Eternity Avowed - Obsidian's first person action-RPG in the Pillars of Eternity setting

[Fedora Master]

enjoy a WRPG

Just because Avowed Bad doesn't mean weebs have any say here.

 

[Maldoror]

enjoy a WRPG

Just because Avowed Bad doesn't mean weebs have any say here.

"Hurrr durrr weeb."

The point of the distinction being, one is accustomed to JRPGs having linear design philosophies where the narrative, and thus party roster, are largely unchangeable. I do not expect this from western RPGs.

 

[Quillon]

They apparently first pitched as a multi-player game that would be something akin to Destiny and Skyrim together. Now that's an ambitious project in scope but even if they somehow pulled it off perfectly that would not be a game I would play. I don't like Destiny, RDR2 or GTA so just having the Microsoft funds doesn't mean it is a good idea.

If they made an ambitious game that's not for me, at least I could respect it.

I don't know about Destiny but GTA & RDR2 made to be RPGs sounds awesome to me as I don't need fantastical elements and very much ok with realistic settings, RDR2 is very close to being an RPG already but R* games are technically way above industry standarts it wouldn't be realistic to expect some other dev. with high budget to achieve what R* does with 25 years of experience making same type of games.

 

[FreeKaner]

They apparently first pitched as a multi-player game that would be something akin to Destiny and Skyrim together. Now that's an ambitious project in scope but even if they somehow pulled it off perfectly that would not be a game I would play. I don't like Destiny, RDR2 or GTA so just having the Microsoft funds doesn't mean it is a good idea.

If they made an ambitious game that's not for me, at least I could respect it.

I don't know about Destiny but GTA & RDR2 made to be RPGs sounds awesome to me as I don't need fantastical elements and very much ok with realistic settings, RDR2 is very close to being an RPG already but R* games are technically way above industry standarts it wouldn't be realistic to expect some other dev. with high budget to achieve what R* does with 25 years of experience making same type of games.

I don't know about that. What I know is this game keeps surprising me with just how much fun it feels to play. It's technically competent, has a better melee or magic combat than anything Bethesda has managed despite it being Obsidian's first time doing this, the environments and artstyle is beautiful though the character models and animations do show their limited budget and I keep getting a lot more narrative reactivity than I expected. It feels to me like playing a DLC in PoE1/2 except in first person with great exploration and fun arcade combat. Would it better if it was a massive game with all the details and simulation of something Rockstar would make? Perhaps, but it also wouldn't be because of all those extra bits they'd just be that for me, extra. I just find the reaction to this game odd in how much of it is just criticizing why it isn't another game. If this game is successful enough to make a sequel with bigger scope we'll see if they are more ambitious then since even Outer Worlds was successful enough to warrant a sequel and its sequel seems to be bigger in scope also. That also includes the fact I gave Outer Worlds and thought it was bland and mediocre with off-putting humor.

 

[Cryomancer]

enjoy a WRPG

Just because Avowed Bad doesn't mean weebs have any say here.

To be honest with them, when is the last time that we got a DECENT(not great) mainstream "WRPG"?

 

[Quillon]

If this game is successful enough to make a sequel with bigger scope

There was no such requirement from MS such as "make a smaller scope gaym and if its successful make a bigger scope one" etc. Hence InXile's working on an ambitious project from the get go and its Obsidian's decision to divide their 250 dev studio into like 4 teams and put like a 100 on TOW2 & Avowed each as its InXile's decision to focus on a single game and keep hiring new stuff even snatching devs from Obs.

 

[Shaki]

So, its a shit RPG, but is it at least a playable action game, or just total shit?

 

[kigmathelm]

Combat looks shit compared to any soulslike game and RPG elements are at a level of your average JRPG slop. So I guess it would be a good action game if it were released 15 years ago and its a solid RPG if you're too retarded to download a snes emulator.

 

[Falksi]

Jesus wept...



Also, making me laugh some corners of social media trying to deflect the Skyrim comparisons away from it. All the shills have been hyping it as such for a while...

Spoiler

 

[FreeKaner]

If this game is successful enough to make a sequel with bigger scope

There was no such requirement from MS such as "make a smaller scope gaym and if its successful make a bigger scope one" etc. Hence InXile's working on an ambitious project from the get go and its Obsidian's decision to divide their 250 dev studio into like 4 teams and put like a 100 on TOW2 & Avowed each as its InXile's decision to focus on a single game and keep hiring new stuff even snatching devs from Obs.

