Update #10: Characteriztion with Chris Avellone

[Living One]

Happy birthday Your majesty MCA!:salute:

[theseez]

I think we all finally know what the Nameless One's true name is. Happy 402nd birthday Namele...MCA! Thank you for being such an awesome part of all of our lives. The world would be a duller, lesser place without you. Even if you DID kill the last speaker of the Udo language.

[vril]

One thing I enjoy in RPGs is the opportunity for a relationship with a companion to go sour and not only will the companion leave the party, you should get the opportunity to confront / kill them. For instance, in Dragon Age: Origins there was an opportunity to kill off 2 companions when you defile Andraste's Ashes.

 

Happy Birthday just remember that your soul birthday is not until October 1st :D

Edited September 28, 2012 by Jack_Deth

[Kira]

I don't understand something , what type chracters in this game ? We will make our characters ? Or only selecting pre-generated or specific like planescape ?

I do hope it is more like Planescape, with the pre-generated characters. It leaves a room for more juicier story

[LadyCrimson]

I love the messy desk....and Happy B-day!

 

And I would definitely be down for an order of Obsidian coffee mugs. And my cats would like some pet dishes so they can show support too.

[Flouride]

Happy birthday Chris, I always knew you were a Vampire.

[Cantousent]

I know someone mentioned this on the kickstarter page, but I was wondering how we could suggest add-ons for purchase. For example, I think it would be cool if you provided an add-on for physical shipment tiers and offer a t-shirt add-on. I can't remember the guy who first proposed this, but I think it's a splendid idea. I don't know what the price would be to break a profit worth the effort, but my reasoning is that I know some folks who like fantasy, maybe even like some gaming, but who aren't really interested in CRPGs. If you offered a shirt as an add-on, I could justify purchasing some as gifts. I'm literally trying to figure out ways to pump more money in, but I don't really need to have my name in gold or whatnot. I'm also not rich, so I don't want to keep throwing money I can't rationally justify spending. However, since I know I'll be spending money on gifts for various birthdays not to mention Christmas, I can up my pledge for things that I think other people will enjoy. Since I've already pledge to get digital tiers for friends who will enjoy having the game, there's really no other place to go. However, a well designed t-shirt will be a good gift for a wider variety of people. Moreover, since I'd buy at least one for a friend away at Cal, it would yield a little advertising for you. I don't know if this would work as an add-on idea, and you can move this post if this isn't the appropriate thread, but I think it would be cool.

[Ieo]

Happy belated 402nd, Chris!

 

I just managed to revisit the Kickstarter page and spotted the change. My head about exploded.

 

Can this possibly be? :wub:

 

BEST FEMALE WARRIOR DESIGN EVER IN GAMING HISTORY?

 

Yes, I know it's subjective, but from the 'realism' perspective... It's a "little" token thing, to be sure, relative to all the chain bikini or plate-midriff designs out there, but that this is up and shown to the public has really increased my faith in the project all the more. Sincere thanks from me. I really did not expect this.

 

I'm even contemplating what things I can sacrifice this month to up my pledge...

 

Before :

 

After :

 

They've listened to us !

No boobplates !!

Edited September 28, 2012 by Ieo

[C2B]

Well, it's still a boobplate in the sense of that there is quite a visible bust. But, it's a nice comprismise and somewhat realistic (Especially if the armor was custom-made, which this one seems to be)

Edited September 28, 2012 by C2B

[Plasma Jesus]

Happy Birthday!

Great video, game sounds fantastic so far!

[Elerond]

Happy birthday Chris.

 

And I agree with leo that Cadegund is one of the best desings for female warrior what I have seen

[Ieo]

Well, it's still a boobplate in the sense of that there is quite a visible bust. But, it's a nice comprismise and somewhat realistic (Especially if the armor was custom-made, which this one seems to be)

 

Oh yes, a bulge doesn't surprise me in the least, but there are key points from previous representations of fantasy female armour that I think of for the extremes/unrealistic: very distinct inframammary crease, the two-bulge problem, and nipple bulges. This has none of those... And it's really the best female warrior design I've seen for a game.

 

Big kudos to the art direction and artist.

Edited September 28, 2012 by Ieo

[rjshae]

Well, it's still a boobplate in the sense of that there is quite a visible bust. But, it's a nice comprismise and somewhat realistic (Especially if the armor was custom-made, which this one seems to be)

 

The image proportions actually look much better now. It's a fine image, but there was something about the original that didn't quite work. I couldn't put my finger on it though. Maybe the boobplate made her seem slightly stoop-shouldered? Shrug.

Edited September 28, 2012 by rjshae

[Kunikos]

Happy birthday Chris!

 

I agree on all your points except for ego-stroking the player. I'd strongly argue that your party members always fawning over you is a horribly boring idea mostly used by most crappy RPGs Characters who you have to earn their respect and friendship or characters that can lie, manipulate, or hold information from you are far more interesting; it makes them more like real characters with their own motivations and desires instead of just being wish-fulfillment mindless sycophants that follow you around for little reason. For example, one of the best twists of Planescape: Torment was that Morte and Dak'kon were both lying to you the entire time. Also Ignus and Vhailor were interesting in part because to keep them in your team you have to pretty much lie to them because they utterly hate you but don't recognize who you are. Games need to betray or twist player trust like that more often because due to the interactivity of the medium it's more of an emotional gut punch to have a character that you believed to be a trusted ally turn out to have been using you the entire time. Bioshock is also another great example to this, so much so that it wouldn't work nearly as well in any other medium.

