Homer Morisson

Not 100% sure, but might be you have to be in a harbour for that to work? I know that I definitely was in Harbour each time I had it installed on either of my so far two ships, never tried doing it on the open sea.

The more detail they get, the better for figuring out what might have caused it -- being able to reproduce it and understanding exactly the cause are two entirely different things; so it's not our feedback and reports that are non-productive, it's your commenting on them that serves no purpose.

I can confirm this CTD, however it doesn't seem to be due to finishing the scene while the audio is still playing -- here's my reasoning: First time I let everything play in "real time", i.e. without skipping anything, letting everyone finish even including those "hidden" narrator comments ---> CTD at the end. Second time, I speedran through the entire bit, skipping everything, i.e. definitely finishing before the audio finished ---> no CTD, game proceeded to load the ship's interior map.

UPDATE: As I have since found out, it isn't actually a buggy choice of crew mate, but the dialogue system simply displays the wrong crew members, but runs the skill check against the correct one, i.e. in this case runs it against the actual helmsman, even though the dialogue might say that the gunner were at the wheel at the time. So still nonsensical, but at least the skill check itself can reliably be passed if the actual professional is, well, professional enough. Encountered Behaviour: Game chooses displays wrong crew member for skill check to navigate the "Fanged Strait"-reef; instead of "Seasoned Helmsman" or "Expert Navigator", the game chooses a cannoneer for crying out loud(!) to man the wheel while navigating this reef, even though said cannoneer is stationed at the cannons, and the helm is manned by said expert helmsman! Both dialogue comments as well as "navigate safely through the reef"-skill checks are therefore performed by a completely unqualified and unassigned crew member for no apparent reason whatsoever -- subsequently, the skill check is failed, despite having highly trained experts both at the helm/wheel as well as on navigation duty. Expected Behaviour: Game should never choose crew members for stations they aren't even assigned too nor in the least bit qualified for, at the very least not as long as there are already much more qualified people assigned to the much more logical crew stations for any given skill check -- i.e. the "Navigate the reef"-skill check should have been either the helmsman's or navigator's task, but never ever ever the cannoneer's! Reproducibility: 100% Game always chooses Coin-Counter Foeldas (Cannoneer assigned at Cannons) over Birta (Seasoned Helmsman assigned at Helm) as well as over Worthless Idiot (Expert Navigator assigned at Navigation). Severity of Bug: Not a plot stopper, but very stupid and annoying to "lose a skill check" because the game itself sabotages said check by being retarded, choosing a gunner to navigate through a reef, instead of the highly trained expert personnel already available.

Can confirm! Currently, I see only one neutral Deadfire Merchant Ship left on the map, and that's the one I cannot attack with the persistent bug as described in my post above.

Hey Caleb, I've just encountered this same bug too -- also around Port Maje, these were the steps immediately before encountering the bug: - Explored and named the island north of Port Maje, unlocked the achievement "Making a Mark" (or something like that) for the first Island I named - Sailed to Port Maje to resupply - Left Port Maje, attacked the nearest neutral trader, but except for the combat music starting, nothing happened. - Opened dialogue with same neutral trader again, option 1, show me your wares, works fine, but option 2, Attack, still only closes the dialogue window, starts combat music, nothing else. Going back to main menu and reloading the save did not resolve this. I will now try if restarting the game entire will help. Edit: Restarting the game completely also did not resolve this bug! Second Edit: Attacking another, different neutral trader ship resolved the bug completely apparently, that attack worked and the next one on yet another neutral trader as well! Third Edit: The initial bugged ship remains bugged even after several other naval battles and foot missions/visits to Neketaka -- having found that one last remaining Deadfire Merchant Sloop again, the bug still persists in the exaxt same way: battle music starts, nothing else happens.

Yes, it is possible if: - you have the necessary character level (iirc 8 for exceptional, 12 for superb) - you have enough upgrade capacity left on the item (top right corner xx/12 usually) - you have the necessary materials If all three conditions are met, you should be good to go.

Another anoying part to the whole FoW madness: After having thrown some npcs in my dungeon, I had to actively search the cells to find those they've been put in... thanks to FoW/sightlines, I couldn't even see them at first glance. There should definitely be some alternative... the current implementation is in parts outright detrimental to the whole experience that is PoE.

