Which game made you give up on Bioware?

[Lilura]

Just because you repeat something doesnt make it true.

You're right. I only have to say it once. Also, my influence as the leading commentator for both games continues to steepen.

Moreover, I now ban people who prefer to play BG in the BG2 engine.

While i can accept arguments that you personally enjoy BG 1 more than the sequel, because they are very different and there is a lot to like, trying to argue that it is a better game is just inane.

Nice opinion you got thar. Of course, unlike me, you have no arguments to cite.

 

[Lhynn]

Superior itemization, encounter design and level design. And thats before we get into the actual features. And they are self explanatory, but ill humor you and put a bit of effort.

- BG1 itemization is too simple and not very impactful. This comes as a consequence of being a low level adventure.
In the first game your average magical item is a potion of healing or a short sword +1, and something really memorable would be Varscona. In BG2 you have things like Daystar, The equalizer, Carsomyr, etc. Exploring the world feels a lot more rewarding because of these unique and memorable items, it also allows for a lot.

- Encounter design in BG1 is almost nonexistent, you have a couple memorable fights, and a few encounters where some planning is needed, like the one in the spider woods. Encounters in BG2 are far more complex and thought out and you run into them everywhere.

We could could compare some of the most memorable encoutners in both games, but why even bother? BG1 doesnt have dragon fights and the fights against adventuring parties are much more interesting and plentiful in the sequel, with more prominent use of traps and abilities to fight off. The reality is that even if more thought had gone into BG1 encounters not much more could have been achieved considering the players limited options.

- Level design in BG2 makes exploration more enjoyable, theres more to see and its far more varied. BG1 is a series of forest with mostly fuck all going on.

Only thing BG1 has over BG2 is better exploration and one dungeon. Also hand drawn maps and a better overall sense of aesthetics. Yeah i agree that converting BG1 to BG2 is inane considering the first game does a lot of things better, and more importantly, the game wasnt designed for the options added in the sequel.

And the only thing i can say both do very differently but are roughly of equal quality are the quests. While BG1 quests are simpler, they usually come with a message or a moral, they feel more charming and do a perfect job at feeling adventurous but very small in scale which fits perfectly with what the game is trying to do. BG2 quests are longer and bigger, and suitably epic while at the same time presenting interesting and new challenges.

Also, nobody here gives a flying fuck about your blog or your influence. God damnit, stop being so stupid, your popularity is irrelevant, you could be pewdiepie and all that would matter would be what you put forward in your post, not how many likes your shit gets.

 

[Lilura]

- BG1 itemization is too simple and not very impactful. This comes as a consequence of being a low level adventure.
In the first game your average magical item is a potion of healing or a short sword +1, and something really memorable would be Varscona. In BG2 you have things like Daystar, The equalizer, Carsomyr, etc. Exploring the world feels a lot more rewarding because of these unique and memorable items, it also allows for a lot.

It is more accurate to say that many BG2 items are grossly OP rather than merely impactful. But BG items are impactful in proportion to the level range. A few are even grossly OP. Relatively speaking, the Dagger of Venom is the most encounter-dictating weapon in the IE games.

- Encounter design in BG1 is almost nonexistent, you have a couple memorable fights, and a few encounters where some planning is needed, like the one in the spider woods. Encounters in BG2 are far more complex and thought out and you run into them everywhere.

More is not better. BG invented the Mage duel (pre-buffed Davaeorn with dimension door; a spell BG2 cut out). BG has demon knight and tanar'ri at low level. BG has several encounters with rival adventuring parties. Singluar toughies are everywhere (Bassilus, Mulahey, Greywolf; I could name 30 before BG city). BG has lethal waylays (wyverns, a dozen bandits firing arrows) whereas BG2 does not.

more prominent use of traps

Not true. Relative to level, BG has way more traps. Durlag's Tower alone has more meaningful traps than the entirety of Athkatla (a city consisting of multiple districts - with a thieves' guild, a vamp lair guild, and multiple subterranean environments). BG2 devalues thieves and thieving skills (and clerics and healing).

The reality is that even if more thought had gone into BG1 encounters not much more could have been achieved considering the players limited options.

