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Friends, Golarions, Goblinoids!
Welcome to the 15th episode of Gobbocast! In this special edition, Harad Navar had the chance for a second interview with Lead Game Designer Lee Hammock, a chance he did not pass up!
Listen in for further discussion on in-game mechanics, as well as Lee’s thoughts on the importance of group play!
- GobboCast Crew
P.S. Due to technical difficulties, what should have been GobboCast’s first ever Video Cast instead became a modified Pod Cast. While you may experience sound issues, know that the team of highly trained motivated goblins at GobboCast are doing our best to make sure this never happens again.
Goblin Squad Member
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Right up front an important piece of info for settlement construction:
"Large structures can train three roles
Medium structures can train one role
Small structures can support one role, but not train it"
(Lee was saying "class", but aren't we using "role" now?)
So, do medium and large structures also support the same roles they train?
What is the term for training a commoner, expert, and aristocrat? Are we also using "role" for those training types as well?
Personally I am not so worried about the War of the Towers, as it is temporary, but the settlement mechanics are a big deal.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Right up front an important piece of info for settlement construction:
"Large structures can train three roles
Medium structures can train one role
Small structures can support one role, but not train it"(Lee was saying "class", but aren't we using "role" now?)
So, do medium and large structures also support the same roles they train?
What is the term for training a commoner, expert, and aristocrat? Are we also using "role" for those training types as well?
Personally I am not so worried about the War of the Towers, as it is temporary, but the settlement mechanics are a big deal.
I think they said somewhere that Role and Class are pretty interchangable. They wanted to use the word 'Role' to imply that you weren't really advancing a Class. However, I think they've just made it more confusing that way.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Right up front an important piece of info for settlement construction:
"Large structures can train three roles
Medium structures can train one role
Small structures can support one role, but not train it"(Lee was saying "class", but aren't we using "role" now?)
So, do medium and large structures also support the same roles they train?
What is the term for training a commoner, expert, and aristocrat? Are we also using "role" for those training types as well?
Personally I am not so worried about the War of the Towers, as it is temporary, but the settlement mechanics are a big deal.
Remember it was recorded on the 20th. Terminology was not clarified until later. Any building that trains a role also supports it.
Additionally, the mechanic described for the WotT: Training for 2 roles and 1/2 level support for others will likely not be as described there.
A quick note on this... The level of support offered by the 'kit' settlements is still a little in flux. It is very possible that in fact support will be to the full level of the trained classes in each settlement. In fact I think it is likely. As Lee mentioned he was still spit-balling a bit about exactly how that would work and we're still hammering out the deets. I've been drawing up the sample settlements and it seems likely we will end up with full support for non-trained classes.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Terminology was not clarified until later. Any building that trains a role also supports it.
OK. So using the info above, tell me if this sounds correct:
A small structure can support one role, but not train it, takes the lowest DI, gold and space.
A medium structure can train and support one role, costs more DI than the small, costs a bit more, and takes more space in the settlement.
A large structure can train AND support three roles, but takes a lot of a settlements DI, costs the most, and takes up a lot of space.
(Still wondering if the gathering/commoner, crafting/expert, adventurer are all being treated the same for building support and training. Also, I have not seen a list of buildings and their requisite cost to build in gold and materials, DI to build, and space consumption, all compared to settlement size. That would be interesting to see so we can start to plan our settlement construction.)
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Goblin Squad Member
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That looks about right Hardin, as far as I understand anyway. Also the more you upgrade those buildings, the better.
I too am very curious for more info on the gathering/crafting, commoner/expert stuff and how it will relate with specific and broad training buildings like the other roles.
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Goblin Squad Member
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So this whole one person on the left channel and one on the right channel makes me nauseous. I had to edit this episode down to mono to be able to listen to it.
I would greatly appreciate it if all people would be on all channels in future episodes. This directional stereo works well for videogames of music but it doesn't for podcasts, at least for me.
If you like I could upload it and link it if others also have this issue.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Lee did not reiterate "one company, one tower" or did I miss that being said?
