How is story and party interaction?

[unseenclass]

Ok so I was just wondering how the story of this game is. Also the companions that you get is there much interaction with them? Are they involved in the story at all? Just wondering since you can make your own. Do they get any story stuff or are just there to help fight stuff?

[Cluas]

Interaction: not super-much
Story, yes they are part of the story/plot :)

[Undead Rufus]

The vanilla companions are part of the story and add a lot to the game, especially relative to any created companions. As for interactivity, they will occasionally want to talk about things, which I suppose is the game's way of moving the "relationship" forward, and vanilla companions will fairly regularly inject their own thoughts into conversations. Apart from that, I'm not sure what kind of interaction you're referring to.

[Duo]

I think certain companions intereact better than others....Eder seems to talk to Sagani alot and Durance to Aloth....Well durance doesnt talk he just insults (i h8 that mean muggin priest!). intereactions are just frequent enough...i have even had saganis pet fox interact with my space pig DLC ("Inamaak for the last time leave the little pig alone...") I dont have ALL the companions yet just 5 so i havent found a MINSC (BG) like intereation yet or a IMOEN (BG) like person either. But i rate them 8/10 for the suttle yet fun moments they speak (mostly voiced)

[Junker-2047-]

I'm about 20 hours in (unlocked stronghold, halfway through Defiance Bay) so there hasn't been many story revelations but I've found 6/8 companions so I'm basing my opinion on what I've seen thus far:

Lackluster.

The game started out really good but the way companions are haphazardly lined up and ready to join you for no apparent reason has me worried for the rest of the game. Maybe I'm just getting too old for games or I was expecting too much but I couldn't care less about any of the characters I've met nor about the underlying causes for any of their adventures, including my own. Literally, about an hour into the game I'm running with 5 random strangers that apparently trust eachother enough to not raise any questions whatsoever. The whole thing feels fake and contrived.

My opinion may change, and I hope it does, but there needs to be some major character development and soon. I've been through too many heartfelt stories in my RPG career to settle for this level of "storytelling".

The quests, however, are numerous and reasonably fleshed out. They build up backstories and lore pretty well but a lot of that illusion is shattered when you witness it with your own eyes. In the case of Defiance Bay; I was under the impression that it was a city struggling to retain its identity amids the turmoil of a restless population from all walks of life but when I get there it looks like a model city, super clean with abandoned streets like it's some sort of dystopian Big Brother scenario.

Bah. Really it's too early to tell for me. I'll do a more comprehensive and valid analysis when it's all said and done.

[Planeforger]

Originally posted by Junkhead:

The game started out really good but the way companions are haphazardly lined up and ready to join you for no apparent reason has me worried for the rest of the game. Maybe I'm just getting too old for games or I was expecting too much but I couldn't care less about any of the characters I've met nor about the underlying causes for any of their adventures, including my own. Literally, about an hour into the game I'm running with 5 random strangers that apparently trust eachother enough to not raise any questions whatsoever. The whole thing feels fake and contrived.

Out of interest, have you talked to your companions much?

I mean, a bunch of them have decent reasons to join you, and they definitely grow on you the more you learn about their pasts (and how some of them tie into the main plot). I quite like the five party members I've chosen to run around with.

[Eminem]

There is no party banter like say Dragon age or Divinity. The strength of this game is choices during the mini puzzle interactions with quest npcs and story telling.

[Harukage]

Eder talks a lot in general. Also he has a bad habbit of peting things. Different things, from Sagani's polar fox to a wild stealgers. Doh.

[Junker-2047-]

Originally posted by Planeforger:

Out of interest, have you talked to your companions much?

I mean, a bunch of them have decent reasons to join you, and they definitely grow on you the more you learn about their pasts (and how some of them tie into the main plot). I quite like the five party members I've chosen to run around with.

I have. The problem with that is it seems to me like it's a tacked on feature to give backstory to your companions. It's totally disjointed from the rest of the game where they wait for your command and function as automated killing machines. There's something amiss here and I'm wondering if, in their efforts to capture and replicate a beloved gaming experience from the past, PoE has missed the opportunity to develop a soul of its own.

Sitting here typing this out, thinking about my past gaming experiences that seem to do more for me with less text and effort, I wonder if it's the lack of cutscenes that are leaving this game flat. Something simple using the in game engine, maybe cutting away when you first meet a companion to show them in a particular predicament that defines them as a person so they aren't degenerated into some narrative tool to progress your own story and help you kill enemies.

Dunno, just rambling.

[Undead Rufus]

Originally posted by Junkhead:

Originally posted by Planeforger:

Out of interest, have you talked to your companions much?

I mean, a bunch of them have decent reasons to join you, and they definitely grow on you the more you learn about their pasts (and how some of them tie into the main plot). I quite like the five party members I've chosen to run around with.

I have. The problem with that is it seems to me like it's a tacked on feature to give backstory to your companions. It's totally disjointed from the rest of the game where they wait for your command and function as automated killing machines. There's something amiss here and I'm wondering if, in their efforts to capture and replicate a beloved gaming experience from the past, PoE has missed the opportunity to develop a soul of its own.

Sitting here typing this out, thinking about my past gaming experiences that seem to do more for me with less text and effort, I wonder if it's the lack of cutscenes that are leaving this game flat. Something simple using the in game engine, maybe cutting away when you first meet a companion to show them in a particular predicament that defines them as a person so they aren't degenerated into some narrative tool to progress your own story and help you kill enemies.

Dunno, just rambling.

I really don't view any of the vanilla companions as "tacked on." In terms of them being there just to follow — some of them are. Their places in the game are directly, narratively connected to the player's role as the Watcher. Durance and Grieving Mother come to mind, the former in particular. Others like Aloth and Sagani have clearly defined personalities, goals and problems of their own. Generally speaking, their reasons for choosing to follow the Watcher are believable. These companions are by no means plot-essential in most respects or undeniable paragons of character development, but I think you're selling the writing a bit short. IMO.

[Sloul Des Tucs]

The first is the best and the second are the best.