milczyciel

This! After PrimeJunta's post I can see no other way, than "vocalization" of some of the paladins active abilities. They do not even need to be fully voiced. In fact because of money obviously, floating text would allow for greater diversity of mentioned banters. Seriously, I'll be really disappointed if all I get after activating one of those skills will be some kind of glowy-glowy-flash and/or berserker like scream. Additionally, like Koveras Alvane, I hope for some kind of reflection of zealous, fanatics nature of paladin in wider than battle spectrum. You know, dialogue options, abilities-driven choices in those hand drawn boards we saw in previous updates, quarrels between followers/NPCs etc. I need that kind of character in my game, even if it imposes limitations and/or leads to conflicts inside the group. Or maybe should I say BECAUSE it does it all. After all, I still remember my love-hate relation with Keldorn from BG2 and that is only because he was so narrow minded when it came to Viconia! I have to clarify that I hope for kind of cause-driven fanaticism, that excludes the good-evil perception of the character (by player, not character itself, as obviously they will in most cases perceive their cause as the right, just one i.e. good) because imho it allows for far more flexibility when dealing with one of their order. And that flexibility can be applied either to followers, npcs or even pc and in turn may be dependable on stats and/or skills of those whoever try to influence a paladin - just think of the possibilities oO PS Any chances for Jan Jansen like Wild Orlan? Don't know why, but I've immediately thought about him when I saw those wonderful renders

Wow... I thought You've already nailed that "Baldur's Gate" feeling in previous updates when showing outdoors of a crypt. But that... that was like a blow in a head. Seriously, for a glimpse I could be fooled it's a screenshot from one of the classics. Luckily I have all the time I need to study it. And I must say I love that magic "Tesla coil" thingies, urns, torn banners, jars filled shelf, all that rubble and so on. Because for me, the more details you place in a background, the more stories they tell. I've only recently rediscovered how... featureless... can some instances from Baldur's Gate 1 feel, because of that. Which is totally justified in my biased and nostalgia driven mind, given the age of The Game and being first running on Infinity Engine. Therefore let me say that - because of great work You already did with outdoors transition from artwork to playable area, I'm almost 100% sure that Polina's artwork will become nothing short of a screenshot. And I almost droll when I imagine all those lights flickering, banners moving (IF it's a windy tomb or if an accidental fireball explodes nearby?) combined with all that dust rising because of the ruckus my party is going to cause (there will be some kind of particle effects illusion as we saw in waterfall example right?). PS Nonetheless I must admit my additional funds that I've gathered with that specific goal of giving You, so I'll be able to upgrade my reward tier, are getting impatient While back, and it was 1th April to be precise (I do not want to hear anything about it ) You've promised to me via email (and supposedly to others that asked) that backer-portal will be up and ready in few weeks. And though I try to explain to them bloody monies that mere two months are not that different than few weeks, some of them insolent bastards decided to go and spent themselves for a headset You imagine?! I'll get another bunch in no time, I promise, so please give me ability to send them straight to You guys. Additional funds won't hurt won't they? Oh right, and my inner "miraculously operated half-ogre" keeps inquiring me about more of those wondrous misadventures of Lady Veronica Whitmore. Yes, we've red last update :> Cheers

Thumbs up for courage. I've always thought that clothes which rot off selectively so they could cover "those" areas are pretty cheap. Plus it's make a creature even more disgusting, repulsing as Ulquiorra reaction clearly proved :> And I think many of us will agree that it's exactly how we should feel about undead in the first place. @up no offence Good Lord yes! We beg You Obsidian, keep all of them, even those most sketchy ones for umm... future generations? Oh ok, I want 'em on my digital collector's book :D <greedy me> PS Thanks for reminder about JA:F. Now where did I wrote down that password for amazon payments...

Maybe not specifically for the GOG release, but nevertheless that patch is a must. Everything else is optional IMO and depends on ones expectations (I for didn't care for enhanced graphics). Still I have to admit, that I have completed my adventure in heavily modified (no lvl cap, control over followers magic/technology development etc) environment. I didn't got any game breaking bugs after that, maybe some glitches here and there, maybe an occasional crash, though none of them annoying enough to be remembered. Have fun

@Ffordesoon If I somehow insulted or annoyed you, then rest assured that it was not my intention. I just think that it's very important not to autosave after, but before the conversation because having tried both options (don't remember where though) I found the first one quite tedious and "user unfriendly" because it forced me to make quicksaves before every conversation, just in case. At the same time autosaving before, helped me a lot with checking out various dialogue options, but also crafting, shopping, re-rolling some bad results of luck-based checks (like hazard), exploits etc. That was the sole reason for making it BIG Sorry if I unintentionally made it sound otherwise. Cheers.

