, literally. Depending on its power, it could have a very real chance of turning around and killing you itself (as Mr. Magniloquent advocates) What I am proposing is merely the capability to name your "Summon Monster III". Instead off summoning some random critters you could instead have 3 pre-determined weak/medium critters that you've named. The capabilities of the summons would be exactly the same as before (they don't get stronger or weaker just because you put a name on it), the difference would be "aesthetics" or "roleplaying" value. Let's take this example: Spell Name: "Summon Two Imps" OR "Summon Humpti & Dumpti" Mechanically the Spell would do the exact same thing that it did before. So, in essence, the Spell Effect would not do anything except just having a different name. However, if Humpti or Dumpti would die in battle (because they weren't unsummoned or whatnot in time), they die and you get to summon a new (although exactly the same) Imp that you can rename. The suggestion of point Nr. 1 is 100% roleplaying value. Though, it would be nice to get some sort of "Summons Hall of Fame" in the description of the spell, somehow. If Humpti dies, it could perhaps be logged in the description of the Spell, "Humpti was killed by a Fire Elemental" (Simplistic), but I admit that might give Obsidian some minor aches in terms of coding that specific [Description Edit] based on [Target Creature] and [Target Summon] (I think it is a fairly simple code sequence, it would still take some time to create, bugtest and such... optimistically I guess on an hour or two~).

This is my fear, too. It could be avoided by not giving enemies any resistances until you get access to magical weapons, but eeehh.We need more information about P:E combat mechanics to make even the vaguest speculations. Simple. Run away and adjust. OR! Engage -> Lose a party member -> Realize it was too much for you -> Run away -> Prepare -> Kick some ass ^That's Hardcore Ironman thoughts. For some more casual thoughts: Save game -> Run into enemies -> Die -> Load -> Meta-Prepare

There is only one thing I would want from Summoning... actually 3 things. 1. Name your summons. This way they get more personal and gets roleplaying value rather than a "combat" asset. It becomes an extra companion instead of a Magical Spell. 2a. If they die they die. X-Com style. Different Tiers are contracted differently (Low-Mid-High). 3. Final Fantasy 8. Fight some higher tier summons and tame them/bind them or whatnot. Learning a Demon's true name for instance. 2b. - Low-Tier Summons = Easy to get more contracts to summon more (Infinite amount) - Mid-Tier Summons = Virtually Unlimited. Some Low-Tier Summons could perhaps even upgrade into Mid-Tier Summons if they can stay alive for long enough in the party? (And/Or as the Wizard levels up, Low-Tier Summons simply come out as Mid-Tier). - High-Tier Summons = Demons which you've learned true names and other unique/epic/legendary Summons you've found = Permanent Death if they die. Limited Stock.

It definitely looks graphically impressing. I am excited but something about the camera control (3rd person view... *sigh*) just doesn't sit right with me when it comes to a party managing game. To be honest, DA:I would probably benefit much more from just going to Mass Effect route. Control Shepard and order your party members around from that point of view. Controlling a party of characters from a 3rd person perspective just feels weird in my opinion. In this sense, Mass Effect does the "Control 1 Character and order 2 characters around" management both fun and mechanically functional. I hope they will consider & implement a top-down camera control like DA:O still. I am certain it will get more people on-board to buy and play the game. Why? Because it allows the individual Player to play by their own preference, and seeing the comments section of that gameinformer link... - [New Fans] seem to enjoy the close-combat action responsiveness of DA2. 3rd Person perspective and Casual/Normal Difficulty (Which in turn means that New Fans likes more of a Mass Effect approach. Little "down-time" in actual gameplay, God of War-ish/Dark Souls-ish). - [Old Fans] seem to enjoy the more tactical, slower paced DAO. Top-down perspective and Hard/Nightmare Difficulty (Which in turn means that Old Fans likes the more Baldur's Gate/Chess-like approach. More time to think, calculate, positioning and preparation in actual gameplay). So, by simply adding a good enough "Hard/Nightmare" difficulty to DA:I and adding a Mobile Top-Down RTS-like Camera (Map Scrolling; Not being locked to a fixed position), Bioware could cater to both groups. A, Those who like to play the 3rd Person Action Game B, Those who like to play the Top-Down Chess-like Game However and again, this can only be achieved if BioWare includes the possibility for a Top-Down Camera (like DA:O) and a good hard difficulty. If Bioware would successfully do this I believe DA:I would gain more success and be a way more fun experience. Looking at the demonstration video as it is though, it looks to be mostly a polished DA2-system combined with some elements from Dark Souls/Mass Effect.

