Baldur's Gate 2 Gold 84
waromano writes: "I just read over on VoodooExtreme that Baldur's Gate 2 has gone gold, shipping in stores on 9/26/00.
" Bioware ... muy bueno. Hopefully I can import my old characters.
Force needed to accelerate 2.2lbs of cookies = 1 Fig-newton to 1 meter per second
Re:Hmmm... Somehow it just isn' t the same... (Score:1)
Until Baldur's Gate was released RPGing was in somewhat of a lull. Now with the release of the first 2 core books of D&D 3 edition, and a series of execellent games released by Bioware & Black Isle, we geeks can finally put our DMing hats back on.
"You are surrounded by 7 Ogres. Roll for initiative...."
Now if they only hurried up with Planescape 2... (Score:1)
I haven't played BG1 since it was supposed to be mostly a clickfest, that's why I loved PS:T, even if there were some combat areas, mostly one could go on with intelligence and wisdom, if one so chose, instead of being forced to hack'n'slash one's way through.
Anybody knows if BG2 is going to have some more plot than BG1 or is it going to be another kill-everything-in-sight type of thing ?
Also, anybody know if there *is* going to be a PS:T 2 or if they are going to do something else ? I seem to recall having read they don't want to do it, but I would love it if they did, maybe setting it after TNO comes back from the blood war, maybe stripped of all his powers etc. and in need to complete some further mission
Oh well, I can always dream...
Re:First question... (Score:1)
Just wanted to say thanks! I think I'll buy Baldur's Gate (if I can find bundled with the expansion or something, I'll buy that too), and if it's as good as you say, then I'll buy BG II.
I'll also check out Deus Ex, but after playing Quake II and Starcraft for a while I'm in the mood for something in the Fantasy genre. If Deus Ex looks good I'll add it to my "games to buy" list.
Re: (Score:1)
Re:Now if they only hurried up with Planescape 2.. (Score:2)
Dakkon springs immediately to mind. Maybe Morte (always wondered how he managed to carry stuff for me
Dual-wielding Ranger! (Score:1)
Re:What i don't like about bg2 (Score:1)
God, you gotta love us engineers/nerds.. The world does too revolve around us!!! WE PICK THE COORDINATE SYSTEM!
Roll the dice (Score:1)
Re:Hey moderators (Score:1)
Or are you refering to the killing FascDot is soon to make on eBay?
Re:DnD Parody - Here's the video verision (Score:1)
And, Earthling is right, you have to listen, or see, this.
Re:No Thanks. (Score:1)
And with regards to Torment 2, I think perhaps it would be more fun if instead of using the same characters in the first game, the sequel should feature an entirely new character, that in the course of the game may meet up with the Nameless One's companions and have them join him/her. The story in Torment 1 is already complete; extending it any further is likely to spoil the story.
Hands up... (Score:1)
It also played like a utter dog on my 300Mhz laptop which I could never figure out - its only 2D!!
Having said that I will look forward to getting BG2 - just try to stop me!
Re:Hmmm... Somehow it just isn' t the same... (Score:1)
It actually gets closer to the Real Thing(tm) than any other computer RPG I've tried. (I live on the 6bone, so I can't try the online games.)
Good game = poor sales ? (Score:1)
2. I don't believe the game sold very well. A shame, because it's a true classic
A pity. I just picked PS:T up about a month ago and I have to say I think it is much better than BG (of course, if you're looking for a hack-fest, go get BG or Diablo 2 instead)
Which leads me on to ask, why is it that so many good games seem to sell poorly? Terra Nova by the now defunct Looking Glass Studios is one such game that comes to mind, MDK is another (I think, please correct me if i'm wrong). Maybe PS:T was a bit too wierd in terms of setting and characters that it put people off. Does that mean that gamers are reluctant to try out games that are different from the norms?
Icewind Dale (Score:1)
and so far (ok, ok, I already started playing Chapter 5) it rocks...
The engine's look & feel basically is the same as in BG/ToSC, but the graphics made my jaw drop even more - and the sound left me nearly speachless...
Now I'm waiting for BG2 and Pools of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor...
