Common pitfalls of CRPG games to avoid

[Lephys]

@Gromnir:

 

Your points are valid. No, it's not really "bad," per se. It's just sort of... a lack of good? It's not realy serving a purpose, other than "someone would like this," which is true of almost anything that can possibly be conceived. "What if the game lets you build a hot air balloon, and firebomb cities?" Well, that would be cool, in its own way, but the game has no obligation to provide that.

 

For a game that's all about some narrativeness, your character simply changing the very fiber of his being 17 times is a bit clashing. "And then, the adventurer paid some guy to effectively un-develop all those skills and such that he developed, and magically retain all the raw experience to be applied toward some other skills in some other combination of points! 8D!"

 

MMO's are build with infini-respecing in mind, because there is no built-in coherence of narrative with a given character. Your character is just your mechanical means of tackling a big sea of persistent content. The world's the same no matter what you do, so you're just trying out a bunch of different builds and such, all in one go. And that's fine. That fits.

 

With a game like PoE, though, it just doesn't fit, is all. You might as well go ahead and allow class changing, and race-changing, mid-game. You just pay someone, and BOOM! Re-roll your PC. Die in IronMan Mode? Re-roll a new PC, right then and there. Having difficulty with that cave? Become a Wizard for the duration, then switch back to a Fighter!

 

It becomes rather ludicrous, IF you don't draw a line, obviously. Basically, I see a legitimate reason to allow a single respec throughout the entirety of a playthrough (as the player's ability to learn and fully comprehend the rule/spec system and build his character perfectly along his desires is not a 100% guaranteed thing), but, beyond that, it's just something that would be subjectively nice. But, once you enter "subjectively nice" territory, that's... basically everything. So, I don't know where to draw the line under those criteria, but under what is feasibly necessary to serve an objective purpose (namely, correcting any discrepancy between the yet-unknown exactness of the entire build system and a player's desire for his character's build within the confines of that system), I see one as being useful.

[pseudonymous]

 There were a lot of useful items off the main quest path (and lots more in side quests you can do in the areas you visit to do the main quest). 

 

 Here are a few of them: a tome to raise your constitution, gauntlets of dexterity, golden girdle (improves armor class vs. slashing, the kind of damage that Sarevok does), a scroll of Protection from Magic (there were 5 of these in the whole game, **very** useful for the final fight), some of the best weapons in the game, several wands, the best armor for some classes etc.

 

 

I'm fairly certain these items are found in maps you visit while doing the main quest, however the point I was making is that the only reason to visit most of the wilderness maps is for the XP from the boring combat with random trash mobs.  Obsidian has already said they aren't putting in more wilderness areas so the incredibly underwhelming and unrewarding exploration of Baldur's Gate shouldn't be a problem with PoE.

[Yonjuro]

 

 There were a lot of useful items off the main quest path (and lots more in side quests you can do in the areas you visit to do the main quest). 

 

 Here are a few of them: a tome to raise your constitution, gauntlets of dexterity, golden girdle (improves armor class vs. slashing, the kind of damage that Sarevok does), a scroll of Protection from Magic (there were 5 of these in the whole game, **very** useful for the final fight), some of the best weapons in the game, several wands, the best armor for some classes etc.

 

 

I'm fairly certain these items are found in maps you visit while doing the main quest,

 

 You may be fairly certain, but you are also wrong . E.g.,  the constitution tome is in a cave on the coast south of Candlekeep (the lighthouse map) - the main quest will never put you there - in fact, you need to do a bit of exploration to find that map at all.

 

 

, however the point I was making is that the only reason to visit most of the wilderness maps is for the XP from the boring combat with random trash mobs.  

 

  I don't agree. In addition to gaining some of the best items in the game, there are side quests that take you to many of these maps (and new side quests that you discover when you get there). E.g. the gauntlets of Dex. (and the Tome of Leadership and Influence) are on the gnoll stronghold map. The only way you were even likely to have found that map was by doing a side quest for Minsc (or for Edwin if you played an evil character).  

 

 I think you might be remembering what BG1 was like after you played it a hundred times. The first time you play, the side quests send you places and you meet challenging enemies. The hundredth time, you know where everything is and you know seven ways to kill everything, yawn.

 

 ...boring combat with random trash mobs.  Obsidian has already said they aren't putting in more wilderness areas so the incredibly underwhelming and unrewarding exploration of Baldur's Gate shouldn't be a problem with PoE.

 

 Hang on. The first time you did the lighthouse map in BG1 - did you really find two groups of sirines (who charm your party and shoot poison arrows) and a cave full of flesh golems underwhelming and boring? And, when you identified the tome, was that a good reward?

[Tsuga C]

 

Monks.

Couldn't agree more

 

Heh heh, heh heh, heh heh...monks.

 

I think we can consider that one as "taking wounds" to power later attacks.

Edited June 23, 2014 by Tsuga C