Eternity Josh Sawyer reflects on his failures with Pillars of Eternity

[Heroic Liberator]

So in order to make Pillars great again Sawyer should balance testosterone levels as well ? Is that what you're saying?

Spoiler

What foods reduce testosterone?

• Soy products.
• Dairy products.
• Alcohol.
• Mint.
• Bread, pastries, and desserts.
• Licorice root.
• Certain fats.
  

What foods boost testosterone?

• Tuna.
• Low-fat milk.
• Egg yolks.
• Fortified cereals.
• Oysters.
• Shellfish.
• Beef.
• Beans.

Proofs for that list?

 

[vortex]

Proofs for that list?

Google

Everything based on high intake of carbohydrates, lowers it. Everything based on quality proteins, boosts it.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

I ain't giving up my dairy products, bruh.

 

[Lacrymas]

Soy is a high quality source of protein, it contains all essential amino acids.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

Well, he's a faggot both literally and figuratively.

 

[Nano]

What foods reduce testosterone?

• Dairy products.

What foods boost testosterone?

• Low-fat milk.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

As I've long said, OD&D was an elegant, fun, and challenging system but AD&D turned it into an excuse to roll dice and nerd out on massively abstruse, rococo, often contradictory special-case rules and tables. Gygax should have kept the munchkins out.

Gary Gygax perceived AD&D as a clearer, easier-to-use system for people who did not have the background in wargaming, history, et cetera that was assumed for the intended audience of the OD&D rulebooks, as stated in Dragon Magazine #26 (June 1979):

...
Just as D&D was the instrument which made adventure gaming what it is today, it is envisioned that AD&D will shape the future of fantasy adventure gaming. Where D&D is a very loose, open framework around which highly imaginative Dungeon Masters can construct what amounts to a set of rules and game of their own choosing, AD&D is a much tighter and more structured game system. The target audience to which we thought D&D would appeal was principally the same as that of historical wargames in general and military miniatures in particular. D&D was hurriedly compiled, assuming that readers would be familiar with medieval and ancient history, wargaming, military miniatures, etc. It was aimed at males. Within a few months it became apparent to us that our basic assumptions might be a bit off target In another year it becameabundantly clear to us that we were so far off as to be laughable. At least we had the right subject material and the right general approach, so two out of three and all that. . .

Because D&D allowed such freedom, because the work itself said so, because the initial batch of DMs were so imaginative and creative, because the rules wre incomplete, vague and often ambiguous, D&D has turned into a non-game. That is, there is so much variation between the way the game is played from region to region, state to state, area to area, and even from group to group within a metropolitan district, there is no continuity and little agreement as to just what the game is and how best to play it. Without destroying the imagination and individual creativity which go into a campaign, AD&D rectifies the shortcomings of D&D. There are few grey areas in AD&D, and there will be no question in the mind of participants as to what the game is and is all about. There is form and structure to AD&D, and any variation of these integral portions of the game will obviously make it something else. The work addresses itself to a broad audience of hundreds of thousands of people—wargamers, game hobbyists, science fiction and fantasy fans, those who have never read fantasy fiction or played strategy games, young and old, male and female.

AD&D will eventually consist of DUNGEON MASTERS GUIDE, PLAYERS HANDBOOK, GODS, DEMI-GODS & HEROES, and MONSTER MANUAL and undoubtedly one or two additional volumes of creatures with which to fill fantasy worlds. These books, together with a broad range of modules and various playing aids, will provide enthusiasts with everything they need to create and maintain an enjoyable, exciting, fresh, and ever-challenging campaign. Readers are encouraged to differentiate their campaigns, calling them AD&D if they are so. While D&D campaigns can be those which feature comic book spells, 43rd level balrogs as player characters, and include a plethora of trash from various and sundry sources, AD&D cannot be so composed. Either a DM runs an AD&D campaign, or else it is something else. This is clearly stated within the work, and it is a mandate which will be unchanging, even if AD&D undergoes change at some future date. While DMs are free to allow many unique features to become a part of their campaign—special magic items, new monsters, different spells, unusual settings—and while they can have free rein in devising the features and facts pertaining to the various planes which surround the Prime Material, it is understood they must adhere to the form of AD&D. Otherwise what they referee is a variant adventure game. DMs still create an entire milieu, populate it and give it history and meaning. Players still develop personae and adventure in realms of the strange and fantastic, performing deeds of derring-do, but this all follows a master plan.

