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This will be a large entry so bear with me. I've done a lot of thinking about this because if I'm to send a letter to someone who may choose to run with this, it needs to be a solid concept. I've been a Fallout fan for years, and I recently did another playthrough of New Vegas. Still enjoyable, still stunned at how entertained I was, and still wanting more. A lot of times, especially with the Fallout games, the developers like to let the lore tell the story about what happened later; the fallout of your decisions, so to speak. You'll hear about the Chosen One or the Lone Wanderer in future games no matter how sparse the rumors. In this regard Obsidian was very clever in opting only for hints at what had been occurring on the east coast since Fallout 3. With the closing of New Vegas the story indeed felt complete... or at least so I thought. However, after some pondering and due consideration I have come to the conclusion that that is not a necessity. Both Obsidiean and Bethesda LOVE to experiment. Granted, Bethesda seems to have opted a bit more for universal acceptance of their work, with the advent of Skyrim and all the appeal to previously untapped markets of gamers who fancy other genres perhaps but not intentionally at the expense of their core consumers. Either way, the game was new, diverged a bit from it's origins, and it was still a wonderful experience. We all know and hope that Bethesda continues to bring Obsidian into the fold. There's been a lot of suggestions and hopes from both sides of the fence that Betheda continue developing their East Coast dystopia while allowing Obsidian to further develope the West Coast so well established by past Fallout titles. It is a good balance, especially if the teams consult one another and play the titles/take notes regarding what occurred in their counterpart's games so that they can properly interweave the two with perhaps a few slight references and nods; acknowledging the shared universe. With that said, perhaps Obsidean should consider a strange yet new direction that no Fallout has really taken before. Not something that establishes a pattern for future titles, but something that can really give themselves and their fans something new and intriguing to try: the "file transfer" or "contigent continuity" cencept. Mass Effect utilized the idea quite well. The idea that your character would become something more, and that your previous decisions carried weight in future games. Bioware, however, were not the first to dream up this ingenious aspect of gaming. The Suffering, a 2004 survival-horror game, did the same. Although theirs was a more straightforward way of handling the idea, Midway/Surreal did something interesting for gaming by making decisions matter. The Suffering read your save game data and loaded the outcomes from one of three possibilities based on decisions made within the games like saving someone or killing them. Long before that, Psycho Mantis of Metal Gear Solid would comment on the type of person you are based on the information the game extracted from your memory card regarding which games you played. This idea is time-tested as being extremely satisfying to gamers because unlike the "ulitmate end" they experience with most games, there is a feeling of genuine accomplishment regarding everything you did. And despite its media, is that not what many video games strive for? A closer and closer reflection of the person wielding the controller or keyboard? There are MANY ways to handle this, all of which would work with varying degrees of difficulty for the developer and any of which should be HIGHLY satisfying for consumers thus ensuring good sales figures for the game, though in all honesty, I can't think of a main-series Fallout that didn't sell well. I will lay out these ideas by number for organization. 1. The TRUE continuance. In this scenario, YOU ARE THE COURIER. You pick up where you left off, whether years later, or simply right after the battle at Hoover Dam. Methods of character extraction - Since unlike Mass Effect, Obsidian likely did not plan on such a direct sequel and has such would not have "flagged" outcomes in the file beyond what can be read by the game itself for the ending, there would be two easy ways to handle this. -First way: Release a patch for the original New Vegas that would both set markers for reputation outcomes and end came scenarios. Since the original gmae had you load a save prior to the completion of the battle at Hoover Dam after completing it, this way might be difficult but surely not impossible. I also know that the games use character-gen codes for appearence, so that would be an easy way to import the character design, though that's largely unimportant. -Second way: A storied menu at the start of the game where a narrator tells about the story of the Courier and you determine the outcome of the decisions and reputations in the first game. -Alternatively: Just request the outcome of New Vegas with regard to who holds control, excluding the various faction and town based outcomes. This way is a bit less substantial, but it would relieve a LOT of stress on Obsidean's part for developing a game given how many different outcomes there are for each settlement and faction especially when you include the outcomes of DLC like Old World Blues. With this first way, it would be interesting to continue on with your character. Features could be added that allow you to make economical and militaristic decisions given you chose an independant Vegas in the first game like choosing how to manage New Vegas with regard to security which could increase or decrease monthly earnings. Letting everyone in would increase earnings but run a higher risk of raiders and the like trying to take New Vegas and scaring people away. Alternatively, letting too few factrions into New Vegas would result in a low income which would not only provide the player with less benefits but remove features of New Vegas if enough time passes since there is not enough money flowing in to fund them. Same thing could go for the casinos, you could decide to lower your cut or squeeze them, affecting how well they do and whether or not the club stays open. This same feature could work with ANY of the four outcomes given Obsidian goes the route of letting your character take control. For example, Caesar or Colonel Moore could put the Courier in charge of managing Vegas. Same thing could go for House. In this way, the choice you made to align with a faction STILL allows Obsidian the leniency of pre-progamming the inevitability that your character runs New Vegas without comprimising the faction you chose. Gamers too often complain that they are not given a choice that results in diversity without realizing the enormity of programming a game that widely diverges based on decisions. To do this, it would likely take a developer far too many years to put the game out on the same console, let alone enough resources and funding that would likely outweigh the cost-benefit of even making the game in the first place. As much as I understand the disappointment of ME3's ending, there is a large following of people that understand that EA put them on a timeline and budget, which was not their choice. Working with Bethesda would allow Obsidean some room to manuever since Bethesda technically owns Zenimax, meaning the developer runs their own producer, which is a HIUGE advantage that allows them time and funding to complete games as they see fit. This is why we saw a 5 year gap between Oblivion and Skyrim, and why we are seeing such a huge gap between Fallout 3 and Fallout 4. The rumors for Fallout 4 are only just NOW circulating, so that should give you an idea. I feel this idea would be more fan-based than it would dev-based given how much time and effort it would take to complete such a game. 2. The comprimise. You are NOT the Courier. You exist in or around the Mojave Wasteland. You are a character relevant to the Courier's story. You now opertate in a Vegas controlled by the previous protagonist, and as such his/her decisions weigh on the setting and lifestyle you lead. There will be a lot less explanation on this one than the previous entry because I've covered a lot of possibilities with that one that can apply to this and the following one. In this scenario, perhaps you are a character that does the Courier's bidding, or are trying to take him/her down. Or perhaps the Courier is an entity beyond what you can hope to work with. Either way, the decisions you made in New Vegas can still affect the landscape, the atmosphere, and many elements in the Mojave. Within this scenario, less choices need to be made regarding what you did in the previous game, and perhaps we could even have a voiced Courier where you choose at the beginning whether your Courier was male or female, and what faction they allied with. 3. The reasonable. In this instance, New Vegas is DLC. This game takes place in a nearby land, or at least near enough for your character to visit New Vegas. At the beginning of this DLC, you choose a few details regarding your previous character like who you sided with, whether the characer was male or female, etc. Obsidean could build an interesting plot for a DLC that involves the previous Courier and allows you to explore a new more fully developed New Vegas shaped by the decisions made in the previous game. That ends the scenarios that I have been able to come up with. I'm sure there are more possibilites, but I believe I've given the most basic and probable ones. Thing is, places like Kickstarter have managed to revive games like Wasteland, and even produce consoles like OUYA. If a site where you can donate money can do something like that, then you can imagine what fans can do when they ALREADY love a series that has solid funding. A series where fans can promise their interest and their intent to purchase. I don't know whether or not Bethesda plans to give Obsidian further chances to expand the franchise, but I can tell you a lot of people loved New Vegas and I'm quite sure many of you would be more than willing to shell out a few sheckles for something like this. I will end with this, and am more than open to further propositions and comments. Just please, be eloquent. Gamers made Wasteland 2 happen, gamers made Bioware create the Extended Cut for Mass Effect 3. YOUR VOICES MATTER! All I can hope for is that Obsidean listens to its fans. All I can hope for is that Bethesda does the same. Even if it never happens, the fact that the desire was acknowledged matters. I assume that Obsidean isn't working on a future Fallout because I assume that they would alternate with Bethesda, and since Bethesda has only recently begun its work on Fallout 4, it's a fair assumption. What does this mean? It means TIME. It means Obsidian has the time to propose the idea to Bethesda. It means they have the time to work on it with the new Creative engine, which I assume Bethesda will use, it means they have time to listen to fans, to develop the game, to hear our battlecries! P.S. I can't go back to a Fallout that doesn't include gambling. I really can't. That's a simple fact. My friend and I were so engrossed in the atmosphere of it that we are ordering custom cards and poker chips that are factory distressed to look like cards and chips that appear in New Vegas. Both display the logo of The Tops Casino. We are even building a Blackjack table that matches ones seen in The Tops, and several of our friends have committed to weekly blackjack games. Nerdy? We don't think so. The environment in New Vegas was something else. The old world music combined with the decrepit casinos and the fun of gambling attracted us to something we'd otherwise not cared about beyond perhaps the occasional fantasy football league.

