Can I even handle a game like PE any longer? Well, I sure hope so!

[Metabot]

 

Dark Souls isn't easier when you're in undead form, you can't summon help for one thing.

Just as an aside, yes it is.  There are certain things mechanically that happen behind the scenes.  No you can't summon help... but you also can't be invaded.  Additionally mobs actually do less damage to you when you are in undead form.  It isn't "huge" but it is there.  I find solo 9 out of 10 times is easier.  Save for maybe Ornstein and Smough.

 

 

I don't buy it. Show me the proof that mobs do less damage. Also, how is solo easier than with another person and/or an NPC like Solaire? That's just illogical.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Metabot

[Stormbold]

As a 'Method Gamer' I am really looking forward to playing this game.

[Monte Carlo]

As a 'Method Gamer' I am really looking forward to playing this game.

 

[Mor]

 

Path of the Damned is a spiritual successor to Icewind Dale's Heart of Fury mode. In our encounters, we like to turn individual combatants on and off based on the level of difficulty. If you come into an area on Easy, maybe casters are replaced with weak melee enemies. If you come in on Hard, maybe the casters are augmented by a tough melee enemy or two. With Path of the Damned, that goes out the window. All enemies from all levels of difficulty are enabled and the combat mechanics are amplified to make battles much more brutal for everyone involved.

If things are not changed after the old update above, enemies are scaled based on the difficulty level, not character level as in Bethesda games.  So, even at easier difficulty levels, if a low-level party wander too far, they will eventually come across what they cannot deal with, which is, however, by design or due to the scope of the game.

 

[Edit]  BTW, I couldn't find where it was mentioned but, IIRC, encounters tied to the plot seems to be scaled to some extent.  Oh and np Indira

 

pretty much that is all we know on that front.

http://eternity.gamepedia.com/Mode

Edited January 18, 2014 by Mor

[Wombat]

?  Actually, there is no wonder since I checked out both the wiki and the original source to be sure before writing my previous comment (I quoted the latter simply because I could make use of the function of the boards).  For relying exclusively on my memory is not a good idea.

[Monte Carlo]

I think it's awesome you can tinker with the options. For example, I'll use a lot of the combat ones but leave the 'story' ones alone. Then I'll do a trial of iron for the lulz after my first run through.

[Mor]

@Wombat, I just thrown the link here to help the guys at the wiki, in case someone is able to dig anything new or find an error.

 

Speaking of new, iirc JS said that companions are optional and that a player would be able to finish the game on his own. Does that mean that yes could finish the game on your own, but that would be insanely hard or that for each additional party member the mobs will get tougher ?

[PrimeJunta]

I recalle JES saying that the game will be balanced for a full party, but there's nothing to stop you from going solo. Presumably it will be a good deal harder. (It bloody well better be.)

[PhroX]

I recalle JES saying that the game will be balanced for a full party, but there's nothing to stop you from going solo. Presumably it will be a good deal harder. (It bloody well better be.)

 

Agree, but I hope the rewards for soloing are also greater - back in the old IE games you got the entire party's XP to yourself if you soloed, so you levelled 6 times the speed. In more recent party-based RPGs this ain't the case, which sucks.

Edited January 18, 2014 by PhroX

[PrimeJunta]

Yep, that's a big part of the appeal of soloing. It can get tricky though. It sort of worked in the AD&D IE games because of the ridiculous geometric XP series in level progression, so 6x the XP might only put you, like, two levels ahead. Otherwise with a hard level cap you're going to plateau way before the endgame, which isn't all that much fun.

[Jarmo]

Yep, that's a big part of the appeal of soloing. It can get tricky though. It sort of worked in the AD&D IE games because of the ridiculous geometric XP series in level progression, so 6x the XP might only put you, like, two levels ahead. Otherwise with a hard level cap you're going to plateau way before the endgame, which isn't all that much fun.

 

Funnily enough, the D&D curve was just stupid: Chart.

Flats out at 10th level.

 

Meaning the difference is something like being at 20th or 40th level.

Also meaning a multiclass character works great in BG1 but not at all in BG2 or Icewind Dales.

Edited January 18, 2014 by Jarmo

[Stun]

Otherwise with a hard level cap you're going to plateau way before the endgame, which isn't all that much fun.

I don't know. For some reason it wasn't that bad in BG1 (which was the worst offender. With TotSC, you could cap halfway through the game.)

 

Smart developers can mitigate the anti-climax of the gameplay that happens post level cap via loot distribution, shifting focus from combat to story, and various other ways.