I'd welcome the option to toggle FoW completely off for - completely explored safe zones (Cities, Villages) and to enhance the FoW free zone around the party for all other zones that have been completely explored thus (usually) free of enemies. Shouldn't affect balancing whatsoever, will definitely let us enjoy the gorgeous visuals much better, and so long as it's a toggle, everybody wins.

+1, +1, +1... can't say it enough! Please give us an option to disable FoW in explored areas as it really, really kills the visual awesomeness in larger areas as well as making exploring the Stronghold extremely frustrating... why are the Hirelings even around in the courtyard if I can ever only see one or two of them at any time thanks to the constant FoW?

That I really like! A bit of "Careful what you fiddle with!"-realism could really spice things up in a good way. Such things might be linked to your intelligence level for instance... I can already imagine it: Before you, you see a wooden staff lying on the path. Although there are no trees to shade it and the sun shines directly upon the blackened wood, the staff seems to radiate an aura of cold. You find it strange that such an object would just be left lying around. What do you do? Depending on your attributes and character class, the options might be: Pick the staff up -> You pick the staff up and immediately feel the cold entering your arm and crawling towards your heart ... Non-Mage class: ... You try to drop the staff, but it seems frozen to your hand. You feel the cold has almost reached your chest already, your only option is to cut the staff from your hand... This might give the character a permanent malus on his dexterity, if he has to really force it from his hand, or a temporary malus until a healer can fix the not-so-great damage, or even no damage at all, if he is really skilled (or lucky) - which in turn might be influenced by the dexterity attribute of the character, just how well he is able to unstuck the staff without amputating his fingers. Mage class: You try to drop the staff, but it seems frozen to your hand. You feel the cold has almost reached your chest already. How do you react? The mage class might have several more actions availabe to him, ranging from conjuring magical flames to melt the staff from his hand (Risk of burning his hand, as above cutting hand), or he might try to use his magical powers to subdue the staff and push the cold back into it (merely to be able to drop it), or he might try to fight the staff's power and to master it, gaining permanent control over it. Examine the staff without touching it -> You kneel down to take a closer look at the staff. Immediately you feel the aura of cold getting stronger, almost reaching out to you. You see some strange cuts and gashes on the staff ... Non-mage class: ... but although they look to be more than simple variations of wood, or scars of battles long gone, there is no way for you to make sense of them. The cold seems to become more intense the longer you are kneeling over the staff. What do you do? This would be the investigation option for non-mage classes with fairly low to average intelligence, the only options left for them at this point would thus be to still pick up the staff (see above) or to play it safe and leave it well enough alone. Mage class 1: ... You get the feeling that these are not just random, but part of a rather complex inscription. But with just seeing one side of the staff, you can't deciver the meaning of those markings - it is clear however that this staff must hold great power. What do you do? This would be the investigation option for mage classes with slightly above-than-average intelligence, the options available could be something like: - Pick up the staff and try to read the whole inscription (see above) - Try to see more of the inscription by nudging the staff with your boot -> You carefully nudge the staff with your boot to turn it, but the staff does not budge. As you pull back your foot, your boot comes off - it is frozen to the staff! -> Leave the staff alone, or pick it up anyway despite all the signs of danger (this being this characters advantage of being at least given fair warning not to take this staff lightly) Mage class 2: You immediately realize that these are not just random markings, but part of a complex inscription. After carefully studying this part of the inscription, you are sure about two things: that he who commands this staff would have a terrible power at his command, and that this staff was not meant for mortal hands. What do you do? This would be the investigation option for mage classes with exceptional intelligence, or for mage class 1 as well, if the character would have obtained lore about certain objects of power before trying to use the staff. The available options would be: - (Alignment going towards evil): Being aware of the dangers, you pick up the staff after having ... This is where it might branch off again depending on what powers the mage class has available to them: ... conjured magical flames around your hands to counter the staffs' freezing effect ... made yourself exceptionally resistent against cold by casting spell xyz ... put on heavy leather gloves, being inspired by the boot-accident The first two options might then result in the character being able to wield the staff for as long as he can successfully maintain both his concentration and the magical protection he has set up, so that he could use the staff either for a limited amount of time per day, or maybe even just once because it drains him too much. The third option would result in the character being able to safely pick up the staff, maybe to then get a closer look at the inscription, but he would not be able to use it, since he would then find out that he has to hold it in his bare hands to wield its power. That would be on one hand simply a means of not making the staff too powerful through ease of use, and on the other hand I simply like the concept that Power (yes, with a capital P!) always comes at a price. - (Alignment going towards good): Being aware of the dangers, and the terrible power this staff could unleash, you decide to take it with you and find a means of destroying it once and for all. - (Alignment neutral): You decide to ignore the staff, the risks are just to high. tl;dr: Give such insta-kill (or otherwise immensely powerful) objects a certain degree of character and background, weave it into the worlds' lore, and I would be more than happy.