Simple. P:E has 12 levels. To get enough experience to hit level 13 you have to kill all NPC's, all Mobs, do all quests in the game that you can do. Pretty much make the world empty of everything except the last boss. Done To be able to hit Level 13, above the presented Level cap, there needs to be enough content in the game to allow you to do so. If you are an OCD person who does everything in the game to get as much experience as possible, then you hit Level 12. What's next? How do you attain more experience? Content. That would mean Obsidian would have to spend more resources. Time+Money in other words. This is important because, if there is no more physical experience to gain when you get level 12 (Because you know, you've done everything there is to do). How do you expect to gain more when there is no more? In that way, it would be impossible to get to Level 13. "Hey I did all the 10 quests and stuff and I am level 12 now. Why can't I get to level 13?" is what I think this thread sounds like to be honest. My answer is "Because you bloody ate the whole damn cake. There's nothing left of it". EDIT: However, if I am allowed to get to Level 12 and there is still content left in the game, then I might question it a little bit if I can't get to level 13-14 or if it "hard caps" on me a la "No more for you". Stun got it right imo btw, give +1 damage and maybe some Health/Stamina or something. Nothing really fancy but just a little bit "more" of some basic statistics and/or dice roll initiatives or something. Making the characters slightly stronger but not overly too strong.

Absolutely, but it is also important to note that if the Enemy AI will have any type of "Vision Cone" where they see, if they are facing the door directly it is going to be difficult to sneak by mechanically, unless it is one of those rooms where you just "can't" sneak by. Oh and I am inserting speculation that such an element will be present in this scene. It looks like a Dialogue will start with the Male and Female Cult/Skaen/"Robe-guys-around-the-Animat-Soul-thing" up front when you enter the room. This is what I imagine and speculate when I look at the screenshot: 1. You are in front of the door, you have 4-5 triggers. - A: Click the door -> Open the door (Door opens) - B: [Thievery] equivalent on the door -> Open the door slightly and take a peek (Door is still closed) - C: Attack the door -> Kick the door open (Same as A) - D: Trap the door (Pick Trap -> Click Door) (Only 1 Door Opening Animation, just noting that I am suggesting something simple) A1: Simple Approach - Dialogue Pause/Cutscene (As seen in the IE games) - Choices (A2) A2: - Talk to the guys inside (They turn around) - Listen to the guys inside (Gather information) - Close the door and turn around (They look creepy, stay away/better go back to camp and prepare) - Use Special Ability/Dialogue Ability/Perk/Trait or something. Example: The Cipher manipulates the Animat Factory to do something~ B1: Stealth Approach - Listen, Look, Limited Vision through Fog of War in the room (more "keyhole = beam-like")* - Distract/Whistle/Yell/Trick/Knock - Dialogue Pause/Cutscene (As seen in the IE games) - Conversation through the door "Hey is there anyone in there" "Yes... who is it?" etc. etc. C1: Aggressive Approach - Kick the door open (Bash) and engage in battle directly, or a very short Dialogue Pause a la "Wha....? To arms!!!" from the guys inside. - Makes most noise. The reason why I look at the picture like this is because it looks like a typical Dialogue Scene has been set up in the room when you enter it. I'm simply trying to expand on possibilities- if this would have been an old-school Text-Only cRPG, this screenshot would've said something like: "You are in front of a door. What do you want to do?" That's how I am looking at it ^^ Post 2-in-1 I also noticed another thing, a suggestion (if Obsidian hasn't already thought of it), there is a piece of cloth hanging on the wall behind the Brown/Leather Armored Party Character (Aumaua?). Could it possibly lead to a secret path? It caught my eye and it looks almost like there could be a hole behind it, and no it's not the shadows from the cloth itself, but if you look on the right side of it, it looks like a stone arch... or is it simply cracks in the wall? * I came up with a spell. "See Through Doors", but perhaps a better name should be required. Make doors transparent for the eyes of the Wizard. It might sound OP, but I think it could be a cool utilitarian ability.

