jezz555

I think it's pretty clear we differ on this, but I'm not to crazy about anime-styled stuff like this or whatever you want to call it. It's just too common these days

I could see this being done with background traits, like in Arcanum, e.g. raised by monks, feral child ect. but otherwise I would think it would just get to confusing and not really add much. I doubt that ancestry in such a diluted form would really even have any noticeable effect anyway.

I would like to see this yes.

Elder scrolls games get a little ridiculous with the amount of crap you pick up. I mean I'm not totally opposed to the mechanic but I always thought it was a little idiculous that I could just walk into a store and rob a guy blind, mostly without him noticing beyond the odd "HEY, YOU THERE!" from the shop keeper.

Given that we are working with "soul powers" here as opposed to Jack Vance stuff, I guess it works.

Obsidian are creating a world and its lore, it's not a case of 'they can do what they want because they're Obsidian' though they certainly can. I simply mean, these elements exist in 'thier' story, one could stop and think for the barest split of a single second that they might actually try to make the things fit together, instead of just moving wildly to the most extreme conclussion that it'll be a random mish mash with zero explanation. There are no Caucasians or Asians. It's a fictional setting. They're Human, and their racial traits, regardless of how they look, may mean something wholly and completely different from something similar looking in reality. Yes, I realize you can jump to a wild conclussion that it'll be a mish mash of cultures with no reasonable explanation. Let's not suppose that, if such a mish mash exists, there might be an actual explanation. Let's assume there's a mish mash in the first place, for that matter, and dismiss that the society as a whole may have developed into a combined style for some reason. Let's completely dismiss popular works of fiction that actually have combined various cultures together, purposefully, for different reasons. We may as well assume all Obsidian's writers are hacks with no talent by your logic. Look at Firefly, on a base level your setting is science fiction about a large eastern and western culture absorbing one another and creating something new. If you were to nit pick about there being eastern elements in your western elements, you'd be wrong to do so . . . why? Because the show explained it. So why can't you take the barest of split seconds and think that 'if' there is a mish mash . . . that it might be, dare I say, "explained" nay, "justified" within the lore? But no, let's judge it before we've even seen the lore in the first place, and assume that's it's all in shambles, ruins, it's a catastrophe - a failure - abandon all hope, jump ship she has sailed her last voyage. It's not like Obsidian and Black Isle are known for creating some of the more impressive writing, lore, characters and dialogue in the industry or anything. I dislike firefly, so that really wasn't the best example you could have used to attempt to sway me. It's fair to say that Obsidian will come up with an explanation for the way their world works, I hope they do, but typically in fantasy they don't, or the explanation that they do come up with is unsatisfying. This is fantasy, and it is Obsidians world, that was never up for debate. The fact is however that ethnicities exist for a reason, and unless otherwise stated there is no reason why they wouldn't. For example in Dungeons and Dragons, Drow have dark skin and yet they live underground where their is no sunlight, seems a little weird. Now I'm sure they have their own explanations for this like the Drow are black because Lolth left them in the oven too long or w/e but I don't like it, and I hope PE chooses to create a world that is internally consistent and realistic. Notice I never said they had to, but I would like it if they did. Furthermore it has to do with scale. The world we live in, in game, is presumably but a slice of an entire planet, assuming that the planet isn't just incredibly tiny. If everyone is a mishmash of cultures with random ethnicities, it makes the world feel much smaller because you don't have vast parts of the world that have developed separately and feel total different and alien to one another, because you can just walk a few blocks away from your house and find a different culture. You seem to be positing the idea that I think that the game will fail completely if it doesn't take my suggestions and that I have no faith in Obsidians writing ability so to quell that idea now, let me say that I do. I hope they provide a better fleshed out world than others have, for the final time, these are opinions and ideas, not demands.

What cultures are they putting in the game again? Because so far it all seems entirely fictional to me, with any basis in real world cultures being purely a source of inspiration. Beyond that they're free to mix, match and say who developed what in their world freely. They can introduce a fictional Asian culture that developed the Monk's martial arts and surrounding lore, sure, but they don't have to. The Monk, their form of martial arts, and all their surrounding lore can be the result of any story Obsidian would look to tell, actual real world cultures and what they developed need never come into it. Elves could have developed martial arts and all that is the Monk in P:E for all we know, and it's simply been passed onto Humans. If Monks and Forton have eastern elements to them, then Obsidian obviously have a place for that in P:E. If they don't have a place for that in P:E, then there wouldn't be any eastern elements to them. Simple and plain. It always seems to come back to this doesn't it? Obsidian can do whatever they want because they are Obsidian. We freakin' know. If PE wan't to include a group of people that are exactly styled after asians, but all caucasian, they can, but I will think it's stupid. If they want to jam a bunch of different cultures together, with no reasonable explanation, I can't stop them. I'm not arguing from any sort of authority here or telling anybody what to do, I'm simply stating my opinion on what creates verisimilitude in games. While we are at it lets include a group of people who come from the a frozen tundra climate and all look like Nigerians, that's how these things work right?

