|
MonikaTSarn posted:If I wanted to replay Baldur's Gate 1+2 once more, what would be the best way ? I remember playing some patch that combined both games into one some years ago, that worked great - is that still ideal, or are the enhanced versions worth it ? The enhanced editions. You can run that mod and many more on the ees but I've tried it 3 times and inevitably ran into some dialogue bugs. The biggest reason people used it wasnt to go back to candlekeep in bg2 but to play bg1 in the bg2 engine. Thankfully the ee fixes that
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 13:23
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 24, 2024 18:56 |
|
|
Meyers-Briggs Testicle posted:The enhanced editions. You can run that mod and many more on the ees but I've tried it 3 times and inevitably ran into some dialogue bugs. The biggest reason people used it wasnt to go back to candlekeep in bg2 but to play bg1 in the bg2 engine. Thankfully the ee fixes that Thanks. I googled some myself. What I used before was Tutu, but that is old. I'll buy the two enhanced editions I guess. You mean merging them with EET (Enhanced Edition Trilogy, https://www.gibberlings3.net/forums/forum/195-enhanced-edition-trilogy/) is still buggy ?
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 13:38
|
|
|
MonikaTSarn posted:Thanks. I googled some myself. What I used before was Tutu, but that is old. the question is more why you would want to combine them into one now. the enhanced editions (and the games in general) were always set up to allow you to smoothly import from one to the next, so you don't need the trilogy mod to do a full playthrough. Tutu just fixed some technical/gameplay issues, letting you use the character building options from 2 in the first game, but the Enhanced Editions do that already so there's really not much of a reason.
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 13:44
|
|
|
Arivia posted:the question is more why you would want to combine them into one now. the enhanced editions (and the games in general) were always set up to allow you to smoothly import from one to the next, so you don't need the trilogy mod to do a full playthrough. Tutu just fixed some technical/gameplay issues, letting you use the character building options from 2 in the first game, but the Enhanced Editions do that already so there's really not much of a reason. Good point. I guess you loose the ability to get back to BG1 areas while in BG2, but there's really not much point to that I assume, unless you feel like killing Drizzt with level 20 characters. It seems there's mods for the whole EET now, this looks like it could be 'interesting': https://baldursextendedworld.com/Sandrah/
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 14:18
|
|
|
MonikaTSarn posted:Good point. I guess you loose the ability to get back to BG1 areas while in BG2, but there's really not much point to that I assume, unless you feel like killing Drizzt with level 20 characters. Lol if this is your first bg in a decade try the plain ees first
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 14:22
|
|
|
The larger npc mods tend to be a little “extra”. How much you enjoy them depends on how much you enjoy reading fanfiction and/or romance.
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 14:50
|
|
|
Meyers-Briggs Testicle posted:Lol if this is your first bg in a decade try the plain ees first Fruits of the sea posted:The larger npc mods tend to be a little “extra”. How much you enjoy them depends on how much you enjoy reading fanfiction and/or romance. Could have been a decade, could be 5 years ago. I have no idea. I can't even remember all of the the MMORPG'S I played, no memory space left for repeat playthroughs of games like Baldur's Gate. Can't believe the Baldur's Gate is 22 years old now - it was so new and exciting when it first game out, finally something to fix the lack of goldbox games. Still angry it wasn't turned based :-). Can't believe it took almost 20 years to get over the real time with pause mania. Still hoping for a Pool of Radiance - Enhanced Edition. Some new mods and NPC's are exactly what I need to make a new playthrough interesting. But actually, I changed my mind and will go replay Neverwinter Nights instead, got the EE bundle for €6.39 at fanatical. I have totally forgotten what that was all about, should be fun.
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 15:37
|
|
|
MonikaTSarn posted:Could have been a decade, could be 5 years ago. I have no idea. I can't even remember all of the the MMORPG'S I played, no memory space left for repeat playthroughs of games like Baldur's Gate. Can't believe the Baldur's Gate is 22 years old now - it was so new and exciting when it first game out, finally something to fix the lack of goldbox games. Still angry it wasn't turned based :-). Can't believe it took almost 20 years to get over the real time with pause mania. Still hoping for a Pool of Radiance - Enhanced Edition. you'll want to get a copy of nwn2 too then https://neverwintervault.org/project/nwn2/module/pool-radiance-remastered
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 15:54
|
|
|
MonikaTSarn posted:Good point. I guess you loose the ability to get back to BG1 areas while in BG2, but there's really not much point to that I assume, unless you feel like killing Drizzt with level 20 characters. Make sure you get Saerileth too!
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 16:45
|
|
|
Arivia posted:you'll want to get a copy of nwn2 too then https://neverwintervault.org/project/nwn2/module/pool-radiance-remastered Oh, that's awesome ! I of course have a copy of NWN2, if I only knew where ... doesn't seem to be in my steam account, not sure where a physical copy could be. Might have to wait 10 more years for NWN2EE.
