My review of the game

[Maximvs]

Great game.

Few flaws. It's rather short for a game that had an extra kick starter finance. How sad the gaming industry has become. Rogues can't stealth by themselves. A few more levels and content would've been nice.

 

Otherwise, fun game. Well balanced, good second level english writing all around. Graphics are medium but for that type of game, it's fine. Suppose I'll just take whatever Chris Avellone does. Haha! This game looks a lot like dungeon and dragon. Heck, the funny thing is, the combat system is even better! Anyways. G.G.

[LadyCrimson]

Rogues can't stealth by themselves.

Sure they can. You just leave the rest crouching in some dark corner, select only the Rogue and move him around by himself.

[TheisEjsing]

Rather short for a 4-5 million dollar game? :D The kickstarter wasn't "extra" money, it was the main source of money.

[eLPuSHeR]

Agreed. Let's hope for a DLC that will be good. I hope.

[Maximvs]

I meant rogues can't remain stealth when the combat begins, it's weird. But anyways. I was just saying, great game, I just expected more due to the four million dollar extra. It's pretty sad. Is it because of all the pirating or did they make tons of extra cash? A game like that is supposed to be 40 $ + taxes, not 45 $ + taxes + 4 million kick starter fund.

[VaultDuke]

? The kickstarters did get the game, so it's not like the 4 million were free money...

[kozzy]

Rather short? What? 129 hours for me lol.

[Arrowman]

Pretty much sums up my thoughts on the game.

I thought the stretch goals would make this game massive. If it wasn't for the extra funding allowing for the stretch goals, POE would of been a disappointment imho. Things like two large cities, Twin elms wasn't even a city. I got frustrated in the end when there wasn't many adjoining maps to the North, East, South and West. All that open space on the background of the world map, I set my heights way to high.

[illathid]

I meant rogues can't remain stealth when the combat begins, it's weird. But anyways. I was just saying, great game, I just expected more due to the four million dollar extra. It's pretty sad. Is it because of all the pirating or did they make tons of extra cash? A game like that is supposed to be 40 $ + taxes, not 45 $ + taxes + 4 million kick starter fund.

Yeah... That wasn't $4 million "extra," that was the whole budget. If there hadn't been a successful Kickstarter there'd would be no game (or an Obsidian Entertainment for that matter either).

[VahnXIII]

This is an amazing game for what it is. Hopefully the success will be enough to continue building this fantasy setting (Eora). I believe Obsidian escaped death and stumbled upon a gold nugget. I truly wish they continue moving forward with the series with larger settings, more content populated by more interesting NPCs.

[GrinningReaper659]

I meant rogues can't remain stealth when the combat begins, it's weird. But anyways. I was just saying, great game, I just expected more due to the four million dollar extra. It's pretty sad. Is it because of all the pirating or did they make tons of extra cash? A game like that is supposed to be 40 $ + taxes, not 45 $ + taxes + 4 million kick starter fund.

 

You seem to be thoroughly confused about how games are funded/made. Traditionally, a publisher would have given them the money to produce the game. That ~4 million from Kickstarter took the place of the funding that would have been provided by a publisher. Games aren't made for free out of thin air and then paid for afterwards... Many AAA RPGs cost many tens of millions of dollars to produce, and expecting this game (made on a budget of around 4 million) to be considerably longer or more complex than other modern RPGs doesn't make much sense.

[Maximvs]

 

I meant rogues can't remain stealth when the combat begins, it's weird. But anyways. I was just saying, great game, I just expected more due to the four million dollar extra. It's pretty sad. Is it because of all the pirating or did they make tons of extra cash? A game like that is supposed to be 40 $ + taxes, not 45 $ + taxes + 4 million kick starter fund.

 

You seem to be thoroughly confused about how games are funded/made. Traditionally, a publisher would have given them the money to produce the game. That ~4 million from Kickstarter took the place of the funding that would have been provided by a publisher. Games aren't made for free out of thin air and then paid for afterwards... Many AAA RPGs cost many tens of millions of dollars to produce, and expecting this game (made on a budget of around 4 million) to be considerably longer or more complex than other modern RPGs doesn't make much sense.

 

Thoroughly confused... lol. Big words there mate. Yes, games are funded. They need to. When they're funded by an external source, that external source wants a cut of the game revenues when it's out... But the kickstarter guys aren't getting a cut, are they? No, I'm not "thoroughly confused" lol.

[Sonntam]

 

 

I meant rogues can't remain stealth when the combat begins, it's weird. But anyways. I was just saying, great game, I just expected more due to the four million dollar extra. It's pretty sad. Is it because of all the pirating or did they make tons of extra cash? A game like that is supposed to be 40 $ + taxes, not 45 $ + taxes + 4 million kick starter fund.

 

You seem to be thoroughly confused about how games are funded/made. Traditionally, a publisher would have given them the money to produce the game. That ~4 million from Kickstarter took the place of the funding that would have been provided by a publisher. Games aren't made for free out of thin air and then paid for afterwards... Many AAA RPGs cost many tens of millions of dollars to produce, and expecting this game (made on a budget of around 4 million) to be considerably longer or more complex than other modern RPGs doesn't make much sense.

 

Thoroughly confused... lol. Big words there mate. Yes, games are funded. They need to. When they're funded by an external source, that external source wants a cut of the game revenues when it's out... But the kickstarter guys aren't getting a cut, are they? No, I'm not "thoroughly confused" lol.

 

What does it matter for this game, though?

 

The profits of the game will go to fund the expansion and/or Pillars of Eternity 2. However Pillars of Eternity itself had to be made with the Kickstarter money, no more and no less.

