Would you like to see undead in Eternity?

[Giantevilhead]

I want to see non-evil undead. I'd like to see a society where necromancy is accepted and used for the good of the entire nation. Mindless undead like zombies and skeletons can be used to perform menial labor. People can pay off their debts by allowing necromancers to raise them as undead after their deaths. Skilled and educated people could choose to be raised as undead so that they can continue to serve their nation after death. People allow themselves to be fed upon by vampires in exchange for ancient knowledge and wisdom or for apprenticeships.

 

Hehe, the first part sounds pretty familiar, haven't been talking to the Dusties have you?

 

The Dustmen don't actually interact with the living that much. They're not that well integrated into the rest of society. And they certainly don't have a nation of their own where both the living and undead co-exist harmoniously.

 

I would like to see a culture where necromancy and the undead play a big part in every facet of society from agriculture, to the economy, to industry, to politics, to philosophy, to religion, etc.

[Canova]

A few occasions where the player meets undead creatures and the scene would provoke "Oh the horror!" feeling, yes please. I would like to see undead as very hard opponents(or very powerful allies!), with a "How do you kill that which has no life?" feel to them.

yeah

most cRPGs use zombies and skeletons as a cannon fodder type enemies... i would like to see old school RPG where they are scary, repulsive and threatening as they should be

Edited September 19, 2012 by Canova

[Oerwinde]

I want to see non-evil undead. I'd like to see a society where necromancy is accepted and used for the good of the entire nation. Mindless undead like zombies and skeletons can be used to perform menial labor. People can pay off their debts by allowing necromancers to raise them as undead after their deaths. Skilled and educated people could choose to be raised as undead so that they can continue to serve their nation after death. People allow themselves to be fed upon by vampires in exchange for ancient knowledge and wisdom or for apprenticeships.

 

Hehe, the first part sounds pretty familiar, haven't been talking to the Dusties have you?

 

The Dustmen don't actually interact with the living that much. They're not that well integrated into the rest of society. And they certainly don't have a nation of their own where both the living and undead co-exist harmoniously.

 

I would like to see a culture where necromancy and the undead play a big part in every facet of society from agriculture, to the economy, to industry, to politics, to philosophy, to religion, etc.

 

Funny, I was working on a timeline on the althistory wikia site where Mexico had been taken over by benign necromancers who used zombies as a labour force. Most of the rest of the world saw it as an abomination and there were two crusades against mexico, but they were able to fight them off. The first necromancer Emperor became a Lich and still rules.

 

Anyway, back on topic. With all the shows, movies, etc. I'd like to see them stay away from Vampires and Zombies, just overdone at this point. Maybe explore Ghouls and Ghasts, or even simple ghosts and spirits a bit more.

[Elidar]

Also as a follow-up to what I said earlier, I'd like to see my companions to actually try and stop me from going to old graveyards and tombs. Literally. That's how I see it:

- through dialog where some or all of followers tell the PC that they are not going to that cursed tomb and won't let him/her to do the same (in case we have gone through a lot and became friends and еhey don't want to lose their leader/friend/etc.). And that's where the fun begins: you have to really convince them that you know what you're doing. And I'd go for something more sophisticated than just some kind of speech test or the like. So if you fail to convince them they'll just drag you away from the tomb (perhaps even with a tender smash on the head) and that's it. Or if they don't really like you that much for whatever reason they could just say "go ahead" and stay outside leaving you all alone in this dangerous endeavor.

 

Might be just my dreams, but I felt like sharing.

[Lysen]

I wouldn't mind to see some undead in the game, if they are done right (like in PST, for example). But please, no zombies... I just can't stand them anymore, they are in every damn game!

[descalabro]

I voted "YES" because undead creatures have plenty of combat-related elements, and they give good use to the abilities of the Clerk/Priest. More monster varieties is better anyway.

[Ieo]

I chose no. If I can't experience undead like in PS:T or something just as original, I'm not interested.

[Dem]

Since this game seems to be centred around the idea of souls, specifically that they're real, more tangible things that can influence its carrier (the PC and companions, for example, have been confirmed to have special, "strong" souls) it leaves plenty of ways to portray the undead in unique and exciting ways.

 

What are the undead in the setting of PE? Once mortal beings depraved of their souls and now cursed to wander the Earth as murderous shells? If so, what is the perception of the general populance of this? How would a sinister magic-user take advantage of them?

 

What I'm saying is, be creative and actually explain what they are and how they came to be. Undead beings actually come with a lot of implications and that should be reflected in how the beings populating this world should view things such as death and the afterlife.

