redneckdevil

That is good writing, see if the game was moddable we could get that into POE right now, make a new companion and even get someone to voice act it. Very nice. I had to add I fully agree. I read that and thought it would actually fit perfectly with the tone and atmosphere of the game. Straight up animancer material.

Mmmm I always thought it had something to do with the merchant inventory system keeping track of every single item u sold to different vendors. I wonder if they make it to were the stock would refresh and delete the items over a certain amount of time, if that would help loading times.

As someone who played table top games long before recently diving into crpgs, I'm gonna have to say that while not perfect the atributes system if tweeked a lil bit more could be ALOT better than dnd's. What I mean by this and why I believe sawyer succeeded in his goal is that in pathfinder or dnd, u picked a class and it was fairly obvious what state u put a good chuck of ur points into and which ones u basically stayed away from or dropped down. In PoE I get a class and while there is still a stat or 2 that u know u want to max or put a lot of points into, the difference is that all the stats will do something for the classes. Each of the stats will do something nice for ALL the classes. While again it isn't perfect, all the stats will do and compliment every class. And like some have already stated, right now the biggest problem is the AI and I'd argue con being the one who needs that lil something. I think 2 things will improve and strengthen atributes. 1. AI. Weak tanks should have a harder time holding targets while glass cannons should be targeted quickly. Enemies should be given a range weapon and swap to if they cannot get to their target. 2. Right now each class starts off with a set number in fort, will, reflex, etc and the percent gains are based on that base number weither it's a minus or gain. If they instead changed instead of the base, have the percent go off the number after percentage given. That way if someone max might but dumps con, the percentages won't cancel each other out but would actually make fort worse since the 18% decrease isn't going off the base, but the highest number of increase. This would actually make it more harmful to drop both atributes of the same type of defense but would also increase and make more powerful if u up the atributes of the same defense.

For beta or for everybody?

Yes this game is in awesome and I'm impatiently waiting for moar!

A good review and a good read. From what I've seen of patch 1.04 I hope that more AI tweeks are in store for us. But a good read, one that shines the light on not only its flaws but also what it did right. Sometimes it seems I'm seeing the spotlight on its flaws and the absence of its good even if they enjoyed the game.

I agree 100% and Ty because this really needed to be said and I don't think it coulda been said any better than what u did. I also wanna add my thanks along with urs and thank everybody at obsidian for this awesome and fun crpg and would gladly back them again. Time for me to get back to playing.

Also some suggestions. Oozes should have an attack to bypass some type of dr and also should be able to go thru the party and other npcs and still give damage if moving thru or being on top of, enemies and friendlies alike. Also make them mindless, basically go after first target or whoever damages it first. All spiders should have a hobble or knotchdown attack. Make them smart to flee away from dangerous but prey on the weak. Stelgaer should being hidden due to stealth (as in change the mechanic to not be party based but individual that didn't break stealth until they attack or are hit) or give them that rogue ability that they can use frequently and basically mob attack targets. Beetles....eh keep them the way they are tbh. Got nothing for beetles. Delemgan should actually be neutral to parties or even friendly if ranger or Druid in the party, unless we purposely attack them or injure any of their animals etc. be nice to have something still on maps after our bloodshed. Pwgra should autofocus on Druids or rangers in the parties and change targets when they are being held back from their target after so much time. Beef up the amount of time they cast spells. Spores......eh I'm drawing a blank on what to suggest. They can use improving but can't think of how really. Lurkers. They are slow, they just need to hit harder. Have them move away from pcs that deal fire damage to it. Ghosts. Teleport more, all of them. Stuns, daze, confuse (call it possession). Just make them chaotic by randomly picking targets and switching after so many attacks. Xaurips. More traps being placed. More of them and have some stealthed. After taking down a few, have the rest run away and try to gather more xaurips. More ambushes, and more chances of ambushes. Sigh, I'll give more later

