Game News Obsidian Reveals 'Project Eternity' - Kickstarter Live

[Excidium]

It keeps getting better

I'm kind of dissapointed with how they handle their kickstarter. Some basic substantial info about the combat system, number of races, number of classes and art direction is necessary from an 'expectations management' perspective alone. The current lack of real info is only going to lead to dissapointment and a lot of butthurt.

Also the charme of kickstarter projects is the direct contact with customers. If you're asking your fans directly for money I would expect at least some art work and basic info ready to be shown. And if they keep that for later in the kickstarter project then they are just playing incredibly stupid games with us to build the hype and get more money instead of being upfront for once.

They'll probably do just like Wasteland 2 and not show anything worthwile.

 

[Comrade Goby]

However the way the slaves were presented made no sense. Women being used as pack rats, what?

Slavery makes no sense from utilitarian viewpoint. Furthermore, Chinese communists used women as pack rats during the Civil War as did the Vietcong and NVA later.

How does slavery not make sense?

It's free labor (barring the cost of fodd and etc)! Many people have no useful purpose besides low level slave jobs.

 

[octavius]

Cover system sounds good.

But romances and full voice acting?
OK, romances are probably skippable like in BG2, (last time I played BG2 I made a Dwarf with INT and CHA of 3 called Volourn to avoid unwanted sexual attention), but what's the point in full voice acting? Is it for the benefit of illiterates? Anyone older than 10 should be able to read the text faster then it's spoken, and if the whole world freezes when in dialogue mode the immersion argument is invalid.

 

[Brotherman Bill]

Jesus you guys really are insufferably whiny

 

[Infinitron]

Cover system sounds good.

But romances and full voice acting?
OK, romances are probably skippable like in BG2, (last time I played BG2 I made a Dwarf with INT and CHA of 3 called Volourn to avoid unwanted sexual attention), but what's the point in full voice acting? Is it for the benefit of illiterates? Anyone older than 10 should be able to read the text faster then it's spoken, and if the whole world freezes when in dialogue mode the immersion argument is invalid.

You've been trolled.

 

[octavius]

Cover system sounds good.

But romances and full voice acting?
OK, romances are probably skippable like in BG2, (last time I played BG2 I made a Dwarf with INT and CHA of 3 called Volourn to avoid unwanted sexual attention), but what's the point in full voice acting? Is it for the benefit of illiterates? Anyone older than 10 should be able to read the text faster then it's spoken, and if the whole world freezes when in dialogue mode the immersion argument is invalid.

You've been trolled.

I had a feeling I was.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Yeah, right, trolled

http://forums.obsidian.net/blog/3/entry-168-eternity-kickstarter-response/

 

[Tolknaz]

In related news, directly from the horses mouth

Dear Fans,

There is some dissatisfaction with the way the game is turning out to be, and Kickstarter has been overwhelmed with Email requests to withdraw pledges from our project.

I won't lie - this has been pretty devastating. More than $150k is already gone, and we're trying to get Amazon to stop allowing the pledges to be canceled. Come on guys, it's a pledge! As far as I am concerned, the ability to withdraw pledges is a big problem with Kickstarter as is. Their customer support is way too helpful

Nonetheless, at this point I have a choice: either to continue to support a vision that a minority of hardcore players wants (including myself!), or make something that will allow all of us here to feed our families.

Believe me, this decision didn't come easy to us. Just ask Chris Avellone and his ever-dwindling supply of Xanax

I don't want to beat around the bush. So, let me describe exactly what we're going to do. Like ripping off a band-aid.

First of all, majority of people are concerned with romance options in the game, so we're paying special attention to that. I personally believe it's not really a bad thing, as I always craved more emotional connection with the gameworld. I promise it will be tasteful.

Now, the big whopper are the companions. We've listened to a lot of feedback, and the polls on our forums clearly show that people prefer to have a "visceral oomph" to their party members. After careful consideration, we decided to go with full voice acting for them. Believe me, all the great writing is still there, for those of you as nerdy as I am :D It's still like reading a book, only much faster-paced!

Plus, this gives us a chance to implement a cover system that Baldur's Gate never had.

Also, we are implementing in-game housing, how cool is that?

Despite that one poll (you know which one), we are KEEPING the quasi-isometric perspective, guys, because we don't want the game to look exactly like Dragon Age/Mass Effect. Baldur's Gate, after all, had its own style.

So, all in all, this may actually be some pretty great changes! I think we've hit the sweet spot with these compromises and it will make everyone happy. I am still enthused about the game and hope you are too!


