Update #31: Enter the Story Zone

[Nomine Vacans]

Props to Mr. Avellone. Arcanum is like a wife, you hate her and you love her.

And sometimes you just want to kill her... oh, wait, did I said it out loud?

[kenup]

Thanks for the update!

 

Anyone else thought someone, recorded, would start screaming in pain, when Josh Sawyer threw that mace?

[Sacred_Path]

I watched this video and can't remember a thing. Cover your tats man, they're hypnotic

[Frenetic Pony]

Pretty standard stuff. Choose one "Your characters if F*d because of X" see stuff like this, The Witcher 2, etc. Choice 2, the world is going to end! You live in the world, so you should probably stop that.

 

I understand the problem of motivation, but it's so utterly limiting in story and what you encounter in RPGs. Then again there are RPGs that don't have that. And you can easily stop yourself in the middle of those and ask "wait, why don't I just stop? Why is my character even going on with this?" I suppose it's just a limit of the type of game being made.

Edited November 16, 2012 by Frenetic Pony

[Cantousent]

As Spiderman says, I spidey sense you, FP, but that's simply the problem. Some games do a great job. I think Mask of the Betrayer really managed to reward characters for various decisions, and I don't mean with game mechanic things like abilities and attributes or even items. Sure, there were specific things you received for some actions in the game, but the big payoff was in the reward. Devour a god, and you're showing your badass side. Is it kinda nice to get an ingame bennie for it? :Cant's shrugging icon: Sure. But the real reward was being *that* guy who devoured a god. Decided to lay all those scribes to their final repose after so much time spent suffering? Who cares that you didn't get some super power. You were *that* guy who laid the rest to death and ended their suffering.

 

The trick to rewarding role playing is to offer a role-playing reward. It's always good to offer game mechanic rewards, but you can spread those out a little more sparingly if you're good at what Avellone less than artfully calls "ego stroking."

 

I think Obsidz has shown they can do it, and now they need to step it up a notch. They can do it. Not only that, but they can do it in a very controled, linear game like PS:T and they can do it in about as open ended a sandbox game like New Vegas. There is no excuse. They can do, and we should expect it. It's not good enough provide as good as they've ever done. The stars are aligned, the butterfly has flapped its wings, the storm is perfect. Time to step up to the plate, Casey, and this time there's no striking out.

 

Of course, this could all be the wine talking. *shrug*

[Monte Carlo]

One thing to say. Avellone as logger is awesome.

 

It's actually Arnie playing Col. John Matrix in Commando. With Chris' head on. It is a clue that P:E will have a special forces revenge plot involving rocket launchers.

[Monte Carlo]

'Twas useful for me, this update. Mainly because it reinforces the radical difference in process between writing games and novels. And this is a false comparison that gets bandied around a lot on the forums.

 

The relationship between writing and design is looking a bit clearer to me, so that was a useful tidbit.

[Skie Nightfall]

Love those updates.

[Raithe]

That and "punching the dolphin of choice out of the ocean" has to be my quote for the day...

[Theobeau]

Interesting update and further illuminates the process of writing for and producing a great cRPG.

 

With his tribal tattoos, ownership of medieval weaponry and possible great affection for antiquarian books JE Sawyer could make for a memorable PE character.

 

After all this in a pre-printing press age books are likely to be rare and who better as their guardian than JE Sawyer; one scary ass head-librarian who will really take you to town if you are late in returning one of those damned rare illuminated manuscripts!

[Amarantha]

I just hope that you aren't forced to be the good guy, or a good guy who happens to do a lot of bad things but ultimately saves everyone.

 

What if I want to take over the world with forbidden magic? An evil ending lets you take the plot in different and interesting directions, allowing the exploration of more sophisticated literary themes and potentially doubling the replayability.

 

qft

 

Been waiting for years for a true RPG giving me the option to play an evil character and roleplay him/her the way I like instead of being forced down one path.

I really hope Project Eternity is it.

[Aedelric]

"Punch the dolphin of choice out of the ocean."

 

Such a statement can not be followed up, it speaks for itself. :D

[mieu]

I just hope that you aren't forced to be the good guy, or a good guy who happens to do a lot of bad things but ultimately saves everyone.

 

What if I want to take over the world with forbidden magic? An evil ending lets you take the plot in different and interesting directions, allowing the exploration of more sophisticated literary themes and potentially doubling the replayability.

 

.Here here

Edited November 16, 2012 by mieu

[mieu]

Anyone think upgrades may be a bit too frequent?

 

I would rather like it when they could just, well, tell us stuff. Rather than mumble stuff. Just because there need to be weekly or so updates. While there is no clear definition of stuff.

Or am I alone there?

..Your alone

[Isamael]

There was a comment on the youtube video that, while crudely put, deserves some recognition - if we can at all avoid a zombie-ish apocalypse as a looming threat in the Eternity storyline, I would be very pleased and doubly grateful. What is it about the undead that make them restless every time there's an adventure to be had?

 

That said, I expect good things from the story, and truth be told I can put up with any number of tropes if we can but have player choices that relate to their character's (perceived) personality instead of subscribing to the tired and arbitrary "good / evil / neutral" trinity. The Witcher games, for instance, did a great job of creating a world of moral ambiguities - but the dialogue and story suffered because you were tied to this rather apersonal and boring character. In Dragon Age (the first) most dialogue choices would lead to largely the same results (as does, indeed, most any branching dialogue trees - they are immensely difficult to write) but there were a plethora of different...spins or moods. I had envisioned my character as sassy and disorderly to the outside, a character who loathed authority, but ultimately had a good heart - and found to my surprise that the game would let me play the character just so. The outcomes were, perhaps, identical to the ones a two-dimensional goody-two-shoes would have gotten - but I got to experience them with my vision of my character intact. This is something I found immensely rewarding and would like to see again.