I kind of like permanent death. But at the same time I always just end up reloading...

Glowing crystals...now that's an original idea!

Bizarre conspiracy theories aside...

I like this and I think it helps illustrate the idea of "fantasty realism" really well. We aren't talking about something that is totally historically accurate for the real world, just something that could have been if magic ect. had existed.

Let's not make this a discussion. Suffice it to say I respectfully disagree. ...what? you mean you hope it will come to it? o.O no...I mean I disagree with everything you said, not just the outcome. But like I said, let's keep it relevant. So...Mature themes...

Except that ethnic groups develop as a result of climate and geography and you can't just put a bunch of different cultures in a games, but make them all white guys, it's a little racist. Kind of goes back to that whole realism thing everyone was talking about...

That, my friend, was a clip from Peter Jackson's (you might recognize the name) pre-LoTR film Braindead, or also known as Dead Alive. Brilliant horror comedy, though very very sick and disgusting at times. Not for those with weak stomachs. I should point out that I don't judge Forton prematurely, as others seem to do here. I am sure Obsidian will give him an interesting personality and story, and that's the main thing. That said, I'd really like it if they reconsidered his appearance. Not the face and hair or anything, but rather clothing and fighting style. I guess you could call me pro- Forton, anti- Asian-influenced-Monk. that is like saying you are pro-Sarkozy anti-french, or pro-Caesar anti-roman On the contrary the worst part about the design is that it feels disconnected. You could either change the face to match the body, or change the body to match the face and end up with a pretty good character design.

Jade Empire wasn't ancient China, but I still didn't see any european medieval-inspired Knights in Full Plate or ANY sort of european influence. To me, an obviously eastern-flavored Monk in a setting like P:E sticks out like a sore thumb, just like a western medieval knight would have felt out of place in Jade Empire. unless theres an explained reason he's out of place. For example the fact that he came from another part of the world

Let's not make this a discussion. Suffice it to say I respectfully disagree.

That's true for all fantasy (and gaming in general) though. I think there is room for trying to reach adult players even though there are orcs and dragons around I am not sure if that was a serious remark, to me it looks like a trolling attempt against religions and philosophers. Kinda ironic from someone with the name Sacred_Path Can't quite follow you there, I was simply remarking that "my fantasy is less escapist than your fantasy" is kind of a silly idea. I meant "all this soul stuff and rebirth and philosophy" are basically the core for RL philosopy and religions too (especially Buddhism) Sorry if I misunderstood you, but it seems to be "trendy" these days that everyone bashes religions and I thought you just joined their ranks. Everybody on the Internet yes, but that's because in the real world it's largely the other way around.

Traveller from a far-off land, pretty simple imo. Excuse me for being happy you are not one of the game writers. Doesn't get more easy and cliché than that x.x You're excused, now lets hear your idea

Maybe, it's not a playable class, and you just get the npc? That would certainly make for a more "exotic feeling" character.

I mean it kind of broke the economy of Arcanum for me when I realized I could get infinite money by coming back to rob Riztezze blind day after day

Hate to be "that guy", but this sounds way to vague to me. I mean I get that, that's the point but I'm not too tough to admit that without journals/quest logs I would have no idea where the eff I'm going.

Traveller from a far-off land, pretty simple imo.

We are in agreement if your suggestion is that the game be largely realistic, but feature some more elaborate gear. My point was simply that the debate is not all or nothing and your post certainly expressed it as such. The armour in question is, realistic, it wouldn't be easy to wear(granted you picked a very outlandish set), but it looks to be made out of metal, It has rivets, joints and designs that actually look like they could be crafted onto armour, and the design of it would provide for adequate protection and the diversion of kinetic energy. Were the fantasy comes in is in its size and the fact that the stomach is so inflated, but Smough could be a pretty fat guy underneath that armour who knows? Dark Souls, is a fantasy game to be sure, but it is refreshingly realistic fantasy when compared to say this...

This pretty much, some of you people are ridiculous. Yes...some people. For example those, who employ the same absurd all-or-nothing argument that seems to see perpetual use on this forum. Of course Forton isn't a Shaolin Monk, but that is demonstrably the origin of the class. Of course Obsidian can make whatever kind of character they want, obviously, nobody was ever debating the fact that it is ultimately up to them what they put in their game. But Good fantasy, has a basis in reality, PE, based on what has been posted so far, has a basis in reality.

Don't you think it's a little late to be asking this question? Seeing as we know they are already in...?