Infinity Engine Continuum

[jiijiujiu]

IWD2/IWD/PoE:BB---------------------------------BG---------BG2-------------------------PS:T

 

IWD2/IWD/PoE:BB: Non-existent PC/companion story and relationships.

 

BG/BG2: PC/companion relationships and stories throughout.

 

PS:T: Heavy PC/companion relationships and story.

 

As far as I can tell at this point in the beta, PoE is most closely resembling IWD2 and IWD.  Most people seem to want it to be more like BG/BG2.

 

The major thing lacking in PoE:BB that would push it towards the BG games is a main character and companions with an actual story behind them.  Even if they aren't in the main game, but if that is in the main game it should be an aspect that is at least represented.

 

The IWD games were about the story of the world around the party not the party itself.

 

Though, PS:T is in a league of its own, it and the BG games were about the journey of an individual character and their companions.

 

The feel of the game is completely different when playing with a generated party vs. a party of characters; a party where you care about their past, their future, and are emotionally invested in them.

 

I know the beta is the beta and is likely completely devoid of story spoilers, but it's scary playing the beta when things you really wanted in the game are not even remotely there.

Edited August 19, 2014 by jiijiujiu

[Tartantyco]

ARE PEOPLE IN THIS FORUM ACTUALLY AWARE THAT THEY ARE PLAYING A GOD DAMN BETA!? A BETA THAT INTENTIONALLY AVOIDS SPOILING THE ACTUAL STORYLINE!?

[Grand_Commander13]

I'm pretty sure PoE will be between BG2 and PS:T on the character spectrum, considering how few companions there are and how much work was put into them. And really, BG and BG2 shouldn't be placed in the same spot, because BG2 tried a lot harder to make your companions unique.

 

I think of all the things we can trust Obsidian to do, trusting them to make a good story with good characters in it should be easy. They're not holding them back because they're not there, they're holding them because because they want more people to play the beta. Heck, even with all they're holding back, they still have tons of people saying "I have beta access, but I don't want to spoil myself." Imagine how bad it would be if you had some companions and part of the main quest in it.

[jiijiujiu]

Better to talk about it that to let it boil under the skin.  Meanie-face.

[lychee26]

Which is why you should never go into a beta expecting the full game, and then judge it based on that assumption. The beta is all about fixing bugs and testing gameplay and functionality, so it's obvious at this point the game doesn't feel like a sprawling, story-driven rpg just yet.

 

I, myself, find myself skipping most of the dialogue in this beta because I don't really care that much about it in this small, out of context section of the game.

[Tartantyco]

Better to talk about it that to let it boil under the skin.  Meanie-face.

 

Write it in an e-mail and send it to yourself. We already have 5 billion threads about this kind of nonsense. Try discussing thing you can actually know something about instead of attacking your own speculations.

[jiijiujiu]

All technical aspects of the beta are basically horrible.  The only thing worth noting is the dialogue.

[Maviarab]

Tart...from reading a lot of your posts...chill out dude...take a break from the PC

 

To the OP, they have intentionally left out anything related to the story so as the game will fresh for us.  Good call imo.

[Tartantyco]

Tart...from reading a lot of your posts...chill out dude...

 

No.

[Eric Fenstermaker]

So there is no confusion, let me make it clear that in the final game there is a personal story for the player character and there are fully fleshed-out companions, each with their own developmental arc (and names!). As others have mentioned, these were deliberate omissions from the backer beta because we didn't want the prospect of spoilers to discourage anyone from participating in the beta. And frankly the writing of the companions is ongoing - they're generally one of the last things we implement, and aren't yet ready to be tested.

 

Where we actually fall on the continuum is between BG2 and PS:T in this department, which is to say mostly like PS:T but with more flexibility in terms of the identity of the protagonist. 

[Grand_Commander13]

You have no idea how happy I get every time I hear that the developers wondered "BG2 or PS:T?" and went with PS:T.

 

Obsidian, I salute you. 

[InsaneCommander]

You have no idea how happy I get every time I hear that the developers wondered "BG2 or PS:T?" and went with PS:T.

 

Obsidian, I salute you. 

The same here!

[Uomoz]

Insanely hyped by the idea of a personal storyline as there was in PST. OBSIDIAN DELIVERS (probably) :D

[Bryy]

 it's scary playing the beta when things you really wanted in the game are not even remotely there.

I don't even know how to respond to this.

 

 

All technical aspects of the beta are basically horrible. 

... what did you expect?

Edited August 20, 2014 by Bryy

[vril]

I like the happy medium between Non-existent PC/companion story and relationships and PC/companion relationships and stories throughout that is Temple of Elemental Evil with Circle of Eight expansion.