Anthony Davis Pillars of Eternity FULL GAME Impressions [UNMARKED SPOILERS]

[Anthony Davis]

What was the most interesting combat scenario you encountered so far? You can describe it without spoiling the context.

There are mushroom colonies that were a bit chaotic and fun. The little mushroom people are super fast and swarm the party while the larger stationary mushrooms inflict range damage and status effects.

The final boss fight versus a certain ruler in a throne room was challenging.

I had a fight versus 6 forest trolls. I didn't even had 6 party members for that fight! There was some scrambling for that fight - mostly from Durance who was trying to heal the melee guys while keeping his distance from a troll that the melee couldn't pick up.


Most fights are memorable though because it is the culmination of a quest or story line. I'm sure there are better and more memorable fights.

 

[Kane]

(Although yes, I do need to scroll to the side to see the full post/article occasionally.)

I don't have patience for that.

 

[Anthony Davis]

She's really light, you could probably squat her no problem.


You sure there's no secret Rat Diplomacy method of getting around this?

Not that I could find.

 

[sser]

Does the game elicit a feeling of exploration, progression, etc.? Like does it feel like you are on an adventure. I want the full fledged BDSMRPG experience - being a band of misfits at the start, but slowly building up to a contingent of badasses.


Posted from my butt with Crapatalk.

 

[Anthony Davis]

Have you played the backer beta, and if so, how would you compare it to the full game in simple terms of having fun?



Me too. Do you agree or disagree with Sawyer's balance mantra?


What's the purpose of the Stronghold? Does it feel like adds anything to the game?


I can still boot up BG2 and lose myself in it, almost like a game of Civilization at its peak. Except, instead of "one more turn", it's "gotta finish this dungeon." Did you ever experience this in PoE?

I agree with it more than I disagree with it.

For example, I love Arcanum, however I think we can agree that it is not a balanced game. It almost borders on ludicrous. An ogre can run all the way across the screen and hit me with 3 melee attacks in the ~same amount of AP that it takes for me to pull the trigger of my automatic rifle 2... maybe 3 times... for less damage than the melee attack. Don't even get me started on magic in Arcanum. Not trying to bash Arcanum or move the conversation to it, this is just an example or a game with practically non-existent balance.

I think balance has it's place. One of the downsides of balance is that sometimes you sacrifice variety. In my opinion, THAT is the struggle, between balance and variety.


I definitely lost track of time a bit - but when you have a daughter it is hard to completely lose yourself in a game unless you are playing in the wee hours.

 

[Anthony Davis]

Does the game elicit a feeling of exploration, progression, etc.? Like does it feel like you are on an adventure. I want the full fledged BDSMRPG experience - being a band of misfits at the start, but slowly building up to a contingent of badasses.


Posted from my butt with Crapatalk.

There are definite rewards for exploration. That is one of the thee tenets they have on their dryboard in the PoE area.

There are bloody notes and scraps of paper, long dead adventures, crafting components, secret, etc to find. There is item progression and character progression.

I don't know what BDSMRPG stands for. Bondage Domination Sado Maso RPG?

 

[sser]

You hurt me, but then I hurt you. BDSMRPG.

I don't know I just came up with that. Let my sexual deviancy slide.


Posted from my slut with Tapatalk.

 

[Invictus]

I also always browse the Codex on my Phone, at the bank, on a taxi, it s the best way to get entertained on the move
Anthony sounds like the game might last around 60 80 hours on a first playthough with the side content, which is pretty much the sweet spot for a game to me so that is great news
I really hope they get the combat sorted out, and I really look forward for the shitstorm that Torment will cause when they use the same game engine but with TB instead of RT

 

[Anthony Davis]

You hurt me, but then I hurt you. BDSMRPG.

I don't know I just came up with that. Let my sexual deviancy slide.


Posted from my slut with Tapatalk.

I got hurt, if by getting hurt you mean, "I'm ded" reload.

obviously subjective though, I don't pretend to be the most amazing player - except with lundb's mom.

 

[Crooked Bee]

For example, I love Arcanum, however I think we can agree that it is not a balanced game. It almost borders on ludicrous. An ogre can run all the way across the screen and hit me with 3 melee attacks in the ~same amount of AP that it takes for me to pull the trigger of my automatic rifle 2... maybe 3 times... for less damage than the melee attack. Don't even get me started on magic in Arcanum. Not trying to bash Arcanum or move the conversation to it, this is just an example or a game with practically non-existent balance.

I think balance has it's place. One of the downsides of balance is that sometimes you sacrifice variety. In my opinion, THAT is the struggle, between balance and variety.