Way more could have been achieved, as DSotSC proves beyond doubt. Search for "Lich".

- Level design in BG2 makes exploration more enjoyable, theres more to see and its far more varied

Mixing up a hotch-potch of themes and environments - at least to the degree BG2 did - is just retarded.

Only thing BG1 has over BG2 is better exploration and one dungeon.

Durlag's Tower is multi-level and sprawling. Watcher's Keep is complete garbage in comparison.

Also, nobody here gives a flying fuck about your blog or your influence. God damnit, stop being so stupid, your popularity is irrelevant, you could be pewdiepie and all that would matter would be what you put forward in your post, not how many likes your shit gets.

My write-ups don't get "likes" because there is no like button, emoticons or anything dumb like that; it's all about traffic.

But yeah, here is the write-up in question. I link to it because blogposts > shitposts, and I don't like repeating myself.

 

[Yosharian]

Mass Effect 3 made me throw up, a truly disgusting end to a series that I loved. And not just because of the ending, the entire game was trash.

Then, like a crack addict returning for one last score, I bought into the hype for Dragon Age: Inquisition. 'This time will be different,' said my drug-addled mind. 'They can't fuck this one up,' whispered Satan in my ear.

We know how that piece of shit turned out. Tumblr: The Video Game. Bioware is fucking dead.

 

[Shaewaroz]

Also, nobody here gives a flying fuck about your blog or your influence. God damnit, stop being so stupid, your popularity is irrelevant, you could be pewdiepie and all that would matter would be what you put forward in your post, not how many likes your shit gets.

Lilura at it again, huh? I've put Lilura on my ignone list, so I can't see her posts, but based on what you write here, she is still the same confrontational, egocentric brick. Highly recommend adding her to your ignore list - makes your time here much more enjoyable.

 

[Lilura]

Lilura at it again, huh? I've put Lilura on my ignone list, so I can't see her posts, but based on what you write here, she is still the same confrontational, egocentric brick. Highly recommend adding her to your ignore list - makes your time here much more enjoyable.

Not sure how I got under your skin, but I'm glad I did. Generating butthurt is so good.

As for Lhynn, he's a good poster. I even said so on my blog.

Maybe I'll post the Top 10 Butthurt Codexers next. You will feature if I do.

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

Lilura at it again, huh? I've put Lilura on my ignone list, so I can't see her posts, but based on what you write here, she is still the same confrontational, egocentric brick. Highly recommend adding her to your ignore list - makes your time here much more enjoyable.

Not sure how I got under your skin, but I'm glad I did. Generating butthurt is so good.

As for Lhynn, he's a good poster. I even said so on my blog.

Maybe I'll post the Top 10 Butthurt Codexers next. You will feature if I do.

I’ve never really seen the appeal of S&M, but I believe you would make an excellent dominatrix. Apparently they make very good money. When I was younger and more disreputable, I knew a drug dealer who did a little dominatrix work in her off hours; she eventually went full time because it was more profitable than selling narcotics in New York City with none of the legal risk. Never would’ve believed it if I’d heard the story secondhand.

And, no, she wasn’t just a prostitute who wears lots of leather. Her clients paid to be verbally and physically abused. Only time she touched them was with a riding crop or other similar implement. Her regulars would even pay to clean up her apartment.

Maybe Chinese guys aren’t dumb enough to pay for something they can get for free, but I expect you would do very well in a job that generates a lot of literal butthurt.

PS. SOA’s hodgepodge of settings is an improvement over the bland forests of BG1. If you’re going to set your game in a vast, well fleshed out multiverse, use it! BG1 was more of an epic fantasy bildungsroman; SOA tosses aside the coming of age tropes and has much more of a sword and sorcery serial vibe. Athkatla felt so much like Lankhmar, while Baldur’s Gate proper was kind of meh in comparison. I think BG2 comes off better vs BG1 if you judge the base games separately from their expansions, as TotSC is a major improvement while ToB is a step down.

 

[Mark Richard]

- BG1 itemization is too simple and not very impactful. This comes as a consequence of being a low level adventure.
In the first game your average magical item is a potion of healing or a short sword +1, and something really memorable would be Varscona. In BG2 you have things like Daystar, The equalizer, Carsomyr, etc. Exploring the world feels a lot more rewarding because of these unique and memorable items, it also allows for a lot.