I don't feel entitled or anything but I wish to say as a member who's been here almost since the Kickstarter project began, this community has faith := Many of the on-going discussions I've been a part of has been great stuff for inspiration, motivation, innovation, discussions, analysis, agreements and disagreements of various system ideas, suggestions, propositions and so on and so forth. Many say "Nay!" to my ideas as an example, but may say "Yay!" to another forum member's ideas. The negativity we see I believe isn't necessarily directed at PE but more or less towards mine, yours, some other guy or girls thoughts of what should be or not be in PE. "I want this!" says one, and the other answers "Are you kidding me?". See where the negativity is? Though, I haven't read much around on the forums lately, but I remember this forum being very open-minded and friendly I think people just want PE to be the best it can be, granted the resources that Obsidian has. And to tip this post off: Passion is in many ways strong, it has many colors and many forms. Some rage, some spit, some love, some hate etc. but fundamentally I believe all want the same thing: A good RPG. And as far as I am concerned and what I know of the project, PE looks to form into just that. Culturally it's a neat little phenomena already in my book, and it has lots of history already as a very successful Kickstarter project (as to date), which will make it even more interesting for years to come. Possibly even looking back 10-20 or even 30-40 years from now and talk about this project as... something ^^ People wouldn't be posting if they didn't have a little "faith". For what it's worth, that's what I think Have a good day, and don't forget hugs

Picture the room with the glowing tube hidden by FoW; the party enters through the only door into the room and the two nearest creatures immediately turn to face them. In this case it can be more efficient to pre-position the two facing as shown than to put in the code to have them detect the door opening then turn to face the party. Since the room was hidden by FoW, the player sees no difference between the two approaches. I agree that there is little difference when you put it like that. But! There is a difference still. Because entering the room and then getting vision in the Fog of War and then see them turn is quite a different experience from them already looking towards you. Albeit it is a very slight difference, it is still a difference. In example A, which would be as seen in the picture, you imagine them turning towards you. If a dialogue is initated, "text" could symbolize them turning towards you (even if they already are turned towards you). In essence: - "You notice the blood-stained robes, the knifes and axes in hands and the chittering chatter of what seems to be cultists of some kind. Did they sacrifice something? *gulp* Are we the sacrifice? Turning towards your presence, snickering slightly, one of them begins to speak..." In example B, which is what I was trying to picture, they physically turn before the Players eyes. The above example (A) is an indirect presentation, kind of "But lol! He's already facing me!", this example (B) is a direct presentation. - "You notice the blood-stained robes, the knifes and axes in hands and the chittering chatter of what seems to be cultists of some kind. Did they sacrifice something? *gulp* Are we the sacrifice?" [The Cultists turn towards the party] "Turning towards your presence, snickering slightly, one of them begins to speak..." It does set the scene differently. Does it not? Which I will follow up with a question at Obsidian: What kind of aesthetic~choreography are you looking at when setting scenes? Will it be as rjshae presents or will it be "acted" out (so to speak)? An example to better clarify my question, for instance... a Wizard in his Wizards tower, you enter a library (not an enemy but simply a Wizard). He is looking through his books in his bookshelves for things to read or simply looking for a book he thought he had lost.. regardless.. will he be static and pre-positioned and text in the [Dialogue Tab] explaining what he does in his tower as you enter or will you physically see him roam about? Not talking cutscene per say, but simply a matter of "setting the scene". Is it going to be text-heavy or a combination between text and possibly some "acting" by the character models? Will we see head shakes ("No no, I don't know what you are talking about") and nods ("Yes! I've heard about it")? Shrugs ("Maybe") and arm/hand motions ("Why hello there!")? Will characters "act"? That is pretty much the jist of my question.

Coming back again and taking a closer look, the armor on the party characters looks great :D It's an Animat thing~ right? And these guys with bloodstained robes and stuff... they are cultists no doubt no? I'm getting a feeling they slay adventurers and forge their souls into weapons and armors, just guessing. Looks like Mama Cultist and Papa Cultist is in front, and they might cause a conversation to start. A little bit of a nit-pick: Shouldn't they all be facing the Animat thing in the middle? It looks like they are expecting the party, but how would they know they are coming? (Unless something happened before that caused them to get alarmed) Another thing that could be considered. If these Cultists would "Chant" or whatever, could the volume (Sound) be heightened the closer the Camera is to that area? I'm guessing it could give a nice smooth effect, hearing the songs or talking of these guys the closer you get to this room. OR as you enter the room a conversation starts with the Cultists (I believe they are but please correct me if they are in fact not) and you get to hear in on some of their prayers or whatnot, and when you engage in the conversation they THEN turn towards the Player. Just some choreography~ perhaps you could even choose not to engage in conversation and instead try to sneak by. EDIT: Who is in the scene btw? - Edair close to the door in plate armor? - Aloth holding a wand at the bottom? Wizard? - Cadegund with red hair? Priest? - An Aumaua Barbarian at top? - Test Character/Player Character in red armor? (Fighter no?) - Test Character at the right side of the door or...? A Ranger? Sagani?

