decado

Exactly. I mean, all the IE games had activated abilities, didn't they? If you played Keldon you activated your True Sight ability at least once a fight. Then you had the HLAs that came later.

I've read some vociferous condemnations over this issue. Some people feel like activated abilities don't belong in a game like P:E, but why? Is it an aesthetic choice? I've always felt that it allows for a more tactical approach to combat. Out of every mechanic that BioWare used in Dragon Age, I liked the proliferation of activated abilities the best. I especially liked how they were used to varying degrees -- Sword and Shield tanks had Shield Wall and other modes as their bread and butter, whereas a good Two Hander basically had to use abilities to be effective. Taking the hands off approach you could use with a Sword and Shield tank would get you killed with a Two Hander. So what exactly is wrong with this? It is one of the innovations in the CRPG field that I actually like. It requires strategic character building, tactical approaches to combat, and it requires you to pay attention. Do people not like it because of it cuts too close to WoW? Anyways I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Because people can't conceive of doing anything different. I think the IE games -- specifically, BGII -- are the best CRPGs ever made. And I like 2nd Edition AD&D, partly for nostalgia and partly for its complexity and charm. But I can also recognize that the transition from PnP to computer must have been a tremendous headache, and was likely causing problems for developers all the way back to the SSI games. 2nd Edition was simply not designed to be played on a computer. The fact that we got so many years out of it is a testament to the awesome work done by invested game developers (not to mention true fans!) over the years. All that said, it is time to move on.

Her belt was just to keep her alive during the initial dungeon. It wasn't blocking anything important, since there was nothing to give her for that slot anyways.

it is all that. we all gave them the money so that they're able to create a game based on their own vision. they promised us an ie like experience which consists of a party based rtwp rpg with isometric pre-rendered backgrounds. obsidian never said that they want to mimic (a)dnd and its attribute allocation. This times 1000! It is his money, exactly. Or perhaps it is better to say it is Obsidian's money. But we gave it to them, trusting in their vision. What's the big deal? Do you trust them, or not? Perhaps the worst thing to come out of crowdfunding video games is the overblown sense of entitlement it creates. I'm glad they are doing something different with the attribute system, because it has been silly since DnD. Not to mention, nobody is even sure how it is going to work yet. He was cagey in his RPG Codex interview, and he was cagey in his Formspring answer, presumably because they are still working on building and testing the system.

This is completely over-the-top. Ridiculous, even.

I feel like Sawyer's answer on the question was unclear, and maybe some people are running away with a misunderstanding. It would be cool if he could come into this thread (or some other one) and clarify.

I would love an open world, sci-fi themed (maybe even cyber punk?!!!) game from Obsidian. The only thing I'm not crazy about is the time travel. Time travel is one of the worst narrative devices ever imagined. It has always struck me as completely boring. Time travel stories always end up either 1) Having no consequences that are not mitigated by the time travel device itself or 2) devolving into a paradoxical and/or tautological mess.

I'm just jumping in here, not replying to anyone in particular . . . Firearms in the Renaissance (and earlier) were essentially terrible weapons. They were clumsy, hard to load, dangerous to handle and most importantly, they were largely inaccurate at anything other than point-blank ranges. It took centuries before they became viable enough to be used strategically instead of just tactically. So in this regard, I think the way P:E is using them as an available choice for a character is pretty neat: they are point blank face smashers that excel in taking down magical veils and delivering gross but unfocused damage. The reason that guns outpaced longbows really had nothing to do with their individual lethality, because from that standpoint longbows were probably the more dangerous of the two weapons for a least a century or two. Guns became popular because they allowed any doofus with a minimum of training to be a ranged combatant. Whole companies of men could be raised, men who had never drawn a bow in their lives but were now competent ranged attackers who needed only a little bit of training. Guns essentially sacrificed quality for quantity.

The product doesn't exist when you're seeking funding for it. So you're not a customer you're a backer. So people who pre-order games that aren't done yet are "backers"?

Relationships were handled well in BGII, I thought. In that it really didn't have an impact on the story (except providing one tiny side quest). But it did have an impact on party dynamics and what not. The relationship with Viconia was really well done, interesting and not at all cookie cutter -- she was basically a half-crazy nomad/outcast suffering from PTSD, and overall a genuine and complete bi***. But there was still good in her, you just had to help her dig it out and eventually be rewarded with her alignment change in ToB. That was pretty cool. But it was also completely optional and, most important, well written and unobtrusive. And yeah, realistic. Real people are complicated, effed up human beings. Same with Aerie (even though her arc was kind of annoying) or Jaheira (also kind of annoying) or Anomen (yep, annoying!). The focal point for all of these characters is loss: Viconia's loss of her homeland, Aerie her wings, Jaheira her husband, and Anomen his father. Which is maybe why they're all such dark but fairly interesting and relatable characters. I haven no idea what the hell happened in DA:O or subsequent titles. No idea at all.

