Gumbercules
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Posts posted by Gumbercules
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At first glance I thought this update would be light filler until the big Thanksgiving update, but actually it was quite interesting! I would definitely like to see more updates of this nature.
Without actually going into such detail as to spoil the game, do you have any examples of something that ended up giving you trouble in terms of scheduling/meeting deadlines?
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The stronghold looks good! I'm curious to find out whether the maze is purely decorative or if it serves some in-game purpose. One suggestion, however: the trees right by the outer walls in the restored state picture should probably be chopped down, otherwise they could provide cover for attackers.
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Nuts, no update! Still, happy anniversary!
So the big update has to either be a video walkthrough or the backer site, right?
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Yes, most of these have been mentioned already; please reach the prior postings. I was just adding an additional element that would make a simplified approach more interesting.
While adding elements like cannon shot and ballistae shot would make it more dramatic, it would likely require more in-depth development than just a simple approach animation. I'm not sure how much added value that would have. But I guess those could be treated as additional random events during the approach.
As for the timing of this addition: I seem no harm in just discussing this as if it were feasible now. The developers are more than capable of determining the appropriate time to include it.
I guess I do have some concern that too much of a focus on the details of sailing and maneuvering would distract from what people generally like in an RPG. Then again, the same could probably be said for the stronghold yet I'm looking forward to that, so it all depends on execution and I probably don't need to worry either way.
I agree that there's no harm in discussing this stuff now; it's quite an interesting discussion. Just saying that the chances of any of this being implemented in a sequel are uncertain, let alone in the first game.
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Text cutscene describing a pirate attack? As in King of Dragon Pass or Darklands, then cut to the battle and two ships upon the high seas, repel the enemy or suffer a spell in the enemies brig (with the appropriate opportunities to escape.) The actual sailing and voyage is all handled by the text and illustrations, with the battle being the only animated section.
Yes it would be easier to implement using this approach, then perhaps add the approach sequence with a subsequent release. Without the latter though it just becomes a conventional battle with some choke points and everybody wearing light or no armor. Hmm, I guess they could add in some attackers who swing over and drop behind the lines.
I think everything we're talking about here would have to be for a subsequent release. There is a 0% chance that the first PE will have systematic ship travel and ship combat, and maybe a slight chance that there will be some one-off event taking place on a ship.
And even in a sequel, I see nothing wrong with the text + battles approach. WIth your last sentence you seem to be beginning to see the possibilities, but there's more. You can still incorporate cannons, ballistae, and grappling hooks into the action, stormy weather can play a role, there can be sea monsters that act differently from land-based monsters, and of course the layout of two ships side-by-side will be very different from most land-based battle maps. Additionally, there's a lot to be said for just the change in atmosphere and the story implications, even if battles did turn out to be exactly the same as land battles.
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Cool idea. I doubt it would be feasible for the first game, but I've long thought that if Project Eternity is successful enough to warrant a sequel, it would be great to have a seafaring-focused story. The player ship could replace the player stronghold, and it would be a natural way to shift the setting away from the Dyrwood and to new locations.
I agree with Nonek that the actual boarding combat is the only thing that needs to be an animated section. The rest can play out in text, and your options could change depending on what kinds of spellcasters or ranged weapons your party has.
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Interesting update! I didn't expect the ciphers to be so melee-focused, but they seem cool.
The vithrack illustration is probably one of my favorites so far. Within the constraints of a humanoid design, you've done a good job of emphasizing arthropod features while still making them look plausible and not just a spider-person mashup.
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I for one prefer Kaz's art style to Polina's, although I like both a good deal better than most game concept art that's out there.
I really like Polina's creature designs and environment art, but Kaz's humans/humanoids have been more characterful and less awkward IMO.
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Nice to meet you, Kaz! I've really liked your PE art that I've seen so far, especially the orlan detective and the illustration of the different cultures' clothing styles.
In the area concept art shown in this update, I'm guessing the top left is the rich part of Defiance Bay, the bottom left is the flooded ruins of the old city, and the bottom right appears to be a nearby quarry. What's the top right illustration? It reminds me of a park, yet it also appears...swampy?
We've seen the clothing styles of the four main human cultures in game, but can you talk more about the architectural styles of those cultures? We're slowly getting a sense of the architecture of the Dyrwood, but I'm interested in the Aedyrans in particular, since they're supposed to live in a much warmer, more humid environment than what appear to be their closest real-life inspirations.
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Great update! Probably one of the meatiest and most interesting in quite some time.
