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Interview Tyranny Interview at GameBanshee

Fenix

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Lol, a woman...
But we should wait to see what it will like.
I suspect another liberal trap.
 
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Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera
Woman, apparently. They never used gendered pronouns to refer to her before, now that I think about it. Except maybe in podcasts and live streams in which they could make a mistake.

Definitely a bit of a "Samus was a girl" think going on, even if extremely low-key.
Sounds like Kyros will be similar to the Lady from the Black Company. In addition to her ability to convert Archons (I.e. dominate the new Taken), the empires seem similar in their approach. IIRC, Lady tells Croaker she brings domination, but also law, order and professionalism to the people in the third book. Just as Kyros will kill incompetent or corrupt judges who fail to interpret her will.
 

Infinitron

I post news
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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Woman, apparently. They never used gendered pronouns to refer to her before, now that I think about it. Except maybe in podcasts and live streams in which they could make a mistake.

Definitely a bit of a "Samus was a girl" think going on, even if extremely low-key.
Sounds like Kyros will be similar to the Lady from the Black Company. In addition to her ability to convert Archons (I.e. dominate the new Taken), the empires seem similar in their approach. IIRC, Lady tells Croaker she brings domination, but also law, order and professionalism to the people in the third book. Just as Kyros will kill incompetent or corrupt judges who fail to interpret her will.

Or not. See here: http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/inde...-dev-diary-video-1.110461/page-3#post-4692270
 
Joined
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Messages
997
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Dreams, where I'm a viking.
Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera
Woman, apparently. They never used gendered pronouns to refer to her before, now that I think about it. Except maybe in podcasts and live streams in which they could make a mistake.

Definitely a bit of a "Samus was a girl" think going on, even if extremely low-key.
Sounds like Kyros will be similar to the Lady from the Black Company. In addition to her ability to convert Archons (I.e. dominate the new Taken), the empires seem similar in their approach. IIRC, Lady tells Croaker she brings domination, but also law, order and professionalism to the people in the third book. Just as Kyros will kill incompetent or corrupt judges who fail to interpret her will.

Or not. See here: http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/inde...-dev-diary-video-1.110461/page-3#post-4692270
Wow, tranny jokes FTW. Or hermaphrodite maybe?
 

Tao

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Sep 13, 2015
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And you morons debating about evil in the other thread, when all you ever need to do is ask them what gender that overlord has.

-Woman: sjw ergo good in the end.
-Men: white pig imperialist, Satan incarnate.

There you go, now you can stop posting about hypotetic fat men who deserve to die. Now you can know the moral direction of this game
 

l3loodAngel

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Isn't lvl scaling within a threshold actually good?
It will give you consistent challenge and the game world feels less game-y.

No. It's just a shortcut to shortcircuit good encounter design and placement. Not to mention game system balance.

If the player get's to decide the sequence of areas in the game, then some level scaling is mandatory. However, it doesn't solve other problems...
 

Jaedar

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Project: Eternity Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Pathfinder: Kingmaker
Isn't lvl scaling within a threshold actually good?
It will give you consistent challenge and the game world feels less game-y.

No. It's just a shortcut to shortcircuit good encounter design and placement. Not to mention game system balance.

If the player get's to decide the sequence of areas in the game, then some level scaling is mandatory. However, it doesn't solve other problems...

This is precisely why we can't have nice things any more.
 

Dedicated_Dark

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Isn't lvl scaling within a threshold actually good?
It will give you consistent challenge and the game world feels less game-y.

No. It's just a shortcut to shortcircuit good encounter design and placement. Not to mention game system balance.

If the player get's to decide the sequence of areas in the game, then some level scaling is mandatory. However, it doesn't solve other problems...

This is precisely why we can't have nice things any more.

But unless the game is segmented into multiple phases or designed very well like Gothic it'll be a broken mess. Regular lvling will be quite messy, Witcher 3 is an example of extremely poor balancing, it can be mitigated by using lvl scaling within a threshold, where each enemy type has separate thresholds. Like for instance, we can have death claws to be be lvl 40 and above, and ghouls to be within 10-30, this will create a cohesive world while creating balanced gameplay.
The placements of the enemy types can still be used in the ways like Gothic by creating two extremes, with this threshold you are effectively making the game a lot more well rounded.