Brian Fargo being exceedingly successful in ponzi schemes has no bearing on Obsidian's performance. Now again they did initially pitch this, seemingly successfully, as a game with massive scope thus probably funds. They scaled it back but they delivered a finished and competent product that's just fun to play instead of an ambitious but incomplete mess. They could build on it and perhaps successfully make a big project with whole studio, it isn't like they aren't hiring anybody else even Gonzales returned to Obsidian recently. There is basically no contradiction here and the fact that they are already talking about DLCs and sequel doesn't seem to indicate that they are in any way artificially limiting themselves that way. Also while Microsoft has infinite money it probably doesn't want to back failures back to back, look at what Bioware is like with so many big scope ambitious failures.

I do hope one day Obsidian tries their hand at a big first person RPG, because I do think despite criticisms the little stories they write are their best and a big RPG often ends up being exactly that, a collection of little stories, so that we can get more stuff like side quests in white march or gullet. They might also try to make a BG3, try to write a huge epic narrative and fail as usual as whenever they try their hand at big stories. Nevertheless until if or when that happens I am not about to stop enjoying a fun little game just because it isn't another game. I wasn't asking why BG3 isn't Skyrim either when I was playing it and I do dislike Divos1/2 a lot.

 

[Infinitron]

I think both TOW and Avowed are somewhat fun, somewhat dull "baby's first RPG"-type games (similar in vibe to the early BioWare console RPGs KOTOR1 and Jade Empire) that get unfairly accused of being horrible and "woke" by veteran RPG players who were expecting more.

 

[Maldoror]

I think both TOW and Avowed are somewhat fun, somewhat dull "baby's first RPG"-type games (similar in vibe to the early BioWare console RPGs KOTOR1 and Jade Empire) that get unfairly accused of being horrible and "woke" by veteran RPG players who were expecting more.

More or less how I felt about The Outer Worlds, but can't speak for Avowed because I haven't played it, but parts of it do look absolutely miserable.
As I've said in this thread, TOW was simply good, but good won't suffice for many people.

 

[FreeKaner]

I think both TOW and Avowed are somewhat fun, somewhat dull "baby's first RPG"-type games (similar in vibe to the early BioWare console RPGs KOTOR1 and Jade Empire) that get unfairly accused of being horrible and "woke" by veteran RPG players who were expecting more.

More or less how I felt about The Outer Worlds, but can't speak for Avowed because I haven't played it, but parts of it do look absolutely miserable.
As I've said in this thread, TOW was simply good, but good won't suffice for many people.

This is why better than TOW, mainly because this game actually has really fun exploration and combat feels crisp. TOW was both small and mostly empty with not much to do and its combat relied too much on gunplay feeling good and it didn't feel good meanwhile opposite is the case here and melee weapons and guns alike feel great.

 

[Quillon]

they delivered a finished and competent product that's just fun to play instead of an ambitious but incomplete mess.

I haven't played it but sales doesn't indicate its competent but whatever, I prefer ambitious but incomplete messes any day. KCD1 was kinda like that at launch.

They could build on it and perhaps successfully make a big project with whole studio, it isn't like they aren't hiring anybody else even Gonzales returned to Obsidian recently. There is basically no contradiction here and the fact that they are already talking about DLCs and sequel doesn't seem to indicate that they are in any way artificially limiting themselves that way.

If you read what they say you can deduce they won't make a game with the whole studio any time soon. They have an ongoing game(Grounded, is it still ongoing?), an unfinished game, they'll maybe do DLCs for the finished game now and if its up to them they wanna continue like this. Divide & con.. make games and hope for mild successes.

Gonzalez' hiring is puzzling tho; imo its likely they re-hired him for a new project that's not TOW or Avowed(and not Fallout confirmed) but in any case I doubt they'll make a much bigger scope game with him.

 

[Yosharian]

I think both TOW and Avowed are somewhat fun, somewhat dull "baby's first RPG"-type games (similar in vibe to the early BioWare console RPGs KOTOR1 and Jade Empire) that get fairly accused of being horrible and "woke" by veteran RPG players who actually have standards

 

[JarlFrank]

The game could be great and I would still have lost 90% of my interest in it the moment that I learned that it is essential that companions follow you.
That is essentially my litmus test for whether I will enjoy a WRPG or not. It's the reason I despise the Owlcat Pathfinder games - despite being able to eventually dismiss them, they made companions mandatory during the tutorials.

A WRPG?
As opposed to JRPGs where - checks notes - you usually have to travel with a pre-determined party and have no control over what your protagonist does or says?

 

[FreeKaner]

I haven't played it but sales doesn't indicate its competent but whatever, I prefer ambitious but incomplete messes any day. KCD1 was kinda like that at launch.