The other unmentioned reality of capturing the tower. If party "A" has just one member defending the tower, and party "B" has three members. Not only will party "B" eventually win the tower, without combat. But, party "B" would just kill party "A" to capture the tower that much faster. In fact, party "A" may just abandon the tower rather than getting killed to defend the un defendable.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Again, that would be my fault. Tonight I will upload a mono version of the interview and link it to this thread; I apologize for the audio issues this may have caused anyone trying to tune in.
A little history; Harad and I dusted off GobboCast - along with the help of extremely intelligent but already busy support crew - just last month after a four month hiatus. As we bring everything back online, as we add more people, the quality of these shows will improve.
Harad has already been in discussions with GoblinWorks about the possibility of more interviews, maybe even a reoccurring spot for the developers. We've been looking at getting Alpha testers involved to get their opinion and thoughts (post on that soon). On top of all that, we still have this little Land Rush thing going on that could use a bit more coverage as locations become more set.
Things are heating up in the community, and GobboCast wants to be a part of it; please bear with us as we get ourselves sorted out and into a steady rhythm!
- Krow
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Goblin Squad Member
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It's strongly implied that small, medium, and large plots are fixed build points with a certain count of each plot type per district. This is a little different from what I had been imagining where you would be able to place small, medium, or large buildings in any way that fit within your building space.
What that means is that you can't- unless I'm misinterpreting- choose to carve up a large plot in order to build several more smalls. So you don't just have to manage overall footprint utilization, but specific plot-size counts.
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Goblin Squad Member
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@Guurzak, I am not sure if there are different settlement "footprints" in the sense that one would have X number of large building sites and another would have Y number of large building sites. From the interview I gather that the choices one can make about settlement composition will be which types of of large buildings you might want to build within a fixed number of large building locations in the settlement footprint. My take on the "flavors" of proto-settlement configurations is that there will be the same number of buildings, but with a different mix of use/purpose to fit the "flavor". It might be possible in the future to have different standard footprints, but my best guess is that they will be reluctant to invest the programming resources necessary to have settlement footprints player customization at this time. Of course, this idea could be open to crowdforging. And,as always, I could simply be dead wrong.
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Goblin Squad Member
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@Guurzak, I am not sure if there are different settlement "footprints" in the sense that one would have X number of large building sites and another would have Y number of large building sites. From the interview I gather that the choices one can make about settlement composition will be which types of of large buildings you might want to build within a fixed number of large building locations in the settlement footprint. My take on the "flavors" of proto-settlement configurations is that there will be the same number of buildings, but with a different mix of use/purpose to fit the "flavor". It might be possible in the future to have different standard footprints, but my best guess is that they will be reluctant to invest the programming resources necessary to have settlement footprints player customization at this time. Of course, this idea could be open to crowdforging. And,as always, I could simply be dead wrong.
If they are still going with the info we can get from your interview: 3 districts, and the early video Pathfinder Online-Work in Progress then it is set.
I have no idea if the info survived but this is from a sketch in that video.
District "A": Large=1 medium=2 small=9
District "B": Large=1 medium=1 small=7
District "C": Large=0 medium=1 small=5
This would be potential, IF you can get your DI high enough.
Maybe one of our Revered Developers will chime in and set me straight on this assumption.
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Goblin Squad Member
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One of the most interesting reveals (for myself) of this Gobbocast was that apparently alignment need not play a role over where you choose as your proto settlement for WotT. Also that WotT will likely be lasting for 6+ months.
Lots of possibilities there. Just possibilities, as most will want to support the settlement that they will live in anyway.
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Goblin Squad Member
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2 larges and 4 mediums per settlement would be extremely limiting and make for some very interesting choices. For example, choosing to build a Cathedral (large plot clerical building supporting multiple deities) would reduce the number of roles you can train by 20%. Presuming there are non-small non-training structures that will be useful to settlements- guard barracks, siegeworks, dragon pen- we're going to be hard put to train more than a handful of roles in any one place.
It's starting to look more and more like advanced class training will be a differentiator rather than a default, and most settlements will be limited to "support" for most roles.
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Goblin Squad Member
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2. Three districts, each with a set number of Large, Medium, and Small facility lots. Large will train 3 roles, Medium will train 1 role, Small may support 1 role.
