Support NeoGAF

[Tschumi]

Recent discussion about the impending release of Baldur's Gate 3 has oftentimes been heated when the subject of combat mode is broached. Hordes of people are supporting the move by Larian to stick to their comfort zone and implement full turn-based combat (as opposed to the 'RTWP' Real Time With Pausing version of turn-based combat) whereas some others wish that they had left that core feature of the beloved franchise untouched - or worked to improve it. To my mind there's an example right here of a game which allows both methods, so stay a while, and listen.

Regardless of my or your positions on that subject, what I want to do here is present an alternative to Larian's Divinity: OS 2 in the form of Pillars of Eternty 2: Deadfire.*
*I'm aware of Pathfinder: Kingmaker, played it, it didn't grab me the way PoE/2 has, I've chosen PoE/2 as my favourite.

The Pillars of Eternity franchise started off early last decade with a successful crowdfunder campaign launched by several former members of the team who worked on the Icewind Dale games and Neverwinter Nights 2 (which I loved) It was an attempt to bring the much beloved Baldur's Gate/Icewind Dale gamestyle into the modern age. Remember, this was during a different time when these types of games seemingly struggled to raise money/attention for their production. It was a great story.

I called Pillars of Eternity 1 - when it came out - "The last game I'll ever buy". Things didn't work out too well there - I was kicking off a Master Degree at the time which would certainly see me scrambling for respite in the thickets of the Dyrwood, as well as Azeroth on a private WoW server (good news I completed the Degree with good marks, somehow), and future agonies would keep me seeking comfort in our collective hobby - but this franchise retains a position of kind unimpeachability for me.

...they had to craft a new world for PoE, and all in all did a great job of it. The first game was a great attempt, but to my mind PoE2: Deadfire is a great upgrade on the original. Deadfire sees you navigating an overworld island chain known as the 'Deadfire' (in a manner reminiscent of Sid Meier's Pirates!, to me at least), only with the ability to land on islands, explore them and navigate encounters. An epic story is going on, but I reckon I can write this without saying anything about that main story, really, so I will try to follow that line.

------------------------------------------
A - Music and World
------------------------------------------
First thing's first, the music in this game is epic in ways TES and co can only aspire to. Lush, full, layered orchestral tracks suffuse the experience - full of fantasy tropes to encourage a sense of wonder and discovery, progress and patience. There is much more than merely a hint of Joe Hisaishi about some of these tracks - something entirely different about some others.

Listen to the first few minutes of this video (or the whole shebang if you want) the opening track is the music for the title banner splash and menu systems - pretty fantastic for a title and some menus, right? In all it's almost 3 hours of gorgeous orchestral music - click to any point and you won't be dissapointed.



And while you're listening to that soundtrack...

(only so many gifs I can find, the real game has all these scenes and many, many, many, many, many more (and better))

------------------------------------------
B - Selected Characters
------------------------------------------
Unless you're a hardass and wanna go it alone, you can spend time strutting around an island archipelago with an assortment of quite excellent characters following in your wake. Some old favourites from the original title return here, while new ones are introduced which neatly show off new gameplay features and classes. Here are some select characters whom I've chosen because I like them - but I'm holding plenty back for reasons of wall'o'text avoidance and keeping some spoilers.

Edér Teylecg - "May I be a candle in the night"

An extremely well voice-acted farmerdude who has been your companion since the opening hours of PoE 1, this guy has a great attitude - an extremely badass pipe - and excellent aptitude for being your rock amongst the swarms of enemies you are going to be fighting. He can either be a fighter, a rogue, or a 'Swashbuckler' fighter-rogue hybrid, though I typically keep him tank'y to help my toon navigate the first few hours of the game on max difficulty with a bit of stability up front. He's got a complicated relationship with his god - having some small part to play in exploding his earthly incarnation might have had some implications - but in general he just wants to understand the big guy. His chestpiece - optional, but which you can upgrade as the game wears on - lets him bounce back up once after death, which is pretty RP and quite nifty as you might imagine.

Aloth Corfiser - "A sharp-featured elf comes to the fore. As he meets your eyes, he gives you a knowing nod. He's earned a few new scars, but you recognize Aloth Corfiser all the same."

