Valsuelm

Most places that one would find a torrent file on do not have advertisements and are community funded. Also, websites are not the only places to find torrents. There are a few high profile sites, such as ThePirateBay, that run ads, but at least in the case of Pirate Bay there's no great amount of money being made on the part of those that run it. Thousand of dallars a month certainly is not being made in profits. For the sake of argument, let's say that thousands were being made. How would you distribute that? There are thousands and thousands of torrents out there. Many of them 100% legal and legit torrents on sites that also have torrents that have pirated products. There would be no way to fairly distribute the profits being made even if one wanted to.

I'm unsure what you think I'm being lazy in my argument about. If it's not explaining the various aspects of the debate that I said exist, but are not addressed in that article, and already said would take a long time to explain, I'm not going to do that as I do not have that much free time. I was basically just trying to illustrate that the article did not address some pretty large aspects of the debate. There's nothing to speak out about. It's a non issue, there's going to be no DRM. If there was only a DRM version of PE, I'd say something believe me and so would others. I'd also probably not have the faith I have in the developers at Obsidian if there was as well. (Obsidian is the last American game company I do have some faith in). If there was going to be something like Securom, I'd not have backed it, even though there's probably no other game I'd like to see be made more. I'm not against you standing up for your percieved right to benefit from the sale of PE. I simply see it as a non issue. As I and others have stated and I'm pretty sure Obsidian realizes. Piracy is going to happen, whether you, me, they, or anyone else wants it to or not, DRM or this thread isn't going to stop it. For the most part you're likely preaching to the choir here. While there might be a few prospective pirates lurking the majority of the people here are likely backers or likely buyers. If you know someone who is going to pirate the game, by all means, encourage them not to. Encourage other people you know to buy it. Other than that, you're fretting over something that isn't worth fretting over. And you're trying to keep a very big subject narrow. You cannot take a stand against something as big as the piracy/copyright debate and not expect people to respond and bring aspects of the argument to your table that you might not have expected or want, especially if you're against piracy and for DRM. You also can't legitimately debate anything and poopoo analogy as you have.

They were not exaggerated. While I never played an Ubisoft game I am familiar with that kind of DRM. Ubisoft and Starforce aren't the only folks who tried that type of thing. It's exactly that type of DRM that got me to look for my first pirated game to begin with somewhere close to a decade ago now. I know I'm not the only person who ever got so fed up with DRM on a game they legitimately bought that they went and sought out ways on the internet to remove it. Lo and behold, there waiting to be discovered was the 'pirate' community. I read the article, though scanned the second half. I like Tweakguides, and have used his guides in the past. I learned quite a bit about nVidia forceware from him, he's got a bit to learn about piracy and copyright though. As decent an article as that one is (defintely one of the better ones I've seen), as Ink Blot already said, it totally overlooks or ignores a great many important aspects of the piracy and copyright debate. Especially some of the legal aspects of it. Piracy, copyright, intellectual property, the first sale doctrine, consumer rights, basic legal rights, and all the other things that tie into this is actually a pretty complicated subject to understand as there are so many things to consider. One could easily double the size of his article and still possibly not touch all the important aspects. It is definitely not a black and white issue, and not all piracy is bad for a company, some of it is actually good for a company. This whole thread is really a non issue though. Obsidion has already stated there will be no DRM (not including the Steam version). Will there be pirates? Yes. Should we worry about them? No. As someone else said. The best thing to do is get people you know interested in getting the game who aren't already interested or know about it. No doubt there are people who don't know about PE out there that would love to play whatever it becomes. I'm already working on a couple people I know, and I guarentee you I'll have sold at least 1-2 people I know on buying PE when it comes time for it's release.

Starforce was cracked a long time ago. Though it did hold up for awhile. It also is the kind of DRM (malware/spyware whathaveyou) that I would refuse to buy a game over, no matter how good the game was. Ubisoft has never made a game that interested me though, so I didn't miss out on anything.

Well, frankly no recent launch of a game was without problems. Dragon Age had delivery problems (at least in my country), same for Two Worlds 2. World of Warcraft, Guild Wars 2 and Age of Conan had bad launchs, not to speak of Diablo 3... The same will happen to Project Eternity. One of many reasons to own a phyisical copy of your game is you generally will not have to deal with bogged down servers. Diablo 3 is of course an exception.