3. (6:06) They want characters to be able to train skills at an ally's Settlement, and only require their own Settlement to support that class/role.
4. (7:08) Even a maxed out Settlement can't do everything. The more you try to do, the bigger your PvP window gets.
5. (7:40) Towers are taking the exact footprint of the POI in the hex. Towers will look like wooden scout towers with a partially walled capture area with some choke points at the base.
6. (9:45) When capturing a Tower, every 6 seconds each attacking character (from a non-controlling) adds 1 point for their Company, while each defender character (from the controlling Company) removes 1 point from every other Company. First Company to 1,000 gains control.
7. (11:23) "Probably" going to keep the PvP window open for a time after capture to allow the original controlling company to recapture, but they'll be a non-controlling company at that time.
8. (12:12) They'll probably reduce the rate at which your PvP window grows for the 6 Towers surrounding your Settlement (or the first 6 you control) so that a small Settlement that only takes their surrounding Settlement won't start with a 3 hour PvP window every day.
9. (13:58) Goal is to have full Settlement system running in 6 months. Characters hit level 6-8 in about a month, and level 12-14 in 6 months (if they focus on one class).
10. (14:35) [Example!] Sliding scale on Tower benefits (like the PvP window) so the first 6 Towers give you a big boost. First 6 allows you to train all Tier 1 (up to level 8) stuff, next 6 gets you up to Tier 1.5 (level 11), next 6 gets you up to Tier 2 (level 14). We don't want people to feel like they've got to get 30 Towers to get what they need.
11. (16:30) War of Towers score will give you DI booster structures that give you the room to build extra stuff, rather than giving you stuff you can't afford the upkeep for. If you take 12-14 Towers, you're in the top tier of scorers, don't worry about getting more than that. Everyone will get something. You can't lose your Settlement in the War of Towers.
12. (18:20) Company score for War of Towers (if you hold a Tower but don't pledge it to a Settlement) will probably result in a bunch of Influence for your Company, and maybe a POI at that location.
13. (19:30) Simple alignment system to start where you pick an Alignment, it doesn't change based on your actions but does control your access to skills. Expect to get the full alignment system up and running before it's really necessary for Paladins, Barbarians, Factions, etc.
14. (22:30) Lee is a big fan of asteroid impacts for the Great Catastrophe.
15. (23:12) Flavors for our initial Settlements. Seven Templates: 6 have two classes they can train to the same level, and support the other two at half-effectiveness. Seventh option is strictly crafting-based. If you have a Fighter training option, you will also have Weapon Smith.
16. (28:48) PvP Window will be the one Settlement-management aspect included originally, so the Settlement will be able to set the time when their PvP window starts. Likely limited to setting it on the hour.
17. (31:15) The proto-settlement flavor you select will influence the basic buildings of your eventual Settlement. You can decide to build different things later.
18. (32:45) During the War of Towers, there probably won't be a requirement for the Company controlling a Tower to match the alignment of the Settlement they pledged that Tower to.
19. (35:56) I think this is important enough to highlight and quote verbatim:
We're trying to make it as cool as possible. We don't want non-PvP people to get screwed. We want to make sure people have a reasonable [PvP] window. We want to make sure small companies can feel effective. But you have to understand if you're ten dudes, you're not going to be a really effective Settlement; you need to join a bigger Settlement, or get more dudes to join you.
Right now on the Land Rush, there are 7-people Settlements. Unless things change, there will be <something?> guilds that get 10 people in their Settlements and those people are going to have a bad day if they don't make friends. Once the War of Towers kicks in, unless those people recruit a bunch of friends, they cannot expect to hold their 6 [immediately surrounding towers] with 7 people. Someone else is going to come in and take them.
So, really guys, speaking to the people in the Land Rush here: If you guys are off the chart or if you guys are on the low end of the chart, it would behoove you to find someone who's on the chart, or higher than you, make a deal now. Find someone with a compatible alignment and compatible playstyle. There's a lot of really nice groups out there - read the descriptions, there's a lot of really cool people involved who have really great mission statements - and these people want more people in their guilds. They want to move up the ranks. Sure, a lot of people have their first choices, but not everyone does.
