Eternity Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pre-DLC Thread [GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Shadenuat]

You really like to tackle content twice your level I see

 

[Darth Roxor]

You really like to tackle content twice your level I see

i appreciate a game that allows me to do that

 

[Morality Games]

Also what's with the lack of evil choices and evil companions in this game, PoE 1 included. Every quest is basically a form of a do-gooder's crusade with 0 choices to intimidate or be a jerk, almost every quest ends up with you being a benevolent shmuck or neutral , no scheeming to betray your quest giver for a better reward, no way to make others bend to your will either, just '' Oh Watcher you are so great, let me suck your dick''. Also every companion is a happy-camping prick that wants to save the world, you have no way to make them evil either, you have no Viconia, no Edwin, no Ignus, no Xzar, no way to actually have some fun, just a bunch of daddy issue hipster peta loving faggots that want to save the world, there's no fun in saving the world.

Alignment as implemented in D&D doesn't exist in the world of Pillars of Eternity, but you can be cruel and dishonest (ergo, treacherous) all of the time. You can murder and betray people constantly.

Most of the companions prefer to do good, but almost all of them are underwritten as neutral enough to do evil, due to the nature of the world they live in.

You can also be cruel and kind while being dishonest and honest. The alignment system is garbage,D&D have pretty logical system,i see no reason to use something similar. If they care about license they could just use different words like anarchic and orderly.

I mean, to the extent that a civilization of Dark Elves who are philosophically, culturally, and religiously committed to evil and anarchy in a self-conscious, purposeful way can be logical.

Characters and factions in Eora tend to act the same way historical personalities and countries have acted in history; in a morally elusive, difficult-to-evaluate way.

 

[Parabalus]

IE games fighter don't even have per rest abilities out side of kits. Only thing that comes to mind is Maximized Attacks in IWD and that's not even in base DnD, but was shoehorned in by JES because he knew fighters felt meh.

I'm not saying take all active abilities away from non-caster classes, that would be insane, and an insane amount of work to re-balance. I would definitely cut some of them though.

If I'm going to start most combat encounters in the game with 3-4 active abilities available and 6-7 fighterpower points (because you spend most of the game in the midrange levels), then that's just too much to the point that I don't have to think economically about when to use my powers, especially when my fighterpower points are replenished after combat ends. It also weighs on the combat flow because of the long pausing, and thus worsens my experience of the game.

That's when AI comes in - on e.g. boss fights I want to use all 7 fighterpoints points manually, for trash fights not really, just like I don't need/want to aim Devotions manually on trash fights, but I do on bosses.
In IE fighters are always brainless and I'd just micro spellcasters more, why not spread the micro around, if total micro is conserved?

What are the chances of PoE3: The Dumpster That Dumps? I'd say around nil.

Depends if it is profitable. Remember that it was also partially funded by FIG platform
So it sells for 50$ + there is 20$ season pass and i have no doubt a lot of people will buy it.
Secondly RPGs always have VERY LONG legs so even in 10 years it will be still providing profit to Obsidian.

Even assuming it will sell only 300k at launch price + 100k season pass + 2mln from FIG:

15mln + 2mln + 2mln = 19mln without any steam cut, taxes or anything else. Even after taxes it should be enough to cover for development of game.

And that is ignoring any sales above that + console release like PoE1 had.

It's currently questionable whether Dumpsterfire has even broken 100k on Steam, 300k is looking more and more like a fever dream.

 

[dragonul09]

You can be a selfish dick and make everyone fight you in the endgame, every faction.

Companions though, yeah, no options, bad reactivity for them, bugs etc.

For a party of 5 you need at least around 12 companions (game only has 7): 4 good, 4 neutral, 4 evil. Or 5-6 good (because most pick good, and you need options there), 3 neutral, 3 evil.

This is the ratio BG2 had after they reduced amount of companions because increased amount of content for them:
Good 7
Neutrals 5
Evil 3+1

At the end? I wanted to be the scourge of DeadFire from the start, not at the end. I've done 50 quests and sure you can lie in some of them and have some neutral-chaotic choices, but you can't be evil, you can't consort with evil people, you can't join with the Vampires to kill everyone else BG 2 style evil, you just can't maximize your evilness, everything ends up with you being mildly assholish, that's not evil. Hell, even Dragon Age Origins gave you the choice to kill almost every single companion you met and some of them in gruesome ways, which was pretty dandy.

