Original Sin - Preview @ GameBanshee

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GameBanshee has posted a new preview for Divinity: Original Sin.

Assuming Larian Studios manages to keep the quality this high for the full title, irons out the balance kinks, and is able to polish up the title for release, they might just publish one of the most interesting role-playing titles of 2014 and the last 10 years. There's still a lot that's not been implemented at this point, like day-night cycles and NPC schedules, and I'm eager to see how all the disparate elements that have been promised will inform the final title. True, there's no guarantee the title will hold up to the promise it's showing right now, but I'm willing to give Larian the benefit of doubt, and I'm excited to get my hands on Divinity: Original Sin again at release.
More information.
 
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The alpha is fun to play. Combat needs to be more challenging and and some more balancing. Quests structure and dialogs are very good already.

I agree with this preview - I'm hyped up :)
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Now that is more like it :)

I am sure it will be a good game. The question is, indeed, if it will be the great game we are hoping for and waiting for Larian to produce ever since DD…
 
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I am sure it will be a good game. The question is, indeed, if it will be the great game we are hoping for and waiting for Larian to produce ever since DD…

I thought The Dragon Knight Saga was great or at least close to it. Personally, I've always anticipated a sequel to that more than their other projects.
 
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Yeah, me too. Lots of potential in that. Actually, I want a new Drakan game. But I'd love to be the dragon again, too.
 
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I hated the dragon parts of DKS/Ego Draconis but the rest of the game was just wonderful. I thought the alpha was rough graphically, but it seemed to have the old charm, minus the awkward conversations where you play two people. That is just weird, but I think JDR said that you can just pick an archetype for the conversations in the full game.
 
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That is just weird, but I think JDR said that you can just pick an archetype for the conversations in the full game.

Yep, in the final game you should be able to "lock" the other protagonist persona. Although, I'm not sure what that would do for certain things. Example, joining a guild is an individual decision.
 
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I thought The Dragon Knight Saga was great or at least close to it. Personally, I've always anticipated a sequel to that more than their other projects.

That was a very good game indeed and one I had a lot of fun with in the first 2/3s of it. But I seem to lose steam/be distracted from other things and be unable to finish it (tried twice). Its a pity because I have not even touched the new content. Maybe its the narrowing of the focus (a bit too much) towards the end in conjunction with the not very engaging combat system (an the fact that there is mainly combat towards the end).

I would definitely like to see another (perhaps more expansive map wise) game in that vein. But for now Larian is making exactly the game I want to play. Now if they can only pull it off...
 
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I hated the dragon parts of DKS/Ego Draconis but the rest of the game was just wonderful. I thought the alpha was rough graphically, but it seemed to have the old charm, minus the awkward conversations where you play two people. That is just weird, but I think JDR said that you can just pick an archetype for the conversations in the full game.

I agree about the dragon parts. It was at that point where I felt the game designers got a little overambitious with what they were trying to do. Not to complain because it was an awesome title, and Larian is one of the few companies left committed to making CRPG's with some actual depth.
 
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Maybe its the narrowing of the focus (a bit too much) towards the end in conjunction with the not very engaging combat system (an the fact that there is mainly combat towards the end).

Ironically, that's exactly how most people would describe DD, although I suppose it applies to DII as well. I didn't find the endgame of the latter to be as monotonous as the former though.
 
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Ironically, that's exactly how most people would describe DD, although I suppose it applies to DII as well. I didn't find the endgame of the latter to be as monotonous as the former though.

That is not untrue. I guess I found DD more engaging in the end so it kept me playing until I finished it. I have not given up on DII though. I fully intend to pick up my last play through (was only a couple of months ago) and will just skip some of the optional (I believe) Flying fortresses so I can finish it and play the new content.
 
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That is not untrue. I guess I found DD more engaging in the end so it kept me playing until I finished it. I have not given up on DII though. I fully intend to pick up my last play through (was only a couple of months ago) and will just skip some of the optional (I believe) Flying fortresses so I can finish it and play the new content.

Yeah, the flying fortresses are optional, and that's a good thing because some people find them tedious. I liked the challenge they presented as well as the boss encounters, but I can see how some could get burned out by the amount of combat.

The Flames of Vengeance expansion is excellent imo.
 
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The Flames of Vengeance expansion is excellent imo.

Yep the verdict seems to be unanimous there. Its just my ocd that prevented me from starting on it before I finish the main game. Should have just skipped the Fortresses the first time…

I like challenge when its done Dark souls style. But if I don't like the combat system itself I just get bored when combat is all there is. Now the excellent exploration, quest design and healthy doses of humor of the first 2/3s is what Larian should be focusing on in their games imo.

Lets see how they fare in TB combat for this one…
 
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Not unanimous.

The Flames of Vengeance expansion is excellent imo.

I disagree somewhat, I though that to be the weakest part. While I agree that the dragon combat is not flawless, I felt somewhat cheated to be unable to go into dragon form for nearly the whole expansion. Doesnt mean it's bad, but I like the main game better.

As a whole, the game was enjoyable AND has lots of potential for improvement, which is why I'd really like them to continue this. But I guess at the moment, the hot thing to do is to rebuild classic games. Cant blame them for that, and I'm sure Original Sin will also be a great game. Just not what I'd like to see most.
 
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I like challenge when its done Dark souls style. But if I don't like the combat system itself I just get bored when combat is all there is. Now the excellent exploration, quest design and healthy doses of humor of the first 2/3s is what Larian should be focusing on in their games imo.

I honestly didn't find the later parts of DII to be different than the rest. Now if you're talking about the endgame then yeah, but that's nowhere near 1/3 of the game. More like 1/10.
 
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Maybe I got the duration of the game wrong then (I have not finished it obviously) But I am talking about a part of the game when, after you've acquired the fortress, there seems to be a very heavy focus on combat instead of questing and talking to NPCs etc.

You just go from location to location clearing out Dungeon after Dungeon (or fortress after Fortress). It just felt like combat (with a bit of exploration in the Fjords) is all you do… And while Flying around in the Fjords was kinda fun. Broken Valley and Sentinel Island was way better.
 
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Well you get the fortress about 1/2 through the game iirc. After that, there are a lot of optional areas that may be combat heavy, but you don't have to do them. I didn't feel any particular shift in focus regarding the primary areas or quests though.
 
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Played about 20 min of D:OS, didn't get to much though as the town is huge. Wish they would have just dropped me in a more combat heavy location. Especially since dialogue is useless with no co-op or computer AI to be the companion.

Maybe not useless but not fun.
 
...minus the awkward conversations where you play two people.
I'm really looking forward to that, actually. I wonder if I could control the guy's responses with my right and the gal's with my left? Then I could just numb my corpus callosum and let each half of my brain play a character. That'd be awesome! ;)
 
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....but Zoth, I only have half a brain. I wouldn't be able to play at all so they need to give a brain to one of the two. Might as well be the girl as the fella looks like a meat shield to me.
 
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