UncleBourbon

Morning stars are a certainly cool type of weapon - a bit of innovation, there. I could see the speed and such being different for different qualities, but again, I think this is established pretty well in most tabletops: lower quality/bigger weapons tend to deal greater damage (or realistically, chance of being deadly with one cut) but are somewhat harder to manuever. The whole reason a halberd or long axe might be chosen over a spear is that the spear is really a plunging sort of motion; you either hit and impale for quite a nice mortal wound in most cases, or miss/divert, and scrath them if you're lucky. On the other hand, a pole axe is a swinging, extended chopping, which puts a lot of force in a circular, range of motion that forces the foe to move a bit more to avoid. Pole weapons as a whole give the reach advantage, with the drawback of not so easily being used in very close quarters, or in narrow passages. I remember one case where we had a few characters break the hefts of their long weapons so we weren't facing these drawbacks.

Hidden or such companions would indeed be cool. The New Game+ discussion elsewhere on the forums would benefit from the idea of a companion or two that will only join you on your second time through, if such a thing exists.

I'd like a support type companion, maybe a bit altruistic, but also a frequent greater good sort of person. Not Anders like, but more along the lines of Arcade Gannon. I don't care about gender or orientation, but I'm a fan of both Arcade from F:NV and Xan, you know, sorta pessimistic, but doing what they can. Without all the resentment and possessed-ness that Anders had.

I'm not sure how to vote. Basically, I'd like to see them as a sort of dead or dying race - a remnant of ages past. Still some wandering around, but generally being very old and as such much wiser than we've come to think of orcs as.

A scenario like Edwin/edwina's would also be nice to see in the game, if only to inform the player of subtle views the NPCs might have when they suffer a reversal.

Personally, I think appearence should be somewhat tied to the strength and value of the equipment. Common spears shouldn't look fancy in the least, same with your average chain shirt. But some consecrated, or lauded/reumoured armor, or especially well crafted swords, should have a bit of a better look to them. Neverwinter Nights did this to a minor degree, and imagination needs to stand in a bit. I don't want the extent of some MMOs where it just gets crazy, but if I delve into a tomb to put to eternal rest (or grant reincarnation) to some restless dead, and find some great patriarch buried with his blade, I'd like for it to look the part (perhaps after some spit and polish?).

Well, for the most part, I agree. Some conventions in fantasy (huge weapons and such) have become questionable. But you have to remember in a world with a strong, lasting presence of magic, it might not be the case that the only weapons developed and carried are those you could reasonable wield with ability alone. Maybe they're magically imbued to be less cumbersome (this doesn't fix the speed issue - I think many tabletops handle this best with the bigger weapon meaning higher damage, less accuracy). Maybe the full plate is enchanted such that the person no longer needs to wear all the layers of chain, cloth and padding underneath it. After all, the magic veil has been discussed, which is a mix of conventional magic armor and bark skin it seems (it absorbs damage rather than deflects, but not so well with high speed objects). Add to it also that in most of these settings, the normal human limits of potential is waived. Even the life-dedicated body builders in real life would probably have difficulty achieving the things a 20 strength barbarian who goes into a greater or epic rage could. Maybe with some PCP, but even then... The simple answer is, the character aren't necessarily bound to certain limits of genetics and reality which would limit the scope of their equipment. Or such has been the case in many games. I'd like to see Project Eternity return a bit to reality - anyone played Lionhart (black isles), back in 2003? Very low fantasy. I do think the scale of weapons should be scaled down. Bastard swords, half/short-spears and the like were around for a reason; the two-hand variants weren't so overwhelmingly powerful to make them the end-all.