I think it might well be a piece of some ancient magi-technology, maybe long forgotten by the current inhabitants of the world... much like the dwemer ruins and contraptions in the Elder Scrolls setting.

Hell no... never, ever, ever(!) again do I want the hassle of a ring menu. That is the one (and only) thing I really dislike about PS:T.

Josh did state though that they were still discussing the possibility of an L-shaped interface, right-sided I believe. Anyways, we'll just have to wait & see... I'd also prefer proper character portraits over absolute minimalism. But, then again, Josh also said that they would design the UI to be 100% optimizied for control via only the mouse - that kind of contradicts any hopes of them putting the character portraits on the right side.

That is your opinion, which I find (no offence) rather black&white. Why shouldn't a mage have a castle from which to operate, complete with soundproof torture chambers laboratories, a state of the art tower from which he can curse enemies that are still two days' worth of marching away, etc? He might even use it as a front, to pose as a run-of-the-mill nobleman, to hide his wicked ways - or he might, if he was of the "Hug the trees!"-persuasion, use it as an orphanage to help those less fortunate than (or maybe just as unfortunate as he was) himself. Just because you would never play a mage whose aim or even interest it might be to become a land owner, or to have a stronghold to whatever means they see fit, does not make it an obvious truth. So, in short... I do respect your opinion, I just choose not to share it - how about you adopt the same method and next time just say that you don't like that idea and that you don't think it plausible for any other class than a fighter - instead of just claiming it to be obvious and undeniable. It is merely a question of preference and choice, and as (nearly) always in such matters, there is no right or wrong.

Being new to this forum, I am not yet familiar with any of the more senior residents... but anyway, on with the discussion: I sincerely hope that the whole stronghold system will be implemented way before the endgame - simply because I really want to get the feeling (and have the time to do so) that I have shaped the place after my liking, really have made it my stronghold... and I therefore completely agree with you in that it needs to be a somewhat organic process where the player is given (or simply claims?) maybe a ruin, has to clear it from its former occupants (maybe a nice boss encounter or something like that), and then has to work on making it a real stronghold/hideout again. Edit: It might also be made completely optional and simply another choice you can take or leave... as long as it does not deteriorate to an afterthought, I'd be okay with that as well. As to the second point you make - I cannot agree with that at all, I'm afraid... which is not to say that I think your experiences wrong, but merely that I have made completely different experiences myself. Leaving the medium of video games and entering the world of good ole pen & paper rpgs, I have found that good or bad teamwork and thus how well the multiplayer experience works for all concerned does not really relate to wether any one character is magically gifted or comes from a noble house with ties into royalty or any such things. Wether or not the group as a whole can experience and enjoy their adventure as a team - in my mind - depends utterly and completely on the players themselves, how they act out their roles, and last but not least on the GM and how he lets the players act out their roles. While being a mage with talents far more wondrous than simply being apt with a sword may lead to immature roleplay, the decision to act thusly lies with the player - and so does the fault, if you will. My point is that certain roles/archetypes cannot and should not be blamed for how they might be played. All of that, of course, is really only relevant for multiplayer settings, where teamwork is essential to progressing through the given adventure - but since you yourself have agreed on the essential differences between SP and MP, I won't drag this out unnecessarily. As an afterthought though, I am still not sure if calling a certain (role-)playing style immature just because it does not correlate to one's own preferences is all that mature in itself... no offence of course, just a thought.

I think that insta-kill spells can be entertaining if they don't become too common... Lothar from PS:T is a great example of that; during the dialogue, you get plenty of warning not to mess with him and not to underestimate his powers - if you still continue to push him, feeling sure in your immortality, he simply snaps a finger and you are permanently dead - game over, load latest save. The first time I ever played this scene, I was somewhat annoyed that my oh-so-mighty-immortal could still just be swatted like a bug... but upon reflection, I realized that a) this was fully in line with the game's setting of a grim and dire world, and b) it meant that "my" immortality wasn't as final as it would at first appear. And it really got my imagination going as to who this Lothar might be and how he came to be so powerful... all in all a very positive outcome from being insta-killed. But, and this is a big one, this only works if there is some form of context to those insta-kill powers, some form of context to the people wielding this power... if just any old random encounter mage-gone-street thug could utter power words or use similarly devastating spells, it would quickly become - to me - a rather frustrating experience of being underpowered.

