Yeah. Tides…isn’t very good. I still finished it. I suppose if you just like prose, but I think one of its main problems is it takes itself too seriously and there is like…zero humor. No Morte-like character. Nothing.
I don’t even remember what the game was mainly about but I could still summarize PS:T even though it has been much longer since I played it.
I totally agree with this. Tides ended up being most forgettable, was on my list of most disappointing games in recent memory. It wasn’t that it was a bad game, I think it was fine for the one play through I did, it just never clicked in any way.
But, considering the PoE games are some of my faves of all time, I have to skip on offering any advice on where to go from there. I just love 'em.
Very forgettable, outside of maybe just one character. I do remember the child.
Because via timey wimey she comes back as a badass.
But that is literally the best thing about the game.
robc04
1809
I finished it, but kind of rushed through the last 20% or so. I do plan on trying out turn based mode, but I’ve probably been saying that for over 6 months. It is at least at the top of my tactical RPG backlog.
The character you talk about highlights problems about the game.
There are limited resources in the game, every skill check you do in the game might drain resources. So you have to be smart about what you do. The game is based around the fact that you fail a lot of skillchecks to be ready for the ones you don’t want to fail. But it’s only a problem for a first hour or so of the game. Then you get 3 companions. There are 3 main stats in the game so between 4 of you it’s easy to specialize. You quickly get enough resources to rest or buy replenishing items all you want. And every area has a quick access to free lodgings. So you pass every skillcheck in the game, easy.
The whole deal of that character ark is that you cripple yourself by walking around with a mostly useless character. Only that doesn’t matter cause there are no challenges, just narrative that thinks it’s supported by the gameplay.
Bluddy
1811
This is the problem. Skill checks don’t work in party-based RPGs, unless the skill-checks are hacked specifically for the main character (see Torment).
I actually think Deadfire does a good job of splitting the middle there - you get a bonus based on the most skilled party member, but unless you have some skills too, it won’t be enough for the harder checks.
They definitely work, and they usually only apply to the player character as they should. (a la Torment)
NWN 2: Storm of Zehir is kind of cool in that skill checks can be performed by anyone in the party. Moreover It “scans your whole party” and selects the member that is best suited/has the prerequisite skill. This also works because like Icewind Dale you make the entire party at the start.
I was bored last night and browsed through the first 600-700 posts in this thread, and it was a really fun, nice little nostalgia trip. Seeing all the building excitement that grew as launch got closer, all the videos Scott created, his detailed posts, the interactions from everyone participating in the thread. . .it was just a fun little trip down memory lane.
I’ve never done this before, not on any message board for any topic. And I’m wondering if that’s normal or abnormal.
Cormac
1815
Actually as I’m often quite late to consuming games or TV shows, I only read the related threads after all the discussion has died down. So like you said its pretty funny to unearth the curve from mild interest to peak hype to nitty gritty discussions and then after thoughts. Sometimes I get the urge to comment or chip in on a discussion or a comment and realize its over a year old and it’d be rather odd to pitch in at that stage.
I enjoy going through old threads as well. It’s like revisiting a time capsule. That’s why I try to police people slightly in other threads like the weekend thread and game of the month threads not to put their well-thought out and reasoned posts there, but in the game’s thread instead. Because me and some others actually go back and read a game’s thread later, but no one is going to go reading random game of the month threads or other general threads.
This is on sale this week, and seeing that it now has a turn based mode it has attracted my attention.
Is the turn based mode any good, and is it worth it to get the deluxe package with all the DLC, or just stick with the base game?
I liked it quite a lot playing through in turn-based mode. I found it much more engaging than the first Pillars, in part because I prefer turn-based combat, but also because everything else (story, setting, companions, etc.) about it was much better too. I’ll let someone speak about the DLC because I never played any of it, as far as I know. There was more than enough game for me in the base experience. It’s a pretty long game as it is.
I’ve thought if trying both this and pathfinder in turn based mode. But does that end up making the games 100s of hours long since battles take longer in turn based mode? Or is the difference not that great?
No, the battles take a lot longer. Now, in PoE 2 I believe the turn-based mode actually changes the encounters around so you have fewer but more meaningful battles, but in Pathfinder since you can toggle turn-based on and off at will, I don’t believe that’s the case.
On the other hand, one could play real time for trash fights, and toggle into turn-based for the tougher battles.
Aaaaah! That would work well I would think. Thanks.
Bluddy
1822
These kinds of hybrid systems tend to have exploits; things that are more effective in one mode but not the other, making neither mode ideal.
I have not played the game, but in considering it I came across this video which I think answers your question. Obviously, I am no position to judge their accuracy.
Thanks for the link; I started watching that but it’s half an hour long. I got as far as “the biggest issue with turn based is how long it takes” and I’m like, well yeah. Honestly I prefer Real Time w Pause for both games - I’m used to them playing that way, and I find the game is more engaging with real time now that I’ve grown accustomed to it. But I also did find turn based mode satisfying - I just can’t imagine anyone playing the entire game like that. In fact, I’m reminded that I got really bored with the combat in the recent Torment game and I think it’s due to it being turn-based, which was originally a huge selling point for me. I’m not sure when my attitude towards RTwP changed, but it definitively shifted into favoring it.
But I was wondering about the idea that exploits in a single player game could somehow make neither real time nor turn based ideal ways to play (which means there is no good way to enjoy the game, so I guess I answered my own question and @Bluddy isn’t into Pillars of Eternity 2). That’s what I was hoping to have explained. If that video gets into that, I would appreciate a summary, just out of curiosity?
