UncleBourbon

The real time with pause is great - in combat, I practically play it turn based, but I can still enjoy the NPCs and environment in real time.

It went downhill when they broke guardians. Then again, it was still fun to fist-fight in the ring. RIP indeed.

I've said it before elsewhere: I prefer a short, relatively simple sort of "choose your background" system - either from a list, or with a series of text-based short segments. Then again, I am a fan of text adventures. Something like Morrowind's questions at the start was nice I thought, but that was geared toward choosing a class. I'd like to see the options to either skip it or randomize, but also to go through and choose from a few choices for a few scenarios. To compensate, it could alter a mix of the PC's starting equipment, as well as maybe some low-end feat equivalents. I would also hope for some plot hooks later on to personalize it - doing this well would probably take a good bit of coding, though. Maybe just a few special dialogs in some encounters? Like one where you choose to leave behind the farm girl in your home town for the sake of adventure, then later happening upon a family carrying wheat from a small town to one of the big cities - and if you had that background, you can talk of the old days. If you didn't choose that background, maybe you can just help escort them to town or something.

B-but that gif is so appropriate!

I know for a fact the boobplate issue has been brought up as early as the late 80s. That said, the frequent re-posting of the same thread and arguments does lend credence to your argument, Katrar.

I think the last thread reached 26 pages, and there were even earlier ones.

I'd like to see some post-ending adventures - especially that ability to go do the mega dungeon afterwards. I think an important component of that, though, would be having the NPCs react to the ending - even if they aren't aware of the player character's involvement.

Any word on if subligars are confirmed? I'd certainly like an enchanted one.

So you are okay with everything else in a fantasy game that breaks immersion, but boob plates, of all things, cross the line? Realistically metal armor in general is an awful idea in a world where fireballs are commonplace; thermal conduction being what it is and all that. Oh and saying you can't tell the sprites are wearing boob plates is just a lie (unless your eyesight really is the worst in the world, then my bad). I don't recall ever claiming it was the only thing that hurt my immersion, nor did I say it would stop me from enjoying a game. But as it is, it is something I am against having in the game, and as a concept I know it makes a worse piece of armor for it. People arguing it is somehow sexit to force female characters to wear 'male" armor and/or that it is "feminist" and "meant to supress the sexiness/beasuty of the female form" irk me, because it is simply poor design of armor. Sure, for a rogue depending on wits and speed, it makes sense ot have minimal coverage, if that is his/her thing. Likewise, a fighter or ranger donning leather armor, or armored robed might opt to leave some skin. The same for magic users. But for a character portrayed as donning the heavy, full-coverage armor for safety's sake should be represented as such, in my mind. To the latter case: I never noticed boob plates in BG1 or 2. Maybe I just didn't look closely enough at the small female sprites, or more likely I rarely had any female characters wearing heavy armor. Portraits are another matter entirely.

I think one of the positive things that could come from these respawning threads would be dialog for a couple of NPCs outside some blacksmith, arguing about having some made-to-order boobplate commissioned. You know, arguing back and forth forever.

Except they aren't represented by letters, and you can easily tell that they're wearing boob plates. Saying it doesn't matter in IE because the sprites are small is a cop out to justify actually liking a game that has boob plates. Either boob plates ruin the experience and as such IE games should be considered ruined, or they don't. As for "damaging immersion," I'm pretty sure sleeping off shattered limbs and 50 arrows sticking out of your chest is more unrealistic than sexy armor. At least armor being used to amplify to a person's aesthetics has been used throughout history (cod pieces, roman 6 pack breastplates, etc.). If the game takes place in a society where it is accepted for women to be warriors it stands to reason that women, like their male counterparts in our history, might also like to don this type of armor. Except "this type of armor" is vastly inferior, as has been stated multiple times. Additionally, the graphical differences between BG1 and PE are likely to be vast - and to be honest, no, I can't tell when characters in BG1 are wearing boobplates, and if they are, then if I noticed it would bug to me an extent - it is simply unrealistic that women would wear such vastly inferior equipment. The graphical quality of sprites is not necessarily equal amongst all Infinity Engine games. Also, enjoying a game that might have boobplates is different from not enjoying boobplates in a game I otherwise enjoy. If PE has boobplates, will I immediately demand a refund and quit playing to protest? No. Indeed, it probably wouldn't bother me much. But people positing that armor with significant, detremental defects is just as good as logically effective armor peeves me a bit - so does being considered a "white knight" for saying this, and people positing both including it is sexist in that it sexualizes women, and others claiming that removing it is sexist.

Either you and Heresiarch have the world's worst eyesight, or, more likely, you're using the world's worst cop out to try and keep your arguments on life support. I wonder which is the case... I don't know what arguement you think I'm part of, but his case has some logic; if he can't see the difference in character attire, he doesn't care, but if he is looking down on a party he can tell is wearing "armor" covering the bare essentials and yet having the defensive capabilities of a person encased in armor, it damages his immersion. Another apt comparison is something like Dwarf Fortress. Sure, maybe the female dwarves are wearing chainkinis, or maybe they just weave their beards around themselves - but because they're represented by letters, I don't give a damn. But if I were playing Napoleon Total War and half my troops were marching around with barely anything on - well, I'd probably disband the unit for being so stupid.

