Grape_You_In_The_Mouth

I think they should never use the word oldschool. If oldschool games have good qualities, talk about those qualities instead of saying it's been replaced. Maybe take a spin on the word eternity? "Pillars of Eternity -- Adventures that outlast a lifetime." Also: +Wanted: Hero (*Face Outline*) Will Pay 50,000 for Deeds of Intrepid Valor* * -- Or Acts of Intolerable Villainy Take heed! Troubles await your every path. Brigands, monsters, treachery, deceit, and certain death are to be expected. +Play it your way, then enjoy a replay +Be the hero! And do so any way you damn please. +A new world is ready. Are you? +The adventure that reacts to YOU +Some games are like movies. This game, is a real advenure.

So they could throw an in-game preview box as well, which would have the model at a distance so they would see how they look in the game, but it would still be far away enough to veil the non-AAA quality. I really think both the Wasteland 2 and PoE models are a huge turnoff for me

The models up-close during character creation do not look good to me, much like Wastland 2. Should they take the flak for keeping them in, being criticized more for poor character graphics (even though on the map--farther away--they look fine) or should they just have your portrait there during character creation? I would vote the latter, because I really do think seeing your hero models up-close will make reviewers criticize or belittle the graphics much more frequently. And man....custom portraits look so damn cool, am I right guys

Yeah thanks for the vids, they're good stuff

So much about price, so little about style! Boooo to all of you

Just read Sensuki's post on marketing to MOBA players and the discussion of perfect sales timing. How do we think Pillars of Eternity can best market the game? What comes to mind instantly for me is Guardians of the Galaxy - it had a really catchy aesthetic to the images, included sexy elements, and seemed really fun. My immediate second thought is PoE is going for classy, and they might hurt themselves even if they try to sell it as something different. But why can't they sell it with bright colors, catchy heroism, and sexiness? I'm still debating in my mind. Let's give them your wisdom, hardcore RPG fans!

Completely agree that story and C&C are what make a masterpiece, especially in an RPG. I regularly see games that have been completely trumped by graphics and gameplay still be played 15 years later because the story is good. Every once in a while there is a game that had a great mix of a combat system or other gameplay mechanics but everyone focuses on those so much they are improved all the time. What do I expect from Obsidian? Pretty good to great. Some favorites of mine are New Vegas, Planescape, Aracanum, and MCA likes FFVI so it should be a home run. At the very least I expect it will be the start of a good series.

Yeah I'm tired of hearing hamsters say it's a different subgenre---do you think most people who bought Skyrim even know what isometric or turn-based means? They see a picture of a game on Steam, and they click on it. No AAA dev makes games hoping to sell to the .1% of the population that want a new Baldur's Gate.

The trailer is perfect. Excellent job. Love the use of horns and the last bits of strings at the end. I knew you guys would do it this good and I'm so glad you did.

I think it would be a good investment, and great for us too, if some more official wallpapers were released. The current ones aren't so hot except for the group fight. Maybe crowdsource it by making it a contest in the next update, and they select which ones are goonies. (Note: The Goonies 'R' Good Enough) Devs if you're out there it's looking awwwwwesome

If Arcanum's combat system was holding you guys back, I recommend the only good mod for it, which rebalances the game nicely but will make you have to die/retry (just use the virgil debug menu for cheats if problems). I used melee and real-time melee/casting a lot and enjoyed it, which is directly contrary to the modder's turn-based design. All the other mods are completely ridiculous, unfortunately. Direct Link Description on GoG As for Chris Avellone, I don't think we should just brush away that he stopped playing it. He did put in a lot of time already, but he just finally made it to Tarant. He probably hates the game because it's like so many games he's made and played, but it was a stretch goal. We're like a girl who finally decides to get fuc*ed, and half-way through, the guy doesn't want to anymore. Do we demand he deliver, even if his heart isn't in it? I would be in favor of a review of the game's story after he uses cheats to beat it quickly, to give some closure, but I also found Chris' videos hilarious. Another issue is that he probably doesn't want to spend a bunch of time trashing Tim Cain's masterpiece, but I think Tim can take it.

Ditto on the chainmail bikini. I really want more stretch goals just to be able to back the project for the first time, and hopefully make the game as big as BG2 with some of my money used to patch issues that have jumped into production. Stretch Goals -Chris Avellone really plays Arcanum whilst reading a walkthrough and cursing Tim Cain -More Outdoor areas -Chainmail bikini -Better enemy AI -Extra balancing (i.e. Obsidian plays their game before we do)

YEAHHH Negative Reactions -Combat in the video looked incredibly still. I was shocked by how this affected my immediate reaction. Maybe some more combat stancing lean-ery. -The fog/vapor effects falling down the door during the bridge crossing looked like ****. I'm only saying this because I don't care about aesthetics, and this bad VFX is one thing I know you would be better to invest your own personal income in changing if necessary. -The portraits in the beginning looked still as well. Glam it up with some more action in the glowy intro VFX to settle into the portrait. -"The Watcher", if a large part of the story, may pack less of an impact as it sounds so close to the Witcher. A name change (Seer, etc.) might be a good change just because of the way people's brains work. Positive Reactions -Dragon was badass -Love seeing the spells -Logo is good -Music is fitting -Love you guyz 4 ever super coolies

But I sympathize with the anticipation

Everyone should be using Leonidus' balance mod, btw

I didn't notice a good story, soundtrack, or atmosphere in BG2, but I noticed a good system with a lot of content. It's basically a great action movie that makes pen and paper D&D look slow and unnecessary. Everything about the game is good enough, but it actually implemented a great RPG system and allowed you to create up to 6 of your own characters and act freely in the large world of the game. Almost no other games have anything close to that combination.

