milczyciel

Nonono... You can have all those fancy d-this and d-that multi-layered mechanics, but I want my narration and chapters dividing cutscenes for that "story unfolds" feeling I've got back then in the late '90. This, or I'll... do quite nothing about it. Probably just rush out from the room for some freshly brewed tee, muttering some disappointment all the way

ok, let's give it a try I would love to stroll around with a mash-up of Candid and Simo Häyhä like Dwarf mercenary fighter with a soft spot for Orlans. Patient, reliable tank, rat-pack, and occasional unwilling mentor, for those who don't expect to discuss the meaning of life. After all, his no suave talker or philosopher by a long shot. He tends to keep to himself and isn't very fond about pondering some abstract ideas. Even then, very cautious about sharing his version of "Here and Now" doctrine, because he met way to many turned out to be hedonists to know better. His key items would be a simple, but very well maintained short sword and an 'high tier' slightly enchanted composite bow, for which he paid a hefty price to a trusted bowyer back in his hometown. Few throwing daggers just in case and an archaic looking buckler - the only thing that though still highly useful, doesn't fit into the picture - if only because of how old it seems in comparison to the rest of his equipment. It would turn out to be a gift from his father but learning any more details beside that, would prove to be very hard (because family heirlooms is a boring story and he's well aware of that). Not much beyond that, as he doesn't like trinkets and his dressing code is purely utilitarian. Aside for few minor scars and cut off left hands little finger tip, there's nothing interesting about him. With his watery eyes and boring, rough face you can't exactly call him "memorable" About a name: I suppose he may have got a nickname sometime, from one of his former employers, or from other mercenaries he used to work with. One that describes his efficiency at killing and surly, presumptuous attitude (because that's what people tend to think about quiet ones). Nothing more than disguise he embraced to be left alone for reasons just as trivial and boring as the story of his life, his buckler and non existing ambitions. PC would profit from a nice, but not over the top bonus to skill checks while dealing with craftsmen, soldiers and alike, because of esteem he feels towards those and because they understand he's one of their kind. Unfortunately there would be a downside to that while dealing with merchants, politicians, artists and and so on, because they could easily tell he's not very happy about listening to their yapping and, generally, being in the same room for any longer than it takes to struck the deal. Also maybe small bonus to perception, because he's very focused on a job at hand, not day dreaming like the easily bored and distracted others? For the first part of game player should feel about him... somewhere around "meh" but useful (e. g. as a mule) and quite if not very efficient (but not excellent as that would come later and should involve PC decision) with sword and bow thus providing for wider spectrum of party builds. Gradually one could learn more about his simple ways, and set-low life expectations. It would became obvious he's surprisingly (given his proffesion) non-violent prone and appreciates life, in general. His killing blows are efficient but as quick as possible given the situation (mercy killing maybe?). Almost never cruel. Almost being a catch - could snap if forced to deal with vicious, sadistic, misery bringing individuals. Especially those abusing laws and powers. Would need time to cope with such outburst after that, very foundations of how he sees himself shaken. Further he would prove to be one of the most trustworthy and dependable characters (some betrayal among the story line or optionally redeemable script for other follower to emphasize that), as long as PC tends to pick the least aggressive options (options not one option) possible, both in combat and in social dealings. All of this soundly rooted in his "simple values" founded integrity and traces of "knight in sour armour" trope. And to sum it up: he's the type that claims to be focused on "cultivating his own garden" rather than saving/fighting the whole world, but at the same time gradually making life of those around him better in the process. Thus getting involved in things further and further distant from that "own garden" dream of his. With a good writer (i.e not me) that could be made into a follower quest in spirit of those from P:T (Dak'kon, Morte) with multiple endings. Important: until that moment of realization somewhere in the middle (or 2/3) game though, he would have to be paid just enough to make the player feel he's/she's really spending some of that hard earned gold, but not that much to overdo the pros of dragging him around. Technically very hard to balance I assume, if the amount of GP player can get through the game is not hard codded from the very beginning. Mistreated or forced to cooperate with PC that's selfish and or cruel, he'll stick around until the end of a chapter claiming he fulfilled his contract. If PC tries to kill someone completely random / innocent, he will strongly oppose and try to stop PC. If PC persist on doing so, he will attack throwing all his money in the PC face Can't be recruited by PC with a noticeable bad karma/reputation. Sounds boring and trivial? That's good enough - at least I achieved that aforementioned "for the first part of game" goal

You guys go without me I think I'll grab another one and wait 'till some bard or sage of sort, answers the oryginal question. <shakes down the poor excuse of a foam, then slurps loudly> Aaah... not as disgusting as I expected.