You first meet Aloth in PoE1, and he is a loyal mage throughout, grappling with his associating with a secretive magic society whose leader has gone homicidally apeshit. After the first game, whilst you have been [redacted], you reunite with him quite early in Deadfire, and learn that he's in the area incognito following leads to continue trying to take down his former cohorts. Still a badass, he deals a ton of DPS and can be relied upon in a fight so long as you keep mobs off him.

Pallegina mes Rèi - "Fiaces vocs converano!"

A Paladin from a somewhat political faction, the Avian-Godlike asskicker is an ambassador in the first game from distant republics - republics you are a lot closer to in this edition. She shows up a short way into the story as a representative of her faction's trading company, and joins your party to openly spy on their behalf - and give you a chance to unpick her backstory some more. She's a complex, stoic character who mimics the proverbial hot knife through butter once she gets her teeth into mobs.

There are a host of new characters introduced for this iteration of the game, and I won't go into them because, and I've said before, this is time I could spend playing the damn thing for the umpteenth time. Play the game and meet them yourselves.

------------------------------------------
C - Characters (customization)
------------------------------------------

In short, there are scores of classes and subclasses to choose from - mix and match to your heart's content.

some cool options jump out: paladin-rogue multi "Holy Slayer"; Monk-Barbarian "Ravager"; Barbarian-Priest "Shaman"; hells yes!

This is a list of multiclass combinations you can make. This is only a small part of the customizations possible - every class which goes into these multiclass combinations can be played as a single class, and they all have 4 or so subclasses within them that make very real changes to how the character is played. At the moment, I'm trying to make a toon who will use a talking sword that you pick up partway through the game - in preparation for this, I've made him a fighter with the 'Devoted' subclass (makes him extra powerful when using his single chosen weapon) and multiclassed him with a Rogue of a sublcass which excels when it is boxed in/flanked/injured. My thinking is that this'll make him a very effective but resilient melee scrum damage dealer. A wingman for Eder (or the otherway round) Is this ideal? I've no idea, but I'll give it a go. My first playthrough was a pure ranger, my next playthrough this game's idea of a necromancer (a subclass of the Chanter) mixed with a wizard. Those both worked nicely.

On top of the above, various other tweaks can be made depending on birthplace, prior employment, etc.

The scope for envisioning the character you want to play and building the right mix of classes/subclasses to produce this ideal is hugely engaging. Trying new character types can be a reason for replayability unto itself. I've re-rolled dozens of times to get these 3 toons, which I've deemed ideal, to date.

Once you're in game, naturally things such as enchanting and skill/specialization choices allow you to further tweak your character.


------------------------------------------
D - Combat
------------------------------------------

A key reason why I wanted to write this thread was because I thought this game could stand as a good mediator/exemplar for the debates going on about BG3. In Pillars of Eternity the original RTWP (Real Time With Pause) combat style of BG2 and its ilk has been refined and rid of flaws , beyond this a turn-based mode has been introduced via free DLC to accommodate those who enjoy Larian's approach to games.

The combat in this game is punchy, challenging, extremely flexible and constantly morphing out of formula. Like the BG games, the default combat mode in PoE2 is RTWP (more on this later) which essentially sees you fighting battles in a simulation of a real time event, with all the randomness and chance that dice-rolls can so effectively simulate. You can pause gameplay at any time to think about your next steps and micromanage the fight, or else you can just let it play and watch your companions (set to full AI control) duke it out with enemies. Things quickly get outta hand as new abilities become unlocked for your characters, and it's a blast.

Turn based combat mimics the Larian approach - and it renders a few of the originaly combat style's best classes obsolete. This chance to rethink squad balance and how you build your main character just adds to the novelty and replayability of the new mode.

RTWP

The RTWP combat mode of Baldur's Gate 1 & 2, Icewind Dale, the original Pillars of Eternity, and sundry, is flawless in Deadfire. Gone are the hilarious insta-deaths, the awful miscasts, the wayward attacks, the suicides and weird bugs in general that were present in earlier games. In two full playthroughs and a third partial, I've never encountered any striking battle bugs. These battles are challenging as heck at higher difficulties, but they can usually be navigated purely by dint of focus and thinking outside the box.