[Torgamous]

I'd like to, for once, see a graveyard where dead are laying nicely in the coffins.*

 

1:st level "can you clear my cellar of rats, they're pretty big uns around here"

5:th level "oh dear, the local tomb seems to be filled with undead again, could you clear it up thank you".

I've always wondered why people in those kinds of worlds even have graveyards to begin with. I'd like to see a world in which people recognize that zombie infestations are a problem and act accordingly. Cremation isn't that difficult.

[Terror K]

To be honest (and I know this is a personal thing) but I'm getting really sick of zombies lately. Seems that every third game these days have zombies in it in some form, or things that act pretty much exactly like them, and that half of those titles are almost entirely revolved around zombies. If I want zombies I'll play a zombie game like L4D, Dead Rising 2, Dead Island, etc. and at the moment, I think there's more than enough of them and don't want to play them.

 

Almost every fantasy game has them in some form though, so I'll be surprised if they aren't in Eternity. Still... I'd prefer them in far more limited numbers than most games if possible.

[Sarog]

Yes, just not vampires. No vampires, please, I beg of you.

[daz23]

In crypts and tombs only, and I prefer the slow moving zombies that are weak to fire spells.

[Ravinous]

Undead yes.

 

All Undead evil... No.

 

Maybe the horrific thing we viewed was some of the horrifing things that happen to the souls of the people / beings once they died... Why then can we not have sad in need of saving undead spirts...

 

I mean YES I want to smite that evil lich in the caves of wonder... but I mean really... that poor Lich was just chillin in the cave with these EVIL living things of Light raided his home, killed his family, and then cursed him in the name of some unknown being... I mean really! Kick their arse Mr. Lich!

 

There are so many ways to twist things and make them new! Lets shed some new light on this whole undead steriotype.

 

I would LOVE to see something new, an undead city where you learn the powers of Necromancy. A civilazation with laws and governments from your Skelly Rats to Zombie LORDS!

 

Thxs

[Entropious]

To all skeptics: please remember that a HUGE part of NPC's in Planescape: Torment were undead. Chris Avellone is a genius when it comes to fleshing out all the possible plot devices any element of a given universe offers, and I truly doubt that he has already spent his whole potential.

[Ieo]

To all skeptics: please remember that a HUGE part of NPC's in Planescape: Torment were undead. Chris Avellone is a genius when it comes to fleshing out all the possible plot devices any element of a given universe offers, and I truly doubt that he has already spent his whole potential.

 

Yes, but "ONLY if they're awesomely original like in PS:T" isn't one of the options. So.

[Jarmo]

Yes, but "ONLY if they're awesomely original like in PS:T" isn't one of the options. So.

 

I'd add that but can't seem to be able to edit the poll anymore.

 

The results are pretty clear though, most want undead in the game and I'd guess most wont mind if they're handled in a new clever way.

But it's a minority which either doesn't want them, or only wants them in some new context.

[Ieo]

Yes, but "ONLY if they're awesomely original like in PS:T" isn't one of the options. So.

 

I'd add that but can't seem to be able to edit the poll anymore.

 

The results are pretty clear though, most want undead in the game and I'd guess most wont mind if they're handled in a new clever way.

But it's a minority which either doesn't want them, or only wants them in some new context.

 

Sorry, friend, but a forum self-selecting poll actually doesn't represent a decent enough number of players to make any clear conclusion.

 

Even in my poll that has a much bigger sample than yours, where PS:T-biased fans appear to severely outnumber other game fans, I can't possibly say that represents the 40,000 backers.

 

Still, with the qualifier, I wouldn't mind. I just find them terribly boring otherwise and expect more interesting new creatures in PE.

[Piccolo]

Not if they're just going to be mindless, generic enemies littered throughout the game as filler content.

 

Do something interesting with them or come up with something original.

[teknoman2]

I want to see non-evil undead. I'd like to see a society where necromancy is accepted and used for the good of the entire nation. Mindless undead like zombies and skeletons can be used to perform menial labor. People can pay off their debts by allowing necromancers to raise them as undead after their deaths. Skilled and educated people could choose to be raised as undead so that they can continue to serve their nation after death. People allow themselves to be fed upon by vampires in exchange for ancient knowledge and wisdom or for apprenticeships.

have you played torment?

[Cardo]

I don't have a problem with a few undead every now and then as long as every place isn't overrun with them.

[Blarghagh]

If Eternity reflects the thematic of this game accurately I'm assuming there will be some undead to adress the question of how far you would go for eternal life. I don't have a problem with undead myself, and I don't think anyone else does. The undead, by concept, aren't a bad thing, it's just that they're usually used badly or in a cliche manner.

 

(Also, none of these answers accurately reflect that opinion so I'm going to refrain from answering it.)

