v301 First Impressions

[Mr. Magniloquent]

It's taken me some time to get around to the new update, but I have to say that I am very pleased with the progress.

 

The Good:

• Combat pacing is dramatically improved. Actors no longer feel out of sync.
• Combat indicators are a tremendous improvement. The fray is far more intelligible than ever before.
• Engagement, whether having been mechanically improved or simply indicated better, feels much more effective.
• Sneak/attack flanking with the rogue is absolutely brutal.
• Attributes are also tremendously improved. I find it difficult to choose between them and/or min/max, because I want them all. That is a significant indicator that all of the attributes are useful.
• Health/Endurance is more intuitive than before. Contrary to some reports, my health values are in correct proportions.
• Combat Log text is much smaller, and filled with more useful information. I now find myself using the combat log, rather than mostly ignoring the flood of trivial information.
• Expanded inventory is improved, along with looting and indications of where said loot was placed.
• New icons for all of the classes are beautiful.
• New spell effects are lovely and succinct. They dazzle, but do not gush.
• Greater consistency between spells in terms of damage/duration/effects.
• Many spells function correctly and/or in an improved manner than before.
• Stealth is significantly improved. Feels more immerse and daring while also operating mechanically better than before.
• Overall level of polish feels greater.
• Exit options are appreciated.
• The new talents are very welcome.

The Improvable:

• Load times appear to have increased for me in a non-trivial manner. My PC is well above what would be considered mid-line.
• Characters are often unresponsive, sluggishly responding to and sometimes ignoring orders to use abilities or attack--even whilst idle.
• AoE for spells and abilities are more appropriate and consistent, but the breadth of many leave me underwhelmed. This is a nit-pick.
  • The friendly AoE radii percentage is ignorable.

This was a marvelous update. The improvements to combat have restored a great deal of my faith that was severely waning. Positioning and tactics now feel significant and meaningful, rather than a random scrum. The effect this has had on the overall game play cannot be understated. There is still a long way to go, but the end of calendar deadline now feels like ample time to bring this game up to what I hoped it could be. Bravo on your efforts, Obsidian.

 

[swordofthesith]

This was a marvelous update... Bravo on your efforts, Obsidian.

 

Couldn't have said it better myself. Go Josh & Co! 

[casp233]

Very well for the updating, it´s the first step for this broadcast as want us everybody.

There are some things I would like comment to take into account.

Something I enjoy more about this game kind is tactical combat, I would like to see in this game a real combat which remember me to Baldur's Gate II and I want it is a lot of better. Like a fight against another adventure group, I remember when I must to go to the Windspear Hills where I Killed to some hobgoblins whose become gentlemen, and I then returned to Waukeen's Promenade and oh¡ surprise come to me a group headed by a gentleman it was a challenge to defeat them, that group so hard, another good fights as for example against a dragon also against a demi-linch like kangaxx or Lich Shangala, also the vampires like bodhi. I want to see masterly fights where I could search the weak point of the opponents. 

This beta it reminds me of Icewind dale 2 more, the bugs saw well but it´s out of proportion, its icons has a garish color and its fight weren´t so brilliant as Baldur's Gate II  I don´t know if it will be that BioWare are most creative but good.

I would like when my fighter gives a hit with the sword and he do a critical see what sword and the character move more intensely and the bug which received the critical vibrate as if it felt pain and in some cases remain stunned. A movement for each different action for example if it failed or it gave a normal hit and when the character becomes more agile it look to dodge and has a better movement to fight and handle the weapons better and if he takes shield and hit thwack to him it look he protects with the shield and being minimal damage.

For that reason the warriors are very borings, I would like to level up the warrior learned bent as The witcher or Sacred games. Those spectacular movements made with the sword that makes you want to keep playing.

The wizard or cleric send a conjuration and they made an animation of agreement to the class of conjuration and not the same movement for the majority of conjurations.

That the conjurations see spectacular that one knows that I throw the charm, which if it orders a ball of fire sees that it is hot to the enemies and plants of around or if it orders cold cone freeze for a moment, which applies the physical ones to itself of all that. The ball of fire of this beta seem to me that it lacks more to be successful well and like that for several charms.  And that do not limit themselves to importing only them of Icewind dale 2 they will make new charms that are interesting, the charms of Icewind dale 2 of high level they seemed to me to be scanty.

Suddenly in the beta do not include multi-classes, dually classes and specializations, I hope that the final game it include them. With regard to the level in the final game, which could one come to a high level, and there does not happen like Baldur’s gate that alone comes near up to the level 8 and I have to wait for the continuation to raise more of level. With regard to the technical level I would like that both the character and the creatures had more polygonal and better colors in order they see more royal. That have more animations for different things that they do and that they include bent of special movements and attack both of the character and of the creatures. Also the wardrobes, armors and weapon that this beta sees very little variety I wait that the final game is very varied  and exotic things that on having put on it see brilliant. The inventory seems to me to be poor and slightly descriptive, the icons of the things might be better, more showy. The sounds, the environmental one of the birds after a time it tires that they rotate it after a time for other one which does not sing the birds makes sleepy, I would like to listen to speak the characters and to listen to other effects. The music of battle is in average term. With regard to the artificial intelligence much leaves that to wish, for example the first ogre remains still then approaches and only it gives blows, very pathetically. They should be more creative for saying something that the ogre roars and so hard the sound that can stun the adventurers and when it strikes his cudgel the land trembles and some of them fall to the soil and if one sees surrounded fulfil the bent one as turning in yes same and giving blows to everything what approaches him sending far our characters so that when it sees one the ogre is frightened of facing it but to you her see desire of taking this challenge and the same thing with all the creatures. I know that they take the mechanics of the previous games but it should improve them in addition. I would like that the multiplayer will implement, I know that in history mode it would be difficult, but one might do in tournament mode where my group faces against the group of other users and so on up to coming to the final  and for who wins  give him some kit, an exotic weapon, or anything and that somehow give a score where there is compared the global position of all the players, I always have thought that this is possible to do, of that one synchronizes the pauses of the tournaments so that the players do not control it but the server, which classifies for level ranges.   Another form is that the players who join the server come to a labyrinth where they it has to face to creatures and other players and the fact that he manages to go out of labyrinth he wins. All that are ideas that seem to me to be brilliant and I doubt that it implements in PoE with busy that the developers must be for improve the game but if they should bear it in mind for its expansion. I believe that the problem is not of money if not of dedication to doing the things very well. The graphical engine already they have it implemented for the game, and think it to use for Torment: Tides of Numenera of inXile, then have to improve very well. Only there is needed of excellent programmers that they are very creative and of dedicating them many hours a day and if they want to make it for December I believe than 24 hours a day. I know that it is possible to implement all these things and more, since the technology exists, we are in 2014, the problem is if the developers want to do it and if they will make, and it will be a brilliant game. I simply am a journalist, test games and give my opinion of which lacks it and I qualify it and many people guide by this qualification that gives it to the game. With regard to the artistic thing it would have good note, but the rest do not. I know many games that go out without being polished and to stay as a car that fuses the engines and there they remain and everything for make it rapidly and later they realize that they took a bad decision.

 I want to see this game that it overcomes everything what I have seen in this classic kind, I hope that the developers reflect and manage to make this game of brilliant form. And if the problem is time they can do as did inXile for improve wasteland 2 with the money that he gathered from his beta.

Excuse me for my English.

[archangel979]

Holy mother of walls of text... Buddy, nobody is going to read this until you edit it, create paragraphs and such.