[Another Poll] Let's gauge excitement levels for PoE's release

[Hiisi]

I was worried about the soundtrack when the composer spent his update talking about technical minutiae that other games get wrong from an audio engineer's perspective, with hardly a word about his ideas for the actual music. It came true, he pretty much Sawyered the soundtrack.

Yes, it's nice that you've optimized the dynamic range and such, but that doesn't really help if the music itself sounds like someone painfully bored torturing random chords out of a keyboard.

Anyway, that's how the whole game seems to me at this point. Fighting a lot of beetles and kobolds and other soulless stuff with (apparently) exquisite balance. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[imweasel]

They should have called up Michael Hoenig to do the music. Justin Bell is an excellent sound designer but a lousy composer as it seems (sorry Justin).

Anyway, I am not excited about the game (the Sawyer-Faggotry really turns me off), but I'll still play it. That is in crass contrast to my feelings when the game was on Kickstarter, I had such a massive boner back then I could have stabbed holes into bunker cement.

 

[Zed]

I agree that music is hugely important.

I agree that the music I've heard so far has been unexciting. I wouldn't call it bad, but it's definitely bland.

Larian's Kirill Pokrovsky is a great in-house composer, but it feels like the D:OS soundtrack wasn't very tailor-fitted for the game, nor was it very well-edited into the game (probably because he was sick around that time). But he's a good example of someone with a distinct style, who dares to create strong melodies and who isn't afraid of "overpowering" the game with music.

Another good example is Jon Everist. He made the Dragonfall soundtrack. He followed the japanese school of "character themes."
This is a good read: http://harebrained-schemes.com/blog...agonfall-directors-cut-dev-diary-2-new-music/

 

[Gremius]

Another good example is Jon Everist. He made the Dragonfall soundtrack.

I'm playing Dragonfall right now and I'm really pleased with his work.

And even this hillarious (ina good way) track is much better and more memorable than anything I heard in PoE.

 

[tuluse]

Voted definitely excited. Somewhat enthused might be more accurate. I don't know, between those two.

I've never actually taken time off from work for a video game though.

 

[Apexeon]

I am waiting to see the maps/PDF art (was a art wino backer level).
Gameplay wise for me personally its meh from what I have seen on youtube.

 

[Nihiliste]

I voted somewhat enthused a couple weeks ago and intellectually that's true but the truth is, regardless of how many design decisions that I disagree with my inner teenager can't help but be excited for this game. It may not be as close to the IE games in key ways as I would have liked, but its still by far the closest thing we've gotten since IWD2.

 

[undecaf]

I'm on the same boat with Tuluse on this one. Somewhere between Definitely excited and somewhat enthused.

I was pumped at first, but that feeling has steadily been withering away. Pledged good money for this (probably more than I should've in hindsight), so there is and needs to be a certain level of interest.

 

[Perkel]

this thread reads as that MW2 boycot.
Most of people already have hand in their pants waiting for PoE but this is 'dex and to much excitement might ruin your 'dex reputation

pumped here even if this is RTwP shit

 

[Bleed the Man]

I'm definetly counting the days until it's out with my dick hard as a rock. A Baldur's Gate style game with Black Isle writing and quest design has been always one of my dream projects, and this is as close as it gets.

 

[MicoSelva]

Option #3 for me.
I would be more excited if I believed the game will be playable at launch, but I predict at least three months of patching needed to iron out the quirks, etc. This is how it usually works with the more complex modern titles, kickstarted or not.

 

[Trodat]

I don't know anymore. I'm still about the combat, class progression etc. I'm sure PoE will deliver "Whoa didn't expect that!" - moments.

 

[prodigydancer]

This is how it usually works with the more complex modern titles, kickstarted or not.

Indeed. With oldskool titles it took a year of community patching to fix just the gamebreaking stuff.

 

[Zombra]

I'm definitely excited, just due to Obsidian's track record for good writing. I'm not too concerned about mechanics because watching little guys hit little beetles in real-time doesn't seem too thrilling to me in any case - I always found IE combat pretty dull - but I'm interested to see how the Sawyer method works out. If it works out well, great; if not, no big deal, I just want to see the story really.

Oh, and no combat xp has me very excited. Looking forward to avoiding lots of combat and not getting screwed over for it.

 

[Ellef]

I'd be genuinely excited if the combat wasn't a complete mess.

I'm not even talking about the gutted spellcasting and genuine lack of encounter complexity, but the units sprinting into a Rugby Union scrum wearing cloaks of displacement makes it too much of a chore.

If they fix that I'll be definitely excited, and can somewhat understand that content complexity will come later.

 

[Lord Carlos Wafflebum]

I'd be genuinely excited if the combat wasn't a complete mess.

I'm not even talking about the gutted spellcasting and genuine lack of encounter complexity, but the units sprinting into a Rugby Union scrum wearing cloaks of displacement makes it too much of a chore.

If they fix that I'll be definitely excited, and can somewhat understand that content complexity will come later.

