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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Dec 2020
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In other video game news, it appears Avellone's accusers have have agreed to settle with a monetary amount of seven figures to him. The statement they released about this involves quite a bit of gymnastics about how they were misinterpreted and were doing this to help women or something. https://chrisavellone.medium.com/jo...-bristol-and-chris-avellone-3b2138e5837fAnd that, my friends, is why the internet should not be taking sides in such disputes. But since the internet did and the damage is done... As a woman myself, I say those assholes should be ruined. I'm not sure what routes Avellone has to find work in this industry again. (The last thread talking about this was actually the DOS2 sale thread from about eight months ago. Bumping THAT thread to talk about this would have caused predictable confusion.) holy, just reading up on some of this. Crazy. he was awarded a seven figure settlement in that kind of a case?? That's insane! meanwhile, on resetera: The weight some of y’all put on this fucked up legal system. It may not necessarily mean he never did anything wrong in general, but that those specific claims were either untrue and opportunistic or so debatable and hard to prove that they didn't hold up in court. Can't comment on any other accusations. guity until proven innocent, and even then probably still guilty eh? The guy's career is ruined.
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Jhe'stil Kith'rak
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Jhe'stil Kith'rak
Joined: Oct 2021
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I don’t think we’ll ever see Avellone in charge (or in any leading role anyway) for any future production of a considerable size.
The damage is done. Not to be pedantic, but the accusations were made in... what... 2020? Since 2020, Avellone's been involved in: -Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous -Alaloth: Champion of the Four Kingdoms (Definitely a lower profile game?) -System Shock Remake to be released this year. Sure, the games aren't as high-profile as his work on Jedi: Fallen Order or Fallout, but he's been at work on some things. Well, not to be pedantic, but these are all contribution he started BEFORE being accused and his contribution on each one of them is marginal at best. The issue here isn't if they are big budget, high profile games or not. Good point.
Remember the human (This is a forum for a video game):
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Jhe'stil Kith'rak
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Jhe'stil Kith'rak
Joined: Oct 2021
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Happy for Avellone, and hope he will continue writing and creating.
Interesting that the original false allegations swamped gaming news in 2020, compared to barely a mention of this outcome in his favor. I have been pursuing gaming news sites and for many of the big ones, there is nary a peep about it. Hm... I wonder why games journalists aren't interested in covering a story that refutes a previous story they were eager to cover... Nope, just can't understand it. /sarc
Remember the human (This is a forum for a video game):
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Dec 2020
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Ah, the Solasta devs had a stream yesterday showing off concept art for the DLC expansion as well as the new races and every class getting a new class feature due to the upcoming level cap raise (along with confirming that spell levels 7 and 8 are in). Someone got a list of the class features, or at least the ones that were ready to be shown in the stream. https://old.reddit.com/r/CrownOfTheMagister/comments/127ymkj/poi_upcoming_spells_subclass_features/Some of them are obviously way more busted than others, hahaha. Ranger Marksman getting 4 attacks per turn with ranged weapons for instance, and Shadowcasters being able to add sneak attack die to ranged spells is neat because you pretty much had no reason to use offensive spells as a rogue beforehand. This is going to be the last DLC for Solasta, the devs are moving on with a new unannounced project which they have more or less stated to be another cRPG after this.
Last edited by Saito Hikari; 01/04/23 08:22 AM.
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veteran
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This is going to be the last DLC for Solasta, the devs are moving on with a new unannounced project which they have more or less stated to be another cRPG after this. All I needed to hear. Kinda hoping for it to be a step up in production value, as we are on it. At least when it comes to character models.
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veteran
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Joined: Aug 2020
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I'm glad Solasta has done so well. Given that this was a first attempt, it was in my opinion a very impressive one. You've been able to see them improve with each DLC and I'm excited to see all that improvement applied to a fresh project. Especially since they've done a good job setting up Solasta to provide long term multiplayer and even single player fun via fan content.
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veteran
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This is going to be the last DLC for Solasta, the devs are moving on with a new unannounced project which they have more or less stated to be another cRPG after this. Well, unfortunately, my understanding from other sources is that their next game won't be a fantasy RPG. It will be some other genre, which I'm not going to care for. 
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veteran
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Joined: Dec 2020
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This is going to be the last DLC for Solasta, the devs are moving on with a new unannounced project which they have more or less stated to be another cRPG after this. All I needed to hear. Kinda hoping for it to be a step up in production value, as we are on it. At least when it comes to character models. I'm not usually a graphics snob, but good god, those character models were so bad they actually took me out of the game. It's funny how graphics that are extremely low res like the original crpgs can still look okay, but more modern attempts can look so bad.
