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Faerunner

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Everything posted by Faerunner

  1. Faerunner
    I disagree, because rape gets used in fiction so much as a quick, cheap, easy stab at drama or plot point that it's lost all meaning. Overuse and casual use makes it less shocking, not more. Which is bad, because in real life rape is traumatizing. It's emotionally devastating to the victims, and often creates post-traumatic stress, trauma triggers, emotional scars, etc. Not for nothing many people and cultures view it as "a living death." I think if the writers can create drama without including rape, I would prefer they did. I think it would force them to come up with more innovative and emotionally charging storylines and scenarios, rather than just using rape as a quick ticket to emotional angst. (Like the above scenario of the paladin getting kidnapped by Bugbears becoming disillusioned with his order and going on a rampage against them. Rather than just slapping a rape sticker on him, they should make a more involved scenario, like he was kidnapped and tortured for weeks, but his order didn't come save him because they had other pressing concerns, or due to politics, or corruption higher up, then he became disillusioned that way.) Also, I worry about the blithe way you dismiss rape as being easy to sit through. If sexual assault has never happened to you or someone you know, sure it's easy to sit through it without feeling anything. For those with personal experience, or have a loved one who went through it, it's not as easy. I wouldn't recommend just throwing things like that out there because for a lot of people, it can be horrible to sit through, set off a trigger, make them relive their own pain, etc.
  2. Faerunner
    I'd be disappointed if the game came out after the end of 2014, but I've got other games and life events to keep me busy beforehand, so whatever works to make the game great. =)
  3. Faerunner
    Martin is an excellent example of someone who confuses "dark and terrible" with "realism." I don't especially like it when games aim for realism, because it's usually code for "everything is really awful for everybody all of the time." That's not realism, that's just a different kind of fantasy, and usually a worse one, because it's so self-conscious. That said, I think Josh is aiming for verisimilitude, which isn't the same thing as realism. Verisimilitude, for a fantasy game, is just making sure that people and the systems they establish still behave like people and the systems they establish in our world. They deal with different things and the laws of physics might be different, but the people stay the same. Amen regarding "realism" being confused with "everything's terrible for everyone all the time." I often see works with excessive doom and gloom being praised as "realistic" when, really, I think so many terrible things happening so often not so. Just as it's not very realistic for situations to be good and happy all the time, I don't think it's realistic to have so many terrible situations all the time. As long as the characters act like believable people, I'm happy.
  4. Faerunner
    Oh, I'm sorry. I missed the tongue-in-cheek aspect of your post. I agree 100% though. It'll be so hard to choose. The only thing I know for certain is I'll play the "rural" version of each race. A wild orlan, a wood elf, a boreal dwarf, etc. The less urban, the better.
  5. Faerunner
    Lephys, what do you mean?
  6. Faerunner
    So many people complaining about the Priest being "boring." I feel odd over here because I think they actually sound interesting. Priests/clerics/religious spellcasters have traditionally been my least favorite characters because I'm very secular. Single-minded devotion to some vague higher power never appealed to me. However, I find these priests rather fascinating. They aren't just zealous deity devotees, they're learned philosophers, historians, and lorists, open to discussions and new insights regarding their faith. Faith is what fuels their magic, but it's not faith born of blind devotion or endless postrating. They study, they learn, they think, they discuss (or are at least open to it). And apparently they're rather athletic from all the travel and fighting. Plus, if memory serves, we have at least one goddess of war and a god of death. You think priests are "boring"? How dull can it be serving and living by the example of divine personifications of war and death?
  7. Faerunner
    Why are you creating so many classes I love?? Every single class update so far has made me eager to try . Ranger, druid, wizard, chanter, and priest. At this rate, I'll have to replay several times just to play characters of every class and race. I hope you're happy! ;P Also, it seems knowledge is power in this world. Between wizards being researchers and experimenters, chanters being storytellers and loremasters, and priests being well-versed in philosophy, myths and legends, it seems we don't have any "stupid" spellcasters. (I know there are other magic-users, like druids, but then even they need a deep understanding of their trade, like how druids need to understand nature to wield its power.) It seems we don't have any DA mages or NWN sorcerers that were born "just knowing" how to use magic and can just hurl magic like confetti like Qara from NWN2 or Elsa from Frozen. It seems that if you want to tap into the mysterious magic of this world, you have to deeply study, understand, and believe in it. I really like this. Every update makes me love this game and all the race, class, and character choices all the more! ^^
  8. Faerunner
    I love this update so much. Rangers are my favorite class, and this game won't be an exception! I love most abilities center around ranged combat (for a ranger? who knew?) and animal companions. I love how we'll be powerful ranged attackers too. After how terribly archery worked in the NWN series, I was afraid archery would be weak here too. I know people need incentive to play melee fighters since IE games have powerful archery and spells, but not at the cost of archery being a viable combat method... I also love how the animal companion has so many gameplay bonds with the ranger. It seems the option to interact with it like the NWN1 animal companions won't be an option, but there are so many other in-game mechanics that make them feel closer! I love how we have so many abilities that let us work with our animal companions, how we share health pools, etc. They won't just be a glorified animal summon like in NWN2. Thank you so much for taking the basic concept of a cRPG ranger (a woodsman and ranged hunter with an animal companion) and making it so fantastic!
