Cantousent

Well, I guess I'll go out on a limb here. alan mentioned something earlier about his dad dying when he was younger and that it was the most 'mature' moment in his life in terms of dealing with things in an adult manner. I think miasma's question about sex trafficking could make for a 'mature' theme as long as it transcends the typically didactic, morally intrusive, and frankly ignorant crap we get in video games. To make my point, I was going to cite a whole slew of things from my past, but they're private things and better left elsewhere. However, I will specifically discuss the sex trade. When I grew up, I joined the Navy and served in various places. In some of those places, because of the sheer population of prostitutes, and the fact that in some bars and discos and even restaurants the hookers would actually sometimes wait tables and perform non-sex trade tasks, I got to know several of them pretty well. This was especially true of Itaewon, where the ladies of the night would sometimes proposition me and other times, if I were in the company of a female service member, proposition my date instead. If miasma wants to treat the theme of sex trafficking maturely, then it's going to entail something I rarely see in computer games, which is the wide breadth of reasons women and men go into the sex trade. What makes for a good story and what makes for a mature theme relies so heavily on the writer that I would much rather the team only put in things about which they have personal experience, considerable research, or have contemplated extensively and discussed with people with first hand knowledge. Just throwing in something mature will probably be disconcerting, almost certainly be laughable, and detract from the game. I think folks who suggest adult themes should bring their perspectives. Are they curious about it? Were they personally impacted? Is it a common problem? EDIT: On the other hand, I don't think I'd really want to delve into a game that sported an STD meter and required weekly anti-viral boosters to combat my previous infections.

The question has been answered, so I don't want to fight over whether or not we will get combat xp. We will, and that's the way it is. ...But your assessment isn't really what a lot of us have been saying. The addition of non-combat incidental xp has been around for a long time precisely because of what you describe. I refered to it earlier as the 'me too' mentality. ...But it's the same thing. My problem isn't that combat xp leaves out non-combat solutions. My problem is that folks are rewarded for doing incidently for doing things they'd normally do in a game anyway. As a matter of fact, the addition of non-combat xp just made it easier to forget the R of RPG and do the job several times in order to maximize xp gain. It's the classic example I read somewhere around here of picking the lock of a door to which you had a key because you would get xp for doing it. How sad.

I know the one I want to see answered and it's doing pretty well right now. Otherwise, a lot of the questions make sense. I'll be interested to see what Cain ends up answering.

I think it's funny how the votes keep going up and down.

I'd never even heard of reddit before today, but then again I'd stopped following computer games for a while. I will say this on their behalf: It's easy as hell to register and ask a question. Quick, Merin, I seem to agree with you about most stuff, go ask a question and I'll vote for it. :Cant's **** eating grin icon:

Not that consensus really matters, and heaven knows my views have kind of lost out in the few cases I've expressed them so far (especially regarding kill xp), but I wouldn't mind some specific in-game reward that doesn't completely go hog wild. I would still prefer no in-game rewards, especially since I firmly believe (believe and therefore can't prove :Cant's glaring at Vol icon:) that most folks who would complete a game from start to finish in pain and iron modes would have played those modes without any incentive. ...But I don't have the fire in my belly to fight over these things so I'll just give my opinion. Either way, I'll play the game on regular the first couple of times and after that, since I assume I'll do at least three runs, I'll go hardcore all the way. Believe me, Sarge, I'll argue against in-game rewards, but I'll use the hell out of them if they're included. :Cant's wry grin icon: EDIT: Geez, I've gotten to the point where I can't write a post without leaving out critical words that change the meaning of the sentence.

I'm opposite on this one. I wouldn't want any in-game benefit for doing this at all. The only thing I would want, and this is only if they include achievements in the first place, would be achievements for those modes and maybe one extra for completing on all three in the same run. If there's an epilogue or summation at the end, maybe they could give a nod to the mode, not overtly but clearly enough that it gives a little ego-stroke. What I don't want is one copper, one rusty dagger, or one experience point more for choosing any of these options. EDIT: Had to make my brain addled message clearer. Also, so this is the fourth race? The Godlike? So we have several races still waiting to be unveiled?

Sooo... I take it you don't like elves, claw? Anyhow, I like elves quite a bit and I'm glad they're in the game. :Cant's shrug and grin icon: I hope it doesn't eat at you too terribly much. A little, maybe, but not too much. Anyhow, the underlying point is still cliche. Either that or more aimless elf hate on the part of clawman. It's all good.