To minimize eversprawling speculation threads, I decided to make this one. I put links from information from Josh Sawyer about new mechanics and other interesting stuff. I do believe we'll get more detailed updates for what's new in Pillars 2 by the devs themselves soon enough, but untill then we can use these and talk around them. Fell free to link any other info I might (probably) missed! - STREAMING: new Q&A session with Josh Sawyer at Oct. 8th https://twitter.com/WorldofEternity/status/828797084643897344 - Interviews: http://www.mmorpg.com/pillars-of-eternity/interviews/pillars-of-eternity-ii-deadfire-returning-companions-and-continuing-saves-1000011515 (thanks Barbedbeat!) https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/01/31/inside-pillars-eternity-ii-deadfire-game-director-josh-sawyer/ - About when we'll meet the companions: http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/156538181671/so-with-3-of-the-6probably-7-soon-companions http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/156540200006/hi-josh-as-we-already-know-at-the-beginning-of - About grimoires and trinkets: http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/156538820176/any-chance-in-poe2-grimores-could-be-made-a-little from L4wlight in the Josh sawyer something awful poe2 thread http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/91241-josh-sawyer-something-awful-poe2-posts/?p=1880328 - About multiclassing: http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/156540101641/i-know-that-you-tried-to-avoid-trap-builds-in-poe from L4wlight in the multiclassing thread: http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/91182-one-word-multiclassing/?p=1878734 - About cloaks and necks: http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/156567713041/critical-question-will-there-be-separate-cloak - About skills: http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/156585382271/in-the-first-pillars-the-character-progression-was - A little more about Xoti (stretch goal companion): http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/156604263206/did-you-know-about-lantern-shields-and-will-there - Josh Sawyer Q&A: The entire video in text (from kirottu's thread! http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/91394-twitch-qa-in-old-skool-text-form/)https://www.reddit.com/r/projecteternity/comments/5rju7y/link_deadfire_qa_session_with_josh_sawyer_1h05m/ - About reputation system: http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/156893676606/in-deadfire-will-we-see-changes-to-the-reputation - About proficincies and skills: http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/156893948066/weapon-proficiencies-are-in-but-are-the-weapon - About importing saves (from Fig comments section, contribution by IndiraLightfoot): Can someone tell me which savegame should I keep "safe" until Pillars 2 is out? The "gamecomplete" one? Feargus: just asked Adam, and he said it is the one called "End game save". - About racial bonuses & godlike types (From Fig comments section, contribution by IndiraLightfoot): 1. Are racial bonuses going to be changed? ​2. Will there be different types of Godlikes? (Wael, Skaen, etc) Feargus: Racial bonuses are not going to be changed, and (2) For right now, there are not going to be different types of Godlikes. - About party size (From Fig comments section, contribution by IndiraLightfoot): Faergus: I can say the party being five people is something we will stick with. - About system requirements (From Fig comments section, contribution by PrimeJunta): System requirements unchanged from Pillars 1 (sorry for not providing a link or a copy-paste crom the original post but it's lost in the 2k+ comments in Fig and I though it was important).

