Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, by Obsidian Entertainment

Ah, okay. I missed the bit about the Slayer facet being the only one powerful enough to destroy the adra, for whatever reason. I also didn't catch any of the clues which pointed to them being the same reincarnated soul; maybe that will be more clear on a second playthrough.

Edit: Yep, I missed a huge chunk of dialogue involving the Faces at the end. That's what comes of distracted gaming.

Edited by Tarlonniel on Sep 30th 2018 at 10:37:06 AM

So apparently Microsoft is about to buy Obsidian.

...Well, at least it's not EA or Ubisoft.

I mean, they've burned every other bridge in the industry, so I'm surprised Microsoft is even looking to pick them up.

Eh. I'd say Obsidian's generally the one getting the short end of the stick on most of those deals. Paradox, Microsoft, Sega, Bethesda, Lucasarts, they all kept partnering with Obsidian only to ditch them just before they put out a game, whether it's not bothering with advertising, offering and then suddenly withdrawing an extension on development time, or stiffing them on a bonus over a couple lousy percentage points on aggregate review scores. It's really no wonder Obsidian's games are so rushed, but the amount of content in those games is also kind of incredible, given the time constraints under which most of them were made.

They make a very fine product when they're given the time and budget they ask for, as I think both Pillars games tend to show. Maybe they're not the best pick for third-person over-the-shoulder triple-A cinematic games, but maybe they don't have to be.

I'm not sure how to feel about the Microsoft deal — I'd like to hope that this is the side of Microsoft that's passionate about the technology and is aware that they have money to burn, as opposed to an opportunistic, EA-like IP grab.

Edited by Unsung on Oct 12th 2018 at 6:33:41 AM

Hmm. If this was EA, I'd be in the "doom and gloom" camp, but I have no idea what Microsoft's track record is in this area. Do they scavenge acquisitions for talent and leave a lifeless husk? Do they annex molehills and try to turn them into mountains in the name of Profit? Or do they like having a diverse bunch of minions around and, therefore, stay relatively hands-off?

Microsoft is a mix bag.

On one hand you have the likes of Rare, who still exist as subsidiaries 16 years later.

Bungie was able to regain independence (Losing Halo in the process) while Essemble Studio (makers of Age of Empire) were eventually closed out.

That said Microsoft generally tends to keep the studios it buys as living entities. So nowhere near the likes of EA.

Edited by Ghilz on Oct 12th 2018 at 8:29:03 AM

Historically, games Microsoft has partnered on have been ambitious, creative, and kind of hit and miss critically and sales-wise (Blinx: The Time Sweeper, anyone?). Still, they scooped up Bioware and Rare as exclusives in the early days of the Xbox, so I do feel like they've got taste. And they keep trying (Sea of Thieves), so fingers crossed.

It helps that their biggest hits have been ultra-megahits like Gears of War and, oh, say, Halo. I can't help but feel like it would be kind of amazing to see Obsidian get to make the game they truly want to make when money is no object and the timetable is entirely their own. Not sure that's what's happening, but I can dream.

Edited by Unsung on Oct 12th 2018 at 6:38:44 AM

Courtesy repost of Ghilz's post on the POE thread:

Hylea's challenge turns the game into one long escort mission, which is... pretty good, even if I don't know if I'd want to actually do it. Wonder if that means they made it so Vela has her own unique bark(s) instead of just using the default unvoiced sailors' barks. Wonder if, for that matter, Eder has any unique dialogue for certain pets like he did in the first game.

Rymrgand making your food spoil seems suitably petty.

The newer Blessings seem pretty expensive in terms of point cost.

I wonder which pet would be best suited for Eder. I'm thinking the skull. Because let's face it, the skull deserves it.

Well some of the pets' party wide effects are pretty powerful. So having two active being expensive makes sense.

Algol for example is a 10 hp heal on kill, party wide. Concelhaunt is +1 power level to every spell Concelhaunt's spellbook contains. Nemnok gives +1 spell slot for druids, priests and wizards. Nebula randomly grants a status buff every 12 seconds for 10 seconds (Strong, Fit, Quick, Insightful, Smart, Steadfast). Several converts hits to crits with weapons (5%). Get two and its now a 10% hits to crits conversion across the entire party.

Edited by Ghilz on Oct 25th 2018 at 1:45:25 PM

Having Concelhaut and Nemnok active at once sounds like it would get annoying fast. Unless you really like their quips.

I know I saw a mod to shut Concelhaut up at one point. Not sure if it does anything about Nemnok, though.

I like how the icon for Can I Pet Him is the dopiest golden retriever, like not even the same art style. That's worth 15 points to me, sure thing, Berath. And yeah, some of the pets do have bonuses you can't really get any other way, so to be able to combine them, permanently? That's a fair bit of mileage.

I imagine the Watcher would have long gone insane if they had to listen to both Nemnok and Concelhaut during their adventures.

I think Concelhaut ought to go insane if forced to listen to Nemnok, Eder, and the Watcher for any length of time.

I just realized that with that Blessing you could have two space pigs following you at once.

Edited by M84 on Oct 27th 2018 at 3:41:50 AM

You can turn off the pets, so you get the buff but they no longer appear (or talk)

Oh, that's right. That's why that mod was taken down, they made it an official cosmetic slot like helmets and cloaks.

Unlock all the pet slots, including party members who aren't in the active party. I want to attack the Fonferrus with a whole swarm of cosmic animals.

Edited by Unsung on Oct 26th 2018 at 2:12:27 AM

The Forgotten Sanctum has a release date.

December 13. After that... Well, who knows?

Honestly, I wouldn't mind if that was it for this game. I can live without having a string of DLC. <cough>FFXV<cough>

I'm looking forward to being able to start a new character with all the content and patches available.

I've been pretty occupied with Dark Souls III recently, anyway (it was on sale for 75% off on Halloween).

Edited by M84 on Nov 21st 2018 at 1:15:46 AM

I was kind of hoping we'd get the equivalent of a White March, Part 2, something with a bit more meat to it, but that hasn't seemed likely in light of recent news. But more than that, I wondering what the Microsoft acquisition will mean for the franchise, if they'll get to do POE 3 proper or what exactly comes next.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind a new IP, or maybe a Tyranny sequel. Admittedly, a POE sequel that explores the consequences of Eothas' actions would be interesting, though I wonder what the Central Theme of such a game would be.

Can Obsidian make more Tyranny without Paradox's involvement? I mean, if anyone has the money to buy back Obsidian's various I Ps outright, it's Microsoft, and I can hope, but...

Microsoft's not EA, I know that, but with things being the way they are at Bioware and now Obsidian and In Xile being bought up, this isn't quite the way I wanted the CRPG renaissance to go.

As long as excessive monetization isn't involved, I'm more or less made my peace with gaming changing. Truth be told, there aren't many games I've genuinely regretted buying and playing.

Now, if a CRPG is made with microtransactions...that's when I will lose my shit.

Edited by M84 on Nov 22nd 2018 at 4:23:48 AM

I don't have a problem with other game genres existing or anything, I do play other games, but Bioware, Telltale, Obsidian, that kind of branching storytelling and dialogue scratch a particular itch and I'm just disappointed to see there's not more of a market for what they're doing.

Don't feel bad for Telltale. They screwed over themselves by oversaturating their own market with costly licensed games while relying on a stale and flawed game engine. While treating their employees like dogshit.

Edited by M84 on Nov 22nd 2018 at 4:41:13 AM