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rope kid posted:We rolled for the 3.5 game we're playing at work because our DM loves rolling, but we did it all as a group. That experience, rolling as a group, is definitely more exciting than everyone sitting around and allocating points. He also does random rolls at the table for treasure that we find, which is also a lot of fun. Our characters are all over the place, balance-wise, but the ability scores are only a small element of that in the campaign. Do they have loot chests for 3.5? One of the coolest accessories I saw was a loot chest with loot cards. Reach in and literally take your piece of loot from the chest, based on the pack the DM puts in.
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Feb 5, 2014 20:18
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Captain Oblivious posted:This seems a bit close minded, especially since your average raid is anything but instant gratification. Cutting out the insane logistics doesn't make Omnitron Defense System any less likely to wax you over and over again, it just means you can enjoy collaborative problem solving without scheduling your life around it. Nothing in EQ was anywhere near close instant gratification. To even get access to some raid zones you needed 40+ hours of grinding, and once inside it could take 2 hours just to reach the first boss. Like I said, I wouldn't go through that again, so I agree that scheduling your life around a freaking is not a Good Thing. But it does tend to make people more involved and close-knit, and I think that's why for many people who played these games their best gaming memories come from there.
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Feb 5, 2014 20:25
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rope kid posted:Unrelated, but Seth is redoing our reloads and firing animations right now and they are cool. The arbalests wouldn't have windlasses on them when you actually fire them and the firearm reloads are much faster/smoother than they would be in reality, but it's nice. As a horribly nitpicky nerd about weapon reloading, that's nice to read. I'm of the opinion of that if you include the weapon in your game at least have the good graces to make sure the weapon reloads properly. The Assassin Creed games were pretty bad with this. Oh flintlock pistols, lets see how they reloa... THAT'S NOT HOW THEY RELOAD WHAT IS THIS poo poo  rope kid posted:Thanks for reminding me about this project; I heard about it but never followed up on it. I really like both strict historical and historical fantasy settings. I'm actually kind of bummed that the more I read about that project the less interested I am in it. They seem to be going for a story focused game, which is fine but when I first saw that I got the impression that it was going to be a Mount & Blade kind of game where you can conquer regions to make your own and deal with people how you see fit. Their use of sandbox really threw me off as that's the kind of thing I expect from "sandbox" games. The setting is the only thing left that I'm interested in and I don't think that's enough to sell me on the game.
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Feb 5, 2014 20:44
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Jimbot posted:I'm actually kind of bummed that the more I read about that project the less interested I am in it. They seem to be going for a story focused game, which is fine but when I first saw that I got the impression that it was going to be a Mount & Blade kind of game where you can conquer regions to make your own and deal with people how you see fit. Their use of sandbox really threw me off as that's the kind of thing I expect from "sandbox" games. The setting is the only thing left that I'm interested in and I don't think that's enough to sell me on the game. Huh, and I'm super happy that they look to be having npcs actually do something and it be something other than a masturbatory power fantasy. That's a major contributor in why I feel so many games especially of that sort are so drat bland. The game says there's a world but it really feels like rather than a world it's still just a traditionally structured story.
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Feb 5, 2014 20:53
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Jimbot posted:I'm actually kind of bummed that the more I read about that project the less interested I am in it. They seem to be going for a story focused game, which is fine but when I first saw that I got the impression that it was going to be a Mount & Blade kind of game where you can conquer regions to make your own and deal with people how you see fit. Their use of sandbox really threw me off as that's the kind of thing I expect from "sandbox" games. The setting is the only thing left that I'm interested in and I don't think that's enough to sell me on the game. Most of what I heard out of the KS was some dumb developer statements meant to assuage people who wanted a female PC option and ended up pissing everyone off further, did they ever clear that up?