^Here, this was my elaboration. Now give me the counter instead of just a simple retort.
 

Jaedar

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^Here, this was my elaboration. Now give me the counter instead of just a simple retort.
Pro tip: Using levels as the end all be all in enemy/player strengths is a design crutch. This is the true rotten core of Pillars of eternity's system, and I suspect Tyrannys too.

Regular lvling will be quite messy, Witcher 3 is an example of extremely poor balancing, it can be mitigated by using lvl scaling within a threshold, where each enemy type has separate thresholds.
I'm not even sure what you are saying here. Witcher 3 is bad precisely because of its massive EVERYTHING IS ABOUT LEVELS. If a cockatrice was just a cockatrice, and a drowner was just a drowner, the game would have been massively improved.

Like for instance, we can have death claws to be be lvl 40 and above, and ghouls to be within 10-30, this will create a cohesive world while creating balanced gameplay.
No it will not. Early in the game, ghouls will die to a few bullets. Later on, they'll somehow need an entire clip (not to mention punch through more armor). That is not a cohesive world.

The sad thing is you don't even seem to disagree that level scaling is bad, you just seem to accept it and make excuses for it anyway. I would argue this: Level scaling is bad precisely because it nulls player choice. Even when its "reasonable" and in ranges, you'd still have to visit an area waaay too early or waaay to late to run into meaningfully nonscaled enemies. The player loses a lot of agency in choosing an area beyond or below their competence, so why even offer the choice? Might as well just make the game linear, but allow players to choose which graphics the enemies should have.
 

Dedicated_Dark

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^Here, this was my elaboration. Now give me the counter instead of just a simple retort.
Pro tip: Using levels as the end all be all in enemy/player strengths is a design crutch. This is the true rotten core of Pillars of eternity's system, and I suspect Tyrannys too... . ..
...

You seem to not understand. If the ghouls are capped from 10-30 then up till 10 they are an impassable obstacle combat wise, from 10-30 they are somewhat-consistent in their challenge due to equal increase in the damage output of the player. Above 30 they relegated to minor inconvenience to the player. This way the world will keep consistency. The encountering of high lvl enemies during early play comes down to the designers, its about their enemy placements. The system mentioned can be used just like a regular hard lvled system. The placements and design is still upto the devs and just cause you adopt one or the other its not an excuse for incompetence and laziness.
I rather have what I mentioned than encountering lvl 70 sewer rats when I'm playing. Also, most of the games that use hard lvled system usually are linear in some way, they might give the illusion of player decision, but they are tunneling you. And again, a threshold lvling system can be used the same way, it just depends on enemy placements and other parameters by the designers.

And if you have logical responses please comment them, if you disagree tell me why you disagree rather than leaving just the disagree/dumb/whatever mark. At everyone.
 

V_K

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The easier, and better, solution would be not to have a lvl70. As I have already said many times before, open world is not the problem, stat bloat is. Look at Voidspire Tactics for example - your chars start with ~20 hp and the tankiest ones may finish the game with ~40 hp. It just requires a bit more effort on the designer part to make enemies that play differently, not just have bigger numbers.
 

Darth Roxor

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But unless the game is segmented into multiple phases or designed very well like Gothic it'll be a broken mess.

"Unless the game is well designed it will not be well designed"

:philosoraptor:
 

Jaedar

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I rather have what I mentioned than encountering lvl 70 sewer rats when I'm playing.
Nigga please. Level 70 sewers is obviously shit. You may as well say you'd rather have what you mentioned than get an arm chopped off. All you're doing is damning your own argument with faint praise. Would you like to try again or is your only defense of level scaling "well you can make a shittier game that doesn't have it"?

The easier, and better, solution would be not to have a lvl70. As I have already said many times before, open world is not the problem, stat bloat is. Look at Voidspire Tactics for example - your chars start with ~20 hp and the tankiest ones may finish the game with ~40 hp. It just requires a bit more effort on the designer part to make enemies that play differently, not just have bigger numbers.
Yeah, or age of decadence. HP is constant throughout the entire game. Your max is 5x con, and you can't increase your stats after chargen.
 

Roguey

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The easier, and better, solution would be not to have a lvl70.

