Heijoushin

Gentlemen, I notice a worrying trend in RPG society. Recently, I hear a lot of talk about decreasing or removing trash mobs. “Don’t waste my time”, I hear you say, “Give us scripted encounters!” or “I’m an important man. I have better things to do with my time than killing Xaurips.” However, yesterday, I played Tides of Numenara, a game that takes this idea to its extreme conclusion: the complete elimination of trash mobs. And gentlemen, it was a sad state of affairs. Basically, trash mobs teach the player how to play. To test out new skills, and to see what works. If a boss battle is the first time you’re put behind the wheel of your character, don't you feel a little unprepared? In Tides, I permanently feel like “Wait! Don’t hit me! I’m not ready yet!” If you’ve designed your combat system well, killing trash mobs should be fun! I mean, look at Icewind Dale. The whole game is about killing trash mobs and its awesome! Since when did this become a chore? Trash mobs are just average Joes trying to make a living. They have families to feed. Don’t put them out of work. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PunchClockVillain) Thank you for listening.

Sank 5 hours into it last night. I don't have any problem with the UI. Generally finding the writing good, though many characters suffer from Grieving Mother syndrome (lots of obscure waffle). Lots of interesting companions. I particularly like Rhin, who I understand was written by old Patrick Rothfuss. The combat is by far the weakest part. Its clunky, frustrating and unsatisfying. Just ignore it as much as possible and pretend you're reading a visual novel.

I figured as much. I guess I'll go into it with the attitude of reading a novel.

What!? Is that true? People don't complain becaues they don't know!! I mean, hookers are kind of a waste of money in RPGs, so who actually tests this stuff?

Hmmm... nothing that I didn't already know. Mostly, I'm worried that there will be too little combat. I mean, I know the trend is "no trashmobs!" but doesn't it get to a point where you have too little combat?

Josh wrote Yxunomei? I love that snake chick! (and Icewind Dale's humour in general). If that's Josh's sense of humour, I think there is hope.

Hey Aleh. I will get in before this thread devolves into a flame war. We're not even 100% sure that conventional romance is in the game. All it said in the backer update is "As far as where the relationships can lead, companions may develop strong feelings of camaraderie, loyalty, loathing, fear, contempt, or even love". Sounds to me like it will be very light, so there won't be any need for a character to do a "sexuality flip" based on the player character. Moving onto the next question, yeah, there were no great lookers in PoE1. Would having a few babes on the team make the player base happy? Maybe. In PoE2, I would say that both Xoti and Ydwin are quite attractive. But considering how strongly everyone reacted to Ydwin's concept art, poor Obsidian has to be very careful.

Hatofuru boyfriend? Btw, I've been thinking: Can Ciphers read minds? Wouldn't that make for awkward moments in terms of romance? Ydwin: Watcher, I've finished scouting out the area, and... you pig! Watcher: What! I haven't even said anything to you yet. Ydwin: Yeah, but you were thinking it. Watcher: Oh, yeah! You're a Cipher! Watcher: Look, Lets just get on with this, ok? (Bonus points if you know the reference)

What is this I don't even

Agreed. It's even vaguely annoying watching the opening screens before the character creation. CC should happen first before anything else.

Well, uh... I don't think THAT's a problem exactly...

They were tweeting hour ago that it is 12 hours to game's release. So I don't think that there is any delay in digital versions as they are distributed by Steam and GOG Yay!! He tweeted 4 hours ago that it goes live in 12 hours. That means it should be live when I get home from work tonight!!! *does a dance*

Do you think that he is a complicated character? Need to admit, he definitely has some depth, enough for a sidekick. I don't know if "complicated" is the word I would use, but I enjoyed talking to him the most out of all the companions in PoE1. Now, Cadegund... Cadegund is Durance with boobs and a shotgun.

Are you trolling us? All we have for Cadegund is some concept art. I doubt she'll be as fun as the Ed-ster.

Gonna be honest: I hate kids. Is there an option to put it up for adoption?

