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Kangaxx is the dumbed fight in the game. Either you're not protected and so your whole party is imprisoned in two rounds, or you're protected and you just click on him and go make a bagel. For the record you can also use Berserker Rage or SI:Abjuration alongside Death Ward (for his occasional castings of Wail of the Banshee).
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Nov 30, 2013 07:45
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Kangaxx is great for hoarders like me, because it's one of those instances where it's "legitimate" to use those rare consumables, like those scrolls of prot. magic/undead and so on. But yeah, it's a rather arbitrary, or even binary, fight. There's something very zen about that description, though 
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Nov 30, 2013 08:14
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inscrutable horse posted:Kangaxx is great for hoarders like me, because it's one of those instances where it's "legitimate" to use those rare consumables, like those scrolls of prot. magic/undead and so on. If you were a true hoarder you'd of course use a simulacrum off Vhailor's helm to cast the scrolls and not waste the originals.
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Nov 30, 2013 08:18
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The Claw of Khazgorath is confusing me. The stats say: AC +1, Missle AC +4 So is that a typo or does it actually make you easier to hit?
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Nov 30, 2013 11:50
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It doesn't. The + always indicates a bonus, even when that stat is better when lower.
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Nov 30, 2013 12:04
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fong posted:Kangaxx is the dumbed fight in the game. Either you're not protected and so your whole party is imprisoned in two rounds, or you're protected and you just click on him and go make a bagel. Vhailor Helm double Daystar to blow up his first form while Berserked, followed by clubbing him with the Mace of Disruption is pretty much my standard method yeah. Kangaxx is a pretty silly guy.
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Nov 30, 2013 12:19
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I liked Neera's ToB quest. Really, all of Neera's questline stuff is good, and it actually approaches thematic resonance (or whatever) in that the Neera / Thayan baddie conflict is essentially a mirror image of the Bhaalspawn / Sarevok conflict. They never explicitly make it text, but it's there. I also enjoyed the Szass Tamm feature / fights, tho the VA they gave him wasn't great. He was maybe my favorite Forgotten Realms cheese villain as a kid so it was cool to run that quest, including the obligatory WotC plot armor they slapped on him.
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Nov 30, 2013 12:29
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So, do we know when we'll find out how BG2:EE did sales-wise? Looking at Steam, despite being far down the top-sellers list, the only games that aren't on Autumn Sale above it are Assassin's Creed, CoD:Ghosts and Football Manager 2014. But that doesn't necessarily mean it sold all that well.
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Nov 30, 2013 12:33
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Suspicious posted:It doesn't. The + always indicates a bonus, even when that stat is better when lower. Okay, that's a really good item then.
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Nov 30, 2013 12:33
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Basic Chunnel posted:I liked Neera's ToB quest. Really, all of Neera's questline stuff is good, and it actually approaches thematic resonance (or whatever) in that the Neera / Thayan baddie conflict is essentially a mirror image of the Bhaalspawn / Sarevok conflict. They never explicitly make it text, but it's there. Ultimately the Neera quests fell flat for me because, knowing what I do of Thay, I have a really hard time believing they would give the first gently caress about Wild Mages.
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Nov 30, 2013 12:38
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Insurrectionist posted:So, do we know when we'll find out how BG2:EE did sales-wise? Looking at Steam, despite being far down the top-sellers list, the only games that aren't on Autumn Sale above it are Assassin's Creed, CoD:Ghosts and Football Manager 2014. But that doesn't necessarily mean it sold all that well. I think it's pretty clear that a BG3 isn't happening, not due to any fault of Beamdog's / Overhaul's (I've been playing games long enough not to be outraged by bugs and the stuff they made is good) but because the rights are still with Atari as far as I'm aware, and if anything an increase in the property's profile will only make a sequel less likely. I imagine WotC / Atari will want to make it a Big Deal Game but Atari hasn't had Big Deal Game money for years (nor should they). I know Obsidian Entertainment were pitching their own ideas not too long ago and didn't hear anything. D&D CRPGs are in development hell right now outside of the MMOs that boardrooms reflexively throw money at. So who knows what's happening now. They still seem to be patching, which is good (making Hexxat a vampire in the engine mechanics was clever in theory but seems to have borked some things, natch). Literally everyone else would hate it on principle but I think a DLC model in the short term would be cool, maybe throw together another Watcher's Keep-esque dungeon, or even a CNPC, why not. It's not like ToB could get any less balanced. Basic Chunnel fucked around with this message at 12:51 on Nov 30, 2013 |
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Nov 30, 2013 12:48
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I definitely wouldn't mind DLC content, especially since (so far) I've found the BG2 additions a lot better than in BG1 (Liked Hexxat and Rasaad's stuff quite a bit, Dorn and Neera are still not good characters but in BG1 they were bad characters with boring quests, now they're somewhat less bad/more fleshed-out characters with nicer quests). Assuming it's reasonably priced, of course.
