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Post by pairesta on Aug 19, 2016 12:17:44 GMT -5
Finished Siege of Dragonspear. It was a much longer game than I thought.
They tinker with the XP such that you maybe gain 2 levels tops in the whole game.
It's pretty good. Nice to get new content. I wish it had picked up more on my BG game though, since Khalid and Dynaheir are both just fine in it despite me letting them get killed off in my playthrough. But I really don't get the seemingly bad word of mouth it's getting online. Even the stuff the stereotypical gaming community is up in arms about is pretty tame.
There is a kind of overkill denouement after the game finishes that needlessly connect the dots between the end of this game and the start of BG2, when it could have been told in a couple cutscenes.
Anyone else play it yet?
Gonna take a break before going into BG2 although I am kinda eager to see what they did to it.
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Post by pairesta on Sept 6, 2016 10:40:24 GMT -5
Well that didn't take long; I started BG2 this weekend. I was immediately sucked in. I forgot how many sidequests land in your lap early on. I wish they'd tinkered with the time limit setting on those quests though; it's almost impossible to get to them without pissing off another NPC in the process. Right now the party is Minsc, Korgan, Anomen, Jaheira, Nalia. I've never kept Korgan with me very long, but right now I'm impressed with his tank role in the party. But our alignment differences come into play later on. I haven't done the circus tent quest that brings me Aerie yet, for a variety of reasons. One of them being if I will have her in the party this time or not. I know she has many, many detractors (cough MrsLangdonAlger cough) but damn she is pretty awesome at later levels. Realistically I could dump Minsc and/or Jaheira for other, better characters but I am sentimentally attached to both. If I don't bring in Aerie, I could romance Jaheira, but I never want to. It always catches me as weird that she's coming on to me two days in game time after the death of Khalid. I briefly had a new character in the party you find early on, which led to a surprise twist that I didn't follow through on. But BG2 has so many interesting, good characters, and now they've added even more for the EE, and all of them have their own unique character quests. I always get torn between the same party or trying some new members because I'm leaving content on the table if I don't. BG2 is 16 years old but its influence is just staggering. The size of the game, the number of quests, are things we see right up to games like Skyrim today. It really did open new doors and remains probably my favorite game ever. |
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Post by pairesta on Oct 10, 2016 13:47:53 GMT -5
I've played BG2 three times, and all three times I hit a wall at the exact same place: right around the fight with Draconis, at Abazigal's Lair in Throne of Bhaal. The grind of the fight with Draconis always just kills my interest in the game. And I always forget, too, until it happens. I was going along fine, then got to the Draconis fight, spent the evening getting wiped out without being able to even bring him to half health, quit in a rage, and haven't been back ever since.
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Post by sarapen on Oct 12, 2016 10:35:58 GMT -5
I've played BG2 three times, and all three times I hit a wall at the exact same place: right around the fight with Draconis, at Abazigal's Lair in Throne of Bhaal. The grind of the fight with Draconis always just kills my interest in the game. And I always forget, too, until it happens. I was going along fine, then got to the Draconis fight, spent the evening getting wiped out without being able to even bring him to half health, quit in a rage, and haven't been back ever since. You reminded me I still haven't finished Throne of Bhaal. I had to reformat my hard drive and was kind of daunted at the prospect of reinstalling all the BG2 mods. I believe it took me like a day the last time, though a lot of that was me researching the install order to avoid conflicts. I guess I should just get to it one of these weekends. |
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Post by pairesta on Dec 5, 2016 7:29:41 GMT -5
I did finish BG2, and yet again got misty-eyed at the postscript stories of what happens to the main characters.
Now I'm re-playing Icewind Dale. I've actually historically played that more than BG, which seems like such an epic investment. ID, by contrast, is a little more relaxed without having to deal with Chosen One bullshit. Just a party you created killing everything in sight.
But I don't remember it being such a grind. Basically after every fight I have to rest to heal everyone up, even at Normal setting.
Man, that music. Takes me right back.
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heroboy
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Post by heroboy on Dec 29, 2016 10:58:10 GMT -5
I downloaded the enhanced edition of the first one for like $4 in the current Steam sale. Man, this is some complicated-ass shit. Anyone got any good character-creation and gameplay pointers for a brand-new player? This is huge can of fish, especially if you haven't played D&D before. One important thing to think about is that you automatically lose if your Main Character dies, while if anyone else dies its really just a temporary inconvenience. So if this is your first playthrough, I wouldn't recommend anyone too squishy like a Mage or a Sorcerer, or heck even a bard.
