SophosTheWise
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Posts posted by SophosTheWise
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The reason why most RPGs are black/white and have that "physiognomy of evil" is the D&D alignment system, which doesn't really have shades of grey when it comes to evil. Yes, you have those shades with neutral and chaotic/lawful, but it's not the same as in The Witcher for example. The good and evil conflict is stupid anyways, I think what's better is to give the player guilt-free choices on which the player can reflect without feeling that "Oh, an ethics twist!" like in most Star Trek: TNG episodes. I feel that many RPGs put guilt into any decision subtextually so people can never mess up what they do.
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^It's good if you know what you're doing. In a combat-heavy game, it's pretty stupid to have a Physique ability instead of separate str+con entries, but otherwise, the idea has merits (there are very few frail strongmen and exceptionally healthy wimps I know of). I was never a big fan of Wisdom as an ability, so Reason and Will sounds good to me (the only reason we had Wisdom is the cleric anyway, which I've always found a redundant class). These abilities would work quite well in a Lovecraft-inspired dark fantasy game though. It could perhaps use a social attribute (let's call it Presence), since using Will to persuade people sounds rather off.
I don't agree with you on the physique thing. For example marathon runners have an extremely good constitution but they are not weight lifters by far.
You're right with the wisdom thing, although I think we could just use wisdom and intelligence in its original sense, meaning wisdom is needed for a dialogue option with a good decision.
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But it's not my focus of this topic - it's to remind Obsidian to focus on conveying the images, the sounds, the feelings of PE's world (...)
Man, as much as I love constructive criticism and helpfulness, but this is about as arrogant as all the football fans giving the coach advice (even though the coach is pretty much with his team all the time and knows everyone's abilities and skills better than anyone else), or all the people that rant against judges when in their opinion a sentence is not harsh enough (even though judges have studied law excessively and have thousands of pages on a case). I think you don't have to give game developers (or in the case of Obsidian RPG developers that have a long time of experience with both computer RPGs and P&P RPGs and earn their living with it) advice that is so basic.
I think the mistakes in DA2 aren't exactly BioWare's faults, but the faults of a publisher who wanted to rush a game and make it sell really well to a broad audience. Many people are perfectly happy with a few highlighted choices and the possibility to smash and smite everything that moves. That's why RPGs like Diablo exist (and it's a perfectly fine reason - I also love fastfood action games from time to time) and that's why DA2 turned out to be what it is. It's a compromise - and as far as I've understood, the only compromise Obsidian has to make, is building a bridge between the concepts of IWD, PE, BG, FO and Arcanum. And, yes, of course the money available.
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That cape with the pauldrons over it looks pretty damned cool. Aristocratic.
But how do those pauldrons move without digging uncomfortably into one's back?
They make it look hard to take an overhead swing.
I think moving in that armour is not necessary, because it's not infantry. The spikes indicate it's for cavalry
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^Since "Phisical" (more like Physique, innit?) is str+con, and Reason is int+wis, these are justified imo.
Ok, yes. That's true, didn't read it thoroughly enough. Still, I think combining those things isn't really good. Intelligence and wisdom aren't the same thing at all, same for endurance and strength.
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Yes, yes & yes!
Throw away Black Isle's combat system (Pause/Unpause) and bring some Xcom to PE. Realms of Arkania or Fallout Tactics are good examples for a decent xcomish system.
Because that's what people funded, right?
People funded an old-school, isometric, party-based tactical cRPG in the same vein as the old Black Isle games. That doesn't mean that it has to be mechanically identical to the IE games or the original Fallout games.
But the combat mechanics were big part of those games. I mean especially Icewind Dale was basically a dungeoncrawler based on the RTwP system. IE Games heavily imply RTwP and I think it would be a bad thing to change that.
Sidenote: I don't particularly enjoy turnbased-combat.
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Well, you can go caving in leather armor, but it's bound to be useless. There are few historical records of leather armor, not only because it didn't survive, but also because it doesn't really protect. If you boil leather and form it, yes, but it's still useless (and even HEAVIER - I've worn it) than plate armor.
Perhaps padded armor should replace the default leather armor as a light armor?
From the pictures I've seen it doesn't look half-bad either.
Yes, padded armor it is. During the medieval times, poorer troops were often armored with a Gambeson.
By the way, not that people misunderstand me: of course leather protection existed throughout history, but at the technology level of PE it didn't and also it doesn't really make any sense. Most of the historically proven leather protection is pretty useless against pretty much anything.
Btw
Cheap plates from an armory 2 mm: 131,25 JouleAdditional info:
(Mailänder Harnisch 2 mm: 192,5 Joule
Gotische Harnisch 2mm: 262,5 Joule
Billige Rüstung 3 mm: 225 Joule
Mailänder Harnisch 3 mm: 330 Joule
Gotischer Harnisch 3 mm: 450 Joule)
Compared to:
Leather: 30 Joule
Cuir boille: 40 Joule
What kind of blow weapons deal:
Sword: 60 - 130 Joule
Longbow: 80 Joule
Crossbow: up to 200 Joule
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I haven't checked in on these threads in a while. Are we (by which I mean people other than myself,) still just nodding in agreement that all fantasy game armor but chainmail and steel plate is unrealistic and should not be present despite the fantasy setting?