Rework stealth to be a single instead of party wide. Also don't let combat take everyone outta stealth, only when targets have attacked or been attacked. Have casters use aoes when so many pcs, npcs, etc are within so many distance from each other. We see a clump of enemies coming for us, we aoe. The computer should do the same. Should be some types of immunities, but not to go overboard. It should be a case by case, and not "almost everything" is immune to something or another. Enemies and creatures should have a backup weapon set that makes sense. Funnel a group of lions in a doorway or tunnel? Check that's fine and a good way to do it. Replace lions with something humanoid? Not good, if they can't attack then they should go range then instead of running and humping the npc before them to melee. Armor and weapons are fine atm, especially once ai get tweeked to not just focus on the tank, then range will need to consider weither they want better armor or no.

I say we need more picture book instances BUT!!!!!!!!l I want Ron Perlman to voice and read it to us using his "lich" voice from adventure time. That is all.

Damn nice! ----grabs his list of things never to do and put "don't piss off 76prophet....ever!!!" at the very top.

Damn I'm so excited about the expansion

I can understand your frustration, those games were based on an older, quite hardcore D&D pen'n'paper ruleset. They call out to an older era of video games that no longer exists. Still, for us older gamers they are among the best rpgs of all time, maybe so for some younger gamers. Enter PoE, marrying the obsolete with many of today's standars, while showing the younger what made the old games great. And the result is: *totally brilliant awesomeness* :D Unfortunately, here in the forums there is a lot of negativity going on (& on & on...) by people who cling to the past. Don't mind them. I wish I could like this post more than once. Those are exactly my feelings as well.

True it's still following the same "logic" but just dialed back. I could actually see certain high level spells fitting in Poe like maze but re flavored. But I will admit with what the got set up for lore and "because souls" at higher levels I could and expect to see some crazy stuff. Also I hope I didn't give that impression that I'm crying about magic>>>>>>marshals because that's how it works in dnd and I'm fine with that and play with that mindset and have lots of fun. At the same time I see Poe trying to do a "low magicish" campaign and tweeking where magic and nonmagic users can at times be on the same level and I'm digging that and enjoying it.

Just for the uninformed, that is $24 million. Just for VO. Damn! Tyvm for the info. Yeah next game cut the va back a bit to only the starting of certain dialogue trees. Just give us more dialogue and those pick what u wanna do screens.

Makes sense and just to clarify, I'm not complaining as it didn't ruin immsersion or whatever for me, it's just I've seen a few posts complaining about it and I remembered reading something about not getting all the lines voiced in that session and thought the 2 might have been related. All good though. Tbh I think u could cut back a lil on the va and instead focus on giving us more of those old dnd chose ur own adventure book type scenarios hehe Maybe enough to give each character their own voice and use it in the first couple of lines and then switch totally to full on reading their lines and let us use our imaginations to continue hearing the lines in our heads with the characters voice.

I'm not really complaining, but was the reason why a lot of va wasn't voiced and seemed to jump from voiced to having to read the lines, was it something to die with something I read from from one of the obsidian employees about they only booked for a single session and only was able to get thru half the lines for va by chance?

also, to take this a step further.. what i really hope to see is a game like this set in the pathfinder system. IMO, that is THE BEST version of D&D 3.5 thats currently released. i think it would be fantastic to see it translated to the video game realm. it sure wouldnt be that difficult to do.You should check 5e- imo it's the best d&d edition so far, by far (I ve been playing dnd ever since the AD&D days) I'd have to disagree. I'm with Kale on this, Pathfinder is for me the ultimate expression of D&D awesomeness. Well yal will be in for a nice treat since the CEO of Pathfinder has stated that their partnership with obsidian, they plan on "many" pathfinder crpgs done by obsidian in the future after the card game is done with ) And yes I'm still very excited over this as I have GMd pathfinder for quite a few years now and love it, specially their unchained stuff that's coming out, spoiler alert they have imho fixed the rogue to be on par with most classes now )

Edit-sorry double post

Mmm seeing how we are getting some AI Tweens already, I believe we will be seeing more AI tweets to where later it will be more challenging than what it is right now. Me personally, at times it isn't difficult but I am finding it a lot of fun. And no I'm not doing the one tank and everybody's range, my characters are using what their characters use and would do.

