Expansion to be ToSC style

[hollowcrown]

ToB was a hasty closure, it has its faults, but I'd rather have that than no closure at all. I don't think it actually prevented a real third game in the saga. If the resources and interest were present at the time, we would have had a full-fledged third game. By the time of ToB, they were already planning to put the IE to rest in favor of 3D stuff. Imo they just wanted to end the Bhaal saga. It's true that Interplay did later return to BG, but it was only after they lost their D&D license, not so much out of desire to further explore the main storyline. My point is that if ToB didn't happen, it's likely that we would have had nothing rather than a full installment.

 

As for the expansion to PoE, even though Josh Sawyer mentions TotSC, I think it would be more in the vein of Heart of Winter, i.e. a short but structured story somehow tied to the main storyline of PoE. At least that's the impression I get from past expansions/add-ons Obsidian did (NWN2 MotB, New Vegas DLCs). Besides, if they put together various side content to make an expansion like Tales, in today's world and context it would be difficult to differentiate "an actual true-to-God RPG expansion" from "a couple of DLCs thrown together".

 

I reckon ToB was the classic example of a rushed game. It had so much potential to be a third game of the series, filled with sidequests, each chapter focusing on taking down another member of the Five, with proper character development given to each of them and Melissan. 

 

Either way, I preferred ToB to ToTSC. ToTSC wasn't bad, but I prefer post-game expansions to in-game expansions. I would like to do the expansion pack with my first character, so it feels fresh and new. Revisiting the game only playing the DLC content just isn't the same.

[Mazisky]

Expansions who continues the storyline with post events, rather than enanching the main one are completely nonsense to me;

they feel like a short, lonely product. 

 

If i wanna the main storyline to be continued, i just prefere a full-game sequel.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Mazisky

[Abel]

 

I do find it strange that the quotes aren't attributed to a specific developer. I don't doubt the veracity of the statements...but still, that's pretty shoddy journalism.

 

I figure it'd have been Sawyer though.

Reading it makes me think it was ripped out of a different interview article from a different website to begin with.  Which wouldn't really surprise me.

 

 

There is a link in the quoted page to the full interview of J.E.Sawyer, on the same website (worth reading it).

 

Glad to read this. If there is to be a sequel to PoE (which i would like), i want it in a PoE 2 and a PoE 3, not in an expansion (ToB was meant as a third chapter of the saga). A sequel have to be long and detailed enough, non linear, and filled with flavored and varied locations and side stories, in the same way that the first game was (unlike ToB). I didn't ike ToB: hack 'n slash, linear, dull (almost as dull as IWD2 in my opinion, sorry Josh.). I agree with Nonek: Durlag Tower was a really great dungeon. I will treat this expansion as i do with mods like Secret of Bonehill in BG1 in a Baldur's Gate Trilogy install. e.g... more adventure, more fun, longer game, and so i could keep the little amount of experience gained on my characters before beginning the sequel (hopefully, PoE 2).

 

Some people make mega BG installs with more than 500 hours of game lenght (Big World Project). They have good reasons to do this. I want a long, varied saga. So, for me the TotSC model is the best to come with. Just hope they can blend the aditional content in the game so it don't stands out to much from the general picture. Not easy to do i guess. But even if not perfect regarding this, TotSC was pretty ok.

[Abel]

 

[...]

 

Of course ToSC had its weakness. The story line was too short and no new companion.But that's easy to be improved.The style of ToSC is much better than a single closed new campaign.

 

TotSC didn't need new companions, though; BG1 had a plethora of companions, and while it would've been interesting and nice for TotSC to add new CNPC:s, BG1 didn't really need it. By comparison, PoE could really do with at least a tripling of the available CNPC:s and there'd still be ample room for improvement.

 

I second that the major TotSC questline was too short, and I hope that any PoE expansion opts to make a few major questlines (not just one really major questline that sticks off the main game like a weird thumb) scattered throughout the game.

 

And add, like, 32 CNPC:s.

 

 

+1000. Your english is really better than mine, and you just sumed up all i think: about the questlines, the CNPC, the way additional content should be scattered throughout the game, etc.

 

Edited February 26, 2015 by Abel

[namelessthree]

I found this, Josh said:

 

" It's something connected to the main game but its own separate storyline, and you take your normal characters into it. We're in the very early stages of planning it.

We have to see exactly how it integrates in terms of location and how it shows up on the map, or whether it's its own separate world map"

 

This means it could be either Tosc style or not, it's not decided yet.

 

I really hope they don't go Tosc with the expansion. Like someone else said, that would mean that by the time the expansion comes out, all of us would have beaten the game a couple of times if not more. For some folks it will be fine to go back to the game once more in a row  just to beat a big dungeon (which I don't think we need since PoE has a 15 level megadungeon already!) but some would need a rest. I would love to have a separate storyline, a mini-adventure of some kind. Obviously not something linear like ToB but maybe something like a mini-campaign where you bring your characters, maybe half the size of Shadowrun Dragonfall. If the expansion takes place after the main campaign, even better. Something like Dragon Age Awakening, where you have a new story tied to the old one, new places to go, etc...That would be nice in my book.

Edited March 1, 2015 by namelessthree

[Namutree]

 

 

[...]

 

Of course ToSC had its weakness. The story line was too short and no new companion.But that's easy to be improved.The style of ToSC is much better than a single closed new campaign.

 

TotSC didn't need new companions, though; BG1 had a plethora of companions, and while it would've been interesting and nice for TotSC to add new CNPC:s, BG1 didn't really need it. By comparison, PoE could really do with at least a tripling of the available CNPC:s and there'd still be ample room for improvement.

 

I second that the major TotSC questline was too short, and I hope that any PoE expansion opts to make a few major questlines (not just one really major questline that sticks off the main game like a weird thumb) scattered throughout the game.

 

And add, like, 32 CNPC:s.

 

 

+1000. Your english is really better than mine, and you just sumed up all i think: about the questlines, the CNPC, the way additional content should be scattered throughout the game, etc.

 

 

At least you can speak more than 1 language. I'm sitting here knowing only 1. Tried to learn Spanish, but gave up cuz' it was difficult and giving up when the going gets rough is how I roll.