fgalkin

Well I sort of mentioned companions since I kind of rely on and built Durance as the mechanics guy. Though I did read respecs will come for companions in the beta patch notes so it shouldn't be an issue if they allow the same thing in an expansion. For chanter when leveling Kana I saw there were level 6 invocations as max when we only reached level 3 so I was imagining what else they could possibly make as summons in the future. Worst comes to worst, roll up a Rogue adventurer with maxed out mechanics. Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

You find Sagani before visiting Defiance Bay. How is that "pretty darn late"? Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

"magically appear?" You get traps in your inventory when you disarm them Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

You don't get XP by killing enemies in PoE, and there are only a couple of quests in that whole dungeon (4, I think, if you count Kana's and the Master Below?), so no, you will not level up a lot. On the other hand, the Endless Paths seem to have more unique items than all the other locations in the rest of the game put together, and there is definitely good stuff there (superb-quality named weapons, for example). Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

We will find out in the sequel, I guess :D Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

"Duc" comes from the Italian "duce," which was the alternate pronunciation of the word "doge." Which is exactly the title they meant when they made the setting- a lifelong elected leadership position in the mercantile republics of Venice and Genoa. It was not arbitrary at all. Neither are the other terms they used. It's terms like "Godlike" and "disease pudding" that are the problematic ones. Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

Why is "consul" acceptable, but "duc" is not? Neither are English terms, so neither should be allowed, under your reasoning. Besides, "consul" doesn't even make sense, as the position is nothing alike, Might as well call it "Ambassador" or "Hierophant" or any other meaningless, but pretentious-sounding term Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

So, guguma, what would be your preferred replacement for "duc?" Please don't say "duke," because the position is not equivalent, so the English word does not apply. Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

VO isn't the problem, unrealistic Kickstarter goals are. Obsidian always had problems with estimating time and cost, so they apparently seriously thought they could make a game with $1 million, then felt the need to add unnecessary bits like Stronghold and Endless Paths, and backer NPCs. When they actually started making the game, they realized that they're in trouble re: funds, but it was already too late, and they had committed to the stretch goals. This is why the middle of the game feels kinda raw and unfinished, but we have a gazillion backer NPCs standing about, and 15 levels of the Endless Paths, rather than 15 new areas in Defiance Bay. Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

Yeah, that won't backfire on them at all.... Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

Uh....what? There is a way to engage Glasvahl in conversation. He tells about how his tribe were visited by a Watcher, and found out they were all reincarnated in the same group for hundreds of generations, which caused them all to Awaken to millenia of grudges and the like. They seek complete death and oblivion, so they are trying to open a gate into Rymgrand's domain. With 17 Resolve, I was able to convince them that they cannot oppose the will of a god, and they all left peacefully, and I was able to loot the temple, and free Alwah. When Rymgrand asks you why the elves had to be stopped, I answered that entropy is a slow process, and should not be forced by the will of kith. He agreed, and basically went "that's right, I don't speed up or slow down for anybody." I don't really have a problem with not being able to bring up Alwah at the door. The only reason you're allowed into the temple, is because she thinks you're a worshipper of Rymgrand. I suppose you COULD have a line of dialogue about it, which would result with the whole temple going hostile. Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

Not a time limit, or rest restrictions. A rest limit. You're only allowed a finite number of rests, say, 100, during which time, you must finish the game. That way you can travel as much as you want till you drop from fatigue. Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

Considering that in the real world, "race" actually plays a huge role in sexual attraction ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/06/racism-online-dating-habits_n_4226797.html ), do you expect the humans of Eora to overcome all that and suddenly start getting it on with orlans? Consider the Aedyr Empire, where humans and elves (the "prettiest" of the non-human species) are tied in ceremonial marriage, but most actual marriages occur between members of the same species. "Races of Eora look so similar to each other it wouldn't make a big difference, they could still look attractive enough." Yeah, you're basing that on what? Character portraits? Those probably don't do reality justice. For all we know, humans find the smell of elves repugnant, or vice versa. Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

Uh, you do realize that Islands of the Dead were a big part of Celtic culture, right, because their afterlife was supposedly set on an island? That's like saying PoE is the same as Mass Effect, and the same as Halo, because both involve technology built by an ancient civilization. Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

They get mana from SHOOTING PEOPLE IN THE FACE. It's ****ing awesome, is what it is. PoE mana > other games' mana Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

I disagree. Durance and Grieving Mother are every bit as deep as anyone from MotB or PS:T, even the really deep ones like Grace or Dakkon. The others were less so, but they still hold their own against Baldur's Gate companions. Remember Aerie, anyone? Anomen? EDIT: Not that you need depth to be good. My favorite NPC from the BG series happens to be Minsc. Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

Well...the bay did a lot of the killing.....*rubs it in* :D Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

