About Update 38

[Wormerine]

Regarding spells, I wish they'd implement a BG'esque hotkey bar.  Properly ordering my hotkeyed spells in PoE 1 was a nightmare, especially if I wanted to remove one.

Really? I thought that hotkey mechanics in PoE1 was brilliant, although I discovered it on my second playthrough. All you needed to do is mouse over the spell you want and choose a hotkey. Done. And they appear above the main toolbar. Brilliant! I thought that BG way of doing it was more limited and less useful. 

[drithius]

If you wanted to precisely control how different spells were grouped, you were forced into reordering your entire lineup of hotkeys.  Also, requiring a hotkey simply to reference a spell outside its nested spell menu is clunky; 90% of the time, I simply want easy access to the spell.

[injurai]

 

Regarding spells, I wish they'd implement a BG'esque hotkey bar.  Properly ordering my hotkeyed spells in PoE 1 was a nightmare, especially if I wanted to remove one.

Really? I thought that hotkey mechanics in PoE1 was brilliant, although I discovered it on my second playthrough. All you needed to do is mouse over the spell you want and choose a hotkey. Done. And they appear above the main toolbar. Brilliant! I thought that BG way of doing it was more limited and less useful. 

 

 

I had no idea... that makes priests and druids manageable.

[Mannock]

The city looked great! Can't wait for the game to be released.

[algroth]

Are the languages just used for general purpose world building? They arent used in game, and even if they were, 99% of players arent learning a new language, or are they? I guess Im asking, whats the point?

 

Along the logic of greater immersion, I think it's also useful in giving invented terms and names a cohesive sound to them. In the first Pillars for example, the Glanfathan language has its own Welsh/Irish sound which is starkly different to the more Romance/Latin-based Vailian for example, and they help inform on who the character is and where they, or their ancestry, are from (same applying to objects and concepts and the likes). The sound of words also helps a lot in informing the kind of world and culture it is, in the way more guttural or blocky-sounding words may relate to more isolated and less advanced cultures as could be the case of the Huana in comparison to the more flowery and sophisticated sound of Vailian for example. Language is also not just the primary means of communication between two people but also the primary means of codification of the world for an individual, and thus very relevant in our understanding and interpretation. It was a crucial point when it came to first contact between Europe and the native cultures of the lands they'd eventually colonize: one example with regards to the indigenous communities around the River Plate for example was that in their language there was no such word as "is" or "be", rather everything "seems", and thus a tree seems to be a tree, an animal seems to be an animal, and a person seems to be a person. These tribes were very isolationist and hostile, and a lot of it could have been influenced by their language which by its construction alone made the culture prone to suspicion of outsiders. Being that Deadfire is exactly about this period, I think language can play an important role precisely due to all this and how it can further underline this culture clash, so to speak.

 

Also I think it's very much one of those things that people who don't care will be indifferent about, but those that do will immediately take note of it and appreciate the degree of detail therein.

Edited August 2, 2017 by algroth

[algroth]

On the subject of the video itself, Neketaka is looking great, but I'm also very curious about the tease of other towns comprised of multiple areas across the Deadfire (Dunnage being one, maybe the Huana town shown in the gameplay preview being another?). I thought they'd be moving away from making several large urban areas, but it seems like they're doing just that this time around too.

Edited August 2, 2017 by algroth

[Baltic]

On the subject of the video itself, Neketaka is looking great, but I'm also very curious about the tease of other towns comprised of multiple areas across the Deadfire (Dunnage being one, maybe the Huana town shown in the gameplay preview being another?). I thought they'd be moving away from making several large urban areas, but it seems like they're doing just that this time around too.

Dunnage appears to be something along the lines of a slightly bigger Dyrford or Gilded Vale. At least one of the locations on that map is likely a dungeon of sorts. As Neketaka is smaller than Twin Elms and Defiance Bay combined they've got more towns and villages.

[smjjames]

On the subject of the video itself, Neketaka is looking great, but I'm also very curious about the tease of other towns comprised of multiple areas across the Deadfire (Dunnage being one, maybe the Huana town shown in the gameplay preview being another?). I thought they'd be moving away from making several large urban areas, but it seems like they're doing just that this time around too.

 

That's actually the first island on Fulvano's journey and the Principi home base, as shown in this fig update. Though the town itself either didn't have a name at the time or the island got named that and the town was given a different name. So, it's more of a special case with that island having multiple stuff on it.

Edited August 2, 2017 by smjjames

[injurai]

On the subject of the video itself, Neketaka is looking great, but I'm also very curious about the tease of other towns comprised of multiple areas across the Deadfire (Dunnage being one, maybe the Huana town shown in the gameplay preview being another?). I thought they'd be moving away from making several large urban areas, but it seems like they're doing just that this time around too.

 

It'd like to hear a follow up from the team. I think the problem in Pillars 1 was that they wanted two large cites, but their content ended up asymmetric due to work on Twin Elms being pushed towards the back end of the dev phase. So in Deadfire they thought they'd go for one large city.

 

Bit it seems this menu is both map and navigation menu to spur on random encounter scenarios. Something they wiped up after proclaiming to be doing just one mega-city but has since played it's way into content/zone layout throughout the game. I know they also have the sail and land-traipsing navigation menu as well. I don't think it's all that bad the we see content lumped together like this. Doesn't necessarily have to be used just for inter-city navigation, but could extend to island chains or forests and country side. It does seem to be for dense clustering of zones though. But that's just speculation and maybe wishful thinking. I'd love to get an official word on the matter.