The most straightforward class choice is the prototypical Fighter which can wear heavy armor and have lots of hitpoints, so they're pretty damned durable and not likely to randomly die at the start of a fight.
Clerics are also pretty tanky and have the added benefits of being able to cast spells, typically healing and protection, but they also get some decent offensive spells.
Thieves are a pretty decent option as well, though they are a bit weak at the start so you need to be careful. The nice thing about thieves is that they need a lot less XP than other character classes to level up (1,250 XP to get to LVL 2 for a Thief vs 2,000 XP for a Fighter, and 2,500 for a Mage), so even though they're squishy, they will have a level advantage over the rest of the team, which helps out some. They can also hide in shadows and backstab for pretty big damage which is a good way to start out a fight.
As for stats, Baldur's Gate is made for min-maxing since you can move points around to any stat without any penalties. (Also duting creation, you can re-roll your stats as much as you want, and there is a little counter at the bottom with your total number of points. If you really want to max out your character you can keep re-rolling until you get something over 90)
So for example, a Fighter really needs Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity, basically in that order (unless you want to be an archer then you can bump up your Dexterity). Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma are basically useless, so you can decrease these to your hert's contet, bump up the thee prime stats to 18, then with whatever's left over bring up these other stats. Charisma is probably the only one that has any in-game use since it affects prices for equipment.
Thieves are in the same boat as they need Dexterity, Strength, then Constitution, with the other three stats being again pointless. (My personal favourite build is a Thief or a Fighter/Thief with 19 Strength dealing ridiculous backstabs with a long-sword).
Clerics, though, need Wisdom, Strength, Constitution. Dexterity helps but is kind of secondary to the other three.
Now, typically 18 is the maximum you can have for any stat, but this can change a bit for some races. So for example, half-orcs get a +1 boost to Strength, but a -1 penalty to Intelligence or Charisma (I think), so they're tailor-made for fighting since you can get a 19 Strength, which is a huge boost over 18.
As for gameplay tips, Remember that you can pause combat at any time, so unless you're fighting a bunch mooks way below you, you should be pausing every few seconds to position your characters, pick your targets, and cast your spells, rather than trying to do everything in real-time or letting the "AI" do it for you.
Bows are pretty essential at the start since even Level 1 Fighters only have very limited hitpoints, so fighting at a distance is a good way to stay alive longer. A group with Minsc, Khalid, and Khivan set up as archers can basically mow down everything coming at you. This is especially true early in the game where Mages are pretty weak and only have limited spells, though later on they become much more important.
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heroboy
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Post by heroboy on Dec 29, 2016 13:00:40 GMT -5
This is AWESOME info--thank you! I actually forgot to talk about Weapon Proficiencies, which while they're kind of a minor point when creating a character, they are super important later on. In the game, if you aren't proficient in a particular weapon, you get a penalty when attacking with it.
When you make your character, you get only a few of weapon proficiency points to dole out depending on your class. The problem is that you can't respect your proficiencies later on, so you're stuck with what you choose. You do get to add in more later on as you level up, but they are limited and you don't want to waste these on pointless weapons.
ETA: You know what, on second thought, don't worry about everything below this too much on your first play through. Just keep in mind that you need to be proficient in a weapon to use it effectively, otherwise you'll be missing a lot of your attacks. I would definitely recommend putting at least one point into a ranged weapon even if you plan to be primarily a melee character.
Fighters are most susceptible to this since they can put up to 5 proficiency points to a single weapon which gets you some larger bonuses later on. So while you can use any weapon you want, you don't want waste points on something like a dagger. You can also choose Scimitars, Rapiers, Katanas, etc which sound cool, but in BG1 there just aren't any decent magical varieties in the game (though there are in BG2). Your best bet is to choose early what you want to do, which is pretty mean for someone who has never played before. So if you want to be a monster with a huge sword, you have to put all your points into Two-Handed Swords and Two-Handed Fighting Style, then maybe one point into Long Bows. But if you decide later on to go Sword-and-Shield because you found a great magical Long Sword, those proficiency points are wasted. You can also consider two-weapon fighting style, though if this is the direction you want to go in, a Ranger might be a better option.
