Larian Studios
Posted By: Lucreel Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 12/04/11 07:34 PM
I thought I'd share my thoughts with things I'd like to see in Divinity III, and get other's ideas.

* I'd like to see a quest for Maxos... In Divinity II, we're teased about the mysterious disappearance of Maxos. I think there's a story to be told there

* ZixZax... I think he was probably wise enough got out of Broken Valley before it was gassed. I was hoping I'd have a chance to return his pyramid stones to him, so he can go home. For all I know, imps are immune to the gas anyhow.

* Dealing with the Slayers... I actually thought you'd end up hunted by the Order in DKS. Other than a couple rejects at Orobas's Castle, you really don't see much of the Order at all. I think there needs to be some aspect of trying to deal with them, somehow.

* Restoration of the Dragon Knights. You are the last Dragon Knight. Presumably you will die someday, leaving the world with no Dragon Knights. The Dragon Knights, though, don't seem like they are forever doomed - there's still true Dragons, somewhere (you meet one in Orobas Fjords), so presumably they could create more, should they choose to. I think, however, that they are probably wise enough to decide that if humans want to kill off the Dragon Knights, it's probably not the right time to create more. The other possibility is, if Maxos returns, he could create new Dragon Knights.

There is one other issue - it seems like the Dragon Knights became corrupted, anyhow, so somehow, before creating new knights, there needs to be some way to assure there's at least a good likelihood they won't all become like Lovis.

* I wonder if any of the humans made it out of Broken Valley before Damian killed everyone? Most of the people probably died, but I would think some made it out - we know that Derk and Dana, as well as Folo, escaped, only to die in Aleroth. There must have been some others.
G'day Lucreel,

personally, i think they are some great story ideas for divinity 3, and i'd like to add a few comments.

I would like to see a little more character customisation involved, instead of just five or so hairstyles and colours etc.

I also think that being able to change the look oif your dragon form would be awesome! Imagine; you could create a dragon from many different mythologies, like the swedish forest dwelling dragons, or the norse vampire-like ice dragons.

Also, along the same thought idea of customising your dragon forms looks, it would also be nice to have a wider array of abilities for him/her.

For instance, using the same example as before, you could take the mythology that swedish forest dragons would become invisible to hunt. You could have a dragon ability that allowed some form of invisibilty for a short time...

Anyway, i'll stop there, but look forward to reading others ideas on this subject, and hearing feedback on my own.

Tinman21
Able to burn people from the air, unable to cross wood as a dragon so that when you go to deep you take dommage from the impact with the tree.

Commander Rhode making a return, hopfully a little more usefull this time.

Be able to take refugy into your island once you find a way to get rid of the cloud.

Going into the wall of eco to recruit some powerfull ally.

More missions fighting forteress with ally as backup, when the air def are down the land atk start.

Place that dosen get destroy once you save it once.

more mind read, but link to the time of the speech, people think different thing depending of what you are asking them.

sea battle could be interesting.

I've been thinking about it more. . . if Divinity 3 does involve finding Maxos, or somehow convincing some dragons to create some new dragon knights, there could maybe be a cool opportunity to allow multi-player in Divinity III. Now, I want to clarify, I'm not looking for an MMO version of Divinity, but rather 'small' multiplayer support like a lot of classic games used to have before the MMO craze - where maybe 2-8 players could join up and quest together.

Some crazy, multiplayer aerial dragon raids could perhaps be fun.

Could even do something where, like there's anti-dragon fields, so you all take human form, go off to different areas at the same time to complete objectives together, to shut off the field. Or maybe to disable the magic that keeps a fortress flying, so it crashes to the ground and destroys itself. Stuff like that.

Another idea is (and this would go along with multi-player support well), instead of the game just ending when you die, how about having something like a level in the Hall of Echoes that you have to clear (by clearing, I don't necessarily mean battle - it could be a puzzle, or a jumping challenge, or, I dunno, something) to return to life, or some in-game mechanism of some sort which allows you to 're-incarnate', instead of just loading a save? I've always thought that would be cooler for an RPG - instead of, notionally, a hero that is never defeated (because when you load the save, it's like it never happened), an immortal hero that, thus, ultimately can't be defeated.
It's interesting you say that, as there is a game (demon souls for anyone who's interested) that incorporates that idea; that is, when you die you are a ghost and have to reincarnate yourself back to human form to regain all strength, health etc. It does add a feel of 'realness' to the game, as oppossed to "oh i died, let's reload and pretend it never happened".

I also like the idea of small multiplayer games, and group only missions would be alot of fun. Imagine a ground assault on an enemy fortress, aided by dragon air support. That would make me smile....
The Divinity games are about a strong single-player experience. Multi-player support would invariably take resources away which could have been used to make the best possible single-player experience.

I also do not like the idea of ghost form to revive. That kind of thing is either a pain in the butt or a slap on the wrist. A pain would be a pain, and a slap on the wrist makes that mechanic pointless.


I don't know what Zixzax is talking about. The teleporter stones first appeared in Divine Divinity. One was in a sealed room inside skeleton filled catacombs, the other was in an elf's closet. And when Zixzax first appeared, he didn't indicate that the stones were his, he borrowed them from the Divine, then RETURNED them to the Divine later.

What will happen to the Dragon Slayers could be interesting. But with the return of the Divine with the help of a Dragon Knight, I think the order will be more likely to dissolve on its own.

The Dragon Knight might die some day, but that's probably not for a few hundred years. But I think it would be a good idea and interesting for the Dragon Knight to start restoring the order. Talana was not Maxos, but was able to change the slayer into a dragon knight initiate. Perhaps the Dragon Knight could do the same.

Lovis became corrupted, yes, but I don't see how that was any different from how a regular person becomes corrupted with power.

It would be nice to walk on Sentinel Island as the master of the tower.
Posted By: pall Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 14/04/11 07:36 PM
Originally Posted by Stabbey
I don't know what Zixzax is talking about. The teleporter stones first appeared in Divine Divinity. One was in a sealed room inside skeleton filled catacombs, the other was in an elf's closet. And when Zixzax first appeared, he didn't indicate that the stones were his, he borrowed them from the Divine, then RETURNED them to the Divine later.


Maybe it is retcon?
Posted By: paro Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 21/04/11 08:00 PM
i like all ideas every one listed but if multi-player did seem to happon i thnink 1 person is powerfull as it is so 2 would be a good cap on that.also the difficulty is very varried i still have not complete the final battle becouse she keeps 2 hiting me and i can hit her for hours and take away 1/4 of her health so ya...that could be fixed some and i would like to see some more dragon involved missions and custimization the dragon was almost just a transport to places.
Originally Posted by Stabbey

What will happen to the Dragon Slayers could be interesting. But with the return of the Divine with the help of a Dragon Knight, I think the order will be more likely to dissolve on its own.

The Dragon Knight might die some day, but that's probably not for a few hundred years. But I think it would be a good idea and interesting for the Dragon Knight to start restoring the order. Talana was not Maxos, but was able to change the slayer into a dragon knight initiate. Perhaps the Dragon Knight could do the same.

Lovis became corrupted, yes, but I don't see how that was any different from how a regular person becomes corrupted with power.

It would be nice to walk on Sentinel Island as the master of the tower.



I'd love to see more gameplay with the dragon knights. Freakin being able to turn into a dragon, how kewl is that lol. I think I had more fun durin that part of the game then the rest of it. I'd also love to see where the DK's become less feared, restoring themselves.
That cutscene at the end of Ego Draconis where Damian's flying fortesses take out Champion Harbour? I'd like to see something like that playable - you as a dragon need to defend some place from an attack by Flying Fortresses and enemy air units.

You don't really NEED to take out the towers in FF missions because they can't threaten you on the ground. The next game should have anti-ground towers that a dragon must take care of before assuming human shape.

I'd also like to see missions where the Dragon can lend support to a ground army, whether by taking out anti-GROUND towers or destroying gates and barricades, or taking out tough airborne opponents who would threaten ground troops.

A dragon mission fighting against a large "capital ship" zeppelin would also be a blast.

What I'm saying is that the dragon gameplay needs some spicing up. It's mostly used just for transport in the Ego Draconis part.
1. Better combat system than button mashing
2. More frequent autosaves with less of a delay
3. Create more than one creature - you can have a mage, a fighter and a ranger, but can ony use one at a time.
4. Companion NPCs
5. Voiced dialogue
6. Remove charms from objects - at a cost.
7. Escape out of cut scenes - One I've seen one, I've seen them all.
8. The occasional dialoge option that occurs only if you have a cetain NPC companion with you and subtle clues leading up to it that help you figure it out if you pay attention.
9. More dragon form activities adnd dragon specialization. Same for any companions who have dragon forms (which should not be all of them)
10. Dragon vs. Non-dragon combat such as dragon vs a gang of trolls.
12. Two options for object enchangements - Disenchant/enchant for a completely different enchangement or upgrade (from say level 4 to level 7) - which should be easier and cost less in materials.
Posted By: Trippy Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 01/05/11 01:51 PM
I've said this on similar previous topics, but to reiterate:

Dragons are supposed to be awesome! Why can't they attack ground troops? And their flaming breath should be able to set scenery on fire, and those fires should spread in a logical fashion. Drakan ('Order of the Flame') managed to implement these features nearly a decade ago, which led to some very intersting game-play strategies. DKS is the closest game I've played to 'Drakan' since, but it seemed to miss the best parts of Drakan's dragon-based combat.

Don't get me wrong, I love 'DKS', but there's always room for improvement. And the fact that my dragon form was always weaker than my human from was a constant source of annoyance...
Posted By: Gwenio Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 02/05/11 04:40 AM
Originally Posted by Trippy
Dragons are supposed to be awesome! Why can't they attack ground troops?


Memory limitations. To avoid it in the future upgrade to 64 bit and have everyone you know do the same.
Posted By: Arokh Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 02/05/11 10:56 AM
As Trippy said, Drakan managed this 10 years ago. It's more like a limitation with the gamebryo game engine which would use up too much RAM. My PC is quad core 64 bit with 8Gb RAM but not everyone owns or can afford such a system and the game has to run on a wide variety of systems. Also the Xbox 360 is 5-6 years old now.

