Update #47: Odds and Ends

[radioactivelullaby]

afraid of asking the obvious here but this bridge in these two cutscenes is the very same damaged bridge we can see in the waterfall screenshot?

[Forlorn Hope]

Thank you for the update, once again. No pressure but this is the game I have been waiting for since I learned computer games exist... or since I was born. Anyhow, looking forward to future updates and eventually playing the game.

[Sacred_Path]

The pictures really give that Darklands feel. <3 so much

[SunBroSolaire]

afraid of asking the obvious here but this bridge in these two cutscenes is the very same damaged bridge we can see in the waterfall screenshot?

That's what I was thinking. Maybe it's a hint that we'll see some actual gameplay? 

 

I love the idea of those decision screens. They should have them all through the game... On loading screens ("You enter the dark cavern..."), resting screens (inns, campsites, player stronghold), between chapters (Icewind Dale style). 

 

Can't wait for the waterfall demo 

[IndiraLightfoot]

 

I want my fur-clad barbarian to wear the plumed hat. That would rock.

 

You could name your barbarian "Norwegian Blue".  He'd have beautiful plumage.

 

One problem though, that's a more or less an extinct species, and when they go belly-up, they are often mistaken for being alive and have to suffer excruciating treatments on a Pet Shop counter down the street.

[Bhazor]

So how long till Dwarven Forge announce Project Eternitiy themed minatures?

[Keyrock]

If this is the style of cutscene this project is going for, then I'm all for it.  Also, please tell me I'll actually be able to wear an awesome plumed hat like that in the game.

[rjshae]

Oh dear, I do hope that is not the font they're going to be using for the game.    It makes reading a plodding effort, particularly against a varying background.

 

Good news otherwise. Thank you for the update.

[Decap_331]

Thx for the update.

What will be native resolution for the game? I mean if it works like baldurs gate, planescape, icewind dale and other IE games there is a native resolution like 640x480 or 800x600 giving it higher resolution will result in smaller objects. Im glad chose IE, 2d environment looks much, much more detailed. IE games with resolution patches still look great, 10 years+ after release.

 

In old d&d games i always chose mage as my main character. It was the most intresting class for me because, well, because you had so many spells and so many options with them in combat, massive croud control and aoe spells and simply single target spells that did a huge amount of damage and that all was in one class, leaving all fighter classes, with only gearing up option. Its really hard to get a good balance with so many classes, but if you will have druid and bard (chanter) make them worth taking them into the party. For example druids transformation in bg2 was totally pointless, (was bear, brown bear and wolf if i remember correct), what you can make is something like snake(for example) transform with poisoning damage so we could use it against specific creatures that are weak to poison damage, that will make such characters valuable for party (atleast in early stages) and atleast they will not be totally pointless.

 

Anyways, that is just an example of what can make us use different classes. And of course you can always get + 5 people in group, thats why i love d&d because other characters do matter, you play all 6 characters not only mage ot fighter or rogue or healer.

[Greensleeve]

That is one awesome hat. I'll be highly disappointed if I can't wear one myself. Y'hear?

 

Other than that, lovely update, even though it mainly just promises things to come. It does look as though the game is getting a solid foundation, which I'm very happy to hear.

[mstark]

Thx for the update.

What will be native resolution for the game? I mean if it works like baldurs gate, planescape, icewind dale and other IE games there is a native resolution like 640x480 or 800x600 giving it higher resolution will result in smaller objects. Im glad chose IE, 2d environment looks much, much more detailed. IE games with resolution patches still look great, 10 years+ after release.

 

Project Eternity will be created with 2 target resolutions in mind that you can switch between on the fly, depending on what fits your computer screen best. One will be targeted to screen resolutions around 1280*800 (generally 10-15" screens), and one targeted at 2560*1440 (fit for 27-30" screens, or very high resolution smaller screens, think the retina MacBook). With those two rendering resolutions you can be sure that PE will remain crisp and gorgeous looking on most screens for many years!

