The definitive, last Pillars of Eternity rating thread!

[Ludo Lense]

I just realized I spent tens of hours making a 40 minute analysis video, pouring over the content to gather my thoughts and such only to barely remember this game. I think that is worse than me saying "It is a bad game".

 

[Theldaran]

One may like PoE, that doesn't imply it's a really good game, or even that it delivers what it promised, which by the way, is a tremendous fail. One may think that by 2015, a 1998 game could be expanded upon and surpassed. But hey. Putting Sawyer at the steering wheel, this comes as no surprise. That IWD2 is probably the weakest IE game, especially in design terms, can't be a coincidence.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Why the "probably"? It's not even up to debate.

 

[Theldaran]

It's in case there's some 3ED fanboy. 3ED rules are mostly done right, but playing the game is as smooth as walking in a swamp. If you have to kill some 1000 foes to complete a game, something is wrong. Especially if most foes belong to a trash mob with zero impact and uniqueness.

As an example of poor design -in Shaengarne bridge, you encounter gargoyles, next to wererats, spiders, snakes, verbeegs... why? Because, why not.

 

[Roguey]

One may think that by 2015, a 1998 game could be expanded upon and surpassed.

It was, see my post about it.

As an example of poor design -in Shaengarne bridge, you encounter gargoyles, next to wererats, spiders, snakes, verbeegs... why? Because, why not.

Did you even pay attention to the story at all?

 

[Theldaran]

Did you even pay attention to the story at all?

Did you pay attention to the awful mix of enemies? I wrote it down.

I know about the Legion of the Chimaera, but some monsters seem to have been selected because the challenge rating fits, and because, why not.

And even if the monsters made sense, the game would still be a festering pile of boring combat. I think it's even more extreme than Diablo... but given that Diablo 1 and 2 were great hits, I think that's exactly what they were aiming for. But, the IE engine isn't an action RPG engine, exactly.

 

[Roguey]

Did you pay attention to the awful mix of enemies? I wrote it down.

I know about the Legion of the Chimaera, but some monsters seem to have been selected because the challenge rating fits, and because, why not.

And it's justified by the story.

 

[Theldaran]

Fine.

 

[Brancaleone]

Did you pay attention to the awful mix of enemies? I wrote it down.

I know about the Legion of the Chimaera, but some monsters seem to have been selected because the challenge rating fits, and because, why not.

And it's justified by the story.

The supreme Lord of Evil decides to unify all evil creatures under his Evil Banner, and it's left to you and your party to try and oppose him." So now you have to face an encounter made up of an evil squirrel, an evil lich, an evil gnoll, an evil ooze, and an evil sword spider, and such encounter is in no way an example of shitty design, because it is Justified by the Story.

You really are crap at trying to cast "Immunity to Criticism" on every single bit of Sawyery drivel.

 

[Theldaran]

Quoting of join date in 3, 2, 1...

 

[Joni Odin von Hassenstein]

Location:

 

[Brancaleone]

Quoting of join date

Which would still be a stronger argument than "it is justified by the story", that's for sure.

 

[Roguey]

The supreme Lord of Evil decides to unify all evil creatures under his Evil Banner, and it's left to you and your party to try and oppose him." So now you have to face an encounter made up of an evil squirrel, an evil lich, an evil gnoll, an evil ooze, and an evil sword spider, and such encounter is in no way an example of shitty design, because it is Justified by the Story.

There is absolutely nothing wrong this, yes.

 

[jaydee2k]

Version 3.04 is definetly a solid 8/10. It was the warmup though.
Pillars 2 will shine

 

[PulsatingBrain]

I was wondering if anyone could help me with something. When Kolsc asks you to storm Raedric's castle and take him out (Lord of a Barren Land quest), Kolsc says that something needs to be done quickly. Is the quest actually time sensitive? Like, is there actually an in-game amount of days after which the quest is failed?

Please no spoilers apart from this minor detail

 

[FreeKaner]

I was wondering if anyone could help me with something. When Kolsc asks you to storm Raedric's castle and take him out (Lord of a Barren Land quest), Kolsc says that something needs to be done quickly. Is the quest actually time sensitive? Like, is there actually an in-game amount of days after which the quest is failed?

Please no spoilers apart from this minor detail

If you go to defiance bay before doing it you can't do it anymore. You can fuck around in other places though there is no time limit for that.

 

[Hyperion]

Before starting Act 2.

 

[PulsatingBrain]

If you go to defiance bay before doing it you can't do it anymore. You can fuck around in other places though there is no time limit for that.

Thank you very much!

