Pillars of Eternity - Beta Build 435 Released

[bjon045]

Insects are often pound for pound the most powerful of creatures. It's nice for a change for them to be fairly represented.

I'd say the game has come along massively. It still needs more polish but I think it a very solid foundation for what comes next.

 

[Archangel]

How much better is the game now, compared to 4-5 months ago?

Few months ago it was at about 25% of what is needed, now it is at 65%. By release it might get to 75%. It will still lack so many basic stuff that you could find in IE games (like being able to retreat from combat).

With expansion it might get closer to 100%, my prediction it will get to 85 or 90%. Probably only in PoE2 we can expect it to get to 100% or even do things better than IE games.

 

[DArtagnan]

Few months ago it was at about 25% of what is needed, now it is at 65%. By release it might get to 75%. It will still lack so many basic stuff that you could find in IE games (like being able to retreat from combat).

Ok, thanks for feedback.

I wasn't impressed with the version I saw. It seems like a typical Obsidian half-crappy half-good game.

But I love the style, so I'll definitely buy it upon release. I'm just trying to balance my expectations

 

[bjon045]

Dart, are you talking the Jan twitch stream? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfz0hu8Zjqg

I thought that it showed quite well just how much the game has improved from a few months ago. It's improved a bit more since then - personally it runs silky smooth for me now. I have only played around in the first 2 zones though.

 

[DArtagnan]

Dart, are you talking the Jan twitch stream? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfz0hu8Zjqg

I thought that it showed quite well just how much the game has improved from a few months ago. It's improved a bit more since then - personally it runs silky smooth for me now. I have only played around in the first 2 zones though.

No, I got my hands on a version a few months ago (v235 or something) - as I was curious - and it seemed to be very undercooked. The classes, in particular, seemed to lack a lot of interesting development options - and their avatars blended into the environment, and they became hard to see. The combat was unwieldy for such a fast-paced system - and so on.

I believe it was right before they announced they would postpone the release again, so I was kinda worried.

 

[azarhal]

Ok, thanks for feedback.

DArtagnan, just so you know, Archangel doesn't have access to the beta and he never played it. He base everything he says on what he reads on the Codex and on the official beta forum.

Going by your other comment of playing a beta build before the time extension, that was a long time ago. It went a long way since in just the last 2 builds. Avatars don't blend anymore. There are a lot more generic and class talents to pick from since a few builds back. Combat was polished a lot: idle and recovery have different animation (used to be a pain to differentiate these), you can queue actions, party members are more responsive, balance is much better (still need some polish and bug fixing though).

There are a couple of design limitation caused by lack of time though (like group stealth), some might get patched after release or improved in the expansion.

 

[DArtagnan]

DArtagnan, just so you know, Archangel doesn't have access to the beta and he never played it. He base everything he says on what he reads on the Codex and on the official beta forum.

Going by your other comment of playing a beta build before the time extension, that was a long time ago. It went a long way since in just the last 2 builds. Avatars don't blend anymore. There are a lot more generic and class talents to pick from since a few builds back. Combat was polished a lot: idle and recovery have different animation (used to be a pain to differentiate these), you can queue actions, party members are more responsive, balance is much better (still need some polish and bug fixing though).

There are a couple of design limitation caused by lack of time though (like group stealth), some might get patched after release or improved in the expansion.

Sounds great, thanks

 

[Archangel]

DArtagnan, just so you know, Archangel doesn't have access to the beta and he never played it. He base everything he says on what he reads on the Codex and on the official beta forum.

Going by your other comment of playing a beta build before the time extension, that was a long time ago. It went a long way since in just the last 2 builds. Avatars don't blend anymore. There are a lot more generic and class talents to pick from since a few builds back. Combat was polished a lot: idle and recovery have different animation (used to be a pain to differentiate these), you can queue actions, party members are more responsive, balance is much better (still need some polish and bug fixing though).

There are a couple of design limitation caused by lack of time though (like group stealth), some might get patched after release or improved in the expansion.

While it is true I don't have beta, I also base it on all images and videos that show up.

And all you wrote still does not change the fact at release PoE will not have many basic features IE games had and that were expected (multiple ammo types, dropping items on floor and so on).

 

[Maylander]

My main issue right now is that combat still feels a bit.. off. The rest is fine, and it looks really good. I just can't wrap my head around the combat feeling though, as if it lacks a bit of "umph!".. tho perhaps it's just the low level abilities? In IE games, abilities and spells have a very distinct look and feel, in PoE it's still a bit bland.

That could be something they tweak in the final few builds though, or perhaps something that improves with high level abilities/spells.

 

[azarhal]

My main issue right now is that combat still feels a bit.. off. The rest is fine, and it looks really good. I just can't wrap my head around the combat feeling though, as if it lacks a bit of "umph!".. tho perhaps it's just the low level abilities? In IE games, abilities and spells have a very distinct look and feel, in PoE it's still a bit bland.