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Nov 30, 2013 12:55
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So I managed to get through BG1:EE with all the new NPC's and they didnt kill each other or force me to kick one out. Can I do the same in BG2:EE? I really don't want to play though this game more than once. I want to experience all new NPC's on the same playthrough. Possible? GuyDudeBroMan fucked around with this message at 13:04 on Nov 30, 2013 |
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Nov 30, 2013 13:01
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If they didn't program exceptions for Assad or whatever his name is, there won't be conflict between new party members. He seems pretty chill? Idk.
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Nov 30, 2013 13:15
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Basic Chunnel posted:So who knows what's happening now. They still seem to be patching, which is good (making Hexxat a vampire in the engine mechanics was clever in theory but seems to have borked some things, natch). Literally everyone else would hate it on principle but I think a DLC model in the short term would be cool, maybe throw together another Watcher's Keep-esque dungeon, or even a CNPC, why not. It's not like ToB could get any less balanced. There's almost certainly DLC content coming. They've mentioned wanting to do some after BG2EE is out, and unless these things sold really poorly that's most likely still the plan. Also they still need to finish the Linux, iPad(BG2EE), and Android versions.
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Nov 30, 2013 13:22
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Basic Chunnel posted:I think it's pretty clear that a BG3 isn't happening, not due to any fault of Beamdog's / Overhaul's (I've been playing games long enough not to be outraged by bugs and the stuff they made is good) but because the rights are still with Atari as far as I'm aware, and if anything an increase in the property's profile will only make a sequel less likely. I imagine WotC / Atari will want to make it a Big Deal Game but Atari hasn't had Big Deal Game money for years (nor should they). I know Obsidian Entertainment were pitching their own ideas not too long ago and didn't hear anything. D&D CRPGs are in development hell right now outside of the MMOs that boardrooms reflexively throw money at. For me, it comes down to the fact that the Enhanced Editions offer very little that modded installations of the original games don't. There's a smattering of mediocre-to-average new NPCs, the zoom function, one or two bug fixes, and availability on another platform or two. As I understand it, the terms of Beamdog's license means that they couldn't make any substantial changes to the games or existing content, like fleshing out Throne of Bhaal and making Melissan a worthy villain like Sarevok and Irenicus, or moving the games into 3.5E rules. CRPGs in general seem to be a dying breed. Bioware's the only company left that's actively making Western-style RPGs, and their latest series of games have ranged from mediocre (Dragon Age 2) to extremely inconsistent in quality (Mass Effect 3 and The Old Republic). Credit where it is due, Beamdog seems to be doing a valiant job with what they've got (romances with vampires-we-swear-are-vampires-in-name-only aside), but the genre just isn't what it used to be.
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Nov 30, 2013 14:21
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Cythereal posted:For me, it comes down to the fact that the Enhanced Editions offer very little that modded installations of the original games don't. I guess that's true on paper, but man the game just feels so much smoother with the new engine that I just can't bear to play the originals.
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Nov 30, 2013 14:47
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Yeah, just looking at the feature-list before playing made me go 'eh' too, but I definitely haven't been disappointed with any of the changes (well, except bugs), or the amount of content, so far. And really, while Dorn, for example, is very one-dimensional through BG1 and the start of 2...it really isn't any different from any of the original NPCs. And both Dorn and Neera have been a lot better after I started getting further into their quests, while I never had an issue with Rasaad/Hexxat (except her not having a lot of interjections).
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Nov 30, 2013 14:53
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Cythereal posted:For me, it comes down to the fact that the Enhanced Editions offer very little that modded installations of the original games don't. There's a smattering of mediocre-to-average new NPCs, the zoom function, one or two bug fixes, and availability on another platform or two. As I understand it, the terms of Beamdog's license means that they couldn't make any substantial changes to the games or existing content, like fleshing out Throne of Bhaal and making Melissan a worthy villain like Sarevok and Irenicus, or moving the games into 3.5E rules. Don't forget that you have at least two major upcoming Infinity Engine spiritual sequel CRPGs by non-Bioware developers: http://eternity.obsidian.net/ https://torment.inxile-entertainment.com Also I haven't played BG in probably a decade but I picked it up to play with a friend who had never played it and it feels like a whole new game - maybe it's because I played IWD2 lately but BG:EE feels completely alien, did BG originally have these weird dual/multiclassing restrictions? I don't remember them.