 

I'm hoping you guys steer way from such pandering pap because you've all proven that you make characters far better than that.

 

I'm not exactly sure what he meant as far as how far "ego-stroking" goes but I agree. I prefer for a "mature" title that character companions like what they like and dislike what they don't, and depending on their disposition they will voice it or not. On the "hardcore" mode you wouldn't see the influence changes but you might still get less and less enthusastic responses from them and their banters may change (ala BG characters when the party alignment drifts from theirs too far) and eventually they pick a fight or part ways. I really don't like the rival/friend mechanic from Dragon Age 2 which tries to ensure that you can always travel with companions up to the hard-coded points in the game where they have cutscenes to pick fights with you if their influence isn't high enough.

 

My favorite characters though for influence were Kreia in KOTOR2, Gann in NWN2 MOTB, and Dak'kon in Torment. None of these characters fall into the typical good/evil dynamic where you can just be a "goodie-goodie" / paladin type or evil-**** type and expect to get easy influence, like you would with HK-47/Hanharr, One-of-Many, or Falls-From-Grace. Kreia and Dak'kon I think are even better because they require your character to use their stats/skills associated with smarts to unlock their dialog trees and influence. Kreia even more so because she observes what you do and when you manipulate the world around you to your advantage or "cause an echo in the Force" she approves-- getting that approval is a reward more so to me than just murdering some fool or refusing a reward.

[Cantousent]

I think Dak'kon is probably the NPC who's had the most impact on me personally of anyone in a game. I agree that the PC gained influence with him based on interaction rather than actions with a third party. He didn't see you make a decision in dialogue with a third party of act upon a third party in order to gain or lose influence. For that reason, just as you say, a goodie-two shoes could, with a little investment, have huge influence with Dak'kon without making it so that an evil ****er couldn't. However, Dak'kon gave tons of what I would call 'ego-stroking' in that he would become increasingly tied to your fate and, if you so chose, you could make him possibly your most loyal follower, something not just implied but explicitly stated during dialogue.

[Valorian]

Cadegund's battle shout: Prepare to be gun'd by Cadegund!

[Nonek]

Wonder how accurate those firearms are, reading about Waterloo lately and even with the focused fire of Arthur Wellesley's thin red line, the rate of misses was absolutely horrendous with musketry. Obviously riflemen were a different matter, but they were a small component of the armies.

[Nakia]

I think rifles came later than the period this game is set in. The fireamrs I gather are very primitive and to be used mainly against mages. Muskets http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musket

 

According to this article the rifle replaced the muskat.

[Cantousent]

musketry was still devastating in what was a later period. The rate of fire was important and accuracy, while not what we expect today, was increased by practice. Soldiers who practiced with live rounds regularly, which was a huge expense to the army in question, did better than soldiers who did not.

[Valorian]

Wonder how accurate those firearms are, reading about Waterloo lately and even with the focused fire of Arthur Wellesley's thin red line, the rate of misses was absolutely horrendous with musketry. Obviously riflemen were a different matter, but they were a small component of the armies.

 

Which makes me curious about their plans for the mechanics behind the "to hit chance".

I really miss the days when being able to hit everything every time wasn't the norm (IE games). Today, missing is deemed* too hardcore and frustrating for the palyer (see DA2).

In melee combat, against an enemy who is skilled at defense approximately as much as my character is skilled at offense, I'd like to have a chance of, let's say, 50% to miss.

 

*By certain game developers such as Bioware.

[Nonek]

Muskets could sustain a higher level of fire even though they were less accurate than rifle barreled firearms of the period, the legend was that a veteran redcoat could sustain a firing rate of four shots a minute. They were also cheaper to produce, there were lots of them and the men were all trained with them. The rifleman did began his ascent to dominance in this period however.

 

Strangely enough the soldiery were also against abandoning their muskets, much like with their famous red tunics in Britain, they were very unwilling to change or trust anything new such as rifles.

Edited September 29, 2012 by Nonek

[hideo kuze]

Happy 402nd anniversary Chris!

You handsome elfish devil, making us think you were human all this time...

 

oh you

Edited September 29, 2012 by hideo kuze

[kenup]

Happy 402nd anniversary Chris!

You handsome elfish devil, making us think you were human all this time...

 

oh you

He's godlike, not an elf!

[Nakia]

Truly he is touched by the Muse of literature.

[Romiras]

Happy birthday Chris! Thank you for some of the best moments in my life with your games!

 

Regarding characters - it would be very cool to have some great companions from the past, like wounded caravan driver Jan, or grim jester Morte. They should be fully developed characters fitting to PE (Morte won't be a flying skull and Jan won't have jeans) but their names and personalities referring back to beloved guys will please some RPG veterans (like meself and buch of other supporters) to no ends.

 

Just saying.

Edited September 29, 2012 by Romiras