Indeed, I think much of that is likely. I imagine the godlike races - at least, some of them - would probably be considered very pleasing to the eyes. Elves could go either way (as could the half-elf equivalents), but from the description given in KS update 20, the Aedyr empire (which from the frequent mentions, would seem important) tends to have a fashion of relatively simple clothes with colorful stipes and accents. Basically, I think appearence will mean a good deal to some, but less to others - maybe the elderly elves, or the particularly religous. I'd say how much importance society-wide given to aesthetics may rely on the social values (is it like the victorian era of prudishness, or is it closer to the sixties, with all the norms of gender roles and archetypical beauty being thrown out?). The (assumedly) recent discovery of black powder would suggest a bit in our past, but technology would probably develope significantly differently if magic were present (just look at shadowrun). The idea of more fae-like elves, and most of their appeal being subtle enchantment, is rather entertaining to think about. Reminds me a bit of warhammer 40k, where the primarchs (and of course, the Emperor) being radiant and indescribably beautiful, though on a much lower scale. Maybe the integration of humans into the Aedyr empire wasn't so much a natural thing, and more of a subtle manipulation? I think far more resentment and envy would happen if there was a standard caste or class difference as a result of racial divide - which is typical in our world, but has been conceptually done away with before. We don't know a whole lot about the racial situation, but as the Aedyr ethnicity is described as "fair skin and a variety of hair and eye colors, with blue and green being common," several of the other races may look different enough to come across as both exotic to some, and alien to others.

I always liked how certain high level spells in D&D could prematurely age you, with little recourse. Was fun to venture off on a quest, return a week later looking ten years later and explain it to everyone in town.

I'd like as an added bonus some story circumstances appealing to an evil player, or perhaps just neutral, to abandon or not care about a companion. What I'm thinking of is something like a trapped room that needs people on either side of the door to open it, but you have access to the treasure and a way out - the chance to just walk away, leaving the NPC to rot in a room. Or maybe some cases of possession or sacrifice, using the companion or leaving them be. I'm thinking enslavement in Fallout 3/New Vegas and human sacrifices in fallout/TES. I'd see the potential for cannibalism as a plus, too, but far less neat. Though I understand these things to be very complicated and in depth, so maybe only one such circumstance for maybe two or three companions, or maybe just the human fighter they've revealed is integral to the main story.

I think there are still several regions where heavier set individuals are preferred. That said, I think the original poster did well in starting this discussion, and I am sorry I helped derail it so. I am rather curious how appearance and such is going to be presented; the information we have is scarce, but the major empire is both elvan and human, with few social barriers and ceremonial intermarrying, but with significant differences in life spans. If elves retain their beauty with age, as they tend toward in other games, it would be curious to see how much difference in life span there is, and how both humans and elves behave in response. Also, Cadegund looks nicer now than ever before to me. Maybe through the game you can encourage her to flaunt her looks a bit more, but as a priest, I doubt she'd be too showy anyway (using religions in our world as a reference).

You know what I miss? Possess familair. I recall a couple of points in Hordes of the Underdark wherein you could summon a flying familair as a wizard, possess it and send it across an abyss to make a bit of a shortcut. It wasn't ever required or super helpful (I did have some serious fun in multiplayer with it.). But cats a familairs, and the ability to maybe possess them would rock. Especially if for certain tasks their unique willfullness took hold.

Thinking a bit more about this, I'd really like it if they had a backstory sort of thing. Background traits were a nice touch in Storm of Zehir, and the quiz for morrowind class selection was pretty cool too. Some mix of that - maybe just a text adventure scenario that gives you certain bonuses/penalties with maybe a couple of story hooks later on would add a good bit for me, I think.

Themed floors are nice as long as they're all actually connected to the dungeon's main plot and not random stuff the designers thought were cool (which is the vibe I got from Watcher's Keep). True. I think the context they would make the most sense in would be as has been suggested: either a lovecraftian sort of "mind of a dead god" setting, or just a general interplanar setting for the dungeon. That, or a few floors supposedly extrapolated from charname's mind. That way things could seem somewhat unreal and not completely logical, but be consistant - so long as it was done well. It would also allow easy easter eggs.