The way round it is to probably use a more memory efficient game engine as I'm sure the next game will also be on the Xbox 360. I can't see Larian making two different versions of the game, a limited version for the Xbox and a high end one for the PC as that would cost more and longer to make. But, yes, high end only games for fast 64 bit systems are awesome and the future for gaming is looking good too.

Back to the topic though I would agree that the dragon should be on par with Drakan. There hasn't been a game like that for years and this is the only major thing I'd like to see in the next game. Without repeating what I said in other posts too much I'd like the game to be about restoring the Dragon Knights. Most other people here seem to think the same too. From what Lar said it sounds like Larian have got something awesome up their sleeves that will suprise us all dragon fans next year.
I am pretty sure it's more about game balance than memory limitations...
Posted By: Raze Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 02/05/11 07:15 PM

Actually, while there would be challenges to balancing the game if the dragon could attack ground opponents, the game was originally designed to allow that. However, Lar stated awhile ago that it required too much memory and had too much of a frame rate hit - Design ideas for Divinity 3 (mostly for Larian).
I love the dragon parts I saw on the tralior, I just think if you make the dragon form to
powerfull it would fall under the superman syndrome.... Just to overpowered.
I'd like the project D game ( which I surmize is Divinity III) taking place in an entirely different continent than Rivellon. Didn't the witch Ursula speak about such a far-away land and didn't she still have evil sisters there? Seems something worth checking out for the Dragon knight.

Since project E is going to be about the Divine *finally* smiting Damian, it seems right that this game is returning to its roots, i.e. be top-down/isometric again like the very first game in the saga.
The Blind Wise 800 year old man who you can restore the eye sight off calls your character immortal. He says you are blessed with immortality and wisdom to understand what the human eyes cannot if I recall correctly.

At least I recall this. Maybe he was calling dragons immortal but since a dragon knight is part dragon, perhaps they are immortal (as in never dying by old age) too. I also recall it being mentioned that a dragon knight can eventually become like a full dragon in power.

In any case, I think both The Divine and the Dragon Knight are immortal aren't they?
Originally Posted by virumor

Since project E is going to be about the Divine *finally* smiting Damian, it seems right that this game is returning to its roots, i.e. be top-down/isometric again like the very first game in the saga.


"Because that's the way we did it in 2002" is a really dumb reason. I LIKE the way Divinity 2 looks.


Originally Posted by Demonic
The Blind Wise 800 year old man who you can restore the eye sight off calls your character immortal. He says you are blessed with immortality and wisdom to understand what the human eyes cannot if I recall correctly.

At least I recall this. Maybe he was calling dragons immortal but since a dragon knight is part dragon, perhaps they are immortal (as in never dying by old age) too. I also recall it being mentioned that a dragon knight can eventually become like a full dragon in power.

In any case, I think both The Divine and the Dragon Knight are immortal aren't they?


Dragon Knights are probably extremely long-lived if not immortal. They BECAME Dragon Knights by the blessing of Maxos and using his Dragon stone, but the Temple of Maxos has been closed for a LONG time, since before Maxos left Amdusias trapped there, and Laiken has ruled Maxos's battle tower for thousands of years, yet there were still Dragon Knights around.
Posted By: Joram Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 03/05/11 10:26 AM
Originally Posted by Stabbey
That cutscene at the end of Ego Draconis where Damian's flying fortesses take out Champion Harbour? I'd like to see something like that playable - you as a dragon need to defend some place from an attack by Flying Fortresses and enemy air units.

You don't really NEED to take out the towers in FF missions because they can't threaten you on the ground. The next game should have anti-ground towers that a dragon must take care of before assuming human shape.

I'd also like to see missions where the Dragon can lend support to a ground army, whether by taking out anti-GROUND towers or destroying gates and barricades, or taking out tough airborne opponents who would threaten ground troops.

A dragon mission fighting against a large "capital ship" zeppelin would also be a blast.

What I'm saying is that the dragon gameplay needs some spicing up. It's mostly used just for transport in the Ego Draconis part.


This are nice suggestions ! Stabbey, you bring many nice suggestions for the Dragon part in one post together. claphands

Originally Posted by FASherman
2. More frequent autosaves with less of a delay


O no, I don't like the "auto saves" at all! Maybe it's better to make the "option" to set off or on all auto saves. I never used any of the auto saves.


I like to see :
* give my Creature a name (someone suggested this already, nice!)
* Special for "slow players" :hihi: : a skill to slow down the Time, so all the enemies are walking and moving slower ! Some of the battles are SO fast I haven't the time to realize what really happened during the battle eek ! For example the fight with Amdusias, the fight with Razakel & Laiken,
Sooo fast, brrr ... nasty :hihi:
No serious : I think it will be great to have such a skill so I have even more FUN and PLEASURE during the fights ... It will be even great to see how I or the enemy is giving the finishing blow in (a kind of) slow motion delight !!
I'd like to see it being resolved what happens with the Goddess from the Intro of Divinity 1 ...
(I want to see this since playing through Divinity 1 ! )

Posted By: Arokh Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 03/05/11 11:54 AM
Originally Posted by virumor
I'd like the project D game ( which I surmize is Divinity III) taking place in an entirely different continent than Rivellon. Didn't the witch Ursula speak about such a far-away land and didn't she still have evil sisters there? Seems something worth checking out for the Dragon knight.

Since project E is going to be about the Divine *finally* smiting Damian, it seems right that this game is returning to its roots, i.e. be top-down/isometric again like the very first game in the saga.


Really? So the next game in the Divinity storyline is project E, the top down RPG? I had a feeling Larian might do that when Lar mentioned they already have done the story / plot for it & you beat the bad guy in the end i.e Damien. So I guess for Project D which is obviously a 3D game like Divinity 2 about Dragons this may well be another game unrelated to Divinity? Or maybe it is and as for it's story it runs paralell to Project E? Guess we will have to wait and see as nothing has been confirmed in concrete yet.
Originally Posted by AlrikFassbauer
I'd like to see it being resolved what happens with the Goddess from the Intro of Divinity 1 ...
(I want to see this since playing through Divinity 1 ! )


It's already resolved, no?

This goddess was the "divinity" that split in three in the beginning of the game and entered into one of three "Chosen Ones" each... of which only one survived (the player character).

Then at the end, the gods re-united the divinity and blessed the player character with it -> you become the Divine.
Originally Posted by Lucreel
* Dealing with the Slayers... I actually thought you'd end up hunted by the Order in DKS. Other than a couple rejects at Orobas's Castle, you really don't see much of the Order at all. I think there needs to be some aspect of trying to deal with them, somehow.

* Restoration of the Dragon Knights. You are the last Dragon Knight. Presumably you will die someday, leaving the world with no Dragon Knights. The Dragon Knights, though, don't seem like they are forever doomed - there's still true Dragons, somewhere (you meet one in Orobas Fjords), so presumably they could create more, should they choose to. I think, however, that they are probably wise enough to decide that if humans want to kill off the Dragon Knights, it's probably not the right time to create more. The other possibility is, if Maxos returns, he could create new Dragon Knights.


i was thinking along the same lines. Maybe with the help of the Patriarch or Maxos, to start a new order of Dragon Knights. after all, if it's just you against a Chaos-Incarnate- the odds aren't good.

In regards to the Slayers, i was thinking that as you try to convince the remaining Slayers, you discover the unpleasant truth of the Slayers- they were created by Damain loyals to hunt down dragons to ensure his victory and using the "Betrayers" rumor to keep Dragons out of the people's favor.
to earn the trust of the Slayers, you have to find someway to save Rhodes after her unfortunate run in with Bellegar in FoV.

Companions in Divinity III would just make it seem like Dragon Age wannabe. in most cases, i didn't need to summon my Creature or a Demon. in some missions, companions could be helpful like in Sassan's case- she helped you storm the Battle Tower, but only for so long.

i know it's probably cliched, but what about a morality-meter? With good actions/deeds, the people of Albion Rivellon trust you- prices are reduced, locale Alchemists and Smiths don't use as much materials, rewards for quests are greater, mindreading costs less, etc.
With bad actions/deeds (like helping bandits), mindreading costs more- as people don't want a evil dragon getting into their head; shops sell less and of poorer quality- as they don't want you to kill them over their better gear.

I agree with the idea of "charm removal at a cost" and "upgrading pre-existing enchantments"
along those lines, Charms can be 'stacked' but to an extent that you can't quad-stack four Divine charms on something- and they have to be of the same boost: no stacking strength over spirit.
for instance- the Lesser +1 charms you can quad stack (effectively turning four Lesser charms into a Blessed); Minor +2 charms can be triple stacked; Major +3 charms can be double stacked; Blessed +4 charms can only stack with a single Lesser or Minor; and Divine +5 charms can only be stacked with a single Lesser charm.
effectively turning most charm options into a +6 boost.

along the same train of thought- Stripping charms from equipment does do just that- it strips the weapon/armor down to it's basic equivalent- a Heroic Knights' Heavy Guard Cuirass of the Plague just becomes a basic Heavy Guard Cuirass, just so you get your charms back.
you're gonna sell the gear your not using for a pitiful sum anyway- why not give them a pitiful piece of gear to buy off you?

There should be an alchemist/enchanter who can combine your charms but only to a Divine rank, and only if they're not attached to anything.
and your Battle Tower enchanter/alchemist, with specific (not to mention as rare as Malachite gems) items can combine Divine level charms- but only to an extent: Strength/Conditioned Body, Intelligence/Indominable Spirit, Dexterity/Heightened Reflex, Vitality/Spirit, Strength/Vitality, Intelligence/Spirit, etc...

finally, like Upgrading pre-existing equipment enchantments- if you disenchant them, you have a chance to get some of the ingredients back. only based on the enchanter's skill determines what and how much you could get back.

Lastly- combat abilities to guard or block with weapons, a chance to counter attack (instead of those "Retaliation" enchancements), and in some rare cases- and the ability to deflect magic attacks back.
Originally Posted by Stabbey
Originally Posted by virumor

Since project E is going to be about the Divine *finally* smiting Damian, it seems right that this game is returning to its roots, i.e. be top-down/isometric again like the very first game in the saga.


