Suggestion, if it's not too late: Arachnophobic Mode

[Fayd]

Hello everyone, especially Obsidian.

 

I'd like to proffer a suggestion for a potential new toggle for a game mode that would be very helpful for a number of people, namely Arachnophobic Mode. When this mode is toggled on, all spiders and spiderlike enemies are replaced with statistically identical and thematically appropriate enemies, sort of how the difficulty modes work now. A large number of people are arachnophobic, including my wife, whom I would love to share Pillars of Eternity with. Some people have this so severely that depictions in games can cause panic attacks, which we can generally agree are not fun to have.

 

While this need can be eventually filled by the modding community (see the Spiders to Bears in Skyrim or the replacement mods in Dragon Age), quite often the monsters feel out of place or do not behave properly for their new role. I feel that having the developer create this mode would be the most seamless and would be a very helpful gesture. There are VERY few fantasy RPGs without giant spiders… it’d be nice to have one.

 

To everyone who will inevitably want to say things along the lines like "just expose yourself" or some variation of exposure therapy, there are a number of reasons that is both insensitive and not particularly helpful. If this doesn't help you, you leave it untoggled and that doesn't affect your game in any meaningful way.

 

Thank you for your time,

 

Sincerely,

 

Fayd

[LadyCrimson]

This has come up before (both for PoE and other games I've seen)...I can sympathize but I sort of doubt it'll be officially added. Spiders are just such a staple to fantasy monster roles and I/we have no idea if there are actually any "statistically identical" enemies (meaning, if not, they'd have to create new ones, art, etc).

 

As you said, it's possible that at some point a modder might do something like that, assuming modding capabilities will allow for it.

[RevBlue]

With all due respect, I feel like there are many many other fixes that should come before adding these custom options that only appeal to a very, very small number of people.

[Fayd]

RevBlue, while I dispute your claim of a "very, very small number of people", I understand what you mean!  Making the game function properly should be the foremost concern.

 

However, that does not mean that these things can't be considered, thought about, and debate before they are worked on.

Edited March 31, 2015 by Fayd

[Xavori]

Spiders should be replaced with clowns.

 

Clowns with half their face missing that carry machetes.

[Rosveen]

(see the Spiders to Bears in Skyrim or the replacement mods in Dragon Age)

I'm mildly arachnophobic and those bears terrified me more than spiders. They moved so unnaturally, I felt like I was fighting a puppet master planning to tear me limb from limb. *shudders*

[TheUsernamelessOne]

I know that fear isn't rational and I completely sympathize with people who have to deal with anxiety issues and phobias (since I'm one myself) but it does feel jarring to read a request to take out the spiders in a game where mass infanticide is a central plot point. I mean, does anyone else remember the bit where someone tells you that folks in Defiant Bay have taken to nicknaming the Hollowborn "buoys," because so many of them end up floating in the bay? I'm a pretty jaded person but that was a pretty dark moment, even for an Obsidian game.

[Volourn]

TRIGGER WARNING!

[Fayd]

Yeah; I can understand how it can be tonally dissonant TheUsernamelessOne, but as you said yourself this sort of thing isn't rational. A hobby should not be barred someone because of one small thing like this.

 

Rosveen, your exact concern is why I suggested it to the developers to be done more thoroughly and purposefully.

 

Volourn, Xavori, assuming you both had a sarcastic intent, that's not particularly helpful to the discussion at hand.

 

To be absolutely clear, I'm advocating this as a "for the future" project, not something to drop everything now and do at this instant.

Edited March 31, 2015 by Fayd

[hlidskialf]

I recall a request identical to this back on TeamBG for BG1/2. IIRC the spiders were modded to be swapped with Ettercaps, which are spider-like humanoids but possess the correct number of limbs. I'm not far enough in to know if there's anything in game that would serve to be as easily modified, but if so maybe the devs can address it. Or I'm certain it will fall to the modding community down the road. It seems to be a surprisingly regular request from gamers.

[Xavori]

Yeah; I can understand how it can be tonally dissonant TheUsernamelessOne, but as you said yourself this sort of thing isn't rational. A hobby should not be barred someone because of one small thing like this.