What would you say to those who think PoE goes too much in the opposite direction - i.e. that Sawyer's design goal is to make the game too balanced, so that everyone who is at least somewhat competent can feel him/herself to be the winner? After all, BG1 did have its share of "hard counters" (iirc - do correct me if I'm wrong), which Josh seems to abhor.

 

[sser]

I got hurt, if by getting hurt you mean, "I'm ded" reload.

obviously subjective though, I don't pretend to be the most amazing player - except with lundb's mom.

What I like to see in an RPG, or most games in general, is the feeling that you are a nobody at the start, but through both player skill and character development you are far more competent by the game's end. I know some people think oh that's just the definition of an RPG but a lot of games screw it up. Like Skyrim, for example. Five minutes into the game you're running from a dragon that is destroying a town singlehandedly. Twenty minutes later you are killing a dragon with hardly anything more than prisoner rags and whatever weapon you've picked up. Narrative fracturing aside, there's very little feeling of accomplishment. While not a big fan of BG2, I liked that when you first meet the red dragon he basically warns you that he will kick your ass. And he's pretty much a dragon of his word by that point in the game. That's cool. It's cool to have big monsters that thrash a party, so it feels like you've done something when you come back and put it on them. It's the feeling that, in this world, you are just one piece of many. When you come across something that is explicitly far more powerful than your party, it adds to the immersion. Being the guy who roflstomps every single creature he runs into feels more like a formality into godhood. I want dat struggle, baby.

 

[Gremius]

Anthony, can you hum/whistle any of the in-game music tracks (other than annoying battle theme presented in beta)?
Is the soundtrack memorable like the ones in BG1/2 (still, after few years after playing those two, I have many of those tracks in my head and I can hum/whistle it).

Is battle theme changing depending on area where you currently are (just like BG series which has many of them)?

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

Anthony, can you hum/whistle any of the in-game music tracks (other than annoying battle theme presented in beta)?

 

[Anthony Davis]

What would you say to those who think PoE goes too much in the opposite direction - i.e. that Sawyer's design goal is to make the game too balanced, so that everyone who is at least somewhat competent can feel him/herself to be the winner? After all, BG1 did have its share of "hard counters" (iirc - do correct me if I'm wrong), which Josh seems to abhor.

I *think* Josh's goal is for every class to feel viable but different. His goal is *not* for every class to do the same thing.

Is the game too balanced? Hard for me to say... what would a game that is too balanced look like? Can you give me an example of a game or a mechanic that is too balanced?


So far, I've only played the ranger and the rogue. The rogue is primarily a damage dealer. My rogue seems to do that very well. He also can handle the sneakier job requirements.

My first playthrough with the ranger, I had my struggles with the damage side(till I got him an arquebus), but my bear could tank quite well usually. Rangers have been overhauled though since I last played them - so I'm not sure where they're at.

Some classes can do several things decently, for example Fighters can be heavy alpha damage hitters, tanks, or dps machines - or some combination. For example, in my party Edir carriers a polearm in one weapon set and a sword and board in the other for when things get rough. Kana on the other hand, is big and beefy and has my best armor and trinkets - he also wields "Justice", a magic 2-hander and he has no second weapon set that I use. While Kana gets hurt more easily than Edir, the two of them can hold off a ton of dudes.

Hard counters are one of the things I agree with Josh about, I wasn't a fan of hard counters either. There were some hard-ish counters I enjoyed, like Turn Undead, and it is in the game.

 

[Infinitron]

Is the game too balanced? Hard for me to say... what would a game that is too balanced look like? Can you give me an example of a game or a mechanic that is too balanced?

Well, try answering this question from a poster who thinks PoE is a "disaster":

Can someone confirm if the Level 5 Sleep spell in PoE (level 1 in the IE games) still has a duration of 10 seconds? http://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Call_to_Slumber

Note: You would have to be around level 9 or 10 and near the end of the game to have access to this spell in PoE. Whereas in the IE games, you could get it straight away by selecting it at character creation if you had a mage as your player character. And in the IE games, Sleep lasted 5 rounds per level of the caster. So at level 1, Sleep lasted for 30 seconds. And this is at the start of the game, not the end of the game in PoE.

So in PoE, you cast Call to Slumber and if you Wizard is wearing armour, the enemy might wake up before you cast another spell? Depending on your Resolve and duration of the spell of course. But 10 seconds as the default sounds really short. And the default is 6 seconds before you can cast again plus additional armour penalties which might bring it up to 9 seconds before you can respond?