The RTWP combat mode is a misnomer - the game is not real time, it is turned based. The only difference is that this turn-based is automated, and it occurs simultaneously for all parties involved in the fight, at different speeds depending on a number of factors. This game does not fuck up like older titles did - it just challenges the hell outta you! All the more reason to be excited about trying to crowbar your bespoke character build into a viable party balance.

FULL TURN BASED
I haven't played this mode, I will on my next playthrough (I keep telling myself that), but I'm just a forumgoer, so don't take my word for it anyway:
**NOTE** It's isn't in BETA anymore.



"Pillars of Eternity 2 Feels Great as a Turn Based game" LINK

------------------------------------------
E - CONCLUSION
------------------------------------------

I FELT LIKE THIS GAME DESERVED A SHOUTOUT. Made by former members of the BG team who turned to kickstarter to set this series off, this expertly crafted game is a delight to play and an amazing opportunity for those of us who like to really customize their characters and tweak battle plans. I see this game as a missing link between Divinity and Baldur's Gate, as such I think it could be instructive to Larian - though I don't think it will be. I prefer the character customization of this game to that of Divinity, hands down, and I definitely prefer the combat mode - though that's personal taste.

WHY SHOULD YOU PLAY THIS GAME? That's the title of my thread, right? You should play it because it is a fantastic vision of the Baldur's Gate gameplay model that has been refined and tweaked following an excellent opening offering and is the gold standard for 2D RTWP combat - whilst simultaneously offering a fully realized and tested take on Turn-Based combat. It has an EPIC soundtrack - best in gaming? I would put it in my top few titles for sure - and some fantastic characters. The character customization is robust as all getout and the story is evocative and long. The game can be a hell of a challenge.

------------------------------------------
EPILOGUE
------------------------------------------

There's also the small matter of this upcoming Windows/XSX exclusive, set in the same universe:
(am I an xBox fan? not really. Will I be playing this on PC? Fuck yeah)

 

[Fugitive Sex]

The goal of your message is a noble one. There are many good things to note about the Pillars series, but throughout your post I noticed you didn't mention the story, nor the writing and characterisations. And for me, I found it was egregiously all over the place, and ultimately horrendously boring. I could not bring myself to suffer anymore, and in the second game I think we can all agree that the main plot was awful. I loathed the ridiculous ship 'combat', too, and while it can be mitigated, it is a constant nuisance. Unfortunately, its battle system isn't enough to make me want to return to the world of Deadfire.

 

[vkbest]

This game have the most terrible port in consoles I played ever

 

[Darkmakaimura]

This game have the most terrible port in consoles I played ever

I heard that too which is a shame since I would've eventually bought it for Switch.

Really curious how Obsidian will continue with this world in a first person with real time combat with Avowed.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Thanks for making this awesome thread.

Big fan of infinity engine games. First POE did not click with me for some reason I can't pinpoint. It was 90% what made IE games great but was missing that 10% that made them magical.

Will try to play this one if possible.

 

[docmindbender]

Nice love letter to an awesome, awesome game.

 

[Tschumi]

The goal of your message is a noble one. There are many good things to note about the Pillars series, but throughout your post I noticed you didn't mention the story, nor the writing and characterisations. And for me, I found it was egregiously all over the place, and ultimately horrendously boring. I could not bring myself to suffer anymore, and in the second game I think we can all agree that the main plot was awful. I loathed the ridiculous ship 'combat', too, and while it can be mitigated, it is a constant nuisance. Unfortunately, its battle system isn't enough to make me want to return to the world of Deadfire.

I avoided discussing the story, i totally get where you're coming from but i think i figured out the story as i went pretty well, to the extent where i was almost teary-eye'd come the final credits.. but i immediately rerolled to give it a different try~ i did enjoy it.

I guess about ship combat you might be coming into it from another game.. i just took it for what it was

If you can't go back, i understand i for one loved every moment of it.. was it an incomplete experience? Absolutely.. but i didn't go in thinking it would be anything more than a novel take on a very old game style.. so i was pleasantly surprised

This game have the most terrible port in consoles I played ever

God i can't even imagine how it must be.. puke!

 

[Lanrutcon]

This game is great.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker murders it in the streets though. In every way possible, and twice if you roll a 19 or 20.

Edit: Also, did they ever solve the performance issues in Deadfire? The cities ran like dried cement.