Game to buy (Score:1)
Re:First question... (Score:1)
What i don't like about bg2 (Score:1)
Importing Characters (Score:1)
Re:Great -- My conditions of sale (Score:1)
Re:Well, there goes... (Score:2)
Serious about a Linux port?? (Score:1)
Re:Serious about a Linux port?? (Score:1)
I hope they improved the AI (Score:2)
My top gripes
1) Pathfinding. The party is exploring a dungeon or wilderness area. One of the characters takes a wrong turn and just wanders off. I have to stop the other characters, go and find the lost sheep and bring him/her back step by step.
2) Suicidal magic users. The party gets into a fight. Everyone has range weapons except the magic user, who has run out of darts. So when I order the party to attack the enemy he charges off on his own to attack them with his dagger and gets slaughtered.
3) Weapon choice. In a fight I have to choose the right weapon for each character. Why can't they work this out for themselves? It really slows down the fights.
Re:Now if they only hurried up with Planescape 2.. (Score:1)
I loved PS:T - the only game where adding points to wisdom and charisma is actually useful. One of the very few games I'd compare to actually reading a book, and not just because it had a whole lot of text, but because of its intelectual and emotional heft.
If anyone has any urge whatsoever to play an involved rpg, definately pick this one up. I've seen it going for as little as 20 bucks already!
Re:Roll the dice (Score:2)
Re:Now we get to enjoy.... (Score:1)
It seems the empty space, the path-finding and the Fed-Ex quests (go to Beregost and bring me back my bottle of wine) are the two biggest complaints about the original, judging from alt.games.baldurs-gate [alt.games.baldurs-gate] and the Gameplay FAQ [interplay.com].
Needless to say, they've promised to fix them all - pathfinding will include bumping others out of the way instead of walking half-way around the world (like Icewind Dale apparently, but I've never played it), walking speed will be up 50%, empty spaces won't be there and quests will be more interesting.
I liked some of the voices - Minsc in particular had good lines ('RASKKKKKKKKKKKKK'). At the moment though, I have Safana in my evil party and her American accent is annoying me. That and being greeting by 'Yes darling' when I click on her as a female PC (her personality description makes it seem she'd aim that stuff at males).
Re:Serious about a Linux port?? (Score:1)
[04:43] netcat: Does Bioware have any plans to make games that will run on LINUX?
[04:43]DerekF[BioWare] netcat - what, like Neverwinter? =]
[04:44] NathanF_BioWare: netcat - Neverwinter is being planned to work in linux, yes
Re:What i don't like about bg2 (Score:1)
Play a human character and dual-class as soon as the game begins - you'll be level 1 with a lot of hit points.
This might make the beginning almost impossible of course...
Re:First question... (Score:1)
Truly a great game -- I enjoyed it about 10 times more than Baldur's Gate, which got very hack-and-slash tiresome after awhile. You know the kind - it becomes WORK to finish the game, but you've already put in so many hours you just keep going.
Torment, on the other hand, I wished would go on forever. Like a great book, it was almost painful to finish it completely.
Re:Importing Characters (Score:1)
YAY!
You probably get an idea of why he's my favorite charicter from me spelling it wrong in my .sig.....
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Re:Now if they only hurried up with Planescape 2.. (Score:1)
They don't say much of anything there, though, but I expect it'll be a pleasant surprise if and when they do.
Re:Importing Characters (Score:1)
//rdj
Re:Icewind Dale (Score:1)
I have been playing the bejeesus out of IWD for the last week or so and it is really addictive. The gameplay is more of a dungeon hack than BG and you get to choose your entire party, rather than just one character plus NPCs.
The control system takes a bit of getting used to, and resembles realtime strategy games a bit, but is easy with a little practice.
The cool thing about IWD for me is the fact that now, after years of munchkinish AD&D playing in my youth, I can see what the game would be like if you actually stick to the rules and dont fudge the dice rolls.
Re:DnD Parody (Score:1)
http://scopes.real.co m/real/player/unix/unix.html?src=rpbform [real.com]
Importing would be nice (Score:1)
You can Import, better for ToSC (Score:3)
If you haven't played BG1/ToSC, never fear. You can create a new character(s), which will start with 89k xp and jump right in.