 

[fantadomat]

Also what's with the lack of evil choices and evil companions in this game, PoE 1 included. Every quest is basically a form of a do-gooder's crusade with 0 choices to intimidate or be a jerk, almost every quest ends up with you being a benevolent shmuck or neutral , no scheeming to betray your quest giver for a better reward, no way to make others bend to your will either, just '' Oh Watcher you are so great, let me suck your dick''. Also every companion is a happy-camping prick that wants to save the world, you have no way to make them evil either, you have no Viconia, no Edwin, no Ignus, no Xzar, no way to actually have some fun, just a bunch of daddy issue hipster peta loving faggots that want to save the world, there's no fun in saving the world.

Alignment as implemented in D&D doesn't exist in the world of Pillars of Eternity, but you can be cruel and dishonest (ergo, treacherous) all of the time. You can murder and betray people constantly.

Most of the companions prefer to do good, but almost all of them are underwritten as neutral enough to do evil, due to the nature of the world they live in.

You can also be cruel and kind while being dishonest and honest. The alignment system is garbage,D&D have pretty logical system,i see no reason to use something similar. If they care about license they could just use different words like anarchic and orderly.

I mean, to the extent that a civilization of Dark Elves who are philosophically, culturally, and religiously committed to evil and anarchy in a self-conscious, purposeful way can be logical.

Characters and factions in Eora tend to act the same way historical personalities and countries have acted in history; in a morally elusive, difficult-to-evaluate way.

Well it makes everyone grey and boring. Greyness is good when in contrast to good/evil. If everyone and everything is grey,then it is boring.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Empower needs to be removed. It's basically a cheat and serves no purpose.

My thoughts exactly, and nothing easier than that. But what would be cool would be if you toned down all abilities significantly, so that they only hit normally with Empower. Welcome to the world of per-rest abilities, with sadistically weak per-encounter versions.

i appreciate a game that allows me to do that

You can also do this with level scaling on/scale only upwards. Nothing will get downscaled to match you, but everything below your level will be upscaled to your level.

That's when AI comes in - on e.g. boss fights I want to use all 7 fighterpoints points manually, for trash fights not really, just like I don't need to aim Devotions manually on trash fights, but I do on bosses. In IE fighters are always brainless and I'd just micro spellcasters, why not spread the micro around, if total micro is conserved?

I can't stop myself from clicking abilities even on trash fights, or now that there are no "trash fights", on the final surviving enemies. My assumption is that this way I will end them quicker, which is not always true, due to the sheer time needed to click and target while paused. After a certain point, I'd have been better off just autoattacking the trash. The thing is, it's difficult to calculate which is better on the fly.

 

[Shadenuat]

Characters and factions in Eora tend to act the same way historical personalities and countries have acted in history; in a morally elusive, difficult-to-evaluate way.

Too bad companions are all just modern nice friendly gay peoplez. With accents.

And yeah I think saying that everyone acts in Eora historically is not very true is it. Difficult to evaluate maybe.

 

[fantadomat]

You can be a selfish dick and make everyone fight you in the endgame, every faction.

Companions though, yeah, no options, bad reactivity for them, bugs etc.

For a party of 5 you need at least around 12 companions (game only has 7): 4 good, 4 neutral, 4 evil. Or 5-6 good (because most pick good, and you need options there), 3 neutral, 3 evil.

This is the ratio BG2 had after they reduced amount of companions because increased amount of content for them:
Good 7
Neutrals 5
Evil 3+1

you can't join with the Vampires to kill everyone else BG 2 style evil,

Yes you can,the vampires at the lower left island can be talked to,you could recruit them to fight the other factions. Still waiting to see someone doing it.

 

[Darth Roxor]

You can also do this with level scaling on/scale only upwards.

degenerate

 

[Parabalus]

Empower needs to be removed. It's basically a cheat and serves no purpose.

My thoughts exactly, and nothing easier than that. But what would be cool would be if you toned down all abilities significantly, so that they only hit normally with Empower. Welcome to the world of per-rest abilities, with sadistically weak per-encounter versions.