True, but it does come with its own problems though. In dnd at later levels we have to accept that the reason why magic users can do all the things they can do is "because magic" whereas the nonmagic classes that try to do u believeable stuff are pushed down because "without magic, ur judged by logic". Magic users in dnd eventually defy and reshape reality and logic to their whims "because of magic" but if u are playing a non magic class ur left in the dust because ur class is bound by "realistic" expectations of what would happen in real life. What they are trying to pull is that magic "doesn't defy or define logic" but is subjected to logic and thru scientific means nonmagic users are able to step up and sometimes at least reach the plateau that magic users are on through science. IMHO I like it and wanna see where it goes because I have a feeling that magic won't stagnate but will evolve into something more to combat and try itself against what science has and will create. But it's all preference and a lot of people may not like that against what magic was in other games.

Compare a lvl 1 thru 5 wizard and then compare a lvl 10 to 15 wizard. When designing around dnd's philosophy that magic is "king", the amount of options are lower when low level because dnd's philosophy that magic users become "king" because they had to start off lower than marshals. Poe is set in that level of design whereas bg2 is set in the design level that wizards already went thru their crappy levels and now are gods so we need to design around that, whereas lower level the Wizards had no where near the options at higher level but still had options. Just like in Poe, they don't have as many options due to levels but still have options to use in combat still. I also pointed out that bg2 was "magic is king, marshals suck" and Poe is trying to put magic users and marshals on the same level of power. Bah, hope that makes sense why "I" don't see the merit in comparing it to bg2 with what I stated above but do think it has merits when comparing it to bg1.

i find the comparrisons to bg1 fair game and actually a good game to compare it to. For comparing it to bg2...I don't think it's a game to compare it to and I will explain why. 1. Poe is low level vs bg2 high level. In Poe we start from level 1 and go up to lvl 12, and after we get some levels we get more options and the characters become more fun to play. Bg2, u already start off with a high level where u already start off with those options from the very beginning. 2. What levels and options the game is designed around. Poe a lot of the enemies are designed around what options we have at low levels which is less than when it's higher levels. Bg2 we are already high level with a good bit of healthy options and we can get even higher into epic levels and the game is designed around already having many options from the very beginning. Starting out at higher levels means that equipment, magic, encounters, etc starts off designed around those factors instead of being designed around the much fewer options and equipment and magic at low levels. 3. Design philosphophy. Poe seems like a low level low magic campaign where non magic users and magic users can find themselves on the same level. Bg2 is a high level high magic campaign where magic is "GOD" and the game is designed around the high epic magic and not around that AND marshals non magical classes. Also for Poe to compete that would mean that Poe 2 would have to step up and go beyond the epicness (aka brokeness) of system mastery to starting out near if not at mythic and/or epic level of gameplay when I think the design is to keep it more down to earth than basically "party of 6 but each and every combat solely relies on our wizard/sorcerer getting a spell off first and if the other side gets a spell off first, battles done and time to reload" scenario. 4. Yadda Yadda one already had a system in place and many many many dnd books to use as reference and pull from and incorporate with rules and designs already in place and tested whereas obsidian is from scratch basically all the way from engine to rules to lore etc (which tbh with their budget I believe they did fantastic). It seems more natural to compare to bg1 since they share a lot of similarities than bg2 whereas there's just to much stuff getting in the way that screams out "of course bg2 felt more epic because of the reasons I just listed" type of deal.

Am I the only person who always ALWAYS gives the tank the shield u get at the beginning of the game that has bash on it? OP, tyvm for the insight.

I'm digging the setting where there is magic but technology is growing along side it. Magic arm is still better but will see equal footing if automatic or advanced gun get created. Magic isn't top king that has no way of being toppled, and then the idea of magic evolving to catch up with technology advancing. I love my Tolkien settings and I love my scifi and advance settings. Tbh the way they are mixing it and what could become in the future for both sides has me enjoying and curious.