Silent Winter

My only problem with things like petrify or imprisonment was that it was game-over if it hit your PC (in BG) whereas you could keep going and rescue your party members if it happened to them. If it hadn't been instant game-over, and your party could rescue you, I'd have liked it a lot more. As for fear - yeah, it could really make a fight tough but that was part of the challenge. (I rarely used it on enemies as I'd then have to chase them all over the map to kill them ) Really got tough when your fleeing party member ran into another fight and brought them down on you. You had your protection from fear spells, but those could be dispelled by an opponent. Hold/Stun should be in too.

That's just it - it wasn't taken out, it was made up and added later. (which, see below, adds it's own problems) I like when a good story arc, with secret revelations coming later, is made from the get-go. So a TV-show that only reveals something in series 3 or a movie that's part of a trilogy (see Empire Strikes Back) or whatever is great. But there are also examples of tv-shows/movies that should have quit but just had to get one more series/sequel for the money and so ended up screwing with a good story because they'd run out of ideas. So my POV is that they should continue the story only if (a) they had a great longer story to begin with or (b) have a great idea for how it could go. (for (b) see NWN2 OC-> MOTB, it's a new story that incidentally extends the story of the original, or see Aliens, which took a good premise and ran with it. ... not so much Alien 3).

I got the impression from TOB that this wasn't so much a part of the story that they'd held back, but rather new stuff they made up to make it more epic. There are a couple of contradictions in the story from BG1 to TOB - though you could argue that Gorion lied to you to spare you from the truth. There's only so much they can put into PoE1 before they run out of budget. It should be a story with a beginning and an end, but that doesn't mean there can't be more than is revealed. You just don't know you're missing anything until the sequel. Still, I stand by my preference for side-story in the expansion and continuation of main plot in sequel (or new story in sequel).

'weapon' 'swing' - I see what you did there

Is it like those male enhancement ads proliferating on commercial TV? Yes, the game is going to be longer and harder as a result

Join the party (you should see my early work It's only been through posting on 3d-art forums and such that I've gotten advice and improved. Nowadays I only make something when inspired - I guess PoE is inspiring ) Edit: and a 'like' from Kaz, thank you sir Yours is some of the aformentioned inspiring work

Now that you mention it - he really does totally unintentional/possibly-subconscious

You realise I may now have to do a render of the wizard 'casting' a choking gas spell from his rear? Ok, last one before my holiday (I'll still be posting in the forum on occasion, just no pics). These are a couple more portrait ideas. Quite happy with the druid one (maybe need to work on the hair a little) but the rogue one needs a bit more to it, too plain at the mo. As always, if anyone has any comments/suggestions for improvement, I'm happy to accept criticism

I'm apparently really good at time management - I have no free time but manage to put these together Mayhaps if I had more free time, I'd be able to polish some to my satisfaction. But then, no point doing that until I know enough about the lore. Couple more pics - 2 variations of a Ranger portrait (don't know what animal-companions are available so sticking with the puma for now - perhaps the animal companions could have a portait of their own? Or maybe I'll do some animal-overlays for other portraits - but it is hard to fit them both in at this resolution (which is double the in-game resolution). Other pic - can't decide if he's a fighter or a rogue. On the one hand, dealing with multiple opponents is the fighter's niche, but jumping around the battlefield is the rogue's ...

I'd actually prefer a TOTSC style expansion and leave new part of world and extending storyline for PoE 2. But it all depends on what their plans are. If PoE2 is going to be a new story with a new PC (a la IWD->IWD2), then expanding the story in the expansion is great (MOTB style). If they're going to continue the story of the (PoE1) PC in PoE2 (a la BG1->Bg2), then I'd like the first expansion to add in more companions, wilderness areas and then a couple of cool side-stories like werewolf island and Durlag's tower did. Thus making replays of the main game more fun.

Sure - but that's down to the individual mod-creator. With an option to change the portraits (override folder or in-game option), you could bring in another portrait in the right style.

There's bound to be something like this in the early modding days (assuming it's not just impossible in-engine). ...then again - you'd need to be able to access that stash to remove cr*p item A and replace with shiny item B on the fly... I don't mind the bottomless stash at all - I just fear it will add to my hoarding

I'd be incredibly surprised if we couldn't at least change portraits through the override folder. Having an option in-game seems unnecessary to me (beyond character creation), though could allow one to change the look of a portrait based on the character's clothes (you could select a plate-armour version or a leathers version) if you had multiple versions of the same portrait (I'm thinking community created content here, not wasting dev time to do it). I did like the suggestion of allowing multiple portraits to show health/status-effects (again, making it plausible in-engine, not for the devs to spend time/money on).