I absolutely love it :D No analyze, just by looking at it I get all excited and I want to play it and build my character, story and play around in this world. Now I want to see it in motion!! That would be like.... I think next month, am I right? Speculation: I did some research a while back on Wasteland 2 (from Kickstarter start up to demonstration). I think it was something like 9-10 months in total. So I believe we might see this beauty in motion "soon"-ish. If not next month, I think the month after that. /Speculation End Regardless, good job, love it thanks for showing it to us <3

Why I think Expiring Potions sounds [Good]... Alchemy First of all, it kind of speaks for itself. If a Potion becomes "Rotten" after 10 Days (give or take), then it would make sense if you could use the "Rotten" Potion in different uses. Maybe coat your blade with it, cause a Disease on the enemy, slip down some of it down your enemy's jug of wine during a very intense diplomatic conference, mix it with a "Good" Potion and create a beneficial Potion etc. etc. It's complex though, because depending on how many Potions are in the game, it might be A LOT to take into consideration. But it could also simplify Potion "Crafting" a.k.a. Alchemy: [Fresh] Potion Component [Good] Potion Component [Average] Potion Component [sour] Potion Component [bitter] Potion Component [Rotten] Potion Component I just pulled down the Potion list to 6 Components instead of... what... 10's & 100's? (Potion of Strength, Potion of Endurance, Potion of Speed, Potion of Heroism). It does make potions less individual and unique though and the list of Potions being able to create becomes slimmer. I just think that I might have something here that makes it easier to work with in "Crafting" terms. There could be some 2 unique traits to special potions or to each tier. Main Component: [sour] "A Sour Stamina Potion, said to enrich any who engulfs it with fatigue. Sipping won't do!" Sub-Component: [sweet] "A tone or a hint of sweetness might touch the drinkers lips before tasting the main component" Journal Notes With Expiry dates comes a further implication: - How long does my Potions last? Will the game note it for me for every single potion or would there be a lot of potions that doesn't have it in their description? Could I add it in-game in-journal or in-description? That would be awesome. I want to go into ITEM descriptions and add my own "Lore" so to speak. But that's for another thread. Back to Potions: So I've got a Potion in my inventory for X amount of Days, when it goes bad, I can "write it in". As I understand it I remember there being some talk about a "Codex" of everything you find. You find a book, goes to a large Codex (Gone is the days with Books in your inventory, I believe). Because when a [Good] Potion goes [sour], the Potion is no longer [Good], then I could go to the Journal entry of the [Good] and write how many days it took for it to Expire. This I would enjoy a lot I believe, but it also a lot of "High-Level Roleplay" I suppose. Requires a lot of attention from the Player. Community Crafting I think it speaks for itself: "When does the Potion go bad?" "Can you create a special Potion if you wait 3 out of 10 days and it is still [Good]?" ([Good] goes [sour] in 10 days so... would 1 out of 10 Days give the [Good] a trait? Would 2 out of 10 Days give [Good] a different trait? etc. etc. Maybe more like 4/12 Days gives 1 Trait, 8/12 Days gives 2nd Trait, 12/12 Days = [Good] into [Average]) Lots of talk, lots of discussion, lots of "Community Alchemy" could spawn out of it with no certainty. But that goes for any Crafting system regardless. Unl. Stash, Pack/Inventory & Drops In the Unlimited Stash the Potions could be in some sort of "Stasis" (I.E. They don't go "bad") but as soon as you pick them up into your inventory they begin to "tick". Same would go for Drops obviously, it would be waaaaay too complex if enemies were carrying Potions that were slowly degenerating as time went on (But hey, if it would be possible to create some sort of "Global Timer" I say thumbs up, cus I'd like to see some dynamic events taking place that I can encounter and/or even Miss and encounter on perhaps a 2nd Playthrough *gasp!*). Why I think it could go [Rotten]... Potions handled this way could be complex for the Developers to create. That's it really. Of course, I wouldn't know, but Obsidian has way more experience with Crafting systems than I have and they might even have a better system in mind. But I just thought of throwing this out there for inspiration or whatever, in some sort of simplistic manner. The system I propose could also make Potions too much work for the Player, and it becomes a hoard mode regardless. Potion Belt I remember Josh saying something about a "Potion Belt" that each Character would have, a sort of limited "How many can you carry?" slots in your inventory. So hoarding Potions into your Stash sounds feasible, but the one you "Equip" sounds like they will have more of an Active usage, I.E: You Equip Potions to prepare for what's ahead, not for Hoarding. If the Player puts them on His/Her character = Probable because He/She is going to use them. Otherwise they'll hang around in the Unl. Stash. I'd like to see what could be done with Expiring Potions without causing the Player to loose too much "Control" over it as well. Having Potions go "Bad" when I really wanted to use them for an upcoming boss won't help at all, unless the "Bad" Potion can be used in some sort of utilitarian way. Also want to throw attention to This Post instead of doing a "Copy+Paste". It's from Infinitron's thread "Ideas for creating items with negative attributes that people will actually use?"