All the best,
Obsidian Entertainment

I remember that troll post from the times of WL2 kickstarter. Anyway, the amount of brainfart in this thread is overwhelming (as usual on the codex). 8 playable characters in addition to the main character are too few? Bitches, please. MOTB had 6, PST had 7 and i remeber every single one of them better, than a single playable character or NPC from the whole BG series, save maybe Irenicus.

 

[Excidium]

5/10 because I fell for it but making Obsidian look incompetent is just too easy.

 

[Curious_Tongue]

In related news, directly from the horses mouth

Dear Fans,

There is some dissatisfaction with the way the game is turning out to be, and Kickstarter has been overwhelmed with Email requests to withdraw pledges from our project.

I won't lie - this has been pretty devastating. More than $150k is already gone, and we're trying to get Amazon to stop allowing the pledges to be canceled. Come on guys, it's a pledge! As far as I am concerned, the ability to withdraw pledges is a big problem with Kickstarter as is. Their customer support is way too helpful

Nonetheless, at this point I have a choice: either to continue to support a vision that a minority of hardcore players wants (including myself!), or make something that will allow all of us here to feed our families.

Believe me, this decision didn't come easy to us. Just ask Chris Avellone and his ever-dwindling supply of Xanax

I don't want to beat around the bush. So, let me describe exactly what we're going to do. Like ripping off a band-aid.

First of all, majority of people are concerned with romance options in the game, so we're paying special attention to that. I personally believe it's not really a bad thing, as I always craved more emotional connection with the gameworld. I promise it will be tasteful.

Now, the big whopper are the companions. We've listened to a lot of feedback, and the polls on our forums clearly show that people prefer to have a "visceral oomph" to their party members. After careful consideration, we decided to go with full voice acting for them. Believe me, all the great writing is still there, for those of you as nerdy as I am :D It's still like reading a book, only much faster-paced!

Plus, this gives us a chance to implement a cover system that Baldur's Gate never had.

Also, we are implementing in-game housing, how cool is that?

Despite that one poll (you know which one), we are KEEPING the quasi-isometric perspective, guys, because we don't want the game to look exactly like Dragon Age/Mass Effect. Baldur's Gate, after all, had its own style.

So, all in all, this may actually be some pretty great changes! I think we've hit the sweet spot with these compromises and it will make everyone happy. I am still enthused about the game and hope you are too!


All the best,
Obsidian Entertainment

Where was this taken from?

Anyway, serves you right treating us like cunts.

No Kick It Forward, DRM on the table, RTwP, insulting stretch goals etc...

Not to mention the game sounds like a snoozefest.

I love MCA, but I won't let him drop a brick in my mouth.
Edit: Oh, it's a fake. I believed it because I'm really disappointed with how they're handling this Kickstarter.

 

[Infinitron]

Curious_Tongue Always read the entire thread before you reply to a post.

 

[Curious_Tongue]

Curious_Tongue Always read the entire thread before you reply to a post.

I was in the process of writing my post as the shocking revelation was revealed. Im......not..........very..........quick.

 

[DarkUnderlord]

So I have enough internet access tonight to do this to GameBanshee's interview:

Obsidian Entertainment, the creators of Alpha Protocol and Dungeon Siege III bring you: A game which doesn't even have a proper title yet.

Release date: April 2014, just 19 months from now - or about as long as it took to fuck up the camera controls in Dungeon Siege III (Do you remember that game? Because they made that one too).

Buck: Alright, wait a minute. Was Project Eternity really inspired by the old-school CRPG talk you and I had at the Square Enix booth during E3 2010?
Feargus: Yes, Project Eternity was inspired by a conversation I had with a guy this one time.

Buck: Why do you feel that now is a good time to pursue a party-based, IE-inspired RPG, and why do feel that Kickstarter is the best way to do it?
Feargus: No-one else would fund it.

Buck: What sort of style and play experience are you hoping to achieve with Project Eternity? What is it about the game's premise and engine (with two-dimensional painted backgrounds!) that wouldn't fit into a traditional developer/publisher arrangement?
Feargus: The IE games were AWESOME¹. We plan on IMPROVING THE AWESOME while making it feel as AWESOME as IE used to. Plus, publishers aren't interested in funding AWESOME.

Buck: Who are the people at Obsidian Entertainment that are actively working on the game? How large of a development team do you think you'll need to achieve your goals for the game?
Feargus: We have AWESOME people - by the way, the rendering? IT WILL BE AWESOME. The more money we get, the more bloated the team will become. Because that's how you get AWESOME.

