Optional Full Party Creation, BG/IWD style

[ogrezilla]

I think a lot of "no" votes are confused. Not all, maybe not even most, but enough.

 

Those who want to be able to create their own party are NOT asking that companions be removed, or that the game's story be redesigned to have less story / companion interactions.

 

Like being able to play solo, this would be like playing solo (no companion story hooks, banter...) but having help in fights.

good point

[Shevek]

I think a lot of "no" votes are confused. Not all, maybe not even most, but enough.

 

Those who want to be able to create their own party are NOT asking that companions be removed, or that the game's story be redesigned to have less story / companion interactions.

 

Like being able to play solo, this would be like playing solo (no companion story hooks, banter...) but having help in fights.

 

I think you may be right but I am pretty sure the devs care more about the discussion than the poll numbers. They should be able to pick up on that confusion easily enough as they peruse the discussion.

 

If the poll numbers do say anything, they make it clear that a large plurality want a feature included that is easy to implement and would be totally optional.

[Sylvius the Mad]

I would pay extra for it.

 

edit: You know what, I'm making that offer. If Obsidian announces optional full-party creation and the ability to use any party member as party spokesperson, I'm doubling my pledge. I'm already over $100. I'll double it for those two features.

Edited September 28, 2012 by Sylvius the Mad

[Shevek]

I would up my pledge for this as well.

 

*I too will nearly double my pledge. I will got from, uh, $20 to a whopping... $35! Hey, I'm a teacher, thats the best I can do, lol.

Edited September 28, 2012 by Shevek

[Gurkog]

I voted no, because Obsidian has expressed their desire to craft a deeply personal experience. I just don't see how creating a custom group would add to the experience of role playing a single character. I didn't care for the groups I made in the IWD series because it seems rather rediculous to roleplay an entire party instead of a single character. Granted IWD gets away with it because the series is really just an action focused dungeon crawl. I lose my personal connection to the avatars, but I guess that is just my problem.

 

From my perspective I would prefer not to have something added that does not enhance the experience Obsidian hopes to craft. Especially if the recruitable NPCs develop without the player's control. I prefer not role playing every character that joins my avatar in the adventure because it just breaks my immersion to have to tell independent characters how to behave when they are supposed to have thier own personalities and goals. BG party members kind of felt wierd to me how they didn't just level up on their own.

[metiman]

It largely depends on how involved in the story the companions are I would think.

 

Yes, in PS:T, I can't imagine any room for an additional player-made character (besides which it's impossible given the narrative and everything) or playing without party members because that would strip a very substantial amount of content from the game. I doubt this is true of PE, however, so there would be room for self-made parties in the name of tactical replay value for single-player campaigns.

 

In BG, the only way to create a self-made party was to first create in MP mode and then move it into SP mode, right? That's a workaround, not an intended self-made party mode for SP. IWD was different, if I remember right, because you're required to build your party anyway. So the implementations were not equivalent in the least. But because this would still be played in SP mode, adding this feature wouldn't require concessions in the content that adding MP would--so I'd support this for replay value and for those folks who do prefer the tactical side (I remember that after I replayed BG2 so many times, I started making my own partial parties too). Basically the party interactions would be lost, but I suspect the vast majority of players will still play an NPC party campaign before jumping straight into the self-made anyway.

 

We know that MP won't be implemented for both technical and content reasons, but adding this doesn't seem like an awful stretch because it's technically SP.

ya most likely it wouldn't be a big problem. But if the devs choose not to include it, I bet its because of it not fitting similar to PS:T and not because they just don't want to include it. I would like it to be there if possible.

 

I've soloed PS:T more than once. I found it enjoyable. It would have been nice if I could have generated my own characters as well. Also this game is not the PS:T sequel-in-spirit. It's supposed to be more of a hybrid of that and BG2 and maybe IWD as well, although IWD isn't getting much love on the front page poll. So I assume there will be a greater focus on strategic combat than PS:T had.

[Shevek]

@Gurkog: The question is not what you prefer. The question is whether or not others should have the option to play that way or not.

Edited September 29, 2012 by Shevek

[Gurkog]

@Gurkog: The question is not what you prefer. The question is whether or not others should have the option to play that way or not.

 

Speaking in absolutes when arguing opinions is a good exercise in beating dead horses.

[Merin]

I'd make the same offer, Sylvius, except I already doubled mine today to help push it over 2.1 million. That's about where I'm likely to cap it. I don't have any money, either, and this is already more than I should spend.

[metiman]

@Gurkog: The question is not what you prefer. The question is whether or not others should have the option to play that way or not.

 

Speaking in absolutes when arguing opinions is a good exercise in beating dead horses.

 

But that is just your opinion, right? Not an absolute?

[Magnum Opus]

I wouldn't mind the option, particularly if 1) the game allows party members to die permanently in the game mode I'm playing in, and 2) I manage to get all the real NPCs killed. And let's face it, I'm going to throw those other guys under the bus long before I get my own character killed. In such cases, joinable NPCs are to me what the red-shirted ensign is to Captain Kirk, or what the slow friend is to the group trying to survive the upcoming zombie apocalypse.

 

Is not a big deal either way, tho.

[Crooked Bee]

It largely depends on how involved in the story the companions are I would think.

 

True, but didn't they say in one of the updates that companions won't be forced on you and you will even be able to solo the game if you want? If so, then companions can't be so crucial to the story as to preclude a custom party playthrough.

 

It'd be like a solo playthrough but with 6 characters.

[Jasede]

There's no reason not to include this.

[Living One]

Would like this feature too.Also there are plenty of ways to justify this lore-wise while still leaving a main character despite generating more doesn't sound hard either,not sure why people are so concerned about that.

Edited September 29, 2012 by Living One