Unfortunately, people love level ups. If they're not gaining a level every one to two hours, they're going to get upset.
 

V_K

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The easier, and better, solution would be not to have a lvl70.

Unfortunately, people love level ups. If they're not gaining a level every one to two hours, they're going to get upset.
Voidspire Tactics once again has all the answers (seriously, that game is a blueprint of how you do open world RPG with meaningful character development): a level-less system where you buy upgrades directly from XP both provides the satisfaction of frequent upgrades and prevents stat bloat.
 

Fenix

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Voidspire Tactics once again has all the answers (seriously, that game is a blueprint of how you do open world RPG with meaningful character development): a level-less system where you buy upgrades directly from XP both provides the satisfaction of frequent upgrades and prevents stat bloat.
Hey, but that was implemented in Evil Islands first!
:troll:
 

Dedicated_Dark

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The easier, and better, solution would be not to have a lvl70. As I have already said many times before, open world is not the problem, stat bloat is. Look at Voidspire Tactics for example - your chars start with ~20 hp and the tankiest ones may finish the game with ~40 hp. It just requires a bit more effort on the designer part to make enemies that play differently, not just have bigger numbers.
Monster Hunter series doesn't have a lvl up, but then again their weapons have stats. It's all about better equipment just like Dark Souls. And just like Roguey said, a lvl-less system in an RPG might not be appealing to a lot of people.
How about suggesting a system where there is meaningful character progression without lvl based stats. Because the best I can think of is Monster Hunter and even they have equipment stats. If there is no meaningful character progression to different vocations and systems I think many people here will hesitate to call it an RPG regardless of its role-playing merits.

Nigga please. Level 70 sewers is obviously shit. You may as well say you'd rather have what you mentioned than get an arm chopped off. All you're doing is damning your own argument with faint praise. Would you like to try again or is your only defense of level scaling "well you can make a shittier game that doesn't have it"?
You are not giving me arguments. If you are able to give me logical reasoning for your stance do so, these retorts give me nothing.

Voidspire Tactics once again has all the answers (seriously, that game is a blueprint of how you do open world RPG with meaningful character development): a level-less system where you buy upgrades directly from XP both provides the satisfaction of frequent upgrades and prevents stat bloat.
That's an interesting system, so how does it manage the difficulty of enemies. As the player gets stronger equipment and better skills the earlier enemies become a breeze and the later ones become manageable?
Do the same type of enemies always have the same amt of hp and do the same amt of damage or do they get stronger as the game or player progresses?
Does that mean I can store xp and get a late-game skill early on or do they use a flowchart based system?
 

Jaedar

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If there is no meaningful character progression to different vocations and systems I think many people here will hesitate to call it an RPG regardless of its role-playing merits.
Many people here are idiots. There are plenty of PnPs where your character is mostly set in stone after chargen.

You are not giving me arguments.
Sure I am. Level scaling is bad because it undermines player choice and interactivity by lowering the available consequence space. Additionally it undermines the worldbuilding as things *change* along with player level, immediately writing into the physical laws of the universe that the player is the most important dude in existence.

That's not to say you can't make a decent game that uses some level scaling, just that it will never be able to be as good as a well made game without it.
 

V_K

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Hey, but that was implemented in Evil Islands first!
I'm pretty sure that was Wizard's Crown, if not some PLATO game.

As the player gets stronger equipment and better skills the earlier enemies become a breeze and the later ones become manageable?
Do the same type of enemies always have the same amt of hp and do the same amt of damage or do they get stronger as the game or player progresses?
Neither the PCs, nor the enemies get much stronger in terms of HP/damage output. What they do is get more versatile, with more varied abilities and counters.

Does that mean I can store xp and get a late-game skill early on or do they use a flowchart based system?
All skills are fairly tactically balanced - e.g. AOE spells have a charge-up time, and enemies will move out of affected area if given the chance, so you need to time them very precisely. Others have other limitations. So it's not like you get a powerful ability and become invincible. And starting skills remain viable throughout the game as well - they may be less powerful, but more reliable.
There's also a class-switching system in place, that doesn't allow to get late-game abilities too early on (but you can get them roughly by midgame, if you really want them).
 

Dedicated_Dark

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Many people here are idiots. There are plenty of..... ...
You are not giving me the elaboration I require. Regardless I can somewhat see what you mean.