So long as retreat is an option, needing a silver weapon to harm a werewolf (for example) can add to the experience. "Nothing we do works - run away ... and look for clues" On the other hand, throwing a basilisk with no warning is cheap. On the other other hand, having a party member petrified that you can come back to rescue later is ok so... It needn't be 'fair' that the enemy is immune to fire when you couldn't have known beforehand, so long as you can adapt on the fly (and a good adventuring team will be able to adapt). But having hints along a trail to the likes of Kangaxx is a puzzle to be solved and therefore has its place in a good rpg.

That's...actually a really good idea that I've never even though of before. Having the option to name your group if you please while a simple touch would only add that much more to immersion and role playing. Having the option of being the "Hearth Alliance" a group of civilized pacifist Orlans dedicated to bringing knowledge and acceptance of their kind to the world would be much more engaging than being "a group of 6 people" (just a random on the spot example) You could name your group in NWN2-SOZ module - was indeed a nice touch

Ah yes, the "Legitimate End-Gamer" test. (Never heard of charging FOR and arm and a leg before - it'll be a new marketing craze ) Happy Belated Birthday Lephys

check out the IWD NPC project - adds 5 banter-worthy NPCs (including romance ) IWD is more a game for those who want to focus on combat (in a lovely environment). I disagree that there can be no empathy for NPCs that don't banter - it's like having multiple PCs - IWD doesn't really have much in the way of RP choice though. I just started a game of NWN2-SOZ - creating 4 party members myself but they can all be selected during conversations to add their little bit, based off their skills. To me, this brings them more into the game and not just 'many-legged-killing-machine' Having said that - back when I played Eye of the Beholder, there was no party interaction and only basic conversation with a couple of the dwarves in the settlement, but I still managed to roleplay the game and care about my party members. Since BG1-2, I do prefer to have pre-written companions though - (but then there was a lot of variety to choose from there)

I like the blinding sparks one - basically some kind of alchemy ideas work for me. Not so much the invisibilty one. Choking gas bomb or lacing your weapon with flaming damage temporarily might be handy.

^that's my POV - if potions are just spells in a bottle then they cheapen the caster classes (though I could see solo-run players wanting to have them - then again, if you want to solo as a fighter, don't be using spells ) What would be interesting is if there were other things that the potions were for, not just recreating spells. e.g. a potion of berserk (sends the drinker into a wild frenzy) or a potion of courage (aka whisky) or an alchemical potion of grease that helps thieves unlock and open doors quietly. *shrug* I'm sure there are better ideas.

<-also loved the code-wheel idea ((nostalgia)) Animator is my new dream job - mostly because of being allowed to play with practice swords in the office Just got to see the creature animations Druid cat form looks great now that it's animated. Trolls and revenant looking good too

Just realised I may well be considered to be spamming this thread. If mods/devs dislike my posting again and again in the same thread, just let me know Note to self: Just because something looks black on the monitor, doesn't mean it is fully black. And charcoal grey, when used as a background layer, washes out colours by denying contrast. Need to redo the ranger one with better colours. Meantime - here's a new Druid one - yeah, that's supposed to be Firebrand plus some kind of leaf-swirling spell

Don't worry - I'll stop eventually ... when I run out of ideas (got a holiday coming up soon - but will be away from my PC - so once on hols, there'll be no more 'art' from me for a few weeks) In the meantime, here's a quick Ranger+Animal companion piece I whipped up (as with the others, it's a WIP .. ..."Why don't you finish something before moving onto the next one?" I hear you cry don't care - "It's called impatience artistic freedom" I reply "with a splash of "I do what my muse says" and a hint of "I'll finish them once I know more of the lore") .. ...*ahem* anyhoo - this one's called "Flanked" or "Flanking" depending on whether you sympathise with the soon-to-be-doomed duo of bandits or the lovely ranger and her nice puma. (Planning another one from the ranger's perspective, but later - got a druid one cooking at the mo')

^ belated want-to-edit: Then again, the above doesn't account for eliminating tough enemies in one hit (unless their henchmen can resurrect them).

My question would be: can we overcome it after the fact? A domination/charm spell can be dispelled / the person 're-dominated' to your side. Death spells can (in IE games) be overcome with resurrection spells. If the equivalent 'solution' remains in PoE, then I don't mind either kind of spell, because I can choose to use a few actions trying to bring a party member back from [problem] and healing them while guarding them, to get them back in the fight. I do have a problem with 'entire-party death' spells. Since there's no where to go from there but a forced reload. I do like the 'staggered' approach of miss-graze-hit-crit, producing a variety of outcomes.