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Thank you very much, Kaz! I can breathe a sigh of relief I'm very much looking forward to seeing more of the UI. You're mainly responsible for the scripted interaction scenes, UI mock-up and the dialogue box, right? If so, excellent job! I really like where the design is headed, especially with the dialogue box and the scripted interaction art work.

Check the source code for a surprise

While I am really happy that we finally got the big update and the backer portal, I wasn't very hopeful we'd get them this week. I was already imagining how Adam Brennecke would appear again in this thread to announce another postponement causing us to further despair. So, I decided to write a poem about it on Monday just for fun, so I could post it to cheer everyone up if there was another delay, and to practise writing English. So here it is anyway to *ahem* commemorate the veterans of this thread who shared the most bitter of disappointments to ultimately revel in heavenly joy. From the Annals of Eír Glanfath, on the origins of the War of the Flames: The third of three, And with this the man Brennecke, Transcends the shackles of mortality. Now known, as the feline-faced god of misery. - - - The eager awaited, Their endless curiosity never sated, Their boundless desires unabated, To witness the miracle, so long belated. The crowd longed to hear, How fared the quest of our most dear, Monahan, the champion untouched by fear. As of yet his fate unknown, unclear. Striving to succeed, To satisfy the folk’s unending greed. To unlock the portal, the people he would feed. To this task, Monahan had agreed. In the misty light of day, A silhouette appeared against the fog thick and grey, Was it the herald or a wanderer gone astray? Had he come to disappoint or the congregation’s fears to allay? Then a sudden, piercing wail, As light reflected off familiar chain mail, At last had arrived the protagonist of this tale, The faces of the gathered sunk and grew pale. Twice already betrayed, Had been their hopes, twice dismayed, Dreams shattered, sweet delight delayed, Unwarranted, premature joy unmade. Malice not as his intention, To tell the truth had been Brennecke’s aspiration. Yet fury and anger, outrage was the reaction. Including the accusations were pretence and deception. The mob hissed and droned, Due to the unbearable wait they groaned, To coax the man to speak, they howled and moaned. Finally, Brennecke spoke: Monahan’s success is yet postponed. Alas, and once again, Innocent but forced to unleash the pain, Brennecke had the poor souls’ dreams thrice slain, His legacy, while undeserved, is all that does remain.

I respect and appreciate your attitude, Justin. It seems to me that in these kinds of conversations it is often forgotten that appreciating music is subjective; one man's trash is another man's treasure. I can't fathom a certain piece of music being inherently good or bad. I either like it or I don't, and I understand that others may like music that I don't and vice versa. So, I feel it'd be pointless for me to try to influence Justin in one direction or the other or convince others to like something they don't. I just hope that I like the end result Best of luck to you, Justin!

I agree with you on this issue, Sensuki, especially on the point that there is no reason for the UI not to stretch the entire width of the screen for exactly the reason you mentioned. Seeing just that much more of the game world (for lack of a better term) won't benefit the player in any meaningful way. Personally, I think that it detracts from the gaming and UI experiences. I wouldn't call chopping off bits and pieces for no reason good design. I agree with Josh (or was it Adam) that the solidity of the IE UIs was one of their strong points. The worst case result you posted is proof to me that such a minimalist design doesn't play to those strengths.

I can't edit my previous post anymore, but I wanted to clarify that my previous post is regarding the new teaser trailer. I really, really liked the music in the Kickstarter video and I'm starting to like the music in the new teaser video, as well. It's just the 'r' sounds (?) in the vocals that I'm not digging, I think. In general, I like where Justin is going with the music.

To be honest, I wasn't all that impressed with the trailer music at first, either, but I think it's starting to grow on me. I think the awkward (pseudo?) language is what threw me off. Having listened to it again more closely I feel that the sound quality in the trailer isn't very good (at least compared to the BG2 OST posted by Co0n). However, I don't think the comment on professionalism is warranted. Justin Bell is a professional musician since it's his job to compose music for PE regardless of one's subjective enjoyment of his work. Don't get me wrong, though, I would also love PE's music to be on a level with BG2's soundtrack, so I hope that Justin knocks it out of the park and I'm rooting for him.

Based on those answers, I voted yes.

I sent a message about that via the Contact Us link, but haven't heard back yet. They must be flooded with questions and whatnot, so it might take a while before we'll hear a definitive answer.

This was hidden in the source code (highlight to reveal since I don't know how to use the spoiler-thingy): This world wants to drag us down, it does. It made you a Watcher. No one asks for that. And the weight, that guilt they want to hang around my neck, you don't have to carry it one more step. You think they won't let you rest, but it's not up to them. It never was.

Oh snap, capes are in! Looking good

It seems that Dexterity is one of the attributes (last question on this page): http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/112830-pillars-of-eternity-interview/page-3.html Dexterity affects pickpocketing and sleight-of-hand actions in scripted interactions and conversations.

I'd also like to know what the effect on development time would be. I'm sure the schedules would have to be reworked, but how long a delay would result from hitting these new stretch goals?

Nice! Great update, thanks! I really liked the magic part of the teaser trailer and the new areas Now to increase my pledge...