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Feb 5, 2014 20:57
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Scorchy posted:Most of what I heard out of the KS was some dumb developer statements meant to assuage people who wanted a female PC option and ended up pissing everyone off further, did they ever clear that up? I was kind of bummed about that and voiced my concerns in the KS topic but I think most people moved on since they flat-out stated that the game was story-focused on this one character (dumb realism argument notwithstanding). When I heard that I started losing interest, not because of the gender stuff but because I really just didn't want a story-driven game especially a revenge tale about going from rags to riches in a historical setting. Like I said, my definition of sandbox is obviously different than the developer's. One paragraph in the pitch kind of lists off a whole bunch of games, lists the strongest thing they do (story, combat, open-world) then say "We're going to do that!" even though a few of them don't mesh well (like story-driven and sandbox).
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Feb 5, 2014 21:03
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Jimbot posted:One paragraph in the pitch kind of lists off a whole bunch of games, lists the strongest thing they do (story, combat, open-world) then say "We're going to do that!" even though a few of them don't mesh well (like story-driven and sandbox). There's no reason why you couldn't do a sandbox with a linear narrative. You have objective Y, get there and do it however you like.
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Feb 5, 2014 21:09
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Otto Skorzeny posted:Sort of OT, but do people really still roll for stats in their PnP groups instead of using point buy? The first group I ever played with in 7th grade realized rolling was stupid. When I used to play PnP games my groups always rolled stats, it was far more interesting and provided some variance to the characters. We had a system in place to try to minimize the crap rolls but sometimes you just got a bad character and had to play the campaign with a freak. Generally our DM let us choose one of two options, either roll three sets of stats and choose the best or let us roll one set but reroll any ones that came out.
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Feb 5, 2014 23:31
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rope kid posted:We rolled for the 3.5 game we're playing at work because our DM loves rolling, but we did it all as a group. That experience, rolling as a group, is definitely more exciting than everyone sitting around and allocating points. He also does random rolls at the table for treasure that we find, which is also a lot of fun. Our characters are all over the place, balance-wise, but the ability scores are only a small element of that in the campaign. One time when I DMed I decided to do treasure rolls like that, in view of the players. At some point the party came across a chest and of course I rolled a 100, rewarding them with an Ethereal Full Plate of something or other. They could now walk through walls, essentially making every trap and locked door in the entire dungeon I had mapped out pointless. 
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Feb 6, 2014 14:31
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I tend to love random rolling because it makes the game very unpredictable, a bit like a rogue-like. Usually we just have it really fast-paced, like roll strength, dexterity, constitution, wisdom, intelligence and charisma, look them over, pick a class that fits the ability scores and pick your skills from the list (you're going to maximize them anyway) and pick your first feats and let's roll. If the characters suck, they die and we roll another one. Attachment isn't the name of the game, at least not until we get to higher levels and then we allow players who die to make their characters more closely using approximation of what the average of the other players ability scores lie around.
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Feb 6, 2014 14:53
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Rope Kid, have you decided whether you are going to have the different character leveling up at different time? While it's become the norm for everyone to level up at the same time nowadays, one of the great part in BG/IWD was that different characters had their levels at different times, which meant that: a°) We couldn't be 'overwhelmed' by needing to level up 6 different character at once. b°) It enhanced the "i want THIS character to level" factor, and it made each character in a playthrough more unique. c°)It meant that while a character might only get 8 levels in 60+ hours of gaming, we didn't have times when ten or so hours went without any change in our party. I don't know how you could do that with quest xp, but...
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Feb 6, 2014 18:53
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I remember there had been some talk much earlier (probably previous thread earlier) about the keep being a component in the leveling speed of inactive party members.
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Feb 6, 2014 19:00
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Characters can/will level up at different times. Characters who have been added to "the roster" but aren't in the active party still gain a good chunk of XP. Having them go on adventures (off-screen) from the stronghold bumps that value up so they stay a little closer to everyone else.
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Feb 6, 2014 20:13
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How about meeting new party members along the way - do they start at Level 1 or are they pre-leveled (with pre-distributed skills/etc)? One thing I hate in ~ Video Games ~ is when I have my guy at level 30, meet some new character, and he is level 32 with all kinds of lovely skills and talents that I'd never pick for him. Also along the same lines, will respeccing be possible?