I wouldn't mind having themed floors or something like it. You know, a puzzle floor, then one with a horde of undead, then maybe one with the trapped spirits of some adventurers, maybe a floor wherein some souls are pleading for their release so they can reincarnate (perhaps have the player choose between freeing them, or gaining intelligent like items?). That, and I'd like to see skills and class come into play. Maybe there are some hidden passges you can squeeze through, or some places your character may recognize as safe to dig out. That, or a recreation of nethack/dungeon crawl stone soup with a "retreive X item from floor 15, and retreive it" or "take this down there and destroy it."

As much as I like the nerdy portion of the discussion, I'd agree that some balance of realism and aesthetics would be desirable. That said, as an infinity engine game, I imagine actual appearance is going to be backseated to portraits and talking heads (maybe). This isn't really a bad thing, but it minimizes the adrogeny issue. As for possible incorrectness in my ewarlier assumptions: I was basing much of the information regarding heavy armors and such was largely based on a similair discussion I had with some people the better part of a decade ago, so new facts may have since come to light.

http://kotaku.com/58...who-makes-armor http://madartlab.com...-and-lady-bits/ Are some of the easy to find sources. I sat in on a lecture of middle-ages armor at university and they discussed this at well with some more academic sources. That, and physics evidence. Also, I indeed think most of this worry is uneeded. Obsidian has a good track record, of both enthralling storytelling and quality game mechanics and graphics. That said, I've seen companies deviate and fall short of their potential - especially as of late. I still have hope and trust in them to make another immensely enjoyable game. I see, but if women aren't in boob plate armor how will I know they are actual women and not just some clever tranny in disguise? What is an adventure without risks? Also to keep on hand: a spell of forgetfullness

I can't believe they spent $40million making the steaming pile of excrement that was DA2 - they were working with an existing engine and only really had to develop the story/dialog plus some new art and sound assets. If it really cost $40 million to make Bioware are in more trouble than I thought. Well, it will be interesting to see what Obsidian can produce for 4 million (particularly considering a substantial portion of that is already committed to making two major cities and a megadungeon). I would assume that the 3D high-quality graphics they used, as well as the console licensing issues and such contributed to the costs... And I wonder if advertising is included in the $40 million. That said, a tenth of that does seem kind of low. But I'm pretty sure the obsidian team are masters of the infinity engine, and the comment about coming up with some more funding - either through equity or investment - is possible. Especially as the project shapes up and assumedly become a very promising, demanded product.

http://kotaku.com/58...who-makes-armor http://madartlab.com...-and-lady-bits/ Are some of the easy to find sources. I sat in on a lecture of middle-ages armor at university and they discussed this at well with some more academic sources. That, and physics evidence. Also, I indeed think most of this worry is uneeded. Obsidian has a good track record, of both enthralling storytelling and quality game mechanics and graphics. That said, I've seen companies deviate and fall short of their potential - especially as of late. I still have hope and trust in them to make another immensely enjoyable game.

As TCJ pointed out, it is absurd to suggest women weren't soldiers in the past. But additionally, most soldiers for the build of history did NOT wear full plate or probably even half plate equivilant armor. Besides being bulky and draining on a persons stamina (80 pounds for a breastplate iirc in player's armory, and that whole 1 point dex bonus limit?), they were also quite expensive. The heavist suits of armor exceeded 200 pounds, limited the wearer to virtually no range of movement, and was only really useful on horseback. Coming down a bit, even the heavy troop armor, if it was solid plates or plate mail, was still quite cumbersome and expensive. Many more soldiers would be wearing chain or chainmail and heavy cloths, with the hope of not being a primary target and praying for good fortune on the battlefield. Any armor that didn't consist of solid or pieces of solid metal would likely fit either gender without terribly much difficulty, with the exception of some range of movement impairment if they were particularly bulky or endowed, either by fat or muscle. Add to this that a single piece of armor probably lasted through many individuals and repairs, passed on either through families, battle acquaintance or through looting. That said, several militaries are known to have preferred male majority of troops, though this is probably as much a result of socio-economic circumstances and religious views as gender differences. Women tended to be the best caretakers of children, and they were far more essential to the continuation of the nation. Let us not forget that while fewer women shipped off to war in WWII, they were still undeniably vital to the war effort.