 

[Bonfires Down]

I probably won’t play it unless I significantly whittle down my backlog or get it really cheap, but props on putting so much effort into the OP.

 

[Zheph]

Great post, really need to find the time for it. The gifs are great. I remember being overwhelmed when I tried it

 

[Tschumi]

This game is great.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker murders it in the streets though. In every way possible, and twice if you roll a 19 or 20.

Edit: Also, did they ever solve the performance issues in Deadfire? The cities ran like dried cement.

Hey mate, the game works fine on my laptop, though there's an occasional throttle for the first few moments in the dock zone of neketaka..

I'll definitely give that game another try one day, it's certainly talked up mightily so I'll have to give it that third try.

Great post, really need to find the time for it. The gifs are great. I remember being overwhelmed when I tried it

Thanks mate yeah, I'll only say that compared to other games in the genre this one does try to accommodate you in the long run. Make your first playthrough an easier difficulty setting too, maybe~

 

[TintoConCasera]

Hey OP, would I enjoy this if I never finished the first one?

 

[RoboFu]

Bought it on console and the load times were so bad I shelved it, but will
Definitely try it again on the new consoles.

 

[Zheph]

Hey mate, the game works fine on my laptop, though there's an occasional throttle for the first few moments in the dock zone of neketaka..

I'll definitely give that game another try one day, it's certainly talked up mightily so I'll have to give it that third try.


Thanks mate yeah, I'll only say that compared to other games in the genre this one does try to accommodate you in the long run. Make your first playthrough an easier difficulty setting too, maybe~

I'll give it a better go but I did found Divinity 2 to be more accessible, maybe I got confused too easily ^^

 

[Zathalus]

I loved both games, as well as the Outer Worlds. Makes me excited for what Obsidian is going to do with Avowed now that they have Microsoft money. Eora is rich with lore, so I'm pretty damn optimistic.

 

[dispensergoinup]

Game was pretty ok but I don't think I'll do a second playthrough. At least I finished it though, as opposed to Kingmaker which I'm still slogging through.

I need that BG3 in my veins soon as I prefer the Divinity 1 and 2 systems and overall aesthetics.

 

[Tschumi]

Hey OP, would I enjoy this if I never finished the first one?

Yeah you definitely can. It even lets you choose different endings for the first one - to sorta sum up your prior actions and help paint this adventure. As far as it goes as a game, yeah there are definitely some quality of life enhancements made to pretty much all aspects of the gameplay. PoE1 was a great game but, like i said in the OP, PoE2 is a really good sequel in the way it improves on just about everything (some people aren't so hot on the story, but i kinda liked their approach) Being able to crew, fit out and sail an upgradable ship, for one, is actually a really freeing gameplay addition~

Bought it on console and the load times were so bad I shelved it, but will
Definitely try it again on the new consoles.

from what i hear bud you might have made a mistake getting it on console... if u have a half decent laptop i recommend getting it on computer.. mouse makes all the difference, really.. i can't even imagine how the controls would work on console v_v

I'll give it a better go but I did found Divinity 2 to be more accessible, maybe I got confused too easily ^^

i hear ya. my problem with divinity 2 was the.. well, i'll say the different flavour of character customization. I preferred it the PoE way. Just me though. Yeah, if you knuckle down and break through the initial learning curve the gameplay gets pretty viable, some of the architecture (i love serpent's crown palace for one) gets pretty awesome and some of the NPC story characters are convincing as heck. You also get those occasional touches of extra attention that a kickstarter style project can indulge in~

 

[Zathalus]

Game was pretty ok but I don't think I'll do a second playthrough. At least I finished it though, as opposed to Kingmaker which I'm still slogging through.

I need that BG3 in my veins soon as I prefer the Divinity 1 and 2 systems and overall aesthetics.

I've played through the early access for BG3 on my PC, and am pretty damn impressed so far. That being said, I am going to be patient and wait for the inevitable definitive edition.

 

[Tschumi]

Hey OP, would I enjoy this if I never finished the first one?

Mate I'm sorry to tag you again but I'll also just add that the addition of multiclass characters really breaks customisation wide open. Huge upgrade.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Epic writeup. I still have to finish PoE 1, Torment, Wasteland 2, Divinity 1 and 2, and Pathfinder: Kingmaker (and probably a few others in this subgenre I've forgotten).