That's when AI comes in - on e.g. boss fights I want to use all 7 fighterpoints points manually, for trash fights not really, just like I don't need to aim Devotions manually on trash fights, but I do on bosses. In IE fighters are always brainless and I'd just micro spellcasters, why not spread the micro around, if total micro is conserved?

I can't stop myself from clicking abilities even on trash fights, or now that there are no "trash fights", on the final surviving enemies. My assumption is that this way I will end them quicker, which is not always true, due to the sheer time needed to click and target while paused. After a certain point, I'd have been better off just autoattacking the trash. The thing is, it's difficult to calculate which is better on the fly.

The first would then entail rebalancing all passives, since very rarely would something be worth using with -10 PL. Seems pointless, but I get you probably meant in tongue in cheek.

I usually micro just my PC+ some casters in every fight, stuff like rangers/monks/fighters only in important battles.

You can be a selfish dick and make everyone fight you in the endgame, every faction.

Companions though, yeah, no options, bad reactivity for them, bugs etc.

For a party of 5 you need at least around 12 companions (game only has 7): 4 good, 4 neutral, 4 evil. Or 5-6 good (because most pick good, and you need options there), 3 neutral, 3 evil.

This is the ratio BG2 had after they reduced amount of companions because increased amount of content for them:
Good 7
Neutrals 5
Evil 3+1

you can't join with the Vampires to kill everyone else BG 2 style evil,

Yes you can,the vampires at the lower left island can be talked to,you could recruit them to fight the other factions. Still waiting to see someone doing it.

I think that choice is fake, I tried doing it and it only led to

Spoiler

being able to poison him. You also meant the lower right island, right?

 

[Morality Games]

Disappointing launch sales are possible, and at $50, probably guaranteed.

Long term commercial failure seems impossible.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Seems pointless, but I get you probably meant in tongue in cheek

If anyone is mad enough to try to rebalance the damage/duration of every ability in the game, and do this without really knowing how and how much Empower actually improves them, he has my admiration

I would just cut the empowers per level to 0, and set the starting empower to 0, much cleaner. Criticals should be "empowered" versions enough for everyone.

BTW what happens if you empower a high level direct damage spell and it crits? It should leave a crater in the ground.

I usually micro just my PC+ some casters in every fight, stuff like rangers/monks/fighters only in important battles.

I have to have everything under control and this ends with me spending most of the combats in paused mode.

 

[Lacrymas]

Empower needs to be removed. It's basically a cheat and serves no purpose.

I've been saying this since forever. I brought it up in a different context, though, since spellcasters weren't as overpowered as they seem to have been buffed now for release, but the end conclusion is the same - it has to be removed.

 

[Wulfric Pinewood]

The more i play PoE2, the more i LOVE this already great game. What a fucking INCLINE ORGASM!
I want Pillars 3 already! [And Tyranny 2 between] .

 

[Parabalus]

Seems pointless, but I get you probably meant in tongue in cheek

If anyone is mad enough to try to rebalance the damage/duration of every ability in the game, and do this without really knowing how and how much Empower actually improves them, he has my admiration

I would just cut the empowers per level to 0, and set the starting empower to 0, much cleaner. Criticals should be "empowered" versions enough for everyone.

BTW what happens if you empower a high level direct damage spell and it crits? It should leave a crater in the ground.

I usually micro just my PC+ some casters in every fight, stuff like rangers/monks/fighters only in important battles.

I have to have everything under control and this ends with me spending most of the combats in paused mode.

I did that in PoE1 but felt pointless in Deadfire with the undertuned combat.

Empowered Wilting Wind from Aloth (so not optimized) does around 300 Raw damage in a huge AoE on a crit IIRC. Meteor shower probably does 800 total per target, never tried to parse that or Storm of Holy fire though. Disintegrate does around 1k Raw to one target over 20 ish seconds. If you empower the chanter dragon summon it lands with over 2k health.

 

[FreeKaner]

1 Empower per encounter can stay it's fun. Just remove its ability to give power points and cut power points across the board.

Everyone has too much mana. Add some of it back as passive abilities or something for making spammer builds.

 

[Parabalus]

1 Empower per encounter can stay it's fun. Just remove its ability to give power points and cut power points across the board.

Everyone has too much mana. Add some of it back as passive abilities or something for making spammer builds.