"Because that's the way we did it in 2002" is a really dumb reason. I LIKE the way Divinity 2 looks.


Originally Posted by Demonic
The Blind Wise 800 year old man who you can restore the eye sight off calls your character immortal. He says you are blessed with immortality and wisdom to understand what the human eyes cannot if I recall correctly.

At least I recall this. Maybe he was calling dragons immortal but since a dragon knight is part dragon, perhaps they are immortal (as in never dying by old age) too. I also recall it being mentioned that a dragon knight can eventually become like a full dragon in power.

In any case, I think both The Divine and the Dragon Knight are immortal aren't they?


Dragon Knights are probably extremely long-lived if not immortal. They BECAME Dragon Knights by the blessing of Maxos and using his Dragon stone, but the Temple of Maxos has been closed for a LONG time, since before Maxos left Amdusias trapped there, and Laiken has ruled Maxos's battle tower for thousands of years, yet there were still Dragon Knights around.


Yep. My bad. Lord Lovis states that Dragon Knights live longer than humans and are more powerful and intelligent than them but he doesn't state that they are immortal as the dragons are. It's the blind philosopher who calls the dragons immortal but not the Dragon Knights.
More Dragon Knights and group raids sound great. But I'd prefer work been put into workable friendly AI instead multiplayer. All the options of Dragon battles, becoming foot battles with anti-dragon zones, even Naval battles with each Dragon Knight or simply a commander controlling his own ship. They can all work either multiplayer or with AI friends and my vote is for the AI. Their reactions and choices can stem from your own choices in certain quests.
My Divinity experience is to beef up and just slay everything that opposes. I needed no help. In Vengence I could of slayed every Aleroth Champion, so what good are they? In Divinity III, how about we introduce commanding options. Where you can direct the flow of battle. Hundreds of soldiers facing an enemy horde and in stead of just running in alone with a creature and potions to destroy, you stay back and play a more chess style battlefield sequence. If I move to support the main gate defences the flank will be exposed? If I move my reserve to defend the wizards tower I might lose the water front? Perhaps I should evacuate fleabag quarter to create and easy defensive line? So many options that aren't just hack 'n slash with a plot line.
Where is the Flirt option? I'm a Dragon Knight, unmatched power, yet when pretty young Champions invite me to drink, or an intelligent conversation starved food critic needs some entertaining all I can do is stand there like an idiot. A massive limitation I'd love to see rectified.
One thing with many games breaks my heart. In all the hours this up coming Dragon Knight explored and fought, never once did he need to sleep, eat or drink to survive. Perhaps, as frustrating as it could be, the need to keep up ones strength might be incorporated. What do we all think?

And furthermore, no one else has mentioned it so maybe it was just my version, but could everyone else fall forever and land safetly?

How important is forcing the player the meet certain daily necessities, and painful realities?
What about a horse? Mounted combat? Mounted enemies?
Posted By: Raze Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 23/05/11 02:17 PM

You could sleep in Divine Divinity and Beyond Divinity, to fully restore your health and mana. In DD, BD and Divinity 2 food and drink are helpful early in the game.
IMO requiring food and sleep just adds a (probably annoying) chore, without enhancing gameplay.


In a world with levitation strong enough to keep huge rocks floating in the sky with fortresses built on top of them (which nobody has complained about), I don't have a problem with levitation strong enough to control a fall (which has been brought up a few times in other topics). Also, the slayers were formed to exclusively go after opponents that can fly, so the ability to take a fall would have needed to be one of their first concerns.



Welcome to the forum. wave
Posted By: Arokh Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 23/05/11 02:23 PM
Whilst it would make it more realistic I'd agree with Raze that the need to eat / drink / sleep would be a chore. It is just a game after all. The DK never goes to the toilet either; how many games do you see where you have to take a dump? smile eek Dumping is every bit of important as eating or you will explode and that will be nasty!

The reason why there is no fall damage is a game mechanic; if they put that in there would be problems with the dragon. It could be explained away in the game as like Raze suggested, levitation spells. Think it was mentioned somewhere this will be rectified in the sequel.

Flirting - your character definitley could do with engaging in conversations more and it would be more 'fun' in that particular scene but where do you want this to lead? It could lead to DA style sex and / or sexual remarks but then it would have to be an adult game. It would be one way to bring back the dragon knights though. Heh...

As for horses, yeah, I'd go with that but Dragons are much more fun!
FONV tried the eat/drink/sleep thing, as a hardcore mode. It was an interesting concept, as you basically took damage on a small scale if you didn't. The realistic gameplay soon turned into a realistic PAIN. The option of turning it off was welcomed.

EDIT: When it comes to e/d/s/and fall damage, to add realism. We must keep in mind it is a Fantasy RPG and not a human simulator.
I concede. As much as realistic eat, drink, sleep options could be, they'd get pretty bloody annoying.

As to Arokh, bring on Leisure Suit Dragon Knight. Ha! Again you're right, it would really have no where to go without becoming inappropriate.

Cheers
i'd like to see the randomized weapons tweaked a bit... i hate pulling melee weapons with Magic Damage bonus or Mana boosts, likewise with Magical weapons with meek Melee Damage bonus.

speaking of which, if we have Melee Charms, why not some Magic Damage charms?
Posted By: Trippy Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 24/05/11 11:03 AM
I found it annoying in Oblivion just having to take 1 hour cat-naps in order to level up.

Eating and sleeping can add to the immersion, but should never be compulsory. I agree that the best method is to revive health/mana, but allow for other ways of doing the same thing (e.g. potions).

I'm sure I remember playing an RPG that forced you to eat and sleep (or starve to death/die of exhaustion), but I can't remember what it was, just that it was annoying. Maybe one of the ultima games? Mount and Blade forces you to eat, or at least provide food, but that was part of the tactics neded to manage a large army and fitted neatly ino the game (do I have enough food for my campaign? Do I have enough gold to pay my troops?).

Edit: Oh yes, it was Ultima Underworlds 2 (only older gamers will remember that one). Awesome game apart from the food and sleep thing, but at least you could learn a 'create food' spell. And who could forget "Rat on a Stick" wink

Edit 2: Riding horses would be awesome too - as long as it was better implemented than Oblivion did! (again, try 'Mount and Blade' to see how to really handle horses in a game).
In Arx Fatalis you had to eat to survive otherwise you would slowly starve to death and it never was a chore and if you were tired of carrying food around or cooking food, you could just use a spell to feed your character magically. This system did add to the realism of the game. I remember heading down into the deepest part of the underground and I had found lots treasure but I had no food and then my character blurts out "I'm hungry". I'm in a place where every NPC is a hostile enemy and there's no place to buy food or anything, all there was were mushrooms which I had to eat to survive. It was either that or rat meat...

And none of this was annoying but perhaps that's because it added to the game and felt in place in a game with no music which was trying to give a realistic feel to things by having environmental sounds play a huge part when it came to atmosphere.

@Trippy

Yep. Ultima Underworld. Arx Fatalis was being made by Arcane Studios who wanted it to be the third installment but they couldn't obtain the rights and thus called it Arx Fatalis and developed a few things differently but it matches Ultima Underworld in a lot of things. The player character is often called "The Guardian" whereas the Ultima player character is called "The Avatar" and both aren't from the world the game is set on. I think the rat on a stick food in Ultima Underword is contained as an easter egg in Arx Fatalis where you see goblins eating such food.

Would this system work in a Divinity game? Maybe such a system would suit Divine Divinity but not Divinity 2. Perhaps the isometric Divinity game in the making could have such a system but I doubt it. The Dragon Knight game in the making would most likely be like Divinity II but bigger, expanded and better.

Me? I want a world that feels alive. A world where you see the war between Damien and the good people of the human race. Perhaps controlling a small army could come into play for some missions but not in the way of an RTS. Dragon Age: Orgins' final battle comes into mind here. You can summon troops and they would follow you and perhaps a Divinity game could expand upon that where you issue where you want these troops to go. I certainly think summoned creatures and The Creature need such controls where you can issue simple commands to them.

Oh and add a cape. Not many RPGs have capes nowadays. We need capes. Two Worlds II is the only "modern" RPG that seems to have capes. Last game with capes in that I played was the buggy Neverwinter Nights 2 which does Neverwinter Nights 1 (a great game) no justice. In any case, Two Worlds II is the only RPG for a long time that I have seen that has added capes into the game.

Come on Larian! Capes please! I can already imagine shapeshifting into human form after flying up high and watching as my character falls and his cape ascends upward.

I think a better combat system is needed. I like the combat system in Divinity 2 with the abilities and all that but I think we need a blocking button and perhaps more violent combat like driving your sword through an enemy before kicking him away, that should have been how the fatality ability was handled.

We also need more skill/item slots on the console version. LT in DKS did nothing, they could have made it where LT brings up an additional 8 slots. I found that 8 slots weren't enough and that another 8 would have been just right.

More options on how to upgrade our creature. Buying armor and weapons for it would be good.

Better graphics. Divinity II suffered from low resolution textures and blurry areas sometimes which hurt your eyes. I couldn't care if the graphics remained the same and I would rather have Larian work on gameplay, story and quests more but adding a little enhancement to graphics couldn't take to long or even hurt. Gamebyro is a powerful engine and I'm sure the next engine Larian uses will be just as powerful.
Originally Posted by Trippy

I'm sure I remember playing an RPG that forced you to eat and sleep (or starve to death/die of exhaustion), but I can't remember what it was, just that it was annoying. Maybe one of the ultima games? Mount and Blade forces you to eat, or at least provide food, but that was part of the tactics neded to manage a large army and fitted neatly ino the game (do I have enough food for my campaign? Do I have enough gold to pay my troops?).


Fallout New Vegas' hardcore mode?
Posted By: Trippy Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 25/05/11 05:51 AM
Originally Posted by Sigs Minock
Fallout New Vegas' hardcore mode?

That might have it (haven't played hardcore on it yet), but I was thinking of the Ultima Underworlds series ('Rat on a Stick!').

Originally Posted by Demonic
Arx Fatalis was being made by Arcane Studios who wanted it to be the third installment but they couldn't obtain the rights and thus called it Arx Fatalis and developed a few things differently but it matches Ultima Underworld in a lot of things.

