Avowed (Elder Scrolls X Pillars Of Eternity)

[mdn2]

Not much interest in this? Granted it still seems a long way off, but an Elder Scrolls style game set in the PoE universe could be quite special. 

 

 

[footle]

I haven’t worked out where the elder scrolls comparisons are coming from. Is it just because it’s first person?

could as easily be instanced, small zones etc.

[mdn2]

3 minutes ago, footle said:

I haven’t worked out where the elder scrolls comparisons are coming from. Is it just because it’s first person?

could as easily be instanced, small zones etc.

I was basing it on this tweet from Jason Schreier.

 

 

[Mr. Gerbik]

Obsidian does Skyrim means 'Skyrim but also a good RPG with a good story'! I'm totally in, I'm hyped, I'm excited, I want in, GIVE IT TO ME NOW

 

 

Spoiler

HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE

 

[Mr. Gerbik]

Really, together with Stalker 2 the most exciting reveals in the Microsoft stream for me. I was almost jumping on my seat like that Easy Allies dude with Shenmue I was so excited for these two titles

[Mr. Gerbik]

I mean fucking Obsidian. Right? I can't be the only one who wondered how Skyrim would be if it was also a good RPG? And this is Obsidian with a Microsoft budget behind them.  I AM VERY EXCITE

[Mr. Gerbik]

Oh and just to confirm: the world that Obsidian has crafted with Pillars of Eternity is incredibly fascinating and full of potential. The first game started a bit ho-hum, but got better and better further in. And the second Pillars is just all-round brilliant, a fantastic RPG. Making a first person sandbox type experience in this world with presumably the same depth and writing quality of the isometric games, should result in something incredible.

 

I AM TEH HYPE

[mdn2]

Guys, I think Mr. Gerbik might be interested in this. 

[Mr. Gerbik]

YES

[df0]

If there's no stealth in a game, does @Mr. Gerbik still like it 

[RubberJohnny]

One to watch definitely, especially with how Bethesda seem to be coasting these days, and Obsidian are staffing up by poaching loads of key devs from bigger studios.

 

Shame no gameplay, obviously.

[Mr. Gerbik]

35 minutes ago, df0 said:

If there's no stealth in a game, does @Mr. Gerbik still like it 

Ever played Baldur's Gate or the like? There's stealth.

[jonamok]

This is likely multiple years away though.

[Mr. Gerbik]

1 minute ago, RubberJohnny said:

One to watch definitely, especially with how Bethesda seem to be coasting these days, and Obsidian are staffing up by poaching loads of key devs from bigger studios.

 

Shame no gameplay, obviously.

It's obviously still very early, but they knew people would expect a proper RPG from Obsidian so it makes sense that they decided to go ahead and announce it for the event. 

 

Now that they're a Microsoft Game Studio, you'd expect their usual woes of ambition exceeding budget will be a thing of the past. RPG fans would most likely hope that now they would try their hand again a big epic RPG. Especially on a big powerful console like the Series X... Apart from a pretty and detailed world, the vastly improved CPU power means loads of potential for interesting systems in that world.

 

Also, it will be a Series X exclusive because it's so far out and thus not held back by the bone. Nobody wants to be held back by the bone.

[pinholestar]

3 hours ago, Mr. Gerbik said:

Oh and just to confirm: the world that Obsidian has crafted with Pillars of Eternity is incredibly fascinating and full of potential. The first game started a bit ho-hum, but got better and better further in.

 

Strongly disagree with this I’m afraid. I was really excited to play Pillars of Eternity and it was great to return to the classic Infinity Engine style of old-school Western RPG, but my engagement in the game fell off a cliff about halfway through because the world building and lore it was built around was so incredibly boring. It’s all so painfully generic and dull and I was hugely disappointed with that aspect of it, so a return to that world puts me off more than anything. Always nice to see someone enthusiastic about an upcoming game though, so don’t let my grumbles put you off but I think you’re massively overselling that aspect of it to be honest.

 

Obsidian are a decent developer with some nice ideas but I’ve never really put them in the elite tier of studios. With Microsoft’s bottomless pockets behind them though maybe they’ll come up with the goods this time. Quite a canny acquisition by MS, I will say that. Having an exclusive Skyrim-alike on your console can’t hurt, although I doubt it’ll be that much of a system-seller.

[RubberJohnny]

Yes Pillars of Eternity was one of those fantasy games where everything is based around the lore and the concepts and it's all really abstract, like FFXIII with "l'Cie" and Fal'cie" and whatever.

 

I think the Witcher 3 came out the same year and just had a story based on character motivations and emotions and the writer of PoE said they wished they did that.

