The Matt Sheets Q(&)A thread

[Sensuki]

You can make a new thread to ask me questions that I can try to answer when I get free time to read the forums.

Here is that thread.

Edited January 30, 2015 by Sensuki

[Karkarov]

Well let's start her off then.  So Mirror Matt on the wall... how many companions are actually tied to the crit path or is it none of them other than the previously confirmed Eder?  No need for names or any specifics, just a pure curiosity question.

[Stun]

Ooh! I have a few. But I'll ask only the ones who's answers wouldn't be spoilerish.

 

1) Ball park estimate.... about how long does it take to do the Mega dungeon in its entirety?

 

2) If you had to pick a favorite NPC, who is it and why?

 

3) Are any of the scripted interactions fatal?

[constantine]

Here's one:

 

Is the game (companions, NPCs) going to acknowledge gender and if so, shall we expect different quest resolutions brought by a specific gender reaction or will the interactions be limited to some flavor text (if any at all) ?

[MasterPrudent]

Hi Matt! Sticking to safe ground here: What does a typical day in the QA department look like at this stage of the project? Bonus question: Back when the game was in its pre-production/ early production stage did QA have any input?

[BruceVC]

Excellent idea, hopefully Matt gets time to respond 

 

 

 

@ Matt

 

In your personal view don't you think  an optional Romance arc enhances party interaction and makes that interaction more memorable?

 

I tend to remember party members throughout the various RPG I have played through the years  much more easily if I have Romanced them 

[Falkon Swiftblade]

I have like 20 questions!

 

What categorizes a bug into A, B, B4 or whatever system you use? Why would something be a bigger bug than another, and how many times do you test the same thing over and over to determine if it's a glitch? Do you ever go back and retest something that previously was fine? Also do you test the entire game or just certain mechanic's? How many QA testers are on Obsidian's team vs the other outside help you have? Any idea how many people are beta testing the backer beta?

Do you guys have any say so in how something is polished or treated in game? i.e. If you think the hair on a creature looks more like a horn than a ponytail, or if an animation looks like rockem sockem robots, can you reject the work and request the team or person responsible fix it? (those were completely hypothetical examples!)

[JFSOCC]

What are some things that at this stage of the game you can't or won't change and feedback is pointless on?

[Leferd]

How much additional QA support is Paradox providing you?

[Quadrone]

I have 2 questions:

 

1. What happened to spell chanting?

 

2. Any chance we can get a basic rundown of skills, class, etc... of the companion NPCs? I hate overlap and I don't want to make my Char. a greatsword user if, for example, Eder starts out with those skills as well.

[Nonek]

 

2. Any chance we can get a basic rundown of skills, class, etc... of the companion NPCs? I hate overlap and I don't want to make my Char. a greatsword user if, for example, Eder starts out with those skills as well.

 

 

A good point, rolling a Dwarven Berserker or a Conjurer seems a little pointless when Korgan or Edwin become available later on.

[Guest Matt Sheets]

Wow, this got more interest that I thought it would.

 

I'll try to go through and answer the questions I can that deal with my personal opinions on things or QA.  I won't be answering anything relating to the story... even if your question is vague.

 

 

Well let's start her off then.  So Mirror Matt on the wall... how many companions are actually tied to the crit path or is it none of them other than the previously confirmed Eder?  No need for names or any specifics, just a pure curiosity question.

 

I can say that the game is designed so if you want to play with out any of the companions, you can.

 

 

Ooh! I have a few. But I'll ask only the ones who's answers wouldn't be spoilerish.

1) Ball park estimate.... about how long does it take to do the Mega dungeon in its entirety?

2) If you had to pick a favorite NPC, who is it and why?

3) Are any of the scripted interactions fatal?

 

1. There are multiple reasons why I can't give any estimates on how long it'd take a playthrough, including the Mega Dungeon.

2. Personally, there was an NPC named Celby that was part of a quest when it was first being designed when I first got on the project.  It was early on, and I liked this random NPC that was tied to a quest.  The quest ended up getting a major design overhaul, for the better, but that NPC was moved and had his entire personality re-worked.  He's no longer a key NPC involved in the quest, so I always feel disappointed when I run into him.