I've read some impressive reviews which had good things to say about the story line, etc. What's funny, is, I was going to submit this as a story, too, but I didn't think it was "stuff that mattered". heh.
Hmmm... Somehow it just isn' t the same... (Score:3)
Re:Great -- My conditions of sale (Score:1)
First question... (Score:1)
Im planning on visiting the US in a few days, and apparently I wont be able to find Baldur's Gate II then. Is there any game of the genre that you'd recommend instead? Actually, I haven't bought Baldur's Gate 1 yet. Should I get it? Should I just wait for BGII? Should I buy something else instead?
What makes this game so special? (Score:1)
Re:Hey moderators (Score:1)
The moderators got pissy this morning and took me down. I was doing some definite whoring too.
I figure since I can't get decent stats this week, I oughtta pull a Jerry Krause and get far enough under the karma cap to pick up some decent free agents.
--Shoeboy
DnD Parody (Score:2)
Remember the scare caused by role-playing games in general, and DnD in particular?
Then you have to listen to this: http://www.nfds.net/~byron/mp3/DnD.mp3 [nfds.net]
Warning: Please do not eat or drink while listening to this. Don't say I didn't warn you! =)
-Earthling
Re:Now we get to enjoy.... (Score:1)
Re:Well, there goes... (Score:1)
Re:Well, there goes... (Score:1)
Who made what and why... (Score:3)
Bioware didn't make Icewind Dale. Bioware wrote Baldur's Gate.
And just finished Baldur's Gate 2.
They both used a variant of an engine Bioware created called the Infinity Engine.
This is the engine that they then gave to Interplay's RPG division, Black Isle Studios.
Black Isle then proceeded to make Planescape Torment, and Icewind Dale.
These were Interplay's in-house productions and had nothing to do with Bioware other than the base engine.
The game that you've referred to as Icewind Dale is actually Neverwinter Nights.
It's using a different engine completely (And thats another post), and isn't actually due out until june of next year
And last time i checked Gearbox developed Half Life opposing forces..
And the new Dreamcast Halflife..
And they were dropped by Electronics Arts when they were developing Prax War.
But they have nothing to do with Black Isle/Bioware/TSR
Re:Hmmm... Somehow it just isn' t the same... (Score:1)
"Yes, a..any of the first level ones"
"I wanna cast Magic Missle!"
"Why are you casting magic missle? there's nothing to attack here!"
"I.. I'm attacking the DARKNESS!"
(insert nerdy laughter)
Re:Wow... (Score:1)
your items won't make it across (Score:1)
as such, you've been stripped of your gear. you might find some of it as you escape from the wizard.
No Thanks. (Score:1)
Baldur's Gate reminds me of Diablo, which bored me away from the entire genre.
I watched my brother play Diablo as a high-level wizard. He looked engrossed, but all I saw was repetition. He kept torching wave after wave of undead with the same flame-throwing spell. When he was promoted, he used his new spell all of the time. That reinforced my opinion of the demo: the gameplay gets tedious.
One way that games attract players, besides being fun, is to create artifical goals for the player. The theme of the introduction is that you will inevitably kill all of the bad guys, not that you will try it out and then leave satisfied. Presumably, when the player completes the mission, he will be rewarded, perhaps by the unraveling of a mystery. In the case of Diablo, the main goal is character developement which is rewarded by seeing new animations, as well as bragging rights.
However, that just doesn't motivate me. Once I envision the theoretical possibility that my character can gain gold and levels, I just don't care about seeing it actually happen. I played rogue, so I know that I can do it eventually. I am more interested in being challenged. Any monkey can build a high-level character if they waste enough hours on it. As for the imagery, it was nothing special. I can guess approximately what a fireball looks like. I don't need to spend hours to get it.
Just because you can stress the limits of your machine doesn't mean that you must. Some of those simple, old-fashioned games were way more fun. Sure, the space ships were 2D cartoon-like icons, but the whole picture was a strategic overhead view and an exercise in visual planning, anticipating how all of those interacting sprites would move around. Contrast that with first person shooters, which naturally limit participation to parsing complex, fast-changing scenery.
