Ansia

Also the devs have added a ton of merch along the way, I bet many people waited to see the final offering.

weather effects always make me happy. I don't think anything more than a little drizzle here and there randomly is necessary(well, if anything snow in snowy areas would also make me giddy), but I wouldn't argue with it. It's just a nice touch that makes things seem more polished and grounded.

eh, the problem isn't with the order, because the people who use it as leverage have tons of other terrible ways of making their ideas seem more legitimate . The problem is the tendency of people on both sides to start throwing tantrums. Which anyone can agree is not okay. Emotional, okay, but when you start name calling there's an issue. People just need to realize a thought-out calm rationalization of ideas is a lot stronger than baseless comparisons and emotional gibs.

Indeed, I certainly agree the tone has been... awful. In my personal experience if you can't present your ideas in a calm and rational matter without resorting to cheap shots and emotionalism it's because you haven't thought out your point and there isn't much of one there to begin with. Then again, this is the internet, and I bet more than one of the people doing this are doing it on purpose to make people upset. You just have to pat them on the head and wait for them to join a real discussion. Don't stoop to their level, just calmly reply and take control of the tone. They'll seem even more like crying children that way and will simply ostracize themselves.

They owe us one thing only; to listen. I don't think they should or will implement every thing we come up with or whine about, but they shouldn't ignore us either. Just to read what we have to say and take it with a grain (or spoonful) of salt is more than enough.

I don't think it's the fact that they pulled out, it's the fact that they now feel it's their duty to go around making hysterics now on a project they no longer support. If you want to leave some closing remarks, fine. If you get a little emotional, okay, you were invested. But running around in a manic like this disproves the point more than anything else, simply showing it as baseless hysterics. Get it together and make a point without drama if you want to do anything other than just make trouble. They're only really "high profile" because of making a huge deal out of it.

For all those crying about this making combat worthless, I just wonder how a little number at the end changes the entire experience. How does not giving xp suddenly make the same combat so radically different? If taking away the xp makes you suddenly hate combat doesn't that make you wonder why you were doing it in the first place? If that's all that matters the devs could easily make a game where pressing any button yields xp, because if the combat doesn't matter at all you can easily boil it down to that. If something isn't worth doing without that reward, why do you want to be encouraged to do it? You're asking to do something you don't enjoy doing... which absolutely boggles my mind. This is a game, not work. You shouldn't do things you don't enjoy just to be rewarded.

I'm not saying one is intrinsically superior, I'm saying both can be equally valid. And the no xp = mario game is completely off base. Just because you're not getting a number as feedback changes nothing else about the encounter. I personally play rpgs because I enjoy them. Not because I get a number on the screen. Does it feel nice to get that? Yeah, it does, that's why it exists. But it doesn't mean that you can't make something that feels equally good without it. I'm not saying it's not something that shouldn't be in any game, just that it's entirely possible to make one without it, because the rest of the game should be just as rewarding. If the only part of a game you play rewarding you is the xp number there is something critically wrong with that game It should be enjoyable as a whole, not just that part. If a fight doesn't have an xp reward at the end the whole experience shouldn't be worthless. It's a part of what is an rpg, but it isn't an essential one to get xp after every kill. It's one that hasn't been fiddled with often, so it feels vital, but it really isn't if you're able to design well enough. It's like saying you can't make a cake without butter. It's such an often use ingredient it feels like it's an essential component, and the lack of it may make many wary, but there's plenty of cakes that are made without it. Same with xp off kills, it's a common major component but it isn't vital. And your last statement only reinforces it more. If you want to be rewarded for all those things, that's exactly what you're getting. The only thing people are arguing is if those things are rewarded equally, and if the dialog and other options are as equally difficult and engaging, then I think they should be rewarded equally. No one should feel punished for how they want to play.

I didn't insult you, so there's no reason to insult me in return. If you have a valid argument it can stand perfectly well on it's own and be better for it. I wouldn't object to a game with it all taken out, because you can make an engaging game without it. You can also make a game that is engaging that rewards for everything. The point is that the core of both those games should be equally rewarding. Have you ever find yourself playing a game well past you would had if not for being able to fill up that xp bar? It's a very deeply programmed response in gamers these days to be attached to these systems because it makes you feel like you accomplished something. The problem is that sometimes that makes people do things they don't really enjoy simply for that response. That's a very poorly designed game, and not one I would want to support. It's a lazy system that takes out actually having to make combat enjoyable. So honestly I think taking out the xp for blind killing will make combat more relevant, more enjoyable overall. It will be it's own reward. And leave people to engage the system as much or as little as they want to. Just think, if you go through an long hour plus long fight, at the end of it did you feel accomplished because you achieved something that was truly worth it and fun to do, or because a number popped up on your screen? If it's the second you can just get a calculator and a graph and have plenty of that without the effort.

The combat we are expecting for P:E is a hard combat, with tough enemies, and difficult tactical decisions. Its only natural that after the hard work of defeating your enemies, you get a reward, thats how it works in real life too, you work hard, you get money, you get women, you get friends. That has always been how an RPG is played, some people dont like to grind, I personally think it can be boring, but it should be rewarded, because its only natural that those who spend more time doing something, become better at it, than others who are just delivering bread to the old lady next door. But doing it should be it's own reward. If it feels like work or a chore it's not a game anymore. Some people like that stuff, myself included, and they should be free to do it; but the main point of not giving xp is to not make people feel like they're playing less of a game for not doing it. It's not about making combat invalid, it's about making the other choices equally valid. It's not about taking how you like to play the game away, but opening it up more. Pretty much I don't see why the game should be compelled to make you do anything you really don't want to, especially something as time consuming as grinding out mobs. Doesn't mean you can't do it, doesn't mean it's not worth anything. If you're going to play a game it should be doing something you want to do though. If you wouldn't play a game even if the reward systems are taken out there's something very critically wrong with the game.

IMHO, if you're not willing to engage in combat if you don't get that xp bonus shows a lot more problems. The whole point of a game is to engage you, and the main form of that engagement is having fun. If the combat isn't enjoyable enough on it's own to warrant doing it for it's own sake that's a problem. And even if that's weak the looting system and making sure that at least the currency you get from the loot is meaningful and worth having should pick up the slack. I think the backlash of "I trust what they're doing" is from that if you need xp to enjoy combat and the game overall there are so many more problems than simply the xp system. There's plenty of ways to break the Pavlovian addiction to see that xp number go up without making combat less meaningful, enjoyable and rewarding.

Lady Ansia Silverfinch of the Obsidian Order at your service~

I started at $20, but I've since added on to make it $47. I've been considering going up to $250 + the cards though. Anyone know if there's still shipping for people in the states? Or is that included?

I think the main point that's being missed is that if xp isn't rewarded per kill it doesn't affect anything in terms of habits. If you want to go out and explore and kill everything to death you still can. There's still even an incentive to do so with the loot and money that comes from it. Nothing in your gameplay changes. You will simply be doing it because you want to. Meanwhile, if you add it in, players who had no desire to do that now feel pressured to. Your "Just don't do it" doesn't qualify here because it has been shown over and over again that if there is a way to gain xp people will feel at a disadvantage if they do not take advantage of it. Personally, I like the 'grind', and probably will puts around random encounters for a while should there be ones. But I'll be able to stop when I want to, not because I didn't hit some level goal and now it's all lost it's fun. It doesn't change your game at all. Just take a deep breath and stop panicing. Your game is still there, you'll just be able to do so how and how often you want to without other people feeling pressured to do the same when they have no interest in doing so.