Ok, first (well, not really, but might as well be after so long) impressions…
Graphical issue at start-up: wouldn't set to 1920x1080 properly in full-screen, no matter what I did, or after restarts. Setting it to borderless window worked fine though.
You control characters like you do in, say, NWN: RTwP; r-click to move anywhere; drag around multiple to move all at once (if you've hired anyone). Couldn't find a way of selecting all via their character portraits - might need to look that up.
It initially feels very empty, but after a couple of mins wandering aimlessly in the dusty city I start in, things start to happen.
First person I talk to tells me to mind my business. I have several dialog options, including "cracking my knuckles". I play it safe and mind my own business.
I find a local thieves' guild, but can’t afford the joining fee.
Luckily an opportunity for getting some cash presents itself!
All of a sudden a bunch of the thieves jump up and run for the city gates. I follow them and find a large melee occurring between denizens of the city and desert bandits. As people die around the fringes of the battle I raid their belongings, and take them to a nearby tavern to sell. Rinse and repeat several times (it was a BIG melee). Hmmm… still not enough money to join the guild…
I find some old geezer in the tavern who wants to go on an adventure to find some legendary something-a-rather. I say "why not?", after all, I can't afford the two other retainer-types I've talked to.
I wander out into the desert, straight into a band of bandits (in my defense, when everyone is dressed in rags and colours are variations of brown, it's hard to tell who are allies and who are not).
Fights are very passive, involved pausing and r-clicking on who you wanted to engage next, as per usual in RWtP games. It’s hard to tell what’s going on in the flailing about, other than we’re not doing too well. We don't last long.
I was expecting to see a "game over" screen, but apparently we are playing dead until the bandits move on.
My character is crippled in the legs, so can only drag himself along in the desert sand, trailing a pink bloody slug trail.
The old geezer came off better (interesting, considering he faked death well before I did - the cowardly/wiley bastard!). He gets up, dusts himself off, and laughs about playing dead. He follows after my bloody smear, chanting "KILL! KILL! KILL!".
WTF?
8/10, would die again.
Edit: Anyway, it's still a slightly clunky game, but looks like there might be plenty to do. Gonna play some more and see what I can get out of it over the next few hours. Haven't even looked at crafting yet.