Buck: What can you tell us about the entirely new fantasy world you're building, and would you categorize it as high/low magic or high/low/heroic fantasy? Why did you decide to go with fantasy instead of a lesser used theme, and what are some unique elements that set your world apart from the many others already out there?
Feargus: Because fantasy is AWESOME.

Buck: You stated that you're shooting for a mature game with themes that treat players as adults. Does this mean that there will be difficult choices with harsh consequences, realistic scenarios of repression, racism, and survival, bloody and ever-present war, shocking dialogue, or all of the above?
Feargus: Yes. And it will be AWESOME.

Buck: Speaking of dialogue, are you also using the Infinity Engine games as a source of inspiration for how to handle dialogue trees and voiceovers? Will there be voiceovers for major cutscenes and for flavor at the start of a conversation, but vast branches of dialogue that are text-only? Will our attributes, abilities, or previous actions affect our dialogue choices?
Feargus: Voice-overs, in MY AWESOME game? HELL YES!

Buck: Let's talk mechanics. While the game is certainly far from completion, what are your goals for the character creation and advancement system? Will progression be a standard affair with attributes and skills/perks/feats, or will you be treading into unknown territory? Finally, will there be a major focus on the non-combat abilities that are often overlooked in modern RPGs?
Feargus: Even though it hasn't been built yet, our mechanics will be AWESOME very, very cool. Trust us, we made Dungeon Siege III Alpha Protocol shit... Uhhh.... Fallout: New Vegas? That was pretty good right?

Buck: As you're going with a fantasy world, one would assume that there will be a magic system of some kind. What are your goals for the game's magic system, and will the spells that we gain access to be reminiscient of the D&D-based arsenal we had in the IE games?
Feargus: There will be magic.
And.
It.
Will.
Be.
AWESOME.

Buck: Will you be going with a similar "real-time with pause" combat system that was present in the IE titles? What do you feel are the advantages, disadvantages, and challenges of implementing such a combat system?
Feargus: RtWP is more tactical than chess because it's real-time.

Buck: What are your plans for the quest system? Are you shooting for quality over quantity and do you anticipate having multiple ways to complete many of the game's quests? Will there be a focus on both combative and non-combative approaches to many of them?
Feargus: We are going to have loads of AWESOME quests because that's how you make AWESOME RPGs.

Buck: How about the item system? Will you be hand-crafting the equipment as you did within the Infinity Engine, with elaborate histories attached to even the most mundane items? Or will there be a random element when it comes to item statistics?
Feargus: Everything in it is going to feel AWESOME.

Buck: You mentioned to me earlier that the game will be both party-based and single player, and that the player will always have control of their main character. Does this mean that we'll be picking up companions throughout the game with their own backstories, banter, romance possibilities, and potential quests as we did in Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment? If so, how much control will we have over companion advancement and equipment?
Feargus: As with all Biowarean RPGs, we will have AWESOME incredible NPCs and they will be romance-able.

Buck: What platforms are you targeting for Project Eternity and when do you anticipate releasing it? When the game is finished, what are your plans for distributing it and supporting it over the long-term?
Feargus: We do Linux for $$$.​

tl;dr: It will suck be AWESOME.

There's not one thing in that interview that contained any detail, or any ounce of information. The video only has interviews with developers basically asking you to imagine how AWESOME it's all going to be - without a shred of anything to back it up, other than that individually, they worked on this awesome game you might remember (for its shoddy camera controls) that one time.

The thing doesn't even have a name yet. Also the World Map looks pretty shit. "Brass Crown Tower", "Godhammer Citadel", "Lake of Drow Tombs", "Israel's Well", "Free Palestine". Why not have "Great Big Lake Full of Water" and "Bad Guy Tower", it'd seem just as original.

And where are the fucking apostrophes? Don't these guys know how to name fantasy shit?

Now I note GameBanshee's ChipIn has only garnered $831 out of their $10,000 goal and people here are talking about putting money into this crap AWESOMENESS under the Codex' good and upstanding name. Before I defile the good honour of the Codex, I want to know how many people are willing to RIGHT THE FUCK NOW throw in some dollah and how much they want to throw in. I see we missed the inn (and no way would I've thrown in the cash before we raised any oof ours) and the $10k prize looks pretty shit (airfares). It wouldn't be too hard to put in multiple donations and split them up to get a bunch of epic weapons or some shit. Still, I want a list of names for the coming great expulsion of everyone who likes this shit donation drive.