3. :D

 

 

Hi Matt! Sticking to safe ground here: What does a typical day in the QA department look like at this stage of the project? Bonus question: Back when the game was in its pre-production/ early production stage did QA have any input?

 

For my full progression testers, they will download the new build, and continue on their full progression.  Any issue that they run off into, they will hand to another tester for them to research/write-up so they can focus on their full progression.

 

My other testers are generally doing passes, either provided by me or developers, and writing up any bugs that they run across.  They also need to be flexible to be able to check anything that either I ask or a dev asks throughout the day.

 

 

Excellent idea, hopefully Matt gets time to respond 

 

 

 

@ Matt

 

In your personal view don't you think  an optional Romance arc enhances party interaction and makes that interaction more memorable?

 

I tend to remember party members throughout the various RPG I have played through the years  much more easily if I have Romanced them 

 

Honestly, I believe romance generally falls flat in most RPGs that I've played.  I've played KOTOR 1 so many times, and I personally believe that the story is significantly better if you are female and befriend Bastila.  Mainly, the connection between the two characters is strong but not based on love and more on friendship/companionship.

 

If the romance is written well enough, then it can fit well into the story and be memorable, but so many times it feels like I am just being nice to a person until sex is an option.  A bad example of this is SWTOR, where I only give them companion gifts until I can romance them (not trying to compare MMO vs other CRPGs).

 

That's all I can answer for now.

[Rhaeg]

Honestly, I believe romance generally falls flat in most RPGs that I've played.

 

I agree completely. Romances in cRPGs are so enormously shallow, I find it hard to understand why many people seem to want (or even demand) them so badly. To achieve the romance is no challenge at all: always say nice things to the companion you want to romance, or yes, just dump some gifts on him/her. Then the romances themselves are completely shallow: a few lines of unique dialogue* and badly animated sex or hinting at sex. But hordes of people seem to love their romances, so I'm sure I'm missing something.

 

* Of course, this can be extremely well written dialogue, but that goes for non-romance dialogue too.

[h3st]

Romance is a euphemism for sex. I know people who've played through games several times just to be able to sex everyone that they can sex.

[Lord Wafflebum]

I'm in love with Miranda Lawson. My wife does not approve.

[Lord Wafflebum]

Also, on-topic:

 

Are you able to answer if there are going to be any super insane NPC's? My favorite IE NPC was the guy in the asylum in BG2 complaining of the bad doggie werewolf monsters that chew his toes while he sleeps. It's a line I regularly employ to this day when I want someone to stop talking to me.

[Magnificate]

1. Does this game have an ending? By which I mean, is the story fully resolved by the end of the game OR are there plans for PoE to be duology/trilogy/ect. ?

2. If I'm doing every quest and sidequest available, how fast can I expect to hit the level cap? Half of the game? Two-thirds? Never?

3. Are there any checks that require low ability scores or skill values?

4. Can I choose Woedica as the deity for my priest? If no, why not?

[ruzen]

1)  Are ther any secret (easter-egg or final main quest resolution) for Trial of Iron mode?

2)  Paradox is known for endless DLC's. Did they asking to make little DLC?

[Lephys]

1) What are some of the particular areas of the game in which quality is most assured at the moment? Just curious.

[Falkon Swiftblade]

1. Does this game have an ending? By which I mean, is the story fully resolved by the end of the game OR are there plans for PoE to be duology/trilogy/ect. ?

2. If I'm doing every quest and sidequest available, how fast can I expect to hit the level cap? Half of the game? Two-thirds? Never?

3. Are there any checks that require low ability scores or skill values?

4. Can I choose Woedica as the deity for my priest? If no, why not?

 

I've seen elsewhere that mentioned there are multiple ending's to the game, and seeing as they're currently working on an expansion I suspect the ending is going to be inconclusive. I mean if you played any of the other IWD or BG games, I imagine it'll be in the same vein as that.

