Fingers crossed.M4xw0lf;n7649490 said:
New $2.4M stretch goal is up:
Wouldn't mind if they could come up with a bit more attractive stretch goals.
Even if it's just another mega dungeon or something.
fig.co/campaigns/deadfire?update=249#updatesUpdate #6 [h=3]Custom AI Scripting is in the Game![/h] Once again, we're blown away by the support and backing we're receiving from fans of Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. It's a thrill for our entire development team to be able to continue to improve and add to the game as we continue to reach our crowdfunding stretch goals.
In addition to localizing Pillars II into Korean, our stretch goal announcement for $2.4 million is to place additional voice-over audio into Pillars II for a variety of characters, both adding voices to some previously unvoiced characters, and expanding voice sets for characters with already limited voices. While this won't mean every line of dialogue or text is voiced, it will significantly expand the amount of spoken-word dialogue in the Pillars II experience.
In developing Pillars II, our aim has always been to include as much voice acting as we can. Voice acting brings new depth to characters, enriching the player experience and drawing people further into the game world. With this new stretch goal, our aim is to deliver more consistent voice acting in conversations throughout your journey in the Deadfire Archipelago. Hitting this stretch goal will allow us to fully voice more conversations, more characters, and offer more player-character voice sets to choose from.
As an added bonus, we wanted to announce a new add-on for all of our campaign backers: the Pillars of Eternity hardcover guidebook, Volume II. Below is an image of the guidebook from the Pillars I campaign -- we hope our fans and backers will get as much enjoyment and knowledge from the new edition as they did from the first!
Finally, please stay tuned to the backer channel today, as we will shortly be bringing you a video from Design Director, Josh Sawyer all about multiclassing and some other nifty improvements to the core design in Pillars II!
Not just you and me, apparently.M4xw0lf;n7650860 said:
Quite a few people on the Obsidian forums and in the fig comments section that make use of the words 'underwhelming' and 'disappointing' when stating their opinion about the current stretch goals.
I just assume that PoE II is a much more shaped-out game right from the start, which is why we see stretch goals that don't take the game into whle new directions... I mean, even the player hold and the endless paths, which are now rather central to the plot, were not a given at the outset of Project Eternity. For the sequel, they will probably not want to introduce totally new aspects of gameplay and stuff, for the sake of continuity within the "Pillars" brand.
True.
Localization stretch goals - and I don't mean that in a derogative way - still don't make for the most exciting stretch goals though.
Looks like they're actually saving the more enticing incentives for later:
Localization stretch goals - and I don't mean that in a derogative way - still don't make for the most exciting stretch goals though.
Looks like they're actually saving the more enticing incentives for later:
Feargus said:
fig.co/campaigns/deadfire?update=250#updatesUpdate #7
Multiclassing Details with Josh Sawyer!
Salve, amici. I'm here to rap at you about a very cool topic: multiclassing. In Pillars of Eternity, it took a huge amount of work to get in our 11 classes. During the early phases of Deadfire, a demon whispered in my ear, "What about multiclassing?" and here we are today.
Before I begin explaining how our multiclassing works, I'd like to explain our goals for multiclassing, because I think that can help put the system's mechanics into perspective. We want multiclassing to allow players to realize character concepts that aren't possible with the single class options. We want to keep the relative power of the multiclass character at about 75%-85% what a single class character would have at any given level. In our experience, that's the sweet spot where multiclass characters feel powerful and effective, but don't clearly outshine the single class characters. We want the multiclassing system to keep characters viable no matter when the player chooses to multiclass. We want to limit the number of permutations to something manageable. Finally, we want to give multiclass characters a unique title for their class combo.
With that in mind, we came up with our current system. At any time from 2nd level on, players have the ability to select an additional class to advance. Both classes may have subclasses, though certain paladin orders or priest deities (both of which are required subclasses) may lightly restrict multiclass options. When they make that choice, they gain a multiclass title, like "battlemage" for a fighter/wizard. After a second class is chosen and advanced, the player may alternate between classes as they see fit. In this system, companions may also multiclass, though their 1st class must always be one of their base classes (e.g. fighter or rogue for Edér, wizard for Aloth).
