Update #13: 50K Backers Brings New Mega Dungeon, Stretch Goals, and More! (PayPal too!)

[Kennyrules]

I approve. At the very least, I'm excited we have some different languages now, as that means there are a few more people I know I can try to recruit. As for the uber-dungeon, sounds pretty sweet.

 

Now when it comes to crafting, yes, there's plenty that could go wrong. But really? Crafting didn't make or break any game I've ever played. It can make the game phenomenally better, or phenomenally worse, and anything in between. I trust Obsidian to know what they're doing, because from what I've seen, all the "good crafting" examples came from games that these people were involved in previously. So yeah, I want that new stretch goal, because I know the kind of people that are offering it.

[IchigoRXC]

 

Why have crafting if it means it will potentially destroy item fever? (Skyrim...)

And if it doesn’t do this, i.e. the ‘best’ items cannot be made through crafting, then why implement the feature at all?

But does it really have to be one or the other?

 

Of course there’s ways of pleasing both those who enjoy crafting and those who don’t.

 

 

What if crafting wasn't done in a skyrim/mmo way. You don't have recipes or infinite resources but a small amount of really rare resources, gems, runes of power etc. These can then be used to upgrade your trusty sword you have been using since day one. The weapon that has always had your back. There are not enough resources to upgrade everything you have, or craft everything in the game, not by a long shot, but it gives you a feeling that the weapon is yours rather than picking up a new sword every couple of levels and disregarding the one you had 2 levels earlier, which replaced the one you had 2 levels before that etc.

 

 

Sorry to say but I hate the idea of crafting, finding several parts of some legendary weapon is fine like in BG2, but to make your own super weapons out of regularr material is both boring and worthless. I hope this wont be a smilar method to that of Skyrim.

 

This I agree with, but I don't think they would plan on doing it with every day materials. We can hope this is true.

 

For example how I would go about it in a very dumbed down way is you end up with a dragon bone (yes like skyrim but hush) now there are not infinite dragons flying around for infinite weapons. You have to choose this one style of weapon/armour/accessory to upgrade using this bone. Maybe that trusty knife you use up close and personal, or that lance for your polearm arm user after she broke her last one. The idea would be to have choice but making them feel like they matter, you can only make one thing out of it. You are not going to get an entire armoury of dragon bone weapons, just the one.

[Tartantyco]

Unless you're going to create a functional economy and integrate the crafting into that it really won't do much other than provide an additional mini-game for people to mess around with.

 

First of all, all commodities, be they swords or herbs, or potions, or clothing, must have dynamic prices based on the availability of those commodities in a) the local area, and b) the world as a whole. Then every natural resource has to be weighted based on its prevalence(Locally and globally), extraction cost, and transport cost. Then you have to do roughly the same with manufactured goods, based on resource costs, production cost, labor cost, transport costs, and of course add resale markups at every link for all commodities. Then you have to simulate supply and demand and all that crap as well before you'll get an actual price out of this.

 

If you don't do it this way you'll end up with one or another way of accumulating wealth or goods as the most effective, hence only, way of doing it. Either looting, purchasing from shops, or crafting your own stuff will be superior, and everything else will just have been wasted time for you guys.

[Tormentfan]

Things I don’t want crafting to be:

Just a cheap way of make the player more powerful

A boring, time consuming process

So operpowered that make the items found in the world completely useless (Skyrim , I’m looking at you.)

So underpowered that became pointless

To be required, if you want to survive

 

What a I want crafting to be:

A way to allow the players to use their creativity, provide alternative ways to complete quests and allow different, varied play styles.

[Rozkurwiciel]

@Tormentfan Agreed.

 

While i would like to point out that the best possible idea is to connect Baldur's Gate crafting system of artifacts with a little more complexity like: to make an armour XYZ find a couple of leather strips of good quality and do it yourself or pay smith to do it for yourself once you obtain all of the basic pieces (as it was with Equalizer).

