A little update after the new EA version.
1. Companions
The companions are now much less cumbersome. They don't get in the way anymore, or at least they get "transparent" and move out of the way without interrupting you when you're moving around.
There are also 3 simple interactions, visible with the icons under their portrait:
- the left icon is to make them stop moving, "stay put"
- the 2nd icon is to make them move to a specific spot
- the right icon is to open the inventory and make them interact with objects (food, medication, and so on)
The inventory is shared, which is much easier and also distributes the total weight between everyone's strength, like in Pathfinder. That avoids a lot of micro-managing.
By the way, the 3rd guy is Crump and he doesn't have a hamster :lol:
2. Stealth
Stealth was criticized a lot in the earlier versions, it's been improved and is functional now. Depending on the stealth ability and other factors, a white and red circles represent the thresholds for any NPC. You can't enter stealth while in the white circle, and you may be detected while in the red.
Here I pickpocketed Adolf Smith, a very meticulous guard. Hence the increased circles and the icon above his head, he realized he's been lifted and is walking around checking corners to find who did it. It's quite funny to watch
My guy is in the other room with a mask icon above the head (stealth mode).
It's a bit simplified, like in D:OS2, if I quit stealth mode and he sees me, he will immediately know I did it and confront me (or report it to another authority if he's a coward).
From there, you can either ask for forgiveness (limited offers), fight or try to impress the accusing NPC.
After a few times, it will get you into jail - or if you fight, you may end up dead.
3. Jail
Once in jail, you can wait a few days before being released, in which case you are fed every day. Don't forget to retrieve your confiscated items like weapons and … lockpicks. Or you can try to pick the lock and escape, which of course only makes it worse if you get caught.
Here I did just that and remained in stealth mode, my character is well advanced in criminal abilities so he can pick lock without specific items and is not easily detected. The guard is looking everywhere for me, and he's quite pissed
I can close the jail door, but unfortunately I can't lock it, shame (it worked in the previous version but it was buggy, because not meant to be in the first place).
Note that I'm in the red zone but he doesn't see me, so apparently there's more to that.
No news yet on when the final release is planned. There are still bugs to solve, but at least this reassured me on a few issues.