We try to keep the relative power band at the ideal spot through the use of associated Power Sources. Every class has a Power Source, from Rage for barbarians to Arcane for wizards. The level of a Power Source determines what level abilities can be chosen from that class, the available resources (casts/uses) for related abilities, and the strength (damage, number of projectiles, etc.) of those abilities. The level of a Power Source increases as the character advances and gains points (like experience points) in that source. A character always gains +3 points in the Power Source of the class they advance and +1 point in every other Power Source. However, those secondary points are "virtual" unless the player multiclasses into the class that uses it.
I'll go into examples, but here's the scale for how Power Source advances:
For example, a single class fighter would advance their Discipline from 1st to 10th level like this:
If that progression looks familiar, it's because we're trying to follow the general pattern of Pillars of Eternity and A/D&D, where new levels of abilities become available every odd level. For comparison, here's how a 50/50 split battlemage (fighter/wizard) would advance their Discipline and Arcane:
In this example, Power Sources advance a few levels later than they would in a single class character. The lag is not enormous, but it's enough that the single class character is typically getting access to the highest level abilities earlier than the multiclass character. In the video, I also give another battlemage example where the levels are chosen more erratically.
I should note that although the system designers and I believe this system gives the 3E D&D-style flexibility while solving some of that system's pitfalls, the cost is clarity. Using Power Sources as an intermediate resource to keep relative advancement stable makes things less clear to players. It also allows for a margin between optimal and viable progressions; some advancement schemes will grant access to power levels unevenly. An AD&D-style multiclassing system (where the combination is chosen at character creation) would make advancement clearer for players (and easier for us to balance) at the cost of player flexibility.
As always, your feedback and support are appreciated. Thanks for reading.
-- Josh Sawyer, Design Director
Stay tuned for our next update on Tuesday that focuses on Deadfire Lore!
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Yeah, I've had that same question in my head for a while, too. Ya never know, given one of his endings, Edér may have had to learn a thing or two about being sneaky. Or it's something else entirely post-PoE1 that forced him to diversify his skills, who knows. Regardless, it might be something that'll be explained in PoE2.
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Also, apparently, at one point during production of the first game, he was planned to be a rogue.
I definitely like where they're going with this multi-classing system, but giving every single combination it's own unique title seems like a lot of fuss over fluff, and I can't imagine they'll come up with names that'll all make sense, or won't be awkward in some way **shrugs**.
I definitely like where they're going with this multi-classing system, but giving every single combination it's own unique title seems like a lot of fuss over fluff, and I can't imagine they'll come up with names that'll all make sense, or won't be awkward in some way **shrugs**.
NPC portraits, UI customization & Italian localization ✓
New $2.6M stretch goal:
New $2.6M stretch goal:
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Either that or something like Dark Souls' starting gifts?
They backtracked on it in the meantime anyway, probably realizing that this really shouldn't be a stretch goal.
The real one is supposed to be announced some time later today.
They backtracked on it in the meantime anyway, probably realizing that this really shouldn't be a stretch goal.
The real one is supposed to be announced some time later today.
Well, NG+ would probably collide with the level cap of 18. If they'd implement it anyways, I think it would be certainly enough work to earn a stretch goal - higher levels require more talents, spells, items, enemies. Whole balancing has to be adjusted for twice the amount of game. So it's probably not that.
fig.co/campaigns/deadfire?update=254#updatesUpdate #8
Grazie! NPC Portraits Added to the Game and More!
We've hit the next stretch goal! Thank you so much for your contributions to make NPC Portraits, UI Customization and Italian localization possible. We are now are planning to add portraits for every quest giving NPC in the game. This is going to add hundreds of unique watercolor portraits to enhance the experience when conversing with NPCs. In addition, we also will have a full suite of UI Customization features that will be added to the game. Lastly, now our Italian friends can enjoy Pillars of Eternity II in their native language.
