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如果你想做一个肌肉巫师，强壮有力却愚笨，的确可以实现。从机制上讲，会发生的情况是，你能造成大量的伤害，但伤害的持续时间和影响范围会非常小。而在对话中，他们则是完完全全的白痴。（笑）
If you want to make a Muscle Wizard, who is mighty and powerful and a stupid idiot, you can do that. Mechanically what happens is that you'll do a lot of damage, but their durations and areas of effects will be very small. Then, in conversation they're total idiots. [laughs]
Josh Sawyer
《永恒之柱》的首席设计师Josh Sawyer,
Pillars of Eternity's lead designer
战斗看起来类似于其他无限引擎游戏，但由于增加了缠斗系统和能力使用次数限制，所以玩法非常不同。
Combat looks similar to the IE games, but plays very differently due to additions like the engagement system and per encounter abilities.
故事从一场魔法灾难开始，你需要去追捕一个为了邪恶的目的而操作古代机械的神秘反派，同时你还要处理各种当地的问题，从个人悲剧和村庄纠纷到影响整个王国的魔法瘟疫。剧情通过传统的 RPG 式任务来展开，并用“选择你自己的冒险历程”[9] （Choose Your Own Adventure，简称 CYOA）式的插叙和漂亮的水墨插图加以点缀。
这个名为艾欧拉（Eora）的世界充满了精灵和矮人；亡灵在古老的遗迹中出没；龙在世界的角落潜伏；而神明涉足凡间。时代背景则有着一种文艺复兴时期的感觉：冒险家们拿着箭杆和手枪；商船在海上航行，载着探险家、商人和殖民者前往新的疆域，而社会则在为变革性的发现而奋斗。
伴随着你的是八个不同的同伴（打了扩展包后为 11 个），他们来自艾欧拉的各个角落，从寒地矮人[10] 女猎人（Boreal Dwarf huntress）莎加妮（Sagani）到来自奴瓦泰[11] （Rauatai）的欢快的吟唱者卡纳（Kana Rua）。大部分同伴的剧情都写得很好，性格也塑造得很鲜明，他们时不时的戏谑为这个以黑暗和危险为基调的故事带来一点轻松感。你可以在旅馆里从头创建自定义的冒险者来补充队员——或者，如果你愿意，也可以完全取代这些同伴。
The story starts you off with a magical catastrophe that sends you after a mysterious villain operating ancient machinery to nefarious ends, while you deal with local problems ranging from personal tragedies and village disputes to a magical plague affecting the entire realm. It unfolds through traditional RPG quests, punctuated by Choose Your Own Adventure-style interludes with beautiful ink illustrations.
The world of Eora features elves and dwarves, undead haunting ancient ruins, dragons lurking in remote corners of the world, and gods meddling with mortals. However, it has a Renaissance feel, rather than a dialogues one. Adventurers tote arquebuses and pistols; caravels ply the seas carrying explorers, merchants, and colonists to new frontiers, and societies struggle to come to grips with transformational discoveries.
Accompanying you are eight distinct companions (11 with the expansion) hailing from all corners of Eora, from Sagani the Boreal Dwarf huntress to Kana Rua, the jolly chanter from seafaring Rauatai. They are for the most part well-written and characterful, and their banter provides welcome levity in a story that would often take on perilously dark tones. You can also complement – or, if you wish, entirely replace – these companions with custom adventurers you can create from scratch at inns.
总的来说，《永恒之柱》在某些方面未能达到不少由无线引擎制作的原创作品[12] 的最佳水平，但在其他方面却超越了它们。虽然各方面都不错，但其剧情尚不及《异域镇魂曲》；与阿斯卡特拉（Athkatla）或博德之门（Baldur's Gate）[13] 相比，反抗湾（Defiance Bay）和双榆城（Twin Elms）[14] 有点空旷和安静；而即便是表现最好的遭遇战也不能完全与费尔克拉格[15] 的地牢（Firkraag's Dungeon）相媲美。
然而，角色系统是一个重大的进步。《永恒之柱》的 11 个职业和高度灵活的天赋、能力和属性系统允许玩家创建多样化的角色，从相对明显的职业变体，如能远程进行阿尔法打击[16] 的后排圣武士（alpha-striking back-row Paladin），到利用特定道具的独特属性进行特化构建的角色。《永恒之柱》的首席设计师 Josh Sawyer 表示，他的目标是支持尽可能多的角色概念，从聪明的野蛮人到肌肉发达的巫师，该系统很好地实现了这一点。
《永恒之柱》承载着厚重的期望。它被视作一个受人喜爱的亚流派的复兴之作，并代表了当时正挣扎求存的黑曜石娱乐公司的一个新方向。
不管怎么说，它是成功的。它是一个大而美、广而深的游戏，具有极高的可玩性；游戏塑造了一个繁盛的、丰富的世界；同时其游戏玩法也既熟悉又新鲜，感觉像是它所模仿的那些原作的自然演变。
Overall, Pillars of Eternity fails to live up to the best of the originals in some respects, but surpasses them in others. While competent enough, the writing does not come close to Planescape: Torment's; Defiance Bay and Twin Elms feel empty and static compared to Athkatla or Baldur's Gate, and even the best encounters do not quite match the likes of Firkraag's Dungeon.
The character system, however, is a major step forward. Pillars' 11 classes and highly flexible talent, ability, and attribute system allow massive scope for variety, from relatively obvious variants like a ranged, alpha-striking back-row Paladin, to specialised builds making use of a particular item's unique properties. Pillars of Eternity's lead designer Josh Sawyer's stated goal was to support as many character concepts as possible, from smart barbarians to Muscle Wizards, and the system accomplishes this well.
Pillars of Eternity carried heavy expectations. It was supposed to revive a beloved subgenre, and represented a new direction for Obsidian Entertainment, at the time struggling for survival.
Warts and all, it succeeds. It delivers a big, broad, beautiful, and deep game, with massive replayability, a lush, rich world, at the same time familiar and fresh, and gameplay that feels like a natural evolution of the originals it emulates.
__________
9 译者注：又译作《惊险岔路口》，美国作家 R. A. Montgomery 和 Edward Packard 以独特的交互式写作手法创作出的叙述性的历险故事系列丛书。根据选项跳转对应的页数，你可以决定故事的走向。
10 译者注：游戏设定中矮人分为两个亚种，分别是北方的山地矮人和南方的寒地矮人。
11 译者注：一个以海裔（游戏中一个可选种族，卡纳就是一名海裔）为主体的海湾国家。
12 译者注：原文 originals，其实就是指那些无限引擎的游戏。
13 译者注：此处的阿斯卡特拉和博德之门都是游戏《博德之门》中的地名。
14 译者注：《永恒之柱》中的地名。
15 译者注：《博德之门 2：安姆的阴影》中的红龙 Firkraag。
16 译者注：该说法源起于美国海军航母战斗群的阿尔法空袭，此处用于指代游戏中某些远程技能。
对话很丰富，经常呈现出多种选择以及技能/属性/声望检定，但故事整体非常线性。
Dialogue is extensive, often presenting multiple choices and skill/attribute/reputation checks, but the story is very linear.
虽然用的不多，但类似 CYOA 的部分提供了有趣的角色扮演选项，为游戏锦上添花。
While scarcely used, the CYOA-like segments provide interesting role-playing options and are a great addition.
《电脑 RPG 游戏史（The CRPG Book Project）》原书信息
英文原版主编：Felipe Pepe
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