Pillars of Future, new Engine

[Night Stalker]

argentina the people who backed this backed it because they wanted a type of game that was no longer made - the IE like games. Games with prerendered graphics, a iso-metric perspective (or at least something resembling a 3/4 perspective), tactical and party based.

 

A good analogy is to think of the backers as film buffs who have funded a slow black-and-white movie, because they feel they simply are not made anymore. What you are proposing is that the next should go full color, because someone else found a new way of making the colors extra vivid. Your suggestion is simply at odds with the basic premise of why most people are attracted to this game.

 

Sui Generis' engine may be perfectly fine for Sui Genesis, but what it would cost for Obsidian to modify it to their needs, if that is in fact realistic, is not worth it for PoE 2, compared to the engine they already have.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Night Stalker

[Bayzent]

New engine = new bugs again.

 

I prefer that they will keep using this one at least for the sequel.

 

But but but...it'll be NEW BUGS! Amazing New Bugs! We'll call the SPUSHIAL FEATIURS THAT I ENJOYED!

[manageri]

Graphics aside, cos who cares, what would be the advantage with this engine? Physics? Obviously realistic physics are not important in a PoE type game, so no. So what's left? I really can't think of anything remotely important for PoE (and it's possible sequels) that the current engine doesn't seem perfectly capable of handling. Therefore it seems to me that the benefits of familiarity with the current engine are probably worth a lot more than any pointless new bells and whistles. I also don't think a 3d camera ultimately adds anything of value to these games, though it was worth a try in NWN.

[Sancus]

Combat in that engine looks absolutely ridiculous. They try to position it as 'realistic' and 'skill-intensive' but all I see are people flailing away at eachother almost randomly. It's hard to imagine they have a good control scheme for that.

 

Without the combat, which obviously can't work with multiple characters, I don't see what the physics would really add to a party-based RPG, and certainly content development would be considerably more resource intensive in such an engine.

[Quadrone]

What? Change to an entirely different engine? And throw all the already created assets out of the window?

Basically start at 0 again? Brilliant! I bet Obsidian loves wasting money.

[Mungri]

 

But Obsidian has already worked in the past with the 3d and successfully.

 

I do not understand all these fears.

 

NWN2 is all stuff them.

 

 

I completely hated the NWN1 + 2 engines, they were the worst handling 3D games I've ever played.

 

I will rage more than I have ever raged before if they ever go back to ****ty full 3D.

 

Top down ISO locked camera 3D is the most I will tolerate.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Mungri

[anameforobsidian]

 

 

Hello guys.

 

As I watched this new project https://youtu.be/PvZchE30StQ?t=44s

 

I thought about Pillars of Eternity.

 

Just imagine a hypothetical Eternity with this new engine.

Looks perfect.

Clearly, the gameplay remains the same, pause tactic, etc.

 

But the graphics, could be revolutionary.

Try to think of the implications that could be created.

 

It would not be the first time that the boys of Obsidian, take "borrow" a graphics engine.

 

what do you all think?

 

 

May be wrong in this but didn't Obsidian chose Unity so they could swap assets with inXile and stuff?

 

 

I don't believe so.  I believe it was for ease of porting.

[Fighter]

3D > 2D. Given the proper budget for it and well implemented. PoE is good the way it is given things how they are.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Fighter

[Sabin Stargem]

I prefer 3D.  It is more flexible than 2D assets, so it lends itself better to ongoing projects.  As it is, modders would have great difficulty in adding new areas to Eternity:  They have to create art assets, paint appropriate pathing, and generally be very careful.  With 3D, a misplaced object can simply be deleted or moved.

[Freshock]

The two projects I've backed at a higher tier is Pillars and Sui Generis, I think Sui Generis looks great and hope it lives up to the expectations. The physics is what made me back Sui Generis for sure, and sort of reminded me of Dark Messiah of Might and Magic that way. It's been a while since they launched the project, but lately they've been more active on steam with the prelude, so there's a light in the end of the tunnel. Eventually I'll be "designing" a weapon and a area in the final game, as a part of a backer reward. 

 

But I'm not sure this kind of physics would work with Pillars, atleast I can't picture it. The graphics in SG are amazing, but I think that about PoE's graphics too (although it's a more nostalgic style to it). SG's graphics looks like the one the new M&B game got, Bannerlord. It looks beautiful and I'm sure I'll enjoy SG alot when it finally drops. 

[kangaxxter]

lol no. The last time a developer switched from 2D Isometric to 3D graphics, we got Neverwinter Nights. NWN was a good game, but it had none of the charm of Baldur's Gate, and I backed Project Eternity for that Baldur's Gate charm.

