Pillars of Eternity II coming to consoles!

[Night Stalker]

I don't think I'll be downloading this if it's digital only for the Switch (unless... perhaps... the size is not too big).

 

 

But if the game'll have a physical release, depending on how well the port turns out, I'll probably double dip. I like my Switch, what can I say?

 

Why does it matter whether it is downloadable for the Switch or not? Is it a question of disk space? Download time/bandwith?

 

Does the same apply to the games you play on your computer?

[pm675]

This is the last Obsidian game I buy. They are liars, during the Figstarter they were asked if a console version was in the works and design changes from the first game were because consoles, no not at all. Liars all of them,  should I realized  when they were less than forthcoming about changin size party and all mechanics from POE 1.

 

I Have lost  all my respect with Sawyer and the staff at Obsidian. Disgusting attitude with you consumers.  

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

 

I don't think I'll be downloading this if it's digital only for the Switch (unless... perhaps... the size is not too big).

 

 

But if the game'll have a physical release, depending on how well the port turns out, I'll probably double dip. I like my Switch, what can I say?

 

 

Why does it matter whether it is downloadable for the Switch or not? Is it a question of disk space? Download time/bandwith?

 

Does the same apply to the games you play on your computer?

The Switch doesn't have much space.

[Valmy]

This is a ****ing betrayal of your player base, Obsidian.

Next time you go to crowdfunding make sure to say it before that you're making a ****ing console game, instead of a more hardcore RPG made for PC. Also, you can do without my money in advance. 

 

I know you posted this in earnest so don't take this personally but...

 

This is hilarious. Not only is this an insane over-reaction but they really have to say in their crowdfunding campaign that their sequel to a game that was on console is going to be on console or it is a betrayal? Oh my god I am dying laughing here. I don't know why I find this so funny.

[draego]

Obsidian twitter. Not like they havent said so lots of times but you know they have to keep saying it. Good try devs

Edited February 7, 2018 by draego

[Dant3]

This is a ****ing betrayal of your player base, Obsidian.

Next time you go to crowdfunding make sure to say it before that you're making a ****ing console game, instead of a more hardcore RPG made for PC. Also, you can do without my money in advance. 

 

This is crazy talk. Just by looking at all the beta streamings it's pretty much clear that the game has been developed with a PC in mind. The menus, the controls, everything screams "This is a PC game!".

 

The changes they've made have been based on player feedback and also their own ideas. So nothing has been dumbed down, expecially not for consoles.

 

Also, there was no way they could say during the crowfounding campaign that there was going to be a console port since they probably didn't even think about it, because they were busy developing the game on PC first.

 

Besides, more people that buy the game = more money Obsidian gains = more likely they'll keep making PoE games. Also, there'd be more people with whom to share opinions and geek out about the game, that should also be a plus.

[Osvir]

1. Dramatically decrease the loading times.

 

I have no idea how bad loading times were on the PC version, but they were a plague in the PS4 version. At later points in the game it really killed my enjoyment. Resting at Brighthollow involved going through 4 long loading screens to get to my room and back outside. I don't really see a reason for loading times to be so ridiculously bad.

They removed this requirement and you could suddenly rest anywhere in the Stronghold area (Simply press the Rest button as soon as you enter the Stronghold zone). Try it out

 

Should be added in the Console version, would be weird if it wasn't. It was a pretty early fix that Obsidian released (waaaaaaaaaay before the Console version). Unless Paradox (the company that ported Eternity to consoles) used an older PC version to port.

Edited February 7, 2018 by Osvir

[Tigranes]

As long as the game's not compromised/gutted for consoles, there's no problem. 

 

And we won't really know that until the game's out.

[TygerxEyes]

Great-ish though, in truth, kinda sad simply because... I have seen more games ruined in watering everything down for console play to the point of stupid. In truth, I play PC games for a reason as while I own Steam Controllers and such for my big screen TV for the occasional visitor or arcade-level game... I do my serious gaming on a PC.

[TygerxEyes]

Obsidian is running a business. If porting to consoles lets them reach out to a broader audience and earn more money, they can use it to make more, better games. That's a win in my book. As long as it doesn't negatively impact the PC version, which we know it hasn't.