So happy these sort of games made a comeback. I guess they never "left" if you kept up on indie PC releases, but I'm happy they've gotten some mainstream attention.

 

[Clarissa]

This game is great.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker murders it in the streets though. In every way possible, and twice if you roll a 19 or 20.

Edit: Also, did they ever solve the performance issues in Deadfire? The cities ran like dried cement.

I enjoyed pillars of eternity 2. Is Pathfinder: Kingmaker even better?

 

[smart_brazileiro]

I enjoyed pillars of eternity 2. Is Pathfinder: Kingmaker even better?

Pathfinder is a lot better in the gameplay department but falls short everywhere else, imho. Pillars has by far the better writing. And. By far I mean it's not even comparable.

 

[smart_brazileiro]

I had to stop playing it because the load times were simply unacceptable on PS4 Pro. I think Ive never played a game in my whole life with worse load times then thus game. Literally unplayable. Will play on ps5 and see how it compares.

 

[DJT123]

RtwP combat doesn't work so well for me anymore. My favorite way of playing cRPGS these days (Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Wasteland 3) is turn-based with a controller. POE2 would be no different.

 

[Tschumi]

I had to stop playing it because the load times were simply unacceptable on PS4 Pro. I think Ive never played a game in my whole life with worse load times then thus game. Literally unplayable. Will play on ps5 and see how it compares.

Yeah I'm starting to think i should have made a note in my post that it should only be played on pc i didn't know it was ported to ps4.. i hate the thought of it lol

RtwP combat doesn't work so well for me anymore. My favorite way of playing cRPGS these days (Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Wasteland 3) is turn-based with a controller. POE2 would be no different.

There was a great game on GameCube called gladius.. i think it's gameplay might hit a note with you, you should try get it to work on dolphin of you ever find the need~~

 

[The Cockatrice]

Why you shouldnt play PoE2: Absolutely boring and terrible main story, barely being saved by some cool and interesting side quests and companions. The atmosphere is boring as shit and the boat combat is absolute annoying as hell. Instead of this go play Pathfinder and Divinity OS2 2 games 10x times superior in every regard compared to PoE2.

 

[sobaka770]

I enjoyed pillars of eternity 2. Is Pathfinder: Kingmaker even better?

Yes I'm my opinion. The story may not be as "mature" but almost everything is better.

Yes people don't always like city building and random kingdom events but in my experience it's very much manageable.

I finished both but Deadfire despite the novel setting has big issues with just how boring the writing is especially for companions. I do not understand why we're stuck with the most boring companions imaginable from part one while the interesting ones are set aside from the very beginning. Not to say the whole story kind of fizzles out and has almost no mystery. The most enjoyable part of Deadfire are the intrigues between factions but outside of those even part one had more things going for it. Kingmaker was made on top of the existing tabletop campaign and it shows as we get much better thought out story and the in-game progression just feels more rewarding.

Last thing and that' may be debatable but I do feel that Obsidian fucked up by parting with Chris Avellone. It's pretty clear to me that Deadfire lacks his touch for creating interesting intricate off-beat characters like Durance from the first game. Looking at the work he did since on Fane for DOS2 and on characters in P:K the level of wit and charm in writing is to me on a different level.

But that's just my 2 cents.

 

[DJT123]

Pathfinder is a lot better in the gameplay department but falls short everywhere else, imho. Pillars has by far the better writing. And. By far I mean it's not even comparable.

I adore PF:K. I never had any issues with its generic writing/art-style. In fact, some of the writing in Chapter 3: Season of the Bloom really hit home with me when I met the Old Gnome. For example, this was his reply when my lawful evil elven barbarian proclaimed she wanted to rule the world: " Words, words.. words, can be motes stirred by the wind, a trifle, a wisp of smoke.. but when they are spoken in the right time and place, words can possess the power of storm."

Yeah I'm starting to think i should have made a note in my post that it should only be played on pc i didn't know it was ported to ps4.. i hate the thought of it lol



There was a great game on GameCube called gladius.. i think it's gameplay might hit a note with you, you should try get it to work on dolphin of you ever find the need~~

I hadn't even heard of it and what do you know, an SRPG made by the legendary dev LucasArts in their heyday. Very interesting recommendation

 

[Lanrutcon]

I enjoyed pillars of eternity 2. Is Pathfinder: Kingmaker even better?