Well, in terms of NWN2, getting your very own keep was - I felt - pretty well integrated into the story, so that it did indeed feel like a reward well deserved (or in my chaotic evil terms: long overdue!). What you, mcmanusaur, call "unflattering ego stroking" is just another way of roleplay to me, and I truly relish every opportunity a game gives me to just play my role for the role's sake. I like to be given a choice to sometimes do things and ideally produce some reactions and/or comments from my companions or the worlds' populace that are not necessarily tied into the story or even a side quest. That in itself is a very rewarding experience for me - if I run around avoiding disaster after disaster, grudgingly (chaotic evil) saving the innocent and willingly procuring riches upon riches, (often from said innocent people) I feel that my character deserves and should have some opportunities, if he so chooses, to use that wealth as he sees fit, to have servants grovel before him, etc... Generally speaking: Yes, I do want to be, or at least become the center of attention and a major player in any given world I am living in - being the proverbial dishwasher building up a functional nationwide cutlery delivery service - although also just another way of roleplay, granted - would have little to no appeal to me.

Every time I look at an Orlan concept, I get a certain "Asura" vibe... which is by no means a negative comment, as they are my favorite player race in GW2. Still, just sayin'... pleasantly reminded somehow.

I only buy 16:10 aspect ratio monitors, which are increasingly rare these days (currently using a 24" 1920x1200 Dell UltraSharp U2412M). It's definitely good to know that the resolution support for PE will be extensive. Same here, using an older 16:10 Samsung Syncmaster T240 (1920x1200 as well)... I still don't get how this didn't make it as the new standard for pc monitors, I find it vastly superior over 16:9 screens. Thus having a properly scaling UI is pretty much a make-or-break factor for me... okay, who am I kidding, I'd play the heck outta P:E anyways. Still, would be nice though.

Thanks for the update, love the dungeon concept! Also can't wait to finally read more about the actual Cipher-abilities. I will definitely keep an eye out for any Stick of Truth updates... got it preordered on amazon for ages now... still remember the initial release date placeholder, 3/5/13, my birthday. :D

I'd just like a somewhat similar stronghold system as in NWN2... I want to upgrade it myself by finding/buying/organizing the necessary materials, I want to assign patrols and receive their reports, I want to outfit my personal honor guard, and I want it all to have a major visual influence on said guards and stronghold. The rest, i.e. becoming a landlord and so forth, would be just the icing on the cake.

I never really thought about those things from a usability point of view, though it certainly does sound somewhat self-explanatory. Nevertheless, if given the choice in a customizable UI, I'd put the chat/log-box to the left side of the screen everytime... from an explicitely subjective point of view, the left side of the screen feels simply more important to me than the right side - which is why I prefer to have all relevant information focused on the left. I believe that the character portraits contain more vital information that the player looks at with higher frequency than the combat log. I think that depends on how much information the portraits will actually offer the player at any given time, but I do see your point... I often select characters just by clicking on their sprites/models instead of using the portraits. But thinking back to the Baldur's Gate times, I did often use the portraits to quickly access the individual inventories or to drag & drop equipment from one character to another - so yes, I have to agree with you that those interactions will probably be more important and frequent than actually interacting with the log. I guess from a developer's point of view, the UI has to be as intuitive and efficient as possible first, while the eye candy has to come second - especially considering the number of people you want to be as happy as possible with the look & feel of the interface. But be that as it may, I'm just glad that you guys give us the opportunity to discuss such matters not just amongst ourselves but also with the guys actually creating the game we all want to play - so thank you for taking the time!

I never really thought about those things from a usability point of view, though it certainly does sound somewhat self-explanatory. Nevertheless, if given the choice in a customizable UI, I'd put the chat/log-box to the left side of the screen everytime... from an explicitely subjective point of view, the left side of the screen feels simply more important to me than the right side - which is why I prefer to have all relevant information focused on the left. As stated above, I at least feel that I indeed do that... but, who knows, that might simply be related to me being left-handed.