Interview with Josh Sawyer on Design and Mechanics

[Ieo]

EDIT: And as for taking 10 or 20 with this approach, I can always retry opening such locks multiple times (that's certainly a choice). Once I finally get that difficult lock open, I will really feel rewarded at the accomplishment.

Yeah, until you come to the next difficult lock, then the next one, then the one after that, and the one after that. Next thing you know, the mini-game has clubbed you to submission and you're off to check Nexus for mods to let you just bash that lock open with one hit.

Or... I make another smart choice and increase my lock picking skills so that I can open those locks more easily. And I will really appreciate the increased ease with which I can open those locks, because I better understand their difficulty.

 

Except the point of the marginal flexibility in Sawyer's terms is that it's the difference between a choice before you at the moment versus a strategically poor choice made four levels ago. The "choice" you're talking about is only always after the fact, after an absolute failure with no possibility of a choice at the moment it matters. This is the distinction he's making, and one I agree with. Unless you're keeping notes for a second playthrough, but that's pure metagaming as well.

 

There were non-marginal shortfall crutches in BG. For example, permanent gear that gave upwards +20% thieving skills, potions that gave +45% thieving, blah blah--I assume none of you used those items if you're against "marginal shortfall crutches" the way these lockpicks are being talked about, right? I think the permanent gear bonuses in particular are a bit overpowered and undermine skill leveling choices even with a "soft shortfall," though.

[Marceror]

EDIT: And as for taking 10 or 20 with this approach, I can always retry opening such locks multiple times (that's certainly a choice). Once I finally get that difficult lock open, I will really feel rewarded at the accomplishment.

Yeah, until you come to the next difficult lock, then the next one, then the one after that, and the one after that. Next thing you know, the mini-game has clubbed you to submission and you're off to check Nexus for mods to let you just bash that lock open with one hit.

Or... I make another smart choice and increase my lock picking skills so that I can open those locks more easily. And I will really appreciate the increased ease with which I can open those locks, because I better understand their difficulty.

 

Except the point of the marginal flexibility in Sawyer's terms is that it's the difference between a choice before you at the moment versus a strategically poor choice made four levels ago. The "choice" you're talking about is only always after the fact, after an absolute failure with no possibility of a choice at the moment it matters. This is the distinction he's making, and one I agree with. Unless you're keeping notes for a second playthrough, but that's pure metagaming as well.

 

There were non-marginal shortfall crutches in BG. For example, permanent gear that gave upwards +20% thieving skills, potions that gave +45% thieving, blah blah--I assume none of you used those items if you're against "marginal shortfall crutches" the way these lockpicks are being talked about, right? I think the permanent gear bonuses in particular are a bit overpowered and undermine skill leveling choices even with a "soft shortfall," though.

 

Call me an old RPG fart if you will, but in my day, when a lock was too hard to pick, we either came back later, or spent 10 minutes picking it, always up hill, both ways, in the snow... and that's how we liked it!

 

But seriously, I never said that I was "against" (strong word, btw) the marginal shortfall crutches. Once these were explained to me as being a representation of "more time spent" burning through lockpicks, I could get onboard at least conceptually (vs. my original comment that 10 spoons don't help me eat a bowl of soup better than one spoon does). If this is what Josh is set on, I might suggest capping it at 5, as 10 seems excessive to me. I mean, if you have to break more than 5 sets of lockpicks, you probably aren't good enough to pick that lock. Make each lock pick make enough of a difference I guess, so that burning though 5 gives you an appreciable, yet still marginal benefit.

 

If you still can't get it, there's nothing wrong with coming back later. Even more modern games like Dragon Age (which go out of their way to accomodate players) don't have an issue with a lock that can't be picked just because the player happens to have encountered it. There should be some consequences for not including certain key skills in your party. Not every party should necessarily be able to overcome every challenge, but a particularly well balanced party should be able to tackle most of them. If you can't do it all in playthrough 1, then yeah, do better in the second playthrough. Hell, that's one of the reasons people still play Baldur's Gate all these year later. They want to do it better "this time" than they did "last time". We should keep that opportunity present in PE at all costs!

 

If a Recommend button helps, and is warranted, than by all means, make that available to the newbs. The veterans are going to try to do better than the Recommend button ever could anyway.

Edited October 31, 2012 by Marceror

[Wombat]

Oh, yes. Coming back later is another valid option. In any case, there should be no needs for umber-lock-picking tools, IMO - from the game-balance point of view, at least.

[Tamerlane]

In any case, there should be no needs for umber-lock-picking tools, IMO

Hey, my lockpicks can be dark brown if they wanna be dark brown!