You say that the stronghold will be subject to attacks, but I'm wondering about the maximum scope and scale for an attack. Will there be the possibility of a full-scale siege, either as a random or procedural event or as a part of the main story? The siege in Neverwinter Nights 2 was a great idea, but I guess the technology level of the time didn't allow it to feel as epic as it should. This would be a great time to produce a properly atmospheric siege with armies clashing in the background, even if the actual gameplay remains within the scope of the rest of the game.
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Good update, although understandably less specific than the mechanics-oriented updates. The new main theme is probably a secret for now, but can you tell us what the original main theme was? And does it still exist in the game in some capacity?
Sounds like the next update will be in two weeks again. I take it you guys are still ironing out some problems with finishing the vertical slice?
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I do know I'm change resistant, but... I don't like the sound of that, at all.
My ability to do damage with a big rock or a spell are governed by the same attribute??
I can buy the idea of (for example) rather than making a strength based character you make a damage based character, but there is some disconnect in my head as to how that would actually work. I can't think of a physical attribute that should affect both swords and fireballs but I can see it working if there's a more substantial paradigm shift and all the attributes are more Soul or Mind based. Focus for damage, Compassion for healing etc.
I don't have a good enough picture of the mechanics side of this yet, but the story/setting/fluff justification is easy enough if you zoom out and go a bit more abstract. It could be that the damage stat doesn't represent any specific, tangible training method or ability, but instead represents a character's motivation to develop an aggressive fighting style. That aggressive style could then manifest itself in spells that do more damage or the ability to better find weaknesses in armor with a sword.
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This crap is pulled straight out of your garden variety Asian MMORPG, RIP in piece Project Eternity
So what is the problem with that method aside from association with Asian MMORPGs?
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Nice interview! I echo the plea for drake and/or spear spider concept art.
I'd like to know more about designing creatures to share rigs, if you could describe that in more detail. How similar do the creatures have to be for that to work, and do you have an idea at this point of how many groupings there are?
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One thing I'm still not entirely clear on: will Project Eternity have a limited total amount of gold and potential gold in the game, or would it be possible for a particularly determined player to farm unlimited gold? Because a systemic money sink is only necessary if there is similarly a systemic source of income. I guess if it's always possible to encounter new enemies, and those enemies always or usually drop loot, then a player could wander around grinding loot forever.
You could still maybe solve the problem by setting (fairly high) limits to the amount of money any shop is able to pay the player before going broke, or balance the game economy so that reasonable play results in reasonable amounts of money, and let those who want to grind money for no reason grind money.
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Good essay. I agree that one way to make skills useful amongst multiple party members would be to allow for a partial stacking bonus. There are certain skills like Stealth that are self-evidently useful no matter how many people take them, and for those it typically doesn't make sense to stack the bonus, since one stealthy person will almost always have an easier time going undetected than a whole party. But for the skills that are typically meant to produce a single result, usually removed from any kind of pressure, it makes sense to allow the other party members to contribute part of their skill bonus.
Edit: You could even have the stacking bonus increase with skill level, so that party members with a higher skill level contribute a greater % of that skill level, but the numbers are likely too small for that to actually work.
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So, regarding money sinks, I tend to agree with what Gumbercules wrote: although you are experienced developers, maybe you need to wait a bit more and see how exactly the money will flow (from fallen enemies, shop prices, both buying and selling ones, crafting prices etc.) in relattion to game lenght, story and party formation.
It's true that we will have to tune whatever values we wind up using for money you get and money you spend, but my higher-level concern is systemic. If there aren't core systemic drains, many players will simply wind up with a lot of money toward the end of the game. Many of you don't seem to care about this, but as I said earlier, I've heard complaints about it on every game I've shipped.
Well, my thought process was:
- Having to periodically repair equipment seems like busywork.
- But what if it were abstracted into an Upkeep cost? Instead of having to go back to a smithy every once in a while, you could set a slider to automatically deduct money down to a certain threshold in order to pay for upkeep, and the actual repairs could be considered to happen "offscreen", similar to using the privy or other boring, repetitive tasks.
- But wait, you could simplify it further by ensuring that the player earns less money to begin with, or that all purchases cost more money, instead of giving the player more money and then looking for ways to subtract further money.
You might need to do something like make superior items increase in cost in a non-linear way, but I think you could solve/simplify the problem solely by tweaking player income and non-upkeep expenditures. Of course, you still end up with the potential problem of what feels right. It could be that players simply expect the monetary reward at the end of a difficult quest to be a certain amount, or they decide that the pricier equipment is a complete ripoff. Still, I think it might be better to risk those problems, and maybe solve them through clever writing and encounter design that encourages buying "ripoff" items, since the item degredation solution is leading to lots of complaining anyway.