 

There was an update on this a while back: http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/63020-project-eternity-update-36-off-to-our-elfhomes-but-first/

 

A post further clarifying the target resolutions: http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/63020-project-eternity-update-36-off-to-our-elfhomes-but-first/?p=1293137

Edited March 27, 2013 by mstark

[Decap_331]

 

Thx for the update.

What will be native resolution for the game? I mean if it works like baldurs gate, planescape, icewind dale and other IE games there is a native resolution like 640x480 or 800x600 giving it higher resolution will result in smaller objects. Im glad chose IE, 2d environment looks much, much more detailed. IE games with resolution patches still look great, 10 years+ after release.

 

Project Eternity will be created with 2 target resolutions (that you can switch between on the fly, depending on what fits your computer screen best). One will be targeted to screen resolutions around 1280*800 (generally 10-15" screens), and one targeted at 2560*1440 (fit for 27-30" screens, or very high resolution smaller screens, think the retina MacBook). With those two rendering resolutions you can be sure that PE will remain crisp and gorgeous looking on most screens for many years!

 

There was an update on this a while back: http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/63020-project-eternity-update-36-off-to-our-elfhomes-but-first/

Oh i missed that update , thanks a lot. I have 27* 1920x1080, as far as i understand, i can choose to upscale from 1280x720 (will result in a smaller models),or downscale from 2560x1440 (will result in bigger models). In that case maybe its better if we had an option to "zoom in" and "zoom out" a bit, like it was made in Baldurs Gate: Enchanced Edition.

[J.E. Sawyer]

We already have zoom functionality in.

[J.E. Sawyer]

Looking great! Love the idea of the "what do you choose to do" images.

 

I'm a bit concerned about the choice of typeface, many of the old IE games used typefaces with bad readability (most notably, Planescape: Torment, and it's considered an interactive book by many!). While Black Letter typefaces (or Gothic, a derogatory term, as they started being called in late medieval Italy—the period PE is largely based on) was still the common way of writing, it was rapidly being abandoned for a new type of script. During this period, many far more readable typefaces started making it into popular use.

 

We don't intend to use Blackletter typefaces in the final product.  I'd like to use something in the Jenson family if possible.

 

http://www.linotype.com/43708/AdobeJenson-family.html

[mstark]

Oooh, does it switch between the two resolutions seamlessly when you reach certain breakpoints in zoom level, or do you zoom within the target resolution you currently have selected? Is the zoom intended to "stay put" between sessions, so that you can keep it at a comfortable level? Does this completely remove the necessity of toggling between resolutions, since that essentially is just a way of selecting a persistent level of zoom? Details! Details! :D

[Labadal]

 

Looking great! Love the idea of the "what do you choose to do" images.

 

I'm a bit concerned about the choice of typeface, many of the old IE games used typefaces with bad readability (most notably, Planescape: Torment, and it's considered an interactive book by many!). While Black Letter typefaces (or Gothic, a derogatory term, as they started being called in late medieval Italy—the period PE is largely based on) was still the common way of writing, it was rapidly being abandoned for a new type of script. During this period, many far more readable typefaces started making it into popular use.

 

We don't intend to use Blackletter typefaces in the final product.  I'd like to use something in the Jenson family if possible.

 

http://www.linotype.com/43708/AdobeJenson-family.html

 

Glad to hear that. Won't sprain my eyes everytime I try to read something. 

[J.E. Sawyer]

Oooh, does it switch between the two resolutions seamlessly when you reach certain breakpoints in zoom level, or do you zoom within the target resolution you currently have selected? Is the zoom intended to "stay put" between sessions, so that you can keep it at a comfortable level? Does this completely remove the necessity of toggling between resolutions, since that essentially is just a way of selecting a persistent level of zoom? Details! Details! :D

 

It doesn't.  The two base resolutions exist mostly to support people running on lower-end/older machines.  There's 4x the pixel data in the high res backgrounds.  Even with compression, those are huge files.

[mstark]

Looks like a nice choice (though anti-aliasing botches up the type by a lot once it goes below 14pt?). Potentially a good compromise between keeping glyphs legible and maintaining a handwritten, story-telling feel. Maybe you'll be running tests (across screen varieties, with different people) to find the best possible solution? (different operating systems, and different screens, do anti-aliasing and subpixel rendering differently).