I propose autosave BEFORE starting dialogue. That way you won't be forced to reload older file or make a specific quick save in case you want to fool around with dialogue possibilities / wish to explore them all out of curiosity / whatever other reason.

Seeing day/night cycle presented in today's update, I'd love to see impairing effect of darkness on PC skills/stats. And maybe something quite opposite for supposedly nocturnal monsters/beasts. Seems almost obvious right? Still neither of IE games had it and atm I can only think of Fallout 1&2 and Arcanum pulling that off.

You know, I had that thought while ago (which made me to change my avatar) that I failed to share because I've backtracked to much and deleted it in the end. Hope I'll do it better this time. It seems to me, that Ristora would like the thing Square did with Front Mission 3 back in 1999/2000. At the very beginning of a game you were offered rather forgettable and insignificant looking choice to follow PCs friend with some delivery or to shun him off. From that moment game's story splits into two distinctive branches. Sure they have some bottlenecks (like few major areas you'll visit), share a story twist and a cutscene or two. They also double some battle-areas (though from different perspective, as in scenario A you participate in assault, while in scenario B you are defending it) and of course no matter who you will unknowingly ally with, you will end up with the same nemesis. And while the game was otherwise almost (it gave some minor choices here and there) totally linear and therefore surprised me only once, it still raised interesting questions and allowed for a few "nice" twists like making your former followers recurring opponents, or showing "baddies" of scenario A as legitimate humane characters in scenario B (and vice versa) that are only trying to survive (or have some understandable reasons to act like they do). And on a personal note: believe me that after I discovered that double feature scenario I was quite uneasy when it came to fight with former followers (I'm so sorry Liu ) Said that, I'm afraid that it's quite impossible to implement such duality in P:E given it's more or less "open-worlded" character plus finite workforce and resources Obsidian have. Still games like Witcher 2 pulled that off on a smaller scale quite successfully so maybe we will see some exclusive content (stories, areas, subplots) after all. Followers seems especially easy deal here, and were already done in this manner back in BG: SoA. Hmm... You know, combine this with something I've mentioned here which is in-game mechanics "aware" of player character's build (stats/race/additional) and you got a leviathan of a game. Impossible to create but great to dream for. Why impossible? Well, as Tim Cain himself explained in update #22, he loves to have "low INT" dialogue options in his games, but that doubles writers work. And that's only one variable! Imagine the chore if they would have to take into account character's gender, race, class, reputation or any given trait. Factorial (hope I translated it right) of those possible outcomes would be more than intimidating. <sigh> Good thing Obsidian knows how to painlessly elicit suspension of disbelief. Still a man can dream, right?

If I'm allowed to be nitpicky: -animation of waterfall could be few nanoseconds faster -characters do not move after stopped which is painfully unnatural (though when they move, it's a poetry) -sway of trees and bushes could be more smooth (grass movement is perfect) ...and yes I am totally aware that this is a "work in progress" therefore I'm sure you'll make it even more jaw dropping in the end I honestly love direction You've picked, and was sold at the very moment Josh said that You're pursuing the quality of IWD art. If You are still by whatever reason worried that it is not good enough to compete with IWD look/feeling, then don't, because -bloody hell- it outstands even my nostalgia-spoiled recollections of it! And common, How better could it get?! You just made me sure that giving you more money than I honestly should back then (given my situation) turned out to be an excellent idea :D Thank You Obsidian!