I never knew that! It's only $5.99 on gog.com, I'll have to check it out.
What I'd like to see? You being able to shapechange into a dragon again, just like in Divinity 2.

That was fun and awesome, I liked the dragon-flight-music etc... Hurray for Dragons!
Posted By: Joram Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 06/06/11 08:13 AM
I like to see again tons of HUMOUR !! Lighthearted & funny Mindreadings too !

I also have a wish to play a board or card game with 1 or more NPC's :hihi:
Just for Fun or maybe it may contain more than that ... including a quest or influence the hero's relation to (some) NPC's ?
Oh, yes. The mindreads. The useful as well as the not-useful ones.

What was bad in Divinity 2, though: If you entered the first town and mindread everyone, you had a massive xp-debt so it became hard/annoying to level up enough beyond level 1 to fight the enemies.
Apart from that (and later in the game when xp did not really matter anymore) it was all perfect.

Keep the mindreads in, please.
Posted By: Joram Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 07/06/11 06:38 AM
Originally Posted by Silverdragon
Oh, yes. The mindreads. The useful as well as the not-useful ones.

What was bad in Divinity 2, though: If you entered the first town and mindread everyone, you had a massive xp-debt so it became hard/annoying to level up enough beyond level 1 to fight the enemies.
Apart from that (and later in the game when xp did not really matter anymore) it was all perfect.

Keep the mindreads in, please.


Don't forget you don't need to mindread every NPC right away at level 1 wink
I personally start only mindreading the NPC's I can trade with (mostly they lowered their prize!) and a few other ones ... but I wait with the other mindreadings and then it all goes well smile .
Short : I distribute all mindreads over many levels ...
apart from some mindreads I think/know/feel I've only ONE change to do the mindread (like with Talana !).
Originally Posted by Joram
I like to see again tons of HUMOUR !! Lighthearted & funny Mindreadings too !


Quoth the man you meet in Orobas Fjords (not Crabbe)- Ew. Good thing it's laundry day. wink

Originally Posted by Trippy
Originally Posted by Demonic
Arx Fatalis was being made by Arcane Studios who wanted it to be the third installment but they couldn't obtain the rights and thus called it Arx Fatalis and developed a few things differently but it matches Ultima Underworld in a lot of things.

I never knew that! It's only $5.99 on gog.com, I'll have to check it out.


And let me tell you. It has the best shock in gaming history, you may not experience it. I'd say that 70% of the people who have played Arx probably wouldn't. It involves a certain NPC...when I saw the guy alive, I was shocked and even my character was shocked and shouted his name in surprise.

Oh and if you meet Carlo, tell him I said hello.

"Get this door broken down."

"No Am Shagar, no news."

"I have already told you everything I know about the rebels."


He's funny unintentionally.

Choices and actions have consequences in Arx and many are unexpected. Arx was truly ahead of its' time and love for it has inspired fans to even create a prequel:

http://www.moddb.com/mods/arx-end-of-sun
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THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN MY RANT



So, it's been some time since D2:ED has been out, and after having been playing for a while now (a year), so I thought I'd talk back about the game. I havn't played FoV.

That post will be filled with much negativity, but remember that there are many things I don't talk about, and I liked all those. I'm hoping as much as everyone here for the rpg-that-dwarfs-all-other-rpgs-made-before.


So, two things I didn't like about story. First, the flying fortresses. They are just a grind, long, without story. In the rest of the game, there is always some quest around or flavor thing (like the cave with mentions to the elves, the hanged man on the island, and more...).

Second part, Damian. Why didn't he kill us ? I mean, you squash flies when they bother you. Until last video, I thought the plan was his since the beginning, not just Ygernas'.


Action. I feel the game is not balanced. Beginning is hard, things become easyier until the finish the island, and once you leave it, goblins in the fjords are hard again. Even in Hard Mode, once you reach level 26-28 (basically the flying fortresses), game is a cakewalk.
Combat at that time became boring. I am playing as a one-handed warrior (so no shield, just one one-handed weapon), and I just attack until ennemy drops. I put 10 points in whirlwind attack to have those fights be over quicker, not because I need the extra damage.

One solution for that. Same as dodging, being able to block with a shield would be good. Special moves like the ones in Zelda Twilight Princess would be a great idea (link to Link).

Posted By: Raze Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 09/06/11 09:49 PM

Second part, Damian. Why didn't he kill us ?

He already asked Patriarch to open a passage to the Hall of Echoes, but was refused. As the last dragon knight, the player character was the only hope he had of implementing his plan to resurrect Ygerna.


For combat, the level dependence was reduced in DKS, several difficulty changes were addressed, and some opponents were changed (particularly the start of the fjords). The flying fortresses were also redesigned; there were no extra quests added, but most anti-dragon shields and generators were removed, and they were made more fortress-like. DKS is still more challenging at the beginning and tends to get easier, but doesn't become a cakewalk (even opponents a few levels below you can still be dangerous in groups, unlike in D2:ED). Playing on nightmare difficulty I did stop assigning stat points (level 15) to keep the game challenging, and another person played without a helmet or breastplate and level 10 stats, though using a less direct combat strategy (the creature, summons and Charm) much of the time. Despite nightmare difficulty arguably not being hard enough most of the time (though some people also complain the casual difficulty is not easy enough), it is balanced much better than D2:ED. Actually I didn't find the balance that bad in D2:ED; difficulty jumps meant you should do something else first, and in general if a game gets too easy you can always pick a handicap.
There are only two things I'd like to see in the next Divinity--more interactions with NPCs which have greater emotional impact, and a female PC who doesn't move like she's trying to knock people sideways with her butt. The second is probably no problem for male players, and Larian is certainly not the worst offender in this department, but it's a pet peeve of mine. As a female player, I most often find myself playing male characters as female ones make me feel like I'm playing a floozy ballerina, rather than a warrior. wink
Originally Posted by Raze

He already asked Patriarch to open a passage to the Hall of Echoes, but was refused. As the last dragon knight, the player character was the only hope he had of implementing his plan to resurrect Ygerna.


From what I understood, he had no plan to ressurect Ygerna (or at least not now, and the dragon knight was not in it). And once the Patriarch opened the passage, Damian had no use for the Dragon Knight anymore.

For principles I am against putting myself too much handicap (but that's just me), and having points I don't spend is an heresy (in my opinion, but again it's just me).
Posted By: Raze Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 10/06/11 07:20 AM

he had no plan to ressurect Ygerna

Yes, he did. In addition to Lucian's comments about that in the end cutscenes for D2:ED, Damian says to Ygerna "I battled tirelessly to release you from death's grip."


(or at least not now, and the dragon knight was not in it).

So Daimian couldn't have seen an opportunity to take advantage of the dragon knight's actions, what with his own resurrection attempts apparently not close to success?

In any case, killing the player character as soon as a possible threat was perceived would have made for a pretty short game.


And once the Patriarch opened the passage, Damian had no use for the Dragon Knight anymore.

Presumably Damian would have tried harder to kill you if you meet him after the passage to the Hall of Echoes was created and then unsealed.
To me it feels like you go from the game and try to fit things with the "universe", instead of going the other way around.

Posted By: drazac Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 14/06/11 05:49 PM
I would like to see the complete overhaul of the combat in D3 (project D?)

Combat in D2, for me, was mediocre. Some skills were useless, others were uninteresting, no combos, few attack animations, no block, rolling is the only dodge animation. After few hours it gets tedious and repetitive.

So what I would suggest is, customizable skills (Diablo 3) or their combination into more powerful skill (Fable 3, Bioshock 2). Or maybe something similar to Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning destinies system. More variety in skills, or less skills but more complex.

More attack animations, perhaps implementing the combo features

Different types of armor, not just metal plates and chainmails.

More complex bonuses granted by the equipment. (for example: Set gear grants new spells that can't be obtained otherwise. More parts of the set you wear, more powerful the spell becomes)
Posted By: Joram Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 15/06/11 07:39 AM
Originally Posted by drazac

More complex bonuses granted by the equipment. (for example: Set gear grants new spells that can't be obtained otherwise. More parts of the set you wear, more powerful the spell becomes)


This seems to me a very nice idea !! wink

I like to see some more equipment-item that have the skill "Lockpick" on it ... so far( level 25) only Jagon's Necklage have it (and that's a quest item - I can only keep it by failing that quest and missing twice a quest remward !).

The big thing I'd like to see is ALL cutscenes be interruptable. To take one example,
it is a complete waste of time to be forced to watch Damien and Zandalor trash talk
at the end of the Laiken battle.
^
Damien: Come down from your ivory tower you old goat!
Zandalor: O_o
Damien \_/
Zandalor: O_O
Damien: \_/
Zandalor frown
Damien laugh
Zandalor: \_/
Damien :|
Zandalor Hold your tongue villain! How dare the scourge of Rivellon show his face here! You shall pay yet for the atrocities you've committed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGNFDcNpx_o&feature=player_detailpage#t=98s

I see no problem with this dialogue. If there was an interrupt feature, it would have to be where your character interrupts in some way.
Posted By: Sintek Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 29/06/11 12:27 AM
Apologies if these were mentioned.

  • Auto-run button.
  • Adjustable and zoomable camera. The character seems far away in high resolutions. Lowering the camera in Div2 limits your field of vision and bounces on the terrain.
  • The ability to swim under water.
  • The ability to bind x+x hotkeys (eg. CTRL+A, SHIFT+1, etc.)
  • Loot drops by non-boss enemies. Even if it's just a few coins or a reagent.
  • Non-stupid looking weapon models and textures. I've yet to find a melee weapon that doesn't look like Dr. Seuss threw up on it.
  • Set items put into their own random loot table instead of every piece showing up in exactly the same place. Limits replay and diminishes the satisfaction of getting one.
Posted By: Raze Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 29/06/11 02:35 AM

I see no problem with this dialogue. If there was an interrupt feature, it would have to be where your character interrupts in some way.