What sales? If they are within the first week already indicating they are ready to make DLCs and even a sequel that means it has been good enough. It's competent in that it is a finished game and it is good at things it does, you can ask why they didn't something but just maybe give the game a try, pirate it or something. It is legitimately just has a fun gameplay loop.

If you read what they say you can deduce they won't make a game with the whole studio any time soon. They have an ongoing game(Grounded, is it still ongoing?), an unfinished game, they'll maybe do DLCs for the finished game now and if its up to them they wanna continue like this. Divide & con.. make games and hope for mild successes.

Gonzalez' hiring is puzzling tho; imo its likely they re-hired him for a new project that's not TOW or Avowed(and not Fallout confirmed) but in any case I doubt they'll make a much bigger scope game with him.

They already had part of the studio developing Outer Worlds while they pitched and rescaled Avowed, unless you think the studio will forever making Outer Worlds and Avowed sequels exactly at same scope, which is an odd thing to assume, then why would they not make another game? Clearly the fact that they hired Gonzalez as a director means they want to make something else that's not Outer Worlds or Avowed, unless he is here for Pentiment 2 replacing Sawyer for some reason there is every reason to believe they are going to make something else. I don't see any reason to think they won't do anything else, particularly because Microsoft probably expects them to do a variety of games to fill out gamepass.

You also have to remember this comes after they have had a troublesome launch with Deadfire that they put a lot of resources into and almost bombed entirely only recovering the sales on long run. If anything I am more worried that they'll never make a cRPG again, instead of never making a first person RPG, frankly the latter seems less likely than former at the moment. I do love Owlcat and I have put a lot of hours into WOTR in particular but their very epic main story focused games are not exactly what Obsidian does, I do like side content and Owlcat just don't do it their games they don't even have city hubs with dialogue-centered quests everything is combat.

Like I can get the criticism about Obsidian's dry writing, their inability to land a big story and issues with envisioning likeable companions (or romance, apparently) but this doomsaying about how they'll forever make Outer Worlds and Avowed seems unlikely to say the least.

 

[Morgoth]

So, its a shit RPG, but is it at least a playable action game, or just total shit?

6/10 RPG, 9/10 Action game.

IMHO.

 

[Morgoth]

Gonzalez' hiring is puzzling tho; imo its likely they re-hired him for a new project that's not TOW or Avowed(and not Fallout confirmed) but in any case I doubt they'll make a much bigger scope game with him.

Let's hope it's Shadowrun. Feargus is pushing for it.

 

[Litmanen]

Gonzalez' hiring is puzzling tho; imo its likely they re-hired him for a new project that's not TOW or Avowed(and not Fallout confirmed) but in any case I doubt they'll make a much bigger scope game with him.

Let's hope it's Shadowrun. Feargus is pushing for it.

For the love of God, NO.

I'm not one of those who mindlessly trash Obsidian's games, but it's undeniable that their quality has dropped drastically starting with TOW (though even F:NV had some flat, shallow and awful choices). That said, their games are still better than some absolute dumpster fires, for sure.

But they should stay the hell away from Shadowrun, for the love of God.

 

[1451]

This is outer worlds but with swords and spells.
So a game that is fun to finish and forget about it later.
I wish they made it more like arx fatalis and dark messiah of might and magic but it seems that the current team is only capable of producing outer worlds, again and again and again.
Like old piranha bytes who kept making gothic 2.

 

[Maldoror]

The game could be great and I would still have lost 90% of my interest in it the moment that I learned that it is essential that companions follow you.
That is essentially my litmus test for whether I will enjoy a WRPG or not. It's the reason I despise the Owlcat Pathfinder games - despite being able to eventually dismiss them, they made companions mandatory during the tutorials.

A WRPG?
As opposed to JRPGs where - checks notes - you usually have to travel with a pre-determined party and have no control over what your protagonist does or says?

I already addressed that here.

enjoy a WRPG

Just because Avowed Bad doesn't mean weebs have any say here.

"Hurrr durrr weeb."

The point of the distinction being, one is accustomed to JRPGs having linear design philosophies where the narrative, and thus party roster, are largely unchangeable. I do not expect this from western RPGs.

 

[luj1]

The cucks from Reddit calling features from Morrowind 20 years ago "cool" and innovative

You guys have to see this JarlFrank Zed Duke of Banville Sentinel Dark Souls II Darkozric

 

[luj1]

This is probably the only good thing I saw in Avowed

 

[JarlFrank]

Not the biggest fan of it tbh, in Morrowind it was better because if you clicked on that word you'd actually ask it to the NPC and the NPC would tell you, it all remained in-world.
The way it's done here is essentially an encyclopedia attached to the game that you can look things up in, it's not the NPC who tells you this it's an interface element.