 

It's good to have a lore tips about every artifact obtainable in the game to give the player idea where should he had to in order to get desired item. Scaling (to some extend) artifacts is also idea to consider. Inteligent artifacts and especially powerful relics may show all of their potential only in the hand of the truly right wielder, it would also balance up early-artifact type of powergaming.

[Klaleara]

Honestly, I don't like how they are doing the mega dungeon. I wanted a sweet dungeon with a compelling story, and interesting mechanics that flow really well together.

 

Adding levels for the amount of backers (While a neat idea), makes me think that they are just tacking on another loreless level with just killing and maybe some puzzles with no real meaning behind it at all.

 

I hope I'm wrong, but this is the feeling I'm getting.

[Keyrock]

I'm hoping we can get this Mega Dungeon to 10 levels or more.

[Darth Trethon]

Let's do this. 14 days to go.....if we get another 10k backers(which should be cake btw) we can get this dungeon to be 7 levels deep.....hell let's make this be 15 to 20 levels deep. This needs to be so huge that it takes the player real time weeks to explore and the final level must contain a mega epic boss and the greatest loot ever.....like absolute best of all equipment and so much gold that you can buy everything in the game a hundred times over and not need another coin and a ton of items that add permanent increases to skills and powers and so on. Basically once you finish that dungeon you should be max level with all skills and powers maxed with all best equipment and never need to scrounge for another coin again.

[dlux]

The news hit all of the German sites today that the game is being translated! Expect a nice amount of cash to flow in.

[IchigoRXC]

The news hit all of the German sites today that the game is being translated! Expect a nice amount of cash to flow in.

 

I soooo hope your prediction is correct. I have faith in the German populace to do what it right.

[Chaos Theory]

I guess my concern now is for those of us who are pledging at $1k to design an "epic" item-- now that players will inevitably be able craft their own high-level items, it kind of degrades the value of static epic items, and therefore has me questioning whether it's worth it at this point. Personally speaking, any game I play which allows me to craft my own stuff basically renders any high-level stuff found in game as little more than a quick sell for gold the first chance I get.

 

I'd like to know what the difference will be between the epic items created by $1k donors and the items anyone can craft and enchant themselves?

[undeadkillzig]

I'd like to know what the difference will be between the epic items created by $1k donors and the items anyone can craft and enchant themselves?

Dumb guess on my part based on what other games have done, but I expect that legendary/epic items will have stories or quests attached to them, hopefully distinct art as well, while enchanted items are just like your standard issue gear with some magical effects stacked on.

Edited October 2, 2012 by undeadkillzig

[Archmage Silver]

I'd like to know what the difference will be between the epic items created by $1k donors and the items anyone can craft and enchant themselves?

Dumb guess on my part based on what other games have done, but I expect that legendary/epic items will have stories or quests attached to them, hopefully distinct art as well, while enchanted items are just like your standard issue gear with some magical effects stacked on.

This would be my guess as well - enchanting like it was in NWN2. The legendary items should be more in line with Crom Fayer, Vorpal Sword, and Red Dragon Plate from Shadows of Amn.

[Tormentfan]

I'm hoping we can get this Mega Dungeon to 10 levels or more.

 

I really like the Dungeon idea. Let's just hope it will not be filled with just orcs to kill. I still have bad memories about NWN 2 orc caves and Dragon Age Deep Roads.

[rjshae]

I'd actually like the option to obtain crafting skills from a non-adventuring specialist rather than having to spend the party's own skill points obtaining a proficiency. Sure it might cost a little more, but then you can focus on building the party's adventuring skills and gathering recipes.

Edited October 2, 2012 by rjshae

[Potemkin]

I havn't pledged yet. But I will, I havn't decided how much yet. But does this mean that I wont get access to the new dungeon? Because the update states:

 

 

We are very excited to announce a reward to all backers that have helped us come this far.

And since I havn't pledged yet I havn't helped Obsidian to come this far and thus I wont get the reward? I will be missing out on game content despite the fact that I will pledge?

[Althernai]

I havn't pledged yet. But I will, I havn't decided how much yet. But does this mean that I wont get access to the new dungeon? Because the update states:

...