I don't think Serutan was objecting to the dialog itself, merely the fact that you must wait for it complete every time you go through that section of the game. This is more of a problem if there is a cutscene before a fight where you keep getting killed, or if you wish to go through a section multiple times to check different dialog options or quest results, etc. After you've completed the game, though, certain cutscenes are not really essential if you start a new character.
Originally Posted by Raze

I see no problem with this dialogue. If there was an interrupt feature, it would have to be where your character interrupts in some way.

I don't think Serutan was objecting to the dialog itself, merely the fact that you must wait for it complete every time you go through that section of the game.


Yep.
how about two-handed Axes and War-hammers? just kinda lame that there were only two-handed Swords in the game.
also, what about including Spears/Polearms into the "two-handed" weapons catergory?
Let us read books without having to pick them up and put them into our inventory.

Also, if the next game has the player acquire a permanent "home base", like the Battle Tower, it would be nice if it had a bookshelf, where all the books that character had ever read were automatically available to read from there (not to take and sell, just to read). You could even add an achievement for collecting all the game books into your library.
I noticed that in DKS, in many cases the game stresses how powerful and famous Rhode is (description of Blood Echelon armour, Rhode's armour you can buy in Aleroth).

I wouldn't be surprised if she returns as an antagonist in the "Project D" game.
What I'd love to see: You should be able to switch to all possible languages. So if you bought the, let's say german version, you should be able to download the french or english language package (or whatever langs exist).
Posted By: Sintek Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 02/07/11 07:11 PM
Spells appear to need a major sound overhaul. Whatever my creature is casting sounds like a small electric fan with a bad motor.

How about some diminishing returns on stuns? It's frustrating and ruins the flow of battle when I'm clicking and my character isn't doing anything for up to a second every time they are hit.

Please don't use Gamebryo anymore. Please let it die the death it was due 4 years ago. Aside from being a bloated vomit bag of bugs, tile-based engines = boring and repetitive looking games.

Please do use OpenAL and/or Miles.
well what to see in Divinity 3? first I like to say that this is a great topic for a good discussion
before I write down any ideas there are some questions to be antswered:

1: Will Divinity 3 be the last sequel or are they making a fourth?
2: If divinity 3 is the last sequel will they make an add onn just as FOV is?

just give your comment on this thank you.


now for some idea's

1: I red that there is a gap in the storyline about Maxos, I agree with the players that it's has te be resolved!

2: skill problems: Alot of skills are not used because they don't benefit you. for example curse most enemy's are immume to it, so no benefit from that.
Also there are two many skills to choose from, so that needs to be checked out.
skills way of the ranger, warrior and mage have no benefit the way they are now. to make it better do like they did in divine Divinity, choose your profession. for example warrior, then make all skills that fall under the profession of warrior easier to rank up or give them a bonus.

3: experience: the way that experience is reduced by each level isn't a succes I think that experience from monsters must be low at the beginning and graduatly goes higher if you gaining levels, because quests XP does that allready. so the ballancing is better this way.

4: items and enemy level:
I red that some people say that enemy's level must be customize to the player level like in oblivion. my advise do not do that, because you can end the game at level one (big mistake they made in oblivion) so my idea is to scale the damage output of the enemy's to the player's level.

items I was not so content about in DKS, because the damage output of the enemy's was higher then the damage of your own weapons. second it's takes to long before you get nice weapons.
my idea is that there are more weapons /item drops from enemy's and containers.
my second idea is that armor/items (human only) can be broke , so the repair skill be put back in like level 1 till 5. it realistic that armor can take damage in battle even as items and weapons. also an idea to put the indentify skill back in the game like level 1 till 5, because you know you can have a pretty nice item/weapon if it has an Indentify level on it;). and if you don't want the skills then you can use the NPC's in the game to help you indentify and the smith to repair/indentify your armor and weapons.

armor sets: in DD was a quest about the dragon armorset. do the name honor and make a quest about the dragon armor set for your dragon!!!!!!. a good idea is the dragon knight armor set quest the one and only worn by maxos!
second make the normal armorsets more interesting because in DKS they wheren't beneficial.

5: realistic features
in DKS I missed the day and night, so it's a good idea to put it back in.
birds and beasts. there where some beasts but no birds in broken valley

6: storyline: the story has now two parts one is the divine and the second is the dragon knight.
a idea is to play the sequel as the divine and/or as the dragon knight.
second idea is to make two parts in the story. part one you play as the dragon knight and the second part you play as the divine.

then we have the patriach, the only real dragon. an idea is that he will become involved in the story. (how I leave that open for discussion)

the relation between the island (sentinal island) and maxos has to be adressed.

I agree with lucreel about the slayers there is a story to be told here aspecialy about commander rode.

futher how about the new order and aleroth champions? there must be a way to unite them.

and what did Talana realy wanted us to see because we where deceived by Ygerna.


7: Area's
put some restrictions on where you can go and where not (like the broken valley mine if the enemy's level is to high then make sure where can't get there there until we have the right level

difficulty bump between area's in DKS wasn't pretty and took away gamefun so that needs to be solved. in DD it was good.

don't put things in the game we can't remove like the anti dragon zone around the harbour in the orobas fjords don't do that again

8: good things the makers have done (open for discussion)

- Mindread very nice opens up new possebilities to get nice things. end quests
- Option about how you want attacking enemy's (dual wield,sword and shield etc.)
- graphincs is good!!!!!
- music is good
- gameplay is good

well it's alot of writing so i'm signing off;)




Posted By: Raze Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 03/07/11 01:27 PM

Larian currently has a couple RPG projects on the go. There has not been anything mentioned about possible add-ons.

Divinity 3 will be the end of this particular story arc, but I'm sure they'll keep making games set in Rivellon as long as they have story/game ideas and the previous games make enough money.


The base experience for combat does increase with higher level opponents. There is also an effect due to your relative level; an experience bonus defeating opponents a higher level than your character, and less experience when the opponents are more than one level lower (see the D2:ED topic xp points per level list? spoilers possible). The details were a little different in DD/BD, but they also had a relative level effect with experience from opponents (see this BD topic).

I found plenty of nice weapons early in the game. More equipment from opponents and containers wouldn't be a bad idea, though.

I'd rather not have level based restrictions on where you can go in the world. DD was more open than D2:ED/DKS, so I'm not sure why it was ok in DD but not in DKS.
Originally Posted by conjurer

2: skill problems: Alot of skills are not used because they don't benefit you. for example curse most enemy's are immume to it, so no benefit from that.

Also there are two many skills to choose from, so that needs to be checked out.

skills way of the ranger, warrior and mage have no benefit the way they are now. to make it better do like they did in divine Divinity, choose your profession. for example warrior, then make all skills that fall under the profession of warrior easier to rank up or give them a bonus.


The debuffs could probably use some reworking to make them more useful, certainly. Perhaps instead of making some enemies immune, just reduce the duration for boss debuffs drastically.

There isn't a need to reduce the number of skills as long as they keep a good supply of skill points available.

No, the offensive buff skills are very good, you don't know what you're talking about. Especially Way of the Ranger, which can give a 400% boost to damage.


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my second idea is that armor/items (human only) can be broke , so the repair skill be put back in like level 1 till 5. it realistic that armor can take damage in battle even as items and weapons. also an idea to put the indentify skill back in the game like level 1 till 5, because you know you can have a pretty nice item/weapon if it has an Indentify level on it;). and if you don't want the skills then you can use the NPC's in the game to help you indentify and the smith to repair/indentify your armor and weapons.


Why?

Seriously, is there ANYONE who like needing to stop what they're doing mid-dungeon and having to trek back to a town to repair or identify a weapon? It's a pointless money-drain, and it's not fun.

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second make the normal armorsets more interesting because in DKS they wheren't beneficial.


Some are better than others, but to say that they're not beneficial is wrong.

Also please try and learn to spell better.
Originally Posted by conjurer
1: I red that there is a gap in the storyline about Maxos, I agree with the players that it's has te be resolved!


Highly agreed! Maxos needs to play a role in the next title. What did happen to him? Did he die? Did he become a god? Did he become a dragon? Did he simply... retire?

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2: Also there are two many skills to choose from,


I think the number of skills is about right. Too many to get all, not too much to get swamped. You can build different characters with the available skills, that is good.

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to make it better do like they did in divine Divinity, choose your profession. for example warrior, then make all skills that fall under the profession of warrior easier to rank up or give them a bonus.


Please no, I like classless systems. You can build some warrior with Ring of Fire, or you can create a ranger that has heal, or some warrior that can summon things... I very, very much like this!


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3: experience: the way that experience is reduced by each level isn't a succes I think that experience from monsters must be low at the beginning and graduatly goes higher if you gaining levels, because quests XP does that allready. so the ballancing is better this way.


I don't understand this sentence. You get fewer xp for the first monster and more for the last one.
Apart from that: I think that the levelling (how xp scales) works very, very well in Divinity 2. Much better than in most other RPGs I know.


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4: items and enemy level:

[...]
Please do not scale anything. Why should an enemy hit harder just because you are stronger? Why should a monster be stronger (your level is higher) just because you are stronger? This is a roleplaying game and part of that is building a believable world. Things do not get stronger or weaker just because a specific person in that world becomes stronger or weaker. For me, scaling enemies (of any kind!) are a total immersion-breaker. And immersion is what RPGs are about to me.

Please also do not make damagable items. That's just annoying and serves no real purpose. I find some nice item - I want to keep it. Why take it away again? Why make me invest time to repair the stupid item instead of letting me actually play your game.
This idea comes from MMOs that live from you hanging out in the game and keeping you there, no matter what. Forcing you do to stuff around playing the game keeps you busy without getting too bored with the repetitive gameplay. This is nothing for a single player RPG!

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5: realistic features
in DKS I missed the day and night, so it's a good idea to put it back in.
birds and beasts. there where some beasts but no birds in broken valley


100% agreed! But what I have to admit: The set daytime in Broken Valley and in the Fjords does transport a specific mood in those areas. So while a day-cycle would surely be a nice thing, I am not sure if it is needed.

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and what did Talana realy wanted us to see because we where deceived by Ygerna.


