Baldur's Gate Beamdog's Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 Enhanced Editions

[Bester]

Mage familiar also depends on alignment. Gives different bonuses if I remember right.

 

[Shadenuat]

WHY IS DORN SUDDENLY TRYING TO PUT HIS HALF ORCISH WAND INTO MY DIMENSIONAL PORTAL

He wasn't like that in BG1!

 

[Somberlain]

The Bioware of old shall perish
But in their doom they shall spawn a modder progeny
Seeds of inclusivity will be sown from their passing
So sayeth the wise Gaider

 

[Lilura]

Yeah, reputation causes more reactivity than alignment in BG1, though it's nothing to write home about.. things like the "super Harper" attacking a disreputable party in the city. BG2 hardly fares better, with Somberlain's example being one of a handful.

Both games are weak as piss on alignment, reputation and ability score checks in dialogue.. and just reactivity in general: illusory C&C is BioWare's shtick..

 

[Infinitron]

Yeah, reputation causes more reactivity than alignment in BG1, though it's nothing to write home about.. things like the "super Harper" attacking a disreputable party in the city. BG2 hardly fares better, with Somberlain's example being one of a handful.

Both games are weak as piss on alignment, reputation and ability score checks in dialogue.. and just reactivity in general: illusory C&C is BioWare's shtick..

What BG usually does, I think, is "Reaction checks", which are a combination of Reputation and Charisma.

 

[Kem0sabe]

I love dialogue checks more than i do reputation checks, the later dont usually promote free flowing gameplay as the player just chooses to be either good or bad without a reasonable middle term.

 

[GarfunkeL]

I don't even understand where you are coming from. In what underage kindergarten world do people define their peers by their steam libraries? lol, you are a computer rpg hipster by definition. How much worse can it get?

It's an improved product, hell yes. For me right now, the multiplayer is great fun and it's stable. I can't find fault in an greatly expanded player base for IE games that Beamdog has achieved. But then again, I'm not a fucking hipster.

Dude, you're the hipster here. My point is that this dude claimed to be a big RPG fan but he didn't have the patience to actually play the EE's nor did he have the capability of modding the originals. We already had this argument with ArchAngel who turned out to be incapable of proving why the EEs are an improved product - hint: they aren't - and the reason people buy them is

a) they are too stupid or clueless to mod IE games on their own and want to pay for the privilege of Beamdog doing a shoddy version of it instead CUZ QUICK AND EASY
or
b) get to brag about supporting "HARDCORE OLD SCHOOL RPGs"

I understand that you fuckers already formed an emotional connection to your misguided purchase and have thus a desperate need to justify it not only to the Codex but yourself but give it up.

Does alignment really effect anything in either BG 1-2? I know it effects the dreams in BG 1. Or is it just party reputation that NPC's react to?

Also. Why are humans the only race that can dual class?

Yeah, as others pointed out, the dream powers are decided based on your reputation and you can thus game them to get exactly the combination that you want. If you create a new BG2 game and not import a character, it's decided based on your reputation. In BG1, NPC reaction to you is based on charisma+reputation and aligment only decides the initial bonus you have on that check where LG bumps it up the most while CE lowers it the most. This doesn't really matter as it only means that you get a little extra reward from certain (not all!) quests if the quest NPC likes you enough.

Humans are the only race who can dual class because the suck otherwise and it was a way to balance them against demi-human multiclassing and special abilities.

 

[ArchAngel]

I don't even understand where you are coming from. In what underage kindergarten world do people define their peers by their steam libraries? lol, you are a computer rpg hipster by definition. How much worse can it get?

It's an improved product, hell yes. For me right now, the multiplayer is great fun and it's stable. I can't find fault in an greatly expanded player base for IE games that Beamdog has achieved. But then again, I'm not a fucking hipster.

Dude, you're the hipster here. My point is that this dude claimed to be a big RPG fan but he didn't have the patience to actually play the EE's nor did he have the capability of modding the originals. We already had this argument with ArchAngel who turned out to be incapable of proving why the EEs are an improved product - hint: they aren't - and the reason people buy them is

a) they are too stupid or clueless to mod IE games on their own and want to pay for the privilege of Beamdog doing a shoddy version of it instead CUZ QUICK AND EASY
or
b) get to brag about supporting "HARDCORE OLD SCHOOL RPGs"

I understand that you fuckers already formed an emotional connection to your misguided purchase and have thus a desperate need to justify it not only to the Codex but yourself but give it up.

