Pillars of Eternity II - Josh Sawyer Interview

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In designing the first Pillars, you carried over much of the style and game systems from genre staples like Icewind Dale. What about for Pillars 2? What did you observe from the reception of the first game, in terms of not only reviews but feedback from fans as well, that you wanted to sharpen in the sequel?

Sawyer: We learned that people are really interested in this style of game again, and that they want deep and tactical combat, character development, mechanics, and things like that. We're trying to improve all those aspects in the sequel, but we've also realized that there were certain things that were very unclear about our mechanics, so we've either tried to communicate those mechanics more clearly, or revise them so they're inherently easier to understand.

For example, in the first game we had a damage reduction system that was used for armor. It was fairly easy to understand, but when the player was making decisions in the heat of combat, it wasn't always clear what they should be doing based on the mechanics of the armor system. We've adjusted those mechanics to use a new armor penetration system that is more straightforward. The relationship between weapons, penetration, and the value of armor is clearer to people. It's a more interesting mechanic, and it's just easier to sort of process and understand in the heat of the moment.

There are other things, too. Combat clarity and feedback, making sure our visual effects don't overpower [on-screen action], slowing the pace of combat down just a little bit so it's easier to understand, spacing characters out-things like that.

That's something I wondered about. The first Pillars explicitly targeted fans who missed Icewind Dale-style games, but players new to the genre said they had trouble learning the ropes, and were fine once they got some momentum. It sounds like you're working on adjusting that learning curve.

Sawyer: Our goal is definitely to be more welcoming. I think it is more welcoming, but it's also just clearer. Even experienced players will find that the combat is easier to follow. We're going to do a better job tutorial-izing things; that's something that was a little last minute [in the first game]. We're trying to plan out our tutorials in advance of the end of the game [in production], so players should find that things are explained much more clearly, and that the pace of how things are introduced is much clearer as well.

There are some disconnects in the early game, where you get a companion like Edér. He's a fighter and very good at locking characters down, but then we take you into a dungeon where things break engagement constantly. We're trying to make sure things like that line up better so players aren't just wondering, "What the hell am I supposed to do?" You can think your way out of it, but it's a little more challenging than it needs to be, especially in the early game.
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beldurax said:

I am looking forward to seeing something other than Po effing E

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crpgnut said:

I like magic, so anything historical gets ignored from my end.

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daveyd said:

I don't mind some fantasy but I'm sick to death of the standard Tolkien-esque, pseudo-medieval Europe that we're treated to 99.9% of the time in RPGs. There's so many other time periods, regions, and genres that are virtually unexplored in CRPGs.

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