That could be something they tweak in the final few builds though, or perhaps something that improves with high level abilities/spells.

Play a Druid, they got the most polished spell effects in the game.

 

[blackcanopus]

Non-violent solutions will not be dependent on class but on your stats and reputation.

But classes will depend on the attributes to function properly.
Intellect and Resolve are the primary attributes that govern dialog and non-violent solutions. Problem is, they work best with mage-type classes and AoE skills. We can create a rogue with high intellect/resolve, but it will not function as you would expect. A rogue is expected to be a high-damage, single-target killing machine.

I think I may have to pick Cipher, that is the only mage-like class that I find interesting. I haven't played the game and I don't know if cipher is a good class or not. Nothing can replace a rogue for me, though.

 

[GothicGothicness]

Dart, are you talking the Jan twitch stream? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfz0hu8Zjqg

I thought that it showed quite well just how much the game has improved from a few months ago. It's improved a bit more since then - personally it runs silky smooth for me now. I have only played around in the first 2 zones though.

It looks much improved now from before, might be worth a look after all!

 

[azarhal]

But classes will depend on the attributes to function properly.
Intellect and Resolve are the primary attributes that govern dialog and non-violent solutions. Problem is, they work best with mage-type classes and AoE skills. We can create a rogue with high intellect/resolve, but it will not function as you would expect. A rogue is expected to be a high-damage, single-target killing machine.

I think I may have to pick Cipher, that is the only mage-like class that I find interesting. I haven't played the game and I don't know if cipher is a good class or not. Nothing can replace a rogue for me, though.

I haven't seen anything that suggest Intellect and Resolve are the best for non-violent resolution. Skills also matters, for example, there is a non-violent resolution that is a Survival check in the BB.

 

[Morrandir]

But classes will depend on the attributes to function properly.
Intellect and Resolve are the primary attributes that govern dialog and non-violent solutions. Problem is, they work best with mage-type classes and AoE skills. We can create a rogue with high intellect/resolve, but it will not function as you would expect. A rogue is expected to be a high-damage, single-target killing machine.

I think I may have to pick Cipher, that is the only mage-like class that I find interesting. I haven't played the game and I don't know if cipher is a good class or not. Nothing can replace a rogue for me, though.

Is it confirmed for the dialog options to depend on the main char alone? Out may your companions possibly take part as well (like it has been done in the NWN2 Storm of Zehyr expansion)?

 

[azarhal]

Is it confirmed for the dialog options to depend on the main char alone?

It is confirmed that the skills/stats check in dialog are against the main character only.

There are scripted events that allow you to select who perform the action though and it is the selected character skills/stats that get checked in those cases.

 

[Morrandir]

Thanks!

 

[Thrasher]

My main issue right now is that combat still feels a bit.. off. The rest is fine, and it looks really good. I just can't wrap my head around the combat feeling though, as if it lacks a bit of "umph!".. tho perhaps it's just the low level abilities? In IE games, abilities and spells have a very distinct look and feel, in PoE it's still a bit bland.

That could be something they tweak in the final few builds though, or perhaps something that improves with high level abilities/spells.

Lots of people complained about NWN 2 being too flashy. And DA:I is too flashy, too. In both cases the effects were so much that you couldn't see or control things at times. It seems they erred on the side of caution, though a little more color would be ok.

 

[lostforever]

Lots of people complained about NWN 2 being too flashy. And DA:I is too flashy, too. In both cases the effects were so much that you couldn't see or control things at times. It seems they erred on the side of caution, though a little more color would be ok.

To me,

Flash == bling, bling and the like seen in DAI.

umph == the weight of the combat. You can feel as though you are hitting someone and being hit on by someone one. Its really the animation. Have a look at a game called TERA, when a big monster hit, you will "feel" as though you are one taking the damage and you can feel the pain of the attack. TERA isn't flashy at all but they cleverly use animation to have that umph in the combat.

 

[Thrasher]

Meh, I don't really care about animation unless it part and parcel with gameplay (like the Batman games). It can be a putoff if it's too goofy, like too much handwaving as in Risen.

Maylander said the spells look dull. Flashiness is the same aspect in my mind, not umph. Non-dull spells can get in the way of gameplay. Non-umphy animations for this realtime with pause gameplay don't. Just saying…

 

[blackcanopus]

Is it confirmed for the dialog options to depend on the main char alone? Out may your companions possibly take part as well (like it has been done in the NWN2 Storm of Zehyr expansion)?

I don't know, but I think the companions do not engage in conversations (I'm not sure).
It would help a lot if companions would contribute to conversations, because considering what azarhal said, we are going to miss a lot of non-violent options if they don't.

==EDIT==
Sorry, didn't see azarhal's post.

Anyway, I think intellect and resolve are the most useful non-violent attributes, so I'm picking a class that works best with them.