[Guest Matt Sheets]

I have like 20 questions!

 

What categorizes a bug into A, B, B4 or whatever system you use? Why would something be a bigger bug than another, and how many times do you test the same thing over and over to determine if it's a glitch? Do you ever go back and retest something that previously was fine? Also do you test the entire game or just certain mechanic's? How many QA testers are on Obsidian's team vs the other outside help you have? Any idea how many people are beta testing the backer beta?

 

Do you guys have any say so in how something is polished or treated in game? i.e. If you think the hair on a creature looks more like a horn than a ponytail, or if an animation looks like rockem sockem robots, can you reject the work and request the team or person responsible fix it? (those were completely hypothetical examples!)

 

Here's a quick breakdown on our priorities that we use.

A1: Crash/Urgent Issue.  If the game crashes or if something is urgent and needs to be fixed asap.

A2: Progression Break: If the Crit Path cannot be completed or something is preventing QA from testing accordingly

A3: Quest cannot be completed, major issues, and any bug that we should not ship with.

B: Issues that the average player will run into.

C: Minor issues that are more along with polish

D: Suggestions

 

When we run into an issue, we make sure to reproduce it by recreating it and making sure we can get the correct steps (depending on the issue, that can range from 4-5 times to 20+).

 

Internally we have 8 testers internal testers and 8 external testers.  With how out Backer Beta builds function, it's the normal build process with certain files culled.  So when we get close to a Backer Beta release, I have 4-5 testers jump on the Backer Beta and run through it.  90% of the bugs that occur on Backer Beta also occur on our full version.

 

When we test, we test on the full game.

 

I had more input on quests and areas in the beginning of the project when it was still being designed (might have been because I shared an office with 3x designers who I could bug about getting things I wanted in).  There are times when we write bugs and the developers will ask for our opinion.

 

The most influence QA has is with balancing in general, and with the attribute changes that have occurred throughout the course of the Backer Beta.

 

Edit: Going back to work.  Remember, I won't be answering any questions regarding the story.

[Leferd]

Thank you Matt. These are good insights into Obsidian's QA process.

[Stun]

I've seen elsewhere that mentioned there are multiple ending's to the game, and seeing as they're currently working on an expansion I suspect the ending is going to be inconclusive. I mean if you played any of the other IWD or BG games, I imagine it'll be in the same vein as that.

Eh? I wouldn't say that.

 

BG1's expansion featured 3 major questlines that didn't have anything to do with the Main game's plot or ending. Ditto with Icewind Dale's. BG2's expansion...that was a different animal all together as it was a seamless transition to a completely different plot.

 

I prefer the former -- specifically, the way BG1 did its expansion pack. It put new areas and stories into the existing game world and did it so naturally that it seemed like they were there all along.

Edited January 31, 2015 by Stun

[Sensuki]

Do you know if any of the devs actually replayed the Infinity Engine games during the development of Pillars of Eternity for research?

We know that Steve Weatherly and Adam Brennecke played Icewind Dale 2 at least a little bit at the beginning, but that's about it. Recently we've heard that all of the T:ToN guys at inXile are all replaying Planescape Torment for research, which I thought was a very healthy thing to do when making a spiritual successor.

Edited January 31, 2015 by Sensuki

[Luckmann]

 

I've seen elsewhere that mentioned there are multiple ending's to the game, and seeing as they're currently working on an expansion I suspect the ending is going to be inconclusive. I mean if you played any of the other IWD or BG games, I imagine it'll be in the same vein as that.

Eh? I wouldn't say that.

 

BG1's expansion featured 3 major questlines that didn't have anything to do with the Main game's plot or ending. Ditto with Icewind Dale's. BG2's expansion...that was a different animal all together as it was a seamless transition to a completely different plot.

 

I prefer the former -- specifically, the way BG1 did its expansion pack. It put new areas and stories into the existing game world and did it so naturally that it seemed like they were there all along.

 

 

Absolutely this. Expansions that seamlessly expand upon the game world is infinitely preferable.