Sorry for double posting buuut I was to busy answering Josh to notice defense speech Thanks guys, for a moment there I felt like "maybe I'm rambling like an idiot here?". Good to see that I've made my point clear-ish enough It's like, any time he answers some of my concerns, I'm all "s***! he's talking to me! I must have did something wrong!" lol I say

Heh, I got that idea from the lack of knowledge upon topic, because I was unable to follow every update. Also because I red maybe one or two interviews over sites like RPS or RPGC, missing tons of content in the process. Thus, my basic reference in regard of whether it will be more like Fallout or more like BG was the very subjective feeling I got from the KS video. But I must admit that F:NV even though greatly reactive (leagues better than Fallout 3*) left me longing for even more. We have that saying in Poland "apetyt rosnie w miare jedzenia" which translates (veeery loosely) to "the more you have, the more you want". Could be the case here If You'll manage to amaze that impossible grump (i.e. me) then I'll... hmm I dunno... I'll admit I was wrong? Yeah, I know, that's hardly good enough. So maybe I'll give my firstborn Eryk for a second name (first one already taken, sorry). I think we'll be cool then Thanks anyway and rest assured I'm already happy, no matter how it unfolds. * which I think was locked on 4 maybe 5 levels of skill-check variables AND 2 ways "good" and "evil" for dialogue to develop, but I'm not sure, I very much forced myself to play once, and never reinstalled it again.

Yeah, I noticed after reading some of his post, but decided I'll try to deal with this thread "on a level" anyway. I bet most he get is bashing, so maybe my arguing will give him at least a glimpse inside other's universes. There's always that ignore feature Thanks for cheering up

Pink - Poland today (312,679 km²) Red borders - Poland territory between 1918-1939 or '45 depending on point of reference (388 634 km² without taking disputable Zaolzie into account) Blue borders - irrelevant here, but to satiate someone's curiosity it's just one of the many border drafts, that was discussed between Allies and Stalin after (or maybe even before, not sure) the WWII ended. As you can see, thanks to the uncle Stalin generosity Poland lost over 70 000 km², but in my opinion it simply fades to obscurity in comparison to repressions and deportations from Kresy. Calling that "a gift" aimed to honor pro-Soviet Polish army (or armies, or just combatants) is naive at best. And I hope I'm wrong, but somehow I don't believe that's the case. You are the very first Russian (I assume you are) with which I am discussing that topic, so I'll try to make it as clear as possible without being a-hole. Russia (or Soviet Union if you wish) invaded* Poland alongside Germany (or Third Reich if you wish). And both of them treated Poland citizens, territory and resources as nothing else than spoils of war. Remember a secret addendum to the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact? They knew what they were doing from the very start and there's not point denying that. Therefore please, don't be surprised that Poles are not that happy about USSR "assistance mission" (or however it is called in Russia's textbooks), nor that they felt that great about leaving their cities, villages, cemeteries, culture and history behind, so they could settle in "Recovered Territories" that most of them (according to my grandparents, and my grand-grandmother who died last year aged 105) didn't cared that much before they were forced to settle in. And to address that last sentence of yours: I was born and lived all my life in Wroclaw (called Breslau before the WWII), just like my parents did, so I don't make nor do I have any legal or illegal claims over the Kresy. Wroclaw is where my life is happening, that's what important to me and I bet it's the similar deal for equally aged Germans, Ukrainians and Belarusians living in cities like Lviv (Lwow before the war) that happened once to be on the other side of the line (i.e. border). Furthermore it's none of my business how do you, or any other Russia citizen feel about Stalin, nor do I ask you to keep that Stalin imbued pride to yourself. It's also not my place to decide about things like whether or not it's totally fine to have Josef Stalin in Civilization game (at least I -a Pole- have a villain I can relate to**) and so on and so forth. I believe those are the issues only you and your fellow-countryman should discuss, because he was your leader and if you think and believe that he did great for his country, then by all means, continue... It's all cool and withing your boundaries. Understand though, that I will not stand idly when someone is bragging about "how awesome of Comrade Stalin was, to rescue those poor, ungrateful Poles" from Nazis and how we should all praise his name. I will not stand this, If only for my grandparents sake. Goodbye * If you don't like the word invasion, you may find some solace in that you're not alone - many Poles still do not consider Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia as an invasion per se, even though Czech-spoken wikipedia article called it that way as far as (more or less) 10 years ago, when I decided to learn about my homeland's faults. Faults we all have. ** as "understand", not as "feel sympathy towards"