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 16:48
|
|
|
MonikaTSarn posted:Could have been a decade, could be 5 years ago. I have no idea. I can't even remember all of the the MMORPG'S I played, no memory space left for repeat playthroughs of games like Baldur's Gate. Can't believe the Baldur's Gate is 22 years old now - it was so new and exciting when it first game out, finally something to fix the lack of goldbox games. Still angry it wasn't turned based :-). Can't believe it took almost 20 years to get over the real time with pause mania. Still hoping for a Pool of Radiance - Enhanced Edition. I was very disappointed with the EE remaster of NWN, personally. The one thing I feel like it absolutely needed was a complete do-over of the controls, as 2000s-era 3D controls and cameras have not aged well at all. Aside from support for higher resolutions (which I don't think was particularly well done visually, and was for me so buggy it forced me to stop playing), I couldn't really tell what they'd done to "enchance" the game. Maybe it's been significantly improved since I played it upon release.
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 16:58
|
|
|
Boo, but also there are like 5 games out this month I'm interested in, so maybe not the worst. https://twitter.com/larianstudios/status/1290679248102072326
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 17:17
|
|
|
They can take all the time they need, it's not like I'm gonna play this in Early Access anyway.
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 17:22
|
|
|
Fair Bear Maiden posted:They can take all the time they need, it's not like I'm gonna play this in Early Access anyway. What if it took 100 years
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 17:23
|
|
|
Meyers-Briggs Testicle posted:What if it took 100 years that's fine if they get it out in 2127 then the timelines of the real world and the forgotten realms will match again like they're supposed to
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 17:26
|
|
|
Fruits of the sea posted:The larger npc mods tend to be a little “extra”. How much you enjoy them depends on how much you enjoy reading fanfiction and/or romance.
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 17:27
|
|
|
I'm guessing the "big news" will be a next-gen consoles announcement. I mean, we all know it's happening.
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 18:03
|
|
|
Arivia posted:that's fine Watch as this quote gets taken out of context and gaming sites start reporting the release date as 2127 Phlegmish fucked around with this message at 19:36 on Aug 4, 2020 |
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 19:06
|
|
|
Meyers-Briggs Testicle posted:What if it took 100 years I'm gonna keep myself alive until the time is ripe, no matter what sacrifices have to be made.
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 19:32
|
|
|
Freakazoid_ posted:I think gamers are a lot more flexible these days and don't mind nearly as much that you have to study a game to beat it. Hell, that's a lot easier than actually developing skills to beat a game. Bringing it up is cliche, but that was what drove the popularity in the Souls games. You iterate until you advance. Most games aren't like that, though, including all the games trying to ape the formula based on the meme instead of the game. Having an RPG tell you "nope, gently caress you, reload your last save and I hope it was recent" is just a kick in the dick instead of any sort of learning experience. I fell off DOS2 just as I was leaving the original encampment because combat was savescumming forever. There's something organic when you die because you were slow that doesn't translate well to being murdered because you didn't ~physics~ enough. If anything, given the stupid number of quality games coming out these days, I'd say people more likely to home in on bullshit and uninstall/refund instantly.
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 19:46
|
|
|
Jackard posted:Edwin romance all the way That is legit the only npc mod I've had fun with throughout 
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2020 21:41
|
|
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZlQCRwkeB8 Wow, I never realized how many companions this game had. Looking up the ones I straight never recognized were characters in game outside of potentially using their portraits at character creation. Looking them up, most seem like either they're for evil parties or it's another goddamn thief. Weird choice to include soooo many thief companions. Also maybe two too many comic relief gnomes?
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2020 04:18
|
|
|
The comedy relief characters in BG1 wouldn't be so bad if any of them were funny
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2020 04:28
|
|
|
Lots of BG1 characters didn't get used because they're evil in a game where good/evil is a difficulty slider. There's also a small army of mages that are all worse than a dual-classed Imoen.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2020 04:45
|
|
|
The devs made an assumption that players would let characters die in BG1 instead of reloading when they die, so there's a lot of redundant characters to let you replace losses, especially among mages and thieves who are the most likely to die early. It's also why so few of them are actually characterized - it would be a waste of time to write a deep subplot for a lot of characters who were likely to get instagibbed by a crossbow bolt. BG2 knuckled down on assuming people would keep their party alive, so it has a lot less characters that are much more developed.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2020 07:35
|
|
|
Chairchucker posted:Actually it rules. Especially if you're a pirate captain and you have a crew singing sea shanties along the way.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2020 07:42
|
|
|
Kanos posted:The devs made an assumption that players would let characters die in BG1 instead of reloading when they die, so there's a lot of redundant characters to let you replace losses, especially among mages and thieves who are the most likely to die early. It's also why so few of them are actually characterized - it would be a waste of time to write a deep subplot for a lot of characters who were likely to get instagibbed by a crossbow bolt. Just lol if you don't immediately become attached to the 1st party characters you meet and refuse to swap them out, mainly cos the gear juggling is such a pain in the arse.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2020 09:47
|
|
|