So PF:K has a gimmick. You play an adventurer with ambition. Your task today is to kill the big bad brigand, your goal is to found a kingdom.

Early in the game you get handed a title and a large chunk of land with the aim of pacifying it. You still play it like a traditional CRPG exactly like Deadfire...but at the same time you're not some lone adventurer. Want to go out and explore that weird cave you found? Great, but before you go: the river merchants want a tax exception in return for selling you goods at a discount, a master smith from the dwarven lands wants to set up shop on your capital and you still haven't hired a general for your army. So sort that out quick or leave it to your advisors. Your kingdom has to be managed, or you can turn that off and let the computer do it. It's more fun to guide things yourself though. Decide on laws, hire folks to do your bidding, use the treasury to buy ridiculous magic items, kick snooty nobles out of your court, expand your lands and tame the fantasy wilds. You lose when you lose your kingdom though, so try not go all tyrant on the natives.

Apart from that, it's got an incredibly faithful (and crunchy) implementation of the Pathfinder ruleset with more mechanics than you will be able to master in a single game, lots of fleshed out companions, a ton of content, turn-based or real time combat and the game is fully moddable. A comprehensive playthrough will get you somewhere in the region of 130 hours.

Downsides? It's a bit overwhelming, it's difficult and it doesn't pull its punches. You piss off a party member, they walk permanently. You skip an event where you would have met someone with miles of story attached to them? All that is gone. There are multiple endings and you will fuck up the best one on your first playthrough. Stuff like that. Old school, like Baldur's Gate.

But it's the best CRPG in the last 10 or so years, easily. Most people skip it because they exit the tutorial and get lawned by bandits repeatedly.

 

[Tschumi]

I hadn't even heard of it and what do you know, an SRPG made by the legendary dev Lucasarts in their heyday. Very interesting recommendation

Very underrated/under discussed, addictive combat, gladiator stable management, equip management, character development and spell management, a number of distinct world maps with, like, 5 or 6 'arenas' dotted around each, a pretty decent story, solid art direction and visuals that work pretty well to this day - esp on dolphin... it's kinda hard to get it to work right, and widescreen is a bit weird because it shows how they pre-load scenes as ur camera pans... but yeah, one of my absolute favourite gamecube games. i completed it with a german copy and, considering that my german never really got that good, that's something.

 

[McHuj]

I own both but haven't played them yet. Is it ok (preferable?) to dive right into Deadfire first?

 

[sandkiller]

I actually finished it last week! Really enjoyed it (much more than PoE). I was initially a bit hesitant because of the Ship Mechanics but it wasn't an issue.

Shame to know it did not sell well - wondering if they had high expectactions?

 

[Tschumi]

So PF:K has a gimmick. You play an adventurer with ambition. Your task today is to kill the big bad brigand, your goal is to found a kingdom.

Early in the game you get handed a title and a large chunk of land with the aim of pacifying it. You still play it like a traditional CRPG exactly like Deadfire...but at the same time you're not some lone adventurer. Want to go out and explore that weird cave you found? Great, but before you go: the river merchants want a tax exception in return for selling you goods at a discount, a master smith from the dwarven lands wants to set up shop on your capital and you still haven't hired a general for your army. So sort that out quick or leave it to your advisors. Your kingdom has to be managed, or you can turn that off and let the computer do it. It's more fun to guide things yourself though. Decide on laws, hire folks to do your bidding, use the treasury to buy ridiculous magic items, kick snooty nobles out of your court, expand your lands and tame the fantasy wilds. You lose when you lose your kingdom though, so try not go all tyrant on the natives.

Apart from that, it's got an incredibly faithful (and crunchy) implementation of the Pathfinder ruleset with more mechanics than you will be able to master in a single game, lots of fleshed out companions, a ton of content, turn-based or real time combat and the game is fully moddable. A comprehensive playthrough will get you somewhere in the region of 130 hours.

Downsides? It's a bit overwhelming, it's difficult and it doesn't pull its punches. You piss off a party member, they walk permanently. You skip an event where you would have met someone with miles of story attached to them? All that is gone. There are multiple endings and you will fuck up the best one on your first playthrough. Stuff like that. Old school, like Baldur's Gate.