  9. Faerunner
    Indeed, though I'm not sure I can play the entire game "roulette style," switching between characters of different races every fifteen minutes. It'll get confusing very quickly. I'll probably play the starting area with a character from each race at least once, and whichever one "speaks to me" most, I'll play through the game with that character. Then I'll play again with a character of another race and try taking different companions and quest choices, then another, etc. I also hope NPC reactions are different enough with characters of every race to make it all the more interesting. ^^
  10. Faerunner
    On "wall of text," I was thinking the same thing. Please keep the information short and sweet. Have any of you played NWN1? It was my first cRPG, but looking back on it, I don't know how I ever knew what was going on. Every single conversation seemed to be wall of block text after wall of block text that you had to click "continue" on seven or eight times before it finally rolled to an end, just to send you on the simplest quests. And main quest givers, like Lady Aribeth? OMG, they went on forever! (Methinks Aribeth was in love with the sound of her own voice.) Please keep the text short and sweet. I don't mind a paragraph or two at some point in the conversation (like in BG1, which I'm playing now), or even paragraphs of text between player comments if it's really funny (like the subquest of the "apprentice" that accidentally turned himself into a chicken and had ask for help from the wizard he stole from, or when the protagonist blows up at Portalbenderwinden), but generally, if the conversation can't be summed up in one paragraph, it's too long.
  11. Faerunner
    And just like that, after reading this update, the Wizard and Druid just became my two favorite classes. I know this update was posted about a month ago, so who cares? But it's true. Knowledge and nature are my two favorite aspects of life, and they are both so beautifully exemplified for the wizard and druid class. I love how the wizards are researchers and experimenters, who control magic through knowledge and books. I love the grimoires, the magic they possess, and the magic they can be used for. I also LOVE how the Druids seem to be more offensive this game. I love how most of the spells are heavily offensive (as opposed to supportive and healing), derived from different aspects of nature, and how they turn into strong hybridized versions of various animals. It seems druids blast powerful offensive spells and turn into powerful hybridized animals. That is incredible. This is how I always felt druids should be. Also, I LOVE the Celestial Sapling. An inn built into a tree just looks and sounds amazing, and can't wait to see it in the game! This is amazing. Now I can't wait for the game more than ever! ^_^
  12. Faerunner
    I love the way the animation is coming, and the way the creatures move! Especially the Druid Cat Form. I've been gone from this website for quite a while, and remember back when y'all revealed the Druid shifted forms would be anthropomorphized animals. It worried me a bit since I plan to play them, but this just looks fantastic! It seems to have the best of the animal appearance and abilities (fur, teeth, eyes, long limbs, huge claws, a mean slash, etc) with the best of human bipedalism (doesn't seem to inhibit their movements too much). After this, I'm really looking forward to trying out a druid in this game!
  13. Faerunner
    The art looks absolutely beautiful! The armor looks amazing and the backgrounds are breathtaking. I cannot wait to see the final result! ^^ By the by, I know this is a minor thing, but I still love how the women's armor covers their bodies. It does conform to their curves, but doesn't magically expose much more skin and become stripperific while the same armor on men covers nicely. It's so minor and I'm sure you get this a lot, but thank you so much for making armor that looks fantastic and sensible for both genders. ^^
  14. Faerunner
    I think it's more like the game gives you the OPTION to play solo if you want it. If you don't want it, you can very well build your character and party members to keep their skills within their traditional class lines (fighters as offensive tanks, clerics as healers, rogues as skill monkeys, etc.) and play the way you enjoyed with old school games. If you like having to rely on a team where everyone has their own function specific to their class, you are more than welcome to play that way. I don't fully understand though why you feel so personally bummed out just because other players have the option to play differently. Not everyone is forced to play the way you like to play, therefore the game is ruined for you?