 

While I agree on the business... I would add that Kick Start has provided the foundational dollars for much of this particular series. In addition, I believe that your premise is an opinion "porting them to consoles... earn more money..." (yes, probably, though where is the initial funding... again KS), "they can use it to make more (and) better games." (in most cases history does not support this conclusion at all).  While Obsidian may prove to the be the exception, more often than not it results in crapper games with less options and most things watered down to deal with controllers.

 

​So, personally, I do not prefer it... I am curious how many KS folks are primarily PC players (and maybe secondarily Console Players). It is not that I would not like to share a great game with console players... I just do not like the kinds of compromises that tend to come with such sharing....

Edited February 7, 2018 by TygerxEyes

[Valmy]

Great-ish though, in truth, kinda sad simply because... I have seen more games ruined in watering everything down for console play to the point of stupid. In truth, I play PC games for a reason as while I own Steam Controllers and such for my big screen TV for the occasional visitor or arcade-level game... I do my serious gaming on a PC.

 

I don't think this is as big of an issue as it was back in the day. And for whatever reason now games have to be huge and complicated where-as before they all had to be streamlined. So what Obsidian is doing is fashionable again...for a few minutes anyway.

[Valmy]

 

​So, personally, I do not prefer it... I am curious how many KS folks are primarily PC players (and maybe secondarily Console Players). It is not that I would not like to share a great game with console players... I just do not like the kinds of compromises that tend to come with such sharing....

 

 

 

Well the first game was ported to consoles so it is not like this is new. If they had radically changed everything for consoles when they made the sequel then we probably would have heard about it from the beta testers by now.

Edited February 7, 2018 by Valmy

[WotanAnubis]

 

I don't think I'll be downloading this if it's digital only for the Switch (unless... perhaps... the size is not too big).

 

 

But if the game'll have a physical release, depending on how well the port turns out, I'll probably double dip. I like my Switch, what can I say?

 

Why does it matter whether it is downloadable for the Switch or not? Is it a question of disk space? Download time/bandwith?

 

Does the same apply to the games you play on your computer?

 

 

Download time. I don't know if it's my internet connection or Nintendo's servers, but downloads on Switch seem to take way longer than they should.

 

At least when I'm downloading something on PC, I can also do something else with no trouble.

 

Besides, while I've gone full digital on PC, I still like to have physical cartridges for my console games.

[DexGames]

This is the last Obsidian game I buy. They are liars, during the Figstarter they were asked if a console version was in the works and design changes from the first game were because consoles, no not at all. Liars all of them,  should I realized  when they were less than forthcoming about changin size party and all mechanics from POE 1.

 

I Have lost  all my respect with Sawyer and the staff at Obsidian. Disgusting attitude with you consumers.  

Looks like we have a winner here. 

Since the Fig Campaign until now, there have been an ever-increasing, multiple demands for a portage on Console.

 

I saw it everywhere, in fact few months ago, I directly answered to someone's comment asking for this.

I told him that, given the demand from the public, I could see eveywhere :

• Press Comment Sections.
• Tons of Deadfire's Twitter posts [Everytime there was a reply : Console Plz ! With several likes]
• Same in Every Youtube Update.
• They've been even asked about this Live in many of their Twitch Q&A Sessions.

People who bought the the 1st Game on PS4/XBOX, seemed to praise the portage in such a way that I never had anticipated.

 

Back to the story, I told this guy I was pretty sure they were already planning this, given what I've just said above.

And that he should, undoubtedly, expect a console portage fairly soon... & here we are. 

 

In any case :

• Obsidian focused on the PC Experience.
• Red Cerberus Focuses on the Console Experience.

There's room for both, just : Deal With It.

 

I'm happy for these Players, who never gave up on asking the Company to do it, and I'm happy for Obsidian who'll broaden their audience & expand their Own First Franchise even more.

All of this augures an awesome future for Pillars Of Eternity. [iII...  ]

[TheisEjsing]

Reading this and the codex forum right now, Ima be like

 

Edited February 7, 2018 by TheisEjsing

[Revan91]

 

This is a ****ing betrayal of your player base, Obsidian.

