E3 Previews (POSSIBLE SPOILERS)

[Blarghagh]

Seems like the polish level may have been the larger concern rather than the spoilers.

 

Good call, this is supposed to be the no spoilers board so I added a warning just in case.

[Darji]

They did mention it as a reason but I think it may have been clumsy to state that it was purely because of spoilers in the last Update.

Wait what? Do i now really need to search for quotes people defending this because of spoilers and how they can not show these polished areas?^^

 

And I mean not the developer but the defender of this in my opinion stupid move.

[Sensuki]

And you also had people saying that Obsidian want to be proud of what they show (like what I said) when it's polished enough for a good impression. Stop trying to make the thread about you, you've already ruined two threads from it.

Edited June 19, 2014 by Sensuki

[Bryy]

All sound fantastic!

[ArtB]

It all makes me feel very optimistic about the game. I can't wait to see some gameplay footage, spoilers be damned. Apparently the text adventure things are slightly animated and have sound effects (according to the preview from GetWellGamers), which sounds really neat. Gotta love the attention to detail.

Edited June 19, 2014 by ArtB

[Sonntam]

It all makes me feel very optimistic about the game. I can't wait to see some gameplay footage, spoilers be damned. Apparently the text adventure things are slightly animated and have sound effects (according to the preview from GetWellGamers), which sounds really neat. Gotta love the attention to detail.

 

Do you have the link to the article, maybe? I googled, but found nothing...

[Mor]

For those who don't mind the spoilers, or unintentionally spoiled it for themselves(as I did), here is the new tidbits plot spoilers summary. Please tell me if I missed or got anything wrong.

 

 

last chance, don't say i didn't warned you about spoilers..

 

 

As Pillars of Eternity opens, you're told that you are part of a traveling caravan, making it way through the Eastern Reach, toward Gilded Vale. The caravan was stopped by a fallen tree, and make camp for the night. You camp by the edge of a forest, near some ancient ruins. The leader, caravan quartermaster, Heodan warns you and the rest of the caravan of the locals, who will do anything they can to protect the sacred ruins nearby, so you’re supposed to stick close to camp in order to stay safe.

 

 

Your guy or gal falls sick, and the caravan has to stop for the night. When a runner sent out to get supplies fails to return, you and Calisca, a badass female fighter are sent to find him.

 

Its a pretext for being ambushed and learning to the basic of combat as well as fleshing out their character's back-story. Calisca starts asking you about your past, about what you did before you fell in with the group. The answers you give—whether you were a soldier or a doctor—may play into the story later on, but more importantly they give you, the player, a better idea of the character you've created and his or her role in the world. Your answers are taken and inscribed into your character's biography for the rest of the game.

Unfortunately, you've decided to make camp in the wrong part of the woods, and soon you find the runner dead. This gives you pause and you head back to camp, to check the safety of the caravan, but you return to find it has been ambushed by Glanfath warriors and almost all of them dead as well.

 

You rescue Heodan and something called a Soultstorm(Biamhac) comes along to sweep all the dead away into the ether. You make your way into the only area that seems to be safe: the ruins, along with your first two companions Heodan and Calisca.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 19, 2014 by Mor

[Chaos Theory]

Are we there yet?  (sigh...)

[Sensuki]

Pretty sure it was Cultists, not Glanfathans.

[ArtB]

 

It all makes me feel very optimistic about the game. I can't wait to see some gameplay footage, spoilers be damned. Apparently the text adventure things are slightly animated and have sound effects (according to the preview from GetWellGamers), which sounds really neat. Gotta love the attention to detail.

 

Do you have the link to the article, maybe? I googled, but found nothing...

 

 

Sensuki posted it on the RPG Codex, originally from the Something Awful forums, IIRC:

 

"GetWellGamers said:

Rats, overslept.

 

I'll go spoiler-free for now, since the demo was literally the opening minutes of the game.

 

To start with, you get to pick your own backstory through some of the opening dialogues, and they cover most of the major adventurer tropes, though there's also always the option when asked to just say "None of your business" and you can just keep it to being whatever you want their backstory to be in your head without the game insisting otherwise.

 

Some of the text adventure scenes aren't even multiple choice, they're just there to illustrate what's going on. And something I don't see anyone else mentioning is that they're slightly animated, and with sound effects added in. It really enhances the feeling of it, even if it's just a still picture of a waterskin being raised out of a river.

 

The game just looks, feels, and moves in a way that we all think the infinity engine games did, until we actually go back and play them. All the seams, the tiling, the same animations firing without variation over and over... It's all gone. the game looks organic and vibrant and alive, just gorgeous in every second of gameplay.

 

Allies can join, leave, or die at just about any time. When I left there were three members in the party, but Ropekid explained how with a few simple differences in choices up to this point it could be one companion or the other gone or even both.

 

There's tons of dialogue choices. One situation I saw had no less than five different skillchecks that could have resolved the situation, and a handful of "Normal" dialogue choices besides, each with their own personality indicators and influence degrees. They kept skipping through large chunks of dialogue, but I was able to read big chunks with Ropekid would stop to talk, and it's all pretty solid stuff from what I was actually able to process.