This same point came up a month ago, and was promptly slapped down. The value of a magical item in an adventure is greatly affected by the rarity of magical items in general. In BG1 the iron shortage has resulted in a market flooded by low grade breakable equipment, so finding a magic weapon doesn't just promise advantages, but also means ridding yourself of a disadvantage. This in turn helps fuel the legitimate temptation to use unidentified items despite the risks of curses. My instinct upon finding a magic weapon in BG1 is to hold it aloft like He-Man and yell the name of my nemesis at the mountainside until it splits asunder. The same weapon in BG2 would be used to butter my toast before being tossed into a pile with the others.

 

[IncendiaryDevice]

- BG1 itemization is too simple and not very impactful. This comes as a consequence of being a low level adventure.
In the first game your average magical item is a potion of healing or a short sword +1, and something really memorable would be Varscona. In BG2 you have things like Daystar, The equalizer, Carsomyr, etc. Exploring the world feels a lot more rewarding because of these unique and memorable items, it also allows for a lot.

This same point came up a month ago, and was promptly slapped down.

No it wasn't, you just had two or three people keep repeating the nonsense that you just spewed. No, it is not more interesting or rewarding to use the one solitary upgraded weapon you find during the game for the entire game. No RPG should be that anaemic, to be that anaemic it almost stops being an RPG...

 

[ScrotumBroth]

I realized something was off with ME2 very quickly, but it was really Dragon Age 2 (played 10 minutes and dropped it) that made me give up on them forever.

This.

 

[moleman]

I’ve never really seen the appeal of S&M, but I believe you would make an excellent dominatrix. Apparently they make very good money.

Spoiler

 

[Krivol]

Lilura at it again, huh? I've put Lilura on my ignone list, so I can't see her posts, but based on what you write here, she is still the same confrontational, egocentric brick. Highly recommend adding her to your ignore list - makes your time here much more enjoyable.

Not sure how I got under your skin, but I'm glad I did. Generating butthurt is so good.

As for Lhynn, he's a good poster. I even said so on my blog.

Maybe I'll post the Top 10 Butthurt Codexers next. You will feature if I do.

I love how Codex changed Lilura from sane blogger to Cleve 2 :D .

 

[Lhynn]

It is more accurate to say that many BG2 items are grossly OP rather than merely impactful.

Im fine with items that powerful. Gameplay feels a lot more dynamic and everchanging with them.

But BG items are impactful in proportion to the level range.

Not really. A +1 sword has no real impact in gameplay, and thats what you deal with for the most part in BG1. BG2 items are impactful outside of the level range because they actually give the player more options, they dont just merely make them stronger.

More is not better.

But i said clearly that there are more of them and they are better.

BG invented the Mage duel

Thats not really the case, BG2 didnt invent mage duels either. These are things that come with AD&D. The thing is, mage duels get better the more options the casters have.

BG has lethal waylays (wyverns, a dozen bandits firing arrows) whereas BG2 does not.

Thats true, comes with having a lower level party.

Not true. Relative to level, BG has way more traps.

Yeah, but not more traps during encounters, and they arent as interestingly placed. Traps in the slavers complex or the temple district mansion encounter make those encounters very tricky.

Durlag's Tower alone has more meaningful traps than the entirety of Athkatla

Well, one is a dungeon and the other is a city.

BG2 devalues thieves and thieving skills (and clerics and healing).

This comes more as a consequence of the system than the game. High level adventures mean more options. Thieves can now be very overpowering tho, so even if their skills are not niche, they are still very valuable, same with clerics, they are not just healers. (as an aside, fuck combat healing)

Way more could have been achieved, as DSotSC proves beyond doubt. Search for "Lich".

If your point is that you could introduce BG2 encounters to BG1 for extra challenge, then sure, you are still limited to low-mid level spellcasting and the itemization is largely about passive boosts.

Mixing up a hotch-potch of themes and environments - at least to the degree BG2 did - is just retarded.