Next time you go to crowdfunding make sure to say it before that you're making a ****ing console game, instead of a more hardcore RPG made for PC. Also, you can do without my money in advance. 

 

I know you posted this in earnest so don't take this personally but...

 

This is hilarious. Not only is this an insane over-reaction but they really have to say in their crowdfunding campaign that their sequel to a game that was on console is going to be on console or it is a betrayal? Oh my god I am dying laughing here. I don't know why I find this so funny.

 

I was overreacting, you're right. Still, when you go to crowdfunding asking money in order to make an in-depth PC rpg that's what people is gonna expect, announcing a console version is not something I gave them money for.

Then again, maybe it's a perfect world and the game will be great (I certainly expect it to be at least good) and not at all compromised for console players, but we won't know for sure until we play it. Having said that, some of the changes to the game kinda look in a different way, now that we know of the porting, since coincidentally they all happen to make it easier for console gamers.

And anyway, PoE was ported to console more than two years after its release, I wasn't happy about it tbh, but obviously it never interfered with the PC version. Now they're announcing it even before the game is released. If they keep up this pace, PoE3 will be multiplatform from the start (which would definitely impact the game as well).

 

 

 

This is a ****ing betrayal of your player base, Obsidian.

Next time you go to crowdfunding make sure to say it before that you're making a ****ing console game, instead of a more hardcore RPG made for PC. Also, you can do without my money in advance. 

 

This is crazy talk. Just by looking at all the beta streamings it's pretty much clear that the game has been developed with a PC in mind. The menus, the controls, everything screams "This is a PC game!".

 

The changes they've made have been based on player feedback and also their own ideas. So nothing has been dumbed down, expecially not for consoles.

 

Also, there was no way they could say during the crowfounding campaign that there was going to be a console port since they probably didn't even think about it, because they were busy developing the game on PC first.

 

Besides, more people that buy the game = more money Obsidian gains = more likely they'll keep making PoE games. Also, there'd be more people with whom to share opinions and geek out about the game, that should also be a plus.

 

More people buy the game = we're all happier isn't really true. Just look at BioWare and how going for consoles changed their games, definitely not for the better since we stopped getting BGs and we got Dragon Age II, Inquisition and ME3. 

Console gamers have different tastes, they don't like (generally, ofc a very very small number of them do) these games, and in fact you can look at the sales data to realize it: since D:OS (the most commercially successful rpg of this kind by far) sold more than 1,5 millions of copies on Steam alone, while on both consoles together it sold less than a third of that number. T:ToN flopped hard on PC as well, but according to Fargo its console sales were even worse, and I've never seen PoE on any console chart since its release on ps4 and xbox, and I would guess it sold pretty poorly as well (enough to get the porting costs back and maybe get a little profit, since porting the game wasn't expensive, but again nowhere near PC sales).

If you want your games to go well on consoles you have to change them. If you port a somewhat classic rpg and leave it at that, basically no one will buy it for their ps4 or xbox. When they hear or read "rpg" they think of Mass Effect, The Elder Scrolls, nuFallout, The Witcher 3 (which is a masterpiece even if it's pretty casualized, but it's rare), not Pillars of Eternity spiritual heir of Baldur's Gate, a game the 99% of them never heard of. 

So, if developers want to do better on consoles, the way is to casualize the games, make it more spectacular, cinematic, full of action and "awesome", and while I wouldn't have a problem if Obsidian wanted to make a multiplatform action rpg that can sell millions of copies on PC and consoles like the ones I named before (in fact Project Indiana will be multiplatform and not an hardcore rpg, and I'm fine with that, well actually I'm very hyped about it), that's not the direction I want them take with PoE, a game that was funded by fans to see something very different from that.

Edited February 7, 2018 by Revan91

[daven]

You are a very passionate guy.

 

I just can't bring myself to give a toss. Maybe life has just beat the emotion out of me over the years.

[Wormerine]

It’s amusing how “console racism” is a thing. Couple years ago making strategy game with consoles in mind would be a travesty, but XCOM happened. And sure, XCOM2 benefited by being designed as PC game first with more robuts UI and then being ported for consoles. Whatever the future is, Deadfire is developed by obsidian it’s PC in mind, port is done by completely different team, just at it was the case with PoE. I didn’t play it in console, but Josh stated he was surprised how well it was ported.