There once were some elves condescending, Upon Dwarves and their pitiful "meddling," But when the Dwarves saw their daughters, They broke in with a slaughter, And it was no longer steel they were bending!

The awesome ****ing story. The reactivity and open-ness to the game is great, but I have no interest in games with all the RPG traits and a bad story. There were some points during the game when I read books necessary for the plot and thought "Good God this is a great ****ing game." Same deal with Fallout 1 for me. Fallout 3? ****in' blows.

By plot I mean X did this, then Y did that, then Z happened. Character development to me is just a more character focused version of this, being the way characters react to events and what plot choices they choose to make, and how they act with other characters over the storyline. I think the real argument is what's the definition of "great." What would make someone pay extra money for a game is a lot different than what this or that developer wants players to get out of their game.

They could call it Arkanum and let you think it's pointless the whole way through.

If they asked me, I'd say an open RPG for Battle Angel Alita. She already has amnesia, there would be tons of possible quest arcs/factions, it has the deepest story (surprisingly) I've ever read, and James Cameron could use a larger base of BAA fans before he finally gets around to making the movie. Cameron of course is focused on the action aspects of the manga, so he probably won't feel threatened by any other interpretations of the story.

FFordesoon, I would disagree with you for a few reasons, but I'm honored to receive a reply that took days to complete. Doom 1 may be playable now to people who grew up with it, but there are so many games that have everything I liked about Doom and more, so there is absolutely no reason for me to go back to it. If you play RPGs for their gameplay then you could say the same about almost all the old RPG games. However, while playing an RPG the elements of character development and plot can have a surprising and life-long effect on the player even if the player doesn't play games for plot and character development. What I am constantly surprised by is how often this makes an RPG a classic, but when people actually describe why the RPG is great, they mention almost everything but the plot and characters. For instance, many people say things like "atmosphere." Would there be any doubt a great atmosphere will replace that game within the next 5 years? Would you ever buy a game purely because your friend told you it had the best atmosphere? Would you ever say a game had a lasting impression on the way you think about life because of its atmosphere? Atmosphere is a great package to wrap around gameplay and plot, but is quickly outdone compared to certain other aspects, and it is essentially a dependent sub-characteristic. Games have the same potential as books, movies, and songs to become an eternal part of someone's life, even outside of just enjoying games, and that is what makes an RPG made 15 years ago better than the latest RPG graphics fighting orgy that will be made 15 years from now. I would argue that games have an even better potential for this as they are interactive. Soon in our future there will be a Final Fantasy 20: Hair vs. Swords and a Call of Warfare: Gears of Black Ops XXIV where you can make epic headshots while double backflipping off an exploding building. And that will feel cool, but it will be replaced, and that's partly why it will not have a lasting effect on your life. Some games open your eyes and move your emotions and they do it in a way that can't be easily reproduced, and the combination of those two components is what makes a game a classic. Even Baldur's Gate 2 was just a great system. If someone said "we need to make another game that has a really great combat system" they could end up with another game like Baldur's Gate 2. No matter how much you pay 100 writers, a great story is a function of inspiration. TL;DR - The reason a new gamer could enjoy Fallout 1 today is because of its plot, and the effect a plot (or character development) has on a person outlasts and outweighs all the other aspects of a game. I agree the Fallout 1 plot is not lengthy, but it's still amazing, and that's literally the only reason a new gamer should play it, and it's the reason the game will affect people for the rest of their life. It also had C&C, but C&C without a good plot can be easily replaced (add a faction, allow you to help or hurt it), so a deep C&C is completely dependent on a good plot. If it had great character development, that would make it a classic for the same reasons.

Arcanum had an awesome story although it loosely centered around a typical high fantasy plot, and I support all efforts to bring back any elements from that game. When I first heard about the intro to P:E, I thought "they're remaking Arcanum....my life has peaked."

I would have to agree with Pipyui's first post that multiple currencies haven't been good contributions to the games I've played (I just bought FO:NV, so can't comment there). However I do see some real potential with faction development, because your faction choices then determine what types of currencies you get, and your actions can help or hurt a faction and then even have an effect on the strength of your currencies. The idea that allegiance grants you one type of riches and limits you from others is still a part of typical RPG design in the form of loot, though. Multiple currencies would be different only in that they'd be a faction achievement that changes as the faction's prosperity changes (dollar goes up/down), and a direct symbol of the trade-offs you've made (some faction money not exchangeable/devalued elsewhere). I would think this would be real easy for modders to mod out if they don't like it also.

Love the complax characters