 

I don't think POE will be having such a problem though, since you won't be getting exp for killing things. All exp will be quest exp, so they could precisely measure everything from beginning to end and make sure that a party of six won't hit the cap until just before the end of the game.

Edited January 18, 2014 by Stun

[IndiraLightfoot]

Yep, that's a big part of the appeal of soloing. It can get tricky though. It sort of worked in the AD&D IE games because of the ridiculous geometric XP series in level progression, so 6x the XP might only put you, like, two levels ahead. Otherwise with a hard level cap you're going to plateau way before the endgame, which isn't all that much fun.

 

I agree. So, I wonder whether there will be any kind of reward for soloing bar some achievement, perhaps?

Edited January 18, 2014 by IndiraLightfoot

[PrimeJunta]

@Jarmo true. I was thinking of it in context with PoE which apparently caps at level 10.

[Monte Carlo]

 

 

All exp will be quest exp, so they could precisely measure everything from beginning to end and make sure that a party of six won't hit the cap until just before the end of the game.

 

Is that confirmed? If so Sawyer slipped that under the radar. A lot of us hate the idea.

[Metabot]

 

All exp will be quest exp, so they could precisely measure everything from beginning to end and make sure that a party of six won't hit the cap until just before the end of the game.

 

Is that confirmed? If so Sawyer slipped that under the radar. A lot of us hate the idea.

 

 

It's been known for quite some time. Most of the exp you got in BG2 came from completing quests, or sections of quests. I'd rather the game be designed around not grinding, I hate grinding.

Edited January 18, 2014 by Metabot

[Monte Carlo]

In BG2 you got XP for all sorts of things, including killing monsters. Ditto the IWD games. Despite what the Planescape fans might think, PoE is primarily a combat / exploration CRPG. To suggest non-quest XP is 'grinding' is a bit of a strawman. You might get token XP, but the idea that it's quest only is a disappointment to me.

[Metabot]

That's why I said "most" not all.

Edited January 18, 2014 by Metabot

[Stun]

 

All exp will be quest exp, so they could precisely measure everything from beginning to end and make sure that a party of six won't hit the cap until just before the end of the game.

 

 

Is that confirmed? If so Sawyer slipped that under the radar. A lot of us hate the idea.

 

Yes. The first time they mentioned it was in the bottom of Update #7:

 

Avoiding combat does not lead to less experience gain. You shouldn't go up levels any slower by using your non-combat skills rather than your combat skills. We plan to reward you for your accomplishments, not for your body count.

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I like it. It promotes true roleplaying, instead of the gamey Murdering-things-for-exp that defines most cRPGs. On the other hand, I'm seeing myself halfway down the mega dungeon and dreading that next encounter because there's no point in doing it.

Edited January 19, 2014 by Stun

[Karkarov]

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I like it. It promotes true roleplaying, instead of the gamey Murdering-things-for-exp that defines most cRPGs. On the other hand, I'm seeing myself halfway down the mega dungeon and dreading that next encounter because there's no point in doing it.

While I feel you on that Stun this is the thing... there is still a reason for doing it.  Combat is now less about "yeah EXP!!!!" and more about "this is how I want to resolve this situation".  In many cases combat will be the only choice, for example the mega dungeon.  However it isn't like that's all there is to it.  The mobs have loot, money, who knows what else.  Also the goal is to clear the mega dungeon not "get exp" when you look at it this way there is tons of meaning in the fight because you have to do that fight to in fact "clear the mega dungeon".

 

Basically this system is all about thinking long term goal instead of short term.  I think people should give it a chance, you might be surprised how will it works and how you don't even notice you stopped getting exp for killing things specifically.

[AGX-17]

tl;dr Old people aren't good at video games?

[Metabot]

Well I'm sure that there will be quests associated with the mega-dungeon or objectives of some sort. Something as simple as find out the secrets of Od Nua.

Edited January 19, 2014 by Metabot

[BLnoT]

I don't mind having most exp gained from quests, but alittle extra exp for other things couldnt hurt.

Edited January 19, 2014 by BLnoT

[Metabot]

I don't really see what it matters at that point.

[IndiraLightfoot]

AGX-17: Too Short/Did Read - Old people are too good at video games!

 

BLnoT: I think it's supposed to be a lot of objective xp. When you reach various objectives in the game, which can be parts of quests or not, there will be xp rewards for it. However, I wonder if it was us speculating about it, or if Obsidian confirmed it at one point or another.