Malevolent

Crud. I chose to go steam specifically because I wanted access to these items. I would've preferred the GoG version if I'd've known a potential alternative was in the making.

errr, nevermind. I figured it out. please delete/

As the title says, I have a glitch in my Stronghold. It reported that Bandits were on their way, and I chose to manually resolve the situation. Rather than fading to black and putting me back in the Keep when the situation was resolved, as has happened with every other encounter, I remain outside. Whenever I return or exit a building, the team of bandits is once more in the Courtyard, killing my hirelings. It's become somewhat frustrating.

Very nice! I like the direction that the monk is taking. Also, gotta say, I'm big on the concept art.

I'm all down for harder punishments for context-sensitive criminal acts. Exclusive opportunities that are tied to the main storyline, or major side-quests? Sure. That could be extremely interesting, particularly if the quest in question had various ways for you to approach the situation. Perhaps it would be particularly more difficult and time consuming to do things the non-illegal way, or something bad could happen if the quest is not commit with haste. In a world like Project Eternity, where greyer definitions of morality are encouraged, this could be a useful story element. Don't make it impossible for goody-goody players to go through unscathed, but make it difficult, make it long and time consuming, make it a hassle, maybe force them to sacrifice something of worth. This would balance out for players who take the criminal route, and could potentially be punished for their crimes. Perhaps there are a variety of criminal acts you can commit during said quest. Say, you could do a 'greyer' act of simply breaking and entering to gather information or steal a crucial ingredient/object. The punishment for that wouldn't be as severe as simply murdering the individual in question who might plan on something similar in the future when you're not around. Obviously, the developers would have to walk a narrow line as to offer multiple solutions without railroading, but still emphasize that there is no clearly "right" solution. Now, for simply pick pocketing, or lock picking throughout the game? You could perhaps do something where you have to pay some fine, the fine increasing for number of times you are caught, else face the wrath of the town guard.

Mmm, I'm unsure if this is related or not, but I think context sensitive death animations for the party could be an interesting (although probably costly and intensive) thing to implement. For being murdered by a random party of mooks, nothing special, just the standard stock animations or a "game over, must reload" screen. But for various bosses within the game? Example: you're going up against Johnny Johnson, Murderator of All Things Pure and Innocent. Your standard hack-and-slash dude who's a mega-brawler. Your party wipes to him and his backup. Johnny Jonhson then runs you through with a sword, decapitates you, or breaks you neck. Example 2: Bob Robertson, Diabolic Spellweaver and Master of the Arcane. Your party wipes against him. Animation shows him lightning-ing your party to death or making your head explode or something. Obviously, given the visual direction that PE is taking, this would require separate animations as it would be fairly specific. Again, not an entirely realistic thing to develop, even only in certain boss fights, but it could be tweaked down. Enemies could have quicker/less flashy death animations against the player when the party wipes.

In a way, I would like it to be a blend of something like the Greek Gods and the Faerun/Forgotten Realms Gods. One of the things that always fascinated me about the Greek Gods in particular was just how dynamic they were, and how actively involved in the mortal world. The gods didn't offer salvation or good tidings for all. They were more like mortals with unbelievable power, some were good, some were bad, but most were a mix of many traits. They were capable of vanity, jealousy, wrath, and any number of things. They interacted with each other like a large extended family. Some of them got along perfectly well, some of them hated each other. One of the things that I think works so well for a Grecian style pantheon in fantasy is the fact that the gods don't care that much. Sure, you may have one or two sympathetic to your pleas, but them actually doing much? Forget about it. Worse still, often times when you gained the favor of one and actually received some form of blessing, one or many others would decide that you needed to be taken out as a way to get back at the god that favored you. This would allow for a great tapestry of mythology to be woven into the world where the deities play off of each other sometimes at the expense of the mortal plane. But I would love to see these supremely flawed deities learn and evolve from prior mistakes rather than exist in a more static fashion like the Greeks.

