PC Only Parties?

[Kardis]

Hey! One of my favorite things about Icewind Dale 2 and BG2 (and Temple of Elemental Evil, which I just found and started playing!) was the ability to have an entire party of PCs, skipping the PCs entirely (or almost entirely). Do you intend to have this as an option in the game, or will it be more like Planescape: Torment, where there's only one true PC, and then you get a bunch of controllable NPC sidekicks? Game looks really neat, look forward to seeing great things!

[Monte Carlo]

BG2 allowed you to make your own party by starting a multiplayer game and making six PCs. You then cut and pasted the game file from MP to SP and off you went. I've done this numerous times to try out strange party themes (completed BG2 with six rogues for example).

 

This would be cool for this game, definitely adds re-playability.

[Freddo]

I'm pretty much from the opposite standpoint here, I don't like it when the player create and control the whole party. I just want to deal with "me", and then let the other characters in the party be really fleshed out by the game designers. So yeah, I very much prefer the Planescape: Torment way over the Icewind Dale way

[Bos_hybrid]

I would like to see this as an option.

 

Maybe a stretch goal.

[Indiphilo]

If the entire party was PC only (like in IWD) it wouldn't allow for much party banter. Of course, they could always take the BG/BG2 route and just enable the option for players to include non-protagonist PC-characters in the party.

 

But personally; I never preferred playing BG/BG2 with extra PC characters. It just felt weird when no one ever acknowledged their existence. They were like socially awkward robots, just smashing baddies and blowing stuff up without any motivation of their own.

[novander]

With so few companions in the game, I suspect we're going to go the PS:T way of deep and detailed NPCs tied to the main plot. Or, as I call it, the Awesome way.

[Kai]

I prefer to have my PC with a party of NPCs and all the banter etc, although I did a few runs in BG1&2 with an extra or a few extra PCs (things got stale after a couple of playthroughs). But in terms of replayability and different people's preferences, I think it would be great if there was an option to create all party characters ourselves. Sure it might be a bit more quiet, but I guess there's some people who like that as well. So pretty much like in BG where you could decide for yourself. Dunno how expensive it would be to implement, but I imagine it's cheaper if it's not dependant on multi player support.

[Pangur]

With so few companions in the game, I suspect we're going to go the PS:T way of deep and detailed NPCs tied to the main plot. Or, as I call it, the Awesome way.

I would really like it to be that way.

I like to deal with companions' personalities and different relationships (maybe even conflicts) within a party.

[dlux]

PC Only Parties?

Sure, why not - As long as they don't remove the option to have a party only made up of a main character + companions, then this is perfectly fine.

[dan107]

Full PC parties don't really work well with story driven games where interesting companions are one of the main, if not THE main, pillars that the game rests upon. A player created party only makes sense in a game where the main focus is tactical combat.

 

Having said that, I do support having a large amount of control over companion builds and roles in the party. When you pick up a companion you should at the very least be able to allocate ALL of his skill and ability points, and ideally even select from several classes for him to develop into.

[Kardis]

Wow, I got caught up in Borderlands 2, forgot to check this post, and look at where it went! Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I guess the consensus is, "Only if it doesn't **** with my NPCs" which is how I wanted it. (I've beaten BG2 so many times that powergaming runs have become my favorite, with 4-6 PCs and no NPCs at all. See youtube.com/kardis for details.) Hopefully, someone from on high sees this thread and let's us rock it. Thinking about it, ToEE also let you create a full party of PCs. With all of that said, PS:T probably had the best NPCs I've ever partied with, so if they're as good as those NPCs, then I guess it won't be so bad.

[Merin]

Two other threads on this -

 

 

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/60531-should-there-be-player-generatable-companions/

 

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/60149-1-pc-plus-companions-or-create-multiple-characters-plus-companions/?do=findComment&comment=1189259

[Kopi]

One way to solve this player-generated empty companion problem is for obsidian to provide character personality/story templates that you could attach to your companion.

[Rabain]

Josh already stated that the game can be completed solo. If it can be completed solo then there really isn't a decent argument anyone can give against creating an entire party yourself. If you play solo there are no party interactions, no deep and meaningful exchanges etc etc, just what you get with a player created party.