Eternity Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Pre-Release Thread [BETA RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Haplo]

For all the disgust I feel for Bioware, the comparison to their own homegrown fantasy setting is telling. Dragon Age certainly has sources of inspirations that are identical to D&D's. But it doesn't ape it. It doesn't try to feature all of the most iconic elements in the same place.

I will take not-kobolds, not-illithid, not-vampires and what else Obsidian has copied over the DARKSPAWN, thank you.

 

[Quillon]

It isn't necessarily clear how much of the setting was to be vanilla D&D and how much alien influences could have been present (torment).

Mature thematic exploration of PT equals to alien influences?

 

[Hyperion]

(BTW I don't get the love for Thedas. Sure it's not a carbon copy of D&D but as settings go it's low-imagination and low-effort. They basically took Ivanhoe, added dragons, dwarves, and darkspawn, swapped a few names around, replaced Jews, Gypsies, and Moors with fantasy races, and called it a day.)

Origins is a carbon copy of A Song of Ice and Fire instead. Night's Watch, Grey Warden. Castle Black, Weisshaupt Fortress. White Walker, Dark Spawn. Literally took antonyms for colors, and synonyms for definitions and called the story their own. Not surprisingly, when they moved on from that, all semblance of a story crumbled for the next two games.

Every time someone says 'Blight', replace it with 'Winter' and...whoops, good thing Origins didn't come out in 2014 like Inquisition.

 

[Lacrymas]

Prime Junta, maybe it has politics, but nothing came out of it. There was nothing stopping FR from having politics, the writers just decided to focus more on the adventuring, I'm also 99% certain someone, somewhere wrote something political regarding FR. PoE is not really Renaissance though, at least Dyrwood, I've commented on this in the past as well. It's only Renaissance as far as the tech and sometimes architecture goes, but philosophically it's not, and that's what matters most. FR isn't medieval either. Medieval cultures did have sciences (both the liberal and practical), so having Animancy doesn't grant Renaissance points.

 

[Prime Junta]

Medieval cultures did have sciences (both the liberal and practical), so having Animancy doesn't grant Renaissance points.

The mindset was hugely different though. The medieval mindset thought of knowledge as a static whole that can be understood if you study (the Classics and the Bible/Qur'an/Torah) hard enough. I read Al-Ghazali's autobiography where he bragged of having done just that actually. The Renaissance upended this: knowledge became an unexplored infinity. This made people actively pursue innovation and new knowledge. I maintain that the Pillars setting is Renaissance in mindset in this sense, while the FR is medieval. Nobody in the FR will ever make an invention which upends society. In Eora it's already happening.

 

[Lacrymas]

Medieval cultures did have sciences (both the liberal and practical), so having Animancy doesn't grant Renaissance points.

The mindset was hugely different though. The medieval mindset thought of knowledge as a static whole that can be understood if you study (the Classics and the Bible/Qur'an/Torah) hard enough. I read Al-Ghazali's autobiography where he bragged of having done just that actually. The Renaissance upended this: knowledge became an unexplored infinity. This made people actively pursue innovation and new knowledge. I maintain that the Pillars setting is Renaissance in mindset in this sense, while the FR is medieval. Nobody in the FR will ever make an invention which upends society. In Eora it's already happening.

I suppose this is true. We need more exploration of Animancy to be sure, they might just be going with a modern interpretation of science, rather than a Renaissance one.

 

[TT1]

Even brutally savage and rabid advocates and defenders of PoE, like TheSentinel, agree that PoE's setting is too derivative, being a copy of D&D but somehow worse in the process.

Ehh... well. Yeah it's derivative and the totally-not-mindflayers, totally-not-shambling-mounds, and totally-not-kobolds are kinda lulzy for being so transparent as copies. It's also thin on ancient history: apart from the Engwithans, there's... what exactly?

I'm not sure if I agree with that, Prime.

Of course PoE is quite generic and tries to emulate a similar feeling to FR (but, hey, that's what they were trying to bring back with this kickstarter), but the rest of the setting has several very interesting and distinct points. Deadfire Archipelago, Penitential Regency of Readceras... they sound really original and can be very interesting and innovative scenarios in future games.