  15. Faerunner
    To me, knowledge is power. I see it as understanding how magic and the universe works can make your magic affect the universe much more profoundly than just chucking elemental shards, flames, whatever like a kid chucking rocks. It's like the difference between a skilled warrior who's studied and practiced complex combat techniques, versus a big hulk with a club roaring "ME CRUSH YOU! CRUSH YOU TO GOO!" So no, I don't have a problem with tomes, spellbooks, scrolls, or other things like that.
  16. Faerunner
    Definitely Elf because that's my standard, but the Orlan fascinate me too. And the Godlike. And the Aumaua. You know what? I'm going to take turns playing every race (except human) and experience what it's like to be everybody. The trouble is deciding who goes first. =/
  17. Faerunner
    Story, character interaction, and exploration of people from different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. I also can't wait to try different races and see how said socio/economic/cultural place in the world affects my characters and how others perceive them.
  18. Faerunner
    Please watch this video before declaring Kickstarter "beneath" Obsidian. http://www.penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/crowdfunding
  19. Faerunner
    I keep saying this, but I hope we can interact with our animal companions. Sorry to keep re-using the same example, but I loved how NWN1 let us interact with animal companions. We could pet, feed, play with, scold, or maybe discuss tactics with them (though I don't see how that made any difference). In NWN2, it was reduced to... basically a glorified summoning spell. They weren't that strong, didn't have note-worthy abilities (for example, the panther companion in NWN1 could sneak attack, where the NWN2 panther couldn't), and we couldn't interact with them at all. We could type in a name, but it was just a scroll on a screen. I hope they're a little more interactable and personalized for this game.
  20. Faerunner
    If they have reason to include children in the game? Sure, go ahead. If they have something planned for the children that happens to be harmful? Sure, why not? Adventurous settings with hostile creatures and monsters tend to be hazardous to people's health anyway. Including children just for the sake of including children, or creating some contrived situation to keep them from getting hurt just to avoid upsetting players? Er... not something I support. Writer's choice, though.
  21. Faerunner
    One of the reasons I love fantasy is just because I've always loved the mystical, ethereal, otherworldliness of old European folklore and fairy tales. I also love how vaguely sinister and creepy some folk creatures and situations could be underneath the pretty exterior. The beautiful fairies we deify in our modern day were not nice back then. The many sinister monsters that came out after dark were enough to make you lock your doors and cover your heads in fright. What horrid creatures you could see flicking in and out of sight via candlelight. What beauty and splendor from the light of the moon and stars at night! Anyway, I think Tolkien captured the wonder of old European mythology, folklore, fairy tales, poems and songs in his works. Being heavily influenced by his works, most fantasy games do a pretty good job of capturing the setting and atmosphere that breeds such otherworldly wonder. It's the past we heavily idealize (as reality back then was closer to the peasants wallowing in dung from Monty Python and the Holy Grail), but one that's enjoyable to escape to none the less.
  22. Faerunner
    I'll admit I'm a sucker for Medieval European history, folklore, and fantasy.
  23. Faerunner
    Oh, the game is coming along beautifully! Love the wicht designs (both story-wise and design-wise, as they look and sound so creative), and love some of the dialogue examples, and love everything else about this game. It all seems to be coming along quite nicely! Can't wait to view more progress! <3
  24. Faerunner
    Aw man, I would have liked to have seen it!
  25. Faerunner
    I'm so looking forward to playing different races for this game, it's not even funny. Especially the "wild" versions of each race, like the wild orlan, the wood elves, the boreal dwarves, etc. I'm curious about the level of in-game reactivity from different characters though. While I personally don't need much in-game acknowledgement to enjoy (as that's what the imagination is for) I am curious about how many comments our characters will receive in-game. Reason being, the developers seem to have hinted that there are more cultural and socio-economic differences between races than in, say, the Forgotten Realms (which, let's face it, is easy to do since Faerun is something of a fantasy kitchen sink). So far, it sounds like some races are already in for a fair amount of reactivity; like the orlan, who have been largely enslaved and displaced by larger colonial powers, and the godlike, which are revered or reviled, depending on the region. My only question is, will all the races receive a similar level of reactivity? Or will some receive more comments than others? For instance, in NWN2, drow and tieflings got a fair amount of comments through the game, while, say, halflings and half-orcs barely got a mention.) There seem to be a lot of races and subraces in Dyrwood, so I can't imagine there's much in the dialogue budget to include reactions to every heritage from many different characters throughout the game. I don't know, it's just something I've been wondering about. Any thoughts, comments?
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