Maybe it's because I'm American, and America is #1, but your rugby reference is lost on me. People at this point that are butthurt over combat are butthurt because they want to be butthurt. Combat isn't as bad as it used to be. I don't have issues following what's happening in combat anymore.

 

[Blackguard]

Combat is definitely lot better than it was few months back. Main thing that will make, or break, this game for me now is the writing and area design.

 

[Ellef]

I'd be genuinely excited if the combat wasn't a complete mess.

I'm not even talking about the gutted spellcasting and genuine lack of encounter complexity, but the units sprinting into a Rugby Union scrum wearing cloaks of displacement makes it too much of a chore.

If they fix that I'll be definitely excited, and can somewhat understand that content complexity will come later.

Maybe it's because I'm American, and America is #1, but your rugby reference is lost on me. People at this point that are butthurt over combat are butthurt because they want to be butthurt. Combat isn't as bad as it used to be. I don't have issues following what's happening in combat anymore.

Well they do the same thing in NFL. Think of when two NFL lines just collide into each other to make one big indiscernible pile. Or google images.

 

[Weirdstuffinspace]

not excited. game will be a constant dissapointment because it will look the part, but play like shit.

 

[Lord Carlos Wafflebum]

I'd be genuinely excited if the combat wasn't a complete mess.

I'm not even talking about the gutted spellcasting and genuine lack of encounter complexity, but the units sprinting into a Rugby Union scrum wearing cloaks of displacement makes it too much of a chore.

If they fix that I'll be definitely excited, and can somewhat understand that content complexity will come later.

Maybe it's because I'm American, and America is #1, but your rugby reference is lost on me. People at this point that are butthurt over combat are butthurt because they want to be butthurt. Combat isn't as bad as it used to be. I don't have issues following what's happening in combat anymore.

Well they do the same thing in NFL. Think of when two NFL lines just collide into each other to make one big indiscernible pile. Or google images.

Ah, I understand now. I don't think that's really the case anymore. I don't get the dogpile clusterfucks anymore (unles I play on hard, but that's more to do with having way too many enemies at once), but the biggest frustration is managing how engagement shakes out at the beginning of the battle. If you can get the right party members to be engaged by the ideal enemies the combat can actually be quite fun. If the engagement doesn't shake out well, things are going to get stupid.

 

[prodigydancer]

I picked "genuinely excited". Combat looks better than in early beta. Some classes (Ranger, Wizard) could use a revamp but there's no time for that - well, I can live with it. If the story and writing aren't total rubbish, GOTY. (Yeah, I'm very easy to please.)

 

[Correct_Carlo]

Definitely I'm going to be let down by music. Yeah, you can call me a music-fag (in terms of music I like more japanese approach, even if I don't like their games). Music for me is like 60% of game atmosphere. And Bell created music in vein of modern AAA-games. You just don't care about it. It's just a shitty ambient-ish background (or rapist to your ears, like that battle theme from beta) without melody or any feelings in it.

Yeah, I couldn't agree more. There was a thread where everyone trashed PoE's music and then Justin Bell came in and posted this:

He thinks it's okay that only 30% backers like his music, he thinks it's a solid success.

This is a pretty clear eyed and realistic assessment, so I think it's great to hear a developer voice it.

Music is pretty subjective.

And a very large chunk of people (myself included) play RPGs as an excuse to listen to their own music. Seriously, I couldn't make it through some of the longer, more grindy, RPGs without providing my own soundtrack.

 

[Weirdstuffinspace]

Ow please. It's just bland shit. Audio Designer fits the bill here perfectly, compared to composer of awesome such as kirril from larian would be named.

Most people will dislike my music anyway, what a fucking tool .

 

[Bester]

Definitely I'm going to be let down by music. Yeah, you can call me a music-fag (in terms of music I like more japanese approach, even if I don't like their games). Music for me is like 60% of game atmosphere. And Bell created music in vein of modern AAA-games. You just don't care about it. It's just a shitty ambient-ish background (or rapist to your ears, like that battle theme from beta) without melody or any feelings in it.

Yeah, I couldn't agree more. There was a thread where everyone trashed PoE's music and then Justin Bell came in and posted this:

He thinks it's okay that only 30% backers like his music, he thinks it's a solid success.

This is a pretty clear eyed and realistic assessment, so I think it's great to hear a developer voice it.

Music is pretty subjective.

And a very large chunk of people (myself included) play RPGs as an excuse to listen to their own music. Seriously, I couldn't make it through some of the longer, more grindy, RPGs without providing my own soundtrack.

You quoted a message from half a year ago. Since then, music got significantly better.

 

[Mazisky]

U can hear 4 different combat tracks:

Track n.1 - Pax south video, Raedric's Hold area
Track n.2 - Pax east video, Ruins dungeon area
Track n.3 - Pax east video, Warchief forest fight
Track n.4 - Roguelike video, mono-tanking Ogre and bears

They are all pretty nice, really. I think Justin did an awesome job

Most of the complains were related to the first beta builds where the overall sound was absolutely incomplete and bugged