Pre-Made Adventurers/Pseudo-Companions

[Lasweetlife]

There are currently 11 classes and, if I am not mistaken, there are expected to be 8 companions, meaning there will be three classes without companions. I understand that we can "hire" adventurers by creating our own companions, but I think it would be interesting if, when you went to hire companions, you would have the option of hiring from a pool of pre-made adventurers with thematically appropriate names, starting equipment, attributes, and unique (though not too involving) backgrounds. While Obsidian could make any number of these pseudo-companions, I think at minimum there should be three to cover the missing companion classes.

 

My inspiration for this is the pre-made adventuring parties in the IWD series. Though there weren't much actual differences between playing the pre-made parties vis-a-vis your own party, the unique background information provided about these parties made all the difference role-playing-wise. Though there weren't any unique dialogues for them, the background information and names were enough to get me to fill the rest in in my head. Likewise, these pseudo-companions in PoE need not have any unique dialogues or voice-sets in order to be effective stand-ins. I realize you could do the same with an adventurer you create yourself, it would just that much more immersive if Obsidian gave us the option to select some pre-made adventurers.

 

While I understand that the limited number of full companions was due to time-constraints, I would hope that the design and implementation of these pre-made adventurers would not take more than a few man-hours.

Edited August 31, 2014 by Lasweetlife

[wanderon]

Perhaps even less time if they used characters that the devs have been playing (which is what the teams were in IWD2 - each team was from a different dev) 

[Lasweetlife]

Perhaps even less time if they used characters that the devs have been playing (which is what the teams were in IWD2 - each team was from a different dev)

Yeah, that's what I heard about IWD2, and that each dev had to beat the game with his party. You could definitely tell that each party was a labor of love and was built to be fun to play. I think the same effect could be achieved with the pre-made adventurers if the designers (especially the ones who did not get to make companions) were allowed to have fun with it.

[lolaldanee]

loved the little stories that came with the pre made parties in IWD2, those were some cool backround stories right there

Edited August 31, 2014 by lolaldanee

[Lasweetlife]

loved the little stories that came with the pre made parties in IWD2, those were some cool backround stories right there

Creating these background stories would be the most time-consuming aspect of implementing this and even that would only take a couple of hours per adventurer.

[Zitchiock]

Fun idea. I would support this! 

[Utukka]

Would be a cool addition despite me probably not using them. I'd enjoy reading about them tho.

[Pray]

There needs to be a quest where one of your companions can either choose to meld with his companion creature (thus becoming a druid), or to remain linked yet seperate. WALLAH - rangers and druid both represented - more party diversity.

[wanderon]

There needs to be a quest where one of your companions can either choose to meld with his companion creature (thus becoming a druid), or to remain linked yet seperate. WALLAH - rangers and druid both represented - more party diversity.

 

Ummm did you mean to post this someplace else? Not seeing how it relates to the topic of this thread?

[Sensuki]

Vote 1: 3 more companions for the expansion (y)

[Lasweetlife]

Even if Obsidian don't add pre-made adventurers themselves, I think adding the basic functionality to save/load adventurers and add custom background narratives into the game could allow players themselves to save some of their favorite adventurers for use in future playthroughs and, even more excitingly, allow moders to create and share some unique and interesting adventurers.

[wanderon]

Even if Obsidian don't add pre-made adventurers themselves, I think adding the basic functionality to save/load adventurers and add custom background narratives into the game could allow players themselves to save some of their favorite adventurers for use in future playthroughs and, even more excitingly, allow moders to create and share some unique and interesting adventurers.

 

Agreed I really hope we get the save (export) /load functions for all the characters we create.

[Lasweetlife]

As a follow up to Wanderon's idea, I think that it would be interesting if PoE saved a character state of every PC we create at every level-up and them allow them to be picked as hired adventurers of the appropriate level in future play-throughs.

 

For example, I create PC A and play the entire game with him/her, with the game saving a character state at every level up. Then I play the game with PC B and go to The Dracogen inn and decide to hire a level 3 adventurer. In addition to having the option to create a new level 3 adventurer or picking one of OE's pre-made adventurers, I would also have the option of picking PC A at his level 3 character state as an adventurer for PC B. Just a thought.

[wanderon]

As a follow up to Wanderon's idea, I think that it would be interesting if PoE saved a character state of every PC we create at every level-up and them allow them to be picked as hired adventurers of the appropriate level in future play-throughs.

 

For example, I create PC A and play the entire game with him/her, with the game saving a character state at every level up. Then I play the game with PC B and go to The Dracogen inn and decide to hire a level 3 adventurer. In addition to having the option to create a new level 3 adventurer or picking one of OE's pre-made adventurers, I would also have the option of picking PC A at his level 3 character state as an adventurer for PC B. Just a thought.

 

I doubt they will enable the game to make a new character file for each level a PC gets to but as long as we have some sort of export ability there would be no reason the gamer could not do so.

 

I did this in ID2 and then used the resulting characters in No reload no raise dead games to replace fallen party members with randomized choices from previous PCs at about the same level. 

[Lioness]

The 8 companions for 11 classes has been bothering me too.

 

I was thinking keeping the 8 companions, with background etc... but maybe the player could pick between two classes when they join. Like one can be Paladin or Priest, one could be Fighter or Barbarian, Ranger or Druid and so on.

 

I obviously don't know anything about the background stories, quests etc... but if close to 100% of it is independent of the class choice, it could be doable.