Rather than join the hoards of compulsive upgraders, I will continue to play classic games with fun cartoonish figures and strategic 2D overhead views.
you should try BG1 (Score:1)
I'm playing through BG1 again right now, and it is truly a fine game. I did play through Torment several times, and torment is a better RPG but Baldur's Gate is a fine game in it's right.
If you're really interested, you could go to www.bgchronicles.com [bgchronicles.com] and read up on the game a bit.
There has been no word as to whether or not there will be a PS:T 2. I've seen speculation as to how it could be done, but it would be strange. The Nameless One is stuck in the lower planes for a long time, a sequel might involve Fall-From-Grace trying to get him back, but Black Isle is incredibly silent on any talk of a sequel. I know Black Isle is working on an as-of-now undisclosed project, so who knows.
Moller
Re:First question... (Score:1)
vi
i
"Enter your comments here!"
ESC
you start at level 9 because (Score:1)
Re:Uh, BG2 is not by BioWare (Score:1)
Icewind Dale [interplay.com]
vi
i
"Enter your comments here!"
ESC
Re:First question... (Score:1)
More importantly, they fixed most of the things in the Baldur's Gate engine that really pissed me off. Moving between maps is much faster, and you never get waylayed when traveling large distances. And, resting the party doesn't have that f-ing animation - you just click the rest button and 8 or 16 hours pass
Unfortunately, they made a few minor blunders with the pathfinding engine. When you command your characters to walk a long distance, like from the entrance of a cleared out dungeon level to the exit, it's anyone's guess what path they'll actually take and where they'll end up stopping. Many times I've done that and flipped to the big map only to shout "What the hell are you guy's doing over there!?!".
Re:I hope they improved the AI (Score:2)
for all your BG2 needs (Score:1)
It has all the information you could ever want on Baldur's Gate 2, updates from the development team, etc.
DM: What? (Score:2)
Player 1 (The Paladin):"Can I see how many are outside?"
DM:"All you see from the window is Orcs in your view with two Ogres holding torches on either side of the mage" "The Sorcerer calls to you 'Please surrender and I will not kill you, but turn you over to the master. I will give you have a moment to reply."
Player 1:"Are you guys in with me?"
Player 2 (The Mage):"This is just great!...Yes, we are #?!*ed, but I am in."
Player 3 (The Cleric):"By the gods...so be it"
Player 4 (The Bard):"dunnt..dunnt...da...da, da...daaah...daah...daah...die...DAAAAAH...brummp
DM:"What's your reply?"
Player 1:" Hey Mage...you got a magic missle spell left?"
Player 2:"Yes?..."
Player 1:"Send him our reply!"
vi
i
"Enter your comments here!"
ESC
Re:Now if they only hurried up with Planescape 2.. (Score:1)
Heh. You know the bit where Morte gets kidnapped? Well, guess who was carrying my skull collection? Seemed like a good idea at the time...
Re:Well, there goes... (Score:1)
Two Rings of Wizardry and other game exploits =) (Score:1)
There's a bunch of other exploits my highschool's RPG club was able to pull off, but I'd have to talk to them about it - It's been such a long time that I've forgotten it all.
Except for Rob's glowing Amazon (every DM said "No") =)
Just say "YES" to Giant Space Hamsters!
Your sig (Score:1)
Bwahahahahaha
You're killing me
---CONFLICT!!---
Re:First question... (Score:1)
THe next thing that Bioware (the company who made the engine and produced Baldur's Gate, Tales of the Sword Coast, and Baldur's Gate II... not to be confused with Black Island, which is the division of Interplay and distributed all the above games as well as using the same engine to produce Torment and Icewind Dale) {deep breath} is working on is something called Never Winter nights. Essentially a translation of AD&D 3rd edition rules to the computer complete with customizable tools to make your own adventures, GM them for the on-line players (complete with you taking over control of NPCs) and the idea of distrubuting 'modules' (ie expansion packs). Check it out at www.neverwinternights.com
Oh... and did I mention that they plan to release the program SIMULTANEOUSLY for Window, Macintosh, and LINUX. (which will also mean that the game engine is available to be used in other products for all three platforms... cool).
Now we get to enjoy.... (Score:2)
....more empty space and bad voice acting.