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Nov 30, 2013 14:53
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2 Track EP posted:did BG originally have these weird dual/multiclassing restrictions? I don't remember them. It did. BG1 was straight 2E DnD, which is where the dual/multiclass stuff comes from, then BG2 moved into 2.5E by adding the barbarian, monk, and sorcerer classes, plus the class kits.
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Nov 30, 2013 14:57
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I must say, this Ironman run I'm on is making the game much more interesting. I'm constantly thinking about how to make best use of my resources, and even the "bullshit" mechanics like scribing failure and random HP on level up are kind of interesting now. This honestly feels like how the game is meant to be played. Of course, that's not really true -- the game is way too willing to inflict horrible bullshit on you just for kicks for that to be the intended design, and it's not really possible to do a clean run as a first timer, aaand it's a really long game too. Still, I can't help but think that maybe these games should've had a checkpoint save system instead of free quick save/load type of thing it has.
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Nov 30, 2013 16:14
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Judging by the new Shadowrun, people would have behaved like the world had come to an end.
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Nov 30, 2013 16:17
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Yeah I know it's not a popular opinion or anything. I used to hate it too, but then  happened.
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Nov 30, 2013 16:23
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DeathChicken posted:Judging by the new Shadowrun, people would have behaved like the world had come to an end. If you want to not save, that option is always available to you.
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Nov 30, 2013 16:25
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verybad posted:This honestly feels like how the game is meant to be played. Of course, that's not really true -- the game is way too willing to inflict horrible bullshit on you just for kicks for that to be the intended design, and it's not really possible to do a clean run as a first timer, aaand it's a really long game too. I'm fairly certain that that is the intended design, actually. There's a reason there are so many NPCs you can recruit, after all, and this was before Bioware settled into the character-focused mindset. You're playing a Dungeons and Dragons game, and DMs inflicting horrible bullshit on players just for kicks is both normal and expected.
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Nov 30, 2013 16:27
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Captain Oblivious posted:Ultimately the Neera quests fell flat for me because, knowing what I do of Thay, I have a really hard time believing they would give the first gently caress about Wild Mages. Last I checked, back in BG1/2 Wild Mages would have been extremely rare, and extremely powerful, entirely because the Weave was still intact. Remember, this isn't yet Thay under Szass, it's Thay under the Zulkirs, and if one of them felt a powerful wild mage was worth studying, that's all that would be needed to chase her. Though I find it strange you fight Szass Tamm considering the Spellplague hadn't happened yet.
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Nov 30, 2013 16:28
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Rookersh posted:Last I checked, back in BG1/2 Wild Mages would have been extremely rare, and extremely powerful, entirely because the Weave was still intact. No, it was not. Wild magic was introduced in 2E when Mystra (mk. 1) died, creating wild magic and dead magic zones across Faerun that the churches of Mystra and Torm were only slowly healing. The Spellplague, as I understand it (I've paid little attention to 4E) just dramatically expanded and accelerated the damage and deterioration already present.
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Nov 30, 2013 16:36
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Cythereal posted:No, it was not. Wild magic was introduced in 2E when Mystra (mk. 1) died, creating wild magic and dead magic zones across Faerun that the churches of Mystra and Torm were only slowly healing. The Spellplague, as I understand it (I've paid little attention to 4E) just dramatically expanded and accelerated the damage and deterioration already present. Which would still support my point. Wild Mages came into being due to the Time of Troubles, but only became more prevalent with the Spellplague. As the Bhaalspawn Crisis occurs only a few years after the Time of Troubles ( but a hundred years or so before the Spellplague. ), Wild Mages would still be a very new phenomenon, and this would attract the Red Wizards of Thay. A random peasant girl who could control that kind of magic that easily would not be ignored by the Red Wizards, they'd send somebody to go get her for study/force recruitment. Especially since all it would take is a single Zulkir to be curious enough to send his men to go grab her, as this was before a united Thay. Rookersh fucked around with this message at 16:58 on Nov 30, 2013 |
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Nov 30, 2013 16:52
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So i have BG1+2 from GOG, and just discovered some old messed up "Big World" install on some old harddrive that weighs in at 20+ GB and (if i remember correctly) took at least 18 hours to install years back. Apparently is also includes BG1 and expansions into the BG2 engine? I've heard it's generally pretty awful though. Is there some current mod pack that merges those games along with the general "must have" mods (hardcore or crappy self fanfic inserts excluded of course) so i can install that and never touch the install again? I've had bad experiences with PS:T invalidating 60+ hour savegames because some mod went wrong and had dependencies all over the place, so now i dread the idea of adding fix-patches or any sort of mod after having invested hours into a new save.
