Project Eternity

Almost immediately after Brian Fargo collected through Kickstarter money on Wasteland 2, the eyes of lovers of role -playing antiquity turned to the Obsidian Entertainment. Everyone, of course, was waiting for the people who once made the backbone of the famous Black Isle Studios will also start collecting money, but not for the new part of the Icewind Dale or Alpha Protocol, but to continue Planescape: Torment-the signs and hardcore among all games of the studio.

Having endured the grandmaster pause, Chris Avlon (once the main screenwriter Planescape: TorMent), associates really announced a new game on Kickstarter, Project Eternity, and collected records there as a record time there. And although there are no treasured letters in the name of the new game Obsidian – in many ways, although not in everything, it will really become the spiritual heir to Planescape. We were convinced of this, talking with the developers themselves.

Our interlocutor

Josh Soyer

)

Job title

Together with Chris Avelon and Timothy Kane – the head of the Project Eternity development.

About Kickstarter

“We understand what responsibility lies with us, and we will not fail fans. Right now we are conducting an active dialogue with community, they prompting ideas for the game, help us. Players take the most direct participation in development ".

Song of forests and seas

The Project Eternity will be the classic RPG of the old school with tactical battles, which at any time can pause. With talkative partners, novels, intrigues, numerous quests, the big world and picturesque two -dimensional backdrops. As one of the leaders of the project Josh Soyer said in our interview, the game setting will look like Forgotten Realms , Her device and mechanics – on Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale, but the plot subject and philosophy itself draws its inspiration at Planescape: TorMent, as well as in the adherent to Addon to Neverwinter Nights 2 – Mask of the Betrayer.

)

[[Bullet]] The world can be explored freely, but some locations will be too complicated for those who will stick there ahead of time.

Project Eternity events unfold in the small marine state Free Palatinate of Dyrwood. Once it was a colony of the AEDYR empire, the inhabitants of which, in fact, make up the bulk of the local population. Having gained independence, they now have to fight on two fronts – not only with the Imperials, but also with the Aborigines.

Elves and representatives of the Orlan race born here, just like in the books of Sapkovsky about Geralt, went into the forest and periodically arrange bold partisan sorties from there. The forest is called e?r glanfath (by the name of the ancient state that once flourished in these lands). According to Josh Soyer, Dyrwood is a young country, the settlements were erected recently, but millennial strange buildings were preserved in the forest, which, according to some scientists, were once part of something common and unknown. Aborigines carefully guard them, but some of these structures are dangerous and on their own.

A well of a shower

The plot begins with the fact that the player becomes a witness to a certain supernatural event. “He ended up at the wrong time and in the wrong place and now should deal with not the most pleasant consequences. Trying to find a way out of this situation, the hero understands: everything that happens to him, and his fate as a whole is inexorably connected with many other people and even whole communities, ”Josh evasively explains. – everyone will have to comprehensively interact and make important, difficult decisions. There will be no pre-installed roles, everyone will be able to play their own ".

It is difficult not to notice in all this the influence of Planescape: Torment, but the Project Eternity closer to the great game is closer to the central idea of ​​the eternal cycle of soul resettlement. “We draw in many ways the postmodern world. Its inhabitants already know a lot about how this world works, but there are many metaphysical questions that there are no clear answers. And the question of the nature of the mortal soul is the main one, ”continues Josh.

)

[Bullet]] The maximum size of the group, six people, in some extreme cases can be increased due to the accession of a temporary character.

The peoples and races living in the world of Project Eternity have not yet discovered all the secrets of the soul, so each culture has its own metaphysical philosophy in this regard. But everyone knows reliably that intelligent souls are in the endless cycle of life and death: some are awake, others sleep among the gods. This dream can be different in duration, and when you wake up, the soul is immediately “prescribed” in a new body. In general, everything is complicated and wildly interesting here.

Class classic

However, at the start of the game it will be necessary to choose not a soul, but a race, gender and class. In addition to people, elves and Orlanians, there is a place in the game for the dwarf, and for local Vikings (Aumaua), and for representatives of the ancient race of God -like (Godlike). The latter, like Genasi and Tifling from the Planescape universe, have clearly otherworldly origin and have supernatural abilities.

