Pillars of Eternity from Obsidian

cheeba · Post by **cheeba** » Thu Apr 09, 2015 1:35 pm

Last night was the first time out of 4 "invasions" that I didn't manually go to the stronghold and defend myself. Lost like half my hirelings and both my southern and western walls, even though my stronghold was complete with around max defense. Screw that.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Thu Apr 09, 2015 2:08 pm

NickAragua wrote:No, seriously, I can hire the eight max retainers for about 160 G. Meanwhile, a suit of "exceptional plate mail" costs something like 3200 G.

The fantasy genre has twisted people's expectations of this concept quite a bit. You might be surprised to know that the figures you're presenting (in relative scale) are reasonably realistic. Full plate mail was expensive, and it probably took a good smith months, or even an entire year, to craft a single suit, not to mention one of exceptional quality. The typical workforce in a feudal society would be cheap in comparison.

Someone who somehow got the chance to sell a plate mail would be able to live very comfortably for the rest of his life.

stimpy · Post by **stimpy** » Fri Apr 10, 2015 12:10 pm

Really dont like not being able to make notes on the map.
I know I've had to leave some camping supplies behind due to the 4 limit.

Would be great to know where the heck I left them........

Also kind of missing the feature of Lords of Xulima where it tells you when a area has been cleared.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Fri Apr 10, 2015 12:18 pm

You can make notes in the journal, if that helps.

Jag · Post by **Jag** » Fri Apr 10, 2015 1:40 pm

Zaxxon wrote:You can make notes in the journal, if that helps.

It doesn't really. Map notes would be useful, especially since the quest log doesn't do a great job at pointing you to locations. It's good enough, but would have been better with the ability to mark the map. No reason to omit it IMO. Maybe someone will make a mod for it.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Fri Apr 10, 2015 1:45 pm

Jag wrote:
Zaxxon wrote:You can make notes in the journal, if that helps.
It doesn't really. Map notes would be useful, especially since the quest log doesn't do a great job at pointing you to locations. It's good enough, but would have been better with the ability to mark the map. No reason to omit it IMO. Maybe someone will make a mod for it.

Based on my interpretation of earlier interviews, I kind of think this was intentional. They didn't want a hand-holding, exclamation-point-over-every-other-NPC's-head experience. That said, I agree that some map marking might have been useful.

tru1cy · Post by **tru1cy** » Fri Apr 10, 2015 1:52 pm

Zaxxon wrote:
Jag wrote:
Zaxxon wrote:You can make notes in the journal, if that helps.
It doesn't really. Map notes would be useful, especially since the quest log doesn't do a great job at pointing you to locations. It's good enough, but would have been better with the ability to mark the map. No reason to omit it IMO. Maybe someone will make a mod for it.
Based on my interpretation of earlier interviews, I kind of think this was intentional. They didn't want a hand-holding, exclamation-point-over-every-other-NPC's-head experience. That said, I agree that some map marking might have been useful.

it was intentional

Jag · Post by **Jag** » Fri Apr 10, 2015 1:56 pm

Well, I'll stick that with Hard difficulty reducing camping supplies and the insane number of loading screens just to rest in your bed as more things I don't like about this game.

Luckily I like more about this game than I dislike about it, but I consider some of these issues quality of life conveniences rather than gameplay enhancements.

Turtle · Post by **Turtle** » Fri Apr 10, 2015 11:34 pm

I installed this on my SSD, loading times are not a problem.

Indeed, loading is going to be a big problem from here on out, as CPUs, GPUs, and affordable memory have reached a point where they can push a lot of data around. The only problem is, pulling that data on this old storage tech is problematic, and they're only getting around part of the problem with streaming techniques, but there's a point where you can't hide things with streaming tech.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Fri Apr 10, 2015 11:35 pm

The next patch improves save/load times.

Jag · Post by **Jag** » Sat Apr 11, 2015 2:33 pm

Turtle wrote:I installed this on my SSD, loading times are not a problem..

Can you install only certain games on an ssd with steam?

Zurai · Post by **Zurai** » Sat Apr 11, 2015 2:46 pm

Jag wrote:
Turtle wrote:I installed this on my SSD, loading times are not a problem..
Can you install only certain games on an ssd with steam?

Yes. There are also tools available to move already-installed games from drive to drive.

Turtle · Post by **Turtle** » Sun Apr 12, 2015 8:57 am

Within steam itself, you can do a backup of the game, uninstall it from its current position, then reinstall it from the backup to the SSD.

When installing a game on steam, you can choose which drive it installs on. You'll have to create a steam directory on the drive.

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Sun Apr 12, 2015 11:34 am

I'm pretty sure I've outleveled all the main-line content in the game. Most of my guys are level 11 and the only place that gave my guys a challenge was the Endless Paths (which I have now cleared). The next fight after that involved a bunch of loser peasants. Look guys, when you're a bunch of little dingleberries armed with wooden spears and shitty bows and the people coming at you have flaming swords and glowing armor, it may be time to reconsider what you're doing with your life. I haven't even gone to the second major city area yet.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Sun Apr 12, 2015 11:56 am

Level 12 is the cap, so you may want to consider finishing up.

