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So, given how the classes act in Beta (yes, I know Chanters are going to be nerfed, but let us face facts: they are way too powerful), what do you think your makeup will be? So far mine is thus: - Paladin Main - Chanter Support or Barbarian with max Might Paladins are amazing with their stacked traits and their passives.

It would be great if someone could shed some light on how Obsidian plans to incorporate this aspect in the game. I always roll a thief/assassin character in cRPGs and I am curious how it will turn out to be in PE. IMHO, BG2 had a very satisfying feel for the assassin - picking the right tools, items and skills, you could one-shot very hard foes before they got a chance to react. After that, you were kind of useless unless you had invisibility potions or items to do another stab, or it was running in the fog to re-stealth. The principle was very good and mostly satisfying but there were some pitfalls PE could learn from - first off, the one that most developers fail at - backstabing being based on weapon base damage / all weapons are equally good at stabbing. This must be avoided as a Staff of the Ram with huge base damage is an optimal backstabbing weapon no matter what. Instead, there should be a hefty bonus for daggers/short swords to make them the ideal weapon for such things. Dual-wielding should also amplify the backstabbing capabilities but should also have drawbacks compared to one-hand attacks. That said, a mace/sword rogue should definitely be a viable path and could have more consistent damage during combat as opposed to daggers that do a big initial burst but then perform worse as the clash stretches out. Another very important part is stealth and the mechanics surrounding it. I believe it's a consensus that the visual/audio hiding/checking should be merged into one, as no one would max one and leave the other low because that would still make sneaking impossible. Trying to go into stealth and "failing" was also mind boggling during the stages where your sneaking wasn't that good, requiring you to just sit there a couple of turns until you finally enter successful, so I think every attempt should be successful, it's just that lower levels would require you to be slower and more prone to detection. Visual cones is something that should definitely affect sneaking, as should walls and items that block vision (like in BG2). It shouldn't be too complicated though, a simple flat detection bonus should be applied if you are sneaking in front of someone as opposed to being behind them. Naturally, distance would factor in a lot as well. Anyway, I'll add more thoughts tomorrow, but feel free to add in or comment

Different types of paths and/or professions. Starting off as nothing but a commoner, the Event might not have happened or it is what happens on Square 1, opening scene or whatnot. Regardless, I'll use the "commoner" because I think that appeals to most different styles as possible. I had this idea for a mod for Baldur's Gate, instead of starting off as a "Fighter", you start off as a commoner. Going to Winthrop could make you a Bard, to the Priest and you can become a Cleric etc.etc. different types of professions instead of "just a class" that you choose during character creation. Being a commoner, we're in the first city, money is low and need cash. These different "Professions" wouldn't just be the "Class", but it could be woven into "Factions" and "Economy" as well. Having a "Proffession" generates "Income". But not only that, a different approach, from a different angle depending on which Profession/Faction you choose (to a start, you could always switch, what with Reputation). You could become a Guard, and your quests would be related to patrolling the streets, which would lead into deeper conspiracy, like the cop in L.A. Noire you start to suspect your superiors or whatnot. Anyways, your Fighter class getting stronger. Likewise, if Economy+Food also gets important somehow, becoming a Thief pickpocketing could also be a "Profession" and a way to get an "Income" going. The Thief would in turn also go his/her own path, perhaps through the Thieves Guild or even through stumbling into a Noble's house that happens to be woven into the grander scheme. With "Professions", there could be several different paths. As a Wizard and a magician, you might be granted audience with the "King", whilst a Thief might be visited by an associate to another King, when the Thief has been thrown in "Jail", leading to another "Faction". A Chanter or a Bard might seek work on the streets, or at Church, earning some little copper and in turn gets discovered by some aristocrat who pulls the Chanter in. Or perhaps you can go about and learn to master "Ancient Poetry" and spreads wisdom and investigates deep ruins. A treasure hunter who goes down deep dungeons and across land to find treasures dug down in the earth. Following in-designed riddles and clues. Some of the treasures being tied to an even greater plot. All part of the same grand plot, but simply different paths. Too much? Thoughts? Do you have any more paths that could be explored? Other Professions? Regardless if it would be too much for P:E, could it serve as inspirational material? Please, share your ideas for different types of "Fantasy" professions. Perhaps a "Monster Hunter" could be an actual profession, and at the top of it's "quest tree" you become a "Dragon Slayer" or as some would like it "Mythical Creature Slayer".

Something of interest for stealth game fans: an unofficial patch which upgrades the Dark Engine (used by the Thief games and System Shock 2) has been released, making it capable of running smoothly on modern systems. Among other things, the patch enables widescreen support, 32-bit textures and OpenAL. Check this TTLG thread for the full changelog. Links: Thief 2 V1.19: http://www64.zippyshare.com/v/33869454/file.html | md5 : 131cd0a1d9e626ee90e569571e8d0d01 System Shock V2.4: http://www64.zippyshare.com/v/89847252/file.html | md5 : 907489eccafe1cab55b01386f17a8efd Demo Thief 1 (Bafford's manor) : http://depositfiles.com/files/9qzqrf7mu | md5 : 6f297e85577c6faa89f62805e00fbc74 Demo System Shock 2 (Med/Sci deck) : http://depositfiles.com/files/q50s53phw | md5 : 062a84c68c4ff2b759f0820aedfa6d2f

I did not like stealing in BG2/PS:T/IWD at all. Nicking 10gp from someone out of dialogue and only being able to steal proper items in stores did not provide as much fun to me as stealing in, for example, Fallout did. What I'd love to see would be the ability to use my Stealing skill via conversation options (with the possibility of failure), and, most importantly, to steal from random NPCs out in the world without initiating dialogue. Of course it wouldn't make sense to steal the armor off someones back, but I'd love it if any item that is not currently worn would provide me with the option to go for it. The chance of success could be influenced by the weight or type of the item, and in special cases by how protective the owner feels towards the item. In the interface that'd show me the contents of his/her backpack and the chance of success, you could fuzz the numbers stronger by how little Dexterity/Perception/Intelligence/Streetsmarts/Awareness the protagonist and the target has. As the last ingredient, add a cooldown to stealing (5 times within 5 minutes or something) much like the gambling/reload cooldown in New Vegas worked, and I would be one happy sonofabitch. ...Okay, this got a little out of hand, I'm not designing the game after all... but do my fellow career rogues think about making Stealing more interesting?