We all love new concept art. We would like to share the artwork for a new monster in the game called the Engwithan Saint which you can find, and fight, in the desert dungeon featured in our screenshots and video.
Tomorrow we will have an update focused on lore with new information about the Deadfire, announce our next stretch goal at 2.6m, and introduce a new content feature that we are very excited about. Again, thank you so much from everyone on the team.
fig.co/campaigns/deadfire?update=256#updatesUpdate #9
Fulvano's Voyage, Deadfire Lore, and Berath's Blessings!
Lots of new, exciting reveals in today's update: a new stretch goal, and an in-depth look at the Deadfire from our wonderful narrative designer, Paul Kirsch, and we're especially excited to tell you about our unlockable Island Chain, powered by backers, that follows the voyages of Fulvano.
Thanks to your help, we’ve blown by the $2.2 million stretch goal and we're now working towards the $2.4 million stretch goal that doubles the amount of voice over in the game, and adds Korean localization. Later this week, our next update will feature new art and graphics technology created for Deadfire, so stay tuned to the Fig page for that!
As with all of our updates, feature releases, and game systems - always feel free to send us comments and suggestions here on Fig, or on our forums. The development team is reading and very excited for everyone to finally get to participate in the discussion. Now for the good stuff!
Fulvano's Voyage Starts at Balefire Beacon
Explore the sights, sounds, and smells of the Deadfire with Fulvano's guide to the archipelago. Fulvano's Voyage is our new, backer-unlockable Island Chain that players can visit and explore, and which grows along with the number of backers we get! For every 1,500 additional backers from today, we are adding or expanding another leg in Fulvano's voyage. Spread the word about Pillars of Eternity II and let's see how many islands we can add! When we hit 22,000 backers -- we will learn more of the story of this part of the Deadfire, and Fulvano will head out on the next leg of his journey.
Centuries ago, a band of renegade dwarves fleeing the law erected the lighthouse fortress nicknamed Balefire Beacon. The torches burned with a fierce, blue light - a rallying point for their like-minded countrymen comrades. What became of the dwarves is anyone's guess, but the lighthouse is now the keep of Captain Furrante, the calculating leader of the Príncipi sen Patrena and his crew of misfit pirates.
Next Stretch Goal -Berath's Blessings
Berath's Blessings is a new feature for Deadfire that gives players special bonuses when they start a new game, based on achievements that have been completed in previous gameplay. Berath plays a large role in the story of Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire that we don't want to reveal quite yet, but she will aid you at the start of your adventure with her blessings. These can be used as a helping hand to defeat that next difficulty level, to provide additional challenges, and to increase the reward for chasing down and completing achievements. Each completed achievement gives the player points to spend on blessings when they start up a new game.
Players will be able to spend these points on a wide variety of unlocks. Some players may simply want a more powerful starting character - better starting gear or more attribute points. Other players may choose to more quickly advance through a part of the game that they don’t really want to repeat - bonus faction reputation, or starting the game with extra copper coins. Players will even have the option to start the game with some of their favorite things acquired during a previous journey – starting with a favorite companion or Soulbound weapon from an earlier playthrough. There will even be unlocks that make the game harder, boosting the challenge of the next campaign.
Lore of the Deadfire
Greetings, backers!
My name is Paul Kirsch, and I'm one of the Narrative Designers on Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. You may have come across the work I've done for Obsidian in the past - initially with the Pillars of Eternity Guidebook Vol. One, and later on the narrative team for Tyranny.
Allow me to first offer my sincerest gratitude for the part that each of you played in the success of this campaign. Your confidence in our ability to make an enjoyable game is one thing, but the passion and enthusiasm I've seen in this campaign's reception are heartening to everyone on the team. Thank you.
We're so excited to bring the Deadfire setting to our fans, and it's my pleasure to offer some details to whet your appetite for lore.
