PCGamer moderated a live Q&A with Obsidian where they answered fans questions. Some of the highlights were talking about a race called the Aumauas, a large human-like race found in coastal and island areas, how the countries Dyrwood and Eir Glanfath would be the main areas players explore, how there would be little to no level scaling (Fallout: New Vegas was cited as a reference) and how the music would be similar to other Infinity Engine games just to name a few.
As far as some major elements as far as the RPG genre and modern games go, Project Eternity will be attempting to offer the best of both worlds. Unlike most modern RPGs, don't expect Project Eternity to yield much in the voice acting department. Specifically Obsidian said:
“We plan on having limited voice acting. Only for major characters and companions, and not for all conversations. We will have voice-sets for characters. Very similar to how the IE games handled voice acting.”
Player choice has become a big deal in past years; especially with the success of BioWare's RPGs. Obsidian is definitely another developer that understands how important having the power to shape their game is to players. In response to a question about how much choice would players have, lead designer Josh Sawyer said:
“Player choice and impact are very important to us, so “a lot”. We want players to feel like they can solve quests their way and take the story in a direction that they want to take it, from little things to big things. We don’t really think about things in terms of good or evil choices, but in terms of choices that a relatively sane/rational person would make with an understandable motive. Sometimes it makes sense to allow players to be cruel, but it has to work in the context of what’s going on. the game and its story aren’t about being good or evil but deciding what values (and people, and groups) are most important to you — and what you’re willing to sacrifice to defend them.”
Even if you’re not into “old school” RPGs, if you’re an RPG fan Project Eternity might be worth a look. It’s certainly clear that it is a labor of love for Obsidian.