Other classes can only put in up to 2 proficiency points to a particular weapon, so re-speccing doesn't hurt as much.
Thieves' best bets are short-swords and short-bows. I can't remember if Thieves can use long-swords or if you need to be a Fighter/Thief to access them.
Clerics would normally go mace or warhammer along with one-point in slings for a ranged option
Mages don't really matter since they get such limited weapon choices, though if they're not casting spells, they should be using slings since they really shouldn't be close enough to be attacking with daggers or staves.
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Post by Celebith on Dec 29, 2016 16:32:05 GMT -5
I downloaded the enhanced edition of the first one for like $4 in the current Steam sale. Man, this is some complicated-ass shit. Anyone got any good character-creation and gameplay pointers for a brand-new player?
As for gameplay tips, Remember that you can pause combat at any time, so unless you're fighting a bunch mooks way below you, you should be pausing every few seconds to position your characters, pick your targets, and cast your spells, rather than trying to do everything in real-time or letting the "AI" do it for you.
Bows are pretty essential at the start since even Level 1 Fighters only have very limited hitpoints, so fighting at a distance is a good way to stay alive longer. A group with Minsc, Khalid, and Khivan set up as archers can basically mow down everything coming at you. This is especially true early in the game where Mages are pretty weak and only have limited spells, though later on they become much more important.
If it's like Icewind Dale, there should be a bunch of auto-pause options, too. Pause on hit, on sighting an enemy, completing casting a spell, etc., are all good stops. Better to have too many stops and remove some than the other way around. Also, Minsc is probably my favorite companion from any game. |
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Post by The Larch on Dec 29, 2016 18:19:24 GMT -5
I didn't see it mentioned, so I'll just note that contrary to logic, you'll want your AC (armour class) and THAC0 (to hit armour class 0) to be as low as possible.
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Post by sarapen on Nov 27, 2017 21:16:48 GMT -5
Well, after 10 years I've finally finished all of the Baldur's Gate games and have ascended the Throne of Bhaal. No, I haven't been playing it all this time, I just happen to take years-long breaks from the games sometimes. But I've definitely been doing the same playthrough from all the way back to the first Baldur's Gate.
I actually spent half of Sunday doing an old-fashioned gaming binge. I even skipped dinner, which I hadn't meant to but I was deep into fighting the final battle and thought it appropriate to regress back into the rhythms of teenage gamerdom. I got all the way to just before the last round of the boss fight but by that point it was kind of late and I did something I hardly ever did back in the day - I went to bed at a reasonable hour. And then after work today I resumed my decade-long quest.
I've gotta say, the Irenicus fight was much tougher than this. That one took me two weeks of experimentation to barely scrape out a win. I did die a few times against Throne of Bhaal's boss but that was mostly me being impatient. Once I carefully drank every potion, cast every buff, summoned every creature, planted every trap, and generally planned the Dungeons and Dragons equivalent of the Normandy invasion, then I won pretty handily.
I picked the ending where I became the Lord of Murder (although my character was a woman so I guess it's Lady of Murder?). I was seriously considering rejecting my own apotheosis but everyone in my mostly Evil party said to go for it - Sarevok, Viconia, Edwin, Anomen, and even Imoen, the conscience of our murderous band of conniving backstabbers and the only one of actual Good alignment. Plus godhood meant not marrying Anomen, which is definitely a benefit. Someone should make a mod where your relationship was just a meaningless fling for your character and you break up with him afterward.
I also wish there was a way to reject godhood without defaulting to a good ending. What if I wanted to stay mortal so I could conquer the Forgotten Realms the old-fashioned way? What if I wanted to stay on the Prime material plane because I wanted to do more murdering down here?
Anyway, my quibbles notwithstanding, I'm generally satisfied with the ending. I forgot that there was a mod made by one of Throne of Bhaal's head writers which apparently fleshed out the story a little bit more, especially the ending, but ah well. This is it for Baldur's Gate as far as I'm concerned.
