Pillars of Eternity has "Gone Gold" :-)

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Before digital distribution was as predominant as it is on PC (and wholly digital distribution), "going gold" was the news every expectant fan was waiting to hear regarding whatever game they were eagerly anticipating. Following alpha, beta and RC builds, the final, finished version of a game is "RTM" (release to manufacturing), colloquially known as "gone gold". It is so because when the final RTM version is sent to manufacturing, a glass master is made from which copies are pressed. The master has a golden hue to it [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_Disc_manufacturing#/media/File:Cd-replication.jpg], hence the name.

And so without more ado, I was delighted to hear that "Pillars of Eternity" has gone gold [https://eternity.obsidian.net/news/pillars-of-eternity-has-gone-gold] (as of 17th March). I'm sure most fans/backers are already aware but it's quite big news that went unreported on this site. The second-most crowdfunded video game releases in 4 days, on 26th March.

This game was actually the project that made me sign up to Kickstarter. Before it, I wasn't particularly aware of or interested in what went on, how it worked or the like. But Obsidian chalked up, promising a PC-exclusive, old-school, party-based RPG along the lines of Infinity Engine favourites from years past (many of which they themselves, as Black Isle, were personally involved in) and I couldn't give them my money fast enough. AAA publishers aren't interested in deep, complex games, only homogenous action-adventures, regurgitating the same game with an incremented number and clones of already successful titles. They have even less interest in PCs (despite an install-base that surpasses either XBL or PSN). And so Kickstarter is a breath of fresh air, allowing us to literally vote with our money and back games we want to see made.

So I'm among many thousands looking forward to this Thursday and the promise of a rich, lore-filled, role-playing romp through a new world whose creation I'm glad to have contributed to. I'm disappointed that there won't be romances in the game; BG2 had some of the best in any game, let alone in any BioWare game. Hopefully they'll release a toolset for it and some fans will pick up where Obsidian left off! Anyone else looking forward to the game? Any other backers on here, or those who've preordered it? Any ideas what class your PC will be? Let the excitement commence!

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

oh yeah, I was watching this game like a hawk when they announced the kickstarter for it. Obsidian is pretty much my favorite developer, and this game REALLY sounds like something I want to sink my teeth into, and thus far (of what little I HAVE seen) I'm liking what I've seen so far, and hopefully it continues that way, although I'm keeping my optimism in check to not be disappointed or anything in case it ends up being mediocre.

sadly I just joined a couple more sports teams and I'm getting a gym membership, and between all that and a crazy work load, I might have to avoid the escapist for a while once the game comes out to not get any big spoilers or anything since they are keeping the story/characters under lock and key even before release.

 

[Godhead]

Looking forward for my Collector's edition to pop in the mail.

 

[Aulleas123]

Yup, I pre-purchased, just the normal game and none of the bells and whistles though (I mean if the soundtrack is really really good, then I might consider getting it). From what I've seen, it looks like a much more beautiful updated Baldur's Gate with a brand new world and story. I'm pretty excited for it! I hope that it's worth the $45.

 

[kingthrall]

Looking forward for my Collector's edition to pop in the mail.

there is no physical copy that ive heard of? Its all digital nonsense thats why I havent yet but going to be purchasing the standard eddition because digital wallpaper and concept art bonuses are not collectable. You want collectable go check out the material phsical maps I got with baldurs gate or the witcher 2 special eddition content like the skull coin. Digital content is not collectable!


Anyway Pillars is going to be an awesome game.

 

[Godhead]

Looking forward for my Collector's edition to pop in the mail.

there is no physical copy that ive heard of? Its all digital nonsense thats why I havent yet but going to be purchasing the standard eddition because digital wallpaper and concept art bonuses are not collectable. You want collectable go check out the material phsical maps I got with baldurs gate or the witcher 2 special eddition content like the skull coin. Digital content is not collectable!


Anyway Pillars is going to be an awesome game.

There may or may not be a physical copy of the game itself on a disc, but I am getting a patch, cloth map, and making of DVD from backing the kickstarter at the collector's edition tier. I may or may not get a game disc at launch, but unless they released something I haven't read in the past week or so they're releasing game discs later on as well.

 

[kingthrall]

so they only giving physical copies to kickstart backers. pretty lame anyway. If you read the website even the royal eddition all the content listed is classified as digital. Seems to me a massive failure and ripoff for those paying high dollars for digital content.

 

[VanQ]

Anyone know if preordering this on Steam gives you instant access to the digital novel or will I have to wait until launch to read it? I'd preorder it for the reading material while I wait for the release if so.

 

[Mister K]

What I am going to ask is slightly off topic, sorry, but what's the big deal with this game? When I saw videos and screenshots of it I saw only standard medieval-fantasy WRPG, of which there are thousands.

