Greg Campbell's Request List - Reposted from Kickstarter!

[Endarire]

Greetings, all!

 

I started this post on the Kickstarter page, but am reposting and updating it here so it's more visible (and memorable) to all those involved!

 

Let the wishlist commence!

 

-I would greatly like the ability to annotate my maps and quests as I could in Baldur's Gate II. I could treat the digital map more like a physical one, with notes like, "Magically locked" or "LICH HOUSE!" Making personal notes in my quest log on a per-quest basis makes remembering things easier, and makes the quest log feel more like a log and less like a to-do list.

 

-Please include keyboard shortcuts for everything! I enjoyed BGII's customizable keyboard shortcuts, but action bars would do better for so many spells and items.

 

-A minor feature I've not seen elsewhere is the ability to individually name my items. For example, let's assume I found a spiffy sword near the game's start and I've continuously upgraded it using the crafting system. Instead of just calling it a "Steel Greatsword" or a "+1 Sword," let me name it, like "Old Faithful." I don't just mean when crafting. I mean having a "Label" button for all items which lets me change the name at will. This label (if it exists) would be used instead of the default name in all regards; thus, if I kill an Elder Demon with my renamed sword, the combat log text would say something like, "Edair killed Asmodeus with Old Faithful!"

 

-A minor addition that could have made a big difference in Baldur's Gate II was macros. Buffing my team after every rest period got very annoying and made me quit playing. I got back into the game as a solo Sorceress, in part because buffing would take less time. This is also circumventable by making all or most buffs infinite duration, but have an associated cost, like reduced max mana, such as in Dragon Age 1.

 

-I want the game to be soloable by at least some builds, a la Baldur's Gate II with Monks, Thieves, Rangers, and Sorcerers. This means a single character (a party of 1), if done properly can complete the game. Maybe in New Game+.

 

-New Game+. This mode lets me keep most the items and character stats of a previous game, a la Chrono Trigger. Baldur's Gate II had a version of this due to character import/export. Character import/export is also a request!

 

-Unlike Dungeon Siege III, please make it unmistakably clear what each stat (and item) does! Don't name a stat "Doom!" Say, "Critical Hit Damage" or "Critical Hit Frequency." On a similar note, make sure people understand the relative importance of each stat. Perhaps put gear tier labels on all items, like in Dragon Age 1.

 

-I want combat to be tactical and deep (like BGII and Dragon Age 1). High-level BGII combat became, "Chain Contingency: Horrid Wilting, Horrid Wilting, Horrid Wilting" or my party dies. Over and over and over. Which got boring. Dragon Age 1 had "Cone of Cold >> Stonefist/Auto-crit ability" to instant kill white-named mobs with Crushing Prison and Force Field to deal with the rest, but at least DA had Blood Control (mind control) and Blood Wound (mass incapacitation through twitching). I played on Nightmare for Dragon Age 1 and the default for Baldur's Gate II, meaning I pretty much had to use these tactics to get by!

 

-I want casters to be and feel powerful! I want fighters and rogues to be useful and interesting, not just relying on a minor variation of auto-attack spam.

 

-A lower priority is making custom classes, a la The Elder Scrolls games. It's still fun to determine my character's mechanical abilities based on my picks, not on what the game developers thought was best.

 

-A BIG THING I want is the ability to get through missions and areas in a variety of ways. Deus Ex 1 did this exceptionally well!

 

-What opportunities will there be for abilities which alter terrain? For example, D&D 3.5 has stone shape, fabricate, and wall of stone, among others. This would facilitate my previous "solve it how you like" request.

 

-Mechanics should make sense within the setting. Thus, is magic is fairly common, friendly and enemy casters should be fairly common as well. I'd also like mechanics (spells, special abilities, classes, items...) to be equally available to PCs, NPCs, allies, and enemies.

[Feldoth]

Let me add to that slightly by saying, if you can't implement any of this for any reason - make it possible for modders to do so. If it's unreasonable for modding, consider it for the expansion(s). These are some very good points.