 

Rosveen, your exact concern is why I suggested it to the developers to be done more thoroughly and purposefully.

 

Volourn, Xavori, assuming you both had a sarcastic intent, that's not particularly helpful to the discussion at hand.

 

To be absolutely clear, I'm advocating this as a "for the future" project, not something to drop everything now and do at this instant.

 

It wasn't sarcasm, but admittedly, wasn't trying to be helpful either.  I wasn't mocking the suggestion.  I get the irrationality of phobias and suspect some modder out there actually will take your suggestion and make it happen.

 

I was just going for teh lulz.  I do that a lot.  It's a character flaw of mine.  One that I bear with such great shame that even seppuku could not restore my family's honor nor the respect due my ancestors.

[KingNee]

I suggest a much safer game, something like "Limbo" should be right up your alley. 

 

 

(I kid, you should probably stay away from that one.)

[Fayd]

Oh, I'm familiar with LIMBO... it was an Experience.

 

Xavoli, I can understand doing things for the lulz. I've just .... come to expect a lot of hostility on this topic, so I may have started out a bit too guarded. A flaw of mine, I suppose.

 

TBH, I don't know if ettercaps (or their equivalent) would be better (honestly, my preferences would lean towards cave reptiles), but it's at least something to consider.

[Baleros]

I'd just like to say, I would also like a gay spider option.  I think its absurd in 2015 that all the spiders in game are straight.

[Rosveen]

I'd just like to say, I would also like a gay spider option. I think its absurd in 2015 that all the spiders in game are straight.

I'm tempted to ask how you discovered that all spiders are straight, but maybe it's better not to know...

[Rosveen]

double post

Edited March 31, 2015 by Rosveen

[Baleros]

 

I'd just like to say, I would also like a gay spider option. I think its absurd in 2015 that all the spiders in game are straight.

I'm tempted to ask how you discovered that all spiders are straight, but maybe it's better not to know...

 

So far the male spiders only tried to web my female party members, and the female spiders only tried to web the male party members.  Also, none of the spiders are rainbow colored.

[G2Revelation]

Not something I've ever struggled with, so I am afraid I can't really relate. 

 

However, I know that struggling with phobias of any kind can be crippling and the fact that they are irrational makes them even more difficult to contend with because you cannot reason your way through or around them. 

 

While i suspect your request may be overlooked by the developers, I will hope that (assuming modding capabilities allow for it), an acceptable mod for the situation will be created soon. 

[Nukenin]

Wear peril-sensitive (sun)glasses while playing the game and you will never see anything that triggers a phobia.

 

[kylania]

I would love this!  I'm tired of every game having spiders as adversaries.  There's so many other things that we could use.

[geobio]

Just let modder comunity handle this, thanks.

[Tylaris]

Really? I'm not pulling any judgement here, but how are people scared of even animated images? They are only spiders... adorable and cuddly, 

eight legged things that just crawl up your leg and...ehh... I'll probably end up banned for this.

Now if they had placed sharks in this game, that would be a different story. 

And no,  like someone mentioned, especially not clowns... i hate all of them, ever since seeing that crazy one from a horror movie.

[Fayd]

Geobio, the modding community can handle this, and I assume at some point they will (are mods possible yet, by the way?) but part of my reasoning here is to keep the same intended atmosphere and to keep Obsidian's intended XP curve in place.

 

Still, it will get solved that way, more likely than not, but it would be nice to get something a bit more thorough and intended.

[RottenBrain]

TBH, I don't know if ettercaps (or their equivalent) would be better (honestly, my preferences would lean towards cave reptiles), but it's at least something to consider.

I don't have arachnophobia and video game spiders generally don't freak me out (the ones in System Shock 2 though...) but I find Ettercaps a lot more unsettling than spiders XD

[PhantomEidolon]

While i can sympathize with this as someone that has a phobia of snakes, i would honestly just let the modding community handle that.

 

 

Spiders should be replaced with clowns.

 

Clowns with half their face missing that carry machetes.