Jag · Post by **Jag** » Sun Apr 12, 2015 12:02 pm

Using this Graphics Enhancement Mod and I really like it. You can turn it on or off with a single key click.

RMC · Post by **RMC** » Sun Apr 12, 2015 12:44 pm

Zaxxon wrote:Level 12 is the cap, so you may want to consider finishing up.

Wow, 12 is the cap? I am level 7 and have not done a ton of stuff in the first city yet... Playing on Normal, so maybe that is why...

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Sun Apr 12, 2015 12:48 pm

Leveling shows down later on.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Sun Apr 12, 2015 12:48 pm

Or slows.

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Mon Apr 13, 2015 11:49 pm

Chugging through Twin Elms now. Kind of pissed off at the way Act 2 ended. Now that I've got access to the entire map, I'm hitting the third tier of bounties - at the level cap of 12 they're a bit challenging but not deadly. The worst enemies at this point are the big mushrooms that constantly charm/confuse your guys. I've also run into crowds of ogre druids, which is a bit painful because they've got this area effect insect swarm spell that delivers raw damage, punching through all my painstakingly built up defenses. I'm looking forward to the upcoming patch which apparently optimizes save/loads. That'd be pretty useful considering how many area transitions you hit. Want to go to an inn? That's two load cycles at fifteen seconds each, to load something where you click on two things. Four cycles if the inn isn't in your current area. Finish up a quest and have to go turn it in at some indoor location? That's another minute of loading time in and out. At this point, I'm a) reluctant to rest and b) complete quests. And, this being a classic RPG, every goddamned loser peasant, obnoxious noble or smelly tribal needs me to go kill this guy or get their money back or whatever. Seriously considering just skipping all the side crap at this point and just sprinting for the end.

Then again, I better not. I won't be playing through this again for a long, long time, and it'd be a shame to miss all this stuff. I already missed out on a couple of quests in Defiance Bay due to faction choices that I made. I like the game, but I've been at it for 61 hours apparently and still just at the start of act 3.

Jag · Post by **Jag** » Tue Apr 14, 2015 9:11 am

NickAragua wrote:Chugging through Twin Elms now.

Hit the same spot last night and have the same issue with Ogre Druids tearing through me. My cleric has a spell that shortens spell durations, so that helps. I'm playing on Hard so I like finally having a challenge. At level 10, so I may still be a bit underleveled for the last few bounties. BTW I'm running the 1.04 beta patch and I don't see any difference in load times.

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Tue Apr 14, 2015 10:53 am

Jag wrote:BTW I'm running the 1.04 beta patch and I don't see any difference in load times.

That's too bad. Ah well.

I wound up getting through the ogre druid fight by pre-setting a bunch of traps and blowing all of Aloth's wizard spells. Grieving Mother also has quite a few helpful abilities that she can rapid fire deploy at the beginning of a fight for crowd control. Ogres are vulnerable to corrode damage, so there was a lot of acid flying around.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Tue Apr 14, 2015 11:49 am

I have been holding off on a real game start, but I think I'm just about there.

If there's no rogue companion, what do people do for traps and lockpicking? Is it enough just to level another character towards stealth and mechanics?

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Tue Apr 14, 2015 11:51 am

Holman wrote:If there's no rogue companion, what do people do for traps and lockpicking? Is it enough just to level another character towards stealth and mechanics?

Yes. Classes in PoE are not like classes in other games--you don't need a rogue for those skills.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Tue Apr 14, 2015 12:05 pm

You could also play a rogue or hire one.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Tue Apr 14, 2015 12:10 pm

Rogues are not skill monkeys in this game, so unlearn your old tricks. They are single target damage dealers, just like in D&D 4th Edition.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Tue Apr 14, 2015 12:30 pm

TiLT wrote:Rogues are not skill monkeys in this game, so unlearn your old tricks. They are single target damage dealers, just like in D&D 4th Edition.

True. However, if you want mechanics and stealth it makes sense to give those to a rogue rather than to a class with strengths in other areas.

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Tue Apr 14, 2015 12:50 pm

Yeah, "skills" are mostly decoupled from your class - some classes get a little bonus to one or two skills but nothing major. Each class gets 6 skill points per level. A few notes:

1) Each character should have at least 2/3 points in athletics. Otherwise, you'll be seeing a lot of fatigue, which hurts your accuracy in combat and requires you to rest to get rid of it.
2) Just one guy with maxed out "mechanics" is enough. Mechanics is the catch-all skill used for picking locks, disarming traps AND setting traps. Note that each character can only have one active trap at a time for some reason, so no setting up long gauntlets for bad guys to walk through, but the traps do help.
3) The other skills are all up to you, although I like to have a good skill spread in the party.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Tue Apr 14, 2015 12:54 pm

I see your point. Another approach may be to hire a rogue early just to flesh out your party. Then when you are up to a full party of NPC's you could dismiss the rogue and pour mechanics into another character.

cheeba · Post by **cheeba** » Tue Apr 14, 2015 2:49 pm

If I were to start a new game I'd either take a rogue or create a companion rogue and only go mechanics with him, until I hit 10, then put the points in stealth. There's just not enough skill points to get both where you want them. And there are a lot of traps and things that are high level. I went with a cipher and spread points around a little and regret doing that. Will end the game with 9 mechanics, I believe.