Well first of all thanks for being first person to answer me here, and for that note at the very end. It helped 'cause my English is not good enough to always get other's intentions. No irony or sarcasm here. In fact this forum is the very first time I'm trying to communicate more elaborate thoughts in English since... high school and failed attempt to study English philology almost 10 to 13 years ago. So it's quite a task and again, thanks for the help provided. But enough about it. Now, about turning off level scaling to add some "difficulty". After giving it second thought I have to agree with you. It wouldn't make my game any more "harder" or more demanding because I would be able to recognize the challenge being the one, who picked it in the options menu. Therefore even if given boss or a skill check for that matter, would be maxed (in terms of that part of game where I would most probably meet him), and not scaled down to my own level, I could still easily go back and do few more sidequest to get additional level or two, learn new spells and combat tricks. And it wouldn't even make that much difference, if I would do so by loading or running away in case that encounter took me by surprise. Therefore it looks like I would gladly go with "maximize (or even spice up a little) opponents levels" option just to make the main plot and related battles "feel" like a "real thing". MUCH (not a little) harder to win if I'll happen to decide to rush for them because of whatever reason I would do so (most probably at my second playthrough, when I know the game already). Right, so "selective level scaling removes challenge" goes out the window - 1:0 for you And now, let me address your other point. So, I do not know how difficulty levels will translate to the leveling speed of my party/PC. Maybe it won't have any impact on xp distribution, but maybe (as many times before) I will be able to develop my skills faster, the harder game mode I pick. If that would be the case, then it would be entirely possible to "overgrow" that given boss even without much of sidetracking. Obviously this shouldn't be a problem here if done otherwise or with even further widening that bosses possible level cap. And again turning LS off wouldn't address the problem in such situation. So for a second time I'm with "maximize opponents levels" option here, and let's forget about my issues with selective LS. Oh and about that changing every possible challenge to my own fitting - people do this all the time. Console commands, cheats, codes, hex editors, trainers, exploits - you name it. So I do not see how valid is your claim to dismiss wishes of possible "optionalization" (I made that word up as I can't come up with anything adequate). In the end, old school games pretty much allowed (by typing some silly cheats) to become immortal and wreak havoc upon the realm. Yes, yes, I bet you will say that those are CHEATS and by all means they are not a legitimate way to play a game. But in the end of a day isn't it just semantics? If someone will got stuck (also bored or curious about "what if" scenarios, like killing Gorrion in BG), he will most probably look for solution over internet, and if there won't be any (because of bad game design or bug) he will utilize those god forbidden tricks and then finish a game as if nothing happened (reload if boredom/curiosity was a factor). Well, not that it has much to do with a topic, but I couldn't let you win all that argument without a sweat. Ok, ok just kidding. So, to sum things up - turns out I'd be happy with an independent feature of maxing opponents levels and overall customizing given difficulty levels (much like original System Shock did it long time ago). <sigh> In any case, I hope you're right, my guts are wrong and I won't be disappointed by difficulty factor of the main quest. Because, you know, I find myself to old and to busy to (re)play (over and over again) a hard boiled iron mode only for making that story driven encounters worth the build up. If not, there's always hope for some kind of Kangaxx incarnation in the P:E universe cheers

Thanks! What a great reminder that BG2 environment was not hand drawn, but carefully pre-rendered. <sigh> Now I will have to play it again.

Obviously, overwhelming majority do not like lore to be forced upon player and "disconnected" from gameplay experience. We tend to disagree upon just how much of lore is enough though. So, first things first - I think that most important issue here (as in most cases from my point of view) is keeping it optional. If you have a player that is "tl;dr" type then let him be. Do not punish him for wanting something different. That example provided by Jarmo "what version do you want, long or short" is a great solution here. You can of course reward him for patience, but do not overdo that or he will feel forced to endure those reading chores. Just keep reward on the level of "not very necessary but quite nice in the long run". I'll address this later on. I'm a type of guy who likes to "earn" his lore, therefore I would love to get additional info from in game activities like reading some very specialized tomes in local library (Arcanum), buying/stealing more general books in stores (BG), finding/stealing journals (Fallout, System Shock), speaking with non-omnipotent NPCs, overhearing others (floating text that I would have to acknowledge by either waiting for it to disappear, or clicking on it, or whatever), occasional chit-chat with your companions, some gossips appearing in textbox when I'm busy selling accumulated loot (what? don't you ever chat with your local grocer?), examining your surroundings with active (or passive) skill (Fallout), not to mention that some stories could be told even by environment itself without PC interaction (Bioshock) although that could be hard to translate into journal entry without immersion breaking. Anyway the list could go on. All of it would be kept in your journal with separate bookmark, varied in form and aesthetics depending on the source of information and maybe your PC race/stats (dream on): from word-to-word excerpts of long forgotten incantation found carved in a stone pillar, through more detailed description of given lecture that was described in game as some short floating text (like Lephys suggested), to opinions* your PC made upon someone's drunken rant. It could be expanded as it was already suggested by Pipyui or change/vary given the differences of opinion thorough the game world. I would even propose rewarding activity of gathering lore with small amounts of xp (just enough to gain a level or two thorough the whole game) every time it will affect your journal. That way we could encourage for doing so even those, who normally do not read quest related text** without forcing them to read it (just click to get it into journal and you're ready to go). It could even lead to more rewards as already suggested. Like additional dialog choices in upcoming quests, getting some otherwise avoidable sidequest, minor in-fight bonuses (remember, do not punish those not interested), or even occasional treasure hunting (combine local legends about battle long time ago and gossips about blacksmith's son missing after his trek to the nearby marsh with dusting off some old maps in king's library maybe add some skill check on top of that and voila). Don't get me wrong - I do not wish every single flavour text to lead somewhere. Quite opposite! I do too believe, that some things should not be extensively explained or accurate in that matter. IMO about half of the lore shouldn't be even explained more than vaguely. And the very few should be there only to tease our curiosity (like that environment told stories). Won't you agree that if it will be kept varied, then we'll be unsure of the outcome and therefore more immersed/invested in the story itself? We do like to be surprised here and there after all, don't we? So that's pretty much sums up my point of view. Please do not get offended if I included some of your's opinions/ideas here. I tried to mention everyone that inspired me but it's getting late and... And for gods sake no ham-fisted expositions! Especially when I'm supposed to be a character with established history! See Noah Antwiler's wonderful rant about Ultima IX if you have any doubts that it's pure evil BTW, in case you missed it, he will make an interview with Richard Garriott himself, which was a strech goal for "Shroud of the Avatar" kickstarter campaign. Knowing his passion for Ultima series I simply cannot wait <evil laughter> * - do I remember correctly that low INT chars have accordingly stupid journal entries in Arcanum? ** - I honestly have a friend who did BG and BG:SoA plus both Fallouts that way. It was like 13 ears ago and I'm still amazed to this day that he pulled that off. Without walkthroughs and internet, only me giving him an occasional clues. Oh, and he played Fallouts in English, which he do not quite understand even today. <amazed>