I think the OP's main point is to get away from the counter-cliche that has become cliched. I don't think that using elves and dwarves in the way Tolkien envisioned them is a bad thing since sometimes the attempt to break out of the cliche creates another cliche. If I'm going to have one cliche or the other, I'll take Tolkien's any day. On the other hand, I do think coming up with new and interesting ideas just because you want to try new things is good. If your motive is simply, "I hate the cliche," then I think the idea itself is shallow. If your motive is, "what cool things can we do?" then I think you've got a great point. Anyhow, I like this idea for elves and dwarves: I think it would be cool if there were one where the dwarves were the ancient race and humans were the young race. The dwarves basically run everything as an empire, which they conduct with brutal efficiency and well. Elves are actually mutated humans who have undergone some sort of magically expedited evolutionary process. They are long lived, quite fertile, and growing in number. They are so beautiful and durable that humans feel inferior and it's caused an epidemic of hopelessness among the human population. The dwarves feel threatened by this quickly growing evlish population and forge a tenuous alliance with humanity to subdue or even destroy the elves. Hell, let the player choose to play either a member of the dwarven alliance or one of the elves.

I think this is a great point. If you know of any publications, why not just send them the good word. Even a letter to the editor of the game mag or a suggestion for a story would be great. In fact, if you know an Italian magazine, you could send word about the prospect of getting an Italian translation. I don't know if it will do any good, but I know it won't hurt. ...And maybe Obsidian will get a nibble from them and do a story which will be free advertising.

I actually agree with this in general, but I think there's a place for a villain/adversary/antagonist who is out for you and you spend all your time trying to figure out why. "Why me? What have I done to deserve this?" There's just so much a skilled writer can do that nothing should be off the table.

Great point, dlux. I've played some games that I swore must have been bad translations only to find out they were developed in English from the start. lol Some of that... radiant? whatever exchanges in Oblivion were like that.

Actually, no matter what table they use for the game, what I'd really like is that the player not know the numbers. Give some sort of graphical feedback to let him know how close the character is to leveling, but keep the actual numbers hidden.

I can't remember what I thought was so funny last night. Go figure. Also, I think the arguments I've read here make more sense than anything I have in mind right now. I actually don't hate the idea on its face. I think I should have stopped myself from posted a little earlier than I did when I posted in the topic. Beg pardon. I think the point about auto-leveling is probably the most compelling to me personally.

Okay, I will admit I"m not at my best right now to answer this, but all's I would ask is that you keep in mind Feargus was answering a specific question and, while he's the head of the project, he's still part of a team. I think you might want to give it a little time. Yes, that was the question asked and I did convey the essence of his answer, but I also think you might want to get more info from the likes of Sawyer and Cain, which is also what el Jefe said.

QFT Whatever I want, the fact is that I trust Obsidian to do it the right way. If I didn't trust them, I wouldn't have pledged at all. I'm a cheap bastard and it would have been much easier to wait until they released the game. If we trust them a little, we should trust them a lot. It makes it a lot easier to accep the decisions when you ocnsider that there's a reason you follow them and they don't follow you Enough of my oenophilic ramblings, but that's the way I see it.

Feargus just responded to a question by asserting that combat will be necessary to complete the game, which of course means that combat is king. You know, I think it's time to repsect that the design tema wants a combat or at least encounter driven game. No biggie. I disagree iwth the exp. scheme, but that's the way it is.

My God. hahaha Seriously, I have to say that the game is a totally new system. I much prefer... okay, this is atopic to which to respond in the morning. ...But I dsiagree.

:Cant's shrug icon: Well, I do prefer mages. ...But I prefer elves. What's a guy to do? I think it will just be one of those things where you'll do whatever and, if you're a metagamer, go back and kill whatever you didn't have to kill in the first place. Feargus got another question about it and said he prefers folks to get xp from all sorts of activities.

Vol, you yutz! lol You've won *this* time, but we'll meet again! bwahahaha

EDIT: Sorry, forgot to post the question: "I know this has been answered by implication, but will the PCs be gaining experience only for achieving objectives or will they also gain experience situationally by picking locks and killing monsters and other skill based actions in the game?" Feargus: "You will get XP for both - Tim might have covered that in Update 7 (not totally sure thought)." This answers the question for me. I prefer it done differently, but it's the way it is.

EDIT: Sorry, forgot to post the question: "I know this has been answered by implication, but will the PCs be gaining experience only for achieving objectives or will they also gain experience situationally by picking locks and killing monsters and other skill based actions in the game?" Feargus: "You will get XP for both - Tim might have covered that in Update 7 (not totally sure thought)." This answers the question for me. I prefer it done differently, but it's the way it is."

When will there be a sample of the music? I know it might not be soon, so I'm ready for a "sometime in mid 2013" answer, but I keep hoping it will be soon.

I don't know. A few things jumped out at me. First of all, the sensible looking gear. I think that purse on his right hip might flop around a bit. I took Tae Kwon Do way the hell back in time and then fencing later. I prefer not to have crap swinging around while I'm moving. Seocond of all, like a lot of folks have said, he's got a whip in his shield hand, and it is strapped to his arm. Third of all, he doens't have on full plate. He's wearing relatively light armor except for maybe a chain shirt. I know there will be heavy armor in the game, but this first example of a human fighter isn't wearing full plated armor so much as a breastplate from what I can tell. I'm a little diminished in capacity right now, but that's what strikes me right now.

Ah, ya got me. I think it's just too weird for me. I would find it interesting, but I want PE to have boring old experience points. I don't want to surrender either.