The Stronghold: How will you manage PoE tycoon?

[Mazisky]

I really like the Stronghold in this game, both interiors and exteriors are well designed and it seems to have nice mechanics.

 

-I will spend a nice amount of time on it by upgrading all structures and doing all bounties.

 

-I will do a lot of "manual resolve" combat because it's like having new areas for free in which fighting, it will be nice to rek trolls inside the halls.

 

-It will be my HQ and i will always rest in the manor for megabuffs, unless i'm doing a quest in the same area of an Inn.

 

And most important, it will give little breaks from the main game and critical path, it's nice to have a supersafe place for your party to feel home.

 

 

Do you like the keep? 
Do you will spend some time on it or you'll just ignore it?

Edited March 9, 2015 by Mazisky

[Fluffsy]

I really like the concept of bounty hunting and I will most definitely be doing that a lot.

 

I remember in NWN2:OC I had a fence since I joined the shadow thieves and he gave me lots of side quests related to thieving, espionage and cloak and dagger activities. Rooting out spies and working behind Axle's back was by far the most memorable and interesting activities in the stronghold for me.

 

I really hope that PoE will have this available too as I love intrigue, mystery, secrecy and espionage. I can already see myself sinking in hours of playtime just for those activities.

[Sonntam]

First of all I will build a dungeon, then build structures maxing out security... and then I will put all my favorite enemies in the dungeon.

 

Also, I really want the resting bonuses, so I'm going to spend a lot of money on that too. 

 

Manual resolve all the conflicts too, because... where is the fun in letting someone else fighting for you. And if they mess up it would be quite annoying too.

[Heijoushin]

I loved the keep in NWN2! I'm planning to squeeze as much content out of the stronghold as possible!

[WotanAnubis]

I think I'll divide my funds between function, security and prettifying the place.

 

I don't think I'll spend too much time on prestige specifically. Though I don't doubt that things that'll make my Stronghold prettier and more useful will also make it more prestigious.

[Valmy]

This stronghold will be the beginning of my character's thousand year dynasty.  So I plan to take it pretty seriously.

 

Of course I may have something more important to do, depending on the plot.

[Rhaeg]

I'll check it out, but it's not the feature that had me most excited about the game. I need something to spend my cash on anyway, so might as well rebuild the fortress, but I don't think I will find it to be very exciting as there seems to be little story involved and random battles become repetitive really quickly.

[Valmy]

I'll check it out, but it's not the feature that had me most excited about the game. I need something to spend my cash on anyway, so might as well rebuild the fortress, but I don't think I will find it to be very exciting as there seems to be little story involved and random battles become repetitive really quickly.

 

Well besides that 15 level super dungeon beneath it.  I am sure there is no story at all behind any of it.

[Gfted1]

At this point, the stronghold is probably the feature Im looking forward too most in PoE. Ill have to restrain from cheating in the gold / resources to instantly fully upgrade it.

[cresentdark]

I will upgrade everything and higher as many security guards as possible. Don't know if I will cheat for money or not I think the hardest part is trying to put off quests until I get the stronghold I have a feeling I will complete most before I even get it if anything I will play the main quest till I get it than go exploring to build up cash for all the upgrades.

[Abel]

I like the idea of a Stronghold, but my involvment on it in the game will depend of some side mechanics.  E.g. if owning and developing this stronghold have an influence on my character's reputation, if i'm entitled with nobility, or not, or if developing the prestige of this place can help to open doors in some places of Defiance Bay, related to the high society. If the Stronghold is a mini game on its own, i may drop it in my 2nd playthrough. I will likely ignore too the upgrades granting resting bonuses in every and all my playthrough, including the first one. I don't like the idea of "well, yesterday the library was finished, and now, i feel way more intelligent after resting in my room". Unless there is a very good reason with deep sense, i will jut ignore all this stuff, including the bonuses granted in the inns.

 

I will likely spent money on security, prestige, and hirelings, like if i were some kind of feudal lord. Plus, with the Endless Paths beneath, it would make sense to have a strong group of soldiers. I just have to figure out why i would even settle in a stronghold which is far more threatened from the underneath than from the outside (it's non sense to me). The fence walls could become a deadly prison far more than a secured area when some kind of dragon, awakened for some reason just decide to pop out the Endless Paths in your beloved garden.

[ISC]

I dont understand peoples obsessions with strongholds. That said, I will do everything of everything myself, except any mutually exclusive content.

[Mazisky]

 I just have to figure out why i would even settle in a stronghold which is far more threatened from the underneath than from the outside (it's non sense to me). The fence walls could become a deadly prison far more than a secured area when some kind of dragon, awakened for some reason just decide to pop out the Endless Paths in your beloved garden.