For the record: I've done my research in regard of Mr Oby and learned my lesson, so this is the last time I'm addressing the issue. But before that, I need to make something clear - I don't believe I confused anything. Quite opposite - I've been faithful to the example provided by Obyknven: Italic and bold by author As you can clearly see, I'm not the one who called upon "fertility" symbolism. I've merely adjusted to the current. And assuming I was indeed wrong - what other example could I provide, given that the genitalia are the only mutual theme for both male and female fertility deities? Overgrown hairy chest? That's obviously not the same league on "risen eyebrow" scale... Not my fault really, that in our culture* women holds higher score in the "body parts considered to be taboo" contest. Thank you and sorry for nagging. Now, did someone mentioned magical (soul imbued maybe) codpiece? Because that would be awesome * I know I'm bit lazy, selfish and narrow-minded here, but in terms of PoE that graph <link> defines what I mean by "our culture".

Well... that's... stunning I'm not religious at all, but I'll admit I'm not educated. As for being fool - I can't decide. But following the logic of that picture - male necromancers should be blessed with huge penises (life giving) and to fit the "art style" should all wear spandex leggings so we could all bask in the glory of their juggling "class attributes"? No thanks... I rather stay an ignorant, non-educated fool.

There are going to be some repetitions, but it's a small wonder given the genuine spark those works (of art?) have in them. Provided links in "prehistory" for your convenience but decided that the second part do not need that, aside for few non-direct exceptions. Titles are ordered by US release date (more or less) because I didn't want to decide which game should be on top and which one should be at the bottom of the. Hope you'll have as much fun reading, as I had writing it down Prehistory (Pegasus & Amiga500): "Battletoads" and "Batman: Return of the Joker" - for making me pumped up and ready for action, also for being awesome. "Another World" (or "Out of This World") ending - for being first emotions (different than joy and frustration) evoking moment in my gaming experience (special treat here). "The Settlers" intro - for being the first "Woah! Mom look! How did they do that?!" game related thing ever, and for forcing me to reset Amiga few times in a row so I could watch it again and then inviting a friend for "rinse and repeat". Also because "sexy tree"*. "Cannon Fodder" intro - for making me remember about Richard Joseph. History (PC): "Fallout" (the first one) intro - for setting the tone so perfectly and providing loads of details about the game universe before I even realized it. Also because of goosebumps when Ron speaks the iconic phrase. "Fallout" (again) bad ending - for that "industrial camera" gimmick and because it's a fully fledged reward for those who find Master's plan appealing. Honorable mention goes to F2 tanker cutscene - just like some guy over YT said "never thought that a ship departure could feel so epic". Seriously, it beats nuking the rig by a mile! WTF?! "Half-life" - rather obvious one, so I'll spear you all the details. Still, it deserves to be remembered if only for Kelly Bailey and doing justice to "Underground Base" feeling. Also this "Thief: the Dark Project" intro, outro and cutscenes - for that "rough feeling", Eric Brosius haunting music and Stephen Russell narration. "Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri" intro - because it sets the mood (no point in coming back) very well and gives you additional insight to the SMAC plot. Yes, a plot - rather unique thing for a Civ game even up to date I dare to say. Also all those wonderful voice-overs in Secret Projects clips and Datalinks pop-ups. "System Shock 2" intro - for very convincing (immershun!) "live feed" and "security cameras" effects, but also because it's music (again Brosius) and the god damn super nova sized spoiler that nonetheless caught me surprised and vulnerable when I got one menacing, foreshadowing email shortly before "the great twist". "Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver" intro - mostly because of Kurt Harland's theme, fueling the out of this world feeling. Likewise great voice acting, and it's still looking good even by today's standards (though character animations are admittedly stiff). Also Tony Jay telling us we're worthy. "Homeworld" pretty much everything - intro, outro, cutscenes and scripted animations... seriously, the art style, Paul Ruskay's music, story, superb voice acting - it all comes together so well. Also because I'm sure I shed a tear when You Know What happened. Do I need to mention "Agnus Dei"? "Icewind Dale" and "Baldur's Gate II" intros - for superb narration by Henryk Talar and Piotr Fronczewski (a rare occurrence for me to like a dubbed version) and because I have a soft spot for that "old tome" gimmicks. * inside joke / cultural-reference-of-sort for Polish users

In my book it's just as important as isometric view and party based tactical combat for invoking that IE feeling, so sure would like to hear any answer to the OP question.