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Post by pairesta on Nov 28, 2017 9:23:53 GMT -5
Well, after 10 years I've finally finished all of the Baldur's Gate games and have ascended the Throne of Bhaal. No, I haven't been playing it all this time, I just happen to take years-long breaks from the games sometimes. But I've definitely been doing the same playthrough from all the way back to the first Baldur's Gate. I actually spent half of Sunday doing an old-fashioned gaming binge. I even skipped dinner, which I hadn't meant to but I was deep into fighting the final battle and thought it appropriate to regress back into the rhythms of teenage gamerdom. I got all the way to just before the last round of the boss fight but by that point it was kind of late and I did something I hardly ever did back in the day - I went to bed at a reasonable hour. And then after work today I resumed my decade-long quest. I've gotta say, the Irenicus fight was much tougher than this. That one took me two weeks of experimentation to barely scrape out a win. I did die a few times against Throne of Bhaal's boss but that was mostly me being impatient. Once I carefully drank every potion, cast every buff, summoned every creature, planted every trap, and generally planned the Dungeons and Dragons equivalent of the Normandy invasion, then I won pretty handily. I picked the ending where I became the Lord of Murder (although my character was a woman so I guess it's Lady of Murder?). I was seriously considering rejecting my own apotheosis but everyone in my mostly Evil party said to go for it - Sarevok, Viconia, Edwin, Anomen, and even Imoen, the conscience of our murderous band of conniving backstabbers and the only one of actual Good alignment. Plus godhood meant not marrying Anomen, which is definitely a benefit. Someone should make a mod where your relationship was just a meaningless fling for your character and you break up with him afterward. I also wish there was a way to reject godhood without defaulting to a good ending. What if I wanted to stay mortal so I could conquer the Forgotten Realms the old-fashioned way? What if I wanted to stay on the Prime material plane because I wanted to do more murdering down here? Anyway, my quibbles notwithstanding, I'm generally satisfied with the ending. I forgot that there was a mod made by one of Throne of Bhaal's head writers which apparently fleshed out the story a little bit more, especially the ending, but ah well. This is it for Baldur's Gate as far as I'm concerned. You had said in your first post on this thread that you were not looking forward to finishing it and that you'd be a little melancholy when you did; so were you? I can only imagine; I need some "me time" whenever I finish a BG runthrough and that's only a few months, not a decade of on and off playing. Do you feel like you exhausted all the quests? Do you have any interest in a "good" playthrough? |
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Post by sarapen on Nov 28, 2017 16:40:30 GMT -5
You had said in your first post on this thread that you were not looking forward to finishing it and that you'd be a little melancholy when you did; so were you? I can only imagine; I need some "me time" whenever I finish a BG runthrough and that's only a few months, not a decade of on and off playing. Do you feel like you exhausted all the quests? Do you have any interest in a "good" playthrough? The thing is that last night I was coming down from the experience of finishing the game by watching videos and reading reactions to the ending. I do that sometimes when I've finished an interesting book or something like that. However, after a bit of this I realized that I'd originally been playing with the aforementioned Ascension mod which adds a bit more to the story and also makes the boss fights much tougher. I had thought the battles were easier than I remembered but chalked it up to the passage of time. So now my completist streak is telling me I didn't get the climactic ending that I'd originally wanted and that I should redo the last bit from Abazigal onward. So it looks like I'm still not done with Throne of Bhaal yet. To be honest, I kind of like having an excuse to do the game over one more time. The whole thing kind of felt like it ended a bit quick so having an extra-epic final battle might help the finality of it all sink in better. But you know, now that I've actually finished the game once I'm not feeling especially melancholy at all. I think it's because I spaced it out over such a long time. If I'd done it all in one intense year-long session I might have felt kind of drained to have it all end. But Baldur's Gate has for me just been a thing I did every now and then. I would enjoy it while I was playing it but I wouldn't miss it when I wasn't. I feel kind of satisfied to have another game crossed off my big queue but otherwise I'm good. And no, I'm not tempted to do a Good playthrough ever. I believe I mentioned in my original post that I don't redo games with heavy roleplaying. I've tried and I get bored at the repetition. Plus it's like I'm being forced to play against my natural style. I usually end up playing the same kind of character within the constraints of each RPG, meaning that this sort of character would only make certain choices, and therefore choosing anything else feels unnatural. Anyway, guess I'll see how much harder the Ascension mod is. Apparently you have to re-fight the old bosses from BG2 so we'll see how that goes. |
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