[khango]

Greetings, all!

 

I started this post on the Kickstarter page, but am reposting and updating it here so it's more visible (and memorable) to all those involved!

 

Let the wishlist commence!

 

-I would greatly like the ability to annotate my maps and quests as I could in Baldur's Gate II. I could treat the digital map more like a physical one, with notes like, "Magically locked" or "LICH HOUSE!" Making personal notes in my quest log on a per-quest basis makes remembering things easier, and makes the quest log feel more like a log and less like a to-do list.

 

-Please include keyboard shortcuts for everything! I enjoyed BGII's customizable keyboard shortcuts, but action bars would do better for so many spells and items.

 

-A minor feature I've not seen elsewhere is the ability to individually name my items. For example, let's assume I found a spiffy sword near the game's start and I've continuously upgraded it using the crafting system. Instead of just calling it a "Steel Greatsword" or a "+1 Sword," let me name it, like "Old Faithful." I don't just mean when crafting. I mean having a "Label" button for all items which lets me change the name at will. This label (if it exists) would be used instead of the default name in all regards; thus, if I kill an Elder Demon with my renamed sword, the combat log text would say something like, "Edair killed Asmodeus with Old Faithful!"

 

-A minor addition that could have made a big difference in Baldur's Gate II was macros. Buffing my team after every rest period got very annoying and made me quit playing. I got back into the game as a solo Sorceress, in part because buffing would take less time. This is also circumventable by making all or most buffs infinite duration, but have an associated cost, like reduced max mana, such as in Dragon Age 1.

 

-I want the game to be soloable by at least some builds, a la Baldur's Gate II with Monks, Thieves, Rangers, and Sorcerers. This means a single character (a party of 1), if done properly can complete the game. Maybe in New Game+.

 

-New Game+. This mode lets me keep most the items and character stats of a previous game, a la Chrono Trigger. Baldur's Gate II had a version of this due to character import/export. Character import/export is also a request!

 

-Unlike Dungeon Siege III, please make it unmistakably clear what each stat (and item) does! Don't name a stat "Doom!" Say, "Critical Hit Damage" or "Critical Hit Frequency." On a similar note, make sure people understand the relative importance of each stat. Perhaps put gear tier labels on all items, like in Dragon Age 1.

 

-I want combat to be tactical and deep (like BGII and Dragon Age 1). High-level BGII combat became, "Chain Contingency: Horrid Wilting, Horrid Wilting, Horrid Wilting" or my party dies. Over and over and over. Which got boring. Dragon Age 1 had "Cone of Cold >> Stonefist/Auto-crit ability" to instant kill white-named mobs with Crushing Prison and Force Field to deal with the rest, but at least DA had Blood Control (mind control) and Blood Wound (mass incapacitation through twitching). I played on Nightmare for Dragon Age 1 and the default for Baldur's Gate II, meaning I pretty much had to use these tactics to get by!

 

-I want casters to be and feel powerful! I want fighters and rogues to be useful and interesting, not just relying on a minor variation of auto-attack spam.

 

-A lower priority is making custom classes, a la The Elder Scrolls games. It's still fun to determine my character's mechanical abilities based on my picks, not on what the game developers thought was best.

 

-A BIG THING I want is the ability to get through missions and areas in a variety of ways. Deus Ex 1 did this exceptionally well!

 

-What opportunities will there be for abilities which alter terrain? For example, D&D 3.5 has stone shape, fabricate, and wall of stone, among others. This would facilitate my previous "solve it how you like" request.

 

-Mechanics should make sense within the setting. Thus, is magic is fairly common, friendly and enemy casters should be fairly common as well. I'd also like mechanics (spells, special abilities, classes, items...) to be equally available to PCs, NPCs, allies, and enemies.

 

I haven't used chain contingency or horrid wilting frequently in any of my BGII+ToB playthroughs.

 

If there's one thing I've found after hearing/reading about people playing BG II, it's that everyone had a different version of 'the approach that works.' That's why there are '50 ways to kill your Kangaxx.'