[argenti]

argentina the people who backed this backed it because they wanted a type of game that was no longer made - the IE like games. Games with prerendered graphics, a iso-metric perspective (or at least something resembling a 3/4 perspective), tactical and party based.

 

A good analogy is to think of the backers as film buffs who have funded a slow black-and-white movie, because they feel they simply are not made anymore. What you are proposing is that the next should go full color, because someone else found a new way of making the colors extra vivid. Your suggestion is simply at odds with the basic premise of why most people are attracted to this game.

 

Sui Generis' engine may be perfectly fine for Sui Genesis, but what it would cost for Obsidian to modify it to their needs, if that is in fact realistic, is not worth it for PoE 2, compared to the engine they already have.

I think of the future.

Probably next Eternity will be 2D

 

But the further, will have to deal necessarily with the times.

 

Not everyone loves the 2d, we are a narrow niche, but you have to think that there are millions of players who now only appreciate the 3D and Obsidian works not only for passion but also for money and must extend its users.

[Schakar]

The fights look terrible . Like two drunken sailor or a Starwars kid . Even the walk looks terrible.

looks like a tech-demo from NVidia used to promote PhysiX.

 

It's nice, that everything is interacteble . But that's not important for a realy good RPG!

Insane storry + atmosphere >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> able to interact with everything.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Schakar

[Tigranes]

 

argentina the people who backed this backed it because they wanted a type of game that was no longer made - the IE like games. Games with prerendered graphics, a iso-metric perspective (or at least something resembling a 3/4 perspective), tactical and party based.

 

A good analogy is to think of the backers as film buffs who have funded a slow black-and-white movie, because they feel they simply are not made anymore. What you are proposing is that the next should go full color, because someone else found a new way of making the colors extra vivid. Your suggestion is simply at odds with the basic premise of why most people are attracted to this game.

 

Sui Generis' engine may be perfectly fine for Sui Genesis, but what it would cost for Obsidian to modify it to their needs, if that is in fact realistic, is not worth it for PoE 2, compared to the engine they already have.

I think of the future.

Probably next Eternity will be 2D

 

But the further, will have to deal necessarily with the times.

 

Not everyone loves the 2d, we are a narrow niche, but you have to think that there are millions of players who now only appreciate the 3D and Obsidian works not only for passion but also for money and must extend its users.

 

 

Not every game needs to reach millions of players. This is exactly the reason Obsidian went to Kickstarter.

 

Publishers said, 'we want your game to sell 3, 5, 10 million copies, so you can't do 3D, you can't do this, you can't do that'. They said, 'a game that is made for people who love 2D, people who loved IE games, etc. will not be viable.' That's the whole reason POE was born through Kickstarter. 

 

Obsidian has other teams and projects which will continue to go through publishers. It would be sad and also pointless to do the same with POE.

[Luj1]

Sui Generis is not a good engine for Pillars of Eternity.

[Mansen]

No?

 

3D has no place in a cRPG of this style. NWN was a different kind of game (and it had its benefits - like the modular terrain and easy server generation)

[Luj1]

Nwn was frickin awesome. (The first game I mean, second was mediocre)

[argenti]

lol no. The last time a developer switched from 2D Isometric to 3D graphics, we got Neverwinter Nights. NWN was a good game, but it had none of the charm of Baldur's Gate, and I backed Project Eternity for that Baldur's Gate charm.

 

the charm does not, the graphics engine

 

But developers with their creativity

Edited April 5, 2015 by argenti

[Mungri]

NWN was crap compared to this game. I have no freaking clue why anyone would another trashy 3D game.

[bonarbill]

NWN was crap compared to this game. I have no freaking clue why anyone would another trashy 3D game.

 

Hey, both games are awesome.  Lets just leave it at that.  :D

[Mungri]

No. I despised NWN. The dragon age series is better than that was.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Mungri

[jackjack]

NWN was pretty awesome. The camera was not.

[KnightOfVirtue]

For me at the top down 2D view allows for a scope of visuals you can't get consistently in 3D games. The visuals in games like PoE and the IE games comes in part from the sweeping views the 2D is able to show you. It gives an atmosphere that is very difficult to achieve in 3D.

[Quillon]

In "Pillars of Future" context I'm more interested in timeline/tech progress than engine. I remember some developer saying that even after a thousand years, worlds stay the same in fantasy worlds like forgotten realms but with PoE this will be different. So I expect(hopefully) a game from PoE franchise to take place later in the timeline of Eora. Could be a steampunk rpg, modern rpg, cyber, post apo, back to mid age whenever. This could be a unique thing for the IP. We could meet same souls from 500 year ago :D (or just cos this has heavy magic, it has to stay in around mid-ages?)

[Mungri]

The story was great in NWN ... Both the engine and camera made me want to kill myself.