​With these tags I expect at least a little traffic, so, for newcomers. Campaign​ (Read me! Human advert!) https://www.fig.co/campaigns/deadfire I'm discussing suggestions and philosophizing about design:​ It looks a bit like it might have more features than simply being a map you travel across (Information, Population, etc. "Eothas mad!!" -1000 Population, change of Faction ownership and whatnot maybe even, source). ​World Map/Global Turns/Global Timeline A discussion on Fig got me thinking... and about Readceras as well... ​Basically, how do the people of Eora communicate at long distances? Telepathy? Soul sharing? Or are Gods the operators? When Eothas is reborn, he texts everyone at the same time "I'm back"? Or other Gods pick up on it and warn their followers? How does it function? ​Let's say that they don't. It's medieval times, you have to send out runners and messengers, by horse, or bird messenger etc. it'll take weeks, months, before any decision is made. A Board Game World Map. With Global Turns, or perhaps "Global Timeline", and Faction AI taking in-game turns at the same time as the Watcher moves on the World Map. So it'd really​ become "Hunt​ a God", even on the World Map. What I'm really wondering about is what could be done with Mid-Game Turns and Late-Game Turns. ​This is just an example to give a general idea: ​Turn 1: Eothas wakes up. Takes a walk through Defiance Bay. ​Turn 5: Dyrwood refugees arrive. ​Turn 8: Eothas arrives at Nekataka. Huana sends messengers to Rauatai. ​Turn 9: Watcher arrives in Deadfire. Eothas leaves Nekataka. Turn 11: Rauatai arrives at Nekataka. ​Turn 15: Eothas destroys a village. ​Turn 20: Readceras arrives. ​Turn 1'000'000: Eora blows up. ​The Player would be able to completely ignore or intercept and act how they want. It might also not be 100% obvious "Here it is" pointers, but more or less random events occurring all around you as you travel on the World Map (because detective work and looking for clues is fun. Tracking down Eothas would be badass more than "Here I Am" on the World Map, even if he would just be patrolling A to B). Invisible Random Encounters essentially. https://i11a.3djuegos.com/juegos/11994/battle_brothers/fotos/set/battle_brothers-2761733.jpg EDIT: Sunless Sea is also a great example: http://scientificgamer.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/sunless_london.jpg ​Thoughts?