Girdle of Femininity/Masculinity is comic relief, I never used it and I usually sell it at first chance. My friend did make a pretty funny, and curiously dumb, Orc Male Warrior who put the girdle on ("Hey! The Ogre was carrying it! Must be good stuff!". He also didn't let me identify it at first, but we had some meta-knowledge of the Girdle before-hand. Regardless, he changed the Picture of his character into a buff female Babarian Warrior and continued a roleplay of it. The Girdle in itself has no positive attributes, but it did allow my friend to make more of it using his imagination. The Berserkering Sword +1 is also, personally, an item with that roleplay element. I put it on Khalid, and for a moment during battle I envisioned him as a Berserker. I roleplayed it myself (Singleplayer) in my own imagination, Khalid picked up the sword to become a warrior with courage and power, something I feel he wants to become. I.E. he wants to become strong so he can protect his friends. Eventually I "Removed Curse" on Khalid, because he did become strong with the sword in hand, and I was tired of reviving our teammates that he struck down (Every battle with Khalid was "Stay away from Khalid or he'll destroy everything around him", that's how strong he became). The effects of the Berserkering Sword is that the party member gets "Berserk" effect and you can't control him, it's a strong weapon with a strong effect, the downside being that as soon as you engage in combat, the character wielding the sword attacks the closest target (Doesn't matter if it is an ally or an enemy). I had lots of fun with it as well before it got annoying, because the combat positioning became very dependant on Khalid, I had to adjust all of my tactics because of 1 character in my party. But I had a lot of "Oh sh..!" moments as well where I was having a battle after every battle, it takes a couple of turns after battle before the one wielding the sword "calms down" so after every battle you have to run away from one of your party members. It was great fun and I have a lot of memories of the battles that took place. There is also a Katana, which might be a mod item, that my friend was wielding. It saps the lifeforce of your character every time they do a critical hit (You lose 1 Endurance temporarily I believe, or permanently). It's a strong weapon, but as I said, you constantly become weaker and weaker by using it. I can't say much about it because my friend didn't use it for too long because it had such a strong "weakening" effect. It was on its way to make his character only have 1 HP (if he had kept it around). It was a strong weapon with a much stronger weakening effect, which takes me to the point of Negative Attributes. Weapons with Negative Attributes or Effects need something that is balanced. The sword I mention in the paragraph above for example; It causes more harm to the Player than it gives. There needs to be some sort of "hard cap" on how weak it can make the Player character. Example/IIRC the Self-Inflicting Lifestealing Katana: - At first when beginning to wield it, it is strong. - After using it long enough, you have 50% Health. At this point the Katana isn't strong enough to justify how weak you've become. - The idea here would be to make the Sword stronger the weaker you become. It saps your life after all, for whatever reason. As it has stolen 10% of your "Soul", it could gain 5% Strength (+5% Strength, -10% Life/Health/Stamina or whatever seems most fitting). If the weapon (The Katana) would have done something like this, heck yes it would have been worth using. Instead it became a "gateway weapon" so to speak. Negative Attributes (Cursed Items, generally) need to be countered and balanced somehow by a Positive Attributes in an interesting manner: "Weeeell, it is a better weapon statistically buuut... it does harm my character"~ not to forget the mention of roleplay value. I have more roleplay value with a "Cursed Item" than I have with a "Regular Item". I also think that Crafted Items and Legendary Items that is tied to the Player also have roleplay value, which is why I want to advocate for "Player Named