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Feb 6, 2014 20:31
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Will each class require the same amount of xp to level?
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Feb 6, 2014 20:58
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Hand Row posted:Will each class require the same amount of xp to level? I was just thinking about that because it is one of those things that I have a love/hate relationship with. I mean, everyone taking the same amount of xp to level up means leveling is consistent across classes, naturally, but it also supposes that classes are kind of balanced so they can scale up at a similar rate, which is often not true. If classes are not going to be balanced, having different rates to level up makes sense as a way to taper the more powerful class so it doesn't pull ahead of the power curve for the game. Some games do this pretty okay, but in the end I don't think it's really a satisfying way to do things, especially for the players using the class that's being slowed down.
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Feb 6, 2014 21:07
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Not a big fan of unequal levelling because it means once you've partied with certain choices for a few levels it's suboptimal to ever switch away. Which means I can't pick the ex-Glanfanthan special forces member for the mission to infiltrate the police HQ because he's two levels behind the curve. Which I guess promotes multiple playthroughs so it's not all bad. e: Adjusted class level was garbage and can die a hot flaming death though.
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Feb 6, 2014 21:12
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AXE COP posted:pick the ex-Glanfanthan special forces member for the mission to infiltrate the police HQ because he's two levels behind the curve.
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Feb 6, 2014 21:18
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Dammit, Glanfanthanoski, you're a loose cannon, turn in your badge and blunderbluss!
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Feb 6, 2014 21:27
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Gyshall posted:Dammit, Glanfanthanoski, you're a loose cannon, turn in your badge and blunderbluss! drat it, boss! I get results!
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Feb 6, 2014 21:34
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There's going to be a hard drinking renegade cop hanging out in the bar of my Adventurer's Lodge. "I used to be a cop, until I uncovered a criminal conspiracy that went all the way to the top and was thrown off the force."
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Feb 6, 2014 21:56
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Hand Row posted:Will each class require the same amount of xp to level?
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Feb 7, 2014 23:14
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J.E. Sawyer posted:We are planning to have a narrator for the game. So that's cool. I suppose it means "voiced narrator." I wonder how crazy they'll be able to go budget-wise to hire the right person. Male? Female? Popular? Unknown but cool-sounding? It'd be interesting to know more about their take on this in an update.
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Feb 9, 2014 00:20
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Stuff about summoning spells from the Obsidian forums:rope kid posted:This is a big thread so I apologize for missing a lot of it. Summoning is tricky business because there are a lot of ways it can become the de facto tactic, especially in a CRPG environment. Casters do not currently have a huge number of summoning spells (chanters more than others), and using summons as hit point bag nose tackles can cause harm to the summoner, but I recognize that people like being able to use them. Additionally, we do plan to have summoning figurines and similar goodies for people to use. Sorry I don't have more details right now, but summoning is something I've only started revising recently. quote:2nd Ed./3.X charms/dominates and summons are incredibly powerful compared to the higher level raw damage spells because the summons give the party 1) disposable hit points 2) an extra action/actions every round 3) an assortment of resistances and abilities often not available to the party -- and they're able to do this all with one spell. Summons should feel very useful and powerful, but they should not become the de facto tactic. If it reaches that level, it's not really a tactic at all; it's just the thing you keep doing in every fight. Avellone interview on a Polish site, no real PE news but there's this for future Obsidian games: Avellone posted:I got drafted for creative design on the next slate of Obsidian projects, and there’s a lot. We’re pitching several new games at Obsidian now that titles are wrapping up, and I was enlisted into that process. We have about at least nine proposals in the works, some with multiple stories and story arcs, which is challenging, but in a good way, it’s just a lot to juggle. It’s largely Feargus (our CEO) and I doing the initial proposals, and then senior folks get moved on to them as their time frees up. It gives me new respect for what Feargus has to juggle with projects and contracts. Things should settle down once we have the next slate of projects good to go. South Park actually seems to be coming out on March 4 this time and that team's moving onto all these other projects. On a different note I started playing Expeditions: Conquistador from a recommendation in this thread and it's really really good. Nice writing, solid combat, enjoying it more than Shadowrun really. It's hard as balls though.
