Update #18: George Ziets, Paladins, Add-Ons, Rewards, and More!

[Adam Brennecke]

Update #18: George Ziets, Paladins, Add-Ons, Rewards, and More!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oPKIzyGos8

 

Hey everyone, there's exactly one more week left in the Kickstarter, and we are going to be kicking it up with bigger and better updates every day!

 

New Add-ons and Rewards

 

We were looking at the $140 tier and thought it needed something more, so we decided to throw a Project Eternity Mouse Pad into the Collector's Edition. The mouse pad features the painting from Kiernan Yanner. You can also add-on additional mouse pads at any physical tier for $15.

• $140 Reward Tier and Above (excludes the digital only $165 tier) - Now includes a Project Eternity Mouse Pad.
  
• Project Eternity Mouse Pad Add-On - $15 each*
  

Also we've been asked if we are going to have more physical rewards and add-ons, and we are listening. Today, we are announcing new t-shirt add-ons for you:

• Obsidian T-Shirt Add-On - $25 each*
  
• Project Eternity T-Shirt Add-On - $25 each*
  

For more information on how to add-on rewards, please see Update #4. Sizes will be asked during the survey that will be sent to you after the end of the Kickstarter.

 

*You must be at a physical goods reward tier to add on any additional physical add-ons.

 

New Stretch Goals for $2.7m and $2.8m

 

We are happy to announce two more classes for the 2.7m stretch goal. With your pledges we now have Barbarians and Ciphers as playable classes, and now we would like to add Paladins and Chanters to round out our class selection for Project Eternity, bringing the class total to 11.

 

 

Paladins are extremely devoted, often fanatical, soldiers who have pledged themselves to a chosen cause, combining the zeal of a priest with the ascetic discipline of a monk. They have founded many elite fighting forces, from the original Darcozzi Paladini, a two thousand year-old order of palace guards, to the fledgling Fellows of St. Waidwen Martyr, zealous defenders of the Godhammer pilgrim trail. Often found at the vanguard of many conflicts, paladins are natural leaders and have the ability to quickly assist their allies with targeted commands. A paladin's commands can stave off impending death, overcome fatigue, or hasten the charge to close breached defenses. And though they are not always pledged to the service of a god or gods, paladins are so singularly focused on their chosen cause that their souls are continually creating a wellspring of spiritual energy from which they can blast groups of foes in their immediate vicinity. Despite their often stoic presence and explosive combat style, paladins work best alongside allies. When isolated, they can be vulnerable, especially against singular powerful foes.

 

Chanters can be found in almost any culture, but are most often seen in communities with a strong oral tradition. They are repositories of folk knowledge and common wisdom, tellers of tall tales and hallowed legends. Though chanters have a bit of minor talent in traditional arts of combat and soul-based magic, their true power lies in their chants. Chanters construct chants from individual iconic phrases and rhyming couplets they have memorized from hundreds of stories and poems, creating a chain of magical effects that plays out over time. While chanters do use the power of their souls to work their magic, chants are exhortations to the unconscious memory of wayward souls and the diffused spiritual energy of the world. That is, ambient spirits respond to the evocation of ancient, common story elements and play their part in reconstructing the chanter's tales. While a chanter's magic may seem modest compared to that of a wizard or a priest, chanters are able to recite their chants while occupied with other activities, making them extremely versatile.

 

 

It’s our pleasure to introduce our next stretch goal of George Ziets at $2.8m – with your help, we’ll be able to enlist the skills of George Ziets in shaping Project Eternity. For those not familiar with George’s work, he was the creative lead and core writer behind the acclaimed Mask of the Betrayer - the first expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights 2. George leant his talents to many of Obsidian’s other games including Fallout: New Vegas.

 

 

George is gifted in designing lore, levels, and companions for role-playing games, and Baldur’s Gate 2 is one of his favorite titles. His impact can be felt in Mask of the Betrayer, and the character concepts, story, and his narrative decisions to take a disused section of the Forgotten Realms and use it as a backdrop to weave a fascinating story is testament to his design skills. We’ve given him the rundown of Project Eternity, and he’s eager to help shape the lore, design areas, and bring the characters in the world to life.

 

 

 

More DUNGEON!

 

Yesterday Project Eternity hit 55,000 backers! Everyone loves bigger dungeons, and The Endless Paths Mega Dungeon is now 5 levels deep. We will add another level at 57,500 backers and another level if we get to 20,000 Likes on Facebook.

 

Don't miss the update on Thursday - Josh will be talking lore, and our first screenshot will be revealed. Everyone at the studio is really excited to show you what we've been working on.