No it isnt, i find games stick to the same environments pretty dull. And BG2 represents the setting better than any other game featuring it, forgotten realms is a hotch-potch of shit. A lot of it is fun shit, and BG2 brings some of the best elements in that region to explore.

Durlag's Tower

is multi-level and sprawling. Watcher's Keep is complete garbage in comparison.

Ergo why i said "1 dungeon"

My write-ups don't get "likes" because there is no like button, emoticons or anything dumb like that; it's all about traffic.

My point is that traffic doesnt mean much, especially considering there are a lot of people that are dumber than you that get a lot more attention than you ever will. Yet you think traffic validates you or makes your opinion worth more.

 

[Citizen]

BG has way more traps

Are you talking about beamdoge edition? Replayed BG last year and haven't seen any.

 

[Storyfag]

BG has way more traps

Are you talking about beamdoge edition? Replayed BG last year and haven't seen any.

Equip the belt.

 

[Erebus]

The last Bioware game I played was DA Origins. It was pretty bad, but it might not have been quite enough to make me give up on Bioware all by itself.

However, by the time I played Origins, DA 2 had been released, I'd read the LP in the Playground, and it was clearly worse than the first game.

 

[Abu Antar]

Desecrator

 

[SmoothPimp]

I gave up on gaming community and especially on gaming journalism, when i've read that modest space opera action/adventure Mass Effect is a first-class RPG.

 

[The Avatar]

Why all the hate for Dragon Age 2? The characters are at least interesting, like Varric and the pirate lady. The combat and mechanics are not there, but if you look at like its more of an action-rpg, it's not so bad. It may not be a great game, but hardly enough to "give up" on Bioware.

 

[Lord_Potato]

Well, after quite decent DA Origins it just felt so cheap (reused locations) and simplistic (lack of tactical view, fewer party interactions). A real low effort cash grab you would expect from a company possessed by the demon called Electronic Arts.

 

[HammyTheFat]

Dragon Age 2 was a huge clue that it was dead or dying, playing Mass Effect 3 after that was like getting slapped in the face with the Trout of Truth. But honestly, it had to be Dragon Age Inquisition that was the last nail in the coffin for me.

I played Dragon Age Origins a dozen times. Same for Mass Effect 1.
Played Mass Effect 2 about five times.
Dragon Age 2, three times, and only because I had to do a playthrough for nice/retard/asshole conversational choices. It was hard. I liked a few characters but that couldn't make up for every area being copy pasted along with WAVE AFTER WAVE console combat. I set the difficulty to the lowest setting after the first run just to speed through it.
Mass Effect 3 I played just once. Fuck right off with mmo fetch quests in single player games. If I wanted that, I'd buy something made by Ubisoft.

Dragon Age Inquisition I pirated and deleted within several hours of playing it. It was complete, utter trash. The only redeeming character was Solas, and only because he seemed to hate everyone and everything else in Thedas as much as I did at that point.

 

[Micormic]

Only thing BG1 has over BG2 is better exploration and one dungeon.

BG1 also has companions who shut their mouths and don't piss me off.



I get how the whole

"Hey ____ lets discuss our adventure"

or

"Hey my husband just died and i wanna fuck you/I used to have wings please fuck me"


Type of dialogue appeals to lonely people who don't have friends. To a fairly normal person such as myself I just found it annoying.

 

[Lhynn]

BG1 also has companions who shut their mouths and don't piss me off.

I get how the whole

"Hey ____ lets discuss our adventure"

or

"Hey my husband just died and i wanna fuck you/I used to have wings please fuck me"


Type of dialogue appeals to lonely people who don't have friends. To a fairly normal person such as myself I just found it annoying.

You can actually make your own party in BG2.

 

[Micormic]

BG1 also has companions who shut their mouths and don't piss me off.

I get how the whole

"Hey ____ lets discuss our adventure"

or

"Hey my husband just died and i wanna fuck you/I used to have wings please fuck me"


Type of dialogue appeals to lonely people who don't have friends. To a fairly normal person such as myself I just found it annoying.

You can actually make your own party in BG2.

Don't like doing that, I prefer having companions who aren't fucking annoying . BG1 managed this just fine.

 

[Donk]

Andromaderp.