HK-47 - A snarky, perpetually insulting, sardonic companion with an immense love of killing. Not only did HK-47 undermine you at every feasible opportunity if you didn't see eye-to-eye, but he painted the world in a delightfully poetic fashion. Murder and destruction just seemed so much rosier with him around. And if there's one thing I appreciate, it's someone who makes evil seem fun. Not some intense chore to blow up the world over some childhood grievance. Not someone that twirls their mustache and says that you'll 'rue the day you crossed me', but someone who likens love to making an impossible shot. Garrus - I am huge on bromances. Garrus felt the closest that you had to an actual bromance of the mass effect party. Hell, even his romance bordered on the super friendly, casual variety. He was skilled, he was amusing, and above all else, I felt that he had my back. He was someone that confided in me, and someone that I could confide in after a hard day's rest. Plus, I think he'd be a great guy to play poker and have a couple of brewskies with. Atton - Han-Solo inspired, what's not to love? Between his bouts of wit and deceptively complex nature, I feel that Atton was a well written character all around. Morality to him wasn't some simple creature. Morality shifted and changed and he was always at odds with the various shades-of-grey of his past, present, and the outlook of his future. He played the fool but showed to have more intelligence than he actually did. And the romance with him was never particularly overt. I again feel like this is a character that people of varying alignments could be friends with. Canderous Ordo/Mandalore - I dunno what it is, but I have a thing for honorable warrior types. Canderous was a badass, and he knew it, and he had no problems with breaking a few eggs to make an omelet. Though he didn't delight in chaos quite as immensely as HK-47 did, he was the type of man you could bond with if you ventured on the more ruthless side. He didn't coddle you, he didn't like excuses, and he didn't nurture weakness. But he wasn't overtly evil, either. He had a pride for his culture and a love of his people, and was dedicated through and through. He was your man until the end. Jack/Project Zero - Though easily a contested and reviled character, I particularly loved Jack, and the fact that so many despised her was a good sign of writing to me. She wasn't a traditionally pretty, curvaceous thing. She didn't giggle and smile when Shepard walked by or do some cutesy hard to get act. She was tough as nails and didn't take crap from anybody. She was a strong female character with a serious aggressive streak and a lot of power to her. She knew who she was and if you didn't like it, well it sucked to be you. Minsc - C'mon! This guy is a walking series of one liners! He was like the Tick made flesh, and turned even more crazy! Evil characters are often shown with some levels of crazy to them, but Minsc? He was a good guy, through and through, and I rather liked that he could be completely bonkers and still be righteous. I'd include Reaver from Fable 2, but alas. XD Honorable mentions: Kreia Mira Isabela Varric** x 1000 Jolee Bindo

I'd actually prefer we steer AWAY from the "old posh English" accent to emphasize antiquity. It's already ridiculous enough that they have English accents for Romans and Greeks, we don't need English accents for a fantasy world. Furthermore, since this is being released to... well, an American (and global) audience, I would think that American accents would be suited, and accents as a whole should be reserved for foreign characters. Made up accents, or more obscure ones that the standard European could be refreshing and help the immersion experience since we're dealing with an entirely new IP.

Having drinking games and down time would be amazing. Imagine the strange, mundane, and hilarious dialogues you might be able to interrupt. Perhaps if you successfully sneak into something of these encampments during their downtime and get a certain distance in, it can trigger a dialogue window?

A spell-writing mechanic for high level wizards could be fun. Obviously to limit the hassle of implementing something like this, you could limit the levels of the design and be given a certain number of "points" assigned to various sections of the spell. You could have break it up where they would design whether or not the spell was a passive spell like a buff, a defensive spell, or an attack spell. From there you could decide its various effects an invest your "points" into either the power of the spell and its damage, or how many turns the buff/defensive ability lasts. You could also determine range for the spell whether or not you want it to be limited to yourself or a party buff, or be an AoE type attack. You could choose from basic spell types already in your book and mix/match. Like a paralyzing poison spell, etc. Duration, Damage/Power and Range would all subtract from the allotted point system. If... that makes sense. I think if executed properly it would limit players so their spells weren't overpowered and would be more like combining or altering existing spells rather than creating entirely new effects, meaning that it wouldn't be TOO much of a pain for devs.

Yes! I was thinking of something along those lines especially. That way you're unfamiliar with the area when the affect takes place. Exploring said area is optional to begin with, that way you aren't forced into having that encounter. Because the environment is foreign to the players (and maybe happens on say, the first time of exploration), you won't be sure what type of monsters or scenery to expect, making it even harder for the player to separate hallucination from reality. I hadn't thought about that, before! A cipher could be a really good candidate for something like that. I know, but I didn't feel that they were done to satisfaction, especially with Firkraag. Sharper players/characters have an immediate sense something is amiss, so the surreal quality is lost. It also only spans a brief period of time, and those characters in particular, rather than being a whole environment and a multitude of hostiles. I know the Circus also had illusions going on, but again, the players were clued into this before they even stepped foot into the tent. The only disorienting bit was with the peasants, which Aerie warns you of if you talk to her, and the rest of the enemies are displayed as hostile. Which is why I wanted to sort of steer away from that and delve deeper into the uncertainty of it all, sort of like what was mentioned in the opening. It could be incredibly trippy, and make for a great roleplaying opportunity, especially if there are after-effects to your actions.

