Classic

My plan was to actually gift the digital key to a friend, so both options kinda nix that if we both want to run through the content simultaneously. Also feel like I need to add to my pledge if I'm going to vote number 1. The nature of a kickstarter means that it's not quite paying for a good game. It's a show of faith in Obsidian's ability to make a good game. It's the kind of gamble you wouldn't take if you didn't want to see Obsidian's creative voice continue, and I'm antsy about the idea of Obsidian losing money on their kickstarter venture.

Moving between different top level options pages covers page titles for the "Game"; "Graphics"; and "Sound" pages, although the actual menu bubbles are visible and all entries appear to remain iactive.

The excitement over this game made me go and buy GoG's D&D pack, and I've been dicking around with the Aurora Toolkit. It's probably too much to hope for to have a toolkit as or more robust than that thing, right?

The problem with having autonomous followers is that they can severely constrain the player. In a scenario like say... Baldur's Gate, there are very few viable party compositions. Giving the NPCs "choice" as to how they develop is interesting (I kind of liked Troika's ToEE greedy henchmen) and letting them react to problems is arguably more interesting gameplay-wise. However I've never run into a game where I felt like the default AI scripts were versatile enough to actually help me rather than hinder. In NWN2 Khelgar would often be kited by enemies; Neeshka would go 1 on 1 wielding an objectively inferior weapon. It could just be that I should man up and make the scripts myself, but at that point I think we've given the player enough control that we should be able to control them manually.

At the risk of being boring, I really hope we don't have some "reality is subjective" nonsense, or deities fighting over portfolios and worshippers. I feel like that's almsot been done to death. I do like the idea of everything being made of the same, fundamental "soul-stuff" but then we're inviting the Hindu concept of Brahman. Which... I dunno, could be better represented in games? It might be neat to have a god be the "wheel of transmigration," if the fantasy cosmology permits transmigration in the first place.

If this were a D&D game, you'd be able to hire unreliable npcs ("hirelings") to take care of the pack mule duties. In one of my games, the GM decided our pack mules were going to revolt and we basically got all our **** stolen.

Really glad Obsidian is talking about logistics. I tried to sell my friends on supporting the kickstarter, but either they felt like they didn't have the time for a big single player RPG anymore but one had a game ending bug in an Obsidian title and were still sore over it. I know Miyamoto's Maxim ("A game is only late until it is released, but bad forever.") is less and less true in the modern era, but I'd like to give them my spare copy of Project Eternity and gloat at them having a "bug free" Obsidian game in their hands. Anyway, as to the content of the post, you can add content to content light areas by moving semi-scripted events into unintended lulls. Stumbling onto another adventuring party in the woods or in a connecting cave could be interesting. I'm just a little worried about finding areas that I only ever visit in transit. I quit BG2 once after touring Athkatla looking for an (I can't remember what) because I realized I had been travelling and seeing loading screens for ten minutes straight. Other, more minor concern: I know that they've obviated the need for this by promising that the game will be moddable, and thus the modding community will do it if Obsidian doesn't, but I note with some dismay that Obsidian has not yet committed to romance subplots (hereafter referred to as, "smut"). As one of those weird creatures that went to BioWare for equal parts interesting tactical decisions and smut I'm still hoping.