Probably best to cut high level ability power cost and lower the total power pool - you can spam too much low level stuff at high levels IMO.

Just give empower to enemies, so you too get your shit pushed in by empowerd Amplified Waves or Cleansing Fires.

 

[fantadomat]

Empower needs to be removed. It's basically a cheat and serves no purpose.

My thoughts exactly, and nothing easier than that. But what would be cool would be if you toned down all abilities significantly, so that they only hit normally with Empower. Welcome to the world of per-rest abilities, with sadistically weak per-encounter versions.

That's when AI comes in - on e.g. boss fights I want to use all 7 fighterpoints points manually, for trash fights not really, just like I don't need to aim Devotions manually on trash fights, but I do on bosses. In IE fighters are always brainless and I'd just micro spellcasters, why not spread the micro around, if total micro is conserved?

I can't stop myself from clicking abilities even on trash fights, or now that there are no "trash fights", on the final surviving enemies. My assumption is that this way I will end them quicker, which is not always true, due to the sheer time needed to click and target while paused. After a certain point, I'd have been better off just autoattacking the trash. The thing is, it's difficult to calculate which is better on the fly.

The first would then entail rebalancing all passives, since very rarely would something be worth using with -10 PL. Seems pointless, but I get you probably meant in tongue in cheek.

I usually micro just my PC+ some casters in every fight, stuff like rangers/monks/fighters only in important battles.

You can be a selfish dick and make everyone fight you in the endgame, every faction.

Companions though, yeah, no options, bad reactivity for them, bugs etc.

For a party of 5 you need at least around 12 companions (game only has 7): 4 good, 4 neutral, 4 evil. Or 5-6 good (because most pick good, and you need options there), 3 neutral, 3 evil.

This is the ratio BG2 had after they reduced amount of companions because increased amount of content for them:
Good 7
Neutrals 5
Evil 3+1

you can't join with the Vampires to kill everyone else BG 2 style evil,

Yes you can,the vampires at the lower left island can be talked to,you could recruit them to fight the other factions. Still waiting to see someone doing it.

I think that choice is fake, I tried doing it and it only led to

Spoiler

being able to poison him. You also meant the lower right island, right?

Yes,i got the option to give him something adra and to say to them that they don't need to eat people and can eat something adra. I believe that i stole the adra from the mill,its picture have some adra in a cup.

 

[MajorMace]

Just give empower to enemies, so you too get your shit pushed in by empowerd Amplified Waves or Cleansing Fires.

It was supposed to be the case iirc.

I think that choice is fake

A constant in this series.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Given the drastically improved production values in this game ( full VO, better graphics and tons of handcrafted content instead of endless bands of trash mobs) Obsidian must have invested fuckton of their own money into this beyond what they got from Fig. They were already working on this thing and were far into production by the time Fig campaign started.

And don't forget Fig investors get a significant cut in royalties.

So while the game will definitely be profitable in the end, it's not enough for it to just be go out of the red zone if we are to get another decent sequel.

More importantly, if Fig investors don't break even on their 2 million, Fig is fucking dead and buried. They could go back to Kickstarter but hype died out so there's no chance they get another 4 million from crowdfunding.

 

[Delterius]

They

I thought you were a founder.

Wouldn't you say 'us'?

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

They

I thought you were a founder.

Wouldn't you say 'us'?

"They" make the games, I just sit around, hire my nephews and collect phat paychecks.

 

[MajorMace]

And don't forget Fig investors get a significant cut in royalties.

Can't wait to see what sort of impossible drama this nonsense will trigger in the end.

 

[AwesomeButton]

1 Empower per encounter can stay it's fun. Just remove its ability to give power points and cut power points across the board.

Everyone has too much mana. Add some of it back as passive abilities or something for making spammer builds.

1 Empower per encounter can stay it's fun. Just remove its ability to give power points and cut power points across the board.

Everyone has too much mana. Add some of it back as passive abilities or something for making spammer builds.

Probably best to cut high level ability power cost and lower the total power pool - you can spam too much low level stuff at high levels IMO.

Just give empower to enemies, so you too get your shit pushed in by empowerd Amplified Waves or Cleansing Fires.

And so, the modding and rebalance insanity begins...