Legendary Items and Weapons". Specifically weapons, being able to create a unique item in-engine in-game, and not use some toolset for it and then finally name it something like (in my case) "Blade of the Osvirian" and perhaps even add a description to it akin to how you can write in your own In-Game Journal. "Do I keep using this sword that has 5 Damage output or do I use this sword that has 10 Damage output but also gives my character poison in every single battle?" I also wish to chip in Potions here. A Potion with a Positive Effect could be stacked, let's say 3 times: 1st: You get +1 Strength 2nd: You get +1 Strength. Now +2 in total 3rd: You get +2 Strength. Now +4 in total. BUT: * Every other turn your character gets -1 Strength for 5 turns. After 5 turns it means your character is "Weakened" and has -1 Strength. * Additionally, afterwards, your character stays "Weakened" for 10 turns. So you have -1 Strength for 10 turns. * When the battle ends, the "Weakened" status could disappear or stay in effect for 10 "Out of Combat" turns (Meaning that if you encounter a 2nd Mob around a corner, you'd still have -1 Strength, but for maybe 2-3 turns depending on how many "Out of Combat" turns you spent) So what is the Advantage of drinking 3 Potions? - 1 Potion: +1 Strength for 2 Turns - Turn 1, 1 Potion: +1 - Turn 2, 1 Potion: +1 - 2 Potions: +2 Strength for 2 Turn - Turn 1, 2 Potions: +2 - Turn 2, 2 Potions: +2 - 3 Potions: +4 Strength for 1 Turn - Upkeep: -1 Strength/+3 Strength for 1 Turn - Upkeep: -1 Strength/+2 Strength for 1 Turn - Upkeep: -1 Strength/+1 Strength for 1 Turn - Upkeep: -1 Strength/+0 Strength/Standard - Upkeep: -1 Strength/-1 Strength for 10 Turns [EDIT]For an even more "Hardcore" version of it (I was kind of "kind" with the example above but really I'd like to see something like the below): - 1 Potion: +1 Strength/Now +1, Lasts 2 Turns (3 turns effectively, from the point of drinking it) - Turn 1, 1 Potion: +1 Strength - Turn 2, 1 Potion: +1 Strength, Drink 2nd Potion During Turn - 2 Potions: +1 Strength/Now +2, Lasts 2 Turns (3 turns effectively, from the point of drinking it) - Turn 1, 2 Potions: +2 Strength - Turn 2, 2 Potions: +2 Strength, Drink 3rd Potion During Turn - 3 Potions: +2 Strength/Now +4 - Upkeep: -2 Strength/Now +2 - Upkeep: -1 Strength/Now +1 - Upkeep: -2 Strength/Now -1 (Weakened Effect Start 1 Turn) - Upkeep: -1 Strength/Now -2 (Weakened Effect Upkeep 2 Turns) - Upkeep: -2 Strength/Now -4 (Weakened Effect Upkeep 3 Turns) - Weakened Effect Upkeep 7 Turns. Pros With 3 Potions = Negative Effect: + You get Stronger for a "Peak" period of 1 Turn. + You have 9 Turns, if using it as Effectively as you can, where you are on the +Side (+1, +2, +3, +4) Cons With 3 Potions = Negative Effect: - The Weakness is consistent at -4 for 8 Turns. Pros With 2 Potions = No Negative Effects: + You don't get weakened and you have a consistent Strength "boost" for 2 turns. + In Combination with 1 Potions you can get +1 for 2 Turns and +2 for 2 Turns without any negative effects (Effectively speaking: 6 Turns boost) Cons With 2 Potions: - You can still get stronger if you Drink 1 More Potion. I.E. You can achieve a stronger potential, but at the cost of Weakness afterwards. - You have a Boost period of 6 Turns in comparison to the 9 Turns of 3 Potions. Effectively speaking: You'd get a total of... let's see... So you get 6 turns where you get an advantage, and you get 10 turns where you get a disadvantage. Negative Attributes, please BALANCE it with Positive Attributes.[/EDIT] Similarly, drinking a different kind of a Potion that maybe makes your characters faster could perhaps make them sick afterwards or poisoned or something due to the chemical/physical reaction caused by the ingredients. I.E: Your character becomes super fast, lots of adrenaline and lots of energy and they can dodge and attack really fast but drinking too much of the good stuff makes the "overload" basically. A quick "Peak" in power before falling down to a weaker state. "Fly too close to the Sun and your wings get burned and you fall, but for a second or two you were closer than you had ever been to the Sun"