This is a great idea IF implemented properly. Every time I play crpg I do it packrat style and more than once I was punished by variuos games for that. Like that time when I was crawling back from the middle of dungeon I was trying to clear out. Packed full, and forced to fight again hordes of enemies I just killed 15 minutes ago. Healing potions emptied, spells casted and me bored to death. Not to mention, that those respawned monsters were dropping even more loot For me that's nothing short of a chore... but I might have issues and it doesn't apply to others experience That's... awesome! I would really love to see game world/characters/opponents reacts to my party build. It would be so much more immersive. Of course only if I'll be able to run away from such encounter (look up, for the first quotation).

Maybe I'm just tired (I did came back home after 12h shift) and missed something crucial (and belive me, I did read all of it), but I do not see any reason for the whole argument. If Obsidian decide (and I hope they do) to add an self-contained/standalone OPTION for switching level scaling off then... what's the problem? It would be optional after all and in all honesty I cannot imagine anyone self-centered enough, to be infuriated because someone, somewhere have decided to add some (maybe pointless, who am I to say) difficulty to their gameplay. Common, would it make any of You mad because I like it hard way? Why would you care about a loser* in a country far away, that has this issue with masochism? I for certain wouldn't claim my superiority over anyone because of some difficulty level/factor I've decided to pick among the way, though we know for sure, that there are people who do this all the time. But then again, why should any of you, who didn't turned level scaling off care? As long as it is not a multiplayer experience we should be allowed to cherish it ALL the way we want, because we're only imposing our decisions upon ourselves not others! So again, what is the problem here? Again - maybe I've missed the point and it's about money and workforce needed for implementation of such "no level scaling" mode? I'm for sure no programmer, so I do accept possibility that I have not even the slightest idea about just how much money and time consuming would such addition be. Personally I really hope for as many options (and I do not mean gameplay only) in this game as possible. Just do not overkill. * - obviously I do not really see myself that way, because I do symphatize with Lillycake here, as I too have very fond memories of Kangaxx smearing my party all over the walls of his tomb incountable many times. /sorry for any typos and mistakes, but that honey beer didn't helped in overcoming fatigue

I've never finished Arcanum with female character, so I'm quite interested in Chris's playthrough. The reasons why I'm so curious about differences of femPC playthrough and why I I've never did it myself is quite "textwallish", therefore I apologize anyone not interested. Long story short - I did THE side quest that made me thinking "Hell no! I have to check out how it will resolve if I change my PlayerCharacter race! Later ma'am!" And here's longer version plus additional sidetracking (I do that a lot, it's stronger than me) for those patient and curious enough: I just hope that Obsidian will spend a lot of those gathered money (and time) to make gameplay/dialogues more varied and "aware" of decisions that we will make at Character Creation Screen... Because -frankly- They are the only ones who can do this seeings as Torment will be a very specific, one man/woman story* which very much imposes limitations... * - not that I have anything against it, backed it all the way