I am by no means saying that I think that this game is either good or bad. I am simply curious about WHY is it getting so much attention.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

What I am going to ask is slightly off topic, sorry, but what's the big deal with this game? When I saw videos and screenshots of it I saw only standard medieval-fantasy WRPG, of which there are thousands.

I am by no means saying that I think that this game is either good or bad. I am simply curious about WHY is it getting so much attention.

At the time of the kickstarter? This kind of isometric, party based, old-school RPG was a thing of the distant past. It promised a return of the genre to the "Golden Age" of the late 90's and early 00's, when we saw titles such as Baldur's Gate, Planescape, Fallout and Icewind Dale loom tall over the genre.

Now? We've already had Divinity, Shadowrun Returns and Wasteland 2, Grimrock and the latest Might and Magic have brought back the "Dungeon Master" template, and nostalgia isn't quite the honeytrap it was back when PoE was funded. But it's still Obsidian, who have historically made excellent (if flawed) RPGs, even when working with shoestring budgets. Obsidian is made up of many of the people responsible for said Golden Age of RPGs in the first place, so if anyone can recapture the spirit of the era it is probably them.

On the flip side, if Kickstarter has shown us anything so far it's that 3-4 million really isn't very much money when it comes to game design, and a lot of these projects are turning out to be relatively 'meh' as a result. So I'm rather banking on Obsidian's experience as a team to pull this one through.

 

[Frezzato]

Blargh, it's a chore finding out more details about this game. I saw "MMORPG" dropped in one of the pages somewhere, but no explanation regarding exactly how that would work. Is it a single player game with drop in/out capabilities? Are there invite-only games? Is there an online requirement?

I guess I'll find out.

I do like how the system requirements are extremely low, like Diablo 1 low. They're so low that even I could run it on my ol' Victrola of a machine here.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

... between all that and a crazy work load, I might have to avoid the escapist for a while once the game comes out to not get any big spoilers or anything since they are keeping the story/characters under lock and key even before release.

I'm with you on the spoilers front. I've avoided all gameplay videos and previews to date and opted not to download the beta when it was available. I want my first playthru to be a new experience. I have read a couple of class guides however and kept up with development thru the Emails to backers.

there is no physical copy that ive heard of? Its all digital nonsense thats why I havent yet but going to be purchasing the standard eddition because digital wallpaper and concept art bonuses are not collectable.

so they only giving physical copies to kickstart backers. pretty lame anyway. If you read the website even the royal eddition all the content listed is classified as digital. Seems to me a massive failure and ripoff for those paying high dollars for digital content.

There are physical copies available [http://www.game.co.uk/en/pillars-of-eternity-champion-edition-318984?pageSize=40&searchTerm=pillars%20of%20eternity&catGroupId] from gaming stores. I believe distributing them was the sole/main reason for Obsidian teaming up with Paradox, the publisher that will be handling distribution. Obsidian could've self-published the game digitally without the need of help from a publisher. I also spotted a hardback game guide in the shops the other day. I don't know about the collectible maps, patches, mouse mats, etc available to non-backers, but I would assume they are.

What I am going to ask is slightly off topic, sorry, but what's the big deal with this game? When I saw videos and screenshots of it I saw only standard medieval-fantasy WRPG, of which there are thousands.

I am by no means saying that I think that this game is either good or bad. I am simply curious about WHY is it getting so much attention.

BloatedGuppy gave a very good answer already. As suggested, as an older gamer and primarily a PC gamer at that, we're getting a deep, rich, party-based RPG similar to the Infinity Engine greats from a decade or so ago. Obsidian is made up of former Black Isle people, including Feargus Urquhart, Chris Avellone and Josh Sawyer. Black Isle or its staff were involved in many of those old games like Icewind Dale, Planescape: Torment, Fallout and Baldur's Gate (publishing only I think).

I think being the most backed game on Kickstarter (until Star Citizen came along and blew everything out of the water) contributed to its popularity too. I know I only signed up to KS because of the promise of this game (though I have since backed others) from a studio like Obsidian. Personally, I also like the fact that it's a PC exclusive. It's so, so rare to get a game now (that isn't an indie one anyway) that is a true PC game. The overwhelming majority (and everything from a AAA publisher that isn't an MMO) are cross-platform games, which means compromises to the PC version to accommodate controllers and lower spec hardware with memory and video limitations. To be fair, no one is expecting this game, being an isometric 2/2.5D game, to push the envelope too far (eg. no lingering bullet decals, bodies that don't disappear after 5 seconds, etc) but hopefully we'll have fewer loading screens, better AI, the ability to save at any time and a UI designed for PC, not for a controller (like Skyrim, a great game with a UI that screams compromise).