I agree completely about highlighting objects... Though, some pixel hunting would be fun, community-wise something hidden and obscured and mysterious, something you don't just "find" by getting it highlighted for you. It doesn't have to be a magical super artifact of in-game power, but merely being something of "sentimental" value or whatnot. Something that is difficult. There are, as far as I can recall, some other hidden gems like this in older games (Metroid and Super Mario has some sort of secret that I think took near 10 years to discover). But then again, with a toolset that gets difficult to implement perhaps.

What kind of success are you considering here? The company kind or the game kind? "Economical success" or "Successful experience"? Baldur's Gate would most likely not have been as successful for 13 years had the modding community not existed. It would have had its success for 2-3 years with honorable mention. "Longevity" is the keyword here. The modding community keeps the game "alive" and "kicking". Albeit for a "niche" crowd, no doubt about that. It also allows new curious gamers, 13 years down the line, to experience an updated version of a past shadow. It might not make the Company more successful per say, but it definitely makes the Game itself more successful. Let's say the Baldur's Gate modding community keeps Baldur's Gate alive for 10 more years, kids who are 5 now and turn 15 by then, they can experience an updated, developed and creative version. It definitely makes the game successful, and the company gets continuous honorable mention. Long-term "revenue", or long-term "success" without perhaps any "economic success" attached to it. "Passionate success" might be a fitting term for it? I dunno, but something along those lines. Love-for-the-game-success.