Of course, FR also had exotic environments like Zakhara, Kara Tur and Maztica, but it has never set any of its great games in those places. Although athkatla is different, it is just a different city in another generic region (Amn).

The setting of Pillars of Eternity has some very good and different locations from everything I've seen in other settings. And Obsidian is making bold decisions in setting up PoE2 in those locales, after a first game needed to prepare the base of the scenario. I think that's a wise decision.

 

[Lacrymas]

The setting of Pillars of Eternity has some very good and different locations from everything I've seen in other settings. And Obsidian is making bold decisions in setting up PoE2 in those locales, after a first game needed to prepare the base of the scenario. I think that's a wise decision.

Yes, we know, one of the criticisms of PoE was that they described all these interesting places, but we get to trudge through forest No 4329423742. The whole idea is that these things don't go anywhere, we certainly don't go there. Exactly like the supposed Renaissance. Absurdian have a chance to show that they can do something different with PoE2. I don't know how that would be possible since the lead artist's "inspiration" was nature of all things, you don't get more generic than that. I did give them my shekels so they better pleasantly surprise me.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Please stop turning this thread to shit with your soap opera theories about developers' relationships.

 

[AwesomeButton]

It's only Renaissance as far as the tech and sometimes architecture goes, but philosophically it's not, and that's what matters most.

How exactly is it philosophically not Renaissance?

Of course PoE is quite generic and tries to emulate a similar feeling to FR

If it really does try that, I don't think it's working out very well. The Dyrwood is a part-former colony, part frontier land. The mood is very different from the Sword Coast.

 

[Sizzle]

It's only Renaissance as far as the tech and sometimes architecture goes, but philosophically it's not, and that's what matters most.

How exactly is it philosophically not Renaissance?

They could have done more with it. For example, I remember that they said that there was no printing press in Eora, and thus, no mass printing of books available. But books are strewn all over the game. So I don't know if it's yet another case of making changes to that concept before release, or if they simply forgot about it.

So while I cannot say I got a distinctly Renaissance vibe from the game, it wasn't a strictly Medieval one, either.

Of course PoE is quite generic and tries to emulate a similar feeling to FR

If it really does try that, I don't think it's working out very well. The Dyrwood is a part-former colony, part frontier land. The mood is very different from the Sword Coast.

The problem I had with the Dyrwood as a setting was that a lot of really cool stuff was implied - post-colonialism, racism, slavery, religious zealotry - but very rarely shown. The outline and lore were there, they just didn't use them for anything particularly exciting or new. Twin Elms was a lot better in that regard, but it, too, could have been more unique.

 

[Reinhardt]

I'm here to read about my elven waifu, not some boring politics.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.fig.co/campaigns/deadfire?update=298#updates

Update #24 - State of the Project & Backer Portal
POSTED: 03/21/2017


Welcome to another Pillars II update! We're continuing towards our 4.75M stretch goal, but we need your help to get the word out. Let's get to those sea monsters and fishing!

We are still gathering funds via Fig's Slacker Backer and our Backer Portal. Here are our current numbers:

• Slacker Backers - Our current total earnings from Slacker Backers on Fig is approximately $92,700
  • If you still want to back via Fig, click the green 'Slacker Backer Pledge' button at the top right of this page
• Backer Portal - Our current earnings from the Backer Portal, including Stripe and PayPal, is $69,100
  • You can back via Stripe or PayPal on our Backer Portal and earn the same rewards as if you backed on Fig

Our total earnings from Slacker Backers are about $161,800 and our overall campaign total is ~$4.57M. There are 35 days until we stop taking Slacker Backers, and every pledge counts. Tell your friends and share our Fig page to help us get to 4.75M!


Backer Portal, Tyranny Coupon and Updating Pledges
Expect another update in the next 2-3 days with instructions for changing your pledge and redeeming your Tyranny coupons. We are very close to having everything transferred over from Fig to the Backer Portal, and are conducting final tests to make sure everything is working correctly. Thank you for your patience!