So, if you're a smaller guild, nothing is going to mysteriously happen that all of the guilds between you and the bottom of the board are going to go away. You need to make some choices, you need to contact some people. If you post on the forums and say "Hey, we're a company of 5 dudes. We want to join a bigger Settlement. We're Neutral Good. We want to do this." - somebody's going to bite.
Would you rather be Kings of a pile of dirt, or would you rather be Knights in an awesome castle?
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Goblin Squad Member
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Post on the forums. If you post on the forums and say "Hey, we're a company of 5 dudes. We want to join a bigger Settlement. We're Neutral Good. We want to do this." - somebody's going to bite.
This made me chuckle. They may indeed get bitten (a lot) or at least buried in offers. :)
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Goblin Squad Member
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There he goes again. Third larger hat size we've had to order for him this month.
I don't think they make a size 12 hat.
From the "it's funny because it's true" annals, Stetson doesn't even make a hat big enough to fit my head. They had to special order my 8 & 1/4 sized football helmet when I was in the 7th grade.
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Goblinworks Lead Game Designer
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Right up front an important piece of info for settlement construction:
"Large structures can train three roles
Medium structures can train one role
Small structures can support one role, but not train it"(Lee was saying "class", but aren't we using "role" now?)
So, do medium and large structures also support the same roles they train?
What is the term for training a commoner, expert, and aristocrat? Are we also using "role" for those training types as well?
Personally I am not so worried about the War of the Towers, as it is temporary, but the settlement mechanics are a big deal.
Class and role are sort of interchangeable terms, but considering you advance in PFO backwards of Pathfinder tabletop (i.e. you level up after using XP to buy abilities instead of using XP to level up and then getting abilities) we try to use role internally to note the difference.
If a structure can train a class it supports it automatically.
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Goblinworks Lead Game Designer
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From the "it's funny because it's true" annals, Stetson doesn't even make a hat big enough to fit my head. They had to special order my 8 & 1/4 sized football helmet when I was in the 7th grade.There he goes again. Third larger hat size we've had to order for him this month.
I don't think they make a size 12 hat.
I feel your pain my big headed brother. All my hats are custom made or were purchased on the cheap because they were made too large for any reasonably sized human head by mistake. When you custom order a hat, then call a few weeks later to check on it, give them the measurements and they say "Oh, that hat." like everyone in the company is shocked how gigantic your noggin is, you know you have a big head.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Class and role are sort of interchangeable terms, but considering you advance in PFO backwards of Pathfinder tabletop (i.e. you level up after using XP to buy abilities instead of using XP to level up and then getting abilities) we try to use role internally to note the difference....
Yeah, I've pretty much given up on trying to use the word "role" to my crowdforger guildmates, other EE&OE friends, and others interested in the game. Terms like this just cause too much confusion - especially when they've already played Pathfinder TT.
That being said, it is important to note the difference, as you said, that the class levels are really nothing more than waypoints/capstones/indicators that you've achieved all the abilities/XP needed to call yourself a level-2 Wizard, for example.
Of topic, I know. I just has to throw in my 2 coppers somewhere around here on this subject. Seemed like a good place as any. ^_^
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Goblin Squad Member
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From the "it's funny because it's true" annals, Stetson doesn't even make a hat big enough to fit my head. They had to special order my 8 & 1/4 sized football helmet when I was in the 7th grade.There he goes again. Third larger hat size we've had to order for him this month.
I don't think they make a size 12 hat.
Another fellow of about your size (6-foot-4, 320-pounds) managed to find one...
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Goblin Squad Member
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Another fellow of about your size (6-foot-4, 320-pounds) managed to find one...From the "it's funny because it's true" annals, Stetson doesn't even make a hat big enough to fit my head. They had to special order my 8 & 1/4 sized football helmet when I was in the 7th grade.There he goes again. Third larger hat size we've had to order for him this month.
I don't think they make a size 12 hat.
How'd you find my High School Senior picture??!?
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Goblin Squad Member
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...8 & 1/4...
Same size, same problem. I've never had a decent hat my entire life.
It was nice, though, being told--in the 60s and early 70s--that I couldn't play football because no helmet existed for me. They started a judo club for several of us, so I still ended up with screwed-up knees.