You mean the people who want us to go caving in a full suit of plate?
Well, you can go caving in leather armor, but it's bound to be useless. There are few/no historical records of leather armor, not only because it didn't survive (many leather accessories did!), but also because it doesn't really protect. If you boil leather and form it, yes, but it's still useless (and even HEAVIER - I've worn it) than plate armor. The argument that leather is cheaper than metal plate is, by the way, bull****.
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Why do people always rename stats that have already been established for a long, long time?
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I wonder how much more money they got via PayPal. We're probably at 4.5 Million now, I suppose.
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Well, Farudan still seems to be dead
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Hey, thanks!
@knee: yes, it could, but it does seem like it's attached to the pants all over its surface. Ancient greaves for example do go up over the patella, but not quite that far and they do indeed provide a comfortable range of movement.
Found a version which corrects this mistake; it's pretty nice overall I must say - the bow's much better as well and the armour looks neat.
Even though I find it very odd. It has the same problems that basically every fantasy armour has. It doesn't know what to do with the legs. It's always a weird skirt-leggings-combination.
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For me it is all about escapism. I can go into a beautiful (often magical) world, and become someone of note. I can leave a legacy. And I can do it my way.
I get the ego flattery and validation that I so sorely lack in RL
For me it's the exact other way around. I hate getting validation through games. I think our world is so full of need to get validation in any ways, so I'm glad if I'm a nameless knight without any significance - as shown in Mount & Blade or Dragon's Dogma for instance. Not that I deem those who like validation through games stupid - not at all. Validation is validation no matter how you get it. It's all about the feeling. So if it's through Facebook likes, through being a hero in a game to achieving something in school - it doesn't matter because feelings are relative.
I'd rather be an underdog that has to fight his way through.
I also love RPGs because of the exploration aspect (Skyrim has no real exploration in my opinion, because there is nothing of worth to be discovered - I'd rather have uncharted lands with ancient ruins and stuff like that). And of course the narrative, not necessarily the story but some sort of narrative. I care more for individual side-stories than for a grand vision.
Well, in total I think my love for RPGs cannot be underlined by certain aspects, it's more the whole experience. I just want to go on an adventure.
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I like pretty much all kinds of puzzles. What I don't like, at least in cRPGs, is riddles. Why? Because it's almost always multiple choice, and it's usually extremely easy to figure out which answer is the correct one. They should at least let stats like Intelligence and Wisdom figure in somehow, otherwise it's just pure metagaming (a D&D character with an Intelligence score of 7 should not be able to solve the Riddle of the Sphinx, even if the player knows the answer).
Which I guess they did on a few occasions in PS:T, but then you only got two alternatives instead: the right one, which was only available if your Intelligence score was high enough, and "I don't know".
Here's how I think riddles should be handled instead: They should still be multiple choice, but the correct answers should only be available if your Intelligence score is high enough (they should not be marked in any way - e.g. [intelligence]: "Blue").
If your Intelligence is almost high enough, but not quite, incorrect answers that sound plausible should become available. If your Intelligence is very high (several points higher than what's required to unlock the correct answer), then - and only then - should the correct answers be marked with an [intelligence] or other giveaway.
Of course, companions with high Intelligence scores should be able to chime in and help stupid PCs - if they are loyal (high Influence/Friendship score), that is.
I don't know about that. In my opinion the meta-gaming aspect is negligible. The same goes for meta-gaming in a D&D session. I really don't care if it's coherent roleplaying-wise because keeping that coherent doesn't work at all. Sure, if you're into the whole hardcore-roleplaying-aspect sure, but the way I experienced riddles and puzzles in a game it's mostly there for stimulating the player and giving the player a challenge. I mean if you have a low-INT barbarian, he might not see certain situations and would not react as intelligently as the player allows him to. Basically EVERYTHING in an RPG is metagaming, even the dialogues to a certain extent (because you have to reflect on a variety of possible answers, which almost always leads to compromise).
I see riddles of all kinds as stimulation of the player, which is about exactly the right thing to do, because a game should cater to to the player, not the character. What has happened with that, we can observe with Hitman: Absolution.
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I like all sorts of puzzles, if they are in any way plausible. A text riddle from a sphinx - well, for sure. Or maybe a question from a ghost knight, which is more of a moral dilemma. Or any sorts of Joker puzzles, the prisoner dilemma (I think that even was in BG2), riddles where you have to find a door combination in the level (not on a plate!), where you have to gather clues and combine them in a good way.
I remember the puzzles (well to say they were puzzles is an utter disgrace for an actual puzzle) in Skyrim. Right in the first dungeon you had to find a certain symbol for a door. Well, I thought, I'm going to search this place. I inspected all of the walls, tried to find similar symbols, tried a few combinations based on my "research" only to find out that the correct answer was on the dragon claw (or something like this). So it wasn't even a riddle. That made me mad.
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As we all know too well, dolphins are bull****.