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Regarding the money sink issue, I wonder if it might be feasible to estimate how much the average player would need to spend on equipment upkeep over the course of the game, and then just remove that much money from the game world. It'll probably be tricky and might have to wait until most of the content is in the game (or you could put more effort up front into determining how loot and reward gold affects the economy), but it would give the same basic result without the busywork.
Then, after the stick has been removed for those who dislike crafting, a good carrot would be just a wide variety of potions and enchantments. Go beyond just the basic stuff and include potions with weird effects or applications that aren't immediately obvious. Have potions whose effects interact with each other in curious ways. Have secret potions and enchantments without recipes, which you only get if you have a high enough skill level and/or happen to combine the right materials. For potions, maybe take the Toxicity effect from the Witcher games and allow the effects to be mitigated if you have enough of the right skill. For enchanted equipment, have it so you can apply more enchantments to a single piece of equipment or can swap/modify enchantments as your skill level increases. You don't have to use all of these ideas, or even any, but crafting should be appealing in and of itself, not because the game is worse if you don't do it.
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Ah, finally, information about crafting! Good stuff! It sounds like the item degradation could be a good way of making sure that money is scarce and useful throughout the game. Hopefully the degradation rate won't be too annoying.
I'd like to know more about consumables such as potions and food. It doesn't seem like standard replenishing potions will be a good fit, since health can only be regained through resting, stamina regenerates automatically outside of combat, and there is no mana resource. Will the potions be more like the ones in the Witcher games, providing various new abilities and enhancements? Will there be a Toxicity effect to prevent potion-spamming?
edit: I just remembered that most IE potions were for stuff besides replenishing health. I'd still like to know more about PE potions.
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I guess it makes sense. They're hardy and able to travel and fight for long distances and long periods of time without a real, long rest, but in an individual fight they go berserk and wear themselves out faster than the more methodical classes like the fighter.
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As someone who backed the Kickstarter on the first day and has been aware of what the developers have and haven't said from that point on, I feel that the level of faithfulness to the Infinity Engine games has been both consistent and satisfying. They revealed many of the changes while the campaign was still in progress, so it's not like they pulled a switcheroo the minute they had our money.
If we look at the larger context of this particular game, and this type of game in general, in 2013, the sub-genre is basically extinct. I mean, the only game that has been even remotely similar to the IE games recently is Dragon Age: Origins, and that game diverged much further than PE will. A top-down isometric view, a sizable party to control, a wide variety of dungeons with a diverse bestiary, a bunch of distinct classes and races to choose from, a real time with pause combat system, a robust implementation of choice and consequence, and a wide range of spells and abilities with both tactical and strategic considerations are an excellent start. If the game does well, maybe we'll see the sub-genre re-established, and then other people can make games that are even more faithful to AD&D. Although IMO, AD&D leaves plenty room for improvement as a basis for a turn-based, real-life campaign, let alone a RTwP computer game.
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Do we even know if the game will have potions? Stamina automatically regenerates outside of combat, health can only be regained at resting spots, and there isn't any mana resource, so there doesn't seem to be much room for traditional replenishing potions. Their only potential use would be for restoring stamina in combat, and that doesn't sound like something that needs to be limited, plus there's already a potential limit in the fact that only a small portion of your inventory is accessible in combat.
Witcher-style potions that give you various new abilities and buffs might be neat, however, and those are already limited through the toxicity mechanic.
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Thanks for posting that, C2B.
I know for a fact defiance bay is also in the game. Now I wonder what city would be the main city that have the endless dungeon. I would guess Raedric HoldI don't think Raedric's Hold is a city. If you look at the symbols being used, it looks like the dark houses are cities or large towns, the light houses are villages or small towns, and the dark castles are castles and fortresses.
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Could be good, could be bad, can't tell without getting a better feel for combat in general. I will say that I like that they seem to be putting a lot of emphasis on making sure that fighters are tough and useful.
Project Eternity to use a "Dispositions" morality system similar to Torment: Tides of Numenera's Tides
in Pillars of Eternity: General Discussion (NO SPOILERS)
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Regarding labels, detailed info, and the ability to turn them on and off, will there be much granularity in terms of what specifically you can turn on or off? For instance, given the choice, I would probably choose to turn off most, if not all, dialogue-based assistance, but would like to keep some, but not all, combat-based assistance. Will I be able to do so?