JerseyP

The OP is correct. Deflection doesn't have to be above 80 to be usefull. It's very simple to understand. It's a d100 system. That makes every increase a percentage increase. A 10 increase in deflection is a 10% chance to turn a crit to a hit, hit to graze, or graze to miss. What these people mean when they say it takes stacked defenses is they want characters who get misses all the time. They want a tank character. They also want a dps character. These molds you are trying to use are not necessary here. It sounds like you are trying to apply MMO logic to this game. Why don't you think outside the box and actually try playing THIS game system. I am playing on hard without min/maxed characters. The suggested changes would definitely benefit the game. I was actually going to suggest it myself before I found this thread. It would make it a little harder, and require people to put a little more thought into their characters, their tactics, and the overall system itself.

I thought about this. It wouldn't work for certain classes, and for others it would. It would work if fighter, rogue, wizard, and priest were able to multiclass with eachother. It would also fit with the lore as these classes are all the least specific as far as character background. Some other combinations could work, maybe ranger/druid. Starting health/deflection/accuracy would be the average between the two. You start with the class ability of one of the classes. At level two you gain a level in your other class, gaining their class ability. Each level thereafter you alternate. Health/endurance increase as per the current level you are gaining. Starting skill distribution is your choice of any possible skills open to either class, but not two in any one skill. Experience table stays the same. Basically, it would work out just fine if the multiclass options were limited. I'm all for it under these circumstances.

The templating of the language used in game is still very sloppy and many abilities are not fully described. OF Might +1 should just be Might +1. Item abilities, like second chance, need tool tips. Many abilities lack durations, exact bonuses, or exact area of effect descriptions. There are many mechanics that are not described in the instructions or the in game pedia. An example is the area of effect graphic. I couldn't find where it says that the yellow portion is enemy only, or that it is influenced by intelligence. The interchangeable use of percentages and decimals is sloppy. Basically, everything needs to be cleaned up and described with a consistent format. The exact interrupt mechanics aren't described anywhere. I think interrupting blows still doesn't work. Damage per focus point is not listed anywhere. Damage per wound is not listed anywhere. There are many other instances. The mechanics of any game system must be iron clad in function and description. I hope this gets addressed.

This stuff happens in real life. Look up the boxer rebellion of 1900. The martial arts secret society "The Righteous and Harmonious Fists" ignited a rebellion in China against imperialist Brittish forces. They believed they could achieve miraculous feats through physical and spiritual training. They repelled the initial Eight-Nation Alliance. They tore up railroads and burned down Brittish installations. It took a counter attack of 20,000 armed Brittish troops to stamp out the insurrection. Monks are rare, but they exist and they kick ass. They kick ass in this game too. The lore especially makes sense in this game; transforming your soul through suffering.

I think part of the reason why combat has the feel it does is that it still resolves a little too quickly. Both monsters and heroes have more damage capability in this game than the Ie game because of how the hit system is designed. If misses and grazes were a little more likely, combat would generally drag on for an aditional 6+ seconds. More time in combat means more opportunity to make meaningful tactical choices and more time to react to the situation at hand.

They have the strongest interrupt effect. Theirs is 1.0 compared to .75 of other 2-handed weapons. I haven't tried using them because such an amazing bonus seems game breaking.

More Portraits There are many head types per race. Very few have matching portraits. Custom ones are Ok, but using portraits that match the art direction of the game is great. More Portraits

I don't care about swearing. The other commentors are correct. I was talking about the sloppy templating. Move past it. I'm sure the devs are fixing it, I was just mentioning it. As far as solutions pertaining to the main topic. I mentioned deflection. Another solution would be altering the miss/graze/hit/crit levels It's 15/50/100/100+ as I understand it now. Stealing a little from the hit chance might help miss - 1-20 graze - 21-55 hit - 56-100 crit - 100+ Also, any thoughts on increasing the perception/resolve bonus to +2 deflection? I think people are starting to consider those two semi-dump stats.

First of all, love the game. In infinity engine games (d&d rules) an attack was either a hit or a miss. In PoE an attack is either a hit or 50% damage. It basically works like this because crits and misses are outliers. The effects of a system like this: 1. Engagement is very dangerous. 2. Magic. In d&d rules most magic attacks were either a hit or 50% damage because of a saving throw. That was their benefit over physical attacks. Now all attacks work that way. The usefullness of magic is lessened, and i'm not talking about time stop shenanigans. 3. Combat speed. Much more damage is being thrown around now. There is less time to utilize tactics. I'm not talking about slow or fast mode, there are simply less "rounds" involved and therefore less choices to make. Suggestions. I think a little more time in combat would improve this game. How about +10 deflection across the board? At least increase perception and resolve deflection bonuses to +2 instead of +1. Maybe then they won't be as useless, and allow for some alternate builds. What are your thoughts? P.S. Clean up the language. Bonuses like: |Of Will +5| sound like broken english Item abilities like second chance, bash, ect... need tooltips Using percentages and decimals interchangably. Abilities that alter other abilities lead to strangely worded sentences. Countless other examples. It's a garbled mess. Hope to see some improvements in future patches Thanks

I also vote for more text descriptions. An example of this was the ability to examine khalid's corpse in Irenicus's dungeon. A little description pops up. It took me a minute to even remember what Nonek was talking about because it was used so infrequently. I have no idea why this interaction was ignored so much in the first place. Seems like a great way to add depth to the game.