I actually like the direction that they're taking Paladins in, as it personally defines them as more of a separate class to me than the cleric/fighter hybrid they were in game. It also gives you a great deal more range in character alignment than those of the traditional Baldur's Gate Paladins. If I want to play a character who is extremely devoted to a god and ready to kick ass in His/Her name, I'll just do a priest/ess. So far nothing mentioned by the devs suggests that priests aren't capable in battle. I'm curious to see what kind of buffs or passive abilities they get? Perhaps something like a Bard's Song/Aura of Heroism/Inspiration? Benefits to damage through tactical or strategic abilities? I also can't help but assume their very nature will make their build lean in favor of heavier social skills.

One of the thing I'm tired of is companions who blubber all over you. Yes, they have problems, and I know and respect that. And for some companions, it's in character to blubber, or be indecisive to some extent. But as a whole, I feel that being of the adventuring suicide-journeying sort means that you're of a hardier stock. Having a companion that can state what's wrong with them without constantly going to you for your opinion and for validation would be nice. Points if they decide to do a romance where the characters aren't complete needy angst machines.

The Flooded Dungeons in the title made me think of the Water Temple from OoT, and I had a brief flash of frustration. But anywhos... I think that this would be really interesting to implement, and make for a lot of monster encounters otherwise unavailable to you. Aside from it just looking cool as far an environments go, you're certainly opening up a lot of possibilities for combat. Creatures you can't easily see, and therefore would have difficulty hitting. You could also have a special creature type that will attempt to drown characters it has grappled if you don't manage to release its grip from said character in a certain amount of time. You could also potentially do some things with fog or mist in these environments to add further to the atmosphere.

Easy, archer/ranged types can bring mini-canons to battle to solve the crushing requirements needed to get through heavy armor. ;D

Lore, definitely lore. I'm especially a sucker for mythology, as theology of all forms has always interested me immensely. Give me the history, give me the geology, give me the races, and I'll be set. I love to sink my teeth into a new IP. It'll help give me an even broader flush of character concepts for my PC.

All I ever think of the true neutral alignment restriction is Jaheira. True Neutral my butt.

That would be really interesting, although I think it might imply fragmentation of the PC's soul... or maybe the existence of soulmates. It would sort of be refreshing to see the idea of a "soul mate" just being a good friend or even somewhat of an adversary. Remove the sparkliness off of the term. XD It might also be interesting if they're... did they say the word was... "awakened"? Where you remember your past lives? It would be interesting if they remember "you", or your soul. Or something happens that makes them remember you or you remember them. I know it could open up a slew of dialogue responses for the PC that could prove to be entertaining. Although... maybe an NPC that isn't a companion recognizing you/your soul would be the better option, so that the narrative doesn't clearly favor one companion over the other, no matter what relationships are available. Overall, though, I think it's an interesting concept that opens up a lot of roleplaying opportunities and potentially interesting combat options. But I think it would have to be carefully executed.

I'd like to see a sort of tribal/shamanistic approach to druids, with maybe a touch of something akin to the Shapeshifter Prestige Class in Baldur's Gate 2... only maybe not as overpowered. Towards the beginning of your druidic awakening, you can be visited by a spirit. Maybe a totemic animal spirit, or some spirit of nature. You bond with this spirit and it becomes something akin to your mentor, and a symbiotic relationship is formed. Perhaps the spirit gives you "gifts"? If an animal totem approaches you, you take on traits and benefits of the animal, maybe with forms of it. A "hybrid" form, sort of like the classic werewolf image, and the true animal form. If a nature spirit chooses you, perhaps you can have a form similar to an elemental? Shapeshifting into something like a fire elemental would be pretty cool, methinks.