I did prove it but you are a zealot.
As a zealot, that last comment also works on you.

 

[moraes]

Playing the Enhanced Edition and modding the game are not mutually exclusive, the most popular mods are availabe for it, including Ascencion (currently in beta).

You should only play the originals if (a) you want to experience vanilla BG I with the original rules, (b) your favorite mod is not compatible or (c) you think the price of the EEs is unfair for the handful of changes (some of them of dubious quality) that they introduce.

Still, in my opinion, just the QOL changes, like faster quick loading/saving and mass-looting, justify the price, at least when discounted in a sale.

 

[Roobenator]

Dude, you're the hipster here. My point is that this dude claimed to be a big RPG fan but he didn't have the patience to actually play the EE's nor did he have the capability of modding the originals. We already had this argument with ArchAngel who turned out to be incapable of proving why the EEs are an improved product - hint: they aren't - and the reason people buy them is

a) they are too stupid or clueless to mod IE games on their own and want to pay for the privilege of Beamdog doing a shoddy version of it instead CUZ QUICK AND EASY
or
b) get to brag about supporting "HARDCORE OLD SCHOOL RPGs"

I understand that you fuckers already formed an emotional connection to your misguided purchase and have thus a desperate need to justify it not only to the Codex but yourself but give it up.

I don't understand what intrinsic value modding has to you. Of course it's easier, in what goddamn fantasy world do you live in? You need to understand that the original bg fans are over 25, with lives besides computer games. So are you seriously making those arguments about the Enhanced Edition player demographic? That's ridiculous.
I can say that I've played bg in three waves: when they were released, when I discovered mods and now after the EE's. Maybe we are talking about two different things here. I'm not denying that the mods are good. What I'm saying is that the EE's give an improved product over the original games to an expanded audience. Now they are releasing new content (SoD) and you still claim this is a bad thing? staph...

 

[pippin]

a) you want to experience vanilla BG I with the original rules,

Thing is BG1+TOSC is the version being sold right now, and TOSC introduced some (minor) changes. A true vanilla playthrough would be with the original game on disc, without the expansion.

(c) you think the price of the EEs is unfair for the handful of changes (some of them of dubious quality) that they introduce.

This is undeniably true.

 

[Lilura]

A true vanilla playthrough would be with the original game on disc, without the expansion.

And patched to 1.1.4315. Still, TotSC 5512 is considered vanilla (it just imbalances some things).

 

[Echo Mirage]

Ok, I'm thinking of building a multi class elven Mage/Thief to play through BG 1 EE to BG 2 EE. Since it gives me extra weapons proficiency points to spend what should I go for?

Duel wielding was something I took back in BG 2. Along with Katana and long sword proficiency. But I never saw much use from the Katana points since they were rare and long swords were much more numerous and so very good. Such as my beloved Daystar. I don't recall Daggers being worth much since the lack of the dagger of venom+2 still pisses me off to this day. There were a few short swords of note by those carried by party members. But also are few and far in between. Quarterstaffs are varied and numerous. And there were a few exotic weapons on offer as well. But other than a ninja sword in the watchers keep and a scimitar around trademeet I don't recall anything else.

 

[Somberlain]

Ok, I'm thinking of building a multi class elven Mage/Thief to play through BG 1 EE to BG 2 EE. Since it gives me extra weapons proficiency points to spend what should I go for?

Duel wielding was something I took back in BG 2. Along with Katana and long sword proficiency. But I never saw much use from the Katana points since they were rare and long swords were much more numerous and so very good. Such as my beloved Daystar. I don't recall Daggers being worth much since the lack of the dagger of venom+2 still pisses me off to this day. There were a few short swords of note by those carried by party members. But also are few and far in between. Quarterstaffs are varied and numerous. And there were a few exotic weapons on offer as well. But other than a ninja sword in the watchers keep and a scimitar around trademeet I don't recall anything else.

Dagger of Venom +2 is added by BG2EE, it's

Spoiler

sold in the Thayan Enclave.

It's just a +2 weapon though, so it's not too useful after the early game.

Long swords and short swords might be the best choice, simply because elves get a racial +1 bonus to THAC0 with them and for thieves and mages there aren't many choices either. There are hardly any good short swords in the endgame, however.

 

[Shadenuat]

Daystar pwns now

That was 1 hit, not sure where extra numbers come from, yellow from him being evil, else for undead?

Spoiler

Run lichie run!