 

 

Probably cause you can blame the underneath creatures if some bad visitor disappear

[Quadrone]

Important about the stronghold to me is that it is not just some sort of management browser game but has qualities like the strongholds in BG2.

Meaning that there are events that require my presence at the stronghold (aside from optional manual combat as was shown at PAX) and have actual interaction with other characters.

If everything is manageable over the "stronghold menu" from any place in the world, that would be a bit disappointing.

[Valmy]

Important about the stronghold to me is that it is not just some sort of management browser game but has qualities like the strongholds in BG2.

Meaning that there are events that require my presence at the stronghold (aside from optional manual combat as was shown at PAX) and have actual interaction with other characters.

If everything is manageable over the "stronghold menu" from any place in the world, that would be a bit disappointing.

 

I think the menus are just there for convenience, not as a replacement for any interaction with the stronghold.

Edited March 9, 2015 by Valmy

[Valmy]

I just have to figure out why i would even settle in a stronghold which is far more threatened from the underneath than from the outside (it's non sense to me).

 

There may not be that many strongholds available.  Besides if you start thinking about things to this extent nothing we really do in a RPG makes much sense.  I mean why not form a party of 100 people to invade that dangerous dungeon?  Why only take 6?

[Abel]

 

I just have to figure out why i would even settle in a stronghold which is far more threatened from the underneath than from the outside (it's non sense to me).

 

There may not be that many strongholds available.  Besides if you start thinking about things to this extent nothing we really do in a RPG makes much sense.  I mean why not form a party of 100 people to invade that dangerous dungeon?  Why only take 6?

 

 

Yeah, it's true that the "well, i like you guy, and i definitely want you in my party, but, hey, for some reason, i can't have more than 5 friends at the same time" thing is pretty funny, too :D. Still, i need to feel things believable in a RPG to achieve immersion. It is something really important to me, and for my personal game experience. I've the same kind of problem with the infinite stash and the resting bonuses. It is in the game, so i will just have to figure out a personal way to explain things. Story and lore may provide me with good ideas

[wolfrider100]

I like the stronghold features and the Endless Paths super dungeon beneath it. More then likely I'll try to upgrade all the

structures, recruit hirelings that I like and fulfill the Warden's Lodge bounties offered as I go about doing the main quest.

Edited March 9, 2015 by wolfrider100

[h3st]

BAdler resolved the menu thing in the other thread:

 

Just so you guys are aware, everyone who visits your stronghold actually walks around it. You also get hirelings (and companions) that fill the stronghold.

 

All of those visitors in the menu where actually inside the main hall. We didn't show it off. I don't think these visitors have extensive conversations though. I know you can interact with them.

 

One thing I was thinking about showing was the other, sharper way you can get rid of the drunkard.

So you can manage it through the menu or by talking to people, whichever is your option. Unless your option is to deny other people their preference, in which case you can go roll in the snow.

Edited March 9, 2015 by h3st

[Tamerlane]

There's only one acceptable use for a castle.

 

[Labadal]

Manual resolve everything I can.

 

Then I will rule it with an iron fist. Anything that I disliked will be harshly dealt with. I will build the dungeons as soon as possible and fill it with prisoners.

[Gfted1]

^Don't forget the torture!

[rjshae]

I suppose that would be the Mechanics skill, mixed in with a little Lore?

[Labadal]

We don't openly speak about things like that. I mean, torture? What am I, some kind of tyrant? I didn't torture that guy with bruises and missing fingers. He fell down the stairs.

[Verenti]

There's only one acceptable use for a castle.

 

 

I was just about to mention how much I like Suikoden's management of a castle.

 

For those of you who missed those games, the story of Suikoden is based on the Chinese epic, Outlaws of the Marsh, where a group of Bandits and outlaws gathered in Liangshang marsh to defy the corrupt government forces. In the game, you're just rebels in a fantasy land fighting the empire, who has fallen under the control of an immortal sorceress who looks like the Emperor's dead wife.

 

Anyhow, about a quarter through the rebellion acquires a new leader (you) and is forced to find a new HQ, which is a haunted, disused castle in the middle of the lake, which the country is situated around.

 

Now, castle management isn't really an active process. You recruit various people through out the game, such as warriors and tacticians, but also including cooks, merchants and appraisers. While you recruit new members for the Liberation Army, the castle expands. Sometimes it's just based on how many of the 108 characters you recruit, sometimes it's based on where you are in the plot and sometimes characters add function based on their jobs. An inventor might install an elevator. A dandy might install a flower garden. But the game really captures the feeling of a place that goes literally from a haunted ruin to a bustling community and as it does, the music and the furnishings change to look more upbeat and lively.

 

As much as I like managing upgrades, I would rather to capture the feeling that the stronghold is a lively and (somewhat ironic though it may be) dynamic place.