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Feb 9, 2014 00:21
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I always liked Summons in Neverwtiner Nights 1/2. Oh, you forgot to cast protection from evil before you summoned the deathdemon from the lowest level of Hell? Oh, well have fun chump!
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Feb 9, 2014 00:25
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Nine proposals? Jesus. We'll run out of oil before these guys run out of ideas.
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Feb 9, 2014 00:26
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Furism posted:So that's cool. I suppose it means "voiced narrator." I wonder how crazy they'll be able to go budget-wise to hire the right person. Male? Female? Popular? Unknown but cool-sounding? There is only one choice.
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Feb 9, 2014 00:39
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Stephen Fry  Also, David Attenborough for the the in-game encyclopedia.
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Feb 9, 2014 01:06
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Mymla posted:Stephen Fry Stephen Fry would be an amazing choice, but I'd actually throw Anthony Stewart Head in the mix too. He'd probably be a little cheaper too.
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Feb 9, 2014 01:17
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Get the announcer from Unreal Tournament 99.
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Feb 9, 2014 02:08
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Chanters get the most summons? Fancy, now I'm excited to really see what is up with chanters.
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Feb 9, 2014 03:49
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Please get John Noble to narrate anything, even just doing a voiced character.
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Feb 9, 2014 03:51
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Scorchy posted:On a different note I started playing Expeditions: Conquistador from a recommendation in this thread and it's really really good. Nice writing, solid combat, enjoying it more than Shadowrun really. It's hard as balls though. Gear up as hard as you can, it really makes a difference, and just stick with it and you'll get used to how to use all the skills to do horrible horrible things to people.
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Feb 9, 2014 04:09
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User0015 posted:Are you seriously going to say that you've never seen an IE game or recent RPG like NWN2/MoTB, DA:O, etc... where a companion has gotten trapped on level geometry, hung up on a monster or game object, fell behind the party, got lost or pathed inappropriately (through a trap, through spell effects, through the enemy defensive line)? That's ignoring all the other complaints that accompany pets, minions and guardians that I mentioned. Jackard fucked around with this message at 05:49 on Feb 9, 2014 |
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Feb 9, 2014 05:44
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Jackard posted:Recent RPGs are irrelevant because they have a hardon for AI instead of giving you direct control. Both of those rpgs that you bolded in his post give you an option to assume direct control.
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Feb 9, 2014 06:01
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Disco Infiva posted:Both of those rpgs that you bolded in his post give you an option to assume direct control. Jackard fucked around with this message at 07:08 on Feb 9, 2014 |
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Feb 9, 2014 07:02
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Ratios and Tendency posted:The lesson to be learned from all this is that classes are bad. Now I want to play an RPG where the main conflict (and reason the world is lovely) is because of factions and disputes based on character classes. (You'd think Guild Wars would have been about this, but no...) The tagline would be "No war but class war" CottonWolf posted:An incredible game, but sorely lacking in one-on-one word battles. I want to skewer someone with a reductio ad absurdum, dammit! I think I have the game for you... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWYi5dA1jPY
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Feb 9, 2014 08:29
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Ravenfood posted:Chanters get the most summons? Fancy, now I'm excited to really see what is up with chanters. Remember the Horn of Valhalla? 
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Feb 9, 2014 08:33
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What do Chanters summon? Mythic archetypes? Is the Hero's Journey a level 20 summon with a plucky orphan as a reagent? Because I'd be totally ok with that.
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Feb 9, 2014 13:39
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The Sharmat posted:What do Chanters summon? Mythic archetypes? Is the Hero's Journey a level 20 summon with a plucky orphan as a reagent? Because I'd be totally ok with that. No, the most powerful is the Deus Ex Machina. You can only use this if everyone's health is at 10%. It literally summons a god that will win the battle for you. fake edit: Summon Elderly Blind Frail-looking Martial Arts Master Summon Magic Negro Summon Tsundere Summon Shifty-Eyed Dog
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Feb 9, 2014 13:59
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