shibby191

I know how RPG releases are and I knew I wouldn't play more then just messing around with it at launch. I have maybe 8 hours in just playing with builds and such. But I *knew* there would be bugs and my plan was to wait until after at least the first 2-3 bug patches come out to see where it's at. Pretty much every other RPG in modern times suffered from some game breaking bugs that hit some people at launch. Skyrim, Dragon Age (all of them), Divinity OS, etc. I learned my lesson and I wait at least 2 months before trying any serious playthru, keeping an eye on the forums to see how things have come along. I've got plenty of other games in my Steam library I haven't played yet that I can play while I wait for what looks to be a great game gets better. But that's just me perhaps.

That would be me. I put over 700 hours into Obvivion. Only on my last playthru did I ever finish the main quest beyond the first couple. On that playthru I still had about 120 hours into the game before I went back and did the main quest which was then very easy. Same with Skyrim, hundreds of hours into it and never got more then 10 quests in to the main quest. For PoE where the enemy and quest "levels" are static ( I believe) I'm sure that it'll be the same, once I get to the main quest it'll be a cakewalk. But I'm ok with that if I'm challenged on all the side quests as I explore every square inch of every map.

RPG games like this, Skyrim, etc. I never make a serious playthru until at least the first couple patches just to root out any game breaking bugs. Sometimes they can't retroactively fix something major and thus you got to start over. So far with PoE I've been pretty bug free but I've read of the 3 major ones and so kept myself from doing those. So I've just been dinking around with builds, trying things out, getting used to the mechanics and such and in a couple more weeks I'll look at doing my first serious "play same character for 50+ hours" playthru. I usually restart at least 3 times before settling in on a character build I like anyway. I think I had 30 hours into Skyrim before I settled on my first serious playthru. Just the nature of games like this, for me anyway. Honestly for an Obsidian game I've felt this release has been pretty bug free.

No physical copies in the US is pretty much the norm these days. Why? As noted above, stores just don't have shelf space any more to PC games. 10 years ago walk into a Best Buy and there would be 5 rows of PC games and software. Today? You'll see 2 editions of WOW, the latest Sims game and maybe a top shooter. That's it. So while POE could have a physical DVD for sale in the US, unless you're WOW or the Sims or GTA it wouldn't actually get on the shelves. Just the nature of the where we are and welcome to 2010 by the way, it's been this way for years. Digital distribution is pretty much it via Steam, GOG, GMG or direct sales. Why physical copies available in Europe? Because in some countries you can't legally get digital copies or Steam isn't available in that country or it's just not practical to download a 10+ gig game for many people. Again, been this way for a few years. Perhaps people buying this game haven't bought a game in a while thus the continued questions on it that I rarely see on other game forums.

Well, your problem isn't really XP vs 7, it's everything else. Your CPU isn't even in the same generation as the minimum required which is a Core i3. I think your graphics card is actually a bit better then the minimum though.

Sorry, I don't understand the answer. Are you telling me that every single encounter in this game has an objective? What's the "degenerate" bit all about? Srsly, this is a big deal to me and possibly others. The XP mechanic genuinely makes me wonder. I think what he's alluding to is un-fun "grinding" in a lot of games. For example in some games with encounter locations where monsters respawn and you get XP for killing each monster you could keep grinding that area and boost your levels quickly which could then lead you to be overpowered for the point in the story you're in. By keeping most XP quest based you remove the grinding aspect and keep the story moving. Here's the thing - the bit you find "un-fun" is the bit I like. Not exclusively, but it's part of the fun for me. Got it. Then this game may not be totally for you then. It's not been billed as a total just go "kick butt and slaughter monsters" thing. It's about the story. Witcher games had plenty of combat but it was mostly about the story. Heck, you might go 2 hours and not kill a single thing. So it's really what you want out of your game. I prefer more story centered games because they are so rare. Total hack and slash games are dime a dozen and plenty available. Story driven...not so much.

Sorry, I don't understand the answer. Are you telling me that every single encounter in this game has an objective? What's the "degenerate" bit all about? Srsly, this is a big deal to me and possibly others. The XP mechanic genuinely makes me wonder. I think what he's alluding to is un-fun "grinding" in a lot of games. For example in some games with encounter locations where monsters respawn and you get XP for killing each monster you could keep grinding that area and boost your levels quickly which could then lead you to be overpowered for the point in the story you're in. By keeping most XP quest based you remove the grinding aspect and keep the story moving. Adding to what shibby said, it may be something along Witcher games: in there you get XP for killing creatures, but it's so low compared to XP rewards for accomplished quests, that killing alone won't make you level up a bit. Pretty funny in game about professional monster hunter Yes. I think the Witcher 2 had a really good balance with this. Vast majority of XP was from completing quests and objectives but you would get a bit for monster killing (based on your level compared to the monster). Only time I even bothered to grind is if I was so close to the next level I could smell it I'd go off and kill a few things to eek out that last few XP. But it wasn't fun at all to just grind XP by killing as it just wasn't worth it (to me).

Sorry, I don't understand the answer. Are you telling me that every single encounter in this game has an objective? What's the "degenerate" bit all about? Srsly, this is a big deal to me and possibly others. The XP mechanic genuinely makes me wonder. I think what he's alluding to is un-fun "grinding" in a lot of games. For example in some games with encounter locations where monsters respawn and you get XP for killing each monster you could keep grinding that area and boost your levels quickly which could then lead you to be overpowered for the point in the story you're in. By keeping most XP quest based you remove the grinding aspect and keep the story moving.

I like the Stamina/Health mechanic as described. It reminds me a lot of Borderlands 1 (maybe 2, haven't gotten it yet) where you had a Shield and Health. When you took damage it came off your shield first and when your shield ran out then you'd take health damage directly. Your shield would recover quickly when you hid or after a fight but your health wouldn't recover at all unless you took stims or got healed up. The difference here is when your Stamina runs out you may be knocked out. It's a simple system really, nothing complicated about it. And different enough too to stand out.

Is it possible to extend a Kickstarter? So could they decide to extend it an extra week to try to get to that 3.5 million?

As they note, the Lore Book is included in the $50 tier and above. So the only reason why you'd do the Lore Book add-on is if you are currently at the $20 or $25 tier. You can add it for $15. If you're at the $35 tier and want it, then just upgrade to the $50 tier since that is $15 more anyway and you get more goodies then just the Lore book.

Shaaawingggggg!

Shaker looks interesting but agree that's the Kickstarter has been very poorly done. They should have had most of their updates so far up front to get people hooked in. Having said that, I put in the very reasonable $15 pledge and will keep an eye on it. I can always pull it in the end. But unless things really pick up they aren't going to make it.

I have a lot of games on Steam, mostly due to sales. Pick up a few 75% off just about every summer and winter sale. I really do like the autopatching (and I'm an old school gamer from late 80s up). Having said that I'm not sure where I'll take my PE license key. I may go with GOG just to get started over there. But we'll see how the gaming scene is in 2014, that's an eternity in the online world.

Great update and love the cleaner explanations. Thanks for the expansion add-on, you'll get another $20 from me! Currently at $50 tier + $7 Strat Guide and soon +$20 expansion. I could go down to $35 tier but I'm a sucker for maps and in-game goodies, even if it is a pet. LOL