Didn't they break the levees to drown the Aedyrans during the war of independence, or something? It's why Ondra's Gift is half-flooded? Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

Well, Dyrwood is based on the USA, so the Glanfathans are supposed to be Native Americans, but also draw inspiration from the Celts. So, not really a coincidence, as much as "both games draw on the same source material, since Josh Sawyer already knows it well from his previous work." Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

Go play Dragon Age? This was intentionally and explicitly not using the mana/cooldown system by design. Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

Fantasy novels based on real history is a bad thing? I'm sure George RR Martin will be surprised to hear that.... Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

You don't need to make up new words to create stupid names. Exhibit A: Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

Would I be missing out if I just came when I'm maxed out and clear out the whole dungeon in one go? Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

Those names have historic roots, based on history, The History, that actually happened, sadly most are named after massacred and extinct Native Americans, not only states but many cities and counties too. I just looked at what Mississippi meant and, surprise, it means "The Father of Waters" We know Massachusetts, Paris, Berlin, Cairo, Copenhagen, because we live on earth. When someone tells you they live in Copenhagen, you understand perfectly well what they mean. I do not intend to read the "Collected Volumes on the History of Dyrwood" or keep a "Concise Engwithian Dictionary" with me while I am trying to enjoy a story. So, you basically blame the developers for your own laziness and inability to immerse yourself in a story? Somehow, it's their fault for being too thorough in developing a setting? That's....not a very sensible attitude to have? Have a very nice day. -fgalkin I am saying the exact opposite, being thorough in developing a setting does not necessitate silly language games, the energy and resources used for this nonsense could have been spent in better quest lines and adventures, which surprisingly enhances immersion. I should design an RPG for you that teaches you Pseudo-Russian I am sure you will like it much better than PoE. You can immerse yourself in delightful linguistic gibberish. I find the Deity Quests Immersive, the sudden purple soul visions immersive, Durance and Grieving Mother's secrecy immersive, The question of "What the Dunryd Row is about?" immersive, What has occurred under Caed Nua (The Watcher's Stronghold) immersive, the sudden riot in animancy hearings immersive. But Lle a Rhemen ? I do not find this immersive. If that is your definition of immersive, well it is your definition of immersive... I agree, please, I am talking about excessive use here. A race called Engwithan's is perfectly fine, or "Adra". Think of it this way if Forgotten Realms elves referred to everyone in their own language then wouldn't it devalue the word "Irenicus"? I do not know if what you are telling here is based on fact, but I would not be surprised if this is Mr. Sawyer's touch of brilliance. I do not remember any use of these pseudo-languages in Durance or Grieving Mother dialogues. Maybe we would not be so wrong about the (Poe - Expansion) and (NWN2 - MotB) comparison, if the expansion is lead by Avellone instead. Thing is, the addition of the foreign words is neither random nor arbitrary. Languages are tied to culture, which are tied to the way these cultures perceive the world. I generally agree that adding languages is not a substitute for good worldbuilding. However, in PoE, I find that it actually complements the worldbuilding. You can, for example, easily see the extent of Dyrwoodan penetration of Glanfath by looking at the placenames, just like you can see where Valian colonization ended and Aedyran colonization began just by seeing where Romance-inspired placenames give way to English ones. This is done not only to differentiate the cultures, but because PoE societies are inspired by real world ones, so their languages would need to use words that do not exist anyway. Rather than making up whole languages, they coopted the sounds of real world ones. I don't see this as a problem. Have a very nice day. -fgalkin

The philosophical distinction is important. Consider the divine right of kings in our own world. For a time, the only claim to legitmacy of rule was "there is a God, and he said I should rule." This was a legitimate justification for certain families holding power. Then, the belief was lost, and suddenly the kings of Europe had to find a different way to justify their rule, and consent of the governed became important. So it is with the gods in PoE. If they are eternal and date from the birth of the world, then speaking against them is literally going against the natural order. It's a crime not just against the gods, but against the world as a whole. But if they are mere constructs of kith? They have power because they exist, and have power. They are not part of the natural order. You don't actually have to follow them if you don't want to, and that is an equally legitimate course of action. You can even fight them and kill them with animancy, if you are strong enough. Don't like Skaen's methods and think that his quiet seething hatred is slowly eating the world from within? Kill him. Don't want to leave the downtrodden without recourse? Create a new one. Create Divine Gandhi, who will resist oppression with nonviolence. That power is there, for the kith to grasp. Now, you can say that Gods are actually useful. They still have their power and provide guidance, and perhaps people cannot be trusted with the power to rule themselves (a view that I'm not entirely unsympathetic to, looking at our own world), but following them suddenly becomes a CHOICE. You follow them because you think it's the right thing to do. Not because it's the only way. Have a very nice day. -fgalkin