I'll be out under some tree on a patch of dirt for the next few days but when I get back to civilisation, I may consider creating a donation drive at that time if there's enough interest - and if Obsidian have managed to at least put out some concept art or something.

¹Editor's Note: The IE games actually sucked. Any fun in them was despite the engine, not because of it.

 

[Curious_Tongue]

¹Editor's Note: The IE games actually sucked. Any fun in them was despite the engine, not because of it.

Ban DarkUnderlord!

 

[evdk]

Still, I want a list of names for the coming great expulsion of everyone who likes this shit donation drive.

I see through your cunning plan - you intend to ban everyone who signs up.

Fuck, redding is indeed teh hard. <- me

 

[toro]

Before I defile the good honour of the Codex, I want to know how many people are willing to RIGHT THE FUCK NOW throw in some dollah and how much they want to throw in.

Hint: Make a vote pool.

 

[l3loodAngel]

1. Basically what I'm saying is, the Eternity funds will only supply the devs working on Eternity, which will be a much smaller team than the usual 30-60 devs to accommodate for the smaller amount of funding.

2. They aren't going to use the indie funding of Eternity to fund 120 devs- that's just absurd.

1. I dismissed the thought, because it's not separate legal entities. 60 people working for 3k is 180k a month. Now, this company is full industry veterans that probably won't work for that much as they probably have families, mortgages and etc.

2. Yes, but then there is an issues with senior management, paying the bills, accounting and etc.

My point is that you can't look at them as separate entities.

As we saw when Microsoft cancelled their next-gen RPG, Obsidian can be ruthless when it comes to firing people to cut costs down to match income.

And as we saw with stretch goals they suck cock at financial planning. Compare those goals to the goals of Dead state. 200k for player housing? You know what, modders will do it for free...

 

[Roguey]

Dead State's initial stretch goal was shit shit shit. Wasn't it like boring weapons no one cared about and it helped turf their momentum so it didn't even get fully funded until weeks later? Yeah.

 

[Lexx]

Lots of people see the housing as a room with box right now and I think that's the problem. We don't know how it will look like in the game and how complex it might become. Knowing Obsidian, it probably won't be "just a house" but will give benefits and probably game content of various degree.

 

[Surf Solar]

I didn't mind the stronghold, or house or whatever one could get in BGII. You could store your crap in there and it wasn't just given to you for free, you needed to do a quest before. Same with the mages sphere etc. I would be fine with that. And there it was just the same, it was game content, even depending on your class of the main character. I do not see what the problem is with that?

 

[evdk]

Only way I could accept the housing is if it comes with its own quest line and ideally class/faction exclusive.

EDIT: Dammit Surf Solar

 

[l3loodAngel]

Dead State's initial stretch goal was shit shit shit. Wasn't it like boring weapons no one cared about and it helped turf their momentum so it didn't even get fully funded until weeks later? Yeah.

It's not about quality of goals (though, they are shit), it's about financial planning. 30 K for a new full time employee is justifiable, while 200k for a house is not.

 

[kaizoku]

1. Basically what I'm saying is, the Eternity funds will only supply the devs working on Eternity, which will be a much smaller team than the usual 30-60 devs to accommodate for the smaller amount of funding.

2. They aren't going to use the indie funding of Eternity to fund 120 devs- that's just absurd.

1. I dismissed the thought, because it's not separate legal entities. 60 people working for 3k is 180k a month. Now, this company is full industry veterans that probably won't work for that much as they probably have families, mortgages and etc.

2. Yes, but then there is an issues with senior management, paying the bills, accounting and etc.

My point is that you can't look at them as separate entities.

As we saw when Microsoft cancelled their next-gen RPG, Obsidian can be ruthless when it comes to firing people to cut costs down to match income.

And as we saw with stretch goals they suck cock at financial planning. Compare those goals to the goals of Dead state. 200k for player housing? You know what, modders will do it for free...

Well, you can't buy a house with less than 200k these days anyway. /lame joke

Anyway, even though I don't like their approach the way I see that is "tease the suckers with a house for 200k... use the money to add more quests with interesting C&C"
Well, at least I hope so damn it!

 

[evdk]

As we have said - make the house class specific and tie it with variety of quest lines.

 

[almondblight]

So I have enough internet access tonight to do this to GameBanshee's interview:

The problem with writing a satirical version of that interview is that what he said is even worse:

"Ultimately, we really feel that what an RPG is about is the characters and the story – not the setting. Hit points are hit points whether you are killing past, present or future zombies. What engages and what keeps you going in an RPG are characters that you love and hate and story lines that tug at your emotions."