Why are you even here then? Every single game that inspired PE had boob armor or worse (better?). Hell, PS:T had pretty much every female character looking like a super model hooker. If you're actually being serious then the "experience" would have been ruined for you from the get go in each of those games and you wouldn't be a fan of the genre. You should read what people say before you start replying. I didn't say I'm against sexy, I said I'm against stupid. I couldn't care less if there was boob armor in BG or not, since you need a magnifying glass to see this stuff on 800 by 600 pixel screen. I could certainly see that there were no chainmail bikinis and that was quite enough for my exquisite taste. As for PST none of those overly sexy outfits were designed for protection. If skimpy clothing is fashionable in Sigil, I don't mind. "stuff like "boob armor" or mail bikinis totally ruins the experience for me" "I couldn't care less if there was boob armor" I want to know who taught you how to argue 'cause that's impressive. Additionally, Annah's armor was skimpy as all get out and I'm pretty sure she didn't give a **** about fashion. Right. If it is a game with high enough resolution that you can see the type of rediculous armor characters are wearing, as you might in PE, heresiarch cares. In Baldur's Gate, where sprites were running around at 800x600 resolution where you couldn't really tell a boobplate from a flail of ages, heresiarch didn't care.

This reminds me of some women I know who go to the beach wearing bikins, knowing there are plenty of men there, claiming they're "not going to let some perverted old men dictate what they wear," then come back and complain about pervy old men staring at them lustfully. The order of effective protective equipment goes platemail > most actual armors > boobplate > chain bikini, if women are really the same valued, able bodied warriors, I think it only fair they be given the same level of protection, not a lower level just to gratify the auidience/make sure everyone knows they're women and they're STRONG.

I liked Storm of Zehir personally, especially the map exploration. I would, however, like it if there were approximations given on the map for things like quest objectives or rumoured treasure troves - you discuss them in dailog, and some "approximately here" bubble shows up on the map, provided you learn enough.

I have always been a fan of more western style monks - using zen archery like stuff, usually with crossbows.

What if... in a world where some women do actually fight, they would also be strong enough to fight without needle heels to please men? Just for... I do not know... the sake of being efficient? Needle heels? What are you talking about. Look at the concept art and stay on topic plz. Even in a culture primarily of female warriors (which has NOT been confirmed, afaik) unless the laws of physics - especially in the displacement of force and redirection - differ, the design is inferior. A single, realtively smooth plate of metal is simultaneously going to deflect more energy away from the point of impact (as even a standard breastplate has some curvature, and directs away from the vital) and have greater structural integrity.

I completely forgot about the cult quest, Ignatius! And I hadn't really been thinking about F:NV, either. F:NV is probably one of my favorite recent rpgs, if only because of Raul and the overall tone of it.

Well, I can't speak for others, but I've been a proponent of in-setting consistancy, with little influence from real world standards. Hell, I don't care if druidesque NPCs run around with only body paint, provided the climate allows it. On the subject of boobplate, however, it becomes an issue of physics and the armor simply not functioning as well if it has the bulged chest plate. Even then, I wouldn't mind the inclusion, really. She's a priest, not some standard-issue soldier - maybe the armor was a gift to her, or something commissioned to her honor. Parade armor and such is typically depicted as more flashy and personalized, at the drawback of decreased functionality. Given that magic users - at least wizards - are revealed to use an arcane veil with a standard armor as backup against bullets, I could see a lack of emphasis on ergonomic armor design. Also: I've never heard of anyone being fined for wearing a bikini or speedo, unless it was a woman going topless. I've heard of women being accused of abuse for dressing infants in bikinis, and I've heard of dozens of cases of "nudists" or "naturalists" going to public beaches in the buff, but that is different all together. Tourist beaches and private locations I've known to bar service to some, especially on those grounds.

From what the wiki says, Erothas, after having some of his believers blown up by followers of another god, stopped talking to the world. As far as I can tell, at least one other god is still in communication with the people - though what this means, I am unsure of.

Fort Drakon has my vote (the sort of switch in main character from the warden to the companions was cool). Competing with that, though, was the Prison of Planes instance in DDO. It switched it up between races/classes/monsters in the prison, and while the lore was light, it was kind of cool. It was the some of the planes' worst criminals, with a bit of a quest through it.

Neverwinter Nights 2 and Mask of the Betrayer had this sort of option - and it certainly had a rather significant impact for a certain ranger. Those implications would probably not be as applicable to PE, however, given the emphasis on reincarnation and such. I'd like to see some faithless like option, and acknowledgement, even if I would rarely choose it. Likewise, I'd like some Ao-equivalent option, where you believe in some deistic notion of a creator-god who is just sitting back and watching it all play out. Though from what I know, the lore side of Faerun has Ao involved a bit behind the scenes.

While that is true, malkavians were balanced by the player not always being able to discipher the insight, and some other things. Knights of the Old Republic - both 1 and 2 - used the jedi mind powers as essentially a trained-only, class exclusive skill check, which I liked a bit. I also think Divnity II's mind read ability balanced well - you spent experience on each use, so you didn't just go around reading everyone's mind. I think a chance of successfully reading the targets' mind, and a chance that they noticed something would be better balanced. Also, these could be reduced as the cipher becomes more powerful, given he focuses on it.

I like the ideas in both of the above posts - I won't quote for the sake of space. I don't like any short cuts in character developement. There should be some catalytic events, but also plenty regular, over-time banter and such, I think. I also like the sacrifice/ritual and such idea, for evil characters. BG2 started with torture and screams - but I think it worked fairly well, being off-screen and such. The majority of it was conveyed in Imoen's tone and such. Violence and other mature themes don't have to be in-your-face and such to be appreciated - though I did enjoy the fallout games more for it. So I think some mix, both in content and how obviously portrayed it is, is best. That said, the idea of a player character being violated like that seems like a bad design move to me, regardless of whether or not they applied it to both genders of player character.

I'd just like some of the NPCs you encounter to be "recruitable" at some point later in the game - maybe not obviously, and certainly not in such away that is obvious they were placed in game to say, be the stronghold's alchemist. That said, I'd like to see a lot of more individual/party play - but kingmaker-esque segments would be a plus for me. Some rts/base developement does not necessarily take away from the roleplay factor - though it would mean dev attention being spent on the former rather than the latter.