top of page
VGL_Banner_wLogo.png

BENEATH A STARLESS SKY: PILLARS OF ETERNITY AND THE INFINITY ENGINE ERA OF RPGS

David L. Craddock



 

Dungeons & Dragons became a cornerstone of gaming culture by providing players with dice, sheets of paper, and guidebooks that teased the imagination—all the tools they needed to build their own worlds.


Influenced by all-night D&D sessions, the video game developers at Black Isle Studios and BioWare had a thought: Leave the dice-rolling to computers, letting players focus solely on creating characters and embarking on unforgettable adventures. The result was Baldur’s Gate, a computer roleplaying game (CRPG) featuring breathtaking scenes, compelling characters, dozens of quests, and deep tactical battles. As financial turmoil plagued their parent company, a small team of developers broke away from Black Isle and set out to create unforgettable adventures of their own.


From the early days of Fallout and Baldur’s Gate, to the formation of Obsidian Entertainment and the company’s fateful crowdfunding campaign that averted financial ruin, Beneath a Starless Sky explores the making of the Infinity Engine CRPGs and the critically acclaimed Pillars of Eternity franchise.


  • Based on over 40 hours of interviews with developers from Black Isle and Obsidian

  • Go behind-the-scenes to witness the creation of the celebrated Infinity Engine CRPGs: Baldur’s Gate, Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale, Baldur’s Gate II, and Icewind Dale II

  • Relive the dramatic moments that led to Obsidian’s record-setting Kickstarter, and the making of 2015’s Pillars of Eternity and 2018’s Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

  • Sit in on a discussion of the past, present, and future of roleplaying games with Obsidian’s co-founders, writers, and directors

 

PUBLICATION DETAILS

LANGUAGE

BINDING

EDITION

ISBN

YEAR

PAGES

English

Paperback


9781070487861

2019

681

English

eBook


N/A

2019

681

OTHER NAMES

Beneath a Starless Sky: Pillars of Eternity and the Infinity Engine Era of RPGs

 

TAGS


Publishers: #SelfPublished

Languages: #English

Year: #Year2019


Companies: 

#BlackIsleStudios (Black Isle Studios)

#ObsidianEntertainment (Obsidian Entertainment)


Public Figures:

N/A


Games:

#BaldursGate (Baldur's Gate)

#IcewindDale (Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale II)

#PillarsOfEternity (Pillars of Eternity, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire)

#Planescape (Planescape: Torment)


Misc:

#InfinityEngine (Infinity Engine)



Comments

bottom of page