[Mr. Gerbik]

24 minutes ago, pinholestar said:

Strongly disagree with this I’m afraid. I was really excited to play Pillars of Eternity and it was great to return to the classic Infinity Engine style of old-school Western RPG, but my engagement in the game fell off a cliff about halfway through because the world building and lore it was built around was so incredibly boring. It’s all so painfully generic and dull and I was hugely disappointed with that aspect of it, so a return to that world puts me off more than anything. Always nice to see someone enthusiastic about an upcoming game though, so don’t let my grumbles put you off but I think you’re massively overselling that aspect of it to be honest.

I agree with your assessment of the first game. Generic mc dullsville, especially the first half. It took 3 tries to push myself through it, first two I stranded at around the same point as you and stopped. However, have you played the second? It's night and day compared to the first. That's what I'm thinking of when I say how much potential there is and how great the world building. 

[pinholestar]

13 minutes ago, Mr. Gerbik said:

I agree with your assessment of the first game. Generic mc dullsville, especially the first half. It took 3 tries to push myself through it, first two I stranded at around the same point as you and stopped. However, have you played the second? It's night and day compared to the first. That's what I'm thinking of when I say how much potential there is and how great the world building. 

 

Admittedly I haven’t played the sequel no, as the first one put me off so much. Isn’t the second game based around an archipelago that you sail round like a pirate or something? If that gave them the opportunity to diversify the world and the lore a bit then that’s a good thing because my issue with the first game was that you had a generic city, a generic village, some nondescript fields connecting them and a couple of dull subterranean dungeons/sewers. It was all so utterly forgettable. I really didn’t dig the lore either as it basically amounted to ‘the souls of the dead can speak to you’ and interminable dreary rambling about the War of the Dyrwood.

 

If you’re saying that the sequel was a big step up in that regard then fair enough, that bodes well and makes me a little more hopeful. This seems like it’s going to be a big open-world kind of thing too, so hopefully we get some of that diversity that you’re saying the sequel has.

[Mr. Gerbik]

14 minutes ago, pinholestar said:

 

Admittedly I haven’t played the sequel no, as the first one put me off so much. Isn’t the second game based around an archipelago that you sail round like a pirate or something? If that gave them the opportunity to diversify the world and the lore a bit then that’s a good thing because my issue with the first game was that you had a generic city, a generic village, some nondescript fields connecting them and a couple of dull subterranean dungeons/sewers. It was all so utterly forgettable. I really didn’t dig the lore either as it basically amounted to ‘the souls of the dead can speak to you’ and interminable dreary rambling about the War of the Dyrwood.

 

If you’re saying that the sequel was a big step up in that regard then fair enough, that bodes well and makes me a little more hopeful. This seems like it’s going to be a big open-world kind of thing too, so hopefully we get some of that diversity that you’re saying the sequel has.

Imo it is indeed a big step in all the ways you specifically mention, yes. But of course that's just, like, my opinion and all that. I recommend checking it out if you see it cheap enough to make it worth a shot. Where Pillars 1 felt stiff and like Stereotypical wRPG: The wRPG, the sequel felt breezy and interesting, a fun world to explore and more engaging characters. In fact, it was what made me go back and force myself through Pillars 1 - which I enjoyed a lot more in the second half when everything starts coming together. Still, the second one's opening cutscene is literally the destruction of everything that made the first Pillars what it was. And after all of that is destroyed, you can go on a brand new adventure!

[Zael]

Yeah Deadfire is a huge step up in pretty much every way. It's such a shame it bombed as badly as it did.

[pinholestar]

*adds Pillars 2 to the massive backlog list* 

 

For fuck’s sake 

[Talk Show Host]

I also don't care much for the series. The general writing is quite bad and the narrative design so 90s it hurts. In a time where we have the Witcher series any western style RPG that goes ''you are the savior of all with special abilities and blah blah and people follow you blah blah'' interest me very little. Generally Obsidian has mediocre writing in the modern era and the Bethesda style Outer Words was just so dated.

[Mr. Gerbik]

8 minutes ago, Zael said:

Yeah Deadfire is a huge step up in pretty much every way. It's such a shame it bombed as badly as it did.

Shit, I didn't know it bombed. Man, that's a bummer. After Pillars 1I didn't really care whether it was a one and done deal, wasn't really up for a sequel anyway. But after Deadfire I want MOAR, I want an entire epic series of more of this! Hopefully Avowed (shit title, mind) can fulfil the potential of the world of Pillars set by Deadfire.

[Zael]

7 minutes ago, Mr. Gerbik said:

Shit, I didn't know it bombed. Man, that's a bummer. After Pillars 1I didn't really care whether it was a one and done deal, wasn't really up for a sequel anyway. But after Deadfire I want MOAR, I want an entire epic series of more of this! Hopefully Avowed (shit title, mind) can fulfil the potential of the world of Pillars set by Deadfire.