As I see it, it has been Ygerna been all along. If you listen to the voice, Talana already speaks as Ygerna (which is an error, I think: If you hear Ygerna's voice in your head it's fine, but why does Talana physically speak with Ygerna's voice? An explanation would be: Talana
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never spoke to you, it was always Ygerna's voice in your head.
I think there's nothing to see here.


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7: Area's
put some restrictions on where you can go and where not (like the broken valley mine if the enemy's level is to high then make sure where can't get there there until we have the right level


Please no. I like games that have a fixed, accessible world - no matter if you can survive there or not. Please do not hold my hand, if I want to pick enemies that are five or ten levels higher than me... so be it. It's my job to run from that fight. Also, Divinity 2 displays the level of the enemies, so it's quite easy to see if you are outgunned in this place or not.
I was kind of hoping for a staff or something like that to improve how powerful the spells are, because usually I just dodge attacks and use a spell and summon creatures and just repeat that process.
Two handed mace. That is all.

Though more realistic looking weapons would be nice. The one handed maces in Divinity 2 just didn't look like real life maces. I mean, it's always nice to have fantasy type armors and weapons but having a few real life types wouldn't hurt either considering Divine Divinity had quite realistic armor and weapons.

As for repairing or identifying weapons/armor/items...I wouldn't really care. It doesn't bother me in DD. Identifying objects never bothered me in NWN either. I wouldn't care if they stayed out though either but if it was possible to break weapons, then it should also be possible to repair yourself as you could do in DD.
Posted By: Joram Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 06/07/11 06:44 AM
I like the "identify" and "durability" of items !! smile
I'd like to see either more powerful two-handed weapons or less powerful one-handed weapons... there are several one-handed weapons that are at least as powerful as the most powerful two-handed sword, namely Claw of Abraxas.
I in fact mistakenly bought such a one-hander for my two-hander-using character, because the damage was so large.
divinity 3 has to have multiplayer co-op then it would be the greatest game ever you would have a lot more get the divintys and there needs to be more dlcs people love using money for their enjoyment with getting dlcs if you guys had more game add ons and made the enimies stronger when friends join your game I know for a fact me AND 27 OF MY FRIENDS ON XBOX LIVE, IF THERE WERE GAME EDITIONS WE WOULD GET THE BEST EDITIONS FOR DIVINITY 3 AND PLEASE MAKE BETTER SINGLE BLADED SWORDS!!!!!!!!
please also put in starmetal armor for yourself and your dragon form starmetal is a meteorite from dragon age the weapon is overpowered in dragon age so there should be no starmetal weapons if your willing to put in starmetal as high armor for human and dragon forms i will cherish this game iknow what im talking about i love games please put in more levels
Another idea- how about a direct read from your latest DKS save? did you let loose Behrlin or did you side with Bellagar?

if you sided with Bellagar, then how about a quest to stop some errant explorer from freeing a now-thuroughly pissed Behrlin from joining the rank of the Black ring?
If you sided with Behrlin, then how about a quest where Bellagar tries once again to off the Dragon Knight? [but is unaware that you killed Berhlin]
who thinks it would be a good idea if your character was able to do alchemy and make weapons out of iron and gold ect.... and still be able to make potions but also have a place where if you find rare gems or metals you can make dragon armor out of them instead of find the armor and there should be alot more than a 1oo different combinations larian please answer to this or any other divinity lovers please put in your truest thoughts about this] Wether its Excellent,Great,Good,Bad,NOT the best of thoughts Horrible WHAT ever your thoughts are please post on this
great idea you have put in writing! encore for that

I have idea aswell

a test envoirment for the players to test the features larian makes for D III so that bugs and little ballance issues can be addressed before they launch the game!
Divinity III? So many people have great ideas; wouldn't it be something if they could incorporate them into the game? What I'm getting at is the ability to mod the game. There are several RPG games that encourage their fans to create their own quests, items, weapons and so on. I don't know the technical requirements of coming up with a "tool kit" or some other means of working on the game mechanics, but when I see the huge, loyal fan base of, for example, the Bethesda games, I can't help wonder why Divinity couldn't do the same thing. Modding a game has such an upside - the modders have to have the "canon" of the game down cold. The very best mods maintain the balance of the game - something I think is done rather well in the Divinity series. Modding extends the life of the game. People are still modding Morrowind and Fallout 2 for example. Anyway, just my 2 cents. For all I know there's something in the new engine that makes mods impractical. But if it is possible I think it would be a spectacular boost for the next game in the series.
Posted By: Raze Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 27/07/11 06:18 AM

Before D2:ED was finished Larian said they would like to release modding tools, given enough time and resources without more pressing priorities (see the old topic Is it modder-friendly?). That doesn't seem likely for Divinity 2, but maybe if they kept that in mind during development of their next projects, releasing modding tools might not require as much of a resource commitment at the end of the process.
Graphics are good but improve the sound quality, i mean make it 3D
They need to put Scythes in this game and where u can where DEATHS ARMOR: 1. Deaths cloak or armor 2. Deaths gauntlets 3. Deaths boots/ Archangels armor or gods,devils ECT....
Posted By: Doog Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 09/08/11 05:20 AM
Alright to begin with I think that when you die it should be more of a guild wars thing where if you die you will be respawned at an alter with reduces maximum health, mana, damage and stats. You can bring these back up by killing a boss or returning to a city.

I also DONT think you should be able to attack ground units, remember if you can attack them they can attack you which would mean they would need more damage and an increased range to hit actual hit you and kill you. Think of the helpless melee soldiers that can only stand an watch their groups of 4-5 people being massacred by a giant dragon. Another reason would be if your destroying multiple towers while being attacked by air units and groun units could be quiet annoying. If you do make it so you can attack ground make sure the exp is greatly reduced, so the player actually wants to land and fight.

I would love to see underwater exploration. Not just swimming above scarcly seen water. I mean really throughout the whole game you seen water how much?

You need to make a blacksmith that actually allows you to make swords and armour.

Dont make the game to mature. You will lose many of the young audience.

I would like to see better drops and a lot more drops. The best gear I have is bought, and it emptied the wallet (literaly.) I had 150,000 before i bought the gear and afterwards I have 300. Needs to be changed (and yes the prices were reduced thatnks to mind reading.)

Yet another thing, don't limit where you can go. I agree that if I adventure to deep ill know oh i should get outta here. On that perspective I think you need to put a skull by enemies that are alot higher then you so you can tell you need to leave. And for someone like damien put a glwing aura around him so you can actually see him from afar so you know not to get any where near him.
Respawning after dying is more of a multiplayer thing, not really a single-player thing.

Also, reducing your stats on death and only getting them back after doing something else would at best be annoying, and at worst it could lead to a never-ending cycle of losing stats because you died because your stats were lowered because you died because...


More drops from enemies would be good, because you definitely need to spend a lot of money at a store.

I don't like the idea of cluttering up the game with HUD elements like a skull or an aura. And by the way, it was not actually possible to avoid going near Damian, and he does not even attack you at any point, so it completely eludes me why you think adding an aura is needed.
Posted By: Doog Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 10/08/11 07:58 AM
Well I wasnt really focusing on damien himself. More of a REALLY high leveled enemy. And if you know how to avoid/block you wouldnt get a REALLY high number of stats reduced. Even if it is annoying, its not as annoying as having to re-load or work your way through a maze as a ghost. May not be the best way of reviving but I hate saving every 2 minutes because I might die of a stupid mistake.

I also forgot to mention about how if you have a sheild equipped it will float behind your charcter not even on him. I hate using a sheild because of that (this has nothing to do with the respawning mentioned above.)

Yet another thing is that if you spam jumping you can get to your destination faster. Need to make it so the jumping distance is equal to your run speed.
^
Yeah, I hated that too. The shield literally floats on the back of your character. I have no idea why some games have it where equipped weapons don't properly connect to your character. Dragon Age (both of them) had this problem with daggers which was annoying. It's quite annoying when you look at Mount and Blade (an indie game) and see how weapons/shields/bows do connect to your character. If that game could do it, then games with a higher budget should be able to do so too.
Originally Posted by Lucreel
Another idea is (and this would go along with multi-player support well), instead of the game just ending when you die, how about having something like a level in the Hall of Echoes that you have to clear (by clearing, I don't necessarily mean battle - it could be a puzzle, or a jumping challenge, or, I dunno, something) to return to life, or some in-game mechanism of some sort which allows you to 're-incarnate', instead of just loading a save? I've always thought that would be cooler for an RPG - instead of, notionally, a hero that is never defeated (because when you load the save, it's like it never happened), an immortal hero that, thus, ultimately can't be defeated.


No offence but a good RPG is like an interactive film or a page out of history, I mean come on think about it for a min. That's like saying I don't like this part of history because it does'nt mention people failing. History is inevitably writen by the victors so if your charactor dies mid story theres no story. If the stars of history died before they did what they were revered for theres no story & thus no history. Sorry Alexander the great you can't conquer anything because theres no chance you'll fail.....your ideas before that last post were good. As for multiplayer I NEVER like seeing people putting multiplayer in games like Divinity. Especially coop, because if everyone is running aroud trying to play the hero then theres no hero anymore. There can be only 1 leader per unit, if a platoon in the army were to have more than 1 commander then thigs would just go chaotic. If they put multiplayer in D3 I won't be bothering with it I'll just do what I always do & stick to the single player game. I liked your story ideas but the multiplayer & death ideas no but thats just my opinion.

As for me I'd like to find out what happened to the other race's like the dwarfs, they explained that the elfs are now extinct but no mention of what happened to the dwarfs & lizardmen.

If the dragon knight will be the main charactor (as I hope it is) then I'd like the Divine to play an active role in the story like Zandalor. Maybe even do a 2 disc game like D3 part 1 & 2 one part from the Dragon knights point of veiw & the other from the Divines point of veiw. Or if there must be coop then just make it a max of 2 one play as the Divine 1 as the Dragon Knight.

I would also like to see more dragon battles, I was a little upset with how little there was for your dragon form to do other than lets just fly to here & land.
Posted By: meme Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 23/08/11 07:59 PM
More puzzles and less key searching smile
Posted By: Agrona Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 25/08/11 06:41 PM
I would love to be able to at least fly to the mountain tops and not run into invisible walls just below them. Give us more freedom, more open world! smile

Oh and I would love to see a whole city (like Aleroth, just accessible! LOL) I was excited about Aleroth, thinking I would get to see a big city, only to find out most of it was barricaded.