I just beat the end boss of The Endless Paths! Very difficult fight. The best strategy for me was...

Spoiler:

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Tue Apr 14, 2015 2:56 pm

I see your point. Another approach may be to hire a rogue early just to flesh out your party. Then when you are up to a full party of NPC's you could dismiss the rogue and pour mechanics into another character.

This is the approach I took. Just be sure to pick out one character that you know you're going to keep (I chose my main) to use as your back up trap disarmer once you decide to dismiss your rogue. In my case I kept my main fairly buffed in Mechanics even though he couldn't match my rogue. That way once I dismissed her, he was only a point or two behind and I wasn't starting from scratch.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Tue Apr 14, 2015 3:44 pm

You guys are too stuck in old habits. Stealth is much more useful to a rogue, who can use it to sneak attack. Put Mechanics on some other character in your party that doesn't need any other skills much. There's absolutely no reason why your rogue has to be the Mechanics-monkey.

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Tue Apr 14, 2015 5:07 pm

TiLT wrote:You guys are too stuck in old habits. Stealth is much more useful to a rogue, who can use it to sneak attack. Put Mechanics on some other character in your party that doesn't need any other skills much. There's absolutely no reason why your rogue has to be the Mechanics-monkey.

The rogue gets a +2 bonus to mechanics. Wizard, Cipher and Chanter get +1 (at least as per the wiki). Combine it with laborer, merchant or scientist background for a +3 to mechanics right off the bat. So no, he doesn't have to be a mechanics monkey, but it sure helps.

Ralph-Wiggum · Post by **Ralph-Wiggum** » Wed Apr 15, 2015 12:44 am

Had my first full party wipe tonight (on normal) against

Spoiler:

Had my three tanks get knocked out on the first attack. Ouch.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Wed Apr 15, 2015 8:25 am

Yeah RW, that was my first "Umm.....think I'll just come back later" moment.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Wed Apr 15, 2015 9:18 am

Ralph-Wiggum wrote:Had my first full party wipe tonight (on normal) against
Spoiler:
that dragon in the cave.
Had my three tanks get knocked out on the first attack. Ouch.

I did it at 8th level. It was a *really* close thing. That's the kind of encounter where having a couple figurines that summon minions can come in *really* handy.

I just started Act 3 last night. I'm still going strong, which is amazing for me in a game of this style. The last time I finished something like this was probably BGII. Imagine that!

tru1cy · Post by **tru1cy** » Wed Apr 15, 2015 9:50 am

Jag wrote:
NickAragua wrote:Chugging through Twin Elms now.
Hit the same spot last night and have the same issue with Ogre Druids tearing through me. My cleric has a spell that shortens spell durations, so that helps. I'm playing on Hard so I like finally having a challenge. At level 10, so I may still be a bit underleveled for the last few bounties. BTW I'm running the 1.04 beta patch and I don't see any difference in load times.

So, I ran into this battle on Monday and I just crafted 10 paralyze scrolls and basically locked them down.

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Wed Apr 15, 2015 11:00 am

I've been running into some AI bugs which really make the game work in my favor (but also reduce the challenge). Apparently, some skeletons that my chanter summoned way back in Act I have been following me around. They spawn in a random location on every map I enter. Sometimes, it doesn't matter, but sometimes, the bad guys see them and attack. Now, this is normally not a problem, but sometimes, the skeletons are in an inaccessible location, so the bad guys will just run at a wall, Superfly Johnson style, oblivious to the fact that my guys are pounding them to kibbles. The game also thinks the skeletons are in my party, because they routinely get "knocked out".

Also, I've discovered the chanter's "Summon Ogres" spell, which pretty much means that if I can get my chanter to 5 verses, the battle is over. Summon two ogres next to any remaining enemy mages/priests and watch as they disappear underneath the ogre clubs.

Jag · Post by **Jag** » Wed Apr 15, 2015 1:13 pm

NickAragua wrote:I've been running into some AI bugs which really make the game work in my favor (but also reduce the challenge). Apparently, some skeletons that my chanter summoned way back in Act I have been following me around. They spawn in a random location on every map I enter. Sometimes, it doesn't matter, but sometimes, the bad guys see them and attack. Now, this is normally not a problem, but sometimes, the skeletons are in an inaccessible location, so the bad guys will just run at a wall, Superfly Johnson style, oblivious to the fact that my guys are pounding them to kibbles. The game also thinks the skeletons are in my party, because they routinely get "knocked out".

Also, I've discovered the chanter's "Summon Ogres" spell, which pretty much means that if I can get my chanter to 5 verses, the battle is over. Summon two ogres next to any remaining enemy mages/priests and watch as they disappear underneath the ogre clubs.

That would actually be a cool item that randomly summons skeletons.

I thought about getting the 2 Ogres for the Chanter spell, but chose the Drake instead for the coolness factor

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Wed Apr 15, 2015 1:17 pm

Just don't let your Drake get charmed or confused. Painful.