The designer of Pillars of Eternity II about the development of the sequel and the anger of fans

Creating a sequel to Pillars of Eternity was a difficult task – every bold step taken by developers from Obsidian Entertainment was accompanied by doubts, and whether the changes would alienate fans. For some fans of the game, the final product really caused anger. Josh Sawyer, a member of the development team, showed with concrete examples why the authors were forced to make this or that decision.

From the very beginning, it was clear that Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, like its predecessor, is being created with an eye to a niche audience. These are fans of isometric PRGs made on the Infinity engine: Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, Planescape: Torment.

Baldur’s Gate
The first part of Pillars was made according to the same recipe: party tactical PRG with a “smart pause”, deep gameplay, freedom in exploring the game world and completing quests.

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire was supposed to preserve the key elements of the genre and develop the findings of the original.

But when it comes to such large and ambitious projects, the sequel can’t just copy the original. Significant changes are needed – but those that will not radically change the feeling of the game. Josh Sawyer explains this with the example of the mechanics of ships from Deadfire.

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
The ships replaced the player’s citadel from the first part of the series – the location where the party can spend the accumulated money on upgrades.

This location also represented progress – the player invested money and strength in its development, passed quests related to it.

Obsidian decided to use this mechanic, tying to it also a system of movement between locations.

Many of the changes, Sawyer continues, came from the feedback of fans of the first part of the game. For example, the appearance of Pillars was criticized for the static nature of the game environment and the texture of the characters – this had to be fixed first. The same applied to the complexity curve, which in the first part did not suit experienced gamers.

But there is no special risk in such changes, they are usually perceived positively. The situation is quite different when developers, consciously or not, violate the unspoken rules and traditions of the genre.

Once the developers of Deadfire crossed this line: they reduced the maximum size of a player’s party from six characters to five. A number of fans of the first Pillars and its predecessors criticized the sequel, considering such a change too radical. Although Josh is sure that it was justified:

Even after the company has explained the reasons for its choice, part of the community remains angry. However, Deadfire is sure to have new fans who believe that the series is moving in the right direction.

Also on the topic:

• The sequel Pillars of Eternity attracted a record number of sponsors on the Fig platformPillars of Eternity Chief Designer: Role-playing games need radical changes
• A source:

 Gamasutra