The 'Sidian Tyranny thread

[Fenixp]

How would you compare the difficulty to Pillars?  My first run of Pillars I played Hard and really wished I'd played PotD instead.  I'm inclined to try PotD for my first Tyranny play, but I don't know how they compare.  If it's about like PotD in PoE, I'll pick that.

I'm not very good at dem videogames and so I actually found Pillars on hard fairly challenging. I mostly just find Tyranny on hard irritating. You watch cooldowns of everybody's abilities and then click those abilities. It's Dragon Age: Origins all over again, just without mana and far worse animated.

 

Well actually, I'm going to go on record here and say that the combo skills executed by two members of the party in tandem are neat, but I'm pretty sure they're useable per rest? So in combination with time limit, you're not ever going to use them? Am I wrong here?

Edited November 11, 2016 by Fenixp

[ShadySands]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xlpgS0tKIk

This

 

So much this

 

Kudos to the Obsiditeam

[GhostofAnakin]

I must just suck compared to you guys because I'm playing on normal and have died like 4 times already

 

Haha reading this makes me think that I'll probably have to play it on the absolute easiest difficult.

[ShadySands]

I just had to pay a little more attention to detail and be more liberal with the abilities and spells. When I'm tired, which I am, I'm just like select all, click on bad guy.... maybe not that bad but pretty close

 

I guess it depends on how much you like to and/or are used to micromanaging everything

 

Anyway, I'm loving the lore and think the game is absolutely beautiful

[GhostofAnakin]

Hmm.  Looks like my PoS can't run it.  Guess I'll have to wait another 5 years until I decide to get a new PC and Tyranny is on GoG for around $1.99 at that time.

[Fenixp]

Anyway, I'm loving the lore and think the game is absolutely beautiful

I'm harping on it a lot because I've not yet played a ton of it (like 3 hours or so thus far) and a lot of the game's problems are readily apparent, but it is quite a looker.

 

And the game presents player with an unstable region which just recently emerged from a state of war, and it gives player a role of a pivotal member of the conquering army. I don't usually play goody two shoes in RPGs on purpose, I play them because I enjoy playing diplomatic characters and in mindset of most RPGs, that means a good character by default - but it's a "When in Rome, do as Romans do" mentality more so than anything. Applying the same mentality to Tyranny allows me to be a massive judgemental bastard and I'm loving it - you're in a position of power, telling somebody to STFU or his head'll roll often is the diplomatic solution.

Edited November 11, 2016 by Fenixp

[ShadySands]

Some combo abilities are per rest and some are per encounter

 

Now that I actually need to pay attention to such things

Edited November 11, 2016 by ShadySands

[imaenoon]

I have as yet to die, but I thought I would be more... evil? I like the idea of redeeming my character, but I want it to mean something when I do. Redeeming a character who is more or less either a bureaucrat who really wants to help people or a bureaucrat who wants to profit off of the job does not have an appeal to me. If I'm a bad guy who owns his bad-guyery, that's fine. If I'm a bad guy who goes through the difficult process of personal redemption, then that better^100. If I'm just some aimless bureaucrat, then it's just sad.

 

I haven't played much, just past the introduction scenario where I chose between the two factions of my overlord. I've barely scratched the surface, but I see it as a bad sign that I haven't been drawn in yet. However, to be charitable, I know it can take time sometimes before I get hooked.

[Starwars]

I'm enjoying the game so far. Playing on Hard, I don't feel it's particularly... hard, as of yet But maybe that will change. PoE felt more challenging at first in that you could get yourself in trouble quite early at the Eothas temple but yeah, different approaches.

The best thing about the game is the conversations coupled with the fact that you are in a position of power. People will still talk back to you at times but it feels like a noticeable difference from most games. The "collar grabbing effect" of Mass Effect feels awesome here.

 

Some complaints:

 

-The voiceacting really does nothing for these characters. I don't know if it's due to the voiceacting company they employ or what but most characters just sound like a bunch of dorks when they should feel threatening. Graven Ashe and Nerat in particular are just... bad, and some of the companions as well. It's not helped by the fact that the voices are recognizable from PoE, so you have Kana playing the role of Barik and it just... no. I hope they can switch their approach for PoE2 because it's just not good enough to have these characters come to life I think.

 

-Some of the choices feel a bit too "WILL YOU SUPPORT FACTION A OR FACTION B?". Wish there was content outside of that split because it feels a bit "forced" for lack of a better word. And while I think the factions are generally interesting, they kinda come across as idiots also. Too much bickering, especially between the leaders.

 

-I find the UI pretty hard to read, especially compared to PoE. I also hate that they got rid of the Map screen.

 

I'm enjoying it so far though. Like I said, playing the role of a Fatebinder is especially awesome, and there is a lot of nice reactivity even this early on. All in all, I'm more a fan of PoE's more "open" and large approach though, especially when it comes to character development and that stuff.

Edited November 11, 2016 by Starwars

[Keyrock]

I thoroughly enjoyed the Conquest Choose Your Own Adventure mini-game at the beginning.  That was really cool.  I loved the tokens on a map approach to the presentation too.

[Starwars]

Yeah, the Conquest thing was very cool. Great way to customize the world and great to make some "high level" decisions right off the bat.