Kanos posted:The devs made an assumption that players would let characters die in BG1 instead of reloading when they die Is that actually mentioned by Bioware/Black Isle somewhere? That's up there with Xbone's 2013 pitch as one of the most out of touch calls. Someone playing BG in a blind playthrough without savescumming would probably get a game over two maps in.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2020 12:57
|
|
|
Check out the Baldur's Gate thread, you actually have quite a few people doing Ironman runs. I don't understand it either, but maybe they thought their entire playerbase would be like that.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2020 13:02
|
|
|
Mailer posted:Is that actually mentioned by Bioware/Black Isle somewhere? That's up there with Xbone's 2013 pitch as one of the most out of touch calls. Someone playing BG in a blind playthrough without savescumming would probably get a game over two maps in. It's worth remembering that Baldur's Gate came out in 1997 - the computer RPG scene and what its fans were used to was very different back then.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2020 15:58
|
|
|
While that is obviously true, is it really true in that specific sense? I have pretty much never played a proper tabletop RPG in my life, but I imagine that people get attached to their characters during sessions, and that they will try to wriggle or rules-lawyer their way out of permadeath whenever possible.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2020 16:01
|
|
|
Phlegmish posted:While that is obviously true, is it really true in that specific sense? I have pretty much never played a proper tabletop RPG in my life, but I imagine that people get attached to their characters during sessions, and that they will try to wriggle or rules-lawyer their way out of permadeath whenever possible. Yes, but that's tabletop RPGs. In pre-BG2 computer RPGs, having party members as swappable sets of stats with different portraits was very common, and they would die/need replacing, so forth and so on.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2020 16:03
|
|
|
Arivia posted:Yes, but that's tabletop RPGs. In pre-BG2 computer RPGs, having party members as swappable sets of stats with different portraits was very common, and they would die/need replacing, so forth and so on. Ah, I see your point now. Then I can agree. I myself have never played any of the really old CRPGs, including even the Ultima series, and besides the graphics the disposable nature of their characters is a big part of that.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2020 16:05
|
|
|
I'm not sure which blank slate NPCs from BG1 you all are talking about... they all had plenty of personality and backstory, and almost everyone as far as I know is part of at least one banter chain if not several. The companions you can't get until Baldur's Gate itself may seem underdeveloped but that's because most players have an established party by then and don't bother to recruit any of them. The biggest problem is the banter pairings make little sense from a gameplay perspective; in terms of balanced parties, pacing, or consistency in alignment. Even sticks in the mud like Ajantis, Kivan, or Yeslick get spicy if you bring along Xan, Viconia, or Kagain, respectively. You're just unlikely to have the latter two pairings because of wildly different alignments, and you're unlikely to have Ajantis and Xan together because Xan appears to be terrible (he's not, but it's easy to get fooled by "Can't cast Magic Missle/Fireball, comes with awesome dagger he should never use"). Skie's probably the biggest blank slate, but mostly because she's written as a token for Garrick and Eldoth to fight over, because 90's fantasy writing, but also who is going to have two crappy bards and an extremely late game thief in their party?
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2020 17:10
|
|
|
Phlegmish posted:Ah, I see your point now.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2020 17:21
|
|
|
I've definitely read somewhere that the BG devs did players would cycle through companions as NPCs die off, but that doesn't mean that they didn't put much effort in the NPCs can recruit.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2020 17:35
|
|
|
The BG1 npcs each have at most, a couple conversations over the course of the 40+ hour game. Half of those interactions are quest related, and most of the rest are inter-party conflicts where they try to kill each other or ditch the party. It'd be wrong to say they are a blank slate, but they aren't terribly detailed characters either. That's not necessarily a bad thing, sometimes less is more when it comes to writing. The player knows everything they need to know about Edwin, Shar-Teel or Minsc after meeting them for the first time.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2020 17:42
|
|
|
Arivia posted:It's worth remembering that Baldur's Gate came out in 1997 - the computer RPG scene and what its fans were used to was very different back then. Having played it when it was a new release, the idea that you'd accept that a character you'd invested time in leveling just vanished because a trap happened was absolutely foreign. I remember talking with a friend about it because of the negative CON penalty, though I don't know if that applied in BG. I know in BG2 frequent res was a thing but death in BG1 was just assumed to be a reload. Old games with permadeath that wouldn't let you save anywhere (Bard's Tale, et al) were considered antiques at that point.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2020 19:58
|
|
|
BG1 being a bad game in most respects was significantly muted by the fact that it was a genre experiment and aesthetically polished. "An RPG that mechanically plays like an RTS" hadn't really been done before. It's so old hat to us now, but mechanically, that had a real chance to shine. BG2 took a little more effort towards make itself a solid RPG per se. And was absolutely carried by David Warner as Jon Irenicus.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2020 20:01
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 24, 2024 18:56 |
|
|
Mailer posted:Having played it when it was a new release, the idea that you'd accept that a character you'd invested time in leveling just vanished because a trap happened was absolutely foreign. I remember talking with a friend about it because of the negative CON penalty, though I don't know if that applied in BG. I know in BG2 frequent res was a thing but death in BG1 was just assumed to be a reload. Old games with permadeath that wouldn't let you save anywhere (Bard's Tale, et al) were considered antiques at that point. If you were a serious old school D&D player maybe you'd be more used to coping with that kind of loss?
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2020 20:03
|
|