[algroth]

 

On the subject of the video itself, Neketaka is looking great, but I'm also very curious about the tease of other towns comprised of multiple areas across the Deadfire (Dunnage being one, maybe the Huana town shown in the gameplay preview being another?). I thought they'd be moving away from making several large urban areas, but it seems like they're doing just that this time around too.

 

That's actually the first island on Fulvano's journey and the Principi home base, as shown in this fig update. Though the town itself either didn't have a name at the time or the island got named that and the town was given a different name. So, it's more of a special case with that island having multiple stuff on it.

 

Yup yup, I just wasn't sure if they'd be making the entirety of Dunnage into a town area or just an area of it plus a few other nearby explorable areas - turns out it's the former, which might be quite interesting inasmuch as having a look at how much content there'll be in these.

[Varana]

Language also carries certain connotations and associations borrowed from the real world. A vaguely Italian-sounding name will make you think differently of a character or place than an English, or Polynesian name - just by reading the name, nothing else.
Also, as long as there's no voice-acting, a name is pronounced just the way the reader likes it. I'm not a native English-speaker, and I'm certain I pronounce many fantasy names differently than the author probably intended. (Like, no funny vowel glides and diphthongs, or those strange American R sounds...) And that's completely fine.

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Regarding the video: It's been shown already in the first glimpse of Neketaka during the campaign, but it bears repeating: Those views into lowers levels in the background provide a stunning sense of scale and look absolutely spectacular.

Am I the only one who always cringes a bit when my party's running through the bath house in full combat gear?

Edited August 3, 2017 by Varana

[injurai]

I'm not a native English-speaker, and I'm certain I pronounce many fantasy names differently than the author probably intended. (Like, no funny vowel glides and diphthongs, or those strange American R sounds...) And that's completely fine.

 

Cue Hermy-own

[Varana]

I try at least with actual English names. That goodwill doesn't extend to horcruxes, though.

 

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P.S. Padding out the post just because I have the space, thanks to that badges stuff.

Edited August 3, 2017 by Varana

[draego]

Here is a quote from Josh on the https://forums.somethingawful.com. There were some post in this thread about how many spells you get. So the number of spells is capped a 2 per encounter so the picture of the spells with numbers below were the actual number of spells you get per level. Just FYI

 

You can split up the classes into three categories, resource-wise:

 

* The Builders - Chanters, Ciphers, Monks: These three classes all start combat with few to no resources and have to build them up over time. Chanters use phrases over time, ciphers cause weapon damage, and monks gain wounds by taking damage. They are free to spend their built-up resources on whatever they want. While there is a max cap to these resources, they can refill to that max cap over and over again in a single encounter. More powerful abilities cost more Phrases/Focus/Wounds.

 

* The Common Poolers - Barbarians, Fighters, Paladins, Rangers, Rogues: These classes start each encounter with a full pool of resources that can be spent on whatever they want. Using active abilities burns down the pool. More powerful abilities cost more Rage/Discipline/Zeal/Bond/Guile.

 

* The Traditional Casters - Druids, Priests, Wizards: The last three classes have level-specific pools of spells that max out at 2/encounter. E.g. a single-classed level 5 character would have two 1st, two 2nd, and one 3rd level spell per encounter. These resources cannot be exchanged, so a 3rd level spell can't be sacrificed for a 2nd or 1st, so although they may use more abilities per encounter than a Common Pooler, their usage on each ability is more tightly bound.

 

Empower is a resource available to every character. It can be used 3 times per rest, but only once per encounter. Empower can be used to do two things: fill/restore lost resources or make a single active ability much more powerful. Clicking Empower and then clicking the character's portrait will restore about half of their maximum available resources. Clicking Empower and then an active ability will level that ability up as though you were 10 levels higher (IIRC). It makes it significantly more powerful. The effects are typically "more of" whatever the ability normally does: more damage, higher Penetration, more projectiles, more bounces, longer duration, etc.

 

Using Empower early in a fight can let you hit really hard or lay down a long-lasting buff, but saving the Empower until later in a fight can allow you to boost critically low resources when it really matters.

Edited August 3, 2017 by draego

[Archaven]

Xoti carrying the lantern all the time and the running animation with it looks really awkward. Any chance of it getting polished?

[algroth]

Xoti carrying the lantern all the time and the running animation with it looks really awkward. Any chance of it getting polished?

I like it. I do think the lantern is an equippable item so it's your choice to have it on her or not.

[Sedrefilos]

Xoti carrying the lantern reminded of the Warhammer Quest board game, were the party leader (default the Barbarian) was carrying a similar lantern to indicate his position in the party :D

[JerekKruger]

Xoti carrying the lantern reminded of the Warhammer Quest board game, were the party leader (default the Barbarian) was carrying a similar lantern to indicate his position in the party :D

 

I loved Warhammer Quest!

[Sedrefilos]

 

Xoti carrying the lantern reminded of the Warhammer Quest board game, were the party leader (default the Barbarian) was carrying a similar lantern to indicate his position in the party :D

 

I loved Warhammer Quest!

 

Oh yeah... it was the best.

[JerekKruger]

Oh yeah... it was the best.

 

It was. I mean, it was horribly flawed, half the time I'd lose more travelling back to town after a dungeon than I gained during the dungeon itself, but it was great fun.

[Sedrefilos]

 

Oh yeah... it was the best.

 

It was. I mean, it was horribly flawed, half the time I'd lose more travelling back to town after a dungeon than I gained during the dungeon itself, but it was great fun.

 

Exactly as you said it

Edited August 5, 2017 by Sedrefilos