永恒之柱 2：死火 Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire p.554

《永恒之柱 2：死火》发售后，最大的更新内容就是添加了回合制战斗系统。我们一开始压根没考虑过回合制战斗，因为无限引擎（Infinity Engine）^[3] 系的游戏都使用可暂停即时系统（RTwP，real-time with pause）。但看到《神曲：原罪 2》的销量如此喜人，让我们也想尝试下这个‘新鲜玩意’……从中也总结了几条经验教训：是时候重新审视 RTwP 和回合制战斗了，那些老旧的观点或许已跟不上时代了。90 年代末 20 世纪初过去了，我很怀念它。

The biggest thing that was added post-launch was turn-based combat. This was a thing we didn't do from the beginning because the Infinity Engine games are real-time with pause. But, about a billion people bought Divinity: Original Sin 2, so let's give it a whirl. [...]So, some lessons learned here: we made some assumptions about real-time with pause and turn-based combat that maybe don't apply anymore. It's not the late 90s or early 2000s

Josh Sawyer
《永恒之柱 2：死火》首席设计师

Josh Sawyer,
PoE 2: Deadfire's Design Director

《死火》的文本质量相当优秀，再加上艾欧拉（Eora）世界充满了各种小细节，让玩家感觉像是生活在其中。美中不足的是，游戏也仅仅止步于此，虽有优秀的世界构建和主线中那些有趣的现实隐喻，但游戏未能将所有元素有机结合在一起，否则《死火》的整体质量会更上一层楼。

游戏的视觉表现十分亮眼，其精美的画面在同类游戏中也是出类拔萃的存在，这使它独特的设定大放异彩。关键的故事情节是通过令人回味的美术作品来表述，让人想起了老式 RPG 的资料手册。在游戏原声方面，贾斯汀 · 贝尔（Justin Bell）依然负责作曲，用更大胆的乐器组合提升了音乐品质。

初代《永恒之柱》中的许多机制在《死火》中都得到了改进：因为可操作的队友数降低到了 5 名，操作频率降低，战斗系统变得更易于上手（而传统无限引擎系的游戏可操作角色高达 7 名）。新增的双职业带来了更有深度的角色培养系统。前作贫弱的装备系统也得到了改善，重新设计过的装备能更加明显地提升角色强度，且更加独特。《死火》进步最大的地方在于改变了遇敌的设计和频率。前作充满了各式各样的“垃圾战斗”，它们在介绍游戏机制或是叙事上起不到任何作用，只会影响游戏节奏。而在本作中，大多数遭遇战都是精心设计过的，并附带了一些具体的挑战目标供玩家完成。

It's a shame because Deadfire has pretty good writing and the world of Eora remains full of small details that make it feel lived-in. But worldbuilding can only go so far, and despite the main story having interesting implications, it fails at interweaving all the elements that otherwise make Deadfire compelling.

Visually the game excels, with gorgeous backgrounds that rank among the very best in the genre and make the unique setting shine. Critical story moments are conveyed through evocative artwork reminiscent of old-school RPG sourcebooks. For the soundtrack, Justin Bell returned as the composer, with bolder instrumentation that elevates Deadfire's music.

Many improvements were made to the mechanics of the first Pillars. Fights became simpler to parse, as the number of party members went from the traditional Infinity Engine six to only five. Character progression is deeper thanks to the addition of multi-classing. Equipment was redesigned to be more impactful and unique, which the original Pillars sorely lacked. By far the biggest improvement was the change in the design of the encounters and their frequency. The previous title was full of “trash fights” with no mechanical or narrative meaning and as a result, its pacing suffered. In the sequel, most encounters are placed with intentionality and present specific challenges.

《死火》有不少模组，但我们建议在第一次游玩时只使用社区补丁（Community Patch）和增强型用户界面（Enhanced User Interface）模组。

There are several mods for Deadfire, but we recommend using only the Community Patch and the Enhanced User Interface mod for a first playthrough.

《死火》也有一些失败的改动：成为一名船长能更好地感受航海时代的魅力，也使得探索乐趣十足，但具体到游戏玩法上就产生了一些问题。寻找并招募新船员的过程相当有趣，但管理船员们的士气非常简单，以至于可以忽略这个环节。海战过程操作繁琐且毫无深度，很快就变成了一件苦差事，玩家对此嗤之以鼻，以至于后期官方通过一个补丁使它成为了可有可无的东西，升级船只也变得毫无意义。受《神界：原罪 2》大获成功的启发，本作在后期的更新中也加入了回合制战斗模式，玩家可以选择切换至回合制战斗或是经典的 RTwP。

这两种模式用起来都非常顺手，足以证明《死火》有着优秀的战斗平衡性。2018 年的《开拓者：拥王者》（Pathfinder: Kingmaker）发售时也只支持 RTwP，随后通过补丁添加了回合制模式。其续作《开拓者：正义之怒》（Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous，2021）在发售时就内置了这两种战斗模式，这也佐证了《死火》可能是对这类游戏中战斗系统该如何设计的一个实用答案。

尽管《死火》的主线任务有缺陷，且某些机制的实际表现很糟糕，但由于其精心编写的支线任务、有趣的探索、惊艳的画面和有深度的策略性战斗，《永恒之柱 2》可以带给玩家一次引人入胜的角色扮演体验。本作销量不佳，意味着《永恒之柱》系列是否会有续作还是个未知数，但可以确定的是，它已经在同类游戏中留下了浓墨重彩的一笔。

Not all innovations were successful. Being a ship captain, a crucial aspect of the experience, was great for exploration but brought about gameplay issues. Finding and recruiting new crew members is fun, but managing their morale is so easy it becomes an afterthought. Ship-to-ship combat is both convoluted and shallow, soon becoming a chore. It was so poorly received that it was made optional through a patch, making the ship upgrade system feel almost vestigial.

Inspired by the success of Divinity: Original Sin 2, the developers later added the choice to play with either real-time-with-pause or turn-based combat. That both modes work so well is a testament to Deadfire's combat balance. The following year, Pathfinder: Kingmaker (2018), another real-time-with-pause RPG, added turn-based mode in a patch as well. Its sequel, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous (2021), had both options at launch, proving Deadfire's model to be one possible answer to the recurring combat debate.

Despite its flawed main quest and some badly implemented mechanics, Pillars of Eternity 2 offers an engaging roleplaying experience, thanks to its well-written side quests, fun exploration, stunning presentation, and deep tactical combat. Poor sales mean that the future of the Pillars franchise is uncertain, but it has managed to leave its mark on the genre.