I have read most of the backer updates but haven't been scrutinizing this games development too much, and I was hoping someone might have some insight on this.
In the DOS thread some back and forth began about PoE being bland and sterile and it got me thinking.
I'm a little worried about PoE being bland, myself. It has nothing to do with realistic proportions and functional armor. I'm actually more concerned with the combat mechanics being dull. For some reason, the more I hear about it the more I feel like everything is too calculated.
Maybe it's just the way it's been presented or how I've processed it, but nothing I've seen jumps out at me as really unique or cool.
The weapons and armor systems sound very gamey, and talking about weapon buffs being scaled to weapon speed makes me cringe. I'm afraid there's so much focus on balance that there won't be much left in the way of fun. This kind of thinking is what gives us boring weapon enchants where you get a static +damage bonus and fire is no different than ice except when it comes to resistances. When you're afraid to break balance, you can't add things that are just cool.
There are some spells and options in games like BG and DOS which are over the top and not really balanced. Teleporting a bad guy onto a mine or turning them into a squirrel are powerful, fun options, but can't really be balanced against your basic damage or buff spells.
Now, I'm not saying that PoE is going to be like this, but for some reason I've got that impression and it's really sapping my excitement for the game.
I'm hoping some of you know of some things that can provide some evidence to the contrary.