 

Any changes you have mentioned as “dumbing down for consoles” are modifications to design issues IE games had by coping mechanic from tabletops without being able to find meaning in them

 

per rest spells? None sense. Fake resource management. It doesn’t have a role to play in cRPGs - you can rest whenever you want, just with PoE you have to waste a bit of time. On the other hand food in Deadfire? Oh, look at that - an actual resource management.

 

5 part memebers. I assume you didn’t play beta. Silly complains of less strategic variety of combat disappeared as soon as beta dropped. It’s not about making things easier to control - with per encounter abilities in play the game is much more active requiring much more micromanagement. Therefore change to 5.

 

Yes, they changed systems. Good for them. I welcome an ambitious developer who isn’t satisfied with “that was good enough last time” and attempts to fix issues it sees with its work. And about “project Indiana” not being hardcore RPG... we don’t know. How do you define “hardcore” RPG. Lots of buttons? Drowning in numbers? Unclear mechanics which you need a calculator to understand? Pfff.

Edited February 7, 2018 by Wormerine

[Bharaz]

This is amazing news!

 

I'm so glad Obsidian decided to give us console gamers a shot at the game. The PS4 port of PoE is amazing, and I'm loving every second of it. 

 

This means I can actually play Deadfire II, and explore Deadfire with the same character. 

 

Thank you so much, Obsidian! I can't wait!

[Flouride]

 

 

This is a ****ing betrayal of your player base, Obsidian.

Next time you go to crowdfunding make sure to say it before that you're making a ****ing console game, instead of a more hardcore RPG made for PC. Also, you can do without my money in advance. 

 

Your an idiot, they are not making a console game. Obsidian is making a pc game and console build is being ported by another dev team. I am not sure what is so hard to understand.

 

Yeah sure, big man, that's why they've been dumbing the game from what we had with PoE1: because they wanted to make a true PC game, not to make it easier for console peasants.

One PC less in the party, no more camp supplies, no health/resistance anymore, basically no more vancian magic with everything being per encounter plus empower. All for us PC gamers backers, sure.

The game isn't even out and the porting has already been announced, with PoE3 I guess it'll be multi-platform from the start, and probably even more casualized to chase (and fail at that) the console market that typically don't care about these more in depth rpgs. 

 

 

*****, please. Consoles haven't got anything to do with getting rid of vancian magic system or the camping supplies. The camping supplies management was really tiresome. It only made the game longer, it didn't really make it overly complicated. Just a lot less fun, especially with the load times.

Consoles and console players could have handled the magic system just as easily. It's not brain surgery.  Most hardcore PC gamers I know, own a console as well or just a console since they got bored of having a computer take huge space (or their wife did).

 

One of your biggest arguments when PoE 1 port was announced was that there is no market for such game. Clearly there is if they are porting Deadfire as well.

Porting it to consoles doesn't take an eternity. They've tested the market, they've found it's viable so instead of making their console fans wait for the porting for 2-3 years, they are doing it right away after finalising their PC version. And they are again using someone else to actually do all the manual labour. Thus it doesn't even cost them manpower.

 

[Sedrefilos]

lol whatevah. We got what was promised via Fig. What they do afterwards is their own problem. I see how there's a shoadow over the "no publishers" moto - which is a complete lie, of course, as we see, but I stopped caring about that too as long as I got what I backed them for. We all feel free not to "support" them if we wish.

The game was developed on pc for pc and that's obvious. Dubbing changing mechanics as "dumbing down" just because you don't like them is a misuse of the phrase the least.

I don't like some of the changes - I think they worked pretty well the first time, maybe they did better than they do now even, but I don't view them as dumb. They're just different.

Edited February 7, 2018 by Sedrefilos

[Wormerine]

I see how there's a shoadow over the "no publishers" moto - which is a complete lie, of course, as we see, but I stopped caring about that too as long as I got what I backed them for.

There is nothing wrong in working with publisher. Most indies strike a deal with a publisher to help with release. But working with s different than working for one. The worst part publisher can do is sabotaging game for selfish gain, and they can do it more so than a dev. Publisher can simply discard game dev or IP that got sucked dry or is mistrusted, while Obs and dev team is directly attached to the product. I really don’t care if they outsource advertising and distribution to other entities.