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enthusiast
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Joined: Jun 2012
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Well, Solasta's second DLC is out, and it so far seems less exciting than Lost Valley was - very linear and seemingly corner-cutting (there are awkward top-down non-animated dialogues now instead of a close-up for every conversation). Fighting high-level enemies is kind of fun, though, it is meant for a level 10+ party that you carry over from the base campaign. Progression seems a little dull, though, but it could be my party composition more than anything (rogue-paladin-druid-sorcerer).
It certainly is the prettiest Solasta's ever been so far, with frozen landscapes and dwarven cities. The writing remains traditionally bad (an underwear joke in the first few minutes...), but going through it on a Cataclysm Ironman may be a nice holdover until BG3 finally comes out.
While on topic - are there any good player-made campaigns anyone can recommend? The editor got decently powerful (although the inability to create custom items, creatures and NPCs is baffling...), so I imagine there may have been a standout or two. It's no NWN1, but it has potential.
Last edited by Brainer; 27/05/23 10:56 AM.
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2009
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Next week Owlcats next game, Rogue Trader, will enter beta stages (although according to their previous games, release is the true beta).
It has only turn based combat, so it should be even more compareable to BG3 with only some weapons behaving differently because of the different setting.
I have not watched its development as closely, but I expect its companions also again being far more interesting than the BG3 ones.
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addict
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Joined: Sep 2022
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Solasta's 3D character cinematic dialogues adds NOTHING to the game. For me it seriously downgrades it...If they had gone top down traditional dialogue (voiced) with portraits I think it would of worked so much better.
3D character cinematic dialogues...you either do it PERFECTLY or just don't bother because it will a laughing stock for eternity. BG3 is borderline...;) Some amazing moments, some not so amazing.
Last edited by Count Turnipsome; 27/05/23 03:11 PM.
It just reminded me of the bowl of goat's milk that old Winthrop used to put outside his door every evening for the dust demons. He said the dust demons could never resist goat's milk, and that they would always drink themselves into a stupor and then be too tired to enter his room..
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veteran
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While on topic - are there any good player-made campaigns anyone can recommend? The editor got decently powerful (although the inability to create custom items, creatures and NPCs is baffling...), so I imagine there may have been a standout or two. It's no NWN1, but it has potential. I posted this a while back I've recently been getting my fix of multiplayer video game D&D 5e through user-created Solasta campaigns. There are a bunch of full campaigns out there, and probably even more shorter ones. I've enjoyed The Forsaken Isle by Artyoan (30-ish hours, level 1-12). It was fun and fairly well balanced, with my only real criticism being that there weren't enough fast travel locations near the end game, forcing you to manually walk through a couple maps to get back to town. Apparently it has a soft sequel - Morrows Deep - which is another full campaign. I've heard good things about Against the Cult and short follow-up War of the Reptile God by pbalfe. These are apparently his conversions of the Against the Cult of the Reptile God adventure campaign for AD&D. The first one is level 1-11 (~25 hours), the second one is only level 11-12 (allegedly 10 hours). I've heard good things about Interdimensional Escalations by _Defenestrator_. Another "up to 30 hour, level 1-12 campaign." I did *not* enjoy Ruins of Illthismar by Silverquick, a ~30-40 hour, level 1-12 module. The combats had way too many enemies, making them a slog. There were multiple times where we faced 15+ orcs/goblins/soldiers in a combat, only to have the next combat also be 15+ (of the same) enemies. I abandoned it around level 6. Silverquick seems to specialize in old-school D&D modules/feel, as they've also adapted the AD&D module Temple of Evil and others. I haven't played that one either, but I've heard it has similar combats.
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enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2012
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Solasta's 3D character cinematic dialogues adds NOTHING to the game. For me it seriously downgrades it...If they had gone top down traditional dialogue (voiced) with portraits I think it would of worked so much better.
3D character cinematic dialogues...you either do it PERFECTLY or just don't bother because it will a laughing stock for eternity. BG3 is borderline...;) Some amazing moments, some not so amazing. I agree on that (the models are anything but closeup-friendly), but the way the topdown stuff is implemented is somehow even more jarring to look at. Characters clip through one another, the camera is stuck at questionable angles, transitions to farewells and from greetings feel even more artificial. I posted this a while back I've recently been getting my fix of multiplayer video game D&D 5e through user-created Solasta campaigns. There are a bunch of full campaigns out there, and probably even more shorter ones. I've enjoyed The Forsaken Isle by Artyoan (30-ish hours, level 1-12). It was fun and fairly well balanced, with my only real criticism being that there weren't enough fast travel locations near the end game, forcing you to manually walk through a couple maps to get back to town. Apparently it has a soft sequel - Morrows Deep - which is another full campaign. I've heard good things about Against the Cult and short follow-up War of the Reptile God by pbalfe. These are apparently his conversions of the Against the Cult of the Reptile God adventure campaign for AD&D. The first one is level 1-11 (~25 hours), the second one is only level 11-12 (allegedly 10 hours). I've heard good things about Interdimensional Escalations by _Defenestrator_. Another "up to 30 hour, level 1-12 campaign." I did *not* enjoy Ruins of Illthismar by Silverquick, a ~30-40 hour, level 1-12 module. The combats had way too many enemies, making them a slog. There were multiple times where we faced 15+ orcs/goblins/soldiers in a combat, only to have the next combat also be 15+ (of the same) enemies. I abandoned it around level 6. Silverquick seems to specialize in old-school D&D modules/feel, as they've also adapted the AD&D module Temple of Evil and others. I haven't played that one either, but I've heard it has similar combats. Thanks! One can only hope that BG3 also gets a toolset at some point, and this time it's a little more end-user friendly. It's kind of baffling that nothing has managed to come close to NWN1's toolset useability and capabilities in 23 (holy crap) years, not counting Bethesda's stuff which is disadvantaged by an abysmal engine. NWN2's one is too much of a technical disaster to compete, I am afraid. I guess there was the Grimrock 2 modding scene, but that was much smaller in scale (although there were two amazing campaigns by the guy who made Eador: Genesis, perhaps one of the most amazing 4X-ish turn-based strategies out there).