Pretty please with sugar on top? (btw. I love all the little sayings you added to the game, definitely keep the humor factor!)
Originally Posted by Agrona
Oh and I would love to see a whole city (like Aleroth, just accessible! LOL) I was excited about Aleroth, thinking I would get to see a big city, only to find out most of it was barricaded.


All I'll say to that is get FOV
Posted By: Agrona Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 25/08/11 06:46 PM
Originally Posted by Divine Avenger


All I'll say to that is get FOV


WOOHOO, you made me want to get it even more now!!!!!!!! YAY. First Germany vacation, then I need to format my PC, then FoV! LOL Thanks D.A. smile
In Divinity3, I hope the main character isn't the Dragon knight I was playing in D2. Why ?

First, he/she has powers, and I don't wan't to start over with the same character (I ended up powerfull enough to wipe armies, how many ennemies up to my level left ?).
Second, I played D2 in 3D, going back to 2D with the same character would be going backwards in my opinion.
The Divine has powers as well though so if we what if you end up playing as the Divine in D3
I'd like to see the return of all races from Divinty 1 ... And the resolution what happened with the Goddess from the early beginning of Divinity 1 ...
Posted By: Arokh Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 31/08/11 05:53 PM
Seem as Project E has more or less been confirmed as Divinity 3, your playable character may even be someone completley new who works with the DK and Divine who both appear as NPC's. Either that or you play as the Divine with powers (or lack of them at beginning of game) explained away by he 'lost' them whilst trapped in the crystal. I doubt you play as the DK as a top down perspective would be just awkward. That's my guess.
Posted By: Joram Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 01/09/11 07:02 AM
I wish to start with a level one hero and like Arokh said .. the divine and the Dragon Knight are NPC's you can interact with:
mindread them, train with them, chat with them & think about how amazing it can be to play cards or a board game with them ...
Well I just hope I gat another chance in the future to play as my dragon knight, I'd be happy playing as the Divine or a new character. I just hope that oneday we can have a game with the Dragon Knight & the Divine both as playable characters.
Things I'd like to see ?

Raanaar. Most definitively. hehe

Posted By: pall Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 03/09/11 12:22 AM
Return of commander Rhode.
Originally Posted by pall
Return of commander Rhode.


I'd like to see her return but only in a game with the dragon knight in it
Posted By: henryv Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 18/09/11 11:19 PM
This is what I'd like to see on the next installment:

Rhode's status - I don't like her being a statue and she was blind by her false justice. Now that rivellon was saved by those who she tried to kill. what will happen to her ideals now? Will she realize that what she was doing was wrong and turn over a new leaf? or, will she still make the dragon knight extinct? I hope she at least appears on the next installment as a quest giver or someone of importance or at least a reading material about her smile.

Mini-games - A puzzle game or some reflex game or some card game like poker. The game mechanics will be explained in the game of course. At least, there's something that the gamer will put their minds else where. There could be a tournament of some sorts or quest related or a means to get some powerful items. I remember the days of gold saucer of final fantasy seven hehe.

Romance or relationship development - By this suggestion, you could also add some love rivals or love consequences on the end game scenario. I'm fond of this feature. I found this on the two games(witcher/Dragon Age) that are essential for character development. There's also the intimate scene of it but I believe Larian isn't going to implement this scenes. If you remember the bone that transformed into a human, you will notice that he transformed with a brief haha although he did say he was naked xD.

Mind reading - less the xp debt.

Hunting we shall go - I would suggest powerful mobs that require actual tactics. Its usual in my game that I use brute force against them.

More "plays" - I like the quest in the playhouse. You could summon a real demon from acting! haha.

Keys - Don't count them as an inventory. I couldn't find the reason why you should throw an epic armor for a key that use up your inventory.

Battle tower companions - If the game is a story related dragon knight, I want some of my companion as an "extra". You know, for the sake of aesthetic or some non-value added dude that won't make your character stronger. Its like the hairstylist who came out of nowhere. You could get some ideas though from suikoden game wink.

Good ending - The ED was awful when it ended bad. It was 5 months after that I planned to buy DKS and finish it once and for all. It was satisfying enough that FoV tried to evade such ending by putting TWO endings. The player could actually change the fate of his game!

Save game continuation - Carry over the items please laugh. Although, it will destroy the freshness of the game so ignore this suggestion.

A pre-made story - Self-explanatory. If larian got the resources though I could suggest:

Two starting story line - The ending of FoV has a fork, one where you could destroy the invading forces with bellegar's magic or the other one (I haven't tried the other one yet so I don't know if its a really BAD ending). Naturally, the starting point of your story must have at least two. and,

Carry over saves for story line or some quest related or some additional features - I don't quite get this system yet from witcher or from Dragon age as I haven't finished their sequels yet. What I like to see on this system is the status of those quests you finished from those previous saves to the next game. At least, new gamers who try the next game will be obliged to buy the old one for the sake completion.

Side quest consequences - It is already implemented on DKS. Like the masses commenting on the heroism against the flying fortresses. I'd like for it to stay on the next installment.

Amdusias - MAXXXXOSS!! hahaha

Fresh new start - Play the divine = the people will worship whatever ground you walk on. Play the Dragon Knight = The game could be a cakewalk. Newly recruit = A lot of potential. Of course, there is a great story line from those former two. A pre-made items and stat could cure the OP.

Simeon or philosopher - He did say that after 80 years he will write his memoir.

This list isn't exhaustible. I still have a lot in my mind. I could add some next time I visit this forums.
Posted By: Raze Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 19/09/11 03:50 AM

Keys and quest related items in Divinity 2 do not count towards the inventory limit.

Divinity 3 will have a top down camera view (no details on the implementation), so that very likely means the main character will not be a dragon knight.
Originally Posted by henryv
Hunting we shall go - I would suggest powerful mobs that require actual tactics. Its usual in my game that I use brute force against them.


Hm, I don't like this too much, actually.
My reason is simply that not everyone is able to do tactics in real-time.

I must admit that the Divinity games rather attract action-RPG lovers, but me, for example, I'm not one of that (okay, not that I count much, lol), personally I prefer combat like in FOV, although I was never quite able to beat the most dangerous mobs there.

My reason is simple : I'm not a power gamer. I just don't do much of optimizing the character I play.
Me, I'm rather focused on story than on combat, but that is something - I must admit - that is difficult within the Action-RPG sub-genre anyway.

I'm currently playing my absolutely favourite game again : Drakensang 2. And power-gaming just ruins your experience there. It just destroys everything. And playing it like an action game very much also.
But there are also a few - for me, personally - *very* difficult adversaries there. And I like it that way. Few, but difficult. No mobs.
And the game also allows pause within combat. Okay, Divinity 2 allows this as well, but I didn't use it that often.

Enough babbling : What I'd be fine with is that there are strong mobs - which become stronger the higher the difficulty level of the game is (chosen by you).

And the rest of this list is something I can agree to.

I just want more quiet role-playing games with fewer action (and combat) and much more social interaction - but that wouldn't sell, I fear (what are the numbers for the Medieval SIMs ?).



Posted By: henryv Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 19/09/11 10:51 PM
Originally Posted by Raze

Keys and quest related items in Divinity 2 do not count towards the inventory limit.

Divinity 3 will have a top down camera view (no details on the implementation), so that very likely means the main character will not be a dragon knight.


I didn't notice about those keys haha.

If its going to be a top down, then I do hope we can play as the divine =) and finish damian once and for all. But then again, if damian is finished, there wouldn't be any divinity series anymore unless there's a plot twist xD and that involves the spirit within damian.

Originally Posted by AlrikFassbauer

Originally Posted by henryv
Hunting we shall go - I would suggest powerful mobs that require actual tactics. Its usual in my game that I use brute force against them.


Hm, I don't like this too much, actually.
My reason is simply that not everyone is able to do tactics in real-time.

I must admit that the Divinity games rather attract action-RPG lovers, but me, for example, I'm not one of that (okay, not that I count much, lol), personally I prefer combat like in FOV, although I was never quite able to beat the most dangerous mobs there.


I do agree at some of your points but that's why it's a side quest (hunting we shall go). It isn't meant to be a part of the story. Just another quest or easter eggs for those hardcore gamers/perfectionists like me xD (very much like the killer bunny. It sure scared the hell out of me when he appeared). I'm an avid gamer but I prefer the gameplay and the story more than other things. I did enjoy playing medieval sims but after actually playing each class it got repetitive and I stopped playing. I actually prefer games with strategy on them (RTS, TBS, or both). I played the first C&C when I was a little kid and ever since then, I've loved them. I could very well say that I will love the one larian studios will release (dragon commander).

For this matter, Barbatos is near to what I'm actually looking. To elaborate, its more like the shadow of the colossus game wherein the enemy has weak points/body parts and the player needed to kill each of them so that the enemy could actually be slain. And, those weak points/body parts can function independently on its own (ie. one hand is healing, one hand is casting unlimited magic, the head is charging up its eyes for a near death attack at you, and etc. Final fantasy 7 final boss battle can come into mind). A big demon could be a great example of this. Then again, raze did point out that the next installment would be a top-down one. So, this suggestion could be meaningless and I'm just asking too much lol. I remember though, playing a baldur gate game on game boy that this was implemented on a top-down one and it was implemented badly. The body parts of the enemy are running rampant apart from each other xD.
Posted By: Joram Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 20/09/11 08:06 AM
@AlrikFassbauer and other people who don't like too much fast actions in rpg's :

I must agree that many rpg's are too much focused on ACTION .. but to be honest I never disliked the actions in the Divinity games !

But to say this :
If you don't like too much action, play as a "Priest" and specialize in Summonning things like Summon Ghost/Undead/Demon & your Creature ! And use Charm and Hide in Shadows and let your summonned friends do the most of the dirty job (heavy battles) you do not like that much wink
And also important : always care for having a Bow with you ! Invest in Poison Arrows and/or Stun Arrows to slow down enemies and take later on Explosive and/or Splittings Arrows ... so you can end the battle before it even start ! It's fun and make fast work of battles .

