Pillars of Eternity II - Review

Regarding trash encounters, could you not toggle turn-based on and off? I never bothered trying TB after quitting towards the end of the normal, real-time game.

Kingmaker turn-based mod allowed you to toggle the combat mode on and off, even mid-combat.

Ugh, I still need to play the first one. Every time I do I get sidetracked. Ghost of Tsushima is the guilty party this time.

While I really enjoy TB combat I’m one of the people JDR13 mentioned that didn’t finish DOS 1 or 2 despite really liking them. The fights were just too long and I ran out of steam about midway. I actually like the approach the POE took in letting you slow down the combat to half speed. I do wish they had more speed options beyond just 1/2 though.

Oddly enough the older I get the more I move toward action combat over RTWP or TB. Seems like it should be the other way around.

Originally Posted by Drithius
Regarding trash encounters, could you not toggle turn-based on and off? I never bothered trying TB after quitting towards the end of the normal, real-time game..

I haven't tried it, but I think last I looked you had to choose one way or the other for a new game. I'd assumed that was to allow for a change of encounter design between modes, to address the problems folks have been discussing.

Originally Posted by Drithius
Regarding trash encounters, could you not toggle turn-based on and off? I never bothered trying TB after quitting towards the end of the normal, real-time game.

Kingmaker turn-based mod allowed you to toggle the combat mode on and off, even mid-combat.

That's a pretty elegant solution to that problem. Never tried it, but if I ever replay these games, I might try!

Originally Posted by Nereida
I think it's matter of whether you're having fun with it or not. I never had a problem with something fun I already paid for lasting longer, especially if I can choose my pace and time to consume those hours of fun. It'd be different if I was chained to the computer playing without sleeping or eating til the game is completed.

I guess I get the concept, since I always get bored of Bethesda games because of how long they are and how redundant combat gets, topped by the fact that dungeons get repopped and as a completionist it annoys the hell out of me that I can't 100% the game, but there's no respawns in games like Pillars of Eternity or Original Sin, so to me it's hard to understand how something that someone hand placed there with their hard work to provide loot, experience and fun can be boring as long as you're getting loot, experience and fun out of it.

Plus honestly, in Original Sin at least for me most fights were over in the first couple turns, just mater of setting up a couple of nice combos.

About the bolded part: The fun diminishes quickly for me if the fights become predictable. Unfortunately a lot of fights in DOS 1 and 2 become predictable, so they become a chore even if they end reasonably fast.

I think if the story had been better I wouldn't have felt the same way.

There are console commands to switch between the modes mid-game: "SetTacticalMode RoundBased" and "SetTacticalMode Disabled".

Originally Posted by sakichop
Ugh, I still need to play the first one. Every time I do I get sidetracked. Ghost of Tsushima is the guilty party this time.

While I really enjoy TB combat I’m one of the people JDR13 mentioned that didn’t finish DOS 1 or 2 despite really liking them. The fights were just too long and I ran out of steam about midway. I actually like the approach the POE took in letting you slow down the combat to half speed. I do wish they had more speed options beyond just 1/2 though.

Oddly enough the older I get the more I move toward action combat over RTWP or TB. Seems like it should be the other way around.

I feel similarly. I do think that for me it actually has more to do with how long the game is, and not the style of combat itself. And the quality of the story. Few games feel new and challenging more than in the beginning, so if the game is long I lose steam after a while.

Originally Posted by Hexprone
There are console commands to switch between the modes mid-game: "SetTacticalMode RoundBased" and "SetTacticalMode Disabled".

Cool! That's informative, thanks a lot!

Originally Posted by SveNitoR
I feel similarly. I do think that for me it actually has more to do with how long the game is, and not the style of combat itself. And the quality of the story. Few games feel new and challenging more than in the beginning, so if the game is long I lose steam after a while.

I think a lot of it has to do with pacing and shape of the gameplay and narrative development, working in tandem. For me, it's quite rare to experience that done really well.