 

 

Lastly, if you haven't checked out the Wasteland 2 Store that opened yesterday - head on over here. You are still able to donate money towards Wasteland 2 to make it bigger and better!

 

 

FACEBOOK: Like Obsidian on Facebook - We are about 6,000 more Likes away for another dungeon level!

 

Update by Chris Avellone, Josh Sawyer, and Adam Brennecke

[Cantousent]

Just upped my pledge by over a hundred bucks. Thanks for the shirts.

[ogrezilla]

How cool must it be to be George Ziets and know you are good enough at your job that you are a stretch goal

[dlux]

Wow fantastic update! George Zeits will also be a fantastic addition to the team!

 

And for all of us paladin lovers out there:

 

 

 

[Maf]

What's there to say, 1 big round of awesome for all you at Obsidian!

Hard to stay away from kicktraq even as a mere backer, can't imagine how it is for actual employees

[ogrezilla]

I like that it sounds like Paladins are less specific than a lot of games make them.

[Phekdra]

George Ziets. You cunning chaps, Obsidian!

[Chunkyman]

I love the stretchgoal for the Paladin and Chanter classes. Don't know anything about George Ziets, so I don't have much enthusiasm for the 2.8 million goal.

[Lv99Wizard]

More classes = more awesomeness. I never tried playing a Bard in the original IE games but chanters sound very interesting. Especially this part:

 

"chanters are able to recite their chants while occupied with other activities"

[Cantousent]

I don't like paladins at all, the bastards! :Cant's cantankorous scowl icon: However, I *am* happy Pally lovers are getting what they want and... aw hell... if there's a self-righteous paladin companion in the game, I guess I'll let him join my merry band. Someone has to remain sober enough to drive.

 

EDIT:

Chanters are bards... so maybe the bard brigade will be placated.

Edited October 9, 2012 by Cantousent

[Merin]

so....

happy....

 

[Lexx]

Yay, at 2,8 million dollars, the 11th doctor is on board!

[Archon]

I hope there will be a "Paladin toaster" spell.

[WorstUsernameEver]

C2B is probably over the moon. Really glad to hear about George as a stretch goal, and while $2.8 isn't a given, I'm confident that it will be reached by the end.

[Olauron Mor-Galad]

That's great. Just great. Now I'm waiting for stronghold at 2.9 or 3.0

[C2B]

ZIETSZIETSZIETSZIETSZIETSZIETSZIETS

[himmy]

Don't know anything about George Ziets, so I don't have much enthusiasm for the 2.8 million goal.

 

You're missing out.

[Cantousent]

Don't know anything about George Ziets, so I don't have much enthusiasm for the 2.8 million goal.

I think George Ziets is not only a great craftsman and an expert designer, he's always struck me as a really decent guy also. I'm glad they're going to get him onboard. ...And you *are* going to get him onboard, right? :Cant's glaring while smacking his fist icon:

 

I'm more excited by this update than the last one!

Edited October 9, 2012 by Cantousent

[Majek]

O FFS. Why couldn't Paladins be a goal after George :x :x

[dlux]

Yeah, chanters = bards as it seems.

[Nedzzo]

Awesome news about Paladins, I hope we can make it to $2.7 million.

[Merin]

Awesome news about Paladins, I hope we can make it to $2.7 million.

 

Have you seen the reactions around here? We're hitting 2.8 if several forum regulars have to go rob a bank.

[Naithin]

Quite a good update, I hope we make it!

 

I must confess to not knowing much about George Z. prior to this update -- despite seeing his name bandied about the forums a bit here as a proposed goal -- but NWN 2: Mask of the Betrayer was my favourite CRPG experience in an exceptionally long time.

 

If he can bring a touch of that to P:E... well... Damn. Lets get to spending.

 

Expansion Addon or not I don't think I'll be able to hold back updating pledge amount for long. Budgetary stuff to be sorted tomorrow, so fits within the timeline too!

[japol]

So,i take it that the Paladin class will have more to do with the tactical side of combat and less ,if at all, with ethical restrictions?

Also,i always thought that the Bard was just stupid but by removing the instruments part,i could give them a chance.

Edited October 9, 2012 by japol

[Bootsy81]

Fantastic update Obsidian. Once again....

 

Great news about the classes, Paladins are a class I used a lot in BG1&2, once they got Carsomyr they were immense. And with crafting in the game now a forged and enchanted two-handed Avenger might just be the perfect accompanyment to a Paladin PC. Bards, or Chanters as they are now, are a class I've never really taken before but I might just let one tag along as the description made them sound interesting.

 

And George Zeits, that's great news. Hope we get there so he can come on board. In fact let's hope we blow past $3 million and then on past even Double fine :D