This is my plan for my next hero(ïn) in DKS ! smile Me too don't like too much (fast) battles in a RPG ... in DKS I find now my own most appropriate strategy . And of course the FoV part I like very much because of less action and more of the other rpg elements : )
Originally Posted by henryv
I do agree at some of your points but that's why it's a side quest (hunting we shall go). It isn't meant to be a part of the story.


As a side-quest I'm fine with it. My worries were directed against *all* mobs within the game being there (numerous, especially) and being very difficult.

So I misunderstood things, it seems to me.
Posted By: emil Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 26/09/11 11:00 PM
i dont know if anyones said it already or not, but i think the ability to both fly through the air as a dragon like you can now.. AND to take that thing down to the ground and destroy every enemy in sight. that would make me a happy camper for sure:)
Posted By: Arokh Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 27/09/11 11:45 AM
Yeah, it's been a topic discussed by a few people but with Divinity 3 being a top down isometric view game it's not likley that will happen. You probably won't even play as a dragon knight. However, in Dragon Commander it looks like we will be able to do exactly what you are wanting.
Posted By: J747L Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 06/10/11 05:14 PM
A strict enemy level system that correlates with the PC.

I just started a new game on nightmare for the Ego Draconis part (DKS). I explored the Orobas Fjords too early. When I got back to first meeting Lovis, I was already level 21. There were odd things I noticed. Magic users seem to run out of "magic" and there are points when they would just run away (some imps I came across on the Fjords). This happened when I was power leveling there.

Are the enemies strictly customized? I'm not sure but as a level 21 going back to Broken Valley with assortments of level 8 - 14, the level ranking seems inconsistent at points. One may argue that freeform character development may have something to do with this but games like Neverwinter Nights has a reliable Challenge Rating which remains consistent all throughout.

J747L:

I'd like to bring up a counterpoint. At least for me, it somewhat breaks immersion if every enemy is always levelled up to be the same as I am. I expect to encounter some enemies weaker than I, and some stronger than I am (at least, at the moment). But, at the same time, not too much weaker, or so much stronger I insta-die from them looking at me. Of course, a good levelling system can incorporate that by having a range of enemy levels spawned, roughly centered on your level, maybe +/- 5 levels or so.
Posted By: J747L Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 19/10/11 07:41 AM
no problem. However what I was pointing out wasn't a leveled environment.

The problem I had was that the levels 8 - 14 vs my level 21 were inconsistent. There were level 14s that behaved like level 16+ and there are level 14s (changed: sorry not 16 but 14) that behaved like level 10 below. I'm really not sure but it's just the impression I encountered when I went back to broken valley with my level 21 and also to the Sentinel Island.

I understand what you mean even with Oblivion, there were mods that prevented the levelled environment (IIRC Francesco's leveled quests and items).

What I mean by a strict enemy level system, most of the time when a high level player faces enemies 5 levels below and 5 levels above, the relative challenge rating will feel almost consistent.

(added for clarity: consistent meaning, 5 levels below must feel easier to kill than an enemy 2 levels below. 5 Levels above feels harder to kill than enemy 3 levels above. Thus easiest (5 levels below), easier (3 levels below)... just right (equal level)... hard (3 levels above), harder (5 levels above)... something like that.

-----------------------------
Added for clarity:
My suspicion is that Larian is customizing the enemy in a different way from other RPG games. If a representative refutes this then I rest my case and I'll gladly accept that I'm wrong.

Enemy creation:
There are different ways one can create enemies in a given level. One is, a level designer picks a creature then gives it stats, abilities, equipment and then designates it Level 14. This can give rise to cases where a creature doesn't meet the standard of the equipment or ability but is given it anyhow.

Illustration: Imagine IIRC the explosive arrows require level 15, however for design purposes a level designer MIGHT venture, "Let's give these Level 14 skeletons explosive arrows anyway."

An obvious strict system for enemy leveling can be seen in Neverwinter Nights series, you cannot equip a creature spells, items unless the creature has the intelligence, level stats to satisfy them. Therefore from the example above, the system will not allow any creature designated as Level 14 to have explosive arrows.

I'm being suspicious here without hard evidence but I felt that Divinity II creatures are "extremely" customized which I suspect is the reason why there are unexpected spikes in the difficulty.

Again I'm willing to accept that my suspicions are false if one can assure me that they're not doing such.
J747L:

Oh, I see what you are saying. Personally, I don't mind a little bit of customization. My experience playing the game is that, for a particular *type* of enemy, at a particular level, there is consistency. That is, most level X Goblin Soldiers are pretty much the same. They seem to do the "customization" you refer to based on the type of the critter. Goblin leuitenants or chiefs, I don't remember what they are called, are more powerful, at the same level, as the normal soldiers. Same for shamans, healers, etc. Beholders are a lot more powerful (not that they necessarily do a lot of damage, but they might have fireball, and they might have more hitpoints, resistance, and maybe a healing spell).

Black Ring soldiers and rangers are a lot tougher, at the same level, than goblins or skeletons, etc.

I don't think, except for a few exceptions ("Named" enemies) that they ever really customize the enemies on an individual basis. They probably, I suspect, just have a basic template for each type, and probably use some code to automatically scale equipment level, powers, etc. Perhaps the code has something like a semi-random inventory spawn (so maybe occasionally certain enemies will randomly spawn with a healing potion to heal themselves, etc).

At least, if I were designing a game with 5000 enemies (I don't really know for sure how many there are in Ego Draconis, but man, it sure *feels* like there's 5000 enemies), I wouldn't hand-craft all of them. That's time I could spend more productively on other aspects of the game, and let the computer generate. The actual *locations* of spawns, I think, are static, but with a good game-editor system, a level designer could basically just point-and-click to place a spawn of skeletons here, and another spawn of skeletons over there (maybe choosing the level of the group), choose a spawn of black ring fighters and click, click, click to place them around, etc.
Posted By: J747L Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 20/10/11 04:12 AM
Originally Posted by Lucreel
Black Ring soldiers and rangers are a lot tougher, at the same level, than goblins or skeletons, etc.


Exactly. This went on to the point that when my character entered the Orobas Fjords at level 10 or 11, I felt that fighting a level 18 goblin felt the same as fighting a level 14 black ring. So naturally I preyed on the level 18 goblins, swam to the other side and cleaned up the mine. When there's nothing left I was at level 21. Looking back this felt quite wrong.

I'll be blunt: I'm accusing Larian of making enemy templates that doesn't obey a level progression. In other words, the enemy creation system (even at the minion level) doesn't have limiting rules that the player is subject to. Again if someone points that I'm wrong then I'll gladly accept that this is not so.

If Larian already has an automated enemy system that governs their templates then I'm afraid to shift the argument there since it will appear that the gameplay problem is worse... a lot worse.

The system I'm describing is not new and was even implemented by Blizzard in Warcraft III (years ago) to the extreme. IIRC there, one can pick a level for an enemy template and the stats automatically follow (everything, even the health regen, resistances). They were able to do this because of the existing "enemy level system" I'm talking about. I think that customized bosses is also a given.

IMO the enemy creation system that I described above will prevent the unexpected spikes in the difficulty. Not because I invented it (cause I didn't) but because it is done in Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2, and by Blizzard among others. If you look at their users there is not much issue about difficulty spikes compared to the forums here.

I'm not picking a fight with larian smile

The only reason why I'm spending this MUCH TIME posting here and suggesting improvements is because I feel that Divinity II is supposed to be a great game.

There are a few scattered threads in the forums about members getting frustrated with the unexpected spikes in difficulty. They seemed a few but don't underestimate them, there are probably hundreds in the background that just quit the game and didn't even bother to post here.

As for me personally, I didn't have much problem with the spikes in difficulty even in (nightmare). But I do feel sad for the cases I read in the forums and wonder: is this the reason why this game isn't the blockbuster I think it should be?
Posted By: Joram Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 20/10/11 06:44 AM
Sorry, I can't fully agree ... For me it always is a big difference to fight a level 10 or 11 enemy in Broken Valley or a Goblin level 18 at the Orobas Fjords ! :o
For me : I like it when there're difficulty spikes ! With this it's more exciting to go for battle, "Save often, you never know what's around the bend" - one of the hints you can read in a loadingscreen wink

And btw, a Goblin Chief in Broken Valley is NOT of the same level! He's level 4 and the other Goblins are level 2, maybe some of them are level 3 (a Healer or a Mage). Also the Beholders are at least 1 or 2 levels higher than the other Goblins in the same group of enemies.

Divinity II is supposed to be a great game ?
Ooo no ! Divinity IS a great game !! And in my opinion it's better than great, it's a Masterpiece, a Pearl, a Gem !

If not, Larian wouldn't selling so much so they can now publish their own next games ! smile

But further on no offence at all .. just my opinion and to be honest, I am only a gamer and I know nothing about making a game !
I like the system Larian used for the enemies and all that is in their games. I love it that non of their games are perfect ... The devs of Larian don't neglet to work hard .... sweat & tears are flowing in a river quiet ... with as result a lovely game that has a Soul with all the Love of the Team that's pumping into this game & in all their games .

But I know the devs read on the forum and are mostly happy to read ALL kind of comments about their games, it's a learning curve, like it always is when creating a project ... it's try and error all the time ... smile

So Lucreel, J747L and so much more ... it's good you did the effort to write your comments down here ! hug



Posted By: J747L Re: Things you'd like to see in Divinity III? - 20/10/11 09:02 AM
I'm a bit tired this week. Everyone has different opinions and I'll just leave my previous post as that. It's a bit strenuous to keep clarifying things (added for clarity... over and over). I'm tempted to do that again but it's just too much.

Even though I don't think this is a "Great" game I respect Joram, the rest and Larian for the job they did.

BTW for me, Divine Divinity is a Great Game smile
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I also recognize that this is not a simple solution and going into the direction of what I'm suggesting might destroy the franchise (this is the reason why I'm not a Creative Director lol). I'll just stop now biggrin . Example: A bit obvious, from a marketing perspective another massive change in gameplay might alienate the long time loyal followers. (who's willing to risk it? who's head is on the table? I don't want mine there.)
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