How about "Order of the Pre-Order." Or even "Customer." You know, what you call people who have paid for a product.

This isn't true. There were friendship mini-games in, off the top of my head, KOTOR2, DA:O and DA2, at least insofar as if your companions had high approval of you, you got big bonuses. The same was true to a limited extent in Planescape: Torment with some characters. I don't consider the DA:O approval system to be a friendship minigame, mostly because it was gameable with gift giving. You could not be "friends" with Alistair and still get a high approval rating with him. In fact, this is probably why they called it an "Approval System" and not a "Friendship System." Broadly speaking, I don't think you can treat this stuff as a minigame. That's how it ends up failing. The terrific characters in PS:T would still feel like the Nameless One's friends (the ones worthy of befriending, at any rate!) even if they dropped the meta-gaming stuff.

Come now decado, you can't expect us to believe that you didn't try to get just a little luuuuving from Isabela or Morrigan ? Just a little, you can be honest ...there are no judgements here ? Actually this is a good point. I romanced Morrigan and Leiliana to get their state bonuses lol. I didn't give a flying crap about any of the cheesy romance plot they had written up to that point. Which says a lot about the whole romance system that they used in DA, I think. Okay so let me ask you another question. When you followed the Romance arc with Morrigan were you not at all interested in her history, her motives and as the relationship transpired what events would unfold? Or was this purely for the stats so you basically didn't read anything she said or do anything she asked you? I read it, but the writing behind it was so clumsy and hamfisted that I found most of it physically painful to engage with. Nobody ever says of a game, "I hope the devs include a friendship option!!" There are no friendship mini-games and no awful friendship dialog trees and no demands from Social Justice Warriors that there needs to be a wide variety of friendship options like friendships with trees and animals otherwise specieism!! The fact is, the quality of interaction with the NPCs is left entirely to good writing and game design. Romances should be done the exact same way. Stop thinking about them as a feature or a mini game -- make them part of the story, and that's it. That's how they are going to be the most effective. Also, they need to get someone other than frustrated neckbeards to write the characters. I swear to christ, every single gay/bi character in DA:O or DAII was a stereotype, a flightly hare-brained flirt or a sex fiend or some other dumb trope. NEWSFLASH: Gay people are just like you and me, they don't act all weird just because they happen to want to bang a certain section of the population. Crazy, I know!

Come now decado, you can't expect us to believe that you didn't try to get just a little luuuuving from Isabela or Morrigan ? Just a little, you can be honest ...there are no judgements here ? Actually this is a good point. I romanced Morrigan and Leiliana to get their state bonuses lol. I didn't give a flying crap about any of the cheesy romance plot they had written up to that point. Which says a lot about the whole romance system that they used in DA, I think.

I've never understood the romance thing in CRPGs. Bioware basically turned it all into a farce. It was cool in BGII, but coincidentally that was also the last time it was cool.

I like how empty her desk is. I wish I could keep crap off my desk.

I have a hunch (just a hunch, I could be way off base) that cooking will be a novelty in the normal difficulty but much more important in Expert mode, at least as far as requiring you to eat is concerned.

Most people who are responsible for relating to the public (in whatever capacity) understand the difference between a vocal minority and a majority. If it is obvious to forum posters, it must be obvious to game developers who have been doing this for a while. Consequently, I can't believe that Sawyer or anyone else would get bamboozled by a few negative comments and suddenly change course. It could very well be that it was not the volume of the complaints but their consistency, accuracy or eloquence that made someone change their minds. Also I'm pretty sure most adults who work in the business know how seriously they should take the fellas over at the Codex -- this poster included.

Just remember: Diablo 3 Auction House Sometimes it is very wise indeed to listen to the player base. Of course you can't design a game by committee (well, actually you kinda can!) but getting designers to listen to fan feedback has been something we, as CRPG fans, have been demanding for the last 25 years. I'm glad the devs are listening to people on something that is in many ways inconsequential anyways. Let's face it, crafting and durability are not going to be deal breakers here. There have been no fundamental changes to the game mechanics, structure or playability. We're not suddenly raising chocobos or collecting in game playing cards with scantily clad women on them. Neither are we pressing a button to see something awesome happen. Everyone enjoy your weekend! I plan on drinking a lot.

There are an enormous number of features/systems that people have complained about that I have not changed because I believed (and still believe) the game would ultimately be more enjoyable as-designed. I always listen to/read what people have to say, but I only rarely make changes based on what they say. I don't think anyone would benefit from me ignoring all of the points that people put forward. Any chance of keeping the durability mechanic? Maybe attaching it to Expert mode? Make the penalties more severe (as in, weapons can/will actually become unusable) and it seems like it will fit right in.

Whoa bro calm down lmao.

Goddamn Codex tards. I see just as many Codex posters happy to have a durability mechanic as those that thought it sucked.

Whether anyone agrees or disagrees with the changes, you guys are a class act and a great example of how to take constructive criticism and apply it.

Betrayal at Krondor.