The Deadfire Archipelago consists of hundreds of islands spanning thousands of miles, which means there is plenty of territory to cover - land and sea. There will be numerous opportunities to explore undiscovered islands, ancient ruins, shipwrecks, treacherous storms, and more still to come.
The local kith (humanoid-types) are the Huana, a culture of semi-nomadic tribal aumaua who spread themselves thin across the islands. The tribes are distinct from one another, but they cleave to a shared sense of identity and tradition. Each Huana is part of a caste system that defines their role within the tribe. The warrior and priest class are at the front, with skilled artisans following close behind, and at last the modest laborers bringing up the rear. Equal treatment is not one of their core values, but those born in the disadvantaged underclass content themselves with knowing they'll earn a better place in society in their next life.
The Huana have populated Deadfire for as long as they can recall, but their mutable lifestyle has led to few permanent settlements and no shortage of history lost along the way. The very presence of tumbledown, monster-infested ruins suggests that local history goes deeper than legends can recall, but it would take a Watcher to know for sure.
The treasure of Deadfire is luminous adra - a more vibrant and powerful expression of the soul-channeling rock that was found in the Dyrwood. Luminous adra is a rarity that exists nowhere else in Eora, and its nature and properties remain a mystery even to those who seek it out. Vailian animancers are baffled by the volume of soul energy that luminous adra can hold - several times more than the normal variety. Subjecting the adra to processing and refinement yielded an unexpected result - draughts that restore vitality and vigor. What started as a curiosity is now a coveted resource.
With this discovery, opportunists flock to the unclaimed riches from different corners of the globe. Eager to turn a quick profit, the Vailian Trading Company brings bankers, merchants, miners, and animancers to dig up every last fleck of luminous adra. From distant Rauatai, the Royal Deadfire Company brings an armada to colonize and fortify the region in the name of civilizing the wild frontier. Last but not least, the Príncipi sen Patrena - a network of pirates who trace their lineage back to Old Vailia -peck away at the new arrivals with skill and calculation.
From the great city of Neketaka, Queen Onekaza II watches as these foreign powers encroach on the homeland of her people. To all outward appearances, she is an installed figurehead, lacking any true power over the combined might of the Vailians and Rauataians. She is smart enough to encourage this misconception, letting it grow so that she is perpetually underestimated by her enemies (even as she pits them against each other). At her side stands Prince Aruihi, observing her seeming inaction with disapproval. Though he lacks his sister's flair for subtlety, he makes up for it with the charisma and determination to unite the Huana against a common foe.
Of course, the Deadfire is populated by uglier monsters than just imperialists. Strange and exotic creatures call the archipelago home -nagas, grubs, imps, unforgettably deadly beetles, and - of course - dragons.
If nothing else, let these facts draw a treasure map for the type of conflicts that the Watcher can expect to face in Deadfire. And I haven't even mentioned the rampaging god.
Until next time, backers. It has been my pleasure.
Best,
~Paul Kirsch
Narrative Designer
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fig.co/campaigns/deadfire?update=258#updatesUpdate #10
[h=3]$2.4 M Hit! Double V.O., Korean, and... Pillars of Eternity Pen and Paper RPG![/h]
Thank you so much to all our backers and investors for helping us hit $2.4 million in funding. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire just keeps getting better and better as a result of your support. As usual, we've got a whole bunch of cool reveals for you in this update.
Introducing the Pillars of Eternity Pen-and-Paper RPG
First and foremost, we are excited to announce that everyone who has backed us at the Premium Digital tier and above will be getting a boost! Today, we're officially announcing the Pillars of Eternity pen-and-paper RPG experience! This new journey to the world of Eora begins with a 30-pageStarter's Guide, featuring a rule set developed from the ground up by Josh Sawyer and the Pillars of Eternity design team. Now, you can have your own adventures with your friends, in the comfort of your favorite tabletop setting.Best of all, if you've backed the campaign at Premium Digital or above you literally don't have to do anything to get this. Pillars of Eternity RPG is our own take on how to play a pen and paper game; it will not be using the Pillars of Eternity computer game system or that of any other RPG - it's going to use our own ruleset made specifically for the Pillars of Eternity world. Of course, if you haven't backed us at Premium Digital or above, we won't shut you out! You can get the pen-and-paper Starter's Guide for just $7 as an add-on, as well.