 

[J_C]

Hard counters are one of the things I agree with Josh about, I wasn't a fan of hard counters either.

 

[Anthony Davis]

Well, try answering this question from a poster who thinks PoE is a "disaster":

That's not an example of a balanced mechanic to begin with - even in DnD. In DnD, sleep also affected what... level 0 through 1 only? I think in later versions you could empower it, but eventually it eventually became a useless spell, except for maybe RP purposes at the discretion of a human GM.

How is that a balance?

It's apples and oranges. We aren't making DnD.

 

[Anthony Davis]

That's not an example of a balanced mechanic to begin with - even in DnD. In DnD, sleep also affected what... level 0 through 1 only? I think in later versions you could empower it, but eventually it eventually became a useless spell, except for maybe RP purposes at the discretion of a human GM.

How is that a balance?

It's apples and oranges. We aren't making DnD.

Had to go look it up it's 2d8 hd of creatures, but nothing more than 4 hit dice creatures, and only a SINGLE 4 hd creature. If all the creatures are less than 4 hd, you roll 2d8 and that is the number of hd's you can put to sleep.

Regardless, it is a spell that eventually becomes useless.

 

[Infinitron]

That's not an example of a balanced mechanic to begin with - even in DnD. In DnD, sleep also affected what... level 0 through 1 only? I think in later versions you could empower it, but eventually it eventually became a useless spell, except for maybe RP purposes at the discretion of a human GM.

How is that a balance?

Who said it was a balance? I don't think Metal Hurlant cares much about balance.

The point, I think, is that Wizards seem like they're unable to do some trivial stuff until a very high level and even then for very short durations.

 

[Anthony Davis]

Who said it was a balance? I don't think Metal Hurlant cares much about balance.

The point, I think, is that Wizards seem like they're unable to do some trivial stuff until a very high level and even then for very short durations.

Crooked Bee asked if it was too balanced, I asked for an example of a game or a mechanic from a game that was too balanced because I could not imagine it.


This guy seems to think that putting a creature into a magical slumber is trivial because it was trivial in DnD.

We aren't making DnD.

 

[Hormalakh]

Fleeing mechanics are difficult and in some cases, impossible,

this is one of the biggest reasons that i don't like the current "combat state" and the engagement mechanic.

 

[Crooked Bee]

I *think* Josh's goal is for every class to feel viable but different. His goal is *not* for every class to do the same thing.

Well, what are your own impressions about that? Does every class really play differently enough, or do they favor pure damage-dealing above all else?

I cannot give you an example of a perfectly balanced RPG, because - according to how this is perceived on the Codex - Sawyer's is the first attempt at making each and every party composition equally viable. Just going by the common Codex criticisms here, not claiming this is really the case. Just curious about your own thoughts on this -- is making every party composition viable not taking it too far for you?

 

[Anthony Davis]

this is one of the biggest reasons that i don't like the current "combat state" and the engagement mechanic.

You couldn't flee very well (at all?) in the IE games either.

You can break engagement, but if a party member goes down in the fight, fleeing is pretty much out of the question as you will not be able to gather your party for map transition. This was not something I encountered a whole lot.

Some classes are GOOD at breaking engagement, like rogues, but if there isn't anyone else to pick up the engagement, they will get re-engaged.

 

[Anthony Davis]

Well, what are your own impressions about that? Does every class really play differently enough, or do they favor pure damage-dealing above all else?

I cannot give you an example of a perfectly balanced RPG, because - according to how this is perceived on the Codex - Sawyer's is the first attempt at making each and every party composition equally viable. Just going by the common Codex criticisms here, not claiming this is really the case. Just curious about your own thoughts on this -- is making every party composition viable not taking it too far for you?

Ranger, rogue, and paladin (the three that I have played as main characters) definitely play differently. The party members also play differently.

For example, you want Aloth and Durance to wear little to no armor so they can have faster cast speeds and reactions. This also means that they can get squished.

Rogues and Rangers have to tread a line between protection and speed.

Paladins, at least my paladin, was all about staying true to my order to get my bonuses, wearing heavy armor, and dealing burst damage with my 2hander.

 

[Athelas]

You couldn't flee very well (at all?) in the IE games either.

You could, there were no restrictions on leaving an area during combat.

You can break engagement, but if a party member goes down in the fight, fleeing is pretty much out of the question as you will not be able to gather your party for map transition.

You can't leave a map during combat at all. Or at least in the backer beta you can't. It's particularly odd since the stamina system offers the perfect solution - restore the enemies' stamina when you return to the area you fled during combat, just like the player characters' stamina is restored after ending battle.