The advantages of such a game are obvious. Because the integral features are known and immutable, there can be no debate as to what is correct. A meaningful dialog can be carried on between DMs, regardless of what region they play in. Players can move from one AD&D campaign to another and know at the very least the basic precepts of the game—that magic-users will not wield swords, that fighters don’t have instant death to give or take with critical hits or double damage, that strange classes of characters do not rule the campaign, that the various deities will not be constantly popping in and out of the game at the beck and call of player characters, etc. AD&D will suffer no such abuses, and DMs who allow them must realize this up front. The best feature of a game which offers real form, however, is that it will more readily lend itself to actual improvement—not change, but true improvement Once eveybody is actually playing a game which is basically the same from campaign to campaign, any flaws or shortcomings of the basic systems and/or rules will become apparent With D&D, arguments regarding some rule are lost due to the differences in play and the wide variety of solutions proposed—most of which reflect the propensities of local groups reacting to some variant system which their DM uses in his or her campaign in the first place. With AD&D, such abberations will be excluded, and a broad base can be used to determine what is actually needed and desired.
...
D&D will always be with us, and that is a good thing. The D&D system allows the highly talented, individualistic, and imaginative hobbyist a vehicle for devising an adventure game form which is tailored to him or her and his or her group. One can take great liberties with the game and not be questioned. Likewise, the complicated and “realistic” imitators of the D&D system will always find a following amongst hobby gamers, for there will be those who seek to make adventure gaming a serious undertaking, a way of life, to which all of their thought and energy is directed with fanatical devotion. ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, with its clearer and easier approach, is bound to gain more support, for most people play games, not live them—and if they can live them while enjoying play, so much the better. This is, of course, what AD&D aims to provide. So far it seems we have done it

That and stiffing Dave Arneson out of any royalties for products labelled Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

 

[Mojobeard]

6. Roll d6 7 times, add these rolls to a base 8 for each ability score, but each roll must be applied entirely to one ability and no ability can exceed 18

We actually used this on our current campaign, to have something in between rolling and point buy. I had never even noticed that option before. And it feels like the most minmaxy of them all.

So except for ability checks (ye olde skills rolls), ability scores in the range of 8-14 mostly don't do anything at all in 2e.
Not using a single d6 on an ability score still leaves you with an 8, which gives you no penalties.
And only using a single d6 will still only be at maximum a 14, which doesn't give you any bonuses unless your racial bumps it up.

This means that you should always use two or three dice on each of your main ability scores, which then leads to everyone being a 18 - 18 - 18 - 8 - 8 - 8 gigachad. Just to keep it a little more balanced, I gimped my ruiner of the worlds clansdwarf, whose original stats were fit for an IE game protagonist.

 

[Sordid MCA/Prosper Hybryd]

What foods reduce testosterone?

• Dairy products.

What foods boost testosterone?

• Low-fat milk.

Also:

What foods reduce testosterone?

• Soy products.

What foods boost testosterone?

• Beans.

Soybean

 

[Wunderbar]

What foods reduce testosterone?

• Dairy products.

What foods boost testosterone?

• Low-fat milk.

 

[Quillon]

Statistics, meh. Everybody knows Deadfire tanked cos of the undeserving overachiever PoE1.

 

[Quillon]

cont.

 

[Sweeper]

These are the stats for Pathfinder: Kingmaker. PF:K has a 7 Act structure, so it's hard to do a direct comparison, but let's use one of the first big quests you're supposed to complete, then the end of the game. This is the lowest completion rate of the three, with 7%.

Methinks someone's angry that someone else made a superior game.

 

[BING XI LAO]

Like the Star Wars prequels seeming vastly better after the sequels, Pillars will seem like a tragic, doomed oasis of incline in the TIDAL WAVE OF SHIT that is to come!

 

[Tenebris]

These are the stats for Divinity: Original Sin EE, completing an early area quest and the entire game. If 13% completion suggests that you should not make a sequel, certainly 10% would be an even worse sign - but D:OS2 was a phenomenal breakout hit!

Is Josh forgetting that D:OS2 is not a direct sequel? Making Deadfire one definitely didn't help.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Not sure.

I was always under the impression that unless the original is a huge success or has a big cult following, the sequel will always be a disappointment sales wise.

 

[DalekFlay]

I suddenly feel less bad for probably never finishing Divinity: OS.