Different point of view when you have skin in the game eh? I've backed PE. I want very much for it to suceed. Pirates will be pirates. It will happen. DRM won't stop them, Steam DRM least of all. The only type of DRM I'm aware of that has not been cracked and quick at that is the type Diablo 3 or an MMO has. I'm ok with always connected for MMOs (it's the nature of the beast), but I couldn't possibly be more against always connected for anything else, or even sometimes connected for a game I'm always going to play offline. That said, I am aware that there are pirate servers for many MMOs and there's probably one for Diablo 3 as well. To be frank, the type of DRM that Diablo 3 had had me looking for a pirated copy so I didn't have to be connected when playing, and I owned the game (came with my year sub to WoW). I stopped looking after I played it a little bit.... it wasn't a game I wanted to continue playing. The general public shouldn't be treated as second class citizens when it comes time for them to buy the game. While they may have missed out on some of the goodies being a part of the kickstarter provided they certainly shouldn't suffer DRM. I'm all for developers making money, I'd love them to get rich on their game, and I want very much for PE to be a great game and succeed financially just as I'm sure just about everyone else here does. DRM won't stop pirates though, and is little more than a pain the ass (even so big in some cases that I'd prefer a pirated copy to one I own to not have to deal with it). I'd argue as others have that DRM actually encourages piracy more than it discourages it. If Obsidion makes a great game, it will sell. Don't fret pirates.

I have mixed thoughts on it. While I like that they are attempting to 'enhance' it, I'm not sure I'll like their enhancements. The game was awesome to begin with, and I've played through it three times over the years. Very few other games have that distinction with me. I've also bought it three times as I lost discs or they got damaged (no other game has that distinction with me), a fourth time I don't know about. If they enhance it like Lucas 'enhanced' episodes 4-6, I'll pass. That said I still may contribute anyways as I appreciate the efforts to bring back and possibly create more infinity like games (hence my support of PE). I'm going to wait for some reviews on it before I make a decision. In particular I'm interested if it's a better game than BG 1 with the community 'enhancements' from gibberlings3, pocketplane, spellholdstudies, etc. It's a real shame (major understatement) that the art for the game was lost. A HD version of Baldur's Gate would definitely have been something I would buy, and if there was one enhancement to that game I'd have liked to see that would have been it. How on earth those assets were lost is beyond me.

The nature of good and evil is always shades of grey. Black and white is only a perception, and one that is shared by more people than actually practice it. Meaning many evil people actually think they are doing good, and many people percieved as good are in fact some shade of evil, while a great many people prefer to see the world in that simple prism. Lots of people equate 'nice' with 'good'.... they are not the same, not even remotely. As Calmar alludes to above, most evil people are not cartoonish evil frothing at the mouth demons, but are nice (on the surface) polite seemingly on the surface good samaritans. Only those who get in their way or really pay attention will know otherwise, and even the former may not realize whom exactly did the evil unto them. At the heart of evil is corruption. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. While there is room for improvement, the past infinity games, as well as NWN2 did a good job overall of allowing players to pursue an evil path and find 'equal or greater' rewards in doing so. There most certainly were some amazing pieces of loot that only could be obtained by doing something 'evil' in those games. In some cases better than anything one would find playing a 'good' character. An infamous example of this would be slaying Drizzt and taking his swords in Baldur's Gate. There were also story arcs that would only happen if you pursued an 'evil' path. My advice to you if you think that the past infinity games rewarded good over evil too much is that you should roleplay your character more. Your reasons for doing things are not necessarily the reasons the game gives you. If this doesn't make sense to you I recommend watching . You needn't watch the entire thing, but the first few sessions should give you an idea of how to roleplay evil a bit. Something I've noticed on these boards is that the concept of roleplaying actually escapes many of the posters (The PE Paladin thread is full of people who see in black and white). Just like a Game Master in the PnP games that inspired the games we play, the game designer will only be able to give you the environment, opportunity, and narative. How you play your character, and what his or her motives are, is going to be up to you. I highly recommend roleplaying your game and character when you play, it's generally a much more rewarding experience.

Unless it really benefits the story, I really could do without 'romance' in PE. Aside from learning a little bit more about an NPC I don't think it added anything of substance in either BG2 or DA. I'd like to option to develop a friendship with a character, and learn more about them, but the romance aspect in all the games I've seen it in was quite adolescent.

Question: Do you like PE Paladin class concept? The stated concept: Paladins are extremely devoted, often fanatical, soldiers who have pledged themselves to a chosen cause, combining the zeal of a priest with the ascetic discipline of a monk. They have founded many elite fighting forces, from the original Darcozzi Paladini, a two thousand year-old order of palace guards, to the fledgling Fellows of St. Waidwen Martyr, zealous defenders of the Godhammer pilgrim trail. Often found at the vanguard of many conflicts, paladins are natural leaders and have the ability to quickly assist their allies with targeted commands. A paladin's commands can stave off impending death, overcome fatigue, or hasten the charge to close breached defenses. And though they are not always pledged to the service of a god or gods, paladins are so singularly focused on their chosen cause that their souls are continually creating a wellspring of spiritual energy from which they can blast groups of foes in their immediate vicinity. Despite their often stoic presence and explosive combat style, paladins work best alongside allies. When isolated, they can be vulnerable, especially against singular powerful foes. Answer: Yes

I'd prefer a finished portrait as well. BG portrait art > IWD portrait art. That said. I hope and somewhat assume that PE will have the option to import portraits. So you can use whomever's art you wish.

A very vehement: 'Please No!!!!' to any kind of automatic updating.