There was a brief throwaway line in my recent replay of Baldur's Gate 2 that stuck with me. "They came as you rested, figures cloaked in mist that clouded your thoughts, blurring the lines between consciousness and dream." It got me thinking about how cool actually roleplaying something like that would be. The PC, or maybe the entire party, has been betrayed. Someone that poses as an ally slips some sort of magically enhanced chemical into your food or drink. Or maybe an environment is crafted where simply being in it induces a similar effect. Preferably a more violent environment in either case, that is primarily unfamiliar to the PC. As it kicks in, it becomes difficult to think. Maybe the screen blurs and the colors fade, or become more saturated. Things around you warp, and you try to escape the situation you're in. Hostile creatures or individuals come to stop you. Are you really taking damage, or is it all in your mind? You lose track of some, or all of your party members. Or maybe you think you do. Perhaps this drug could play on fears the PC has established at an earlier date, or allow them to relive a particularly intense moment amid the hallucinations. Only some time later when the effects of the drug/magic wear off, do you realize where you really are, and what you've really done. Obviously, the disorienting nature of the drug could make for some severe repercussions to certain actions performed while under its affects. It would be interesting if the results were context sensitive, too. Depending on who/what you attacked/what you did/where you went, things would vary. The roleplaying opportunities of doing something completely unintended (preferably without a convenient frame job), would be very interesting. What if you killed a servant in your attempts to escape instead of one of the guards/monsters you thought you were attacking? There are a lot of angles that could be used regarding some of your companion characters and their reaction, as well. And the more psychological the nature of the hallucinogen and the visions that come with it, the more opportunity there would be to discuss what you/others saw. I'm sure there are a variety of other ways it could be implemented, but those are just what came to mind.

I think a psychopath would be best served as a recurring, major pain in the ass. Someone that seems to shrug off bodily damage as their psychosis makes them less aware, or even completely uncaring of the damage inflicted upon them. A clever psychopath that's likely to use underhanded techniques could make for an incredibly scary experience. But I don't think it would make for an appropriate "final villain". A character that is that insane usually is an agent of destruction or chaos and just wants to blow up the world, and we've had enough of those already. Even with a more personal fixation engineered, like Joker to Batman, that doesn't make for a villain of legends. I am all for the "road to hell is paved with good intentions" type villains. People who want to accomplish something noble, but lose themselves in the process. After all, great visions and the resources required to make them come to pass tend to require compromising certain convictions. Each compromise may seem small, but over time, they become worse and worse, and add up to a lot. I particularly like when these villains are AWARE of all that they sacrificed, without being as tainted by it. They might be more hardened for it, but they derive no pleasure in kicking puppies or doing horrible things. Maybe they even feel regret or disappointment in having to go against the PC, who they feel could've been an asset. Or if not an asset, maybe they simply don't like the idea of harming others, but feel it's necessary to accomplish their goals. A villain I particularly like is "The Operative" from Serenity. A man that knows that he's evil, but willing serves an ideal for a better world at all costs, even if he realizes he will have no place in it. I also tend to like PC vs. Themselves. Man vs. Himself stories tend to be quite intriguing. They are perhaps some of the hardest to implement, as you tend to be combatting an abstract force rather than an actualized adversary, but they are some of my favorite stories to read.

Definitely the 'chosen one' trope. It's been done to death in just about every kind of remotely fantasy genre. Yes, being destined to do something and save the world is incredibly awesome. Being special is awesome. But after ten-thousand implementations of some grand destiny, the whole thing has become so trite that it often invokes an eye-roll rather than the gleeful joy originally intended. I also agree that the 'saving the world' plot has been done and done and done until you're basically kicking a dead horse. I'd like to see something more on a political level. Civil unrest? Maybe a war with a neighboring country? Even better if you're on the offensive rather than doing the classic defensive stance. Maybe fighting against some abstract force, like trying to find the source of a plague (preferably the non-zombie kind). A tale of survival, or maybe something more personal, akin to Planescape? Anything but some madman getting ready to blow up the universe over some petty grievance. In the words of the Tick "Can you destroy the world?" "Eee gad, I hope not! That's where I keep my stuff!"

I'll be interested to see how the game affects the show's continuity. Obviously, probably not much at all, given the open-ended nature of the player character. Will the game exist in a separate, but very similar universe? Will the PC end up moving away at the end of the game so that it never has to be mentioned in show? It would be nice to see some shameless plug or reference to a "douchey new kid".

Tricky, tricky, tricky. I'll probably do tried and true favorites plus one new and intriguing class. Monk, if it's anything like it's Baldur's Gate counterpart, will undoubtedly be one of my favorite classes, and one of the first I delve into. Druids also tend to be a personal favorite of mine for whatever reason. Cipher... well, I've never personally played a psionic race or class type before, but the abilities mentioned interest me immensely. Probably also a swashbuckling style thief, if the character building mechanics permit it, if not, a fighter in similar vein.