Pool of Radiance Board Update

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(Originally posted by Darien)

Here's a rare update from the official Pool of Radiance message boards, with comments by Associate Producer Chuck Yager.

The release date: It takes about 3-4 weeks to manufacture and we are still in the closing stage of getting the last bugs out for the areas I mentioned (read about 4 weeks more), not to mention add in marketing and localization and you have about mid to late August as a result. That's the quickest miracle I can work...no BS.

Comparison to Neverwinter Nights: Let's also not forget that we are talking about two very different games here. NWN is a module based game that is mostly about you creating your own adventures for people to enjoy (an awesome concept I might add and one I am eagerly awaiting). However, it is not a traditional party based RPG like POR and it does not revolve around the same story, setting, or even gaming concepts, except that both are RPGs using the 3E rules. I for one would buy both and am not too worried about being overshadowed in the marketplace.

On save slots and dropping party members: There are many save slots. I've hit 52 and still climbing! As for your party's dead, they are assummed to be carried buy the living unless you remove them from the party, but they do not count against the encumbrance limit of any individual in the group.

You can drop anyone from the group (NPC or created PC) at any time. Although if you drop a created PC from the party, they get reaped after you travel a certain distance away whereas NPCs, since they are hard coded into the game and we have advancement schemes set up for them, will return to a stated location and await you there. Make your decisions on who to keep and who to let go with caution then.

The combat system: You can definitely scale the game to be either strict turn based or else have a timer added to each characters round that can scale to anywhere from 45 seconds a round to 6 seconds (exactly as described in 3E rule books)! 6 seconds is a pretty short amount of time too, so you do get a very real time feel from that if that is what you are looking for.

As for me, I'll stick to turn based combat since I'm an old timer and can't learn new tricks!

Various comments: [best party] I've used a bunch of different parties but I keep coming back to a Half-orc Barbarian/Cleric, Dwarven Cleric/Fighter, Elven Ranger/Sorcerer, and either a Human Fighter/Rogue or a Halfling Barbarian/Rogue. As far as fine tuning goes, that's my job, but I'm very happy with how everything has turned out.

[spending ability points] On my sorcerer or ranger, I almost always get the 18 in Dexterity because it helps out a lot. Often, my scores are 12-14 in most abilities with maybe a 16 or 18 here and there and sometimes an 8.

[preferred combat style] Turn based all the way.

[in game help] No in game help per se, but the right click interface of explaning all the feats, skills, spells, and special abilties never left me wondering how things worked.