And since I havn't pledged yet I havn't helped Obsidian to come this far and thus I wont get the reward? I will be missing out on game content despite the fact that I will pledge?

Their language is imprecise. The dungeon will be part of the game so everybody who buys the game will get it even if they never heard of the Kickstarter.

[Keyrock]

I'm hoping we can get this Mega Dungeon to 10 levels or more.

 

I really like the Dungeon idea. Let's just hope it will not be filled with just orcs to kill. I still have bad memories about NWN 2 orc caves and Dragon Age Deep Roads.

Especially since I'd rather make friends with the orcs and stomp some filthy tree-hugging elves.

[Crooked Bee]

I havn't pledged yet. But I will, I havn't decided how much yet. But does this mean that I wont get access to the new dungeon? Because the update states:

 

 

We are very excited to announce a reward to all backers that have helped us come this far.

And since I havn't pledged yet I havn't helped Obsidian to come this far and thus I wont get the reward? I will be missing out on game content despite the fact that I will pledge?

 

Yeah I'm afraid you will be locked out of the dungeon. As you attempt to enter it, a message will pop up "Get out of here backer #50,631."

 

Tough luck, should've pledged sooner.

[Cahir]

​And since I havn't pledged yet I havn't helped Obsidian to come this far and thus I wont get the reward? I will be missing out on game content despite the fact that I will pledge?

 

Since devs announced that for every 2500 backers they'll add another dungeon level, I think these new backers will have access to all levels not just only to additional bonus ones So yeah, all backers will get their mega dungeon.

[Ran2Chaos]

Like the dungeon, hope it has a story like FNV Dead Money with someone creating it originally as an obsession and full of hope but then it devolving into a death trap.

Also agree with many on the crafting system that it should not have Skyrim elements of just upgrading any item to full. I fully endorse that it go the Fallout New Vegas route, at least it gives purpose to fluff miscellaneous items and can be even rare stuff that has to be stolen like some replied

[PeonWarrior]

What is Obsidian's interpretation of a mega dungeon? I hope it's THE Watcher's keep equivalence fighting demogorgon as you venture deeper into the abyss instead of that little play doll house Warden's Keep. Am I expecting too much?

[Archon]

Sooooo..... dumb question, but.... What exactly is a strategy guide? Clearly I've never used such a thing for any of my games, only the manuals (and often not even that unless there's stat math going on). Is a strategy guide mainly for combat?

 

From Feargus on Kickstarter comments :

The strat guide will be a walkthrough of the game and then information the mechanics and the items as well.

Oct. 02, 2012 on Project Eternity.

 

Usually Prima Games Guides are "everything you want to know about a game without having to play it."

Edited October 2, 2012 by Archon

[OldRPG'sAreGood]

The dungeon design sound great! I don't know why, but I got a feeling of an Spellhold-isque version of Durlag's Tower. And the growing dungeon concept is a good thing too, IMO. I personally ain't really interested in the crafting and enchanting stuff, but hey, might be there's something in them as well that turns out to be fun. Great update anyways.

[Tormentfan]

What is Obsidian's interpretation of a mega dungeon? I hope it's THE Watcher's keep equivalence fighting demogorgon as you venture deeper into the abyss instead of that little play doll house Warden's Keep. Am I expecting too much?

 

Imagine Watcher's Keep with 10 levels, in each level you solve puzzles, learn more about the story of the place, interact with the inhabitants, have challenging combat encounters . How about a small town inside the dungeon, a interesting boss like Demongorgon in the end, maybe factions to form alliances. The dungeon is alive and is a believable place. This is what I hope.

 

My nightmare:

The only possible NPC interaction is: Should I kill this orc/darkspawn/Draug with a mace, a sword or an axe?

The levels: No variation. How many shades of grey those caves have?

Puzzles: Puzzles? There is no space for puzzles in modern game design. Today gamers only like to kill stuff, right?

Linearity : Why I have a map , if I can't get lost?

The end boss is: Just a bigger orc with a funny hat.

Combat encounters: I just killed the whole orc race.

Story: What story? You don't need it. Here, more stuff to kill.