 

I'm not sure what I did use a lot... something that removed combat protections I'm pretty sure.

 

By all accounts the various clone-caster spells are quite powerful, though I've never used them much.

Edited October 15, 2012 by khango

[Endarire]

Appending to the list!

 

-Please grant us the ability to sort our inventory ascending/descending by item value, item name, item category (weapon, armor, shield, potion, ingredient, plot item, etc.), and by whether an item is tagged as 'junk.' (PS: Let us tag items as junk for easy sale, perhaps putting junk items in a separate bag.)

 

-If there are any buffs that have a percent chance of doing something, like a 50% chance of giving my party regeneration for 30 seconds, then let this percent chance work every time when I don't use this ability in combat! (Fewer reloads, and, c'mon, you'd do it too!)

 

-As Planescape: Torment and Avernum: Escape from the Pit taught me, some descriptions are more poignant in text.

 

-If this game uses any vehicles (wagons, boats, flying mounts...), then please put a marker on the world map and minimap telling me where and what each such vehicle is!

 

-Please do not require us to gather our party before venturing forth! Or if you do, then disable that sound effect!

 

-If there are random encounters ("You have been waylayed by enemies.") then let us decide if we want to face the really weak ones. For example, if they're 5 levels below us, let us just auto-win, Earthbound style. "You found 5 green slimes, Thaddeus the Wizard, a purple toad, and 2 Gnoll Archers. You beat them easily because you're just that good! You get X experience and Y gold. Here's a list of items your foes dropped." Now, if there's an important plot point you've been holding off on during this fight, you still must fight normally.

 

-With as few spoilers as possible, will there be enough places to spend money at late levels? I've played plenty of RPGs where I end up rich mid-end game due to having nothing I want to buy!

 

-Will there be viable options for 2-handing melee weapons (greatswords, spears...), weapon/shield ("Sword & Board"), dual wielding, and bows/thrown weapons/projectile weapons? Usually one of these options is superior, due to stat bumps/special abilities/itemization.

 

-I greatly dislike, "You can't wield item X because you're class Y." How do these items know?

 

-If the pathfinding AI lets me click a spot- implying I can reach the area from my current position- then don't let the AI forget that I was moving! (BGII had a bug where sometimes the pathfinding AI would just cut out mid-movement for no apparent reason.)

 

-If I can learn an ability from levels, items, trainers, and plot points, please don't make order of acquisition matter. Thus, if I train fireball for 2 ranks from leveling up, don't have that detract from the amount of levels I can learn from trainers, items, or plot points.

 

-Let me choose which map annotations I can see on my minimap. (All of them should be on by default.)

 

-Let me be able to follow any number of quests at once. It makes things much more convenient!

 

-Fast travel for the win! (Even BGI had this!)

 

-In Baldur's Gate II style, I'd like a list of quests I've completed, but the results of these quests (XP/GP earned, items obtained, reputation affected per quest). Having a grand total of XP and money gained from quests would help as well.

 

-Let items of the same type stack to infinity or a very high number (999, 9999...). Inventory management shouldn't take more time than exploring the world!

 

-I'd like the option to make a toggleable quick load to load either the latest quicksave or the latest save overall.

 

-Let there be a toggle for whether damaging and destructive AoEs are party-friendly. (If disabled, that fireball cast by you or the enemy caster affects everyone in range, not just the caster's allies!)

 

-Spell combos, a la Dragon Age 1, would seem cool. Also cool is the ability to customize my spells. Either scratch-build my spells, or have plenty of chance to customize them! Do I want +20% damage, or 10' knockback on my cone of cold? Do I want my haste to also grant temporary HP, or have a chance to knock down anyone who attacks a hasted character?

 

-I want there to be a good reason to use a consumable item over just attacking or casting a spell. For example, if drinking a potion still lets me attack or cast, but takes some minor action, that seems the best way to balance items action-wise. Effect-wise, consumables feel like they should have a greater effect than doing it yourself. Otherwise, consumables are forgotten or sold.