But it's the best CRPG in the last 10 or so years, easily. Most people skip it because they exit the tutorial and get lawned by bandits repeatedly.

i'm not trying to get tribal here, i mean, this thread we're talking on is my own thread about deadfire but i'm not butthurt about that or anything

I just wanna say that that kinda stuff isn't quite what i'm looking for in an rpg like deadfire... in fact, it seems like we can go as far as saying the two games are fundamentally split, since on the one hand you're navigating a crafted overworld (deadfire) and on the other it seems to be more of a sandbox'y kinda thing?

I picked up on a lot of buzzwords in your summary there... managing a kingdom, fully moddable, whathaveyou... they don't seem like they add up to a game that should be recommended over deadfire, so much as one that should be played in addition to deadfire~

....so that's what I'm doing, I tried kingmaker before a few months ago and didn't really get into it, but i'm downloading it from gog again right now and i'll give it a try. I'm definitely excited I'm glad that they too offer the choice between real time and turn based.

But I still think everyone with the faintest interest in these games should play through Deadfire - ON PC, NOT CONSOLE, for pete's sake XP

I own both but haven't played them yet. Is it ok (preferable?) to dive right into Deadfire first?

as i've said before, it is possible to jump into deadfire and have a blast. You should watch a youtube plot synopsis of the first game though, to better understand what you're getting in to. Of course playing a good chunk of PoE first would be recommended, to really soak up the world (deadfire and PoE take place in different portions of Eora, so you'll wanna see what both of them are like, perhaps) but deadfire is a more contemporary game, with more refined gameplay.

I actually finished it last week! Really enjoyed it (much more than PoE). I was initially a bit hesitant because of the Ship Mechanics but it wasn't an issue.

Shame to know it did not sell well - wondering if they had high expectactions?

epic post ^_^ thanks very much and I'm glad to hear of your reaction!

WEll, it sold well enough for them to make a First Person adventure spin-off for XSX/PC, so it must have done alright!

Hope people note how 'ship mechanics' aren't a real detriment ^^^

 

[Irobot82]

I love this game so damn much!

 

[DJT123]

I actually finished it last week! Really enjoyed it (much more than PoE). I was initially a bit hesitant because of the Ship Mechanics but it wasn't an issue.

Shame to know it did not sell well - wondering if they had high expectactions?

It seems like POE1 didn't inspire people to check out the sequel for some reason, looking at their respective sales.

 

[Lanrutcon]

I just wanna say that that kinda stuff isn't quite what i'm looking for in an rpg like deadfire... in fact, it seems like we can go as far as saying the two games are fundamentally split, since on the one hand you're navigating a crafted overworld (deadfire) and on the other it seems to be more of a sandbox'y kinda thing?

Naw, both games are exactly the same. Overworld with handcrafted locations. Nothing is randomly generated except mook loot (same in both games). They play exactly (exactly) alike, except for the kingdom stuff.

I picked up on a lot of buzzwords in your summary there... managing a kingdom, fully moddable, whathaveyou... they don't seem like they add up to a game that should be recommended over deadfire, so much as one that should be played in addition to deadfire~

Oh, definitely. Everyone should play PF:K, all the Divinity games, PoE, Torment, Baldur's Gate(s)...hell even should play Wizardry if I had my way. We experienced a bit of a CRPG revival recently, and the quality of the games is insane. BG3 has some tough shoes to fill, imo.

 

[Hendrick's]

If the Xbox version wasn't trash I would.

 

[Tschumi]

It seems like POE1 didn't inspire people to check out the sequel for some reason, looking at their respective sales.

PoE1 was , like I think BG2 would have been had it been released in 201x, a game with more of a niche feel to it. I think. To be honest after writing this post I went back to PoE1 to make a new character and, yeah, in some ways it just struck me how relatively outdated some of the gameplay is (no multiclassing, something really fire about deadfire).. on the other hand... the maps are really great, almost like diablo 3 should have looked like in some of the danker, darker parts... hugely atmospheric and an engrossing story if you're up for reading the small text. The combat is actually pretty crunchy in it's own way relative to deadfire.. deadfire's combat does kinda feel like that of an archipelego whereas PoE feels more like a sleet filled, windblown, long dead british backcountry kinda combat~ definitely a lot of good to be said about PoE1.