I've enjoyed what I've played of Pillars of Eternity 1, but often the combat was a clusterfuck of special effects and creatures getting in each other's way. I almost always put it in slow mode (unless it's a complete walkover).
With a system that allows stuff like explicit engagement/disengagement, concentric area effect circles, and other tactical features, RTWP doesn't seem the best suited.

Originally Posted by Hexprone
There are console commands to switch between the modes mid-game: "SetTacticalMode RoundBased" and "SetTacticalMode Disabled".

That's good to know.
I like the idea of walking through easy encounters in real-time, and slowing down to TB where it's warranted (or for more interesting fights). I'm surprised they didn't include an easily accessible toggle.

Originally Posted by Ripper
I think a lot of it has to do with pacing and shape of the gameplay and narrative development, working in tandem. For me, it's quite rare to experience that done really well.

Yeah, I agree. And the older I get, the more I have experienced it done well, and therefore notice more when it's not done so well.

Originally Posted by sakichop
Ugh, I still need to play the first one. Every time I do I get sidetracked. Ghost of Tsushima is the guilty party this time.

Don't feel bad as I never finished PoE 1&2 or OS 1&2 yet either. I always get pulled away by other games, or get sick of the story/combat of each game. Have to try again.

Spoke too soon. This game keeps close to the Wretched Trainwreck "Quality" of Pillows of Trashpit I., is ridiculously convoluted, BORING walls of text, SHT writing, boring stupid narration, boring and lame cutscenes and LONG LOADING TIMES. WTF?????! Even just getting to the first FCKN combat scene was agonizing..

REFUNDED!!

A V O I D W A R E !!

Originally Posted by mercy
Spoke too soon. This game keeps close to the Wretched Trainwreck "Quality" of Pillows of Trashpit I., is ridiculously convoluted, BORING walls of text, SHT writing, boring stupid narration, boring and lame cutscenes and LONG LOADING TIMES. WTF?????! Even just getting to the first FCKN combat scene was agonizing..

REFUNDED!!

A V O I D W A R E !!

Brimming with pointless rage, spewing bile constantly, but also afraid of the words shit and fuck.

Originally Posted by JFarrell71
Brimming with pointless rage, spewing bile constantly, but also afraid of the words shit and fuck.

We are all waiting for the game he's working on to release so we can give our opinions about it.

Waiting a while before I try this again. Got bored from wandering the sea map trying to fill in the blank spots. A few of the encounters were pretty fun though, and I'd like to try those in turn-based mode.

Originally Posted by Nereida
We are all waiting for the game he's working on to release so we can give our opinions about it.

Low hanging fruit still tastes good, I suppose.

Originally Posted by mercy
Spoke too soon. This game keeps close to the Wretched Trainwreck "Quality" of Pillows of Trashpit I., is ridiculously convoluted, BORING walls of text, SHT writing, boring stupid narration, boring and lame cutscenes and LONG LOADING TIMES. WTF?????! Even just getting to the first FCKN combat scene was agonizing..

REFUNDED!!

A V O I D W A R E !!

Have you ever been diagnosed with any mental and/or social disorders?

@JFarrell71 and @JDR13

I'm not sure if it's mercy, but I think he's the one here who has been expressing beliefs in conspiracy theories (NWO)?

That rarely is the sign of someone with balanced opinions.

Edit: Yeah, it is amusing how some people think it is better to write curse words half obfuscated, as if it somehow becomes less bad.

Originally Posted by SveNitoR
I'm not sure if it's mercy, but I think he's the one here who has been expressing beliefs in conspiracy theories (NWO)?

What your not a fan of wrestling.

The New World Order is a professional wrestling stable that originally consisted of "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. The stable originated in World Championship Wrestling with the gimmick of a group of unsanctioned wrestlers aiming to "take over" and control WCW in the manner of a street gang.

I'm being sarcastic for reference, and couldn't resist sorry.