I'm on the fence about that topic. Personally - I grew tired of all those supermodels wearing full plate swimsuits (+15 AC). It's even worse when I want to share something IMO genuinely interesting about a game with my fiancee, but the first thing I have to explain are reasons for females running in their armored underwear. As you can imagine I'm no good at that. On the other hand I really don't like to force others into thinking the way I do and it's not like I'm unable to play along with just another (over the top) sexy female npc/protagonist as in most cases it's just an... annoyance. One thing is obvious though - there's no chance that every armour type will have two variations, just to cater both sides of the barricade. Also - Josh said some time ago, that those are not the issues of the isometric perspective and 'till I play the game I'll roll with him. Aside for that, Monte Carlo's right - we're beating a dead horse here... so... I probably should keep all that to myself, huh? I'm ashamed to admit, but I never considered that "ring of protection" argument. Now I feel pretty stupid Grab a "like" - you deserved one.

We know, still it's fun to dream about, right? It isn't a board meeting Well, I mean, it's already an RPG, too. Yup, one of my favourites too. Still, the idea of transforming it into isometric RPG is intriguing (least to say). If only because I do not recall being terrified by any isometric horror. "Stasis" comes to mind, but first of all it's not an RPG. Also I have yet to try it. Hmm... maybe I'll even download the demo right now.

We know, still it's fun to dream about, right? It isn't a board meeting

Given the multitude of opinions, I think it will be very hard for them to strike the right balance. I always used the KS video as the reference in such occasions, because it was the reason I (and many others) made up my mind about involving in PoE funding. And let's be honest here - Chris Avellone was the only one in that video, who tackles dialogues* in more depth. Which is exactly what made me believe, that it will be great, sure, but it won't be another (oryginal) Fallout-style skills, stats, karma, reputation, race, sex aware dialogue tree. Even with Tim and Chris aboard. Yes, sure, since KS they gave me plenty reasons to hope, that it will be more varied and interesting than "BG" interacting mechanics. And it's more or less certain since we've learned there are going to be additional dialogues and opportunities based on player stats, skills and so on. But still, remembering my disappointment with BG dialogues, I prefer to keep my expectations low. And I recommend pacifist runners to do the same. *though it's worth noticing that the KS video does not make it clear enough just how exactly he's envisioning that (aside from vague reactivity and companions). So to sum it up and make it perfectly clear: I'm OK with "no pacifist run" in PoE not because it's my favourite type of interaction ("arrgh! who cares for those texting headaches, let's click and bash, and smash 'em all!") between player and game world, but because of my KS driven expectations. And now take a quick glance at those poll results. No wonder so many feels disappointed by the emphasis on the "tactical combat" and supposedly lacking importance of "talk my way out of it" option.

Hmm, an appealing idea as long as it would end being just as terrifying as SS2 was. "They see you... run... runnn!" And obviously Eric Brosius

Oh it was - I just feel that devs are more inclined towards "BG" than "Fallout", so my expectations are set accordingly (lower) for the "speaky" part of game. Nothing wrong with that. That allows me to grudgingly reminisce about the day, when I discovered there are no "stupid" dialogue lines for low INT / uncharismatic characters in BG. Oh, how disappointed I was... Could be the reason why I liked BG2 better - still no such things like stat and skill-derived dialogue tree, but that time I wasn't expecting it, and additionally followers became far more talkative than anything I knew up that point. I don't want to be let down like that again, so even if I'd love to be proven wrong I still don't expect wonders from PoE in that regard. PS Try diplomacy with Frank Horrigan or Liutenant - I bet you know how it will end Who's responsible for dialogue mechanics in PoE anyway?

Screw setting - I hope they'll end up hiring Eric Brosius, but I repeat myself and that's embarrassing. I'll let myself out.