 

[Kruno]

 

[Quillon]

Nah, his biggest strength is keeping a big team in check, making sure they don't make quests like Kid in a Fridge. Give him a big enough talented(lol) team that he can't really influence most of the content but the outliers I say

If Parker leads Avowed into development hell, they'll turn to Sawya.

 

[jf8350143]

"It's very long on a completionist playthrough, but pretty short if you just do the crit path. Of all the games I listed here, it has the highest completion rate: 18.8%. And the thing is, we did that to address complaints that the crit path was too long on Pillars 1."

Wonder where they get the complaints from.

 

[Tigranes]

Josh is correct that 13% completion achievement for POE1 is not the smoking gun. The fact remains that Deadfire tanked, so the answer to that lies somewhere - it just doesn't lie in that particular explanation. Here at Codex every once in a while somebody brings this number as some proof of a master theory that that's why Deadfire failed, but there's no sound reasoning, just "I found some number, so that must be why."

DOS1/2 has a number of other possible factors that complicate the equation. Co-op, for instance, makes it easier for, say, a high disposable income casual player to say "eh sure" and buy it even if they never finished DOS1.

It will be very interesting to see how Kingmaker sequel fares. Breakout success like DOS2 is unlikely for any game, but I hope it sells well and I hope it gives Owlcat a wider player base & recognition that they strongly deserve.

 

[AW8]

Despite making up only 13% of Pillars players...

 

[Ramnozack]

Cmon Josh, why do you still insist on feigning ignorance, you know why Deadfire failed: wokeness and subpar womyn writers make a poor substitute for talent and passion, the latter of which obsidian has lost in spades over the years, the former they have become bloated with. Simple as.

 

[Readher]

Just my opinion, but:

• Neither D:OS2 nor P:WotR are direct sequels
• Larian wasn't that well known of a studio, so expectations were lower for their first game and subsequently, people put more faith in their second title, especially when the first one has shown great promise
  
• I feel like D:OS2 answered a lot of problems people had with the first game, at the very least at the time of Kickstarter. More focus on story, less "dumb" story, etc.
• Kingmaker, ignoring the bug fiasco on launch, came from a no-name studio, had tons and tons of content and provided relatively classic cRPG experience - no walls of pretentious text, no super unique setting, etc.. And they achieved all that with ~$1 mln from Kickstarter. I'm sure it got people thinking that with more money and more experience (from Kingmaker's development and launch) they can deliver something truly spectacular.
• WotR KS campaign has a lot of cool, unique things like Mythic Paths, rewriting the campaign so it fits evil characters too, etc.
• PoE2, in comparison, for all intent and purposes, looked like just more of the same, just in another setting (I personally absolutely hate pirates and viking settings in games, not sure how common that sentiment is though). That means that all the people who weren't grabbed by PoE1 had no reason to think that PoE2 will grab them, especially when it's a direct sequel so it pretty much requires you to finish a game you didn't enjoy. I'm pretty sure almost everyone interested in PoE2 backed it during the KS, hence the sales were bad as there was no audience left for the game.

I don't know, but at least for me, while you probably can't pinpoint Deadfire's fiasco on a single reason, there were so many obvious problems with it compared to its "competitors", that it's really no wonder it failed. I read a lot so walls of text themselves are not a problem, but PoE is just so fucking boring for me that I end up dropping it somewhere in the beginning every time I try to play it. All those asspull names that are hard to remember, pretentious text that every time I read it I can see the writer being like pic rel and thinking "Look how intelligent my writing is, only a true intelectual and connaisseur will be able to appreciate it." Just no. I might love RPGs and love reading but I'm definitely not reading bloated, convoluted, poetic bullshit. No way I would buy a sequel to such game when it doesn't seem to change anything in that regard and uses a setting I hate on top of that.

EDIT: This is your average Obsidian defender, lmao.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

1. Looking at just achievement stats in isolation makes little to no sense.
2. It's absolutely obvious that buyers who were never really interested in POE as a game and who would never come back for its sequel, or any similar games, were a huge driving force behind its financial success.
3. For relevant stats, he should look at sales numbers of POE dlc plus Tyranny. For relevant feedback, he should look at actual core audience outside of echo chambers. Codex, for example (but it's a tier 2 site full of literal nazis so jk, of course).
4. Comparing POE to PK in such a way is beggar's belief (and low iq to boot). If their release dates were switched, the reception among both actual audience and quasi-gamer normies for both games would be vastly different (probably a huge understatement).