 

Yeah I think a lot of people had pinholestar's opinion of the first game and didn't bother with the second and it didn't sell well. I was of the same opinion tbh I thought Pillars 1 was pretty bad and I love these types of games but man they improved literally everything. The writing was better, they had really interesting characters, the world felt more alive with the factions, they fixed the itemization issues, they had way more interesting set piece fights ala Baldur's Gate 2 and they came up with one of the best multiclassing systems I've seen in any RPG. It's a genuinely fantastic game, up there with Original Sin 2 and Pathfinder:Kingmaker. 

 

They also had a great take on TSH's issue with the first game and how you're the chosen one etc where in Deadfire you're a pawn being messed around by the actual chosen ones.

[Talk Show Host]

4 minutes ago, Zael said:

 

Yeah I think a lot of people had pinholestar's opinion of the first game and didn't bother with the second and it didn't sell well. I was of the same opinion tbh I thought Pillars 1 was pretty bad and I love these types of games but man they improved literally everything. The writing was better, they had really interesting characters, the world felt more alive with the factions, they fixed the itemization issues, they had way more interesting set piece fights ala Baldur's Gate 2 and they came up with one of the best multiclassing systems I've seen in any RPG. It's a genuinely fantastic game, up there with Original Sin 2 and Pathfinder:Kingmaker. 

 

They also had a great take on TSH's issue with the first game and how you're the chosen one etc where in Deadfire you're a pawn being messed around by the actual chosen ones.

 

But you are still the top dog and capable of hunting down a God because you are super amazingly awesome.

[Zael]

2 minutes ago, Talk Show Host said:

 

But you are still the top dog and capable of hunting down a God because you are super amazingly awesome.

 

You're still a minor player in the game though and not to spoil anything but I don't think "hunting" is the correct term for what you're doing. You and your party are strong sure but so is Geralt so I don't see how that's any different to The Witcher. You can mess around with the politics in Deadfire but again like The Witcher you're not saving the world from its politics. 

[Talk Show Host]

26 minutes ago, Zael said:

 

You're still a minor player in the game though and not to spoil anything but I don't think "hunting" is the correct term for what you're doing. You and your party are strong sure but so is Geralt so I don't see how that's any different to The Witcher. You can mess around with the politics in Deadfire but again like The Witcher you're not saving the world from its politics. 

 

I really think comparing the main character of Deadfire to Geralt is something that makes very little sense to have a discussion about. One of the main flaws of these games is the core story which is uninteresting because of how much it depends on the hero's journey bore. Also, though, the writing of the side characters is so bad. No real person talks like Obsidian writes. It is a relic from an old era imo and has very little appeal to me, even though I like isometric rpgs a lot.

[Zael]

11 minutes ago, Talk Show Host said:

 

I really think comparing the main character of Deadfire to Geralt is something that makes very little sense to have a discussion about. One of the main flaws of these games is the core story which is uninteresting because of how much it depends on the hero's journey bore. Also, though, the writing of the side characters is so bad. No real person talks like Obsidian writes. It is a relic from an old era.

 

I don't think you're arguing against any points I made there. You said is the character in Deadfire is a top dog which is the same as Geralt. It's the same as most video game characters tbh. I don't think Deadfire at all relies on the heroes journey so not sure how to respond to that. Which elements of the Deadfire story do you think apply to the Heroes journey?

 

End of Deadfire Spoilers

 

I'd disagree with the top dog comment as well tbh. You spend the game being ordered around by gods and then when you finally get to Eothas if you actually try to attack him he kills you instantly. If anything your character and the party has less agency in the world than Geralt does in TW3.

 

 

[Talk Show Host]

Just now, Zael said:

 

I don't think you're arguing against any points I made there. You said is the character in Deadfire is a top dog which is the same as Geralt. It's the same as most video game characters tbh. I don't think Deadfire at all relies on the heroes journey so not sure how to respond to that. Which elements of the Deadfire story do you think apply to the Heroes journey?

 

I was talking about the Hero's journey In regards to the first game. Also, if you think that the main character in Deadfire is the same as Geralt because they are both top dogs, I really don't know how to respond to that. It is such a superficial comparison.

 

Either way, if you are enjoying the games, I say more power to you.

 

 

[Zael]

1 minute ago, Talk Show Host said:

 

I was talking about the Hero's journey In regards to the first game. Also, if you think that the main character in Deadfire is the same as Geralt because they are both top dogs, I really don't know how to respond to that. It is such a superficial comparison.

 

Either way, if you are enjoying the games, I say more power to you.

 

 

 

Ok sorry I don't think I'm getting my point across. I don't think the main character is the same as Geralt. I think Geralt is a much better written, more fleshed out character. I was responding to your point about how Deadfire has a cliched old fashioned plot because "you are still the top dog and capable of hunting down a God because you are super amazingly awesome." Since you previously made a comment about how The Witcher 3 is an example of how a current RPG should be written I was making the point that if anything Geralt is more of a super amazingly awesome top dog than any of the characters you play in Deadfire.