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member
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Joined: Jul 2014
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I think both games can very easily co-exist as they are both very different in their gameplay, but reactivity is on point in each of these games.
We are so lucky to have so many great cRPGs to play!
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addict
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Joined: Sep 2022
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Starting to beat a dead horse again but...playing BG3, WotR, Solasta, Disco Elysium....
I just love PoE2 Deadfire so much (modded with Community Patch, Funnering etc...) . The classes, mechanics, the environments, the immersion...yea people hate the story and some of the characters. I think the (minor) story complements the world exploration and adventuring perfectly. It is my go too post-BG2 game.
I still think it, with Disco, are still the best looking top down cRPGs.
Last edited by Count Turnipsome; 18/08/23 01:13 PM.
It just reminded me of the bowl of goat's milk that old Winthrop used to put outside his door every evening for the dust demons. He said the dust demons could never resist goat's milk, and that they would always drink themselves into a stupor and then be too tired to enter his room..
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member
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Joined: Jul 2014
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Starting to beat a dead horse again but...playing BG3, WotR, Solasta, Disco Elysium....
I just love PoE2 Deadfire so much (modded with Community Patch, Funnering etc...) . The classes, mechanics, the environments, the immersion...yea people hate the story and some of the characters. I think the (minor) story complements the world exploration and adventuring perfectly. It is my go too post-BG2 game.
I still think it, with Disco, are still the best looking top down cRPGs. I could not get on with Pillars 2. I loved the first game, felt like BG1. But Pillars 2 felt all together different. I didn't like the setting, I didn't like the accents and the dialect, the gods were just annoying and the ship game play was just as annoying as kingdom management in Kingmaker. But it's great that we all have our favorites, mine is probably Pillars 1 as it is the one I have completed the most and did a solo monk play through on. Reactivity sucked in it though, very linear.
Last edited by SgtSilock; 18/08/23 01:17 PM.
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apprentice
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apprentice
Joined: Jun 2021
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Same POE 2 is my definite best CRPG after BG2... Haven't finished BG3, but with everything i'm ready about how much of a drop Act 3 + the ending...
A case of Act 1 hype overtaking everyone's critical judgement in the reviews perhaps ?
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Oct 2020
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Same POE 2 is my definite best CRPG after BG2... Haven't finished BG3, but with everything i'm ready about how much of a drop Act 3 + the ending...
A case of Act 1 hype overtaking everyone's critical judgement in the reviews perhaps ? I think it is just differences in what people like in games rather than overhype! For me I thought POE2 was a mess and didn’t finish it, but others put it among their top games! In contrast BG3 is one of my favorite games, and some don’t like it. I haven’t reached Act 3 yet, but I am loving Act 2, especially getting new companions, the shadow curse plot, and seeing npcs from Act 1!
Last edited by Icelyn; 18/08/23 04:01 PM.
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2023
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I enjoyed POE2 apart from the sailing and ships parts. The sea battles were naff and none of it really added anything to the game.
The camera in BG3 is doing its best to destroy whatever enjoyment I get from the game.
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apprentice
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apprentice
Joined: Jun 2021
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I don't think I agree with you ...
I mean, the reviews are basically saying this is the best game ever, praising it on its polish, dialogue and reactivity and yet... there seems to be a pretty strong consensus that Act 3 just doesn't deliver on any of that, that there is a bunch of cut content (apparently, there is no Upper City in the game, albeit it was marketed as such only a few weeks ago ?), no ending closure ...
I get the hunger for this type of game, i really do, and I AM ENJOYING THE GAME, but I don't see how we can square any of the above with the reviews.
Hopefully Larian will address this and lay out a roadmap, because otherwise, it would be quite the bait and switch. (not holding my breath though)
Last edited by dukeisaac; 18/08/23 04:55 PM.
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