Okay, let's see here. I picked... Ultima (though I want to admit only VII). I have hardly played it at all (like... only the very beginning. Don't kill me), but Iolo gives a very good first impression and I felt engaged right away. I don't know why but I think it's a bit of the lore I've read on the game on some big Ultima Bible Wiki. So... the meta-knowledge of what I know of Iolo really colors me, and the history of how he was presented throughout the entirety of the series. Baldur's Gate, I found Khalid, Jaheira, Minsc, Dynaheir and Imoen (I guess... cannon?) really enjoyable in the 30GB modded experience I played. Not asking Obsidian to make a cross-reference in any way but yeah, I just enjoyed it through and through and they really grew on me a lot. I wish that Khalid could man up eventually though, and in my own "imaginarium" I feel he did. Khalid is, in fact, one of my most favorite characters... due to his struggle with his "cowardice" and the dominatrix relationship he has with Jaheira. Both of them, I love them. Specially that Jaheira is a Fighter/Druid is something I liked a lot. Minsc is comic relief and brilliantly written, I had a many laughs with him and Boo Fallout. Wow Fallout. I was keeping everyone alive through and through. They were like my babies in a sense. I saved and loaded many times and managed to keep Dog meat alive for the longest time, actually, I kept him alive throughout the whole game. I was on a mission to keep them alive, it was as if that was my mission. Keep your friends alive. I had like 6-7 companions at the end. It was a great experience, even if I had to save and load a lot. Planescape: Torment. They are just written amazingly well, now I haven't finished PST nor have I gotten too far. In most recent memory I believe Morte was taken from me (I haven't played this game in months, I feel a spiritualistic thing about this game. I play this game when it's the right time, I don't spend time to play it, that's how good this game is). The companions themselves isn't what makes this game great, it is the writing of the game in its ENTIRETY. I can't simply pluck one piece out of it and compare with the rest. KotoR. I invested a lot of time and energy into this game, rushed through it twice to feel both the Light of the Force, but also the Dark. The companions did not matter too much, but I enjoyed their reactions to the choices I made as a main character. In other words, I didn't feel the companions had much of an impact as they were simply followers who did MY bidding and followed my character REGARDLESS of what I did. Dragon Age: Origins. Shale. SHale shale shale. Female Dwarf!?!? :D :D That was amazing. I loved Shale through and through. Shale is one of my favorite characters. Oh, and Sten. I didn't like how I built Sten, but I really liked his dialogue tree and his curious friendship and culture clash with Ferelden. Morrigan captured my heart, I'm a sucker for dangerous chicks (dangerous to my heart ) but I liked her own romance with the dark arts. Oh, and I also REALLY liked Alistair, he was a brother... well... until he wanted to get in mah pants. That was very off-putting, but up until that point I thought he was great. Wynne, experienced woman who I thought was a great mentor to the Grey Warden main character, thought me much sincerity and kindness in many ways. Zevran I really liked due to his openness with his sexuality and his cool and kind of carefree attitude. There was a lot of depth to Zevran in the game, and there was an interesting philosophy to his attitude that I brought with me a little bit out of the game. Go with the flow bro! Mass Effect, I invested a lot of time throughout the 3 installments and yet I have little to say about the companions really. Ashley was cool and she wanted into mah pants, but when I shrugged her off she was bitchy, then she got bro-mode, then she died. Kaiden was bitchy through and through. In many ways I did not like how many of the companions treated Shepard, sorry, COMMANDER Shepard. But that was just my play. Jack, obviously an inspiration of Jack from Chronicles of Riddick but she was badass on many levels. When she got out of prison and you are chasing her down, that was epic on so many levels. I think I found the presentation of the companions in Mass Effect most enjoyable really, but when they were on my team I didn't pay too much attention. I hardly remember their names~ Neverwinter Nights...... why did I vote for that? I didn't invest too much time into that after all. Hmm... oh well, I'll let it stand. Final Fantasy, now you might think this is weird, but I am a huge Final Fantasy fan. I've played all of them and finished all of them. Final Fantasy 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12... okay not all of them but I've invested a lot of time into this series since my childhood. The companions of Final Fantasy VI is by far some of the best companions I've ever dealt with and played with in any game (Apart of Tales of Destiny, which I classify on my own personal list as the best game I have ever played. I love Tales of Destiny's story, characters, lore, history, world-catastrophe, gameplay, but that's not what I intended to write here). Final Fantasy 4: Kain, Edward, Tellas Final Fantasy 5: Faris Final Fantasy 6: Mog, Umaro, Celes, Edgar, Terra, Locke, Cyan, Shadow, Sabin, Gau, SETZER(!), Strago, Relm, Gogo, honestly, so many great companions... no one is really a main character although (I think) we could say Celes and Terra are two strong female protagonists. Final Fantasy 7: Barret, Vincent Final Fantasy 8: ..... can I just skip this Highschool story plx? Okay thanks bye... though... I did like Laguna, Ward and Kiros a lot. They should make Final Fantasy X-2 with that team ONLY. Final Fantasy 9: All of them. I loved all of them. Though Adelbert Steiner was kind of kindergarten in many ways, I did find him enjoyable and loveable. The game wouldn't have been the same with him. A lot of Final Fantasy 9 feels like a sort of blend between a romantic western and a romantic japanese love-story I suppose. We have Amarant who is the mysterious japanese emo, we have the sisterhood of the Garnet/Dagger and Eiko (I love Eiko!!! She reminds me of Pino from Ergo Proxy). And of course, I can't forget the amazing Master Vivi Final Fantasy 10: Wakka and Lulu. These two. Auron is a badass too, but Wakka and Lulu is such a nice blend. Final Fantasy 12: Balthier. That's it really. One of the best written companions I know of. But the point is, the Final Fantasy series as a whole has so many memorable characters in my heart. Which is why I voted for Final Fantasy on the second one, because of the large roster of companions partially, but also because they have a lot of their own unique flair, innovation and depth. I often say that "Quantity is not Quality", but in case of Final Fantasy as a whole and companions, I do think it is. I've also been around Final Fantasy for a very long time and been colored by it a lot. I was weighing this against Planescape: Torment, but the reason why I didn't pick Planescape: Torment should be evident in my explanation above. Planescape: Torment is that good that I can't pick out the companions being "better" than the rest of any of the games. Planescape: Torment is a good game, good story, good characters, good interaction, great experience, great writing through and through. But what really sticks out in Final Fantasy, in my opinion, is many of its brilliant, funny and many memorable, companions. I'm a fanboi, sue me TL;DR: Vote 1: * Ultima * Baldur's Gate * Fallout * Planescape: Torment * Knights of the Old Republic * Dragon Age: Origins (Only Origins) * Mass Effect * Neverwinter Nights (For some reason) * Final Fantasy Vote 2: * Final Fantasy

Getting the modding community behind the Sorcerer's Place, PocketPlane and Spellhold Studios sounds like something that could be very, very beneficial for Project: Eternity. Why? Because they have engaged themselves for over 10 years into Baldur's Gate. That speaks for itself. Getting those sites on-board with Project: Eternity is in fact, I believe, nothing but beneficial. Spellhold and Sorcerer's specifically, as PocketPlane is kind of focused on Baldur's Gate (as a site). The Nexus and Moddb is big, but that isn't necessarily (in my opinion) as "niche" as I believe the modding community would benefit most from. Getting that "niche" audience is what I believe should be the focus from Obsidian. The audience that is willing to support them the most. Similarly, Spellhold, Sorcerer and PocketPlane has most experience and holds most love for the Infinity Engine no doubt, as they are the creative people who have worked with it the most (or at the very least, the longest). PE gets a new engine, but it builds upon (to my understanding) what the Infinity Engine stood for. So I would suggest Obsidian to flirt a little with the guys and girls over at the links