 

As far as a financial benefit of quicker port to consoles - they might be able to sell DLC there as well, if they hurry, which might help in making expansions profitable if there is enough market there.

 

And as far as Josh sabotaging his own game for conlosers’ sake:

https://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/170589270476/aw-hell-son-couldnt-you-have-at-least-waited

[Revan91]

*****, please. Consoles haven't got anything to do with getting rid of vancian magic system or the camping supplies. The camping supplies management was really tiresome. It only made the game longer, it didn't really make it overly complicated. Just a lot less fun, especially with the load times.

 

 

Consoles and console players could have handled the magic system just as easily. It's not brain surgery.  Most hardcore PC gamers I know, own a console as well or just a console since they got bored of having a computer take huge space (or their wife did).

 

One of your biggest arguments when PoE 1 port was announced was that there is no market for such game. Clearly there is if they are porting Deadfire as well.

Porting it to consoles doesn't take an eternity. They've tested the market, they've found it's viable so instead of making their console fans wait for the porting for 2-3 years, they are doing it right away after finalising their PC version. And they are again using someone else to actually do all the manual labour. Thus it doesn't even cost them manpower.

 

Console players are not retarded and not capable of understanding vancian magic, but still they're used to action gameplay or cooldowns and other casual stuff, hence if they see something a bit more "hardcore" like PoE or even D:OS they don't exactly rush to buy it. In fact, the market for these kind of rpgs on consoles is less than 1/4 than what it is on PC.

Now, that's probably enough to get the porting money back and even some more, but if a developer want to do well on consoles the road to follow is the BioWare and Bethesda's ones, aka easier, more casual games.

Again, I like more casual and broader rpgs, like Mass Effect (1 and 2) or The Witcher 3 (which is a masterpiece imo, even if its systems kinda suck in some ways), but I want something else from PoE: I want something more in the veins of Baldur's Gate, which is a more hardcore and in-depth rpg focused on its PC roots. 

 

I'll admit I overreacted a bit initally, tbh, because it's true and I know it now that I cooled off a bit, but still I want the money that goes on PoE to be spent on the PC game and improving that, not on making console ports (even if I know that it doesn't cost too much it's money I'd rather see spent on something else, even VO - and I don't care much about that either) I don't care about and that are kinda useless for a RTwP rpg that is a nightmare to play with anything other than mouse and keyboard. 

[daven]

Well, this isn't a democracy. We have no say in what decisions Obsidian make.

 

You can whinge and moan but it's happening now so might as well move on with your life.

[Sedrefilos]

 

I see how there's a shoadow over the "no publishers" moto - which is a complete lie, of course, as we see, but I stopped caring about that too as long as I got what I backed them for.

There is nothing wrong in working with publisher. Most indies strike a deal with a publisher to help with release. But working with s different than working for one. The worst part publisher can do is sabotaging game for selfish gain, and they can do it more so than a dev. Publisher can simply discard game dev or IP that got sucked dry or is mistrusted, while Obs and dev team is directly attached to the product. I really don’t care if they outsource advertising and distribution to other entities.

 

As far as a financial benefit of quicker port to consoles - they might be able to sell DLC there as well, if they hurry, which might help in making expansions profitable if there is enough market there.

 

And as far as Josh sabotaging his own game for conlosers’ sake:

https://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/170589270476/aw-hell-son-couldnt-you-have-at-least-waited

 

Never said there's anything wrong with that. I don't care whom they work with - it's their company - but the whole crowdfunding craze started based on the pitch that "publishers won't like our stuff and even if they do they'll put their filthy hands all over them and they'll ruin the initial idea of the game" etc, and then, after the game comes up, what do they do? They go stike deals with those they said they wouldn't work with and that's why they asked for our money in advance. Well, tbh, I find it somewhat of a scam.

Now, I don't care that much since I get to buy the game cheaper, I get what I was promised I'll get and they didn't get the money and run, but let's call it what it is, right?

Crowdfunding is all part of the same system and games are not important stuff so, eh, I can live with that.

Edited February 7, 2018 by Sedrefilos