 

Currently playing PS:T on a 27" screen (2560*1440), and it's only really playable when using font patches!

Edited March 27, 2013 by mstark

[Lord Lierdan Firkraag]

Thx for the update!

 

So far, everything looks cool. Just one question:

 

What do you think about cutscenes/cinematics?

 

Entering an unexplored city or a dungeon, will we have any cinematics? I think they play a big role in storytelling. I hope there will be a lot of them.

[Jajo]

On of the best updates ever. I'm now even more excited about this game. Heavy armour concept art is perfect.

[J.E. Sawyer]

It bears repeating, those static action scenes are a fantastic idea.

 

I also like the figure concepts, their aesthetics are great, except I have a few criticisms of the lady armor. First, more of her chest is exposed under the throat than on the man armor thanks to the low cut style; that's pointless and dangerous. Second, the curve of the plate emphasises she has a bosom, in comparison to the man's armor. That wouldn't be an issue if the man's armor were similarly curved up top, as I have seen such an armor at the MET; however, considering that both armors are likely from the same region and time period, they should probably have the same kind of curve. The main differences would likely be in the narrowness of the waste, and flair of the hip armor.

 

By the way, I love the hat. Additionally, I think it makes sense they wouldn't be wearing leg armor, since leg armor slows and wears a person out faster than upper armors.

 

The barbarian clothes strike me as cave dwelling dinasour hunter style, rather than any real primitive society. I would expect neater hems, especially with the use of asymetry.

 

The final plate armors will have similar necklines between sexes.  The female plate armors will retain the curve at the chest to help the player distinguish female characters from male characters.  This is also why their waists are narrower and why their tassets are flared out more.

 

With the hide armor, we chose to err on the side of a very primitive look to make it easily distinguishable from the leather armor, which looks much more like, well, armor made of hardened leather.

[mstark]

What do you think about cutscenes/cinematics?

 

Entering an unexplored city or a dungeon, will we have any cinematics? I think they play a big role in storytelling. I hope there will be a lot of them.

I think the only thing they've said on this so far is that it'll be similar to switching between chapters in some of the IE games, where you get a narrated sequence, accompanied by static art (which I love, btw). Animation simply is too expensive/time consuming to fit within a crowd sourced budget (and there also seems to be little demand for it in the fanbase).

[Lord Lierdan Firkraag]

 

What do you think about cutscenes/cinematics?

 

Entering an unexplored city or a dungeon, will we have any cinematics? I think they play a big role in storytelling. I hope there will be a lot of them.

I think the only thing they've said on this so far is that it'll be similar to switching between chapters in some of the IE games, where you get a narrated sequence, accompanied by static art (which I love, btw). Animation simply is too expensive/time consuming to fit within a crowd sourced budget (and there also seems to be little demand for it in the fanbase).

Thx for reply. I thought about that too. They are expensive and needs a lot of work. Well, no cinematics than...

[rjshae]

 

What do you think about cutscenes/cinematics?

 

Entering an unexplored city or a dungeon, will we have any cinematics? I think they play a big role in storytelling. I hope there will be a lot of them.

I think the only thing they've said on this so far is that it'll be similar to switching between chapters in some of the IE games, where you get a narrated sequence, accompanied by static art (which I love, btw). Animation simply is too expensive/time consuming to fit within a crowd sourced budget (and there also seems to be little demand for it in the fanbase).

 

There are still some animations they could implement even with static art, such as slow motion panning and zooming.

[amarok]

Oh man, i love you guys. The idea of Darklands-style static art encounters at some points is fantastic! It can add so much variation, if done correctly.
I hope you will implement some form of randomness, like wilderness encounters on worldmap travel. Some easter egg encounters like in the old Fallouts would also be nice.

 

Also, i second the wish for static screens in this style when entering new regions/resting/dying. I am aware that there i quite some effort needed to produce high quality art like that stuff, but things like these add immersion like ****.

 

Keep the good stuff flowing guys.