Fig Campaign Ending Soon - Solstice Chronicles: MIA

Another Fig campaign only has two days remaining, and they're at 99% of their goal! Development studio Ironward, creators of the successfully crowdfunded Red Solstice, are back with a twin-stick shooter called Solstice Chronicles: MIA. Battle for survival against waves of Martian mutants while using the skills of your drone companion to alter the threats you face.

Check out their Fig page to learn about the awesome mechanics, skills, and upgrades that Solstice Chronicles has to offer. Let's show them our support, get some cool rewards, and help fund Solstice Chronicles!


State of the Project - Pre-Alpha
We recently began a new production milestone. With new milestones comes new areas, narrative, creatures, and much more! Without giving away critical story points or areas of our game, here is a high level overview of what some of our departments are working on:

Area Design

We began several new areas that are critical to the storyline of Pillars II, and they are coming along nicely so far. Quests, blockouts, and dialogues for areas are being developed and reviewed before being passed to the environment artists to make the area. As an example, here is a section of an area that was approved for environment art to start work on:

Environment Art

Our environment artists are hard at work completing first and second art passes of areas in Pillars II. A lot of these are areas that are critical to the storyline, so they put a lot of hard work into getting these sections to look perfect. From that blockout you saw above, the artist does a first pass, transforming the area into a playable level with no lighting or VFX. After receiving feedback from our lead artists, the environment artist does a final pass, lighting, and passes it to VFX. Here are first and final passes of that blockout from above:

First Pass

Second Pass with Lighting & VFX

We will be posting an area update in the near future. In that update, we'll go into detail about how the area designers and environment artists work together to make the levels of Pillars II.

Systems Design

The systems designers are working on finishing the design and implementing the abilities of a few creatures in Pillars II. These designs include a creature's weaknesses and strengths, what abilities they possess, and how the creature should behave. In addition to creatures, design is continuing to make improvements to the subclass and multiclassing systems.

Animation

Our animators are hard at work creating new and unique animations for creatures. Some of our animals now have attack animations and fidgets, including wolves and boars. In addition to animal animations, weapon animations are well underway. We'll post an update in the near future with more about the animation process; there are so many cool animations we want to share that we think it deserves its own post.

Character Art

The character artists have been working on base armor sets for both male and female characters, which are looking great. As an example, here are three variants of the Brigandine armor, modeled by our handsome friend Edér:

Normal Brigandine Armor

Fine Brigandine Armor

Exceptional Brigandine Armor

Narrative

The narrative designers are working on faction questlines for this milestone, and are ensuring that we provide a level of detail in quests that gives more insight into the culture and personality of each faction. Our writers are also working on dialogues for quests and further developing the history of factions.

Programming

Programming is focused on a variety of functionality for this milestone. Firstly, they are identifying key areas that can cause longer load times and fixing these so they no longer interfere. Load times have already been decreased by a great deal, and optimization will continue as we progress with development. Second, the programmers are continuing to add support for status effects and abilities. Lastly, a few systems have been refactored to allow improved functionality for animal companions and primary attacks.

VFX

VFX is continuing to work on effects passes for areas and making our levels even more beautiful than before. Glowing lights, particles, and objects swaying in the wind make a huge difference for an area. We can't wait to show you the comparison between Pillars II and the first Pillars. In addition to areas, ability VFX are looking pretty great. We'll share some of these with you in a later update.

Audio

Audio is working on adding sounds to maps. A typical audio pass for an area includes placing ambiances and emitters for the general atmosphere of the area, painting footstep maps, and ensuring that audio is implemented for doors, containers, and traps. Whether a map is supposed to feel ominous, peaceful, or anything in-between, these audio passes really bring life to an area and convey emotions that an otherwise silent area could not do.

Overall

We are making good progress on a lot of features, and still have a lot to go! The game is looking beautiful, and we're all very excited about the main story. We can't wait to share more of our progress with you. As we progress into Alpha and eventually Beta, we will release more 'State of the Project' posts like these to keep you informed of what we're working on. Is there a department you want to see more of? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

 

[Lacrymas]

The first pass screenie looks very BGish. I guess the 5M stretch goal is out of reach, but let's hope at least sea monsters get in.