 

Furthermore.... Wait. Oh dear, did I just start arguing dialogue construction in a story post?

I did, didn't I...

 

My apologies.

Consider then my standpoint this:

 

LONG TERM NON-APPARENT CONSEQUENCES PLZ!1

Edited November 16, 2012 by Isamael

[godsend1989]

Maybe you guys can add the Harpers in the game, a badass organization that appears out of nowhere to restore balance at a crucial point in the game ( maybe before a great villain is killed or evil is too strong and its on rampage ).

 

I just like the ideea of secret mage organization that teleport near you ( 1 member or more ) out of nowhere doing some crazy spells that doesnt make any sense for the player at some point in the game, just an ideea.

[Isamael]

Much as I enjoy scheming wizard organisations and the like, the Harpers are a fictional organization native to the Forgotten Realms, this isn't a FR game.

I think what you are advocating is to have the player be confronted with/by a group and their schemes, possibly at semi-regular intervals throughout the story -

without understanding the ramifications of their actions until, (either through a big reveal, or simply when you figure it out yourself) there is a - pardon the expression -

brick-sh*tting experience as the pieces fall into place?

 

Or do you really simply want the harpers or a clone thereof in the game?

In case of the latter, put me down for "Not very tempting."

Edited November 16, 2012 by Isamael

[ShiftClick]

Ah, Sire! I must commend you on yet another excellently vague update!

Must say that I've been thoroughly enjoying these; albeit brieft, they're really quite informative. Also, positively giddy with excitement to see what else is to be revealed further along into development!

 

 

So, yeah.. Keep 'em coming!

[Hassat Hunter]

..Your alone

I just think that with 18 months to go, we get a bit too many updates. They just can't keep that up. And it would be better to be updated nearer release (when there is stuff), rather than so early in pre-production when there is barely naught to talk about. Unless they're fishing for story ideas like with armor ideas a few updates back, but I don't get a similar vibe here. Heck, I wouldn't even want them to listen to us here, with Avellone and Ziets already working on it and most likely doing a way better job of it than anyone here can.

 

Also, there are people who actually think cRPG writing and book writing is the same? Even with a choose-your-own-adventure type book that's hard to believe.

 

Just want to say an introverted journey (KOTOR2, PS:T) is much more prefered to me than "Epic" (*cough*) save the world from doom-stories. Although of course, it's probably not the same opinion the masses hold. Then again, kickstarter. It would be interesting to know what the status-quote about this is amongst backers (and not just forum members)...

[Keyrock]

For the record, it's almost impossible for a RPG story to be too political for me. I much prefer power struggles, conflicts, and betrayals both within kingdoms and between them, than "save the noble world from the awakened ancient evil".

[Hormalakh]

Just want to say an introverted journey (KOTOR2, PS:T) is much more prefered to me than "Epic" (*cough*) save the world from doom-stories. Although of course, it's probably not the same opinion the masses hold. Then again, kickstarter. It would be interesting to know what the status-quote about this is amongst backers (and not just forum members)...

 

no no you can't say that. you didn't want updates, so this update doesn't really pertain to you. they shouldn't take your input into account. :D see?

Edited November 16, 2012 by Hormalakh

[rjshae]

Thank you for the update.

[Tethros]

Something that I would like to see, that I haven't seen yet, is a set of non-linear good and evil paradigms. This was partially accomplished in AD&D by adding a law-chaos axis to the good-evil graph. But there is still overwhelmingly this idea that bad is bad and good is good. Perhaps a more complex reality based more on current conceptions of evil in social science would be interesting. For instance, evil isn't accomplished by evil people, but by people who are obedient to authority. Or that evil itself doesn't really exist at all, what really matters are interests.

 

To some degree, insofar as there must be conflict, there must be an "us" and a "them", but that doesn't necessitate the creation of a "good" and an "evil". What would be most interesting story-wise, would be to have all the various sides of the conflict be justifiable in some moderately reasonable light. And the evil in the world should be the aggregate cognitive error of many people doing small evils (like the evils of complacency, segmentation of responsibility, etc.), not the man in the top hat and the pointy mustache.

[Archmage Silver]

Nice update (#31). Not much content, but Josh had a mace. I have one as well. I've also got some other weapons like swords, daggers and an axe - no guns or projectile weapons though, they don't make for good replicas IMO.

[Quadrone]

Anyone think upgrades may be a bit too frequent?

 

I would rather like it when they could just, well, tell us stuff. Rather than mumble stuff. Just because there need to be weekly or so updates. While there is no clear definition of stuff.

Or am I alone there?

Yes and no. I don't think the updates are too frequent but I would like it as well if they could start telling us stuff.

I know they've all their hands full and are still in early concept phase but... just something little? A smidgen of lore, some rough ideas about the Aumaua or an example of those "...various small ideas, big ideas, minor tweaks, radical overhauls, and brand new storylines." that were mentioned in this update. It's fine if it's short.

 

I already said something like this in a previous thread and it didn't go over well, but these kind of updates are just too vague for me.

Not to be a stick in the mud but I'd prefer to hear stuff about PE and not about Obsidians general design philosophy.

Edited November 16, 2012 by Quadrone