Icewind Dale Beamdog's Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition

[Absurd]

A new "Story Mode" difficulty setting to allow players to experience all of the story with none of the Game Over screens

Shit game detected.

You know it's easy to just ignore that option instead of being a diva about it.

 

[DemonKing]

A new "Story Mode" difficulty setting to allow players to experience all of the story with none of the Game Over screens

I thought that's what You Tube is for...kind of misses the point of a game where the main challenge is combat...

 

[Transfiguring Roar]

You know it's easy to just ignore that option instead of being a diva about it.

Agreed. Apparently in some people's heads the difficulty setting for ignoring shit is set to impossible.

For those who don't yet know, this mode is the easiest difficulty on the difficulty slider in the options (far left).

 

[coldcrow]

That banshee review The UI improvments are miniscule, the font(UI) is less readable, highlight key(TAB) works as intended. The only true selling points are the BG2 kits and spells.

 

[Xeon]

Isn't there a quick loot option? BG1EE 1.3 and BG2EE has it and its pretty great feature, even though it sometimes is kinda of a hassle to loot stuff because it keeps changing the position after taking an item. Still the time it saves is kinda much better than going to every drop point[?].

Also the highlight for learnable spells, kinda makes it so you don't have to check if you already learned or didn't learn or capable to learn the spell or something like that.

The only thing that kinda wasn't that great I think is the UI element[?] for BGEEs, in OBG2 and TuTu BG1, BG's UI kinda looked a little bit like a dark solid wood instead of a dirt even though it was a dirt I think? now it kinda looks like a plastic rapped dirt or something. I don't think I played BG1 with original UI so BG1EE's UI kinda looks alright in dark blue but still looks a little bit like plastic.

I don't know if it is a selling point but the quality of life[?] or whatever its called features are still kinda of an improvement I think. I only played mainly a Berserker in all of my playthroughs in IE games so I kinda don't know about the extra kits and spells and stuff.

 

[Stokowski]

The good, in a nutshell. I've had a quick go of it, and it's nice being able to take in more of the map. Of all the IE games this one needed it the most, imo.

And all it cost was the souls of aVENGER and Cam.

 

[Transfiguring Roar]

 

[BBMorti]

I don't imagine the Icewind Dale game being balanced for how powerful mages, or many of the powerful classes, that the BG2 engine has? Unless they did quite some changes.

 

[Abelian]

The resolution in the videos and GOG screenshot makes it hard to see: did they stick with the BG1 character models that IWD originally used or switched to the "enhanced" ones from BG2 that were included with Heart of Winter?

 

[Jaesun]

So this is using BG II's engine? Are the spells adjusted to the settings they were in the original IWD?

 

[Somberlain]

Some spells seem to have been changed, like Shield lasts 5 rounds/level instead of 1 hour. I just started so I don't know how the later game actually is, but by quickly looking at the spells with EE keeper I don't notice many changes. Spells like Spell Sequencer, Breach, Pierce Shield, Spell Trigger, Contingency, HLAs and stuff are there, but I don't know if all of them are actually in the game, or how they fit the game. There also seem to be some new spells like Expeditious Retreat.

 

[Bester]

Some spells seem to have been changed, like Shield lasts 5 rounds/level instead of 1 hour. I just started so I don't know how the later game actually is, but by quickly looking at the spells with EE keeper I don't notice many changes. Spells like Spell Sequencer, Breach, Pierce Shield, Spell Trigger, Contingency, HLAs and stuff are there, but I don't know if all of them are actually in the game, or how they fit the game. There also seem to be some new spells like Expeditious Retreat.

I'm currently playing with mods and I also have Shield that lasts 5 rounds/level. I suppose they just incorporated that mod.

 

[aVENGER]

As a general rule, Icewind Dale spells were always closer to the PnP versions while BG2 took more liberties with its implementation. We stayed true to the IWD approach.

So in IWD:EE, you'll see Horrid Wilting that is not party friendly and doesn't work on undead creatures but can insta-kill water-based creatures. It's similar with the Shield spell, the 5 round/level duration is how it worked in IWD. We also adjusted some of the BG2 spells to more closely match the system used in Icewind Dale. For example, Zone of Sweet Air is now available to Druids while evil clerics get Wither instead of Regeneration and Mass Cause Light Wounds instead of Mass Cure.

 

[Absurd]

I've never played Icewind Dale before, is it true the BG2 kits imbalance the game?

 

[agris]

I'm sure they would.

It would be nice if some of the devs *cough* aVENGER *cough* released an unofficial difficulty / balance mod to up the challenge (AI, enemy number / type / position) without the stupid HP / DMG bloat that is most commonly associated with 'difficulty'.

 

[Athelas]

What would they call it though? Icewind Dale: less retarded edition?

 

[aVENGER]

Something like Sawyer's FO:NV mod?

Hmm... we'll see.

 

[agris]

IWD:EE is a great idea, the game just needs to be adjusted for those of us who are on our Xth playthrough of Bhaal Spawn legacy or IWD.

Any word on a UI mod that restores the wood look?

 

[Grunker]

What about Icewind Dale Stratagems, aVENGER?

 

[Athelas]

Something like Sawyer's FO:NV mod?

Hmm... we'll see.

Trent Oster's Icewind Dale doesn't quite have the same ring to it.

I would go with Icewind Dale Advanced.

 

[DDZ]

Gay nerd choke on your dice

 

[Somberlain]

One of the bigger problems with IWD difficulty is that higher difficulties give you more XP. Stratagems style AI improvements would also be very welcome.

 

[Grunker]

It seems to be made from the 2.0 or 3.0 rules

 

[Athelas]

There apparently exists such a thing as D&D hipsters.

 

[pippin]

appropiate?