Well, or as Jimmy Carr puts it: “People say that dolphins are intelligent. Yeah only when you compare them to the retarded kids we've got swimming with them."
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A fantasy helmet built for hardcore LARPers...
In Germany and Switzerland you'd get laughed at wearing this. Well, not exactly everywhere but most of the time.
H-o-l-y s-h-i-t.
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Three words: Indiana ****ing Jones.
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Doubt that they wore such outfit everyday, tho.
Of course, but that was the typical Landsknecht clothing. It was also to show off a certain lifestyle, so...
Couldn't argue that )) But they were wealthy compared to average citizen, and all the colors were intended to show that. Grey and brown - peasant, colored - not a poor man, certain color combinations - nobility. Paints were expensive that day. Other cultures and time periods used other things to show off - belts, rings, hats, cloth quality etc.Of course, but since they raided a lot, they had certain belongings they would have never had. They weren't under any jurisdiction other than their bosses, so they also had a lot of rings, amulets, diamonds - whatever. They were posers with a decent income, yes. And since an adventurer (at least in a D&D sense) is also quite wealthy that would work perfectly.
Comfortable and flexible - yup, for in-city life and short trips between close state-cities by rather good roads. Practical for specified circumstances - possibly, universally - totally nope. I think you could've walked in such clothing in knee-deep grass, cowered with morning dew? Was it good? Or try to tear through a bush? Or would you look at yourself after climbing from some ravine? Or, if to think of PE adventurer - explore some old tomb in such outfit?
It really depends on the timeperiod of Landsknecht/Reisläufer clothing. My character is mid-late 16th century inspired (not based on!) and they were quite excessive and exaggerated. But certain styles were also "modest" with the use of wide clothing. As for the morning dew and the tomb and climbing: no problem. Tearing through a bush is quite difficult for any late 16th century dude. But that doesn't matter, since a Landsknecht would never do that.
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Yes to all above amours except some strange-looking bronze-age Russian(?) one (out of date, definitely) and this one:
Such outfit could be appropriate for wealthy citizen or for freelancer when he is proposing himself for the job or when he is on guard duty, but such parrotish and impractical for off-road journey outfit is no-use for adventurer, imo. Aside from said - pretty much dislike this European fashion. And it's too late one for the setting, imo.
Wealthy citizen? It's pretty much the usual Landsknecht equipment, and they were not exceptionally healthy. They were mercenaries after all. Also, as the guy who walks around in exactly this outfit: it's extremely comfortable, flexible and practical. Also it's not really parrotish, it's simply colorful, which was about right for that timeperiod. Also:
How is this not badass?
I think P.E. needs a light-armor shopkeeper NPC named Sophos The Wise, where every few days, the first time you enter his shop, he's wearing a different, awesome piece of gear. One time a hat, another time a mask, another time a shirt. And if you comment to him how much you admire his fashion sense, he'll offer to give them to you - for "very reasonable price" of course. Collect the whole set!
Hahaha, you made my day! 
"For a VERY reasonable price, my dear... 
"It's definitely not "too late". Not by much, in any case. That looks like a late 15th/early 16th century landsknecht (mercenary) outfit (at least if your remove that ridiculous makeup), which would be perfect for P.E.
You're exactly right. Except that it's not make-up. It's a death mask which my group wore to justify resistance to magic. The group put it on in a little ceremony and after that the mask would absorb one magic spell. After the battle the mask had to be removed in another small ceremony, so that the magic spell wouldn't escape and harm us anyway. The mask says: Nervi belli pecunia infinita - Unlimited money is the tendon of war.
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A nice helmet from the mid/late 16th century.
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Because I can enjoy a game with an aesthetic I may not like means I have no valid arguments? You enjoyed PS:T (I'm assuming) so I guess you have no valid arguments either?
I've enjoyed Fallout as well, so let's bring powerarmor and miniguns in P:E?
You opposing realistic design with no particular reason for it, just for the sake of opposing something.
By the way: High Fantasy doesn't single out realistic and historically inspired armor. Proof? Dark Souls or Dragon's Dogma. The Knight in Dark Souls wears a Maximilian armor, 16th century German plate armor. Of course it's not a historically accurate design, but it's cleary inspired by it. The armor that the Chosen One wears at the beginning of Dragon's Dogma is probably 14th century inspired.
To be fair It's not a Maximillian armor) It's stylization for some generic European armor, quite adequate, but it's clearly not a Maximilian and not of 16th century)
Thus I said "the Knight wears", because he clearly wears Maximilian (inspired) armour, I just couldn't find a good picture of it. Nevertheless the armour in the picture is not Maximilian, you're right. But I can see that my original post was a bit confusing.
I still couldn't find a picture, but I think a video is just as good.
Hahaha, you made my day! 
"For a VERY reasonable price, my dear... 
"
how to make your rpg work
in Pillars of Eternity: General Discussion (NO SPOILERS)
Posted
Replying to a thread that asks "what kind of armour would you like to see in PE?" is not the same as creating a thread wanting to teach experienced developers what to do. Besides: I'm baffled by the fact that you still can't let this go. Different people with different preferences exist. Not accepting that is just juvenile