Did anyone else not like the original because of the empty space and the talking? IMO, RPG's should not talk. If you need some kind of speech from the characters, it should be left to a bare minimum (Planescape: Torment was very good in this aspect). ESPECIALLY the main character, if s/he's generated by the player. If the point of an RPG is to play the role of another, shouldn't the player be left to fill in all the details about his/her avatar?
Re:Importing would be nice (Score:1)
Well, there goes... (Score:5)
If this keeps up, we'll uncover the sinister truth: that CmdrTaco runs Win2K exclusively!
Interesting... (Score:1)
However, I don't think it's going to do well in the Christmas season. Just my opinion on this, but it just does not feel like a big Christmas "must-buy".
Kierthos
Re:Hey moderators (Score:1)
Re:First question... (Score:2)
That said, I'd get ToSC -- it has the best quests in the game. Durlag's Tower is downright cool, and there are some really tough fights and a cool quest relating to werebeasts on an island in the pack. I enjoyed the expansion pack as much or more than the original game. I'd actually think it would be cool if they published more, like serial novels, or something.
Re:Hey moderators (Score:1)
In the pride and folly of my youth I decided to keep my karma between 120 and 150 rather than stockpile as much as I could.
I am older, sadder and wiser now.
--Shoeboy
Re:Hmmm... Somehow it just isn' t the same... (Score:1)
Re:Now if they only hurried up with Planescape 2.. (Score:3)
Most advance reviews claim it has a far more intricate and involving plot than BG1. If Bioware is to be believed (and I tend to trust them), each of the party-joinable NPCs in BG2 will have as much dialogue as all of the party-joinable NPCs in BG1 combined - as well as several character-specific subquests. Most previews have also mentioned that the quests seem much more complex this time - far fewer "kill foo" or "bring me binky"/FedEx quests.
Also note that each character class gets its own "stronghold" quest - these promise to be quite interesting:
Fighter - acquire a keep, which may need to be defended from a siege
Ranger - a cabin in the woods, as well as a small hamlet to protect
Paladin - join the Order of the Radiant Heart
Thief - run a thieves' guild
Bard - put on a show in a (possibly haunted) playhouse
Priest - run a temple
Mage - mystic tower, complete with magical laboratory and a guardian golem
Planescape: Torment:
I'd love a sequel. Two factors may prevent it:
1. The ending of the first one didn't leave much room for a second story. It would have to involve a different main character.
2. I don't believe the game sold very well. A shame, because it's a true classic.
Shut up, Brad, you dolt (Score:1)
P.S. I had sex and you didn't :>
Re:Uh, BG2 is not by BioWare (Score:1)
Well duh... (Score:1)
The nick is a joke! Really!
Icewind Dale was already released! (Score:1)
Re:RPGs to buy... (Score:1)
freaking roommate (Score:1)
Too damn cheap to buy his own.
Re:Now we get to enjoy.... (Score:1)
Baldur's Gate is not Diablo (Score:1)
If you haven't played Baldur's Gate you should know that there are a number of differences between Baldur's Gate and Diablo. They really aren't even in the same genre.
Diablo is very similar to the Rogue-like games. You get the same random map generation and monster respawning. There is an unlimited amount of experience and gold to be collected. This makes it very easy for those whose only goal is the get the levels upon levels, and extra animations. The plot feel like an afterthought for the most part. It really should be categorized as an arcade game.
Baldur's Gate is not an arcade game. They have actual writer's who compose the plots for Baldur's Gate which are interesting and varied. The gameplay is centered around these plots, and as such there aren't wave after wave of undead to be blasted. Once you have visited a place and cleared out the nasties, they are gone when you return. This puts a limit on the experience and gold to be collected with the same tactics.
One is presented with a wide variety of choices in party members, all of whom have quite detailed backgrounds, and personalized plotlines. They interact with the world based on those backgrounds.
Baldur's Gate is an RPG and nothing like Diablo except on a superficial level.
Even on the superficial level, Baldur's Gate looks much better than Diablo. Every area is hand drawn as a whole. Diablo uses the repetitive tile approach and gets pretty boring fast.
RPGs to buy... (Score:1)
It's also from BioWare
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Re:What makes this game so special? (Score:1)
Re:Well, there goes... (Score:1)
Be one with the ways of the VMWare...