On the equator actually, it is. Though the day appears a little longer in most places (terrain affects this) due to the refraction of the sun in the atmosphere. The actual times of sunset and sunrise are fairly constant.Though I don't recall the day/night cycle being 12/12 in Baldur's Gate. Regardless.. the IE games didn't take place on Earth, and I don't expect PE to take place on Earth either (the plot twist that has a story take place in the far off future or past of earth is a bit overused in TV, books, and movies). Static dawn and dusk times don't bother me. If the game's story realistically spans a great many many months (if I recall right my longest BG playthrough in which I did everything and wasted a lot of time was still less than 90 days) then perhaps seasons might add something, but barring the story or realistic completion of that story taking 150+ days (I wouldn't mind if it did) season changes really aren't only not necessary but not really realistic. That said, again... PE won't be on earth... so the day/night and season cycle of that planet may not be the same as earth's. It's a fantasy game, they can take liberties with them. In some fantasy settings, the length of seasons or their even existance in a given year changes. ie: Song of Ice and Fire While seasons might be cool (I certainly love my RL season changes), they really likely aren't all that necessary in game and may even be out of place in it, depending on story length.. As far as being able to sell your stuff, excepting certain items and depending on where in the world you were it was usually possible to sell your stuff to a tavern owner in the BG games. Baldur's Gate didn't do day/night perfect, but it did it well. Tweaking that, not overhauling it, is probably best. We need to remember this is a game too, not a simulation.

The further adventures of an infamous space hamster. Also, something as epic as the pantaloons in the Baldur's Gate series would be grand.

BG2's refined inventory system is just about what one should have in a RPG game I think. I don't think I've played a RPG with multiple controllable characters that did it better.I wouldn't mind some more equipable slots though, or some sorting / autostack options.

They're all good pieces of music. The thing about a theme though, or any piece of music in a video game or movie, is what it's paired with means everything. I'm not sure I'd be overly impressed with any of the above had I not played the games. Having played the games, they all resonate with me. Planescape Torment and BG moreso though due to the stories. Music is incredibly important as everyone is saying, and I know Obsidion knows this. I'd add though that I don't think the themes are the best pieces of music from these games, though the PST theme is close. Music becomes something super special when it touches you. Occasionally there's a song in a game that becomes iconic with a certain part of the story, and amplifies the feelings that are invoked by a storyline. Two good examples (one from an Infinity game and one not): Deionarra's Theme http://youtu.be/g05awcTskKE When I first played Planescape I remember being very moved by the scene where Deionarra's theme is introduced, and it was at that point of the game that I was hooked... though perhaps 'absorbed' is a better word. To this day, I want to know more about her. Her story is just a part of what is probably the best story in all of video gaming history. Never before or since have I voraciously read that much dialogue in a game. Aeris's Theme (skip to 1:28) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qnyxd7Vq0Q&t=1m28s When I first played FF VII.... Well..... most anyone who ever played that game and didn't know what happened at the end of Disk 1..... well, you know. That piece of music had been introduced in the game before the memorable scene, and yes, it was nice, but that memorable scene took the song to another level as much as that song took the scene to another level, and I'd say had a lot to do with what made that game legendary. To this day I wish I could somehow save Aeris, and oh how I tried in disk 2 and 3. I think a goal of any writer and music composer involved in an epic game is to attempt to create something that will resonate as deeply as the above examples do with so many. There are other examples for sure (in movies), but these are the two that came to mind and both are from what many consider to be the best games of their genre. All that said, my vote for best theme from the above choices would be Planescape's. I loved Baldur's Gate. Baldur's Gate 2 is still the best sequel to any game ever for many reasons, not the least of which is you started out as a lowly level one errand boy in game 1 and you got to stick with the same party (for the most part) all the way through to the end. But Planescape Torment has a story above and beyond even that of Baldur's Gate.... and it's the story and the memory of the story that really makes a piece of music. The best and most memorable pieces of music have a story, and that's true of music that preceded modern visual media. I really like the music that Obsidion has so far released. What will determine if it's uber awesome ultimately? Well... a lot depends on the composer yes, but a lot also depends on the writers and designers. I don't think it's the best idea to try and sway them one way or the other the way some of the people in this thread have. Let them do their thing. I have some faith in them. What can change the nature of a man?

The rate of level/power gain in Baldur's Gate 1 was about perfect (sans XP cap). Baldur's gate 2 leveled you a bit too fast. I love BG2, it was an awesome game. Probably the only thing I could take issue with in that game was the level progress. In a big way it felt like BG 2 and 3 were pushed into one game (plus expansion) in terms of level progress. I say that having played, BG1 & 2, IWD2, Planescape Torment (also about perfect but you played a demigod of sorts, so not for Project Eternity), NWN2, Dragon Age, and a plethora of other non Bioware/Obsidian Games from the 80s until today. One of the major things wrong with modern Computer RPGs is that you do gain levels and power too fast. NWN2, while a great game, had you at something like level 3 or 4 only an hour or two into the game. Please no to that.