 

[Sentinel]

Thank you God for not allowing another slut piece of shit elf into PoE2.

Fuck Elves. If there's no Dwarf, there shouldn't be an elf.

 

[Bleed the Man]

5M are out of the question at this point, but if they want to reach 4.75, they need a trailer, something that would get posted into the different videogame websites and spark interest on its communities outside those that have already backed. It shouldn't be that difficult, considering they've already showed quite a bit of footage. Something as fancy as the first trailer reveal for the first PoE could do the trick.

A stream of Josh playing the game would be better, but I think it's way too early for this.

 

[santino27]

Thank you God for not allowing another slut piece of shit elf into PoE2.

Fuck Elves. If there's no Dwarf, there shouldn't be an elf.

She'll still be in POE2. Just as a sidekick instead of a full companion. Players will still no doubt romance her... in their imaginations.

Also, as much as I like everything they've said about POE2, they continue to shit the bed from an actual campaign organization perspective. Halfway through the extra fundraising time and they still don't have the backer portal integrated yet. It's like they didn't know in advance they'd need it or something.

 

[Abu Antar]

That was a very solid update. One of these every month or two would be great.

 

[Jarpie]

I wish they'd lift the camera angle a bit higher, one of the flaws in PoE 1 was IMO too low angle which made fights less clear and less manageable. Didn't IE games have the view from 'higher up'?

 

[Abu Antar]

I wish they'd lift the camera angle a bit higher, one of the flaws in PoE 1 was IMO too low angle which made fights less clear and less manageable. Didn't IE games have the view from 'higher up'?

You're not wrong. We've discussed this a long time ago and most of us are in agreement that we'd like the camera to be like the one in the IE games.

 

[FreeKaner]

I feel like a lot of people derive their knowledge of Renaissance from high school history or at best history 101 because they focus a lot on change of thought on how thinkers operated (usually what's focused on basic history) and not at all in actual zeitgeist amongst commoners, the shift in nobility's status (and real birth of aristocracy) and how politics became much more worldly. Renaissance in Europe wasn't just how philosophers thought knowledge should be approached or extent of it, or how sciences were acknowledged differently from just theological recognition (I.E, writing down what is rather than exploring what could be), it was also change of social structure, politics both domestic and foreign and how the increase in wealth and urbanisation lead to development of interstate relationships. More concerning a RPG with adventuring party, how mercenaries, companies and aristocrats operated instead. PoE does an okay job as far as many of these are concerned, some details are nice such as economics, trade and the arms race but a lot is missing which is to be expected as it's first game in an original setting. Also D&D is as original as PoE is when it comes to supernatural, in that it's mostly just recycled mythology and folk tales mostly deriving from Tolkien but at least PoE does it in a setting that's frankly more interesting, early modern period and not late medieval.

 

[Jazz_]

What was so interesting about PoE setting? It looked awfully derivative and generic to me.

 

[HeatEXTEND]

What was so interesting about PoE setting? It looked awfully derivative and generic to me.

Agreed, couldn't have been more bland if they tried.

 

[Rostere]

Agreed, couldn't have been more bland if they tried.

It was meant as a spiritual successor to a game based in the Forgotten Realms.

In other words, it was meant as a derivative of a derivative setting. Don't act so surprised it is generic.

This rates somewhere at the same level of stupidity as "I hate RTwP combat" in criticisms of PoE. Sure, you might think the setting is a bit generic and loathe the RTwP combat, but then you might also have missed the point of the game. And you might not be the target audience, who funded this on Kickstarter to imitate the BG and IWD series. And above all, you should have fucking expected to see these elements in this game, talking any further about it is just retarded and contains zero constructive criticism or interesting information.

 

[Prime Junta]

In other words, it was meant as a derivative of a derivative setting. Don't act so surprised it is generic.

This is the main reason I only backed at the minimum level. Ended up paying for the beta separately because by then I was seriously intrigued.

It may also be the reason I ended up liking the thing so much. My expectations were low. It exceeded it in every area.