 

-And now, a radical proposal: One woman of the industry (I apologize that I can't recall who, or what company she was from) mentioned she'd like to be able to skip the combat and get to the story sections, dialog, and exploration. I propose a 'minimalistic combat' mode (which seems more like a Silent Hill 2's 'complexity' toggles than a typical difficulty slider)

[FlintlockJazz]

-And now, a radical proposal: One woman of the industry (I apologize that I can't recall who, or what company she was from) mentioned she'd like to be able to skip the combat and get to the story sections, dialog, and exploration. I propose a 'minimalistic combat' mode (which seems more like a Silent Hill 2's 'complexity' toggles than a typical difficulty slider)

 

No. That woman's proposal was bull and shows what is wrong with Bioware: That combat and dialogue was disconnected and had no bearing on each other. Also, she was fundamentally wrong with the 'well you can skip dialogue...' part, as you can't skip the CHOICE you have to make in dialogue, you are essentially just skipping the animation. That woman wanted to increase the disconnect between the parts of the game that should be increased, and is one of the problems that people complained about DA2: that you could be a mage and use spells in combat and no one will notice or say anything. If you don't like combat then try to avoid it ingame!

[Sensuki]

Greetings, all!

 

I started this post on the Kickstarter page, but am reposting and updating it here so it's more visible (and memorable) to all those involved!

 

Let the wishlist commence!

 

-A minor addition that could have made a big difference in Baldur's Gate II was macros. Buffing my team after every rest period got very annoying and made me quit playing. I got back into the game as a solo Sorceress, in part because buffing would take less time. This is also circumventable by making all or most buffs infinite duration, but have an associated cost, like reduced max mana, such as in Dragon Age 1.

 

I'd be okay with this only if it worked outside of combat. But I'm pretty sure this will just be hooked into the AI system possibly (inside combat anyway).

 

 

 

-I want combat to be tactical and deep (like BGII and Dragon Age 1). High-level BGII combat became, "Chain Contingency: Horrid Wilting, Horrid Wilting, Horrid Wilting" or my party dies. Over and over and over. Which got boring. Dragon Age 1 had "Cone of Cold >> Stonefist/Auto-crit ability" to instant kill white-named mobs with Crushing Prison and Force Field to deal with the rest, but at least DA had Blood Control (mind control) and Blood Wound (mass incapacitation through twitching). I played on Nightmare for Dragon Age 1 and the default for Baldur's Gate II, meaning I pretty much had to use these tactics to get by!

 

I got through BG without using contingency or casting Horrid Wilting once many times. I actually didn't use many AoE spells because I played a Kensai or Undead Hunter most of the time.

 

And the further away from Dragon Age or MMOs the game is, the better. Dragon Age was not a tactical game in my opinion, it just gave the illusion of it.

[Sensuki]

 

Tonnes of Babysitting

 

Umm, I'm not sure if this will be your kind of game, you may just want to play it on easy mode.

[Feldoth]

NWN2 was desperately in need of a macro system, mostly due to buffing and targeting (but targeting was stupid anyway... why do I need to click on myself to cast a self-only spell?). Macro's in combat are OK (balance wise) if limited to basic things - but really, it's a single player game, why would anyone care if someone else abuses a macro system?

[Sensuki]

Yeah but then it's almost like why have pause?

[general_azure]

For that mega dungeon, can I have some unlockable additional access points at lower levels (as in diablo)? Just in case I need to go grab more ammo or a healer =P

[ImRhoven]

I hardly ever used contingency or wilting spells ...

 

If they go with a tiered weapon system like DA:O, I'm going to revolt.

 

Sorting systems in inventory would imply a list sort of inventory, which are the most horrible sort of inventories forced upon us because of consoles.

 

Infinite stacking items don't make sense, what you can carry should be limited both by weight and the amount of space it takes up imo. Choices, Choices that's what a good RPG is about.

 

And that woman was a moron.