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quinn Offline OP
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from the Origins story based playable characters?


Let me explain. I was reading how, at present, there are four distinct Origin story based characters that the player can choose from. Further, it has been said that for the Origin stories characters that the player didn't choose, those will be available in the game as recruitable companions for the party, but you just won't have access to their particular origin quests.

Well, my question is will there be recruitable companions that are not part of the Origin based characters, that are instead, separate and distinct recuitable npcs for the party?

The reason I ask is I can see this game having a lot of replayability by going through the game multiple times based on picking the different Origin stories/characters, but I would not want to be stuck with always having to use the same characters (the origin based ones) to fill out my party.

I want to play each Origin based character fresh, with a new game, and use other recruitable npcs instead for the party slots on each playthrough.

Please Larian, for varieties sake, put in plenty of alternative npcs available for the players to choose from to recruit for the party.

This is something that was lacking in the first game, where there were only four companions available.

I understand there were also henchmen you could get, but it would be nice to have other recruitable npcs that are a bit more fleshed out than that, they don't have to be full fledged companions like in the Origin based story ones, but just have a bit more flavor, richness and depth than a complete blank slate henchmen.

Thanks for any answers in advance. Really looking forward to this game!

Last edited by quinn; 25/08/16 08:43 AM.
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Originally Posted by quinn
Further, it has been said that for the Origin stories characters that the player didn't choose, those will be available in the game as recruitable companions for the party, but you just won't have access to their particular origin quests

Oh really? I didn't know that. Do you remember where it was said?

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It was from an interview he did at the rpg codex:

Question: So if you don't choose an origin, you can still get that character as an NPC?

Swen: Yeah, they're all in there. They'll become your companions then.

then in answer to a different question Swen gave this answer:

You select an avatar, and only the avatar gets his origin quest. The companions don't have their origin quests.

http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=10387





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Hmm. I'd guess that this ties into the competitive questing. Obviously, competitive questing only works in multiplayer, so it depends on the character being the player's avatar.

Now I'm more worried about this system. I don't want a "Generic" character to be the boring choice.

Hopefully the move away from voice acting and expansion of the writing team will result in a lack of boring options, and plenty of interesting companions/origins to choose from.

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Actually, the competitive questing can work mechanically in single player (QA tested it that way), but is not implemented for design reasons (as described in the interview).

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That's basically what I meant.

Competing against yourself would be odd. smile

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Originally Posted by Ayvah
That's basically what I meant.

Competing against yourself would be odd. smile


or be a very meaningful way of "choices have consequences".


"I don't make games to make money, I make money to make games". (Swen Vincke)
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Originally Posted by quinn
The reason I ask is I can see this game having a lot of replayability by going through the game multiple times based on picking the different Origin stories/characters, but I would not want to be stuck with always having to use the same characters (the origin based ones) to fill out my party.

I want to play each Origin based character fresh, with a new game, and use other recruitable npcs instead for the party slots on each playthrough.

Please Larian, for varieties sake, put in plenty of alternative npcs available for the players to choose from to recruit for the party.

This is something that was lacking in the first game, where there were only four companions available.

I understand there were also henchmen you could get, but it would be nice to have other recruitable npcs that are a bit more fleshed out than that, they don't have to be full fledged companions like in the Origin based story ones, but just have a bit more flavor, richness and depth than a complete blank slate henchmen.

A couple of things:

A) That the origin choices (rather efficiently) do double duty as - all - potential party recruits has been part of the public pitch since the promo tour leading up to the Kickstarter campaign. cool

B) There most definitely won't be only four origin stories. I'd expect about twice that number in the finished game (and foolishly dream of about twice that crazy).

C) Re "plenty of alternative NPCs": As much as I missed the greater variety in companions of their predecessors when playing the sequel to Baldur's Gate and the prequel to Drakensang, it is a matter of fact that the decrease in quantity allowed for - and resulted in - an increase in quality. frown

D) Re "don't have to be full-fledged companions": RPGs get heavily criticised - and rightfully so - whenever party members don't all get roughly the same amount of depth and content, so Larian would be rather foolish to commit to extra work that would more likely result in a worse reception than a better one. Particularly since almost all reviewers don't replay games (cf. Telltale's popularity). confused


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