I might double up on some classes, if there is enough variation to make essentially different kits. If there is an opportunist or similair rogue I might take them even if I'm using a skill rogue. Likewise, I'll probably opt for one-handed weapons as a barbarian or fighter (one/two-hand switching if they add hand-and-a-halfers) but would want an all-time two-hander in addition.

She looks downright pretty in the wallpaper shooting zombies. Opinions I guess. Not to mention how much femininity you need to distinguish a woman from a man. A certain paladin turned deathguard from NWN/HotU seemd on the masculine side to me, but never once did I mistake her for a man. The blad wizard in MotB is certainly weird - especially if your first play through is without sound, like mine was - but she makes her feminine nature rather known pretty quickly (to me, at least). Add to this that attractiveness is not always correlated with cup size or body weight. But I digress, I think she still looks plenty womanly, and plenty attractive, in her way. As to player attractiveness: The issue of seduction/charisma/persuasion is presented. If it is even implemented in an appearance-based way, that is.

On the whole, I'm a bit against boob plate or gender specific gear, with the exception of certain specific items. And example would be disguises or somesuch. A large reason for that is that in any given medeival like society, one gender is probably dominant in the combat rolls. Whether it be male or female, the fact is any streamlined equipment is going to try to be appealing to the majority and bearable by the minority. In terms of character setups, I'm against and alteration of maximum ability scores. I'm not so against genders imparting ability bonuses/penalties like certain races do in D&D, something like +2 strength or constitution for males, and +2 dexterity or charisma for women. I'm all for NPCs who are biased against/for certain gender charnames, and the same goes for situations. I've played monks in a few tabletop games, and their dress code always varied by personality and region. In one, we were travelling in a desert are and my character was from a colder, northern region - it made a good bit of sense that he chose to discard his robes. I had one character who worse these ragged wanderer robes for most of the campaign, and was gifted with fine silk robes by a merchant he had frequent dealings with. As to women being upset over the presentations of females in game, I can only say that yes, in the era of Duke Nukem 3D there was a good bit of fanservice - but for the most part, the audience was male dominated or near-exclusive, and violence and sex are deeply intertwined in the human psyche. I think in recent years there has been a bit of divergence of some games presenting ALL characters with unrealistic proportions and representations - XCOM comes to mind. The thread here about beuty goes into this as well. There seem to be another series of games with very little focus given to character detail - Fallout 3 and New Vegas had strippers and such, yeah, but most characters shared a gender-specific body mesh, which was flattering sometimes, but not penthouse material. Dragon Age, both origins and the sequel, seem pretty pathetic in sexuality as a whole to me - Zevran was a decent character, but oversexed (explained in character, but still) just like Isabela. Should all female NPCs look like they had their chest enchanted? Probably not. Should genders be represented as completely and fully equal? I don't know. In a setting where slavery exists and the major deity has stopped talking to his priest, and moral ambiguity is abound, I imagine there is probably a good bit of strife and sectarian violence along gender, racial and cultural lines.

Drakxii has a point, but to be honest I'd like to see that countered somewhat by influence from charname or somesuch. Greanted, changes of character should be within reason, but whether you compell a man to follow his desire for revenge or to put aside his anger, as an example. One of my favorite companions of all time was Raul in New Vegas. The fact that you could change his entire future (and in a way, the subtle course of the mojave's future) by encouraging him to regain his gun skills or instead become more of a mechanic was pretty cool.

I'd like a mix; maybe a monthly or more likely a bi-monthly progress update (kind of like "where we are now, what we've been doing, and are we on schedule") and a somewhat more frequent lore updates, revealing facts and rumours of the setting and perhaps companions.