When choosing a race, it should be borne in mind that all the nations are at different stages of development: some are stuck in the bronze or even Stone Age, others in the Middle Ages, others are already plowing the expanses of the ocean, exploring the world, and use firearms to conquer open lands. Although in terms of culture, even they are still far from the Renaissance.

)

[Bullet]] Unlike Alpha Protocol, they are unlikely to include a stopwatch during an important decision.

In addition to the race, as in Dragon Age: Origins , will have to choose a biography and, so to speak, the cultural background of the hero. Whether your dwarf grew in the vastness of the snow tundra next to the elves or is it from the close hot cities of aggressive imperials who came to colonize Dyrwood – much depends on the choice, including the content of some quests and the reaction of others.

As for the classes and the whole role system, it is largely similar to what we see in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. There will be eleven classes in the game. The basic is a traditional warrior, priest, thief and wizard. In addition, there will be seven additional classes, five of which are also well known to us: paladin, ranger, barbarian, druid and monk. Two relatively new ones are a singer (CHANTER) and Cipher (Cipher).

Singing swords

Each class will begin the game with two active and one passive ability. So, a thief can hold a hidden attack, the magician calls the “familiar”, giving him different bonuses, the paladin is able to quickly revive an ally, and the druid loves to reincarnate into some kind of animal.

About newcomers, a special conversation. According to Sawyer, the singer and the encrypter have no direct analogues in the Ad & D system, but are generally close to Bard and Psiononic. “Both classes are tied to the concept of the soul. Singers use rhymes and fragments of ancient legends and sagas to arouse the power of free souls abiding around. Cultivates turn to the mind of such souls and direct their energy against their enemies, ”our interlocutor explains.

Within the framework of the chosen class, it will be possible to quite freely develop the character. “We want the player to have a choice – to play traditionally familiar classes or get fresh experience, opening additional opportunities. Our approach to the design of the classes is that each of them should be ready for its role, but at the same time not limited by it, ”Josh continues.

In fact, this means that no one, for example, will prohibit you to teach the traditional “light” thief to the art of wearing heavy armor and various non -core magic tricks. It is not the fact that such a character will be very effective – but the developers want even such “white ravens” to get the right to exist and with proper skill is viable.

Well forgotten old

But you don't have to create a party from scratch. In the course of passing to the main character, five partners will join, one way or another associated with his fate. Their racial and class affiliations are determined by the developers in advance. But this does not mean that such a balanced and actually pre -tuned party will easily overcome all obstacles. On the contrary, the authors promise numerous and complex tactical battles – this is precisely the main difference between the “spiritual heir” and Planescape: Torment.

The game has no screenshots yet, as, in fact, a normal art. But work on the project is in full swing.

“We want the combat system to be similar to what you have seen in the games of the Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale, with attention to the party strategy and planning and a more accurate focus for a tactical battle. Some aspects, of course, will be modified, but in general, the mechanic should be familiar to fans of the aforementioned games, ”says Soyer.

The player will have to correctly use class skills, give instructions on a pause, select different types of attacks for different types of armor and set the groups (or create your own). At the same time, playing for magicians will be almost as difficult as before – only the first level spells will not have to be “remembered” and recorded in the make -up artist, but they will also be allowed to use only a limited number of times in battle, and then they will have to restore during rest.

The complexity of the game can be adjusted, and the authors promise that at the highest level it is not easy for even Icewind Dale veterans and games of the famous Goldbox series.

If the party says ..

However, in the role-playing game from Obsidian, fights will hardly ever become the main and only entertainment. First of all, the player will freely explore the world. “We still do not know how much it will be, but you will definitely spend a lot of time studying it. And at the same time, already in the early stages of the game you can freely explore most of the world, ”our interlocutor promises.

)

[[Bullet]] will be special "party" skills – some of them will protect partners from death.