Thanks for the confirmation, Pandamaniac. You've got a good point, too. They might bump the release date back for the stretch goals, though, if people really want new features to be added. Maybe the stretch goals would include modding support or something similar that can be added in later without affecting current production (I'm assuming modding tools wouldn't affect work being done now).

One from her homeland. Ooh, what a tease Hmm, what could it be? Sagani's a dwarf dressed in furs, so she's probably from a mountainous or cold region. So, maybe a lynx? A wolverine? A mountain lion? A bear? An arctic fox? A marten?

The scripted interaction screenshot at the link mentions Athletics and Constitution. Maybe Strength is substituted with Athletics? It's not a very combat-oriented term, though.

That's a great post. I remember reading somewhere (probably Gamebanshee's collection of Sawyer's comments) that attributes will also be often used outside of combat, e.g. having enough points in an attribute will open up dialogue options (possibly other choices, as well) and affect the outcome of scripted interactions. Adding to your list (just brainstorming): Strength: Opens up intimidation options and has an effect on interactions requiring brute strength (e.g. moving/breaking objects) Attribute #2: Affects interactions requiring quick reflexes or speed (e.g. guards in the Mortuary in PS:T) Constitution: Affects interactions requiring endurance and resilience Intellect(?): Opens up dialogue options (smart or stupid) and options in scripted interactions requiring ingenuity Charisma(?): Allows opportunities to persuade and influence NPCs

The backer website (teased in update #66 Double Whammy) is rumored to include a gameplay video and new information on the game, which is the main reason people are looking forward to it, I think. For example, looking at the teaser screenshots in that update you can see that the game is referred to as Pillars of Eternity. Personally, I want to upgrade my pledge, as well, and want to finally scratch that off the to-do list. Edit: My assumption is that anyone can access the website and even become a slacker backer. I agree with you on open forums and don't see why they'd make new ones for the new website. They could just link here, right?

(I searched Ye Olde Forums and didn't find any mention of this particular topic nor did I see anything in the UI mockup screenshot to assuage my fears, so my apologies if this issue has been discussed already.) One thing that really bugged me as I started playing Shadowrun Returns is the lack of a game-specific cursor icon. In SRR, the mouse icon is your default arrow (at least in the OS X version) and, I may be alone in this, this tiny detail breaks some of the immersion for me. Therefore, my humble request for Kaz, or whoever is responsible for the final UI design, is to design a set of cursor icons for P:E along the lines of the old IE-style floating hand/gauntlet/other icons. If a gauntlet takes too much space or seems too unwieldy, something equally appropriate and stylized, e.g. something as simple as Starcraft's icons, would be nice. Another, smaller and unrelated, request would be to add a space between the dash and the character/creature name in the dialogue box. I.e. Osmaer- into Osmaer - . That's just me, though.

Those are good points. Having a proper reason for the stronghold to exist and tying it to the land, definitely adds to the game in terms of suspension of disbelief and lore. Putting the stronghold in the game just because it is on a list of stretch goals to be implemented and not putting any proper design effort into it would detract a lot from the experience. Having the stronghold events reflect the original purpose of the stronghold would also deepen immersion and also allow the player to feel more connected to the lore and the world, in my opinion. However, I don't think it's fair to say based on two WIP screenshots alone that Obsidian haven't taken these concerns into account and I hope/trust they have. I also agree with Posbi and Solviulnir that the insides of the stronghold are a little lacking, though. I'd think that a stronghold would be more densely filled with buildings and other structures, since it can't be cheap to build such massive walls and space should be at a premium.

I think that if you took away the descriptive written dialog and replaced it with close-ups and facial animations, you'd essentially destroy the charm of the old IE games. This may seem weird, but I was drawn to the IE games because there was a lot of descriptive text. The fact that you don't see the characters smiling, extending their hands or winking, but instead you read about it, increases immersion and adds to the mood. In fact, I'd argue that you are more likely to succeed in conveying subtler emotional states and actions via text than through animation, at least when you have a small budget. Even if Pixar-level animations were the norm for RPGs, I might still prefer text. That's just my personal taste, though. I feel that when you read something in, let's say, BG, you are engaging your imagination and being an active participant in the game. Watching animations seems more passive to me. I truly hope that Obsidian doesn't stray away from text-heavy interactions in future expansions or P:E sequels.

So there was no need to get all bent out of shape, after all. Thanks for the info, Adam!

While I am also looking forward to the big update, backer portal, gameplay video, etc. just like everyone else, I don't think an outrage isn't warranted. Bugs pop up and cause delays, what can you do? Let's look at the big picture, Obsidian is working towards making P:E. That's their main focus. All the guys and gals have other work to do in addition to the updates and portal, and those others tasks are prioritized. I enjoy reading the updates and I'd like to increase my initial pledge, but I'd prefer the development process to be as smooth and efficient as possible resulting in a better end product. I.e. I would prefer the development team to allocate resources to the most critical tasks to ensure a successful project. I'm sure everyone working on P:E wants to do their best (it's their job after all) and I don't see what they'd benefit from lying and deception when it comes to this matter. I will give them the benefit of a doubt in a situation like this, where there is no evidence of any wrong-doing.

I don't know if this idiom translates into English, but please, don't summon evil ghosts. I think the sentiment is clear enough!