I really like PoE and was hoping that maybe there was going to be a second game but I read the other day that one of the devs said getting the game workig on linux was a mistake and took loads of time. Does that mean any future sequel will be windows only?

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/78825-the-reason-why-a-lot-of-va-isnt-voiced/?p=1680668 After I made the post linked above, and observed the conversation that ensued for a while, I started thinking... VO is quite expensive. Like... really expensive. And if we assume that a game development studio has a given amount of money allocated to a game, say X dollars... then it follows that any money spent on VO is by necessity money that can't be spent elsewhere. That's how money works. My own personal preference is that games like this have some VO, but not a huge amount. Think "original BG and Torment" levels of VO, not "BG:EE or modern RPGs" levels. I think a small amount of VO adds a huge amount of characterization and immersion to the world - but that any more than that isn't worth the money it costs. Again, any money spent on VO is money that isn't spent on more talents, areas, quests, characters, QA... etc. So I'd prefer that a PoE expansion or PoE 2 have some VO, but not quite as much as PoE and certainly not more. I'd prefer to see that development money spent elsewhere. That's just my personal preference. And although we could (and probably will, knowing this forum ) have a protracted discussion about the pros and cons of VO, that's not my main purpose in making this post. I just want to see what the community thinks. Because although it's entirely possible that most people want more VO or Obsidian has their own strategy/design goals/marketing research and doesn't really care what a forum poll says... it's also possible that most people don't want more VO and Obsidian doesn't actually realize that. So... although the chances of that second scenario are probably pretty small, I figured I might as well check. Why not? All this can do is give Obsidian more information, which is good for everyone. In the post I linked above, it seemed like the vast majority of public opinion was on the "nah, don't spend more money on VO" side - but then again the people who actually post on the forum are a small subset of the people who read it, so I'm curious what the poll will say. So tell us - what do you think Obsidian should prioritize in the future? More money on VO, or no?

Probably most folks will disagree but i wonder how nice it will be if PoE will continue the story after PoE with expansions and it will merge with him so that u can do a full Playthrough starting with PoE at lvl 1 and then finish with PoE 2 at lvl 25 or so. It can work as standalone too so if you wanna start directly with PoE 2 you can build a lvl 15 character and start just after PoE+Expansions ends. Do you prefere this way or a completely new settings\characters for PoE 2?

so i wanted to open this topic to ask opinions and questions on ME4 general thoughts. 1)you're going to buy it? 2)what do you think of it? 3)how it will be?successful or fail? IMO 1)Maybe,if the game is good enough 2)it will be an average game 3)for me it's not going to oversell or fail,it will be an average seller what about you?

Let's be serious; all the good RPG series (The Old Republic, Elder Scrolls, etc.) these days are being made into fancy, newfangled MMO's. It practically goes without saying that the MMORPG model is proven to offer the benefit of a greater social gaming experience with absolutely no costs with regard to narrative depth, mechanics, graphics, or any other measure of quality, so what's there to lose? Should Project Eternity be next?