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Nov 30, 2013 17:00
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jBrereton posted:Because checkpoint saving is terrible. It's right up there with boss fights after unskippable cutscenes in terms of frustrating mechanics.
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Nov 30, 2013 17:01
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jBrereton posted:Because checkpoint saving is terrible. It's right up there with boss fights after unskippable cutscenes in terms of frustrating mechanics. A frustrating mechanic is not necessarily a bad one. Dark Souls is a massively frustrating experience, but also a brilliant one. No other (single player) game I've played has had that same feeling of achievement when you make it through a difficult area and finally beat the boss that has been grinding you to paste for the last two hours.
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Nov 30, 2013 17:05
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RoadCrewWorker posted:So i have BG1+2 from GOG, and just discovered some old messed up "Big World" install on some old harddrive that weighs in at 20+ GB and (if i remember correctly) took at least 18 hours to install years back. Apparently is also includes BG1 and expansions into the BG2 engine? I've heard it's generally pretty awful though. The Big World Project installs virtually every mod ever made for the Baldur's Gate games. Some of them are good. Many are average. Many are bad, and some are downright lovely. And in terms of technical stability, it makes a house of cards look like the pyramids. There is no mod pack for the series. Get your choice of Tutu or Trilogy, the fix pack, then any other mods you want. Opinions among players on what the "must have" mods are versus the "hardcore or crappy self fanfic inserts" mods are sharply divided. Some people love the Saerileth, Tsujatha, and Chloe mods. Others (most) hate them. Take your pick.
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Nov 30, 2013 17:09
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Cythereal posted:or moving the games into 3.5E rules. Why would anyone involved even want to do this? Putting aside the fact that 3.5 is terrible, it was outdated years before Beamdog even existed. Who knows, maybe we'll get a spiritual sequel that uses Next (which is poo poo, but at least less poo poo than 3.5) or even better, 13th Age.
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Nov 30, 2013 17:10
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Cythereal posted:I'm fairly certain that that is the intended design, actually. There's a reason there are so many NPCs you can recruit, after all, and this was before Bioware settled into the character-focused mindset. You're playing a Dungeons and Dragons game, and DMs inflicting horrible bullshit on players just for kicks is both normal and expected. It really isn't. Gygaxian DMing hasn't been the norm for decades.
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Nov 30, 2013 17:15
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Cythereal posted:The Big World Project installs virtually every mod ever made for the Baldur's Gate games. Some of them are good. Many are average. Many are bad, and some are downright lovely. And in terms of technical stability, it makes a house of cards look like the pyramids.
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Nov 30, 2013 17:16
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Lemon Curdistan posted:Why would anyone involved even want to do this? Putting aside the fact that 3.5 is terrible, it was outdated years before Beamdog even existed. 3.5 was the golden era of DND for me, and for a lot of the games.
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Nov 30, 2013 17:17
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Lemon Curdistan posted:Why would anyone involved even want to do this? Putting aside the fact that 3.5 is terrible, it was outdated years before Beamdog even existed. Let's not start edition wars. I happen to like 3.5E and how it was implemented in IWD2 and NWN2. Had the Enhanced Editions brought the series into 3.5E rules, I likely would have bought them. They did not. quote:It really isn't. Gygaxian DMing hasn't been the norm for decades. You do realize how old these games are and what BG1 in particular was meant to evoke, right? Both for DnD and CRPGs at that time, blindsiding players and making them think carefully about how to approach something were par for the course. quote:Thank you for the suggestions, that sounds like it'll give me much less headaches in the short and likely long run. You're welcome. Mods are very much down to individual taste for the most part.
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Nov 30, 2013 17:20
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3.5 is, at least, a bit more logical than 2E's dumb "lower is better, but only sometimes!" bits of confusion for new players.
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Nov 30, 2013 17:21
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I am well aware of what BG1 is meant to evoke. It is a wildly different game from BG2 in that and many other respects.
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Nov 30, 2013 17:22
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Goddamn this game is so huge. Every time I think my quest log is starting to empty out a little, I run into 20 more. I'm normally a massively anti-sidequest kinda guy...even Skyrim I just did the main quest then thieves/assassins guild stuff and was done. Something about BG2 though, I can't stop. I feel like I'm going to be really really sad once I finally finish everything and my first playthrough is over  Dark Souls is the only other game since Morrowind that I enjoyed this drat much
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Nov 30, 2013 17:27
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