 

[Shadenuat]

Lowered my score to 6/10. POE is a game that, unlike classic RPGs, becomes worse the more you play it and try to like it. Because main gameplay - combat, - is still just irredeemable shit. The pathfinding, the dumb AOO system, the disparity between actions and speeds (for example running to a monster to make flank attack gives him time to make 3 ranged attacks), no decent command system, overly flashy animations, classes and abilities that just don't feel fun or give you no feeling of real impact in combat, trash mobs, boring loot, ecetera ecetera.

It should have been turn based game, you can't make rtwp game with this design.

It is just a very uncomfortable game to play.

 

[Lhynn]

Poll is shit, fanboys will put a 7-8-9-10 and nonfanboys will just go to the obvious J_C is a cuck. theres no way these results count.

 

[Barnabas]

The numbers are in. PoE is a masterpiece and that's something you're gonna have to deal with. I'm a safe person to talk to about your discontents, pm me anytime.
-the One

BTW Lyhnn fan boys only vote 9 so as not to appear to be FAN boys by votin 10. Wake up

 

[eggdogg]

I have tried many times to get into PoE to no avail. Its like the Piano Man or Mr Bojangles of RPGs. It seems like a classic, lots of people love it but as soon as it starts I change the station.

 

[Harry Easter]

Pre 3.05: 7-8

With Patch 3.05 and the White March: 9 (more of an 8.7, but meh).

I like the world and the companions, at least those I consider the core (Edér, Aloth, Pallegina, Sagani, Durance and maybe Grieving Mother). The world is more down to earth and calmer, than the loud and aggressive world of Faerun (where every bandit got +2 swords after a while).

BG2 is a loud and horny teeanger on coke, that fires five ideas in less than ten seconds, without thinking about consistency or even a real mainplot. But you don't care, 'cause the little stories it tells, are pulpy, creative fun.

PoE is more mature and tells at it's core a deeper story, but it loses steam in the middle of the game (which sadly is the biggest part) and you can see, that they had to rewrite stuff and then no time to re-programme it (see the End of Durances Quest). And it's final Bossfight is just lame. The first and third act are still good though and White March shows that there is still a lot of potential for the world and it's themes.

Pillars 1 is that, what BG1 was for BG2: it's rough and they still tried things out, but in it's current state it is already better than BG1 or even IWD1 and 2. I grew fond of it and enjoy my third playthrough, but if PoE2 realises its potential, I will forget it fast, I guess :D.

 

[ArchAngel]

Pre 3.05: 7-8

With Patch 3.05 and the White March: 9 (more of an 8.7, but meh).

I like the world and the companions, at least those I consider the core (Edér, Aloth, Pallegina, Sagani, Durance and maybe Grieving Mother). The world is more down to earth and calmer, than the loud and aggressive world of Faerun (where every bandit got +2 swords after a while).

BG2 is a loud and horny teeanger on coke, that fires five ideas in less than ten seconds, without thinking about consistency or even a real mainplot. But you don't care, 'cause the little stories it tells, are pulpy, creative fun.

PoE is more mature and tells at it's core a deeper story, but it loses steam in the middle of the game (which sadly is the biggest part) and you can see, that they had to rewrite stuff and then no time to re-programme it (see the End of Durances Quest). And it's final Bossfight is just lame. The first and third act are still good though and White March shows that there is still a lot of potential for the world and it's themes.

Pillars 1 is that, what BG1 was for BG2: it's rough and they still tried things out, but in it's current state it is already better than BG1 or even IWD1 and 2. I grew fond of it and enjoy my third playthrough, but if PoE2 realises its potential, I will forget it fast, I guess :D.

I agree about Bg2, they went overboard with magic items and crazy bandits and shit. That shit does not represent Faerun or how PnP D&D plays. It is just how Bioware was able to create BG2 in less than 5 years (it would take that long to create content that makes sense and challenges players at same time).
It is also one of the reasons why I replay BG1 every few years and not BG2.

 

[Harry Easter]

I agree about Bg2, they went overboard with magic items and crazy bandits and shit. That shit does not represent Faerun or how PnP D&D plays. It is just how Bioware was able to create BG2 in less than 5 years (it would take that long to create content that makes sense and challenges players at same time).
It is also one of the reasons why I replay BG1 every few years and not BG2.

The funny thing is, I consider this as the FUN Part of BG2. Without it, it would feel like another medieval world. And I didn't write that the world of Pillars is BETTER, just more down to earth. I would say, that you could live in the world of Pillars, while Faerun is better for ADVENTURING (every week a new Apocalypse and you get a coupon for every dead Beholder). Works both for me. Gives me more to chose. On the other hand: Baldurs Gate in BG1 does work too, as a town to live in, so there's that. Everything seems to be possible in the Realms.