 

[hell bovine]

Try the SCS-improved Kangaxx. The little bugger uses Wish offensively.

(The ladies lost that battle, no surprise. Apparently wished breach can get through spell shield?)

But overall, I'm impressed; it really felt like a proper archmage duel, with spells of mass destruction flying around and demons being summoned left an right.

 

[Infinitron]

Beamdog do some native advertising and also this: http://blog.beamdog.com/2016/02/fantasy-grounds.html

In the deep, dusty archives of Baldur's Gate (or, rather, the well-maintained archives of Mike Sass's hard drive), we found the original Edwin Odesseiron portrait by Baldur’s Gate artist Mike Sass. The piece was never made available… until now. Fantasy Grounds has the portrait available as a free download, and so do we!





Behold, the inimitable Red Wizard of Thay in all his original glory! Our friends over at Gamerati have an interview with Sass up right now discussing his artistic process and influences. Read the history, meet the artist, play the character, and enjoy the portrait!

VentilatorOfDoom

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Game is so bug free it hurts.

When I decide to keep the theater at the end of the bard's keep quest chain it crashes and I cannot continue the game. I found a resolution quite quickly: you need to sell the deed. Choices and consequences!

How may years since release is it now?

 

[FeelTheRads]

It is great improvement! Download free mods, replace UI with shitty textures and fonts, make it buggier than the original and sell at double the price! True modern game development at its finest.

LOL AT THE H8ERS!!

 

[Shadenuat]

Try the SCS-improved Kangaxx.

The point is to play EE and see how it holds compared to mods and what is "improved experience" how Beamdog see it.
Interestingly enough there is at least 1 fight in BG2EE that uses SCS-like scripts - the Thayan Enclave fight. Which is the best EE fight so far and the only one where veterans would have to wake up (although it can be powered through simply because EE seems to add even more XP money A LOT OF HIGH LEVEL SPELLS and 50 charge wands + my personally hated IWD merchant with hoards of +3 items and better and +5 unlimited ammo slings of doom). I'll talk about it in particular after I finish the game since it's interesting how Beamdog inserted what is basically a "cheating" character (because no other wizard in game does what she does and has what seems to be limitless pre-buffing/sequencers) into a "non cheating" game.

It would be interesting to see modders improve actual EE fights because some of them can end up tough (there is one where you basically clean little army of clerics/paladins in their own camp, at least 2 demons to buff up in Dorn's quest to actual demon-level and fight against sharites in Rasaad's quest).

Game is so bug free it hurts.

2 years of patching and I have to use Shadowkeeper to solve quests. Just a few:
- Renfeld didn't speak to me (had to activate quest manually and add his body to inventory through save editing)
- Viconia stutter (5 feet walk) (had to remove her Local Variables twice)
- Irenicus didn't appear and some other Spellhold things (had to replay location - one of characters didn't get out of script coma after arriving into Spellhold dungeon)

There were some others but they were minor ones, didn't have to shut down the game and edit saves.

 

[Excidium II]

Sounds like SoD needs to be damn good to be worth stomaching the EE.

 

[Space Insect]

It is really strange that I got lucky enough to not run into any of these bugs when I played the EEs.

 

[kwanzabot]

i dont plan on ever playing the bg games again but i think ill buy them on steam to support oldschool hardcore rpgs

 

[Shadenuat]

Sounds like SoD needs to be damn good to be worth stomaching the EE.

Always happy to watch all the Irenicus and dream sequences once again, with all the enhanced experience of not able to skip the fucking things which mods allowed years ago even if it was half assed

 

[hell bovine]

Try the SCS-improved Kangaxx.

The point is to play EE and see how it holds compared to mods and what is "improved experience" how Beamdog see it.
Interestingly enough there is at least 1 fight in BG2EE that uses SCS-like scripts - the Thayan Enclave fight. Which is the best EE fight so far and the only one where veterans would have to wake up (although it can be powered through simply because EE seems to add even more XP money A LOT OF HIGH LEVEL SPELLS and 50 charge wands + my personally hated IWD merchant with hoards of +3 items and better and +5 unlimited ammo slings of doom). I'll talk about it in particular after I finish the game since it's interesting how Beamdog inserted what is basically a "cheating" character (because no other wizard in game does what she does and has what seems to be limitless pre-buffing/sequencers) into a "non cheating" game.

To be fair, you can rend even SCS mages helpless with a protection from magic scroll (I assume that's what the bubble is). Kind of defeats the point of fighting high level wizards.