I don't understand what a cat boomerang is. My first thought was a literal interpretation. An old mummified cat carcass that has been molded into the shape of a boomerang. I realize that that is silly, so maybe it is just a cat themed boomerang. Oh I know, is it a boomerang that magically conjures wild, angry cats and flings them at the enemy?

I hope you don't use all these silly were(animal) names. Werewolf and maybe werebear make sense. Spirit(animal) sounds a little better, or just shapeshifting into the name of the animal. Turning into a giant spider would be cool. Turning into a WereGiantSpider would be stupid. Maybe its just me.

This is a good post. I like the idea of finding cool individual arrows that can be used over and over. I don't think it will work. What happens when your shot misses? The arrow goes flying far away and you have to tediously search for it after the battle, or if you have to retreat it will probably become lost forever. Still, good ideas.

The companions in this game will have unique items similar to the companions in Baldur's Gate 2. I think they might have a unique ability/feat here or there. Something similar to Minsc's berserk, Mazzy's buffs, or Imoen's Bhaall powers. The classes in this game are role heavy. This means that for each companion in this game, no other companion will be able to do what they do. In BG2 some characters didn't feel as unique as they could have simply because of the gaming system. A tank is a tank. A better designed system will make the characters feel unique by necessity without having to resort to lengths required by Planescape. I love Planescape, i'm just saying they did what they had to do to make the characters feel the way the did. They had to break the system. This won't be necessary with this game.

Come on, you all know Josh Sawyer is the king of the nerds. He's cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce, including the rad hipster glasses. Articulate, hypnotic speaking voice - probably gained from voice lessons. Wicked smart. Wicked tatoo's. Hey Josh, what do your tatoo's say/mean? A lot of gamers use fantasy as an escape from a world they can't necessarily fit into. This guy could fit into the world if he wanted to, but he chooses to be a gamer because he actually loves it. Thats the guy I want designing my game.

You're trying to say that certain rpg elements and having a narrative are mutually exclusive. The great IE games like planescape and BG2 had character creation/customization, exploration, dialogue trees, and branching quest lines. They also had an overarching linear story. These games are the inspiration for pillars of eternity.

Good writing is the key to this topic. Every book you've ever read has been 100% linear. If the writing was good the characters felt alive, real, and it seemed they could make mistakes or choices different than what they actually made. This game is going to be a linear computer program. Any choices the characters make will be an illusion, and it is good writing that sells that illusion. I think the points about locked content have more to do with replay value. That is an important point as well. I think there can be increased replayability due to large branches in the story, and at the same time have similar endings. Similar endings allow the writers to tell a good consistent story with a beggining, middle, and end. Each companion needs an arc that fits into the overall arc of the main character. Since the main character is not going to be specific, it makes it harder for the writers to characterize him/her. I think how the user accomplishes the large sidequests of the story allow the user to characterize the main character themselves, and creates replay value. All these threads still have to come together in a consistent way eventually. This is a deep topic that I think actually involves each individuals experience of free will and agency. Some people feel that they are masters of their own destiny, and want a game to encourage that feeling. A game with multiple paths but only one ending would not feel accurate to such a person because it undermines their sense of reality. Determinism is a real possibility in our world. The illusion of free will in these games could mirror the illusion of free will that you have in your own life. If the writers of this game create a mythology as good as the mythology that we are constantly inventing about ourselves, we'll never need an answer.

From what I understand based on interviews, the game will be as difficult as BG2. Josh Sawyer is the lead designer, and he considers Icewind Dale 2 to be crazy difficulty. This game will be less difficult than that. I think the game will start out medium and increase the difficulty over time to allow you to get used to it. You won't just get thrown into a crazy complicated mess. This is a game for veterans of the style, yet will be designed to be as open as possible to new players. It won't be super difficult to learn, but by the end of the game it will be an accomplishment to get through certain fights.

If there was an attribute that gave a bonus to melee damage, ranged damage, magic damage, and healing it would be intellect, but I wish it were broken up a bit. Strength having no effect on damage/second in melee combat bothers me.

Here's my opinion. All this talk of muscle fibers, knowing where to hit, and such is just a rationalization. Strength affects melee damage. It's common sense. Mr. Sawyer is obviously a very intelligent, experienced person. I get it. He is trying to solve the problem that probably every gamer has contemplated. The perfect, balanced gaming system. Life isn't balanced. Classes exist. Dump stats exist for certain classes. If your going to be a game developer, your not going to be a UFC champion. The goal should be to lessen the extremes so that each class has multiple viable builds, and maybe a couple non-viable builds. Aiming for balance and perfection only results in counter-intuitive systems where intelllect affects melee damage instead of strength. It's silly, and it breaks immersion. Why is such an amazing game being tainted with siliness. Attribute systems and life are both about tradeoffs. Are you going to aim for an "A" in balance if it means settling for a "C" in intuitive design? Is intuitive design the dump stat? I want the option to make a big, strong, stupid, thug fighter.

My attitude is this: Make as many stretch goals as you possibly can. Add as many new areas and quests as you can. Make the game as big and as awesome as possible. I know you won't do this, but I would like you to delay the release for as long as you can get funding. You are creating a work of art. Works of art are never completed, only abandoned.