For an interested researcher, the authors have prepared a lot of non -freet skills. They will allow you to find caches and hidden locations, detect and deactivate traps, hack castles, study different knowledge and “remember” the location of open locations, move faster and safer to move through a global map or even teleport to the right place. In addition, there will be a group of skills that allow you to create new objects, cook potions of recipes and more efficiently look for the ingredients necessary for all this.

Traveling, the party of heroes will be able to join different fractions or somehow build relationships with them based on a reputation system. Some groups are connected by central conflict, others have their own local interests. How to behave, what moral principles to adhere to – the player decides for himself. We are promised that he can calmly and stoically tolerate tests or be aggressive, https://voodoodreams-casino.co.uk/ destroying everyone in his path. True, unlike Planescape: Torment, the opportunity to avoid a fight in the Project Eternity, according to Soyer, will be more exception than the rule. “In different situations, this can either delay the inevitable or give really new opportunities in the future,” Josh explains.

Get it in your ears

Depending on the solutions and behavior of the player, the plot will change, relations with the world, factions and partners. It will be especially interesting, of course, to observe how the Sopartians interact and how relations with them are changing. “Of course, we strive to ensure that the partners most of the time react vividly to everything you are doing,” says Soyer.

Compets may have their own interests and motives that will open additional scenario branches or create a certain conflict situation. In addition, the Sopartiyers will quarrel among themselves. The reason may be the most different. For example, physiological differences between different races. “Why did you hang your long ears?" -" Do not lift me up, shorty!»You, of course, will have to understand all this, using a system of influence well as a well -familiar Obsidian game. If you get tired, you can dissolve the party, do not accept newcomers and generally play a lone wolf.

Kickstarter for Obsidian Entertainment, of course, became a saving straw. Who knows what would be with the studio in which after Alpha Protocol and closing stories Aliens RPG Many publishers stopped believing? It is possible that it would have to be sold. And now industry veterans can safely do what they love, creating new marvelous worlds and crossing two of their own games, Icewind Dale and Planescape: Torment.

They will do this for a long time – at best, we will see the Project Eternity next year. Perhaps you should not rush them; Let the Obsidians better come up with everything and bring to mind what will be released again in theory, but not completed in practice, as it happened with the same Alpha Protocol. Although I would not like, of course, so that Project Eternity has to wait forever.

We will wait?

Oldskoil Party RPG in the best traditions Icewind Dale and Planescape: Torment.

Percent of readiness: 30%

Souls are beautiful impulses

The psychophysiological structure of the world Eternity

In the world of Project Eternity, souls move to new bodies. But this process is imperfect, so gradually souls wear out. Depending on the degree of wear, they distinguish between complete and fragmented souls, strong pure souls that remember their past lives, traveling souls, souls, coexisting with others in the same body. There are more “dirty” lower souls that are discriminated against or open violence.

Some creatures with different techniques, rituals and meditation can fuel themselves with the energy of their own souls to gain access to supernatural abilities. It’s easier to do this to those who owns a complete soul, although the fragmented allows you to achieve a lot. The body in such conditions only plays the role of the battery.

For many years, scientists, philosophers and mediums have been looking for answers to questions about the nature and the highest sense of the cycle of life and death, and the gods were in no hurry to shed light on these processes. Instead, in order to maintain their influence, they now and then launched misinformation, supported the prejudices of their followers and even provoked conflicts.

More complicated

Additional complexity modes

)

In addition to standard complexity modes, the game will have three more special modes that will give what is happening additional extreme. At the start of the new game, you can activate any of them or several at once.

Expert Mode is similar to Hardcore Mode from Fallout: New Vegas. He disconnects the auxiliary information about the use of skills, the current level of influence and reputation. In addition, this regime complicates the player’s life both in battle and outside.

The Trit of Iron mode is like Ironman Mode from Temple of Elemental Evil. In it, the player gives out only one slot for preserving the entire story campaign: if all the characters die, the preservation is removed.

Path of the Damned mode draws inspiration in fashion Heart of Fury For Icewind Dale. He connects enemies of all levels of complexity to the battles of enemies, and does not adjust them to you, as on Easy and Hard. Therefore, the battles will be "brutal and brutal".

You can turn them on all at once?