[WDeranged]

-The voiceacting really does nothing for these characters. I don't know if it's due to the voiceacting company they employ or what but most characters just sound like a bunch of dorks when they should feel threatening. Graven Ashe and Nerat in particular are just... bad, and some of the companions as well. It's not helped by the fact that the voices are recognizable from PoE, so you have Kana playing the role of Barik and it just... no. I hope they can switch their approach for PoE2 because it's just not good enough to have these characters come to life I think.

 

This was the first thing that struck me in the previews, shame to hear that it apparently permeates the whole game.

[algroth]

If there is one area where Obsidian seems to falter consistently, and didn't back in the Black Isle days, it is in the voice acting for me. I look at the likes of Baldur's Gate II and Planescape: Torment and their voice-acting was pretty much perfect... Yet I can't think of any game in Obsidian's catalogue where it's anywhere short of patchy. Some good performances in all of them, sure, but a myriad of horrible, forced counter-examples elsewhere. In Pillars of Eternity, for every Edér or Hiravias there's an Urgeat, Grieving Mother or Galawain. Not sure who's to "blame" here, but it is well worth looking into for future projects.

[demeisen]

​

 

How would you compare the difficulty to Pillars?  My first run of Pillars I played Hard and really wished I'd played PotD instead.  I'm inclined to try PotD for my first Tyranny play, but I don't know how they compare.  If it's about like PotD in PoE, I'll pick that.

You watch cooldowns of everybody's abilities and then click those abilities. It's Dragon Age: Origins all over again, just without mana and far worse animated.

 

​I started a game and yeah, I agree about the cooldowns.  Not my fav mechanic at all.  Still, the game's good in other ways.  The graphics and area designs are spectacular.

​

​We'll see how it unfolds over time.  I'm willing to give it a chance.  I just hope the "cooldown" mechanic doesn't find its way into the Pillars series.

​

[Starwars]

If there is one area where Obsidian seems to falter consistently, and didn't back in the Black Isle days, it is in the voice acting for me. I look at the likes of Baldur's Gate II and Planescape: Torment and their voice-acting was pretty much perfect... Yet I can't think of any game in Obsidian's catalogue where it's anywhere short of patchy. Some good performances in all of them, sure, but a myriad of horrible, forced counter-examples elsewhere. In Pillars of Eternity, for every Edér or Hiravias there's an Urgeat, Grieving Mother or Galawain. Not sure who's to "blame" here, but it is well worth looking into for future projects.

 

I think Mask of the Betrayer was the best one overall in regards to voiceacting. Alpha Protocol was also good/great (Thorton himself was a bit bland but I can understand their thinking).

 

Funny thing is that those two, along with Vampire Bloodlines (which is *fantastic* in terms of voice acting) had voice talent that were directed by one Margaret Tang. Someone needs to get a hold of her for the next games because she seems to do a great job with the actors.

[Pidesco]

If there is one area where Obsidian seems to falter consistently, and didn't back in the Black Isle days, it is in the voice acting for me. I look at the likes of Baldur's Gate II and Planescape: Torment and their voice-acting was pretty much perfect... Yet I can't think of any game in Obsidian's catalogue where it's anywhere short of patchy. Some good performances in all of them, sure, but a myriad of horrible, forced counter-examples elsewhere. In Pillars of Eternity, for every Edér or Hiravias there's an Urgeat, Grieving Mother or Galawain. Not sure who's to "blame" here, but it is well worth looking into for future projects.

 

Rose tinted glasses and all that. Torment's voice acting was quite uneven and not everyone in BG2 was David Warner.

[Raithe]

I actually went back and played through that first part again. Things make a lot more sense when you realise all those small scraps of paper you found are the spell doohickies you need to learn to create the spells that stop mobs swarming you.

 

Now I can create frost cones and ranged lightning bolts , heal from a distance and such like.

[mindswayer]

I don't get why they decided to scale back the combat so much from PoE. I can deal with no friendly fire somewhat, but the removal of flanking is just dumb. Positioning is literally irrelevant now and combat is just spamming cooldowns.

Are they planning on releasing this on consoles or something? Why would they do this

[Fenixp]

I just dropped difficulty to story mode and the combat is a nice, relaxing collection of flashing lights and people jumping about.

[the_dog_days]

I've been playing on normal, and so far like the combat. The stances mean I don't have to micromanage as much, but with only a four man team micromanagement isn't taxing anyway. With Pillars the combat, while at first challenging and fun, over stays its welcome due to all the mobs, required micromanagement, and party size. For me Tyranny hits a nice middle ground, even though I wasn't sure about the cooldowns after they were first announced.

[Darkpriest]

I like, although combat seems a bit odd, and I am not sure why... I am playing a mage though, and I feel like spells are underwhelming power wise.

[ShadySands]

I like, although combat seems a bit odd, and I am not sure why... I am playing a mage though, and I feel like spells are underwhelming power wise.

Yeah, my mage seems a little underpowered even with the power and accuracy accents on his spells

 

Edit - The spells have longish cooldowns too so it's not like I can just spam them anyway

Edited November 11, 2016 by ShadySands

[the_dog_days]

Sooo . . . nobody else is going bare knuckle? I suppose I'm alone in my punching fetish.

[ShadySands]

Sooo . . . nobody else is going bare knuckle? I suppose I'm alone in my punching fetish.

Sorry, I can never stay away from magic

[ManifestedISO]

No, I am, punching faces and chests and the ground is super fun. Got a shortbow/unarmed build.