I think Deadfire didn't really sell because, well, maybe it didn't look like much of an upgrade, and maybe it was a bit too much of a departure from the first game for fans to be really sucked in... but if you do compare the games the upgrades are real and manifold~

 

[mcz117chief]

I am currently going through Icewind Dale 1/2 and getting ready to play the D&D campaign (Rime of the Frostmaiden). Once I'm done with those I would like to try the Pathfinder: Kingmaker or Pillars of Eternity.

 

[Tschumi]

I am currently going through Icewind Dale 1/2 and getting ready to play the D&D campaign (Rime of the Frostmaiden). Once I'm done with those I would like to try the Pathfinder: Kingmaker or Pillars of Eternity.

try them both, but since PoE was made by the makers of icewind dale, i reckon it's a natural next step~

 

[DJT123]

Naw, both games are exactly the same. Overworld with handcrafted locations. Nothing is randomly generated except mook loot (same in both games). They play exactly (exactly) alike, except for the kingdom stuff.



Oh, definitely. Everyone should play PF:K, all the Divinity games, PoE, Torment, Baldur's Gate(s)...hell even should play Wizardry if I had my way. We experienced a bit of a CRPG revival recently, and the quality of the games is insane. BG3 has some tough shoes to fill, imo.

It does indeed, and I can already tell BG 3 learned alot from those games while being its own ridiculous beast. Baldurs Gate 3 will end up a stone-cold classic judging by the EA version.

 

[Tschumi]

It does indeed, and I can already tell BG 3 learned alot from those games while being its own ridiculous beast. Baldurs Gate 3 will end up a stone-cold classic judging by the EA version.

sorry i keep quoting u bro

... let's not forget Tyranny, a game played from the other side of the ying-yang~

 

[DJT123]

sorry i keep quoting u bro

... let's not forget Tyranny, a game played from the other side of the ying-yang~

You can keep quoting me all day long. That's what this place is here for and nope, can't forget Tyranny. I played that too

I think the idea of Tyranny: the evil role-playing options, the politics, the harder-edge is the reason I like PF:K so much. Owlcat went the whole hog but Obsidian pulled their punches a bit, imo.

 

[Slings and Arrows]

I can't wait to play it. I'm gunna re-run the first one when the new consoles drop because the load times got a bit silly.

Soon as this thing hits GP im there!

 

[Tschumi]

I can't wait to play it. I'm gunna re-run the first one when the new consoles drop because the load times got a bit silly.

Soon as this thing hits GP im there!

Just sayin'! It is the best version of itself on pc!

 

[Slings and Arrows]

Just sayin'! It is the best version of itself on pc!

yah but my PC is running at gtx970. My XSX will be considerably better

 

[mcz117chief]

try them both, but since PoE was made by the makers of icewind dale, i reckon it's a natural next step~

That is what peaked my interest. I like Icewind Dale because the story is minimal which allows me to focus on combat, looting and gameplay in general. I don't like Visual Novel style RPGs where you spend most of your time talking/reading. I want some action! And I want it now!

 

[Tschumi]

That is what peaked my interest. I like Icewind Dale because the story is minimal which allows me to focus on combat, looting and gameplay in general. I don't like Visual Novel style RPGs where you spend most of your time talking/reading. I want some action! And I want it now!

Hmm, I'd say it's pretty balanced, they're using a new world so they have to build it, deadfire has a very real instant after you complete the opening/tutorial Island when you are free to just sail around the oceans finding stuff to do. They're is combat to be found all over the place. Poe1 is probably less open. But it has a lot of content, with a ton of challenge~

 

[DarkestHour]

I tried so hard to get in to this but unless I missed something, there's no explanation of combat. It just is a damn crazy ass free for all. What am I supposed to be doing? Also, it runs like pure ass for some reason on my PC. The ship combat was really ...weird too.

 

[DJT123]

That is what peaked my interest. I like Icewind Dale because the story is minimal which allows me to focus on combat, looting and gameplay in general. I don't like Visual Novel style RPGs where you spend most of your time talking/reading. I want some action! And I want it now!

When Icewind Dale released I remember a reviewer not comparing it to Baldurs Gate but to Diablo 2. It's a really intricate hack & slash ARPG in a way. I wish there was controller support for it on PC.