If they'll somehow manage to convince Eric Brosius to do his dark magic for such project - I'm in. To hell with that - for Eric I would throw my money even if it would turn out to be an FPS. ...I miss him, and it's even harder to cope with, since InXile messed my perception of reality with the second coming of Mark Morgan.

Here's a question that borders on strictly academic and lore-wise: what happens when an animal companion dies of old age? Do their lifespan hard-locks on the ranger's lifespan or are they replaced by their offspring when they get too old? What implications would that have? Secondly: how old exactly are those pets, when they form a bond? Are they very young, thus forcing ranger to look after them (easy to explain if that happens at the beginning of said ranger's training) possibly making the bond more emotional or instinctive in the process? Or maybe all that soul bonding precedes and invalidates any biological and psychological mumbo-jumbo because "soul-magic"? - no sarcasm intended, I just know to little about souls and all that, so I decided to over simplify a bit, hoping that someone more educated will provide clarification

Well, as far as I'm aware PoE will be combat heavy. Mind you not "Diablo"-scale heavy, but I would expect something between "Baldur's Gate" and "Icewind Dale" with an often usage of active pause. After all, that was (arguably) the KS premise and on top of that neither BG or ID (especially ID) were possible to beat Gandhi-style* Best you could do, was keeping casualties to a minimum. Sure, if we are thinking "Planescape Torment" here, one could ask for a pacifist run, but then again I don't believe they were aiming in that direction at all, so that's a misplaced hope. At least if we are discussing importance of fighting mechanics, because in regards of story telling - who knows, to some degree, maaaybe? More importantly: it was confirmed that the player will have many (question is, how many) possibilities to use skills like mechanics, stealth or survival in those Dark Lands style "events" or "encounters" if you like. I guess same thing goes for dialogues and quest resolving, though I wouldn't expect every possible one to have a "I've talked him out of it" solution... or even "most of them" to be honest. Which in my opinion is totally fine, as personally I find those sentiments pretty impossible to execute in a believable manner in, let's say 90% cases. Unless of course I'd be given ability to play an immortal, indestructible and impossible to confine demigod... In which case I would still expect at least some people to defy me, because in their own words "FU that's why!" After all, it's a human thing to fixate on something so much that it makes us able to see it done, no matter the cost. * not to confuse with Civilization's "nuke 'em all" variant

After giving it a second thought I would like to support others sentiment of pet-less ranger, preferably via Fallout-like trait with it's ups and downs. Storywise cons could dominate over pros of such character, as long as the trade-off is unique. If not for the feeling of "common sense" then just for kicks. If no - fine. It's just the thought to play with But c'mon, does every one of them have to be a PETa activist? Not even a single kid in a world, longing for ranger life, dreaming about turning poor little Orlans into hedgehogs with his trusty bow, but at the same time... ooh I don't know... being allergic to fur or feathers? Disliking the idea of cleaning their companion's poo, or - simple as that - being indifferent about little buggers? Or not so little if we are talking grizzly-scale... <snap> Oh my... imagine cleaning after well fed grizzly Ugh. Screw that, I have to reconsider my carrier choice.

I go for fighters and barbarians, because I'm curious about the scope of difference between them and update's #71 heavy hitters (would they only differ in a range combat and critical hits mechanics etc). Also, (and that's more interesting in my opinion) I'd like to dig into the lore of barbarians, as I was led to believe it's the... erm... it's theee... ow, god damn it, you know, furries... <hold on for a moment> ...right, as I was led to believe it's the Orlans who are seen as/called savages in this particular setting, thus being a fitting race for the class. Concept hard to imagine given their stature, except for assumed ferocity (wolverines are not that big too, right?), but that again would be in a stark contrast with their description as the ones being "victimized" by other races. BTW: could someone imaginative provide me with a mock-up name for the world please? It feels stupid to just call it "the world"

Yeah, I too noticed the collapsed roof/rubble etc. was missing from the ground, like the ruins from last time. MasterPrudent explained that here so I'm glad it didn't turned out to be an overlooked detail. Yeah, I tend to be a nitpicky bastard :D

Forever? Mate, it was funded on Oct 17, 2012 - that gives 1 year and 3 months! I don't want to be mean, but most of us waited more or less 10 years for a game like that, while not even expecting it to come true (only dreaming). I feel I'll rather wait another year or two, than whine because of rushed release bugs and cuts, wasted potential etc. Cheer up and brace yourself (no, I will not make that joke, it's old, and I'm not that funny to pull it off)