History VideoGame / ProjectEternity

Obsidian wanted to get back to its roots in the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''-style tactical RPG genre, but couldn't get any publisher support. They TookAThirdOption and went to the public via {{Kickstarter}}. ''Project Eternity'' ended up breaking [[Creator/DoubleFine the previous record]] for a Kickstarter project, meeting its initial $1.1 million goal in 27 hours, met every stretch goal the company put up, and finally ended with over $4.3 million (counting [=PayPal=] donations), nearly four times the original goal.

Obsidian wanted to get back to its roots in the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''-style tactical RPG genre, but couldn't get any publisher support. They TookAThirdOption and went to the public via {{Kickstarter}}. ''Project Eternity'' ended up breaking [[Creator/DoubleFine the previous record]] for a Kickstarter project, meeting its initial $1.1 million goal in 27 hours, met every stretch goal the company put up, and finally ended with $4.1 million (counting [=PayPal=] donations), nearly four times the original goal.

Obsidian wanted to get back to its roots in the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''-style tactical RPG genre, but couldn't get any publisher support. They TookAThirdOption and went to the public via {{Kickstarter}}. ''Project Eternity'' ended up breaking [[Creator/DoubleFine the previous record]] for a Kickstarter project, meeting its initial $1.1 million goal in 27 hours, met every stretch goal the company put up, and finally ended with $4.1 million (counting [=PayPal=] donations), nearly four times the original goal. (In a side note, ''PE's'' record was promptly broken the next month by ''VideoGame/StarCitizen''.)

* AllDeathsFinal: Resurrection of a dead individual is flat-out impossible (as opposed to reincarnation, which occurs naturally to everyone).
* ArmorIsUseless: A weird subversion. The primitive firearms of the setting are effective at piercing wizards' spell shields, so wizards have turned to metal armor for defense.
* BagOfHolding: Player's inventory is subdivided into three parts: what's currently equipped on the characters, what they can access at any time except in combat, and what the can access only in the camp, at home, etc. The former two categories have limited capacity but the last one ("stash") is unbound.
* BladeOnAStick: As of project update #38, one-handed spears and two-handed pikes are confirmed as available weapons.

* CallToAdventure: At the beginning of the game, the PlayerCharacter will witness a traumatic supernatural event that motivates them to go on the adventure.
* CharacterClassSystem: Clearly influenced by D&D, which shouldn't be a surprise. Note that all information is from the wiki and subject to change as things develop.

** '''Druid:''' [[{{Druid}} Not much to say here.]]

** '''Monk:''' See BareFistedMonk.
** '''Paladin:''' ThePaladin is a WarriorMonk who devotes him/herself to a particular cause, which may or may not be a deity. Designed partly as a support caster also capable of periodically blasting foes in their immediate vicinity with an uprising of soul energy.

** '''Ranger:''' Little data, but likely hunters and guides. {{Nature Hero}}es, in other words.
** '''Rogue:''' Skillmonkeys and stealth experts.
** '''Wizard:''' (Do you even need to ask?) Scientists of a sort, they are dedicated through long years of training to blowing people's heads off with soul energy.
* CharacterCustomization: The players will be able to select the name, sex, class, race (including subraces), culture, traits, ability scores, portrait, and class-specific gear, skills, and talents for their characters at the beginning of the game.
* CombatDiplomacyStealth: According to update #7, it will be possible to bypass combat completely if non-combat abilities are leveled up.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Meta-example. A couple publishers tried to convince Obsidian to go to Kickstarter on their behalf. CEO Feargus Urquhart described the meetings as follows:
--> '''Urquhart:''' So, you want us to do a Kickstarter for you, using our name, we then get the Kickstarter money to make the game, you then publish the game, but we then don’t get to keep the brand we make and we only get a portion of the profits.\\
'''Publisher rep:''' Yes.

* ElementalCrafting: As outlined in update #29, the devs take a lot of time to make all tiers of armor useful in different situations.

* FantasyPantheon: Berath, god of cycles (including life and death), Eothas, god of light and redemption, and Magran, goddess of war and fire.

* HealingMagicIsTheHardest: According to update #24, the healing powers are hard to come by and have little effect.
* {{Hobbits}}[=/=]OurGnomesAreWeirder: Orlans are a blend of the two [[http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=58248 according to Project Director Adam Brennecke]]. They're short humanoids with two-toned skin and large, hairy ears. They've been victimized repeatedly by other cultures they've come in contact with and have either progressively retreated deeper into the wilds or resorted to guerrilla warfare.

* KleptomaniacHero: The game will explicitly (cf. update #36) encourage this by letting the player put anything they pick up into the bottomless "stash" inventory if they don't currently need it.

* {{Necromancer}}: Update #24 mentions that necromancers aren't universally viewed as evil (except by some fringe groups) but aren't commonplace, either.

* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: They have at least one ethnicity, the boreal dwarves who seem to be what you get when you cross a dwarf with an Inuit.
* OurElvesAreBetter: Though as the relevant wiki page is currently a stub, we don't know many details. Other pages mention elven caravans among other things.
* OurSoulsAreDifferent: To quote update #5, "souls are A Big Deal in Project Eternity's world".

* RealTimeWeaponChange: Update #36 confirms the possibility of switching between several weapon sets in combat.

* {{Reincarnation}}: Pretty much the CentralTheme of the game, if the devs' early indications are to be believed.

* SceneryPorn: [[http://hydra-images.cursecdn.com/eternitywiki.com/f/f5/PE-TempleEntrance01-1920x1080.jpeg The first screenshot released.]]
* SeaMonster: These actively impede the overseas exploration, according to update #5.
* SkillScoresAndPerks: There will be two separate skill point pools to spend on combat and non-combat abilities. Also, they will be using up different types of resources.
* SpiritualSuccessor: To Obsidian's past {{RPG}}s including ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'', ''IcewindDale'', and ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' in particular. And they're doing it with the original ''Planescape'' team, no less. Also a stretch goal added ''[[VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2 Mask of the Betrayer's]]'' lead writer George Ziets to the team.

* UselessUsefulNonCombatAbilities: Averted, as of update #7, since non-combat abilities let you level up just as fast as the combat approach and there will be enough applications for them in the game world.

* YouWillNotEvadeMe: All melee combatants can do this via the Engagement rules (outlined in update #44). When being targeted by a melee fighter at close range, any attempt to move away will provoke an attack of opportunity that deals bonus damage and usually stuns you long enough for the attacker to catch up. There are ways to avoid that, of course, but they are costly and it's best to just not go anywhere near melee enemies at all.

* AllDeathsFinal: Although this only happens in the Expert mode, when characters die (have their Health reduced to 0) in combat, they are gone for good.

* CharacterCustomization: The players will be select the name, sex, class, race (including subraces), culture, traits, ability scores, portrait, and class-specific gear, skills, and talents for their characters at the beginning of the game.

* SkillScoresAndPerks

NeedsWikiMagicLove.

!! ''Project Eternity'' provides examples of the following tropes:

* {{DRM}}: Averted. Among the early stretch goals was a DRM-free version distributed through GOG.com, and the hardcopy won't have DRM unless the owner chooses to register it with Steam.

* MultiPlatform: Initially for [[IBMPersonalComputer Windows]], stretch goals added MacOS and {{Linux}} versions. Also distributed via two separate services, {{Steam}} and GOG.com.

* {{Hobbits}} / OurGnomesAreWeirder: Orlans are a blend of the two [[http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=58248 according to Project Director Adam Brennecke]]. They're short humanoids with two-toned skin and large, hairy ears. They've been victimized repeatedly by other cultures they've come in contact with and have either progressively retreated deeper into the wilds or resorted to guerrilla warfare.

Obsidian wanted to get back to its roots in the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''-style tactical RPG genre, but couldn't get any publisher support. They TookAThirdOption and went to the public via {{Kickstarter}}. ''Project Eternity'' ended up breaking [[Creator/DoubleFine the previous record]] for a Kickstarter project, meeting its initial $1.1 million goal in 27 hours, met every stretch goal the company put up, and finally ended with $4.1 million (counting [=PayPal=] donations), nearly four times the original goal.

Obsidian wanted to get back to its roots in the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''-style tactical RPG genre, but couldn't get any publisher support. They TookAThirdOption and went to the public via {{Kickstarter}}. ''Project Eternity'' ended up breaking [[Creator/DoubleFine the previous record]] for a Kickstarter project, meeting its initial $1.1 million goal in 27 hours, met every stretch goal the company put up, and finally ended with nearly four times the original goal.

* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame / OurElvesAreBetter: Though as the relevant wiki pages are currently stubs, we don't know any details.

** '''Paladin: ThePaladin is a WarriorMonk who devotes him/herself to a particular cause, which may or may not be a deity. Designed partly as a support caster also capable of periodically blasting foes in their immediate vicinity with an uprising of soul energy.

* ThePaladin: A playable class. They're {{Warrior Monk}}s who have pledged themselves to a cause (not necessarily a deity).

* AndTheFandomRejoiced: After being ScrewedByTheNetwork so many times, many longtime RPG fans were happy to see an Obsidian project free from ExecutiveMeddling.

* ThePaladin: A playable class.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To Obsidian's past {{RPG}}s including ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'', ''IcewindDale'', and ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' in particular. And they're doing it with the original ''Planescape'' team, no less.

'''''Project Eternity''''' is ObsidianEntertainment's SpiritualSuccessor to ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' and ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'', due out in April 2014.