Stretch Goal Update
With your help, we hit the$2.4 million stretch goal, which will add double the amount of V.O. to the game -- and we welcome our Korean friends to enjoy Deadfire in their native language. Feargus has approved the V.O. budget to be exactly double what we had plans for originally, which means you'll be able to hear more of our your favorite companions, villains, and heroes throughout your adventure.
As a special treat, Matthew Mercer, the talent behind the voices of Edér and Aloth, had some kind words to share on learning we hit this goal:
"As a gamer who has held a deep love of the Isometric RPG genre (Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment are still some of my favorite games of all time), the opportunity to work on such an incredible new entry into the genre was an absolute joy. The love and care put into the dialogue and storytelling in Pillars of Eternity was a gift to us performers, and I've grown extremely attached to both Edér and Aloth as a result. The chance to return to portray and continue to explore these two fellows has me ecstatic!"
It's hard to keep up with the generous pledges and investments that keep pouring in, but rest assured, we plan on releasing more stretch goals as soon as we hit new ones. Currently, we are aiming for the $2.6 million stretch goal which will add Berath's Blessings to the game - our version of New Game+ which doesn't require you to finish the game to enjoy new bonuses and features.
One Final Bonus
As an added bonus, we would like to add Cooking with Tim, Vol. 1, a digital RPG cookbook, to all backers at Premium Digital and above. Many of you didn't receive this from our first campaign, and Tim was happy to share his recipes once again. Tim is currently very busy with super-secret game here at Obsidian, and he wishes the Pillars II team well on our campaign and development, so thank you, Tim!
Please note: It might take a little while for the additional new rewards to appear in backer tiers as we revise them, but they will be there soon! If you backed us at Premium Digital or above, rest assured, you're getting the pen-and-paper starter's guide and Cooking with Tim, free!
And lastly, we have another creature concept to reveal - the sand grub. Enjoy!
And here's Aloth fighting a group of grubs in deep sand. It's subtle, but notice that Aloth is wading through the sand, a new feature in Deadfire that adds another dimension of challenge in combat.
i.imgur.com/IkmsJIV.mp4
Once again, thank you, and please look forward to our next update later in the week from Lead Artist Kazunori Aruga, who will update you on the latest graphics technology in Deadfire!
fig.co/campaigns/deadfire?update=260#updatesUpdate #11
[h=3]New Rendering Technology and a New Stretch Goal![/h] In today's post we have a graphics update from the Lead Artist, Kaz Aruga with some shiny new bells and whistles being developed for Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, along with a new stretch goal announcement!
This week we've blown by two stretch goals, and we are fast approaching the next one at $2.6 million, which adds Berath's Blessing to the game. And we are very close to unveiling the next leg of Fulvano's Voyage. With only a few hundred backers away from adding more to the island chain, where will Fulvano go next? Get the word out, and help Fulvano get there even faster! We've also added two great rewards to everyone who's backed us at Premium Digital or above, completely free, so if you haven't been back in a while and you've backed us at that level, be sure to check your rewards -- they've increased!
The Next Stretch -Full Orchestra with the level cap of 20!
Justin Bell has a special message to introduce our next stretch goal:
Thank you Justin! In addition to the full orchestra, with the $2.8m stretch goal we plan to increase the level cap to level 20, as well as add additional sub-classes for each class. With your help, we've added sub-classes and already have raised the level cap to 18, and we want to reward everyone with even more choice with character creation and progression, and two more levels to grow the power of your characters.
Before we go on to an exciting look into our graphics, we wanted to give a shout out to our good friends at Stoic, who are in the middle of their campaign to fund The Banner Saga3.
We backed the game, and think it looks awesome -- take a look for yourself, then come back and learn about the visual technology of Deadfire!