In addition to all of that, it can also simply be thought of as a new RPG from Obsidian, which by itself is already a very good thing! Add to that the promise of choices mattering, customisable PC and party companions, companions with backstories, personalities and agendas of their own, a sprawling, epic tale over a vast world...what's not to like? Because of the stretch goals, we're getting "two big cities" instead of just one...for any player of BG2, we remember Athkatla very fondly. It was a busy city full of life, intrigue, plots and quests...and we're getting two of those! Dragon Age 2 tried to replicate Athkatla with Kirkwall, but didn't come close sadly (instead of being a living, breathing city it was a quest hub).

Hopefully, without the swanky 3D graphics of modern, cross platform, AAA RPGs like the dire DA: Inquisition, more time will go into characters, dialogue and story to make the world richer and more immersive, rather than making a shiny 3D world and filling it with "content" like DA:I, WatchDogs (or any Ubisoft game for that matter) and the rest. We'll find out on Thursday

 

[Frezzato]

snip

 

[Knight Captain Kerr]

Blargh, it's a chore finding out more details about this game. I saw "MMORPG" dropped in one of the pages somewhere, but no explanation regarding exactly how that would work. Is it a single player game with drop in/out capabilities? Are there invite-only games? Is there an online requirement?

I guess I'll find out.

I do like how the system requirements are extremely low, like Diablo 1 low. They're so low that even I could run it on my ol' Victrola of a machine here.

It's a single player game and has no online requirement. You do however control a party of characters like in Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale or for a more recent comparison, Dragon Age: Origins. Combat is real time with pause like in those games.

Anyway I'm really looking forward to it but I'm not planning on playing it until I get a new PC next year so I can play it on better settings. Also by then the expansion should be out. I have other Obsidian games I've never played to play between now and then, KOTOR 2 and Neverwinter Nights 2.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Blargh, it's a chore finding out more details about this game. I saw "MMORPG" dropped in one of the pages somewhere, but no explanation regarding exactly how that would work. Is it a single player game with drop in/out capabilities? Are there invite-only games? Is there an online requirement?

It's strictly a single-player game with no multiplayer at all. While co-op might've been nice (and was in fact available in IE games), the truth is we play these games in SP to enjoy the epic storyline in which we play a pivotal part. I wouldn't have complained about a co-op option (along the lines of D:OS, where friends can join and control some party members, or even dual main protagonists), but I'd rather a SP game not be compromised by changing/adding mechanics for MP, let alone a separate MP mode like ME3 and DA:I were.

It does not have any online requirement. The only DRM will be the Steam client's if that is the purchased version but a DRM free version is available on GoG [http://www.gog.com/game/pillars_of_eternity_hero_edition]. I'm not positive on this, but I believe the physical discs backers receive will be DRM free, while the retail version in shops will activate on Steam.

 

[Frezzato]

snip

snip

This is very encouraging! Thank you both! I honestly wouldn't have paid this any mind had KingsGambit not made this thread, and the game looks fantastic. I haven't played a dungeon crawler since Torchlight, and before that, Diablo 2. Looking forward to this now.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Anyway I'm really looking forward to it but I'm not planning on playing it until I get a new PC next year so I can play it on better settings. Also by then the expansion should be out.

It's a 2/2.5D game...while the memory they "recommend" seems a little excessive, I doubt your current machine couldn't run it on max already (unless we're talking dinosaur here!). While there will undoubtedly be some swanky particle effects and shaders, I can't see the need for the stuff we've come to expect from 3D games (AA, SSAO, AF, DoF, etc). Just play it! You know you want to.

snip

 

[Nooners]

Something I'm still not sure about: what's the major difference between this and Tides of Numenera?

 

[endtherapture]

Something I'm still not sure about: what's the major difference between this and Tides of Numenera?

Tides of Numenera is a spiritual successor/sequel to only Planescape Torment, and will likely be far more story based. It also has turned based combat.

Pillars is a spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate/Icewind Dale/Planescape, is set in a more traditional Western fantasy setting, and is real time with pause instead of turn based.

 

[Knight Captain Kerr]

It's a 2/2.5D game...while the memory they "recommend" seems a little excessive, I doubt your current machine couldn't run it on max already (unless we're talking dinosaur here!). While there will undoubtedly be some swanky particle effects and shaders, I can't see the need for the stuff we've come to expect from 3D games (AA, SSAO, AF, DoF, etc). Just play it! You know you want to.

I really do want to. I wouldn't be surprised if in a week or a month I just say screw it and buy it anyway. If I do wait it'll be the first game I play on a new PC. But I'm young enough (20) and I have a long list of games I've never played that I've heard were great that I should catch up on. I mean I didn't play BG2 and Planescape Torment until last year and they were excellent.

I remember the Kickstarter starting when I was 17 and had just started college, now I'm 20 and almost finished. That's a weird feeling. If I had been 18 at the time I probably would have backed it, I should have backed it anyway in retrospect.