But take care, they have a special kind of torture for those who eat pizza with pineapple. Nothing is really confirmed. These are just my guesses based on the info we have. There will probably also be opportunities to work with other gods again.

Hmmm... I do think a lot of the "clever" dialogue in PoE1 wasn't particularly witty. Makes it hard to play a cheeky character. I hope they'll work on that.

Dude, that's heavy topic. Should we ban misinformation? No. a) Who decides what's "misinformation"? b) What happens to freedom of speech? I do however think that people need to stop being so gullible, and take everything that they read online with a pinch of salt. Perhaps they should teach a course in schools about being more cynical and critical of information. Should we allow internet tracking? No. People have their right to privacy. As much as I agree that anonymity leads to trolling and people acting like douchebags, I don't want to see the internet "policed" like in China. On the other hand, I do worry about the damage done to so many industries. Anything that can be digitalized (books, games, movies, music etc.) can be uploaded, and distributed freely. Because of that, so many creative people (authors, artists and developers) find it harder to make a living. I really don't have a solution to that one... Heh, I almost agree with Guard Dog. But without the internet, how would we have crowdfunded Pillars of Eternity 2?

They were trying to do a very serious theme (soul-less babies), so they probably felt that there was a limit to the amount of humor they could put in. That being said, they had the immortal "Fye, you're itching for the kindling touch of your sister, ye coxfither" scene

*shrugs* They say that all the time but... I have lots of questions about that study: How big was their sample group? What country was it carried out in? What games count? How much time did you have to spend playing to qualify? etc. I mean, you get the occasional lass like Lord Mord's wife, but... I'm not convinced that we're at a 50/50 split yet.

How are you gentlemen. Sorry for all the random polls, but I’m just so bored at the moment… (especially since the fig campaign ended). Let’s talk about the factions. Who will you side with on your first playthrough!? Queen Onekaza II: Pretends to be weak, but plays the invaders against each other. Prince Aruihi: Wants to unite the Huana and throw off the yoke of the foreign invaders. The Valian Trading Company: Spreading the evil of modern banking to the four corners of Eora. The Royal Deadfire Company: Uses their large armada to dominate the seas. The Principi sen Patrena: A network of pirates, preying on all the new arrivals. I’m very curious about what “Principi sen Patrena” means. Principi sounds like it could be pseudo Italian for “princes” or “principles”. “Sen” could be “without”? (like Italian “senza”). Any ideas? Eothas: Burn the traitors and non-believers! Solo: If there is an option to reject all alliances and just beat the crap out of everyone.

Well... at the end of PoE1's development, I think Stealth was in an okay place. The suggestions in this thread are good, but this ain't Metal Gear Watcher, so I don't think they're going to spend too much time making the stealth system super realistic.

Leeuwenhart, you big humble-bragger *playfully punches shoulder*. With a GF 14 years younger, and all that experience lending your ear to customers, your Charisma score must be at least in the 15-18 range So, my 2 cents on romance: I don't think we need obvious in-your-face romance, just little hints of it. (Why doesn't this topic have a poll btw?) The best things about romance (the thrill of knowing that another human being is interested in you, the warmth of their body etc.) are impossible to replicate in a video game. At least, until we get human-like AI or super realistic VR. So I feel that the best thing would be to have subtle hints, but to leave the bulk of it up to the player's imagination. Have you gentlemen ever heard of the Japanese concept of "Chirarism"? This concept says that a little flash/peak of something is the most exciting. If we see the whole thing, we lose interest.

If you want conversation options, you need intelligence, resolve and perception. You could go wizard, Int & Mig, and then put any remaining points in res and per. Or a non-tank chanter could also work. (A non-tank wouldn't need the constitution) Dex helps to reload guns more quickly, but its not a big deal. To be honest though, while many people worry about conversation options, I don't think a few points of stats makes a huge difference to the overall play experience in PoE1.

Josh wrote on his twitter: re: ydwin looking like an anime character: pale elves were put in pillars to be drow-y anime characters. you've solved the riddle of steel. So many like her, and some immediately hate her on principle. Still, I'm glad Xoti and Maia also got lots of votes.