Hey all - I've done a few google searches trying to find a way around this and it seems impossible to avoid so I thought to make a suggestion because it *really* bugs me as a new player :-)
In character creation, a couple of the backgrounds definitively dictate your characters communication personality: Sellsword and Lowlife force you to speak in slang while Academic and Aristocrat force your to speak in Formal - those backgrounds force a 30 point personality flag on your character and no matter how much you try to manipulate your other character personality traits you can't overcome it. As small as an issue this is, it just bugs me, because if I make a character who lived through his childhood and younger years as a lowlife but has worked hard to overcome his/her challenged past, he still talks in a way that I just can't stomach for my character headcanon.
Like, I might want to create a wizard who started out as a lowlife and had to beg, squander, and steal to survive until he was old enough to go out on his own and put his life together and later discovered an affinity for magic - but tries to get by in higher society - I can't just choose or make personality flags for formal speech unless I choose an aristocratic background which may not exactly match the story I have for my character. Similarly, if I want my fighter to be a sellsword... why does he have to talk in slang, if perhaps his mercenary company was somewhat reputable and fancied themselves as sellswords for the rich and famous?
Or, perhaps I want to play a rogue who was raised as an aristocrat but tries to slum it as a criminal and act all tough and unrefined and wants to talk slang? I'm stuck with a fancy pantsy high speaking lord-like rapscalion.
Perhaps this is an unpopular opinion or just and inconsequential opinion, but its just a small thing that break my immersion into my character designs. At the very least, I would like to be able to overcome these "set-in-stone" personality flags for backgrounds, somehow.
Thanks for hearing me out!
In general, I found the rigid backgrounds the thing I would change.
Flexible / customizable backgrounds would help a lot for the mix of classes/concepts. So tools, accent, personality, skills would be separate concepts. Specific tools and skills could cost a number of "background points" that the player selects.
( I used a mod later when I played more adventures )
Steam profile : https://steamcommunity.com/id/baraz/
In general, I found the rigid backgrounds the thing I would change.
Flexible / customizable backgrounds would help a lot for the mix of classes/concepts. So tools, accent, personality, skills would be separate concepts. Specific tools and skills could cost a number of "background points" that the player selects.
( I used a mod later when I played more adventures )
What mod did you use?
What mod did you use?
It is called the Solasta Community Expansion mod : a collection of optional tweaks (all off by default) that you can select with the mod interface once the game is loaded with the mod. It cannot be simply on Steam Workshop due to mods on the Unity engine needing some extra bits.
If you are new to such mods : note it has a requirement (an API that you can find in the above link under Requirements).
I am not an expert, but I believe you need to use a small exe called the Unity Mod Manager to install mods for games made with the Unity engine. It is pretty easy once you get it working once.
The option in question is called Flexible Backgrounds. Once active, a new character (at creation I mean) will be able to select, in later steps, background tool, background language, background skills.
Steam profile : https://steamcommunity.com/id/baraz/
Thanks Baraz! Installed it - pretty simple if you follow the directions on nexus. I appreciate the suggestion and will be checking it out - the Witch class it include sounds interesting actually!
Doesnt look like the mod actually solved the feedback suggestion I had, but, hey, its a step in the right direction. Thank you again!
It will not solve the problem of personality and other things a background offer besides skill. In CE you can have flexible skill point e.g arcane is not tied to academic background. It is great if you want to choose the background for the side quest but still be able to pick usefull skill as well.