Deadfire Graphics and Technology
Hey backers! This is Kaz Aruga, lead artist on the Deadfire team and I'd like to share with you some of the new visual features we've been developing for PoE II: Deadfire! Our artists and programmers have been hard artwork upgrading our legacy pipeline to make content creation more efficient, and researching tech to unlock new possibilities for our artists. To us this means eliminating tedious and error prone work through automation, and empowering artists with shiny new toys. We've made great strides across all art departments over the past year, and I'm very excited to share with you some new features that will make your next visit to Eora a much richer and dynamic experience.
I'll kick things off with a quick list of graphical features we have working in the current build:
I'd like to focus now on character and environment lighting for a minute. With Pillars I we pushed the envelope of pre-rendered backgrounds by extracting face normal and world position data from our renders and re-lighting them in the game. In order to get more convincing and dramatic lighting in PoE2 we are now extracting a lot more information from our 2Drenders. To give you an idea of what this does for us I've broken out some of the visual ingredients that go into making a final frame in Deadfire.
- Dynamic weather system - Things like trees, ocean, VFX particles and capes all dynamically react to wind. Clouds will cast shadows on the level as they roll by. A feature well worth its own update!
- Parallaxing backgrounds - This is one of the few ways we can convey depth in our areas. Not only can we display backgrounds that scroll at different rates, we can now place VFX and blur them together with the backgrounds. This allows us to add movement and bring these distant backgrounds to life.
- Shader parity* between 3D assets and backgrounds - The rendered backgrounds look amazing now when characters walk by with torches and other in-game light sources. Tight highlights bloom on metals and dance over patches of wet med. *It's not 100%, but it's pretty darn close!
- Antialiasing & Ambient Occlusion - These are more subtle but really help the characters blend into their environments.
- Various Fancy Shaders - Our character artists now have access to shaders that offer better translucent, refractive, and transparent materials. Expect better looking water, ice, and adra materials on our in-game 3D assets.
This panel shows what we start with. Characters are unlit,and pre-rendered backgrounds only show indirect lighting. The pixels hit by thesun are stored as a mask when we render our scenes in Maya and used in the next step.
A directional light is added in Unity to light up the background and characters. However the portions of the character in shadow are simply black and have no visual interest! This is remedied by the adding the next two stages.
When we render our scenes in Maya we now place sample points across our environments where we calculate and store the indirect light levels of any given point. This data is then used to add indirect light to our 3Dmodels in Unity, allowing them to receive light from the sky and bounce light from the ground. However the metallic bits on Eder and Pallegina are still looking quite flat.
This step is similar to the previous one, but this time we are sampling for reflections. This allows us to reflect the environment back into metallic surfaces. If you're in a jungle you will see lots of dark greens reflected in their armor, while in a desert you might see a bunch of bright yellows from the sand and blues from the sky.
Yay! Characters now feel like they belong in their environment and materials feel distinct from one another. You may also notice that cast shadows originating from 3D models and the pre-rendered backgrounds seamlessly blend together. Quick shout out to our lead modeler Dimitri Berman for his beautiful character models, environment lead Sean Dunny for his delicious renders and Timothy Truesdale for his technical sorcery.
Bloom
I'll also note that we can now add a bloom effect to specific types of pixels. This method allows us to bloom our specular highlights and VFX selectively without making everything else look fuzzy. You can see the effect it has on the fireball, as well as the glint coming off Pallegina's sword. As a side note: the bloom effect is exaggerated a bit for demonstration purposes. VFX in PoE1 often dominated the screen and made it difficult to assess the battlefield. For Deadfire we are being mindful of this fact and developing our spell effects in a way that minimizes this issue.
i.imgur.com/qd7PPEe.mp4
While all this is nice and fancy, each new addition can potentially added complexity to an artist's workflow or add fragility to the game. As we develop these new toys we have been working towards simplifying and automating as much busy work as we can so that are artists can continue to focus what they are good at: making art.
Hope you enjoyed this update and thanks for backing!
-Kaz