Edited September 19, 2012 by TrueNeutral

[Muzrub333]

No more random wandering Skeletons please. Make undead rare, and truly horrific. Or, make me, the player, undead.

 

If I can start the game, with a shattered soul, trapped within an undead husk it would be great.

 

With every piece of my soul that I recover, I become a bit more alive, while still being undead. The slow arduous process of searching out, and reclaiming the tattered bits of my soul, could culminate in a rebirth to true life. The horrific unlife I'd endured becoming nothing more than a collection of painful memories.

 

Perhaps it isn't my soul that I long for, but bits of many souls; wandering through the labrynth of existance, stealing bits of unguarded soul from the unsuspecting, the trusting, or the vulnerable beings I meet along the path. Taking what I need to once again become whole, and alive.

[IEfan]

Honestly, i'm just bothered that how COMMON undead is. It's like a custom in our culture that early-level PC group has to stumble into high-level necromancer-animated skeletons in a random foggy graveyard somewhere raised by someone you don't care to know with dumb Evil Reasons. Structurally/game-design wise, it's boring (location, lore (as it's more of a fascist/inhuman everyone-acts-the-same, nobody gives reasons for attacking - type of enemies) and script-wise) and unreasonable.

 

Like you don't need to drop the concept but you honestly elevate the encounters a lot with better enemy design and just by WHY these things exists anyways!

 

Or let's talk about the impression you get from undead: you killed lichs for breakfast in NWN 1 (or...killed Githyankis worth 400 exp in NWN2 for breakfast. so much for vorpal blades and legendary hunters...) when in BG2 you were just ASTONISHED that you can't seem to harm the ****er in any way and you get struck by bizarre, dangerous spells (while watchign the freak do that strange hip-hop animation in it's place while churning out the spell). Or that doomed warrior who was really tough at the Ulcaster School in BG1. Or jesus christ, that seemingly indesctrubtible warrior-horror or soul or whatever that attacks you after taking the Idol after that really disturbing quest, again in BG1.

He almost IS invicible, btw - he just has ridicilous amount of HP and great armor, so much that you have to resort to coward/summon tactics w/ probably half of team members dead anyways). I liked as a kid that i was given a REAL limit : no, you can't kill this, his power is just insane. You can't take all items/do what you want in this word like some big baby. There's not even any good reward from killing him! It sure left this kid frightened/mystified and humbled, that non-satisfactory quest with the haunting music.

 

It's not Obsidian's fault though, D&D always had animated skeletons/zombies for no reason. And yeah, suprised at how unthreatening zombies are... might be an interesting scenario where unstoppable (makes sense) living dead keeps springing up everywhere with ridicilous frenzied power and your job is to survive/escape (zombie horror/survival!) or locate the problem that raised them...

it's not a whole lot different scenario than the undead/mutant/radioactive city from Fallout. Talk about frightening/horrible experience folks!! You just felt horror+disgusts+anxiety+pity at the mutants and at the whole place and it's history - who the hell would make THIS happen in millions of years... The music and setting for the place was fantastic, plus the nagging fear of possible radiation from the place.

Edited September 19, 2012 by IEfan

[Nivenus]

On the issue of zombies...

 

Returning to what I said earlier, I think that zombies, if they should show up, should actually be pretty dangerous. Because logically speaking, they should be. We're talking about walking corpses, with no capacity for fear or any other emotion, who while slow-moving won't stop moving unless they're completely immobilized. Honestly, they should be a lot more difficult to defeat than a human footman or an elven archer, because you can't just hit them in a vital spot and kill them - they have no vital spots. At which point you're left to cleaving off their legs, arms, etc. until they no longer can move or attack you.

 

That sounds a lot more dangerous, terrifying, and interesting than standard bags of XP which take barely any more effort than an RoUS to defeat.

[Giantevilhead]

I want to see non-evil undead. I'd like to see a society where necromancy is accepted and used for the good of the entire nation. Mindless undead like zombies and skeletons can be used to perform menial labor. People can pay off their debts by allowing necromancers to raise them as undead after their deaths. Skilled and educated people could choose to be raised as undead so that they can continue to serve their nation after death. People allow themselves to be fed upon by vampires in exchange for ancient knowledge and wisdom or for apprenticeships.

have you played torment?

 

Yes, but the undead are not actually well integrated into the rest of Sigil. The Dustmen and the Dead Nation don't actually interact with the living that much. And they certainly don't have a nation of their own where both the living and undead co-exist harmoniously.

 

I would like to see a culture where the living and undead cooperate harmoniously and necromancy and the undead play a big part in every facet of society from agriculture, to the economy, to industry, to politics, to philosophy, to religion, etc.