 

It's all just looking really, really, really well done, but I think from now on I can't actually read anything about it. Painful as it may be, I think I'm going to start my embargo before I learn too much more.

 

I'll leave you with one spoilery warning: Soul Winds will **** you UP, son."

Edited June 19, 2014 by ArtB

[Mor]

Pretty sure it was Cultists, not Glanfathans.

Do you have a reference? because so far, I haven't seen any mention of Cultists concerning this encounter and it doesn't look like the same map as the one with the cultist with big soul(?) machine we seen long ago.

 

Also I seen a mention of fighting tribal warriors, Glanfathans as being the enemy, and we are warned about local who are known to be overprotective of their ancient ruins, while sitting on the edge of the forest in such ruin.. I think its a good bet that they are Glanfathans.

 

btw the entrance from update 79, is from the same map as the caravan camp site I posted.

Edited June 19, 2014 by Mor

[Sensuki]

http://www.gameranx.com/features/id/22677/article/pillars-of-eternity-e3-2014-preview-a-fine-line

[Mor]

Cultists it is (although it is still a good bet that those are Glanfathans Cultists ), the article also add some interesting tidbits to where I left off before. ( I wonder if the presentation shown to the journalist was the same, because it feels like everyone seen a different part )

Edited June 19, 2014 by Mor

[Gfted1]

Oy! I hope the game railroading you into using wounded party members isn't a "feature". Note to self, save before every single conversation and decision.

[Prometheus]

Also the caravan leader is called Odema in this preview from gamingillustrated, and they say that you need to save hoedan from thieves instead from a creature.

[ShadySands]

Smokey Joe! I'm getting so excited reading all these mostly the same but slightly conflicting articles that me and the missus may have to push the twin beds together tonight

 

and knockdown to ghost bleach is just hilarious

[Sensuki]

[Amentep]

I would just like to make a declaration: we have no ability in the game named Ghost Bleach.

 

Hmmm, I may have to name a character Ghost Bleach then.  Because its too awesome to not have the game in some way.

[Ztirual]

Sweet stuff! I'm certainly looking forward to when PoE is released! Guess that means heeding the load-screen advice from BG II - "While your characters do not need to eat or drink, please remember that YOU DO. We do not want to lose any dedicated players!" Ahhh... Good times!

[Hiro Protagonist II]

Note to self, save before every single conversation and decision.

 

I see myself doing this too.

 

Josh doesn't like the random die roll from the IE games and it appears if you don't meet a certain condition [Athletics] it's an instant fail. So in the below example, if you save, press option 1 [Athletics], Fail. You then can reload and press option 2 [Constitution]. Depending on your passing or failing will lead to reload and go with options 3 - 5.

 

This could also give you some insight if you fail on one of those conditions [eg. Athletics] and the next encounter might have an Athletics or Intelligence check. You might go with Intelligence instead. You might pass with an Athletics check but if you fail again, then you know your Athletics probably isn't high enough. I know it all comes down to the encounter design but it could be a guide if your skills are too low or if they're okay and where you may need to allocate points on level up.

 

[Lephys]

I would just like to make a declaration: we have no ability in the game named Ghost Bleach.

But... now how will we disinfect our ghosts, and keep them their stain-free whitest?! o_O *hyperventilates*

 

"I'll leave you with one spoilery warning: Soul Winds will **** you UP, son."

I think he meant "Soul-er Winds."

 

Sweet stuff! I'm certainly looking forward to when PoE is released! Guess that means heeding the load-screen advice from BG II - "While your characters do not need to eat or drink, please remember that YOU DO. We do not want to lose any dedicated players!" Ahhh... Good times!

Haha. In other words, "Be dedicated, not deadicated! 8D!"

Edited June 19, 2014 by Lephys

[Gromnir]

(video)

ok, the next time some yutz wants to act as if referencing black isle success and failures is irrelevant, am gonna mention this interview... you know, seeing as how josh were the one to bring up black isle connections in this interview without being any such leading questions. 

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

ps we edited out the video as unnecessary clutter.

 

pps am not familiar with "interstitial" being used how is seeming used by josh. is this a term o' art in the industry, or something obsidian came up with 'pon their own?

Edited June 19, 2014 by Gromnir

[Labadal]

So, now we know how to pronounce Calisca. I thought "Italy" when I heard the name

[Gromnir]

regardless o' the "interstitial" verbiage, there were the suggestion in the josh interview that at least some narration and/or cut-scene content would be handled similar to the way it were done in iwd, with the drawn "slides."  as we has always thought that iwd handled such narrative exposition better than any other ie game, we is seeing this as a positive... as long as there ain't too much exposition.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Darji]

Guys do not do this in your first play through . Saving before each dialogue etc kills the entire purpose of an RPG game. You should live with your choices and consequences and not pick until you found the best answer...