[Maximvs]

A company asking for a kick starter funding is kind of... unprofessional. It's also quite balzy. Lol. Can't say I disagree with the move though, why give royalty to some money pimp when people are willing to fund it because your name is made and known? 

 

What does it matter for this game, you ask? All I'm saying is, this game is equivalent in content and quality than old baldurs gate, yet they had a 4 million dollar extra. Makes me wonder if it's the pirates fault or not, because internet and piracy wasn't as widespread 15 years ago. This game is good, I'm not saying otherwise, all I'm saying is, I expected more, and I'm sure many more hold the same thought as I.

[TheisEjsing]

A company asking for a kick starter funding is kind of... unprofessional. It's also quite balzy. Lol. Can't say I disagree with the move though, why give royalty to some money pimp when people are willing to fund it because your name is made and known? 

 

What does it matter for this game, you ask? All I'm saying is, this game is equivalent in content and quality than old baldurs gate, yet they had a 4 million dollar extra. Makes me wonder if it's the pirates fault or not, because internet and piracy wasn't as widespread 15 years ago. This game is good, I'm not saying otherwise, all I'm saying is, I expected more, and I'm sure many more hold the same thought as I.

 

Don't you read what other people write? They didn't have 4 million extra. The company was broke, the 4 million dollars made the entire game. Get your facts right. This is a 100+ hours game made with 4-5 million dollars all inclusive. It's rather impressive.

[Maximvs]

Yes it was 4 million extra, because they did not have to repay it to their rich pimp backer like most small gaming companies need to. And I'm not saying the game isn't good, It's very good.

[InfiniteEternity]

 

Rogues can't stealth by themselves.

Sure they can. You just leave the rest crouching in some dark corner, select only the Rogue and move him around by himself.

 

What a great way of wasting time with a poor implemented system!

[TheisEjsing]

4 million extra means, that OE has other funding in advance of the kickstarter. Just because they didn't have to pay the money back, doesn't magically increase the overall budget for the game.

[Maximvs]

Initial budget? No. Overall profits given to the workers? Yes.

[illathid]

Except those 77,000 backers get a copy of the game. That's cutting $3.465 million from obsidians total revenue.

[Sven_]

Yeah, that too. Simplifying it, it's the same as a publisher providing the money the fans did. Nobody did though. There's no extra money, those 4 million minus X for Kickstarter plus the backers was the budget they had, end of. There is nothing extra. Either it is semantics or you seem to be confusing this with some studios that start a Kickstarter to "better" a game that is already funded, i.e. The Book Of Unwritten Tales 2, which is enormously big and long for an adventure game (in parts due to very long voice overs and tons of dialogue), and would have been about as long without a Kickstarter as it had been picked up by a traditional publisher at the time of the Kickstarter. The additional money they collected via Kickstarter was utilized to improve the 3d technology the game utilized, some optional side quests as well as the score being recorded by a real orchestra rather than synthesizers. With a pitching video as charming as theirs, they succeeded and tripled their target, which meant 170,000 Dollars truly "extra", which is a big amount for an adventure game being produced in Europe (according to some developers, the average budget of an adventure game made in Germany is about 300,000 Euros). https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kingartgames/the-book-of-unwritten-tales-2/description

 

Has a point about the "profits" though. The marketing/distribution deal with Paradox aside (a very good fit, in my opinion, for games like this -- and I'm almost convinced they'd fund a game such as this too), there is no share that goes to a traditional publisher. Which is why Obsidian initially voiced hopes they'd be able to fund whatever comes next on their OWN. That they go to Kickstarter next appears not a given deal according to more recent interviews, unless I'm mistaken. However, for making profits, they need to sell additional copies of the game, naturally. The Kickstarters funded the game, allowed it to be made at ALL, not earned them a profit.

 

 

Here are some early graphics on how the money was planned to be spread, by the way.

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/62207-update-30-how-stuff-is-made/

Edited April 16, 2015 by Sven_

[Ardan Reddy]

I meant rogues can't remain stealth when the combat begins.

Yes, they can. Just need to take the Shadowing Beyond talent.

[Ouroboros226]

 Graphics are medium but for that type of game, it's fine. 

Wut... 

 

The handpainted backgrounds given by isometric view is way more majestic than most 3D games. In games like this - almost everything on screen is unique. There is an atmosphere and beauty to the world in isometric games like this that 3D can never compete with. 

[dangerlinto]

Except those 77,000 backers get a copy of the game. That's cutting $3.465 million from obsidians total revenue.

 

Exactly.

 

That being said, they do get to cut out the middleman of the publisher.  But I think the OP is a little confused as to how much money is needed to produce such a game with the publisher model, and therefore the complaints based on the comparison between the two are spurious at best. 

 

Obsidian did not make a sweet mint by cutting out a publisher and using kickstarter instead.  It just pushed the money earned to the front of the publishing cycle instead of normally receiving it at the end.

[illathid]

 

 

Except those 77,000 backers get a copy of the game. That's cutting $3.465 million from obsidians total revenue.

Exactly.

 

That being said, they do get to cut out the middleman of the publisher. But I think the OP is a little confused as to how much money is needed to produce such a game with the publisher model, and therefore the complaints based on the comparison between the two are spurious at best.

 

Obsidian did not make a sweet mint by cutting out a publisher and using kickstarter instead. It just pushed the money earned to the front of the publishing cycle instead of normally receiving it at the end.

Yeah, the OP has no idea what he's talking about. I was just putting holes in his arguments.