All skills are fairly tactically balanced - e.g. AOE spells have a charge-up time, and enemies will move out of affected area if given the chance, so you ... .. ..
Interesting, thx. I'll check out the game one of these days.

Also, can someone tell me how to get the Agree/Disagree/Dumb/Brofist etc.. . I can't find the options, is it because my acc. is fairly unused!
 
Self-Ejected

vivec

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Tags: Brian Heins; Obsidian Entertainment; Tyranny

Shortly after posting about the interview with the Tyranny writing team yesterday, I discovered that GameBanshee had posted their own interview with game director Brian Heins. It's pretty good, four pages long and with many questions about the game's more interesting and/or controversial aspects (although Brian's answers aren't always very satisfying). So to wrap up this weekend of Torment and Tyranny, I've decided to give it its own newspost. Here's a small excerpt:

GB: Tyranny is set in the transitional era between the bronze and the iron age of its fictional setting. How much will the setting be influenced by that period of our own planet's history, and how much will the presence of powerful magical forces and fantastical creatures make it diverge? How will that influence the plotlines and mechanics of the game?

Brian: Tyranny is a fantasy RPG rather than an historical RPG, so it’s influenced by this period in our history but doesn’t try to emulate it. I decided to set the game at this transition point for a couple of reasons.

First, it creates a plausible reason to explain why Kyros was able to conquer. Creating bronze weapons and armor was expensive. Often you had to trade with neighbors to get the metals needed to alloy bronze. It took skilled smiths to reliably mix the metals in the proper ratio to create bronze hard enough to serve as weapons and armor. Both of these meant that most nations could only afford to outfit a small number of soldiers with bronze weapons or armor.

Iron weapons had the advantage of only needing a single source of metal to create. Once people figured out how to smelt iron ore, it became much cheaper to outfit a larger number of soldiers. Early iron weapons weren’t better than bronze – they were often heavy and brittle. A bronze sword might bend or grow dull in combat, but it wouldn’t shatter. However, when you can outfit ten soldiers in iron for the cost of one soldier in bronze, you’re able to bring a much larger force to the field.

This was one of the things that allowed Kyros to conquer. The Overlord controls the secret of smelting iron ore, so has access to a cheaper source of weapons and armor, and can outfit a much larger army than any other nation that tried to resist.

Secondly, Bronze Age warfare was more up-close and brutal. There weren’t guns or firearms that allowed you to kill enemies from a distance. You fought at sword or spear-length, or hurled javelins from a shorter distance. For a world where evil won, I wanted to capture some of that feel in our combat.

GB: Will Tyranny feature random encounters with enemies, or will most combat encounters be deliberately placed within the game? Random or not, will enemies be static in regard to their level/power or have you incorporated level scaling into the game?

Brian: Combat will occur with placed enemies, as with Pillars of Eternity. Some combats can be avoided or modified through dialogue options, but we don’t have any random encounter systems in place. We had ideas for systems along those lines during development, but ended up cutting them when we didn’t have the time to bring them to an acceptable level of polish.

There is level scaling in the game. Tyranny has a more open, branching structure than Pillars of Eternity did, which means that there are many different ways for players to travel through the world. The same area needs to support players arriving at level 5 or level 10, and provide them with interesting and engaging combat when they do so.

Enemies will scale within a level range, and their level becomes fixed when they are revealed by fog of war. So if you see an enemy and they are level 5, then leave the area, gain several levels and come back, they won’t suddenly increase in level. They’ll still be at level 5. On a different playthrough, if you went to that same area for the first time at level 8, the enemies would be a higher level.

The goal with this scaling is to keep combat interesting and not something you can just ignore on difficulty settings beyond Story mode. So far from our playtests its working out very well.
Of note is that this interview confirms for the first time that Obsidian have upgraded to Unity 5 for Tyranny. Hopefully that will help with the loading times.


All this and there is magic in the world.
:deathclaw:
Seriously, Obsidian should outsource world/lore building.
 

hpstg

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So, that Kyros is a man or woman?

It's an A.I. from Torment. You can talk to it if you preorder the extra-dialogue DLC written by Chris Avellone, exclusively for the Ultimate Edition.
:terrorist:
 

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