That's a reason why I like the way they presented it. You can turn it on or off. I don't care how you like to play RPGs :) Some people might wish they could skip even the unavoidable combat, like you can with some strategy games.

I would not play any of these new modes if someone held a gun to my head and ordered me to. Oh well. We get a house!

Yeah, I'm really thrilled about PE. Can't already get enough of it..... ;)

In case it makes a difference to anyone else too, I confirmed with the Obsidian Entertainment that they are targeting an M rating. I don't buy M-rated games so I'll be canceling my pledge.

I actually kind of peeved about this. The reason they gave was "to let our designers come up with mature subject matter to talk about", which is a useless excuse. I mean, Planescape Torment, Morrowind, there are a bunch of games that proved you can have interesting, thought-provoking stories and worlds without being M-rated. M is about how graphic you are about it.

There's a difference between having a serious conversation between adults, and having a graphic conversation. It's kind of sad so many developers don't seem to care about that distinction.

Is that.. sarcasm? Or not?

I don't watch R-rated movies, and I don't play M-rated games.

Any particular reason? I mean, it's understandable if you're under 17 (that's the cut-off, right?). But if you're older than that it seems kind of odd? (Especially for movies. What constitutes an R rating is incredibly arbitrary. See also: The ridiculous reason that Oblivion is M-rated.)

No, I'm definitely over the cutoff. :)

It's a moral decision for me - there's a point at which details stop being useful and good for immersion and start being disgusting. There's a different point for everyone, but the M rating is a good way to say "This game will probably be disgusting to me" vs "This game is probably OK".

There's a difference between having a serious conversation between adults, and having a graphic conversation. For me that's T vs M, subject-matter wise. You can have all the kinds of things in T rated games that you can in M, but how much / how detailed is the difference between the ratings.

And yeah, there are the weird outliers, like Oblivion where the rating got turned into a political exercise. But nothing in life is 100%. If I really think a game doesn't deserve an M-rating I may take a second look at it, but it's not like I'm suffering from a lack of good games to play. :)

Fair enough. Don't necessarily agree (again, especially for movies, where a small amount of "language" can make you R even if there's nothing particularly bad about the movie), but I see your point. I think what they're going for in the case of M is that they simply want to be able to work without having to fit into a framework. By aiming for an M it doesn't mean they're going to be all "Woo! Blood and sex and drugs party at my place!". Just means they want to be able to tell whatever story they want without artificial limiters going "Tsk, tsk. Naughty, naughty".

I know thos a dead horse thing but, if this game is M rated, can we finally get to kill children like in fallout and deus ex?

Let's start a petition. After all, it's tradition - you could kill children in Icewind Dale...sort of.

Heh, there is a discussion about this on the Obsidian forums. I'm for it, but HEAR ME OUT BEFORE YOU MURDER ME. I have never killed a child in a game that allows it and I seriously doubt I ever will (I'm just not evil enough). However, doing something like Fallout did, with serious consequences for child killing, is a good marker of good choice and consequences in general. Also, I just don't really like arbitrary gameplay restrictions. And it'd give you a reason to hold back when in combat in crowded areas.

Yeah, what Gazoinks posted. And you don't have to kill the children. Punching them was enough to make them want to stop stealing your stuff in the future in Fallout 2 ;)

Did that actually work? That's kind of hilarious. xD

It's been a while but if I remember right, punch the kids and then try to find a spot you can leave combat. I can't remember if all of the townsfolk become hostile or not. If they do, leave town and come back when things have cooled off after a few days and the children you punched will run away when they see you :) Especially useful for the little brats that like to hang out by doorways.

I'm not sure how accurate my explanation is but I remember that it worked.

Edit: Hmmm...now I feel the need to play the game again and test this.